AuntMarge64's 2011 Challenge - Antarctica, Mars, and the Apocalypse - Part 1

11 in 11



Bonus books



Starting November 15, 2010. My goal is to read as extensively as possible in the following categories, with the number in each category determined as the year progresses. There is also a bonus category for books which fit nowhere else.

1. Antarctica (fiction and non-fiction)
2. Mars (fiction)
3. Apocalyptic and Post-apocalyptic fiction
4. Tibet and the Himalayas (fiction and non-fiction)
5. Back to the Future - mid-20th century SF
6. Prize Winners and Contenders
7. Science
8. 19th Century Presidents (and other 19th c history)
9. Mysteries and Suspense
10. Caitlin's Picks (TBR choices made by my 10-year old niece)
11. Non-fiction

My 2010 Challenge is here: http://www.librarything.com/talktopic.php?topic=71775
My Club Read list for 2010 (everything I've read in 2010) is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/80147

ANTARCTICA

1. The White Continent: The Story of Antarctica by Thomas R. Henry own **** 12/9/10
2. At the Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft **** 2/27/11

Possibilities
Antarctica by Kim Stanley Robinson own
Antarctic Navigation by Elizabeth Arthur own
Surviving Antarctica: Reality TV 2083 by Andrea White own
End of the Earth: Voyaging to Antarctica by Peter Matthiessen own
South Light by Michael Parfit own
The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard own
Black Ice by Matt Dickinson own
The Endurance by Alfred Lansing own
The Birth of the People's Republic of Antarctica by John Calvin Batchelor own
Premodern Antarctic World Ethnohistory by David L. Lipton
Mind Over Matter: Epic Crossing of the Antarctic Continent by Ranulph Fiennes
Antarctica: The Last Continent by Kim Heacox own
South with Endurance by Frank Hurley own
Home of the Blizzard by Sir Douglas Mawson (original version) own
Eliot's Rock by Terry Shumaker own
The White Darkness by Geraldine McCaughrean own
In Cold Pursuit by Sarah Andrews mystery

MARS - FICTION

1. Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson **** 1/25/11
2. The Martians by Kim Stanley Robinson READING

Possibilities
Sleepers of Mars by John Wyndham own
The Far Call by Gordon R. Dickson own
The Secret of Life by Paul J. McAuley own
The Martian Race by Gregory Benford own
Mars by Ben Bova own
Moving Mars by Greg Bear own
The Martian Inca by Ian Watson own
Sands of Mars by Arthur C. Clarke own
Spin by Robert Charles Wilson own (Modern SF group read 11/11)
Desolation Road by Ian McDonald

APOCALYPTIC AND POST-APOCALYPTIC FICTION (with maybe a bit of dystopia)

1. Earth Abides by George R. Stewart **** 3/25/11
2. Machine of Death: A Collection of Stories About People Who Know How They Will Die edited by Ryan North **** 4/24/11
3. The Long Tomorrow by Leigh Brackett *** 5/17/11

Possibilities
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank own
Down to a Sunless Sea by David Graham own
Fail Safe by Eugene Burdick own
The Postman by David Brin own
Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven own
The Morning Star by Andre Schwarz-Bart own
The Wall at the Edge of the World by Jim Aikin own
Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd Century America by Robert Charles Wilson own
Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman by Walter Miller own
A Gift Upon the Shore by M. K. Wren
Drowned World by J. G. Ballard
The Wild Shore by Kim Stanley Robinson
Bangs and Whimpers: Stories About the End of the World edited by James Frenkel
The Last Ship by William Brinkley
The Death of Grass (aka No Blade of Grass) by John Christopher
Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban own

TIBET AND THE HIMALAYAS (fiction and non-fiction)

1. Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan **** 12/20/10
2. Arresting God in Kathmandu by Samrat Upadhyay **** 3/6/11
3. The Skull Mantra by Eliot Pattison ***** 4/11/11
4. Water Touching Stone by Eliot Pattison **** 6/8/11

Possibilities
Himalaya by Michael Palin - NF own
Freedom in Exile: The Autobiography of The Dalai Lama by the Dalai Lama - NF own
Seven Years in Tibet by Heinrich Harrer - NF own
Dalai Lama: My Son by Diki Tsering own
Blue Poppies by Jonathan Falla - fiction own
In Search of Shangri-La by Bernard Jensen - NF own
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer - NF own
Lost Horizon by James Hilton - fiction own
Stones of the Dalai Lama by Ken Mitchell own
Stones of Silence: Journeys in the Himalaya byGeorge B. Schaller own
Surfing the Himalayas by Frederick Lenz own
The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai

BACK TO THE FUTURE - Mid-20th Century Science Fiction

1. Wanderers of Time by John Wyndham *** 2/1/11
2. Monument by Lloyd Biggle Jr. **** 2/4/11
3. The Martian Way and Other Stories by Isaac Asimov ***½ 5/29/11

Possibilities
Time Untamed by Isaac Asimov and others own
The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester own
Classic Science Fiction: Space Movies own
The Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny own
The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle (1974) own (Classic SF group read 6/11)
Restoree by Anne McCaffrey (1967) own (Classic SF group read 5/11)
Greybeard by Brian W. Aldiss own
Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon own
A Case of Conscience by James Blish
Foundation by Isaac Asimov
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury own
Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
Solaris by Stanislaw Lem
Brain Wave by Poul Anderson (1954) (Classic SF group read 3/11)
Rite of Passage by Alexei Panshin (1968) (Classic SF group read 4/11)
The Cosmic Puppets by Philip K. Dick (1957) (Classic SF group read 7/11)
Earthlight by Arthur C. Clarke (1955) (Classic SF group read 8/11)
The Man Who Folded Himself by David Gerrold (1973) (Classic SF group read 9/11)
Tau Zero by Poul Anderson (1970) (Classic SF group read 10/11)
Galactic Patrol by E.E. “Doc” Smith (1950) (Classic SF group read 11/11)

PRIZE WINNERS AND CONTENDERS

1. Tinkers by Paul Harding **** 11/30/10
2. Forty Words for Sorrow by Giles Blunt own **** 12/26/10
3. Still Life by Penny Louise **** 2/22/11
4. The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen **** 3/21/11
5. Amagansett by Mark Mills **** 3/29/11
6. A Thousand Cuts by Simon Lelic ***½ 6/12/11
7. Haunted Ground by Erin Hart **** 7/4/11

Possibilities
March by Geraldine Brooks own
The Known World by Edward P. Jones
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini own
Unless by Carol Shields own
Broken Shore by Peter Temple own
Foucalt's Pendulum by Umberto Eco own

SCIENCE

1. The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2010, edited by Freeman Dyson own ****½ 12/1/10
2. Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History by David Christian READING (Jan-Intro & Ch 1-2; Feb-Ch 3-4; Mar-Ch 5; April-Ch 6; May-Ch 7; June-Ch 8; July-Ch 9; Aug-Ch 10; Sept-Ch 11; Oct-Ch 12; Nov-Ch 13-14; Dec-Ch 15 & Appendices)
3. The Firecracker Boys: H-bombs, Inupiat Eskimos, and the Roots of the Environmental Movement by Dan O'Neill own ****½ 1/18/11
4. The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking **** 2/8/11

Possibilities
The Doors of Perception by Aldous Huxley own
Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin own
Ancestor's Tale by Richard Dawkins own
Reflections on the Dawn of Consciousness by Marcel Kuijsten own
Dry Storeroom No. 1: The Secret Life of the Natural history Museum by Richard Fortey own
Life Ascending: Ten Great Inventions of Evolution by Nick Lane own
The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins own
Seven Daughters of Eve by Bryan Sykes own
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking own

19TH CENTURY U. S. PRESIDENTS AND OTHER 19TH C U.S. HISTORY

1. Before Freedom, When I Just Can Remember: Twenty-Seven Oral Histories of Former South Carolina Slaves edited by Belinda Hurmence ***½ 3/26/11
2. Doc by Mary Doria Russell **** 5/10/11
3. Millard Fillmore: The American Presidents Series: The 13th President, 1850-1853 by Paul Finkelman **** 6/17/11

Possibilities
Battle Cry of Freedom by James M. McPherson own
The Battle of Seven Pines by Steven H. Newton own

MYSTERY AND SUSPENSE

1. Bad Blood by John Sandford ***** 11/20/10
2. Storm Prey by John Sandford ****½ 11/28/10
3. Delicate Storm by Giles Blunt ***½ 1/5/11
4. Black Fly Season by Giles Blunt **** 1/24/11
5. Fields of Grief by Giles Blunt **** 3/10/11
6. Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane ***½ 2/13/11
7. Cold Earth by Sarah Moss **** 5/2/11
8. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ranson Riggs ***** 6/21/11
9. Buried Prey by John Sandford READING
10. The Night Season by Chelsea Cain **** 7/6/11

Possibilities:
Alone at Night by KJ Erickson own
Hidden Moon by James Church own
Bad Things Happen by Harry Dolan own
The Bricklayer by Noah Boyd own
Horns by Joe Hill own
The Rainaldi Quartet by Paul Adam own
Demolition Angel by Robert Crais own

CAITLIN'S PICKS (to be chosen from my TBR books by my 10-year old niece)

1. The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt ***½ 11/26/10
2. The Holy Thief by William Ryan ****½ 12/17/10
3. The Wives of Henry Oades by Johanna Moran ****½ 1/27/11
4. Across the Universe by Beth Revis **** 4/4/11
5. To Dance With the White Dog by Terry Kay **** 4/16/11
4. The Book of Murder by Guillermo Martinez ***½ 4/20/11
5. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury READING

NON-FICTION

1. The Landmark Thucydides READING (Jan-Intro; Feb-Bk 1; Mar-Bk 2; April-Bk 3; May-Bk 4; June-Bk 5; July-Bk 6; Aug-Bk 7; Sept-Bk 8; Oct-Appendices)
2. Pavement Chalk Artist by Julian Beever **** 12/20/10
3. Muhammad and the Believers: At the Origins of Islam by Fred M. Donner **** 1/1/11
4. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris ***½ 1/1/11
5. The Longest War: The Enduring Conflict Between America and Al-Qaeda by Peter Bergen **** 3/16/11
6. Gandhi The Man: How One Man Changed Himself to Change the World by Eknath Easwaran ***** 5/22/11
7. Final Exit: The Practicalities of Self-Deliverance and Assisted Suicide for the Dying, 3rd Edition by Derek Humphry **** 5/26/11
8. Gandhi: A Pictorial Biography by Gerald Gold **** 6/9/11
9. Passage Meditation by Eknath Easwaran **** 6/23/11
10. The Mantram Handbook by Elknath Easwaran READING

Possibilities
The World's Religions by Huston Smith own
Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss own
Great Books by David Denby own
The Lost Gospel of Judas Iscariot by Bart D. Ehrman own
Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond own
Descartes' Bones by Russell Shorto own
Alive by Piers Paul Read own
Albion's Seed by David Hackett Fischer own
The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester own
Age of Wonder by Richard Holmes
Thinking Like a Mountain by Robert Bateman own
The Last Lingua Franca by Nicholas Ostler own

BONUS BOOKS

1. Fate of the Jedi: Vortex by Troy Denning own ****½ 12/10/10
2. Halo: Ghosts of Onyx by Eric Nylund **** 1/4/11
3. Buddhism for Sheep by Louise Howard and Chris Riddell *** 2/15/11
4. Red On Red by Edward Conlon *** 3/3/11
5. Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book by Terry Jones **** 3/20/11
6. Fate of the Jedi: Conviction by Aaron Allston **** 6/26/11
7. The Chronicles of Clovis by Saki READING

I can't believe I get to ask the first question...since there are 22 19th century Presidents are you doing the first half, second half or a mixture?

Several of those categories seem awfully challenging (get it, challenging?) Good Luck!

Lots of great categories - I'll be looking out for the first five ones especially, which will surely provide some very interesting reading!

>14 cyderry: After finishing the 1010 Challenge with Polk and Taylor, I'll have exactly 11 left for that century (not counting McKinley, who was right on the cusp). I'm actually surprised there are still that many to go in that category. Of course, that includes Garfield, so I may go as far as McKinley after all.

>15 GingerbreadMan: Thanks to BookMooch I have enough for many of the categories already on my shelves, and I'm chomping at the bit to get at them. Antarctica is a passion of mine (how I wish I could go there for an hour, just to get a sense of its immensity). I've only recently explored the realm of Martian fiction (currently reading Green Mars), and Tibet, well, who isn't mesmerized by the mysteries and mythology surrounding that land? I've got some early travelogues to include and plan to read the Dalai Lama's autobiography. I'm a huge John Wyndham fan, and discovered that SF from that period is relaxing. And on the other end of the spectrum there's all those imagined apocalypses.

I'll definitely be checking in on your Tibet and the Himalayas portion - I'm especially looking for some great fiction if you come across some.

Some good looking possibilities already planned. I read and loved The Stars My Destination for this years challenge. Hope you enjoy it as much.

definitely going to keep an eye on your progress some great categories in there

you should definitely read the worst journey in the world its THE classic antarctic book IMHO

>19 psutto: Thanks for the recommendation. I've concentrated so much on Douglas Mawson I'm only just starting to read about other expeditions. I'll put The Worst Journey in the World on the main list.

Interesting Categories, I will be lurking around checking out your progress!

I'm going to keep an eye on the Antarctica category!

I've changed my categories around a little. I've combined Classics and the Non-fiction bonus, and the Fiction category has been changed to be TBR as picked out by my niece Caitlin, who is obsessed with getting me reading some of my 140+ unread physical books and has taken to picking them out for me. Her current choice is Fieldwork by Mischa Berlinski, which I'm reading, and then Italian Lessons by Peter Pezzelli. But those should be done long before this challenge begins.

Caitlin and I keep track of all our reading on Club Read (http://www.librarything.com/topic/80147), where she is currently at 85 for the year, compared to my 84. But she went back to school today, so I think I'll be overtaking her this week. She's completely worn out from reading ALL of Harry Potter this summer.

We'd all need a Caitlin, I think.

>24 GingerbreadMan: And she'd be only too glad to help ....

Oooh! You've got a lot on your plate! Good luck! And may I suggest The Road by Cormac McCarthy for your Post Apocalyptic challenge? One of my favorite books! Beautifully written!

Hi rainyreader, thanks for the recommendation - I've read it and thought it was quite good (I gave it 4 stars). I do wish I had Canticle for Leibowitz still ahead of me.

Here's a test for your memories, especially those who remember early Disney TV - does anyone else remember Elfego Baca (pronounced El-fay'-go)? I found a book about him at library sale recently. I don't think I ever realized he was a real person.

I see you have a Kim Stanley Robinson in a couple of your categories. I'm planning on starting Forty Signs of Rain in Nov. I have also read quite a bit post-apocalyptic since the holidays last year. From your list, I have read Alas, Babylon, Earth Abides, and Lucifer's Hammer. The first 100 pages of Lucifer's Hammer is heavy of character development, but after that, it's a real page turner. Though I own it, I haven't read The Postman yet.

A good book that combines your Antarctica and Post-Apocalpytic would be Last Ship by William Brinkley. Parts of it take place in the Antarctica

Hi Goddess,

I started Forty Signs of Rain and ended up not finishing it so will be interested in your take. I don't know why it didn't work for me but might give it another try. Robinson is exhausting to read, so maybe it was just bad timing.

I remember reading reviews of Brinkley's book - Publisher's Weekly hated it, Library Journal loved it, and reader reviews had about the same spectrum, my favorite being Why was this published? Did the author have something on them?. :) I'll add it to my list above, though, and thanks for recommending it!

Not wanting to age myself - but I remember Elfego Baca well. I also didn't realize he was a real person! Wasn't the series called The Nine Lives of Elfego Baca - or something like that?

>31 DeltaQueen50: I just looked it up and you're right - check this out: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0561046/
And look who played him: Robert Loggia. That's really funny.

I never knew Robert Loggia was the actor that played him - but he certainly acted the life out of the role, that's probably why I remember him so vividly!

I loved Alas, Babylon! when I was in high school. I keep thinking that I should did it out and read it again.

DS

(Bruce's evil twin :-))

>34 bruce_krafft: I'm a little surprised I haven't read Alas, Babylon yet, so maybe I have a treat ahead of me. I wish I had Canticle for Leibowitz awaiting me, although since since I've read it at least twice I guess I could add it back in sometime. I don't reread books often, but Canticle, Imagining Argentina by Lawrence Thornton,and Magister Ludi (aka The Glass Bead Game) by Hermann Hesse are exceptions.

I love your categories! I read Tinkers earlier this year and would really recommend it, it's a very interesting read.

>36 Retrogirl85: I've got a copy of Tinkers coming via BookMooch and will look forward to it!

Well, I think I'm going to start. I've been eyeing my 2011 books and can't wait any longer. First up: The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt, The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2010 edited by Freeman Dyson, and probably Blue Mars by Kin Stanley Robinson.

Have you read the death of grass? its on my wishlist and its apocalyptic... its probably going to end up somewhere in my 11-11 challenge

>38 psutto: Thanks for the recommendation! I'll add it to my list of possibles and look for a copy.

Bad Blood by John Sandford ***** 11/20/10

A new John Sandford suspense novel is always cause for celebration. His Lucas Davenport "Prey" series is one of my favorites, but now that Davenport has settled a bit in life, Virgil Flowers, one of his team, has become the center of a new series. Sandford has his storytelling down pat and it just keeps getting better and better. You know you'll always find yourself hyperventilating and not being able to put the book down for the last third of the book. A great way to start the new challenge.

The Invention of Everything Else by Samantha Hunt *** 11/26/10

Built on many of the known facts of Nikola Tesla's life, this novel imagines his last week, living in poverty in New York City, talking to the pigeon he considered his wife, rambling through memories of inventions and theories, his few triumphs and many ill-deserved slights from the scientific world. The book is told alternately through his own first person voice and the third-person voice of a fictional maid who befriends him in those last few days.

There is some beautiful writing here, and moments of great poignance, but as a whole the story didn't hang together for me. It did, however, spur me to learn more about his life, which was of huge significance to our modern way of life but which has been largely unrecognized and undervalued.

You grabbed my attention with The Invention of Everything Else. I admit to being fascinated with Tesla, Einstein and all the amazing inventive minds of that era. Heck, I find the era itself fascinating so on the TBR pile it goes!

>42 lkernagh: I'll be interested to read your take on the story. I do wonder if it would work better for someone who's familiar with him. And, it's always a pleasure to interest someone else in a book: the dream of the librarian!

I think I'll add the Kim Stanley Robinson Antarctica book to my "South" category.
I also really like your "Apocalypse" theme!

I'm looking forward to Robinson's Antarctica but right now I'm in the middle of Blue Mars, the third his Mars trilogy, so it'll be awhile . And Apocalypse - love those! I feel like I'm going to be gorging myself on all my favorite topics this year. A substitute, perhaps, for the year-long diet I'm on.... :(

I've got a biography on Tesla on my TBR and its a 1010 book I've not got round to reading yet...

Wizard: Life and Times of Nikola Tesla when I manage to get round to reading it there will be a review on my 1010 thread

AM64, I recently read The World in 2050: Four Forces Shaping Civilization's Northern Future. I learned bunches from it. It won't fit in your Antarctica category- wrong end of the globe- but it's a good one if you ever do a Arctic category.

>46 psutto: Will look forward to it.

>47 VisibleGhost: That looks good. I'm very interested in climate science and will look for a copy. Thanks for the recommendation.

Hey, there. Thought I'd come over and check out your list. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what you have in the apocalyptic category, too, since I'll need some idea for my own reading. :)

>49 andreablythe:. Hi Blythe. I guess we'll be keeping an eye on each other this coming year. :)

Storm Prey by John Sandford ****½ 11/29/10

Another winner from Sandford from his most popular series, about Minnesota detective Lucas Davenport, now the legendary head of the state's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. This is number 20 in the series, and for a newbie, I'd suggest starting at the beginning, both to get familiar with the characters' histories and to enjoy the ride. Virgil Flowers, a character with his own series now, is a highly visible here, too. My only complaints are that there's a bit too much from the criminals point of view, although that feeds into the excitement as the book goes along, and the detail about the separation of Siamese twins is way too graphic. Still, superb suspense.



Tinkers by Paul Harding **** 11/30/10

This short novel, winner of the 2010 Pulitzer for fiction, sketches an old man's thoughts, memories, and hallucinations as he dies surrounded by family and friends. We learn of his own life and that of his father, a peddler, and grandfather, a minister, in rural Maine. Some of the writing is gorgeous and some very difficult, and there are parts which should be read aloud or very slowly just to savor the words. Little passages, such the instructions on how to build a birds' nest (using tools shaped like a bird's tiny beak) and the descriptions of the father's experiences of grand mal seizures, are stunning in their artistry. The book really needs to be read more than once, I think.

LOL, I had made almost the same ticker for myself. Different # and my butterfly color matches my snake.

I was going to recommend The White Darkness, but obviously you've found it already. It has a slow start, but stick with it.

I'd been wondering about Tinkers. It's going on my wishlist now. :)

>52 cammykitty: I'm glad you commented on The White Darkness. There are a number of obscure books in some of my categories, especially for Antarctica and Tibet, and it's encouraging to know I should keep reading. I hate boring books and really want to give these a chance because of the subjects.

I'm sure plenty of your obscure books will turn out to be quite good. The White Darkness one a Printz Award. I like her characterization too.

The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2010, edited by Freeman Dyson ****½ 12/1/10

Dyson does an excellent job editing this annual anthology of popular journalism on science and nature. Sources include The New Yorker, National Geographic, OnEarth, Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, The American Scholar, Orion, The New York Review of Books, Discover, Wired, Living Bird, Conservation Magazine, and The New York Times. Topics range from astronomy and space exploration to neurology, climatology, environmentalism, and extinction. Most of the topics were of intense interest to me, most particularly recent research into what memory is (this was especially unnerving) and an apparent mass extinction taking place since humans expanded around the world (50,000 years, but a blink in geological terms).

actually looking at wizard:life and times of nikola tesla its over 500 pages and in the interests of actually finishing my 1010 its being bumped for shorter works - its still on the TBR though so I will definitely get round to it. Some day :-o

>57 psutto: Aww, I hate when I have to do that. Maybe for 2011?

@58 - oh yes its on the pile.... it fits my "books about science" category

Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin and The Greatest Show on Earth by Richard Dawkins -- great choices. I read a lot of biology and they both really stand out.

May I also suggest The Making of the Fittest: DNA and the Ultimate Forensic Record of Evolution by Sean B. Carroll?

I didn't realize you were starting early and have missed your first few books. But I've found you out now and will be paying close attention - I really like your categories.

>60 anaxagoras: Thanks for the recommendation! I loved Carroll's Remarkable Creatures: Epic Adventures in the Search for the Origin of Species.

>61 sjmccreary: Thanks :)

The White Continent: The Story of Antarctica by Thomas R. Henry **** 12/9/10

Published in 1950, this is an overview of Antarctic history, exploration, geology, flora and fauna. The author was a journalist who accompanied a large U.S. Navy fleet commanded by Admirals Byrd and Cruzen in their Antarctic "High Jump" expedition of 1946-47. Although unsourced otherwise, the book quotes from and refers throughout to past accounts by explorers and to observations made by the author and others on the High Jump mission.

Henry's information is sometimes inaccurate (for instance, he claims that fur seals are extinct, which even in 1950 was known not to be true), but his descriptions of human interactions with animals encountered on the expedition are evocative and sure to encourage further reading. So are his depictions of visual and weather phenomena and ice coloring. The chapters on geology are a bit slow-going, but these are more than made up for in the remaining chapters on mid-century air exploration, early assumptions about the far south (it was warmer because it was further south, and was therefore a tropical paradise; the earth is hollow and an opening into the center would be found in Antarctica); and, most intriguingly, Henry's thoughts on how Antarctica might be of use to the rest of the world, as
- a food freezer in case of famine
- a health resort (the air is pure)
- fertile land (after melting the ice with plutonium bombs)

So, well-written, entertaining and informative, but not to be taken too seriously without checking more recent sources. Definitely enjoyable for the enthusiast of all things Antarctica, though.

Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi: Vortex by Troy Denning ****½ 12/10/10

Another great addition to the ongoing post-film story of the Skywalkers and the Solos. This one takes place about 40 years after the death of the Emperor.

The Holy Thief by William Ryan ****½ 12/17/10

What a great beginning to a new detective series! It's 1936 Moscow, and amid the early stirrings of Stalin's purges, a police captain catches a series of nasty murders which quickly involve him with the NKVD (later the KGB) and international art smuggling by the government. It's a depressing and unnerving setting, but the characters and mystery are interesting and the dialogue is perfect. There's quite a bit of vivid victim detail, so this is not for the squeamish.

One of the most interesting aspects of this novel is the captain's internal musings on the new Soviet system. Unlike the main character in Child 44, who has experienced WWII and been a knowing participant in Stalin's atrocities, the detective here still has hope for Communism, as well as a willingness to suspend judgment of Stalin's methods in hope that life will improve for ordinary citizens. The 21st-century reader, of course, contributes a sense of doom and wonderment that people could have been so naive in the face of such already-evident evil.

Pavement Chalk Artist by Julian Beever **** 12/20/10

Images of the work of anamorphic (3D) pavement artist Julian Beever have become quite popular on the Internet the last couple of years, and there's now a picture book in which he presents almost 60 of his works in color along with accompanying descriptions. He also describes the development of his style and technique. It's pretty interesting, and the artwork is often stunning. For examples of his art, including many works included in the book, see http://users.skynet.be/J.Beever/pave.htm.

Wow - the pictures are amazing! Thank you for providing the link!

@66 Mindboggling stuff! Thank you so much for that!

Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan **** 12/21/10

The author, a truly remarkable humanitarian, tells the story of his unexpected involvement with the trafficked children at an orphanage in Nepal. Following a volunteer stint there, Grennan couldn't help himself from returning for another stay, and then, following the Maoist/monarchist civil war, returning to found his own orphanage. Along the way he met his future wife. The couple now lives in the U.S., where they serve as board members for Next Generation Nepal (http://www.nextgenerationnepal.org), the organization which grew out of the orphanage and which is dedicated to reconnecting trafficked children with their families.

The story is moving and inspirational, and much of it is compulsive reading. The only shortcomings for me were the diversions into discussing the couple's romance and religion, and I skimmed quite a bit of this. But the humanity and humor of Conor's story, and the dramatic discovery of the children's families and eventual reconciliation with many of them, is well worth putting up with any imperfections. Highly, highly recommended.

Wow! Little Princes sounds really cool. Heartbreaking, but hopeful.

>70 cammykitty: That's pretty much how it felt. The book does a good job of demonstrating the reasons there are so many stranded kids in Kathmandu and the great difficulties in traveling in or communicating with isolated areas of Nepal. One very funny moment: the kids ask Conor what he eats in America and he replies without thinking: pig, cow, the usual. The kids, who are Hindu, are aghast: "You eat God???" Try getting out of that one gracefully!

69: That book sounds really interesting. I'll have to see if I can find a copy :)

71> LOL!!! Just the wrong answer!

Forty Words for Sorrow by Giles Blunt **** 12/26/10

The first of a suspense series set in Algonquin Bay (read North Bay), Ontario and starring the troubled Detective John Cardinal and his new partner, Lise Delorme, whom he suspects is investigating him for corruption (she is). Keeping her at arms' length, Cardinal investigates several brutal murders which appear to be the work of a serial killer. At the same time, Delorme balances trying to get him to trust her so she can contribute to the murder investigation, at the same time setting him up for a sting to see if he is, indeed, guilty.

The murders are grisly and described in detail. The landscape (northeastern Ontario in winter) is vividly portrayed. There is an actual mystery only part way through the book since murderers are revealed not too far into the story, so this is suspense more than mystery, as Cardinal and Delorme frantically try to piece together clues from the victims they've found in order to find the common thread and rescue a boy they think the murderers are holding. Recommended!, she said, as she checked local libraries to see who owns the second in the series.

Great choices, I can't wait to see more of the Antarctica books, I am curious :)

RE: #66

I've seen his images around, usually forwarded via email, but I didn't know there was a book - thanks for highlighting it!!!

Muhammad and the Believers: At the Origins of Islam by Fred M. Donner **** 1/1/11

I grew up thinking religion meant teachings of kindness and peace, and that these were among the most central of goals in the earliest forms of most faiths. Naive, I know, but the assumption lingered that it was only later power struggles that led to war and cruelty, after the originator and his closest followers faded into the past. I'm dismayed to say that after reading this book I no longer think this of early Islam.

The author examines Muhammad's life and teachings and the earliest decades after, comparing the primary evidence which is available with the tradition which has grown up around them. The two are quite different in many respects, as might be expected, but what I did find disconcerting was the evidence (both primary and in tradition) that Muhammad actually preached and carried out war as a means of enforcing religious philosophy. (That is not to say he himself had reasons other than religion for doing so, although this may be true.)

Donner gives an overview of the political and religious atmosphere in the Middle East at the time, then goes through the traditional story of Muhammad's life and the founding of Islam. From there he discusses the story as actually available in early texts and other documentation of the time, without the layers of myth and interpretation which have been added. I've been quite surprised at some of this, especially the tradition that Muhammad actually used and preached war as a conversion tactic, although Donner seems uncertain how much of this actually went on. What surprised me was that the religion has developed and promoted the tradition of Muhammad's promotion of war. While Christianity and most (all?) other religions have been used as excuses for war, at least they don't tend to officially claim that it was the founder's intent.

Donner argues that much of 19th and 20th century scholarship is incorrect in its representation of Muhammad (d. 632) and his early successors as having little religious motivation. On the contrary, he finds that the early teachings were pietistic, monotheistic, and eschatological, with early expansion and war seemingly intended to bring as many into God's fold as possible before the last judgment, expected within Muhammad's lifetime or soon thereafter. The earliest documents refer to his followers as Believers and apparently included anyone who was willing to renounce plural deities (including the trinity) and embrace a pious lifestyle. Believers were free to follow their own laws if they were Jews or Christians, and both groups were represented in leadership positions here and there in the new society. There are multiple examples of Believers, including non-Christians, worshipping in the churches of the time. The effort was towards uniting the areas in and surrounding the Middle East and pushing back the Babylonian and Susanian empires, protecting the homeland (Medina, and later Mecca and the surrounding areas) and persuading or forcing the conversion of all inhabitants. It was only after two extensive Civil Wars among the Believers (656-661 and 680-692) that the winners decided they needed to draw lines between those who professed that Muhammad was their prophet and those whose traditions were founded on Moses or Jesus.

Certainly the teachings of Islam, as well as Christianity and probably all other religions, have been used as an excuse for increasing political and economic power. But it was disconcerting to find that Muhammad thought war an acceptable tool, and that this occurred before Islam as a distinct faith had separated itself from other pious peoples (read monotheists) in the area. What this all says about today's situation is unclear, but it's something to consider when trying to understand what Islamic fundamentalists base their arguments on.

The book is very readable, although by the second civil war I found myself somewhat lost among the Arabic names and lineages. Luckily this didn't detract from the central theme and I was able to skim a few pages and get on with it. There are several useful maps and illustrations, as well as a glossary and detailed index.

>77 auntmarge64:, Great review!

>78 fannyprice: Thanks! This book is proof of the dangers of visiting the library. I have hundreds of books home I want to read and saw this on the new books shelf.

wow, great review :)

@77
Great review. Sounds like a fascinating book and I'm very interested in the history and culture surrounding religion. It's very disturbing to hear what you described as the sources of Islam. In fact, a part of me doesn't want to believe it, so one of my reactions was to wonder if what sort have biases the author might have brought into the writing of the book. I would like to believe that history is an objective subject, but the truth is anyone who writes history changes it with their own perception of reality. That being said, sometimes the evidence is strong enough to paint a certain picture, and I'm curious to read this and see what evidence the author presents.

fannyprice (who wrote #78) has told me she studied with Donner and he was fascinating. Maybe she'll comment on his approach.

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary by David Sedaris ***½
1/1/11

This is the first Sedaris I've read, and it was quite amusing. A bit of brain candy, and as I finished each little tale I thought, OK, just one more. Before I knew it, I was done.

In each story a couple of animal characters act out a clever scenario combining human and animal attributes. Some end with a little surprise, some with a pun, some just give a chuckle. Each is illustrated with drawings. My favorites: (1) a sick lab mouse is joined by a healthy one who opines that illness is a result of negative feelings. She suggests the sick mouse take up writing limericks. As the sick mouse gives it a try, two gloved hands enter the picture and inject the healthy mouse with a virus. OK, sounds macabre, but the limerick is a stitch. (2) A great horned owl gives second chances to his prey if they can tell him something interesting. The latest: there is a parasite that lives only in a hippo rectum. Off goes the owl to the zoo, and hilarity results.

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk sounds like great fun and a book I will enjoy. It also appears to be very popular as I am 60th person in the hold queue at my local library for the 14 copies that they have cataloged!

>81 andreablythe:-82, I did indeed study early Islam with Fred Donner at the University of Chicago, though I did not end up specializing in that period (I'm more of a modern Levant girl, myself).

I'm not sure that my opinion carries any weight in this matter; however, (keeping in mind that I have not yet read this book and am only speaking from my personal experience of the man) it seems highly unlikely that Donner wrote this book with an anti-Islam agenda. He was never disrespectful to the Muslim students who studied with him and was not dismissive of Islam as a belief system, but he did place a premium on studying the origins of Islam stripped of later (European and non-European) accretions and myths. He emphasized the study of primary texts that were as contemporaneous with the early Islamic period as possible, rather than relying on accounts of Muhammad's life that were taken down centuries later.

One thing I distinctly remember learning is that while the Islamic conquests that began during Muhammad's life but were more fully carried out under his successors quickly spread rule by Muslims across a wide area, actual rates of conversion to Islam among the conquered peoples proceeded rather slowly and haphazardly. Because Jews and Christians were monotheists and seen as "People of the Book", they were subject to certain (generally financial) disadvantages but were generally (obviously there are variations in treatment over time and place) not persecuted or forced to convert. Jews and Christians often possessed valuable skills that elevated their stature and made them in some sense a part of the ruling elite. This is of course not to suggest that Jews and Christians under Muslim rule lived in an enlightened democracy, but most of the world did not until many centuries later.

Anyway, I'm assuming no one signed up for a lecture. I'd encourage everyone to read the book itself. If anyone wants some additional reading on the topic, message me and I'll get back to you. :)

Just popping in to express my appreciation of the fascinating discussion.

>85 fannyprice: Thanks, Kris. Just the info I was hoping you'd add.

@85
Thank you. I really do need to read the book so that I can learn more about it. I'd like to read more on the subject of the origins and their development of religion in general. It's fascinating.

>87 auntmarge64:-88, np at all! Never thought I'd put that part of my education to actual use! :D

I read your review of Forty Words For Sorrow with interest as I am planning on reading it this year sometime. It sounds good so now I might just bump it closer to the top of the pile.

>88 andreablythe: I, too, find the foundations of religion so, so interesting. I was raised in a non-trinitarian church which tried to model its beliefs on those of 1st century Christians, and the progression from original to modern interpretations fascinates me. The fact that actual contemporary sources are so rare, and that most (all?) belief systems are based on later accumulations of memories boggles my mind. I keep trying to figure out how anyone would find this convincing. Donner's book was just what I love to read. It didn't matter to me starting out what his conclusions were. His approach, to search for original sources, was the key.

>90 DeltaQueen50: I'm reading the second one now (The Delicate Storm), and I'll review it when I'm done.

Meanwhile, Caitlin (age 10) has picked out the next two of my TBR books for the Caitlin's Picks category of my challenge: The Wives of Henry Oades by Johanna Moran and Shikasta: Re, Colonised Planet 5 by Doris Lessing. She chose the first because she liked the cover and the second because I'm getting ahead of her on our Club Read thread and she wants to slow me down (it's a longer book). I read the Lessing series years ago and loved it. Don't know how it has aged, but I like earlier sci fi so I'm looking forward to it.

Couldn't resist so I have started Forty Words For Sorrow, only three chapters in and it has grabbed me!

Halo: Ghosts of Onyx by Eric Nylund **** 1/4/11

Once again Nylund hits the target with his elaboration of the story from the Halo video game. Most of the characters are new, or at least new as center of the action, and there is a new breed of Spartans, the genetically altered soldiers who are trying to save humanity from an invading species. The book could probably stand on its own, and it's wonderful space opera.

I do love a good space opera, which book should I start with (I have no knowledge of the Halo video game, FYI)?

>94 karspeak:

My nephew has been lending me these, and the series we're reading is here: http://www.librarything.com/series/Halo+%28Book+1%29. He started me on Book 1 (The Fall of Reach), and I've also read the next three. The three by Nylund are all quite good. "The Flood" was pretty bad and seemed as though the author had simply taken notes while playing the game itself. Since I'm not a game player, this was really boring.

There are a lot of battle scenes, as befits soldiers fighting for human survival, but Nylund manages to add a human angle to it that worked for me.

The book which is shown as Book 0 is apparently a group of short stories about various groups in the story line. I haven't read that one.

I just love that this is a place where people can talk about "space operas" without someone saying "huh." Space Opera isn't my favorite form of science fiction, but hey, it is Science Fiction & therefore makes me happy.

>96 cammykitty: Yup. I just hope I've used "space opera" correctly.

The Delicate Storm by Giles Blunt ***½ 1/5/11

Well-written and exciting sequel to Forty Words for Sorrow, which was the first in the Cardinal/Delorme detective series set in Algonquin Bay, Ontario. Two seemingly unrelated murders lead the police to Montreal and a 30-year old separatist plot involving both Canadian and U.S. covert intelligence. The historical detail is fascinating. There is a pleasant karmic twist in store for Cardinal, which fans will be glad to see, but the finale fizzles after a terrific build-up. Still, I'll be happy to read the next in the series and hope to see an ending I can cheer.

That beautiful cover for The Delicate Storm caught my attention as soon as I reach the post above - Yup, I am such a sucker for literary eye candy! - and then your plot summery completely reeled me in. A sequel you say.... humm.... quick glance at my categories shows I probably can fit both of the Giles Blunt books in for this year's reading .....

*Exits to go and do some book shuffling*

I definitely need to try this series.

Thank you for introducing me to Giles Blunt! I will have to keep my eyes open for these books now :)

Me too!

I picked up Forty Words for Sorrow at the library last night. Thanks for the intro - I'm excited about reading it.

I just got the fourth in the series and will have to read it soon.

I'm so glad people are finding out about Giles Blunt! I ran across his books on LT too, and he doesn't get nearly enough readers, judging by the number of copies shown. The first two take place in winter, so they'd be a good match to anyone who likes their mystery locales cold.

105: Aaaand that would be me! :P

105> I plan to pair it with In the Bleak Mid-Winter by Julia Spencer-Fleming. Both are cold-weather mysteries. I hear we have some flurries in the forecast, so it'll be a great weekend to snuggle up and read!

The Firecracker Boys: H-bombs, Inupiat Eskimos, and the Roots of the Environmental Movement by Dan O'Neill ****½ 1/18/11

An extremely interesting book about a strange series of events in Alaska during the Cold War.

Edward Teller was a well-known theoretical physicist, "father of the hydrogen bomb", and a pro-weapons activist who promoted various expensive and ultimately failed military technologies, such as Reagan's Star Wars initiative. Teller felt that nuclear bombs should be developed at pretty much whatever the cost, and he loathed efforts to halt nuclear testing. In 1952 he founded the government-sponsored Lawrence Radiation Laboratory (later renamed Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory), where he pushed the use of thermonuclear bombs for changing the geography of the Earth. Yes, that's right: to move and reform features of the world using fission or, preferably, fusion (hydrogen) bombs.

Teller's pet project: to use nukes to dredge a replacement for the Panama Canal. (He also wanted to send nukes to the moon to see what would happen.) To test for the canal, he proposed blasting a harbor at a small creek on Alaska's North Slope (not far from the Soviet Union - and this in the 1950s) by burying and setting off a string of five large hydrogen bombs. Teller toured the state, trying to sell the idea despite all evidence that there was no economic benefit to be had in an area far from natural resources and where the harbor would be frozen most of the year. Many Alaskans were in favor, including powerful politicians, news editors, and university officials. Only a small group of nearby villagers, supported by a few scientists studying effects on the local biota (including humans) and environmentalists, found much to challenge, and pointed questions were put to Teller and his staff. A tape of a meeting at the nearby village of Point Hope, the focal point of protests, recorded AEC representatives using hyper-technical jargon (in English) to gloss over concerns expressed by locals, most of whom spoke little or no English. They dismissed all fears of fallout and damage to water, air, animals, or health, and they promised the village wouldn't even notice the detonation. Villagers were assured that hunting and fishing would be interrupted only briefly, and rumors that Pacific tests had caused problems for indigenous groups were denied. Probably needless to say, these declarations were blatantly untrue. Operation Chariot was eventually put in abeyance (although never canceled), but as revealed in long-concealed documents released to the author during his research, the government did contaminate the area with radioactive experiments and dumping.

Well-worth the read, but be sure to get the updated edition published in 2007. The author follows up on the main players and comments on why his research would not have been possible if he'd written after George W. Bush's policy changes regarding document secrecy. There is a lengthy and detailed footnote section, as well as a bibliography, maps, and an index. Almost every page had my jaw dropping, and anyone nearby would have heard a frequent They did WHAT??? And one question I kept asking myself was: what happened to the residents and neighbors of Nevada, where so many, many detonations occurred between 1951 and 1992.

You read the most fascinating books! Love the review!

>109 lkernagh: Hi Lori - thanks! Isn't it wonderful the variety of things available to read?

I have to echo lkernagh -- how fascinating! What a great review.

Yikes! I'm going to have to read that one. Talk about dystopias, and that wasn't even fiction.

108- excellent review! Teller is supposedly one of the people used to create the amalgamation character of Dr. Strangelove.

>111 pammab: Thanks!

>112 cammykitty: Isn't it funny how we don't look at our own reality as a dystopia? And yet this story certainly is crazy enough.

>113 VisibleGhost: Oh, yes, I had read that along the way. I haven't seen that movie in years, but Teller sure seems to fit. What I find unnerving is that such bizarreness can be accepted and encouraged so these people get into power - sort of like looking at today's political situation.

113> A tragedy taken to extremes becomes a comedy.

Black Fly Season by Giles Blunt **** 1/24/11

The third in the Cardinal/Delorme detective series set in Algonquin Bay (read "North Bay") in northern Ontario. Good suspense, with further developments in Cardinal's personal life. Another reviewer of Blunt's work mentioned a tendency for the bad guys, rather than Cardinal and Delorme, to be at the center of the narrative. I took a better look at that in this story and it's true. There's little mystery as to who the bad guys are, so the suspense is how much damage they'll be able to do before stopped. The reader is kept at a greater distance this way, and in this book, especially, Delorme is practically a cipher. Cardinal's "inner workings" are more visible, but no where near as much as the criminals. I have to say that the descriptions of the massive black fly invasion brings back a lot of memories of a vacation I took years ago at a Quebec lake, where the flies were late and I was early: pure misery. Well-done and looking forward to #4.

I've been watching the reviews on Blunt's novels thinking "oh cool" but I got to admit, that cover! I've been bitten by black flies. I'm not sure I could buy a book with that cover. Cringe making, even if it is good and appropriate if you're talking northern woods/lakes/marsh. As you say "pure misery."

>117 cammykitty: I think the book has been published with several different covers :) .....

So now we're in the same place, waiting to read book #4. I have my copy of By the Time You Read This, so if you let me know when you begin it, I'll read alongside you.

>119 RidgewayGirl: I've got mine too, just trying to finish a couple of January reads. I'll let you know :)

@108
The Firecracker Boys sounds like a great read. I'm definitely adding it to my TBR list.

Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson **** 1/25/11

This is the third in Robinson's Mars trilogy, a monumental story of human migration to Mars over a 200-year span. Totaling 1700 pages, the trilogy is crammed with ideas about physics, neurology, sociology, identity, ecology, and just about any other sector of human activity and concern. Due to longevity treatments developed by some of the First Hundred settlers (almost all brilliant scientists), some of the group is still living at the end of the story, alongside numerous second, third, and younger generations born on Mars, as well as millions of immigrants from an Earth torn apart by over-population and ecological disaster. Some have left to populate other planets, moons, and asteroids in the solar system, and a few even further. Despite several massive wars, some between factions on Mars (the fight over terraforming being a major focus) and between Mars and Earth (which wants to relieve its population woes with unlimited immigration), a new civilization evolves on Mars: a fascinating amalgam which is clearly Robinson's hope for our future.

The characters are not particularly well-developed, but that hardly matters, because 80-90% of story is taken up with descriptions and theoretical explorations of possible future developments. The writing sometimes seems to go on and on (and on), and at times the reader just wishes the editor had been more brutal with Robinson. But although each volume is less than perfect, they add up to a solid 5 stars as a whole. As irritating as the writing can be, this work will make you think, think, think. And keep a dictionary at hand - Robinson gives no ground in using scientific jargon, some of which I think he may have made up. I used the dictionary function on my Kindle ever page or two and was well-rewarded.

Thanks for the review on Blue Mars. His works are so well thought of I've always wanted to know what it was about, but still haven't had the time to read them.

>123 cammykitty: And you need time to read this story. This year I also plan to read his Antarctica, as well as The Martians, the latter being a group of stories about the characters in the Mars trilogy.

The Wives of Henry Oades by Johanna Moran ****½ 1/27/11

A mesmerizing tale of three people caught in an impossible situation. In 1890, Henry and Margaret Oades and their children move from England to New Zealand as a career move for Henry. They settle in a rather isolated cottage which one day is attacked by Maori tribesmen who kidnap Margaret and the children. Several years later, unable to find his family or to live in New Zealand thinking they're dead, Henry moves to California and tries to make a new life. Six years after the Maori attack, he meets and marries a young widow who is about to have a child. Shortly thereafter, Margaret and the children arrive, having gotten free of their enslavement and followed Henry's trail. The townsfolk turn against the Oades when they are charged with bigamy and adultery.

The joy in this story is the characterization and the details of how each of these plot elements plays out. Different sections are described from the viewpoints of Henry, Margaret, or the second wife, Nancy, and they are all thoughtful and believable. I couldn't put the book down and read it over a day and a half. The inner lives of the women, especially Margaret, are lovingly drawn, and the reader, as a result, is pulled along to find out how each character will react to the results of the court cases.

Wow, what a great 11 in 11 challenge! So many great categories - love the Mars, Apoc/Post-Apoc/Dyst, and Back to The Future categories. You have a lot of books on your possibility list that I've read (The Martian Chronicles, Down to a Sunless Sea, Lucifer's Hammer, Earth Abides, Lord of Light, Mote in God's Eye, etc., etc., etc.) and that are on my TBR list (Moving Mars, Bangs and Whimpers, Master and Margarita, etc., etc., etc.) - I'm jealous that you're reading many of these for the first time (I'm assuming...), and I can't wait to see what you think.

And from what you've read so far, I definitely want to read Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk, The Firecracker Boys, Muhammad and the Believers, Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy and The Wives of Henry Oades. Fabulous thread, and also very, very dangerous for the TBR pile....!

>126 LisaMorr:

Hi Lisa, Thanks so much for your comments! I'm just about to start Wanderers of Time by John Wyndham for the Back to the Future category. Have you read much by him? His The Day of the Triffids is what put me onto mid-20th c SF.

You've really caught my attention with The Wives of Henry Oades. It's going on the wishlist immediately. Thanks.

Wow, you've done lots of good reading! I think I'll be adding a few titles to my ever-expanding list . . . .

>127 auntmarge64: I have not yet read anything by John Wyndham yet, so I'll be watching for your review! Enjoy!

>129 tymfos: Thanks! I'll watch your thread to see what you pick up.

>130 LisaMorr: Hi Lisa. I finished Wanderers of Time, review below. It's definitely not the best place to start reading Wyndham. I'd recommended Day of the Triffids and The Chrysalids.

Wanderers of Time by John Wyndham *** 2/1/11

Five longish short stories from the 1930s by the author of The Day of the Triffids when he was just starting to get published and still writing under various other names. Included are Wanderers of Time, Derelict of Space, Child of Power, The Last Lunerians, and The Puff Ball Menace. These are minor Wyndham, recommended for those who want to read all of his work or read early works which feed into his masterpieces, Triffids and The Chrysalids.

I had not even heard of this set of books, so I will keep my eyes open for it now, thank you!

I wonder how long until Wyndham will be on Gutenberg. Soon I hope... *sigh*

>133 Bcteagirl: Not likely. His heirs are keeping the copyright alive. I've found a few of them on BookMooch, though. Most copies I have are mass market paperbacks from the 50s-70s. Do you have interlibrary loan available?

Monument by Lloyd Biggle Jr. **** 2/4/11

Delightful light classic sci fi which could be set anywhere in a not-fully explored planet or galaxy.

Many years have passed since solitary prospector Cern Obrien crashed on Langri, an uncharted planet distant from regular human space lanes. Langri is a paradise, a gorgeous planet with beautiful beaches, exquisite flora, and friendly natives who appear to be descendants of other long-ago shipwrecked humans. But as lovely and unspoiled as the planet seems, there is only one food source which is not poisonous to humans, and the natives live a precarious existence, some years with starvation. Obrien is now an old man, having married and become a highly esteemed member of the group. When he realizes he is dying, he desperately creates a Plan to protect the natives from outsiders, aware that one day Langri will be rediscovered by someone who will want to develop it as a vacation destination, which would destroy the natives' way of life and food source. The requisite developer arrives just after Obrien dies, and the natives put the Plan into action, battling corporate might and a galactic legal system which benefits the already-powerful.

Interesting characters and landscape and just enough tension keep readers moving along as they root for the natives against interlopers who are sometimes predictable but nevertheless very entertaining to cheer against.

Oooo that does sound like a good one!

134: have interlibrary loans here, and access to a university library as well. I think what I will do this evening is see which Wyndhams the local libraries have, and put the rest on my Bookmooch wishlist for the time being.

@135 - Thats my favourite Lloyd Biggle book :-)

>137 psutto: Are there any others that would be enjoyable?

>125 auntmarge64: & 128 I also really liked The Wives of Henry Oades. I thought Ms Moran did a wonderful job of characterizing 3 decent people trying to cope with an unbelievable situation and a legal anomaly with no good solution.

The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking **** 2/8/11

This is one of those books general readers use to give themselves a glimpse of how great minds perceive reality. It's not too long, has humor and easy-to-understand illustrations, and creeps closer and closer to the author's conclusion so gently that as each chapter ends you realize you may not understand the science all that well, but the argument makes sense, at least within it's own logic, and you can actually follow the line of thought.

Here Hawking explains his reasoning for promoting M-theory as a candidate for the "Theory of Everything". Using a lucid history of scientific theory, he traces the work of Kepler, Newton, Maxwell, Einstein, Feynman and others to lead readers out of their familiar paths of understanding and into theories which to our senses seem impossible. Even as readers might be thinking, OK, I've lost the thread, Hawking changes tactics enough to let the reader pause and be ready to go on with just enough comprehension to keep up. It's quite a feat, I think, for him to be able to know what mere mortals (and I'm not being sarcastic here) can tolerate and understand in order for him to not only give us some idea what he's talking about but to get us to trust that it's worth continuing to read.

140> this is the book that started all the controversy about the universe and life evolving on their own, right? Sounds interesting. I tried reading on of his earlier books, and decided I was way too much a mere mortal to make it through.

>141 cammykitty: He uses the example of Conway's "Game of Life" (e.g., http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conway%27s_Game_of_Life) to show that it's mathematically possible for basic elements and a set of rules (natural laws) to produce life without input from a diety or anything else.

That was what I was remembering. I'll check out your link.

Moonlight Mile by Dennis Lehane ***½ 2/13/11

I found this 6th Kenzie/Gennaro entry to be somewhat disappointing I love Lee Child's Reacher novels, so I do enjoy the occasional fast-paced, over-the-top suspense novel, especially when the hero's morals, wit, courage and intelligence lead him to a final confrontation with bad guys who deserve what they get . I think here I had trouble connecting to the questionable corners the main character (Kenzie) was willing to cut to justify making a buck: for instance, the willingness to betray people on the behest of rich clients who don't want to be held accountable for their illegal actions. I thought Kenzie was a better person than that, which is what makes these kinds of books so much fun, and perhaps I'm remembering the original five books wrong, but I think there's been a huge change here in his perspective.

Lehane's always been interested in the moral gray areas, hasn't he? Finding corruption in the good guys and honor among thieves, he never lets the reader get too comfortable. It feels like they should be, but I don't think his books are "escapist reading" in the same way the Reacher books (which I also love) are. I like the complexity--nothing grates more than two-dimensional characters who are wholly "good" or "bad".

So, there's my defense of Moonlight Mile, you hump you.

>145 RidgewayGirl: Usually I like the moral gray areas too, but this just didn't gel for me.

Hey, speaking of humps, when are you going to read Storyteller of Marrakesh? :) I keep checking for your review....

The Storyteller of Marrakesh has grown from a hump into a small hillock. I've become good as misplacing it, too. And it's not a bad book--it just hasn't gripped me yet. Next week sometime?

>147 RidgewayGirl: Sure - I'll just be interested to hear what you think. I thought it was one of the worst books I read last year. Not the writing per se, but the book as a whole.

Still Life by Louise Penny **** 2/22/11

A thoroughly enjoyable cozy mystery, a genre I rarely read but was drawn to by rave reviews for this author. I didn't find the mystery very difficult to unravel, but somehow it didn't detract from the immense pleasure I got from this tale of quirky small-town characters. There is a great deal of gentle humor (She was almost certain she was at the right baptism, though she didn't recognize all that many people) and quite a bit of amusing banter between the close-knit group at the center of the story, and also some interesting comments on the French/English tension in Quebec. I spent many summers in rural Quebec from the 50s to 90s and watched first-hand the increase in distrust that developed, although as an American I was excused a bit from the resentment towards the non-French. (Although my English-speaking friends there felt some resentment towards Americans.) Here, one English-Canadian character mentions his own irritation at being unable to have a store sign in his own language, and the main character, a French-Canadian inspector, muses that it was one of the fundamental differences between anglophone and francophone Quebecers; the English believed in individual rights and the French felt they had to protect collective rights. Protect their language and culture.

I was a little disappointed I predicted the solution to the mystery correctly, because I'm not usually good at that and enjoy being surprised, but I will definitely read more in this series to see how these wonderful characters' lives develop.

Nice review! Still Life sounds interesting.

I am glad to hear that you liked it! :)

Excellent! Another Three Pines fan!

At The Mountains of Madness by H. P. Lovecraft **** 2/27/11

A novella written in the early 1930s and set in Antarctica during that time period. A team of explorers discover a many-millions-of-years old city on the far side of known territory, encountering in the process two ancient races only hinted at in some of the oldest of human mythologies. Usually categorized as horror but to my mind equally science fiction, the story is told in florid language which nevertheless pulls the reader inexorably towards each new dreaded revelation. There are many references to places and myths common in Lovecraft's other works, and familiarity with those might make this more chilling. One aspect I found particularly meaningful was several references to Sir Douglas Mawson (my favorite Antarctic explorer), including a contemporaneous expedition he was on in a nearby area of Antarctica. Lovecraft also worked into the story the then-new theory of continental drift.

All-in-all, quite enjoyable, although I imagined a couple of even more horrible disclosures than those produced by the finale.

I am going to have to look into this one, thanks! :)

good review of at the mountains of madness - one of my favourite Lovecraft stories

Red on Red by Edward Conlon *** 3/3/11

Two mismatched New York City detectives test their partnership and explore what they are willing to do to succeed at their jobs and personal lives. Most of the story is told from the viewpoint of introspective Nick, newly separated from his wife, living with his aging father near the precinct house, and a mess of guilt and self-doubt. Recruited by Internal Affairs, he discovers too late that his target is his partner, the boisterous Esposito, happily married and living upstate with his wife and 3 sons, but aggressive, outspoken, and always looking for new conquests, be they women or deals to move cases along. Over several months, a group of cases become interwoven and consume Nick and Espo, testing their new-found friendship and expectations.

The author is a NYC detective himself, and clearly he has had to think through many of the issues explored here. This book is NOT a mystery or suspense novel. It is a character-driven study of life as a detective on the streets of an often ugly city. There is some action, but the story is frequently punctuated with lengthy internal dialogues as Nick struggles to decide what he wants as a husband, lover, son, and cop. Esposito is actually a more interesting character, because we are left to think through his motivations and desires ourselves. Most of the story takes place in far upper Manhattan, north of the GW Bridge, which is an interesting change from the typically-portrayed locales farther south. The writing is evocative, but the interruptions for Nick's internal struggles result in a curious lack of drama when the book is taken as a whole.

Nice review - odd. The book had all the ingredients to be high drama or intense.

157 - Yes, it really did, and when I started it I was quite excited. The writing is really good and there are lots of interesting elements, but after a while I just wanted to scream, "just shut up and tell me what happened!!!". I probably wouldn't have finished it except it was an ER book.

>156 auntmarge64: I put it on the hubbies wish list, since his best friend was a NYC cop and he is from NY, even though it looks like most of the reviewers agree I think that he might like it.

DS
(Bruce's evil twin :-))

>159 bruce_krafft:

DS - I've sent you a PM re: "Red on Red".

Arresting God in Kathmandu by Samrat Upadhyay **** 3/6/11

Nine stories of life among every-day folk in Kathmandu (Nepal), each tale rich with detail and lovingly presented without a wasted word. I was mesmerized by the characters and their religious and cultural connections, as well as the universality of their worries and problems. Highly recommended.

#161 sounds good!

@161

Definitely going on the wishlist. Not much fiction from Nepal translated into English (that I know of at least).

The author was born in Kathmandu but moved to the States when he was 21 and now teaches creative writing here. All his books were written in English, as far as I know - at least the four which are available in English. He also co-edited a collection entitled Secret Places: New Writing from Nepal.

@161
Sounds amazing. I love culturally integrated stories like that.

I'm putting the collection on the wish list too. It's true. There isn't much writing from Nepal that I know of either. We had a girl from Nepal briefly in our school, and she was wonderful! She'd studied English in Nepal so she didn't stay in our ESL program more than a month. I'd be interested to know more about where she came from, and why she left. She moved to a different school in a warmer climate already, so I can't ask her. :)

I've just found two of his other books on PaperBackSwap so have ordered them: Guru of Love and The Royal Ghosts.

Fields of Grief by Giles Blunt **** 3/10/11

The fourth in the Cardinal/Delorme detective series set in northern Ontario, and easily the most emotionally difficult to read. Two main themes permeate the story: suicide and long-term child molestation by a beloved family member. The physical details are not particularly graphic in description, but the emotional toll on the victims and their families affect the reader enormously. This is especially true of the descriptions of family grief following suicide, a young victim's dread and confusion during years of rape, and the horror of watching a predator leisurely plan for a new conquest after the first child has grown too old for him. This book is heart-breaking in many ways and truly depressed me. But, and this is a big but, for readers of the series this is a must-read because what happens here is integral to the lives of the main characters. (And for that reason, a reader new to the series should not start here.)

Blunt's descriptions of the bad guys' motives often bore me, and that's true here, too, except for the chilling portrayal of the child molester. All-in-all, this is probably the best of the series to date because of its emotional impact, but I do think that if Blunt would keep his attention on the cops he'd have more cohesive and dramatic stories - and perhaps a commercial hit series on his hands.

I'm halfway through, although my copy is called By the Time You Read This. I'm liking it more than the two previous books, but while it's not a heavy read, the subject matter is, by its very nature, weighty. Strange to say, the two plotlines work well together, providing breathing room without sacrificing intensity.

The Longest War: The Enduring Conflict between America and Al-Qaeda by Peter Bergen **** 3/16/11

Bergen, a CNN analyst and one of the few Western journalists to actually interview Osama bin Laden (in 1997), has written about bin Laden and al-Qaeda extensively. Here he provides a narrative of the historical and philosophical background to 9/11 and the subsequent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, current to mid-2010. The final chapter summarizes the failed search for bin Laden and what the likely effects would be in the event of his (a) continuing to evade searchers, (b) being caught alive, or (c) being killed.

I have great respect for Bergen, who, in his writings and appearances on CNN, seems to have no ax to grind assessing both the successes and failures of Bush Jr., Obama, bin Laden, and U.S. foreign policy and intelligence services. For instance, he gives bin Laden his due in the success of expanding his organization, while outlining the serious mistakes he's made which have reduced the power of his message and turned many would-be supporters away from him in disgust. Bush is castigated for allowing the U.S. response to 9/11 to deteriorate into a mistaken war fought badly, but the troop surge of 2007 is seen as a success. Obama's decision-making processes over the first 18 months of his presidency are examined, but few conclusions are drawn, given the lag-time in how Bush's actions were felt far into the Obama administration and then the lag-time for Obama's own decisions to take effect. It is particularly interesting to read Bergen's comparisons of the two wars and the two countries affected, and his analysis of the difficulties in dealing with Pakistan, which is both an ally and a haven for terrorists.

Much of this is familiar, of course. But I found it useful to read it in a single narrative, with intelligent commentary from a knowledgeable source, giving me some new perspectives with which to watch the news out of the Middle East. Heavily sourced, several maps.

The Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen ***½ 3/21/11

In 1918, Commonwealth is a young logging town in rural Washington, founded by a mill owner and his socialist wife sickened by anti-union violence. They are determined to give workers a greater share in profits and improved living and work conditions, a stance which has made them hated by mill owners in nearby towns. When the Spanish Flu breaks out, the town votes to isolate itself to avoid contagion, stationing armed men to guard the road. While ignorance of the flu's cause leads to tragedies within the town, the sheriff and the largest mill owner from a nearby town decide to attack, the former suspicious of the town's patriotism and the latter determined to destroy the town's lure to his own workers.

Interesting historical fiction, although the characterizations tend to be limited somewhat to good guys and bad guys. Some actions of the main characters, particularly those townsfolk who don't approve of the temporary quarantine, make no sense and seem to be included just to raise tension. However, the story kept me wanting to read to find out what happened, and I'll read more by this author.

I read Mullen's The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers earlier this year and loved it. I've just gotten a copy of The Last Town on Earth and am eager to read it.

Last Town on Earth does sound interesting. It reminds me of an article I read last summer about a new anthropological site where they found some Irish workers who had been ... sorry ... bludgeoned to death. Their was some type of illness in the camp, and the anthropologists wanted to know if it had happened because of fear of the illness or hatred for the Irish.

I was fascinated with The Last Town on Earth when I read it, whether last year or the year before. If memory serves me correctly, I read it around the same time that I read Geraldine Brooks' Year of Wonders. Yes, I do see the theme to my reading at the time ;-)

>172 RidgewayGirl: I'm hoping to get a copy of Firefly Brothers. Mullen definitely has talent.

>173 cammykitty: I'm sure it's happened many times. Was it during the Spanish Flu when this particular incident occurred?

>174 lkernagh: Yes, I'd have to say that's a theme.... :) I'm hoping to read The Great Influenza at some point.

175 It wasn't the flu. It was something like dysentry or cholera. I can't remember for sure, but it was one of those deadly illnesses that don't happen often in developed nations anymore.

The Last town on Earth does sound like a good read, thank you for the review! :)

Earth Abides by George R. Stewart **** 3/25/11

Making his way home to San Francisco from a mountain retreat, a graduate student discovers that a plague has wiped out most of humanity. With plentiful supplies everywhere, and power and running water still functioning, Ish drives to the East Coast and back to determine what has happened in other parts of the country. Along the way he meets a very few others, living alone or in groups of two or three, but most of these have been driven mad by the "Great Disaster". It isn't until he's been back in California for several months that he meets another survivor in the area, a woman 10 years his senior, with whom he begins a new life. A few other survivors find them, and the Tribe forges a life, having children and trying to keep humanity from dying out altogether.

The story is told through Ish's eyes and follows him for the rest of his long life, during which he successfully guides the Tribe so that by his death there are several hundred in the group. Ish is a worrier, and through his internal struggles we see how a future with only a handful of humans remaining might unfold and what human life might change to be. Most interesting are the issues of passing along the history, curiosity, imagination and technology of the modern world. Is there a point in trying? How would a new generation relate to a world of which only a few aging adults have any memory and whose successes are impossible to use? What would be the best way to prepare them to survive, and what role and value would there be for old morality, superstition, and law?

These are fascinating questions, and Stewart gives the reader a huge amount to think about. Published in 1949, the novel has many mid-century quirks. And anyone who has read Kim Stanley Robinson knows how internal dialogues can see interminable. But, as with Robinson, if the reader forges ahead there are wealth of insights to be had, and this can be very rewarding indeed.

Wow, great review! That one is going on my wishlist right now! :)

Me, too!

I do love books that make me examine my own long-held assumptions.

I've long been a fan of John Wyndham's (Day of the Triffids, etc.), but I'm beginning to enjoy many of the other mid-century sci-fi-type authors. Next in line is When Worlds Collide.

Before Freedom, When I Just Can Remember: Twenty-Seven Oral Histories of Former South Carolina Slaves edited by Belinda Hurmence ***½ 3/26/11

This little book brings together 27 oral histories collected by the Federal Writer's Project in the 1930s. All of the interviewees were in their 80s or older at the time, and were at least 10 years of age at the end of the Civil War. The editor includes a thoughtful introduction in which she considers possible reasons the ex-slaves, almost to a person, remembered their days in servitude as "the good old days", when they were happier and certainly more secure than at any time since.

Each person talks randomly about his or her memories, rather than being guided by a list of questions. The stories are, individually and collectively, incredibly depressing in their solicitude for ex-owners and their matter-of-fact descriptions of treatment and living standards. There is little outrage, almost a lassitude regarding slavery vs. freedom as a concept, perhaps a result of these people having been raised in slavery and being ill-prepared to make their own way during Reconstruction and after. Yankees, the KKK, and slave patrollers are viewed with equal negativity.

An interesting but disturbing detour around the intervening 80 years of political correctness.

Earth Abides sounds like a great post-apocalyptic novel. I'll have to add that to my list.

Heard about Earth abides somewhere in the 1010 challenge and made note of it then. Thanks for the reminder and the great review!

>178 auntmarge64: I had to put Earth Abides on my wish list! I loved Alas, Babylon when I was a teenager.

DS
(Bruce's evil twin :-))

Amagansett by Mark Mills **** 3/29/11

A mystery set in 1947 on the far eastern shore of Long Island (NY), where the worlds of centuries-old local fishing families and very rich newcomers cross after a body washes ashore one morning. The main characters are a fisherman newly returned from the war in Europe and a detective recently relocated from New York City. Each is convinced the woman who drowned was murdered, although the fisherman, a settled-down Jack Reacher-type, has more motivation for thinking so and more success at piecing together what happened to her. Lots of local color and fishing lore, and a satisfying mystery.

Hmmm, I've had Amagansett for awhile, but put it at the bottom of my TBR after being disappointed with The Information Officer. I'll have to reconsider.

>187 RidgewayGirl: I did enjoy The Information Officer, but this is quite a bit different, in setting and characterization. I have one other book of his to read (The Savage Garden). Have you read it?

Before Freedom sounds interesting, but incredibly depressing.

>189 cammykitty: Yup, that pretty much sums it up.

Across the Universe by Beth Revis **** 4/4/11

Amy, a teenager cryogenically frozen along with her parents for a long trip from Earth to Alpha Centauri, awakens aboard the spaceship 50 years early. She finds a monoethnic society dominated by the tyrannical Eldest, whose student and heir, Elder, is smitten with Amy and begins to question his upbringing, even as more of the frozen are unplugged and several die. Someone is trying to sabotage the ship, or the colonists, or Eldest's rule, or all three. Amy and Elder work together to discover the murderer and unravel the mysteries of a ship filled with drugged workers and a hospital where those with creativity and curiosity are isolated and labeled insane. The first in a trilogy.

A quick read, lots of action, interesting characters, and a chilling (really!) portrayal of cryogenics. Teens will eat this up, and adults with a sci fi and dystopic bend to their reading will enjoy it too.

The Skull Mantra by Eliot Pattison ***** 4/11/11

Although this book won an Edgar Award for best first novel, it is much less a mystery than a story steeped in the mysteries of Tibetan culture and portraying the mistreatment of Tibetans by the Chinese since their invasion. The main character is Shan, a Chinese investigator imprisoned on a Tibetan work gang after his work threatens a Beijing official. Most of the other prisoners are Tibetan monks incarcerated for resisting the invasion, and Shan has learned a deep reverence for the monks and their ways. When a headless corpse is found near the road the work gang is building, Shan is required by the local Chinese colonel to investigate under the resentful eye of a prison guard and a co-opted ex-monk.

The mystery is satisfying, but it is the portrayal of the characters and culture which fascinates. The author has traveled frequently to China but supports Tibet. He shows a country and people literally raped, for control, for hate, for gold and natural resources. The damage done to Tibetan monasteries and cultural treasures has been immeasurable, the people killed, imprisoned, and reduced to second-class servitude. Throughout the story, some of the reasons for this - greed, corruption, a burgeoning Chinese population and, especially, a soulless bureaucracy - are explored as Shan maneuvers to find the killer before an innocent man is convicted.

A winner in every way.

The Skull Mantra sounds fascinating! Thanks for the review.

very interesting - I am currently reading 7 years in tibet which ends with the Chinese invasion (its very good) so am putting the skull mantra on the wishlist

>194 psutto: I didn't realize till recently that Harrer published a sequel, Return to Tibet. I have the first one on my TBR, and I've ordered the 2nd and 3rd in the Shan series.

I hadn't realised there was a sequel either!

Both The Skull Mantra and Across the Universe look like really good reads. I especially like the cultural aspects that seem to be in Skull Mantra. I'm going to have to add them to my TBR list.

To Dance With the White Dog by Terry Kay **** 4/16/11

A gentle short novel which follows the final years of an elderly widower in rural Georgia. Told almost entirely from the old man's point of view, he and his family grapple with his wish to remain independent, with the children constantly checking on (and annoying) him and worrying among themselves over each detail of his activities. Meanwhile, Sam adopts a stray dog which others think may be imaginary, putters around his arbor with his walker, and makes plans to sneak away for a 60-year class reunion. With humor and compassion, the author has fictionalized details from his own parents' lives, and anyone who has (or is) an elderly family member will recognize the truths so fondly laid out. Highly recommended.

LOL - A possibly imaginary stray dog. I love it! Reminds me of the "dog" being walked in Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

I'm embarrassed to admit that it's been 2 months since I visited here before today. One of these days I'll learn to keep up - I think I've added a half dozen new books to the wishlist thanks to your comments. Thanks for so many interesting suggestions.

>200 sjmccreary:. Thanks so much for telling me that!

The Book of Murder by Guillermo Martinez ***½ 4/20/11

An interesting tale of a writer who tries to unravel the truth between two opposite but equally believable versions of a series of deaths. The narrator is approached by woman whose secretarial services he had shared briefly ten years earlier with a famous novelist. She is a wreck, and believes that the novelist has been slowly killing off her family in revenge for an action which led to the death of his young daughter. The writer approaches the novelist and hears a completely different interpretation of the events, and his involvement causes further tragedy. Not a major novel, but an intense reading experience for a few hours.

Machine of Death: A Collection of Stories About People Who Know How They Will Die edited by Ryan North **** 4/24/11

An intriguing collection of stories written to explore a single premise: a machine is developed which can predict with 100% accuracy how someone will die. Not when or where, only how, but with a twist: the predictions are often plays on words, so that, for instance, "Old Age" might mean one's own age, or the age of the hit-and-run driver, or that of the building that comes crashing down. Think of all the variations on "Joy": a heart attack, a jealous husband finding the wife with her lover, or, perhaps, the name of the drunk driver or bomber. In general, society doesn't react well to the machine, and many people don't, either. Of course, the biggest question is whether you, the reader, would take the test. Makes you think.

A few of the stories are predictable but several of them are side-splittingly funny and, as a whole, it's a hard collection to put down. There's even one which is so short the title is longer - and it's a hoot. And the best news: the collection is available for free download at http://machineofdeath.net/ebook.

I'm thrilled that you enjoyed Machine of Death. I had a lot of fun reading it and I love that for the most part it's produced under creative commons and it still made the best seller list at one point.

That's two really good reviews for Machine of death - yours and Andrea's. Definitely picking that one up in the near future.

>205 andreablythe: Andrea, thanks for reminding of this book. So many things disappear into my Kindle until I have a reason to dig them out.

Cold Earth by Sarah Moss **** 5/2/11

An epistolary suspense novel set in Greenland, where a small group of archeologists excavating Viking burials loses contact with the outside world, where a pandemic has been spreading. One of them starts to dream of the buried, who were murdered centuries ago, and her certainty of their presence begins to affect the others as they wait anxiously for the day a plane is scheduled to pick them up. Each of them writes a letter to someone from home describing events from his/her perspective and advancing the story bit by bit. Until the last couple of pages it is uncertain whether they will die in Greenland's winter or be rescued, and the tension is delicious.

Cold Earth sounds really good and rather different. I will definitely will be on the lookout for it.

Cold Earth sounds vaguely apocalyptic with the pandemic thing going on. As a suspense novel alone it sounds like a good read, so I'll have to pick it up at some point.

It does sound creepy and interesting. Keeping up suspense in an epistolary form can't be easy.

why do you undermine my attempts to reduce my tbr pile? :-P

interesting books and great reviews!

I think I tagged several to pick up at some point

the invention of everything else...
muhammed and the believers....
the firecracker boys...
arresting god at kathmandu...
The Longest War: The Enduring Conflict between America and Al-Qaeda ....
Before freedom, when i can just remember...

blarg! so happily unhappy with you and this great thread!

>208 auntmarge64:, Cold Earth does sound cool! Exciting stuff.

>210 andreablythe: Cold Earth does, indeed, have an apocalyptic feel to it, because throughout it is increasingly clear there may be no civilization left to go back to - or to rescue the archaeologists. It's a major reason for the tension which keeps the reader glued to the page.

>209 DeltaQueen50:, 211, 213 I'll look forward to your take after you find a copy. The entire book is the letters the characters write, so the author succeeded with suspense in an epistolary form, which I find so interesting. In fact, I've been collecting epistolary books for a category for next year. Got maybe a dozen or so at this point.

>212 GoofyOcean110: So happy I'm making it difficult to reduce your TBR! (heh, heh, heh......)

FYI, if anyone is on PaperBackSwap, I've listed my copy of Cold Earth.

I love your review for Cold Earth and appreciate that you have mentioned that it is an epistolary novel. That makes it a great addition to the list i am creating for next year's challenge!

I had heard of Cold Earth and think I will have to keep an eye out for it now! :)

Doc: A Novel by Mary Doria Russell **** 5/10/11

A brilliant fictional portrait of Doc Holliday, whose reputation as a gunslinger has overshadowed most other interesting aspects of his life: that he was a well-thought-of dentist and a charming Southerner in a part of the country filled with less savory types, and that he valued friendship, loyalty, culture and manners above all else.

Most of the book takes place in Dodge City, before Holliday and the Earps made their ill-fated move to Tombstone. Katie Elder (here referred to as Kate Harony), the Mastersons, and Wyatt, James and Morgan Earp are primary characters, as are several fictional additions used to illustrate Holliday's habits and personality. Other than Holliday's own, the fullest treatment is given to Wyatt Earp, who doesn't cut nearly as intriguing a figure, but the portrait of their developing friendship is beautifully laid out. Unfortunately, the fictional characters, in particular a young multi-racial murder victim and a Jesuit priest, are two of the most engaging subjects - unfortunate because they were fictional, which called into question the details they represented in Holliday's depiction.

Dodge City comes alive, with its primitive conditions, whorehouses and gambling halls, corrupt politicians, and brutal police (including the Earps and Mastersons), but most vividly and movingly limned are the realities of life with tuberculosis in the 19th century. My view of Holliday will forever be colored by Dennis Quaid's portrayal in the film "Wyatt Earp", for which he appeared in character at about 139 lbs, but Doc has added texture to that memorable figure.

I'd hate to visit Dodge City in its heyday, but to observe the real Holliday, now that would be a treat.

Doc is already on my wishlist, but you've made me want to read it even more. Great review.

Doc: A Novel sounds wonderful, I am adding this to my wishlist immediately.

The Long Tomorrow by Leigh Brackett *** 5/17/11

A middling post-apocalyptic novel about two New Mennonite boys who find a forbidden radio and manage to hear part of a message, after which they run away from home to find the legendary Bartorstown, supposedly an actual city in which scientists struggle to bring back the technological world of the pre-Destruction. A leisurely, not particularly suspenseful tale.

Gandhi the Man: How One Man Changed Himself to Change the World by Eknath Easwaran ***** 5/22/11

In its simplicity, this book is profound. Commemorating an exhibit of photos and quotes, and interspersed with commentary by Eknath Easwaran, this brief collection goes straight to the heart of Gandhi's philosophy and shocks the Western reader with the enormity of his vision, perseverance and success. Gandhi's observation of the limits of violence as a tool for social change, as well contemplation of the lessons in the Bhagavad Gita, led him to renounce personal gain and devote his life to the poor and oppressed, by living their life and by applying non-violence to every corner of his life, thought and action, whether in political, social or private matters. His belief in the power of refusal to submit to unfair laws, coupled with a willingness to suffer the consequences without anger or violence, broke the governments of South Africa and colonial India. He and his followers simply wore them out.

Easwaran was a beloved teacher of passage meditation, as well as an interpreter of Indian writings. His organization, Blue Mountain Center of Meditation in California, continues to publish his books under the Nilgiri Press imprint. This is the 4th edition of "Gandhi the Man", and includes essays on Ahimsa and Satyagraha, a detailed chronology, maps, many photos, an index, and a bibliography and reading list.

Very highly recommended to anyone with an interest in Gandhi, India, British South Africa, passive resistance, Hinduism, or meditation. I will go back to it many times, even just to browse the quotes, which are fodder for years of contemplation. What a gift this book has been.

Great review on Gandhi. That's definitely going on the wishlist.

Final Exit: The Practicalities of Self-Deliverance and Assisted Suicide for the Dying, 3rd Edition by Derek Humphry **** 5/26/11

The founder of the Hemlock Society, which was dedicated to helping terminally-ill patients find a decent way to end their lives if they so chose, presents a compassionate and clear overview of the legal and medical issues facing patients, caregivers, and medical personnel. He also briefly discusses various means of suicide and euthanasia and dispels many myths about what works well and what doesn't. The book is somewhat repetitive and fairly simple to read, possibly in response to the needs of the expected user, who would likely be suffering both physically and emotionally. Certainly a one-of-a-kind book, with wide-ranging appeal in a culture in which the dying have so few options for a dignified, quick and painless end.

The Martian Way and Other Stories by Isaac Asimov ***½ 5/29/11

Four stories from the early 1950s, two each featuring humans exploring space and aliens exploring (presumably) Earth. Quirky, especially those starring the aliens, and quite enjoyable.

LOLs, that does sound fun, partly because it's got to be dated by now.

>225 cammykitty: I think it's the first Asimov I've read, and I was surprised at how much I liked him. Reminded me of John Wyndham. I have another of his collections in the TBR pile also: Time Untamed

be careful where you express your opinions of Asimov.... there are several members about who will excoriate you for them ;-)

I too like Asimov... I've read most of his science fiction stories (years and years ago to be sure) and never found one that I hated.

LOL! If you go over to the Snobs board, they'll excoriate anyone. That's why I love hanging out there. Asimov, love him or hate him, has to be given his due as one of the people who shaped Science Fiction into what it is today. All of the Golden Age SF writers had "uneven" output. At that time period, writers dared brag about never editing their work, like it was a sign of a great writer to not need editing. Some of Asimov's writing is good. Some of it is dated. Some if it should be left only for the die-hard fan. No shame in enjoying his writing. I'll dare say the people who are criticizing him read plenty of his books when they were teens.

The writer from that time period I can't read is Heinlein. I loved Stranger in a Strange Land decades ago, but when I reread it a couple of years ago it was one of the most poorly edited books I'd ever seen. A great story idea completely wrecked by verbiage. I don't want to even try something else of his.

I don't mind dated language too much, although every time a character starts a sentence with "Say, ..." all that comes to mind is Henry Fonda and Jimmy Stewart and I want to giggle.

Heinlein is the one I can't take too. I haven't read Stranger in a Strange Land but I read so much of his other work that I can't make myself read it, even though I've been told it isn't like his other work. My dad was a WWII marine, and when I read Heinlein, I just see WWII marines in space.

Water Touching Stone by Eliot Pattison **** 6/8/11

This the second in a 6-book series set in Tibet and featuring a Han Chinese investigator sent to a hard labor camp for looking too closely into official corruption in Beijing. The story takes up a few months after Shan has been unofficially released (technically he is an escaped criminal) after 3 years, and the hidden lamas who have been sheltering and teaching him send him to an area just north of Tibet where a lama is missing, a teacher murdered, and several orphan boys living among the herding tribes are being hunted down and killed. It took only about 100 pages to figure out why the children are a target (one is a reincarnate lama), but that didn't detract from how interesting the story is, or the suspense over whether the specific child will survive.

As in the first installment, the focus is on the damage done by the Chinese invasion, especially to tribal and religious life: tribes and families broken up and forced to give up their herds and nomadic life; temples, monasteries and religious artwork destroyed; and lamas, nuns and other practitioners killed outright or tortured and enslaved in work camps. Those few allowed to continue as monks are licensed by the government, which is dedicated to squelching Tibetan identity or, failing that, to finding a way to use what remains to strengthen China's hold. Honestly, it's sickening, and now every time I see something "Made in China" I'm reminded that, in China, "made by" now includes anything made by Tibetans, whether by slave labor or by invasion survivors forced into this "people's" society. Read this only if you don't mind being outraged.

The author includes a glossary and a narrative bibliography for those who wish to followup on the factual background of the novel. One of the incidental subjects in the book is collectors dedicated to making up whole choruses of crickets which have different songs. The bibliography includes a book on this too, which is neat.

->231 auntmarge64:
So sad, but so, so interesting! Thanks for the heads-up on this series - it's definitely going on my wishlist!

@231 I didn't realize the oppression went that far back. It does sound like an interesting book.

#231 I've already got that series on my wish list - looking forward to it all over again.

Gandhi: A Pictorial Biography by Gerald Gold **** 6/9/11

100+ b&w photos, many full page, interspersed throughout a brief biography. Perhaps most interesting is the closing photo essay by Richard Attenbourough describing his 20-year effort to film Gandhi's life. The pictures he provides are side by side historical photos and stills from the film to show the extent gone to to be accurate. For anyone who's seen the film, of course, Ben Kinsley's performance is eerie it's so spot-on, but here we see how this realism extended to other individuals and to major scenes such as the Salt March and the funeral procession, for which Attenborough brought in 300,000 Indian extras, including 85,000 from the countryside. What a thrill it must have been to Gandhi's countrymen to participate in such an event!

So, a keeper for my collection, and rewarding for anyone interested in Gandhi, or even Attenborough. The written biography would be a good starting point for older students and others looking for a basic text. It will almost certainly move the reader to rent the film, even if it's been seen before.

Great review! I tried to get that one as an ER. I'll have to keep my eyes open for it.

>236 cammykitty:. Which one :)

Ghandi!

A Thousand Cuts by Simon Lelic ***½ 6/12/11

This is a very discomforting novel about extreme bullying: of a young boy by schoolmates, of a teacher by his students and colleagues, and of a policewoman by her colleagues. The story is told mostly in the form of witness interviews taken by the policewoman after the teacher opens fire at a school assembly, killing students, another teacher, and himself. This indirect approach to the story is intriguing, but the scale of bullying among such a small group seemed overdone, and the ending was too abrupt for the emotion it should have generated.

Millard Fillmore: The American Presidents Series: The 13th President, 1850-1853 by Paul Finkelman **** 6/17/11

Well!!! This turned out to be one of the most interesting presidential biographies I've read so far.

Finkelman vehemently disagrees with Robert Rayback about Fillmore's philosophy, intentions, and political successes (or not). Simply put, this is a scathing 137-page indictment of a man the author sees as the day's ultimate doughface (Northerner with Southern sympathies) and future Copperhead (Northerner with Confederate sympathies).

I don't know enough about Fillmore or the time period to make a judgment on which author sees Fillmore more clearly, but Finkelman is certainly convincing. First, there is a lengthy and informative summary of the personal, historical and political background leading up to Fillmore's nomination for Vice President. Then comes a vivid dissection of his political ineptness, moral failings (he hated and acted against pretty much everyone who wasn't white, Protestant, and a citizen, as well as abolitionists of all creeds), and collaboration with Daniel Webster to push through the Compromise of 1850 and the beefed up Fugitive Slave Act. Finkelman discusses Fillmore's intense effort to appease extreme Southerners and the dramatic imbalance between what the Northerners and Southerners received in the final Compromise, with the South receiving pretty much everything it wanted and the North receiving nothing it wouldn't have had anyway, including a free California. There is an extended discussion of the damage done to the black community with the suspension of habeas corpus for people claimed as runaways (including kidnapped free blacks and fugitives with free spouses and children) and various court cases in which people of both races were charged with treason for aiding escaped slaves. Meanwhile, cases involving actual treason and threats to national security and international relations (private invasions of Cuba, threats of war by the new state of Texas) were smoothed over with little ado. Finkelman, a specialist in American legal history, race, and constitutional law, clearly sees the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 as Fillmore's chief claim to ignominy, while recognizing the resultant increase in Northern anti-slavery efforts.

Finkelman does give Fillmore credit for several "visionary" ideas (for example, movements towards a transcontinental railroad and towards the opening of Japan to American diplomacy and trade). But the lasting impression is of a man with little pity and few values besides maintenance of business and property rights. What a stinker.

Hmmm...it sounds like he'd be perfectly comfortable in politics now.

Yup, he sure would.

I am just catching up on this thread! The Long Tomorrow is going on my wishlist if it is not there already. I am glad to hear that you liked Asimov and that he reminds you of Wyndham. I am a Wyndham fan myself and have been putting together a few Asimov books and ebooks for when the mood strikes me (Like I need more books on mount TBR right? lol!). Would someone who has read a fair amount of Asimov care to make a recommendation for a first book to start with?

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs ***** 6/21/11

What a treat this book is! Part suspense, part fantasy, and beguilingly unique.

A teenage boy (Jacob) finds his grandfather dying - the grandfather who used to tell fantastic stories of his childhood at a strange island orphanage in Wales and illustrate his tales with photos of odd-looking children and descriptions of monsters. The grandfather pleads with him to go to the island, where he'll be safe, whispers some enigmatic phrases and then "I should've told you a long time ago", and dies, and as Jacob copes with his grief, he determines to travel to the island and search out the truth. What he finds will forever change his life.

Magical, thrilling, and lovingly illustrated with the photos and letters described in the story. This is one of those books that will appeal to adults and older kids equally, and I'm going to pass it on to my 11- and 20-year old nieces and see what they think.

#244 Looks intriguing - I'll have to check this one out - thanks for the recommendation.

Hi Marg - bouncing through to say, nice review of Miss Peregrine's - such a unique story. I loved how Ransom managed to tie those Victorian photos in to create this tale!

Intriguing review, putting that one on my book watch....

I've added Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children from reading about it on Lori's thread, your review is just making me want to push it closer to the top!

I hope you all do read it - such an unusual find and so well done. While the book stands on it's own, there is room for a sequel as well, which I'd snap up in a minute - probably even buy it to have a matching set. (I received my copy from LTER and was sent a final copy of the hardcover. Such a nice gesture.)

I keep running into that book. Thanks for explaining why I need to put it on my wishlist!

>244 auntmarge64: I've ordered it, and can't wait for it to get here. Thanks for the great review!

I just finished reading Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. I really enjoyed it and am giving it a 4 star. I haven't thought about it enough yet to be ready for a full review. Loved the quirkiness of it, and at times, I thought the author was going to let the pictures run away with the plot, but he didn't. The pictures were half the fun! We've obviously been set up for a sequel, and I'm wondering what time we'll be going to and where he'll find illustrations for that.

>252 cammykitty: Don't want to give away too may plot possibilities :) but I hadn't thought about the options for the multiple time periods. Hmmmmmm. The photos were a very clever idea, don't you think?

Did you get yours through LTER?

Yes, I got mine through LTER. The photos were wonderful! Poor Olive, on the cover, looks too somber for her age.

The clown kids are creepy, though.

Very creepy! But they show up more in the photos than in the narrative. I keep wondering how those clown photos came to be. So ugly! & it was expensive to take photos back then.

re: Miss Peregrine's I've also been seeing this book referenced recently. I almost bought it, but was sort of on the fence as to whether I would like it or not. I will definitely try to get my hands on a copy now that I see so many people have enjoyed it!

>257 brlb21: I know what you mean. I requested and received it through Early Reviewers, but when it came I was wondering what I'd been thinking. Now I'm so glad I did!

Haunted Ground by Erin Hart **** 7/4/11

The first in a mystery series set in Ireland and starring an Irish archaeologist and an American pathologist. Here, the head of a woman is found in a bog, drawing the two scientists into a search for her ancient identity as well as into a more recent mystery: the disappearance of the young wife and child of the local landowner, upon whom suspicion has centered. The historical background, and especially the details concerning bog bodies, is very interesting, and the book has a wonderful final twist. The characterization is not quite as successful, with some less-than-convincing explanations of behavior which seems rather gratuitous. However, I enjoyed this quite well enough to read the sequel, which is already on my shelves.

>259 auntmarge64: I read that one a year or two ago and found it very interesting as well. I think I read another book that had a similar situation with a bog body shortly afterward too, and I had a greater understanding of what I was encountering because of this book.

Thread continued at:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/120238

#259 I'm currently in the middle of this book and enjoying it quite a bit. Glad to hear that it continues to be good. I hadn't quite put my finger on it, but you're right about the characterization being a little weak. However, as long as interesting things continue to happen, I'm willing to put up with that for a while.