This is a harrowing non-fiction book about the US ambassador to Hilter's Germany from 1933-1937. It presents us with the image that initially seduces This is a harrowing non-fiction book about the US ambassador to Hilter's Germany from 1933-1937. It presents us with the image that initially seduces the sexually uninhibited daugher of the ambassador to have affairs with nearly every top Nazi (before becoming a Russian agent) and with the horror of everyone else (and later the daughter) as things unravel and the real monstrous face of the regime takes over. Highly recommended to understand how fascist societies are able to function and thrive when people are seduced by the images and propaganda and encouraged to close their eyes on all the details. Lessons to be learned in our current age...there is one point where Goebbels and Hitler are spewing out bald lies that reminds me very much of today's use of X and FB by the powers that be......more
This second volume has us traveling with Jean and Locke and is a rather dark and tragic story introducing us to a few new parts of Lynch's imagined woThis second volume has us traveling with Jean and Locke and is a rather dark and tragic story introducing us to a few new parts of Lynch's imagined world of bondmages and corrupt mafiacracies. I like these stories for the detailed description of this imagined world and the banter between the characters for whom we get backstory here about the origin stories of Locke and Jean once again in interleaving chapters as in the first book, The Lies of Locke Lamora. Sometimes though, the recursivity of the double-crossing of the double-crossers who double-crossed them gets a bit out of hand (as it did in the first volume), and sometimes Locke is so glib that we need someone to slap him. Also, it is getting to be about time that we meet the famous Sabatha - I think this happens in the next book The Republic of Thieves. And, sadly, the saga ends there because Lynch has not managed to publish book for giving false starts for over a decade now... Still an interesting post-YA adventure in a world somewhere between that of Bardugo and that of Mieville. ...more
As much as I loved the TV show, I felt that the book version was not as interesting. Maybe I should have done this the other way around, but once I spAs much as I loved the TV show, I felt that the book version was not as interesting. Maybe I should have done this the other way around, but once I spent so much time with the Kevin, Lori, Tom, and Julie of the TV show, the originals in the book just were not as real for me. I thought that Kevin was better as a police chief than as a mayor (and the addition of his father in the TV show was a stroke of genius). I also had a hard time imagining a bald Julie rather than the beautiful, troubled young woman with long black hair from the TV show. The connection between Matt and Nora was also far more interesting as a brother-sister thing in the show than as just neighbors in the book. The show did a far better job of giving a little bit of closure whereas the book just left things completely open at the end. I know it is quite rare for the screen version of a story to exceed the artistic quality of the literary version, but I have to say that I strongly preferred the excellent TV series of The Leftovers to the book by Perrotta....more
I could barely stand In the Lives of Puppets and so when I saw that this one was nearly as vapid for people with GenZ-sized attention spans, I gave upI could barely stand In the Lives of Puppets and so when I saw that this one was nearly as vapid for people with GenZ-sized attention spans, I gave up after like 60 pages. OK, so we are going to go teach like magic to misfits on a island or something, what? I think there are some writers that I just cannot appreciate and for better or worse, T.J. Klune is one of them....more
Jo Walton takes us into the mind of radical monk Savonarola and then gives us some alternative time lines as well. It is a wonderful evocation of 15thJo Walton takes us into the mind of radical monk Savonarola and then gives us some alternative time lines as well. It is a wonderful evocation of 15th/16th century Florence with deep reflections on the meaning of faith and orthodoxy and the limits of these concepts as well. I really enjoyed it....more
Another fantastic book by Jo Walton like The Just City. I loved the characters and the story and wish I could visit Ilium. It was just so fun to enterAnother fantastic book by Jo Walton like The Just City. I loved the characters and the story and wish I could visit Ilium. It was just so fun to enter this fantasy world and I also enjoyed her classic meta-fiction approach complete with reading suggestions throughout. This one reminded me of her Among Others quite a bit and was just as good. Highly, highly recommended....more
The same team that brought us the excellent Expanse now delves into the biblical myth of Daniel and explores a future in which a super-powerful alien The same team that brought us the excellent Expanse now delves into the biblical myth of Daniel and explores a future in which a super-powerful alien species imprisons mankind. It is well-plotted and interesting but not quite as engaging or compelling as The Expanse, mostly because the science team here is not as colorful as the Alex-Jim-Naomi-Amos crew, but then that is a high bar to aim for. Maybe the second volume will give us a bit more character development because I think that is what is missing here. Kudos are due for the descriptions of the alien zoo and the conditions of slavery. ...more
After the setup in Trading in Danger and the new intrigue of Marque and Reprisal (strangely retitled in later editions to Moving Target), I was a littAfter the setup in Trading in Danger and the new intrigue of Marque and Reprisal (strangely retitled in later editions to Moving Target), I was a little let-down with the 3rd book. The thing that bothered me was the pointless tension thrown in between Ky and Stella here which served no purpose other than to try to add some plot while the story stagnated in the middle. As great as the first two books were, this one drags a bit. Hopefully, things improve once again in Command Decision as we head to the end of the cycle of Vatta's War....more
I was impressed with how Moon wrapped up this 5-book series in such a satisfying way. The first book, Trading in Danger is basically back story for thI was impressed with how Moon wrapped up this 5-book series in such a satisfying way. The first book, Trading in Danger is basically back story for the real intrigue that is set in Marque and Reprisal with the slaughter of Kylara's family by persons unknown, where we spend Engaging the Enemy and Command Decision following leads and uncovering the conspiracy with Ky, her beautiful cousin Sophie, and the dashing Rafe as well as crafty and gritty Aunt Grace, This concluding volume brings all the best elements of this series to bear as the crisis reaches its climax and this storyline comes to a close. It doesn't quite have the humor of the Vorkosigan universe of Bujold or the cool AI and accelerated action of the Imperial Radch of Ann Leckie, but it is a happy middle ground that is easy to read and very entertaining....more
This was a better story especially since we get the separate theatres of Nexus II with Rafe and the fledgling armada of Ky with sideshows in Cascadia This was a better story especially since we get the separate theatres of Nexus II with Rafe and the fledgling armada of Ky with sideshows in Cascadia with Stella (thankfully back in good with Ky) and old Granny fruitcake kicking ass back home on Slotter Key. I thought the action here was great, character development top-rate, and intrigue fun and engaging. It is a great payoff after the excitement of Marque and Reprisal and the somewhat disappointing Engaging the Enemy. I can't wait to see how the SDF sets their Victory Conditions in the last volume....more
This was an excellent followup to Trading in Danger where Ky continues to evolve as an interesting protagonist caught between her interrupted militaryThis was an excellent followup to Trading in Danger where Ky continues to evolve as an interesting protagonist caught between her interrupted military training (that comes in super handy many times here!) and her family ties (that are a liability here rather than an asset). The book sets up what I suppose will be the story arc for the next 3 books as the war of Vatta's War starts here. Great characters, good suspense, and fun action sequences for guilt-free milscifi indulgence!...more
I love David Grohl. He is a fantastically gifted and skilled musician, apparently an amazing dad, a grateful son, and a decent writer. I mean, this isI love David Grohl. He is a fantastically gifted and skilled musician, apparently an amazing dad, a grateful son, and a decent writer. I mean, this is not Shakespeare, but the stories here are presented in an offhand and entertaining manner that charms the reader and sometimes made me laugh out loud. His callouts to former bandmates and his struggles with the losses of two of his best friends also make for great reading. For some reason, I thought that he had written this one after Taylor Hawkins death, but that is clearly not the case. As much as I loved this book, I can't help but think that it probably would have ended a little differently and since it is so rare that David gives us a glimpse into his soul (having barely discussed the suicide of Kurt except here and in the "Subterranean" episode of Sonic Highways (the anecdote repeated here), I was disappointed to not hear his thoughts about this 3rd massive blow and whether his unending optimism remains untarnished or not....more
I wasn't sure what to expect with this series. It sort of reminded me of the Bujold Vorkosigan series in a lot of ways, even if the protagonist here iI wasn't sure what to expect with this series. It sort of reminded me of the Bujold Vorkosigan series in a lot of ways, even if the protagonist here is a bit less charismatic than Miles. Nonetheless, the writing is good. It is a VERY different book than her award-winning The Speed of Dark, but an enjoyable read. Kind of hard to find the other volumes, so I'll get to the other ones once I get a bit lower in my TBR and make a few paydays!...more
This was more of the same from the first book in this series, Lock In. This time the subject was corruption in professional sports, and in a particulaThis was more of the same from the first book in this series, Lock In. This time the subject was corruption in professional sports, and in a particularly gruesome sport invented for the threeps. I felt that it was a bit rushed and not all that engaging. I prefer his other series to this one. It might be work reading the first book, but this one is just OK.
Loading...
