Book Review

[sir archely]

This thread should be self explanatory. It's reviews....of books....you know, the papery things with words on them that you read?

Anyhow, there is no limit to the books that can be reviewed here, however, it is limited to books. No magazines, newspapers, comics, etc. While I don't have anything against those, this is a place for books, period.

The idea is to give other people some reviews by people they are more familiar with than the random person on amazon, or the book selling itself on the back cover.

Try to give:

• the title, author, price, size, genre, publisher
• what the book says about itself, back cover or inside jacket (usually a good synopsis)
• your thoughts on the book, ie, difficulty of read, good, bad, exceptional, more specific about its genre, etc.
• a quote if you feel like it, or one stands out
• other books by the author, if possible

Even if you don't feel like doing all of that, something is better than nothing.

In addition, please avoid spoiling a book for someone who hasn't read it yet. If you simply must say something that might spoil it, use the spoiler tags.

Multiple reviews of books by different people are certainly encouraged. More than one perspective can't be bad.

Also, it will be handy if you put the title and author of the book you are reviewing/commenting about in the subject line of your post.

All fantasy reviews should now be placed in the Fantasy Catalogue - Reviews. Thank you.

[sir archely]

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Publisher: Scribner Paperback Fiction; Reprint edition (1996) Pages: 463 (paperback)
Genre: Fiction - World War II story
Price on cover: $12.00 (US) (paperback)

Catch-22 is like no other novel. It has its own rationale, its own extraordinary character. It moves back and forth from hilarity to horror. It is outrageously funny and stragely affecting. It is totally original.

Set in the closing months of World War II in an American bomber squadron off Italy, Catch-22 is the story of a bombardier named Yossarian, who is frantic and furious because thousands of people he hasn't even met keep trying to kill him. Catch-22 is a microcosm of the twentieth-century world as it might look to someone dangerously sane. It is a novel that lives and moves and grows with astonishing power and vitality--a masterpiece of our time.

This is a book i've always really wanted to read, but never got around to doing so. Now that i have read it, i'm kicking myself for ever putting it off. The writing is brilliant. Simply incredible. It's put together in such a way that just leaves you speechless as to the structure of it all. It's hard even to comment on the book. Actually, while i was going through it, within the first 20 pages i found things i wanted to remember, so i had to bust out the highlighter. I continued to highlight bits throughout the entire book. I could give you a ton of quotes, but i'll just write down one or two i thought were exceptional.

He was crazy, too, and had gone every free day to work on the officers' club that Yossarian had not helped build. Actually, there were many officers' clubs that Yossarian had not helped build, but he was proudest of the one on Pianosa. It was a sturdy and complex monument to his powers of determination. Yossarian never went there to help until it was finished; then he went there often, so pleased was he with the large, fine, rambling shingled building. It was truly a splendid structure, and Yossarian throbbed with a mighty sense of accomplishment each time he gazed at it and reflected that none of the work that had gone into it was his.

and another....

Everyone agreed that Clevinger was certain to go far in the academic world. In short, Clevinger was one of those people with lots of intelligence and no brains, and everyone knew it except those who soon found it out.

In short, he was a dope. He often looked to Yossarian like one of those people hanging around modern museums with both eyes together on one side of a face. It was an illusion, of course, generated by Clevinger's predilection for staring fixedly at one side of a question and never seeing the other side at all.

And i could go on. I'm just going to say, read the book, and it'll speak for itself. It truly is a masterpiece.

Other books by Joseph Heller:
Closing Time
Picture This
No Laughing Matter (with Speed Vogel)
God Knows
Good as Gold
Something Happened

[sir archely]

Survivor by Chuck Palahniuk

Publisher: Bantam Doubleday Dell, 2000
Pages: 289
Genre: Dark Fiction
Price on cover: $10.40 (US) (paperback) (mine didn't have a price on it, as the library had redone the cover, this price is from amazon)

from the back cover
Tender Branson -- last surviving member of the so-called Creedish Death Cult -- is dictating his life story into the flight recorder of Flight 2039, cruising on autopilot at 39,000 feet somewhere over the Pacific Ocean. He is all alone in the airplane, which will crash shortly into the vast Australian outback. But before it does, he will unfold the tale of his journey from an obedient Creedish child and humble domestic servant to an ultra-buffed, steriod- and collagen-packed media messiah. He'll reveal the truth of his tortured romance with the elusive and prescient Fertility Hollis, share his insight that "the only difference between suicide and martyrdom is press coverage," and deny responsibility for the Tender Branson Sensitive Materials Sanitary Landfill, a 20,000-acre repository for the nation's outdated pornography -- among other matters bizarre and trenchant.
Unpredictable and unforgettable, Survivor is Chuck Palahniuk at his deadpan peak, and it cements his place as one of the most original new writers in fiction today.

So, this is the first Chuck Palahniuk book i've read. I meant to read Fight Club, but it was checked out and this one wasn't, so this is the one i took home. I had high hopes for Chuck, based simply on the Fight Club movie. Perhaps that is unreasonable, but, there it is. In that sense, this book let me down a bit. It was a very well-written book, but it just failed to move me, or provide that bit of eye-opening that the really good ones do. There were a few really good moments that i enjoyed, but other than that, it was merely a 'good book.'

I realize i may sound like i'm down on the book, which isn't my intention. It was a fairly fast read, but it didn't do much surprising. I didn't feel much for the main characters, and mostly just felt that i was reading to hear about the story, rather than develop a feeling for anything in the story. This is due to the fact that it's definitely geared towards a certain message, and the message of the book is what seems important for the author to convey, and get you to feel for, rather than the story itself. This isn't bad, just what it was like. Anyway, I would recommend this book to other people, but not before recommending a few others that they should assign a higher priority to.


Other books by Chuck Palahniuk:
Fight Club
Choke: A Novel
Lullaby: A Novel
Invisible Monsters

[sir archely]

The Ape and the Sushi Master: Cultural Reflections of a Primatologist by Frans de Waal

Publisher: Basic Books, 2001
Pages: 387+ Bibliography, Acknowledgements and Index.
Genre: non-Fiction - Animal/Human Behavior Comparisons in Culture
Price on cover: $17.00 (US) (paperback)

From the back cover
The Ape and the Sushi Master aims to poke as many holes as possible in the nature/culture divide. Arguing that apes have created their own distinctive culture, Frans de Waal challenges our most basic assumptions about who we are and how we differ from other animals. With a delightful mix of anecdote, clinical study, and fieldwork, he corrects our ignorant belief that humans are the only creatures to have made the leap from the natural to the cultural domain.

I recommend this book to any and all who read. However, I can easily see how many people who are of the view that humans rank on the top due to our culture will have quite a large problem with this book. It provides study after study, research result after research result, that clearly contradict this notion of the divide between humans and the rest of the animals. Most of the studies he brings up are simply fascinating in their results, and every one seems to blur the line we've drawn between ourselves and nature that much more.

For anyone familiar with Daniel Quinn's Ishmael books, i might describe this book as a scientific version of those. De Waal presents the material in a fairly unbiased sense, but clearly favors one opinion. Truly, it would be absurd not to favor the opinion he has when confronted with all of the evidence. This book has implications and applications far beyond the range of primatology. In addition, it's a captivating read, and one that anyone, regardless of scientific background or technical knowledge can get hooked into and enjoy. So go! Read this book now, for you're far closer to the animals than you probably ever suspected.




Other books by Frans de Waal:
Chimpanzee Politics: Power and Sex Among Apes
Peacemaking Among Primates
Good Natured: The Origins of Right and Wrong in Humans and Other Animals
Bonobo: The Forgotten Ape

[sir archely]

The Evolution of Useful Things by Henry Petroski

Publisher: Vintage Books, 1994
Pages: 263+ Bibliography, and Index. (paperback)
Genre: non-Fiction - modern artifact evolution
Price on cover: $13.00 (US) (paperback)

from the back cover
How did the table fork acquire a fourth tine? What advantage does the Phillips-head screw have over its single-grooved predecessor? Why does the paper clip look the way it does? What makes Scotch tape Scotch?

In this delightful book, Henry Petroski takes a microscopic look at artifacts that most of us count on but rarely contemplate, including such icons of the everyday as pins, Post-its, and fast-food "clamshell" containers. At the same time, he offers a convincing new theory of technological innovation as a response to the perceived failures of existing products--suggesting that irritation, and not necessity, is the mother of invention.

This book is okay, IF you like dry, repetitive textbook-y type books. The writing is just awful. Petroski can't make a point without stabbing you in the eye with it about six or seven times. It was a chore to read through the whole thing, and it took me a long time to actually finish. I got the thing for xmas, and i won't put a book down once i've started, no matter how bad. It's also a rule of mine not to own a book i haven't read. Those were pretty much my only reasons for reading the thing at all. The information presented in the book is interesting, to a point.

That's really the only thing the book has going for it. If you like useless trivia, you might like this book. Some of the stuff in it is fairly interesting. However, even hardcore trivia enthusiasts would find it hard reading. This was a book where i continuously found myself either simply skimming through pages without really reading it, or reading a single paragraph/page over and over. Not because it was complicated, but just because it was so boring it wouldn't go into my head. All the information in here could be presented in about 10 pages of bulleted facts, and you'd get the same thing out of it. Petroski takes what could be a mildly interesting/fun trip through trivia about our everyday useful objects, and turns it into a trip wading through thick mud. And the mud is liberally sprinkled with bits of garbage.

I don't really recommend this book to anyone.


Other books by Henry Petroski:
The Pencil
Beyond Engineering
To Engineer Is Human

[sir archely]

Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry

Publisher: Dell Laurel-Leaf (2000)
Pages: 215 (paperback)
Genre: Fiction - dystopian-ish
Price on cover: $6.50 (US) (paperback)

from the back cover
Kira, an orphan with a twisted leg, lives in a world where the weak are cast aside. She fears for her future until she is spared by the all-powerful Council of Guardians. Kira is a gifted weaver and is given a task that no other community member can carry out. While her talent keeps her alive and brings certain privileges, Kira soon realizes that she is surrounded by mysteries and secrets. No one must know of her plans to uncover the truth about her world--and to find out what exists beyond it.

For any of you that know of/have read (and i would imagine there are many of you who have) Lois Lowry's The Giver, Gathering Blue is a companion book to that. Actually, i'd say it's very close to being nearly the same book. Lowry goes the other direction in this book, and makes the small community more technologically primitive rather than more advanced, and obviously the events aren't the same, but all in all, it's very similar. Kira is basically the equivalent of Jonas, if you hadn't guessed already. The book follows her as more and more about the nature of her community is revealed to her.

Pretty much, if you've read The Giver, you'd probably like this book, but it would be pretty much a repeat. I'd still say go ahead and read it though. It's a fast read, and still a good story. However, if you were moved by The Giver in some way, don't expect the same from this one.

Other books by Lois Lowry:
The Giver
Number the Stars
A Summer to Die

[dark fuschia]

LOL Arch! I read the opening post of this thread and thought "Hmm I know, I'll do a review of Catch-22" which I happen to be reading for a third time now. Then I scroll down and see you already did it. I am so glad you discovered it. It's one of those books that hold a faint prestige for the reader, like upon finishing it, they enter a secret club, the catch22 club! You start to see Clevingers and Milos and Major Major Major's (who happens to be my favourite character!) everywhere. I know some people who think that book makes the world and humanity ugly, but I think thats cos the book has opened there eyes to the ironic injustices of the world for the first time. I think it makes the world beautiful, because all those characters, even the slimiest of them, are struggling so hard for what they want against all those ironic injustices, Captain Black to prove Major Major is a communist, Yossarian to get out of the army, Milo to make as much money as possible. And the basic innocence that all these characters have is the only reason why they can do the terrible things they do. Milo getting paid by the germans to bomb his own camp, CHief White Halfoat threatening Flume's life for a joke but causing Flume to live in eternal fear, every man who killed another in WW2, every man who ran the other way in fear for his life. It's a homage to humanity's innocence. The whole book says to me, "Look at all the horror and terror we are capable of, yet look at our frailty and stupidity, and beneath it all, a tenacity to keep going." This book doesn't make light of war, it vindicates humanity of war.

Anyway of course there are many other aspects to the book, its one of those books that can mean many things to the reader, but on my third reading it's one of those things that stand out.

Also an interesting thing to add, apparently "MASH" was based on this book. Although MASH is not nearly as dark, it still has many of the bsic themes and foible-filled characters.

[sir archely]

GAH! NSH! I tried to do a review, got about 90% completed, and then pushed something and lost the entire post. !@#$^@#$ oh well, i'll do it later i guess.

[dark fuschia]

Ok so don't get scared by the "Oprah book club" sticker on the front of this. A close friend begged me to read it and I was so glad I listened. This book is multi-layered but it's not difficult to follow, which is a marvel considering how deeply it actually delves into human nature.

I'll give you the basic premise, a difficult patch in the life of the main character is recounted, and on the way we learn more and more about his past and his family's past, including his cripplingly shy mother, his sadistic grandfather and his schitzophrenic twin brother. It might sound a bit like day time TV but it manages to avoid the trap of fictional absurdity that so many "uplifting stories about life" fall into. In fact that's what got me about this book, everything in it was so realistic, there was a definate ring of truth, and I saw many parallels in this book to my own reality. There were honestly moments in this book that were so painful to read they had me catching my breath, but it's not really a weepy sort of novel, it's not there to make you cry, it's there to make you think, and this book had me thinking alot about the reasons that people must suffer. I feel this book gave some measure of an answer, that we must suffer so that we can learn and grow, and when I finished I felt uplifted rather than depressed despite the extremely tragic nature of many aspects of the story. None of the characters are terribly admirable, but somehow the author has us caring for them terribly by the end. The one example I will note is the main character's grandfather, a selfish, abusive and controlling man who we learn about through his self glorifying journals. By the end of the book it felt as though I had travelled beside him through his life's journey and learnt all the lessons he did not, which left me asking myself, what life lessons are staring me in the face right now?

Anyway it's not for everyone, but I recomend it to anyone who feels a bit disparaged about life, it mightn't make you feel better but it reminds you that you're not alone in wading your way through the human condition.

I should also mention it's well written and does leave you mercillessly sleep deprived from page turning, but there are some good twists to reward the reader at the end.

[Corvus Corax]

Where Troy Once Stood: The Mystery of Homer's Iliad & Odyssey Revealed by Iman Wilkins

Hardcover: 365 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press; (July 1991)
genre: non-fiction history

What's it about:

The author uses arguments to prove his point that the ruined city Schliemann and Evans found in Hisarlisk, Turkey, wasn't the mythical city of Troy. He then uses the same argumentation to prove that Troy was in fact situated in England, of all places.

This may seem very unlikely, but with his arguments, Mr. Wilkins forms another look upon our ancient history. And he does so very convincingly.



The opinion of your humble servant:

It has been seven years since I read the book, but it has changed my opinion on this subject very drasticaly. I am now convinced about his case. In such manner even that I have been trying to convince other people on this matter. The book is very well written and the arguments are very strong. For example the 14 rivers that Homer discribed in position towards Troy and that are still found in name and at the right positioning are one of the most convincing arguments.

I will not make the complete argumentation, even though I would like to, but that would be a spoiler, in my opinion. Although I can give you a link that will enable you to get the first chapter for free.

The link

A very fasinating read and a book that will make you look different towards the commonly accepted history.

[sir archely]

One thing i forgot to mention. Please put the title and author of the book your are commenting on/reviewing in the subject of your post. Thank you.

[sir archely]

The Other End of the Leash by Patricia McConnell

Publisher: Ballantine (2002)
Pages: 225 (hardcover) + references and index.
Genre: non-Fiction - Pets
Price on cover: $25.95 (US) (hardcover)

from the inside flap
The Other End of the Leash shares a revolutionary, new perspective on our relationship with dogs, focusing on our behavior in comparison with that of dogs. An Applied Animal Behaviorist and dog trainer with more than twenty years' experience, Dr. Patricia McConnell looks at humans as just another interesting species, and muses about why we behave the way we do around our dogs, how dogs might interpret our behavior, and how to interact with dogs in ways that bring out the best in our four-legged friends. ...[snip]

I picked this book up mainly because i had the author as a professor last semester, and she was amazingly good. The class really was one of the best i've had at the university (dare i say the best? ). So, i was curious at what i'd find in her book. For me, this book was a lot of reiteration, much of it is presented in her lectures during class. However, for the vast majority of you who have never had, and will never have her as a prof., i highly recommend reading it. It really gives you a new perspective on dogs, and just pets in general.

Dr. McConnell really has quite the knack for being able to see through the eyes of a dog, based on her own expertise and knowledge in the area. Much of your dog's behavior will suddenly make sense as you read a chapter, and you'll say "oh wow, so that's why he's doing that!" It teaches a friendly approach to dog training, and simply coexisting with your four-legged friend, and dispels nasty advice about how you must be "dominant" and "physical" with your dog to make them behave. In fact, quite a few of the tidbits of information that she tells you about will probably surprise you, if not shock you. (Did you know that most dogs really hate those friendly pats you give them on the top of their heads?)

It is written in a style that makes it seem as though she is conversing with you. Much due, i suspect, to the fact that she lectures about this stuff all the time. However, it's a more personal communication, as she relays personal stories and emotions with you throughout the book.

Not only dog owners will want to check this book out. Heck, i don't even own a dog right now (although i'd like to ). Actually, it will give you insight into how you might act around strange dogs, and beyond that, things you can apply to interacting with any species. Instead of always assuming that what we do is universal in the rest of the animal world, it makes you think about what we do that's simply a result of our primate heritage, and why we should think about this when we have contact with non-humans.

An all-around good book, and a good read, anyone who isn't totally aversive to all animals and plans on interacting with some animal in the future should take a look. If you sent it to me, i could probably even get it signed for you.


Other books by Patricia McConnell:
Beginning Family Dog Training
The Cautious Canine: How to Help Dogs Conquer Their Fears
I'll Be Home Soon! How to Prevent and Treat Separation Anxiety
How to Be Leader of the Pack, and Have Your Dog Love You for It!

[sir archely]

Paul: A Very Short Introduction by E.P. Sanders

Publisher: Oxford University Press (2001)
Pages: 149 (paperback) + references, further reading, and index
Genre: non-Fiction - historical theology
Price on cover: $9.95 (USD) (paperback)

from the inside flap
Paul is the most powerful human personality in the history of the Church. A missionary, theologian, and religious genius, he laid down in his epistles the foundations on which later Christian theology was built. In this highly original introduction to Paul's life and thought, E.P. Sanders, whose research on Paul has substantially influenced recent scholarship, pays equal attention to Paul's fundamental convictions and the sometimes confoluted way in which they were worked out.

First, a few words on the "Very Short Introduction" thing. This is not, as it may seem from this review, a unique title. In fact, there are actually quite a few of these little books put out by Oxford University Press. This is my first encounter with one, and just given that, i want to get more. [I'm in luck, my prof for this summer class i'm taking has me buying 4 more. ] It's compact, you can really take it anywhere. It's only about 4 inches by 7 inches. You can find more Very Short Introductions HERE.

Now, on this book in particular. E.P. Sanders presents a very objective view of the Christian theologian Paul. When reading, one must keep in mind that it is not a religiously motivated text. It is a view from the historical perspective. It explains Paul's motivations and methods of developing his theology in terms of historical events, necessarily not explaining this in terms of miraculous beginnings. As such, those who take on faith the miracles of the Christian tradition (like Paul's revelation) may have quarrels with the book. However, issues that you will come up against are those which, unless you would rather remain a simple believer (alright for some), you would come up against in a rigorous study of Paul no matter what.

E.P. Sanders also documents his sources thoroughly, and draws from primary sources quite a bit. He uses the bible, most often the RSV. He does endorse the RSV in his references section, but during my read i was struck by the number of times he explains translation difficulties or inaccuracies that are present in the RSV. It's something to think about. This book provides a good entry point into an academic reading of Paul, especially the Jesus-Paul problem. It sets up further reading in the subject, but can stand alone quite easily for people who don't want, or need, to delve too deeply and just want to get a feel for it.

A good read, but if you're not into the subject, probably not for you.

Other books by E.P. Sanders:
The Historical Figure of Jesus
Jesus and Judaism
Paul the Law and the Jewish People
The Question of Uniqueness in the Teaching of Jesus
Jewish Law from Jesus to the Mishnah: Five Studies

[Anita Blake]

well, someone tried to beat me with a stick last night to write a book review *cougharchelycough*, ao here i am, in fear for my very life.



Club Vampyre
-Which is the Science Fiction Book Club Edition of
Guilty Pleasures ,The Laughing Corpse , and Circus of the Damned , all by Laurell K. Hamilton

inner flap reads:

I'm Anita Blake, expert on creatures of the night. Vampires call me The Executioner. What i call them isn't repeatable.

Ever since the Supreme Court granted the undead equal rights, most people think vampires are just ordinary people with fangs. I know better. I've seen their victims. I carry the scars...

In my job, I'm an animator; I raise the dead - I've seen just about everything. I've dined with shapeshifters, danced with werewolves and been wooed, but not won, by Jean-Claude, the most powerful bloodsucker in St. Louis. When a serial killer started murdering vampires, it was JEan-Claude who wanted me to find the killer.

Later, a rogue vamp named Alejandro hit town and wanted to me me his human servant. A war of the undead had begun. Over me. I'd have been flattered, if my life weren't at stake.

Speaking of life... and death... every animator worth her salt knows that the older the zombie, the bigger the death needed to raise it. After a few centuries, the only death "big enough" is a human sacrifice. Now, I'm no assassin - sure i kill vampires - and i don't do it for the money - but i don't kill people. Like I said, working for Animators, Inc. is just a job, like selling insurance. But all the money in the world wasn't enough for me to take on the particular job Harold Gaynor was offering. Somebody else did, though - an insane animator. And he wasn't just raising the dead... he was raising Hell.

And it was up to me to stop it....

Ok, we go from a really sucky inner flap to a really fun book. These 3 books are the first of the Anita Blake saga, and really are the best, before the series starts turning into a preternatural soap opera. If you like alternate universe books and vampire books, Laurell K Hamilton is a real find.

The stories are told in the 1st person by Anita Blake, animator and vampire executioner, in almost a kind of old-style detective story fashion. The plots are interesting, the pace well maintained, but the real glory here is the character of Anita. She's small, tough, packs a lot of heat, and doesn't take crap from anybody, even when she sometimes should. She has a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later, and i think she has a serious problem with recognizing when people are actually threatening her or just kidding around. There's a lot of violence, even in the first book Anita is beaten to a bloody pulp and nearly killed, but that doesn't stop her from kicking ass. This is a common theme in Ms. (never Miss... she might pull a gun on you for that) Blake's life. And yet for all her trigger happy ways, she is a deeply moral character, with a set of ethics that she clings to even at her own detriment sometimes. Her biggest rule is : never give over a human to the monsters, ever, for any reason.

If you are interested in reading about Anita Blake, you definitely have to start at the beginning. With the first 3 books, it's not such a big deal to read it in order, but after that, the storylines get too complex to start in the middle of. Plus, if you start at the beginning, you see the way her character grows and changes over the course of the year that the 1st 6 books are set in.

Clearly, it should be obvious that i like these books. So read them. And have fun. They are silly, fluffy novels, no major weighty moral dilemmas, just action and fun, pure frivolity at it's best.

[sir archely]

~hides stick behind back~

~whistles and wanders off~