false 7 40 39 true 5959312 read 1 true 4199609 currently-reading 0 true 4199608 to-read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75348981 Pies and Prejudice: In Search of the North (Paperback) by Stuart Maconie
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74431860 to: World City Network: A Global Urban Analysis (Paperback) by Peter J. Taylor
Taylor argues that attempts to study "the city" misses the point - the truth lies in analysis of global networks between cities. Interesting read but one which has all the flaws of the "globalization is changing everything!" literature, including a complete and utter disregard for the non-economic roles of the state. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74431944 to: Stories of Mr. Keuner (Paperback) by Bertolt Brecht
Brecht's book of wisdom through aphorism. Mr. K is talking to him, or Mr. K is walking over there, or Mr. K thinks this and that and the other. And at the end of the paragraph, each unrelated to the next, I think the idea is for the reader is nod his head up and down, and maybe even emit an "ah ha" at some of the really witty ones. For the most part I wasn't nodding, but being that it is Brecht, some of his points ring true.

This is a book for your coffeetable to give guests something to do while you're brewing some tea. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/74192654 to: Cities in Civilization (Hardcover) by Peter Hall
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72092247 to: Demian (Paperback) by Hermann Hesse
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71676208 to: Four Major Plays: Volume 2 (Paperback) by Henrik Johan Ibsen
Oh there's nothing like some Ibsen stage directions to engross a reader.

This collection of four plays by the Norwegian great Henrik Ibsen offers a selection of some of his well-regarded if less famous work. Those who have seen/read Doll's House or the Wild Duck will find these plays familiar although the conflicts are on a different scale. In An Enemy of the People, for example - and not only because it was my favorite -, a respected doctor is determined to inform his town that the local baths are not merely a source of wealth but also a source of disease thanks to dangerous pollution. When the people slowly realize the threat this claim poses to their prosperity the result is conflict not only in household but also in community, which adds an even stronger sense of suspension and tension to that found in better recognized Isben works. At core however remains the playwright's profound suspicion over Victorian morality and the thoughtlessness of following social expectations at the expense of truth.

Ghosts is excellent as well. Also included are Lady from the Sea and John Gabriel Borkman. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/68173831 to: The Return of the Native (Oxford World's Classics) by Thomas Hardy
Pure Hardy: a tragedy of life fueled by romance set in an idyllic rural setting. The characters are a bit harshly drawn but for the most part I was too consumed with the impending collision that is slowly built up to mind.

Not his best but certainly a decent Victorian novel.
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/68173713 to: Government of the United Kingdom (Paperback) by Gwendolen M. Carter
Not very helpful for those of us in 2009 trying to learn a thing or two about British government. It's nothing the author could have helped but the passage of time and lack of updated versions leaves much of the text antiquated. If you stumble upon it anyway the sections on basic construction of the British government and the development of institutions throughout history is informative, but don't bother to even turn to the chapters on political parties or contemporary issues. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/68173615 to: Cities, Economic Competition and Urban Policy (Paperback) by Mr Nick Oatley
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/65156100 to: The Making of England to 1399 (History of England, vol. 1) by C. Warren Hollister
Very glad I read this. A straight-forward political, religios, economic, and cultural history of England from Roman times through the end of the High Middle Ages that is accessible, interesting, and easy-to-read.

The authors do an excellent job explaining the importance not only of notable events but also of the even more influential development of trends. Readers walk away with more than enough dates and facts to store away into memory, but the true value is understanding that English history happened much less in fits and starts than in slow, nearly imperceptible developments over time. It is less important to remember the dates of sucession between mideval kings than to have a broad conception of the development of royal government; it's great to recall that Magna Charter was written in 1215 but even greater to understand how principles of individualism leaked their ways into the English consciousness. The Making of England provides you with both, and the result leaves you with a broad understanding of the projectory of English history on the cusp of the modern era. ]]>