I am a huge fan of Eliot Pattison; he has written some of my favorite books, and this one joins that list. While his Inspector Shan Tao Yun series is more contemporary, this one is set during the French and Indian War in colonial America. You might not think that one can write modern Tibet and Colonial America with the same degree of detail and character, but Pattison does. This is ostensibly a mystery, but as with the Shan novels, this protagonist, Duncan McCullum, solves not just a murder, but begins the process of unraveling the mystery of his own heart. Highly recommended!
He Stopped Loving Her Today: George Jones, Billy Sherrill, and the Pretty-Much Totally True Story of the Making of the Greatest Country Record of All Time by Jack Isenhour
Not a bad story, and not poorly written, but really more suitable to an extended essay than a full-fledged book (perhaps the author was trying to live up to his title…). Outside of details from the recording sessions, there’s really nothing spectacularly new here. If you are a fan of George Jones or country music (as if that isn’t redundant) you will surely enjoy this story.
*I received my copy free from the publisher.
I Have Chosen to Stay and Fight Margaret Cho
Listened to this on audio, and oddly enough, as Cho is such a terrific live performer, her reading really fell flat. It seemed as though she were reading someone else’s work and not her own. As I was listening, I kept thinking to myself “This would really be so much better as a blog…” In the conclusion, she explains that they do actually come from her blog.
I see that some other reviewers really rated this low because they were expecting 6 discs of her stand-up routine. Having read the back of the box (and well, the TITLE), it was pretty obvious that this was a politically-oriented work. She makes absolutely astute observations, and is very open about where her philosophy originates. I came away with not only a new understanding of Margaret Cho, but an even greater appreciation of her. Had I read it rather than listened, I would most likely have given it the full five stars; I still rate it 4.5.
The Prague Cemetary Umberto Eco
I received a review copy of this book from the publisher. Even for free, I was really disappointed with this one. I have read most of Eco’s novels and have always enjoyed them, but this one just didn’t seem up to par. In fact I don’t recall ever opening one of his books halfway through and thinking “ugh, how much longer?.”
There was no real mystery, nothing but time driving the action forward. Eco’s other works sometimes start slowly, but usually end well, so I always invest the time to finish them. Sadly, I was only pleased that it ended…
Is the End of the World Near? From Crackpot Predictions to Scientific Scenarios by Ron Miller
I received a review copy from the publisher. Ron Miller’s new book is an examination of a subject that has fascinated humankind seemingly from the beginning of the world. Intended for a Young Adult audience, he starts by covering a variety of End of World (EOW) scenarios from mythology, religion
and popular culture.
2012 is covered from both the Mayan perspective and the Niburu contingent. Also covered are various pseudoscientific theories such as planetary alignment and gravity shifts. In each of these cases, Miller is very straightforward and non-judgmental. He presents the theories and then presents the science behind why they are highly improbable, if not impossible. From the more sober side of EOW scenarios, he presents more plausible, if not always more probable causes of the destruction of the Earth. These range from the astronomic: solar flares, asteroids and the like, to human activity. Pollution, global warming and nuclear war all make the list of possible culprits. Miller also makes a point of mentioning that it may not be the Earth itself that is destroyed, but the human species.
To close out the book, he looks at some scenarios that would actually destroy the planet, namely collision with some very large space object, whether matter (asteroid) or non-matter (black hole) or the eventual death of the sun. After reading the book, one can breathe much easier. After all, Miller notes that “most fact-based world-ending disasters are thousands, millions and even billions of years in the future.”
This is a fun book that presents the different circumstances that might lead to the end of the world alongside solid scientific explanations of the probability for each. Miller also includes a comprehensive glossary as well as an extensive list of further reading (both non-fiction and fiction) as well as websites and movies to peruse, including a lot of ecological information. Teens, the intended audience, will definitely enjoy the book, but it is smart enough to cross over onto some adult shelves as well.
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