Book Log 2018 #36: The Last Days of Night by Graham Moore

Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse engaged in one of the bigger industrial battles in US history, as they sought to gain the upper hand in electrifying America. This book tells that story, but through an unexpected character - young lawyer Paul Cravath, who Westinghouse hires to manage the various lawsuits Edison is using to try to put Westinghouse out of business.

Cravath is a real person, whose work for Westinghouse presaged his later law firm work representing several large corporations. He's also noteworthy for the system he developed to organize and run professional services, like law firms, which is still in use today. You see the beginnings of that here, which creates a kind of parallel story of invention. 

It's still a good book if all you're interested in is the fight between Edison and Westinghouse, but it's just that much more interesting when you throw in Cravath's story as well.

 Book Log 2018 #35: Foundation by Isaac Asimov

I'd been meaning to check this out for years, and when I finally got to it I was... underwhelmed? Not sure if that's actually it, but I did have an incredibly hard time getting into the book, and subsequently found it hard to keep the people and events straight. 

The book started out as a series of short stories, so perhaps there's a continuity issue that I couldn't quite overcome. It's probably worth taking another crack at. I did like the premise of the book - man discovers through a field of study he created that the Galactic Empire is failing, and the powers that be punish him for it - and have liked the other Asimov books I've read. The original trilogy won a Hugo Award for best all-time series, so I'm tempted to think the problem is with me. 

 Book Log 2018 #34: Exit Music by Ian Rankin

John Rebus is heading towards retirement, but in his usual way he doesn't get there easily. There are a couple of murders that appear to be tied to a visiting group of Russian businessmen, scouting out investment opportunities in Scotland. Rebus is convinced he can connect the killings to the Russians, gangster and nemesis Big Ger Cafferty, the Scottish National Party, and a local banker. It all seems too much, and as usual his investigative approach gets him suspended, but also as usual Rebus sticks with the investigation, looking for one last big solve.

With his retirement, there was thought this would be the last book in the series. It isn't. Even so, it would have been a fitting end to the series. But I'm glad it's not.

 Book Log 2018 #33: Waiting by Ha Jin

A doctor at a city hospital meets a nurse, they fall in love, and decide to get married. There is, of course, a catch. The doctor is already married, to a woman he does not love who is back in their home village, taking care of his elderly parents. He returns home for a few days each year, and when he does he tries to get a divorce. Even when his wife agrees to the divorce there are details that prevent it, and the doctor returns to the city, still unable to marry the woman he loves.

This is the main premise of the book, whose characters each experience this wait in different, and often surprising ways. The setting in communist China adds another layer to things, as all of the bureaucratic nonsense not only adds to each person's waiting, but has everyone, character and reader alike, waiting to see the changes in the country. 

I did like this book, but in case you couldn't guess it's not the best pick if you want a traditional romance.