V2 by Robert Harris

 An historical fiction about the V2, the birth of rocketry and from both German and British points of view. If developed earlier in the war the outcome might have been different. It was a terrible weapon used in an awful manner. Fairly well-written with interesting main characters and an enigmatic Werner von Braun in the wings.

Black Elk Speaks by Black Elk

Story of the last days of free Indians in the Black Hills area as told in the words of Black Elk and his contemporaries. Black Elk was a "holy" man who had visions. Engaging if painful story told from a completely "alien" point of view with pre-Christian almost revelation-type visions. Unlike any other book I can recall offhand. It is sad but every American would benefit reading it.

The Shadow of the Sword by Tom Holland

(half read aloud, ended by the more usual method)

As the reviews stated, this ~400-page book takes 300 pages to get to Islam itself. As I understand his thesis, he is saying the origins of Islam are obscure and the dominant narrative is implausible. He doesn't say this, but it is implied, I feel. The vocabulary of the book is quite remarkable. The cast of characters is overwhelming.

 

A Better Man by Louise Penny

 Interesting plot, good characters though her Armand is more saint than human. And her old ladies are too profane for my taste. Explores the desperation of family ties and the sad legacy of domestic violence.

Night of the Confessor by Tomáš Halík

(read for book group)

Very thoughtful writing which probes the meaning of belief and doubt. He is interested in those who don't believe in God but believe in "something." Also he thinks that using words about God's "existence" makes it seem like God is a "thing" or "noun" and that more properly, in short, God exists in a different way than anything else in his creation exists. Perhaps "narration" as in Bible stories is closer than theological and philosophical speculations.

Never too Old for a Pierhead Jump by David Black

Book 6 of 6. Continues the story of Harry Gilmour finishing the war as captain of his sub. Engaging, well-told stories, good characters and pacing, seeing the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and South Asian seas. Stories all historically true it seems, woven into a plausible reality.

The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larsen

For a history so well-known, this account of Churchill and the leadership of WWII was interesting, fresh, and even exciting. The author purposely uses information from a bodyguard, a top aide, and his young daughter to shed a new light on this remarkable man. An engaging read done with respect and delight without ignoring flaws, failures, and the evil of war.

Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather

 (read aloud)

This is a wonderful book. The writing is luminous. This is a deeply spiritual work. It gives a wonderful flavor to the early southwest church planting of the Roman church with its French and Spanish outreaches. The characters are warm and full of humanity.

Unix: A History and a Memoir by Brian Kernighan

Started when computers were slow, minimally connected with small memories. Unix grew, morphed into Linux, and now is everywhere and runs the internet and phones and perhaps (unfortunately) human life. A memoir of genius and geniuses.

Great Formulas Explained by Metin Bektas

 Author is an excellent explainer and has chosen very interesting examples like roller-coasters. Just the right level for me.

The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu by Joshua Hammer

First part of book is good about gathering old Islamic documents held by families in and around Timbuktu, also some history of Mali. The rest of the book is the terrible influx of Jihadis and their eventual ouster by the French and restoration of manuscripts to museums in Timbuktu. However, it gave me no confidence about their safety. Overall not that interesting. Would love to learn more history of Timbuktu and more about early Arabic manuscripts. Some of these have been digitized.

Madame Fourcade's Secret War by Lynne Olson

A very interesting account of the woman who ran one of the largest French resistance spy organizations in WWII. Though dealing with marked chauvinism, she overcame all odds and was highly valued and a very effective leader, though a great personal price, mental physical, and family. A book that has a cast of hundreds but still is very exciting and captivating. It was a terrible time but a time of heroism in the face of cruelty and betrayal.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

(read aloud)

A long convoluted book with many characters and subplots which comes together nicely in the end. About secrets, lost loves, books, friendship and beauty and obsession.

Cold Flat Junction by Martha Grimes

 A second book in a series, a murder mystery from the point of view of a very grown-up 12-year-old. She is largely left to herself and making her way as best she can, with wit and moxie. She is cynical and somewhat jaded but sees through a lot of adult pretensions. She has an attitude but with good reason. A well-drawn character but plot is obscured by too many excursions.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

 A warm witty novel with characters you care about. Written in letters, which is clever and enjoyable. Serious about effects of occupation and value of society and relationship, about literature informing life. About everyone's stories.

The Goat by Roger Simon

 This is a fun read, basically Faust on the pro tennis circuit. Enjoyable, clever, not really profound.

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

 Good writing. Definitely spiritual without sharp edges, gently crafted characters, love and respect modeled and valued.

Trigger Mortis by Anthony Horowitz

(read aloud)

A fun romp with James Bond by Horowitz. Quite clever, good period references Not too explicit. Not Horowitz's best but his prose is enjoyable.

The Bonny Boy by David Black

 Book 4 of 5, good action, good characters. Bit of hanging ending, theme of entire series emerges. As a reader I feel more of a submariner as series progresses. Good leadership themes and a sense of the futile randomness of war.

The Good Shepherd by C. S. Forester

 A U.S. destroyer is escorting a convoy of merchant ships with valuable supplies across the Atlantic, avoiding and attacking "wolf packs" of U-boats. No sleep and little chance even to eat for the captain, who is in charge of his ship and the other escorting ships.

Turn Left for Gibraltar by David Black

 WWII subs working out of besieged Malta. Harry Gilmour is moving up and doing well but difficulties abound, reads true and holds the reader's attention. Book 3 of 5

Camino Winds by John Grisham

(read aloud)

About nursing home fraud. A kind of sequel to Camino Island, about a bookstore owner on Camino Island who in the previous book "sold" a manuscript back to Princeton, in this book an author friend is murdered to prevent his manuscript being published. 

this post refers back to a 2017 review: http://frompagetopage.blogspot.com/2017/11/camino-island-by-john-grisham.html

The Millionaires by Inman Majors

A novel of the new south, of good old boys moving to the "big" city. Business, politics, networking, and loyalty all interweave. Two brothers bound together conquer a fictional Knoxville, Tennessee and bring the World's Fair by hook and by crook. The writing is very good, the plot is actually quite sophisticated, and at the end of the book you realize it is really not about the brothers but about a secondary character who is present but background in most every scene.

Virgil Wander by Leif Enger

(read aloud)

A simply wonderful book about a decent man who suffers a head injury and starts a new chapter in his life in a small Minnesota town where he has lived his entire adult life. Vivid characters you really care about abound. The tone is gentle, the plot interesting, the setting northern-midwest unpretentious, but the ideas are profound and thought-provoking. Very highly recommended.

A Skipper's Dog Called Stalin by David Black

Second of the "Gilmour" novels, Harry is now on a French sub as liaison, since the Free French sub (under deGaulle) is with and not with the British navy. The clash of cultures in the Allies, as reflected on the boat, is very interesting. The plot is exciting and satisfying. Submarining was dangerous!

Gone to Sea in a Bucket by a David Black

 A World War II submarine adventure seen through the eyes of an up-and-coming Scottish reserve officer. Very interesting look at the British navy, its traditions, its language and pretensions. Chapters of description and character building, with chapters of mayhem and fear, mimics the rhythm of wartime naval life. "Bucket" is an uncomfortable boat manned by men used to discomfort. The first of five books, it is very good and quite different from other sub books. Similar to Run Silent Run Deep but based more on a single character and less self-confident about the naval equipment provided, including the boat.

False Assurances by Christopher Rosso

A book about a financially motivated terrorist attack and an unlikely hero, an FBI analyst thrust into field work. A fun quick read.

Dominion by Tom Holland

(read aloud)

This is a long, sweeping survey of Christian history, making the argument that Christianity has molded the thinking of the west. It has done this to an extent that is so great as to be almost paradoxically invisible. Despite the decline of Christianity, it still even influences atheistic attempts at morality. Religio and Reformatio are key terms and defined more by examples than rigorous definition. Well-written, and relentless in supporting his thesis.

109 East Palace by Jennet Conant

 A very good book about Los Alamos and Oppenheimer. Very different from the definitive Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes. It is less about the technical and more about life in Los Alamos. It also is wonderfully sourced by Oppenheimer's female assistants and some other women so it gives a very grounded view of the project and some of the mystery and stress from the point of view of the families and singles. I believe the author is related to James B. Conant and this was a very high-level source. The technical parts are well done as well. If you read one book, read Rhodes, but if you read more, this is the second one to read about this amazing project.

Hamlet by William Shakespeare

(No Fear Shakespeare)

Has been reviewed before by more capable reviewers. I do very much like the "no fear" format.

The Vision of the Anointed by Thomas Sowell

 A brilliant analysis of the elitist 'aristocracy' and their disdain of the masses and the 'average person.' How problems are noted and the solutions were almost always wrong. A very detailed book but quite wonderful and full of wisdom.

Moriarty by Anthony Horowitz

 (read aloud)

Well-written mystery with a very clever twist but an unsatisfying ending, leaving the reader feeling betrayed, though this betrayal is absolutely in character, Moriarty after all being the world's greatest criminal. Holmes, whose shadow is everywhere, never appears.

Still Letting my People Go by Jack R. Davidson

 A very good discussion of Rev. Caruthers's Manuscript Against American Slavery based on Exodus 10:3. Written by our former pastor and covering in detail the reasoning and exegesis and hermeneutic.

The Heavenly City of the Eighteenth-Century Philosophers by Carl L. Becker

 A series of historical lectures given at Yale concerning enlightenment philosophers. It is a remarkable display of erudition and delightful prose with the immediacy of an oral presentation. It avoids polemic and as such is somewhat breezy and tentative, wanting to please all.

How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan

 About mushrooms, pot, LSD and use applications and proponents. Long text with many interviews and descriptions of 'trips,' including the author's. Interesting in terms of therapeutic possibilities but much more research needed.

The Obesity Code by Jason Fung

 Very good book and well-documented. Excellent discussion of insulin hypothesis and good discussion of weakness of low-fat heart hypothesis. Main point is about fasting and its benefits. Very good on what not to eat. Emphasizes longer fasts, 24 to 36 hours.

The Discourses by Epictetus

 Discussion of many issues and concepts. Very abridged version, I think.

The Road to Wigan Pier by George Orwell

 This book is in two parts. The first is a moving and very well-written description of the plight of the mining community and working class in England. It is an amazing example of journalism and descriptive writing. It is hard to read as it portrays so vividly the plight of so many workers of the time. The second part of the book is a political polemic about socialism. It is well-written and very thought-provoking.

The Philadelphia Chromosome by Jessica Wapner

 The story of Gleevec, which shows basic science preparing the way for a theoretical breakthrough. While this is probably an example of theory preceding or at least coinciding with praxis, on further reflection the theory is surely incomplete as there are a multitude of kinases and the specificity of inhibition is somewhat trial and error. Nonetheless the success of Gleevec is really wonderful and at least gives hope.

Conquistador by Buddy Levy

 (read aloud)

A breathtaking account of battle, intrigue, and exploitation. Montezuma and Cortez and a clash of cultures, religions, and destinies. Both wonderful and terrible. Much more interesting than I expected. The Aztec culture must have been amazing at its zenith.

Human Nature by David Berlinski

Berlinski's prose style is not for everyone; some would find it overwrought but I like it. I have noticed after reading almost all his works that he has a habit of sentences bifurcated in an almost dialectic manner, with hints of rabbinical or perhaps Jesuitical reasoning. This book is a series of essays, only two or three directly relating to human nature, the rest of course relating by having a human source, thus serving as exhibits. The passages on essentialism are thought-provoking and valuable. His occasional sexual, provocative excursions are relevant, it seems, only due to the title of the book, and as exhibits of urbanity. His comments on the Notre Dame fire are moving and almost, we hesitate to say, spiritual. More recently he seems more agnostic than atheist, though he seems unable to leave his cynicism aside.

Bound in Venice: The Serene Republic and the Dawn of the Book by Alessandro Marzo Magno

Beautiful paperback about printing in Venice in the 16th - 17th centuries. Ostensibly featuring the "dawn of the book" and publishing as an industry led by Aldus Manutius. Very well written but is more of just a catalog of notable books in the main categories of publishing and the ups and downs of Venice, once a world superpower.

Bible by God

12-31-2019

Earthly Remains by Donna Leon

(read aloud)

Brunetti is burned out and goes to an ocean villa and rows with the caretaker who had been a friend of his late father. The mystery is slow but intriguing and resolves only on the last page!

Eyes in the Sky: The Secret Rise of Gorgon Stare and How it Will Watch Us All by Arthur Holland Michel

Drones with extremely high resolution cameras can see everything in a city and go forward and back in time focusing on whatever they want. The capabilities are increasing and photo and signal surveillance are merging.

The Guardians by John Grisham

(read aloud)

Very good and actually informative about unfair prosecutions and race and the death penalty. Good story, excellent characters, hope in a dark place.

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou

The Theranos scandal, reads like fiction, good investigations, lawyers covering up wrongdoing, nondisclosure agreements, is Elizabeth Holmes a sociopath?

Lion Eyes by Claire Berlinski

Clever plot and fluent writing with laugh out loud moments. Well drawn characters and interesting settings in Paris and Istanbul. Substantive ideas presented subtly without taking herself too seriously. Nicely self referential. Is Claire herself current or former CIA?

Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance

Mr. Vance does a detailed and interesting account of Musk, his life and his exploits. He was eventually given full access to Musk and all his friends and family. Even his enemies and his ex-wives cooperated and largely praised him. This is a saga that continues and Musk is underestimated at one's peril.

Paradise Lost by John Milton

Read and appreciated more than enjoyed. A stunning display of erudition. Any comprehension was contingent on the "argument" at the beginning of each "book." It would take a full course to explain even the most famous allusions, especially the non-scriptural ones.

The Late Scholar by Jill Paton Walsh

(read aloud)

A continuation of Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane. Quite good really. Enjoyable and very well written. Some slight missteps of tone to my ears which seem "un-Sayers-like" but perhaps missed if I hadn't known Sayers wasn't the author. Very good in all.

From Nature to Creation: A Christian Vision for Loving and Understanding our World by Norman Wirzba

This is about revering the world, actually seeing it, not using it and not objectifying it but caring for it and loving it as a creation. Idolatry is different than iconography. He sources and joins Wendell Berry. It is a deep but good book. His view of money is very interesting and probably corrective.

Quantum: A Thriller (Captain Chase) by Patricia Cornwell

Terrible writing, no plot, trite characters. A waste of time.

The Book: A History of the Bible by Christopher De Hamel

A beautiful book, wonderful reproductions of ancient manuscripts and pages from Bibles. The writing is very interesting and nuanced. The text we have is very accurately transmitted.

Unto Us a Son is Born by Donna Leon

(read aloud)

Very good mystery of an adult adoption and a hidden past and musings about love and lust and justice and friendship. Beautifully written.

Unnatural Death by Dorothy Sayers

(read aloud)

Read years ago, but very much enjoyed again. Wonderful writing, vivid characters, fantastic involved plot (spoiler alert: air embolism!). Class, men and women's roles, education all involved. Each character's dialog is true to them and their ideas as well, but done deftly.

King Lear by William Shakespeare (no-fear Shakespeare)

This book is one of a series with the original text on the left and a contemporary version on the right-facing page. I was amazed how much I needed the translation to not only illuminate phrases I didn't understand but also to correct my understanding of words and phrases I thought I did understand. A very pleasant and efficient approach to Shakespeare at my level.

Jim Ryun, master of the mile by John Lake

Engaging story of my childhood idol. A trip into the past, and a pleasant nostalgia overdose.

Campusland: A Novel by Scott Johnston

A very enjoyable over the top satire about current campus correctness and associated absurdity. Rated R but funny.

Delta-v by Daniel Suarez

Sci-fi about asteroid mining and amoral billionaires and astronauts like Navy Seals and the politics involved. Interesting orbital mechanics, hence the title. Worth reading but not great; characters generic, plot generic, science fair.

Life is a Miracle by Wendell Berry

The idea of creature and place and familiarity and love and localism and family and the land and what is being lost. A thousand ideas beautifully written, a lifetime of thought and care. A glimpse of, dare I say, Eden.

On Trails: An Exploration by Robert Moor

Detailed treatment of the idea and reality of trails; what they are, the stories they tell, and what they mean. It is metaphorized, even metaphysical, and at times stretched, it seems to me.

The Catcher was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg by Nicholas Dawidoff

A major league catcher who went to law school in the off-season and spoke 5-7 languages joined the OSS and spied on German scientists and nuclear bomb experimenters in Italy and Switzerland. Very reclusive even after hundreds of interviews. The author paints a very shadowy picture of the spy who knew Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio, and Nelson Rockefeller.

12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson

Peterson takes archetypal narratives in an eclectic manner, addresses them psychologically, and serves them up in a clear practical manner. The expositions are longer and less direct than I expected but richer and more immersive as a result. Classically liberal in its ethic, it is nonetheless deeply conservative in its reverence for the "old stories." It is also, I would say, deeply spiritual without being religious. A book that could be life-changing for some.

A Man Lay Dead: Inspector Roderick Alleyn #1 by Ngaio Marsh

(read aloud)

A group in an English mansion playing a murder game. What could go wrong? Wait for it! A real murder. Still it was really a pretty good mystery. Had fun looking up English words.

A Noble Radiance by Donna Leon

(read aloud)

An heir of a noble family is kidnapped, his body found, and Brunetti solves the case, which shows the difficult fate of justice in Italy. Good writing, fair plot.

Charlatans by Robin Cook

Usual Robin Cook fare, mediocre writing, stereotyped medical settings, awkward dialog. But alas, I couldn't put it down and read the whole thing. You know things aren't the way they appear, but somehow are still surprised.

How to Land a Plane by Mark Vanhoenacker

Delightful short book by the author of Skyfaring. He says if you are really in need of this book, skip immediately to chapter 2!

The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz

(read aloud)

Delightful murder mystery. Greatly enjoyed. Again, the word is 'meta,' fiction written as if it was real by a character who is the author bound by the facts and characters in the case who are sometimes real people. Writing by a writer about a writer (himself) who is writing the book you are reading.

Point Blank (Alex Rider adventure) by Anthony Horowitz

Engaging youth (male-oriented) fiction read because of interest in Horowitz's adult mysteries.

The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester

Winchester does it again, talking about engineering precision past to present. Much of this engineering occurs out of our sight and unnoticed. He talks about the machines that make the machines.

Galileo Goes to Jail and Other Myths about Science and Religion by Ronald L. Numbers

These essays are interesting in the way they both debunk and bolster almost every story. These "myths" seem to contain an important grain of truth but also excess, exaggeration, or agenda. As such it was both disappointing and surprising. Written by non-believers, with considerable integrity.

How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill

An interesting and surprising book that is well written and coherent and organized. It is at times delightful and full of life. My most complimentary word would be that I see it as important.

Fatal Grace by Louise Penny

(read aloud)

Inspector Gamache mystery, one of her earlier ones, writing not as good, plot quite good. Stories continue so probably should read in order.

Counting Backwards: A Doctor's Notes on Anesthesia by Henry Jay Przybylo

An engaging account of the work and the rewards and trials of a pediatric anesthesiologist. He describes the obsession with detail and routine which allow him to tell parents "nothing will happen." He seems to have mastered his craft to the point where he can see beyond into the lives of his patients and even beyond ordinary expectations to aspire to the highest level of pain relief.

The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz

(read aloud)

I loved everything about this book. It is even more self-referential, even recursive, than Magpie Murders, if that is possible. The writing is clever, the plot is interesting, the characters are wonderfully drawn. Is he being original, or have I just missed other works of this kind?

Je suis née en Chine by Jean Fritz

(read aloud)

Enjoyable tale of growing up in China as an American expat family. From the point of view of a little girl who loves China and dreams of life in America. Delightful and actually quite suspenseful as conditions for westerners are rapidly becoming more dangerous. Problems on the world stage juxtaposed with a young girl's concerns about being accepted on her arrival in America.

The Book of Why: The New Science of Cause and Effect by Judea Pearl and Dana Mackenzie

This book purports to present a revolutionary idea. Pearl gives credit to many predecessors and it seems he is widely considered to be a leader in his field and to have come up with some real breakthroughs. It seems to me that his basic idea, that we can prove causation using diagrams and a do-calculus, depends on his diagrams showing ALL the possible influences. If not, it seems to me that his ideas devolve into a probabilistic model that he deprecates.

Also I wonder if his do-calculus has any relation to basic lambda-calculus or other mathematical logic systems that preceded it. It would seem unlikely that this would be completely new. He claims we will soon see practical applications in studies. He makes a good case that by explicitly using his diagrams, whole arms of some trials may be unnecessary, with great benefits, of simplicity and cost.

The Joy of x: A Guided Tour of Math, from One to Infinity by Steven Strogaz

A series of chapters, each dealing with a field of mathematics. Every one is well done and interesting, and well explained. The joy in the title is well deserved.

Maps of Meaning by Jordan Peterson

A very deep difficult book about the evolutionary roots of meaning and self-actualization. It is a psychological, physiological, and philosophical approach with a base of Jungian thought. There is also a deep foray into the reality of evil and malevolence as primary reality. The argument seems coherent and plausible but extremely dense. It is very eclectic, making it seem a bit disorganized, but I think it is more that some parts require a second or third reading to understand. There were parts that I failed to understand but am quite sure this is due to my lack of persistence rather than a fault of the writer.