Book Log 2010 #65: Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain
I've read a couple of reviews of this book calling it a follow-up to Kitchen Confidential, but I don't buy that. Unlike that book, which was a straight-up tell all about restaurant work and Bourdain's fairly tortured life as a chef, this book is more a reflection on the world of food from a many who, by his own admission, is no longer a chef (though he loves it when people call him one).
The book is also more conflicted, as Bourdain has to reconcile being part of the food entertainment complex that he spends a fair amount of time lambasting. Having now seen the other side of the coin, he is now more understanding (and even apologetic) towards some of his previous targets, while remaining quite able to write scathingly about those who he believes deserve it (his chapter on food critic Alan Richman is a classic example of this).
So I think of this book as less of a follow-up and more of a checking-in, allowing Bordain to address some topics from the first book while making new observations based on things he's seen and thought since the first book came out. It's also an interesting example of how someone can sand down their rougher edges without damaging their core. Bourdain may be nicer, more understanding, and perhaps even somewhat humble, but he's still able to call things as he sees them and write about them powerfully.
31 December 2010
Book Log 2010 #64: The High King of Montival by S. M. Stirling
This newest book in the Emberverse series sees Rudi Mackenzie, having gained the Sword of the Lady while on Nantucket, begin his return home as Artos, the high king of Montival (comprising most of the Oregon-based groups already introduced). Along the way he and his band make alliances with an eye towards a showdown with the Church Universal and Triumphant, whose powers have been blunted somewhat by the Sword.
While the book mostly sets up the coming war, I did like that it spent more time with characters and plot and less time messing about. One thing that did bother me, and seems to be a running issue over the last few books, is that the cover art. I assume the guy on the cover is supposed to be Rudi, but rather than getting the tall, muscular guy with curly reddish gold hair, the person on the cover is shorter and dark haired. I know this is kind of a fanboyish thing to get irritated with, but given how focused on detail Stirling is within the book, I'm surprised he's allowed the publisher to be so inaccurate on the cover.
This newest book in the Emberverse series sees Rudi Mackenzie, having gained the Sword of the Lady while on Nantucket, begin his return home as Artos, the high king of Montival (comprising most of the Oregon-based groups already introduced). Along the way he and his band make alliances with an eye towards a showdown with the Church Universal and Triumphant, whose powers have been blunted somewhat by the Sword.
While the book mostly sets up the coming war, I did like that it spent more time with characters and plot and less time messing about. One thing that did bother me, and seems to be a running issue over the last few books, is that the cover art. I assume the guy on the cover is supposed to be Rudi, but rather than getting the tall, muscular guy with curly reddish gold hair, the person on the cover is shorter and dark haired. I know this is kind of a fanboyish thing to get irritated with, but given how focused on detail Stirling is within the book, I'm surprised he's allowed the publisher to be so inaccurate on the cover.
Book Log 2010 #63: The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett
Book theft among rare book dealers is not uncommon, but the response to theft might be, at least to outsiders. Dealers are loathe to report the crime for fear of being seen as incompetent or untrustworthy, and the mechanisms for reporting theft to other sellers who may also fall victim was, until recently, haphazard at best.
Enter book seller Ken Sanders, who took on the role of security chair for the largest association of dealers and developed a reporting system that proved effective enough to identify a significant thief who, using stolen credit information, was ripping off stores all over the west coast.
That thief, John Gilkey, was stealing not so much to make a profit but because he loved books and the idea that owning rare books would help elevate his social status. It's the obsessive nature of Gilkey's crimes that pull in Bartlett, who spends most of the book trying to sort out what drives Gilkey to steal (and, once out, to contemplate stealing some more).
The author does get to an interesting ethical line when she goes into a store with Gilkey, who doesn't steal anything but talks her through his thought process. There's at least one comparison to The Orchid Thief (I think in a blurb), which is apt. I do think the book loses steam towards the end, as the author becomes less comfortable working with Gilkey and as Sanders becomes less involved in security matters. But it's still a worthy read to get an insight into both the world of rare books and into the twisted logic of one book thief.
Book theft among rare book dealers is not uncommon, but the response to theft might be, at least to outsiders. Dealers are loathe to report the crime for fear of being seen as incompetent or untrustworthy, and the mechanisms for reporting theft to other sellers who may also fall victim was, until recently, haphazard at best.
Enter book seller Ken Sanders, who took on the role of security chair for the largest association of dealers and developed a reporting system that proved effective enough to identify a significant thief who, using stolen credit information, was ripping off stores all over the west coast.
That thief, John Gilkey, was stealing not so much to make a profit but because he loved books and the idea that owning rare books would help elevate his social status. It's the obsessive nature of Gilkey's crimes that pull in Bartlett, who spends most of the book trying to sort out what drives Gilkey to steal (and, once out, to contemplate stealing some more).
The author does get to an interesting ethical line when she goes into a store with Gilkey, who doesn't steal anything but talks her through his thought process. There's at least one comparison to The Orchid Thief (I think in a blurb), which is apt. I do think the book loses steam towards the end, as the author becomes less comfortable working with Gilkey and as Sanders becomes less involved in security matters. But it's still a worthy read to get an insight into both the world of rare books and into the twisted logic of one book thief.
Book Log 2010 #62: Crash Course by Paul Ingrassia
While the recent economic instability nearly wiped out at least two of the Detroit Three, the problems faced by GM, Ford and Chrysler have long historical roots, which long-time industry journalist Ingrassia displays with great clarity in this book. The picture that emerges is one where management, divorced from the rank and file and, in some cases, reality, made a litany of bad decisions, which compounded to put the companies into dire straits. The union contribute in equal measure, as their constant drive for benefits out of line with rationality and consistently combative relationship with management helped to create an environment where jobs weren't tied to performance, to the point where members didn't even have to work to collect nearly all of their pay (the Jobs Bank concept may be one of the singularly worst ideas ever).
While the history is interesting and quite instructive, the end sections on recent events help to clear up what was, at times, a confusing process. Both the government and Ford come out as winners, the former for helping the industry survive as a whole, and the latter for being the one automaker who didn't take any money.
A good book for people interested in the industry, and probably a better book for people who don't know as much but are looking for a clear overview of how the auto industry went into meltdown.
While the recent economic instability nearly wiped out at least two of the Detroit Three, the problems faced by GM, Ford and Chrysler have long historical roots, which long-time industry journalist Ingrassia displays with great clarity in this book. The picture that emerges is one where management, divorced from the rank and file and, in some cases, reality, made a litany of bad decisions, which compounded to put the companies into dire straits. The union contribute in equal measure, as their constant drive for benefits out of line with rationality and consistently combative relationship with management helped to create an environment where jobs weren't tied to performance, to the point where members didn't even have to work to collect nearly all of their pay (the Jobs Bank concept may be one of the singularly worst ideas ever).
While the history is interesting and quite instructive, the end sections on recent events help to clear up what was, at times, a confusing process. Both the government and Ford come out as winners, the former for helping the industry survive as a whole, and the latter for being the one automaker who didn't take any money.
A good book for people interested in the industry, and probably a better book for people who don't know as much but are looking for a clear overview of how the auto industry went into meltdown.
Book Log 2010 #61: Three Stations by Martin Cruz Smith
This latest Arkady Renko novel is set at the Three Stations in question, a railroad terminus for three major lines. Renko, already on thin ice with his superiors, forces their hand when he continues to investigate the death of a young woman in a construction trailer as if it were a homicide - which it shortly becomes. While this is going on, Renko's sort-of foster son, Zhenya, gets mixed up with a girl who comes off of one of the trains claiming her baby was kidnapped, but gets little help in trying to track her down.
More than the other books, this one is more about the current state of Russian society than Renko and his crime-solving. The killing he investigates winds up tying into the new moneyed class and the slow collapse of their house of cards, thanks to the global economic crisis and a crackdown on oligarchs by the same government that helped them earn billions. The other half of the story takes us into the lost generation of Russians, kids who band together to form something that's part gang, part family and all desperate.
Zhenya's part of the story does a nice job of showing how similar he is to Renko, from his dogged pursuit of the case to his (likely doomed) personal feelings for Maya, the girl whose baby is missing.
It's a worthy addition to the series, but one that's a little different.
This latest Arkady Renko novel is set at the Three Stations in question, a railroad terminus for three major lines. Renko, already on thin ice with his superiors, forces their hand when he continues to investigate the death of a young woman in a construction trailer as if it were a homicide - which it shortly becomes. While this is going on, Renko's sort-of foster son, Zhenya, gets mixed up with a girl who comes off of one of the trains claiming her baby was kidnapped, but gets little help in trying to track her down.
More than the other books, this one is more about the current state of Russian society than Renko and his crime-solving. The killing he investigates winds up tying into the new moneyed class and the slow collapse of their house of cards, thanks to the global economic crisis and a crackdown on oligarchs by the same government that helped them earn billions. The other half of the story takes us into the lost generation of Russians, kids who band together to form something that's part gang, part family and all desperate.
Zhenya's part of the story does a nice job of showing how similar he is to Renko, from his dogged pursuit of the case to his (likely doomed) personal feelings for Maya, the girl whose baby is missing.
It's a worthy addition to the series, but one that's a little different.
Book Log 2010 #60: The Town that Food Saved by Ben Hewitt
On the face of things, Hardwick, Vermont is a depressed little town. It's unemployment rate and per capita income are both well below the state average. But in the face of the worst economic crisis since the Depression, the town and its immediate environs saw a huge growth in food-related businesses, from a purveyor of heirloom seeds to artisinal cheese producers to a guy trying to start a soybean industry. And while this hasn't solved the town's problems, it's a start that a lot of towns aren't getting.
Hewitt sets out document this turn of events, but is struck almost immediately by the complexity of defining just what is going on. Are the new businesses actually helping when they mostly focus on value-added products rather than primary ingredients (cheese versus milk, for example)? How will the new businesses interact with older ones? Can food really have saved the town when many of the products are priced well above similar items produced by the industrial food system? He does set up a framework for answering the main question about food saving Hardwick, but by the end it's no clearer if there's actually an answer.
Which in and of itself is OK, given the people we meet along the way. They provide an intriguing cross-section of the community, which helps to put some of the questions into starker relief. By the end of the book I didn't think that Hardwick was being saved, but did believe that the area is developing into an example of how we can move away from corporate agribusiness and towards something more personal. It's just not clear how long it will take to develop completely.
On the face of things, Hardwick, Vermont is a depressed little town. It's unemployment rate and per capita income are both well below the state average. But in the face of the worst economic crisis since the Depression, the town and its immediate environs saw a huge growth in food-related businesses, from a purveyor of heirloom seeds to artisinal cheese producers to a guy trying to start a soybean industry. And while this hasn't solved the town's problems, it's a start that a lot of towns aren't getting.
Hewitt sets out document this turn of events, but is struck almost immediately by the complexity of defining just what is going on. Are the new businesses actually helping when they mostly focus on value-added products rather than primary ingredients (cheese versus milk, for example)? How will the new businesses interact with older ones? Can food really have saved the town when many of the products are priced well above similar items produced by the industrial food system? He does set up a framework for answering the main question about food saving Hardwick, but by the end it's no clearer if there's actually an answer.
Which in and of itself is OK, given the people we meet along the way. They provide an intriguing cross-section of the community, which helps to put some of the questions into starker relief. By the end of the book I didn't think that Hardwick was being saved, but did believe that the area is developing into an example of how we can move away from corporate agribusiness and towards something more personal. It's just not clear how long it will take to develop completely.
Book Log 2010 #59: The Girl Who Played With Fire by Steiger Larsson
The second entry in the Millennium trilogy picks up some time after the first book ends. Mikael Blomqvist is back at Millennium and working on an expose about the sex industry with a freelancer and his soon-to-be Ph.D. fiancee. When both are shot as part of a triple killing, the only hard evidence - fingerprints on the murder weapon - point to Lisbeth Salander as the killer.
Salander, recently returned to Sweden after nearly a year abroad, works to clear her name and to settle some old scores. We also learn a great deal more about her background, which winds up having a direct tie to the sex trade investigation and the murders. Blomkvist adds his help, running down leads and appearing at just the right time as needed.
I did think this book took more time to get going than the first one in the series - it seemed to take a couple of hundred pages to set up the rest of the book - but once things got going they moved quite nicely. The background information into Salander's past was also quite welcome, as it put "All the Evil" into context, and goes a fair way into explaining Salander's social maladjustment and strong (if peculiar) sense of morality.
Kind of sad to think there's only one more book in the series.
The second entry in the Millennium trilogy picks up some time after the first book ends. Mikael Blomqvist is back at Millennium and working on an expose about the sex industry with a freelancer and his soon-to-be Ph.D. fiancee. When both are shot as part of a triple killing, the only hard evidence - fingerprints on the murder weapon - point to Lisbeth Salander as the killer.
Salander, recently returned to Sweden after nearly a year abroad, works to clear her name and to settle some old scores. We also learn a great deal more about her background, which winds up having a direct tie to the sex trade investigation and the murders. Blomkvist adds his help, running down leads and appearing at just the right time as needed.
I did think this book took more time to get going than the first one in the series - it seemed to take a couple of hundred pages to set up the rest of the book - but once things got going they moved quite nicely. The background information into Salander's past was also quite welcome, as it put "All the Evil" into context, and goes a fair way into explaining Salander's social maladjustment and strong (if peculiar) sense of morality.
Kind of sad to think there's only one more book in the series.
Book Log 2010 #58: The Information Agent by Mark Mills
I think I'm developing a taste for World War II books set outside of the usual theaters. First there was Robert Wilson's The Company of Strangers, set in Portugal (and which, like all of his books, is excellent). Then it was Ken Follett's Hornet Flight, set in Denmark. Now there's this book, set on Malta during the earlier days of the war.
The main character (the information officer of the title) is tasked with keeping the propaganda front up for the British, mostly aimed at keeping the Maltese as allies in the face of Germany's bombing campaign against the island. He then gets dragged into the killing of a local woman, apparently by a British soldier. Facing official pressure to bury the case, the officer winds up undertaking his own investigation into what appears to be the latest in a line of serial killings. And on top of this he has his own romantic problems to deal with, though they soon enough become part of the case as well.
The strength of the book is its depiction of Malta at war, from the regular German attacks to the fatalism of the Britons on the island to the almost business as usual nature of the Maltese (who, historically, are used to the threat of invasion). The mystery itself unfolds at a nice pace, but I did feel that the ending was a little forced, with the actual killer cropping up out of the group of suspects almost at random. Admittedly I did read through the ending fairly quickly, but I did go back and re-read some sections to see if I'd missed something. Recommended, with an apology if my thinking about the ending is inaccurate.
I think I'm developing a taste for World War II books set outside of the usual theaters. First there was Robert Wilson's The Company of Strangers, set in Portugal (and which, like all of his books, is excellent). Then it was Ken Follett's Hornet Flight, set in Denmark. Now there's this book, set on Malta during the earlier days of the war.
The main character (the information officer of the title) is tasked with keeping the propaganda front up for the British, mostly aimed at keeping the Maltese as allies in the face of Germany's bombing campaign against the island. He then gets dragged into the killing of a local woman, apparently by a British soldier. Facing official pressure to bury the case, the officer winds up undertaking his own investigation into what appears to be the latest in a line of serial killings. And on top of this he has his own romantic problems to deal with, though they soon enough become part of the case as well.
The strength of the book is its depiction of Malta at war, from the regular German attacks to the fatalism of the Britons on the island to the almost business as usual nature of the Maltese (who, historically, are used to the threat of invasion). The mystery itself unfolds at a nice pace, but I did feel that the ending was a little forced, with the actual killer cropping up out of the group of suspects almost at random. Admittedly I did read through the ending fairly quickly, but I did go back and re-read some sections to see if I'd missed something. Recommended, with an apology if my thinking about the ending is inaccurate.
22 December 2010
Book Log 2010 #57: Soccernomics by Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski
This is just what it sounds like - a Freakonomics-styled book that tries to use economic theory and quantitative data to answer soccer questions, from why England loses so much to what countries may come to dominate soccer in the coming decades.
It's not as well done as the inspiration, and the quality (or perhaps just the readability) of the chapters seemed to tail off at the end. All that being said, the early chapters, which take on some of the well-established "truths" of soccer (particularly those that surround English national team and club soccer), are pretty fun. Unless you're an England fan, in which case they're probably depressing (short version: England isn't going to win the World Cup any time soon, but the Prem will be great - as long as the morons who run the clubs don't get in the way).
Not much value for anyone who isn't a soccer fan.
This is just what it sounds like - a Freakonomics-styled book that tries to use economic theory and quantitative data to answer soccer questions, from why England loses so much to what countries may come to dominate soccer in the coming decades.
It's not as well done as the inspiration, and the quality (or perhaps just the readability) of the chapters seemed to tail off at the end. All that being said, the early chapters, which take on some of the well-established "truths" of soccer (particularly those that surround English national team and club soccer), are pretty fun. Unless you're an England fan, in which case they're probably depressing (short version: England isn't going to win the World Cup any time soon, but the Prem will be great - as long as the morons who run the clubs don't get in the way).
Not much value for anyone who isn't a soccer fan.
Book Log 2010 #56: City of Dreams by William Martin
When The Lost Constitution, the last book featuring action antiquarian Peter Fallon, took a decided turn towards politics at the expense of story, I was worried about the future of the series. Thankfully, my fears were premature. Mostly.
This time around, Fallon and his fiancee, travel writer Evangeline Carrington, get caught up in the search for Revolutionary War bonds worth over a billion dollars in current money - assuming they can be redeemed. Along the way they tangle with mobsters, financiers, self-styled patriots and a mysterious bag lady, all of whom have an interest in the bonds.
I will say that Martin does a better job of injecting politics and current events into this book than he did with The Lost Constitution, which was disappointing. This is more in tune with Martin's other Fallon books, but with a higher body count.
If you liked Harvard Yard or Back Bay you'll like this book. Even if it is set in New York.
When The Lost Constitution, the last book featuring action antiquarian Peter Fallon, took a decided turn towards politics at the expense of story, I was worried about the future of the series. Thankfully, my fears were premature. Mostly.
This time around, Fallon and his fiancee, travel writer Evangeline Carrington, get caught up in the search for Revolutionary War bonds worth over a billion dollars in current money - assuming they can be redeemed. Along the way they tangle with mobsters, financiers, self-styled patriots and a mysterious bag lady, all of whom have an interest in the bonds.
I will say that Martin does a better job of injecting politics and current events into this book than he did with The Lost Constitution, which was disappointing. This is more in tune with Martin's other Fallon books, but with a higher body count.
If you liked Harvard Yard or Back Bay you'll like this book. Even if it is set in New York.
Book Log 2010 #55: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
A couple of summers ago it didn't seem like I could travel on the T without encountering someone - usually a woman - reading this book. I didn't think much about it, assuming it was some form of chick lit, albeit an odd one given the title (no mention of shopping, dating or fashion), cover art (abstract, title in plain bold font), and author (male). I eventually sorted out that the books were more of a general audience mystery/thriller, and even more eventually landed a copy.
I did enjoy the book quite a bit, especially the interplay between the main characters, the strait-laced journalist Mikael Blomqvist and the Aspergery hacker genius Lisbeth Salander. Together they unravel the disappearance (and potential killing) of a teenaged girl several decades ago, at the behest of a well known industrialist. The other story line - involving Blomqvist's libel sentence, jail time and the impact it has on the magazine where he works - doesn't do as much for me, but it's an interesting juxtaposition to the increasingly dark history unearthed in the missing person investigation.
It's pretty easy to see how this book appealed to women, given Salander's intelligence and independence. That she functions as she does given her obvious issues - she trusts no one, has no social graces and was clearly damaged by something she calls "All the Evil" - add layers of complexity that make her character that much more intriguing.
By all means give this a read.
A couple of summers ago it didn't seem like I could travel on the T without encountering someone - usually a woman - reading this book. I didn't think much about it, assuming it was some form of chick lit, albeit an odd one given the title (no mention of shopping, dating or fashion), cover art (abstract, title in plain bold font), and author (male). I eventually sorted out that the books were more of a general audience mystery/thriller, and even more eventually landed a copy.
I did enjoy the book quite a bit, especially the interplay between the main characters, the strait-laced journalist Mikael Blomqvist and the Aspergery hacker genius Lisbeth Salander. Together they unravel the disappearance (and potential killing) of a teenaged girl several decades ago, at the behest of a well known industrialist. The other story line - involving Blomqvist's libel sentence, jail time and the impact it has on the magazine where he works - doesn't do as much for me, but it's an interesting juxtaposition to the increasingly dark history unearthed in the missing person investigation.
It's pretty easy to see how this book appealed to women, given Salander's intelligence and independence. That she functions as she does given her obvious issues - she trusts no one, has no social graces and was clearly damaged by something she calls "All the Evil" - add layers of complexity that make her character that much more intriguing.
By all means give this a read.
10 December 2010
Book Log 2010 #54: Super Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
More of the same from Levitt and Dubner, who turn their quantitative eyes towards a variety of other issues, ranging from the economics of prostitution (echoes of the previous book's section on drug dealers) to global warming. And, once again, it's surprising to see how the data demonstrate the theme of incentives shaping behavior.
I vaguely recall being dissatisfied with the global warming chapter, but I don't recall why. So with that half-baked caveat, feel free to read away.
More of the same from Levitt and Dubner, who turn their quantitative eyes towards a variety of other issues, ranging from the economics of prostitution (echoes of the previous book's section on drug dealers) to global warming. And, once again, it's surprising to see how the data demonstrate the theme of incentives shaping behavior.
I vaguely recall being dissatisfied with the global warming chapter, but I don't recall why. So with that half-baked caveat, feel free to read away.
08 December 2010
Book Log 2010 #53: The Man Who Loved China by Simon Winchester
Moving ahead three centuries-plus we encounter another wandering intellectual in a foreign land. Joseph Needham was a career academic, establishing himself at Cambridge as a preeminent biochemist. In 1937 three Chinese scientists came to work with him, which led him to learn Chinese and develop a deep interest in Chinese science and the question of how China was overtaken by the West in science when China had developed an early lead. Needham would redirect his interest from biochemistry to this question, becoming a respected expert on China and the author of the multi-volume Science and Civilisation in China.
The real interest in Needham's story, though, comes from his trips to China (both as an academic and as a representative of the British government during World War II) and his unorthodox (for the time and place, certainly) personal life. Needham was a naturalist, a committed leftist and incorrigible womanizer (he would marry his longtime mistress, one of the Chinese scientists he met in 1937, after his wife of nearly 60 years died in 1987). Needham did have some trouble with his political views, but otherwise his interesting personal life did not seem to diminish from his professional accomplishments.
Winchester spent several years living in and writing about Asia, and that background helps him explain various details of Chinese history, language and culture in a way that someone less knowledgeable (like me) can understand. He also has developed a very approachable style for non-fiction, as seen in his fantastic earlier book about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary, The Professor and the Madman.
This isn't a book I would have normally picked up, but it was on the shelf of "good reads you might have missed" that our library offers, and I have to say it was rightly placed there.
Moving ahead three centuries-plus we encounter another wandering intellectual in a foreign land. Joseph Needham was a career academic, establishing himself at Cambridge as a preeminent biochemist. In 1937 three Chinese scientists came to work with him, which led him to learn Chinese and develop a deep interest in Chinese science and the question of how China was overtaken by the West in science when China had developed an early lead. Needham would redirect his interest from biochemistry to this question, becoming a respected expert on China and the author of the multi-volume Science and Civilisation in China.
The real interest in Needham's story, though, comes from his trips to China (both as an academic and as a representative of the British government during World War II) and his unorthodox (for the time and place, certainly) personal life. Needham was a naturalist, a committed leftist and incorrigible womanizer (he would marry his longtime mistress, one of the Chinese scientists he met in 1937, after his wife of nearly 60 years died in 1987). Needham did have some trouble with his political views, but otherwise his interesting personal life did not seem to diminish from his professional accomplishments.
Winchester spent several years living in and writing about Asia, and that background helps him explain various details of Chinese history, language and culture in a way that someone less knowledgeable (like me) can understand. He also has developed a very approachable style for non-fiction, as seen in his fantastic earlier book about the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary, The Professor and the Madman.
This isn't a book I would have normally picked up, but it was on the shelf of "good reads you might have missed" that our library offers, and I have to say it was rightly placed there.
Book Log 2010 #52: Heresy by S. J. Parris
A really engaging historical mystery featuring monk turned philosopher and astronomer Giordano Bruno as its main character. As in his actual life, Bruno travels to Oxford in the company of Philip Sidney to participate in a debate on the nature of the universe (and, on the side, do what he can to uncover any Catholic plots against Elizabeth I). But in the book, his time in Oxford is punctuated by a series of killings with a sinister ritualistic bent to them. When the college administration tries to hush up the murders, Bruno strikes out on his own to figure out who is behind them.
Bruno is a great character for historical fiction, as he has to balance his intellectual curiosity with his personal ethics and his own brand of faith. That tension is always at hand in the book, as Bruno has to fight off the English who see him as a tool of the Vatican and the secret Catholics who consider him a traitor. His interest in truth - both with the murder and with greater questions - regularly leads him into trouble, and he knows that, but he also knows that he can't settle for less.
I really hope this turns into a series of some sort. The characters and time period certainly give plenty of material to work from, if nothing else. Worth a look, certainly.
A really engaging historical mystery featuring monk turned philosopher and astronomer Giordano Bruno as its main character. As in his actual life, Bruno travels to Oxford in the company of Philip Sidney to participate in a debate on the nature of the universe (and, on the side, do what he can to uncover any Catholic plots against Elizabeth I). But in the book, his time in Oxford is punctuated by a series of killings with a sinister ritualistic bent to them. When the college administration tries to hush up the murders, Bruno strikes out on his own to figure out who is behind them.
Bruno is a great character for historical fiction, as he has to balance his intellectual curiosity with his personal ethics and his own brand of faith. That tension is always at hand in the book, as Bruno has to fight off the English who see him as a tool of the Vatican and the secret Catholics who consider him a traitor. His interest in truth - both with the murder and with greater questions - regularly leads him into trouble, and he knows that, but he also knows that he can't settle for less.
I really hope this turns into a series of some sort. The characters and time period certainly give plenty of material to work from, if nothing else. Worth a look, certainly.
02 December 2010
So while the Internets are blowing up over Qatar being tapped to host the 2022 World Cup, let's take a second to look at three reasons why this might not be a bad idea:
1. Money. Qatar has pledged to spend over $50 billion dollars to prepare the country for the event, which is a good thing given that they do not at present have anything close to the infrastructure necessary to host the tournament. And that money is more or less guaranteed, as the country's economy is based on oil and natural gas (neither of which seem poised for a drop in price any time soon) and its ruling family clearly has the will to run the thing, as they've made international sports a focus (they're hosting the Asian Cup in 2011 and hosted a WTA event for much of the previous decade).
2. Regional and international goodwill. This was apparently a large part of the Qatari presentation to FIFA. They pitched the hosting as a way to bring the wider world and the Middle East together, to help dispel stereotypes and serve as a bridge to better understanding. It also helps that Qatar is, by local standards, moderate. And, once the tournament is over, Qatar says it will disassemble the stadia they've built for it and send them to developing nations. Who, I'm sure, will have the resources necessary to run the under-field air conditioning systems.
3. Better viewing hours. Qatar offers the best viewing experience for Europe, with the bulk of the continent only being two hours earlier. It's also, theoretically, going to be a better experience for those of us in the Americas, or at least better than what we went through when South Korea and Japan co-hosted. An 8 pm start in Doha airs on the East Coast at noon, which isn't too bad. And you have to figure that there are going to be plenty of 8 pm starts.
Of course, there are also three (at least) reasons why this is a terrible idea:
1. Lack of almost everything besides money. It's a good thing that Qatar has 12 years to prepare for the Cup, as they have to build all but one of the stadia needed for it, and probably invent some technology to help handle local conditions as well. They're also short on hotels, decent local soccer leagues and international success. The national team is currently ranked 113th in the world, nestled between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Thailand, two countries that may be about as ready to host the World Cup.
2. Mother Nature. The average high temperature for Qatar in June is 106 degrees. In July? 115. The average lows don't drop below 80. One description of the summers there mention alternating periods of dryness and humidity. Don't know how humid it gets, but one of those average June days with 50 percent humidity feels like 137 degrees. I don't think they'll be dumb enough to schedule games at the height of the day, but you get a sense of what players and fans will be up against.
And then there's also the chance of dust storms and the general lack of drinking water to worry about. Hopefully the winds stay down and the desalinization plants stay up.
3. Tough neighborhood. For all the feel good Kumbaya talk, the Middle East is still, with reason, considered a difficult place for outsiders. The laws are restrictive, customs are significantly different, and there is a not insignificant percentage of people who want to kill you if you pray less than five times a day and drink the occasional beer. As much as Qatar is comfortable with the west, hosting this event does present a juicy target to those who are not so comfortable with the west.
And what if Israel qualifies for the tournament? It's not inconceivable. They are currently 55th in the world rankings, which is among the lower-ranked teams in Europe, they've been putting together mid-table finishes in qualifying events. Some better talent and a favorable group and we could have an interesting situation on our hands. Qatar is cozy with Hamas and Iran, and cut ties with Israel over the Gaza conflict. A lot can change in 12 years... except when Israel is involved.
If nothing else, the 2022 World Cup will not lack for storylines.
1. Money. Qatar has pledged to spend over $50 billion dollars to prepare the country for the event, which is a good thing given that they do not at present have anything close to the infrastructure necessary to host the tournament. And that money is more or less guaranteed, as the country's economy is based on oil and natural gas (neither of which seem poised for a drop in price any time soon) and its ruling family clearly has the will to run the thing, as they've made international sports a focus (they're hosting the Asian Cup in 2011 and hosted a WTA event for much of the previous decade).
2. Regional and international goodwill. This was apparently a large part of the Qatari presentation to FIFA. They pitched the hosting as a way to bring the wider world and the Middle East together, to help dispel stereotypes and serve as a bridge to better understanding. It also helps that Qatar is, by local standards, moderate. And, once the tournament is over, Qatar says it will disassemble the stadia they've built for it and send them to developing nations. Who, I'm sure, will have the resources necessary to run the under-field air conditioning systems.
3. Better viewing hours. Qatar offers the best viewing experience for Europe, with the bulk of the continent only being two hours earlier. It's also, theoretically, going to be a better experience for those of us in the Americas, or at least better than what we went through when South Korea and Japan co-hosted. An 8 pm start in Doha airs on the East Coast at noon, which isn't too bad. And you have to figure that there are going to be plenty of 8 pm starts.
Of course, there are also three (at least) reasons why this is a terrible idea:
1. Lack of almost everything besides money. It's a good thing that Qatar has 12 years to prepare for the Cup, as they have to build all but one of the stadia needed for it, and probably invent some technology to help handle local conditions as well. They're also short on hotels, decent local soccer leagues and international success. The national team is currently ranked 113th in the world, nestled between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Thailand, two countries that may be about as ready to host the World Cup.
2. Mother Nature. The average high temperature for Qatar in June is 106 degrees. In July? 115. The average lows don't drop below 80. One description of the summers there mention alternating periods of dryness and humidity. Don't know how humid it gets, but one of those average June days with 50 percent humidity feels like 137 degrees. I don't think they'll be dumb enough to schedule games at the height of the day, but you get a sense of what players and fans will be up against.
And then there's also the chance of dust storms and the general lack of drinking water to worry about. Hopefully the winds stay down and the desalinization plants stay up.
3. Tough neighborhood. For all the feel good Kumbaya talk, the Middle East is still, with reason, considered a difficult place for outsiders. The laws are restrictive, customs are significantly different, and there is a not insignificant percentage of people who want to kill you if you pray less than five times a day and drink the occasional beer. As much as Qatar is comfortable with the west, hosting this event does present a juicy target to those who are not so comfortable with the west.
And what if Israel qualifies for the tournament? It's not inconceivable. They are currently 55th in the world rankings, which is among the lower-ranked teams in Europe, they've been putting together mid-table finishes in qualifying events. Some better talent and a favorable group and we could have an interesting situation on our hands. Qatar is cozy with Hamas and Iran, and cut ties with Israel over the Gaza conflict. A lot can change in 12 years... except when Israel is involved.
If nothing else, the 2022 World Cup will not lack for storylines.
01 December 2010
Book Log 2010 #51: Beautiful Assassin by Michael White
A Russian sniper who kills to avenge those she's lost to the Nazis is plucked off the front lines and put into the murky world of espionage in this wartime thriller.
The assassin (who I keep picturing as Rachel Weisz in Enemy at the Gates) possesses a combination of physical beauty, Nazi-killing acumen, and devotion to the cause to make her a perfect propaganda tool, which the Soviet state exploits first by using her as a rallying figure for the Red Army, and secondly by sending her to a student conference in the US with an eye towards using her to spy on various figures, most notably Eleanor Roosevelt. Confusing matters is a burgeoning romance with the Air Force interpreter assigned to her.
I like that the book keeps the main character's spy work at a fairly appropriate level. While she has to deliver a couple of envelopes, and is pressured greatly to provide information gleaned from (and about) the First Lady, she's never put into the deep end of the pool, which many books in this genre would do to artificially build tension. It's not a perfect book - the main character seems almost clinically dense regarding espionage - it does provide an interesting glimpse into how wartime allies were already looking ahead to their inevitable clash, and how each willingly used individual lives to further national goals.
A Russian sniper who kills to avenge those she's lost to the Nazis is plucked off the front lines and put into the murky world of espionage in this wartime thriller.
The assassin (who I keep picturing as Rachel Weisz in Enemy at the Gates) possesses a combination of physical beauty, Nazi-killing acumen, and devotion to the cause to make her a perfect propaganda tool, which the Soviet state exploits first by using her as a rallying figure for the Red Army, and secondly by sending her to a student conference in the US with an eye towards using her to spy on various figures, most notably Eleanor Roosevelt. Confusing matters is a burgeoning romance with the Air Force interpreter assigned to her.
I like that the book keeps the main character's spy work at a fairly appropriate level. While she has to deliver a couple of envelopes, and is pressured greatly to provide information gleaned from (and about) the First Lady, she's never put into the deep end of the pool, which many books in this genre would do to artificially build tension. It's not a perfect book - the main character seems almost clinically dense regarding espionage - it does provide an interesting glimpse into how wartime allies were already looking ahead to their inevitable clash, and how each willingly used individual lives to further national goals.
28 November 2010
Book Log 2010 #50: Cheesemonger by Gordon Edgar
When the focus of this book is on cheese or on the store where the author works, it's prety good. It gives a good sense of how he got his cheese education, and how he matured into someone whose passion for the product is tempered by the needs of running a department in a larger store. It's also a good look into a worker-owned grocery store in an urban environment (San Francisco), which is something most people never really experience, either as a worker or as a shopper.
I think the book works less well when it gets political, as the author frequently references his younger days when he was into punk music and activism. It's not that these topics have no place in the book, as those experiences led him to want to work in his particular store, and his personality clearly colors his experiences with cheese (from consumer to buyer to seller). It's just that there are some places where the political talk dominates, and even though it's attempted to tie it in using a cheese metaphor (there's one chapter where he compares his activist work to rennet, a coagulant that helps separate out curds from whey) it doesn't work for me.
There are also cheese recommendations at the end of every chapter, either cheeses discussed in the chapter or ones that are related to the subject matter, which is a nice bonus.
Overall, it's sufficiently different from other food books to be worth a look.
When the focus of this book is on cheese or on the store where the author works, it's prety good. It gives a good sense of how he got his cheese education, and how he matured into someone whose passion for the product is tempered by the needs of running a department in a larger store. It's also a good look into a worker-owned grocery store in an urban environment (San Francisco), which is something most people never really experience, either as a worker or as a shopper.
I think the book works less well when it gets political, as the author frequently references his younger days when he was into punk music and activism. It's not that these topics have no place in the book, as those experiences led him to want to work in his particular store, and his personality clearly colors his experiences with cheese (from consumer to buyer to seller). It's just that there are some places where the political talk dominates, and even though it's attempted to tie it in using a cheese metaphor (there's one chapter where he compares his activist work to rennet, a coagulant that helps separate out curds from whey) it doesn't work for me.
There are also cheese recommendations at the end of every chapter, either cheeses discussed in the chapter or ones that are related to the subject matter, which is a nice bonus.
Overall, it's sufficiently different from other food books to be worth a look.
18 November 2010
Book Log 2010 #49: The Eastern Stars by Mark Kurlansky
The town of San Pedro de MacorÃs in the Dominican Republic may be the worldwide per capita leader in creating major league baseball players, as they've sent 76 young men to the majors, with countless more in the minors. Why this is so is the central question of this book.
Kurlansky identifies several factors, including the area's general poverty, its reliance on the fickle sugar industry, the influx of people from outside the DR to work in sugar, the will of the dictator Trujillo to use baseball to consolidate his power, and the operation of "academies" by several major league teams looking to develop new talent on the cheap.
It should be an interesting read, given Kurlansky's ability to turn the mundane into the fascinating, but it's not. Things get too muddied between talking about the country, baseball (which Kurlansky almost always describes as if the reader knew of baseball as a concept but not as a sport), food, and other asides. The whole winds up being less than the sum of its parts, which is unfortunate.
There are a variety of books out there about Dominicans and baseball. It'd probably be better to start with one of those.
The town of San Pedro de MacorÃs in the Dominican Republic may be the worldwide per capita leader in creating major league baseball players, as they've sent 76 young men to the majors, with countless more in the minors. Why this is so is the central question of this book.
Kurlansky identifies several factors, including the area's general poverty, its reliance on the fickle sugar industry, the influx of people from outside the DR to work in sugar, the will of the dictator Trujillo to use baseball to consolidate his power, and the operation of "academies" by several major league teams looking to develop new talent on the cheap.
It should be an interesting read, given Kurlansky's ability to turn the mundane into the fascinating, but it's not. Things get too muddied between talking about the country, baseball (which Kurlansky almost always describes as if the reader knew of baseball as a concept but not as a sport), food, and other asides. The whole winds up being less than the sum of its parts, which is unfortunate.
There are a variety of books out there about Dominicans and baseball. It'd probably be better to start with one of those.
Two thoughts on Donald Trump running for President:
1. Will his hair have its own Secret Service protection and code name?
2. If elected, will he make Carolyn Kepcher Chief of Staff? And if so, can we get her some live CSPAN time so we can watch her smack down various undersecretaries? I know she doesn't work for Trump anymore, but this is the only possible reason I'd have for voting for the man. That and watching him turn the White House into a 118 story tower covered in glass and gold-toned accents.
1. Will his hair have its own Secret Service protection and code name?
2. If elected, will he make Carolyn Kepcher Chief of Staff? And if so, can we get her some live CSPAN time so we can watch her smack down various undersecretaries? I know she doesn't work for Trump anymore, but this is the only possible reason I'd have for voting for the man. That and watching him turn the White House into a 118 story tower covered in glass and gold-toned accents.
10 November 2010
Book Log 2010 #48: The Monuments Men by Robert Edsel
Recent news about a cache of sculptures unearthed in Berlin decades after the Nazis seized them for being "degenerate" is a reminder that, on top of all their other, more obvious crimes, the Nazis also stole a staggering amount of art, ranging from the official state organ that relocated works from all over Europe to the individual greed of high ranking party members (most notably Hermann Goering).
This book recounts how a handful of US and British soldiers were charged with the protection and recovery of Europe's cultural treasures. Getting little to no logistical support, these men put in long hours over the months and years of their service to protect what was still in place and find that which the Nazis had moved back into Germany (or former German territory).
The book focuses on France and Germany, leaving Italy for a future book. That's probably for the best, given the number of people involved and the scope of art that went missing during the war. The book follows a couple of major pieces specially, tying the hunt for them into the larger story of the Monument Men. This includes a healthy dose of biography and letters to loved ones at home, giving the Men greater depth and underscoring that they had a personal stake in the success of their mission, given that all of them were art or design professionals in their civilian lives.
The book does touch on works that are still missing, but generally in passing and in the context of what was recovered. I would have found a little more discussion on the missing pieces interesting.
Still, it's a very interesting book about a facet of World War II that isn't that well known (at least in the details), and it reads pretty smoothly, not getting bogged down in too much military or artistic detail. I'm looking forward to the companion piece on Italy.
Recent news about a cache of sculptures unearthed in Berlin decades after the Nazis seized them for being "degenerate" is a reminder that, on top of all their other, more obvious crimes, the Nazis also stole a staggering amount of art, ranging from the official state organ that relocated works from all over Europe to the individual greed of high ranking party members (most notably Hermann Goering).
This book recounts how a handful of US and British soldiers were charged with the protection and recovery of Europe's cultural treasures. Getting little to no logistical support, these men put in long hours over the months and years of their service to protect what was still in place and find that which the Nazis had moved back into Germany (or former German territory).
The book focuses on France and Germany, leaving Italy for a future book. That's probably for the best, given the number of people involved and the scope of art that went missing during the war. The book follows a couple of major pieces specially, tying the hunt for them into the larger story of the Monument Men. This includes a healthy dose of biography and letters to loved ones at home, giving the Men greater depth and underscoring that they had a personal stake in the success of their mission, given that all of them were art or design professionals in their civilian lives.
The book does touch on works that are still missing, but generally in passing and in the context of what was recovered. I would have found a little more discussion on the missing pieces interesting.
Still, it's a very interesting book about a facet of World War II that isn't that well known (at least in the details), and it reads pretty smoothly, not getting bogged down in too much military or artistic detail. I'm looking forward to the companion piece on Italy.
01 November 2010
With the silly season of midterm elections drawing to a close, time to hand out some endorsements.
Governor While there are four candidates in the race, it's a two person fight between incumbent Deval Patrick (D) and former Harvard Pilgrim CEO Charlie Baker (R). Baker's followed the GOP playbook for these elections, blaming the incumbent for not solving the economic mess and touting his plan, which as far as I can tell is the usual cut taxes to spur job growth line.
And with people as apparently pissed as they are, it should be working for Baker. But it's not, at least to the extent he wants. The recession, as bad as it's been, has not hit Massachusetts as hard as other states. There's been some talk that we're getting out of the recession earlier than other states as well. This sort of talk makes the economic angle harder to sell, as it becomes more nuanced, and there's nothing less capable of discussing nuance than someone running for office. It doesn't help that Baker's public demeanor can be charitably described as flippant. He's trying to improve his image, but it may be too late.
Patrick hasn't exactly showered himself in glory over his four years, and whatever case he makes for his role in the recovery gets overshadowed by the tax hikes, most notably the sales tax increase to 6.25%, which are not popular. Patrick's ads are marginally less annoying, as he keeps it mostly positive. He just comes off as a little too earnest. I won't even get into the third party ads, which are awful. Thanks again, Citizens United.
For those finding neither of these guys to their liking there's the independent, Tim Cahill, and Green-Rainbow regular Jill Stein. Cahill, the state treasurer, broke from the Democratic party, apparently over tax hikes, though it wasn't hard to read that an indepdendent may do well this cycle. Of course, Cahill has never been able to capitalize, as he's never found a consistent message. It didn't help when his running mate defected and backed Baker, or when some of his strategists did the same thing, leading to a lawsuit. Cahill's numbers are now in the single digits.
Stein, for her part, continues to do what she's done in all of her campaigns: speak consistently (if occasionally buzzwordily) about the issues and policies that impact the most vulnerable Massachusetts residents. She's also not run any TV ads that I've seen, which is a nice change from the wall to wall crapfest we've had for the last couple of weeks. Which is why Blogalicious endorses Jill Stein for governor.
Treasurer - The race here pits long-time Democratic fundraiser Steve Grossman against Republican state representative Karyn Polito. Polito has run most of the ads, again stressing the lower taxes more jobs mantra. She's also made a point of noting she's against politicians receiving pensions, which is the sort of issue that gets talk radio all hot and bothered but isn't something you'd gain widespread traction with, even with the need for pension reform.
The only thing I can think of for Grossman is that he wants to put the state's checkbook online. It's a nice move for transparency, but isn't much to go on.
A late-breaking story about Polito's role in getting low numbered Red Sox/Jimmy Fund license plates to her family, friends and other associates is finding a little traction, but it's hard to tell how big a deal this is. It hurts Polito's attempt to paint herself as a reformer and watchdog (which she stressed in an ad where she appears with a Great Dane, who had better line delivery), but it's also the sort of issue that has become more or less expected from people in state government. So it just could be more white noise.
Grossman, meanwhile, is a long-time back room guy for the Democrats, and is a former chair of the DNC. That's going to leave a number of people cold, but I suppose better the devil you know. Blogalicious endorses Steve Grossman for Treasurer.
Auditor - the last of the competitive state-wide races features female candidates for both major parties, with former state secretary of labor Suzanne Bump (D) takes on former Turnpike Authority board member Mary Z. Connaughton (R). This is the first time in a statewide race that the major party candidates are women, which drags the political culture here well into the 1970s.
(There is a third candidate, physics professor Ned Fortune (G-R), who will be luck to get more than 200 votes.)
The mini-scandal here is that Bump has been getting tax breaks on a "primary" residence in Great Barrington and a "principal" residence in Boston. She claimed that she checked on this beforehand and was told it was OK, but it turns out that might not be the case (she got her advice on the Boston house from an aide to the tax assessor rather than the assessor himself). As this is likely the only thing the average voter will have heard about the auditor's race, it's not going to help Bump.
Also not helping: Connaughton is an actual financial professional. Probably doesn't hurt to have an auditor who has actually performed an audit. Which is why Blogalicious endorses Mary Z. Connaoughton for auditor.
Attorney General - Incumbent Martha Coakley (D) is not a comfortable candidate. She proved that in spades in her incredibly inept run for the US Senate, and has made small strides in this race, in that she is actually out meeting the public (if only in a somewhat awkward fashion).
Luckily for Coakley, her opponent, James McKenna (R), is an even worse candidate. He doesn't appear to be all that well prepared, and his public appearances are often painful to watch. He won the nomination via a write-in campaign (the Republicans had no official candidates in their primary), and you get the sense watching him why the party didn't solicit him to run.
Coakley, for all of her campaigning faults, is a reasonably good AG, so Blogalicious endorses Martha Coakley for attorney general.
Secretary of State - Incumbent Bill Galvin (D) is running against William Campbell (R) and James Henderson (I). Interesting fact: Galvin won re-election in 2006 by beating Jill Stein, who garnered just over 18 percent of the vote. I imagine the two opponents in this race will fare better, but not by much. For no good reason other than entropy, Blogalicious endorses Bill Galvin for secretary of state.
OK, let's power through the rest of the ballot.
Ballot Questions - Question 1 would restore the sales tax exemption for alcohol, which is an issue I don't care about greatly as I rarely buy alcohol anymore. Still, I'll throw a bone to the retailers along the New Hampshire line and endorse a Yes vote on Question 1.
Question 2 would repeal the state law requiring affordable housing construction as part of larger developments. There is a flaw to the current law, but a wholesale repeal isn't the way to fix it. All of the governor's candidates are against the repeal, marking the one thing they all agree on. A no brainer - No on Question 2.
Question 3 would roll the state sales tax back to 3 percent. No one's really psyched about the hike that took it from 5 to 6.25 percent, but there's been little talk from the folks in favor of the question on how we could forego the 2 to 3 billion in revenue that we'd lose with the rollback. There's been vauge talk of eliminating waste and sweetheart jobs, which isn't enough. Blogalicious thus endorses a No vote on Question 3.
US House - interesting race in the 6th district, as incumbent John Tierney (D) takes on Bill Hudak (R). Tierney is fighting to get clear of his wife's involvement in money laundering, which claims he was unaware of. I can kind of see this, as I go home to my wife every day and have no idea how she does the finances. Still, in this climate, it's enough of an issue to drive voters to your opponent.
Unless you don't want to vote for an opponent who had a lawn sign that put Obama's face on bin Laden's body, or who has given aid and comfort to the birther crowd. Hudak's done both, which is enough to keep me away. Sadly, there's no third party candidate, so hoping there's no future indictments, Blogalcious endorses John Tierney for US House, MA-6.
State House - the 6th Essex district sees two newcomers, with Jared Parisella (D) up against Brett Schetzsle (R). I tend to think the biggest problem on Beacon Hill is that the legislature is 90 percent from one party. That puts an awful lot of power into the hands of the Speaker of the House, and given the string of them who've been indicted I'm not comfortable in having power concentrated in that office.
More diversity would help spread the power around, which is why Blogalicious endorses Brett Schetzsle for the Massachusetts House, 6th Essex district.
State Senate - And now I'm going to be a total hypocrite, as Blogalicious endorses Fred Berry for the State Senate, 2nd Essex district. Berry, the incumbent Democrat, does have Republican and independent opponents in Richard Jolitz and Matthew Fraser, respectively, but knowing nothing about them I figure stick with the person I know.
The rest - both Governor's Council and District Attorney have people running unopposed, so Blogalicious endorses writing someone in in both races. For Sheriff, Blogalicious endorses Damian Anketell, mostly because I met him when he was collecting signatures and seemed like a nice guy. I don't know if that'll be enough to unseat the Republican incumbent, Richard Cousins, but it's something, I suppose.
Governor While there are four candidates in the race, it's a two person fight between incumbent Deval Patrick (D) and former Harvard Pilgrim CEO Charlie Baker (R). Baker's followed the GOP playbook for these elections, blaming the incumbent for not solving the economic mess and touting his plan, which as far as I can tell is the usual cut taxes to spur job growth line.
And with people as apparently pissed as they are, it should be working for Baker. But it's not, at least to the extent he wants. The recession, as bad as it's been, has not hit Massachusetts as hard as other states. There's been some talk that we're getting out of the recession earlier than other states as well. This sort of talk makes the economic angle harder to sell, as it becomes more nuanced, and there's nothing less capable of discussing nuance than someone running for office. It doesn't help that Baker's public demeanor can be charitably described as flippant. He's trying to improve his image, but it may be too late.
Patrick hasn't exactly showered himself in glory over his four years, and whatever case he makes for his role in the recovery gets overshadowed by the tax hikes, most notably the sales tax increase to 6.25%, which are not popular. Patrick's ads are marginally less annoying, as he keeps it mostly positive. He just comes off as a little too earnest. I won't even get into the third party ads, which are awful. Thanks again, Citizens United.
For those finding neither of these guys to their liking there's the independent, Tim Cahill, and Green-Rainbow regular Jill Stein. Cahill, the state treasurer, broke from the Democratic party, apparently over tax hikes, though it wasn't hard to read that an indepdendent may do well this cycle. Of course, Cahill has never been able to capitalize, as he's never found a consistent message. It didn't help when his running mate defected and backed Baker, or when some of his strategists did the same thing, leading to a lawsuit. Cahill's numbers are now in the single digits.
Stein, for her part, continues to do what she's done in all of her campaigns: speak consistently (if occasionally buzzwordily) about the issues and policies that impact the most vulnerable Massachusetts residents. She's also not run any TV ads that I've seen, which is a nice change from the wall to wall crapfest we've had for the last couple of weeks. Which is why Blogalicious endorses Jill Stein for governor.
Treasurer - The race here pits long-time Democratic fundraiser Steve Grossman against Republican state representative Karyn Polito. Polito has run most of the ads, again stressing the lower taxes more jobs mantra. She's also made a point of noting she's against politicians receiving pensions, which is the sort of issue that gets talk radio all hot and bothered but isn't something you'd gain widespread traction with, even with the need for pension reform.
The only thing I can think of for Grossman is that he wants to put the state's checkbook online. It's a nice move for transparency, but isn't much to go on.
A late-breaking story about Polito's role in getting low numbered Red Sox/Jimmy Fund license plates to her family, friends and other associates is finding a little traction, but it's hard to tell how big a deal this is. It hurts Polito's attempt to paint herself as a reformer and watchdog (which she stressed in an ad where she appears with a Great Dane, who had better line delivery), but it's also the sort of issue that has become more or less expected from people in state government. So it just could be more white noise.
Grossman, meanwhile, is a long-time back room guy for the Democrats, and is a former chair of the DNC. That's going to leave a number of people cold, but I suppose better the devil you know. Blogalicious endorses Steve Grossman for Treasurer.
Auditor - the last of the competitive state-wide races features female candidates for both major parties, with former state secretary of labor Suzanne Bump (D) takes on former Turnpike Authority board member Mary Z. Connaughton (R). This is the first time in a statewide race that the major party candidates are women, which drags the political culture here well into the 1970s.
(There is a third candidate, physics professor Ned Fortune (G-R), who will be luck to get more than 200 votes.)
The mini-scandal here is that Bump has been getting tax breaks on a "primary" residence in Great Barrington and a "principal" residence in Boston. She claimed that she checked on this beforehand and was told it was OK, but it turns out that might not be the case (she got her advice on the Boston house from an aide to the tax assessor rather than the assessor himself). As this is likely the only thing the average voter will have heard about the auditor's race, it's not going to help Bump.
Also not helping: Connaughton is an actual financial professional. Probably doesn't hurt to have an auditor who has actually performed an audit. Which is why Blogalicious endorses Mary Z. Connaoughton for auditor.
Attorney General - Incumbent Martha Coakley (D) is not a comfortable candidate. She proved that in spades in her incredibly inept run for the US Senate, and has made small strides in this race, in that she is actually out meeting the public (if only in a somewhat awkward fashion).
Luckily for Coakley, her opponent, James McKenna (R), is an even worse candidate. He doesn't appear to be all that well prepared, and his public appearances are often painful to watch. He won the nomination via a write-in campaign (the Republicans had no official candidates in their primary), and you get the sense watching him why the party didn't solicit him to run.
Coakley, for all of her campaigning faults, is a reasonably good AG, so Blogalicious endorses Martha Coakley for attorney general.
Secretary of State - Incumbent Bill Galvin (D) is running against William Campbell (R) and James Henderson (I). Interesting fact: Galvin won re-election in 2006 by beating Jill Stein, who garnered just over 18 percent of the vote. I imagine the two opponents in this race will fare better, but not by much. For no good reason other than entropy, Blogalicious endorses Bill Galvin for secretary of state.
OK, let's power through the rest of the ballot.
Ballot Questions - Question 1 would restore the sales tax exemption for alcohol, which is an issue I don't care about greatly as I rarely buy alcohol anymore. Still, I'll throw a bone to the retailers along the New Hampshire line and endorse a Yes vote on Question 1.
Question 2 would repeal the state law requiring affordable housing construction as part of larger developments. There is a flaw to the current law, but a wholesale repeal isn't the way to fix it. All of the governor's candidates are against the repeal, marking the one thing they all agree on. A no brainer - No on Question 2.
Question 3 would roll the state sales tax back to 3 percent. No one's really psyched about the hike that took it from 5 to 6.25 percent, but there's been little talk from the folks in favor of the question on how we could forego the 2 to 3 billion in revenue that we'd lose with the rollback. There's been vauge talk of eliminating waste and sweetheart jobs, which isn't enough. Blogalicious thus endorses a No vote on Question 3.
US House - interesting race in the 6th district, as incumbent John Tierney (D) takes on Bill Hudak (R). Tierney is fighting to get clear of his wife's involvement in money laundering, which claims he was unaware of. I can kind of see this, as I go home to my wife every day and have no idea how she does the finances. Still, in this climate, it's enough of an issue to drive voters to your opponent.
Unless you don't want to vote for an opponent who had a lawn sign that put Obama's face on bin Laden's body, or who has given aid and comfort to the birther crowd. Hudak's done both, which is enough to keep me away. Sadly, there's no third party candidate, so hoping there's no future indictments, Blogalcious endorses John Tierney for US House, MA-6.
State House - the 6th Essex district sees two newcomers, with Jared Parisella (D) up against Brett Schetzsle (R). I tend to think the biggest problem on Beacon Hill is that the legislature is 90 percent from one party. That puts an awful lot of power into the hands of the Speaker of the House, and given the string of them who've been indicted I'm not comfortable in having power concentrated in that office.
More diversity would help spread the power around, which is why Blogalicious endorses Brett Schetzsle for the Massachusetts House, 6th Essex district.
State Senate - And now I'm going to be a total hypocrite, as Blogalicious endorses Fred Berry for the State Senate, 2nd Essex district. Berry, the incumbent Democrat, does have Republican and independent opponents in Richard Jolitz and Matthew Fraser, respectively, but knowing nothing about them I figure stick with the person I know.
The rest - both Governor's Council and District Attorney have people running unopposed, so Blogalicious endorses writing someone in in both races. For Sheriff, Blogalicious endorses Damian Anketell, mostly because I met him when he was collecting signatures and seemed like a nice guy. I don't know if that'll be enough to unseat the Republican incumbent, Richard Cousins, but it's something, I suppose.
20 October 2010
Book Log 2010 #47: The Kingdom of Ohio by Matthew Flaming
A man moves to New York after being raised out West, and as he tries to adjust to his new life digging the tunnels for the New York subway he meets a woman who claims that she is the daughter of the King of Ohio, a country formed by a French nobleman who saw that the coming revolution in his own country would cost him his position.
What comes of this is an intriguing mix of history and science fiction, as the duo try to put together what's actually happened while meeting with (and trying to avoid, at times) figures like Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison and J. P. Morgan.
The book is actually partially set in the present day, as an older man with a vested interest in the story tells about his life and work to gather information on the kingdom. It doesn't take long to sort out how the parts are connected, though the modern sections are fairly coy about it for a while.
It's not quite an alternative history, and it doesn't quite lie squarely in the historical fiction or sci-fi camps, either, but it's a good read if you don't mind a little genre-bending.
A man moves to New York after being raised out West, and as he tries to adjust to his new life digging the tunnels for the New York subway he meets a woman who claims that she is the daughter of the King of Ohio, a country formed by a French nobleman who saw that the coming revolution in his own country would cost him his position.
What comes of this is an intriguing mix of history and science fiction, as the duo try to put together what's actually happened while meeting with (and trying to avoid, at times) figures like Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison and J. P. Morgan.
The book is actually partially set in the present day, as an older man with a vested interest in the story tells about his life and work to gather information on the kingdom. It doesn't take long to sort out how the parts are connected, though the modern sections are fairly coy about it for a while.
It's not quite an alternative history, and it doesn't quite lie squarely in the historical fiction or sci-fi camps, either, but it's a good read if you don't mind a little genre-bending.
14 October 2010
Book Log 2010 #46: Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
I'm pretty sure I'm the last person in America to read this book, which was all the rage when it came out in 2005. Its chapters look at various issues with the idea that decisions people make on them are guided by whatever gives the maximum incentive to act (for example, what incentives exists that would lead to teachers cheating to improve the standardized test scores of their students). For all issues, Levitt (a University of Chicago economist) looks to ask the right question and then use data rather than theory to find answers.
As someone who has bailed out of several books that try to explain economics to laypeople, I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised by the approach taken here. Levitt's method makes more sense to me than the usual onslaught of curves, as I think using quantitative data leads to results that, while unexpected, have a foundation in the real world. Having Dubner, a journalist for the New York Times, as a co-author helps to make the prose that much more approachable.
There is controversy here - one chapter delves into the question of a relationship between legalized abortion and crime - and the approach may strike some with a better grip of economics as being too popular. But for me, this is easily the most approachable book on economics that I've ever read. I expect to get around to SuperFreakonomics much sooner than I did the original.
I'm pretty sure I'm the last person in America to read this book, which was all the rage when it came out in 2005. Its chapters look at various issues with the idea that decisions people make on them are guided by whatever gives the maximum incentive to act (for example, what incentives exists that would lead to teachers cheating to improve the standardized test scores of their students). For all issues, Levitt (a University of Chicago economist) looks to ask the right question and then use data rather than theory to find answers.
As someone who has bailed out of several books that try to explain economics to laypeople, I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised by the approach taken here. Levitt's method makes more sense to me than the usual onslaught of curves, as I think using quantitative data leads to results that, while unexpected, have a foundation in the real world. Having Dubner, a journalist for the New York Times, as a co-author helps to make the prose that much more approachable.
There is controversy here - one chapter delves into the question of a relationship between legalized abortion and crime - and the approach may strike some with a better grip of economics as being too popular. But for me, this is easily the most approachable book on economics that I've ever read. I expect to get around to SuperFreakonomics much sooner than I did the original.
30 September 2010
Book Log 2010 #45: Conspirata by Robert Harris
The second book in his series featuring Roman orator and politician Cicero, it picks up at the start of the consulship Cicero won at the end of the first book. The joy of gaining the position is quickly dashed when a ritual murder leads to the uncovering of a plot that puts both Cicero and Rome in peril. How Cicero deals with the plot colors the rest of the book, which covers a span of five years (his one year consulship and four years following).
Harris does a great job of showing the precarious nature of Cicero's existence at this point, as he aligns with the patricians who don't really accept him against the populists whose quest for ultimate control offends his belief in a republican Rome. We also see how individual decisions can completely change one person's life, as Cicero faces increasingly realistic threats to his life based on those choices.
Balancing it all are the glimpses of Cicero's home life, his cool but absolutely critical marriage, his love for his children, and the dependence he has on his slave Tiro, who is the narrator. This adds emotion and depth to what, in lesser hands, could wind up as an average historical thriller.
It's been four years since the first book in the series came out, which was way too long (he interruped writing this one to write The Ghost, which didn't really justify the delay). Thankfully, the final book will be out next year. If Romans and/or political intrigue are your thing, read this series.
The second book in his series featuring Roman orator and politician Cicero, it picks up at the start of the consulship Cicero won at the end of the first book. The joy of gaining the position is quickly dashed when a ritual murder leads to the uncovering of a plot that puts both Cicero and Rome in peril. How Cicero deals with the plot colors the rest of the book, which covers a span of five years (his one year consulship and four years following).
Harris does a great job of showing the precarious nature of Cicero's existence at this point, as he aligns with the patricians who don't really accept him against the populists whose quest for ultimate control offends his belief in a republican Rome. We also see how individual decisions can completely change one person's life, as Cicero faces increasingly realistic threats to his life based on those choices.
Balancing it all are the glimpses of Cicero's home life, his cool but absolutely critical marriage, his love for his children, and the dependence he has on his slave Tiro, who is the narrator. This adds emotion and depth to what, in lesser hands, could wind up as an average historical thriller.
It's been four years since the first book in the series came out, which was way too long (he interruped writing this one to write The Ghost, which didn't really justify the delay). Thankfully, the final book will be out next year. If Romans and/or political intrigue are your thing, read this series.
29 September 2010
Book Log 2010 #44: Resurrection by Jim Dent
Notre Dame defined college football success in the 1940s, producing four national titles under coach Frank Leahy. The only problem, from the school's point of view, is that the team became bigger than the school. The players - and their head coach - were national celebrities, and consorted with the types of people not generally approved of by stern clerics trying to mold young Catholic men in deepest Indiana. Thus, when a new president was named in 1952 he led the charge to de-emphasize football. This opened a bleak decade of football, when incompetent coaches led ill-prepared teams to few wins.
While this was going on, a young coach named Ara Parseghian was leading a football revival at Northwestern, then as now not considered a powerhouse. He led the team to 36 wins in his eight seasons, including four straight wins over Notre Dame. Even with his success, Parseghian was squeezed out in 1963, and Notre Dame saw an opportunity to get back to winning with a coach used to working at a school with a strong academic focus.
This is the set-up for this book, which takes us through the down period of the '50s and into Parseghian's inaugural season in 1964. We get a great deal of recollections from Parseghian, his assistants, Notre Dame staff and alumni, and from players who were reborn when Parseghian took the helm. We then go through the '64 season game by game. You can guess based on the title how things went.
There's a lot to like about this book (unless you're a Notre Dame hater, in which case you'd never pick this up, would you?), especially in seeing how Parseghian ticked. There was much to his personality that feels similar to what we get from current coaches, from round the clock work during the season to tightly planned practices to his handling of the media. It's also interesting to see how Parseghian dealt with two prejudices that seem quaint by today's standards - his not being of the Notre Dame family and not being Catholic.
It's not all wonderful - the writing gets a little hokey for me at times - but Dent's familiarity with college football, especially of the period, comes through clearly (he also wrote The Junction Boys about one particularly hellish summer training camp that Bear Bryant held when he was coaching Texas A&M).
Clearly one to read for college football fans who aren't ND haters. Though I suppose the haters could read the early parts about the team's down years and then stop once Parseghian is hired.
Notre Dame defined college football success in the 1940s, producing four national titles under coach Frank Leahy. The only problem, from the school's point of view, is that the team became bigger than the school. The players - and their head coach - were national celebrities, and consorted with the types of people not generally approved of by stern clerics trying to mold young Catholic men in deepest Indiana. Thus, when a new president was named in 1952 he led the charge to de-emphasize football. This opened a bleak decade of football, when incompetent coaches led ill-prepared teams to few wins.
While this was going on, a young coach named Ara Parseghian was leading a football revival at Northwestern, then as now not considered a powerhouse. He led the team to 36 wins in his eight seasons, including four straight wins over Notre Dame. Even with his success, Parseghian was squeezed out in 1963, and Notre Dame saw an opportunity to get back to winning with a coach used to working at a school with a strong academic focus.
This is the set-up for this book, which takes us through the down period of the '50s and into Parseghian's inaugural season in 1964. We get a great deal of recollections from Parseghian, his assistants, Notre Dame staff and alumni, and from players who were reborn when Parseghian took the helm. We then go through the '64 season game by game. You can guess based on the title how things went.
There's a lot to like about this book (unless you're a Notre Dame hater, in which case you'd never pick this up, would you?), especially in seeing how Parseghian ticked. There was much to his personality that feels similar to what we get from current coaches, from round the clock work during the season to tightly planned practices to his handling of the media. It's also interesting to see how Parseghian dealt with two prejudices that seem quaint by today's standards - his not being of the Notre Dame family and not being Catholic.
It's not all wonderful - the writing gets a little hokey for me at times - but Dent's familiarity with college football, especially of the period, comes through clearly (he also wrote The Junction Boys about one particularly hellish summer training camp that Bear Bryant held when he was coaching Texas A&M).
Clearly one to read for college football fans who aren't ND haters. Though I suppose the haters could read the early parts about the team's down years and then stop once Parseghian is hired.
28 September 2010
Book Log 2010 #43: Mint Condition by Dave Jamieson
Great book about baseball cards and collecting, giving a good history of the giveaway (and its place alongside other cards and novelties), with stops along the way to meet collectors, printers, artists, independent graders, and other people who populate - and potentially ruined - the pastime. There are also a few forays into non-baseball cards, with the most entertaining tangents looking at a gruesome set of Civil War cards and "counterculture" sets like Mars Attacks! and Wacky Packages.
The one thing I would have liked more of is the one thing that most books like this overdo - personal input from the author about his collection. His taking repossession of his cards from his parents frames the start of the book, and he does write personally about cards throughout, but I would have liked more, or perhaps more concentrated doses at appropriate points. Still, it's a very minor quibble. Very much recommended.
Great book about baseball cards and collecting, giving a good history of the giveaway (and its place alongside other cards and novelties), with stops along the way to meet collectors, printers, artists, independent graders, and other people who populate - and potentially ruined - the pastime. There are also a few forays into non-baseball cards, with the most entertaining tangents looking at a gruesome set of Civil War cards and "counterculture" sets like Mars Attacks! and Wacky Packages.
The one thing I would have liked more of is the one thing that most books like this overdo - personal input from the author about his collection. His taking repossession of his cards from his parents frames the start of the book, and he does write personally about cards throughout, but I would have liked more, or perhaps more concentrated doses at appropriate points. Still, it's a very minor quibble. Very much recommended.
24 September 2010
Book Log 2010 #42: The King's Best Highway by Eric Jaffe
From native footpath to blueprint for highways, the history of the Boston Post Road (which ran from Boston to New York using both inland an coastal routes) is retold here in great detail. Not surprisingly, the history of the road is a history of American transportation in microcosm, developing into a more modern road before becoming the template for new rails and roads. The book follows a similar path, as the book becomes less about the road as the American transportation system becomes less and less reliant on it. I also tended to find the book got less interesting as this happened, either through greater familiarity with the more recent history or by comparison with the really interesting early days of the road.
Still, there's a good deal here to recommend itself to anyone interested in colonial/early US history or transportation. My only quibble with the book's writing is the continued use of "the Bay" as a shorthand reference to Boston and the Boston area. I've lived in Boston or the Boston area all my life and have never heard anyone here use "the Bay" as an offhanded reference to the city or the region. Outside of that annoyance, though, I enjoyed the book quite a bit.
From native footpath to blueprint for highways, the history of the Boston Post Road (which ran from Boston to New York using both inland an coastal routes) is retold here in great detail. Not surprisingly, the history of the road is a history of American transportation in microcosm, developing into a more modern road before becoming the template for new rails and roads. The book follows a similar path, as the book becomes less about the road as the American transportation system becomes less and less reliant on it. I also tended to find the book got less interesting as this happened, either through greater familiarity with the more recent history or by comparison with the really interesting early days of the road.
Still, there's a good deal here to recommend itself to anyone interested in colonial/early US history or transportation. My only quibble with the book's writing is the continued use of "the Bay" as a shorthand reference to Boston and the Boston area. I've lived in Boston or the Boston area all my life and have never heard anyone here use "the Bay" as an offhanded reference to the city or the region. Outside of that annoyance, though, I enjoyed the book quite a bit.
Book Log 2010 #41: Yellow Blue Tibia by Adam Roberts
In the post-WWII Soviet Union, Stalin brings together a group of science fiction writers to create an alien menace that can be used to give the Soviet people a common enemy when the decadent and corrupt United States inevitably falls by the wayside. The group gets to work, but several months in are told to stop working, go home, and not mention anything about this assignment to anyone. Ever. Or else.
Jump ahead about 40 years, and one of those writers finds himself being drawn in by both a group of UFO believers and another of the writers (now in the KGB) with the suggestion that the alien menace created for Stalin is actually coming to pass.
What follows is an interesting, and often humorous, story about aliens, the crumbling Soviet Union, the nature of space and time, and one man's longshot at redemption and love (the title is a reference to a group of English words that, when said together, sounds like the Russian for "I love you."). I was very pleased with how the book delivered on its unusual plot, and would recommend it, at least to other sci-fi dilletantes like myself.
In the post-WWII Soviet Union, Stalin brings together a group of science fiction writers to create an alien menace that can be used to give the Soviet people a common enemy when the decadent and corrupt United States inevitably falls by the wayside. The group gets to work, but several months in are told to stop working, go home, and not mention anything about this assignment to anyone. Ever. Or else.
Jump ahead about 40 years, and one of those writers finds himself being drawn in by both a group of UFO believers and another of the writers (now in the KGB) with the suggestion that the alien menace created for Stalin is actually coming to pass.
What follows is an interesting, and often humorous, story about aliens, the crumbling Soviet Union, the nature of space and time, and one man's longshot at redemption and love (the title is a reference to a group of English words that, when said together, sounds like the Russian for "I love you."). I was very pleased with how the book delivered on its unusual plot, and would recommend it, at least to other sci-fi dilletantes like myself.
16 September 2010
Book Log 2010 #40: The Lunatic Express by Carl Hoffman
While Hoffman often travels for his work as a journalist, he decided to take one long trip around the globe on his own to experience the most dangerous forms of transportation, from ferry lines known to have boats sink due to overcrowding to dodgy airlines to unpaved mountain roads where one mistake would send an entire bus careening off a cliff. There was also danger in many locations due to crime and political instability, where being an American abroad could lead to kidnapping or murder.
But as Hoffman makes his way around the globe, he discovers two things. First, as questionable as these forms of transport are, they most often get to where they need to go, allowing people - many living on the fringes, making little money - to take necessary trips to find work or sell goods. The other thing he discovers is that even for people living a hand to mouth existance, there's a warm humanity that bridges gaps and allows for a level of understanding that's impossible on a macro level. Granted, not everyone is that friendly, but there's a connection Hoffman gets with people on his voyage that never quite occurs when traveling domestically in the US.
With travel writing I always mentally compare writers with Paul Theroux, given that I've read most (if not all) of his stuff. There's some similarity here in that both authors make strong connections with locals (natives and expats), and both take their journeys in the shadow of problems with the wife. Hoffman seems a little less willing to take a risk than young Theroux when it comes to seeing the country and how people live, but he makes up for it by being less negative about people.
I did like the book, but I admit that towards the end I may have been looking forward to the conclusion at least as much as Hoffman, as I thought the end dragged a bit. Still, very solid read.
While Hoffman often travels for his work as a journalist, he decided to take one long trip around the globe on his own to experience the most dangerous forms of transportation, from ferry lines known to have boats sink due to overcrowding to dodgy airlines to unpaved mountain roads where one mistake would send an entire bus careening off a cliff. There was also danger in many locations due to crime and political instability, where being an American abroad could lead to kidnapping or murder.
But as Hoffman makes his way around the globe, he discovers two things. First, as questionable as these forms of transport are, they most often get to where they need to go, allowing people - many living on the fringes, making little money - to take necessary trips to find work or sell goods. The other thing he discovers is that even for people living a hand to mouth existance, there's a warm humanity that bridges gaps and allows for a level of understanding that's impossible on a macro level. Granted, not everyone is that friendly, but there's a connection Hoffman gets with people on his voyage that never quite occurs when traveling domestically in the US.
With travel writing I always mentally compare writers with Paul Theroux, given that I've read most (if not all) of his stuff. There's some similarity here in that both authors make strong connections with locals (natives and expats), and both take their journeys in the shadow of problems with the wife. Hoffman seems a little less willing to take a risk than young Theroux when it comes to seeing the country and how people live, but he makes up for it by being less negative about people.
I did like the book, but I admit that towards the end I may have been looking forward to the conclusion at least as much as Hoffman, as I thought the end dragged a bit. Still, very solid read.
Book Log 2010 #39: It Was Never About the Babe by Jerry Gutlon
The idea that the Red Sox went 86 years without winning a World Series due to a curse put upon the team when they sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees is, of course, ridiculous. But it was an easy and appealing way to explain nearly nine decades of futility, especially in the hands of local sports writers.
Gutlon's book aims to show how the failures of the Red Sox sprouted from actual mismanagement, from the financial problems of early owners through Tom Yawkey's racism and the poor decision making of those who followed (up until the current owners, at least). It's a good topic, one that's been broached but worthy of deeper examination.
But I don't know if this book does the subject justice, as I wound up bailing on the book. It felt rushed, like it needed one more good going over by the author and editor but got sent out to print instead. It's more an issue of mechanics than content. Not to mention the typesetting looked like it was straight out of MS Word. I swear it was set in 12 point Times New Roman with a one inch margin.
Still, if the subject is of interest I'd say pick it up. If it works for you, so much the better.
The idea that the Red Sox went 86 years without winning a World Series due to a curse put upon the team when they sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees is, of course, ridiculous. But it was an easy and appealing way to explain nearly nine decades of futility, especially in the hands of local sports writers.
Gutlon's book aims to show how the failures of the Red Sox sprouted from actual mismanagement, from the financial problems of early owners through Tom Yawkey's racism and the poor decision making of those who followed (up until the current owners, at least). It's a good topic, one that's been broached but worthy of deeper examination.
But I don't know if this book does the subject justice, as I wound up bailing on the book. It felt rushed, like it needed one more good going over by the author and editor but got sent out to print instead. It's more an issue of mechanics than content. Not to mention the typesetting looked like it was straight out of MS Word. I swear it was set in 12 point Times New Roman with a one inch margin.
Still, if the subject is of interest I'd say pick it up. If it works for you, so much the better.
Book Log 2010 #38: The Italian Secretary by Caleb Carr
Written with the blessing of the Arthur Conan Doyle estate, this is a new adventure of Sherlock Holmes. Two men working on renovations to Holyrood House, a royal residence in Scotland, are killed, and Holmes and Watson are called in to investigate. Their investigation takes a turn for the supernatural when some locals ascribe the killings to the ghost of one of Queen Mary's retinue, the Italian secretary of the title.
It's been some time since I've read any of the Holmes stories, but based on my memories I think this addition holds up relatively well to the originals (moreso than Michael Chabon's The Final Solution, which wasn't bad but was too non-traditional for me). I suppose the real question is if it compares well to the other book-length stories, which I've not read in a good 20 years, so I won't make that call. But I did enjoy the book, for the most part, which I suppose is what matters.
One thing this book does do is make me wonder when (or if) we'll get a new book from Carr using the characters from The Alienist.
Written with the blessing of the Arthur Conan Doyle estate, this is a new adventure of Sherlock Holmes. Two men working on renovations to Holyrood House, a royal residence in Scotland, are killed, and Holmes and Watson are called in to investigate. Their investigation takes a turn for the supernatural when some locals ascribe the killings to the ghost of one of Queen Mary's retinue, the Italian secretary of the title.
It's been some time since I've read any of the Holmes stories, but based on my memories I think this addition holds up relatively well to the originals (moreso than Michael Chabon's The Final Solution, which wasn't bad but was too non-traditional for me). I suppose the real question is if it compares well to the other book-length stories, which I've not read in a good 20 years, so I won't make that call. But I did enjoy the book, for the most part, which I suppose is what matters.
One thing this book does do is make me wonder when (or if) we'll get a new book from Carr using the characters from The Alienist.
Book Log 2010 #37: Union Atlantic by Adam Haslett
The conflict between a financial titan and a retired teacher over the construction of a gigantic house on what was public land (donated by the teacher's family) supposedly forms the main plot of this book. But its really more of story about our transition from post-9/11 paranoia to financial crisis, as main character Doug Fanning takes us from the Gulf (he was serving on the USS Vincennes when it shot down an Iranian civilian airliner) to a bank he built into a major financial services company by means that aren't always legal.
Fanning's life unravels as the book moves along, as he gets sued over his house, encounters a major problem at work, and enters an ill-advised physical relationship with a teenaged boy. It doesn't help that the teacher's brother is the chairman of the New York Fed, and that a friend of the teenaged boy is Fanning's boss.
I don't buy that much interconnection, and I think that was the foundation of a general discomfort I had with the book. The story line involving the house didn't do much for me, either on its face or metaphorically. I much prefered the similar conflict that was the basis for a book involving a bridge that was set locally (I could swear that I mentioned it here, but I can't fid the post).
It could be that I was permanently put off by the over the top praise for the book on the inside flap of its dust jacket. I quote: "Prescient, ambitious and irrestably complex, Union Atlantic is a deeply affecting portrait of the modern gilded age - the first decade of the 21st century. It is a singular work of fiction that is sure to be read and re-read as a classic of the times." There's almost no way the book could live up to that statement, and as it predictably failed to do so I think I felt more negative about the book than I would have otherwise.
The conflict between a financial titan and a retired teacher over the construction of a gigantic house on what was public land (donated by the teacher's family) supposedly forms the main plot of this book. But its really more of story about our transition from post-9/11 paranoia to financial crisis, as main character Doug Fanning takes us from the Gulf (he was serving on the USS Vincennes when it shot down an Iranian civilian airliner) to a bank he built into a major financial services company by means that aren't always legal.
Fanning's life unravels as the book moves along, as he gets sued over his house, encounters a major problem at work, and enters an ill-advised physical relationship with a teenaged boy. It doesn't help that the teacher's brother is the chairman of the New York Fed, and that a friend of the teenaged boy is Fanning's boss.
I don't buy that much interconnection, and I think that was the foundation of a general discomfort I had with the book. The story line involving the house didn't do much for me, either on its face or metaphorically. I much prefered the similar conflict that was the basis for a book involving a bridge that was set locally (I could swear that I mentioned it here, but I can't fid the post).
It could be that I was permanently put off by the over the top praise for the book on the inside flap of its dust jacket. I quote: "Prescient, ambitious and irrestably complex, Union Atlantic is a deeply affecting portrait of the modern gilded age - the first decade of the 21st century. It is a singular work of fiction that is sure to be read and re-read as a classic of the times." There's almost no way the book could live up to that statement, and as it predictably failed to do so I think I felt more negative about the book than I would have otherwise.
14 September 2010
Book Log 2010 #36: The Kings of New York by Michael Weinreb
Stefan Fatsis' Word Freak set the standard for a new genre of non-fiction, where writers delve into a subculture focused on a specific game or pastime and examine on set of (usually very good) practicioners to show the depths of their particular obsession.
(OK, this may not be an actual genre, but it does seem like more of these books showed up after Word Freak. Maybe I'm just more aware of them.)
Anyway, this book takes a year to follow the chess team at Edward R. Murrow High School in New York, a group of multi-ethnic oddballs whose focus on chess is fostered by the school's open approach to learning, nurtured by city programs such as the one the brings chess into elementary schools, and guided by a coach whose interest in the game and the students eclipses his own skills.
As with many of the books, the actual events of the season pale against the personalities of the players and their interactions. For example, the growing feud between the team's top two players brings an interesting subplot, one often seen in sports that never gets considered in more intellectual pursuits. That they both seem to feel that the school team is increasingly beneath their talents turns up the tension.
There's a fine line between writing about teenagers making a serious pursuit and exploiting the kids to get good copy from their idiosyncracies, but the line is traveled well here. The result is a great balance between the "year in the life" aspect of the story - will they win another national title? - and the conflicts within each player regarding their love for the game, its impact on their academics and personal lives, and relationships with teammates, teachers and family. And, from a technical standpoint, you really don't have to know how to play chess to follow the story, as explanations are made quite clearly as needed. Very much worth a read.
Stefan Fatsis' Word Freak set the standard for a new genre of non-fiction, where writers delve into a subculture focused on a specific game or pastime and examine on set of (usually very good) practicioners to show the depths of their particular obsession.
(OK, this may not be an actual genre, but it does seem like more of these books showed up after Word Freak. Maybe I'm just more aware of them.)
Anyway, this book takes a year to follow the chess team at Edward R. Murrow High School in New York, a group of multi-ethnic oddballs whose focus on chess is fostered by the school's open approach to learning, nurtured by city programs such as the one the brings chess into elementary schools, and guided by a coach whose interest in the game and the students eclipses his own skills.
As with many of the books, the actual events of the season pale against the personalities of the players and their interactions. For example, the growing feud between the team's top two players brings an interesting subplot, one often seen in sports that never gets considered in more intellectual pursuits. That they both seem to feel that the school team is increasingly beneath their talents turns up the tension.
There's a fine line between writing about teenagers making a serious pursuit and exploiting the kids to get good copy from their idiosyncracies, but the line is traveled well here. The result is a great balance between the "year in the life" aspect of the story - will they win another national title? - and the conflicts within each player regarding their love for the game, its impact on their academics and personal lives, and relationships with teammates, teachers and family. And, from a technical standpoint, you really don't have to know how to play chess to follow the story, as explanations are made quite clearly as needed. Very much worth a read.
13 September 2010
Book Log 2010 #35: The Mask of Atreus by A. J. Hartley
Speaking of worse, we have this offering, which I picked up even though the large swastika on the cover did set off some alarm bells.
The basic premise is actually intriguing: the benefactor of a small and eclectic Atlanta museum is found dead in a secret room that houses what appears to be a wealth of Trojan-era antiquities, a hoard that is apparently undocumented and would create quite a stir... if it's all real. The museum curator notices that there appears to be one item missing, something rather large that was wheeled out. She begins to investigate the case, having to deal along the way with a very unusual pair of cops, a cleaning lady who's not what she seems, a mysterious Englishman, an amorous lawyer, a dead Russian and a person who is very determined to kill her.
The book unfolds in a fairly typical neo-Nazi thriller kind of way, and it became pretty clear to me where this was going based once speculation started that the missing item was a body. The story is put together in a typical thriller way, with enough plot twists and hard to explain actions by the protagonist to keep the plot moving.
It's probably not fair to call this book worse than Hornet Flight, as its a perfectly servicable example of its genre (and a reasonable vacation read) and pits Hartley against a very experienced thriller author. But it doesn't compare well with the previous book, and while not as limp as, say, The Overseer, it's not necessarily a book to seek out.
Speaking of worse, we have this offering, which I picked up even though the large swastika on the cover did set off some alarm bells.
The basic premise is actually intriguing: the benefactor of a small and eclectic Atlanta museum is found dead in a secret room that houses what appears to be a wealth of Trojan-era antiquities, a hoard that is apparently undocumented and would create quite a stir... if it's all real. The museum curator notices that there appears to be one item missing, something rather large that was wheeled out. She begins to investigate the case, having to deal along the way with a very unusual pair of cops, a cleaning lady who's not what she seems, a mysterious Englishman, an amorous lawyer, a dead Russian and a person who is very determined to kill her.
The book unfolds in a fairly typical neo-Nazi thriller kind of way, and it became pretty clear to me where this was going based once speculation started that the missing item was a body. The story is put together in a typical thriller way, with enough plot twists and hard to explain actions by the protagonist to keep the plot moving.
It's probably not fair to call this book worse than Hornet Flight, as its a perfectly servicable example of its genre (and a reasonable vacation read) and pits Hartley against a very experienced thriller author. But it doesn't compare well with the previous book, and while not as limp as, say, The Overseer, it's not necessarily a book to seek out.
Book Log 2010 #34: Hornet Flight by Ken Follett
While I'm not one to judge a book by its cover, I do have one rule about choosing books based on cover art: the larger the swastika on the cover, the worse the book (fiction only). The copy of the book that I read had a small swastika on it, so i thought it worth the risk.
And, truth be told, the rule worked. The book is an entertaining story of a Danish teen who has to get information on a local radar station to England, and his only means of doing so is by flying an old plane that's been stored in an out-building for years.
Of course there's more detail to the story, such as how the boy winds up having to fly and who he has to choose as co-pilot. The story moves at an appropriately brisk pace, and the setting of occupied Denmark is a nice change from World War II novels set in the typical locations. It is based on actual people and events, which I imagine helped with developing the unique locale and personalities.
My only complaint about the book is the ending, specifically the epilogue which feels tacked on to set up a sequel that, to date, hasn't come to pass. Still, for a book I picked up to read on vacation I could have done much worse.
While I'm not one to judge a book by its cover, I do have one rule about choosing books based on cover art: the larger the swastika on the cover, the worse the book (fiction only). The copy of the book that I read had a small swastika on it, so i thought it worth the risk.
And, truth be told, the rule worked. The book is an entertaining story of a Danish teen who has to get information on a local radar station to England, and his only means of doing so is by flying an old plane that's been stored in an out-building for years.
Of course there's more detail to the story, such as how the boy winds up having to fly and who he has to choose as co-pilot. The story moves at an appropriately brisk pace, and the setting of occupied Denmark is a nice change from World War II novels set in the typical locations. It is based on actual people and events, which I imagine helped with developing the unique locale and personalities.
My only complaint about the book is the ending, specifically the epilogue which feels tacked on to set up a sequel that, to date, hasn't come to pass. Still, for a book I picked up to read on vacation I could have done much worse.
10 September 2010
Book Log 2010 #33: A Game of Patience by Susanne Alleyn
The first published book in the Ravel series, it's set just after the Revolution, with Ravel working to solve the murder of a young woman and the man who was blackmailing her. The case widens to include investigations into family and friends, including a friend of the dead woman for whom Ravel begins to developing feelings, complicating matters.
As with The Cavalier of the Apocalypse there's great period detail and an engaging mystery to follow. I also like the way the characters reflect the uncertain nature of the times, especially Ravel, who is much more aware of the gravity of what he does as an investigator in this book. Looking forward to seeing how the upcoming installment bridges the time between this one and the first (chronological) one.
The first published book in the Ravel series, it's set just after the Revolution, with Ravel working to solve the murder of a young woman and the man who was blackmailing her. The case widens to include investigations into family and friends, including a friend of the dead woman for whom Ravel begins to developing feelings, complicating matters.
As with The Cavalier of the Apocalypse there's great period detail and an engaging mystery to follow. I also like the way the characters reflect the uncertain nature of the times, especially Ravel, who is much more aware of the gravity of what he does as an investigator in this book. Looking forward to seeing how the upcoming installment bridges the time between this one and the first (chronological) one.
Book Log 2010 #32: The Pale Blue Eye by Louis Bayard
Very enjoyable historical mystery set at West Point, where a death on campus with sinister overtones is investigated by a retired detective, who finds an assistant in a gloomy cadet named Edgar Allan Poe. Reviews I've read suggest a difference of opinion about the ending - some loved it, others found it a stretch. I tend towards the latter camp, but not so strong that it dropped my overall appreciation of the book at all.
Very enjoyable historical mystery set at West Point, where a death on campus with sinister overtones is investigated by a retired detective, who finds an assistant in a gloomy cadet named Edgar Allan Poe. Reviews I've read suggest a difference of opinion about the ending - some loved it, others found it a stretch. I tend towards the latter camp, but not so strong that it dropped my overall appreciation of the book at all.
01 September 2010
Book Log 2010 #31: All Other Nights by Dara Horn
Union solider Jacob Rappoport is given a special assignment by a secretive group of officers - sneak into New Orleans and kill a man who is plotting to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. That man turns out to be Jacob's uncle.
This is just the start of Jacob's short career as a spy, one which sees him make several life-altering choices as he balances the demands of family with his own wishes and the orders he gets from his nameless superiors. It's all balanced well and has a nice amount of period detail, though the war itself is often at arm's length. It's also interesting in its portrayal of Jewish life during the Civil War, though that theme seems to become less prominent as the book goes on.
Liked it, but may not be for someone looking for a book that's more battle intensive.
Union solider Jacob Rappoport is given a special assignment by a secretive group of officers - sneak into New Orleans and kill a man who is plotting to assassinate Abraham Lincoln. That man turns out to be Jacob's uncle.
This is just the start of Jacob's short career as a spy, one which sees him make several life-altering choices as he balances the demands of family with his own wishes and the orders he gets from his nameless superiors. It's all balanced well and has a nice amount of period detail, though the war itself is often at arm's length. It's also interesting in its portrayal of Jewish life during the Civil War, though that theme seems to become less prominent as the book goes on.
Liked it, but may not be for someone looking for a book that's more battle intensive.
25 August 2010
Book Log 2010 #30: The Cavalier of the Apocalypse by Susanne Alleyn
As best as I can tell, Susanne Alleyn likes to work out of sequence. This is the third book in her historical mystery series, which is set in revolutionary France and features writer-turned-detective Aristide Ravel, but is chronologically the first. The first and second released books are third and fourth chronologically, while her upcoming book, the fourth in the series, happens second. This bothers me more than it should, as I like to read series in order.
But as much as it may bother me, I wills say I enjoyed this book quite a bit. We're introduced to Ravel as a potential suspect in what appear to be Masonically-tinged killings. Ravel has to work to clear his name, and in the process teams up with a police inspector who will become his partner in future books. And while I'm not particularly interested in the French Revolution, it's a smart period to set a mystery series, what with the increased violence and all.
Solid start to a series, certainly enough to have me continue along.
As best as I can tell, Susanne Alleyn likes to work out of sequence. This is the third book in her historical mystery series, which is set in revolutionary France and features writer-turned-detective Aristide Ravel, but is chronologically the first. The first and second released books are third and fourth chronologically, while her upcoming book, the fourth in the series, happens second. This bothers me more than it should, as I like to read series in order.
But as much as it may bother me, I wills say I enjoyed this book quite a bit. We're introduced to Ravel as a potential suspect in what appear to be Masonically-tinged killings. Ravel has to work to clear his name, and in the process teams up with a police inspector who will become his partner in future books. And while I'm not particularly interested in the French Revolution, it's a smart period to set a mystery series, what with the increased violence and all.
Solid start to a series, certainly enough to have me continue along.
23 August 2010
Book Log 2010 #29: The Daughters of Cain by Colin Dexter
Very good, as usual. I do think, on re-reading all of these, that I like the later books in the series a bit more than the earlier ones. I think it's having a fully developed Morse-Lewis relationship. Not sure.
Very good, as usual. I do think, on re-reading all of these, that I like the later books in the series a bit more than the earlier ones. I think it's having a fully developed Morse-Lewis relationship. Not sure.
Book Log 2010 #28:Salt by Mark Kurlansky
I'm a little torn about this book, as it's interesting and well written. It just may be a little too well written, as it takes great pains to present the story of salt from a large variety of historical and cultural viewpoints. It gets a little exhausting, and reminds me that one of the things I liked about Cod was its brevity. Granted, that was likely partly be necessity (I'm assuming there's not a lot of cod-related source material out there), but I thought the shorter length gave the story more impact.
Anyway, worth reading, certainly.
I'm a little torn about this book, as it's interesting and well written. It just may be a little too well written, as it takes great pains to present the story of salt from a large variety of historical and cultural viewpoints. It gets a little exhausting, and reminds me that one of the things I liked about Cod was its brevity. Granted, that was likely partly be necessity (I'm assuming there's not a lot of cod-related source material out there), but I thought the shorter length gave the story more impact.
Anyway, worth reading, certainly.
11 August 2010
Book Log 2010 #27: The Essential Engineer by Henry Petroski
I've usually enjoyed Henry Petroski's writings on engineering and how it influences everyday life - The Evolution of Useful Things and The Pencil are classic examples of his ability to write about engineering in an engaging and accessible manner - so I was very interested in this, his newest book, as it promised (via its subtitle) to explain "[w]hy science alone will not solve our globabl problems."
Suffice it to say I'm still not sure that was every really explained. Petroski spends much of the book talking about the interaction between science and engineering, how each discipline relates to the other, and how science often builds off of engineering rather than vice versa.
From there I expected a discourse on various major problems and the ways engineering could address them where science cannot. And that kind of happened, but never very clearly, and not to the point I expected given the title. Disappointing.
I've usually enjoyed Henry Petroski's writings on engineering and how it influences everyday life - The Evolution of Useful Things and The Pencil are classic examples of his ability to write about engineering in an engaging and accessible manner - so I was very interested in this, his newest book, as it promised (via its subtitle) to explain "[w]hy science alone will not solve our globabl problems."
Suffice it to say I'm still not sure that was every really explained. Petroski spends much of the book talking about the interaction between science and engineering, how each discipline relates to the other, and how science often builds off of engineering rather than vice versa.
From there I expected a discourse on various major problems and the ways engineering could address them where science cannot. And that kind of happened, but never very clearly, and not to the point I expected given the title. Disappointing.
Book log 2010 #26: The Dogs of Rome by Conor Fitzgerald
Very engaging debut novel featuring Alec Blume, an expatriate American working as an Italian police inspector who gets called in to solve the killing of an anti-dog fighting activist whose wife is a prominent politician and whose girlfriend is the daughter of a high-ranking mafioso.
The book does a nice job of displaying the nuance necessary to actually bring someone to justice, as Blume has to balance the political influence, institutional corruption and personal agendas that come out most strongly in a high profile case. Throw in issues related to a new love interest (who may have her own agenda) and potential links back to the killings of Blume's own parents, and you have the makings of an enjoyably complex mystery.
The one annoyance I had is that the cover touts this as "An Alec Blume Mystery," which made me think this was a later entry in a series rather than the first book. Not a huge thing, obviously.
Very engaging debut novel featuring Alec Blume, an expatriate American working as an Italian police inspector who gets called in to solve the killing of an anti-dog fighting activist whose wife is a prominent politician and whose girlfriend is the daughter of a high-ranking mafioso.
The book does a nice job of displaying the nuance necessary to actually bring someone to justice, as Blume has to balance the political influence, institutional corruption and personal agendas that come out most strongly in a high profile case. Throw in issues related to a new love interest (who may have her own agenda) and potential links back to the killings of Blume's own parents, and you have the makings of an enjoyably complex mystery.
The one annoyance I had is that the cover touts this as "An Alec Blume Mystery," which made me think this was a later entry in a series rather than the first book. Not a huge thing, obviously.
07 August 2010
Book Log 2010 #25: The Yugo by Jason Vuic
While the Yugo went down in history as potentially the worst car ever sold in the US (the guys on Car Talk dubbed it the worst car of the past millenium), this book gives much more of the detail surrounding its creation and failure, giving depth to a vehicle that is, to most people, merely a punch line (as witnessed by the Yugo jokes that start every chapter).
Beyond the car, we also get a good picture of the man who brought it to promenance, Malcolm Bricklin, a serial entrepreneur who was at both his best and worst when it came to car companies. He was great at launches, but never was able to develop and nurture his launch into a going concern. This had its most comical result with the Yugo, an underpowered and sub-standard vehicle produced by a facility that would never be able to produce a car that could compete in the US.
In addition to that, Vuic points out that the 1980s wasn't the best time to launch a small car, given the focus on personal excess and the fading memories of the oil crunches of the previous decade. I'm not sure that's fully correct - Hyundai first launched in the US at about the same time, with a small car of low price and marginal quality - but the shoddy standards of the Yugo certainly didn't help it fight off whatever social standards were in place at the time.
I enjoyed the book quite a bit, and would certainly recommend it, especially for children of the '80s and anyone interested in cars.
While the Yugo went down in history as potentially the worst car ever sold in the US (the guys on Car Talk dubbed it the worst car of the past millenium), this book gives much more of the detail surrounding its creation and failure, giving depth to a vehicle that is, to most people, merely a punch line (as witnessed by the Yugo jokes that start every chapter).
Beyond the car, we also get a good picture of the man who brought it to promenance, Malcolm Bricklin, a serial entrepreneur who was at both his best and worst when it came to car companies. He was great at launches, but never was able to develop and nurture his launch into a going concern. This had its most comical result with the Yugo, an underpowered and sub-standard vehicle produced by a facility that would never be able to produce a car that could compete in the US.
In addition to that, Vuic points out that the 1980s wasn't the best time to launch a small car, given the focus on personal excess and the fading memories of the oil crunches of the previous decade. I'm not sure that's fully correct - Hyundai first launched in the US at about the same time, with a small car of low price and marginal quality - but the shoddy standards of the Yugo certainly didn't help it fight off whatever social standards were in place at the time.
I enjoyed the book quite a bit, and would certainly recommend it, especially for children of the '80s and anyone interested in cars.
22 July 2010
While procrastinating last night I wound up looking over the copy of my great grandfather's citizenship paperwork (made a while back when we were being all genealogical). He'd listed a Boston address as his residence at the time, but the location - Whitney Street - didn't ring a bell. What did look familiar was the Tremont Street address of one of his witnesses, as the house number is not all that far away from where I work.
So I did what anyone would do and typed "Whitney Street Boston MA" into Google Maps. No hits for Whitney, but I did get a South Whitney - located about a block from my office.
I then tried to look online for old maps and street indices, and while there is some good information out there (Tufts has a nice site of old Boston street maps and related information), I couldn't quite pin down if there was a relationship between the two streets.
Thankfully, at some point in the past someone at Wentworth decided to honor the history of our neighborhood and hang a series of old maps down the hall from my office. It was there, on the map for what was at the time Ward 22, that I was able to confirm that South Whitney is all that's left of Whitney Street. Most of the road was covered up by a large apartment building, which I've actually been in (there's a post office on the ground floor).
I'm a little bummed that the address is no longer available for me to visit, but I do find it sort of amazing that after more than a century I've kind of come full circle.
So I did what anyone would do and typed "Whitney Street Boston MA" into Google Maps. No hits for Whitney, but I did get a South Whitney - located about a block from my office.
I then tried to look online for old maps and street indices, and while there is some good information out there (Tufts has a nice site of old Boston street maps and related information), I couldn't quite pin down if there was a relationship between the two streets.
Thankfully, at some point in the past someone at Wentworth decided to honor the history of our neighborhood and hang a series of old maps down the hall from my office. It was there, on the map for what was at the time Ward 22, that I was able to confirm that South Whitney is all that's left of Whitney Street. Most of the road was covered up by a large apartment building, which I've actually been in (there's a post office on the ground floor).
I'm a little bummed that the address is no longer available for me to visit, but I do find it sort of amazing that after more than a century I've kind of come full circle.
21 July 2010
Book Log 2010 #24: The State of Jones by Sally Jenkins and John Stauffer
I remember hearing quite a bit during high school American history about copperheads, Northerners who wanted to end the Civil War. We did not hear much about Confederates who were against secession, if anything.
This book looks at one man, Newton Knight, and members of his family, who opposed the Confederacy, to the point where they deserted from the CSA army and, on occasions when the government tried to exert some authority over their corner of Mississippi, resort to violence.
The book reads very easily for a history, due I think to its creation as an offshoot from a movie project on the subject. And, as would also befit a book based on a movie (even a planned one), it likes to paint people into bright moral corners and not worry so much about factual nuances. There are plenty of places in the book where supposition has to take the place of actual events due to gaps in records, and the more I came across them the less enthralled I was with the book.
If you're really interested in the subject, I'd suggest finding one of the other books written about Knight and similar resisters. But if you want the overview without having to deal with grey areas, this might be OK.
I remember hearing quite a bit during high school American history about copperheads, Northerners who wanted to end the Civil War. We did not hear much about Confederates who were against secession, if anything.
This book looks at one man, Newton Knight, and members of his family, who opposed the Confederacy, to the point where they deserted from the CSA army and, on occasions when the government tried to exert some authority over their corner of Mississippi, resort to violence.
The book reads very easily for a history, due I think to its creation as an offshoot from a movie project on the subject. And, as would also befit a book based on a movie (even a planned one), it likes to paint people into bright moral corners and not worry so much about factual nuances. There are plenty of places in the book where supposition has to take the place of actual events due to gaps in records, and the more I came across them the less enthralled I was with the book.
If you're really interested in the subject, I'd suggest finding one of the other books written about Knight and similar resisters. But if you want the overview without having to deal with grey areas, this might be OK.
13 July 2010
I have been to exactly 100 of the 1000 places to go in Massachusetts, though I have to admit that it's been a while since I've been to some of them (for example, my lone visit to the Wenham Museum came as part of a grade school field trip). I will spare you a recounting of the other 99, other than to say I've not made it to two of the Beverly sites and one of the Manchester sites, which I should probably rectify at some point.
I will say that knocking off the other 900 sites seems like just the sort of thing I can torture current and future children with. It will be a sad Monday when they tell their school chums that they spent the weekend marveling at the likes of the Worthington Historic District.
I will say that knocking off the other 900 sites seems like just the sort of thing I can torture current and future children with. It will be a sad Monday when they tell their school chums that they spent the weekend marveling at the likes of the Worthington Historic District.
09 July 2010
Book Log 2010 #23: Food of a Younger Land by Mark Kurlansky
The Federal Writers Project, part of the Works Progress Administration, had as one of its planned projects a work called America Eats, which planned to look at American foodways in each of five regions (based on the Census). Each region was to have one major essay supported by some smaller pieces, all put together from primary accounts submitted by project writers. Except this never happened, as the project eventually shut down during World War II.
Enter Mark Kurlansky, who brought together the source material for America Eats and put together this book, which uses the same regional structure but allows the source material to stand on its own. This allows for a more direct recounting of what American food was like in the 1930s, when food couldn't help but be regional and seasonal. It can be a little discordant, with pieces ranging from longer essays to recipies to lists, but it's also often fascinating, given the great differences between food at that time and food today.
It can also be a little racist, as Kurlansky has opted to keep pieces in their original language, which can include some descriptors for people that are no longer considered appropriate, as well as dialog put into a regional/racial "dialect" which went out of style with Amos & Andy. As jarring as that might be to modern readers, I think it was the right call to leave this sort of thing in, as it gives a more complete picture of the time the pieces were written.
And the book can also be unintentionally hilarious, as evidenced by the poem Nebraskans Eat the Weiners.
It's not the easiest book to read from front to back, and you may find that a state you wanted to read about gets scant coverage due to a lack of source material. Still, if you're into food history this is certainly worth a browse at least.
The Federal Writers Project, part of the Works Progress Administration, had as one of its planned projects a work called America Eats, which planned to look at American foodways in each of five regions (based on the Census). Each region was to have one major essay supported by some smaller pieces, all put together from primary accounts submitted by project writers. Except this never happened, as the project eventually shut down during World War II.
Enter Mark Kurlansky, who brought together the source material for America Eats and put together this book, which uses the same regional structure but allows the source material to stand on its own. This allows for a more direct recounting of what American food was like in the 1930s, when food couldn't help but be regional and seasonal. It can be a little discordant, with pieces ranging from longer essays to recipies to lists, but it's also often fascinating, given the great differences between food at that time and food today.
It can also be a little racist, as Kurlansky has opted to keep pieces in their original language, which can include some descriptors for people that are no longer considered appropriate, as well as dialog put into a regional/racial "dialect" which went out of style with Amos & Andy. As jarring as that might be to modern readers, I think it was the right call to leave this sort of thing in, as it gives a more complete picture of the time the pieces were written.
And the book can also be unintentionally hilarious, as evidenced by the poem Nebraskans Eat the Weiners.
It's not the easiest book to read from front to back, and you may find that a state you wanted to read about gets scant coverage due to a lack of source material. Still, if you're into food history this is certainly worth a browse at least.
06 July 2010
Book Log 2010 #22: Cowboys Full by James McManus
As much a study of how poker influences American society as it is a history of the game, this is a sprawling look at the game, starting with its European roots (both in game play and in the cards used) and continuing through its insinuation into American life to its current status as a home, casino, TV and online favorite.
It's not perfect. It is way too long, and would have benefited from spending less time either in the 19th/early 20th century or in trying to shoehorn poker metaphors into various non-poker walks of life. It's not as interesting as his earlier book Positively Fifth Street, which benefited from having two specific stories (McManus' run in the 2000 World Series of Poker's main event and the Teddy Binion murder) to work from. But it's certainly worth a look, if just to browse some of the more entertaining anecdotes.
As much a study of how poker influences American society as it is a history of the game, this is a sprawling look at the game, starting with its European roots (both in game play and in the cards used) and continuing through its insinuation into American life to its current status as a home, casino, TV and online favorite.
It's not perfect. It is way too long, and would have benefited from spending less time either in the 19th/early 20th century or in trying to shoehorn poker metaphors into various non-poker walks of life. It's not as interesting as his earlier book Positively Fifth Street, which benefited from having two specific stories (McManus' run in the 2000 World Series of Poker's main event and the Teddy Binion murder) to work from. But it's certainly worth a look, if just to browse some of the more entertaining anecdotes.
02 July 2010
Book Log 2010 #21: The Many Deaths Of the Firefly Brothers by Thomas Mullen
A pair of Depression-era robbers wake up after a job to discover that they are in police custody - sort of. Rather than being locked up, both are on slabs in the morgue, and have clearly taken enough punishment that waking up shouldn't have been an option.
So starts this tale that sees the pair criss-cross the Midwest to figure out just how they died (the first time). They also have to sort out contacting family and loved ones, all of whom have heard of their demise. We also get a fair amount of back story, complete with a bit of a family mystery that helps explain how the brothers became wanted men.
It's an entertaining story, with a good amount of period color as you'd expect. Worth the read.
A pair of Depression-era robbers wake up after a job to discover that they are in police custody - sort of. Rather than being locked up, both are on slabs in the morgue, and have clearly taken enough punishment that waking up shouldn't have been an option.
So starts this tale that sees the pair criss-cross the Midwest to figure out just how they died (the first time). They also have to sort out contacting family and loved ones, all of whom have heard of their demise. We also get a fair amount of back story, complete with a bit of a family mystery that helps explain how the brothers became wanted men.
It's an entertaining story, with a good amount of period color as you'd expect. Worth the read.
Book Log 2010 #20: The Pontiff in Winter by John Cornwell
Written shortly before his death, this book seeks to set the terms to John Paul II's legacy, weighing the positive and negative aspects of his papacy against each other while also showing how his formative years helped to shape JP's complex, and sometimes contradictory, personality.
Generally, the argument is made that JP, by working to reduce the influence of Vatican II while consolidating power in Rome, forced the church to lose the benefit of local input and governance. This helped to exacerbate conflicts, from the strict orthodoxy required on certain teachings to the lack of local response when the sex abuse crisis first broke. On top of this there's a more personal issue where JP saw himself as a pivotal figure for the church, a viewpoint developed from his earlier study of mysticism, a devotion to Mary, the assassination attempt against him, and the secrets of Fatima.
All in all it's a fairly even-handed treatment, I think, and pretty readable to boot. I don't know that I agree with Cornwell in all things, but he does make a decent case that the benefits of JP's papacy may be outweighed over time by the conservative structure and strict adherence to orthodoxy that he left behind.
Written shortly before his death, this book seeks to set the terms to John Paul II's legacy, weighing the positive and negative aspects of his papacy against each other while also showing how his formative years helped to shape JP's complex, and sometimes contradictory, personality.
Generally, the argument is made that JP, by working to reduce the influence of Vatican II while consolidating power in Rome, forced the church to lose the benefit of local input and governance. This helped to exacerbate conflicts, from the strict orthodoxy required on certain teachings to the lack of local response when the sex abuse crisis first broke. On top of this there's a more personal issue where JP saw himself as a pivotal figure for the church, a viewpoint developed from his earlier study of mysticism, a devotion to Mary, the assassination attempt against him, and the secrets of Fatima.
All in all it's a fairly even-handed treatment, I think, and pretty readable to boot. I don't know that I agree with Cornwell in all things, but he does make a decent case that the benefits of JP's papacy may be outweighed over time by the conservative structure and strict adherence to orthodoxy that he left behind.
01 July 2010
Book Log 2010 #19: City of Silver by Annamaria Alfieri
Set during the heydey of silver mining in Potosi, Bolivia (then part of the Viceroyalty of Peru), this mystery concerns the mysterious death of the elder daughter of the city's mayor, which occurs just as the King of Spain is sending investigators to look into the city's coinage, which is apparently less than 100 percent silver. Thrust into both issues is the Grand Inquisitor, who sees these events as a way to gain power over the city's lax bishop and potentially destroy an abbess who isn't Catholic enough for his tastes. It's up to the abbess (with help from her nuns and other Potosi residents, mostly women) to determine how the girl died while at the same time trying not to get convicted of heresy.
Pretty enjoyable mystery, between the usual plot twists and turns and the unique setting. I'd have liked to have seen the mystery around the coinage get a bit more attention (being a nerd like that), but overall no serious complaints.
Set during the heydey of silver mining in Potosi, Bolivia (then part of the Viceroyalty of Peru), this mystery concerns the mysterious death of the elder daughter of the city's mayor, which occurs just as the King of Spain is sending investigators to look into the city's coinage, which is apparently less than 100 percent silver. Thrust into both issues is the Grand Inquisitor, who sees these events as a way to gain power over the city's lax bishop and potentially destroy an abbess who isn't Catholic enough for his tastes. It's up to the abbess (with help from her nuns and other Potosi residents, mostly women) to determine how the girl died while at the same time trying not to get convicted of heresy.
Pretty enjoyable mystery, between the usual plot twists and turns and the unique setting. I'd have liked to have seen the mystery around the coinage get a bit more attention (being a nerd like that), but overall no serious complaints.
18 June 2010
Book Log 2010 #17 and #18: Satan in St. Mary's and The Crown in Darkness by PC Doherty
These are the first two books in a mystery series featuring Hugh Corbett, a government clerk in the time of Edward I who is tasked to investigate events that touch upon the safety of the crown (in these cases, a plot against the king led by apparent Satanists and the suspicious death of the Scottish king, respectively).
The stories are both good, though the first book (the first in the series) is a little too obvious with some of its clues and the second book keeps us a bit too much in the dark. We do get the basics on Corbett - he's very professional, a bit dour (due at least partially from being a widower) and has, for the time, some strange notions of hygiene (he likes to wash every day!).
If you're looking for a new series to start you could do worse. Or you could choose from one of the four or five other series that Doherty has going.
These are the first two books in a mystery series featuring Hugh Corbett, a government clerk in the time of Edward I who is tasked to investigate events that touch upon the safety of the crown (in these cases, a plot against the king led by apparent Satanists and the suspicious death of the Scottish king, respectively).
The stories are both good, though the first book (the first in the series) is a little too obvious with some of its clues and the second book keeps us a bit too much in the dark. We do get the basics on Corbett - he's very professional, a bit dour (due at least partially from being a widower) and has, for the time, some strange notions of hygiene (he likes to wash every day!).
If you're looking for a new series to start you could do worse. Or you could choose from one of the four or five other series that Doherty has going.
Book Log 2010 #16: The Burning Land by Bernard Cornwell
The latest in the Saxon Tales series featuring Uhtred Ragnarson, the English-born but Dane-raised warrior who, in this book, decided to finally break from Alfred and retake his ancestral home, usurped by an uncle in the first book. His plan is derailed when Alfred's daughter, to whom he pledged his loyalty, asks him to return to fight for the nascent kingdom of Wessex.
Another solid entry in the series, a bit better than the last one I think.
The latest in the Saxon Tales series featuring Uhtred Ragnarson, the English-born but Dane-raised warrior who, in this book, decided to finally break from Alfred and retake his ancestral home, usurped by an uncle in the first book. His plan is derailed when Alfred's daughter, to whom he pledged his loyalty, asks him to return to fight for the nascent kingdom of Wessex.
Another solid entry in the series, a bit better than the last one I think.
14 June 2010
Book Log 2010 #15: The First Fall Classic by Mike Vaccaro
Joe Posnanski mentioned this book about a hundred times on his blog (Vaccaro is a friend of his), and so I felt compelled to pick it up when I came across it at the library. It's a very entertaining recounting of the 1912 World Series between the Red Sox and the (then) New York Giants, a rematch of sorts as the teams were slated to play in the 1904 World Series that never happened (there's a pretty good book out there about that, too, which I think I read pre-Log). There's a fair bit about that in this book, of course, and it also gives a bit of a prelude to 1919, between the appearance of gamblers like Abe Rothstein and the team-owner tensions that run throughout the series.
My only quibble is that the book tries to take the Devil in the White City approach by juxtaposing a big criminal case of the time against the subject. In this case it was some sort of police-involved murder trial that I'd never heard of but was apparently a big deal to New Yorkers in 1912. It perhaps merited a mention for color, but wasn't of any particularly good use as a running theme.
Joe Posnanski mentioned this book about a hundred times on his blog (Vaccaro is a friend of his), and so I felt compelled to pick it up when I came across it at the library. It's a very entertaining recounting of the 1912 World Series between the Red Sox and the (then) New York Giants, a rematch of sorts as the teams were slated to play in the 1904 World Series that never happened (there's a pretty good book out there about that, too, which I think I read pre-Log). There's a fair bit about that in this book, of course, and it also gives a bit of a prelude to 1919, between the appearance of gamblers like Abe Rothstein and the team-owner tensions that run throughout the series.
My only quibble is that the book tries to take the Devil in the White City approach by juxtaposing a big criminal case of the time against the subject. In this case it was some sort of police-involved murder trial that I'd never heard of but was apparently a big deal to New Yorkers in 1912. It perhaps merited a mention for color, but wasn't of any particularly good use as a running theme.
09 June 2010
Book Log 2010 #14: The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
During his tenure with the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green went a little crazy after blowing a lead and losing to the Chicago Bears, noting (among other things) that "they are who we thought they were." That's pretty much all you need to say about this book, as it's exactly what you thought it would be. Perhaps 10 percent less credulous than The DaVinci Code, but otherwise just the sort of conspiracy-lite mumbo jumbo with sides of unlikely plot twists, coincidental timing and random other crap that you get from Dan Brown. It will make a splendidly awful movie.
During his tenure with the Arizona Cardinals, coach Dennis Green went a little crazy after blowing a lead and losing to the Chicago Bears, noting (among other things) that "they are who we thought they were." That's pretty much all you need to say about this book, as it's exactly what you thought it would be. Perhaps 10 percent less credulous than The DaVinci Code, but otherwise just the sort of conspiracy-lite mumbo jumbo with sides of unlikely plot twists, coincidental timing and random other crap that you get from Dan Brown. It will make a splendidly awful movie.
Book Log 2010 #13: Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson
I don't expect to jump into the e-reader market any time soon - I like actual books too much, and I'm too cheap to buy a Kindle or an iPad - but did find myself in need of an e-reader when I was commuting in via the Orange Line during the Hockey East tournament. This led me to downloading Stanza, a free e-reader for various platforms, iPhone included. And because I'm too cheap to actually buy books, I downloaded this title from Project Gutemberg. I was somewhat familiar with the story and knew it would lend itself to commuting reading based on it being more of a collection of short stories than a typical novel.
I did find some of the stories interesting, but the one overwhelming feeling I had during the course of the book is that George Willard was smart to get out of town when he did, because staying in Winesburg apparently makes you crazy. That or the water is tainted. Those are the only explanations I could come up with for having such a concentration of eccentrics and characters in one midwestern town. The book never quite came together for me, either. It was just a string of events that just kind of ended when George left.
The reading experience on the iPhone wasn't as bad as I expected, but the small display size required frequent page flips, which got old quickly. No complaints about the way the iPhone displayed text, and Stanza was very easy to use. I've not read another book on the phone, but it's nice to know the option is there if it's needed.
I don't expect to jump into the e-reader market any time soon - I like actual books too much, and I'm too cheap to buy a Kindle or an iPad - but did find myself in need of an e-reader when I was commuting in via the Orange Line during the Hockey East tournament. This led me to downloading Stanza, a free e-reader for various platforms, iPhone included. And because I'm too cheap to actually buy books, I downloaded this title from Project Gutemberg. I was somewhat familiar with the story and knew it would lend itself to commuting reading based on it being more of a collection of short stories than a typical novel.
I did find some of the stories interesting, but the one overwhelming feeling I had during the course of the book is that George Willard was smart to get out of town when he did, because staying in Winesburg apparently makes you crazy. That or the water is tainted. Those are the only explanations I could come up with for having such a concentration of eccentrics and characters in one midwestern town. The book never quite came together for me, either. It was just a string of events that just kind of ended when George left.
The reading experience on the iPhone wasn't as bad as I expected, but the small display size required frequent page flips, which got old quickly. No complaints about the way the iPhone displayed text, and Stanza was very easy to use. I've not read another book on the phone, but it's nice to know the option is there if it's needed.
03 June 2010
Book Log 2010 #12: The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Known for writing thrillers, this marked a departure for Follett, as he wasn't someone who would be expected to write a cross-generational historical novel about the building of a cathedral. But that's exactly what he did, releasing this book in 1989 to moderate fanfare but strong word of mouth, building up to become his best-selling book of all time, helped by being named an Oprah's Book Club selection... in 2007.
I'll admit to having some reservations going in, as I wasn't sure how a thriller writer could realistically portray a story based around a 13th century building project. But what I didn't consider was that Follett's abilities as a story teller would allow him to create solid story lines from which he could develop the historical and architectural aspects. Because, really, it's not a book about building a cathedral but rather a book about the people involved with building the cathedral and how their lives intersect as the project starts and stops over the decades.
The only real complaint I have about the book is length - it clocks in at 976 pages, which really pushes the boundary between epic and tome. Otherwise, it's certainly recommended for anyone into historical fiction. There is also a sequel, World Without End, that I've not tackled yet due in no small part to it crossing the 1000 page threshold. I suppose I'm saving it for a time when I'm stuck in bed for a month.
Known for writing thrillers, this marked a departure for Follett, as he wasn't someone who would be expected to write a cross-generational historical novel about the building of a cathedral. But that's exactly what he did, releasing this book in 1989 to moderate fanfare but strong word of mouth, building up to become his best-selling book of all time, helped by being named an Oprah's Book Club selection... in 2007.
I'll admit to having some reservations going in, as I wasn't sure how a thriller writer could realistically portray a story based around a 13th century building project. But what I didn't consider was that Follett's abilities as a story teller would allow him to create solid story lines from which he could develop the historical and architectural aspects. Because, really, it's not a book about building a cathedral but rather a book about the people involved with building the cathedral and how their lives intersect as the project starts and stops over the decades.
The only real complaint I have about the book is length - it clocks in at 976 pages, which really pushes the boundary between epic and tome. Otherwise, it's certainly recommended for anyone into historical fiction. There is also a sequel, World Without End, that I've not tackled yet due in no small part to it crossing the 1000 page threshold. I suppose I'm saving it for a time when I'm stuck in bed for a month.
02 June 2010
Book Log 2010 # 11: Scratch Beginnings by Adam Shepherd
Fresh out of college, Adam Shepherd decides to do something he's been considering since high school - with only a small amount of personal gear and cash, he goes to a city he's never lived in before to see if, within a year, he can build himself up to having a job, a car, a place to live and future prospects for school or starting a business.
With that, Adam jumps a train and gets off in Charleston, South Carolina, and after a rough first night finds his way to a homeless shelter, and from there starts on his plan in earnest. Along the way we get to meet other residents of the shelter, co-workers and employers who both help and hinder Adam as he works towards self-sufficency.
There's a lot to like about a young guy who does something like this, and manages to write about it reasonably well to boot (the conclusion notwithstanding, which is pretty disjointed). But a couple of points did strike me as off. First, he looks at this as a rebuttal to books like Nickled and Dimed, which paint a much less rosy picture of getting out of the lower middle class, but I'm not sure it's as much of a rebuttal as he thinks it is. In this case, we have a young guy who is in good shape, no dependents and no debts, all very advantageous if you want to work your way out of the shelter. His results would not have been the same if he were a woman (and thus less likely to get the labor-intensive jobs he gets), had a child to support or past bills to pay.
Adam also claims that he's not going to use his education or contacts to help him, but I don't think that's something you can quite turn off. While he doesn't overtly use these things, it's not hard to see how his education (and his stable family life) give him an advantage over people who didn't have the same start, and thus didn't develop the same habits or traits that Adam has.
With those limitations, though, I did still enjoy the story, and think it has motivational potential for anyone who just needs a push to get out of present circumstances.
Fresh out of college, Adam Shepherd decides to do something he's been considering since high school - with only a small amount of personal gear and cash, he goes to a city he's never lived in before to see if, within a year, he can build himself up to having a job, a car, a place to live and future prospects for school or starting a business.
With that, Adam jumps a train and gets off in Charleston, South Carolina, and after a rough first night finds his way to a homeless shelter, and from there starts on his plan in earnest. Along the way we get to meet other residents of the shelter, co-workers and employers who both help and hinder Adam as he works towards self-sufficency.
There's a lot to like about a young guy who does something like this, and manages to write about it reasonably well to boot (the conclusion notwithstanding, which is pretty disjointed). But a couple of points did strike me as off. First, he looks at this as a rebuttal to books like Nickled and Dimed, which paint a much less rosy picture of getting out of the lower middle class, but I'm not sure it's as much of a rebuttal as he thinks it is. In this case, we have a young guy who is in good shape, no dependents and no debts, all very advantageous if you want to work your way out of the shelter. His results would not have been the same if he were a woman (and thus less likely to get the labor-intensive jobs he gets), had a child to support or past bills to pay.
Adam also claims that he's not going to use his education or contacts to help him, but I don't think that's something you can quite turn off. While he doesn't overtly use these things, it's not hard to see how his education (and his stable family life) give him an advantage over people who didn't have the same start, and thus didn't develop the same habits or traits that Adam has.
With those limitations, though, I did still enjoy the story, and think it has motivational potential for anyone who just needs a push to get out of present circumstances.
28 May 2010
Quick housekeeping update. As you may have noticed, I finally got around to updating my links, as most of the people listed over there haven't written a new blog post in over a year. They've been replaced with links to some of the blogs that I read regularly, bringing me up to about 2006 in standard blog practice.
Anyway, your guide to the changes, as if you couldn't just click on the links to see what they're about:
538 is a political blog from the same people who bring us the Baseball Prospectus. As you'd expect, their main stock in trade is in applying quantitative analysis to elections and issues. The folks behind it are clearly to the left, but they're at least not of the shrieking, Michael Moore/Keith Olbermann school of discourse.
Adventures in Snack Canyon is a movie blog I contribute to, which is funny given how infrequently I go to the movies.
Jon Couture's link is no longer to his personal blog but to the one he does while covering the Red Sox for the New Bedford Standard-Times, the finest fishwrap on all of the South Coast.
Charlie Pierce comes to us via the Boston Globe, which I take as a small step towards apologizing for the decades of inflicting Dan Shaugnessey on the public. You may know Pierce from his contributions to NPR shows like Only a Game and Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me!
Finally, there's Joe Posnanski, who is now on staff at Sports Illustrated after his most recent stint for the Kansas City Star (which, between him and TV writer Aaron Barnhart, should have made it the pop culture newspaper of record). For the blog Joe writes about pretty much anything that comes to mind, from his love of Bruce Springsteen to a fascination with Snuggies. With apologies to his previously mentioned colleagues (save Shaughnessey), I'd say he's currently the best sportswriter in America. Sadly, he's moving from a self-named location to SI's website, trading in his very pleasing minimalist layout for one that's busier (though, thankfully, not as nightmarish as your average page at ESPN.com).
Anyway, your guide to the changes, as if you couldn't just click on the links to see what they're about:
538 is a political blog from the same people who bring us the Baseball Prospectus. As you'd expect, their main stock in trade is in applying quantitative analysis to elections and issues. The folks behind it are clearly to the left, but they're at least not of the shrieking, Michael Moore/Keith Olbermann school of discourse.
Adventures in Snack Canyon is a movie blog I contribute to, which is funny given how infrequently I go to the movies.
Jon Couture's link is no longer to his personal blog but to the one he does while covering the Red Sox for the New Bedford Standard-Times, the finest fishwrap on all of the South Coast.
Charlie Pierce comes to us via the Boston Globe, which I take as a small step towards apologizing for the decades of inflicting Dan Shaugnessey on the public. You may know Pierce from his contributions to NPR shows like Only a Game and Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me!
Finally, there's Joe Posnanski, who is now on staff at Sports Illustrated after his most recent stint for the Kansas City Star (which, between him and TV writer Aaron Barnhart, should have made it the pop culture newspaper of record). For the blog Joe writes about pretty much anything that comes to mind, from his love of Bruce Springsteen to a fascination with Snuggies. With apologies to his previously mentioned colleagues (save Shaughnessey), I'd say he's currently the best sportswriter in America. Sadly, he's moving from a self-named location to SI's website, trading in his very pleasing minimalist layout for one that's busier (though, thankfully, not as nightmarish as your average page at ESPN.com).
Book Log 2010 #10: The Women by T. C. Boyle
Very engaging fictional history/bio of Frank Lloyd Wright "written" by a former apprentice but told through the relationships between the architect and three women in his life (two wives and a lover). In each case, we see Wright for all of his gifts and faults, and it's easy to see why each of these women would fall both in and out of love with him, often more than once.
The book did remind me a bit of Riven Rock, another historical novel set around a genius (this time certifiably mad) and his wife. Both look at relationships strained by the husband's mental gifts (and deficits), the line between genius and madness, and how people dealt with the prevailing social mores of the times (in Wright's case, the issue of free love comes up quite a bit, while the wife in Riven Rock becomes involved in the women's suffrage movement). Both are worth reading, though The Women is the better of the two.
Very engaging fictional history/bio of Frank Lloyd Wright "written" by a former apprentice but told through the relationships between the architect and three women in his life (two wives and a lover). In each case, we see Wright for all of his gifts and faults, and it's easy to see why each of these women would fall both in and out of love with him, often more than once.
The book did remind me a bit of Riven Rock, another historical novel set around a genius (this time certifiably mad) and his wife. Both look at relationships strained by the husband's mental gifts (and deficits), the line between genius and madness, and how people dealt with the prevailing social mores of the times (in Wright's case, the issue of free love comes up quite a bit, while the wife in Riven Rock becomes involved in the women's suffrage movement). Both are worth reading, though The Women is the better of the two.
27 May 2010
Book Log 2010 #9: The Way Through the Woods by Colin Dexter
The case of a missing Swedish student, thought to be cold, heats up again when a cryptic letter is published in the newspaper. Inspector Morse, on a forced vacation, sees the letter, and gets himself back on the case, with the usual results.
This is the best novel in the series to this point, and it hits on all of the usual themes we've come to expect from Morse mysteries. There's also a neat little twist at the end that underscores just how unique Morse is as a detective.
The case of a missing Swedish student, thought to be cold, heats up again when a cryptic letter is published in the newspaper. Inspector Morse, on a forced vacation, sees the letter, and gets himself back on the case, with the usual results.
This is the best novel in the series to this point, and it hits on all of the usual themes we've come to expect from Morse mysteries. There's also a neat little twist at the end that underscores just how unique Morse is as a detective.
Book Log 2010 #8: Searching for Whitopia by Richard Benjamin
This book chronicles Benjamin's adventures living in three of what he calls whitopias - locations that are whiter than the national average and have experienced greater than average population growth over the last 10 years from white people moving in. His interest is to find out why people are moving to these areas and what the advantages (and disadvantages) of living in a pocket of paleness.
Adding to the adventure is the fact that Benjamin is black, making him an obvious outlier in the communities he chooses (one each in Utah, Indiana and Idaho). And while he does experience some obvious racism, for the most part he finds his place in each community without too much trouble. Coupled with the discussions he has with residents, it becomes clearer that the whitopias aren't as much about race as they are about class and a perceived difference in values.
And that's where Benjamin is concerned. As much as the new residents feel comfortable and safe in their whitopia, the increased homogeneity of the community means less diversity in thought, culture, etc. How these places will fit in with the national community, which is growing more diverse, is an open question.
As much as I liked reading about Benjamin's experiences, I did feel a bit lost with the social science aspects of the book, especially at the end. Not sure if that's my fault or Benjamin's, but it does suggest that it may be just beyond the point of being a good commuting read (unless you can focus better than I can while on the train).
This book chronicles Benjamin's adventures living in three of what he calls whitopias - locations that are whiter than the national average and have experienced greater than average population growth over the last 10 years from white people moving in. His interest is to find out why people are moving to these areas and what the advantages (and disadvantages) of living in a pocket of paleness.
Adding to the adventure is the fact that Benjamin is black, making him an obvious outlier in the communities he chooses (one each in Utah, Indiana and Idaho). And while he does experience some obvious racism, for the most part he finds his place in each community without too much trouble. Coupled with the discussions he has with residents, it becomes clearer that the whitopias aren't as much about race as they are about class and a perceived difference in values.
And that's where Benjamin is concerned. As much as the new residents feel comfortable and safe in their whitopia, the increased homogeneity of the community means less diversity in thought, culture, etc. How these places will fit in with the national community, which is growing more diverse, is an open question.
As much as I liked reading about Benjamin's experiences, I did feel a bit lost with the social science aspects of the book, especially at the end. Not sure if that's my fault or Benjamin's, but it does suggest that it may be just beyond the point of being a good commuting read (unless you can focus better than I can while on the train).
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