falling behind the Red Queen
eg, running as fast as I can and still not keeping up to the same place
Bissell, Tom. Chasing the Sea: Lost among the ghosts of empire in Central Asia. 2003.
Peace Corps washout returns to Uzbekistan six years later; ostensibly researching the disappearance of the Aral Sea, he spends a lot of time talking about people and history and not so much about the Sea itself. Engaging and very readable.
Butler, Octavia E. Kindred. 1979.
Fortey, Richard. Dry Storeroom No. 1. 2008.
Full of wonderful anecdotes about the very British British Museum of Natural History, including an incident where confusing cryptogams (plants with hidden reproductive systems) with cryptograms sent the wrong man to Bletchley Park.
Johnson, Marilyn. This Book is Overdue! How Librarians and Cybrarians can save us all. 2010.
Bouncy book about the necessity of librarians in the Information Age. The unbounded optimism for Second Life dates it just a little.
Jones, Lloyd. Biografi: a traveller's tale. 1993.
Strange semi-fiction about trying to track down Enver Hoxha's body doubles after the fall of Albanian communism.
Levi, Carlo. Christ Stopped at Eboli. 1947.
The implication of the title is that Christ and thus Western Civilization never got as far as the little villages in the arch of the boot of Italy where Levi was exiled in 1935.
Novik, Naomi. Victory of Eagles. 2008.
The next-to-most recent Temeraire book, with dragons, naval battles, LORD NELSON, etc.
Russell, Mary Doria. The Sparrow. 1996.
Not just Jesuits In Space!, but a beautifully-written exploration of humanity with believably wonderful characters.
Scoggin, S. A. A Novel and Efficient Synthesis of Cadaverine. 2009.
Peculiar revenge fantasies by chemistry grad students at "Allston University," with a loud and flamboyant university president.
Sherrill, Steven. The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break. 2000.
Slow, careful prose with fantastic characters.
Bissell, Tom. Chasing the Sea: Lost among the ghosts of empire in Central Asia. 2003.
Peace Corps washout returns to Uzbekistan six years later; ostensibly researching the disappearance of the Aral Sea, he spends a lot of time talking about people and history and not so much about the Sea itself. Engaging and very readable.
Butler, Octavia E. Kindred. 1979.
Fortey, Richard. Dry Storeroom No. 1. 2008.
Full of wonderful anecdotes about the very British British Museum of Natural History, including an incident where confusing cryptogams (plants with hidden reproductive systems) with cryptograms sent the wrong man to Bletchley Park.
Johnson, Marilyn. This Book is Overdue! How Librarians and Cybrarians can save us all. 2010.
Bouncy book about the necessity of librarians in the Information Age. The unbounded optimism for Second Life dates it just a little.
Jones, Lloyd. Biografi: a traveller's tale. 1993.
Strange semi-fiction about trying to track down Enver Hoxha's body doubles after the fall of Albanian communism.
Levi, Carlo. Christ Stopped at Eboli. 1947.
The implication of the title is that Christ and thus Western Civilization never got as far as the little villages in the arch of the boot of Italy where Levi was exiled in 1935.
Novik, Naomi. Victory of Eagles. 2008.
The next-to-most recent Temeraire book, with dragons, naval battles, LORD NELSON, etc.
Russell, Mary Doria. The Sparrow. 1996.
Not just Jesuits In Space!, but a beautifully-written exploration of humanity with believably wonderful characters.
Scoggin, S. A. A Novel and Efficient Synthesis of Cadaverine. 2009.
Peculiar revenge fantasies by chemistry grad students at "Allston University," with a loud and flamboyant university president.
Sherrill, Steven. The Minotaur Takes a Cigarette Break. 2000.
Slow, careful prose with fantastic characters.