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July 21
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A-ron
gave
 
to:
How the Irish Saved Civilization (Hinges of History)
by Thomas Cahill
bookshelves:
history,
nonfiction
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in July, 2008
A-ron said:
"A fun pop-history. This writer humanizes the history with his accessible prose.
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July 12
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A-ron
gave
to:
Underworld: The Mysterious Origins of Civilization (Paperback)
by Graham Hancock
bookshelves:
nonfiction
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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recommended for: No one
read in July, 2008
A-ron said:
"A serendipitous find on my local library's shelves, Underworld is filling the time while I await God's Crucible. The primary concept put forth by the author is fluffy at first glance, that Sumeria was preceded by millennia of civilization yet undisco...more
A serendipitous find on my local library's shelves, Underworld is filling the time while I await God's Crucible. The primary concept put forth by the author is fluffy at first glance, that Sumeria was preceded by millennia of civilization yet undiscovered. The author however does not overreach when proposing this hypothesis which elevates him above Atlantean cranks. He is however an enthusiast drawing together compelling evidence for an antediluviuan civilization. Unfortuantely this evidence is presented in an superficially logical sequence while the "evidence" is largely circumstantial and occasionally fabricated. This is by no means a scholarly work.
Nevertheless I was happy with this book until I realized that he WAS misrepresenting himself as an explorer of uncharted territory. He implies that he is on the cutting edge of discovery - an explorer - which is actually untrue. Furthermore he lies outright when he claims that the marine branch of archaeology has had little influence on its terrestrial cousin. The implication is that no one has studied this stuff which disregards a significant body of research in this area already. I was furious when I realized that the writer was lying to me, deliberately overlooking contrary evidence, including wide swaths of historical and archaeological evidence.
While the writing is enjoyable, and the basic idea - that perhaps ice age civilizations can be found under water - is compelling and reasonable, I hate writers who misrepresent their case to a general audience. Yes, HATE. He has done a great disservice to his readers and misinformed them. I encourage you to read the rebuttles to his claims. They are much more enlightening and could possibly lead you to a much more interesting understanding of history....less
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July 10
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A-ron
is currently reading:
The Big Four: The Story of Huntington, Stanford, Hopkins, and Crocker, and of the Building of the Central Pacific (The Railroads)
by Oscar Lewis
bookshelves:
currently-reading,
history,
nonfiction
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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A-ron said:
"My grandfather gave me an old edition of this book (it lacks an ISBN) a decade before he died, but I hadn't got around to reading it until now. The writing so far is decent and clear although not brilliant. The writer however appears to have conducte...more
My grandfather gave me an old edition of this book (it lacks an ISBN) a decade before he died, but I hadn't got around to reading it until now. The writing so far is decent and clear although not brilliant. The writer however appears to have conducted some of the original research needed for the writing of this book which I think is remarkable....less
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A-ron
is currently reading:
God's Crucible: Islam and the Making of Europe, 570-1215 (Hardcover)
by David Levering Lewis
bookshelves:
currently-reading,
history,
nonfiction
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in July, 2008
A-ron said:
"One of the few books recently that I didn't find lying on the street. This one is a Sandy Public Library find.
I like the history. The author so far is tolerable if a little too pretentious of an academic. Regardless the history when compared to o...more
One of the few books recently that I didn't find lying on the street. This one is a Sandy Public Library find.
I like the history. The author so far is tolerable if a little too pretentious of an academic. Regardless the history when compared to others in this period that I have read seems spot on and well balanced. Full review is forthcoming when I finish this bad boy. Unfortunately I'll have to check it out once more this time from the Oakland Public Library, so it may be awhile....less
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A-ron
gave
to:
Arizona Adventure: Action-Packed True Tales of Early Arizona (Paperback)
by Marshall Trimble
bookshelves:
history,
nonfiction
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in July, 2008
A-ron said:
"Another book found on the street. A collection of stories in several chapters about the colorful characters of the old west.
Solid read. Well researched. Entertaining writer.
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June 13
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A-ron
gave
to:
Iran (Pelican)
by R. Ghirshman
bookshelves:
history,
nonfiction
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in June, 2008
A-ron said:
"I found this book on the sidewalk and thought "why not give it a try?" Well... the prehistory section is very difficult to get through as I don't have the background to decode the references. The book is not intended to be accessible to a g...more
I found this book on the sidewalk and thought "why not give it a try?" Well... the prehistory section is very difficult to get through as I don't have the background to decode the references. The book is not intended to be accessible to a general audience. Cimmerian was one of the few recognizable tribes - and thought due to "Conan". Despite the difficulties of puzzling out references to Period II pottery and the like early on, I've since made it through to the "Parthians" in Roman times and found that the reading became easier further into the book.
Anyhow, the subject is fascinating, even if the writing is academic and dense.
*** Since this book is unlikely to ever receive a synopsis here is one:
This is non-fiction, an early history of Iran through archaelogical evidence and ancient texts. The author was an expert on the subject, having spent many years in the field researching Iran. It begins in prehistory and continues to the Islamic conquest. Within you'll find many illustrations and photographs of old artifacts, as well as maps with ancient names on them. The narrative as I have said is dense with information, but becomes easier to read as one progresses out of the darkness of prehistory into more familiar territory....less
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A-ron
gave
to:
Lone War Trail Of Apache Kid (Paperback)
by Earl R. Forrest
bookshelves:
history,
nonfiction
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in June, 2008
A-ron said:
"The story - through second hand information as well as some primary sources - of an Apache nicknamed the Apache Kid. Due to circumstances he left his position as an Apache scout in the United States military and went on the run. His legend tells of a...more
The story - through second hand information as well as some primary sources - of an Apache nicknamed the Apache Kid. Due to circumstances he left his position as an Apache scout in the United States military and went on the run. His legend tells of a murderous war path across the desert of Arizona and Northern Mexico. He was never caught, and according to the author seems to have lived out the last of his days on a ranch in the Sierra Madre mountains.
This book is not particularly well written, but still the style of writing fits with the tall tales of the old west so it works somehow. Still it purports to be a historical work of non-fiction and so the fictional presentation renders suspect most of the writer claims. Nevertheless I enjoyed reading the first hand accounts from his interviews. So all in all a mixed bag. For real history, I'd look elsewhere. But the flavor of this quick read along with its anecdotes are worth something. I found it - an old hard back no less - on the sidewalk along with a large pile of other books so I can't complain....less
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May 21
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A-ron
gave
to:
Hunting with the Bow & Arrow (Paperback)
by Saxton Pope
bookshelves:
nonfiction
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in May, 2008
A-ron said:
"Easy to read treatise on the bow and arrow. The great value of this book is the additional information on Ishi. Saxton Pope was his doctor, and the two became friends. Ishi taught him quite a bit about his hunting methods, woodcraft, archery, bow mak...more
Easy to read treatise on the bow and arrow. The great value of this book is the additional information on Ishi. Saxton Pope was his doctor, and the two became friends. Ishi taught him quite a bit about his hunting methods, woodcraft, archery, bow making etc.... As a window onto California's past, this book is invaluable.
You can download it for free at Project Guttenberg. I highly recommend doing so if you are at all interested....less
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A-ron
gave
to:
Yoga for People Who Can't Be Bothered to Do It (Paperback)
by Geoff Dyer
bookshelves:
fiction
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in May, 2008
A-ron said:
"Witty and well written, but empty of relevance. It is reminiscent to me of the movie Slacker. Still despite the apparent purposelessness of the narrative it does arrive somewhere, and frequently along the way the narrator makes brilliant observations...more
Witty and well written, but empty of relevance. It is reminiscent to me of the movie Slacker. Still despite the apparent purposelessness of the narrative it does arrive somewhere, and frequently along the way the narrator makes brilliant observations. Unfortunately the "answer" that the narrator finds in the end is shallow. Still despite my scathing remarks this collection of short stories is worth the read. As long as you have no expectations its an enjoyable experience....less
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March 04
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New comment on Sandi Kallas's review of
Neuromancer
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