Blogalicious

2009-10-29T23:31:00.001-04:00

Book Log 2009 #45: Jericho's Fall by Stephen Carter

I've loved Carter's previous novels, thrillers featuring upper class African-Americans at the highest levels of the academic and legal communities. This book is a radical departure from that universe, perhaps too radical.

Jericho Ainsley is former CIA director (and former Secretary of Defense and former National Security Advisor) who is slowly dying of cancer in his home in the Colorado Rockies. Beck DeForde, the woman he threw his career away to be with when she was a student of his at Princeton, is summoned to the house in his final days. She's not sure why, though it slowly becomes clear that he wants to confide in her, and that there are a variety of people out there who want to know what, from American and foreign intelligence agencies to corporate titans to Ainsley's own daughters.

Carter set out to write a page-turner, and he does manage to ratchet up the tension admirably, creating a sort of seige mentality by playing off the remote location with a constant barrage of surveiland and suspicion. But I don't think the story every quite gets to where it wants to go, and while we get a somewhat clear picture of what secret Ainsley is looking to spill, the ending leaves a lot unanswered, which is kind of unsatisfying in a book of this style.

It's still written well - Carter hasn't lost anything there - but I don't know if he's best suited for writing thrillers. An interview with him on Amazon.com suggests that he enjoyed writing it and would write more if reaction to this one was good. I'd probably have another book set in the same universe as The Emperor Of Ocean Park, but I'd take another thriller, as I imagine that Carter would do better the second time around.

2009-10-29T23:17:00.001-04:00

Book Log 2009 #44: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling

I never quite expected a Harry Potter book to have a body count rivaling 24, but I suppose I should have expected it with this final showdown between good and evil. I'm not necessarily complaining, mind you, but I'll admit to being taken back a bit.

That sorted itself out a bit over the long middle of the book, where it seems like Harry, Hermione and Ron spend several hundred pages camping. It's a lot of down time for a book that begins and ends with a fair amount of action, but it does help to fit in some of the exposition that gets us to find out just what the Deathly Hallows are and how they might relate to finally defeating Voldemort.

All in all it's a fitting end to the series, but I will admit to being a little disappointed in the epilogue, which gives us a very small peek into the adult lives of the main characters. There's not that much information about their lives, and it's wholly silent on the bulk of the supporting characters. I wanted to know more, and was left wanting.

2009-10-29T23:05:00.001-04:00

Book Log 2009 #43: The Ignorance of Blood by Robert Wilson

All of the threads of the Javier Falcon books come together here in one engrossing package. Still trying to bring the bombers from a previous book to justice, the case intersects with a Russian mobster who died in a car accident, Islamic terrorist operating out of Morocco, and a CIA agent who can't be fully trusted. As he inches towards the truth, Falcon is put under significant professional and personal pressures, as the case takes a turn straight out of his childhood.

This is the last book in the series, and sadly so. There's rarely a dull moment over the four books, and it's rare to find a main character of such depth in a crime novel. The setting adds even more body, with Seville almost becoming a character in itself (perhaps less so in this book, but certainly in the series).

So as sad as I am that this series is over, I at least have the last two books in the Bruce Medway series to read while waiting for whatever comes next.

2009-10-17T21:30:00.001-04:00

Book Log 2009 #42: The Man With the Iron Heart by Harry Turtledove

In 1942, SS officer Reinhard Heydrich was assassinated in occupied Czecheslovakia. This book theorizes what would have happened if Heydrich survived the attack and took leadership of the Werwolf insurgency plan that, in real life, did little to hamper the Allies at the end and after the war.

Not surprisingly, the insurgency in the book bears a strong resemblance to that seen during the US occupation of Iraq. I tend to think it's a little too strong. I don't doubt that proper planning and leadership would have allowed the Nazis to put forth a credible terror threat, but it does seem like Heydrich is operating more along al Qaeda's playbook than anything he'd have learned in the German military.

I also wasn't crazy about the domestic subplot, though I have a hard time putting a finger on why at this point.

It's worth a read, but I was a little disappointed.

2009-10-17T21:14:00.000-04:00

Book Log 2009 #41: Holy Hullabaloos by Jay Wexler

Part travelogue, part hornbook on religion and the First Amendment, this may be the funniest book you could use to prepare for a Constitution Law final. In it, Jay visits places that were the settings for important church-state legal cases, and often gets a chance to speak with some of the litigants. Jay explains the law in a way that's easy to understand, though I think that conservatives and evangelicals will not appreciate his arguments or his humor (especially in how he skewers the affrontery known as the Creation Museum).

In the interest of full disclosure, I should note that I knew Jay fairly well back in high school, thanks to debate. Jay parlayed that into becoming a legal scholar and prolific writer, while I author a blog with a readership in the high single digits. That actually kind of tracks our relative debate success, now that I think of it.

2009-10-09T14:00:00.000-04:00

Book Log 2009 #40: The Jewel That Was Ours by Colin Dexter

In this outing, Morse must solve a pair of murders related to an American tour group and an artifact one of the group members was bringing to donate to an Oxford museum. I can't say I cared for the way the Americans tended to be portrayed (though perhaps there's a certain personality that gets attracted to bus tours), but the mystery is pretty solid. No complaints.

2009-10-09T13:57:00.000-04:00

Book Log 2009 #39: Florence of Arabia by Christopher Buckley

You don't get a whole lot of satire related to Middle Eastern affairs or terrorism - the issues are either way too serious or seem to close to satire to begin with - but it should come as no surprise that one of the more successful examples would come from Christopher Buckley.

The basic plot: an American diplomat (the Florence of the title) is assigned to a (relatively) liberal Middle Eastern country, with the idea to open up a much more restrictive neighbor through empowering women. Aided by a CIA field operative and a typically dithering State Department bureaucrat, Florence gets more than she bargained for, and winds up running for her life before everything is over.

While not quite his best, this is better than Boomsday or Supreme Courtship. Worth a read, certainly.

2009-10-08T17:53:00.000-04:00

Book Log 2009 #38: 7 Deadly Scenarios by Andrew Krepinevich

Pakistan - and its nuclear weapons - is swept into chaos by Islamic militants. A cvberattack leaves the US military unable to communicate or coordinate. China decides its time to bring Taiwan back into the fold. These are but three of the seven scenarios presented in this book, each of which helps to lead the reader into considering potential US vulnerabilities and what can be done now to prevent future catastrophe.

I'll admit I didn't read all seven scenarios. I found myself getting just that little more depressed after each one, and had to force my way through the five I did read. Still, at set-alone chapters each scenario is well worth reading. Many of the scenarios are timely (not surprisingly), and they do help pull some of our current events into sharper focus. Certainly worth a look, just not all at once.

2009-10-08T17:39:00.000-04:00

Book Log 2009 #37: The Immaculate Deception by Iain Pears

This is the last of the series of art theft mysteries featuring British art dealer turned academic Jonathan Argyll and his wife, the acting chief of Rome's art theft polce squad, Flavia di Stefano, and to mark the end the book has a very different approach from the others. Government intrigue and long-hidden secrets are at the forefront, and while the tone isn't exactly dark, it's certainly cloudier than the other books in the series.

I will admit to being a little put off by this change, and I'm not sure if I'm thrilled at how it all turned out. There's one major personal revelation that comes a bit out of left field, and I can't say the sudden focus on political matters was all that welcome. It's not a bad book per se, but I was a little disappointed that the series ended on this note.

2009-10-05T13:18:00.000-04:00

Book Log 2009 #36: The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

Given my enjoyment of mystery and detective novels, it made some sense to finally get around to reading the book that is widely considered the first detective novel in English literature (or at least the first to use number of elements that became common in the genre).

The basic plot: a diamond (the Moonstone of the title) is bequeathed to a young woman on her 18th birthday, but goes missing the night after her birthday party. Suspects include various guests, a servant with a checkered past, and a troop of Indian jugglers who are suspected of being members of a religious group dedicated to returning the jewel to its sacred statue.

The book is written in epistolary form, as accounts from various people after the case is solved, which works well in that it provides welcome changes in tone and style. It's a little ponderous in comparison to modern detective fiction, and some of the now-common elements will come off as cliched, but I enjoyed the book quite a bit, more than I expected really.

2009-10-05T13:03:00.000-04:00

Book Log 2009 #35: The Domino Men by Jonathan Barnes

This book is an indirect sequel to The Somnambulist, in that it takes place in the same universe and involves some of the same characters and organizations, but is not a continuation of the first book's story. It's also set about a century later, taking place in the present day.

And, really, I think both of those last two points work to the sequel's detriment. The new story - about an office drone who becomes the key person in stopping the House of Windsor from turning Britain over to a nefarious being called Leviathan - doesn't quite measure up to the mystery from the first book. And without period detail to enhance (or cover the weaker spots of) the story, I found myself less drawn in. There's also a subplot written by a "second" narrator regarding the Prince of Wales that didn't do much for me, other than tip where things were heading as I got towards the end of the book.

I suppose I was also a little disappointed that this book wasn't going to answer some of my lingering questions from the first one, especially about the first book's mysterious title character. Perhaps a third book will take care of that?

2009-10-02T16:13:00.000-04:00

So three things I've been mulling as explanations for Chicago's poor showing in today's vote for the 2016 Olympics

1. Everyone else still hates us. Nothing like a sweeping generalization to kick things off, but it may be fair to say that there's still some fence-mending to be done, even with Obama's apparently popularity abroad. Which leads to...

2. Obama's slight to voters. At least one article I read suggested that some voters passed on Chicago because they felt snubbed by the short length of Obama's appearance. Honestly, if the idiots who vote for this thing won't vote for a city because the leader of the free world isn't going to spend a couple of days kowtowing to them, then we really don't need the Olympics.

3. Never underestimate the emotional appeal of the very old. As part of Madrid's presentation, former IOC president (and current lifetime honorary president) Juan Antonio Samaranch more or less said they should win because he's pretty close to dying and he'd like to see Spain named host before that happens. Throw that out to a room full of people who you've worked with for years, and it's not surprising that you get that close to winning. Which also seems like a pretty weak rationale for voting, which just further tells you what you're dealing with as far as the IOC is concerned.

Anyway, congrats to Rio. Hope you get your rat and monkey problem cleared up in time for the Games.

2009-09-30T08:45:00.002-04:00

Just testing our new home. Actual posts later?

2009-09-23T14:01:00.001-04:00

Book Log 2009 #34: Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell

This one-off about the famed battle of the Hundred Years' War follows the same structure as most of the Cornwell books I've read, what with its troubled young protagonist taking up arms as a way to escape enemies and seek revenge, meeting powerful figures and an almost equally troubled woman along the way.

But like those other Cornwell books, the story is told in an entertaining enough way to help keep the repetitive aspects from bothering me too much. I don't think it's a book that needs to be sought out, but if you like Cornwell or historical fiction and are looking for something to read, you'd do worse.

2009-09-23T13:44:00.001-04:00

Book Log 2009 #33: Death and Restoration by Iain Pears

Another in the Jonathan Argyll-Flavia di Stefano series, this time centered around a rumored theft in a monastery whose only painting of value is of disputed origin and currently undergoing the ministrations of a controversial restorer.

A solid mystery as always, with an added dash of subplot related to the art theft squad and Flavia's boss that will set up some stuff in the next - and final - book in the series.

2009-09-23T09:05:00.003-04:00

If you've checked in over at the Bruce's blog, then you know that this will be among the last posts here at the attemptedchemistry.com location. As with most moves, there's a sense of nostalgia with an underlying understanding that it's for the best.

In any case, I'll be moving this to a Blogspot location at some point. I should also start cross-posting things to Facebook, I suppose. I'm not as social network/Web 2.0/buzzword of choice savvy as I should be, so it's not like this will turn into a random assortment of links and tweets any time soon. Though that may be more entertaining.

2009-09-01T13:54:00.000-04:00

Book Log 2009 #32: World War Z by Max Brooks

I'm not much of a zombie fan, unlike some people. I have nothing against zombie movies and the like, more that I'm not much of a horror genre person generally. But Greg suggested this book as it does venture into the alt-history genre, sort of, so I gave it a go.

And I have to say that I may have misjudged my affinity for the walking dead. I really enjoyed the story, and using an oral history framework made the thing seem a little less bizarre for me. I suppose there's some sort of parable in here as well about how to win a war against a foe that's non-state, but really, it's the sort of book you do read for the zombies.

2009-09-01T13:47:00.000-04:00

Book Log 2009 #31: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling

Honestly, I don't have much to say here. Liked it, and appreciated the shift to a darker tone, and was a little surprised about the real lack of typical Hogwarts stuff (Quidditch and the like) until I thought about the fan base. The kids who started with the first book are, I think, old enough to want to move beyond the walls and get more involved in the impending war against Voldemort.

I still don't think the romantic parts work particularly well, at least where Harry's concerned. Still seems too rushed, but that could be my comparing him to the slow build with Ron and Hermione.

Typically I've read the books just before the movies, but I don't think I'll be able to do so with the last one. I nearly took the last book out of the library the day after finishing this one, which certainly instills a desire to see how it all turns out. Which, I imagine, is just what you want from the next to last book in a series.

2009-08-21T13:59:00.000-04:00

Book Log 2009 #30: Enclave by Kit Reed

A former Marine officer, spinning a story of imminent world collapse to the wealthy, opens a school in an isolated and abandoned monastery, and takes in 100 students whose parents are as anxious to be rid of them as they are hoping to save them from the anarchy to come.

Ironically, that anarchy comes to the school when two viruses - one computer, one biological - threaten the survival of both the school and its inhabitants. The officer falls back on SOP (standard operating procedure) to work through the crisis, but when the Lord of the Flies instinct kicks in with both the students and the staff, SOP is SOL.

I did like the book, though I never quite bought that the guy in charge was so blind to the need to adapt to the situation at hand (he clearly never watched Heartbreak Ridge). Still, it was an entertaining diversion.

It's also worth noting that when I read the book there was only one review on Amazon for it, from the notorious Harriet Klausner. The review, and the comments it inspired, were almost as entertaining as the book itself.

2009-08-21T13:44:00.000-04:00

Book Log 2009 #29: Capturing Eichmann by Neil Bascomb

I knew a little about the Eichmann case before picking up this book, but quickly found myself drawn into its presentation of things. I was especially interested in how Israel, a young country still fighting for existence, mounted this operation in a country where it had few official connections.

The book reads well, and it quite recommended. I'll also recommend The Perfect Mile, the story of the race to break the four minute mile. I thought I'd read it after I started doing the Book Log, but apparently not.

2009-08-17T13:51:00.003-04:00

One clear oversight in talking about turning 40 is that I didn't mention the surprise party the wife threw. Well, it was more of a 75 percent surprise party, as the night before the event the wife got on the phone with my sister, and the first couple of minutes of the conversation (from my end) went something like this:

"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"Yes."
"No."
etc.

It might surprise you that this is not how they normally converse. So I did have some idea that something was going to happen, but didn't realize the scope of things. At least until I got to Salem Beer Works and spent the afternoon with a variety of family, friends and co-workers. I'm assuming a good time was had by all, given the easy access to beer and a birthday cake shaped like beer.

So a belated thanks to the wife for making 40 that much less scary.

2009-08-12T13:50:00.002-04:00

So, 40.

It's been a few days, and I can't say that I've had any life-changing revelations, or had the urge to go out and buy a sports car. I have talked to a few people who got to 40 before me, and the consensus is that the transition to 30 was more of a big deal, apparently as it's the age where people really start thinking that they're adults.

I can't say my 30th birthday was a big deal, either. The only thing I remember doing on my 30th was seeing Eyes Wide Shut. By that measure, 40 beats 30 hands down.

Additionally, I think that adding a kid to the mix has a way of refocusing things. Granted, I'll probably wind up being one of the oldest parents among the boy's class/team/playmates, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Not that the age thing matters greatly, as 40 is the new 30. Or the new 20. Or perhaps the new 25? 40 should not be the new 15. And it just may be the new 60. Actually, that last one may explain how CBS improved its ratings. Heck, I'll just be happy to make 41.

2009-08-05T13:52:00.003-04:00

This week marks a bit of a milestone for us, as the boy started at day care on Monday. For all of the concern about how he'd react to being in unfamiliar territory with people he doesn't know - most of them other, somewhat larger, kids - he did fine. No crying, no fussing, slept and ate fine. We should have expected that, as he's never put up a fuss when interacting with any of our family and friends, and will pretty much take a bottle from whoever is holding it.

Us parents, though, didn't do as well. The wife actually did very well in the morning, keeping the drop off quick so the emotions wouldn't build up. It helped that many of her co-workers are moms themselves, and those that aren't are certainly sympathetic.

Come the afternoon, though, plans fell awry. After dropping off the boy, the wife takes a bus from the Wonderland stop to her office, and does the trip in reverse after work. Going in, the bus went by the stop a few minutes early, so the wife had to wait for the next one. Not that big a deal, she got to work less early that she would have otherwise.

The problem came when the bus didn't show in the afternoon. This is apparently very rare, and the wife's fellow riders gave the driver an earful when the next bus came along. But by this time, it was clear that the wife was going to be late. So she called me.

I, as luck would have it, was at North Station having just missed a train. I'd have made it except the other train sharing the platform started boarding, and I couldn't fight through the swarm of passengers to get to my train. In any event, it gave me a chance to take her panicked call and plan on taking the Blue Line out to Wonderland, with the first one of us to get there to pick up the boy and then drive to the station to get the other person.

Turns out I was the first one there, so I hoofed over and got the boy. He was sleeping in his car seat ready to go, thankfully only 15 minutes later than planned (the day care provider was very understanding, I suppose she's used to this sort of thing at the start). The only snag after that was the parking ticket we got - the parking in that neighborhood is apparently resident only (which, given its proximity to Wonderland, makes sense in retrospect).

It probably shouldn't be a surprise that the transition to day care is harder on us than it is on the boy, but there it is. I'm just happy we don't have to go through this every day.

2009-08-04T21:56:00.003-04:00

I find it hard to belive that the Arena Football League is going out of business, but it looks like that's the case. The league finally seemed to turn the corner in the last couple of years, what with the NBC deal and relative stability in franchise locations.

While I can't say that I know anything about the underlying financial causes of the collapse (other than blaming "the economy"), I tend to think the league was a victim of its own success (so to speak). I know I found myself less interested as the league became more mainstream, and once the Elway Rule brought in free substitution, the league lost the ironman image that was such a key part of its identity. What you had, then, was NFL Lite, and who wants to watch that?

Perhaps the more amusing aspect of this is that af2, the AFL's minor league, never shut down and appears to be going one place its parent league isn't - 2010. While I assume this has somethign to do with the relatively lower cost of running the league, it should also be noted that there's no Elway Rule in af2. Coincidence?

2009-07-27T22:41:00.001-04:00

Book Log 2009 #28: Flashforward by Robert Sawyer

Two scientists at CERN are trying to find the Higgs boson, and when they run an experiment designed to do that it instead plunges everyone in the planet into a two minute vision of their futures. While this leads to world-wide catastrophe in the immediate moment (from people having their vision while driving, flying a plane, etc.), in the longer term it leads to questions about why this happened, and if the visions of the future can be changed.

It's an interesting premise, and it plays out among the characters at CERN in various ways, though not always smoothly. There's also a subplot involving a very old man in Toronto that winds up impacting the end of the book in an unexpected way. One that I didn't quite care for, to be honest.

I'd not have sought the book out except that it's the basis for one of ABC's new show next season. Promos aired during Lost even before the new show was officially picked up, which is unusual. And as the concept tied in with the way Lost has played with time, I'm likely to watch the new show as well. I just hope it's done better than the book. The link for the book above is to another review, which I usually don't do but it better addressed some of the specific problems than I could this far past reading it.