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July 19
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Don
gave
 
to:
Justinian's Flea: The First Great Plague and the End of the Roman Empire (Paperback)
by William Rosen
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my rating:
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read in July, 2008
Don said:
"This is a misfire.
I was interested in the subject--the impact of the Plague on the Sixth Century Roman Empire and how it helped bring an end to the era of antiquity and the contributed to the development of nation states in Europe.
However----...more
This is a misfire.
I was interested in the subject--the impact of the Plague on the Sixth Century Roman Empire and how it helped bring an end to the era of antiquity and the contributed to the development of nation states in Europe.
However----
The first 1/2 of the book is a survey of the Roman Empire in the late Fifth and Sixth Centuries, up to Justinian's regime. After that, the author abruptly veers off into a lengthy explanation of the history or bacteria, the detailed biological underpinnings of epidemic bacterial diseases and, yes, the bubonic plague. This goes on for a good 40-50 pages, and the author even manages to work in some discussion of the theory of intelligent design. I found this section too technical and, frankly, inappropriately lengthy. (Steven Johnson's The Ghost Map, which I recently read, managed to deal with cholera in Nineteenth Century London in a much more efficient and readable manner.)
When the author finally addresses the incidents of plague, I found his discussion a bit scattered; he never really fully deals with his core questions--how did the plague affect Constantinople's control of those portions of Europe nominally under its rule; how did it promote the development of nations?...less
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July 10
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Don
gave
to:
The Last Coyote (Paperback)
by Michael Connelly
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in July, 2008
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July 06
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Don
gave
to:
The Perfect Summer Perfect Summer: England 1911, Just Before the Storm England 1911, Just Before the Storm (Paperback)
by Juliet Nicolson
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in July, 2008
Don said:
"This is kind of a snapshot of England in the summer of 1911. That summer was unusually warm and sunny.
The book is interesting as a description of the social scene of the aristocracy and upper classes of England; it also somewhat less successfull...more
This is kind of a snapshot of England in the summer of 1911. That summer was unusually warm and sunny.
The book is interesting as a description of the social scene of the aristocracy and upper classes of England; it also somewhat less successfully describes the summer experience of the working class. The author's efforts to describe the political and international issues confronting England at that time are fragmented and, as a result, not particularly insightful....less
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July 01
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Don
gave
to:
Grifter's Game (Hard Case Crime #1)
by Lawrence Block
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in July, 2008
Don said:
"Its definitely disturbing towards the end.
Written in 1961, it seems to be near the end of that '50's hard-boiled style. Writing economically, Block moves his story along at a fast pace. Ultimately, there is nothing particularly memorable about ...more
Its definitely disturbing towards the end.
Written in 1961, it seems to be near the end of that '50's hard-boiled style. Writing economically, Block moves his story along at a fast pace. Ultimately, there is nothing particularly memorable about the characters or the story which would make this book more than just a good example of the genre. One jarring note--the narrator quotes Kipling and Shakespeare, which certainly seems out of character.
We forget how the world once revolved around cash--no credit cards, so everything was paid in cash. How times change....less
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June 30
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Don
gave
to:
Cities in Flight (Paperback)
by James Blish
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in June, 2008
Don said:
"This didn't feel as good as it did the several times I read this book in my younger days. However, it remains one of the great science fiction works, a well-conceived future speculation, written by a craftsman used to putting plot front and center.
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June 21
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Don
gave
to:
We Always Treat Women Too Well (New York Review Books Classics)
by Raymond Queneau
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in June, 2008
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June 20
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Don
gave
to:
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life (Paperback)
by Walter Isaacson
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in June, 2008
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June 08
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Don
gave
to:
Fellow Travelers: A Novel (Hardcover)
by Thomas Mallon
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in June, 2008
Don said:
"I've read a number of Mallon's prior historical novels. This is similar in nature, in that the story of one or more ordinary people takes place with the backdrop of historical events in America, in this case Washington, D.C. during the McCarthy era....more
I've read a number of Mallon's prior historical novels. This is similar in nature, in that the story of one or more ordinary people takes place with the backdrop of historical events in America, in this case Washington, D.C. during the McCarthy era.
As with his other books, this one is well written and the characters draw you in. And yet, I find that a year or two later, I can't really remember anything about his novels....less
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June 03
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Don
gave
to:
A Political Education: A Washington Memoir (Paperback)
by Harry McPherson
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in June, 2008
Don said:
"Harry McPherson came to Washington in 1956 and worked for the Democrats in the Senate under LBJ and briefly Mike Mansfield, in brief stints in the Defense and State Departments and then in the White House for LBJ. This book is his memoir of those ex...more
Harry McPherson came to Washington in 1956 and worked for the Democrats in the Senate under LBJ and briefly Mike Mansfield, in brief stints in the Defense and State Departments and then in the White House for LBJ. This book is his memoir of those experiences in government and politics.
I searched for this book (which is out of print) because I had read somewhere that it is one of the great works on contemporary politics. I can't vouch for that, but it certainly is an interesting and informative memoir. McPherson provides some real insights into the workings of the Senate (at least in terms of how it was in the second half of the '50's) as well as one viewpoint (certainly not the only one) of LBJ's decision to halt the bombing of North Vietnam as a prelude to a negotiation process.
The LBJ Vietnman issue, which McPherson sees as a real tragedy, is particularly interesting when viewed in comparison to the Bush II administration dealing with the current dilemma of Iraq. McPherson shows LBJ taking counsel from a range of "wise old men", members of Congress, academics, experts in the region and others and gradually coming to the conclusion that a course reversal was required. It's unfortunate, to put it mildly, that the current administration does not have the intellect or will to do anything like that....less
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May 25
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Don
gave
to:
The Rising Tide: A Novel of World War II (Hardcover)
by Jeff Shaara
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in May, 2008
Don said:
"Yet another of Jeff Shaara's historical novels about America's wars. This is the first in a series about World War II. Because it focuses on America's first battles in Europe (the campaigns in North Africa and Sicily)--events about which I know pra...more
Yet another of Jeff Shaara's historical novels about America's wars. This is the first in a series about World War II. Because it focuses on America's first battles in Europe (the campaigns in North Africa and Sicily)--events about which I know practically nothing--it is very interesting.
However, I think that, at least in this book, Shaara is more successful describing the commanders--Rommel, Patton, Eisenhower, etc-- and the broader sweep of battle than the actual experience of the common soldier. The latter has been done with more effect by Stephen Ambrose and probably others....less
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