Modern Ireland: 1600 - 1972 (R. F. Foster)
Well, I tried with this one, but I only made it about 150 pages into this 600 page book and had to quit. The author assumes a much deeper background in European history than I have; I can keep straight what's going on with Charles II, James, and William of Orange off screen, but when the narrative starts asking that you already know the details about their various religious attitudes towards their Irish subjects, that's where I start getting lost. Probably a good book if you already know the material, as it seems more like a reflection on changing Ireland than a straight narrative history (for which I continue to search in vain).
Grade: D+
Friday, November 30, 2012
Sunday, November 25, 2012
"The Dream Machine"
The Dream Machine: The Untold History of the Notorious V-22 Osprey (Richard Whittle)
Pretty much exactly what it says: The definitive history of the V-22, starting with a lengthy introduction outlaying the concept of a "dream machine" - an aircraft that can take off like a helicopter but fly as fast as a plane. My only issues with the book were that this introduction goes on a little long; I understand the author is setting the table for the Osprey to appear by talking about autogyros and failed attempts at tilt-rotor planes, but it can drag a little, and the biographies some people get feel pointless (does it matter that the Osprey's chief designer wore loud Hawaiian shirts?). Other than that, I found the book very interesting, and quite harrowing during the Osprey crashes. I don't know if I can recommend this generally, but I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Grade: B+
Pretty much exactly what it says: The definitive history of the V-22, starting with a lengthy introduction outlaying the concept of a "dream machine" - an aircraft that can take off like a helicopter but fly as fast as a plane. My only issues with the book were that this introduction goes on a little long; I understand the author is setting the table for the Osprey to appear by talking about autogyros and failed attempts at tilt-rotor planes, but it can drag a little, and the biographies some people get feel pointless (does it matter that the Osprey's chief designer wore loud Hawaiian shirts?). Other than that, I found the book very interesting, and quite harrowing during the Osprey crashes. I don't know if I can recommend this generally, but I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Grade: B+
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
"In the Garden of Beasts"
In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin (Erik Larson)
This book is the anti-Agent Zigzag; Where there I had no expectations and loved the book, here I heard this book getting praise up and down and, well. I guess my first clue should have been the fact that all of two weeks after the book came out my wife found a free copy sitting out on the curb. As it turns out, this book ended up in my own donation pile after blazing through it, and I feel bad for anyone who spent $10 on this thing. I don't get what all the hype was about, as I found this book to be boring, plodding, and - worst of all - pointless. If you have even a cursory knowledge of the subject matter, you already know everything in this book, and you've probably read it in a more entertaining form. Even if the material in this book is a surprise, the author's tedious framing device does it no favors - the American ambassador is, like almost everyone in the book, a flat character and his daughter sleeping around seems completely disconnected from the rest of the book. Bizarrely, the book is about the ambassador, but only covers the brief period of time that is his tenure up through the Night of the Long Knives, then hits the fast-forward button on the long rest of his term before coming to a baffling ending. In short, stay away.
Grade: F
This book is the anti-Agent Zigzag; Where there I had no expectations and loved the book, here I heard this book getting praise up and down and, well. I guess my first clue should have been the fact that all of two weeks after the book came out my wife found a free copy sitting out on the curb. As it turns out, this book ended up in my own donation pile after blazing through it, and I feel bad for anyone who spent $10 on this thing. I don't get what all the hype was about, as I found this book to be boring, plodding, and - worst of all - pointless. If you have even a cursory knowledge of the subject matter, you already know everything in this book, and you've probably read it in a more entertaining form. Even if the material in this book is a surprise, the author's tedious framing device does it no favors - the American ambassador is, like almost everyone in the book, a flat character and his daughter sleeping around seems completely disconnected from the rest of the book. Bizarrely, the book is about the ambassador, but only covers the brief period of time that is his tenure up through the Night of the Long Knives, then hits the fast-forward button on the long rest of his term before coming to a baffling ending. In short, stay away.
Grade: F
Thursday, November 15, 2012
"Agent Zigzag"
Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal (Ben Macintyre)
It's weird to be calling a book subtitled "A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal" a fun read, but here we are. The book's subject matter - which I'm sure you can guess from the title - certainly doesn't sound like it would make for an enjoyably breezy book, but the titular Agent Zigzag is such a character that it works. (He's also ably assisted by the German intelligence organizations, who come off, if not quite as comic opera buffoons, at least a bunch of eccentric, weird hard-luck cases.) When I first started reading this book, I didn't think I was going to enjoy it - I've read enough World War II to choke a stable full of horses, and this looked like just another WW2 book crowding the new-release shelves at your local bookstore for a week before hitting the bargain bin. Instead, this is a very pleasant surprise and a book I whole-heartily recommend.
Grade: A
It's weird to be calling a book subtitled "A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal" a fun read, but here we are. The book's subject matter - which I'm sure you can guess from the title - certainly doesn't sound like it would make for an enjoyably breezy book, but the titular Agent Zigzag is such a character that it works. (He's also ably assisted by the German intelligence organizations, who come off, if not quite as comic opera buffoons, at least a bunch of eccentric, weird hard-luck cases.) When I first started reading this book, I didn't think I was going to enjoy it - I've read enough World War II to choke a stable full of horses, and this looked like just another WW2 book crowding the new-release shelves at your local bookstore for a week before hitting the bargain bin. Instead, this is a very pleasant surprise and a book I whole-heartily recommend.
Grade: A
Saturday, November 10, 2012
"Lord of Light"
Lord of Light (Roger Zelazny)
I thought this book was great - imaginative, overflowing with ideas, and reading as strikingly modern for a book that came out in 1967. The basic plot is... you know, this is one of those books you might want to just read; Zelazny introduces a lush setting that sounds kind of silly compressed to a paragraph, but here goes:
The book's story is a conflict between a group of colonists from Earth who have anointed themselves gods and rule over a planet with advanced technology indistinguishable from magic, and our hero Sam, who struggles against them in the guise of the Buddha. I can't really say more except that this is a wonderful read. My only caveat is that the book's structure is a little strange - the book kicks off with Sam being summoned down from a radiation belt, which is actually almost the endpoint of the story told in the book. After one flashback it goes into a linear narrative that barely goes past this beginning point before the story is over, which did leave me a little confused (although I more chalk that up to reading this while being sick and in a daze). All in all, this book is a gem, and you shouldn't miss it.
Grade: A
I thought this book was great - imaginative, overflowing with ideas, and reading as strikingly modern for a book that came out in 1967. The basic plot is... you know, this is one of those books you might want to just read; Zelazny introduces a lush setting that sounds kind of silly compressed to a paragraph, but here goes:
The book's story is a conflict between a group of colonists from Earth who have anointed themselves gods and rule over a planet with advanced technology indistinguishable from magic, and our hero Sam, who struggles against them in the guise of the Buddha. I can't really say more except that this is a wonderful read. My only caveat is that the book's structure is a little strange - the book kicks off with Sam being summoned down from a radiation belt, which is actually almost the endpoint of the story told in the book. After one flashback it goes into a linear narrative that barely goes past this beginning point before the story is over, which did leave me a little confused (although I more chalk that up to reading this while being sick and in a daze). All in all, this book is a gem, and you shouldn't miss it.
Grade: A
Monday, November 5, 2012
"A Bride's Story, Vol 1"
A Bride's Story, Vol 1 (Kaoru Mori)
A very well drawn, charming manga I couldn't really get into. The setting is interesting and unusual, but this seems to be a a slice-of-life book - in other words, nothing really happens; There's one chapter about making rabbit stew. I mean, it's not bad, and the art is nice to look at, but it's just not my personal taste. (Also, the titular Bride is kind of a mary sue.) There's worse ways to spend some time than reading this, but I wasn't gripped, which makes this hard to recommend.
Grade: B-
A very well drawn, charming manga I couldn't really get into. The setting is interesting and unusual, but this seems to be a a slice-of-life book - in other words, nothing really happens; There's one chapter about making rabbit stew. I mean, it's not bad, and the art is nice to look at, but it's just not my personal taste. (Also, the titular Bride is kind of a mary sue.) There's worse ways to spend some time than reading this, but I wasn't gripped, which makes this hard to recommend.
Grade: B-
Thursday, November 1, 2012
"The Currents of Space"
The Currents of Space (Isaac Asimov)
I think I'm giving up on early period Asimov; It's a mess. This book is better than Pebble in the Sky, but that's not saying a whole lot. Reading it nowadays, it's serviceable, but the story is clunky and takes forever to get going (I bailed on page 75, at which point exposition was still getting dumped on me). Oh, and the main character having amnesia does the book no favors. (And! There's also there's some very clumsy parts that come off as racist to the modern reader where a black guy in space reflects on how people of different colors ended up settling on different planets). This may be a case of Seinfeld is Unfunny, and obviously Asimov got a lot better, but I really can't recommend these early novels.
Grade: C-
I think I'm giving up on early period Asimov; It's a mess. This book is better than Pebble in the Sky, but that's not saying a whole lot. Reading it nowadays, it's serviceable, but the story is clunky and takes forever to get going (I bailed on page 75, at which point exposition was still getting dumped on me). Oh, and the main character having amnesia does the book no favors. (And! There's also there's some very clumsy parts that come off as racist to the modern reader where a black guy in space reflects on how people of different colors ended up settling on different planets). This may be a case of Seinfeld is Unfunny, and obviously Asimov got a lot better, but I really can't recommend these early novels.
Grade: C-
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