Experimenting with making notes about books I read during the year. Fiction/Non-Fiction anyway, technical books may or may not make the list
Karla’s Choice by Nick Harkaway
Harkaway doing his Dad’s legacy proud
I thought I had exhausted the George Smiley canon a while ago and was quite excited to hear that the BBC had commissioned a new series based on A Legacy of Spies starring Matthew Macfadyen. I’d previously listened to the superb collection “The Complete George Smiley Radio Dramas” which Audible were doing for a single credit a while back. The BBC at its best. Some of them were a bit dated it’s fair to say, but they were great entertainment. I’d even rewatched the two classic Alec Guinness series, after which I felt faintly melancholic as they reminded me of my youth watching them and for an England of the past.
Even so, somehow the fact that Le Carre’s son, Nick Harkaway, had written a new Smiley novel a couple of years ago had completely escaped my attention. Eager to put this oversight to rights, I nabbed the audiobook on Spotify.
The book’s foreword mentions the author’s concern about whether it would be met positively by his Dad’s fans - he had nothing to worry about. It’s a great yarn, with a chance set of circumstances at the start leading to a gripping climax. Harkaway faithfully recreates the atmosphere of the Circus and its denizens - Haydon and Esterhase in particular, with Control featuring as well. But it’s the portrayal of Smiley that hits the highest notes, contrasting his professional mastery of his trade with the small defeats his personal life so often turns up. Recommended, with more to come I hope.
There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm
As someone who forgets a lot of stuff this rang very true
This book seemed to be on every AI influencer’s list a year or so back when an independent print was doing the rounds; I again picked the audiobook version of the late 2025 edition. I think it would have been better experienced as a physical book - nothing wrong with the audiobook production at all, but for something like this which introduces some mindbending concepts I often like to pause and contemplate (or reread!) what the author has said. The book reminded me in many ways of Charles Stross’ initial novels in the Laundry Files series (which is high praise indeed, coming from me). It’s very hard to mention too much that happens without giving away the plot, but it’s easy to see why the idea of memes and antimemes caught on with the AI crowd. Again, recommended.