A Cavacade of books I have read from mid-to-late 2008
In some sort of semi-alphabetical order, these are the twenty-two books I’ve read since my last book review, so very long, long ago. Surprisingly on retrospect, the list is more heavily weighted with non-fiction than normal for me.
This will be the extent of my reviews on these books. Hopefully I can begin again with normal (or semi-normal, or semi-semi-normal) reviews starting with my current read, which I will soon finish-- James Michener's The Source (read in Danish translation Kilden).
Until then the following will have to suffice.
Fiction:
Blind Faith by Ben Elton. Incredibly funny and creepy too. A good view into a possible future society run by religious fundamentalists. We do not want to go there!
Mind the Gap by Christopher Golden and Tim Lebbon. This one should come with a warning-mindless Young Adult novel. OK, so now I’ve read a neo-gothic punk novel, and I wasn’t terribly impressed.
The Boys from Brazil (in Danish translation, Drengene fra Brasilien) by Ira Levin. Spooky and suspenseful, albeit a bit out-of-date. Still quite an enjoyable read about an attempt to create a Hitlerian group of über-boys.
The Ghost of Munich by Georges-Marc Benamou. An historic novel covering the Munich Agreement between Germany’s Adolf Hitler, England’s Neville Chamberlain and France’s Édouard Daladier, as experienced by Daladier and told in his later life. A fascinating subject. The treatment, however of the subject, was thoughtful but not terribly exciting.
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. A charming novel by the wife of author Jonathon Safran Foer (my review of his novel, Everything Is Illuminated- http://square-dansk.livejournal.com/27486.html). A good read.
The Last Oracle by James Rollins. This is the latest suspense and action novel in the SIGMA Force series by one of my favorite pop writers. Here is my review of Subterranean. James Rollins can do no wrong.
The Ministry of Special Cases by Nathan Englander. This is the riveting story of a family in 1970s Buenos Aires during the Dirty War whose university-aged son is disappeared. Englander portrayal of the family is wonderful-- stoicism, chutzpah, resignation, feistiness, sardonic world-weary humour. A family battling a situation beyond its control.
The People of Paper by Salvador Plascencia. A lovely, well-written book with a unique, modern style about Mexican-Americans in California coping with the American lifestyle.
The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett. Witty and delightfuly reading by one of the ultimate American detective writers. The basis for the popular Nick and Nora Charles movies starring William Powell and Myrna Loy.
Non-fiction:
Genome by Matt Ridley. Wow! A new favorite writer, Ridley presents his subject in an easy-to-understand and fascinating manner for the lay reader. If I’d have thought the genome would be so interesting I might have taken my biology classes a little more seriously as a youngster.
Nature via Nurture: Genes, Experience and What Makes Us Human by Matt Ridley. Continuing to make Matt Ridley a new favorite author, I experienced his insights into the Nature versus/via Nurture argument. Great writing on a deeply fascinating subject.
Sin In The Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys and the Battle for America’s Soul by Karen Abbott. Another interesting view of turn-of-the-century Chicago and the people who made it a fascinating town. Sometimes compared to The Devil in the White City ( my short review)- but about another aspect of the same city at the same time.
The Ancestor’s Tale by Richard Dawkins. An evolutionary pilgrimage back to life’s common ancestor. Wow. Not for the evolutionarily squeemish.
The Blind Watchman by Richard Dawkins. A fascinating book about the inevitability of evolution., written by the author of The God Delusion, and one of the forces behind the current atheist bus signage campaign. Ride on.
The Enemy Within: A History of Spies, Spymasters and Espionage by Terry Crowdy. The history of the subject was a bit dry. Well, what did I expect after all?
The Google Story: Inside the Hottest Business, Media and Technology Success of Our Time by David A. Vise. An interesting story about an interesting company that only keeps getting more and more interesting.
The Plan of Chicago: Daniel Burnham and the Remaking of the American City by Carl Smith. The story of the “plan” that has come to define my hometown, Sweet Home Chicago, and its creator architect Daniel Burnham. Burnham was also one of the main characters in The Devil in the White City ( my short review). I was delighted during 2008 to see another one of his designs- the Burnham Mall- when we visited Cleveland.
The Post American World by Fareed Zakaria. A riveting analysis of what life in the post-American period could look like.
The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein. An engrossing analysis of the use of shock in modern politics, economics and social engineering by the controversial writer. A wake-up call for anyone who has been sleeping during the past twenty years.
The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. More genetic and evolutionary wondertelling by the fabuous Mr. Dawkins.
The Wrecking Crew: The American Right And the Lust for Power by Thomas Frank. An insightful view into the powerlusting American Right-wing politics of the past USA administration or three.
Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything by Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams. Eye-opening thoughts about the future of the workplace. Sign me up.