Discover America

Grantland is a lot like Facebook for me. They are both laid out and updated in a way my brain finds counter-intuitive to genuine engagement. As such, I tend to go v. long periods without visiting. Dr M was kind enough to give me a heads up that one of my favorite contributors is doing a road trip series. So far, this one has made me laugh the most.

And while we're on the subject, why oh why did Mark Harris only do one year of Oscarmetrics???? Why isn't he submitting more movie articles??? :(

Well Said

I don't know any of the backstory that led to this open letter post but it's a beautiful post regardless of whether or not you know the background and well worth a close read.

It doesn’t have to be this way, and it doesn’t have to go on forever.  As a species we cannot conduct ourselves in this manner.  As creations of the Living G-d, we are commanded to be better.  You and I are both the descendants of people who lived, fought, died, suffered so that we could be better in our own time.  I’m disappointed but I’m not heartless.  And better yet, praise G-d I ain’t hopeless.

Love is in the Air!

In Star Wars: The Old Republic the character you play has a series of companions. Some of these companions can be wooed. The character I play with the most has a companion I can never have any interest in due to his supremely stupid comment after my ship was stolen. I refuse to woo him in any way though he is a possibility. What I really wish the developers had done was put in the option of wooing your co-op player. My co-op player and I joke about this all the time. I think I have finally succeeded with her. Look at that loving gesture! She says it was an accident... ha!

The Constant Gardener by John le Carre

Title: The Constant Gardener
Author: John le Carre
Publisher: Hodder and Stoughton (2001)


I was doing a bit of personal admin before writing this up and I noticed that last month was the three year anniversary of Michael and me (I? oh my grammar challenges) doing these posts together. I don't think either of us mentioned (or noticed?) that. Michael noted that it was science fiction that started it all for us, which was the genre of last month's choice, but I'm going to take a moment here to raise a glass to three years of community that all started with an innocent request by me for Michael to do a specific movie review.

For those that are new to our monthly series, this is when Michael reviews a film adapted from a book which gets a review here.

Click here for Michael's film review of The Constant Gardener

at It Rains... You Get Wet

In the last three years we've done a few fun twists to our posts (Free Fall anyone?) and I've realized belatedly that I should have asked for a twist again this month. I tried reading this book a few years back and never finished it. I liked the movie so much that I wanted it to be a part of our series so I thought I'd try again... I should have asked to do the review twist of me taking the movie. Ah, well. When faced with not quite knowing how to arrange a review I'm not that keen on, I steal AW's format and plunge ahead.


Premise:
   From the author's website -

Tessa Quayle has been horribly murdered on the shores of Lake Turkana in Northern Kenya, the birthplace of mankind. Her putative African lover, a doctor with one of the aid agencies, has disappeared. Her husband, Justin, a career diplomat and amateur gardener at the British High Commission in Nairobi, sets out on a personal odyssey in pursuit of the killers and their motive.

His quest takes him to the Foreign Office in London, across Europe and Canada and back to Africa, to the very spot where Tessa died.

Cover:
  This cover gets a big thumbs up from me. I love simple covers that have a clear connection with the book. Even better if you have to actually read the story to understand the cover.


First Sentence:

"The news hit the British High Commission in Nairobi at nine-thirty on a Monday morning."

 
   I normally remove this section but I kept it this time simply to remind myself of whose head you're in for the first sentence. The POV is third person throughout and the first 100+ pages are in Woodrow's head. This was a bold choice by the author, imo, because Woodrow is one dark hallway away from being a rapist. Spending one hundred pages in his skeevy head is why I didn't finish the book the first time. I believe I shoved it under a rock and then went to take a shower.


What Works:
  The plot, the writing, and the characterization are all fantastic. It's incredible to me that I can like so much about this book but still not really like this book all that much. le Carre is a wonderfully gifted writer and it's a pleasure to experience his work. However, my appreciation was all in the craft. I was never that invested in the narrative. It even features a bit of the unreliable narrator slant and I still wasn't all that much into it. Bizarre how a thing like chemistry can matter when reading. Me and this book, we did not click.


What Doesn't:
   Obviously those first 100+ pages with the disgusting perv are high on my list of what doesn't work. But even when past that, I was still not satisfied and it took almost the entire length of the book for me to put my finger on it: it's the perspective. All the mystery and the excitement has already happened. The reader is just playing catch up. Tessa is an amazing individual who committed herself to an extraordinary path for justice and we don't get any of it. Additionally, her research into the Three Bees drug trials being performed in Africa would have resulted in numerous encounters with folks "in the fray" trying to understand what was going on. Why is this story told after her death via Justin's journey? What did that storytelling lens add? These are not rhetorical questions: I'm genuinely curious as to an answer from someone who likes the book as it stands. My thoughts are that we missed so much of the really interesting stuff that would have been going on while Tessa was doing her work. To me, the only thing its structure adds that might not have otherwise been part of the story is the question of Tessa's fidelity. And is that little tid bit worth it? Hardly. I say all this while quite liking Justin's character. His arc is definitely interesting but so overshadowed by what I would rather have been reading that I never was able to invest in him fully.


Overall:
   The plot is truly the centerpiece of this work. My ambiguities aside, a look at big pharma as it exploits whoever it wants to make a profit is fascinating, frightening and necessary. This is a work of fiction but if you hesitate to believe that it touches precisely on truth then you might want to learn more about how drug companies work.

le Carre included this fantastic quote at the beginning of the novel:

Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp,

Or what's a heaven for?

Andrea del Sarto by Robert Browning

So about the movie... I love it but let's leave that discussion for Michael's post.


rating: 3 of 5 stars



Click here for an index of the joint post series

Reading Roundup

Title: The Curse of Chalion
Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Publisher: HarperCollins (2001)

This is an alternate historical fantasy title (recommended by jmc) centered around the politics of royals and political boundaries. The fantastical comes in the form of a religion that worships five gods who sometimes take notice of the wee mortals just trying to survive. I was completely sucked into the world (Bujold is a champ at world building) and really enjoyed the characters, as well. Interestingly, I predicted an alternate (and darker) ending. Interesting because I don't usually think much on endings (I like to let them come rather than figure them out) and because [SPOILER! Highlight if interested: I swear there is a way more obvious way to count three deaths for Caz and it would have made for a helluvan ending. He would have died in my ending but I always thought he was going to die. It was a huge surprise to me when he didn't.] I don't think of myself as a particularly dark person but I did think this one wrapped up a little too nicely (Caz, I'm sure, would disagree:). The suffering was all in the journey with an ending that felt really shiny with a nice, red bow. Characters and plot, though, are fantastic so there is lots to like here.

recommended


Title: Memory, A Civil Campaign
Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Publisher: Baen Publishing (1996, 1999)

I often get the Miles Vorkosigan books recommended to me (that series has a lot of fan crossover with megan whalen turner's books) but have never actually been able to finish one. I find myself spending most of my time wishing Cordelia Naismith was around because I'd really rather be reading her adventures. This time I decided to get reinforcements before heading back into the fray (thanks again jmc) and it helped to an extent. I did finish both these titles but I was still mostly wishing I was reading about Cordelia. For whatever reason, Miles just does not grab me like his mother does. I think I have a really hard time relating to rabidly ambitious, must live up to dad/granddad type characters. After pining after Cordelia for two books, I re-read Shards of Honor and Barrayar to get my fix. Reading all four of these fairly close together helped me to realize that I don't care for Barrayar at all (or the types of plots/problems its world allows) and it was really coloring my enjoyment of Memory and A Civil Campaign. So. Perhaps I can get into a Miles title if I just get the right setting. (This is so bizarre for me! I rarely give a series/character this much time if I'm not interested. Guess that's what lots of spare time does for you.:) So, so, so. I read over the series' summaries and would like to try The Vor Game or Ethan of Athos. Sadly, neither title is available at my library so I am going to try again for The Warrior's Apprentice. I think I will just skip the beginning on Barrayar as that's where I lost interest before.

Shards of Honor/Barrayar: recommended
Still not sure on any others...



Title: The Winter Prince
Author: Elizabeth Wein
Publisher: Atheneum Books (1993)

This is the first book in a series that ties a King Arthur retelling with the kingdom of Aksum (Ethiopia). I read books 2 and 3 in the series and quite liked the Aksum setting but ended up being a little unable to get wholly invested in the characters. Flash forward a few years and I finally decided to pick this one up. Very glad I did. The British setting is not nearly as interesting (to me) but the family dynamics between Artos' children were awesome and I was definitely hooked. I think I'm going to go after books 2 and 3 again and see if more knowledge of the back story helps with the characters.

recommended


Title: Court Duel/Crown Duel
Author: Sherwood Smith
Publisher: Firebird (2002), originally published as two titles beginning in 1997

I wanted to like these books! I wanted to like them so much that I actually finished them even though my interest was not high. The first section of the first book really had me hooked but it petered out quickly whenever the h/h action was in play. I think if the romantic subplot had been completely cut from the first novel it would have improved markedly. There's a lot to like here: brave, assertive heroine choosing to fight the good fight for her kingdom; a world populated with males and (gasp!) females in fairly equal numbers (you know, like how biology works); and plenty of intrigue to keep the reader guessing on who exactly the good guys/gals are. But our otherwise smart heroine does some pretty dumb shit. She's young and naive but there is a limit to how many times she can misunderstand the actions of others (mostly just this one other) before she starts to look dumb rather than cautious. It started to feel like an artificial way of creating romantic tension rather than an interesting plot or characterization issue. Anyone read anything else by this author? Should I try again with another title?

not recommended


Title: Any Duchess Will Do
Author: Tessa Dare
Publisher: Avon Books (2013)

I haven't read a new-to-me romance in quite a while. I just can't seem to find anything that holds my interest or inspires me. I saw some good buzz on this one but... meh. Nothing particularly wrong with it but its cloying nature and unrealistic class issues left me cold. I did, however, quite like the hero's mom. Her wit and mentorish role for the heroine make for good times whenever she was on the page.

not recommended


Right now I'm working on the Midsummer Moon audio (I have not adjusted to Shelby's voice!), re-reading the Dreamblood books that I managed to dig out of a box (final move next weekend, yay! all boxes will be unpacked), re-reading The Eagle of the Ninth, and planning my next library raid.

What have you been reading lately?

Continuum 9 Guest of Honor Speech

Anyone who has stopped by before knows I'm a big fan of N.K. Jemisin's fiction (trust me, it's awesome, give it a try!) but she's an awesome human, too, and her guest of honor speech is just another illustration of that awesomeness. Give it a read and be inspired!


Sadly, there are people in this world who are not awesome (or even just average). Jemisin herself highlighted this cogent response to the vile behavior of certain individuals. Read it and be inspired to SPEAK UP!

Death Sticks

*snicker*

Very fun comic. Educational, too!

hat tip: Dr M

High Speed Cams are Sweet

The Prince of Midnight Audiobook, or A Wholly Unexpected Event

Title: The Prince of Midnight
Author: Laura Kinsale
Narrator: Nicholas Boulton
Publisher: Hedgehog Inc (2013)

I knew Laura Kinsale's novels would be coming available in audio but, beyond savoring the new cover art (which you can find at the previous link but here it is again because the art is lovely and you should definitely check it out), I wasn't planning on adding another format to my Kinsale library. Despite LK choosing (and raving about) the narrator, I just didn't see being able to let anyone else's interpretation be a part of my precious, precious Kinsale romances.

The days continued to pass after the audio announcement in the newsletter, and Kinsale's praise of the narrator only got higher and higher. It definitely piqued my interest (I even went so far as to listen to a sample) but I still wasn't ready to take the leap. Then the first title came available and Beth, an even bigger fan than me, took that leap and wrote this review and what I thought were very high walls around my Kinsale treasures cracked and I surfed over to Audible... If things went south I could always turn it off and not listen to any others, right?

So there I was, queuing up what I never thought I'd queue up, and listening. And listening... and listening... and oh holy fuck it was glorious! It was amazing! It was fantastic! It was falling in love all over again with one of my favorite books! I was floored. I never expected this.

I've read The Prince of Midnight countless times but never has that last scene outside of the party (ridotto?) hit me like it did this time. Wow! Just wow! Not only am I prepared to immediately start TPoM over again in audio, I simply CANNOT WAIT for the rest of them. I've now gobbled up the other available samples (one of which is Flowers From the Storm!!!!) and I plan to listen to them all. Yes! ALL!!! That means not only the aforementioned Flowers From the Storm, but also For My Lady's Heart, Uncertain Magic and even The Shadow and the Star!!

I never expected this!

What I have been unable to decide is whether or not Nicholas Boulton and I read TPoM identically or if he has managed to read it with perfect conveyance but no intrusion. Either way, I remain stunned. So thank you Laura Kinsale for writing these wonderful books and picking a dynamite narrator and thank you Nicholas Boulton for the considerable skill you have brought to a beloved title. And, of course, thanks to Beth for giving me the courage to listen.  :)

And speaking of that considerable skill... I see that NB also does "additional voices" in Star Wars: The Old Republic. I now consider myself part of an audio scavengar hunt and will be listening for his voice whenever I play.

Contact by Carl Sagan

Title: Contact
Author: Carl Sagan
Publisher: Simon and Schuster (1985)


It's a fun surprise to me that I'm taking an Intro to Astronomy course during the same month that Michael and I have chosen Contact for our joint post series. It's not my first time trying out a course like this but maybe this time it will take and I'll actually become the kind of person who goes out star gazing. Even if it doesn't, I'm at least getting to know the highlights of the Southern sky, and it's put me in a real Contact kind of place. While staring at the "pointers" and the Southern Cross and "deep sky fuzzies," I'm imagining life on other worlds. So one can also say that Contact has put me in an alien kind of place. Aptly, this is also not my first time reading this book.
For those that are new to our monthly series, this is when Michael reviews a film adapted from a book which gets a review here.

Click here for Michael's film review of Contact

at It Rains... You Get Wet

Dr. Ellie Arroway is a radio astronomer who believes in intelligent life beyond Earth. As Director of the Argus Project, she listens for extraterrestrial life. Vega features as the unlikely source of a Message from outer space and, when The Message is finally deciphered, it turns out the Vegans have sent detailed instructions for the building of a Machine.

The delightful and arresting aspect of this book is its enormously imaginative scenario grounded in accessible human experience. In that sense, it is what all great science fiction is: human nature grappling with the extraordinary. While large in scope the story is familiar in its characters. These are not caricatures or idealistic representations but real people caught in what would be one of the greatest moments of humankind. It makes it easy to be swept along in the story.

The events take place over ten years time and culminate with the Millennium which is, obviously, no longer a futuristic setting to those reading now but was when published. Interestingly, this is not what most obviously dates the book. It's the presence of the Soviet Union and, by extension, US-Soviet relations that really date this sci-fi gem. I wasn't bothered by it; in fact, I enjoyed seeing a vision of what world relations would be like with two superpowers still acting like paranoid morons. But that's really neither or nor there...

In my opinion, Sagan was a genius at making technical details accessible to lay folk. I thought there was a perfect blending of the technical with the fantastical and really enjoyed that aspect of the book. It certainly brought a realism to the book that might have been lost without Sagan at the helm. Plus, it was highly entertaining to have all this really advanced science alongside some pretty clunky "futuristic" technology.

Not working in the book's favor was its stiff dialogue and hoaky science vs. religion subplot. The dialogue felt more representative than realistic. Hmm, ok, all dialogue is representative as it would be torture to read dialogue that reflected the way we actually speak in conversation, but this dialogue went beyond that. And the science vs. religion subplot never worked for me. I found it tiresome rather than intriguing (excepting the "Numinous" chapter) and was surprised that Palmer Joss was actually around for the whole book. That's how little I enjoyed the subplot: I was prepared to write off a character who ends up being much more than minor.

On the other hand, our main character is easy to stick with for the entirety of the story. Her practical yet romantical personality are perfectly reflected in the narrative structure which deftly guides the reader down a particular path. I did find the "daddy issues" aspect of her character to be a complete cliche and the ending for that felt shoe-horned (not to mention the overt daddy/god aspect of it - blech) but it's minor compared to the greater arc of her career and her place within The Machine Committee.

My favorite chapter in the book was the "Numinous" chapter as I felt like it was a microcosm (see what I did there?) of the entire novel. In this chapter, Arroway is trying to better understand those that prefer to couch science within religious terms or reject it completely. She's very clear on what she thinks of as the difference between spirituality and bureaucratic religions. In trying to learn more about the sometimes-rejection of science within these constructs, she's been doing some reading. The chapter features a beautiful representation of belief and shows the reader once again just how Ellie's mind works (in a word: awesomely:).

In the presence of the misterium tremendum, people feel utterly insignificant but, if I read this right, no personally alienated. He thought of the numinous as a thing 'wholly other,' and the human response to it as 'absolute astonishment.' Now, if that's what religious people talk about when they use words like sacred or holy, I'm with them. I felt something like that just in listening for a signal, never mind in actually receiving it. I think all of science elicits that sense of awe.

Did this title keep my attention throughout the entire reading? No. I can't be the only one who isn't interested in what amounted to a TV channel surfing scene... Did this decrease my enjoyment of the book? Absolutely not! It might not be perfect from beginning to end but it's a classic that is going to be satisfying to almost all readers and definitely one not to miss.

So about the movie... well, let's leave that for Michael's post.


rating: 4 of 5 stars



Click here for an index of the joint post series

A Dogs' Life

Chang O
Point of origin: Roadside, Savannah, GA, 2002

Two days after I adopted Chang O from the couple who rescued her, I moved her to Tallahasse, FL

Chang O at 6mo, born Feb 2002

2002 Move to Tallahassee, FL    300m
2003 Move across town    7m

Cubone
Point of origin: City Shelter, Tallahasse, FL, 2004

Cubone was lucky. After Dr M and I adopted him in 2004, he got to live in one house for over a year.

Cubone at 4mo, born Nov 2003

2005
Move across town    3m
Move to Iowa City, IA via
   Drive to San Antonio, TX    905m
   Drive to Boulder, CO    960m
   Drive to Iowa City, IA    800m

2008
July - Drive to San Antonio, TX     1120m
Oct - Move to Utrecht, The Netherlands via
   Drive to Houston, Fly to Amsterdam, Train to Utrecht    5170m

2009
Move to Davis, CA via
   Train to Amsterdam, Fly to Houston, Drive to San Antonio, TX    5170m
   Drive to Las Vegas, NV    1275m
   Drive to Davis    600m

2013
Move to Dunedin, New Zealand via

   Drive to San Francisco, CA, Fly to Auckland, Fly to Christchurch, quarantine for 10 days
   Drive to Dunedin    7173m

Chang O total = 23,480 miles
Cubone total = 23,173 miles

Cubone (9yo) and Chang O (11yo)

Nice interview of one of my fave authors

Here's the link! And The Killing Moon is awesome. You should read it. And the next book, too!

Great Article by Kameron Hurley

Here's the link.

Populating a world with men, with male heroes, male people, and their “women cattle and slaves” is a political act. You are making a conscious choice to erase half the world.

As storytellers, there are more interesting choices we can make. 

Reading Roundup

Yep, I do still read (even without Michael to prompt me:) but anyone would be hard pressed to know it these days. 2012 was a weird year for me, 2013 has encompassed the big move and I haven't felt overly expressive for quite a while but maybe I'm ready to get back to it. Or maybe not... we'll see how it goes and start it off with a little roundup...

Currently reading s l o w l y:

Title: The Count of Monte Cristo
Author: Alexandre Dumas
Publisher: Century eBooks (2012); this is a 0.99 Kindle book that includes three of Dumas' works. The Count of Monte Cristo was originally published serially in the 1800s. I haven't bothered to look at which translation this is.

I read this title over a decade ago and was inspired to pick it up again after reading The Black Count (which I highly recommend) and I'm enjoying the re-read. I skip over parts of it but most of it can still keep my attention. What I find myself doing quite a lot is trying to figure out which modern day book is the equivalent of this. Might it be Twilight? I haven't read Twilight but it's a hugely successful bestseller which is panned as often as it's praised. I've heard the dialogue is terrible, some of the writing excerpts I've seen would certainly get skipped by a reader like me and the characters are, I'm told, melodramatic and tend to not want to go on living without certain life partners... Many of these attributes are to be found in The Count of Monte Cristo....

Title: Cricket Explained
Author: Robert Eastaway
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin (1993)

The New Zealand cricket team keeps getting described to me as rubbish but I'm still prepared to become a fan of the sport and watch some local games (matches? tests? I'm still not clear on the lingo) when the season comes round again. This book is a great introduction to the sport and pretty funny to read besides. The author has a sense of humor that I quite enjoy.


Recently read:

Title: A Conspiracy of Kings
Author: Megan Whalen Turner
Publisher: Greenwillow (2010)

I've often said "any Kinsale is better than no Kinsale (and quite often better than almost all the other books:)" and I feel the same for Megan Whalen Turner. Turner has published fewer books so her A/B/C teams would be smaller but now she does have at least one on each team. This is my third read of ACoK and I haven't changed my opinion from the first read. That's an unusual thing with a MWT book as they are treasures for those who like to re-read (it's why I so often think of her and Kinsale together because they both write the kind of books that get better with more reading; that and my passionate obsession enthusiasm for their books). My opinion the first, second, and third time around on this one is, "Huh, it doesn't have the zing of the others. What a shame." It's still a solid read. It adds some interesting information to the canon but it's not one that made me want to immediately turn back to page one. So here's how I would outline the teams:

The A Team: The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia
The B Team: The Thief, Instead of Three Wishes (short stories)
The C Team: A Conspiracy of Kings

But, don't forget, any Turner is better than no Turner so you should read all of these!

rating: 3 of 5 stars


Title: The Archivist's Story
Author: Travis Holland
Publisher: The Dial Press (2007)

This story is set in 1939 Moscow and covers about a year in the life of a man who was forced out of his University position and now works as an "archivist" for Fourth Section at the Lubyanka (this is from memory so please forgive misspellings/misnomers if they exist). Being the Russophile that I am, I gobbled up the atmosphere and history but I kept being nagged by the fact that it was so perfectly what I, an American who does not excel at history, thought it would be like to live in Soviet Russia. Is it unfair of me to think negatively of the book because of that? I just felt so much of my own American sentiments in the book that it started to make me critical of the authenticity of the experiences of the characters. I'm sure it's unfair of me but I couldn't lose that nagging feeling while reading. My doubts aside, it's still worth a read for its portrayal of professional and family dynamics in a constrained atmosphere.

rating: 3 of 5 stars


Title: Greywalker
Author: Kat Richardson
Publisher: Roc (2009)

Urban paranormal with a Seattle PI as its protag. Nothing to dislike in the characters, though nothing to particularly recommend either, but it's heavy heavy heavy on the world instruction which becomes tedious. I would say world building but it was just straight up tell tell tell and that's not much building to me. Bleh, give this one a pass.

rating: 2 of 5 stars


I think we all remember Dead Spy Running...


Title: Surfacing
Author: Margaret Atwood
Publisher: Anchor (1998)

Hard to know what to say on this one.... A woman with a complicated family past takes her boyfriend and a couple on a weekend trip to her home town. Her dad is missing (possibly deceased) and she wants to check things out. After reading about half of the book this is still all I know about the book. I was mildly curious as to what was going to happen with the protag but it was so easy to put down, and I eventually moved, so I had to give it back to the library. So, um, not recommended?

rating: dnf


Title: Kingdom of Strangers
Author: Zoe Ferraris
Publisher: Little, Brown and Co. (2012)

This is, I think, the third book in a crime series set in Saudi Arabia. It has a few of the series' traits that drive me nuts (repetitious relationship arcs, too much character review, etc) but I keep getting sucked in by the intriguing setting and characters. Katya works at the police station and is constantly required to navigate the strict gender roles imposed by the state and by custom to realize her ambitions and to solve cases. Nayir is a desert guide for, for lack of a better word, the gentry but also a sometimes investigator who is constantly challenged by Katya to re-analyze his notions of gender essentialism and faith. This book opens with the discovery of 19 corpses, all undocumented women, buried in the desert. Strip away the setting and these are all solid crime fiction books but they are written in such a way that the setting can't be stripped away and that is what keeps me coming back even though I have some complaints about the series.

rating: 3 of 5 stars


Title: Don't Shoot: One Man, A Street Fellowship, and the End of Violence in Inner-City America
Author: David M. Kennedy
Publisher: Bloomsbury (2011)

This book went immediately to my must-read list and I can't recommend it highly enough. If you have any interest in the cycle of violence that plagues many city neighborhoods and, more importantly, how it can be stopped then this is a book you can't miss. Kennedy describes a decades long struggle to implement a proven system to decrease gun violence in neighborhoods. That's my emphasis on proven because self-auditing and stats back up the system and results are seen. It's a frustrating and encouraging look at a problem that can be solved as long as people are willing to put aside their differences and their preconceived notions and work in reality. Malcolm Gladwell and the Freakonomics authors probably love this book as it has no time to waste on conventional wisdom and is only interested in what works. The writing style takes a bit of getting used to (grammarians beware!) but it doesn't get in the way of the message.

rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Thought

Good friends are never lost to each other, only waiting for the next opportunity to share experiences.

Let's Be Careful, USA

It's bad enough that we in the US have decided we don't value education and science enough to pay for it but now, in addition to decreasing scientific research budgets, our policy makers want to decide what is good science rather than letting scientists decide what is good science? That is fucking scary!

"In the history of this committee, no chairman has ever put themselves forward as an expert in the science that underlies specific grant proposals funded by NSF," Johnson wrote in a letter obtained by ScienceInsider. "I have never seen a chairman decide to go after specific grants simply because the chairman does not believe them to be of high value."

In her letter, Johnson warns Smith that "the moment you compromise both the merit review process and the basic research mission of NSF is the moment you undo everything that has enabled NSF to contribute so profoundly to our national health, prosperity, and welfare." She asks him to "withdraw" his letter and offers to work with him "to identify a less destructive, but more effective, effort" to make sure NSF is meeting that mission.

That excerpt makes me want to shake Johnson's hand. 

The essence of scientific research and progress is peer review. It's the basis for the entire process. From the first science report you submit in grade school to the top tier grants you apply for as a full professor, it's all about peer review. Research doesn't happen in a vacuum (even privately funded, patent protected research findings go through regulation testing/departments before they can be used in an open market) and it shouldn't happen in a vacuum.* Rigorous peer review improves the quality and the impact of research that is funded and performed.

And it's called PEER review for a reason. I wouldn't send a scientific paper to a lawyer for feedback just as I wouldn't expect to be asked to edit a law brief. If we take trained scientists out of the equation of reviewing science and place it into the hands of politicians we would be taking expertise out of the equation and that's complete nonsense.

Let's be careful!

* obviously research studying the effects of vacuum environments (like this for example) should happen in a vacuum. :-)

Hostage by Robert Crais

Title: Hostage
Author: Robert Crais
Publisher: Doubleday (2001)


No stranger to Crais' back list, I was happy to delve in for this month's pick... but then saddened to see that it's the last of his back list that I hadn't read. So hats off to Michael for getting us back to one of our favorite authors (and, if memory serves, the author that drew us together in the first place oh so many moons ago). Now I join the rest of his fans in having no choice but to wait for each year's new release. One other sad note in an otherwise very positive month is that I was unable to attend this year's Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. I missed the books but I missed the comradery most of all and I hope all my book buddies had a wonderful time.

For those that are new to our monthly series, this is when Michael reviews a film adapted from a book which gets a review here.

Click here for Michael's film review of Hostage

at It Rains... You Get Wet

From the author's website: "Jeff Talley was a good husband, a fine father, and a front line negotiator with LAPD's SWAT unit. But the high-stress, unforgiving job took an irreparable toll on his psyche. Unable to talk down a despondent father before he murders his wife and son and takes his own life, Talley plummets into a downward spiral. His marriage ends, he resigns from SWAT, and he struggles to escape from his former life by taking the chief-of-police job in a sleepy, affluent bedroom community far from the chaos and crime of Los Angeles."

Escape turns out to be impossible when a trio trying to flee a crime scene end up invading a local home and taking the family hostage.

The set-up seems straight-forward but becomes more complicated with each chapter. I find the complications enjoyable and so don't want to spoil them here. I only mention them because RC never allows the reader to get lost in the tangles. His signature snappy pace is also on display here which results in an involved plot with lots of characters reading like his usual page turners.

The POV shifts throughout the novel but predominately remains with Talley. He's a good character to spend the novel with but not great. He has a lot of depth but not many layers making it difficult to become really attached to him. As in, I was never really that worried about him or his outcome (or the outcome of his family). It's probably a weird thing to complain about but he was just too good and in this type of book Good rarely gets punished. It's not that I want good people to be punished but when, as a reader, you're not even concerned it sets a distance between you and the character. (I realize this view probably has a nonsensical component to it when I'm talking about a book in which multiple people get taken hostage but I hope my perspective makes sense in a narrative way.)

As I mentioned above, this book has a large cast of characters and they are handled deftly as the action proceeds but I found it heavy-handed in the back story department. Around 3/4 of the way through I really didn't care anymore whose mom/dad/guardian had done what resulting in weird behavior. And [MILD SPOILER] I continue to assert that RC does not like our courts muddled up with trials for Bad People. Has anyone else noticed his downright Shakespearean endings?
[MILD SPOILER END]

Despite not being particularly worried about our main character the dramatic tension was held throughout. Even though I was 99.9% sure who would survive and who wouldn't the pace of the novel kept me extremely interested in how it would all unfold. I'll take that in a thriller any day.




So about the movie... well, let's leave that for Michael's post.


rating: 3 of 5 stars





Click here for an index of the joint post series

Dead Spy Running by Jon Stock

Title: Dead Spy Running
Author: Jon Stock
Narrator: Paul Panting
Audiobook Publisher: W.F. Howes Ltd. (2009)

This review is really more in the light of forewarned is forearmed so, if this is a title you like, here's my polite heads up that I don't have anything good to say about this book. I'm going to keep this short because I don't like to spend a lot of time on books I don't like and I couldn't even make it through the second (of nine) CDs.

Dr Musacha and I had a bit of a drive over the weekend so I browsed the audiobook section at the library for some entertainment. We both like spy thrillers which is how I ended up with this title. Suspended MI6 agent, Daniel Marchant is running the London Marathon with his girlfriend (Leyla, a current MI6 agent). He encounters and thwarts a suicide bomber also running the marathon. Shortly thereafter he's taken into MI5 custody and aggressively questioned. MI6 finally gets him into a safe house but pretty quickly gives him to the CIA for questioning which immediately becomes torture porn. It was at this point that Dr M was so disgusted he asked me to turn it off.

A few comments made by us whilst listening:

This dialogue is terrible.
This guy [author] is obviously not a physiologist. There's no way [insert character here] would respond in this way to the physical stress.
Are there any characters in this book that aren't cliches?
Why is it that whenever Daniel talks about why he loves Leyla he's always referring to her body and when she talks about why she loves him she's always listing his qualities as a capable human/agent?
Did he just imply that every human with a vagina is suspect?
Seriously! Is Leyla nothing more than a pair of legs with tits or what? Can any character see her as an agent and not as a sexual object?
Actually, it's hard to see Leyla as an agent because she never gets to do anything agent-y. I mean, she's a fucking secret agent and yet she can't figure out if her mom is being mistreated in a full-care home?
Is this a flashback within a flashback?
Have you noticed that nothing has happened since the opening action sequence? Almost all the subsequent scenes have been flashbacks and meetings.


More derogatory comments were made but I think you get the point: bad dialogue, bad characters, nonsensical plot, offensive and boring. Not exactly a spy thriller if you ask me.

rating: 1 of 5 stars

Atonement by Ian McEwan

Title: Atonement
Author: Ian McEwan
Publisher: Anchor (2003)


Due to the beginning of this year being quite filled with the excitement of emigration, Michael was kind enough to take lead on choosing the first few book/movie pairs for the year. I was pretty excited to see Atonement on that list because I'd been wanting to read it again. It's a book that I responded to in a completely emotional way when I first read it. I've been looking for an excuse to pick it up and try for a more rational response. For those that are new to our monthly series, this is when Michael reviews a film adapted from a book which gets a review here.

Click here for Michael's film review of Atonement

at It Rains... You Get Wet

From the publisher: "On a hot summer day in 1935, thirteen-year-old Briony Tallis witnesses a moment’s flirtation between her older sister, Cecilia, and Robbie Turner, the son of a servant and Cecilia’s childhood friend. But Briony’s incomplete grasp of adult motives–together with her precocious literary gifts–brings about a crime that will change all their lives. As it follows that crime’s repercussions through the chaos and carnage of World War II and into the close of the twentieth century, Atonement engages the reader on every conceivable level, with an ease and authority that mark it as a genuine masterpiece."

In a nod to efficiency I often like to pull the publisher's synopses rather than try to do my own but in this case it was probably a necessity. Even with my second, hopefully more rational, reading of the book I doubt I could say what it was about in only a few sentences. But what the above synopsis doesn't impart is anything about the structure of the novel and that might be my favorite thing about it. Yeah, I should admit right out that what I love most in this novel is McEwan's craft. The story literally makes my blood boil but its structure and exquisite craft give me little thrills because good writing is such a pleasure.

The book is separated into three parts, the first of which comprises that "hot summer day."  That day ends with a crime that defines the rest of the protagonists' lives. The second part is several years later and occurs during WWII. The final part is essentially Briony putting the bow on the story. Except the bow is not a cheery thing but a thing that might make a reader want to grab its mangled fucking ends and rip everything to shreds... that's purely a supposition you understand. I bring up the structure because it's part of the story, too. Briony wants to be a writer and discovers the novel in 1935. She grows up to write novels and Atonement so wonderfully embraces a novelist's mind and methods that you feel Briony the Novelist's touch in every part. It's easy to read the story and not notice this but I find it just delicious and can't imagine this story without this telling.

So about this story... it's a heartbreaker. It's not just that uncheery bow at the end either. It's all of it. Briony's mistake, Lola's victimization, Robbie's lost chance at a normal life, Cecilia's break from her family. And, my gosh, it's so hard to not be angry the whole time you're reading it. The little moments of nothings that lead to such a disastrous outcome break your heart and make you so mad. And that has to be another testament to McEwan's craft here. A book you wish you could throw at the wall but you can't because you don't want to put it down. A book with a protagonist whose neck you want to ring but you can't because without her there is no story. It's an absolutely fascinating experience.

So about this telling... it can be a slog. That may come as a surprise since I spent a whole paragraph gushing about exquisite craft but it's true. Admittedly, I am a reader who regularly skims but if I'm reading a book I really like or am really impressed with then I usually attend to every word. I just couldn't do it here. No matter how impressed I was, or how interested, I simply could not manage to stay in a character's head as long as McEwan wanted me to. (This is probably the reason I avoid memoirs.) There are endless chances to spend time on tangential trains of thought and those are trains in which I have no interest. If I get lucky, one day I will find someone who likes them and is willing to share with me what s/he likes about them. I need some educatin'.

But back to this experience... it really is an experience. Even though the story gets me so emotional I can't say I'm ever lost in it. I can't ever stop seeing the Novelist's touch, I can't ever stop analyzing all the decisions that lead to the story's end, I can't ever stop wondering what I would have said, had I been Robbie or Cecilia, when Briony came to me with the truth. It's the kind of book I wish I had read with a book club because it's hard to not want to discuss it. And, unfortunately, the pieces of the story I want to discuss most are huge spoilers so I am going to avoid them here. In case any visitor's have read the book and want to discuss I am going to list two questions:

Did Briony actually give anything back to Cecilia and Robbie with this story?
Was this a successful atonement?

My answers are no and no which is why I think Part III of the book infuriates me.

What I've written here seems to me a rather unconventional review and lacking in what I think is most essential in a review: can you tell if this is the kind of book you'd be interested in? I'm pretty sure I can't pull it together because I still struggle with what I think about the book. And that, I must say, means it's something extraordinary. Whether or not I like it, I can't stop thinking about it. In a world with endless options for entertainment, a story that a reader can't get out of her mind is certainly an accomplishment.

I can't say I recommend it without reservations but I can definitely say that I want to discuss it with anyone who has read it.

So about the movie... well, let's leave that for Michael's post.



rating: 3 or 4 of 5 stars *

*depends on the day :-)



Click here for an index of the joint post series

Sexual Objectication is Yucky

Clear reasons why and suggestions for change.

My favorite quote:
We raise our little boys to view their bodies as tools to master their environments. We raise our little girls to view their bodies as projects to constantly be improved. What if women started to view their bodies as tools to master their environment?