Heidi

I've read and listened to a lot of alternative and "real" history, and this is one of the best. Yes, it is hard to listen to sometimes, partly because it makes you THINK about history. About the changes that were needed to say, invent the airplane.

But also, it is so rich and detailed. The workers make you think about most jobs, the routines you go through every day, to make your job work. I listened to this just after "23 things they don't tell you" about Capitalism, which affected my feelings about this work too. About how the framework of your society, affects your personal decisions.

Pavane is not a work I would have selected, based on the description. I AM hooked now though, on Niel Gaiman's sense of taste. The only think I like better are the books he himself narrate.

I loved this, for all the reasons I've loved the rest of the series. Vinge does what speculative fiction should do, which is to make you think. He anticipates much of what is happening today, but doesn't lecture on the theories or math or brain organization behind what he's saying. The Tines ability to form essentially one brain from several creatures is a very interesting twist, and makes you think a lot about how human brains are put together. Don't we often feel like we are a collection of sometimes warring pieces?

The characters are fun, and not overly complex. In other words, good entertainment. Some of my favorite other speculative authors are amazing, but it takes a lot of concentration (and taking notes) to keep the entire plot straight. Vinge is a good listen while, say, doing dishes or some boring task, without requiring my entire attention.

I'd recommend it to anyone interested in economics. I don't personally read nonfiction much, nor do friends I know. This one though, is something people should hear.

We've been getting a load of bull **** about what works for a thriving economy. The concepts here are really easy to understand, and make a lot more sense than most of what you've been hearing lately. It's not a manifesto for a welfare state, or for the disregulation of everything. Just a talk about

There is only one character, the writer. I was surprised when, some hours into the book, I discovered the author is Korean. But the author is not the narrator: Joe Barrett does not sound at all Korean. However, Joe made it very easy to understand, which I appreciated.

It would be a documentary, for sure.

All voters should read it.