tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226042102012-01-09T04:52:43.074-06:00Where Nat-Wu and friends come to talk about books, writers, and anything book-inspired or related.Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.comBlogger851100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-44691194474857816902012-01-09T04:52:00.003-06:002012-01-09T04:52:43.123-06:00

11/22/63 by Stephen King My rating: 5 of 5 stars Good god, this was an amazing book! I can't say for certain that it was the best of his I've ever read, but it may well be. I don't know what all to say, but damn, this book is just one of those that is going to stay in my memory for a while. A lot of people equate Stephen King with horror (and perhaps the assassination of JFK could properly be

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-66079491348356748352012-01-09T04:08:00.002-06:002012-01-09T04:10:39.408-06:00

Anathem by Neal Stephenson My rating: 3 of 5 stars Neal Stephenson strikes me as one of those writers who sometimes has fantastic (in both senses of the word) ideas but who sometimes has trouble making a really good narrative out of them. One of the things I'm sure many people complain about regarding this book has got to be the overly long explanation of some of the philosophies the characters

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-15290587897447786262011-12-29T19:20:00.000-06:002011-12-29T19:21:20.169-06:00

Cherokee Tragedy: The Ridge Family and the Decimation of a People by Thurman Wilkins My rating: 3 of 5 stars Despite its lurid title, the book really focuses on the lives of Major and John Ridge. Any account of their lives is inevitably also going to be about the Trail of Tears, but this book chooses to focus mostly on the earlier parts of their lives, even going into details of John Ridge's

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-71988091570762948942011-11-04T05:22:00.000-05:002011-12-29T19:20:52.117-06:00

In contrast to my previously reviewed book, this is a thoroughly scientific, thoroughly unbiased study of the Cherokees.   The Cherokees: A Population History by Russell Thornton My rating: 3 of 5 stars Also unlike the previous book, it's a very dry read, as it consists mostly of numbers. Unfortunately the scope is very narrow, not that that's atypical for an anthropological study. The book

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-12545917450887492312011-10-27T05:53:00.002-05:002011-12-29T19:21:35.645-06:00

Wow, I can't believe it's been this long since I last posted a book review! I'm still reading books, I guess I was just preoccupied with other things. Anyway, I've got a new one for you. I guess it's not really a coincidence that this one is also about Cherokees, since these poorly-written books keep angering me this much. Cross-posted from my Goodreads account: The Cherokees by Grace Steele

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-5129629336237279202009-06-24T21:36:00.000-05:002009-06-24T21:37:22.931-05:00

This book is as bad as the cover looks. And that lady looks like Famke Janssen, not any Cherokee I've ever seen. This may not be evident from the cover, but this book is set before and during the Trail of Tears, which means the cover depicting some lady in possibly a Sioux dress out on the plains is just ridiculous, as Tennessee has no plains to speak of and Cherokees had their own clothes.

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-26019467817778239702009-01-08T20:07:00.006-06:002009-01-26T15:53:20.653-06:00

Well, it's been a long while since I last posted anything, but I assure you that's because I was too busy doing worthwhile things like rediscovering the joys of Diablo II. But anyway, I'm back, and this time I'm going to take on the task of trying to get to the meaning behind the meaning of the book and movie 300. I'll clarify what I mean eventually, but we have to get some things out of the way

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-74830685960440830522008-09-19T13:59:00.006-05:002009-03-22T22:24:43.692-05:00

A while ago I wrote about the Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card. I finally finished reading the companion series begun in Ender's Shadow. I wasn't necessarily looking forward to reading this series, even though I enjoyed Ender's Game so much. You'd have to be a fool not to have some trepidation about a book that is supposed to happen simultaneously with the first one. I usually hate the

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-74571454593920747942008-06-02T10:10:00.004-05:002008-09-19T13:58:01.346-05:00

Choke is one of Chuck Palahniuk's better efforts. It maintains a certain level of humor constantly along the same lines as Fight Club while also connecting with the reader through a sympathetic, although not always likable, main character. It even has a certain poignancy because the story of his efforts to take care of his ailing mother is all too real. But this is no ordinary story, no, Victor's

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-26947637112057371942008-04-17T22:41:00.005-05:002008-04-17T23:33:11.810-05:00

Over the last two weeks I had the time to read two science fiction novels, the well-regarded Farthing by Jo Walton and Jon Scalzi's Hugo-nominated Old Man's War. Actually, it would be inaccurate to call Farthing strictly science fiction, as it occupies that odd genre of "alternative history" which is somehow considered science fiction when written by a science fiction author, but merely fiction

Xanthippasnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-24102748525838325892008-02-08T15:30:00.000-06:002008-02-08T16:24:00.106-06:00

Ok, maybe not everybody is a graphic novel fiend like me (and especially James D), but there are some anyone should be able to enjoy. Let me start with I am Legend (the graphic novel, that is), based on the book by Richard Matheson. Actually I guess I should start with the book version. Here's a short synopsis from Amazon: A terrible plague has decimated the world, and those who were unfortunate

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-74978250606132539832007-12-13T22:39:00.000-06:002007-12-13T22:44:49.953-06:00

Terry Pratchett announced yesterday that he has Alzheimer's:Best-selling fantasy author Terry Pratchett has been diagnosed with a rare form of early onset Alzheimer's, he said in a message posted to his illustrator's Web site. In a brief note to fans entitled "An Embuggerance," Pratchett, 59, said he was taking the news "fairly philosophically" and "possibly with a mild optimism."Well, it's bad

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-50456049312896252172007-12-12T15:02:00.001-06:002008-09-19T13:58:35.915-05:00

wwwI really enjoyed this novella when I read it some 15 years ago. It's really one of the best examples of Stephen King's writing. I was complaining to my wife after the movie that evidently most people who make Stephen King movies either don't understand what his books are truly about or don't read them in the first place. I don't take credit for inventing the idea that stories are either

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-23744595523859418262007-10-10T19:54:00.000-05:002007-10-24T22:48:04.057-05:00

Wow, I can't believe I haven't reviewed anything since July! Sorry for that; I know how ravenously my fans await my writing. To be sure, I have not ceased reading. Oh no indeed. I can't even remember how much stuff I've read since July, but that just means it's too damn much. I get at least four books a month read (not namby-pamby little paperbacks either) and I tend to forget what they were,

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-29063046562406056682007-09-19T17:18:00.000-05:002007-10-10T20:46:47.900-05:00

I doubt this is news to anybody now, since I meant to publish this when it happened, but as you can read from the title, noted and prolific authors Robert Jordan and Madeleine L'engle both passed away recently. I haven't reviewed any of their books here, but I have read plenty of both and I lament their passing. As much as I've criticized Jordan for the monstrous bloatedness of his Wheel of Time

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-33216141813835345642007-07-07T16:04:00.000-05:002007-07-07T23:12:24.624-05:00

This book is surely to be hailed by the left and dismissed by the right. I think it's at least very informative about the modern day political process. I liked the book, but I have to admit the book didn't tell me much that I didn't already know. I thought the book was going to be about why Americans in general are more hostile to reason and intellect these days. It was, to some extent, but the

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1394104192423339252007-07-01T13:00:00.000-05:002007-07-01T18:07:18.269-05:00

... I'll meet you 'round the bend my friend, where hearts can heal and souls can mend...Hello all, this is Adam, brother of Nat-Wu and fellow blogger for Three Wise Men. Today is my first time posting on the book blog. Over the past few weeks I have been taking a college course at the University of North Texas where I attend on modern Middle East history. We have to read several books, many of

adamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03863984001571739736noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-38607679957418109942007-06-12T22:07:00.001-05:002007-06-12T22:40:46.526-05:00

Screw any elitist who tells me that this isn't worthy of any kind of literary review, even one as humble as my own. Naruto is a series I enjoy greatly (moreso than the anime, although that's fun too), and I think it's just a good read that anybody who likes graphic novels or manga will enjoy. Let me start with the basics. The title character is Naruto (who for some inexplicable reason always

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-71371794859085826372007-03-31T15:54:00.000-05:002007-03-31T17:15:37.326-05:00

Gene Wolfe will always be one of my favorite authors because of the Book of the New Sun (and to a lesser extent the Books of the Long Sun and Short Sun). I've read several of his other works now, and I think the reason I like the Book of the New Sun so much is because it has the least ambiguous plot of all of his works that I've read so far. Many of his books have the characteristic of having a

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-38941683485549205542007-02-16T10:49:00.000-06:002007-02-17T00:08:06.955-06:00

This is the story of the Iran hostage crisis which began in 1979. Before I read this book, I had no idea how much of an impact the crisis had on the US and Iran. Not merely shaping how each viewed the other, but even influencing politics inside those nations.The book goes into great detail on certain aspects of the hostage-taking and follows some, but not all, of the hostages from beginning to

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-37927041843792558932007-02-14T20:12:00.000-06:002007-02-15T22:26:31.677-06:00

This book provides an excellent starting place for anyone who wants to understand the United States' relationship with Iran. It covers the events surrounding the US-backed overthrow of Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh. At first, it might sound like this book exists to blame the US for its actions in Iran and point out how they have come back to haunt us, but while

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1167368130124869782006-12-28T22:42:00.000-06:002007-01-15T10:56:58.766-06:00

Been a while since my last post. I've read more than one book since then, but I wanted to take the time to write about Steinbeck's "East of Eden", because our book club just finished reading it. Well, I finished it last month, but I was the last one. It's been a busy semester, ok? In case you're not familiar with this book, the story, in short, is that of Adam Trask, and East Coast migrant who

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1163134056272435232006-11-09T22:46:00.000-06:002006-11-11T11:27:51.406-06:00

McCarthy, in case you don't know him, is probably most famous for his "Border" trilogy, one of which, All the Pretty Horses, was made into a movie recently. He's been writing for around forty years though, so he's no newcomer. He also released a book called The Road just a few months ago, which is a sort of post-apocalyptic work, although in no way like the Left Behind series.You might read this

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1158092576619533352006-09-12T15:16:00.000-05:002006-10-31T09:30:21.413-06:00

Karen Armstrong is a former nun who renounced her vows and is now a prolific writer on the subject of religion. Some of her other works include A History of God and Islam: A Short History. Her work always display an incredible breadth of knowledge as well as very insightful analysis. While this results in books well worth reading, it often makes those same books difficult to read because of the

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1157917247327314522006-09-10T14:36:00.000-05:002006-09-10T15:02:08.913-05:00

Terrorist is the story of a teenage boy in New Jersey who is enlisted into a plot to carry out a devastating attack on America. Ahmad Mulloy Ashmawy is the son of an Arab father (who abandoned them) and American mother (of Irish descent). He grows up devoutly religious, not through any effort of his mother's but for some ambiguous reasons the auther fails to fully identify. All the other

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1157482425466811292006-09-05T13:15:00.000-05:002006-09-05T13:53:45.550-05:00

This is a sort of compendium of shorter works by Mark Bowden (journalist and author, most famous for Black Hawk Down) comprised of 19 stories on a variety of topics. As an example, he covers the issue of torture, a small bio of Saddam Hussein, the historic rivalry between two high school football teams, the genetic engineering of cattle, and even the story of the world's oldest living gorilla.

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1156883252830688942006-08-29T15:02:00.000-05:002006-08-29T15:27:32.936-05:00

Jan is a young chef who has been trained in the art of Chinese cuisine by his grandfather. When the story opens, he has just been released from training and sent into the world of Chinese restauarants (in Japan) at the restaurant of his grandfathers's old friend, Gobancho. Jan doesn't inspire much friendliness in the staff because his motto is "Cooking is about winning", i.e., proving that he's

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1155776501790257462006-08-16T18:58:00.000-05:002006-08-16T20:16:47.886-05:00

Fight Club is one of my favorite books of all times and certainly is my favorite book by Chuck Palahniuk. In my opinion, it's much more enjoyable than most of his later works (although Choke and Lullaby were also good) because in this one, the gross-out factor of the material never went higher than the laugh factor. For example, in Fight Club, Tyler Durden has a penchant for using body fluids as

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1154397573408215852006-07-31T20:51:00.000-05:002006-07-31T21:29:02.556-05:00

Edward Gorey was a writer/illustrator whose work is probably more well known than his name. You may recognize this image:That's an illustration he did that was used in the introduction of the PBS "Mystery" series. I saw that a long time ago, but that was all I knew of him. Mildred is a big fan of his and has several of his books. They're rather interesting, but I think "gothic" is definitely the

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1154223429746749132006-07-29T20:26:00.000-05:002006-07-29T20:37:09.763-05:00

When you hear that any Stephen King story is being made into a tv movie, it's natural to think to yourself, "Oh god, how are they going to ruin it now?" And usually, you find that it's the same old combination of a low budget and bad director. However, if you've been watching this mini-series of one-hour episodes from the book of the same name, you know that strangely enough, they actually did a

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1154224047681664822006-07-29T20:07:00.000-05:002006-09-05T11:03:26.333-05:00

This is another great book by Eric Schlosser (you may remember him from Fast Food Nation). As the title says, it's about the sex industry, illegal labor, and drugs (only marijuana though). It's a lot like FFN in that it's an expose of industries you don't really know that much about besides the hype and lies that their opponents publicize about them.His first subject is the marijuana trade.

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1153363392988563232006-07-19T20:23:00.000-05:002006-07-19T21:43:13.026-05:00

Iraq is a place of terrible sadness and terrible hope.That at least is the lesson I take away from reading Packer's book, about the American invasion and occupation of Iraq. I found his book to be highly educational, engrossing, saddening and deeply moving. Packer does more than offer just an overview of the history of the invasion and the present occupation; rather, he attempts to get in the

Xanthippasnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1153291838020016822006-07-19T01:21:00.000-05:002006-07-19T01:50:38.040-05:00

I was surprised when I put this book on hold at the library and it turned out to have 7 people ahead of me on the list. The vast majority of non-fiction books, especially those about studies of Christianity do not tend to have the same kind of pull that books like the "Left Behind" or "Da Vinci Code" do. I figure this is an anomaly caused by the extreme popularity of Da Vinci right now. Otherwise

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1153288725801519692006-07-19T00:56:00.000-05:002006-07-19T01:19:17.360-05:00

Not a whole lot to say about this. I thought it was entertaining and enjoyable, but not especially good, which is surprising given that it was written by Neil Gaiman and illustrated by Andy Kubert. To paraphrase Gaiman though, it was just supposed to be something to pass the time reading. It was exactly that. Not really that involving.The premise is essentially that due to a temporal anomaly (

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1153180438484282812006-07-17T18:02:00.000-05:002006-07-19T00:59:01.320-05:00

You may know Michael Chabon for "Wonder Boys", which was also turned into a movie starring Tobey Maguire and Michael Douglas. I liked that book, but I liked Amazing Adventures even more. Chabon is a great writer of characters. He's one of the few who can really write believable characters in believable situations and make it interesting. But of course he provides himself some fuel in the setting

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1152755821990663832006-07-12T20:40:00.000-05:002006-07-13T11:55:16.133-05:00

I hardly know what to say about this book. It's real, but it shows a surreal version of reality. It's the kind of real "I was a grunt on the ground" kind of writing that militarists usually love, but also a very poetic and poignant look at what being a Marine is. Swofford is obviously not your typical jarhead. I've known a few, and they tend not to be the most intellectual of men. Not that

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1152399088470773162006-07-08T17:31:00.000-05:002006-07-08T17:51:28.496-05:00

Either Lewis is making up a ton of stuff, or this is an incredibly scholarly and insightful analysis of the situation in the Muslim world today. Admittedly, given my paucity of knowledge on the history of such, it would be very difficult for me to catch any mistakes or bad interpretations on Lewis' part, but I really don't think it's a worry. Lewis is admirably non-judgmental of either the

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1152381141703612412006-07-08T12:45:00.000-05:002006-07-08T16:01:46.286-05:00

Despite the title of this book, Ruse doesn't actually discuss much of the interactions between Evolutionists and Creationists, much less the over-arching "struggle" that he names. What this book is mostly comprised of is the history of the study of evolution and its connection to Christian liberals called "progressivists". That is, what Ruse is mostly discussing is an ideology of "evolutionism",

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1151899659353395982006-07-02T22:41:00.000-05:002006-07-02T23:07:39.373-05:00

I'm going to cheat a little and throw in the Amazon.com review here, because I need some fuel to get started on this one.Joining the rich literature of runaways, Kafka On The Shore follows the solitary, self-disciplined schoolboy Kafka Tamura as he hops a bus from Tokyo to the randomly chosen town of Takamatsu, reminding himself at each step that he has to be "the world's toughest

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1151559908738324402006-06-28T23:40:00.000-05:002006-06-30T00:13:25.326-05:00

We have a problem in America today. That problem is that we can't decide what should be the rational basis for the laws we make. You may be confused now. After all, this is supposed to be related to the church-state issue raised in Divided By God. Well, it is, so bear with me. One of the points that Feldman raised in that book is that historically, before we were as multicultural a nation as we

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1151340962496680002006-06-26T11:36:00.000-05:002007-07-21T11:43:54.045-05:00

The title of this book is a bit misleading. Or perhaps more than a bit. It's not really about the solutions to the problem, but rather a long exposition on the historical basis of the problem, including a detailed legal history and examination of the issue and its changes over the years. The solutions he proposes amount to about a paragraph's worth of words. Don't get me wrong, that's not really

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1150939375057257042006-06-21T19:34:00.000-05:002006-07-29T20:19:45.276-05:00

Now this is an amazing book. I don't like murder mysteries or crime novels, or psycho-dramas, or thrillers, but I liked this book, which definitely falls under one of those genres. In short, it's about people trying to catch a serial killer. In reality, it's two stories that cross each other's paths.Jim Doe is a Blackfeet Indian from Texas, a Sheriff's Deputy at the beginning of the book. After

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1150687129553525342006-06-18T20:40:00.000-05:002006-06-18T22:20:56.103-05:00

At the beginning of his book "By Any Means Necessary: America's Secret Air War in the Cold War", William E. Burrows quotes the famous scientist and "father" of the atomic bomb Dr. Edward Teller, who said in an interview with the NY Times in 1999 "The cold war had the distinction of not costing any lives." This of course could not be further from the truth. The cold war in fact cost many lives,

Xanthippasnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1149804748667105492006-06-08T17:40:00.000-05:002006-06-21T19:31:53.426-05:00

This was definitely an interesting book. It was partly a history of the Wal-Mart company, partly a history of Sam Walton and family, and partly an analysis (and critique) of Wal-Mart's business practices. Bianco does a good job of covering as many aspects of the company as he can, but not in depth. This is both an advantage in that it keeps the text flowing and a disadvantage in that I felt he

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1149284482143946302006-06-02T16:16:00.000-05:002006-06-02T16:41:22.176-05:00

Going Postal was the first book by Terry Pratchett I've ever read. It's set in his Discworld, and as an introduction I actually felt that I wasn't missing much by not knowing all about the Discworld before-hand. Pratchett is obviously well-known and much-read, as there are 34 books in his Discworld series. That's pretty amazing.As far as writing goes, though, I can see why people like him so much

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1148763752001486322006-05-27T15:39:00.000-05:002006-05-27T16:02:32.026-05:00

This book is an ambitious look at what happens to the world in the near-future (no more than 200 years hence), when nano-technology has been developed to the point that people get their clothes, furniture, and even food from matter-compilers in their houses or on the street. I must say that after reading this, the David Marusek book I reviewed earlier (Counting Heads) seems very derivative,

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1147914292508173052006-05-17T19:37:00.000-05:002006-05-17T20:04:52.530-05:00

This is one of the more interesting non-fiction books I've read in a while. It sounds simple enough, but has very complex ramifications. The purpose of this book is to examine man's relationship with plants, specifically plants that humans have domesticated for our own reasons. The four plants he examines are apples, tulips, cannabis, and potatos. However, Pollan looks at this relationship in a

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1147896228224435792006-05-17T14:35:00.000-05:002006-06-02T16:43:31.686-05:00

This is quite simply one of the most well written sci-fi books ever. Ray Bradbury brings poetry to prosidy and one can't help but be carried along on the beautiful language of his novel. Although he's a master of the language, like Wolfe and Benford, with Bradbury he never uses obscure or archaic language to set the reader apart from the story. This book is written using words practically any

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1146198528992542422006-04-27T22:52:00.000-05:002006-04-27T23:28:49.083-05:00

I think this will be the first book I've reviewed that would get shelved in the Fiction & Literature section at Barnes&Noble. Not because I don't read plenty of these kinds of books, but becuase it's often very difficult to say anything meaningful about them (at least, in less than 500 words). White Oleander is no exception, but I'll give it a try anyway. And don't worry because I'm a man and

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1145908505894941942006-04-24T14:08:00.000-05:002006-04-24T15:16:43.636-05:00

This was a very good book, and it's interesting in several different ways. On the one hand, it's a biography of Nicolaus Steno (which is the modern version of his scientific name, Nicolai Stenoni, which is an adaptation of his real name, Niels Steensen). It's also a history of the foundation of the science of geology, and it's a window into the early days of scientific exploration (before you

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1145653152115754812006-04-21T15:40:00.000-05:002006-04-22T17:47:31.433-05:00

This is a confused and confusing book. In terms of story, Marusek is either an experimentalist or completely inept. And story is the lesser part of this book anyway. It's more like a subset of completely different stories are told as part of an intertwining narrative, but instead of everything coming together at the end in a way you might understand, it just falls apart again after people and

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1145586180539794082006-04-20T20:53:00.000-05:002006-04-20T21:23:00.553-05:00

Most Americans are ignorant of Africa, sometimes willfully so, and for the rest of us it can be impossibly complex to understand. I'm sure that for many people the last time they thought of Africa was when they saw Black Hawk Down. Black Hawk Down exemplifies the average American reaction to Africa: we don't even know something's happening until it's over. For example, the genocide in Rwanda

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1145289830301402992006-04-17T10:38:00.000-05:002006-04-17T17:38:41.333-05:00

This is a good book, but not, in my opinion, the earth-shaking book I heard being raved about for years on end. Nor is it entirely worthy of its own National Geographic special. Still, it is an important and worthy book. The major problem with it is that it does not, in fact, directly address the issues of European dominance of the colonial era, which topic is strongly implied as the subject by

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1144515609687485522006-04-08T11:25:00.000-05:002006-07-29T20:19:06.436-05:00

This book is a must-read companion to Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation. Whereas that work mostly dealt with how the fast-food model of business has reshaped the American food landscape, and the tangential affects that has had on individuals, Morgan Spurlock's book is all about how fast food itself is directly affecting Americans. Fast Food Nation makes no claims about how bad for you fast food

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1144172070145771792006-04-04T12:16:00.000-05:002006-04-04T12:34:30.166-05:00

Chuck Palahniuk, doing what I hate the most about his writing for a book that doesn't need to exist. As another amazon reviewer put it, what's best about his books is that he can make you see humanity in even the most grotesque characters. I agree with that. Of course that means he's using the dichotomy between their grotesqueness and their humanity to get you to empathize with them. That's good

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1143582026767965662006-03-28T14:30:00.000-06:002006-03-28T15:40:26.916-06:00

This is one of my posts that has to do with something a book said, rather than the book itself. I've been reading Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel. It's a good book, and I like it so far. I don't have a problem with any of his theories per se, it's just that he evidently espouses (or did at the time), several theories of anthropologists that do not, in my opinion and the opinions of many

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1143177148807239702006-03-23T22:20:00.000-06:002006-03-23T23:12:28.823-06:00

I have heard the sentiment that fiction books are not worth reading, only non-fiction. This just seems unfortunate to me. The problem, I think, lies in the fictitious alignment of non-fiction books with "true" and fiction boks with "false". I'll give some examples to illustrate the arbitrariness of this distinction. First, Tim Lehay has written several non-fiction books. Need I say more? Well, I

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1142748367561164962006-03-18T23:59:00.000-06:002006-03-20T13:55:26.870-06:00

One of the most amazing works of science fiction I've ever read. After this book, I will argue that Wilson is right up there with Wolfe, Benford, and Asimov, men who wrote not just science fiction, but literature. I was highly impressed with Wilson for Darwinia. Spin easily tops that book. Perhaps it's his style, but with both these books you don't find out what's going on until nearly the very

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1142575384395000832006-03-17T00:02:00.001-06:002006-03-17T00:06:29.340-06:00

This is by far the most enlightening, interesting, and fun to read non-fiction book I've read in the past half-year. Possibly more, but I can't remember what I read last year. Anyway, as you might guess from the title, the subject is pre-Columbian America and its indigenous inhabitants. This is a subject that when presented in book form, Indians must approach with caution. So many claims have

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1142401603395785282006-03-14T23:05:00.000-06:002006-03-14T23:46:43.416-06:00

This book was done a great injustice by a movie adaptation made in 1997. The book is an acknowledged sci-fi classic. The movie is an acknowledged piece of forgettable summer fluff. It's one of the most disappointing treatments of classic sci-fi ever to go to the big screen. And hey, I'm talking in comparison to "I, Robot" and "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen". Those movies didn't set the

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1142230322069343192006-03-13T00:06:00.000-06:002006-03-13T00:12:02.070-06:00

Ok, your first thought on seeing this book must be something along the lines of "Holy crap, that's a big book". Yes, it is. In hardcover, it is 1,424 pages and weighs 4.4 pounds. That's big, alright. And if you were wondering what it's about, well, the title says it all. It's a comprehensive history of Europe (although even the author admits that it's hard to interpret what "Europe" is), from

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1142229466045081322006-03-12T22:35:00.000-06:002006-03-12T23:57:46.086-06:00

This book is undoubtedly worth reading. That being said, it must also be noted that it will be a little difficult if you do not possess a larger than average vocabulary and a more than high-school education in history. However, difficult or no, this book is both interesting and important. Published in 1996, the book tells tries to explore what the human history of the last millenium (thus the

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1142053958465318792006-03-10T22:50:00.000-06:002006-03-10T23:12:38.506-06:00

When I heard Garth Ennis was going to be taking over the helm of The Punisher, I had feelings of trepidation mixed with disbelief. Garth Ennis (and Steve Dillon) of Preacher fame? I admit I hadn't ever read more than one Preacher comic. Not that I'm squeamish, nor do I have a problem with sex and violence. It's just there was so much of it and it seemed so pointless. Some people love Garth Ennis

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1141947356638937202006-03-09T17:00:00.000-06:002006-03-09T17:35:56.666-06:00

Mirrormask is the product of Neil Gaiman cowriting with first-time director Dave Mckean (a name you probably recognize as the illustrator on a lot of Gaiman's work), with the film being made by Jim Henson studios. As such, you would expect this film to have fantastic visuals, and it sure does. If you've ever wondered what the Sandman series might look like on screen, this is it. I've given you

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1141843812133466692006-03-08T12:37:00.000-06:002006-07-29T20:21:42.480-05:00

This is a book that takes on a subject that most Christians comfortably assume to be safe ground. Don't get me wrong; it's not an assault on Christianity (well, not from my point of view), it's a critical questioning of the interpretation of the archaeological evidence that is often used to support the idea of the Bible as literal history. For example, the Bible tells the story of the Israelites

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1141789635981776442006-03-07T21:31:00.000-06:002006-03-07T21:47:16.010-06:00

Holy crap, this is so awesome. Stephen King returns to fine form in this novel (although he's retired...yeah), wherein everyone who happens to be on their cellphones at the time of the signal (or "Pulse" as they say in the book), or who uses it after the signal is turned on, goes crazy. Stark raving mad, like biting the ears off dogs or tearing each other's throats out. This is NOT a zombie book.

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1141766794693210202006-03-07T15:07:00.000-06:002006-03-08T18:07:43.283-06:00

This is definitely a more fun way to learn about the 30-years' war than reading it in some old history book. Basically what happens is that a town in West Virginia is one day magically transported to Germany in 1632 (well, Thuringia, it's not Germany yet, although they speak German...never mind). And it's not magic, but for that explanation, you have to go elsewhere. This happens to be during the

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1141618084946222552006-03-05T21:33:00.000-06:002006-07-29T20:17:04.416-05:00

Wow, it's a modern day "The Jungle" (Upton Sinclair), except it's well-written and not heavy-handed. Despite the title, this is not a book on the same subject as Morgan Spurlock's "Supersize Me." This book is much more about how "fast food culture" has transformed America, both in our eating habits and corporate structures. As a matter of fact, a lot of time is spent on how the fast food industry

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1141447414643191322006-03-03T22:18:00.000-06:002006-07-29T20:17:31.440-05:00

The Book of The New Sun is actually a compilation, or rather the complete collection, of the four volumes that make up the series. Gene Wolfe is simply one of the best writers in the world alive today. Some discount genre fiction altogether, as if you can't speak to the fundamental realities of human life without using fantastic character or settings, although for some reason they don't say that

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1141333275989233562006-03-02T14:23:00.000-06:002006-07-29T20:21:10.056-05:00

This is an interesting book for those people who haven't dedicated their lives to studying the history of Christianity. It's definitely worth reading whether you're a novice or expert, but it's written to be accessible to any reader who picks it up. There are definitely some things that you are going to get lost on if you don't already know a little bit about early Christianity, but not too much.

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1141249462942937722006-03-01T15:35:00.000-06:002006-03-01T15:44:22.943-06:00

John C. MaxwellThis book is meaningful, impactful, and life changing to the professional communicater. It begins with the "Law of the Lid". It goes in detail on how Ray Kroc purchased someone elses failed dream and made it succeed into the Mc Donald's we know today.The true measure of leadership is influence nothing more, nothing less. Maxwell begins to cover this trait in the Law of

Fan Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13005895938523505253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1141248802104045992006-03-01T15:23:00.000-06:002006-03-01T15:33:22.106-06:00

This book by authors Benson Smith & Tony Rutigliano is worth every penny someone paid for it other than me. I was given this book as another mandatory read by my boss in quest to keep up with other sales staff. IF you're in sales, you know the pressure for better results.Most sales books divide and focus on your weaknesses and how to improve them. This book is a fresh departure focusing on your

Fan Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13005895938523505253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1141248147509545692006-03-01T15:16:00.000-06:002006-03-01T15:22:27.523-06:00

This is one of 13 books that addresses Clan Assamite in the White Wolf World of Vampire the Masquerade.Suprisingly this book had depth that I would not have given credit to a serial novel. The main character and her soon to be love interst have conflicts of faith. The one who turned from Christianity to Muslim pretending to be a Christian in a Crusadesque setting, the other a noble Templar who

Fan Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13005895938523505253noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1141190627223348732006-02-28T23:21:00.000-06:002006-02-28T23:30:59.056-06:00

I already blogged about this over at TWM, but it belongs here too. Here's a reprint:***************Via Tyler Cowen at Marginal Revolution, I discovered that Octavia Butler-one of science fiction's great modern writers-died a few days ago after a fall outside of her home. This really good article in the LA Times offers a portrait of her life and influence: Before anybody told her that black girls

Xanthippasnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1141189749212010412006-02-28T22:43:00.000-06:002006-07-29T20:22:38.816-05:00

Now this is an interesting book. I'm not sure any summary could do it justice, so I'll just try to give you reasons to read it. In short, you could say that the book is about the literal disappearance of God over time in the Bible. I mean, who hasn't noticed that at the beginning of the book, you have Adam walking with God, and by the end he doesn't even talk to prophets any more. Despite the

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1141074216426038812006-02-27T14:41:00.000-06:002006-02-27T15:03:36.436-06:00

The Broken Lance Aptly named this book deals with devilish betrayal to ultimate evils, and the internal struggle of conscience against the greater good. The scoundrous pack known as the Blackhearts who are endentured to Lord Manfred of Altorf upon penalty of death though a blood curse binding holds this rag tag group of thieves, murders, lunatics, and would be assassins together by a sharp

Fan Boyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13005895938523505253noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1140817615030209282006-02-24T15:46:00.000-06:002006-02-24T22:03:46.363-06:00

I don't know what I could say about Sandman that hasn't been said before. Neil Gaiman is a fantastic writer and Dave Mckean is a fantastic illustrator. It's amazing that Gaiman managed to produce so many books without a single one feeling like a wasted effort. All I can say is, if you haven't read this because you don't read comics, you've missed one of the greatest additions to literature that

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1140802769970394952006-02-24T11:12:00.000-06:002006-02-24T15:45:53.863-06:00

The story centers on a boy named Pi (a shortening of his real name which he doesn't like). The very short version is he's on a ship carrying zoo animals (his father's) that sinks somewhere in the Pacific. He ends up on a lifeboat with a female orangutan, a fatally wounded zebra, a hyena and a tiger (named Richard Parker). In the end, as you might guess, only Pi and Richard Parker are left. From

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1140536709224063082006-02-21T09:41:00.000-06:002006-02-21T09:49:42.940-06:00

With apologies for the staleness of the review, here's my book review from over at Three Wise Men of "Collapse" from a few months back. I think it's a decent review, so I figured it was worth reprinting here....-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I just finished reading Jared Diamond's latest book, "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or

Xanthippasnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1140494664769137042006-02-20T21:51:00.000-06:002006-02-23T11:45:32.056-06:00

A note: If you're going to read this, watch out that you don't get the abridged version. Although the latter half of the whole book is filled with a lot of crap, you'll still want to read the whole book.There are few moments in your life where you're overawed by something you're seeing. In examples from my own life, standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon and looking out is one such moment.

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1140491717615717652006-02-20T21:15:00.000-06:002006-02-20T21:50:59.863-06:00

The Golden Age by John C. Wright The Golden Age trilogy is a must-read for any reader of sci-fi. John C. Wright isn't a brand-new voice in the field, but he's newer than most and much more interesting. He has the ability to infuse his stories with a real sense of humanity like Gregory Benford does. These are people that you understand and can sympathize with no matter how strange their world or

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1140242568903035152006-02-18T00:00:00.000-06:002006-07-29T20:25:10.600-05:00

This is a repost of an entry I wrote on my friend's blog.I want to get right down to business and talk about a series I've been reading and that I am just in love with right now: The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman. Robert Kirkman is well known for writing "Invincible" which is basically about what the everyday lives of superheroes must be like. Walking Dead is kind of on the same theme, except in

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1140194334352610302006-02-17T09:48:00.000-06:002006-07-29T20:24:35.090-05:00

This is one of those books that you don't find too often. It's not a history of the creation of the Christian "New Testament", it's a scholarly analysis with a critical angle from a non-religious viewpoint. Burton Mack takes Christian "truths" with a grain of salt. I would say that's a strength instead of a weakness, but some people of the modern evangelical sort have the idea that to understand

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1140191278682166812006-02-17T09:47:00.000-06:002006-07-29T20:23:56.243-05:00

The new book by Bret Easton Ellis. Is it good or is it crap? Most people either love him or hate him. I wouldn't say that everyone does, because I don't feel either of those for his writing. I mean, American Psycho was a great book and damn anyone who says otherwise, but Glamorama or the Rules of Attraction were incoherent messes. Not that they didn't have their good points, but stream of

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22604210.post-1140190934734958052006-02-17T09:38:00.000-06:002006-02-17T09:42:14.743-06:00

Ok, so as not to confuse anyone, this isn't just going to be book reviews. I'm also going to talk about authors (usually in regards to their works) and thoughts related to or inspired by books that I read. I typically try to keep my fiction/non-fiction reading ratio at 50% of each, and I read a lot so hopefully I'll have something that interests everyone. And probably I'll have some things that

Nat-Wunoreply@blogger.com0