What could be better for summer reading than getting completely out of your head and reading something very different from your normal go-to recreational reading? Take a chance and do what former president Obama did. He read The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu and here is what he had to say about it in a New York Times article for the NY Times book review section.
” … there’s been the occasion where I just want to get out of my own head. [Laughter] Sometimes you read fiction just because you want to be someplace else.
What are some of those books?
It’s interesting, the stuff I read just to escape ends up being a mix of things — some science fiction. For a while, there was a three-volume science-fiction novel, the “Three-Body Problem” series —
Oh, Liu Cixin, who won the Hugo Award.
— which was just wildly imaginative, really interesting. It wasn’t so much sort of character studies as it was just this sweeping —
It’s really about the fate of the universe.
Exactly. The scope of it was immense. So that was fun to read, partly because my day-to-day problems with Congress seem fairly petty — not something to worry about. Aliens are about to invade. [Laughter]
Excerpt from the New York Times, January 16, 2017.
If a recommendation from the ex-President isn’t enough, what about the current head of Facebook – Mark Zukerburg who also recommended this book for his book club.
The novels are set in post-war Communist China, the first, The Three-Body Problem tells the story of an alien civilization that learns of the existence of Earth. Facing destruction, the aliens invade. The ensuing war is detailed in The Dark Forest, and the trilogy ends with, the appropriately named, Death’s End, that explores the two societies’ attempts to co-exist.
If you would like to share some head time with something completely different, McLure Library has all three books in that series in the Education School Library collection.
Book 1 Book 2 Book 3
The call number for the first book is PL 2947 .C59 S3613 2014
If you would like to read this novel call 348 – 6346 or 348-1508 and we will put it on hold for you. Or you can come to McLure and see what other fantastic summer reading we have on our shelves.
