When I read large…
What do I mean by this? Peruse the “Steve’s Bookshelf” webpage. You’ll see more non-fiction than fiction. I’m an avid fiction reader; I’m also a fiction writer. Shouldn’t there be more fiction in this list?
No, the list is reserved for books that really resonated with me. Consider Baldacci; his listed books aren’t his thrillers. Consider Deaver; Garden of Beasts and not the Lincoln Rhyme books is listed. That doesn’t mean that I don’t like their other books. While I’ll probably recognize the story if I picked up one of their books not listed that I’ve read, they don’t stick with me like the ones that are mentioned.
I read a lot of fiction, some for R&R, some in my official reviewing capacity at Bookpleasures.com, and some because somebody gives me the books as a gift. The latter source is where most of those non-fiction books come from.
In fact, if you analyze my reviews on Bookpleasures.com, you’ll see I’ve reviewed many non-fiction books. “Large” could refer to the fact that non-fiction books tend to be long—some are real “doorstops” as some readers like to call them. No, that’s not what “large” means. It refers to the “large” topics that are treated. Good fiction contains non-trivial themes that treat some of these large topics, but these themes weave around and through the plots, putting meat on the literary bones, as it were. King belittles themes in his On Writing, but he’s wrong. Fiction only has a chance for greatness when it contains large themes.
But non-fiction books focus on the large themes. I read non-fiction exposes about child porn and human trafficking; they appear as themes in The Collector. I read histories of how the Nazis stole artwork in World War Two, mostly from Jews, sometimes for Hitler and sometimes just to have collateral to finance their retirement after the war. Much of that provided themes in The Collector and Rembrandt’s Angel.
The Bible is a quandary. Whether you interpret it as non-fiction (many people in it ARE historical figures) or fiction (e.g. Ezekiel’s wheel, unless you believe in UFOs), it’s writ large. Along with the Quran and other religious texts, these are all-time bestsellers. (Some themes from the Bible will appear in Son of Thunder, the sequel to Rembrandt’s Angel—that’s the only preview you’ll get for now.)
But finding themes for my fiction isn’t the exclusive reason why I read large. Good non-fiction books are as intriguing to me as fiction books. My interest in popular science books and biographies of scientists isn’t hard to understand—I’m an ex-scientist. Moreover, I was overly specialized, so I’m an ordinary layman outside my specialties. My interests in history, art, and religion have less obvious justifications. Both Segre and Hoerlin’s The Pope of Physics and Isaccson’s Leonardo Da Vinci (reviewed on Bookpleasures) are in “Steve’s Bookshelf.” I’m currently reading Hodges’s Alan Turing: The Enigma; it will probably go on that list. I just finished Rhodes’s The Wold as It Is (also reviewed on Bookpleasures). You might see what connects all these: stories about real human beings who have had a tremendous impact on our lives. Their stories have to be writ large; they’re part of our legacy.
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The Chaos Chronicles Trilogy Collection. This trilogy is my version of Asimov’s Foundation trilogy. Unlike the inimitable Isaac’s, my universe is replete with ETs. Starting with dystopia on Earth and in our solar system, the reader heads off to the stars to encounter ET cultures and some strange collective intelligences. Humans have their problems, and not just with ETs. Dystopian, militaristic, and paranormal sci-fi awaits you. (The first book in the trilogy is included here; it might remind you of where humanity might be heading right now, which is why it’s dystopian, of course.) This bundle is on sale now at Smashwords—you’ll pay only $2.99 versus the $5.99 retail price during the month of August—just use the coupon code on checkout. (Of course, even $5.99 isn’t a bad price for three full novels of sci-fi adventures.) Great for summer reading!
In libris libertas!
