[ Open Book ]

The One with Gateways

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

211. Title &Author: Gateways (A Repairman JackNovel Book 7) by F. Paul Wilson (366 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Thriller & ScienceFiction

Completed: 13 January 2012

Summary & Review:

When he gets a late nightphone call from his estranged brother telling him that their father was in acoma after a mysterious hit-and-run car accident, Repairman Jack leaves thecomforting confines of New York City to explore the everglades of Florida.Searching for who was behind his father’s accident, Jack discovers that severalother residents of the retirement community where his father lives have died atregular three month intervals by mysterious means. With the help of anenigmatic old lady who is his father’s neighbor, Jack tracks down a clan ofdeformed swap-dwellers who seem to be behind the murders.

It hasbeen a while since I last read a Repairman Jack book (a year ago, actually),and every time I read one I am reminded why I like them. Wilson just crafts hisstories extremely well and has an entertaining, fluid style that makes the pages turnswiftly. Also, as I have said many times in these reviews, the character ofRepairman Jack is one of my all-time favorites.

I haveread this series somewhat out of order. The first book I was Crisscross (#13), which is the eighth book inthe cycle and immediately follows Gateways.So, with a somewhat advanced knowledge of what is coming in the series, I sawthat this book was a pretty critical one in that it set up a lot of theunderlying themes and story lines that continue throughout the Repairman Jackcycle.

Rating: 8.5

Arguments Summed Up: The Conscience of a Conservative

2012-01-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

Title & Author: The Conscience of a Conservative by Barry Goldwater

Genre: Nonfiction--Political Philosophy

My Rating: 9.5

Summed Up:

Concerned that many felt the need to apologize for conservative principles, Barry Goldwaterpresents his defense of the philosophy. He states that conservatism takes intoaccount more than just the economic well-being of the individual, which is all that socialism addresses, but also understands that men have a spiritual side as well. Thisspiritual side is the more important part of man’s nature and therefore shouldtake precedence over his material desires. To Goldwater, the conservative’sfirst concern should always be, “Are we maximizing freedom?”

Each personis a unique creature with individualized needs and wants, therefore, “to regardman as a part of an undifferentiated mass is to consign him to ultimateslavery.” Conservatism thus looks at politics as “the art of achieving themaximum amount of freedom for individuals that is consistent with themaintenance of social order.” Without such order, freedom is impossible. Onlyif one’s freedoms are defended from interference by others, can freedom trulyexist.

Goldwaterwarns about the federal government’s departure from its proper role and scopeas defined by the Constitution. Too many feel that the State can be whatever it“needs” to be, regardless of the bounds placed upon it by the Constitution.However, the Founding Fathers had a reason for endorsing limited government,rather than a government big enough to attempt to handle every problem. Thisreason? Government has, throughout history, proved to be the main agent thwartingand reducing man’s liberty. In short, “Government represents power in the handsof some men to control and regulate the lives of other men.”

Ifgovernment, however, stays within its bounds, it is actually conducive tofreedom by maintaining order, protecting the citizenry from foreign enemies,and allowing a free exchange of goods. But, freedom depends on effectiverestraints on the government since it is the natural tendency of men to takemore and more power. A look at the growth of the size of the federal governmentproves this point. In 1960, the federal government was the “biggest land owner,property manager, renter, mover and hauler, medical clinician, lender, insurer,mortgage broker, employer, debtor, taxer, and spender in all history.”

Inregard to streamlining the federal behemoth, Goldwater said, “I have littleinterest in streamlining government or in making it more efficient, for I meanto reduce its size. I do undertake to promote welfare, for I propose to extendfreedom. My aim is not to pass laws, but to repeal them. It is not toinaugurate new programs, but to cancel old ones.”

Animportant part of limiting federal power is a hearty defense of the rights ofthe states. This is the cornerstone of the maintenance of the Republic. “Statesrights means that the states have a right to act or not act, as they see fit.”If a state fails to perform its duties, “recourse lies not with the federalgovernment, which is not sovereign, but with the people who are” and to whomthe duties are owed. For many of the current issues the federal government isaddressing, it had no business or right to enter those fields in the firstplace since the Constitution states that anything not explicitly delegated tothe federal government remained under control of the states.

Inregard to civil rights, Goldwater sees no conflict between protecting states’rights and true civil rights, i.e. rights that are protected by valid federallaws. If a state’s law violates such a civil right, then the state law is null.However, if a right is not explicitly stated in the Consitution, states are free to rule as they deemappropriate. Even if we deem something wrong, we cannot force another state andits citizens to adopt our values if it violates their rights as a state.Rather, “Social and cultural change, however desirable, should not be effectedby the engines of national power. Let us, through persuasion and education,seek to improve institutions we deem defective. But let us, in doing so,respect the orderly processes of the law. Any other course enthrones tyrantsand dooms freedom.”

Goldwaterthen applies the principles of freedom, both free markets and free individuals,to agriculture, labor, taxation, welfare, and education. In short, the federal governmenthas no power to interfere in agriculture and should do away with all farm subsidies.Additionally, no man should be forced to join a union or be punished bychoosing not to, and unions should only be allowed to address the company forwhich it’s members work, rather than be political lobbyists for an entiretrade. In regard to taxation, the government does NOT have an unlimited claimon the earnings of individuals because such a claim violates mans right to usehis prosperity as he sees fit, and Goldwater advocates a flat tax that claimsan equal percentage of each man’s wealth. For welfare, conservatives mustdemonstrate that there is a difference between being concerned with thoseproblems and believing that the federal government is the solution to them.Private charity is the best solution to the material needs of our neighborsbecause “both the giver and the receiver understand that charity is the productof the humanitarian impulses of the giver, not the due of the receiver,” thusavoiding resentment on those who are taxed and entitlement among those who receive.Finally, education is not a problem with quantity, but with quality and thefederal government has absolutely no right to be involved in education at all.

Thefinal chapter in the book is the longest, and addresses “the Soviet Menace.”While the Cold War is thankfully over, and the enslaved peoples under the IronCurtain are free, many of the principles presented in this chapter applyperfectly to our current battle with Islamic terrorism and the political movementof Islamism. First, our goal should not be peace, but victory, and every aspectof our foreign policy should address and further that goal. We must take the offensive,and not sit passively by; we must make America economically strong; we must behavelike a great power in all our dealings with foreign countries; we should adopta discriminating foreign aid policy with aid given only to friendlycountries that are actively fighting, in our case, Islamsim (i.e. not Pakistan or Saudi Arabia). As Goldwater says, this may be hard counsel, but that is “becauseit frankly acknowledges that war may be the price of freedom, and thus intrudeson our national complacency.”

You can read my review of The Conscience of a Conservative here.

The One with Crow Killer

2012-01-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

210. Title &Author: Crow Killer by Raymond W.Thorp and Robert Bunker (128 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Biography

Completed: 7 January 2012

Summary & Review:

Settingout to make a life for himself in the boundless mountains of the American West,John Johnson becomes a legend among the rugged mountain men of the nineteenthcentury. When Johnson returns home from a winter of fur trapping, he discovershis Indian wife and unborn child murdered by a band of Crow warriors. Enragedby the deed, Johnson swears vengeance on the entire Crow nation and stalks,hunts, terrorizes, and kills the Crows with a single minded dedication. But,his signature deed during this vendetta gave his most lasting nickname: afterkilling and scalping a Crow, he would remove the liver and eat it raw, thusearning his nickname of “Liver-Eating” Johnson.

Therewas actually a lot more to this book than just Johnson’s trail of revengeagainst the Crows. The book chronicled Johnson’s entire life in the vast plainsand mountains of the West as he trapped, made friends with mountain men,settlers, and Indians, fought in the Civil war, fought various battles andvendettas against dozens of Indian tribes, and became a legend. This was not alife for the faint of heart, but Johnson seems to have taken to it as if he wereborn for nothing else.

Thisbook was recommended to me by my wife’s paternal grandfather, who was also kindenough to loan me his copy of the book to read. Thank you very much, J.A.T.

Rating: 7.0

The One with Gallery Guide: Goya

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

209. Title &Author: Gallery Guide: Goya byManuela B. Mena Marqués (71 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Art History

Completed: 1 January 2012

Summary & Review:

This small book serves as aguide to the many artworks by the Spanish painter Goya that are found in thePrado. Along with background and descriptions are numerous full-colorreproductions of Goya’s paintings.

Whilethis was short, and therefore not very in-depth, it was an interesting look atmany of Goya’s paintings. My wife picked this up when she was in Spain and shealso has the gallery guide book that focuses specifically on Goya’s very famousBlack Paintings, which I look forwardto reading.

Rating: 5.0

The One with Conscience of a Conservative

2012-01-04T08:00:00.000-08:00

208. Title &Author: The Conscience of aConservative by Barry Goldwater (98 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Political Philosophy

Completed: 30 December 2011

Summary & Review:

United States Senator fromArizona and 1964 Republican presidential candidate, Barry Goldwater presentedhis political manifesto, The Conscienceof a Conservative, in 1960. This small volume includes Goldwater'ssmall-government solutions to problems such as education, ever-increasing federalpower and spending, labor, and welfare that would not only fix problems in thoseareas but maximize personal freedom. I will post an “Arguments Summed Up” postin a couple of weeks with a more in-depth summary of Goldwater’s arguments.

LikeBuckley’s God and Man at Yale (#176),this book is a foundational text to modern American conservatism and also had abig impact on libertarianism as well. Despite being over fifty years old,Goldwater's arguments were dead on and could (and should) be applied to the verysame problems we are still dealing with today. That is the beauty of havingprinciples, and then applying those unchanging principles to problems as theyarise. By basing his political foundation on certain core values, especiallypersonal freedom, Goldwater’s arguments have been able to weather the years andstill seem fresh and relevant.

Rating: 9.5

The One with Eragon

2011-12-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

207. Title &Author: Eragon (Book 1 of theInheritance Cycle) by Christopher Paolini (509 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Fantasy & Adventure

Completed: 19 December 2011

Summary & Review:

Orphaned at a young age,Eragon grows up with his uncle and cousin on a small farm in an isolatedvalley. He expects his life to be much like his uncle’s has been, until hefinds a mysterious stone that turns out to be the egg of a dragon. As a newly chosenRider, Eragon quickly gains powerful enemies within the empire that rules hishomeland with tyranny and oppression. With the help of an old bard named Brom,Eragon must learn to control and use the powers granted to him as a Dragon Riderto avenge his uncle’s murder and to save the land of Alagaësia.

The author,Christopher Paolini, began writing this book when he was only fifteen yearsold. It is an impressive feat for someone so young, but his age does show inparts of the book. He often used overly complicated vocabulary and overwrought metaphorsor similies, I think in an attempt to sound more mature and adult. However, Irecently read the third book in this cycle, Brisingr (#156), and Paolini has matured much as a writer in the intervening yearsbetween this first installment and the third. In Brisingr he seemed much more confident and less desperate to provethat he wasn’t just a kid, but a talented writer in his own right.

Somehave criticized Eragon and theInheritance Cycle over a lack of originality. Yes, the world and creatures ofAlagaësia bear more than a passing resemblance to places such as Tolkien’sMiddle Earth. But, I don’t think Paolini was trying to create a new world or genre,but rather I think he wanted to write a fantasy epic much like the ones he grewup reading. In that goal, he succeeded. Eragonis a fun, epic adventure firmly within the genre of fantasy.

Rating: 8.0

The One with The Help

2011-12-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

206. Title &Author: The Help by KathrynStockett (530 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Novel

Completed: 11 December 2011

Summary & Review:

In 1960’sJackson, Missippi, dozens of black maids devote their lives to the service ofwhite families--raising their children, cooking their meals—and yet are treatedwith disdain and disrespect by those same families. A young white misfit, Skeeter,decides to write a book by interviewing these women and getting theirperspectives on serving as maids to the white families of Jackson. While thereare many stories of insults and abuse, Skeeter is struck by the stories ofkindness and devotion also experienced by these women. When the book comes out,Skeeter and the maids she worked with must stand together to face the consequencesof their shockingly open and honest book.

I readthe paperback of this book, and plastered all over it are quotes from reviewerssaying how “important” this book is and how it is about “something real” and “somethingthat matters.” First, let me say that overall, I enjoyed the book. It was anentertaining story with some likable characters. But, is it really all thatbrave, important, or courageous of a book? Unlike To Kill a Mockingbird, a book this book was compared to, which waswritten during times of racial inequality and dealt with those issues, The Help was written in a time farremoved from the issues address in the novel. Stockett was able to freely writethis book without any worry of harm or ill consequences. So, what was so braveand important about this book? For some reason, people love to dwell on pastmistakes, and act as though those condemn our country, society, and futureforever. My generation did not perpetrate those crimes, so why do we have to continueto feel guilty for them and pay penance? Obviously, it is important not toforget the past, but claiming a book is brave since it is addressing wrongsfrom a half century past is over doing it.

Anyway,I’ll give Stockett the benefit of the doubt since nowhere in this version didshe say she was trying to write something “important,” rather than just anentertaining novel.

Rating: 7.0

The One with My Friend Leonard

2011-12-14T08:00:00.000-08:00

205. Title &Author: My Friend Leonard byJames Frey (357 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction— Memoir

Completed: 30 November 2011

Summary & Review:

Picking up where his first memoir,A Million Little Pieces, leaves off,Frey finds himself in rehab trying to put his shattered life back together.Through the course of his stay, he becomes close friends with a middle aged mannamed Leonard, a man with ties to a certain Italian “business organization,”who encourages him to make his life right, starting by serving his debt tosociety. Frey follows his advice and after going to prison, begins his newsober life in Chicago. Throughout the ups and downs of a recovering addict’s struggles,Leonard is always there with a good meal, a smile, and an infectious zest forlife.

I amsure most people are familiar with Frey and the controversy surrounding his memoirA Million Little Pieces. Whether ornot parts of this book were made up as well, doesn’t really matter to me. This was abook about friendship, and how important it is to have a friend you can counton when you need them.

Freyhas a very distinctive style of prose in this book. It is relentless and driving,usually lacking the proper punctuation that allows the reader to pause, and itis full of repetitive statements and circular passages. While this styledefinitely doesn’t convey the beauty of Dickens or the talent of Dostoevsky, itdoes bring a certain amount of earnestness and power to a very sad story.

Rating: 6.5

The One with When You are Engulfed in Flames

2011-12-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

204. Title &Author: When You are Engulfed inFlames by David Sedaris (323 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Humor

Completed: 21 November 2011

Summary & Review:

Essayist David Sedaris presentsa compilation of essays covering everything from his childhood to his journeyto Japan to quit smoking. Regardless of the topic, Sedaris observes the worldand the situations he finds himself in with dryness and irony, looking forhumor in the mundane.

I willgrant that Sedaris is a fairly talented and entertaining writer, and at times,he had some very funny lines. However, many of the topics and opinionsexpressed in this collection of essays were not ones I found to be all tooagreeable. Were Sedaris to apply his dry wit to more worthy topics, I would have enjoyed the book much more.

Rating: 4.5

The One with Broke

2011-11-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

203. Title &Author: Broke: The Plan to RestoreOur Trust, Truth, and Treasure by Glenn Beck (351 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Politics &Current Events

Completed: 17 November 2011

Summary & Review:

Radio host Glenn Beckpresents the staggering situation that the United States currently findsitself in. Already drowning under trillions of dollars of debt, recent politicalleaders have shown no signs of slowing the hemorrhaging as they continue tospend at record rates. Rather than focusing on just the economic issues presentin modern day America, Beck examines the moral shortcomings that have causedthe country to forget its past and endanger its future.

Many ofBeck’s previous books have taken on big issues, but have done so with a healthyamount of levity and humor. This book was a change from that pattern. Whilethere would be the occasional dry aside found throughout the text, this book was written with a veryserious tone, and for good reason. The financial situation facing this countryis so overwhelming that you wonder if wecan ever get back on track, or if most people even want to.

Thebook was laid-out in a very organized fashion. Beck first examined the historyof American debt and spending, then presented his explanations for the causes ofour current sorry state, and finally presented his ideas for fixing things. Afterseeing how bad things are, maybe Ron Paul should be president. I sure like hisidea of just completely dumping five federal departments...

Rating: 8.5

The One with Silesian Station

2011-11-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

202. Title &Author: Silesian Station by DavidDowning (306 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Spy Thriller

Completed: 9 November 2011

Summary & Review:

John Russell, a Englishmanliving in Berlin during the final days before the German invasion of Poland, isasked by a friend to help locate a young Jewish girl from the Silesiancountryside who went missing upon her arrival in the city. Russell, however,finds himself in a ever tightening web of lies and deception as he makesalliances with the SD after being blackmailed, the Americans in order to obtainan American passport, and the Soviets with whom he shares a hatred of the Naziregime. Struggling to keep his loved ones safe and balance the tenuous house ofcards he has set up, Russell investigates the disappearance.

Thiswas an enjoyable read. Downing’s prose was crisp, yet descriptive as he wasable to artfully portray the intensity of Berlin in the run up to World War II.While I liked the book, the plot was a little wide reaching. But, as this bookis a part of a series, it understandably includes other storylines that allow the saga tocontinue while still providing enough of a narrative thrust for the book to beable to stand alone. Most of the pages were devoted to Russell’s comings andgoings as a foreign correspondent for a San Francisco newspaper. These portionsof the book were heavy on descriptions of the era, yet light on action. Whenthe climax of the many story arc was reached, the action was fun, but tooshort-lived.

John Russell as a character is ahero that is a little hard for me to identify with. Throughout the novel heclearly expresses his condemnation of the Nazi regime, but he is himself acommunist with a lot of sympathy for the Soviet system. I don’t know if theseare a reflection of the author’s own political beliefs, i.e. that Nazis werebad and communists were/are good, but I think they must be because several times adistinction is made between the bad “right-wing” Nazis, and the idealistic if alittle overly enthusiastic left-wing communists. If they are indeed Downing's beliefs, something doesn't quite compute. While not excusing the Nazi's behavior in the slightest, it should be remembered that communist regimes have been responsible for millions moremurders and other atrocities than the Nazi’s ever were. And explain again howthe National Socialist party isright-wing? (See Jonah Goldberg’s excellent Liberal Fascism for more on that).

Anyway,so despite the strange affinity for communism possessed by the main character(and I assume the author), the book was entertaining enough that I willprobably read another one from the series at some point.

Rating: 7.0

The One with Londonistan

2011-11-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

201. Title &Author: Londonistan by MelaniePhillips (191 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Current Events,Religion, & Politics

Completed: 31 October 2011

Summary & Review:

England is the land that gave birth to the idealsof freedom, liberty, and tolerance, yet in recent decades it has been home to adangerous ideology that wants desperately to subvert those very same values andimpose its own totalitarian system: Islamism. In this book, British journalistMelanie Phillips exposes how the policies of the United Kingdom’s government,church, and academic institutions have made the country a hotbed of terrorismand extreme ideology in the hope that the United States and other Westerndemocracies may prevent similar fates from overcoming them.

Most ofwhat I read in this book was already familiar to me from other works likeAndrew McCarthy’s The Grand Jihad (#160)and Mark Steyn’s America Alone (#164).But, this was a very focused look on the effects of the appeasement of Islamismin the United Kingdom in particular and I appreciated the in depth look. It was a very sadbook too, however. I am an Anglophile and have much admiration for many of theaccomplishments of Britain and many of the illustrious citizens of its past:Dickens, Newton, John Stuart Mill, Locke, Adam Smith, Tolkien, Churchill, thehosts of Top Gear; the list could go on and on. My own beloved country owesmuch to that little island nation, as does most of the world. To see how farthis country has fallen from its proud history as I read the almost unbelievable accounts in this book was extremely disheartening.

Phillipsstates that “the first law of terrorism” is that “it preys on weakness.” Iagree. I think the more countries give in to demands by the political arm ofIslamism to avoid attacks from the terrorist Islamist groups of the same ideology, the more itencourages those groups to keep threatening violence.

Rating: 7.5

The One with 200 Reviews

2011-11-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

My last review, that of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace, was my two hundredth review since I began this list back in March of 2007 (I started posting them on this blog in May of 2008). Those two hundred books amount to 72,577 pages, averaging out to 363 pages per book. I've also listened to an additional fifty-eight audiobooks since I began keeping track of those in January of 2009.

Here is a compiled list of all 200 reviews, alphabetized by author:

·        Ambrose, Stephen E. Band of Brothers: E Company, 506^th Regiment, 101^st Airborne From Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest (#114)
·        Athanassakis, Apostolos N., translator. The Homeric Hymns (#35)
·        Baldacci, David. The Collectors (#23)
·        Baldacci, David. First Family (#157)
·        Baldacci, David. Simple Genius (#40)
·        Baldacci, David. Stone Cold (#70)
·        Baldacci, David. The Whole Truth (#85)
·        Barone, Michael. Hard America Soft America: Competition vs. Coddling and the Battle forthe Nation’s Future (#181)
·        Bastian, Heiner, Celine Bastian, andAeneas Bastian. Damien Hirst: Void (#61)
·        Beck, Glenn. Arguing with Idiots: How to Stop Small Minds and Big Government (#132)
·        Beck, Glenn. The Christmas Sweater (#131)
·        Beck, Glenn. Glenn Beck’s Common Sense: The Case Against Out-of-Control Government,Inspired by Thomas Paine (#125)
·        Beck, Glenn. An Inconvenient Book: Real Solutions to the World’s Biggest Problems (#30)
·        Beck, Glenn. The Real America: Messages from the Heart and Heartland (#91)
·        Berenson, Alex. The Ghost War (#109)
·        Berenson, Alex. The Midnight House (#188)
·        Berenson, Alex. The Silent Man (#163)
·        Bolton, Glorney. Sir Christopher Wren (#105)
·        Brown, Dan. The Lost Symbol (#129)
·        Buchan, John. Greenmantle (#193)
·        Buchan, John. The Thirty-Nine Steps (#168)
·        Buckley, William F. Jr. God and Man at Yale (#176)
·        BYU Academic Publishing. Fitness and Lifestyle Management (#86)
·        BYU Academic Publishing. Know Them Which Labor Among You: Biographies of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (#66)
·        Caldwell, Richard S., translator. Hesiod’s Theogony (#39)
·        Card, Orson Scott. Ender’s Game (#186)
·        Carr, Nicholas. The Big Switch: Rewiring the World, from Edison to Google (#146)
·        Child, Lee. Gone Tomorrow: A Jack Reacher Novel (#148)
·        Child, Lee. The Hard Way: A Jack Reacher Novel (#31)
·        Child, Lee. Nothing to Lose: A Jack Reacher Novel (#112)
·        Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-daySaints, The. Our Heritage: A Brief History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (#117)
·        Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-daySaints, The. Teachings of Presidents ofthe Church: David O. McKay (#128)
·        Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-daySaints, The. Teachings of Presidents ofthe Church: Heber J. Grant (#150)
·        Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-daySaints, The. Teachings of Presidents ofthe Church: Joseph Smith (#107)
·        Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-daySaints, The. Teachings of Presidents ofthe Church: Spencer W. Kimball (#161)
·        Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-daySaints, The. Teachings of Presidents ofthe Church: Wilford Woodruff (#137)
·        Clason, George S. The Richest Man in Babylon (#41)
·        Coben, Harlen. Drop Shot (#71)
·        Collins, Suzanne. Catching Fire (#155)
·        Collins, Suzanne. The Hunger Games (#153)
·        Collins, Suzanne. Mockingjay (#158)
·        Cormack, Robin. Byzantine Art (#68)
·        Cornwell, Patricia. Book of the Dead (#82)
·        Crais, Robert. Chasing Darkness (An Elvis Cole Novel) (#113)
·        Crichton, Michael. Prey (#81)
·        Crichton, Michael. State of Fear (#5)
·        D’Alleva, Anne. Look Again! Art History & Critical Theory (#76)
·        Darnton, Robert. The Great Cat Massacre: And Other Episodes in French Cultural History (#46)
·        DeLint, Charles. The Painted Boy (#191)
·        DeMille, Nelson. Wild Fire (#26)
·        Derbyshire, John. We Are Doomed: Reclaiming Conservative Pessimism (#196)
·        Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies (#17)
·        Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities (#143)
·        Dickens, Charles. Christmas Books (#171) including:
o  AChristmas Carol
o  TheChimes: A Goblin Story of Some Bells that Rang an Old Year Out and a New YearIn
o  TheCricket on the Hearth: A Fairy Tale of Home
o  TheBattle of Life: A Love Story
o  TheHaunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain
·        Dostoevsky, Fydor. Crime and Punishment (#90)
·        Downes, Kerry. Christopher Wren (#102)
·        Doyle, William. The Ancien Règime (#28)
·        Düchting, Hajo. Wassily Kandinsky (#167)
·        Dugoni, Robert. Damage Control (#43)
·        Dunning, John. The Bookman’s Wake (A Mystery with Cliff Janeway) (#115)
·        Ebbutt, Blanche. Don’ts for Husbands (#184)
·        Essers, Volkmar. Henri Matisse (#179)
·        Evans, M.J. Behind the Mist: Book One of the Mist Trilogy (#175)
·        Flanagan, John. Ranger’s Apprentice Book One: The Ruins of Gorlan (#197)
·        Flynn, Vince. Act of Treason (#34)
·        Flynn, Vince. Protect and Defend (#87)
·        Forrer, Matthi. Hokusai: Mountains and Water, Flowers and Birds (#92)
·        Forster, E.M. A Passage to India (#95)
·        Forsyth, Frederick. The Afghan (#32)
·        Forsyth, Frederick. The Day of the Jackal (#83)
·        Furst, Alan. The Foreign Correspondent (#8)
·        Gerritsen, Tess. The Bone Garden (#74)
·        Godfrey, Tony. Conceptual Art (#21)
·        Goethe, Johann Wolfgang von, Faust, Part One and Two (#12)
·        Goldberg, Jonah. Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left from Mussolinito the Politics of Meaning (#138)
·        Gombrich, E.H. The Story of Art (#183)
·        Grene, David and Richmond Lattimore,editors. Greek Tragedies Vol. 1 (#37)
·        Grisham, John. The Associate (#182)
·        Grisham, John. Playing for Pizza (#64)
·        Grisham, John. Skipping Christmas (#3)
·        Gross, Andrew. The Blue Zone (#45)
·        Hanson, Victor Davis. The Father of Us All: War and History,Ancient and Modern (#192)
·        Hardwicke, Catherine. Twilight Director’s Notebook: The Story of How We Made the Movie (#84)
·        Harris, Robert. Archangel (#108)
·        Harris, Robert. Conspirata (#144)
·        Harris, Robert. Enigma (#22)
·        Harris, Robert. Fatherland (#25)
·        Harris, Robert. The Ghost (#51)
·        Harris, Robert. Imperium (#6)

· Harris, Robert. Pompeii (#7)

·        Hayward, Steven F. Greatness: Reagan, Churchill, & The Making of Extraordinary Leaders (#177)
·        Hess, Barbara. Willem De Kooning (#130)
·        Hewitt, Hugh. A Mormon in the White House? ( Ten Things Every American Should KnowAbout Mitt Romney) (#49)
·        Hirst, Damien, Will Self, Rudi Fuchs,and Hans Ulrich Obrist. Beyond Belief:Damien Hirst (#62)
·        Hoff, Benjamin. The Tao of Pooh (#93)
·        Hoff, Benjamin. The Te of Piglet (#96)
·        Holland, Elder Jeffery R. Shepherds, Why This Jubilee? (#127)
·        Iles, Greg. 24 Hours (#14)
·        Jance, J.A. Hand of Evil (#72)
·        Jance, J.A. Justice Denied (#57)
·        Kaplan. DAT: Dental Admissions Test 2007-2008 Edition (#47)
·        Kellerman, Faye. The Burnt House (#75)
·        Kellerman, Jonathan. Bones (An Alex Delaware Novel) (#119)
·        Kellerman, Jonathan. Obsession (An Alex Delaware Novel) (#48)
·        Kibbe, Matt B. Rules for Patriots: A Pocket Primer for Patriotic Americans (#172)
·        King, Stephen. Cell (#2)
·        Klavan, Andrew. Empire of Lies (#152)
·        Kostova, Elizabeth. The Historian (#1)
·        LaPierre, Wayne. The Essential Second Amendment Guide (#78)
·        La Plante, John D. Asian Art (#97)
·        Lee, Patrick. The Breach (#141)
·        Levin, Mark R. Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto (#166)
·        Lewis, C.S. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew (#54)
·        Lewis, C.S. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (#56)
·        Lewis, C.S. The Chronicles of Narnia: TheHorse and His Boy (#99)
·        Lewis, C.S. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (#103)
·        Lewis, C.S. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (#124)
·        Lewis, C.S. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Silver Chair (#139)
·        Lewis, C.S. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Last Battle (#145)
·        Ludlum, Robert. The Ambler Warning (#29)
·        Ludlum, Robert. The Bourne Identity (#9)
·        Ludlum, Robert. The Bourne Ultimatum (#189)
·        Margolin, Philip. Ties That Bind (#58)
·        Martini, Steve. Guardian of Lies (#170)
·        McCarthy, Andrew C. The Grand Jihad: How Islam and the Left Sabotage America (#160)
·        McCullough, David. 1776: The Illustrated Edition (#122)
·        McCullough, David. John Adams (#100)
·        McKinty, Adrian. Dead I Well May Be (#195)
·        Meltzer, Brad. The Book of Lies (#162)
·        Menzies, Gavin. 1421: The Yeah China Discovered America (#11)
·        Meyer, Stephenie. Breaking Dawn (#52)
·        Meyer, Stephenie. Eclipse (#50)
·        Meyer, Stephenie. Midnight Sun (partial draft) (#60)
·        Meyer, Stephenie. New Moon (#44)
·        Meyer, Stephenie. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella (#147)
·        Meyer, Stephenie. Twilight (#42)
·        Meyer, Stephenie with art and adaptationby Young Kim. Twilight: The GraphicNovel, volume 1 (#142)
·        Mink, Janis. Joan Miró (#199)
·        Morris, Dick and Eileen McGann. Fleeced: How Barack Obama, Media Mockery ofTerrorist Threats, Liberals Who Want to Kill Talk Radio, The Do-NothingCongress, Companies that Help Iran, and Washington Lobbyists for ForeignGovernments are Scamming Us and What to Do About It (#73)
·        Museum of Modern Art, The. Richard Serra—Sculpture: 40 Years (#24)
·        Murray, Charles. What It Means to Be a Libertarian: A Personal Interpretation (#173)
·        National Gallery, The. John Virtue: London Paintings (#120)
·        Néret, Gilles. Salvador Dalí (#98)
·        Paolini, Christopher. Brisingr (Book 3 of the Inheritance Cycle) (#156)
·        Parks, Tim. Medici Money: Banking, Metaphysics, and Art in Fifteenth-CenturyFlorence (#77)
·        Patterson, James. Cross (#20)
·        Patterson, James. Double Cross (#88)
·        Patterson, James with Maxine Paetro. The 6th Target: A Women’s MurderClub Novel (#89)
·        Patterson, James with Michael Ledwidge. Step on a Crack (#59)
·        Paul, Ron. The Revolution: A Manifesto (#187)
·        Pearson, Ridley. Killer Weekend (#63)
·        Phaidon. 500 Self-Portraits (#116)
·        Puzo, Mario. The Godfather (#16)
·        Reich, Christopher. The Patriots Club (#18)
·        Reich, Christopher. Rules of Vengeance (#190)
·        Remarque, Erich Maria. All Quiet of the Western Front (#110)
·        Ritter, Gerhard. Frederick the Great (#27)
·        Rizal, José. Noli Me Tangere (#94)
·        Robb, J.D. Strangers in Death (#106)
·        Rollins, James. Amazonia (#15)
·        Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (#10)
·        Rowling, J.K. The Tales of Beedle the Bard (#69)
·        Sandford, John. Dark of the Moon (#123)
·        Sandford, John. Dead Watch (#36)
·        Sandford, John. Eyes of Prey (#38)
·        Sandford, John. Phantom Prey (#154)
·        Saunders, George. The Braindead Megaphone: Essays (#169)
·        Silva, Daniel. The Confessor (#159)
·        Silva, Daniel. A Death in Vienna (#178)
·        Silva, Daniel. The English Assassin (#136)
·        Silva, Daniel. The Kill Artist (#133)
·        Silva, Daniel. Moscow Rules (#80)
·        Silva, Daniel. Prince of Fire (#198)
·        Silva, Daniel. The Secret Servant (#65)
·        Sparks, Nicholas. The Notebook (#180)
·        Sparks, Nicholas. True Believer (#4)
·        Steyn, Mark. After America: Get Ready for Armageddon (#194)
·        Steyn, Mark. America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It (#164)
·        Steyn, Mark. Lights Out: Islam, Free Speech, and the Twilight of the West (#185)
·        Stoker, Bram. Dracula (#151)

· Stone, David. The Echelon Vendetta (#55)

· Thor, Brad. The Apostle (#165)

·        Thor, Brad. The First Commandment (#67)
·        Thor, Brad. The Last Patriot (#111)
·        Timmerman, Kenneth R. Shadow Warriors: The Untold Story ofTraitors, Saboteurs, and the Party of Surrender (#79)
·        Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit: or There and Back Again (#135)
·        Tolstoy, Leo. War and Peace (#200)
·        Van Lustbader, Eric. The Bourne Betrayal (#53)
·        Van Lustbader, Eric. The Bourne Sanction (#126)
·        Vaughan, William and Helen Weston. David’s The Death of Marat (Masterpieces ofWestern Painting) (#33)
·        Voltaire. Candide, Zadig, and Selected Stories (#121)
·        Whinney, Margaret. Wren (#104)
·        Wilson, F. Paul. All the Rage (A Repairman Jack Novel) (#140)
·        Wilson, F. Paul. Conspiracies (A Repairman Jack Novel) (#134)
·        Wilson, F. Paul. Crisscross (A Repairman Jack Novel) (#13)
·        Wilson, F. Paul. The Haunted Air (A Repairman Jack Novel) (#174)
·        Wilson, F. Paul. Infernal (A Repairman Jack Novel) (#149)
·        Wilson, F. Paul. Legacies (A Repairman Jack Novel) (#101)
·        Wilson, F. Paul. The Tomb (A Repairman Jack Novel) (#19)

Zöllner, Frank. Leonardo da Vinci (#118)

Here's to two hundred more!

The One with War and Peace

2011-11-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

200. Title &Author: War and Peace by LeoTolstoy, translated by Louise and Aylmer Maude (1370 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Classic Literature

Completed: 27 October 2011

Summary & Review:

This masterpiecefocuses on the years surrounding Napoleon’s conquests in Russia and the livesof numerous Russians affected by those tumultuous times. At the heart of thenovel is Pierre Bezukhov, an illegitimate son of a Count, upon whose death hebecomes legitimized and inherits his father’s title and wealth. Now wealthy andconnected, Pierre is a desirable bachelor and falls under the spell of thebeautiful, yet deceptive Helene. Depressed by his unhappy marriage, Pierreembarks on a spiritual exploration to find happiness and peace in years filledwith confusion and war.

Obviously,that summary wholly fails at conveying all that is included in this nearly fourteen hundred page odyssey. But, Pierre is the central character in the novel (although there are dozens of major characters) so his journey serves to unitethe many events explored in the plot. In his “Some Words About War and Peace”included after the second epilogue in this edition, Tolstoy writes that War and Peace “is not a novel, even lessit is a poem, and still less is it an historical chronicle.” I think he eventually calls it an “artisticprose work,” which he says does not fit into the usual form of a novel or story. Iagree. This isn’t a novel, it is bigger than that. It has such a different formto it than traditional novels. Throughout the fictional story lines, which areoften heavily based on real-life events and persons, Tolstoy includes accuratehistorical background and analysis. In addition to those things, he oftenwrites philosophically about concepts such as free will, fate, and theology.Not only that, but Tolstoy also takes time to analyze the craft of the study ofhistory and explore how that affects our understanding of events. And interspersed throughout all of that are Tolstoy's keen observations of mankind.

WhateverWar and Peace is or isn’t, I know onething that it is for sure: long. I think I first picked up this book andstarted reading it around Christmas of 2009. Now, almost two years later, I havefinally finished it. I really enjoyed it, though, so the length of time it tookme to finish it was not due to any dislike of the work. There were somepassages that were absolutely beautiful, that struck a chord with me as thereader. I think a good novelist is able to make observations about the world,or describe inner feelings, that many readers think only they notice or feel.Tolstoy did that on numerous occasions throughout the book and he was an astute observerof human nature in particular.

I thinkit goes without saying that everyone should read War and Peace at least once in their lifetime.

Rating: 9.0

Luke the Boy Book Critic: Behind the Mist

2011-10-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

I recently saw this great video of a young book critic discussing Behind the Mist, a book I reviewed a couple of months ago. You can read my review of this wonderful young adult fantasy novel here, and I've embedded the video below of Luke the Boy Book Critic.

Arguments Summed Up: We are Doomed

2011-10-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Title & Author: We are Doomed: Reclaiming Conservative Pessimism by John Derbyshire

Genre: Nonfiction--Politics

My Rating: 6.0

Summed Up:

Derbyshire states the following about his book: “It’s argument is that things are bad and getting worse for our movement, for our nation, and for our civilization. A large part of the reason they have gotten so bad is that too many of us have fallen into foolishly utopian ways of thinking. Those ways of thinking are false because they are too optimistic about human nature and human affairs. The proper outlook of conservatives, I shall argue, is a pessimistic one, at least so far as the things of this world are concerned. We have been misled, and the conservative movement has been derailed, by legions of fools and poseurs wearing smiley-face masks.”

Overly optimistic and utopian ideas are not only pointless but can actually be harmful. Therefore, Derbyshire advocates a politics of despair! Earthly affairs cannot be much improved by the hand of man—most certainly not by the hand of government. Thus, the optimism that is foolish is the one that believes that man, or the government in particular, is able to greatly improve the world.

So, what should we be pessimistic about? First on the list is diversity. Derbyshire refers to a cult of Diversity that believes if we just increase and celebrate a diversity of races, religions, sexual orientations, and on and on, the world will be a better place. Eventually a utopia of peace and friendship among the rainbow coalition will reign on the earth. Unfortunately, facts show that diversity does not work, and it actually increases racial and other forms of inter-population strife. One study Derbyshire sites states that diversity could in fact doom our system of government. “The [American philosophical-Constitutional] Creed is unlikely to retain its salience if Americans abandon the Anglo-Protestant culture in which it has been rooted. A multicultural America will, in time, become a multicreedal America, with groups with different cultures espousing distinctive political values and principles rooted in their particular cultures.”

Along with diversity, our pessimism should be extended towards government. In Derbyshire’s words, “Most of what legislators legislate and executives execute is foolish, counterproductive or downright wicked, so the less they do the better.” Derbyshire is also afraid that our previously successful republic will not last because of an increasingly monarchical presidency and a stagnated, permanent-incumbent congress. We have given the political class too much power and given up too many of our freedoms in the optimistic hope that the government can fulfill their promise of peace and prosperity. Promises, they never in the end keep.

Derbyshire also makes his case for pessimism towards the future of religion, our current foreign policy, the economy, immigration, and even the future of the Conservative philosophy itself.

You can read my review of We are Doomed here.

The One with Joan Miró

2011-10-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

199. Title & Author: Joan Miró by Janis Mink (93 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Art History

Completed: 24 September 2011

Summary & Review:

Art historian Janis Mink explores the life, times, and work of Spanish artist Joan Miró. Despite the turbulent eras in Spain through which Miró lived, his work was constantly focused on and inspired by the land he loved. Along with the text by Mink, there are dozens of full color reproductions of Miró included in the book, as well as a chronological history of the artist’s life.

Zzzzzzzz….Oh…where was I? I remember now, I was bored to tears. Miró’s work does absolutely nothing for me. I do not find it intriguing, interesting, or even aesthetically appealing. Coupled with that, the text by Mink was unbearably dry, so there was no real redeeming value there to make up for my utter lack of interest in Miró’s work.

I can’t help but think that so much of modern art is just a big scam. How have all these historians, critics, and scholars been seduced by such junk? How can we as a society seriously compare artists like Miró and Kandinsky to Michelangelo and Caravaggio? Someday, history will look back at the twentieth century and assess the art as a low point in the history of Western civilization. I have heard all the erudite and eloquent defenses of modern art, post-modern art, and what have you, and I am not falling for it.

Rating: 3.5

The One with Prince of Fire

2011-09-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

198. Title & Author: Prince of Fire by Daniel Silva (369 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Thriller

Completed: 21 September 2011

Summary & Review:

After a gruesome attack occurs at the Israeli embassy in Rome, spy and art-restorer Gabriel Allon must track down the man responsible. As he works with a team at the Mossad, they realize that this attacker is a man with deep roots in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict: his father and grandfather both died fighting the Zionists and he plans his attacks to commemorate their murders and the date of the destruction of his old village. With another attack only days away, Allon must do whatever it takes to stop the plot and save the life of his wife, even if it means sacrificing his own in the process.

Simply put, I really like Silva’s books. His plots are exciting and fast-paced, but what makes them above average is that he bases them on historical and current events. This book focused on the history of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and described the nearly impossible situation Israel currently finds itself in with insight and understanding.

Allon is an excellent character. Granted, I may be slightly biased by the fact that he is an art-restorer, but there is more to it than that. I like that he is human without being whiny. In Alex Berenson’s John Wells series, I can’t stand the character of John Wells. He is more concerned with condemning America and its actions than the Islamic terrorists and their deadly deeds. Allon, on the other hand, while often struggling with the mistakes and difficult decisions Israel has made, is able to put the conflict into a proper perspective and understand that at times, unpleasant things must be done in order to defend life and liberty.

Rating: 8.0

Audiobook Update: I recently finished a couple more audiobooks. I enjoyed Extreme Measures by Vince Flynn, which was just a fun action-packed thriller. Ross King's Michelangelo and the Pope's Ceiling was a little uneven. The book was extremely long and could have done without a lot of the unrelated tangents the author chose to include. But, when King was focused on the main topic, i.e. Michelangelo's fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the process and history behind it, the book was very interesting. Finally, I listened to Ron Reagan's biography of his father, My Father at 100. I enjoyed the personal insights into President Reagan's life but I thought Ron, his son, came across as whiny and immature. It seemed like he perhaps resented the success of his father.

The One with The Ruins of Gorlan

2011-09-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

197. Title & Author: Ranger’s Apprentice Book One: The Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan (249 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Young Adult & Fantasy

Completed: 12 September 2011

Summary & Review:

Orphaned at a young age, Will grows up in the care of the Baron who rules the fiefdom in which he lives. As part of the Baron’s care for orphaned children, they have the opportunity, if selected, to become apprentices to the various craft masters in the castle at fifteen. Will desires nothing more than to be chosen to become a knight, yet he is rejected by the master of the battleschool because of his small size and build. One by one, each craftmaster rejects Will as an apprentice except for the mysterious Ranger named Halt. At first disappointed by the assignment, Will soon learns to love the craft of the Ranger: stealth movement, tracking, hunting, and gathering intelligence for the Kingdom. As his skills grow, so does the danger within the kingdom as an old enemy reignites the war between good and evil by sending out his two fearsome beasts to hunt down and assassinate old enemies.

This is the first book in a series of ten, so the plot serves largely to set up the upcoming major battle between the forces of the kingdom and those of its enemy, Morgarath. The reader is introduced to the major characters, learns about Will’s role as a Ranger’s apprentice, and then a small action sequence hunting down the first of Morgarath’s fearsome creatures occurs. Overall, I enjoyed the book and sped through it pretty quickly. It is a familiar formula for a series, especially in young adult books: a seemingly misfit youth, not cut out for anything special, is handpicked by an elite group because of the many skills he actually possesses and becomes a hero after all. Even though this was a familiar template, it did not detract from the fun of the novel.

Rating: 7.5

Arguments Summed Up: After America

2011-09-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

Title & Author: After America: Get Ready for Armageddon by Mark Steyn

Genre: Nonfiction--Current Events & Politics

My Rating: 9.0

Summed Up: Mark Steyn’s outlook in regard to the future of Western Civilization has not improved. Having previously written a book foretelling the end of most Western societies by willful suicide (America Alone), Steyn is now adding the United States herself to the ever growing list of doomed states. While the crushing national of debt of America will hasten the societal collapse that will lead to increased crime, poverty, unemployment, and desperation among the citizens, that is not the biggest problem. As Steyn says, “A society can cope with corroded infrastructure and a devalued currency more easily than with corroded liberty and a devalued citizen.” Indeed, the most serious problem with big government is that it creates small citizens.

Throughout the book Steyn frequently returns to H.G. Wells’ fanciful The Time Machine. If a man from that period, 1895, were to travel to 1950, he would be overwhelmed by the technological advancements. Now imagine if that same man were to travel ahead another sixty or so years to our day, what would he see? While he may see some minor improvements in some technologies, overall, the world would look basically the same. Steyn argues that increasing government intervention into the private lives, ideas, and business of the citizenry has stifled innovation. Just think of the horrendous process that new medications must go through before finally being declared “safe” by the all-knowing government. The human spirit is being overwhelmed by bureaucracy. We are no longer a society that accomplishes much of anything because of government coddling and smothering.

The government has a vested interest in keeping its citizenry repressed. Its power rests on the people needing them for the basics in life: food, employment, health care. If people can do things on their own then they no longer need the government and the power the political class clings to is lost. Thus, big government, in collusion with a leftist judiciary and leftist labor groups work to keep the people subdued.

There may be hope, however. As Steyn says, “America was the only nation in the developed world where millions of people took to the streets to tell the state: I can do just fine if you control-freak statists would…just stay the hell out of my life and my pocket.” Rather than relying on the state to do things for us, making our citizenship atrophy like an unused muscle, we must rely on ourselves. Or, in other words: “Screw the state. Let’s do it ourselves.”

You can read my review of After America here.

The One with We Are Doomed

2011-09-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

196. Title & Author: We are Doomed: Reclaiming Conservative Pessimism by John Derbyshire (261 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Politics

Completed: 9 September 2011

Summary & Review:

Political commentator John Derbyshire presents his case for a Conservatism based in pessimistic realism. As he goes through the various topics in this book, including education, immigration, culture, and the economy, he shows how overly optimistic idealism has caused the serious problems we face today. While Derbyshire does not offer much hope for the future, he says that at least a realistic, which in his view is a necessarily pessimistic, outlook on the world will allow one to bear the current and future problems we face.

This was an uneven book for me. At times I was able to really get behind the arguments Derbyshire was presenting, especially as he explored the problems with our immigration, education, and economic policies. However, certain chapters read very un-conservative to me. Derbyshire readily admits that he is a big-city intellectual, a “metrocon” in his words (“metro” as in urban, not as in excessive male grooming and "con" as in conservative), and I think he is therefore missing a lot of the philosophical and historical basis for the conservative and libertarian platforms. Trying to rely on merely statistical arguments for the free-market and small government, among other conservative ideals, is to miss out on the larger, more important reasons behind such principles. While freedom is important because it leads to increased economic wealth, that is far from the most critical reason it is essential to our culture and country.

I will post an "Arguments Summed Up" post in a couple of weeks.

Rating: 6.0

The One with Dead I Well May Be

2011-09-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

195. Title & Author: Dead I Well May Be by Adrian McKinty (367 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Crime Thriller

Completed: 1 September 2011

Summary & Review:

With no future in Ireland, 19 year-old Michael Forsythe illegally immigrates to New York City and takes up employment with Irish gangster, Darkey White. Michael easily begins to move up in the crew with his sharp mind and steely nerves, until he has an affair with Darkey’s girl. Michael and three others of his crew are sent to Mexico and double-crossed. After suffering unbearable hell in a Mexican prison and watching his three friends brutally murdered while incarcerated, Forsythe escapes and begins exacting his remorseless revenge on all those who betrayed him.

This was a pretty brutal book. Once Forsythe started exacting his revenge, it was relentless and unflinchingly violent. The character of Michael Forsythe is a flawed, turbulent, and grim human being, yet he still has enough humanity within for the reader to be able to relate to him rather than simply being terrified of him. McKinty’s prose was quick, almost choppy. But, being an Irishman himself, he was able to effectively illustrate the intricacies of Irish culture and crime to the reader through authentic dialogue and vernacular. In my opinion, the plot timing was a little inconsistent, however. The pace began with a quick step, but slowed dramatically during the middle portion of the novel with an extended incarceration scene where Forsythe reflects on his past and present. But, as soon as Forsythe escapes from prison, the story picks up and doesn’t stop.

Rating: 7.5

The One with After America

2011-08-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

194. Title & Author: After America: Get Ready for Armageddon by Mark Steyn (351 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Current Events & Politics

Completed: 27 August 2011

Summary & Review:

Only a few years ago, author and political commentator Mark Steyn’s outlook was slightly more optimistic. The title of his 2006 book was America Alone, implying that perhaps the United States could stay a beacon of liberty and order among a world of increasing tyranny. However, in the intervening years, the United States has seemed desperate to catch up with Europe and the rest of the Western democracies in committing demographic, economic, and cultural suicide. From America Alone in 2006 to After America in 2011, Steyn now presents a world in which there may be no hope left for the core ideals of Western Civilization. Unless we are able to reverse the trend of bigger government and smaller citizens, we must indeed "Get ready for Armageddon."

It is kind of hard to say that you enjoyed a book about the end of your beloved country, and indeed the whole of Western Civilization. But, Mark Steyn has a way of making even such a depressing topic entertaining. His book was definitely not pure levity about this sobering topic, however. Steyn laid out concrete arguments to support his thesis and made convincing points backed with data and observations. Thankfully, he did not leave us without any hope. In fact, if we could just return to our founding principles and lifestyles of self-reliance, rather than dependence on an ever enlarging state, we could reverse the downward kamikaze spiral of the West. I think this book is extremely important for people to understand and internalize and I definitely recommend it.

I pre-ordered this book on Amazon before it was released and they were so on top of things, I got the book a day before it was in stores. Not too bad. Also, an “Arguments Summed Up” post detailing the arguments in After America will be posted in a couple of weeks.

Rating: 9.0

The One with Greenmantle

2011-08-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

193. Title & Author: Greenmantle by John Buchan (220 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Classic Literature & Adventure Completed: 20 August 2011

Summary & Review:

The hero of The Thirty-Nine Steps, Richard Hannay, returns in this thrilling World War One adventure. After being summoned to the Foreign Office while on leave from the British army, Hanny is told of a plot to foment jihad among the Muslims subjects of the British empire by the Germans. Hannay and his small band of recruits covertly search throughout Germany and the Middle East for the mysterious Greenmantle, a supposed prophet of Islam who will call for all Muslims to revolt.

I read The Thirty-Nine Steps (#168) several months ago and upon finishing it, I immediately wanted to read the further adventures of Hannay. Buchan has a knack for writing adventure stories of a type that you just don’t find anymore. Today’s “thrillers”—note they’re called thrillers not adventures—are all so serious and dark. There doesn’t seem to be any fun in them. Buchan’s two novels that I have read, however, are filled with the fun and excitement a great adventure story should have. Buchan lived through some serious world events, but he understood that his stories could be a truly “thrilling” escape. I recommend both The Thrity-Nine Steps and Greenmantle.

Rating: 8.5

The One with The Father of Us All

2011-08-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

192. Title & Author: The Father of Us All: War and History, Ancient and Modern by Victor Davis Hanson (246 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—History, Military History, & Current Events

Completed: 14 August 2011

Summary & Review:

In recent decades, the superficial face of war has changed drastically. New technologies allow the United States to strike at enemies with remotely controlled drones, smart bombs, and satellite guided ordinance. Classicist and war historian Victor Davis Hanson makes the case that despite the rapid changing of technologies, the basic principles as to why nations fight wars and how wars are won have remained constant throughout the history of Western Civilization, reaching back to the days of Ancient Greece. Through a series of essays, book reviews, and commentaries, Hanson examines ancient and modern warfare and the way in which public perception of war and its interaction with it have changed over the millennia.

Whenever I read VDH, I realize how little I actually learned in school about the foundations of Western Civilization. I never read a Greek tragedy until college; I only read two works of Shakespeare in high school. If it wasn’t for studying art history and my own personal reading, I would know even less about our Western heritage and that kind of makes me wonder what they made us do for twelve years in public school.

In regard to the book, it was excellent, especially the essays focused on Classical Greece and Rome. Hanson made convincing arguments as to the essentially unchanging nature and presence of war and the constantly evolving public attitude and interaction (or lack thereof) with war. The better we understand the past, and the more we know about it, the better we are able to cope with modern events.

Thank you to my wonderful wife who gave me this book as a Christmas 2010 present!

Rating: 8.0

The One with The Painted Boy

2011-08-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

191. Title & Author: The Painted Boy by Charles De Lint (431 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Young Adult & Fantasy

Completed: 4 August 2011

Summary & Review:

Jay Li has never had the chance to live a normal life. Since he was eleven years old, his grandmother has been training him in the ways of the Yellow Dragon Clan: one of the many ancient clans of people who possess animal spirits within them. At the close of his training, Jay is directed to follow his fate and he is led to a small town in the Arizona desert. Even though he tries to live a normal life by making friends and doing his best to fit in, Jay is soon forced to confront his dragon destiny and become the protector of the people living in the gang and crime infested town. But, he must first learn how to control and wield the immense power of the Yellow Dragon within him.

It was very difficult to write a short, concise summary because to really explain everything this book was about would take a lot of set up and background on all the animal clans, what exactly the animal-people are, etc. Needless to say, this was a very unique genre. It was a fantasy like you would find in a book set in some far off land or time, but it was taking place among modern, more real life problems like gang violence. DeLint was a talented storyteller and was able to meld these disparate worlds into a cohesive and readable novel.

Thank you to Luke, a fellow SC dental student, who not only recommended this book but loaned me his copy to read.

Rating: 7.5

Audiobook Update: I have listened to several more audiobooks lately, including Foreign Influence by Brad Thor, The Renaissance in a Nutshell by Peter Whitfield, and The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece by Jonathan Harr. The last of those three books, The Lost Painting, was fascinating. Harr chronicled the 1993 discovery of Caravaggio's The Taking of Christ and included the history of the work, snipets of Caravaggio's personal life, and perhaps most interesting, the restoring and authenticating process of the painting.

The One with Rules of Vengeance

2011-08-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

190. Title & Author: Rules of Vengeance by Christopher Reich (580 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Thriller

Completed: 30 July 2011

Summary & Review:

After discovering that his beloved wife is a rogue secret agent of the United States, Dr. Jonathan Ransom is separated from her when she must go into hiding. When he travels to London to speak at a medical conference, his wife contacts him to let him know they cannot stay together. Ransom refuses to give up and attempts to follow her. When he finally finds her, he watches in disbelief as she triggers a car bomb aimed at a prominent Russian diplomat. Caught in the net of British police and intelligence services, Ransom must find the truth behind his wife’s identity and stop her next attack.

When I first heard of Christopher Reich I thought that he was going to be stuck in the same vein of thriller throughout his career, i.e. the financial thriller. I guess I expected him to be to finance thrillers what Grisham is to law thrillers. But, after his first few novels, Reich has branched out and this Rules series seems to be his new bread and butter. Personally, I enjoyed the book. Back in 2008 I read The Patriots Club by Reich (#18) and wasn’t particularly in love with it. It was fine, but nothing really special. This novel was much better. The action was swift, the plot was interesting, and the characters were intriguing.

Thank you to my lovely wife who gave me a Groupon to a local bookstore where I bought this book.

Rating: 8.0

The One with The Bourne Ultimatum

2011-07-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

189. Title & Author: The Bourne Ultimatum by Robert Ludlum (662 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Thriller

Completed: 14 July 2011

Summary & Review:

After more than a decade of calm, Jason Bourne’s arch enemy, the assassin known as Carlos the Jackal, announces his return by targeting two of Bourne’s closest friends. With a wife and two small children to protect, Bourne realizes the only way his family will ever have peace and safety is if he kills the Jackal. His hunt takes him through the Caribbean then on to Paris and finally to Moscow. Not only does he finally face the Jackal, he also uncovers a secret cabal within the United States government known as Medusa.

I didn’t think this novel, the third in the Bourne Trilogy, was nearly as strong as The Bourne Identity (Review #9). Where Identity was focused, Ultimatum was jumbled. There was quite a bit of the story devoted to this Medusa cadre but nothing ever came of it; there was no resolution to satisfy the reader. Actually, that entire storyline was wholly unnecessary. The book would have been greatly strengthened if Ludlum had devoted all of the pages to the final saga of Bourne vs. The Jackal.

Also, the 662 page length was a little long, especially because Bourne had the Jackal in his sights only to lose him a dozen times which served not to heighten the tension, but to annoy the reader. When Bourne finally (finally!) gets the Jackal, my response was more one of thinking, “It’s about time!,” than any sort of excitement about the outcome. But, Ludlum is a different class of thriller writer than many out there today, so my complaints about Ludlum need to be taken with a grain of salt. He is still, even on his off novel, much better than average.

Rating: 7.0

Arguments Summed Up: The Revolution

2011-07-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

Title & Author: The Revolution: A Manifesto by Ron Paul

Genre: Nonfiction--Politics

My Rating: 8.5

Summed Up: Ron Paul rejects the notion that maximized individual freedom and a constitutionally restrained federal government are anachronistic notions from a bygone era. He says, “My message is one of freedom and individual rights. I believe individuals have a right to life and liberty and that physical aggression should be used only defensively. We should respect each other as rational beings by trying to achieve our goals through reason and persuasion rather than threats and coercion. That, and not a desire for ‘economic efficiency,’ is the primary reason for opposing government intrusions into our lives: government is force, not reason.” Freedom to Paul is more than just economic freedom, but involves liberty in every aspect of our lives.

In assessing the current foreign policy of the United States, Paul adheres to a non-interventionist stance more similar to the ideals of the Founder Fathers in his opinion. He says that our nation-building strategy is bankrupting the country and ruining the image of America across the world. While he does not excuse terrorists such as those who committed the atrocities on 9/11, he believes that such people would be forced to deal with their own domestic issues if the United States was not such a visible presence and thus, a visible target. In short, Paul only advocates war as a defensive measure, after there has been an initial act of aggression by an enemy and all diplomatic solutions have been exhausted.

Paul then goes on to vigorously defend the Constitution and show how far we have strayed from the text and original intent of the document. In past congresses, law makers were forced to show where in the Constitution it justified whatever they were attempting to pass. That notion is now ridiculed and scoffed at.

The Constitution was written mainly to limit the power of the federal government, not to limit the freedoms of the people. Unfortunately, portions such as the Interstate Commerce Clause and the General Welfare Clause have been wildly abused to authorize government to perform tasks that the Founders would never have approved of. Paul rejects the notion of a “living Constitution,” for if a constitution’s meaning is constantly shifting, what is the point of even having a written constitution? As Paul says, a living Constitution is actually a dead Constitution.

In terms of economic freedom, Paul argues against tariffs, income tax, and government subsidies. Whenever government gets involved in regulating the market, prosperity is decreased. Government has no right to steal from the labors of citizens or to favor one group of men over another. Welfare programs are better left to communities and private organizations, allowing more precise and effective management of poverty and other issues.

One of Paul’s most common targets is the monetary policy of the federal government, especially in regard to the Federal Reserve. When there is an entity immune from audit and oversight that completely controls the money supply of the country, personal freedom cannot exist. With a simple order, the Fed can make worthless the savings and thrift of the citizens through inflation caused by increased supply of paper money. Paul advocates a return to the gold standard so that citizens’ money is linked to a commodity with substantive value rather than paper notes that are too easily manipulated and jerry rigged.

You can read my review of The Revolution here.

The One with The Midnight House

2011-07-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

188. Title & Author: The Midnight House by Alex Berenson (481 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Thriller

Completed: 4 July 2011

Summary & Review:

In a secret prison nicknamed “The Midnight House” hidden in a Polish forest, a ten-man joint Army-CIA team uses any means necessary to extract information from high value terrorists. But, upon their return home, members of the team are brutally murdered and CIA agent John Wells is assigned to find their killer. As Wells traces the murky history of “The Midnight House” he discovers that the team hid a secret that could shake the already tenuous bond between the United States and Pakistan.

This wasn’t the most patriotic of novels to finish on Independence Day. Berenson’s sympathies have been the subject of my complaints before (see The Silent Man, #163) and this novel continued his strange moral equivalence of American interrogation techniques and Islamic terrorism. Throughout the book the protagonist John Wells would make remarks about how he loved Islam and how simple it was and what great values it had, etc. But, the plot of the novel was filled with Islamist terrorists plotting and/or succeeding in murdering thousands of innocents and using Islamic teachings as their inspiration to do so. Too much of the book was spent criticizing American military and intelligence techniques and justifying Islamic terrorism. That doesn’t sit well with me.

Thank you to my lovely wife who gave me a Groupon to a local bookstore where I bought this book.

Rating: 6.5

Audiobook Update: I recently finished The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades) by Robert Spencer. I found it to be quite enlightening. I also listened to The Secret Speech by Tom Rob Smith which was a forgettable novel set in post-Stalin, Soviet Russia. Finally, I also listened to The Broker by John Grisham and was disappointed to find that I didn't like it as much as I did when I read it the first time years ago.

The One with The Revolution

2011-06-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

187. Title & Author: The Revolution: A Manifesto by Ron Paul (173 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Politics

Completed: 18 June 2011

Summary & Review:

This book was written during the 2008 Republican presidential primary season as a sort of “campaign book.” But unlike so many other such books, Ron Paul lays out ideas that supersede the minutiae that were important at the time and focuses on his enduring philosophy of liberty. Paul explains how through minimal federal governance and a more free society America can achieve unparalleled levels of safety and prosperity. (I’ll put up an “Arguments Summed Up” post in a couple of weeks)

First of all, I was impressed with the serious and rational tone of this book. Paul is often portrayed in the media, and even within the conservative movement, as a little bit of a loon. But, anyone willing to actually look at his views will find that he has clearly spent many careful hours honing his political philosophies. While I self-identify as a libertarian, I can’t always get completely on-board with some of Paul’s positions. When it comes to his economic and social policies, I am with him virtually one hundred percent. For example, Paul, un-like many “libertarians” is a staunch pro-life advocate, a position his career as an obstetrician has solidified. However, it is on foreign policy where I disagree with him the most. He did a commendable job convincing me that we need to severely pare down our overseas military presence, but I think he errs in writing off the ideological and religious motivations behind Islamic terrorism by blaming it more on economic and nationalistic root causes.

The Revolution was a concise and reasoned introduction to some of Paul’s core positions and is a worthwhile read for those seeking an alternative viewpoint within the Republican party. And, of course, a “thank you” to my wife who gave me this book for Christmas 2010.

Rating: 8.5

(Also, I've finished several audio books recently including The Honor of Spies, Under Fire, and Black Ops all by W.E.B. Griffin. I've now listened to eight books by Griffin and it's amazing how similar they are. First of all, hardly anything actually happens throughout these rather long books. The plot progresses maybe an inch throughout the novel with the rest of the book being filled with witty banter. His characters are always the same too. He always focuses on a band of rich, talented, and superbly connected men who are able to flout the rules of the military because they are just so darn talented! (sarcasm) Anyway, I think I keep listening to them because I like the reader, Scott Brick.)

The One with Behind the Mist (Updated)

2011-06-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

(Updated)

175. Title & Author: Behind the Mist: Book One of the Mist Trilogy by M.J. Evans (212 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Young Adult & Teen Fantasy, Horse Books

Completed: 16 January 2011

Summary & Review:

In this exciting unicorn fantasy, what begins as a simple, yet strong, bond between and boy and his horse becomes a enduring partnership that sustains Nick and Jazz through their thrilling journey into the Land Behind the Mist: Celestia. A kingdom beyond this world, ruled and protected by great and noble horses who have attained the vaulted status of unicorn. While at first Nick appears to be the only human in this world, he learns the truth behind a battle that is threatening to tear Celestia apart. With the guidance of the Council of the Twelve Ancients and their leader Urijah, Nick and Jazz must face off against the forces of evil to save not only the kingdom, but also a lonely, forsaken prisoner held captive in the darkness.

This is the first book of M.J. Evans' new fantasy trilogy. I was able to read early drafts of this book so it was extremely fun to see the changes she made and to get to hold the actual book in my hands. Behind the Mist would definitely appeal to fans of fantasy and adventure, a la C.S. Lewis’ best fantasy books, The Chronicles of Narnia. On the surface, the story is a fun adventure, but deeper levels hold new meaning and teach a moral tale. It would be a great book for parents to read to their children to teach them important lessons while helping them gain a love of reading. I think children's fantasy stories are an excellent way to introduce the fun of reading to children. Plus, anyone with an interest in horses or unicorns would absolutely love the horse stories found within this horse-themed fantasy.

The book is available directly from the publisher, amazon.com, bn.com, and Deseret Book among others.

Rating: 10.0

Arguments Summed Up: Lights Out

2011-06-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Title & Author: Lights Out: Islam, Free Speech, and the Twilight of the West by Mark Steyn

Genre: Nonfiction--Politics & Current Affairs

My Rating: 9.0

Summed Up: In short, there is no justification for the state to regulate speech, even if that speech is unpleasant or offensive to certain groups. If all speech was pleasant and agreeable, then there would be no need to defend it. In today’s world, trying to regulate any speech that may be offensive strangles debate and is a danger to liberty in society. As Steyn says, “If you don’t believe in free speech for people you loathe, you don’t believe in free speech at all.”

Islamists are doing their best to stifle any honest or open debate about Islam by intimidation and by manipulating Western political correctness, multiculturalism, and “tolerance.” If a Dutch paper publishes a cartoon of Mohammed and then Islamists riot and kill innocent bystanders, Western states do not condemn the violence, but condemn the paper for exercising their freedom of expression. In Steyn’s case, he was brought before “human rights” commissions not because anything he wrote was untrue, libelous, or slanderous about Islam, but because it supposedly offended some Islamists.

Rather than an honest examination of facts, lables such as “Islamophobe” and “racist” and “bigot” are hurled about to stifle debate. “As I often say, I’m a phobiaphobe. I don’t subscribe to the concepts of 'homophobia' and 'Islamophobia.' They’re a lame rhetorical sleight to end the argument by denying it’s an argument at all: 'Why, you poor thing, you don’t have a philosophical disagreement with me over gay marriage or sharia, you have a mental illness! But don’t worry, we can give you counseling and medication and your “phobia” will eventually go away.'"

Steyn shows that far too many in the West are willing to put into extinction freedom of speech. But, the important question is why are so many willing to do away with one of the cornerstones of a free society? Steyn cites several reasons, including fear. Many are afraid to criticize Islam when they see what happens to those that do, like the murdered Dutch film-maker Theo van Gogh.

Others are so hung up on tiptoeing around, afraid to “offend” anyone, especially certain favored groups, that they strangle free speech. Unfortunately, this leads to massive double standards and a completely unequal application and enforcement of the law. One cannot criticize Muslims, but one can say anything one wants against Christians, for example.

Steyn also makes that case that the West is undergoing cultural suicide, largely because of cultural relativism. Few are willing to defend our way of life and argue that yes, in fact, some cultures are better than others. In the words of Steyn, “The one identity we’re enjoined not to trumpet is the one that enables us to trumpet all the others: our identity as citizens of a very specific kind of society with a very particular inheritance, built on the rule of law, property rights, and freedom of speech. Heaven forbid we should assert any of that!” Steyn argues that we need a strong culture, one that exports the ideas of individual freedom, in order to counter act the growing threat of Islamist extremists.

In addition to cultural relativism, Western societies exercise extreme moral relativism. Steyn says, “The question is: What other than Hitler is our society prepared to make a moral judgment over?” Indeed, society continues to ignore actual threats and continues to search after non-existent Nazis. We refuse to decry actual, modern day evil. Everything today is in shades of gray, and this moral relativism is directly related to the cultural relativism that is leading to the decay of the West. Who are we to say that Islamist theocracies like Iran that suppress women, Jews, Christians, and others is worse than us? Unless the West decides to once again make moral judgments and defend the principles of freedom, that liberty will be lost.

The loss of liberty begins with the loss of free speech. Unless we have the ability to argue our points, to argue between right and wrong, there is no hope for right. “You defeat bad ideas—whether Nazism, Marxism, jihadism, Steynism or Trudeaupian pseudo-‘human rights’ mumbo-jumbo—in the bracing air and light of day, in vigorous open debate, not in the fetid corridors of power policed by ahistorical nitwits.”

You can read my review of Lights Out here.

The One with Ender's Game

2011-05-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

186. Title & Author: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (324 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Science Fiction

Completed: 17 May 2011

Summary & Review:

At just the tender age of 6, Ender Wiggins is drafted by the international military force to attend the elite battle school to train him to command the intergalactic armies against alien invaders. Ender is far and away the best solider the school has ever seen, but his trainers continually push him to his breaking point to get even more out of him. As he progresses through the school spending virtually of his time in battle simulators, he learns that the international community has pinned all their hopes of survival on Ender and if he fails, humanity will not survive.

I couldn't go into the plot too deeply in the summary because this book has a great twist and I didn't want to ruin it for anyone that hasn't had the chance to read it yet. I had heard from friends that such a twist existed, and even though I was expecting it I was still surprised at what it was.

It was an extremely readable book and I flew through the pages every chance I had to pick it up. While Card was a talented writer overall, I was most impressed with his ability to convey to the reader the trials and pressure Ender was under. I really began to sympathize with the character even though these experiences were so unlike anything in my life. How often, for example, is the weight the entire human race on your shoulders? Card was able to help you at least partially understand what that weight might feel like on the feeble back of a child.

Ender’s Game has a pretty devoted fan base and I can see why.

Rating: 7.5

The One with Lights Out

2011-05-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

185. Title & Author: Lights Out: Islam, Free Speech, and the Twilight of the West by Mark Steyn (322 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Politics & Current Affairs

Completed: 12 May 2011

Summary & Review:

In 2007, the Canadian Islamic Congress brought complaints against author Mark Steyn and the Canadian news weekly Maclean’s in three different “Human Rights” Commissions in Canada. In this book, Steyn unflinchingly takes on the smear of “Islamophobia” that has been leveled against him. In the first portion of the book, Steyn addresses the suits taken against him by presenting the “offending” articles followed by the itemized complaints against those articles, and finally his rebuttals to those complaints. Along with presenting his case in a such a format and documenting the circus of being brought before those kangaroo courts, the remainder of the book contains essays of Steyn’s dealing with such critical issues as Islam and the West, free speech, multiculturalism, and individual liberty.

First of all, a reader is hard pressed to find a political commentator more erudite, witty, and humorous than Steyn. He has quickly become one of my favorite pundits and this book is full of his essays that show why I, and so many others, find Steyn so readable. Rather than droning on about the existential philosophy behind free speech, Steyn uses powerful examples from his experiences with various Canadian “Human Rights” Commissions to show the dangers of soft tyranny and the problems that arise when the state tries to regulate speech, expression, private enterprise, and even thought.

I’ll put up an “Arguments Summed Up” post in a couple of weeks with more details of Steyn’s arguments included in this excellent collection of his writings.

Rating: 9.0

The One with Don'ts for Husbands

2011-05-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

184. Title & Author: Don’ts for Husbands by Blanche Ebbutt (73 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Marriage & Relationships

Completed: 10 May 2011

Summary & Review:

It was recently our fourth wedding anniversary, and my wife gave me this little book as a cheeky present. It was written in 1913 and is part of a pair, the other book being Don’ts for Wives (I know what she is getting for our anniversary next year!). It is filled with little maxims of advice for husbands, all of which start with the stern, unyielding command of “Don’t.”

Many of the tidbits were quite funny, like: “Don’t be conceited about your good looks. It is more than probable that no one but yourself is aware of them.” Or, “Don’t inflict your company on your wife during every minute of every day.”

Others were slightly outdated and just didn’t apply due to the passage of time and changes in customs, and others didn’t apply because I know my wife would disagree with the advice. For example: “Don’t hesitate to talk politics with your wife.” Nothing is able to put my wife into a comatose state more quickly than when I begin to wax political.

What surprised me about this little book was the amount of advice that was still very valuable, even though it has been almost a century since this book was published. Some examples of these wise words were, “Don’t hesitate to mention the fact when your wife looks especially nice. Your thinking so can give her no pleasure unless you tell your thought.” “Don’t think you can live your lives apart under the same roof and still be happy. Marriage is a joint affair, and cannot comfortably be worked along separate lines.” And finally, “Don’t forget to be your wife’s best friend as well as her husband. True friendship in marriage does away with all sorts of trouble.”

Rating: 7.0

The One with The Story of Art

2011-05-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

183. Title & Author: The Story of Art by E.H. Gombrich (967 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Art History

Completed: 30 April 2011

Summary & Review:

Art historian E.H. Gombrich deftly weaves the disparate millennia of art into a single, cohesive narrative. He follows the advances, changes, and discoveries made by painters, sculptors, and architects from the caves of France to galleries of New York with a clear and concise hand. Accompanying Gombrich’s lucid text are over four hundred images, nearly all of which are in color.

The Story of Art is a legendary introductory art history text, and for good reason. Gombrich is able to distill countless artists, works, styles, and movements into a unified, digestible tale. Even without any sort of background into the history of art, the average reader could pick up this text and follow the artistic advancements from antiquity to post-modernism.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the book, I often found myself wishing that Gombrich delved a little deeper into certain artists or periods. For the most part, Gombrich would touch on one piece per artist and only focus on a handful of artists for each period. When he got to some of my personal favorites, such as Caravaggio (and the whole Baroque period), his insightful analysis was much too short. I would have loved to read a full chapter of his views on Caravaggio. But, Gombrich was clear in the introduction that the purpose of this book was as only an introduction to the history of art and that he carefully selected artists and pieces to craft his narrative.

Perhaps my favorite aspect of this book was the format. The Story of Art has been published in seventeen editions, the last of which is this superb Pocket Edition. The nearly thousand page text is only the size of a paperback novel which allowed me to easily take it on vacation. I would love to read other art history texts more frequently, but there is no chance I am going to lug a huge text book on a plane trip.

(I also just finished listening to Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. Mantel is obviously a talented writer, but I am fairly tired of the recent deluge of stories, movies, tv shows, etc., revolving around Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn.)

Rating: 8.0

The One with The Associate

2011-04-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

182. Title & Author: The Associate by John Grisham (434 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Thriller

Completed: 26 April 2011

Summary & Review:

Kyle McAvoy, a young Yale law student is confronted by a group of mysterious men who know of a terrible secret from his past. Using this information they blackmail Kyle into accepting a job at a top New York law firm to funnel this cadre secrets about an incredibly important lawsuit. With the help of his old college roommates and a fellow New York City lawyer, Kyle tries to figure out some way to escape with his life.

My dad has very mixed feelings about Grisham. He says that about every other book of Grisham’s is worth reading, and I tend to agree. This book was unfortunately one of the ones not worth reading. When compared to some of Grisham’s more gripping novels, such as The Broker or The Partner, this one fell a bit flat. The plot was fairly thin and the majority of the pages, I’d say about 65-70%, were devoted to describing the life of a young associate in a big-time law firm. Grisham droned on and on about “hundred hour work weeks” and “waking up at 5:00 am” and “exhaustion” and “tedium,” etc., etc., etc. It was almost as if he was trying to make us feel sorry for these poor, way over paid lawyers. Not happening.

Rating: 5.5

The One with Hard America, Soft America

2011-04-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

181. Title & Author: Hard America, Soft America: Competition vs. Coddling and the Battle for the Nation’s Future by Michael Barone (162 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Philosophy & Politics

Completed: 13 April 2011

Summary & Review:

Conservative pundit Michael Barone examines the various trends of Hardening and Softening that took place in America during the twentieth century. America at the dawn of the century was a Hard place, and in Barone’s estimation, perhaps excessively so. Then with the rise of Big Government, Big Labor, and Big Business, areas of Softness began to emerge. Softness arose in criminal justice, welfare, the military, education, and business. In turn, Barone examines what this softness did to these various areas of American life and shows that attempting to create a Soft America was in no one’s best interest. A Hard America, where there is competition, self-governance, personal responsibility, and consequences to actions is vital, innovative, prosperous, and simply a better country in which to live.

I really liked the concept of this book. An examination of what certain policies do to individuals and society in general is important to helping us understand what works and what doesn't. Barone, however, did not present this analysis with much depth. He rarely cited figures or specifics, but rather examined broad trends and often was not very emphatic about the consequences of Softening or the benefits of Hardening. Maybe Charles Murray will pick up this topic and give it a little more heft.

In the end though, I agree with Barone’s conclusion: “A Harder America, it turns out, is a safer, friendlier, more helpful and self-disciplined society. The advocates of Softness wanted to make things easier on ordinary people, to save them from hardship, and to some extent they did. But excessive softness, in the private or the public sector, turns out to create habits of the heart which make the economy less productive and creative and life nastier and more brutish.”

Rating: 7.0

The One with The Notebook

2011-04-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

180. Title & Author: The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks (214 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Romance

Completed: 5 April 2011

Summary & Review:

Noah, an elderly man living in a nursing home, reads a tattered notebook to his wife every day. The notebook holds the story of their love—their summer romance as teenagers, their separation, and then finally their reunion after more than a decade apart. More than just a tale of two people’s romance, however, the story seems to contain hidden power. As Noah reads the story to Allie, it brings his wife back from the clutches of her Alzheimer’s disease which has robbed her of her memory.

This was Nicholas Sparks’ first novel and I think it showed. Every time he would have the characters express their feelings, either in dialogue or letters, it was done in the most clichéd, trite terms. Throughout the book, Sparks spoke of poetry ad nauseam, yet his words were paradoxically completely un-poetic.

It most cases the old truism stands, i.e. that the book is better than the movie. With The Notebook, however, the movie was much better than the literary tale. Sparks’ novel was slow in pace, convoluted in structure, and overwrought throughout.

Rating: 4.0

The One with Henri Matisse

2011-04-06T08:00:00.000-07:00

179. Title & Author: Henri Matisse by Volkmar Essers (95 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Art History

Completed: 1 April 2011

Summary & Review:

The life and art of Henri Matisse are chronicled alongside numerous color illustrations of many of his paintings. Also, a timeline of the major events of Mattise’s life is included at the end.

While I would never claim to be particularly fond of much modern and contemporary art—the baroque is my favorite period—I have always somewhat liked Matisse, much more so than artists like Kandinsky or Mondrian who were wholly abstract in their art. I guess to me, abstract art is more decoration, not something I can ponder and stare at for lengthy periods of time. Thus, since Matisse retained representation in his art, albeit highly stylized later in his life, I have typically found his art to be more interesting than many of his contemporaries. Unfortunately, the accompanying text in this volume was dry and lifeless.

Rating: 5.5

The One with A Death In Vienna

2011-03-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

178. Title & Author: A Death in Vienna by Daniel Silva (403 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Action & Thriller

Completed: 28 March 2011

Summary & Review:

After a bomb goes off in the Wartime Claims and Inquiries office in Vienna, an organization that researches thefts and other crimes committed against Jews during WWII, Israeli spy/Art restorer Gabriel Allon travels to Austria to investigate. He discovers that the bombing was planned by a former high-ranking SS officer who has been living in Vienna under an assumed identity. As Allon delves into the mystery of this former Nazi, he discovers that his link to this man is more personal than he ever could have imagined: here was the SS man who murdered two of his mother’s dearest friends in front of her as they were marched out of the Birkenau death camp.

As Silva mentions in the Author’s Note at the end of the novel, this book was the third in a cycle of Gabriel Allon books dealing with WWII and the Holocaust. He explored Nazi art looting and the complicit role that Swiss banks played—and continue to play—in hiding stolen Jewish wealth in The English Assassin (#136), and he condemned the silence of the Catholic Church during the war in The Confessor (#159). This novel focused on both the desperate desire of Austria to pretend they were nothing more than victims during the war and the role of both the Catholic Church and countries such as Argentina in sheltering and hiding Nazis after the war. Silva makes his opinions on these matters very clear throughout the book.

The first half of the book was very much a standard, action-packed Gabriel Allon spy novel. But, as Silva shifted his focus more to a narrative of what occurred during and after the Second World War, the tone of the novel completely changed. Even with the fairly abrupt change, I still very much enjoyed the second half of the book and found the historical detail included therein to be extremely interesting. Silva, and this Gabriel Allon series in general, continues to be a favorite of mine in the contemporary spy-novel genre.

It’s about time that I finished another book! I think I was going through withdrawals. But, with how busy school has been this semester coupled with a bouncing baby boy, there just hasn’t been much time to read. I have, however, been able to listen to a couple of audiobooks, including the pretty good, Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War by Karl Marlantes, and the pretty terrible, The Judas Strain by James Rollins.

Rating: 8.0

The One with Greatness

2011-02-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

177. Title & Author: Greatness: Reagan, Churchill & The Making of Extraordinary Leaders by Steven F. Hayward (194 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Biography, History, & Politics

Completed: 6 February 2011

Summary & Review:

Steven F. Hayward, while writing his two volume biography on Reagan, began noticing what he saw as striking similarities in the lives, both personal and political, of Winston Churchill and Ronald Reagan. In this short book he explores those in chapters covering the mens' faiths, paths to conservatism, biographical details, and governing policies.

I must say, first of all, that I enjoyed this book. Like many others on the political Right, I have always admired both of these men, i.e. Reagan and Churchill, so I found some of the details Hayward included to be quite interesting. But, as far as the premise that these men lead “parallel lives” separated by a few decades was not that convincing to me. Many of the similarities were tenuous at best. This only hurt the book, however, if the reader was truly set on being convinced that these two great statesmen were twins separated by time and space. If the reader was more interested in learning about the lives of two of the last century’s most important leaders, then this book serves that purpose just fine.

There is, of course, one incredibly important similarity in the lives of Reagan and Churchill. They lived during extraordinary times when the world faced grave dangers, and both men rose to the challenge. Serendipitously, I finished this book on the 100th anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s birth. America could use another leader with his integrity, principles, and courage. R.I.P. Dutch.

Thank you to my lovely wife who gave me this book as a Christmas 2010 present.

Rating: 7.0

The One with God and Man at Yale

2011-02-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

176. Title & Author: God and Man at Yale by William F. Buckley Jr. (218 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Politics

Completed: 28 January 2011

Summary & Review:

As a recent graduate of Yale, the now legendary Conservative, William F. Buckley Jr., made his case that the academic program and emphasis of the university needed serious attention. Rather than encouraging the principles of Christianity and what Buckley terms “Individualism,” i.e. free-market capitalism, Yale faculty and the texts they used were at best apathetic to these ideals, and at worst openly critical and disparaging of them. Buckley encouraged the alumni of Yale to encourage the university they attended and financially contribute to to stop its attack of their values.

This book is part of the canon of modern American Conservatism, and that is largely the reason I read it. As far as it’s applicability to me or even to 2011, that is up for debate. The book is a very specific look at Yale’s education in 1950, and Buckley admits that readily. However, what I did find interesting was how little has changed in the liberal argument arsenal in the days since God and Man at Yale was written. Throughout the book were cited quotes of liberals, or “collectivists” in Buckley’s vernacular, using terms like “income redistribution,” “Keynesian economics,” “progressivism,” etc. It makes perfect sense, though, that today's liberals would use these same arguments because these were the years when today’s leaders…no, that’s not the right word for them…today’s politicians were at these Ivy League schools being indoctrinated in all forms of agnosticism, moral relativity, and Marxism.

My dad was at Yale about 20 years after Buckley in the late sixties. I’ll bet he could make Buckley’s complaints seem like trivial worries with the climate of Yale he experienced while he was there.

Rating: 6.5

Arguments Summed Up: What It Means to Be a Libertarian

2011-01-29T08:00:00.000-08:00

Title & Author: What It Means to Be a Libertarian: A Personal Interpretation by Charles Murray

Genre: Nonfiction--Politics & Philosophy

My Rating: 9.5

Summed up: According to Murray, human happiness requires freedom. In fact, being free, which is often a more challenging way of life, is the only way to live a satisfying life. To be free there must be limited government, one much smaller than our current one.

People own themselves and they have a right to live as they please, as long as they do not use force against others. Government plays a role in society in that it is to restrain people from using such force against one another. This is accomplished through criminal and tort law. In short, government should have few laws, but the laws they have should be very well enforced.

Additionally, government is justified in providing certain things that are "public goods," an elusive concept. One valid example of a public good, something that affects everyone or cannot reasonably be provided by private means, is national defense. Public goods is an often perverted and abused concept used to enlarge government power and limit individual freedom.

One of the most important freedoms is economic freedom which allows individuals to prioritize their needs and wants free from coercion. Coupled with this freedom are property rights. When people own something, they tend to take much better care of it, thus property rights are important part of a responsible society.

It is pointed out that freedom is not personal licence. Freedom must be coupled with increases in personal responsibility. Additionally, freedom gives you options, but it doesn't necessarily give you the ability or means to accomplish what you desire. As Murray states: Life limits options, government limits freedom.

Murray presents an image of limited government with no regulation of products at all by the state. As long as government enforces criminal and tort laws, there is no need for regulations. People will be punished if they injure others without the need of cumbersome regulations. It is hard to show benefits of regulations, but easy to show the ill effects: monetary costs, drugs that were kept off the market that could have saved millions, products not invented, businesses closed, and on and on.

While freedom may at times allow for bigotry or other unpleasantness within our society, when people are not permitted to use force against one another, people will cooperate. Freedom allows us to live our lives as we please, to associate with who we will, to make choices, and take responsibility for those. It is the path to the most prosperity and happiness for the most people.

To read my review of this book, click here.

The One with Behind the Mist

2011-01-26T08:00:00.000-08:00

175. Title & Author: Behind the Mist: Book One of the Mist Trilogy by M.J. Evans (212 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Fantasy

Completed: 16 January 2011

Summary & Review:

What begins as a simple, yet strong, bond between and boy and his horse becomes a enduring partnership that sustains Nick and Jazz through their thrilling journey into the Land Behind the Mist: Celestia, a kingdom beyond this world, ruled and protected by great and noble horses who have attained the vaulted status of unicorn. While at first Nick appears to be the only human in this world, he learns the truth behind a battle that is threatening to tear Celestia apart. With the guidance of the Council of the Twelve Ancients and their leader Urijah, Nick and Jazz must face off against the forces of evil to save not only the kingdom, but also a lonely, forsaken prisoner held captive in the darkness.

This is the first book of my mother’s young-adult fantasy trilogy, The Mist Trilogy. I was able to read early drafts of this book so it was extremely fun to see the changes she made and to get to hold the actual book in my hands. The story, while being the first in a trilogy, stands as an exciting tale all on its own, while simultaneously introducing the reader to the developing mythology within the saga.

Behind the Mist would definitely appeal to fans of fantasy, a la C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia. On the surface, the story is a fun adventure, but deeper levels hold meaning and teach a moral tale. It would be a great book for parents to read to their children to teach them important lessons while helping them gain a love of reading. Plus, it is just a great book to read on your own.

You can purchase the book from the website here, or from Amazon.com, BN.com, and the like.

Also, check out the blog for the series here.

Rating: 10.0

The One with The Haunted Air

2011-01-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

174. Title & Author: The Haunted Air (A Repairman Jack Novel Book 6) by F. Paul Wilson (415 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Thriller & Science Fiction

Completed: 8 January 2011

Summary & Review:

Two brothers who run a psychic racket enlist Repairman Jack’s help to get even with a rival psychic who has been trying to run them out of town. While completing the job, Jack realizes the brothers have a much bigger problem: their house is possessed by the spirit of a child murdered during a sacrificial ceremony by a group who believe the ritual leads to immortality.

This was a good entry in the Repairman Jack series. The story was fast-paced and complex enough to be interesting without becoming a convoluted mess. While the Science Fiction aspects of Wilson’s series may not be for everyone, I am enjoying the developing mythology and I look forward to seeing the conclusion of it in Book 15, set to be published this fall.

Rating: 8.5

The One with What it Means to be a Libertarian

2011-01-12T08:00:00.000-08:00

173. Title & Author: What It Means to Be a Libertarian: A Personal Interpretation by Charles Murray (178 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Politics & Philosophy

Completed: 27 December 2010

Summary & Review:

With the size of government ever growing, Charles Murray presents his argument that the best and only way to ensure the maximum wealth, security, and happiness is a libertarian form of government. Freedom, he argues, is the single most important aspect of our lives, and without maximized individual freedom we cannot achieve true satisfaction in life. Clearly, however, libertarians recognize that government does have a role to play in modern societies, a belief that sets this philosophy apart from anarchy.

In the introduction to this book, Murray states that he would prefer to call himself a classical liberal, rather than a hard-line Libertarian, but because the word "liberal" has had its original meaning perverted, he has settled with calling himself a lower-case-“L” libertarian. I guess that is about where I fall on the political spectrum as well. For example, it is hard for me to justify the full legalization of all drugs, including heroin and the like, as so many Libertarians do.

In the book, Murray’s arguments were clear and concise. He offered actual libertarian solutions to problems that seem to perplex so many in our government and media, and then backed up his positions with facts and the collected knowledge of thousands of years of study of human behavior and thought. He is clear to emphasize that freedom does not mean license to do whatever you want without regard to others. In fact, maximized freedom requires much more personal responsibility. Thus, he proposes a First Law of Libertarian Reform which reads: “Every increase in freedom of action must be matched with a corresponding increase in responsibility for consequences.” This is in the end, perhaps a more difficult way to live. Yet, that difficulty is what makes it so much more satisfying. Libertarians believe in smaller government with fewer laws, but the laws that remain are taken very seriously, allowing people to fully exercise their liberties while respecting the right of others to do the same.

If you are at all interested in learning more about libertarianism, I recommend this book as a good introduction.

Rating: 9.5

Arguments Summed Up: America Alone

2011-01-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

Title & Author: America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It by Mark Steyn

Genre: Nonfiction-Politics & Current Affaris

My Rating: 9.0

Summed up: Steyn states Islam is rapidly taking over the world. Free societies are not having children. They are too concerned about ease of life because they have become addicted to government coddling. Thus, they do not have families and are kept in state of perpetual adolescence. To pay for their massive welfare states, Europe must rely on immigration, largely Muslim, for their work force. But, these Muslims do not assimilate as previous immigrants did, nor do they believe in the ideals of a free society. They see themselves as Muslims first, rather than as Europeans. Many of them want to turn their new countries into Islamic states, and Steyn argues that in the guise of tolerance and multiculturalism, the Europeans will roll over and let this happen. America must remain true to its ideals and must export the principles of freedom rather than just American pop culture to stem the flow of Islamic extremism coming from Iran and Saudi Arabia. We must fight the welfare state that kills individual self-reliance. Strong individuals make a strong nation and culture, and a strong culture will prevail.

To read my review of this book, click here.

The One with Rules for Patriots

2011-01-05T08:00:00.000-08:00

172. Title & Author: Rules for Patriots: A Pocket Primer for Patriotic Americans by Matt B. Kibbe (64 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Politics

Completed: 25 December 2010

Summary & Review:

Matt Kibbe, president and CEO of FreedomWorks, offers his conservative alternative to Saul Alinsky’s infamous Rules for Radicals in this short guide to grassroots political organization. He covers how to organize a group, how to fundraise, and how to get your message out to the public.

I thought this book was an interesting and effective guidebook for citizens who want to become more involved in the local, state, and national political scene. Plus, it was free. So, I can’t really complain about that…

Rating: 7.0

The One with Christmas Books

2010-12-29T08:00:00.000-08:00

171. Title & Author: Christmas Books by Charles Dickens (482 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Classic Literature

Completed: 25 December 2010

Summary & Review:

This book contains five of Dicken’s novellas that he included in this one volume, entitled Christmas Books. These include: A Christmas Carol, The Chimes: A Goblin Story of Some Bells that Rang an Old Year Out and a New Year In, The Cricket on the Hearth: A Fairy Tale of Home, The Battle of Life: A Love Story, and The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain. While not all of the five stories were entirely Christmas-themed, they all dealt with issues of redemption and forgiveness.

A Christmas Carol is clearly the gleaming gem in this collection, even though all the stories are very good. But, there is a reason that A Christmas Carol has become the enduring classic is has: it is a work of genius. It is entertaining, beautifully written, emotionally charged, and has a lesson that all can learn from.

I read A Christmas Carol last week while in the hospital with our newborn son. He is only two months old and it was as if my own little Tiny “Tom” (his middle name, Thomas) was right there in front of me. Thankfully, his health improved and we were able to have him home with us for Christmas.

Rating: 8.0 (10.0 for A Christmas Carol)

The One with Guardian of Lies

2010-12-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

170. Title & Author: Guardian of Lies by Steve Martini (595 pages)*

Genre: Fiction—Thriller

Completed: 14 December 2010

Summary & Review:

A chance encounter with a young Costa Rican woman at the grocery store, ends up causing attorney Paul Madriani to be charged as an accomplice to two murders that woman accused of committing. As he investigates the case, he realizes that not only is the woman innocent, but the murders were more than a simple robbery. Someone is trying to cover up a secret in the young woman’s family: a Russian grandfather who has been hiding a nuclear weapon in the Columbian jungle for over 40 years.

I thought Martini’s writing style was pretty intelligent and entertaining, and the plot was an interesting premise. But, as I was reading, I kept wondering why Martini needed 595 pages to write this book? John Buchan (The Thirty-Nine Steps, #168) was able to write just as exciting a thriller in only 88 pages. I didn’t think the excessive length was really necessary for Martini to develop the characters or story. However, that was really the only downside to this book.

The Author’s Note at the end was actually one of my favorite parts. Martini offered some very interesting historical details and insights.

Rating: 7.5

The One with The Braindead Megaphone

2010-12-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

169. Title & Author: The Braindead Megaphone: Essays by George Saunders (257 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Essays

Completed: 11 December 2010

Summary & Review:

This volume contains a random assortment of self-important slop that the author calls “essays.”

A few years back I read an article by this writer about his trip to Dubai in a magazine. The article was hilarious and well written and just extremely entertaining, so much so that I wanted to read it again. I researched and eventually found out that that article was included in this book so I got the book and read it. First of all, the Dubai essay is still funny and well written and entertaining, but the rest of the book was so terrible that, as I was reading it, I told my wife, “This book has almost stolen my love of reading from me.”

This book was published in 2007 and you can tell by the whiny, childish, “Bush and Fox News are the devil” tone that permeates every single essay included within. Saunders mentions that he was supposedly once an “Ayn Rand-ish Republican,” and if that is true he has actively turned a blind eye to reality, or suffered some sort of terrible accident that left him slightly “braindead,” to use his word. I think what probably happened is that he left the real world and entered academia, where he remains, and therefore lost any need to actually come up with solutions when he could just theorize, pine for utopia, and whine about how terribly unfair the world is. Whatever the case, I could hardly stomach these idealistic, nonsensical “essays.”

Rating: 0.5

The One with The Thirty-Nine Steps

2010-12-08T08:00:00.000-08:00

168. Title & Author: The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan (88 pages)

Genre: Fiction—Classic Literature & Adventure

Completed: 30 November 2010

Summary & Review:

Just as the boredom of city life in London is getting to him, Richard Hannay is approached by a skittish American who warns him of a conspiracy that could throw all of Europe into bloody conflict. After the American is cruelly murdered, Hannay knows that he must carry on in his place to prevent the sabotage about to occur.

This book was very much in the vein of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It was a great adventure filled with twists and turns set in the appealing landscape of late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century Britain. I thought it was interesting how Buchan was able to fit such a full-bodied adventure in only 88 pages. If you updated some of the details of the plot, this could easily have been a contemporary thriller that would be 400 plus pages. Buchan was able to distill this adventure down to the necessities, without really losing much of the fun of reading a thriller.

A “thank you” goes out to my grandfather-in-law, John Taylor, who gave this book to me as a Thanksgiving/early-Christmas present. We share some common interests in that he is, like me, both a bibliophile and an Anglophile.

Rating: 8.0

The One with Wassily Kandinsky

2010-12-01T08:00:00.000-08:00

167. Title & Author: Wassily Kandinsky by Hajo Düchting (92 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Art History

Completed: 24 November 2010

Summary & Review:

The life and art of Russian abstract artist Wassily Kandinsky are presented in a biographical format. Along with the text are numerous color images of Kandinsky's work, from his early years to his time at the Bauhaus and beyond.

Even though this book was only 92 pages, it was hard for me to get through. First of all, the art of Kandinsky really does nothing for me. When I encounter his work at a museum I pause and say, “Oh, there’s a Kandinsky.” Then I move on because after about three seconds of looking at it I’m bored. My wife seems to like him (she is the one who bought this book, after all), but she has always been a little more into early twentieth century modern art than me. Anyway, even if I don’t find Kandinsky’s art particularly appealing, a good analysis of it could have gone a long way. However, such an analysis was not to be found. Düchting’s text was dry and devoid of any intriguing observations about who Kandinsky was or why his art has been so important to modern and contemporary art.

Rating: 4.5

The One with Liberty and Tyranny

2010-11-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

166. Title & Author: Liberty and Tyranny: A Conservative Manifesto by Mark R. Levin (205 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Politics

Completed: 22 November 2010

Summary & Review:

Conservative talk radio host Mark Levin presents his take on what it means to be a Conservative and how Conservative principles can solve many of the most pressing problems in the country. Throughout the book, Levin takes aim at the Statist, a term which he uses to encompass all those who believe that government holds the answers and want more government intrusion in the lives of individuals, and repudiates their arguments on issues ranging from the Constitution to the free market to the welfare state to climate change.

I get to listen to Levin’s radio show most week days when I am driving home from school, and he has quickly become my favorite talk radio host (“Get off my phone, you dummy!”). He is pretty funny during his show, so I was surprised at how no nonsense this book was. He took a much more academic or serious approach to his book than Glenn Beck has in books like Arguing with Idiots (#132). I especially like how clear cut he made his arguments. With the way political discussion is today, there is a serious dearth of individuals who will explicitly delineate who they are and who their opponent is (e.g. the “War on Radical Islam”, or is it the “War on Terror?” or is it is the “War on Extremism?” or the “Overseas Contingency Operation???”). Levin went through many of the most important issues of the day and identified where the Statist stood, where he stood, and why he stood where he did. I especially liked the Epilogue where Levin offered his point by point solutions to various problems.

Rating: 8.5

The One with The Apostle

2010-11-17T10:33:00.001-08:00

165. Title & Author: The Apostle by Brad Thor (516 pages)*

Genre: Fiction—Thriller

Completed: 16 November 2010

Summary & Review: A dark secret in the new President’s past is leveraged against him by an important donor whose daughter was kidnapped in Afghanistan. With no one else to turn to, the President must enlist the help of a man he shunned, operative Scot Harvath. Despite having been tossed aside when the new President came to power and with no knowledge as to why the President is so adamant about this rescue, Harvath agrees to go and find the woman. As Harvath negotiates the dangers of Afghanistan, a young Secret Service agent delves into the President’s past to discover and bring to light the terrible secret he wants so desperately to bury.

A couple of months ago I read and reviewed Empire of Lies by Andrew Klavan (#152) which had been mentioned by publications like National Review as a conservatively minded novel. Really, Brad Thor’s books do a much better job of promoting conservative politics than Klavan’s did. Throughout the novel, Thor took to task some of the more asinine liberal policies, especially those regarding the war on Islamist terror. Also, the new, untested president in the book more than slightly resembled President Obama, and Thor was not exactly kind in his assessment of either.

As usual, Thor’s writing was fast and relentless and the story was what a thriller plot should be.

Rating: 8.0

The One with America Alone

2010-11-07T14:19:00.001-08:00

164. Title & Author: America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It by Mark Steyn (214 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Politics & Current Affairs

Completed: 6 November 2010

Summary & Review:

With the threat of Islamist Extremism ever growing, Mark Steyn laments the very plausible fate that America will stand as the last bastion of individual liberty on the planet. He argues that not only are Islamists actively subverting free societies, but the European states are basically committing suicide. One of Steyn’s critical points is the changing demography of the European continent. European countries have shackled themselves to unsustainable welfare states yet have birthrates that are halving their populations every generation. With no posterity to take over the work force and pay for these lavish handouts, Europe is looking to immigrants to fill in the widening gap between earnings and payouts. Unfortunately, those immigrants are often part of a pan-Islamist identity that does not support the ideals free societies are built on.

This book was so clearly a work of the mind of Mark Steyn. He presented serious and sobering realities, but managed to do so with his usual pith and wit. After reading Andrew McCarthy’s The Grand Jihad (#160), the threat of radical Islam was not news to me, but Steyn still offered very salient points and observations. For example, America has often been accused of imperialism by various countries, yet it has failed to actually spread, by force or otherwise, the ideals and concepts that make it “America.” To me, this is a major failure in our country's history. Millions of members of our armed forces have given their lives to liberate various oppressed peoples from Holland to Iraq, yet after their liberation we expected those people to simply fall into the exceptional American system of governance that is an enigma in the history of the world. This, of course, has not happened, thus the major export of America has not been individual and economic freedom, but rap and Hollywood movies. By trying to be to light-handed in foreign affairs, we have allowed other ideologies, such as Saudi Wahhabism, to take root.

I recommend this book.

Rating: 9.0

The One with The Silent Man

2010-11-01T14:36:00.000-07:00

163. Title & Author: The Silent Man by Alex Berenson (501 pages)*

Genre: Fiction—Thriller

Completed: 1 November 2010

Summary & Review:

A small band of Islamists infiltrate a Russian nuclear weapons depot and manage to steal two functional bombs. With the help of John Wells, the CIA must track down the bombs before disaster happens.

My dad is a pretty big fan of Berenson’s three novels. I think he may be a little biased since they share the same alma mater, but I agree that Berenson is a talented thriller writer. The plot was fast and entertaining and Berenson’s writing was deft and clean. Personally, I don’t find John Wells to really be that intriguing of a protagonist, but the stories he has been featured in have made up for that shortfall.

I do have one complaint about this novel. Throughout the book, the Islamist characters ranted about the supposed “evils” and “sins” of America. The writing took shots at the Iraq war from the point of view of a Islamist extremist, but, there was never a counter argument from any of the “good guy” characters defending the actions of America. This caused a lot of the novel to read like an anti-American tirade. While these statements were put forth by the terrorist characters, the fact that there was never any countering point of view leads the reader to feel that those disparaging opinions must be those of the author as well.

Rating: 7.5

The One with The Book of Lies

2010-10-24T07:32:00.000-07:00

162. Title & Author: The Book of Lies by Brad Meltzer (435 pages)*

Genre: Fiction—Thriller

Completed: 23 October 2010

Summary & Review:

For centuries secret groups have been battling to find the Book of Lies, the mark of Cain given to him after he committed the world’s first murder. Now, Cal and his father, a man he hasn’t seen for 19 years, must find the legendary item before the killer on their tail finds them.

The plot of this book was kind of all over the place, from Cain and Able to Nazis to Superman comics. It felt like Meltzer’s attempt at really tying all these various happenings together was pretty tenuous and not quite believable. It was just such a weird amalgam of stories and themes that I couldn’t decide what this book really was.

Rating: 5.5

The One with Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball

2010-10-18T13:41:00.000-07:00

161. Title & Author: Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (270 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Religion & LDS

Completed: 10 October 2010

Summary & Review:

The teachings of President Spencer W. Kimball, the twelfth President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are presented in this manual alongside stories of his life illustrating his teachings in action. Some of the topics covered include forgiveness, provident living, integrity, and his personal testimony of Jesus Christ.

I always enjoy entries from this series. Being able to read the prophet's words without a lot of commentary is wonderful. Plus, reading about events in President Kimball’s life that exemplify what he taught show just what an excellent example he was.

Rating: 8.5

The One with The Grand Jihad

2010-10-10T12:35:00.001-07:00

160. Title & Author: The Grand Jihad: How Islam and the Left Sabotage America by Andrew C. McCarthy (376 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction—Politics, Religion, & Current Events

Completed: 8 October 2010

Summary & Review:

While most in the media and the general public are fixated on the threat of terrorism, Andrew McCarthy argues that we should be even more concerned with the quieter branch of jihad: Islamism. In this book, McCarthy identifies the groups who are stealthily, rather than violently, subverting American laws and values to impose sharia, the Islamic legal code, and how their aims and ideals make the far Left excellent bedfellows.

This was an incredibly interesting and well-argued book. McCarthy did an excellent job of juxtaposing the incompatible principles of the American tradition and sharia law. He pointed out, “To begin with, Islam is not merely a religion. It is a comprehensive socio-economic and political system, which believers take to be ordained by Allah.” He continues, “Allah’s law happens to be antithetical to bedrock American principles: It establishes a state religion, rejects the freedom of citizens to govern themselves irrespective of a religious code, proscribes freedom of conscience, nullifies economic freedom, destroys the principle of equality under the law, subjugates non-Muslims in the humiliation of dhimmitude, and calls for the execution of apostates.”

Thus, the book brings up an unsettling dilemma. As McCarthy points out, while of course the vast majority of Muslims are not terrorists, many, if not most, believe that sharia is in fact Allah’s law. The problem there is that sharia is simply not compatible with American law or traditions but if we try to fight sharia, many will argue that we are discriminating against people’s religious beliefs. Hence, the dilemma: how do we fight against sharia? The key, I think, is that “Islam is not merely a religion,” but a political system as well, much like Soviet Communism was more than just an economic system but an all-encompassing and totalitarian societal structure. Therefore, it is not prudent or even justifiable to allow Islamists to impose sharia in this society under the guise of religious freedom.

I recommend this book.

Rating: 9.5

The One with The Confessor

2010-09-26T15:30:00.000-07:00

159. Title & Author: The Confessor by Daniel Silva (401 pages)
Genre: Fiction--Action & Thriller

Completed: 26 September 2010

Summary & Review:

Israeli spy/art restorer Gabriel Allon is torn away from his work in Venice to help track down the murderer of his friend Benjamin, a fellow Mossad agent. Soon, Allon discovers the reason why Benjamin was killed: he was writing a book exposing that the Catholic Church was complicit in the deportation of Jews during the Holocaust and met secretly with the Nazis to ensure that the Pope would not speak out against the atrocities occurring under the Third Reich. As Gabriel pursues the killers, they make a desperate attempt to keep the truth a secret, even planning to assassinate the newly elected Pope.

Daniel Silva is what Dan Brown wishes he could be: a talented writer. This plot was very much something Dan Brown could have written using his wet-blanket protagonist Robert Langdon, but in Silva's hands it was thrilling and intelligent. As always, Gabriel Allon proved to be an excellent lead. He is consistently more than just the tough, alpha-male spy that is found in so many contemporary thrillers, and that makes this series stand out even more than it already does with Silva's above-par writing.

Rating: 9.0

The One with Mockingjay

2010-09-19T19:46:00.000-07:00

158. Title & Author: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins (390 pages)

Genre: Fiction--Young Adult

Completed: 19 September 2010

Summary & Review:

The incomprehensible terror that was the end of Katniss’ second trip to the Hunger Games has left her in a stupor of nightmares and medicinally induced unconsciousness. When she finally is able to understand what has happened to her, the situation is bleak: her home of District 12 has been completely destroyed, Peeta has been captured by the Capitol, and the rebellion is in dire need of a motivational leader. With the help of Gale and Haymitch, Katniss grows into her role as the Mockingjay, the symbol of the rebellion, and uses her influence to get the rebels of District 13 to rescue Peeta. Peeta, however, has suffered terribly at the hands of the capitol and now kindles an overpowering desire to kill Katniss. Beneath the brainwashing, Katniss can still see the boy who saved her life time and again, but can she save Peeta, navigate her relationship with Gale, and lead the rebels to victory?

This book was my least favorite of the series. During the opening chapters it was a little frustrating, it seemed like the refugees of 12 had escaped the tyranny of the Capitol only to live under the communism of District 13. And really, that feeling kind of persisted throughout the book. What were these people fighting for any way? They only had faint promises of freedom once the war was over.

Also, the pacing of the book seemed a little off. Much of the beginning was very slow and prolonged, yet the climax and resolution was so rapidly paced it was hard to make sense of it all. This was most damaging though because it left little time for Katniss to really come to terms with her dueling relationships with Gale and Peeta. When her decision was finally made (which was the right decision in my mind, by far), the reader didn’t quite get the fulfillment expected considering how critical that triangle was to the series.

Actually, that is my major complaint about this book, I just wasn’t satisfied with how everything ended, especially since I slogged through three books to wrap it all up. Collins really didn’t leave it on a happy, hopeful, or contented note. I felt like the reader deserved more at the end.

Rating: 6.5

The One with First Family

2010-09-12T14:17:00.000-07:00

157. Title & Author: First Family by David Baldacci (639 pages)*

Genre: Fiction--Thriller

Completed: 12 September 2010

Summary & Review:

The niece of the First Family is kidnapped by a man who holds both a deep, abiding grudge against them and a secret that could destroy them. To help locate the young girl, Jane Cox, the First Lady, enlists her friend Sean King and his partner Michelle Maxwell. As the pair track down the kidnapper and uncover the reasons behind his deed, Michelle's mother is murdered, adding yet another question to their growing list. Who killed Michelle's mom? Where is the First Family's niece? Why are Jane Cox and her husband, the President of the United States, desperate to the hide the truth that the kidnapper wants to expose?

Eh. This book was a mediocre thriller. I'm not much of a fan of Maxwell and King, and the books of Baldacci's that I have read that feature them have not been my favorite. I think Baldacci's other recurring characters, the rag tag bunch called the Camel Club, are much more entertaining and have been written into more interesting plots.

Rating: 5.5

The One with Brisingr

2010-09-05T19:00:00.000-07:00

156. Title & Author: Brisingr (Book 3 of the Inheritance Cycle) by Christopher Paolini (763 pages)

Genre: Fiction--Fantasy & Adventure

Completed: 5 September 2010

Summary & Review:

The battle against the Empire and the Black King Galbatorix continues. Eragon, the last free Dragon Rider, returns to the service of the Varden, the combined rebel forces, after helping his cousin Roran rescue his betrothed deep in enemy territory. The leader of the rebel army sends Eragon to the mountainous home of the Dwarfs to ensure that they elect a king sympathetic to their cause. His journey is long and lonely without the accompaniment of his dragon and help-meet, Saphira, but it is ultimately successful. With the Dwarfs on their side, Eragon needs just one last thing in order to prepare to slay the Black King: a sword worthy of a Dragon Rider.

At first, I felt like this book was little more than a rip off of Tolkien's master works. The Elves and Dwarfs were essentially identical to those in The Lord of the Rings, and so much of Alagaësia felt like it was torn from Middle Earth. After I got over that, however, I enjoyed the book quite a bit. Paolini definitely writes firmly in the Fantasy genre and style. He has very formal prose when writing dialogue, he crafted rich histories and customs for all his many races and cultures, and his story was equal parts mystery and adventure. Not to mention the fact that this was a hefty tome. I remember sitting in the Sampler Reading Room in the Brigham Young University (Provo) library and looking at the Fantasy section. All of the books were huge, and this book would fit right in.

Although this series revolves around the character of Eragon, my favorite parts of the novel were those that followed Roran, Eragon's cousin. Roran was a great character and the events that he was involved in were action packed and immensely entertaining. To me, the best part about fantasy books is that they can transport you to another world, and the scenes with Roran were the portions of the book that I felt that the strongest.

I didn't think I would enjoy this book as much as I did, so I wasn't too worried about the fact that I started the series on book 3, rather than going back and starting on the first book. But, now I have to backtrack and read books 1 and 2 and hope that I can still fully enjoy those despite knowing what comes later.

Rating: 8.0

The One with Catching Fire

2010-08-27T20:42:00.000-07:00

155. Title & Author: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (391 pages)

Genre: Fiction--Young Adult & Science Fiction

Completed: 21 August 2010

Summary & Review:

After defying the Capitol in a desperate attempt to save both herself and her fellow Hunger Games competitor Peeta, Katniss Everdeen must now navigate the even more treacherous waters of politics. To avoid drawing further ire from the Capitol, she must do everything in her power to subdue the growing rebellions throughout the country. No mater what she does, however, her courageous and defiant act in the games inspires unrest among the districts of Panem. The Capitol is thus forced to take desperate measures to quell the insurgence: Peeta and Katniss must re-enter the arena and compete in yet another fight-to-the-death Hunger Games.

The beginning of this book was probably the strongest part of the novel because it was a completely different look at life in Panem than shown in the first book of the series, The Hunger Games (#153). But, once Katniss and Peeta entered the arena again, the story felt a little too reminiscent of the first book. It was almost as though Collins couldn't come up with a new story line for this second novel and just reverted to what she had done before. With that being said, however, I still enjoyed this book at least as much as The Hunger Games. I can't really say why I like these books, but they kept me reading, and when I finished this latest one, I was looking forward to the third and final entry in the trilogy.

Rating: 7.0

The One with Phantom Prey

2010-08-12T20:03:00.001-07:00

154. Title & Author: Phantom Prey by John Sandford (469 pages)*

Genre: Fiction--Thriller

Completed: 12 August 2010

Summary & Review:

Minnesota cop Lucas Davenport delves into the investigation of the murder of a young Goth woman as a favor to her mother. As the investigation progresses, little is revealed about the original murder, but three other Goths, all friends of the first young woman, are killed in brutal stabbings. Davenport eventually realizes that motives for the two groups of murders do not seem to align, so he must hunt down two killers: one who killed for money, another who is killing for revenge.

I don't have very strong feelings about this book one way or the other. It was entertaining enough that I didn't get bored while reading it, but it was fairly forgettable. This is the kind of book that my dad would read, and then when he was stuck in an airport, buy it again because he had forgotten he had already read it. The writing was good, as Sandford's usually is, but the book was lacking a truly compelling antagonist, which is something that Sandford has excelled at in the past. For example, the killer in Eyes of Prey, #38 on this list, is a great character!

Rating: 7.0

The One with The Hunger Games

2010-07-30T18:17:00.000-07:00

Title & Author: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (374 pages)

Genre: Fiction--Young Adult & Science Fiction

Completed: 30 July 2010

Summary & Review:

In a desperate move to save her sister, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to enter the Hunger Games: a 24-person fight to the death where only one person can emerge victorious, and alive. She travels to the Capitol of her home country Panem, a country that is a dystopian vision of the future of North America, with Peeta, the boy chosen to enter the games from her district with her. With the help of a coach and a team of stylists, Peeta and Katniss devise a plan to help them survive in the arena. To Katniss, their plan, that of acting madly in love, is nothing more than a fictional means to an end, while to Peeta, the plan is no act at all. Together, they must figure out how they can both come home alive.

My wife, Paige, recently read this book, as well as its sequel Catching Fire, and recommended that I read it too. While she enjoyed the book, she felt that the premise behind the games was a little weak, i.e. the government requiring each of the twelve districts to sacrifice two youths to the games each and every year in order to remind the people how powerless they are. I agree with her assessment. It seems like Collins had come up with the games themselves and really loved the idea and then didn't spend much time worrying about a plausible scenario that would cause such games to exist.

But, the writing was entertaining and quite good for a young adult book. Also, I kind of like that Collins was willing to write about such a brutal and jarring storyling in the YA genre. She presented some more mature themes such as freedom, independence, survival, and sacrifice that I think younger readers would do well to consider and think about.

Now, I have not yet read book 2 in the series, so I don't want to complain too early. However, I don't think I can take another series with some indecisive girl stringing two boys along who are both madly in love with her despite the fact that she is really nothing special at all. I think I've had my fill of that from a certain other popular series. (*cough* Twilight *cough*)

Rating: 6.5

The One with Empire of Lies

2010-07-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

152. Title & Author: Empire of Lies by Andrew Klavan (383 pages)

Genre: Fiction--Thriller

Completed: 20 July

Summary & Review:

After turning away from a youth filled with reckless choices, Jason Harrow is enjoying his quiet life with his wife and children in the Midwest when a phone call from an old girlfriend drags his ugly past into the present. He travels to New York to help this woman find her daughter, who, she reveals, is his daughter as well. Jason is finally able to locate the girl and discovers that she was a witness to a murder committed by a terrorist cell. As Jason digs deeper into the story he realizes that an imminent attack on America is in place and only he can see through the lies and take down the real leader of the plot before disaster strikes.

This book was recommended by several sites like National Review, so I was pretty excited to read it. I guess I must have been expecting something much more substantial than just a run-of-the-mill thriller because I was disappointed with the book overall. Jason Harrow, the protagonist, was not a character that I found to be intriguing or captivating. The story was mediocre, as was the writing. Plus, there were sections of this novel that were quite ribald. I guess National Review and Glenn Beck talked about this book just because the protagonist was a conservative. While I'll admit that the politics were less idiotic than those found in novels by someone like Lee Child, I think other authors such as Vince Flynn or Brad Thor do a better job mixing conservative politics with action-packed thrillers.

Rating: 6.0

The One with Dracula

2010-07-14T16:03:00.000-07:00

151. Title & Author: Dracula by Bram Stoker (413 pages)

Genre: Fiction--Horror

Completed: 10 July 2010

Summary & Review:

A young British solicitor named Jonathan Harker travels to the mysterious land of Transylvania to service the business needs of one his firm's clients, Count Dracula. Barely escaping with his life, he returns to London to discover that the un-dead Count has left his mountainous home for the modernity of England and has already claimed the life of one young woman. With the help of his wife, a few friends, and the astute mind of Dr. Van Helsing, the Count is driven back to his native land where they must rid him from the earth forever.

This novel was first published in 1897, and since that time it has never been out of print. For a book of such lasting stamina, and one that is often heralded as a "classic," it was very disappointing. Plus, for this being a horror novel, the plot was incredibly tame as it slowly plodded along. Rather than racing through in a terrified trance while reading, I literally had to force myself to continue turning the pages. It was more difficult for me to read this book for any length of time than it is for me to read about microbiology or dental anatomy. I think part of this was due to the manner in which Stoker presented the story. It was written with the main characters looking back at events that had already occurred through journal entries or letters. This caused there to be a sort of detachment from the events of the novel. Obviously, if the writer was alive to write about what took place, the reader knew that everything was going to work out in the end. I think if the narrative had been more direct, as if events were taking place as the reader was reading them, the story could have been potentially much more frightening.

The only part of the book that I really enjoyed was the first section in which Jonathan is actually in Transylvania. Here, the journal entry format of the novel was pretty effective as the reader was able to experience the terror and uncertainty that Jonathan was going through from day to day. After that, the novelty of the narration died away and the plot grew stagnant, especially since most of the characters were one-dimensional and melodramatic. The men were obnoxiously overly gallant, chivalrous, and courteous (in a condescending way) to Mina, Jonathan's wife, as they gushed praise (which the modern reader reads in the form of backhanded insults) on women and Mina in particular. The dialogue was flowery to the point of nausea and Van Helsing's pseudo-broken English was just irritating to endure.

In short, I guess I was left wondering why this book has achieved such an elevated status in popular culture and why authors like Elizabeth Kostova, whose novel The Historian was an excellent entry into the vampire canon, feel like they are indebted to Stoker in any way.

Rating: 5.0

The One with Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant

2010-07-07T06:35:00.000-07:00

150. Title & Author: Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Heber J. Grant published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (228 pages)

Genre: Nonfiction--Religion & LDS

Completed: 27 June 2010

Summary & Review:

The teachings and writings of President Heber J. Grant, the seventh President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, are presented with short introductions that include stories from his life that illustrate his teachings in action. The twenty-four chapters cover topics such as persistence, self-reliance, abiding testimony, and earnest prayer.

This was an excellent look into the teachings of President Grant. Every time I read one of these entries from the Teachings of the Presidents of the Church series I am amazed at how applicable the messages still are, even decades after the writer's lifetime. President Grant died in 1945, but these chapters could have been written yesterday and they wouldn't have been more on point.

Rating: 8.5

The One with Infernal

2010-06-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

149. Title & Author: Infernal (A Repairman Jack Novel, Book 9) by F. Paul Wilson (351 pages)

Genre: Fiction--Thriller & Science Fiction

Completed: 25 June 2010

Summary & Review:

Jack and his brother Tom reunite after their father is brutally murdered in a New York airport. Tom, however, has more than just his father's death to deal with as federal prosecutors close in on him because of years of corruption as a judge. He enlists Jack to help him locate a mysterious item that legend claims has the power to rescue its user from his enemies. They find the item, known as the Lillitongue of Gefreda, but its power threatens to rip jack away from everyone in his life--permanently.

I wish that Wilson had decided to split the two main elements of this book, i.e. the murder of and the subsequent revenge of the murder of Jack's father and then the reunion with his brother, into individual novels of their own. The latter story got far more of this book devoted to it and I think Wilson missed an opportunity to have a stand alone novel featuring Jack coping with his father's violent death. As it was, it didn't quite satisfy me with how Wilson handled the death of his protagonist's father. But, it was still an entertaining novel.

Rating: 7.0

The One with Gone Tomorrow

2010-06-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

148. Title & Author: Gone Tomorrow (A Jack Reacher Novel) by Lee Child (543 pages)*

Genre: Fiction--Thriller

Completed: 14 June 2010

Summary & Review:

As Jack Reacher is riding a subway train in New York, he notices a woman passenger that appears, to his expert eye, to be a suicide bomber. In slight disbelief, he approaches the woman who, upon interaction with Reacher, shoots herself in the head. Reacher can't escape the feeling that somehow he was responsible for pushing this woman over the edge, so he investigates what drove her to that point. He finds a trail leading to a photograph picturing Osama bin Laden with a senatorial candidate that everyone wants: the feds to hide it, the candidate to destroy it, and Al Queda to exploit it.

After the last Lee Child book I read (Nothing to Lose, #112), I said that I was never going to read another book by him. I was just so sick of his liberal agenda being shoved in my face as I read. I was planning on holding to that literary mental embargo, but my dad convinced me to give this one a shot. He said that the first fifty pages of this book were as good as any thriller gets. Well, the first fifty pages were pretty good, as was the rest of the book overall. Thankfully, Child wasn't as obnoxious with his ideology so I was able to stomach the novel without wanting to hurl it at the wall every other page. Will I read another of his? I really don't know. I'm still upset about that last book despite this one.

Rating: 7.0

The One with The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

2010-06-16T13:33:00.000-07:00

147. Title & Author: The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner: An Eclipse Novella by Stephenie Meyer (178 pages)

Genre: Fiction--Fantasy

Completed: 8 June 2010

Summary & Review:

Bree Tanner was a starving runaway when a handsome young man named Riley took her under his wing and changed her life forever. After enduring the burning torture of becoming a vampire, Bree awakens to a world of new possibilities and new priorities. Just one priority, to be exact: to satiate her thirst with as much human blood as possible. Her life is hectic and dangerous as the coven of young vampires she lives with fight and kill one another in mindless bloodlust. Only when she meets Diego, a slightly older and more level-headed vampire, is she able to see there is more to her life than hunting, and more to her seemingly benevolent creator than meets the eye.

This was a very quick read, but overall it was an entertaining addition to the Twilight Saga. Its main weakness was that it had nothing to do with Bella, Edward, Jacob, or the residents of Forks. I'm not sure about other Twilight fans, but I didn't read the books because I am obsessed with vampires and the occult. In fact, I read the books in spite of those things (I mean really, vampires fighting werewolves?!). So, to read an entry, albeit a tangential one, in a series based around a very concrete nucleus of characters with barely a cameo from those characters and their stories, the very stories that have drawn so many people to Twilight, feels a little empty.

Rating: 7.0