Books Read 2014

[Scuzz]

1356 by Bernard Cornwell

I have read a lot of Cornwell (99.9% of the Sharpe series, the Grail Series and Agincourt) and this book fits in perfect with those. The main character is Thomas of Hookton, from the Grail Series. While Cornwell's characters are larger than life he tells a story that makes his books a great read. This book leads to the telling of the Battle of Poiters, between the English and the French. Cornwell's attention to detail and history make the story interesting and the characters are memorable.

Not great literature, but a great read.

[tgb]

Callahan's cross time saloon?

That's the one. Spider Robinson. Wiki dates it from the 70's, but I thought it was earlier than that.

Anyway, as a follow up to But He Was Good To His Mother, and in anticipation of the next season of Boardwalk Empire, I just purchased


and will be starting is some time today.

[Zarathud]

April Update

Completed
January-February
Neptune's Brood by Charles Stross
Boneshaker (Clockwork Century) by Cherie Priest
In the Company of Ogres by A. Lee Martinez

March-April
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
Mitosis: A Reckoner's Story by Brandon Sanderson
Rule 34 by Charles Stross

In Process
Lyonesse Book 1: Suldren's Garden by Jack Vance
Wretched of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler

[Carpet_pissr]

Wow, Jeff V is slipping. Hasn't posted a book review in 9 days!

Baby much?

[Jeff V]

I finished one a few days ago, just haven't had a chance to write the review yet (tonight though I am wife and baby-free). The current audiobook I'm listening to is a short story anthology edited by GRRM, meaning it's still 30 hours long. I'm only about half done with that.

[Jeff V]

Mickey Outside (A White Collar Crime Thriller) by David Lender

Mickey Steinberg was considered a superstar on Wall Street until an insider-trading scandal brought him crashing to earth, losing his personal fortune, his lovely wife, and his freedom. This book begins with Mickey about to get out of prison, with thoughts of getting back on top.

Walter Goldstein is an art dealer and social gadfly. Widely known to have made his fortune preying on bored housewives, Walter is now betrothed to Mickey's ex-wife, Rachel. In the course of their affair, Rachel had given most of her fortune (her half of Mickey's assets before they were confiscated in fines and fees) to bolster Walter's business.

Mickey thinks he can get his life back by discrediting Walter and relieving him of his considerable fortune. He makes the acquaintance of a smooth-talking fellow inmate also in the slammer for fiscal malfeasance. They work through a master forger to replicate an early Van Gogh painting that was stolen (and in reality has never been recovered) and then bring in high-rolling bidders including Warren Buffett and Bill Gates to legitimize the whole process.

It doesn't go as smooth as planned -- Walter has his agenda as well, and, although he believes the fake to be genuine, he conspires to discredit it through an appraiser in his pay. His thought is to greatly reduce the value of the presumed masterpiece. And it almost works...but Mickey is just a little smarter.

Billed as "A White Collar Crime Thriller," it delivers just that. The characters are well developed, and the story plausible. If, however, the best appraisers money can buy fail to spot a forgery, the entire market for great works of art would be undermined. It was an enjoyable story, however.

[Jeff V]

Dangerous Women by George R.R. Martin

I'll admit, I read this book for one reason only -- because it contains a novella, The Princess and the Queen, set in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire world. Unfortunately for the most part, I had to wade through a lot of dreck to get there. I was looking forward to works by authors I've not read before, especially Joseph Abercrombie and Sherlyn Kenyon. I was disappointed by both, as well as quite a few other authors in this volume. Most of the stories featured women, but some only in a supporting role. Not all women were particularly "dangerous," somewhat undermining the theme. Several are takes on the same theme, modern day witches with the personality of a young 20-something girl in a modern city.

The payoff, Martin's Princess and the Queen, takes place in Westeros long before the events of A Song of Ice and Fire. Central to this story is "The Dance of the Dragons" (note the difference from the novel title A Dance with Dragons). This is a Targaryan civil war resulting in the destruction of most of the known dragons. Written as a historical narrative, the novella is not character-driven as are the novels. Conflict is established between some of the great houses notably Baratheon and Lannister. The one thing that bugs me is that combat, when dragons are involved, is such a horrific event for all involved, one wonders why armies would ever muster against them. The novella does establish a precedent for Targaryan women to assume a leadership role as queen, as well as to fight on dragonback. I know Martin has written other such stories...I think now I will try to seek them out while I wait for the next ASOIAF book.

[Jeff V]

Hiking Ohio by Gary Williams

Don't have the Internet and feel like hoofing it around Ohio? This book is for you. 83 hikes of varying distance and complexity are cataloged in this book, as well as line maps and some B&W photos to accompany a description of the train. GPS coordinates of features along the way are included, as well as nearby attractions. Any specific rules, regulations, or required permits are mentioned, as well as contact information should you have additional questions.

For most of these trails, more explicit maps are available online, and you might find color pictures to further entice you. If your preference in trip planning is to leaf through a book rather than page through websites, then you'll find this to be a useful resource. Ditto if you're taking a road trip through the state and want something to read in the car.

[Jeff V]

Pompeii by Robert Harris

Pompeii is a novel set in the last days of...you guessed it, Pompeii, the Roman town that was the largest of those wiped out by a pyroclastic flow following the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 CE. The book opens with a slave facing execution because of the death of some prized fish in a pond owned by an aristocratic former slave. He pleads for the Aquarius -- the engineer responsible for the city's water -- saying the Aquarius knows what caused the problem, it wasn't his negligence. However, the Aquarius is mysteriously nowhere to be found, and another is pressed into service. Too late, he confirms that the fish were killed by an infusion of sulfur into the water, and demands to be excused so he can address a "real" emergency. That emergency, as it turns out, was the sudden lack of flow from an aqueduct feeding the town. Conferring with a traveler from Pompeii who confirmed the fountains were in operation there, he leaves to locate the break, promising remediation in two days.

The break is found, the ground under the aqueduct thrust upwards, blocking the water flow. Naval commander Pliny the Elder rages at the lack of water, but comes to realize something is going on with the mountain and, as a man of science, begins to catalog his observances. Town officials try to reassure the people, forcibly preventing some from leaving. All the while, emanations from the mountain are getting worse.

The little dramas within seem trivial compared with the ending we all know is coming. Pliny and the Aquarius were the two most interesting characters in this story. When the final firestorm arrives, most characters of consequence simply die where they are...any attempts at shelter being fruitless. Pliny too is killed, but his notes survive and are given to the care of his nephew, Pliny the Younger, who was off shore at the time. Harris did some good research into volcanos for this book, and we learn about them apace with Pliny.

[El Guapo]

Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt by Michael Lewis

Many if not most of you already know about this book (I believe I heard about it on OO first) - it's Michael Lewis' latest book, centered on high-frequency traders. It's about companies that take advantage of very small differences in data transmission speeds to essentially "game" the stock market.

There are a variety of tricks, but one of the main ones (as I understand it) works like this: a company places an order for 10,000 shares of Proctor & Gamble. P&G shares are available across a dozen or so different stock markets. The broker checks with the first market and buys (say) 1,000 shares at $60. A High-Frequency Trader firm has saturated the markets with offers to sell 100 share blocks of P&G. Once at least one of those 100 share blocks is triggered, the HFT takes this as an indication that there's a buyer of P&G shares out there, and immediately (via computer program) buys up P&G shares at other markets for $60, then turns around and sells them to the big P&G buyer for a slight mark up (say, $61/share). HFT companies can do this because they have a variety of techniques and equipment giving them a *very* slight but significant speed advantage over most other traders - they can get orders in on the order of 3 - 5 microseconds faster - which allow them to buy up shares faster than anyone else once they get new info (like the P&G order info).

Anyhow, terribly complicated but through this and other techniques they're able to buy & sell shares virtually risk free (since they don't buy shares until they are essentially sure that there's another counter-party to sell those shares to essentially immediately). So they become parasitic middlemen and extract billions from the market. The book tells this story along with the story of a few people who work to figure out and combat HFT methods (including by creating a new stock market designed to be unfriendly to HFT techniques).

Michael Lewis is a tremendous author, so once again he does a great job presenting this through the viewpoint of a variety of interesting characters. And while I don't think I totally understand all of the machinations involved yet (at least on a first read), it's a pretty helpful primer into the nature of the modernized (and computerized) stock market.

I would definitely recommend it.

[Carpet_pissr]

I have this on my wish list. Did it come across at all as a sales pitch for the new exchange?

[El Guapo]

I have this on my wish list. Did it come across at all as a sales pitch for the new exchange?

Kind of. The founder of the new IEX exchange (Brad Katsuyama) is essentially the hero of the book, about whom Michael Lewis has virtually nothing bad to say. Obviously Brad's out to make money too, but the book portrays him as more motivated by principle than profits.

It did strike me towards the end of the book that the heroes are fairly wealthy Wall Street players themselves, which made me wonder (since the heroes are not exactly downtrodden) what the case against them would look like (whether there's a side to the story not in the book). But even if that's the case the book is more about high-frequency trading than it is about the new exchange (which only comes in during the last fifth of the book, IIRC).

[Kasey Chang]

Just finished vN, a very weird dystopia where humans are accompanied by von Neumann androids that can reproduce by consuming more raw materials, but have failsafes similar to 3 laws of robotics... that is, until they realized that at least one no longer have the failsafe...

[Kasey Chang]

I'll have to re-read "American Sniper" by Chris Kyle. I didn't realize he was killed in 2013... by an American... at a shooting range in his hometown. While trying to help a guy suffering from PTSD to let off some steam through "shooting therapy". Apparently the guy just pulled a pistol and shot Kyle and his shooting partner/spotter Chad Littlefield, and stole Kyle's truck. Their death was not discovered for hours, but police found the killer driving Kyle's truck on the road and pushed him through spike strip and grabbed him without incident. Last I checked, back in 2013, judge granted a continuance on something about DNA testing.

http://www.yourstephenvilletx.com/hero/ ... 963f4.html

And Bradley Cooper will play him in a biopic based on his book... Directed by Clint Eastwood. And to play him convincingly, Cooper gained about 40 pounds, mostly muscle, and even hired one of Kyle's retired SEAL teammates to play himself in the movie.

That's good sign, I think.

[Jeff V]

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell

If you're a fan of the Freakonomics books, you'll like this one. Gladwell takes a number of cultural phenomena such as the rebirth of Hush Puppies Shoes, the success of Sesame Street to show how a given thing can go from niche to mainstream. It's not all being in the right place at the right time -- get the right cool kids to wear your stuff (the mavens) or just make a little adjustment, such as putting words in the middle of the screen where a child will focus as opposed to the bottom to turn a good idea into a great one.

Some companies can engineer this response -- Lexus did during an early recall where they took a very personal approach, knowing that their yet-small customer base was made up of car mavens who would spread good word-of-mouth about the company. Certainly, finding this Tipping Point should be a primary goal of marketing efforts if one wishes to make a little company into a big one.

[Kasey Chang]

Read the Tipping Point before. The problem with this sort of "business porn" books is survivorship bias... they highlight the survivors and what the survivors *thought* was the cause of their success, without analyzing the dead/failures and did they really did something that different. In other words, the factor of "luck" is ignored, because it cannot be quantified.

It's interesting, but don't *believe* in it too much.

[Kasey Chang]

Read "Dead Man's Horse" by Mack Curley, writier of "historical Western"

General Grant, after the Civil War, was traveling the country before the election, and one trip took him to Cheyenne and Laramie in Wyoming. In the book, a bitter father in the south sent his sons and a scarred soldier with amnesia but thirsty for revenge, out to assassinate Grant... And the only people in their way are one Deputy Marshall and his hard-earned friend half-Indian scout...

The problem with this book is the characters are cliches. The good deputy is too good (has no bad qualities at all), the half-Indian scout came to like the Marshall too much, the town actually told the truth about the half-Indian (it was really self-defense), and the bad guys are cliche bad, stupid, or just outright evil (one guy can't "accomplish" his mission, so he rode back into town intending to shoot somebody at random, and met his Maker that way). The only surprise was near the end, which I won't spoil.

The plot is actually quite decent, with the bad guys BEHAVING intelligently, like getting away before the good guys on there, and so on, but too bad characterization doesn't match the plot. It's as if he was basing his characters on Gunsmoke and Wild Wild West (not the Will Smith movie, the old TV series) rather than something a bit more historical and nuanced.

It was on special sale for $1.99 in Kindle eBooks, so I guess it wasn't THAT much of a loss.


Currently re-reading Ender's Quintology. Just finished Ender's Game, moving onto Speaker for the Dead (which I've never read, believe it or not).

[Jeff V]

Read the Tipping Point before. The problem with this sort of "business porn" books is survivorship bias... they highlight the survivors and what the survivors *thought* was the cause of their success, without analyzing the dead/failures and did they really did something that different. In other words, the factor of "luck" is ignored, because it cannot be quantified.

It's interesting, but don't *believe* in it too much.

Presumably, the point is that business that do survive, those that don't. fail. He does mention that Hush Puppies was poised to go tits up before they suddenly became popular (and apparently through no particular effort of their own accord).

It's a lot easier to isolate success stories that fit a given thesis. Failures often have multiple causes of death, and an autopsy would be hard pressed to identify a definitive one....it could fit the thesis, but it could be argued that other factors led to the company's demise.

[Jeff V]

Thunderstruck by Erik Larson

This is the third of Erik Larson's four books that I've read. Starting with the superb Devil in the White City, In the Garden of Beasts failed to spark my interest. Thunderstruck falls between the two; and closer to Devil in the White City.

Similar in motif to Devil in the White City, a famous murder case intersects with a historical event. This time, it's the unspeakably brutal murder of doctor's wife, presumably by the mild-mannered doctor himself. who disappears with his mistress. The second-most famous British murder case at the time, the investigator started his career on the most famous -- Jack the Ripper, and ended with this case. Meanwhile, the saga of Guglielmo Marconi is told, from his invention of the wireless telegraph (primordial radio) through the trials and tribulations in turning his invention into a profitable company. Marconi's device allowed for the public to follow along the saga of the Crippen murder, as the suspect was identified aboard a ship heading to North America...the whole world knew they were tagged without them ever suspecting.

Again, Larson does a great job turning historical events into a riveting story as exciting as any novel. I wish there were more authors like him -- there are certainly plenty of true-life events that need no further embellishment.

[Jeff V]

Use Your Brain to Change Your Age: Secrets to Look, Feel, and Think Younger Every Day by Daniel G. Amen M.D.

The author nearly discredited himself during a chapter on providing a health care program for a church and calling it the "Daniel Program" after the so-called prophet and not himself. Subtract that bit of garbage, and the rest pretty much falls in line with other health/longevity books I've read.

The author, head of the Amen Clinic, a group that helps rehabilitate brain injury, both those externally inflicted (as in playing football) or self-inflicted (such as whiskey on your corn flakes). He pimps his clinic a lot, but that's more of him talking from a position he knows best. He advocates everyone get a brain scan to show where they are so they can plan on how to get where they want to be. It turns out that some brain injury is reversible,. or can at least be mitigated. However, the seeds of dementia (such as Alzheimers) can be planted 40 years before symptoms appear -- so it's never to soon to pay attention to brain health.

Dr. Amen covers physical, emotional, and dietary causes of brain injury and suggest plans on treating these injuries. He is not one of the doctors who advocates a few glasses of wine per day -- in fact, his position on moderation is one would never suggest taking cocaine or heroin in moderation, so why approve alcohol, sugar, salt and flour (the latter three he calls "the white powders"). This book has ample case studies illustrating some of the doctor's success stories. Of course, he doesn't dwell at all on the failures, nor does he provide particular success rates for given treatments.

I would probably be more successful following the advice of books such as this if I read them at a time where my stock of junk foods and beer are depleted. I've been conditioned since a child not to waste anything...so I'll start as soon as the junk and beer have been consumed. Now it's time to go shopping....oh, I and I need to stop at the Booze Barn....

[Jeff V]

The Templar Legacy: A Novel (Cotton Malone) by Steve Berry

An order of the Templars survives persecution by inquisitors working for Philip IV of France, despite the brutal execution of their master. A vast fortune goes underground -- but also the original testament of Simon which undermines the foundation of Christianity.

An author who has had trouble selling books after a hit debut kills himself. His wife, a high-ranking person in a clandestine government agency, travels to Europe to investigate after his journal makes its way to her. One of her best, but retired, agents; Cotton Malone, is actually living in Europe and may have some insight. People start to die...this isn't a mere academic puzzle.

Meanwhile, the Templar's master dies, and order is seized by a brother who found the old administration too passive and has visions of finding the lost documents. He proves he is willing to kill to get his way. This is at the expense of the seneschal, the presumed heir apparent to the master who is not popular enough to become master himself. However, his mere existence is a threat and he must flee for his life....but realizes his fate is tied to the treasure his opponent seeks.

A nice blend of medieval history and modern consequences, Berry weaves an interesting tale of secretes held for centuries. The afterward discusses the history behind the novel -- while it's a good action novel, Berry did his research and the story is backed up by historical events. This is the first volume in a series featuring Cotton Malone -- oddly enough, he played a supporting role in this novel. I liked it enough to seek out the next in the series.,

[Jeff V]

The Future of the Mind: The Scientific Quest to Understand, Enhance, and Empower the Mind by Michio Kaku

Michio Kaku is a familiar sight on many science documentaries and, along with the likes of Neil DeGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye, a leading icon for self-proclaimed "science geeks." While this book does in a way convey the current state of understanding the mind (human and other), most of the concepts are described in terms of pop science fiction -- Star Trek, Star Wars, even Planet of the Apes; in addition to sci-fi literature like that of Azimov. A little goes a long way...Kaku goes overboard and much of this book seems like he is trying to impress sci-fi geeks and not necessarily giving current research the credit it deserves.

The topics discussed are quite extensive. Brain injury is discussed, as well as methods that might enhance certain senses. Implanting memories, telepathy, even telekinesis are all areas of apparently legitimate research where gains are being made. Discussion on the probability of sentient alien life, whether or not we really ought to be seeking it, is all part of speculation regarding an alien mind. Robotics and artificial intelligence is probably the field nearest to realizing a major breakthrough -- in about 30 years, computer power should exceed that of the human mind and things can get interesting if these computers also become self-aware.

One of the more entertaining topics was that of memory preservation and the possibility that our memories could be implanted into clones, allowing our minds to live on indefinitely. Some of the more outrageous concepts of science fiction are closer than we think...although I suspect linear progress will hit a brick wall before some of this is realized. In any case, it appears I was probably born 100 years too early to benefit from the fun stuff.

[Zarathud]

May Update

Completed
January-February
Neptune's Brood by Charles Stross
Boneshaker (Clockwork Century) by Cherie Priest
In the Company of Ogres by A. Lee Martinez

March-April
Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson
Mitosis: A Reckoner's Story by Brandon Sanderson
Rule 34 by Charles Stross

May
Wretched of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler
Blight of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler
Scourge of Muirwood by Jeff Wheeler
Resurrection, Inc. by Kevin J. Anderson
Lest Darkness Fall & Related Stories by L. Sprague de Camp (and others)

Really enjoyed the Muirwood trilogy -- a very light, straight-forward fantasy about the power of belief in magic and fate. Once again, Kevin J. Anderson's clean writing style made for enjoyable reading about the machinations behind the creation of Servants (android corpses) and the rise of Neo-Satanism, even if many of the characters were too one-dimensional to be truly satisfying.

[Kasey Chang]

Finished Ender's Quintology, but have no desire to pluck down $30+ for Shadow Quintology on Kindle.

The Game of Thrones Quintology for for $20 on Kindle, however...

Any one read the Wool Omnibus by Hugh Howey? That sounds somewhat interesting.

Read "Combat and Other Shenanigans" by Piers Platt. It's one of those memoirs by Iraq veteran, and got it for free during those free book days. it's not bad, as he's a fresh loot (lieutenant) off ROTC that turned into a combat vet through Iraq without getting wounded, and he's basically describing the life there. Not for everyone, not that inspiring, or entertaining, but very honest sounding.

[Carpet_pissr]

Finished Ender's Quintology, but have no desire to pluck down $30+ for Shadow Quintology on Kindle.

Wow, good for you. I read the first last year, loved it, and immediately read Speaker for the Dead. Loved it, maybe even more than the first, but in a different way. By the time I finished Xenocide, I was burned out on the universe and the characters, and was basically just plodding through just to finish...did not enjoy most of that one, and felt it paled in comparison to the excellent writing in the first two.

[Zarathud]

Wool gets a thumbs up. Short books but an interesting premise.

[Kasey Chang]

Finished Ender's Quintology, but have no desire to pluck down $30+ for Shadow Quintology on Kindle.

Wow, good for you. I read the first last year, loved it, and immediately read Speaker for the Dead. Loved it, maybe even more than the first, but in a different way. By the time I finished Xenocide, I was burned out on the universe and the characters, and was basically just plodding through just to finish...did not enjoy most of that one, and felt it paled in comparison to the excellent writing in the first two.

Well, I did plod through the rest. I wouldn't say it's a complete washout, but the end of the quintet is getting quite boring that OSC had to invent some crap out of nothing just to f*** with the characters.

Spoiler:

So Ender just went into the Beyond, with "Jane's" help, and suddenly there's enough bodies to go around that he had two SPARES? WTF? Yeah, I was talking about the last book. Way too metaphysical to the point of WTF. And nobody on the planet bat an eye, and the extra bodies starting flying around to plan the revolution. WTF?

I see that OSC has even MORE books out to act as the PREQUEL to the Ender's Game (Mazer Rackem's time) I guess he really want to mine the universe to death.

[Carpet_pissr]

Finished Ender's Quintology, but have no desire to pluck down $30+ for Shadow Quintology on Kindle.

Wow, good for you. I read the first last year, loved it, and immediately read Speaker for the Dead. Loved it, maybe even more than the first, but in a different way. By the time I finished Xenocide, I was burned out on the universe and the characters, and was basically just plodding through just to finish...did not enjoy most of that one, and felt it paled in comparison to the excellent writing in the first two.

Well, I did plod through the rest. I wouldn't say it's a complete washout, but the end of the quintet is getting quite boring that OSC had to invent some crap out of nothing just to f*** with the characters.

Spoiler:

So Ender just went into the Beyond, with "Jane's" help, and suddenly there's enough bodies to go around that he had two SPARES? WTF? Yeah, I was talking about the last book. Way too metaphysical to the point of WTF. And nobody on the planet bat an eye, and the extra bodies starting flying around to plan the revolution. WTF?

I see that OSC has even MORE books out to act as the PREQUEL to the Ender's Game (Mazer Rackem's time) I guess he really want to mine the universe to death.

Hmm, interesting. Yeah, no thanks. I won't be reading any more to preserve the memory of the greatness of the first two I read. Will be interesting to see the movie, now that I have read it.

[McNutt]

Wool never sucked me in. I thought it was okay.

Spoiler:

Question - how big was this silo? If I remember correctly the trip by the mayor and deputy to mechanical took several days just to make it down the stairs. Days?

[Jeff V]

The Bluffer's Guide to Food (Bluffer's Guides) by Neil Davey

The Bluffer's Guide to Food is another in the UK series of books designed to give lay people pretentious knowledge on a given subject. This is the fourth book in the series I've read, the others being Chocolate, Etiquette, and Rock Music. While I have to say I rarely find myself embroiled in the sort of discussion these books presume to prepare a reader for, they don't take the subject too seriously and are fun to read.

Almost from the start, this book invalidates itself by decreeing that food trends can change faster than you can read this sentence. Then why bother? Well, it turns out that all trends share some common roots, and knowing these roots can allow one to discuss the topic in a sagely manner. We learn about how Michelin assigns its stars, who the most influential chefs (and books by them) over the years, and a little about current hot culinary trends. I was pleased that several books I've read were covered, and despite the UK-centric spin, US (and other nations) chefs, authors and trends are given their due.

Such a short book can't be overly comprehensive, and this book falls short in its coverage of Asian, Mediterranean, mid-East, and African cuisines. Each of these are potentially a vast subject in its own right. Still, I live in a large city (Chicago), and quality food of every origin receives its due.

[Jeff V]

The Alexandria Link: A Novel (Cotton Malone) by Steve Berry

The Alexandria Link represents Steve Berry's first attempt at a serial novel. The Templar Legacy was an action-adventure novel involving the secrets of a long-underground order of Templars. Berry once again goes back in history, this time to the great Library of Alexandria. Using a mixture of actual history and plausible fiction, our hero, Cotton Malone, once again is chasing clues to an ancient treasure.

Berry made it a point to flesh out the character of Cotton Malone in this novel. His ex-wife and her child (that the boy isn't his was a prime cause to their separation) both play prominent roles. However, at times, their inclusion seems forced, as does another "follow the clues" plot. I didn't enjoy this nearly as much as I did the first book in the series, and will take a break before reading the next. In an interview after the book, Berry says the next few books will focus on other featured characters in Malone's circle. Hopefully their stories prove a little more interesting.

That said, I wish the book was a little more compelling. The loss of the Library of Alexandria was one of the biggest travesties of mankind. Whether documents contained therein would be powerful enough to change the course of modern history (the premise of this book) I'm a bit skeptical...then again, Saudi Arabia raised towns and prohibits archeological expeditions in sensitive areas suggest Berry is not too far off base.

[Rumpy]

So, finished The Forever Engine by Frank Chadwick today, and I can highly recommend it. Very fun book, and much better than I originally thought it was going to be, and much deeper. I'd love to actually see this as a movie!

[Jeff V]

Jade Sky (A Matt Rowley Novel) by Patrick Freivald

Sometime in the near future, augment soldiers are the most powerful weapons on the battlefield. Many having multiple augmentations, they heal normally fatal injuries in minutes, enjoy super strength and tireless endurance, and may even see briefly into the future, helping them react to incoming attacks. Seems like a good gig if you can get it...except there is one thing common with all "augs." They eventually "bonk" and spiral into an uncontrollable rage, killing anyone they can get their hands on. Part of the job of "augs" involve putting down "bonks" who go, well, bonkers.

This premise should be enough for a wealth of material, but for some reason the author decided to incorporate this into Christian mythology. An ancient creature was found during an excavation of Nazi bunkers years after the war ended...this creature was still alive and turns out to be some kind of fallen angel. She is responsible for making the substance that infuses and controls the augs. But she has other designs on them.

The story was often disjointed, as if shifting scenes in a movie. This interrupted the flow of the story, and often I had to read on in confusion until things started to clear up (then re-read the confusing parts to make sure I didn't miss anything). The characters were well done, and the action scenes vivid. If only the story was a more coherent whole.

[Jeff V]

Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meacham

This is the second biography by Jon Meacham I've read -- the other on Andrew Jackson. He seems to have a penchant for taking interesting characters from American history and making them less so. Granted, both men have had many volumes written about them and it's hard to find a new spin, but Meacham stakes his claim to the mundane.

In this book, we find out about Jefferson's many children who don't survive childhood. We are fascinated by details of his horticultural journal, riveted by the appearance of the cherry blossoms. But we do also hear about his fears on what the future might hold for the country -- and how Jefferson frequently thought he was the best hope for preservation of the nation as he perceived the founding to be.

Meacham also focuses much on Jefferson's flaws. While he accomplished much greatness, he failed to show courage in an early opportunity to weaken the foundation of slavery. As governor of Virginia, he fled in advance of the British, and this too would plague him the rest of his career. Meacham's characterization of Jefferson on religion is rather all over the place -- on one hand suggests (as most agree) that religion had no place in government, but then mentions on multiple occasions that he thought Atheist was the worst possible trait for a politician. Jefferson's personal financers also seemed to be much in disarray, with his time in the presidency particularly costly to his personal fortunes.

In the end, Meacham's achieves his dispassionate goal in characterizing Jefferson as a mere mortal and not the legendary giant of his inflated legacy. This is a very good point to make, however, I wish Meacham could find a more effective path. Household gossip might be appealing to the soap opera set, but not so engaging for the rest of us.

[Canuck]

I was actually thinking of picking up a Jefferson book. For someone who's probably only going to read one, are there any recommendations about what would be best?

[Isgrimnur]

Generation Atheist edited by Dan Riley

[Jeff V]

I was actually thinking of picking up a Jefferson book. For someone who's probably only going to read one, are there any recommendations about what would be best?

American Sphinx by Joseph Ellis is good, but my choice would be Thomas Jefferson by Christopher Hitchens.

[El Guapo]

So I'm reading Norman Conquest: The Battle of Hastings and the Fall of Anglo-Saxon England. I'm still early, but I'm really enjoying the writing.

The book is talking about the pre-Norman invasion period, and how the then King Aethelred 'the Unready' was an incompetent cockknocker who basically got England conquered by the Vikings twice. I liked this line: "The English remained paralysed by their own rivalries until the following April, at which point Aethelred made an invaluable contribution to the war effort by dropping dead".

[J.D.]

Anyone read Stephen King's newest yet? Thoughts?

[Isgrimnur]

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency