Fire Weather

By John Valliant.

Fire weather is largely the story of the world’s largest wildfire, which took place in 2016 and consumed much of Fort McMurray Alberta. Valliant writes about this in intense and extended detail. 

It also covers climate change, and how humanity is building more into the wilderness, both of which increase the impact of wildfires. About once a century, the Boreal forest in northern Canada and Russia has always burnt down. What could go wrong with building new cities up there?

Climate change and its impacts is unsettling. Even if I go all green, what I can do will have very little discernible impact on the long-term outcome. I have to focus on the small changes and be prepared for the cynics who point out how ineffective all of this is. 

It's easy to be cynical. 

The Truth

By Terry Pratchett. A Discworld novel.

I have a mixed relationship with Pratchett’s Discworld series; some books delight me, while others fall flat.

This one was good. It centers on Discworld's first newspaper, which has as much sensational gossip as actual news.

As a fantasy series, Discworld is brimming with all sorts of outlandish creations. Interestingly, the author occasionally points out that a particular fabrication has a real-world counterpart.

I also enjoyed the zombie obituaries, which humorously detailed their adventures since their deaths.