Reviews and Comments

Word for word match to the series provided on BBC radio. It does have an index and excellent notes, plus an introduction and afterword, but it hasn't got any diagrams, pictures or timelines. If you've heard the radio series, it's probably not interesting to you. If you haven't, it's a good take on inventions that have impacted the economy.

My favorite - cuneiform.

Excellent biography of a fascinating mathematician and visionary thinker. Ranges from early life through final years and does a decent job of introducing his Mathematical Theory of Communication, the basis of modern information theory. A solid 4½ stars.

A lover of stories and mythologies, this author went back to early sources and put together his own wonderful tales. These gods just pop off the page, so to speak, in all their complicated glory. From early days to Ragnarok (and beyond), these short stories stand alone but also work well together. They are also familiar, yet new.

Neil Gaiman said his first exposure to the Norse was Marvel Comics. Mine was Deities and Demigods, a supplement for AD&D. I would recommend Neil's book much more strongly, unless you need to know the hit point totals.

Bonus - the audio book is read by the author, who is also a master storyteller. If you have even an ounce of interest in the topic, read this book.

Love Nora Ephron's films, hate the subtitle, strongly dislike the writing.

Said another way - "Where is Seattle. Right. Where is good writing? Aaah, it's right there. There's like ... 26 states between here and there."

Apocalyptic theme and two strong female main characters make for a fairly good read. Two threads end up joining halfway through, and each works well. The author's military strength comes through in the organization found in the latter half, with some politics showing up then also. The science fiction works well, with some believable advances for the near future. Minor complaint - I thought the navy pilot came across a bit too emotional at times. Much better than his first book, a solid 3½ stars.

This novel covers a lot of ground over a too-wide range of topics - 9/11, Neanderthals, Nazis, and Atlantis. These are each built on kernels of truth, which is nice, and the main characters are well written. The villains are mostly caricatures and many side characters are brought in and abandoned. Perhaps they will return in a future novel, because this is the first of a series. Ends in a cliffhanger.

This was offered free on Kindle reading service, so it got a lot of exposure, and it is a decent first novel for the author. Using half the ideas would still have been ambitious - this just feels too busy for me. Interested to see if the second book works better.

Penn repeats himself a lot and talks about how he lost a lot of weight. Mostly funny, though repeats of the same bits get old. Penn is that loud guy that challenges your beliefs, and comes across just that way here. If only he didn't repeat himself so often...

Started on Sept 11, not read in one sitting - this book is eminently interruptible. I heartily applaud his accomplishments and the reasons he started, and would be interested to read more from his friend and diet guru Ray.

This wonderful fairy tale (and yes, a bit of romance) is magical, bittersweet and compact. The characters are well written and the simple plot is a perfect fit. Extremely well done, highly recommended. I look forward to reading more from this author!

This story, told almost entirely in flashbacks, had a middle section that was too long for me. The rest is a mystery of sorts, and went well enough. The long middle section was a triangle between Fowler (Europe) and Pyle (American) over Phuong (Vietnam), and I see the allegory of the current and approaching wars. It's just that it seemed to drag.

At the time of release, it was seen as Anti-American, but that doesn't fit. It is one of Graham Greene's serious novels, as opposed to his Entertainments (i.e. Our Man in Havana). I have not seen the movie, though I understand the Michael Caine/Brendan Fraser film is far better than the earlier one.

In summary, I rate this 3 stars, and may revisit that after exploring another of his works.

Coffee table book of ballparks that have been demolished, imploded, or otherwise removed. Each gets at least two pages, with interior and aerial photos. My favorites include Ketchican Harbor Ballpark, Lane Field (87 feet to first base!), Comiskey Park and Memorial Stadium. Seattle's own Sick's Stadium and the Kingdome also make an appearance, with a sidebar note about the 12th man in the latter.

What would have made it a 4 or 5? A few more photos and inset maps would have helped. 3½ stars.

Fascinating! This book delves into current brain research, going between case studies and internal scans. The various topics seem only loosely connected until the end, when they are brought together in an examination of self. Highly recommended, this copy will be returned to the library but I will be purchasing soon.

I started this and fell behind events; my month+ of reading is in no way indicative of the content. This book is not over-simplified, but is still completely accessible. It contains an extensive bibliography and index, along with end-notes. Just before all of those are some excellent brain maps - I just wish they were inside the dust jacket for easier use.

This story, with at least three different plotlines, was not engaging me at all. I am going to mark it abandoned and perhaps return to it another time.