Book Log 2015 #47: The Fifth Gospel by Ian Caldwell
A little over a decade ago, Ian Caldwell co-wrote a novel called The Rule of Four, a literate thriller about four roommates and the obsession with a mysterious 15th century book. It was on the best-seller lists for months. Great things were expected from both men.
But both of them fell off the radar, book-wise. Dustin Thomason found work writing and producing TV shows, but did have another best-selling book in 2012 with a plot focused on the Mayan calendar and the potential end of the world. Caldwell spent a good decade coming up with this book, his follow-up. It uses the schism between Roman Catholics and Orthodox churches to drive the plot, with a Greek Catholic priest (a member of one of the Eastern rites that kind of straddle the schism) trying to figure out who killed a local museum curator who was working on an exhibit about the Shroud of Turin, its history between the Roman and Orthodox communities, and how a work called the Diatessaron could shed added light on the shroud's pre-Turin whereabouts.
Throw into that mix added Vatican politics and the sudden reappearance of the main character's wife after years of absence, and you have a pretty packed story. Thankfully, Caldwell is writer enough to pull this off, balancing story lines and providing explanations that help keep the plot moving. It's much more realistic than the breathless exposition of Dan Brown and the like.
That being said, an afterword that went into a further discussion of the factual basis of the book would have been helpful. Still, I hope it's not another ten years before we get another book from Caldwell.
31 December 2015
Book Log 2015 #46: Idiot America by Charles Pierce
One of the many books that have come out in recent years about the anti-intellectual streak in American life and politics, this one does forward a specific theory about the trend based in three premises: anything can be true if you say it loud enough, fact is what a person believes and the truth of that fact is how strongly its believed, and any theory based on these truths or facts is validated by how well it sells. The rest of the book shows in various ways how these premises are put into action by our leaders, from the Iraq war to global warming.
There are some interesting diversions in the book - an early chapter talks about cranks and their role in American life before the rise of mass communications - but a lot of it is familiar to anyone who reads Pierce with any regularity (his Esquire work refers to his theory frequently). It's also slightly outdated, as it doesn't really consider the impact of social media and Citizens United (though you can imagine what the impacts have been).
Still, Pierce writes well and is clearly personally invested (the chapter on the Terry Schiavo case is equal parts application of theory and personal animus towards Jeb Bush and his ilk). It's worth a read in the coming political season.
One of the many books that have come out in recent years about the anti-intellectual streak in American life and politics, this one does forward a specific theory about the trend based in three premises: anything can be true if you say it loud enough, fact is what a person believes and the truth of that fact is how strongly its believed, and any theory based on these truths or facts is validated by how well it sells. The rest of the book shows in various ways how these premises are put into action by our leaders, from the Iraq war to global warming.
There are some interesting diversions in the book - an early chapter talks about cranks and their role in American life before the rise of mass communications - but a lot of it is familiar to anyone who reads Pierce with any regularity (his Esquire work refers to his theory frequently). It's also slightly outdated, as it doesn't really consider the impact of social media and Citizens United (though you can imagine what the impacts have been).
Still, Pierce writes well and is clearly personally invested (the chapter on the Terry Schiavo case is equal parts application of theory and personal animus towards Jeb Bush and his ilk). It's worth a read in the coming political season.
Book Log 2015 #45: The Golden Princess by S.M. Stirling
A battle against Haida raiders and an unexpected remnant of the Church Universal and Triumphant results in the deaths of the High King of Montival and the Emperor of Japan. Now it is up to the two new leaders, both young women in their early 20s, to avenge their fathers and secure this part of the world from further incursion.
They do this by talking. To each other, to leaders of other groups, to their subordinates. They talk a lot. As do the subordinates, who are still wondering if their new leaders are up to the task (less so with the future High Queen of Montival, who now carries the sacred sword her father did, but apparently now tailored to her). I found myself wishing for more songs about elves and overheated descriptions of horse tack, as that usually came with battle scenes.
Speaking of swords, it turns out that this series of Emberverse books will be about another sword quest, as the Japanese were in the former US looking for a sword which is apprently in Palm Springs or a similar desert location in what was California. I feel like we've done this before.
This is also the first book in the series (I think) that didn't have an appearance by an original character. There were mentions, but no actual dialogue. There weren't even that many appearances by second generation characters. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I do wonder if the transition is being rushed a bit.
Still, in for a penny, in for a pound. I'm a book behind in the series, which I'll eventually get to.
A battle against Haida raiders and an unexpected remnant of the Church Universal and Triumphant results in the deaths of the High King of Montival and the Emperor of Japan. Now it is up to the two new leaders, both young women in their early 20s, to avenge their fathers and secure this part of the world from further incursion.
They do this by talking. To each other, to leaders of other groups, to their subordinates. They talk a lot. As do the subordinates, who are still wondering if their new leaders are up to the task (less so with the future High Queen of Montival, who now carries the sacred sword her father did, but apparently now tailored to her). I found myself wishing for more songs about elves and overheated descriptions of horse tack, as that usually came with battle scenes.
Speaking of swords, it turns out that this series of Emberverse books will be about another sword quest, as the Japanese were in the former US looking for a sword which is apprently in Palm Springs or a similar desert location in what was California. I feel like we've done this before.
This is also the first book in the series (I think) that didn't have an appearance by an original character. There were mentions, but no actual dialogue. There weren't even that many appearances by second generation characters. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I do wonder if the transition is being rushed a bit.
Still, in for a penny, in for a pound. I'm a book behind in the series, which I'll eventually get to.
Book Log 2015 #44: A Christmas Far From Home by Stanley Weintraub
This book tells the story of the American soldiers who, in 1950, had to fight their way to safety in the face of a Chinese offensive, bitter cold, and poor living conditions. The book opposes this with the actions and lifestyle of supreme commander Douglas MacArthur, who was trying to run the war from his comfortable digs in Tokyo. The book comes down very strongly against MacArthur, portraying him as out of touch and completely disinterested in opinions and facts that countered his own beliefs.
I have to admit I didn't get more than a third into the book before quitting. I could never quite get into the story, as I was trying too hard to keep up with the unit names and other details to keep things straight. Weintraub has found a niche in writing books about was and Christmastime, and I don't know if this is typical of his efforts. Maybe his earlier books are better.
This book tells the story of the American soldiers who, in 1950, had to fight their way to safety in the face of a Chinese offensive, bitter cold, and poor living conditions. The book opposes this with the actions and lifestyle of supreme commander Douglas MacArthur, who was trying to run the war from his comfortable digs in Tokyo. The book comes down very strongly against MacArthur, portraying him as out of touch and completely disinterested in opinions and facts that countered his own beliefs.
I have to admit I didn't get more than a third into the book before quitting. I could never quite get into the story, as I was trying too hard to keep up with the unit names and other details to keep things straight. Weintraub has found a niche in writing books about was and Christmastime, and I don't know if this is typical of his efforts. Maybe his earlier books are better.
Book Log 2015 #43: Y: The Last Man by Brian Vaughan and Pia Guerra
An unknown sickness kills every male creature in the world - except for Yorick Brown and his pet monkey. Yorick wants to go to Australia to find his girlfriend, but others - including his mother - have other ideas. They want to figure out why Yorick and his monkey survived, and if they can be used to create new males. Yorick gets hooked up with a mysterious secret agent and an ethically-challenged geneticist, with the group trying to get to California to get to the doctor's lab. Along the way, they run into various militant feminists, including a group whose members now include Yorick's sister, who would happily kill Yorick and his monkey.
I've read about half of the issues of this graphic novel, and am enjoying it, though I'm not sure if I'm that into graphic novels generally. Still, I'm looking forward to the second half of the series.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: a graphic novel)
An unknown sickness kills every male creature in the world - except for Yorick Brown and his pet monkey. Yorick wants to go to Australia to find his girlfriend, but others - including his mother - have other ideas. They want to figure out why Yorick and his monkey survived, and if they can be used to create new males. Yorick gets hooked up with a mysterious secret agent and an ethically-challenged geneticist, with the group trying to get to California to get to the doctor's lab. Along the way, they run into various militant feminists, including a group whose members now include Yorick's sister, who would happily kill Yorick and his monkey.
I've read about half of the issues of this graphic novel, and am enjoying it, though I'm not sure if I'm that into graphic novels generally. Still, I'm looking forward to the second half of the series.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: a graphic novel)
Book Log 2015 #42: Layover in Dubai by Dan Fesperman
A corporate auditor stops over in Dubai to check in on a colleague who likes to live on the edge a bit, causing concerns that he may hurt relations between the company and the authorities. When that colleague ends up dead, and a visit by the firm's chief security officer leads the local police right to the auditor's door, he has to team up with an unorthodox police detective to get to the bottom of things.
This is a very solid thriller, which benefits greatly from its unique setting. I only wish it had been written during the global financial slowdown, as that would have added an additional interesting angle to things. Still, a good choice if you're looking for something contemporary and set outside of the usual locations for this sort of book.
A corporate auditor stops over in Dubai to check in on a colleague who likes to live on the edge a bit, causing concerns that he may hurt relations between the company and the authorities. When that colleague ends up dead, and a visit by the firm's chief security officer leads the local police right to the auditor's door, he has to team up with an unorthodox police detective to get to the bottom of things.
This is a very solid thriller, which benefits greatly from its unique setting. I only wish it had been written during the global financial slowdown, as that would have added an additional interesting angle to things. Still, a good choice if you're looking for something contemporary and set outside of the usual locations for this sort of book.
Book Log 2015 #41: Dead Wake by Erik Larson
Larson's skill at narrative non-fiction is well on display in this telling of the Lusitania sinking, which bounces between the passengers and crew of the ship and the men of the U-boat that sank it. The strength of the book probably lies with the Germans, as we get a much clearer idea of why the policy around sinking passenger lines changes and why this specific U-boat was in the right place at the right time to fire her torpedoes.
Which isn't to say that the parts about the boat and its passengers aren't informative and entertaining. These sections only serve to underscore the human tragedy of the sinking, as characters we've followed throughout the voyage are put in harm's way, with not all of them surviving (which doesn't even begin to address the hundreds of unmentioned passengers who died).
The only thing about the book I didn't care for was the story of President Wilson and his courting of future wife Edith Galt. I don't feel like the stories meshed very well, and didn't really add much to the overall proceeedings.
Very much recommended, even so.
Larson's skill at narrative non-fiction is well on display in this telling of the Lusitania sinking, which bounces between the passengers and crew of the ship and the men of the U-boat that sank it. The strength of the book probably lies with the Germans, as we get a much clearer idea of why the policy around sinking passenger lines changes and why this specific U-boat was in the right place at the right time to fire her torpedoes.
Which isn't to say that the parts about the boat and its passengers aren't informative and entertaining. These sections only serve to underscore the human tragedy of the sinking, as characters we've followed throughout the voyage are put in harm's way, with not all of them surviving (which doesn't even begin to address the hundreds of unmentioned passengers who died).
The only thing about the book I didn't care for was the story of President Wilson and his courting of future wife Edith Galt. I don't feel like the stories meshed very well, and didn't really add much to the overall proceeedings.
Very much recommended, even so.
Book Log 2015 #40: Wrath of the Furies by Steven Saylor
The latest entry in the series following the young Gordianus the Finder sees him still in Alexandria, waiting out the war in the Italian peninsula where Rome is fighting its local client states, while closer to Egypt Mithradites is taking over many of Rome's Asian territories. Gordianus's former tutor and agent for Mithridates, Antipater, apparently finds himself in trouble, forcing Gordianus to enter enemy territory - Romans found in Mithradates's territory are likely to be executed - to find Antipater and save him from harm.
This book feels much more like an entry from the original series, though it captures enough of Gordianus's youth and inexperience to keep things interesting. There's also the continued development of his relationship with Bethesda, which is still pretty much in her favor.
The best of the young Gordianus books to date, which makes me look forward to future entries.
The latest entry in the series following the young Gordianus the Finder sees him still in Alexandria, waiting out the war in the Italian peninsula where Rome is fighting its local client states, while closer to Egypt Mithradites is taking over many of Rome's Asian territories. Gordianus's former tutor and agent for Mithridates, Antipater, apparently finds himself in trouble, forcing Gordianus to enter enemy territory - Romans found in Mithradates's territory are likely to be executed - to find Antipater and save him from harm.
This book feels much more like an entry from the original series, though it captures enough of Gordianus's youth and inexperience to keep things interesting. There's also the continued development of his relationship with Bethesda, which is still pretty much in her favor.
The best of the young Gordianus books to date, which makes me look forward to future entries.
Book Log 2015 #39: When to Rob a Bank by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
For their most recent book, the Freakonomics guys package up some of their favorite blog posts in this volume. And while some entries were as interesting and insightful as what's in their regular books, a lot of it is closer to the bulk of the 8000 posts that the authors consider rubbish. So it's probably worth a read if you're a Freakonomics completist, or a browse if you're interested in specific topics.
For their most recent book, the Freakonomics guys package up some of their favorite blog posts in this volume. And while some entries were as interesting and insightful as what's in their regular books, a lot of it is closer to the bulk of the 8000 posts that the authors consider rubbish. So it's probably worth a read if you're a Freakonomics completist, or a browse if you're interested in specific topics.
24 November 2015
Book Log 2015 #38: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Turns out that A Passage to India wasn't old enough to fulfill the "read a book that's over 100 years old" part of the Popsugar reading challenge. But this one, which I'd been thinking about reading, did.
The basic story: Dorian Gray is a young, handsome man just starting to make his way in London. He is having his portrait painted by Basil Hallward (who is quite taken with Gray) when he meets of friend of Hallward's, Sir Henry Hotton. Gray and Hotton develop a friendship (generally dominated by Hotton), which leads Gray toward a life of aesthetics and hedonism. As part of that life, Gray wishes that his looks would never fade, but rather that they'd be reflected in his portrait. This is exactly what happens; as Gray lives a life where he does not deny himself any sensation, regardless of the consequences, he continues to look like the unblemished youth who first sat for Hallward.
Originally published as a serial, reaction was not favorable. As tame as the book seems now, charges of immorality were bandied about quite widely, with threats of legal charges against publisher and author alike. The publisher even removed what it considered the most questionable passages, to little relief. Wilde would later rework the story, adding chapters and a preface about the philosophical nature of the work and the importance of art in society (this is the version I read).
Unlike A Passage to India, this book stands up better to the ravages of time, thanks to Wilde's prose and the familiarity of the themes. Its brevity also helps keep the book from dragging where it might if it were longer.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: a book more than 100 years old; a popular author's first novel)
Turns out that A Passage to India wasn't old enough to fulfill the "read a book that's over 100 years old" part of the Popsugar reading challenge. But this one, which I'd been thinking about reading, did.
The basic story: Dorian Gray is a young, handsome man just starting to make his way in London. He is having his portrait painted by Basil Hallward (who is quite taken with Gray) when he meets of friend of Hallward's, Sir Henry Hotton. Gray and Hotton develop a friendship (generally dominated by Hotton), which leads Gray toward a life of aesthetics and hedonism. As part of that life, Gray wishes that his looks would never fade, but rather that they'd be reflected in his portrait. This is exactly what happens; as Gray lives a life where he does not deny himself any sensation, regardless of the consequences, he continues to look like the unblemished youth who first sat for Hallward.
Originally published as a serial, reaction was not favorable. As tame as the book seems now, charges of immorality were bandied about quite widely, with threats of legal charges against publisher and author alike. The publisher even removed what it considered the most questionable passages, to little relief. Wilde would later rework the story, adding chapters and a preface about the philosophical nature of the work and the importance of art in society (this is the version I read).
Unlike A Passage to India, this book stands up better to the ravages of time, thanks to Wilde's prose and the familiarity of the themes. Its brevity also helps keep the book from dragging where it might if it were longer.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: a book more than 100 years old; a popular author's first novel)
Book Log 2015 #37: A Passage to India by E.M. Forester
We were assigned this book in a world civilizations class (either 7th or 9th grade, can't remember which), and I didn't get past the first 50 pages. I'd been told since then that the book gets much better as it goes along, so when the Popsugar reading challenge said to read something you were suppose to read in high school but didn't, this seemed like a good choice.
I believe the people who told me the book gets better were lying. Or repeating what they'd heard from others. Because even though I managed to read the whole thing, it was quite the slog. The piece I linked to above kind of hits the nail on the head - it's a dated book, certainly in style, but its observations about the various relations (east-west, racial, and religious) still resonate.
Consider the incident involving Adela Quested and Dr. Aziz, the sort of mistaken identity plot twist that even in Forster's time was a bit of chestnut. Out of it, though, we get Miss Quested's realization that her desire to see the "real" India is naive at best, and Dr. Aziz's rededication to his faith and the cause of Indian nationalism. The event is tired, but the results are the sorts of things we see today.
I don't know if there's an easy way to reconcile this problem, as it's too easy to bail on this book before you start to see how its themes are still fresh. Maybe you can't reconcile it. So if you do pick this book up (or pick it up again, as I did), be prepared to work for your insights, and mostly not in a pleasurable way.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: a book you were supposed to read in school but didn't)
We were assigned this book in a world civilizations class (either 7th or 9th grade, can't remember which), and I didn't get past the first 50 pages. I'd been told since then that the book gets much better as it goes along, so when the Popsugar reading challenge said to read something you were suppose to read in high school but didn't, this seemed like a good choice.
I believe the people who told me the book gets better were lying. Or repeating what they'd heard from others. Because even though I managed to read the whole thing, it was quite the slog. The piece I linked to above kind of hits the nail on the head - it's a dated book, certainly in style, but its observations about the various relations (east-west, racial, and religious) still resonate.
Consider the incident involving Adela Quested and Dr. Aziz, the sort of mistaken identity plot twist that even in Forster's time was a bit of chestnut. Out of it, though, we get Miss Quested's realization that her desire to see the "real" India is naive at best, and Dr. Aziz's rededication to his faith and the cause of Indian nationalism. The event is tired, but the results are the sorts of things we see today.
I don't know if there's an easy way to reconcile this problem, as it's too easy to bail on this book before you start to see how its themes are still fresh. Maybe you can't reconcile it. So if you do pick this book up (or pick it up again, as I did), be prepared to work for your insights, and mostly not in a pleasurable way.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: a book you were supposed to read in school but didn't)
22 November 2015
Book Log 2015 #36: World Gone By by Dennis Lehane
The final book in the Coughlin trilogy sees an older Joe trying to come to grips with the changes to the underworld brought by the end of Prohibition, World War II, and the opening up of Cuba. Joe is as comfortable as ever moving among criminals and the straight world - from high rollers to military intelligence - but there's a pall over things as events of the past start to catch up with him.
It's a fitting end to the trilogy, underscoring the brutal efficiency that maintains power for those who run criminal organizations. I'm glad that I overcame my original reluctance over reading The Given Day so that I didn't miss out on these three books.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: Read a trilogy)
The final book in the Coughlin trilogy sees an older Joe trying to come to grips with the changes to the underworld brought by the end of Prohibition, World War II, and the opening up of Cuba. Joe is as comfortable as ever moving among criminals and the straight world - from high rollers to military intelligence - but there's a pall over things as events of the past start to catch up with him.
It's a fitting end to the trilogy, underscoring the brutal efficiency that maintains power for those who run criminal organizations. I'm glad that I overcame my original reluctance over reading The Given Day so that I didn't miss out on these three books.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: Read a trilogy)
20 November 2015
Book Log 2015 #35: Live by Night by Dennis Lehane
Set 7 years after the events of The Given Day, it's an odd sort of sequel as it focuses on Joe Coughlin, the youngest brother of Danny Coughlin, the main character of the first book. He doesn't show up much in that book, so he's a bit of a blank canvas, which allows Lehane to make him the son who goes in the exact opposite direction of his police-oriented household. The book opens with Joe participating in a robbery that may be a set up, forcing him to go on the run and, eventually, to Tampa, where he quickly asserts himself as someone to be reckoned with in the local underworld.
While I was hoping that this book would continue to follow Danny, his path seems a little dull (he winds up working in Hollywood as a writer and sometimes actor in the movies). One difference I did miss was the historical subplot, which in the first book followed Babe Ruth. I don't know if there would have been an easy way to include one, to be honest.
One interesting way that this book did have some continuity with the first one was in the way Joe is able to work with a multiethnic set of criminals, much in the way Danny cultivated friends and associates who weren't just Irish Catholics. Very forward thinking for the times.
So if you go into this book not expecting it to be a traditional sequel, you should be pretty happy with it. And even if you did, it's certainly the equal to the first book.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: Read a trilogy. Granted, I read The Given Day a few years ago, but I'm counting it.)
Set 7 years after the events of The Given Day, it's an odd sort of sequel as it focuses on Joe Coughlin, the youngest brother of Danny Coughlin, the main character of the first book. He doesn't show up much in that book, so he's a bit of a blank canvas, which allows Lehane to make him the son who goes in the exact opposite direction of his police-oriented household. The book opens with Joe participating in a robbery that may be a set up, forcing him to go on the run and, eventually, to Tampa, where he quickly asserts himself as someone to be reckoned with in the local underworld.
While I was hoping that this book would continue to follow Danny, his path seems a little dull (he winds up working in Hollywood as a writer and sometimes actor in the movies). One difference I did miss was the historical subplot, which in the first book followed Babe Ruth. I don't know if there would have been an easy way to include one, to be honest.
One interesting way that this book did have some continuity with the first one was in the way Joe is able to work with a multiethnic set of criminals, much in the way Danny cultivated friends and associates who weren't just Irish Catholics. Very forward thinking for the times.
So if you go into this book not expecting it to be a traditional sequel, you should be pretty happy with it. And even if you did, it's certainly the equal to the first book.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: Read a trilogy. Granted, I read The Given Day a few years ago, but I'm counting it.)
16 November 2015
Book Log 2015 #34: The Death Head's Chess Club by John Donoghue
An Israeli chess grand master is in Amsterdam for a tournament that may lead to him becoming world champion. But he is approached by a retired bishop - and former Nazi officer at Auschwitz, where the chess player was imprisoned - who is seeking reconciliation for the past. The chess player, who is stridently anti-German (to the point of almost forfeiting an opening match against a German player), resists his advances, but as they talk (and include the German player in their meetings), it becomes clear that everyone has something they want to atone for, and the best way to do it may be bringing each other into their stories.
This plot line (set in the 1960s) is interspersed with a story set at Auschwitz during WW2, where the bishop - assigned to the camp as an administrator due to an injury - starts a chess club as a way to improve camp morale. And it's a success - until it's discovered that there's a prisoner who may be a better chess player than any Nazi at the camp. And perhaps better than any Nazi, period. This puts the future bishop under pressure from superiors and from those who are using the club and tournaments for their own gain.
It took me a while to warm up to this book, but once I did I really got pulled in. The Auschwitz story line is compelling even though you know that the grand master and the future bishop survive, and the "present" story leads to questions about forgiveness, both within the framework of the Holocaust and within the personal relationship between these three men who, for the most part barely know each other.
The one thing I wasn't crazy about was the title. Otherwise, a very worthy read.
An Israeli chess grand master is in Amsterdam for a tournament that may lead to him becoming world champion. But he is approached by a retired bishop - and former Nazi officer at Auschwitz, where the chess player was imprisoned - who is seeking reconciliation for the past. The chess player, who is stridently anti-German (to the point of almost forfeiting an opening match against a German player), resists his advances, but as they talk (and include the German player in their meetings), it becomes clear that everyone has something they want to atone for, and the best way to do it may be bringing each other into their stories.
This plot line (set in the 1960s) is interspersed with a story set at Auschwitz during WW2, where the bishop - assigned to the camp as an administrator due to an injury - starts a chess club as a way to improve camp morale. And it's a success - until it's discovered that there's a prisoner who may be a better chess player than any Nazi at the camp. And perhaps better than any Nazi, period. This puts the future bishop under pressure from superiors and from those who are using the club and tournaments for their own gain.
It took me a while to warm up to this book, but once I did I really got pulled in. The Auschwitz story line is compelling even though you know that the grand master and the future bishop survive, and the "present" story leads to questions about forgiveness, both within the framework of the Holocaust and within the personal relationship between these three men who, for the most part barely know each other.
The one thing I wasn't crazy about was the title. Otherwise, a very worthy read.
13 November 2015
Book Log 2015 #31: The Westing Game by Ellen Rankin
So the Popsugar reading challenge that I've been trying to finish includes a book from your childhood, and as I had fond memories of the book I thought I'd go back and see how it holds up.
I'm happy to say it held up pretty well, even for generally remembering how it ends. In some respects it may befuddle young readers now - why is Turtle listening to a radio to get stock quotes when she can get them on her phone? - but the core mystery will still engage.
One thing that threw me was that I thought this book was dotted with footnotes. I apparently confused this with another Rankin book, The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel), which I now think I have to read as well.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book from your childhood)
So the Popsugar reading challenge that I've been trying to finish includes a book from your childhood, and as I had fond memories of the book I thought I'd go back and see how it holds up.
I'm happy to say it held up pretty well, even for generally remembering how it ends. In some respects it may befuddle young readers now - why is Turtle listening to a radio to get stock quotes when she can get them on her phone? - but the core mystery will still engage.
One thing that threw me was that I thought this book was dotted with footnotes. I apparently confused this with another Rankin book, The Mysterious Disappearance of Leon (I Mean Noel), which I now think I have to read as well.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book from your childhood)
Book Log 2015 #33: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
I was ready for this book to fall into the expected path of a story where a woman disappears and her husband becomes the prime suspect. I was happily surprised when it failed to do so, and even more surprised in a couple of spots where the book completely subverted my expectations. I also liked some of the commentary on how our culture approaches these missing person cases, mostly in skewering Nancy Grace and her ilk in the televised anger factory.
What I liked most about the book, though, was they way it showed how we never really know people, even those who are closest to us. Almost none of the characters - with the exception of Nick's mom, maybe - really know their spouses, siblings or children as well as they think they do. I don't know if this is universally true (it may just be that I have a shallow personal inner life), but it's an idea that's caused me to ponder my relationships. The book also has given me at instruction in at least one way to turn your child into a sociopath, so thanks for giving me an idea of what not to do.
It's a pager-turner for sure, and I whipped through it fast enough that I probably missed some things that I might have complained about otherwise. Not necessarily a bad thing, I guess.
I was ready for this book to fall into the expected path of a story where a woman disappears and her husband becomes the prime suspect. I was happily surprised when it failed to do so, and even more surprised in a couple of spots where the book completely subverted my expectations. I also liked some of the commentary on how our culture approaches these missing person cases, mostly in skewering Nancy Grace and her ilk in the televised anger factory.
What I liked most about the book, though, was they way it showed how we never really know people, even those who are closest to us. Almost none of the characters - with the exception of Nick's mom, maybe - really know their spouses, siblings or children as well as they think they do. I don't know if this is universally true (it may just be that I have a shallow personal inner life), but it's an idea that's caused me to ponder my relationships. The book also has given me at instruction in at least one way to turn your child into a sociopath, so thanks for giving me an idea of what not to do.
It's a pager-turner for sure, and I whipped through it fast enough that I probably missed some things that I might have complained about otherwise. Not necessarily a bad thing, I guess.
Book Log 2015 #32: The Martian by Andy Weir
A quick synopsis for the three of you who haven't seen an ad for the movie version of the book - a manned mission to Mars has to abort due to a violent storm, and accidentally leaves one member behind, thinking he was dead. That man, an engineer and botanist named Mark Watney, has to figure out a way to survive in the hope of a rescue by the next mission - four years away. Along the way he encounters a number of challenges, while NASA tries to figure out the best way to get him back without alerting Watney's crewmates that he's actually alive.
Most of the story is told through Watney's journal, and telling the story in this near past tense sort of way maintains the suspense of what happened while allowing Watney to retell the story with a good blend of humor and sarcasm. That also juxtaposes nicely with his eventual interactions with NASA, whose straightlaced culture contrasts deeply with both Watney and how his former crewmates are considered.
Weir put a lot of research into making sure the science of the book is right (with the one notable, admitted exception of the storm that sets the story in motion), giving it an added level of realism that most authors wouldn't have bothered to develop.
It's not perfect - I did find some of the NASA sections a little stilted (which may also be the result of painstaking research, for all I know). But it's more engrossing than a book based on a series of engineering challenges would normally be, and I'd certainly recommend it.
A quick synopsis for the three of you who haven't seen an ad for the movie version of the book - a manned mission to Mars has to abort due to a violent storm, and accidentally leaves one member behind, thinking he was dead. That man, an engineer and botanist named Mark Watney, has to figure out a way to survive in the hope of a rescue by the next mission - four years away. Along the way he encounters a number of challenges, while NASA tries to figure out the best way to get him back without alerting Watney's crewmates that he's actually alive.
Most of the story is told through Watney's journal, and telling the story in this near past tense sort of way maintains the suspense of what happened while allowing Watney to retell the story with a good blend of humor and sarcasm. That also juxtaposes nicely with his eventual interactions with NASA, whose straightlaced culture contrasts deeply with both Watney and how his former crewmates are considered.
Weir put a lot of research into making sure the science of the book is right (with the one notable, admitted exception of the storm that sets the story in motion), giving it an added level of realism that most authors wouldn't have bothered to develop.
It's not perfect - I did find some of the NASA sections a little stilted (which may also be the result of painstaking research, for all I know). But it's more engrossing than a book based on a series of engineering challenges would normally be, and I'd certainly recommend it.
11 November 2015
Book Log 2015 #30: Joe Steele by Harry Turtledove
This may be the first alternative history book I've read that was inspired by a Janis Ian song (though it's original version appeared in an entire anthology of stories based on her songs). Anyway, in the song "God & the FBI," Ian sings that Stalin was a Democrat, which got Turtledove thinking what would have happened had Stalin actually been an American and a Democratic politician.
In this case, Stalin's parents emigrate to the US before his birth in California. He grows up in the Fresno area, steeped in the politics of the region and it's agricultural workers. When 1932 comes around he is the only person who has a chance to win the Democratic nomination for President from FDR, a chance that he may or may not have advanced by applying rough and tumble tactics - and a liberal amount of flammable material - to take FDR out of the picture. From there on out, we see how Steele applied his personal brand of leftist, totalitarian politics to get the country through the Depression, World War II, and everything else that happened during his many terms in office.
The story is mostly told through the eyes of two journalist brothers, one who is supportive enough of Steele to start working for the administration in the White House. The other, not so much. Their relationship frames the central conflict of freedom versus security that's at the heart of the book.
I don't know if really accept that Steele would become an Americanized version of Stalin, or that there wouldn't be more resistance to a politician who took such extreme measures as depicted in the book. On the other hand, desperate people can be manipulated fairly easily, so I may just be deluding myself.
One positive is that I think this is the first Turtledove book in about a decade where no one sketched a salute at someone else. Some of his favorite terms to describe people smoking do pop up, but overall the hackneyed phrase quotient seemed to decline. The use of real life people in supporting roles - such as J. Edgar Hoover and references to Richard Nixon towards the end of the book - was also well done, and helped to set up the next book in what I assume will be a series. So overall, better than some of the recent Turtledove work, which is not necessarily a high bar to clear (looking at you, Supervolcano books).
This may be the first alternative history book I've read that was inspired by a Janis Ian song (though it's original version appeared in an entire anthology of stories based on her songs). Anyway, in the song "God & the FBI," Ian sings that Stalin was a Democrat, which got Turtledove thinking what would have happened had Stalin actually been an American and a Democratic politician.
In this case, Stalin's parents emigrate to the US before his birth in California. He grows up in the Fresno area, steeped in the politics of the region and it's agricultural workers. When 1932 comes around he is the only person who has a chance to win the Democratic nomination for President from FDR, a chance that he may or may not have advanced by applying rough and tumble tactics - and a liberal amount of flammable material - to take FDR out of the picture. From there on out, we see how Steele applied his personal brand of leftist, totalitarian politics to get the country through the Depression, World War II, and everything else that happened during his many terms in office.
The story is mostly told through the eyes of two journalist brothers, one who is supportive enough of Steele to start working for the administration in the White House. The other, not so much. Their relationship frames the central conflict of freedom versus security that's at the heart of the book.
I don't know if really accept that Steele would become an Americanized version of Stalin, or that there wouldn't be more resistance to a politician who took such extreme measures as depicted in the book. On the other hand, desperate people can be manipulated fairly easily, so I may just be deluding myself.
One positive is that I think this is the first Turtledove book in about a decade where no one sketched a salute at someone else. Some of his favorite terms to describe people smoking do pop up, but overall the hackneyed phrase quotient seemed to decline. The use of real life people in supporting roles - such as J. Edgar Hoover and references to Richard Nixon towards the end of the book - was also well done, and helped to set up the next book in what I assume will be a series. So overall, better than some of the recent Turtledove work, which is not necessarily a high bar to clear (looking at you, Supervolcano books).
Book Log 2015 #29: The Patriot Threat by Steven Berry
The latest Cotton Malone romp has him flitting around the Adriatic trying to prevent a rouge North Korean (modeled on the brother of the current leader, who was busted trying to enter Japan on a fake passport so he could visit the Disney park there) from using doubts about the legality of the 16th Amendment (based on missing state records and some shaky legal machinations on the federal level) and a potential multibillion dollar debt owed to the heirs of a Revolutionary War financier to bankrupt the US. Can Malone, teamed up again with the obnoxious Luke Daniels and a female Treasury agent with her own shaky past keep the US solvent?
I'm still not sure this turn to basing books on fringe theories about the US government is a great move, either from giving the theories credence or from treading on ground that other authors have covered before (William Martin used Revolutionary War financing to drive the plot of City of Dreams, while the Masonic angles have been used in pretty much any thriller involving the Founding Fathers). I suppose I'll take it if it means avoiding another book like The Paris Vendetta, which was awful.
It also allows for a guessing game of what weirdness will drive the next book. Maybe something about the supposed one day presidency of David Rice Atchison? Or something tying in the recent trend toward marijuana legalization and George Washington's documented cultivation of hemp? Nope, it's about an apparent failure of the succession law to cover what happens if the President and VP-elect die before inauguration day, and something called The Society of Cincinnati and their past plans to invade Canada. Hmm.
The latest Cotton Malone romp has him flitting around the Adriatic trying to prevent a rouge North Korean (modeled on the brother of the current leader, who was busted trying to enter Japan on a fake passport so he could visit the Disney park there) from using doubts about the legality of the 16th Amendment (based on missing state records and some shaky legal machinations on the federal level) and a potential multibillion dollar debt owed to the heirs of a Revolutionary War financier to bankrupt the US. Can Malone, teamed up again with the obnoxious Luke Daniels and a female Treasury agent with her own shaky past keep the US solvent?
I'm still not sure this turn to basing books on fringe theories about the US government is a great move, either from giving the theories credence or from treading on ground that other authors have covered before (William Martin used Revolutionary War financing to drive the plot of City of Dreams, while the Masonic angles have been used in pretty much any thriller involving the Founding Fathers). I suppose I'll take it if it means avoiding another book like The Paris Vendetta, which was awful.
It also allows for a guessing game of what weirdness will drive the next book. Maybe something about the supposed one day presidency of David Rice Atchison? Or something tying in the recent trend toward marijuana legalization and George Washington's documented cultivation of hemp? Nope, it's about an apparent failure of the succession law to cover what happens if the President and VP-elect die before inauguration day, and something called The Society of Cincinnati and their past plans to invade Canada. Hmm.
09 October 2015
Book Log 2015 #28: Seveneves by Neal Stephenson
If you ever wondered what would happen if the moon suddenly broke into several large pieces, this book is for you.
As it turns out, having the moon break into several large pieces would be a bad thing. The large pieces, as they collide with each other, would create smaller pieces, and at some point in that process the smaller pieces would start to fall to Earth. And not stop for several hundred years (if not longer). In this case, the people of Earth have comparatively little time - two or three years at most - to figure out the best way to save whatever remnant of humanity it can.
That takes up a majority of the book, with the eventual plan threatened at every turn by the venality of politicians and the dangers of living and working in space. Orbital mechanics is involved. A lot.
Move forward 5000 years. A new human civilization (or, maybe more accurately, seven new human civilizations) based in space is beginning to reinhabit an Earth. But it's not going as smoothly as it appears, as seen when a landing party investigates what's behind some mysterious sightings in one part of the planet.
It's an epic work on an epic scale (what was the last book Stephenson wrote that was under 800 pages?), and it is very entertaining. Still not sure I fully buy how things turned out in the future (that the seven Eves of the title would lead to seven human races with noticeable distinctions between the seven), but the combination of genetic engineering and time (and Stephenson's imagination) doesn't put that out of reach. Probably his best book since Cryptonomicon.
If you ever wondered what would happen if the moon suddenly broke into several large pieces, this book is for you.
As it turns out, having the moon break into several large pieces would be a bad thing. The large pieces, as they collide with each other, would create smaller pieces, and at some point in that process the smaller pieces would start to fall to Earth. And not stop for several hundred years (if not longer). In this case, the people of Earth have comparatively little time - two or three years at most - to figure out the best way to save whatever remnant of humanity it can.
That takes up a majority of the book, with the eventual plan threatened at every turn by the venality of politicians and the dangers of living and working in space. Orbital mechanics is involved. A lot.
Move forward 5000 years. A new human civilization (or, maybe more accurately, seven new human civilizations) based in space is beginning to reinhabit an Earth. But it's not going as smoothly as it appears, as seen when a landing party investigates what's behind some mysterious sightings in one part of the planet.
It's an epic work on an epic scale (what was the last book Stephenson wrote that was under 800 pages?), and it is very entertaining. Still not sure I fully buy how things turned out in the future (that the seven Eves of the title would lead to seven human races with noticeable distinctions between the seven), but the combination of genetic engineering and time (and Stephenson's imagination) doesn't put that out of reach. Probably his best book since Cryptonomicon.
Book Log 2015 #27: The City Under the Skin by Geoff Nicholson
Women in an unnamed city are being kidnapped, tattooed with cryptic markings, and then let go otherwise none the worse for wear. This draws the attention of one of the city's leading criminals, a killer with a map obsession who sees the markings as related to both his work and his hobby. He recruits a low-level hood trying to make good to get these women for him, a process which winds up bringing a rare map store clerk and a mysterious woman together in investigating just what these women represent, and how much danger everyone is in.
The book is a perfect marriage of Nicholson's crime fiction past and his interest in urban decay (prior to this novel he wrote the non-fiction book Walking in Ruins). Each character is compelling without being overly complex or unlikely, and the story does a great job of blending the personal aspects of the mystery with the larger, more common themes of crime fiction (the politics of organized crime, political corruption, etc.).
I really enjoyed this book, and look forward to delving into the author's previous works.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: a book chosen based on its cover)
Women in an unnamed city are being kidnapped, tattooed with cryptic markings, and then let go otherwise none the worse for wear. This draws the attention of one of the city's leading criminals, a killer with a map obsession who sees the markings as related to both his work and his hobby. He recruits a low-level hood trying to make good to get these women for him, a process which winds up bringing a rare map store clerk and a mysterious woman together in investigating just what these women represent, and how much danger everyone is in.
The book is a perfect marriage of Nicholson's crime fiction past and his interest in urban decay (prior to this novel he wrote the non-fiction book Walking in Ruins). Each character is compelling without being overly complex or unlikely, and the story does a great job of blending the personal aspects of the mystery with the larger, more common themes of crime fiction (the politics of organized crime, political corruption, etc.).
I really enjoyed this book, and look forward to delving into the author's previous works.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: a book chosen based on its cover)
07 October 2015
Book Log 2015 #26: The Alphabet House by Jussi Adler-Olsen
This departure from the Department Q novels is set during World War II and the Munich Olympics. In the first part, we follow a pair of British airmen who, after being shot down, escape from their pursuers by jumping on a train. It turns out to be a medical train, and the duo survive by pretending to be patients, almost all of whom are catatonic. Their ruse proves too good, and they are both sent to a special medical facility - the Alphabet House in question - for the treatment of psychological cases. The pair take very different routes in trying to maintain their ruse while avoiding the patients who are also faking, and will do anything to protect their secrets.
The story moves ahead to the 1970s, when one of the pair sets out to find his former mate. This descends into a longish game of cat and mouse with those other patients who are now part of German society and are still willing to do anything to protect their secrets.
Both sections of the book feel over long - the 1970s section in particular, which reminded me of The Marco Effect a little bit with action padding the story. On the other hand, this is a bit of a labor of love, as Adler-Olsen got the idea for the book in part from his parents and their discussions of psychology. I didn't care for this book as much as the Department Q novels, but it is a different sort of war novel (the author goes so far as to state that it's not a war novel at all in the preface), so it could be worth a look if you're looking for a WW2 novel with a different approach.
This departure from the Department Q novels is set during World War II and the Munich Olympics. In the first part, we follow a pair of British airmen who, after being shot down, escape from their pursuers by jumping on a train. It turns out to be a medical train, and the duo survive by pretending to be patients, almost all of whom are catatonic. Their ruse proves too good, and they are both sent to a special medical facility - the Alphabet House in question - for the treatment of psychological cases. The pair take very different routes in trying to maintain their ruse while avoiding the patients who are also faking, and will do anything to protect their secrets.
The story moves ahead to the 1970s, when one of the pair sets out to find his former mate. This descends into a longish game of cat and mouse with those other patients who are now part of German society and are still willing to do anything to protect their secrets.
Both sections of the book feel over long - the 1970s section in particular, which reminded me of The Marco Effect a little bit with action padding the story. On the other hand, this is a bit of a labor of love, as Adler-Olsen got the idea for the book in part from his parents and their discussions of psychology. I didn't care for this book as much as the Department Q novels, but it is a different sort of war novel (the author goes so far as to state that it's not a war novel at all in the preface), so it could be worth a look if you're looking for a WW2 novel with a different approach.
Book Log 2015 #25: The Fear Index by Robert Harris
This book takes one of the growing trends in the financial sector - the use of algorithms and AI in tracking markets and making trades based on automated predictions - and takes it to the place where Michael Critchton would have taken it were he still alive.
Alex Hoffman is a world-renowned scientist who teams up with an investment banker to create a fund that makes everyone rich. But when they move on to the next level, trying to create a system that will use an actual fear index - one that reflects insecurities in the market - things start to spiral out of control.
The main drawback for me with this book is that it was much clearer to me what was happening than it was to anyone in the book - even the main character. But I was also expecting something dramatic, so it's not like I was approaching things from the same mindset as the characters.
It's well-written, but I do prefer Harris' historical fiction more than his contemporary novels. Still, if you're a fan it's worth a read.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: Read a book where the main character isn't human. I'm counting this here given the role the AI plays in driving the plot.)
This book takes one of the growing trends in the financial sector - the use of algorithms and AI in tracking markets and making trades based on automated predictions - and takes it to the place where Michael Critchton would have taken it were he still alive.
Alex Hoffman is a world-renowned scientist who teams up with an investment banker to create a fund that makes everyone rich. But when they move on to the next level, trying to create a system that will use an actual fear index - one that reflects insecurities in the market - things start to spiral out of control.
The main drawback for me with this book is that it was much clearer to me what was happening than it was to anyone in the book - even the main character. But I was also expecting something dramatic, so it's not like I was approaching things from the same mindset as the characters.
It's well-written, but I do prefer Harris' historical fiction more than his contemporary novels. Still, if you're a fan it's worth a read.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: Read a book where the main character isn't human. I'm counting this here given the role the AI plays in driving the plot.)
Book Log 2015 #24: Lost at Sea: The Jon Ronson Mysteries by Jon Ronson
I needed a book at the end of a vacation, and found this for five Euros at a souvenir shop. It was easily the best five Euros I spent on that trip (non-Guinness division).
The book is a collection of stories that continue Ronson's quest to understand life and the fringe and how people cope in extraordinary situations. The stories are grouped into rough thematic sections ("Rebellious Lives," "Everyday Difficulty," etc.), though I would have just as happily read the stories if they were just thrown in there in chronological order.
Some of the stories have an investigative quality (most notably the title story, about a young female staffer on a cruise who apparently killed herself by going overboard, and the cruise line's apparent stonewalling of family and law enforcement), while others are more out there (for example, attending a UFO convention with the apparently dedicated UFO believer Robbie Williams). There's even an example of Ronson becoming part of his own story in coverage of a pedophilia trial involving a well-known British music producer. Also highly recommended is a story about Stanley Kubrick and his voluminous archives.
The collection is probably more in line with Them or Out of the Ordinary than The Men Who Stare at Goats, but it very much worth perusing, even if you only read selected stories.
(PopSugar Reading Challenge: A book of short stories. I know they probably meant fiction, but I'll take it).
I needed a book at the end of a vacation, and found this for five Euros at a souvenir shop. It was easily the best five Euros I spent on that trip (non-Guinness division).
The book is a collection of stories that continue Ronson's quest to understand life and the fringe and how people cope in extraordinary situations. The stories are grouped into rough thematic sections ("Rebellious Lives," "Everyday Difficulty," etc.), though I would have just as happily read the stories if they were just thrown in there in chronological order.
Some of the stories have an investigative quality (most notably the title story, about a young female staffer on a cruise who apparently killed herself by going overboard, and the cruise line's apparent stonewalling of family and law enforcement), while others are more out there (for example, attending a UFO convention with the apparently dedicated UFO believer Robbie Williams). There's even an example of Ronson becoming part of his own story in coverage of a pedophilia trial involving a well-known British music producer. Also highly recommended is a story about Stanley Kubrick and his voluminous archives.
The collection is probably more in line with Them or Out of the Ordinary than The Men Who Stare at Goats, but it very much worth perusing, even if you only read selected stories.
(PopSugar Reading Challenge: A book of short stories. I know they probably meant fiction, but I'll take it).
Book Log 2015 #23: Jar City by Arnaldur Indridason
This is the third book in a series following Icelandic detective Erlendur Sveinsson, who is the stock representation of a police detective in Scandinavian noir fiction. In this case he's trying to solve the murder of a seventysomething man which apparently has links to a 30-plus year old death of a young girl.
I can't say I was too taken with this book. Erlendur is too much the bedraggled, world-weary murder cop, and the complicated relationship he has with his junkie daughter doesn't help. I also found the dialog pretty stilted, which I assume is an issue with translation. Finally, I found Elendur's approach to solving the crime - fart around for a while, and then have a hunch made out of seemingly nowhere pay off - to not be that rewarding. Again, maybe there was some nuance lost in translation, but in my reading things seemed to wrap up more or less at random.
The name of the book refers to a collection of unique medical samples that had gone from storage at a hospital into the hands of private collectors. This is treated as a pretty serious breach of trust, but I had a hard time mustering the same level of outrage (I suppose Iceland doesn't have a Mutter Museum). There's a sample that plays an important part in solving the case, which Erlendur has to recover for genetic testing. I've read that the genetic testing aspect of the book was a critique of biotech firm's attempt at creating a genetic database of Icelanders as part of finding ways to use genetic information to cure diseases. I didn't get that, but I also live in a country whose pluralistic nature is obvious. Were I from Iceland, and convinced of having a certain genetic solidarity with other Icelanders, I would likely have taken more away from Jar City on this front.
In any case, not a series I'll be racing to keep up with, though it does generate some interest by being set in Iceland if nothing else.
This is the third book in a series following Icelandic detective Erlendur Sveinsson, who is the stock representation of a police detective in Scandinavian noir fiction. In this case he's trying to solve the murder of a seventysomething man which apparently has links to a 30-plus year old death of a young girl.
I can't say I was too taken with this book. Erlendur is too much the bedraggled, world-weary murder cop, and the complicated relationship he has with his junkie daughter doesn't help. I also found the dialog pretty stilted, which I assume is an issue with translation. Finally, I found Elendur's approach to solving the crime - fart around for a while, and then have a hunch made out of seemingly nowhere pay off - to not be that rewarding. Again, maybe there was some nuance lost in translation, but in my reading things seemed to wrap up more or less at random.
The name of the book refers to a collection of unique medical samples that had gone from storage at a hospital into the hands of private collectors. This is treated as a pretty serious breach of trust, but I had a hard time mustering the same level of outrage (I suppose Iceland doesn't have a Mutter Museum). There's a sample that plays an important part in solving the case, which Erlendur has to recover for genetic testing. I've read that the genetic testing aspect of the book was a critique of biotech firm's attempt at creating a genetic database of Icelanders as part of finding ways to use genetic information to cure diseases. I didn't get that, but I also live in a country whose pluralistic nature is obvious. Were I from Iceland, and convinced of having a certain genetic solidarity with other Icelanders, I would likely have taken more away from Jar City on this front.
In any case, not a series I'll be racing to keep up with, though it does generate some interest by being set in Iceland if nothing else.
20 August 2015
Book Log 2015 #22: Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene
Greene's novel The Third Man is a classic in the espionage genre, with its tense depiction of postwar Vienna as it segues from hot war to Cold War.
This is not The Third Man.
Instead, this novel takes a humorous look at spying (if I remember correctly, Greene called this an entertainment rather than a novel in the forward to the edition I read). A vacuum salesman in Havana is approached by British intelligence to serve as their eyes and ears in the Cuban capital. While he doesn't quite have a head for espionage, the salesman does have a head for fiction, and creates a network of fictional contacts (and drawings of imaginary weapons, which are actually close-up drawings of vacuum parts). At first this helps him pad his income (which he needs to keep his daughter in school and on her horse), but things quickly turn dangerous when the Brits, the Russians, and the Cuban police start to take his lies seriously.
I really enjoyed this, as the humor and satire balanced out well with the more serious back end. It's a quick read, too, as it's on the shortish side (more of a long novella, really).
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: nothing I haven't used yet, but it would count for a book that became a movie and a book set in another country)
Greene's novel The Third Man is a classic in the espionage genre, with its tense depiction of postwar Vienna as it segues from hot war to Cold War.
This is not The Third Man.
Instead, this novel takes a humorous look at spying (if I remember correctly, Greene called this an entertainment rather than a novel in the forward to the edition I read). A vacuum salesman in Havana is approached by British intelligence to serve as their eyes and ears in the Cuban capital. While he doesn't quite have a head for espionage, the salesman does have a head for fiction, and creates a network of fictional contacts (and drawings of imaginary weapons, which are actually close-up drawings of vacuum parts). At first this helps him pad his income (which he needs to keep his daughter in school and on her horse), but things quickly turn dangerous when the Brits, the Russians, and the Cuban police start to take his lies seriously.
I really enjoyed this, as the humor and satire balanced out well with the more serious back end. It's a quick read, too, as it's on the shortish side (more of a long novella, really).
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: nothing I haven't used yet, but it would count for a book that became a movie and a book set in another country)
Book Log 2015 #21: One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson
Charles Lindbergh crosses the Atlantic. Babe Ruth keeps hitting home runs. Calvin Coolidge tours the west and announces he won't be running for re-election. There are some of the major events that marked the summer of 1927, which Bill Bryson recounts in this highly engaging book. It's not just the major events and their detailed recounting that makes the book so engaging (the in-depth review of the failures of trans-Atlantic flight is a great example of this), it's also the way that minor events (or events that were major at the time but have faded over time) are woven in to give a fuller account of the summer. Flagpole sitters, sash weight murderers, and oddly named socialites all give added color.
I brought this book on vacation, figuring that two weeks and two longish plane flights would give me enough time to finish this. I wound up blowing through it before the first week was up, stealing time during the trip to continue reading. So yes, recommended.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: a book with a number in the title, a book you own but never read)
Charles Lindbergh crosses the Atlantic. Babe Ruth keeps hitting home runs. Calvin Coolidge tours the west and announces he won't be running for re-election. There are some of the major events that marked the summer of 1927, which Bill Bryson recounts in this highly engaging book. It's not just the major events and their detailed recounting that makes the book so engaging (the in-depth review of the failures of trans-Atlantic flight is a great example of this), it's also the way that minor events (or events that were major at the time but have faded over time) are woven in to give a fuller account of the summer. Flagpole sitters, sash weight murderers, and oddly named socialites all give added color.
I brought this book on vacation, figuring that two weeks and two longish plane flights would give me enough time to finish this. I wound up blowing through it before the first week was up, stealing time during the trip to continue reading. So yes, recommended.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: a book with a number in the title, a book you own but never read)
19 August 2015
Book Log 2015 #20: The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell
A girl runs away from her home in 1980s London and becomes involved in a supernatural battle between two groups of immortals in which regular humans (the "bone clocks" of the title) are either semi-willing supporters or a kind of food source. We follow the girl throughout her life, up to an old age where scarce resources is driving civilization to the edge, but with the occasional insertion into a war where she may be the key to victory.
I had similar feelings about this book as I did Cloud Atlas- I enjoyed it a great deal but felt like I was missing something. It could just be that I'm still not used to Mitchell's style of writing, which merges timelines and dimensions seamlessly. Getting used to it won't be the worst thing in the world.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: book with more than 500 pages, a book with magic)
A girl runs away from her home in 1980s London and becomes involved in a supernatural battle between two groups of immortals in which regular humans (the "bone clocks" of the title) are either semi-willing supporters or a kind of food source. We follow the girl throughout her life, up to an old age where scarce resources is driving civilization to the edge, but with the occasional insertion into a war where she may be the key to victory.
I had similar feelings about this book as I did Cloud Atlas- I enjoyed it a great deal but felt like I was missing something. It could just be that I'm still not used to Mitchell's style of writing, which merges timelines and dimensions seamlessly. Getting used to it won't be the worst thing in the world.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: book with more than 500 pages, a book with magic)
Book Log 2015 #19: Why Preists? by Gary Wills
In this book, Wills examines what he calls the "failed tradition" of the Catholic priesthood. This mostly looks at the way the church developed the priesthood using a specific - and perhaps not that accurate -reading of certain Bible passages coupled with later writings by Aquinas to create the tradition of Jesus as priest, a power then handed down through St. Peter and eventually to the popes, cardinals and the rest.
At least that's what I think it did, as (a) I had trouble following Wills' argument due to my own deficiencies in theology and history, and (b) I didn't finish the book due to those deficiencies.
I think the topic is interesting, and a version written for your average layperson would be helpful.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: not applicable, not going to use a book I didn't finish)
In this book, Wills examines what he calls the "failed tradition" of the Catholic priesthood. This mostly looks at the way the church developed the priesthood using a specific - and perhaps not that accurate -reading of certain Bible passages coupled with later writings by Aquinas to create the tradition of Jesus as priest, a power then handed down through St. Peter and eventually to the popes, cardinals and the rest.
At least that's what I think it did, as (a) I had trouble following Wills' argument due to my own deficiencies in theology and history, and (b) I didn't finish the book due to those deficiencies.
I think the topic is interesting, and a version written for your average layperson would be helpful.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: not applicable, not going to use a book I didn't finish)
16 July 2015
Book Log 2015 #18: The Returned by Jason Mott
When ABC cancelled Resurrection, it left viewers (myself included) at a point where the worldwide phenomenon of people returning from the dead was an accepted fact, but tinged by the possibility that a baby born to one of them was a harbinger of evil. Wanting to know how this all played out, I picked up this book, on which the series was based.
And, not surprisingly, the book is only tangentially related to the series. It's still about people who return from the dead, but the story is more focused on the central returnee - the boy who returns decades after his drowning - and the town's reaction to the returners. It's a more personal story, which makes sense given that Mott wrote it in the wake of his mother's death, with a premise of what he would do if she returned to life for one day.
It's not a bad book, but my disappointment in how different it was from the TV series may be coloring my judgement. I did find some of the characters a little too broadly drawn, which I may also have found more troubling given how the TV show had more time to develop them.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: a book based on or turned into a TV show)
When ABC cancelled Resurrection, it left viewers (myself included) at a point where the worldwide phenomenon of people returning from the dead was an accepted fact, but tinged by the possibility that a baby born to one of them was a harbinger of evil. Wanting to know how this all played out, I picked up this book, on which the series was based.
And, not surprisingly, the book is only tangentially related to the series. It's still about people who return from the dead, but the story is more focused on the central returnee - the boy who returns decades after his drowning - and the town's reaction to the returners. It's a more personal story, which makes sense given that Mott wrote it in the wake of his mother's death, with a premise of what he would do if she returned to life for one day.
It's not a bad book, but my disappointment in how different it was from the TV series may be coloring my judgement. I did find some of the characters a little too broadly drawn, which I may also have found more troubling given how the TV show had more time to develop them.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: a book based on or turned into a TV show)
Book Log 2015 #17: The Devil's Workshop by Alex Grecian
Inspector Walter Day and Sergeant Neville Hammersmith are back, representing Scotland Yard's Murder Squad in an investigation into a mysterious jail break using a train. As the duo (and the rest of the squad) track down the four escapees, it becomes clear that there's something larger going on involving some of London's most respectable men, and that there was a fifth escapee - one well known to London for his "ripping" murders.
Not sure if it was too early to play the Jack the Ripper card, but I did like the way he was introduced into the series. I was also hoping for a little more of the internal working of the Murder Squad that was in the first book. The subplot involving Day and his mentor did at least fill some of that gap.
Also notable is that Day's wife finally has her baby, meaning that the first three books took place in the span of six months, tops. London in the 1890s was even more dangerous than I originally thought.
Inspector Walter Day and Sergeant Neville Hammersmith are back, representing Scotland Yard's Murder Squad in an investigation into a mysterious jail break using a train. As the duo (and the rest of the squad) track down the four escapees, it becomes clear that there's something larger going on involving some of London's most respectable men, and that there was a fifth escapee - one well known to London for his "ripping" murders.
Not sure if it was too early to play the Jack the Ripper card, but I did like the way he was introduced into the series. I was also hoping for a little more of the internal working of the Murder Squad that was in the first book. The subplot involving Day and his mentor did at least fill some of that gap.
Also notable is that Day's wife finally has her baby, meaning that the first three books took place in the span of six months, tops. London in the 1890s was even more dangerous than I originally thought.
19 June 2015
First it was the campaign to put a woman on the $20 bill to replace Andrew Jackson. Now the news that the planned $10 bill redesign will see a woman potentially replace Alexander Hamilton. While it makes sense to introduce a woman on a bill that's planned for a redesign, it does stick in the craw to think that the father of the American financial system will have a reduced presence while Jackson, who didn't even like paper currency, remains on the $20.
So my thought - why not have a man and a woman on each denomination of paper currency, half of each printing for each gender?
$1 - George Washington stays, of course, but is joined by Martha Washington. She's the obvious choice, both for being the first First Lady and for already appearing on a $1 note.
$2 - Thomas Jefferson remains on our least circulated bill, joined by Pocahontas. Like Martha Washington, Pocahontas has appeared on a US paper note, and like Jefferson she is from what is now Virginia, and like Jefferson she spent time in Europe (though for very different reasons).
$5 - Abraham Lincoln is joined on the fin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, for obvious reasons. I went with her over the likes of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton as the latter two opposed the 14th and 15th Amendments (for not providing voting rights to women as well as men of all races). I can understand the rationale, but it seems wrong to pair Lincoln with anyone who was against those amendments.
$10 - Hamilton stays, and is joined by Frances Perkins. Perkins was the first woman in the US Cabinet, and is still the longest serving Secretary of Labor.
$20 - for now we'll keep Jackson here, and pair him with Harriet Tubman, who won the Women on 20s vote. I'd like to think that would annoy Jackson to no end.
And if we wanted to dump Jackson, we could pair Tubman with another figure from abolition, like Frederick Douglass or William Lloyd Garrison.
$50 - If we're looking for a military counterpart to Grant, the obvious choice here would be Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, whose contributions to computer science include writing the first compiler, developing the language COBOL, and coining the term debugging.
$100 - I would pair Ben Franklin with Eleanor Roosevelt, as both played roles in international diplomacy and both were known for work in newspapers. Not the strongest connection, but I think it's enough.
So my thought - why not have a man and a woman on each denomination of paper currency, half of each printing for each gender?
$1 - George Washington stays, of course, but is joined by Martha Washington. She's the obvious choice, both for being the first First Lady and for already appearing on a $1 note.
$2 - Thomas Jefferson remains on our least circulated bill, joined by Pocahontas. Like Martha Washington, Pocahontas has appeared on a US paper note, and like Jefferson she is from what is now Virginia, and like Jefferson she spent time in Europe (though for very different reasons).
$5 - Abraham Lincoln is joined on the fin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, for obvious reasons. I went with her over the likes of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton as the latter two opposed the 14th and 15th Amendments (for not providing voting rights to women as well as men of all races). I can understand the rationale, but it seems wrong to pair Lincoln with anyone who was against those amendments.
$10 - Hamilton stays, and is joined by Frances Perkins. Perkins was the first woman in the US Cabinet, and is still the longest serving Secretary of Labor.
$20 - for now we'll keep Jackson here, and pair him with Harriet Tubman, who won the Women on 20s vote. I'd like to think that would annoy Jackson to no end.
And if we wanted to dump Jackson, we could pair Tubman with another figure from abolition, like Frederick Douglass or William Lloyd Garrison.
$50 - If we're looking for a military counterpart to Grant, the obvious choice here would be Rear Admiral Grace Hopper, whose contributions to computer science include writing the first compiler, developing the language COBOL, and coining the term debugging.
$100 - I would pair Ben Franklin with Eleanor Roosevelt, as both played roles in international diplomacy and both were known for work in newspapers. Not the strongest connection, but I think it's enough.
18 June 2015
Book Log 2015 #16: Head of State by Andrew Marr
It's 2017, and the UK is facing a referendum on whether or not to stay in the European Union. The factions, headed by the prime minister (pro-EU) and an opposition MP (anti-EU), have allowed an eminent historian unhindered access to both campaigns. At least until something shocking happens, and factions within the government unleash their own plots for the looming election, often at the expense of those who may know too much.
This is the first stab at fiction for Marr, who is a well-known political commentator in the UK. His knowledge of politics and media show through, but the book is let down by its attempt to be both straight and humorous, as it's never successful enough at either to really work. The story is pretty inventive, though, so kudos are due there.
It's also worth noting that the referendum is likely to happen in real life - the Conservatives committed to one by the end of 2017 in their platform for the 2015 general election. It will hopefully entail less murder than what's in the book.
It's 2017, and the UK is facing a referendum on whether or not to stay in the European Union. The factions, headed by the prime minister (pro-EU) and an opposition MP (anti-EU), have allowed an eminent historian unhindered access to both campaigns. At least until something shocking happens, and factions within the government unleash their own plots for the looming election, often at the expense of those who may know too much.
This is the first stab at fiction for Marr, who is a well-known political commentator in the UK. His knowledge of politics and media show through, but the book is let down by its attempt to be both straight and humorous, as it's never successful enough at either to really work. The story is pretty inventive, though, so kudos are due there.
It's also worth noting that the referendum is likely to happen in real life - the Conservatives committed to one by the end of 2017 in their platform for the 2015 general election. It will hopefully entail less murder than what's in the book.
Book Log 2015 #15: The Marco Effect by Jussi Adler-Olsen
Things are changing for Carl Morck and Department Q, and not in a good way. A rival of Carl's is now overseeing the department and has saddled the team with a new member loyal to the rival, and Carl's long-term romantic plans take a sudden detour. But they do manage to get a new case, one involving the death of a government bureaucrat and possible financial misdealing by a government agency and a bank. The key to the case? A teenaged Roma boy (the Marco of the title) who has to avoid his vengeful clan and various hired guns to get what he knows to the authorities - whom he barely trusts.
This installment in the series is more of a conventional thriller - there seems to be a Marco-driven chase scene in every other chapter - but it's still solid. I would have liked a little more progress on the series-spanning plots, which get much less time than in the previous book, but there are new issues- Assad's recovery from injuries sustained in the previous book, and a potential romantic entanglement between Rose and the department's new member - which add something for each character.
In any case, I did enjoy this and continue to recommend the series.
Things are changing for Carl Morck and Department Q, and not in a good way. A rival of Carl's is now overseeing the department and has saddled the team with a new member loyal to the rival, and Carl's long-term romantic plans take a sudden detour. But they do manage to get a new case, one involving the death of a government bureaucrat and possible financial misdealing by a government agency and a bank. The key to the case? A teenaged Roma boy (the Marco of the title) who has to avoid his vengeful clan and various hired guns to get what he knows to the authorities - whom he barely trusts.
This installment in the series is more of a conventional thriller - there seems to be a Marco-driven chase scene in every other chapter - but it's still solid. I would have liked a little more progress on the series-spanning plots, which get much less time than in the previous book, but there are new issues- Assad's recovery from injuries sustained in the previous book, and a potential romantic entanglement between Rose and the department's new member - which add something for each character.
In any case, I did enjoy this and continue to recommend the series.
23 May 2015
Book Log 2015 #14: A Kim Jong-Il Production by Paul Fischer
One of the few things we know (or think we know) about Kim Jong-Il is his love of film. Beyond his personal passion, he saw how movies could serve as both propaganda and as a way to promote North Korea to the wider world.
To that end, a well known South Korean actress and her director ex-husband (both on the tail end of their careers at home) were apparently kidnapped and brought to the north to make movies that would inspire the citizenry and improve the country's reputation globally. And this kind of worked - the duo made a number of films that were well-received, even winning some international rewards. This all came to an end when the pair, allowed to travel abroad as part of their duties, escaped to the West.
This book tells what is a pretty fantastic story, even by the measure of what we hear about life in North Korea. Fischer provides plenty of background about the country and its leaders to flesh out the story (some reviews say too much, I didn't find it so). The most interesting part of the story to me, though, was the theory that the pair actually went to North Korea voluntarily and left because they thought they'd been rehabilitated enough to find film work in the West. I was a little surprised at how widely held this belief was, especially among South Koreans. But I suppose it's no more weird than a pair of kidnappings.
Worth a read if you're interested in North Korea, certainly.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: a book published this year)
One of the few things we know (or think we know) about Kim Jong-Il is his love of film. Beyond his personal passion, he saw how movies could serve as both propaganda and as a way to promote North Korea to the wider world.
To that end, a well known South Korean actress and her director ex-husband (both on the tail end of their careers at home) were apparently kidnapped and brought to the north to make movies that would inspire the citizenry and improve the country's reputation globally. And this kind of worked - the duo made a number of films that were well-received, even winning some international rewards. This all came to an end when the pair, allowed to travel abroad as part of their duties, escaped to the West.
This book tells what is a pretty fantastic story, even by the measure of what we hear about life in North Korea. Fischer provides plenty of background about the country and its leaders to flesh out the story (some reviews say too much, I didn't find it so). The most interesting part of the story to me, though, was the theory that the pair actually went to North Korea voluntarily and left because they thought they'd been rehabilitated enough to find film work in the West. I was a little surprised at how widely held this belief was, especially among South Koreans. But I suppose it's no more weird than a pair of kidnappings.
Worth a read if you're interested in North Korea, certainly.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: a book published this year)
Book Log 2015 #13: Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon
This is the first book I've chosen specifically to meet part of the Popsugar Reading Challenge (I knew Silver Screen Fiend would meet parts of the challenge, but picked it because of the tremendous word of mouth support). I've read Chabon's more recent novels, so I was curious to see how this stacked up. And while I liked it, I did not like it as much as his newer works. I never could build up the requisite sympathy for Grady Tripp, and some of the wackiness seemed like it was included for wackiness' sake.
Another problem is that I could not stop mentally comparing the book to Straight Man, the Richard Russo novel which is very similar in several respects (set in Pennsylvania, features an English professor struggling to write a novel, extramarital romantic conflicts, moody male writing student), and while Russo's book is written based on his experiences as an English professor, the similarities were distracting. It's not fair to ding Wonder Boys for the order in which I read the two books, but it was a problem nonetheless.
All that being said, it's still really good.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: book that became a movie, a book written by an author with your same initials)
This is the first book I've chosen specifically to meet part of the Popsugar Reading Challenge (I knew Silver Screen Fiend would meet parts of the challenge, but picked it because of the tremendous word of mouth support). I've read Chabon's more recent novels, so I was curious to see how this stacked up. And while I liked it, I did not like it as much as his newer works. I never could build up the requisite sympathy for Grady Tripp, and some of the wackiness seemed like it was included for wackiness' sake.
Another problem is that I could not stop mentally comparing the book to Straight Man, the Richard Russo novel which is very similar in several respects (set in Pennsylvania, features an English professor struggling to write a novel, extramarital romantic conflicts, moody male writing student), and while Russo's book is written based on his experiences as an English professor, the similarities were distracting. It's not fair to ding Wonder Boys for the order in which I read the two books, but it was a problem nonetheless.
All that being said, it's still really good.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: book that became a movie, a book written by an author with your same initials)
Book Log 2015 #12 : Silver Screen Fiend by Patton Oswalt
This short but hugely entertaining memoir recounts Oswalt's early days in Hollywood, when he developed a self-described addiction to classic films, seeing as many as possible between comedy gigs. The plan, ostensibly, was to use this compulsion for film as an autodidactic film school leading toward directing. That never quite panned out, but it did help him add writing and performing skills to his comedic skills. Beyond the movies, this book also gives us a look at the alternative comedy scene in LA in the 1990s, as well as insight into Oswalt's progression into TV and film.
I'm mostly familiar with Oswalt through his Twitter account and appearances on talk shows, so this gave me a much better appreciation of how he got to where he is now. I also appreciated the appendices where Oswalt created a month-long festivals of films that never were for the deceased owner of his favorite theater and a complete listing of the films Oswalt saw during the time of the book. It's a quick and entertaining read, very much recommended.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: a memoir, a funny book, a book with a color in the title. It could also be a book you can finish in a day, but where I've already used it I'll stick with the triple.)
This short but hugely entertaining memoir recounts Oswalt's early days in Hollywood, when he developed a self-described addiction to classic films, seeing as many as possible between comedy gigs. The plan, ostensibly, was to use this compulsion for film as an autodidactic film school leading toward directing. That never quite panned out, but it did help him add writing and performing skills to his comedic skills. Beyond the movies, this book also gives us a look at the alternative comedy scene in LA in the 1990s, as well as insight into Oswalt's progression into TV and film.
I'm mostly familiar with Oswalt through his Twitter account and appearances on talk shows, so this gave me a much better appreciation of how he got to where he is now. I also appreciated the appendices where Oswalt created a month-long festivals of films that never were for the deceased owner of his favorite theater and a complete listing of the films Oswalt saw during the time of the book. It's a quick and entertaining read, very much recommended.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: a memoir, a funny book, a book with a color in the title. It could also be a book you can finish in a day, but where I've already used it I'll stick with the triple.)
09 May 2015
Book Log 2015 #11: The Empty Throne by Bernard Cornwell
The future of England is in peril again, but this time the Danes aren't the main problem. Aethelred, ruler of Mercia, is dying, and without a male to succeed him there's a good chance that Wessex will find a way to finally absorb Mercia, either by force or by installing a puppet on the Mercian throne.
Enter Uhtred, champion and occasional lover of Athelflaed, the queen who can't succeed to the throne. Or can she?
It's another solid outing for the Saxon tales, with the additional surprise (spoiler alert) of Uhtred, son of Uhtred, taking over some of the narration duties. The series has been going on for quite a bit, but as we know that the elder Uhtred lives to retake his ancestral home, it'll be interesting to see if the younger Uhtred plays a larger role in future books.
The future of England is in peril again, but this time the Danes aren't the main problem. Aethelred, ruler of Mercia, is dying, and without a male to succeed him there's a good chance that Wessex will find a way to finally absorb Mercia, either by force or by installing a puppet on the Mercian throne.
Enter Uhtred, champion and occasional lover of Athelflaed, the queen who can't succeed to the throne. Or can she?
It's another solid outing for the Saxon tales, with the additional surprise (spoiler alert) of Uhtred, son of Uhtred, taking over some of the narration duties. The series has been going on for quite a bit, but as we know that the elder Uhtred lives to retake his ancestral home, it'll be interesting to see if the younger Uhtred plays a larger role in future books.
Book Log 2015 #10: The American Plate: A History of the United States in 100 Bites by Libby O'Connell
This book should have been right up my alley, but I never quite connected with it. Not sure why, given that it combines American and food history, both of which really interest me. I do have two theories:
1. I was already familiar enough with the "bites" that start the book that I got bored and didn't bother to skip ahead.
2. Overly pedantic expectations about what "bite" meant. Several of the entries aren't bites at all, and there was some repetition (Thanksgiving was covered by at least 2 or 3 bites).
Likely it was parts of both of these. You should give it a shot.
This book should have been right up my alley, but I never quite connected with it. Not sure why, given that it combines American and food history, both of which really interest me. I do have two theories:
1. I was already familiar enough with the "bites" that start the book that I got bored and didn't bother to skip ahead.
2. Overly pedantic expectations about what "bite" meant. Several of the entries aren't bites at all, and there was some repetition (Thanksgiving was covered by at least 2 or 3 bites).
Likely it was parts of both of these. You should give it a shot.
01 April 2015
Book Log 2015 #9: The Interstellar Age by Jim Bell
Space exploration is most often measured in days, occasionally weeks, and in very rare cases years. This puts the 40-plus years of the Voyager mission -which sent two spacecraft past the outer planets of the solar system to become the first man-made objects to (eventually) leave the solar system.
The author tells the story of the mission from both what was actually accomplished - the information learned about the outer planets and interplanetary space - and the people who got the mission off the launch pad, kept the information coming by managing aging technology millions of miles away, and interpreted the data. Many of these people have spent their entire career working on Voyager, and their stories give the book a strong personal element. The science is discussed in a clear manner, even when there's a foray into somewhat more technical material. Definitely recommended.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book based on a true story)
Space exploration is most often measured in days, occasionally weeks, and in very rare cases years. This puts the 40-plus years of the Voyager mission -which sent two spacecraft past the outer planets of the solar system to become the first man-made objects to (eventually) leave the solar system.
The author tells the story of the mission from both what was actually accomplished - the information learned about the outer planets and interplanetary space - and the people who got the mission off the launch pad, kept the information coming by managing aging technology millions of miles away, and interpreted the data. Many of these people have spent their entire career working on Voyager, and their stories give the book a strong personal element. The science is discussed in a clear manner, even when there's a foray into somewhat more technical material. Definitely recommended.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book based on a true story)
20 March 2015
Book Log 2015 #8: What If by Randall Munroe
A scientist by training, Munroe is the mind behind xkcd, described as "A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language." An offshoot of the webcomic is What If?, where readers submit wacky questions that Munroe answers using his knowledge of physics. This book is a compendium of such questions and answers, accompanied by drawings and occasional asides.
It may surprise you (or not, given how the Internet goes) that most questions result in some sort of grievous harm, either to the individual attempting the action in the question or to the planet at large (and in cases where there isn't such harm, Munroe is keen to take the answer to it's most grisly end). But it's all done with tremendous wit and humor, in both the writing and the drawing.
I took this book on vacation, thinking its short entries would make it a perfect book to fill the gaps. It did that in spades, but I found that I usually couldn't read just one or two questions. I finished the book about halfway through the trip. Very enjoyable, with added appeal if you have an interest in science.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book written by someone under 30)
A scientist by training, Munroe is the mind behind xkcd, described as "A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language." An offshoot of the webcomic is What If?, where readers submit wacky questions that Munroe answers using his knowledge of physics. This book is a compendium of such questions and answers, accompanied by drawings and occasional asides.
It may surprise you (or not, given how the Internet goes) that most questions result in some sort of grievous harm, either to the individual attempting the action in the question or to the planet at large (and in cases where there isn't such harm, Munroe is keen to take the answer to it's most grisly end). But it's all done with tremendous wit and humor, in both the writing and the drawing.
I took this book on vacation, thinking its short entries would make it a perfect book to fill the gaps. It did that in spades, but I found that I usually couldn't read just one or two questions. I finished the book about halfway through the trip. Very enjoyable, with added appeal if you have an interest in science.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book written by someone under 30)
18 March 2015
Book Log 2015 #7: Midnight in Europe by Alan Furst
So in juxtaposition to the previous book we have the latest from Alan Furst, who has developed a solid framework on which to build his war novels. In this outing, our protagonist is a Spanish lawyer working in Paris for a firm that often sends him to New York, where he has a regular, if not particularly committed, girlfriend. His comfortable and quiet world changes when he agrees to work for his homeland to acquire weapons for use against the well-supported Nationalist forces who are on the offensive. This leads him down a dangerous path where he puts his life in danger on a long-odds attempt to turn the tide of Europe's slide into fascism.
And then there's the required romantic entanglement, this time in the guise of a woman who claims she is a link to the aristocratic heritage that the lawyer's mother continues to try to prove is her family's right. But there's something not quite right about this new lover, and if it's what he suspects, she's in as much danger as he is.
I tend not to like novels where the author is working off of a well-worn formula, but the quality of the writing in Furst's books helps to get past what problems might arise (though there is a certain level of predictability with the romantic story lines that I'm beginning to find troubling). Anyway, another solid outing worth a read if you like wartime thrillers.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book you can finish in a day. Read quickly.)
So in juxtaposition to the previous book we have the latest from Alan Furst, who has developed a solid framework on which to build his war novels. In this outing, our protagonist is a Spanish lawyer working in Paris for a firm that often sends him to New York, where he has a regular, if not particularly committed, girlfriend. His comfortable and quiet world changes when he agrees to work for his homeland to acquire weapons for use against the well-supported Nationalist forces who are on the offensive. This leads him down a dangerous path where he puts his life in danger on a long-odds attempt to turn the tide of Europe's slide into fascism.
And then there's the required romantic entanglement, this time in the guise of a woman who claims she is a link to the aristocratic heritage that the lawyer's mother continues to try to prove is her family's right. But there's something not quite right about this new lover, and if it's what he suspects, she's in as much danger as he is.
I tend not to like novels where the author is working off of a well-worn formula, but the quality of the writing in Furst's books helps to get past what problems might arise (though there is a certain level of predictability with the romantic story lines that I'm beginning to find troubling). Anyway, another solid outing worth a read if you like wartime thrillers.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book you can finish in a day. Read quickly.)
17 March 2015
Book Log 2015 #6: Warburg in Rome by James Carroll
The Warburg of the title is a Treasury Department lawyer who, mistaken for a member of the more aristocratic branch of the Warburg family, is tapped by the secretary of the treasury to go to Rome and head up a war refugee board whose purpose is to help Jews avoid (or get out of) concentration camps. Once there, he meets an American priest - the right hand man to Cardinal Spellman - who is looking to help his boss get a toehold among the Vatican elite.
The pair find ways to collaborate, but often find themselves at cross-purposes, especially after the war when the Vatican is doing everything it can to cover up some of the less savory aspects of its operations during the war and Warburg has become more involved with finding war criminals, enacting the occasional reprisal, and supporting Zionism. Both men are looking for the same thing - justice for Jews and atonement by those who let the Nazis implement the final solution - but have different impediments towards continued collaboration. Both are also caught up with women - Warburg with a Jewish member of the Italian Red Cross, the priest a nun who helps him get information - who add personal moral dilemmas to the more global ones.
The book is well written, but the story doesn't quite rise to the level of contemporary World War II thrillers written by authors like Alan Furst. I wonder if the book doesn't split its time too much between Warburg and the priest, rather than focusing on Warburg as a main character. So not a bad read, just not one I'd unreservedly recommend.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit.)
The Warburg of the title is a Treasury Department lawyer who, mistaken for a member of the more aristocratic branch of the Warburg family, is tapped by the secretary of the treasury to go to Rome and head up a war refugee board whose purpose is to help Jews avoid (or get out of) concentration camps. Once there, he meets an American priest - the right hand man to Cardinal Spellman - who is looking to help his boss get a toehold among the Vatican elite.
The pair find ways to collaborate, but often find themselves at cross-purposes, especially after the war when the Vatican is doing everything it can to cover up some of the less savory aspects of its operations during the war and Warburg has become more involved with finding war criminals, enacting the occasional reprisal, and supporting Zionism. Both men are looking for the same thing - justice for Jews and atonement by those who let the Nazis implement the final solution - but have different impediments towards continued collaboration. Both are also caught up with women - Warburg with a Jewish member of the Italian Red Cross, the priest a nun who helps him get information - who add personal moral dilemmas to the more global ones.
The book is well written, but the story doesn't quite rise to the level of contemporary World War II thrillers written by authors like Alan Furst. I wonder if the book doesn't split its time too much between Warburg and the priest, rather than focusing on Warburg as a main character. So not a bad read, just not one I'd unreservedly recommend.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit.)
11 February 2015
So the organizing committee behind Boston's 2024 Olympic bid had its first public meeting a while back, and presented materials that were part of its presentation to the USOC. And while the documentation was described as a "proof of concept" rather than a finished plan, it does give a clearer idea of how the organizers are trying to make these a walkable Games.
Venues are planned within a "waterfront" cluster that centers on South Boston and Dorchester, and a "university" cluster which includes facilities at BU, MIT and Harvard. There is then a "midtown" location which would be the location for the main stadium. Lowell would host boxing and the Merrimack River would host various canoe/kayak events. Even so, there are a number of events that seem to fall outside of this arrangement. Here's how it looks sport by sport, and what I think might work better.
Archery - a temporary venue in Killian Court, which is the area in front of the main building at MIT. Great choice for atmosphere between the dome and city views over the Charles. It's only going to seat 1000, which seems small. The venue for London seated 6500. My personal choice here is Fenway Park, as it's a way to include an iconic sports venue at a minimal impact to the venue.
Athletics - centered on the main stadium, which is located on the Widett Circle parcel in South Boston. The committee says they want to acquire the land from the food wholesale co-op that is currently there by sale rather than eminent domain. We'll see how that goes. In any event, this is probably the best location that's available.
The marathon will use a route centered on Boston Common. This appears to be different from the route used in the past when Boston hosted Olympic trials. Which makes sense, as it will finish at the stadium.
Aquatics- This will be a temporary venue at something called Allston Landing, which is part of Harvard's stake in that neighborhood. Seems doable, and at 18500 people the size is right. Not sure how well this will go with Allston residents still sore over Harvard's expansion into Allston. Note that this venue includes swimming, diving and synchronized swimming.,
There's also a marathon swim course in the Charles River, with Magazine Beach being the focal point on land (this is closer to BU than Harvard, but on the Cambridge side of the river). This is not the most accessible location, something farther down the river (maybe by the Hatch Shell) would work better and provide more options for getting there.
Badminton - Agannis Arena at BU. The only event located at BU, which is a little surprising but their other athletic facilities may not be big enough (they all tend to seat under 5000, which looks like the minimum). The Green Line runs right by it, which you think is helpful but it's notoriously slow. I do think that Agannis would be better suited for basketball prelims or handball, with badminton going to the BCEC or Hynes.
Basketball - the final is at TD Garden, but with gymnastics taking up most of the time here the prelims would need to be held elsewhere (Agannis and the Conte Forum would be reasonable local options, while the DCU Center and Dunkin Donuts Center are a little farther out but bigger). All of these venues have reasonable transit options, with Worcester and Providence allowing for more car use.
Boxing - Tsongas Center in Lowell. Lowell has some solid local boxing history (thank Mickey Ward for this, I suppose), and it creates a decent cluster with the various rowing events.
Canoe - temporary venue in Lowell using the Merrimack River. I'm assuming the slalom course will be built in the same area, but it's not mentioned in the plan.
Cycling - the road course is centered on the Boston Common. Track cycling would be in a velodrome crammed into one end of Assembly Square in Somerville. After the Games it would be repurposed into some sort of multi-use facility (the area is redeveloping as a shopping and entertainment district, so probably along those lines). I hate this site, as I think it will be hard to get to. There is a new Orange Line station close by, but it's tight quarters for surface traffic and relying on Route 93 to get anywhere is magical thinking.
Oh, and the BMX track is going to be in Assembly Square, too! Ugh.
A better option would be using either Suffolk Downs or Wonderland. Both have Blue Line and bus access already, and both are in more desperate need of redevelopment than the Assembly Square area.
Equestrian - the horses will take over the William Devine golf course in Franklin Park. Suffolk Downs is available, and you'd think the horse infrastructure there could be used. I'd go there instead, but at least the Franklin Park site is close to the Orange Line.
Fencing - temporary venue on the Alfred Gordon track site at Harvard. There are a lot of temporary venues at Harvard, it would be better to spread some of them around, especially as the area where they're going is not as transit friendly as the plan suggests.
Football - final will be at Gillette, which is a pain in the ass to get to (poor road access and limited rail access), but it is the home to the New England Revolution. No talk about preliminary sites, but I expect they'll be scattered around the northeast (my guess would be using NFL stadiums with temporary turf as needed, though both the Yale Bowl and Rentschler Field are big enough to host as well).
Golf - The Country Club in Brookline. Still think TPC Norton is better choice logistically. Getting there for the Ryder Cup in 1999 was a pain. It'll all be shuttle buses and satellite parking.
Gymnastics - artistic at TD Garden, rhythmic at the Boston Convention and Expo Center (BCEC). Artistic includes trampoline, for which TD Garden seems like overkill. The BCEC gets quite a workout in this plan, which is concerning given how hard it is currently to get out of the Seaport district. There are plans to improve transport (including a rail line running from the BCEC into Back Bay station), though recent events may push money towards fixing existing service.
Handball - There's nothing about handball in the documentation. which is weird. I don't know how your plan can ignore an entire sport. I'm guessing handball will use some of the same venues as basketball, though maybe some of the smaller arenas (like Matthews Arena or the Bright Center) could be used as well.
Hockey - Harvard Stadium, putting more pressure on that part of Cambridge and Allston. London had two areas for hockey, perhaps Nickerson Field or Alumni Stadium could host this as well.
Judo - BCEC, whose use is pretty clearly modeled on how the ExCeL Center was used in London.
Modern Pentathlon - White Stadium in Franklin Park and the aquatics center for the swimming part.
Rowing - also in Lowell on the Merrimack.
Rugby - Gillette Stadium,which I assume can host the entire tournament given that it's modeled after Rugby Sevens, whose events only take a weekend.
Sailing - off of Castle Island in the Boston Harbor. I understand why that's desirable, but getting to and from there is going to be murder. The closest thing to public transit is "anticipated" Silver Line service. It's all surface transport, so this may wind up being a walkable venue by necessity.
Shooting - OK, this is a weird one. A temporary venue seating 7000 will be constructed on Long Island, with access by shuttle bus over the one bridge connecting the island to the mainland (which will be restricted to Olympic traffic) and ferry. I thought 7000 was way too high for shooting, but the London venue was 7500, so maybe it's fine. There's also spectator areas to watch sailing, which is good as this is probably still easier to get to than Castle Island.
Table Tennis - BCEC
Taekwondo - BCEC
Tennis - temporary venue at Harvard on their playing fields. Planned capacity is at 20000, which I assume is mostly center court. So with the planned swimming capacity, you could have almost 40000 people in a fairly small section of Allston if the events aren't timed right. Forget walkable, that would be crawlable at best.
Triathlon - swimming at Magazine Beach, with cycling and running legs in Cambridge (hopefully away from everything else going on at Harvard). I'd move this closer to downtown as with the marathon swim, and the cycling and running can use parts of the courses for the road race and marathon.
Volleyball - beach is on Boston Common, in an attempt to recreate the atmosphere of Horse Guards Parade. I don't think it'll work, and while I don't think it's the worst location it drew most of the criticism at the first open forum. There probably isn't a great downtown location for this.
Indoor volleyball is at the BCEC, I'm assuming in the part of the facility that's proposed for expansion (Olympics or not).
Water Polo - also at Harvard (Allston Landing) in a 5000 seat venue.While it makes sense to have this a the same location as the other aquatic events, but I do think Harvard is overloaded. Not sure where else this could go, though.
Weightlifting- at the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion (ne Bank of America Pavilion and Harborlights), good harbor views but it's open to the elements (the stage and most seating is covered). I'm pretty familiar with the venue (my employer holds a graduation ceremony there every summer), and it looks like they're going to build something out into the harbor for athletes to use for warm up, locker rooms, etc. At least I don't recall there being anything there now. Also, another transit issue as the Silver Line is your best non-car option.
Wrestling - BCEC
As a proof of concept I suppose the original plan works, but if there's any hope of actually landing the Games there's work to be done. The waterfront cluster has significant transit issues, while the university cluster is too focused on the least accessible part of Harvard's campus.
Venues are planned within a "waterfront" cluster that centers on South Boston and Dorchester, and a "university" cluster which includes facilities at BU, MIT and Harvard. There is then a "midtown" location which would be the location for the main stadium. Lowell would host boxing and the Merrimack River would host various canoe/kayak events. Even so, there are a number of events that seem to fall outside of this arrangement. Here's how it looks sport by sport, and what I think might work better.
Archery - a temporary venue in Killian Court, which is the area in front of the main building at MIT. Great choice for atmosphere between the dome and city views over the Charles. It's only going to seat 1000, which seems small. The venue for London seated 6500. My personal choice here is Fenway Park, as it's a way to include an iconic sports venue at a minimal impact to the venue.
Athletics - centered on the main stadium, which is located on the Widett Circle parcel in South Boston. The committee says they want to acquire the land from the food wholesale co-op that is currently there by sale rather than eminent domain. We'll see how that goes. In any event, this is probably the best location that's available.
The marathon will use a route centered on Boston Common. This appears to be different from the route used in the past when Boston hosted Olympic trials. Which makes sense, as it will finish at the stadium.
Aquatics- This will be a temporary venue at something called Allston Landing, which is part of Harvard's stake in that neighborhood. Seems doable, and at 18500 people the size is right. Not sure how well this will go with Allston residents still sore over Harvard's expansion into Allston. Note that this venue includes swimming, diving and synchronized swimming.,
There's also a marathon swim course in the Charles River, with Magazine Beach being the focal point on land (this is closer to BU than Harvard, but on the Cambridge side of the river). This is not the most accessible location, something farther down the river (maybe by the Hatch Shell) would work better and provide more options for getting there.
Badminton - Agannis Arena at BU. The only event located at BU, which is a little surprising but their other athletic facilities may not be big enough (they all tend to seat under 5000, which looks like the minimum). The Green Line runs right by it, which you think is helpful but it's notoriously slow. I do think that Agannis would be better suited for basketball prelims or handball, with badminton going to the BCEC or Hynes.
Basketball - the final is at TD Garden, but with gymnastics taking up most of the time here the prelims would need to be held elsewhere (Agannis and the Conte Forum would be reasonable local options, while the DCU Center and Dunkin Donuts Center are a little farther out but bigger). All of these venues have reasonable transit options, with Worcester and Providence allowing for more car use.
Boxing - Tsongas Center in Lowell. Lowell has some solid local boxing history (thank Mickey Ward for this, I suppose), and it creates a decent cluster with the various rowing events.
Canoe - temporary venue in Lowell using the Merrimack River. I'm assuming the slalom course will be built in the same area, but it's not mentioned in the plan.
Cycling - the road course is centered on the Boston Common. Track cycling would be in a velodrome crammed into one end of Assembly Square in Somerville. After the Games it would be repurposed into some sort of multi-use facility (the area is redeveloping as a shopping and entertainment district, so probably along those lines). I hate this site, as I think it will be hard to get to. There is a new Orange Line station close by, but it's tight quarters for surface traffic and relying on Route 93 to get anywhere is magical thinking.
Oh, and the BMX track is going to be in Assembly Square, too! Ugh.
A better option would be using either Suffolk Downs or Wonderland. Both have Blue Line and bus access already, and both are in more desperate need of redevelopment than the Assembly Square area.
Equestrian - the horses will take over the William Devine golf course in Franklin Park. Suffolk Downs is available, and you'd think the horse infrastructure there could be used. I'd go there instead, but at least the Franklin Park site is close to the Orange Line.
Fencing - temporary venue on the Alfred Gordon track site at Harvard. There are a lot of temporary venues at Harvard, it would be better to spread some of them around, especially as the area where they're going is not as transit friendly as the plan suggests.
Football - final will be at Gillette, which is a pain in the ass to get to (poor road access and limited rail access), but it is the home to the New England Revolution. No talk about preliminary sites, but I expect they'll be scattered around the northeast (my guess would be using NFL stadiums with temporary turf as needed, though both the Yale Bowl and Rentschler Field are big enough to host as well).
Golf - The Country Club in Brookline. Still think TPC Norton is better choice logistically. Getting there for the Ryder Cup in 1999 was a pain. It'll all be shuttle buses and satellite parking.
Gymnastics - artistic at TD Garden, rhythmic at the Boston Convention and Expo Center (BCEC). Artistic includes trampoline, for which TD Garden seems like overkill. The BCEC gets quite a workout in this plan, which is concerning given how hard it is currently to get out of the Seaport district. There are plans to improve transport (including a rail line running from the BCEC into Back Bay station), though recent events may push money towards fixing existing service.
Handball - There's nothing about handball in the documentation. which is weird. I don't know how your plan can ignore an entire sport. I'm guessing handball will use some of the same venues as basketball, though maybe some of the smaller arenas (like Matthews Arena or the Bright Center) could be used as well.
Hockey - Harvard Stadium, putting more pressure on that part of Cambridge and Allston. London had two areas for hockey, perhaps Nickerson Field or Alumni Stadium could host this as well.
Judo - BCEC, whose use is pretty clearly modeled on how the ExCeL Center was used in London.
Modern Pentathlon - White Stadium in Franklin Park and the aquatics center for the swimming part.
Rowing - also in Lowell on the Merrimack.
Rugby - Gillette Stadium,which I assume can host the entire tournament given that it's modeled after Rugby Sevens, whose events only take a weekend.
Sailing - off of Castle Island in the Boston Harbor. I understand why that's desirable, but getting to and from there is going to be murder. The closest thing to public transit is "anticipated" Silver Line service. It's all surface transport, so this may wind up being a walkable venue by necessity.
Shooting - OK, this is a weird one. A temporary venue seating 7000 will be constructed on Long Island, with access by shuttle bus over the one bridge connecting the island to the mainland (which will be restricted to Olympic traffic) and ferry. I thought 7000 was way too high for shooting, but the London venue was 7500, so maybe it's fine. There's also spectator areas to watch sailing, which is good as this is probably still easier to get to than Castle Island.
Table Tennis - BCEC
Taekwondo - BCEC
Tennis - temporary venue at Harvard on their playing fields. Planned capacity is at 20000, which I assume is mostly center court. So with the planned swimming capacity, you could have almost 40000 people in a fairly small section of Allston if the events aren't timed right. Forget walkable, that would be crawlable at best.
Triathlon - swimming at Magazine Beach, with cycling and running legs in Cambridge (hopefully away from everything else going on at Harvard). I'd move this closer to downtown as with the marathon swim, and the cycling and running can use parts of the courses for the road race and marathon.
Volleyball - beach is on Boston Common, in an attempt to recreate the atmosphere of Horse Guards Parade. I don't think it'll work, and while I don't think it's the worst location it drew most of the criticism at the first open forum. There probably isn't a great downtown location for this.
Indoor volleyball is at the BCEC, I'm assuming in the part of the facility that's proposed for expansion (Olympics or not).
Water Polo - also at Harvard (Allston Landing) in a 5000 seat venue.While it makes sense to have this a the same location as the other aquatic events, but I do think Harvard is overloaded. Not sure where else this could go, though.
Weightlifting- at the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion (ne Bank of America Pavilion and Harborlights), good harbor views but it's open to the elements (the stage and most seating is covered). I'm pretty familiar with the venue (my employer holds a graduation ceremony there every summer), and it looks like they're going to build something out into the harbor for athletes to use for warm up, locker rooms, etc. At least I don't recall there being anything there now. Also, another transit issue as the Silver Line is your best non-car option.
Wrestling - BCEC
As a proof of concept I suppose the original plan works, but if there's any hope of actually landing the Games there's work to be done. The waterfront cluster has significant transit issues, while the university cluster is too focused on the least accessible part of Harvard's campus.
31 January 2015
Book Log 2015 #5: The Anatomy Lesson by Nina Siegal
Set in one day in Amsterdam, this novel tells the story behind The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, one of Rembrandt's best-known works. Each of the characters - Rembrandt, Tulp, the man who became the cadaver, his woman friend (and mother of his unborn child), the man in charge of the corpse, and Rene Descartes - are referred to by an anatomical term (Rembrandt is the hands, for example), and each section is told from that person's point of view. There is also a series of present day observational notes by an art restorer, who uses the examination of the painting and some recently-discovered historical documents to make a significant discovery about it.
While I liked the book overall, I did feel like there was probably one character too many (I'm going with either Descartes or the steward who procured the body). I also found the modern day notes didn't really work with the rest of the book. It should have had a more prominent place in the novel or none at all. Still, if you're interested in art or 17th century Europe, this is well worth reading.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book by a female author)
Set in one day in Amsterdam, this novel tells the story behind The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp, one of Rembrandt's best-known works. Each of the characters - Rembrandt, Tulp, the man who became the cadaver, his woman friend (and mother of his unborn child), the man in charge of the corpse, and Rene Descartes - are referred to by an anatomical term (Rembrandt is the hands, for example), and each section is told from that person's point of view. There is also a series of present day observational notes by an art restorer, who uses the examination of the painting and some recently-discovered historical documents to make a significant discovery about it.
While I liked the book overall, I did feel like there was probably one character too many (I'm going with either Descartes or the steward who procured the body). I also found the modern day notes didn't really work with the rest of the book. It should have had a more prominent place in the novel or none at all. Still, if you're interested in art or 17th century Europe, this is well worth reading.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book by a female author)
Book Log 2015 #4: Brick by Brick by David Robertson
Confession time: I picked this book up thinking it was a history of Lego rather than an examination of how the company almost innovated itself out of business and then innovated its way back to the top. I didn't finish the book, and skimmed the more business-heavy sections, but got the general idea that innovation for innovation's sake is bad, while innovating while staying true to your core values and honoring your relationships with customers and retailers is good.
There were significant parts of the book about the company's history and product lines, and these I enjoyed quite a bit. So in the end I did enjoy the book, but it's probably more enjoyable if you're actually interested in the business end of things.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: A non-fiction book)
Confession time: I picked this book up thinking it was a history of Lego rather than an examination of how the company almost innovated itself out of business and then innovated its way back to the top. I didn't finish the book, and skimmed the more business-heavy sections, but got the general idea that innovation for innovation's sake is bad, while innovating while staying true to your core values and honoring your relationships with customers and retailers is good.
There were significant parts of the book about the company's history and product lines, and these I enjoyed quite a bit. So in the end I did enjoy the book, but it's probably more enjoyable if you're actually interested in the business end of things.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: A non-fiction book)
29 January 2015
Book Log 2015 #3: La Place de la Concorde Suisse by John McPhee
Switzerland has followed a policy of neutrality for centuries, but that doesn't mean that they're pacifists. The Swiss have carefully prepared to fight, developing a citizen army and creating an infrastructure where bridges are pre-wired for detonation and mountains contain bunkers for artillery, hangars for jets, and barracks for soldiers and citizens alike. The general staff (who represent the bulk of the Swiss military professionals) are confident that they can use their training, planning, and terrain to successfully defend themselves.
On the other side is a recon battalion whose citizen soldiers are much less optimistic about their chances. They fulfill their service requirement, but when asked about an actual war have little doubt that the enemy (at the time of this writing, likely the Soviets) would be successful. It's this juxtaposition that is so well examined, the way in which the Swiss plan so meticulously but rely on semi-interested conscripts to carry out their plans.
This book was published in 1984, when the assumption was that an invasion would come from the east (be it the Soviets or other Warsaw Pact forces). It'd be interesting to see how (or if) the end of the Cold War has changed Swiss planning. Still, an informative book about an unexpected topic, which is kind of McPhee's thing.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book set in a different country)
Switzerland has followed a policy of neutrality for centuries, but that doesn't mean that they're pacifists. The Swiss have carefully prepared to fight, developing a citizen army and creating an infrastructure where bridges are pre-wired for detonation and mountains contain bunkers for artillery, hangars for jets, and barracks for soldiers and citizens alike. The general staff (who represent the bulk of the Swiss military professionals) are confident that they can use their training, planning, and terrain to successfully defend themselves.
On the other side is a recon battalion whose citizen soldiers are much less optimistic about their chances. They fulfill their service requirement, but when asked about an actual war have little doubt that the enemy (at the time of this writing, likely the Soviets) would be successful. It's this juxtaposition that is so well examined, the way in which the Swiss plan so meticulously but rely on semi-interested conscripts to carry out their plans.
This book was published in 1984, when the assumption was that an invasion would come from the east (be it the Soviets or other Warsaw Pact forces). It'd be interesting to see how (or if) the end of the Cold War has changed Swiss planning. Still, an informative book about an unexpected topic, which is kind of McPhee's thing.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book set in a different country)
Book Log 2015 #2: You Might Remember Me by Mike Thomas
I don't have strong memories of many celebrity deaths, but I can still remember clearly when I heard about the killing of Phil Hartman. I was at work, and got an email from a friend about it. I spent the rest of the afternoon surfing the Web, reading stories and trying to make sense of what happened to one of my favorite actors. I didn't know much about Hartman other than his performances, which I universally enjoyed, and the news didn't fill too many gaps other than those specific to his death.
Filling many of these gaps is this biography, which paints a picture of Phil as someone, from a relatively early age, used humor and a laid back attitude to get attention and forge relationships (in some way, I think, to compensate for parents who were distracted by a large family and financial insecurity). As an adult, he used these talents to work his way into improv, where his work with the Groundlings set the stage for his work on SNL and The Simpsons.
And while Phil didn't have what you could call a dark side, there is the suggestion that he had a kind of a veneer, that what you saw from Phil was a persona cultivated for public use. Whether he used that to keep a distance from others, or to mask insecurities lingering from his past, it seems like there were few, if any, people who could claim to know Phil. There was also the part of this persona that manifested itself in having nice things and keeping the company of beautiful women. You can see where this would lead to his ultimately fatal choice for a third wife.
There are places where I'd have liked more - the section about his time on NewsRadio seemed especially short - but I do feel like I have much more complete understanding of Phil's life and death, and what made him such a unique performer.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book by an author you've never read before)
I don't have strong memories of many celebrity deaths, but I can still remember clearly when I heard about the killing of Phil Hartman. I was at work, and got an email from a friend about it. I spent the rest of the afternoon surfing the Web, reading stories and trying to make sense of what happened to one of my favorite actors. I didn't know much about Hartman other than his performances, which I universally enjoyed, and the news didn't fill too many gaps other than those specific to his death.
Filling many of these gaps is this biography, which paints a picture of Phil as someone, from a relatively early age, used humor and a laid back attitude to get attention and forge relationships (in some way, I think, to compensate for parents who were distracted by a large family and financial insecurity). As an adult, he used these talents to work his way into improv, where his work with the Groundlings set the stage for his work on SNL and The Simpsons.
And while Phil didn't have what you could call a dark side, there is the suggestion that he had a kind of a veneer, that what you saw from Phil was a persona cultivated for public use. Whether he used that to keep a distance from others, or to mask insecurities lingering from his past, it seems like there were few, if any, people who could claim to know Phil. There was also the part of this persona that manifested itself in having nice things and keeping the company of beautiful women. You can see where this would lead to his ultimately fatal choice for a third wife.
There are places where I'd have liked more - the section about his time on NewsRadio seemed especially short - but I do feel like I have much more complete understanding of Phil's life and death, and what made him such a unique performer.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: A book by an author you've never read before)
25 January 2015
Book Log 2015 #1: Back Channel by Steven L. Carter
A Cornell student is recruited by a professor (who has a mysterious link to her dead father) to escort Bobby Fisher to Bulgaria, ostensibly to cover the tournament he is playing in but really to make contact with a Russian who has information about missiles his country is putting in Cuba. So begins her descent into the world of Cold War espionage in this thriller.
This is the most audacious of Carter's novels that set African-American women at turning points in American history. In this case, the student becomes the US end of a back channel communication line that officially does not exist. putting her very life in danger. She is surrounded by the sort of calculating political and intelligence officers that can make that determination in good conscience and cold blood, which makes her even less sure of who, if anyone she can trust. And on top of all of this, she risks her personal reputation when her meetings with the President to deliver information are disguised as being of a more intimate nature.
For its portrayal of the lengths to which both sides would go and its continued examination of upper class African-Americans in the 20th century, this is a very highly recommended book. It's also recommended as Carter helps to connect some of the characters in this book to his earlier works, from minor characters making a repeat appearance to the supporting character of Jericho Ainsley, who as a disgraced - and retired - CIA director is the focus of the action in Jericho's Fall.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: a mystery or a thriller)
A Cornell student is recruited by a professor (who has a mysterious link to her dead father) to escort Bobby Fisher to Bulgaria, ostensibly to cover the tournament he is playing in but really to make contact with a Russian who has information about missiles his country is putting in Cuba. So begins her descent into the world of Cold War espionage in this thriller.
This is the most audacious of Carter's novels that set African-American women at turning points in American history. In this case, the student becomes the US end of a back channel communication line that officially does not exist. putting her very life in danger. She is surrounded by the sort of calculating political and intelligence officers that can make that determination in good conscience and cold blood, which makes her even less sure of who, if anyone she can trust. And on top of all of this, she risks her personal reputation when her meetings with the President to deliver information are disguised as being of a more intimate nature.
For its portrayal of the lengths to which both sides would go and its continued examination of upper class African-Americans in the 20th century, this is a very highly recommended book. It's also recommended as Carter helps to connect some of the characters in this book to his earlier works, from minor characters making a repeat appearance to the supporting character of Jericho Ainsley, who as a disgraced - and retired - CIA director is the focus of the action in Jericho's Fall.
(Popsugar Reading Challenge: a mystery or a thriller)
03 January 2015
Book Log 2015: The Popsugar Reading Challenge
So I saw this challenge on a friend's Facebook timeline, and thought it would make a good overlay to my reading this year. The challenge is to read books to meet these categories:
So I saw this challenge on a friend's Facebook timeline, and thought it would make a good overlay to my reading this year. The challenge is to read books to meet these categories:
I'll have to go back and see if it's cheating to have a book complete more than one category.
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