Book Log #68, 69 & 70: The Cave of Time, Outlaws of Sherwood Forest, Statue of Liberty Adventure by Edward Packard (The Cave of Time) and Ellen Kushner (the other two)

Kind of a cheat to get to a round number at year's end: all of these are Choose Your Own Adventure books, which I thumbed through one afternoon soon after we moved into the house. I'd liked the series as a kid, and had started buying them through eBay a couple of years ago (though I haven't bought any in some time).

The Cave of Time is the first book in the series, and is still pretty enjoyable. I was less enamored of the other two, which didn't seem to have as many interesting endings other than the "main" ending.

When I was getting these originally, I worked up to about book 22. Looking back at the list, the ones I remember most fondly were The Race Forever (an off-road rally similar to Paris-Dakar) and Escape (where you try to escape from a totalitarian state in the western part of the US).

Anyway, fun nostalgia to end the year.

Book Log 2006 #67: Braniac by Ken Jennings

As a fellow trivia geek, it's not surprising that there are many things about Braniac that I liked and found familar, from growing up a trivia geek (though I didn't play it down as Ken did) from his descriptions of various trivia subcultures, including quiz bowl and pub trivia. I also enjoyed the description of the Stevens Point weekend, and some of the history, especially the chapter he spent with Fred Worth, one of whose books was the only gift one set of grandparents gave me that I ever found useful (let's just say that they never quite knew my shirt size, as well as they meant in sending something).

What I would have liked was more about Ken's actual Jeopardy! run. While there are past and present behind the scenes books about the show (such as Prisoner of Trebekistan), winning 74 games is so different that I'd think there's something to be said there beyond what Ken wrote. I assume the brevity comes, in some measure, from Ken's unassuming nature. I'd have been OK with him showing a tad more vanity.

I also found that I did pretty well on the trivia questions that were in most chapters, pleasing the geek within. In any case, I think it's a good book for people who are interested in trivia, but may disappoint folks expecting more about the run.

Book Log 2006 #66: Imperium by Robert Harris

The first book in a planned trilogy on the life of Cicero, written as the lost biography of the man by Tiro, his secretary. It's less of a thriller than his other books, but no less dramatic given the perils of Roman politics that Cicero traverses on his quest to become consul. I don't think it's as good as some of Harris's earlier books, but it's still pretty good.

Back to the Cabot tonight to see The Departed, which I really enjoyed. Not sure if it's the best movie of the year, but I've seen few enough movies this year to make that call. It is the best movie I've seen this year, intermittent Clavenesque accents notwithstanding. Parts of the film were shot near the wife's office, so it was neat to see some familiar streetscapes.

I feel like I should have more to say about the two most notable deaths of the last few days, but I don't. I watched some of the Ford coverage today and it was pretty typical - fill with whatever you can while we wait for something to happen. As for Hussein, I've only seen the stuff they had on early saying he'd been hanged, and that it probably wasn't going to effect the current situation in Iraq too much. Which, sadly, seems true.

Book Log 2006 #65: The Demon Under the Microscope by Thomas Hager

This is a very interesting history of the discovery and use of sulfa drugs, the first antibiotic drugs. The description is a little dramatic - they weren't quite discovered by the Nazis - but is spot on in the way sulfa dramatically changed the prospects of surviving infection. What was most interesting to me is what the description doesn't really mention - that sulfa was already a well-known and widely available substance at the time its antibiotic properties were discovered.

I think that common nature led to the one drawback to the book: there's almost no discussion as to where sulfa came from. It appears in the book as this stuff that chemists tried in due course as they tested the efficacy of a wide array of compounds. I'd have liked a bit more on how sulfa got to that point.

In any case, it's a very good medical/scientific history, with a healthy dose of social and legal history, given the wide range of changes sulfa caused. It's even a cautionary tale on the incomplete and over-use of antibiotics, given how quickly sulfa fell from use. Recommended.

Book Log 2006 #64: Remembrance Day by Henry Porter

Having enjoyed Brandenburg Gate and not finding anything else interesting, I decided to pick this up, the only other of his books at our library. It's apparently the first book in a trilogy (albeit a loosely connected one), which I'll now have to seek out, given that I really liked this one. Very solid spy-type thriller about an Irish scientist caught up in what appears to be an IRA bombing campaign in London using bombs set off by cell phones. Which I suppose makes this the British equivalent to Tom Clancy's use of a jumbo jet to take out Congress in Debt of Honor. Just better-written and not as lengthy.

Book Log 2006 #63: Washington's Spies by Alexander Rose

Using new research from both American and British sources, in this book Rose tells the story of the Culper Ring, a spy group that got information out of British-held New York for use by Washington. It also provides some background into syping during the war (starting with the story of Nathan Hale) and into the mechanics of spying and the position spies had in war and society in general.

I never got as into this book as I thought I would. Rose takes long detours from the main narrative to provide biographical and background information, and perhaps detoured a bit too long or too deeply at times. The information is relevant, but when reading the book as I did (on a trip and by commuting), it can take a while to remember who everyone is, never mind things like motivations and relationships between ring members.

That aside, I do think that I would have liked the book more if I'd read it under more controlled conditions.

Book Log 2006 #62: In High Places by Arthur Hailey

Perhaps the only Cold War thriller based in the world of Canadian politics, In High Places follows Prime Minister James Howden as he tries to negotiate an immigration crisis and a dark personal secret in the days leading up to a historic agreement with the US. The story alternates between Howden and a newly minted lawyer named Alan Maitland, who is hired by an opponent of Howden's to fight the government in the immigration case of a ship stowaway. Maitland realizes to some extent that he's been hired for political reasons, but after meeting the stowaway feels compelled to take his case.

There are also subplots about a blossoming romance between Howden's secretary and his party chief, and the mental stability of a cabinet minister. Only the latter plays a significant role in the book.

Hailey was the Michael Crichton of his day, undertaking significant research to write topical works such as Airport and Hotel. This work appears to be more of a straight fiction undertaking, and perhaps suffers for it a bit, as the political machinations aren't particularly complex or surprising. This may be hindsight talking a bit, as the book was written in 1962, before Watergate made us all cyncal. Still, it is a contemporary of Seven Days in May, a very good political conspiracy novel. Maybe things are just less complicated in Canada.

I wound up picking this up when I was away over Thanksgiving and needed a book to read. And while I wasn't wowed by it, it was an OK read.

Happy Boxing Day! I hope you're having better luck finding the fights on TV, because I can't seem to find any.

(Have I used that joke before? Or does its lack of quality just make it seem like I have?)

Anyway, just returned from a few days up country, where we pretty much did nothing but eat and watch things on TV. It was very instructive, as I learned that Carrie Underwood and Tony Romo are approaching item status (good thing, now that we don't have Tom and Bridget to follow) and that the combination of Mentos and Diet Coke does some interesting things (this may be old news to many of you; I don't always get the fads from the Internets that quickly). I've also managed to see at least some of every bowl game so far this season, kind of dubious distinction given some of the contests. I did see the second half of the Hawaii Bowl, which was pretty much all you needed to see. Colt Brennan may throw for 60 TDs next year, asssuming he doesn't get Major Harris disease and opt for the NFL.

Really not much more to report. It was a very lazy holiday, which I suppose is for the best.

Book Log 2006 #60 and 61: Dandelion Wine and Farewell Summer by Ray Bradbury

The summer between 7th and 8th grade I participated in a reading program started by my 7th grade English teacher. Well, "participated" may be a little strong. I took the books on the last day of school. And as of the day before we were supposed to meet to discuss them, I'd not read a word in any of them. It was the summer, I had other things to do, apparently.

But, feeling like I should at least make an effort, I grabbed the thinnest book from the stack and dove in, figuring that within a day I'd be able to read and skim enough to discuss that book. I never skimmed the book and never went to the meeting, using all of that time to actually read Dandelion Wine. It is still one of my favorite books.

I think that comes from reading it at an age similar to that of Doug Spaulding and in a place that, in a pinch, could pass for Green Town (without the menacing gorge, though). I also had Spaulding's nostalgic bent, though I don't think it was fueled by the discovery of my own mortality.

Anyway, I read it every few years, and find that I do take things away from it now that were different from when I first read it. I assume that'll be the case when I'm closer in age to Spaulding's grandfather.

My latest venture into the book was sparked by coming across Farewell Summer, the decades-in-the-making sequel to Dandelion Wine. Made sense to me to read them back to back. Unfortunately, and perhaps not unexpectedly, the sequel does not stand up to the original at all. It introduces a number of new elderly citizens of Green Town with whom Spaulding and his friends take on in an attempt to never become old.

The sequel is very linear, and is disappointingly lacking in the sort of magic (for lack of a better word) that marked the original. Suffice it to say that when I do read Danelion Wine again, I won't be following it with its sequel.

I've been messing around a bit with labels, a feature that's been added to Blogger recently. While I like the concept, I'm not thrilled with the way it looks on the page. So if things look a little wonky here for the next couple of days, it's me messing with things.

Book Log 2006 #59: Let Me Tell You a Story by John Feinstein and Red Auerbach

After seeing this book referenced in a few obits after Red's death, I figured I'd check it out. I'm very glad I did, as it is an endlessly entertaining stream of anecdotes about Red's life, both in and out of basketball. Highly recommended.

Not sure this will help the NHL's image, but a write in candidate is currently polling second in the voting for Western Conference All-Star defensemen. That candidate is Rory Fitzpatrick, a journeyman currently with the Canucks. He's actually very close to taking over the lead.

As this may be your last chance to participate in this kind of mischief, you may want to vote while you still can. You have to think that the league will do something to prevent this from happening again next season.

Notes from the weekend.

Friday night was spent primarily watching UMass lose to Appalachian State in the 1-AA title game. Or, as we were reminded something like 20 times, the title game of the "Division 1 championship subdivision." Which, by extension, makes the Fake Bowl the title game of the "Division 1 bullshit subdivision."

Even with the loss by Our State U, this game will still wind up being more entertaining than at least a half-dozen of the coming bowls.

Saturday saw us do exactly what we didn't want to do - go Christmas shopping. Another year of planning to do things early goes by the wayside. Still, we completed the vast majority of the shopping we needed to do, so I can't really complain.

That night we saw The Prestige at the Cabot Cinema, a local theater that shows indie and second-run movies. I won't go into previews too much, given that four of the five were for movies that have been out for a while (The Queen, Flags of Our Fathers, Marie Antoinette, and Flushed Away). The fifth, Keeping Mum, is about a woman (Maggie Smith) who becomes a housekeeper to a vicar and his wife (Rowan Atkinson and Kristen Scott Thomas), who only learn after the hiring that Smith's character spent most of her life in a facility for the criminially insane... and may not be all that cured. This also stars, for reasons I cannot fathom, Patrick Swayze. One scene in the trailer had him wearing only a red codpiece. For reasons I'd rather not fathom.

(Apparently, Keeping Mum has been out for a while, too, as it was a 2005 release in the UK and was released over here last September. So perhaps it's better described as the one film I'd not heard of from the bunch.)

Anyway, it was fitting to see The Prestige at the Cabot, as it's best known as the home of Le Grand David and His Own Spectacular Magic Show, which has been resident at the theater since 1977. I've never actually seen the show. The only times I've been in the theater are for movies, and even then none since high school.

And while it's called a cinema, the Cabot is clearly a theater primarily for stage productions. It's not a bad place to see a film, but it's clear that it's not going to try to keep up with the multiplexes. Which is fine with me, if it keeps the tickets at $6 and the concession prices as low as they are.

Anyway, enjoyed the movie, but glad I didn't pay regular theather rates to see it.

Sunday was mostly football, punctuated with a run to get a red onion (for a dish I brought in for a divisional potluck today). Figured out I needed it at 9:45, got to Stop & Shop at 9:50 only to discover it closed at 9. So I raced across town to get to Shaw's before 10 (thinking it closed then), only to find that it closes at midnight. Good to know.

Book Log 2006 #58: The Templar Legacy by Steve Berry

Steve Berry is to Dan Brown what Scott Turow is to John Grisham: a better writer in a genre where someone else gets the lion's share of hype.

I don't think Berry is as good a writer as Turow, but if we're thinking about novels that would fall into whatever genre The DaVinci Code would fall into, Berry writes rings around Brown. From character to plot to pace, Berry wins on all counts.

Similar to his other books, Berry's protagonist is a guy who gets roped into a series of events after intervening in an act of attempted violence. This leads to a mad dash around Europe as the protagonist - quasi-spy turned book seller Cotton Malone - and his former boss at the US Justice Department try to solve the puzzle of the Knights Templar - a puzzle that led to the death of the boss's husband several years earlier. Throw into this a man who wants to return the Templars to their former glory, and you've got a pretty good set-up.

It does get a little dopey at times, but the entertainment value makes up for it. A fun read.

Following up on the holidays in the office, it turns out that I am the only person not participating in the Secret Gift-Giving Occasion. And while that could be a little isolating, it turns out to have worked in my favor.

We recently had a personnel change here, resulting in one less person in the office. That person was participating, of course, and their departure meant that someone was looking to go presentless. And, thanks to the decentralized nature of things, no one knew who that person would be.

Which is where I come in. The person coordinating the event had me get names from everyone so I could, by process of elimination, find out who was going to be ungifted and give their name to the person who had the person who left. So, really, my innate disdain for the SGGO turned into a positive. It's a Festivus Miracle!

Book Log 2006 #57: Berlin Games by Guy Walters

A reasonably interesting history of the 1936 Summer Games, from their awarding to Berlin, talk of boycott by the US and British teams, to the actualy competition and their aftermath. Pretty good balance of bouncing between organizers and athletes, though I imagine American readers would prefer more about Owens and other US athletes (Walters is British, as evidenced by his regular use of the term "cockahoop"). Though I'd have to think that descendents of Avery Brundage would have liked less coverage. He comes off very poorly, which is not much of a surprise given that he could be the smallest, pettiest person to ever be involved in American sports.

While I found it interesting, I will say that the writing was a little dry. Probably not the best commuter reading.

Not much to report on of late, just work and life and stuff. Been trying to get more into the holiday spirit, and in that vein put up a Festivus pole at work. People seem to like it, and my boss has put me in charge of some sort of Festivus committee (which currently is just me), for which I'm planning a lunchtime celebration on our last day. We'll watch "The Strike", air some greivances, and then have a (mental) Feats of Strength holiday quiz. Should be a fun time for all.

In a more traditional vein, we got a wreath for the house yesterday, though we've not put it up yet. Looks like we're passing on a tree this year, which makes sense given the state of the house.

We also got to go to the wife's holiday party for work, which was a surprisingly good time for an event where I don't know 90%-plus of the people. The party was at the World Trade Center, and thus we were able to get a reduced deal to stay overnight at the Seaport Hotel, one of the newer, swankier places that's been developed over by the new convention center. And while it was very nice, I can't say I felt like it met the hype. I liked the rooms we had at the Park Plaza and whatever the Swisshotel is now better.

Closed out the weekend watching the Pats get whipped (it's not good when a 21-0 score isn't as close as it looks, the offense was doing nothing) and wishing that I could carry Drew Brees' performance over to next week (had a bye in our fantasy football playoffs thanks to an inexplicable division title win). Oh, and while I missed it due to the party, Our State U. took out Montana to punch their ticket to Chattanooga, where they'll face Appalachian State. Were I younger, not married, and hadn't just been there, I'd mull a road trip. But then I'd wuss out.

Book Log 2006 #56: The Thinking Fan's Guide to the World Cup, edited by Matt Weiland and Sean Wilsey

You'd think it odd to read this so long after things were decided in Germany, but given how little this book actually had to do with this year's World Cup, the delay in reading it was not a problem.

While there is the minimally-required soccer information needed to consider this a guide to the Cup, the 32 national profiles that make up the bulk of the book don't touch on the country's chances. Rather, it uses the Cup as a chance to look at national character through the lens of soccer, though at times that lens has just the barest of curve to it.

The articles are generally well-written, but I didn't find that they made as much of a personal impact. It was interesting reading, but at this point I only have the impression of what was written, and even then not for all 32 articles.

In any case, it's still worth a read - as long as you aren't expecting a lot of writing about the event in the collection's name.

We made our return to bar trivia last week for the Tournament of Champions. Kind of a funny story - the team qualified by finishing second to a team called the Out of Towners, who were literally from out of town, visiting Boston for work and not scheduled to return at all, never mind for the tournament.

There was some rust, as shown by the greater than usual number of wrong answers, including one glaring one by me that hamstrung us. Still, we managed to climb back and finish a surprising third. This got us money towards our bill, which I think we actually preferred to the Bruins tickets being offered up as the grand prize (Sam Adams is again the sponsor, so I assume they're the same seats as last year).

Anyway, questions for you:

What city's shopping district is centered on Orchard Road? Singapore (Anthony) - we had no idea, but it sounded colonial, so we went with Hong Kong. Of course, there is no actualy city called Hong Kong, but we were in the weeds enough to not consider that.

What sport's hall of fame is located in St. Augustine, Florida? Golf (Paul) - I did the exact same thing Paul did, answering swimming. I was so sure of myself that I ignored a teammate who'd answered golf and went in with full marks. And, once I was proven wrong, we'd lost five points instead, putting us in the hole that we never quite got out from. I was under the impression that golf's HoF was at Pinehurst - which it used to be before moving to St. Augustine.

The element lutetium is named for what European city? Paris (Julie) - our collective French knowledge was apparently not up to snuff, and went with Lisbon because it starts with the same letter as the element. We were just that confused.

Made by monks, what liqueur is believed to be the oldest made in continual production? Benedictine (Anthony) - this combination of 27 plants and spices in a cognac base was first produced in 1510. We went with Frangelico, which was the first one to come to mind and, really, would have been the only one. But it only goes back about 300 years.

Who was the first rap act to appear on the cover of Rolling Stone? Run DMC (Paul) - seemed obvious, though I feared it'd be something stupid like Vanilla Ice.

Shakespeare's Measure for Measure takes place in what city? Vienna - the wife was the resident Shakespeare person, and she came up with Verona. Which is closer than any of the rest of us would have gotten.

Who are the only brothers to be nominated for acting Academy Awards? Joaquin and River Phoenix (Greg) - the former for Walk the Line and Gladiator, the latter for Running on Empty. We had no idea, and talked it out for a long time before throwing out the complete guess of Sean and Chris Penn (I thought Chris may have picked up a nod for The Funeral). Still kind of amazed that we missed with a full bet and still finished third.

Got our first snow today, most of which melted on contact with the ground. We had a dusting by the time it was over, but once the sun came out it melted. As odd as that was given that we were in the 60s less than a week ago, at least we didn't go the way of the midwest.

Also kind of funny to think that we had snow later in the year than Seattle.

With all this snow business you'd think I'd be more acclimated towards the looming holidays, but I'm not. No good reason for this, just not that enthused. Doesn't help that we're doing a Secret (Santa/Snowflake/non-offensive item of choice) rather than a Yankee Swap at the office this year. I wound up opting out; I don't like buying generic gifts for specific people, and invariably I pull the name of the person I know least well. So I feel kind of grinchy for that. But I suppose I'll brighten up when I finally put up the Festivus pole.

Blogalicious College Football Top 10

1. Ohio State (idle) - the one thing we can all agree on. Next opponent: Florida in the Fake Bowl.

2. Michigan (idle) - I was originally not keen on the idea of a repeat, but I warmed to it, as having seen all of these teams play I think Michigan really is the next best. Not that I get to vote in anything that matters. Next opponent: USC in the Rose Bowl.

3. Florida (def. Arkansas 38-28) - even if I'd favor a rematch, I'm not sure I have the same fervor against Florida's title shot that others have. I would ask those that do to get their pitchforks and torches and head to Indy. That may be what it takes to get a playoff. Next opponent: Ohio State in the Fake Bowl.

4. Louisville (def. Connecticut 48-17) - I know that others ranking the Cardinals this high is part of the reason why we're getting OSU-Florida, but like I said I don't get to vote in anything that matters. So if I want to throw them a bone for their 11-1 season, so be it. Too bad they didn't get a better bowl game. They deserve it more than Notre Dame. Next opponent: Wake Forest in the Orange Bowl.

5. Boise State (idle) - ditto for the Broncos, though I like their bowl placement. Next opponent: Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl.

6. Wisconsin (idle) - hope they've got a good run defense. Next opponent: Arkansas in the Capital One Bowl.

7. LSU (idle) - they lost the battle but won the (small) war, landing a BCS bowl and an extra week off to prepare for what is essentially a home game against a team that loves to get blown out in bowl. Laissez les bons temps rouler!. Next opponent: Notre Dame in the Sugar Bowl.

8. Oklahoma (def. Nebraska 21-7) - from out under the woodwork come the Sooners, who can finally put the losses to Texas and Oregon behind them. Next opponent: Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl).

9. USC (lost to UCLA 13-9) - I'm not a big believer in ESP and the like, but I have to think that negative karmic energy was as much a factor in this result as anything. Did anyone not affiliated with USC want the Trojans to win? Next opponent: Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

10. Massachusetts (def. New Hampshire 24-17) - Our State University rolls on, but they've got a huge test in the semis. Keep your powder dry, Minutemen. Next opponent: at Montana.

Out of top 10:

Rutgers - I've been asked to note that the Scarlet Knights were robbed of a TD, a prime factor in their OT loss to West Virginia. I didn't see the game, but agreed to pass this along. Note that the person doing the asking is a Rutgers alum.