"Theft" was a delightful read ... sort of a family story. The tale is wonderfully written by a Nobel laureate, but not much happens in the narrative o"Theft" was a delightful read ... sort of a family story. The tale is wonderfully written by a Nobel laureate, but not much happens in the narrative other than a series of family episodes over the years. There is no great denouement, no pivotal scenes, no multi-generational themes ... but, rather, just a series of events in the life of this one extended family. So it wasn't riveting, but just old-fashioned good storytelling.
I guess I could compare it to "Seinfeld" which essentially was marketed as a comedy show about nothing, even though it stayed on the air for almost a decade. Just as in Seinfeld, Theft brings the reader a number of interesting and mostly relatable happenings ... careers, marriages, children, old age, and the like. This book was quietly engaging from start to finish. ...more
Delightful read. If a bit corny at times and filled with tropes, it never fails to engage the reader. I thought the tale started pretty slowly, but thDelightful read. If a bit corny at times and filled with tropes, it never fails to engage the reader. I thought the tale started pretty slowly, but the last half really pulled me along and made the wait worth the while. Frendo ... the Clown in the Cornfield ... vaguely reminded me of Pennywise, but the split personality caught me by surprise and gave new meaning to the slashing and burning that ensued. The body count built up as the narrative progressed, and we found more surprises in good characters and bad characters. Not much plot, but lots of entertainment. ...more
Very interesting little-known tale about the worlds largest collection of seeds ... accumulated across the world by the geneticist Nikolai Vavilov ...Very interesting little-known tale about the worlds largest collection of seeds ... accumulated across the world by the geneticist Nikolai Vavilov ... that was trapped in the Siege of Leningrad for over two years. The seeds were stored and cared for in a converted palace, and the employees worked to preserve the collection in order to improve food production through disease-resistant varieties after the war ... which could aid in preventing famine. But as the citizens of Leningrad were slowly starved toward submission, the employees had the choice of using the seeds to feed themselves and others or protecting the collection at the expense of their own lives. This is the story of their choice.
Threatened not only by the approaching Nazis who wanted to steal the collection, the employees had to defend against their own countrymen at times, and even some other scientists who held different beliefs (Lamarckism) in the value of the seeds. So they were besieged from within and without. And all the while, just arranging to have a bit of heat and electricity to prevent everything from freezing was an on-going battle.
So why only three stars: While the tale was interesting, the subject matter didn't seem quite deep enough for a book-length treatment; in fact, at times it seemed like the author was stretching his narrative a bit to make it fit book length. All-to-say, it was an interesting tale of but one small facet of World War II that many probably have never heard of. ...more
“Ryan’s Woods� by Patrick Creevy is a delightful look back at 1960�1962 through the eyes of a 12�14 year old boy. The author lived in the Beverly neig“Ryan’s Woods� by Patrick Creevy is a delightful look back at 1960�1962 through the eyes of a 12�14 year old boy. The author lived in the Beverly neighborhood on the southside of Chicago during those years and recounts his adventures with boyhood friends. The tale is warm, emotional, and introspective. Often humorous, sometimes silly, but never boring—we get to peek into the emotions of a young man on the verge of transitioning into high school.
The author was discerning in recounting his first bully, first love, first kiss, and first loss—and the internal struggle he felt when he learned about white flight and his family moving to a new neighborhood. The denouement detailed in the final eighth grade football game against a rival school was especially entertaining. And all the while, it must have been difficult to stay “in character� as the author replicates the speech patterns and inanity of young boys. Recommended....more
A unique and spare little book that reveals much about human nature, loneliness, and family. An old writing adage reminds writers to not use two wordsA unique and spare little book that reveals much about human nature, loneliness, and family. An old writing adage reminds writers to not use two words when one will do ... and Davis practices that well. She is concise, but the reader is never left wondering or wandering.
Set in the 1840s on remote islands that resemble the Shetland Islands, one man arrives to evict another during the Scottish Clearances. But the former is injured as he arrives, and must rely on the latter to help him ... and thus we have a wonderful paradox. Davis is well-known for her short stories and this one is just a bit longer, and is eminently satisfying. Highly recommended. ...more
What a delightful book ... with wit and sarcasm Truss skewers the misuse of punctuation today, beginning with the title where a misplaced comma compleWhat a delightful book ... with wit and sarcasm Truss skewers the misuse of punctuation today, beginning with the title where a misplaced comma completely changes the meaning of the phrase. Call me crazy, but this was a great beach read ... one that you can put down and pick up without having to read yourself into a complex storyline each time. Funny and engaging.
What Truss does for punctuation here is similar to what Edwin Newman did for the English language in his books "Strictly Speaking" and "A Civil Tongue." While those books were produced in the 1970s, they still have a ring of sensibility today. All told, Truss and Newman just might make us a little bit better at writing and speaking....more
This was an interesting read on the design of books. While it is pretty general in nature, it does offer some detail on overall aspects of book designThis was an interesting read on the design of books. While it is pretty general in nature, it does offer some detail on overall aspects of book design. This is a good primer for one starting out in book design as it shares the general expectations and events in the design of most books ... including ebooks. I thought the best part of the book was the Appendix sections on Type Etiquette, Resources, and Further Readings ... which is where one can find details on the specifics of book design. Good starter book on the subject....more
Good book about a little known battle pitting British and Indian forces against the Japanese, with the former learning that the latter could be beatenGood book about a little known battle pitting British and Indian forces against the Japanese, with the former learning that the latter could be beaten in jungle warfare in the Southeast Asian theater. Holland's take is a nicely woven tale that brings in much of the history that illustrates the strategic importance of Burma in the theater, and how it acted as a blocking force preventing the Japanese from adding India to its list of conquests.
With Japan running rampant throughout Southeast Asia, it was only a matter of time before their forces were directed at India ... which would have been a tempting addition to Imperial Japan's empire. But Japan's reach was overextended and it was losing the ability to resupply its forces. The Battle of Admin Box in Burma proved to be Japan's 'bridge too far' as it suffered a defeat that had a far-reaching impact on the course of the war in the theater.
Good book ... reads a bit too much like a simple Order of Battle presentation ... but shines a light on an area that has not been previously explored in detail. ...more
This personal tale of experiences for a Marine in the Pacific Theater during World War II was excellent in its immediacy and frankness. The author pulThis personal tale of experiences for a Marine in the Pacific Theater during World War II was excellent in its immediacy and frankness. The author pulls no punches in describing what was happening and how he felt during his tour ... from enlisting to the end of the war. The narrative covers what he underwent from boot camp to Guadalcanal to Peleliu, with digressions into his leave in Australia and the like. This was an era when you went to war and you stayed in war until it was finished ... even if that took years.
The author's way of writing will bring a smile to your face one moment ... when he relates something that seems much in the vein of a M.A.S.H. episode, and then depress you the next ... when he relates some of the horrific events that took place on those islands. The author was in theater until the end in 1945, and he wrote and published this tale in 1957. While the presentation could have used a few maps and a rigorous editing ... and is not always politically-correct in its language ... one can see this was written more as a personal memoir rather than for a mass market audience. This is good stuff and highly recommended for its urgency and excitement. ...more
If you like Tom Clancy's writing and his tales of Jack Ryan ... you'll love this one. This adventure pits a relatively innocent Russia against an aggrIf you like Tom Clancy's writing and his tales of Jack Ryan ... you'll love this one. This adventure pits a relatively innocent Russia against an aggressive China in a story of modern-day conquest, with the United States in between these giants. As usual Clancy puts out a page-turner ... and it was very easy to return to the storyline every time you pick the book back up ... but you have to pick it up pretty often as the book weighs in at over 1,100 pages. To my way of thinking the narrative was too long by half, but still not one that bores you. It keeps up the action all the way through. The last few hundred pages is where you'll get to the military moves and the action ... Clancy's expertise, and it was satisfying. All in all a good read, if a long one. ...more
"Judgement at Tokyo" is a well-researched tale of the Tokyo trials of accused war criminals from the Asian Theater of operations during World War II. "Judgement at Tokyo" is a well-researched tale of the Tokyo trials of accused war criminals from the Asian Theater of operations during World War II. Along with the Nuremburg trials, these criminal proceedings formed the bookends of the victors' justice ... but the trials were different. The Nuremburg trials seemed to be much more of a slam-dunk proceeding, while the Tokyo trials began with fits-and-starts and ended with many dissenting opinions. This book details it all, and then some.
While the tale is very interesting and the narrative is up to the challenge, the book spends too much time delineating the judges proclivities ... so much so that the story is probably 200 pages too long. Much of the story is engaging ... such as the makeup of the court, the selection and classification of the defendants, the appointment of counsel, and the efforts to insulate Hirohito. But the tale gets bogged down in minutia when it wallows in the backstage infighting among judges, the sobriety of some defense counsel, the discussions of "natural law" and "aggressive war," and the influence of General MacArthur. In the end, all of the dissenting opinions made the trial seem somewhat of a failure
Taking out 200 pages and sharpening the focus would have been appreciated. This book gets to four stars, but just barely....more
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