I got to warm up for my own reunion (yes, I'm going, more on that in a bit) by going to the wife's this past weekend. In a marked contrast to mine, her's was pretty informal, held at a restaurant and bar in the town her high school is in. No set agenda or fancy invitation, other than a variety of emails and a newspaper announcement that was apparently cut and pasted directly from the email my wife sent to them. Of course, not everyone can be the paragon of journalism that is the Whale City Tribune-Fishwrap or even the Manchester Cricket (which has not yet found a web presence to move it into the 1990s).

Anyway, it went surprisingly well for an event where I only knew two people (the wife and a friend of the wife who I've met once). I spent a fair amount of time talking to a spouse in a similar situation as mine, which was helpful. Given that they live reasonably close to us now, we may even see them again. Or at least that's what you say at reunions.

In any case, there was good beer and, eventually, the Sox game, so the awkward pauses were adequately filled when needed.

As for my own impending reunion, it turns out that it's now been moved to the restaurant that runs the hall where we had our wedding reception. Which is all well and good - if you like (or can eat) seafood. Should any fellow reunioneers from the MHS class of 1987 stumble upon this (my apologies if you do), feel free to claim our steamers.

The announcement that the reunion was moving had a list of attendees attached, and while I was happy to see some people I'd not seen in quite some time, there were two or three names I'd hoped to see that were absent. Par for the course, I suppose.

Book Log 2007 #26: Giotto's Hand by Iain Pears

Another in the Argyll - di Stefano series of art mysteries, very much in line with the rest of the series. If you liked those books, you'll like this one, too. There is an office politics subplot that I'd have liked better if there'd been more (or any) set-up in previous books. It's handled reasonably well, just seems a little out of the blue.

Book Log 2007 #25: Future Energy by Bill Paul

I was vaguely disappointed by this book, for a few reasons:

* A major focus of the book is on what companies to invest in to make the most money off of the coming changes in the oil industry. Not a bad idea, and Paul is suited to the task, but I wasn't really in the mood for an investment primer, given that I don't have much free capital on hand. More of a personal issue than anything else.

* Most of Paul's assumptions were based on there being no changes in current individual practices with regards to consumption, and he gave increased efficiency pretty short shrift, too. I'd have liked to have seen some ideas here, too.

* I think I'd have liked more explanation on the technical side, especially on some of the less well-known substitute liquid fuels, especially those converted from coal. There was a pretty bright line between the technology that I knew beforehand and that which was in the book and given a basic explanation.

In any case, it's probably worth a read, at least to get people thinking about long-term energy policy for once.

Book Log 2007 #24: The Eagle's Throne by Carlos Fuentes

Set in a not too distant future, Mexico's communications are cut off by an irritated American government, forcing the players in the Mexican government to do the unthinkable: communicate by written word. As this epistolary novel unfolds, we get to see the palace intrigue surrounding the current president and who will replace him - either at the end of his term or before, depending on who is doing the scheming.

I found it hard to get into this book, given the density of the writing and the somewhat rickety way characters and action have to be introduced due to the format. Once it got going this was less of a problem, though I never feel like I fully connected. Which I guess is appropriate, because with all the scheming and plotting the connections between the characters are never fully formed, either.

Not being particularly well versed on Mexican politics I can't speak to the way the book projects the legacy of the PRI's long-time rule, though I think the idea that the impacts are negative and long-term is pretty accurate. The portraits of what power does to people are pretty familiar, though couched in some well-crafted language.

Not sure if I'd recommend this or not. The format should work well for commuting, but I found myself having to go back quite a bit to remind myself about characters and plot points. Better suited to reading when you have time to focus and aren't distracted by the usual commuting stuff, I think.

Book Log 2007 #23: The Final Solution: A Story of Detection by Michael Chabon

Chabon seeks to put a coda on the career of Sherlock Holmes in this novella, which sees the aged detective retired to the countryside as a beekeeper, only to return to his best-known profession when a lodger at a local boarding house turns up dead. A young refugee displaced by World War II and his pet parrot - who likes to repeat strings of numbers in German - add another layer to the case.

I liked the story, but found the hook on which the murder stood to be a little weak. I don't think that's what Chabon was really focusing on, but making it a bit stronger would have helped the mystery match the great prose surrounding it.

Not sure if Sherlockians would approve of it - perhaps our resident one has read it and will make comment - but for the small investment in time it's more than worth a look.

Book Log 2007 Extra: What I Was Reading Four Years Ago

I recently signed up for a new card at the Boston Public Library, and in the process of activating the new card I had to close two dormant accounts: the one I opened when I was in high school, and one that I opened when I was living out at Babson. Except that for the latter account, I also had to pay off overdue fines on five books that I'd taken out roughly four years ago. So what titles appeared in this little time capsule?

* Two, A Walk in the Woods and Notes From a Small Island are Bill Bryson books that I picked up after enjoying his book about Australia, In A Sunburned Country. All are recommended.

* I got less enjoyment out of Reefer Madness, Eric Schlosser's follow-up to Fast Food Nation, but I don't think it's the sort of book that's really supposed to be enjoyed. It was interesting, and I think the section on underground labor is worth some thought given the current immigration debate.

* The Harry Turtledove short story collection Counting Up, Counting Down was a mixed bag. I wasn't a fan of the title stories, but I did like "Deconstruction Gang" and a couple of the others not mentioned on this page.

* I'm not sure about the last book, but I think it was Beating the College Blues, which I would have taken out as a reference for a training session I had to give during RA training. I have no idea what that training was, or if it went well. Hope it was worth the $.40 in fines.

Book Log 2007 #22: In the Devil's Garden by Stuart Lee Allen

I liked the concept of this book - a compendium of forbidden or controversial foods listed by its relation to one of the seven deadly sins - but the execution left me bored. I made it through the lust chapter, barely, and quit not too far into the second chapter.

Each chapter started with a menu of foods for each sin, and I think I would have liked the book more had the chapter been more focused on the menu, or at least had some sensible way of adding side material. It all seemed too disjointed, and I never quite got drawn in.

Book Log 2007 #21: The Brotherhood of the Holy Shroud by Julia Navarro and Andrew Hurley

This was better written than the usual entry into the religious-themed thriller genre, less formulaic than usual, though with enough secret society, ritual, and people willing to give it all for the truth to keep things from getting too literary. I also thought there was, at times, a clunkiness to the dialog that I'm assuming was from the translation, not having read any of Navarro's other books.

I'd certainly suggest this over the other stuff from the genre I've read, though I do have a vague sense of disappointment about the book. Which I'd be happy to explain if I hadn't actually read the book a month ago.

Book Log 2007 #20: Stolen Masterpiece Tracker by Thomas McShane with Dary Matera

I picked this up based on the subject matter - the memoirs of an FBI art theft specialist who often works undercover - but I should have guessed from the lousy title that the actual writing was going to be a problem.

I didn't make it past the second chapter, thanks to the soft-boiled style of prose that contaminated the page. It didn't help that every page seemed to contain two or three instances of "irony" that, ironically, weren't really examples of irony. It's a shame, too, as I was looking forward to reading about McShane's involvement in the local Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum robbery.

Avoid.

Book Log 2007 #19: Roma by Steven Saylor

Known best for his series of Roman mysteries featuing Gordianus the Finder, Roma takes a more sweeping look at the city, from its origins as a camp for traders to the seat of Augustus' empire, through the eyes of two of its oldest families and the object that connects them.

While reading this I did think quite a bit of William Martin and Edward Rutherford. Martin writes historical novels of some scope, usually focused on two families and an item or object that is the focus of their conflict. Rutherford writes in even greater historical scope, primarily on English subjects. And as similar as Roma is to the style of their works, Saylor is a better writer.

You don't have to be familiar with Roman history to enjoy the book, though it does help in catching some of the less obvious details. It's a big book, fitting given the subject and scale, but it moves quickly thanks to the pacing of the story, whose chapters are kind of semi-contained by jumping a generation or two from those preceding. I enjoyed it quite a bit and would recommend it.