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CRAIG'S 50 BOOKS READ IN 2012
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Craig
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Jul 20, 2012 03:51AM
Personally I prefer to include a text link to the book cover so I can see the title without having to scroll over the image. Thanks.
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The format is not optional. Please let me know if this is going to be a problem for you. I think we were pretty clear when we set up the thread for you.
Here is the format and you were using it successfully until post 35 so there were no issues; I have been away on family business otherwise I would have caught this earlier.
Please check post one and please make the appropriate changes; I am sorry if somehow you misunderstood that it was OK to put in extra.
Craig, here is your new thread for 2012.
Our Format:
JANUARY
1.
Winston S. ChurchillFinish date: March 2008
Genre: (whatever genre the book happens to be)
Rating: A
Review: You can add text from a review you have written but no links to any review elsewhere even goodreads. And that is about it. Just make sure to number consecutively and just add the months.
Note: I will delete required format post once you get started.
_____________________________________________________________________
One thing that you can do which will improve the readability and not change the required format is the following - put the title in bold above the required format - I will allow this in the threads. We have reasons for our standards, rules, guidelines and format and you did say that you would follow it. We have no arguments about these things so I hope you will oblige and remedy the entries after entry 35 and that we have your continued cooperation as we did in messages 1 - 35. Our rules, guidelines, formats are not optional and there have been many folks who try to chisel away at them believing that they have a better idea for our group.
Craig, here is your new thread for 2012.
Our Format:
JANUARY
My Early Life
1.
Winston S. ChurchillFinish date: March 2008
Genre: (whatever genre the book happens to be)
Rating: A
Review: You can add text from a review you have written but no links to any review elsewhere even goodreads. And that is about it. Just make sure to number consecutively and just add the months.
Note: I will delete required format post once you get started.
29.
by Edwin O'ConnorFinish date: July 21, 2012
Rating: A-
Genre: Fiction
A classic novel about big city bosses and political machines published in 1956. It's a surprisingly moving account of Frank Skeffington, the aging boss of an unnamed northeastern city (Boston?) who realizes his latest campaign for mayor will likely be his last hurrah in politics and life.
Frank has his negative traits but is lovingly described by the author and I imagine most readers would be like me and really cast a vote for him if they had a chance.
Now I need to go find the movie they made about this book which starred Spencer Tracy!
Mod
30.
by
Robert F. KennedyFinish date: July 27, 2012
Rating: B-
Genre: Cold War History
Review: Although this book lacks any sort of passion in its delivery and even seems rushed in its writing, you can't deny its historical significance as one of the primary first-hand accounts of the events of the Cuban Missile Crisis as chronicled by one of the events main players, Robert F. Kennedy.
Written in 1968 and published posthumously just a few months following the author's assassination during the 1968 election, this thin book offers Kennedy's memories of the events of this scary time in American history.
Probably best-read along with some secondary source reviews of the Cold War, it nevertheless is an important addition to any historical bookshelf.
Bryan and Mike,Thanks for the suggestions.
August31.
by
Ridley PearsonFinish date: August 1, 2012
Rating: C+
Genre: Children's Fiction
Review: My boys are really into all things Disney so this series has become popular around our home, especially after our summer vacation trip to Florida last week.
This is an interesting series for its insight into the Disney parks, but I can't really recommend it for any other reasons. Pearson is just not a great writer, in my humble opinion, and his character set-up into the five lead teenagers who are part of this ongoing series and who take you on behind-the-scenes mystery tours of the Disney Kingdom (five books have been published thus far in the series) just is not that deep.
But my twin boys like the books so I guess that's the most important thing.
32.
by
David E. Hoffman Finish date: August 6, 2012
Rating: A-
Genre: Cold War History
Review: Very powerful summation of the aspects of the Cold War that did not end in 1991, the unanswered questions about the biological, chemical and nuclear weapons that still remain behind in the former Soviet Union. A winner of the Pulitzer Prize for best non-fiction work in 2010, this account written by former Washington Post journalist David E. Hoffman is both accessible and eye-opening. At its heart it's another review of the Cold War - spies, negotiations, threats, and the culture of personality make up its heart - but by focusing on a part of the Cold War that has not been very well covered in other books, it really makes important statements about the global threats that remain with us.
33.
by Mary Elise SarotteFinish date: August 11, 2012
Rating: C+
Genre: Cold War History
Review: Kind of a boring and mechanical look at the endgame of the Cold War. Interesting for just one reason - its argument that the United States and Soviet Union were not important players in the ending of the Cold War and it really revolved around German leadership, specifically Helmut Kohl. But the writing style was so drab that it made for a challenging reading.
This was the last of seven books I read this summer related to the Cold War. There were some very enjoyable books in that group, but this one rated near the least interesting of the collection.
You are moving right along and reading some great stuff. Enjoying your reviews. Keep on reading!
34.
by
Tim WeinerFinish date: Augsut 13, 2012
Rating: A-
Genre: American History
Review: Lucky enough to be a member of the group here that was offered advance reading copies of this book, I'm finally finished with this fascinating look at the history of the FBI's role in the gathering of intelligence over the past 100 years.
Every major American political and social scandal, military crisis, and important moment seems to be in this book which can probably best be described with the word 'overwhelming'. It's a very well-researched and fascinating book, but at times I wanted the narrative to slow down and provide more detail and analysis.
With textbook precision, Weiner writes expertly about American intelligence history over the past century and the FBI's role within so many major events. But the book proceeds with such blinding speed that I finished the book wondering what its ultimate purpose was and still struggling to find its thesis. I learned a lot of great stories and vignettes related to American history by reading Enemies, but I don't think I really have any greater understanding of why the FBI became the important crime-fighting agency it has come to signify.
My final observation on the book is it also stands alone as a valuable biography of J. Edgar Hoover. Weiner is quite sympathetic to Hoover and one message the book contains is the FBI struggled for 40 years to find a leader worthy enough to follow Hoover before it may have found one who is close in its current leader, Robert Mueller.
35.
by
Robert A. CaroFinish date: August 20, 2012
Rating: A
Genre: Presidential Biographies
Review: Outstanding summary of the six years that advanced Lyndon Johnson from a Senate power to a White House forgotten man to a President who did more in the first few months of his presidency than almost any man in American history. Caro's fourth volume in his epic biographical study on LBJ is one of the best history books of the year and provides so much insight into a man who still (sadly and surprisingly to me) trails JFK in most presidential rankings.
Although there is so much to admire in this book, in particular the parts focusing on the hatred between RFK and LBJ (even if other books have covered this exclusively), the study of how LBJ immediately took charge following JFK's death and his magnificent handling of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and JFK's 1963 budget are the most memorable for me. The book might have a few flaws (some critics claim Caro's analysis of the Cuban Missile Crisis is not entirely accurate and I don't like how the author constantly asks readers to refer to another book in his Years of LBJ series for more information on a subject he covers in this volume), but it really is masterful.
Looking forward to discussing this when the History Book Club opens it up for group discussion soon.
Mod
Bentley wrote: "Craig, great review of Enemies. Please do a copy and paste and put it on the Final Thoughts thread so that everyone discussing the book can see it there. I know that Tim Weiner would appreciate it."I did post a slightly different version of that review in that thread already. It was done the same day as the review in this thread, but again, I just modified the comments slightly in this review.
Mod
36. September
by Alan TaylorFinish date: September 1, 2012
Rating: B
Genre: American History
Review: First in a planned Penguin History series of five books that covers American history a la the much more established Oxford Series (after a 10-year delay, the second edition in the series,
by Joshua Freeman, was just released), this edition does a solid job of looking at the settling of North America. That's a lot of history to cover in a mid-range sized book (400 pages) and I think Taylor does a better job of looking at the relationships between the many North American tribes and cultures and early colonists and explorers than the American Revolutionary time period which he rushes through.If you're looking for a thorough review of what North America was like from the 16th to 18th centuries, I feel this is a quality book you should add to your library. If you want to read about the American Revolution, there are much better books out there to try.
37. Meet You in Hell: Andrew Carnegie, Henry Clay Frick, and the Bitter Partnership That Changed America by Les Standiford (no pictures available)Finish date: September 11, 2012
Rating: B-
Genre: American History
Review: This is a great story that turns out to be just an average book. It basically details the friendship between steel magnates Andrew Carnegie and Henry Clay Frick while focusing on the pivotal event that ultimately led to the pair's broken union, the 1892 Homestead Steel Strike. Starting with the final communication between the duo that gives the book its memorable title (it refers to Frick's response to a dying Carnegie's request to meet up with his former friend and partner one last time), the book proceeds as a dual biography that charts the rise of two of the wealthiest men in American industrial history (Carnegie the leader in that category, however).
But the author's writing style certainly drags at times. And key events that really should have been given more analysis (the assassination attempt by Alexander Berkman on Frick's life, the 1892 strike at Homestead!) are really not provided as much coverage as I would have expected. And then the author throws aside little comments which really seemed out of place (referring at one point to expected profits that don't materialize, he concludes that then again, the passengers on the Titanic didn't expect their ship would sink either. (I'm paraphrasing and not actually quoting the book).
So I give the book a B for its material and a C for its delivery for a B- grade.
38.
by
John F. KennedyFinish date: September 16, 2012
Rating: B+
Genre: American History
Review: Classic, award-winning (Pulitzer Prize) historical work that is quite possibly the most interesting book ever written by a (future) American President. Written while John F. Kennedy was recuperating from one of his many ailments, the book is a fascinating profile of eight American senators ranging from the famous (John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Sam Houston) to the lesser-known (Lucious Lamar and Edmund G. Ross - the Kansas Senator who cast the dissenting vote that helped acquit Andrew Johnson from being removed from office as U.S. President).
I know there has been some debate over the years on whether JFK actually wrote the book (many feel Ted Sorensen had his hand in it) or whether it deserved the Pulitzer, but the message of political courage as well as the contributions it provided to American historical biography can't be denied. I especially enjoyed the chapter on Ross, which although it ignores the claims that he was bribed to cast his dissenting vote, was still a vivid portrait of a man most Americans know nothing about.
39.
by
L.A. MeyerFinish date: September 23, 2012
Rating: B
Genre: Children's Historical Fiction
Review: Recommended as a good story for my family to read together, I tried this one on audio for my sons. While it had some interest for them initially and certainly was well-performed on audio and well-written, my boys quickly lost interest as some of the themes (young girl coming of age and discovering boys, terror on the seas) were a little intense for them. So it was one of those stories targeted for youth that probably had more appeal for me than my children. I guess I'd give it a B+ but because it was intended for my kids, I'm lowering my grade one level.
And while I have some interest in continuing the series (Meyer has written 10 books in this historical fiction series thus far) as he certainly has better writing skills than many of the authors out there writing currently for tweens, I'm not sure if it's a series I'd give another shot. Ultimately, the book moved too slowly and I do think some of the ways in which he described the encounters was too vivid for its targeted audience. It's almost as if he would have been happier writing a book for adults in which the main characters happened to be 13-year-olds.
40.
by
Terry PratchettFinish date: September 25, 2012
Rating: A
Genre: Science Fiction
Review: Probably my most enjoyable experience with a Terry Pratchett book thus far, this entry combines top-notch story-telling with humor, intrigue (not a ton of it, but some), and prose that doesn't insult your intelligence. And, of course, there are lots of memorable characters - some new, some returning favorites - that fans of Pratchett's Discworld series will enjoy.
My favorite parts of the book were the encounters with the auditors and their struggles to understand human emotions. Those comedic scenes were magnified by the great audio narration of Stephen Briggs, who somehow created different styles for dozens of these auditors and made them each unique. I'm glad Pratchett keeps writing (I think he has two or three books being released this year?), and happily I'm only about 1/6th of the way through the Discworld series.
For someone who limits his reading or audio listening experiences to about 60% history books and another 20% of children's fiction with his kids, I'm happy that I do have one (guilty pleasure?) science fiction series that I'm addicted to in the Discworld books.
Mod
41. October
by
Angie SageFinish date: October 3, 2012
Rating: C
Genre: Children's Fiction
Review: Not much to recommend with this one except it's a quick bedtime read for young children.
42.
by
Marty CrispFinish date: October 13, 2012
Rating: B
Genre: Children's Picture Books
Review: My youngest son who loves anything related to Titanic enjoyed this bedtime story. The illustrations are beautiful, the story a little predictable but aren't most children's picture books that way?
Hey, and it gets me a little closer to my goal of 50 books as I work my way through some longer history books!
43.
by
Terry Pratchett Finish date: October 14, 2012
Rating: B+
Genre: Historical Fantasy (author's words)
Review: Billed as historical fantasy by the author, this is a fun, satisfying, and only occasionally dragging look at life in Victorian England through the thoughts, deeds and actions of a 17-year-old Londoner by the name of Dodger. It's basically a damsel-in-distress type of adventure with just enough historical figures (Charles Dickens, Sweeney Tood, Benjamin Disraeli, Queen Victoria) to keep readers in the proper historical frame-of-mind.
I'm sort of a Sir Terry Pratchett-newbie as I've read about a half-dozen of his Discworld series (which are a total joy) and we see some of that same Pratchett humor and narrative adventure here. It's probably a step down from the Discworld series, but overall, this was a fun read.
Mod
I love Terry Pratchett. I will have to pick this one up.
44. November
by
H.W. BrandsFinish date: November 11, 2012
Rating: B
Genre: American History
Review: One of Brands' earlier books (written in 1995) and perhaps it shows as it isn't on par with some of his more recent books which are consistently fascinating and informative. This one tries to cover the important events of the 1890's which seems simple enough. Yet, as Brands shows, the 1890's brought to America widespread social, political, and economic changes, and in that regard I feel this book could have been more effective if it had concentrated on just one or two of those three main aspects.
Brands, who is a great economics and political historian, probably succeeded in this book more often when focusing on the captains of industry during the last decade of the Gilded Age, or when profiling successful and unsuccessful candidates for President such as William McKinley, Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, William Jennings Bryan and Eugene Debs. But the chapters on the Spanish American War and Philippines and other imperialistic objectives as well as material on W.E.B. Dubois and Booker T. Washington aren't as detailed.
I'll take a lesser Brands effort over most other history books any day, but this isn't the one I'd suggest most new readers start with.
45. December
Thomas SowellFinish date: December 2, 2012
Rating: B
Genre: Economics
Review: I've been so busy lately and way behind on my reading AND I've had (and continue) to be challenging myself with super-long books.
So it took me close to three full months, but I finally finished this very long and thorough general guide to economics. The book provides a solid look at the field of economics using language and analogies that make it accessible to most of us. It's still not the type of book everyone would enjoy but it does serve as a good review for a student taking economics in high school or college.
46.
August SwanenbergFinish date: December 23, 2012
Rating: B-
Genre: Economics
Review: Okay, so I've got a week (at least I'm on vacation this whole time) to try to finish four books I've been reading for awhile. I guess I need to start some real easy-to-read books as the ones I'm in the middle of are long books that I don't stand much of a chance of finishing.
Here's #46 - another type of economics reference that I'm focusing on since I'm now teaching this subject in high school and I need to be more familiar with the subject.
This is a good reference book with particular focus on macroeconomics. Valuable for any students taking an AP Macroeconomics test.
47.
Yoram BaumanFinish date: December 24, 2012
Rating: C
Genre: Economics
Review: Book three on my recent push to learn more about economics and this one has some value, but certainly needed more oomph to get a higher rating. I guess my biggest problem with the book is the illustrations which are more annoying than humorous. The text is fine, but a series like this would have benefited from more professional drawings.
That's a pretty darn impressive list. I'll be using Alan Taylor's American Colonies as a text in my colonial history course next semester. I have assigned another Craig Symond's book, The Civil War at Sea, in my Civil War readings class. Upon reflection, I wish I had assigned the longer, but more thesis-driven Lincoln and His Admirals.
48.
Paul KleinmanFinish date: December 29, 2012
Rating: B+
Genre: Psychology
Review: Well-written little book that does a better-than-adequate job of explaining many of the basics of human behavior. The format of the book is a little unusual in that it jumps around from topic to topic without any real rhyme or reason, but in some ways that made it felt less like a textbook to me and more like a reference guide that wasn't going to penalize the reader if he or she wasn't interested in a particular subject and just felt like skipping it.
Probably the thing this book does the best is offer nice profiles of the famous world psychologists of the last 100+ years and then a little more focus on the field of psychology they were best known for either introducing or specializing in. For classroom purposes, I've been reading several books this last month on psychology and this is the one that I'll continue to use the most.
William wrote: "That's a pretty darn impressive list. I'll be using Alan Taylor's American Colonies as a text in my colonial history course next semester. I have assigned another Craig Symond's book, The Civil War..."William, please always post the book cover and author links when mentioning books like this, in accordance with our club guidelines. You can do it at the end of your post to make it easier to read. Thanks.
by
Alan Taylor
and
both by
Craig L. SymondsThanks.
49.
William JoyceFinish date: December 31, 2012
Rating: B-
Genre: Children's Fiction
Review: Part one of a trilogy that seeks to explain the origins of St. Nicholas, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy (and the inspiration behind the recent animated film, the Rise of the Guardians.) Impressively illustrated and with challenging prose, this book should have created more of a stir in my household as a bedtime tale.
But it falls flat a bit as it never really builds up its villains or heroes and I guess I can see why the movie bombed so poorly in the theaters. I liked the fact that it challenged my children with broader vocabulary and deeper themes than the majority of recent popular children's literature, but I also want the books that capture the imagination of my kids to also be fun. Or at least motivational. And I don't think this book accomplished demonstrated either of those ideals.
Okay, so I need to finish one more book in the next 13 hours to finish my 50 books in 2012 goal, and based on where I am in my shelf of the six-or-so books I'm currently reading, I don't think it's going to happen. (I'm enjoying one book on the space race the most and will spend much of the day on that one, but I have about 150 pages to read and don't think I can read that much in one day even if I'm not interrupted.)I'll give it a shot, but I'm thinking my goal will have to be 50 books in a year since I finished my first book Jan. 7, 2012 and I'll certainly have book #50 finished before Jan. 6, 2013. I'm not sure how my numbers are different exactly, but my Goodreads book challenge was set for 70 books and I've finished 58 of 70 there (I believe there may be some shorter books I read to my kids that I've already read before and so I didn't include them in the HBC list?)
Craig.......you did a great job! Reading to your children is one of the finest thing a parent can do, especially in this day of video games, etc. It means much more that making that 50 book goal!!!
Great job Craig! The number is a goal and maybe a little incentive but it's really a competition with yourself. The point is to stimulate your reading and have fun in the process. Based on what you have posted it seems you have done both handsomely! We hope to be posting challenge threads for 2013 soon and will sign you up again assuming you are interested in continuing on. I hope so, as I like reading your reviews! Nicely done.
*50*
Matthew BrzezinskiFinish date: January 1, 2013 (officially) (but posted here with an asterisk as it was so close to the end of 2012 that I'll count it in this unofficial manner)
Rating: A
Genre: Space History
Review: Perhaps the best book I've ever read summarizing the challenges, events, triumphs, failures, and figures of the early days of the Space Race. Although I might be biased in my review since this subject is one of my personal favorites to read about (not to mention the fact that I'm starting to get into Russian history in general), Brzezinski's prose is top-notch as he does a superb job of mixing profiles of such key figures as Sergei Korolov, Werner von Braun, Khruschev, and lesser-known people (to me at least) such as United States General Bruce Medaris ("the closest thing America had to a Korolev," the author concludes and someone who left the space industry and American military to eventually become an Episcopalian Priest) with stories of the fascinating early days of man's ventures into satellite launching.
This book is full of fascinating details, but I'll finish this review with this important thought. We can all thank our smart phones, our GPS devices, our satellite TV packages, and today's modern warfare technology to a decision by Korolov 55 years ago to convince the Soviet Politburo that his nation needed to launch this little beach ball-sized metallic object into orbit. Maybe it was done for reasons that really meant saving his political skin, but its global impact in the half-century since is immeasurable.
The History Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
Red Moon Rising: Sputnik and the Hidden Rivals That Ignited the Space Age: Sputnik and the Hidden Rivals That Ignited the Space Age (other topics)Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King (other topics)
The Civil War at Sea (other topics)
American Colonies: The Settling of North America (other topics)
Lincoln and His Admirals (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Matthew Brzezinski (other topics)William Joyce (other topics)
Alan Taylor (other topics)
Craig L. Symonds (other topics)
Paul Kleinman (other topics)
More...
