Book Log 2012 #43: The Lincoln Letter by William Martin
The fifth book featuring antiquarian/treasure hunter Peter Fallon, this is probably the best of the more overtly political books in the series. Fallon, along with some neo-Confederates, a billionaire etailer, and a handful of Lincoln scholars and biographers, is looking for a lost Lincoln diary, whose contents are hoped will influence any number of issues, current and historical. The story of his search is intertwined with that of a Union officer who comes into possession of the diary in 1862, loses it, and spends the rest of the book trying to get it out of the hands of Copperheads, Southern sympathizers, and those who would use it for self-promotion.
The historical story is the better of the two, which makes me think this may have been a better book if set completely in the past, like Citizen Washington. The modern storyline has all of the typical Fallon touches - brushes with danger, dragging girlfriend Evangeline Carrington into the mix, etc. - but comes to a head somewhat perfunctorily. The politics of the modern story don't clog things up too much (a blend of state's rights and the potential introduction of a VAT), adding just enough to the plot to explain the presence of the various antagonists.
Not a bad book in the whole, but I would really like it if in his next adventure Fallon came home to Boston to find the original Sacred Cod or something.
31 December 2012
Book Log 2012 #42: Red Gold by Alan Furst
In 1941 occupied Paris, the Soviet Union has instructed communists to do whatever they can to strike at the Nazi regime, which has abrogated its non-aggression pact and is rolling tanks towards Moscow. The communists in Paris are looking for a way to get arms and other materiel to strike at the Germans. The French resistance (and government in exile) is looking to cause trouble but not necessarily put their own people at danger. In the middle is former film producer Jean Casson, who escaped Gestapo captivity and now is looking to survive and perhaps do something to help France (and his new love interest, a travel agency worker of Jewish descent).
Not surprisingly, there are many similarities between this book and the other Furst novels in this loose series about men who operate in the shadows of war. There's a similar desperation, a decision between acting out of self-interest and acting in the interest of a greater cause, and the tension of living in a place and time where war may not be present but colors every moment.
Casson is apparently also the main character of The World at Night, which is set before this novel. From the blurb it probably makes sense to read that book before this one.
In 1941 occupied Paris, the Soviet Union has instructed communists to do whatever they can to strike at the Nazi regime, which has abrogated its non-aggression pact and is rolling tanks towards Moscow. The communists in Paris are looking for a way to get arms and other materiel to strike at the Germans. The French resistance (and government in exile) is looking to cause trouble but not necessarily put their own people at danger. In the middle is former film producer Jean Casson, who escaped Gestapo captivity and now is looking to survive and perhaps do something to help France (and his new love interest, a travel agency worker of Jewish descent).
Not surprisingly, there are many similarities between this book and the other Furst novels in this loose series about men who operate in the shadows of war. There's a similar desperation, a decision between acting out of self-interest and acting in the interest of a greater cause, and the tension of living in a place and time where war may not be present but colors every moment.
Casson is apparently also the main character of The World at Night, which is set before this novel. From the blurb it probably makes sense to read that book before this one.
Book Log 2012 #41: Dream Team by Jack McCallum
I liked this book quite a bit, and I think anyone who remembers the Dream Team - or who likes basketball and wants more of the story about this turning point in international play - will like it quite a bit as well. That being said, I do have three quibbles.
1. There's not enough about the actual Olympics. I suppose the thinking is that we know more about that than the other stuff, so focus on the creation of the team. But I'd have liked more inside stuff about the actual games and competition. I suppose that may be hard to come by given how lopsided the games were and that head coach Chuck Daly passed away a few years back.
2. Can we please stop making the pop culture asides in sports books now, please? I don't know if they're there to provide some sort of time reference to readers or if it's the Bill Simmons effect that now makes every sports writer throw in references regardless if they actually mean anything to the subject matter. Either way, please stop wasting space on this. It's not necessary.
3. There were a few times in the book where I felt like McCallum was a little too chummy, and the narrative veered more towards him than the team. That's probably an occupational hazard given his role in covering basketball and this team specifically.
Anyway, none of these issues are big enough (separately or as a group) to not recommend the book.
I liked this book quite a bit, and I think anyone who remembers the Dream Team - or who likes basketball and wants more of the story about this turning point in international play - will like it quite a bit as well. That being said, I do have three quibbles.
1. There's not enough about the actual Olympics. I suppose the thinking is that we know more about that than the other stuff, so focus on the creation of the team. But I'd have liked more inside stuff about the actual games and competition. I suppose that may be hard to come by given how lopsided the games were and that head coach Chuck Daly passed away a few years back.
2. Can we please stop making the pop culture asides in sports books now, please? I don't know if they're there to provide some sort of time reference to readers or if it's the Bill Simmons effect that now makes every sports writer throw in references regardless if they actually mean anything to the subject matter. Either way, please stop wasting space on this. It's not necessary.
3. There were a few times in the book where I felt like McCallum was a little too chummy, and the narrative veered more towards him than the team. That's probably an occupational hazard given his role in covering basketball and this team specifically.
Anyway, none of these issues are big enough (separately or as a group) to not recommend the book.
Book Log 2012 #40: The Technologists by Matthew Pearl
Pearl stays in the 19th century but leaves the authors behind in his latest book, which sees a group of students at the newly formed Massachusetts Institute of Technology fight the Harvard snobs (who look down at the school for its practical approach and enrollment of both charity scholars and a woman) and anti-science locals (particularly trade unionists) to investigate a number of incidents in Boston where someone has used scientific principles to create chaos. As the severity of these incidents increases, the group risks losing the school (and their lives) to find the culprit and keep MIT afloat.
Most of the characters in the book are historical figures, even the students who are part of the investigating group (many of whom went on to become MIT faculty). I found looking into their actual lives as interesting as the book itself, an inspiration that doesn't always spring from historical fiction. I did find some of the twists at the end irritating, but I don't know if it's because I felt they were unnecessary or if I just wanted to find out who was behind things.
Certainly worth a read.
Pearl stays in the 19th century but leaves the authors behind in his latest book, which sees a group of students at the newly formed Massachusetts Institute of Technology fight the Harvard snobs (who look down at the school for its practical approach and enrollment of both charity scholars and a woman) and anti-science locals (particularly trade unionists) to investigate a number of incidents in Boston where someone has used scientific principles to create chaos. As the severity of these incidents increases, the group risks losing the school (and their lives) to find the culprit and keep MIT afloat.
Most of the characters in the book are historical figures, even the students who are part of the investigating group (many of whom went on to become MIT faculty). I found looking into their actual lives as interesting as the book itself, an inspiration that doesn't always spring from historical fiction. I did find some of the twists at the end irritating, but I don't know if it's because I felt they were unnecessary or if I just wanted to find out who was behind things.
Certainly worth a read.
Book Log 2012 #39: The Nightmare by Lars Kepler
I didn't care so much for Kepler's debut novel, The Hypnotist, and dithered on picking up this second novel, but am glad I did. In this installment, the focus is much more on police detective Joona Lind, which is to the book's benefit. We get to know him better, which makes his skill at detecting more tangible. In the last book he was this bull-headed cop who seemed to put things together out of thing air, while in this one his process is clearer (though he does still seem to generate some correct theories out of thin air).
I also found the plot of this book more plausible - a number of deaths, all connected by international arms dealing - which helped suspend disbelief where needed. Here's hoping the third book (coming to the States this summer) follows the trend.
I didn't care so much for Kepler's debut novel, The Hypnotist, and dithered on picking up this second novel, but am glad I did. In this installment, the focus is much more on police detective Joona Lind, which is to the book's benefit. We get to know him better, which makes his skill at detecting more tangible. In the last book he was this bull-headed cop who seemed to put things together out of thing air, while in this one his process is clearer (though he does still seem to generate some correct theories out of thin air).
I also found the plot of this book more plausible - a number of deaths, all connected by international arms dealing - which helped suspend disbelief where needed. Here's hoping the third book (coming to the States this summer) follows the trend.
With the last hours of 2012 slipping away, it's time to wrap up the Book Log (expect another 4 or 5 posts for that before the day is out) and, for the first time ever, name a Blogalicious Person of the Year. And for 2012, that person is Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com.
This honor isn't as much for his election forecasts - which were accurate and well-reasoned, to be sure - but for how his work underscored what should be obvious: political punditry is a nearly useless practice. You didn't have to look far to find examples, from the online pipe dreams of Dick Morris and the ironically named Unskewed Polls to Karl Rove's adventures in math on election night. It was a sight to behold, as a entire class of otherwise educated people demonstrated that they had no working understanding of math.
(Note that I don't mean to exclude left-leaning pundits here. They bloviate just as much as their conservative counterparts, but had the numbers on their side this time around and thus weren't as obviously trapped in their ideological bubble.)
My hope is that Nate's ability to show how a rational approach to poll data can inform the average person will get everyone to take two steps away from their partisan watering hole of choice and actually try to understand how the candidates, their positions and the polls all interact. That looks unlikely, but it's my hope for 2013.
This honor isn't as much for his election forecasts - which were accurate and well-reasoned, to be sure - but for how his work underscored what should be obvious: political punditry is a nearly useless practice. You didn't have to look far to find examples, from the online pipe dreams of Dick Morris and the ironically named Unskewed Polls to Karl Rove's adventures in math on election night. It was a sight to behold, as a entire class of otherwise educated people demonstrated that they had no working understanding of math.
(Note that I don't mean to exclude left-leaning pundits here. They bloviate just as much as their conservative counterparts, but had the numbers on their side this time around and thus weren't as obviously trapped in their ideological bubble.)
My hope is that Nate's ability to show how a rational approach to poll data can inform the average person will get everyone to take two steps away from their partisan watering hole of choice and actually try to understand how the candidates, their positions and the polls all interact. That looks unlikely, but it's my hope for 2013.
29 December 2012
Book Log 2012 #38: The Last Camel Charge by Forrest Bryant Johnson
This book pledges to tell us the "untold story" of the US military's experiment of using camels in the southwestern deserts, and based on this book it looks like that story actually doesn't include camels for significant periods of time. There are lengthy stretches about the Mormon settlement of Utah territory and the ensuing conflict with the federal government, and other parts covering the troubled history of natives and the new Americans during westward expansion. But no camels, save for the occasional mention that tries to tie the sections together.
Not that camels are completely missing, but rather that for a book about them I found it odd that they'd go missing so often. I felt like this was a book more often about expansion and the conflicts with manifest destiny than how camels got to the US and into the military. I wonder if there was a concern that a book more sharply focused on camels would be too specific to appeal to a general audience. Or maybe the untold story of the camels wasn't interesting enough. There seems to be plenty of primary source material to build a book on, but if the camels didn't do much more than haul freight and make one charge against some Mojaves the resulting narrative may have been too dull.
It's not a badly written book - though occasionally too melodramatic and oddly fond of using quote marks to bracket off words or phrases that probably don't need them - but it's not the book I expected or wanted. Maybe I just need to see if I can find Hawmps! on Netflix.
This book pledges to tell us the "untold story" of the US military's experiment of using camels in the southwestern deserts, and based on this book it looks like that story actually doesn't include camels for significant periods of time. There are lengthy stretches about the Mormon settlement of Utah territory and the ensuing conflict with the federal government, and other parts covering the troubled history of natives and the new Americans during westward expansion. But no camels, save for the occasional mention that tries to tie the sections together.
Not that camels are completely missing, but rather that for a book about them I found it odd that they'd go missing so often. I felt like this was a book more often about expansion and the conflicts with manifest destiny than how camels got to the US and into the military. I wonder if there was a concern that a book more sharply focused on camels would be too specific to appeal to a general audience. Or maybe the untold story of the camels wasn't interesting enough. There seems to be plenty of primary source material to build a book on, but if the camels didn't do much more than haul freight and make one charge against some Mojaves the resulting narrative may have been too dull.
It's not a badly written book - though occasionally too melodramatic and oddly fond of using quote marks to bracket off words or phrases that probably don't need them - but it's not the book I expected or wanted. Maybe I just need to see if I can find Hawmps! on Netflix.
19 December 2012
Book Log 2012 #37: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
I finally broke down and read this first book in the trilogy (it helped that it was shelved with the adult books, as I wasn't going to venture into the young adult room to get it). And I can see why the book (and series) became so popular. It's a good story featuring a strong protagonist in a dangerous setting.
That being said, it's much clearer that this is a book intended for tweens and teens than, say, the Harry Potter series. There's less depth to everything in this book than in even the first Potter book, which in some cases is unfortunate (I'd love to hear more about how Panem and the Games came to be, and get more background on the supporting characters, though I suppose that may come in the other books) but also understandable in places (it's more realistic, I think, that a teen forced to fight to the death would have a more practical reaction to all the death).
Not that I think that this series should be compared to Harry Potter. It's just the best frame of reference for these sorts of books I have. By the same token, for all of the killing in this book, the body count isn't all that much higher than your average Potter book. It's just more gruesome.
I do plan on reading the rest of the trilogy. Just as soon as the books wind up in the adult section.
I finally broke down and read this first book in the trilogy (it helped that it was shelved with the adult books, as I wasn't going to venture into the young adult room to get it). And I can see why the book (and series) became so popular. It's a good story featuring a strong protagonist in a dangerous setting.
That being said, it's much clearer that this is a book intended for tweens and teens than, say, the Harry Potter series. There's less depth to everything in this book than in even the first Potter book, which in some cases is unfortunate (I'd love to hear more about how Panem and the Games came to be, and get more background on the supporting characters, though I suppose that may come in the other books) but also understandable in places (it's more realistic, I think, that a teen forced to fight to the death would have a more practical reaction to all the death).
Not that I think that this series should be compared to Harry Potter. It's just the best frame of reference for these sorts of books I have. By the same token, for all of the killing in this book, the body count isn't all that much higher than your average Potter book. It's just more gruesome.
I do plan on reading the rest of the trilogy. Just as soon as the books wind up in the adult section.
Book Log 2012 #36: Taco USA by Gustavo Arellano
Another entry in the "how an ethnic food became American food" genre, this time for Mexican food. I didn't like it as much as I liked The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, but it's not far off. It's a good mix of the historical with the sociological, as it looks to explain both how the food got here and how it became so popular with non-Mexicans. It also goes beyond the well-known stories (like how nachos were invented) to highlight aspects of Mexican food like the tamale men who were popular in early 20th century America, the women who made Mexican a popular street food in San Antonio, and some of the restaurants and entrepreneurs who put Mexican on the map.
Enjoyed it quite a bit, even if it left me wanting chips and salsa all the time.
Another entry in the "how an ethnic food became American food" genre, this time for Mexican food. I didn't like it as much as I liked The Fortune Cookie Chronicles, but it's not far off. It's a good mix of the historical with the sociological, as it looks to explain both how the food got here and how it became so popular with non-Mexicans. It also goes beyond the well-known stories (like how nachos were invented) to highlight aspects of Mexican food like the tamale men who were popular in early 20th century America, the women who made Mexican a popular street food in San Antonio, and some of the restaurants and entrepreneurs who put Mexican on the map.
Enjoyed it quite a bit, even if it left me wanting chips and salsa all the time.
13 December 2012
Book Log 2012 #35: Fordlandia by Greg Grandin
Henry Ford, entering his later years and looking for new ways to keep Ford at the pinnacle of automotive success, hit upon a way to keep Ford from being beholden to tire companies and the rubber trade. He authorized the building of a rubber plantation in a remote section of Brazil, and the construction of a town to support the plantation and help bring civilization to the Amazon. It didn't work, as documented in this book.
The history of the Fordlandia settlement is given in great detail, from the idea that sparked it to the often shady way Ford got into Brazil to the myriad ways that the plantation and town were created that guaranteed failure (it's a bad sign when, to start, you don't hire anyone to work the plantation who knows anything about rubber trees). We also get good background into Ford's mindset and how he believed he could apply his systems to bend the natural world to his will. We also get some interesting insight as to the operation of Ford and the long-running personal battle between Ford and his son Edsel.
Enjoyed it quite a bit, and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in Ford (the man or the company) or the Americas in the early 20th century.
Henry Ford, entering his later years and looking for new ways to keep Ford at the pinnacle of automotive success, hit upon a way to keep Ford from being beholden to tire companies and the rubber trade. He authorized the building of a rubber plantation in a remote section of Brazil, and the construction of a town to support the plantation and help bring civilization to the Amazon. It didn't work, as documented in this book.
The history of the Fordlandia settlement is given in great detail, from the idea that sparked it to the often shady way Ford got into Brazil to the myriad ways that the plantation and town were created that guaranteed failure (it's a bad sign when, to start, you don't hire anyone to work the plantation who knows anything about rubber trees). We also get good background into Ford's mindset and how he believed he could apply his systems to bend the natural world to his will. We also get some interesting insight as to the operation of Ford and the long-running personal battle between Ford and his son Edsel.
Enjoyed it quite a bit, and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in Ford (the man or the company) or the Americas in the early 20th century.
Book Log 2012 #34: Those Guys Have All the Fun by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales
Miller and Shales were behind Live From New York, the oral history of Saturday Night Live, and on the success of that book came up with this one, an oral history of ESPN. It's a natural subject, given how its become this cultural behemoth that crosses the lines of sports, journalism, entertainment and celebrity. But I don't think this book is nearly as successful as its predecessor, for two reasons.
First, for all of the photos of ESPN talent and sports stars on the cover, the book draws heavily from the executive ranks. It's not that what they contribute isn't interesting - it often is, especially on the early days of the network and the reign of Mark Shapiro - but there are times where one would like to hear more from someone who was in front of the camera. Most of these executives also seem to be the type of person I wouldn't trust as far as I can throw them, but I suppose that's TV for you.
The other problem is that, given the book's title, it's often hard to feel like these folks were having any fun. Almost everyone says they love(d) it there, but with the long hours, low pay and often difficult working environment (especially for women), I wonder how much nostalgia and time have smoothed over the day to day annoyances.
The book itself was a little uneven for me, as all of the interesting bits were bogged down by the ongoing saga of the boardroom and the often clunky transitions between subjects. One thing I did appreciate is that the book did give me what I think is a reasonably good idea of how ESPN transitioned from plucky little cable station to Worldwide Leader in Sports (for all the good and ill that entails). I'll also admit to not having read the last 100 pages or so, as at that point it was entering the period where I'd stopped watching ESPN for anything other than live sports, so the people and events they were talking about weren't familiar and, honestly, not that interesting.
I'd suggest reading Live From New York over this. I'd also suggest reading Miller's book Running in Place before this one. It's a book about the US Senate based on his time as a staffer for Howard Baker, so it's a bit of a historical piece at this point but well done from what I can recall.
Miller and Shales were behind Live From New York, the oral history of Saturday Night Live, and on the success of that book came up with this one, an oral history of ESPN. It's a natural subject, given how its become this cultural behemoth that crosses the lines of sports, journalism, entertainment and celebrity. But I don't think this book is nearly as successful as its predecessor, for two reasons.
First, for all of the photos of ESPN talent and sports stars on the cover, the book draws heavily from the executive ranks. It's not that what they contribute isn't interesting - it often is, especially on the early days of the network and the reign of Mark Shapiro - but there are times where one would like to hear more from someone who was in front of the camera. Most of these executives also seem to be the type of person I wouldn't trust as far as I can throw them, but I suppose that's TV for you.
The other problem is that, given the book's title, it's often hard to feel like these folks were having any fun. Almost everyone says they love(d) it there, but with the long hours, low pay and often difficult working environment (especially for women), I wonder how much nostalgia and time have smoothed over the day to day annoyances.
The book itself was a little uneven for me, as all of the interesting bits were bogged down by the ongoing saga of the boardroom and the often clunky transitions between subjects. One thing I did appreciate is that the book did give me what I think is a reasonably good idea of how ESPN transitioned from plucky little cable station to Worldwide Leader in Sports (for all the good and ill that entails). I'll also admit to not having read the last 100 pages or so, as at that point it was entering the period where I'd stopped watching ESPN for anything other than live sports, so the people and events they were talking about weren't familiar and, honestly, not that interesting.
I'd suggest reading Live From New York over this. I'd also suggest reading Miller's book Running in Place before this one. It's a book about the US Senate based on his time as a staffer for Howard Baker, so it's a bit of a historical piece at this point but well done from what I can recall.
11 December 2012
Book Log 2012 #33: 2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson
At some point in the 300 years between this book's publication and its titular year, humankind has spread itself across the solar system, from glassed-in communities on Mercury to small, frigid settlements on Pluto and just about everything in between. But all isn't what it's cracked up to be, as there seems to be a plot to disrupt this spread - now focusing on terraforming Venus - that may be led by a new consciousness rising from an unexpected source.
There's a lot to like about this book, in its sweeping vision of a potential future and in its detailed approach to portraying how humans may best adapt to life in a developed cosmos (you may want to prepare yourself for having some additional body parts, for one thing). Some of the text outside of the main narrative (a fragmentary history of the solar system and the disjointed memories of someone or something) can be challenging, as it's not always clear how it's adding to the story, but this tends to work itself out.
My main concern with the novel is the ending, which is abrupt and wraps things up a little too neatly for what came before it. The ending leaves me wondering if this was going to be part of trilogy and, for whatever reason, it was decided to go with one long book instead.
I don't read a lot of straight science fiction, not sure that this book will goad me to read more, but on the balance I feel more positive about it than negative.
At some point in the 300 years between this book's publication and its titular year, humankind has spread itself across the solar system, from glassed-in communities on Mercury to small, frigid settlements on Pluto and just about everything in between. But all isn't what it's cracked up to be, as there seems to be a plot to disrupt this spread - now focusing on terraforming Venus - that may be led by a new consciousness rising from an unexpected source.
There's a lot to like about this book, in its sweeping vision of a potential future and in its detailed approach to portraying how humans may best adapt to life in a developed cosmos (you may want to prepare yourself for having some additional body parts, for one thing). Some of the text outside of the main narrative (a fragmentary history of the solar system and the disjointed memories of someone or something) can be challenging, as it's not always clear how it's adding to the story, but this tends to work itself out.
My main concern with the novel is the ending, which is abrupt and wraps things up a little too neatly for what came before it. The ending leaves me wondering if this was going to be part of trilogy and, for whatever reason, it was decided to go with one long book instead.
I don't read a lot of straight science fiction, not sure that this book will goad me to read more, but on the balance I feel more positive about it than negative.
08 December 2012
Book Log 2012 #32: The Stranger's Child by Alan Hollinghurst
In 1913, George Sawle brings a friend from Cambridge home for a visit. That friend, Cecil Valance, would memorialize that visit in a poem that would become famous after Valance dies in World War I. And while generations grow up learning this poem, there's an underlying mystery to it - is the romantic relationship in the poem a reference to George's sister, or is it in reference to George himself? The legacy of the poem, and the lives of George and his sister, Daphne, spin out over the rest of the novel, which is set in five sections spanning 1913 to 2008.
To be honest, the mystery of the poem is overstated, even in the paragraph above. I don't think there's much of a mystery for the reader to sort out, so it's more looking to see how, over time, people touched by the poem and by its possible subjects remember Valance and his work. There are other major themes as well - the changing fortunes of aristocrats and the rich, the way age and time plays havoc with memory, and perhaps most notably the radical changes in what it meant to be gay in Britain during the 20th and early 21st centuries.
What didn't work so well for Solar works better here, I think because the time jumps are large enough that the author just had to pick things up anew without trying to explain what happened in the intervening years. Enough of those details come to light during the course of the section to fill in the reader but not overwhelm.
It's not the easiest read for a commute - it requires more time to read and reflect - and may occasionally be too knowingly literary - but I wound up liking it more than I expected.
In 1913, George Sawle brings a friend from Cambridge home for a visit. That friend, Cecil Valance, would memorialize that visit in a poem that would become famous after Valance dies in World War I. And while generations grow up learning this poem, there's an underlying mystery to it - is the romantic relationship in the poem a reference to George's sister, or is it in reference to George himself? The legacy of the poem, and the lives of George and his sister, Daphne, spin out over the rest of the novel, which is set in five sections spanning 1913 to 2008.
To be honest, the mystery of the poem is overstated, even in the paragraph above. I don't think there's much of a mystery for the reader to sort out, so it's more looking to see how, over time, people touched by the poem and by its possible subjects remember Valance and his work. There are other major themes as well - the changing fortunes of aristocrats and the rich, the way age and time plays havoc with memory, and perhaps most notably the radical changes in what it meant to be gay in Britain during the 20th and early 21st centuries.
What didn't work so well for Solar works better here, I think because the time jumps are large enough that the author just had to pick things up anew without trying to explain what happened in the intervening years. Enough of those details come to light during the course of the section to fill in the reader but not overwhelm.
It's not the easiest read for a commute - it requires more time to read and reflect - and may occasionally be too knowingly literary - but I wound up liking it more than I expected.
Book Log 2012 #31: Solar by Ian McEwen
Michael Beard is a Nobel Prize-winning physicist who is past his prime. He's been coasting on his award, and has landed at an organization trying to find a way to prevent climate change. He's cynical about their chances at success - really, he's cynical about everything - and his disagreeable nature infects all aspects of his life. Beard is pretty much going to run out the clock - until a chance encounter with another scientist from his organization changes his life. This novel chronicles the decade of his life following the encounter, as seen in three periods over that span.
I can't say I was a huge fan of the book. I didn't hate it, but it felt uneven to me. It might have been the broken chronology, which required enough exposition that the book may as well have been written in straight chronological order. There's also a portion of the book where Beard goes on a trip to the Arctic, which is based on a trip that McEwen took. I can see why he'd want to use the trip in his work, but I don't know if it really fit this story.
Not sure if it's worth a look or not. It doesn't make me want to run out and read more of McEwen's stuff, but it doesn't make me want to avoid him altogether.
Michael Beard is a Nobel Prize-winning physicist who is past his prime. He's been coasting on his award, and has landed at an organization trying to find a way to prevent climate change. He's cynical about their chances at success - really, he's cynical about everything - and his disagreeable nature infects all aspects of his life. Beard is pretty much going to run out the clock - until a chance encounter with another scientist from his organization changes his life. This novel chronicles the decade of his life following the encounter, as seen in three periods over that span.
I can't say I was a huge fan of the book. I didn't hate it, but it felt uneven to me. It might have been the broken chronology, which required enough exposition that the book may as well have been written in straight chronological order. There's also a portion of the book where Beard goes on a trip to the Arctic, which is based on a trip that McEwen took. I can see why he'd want to use the trip in his work, but I don't know if it really fit this story.
Not sure if it's worth a look or not. It doesn't make me want to run out and read more of McEwen's stuff, but it doesn't make me want to avoid him altogether.
Book Log 2012 #30: Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith
I'd heard of this book well before reading it, but knew little enough about it to think it was actually the relocation of Holmes and Watson to the American west. And, eventually, learned that it wasn't. Instead, we have a cowboy who, having read some Holmes stories, believes he can use the same deductive reasoning to solve actual mysteries. Such as why a local ranch has hired a large crew well past the point in the year where they'd need one. And, in the course of trying to sort this out, other mysteries - including a couple of murders - arise to complicate the original mystery.
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I think the Holmes-Watson relationship was translated well into a western setting, both in how a cowboy detective would be received by his peers and in making the pair brothers, which I think gives them a stronger bond.
I'll be seeking out the second book in the series.
I'd heard of this book well before reading it, but knew little enough about it to think it was actually the relocation of Holmes and Watson to the American west. And, eventually, learned that it wasn't. Instead, we have a cowboy who, having read some Holmes stories, believes he can use the same deductive reasoning to solve actual mysteries. Such as why a local ranch has hired a large crew well past the point in the year where they'd need one. And, in the course of trying to sort this out, other mysteries - including a couple of murders - arise to complicate the original mystery.
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I think the Holmes-Watson relationship was translated well into a western setting, both in how a cowboy detective would be received by his peers and in making the pair brothers, which I think gives them a stronger bond.
I'll be seeking out the second book in the series.
You've likely heard that the New Orleans NBA franchise is planning to change its nickname from Hornets to Pelicans. Some have mocked the new name, but there's one spirited defense that makes me doubt I'll ever go bird watching in the bayou. There's additional talk that the Carolina Bobcats will reclaim the Hornets name, which makes a certain amount of sense.
Personally, I'd prefer to see New Orleans trade the Hornets name to Utah. The New Orleans Jazz would ride again, and the Utah Hornets makes a bit of a call out to the honeybee, the Utah state insect and Mormon symbol.
In any case, this got me thinking of what other teams could use a name change.
MLB: the most obvious case here is the Washington Nationals, a name whose generic quality underscored the whole ridiculous process that brought the team down from Montreal. I can understand why they didn't want to revive the Senators name - and if you don't, check out the pre-1960 seasons listed for the Minnesota Twins - but there are other options. Ambassadors, Diplomats. Monuments. Capitols (or even Capitals, it's not like that name's getting a lot of use right now).
My second option here is the Cleveland Indians, which I would roll back to Spiders.
NFL: And with the Indians in mind, my suggestion here would be the Washington Redskins. I don't mean to pile on the District, but of the few Native American nicknames that still persist in pro sports, this one's the most egregious.
But rather than go with Warriors or something, I'd go with a tribal name - the Powhatans. Their territory covered Maryland and Virginia, and there are state recognized tribes today that trace back to the Powhatans. Cut a deal, change the logo (but keep the colors, I have a fondness for the unis), make the change.
For those not looking to tackle racial and ethnic issues, I'd suggest a name change for the Carolina Panthers, a snoozer of a nickname.
NBA: The New Orleans name change is not the most needed change in the league. The team that most needs a change is the Toronto Raptors, an example of why you don't name your team after something appearing in a currently popular movie. That sort of synergy only goes so far.
Reviving the Huskies name (from Toronto's brief 1940s stint in the BAA) would have made more sense. Even if you were going for something ferocious or dangerous, Dragons or Scorpions (both suggested) would have been better. Really almost any of the other nine names that made it to the final cut would have been better than Raptors (the only one that wouldn't be an improvement was T-Rex, for obvious reasons). So let's just go with Dragons and work out a deal to mimic the Barcelona Dragons kit, which was the best thing to come out of the World League of American Football.
NHL: If we ever have professional hockey again, I would hope to have it without the Minnesota Wild, a nickname that has never made any sense to me. I get that Minnesota has all those lakes and trees and such, but I don't think that it translated well into a nickname. Or at least this nickname.
The other finalists weren't much better (I suppose Voyageurs was the best of the lot), so I'm not sure what to go with here. North Stars was pretty much perfect, so I suppose I'd suggest some sort of name trade with Dallas, who could then don whatever bovine-related nickname would work best with Cowboys and Mavericks.
The other option here, of course, is the Chicago Blackhawks.
MLS: The truly awful names of Major League Soccer are thankfully gone (though I don't know if FC Dallas and Sporting Kansas City are huge improvements over the Burn and Wiz[ards]). So while I don't particularly dislike any of the names, the one I'd tab to change is the Columbus Crew. It's not awful, but it's kind of goofy (as is their logo of guys wearing hardhats).
If they're looking to honor workers in heavy industry, well, I don't know what to go with that's not Steelers. Suggestions welcome.
No second option, none of the other names really bother me.
NCAA: I'm not suggesting a specific school to change, but am rather suggesting the retirement of a nickname: Wildcats. How lazy is that as a nickname? It's not like we have teams called the Fish or the Mammals. Even the Greendale Community College Human Beings use a specific primate. It's a nickname for a school that either can't be bothered to go with something overused and specific, like Bulldogs or something.
The closest NCAA division 1 school to me that uses that name is the University of New Hampshire, and given the lack of athletic distinction in Durham (they didn't get their University of No Hardware nickname from their smashing successes), Wildcats almost works for them. They also have the problem that they have a native feline - the Fisher Cat - but that's being used by a minor league baseball team (which should have been called the New Hampshire Primaries, but that's another issue).
I looked up the official New Hampshire state symbols to find a new nickname, and it's not helping. The state bird is a finch. The state insect is the ladybug. There are really only two options if we go this route: Bucks (the white-tailed deer is the state animal) or Granite (state rock). I don't rend to like non-plural nickname, but I do think the UNH Granite has a certain ring to it.
Personally, I'd prefer to see New Orleans trade the Hornets name to Utah. The New Orleans Jazz would ride again, and the Utah Hornets makes a bit of a call out to the honeybee, the Utah state insect and Mormon symbol.
In any case, this got me thinking of what other teams could use a name change.
MLB: the most obvious case here is the Washington Nationals, a name whose generic quality underscored the whole ridiculous process that brought the team down from Montreal. I can understand why they didn't want to revive the Senators name - and if you don't, check out the pre-1960 seasons listed for the Minnesota Twins - but there are other options. Ambassadors, Diplomats. Monuments. Capitols (or even Capitals, it's not like that name's getting a lot of use right now).
My second option here is the Cleveland Indians, which I would roll back to Spiders.
NFL: And with the Indians in mind, my suggestion here would be the Washington Redskins. I don't mean to pile on the District, but of the few Native American nicknames that still persist in pro sports, this one's the most egregious.
But rather than go with Warriors or something, I'd go with a tribal name - the Powhatans. Their territory covered Maryland and Virginia, and there are state recognized tribes today that trace back to the Powhatans. Cut a deal, change the logo (but keep the colors, I have a fondness for the unis), make the change.
For those not looking to tackle racial and ethnic issues, I'd suggest a name change for the Carolina Panthers, a snoozer of a nickname.
NBA: The New Orleans name change is not the most needed change in the league. The team that most needs a change is the Toronto Raptors, an example of why you don't name your team after something appearing in a currently popular movie. That sort of synergy only goes so far.
Reviving the Huskies name (from Toronto's brief 1940s stint in the BAA) would have made more sense. Even if you were going for something ferocious or dangerous, Dragons or Scorpions (both suggested) would have been better. Really almost any of the other nine names that made it to the final cut would have been better than Raptors (the only one that wouldn't be an improvement was T-Rex, for obvious reasons). So let's just go with Dragons and work out a deal to mimic the Barcelona Dragons kit, which was the best thing to come out of the World League of American Football.
NHL: If we ever have professional hockey again, I would hope to have it without the Minnesota Wild, a nickname that has never made any sense to me. I get that Minnesota has all those lakes and trees and such, but I don't think that it translated well into a nickname. Or at least this nickname.
The other finalists weren't much better (I suppose Voyageurs was the best of the lot), so I'm not sure what to go with here. North Stars was pretty much perfect, so I suppose I'd suggest some sort of name trade with Dallas, who could then don whatever bovine-related nickname would work best with Cowboys and Mavericks.
The other option here, of course, is the Chicago Blackhawks.
MLS: The truly awful names of Major League Soccer are thankfully gone (though I don't know if FC Dallas and Sporting Kansas City are huge improvements over the Burn and Wiz[ards]). So while I don't particularly dislike any of the names, the one I'd tab to change is the Columbus Crew. It's not awful, but it's kind of goofy (as is their logo of guys wearing hardhats).
If they're looking to honor workers in heavy industry, well, I don't know what to go with that's not Steelers. Suggestions welcome.
No second option, none of the other names really bother me.
NCAA: I'm not suggesting a specific school to change, but am rather suggesting the retirement of a nickname: Wildcats. How lazy is that as a nickname? It's not like we have teams called the Fish or the Mammals. Even the Greendale Community College Human Beings use a specific primate. It's a nickname for a school that either can't be bothered to go with something overused and specific, like Bulldogs or something.
The closest NCAA division 1 school to me that uses that name is the University of New Hampshire, and given the lack of athletic distinction in Durham (they didn't get their University of No Hardware nickname from their smashing successes), Wildcats almost works for them. They also have the problem that they have a native feline - the Fisher Cat - but that's being used by a minor league baseball team (which should have been called the New Hampshire Primaries, but that's another issue).
I looked up the official New Hampshire state symbols to find a new nickname, and it's not helping. The state bird is a finch. The state insect is the ladybug. There are really only two options if we go this route: Bucks (the white-tailed deer is the state animal) or Granite (state rock). I don't rend to like non-plural nickname, but I do think the UNH Granite has a certain ring to it.
05 December 2012
Book Log 2012 #29: Making History by Stephen Fry
A middling graduate student and an aging physicist come together by chance(?) and concoct a plan to change history in one of the most predictable ways - prevent Adolph Hitler from being born. And as you might expect things do not go as planned.
I don't know what I was expecting from the book; Fry is well known as a comedic actor, so it would be natural to think that this would be a sci-fi comedy, but the comedic aspects of the book, while evident, aren't the focus. But there's enough comedy in the book that it doesn't read as it would if written in a typical alt-history style. The extent to which this works is probably very dependent on the individual reader. I thought it worked OK, not perfectly but enough to keep me reading.
A middling graduate student and an aging physicist come together by chance(?) and concoct a plan to change history in one of the most predictable ways - prevent Adolph Hitler from being born. And as you might expect things do not go as planned.
I don't know what I was expecting from the book; Fry is well known as a comedic actor, so it would be natural to think that this would be a sci-fi comedy, but the comedic aspects of the book, while evident, aren't the focus. But there's enough comedy in the book that it doesn't read as it would if written in a typical alt-history style. The extent to which this works is probably very dependent on the individual reader. I thought it worked OK, not perfectly but enough to keep me reading.
Book Log 2012 #28: The Fatal Touch by Conor Fitzgerald
The return of Commissario Alec Blume has him investigating a murder that may have connections to a spate of recent muggings and the world of art forgery. He also has to balance his investigation with the wishes of the carabinieri, who are trying to take over (and perhaps stall) the murder case.
I did like the book, probably not as much as the first book in the series, but well enough. I don't recall anything I specifically liked or disliked (having read this months ago and only getting to logging it now). Seeing that there's a third book out now, and a fourth coming in 2013, does pique my interest, so I suppose that's a vote in favor of this book as well.
The return of Commissario Alec Blume has him investigating a murder that may have connections to a spate of recent muggings and the world of art forgery. He also has to balance his investigation with the wishes of the carabinieri, who are trying to take over (and perhaps stall) the murder case.
I did like the book, probably not as much as the first book in the series, but well enough. I don't recall anything I specifically liked or disliked (having read this months ago and only getting to logging it now). Seeing that there's a third book out now, and a fourth coming in 2013, does pique my interest, so I suppose that's a vote in favor of this book as well.
Book Log 2012 #27: We All Fall Down by Michael Harvey
This installment in the Michael Kelly series pick up where The Third Rail left off, as one of the light bulbs full of a deadly pathogen finally falls and breaks, releasing its contents in the Chicago subway. As the bodies start to mount, Kelly has to juggle finding the perpetrator of this crime with a mayor who wants to downplay things to protect his own image and power and a collection of feds who worry about the security implications.
I was concerned after reading The Third Rail that pursuing this story would water down the Chicago-centric aspects and make the series less enjoyable. There was still plenty of Chicago color, and Kelly continues to hold his own as a character, but I'm still a little worried that if he (and the series) continues to move in circles with the feds that the series will change in a negative way. But we're not quite there yet, thankfully.
This installment in the Michael Kelly series pick up where The Third Rail left off, as one of the light bulbs full of a deadly pathogen finally falls and breaks, releasing its contents in the Chicago subway. As the bodies start to mount, Kelly has to juggle finding the perpetrator of this crime with a mayor who wants to downplay things to protect his own image and power and a collection of feds who worry about the security implications.
I was concerned after reading The Third Rail that pursuing this story would water down the Chicago-centric aspects and make the series less enjoyable. There was still plenty of Chicago color, and Kelly continues to hold his own as a character, but I'm still a little worried that if he (and the series) continues to move in circles with the feds that the series will change in a negative way. But we're not quite there yet, thankfully.
04 December 2012
Book Log 2012 #25 and #26: Prophecy and Sacrilege by S. J. Parris
The second and third books in the series of mysteries featuring Giordano Bruno, both involve plots to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I that become entwined with murders that Bruno is called upon to investigate.
In Prophecy, a girl at court is found dead, and with symbols carved into her that suggests an occult connection. Bruno is called in to see if that connection exists, and in turn discovers a link to a potential invasion by the European Catholic powers. The case also imperils Bruno's friend John Dee, whose occult leanings make Bruno's work that much more difficult.
Sacrilege moves the action to Canterbury, where the killing of a prominent citizen reintroduces Sophia Underhill, Bruno's love interest from the first novel. Bruno goes undercover to help her, and gets entangled with locals who want to use the local saint, Thomas Beckett, to launch a revolution.
Both books are of the same quality of the first, and are highly enjoyable. They're a good mix of the specific case and continuing plot points (the return of Sophia, Bruno's relationship with his patron, Sir Philip Sidney, and spymaster Walsingham). Looking forward to the next installment.
The second and third books in the series of mysteries featuring Giordano Bruno, both involve plots to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I that become entwined with murders that Bruno is called upon to investigate.
In Prophecy, a girl at court is found dead, and with symbols carved into her that suggests an occult connection. Bruno is called in to see if that connection exists, and in turn discovers a link to a potential invasion by the European Catholic powers. The case also imperils Bruno's friend John Dee, whose occult leanings make Bruno's work that much more difficult.
Sacrilege moves the action to Canterbury, where the killing of a prominent citizen reintroduces Sophia Underhill, Bruno's love interest from the first novel. Bruno goes undercover to help her, and gets entangled with locals who want to use the local saint, Thomas Beckett, to launch a revolution.
Both books are of the same quality of the first, and are highly enjoyable. They're a good mix of the specific case and continuing plot points (the return of Sophia, Bruno's relationship with his patron, Sir Philip Sidney, and spymaster Walsingham). Looking forward to the next installment.
30 November 2012
Book Log 2012 #24: The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is, perhaps, the most famous literary forgery in the world. Based on selections from 19th century fiction and first published in Russia at the start of the 20th century, its ultimate origin is unkown. In this novel, Eco introduces us to its original (and fictional) author, an Italian anti-Semite whose work as an intelligence agent and forger goes wrong during the wars of Italian unification, resulting in an exile in Paris, where he eventually works his way back into both professions.
Most of the book focuses on reminiscences written by the character after he's been robbed. The writings are an attempt to remember what happened, and are often interspersed with the writings of a mysterious French cleric who has strikingly good knowledge of the man and his life.
Eco said in writing the book he was trying to make the main character the most cynical and descpicable character in all of literature, and it was a pretty good attempt. The character has no great love for anyone, has no loyalties outside of himself, and gets into intelligence mainly as a way to make more money than from forging alone. The rest of the characters in the book are real-life figures, though it's unclear to me how much these characters deviate from their actual lives (I assume as much as to allow for the main character to operate, at least).
I liked the book, I think. I often find myself feeling like I don't get everything that Eco packs into his novels, either from not reading closely enough (he's not exactly light reading for the commute) or from not being as familiar with the historical background of the books as I could be. It's certainly more accessible than his more recent novels.
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion is, perhaps, the most famous literary forgery in the world. Based on selections from 19th century fiction and first published in Russia at the start of the 20th century, its ultimate origin is unkown. In this novel, Eco introduces us to its original (and fictional) author, an Italian anti-Semite whose work as an intelligence agent and forger goes wrong during the wars of Italian unification, resulting in an exile in Paris, where he eventually works his way back into both professions.
Most of the book focuses on reminiscences written by the character after he's been robbed. The writings are an attempt to remember what happened, and are often interspersed with the writings of a mysterious French cleric who has strikingly good knowledge of the man and his life.
Eco said in writing the book he was trying to make the main character the most cynical and descpicable character in all of literature, and it was a pretty good attempt. The character has no great love for anyone, has no loyalties outside of himself, and gets into intelligence mainly as a way to make more money than from forging alone. The rest of the characters in the book are real-life figures, though it's unclear to me how much these characters deviate from their actual lives (I assume as much as to allow for the main character to operate, at least).
I liked the book, I think. I often find myself feeling like I don't get everything that Eco packs into his novels, either from not reading closely enough (he's not exactly light reading for the commute) or from not being as familiar with the historical background of the books as I could be. It's certainly more accessible than his more recent novels.
29 November 2012
Book Log 2012 #23: Death of Kings by Bernard Cornwell
The latest book in the series featuring Uthred of Bebbanberg, the Saxon-born but Danish-raised warrior whose quest to regain his home is continuously delayed by his loyalty to Alfred, king of the combined Anglo-Saxon lands.
As you might guess from the title, there's a kingly death that leads to a struggle for the crown that also involves the greatest Danish excursion yet into Anglo-Saxon territory. Uthred's loyalties are tested yet again, as is his place among the Saxons when the vacuum in leadership opens up after Alfred's death.
As solid a book as any other in the series, though I do find myself longing for the book where we finally see Uthred get back his home, just to see how he'll do it and what sort of carnage results.
The latest book in the series featuring Uthred of Bebbanberg, the Saxon-born but Danish-raised warrior whose quest to regain his home is continuously delayed by his loyalty to Alfred, king of the combined Anglo-Saxon lands.
As you might guess from the title, there's a kingly death that leads to a struggle for the crown that also involves the greatest Danish excursion yet into Anglo-Saxon territory. Uthred's loyalties are tested yet again, as is his place among the Saxons when the vacuum in leadership opens up after Alfred's death.
As solid a book as any other in the series, though I do find myself longing for the book where we finally see Uthred get back his home, just to see how he'll do it and what sort of carnage results.
Book Log 2012 #22: The Impossible Dead by Ian Rankin
The second book featuring internal affairs cop Malcolm Fox, this one sees his team called to investigate an officer accused of trading sex for leniency with the local prostitutes. It seems like a straightforward case until the cop's uncle - who ratted his nephew out in the first place - winds up dead. And when it's discovered that the uncle was investigating a crime from the 1980s involving Scottish nationalists, things get more complicated in a hurry.
I've not read enough of the Rebus books to feel strongly about Rankin starting a new series, but I've enjoyed both of these books enough to not worry about it too much. You don't need to have read the first book (The Complaints) to understand this one, but it wouldn't hurt to read them in order.
The second book featuring internal affairs cop Malcolm Fox, this one sees his team called to investigate an officer accused of trading sex for leniency with the local prostitutes. It seems like a straightforward case until the cop's uncle - who ratted his nephew out in the first place - winds up dead. And when it's discovered that the uncle was investigating a crime from the 1980s involving Scottish nationalists, things get more complicated in a hurry.
I've not read enough of the Rebus books to feel strongly about Rankin starting a new series, but I've enjoyed both of these books enough to not worry about it too much. You don't need to have read the first book (The Complaints) to understand this one, but it wouldn't hurt to read them in order.
28 November 2012
Book Log 2012 #21: Death in the City of Light by David King
In the waning years of World War II, a startling discovery is made at a property of a Parisian doctor: a basement full of bones, a stove burning body parts, and a mysterious triangular room. As the hunt for the doctor and the investigation of his activities continue, more questions are raised. Is he working for the Resistance? The Gestapo? Or only for himself, getting rich off of the promises to smuggle people out of France? All of this is covered in great detail in this book, which benefits greatly from the author's ability to peruse records from the period that had been classified for decades.
As is often the case, what happens after the doctor is caught is at least as interesting as his pursuit. The growing monstrosity of his deeds continues to build, only to come to a bizarre end at his trial, which demonstrates how the legal peculiarities of the time could dramatically alter a case.
The book also gives a good glimpse into an occupied Paris that had both become familiar with life under the Nazis, and how the occupation only served to further confuse the possible motivations of the killer.
Well worth a read.
In the waning years of World War II, a startling discovery is made at a property of a Parisian doctor: a basement full of bones, a stove burning body parts, and a mysterious triangular room. As the hunt for the doctor and the investigation of his activities continue, more questions are raised. Is he working for the Resistance? The Gestapo? Or only for himself, getting rich off of the promises to smuggle people out of France? All of this is covered in great detail in this book, which benefits greatly from the author's ability to peruse records from the period that had been classified for decades.
As is often the case, what happens after the doctor is caught is at least as interesting as his pursuit. The growing monstrosity of his deeds continues to build, only to come to a bizarre end at his trial, which demonstrates how the legal peculiarities of the time could dramatically alter a case.
The book also gives a good glimpse into an occupied Paris that had both become familiar with life under the Nazis, and how the occupation only served to further confuse the possible motivations of the killer.
Well worth a read.
21 November 2012
Book Log 2012 #20: The Limit by Michael Cannell
The US has never shown a tremendous amount of interest in Formula 1 auto racing. The Indy 500 and NASCAR have dominated US motor sports in popular coverage, and few American drivers have even driven in F1. Which makes it all the more interesting that the first US F1 champion, Phil Hill, claimed his title in 1961. How he got to that point, and his battle to take that title, is the focus of this book.
Well, one focus of this book. The other is the constant specter of death than hung over F1 (and auto racing in general) in the mid-20th century, when races on dangerous (and often ill-planned or maintained) courses coupled with a lack of safety equipment or awareness led to regular fatalities among drivers and spectators alike. The body count in this book staggers belief, especially given how rare (and traumatic) it is today when a driver dies in competition. But the drivers at the time accepted it as a risk of their profession/mania.
Hill had a very specific mania for fast cars, fostered in the California car culture but relocated to Europe early, where he would work as a driver and/or mechanic for Jaguar and Ferrari. His adversary in the 1961 title chase was teammate Wolfgang von Trips, who raced in defiance of his parents, part of the German nobility.
Cannell wrote this book not as a racing fan - he admits to having never seen a race - but as a journalist, which helps him avoid the favoritism that often infects sports writing. It's accessible for anyone interested in auto racing but not familiar with F1. There may be some quibble with Cannell's lack of personal knowledge or his detached approach to writing the book, but I think it gives him enough remove to write the book as he did. It worked for me, at least.
The US has never shown a tremendous amount of interest in Formula 1 auto racing. The Indy 500 and NASCAR have dominated US motor sports in popular coverage, and few American drivers have even driven in F1. Which makes it all the more interesting that the first US F1 champion, Phil Hill, claimed his title in 1961. How he got to that point, and his battle to take that title, is the focus of this book.
Well, one focus of this book. The other is the constant specter of death than hung over F1 (and auto racing in general) in the mid-20th century, when races on dangerous (and often ill-planned or maintained) courses coupled with a lack of safety equipment or awareness led to regular fatalities among drivers and spectators alike. The body count in this book staggers belief, especially given how rare (and traumatic) it is today when a driver dies in competition. But the drivers at the time accepted it as a risk of their profession/mania.
Hill had a very specific mania for fast cars, fostered in the California car culture but relocated to Europe early, where he would work as a driver and/or mechanic for Jaguar and Ferrari. His adversary in the 1961 title chase was teammate Wolfgang von Trips, who raced in defiance of his parents, part of the German nobility.
Cannell wrote this book not as a racing fan - he admits to having never seen a race - but as a journalist, which helps him avoid the favoritism that often infects sports writing. It's accessible for anyone interested in auto racing but not familiar with F1. There may be some quibble with Cannell's lack of personal knowledge or his detached approach to writing the book, but I think it gives him enough remove to write the book as he did. It worked for me, at least.
Book Log 2012 #19: The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln by Stephen Carter
This stop on what appears to be a year-long pop culture tour of Abraham Lincoln sees the Railsplitter survive his assassination attempt, only to be subject to an impeachment trial where the charges against the President obscure the real motive of getting the Speaker of the House into the top job (Andrew Johnson having been a casualty of the conspiracy).
The book mostly involves two junior clerks of the law firm defending the president, one born into a Boston industrial family who may acting behind the scenes to get Lincoln convicted, the other an African-American woman hired by a partner who has gone conspicuously missing (the other partner immediately puts her on housekeeping duties). The pair become involved in trying to uncover the conspiracy against the President, which involves information from a spy carried over from the Civil War and Kate Chase, the daughter of Salmon P. Chase who is trying to clear the way for dad to become President down the line.
Our intrepid heroes also develop a personal relationship, difficult given their different races and prior engagements. It's handled well, adding just the right amount of complication to an already complicated situation.
After the disappointment of Jericho Falls, I was very happy to see Carter return to the themes of race, law and power that have run through his other novels. And while it was a gentle dip into the waters of alternative history (I mean, there was no time travel or cloned dinosaurs or anything), it was successfully done, drawing a sharp portrait of the political conflicts of the era.
Very much recommended, but not for purchase through Apple's bookstore. I purchased it this way, and had to delete and re-download the book five or six times where the book repeated one page several times and then moved on to the next chapter. Reloading restored the missing pages, but was highly annoying. Good thing I didn't read this book while on vacation as planned, as a lack of Internet access would have stranded me mid-read.
This stop on what appears to be a year-long pop culture tour of Abraham Lincoln sees the Railsplitter survive his assassination attempt, only to be subject to an impeachment trial where the charges against the President obscure the real motive of getting the Speaker of the House into the top job (Andrew Johnson having been a casualty of the conspiracy).
The book mostly involves two junior clerks of the law firm defending the president, one born into a Boston industrial family who may acting behind the scenes to get Lincoln convicted, the other an African-American woman hired by a partner who has gone conspicuously missing (the other partner immediately puts her on housekeeping duties). The pair become involved in trying to uncover the conspiracy against the President, which involves information from a spy carried over from the Civil War and Kate Chase, the daughter of Salmon P. Chase who is trying to clear the way for dad to become President down the line.
Our intrepid heroes also develop a personal relationship, difficult given their different races and prior engagements. It's handled well, adding just the right amount of complication to an already complicated situation.
After the disappointment of Jericho Falls, I was very happy to see Carter return to the themes of race, law and power that have run through his other novels. And while it was a gentle dip into the waters of alternative history (I mean, there was no time travel or cloned dinosaurs or anything), it was successfully done, drawing a sharp portrait of the political conflicts of the era.
Very much recommended, but not for purchase through Apple's bookstore. I purchased it this way, and had to delete and re-download the book five or six times where the book repeated one page several times and then moved on to the next chapter. Reloading restored the missing pages, but was highly annoying. Good thing I didn't read this book while on vacation as planned, as a lack of Internet access would have stranded me mid-read.
31 October 2012
With just under a week to go until election day, it's time to hand out some endorsements. As in the past, we're only dealing with what's on the ballot here in MA (and in my district specifically). Let's start with...
Ballot Questions
Question 1: The first question is about the "right to repair," and would require automakers to share proprietary information with independent repair shops, thus allowing them to fix things that currently require a trip to a dealership. The question's a moot point now, as the legislature passed a bill at the end of the last session that was basically a negotiated settlement between both sides. There's a fear that approving this question will screw up the new law, but as the legislature sees free to not act on ballot questions (we're still owed that lower tax rate we voted for back in the day), I'm not so concerned. But I do figure that it doesn't make sense to vote in favor of a question whose issue has apparently been addressed. Blogalicious endorses a NO vote on Question 1.
Question 2: This question seeks approval for legalized physician assisted suicide. I'm not a fan of some of the particulars of how this would be carried out - heirs can witness both the decision and death, the doctor does not need to be present when the death occurs, and the determination of terminal illness/six months to live is inherently problematic - so I'm going to pass. Blogalicious endorses a NO vote on Question 2.
Question 3: This question would legalize medical marijuana. Outside of all the usual wailing and gnashing of teeth about drugs being bad, the thing that gives me pause about this question is the involvement of the state Department of Public Health. Given the recent DPH chemist scandal, I'm not sure I trust them right now to administer a statewide program of pot dispensation and individual cultivation. We decriminalized possession in 2010, and while it still makes getting pot difficult, I don't know if this law is the best next step. I'd rather have the Department of Revenue be in charge, if only to smooth things over for the legalize-and-tax system that'd be on the ballot in, say, 2018.
Blogalicious endorses a NO vote on Question 3.
Public Offices
State Representative: the incumbent is running unopposed, so Blogalicious endorses writing someone in. Preferably me.
State Senator: Fred Berry retired, leaving Democrat Joan Lovely to square off against Republican Richard Jolitz. Both seem to hold positions typical of their party - Jolitz seems more conservative than the average Massachusetts Republican - but there's been sufficiently little coverage of the race to really get a lot of background. Jolitz doesn't seem to have a campaign website, opting to use social media as his main conduit for communications. The top hit for the Google search "jolitz state senate" is an article from when he ran in 2010. Based on the ability to at least learn what each candidate stands for, Blogalicious endorses Joan Lovely.
Governor's Council: I'm not even going to bother, because (a) no one knows who's running without looking it up, and (b) the Governor's Council is archaic and should be disbanded. Blogalicious endorses writing someone in here, too. Preferably Mickey Mouse.
US House MA-6: The only "issue" in this race is whether or not the incumbent, Democrat John Tierney, knew that his wife was involved in a gambling ring involving her brothers. He claims he didn't, and is quick to quote a judge in the case who says so. The challenger, Republican Richard Tisei, is equally quick to say that's nonsense. He doesn't have any proof of this, other than statements by his (now incarcerated) brothers in law. But there's enough traction there to make this a close race. Just not an interesting one, if you're concerned about what approach either candidate will take towards the economy, or education, or pretty much any substantive issue.
(Tierney, for his part, has worked hard to link Tisei with the Tea Party folks, which isn't the most natural fit given that Tisei is pro-choice and openly gay.)
The only candidate actually talking about issues is a first-time candidate for a third party, so he's gotten almost no coverage. Which is a shame, as he's regularly shown himself to be a thoughtful candidate unafraid to address serious issues and, in the big picture, the very role of government. For going where the muckrakers fear to tread, Blogalicious endorses Libertarian Daniel Fishman. Tell your friends.
US Senate: Hope sprang eternal in this race between incumbent Republican Scott Brown and Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren. They agreed that if any third party ran an ad for them in this campaign, the candidate would have to make a donation equal to the amount of the ad buy to a charity of the opponent's choice (it happened once, and the donation was made). With that, it seemed like we could actually have a civil, issues-driven campaign.
Whoops.
What we've gotten is occasionally more dignified than the average mud-slinging. Brown has spent most of his campaign burnishing his bipartisan regular guy persona, getting plenty of barn coat time and making ads and debate references to various blue collar industries (fishing, for example) and "union guys." He's studiously avoided mentioning he's a Republican, and in at least one debate engaged in some pretty significant verbal gymnastics to avoid backing Mitt Romney and confirming that he would vote for Mitch McConnell as his party's leader in the Senate.
His other focus in the campaign has been to say that Elizabeth Warren isn't who she says she is (referring to her staking out a claim as the protector of the middle-class). This has mostly covered talk-radio friendly subjects, like her claim of Native American ancestry and her work for insurance companies in cases involving asbestos and steel workers. Hard to say how much of this has worked - you don't hear much of anything about these issues in these last days of the campaign.
Warren, for her part, has stuck to her main campaign theme - the political and financial systems are working together to stack the deck against average Americans - though at times she's stuck too closely to it (most notably in the debates, where references to "millionaires and billionaires" made a good drinking game counterpoint to Brown's effusive use of the title "Professor" when referring to Warren). She's mostly attacked Brown on his votes on women's issues and the potential for his re-election leading to a Republican-controlled Senate.
Over all of this, though, the thing that's surprised me the most about this race has been Brown's tendency towards dickishness.It was evident in the debates, and was especially evident in his (since recanted) suggestion that some of the people appearing in Warren's ads were paid actors. Combine this with his vague grasp of issues, and it's not much of a choice. Blogalicious endorses Elizabeth Warren.
President: Speaking of Republicans trying to grab the bipartisan mantle, we have Mitt Romney, who is looking to complete his Etch-a-Sketch/pivot campaign by tacking back to the middle after running to the right in the primaries. Which is all well and good as an electoral strategy, but leaves me with one lingering problem. I do not believe that Romney has any core principles outside of getting elected. As Gertrude Stein would say, there is no there there, though that doesn't seem to bother a significant portion of the electorate.
Which you think would lead me to endorse President Obama, But it doesn't. I tend to think that his focus on health care prevented a more substantive approach to improving the economy, and his willingness to bail out financial institutions while not holding anyone accountable for putting the economy into the tank in the first place doesn't smack of hope or change. It smacks of business as usual. There are any number of things that have happened during his administration that I can get behind (repeal of DADT and dispatching bin Laden, most notably), but I can't get worked up for four more years of this.
Which leads me to do pretty much the same thing I did in 2004 and 2008. If you're someone who tends to vote Republican, you have as an option another former governor, one who made his vetoes stick and who got balanced budgets passed. And for all of you who drift towards the fiscally conservative, socially liberal stance, he's (sort of) pro-choice, supports same-sex marriage, and wants to end the drug war. For those of you who tend to vote Democratic, there's a candidate who is consistently left of center on pretty much everything and supports a New Deal-style program for creating jobs though investing in clean energy and putting greater oversight on the financial services sector. Depending on how you swing, Blogalicious endorses either Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson or Green candidate Jill Stein.
Ballot Questions
Question 1: The first question is about the "right to repair," and would require automakers to share proprietary information with independent repair shops, thus allowing them to fix things that currently require a trip to a dealership. The question's a moot point now, as the legislature passed a bill at the end of the last session that was basically a negotiated settlement between both sides. There's a fear that approving this question will screw up the new law, but as the legislature sees free to not act on ballot questions (we're still owed that lower tax rate we voted for back in the day), I'm not so concerned. But I do figure that it doesn't make sense to vote in favor of a question whose issue has apparently been addressed. Blogalicious endorses a NO vote on Question 1.
Question 2: This question seeks approval for legalized physician assisted suicide. I'm not a fan of some of the particulars of how this would be carried out - heirs can witness both the decision and death, the doctor does not need to be present when the death occurs, and the determination of terminal illness/six months to live is inherently problematic - so I'm going to pass. Blogalicious endorses a NO vote on Question 2.
Question 3: This question would legalize medical marijuana. Outside of all the usual wailing and gnashing of teeth about drugs being bad, the thing that gives me pause about this question is the involvement of the state Department of Public Health. Given the recent DPH chemist scandal, I'm not sure I trust them right now to administer a statewide program of pot dispensation and individual cultivation. We decriminalized possession in 2010, and while it still makes getting pot difficult, I don't know if this law is the best next step. I'd rather have the Department of Revenue be in charge, if only to smooth things over for the legalize-and-tax system that'd be on the ballot in, say, 2018.
Blogalicious endorses a NO vote on Question 3.
Public Offices
State Representative: the incumbent is running unopposed, so Blogalicious endorses writing someone in. Preferably me.
State Senator: Fred Berry retired, leaving Democrat Joan Lovely to square off against Republican Richard Jolitz. Both seem to hold positions typical of their party - Jolitz seems more conservative than the average Massachusetts Republican - but there's been sufficiently little coverage of the race to really get a lot of background. Jolitz doesn't seem to have a campaign website, opting to use social media as his main conduit for communications. The top hit for the Google search "jolitz state senate" is an article from when he ran in 2010. Based on the ability to at least learn what each candidate stands for, Blogalicious endorses Joan Lovely.
Governor's Council: I'm not even going to bother, because (a) no one knows who's running without looking it up, and (b) the Governor's Council is archaic and should be disbanded. Blogalicious endorses writing someone in here, too. Preferably Mickey Mouse.
US House MA-6: The only "issue" in this race is whether or not the incumbent, Democrat John Tierney, knew that his wife was involved in a gambling ring involving her brothers. He claims he didn't, and is quick to quote a judge in the case who says so. The challenger, Republican Richard Tisei, is equally quick to say that's nonsense. He doesn't have any proof of this, other than statements by his (now incarcerated) brothers in law. But there's enough traction there to make this a close race. Just not an interesting one, if you're concerned about what approach either candidate will take towards the economy, or education, or pretty much any substantive issue.
(Tierney, for his part, has worked hard to link Tisei with the Tea Party folks, which isn't the most natural fit given that Tisei is pro-choice and openly gay.)
The only candidate actually talking about issues is a first-time candidate for a third party, so he's gotten almost no coverage. Which is a shame, as he's regularly shown himself to be a thoughtful candidate unafraid to address serious issues and, in the big picture, the very role of government. For going where the muckrakers fear to tread, Blogalicious endorses Libertarian Daniel Fishman. Tell your friends.
US Senate: Hope sprang eternal in this race between incumbent Republican Scott Brown and Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren. They agreed that if any third party ran an ad for them in this campaign, the candidate would have to make a donation equal to the amount of the ad buy to a charity of the opponent's choice (it happened once, and the donation was made). With that, it seemed like we could actually have a civil, issues-driven campaign.
Whoops.
What we've gotten is occasionally more dignified than the average mud-slinging. Brown has spent most of his campaign burnishing his bipartisan regular guy persona, getting plenty of barn coat time and making ads and debate references to various blue collar industries (fishing, for example) and "union guys." He's studiously avoided mentioning he's a Republican, and in at least one debate engaged in some pretty significant verbal gymnastics to avoid backing Mitt Romney and confirming that he would vote for Mitch McConnell as his party's leader in the Senate.
His other focus in the campaign has been to say that Elizabeth Warren isn't who she says she is (referring to her staking out a claim as the protector of the middle-class). This has mostly covered talk-radio friendly subjects, like her claim of Native American ancestry and her work for insurance companies in cases involving asbestos and steel workers. Hard to say how much of this has worked - you don't hear much of anything about these issues in these last days of the campaign.
Warren, for her part, has stuck to her main campaign theme - the political and financial systems are working together to stack the deck against average Americans - though at times she's stuck too closely to it (most notably in the debates, where references to "millionaires and billionaires" made a good drinking game counterpoint to Brown's effusive use of the title "Professor" when referring to Warren). She's mostly attacked Brown on his votes on women's issues and the potential for his re-election leading to a Republican-controlled Senate.
Over all of this, though, the thing that's surprised me the most about this race has been Brown's tendency towards dickishness.It was evident in the debates, and was especially evident in his (since recanted) suggestion that some of the people appearing in Warren's ads were paid actors. Combine this with his vague grasp of issues, and it's not much of a choice. Blogalicious endorses Elizabeth Warren.
President: Speaking of Republicans trying to grab the bipartisan mantle, we have Mitt Romney, who is looking to complete his Etch-a-Sketch/pivot campaign by tacking back to the middle after running to the right in the primaries. Which is all well and good as an electoral strategy, but leaves me with one lingering problem. I do not believe that Romney has any core principles outside of getting elected. As Gertrude Stein would say, there is no there there, though that doesn't seem to bother a significant portion of the electorate.
Which you think would lead me to endorse President Obama, But it doesn't. I tend to think that his focus on health care prevented a more substantive approach to improving the economy, and his willingness to bail out financial institutions while not holding anyone accountable for putting the economy into the tank in the first place doesn't smack of hope or change. It smacks of business as usual. There are any number of things that have happened during his administration that I can get behind (repeal of DADT and dispatching bin Laden, most notably), but I can't get worked up for four more years of this.
Which leads me to do pretty much the same thing I did in 2004 and 2008. If you're someone who tends to vote Republican, you have as an option another former governor, one who made his vetoes stick and who got balanced budgets passed. And for all of you who drift towards the fiscally conservative, socially liberal stance, he's (sort of) pro-choice, supports same-sex marriage, and wants to end the drug war. For those of you who tend to vote Democratic, there's a candidate who is consistently left of center on pretty much everything and supports a New Deal-style program for creating jobs though investing in clean energy and putting greater oversight on the financial services sector. Depending on how you swing, Blogalicious endorses either Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson or Green candidate Jill Stein.
12 October 2012
The Boston University men's hockey team opens its 2012-13 season tomorrow night at home against Providence. I will not be there. It will be the first home opener I've missed going back to the team's tenure at Walter Brown Arena. More notable, however, is that this will likely be the first season in which I will not attend a single game since I first started at BU as a student - in 1987.
The reasons for this can be found in this document and in details uncovered in its preparation. The two arrests for sexual assault last year were troubling enough, but the fuller picture compounds things.
I'm not going to say I'm shocked by what's been revealed - it's hard to be truly shocked when you grow up on the Georgia academic scandal to the Oklahoma drug scandal and everything at Miami, not to mention SMU's death penalty and whatever basketball point shaving scandal you want to bring up - but I'm hugely disappointed that this occured at my alma mater. I certainly can't support it, and as a long-time season ticket holder I have no interest in subsidizing it.
Am I going to ignore the team entirely this season? I would like to say yes, but I know at some point I'll tune in to one of the many games that will be televised. Twenty-five years of fandom does not go away easily.
I will say that the university didn't play hard ball too much when we cancelled the tickets - there was a little harrumphing about being in the second year of a three year agreement - so I think someone realized it's in their long-term interest to forego a year or two of revenue for the potential of fans coming back as long-term season ticket holders in the future.
So what will it take for us to start up as season ticket holders again? Speaking only for myself, I can think of three fairly obvious requirements:
1. No arrests. For anything, for at least a couple of seasons.I would like to say no arrests ever again, but I know the reality is that some idiot is going to get picked up for urinating in public at some point, and for whatever reason I think I'd be better with that in 2015 than in, say, December.
2. Player turnover. Getting through the current crop of juniors and seniors will help, and while it's unfair to think that all of the players in these classes are potential felons, they are also veterans of a team where inappropriate behavior was not seen as such. My hope here is that the newer players are more of a reflection of what's expected from high profile athletes.
3. A new coach. This is the hardest condition to write, as Jack Parker is synonymous with BU men's hockey. It's easy to see him as the college hockey equivalent of Bear Bryant, a coach who would stay at the helm until the very last. I have no idea if he has any benchmarks he wants to hit before he retires - most wins, another Beanpot-Hockey East-NCAA treble - but he may want to amend his goals and get someone (Mike Bavis?) prepped to take over sooner rather than later.
As for this year, I may take in some of the BU women's hockey team games - they're also nationally prominent, and tickets will not be hard to come by. I'm also thinking I may get to a couple of men's basketball games this year, the last in which they'll play in the America East conference. Who knows, 25 years from now I may still be going to see these teams.
The reasons for this can be found in this document and in details uncovered in its preparation. The two arrests for sexual assault last year were troubling enough, but the fuller picture compounds things.
I'm not going to say I'm shocked by what's been revealed - it's hard to be truly shocked when you grow up on the Georgia academic scandal to the Oklahoma drug scandal and everything at Miami, not to mention SMU's death penalty and whatever basketball point shaving scandal you want to bring up - but I'm hugely disappointed that this occured at my alma mater. I certainly can't support it, and as a long-time season ticket holder I have no interest in subsidizing it.
Am I going to ignore the team entirely this season? I would like to say yes, but I know at some point I'll tune in to one of the many games that will be televised. Twenty-five years of fandom does not go away easily.
I will say that the university didn't play hard ball too much when we cancelled the tickets - there was a little harrumphing about being in the second year of a three year agreement - so I think someone realized it's in their long-term interest to forego a year or two of revenue for the potential of fans coming back as long-term season ticket holders in the future.
So what will it take for us to start up as season ticket holders again? Speaking only for myself, I can think of three fairly obvious requirements:
1. No arrests. For anything, for at least a couple of seasons.I would like to say no arrests ever again, but I know the reality is that some idiot is going to get picked up for urinating in public at some point, and for whatever reason I think I'd be better with that in 2015 than in, say, December.
2. Player turnover. Getting through the current crop of juniors and seniors will help, and while it's unfair to think that all of the players in these classes are potential felons, they are also veterans of a team where inappropriate behavior was not seen as such. My hope here is that the newer players are more of a reflection of what's expected from high profile athletes.
3. A new coach. This is the hardest condition to write, as Jack Parker is synonymous with BU men's hockey. It's easy to see him as the college hockey equivalent of Bear Bryant, a coach who would stay at the helm until the very last. I have no idea if he has any benchmarks he wants to hit before he retires - most wins, another Beanpot-Hockey East-NCAA treble - but he may want to amend his goals and get someone (Mike Bavis?) prepped to take over sooner rather than later.
As for this year, I may take in some of the BU women's hockey team games - they're also nationally prominent, and tickets will not be hard to come by. I'm also thinking I may get to a couple of men's basketball games this year, the last in which they'll play in the America East conference. Who knows, 25 years from now I may still be going to see these teams.
10 October 2012
Book Log 2012 #18: The Columbus Affair by Steve Berry
While this takes place in the same universe as the Cotton Malone series, this stand-alone book follows a disgraced newspaper reporter who is recruited by a shadowy billionaire to help solve a mystery involving Columbus and some of the most sacred artifacts in all of Judaism. Along the way the reporter has to come to terms with the two most painful broken relationships in his life (his father and his daughter) and the potential to restore his good name. There's also the involvement of a Jamaican crime lord, whose ambitions and cultural pride cause their own issues.
The background needed for the main character would not have allowed this book to be another Malone adventure, and I think that's a good thing. The Malone series could use a break; this year is the first year since 2006 that we won't have a new book in the series, and I hope writing a stand-alone work will help refresh the series.
This is a better outing than the last two or three Malone books, which I think comes from having new dynamics to explore between characters and, more importantly, having a good historical mystery to work with. For someone as well-known as Columbus there is a great deal of uncertainty about his background, and when you throw in some of the quirky facts about his first voyage there's ample room to create an interesting story. I kind of hope we get more stand-alone novels in the future.
While this takes place in the same universe as the Cotton Malone series, this stand-alone book follows a disgraced newspaper reporter who is recruited by a shadowy billionaire to help solve a mystery involving Columbus and some of the most sacred artifacts in all of Judaism. Along the way the reporter has to come to terms with the two most painful broken relationships in his life (his father and his daughter) and the potential to restore his good name. There's also the involvement of a Jamaican crime lord, whose ambitions and cultural pride cause their own issues.
The background needed for the main character would not have allowed this book to be another Malone adventure, and I think that's a good thing. The Malone series could use a break; this year is the first year since 2006 that we won't have a new book in the series, and I hope writing a stand-alone work will help refresh the series.
This is a better outing than the last two or three Malone books, which I think comes from having new dynamics to explore between characters and, more importantly, having a good historical mystery to work with. For someone as well-known as Columbus there is a great deal of uncertainty about his background, and when you throw in some of the quirky facts about his first voyage there's ample room to create an interesting story. I kind of hope we get more stand-alone novels in the future.
17 September 2012
Book Log 2012 #17: Dying Light by Stuart Macbride
The second book in the series featuring Logan "Lazarus" McRae, we find our detective transferred to the squad of misfits led by the similarly inept DI Steel thanks to a botched raid that's left a fellow officer in a coma. Stuck trying to rehab his reputation surrounded by losers, he finds himself on two investigations - one the slaying of prostitutes, the other a string of deadly arsons - though only one belongs to his squad. McRae sees solving the prostitute case as his way out - but so doesn't DI Steel, who takes every opportunity to claim credit.
Very much a worthy successor to Cold Granite, with the added office politics a nice counterweight to the crimes. There's also further developments in the relationship between McRae, his newspaper contact and the medical examiner who's dated them both, which adds an interesting (if a bit uncomfortable) personal note. Looking forward to reading the third book.
The second book in the series featuring Logan "Lazarus" McRae, we find our detective transferred to the squad of misfits led by the similarly inept DI Steel thanks to a botched raid that's left a fellow officer in a coma. Stuck trying to rehab his reputation surrounded by losers, he finds himself on two investigations - one the slaying of prostitutes, the other a string of deadly arsons - though only one belongs to his squad. McRae sees solving the prostitute case as his way out - but so doesn't DI Steel, who takes every opportunity to claim credit.
Very much a worthy successor to Cold Granite, with the added office politics a nice counterweight to the crimes. There's also further developments in the relationship between McRae, his newspaper contact and the medical examiner who's dated them both, which adds an interesting (if a bit uncomfortable) personal note. Looking forward to reading the third book.
Book Log 2012 #16: DNA USA by Bryan Sykes
Sykes is a geneticist who has used studies of mitochondrial DNA to trace our roots back to a small number of common female ancestors, as recounted in an earlier book The Seven Daughters of Eve. And if you've not heard of that book, you will run across mentions of it three or four dozen times in DNA USA, which the publisher says gives a "groundbreaking examination" of the country based on its citizens' genetic code.
Except that most of the book is not about that at all. The first part (or "movement," ugh) talks about how scientists have used genetics to get a clearer view of human development and migration. This is where you'll hear the most about Sykes' previous books, generally to explain why he's not going into detail over a given subject or finding. It makes sense in context, at least to start, but it happens enough to feel a little off-putting.
The second part follows Sykes as he takes a cross-country road/train/plane trip, collecting saliva samples and stories from Americans to see what their genes say about them. There is some interesting stuff here - there's apparently a real issue with Native Americans and this sort of testing, which I'd never heard before - but there's also a fair amount of personal reflection on traveling with his son (and then his wife) which I didn't really care about.
The final, short section actually goes into the results, which are limited as only about 25 people were tested. This pretty much debunks the idea that this is some sort of "groundbreaking examination," though it gives Sykes material to make some sweeping yet unproven generalizations.
It's not written badly, and the first part is interesting enough. I get the feeling there's a better book about genetics and genealogy that could have come from this, though.
Sykes is a geneticist who has used studies of mitochondrial DNA to trace our roots back to a small number of common female ancestors, as recounted in an earlier book The Seven Daughters of Eve. And if you've not heard of that book, you will run across mentions of it three or four dozen times in DNA USA, which the publisher says gives a "groundbreaking examination" of the country based on its citizens' genetic code.
Except that most of the book is not about that at all. The first part (or "movement," ugh) talks about how scientists have used genetics to get a clearer view of human development and migration. This is where you'll hear the most about Sykes' previous books, generally to explain why he's not going into detail over a given subject or finding. It makes sense in context, at least to start, but it happens enough to feel a little off-putting.
The second part follows Sykes as he takes a cross-country road/train/plane trip, collecting saliva samples and stories from Americans to see what their genes say about them. There is some interesting stuff here - there's apparently a real issue with Native Americans and this sort of testing, which I'd never heard before - but there's also a fair amount of personal reflection on traveling with his son (and then his wife) which I didn't really care about.
The final, short section actually goes into the results, which are limited as only about 25 people were tested. This pretty much debunks the idea that this is some sort of "groundbreaking examination," though it gives Sykes material to make some sweeping yet unproven generalizations.
It's not written badly, and the first part is interesting enough. I get the feeling there's a better book about genetics and genealogy that could have come from this, though.
27 August 2012
Book Log 2012 #15: 1493 by Charles Mann
I was a huge fan of 1491, Mann's book about the pre-Columbian Americas, and the rational way it went about showing the differences between the popular image of the hemisphere prior to Columbus and the vibrant, well-populated civilization that was actually here. I think my enjoyment of that book may have set the bar too high for the follow-up. It's as well-researched and written as the first one, but never quite hit the same heights for me.
As for why this is, I've come up with two theories. The first is that the links between the new and old world that are detailed here aren't as surprising as the revelations in 1491. Thanks to Thomas Friedman and all his world-flattening, the idea that Andean silver fueled Chinese growth isn't as shocking as it may have been a decade ago.
The other is that, in trying to be exhaustive, the book can get a bit exhausting. A later section of the book discusses independent settlements of freed/escaped slaves (such as the quilombos in Brazil or the settlments in the Great Dismal Swamp). It's an interesting topic, but it gets bogged down by the need to discuss all of the major settlements in the Americas.
There are still some interesting connections made - the linkage between various types of mosquitos, malaria bugs, human physiology and slavery, for example - and overall it's well worth reading. You just may find your attention wandering more than you'd expect.
I was a huge fan of 1491, Mann's book about the pre-Columbian Americas, and the rational way it went about showing the differences between the popular image of the hemisphere prior to Columbus and the vibrant, well-populated civilization that was actually here. I think my enjoyment of that book may have set the bar too high for the follow-up. It's as well-researched and written as the first one, but never quite hit the same heights for me.
As for why this is, I've come up with two theories. The first is that the links between the new and old world that are detailed here aren't as surprising as the revelations in 1491. Thanks to Thomas Friedman and all his world-flattening, the idea that Andean silver fueled Chinese growth isn't as shocking as it may have been a decade ago.
The other is that, in trying to be exhaustive, the book can get a bit exhausting. A later section of the book discusses independent settlements of freed/escaped slaves (such as the quilombos in Brazil or the settlments in the Great Dismal Swamp). It's an interesting topic, but it gets bogged down by the need to discuss all of the major settlements in the Americas.
There are still some interesting connections made - the linkage between various types of mosquitos, malaria bugs, human physiology and slavery, for example - and overall it's well worth reading. You just may find your attention wandering more than you'd expect.
18 July 2012
Book Log 2012 #14: We Is Got Him by Carrie Hagen
In 1874, a young boy is taken from his front yard by a pair of men (his brother is also taken, but is released shortly afterward). Shortly thereafter the father receives a ransom note, and thus begins what is believed to be the first kidnapping for ransom in US history. The search for the boy, Charley Ross, would play out in the press and gain nationwide attention.
At the same time, the city of Philadelphia (where the kidnapping occurred) is preparing to host the US centennial celebration. The men in charge - powerful, rich, connected - are concerned that the Ross case will hurt their fundraising efforts and impact attendance, and exert pressure on the mayor to either get the case wrapped up or buried as quickly as possible.
If this set-up sounds kind of familiar, it's because it follows the Devil in the White City template that Erik Larson set up so successfully. Even better, the two story lines in this case are actually related, avoiding the problem that some post-Devil books had in tying the two story lines together.
The result, for me at least, was kind of uneven. I felt that the centennial planners never quite came to the fore enough. I suppose that's fitting, as their exercise of power was mostly in the background, but more detail about these men, even if not related to the actual events in the book, would have helped flesh that group out. I also tended to think that the transition of the story from Philadelphia to New York was muddled, as it was less clear to me what characters knew what information at that point.
I don't know if I necessarily enjoyed the book, but I did find it an engaging look at the period and location, and of how ill-suited law enforcement was at the time to deal with anything like this, even when the crime was committed by men who were not exactly masterminds. Worth a read, certainly.
In 1874, a young boy is taken from his front yard by a pair of men (his brother is also taken, but is released shortly afterward). Shortly thereafter the father receives a ransom note, and thus begins what is believed to be the first kidnapping for ransom in US history. The search for the boy, Charley Ross, would play out in the press and gain nationwide attention.
At the same time, the city of Philadelphia (where the kidnapping occurred) is preparing to host the US centennial celebration. The men in charge - powerful, rich, connected - are concerned that the Ross case will hurt their fundraising efforts and impact attendance, and exert pressure on the mayor to either get the case wrapped up or buried as quickly as possible.
If this set-up sounds kind of familiar, it's because it follows the Devil in the White City template that Erik Larson set up so successfully. Even better, the two story lines in this case are actually related, avoiding the problem that some post-Devil books had in tying the two story lines together.
The result, for me at least, was kind of uneven. I felt that the centennial planners never quite came to the fore enough. I suppose that's fitting, as their exercise of power was mostly in the background, but more detail about these men, even if not related to the actual events in the book, would have helped flesh that group out. I also tended to think that the transition of the story from Philadelphia to New York was muddled, as it was less clear to me what characters knew what information at that point.
I don't know if I necessarily enjoyed the book, but I did find it an engaging look at the period and location, and of how ill-suited law enforcement was at the time to deal with anything like this, even when the crime was committed by men who were not exactly masterminds. Worth a read, certainly.
16 July 2012
Book Log 2012 #13: Cold Granite by Stuart MacBride
Logan MacRae is just back to work after a year off recovering (and perhaps not fully) from stab wounds suffered in solving a serial murder case, and finds himself in the middle of a string of child murders and disappearances. He's got to juggle the investigations with the press (and the inevitable leak), an ME who is hostile towards him, and a changed landscape among the brass. All of this takes place within the bleak backdrop of Aberdeen, where it seems to rain every day it doesn't snow.
I have to say I enjoyed this book very much, both straight-up as a crime novel and for the elements more specific to Tartan noir. Aberdeen is used to great effect, and the apology to the tourist board that MacBride puts at the start of the book was good for a laugh. I didn't find MacRae to be as anti-heroic as the genre suggests, but more of that may come out later in the series, which I intend to continue.
Logan MacRae is just back to work after a year off recovering (and perhaps not fully) from stab wounds suffered in solving a serial murder case, and finds himself in the middle of a string of child murders and disappearances. He's got to juggle the investigations with the press (and the inevitable leak), an ME who is hostile towards him, and a changed landscape among the brass. All of this takes place within the bleak backdrop of Aberdeen, where it seems to rain every day it doesn't snow.
I have to say I enjoyed this book very much, both straight-up as a crime novel and for the elements more specific to Tartan noir. Aberdeen is used to great effect, and the apology to the tourist board that MacBride puts at the start of the book was good for a laugh. I didn't find MacRae to be as anti-heroic as the genre suggests, but more of that may come out later in the series, which I intend to continue.
11 July 2012
Book Log 2012 #12: Detective Inspector Huss by Helene Tursten
The invasion of Scandanavian crime fiction brings not only new authors, but the catalogs of existing ones, as evidenced by this book, the first in a series featuring the title character, who plies her trade in Gothenburg, Sweden's second-largest city. The case at hand is the killing of one of the city's richest men, whose apparent suicide is quickly discovered to be something else. Family, friends and ex-cons now operating in the victim's neighborhood all come under investigation.
And that investigation seems interminable, with page after page of dialog that really felt off to me. I've run into this more than once with books in translation, and in most cases the translation either sorts itself out or I get used to whatever quirks originally bothered me. Not so with this book, which read as oddly on the last page as it did on the first.
Not helping is that for all of being the title character, I had a hard time building any interest in Huss, who doesn't appear to be any more gifted at criminal investigation than her colleagues (and in at least one case, a little less gifted, or at least a little less lucky). I suppose some of this was to come from her domestic life, mostly from having to address one daughter's decision to become a skinhead, but that wrapped up so cleanly - almost magically so - that it didn't help develop her character at all.
My other issue with the book is that it didn't use the city very well. There were long stretches where I lapsed into thinking the story took place in Stockholm, and for the most part it might as well have. Maybe I've gotten too used to Scottish crime authors making really good use of their location.
Can't say I'd recommend this one, and don't particularly plan to continue with the series.
The invasion of Scandanavian crime fiction brings not only new authors, but the catalogs of existing ones, as evidenced by this book, the first in a series featuring the title character, who plies her trade in Gothenburg, Sweden's second-largest city. The case at hand is the killing of one of the city's richest men, whose apparent suicide is quickly discovered to be something else. Family, friends and ex-cons now operating in the victim's neighborhood all come under investigation.
And that investigation seems interminable, with page after page of dialog that really felt off to me. I've run into this more than once with books in translation, and in most cases the translation either sorts itself out or I get used to whatever quirks originally bothered me. Not so with this book, which read as oddly on the last page as it did on the first.
Not helping is that for all of being the title character, I had a hard time building any interest in Huss, who doesn't appear to be any more gifted at criminal investigation than her colleagues (and in at least one case, a little less gifted, or at least a little less lucky). I suppose some of this was to come from her domestic life, mostly from having to address one daughter's decision to become a skinhead, but that wrapped up so cleanly - almost magically so - that it didn't help develop her character at all.
My other issue with the book is that it didn't use the city very well. There were long stretches where I lapsed into thinking the story took place in Stockholm, and for the most part it might as well have. Maybe I've gotten too used to Scottish crime authors making really good use of their location.
Can't say I'd recommend this one, and don't particularly plan to continue with the series.
09 July 2012
Book Log 2012 #11: Supervolcano: Eruption by Harry Turtledove
In the end notes to this book of alternative geology, Turtledove thanks his parents for subscribing him to National Geographic all those years ago, as an article from that magazine is what inspired this series that starts here by having the supervolcano that lies beneath Yellowstone National Park blow for the first time in 70,000 years or so. It just so happened that I'd unearthed what I believe is the issue in question (August 2009, article here) while I was reading the book, so I had added impetus to read the article.
And if you do opt to pick this book up, I would suggest reading the article first. For one reason, you'll get to see where much of the exposition comes from (including a Rhode Island reference that leads to the main character's odd and unexplained hatred for the state). For another, you'll actually get a decent idea of how and what such an explosion might entail.
Because the book, rather than having a chapter that describes the eruption in detail, only covers it from a distance. And while the towering clouds, fearsome roar and rolling ground under the characters' feet underscore just what a big deal this is, we never get a good feel or depiction of the event referenced in the title. It's like a book version of Terra Nova's distinct lack of dinosaurs, but in this case the reader gets shortchanged on the one event the book should address.
Instead, we get the aftermath of the eruption and its impact on the members of the Ferguson family and their associates. Which isn't bad in and of itself, but does get bogged down pretty badly in a narrative that can't go more than a sentence with making some allusion, riffing on a notable quote from literature, or using a phrase or slang term that may have been used semi-widely 30 years ago. This also infects a decent amount of the dialog, which certainly doesn't help. There are passages here that are in no way related to how people actually talk. All of this is too cute by half, and by trying to show how smart and/or clever he is, Turtledove detracts from the story.
There are some interesting bits - the Ferguson daughter becomes a refugee staying one step ahead of the ashfall, and the older son is snowbound in Maine touring with his band, whose name is like a bad joke come to life.
So would I recommend this book? No. But will I read the next one? Probably. Because I am a sucker.
In the end notes to this book of alternative geology, Turtledove thanks his parents for subscribing him to National Geographic all those years ago, as an article from that magazine is what inspired this series that starts here by having the supervolcano that lies beneath Yellowstone National Park blow for the first time in 70,000 years or so. It just so happened that I'd unearthed what I believe is the issue in question (August 2009, article here) while I was reading the book, so I had added impetus to read the article.
And if you do opt to pick this book up, I would suggest reading the article first. For one reason, you'll get to see where much of the exposition comes from (including a Rhode Island reference that leads to the main character's odd and unexplained hatred for the state). For another, you'll actually get a decent idea of how and what such an explosion might entail.
Because the book, rather than having a chapter that describes the eruption in detail, only covers it from a distance. And while the towering clouds, fearsome roar and rolling ground under the characters' feet underscore just what a big deal this is, we never get a good feel or depiction of the event referenced in the title. It's like a book version of Terra Nova's distinct lack of dinosaurs, but in this case the reader gets shortchanged on the one event the book should address.
Instead, we get the aftermath of the eruption and its impact on the members of the Ferguson family and their associates. Which isn't bad in and of itself, but does get bogged down pretty badly in a narrative that can't go more than a sentence with making some allusion, riffing on a notable quote from literature, or using a phrase or slang term that may have been used semi-widely 30 years ago. This also infects a decent amount of the dialog, which certainly doesn't help. There are passages here that are in no way related to how people actually talk. All of this is too cute by half, and by trying to show how smart and/or clever he is, Turtledove detracts from the story.
There are some interesting bits - the Ferguson daughter becomes a refugee staying one step ahead of the ashfall, and the older son is snowbound in Maine touring with his band, whose name is like a bad joke come to life.
So would I recommend this book? No. But will I read the next one? Probably. Because I am a sucker.
20 June 2012
Book Log 2012 #10: Radio Shangri-La by Lisa Napoli
I have an odd fixation with Bhutan, so this book was right up my alley. Napoli, a journalist based in Los Angeles, took a major detour at a crossroads in her life by agreeing to move to the Bhutanese capital of Thimphu to help start a youth-oriented radio station. Considering Bhutan only allowed television and Internet access in 1999, this was a bigger deal than she expected.
The bulk of the book covers her time in the country, getting used to her youthfully exuberant, if not particularly skilled, station staff, learning about the pervasive nature of its Buddhist culture, and trying to get used to the spicy cuisine. As interesting (and often humorous) as this is, I think the last part of the book, where Napoli goes back to California and eventually hosts one of her former radio personalities, speaks best about the author's personal journey in comparison to the changes in Bhutan (which was introducing elections for some positions) and in the Bhutanese, who have the unenviable task of trying to balance traditional living with the desire to be more involved with the outside world.
Certainly worth a read if you're interested in Bhutan or cross-cultural sorts of books.
I have an odd fixation with Bhutan, so this book was right up my alley. Napoli, a journalist based in Los Angeles, took a major detour at a crossroads in her life by agreeing to move to the Bhutanese capital of Thimphu to help start a youth-oriented radio station. Considering Bhutan only allowed television and Internet access in 1999, this was a bigger deal than she expected.
The bulk of the book covers her time in the country, getting used to her youthfully exuberant, if not particularly skilled, station staff, learning about the pervasive nature of its Buddhist culture, and trying to get used to the spicy cuisine. As interesting (and often humorous) as this is, I think the last part of the book, where Napoli goes back to California and eventually hosts one of her former radio personalities, speaks best about the author's personal journey in comparison to the changes in Bhutan (which was introducing elections for some positions) and in the Bhutanese, who have the unenviable task of trying to balance traditional living with the desire to be more involved with the outside world.
Certainly worth a read if you're interested in Bhutan or cross-cultural sorts of books.
Book Log 2012 #9: How Italian Food Took Over the World by John Mariani
So it turns out that I didn't lose my list of books, so now I can go back and report on books like this, which I more or less forgot I'd even read. Which, in and of itself, tells you something about the book. I don't have specific criticisms, but do remember being less impressed with the book than I expected. Could just be I didn't connect with the writing. Probably worth a peek to see if I'm off base.
So it turns out that I didn't lose my list of books, so now I can go back and report on books like this, which I more or less forgot I'd even read. Which, in and of itself, tells you something about the book. I don't have specific criticisms, but do remember being less impressed with the book than I expected. Could just be I didn't connect with the writing. Probably worth a peek to see if I'm off base.
14 June 2012
Book Log 2012 #8: Code to Zero by Ken Follett
A man wakes up in a public restroom, and can't remember who he is or how he got there. While he looks like a common bum, he quickly realizes that he's not, and as he builds up a base of knowledge about himself he also becomes aware that his condition is related to the coming launch of the Explorer I, the rocket that put the US into space in 1958. This leads to his wife and old friends from Harvard, and the realization that someone is out to stop him, and perhaps the rocket launch itself.
It was the basic premise of the book that led me to pick it up, but I have to say I was somewhat disappointed in the actual story. Certain things happened to quickly for my taste, or enjoyed a coincidence that stretched credulity a bit too far. I'm also not sure I understand why the characters who worked for the KGB joined the other side in the first place. There's a half-hearted attempt to explain at least one character's change, but I'm not really buying it.
The other issue I ran into is that there are things that the characters have done that I would have preferred to read about. Several characters worked for the OSS during World War II, some behind enemy lines. Another fought in the Spanish Civil War. There's the potential for some interesting flashbacks, but we don't get any. Most of the flashbacks we do get are to when most of the characters were students at Harvard or Radcliffe.
So, no, I don't think I'd recommend this book, which is a shame, as I still think the premise is a good one.
A man wakes up in a public restroom, and can't remember who he is or how he got there. While he looks like a common bum, he quickly realizes that he's not, and as he builds up a base of knowledge about himself he also becomes aware that his condition is related to the coming launch of the Explorer I, the rocket that put the US into space in 1958. This leads to his wife and old friends from Harvard, and the realization that someone is out to stop him, and perhaps the rocket launch itself.
It was the basic premise of the book that led me to pick it up, but I have to say I was somewhat disappointed in the actual story. Certain things happened to quickly for my taste, or enjoyed a coincidence that stretched credulity a bit too far. I'm also not sure I understand why the characters who worked for the KGB joined the other side in the first place. There's a half-hearted attempt to explain at least one character's change, but I'm not really buying it.
The other issue I ran into is that there are things that the characters have done that I would have preferred to read about. Several characters worked for the OSS during World War II, some behind enemy lines. Another fought in the Spanish Civil War. There's the potential for some interesting flashbacks, but we don't get any. Most of the flashbacks we do get are to when most of the characters were students at Harvard or Radcliffe.
So, no, I don't think I'd recommend this book, which is a shame, as I still think the premise is a good one.
04 June 2012
Book Log 2012 #7: The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler
Another drop in the torrent of Scandinavian crime fiction hitting the US, this novel follows a psychiatrist and police detective as they work a multiple murder where the doctor uses hypnosis - a practice he'd sworn off years before - to get information from the only surviving family member. A number of new crimes follow, and both protagonists have to work to figure out the how and why they're connected - if at all - in order to stop the killings and save a kidnap victim.
I was not a fan of the book to start, as things seemed pretty stilted - there were more formal introductions of characters and information in the first 75 pages than you'd find in all of pretty much any other mystery novel - but as things moved along the writing moved away from its Billy's Pan Pizza stiffness (perhaps an artifact of translation?) and picked up steam.
I'm still unsure that some of what passed would actually happen - the publicity over the doctor's use of hypnosis seemed to happen too quickly and too strongly, though I know little enough about Sweden to say if hypnotizing victims of crime would be that controversial. On the plus side, I did find that the typical world-weariness of the detectives in Scandinavian crime fiction was tempered somewhat, a positive effect of his doggedness.
Kepler is a husband and wife team of writers, and I wonder if that's to blame for some of the uneven tone at the start of the book. In any case, I did enjoy the book once it started rolling, and I think I'd pick up either of Kepler's other two books once they show up in the US.
Another drop in the torrent of Scandinavian crime fiction hitting the US, this novel follows a psychiatrist and police detective as they work a multiple murder where the doctor uses hypnosis - a practice he'd sworn off years before - to get information from the only surviving family member. A number of new crimes follow, and both protagonists have to work to figure out the how and why they're connected - if at all - in order to stop the killings and save a kidnap victim.
I was not a fan of the book to start, as things seemed pretty stilted - there were more formal introductions of characters and information in the first 75 pages than you'd find in all of pretty much any other mystery novel - but as things moved along the writing moved away from its Billy's Pan Pizza stiffness (perhaps an artifact of translation?) and picked up steam.
I'm still unsure that some of what passed would actually happen - the publicity over the doctor's use of hypnosis seemed to happen too quickly and too strongly, though I know little enough about Sweden to say if hypnotizing victims of crime would be that controversial. On the plus side, I did find that the typical world-weariness of the detectives in Scandinavian crime fiction was tempered somewhat, a positive effect of his doggedness.
Kepler is a husband and wife team of writers, and I wonder if that's to blame for some of the uneven tone at the start of the book. In any case, I did enjoy the book once it started rolling, and I think I'd pick up either of Kepler's other two books once they show up in the US.
30 May 2012
2012 Book Log #6: In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson
Larson is best known for his books that contrast technological marvels with criminal events that happened concurrently (Devil in the White City, for example), but this book harkens back to Isaac's Storm, the story of a man who had his beliefs changed due to a seminal event (in this case, a deadly hurricane that more or less destroyed Galveston, Texas).
This book moves on to a bigger stage, as it covers the tenure of US ambassador to Germany William Dodd, a history professor who winds up being the first American ambassador to Nazi Germany. He takes the job believing that he can use the power of his intellect (and the US government) to help steer Hitler and his friends into less radical waters. As his time in office unfolds, he has to battle both the Germans - who continue to act out, occasionally beating an American citizen who didn't stop to salute marching SA members - and internal enemies in the State Department, who seemed to spend as much time deriding Dodd for his lack of Ivy League credentials and frugal way as they did working on actual diplomacy.
Dodd's daughter is a sort of co-main character, a vivacious young woman whose own intellect and writing gets her into literary and higher society. She's also a bit of a romantic adventurer, between her marriage to a much older New York banker and the on-again, off-again romance she kindled in Berlin with a Russian intelligence agent who was working to turn her into an informant (a task of which she was apparently unaware).
I don't know if I really enjoyed the book as much as his others, but I did find it fascinating to see how the common if often casual anti-Semitism among American diplomats (including Dodd) and the common belief that the Nazis would moderate or be replaced led to a number of missed opportunities. I don't think another ambassador could have done more to push the Nazis to a more moderate position - Dodd did as well as he could, I think, and anyone trying to do more would likely have put US-German relations in a more difficult position - and I don't think anyone would have really succeeded in doing anything to make things better. Anyone and everyone could have done more to get Jews out of Germany while the getting was good.
All that being said, I do think the strength of the book is the inside look into the early days of the Nazi regime, and it's well worth a read for that alone.
Larson is best known for his books that contrast technological marvels with criminal events that happened concurrently (Devil in the White City, for example), but this book harkens back to Isaac's Storm, the story of a man who had his beliefs changed due to a seminal event (in this case, a deadly hurricane that more or less destroyed Galveston, Texas).
This book moves on to a bigger stage, as it covers the tenure of US ambassador to Germany William Dodd, a history professor who winds up being the first American ambassador to Nazi Germany. He takes the job believing that he can use the power of his intellect (and the US government) to help steer Hitler and his friends into less radical waters. As his time in office unfolds, he has to battle both the Germans - who continue to act out, occasionally beating an American citizen who didn't stop to salute marching SA members - and internal enemies in the State Department, who seemed to spend as much time deriding Dodd for his lack of Ivy League credentials and frugal way as they did working on actual diplomacy.
Dodd's daughter is a sort of co-main character, a vivacious young woman whose own intellect and writing gets her into literary and higher society. She's also a bit of a romantic adventurer, between her marriage to a much older New York banker and the on-again, off-again romance she kindled in Berlin with a Russian intelligence agent who was working to turn her into an informant (a task of which she was apparently unaware).
I don't know if I really enjoyed the book as much as his others, but I did find it fascinating to see how the common if often casual anti-Semitism among American diplomats (including Dodd) and the common belief that the Nazis would moderate or be replaced led to a number of missed opportunities. I don't think another ambassador could have done more to push the Nazis to a more moderate position - Dodd did as well as he could, I think, and anyone trying to do more would likely have put US-German relations in a more difficult position - and I don't think anyone would have really succeeded in doing anything to make things better. Anyone and everyone could have done more to get Jews out of Germany while the getting was good.
All that being said, I do think the strength of the book is the inside look into the early days of the Nazi regime, and it's well worth a read for that alone.
25 May 2012
Book Log 2012 #5: The Flanders Panel by Arturo Perez-Reverte
An art restorer, working on a 15th century painting of a chess match, discovers a question painted under the surface of the work - the Latin equivalent of Who killed the knight? - and in doing so decides to solve the mystery posed by the question, with the help of her long-time mentor and father-figure, a former boyfriend and art historian, the agent selling the painting, and a reserved chess master. This quickly spreads into a modern day murder mystery, as members of the group begin to drop. Muddying things is the potential transfer of the painting to another firm, as the value of the painting becomes greater in the face of all the killings.
It's a pretty good mystery, but I was disappointed in the ending. Suffice it to say I didn't quite buy into why the guilty party's motivation. But I did enjoy it overall, just a little less than some of his other books.
An art restorer, working on a 15th century painting of a chess match, discovers a question painted under the surface of the work - the Latin equivalent of Who killed the knight? - and in doing so decides to solve the mystery posed by the question, with the help of her long-time mentor and father-figure, a former boyfriend and art historian, the agent selling the painting, and a reserved chess master. This quickly spreads into a modern day murder mystery, as members of the group begin to drop. Muddying things is the potential transfer of the painting to another firm, as the value of the painting becomes greater in the face of all the killings.
It's a pretty good mystery, but I was disappointed in the ending. Suffice it to say I didn't quite buy into why the guilty party's motivation. But I did enjoy it overall, just a little less than some of his other books.
Book Log 2012 #4: A Lily of the Field by John Lawton
So I got a new phone recently, and in the process of transferring information from my old phone I managed to delete the file where I'd been keeping all of the book titles I'd not yet logged here. It was a solid dozen, so well done by me.
This is actually one of the more recent books I've read, and to add annoyance to annoyance it's the eighth book in a series featuring a London police detective and cases he's picked up before, during and after World War II. There's one, maybe two previous books to which I likely now know who the guilty party is, so even more well done by me.
Even so, I am glad that I picked this one up as I enjoyed it quite a bit. The set-up is a little odd, in that the main character of the series doesn't show up in the book until it's well underway. The first third of the book (if not more) follows a group of characters who become important to the actual crime. It was a little confusing at first, but given where this book is in the series it's not like you have to trot out the main character on page one.
The actual murders in the book are secondary to the great period detail, from the social and musical life pre-war Vienna to post-war London and its rationing. I would certainly recommend this book, but I'd also recommend starting from the beginning (and to throw another wrench into things, the books take place in a different chronological order than their published order).
So I got a new phone recently, and in the process of transferring information from my old phone I managed to delete the file where I'd been keeping all of the book titles I'd not yet logged here. It was a solid dozen, so well done by me.
This is actually one of the more recent books I've read, and to add annoyance to annoyance it's the eighth book in a series featuring a London police detective and cases he's picked up before, during and after World War II. There's one, maybe two previous books to which I likely now know who the guilty party is, so even more well done by me.
Even so, I am glad that I picked this one up as I enjoyed it quite a bit. The set-up is a little odd, in that the main character of the series doesn't show up in the book until it's well underway. The first third of the book (if not more) follows a group of characters who become important to the actual crime. It was a little confusing at first, but given where this book is in the series it's not like you have to trot out the main character on page one.
The actual murders in the book are secondary to the great period detail, from the social and musical life pre-war Vienna to post-war London and its rationing. I would certainly recommend this book, but I'd also recommend starting from the beginning (and to throw another wrench into things, the books take place in a different chronological order than their published order).
06 April 2012
Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese
Day 40: Archdiocese of Boston
Of course we were going to wind up here. The basics: founded in the early 1800s, split off from Baltimore. Grew tremendously with all of the Irish and Italian immigrants that came in later that century. Had a significant problem with priests abusing boys (hopefully the use of the past tense is appropriate), thanks in no small part to an enabling cardinal who got the most golden of parachutes when he was reassigned to Rome after resigning as head of the archdiocese. Current guy seems to be doing well, like that he keeps wearing his monastic robe rather than moving into fancier cardinal duds.
Honestly, this Lentorama did not go well. A couple of entertaining bits, but mostly a slog. I do already have an idea for 2013, which I think will at least be more fun to write.
Day 40: Archdiocese of Boston
Of course we were going to wind up here. The basics: founded in the early 1800s, split off from Baltimore. Grew tremendously with all of the Irish and Italian immigrants that came in later that century. Had a significant problem with priests abusing boys (hopefully the use of the past tense is appropriate), thanks in no small part to an enabling cardinal who got the most golden of parachutes when he was reassigned to Rome after resigning as head of the archdiocese. Current guy seems to be doing well, like that he keeps wearing his monastic robe rather than moving into fancier cardinal duds.
Honestly, this Lentorama did not go well. A couple of entertaining bits, but mostly a slog. I do already have an idea for 2013, which I think will at least be more fun to write.
05 April 2012
Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese
Day 39: Diocese of Dubrovnik
While bishops sat at Dubrovnik going back to the sixth century, it didn't get diocese status until 990. For roughly 700 years it was an archdiocese, but it was demoted in 1828, which I assume had something to do with the end of the Republic of Ragusa, of which Dubrovnik was capital. There's not much else I can find about it, especially as the diocese website is (a) in Croatian, and (b) seems optimized to crash my browser.
Day 39: Diocese of Dubrovnik
While bishops sat at Dubrovnik going back to the sixth century, it didn't get diocese status until 990. For roughly 700 years it was an archdiocese, but it was demoted in 1828, which I assume had something to do with the end of the Republic of Ragusa, of which Dubrovnik was capital. There's not much else I can find about it, especially as the diocese website is (a) in Croatian, and (b) seems optimized to crash my browser.
04 April 2012
Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese
Day 38: Diocese of Poona
OK, language question. From what I can tell, Poona is also Pune. I was thinking that Poona was some sort of bastardization created by the English, but when I click through to the diocese website they use Poona. But then it lists Pune as one of the areas it covers. So maybe it's the Vatican that needs to update its usage?
Anyway, the diocese was formed in 1886, developed from work done by various priests sent to the area to offer service to Catholics in the military. There aren't that many Catholics in the area, and it seems like every time there was significant growth in the diocese a chunk would get cut off and moved to somewhere else. I'd be a little irritated if I were the bishop of Poona. Or Pune for that matter.
03 April 2012
Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese
Day 37: Diocese of Tulsa
This diocese was formed in 1972, freeing it from the 1930s creation of a diocese of Oklahoma City and Tulsa. It covers 31 counties in eastern Oklahoma. Not surprisingly, it can trace its history even earlier to French monks who arrived in the area to put down a Catholic footprint and convert the natives.
Really, there's not much else to say about them.
Day 37: Diocese of Tulsa
This diocese was formed in 1972, freeing it from the 1930s creation of a diocese of Oklahoma City and Tulsa. It covers 31 counties in eastern Oklahoma. Not surprisingly, it can trace its history even earlier to French monks who arrived in the area to put down a Catholic footprint and convert the natives.
Really, there's not much else to say about them.
02 April 2012
Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese
Day 36: Diocese of Fulda
OK, I was actually looking to see if there was a diocese of Tulsa (there is), but my inability to type led me to this German diocese, which traces its roots to an 8th century monastery that Pope Zachary put under direct papal control. St. Boniface asked to be buried at Fulda, which helped it gain standing among other, larger northern European diocese. At some point the diocese was also run as a principality, a status that lasted until 1802. The diocese also enjoyed expanded power over other monasteries and was for a time an important center of science in the Holy Roman Empire.
Things got a little tougher in the 19th century, as the diocese was run by an administrator rather than a bishop for a time, and during the Kulturkampf the bishop's seat was vacant for eight years. Then in the aftermath of World War II, parts of Fulda were in East Germany, leading to some practical issues of governance. In 1973 a new diocese was created out of the parts of other diocese now in East German territory. They were by and large not returned after reunification. One odd outlier in the whole Cold War period is the curate of Ostheim, which is technically still part of Fulda but is actually run by another diocese.
I suspect Tulsa will not be quite so interesting.
31 March 2012
Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese
Day 35: Diocese of Veracruz
See, here's what I don't get. This diocese was formed in 1962, and pretty much from the start has served a population that's over 90 percent Catholic, now numbering about two million people. Compare that with some of the diocese we've previously covered, that have had less than a thousand members. I know it's not just a numbers game, but the disparity can be a bit glaring.
Day 35: Diocese of Veracruz
See, here's what I don't get. This diocese was formed in 1962, and pretty much from the start has served a population that's over 90 percent Catholic, now numbering about two million people. Compare that with some of the diocese we've previously covered, that have had less than a thousand members. I know it's not just a numbers game, but the disparity can be a bit glaring.
30 March 2012
Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese
Day 34: Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown
I had no real reason for choosing this diocese. Just searched on Altoona for some reason, and there it was. Johnstown was added to the name in the 1950s, for reasons I can't figure out (Johnstown doesn't appear to have been the seat of a diocese in its own right). Both cities have cathedrals, which I guess makes sense if they're both in the name of the diocese. Not much else to say other than that one of their bishops left to become the bishop of Scranton. Seems like a lateral move.
Day 34: Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown
I had no real reason for choosing this diocese. Just searched on Altoona for some reason, and there it was. Johnstown was added to the name in the 1950s, for reasons I can't figure out (Johnstown doesn't appear to have been the seat of a diocese in its own right). Both cities have cathedrals, which I guess makes sense if they're both in the name of the diocese. Not much else to say other than that one of their bishops left to become the bishop of Scranton. Seems like a lateral move.
29 March 2012
Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese
Day 33: Diocese of Bayeux and Lisieux
Both Bayeux and Lisieux have long histories as seats of religious power. Bayeux has been the home of a bishop since the first century (the first eight bishops of Bayeux all became saints), while Lisieux hosted a bishop starting in the 6th century. Move ahead 1200 years or so, and you'll find that the diocese of Lisieux was suppressed during the French Revolution, while Bayeux survived thanks to its status as the most senior see in Normandy (and with no small help from hosting at least one Constitutional Bishop). After the revolution, Lisieux would not regain its status, and was merged with Bayeux in 1802.
The diocese covers the department of Calvados, which could make for some very interesting sacramental wine.
28 March 2012
Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese
Day 32: Diocese of Buffalo
Formed in 1847, the diocese originally covered the western third of New York. But before the century was out, the new Diocese of Rochester would claim several of the counties that made up the eastern part of the Buffalo diocese, which to me is an early warning for Buffalo's decline in the 20th century.
Unlike most diocesan websites, it's difficult to find a history of the Buffalo see on their website. The one thing that is prominently displayed is a link to the website championing the sainthood of Father Nelson Baker, whose charitable work in the Buffalo area was impressive. No word on any miracles, though.
Day 32: Diocese of Buffalo
Formed in 1847, the diocese originally covered the western third of New York. But before the century was out, the new Diocese of Rochester would claim several of the counties that made up the eastern part of the Buffalo diocese, which to me is an early warning for Buffalo's decline in the 20th century.
Unlike most diocesan websites, it's difficult to find a history of the Buffalo see on their website. The one thing that is prominently displayed is a link to the website championing the sainthood of Father Nelson Baker, whose charitable work in the Buffalo area was impressive. No word on any miracles, though.
27 March 2012
Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese
Day 31: Archdiocese of Tokyo
There aren't a lot of Catholics in Tokyo (something like 0.5% of the population), not surprising given the 300 years or so where the faith was outlawed. For those living in Tokyo, though, they have the option of attending services in the striking St. Mary's Cathedral. It's not going to be to everyone's taste - there are aspects I'm not particularly wild about - but as churches built after 1950 tend to be either dull or hideous, it's a winner.
Day 31: Archdiocese of Tokyo
There aren't a lot of Catholics in Tokyo (something like 0.5% of the population), not surprising given the 300 years or so where the faith was outlawed. For those living in Tokyo, though, they have the option of attending services in the striking St. Mary's Cathedral. It's not going to be to everyone's taste - there are aspects I'm not particularly wild about - but as churches built after 1950 tend to be either dull or hideous, it's a winner.
26 March 2012
Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese
Day 30: Diocese of Oran
Not surprising that there is some sort of Catholic hierarchy in Algeria, given the long history with the French, but not surprisingly things are in a bit of a decline since independence. Not sure if it makes sense to have an entire diocese for 400 people (and it's worth wondering if it's still 400 if that's been the quoted figure since 1999). but given the long history of the church there I suppose it's understandable. Though not always easy - in 1996, Bishop Pierre Lucien Claverie was killed during Algeria's civil war, probably by Islamic extremists but possibly by the sitting government (at least that's how it reads to me based on websites Google translated from French, you can imagine what reading that was like).
Day 30: Diocese of Oran
Not surprising that there is some sort of Catholic hierarchy in Algeria, given the long history with the French, but not surprisingly things are in a bit of a decline since independence. Not sure if it makes sense to have an entire diocese for 400 people (and it's worth wondering if it's still 400 if that's been the quoted figure since 1999). but given the long history of the church there I suppose it's understandable. Though not always easy - in 1996, Bishop Pierre Lucien Claverie was killed during Algeria's civil war, probably by Islamic extremists but possibly by the sitting government (at least that's how it reads to me based on websites Google translated from French, you can imagine what reading that was like).
24 March 2012
Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese
Day 29: Archdiocese of San Antonio
Nothing particularly interesting in the usual stuff, but noteworthy in that it has parishes that are also part of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. Even if you're not religious, they're pretty cool on historical and architectural grounds, and are worth a visit if you're in San Antonio. You can always squeeze in the Riverwalk later.
Day 29: Archdiocese of San Antonio
Nothing particularly interesting in the usual stuff, but noteworthy in that it has parishes that are also part of the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. Even if you're not religious, they're pretty cool on historical and architectural grounds, and are worth a visit if you're in San Antonio. You can always squeeze in the Riverwalk later.
23 March 2012
Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese
Day 28: Diocese of Toowoomba
You could probably guess by the name that this is in Australia, created in 1929 and covering southwest Queensland. I'd only picked this because of the name, but it turns out there's a bit of recent scandal to provide some color. William Morris was made bishop in 1992, and not long afterwards was the target of reports of unorthodoxy, which he helped fan by circulating a letter in 1996 calling for discussion of ordaining married men as priests. He was called to Rome to discuss this, but never went, citing pastoral reasons for not making the trip.
After what amounted to an inspection in 2007 and several years of wrangling with various Vatican types (and a 2009 audience with the Pope), Morris did the "you can't fire me, I quit" thing in 2011, though the papal nuncio to Australia said the next day that Morris had been removed. He was made "bishop emeritus," a sure-fire sign that he'd been put out to pasture. There's been an ongoing war of words between Morris and the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, and to date there's not been a new bishop named. Rome may want to get on that.
Day 28: Diocese of Toowoomba
You could probably guess by the name that this is in Australia, created in 1929 and covering southwest Queensland. I'd only picked this because of the name, but it turns out there's a bit of recent scandal to provide some color. William Morris was made bishop in 1992, and not long afterwards was the target of reports of unorthodoxy, which he helped fan by circulating a letter in 1996 calling for discussion of ordaining married men as priests. He was called to Rome to discuss this, but never went, citing pastoral reasons for not making the trip.
After what amounted to an inspection in 2007 and several years of wrangling with various Vatican types (and a 2009 audience with the Pope), Morris did the "you can't fire me, I quit" thing in 2011, though the papal nuncio to Australia said the next day that Morris had been removed. He was made "bishop emeritus," a sure-fire sign that he'd been put out to pasture. There's been an ongoing war of words between Morris and the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, and to date there's not been a new bishop named. Rome may want to get on that.
22 March 2012
Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese
Day 27: Diocese of Manchester
This diocese covers all of New Hampshire, and was formed in 1884 after originally being part of the diocese of Portland. One of its bishops, George Guertin, lent his name to a high school in Nashua which I only know about through their debate team. Wound up debating against them quite a bit my novice year, and they were pretty good. Just not as good as they thought they were, based on how insufferable they could be personally. I can only hope the current crop display less jackasstic tendencies.
Day 27: Diocese of Manchester
This diocese covers all of New Hampshire, and was formed in 1884 after originally being part of the diocese of Portland. One of its bishops, George Guertin, lent his name to a high school in Nashua which I only know about through their debate team. Wound up debating against them quite a bit my novice year, and they were pretty good. Just not as good as they thought they were, based on how insufferable they could be personally. I can only hope the current crop display less jackasstic tendencies.
21 March 2012
Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese
Day 26: Archdiocese of Montreal
I chose this not so much for its history - as you'd expect, it was formed in colonial times and was mostly staffed by Frenchmen until suitable Quebecois could take over - but for a story.
I wound up visiting Montreal in 1998 with friends, and we stopped in to take a look at the Basilica of Notre Dame, which is pretty impressive and worth a look if you're into that sort of thing or just need to get out of the sun. Anyway, the tour guide was talking about how most of the sacraments take place in one of the chapels, while the basilica itself is reserved for state occasions and the like. To demonstrate this, she named the one person who was important enough to get married in the basilica in recent times: Celine Dion.
I can't remember if we held our laughter until we left or not. I'd like to think we did.
Day 26: Archdiocese of Montreal
I chose this not so much for its history - as you'd expect, it was formed in colonial times and was mostly staffed by Frenchmen until suitable Quebecois could take over - but for a story.
I wound up visiting Montreal in 1998 with friends, and we stopped in to take a look at the Basilica of Notre Dame, which is pretty impressive and worth a look if you're into that sort of thing or just need to get out of the sun. Anyway, the tour guide was talking about how most of the sacraments take place in one of the chapels, while the basilica itself is reserved for state occasions and the like. To demonstrate this, she named the one person who was important enough to get married in the basilica in recent times: Celine Dion.
I can't remember if we held our laughter until we left or not. I'd like to think we did.
20 March 2012
Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese
Day 25: Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA
Something I have learned through this year's Lentorama is that the military in a number of countries have their own military diocese or archdiocese. The American one dates back to 1917, when an ordinate (an organization whose members fall into a specific category, such as those serving in the military) was formed. For most of its existence it was a position held by the Archbishop of New York, but was cleaved off into its own archdiocese in 1986.
In addition to the military, the archdiocese also covers all Americans in government service abroad and all the employees and patients of the Veterans Health Administration. Interestingly, the priests of the archdiocese are not formally attached to it, but are still considered part of the diocese or order they were in at the time they started service with the military/government.
One question their website doesn't appear to answer - are there camouflage vestments? Googling the phrase "camouflage vestment" did turn up Catholic priests wearing camo garb (not full vestments but things like a camo stole). From what I can tell as long as the camo color matches whatever the appropriate color is for the mass the pattern doesn't matter.
Day 25: Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA
Something I have learned through this year's Lentorama is that the military in a number of countries have their own military diocese or archdiocese. The American one dates back to 1917, when an ordinate (an organization whose members fall into a specific category, such as those serving in the military) was formed. For most of its existence it was a position held by the Archbishop of New York, but was cleaved off into its own archdiocese in 1986.
In addition to the military, the archdiocese also covers all Americans in government service abroad and all the employees and patients of the Veterans Health Administration. Interestingly, the priests of the archdiocese are not formally attached to it, but are still considered part of the diocese or order they were in at the time they started service with the military/government.
One question their website doesn't appear to answer - are there camouflage vestments? Googling the phrase "camouflage vestment" did turn up Catholic priests wearing camo garb (not full vestments but things like a camo stole). From what I can tell as long as the camo color matches whatever the appropriate color is for the mass the pattern doesn't matter.
19 March 2012
Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese
Day 24: Diocese of Saint Thomas
There could be worse gigs than being the bishop of St. Thomas, which covers the US Virgin Islands. Besides the weather, your boss is the archbishop of Washington (this is the only diocese that reports to DC), who is unlikely to pop in for an unannounced visit.
There do seem to be a couple of drawbacks, though. The official website is straight out of 1996, which I assume has something to do with Internet connectivity in the Caribbean. The other is that the bishop seems to celebrate a lot of masses in random spaces like rec centers and parking lots. Looks like this partially may be to issues with the cathedral, which is being renovated, but it may just be that these spaces are best when the weather is (a) nice or (b)post-hurricane.
Even with the drawbacks, the bishop looks like he's enjoying himself.
Day 24: Diocese of Saint Thomas
There could be worse gigs than being the bishop of St. Thomas, which covers the US Virgin Islands. Besides the weather, your boss is the archbishop of Washington (this is the only diocese that reports to DC), who is unlikely to pop in for an unannounced visit.
There do seem to be a couple of drawbacks, though. The official website is straight out of 1996, which I assume has something to do with Internet connectivity in the Caribbean. The other is that the bishop seems to celebrate a lot of masses in random spaces like rec centers and parking lots. Looks like this partially may be to issues with the cathedral, which is being renovated, but it may just be that these spaces are best when the weather is (a) nice or (b)post-hurricane.
Even with the drawbacks, the bishop looks like he's enjoying himself.
17 March 2012
Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese
Day 23: Archdiocese of Tuam
Covering a wide swath of western Ireland, it includes Ballyhaunis, the town my great grandfather left to come to America.
The archdiocese traces its roots to a diocese which tradition holds was founded by a St. Jarlath in the 6th century. There's not much of bio on him, but it appears he may either be the son of the founder of Tuam or a bishop of Armagh. Or both conflated over time. In any case, he's said to have arrived at Tuam when, on the advice of St. Brendan, he rode in a chariot until its rear axles broke, a sign that he was to stay put in that location.
Tuan is home to two of the more popular pilgrimage sites in Ireland, Knock Shrine and Croagh Patrick. The former was the site of an apparition in the 1870s, but became internationally famous a century later when the monsignor in charge of the shrine made some major improvements and got the government to build an airport. John Paul II visited in 1979, which helped raise the profile, too. The latter site is a large hill where St. Patrick was believed to have fasted for 40 days before building a church. It's also apparently home to potentially profitable deposits of gold and quartz, but for now no mining.
Day 23: Archdiocese of Tuam
Covering a wide swath of western Ireland, it includes Ballyhaunis, the town my great grandfather left to come to America.
The archdiocese traces its roots to a diocese which tradition holds was founded by a St. Jarlath in the 6th century. There's not much of bio on him, but it appears he may either be the son of the founder of Tuam or a bishop of Armagh. Or both conflated over time. In any case, he's said to have arrived at Tuam when, on the advice of St. Brendan, he rode in a chariot until its rear axles broke, a sign that he was to stay put in that location.
Tuan is home to two of the more popular pilgrimage sites in Ireland, Knock Shrine and Croagh Patrick. The former was the site of an apparition in the 1870s, but became internationally famous a century later when the monsignor in charge of the shrine made some major improvements and got the government to build an airport. John Paul II visited in 1979, which helped raise the profile, too. The latter site is a large hill where St. Patrick was believed to have fasted for 40 days before building a church. It's also apparently home to potentially profitable deposits of gold and quartz, but for now no mining.
16 March 2012
Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese
Day 22: Diocese of Rapid City
Given its current name in 1930, it was founded in 1902 as the Diocese of Lead which, then as now, covers the western part of South Dakota. But what I really want to know is why the Diocese of Lead? There is a town called Lead in South Dakota, along the border with Wyoming, and it was the sort of mining town that Catholics loved to set up shop in, but there's nothing out there on the diocese website or the town's website to suggest a link. But it makes as much sense as anything.
Day 22: Diocese of Rapid City
Given its current name in 1930, it was founded in 1902 as the Diocese of Lead which, then as now, covers the western part of South Dakota. But what I really want to know is why the Diocese of Lead? There is a town called Lead in South Dakota, along the border with Wyoming, and it was the sort of mining town that Catholics loved to set up shop in, but there's nothing out there on the diocese website or the town's website to suggest a link. But it makes as much sense as anything.
15 March 2012
Lentorama 2012: Know Your Diocese
Day 21: Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Santa MarÃa del Patrocinio en Buenos Aires
OK, I'm probably going to screw this up, so bear with me and comment on any factual errors I may make.
There are a number of Eastern-rite Catholic churches who are in communion with Rome. They operate independently, but recognize the Pope's special status as Bishop of Rome. They're different from the Roman/Latin Rite churches that dominate the Catholic world in some matters of theology and practice, but aren't part of the Orthodox churches that are not in communion.
One of these churches is the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which is apparently the largest of the Eastern Rite churches in full communion. While it has a small footprint in Ukraine, it's grown internationally as Ukrainians dispersed in the face of the various world wars and domination/persecution by the Soviet Union.
Which explains how an eparchy (the Eastern term for a diocese) wound up in Buenos Aires, a location you don't quite think of when you think about Ukranians as one does from time to time.
Day 21: Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Santa MarÃa del Patrocinio en Buenos Aires
OK, I'm probably going to screw this up, so bear with me and comment on any factual errors I may make.
There are a number of Eastern-rite Catholic churches who are in communion with Rome. They operate independently, but recognize the Pope's special status as Bishop of Rome. They're different from the Roman/Latin Rite churches that dominate the Catholic world in some matters of theology and practice, but aren't part of the Orthodox churches that are not in communion.
One of these churches is the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, which is apparently the largest of the Eastern Rite churches in full communion. While it has a small footprint in Ukraine, it's grown internationally as Ukrainians dispersed in the face of the various world wars and domination/persecution by the Soviet Union.
Which explains how an eparchy (the Eastern term for a diocese) wound up in Buenos Aires, a location you don't quite think of when you think about Ukranians as one does from time to time.
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