Date
Title
Comments
01/06/05 - 01/8/05
Hard Freeze
by Dan Simmons
Dan Simmons knows how to spin a good detective noir, with characters that are "hard", hence the thematic titles of his Joe Kurtz novels. In this follow up to the original Kurtz story Hardcase, Simmons builds on the story line, broadening to include a serial killer element. I thought this tale had a bit too many story lines, but the main point is a entertaining thrill ride and on that Simmons delivers. If you like hard boiled fiction (though not for the easily offended) take this for a ride.
01/08/05 - 01/11/05
Hard as Nails
by Dan Simmons
This was my second Joe Kurtz novel in a row, and I didn't tire of the tale. Mind you this is not high literature, and Simmons almost makes this more of an action adventure story, with his helicopter storming of a hill top fortress, but he delivers on the promise you come to expect from a tough PI, ex-con Kurtz.
01/12/05 - 03/21/05
Founding Brothers :
The Revolutionary Generation
by Joseph J. Ellis
This book was a joy to read, though it took me some time to get through. Not because it was a slow read, but because interesting and good solid historical works are not fast reads. Ellis's is a master story teller, with a deep sense of language and keen turn of phrasing. He offers amazing insights into early revolutionary history through six vignettes between the founding brothers of the revolutionary generation.
1) The Hamilton Burr duel as a window on the political disagreements of the period.
2) Dinner between Jefferson, Madison and Hamilton as a means of compromise on Hamilton's federal fiscal programs and the location of the Nation's capital in Virginia
3) The Silence from the House and the Senate on the slavery question when raised in 1790 by Quaker Abolitionists and the portent of that void.
4) The Farewell of George Washington's retirement from the presidency and his advice to future generations.
5) The Collaboration between opposing parties : Jefferson and Madison as Republican's while Jefferson was vice president to John Adams as president, whose confidant was his wife Abigail Adams
6) The Friendship between Jefferson and Adams during the last 14 years of their life as they reflected on their revolutionary historical legacy.
Some of my favorite insights. That streamlined histories are always retrospective applications of order on what was at the time an evolving unclear series of events. The failure of the revolutionary father's to deal with the slavery question, enabled the union to form, but that despite this dodging a price was to be paid, the Civil War. Ellis's description of Washington surrendering his military commission to congress : "in doing so he became the supreme example of the leader who could be trusted with power because he was so ready to give it up". And Washington's military strategy was the recognition that victory did not mean winning battles. Captured ground, what Washington termed a "war of posts", was virtually meaningless. The strategic key was the Continental Army. If it remained intact as an effective fighting force, the American Revolution remained alive, and the British could not win the war, which in turn meant that they would eventually loose it.
01/20/05 - 02/12/05
The Worthing Sagas
by Orson Scott Card
I first discovered Orson Scott Card as did most everyone else, reading Enders Game, in fact one of my top ten books is its sequel Speaker for the Dead. The Worthing Saga is Card's very first story he wrote. It demonstrates his promise as an author. While he acknowledges that he afterwards rewrote the entire tale, the basic plot and premise remained. One thing that I enjoy about Scott novel's is how he creates a moral dilemma, often through tension of a desired ideal, and the consequences of faulty execution. This story spans thousands of years and follows the diaspora of the human race among the stars, the scientific miracle of living "forever" and the power to save that developed in the progeny of Jason Worthing. The dilemma centers on the age old question of suffering; why we suffer, what if you could prevent suffering and some of the possible consequences of eliminating suffering.
02/13/05 - 02/19/05
Survive! :
My Fight for Life in
the High Sierras
by Peter DeLeo
This is an amazing tale of survival, the strength of the human spirit, and the indomitable will to live. Peter DeLeo crashed his plane, along with two other companions in the Sierra's in the middle of the winter. Leaving his friends behind Peter sets out to make his way to civilization. Hiking for 12 days, through deep snow, several storms, crossing many peaks, one over 12,000 feet, Peter finally makes it out alive. Along the way though is a tale fraught with danger from the elements that demonstrates his iron mental strength, living on moths and sleeping in burnt out trees, while suffering from a broken ankle, several broken ribs and numerous lacerations. A true appreciation is gained for the blessing of shelter, food and loving friends a family.
03/21/05 - 03/23/05
Under the Banner of Heaven :
A Story of Violent Faith
by Jon Krakauer
I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, aka Mormon. This book entails a great deal of discussion about the LDS Church. I had several friends who had read this book and immediately after finishing it wanted to talk to me about it. I wanted to write a balanced review of this book and hence waited for my thoughts to settle. Unfortunately while working on this review, I have stalled writinig any future reviews.
03/23/05 - 03/26/05
Touching the Void
by Joe Simpson
03/26/05 - 03/29/05
102 Minutes
:
The Untold Story of the
Fight to Survive Inside
the Twin Towers
by Jim Dwyer, Kevin Flynn
03/29/05 - 04/03/05
The House of the Scorpion
by Nancy Farmer
04/03/05 - 04/15/05
04/16/05 - 04/28/05
05/07/05 - 05/09/05
05/09/05 - 06/12/05
06/12/05 - 06/18/05
I really wanted to like this book. I have thorougly enjoyed other climbing books I have read, and loved the series that Krakauer has edited. But Bonatti's style and descriptions are so terse and assuming, that the beauty, challenge and thrill of the climb never comes through. The book seems to set up more for vindicating Bonatti's malign in the climbing world, and the incident on K2 than it does really about climbing adventure. Sadly (as I always am when I rarely stop) I couldn't finish the book. Perhaps someday I shall pick it up again.
06/18/05 - 06/23/05
I got lucky, while browsing through the Sci Fi section at the airport bookstore when I grabbed this book. Sci Fi has been a long time pleasure read, since my adolescent days.
07/14/05 - 07/19/05
G.M. Ford is a great thriller mystery writer. I like his stories all the more because they are set in and around Seattle and I enjoy the familiarity of the scenery. While this book pretends to be a Frank Corso novel, he seemed more an ancillaray and accidental figure vs. the usual central noir dectective role. This was fitting though given the stature of the story and the weighty material. A good read, reccomended pop-corn reading that has some substance.
06/24/05 - 07/22/05
Harry
Potter and
the Order of the Phoenix
by J.K. Rowling
In lieu of HP6 (as it's known at Amazon where I work. Did we mention we shipped 1.5 million copies to 165 countries?) I re-read Order of the Phoenix. Whetting my appetite and setting the stage for The Half-Blood Prince. I was struck again, how in the last chapters of the book you really get a sense of how much of wizard rock star Dumbledore is. He's not a meek sleepy eyed guy, but the baddest wizzard besides Voldemort. Readinng the book again set me up well for reading the sequel. Since this book was way to heavy to take hiking, I took a short break while in the Olmpics to read Red Tide.
07/22/05 - 07/26/05
Wow! Blown away. Completely hanging... Now waiting the final chapter in the series. I hope she has started already, and I hope its really long. Seems it will have to be given the stage she has set in the story. It also seems that HP7 will be quite a departure from the previous six Hogwarts themed books, which have somewhat predictable plot lines at this point. No more said as I don't wish to ruin the surprise for those that haven't read it.
07/27/05 - 11/01/05
Genius : The Life and Science of Richard Feynman
by
James Gleick
11/02/05 - 11/17/05
I felt Simmons really got lazy on this book. This story follows a accident investigator who has a degree in physics. Many of the accident's he investigates are ripped off from the Darwin Awards, and I am not all that sure that accident investigation is that interesting at the end of the day. You catch glimpses of his ability to craft a story, but... I felt it fell flat over all.
11/17/05 - 11/26/05
11/26/05 -
I started Eldest and then got side tracked with work and life and when I came back to reading I didn't come back to this book. Putting it off till next year.
12/20/05 - 12/28/05
This was my first Connelly novel, I had never read any of his Harry Bosch novels, but I was pretty entertained by this tale. I remember thinking that the humor really came through. Though the amount of story lines got a bit complicated toward the end of the novel
12/28/05 - 12/30/05
