Shadowplay, Tad Williams

Shadowplay by Tad Williams is a sequal to Shadowmarch which I read fairly recently and I'm looking foward to reading this one!

Started: December 13, 2010
Completed: May 21, 2011
Recommendation:  Who could read this review and think that I would not highly recommend this book?
Recommended by:  I'm a Tad Williams junkie.  I found the copy of this book in South Carolina after I had checked and my "to read" pile was over 6 feet of books.  I swore, when I realized how much I had to read, that I wouldn't be buying more books.  Well, I bought this one.  And moved it to the top of the pile.

Words I looked up:


chirurgeon -- a surgeon usually in charge of first aid.
pentecount -- this is a made-up word, but probably means group of 50.

Review:


Wonderful, staggering, annoyingly not finished!  Throughout most of Shadowmarch the introduction of the various characters occurred.  A few more were introduced in Shadowplay.  Still the interaction of these characters is, for the most part, as ships passing in the night.  With deft touches the author mixes melodrama with high drama, the believable and the unbelievable, even a trip through a variant on Hades!  Consistently able to build a world of complex interaction, this series will undoubtedly lead to fascinating interactions.  How can I not yearn to read the next book?  I'm hopelessly connected to fictitious characters who loom large and small in their own stages and minds.  How many more times can Tad Williams bring major characters within a knife edge of death without actually killing them?  The few times that he has done so have been shocking and made the rest of the close encounters seem much more "real."  This master story-teller never ceases to drag me into an impossible universe with implausible characters who are viciously (and occasionally heart-stoppingly) real.

Parliament: Canada's Democracy and How it Works, Maureen McTeer

Parliament by Maureen McTeer is a non-fiction account of how Canadian Parliament works.

Started:  December 13, 2010
Completed: May 22, 2011
Recommendation: Excellent as a Primer
Recommended By:  Several years ago I was in Canada and stopped by a library that happened to have a book sale.  This was one of the books in that sale that caught my interest.

Review:


This is a children's book and, as such, explains terms that an adult book would take for granted.  This is a swift overview of the basics of the system while only addressing the broad details of government history.  This is an easy read, I'd have finished in a day if I hadn't lost it amongst some other things.

The Apprentice, Paulo Coelho

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is a modern allegory offering a story to describe how people should live their lives.

Started:  December 10, 2010

Completed:  December 13, 2010

Recommendation: Not recommended

Recommended by:  My neighbors read it and thought the beginning was good but it fizzled.

Review:  Sort of a "The Secret" meets "The Celestine Prophecy" kind of book.  I'm not buying that the universe wants me to meet my goals and will work on my behalf.

Jamestown: The Perilous Journey, Olga Hall-Quest

Jamestown: The Perilous Journey by Olga Hall-Quest is a book I had picked up to read to my son before we visited Jamestown.  He found the plot slow and laborious.  I went ahead and read it and found it a very approachable read to the early history of Jamestown.

Started:  About October 12, 2010
Completed:  October 16, 2010
Recommendation:  Very good book to read-aloud to a 5th grade audience.  Needs to be supplemented with other materials.
Recommended by:  Picked this book up at a Barnes and Noble while looking for home school materials.

Review:  The story of Jamestown is dominated by Captain John Smith who wrote the only real history of the founding of the colony.  He is portrayed here in a favorable light, although it is not always flattering.  The book definitely hits all the high points and provides a good framework for more in-depth study.  I would highly recommend this book to any parent taking a child/children to Jamestown and, in many cases, to the child as well.  The book does not "talk down" to the child and it reflects much of the recent archaeology of the site.

A Tremor of Bliss, Mark Judge

A Tremor of Bliss by Mark Judge is a book that tries to look at both the liberal and conservative positions on Sex and modern music.  In a sense the book is a survey of Catholic literature on the topic with some personal experiences from the author mixed in to humanize this most personal of topics.

Started: September 28, 2010
Completed: October 5, 2010
Recommendation: Pretty far right conservatives only
Recommended By:  The author.  He and I were classmates in high school.

Words I looked up:
Eugenics -- The study of methods of improving genetic qualities by selective breeding (especially as applied to human mating)
abortifacient -- A drug or other chemical agent that causes abortion

Review:  I did not like this book.  Conservatives are painted as "not prudes" in most cases although one conservative is portrayed as being authoritarian (in part, I think to make the case that his liberal successor put him to shame in this area, although it may be a truly objective critique).  Liberals are painted as "free sex" hippies for the most part.  The book is remarkably defensive of the second George Bush for a book that doesn't seem to be about politics and those who support Obama (even if former liberals) have had "their wheels come off."

The author does a good job of explaining Pope John Paul II's position on sex and provides insights I have seen nowhere else.  The highlight of these is the concept that sex can go beyond procreation and into the realm of demonstrating fidelity and still be on the moral high ground.  The primary liberal argument against the conservative position that "procreation should always be possible" is that it seems hard to believe a millimeter of latex is going to stop God if he desires a child (and He has done so before with Mary and Ruth).  This argument is not addressed which seems odd given the intended effort of the book being inclusive to both liberals and conservatives.

It is unclear in the book what the Church's objections might be to Rock 'n Roll (there is a suggestion that Rock 'n Roll leads to illicit sex, but it is juxtaposed to the author's experience of God during a concert).  In fact, the details of Rock 'n Roll that are addressed focus on a tune lifted from the Song of Songs.  There is also a suggestion that the author's early dalliances were encouraged by his listening to early Rock 'n Roll tunes that were all about love.

I walked away from this book cold.  Likening the sexual experience to one's relationship with God, somehow sullied that relationship in my mind no matter how well intended.  The dabbling in politics amongst discussions of sex (driven by Planned Parenthood) made it difficult for me to wade through so many false assertions and repetitions of the Republican platform (life was great under Bush) while paying attention to the meat of the book.  While there are great arguments to be made about the Catholic Church, its teachings, and the growth and development of a healthy sexual life, none of those were made beyond the concept of abstinence seen through a hazy veil of occasional privacy.

Blech.  In the process of doing some quick research to be sure that I had Ruth correct, I ran across Gen: 19:36 that has both the daughters of Lot becoming pregnant by him.  The Bible still surprises me.

Stealing History, Robert Atwood

Stealing History: Tomb Raiders, Smugglers, and the Looting of the Ancient World by Roger Atwood tells the story of how looters dig up graves and destroy cultural history.

Started: September 15, 2010
Completed: December 10, 2010
Recommendation: Ehhhh
Recommended By:  Picked this up at Vertigo Books as it was closing.

Words I looked up:
deracinate -- Displacement; to move something from its natural environment
sclerotic -- Hardened, not fleshy or soft

Review:


There is no question that bad things are happening at sites of archaeological value all over the world.  This book documents the concept and does a decent job of describing a very serious destruction of an archaeological site by looters.  This book documents this and what is happening in the world is staggering.  Unfortunately, the book is a very difficult read.  Nothing seems to flow well and it took forever to fight through it.  I felt it was worth reading, but it was very hard and I wonder how much extra information I got from the last half of the book.  I think this book is rather repetitive and builds the case strongly about half-way through then never really goes any farther to establish that looting is bad, both museums and collectors are complicit, and that changes in the US are making a dent, but no where near solving the problem.

Anansi Boys, Neil Gaiman

Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman is a sequal to American Gods.  Anansi is the trickster spider god who was in many ways the hero of the first novel.  This comedic look at ancient gods in the modern day world bereft of many of their powers, but still gods, is something I have looked forward to reading since I bought the book!

Started:  July 3, 2010
Completed: August 12, 2010
Recommendation: Highly recommended
Recommended By:  Nobody, although American Gods was recommended by the owner of Vertigo Books (now closed), so I guess this one comes from the same source.

Words I looked up:
gruntle -- to put in a good humor or satisfy
koan -- a paradox to be meditated upon that is used to train Zen Buddhist monks to abandon ultimate dependence on reason and to force them into gaining sudden intuitive enlightenment
lubricious -- marked by wantonness, but the second definition is to have a smooth or slippery character.
lascivious -- lewd or lustful
rubicund -- ruddy (I always thought this word meant fat)

Review:  It is important to note, first, that Neil Gaiman is an artist with words.  His eloquent descriptions and careful use of language makes reading his books almost akin to watching a movie in your own internal hi-def.  The story here is fanciful and the plot, while well developed, is not really all that complicated.  This book is fun to read, it is not a head scratcher.  The use of the magic of the gods is fairly smooth and makes sense within the context of the rest of the book.  I'm not going to put any spoilers in even though I think the joy of reading the book is the reading itself and not the plot line so much.

Patrick: Son of Ireland, Stephen R. Lawhead

Patrick:  Son of Ireland by Stephen R. Lawhead is the story of St. Patrick as historical fiction.  I like the way that Lawhead writes and have enjoyed other books he has written including the Pendragon Cycle and Taliesin.  His attention to historical detail is refreshing and unobtrusive in the novel.  I do feel that some of the things he highlights in this way can be shocking or off-putting, but I use that as an indicator that I should take a few minutes and find out a bit more about the period in question or the practices of the people being discussed.  It turns out these jarring moments have been a couple of good opportunities to learn more about the people or to learn more about the times.

Started:  June 26, 2010
Completed: July 3, 2010
Recommendation: A fun read with a little bit of action, recommended for those who enjoy a little fantasy and are OK with the Catholic Church taking a hit on the chin.
Recommended By:  Nobody, I bought this as Vertigo book store was closing.  A novel I had wanted to read and always knew I could go to Vertigo to get.  Then it closed.  Ugh.
Words I Looked Up:
micturation -- Urinate
dewlap -- A fold of loose skin hanging from the neck of an animal or person (such as the wattle of a chicken)
Review:  OK, so this was about St. Patrick, but it covers the time about which there is little or no data.  His time before the deeds of St. Patrick are written and well known.  In fact, the book ends just before the St. Patrick you know about really does anything.  Some of the Roman life is a little contrived, but it isn't bad and the handling of the Church and its issues was fairly well done in my opinion.  Patrick is not a swashbuckling hero, but he is by turns brave and a baldfaced liar.  The character and his times are approached as complex and that is both refreshing and a bit sobering.  For such a large book, it does feel like it was heavily edited down as some of the transitions didn't feel smooth and his time in Rome was remarkably short.  All in all, however, I enjoyed it as a quick read.

"Nature," August 2009

"Nature" is a magazine of rather venerable scientific importance.  I don't normally put magazines here as I read too many of them and they are generally not of interest to me again in the future (although there have been exceptions).  This issue is focused on packaging Platonic Solids (a special case in packaging irregular shapes), but the article that has captured my attention is "The Diversity of Type Ia Supernovae From Broken Symmetries" by D. Kasen, F.K. Ropke, and S. E. Woosley.

Started:  April, 2010
Completed: April, 2010
Recommendation: For physics geeks interested in high pressure/density non-laminar gaseous flow only.  Oh, and really, really big explosions.
Recommended By: My wife found this one in a used section of the library and picked it up for me.

Words I looked up:
Reynolds Number - ratio of inertial forces  to viscous forces  is how Wikipedia makes the definition.  In short, this number looks at how the fluid behaves relative to the density of that fluid.  I had forgotten what this number was from early chemistry.
critical Karlovitz Number -  this is from the CFD-online wiki.  In short this looks at the degree of combustion in a turbulent situation with the time it takes for the combustion to occur.  The number becomes "critical" when combustion is on the threshold of being eliminated (or started depending on which side of the burning you originate :) ).
Rayleigh-Taylor instability - Interaction between two fluids where the lighter fluid is pushing the heavier fluid.  As far as I can tell, this pretty much only occurs in stars.


Review:
This article makes the case that use of white dwarf explosions (caused by accretion of mass from a nearby binary) do not necessarily provide the accurate "candle" of distance for which they have historically been used.  In short, the prevailing assumption has been that the explosion has been spherical in nature starting from the center of the star.  Recent research that fails to take into account a lot of variables (such as the spin-rate of the star--there is an effort to handle these variables, although it is clearly inadequate) has demonstrated a 2% error in distance calculations using these stars.  From the description in the article it seems to me that the 2% error serves as a bottom, although the authors clearly state that their calculations can only account for up to a 2% error.

I want to put more thought into this article and read it a few more times, but I think I have something to contribute to this research.  I'd love to play with the simulation they have developed.  The simulation suggests that the consumption of fuel makes the star a huge dipole and I'm guessing that combined with irregularities caused by the accretion disk, this dipole would distort the characteristics of the explosion even more.  My thinking is that there would be huge pools of hydrogen around the equator of the star undergoing spontaneous combustion (and flow into the mantle) as the star starts to consume its own Ni creating a back pressure that gives the star a slight dumbbell shape for Ni and I think that would effect the dipole by creating two exit points for ejecta at the poles with the equator accepting the ejecta and further accelerating the speed of the combustion of the accretion material and probably causing some kind of flow back into the deep interior of the star inhibiting Ni consumption and causing even more dispersed explosion events then contemplated in the article.

Booknotes, Brian Lamb

Booknotes:  America's Finest Authors on Reading, Writing, and the Power of Ideas by Brian Lamb is a series of short interviews with a huge number of authors.

Started: sometime in 2008

Completed: 2/1/2011

Recommendation: It is rather dated, so a book that was intended to be "current" is not.

Recommended by:  Found in a library book sale and was intrigued.

Review:

This book does not really lend itself to a review, so I'm just noting books that I'd like to read as a result of having read this book:

The Man in the Mirror:  The Life of Benedict Arnold, Clare Brandt

Edison:  Inventing the Century, Neil Baldwin

Lincoln, David Herbert Donald

A Bright Shining Lie:  John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam, Neil Sheehan

All of One Peace, Colman McCarthy

Failure is Impossible:  Susan B. Anthony in Her Own Words, Lynn Sherr

One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez (recommended by Bill Clinton)

The Supreme Court: How it Was and How It Is, William Rehnquist

Jarrettsville, Cornelia Nixon

Jerrettsville, is a novelization of a true story involving a murder not far from Washington DC on the 4th anniversary of the Civil War.

Started: February 3, 2010

Completed: February 7, 2010

Recommendation:  Very well written, most of interest to those who find the period interesting.

Recommended By:  My wife picked it up at the library as a book she thought I might like.

Words I looked up:

  aureole - a ring shaped zone around an igneous intrusion (I looked this word up, because I thought it referred to a portion of the breast, but it has a more general meaning indicating a "ring shaped" surrounding.  The way it was used in the book seemed odd to me when I read it.  The definition given is the 4th, but the closest to the meaning in which it was used.  The first definition is "halo").

Review:

This is a very interesting story about a young woman in a difficult position in the ante-bellum North.  The book opens with a murder and the rest of the book gives the background.  It is irritating to not really know who was killed for quite some time (about half way through it becomes clear).  It is told from the point-of-view of several different characters over time and was largely based on family paperwork, letters, and newspaper accounts of the actual events.  The author has clearly made some stuff up to carry the story and fill in details, but it seems to run rather along the lines of the newspaper stories reprinted at the back of the book.

I enjoyed this book, but my taste runs to the eclectic and this is far from a happy story.

Nothing Like it in the World, Stephen E. Ambrose

Nothing Like it In the World, by Stephen E. Ambrose is a look at the creation of the transcontinental railroad.  I read Ambrose's book on Lews and Clark and found it both readable and informative, so I've been looking forward to this one.

Started: January 2, 2010

Completed: June 26, 2010

Recommendation: Not recommended

Recommended by:  Nobody, I found this book on the community book shelf at the New Deal Cafe.

Review:  This book is very interesting.  Of particular interest to me was the history behind the phrase "Hell on Wheels" which now makes much more sense to me.  It was also interesting to hear about the nature and resolution of the labor disputes.  Frankly, the transcontinental railroad never impressed me and, after reading this book, I'm impressed.  While the material is interesting, reading it is boring.  The writing is good and I enjoy the author, but the material is boring to me.  I'm not a railroad guy.  I'm not even a big business guy.  From a railroad perspective, I think there is not enough information about the tolerances of the curves and the reasons for the grades...why a particular grade was considered maximum or what changes in locomotive technology were caused or influenced the railroad.  From a business perspective, this was a huge swindle in many ways, but it wasn't really analyzed.  The end of the book has one of the railroad companies in a sort of receivership, but I think the author just assumes that everyone knows what happened to the company or that it doesn't really matter to the reader.  In any case, here's the deal:  the material is interesting and the presentation is good, but the book is not compelling.  You have to work through this book and I think that even if you have a special interest, the book is not going to address your area of interest sufficiently to let that carry you along.  You will still have to work.  That is why I don't recommend it.