Book Log 2011 #18: Scorecasting by Tobias Moskowitz and L. Jon Wertheim

I'm not sure if it's the writing or if the novelty of the Freakonomics approach has worn off, but I could not get into this book. I dutifully plowed through the first few chapters, but with an increasing reluctance to continue that saw me bail after about 100 pages. I have no specific complaints about the book, so I'm assuming I'm just sick of the approach. Maybe I'll give it a year and try again. Or maybe not.

Book Log 2011 #17: At Home by Bill Bryson

Bryson was inspired to write this history of domestic living by his house in England, a Victorian style former parsonage located in a part of the country where not much happens. While the actual history of the house does crop up, the bulk of the book is a history of each room, and what goes on there.

Of course, each of those little histories winds up leading well outside the walls, looking at everything from Victorian class structure to the spice trade to the Crystal Palace.

It's not as overtly humorous as his other works, and has more in common with A Short History of Nearly Everything than his travel-related titles. I mostly enjoyed it, but felt bogged down towards the end and didn't actually finish. I think I'd have liked to see it ten percent shorter and ten percent funnier.

Book Log 2011 #16: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

Fitting conclusion to the Millenium series, as things wrap up cleanly enough to make this feel like a trilogy rather than the ten book series that was planned. Which is a good thing, as the likelihood of a completed fourth book ever seeing the light of day is pretty slim (Larsson's partner has his material, while the rights to the book are held by his father and brother, and none of the parties seem interested in working something out).

Over a month since my last post? Whoops. Not dead, just pining for the fjords. More later.

Book Log 2011 #15: It Must Have Been Something I Ate by Jeffrey Steingarten

More witty and informative essays by the food critic from Vogue, with topics ranging from the merits of fancy salts to where to get the best baguettes in Paris. Many of the essays are over 10 years old, leading to some dating, but all told it's a solid collection. My only problem was that reading it cover to cover did lead to some author fatigue, as I can only take so much drollery at a time. Better to read in chunks, I think.

Book Log 2011 #14: Palace of Justice by Suzanne Alleyn

Depending on how you count it, this is either the second or most recent book featuring Parisian writer-turned-investigator Aristide Ravel. This time, Ravel is faced with what appears to be a serial killer who decapitates his victims, a grim parallel to the people, from Louis XVI on down, who are being guillotined by the Tribunal. Political turmoil and Ravel's own past come into play as well, giving added depth to the story.

While I did read the books out of their narrative order, it was kind of cool to see how the events here fit into the overall story (and would have been more entertaining if I'd read the books closer together). Enjoyed it quite a bit.

Book Log 2011 #13: West and East by Harry Turtledove

The second book in The War That Came Early, a series based on the idea that World War II would have started earlier had Neville Chamberlain not appeased Hitler. I've read that the series will be at least six books, and it kind of feels that was from this one, as there are things that happen, a couple things even notable, but nothing momentous. It did keep my interest enough to want to continue with the series, which is a good thing.

Book Log 2011 #12: Hubert's Freaks by Gregory Gibson

A rare book dealer and collector of ephemera named Bob Langmuir, after buying a storage locker full of items from a Manhattan freak show, discovers that the lot may include several Diane Arbus prints. Battling a troubled personal life (including at least one hospitalization), Langmuir finds himself caught in a very deliberate - and sometimes unusual - authentication process.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

There's some similarities in the stories of Langmuir and Arbus - both were troubled, attracted to sideshow types, and had some resistance with getting photos accepted by the wider art world - and it's interesting to see how Langmuir persevered while Arbus, eventually, did not.

This did remind me of The Man Who Loved Books Too Much a bit, and I have the same general feeling about this book as that one, though I think the ending here is stronger. Worth a look, if just to see the pictures.

Book Log 2011 #11: Blood is Dirt by Robert Wilson

The third book in the Bruce Medway series, this time the Benin-based fixer hooks up with a man trying to recover money from local swindlers but winds up squaring off against the Mob, toxic dumpers, local strongmen, and the revenge-bent daughter of his client.

I was happy to see this installment return to familiar ground in Benin, and to see more of Medway's two partners, Bagado (business) and Heike (romantic). This one also seems to have more involvement with the expat community, which makes a nice comparison (not always favorable) to the locals.

Part of me thinks thinks that things got needlessly complicated towards the end, but I have to admit that it's probably due to my lack of reading comprehension. Another solid book for the series, sad that there's only one book left.

Book Log 2011 #10: Empire by Steven Saylor

The continuation of Saylor's series featuring the Pinarius family, following five generations as they deal with the empire - and often with the emperor - starting with Augustus. We see the family in its highs and lows, from being the right hand men of the emperor to being killed in a spectacle for being Christian. The scope of the work allows for hitting all of the major themes of Rome during this period, and is rounded out by the level of detail Saylor always provides.

This is more focused than its predecessor - not surprising given the greater span of history and the need to establish the story and characters - which helps as well. I still prefer Gordianus the Finder, but this is certainly an acceptable substitute.

Book Log 2011 #9: Innocent by Scott Turow

Fifteen years is a long wait for a sequel, and typically sequels that come out long after the first book pale in comparison (consider Joseph Heller's Closing Time or Ray Bradbury's Farewell Summer). Thankfully, this is a case where the wait results in a fitting companion to the original.

Just as with Presumed Innocent, Tommy Molto is trying Rusty Sabich for the murder of a woman, in this case his wife, Barbara. She apparently died of natural causes, but a day-long delay in reporting the death raises suspicions, which quickly develops into a case based on a variety of evidence (much of it circumstantial).

As much fun as it is to see these two square off again, the book is really driven by the younger characters, such as Rusty's son Nat, Nat's girlfriend Anna (who is more involved in the case than he knows), and a young assistant DA whose rock solid belief in Rusty's guilt leads down some ethically problematic paths. This not only helps inject new points of view into the book, but helps underscore that these books have taken place more or less in real time, adding weight to the histories of all the characters.

And, of course, Turow is the best writer of legal fiction (I can't really use the word "thriller") going. I often lament the wait between books, but would rather have that than the "books by the ton" approach so often taken.

You should read this book, unless you've not read Presumed Innocent. In which case you should read that first and then read this book.

Three things I was thinking about this whole President Obama birth certificate nonsense:

1. I feel fairly certain that the timing of the release was meant to give Donald Trump a boost. Because if you're the president, and you see a chance to have Donald Trump as your opponent in November, you'd do something to help along, wouldn't you? Even if he's just a free-spending loose cannon in the primaries, that's got to help.

2. Also smart timing in releasing the birth certificate while the rank and file are distracted by the royal wedding. The story was out of the news cycle by the time your late local news was giving you tips on appropriate pet attire for the nuptuals.

3. I was amused to hear Trump say he was pleased with himself over the release, as I think he's the sort of guy who is pleased with himself whenever he does something. I'm sure there are mornings when he gets out of the bathroom full of pride at the size and uniformity of color of his, uh, leavings.

Lentorama 2011: Better Late than Never?

Days 1-40: The 40 Most Common Words in the Bible

OK, so I skipped the Lentorama this year, but after having a couple of people comment on its absence (at least one of whom I think is sincere about missing it), I figured I'd come up with something, even as half-assed as this is.

I should note that this list is based on the King James version, which is the one version where I could find a word frequency list. I know, fans of the New Revised Standard version will be disappointed.

Anyway, your list:

AND - 28364
THE - 28269
OF - 21257
THAT - 12044
TO - 11683
IN - 11285
HE - 9022
FOR - 8684
UNTO - 8326
A - 7582
LORD - 7365
HIS - 7127
SHALL - 6796
I - 6664
THEY - 6638
NOT - 6579
BE - 6568
IS - 6442
THEM - 6073
WITH - 5973
HIM - 5900
ALL - 5606
IT - 5431
THOU - 4563
BUT - 4487
WHICH - 4432
WAS - 4369
GOD - 4293
SAID - 3981
FROM - 3679
HAVE - 3608
AS - 3603
THY - 3581
THEIR - 3478
MY - 3441
ME - 3410
WILL - 3307
WHEN - 3237
THEE - 3162
YE - 3058
ARE- 2952

And as a little extra, I've even put these together into a fake Bible verse:

And the of that to in he, for unto a lord his shall I they not be. Is them with him all? It thou but which was God said “from have as thy, their my me will when thee ye are.” - Second Book of Ezenekiel, 3:17

Feel free to come up with your own in the comments.

Book Log 2011 #8: A City So Grand by Stephen Puelo

Taking a wider look at Boston than Puelo's very entertaining Great Molasses Flood history Dark Tide, this book chronicles how Boston grew into national prominence over the latter half of the 19th century. From abolitionism to filling in Back Bay to creating the first subway in America, Puelo chronicles this fertile period in Boston history using both broad strokes and intriguing details that help develop those broad strokes (such as the story of Barney McGinniskin, Boston's first Irish cop).

If you're interested in the time period or the history of Boston, this should get on your list to read.

Book Log 2011 #7: The Fort by Bernard Cornwell

I think I like the idea for this book - a retelling of the doomed Penobscot Expedition of 1779 - more than the execution. It's not a bad book, but it never quite clicked for me. Enjoyable, nicely written, but not especially memorable. But I do give him props for writing a story located in the wife's former neck of the woods, as I got to transpose the old names and locations into current ones http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif(though admittedly Cornwell does give a healthy dose of this at the start of the book).

My other observation is that there was a pretty big gap between The Given Day and this book, caused in no small part to an attempt to read The Count of Monte Cristo on Stanza. It is way too long a book to read on a phone. I don't expect that reading a physical copy of the book would have helped, as it was taking an awful long time for Dantes to get around to his revenge. I eventually bailed, leaving my main impression of the book to come from the Mr. Magoo adaptation.

Book Log 2011 #6: The Given Day by Dennis Lehane

Outside of reading Mystic River I don't have much experience with Dennis Lehane's books, and passed on this one a number of times due to fears that it would be a predictable rehash of the sort of prejudices you'd expect in a book set in 1919 Boston. But when I finally relented and picked this up, I was happy to learn that while the prejudices are there - and really, they have to be in order for the book to be realistic - this is no rehash.

Instead, we get a sweeping tale where these prejudices run headlong into change, marked by the end of World War I, social and political changes caused by immigration, and the recurring tension of younger generations wanting to live out from under the strictures of their parents. That this results in violence - both personal and city-wide - is hardly surprising.

The story also benefits from using the occasional cameo, most notably the recurring appearance of Babe Ruth. It's interesting watching him cruise through the turbulent times, often unaware of the greater issues. In some ways it's refreshingly familiar - it fits with our notion of disinterested celebrities - but I also thought it gave a good general counterpoint to the intensely personal stories that make up the bulk of the book.

Worth the read, but it's approaching tome territory, so plan to spend some quality time working through it.

I'd not written about this year's BU men's ice hockey team yet as i never quite got my finger on them. They started the year 6-0-4, grabbed the top spot in the polls, and then proceeded to tank, with a loss and tie Brown and a blowout loss to RPI. They lost all four games they played against BC, and became the first BU team in 31 years to finish last at the Beanpot. They turned things around a bit towards the end of the season, going on a run against the weaker teams in Hockey East, before playing Northeastern in both the final weekend of the regular season and the first round of the playoffs.

I write about them in the past tense as tonight they lost the deciding game in their playoff series against NU, and they are almost certainly not going to make the NCAA tournament (though I'll have to fiddle around with USCHO's Pairwise Predictor a bit to prove it). And while I'm never happy when a season ends, I think this probably the right ending for this team (as bad as it makes me feel for the two seniors on the team, who deserved better).

In some ways this year's team reminded me of the 2007-08 squad, another talented group that underachieved and missed the NCAAs. Both squads had skilled players, solid goaltending, and an apparent disinterest in playing a full game. Jack Parker called both teams out for a lack of effort and passion. Both teams had a sure-fire pro in his freshman year (Colin Wilson and Charlie Coyle) who put up good numbers but didn't seem present. There are differences between the teams as well - the '08 team had distinct captain issues, while this year's did not, for example - but in the end I think the similarities outweigh the differences.

Now, that '08 team came back the following year and put together what is probably the best season in BU history, winning every trophy they could en route to the national title. I don't know if this year's team has the same potential, but with almost everyone coming back, and hopefully coming back with a bad taste in their mouths for how badly they squandered this season, I am keeping my fingers crossed. The puck drops again in seven months.

Book Log 2011 #5: The Trial by Franz Kafka

A classic tale of a man, Joseph K., arrested for a crime never revealed and judged by a government that is equal parts cruel, aloof and bureaucratic. Or at least that's what I understand happens, as I didn't get past Joseph's meeting with the wife of the courtroom attendant, which happens fairly early on. As much as I identified with his plight at the hands of forces he could not control, there were too many other times where I'd really question Joseph's actions, to the point where I'd figure he did something illegal and was too stupid to realize it.

This was another e-reader selection, and maybe that had something to do with my disdain, all of the page turning compounding my frustration with Joseph. Anyway, it didn't work for me.

Book Log 2011 #4: The Great Typo Hunt by Jeff Deck and Benjamin D. Herson

This was, in theory, a book right up my alley. Two guys road trip to correct typographical errors in public signage, and along the way help everyone improve their grammar and learn something about America. It reminded me of One Red Paperclip, albeit with less of a financial reward at the end.

The only problem was that I couldn't get past the writing, which never found an adjective it didn't want to cram into a sentence to make it more descriptive. In some cases the excess verbiage was probably not the right word to use. This quickly went from annoying to unbearable, and I bailed. I didn't even make it to the start of the road trip.

Book Log 2011 #3: The First Emperor by Steve Berry

Cotton Malone moves his landmark-destroying antics eastward in this latest novel in the series. The conflict this time comes with a secret society of eunuchs, who are trying to influence the selection of China's next leader by manipulating the two most likely candidates. Part of this involves proving that petroleum is created abiogenically, as ensuring China's energy resources would give a leg up to whatever person could claim it.

Unlike the other books in the series, this one starts off well into the adventure and then tells the story (mostly) in flashback, which is a nice change. I did think the story was better here than in the last book, and we've thankfully lost the two younger characters from that book who looked poised to become regulars. I still think the overall quality of the series has dipped from the beginning, but there's hope in this entry that things are rebounding.

(I also discovered on Berry's website that there's an original ebook that follows Cassiopeia Vitt as she tries to find the tomb of a Thracian king but stumbles across some sort of shadowy Russian mining interest. It's supposed to be a prequel to The First Emperor, and I'm just enough of a sucker to seek it out - though not enough of one to buy it.)