Sunday, December 30, 2007

Ana's Story

by Jenna Bush

I'm ashamed to admit it, but I don't know how much you can trust this review. I tried to read the book impartially, but my issues with Ms. Bush's father--the current President of the U.S., if you don't know--caused me to approach the book with a big chip on my shoulder. Part of me wants to condemn this book as a piece of celebrity fluff. To do otherwise forces me to acknowledge that the powers that be and their families might have a heart after all. Quite a threat to my self-righteousness, eh? Anyway, the book review: Ana's Story is a the tale of a teenage mother living with HIV somewhere in Latin America. She was born with the disease, having been infected by her mother, who in turn was infected by a rapist. Ana's life is a sad tale of secrecy, abuse, abandonment and fear. But it's also contains moments of strength, hope and love. The text itself is rather simplistic. I don't know if it's intentionally simplified to reach a less literate audience, or if that's the standard of young adult books these days. Either way,I think it took away some of the power of Ana's story. But then again, it's not a story to entertain, but rather to inform folks about some of the struggles endured by people suffering from HIV and AIDS. In that respect, Ms. Bush accomplished her task quite well.

I'd call it waiting room material.
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Saturday, December 29, 2007

Crucible: Kirk

by David R. George III

This is the third novel of the Crucible trilogy; the shortest and the most straightforward. For me, it was also the least enjoyable. Which is not to say that it's a horrible book. As far as Star Trek books go, it's quite all right. The main sin of this book was that it tried to follow the format of the trilogy and have the protagonist--Captain Kirk, in this case--come to terms with his life and especially, the events of the episode "City on the Edge of Forever". The problem is, unlike Spock and McCoy, who live to a ripe old age, James T. Kirk dies a heroic death. How can he confront the demons of his past after he dies? Unless, of course, there's some twist added to his death to make it quite not so fatal. Well, you get the idea. It's a story that, in one sense, shouldn't have been created, much less told. On the other hand, I did really enjoy the end, which made up for it just a little bit.

Waiting room material, of course.
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Tuesday, December 25, 2007

American Empire: The Center Cannot Hold

by Harry Turtledove

This is the middle volume of the American Empire trilogy, volume six of the story arc in which the South's victory in the Civil War makes the North American continent a place of hatred and bloodshed. At this point, the whole story has run out of steam, somewhat. This part of the tale runs from the early 1920s until 1932. Things happen, but life during the boom of the Roaring 20's and the depressed 30s isn't quite as dramatic as it was during wartime. The characterization is still good, and I'll undoubtedly read onward. It's just not as good as its predecessors.

It's very good waiting room material. Excellent, really.
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Monday, December 24, 2007

The Party of Death

by Ramesh Ponnuru

I decided to read this book based on its full title: The Party of Death: The Democrats, the Media, the Courts, and the Disregard for Human Life. The title was so provocative, I wondered what, exactly, Mr. Ponnuru had to say. I suppose I could claim that I first encountered the title in China, where I was reading anything, so I added all sorts of things to my reading list. But excuses aside, I did read it. It wasn't quite the wacko diatribe for which I subconsciously hoped. It's a decently written, pro-life manifesto bashing the Democratic Party's stand on the issues of abortion, euthanasia and embryonic medical research. Biased, certainly; but not whacked out. As a pro-lifer, I found myself in total agreement with many things Mr. Ponnuru wrote. As a Democrat, however, I was also aware of the times he was trying to push the reader's buttons. I mean, sure many of the leading Democrats are dishonest weasels who have sold their soul to the pro-choice interests in order to garner votes. I have no doubt that one could write a similar book about the leading Republican weasels and the pro-life interests. In the end, I really didn't get much out of the book, besides a minor guilt trip. But such is my relationship with American politics.

Eh, it's just waiting room material.
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There's Treasure Everywhere

by Bill Watterson

There is a number of shticks I associate with Calvin and Hobbes--Spaceman Spiff, meetings of G.R.O.S.S., conflicts with Roslyn the babysitter--but it wasn't until I started rereading the strips in order did I appreciate how the strip developed and changed over the years. One thing that surprised me was that the shtick of Calvin's unique snowman creations developed rather late in the series. There have been a few strips here and there in the past collections, but in There's Treasure Everywhere, Calvin's unique snow artistry really bursts out in all it's glory. Anyway, to me that's the most memorable aspect of this particular collection. Of course, there are plenty of other strips as well. At this stage in the strip, Watterson had starting writing more philosophical gags rather than the hysterical Calvinesque capers, but it's still funny. And that's what counts, doesn't it?

Keepin' it on my shelf.
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Thursday, December 20, 2007

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

by J.K. Rowling

I must have been under the Imperious Curse to read this book.* I just spent all of my free time in the the last couple of days plowing through it. With this, the finale of the Harry Potter series, the overall story becomes a full blown epic, a quest that ends in a devastating battle. It's a definite coming of age for young Harry, right before the end. Oh, and there's some snogging, too. Ms. Rowling breaks format, having Harry drop out of school to complete his mission, so we're not treated to another year of feasts and school work and Quidditch matches. In one sense, I was glad to see a fresh setting to the book. But part of me was also missing the "good old days". I suppose it's just like real life, as we burst away from school and only later begin to look back with fondness and appreciation. No matter. One can simply reread the previous books. Oh, yes, that reminds me. I started reading this series with a small chip on my shoulder. Harry Potter has been so hyped that I was almost hoping to find that the books were lacking, that the popular culture was once again ignoring true quality for something new. This hasn't been the case. The Harry Potter books are good. And this final volume is one that I'd like to one day put on my shelf.
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*Note to those who subscribe to the Harry-Potter-is-the-first-step-on-the path -to-Hell theory: that was a joke. Any obsession to read the book came not from Satanic powers, but rather from my own innate weakness for earthly pleasures, such as reading a good book.

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Monday, December 17, 2007

American Empire: Blood and Iron

by Harry Turtledove

Why am I reading this book? This is the first volume of the American Empire trilogy, which is the sequel to The Great War trilogy, which is a sequel to How Few Remain. I think that makes it the fifth volume of a 11 or so volume series. (Did I mention the trilogy or whateverlogy that follows American Empire?) What can I say? Mr. Turtledove has created some interesting characters and he hasn't killed them all off yet. So we have Blood & Iron. The Great War is over and folks are dealing with the aftermath. The people of the United States are ecstatic, basking in the glory of their first victory over the Confederacy. The (surviving) soldiers either return home seeking to prosper in civilian life or remain in the service to face the cutbacks in government spending that follows the war. The Confederates, on the other hand, are suffering not only an unfamiliar humiliation, but also the burden of war reparations. Inflation soars and anger simmers. The nation's discontent finds a voice in the newly formed Freedom Party, who look to blame the Confederacy's defeat on the current government and people with dark skin. (Because the CSA could have beaten the damnyankees if the Socialist blacks hadn't rebelled in 1915 and diverted the war effort.) And then there's the Canadians, who don't have a fierce rivalry with the USA, but just wish the jerks would stop occupying their country and go home. Like it's predecessors, this book's a nice tapestry of human lives lived against the backdrop of history. Well, alternate history, anyway.

Checking it out, one book at a time.
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Sunday, December 16, 2007

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

by J.K. Rowling

This is the tale of the sixth year at Hogwarts, the first year of the Voldemort war. As such, the threat of "The Dark Lord" hangs over the head of Harry Potter and his friends. It's an interesting year, nonetheless. Harry takes special lessons from Headmaster Dumbledore and receives guidance in his Potions textbook from margin notes written by a unknown "Half-Blood Prince". He's also struggling with new responsibilities as captain of the Gryffindor and with unrequited romance. Meanwhile, Harry's nemesis, Draco Malfoy, has a mysterious mission of his own. (It was nice to see that character "grow up" a bit.) All in all, I didn't enjoy the book as much as its immediate predecessors, though it did advance the overall story arc. Time to check out the next and final book of the series to find out what happens.

Check it out. (in proper order, of course.)
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Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat

by Bill Watterson

It's laugh out loud funny, but there's nothing that makes this Calvin and Hobbes collection stand out. So what do you call this--mediocre genius?

Check it out!
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Monday, December 10, 2007

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

by J.K. Rowling

This Harry Potter stuff is subtly addicting. I was mildly entertained by book 1, but now, with book 5, I find myself reading when I really should be doing other things. And now that I'm finished, it takes some effort to restrain myself from going to the library and chasing down book 6. ("No! You must finish the other books you have started first!," scolds the conscience.) So, Book 5. If "Order of the Phoenix" wasn't a much cooler (or should I wiggle my fingers and say "mysteeeerious"?) title, Ms. Rowling could have easily called it Harry Potter and the Adolescent Angst. Ol' Harry spends a lot of the book in a sour mood. He's got plenty of cause, mind you, but the hormones and immaturity amplify the outside stress and put Harry on the rampage. Sometimes I just wanted to give the kid a shake and tell him to grow up. Of course, it was about that time when I remembered what it was like to be 15. We were kind of stupid then, weren't we? ... Well, I was anyway. But back to the book. Order of the Phoenix flows straight out of the previous volume, Goblet of Fire. The things put in motion after Goblet's climax are proceeding apace, but Harry is stuck in the safety of his aunt and uncle's home. He returns to the Hogwart's crowd rather miffed at being left out of the action. (Even though the only "action" his peers have been seeing is magical house cleaning.) Returning to Hogwart's itself proves to be no solace for Harry. It seems that most of the student body thinks he's some sort of nut job, his friend Hagrid is nowhere to be seen, and the previously benign Ministry of Magic has seen fit to try and shape up the school by installing one of it's own as a teacher and political busybody. As the book goes on, it just get worse--though there are a number of minor victories to keep the reader's hope alive. And the ending? Well, you really should read it for yourself. It's not a perfect book--a few elements seem to be stuck in the first novel--but it's a very satisfying read, both as an individual novel and as part of the overall story arc.

Check it out already!
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Monday, December 03, 2007

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

by J.K. Rowling

Ms. Rowling must have gotten carried away with this one--it seems like twice the size of the previous volumes. Or, since the Ruminator says that each book is targeted to a progressively older audience, maybe it's just increased in size to fit the reading skills of the older kids. Either way, I didn't mind it at all. This book is my favorite of the four volumes that I've read to date. You have the normal scenes and routines of Hogwarts, of course, but in this volume, the reader is also treated to the Quidditch World Cup match, a Yule Ball, civil rights activism on behalf of house elves, and the mystery of who magicked the Triwizard Tournament to include Harry as the fourth contestant. As I finished that particular mystery, I had to admire the way Ms. Rowling sneaks little details into the story that suddenly show their significance at the story's climax. I suppose seasoned mystery fans probably pick them out right away. Me, I'm just pleasantly surprised. Anyway, I have such a collector's mentality that I'll probably read all of the series even if it were mediocre. But The Goblet of Fire has drawn me into the overall tale and makes me eager to read the rest.

So glad I checked it out.
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