Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Since it's the holiday weekend, I thought I would put the thread up a bit early.

Share with us what you read in May 2016!


Please provide:

~ A GoodReads link
~ A few sentences telling us how you felt about the book.
~ How would you rate the book

LaRose

/review/show...
The Widow

/review/show...
The Association of Small Bombs

/review/show...

The Pier Falls: And Other Stories
/review/show...
The Nest

/review/show...
The Last Painting of Sara de Vos
/review/show...

Lilac Girls

/review/show...
At the Edge of the Orchard
/review/show...
The Little Red Chairs

/review/show...

The Wolves

/review/show...
City of Secrets

/review/show...
The Last Mile

/review/show...
Private Paris

/review/show...
Hamilton: The Revolution

/review/show...

Wow ! You certainly had a great May month reading, Wandering. Thanks for sharing with us.

I am in the middle of The Children by Ann Leary, NYPD3, by James Patterson, and The Sympathizer by Nguyen.

Re Wandering Jew's review of The Last Painting of Sara de Vos-- I read this book in print myself. I'd imagine that a talented audio narrator could differentiate vocally between the viewpoint characters. That's not what happened evidently. My review is at

I actually thought that the narrator did a good job. The issue was more with the way the time line and location changed. I thought that in the print, it was clearer.

Great reading, Wandering!
I recently added Lilac Girls to my TBR list. I'm glad to see that you enjoyed it so much.

Here are the books I read in May. I doubt that I'll finish another but will add it if I do.

The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler - (1-star) A real con of a book. The story doesn't hang together and the murdered family are just an enticer to draw readers in. They're a prop. Ugh!

Moral Disorder and Other Stories by Margaret Atwood - (4-star) These stories were wonderful. I haven't read Atwood in years and really should remedy that. Her writing is wonderful.

Pavilion of Women: A Novel of Life in the Women's Quarters by Pearl Buck - (3-star) I enjoy Pearl Buck's writing. It's a relaxing, enjoyable read and her characters are wonderful. I thought this one kind of sagged a bit at the end but I still very much enjoyed it.

Mister Pip by Lloyd Jones - (5-star) Although the horrors of war are slowly revealed, this is a healing story. This book is full of this sort of juxtaposition of opposites. Mr. Watts, the only white man on a paradise tropical island in war, uses Great Expectations by Dickens as a textbook, teaching the children of a world beyond their own, asking them to open their imaginations. The parallels & similarities between the two worlds are wonderfully interwoven as the story reveals itself.

The Last Prince of the Mexican Empire by C.M. Mayo - (3-star) An interesting historical tale. I did enjoy the story. However, the fictional parts of this story are dull, making the book rather lackluster. The conversations are dull, the repeated portions (supposed to be told by different people to give perspective) are mainly the same (adding no perspective). Yet the actual historical story was worth the read. So.....interesting for the story but dulled by the novelization of the facts.

I just finished NYPD Red, book 3

NYPD Red 3
/review/show...

My May Reads

The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History BY Elizabeth Kolbert
Non fiction
Rate: 5/5
I thought this book was excellent. The book shows how the earth is in the middle of a man-made 6th extinction. It's not an easy read and requires close attention. However, the effort is well worth it.
My visit yesterday to the American Museum of Natural History was enhanced by the book when I went to see their exhibits on extinction. I read this for my library book group.
Elizabeth Kolbert won the Pulitzer Prize for General Non-Fiction for the book.

Long Day's Journey Into Night BY Eugene O'Neill
Play Fiction
Rate 4/5
O'Neill posthumously received the 1957 Pulitzer Prize for Drama for this play. It's a poignant drama that is based on O'Neil's life.
I read the play because I was seeing the Roundabout's Broadway production. It starred Jessica Lange & Gabriel Byrne. They both were excellent. The play is close to four hours long and yet it is riveting.

The Children
/review/show...

Petra wrote: "Here are the books I read in May. I doubt that I'll finish another but will add it if I do.

The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler - (1-star) A real con of a book. The story doesn't hang toge..."

I agree with you about "The Hypnotist," Petra. I thought it read like multiple stories going on at the same time. Also, the translation was very clunky in spots.

Amy wrote: "Also, the translation was very clunky in spots. .."

One can only hope that it's the translation that's the problem. Otherwise, it's just plain, old bad writing. This really was an awful book. I only finished it to see how the loose ends would tie up because they were all over the place. Turns out.....they didn't tie up; they were left hanging. Ugh!

Alias, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History is high on my list to read this summer. So glad that you enjoyed so much. That makes me look forward to it all the more.

My reads for May:

Nonfiction:
The Nurses: A Year of Secrets, Drama, and Miracles with the Heroes of the Hospital by Alexandra Robbins: Narrative nonfiction account of the real-life stories of four nurses in different hospitals. This book shows the good, the bad and the ugly of our nation's hospitals, staffing and the health care system. Well written and I learned a lot. 3.5 stars

Miracle in the Andes by Nando Parrado: A memoir by one of the survivors of a plane crash in 1972, when a rugby team traveling to Chile crashed into the Andes. A group of 29 teammates survived the initial impact, and struggled to survive for 72 harrowing days. The author was one of the two survivors who made a 50-mile trek to seek help. While the story was told already in Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors, as a first-person account this one goes deeper into an exploration of the emotional anguish, fear, sadness, and courage it took to survive the experience. 3 stars because the translation seemed rather clunky in spots.

Fiction:

Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: Adichie is a marvelous writer. I've now read everything she's written, and I don't think she can do any wrong. This novel tells the story of Biafra's struggle to establish an independent republic in southeastern Nigeria during the late 1960s through the eyes of three main characters: Ugwu, a thirteen-year-old houseboy who works for a university professor who supports the revolution; Olanna, the professor’s young mistress; and Richard, an Englishman who is in love with Olanna’s twin sister Kainene. It's harsh and beautiful and visceral. Although, having said that, I give the edge to Adiche's book Americanah -- I think it shows her tremendous growth as a writer. 3.5 stars for this one (4.5 stars for "Americanah").

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: I'm probably the last person to finally get around to reading this one. Not sure what took me so long, but I'm glad I finally did. Reading this book is a physical experience. You feel it in your eyes, when your tear ducts prickle and burn from unshed tears. You feel it in the back of your throat, which chokes up when you can no longer hold back those tears. You feel it in the pit of your stomach, when it drops while reading along with the characters' trials and tribulations during WWII. You feel it in your brain, which continues to question how and why such atrocities were allowed to occur during the Holocaust. And you feel it in your heart like an emotional punch right to your soul. And when you finish it, you are weary and spent, as if you'd just run a race. 4 stars

A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson: The companion novel to Atkinson's Life After Life, which told the story (or rather, stories) of Ursula Todd as she was born and lived and died and was born again. Technically speaking, this book is just one of those lives. It focuses on Teddy, Ursula's brother, and the life he lives. Or does it? As always, Atkinson writes well, but I couldn't get as emotionally engaged in Teddy's life as I did in Ursula's many lives. I liked Life After Life better. 3 stars

Bodies of Water by T. Greenwood: Set in 1960s Massachusetts, this is the story of two women who meet as neighbors and slowly grow to recognize their forbidden love for one another. I have enjoyed other books by this author, but this one was lacking something. And the ending set my eyeballs to rolling. 2 stars

The Vacationers by Emma Straub: A light and fluffy read about a family who goes on a trip and takes their various secrets and resentments with them. Of course, all comes out in the wash (as my grandmother used to say) during their vacation. It was a quick read that I will likely forget about by next week. 2 stars

I've had a pretty fair month. :)

I've now read the trilogy featuring the Coughlin family. The first one, The Given Day, 4/5, covers from about 1917 through 1919 (give or take a few months). Most of the book takes place in Boston, Massachusetts. Remember the U.S. only got into WWI in 1917, so we had not been at war as long as Europe. It was an event filled time, the Unions were being called Communist, and being beaten back wherever companies/groups could do so. Supposedly it was against the law for those in "service" occupations to be in a Union. So, when the police decided to join the AFL-CIO, it was one helluva big deal. And when they struck there was a riot to end all riots. Many were maimed and even killed, on both sides. Careers were ruined, and the strike was broken. The Coughlin family was in the middle of all of this, and some suffered the consequences.

The story also covers a young African-American man that has been seriously wronged, and of all things Babe Ruth. :) How all of these unlikely families collide makes for an interesting story.

The second in the trilogy, Live by Night, 4/5, covers the life of one of the younger Coughlin's and his descent into a life of crime. It's probably the weakest of the trilogy, although well worth the read as well.

The third, World Gone By, 4/5, finished out the younger brother's criminal dealings. The book takes us to New Orleans, Tampa, Florida, and Cuba. This ties nicely in with another book I've half read, Havana Nocturne: How the Mob Owned Cuba & Then Lost it to the Revolution, by T.J. English that covers all of the gangster related Cuban story.

Lehane really gives his characters depth and plenty of heart. Doesn't matter that they are partially gangsters.....they still love and have a certain code that they follow, some to their own demise. I can recommend all three highly.

New Yorked, 3/5 by Rob Hart was an interesting pictorial of how some fly-by-nighters live in New York City. A detective story, with New York accents and dialogue. A bit like some of Lawrence Blocks stories, I believe.

Fool Me Once, 3/5 by Harlan Coben was a little disappointing. Good story, but told too superficially, and tending on the plastic side. It attempts to tackle the problem of PTSD, but just doesn't manage to go beyond the surface.

Down River, by John Hart 4.5/5, was a wonderfully told family story. But this families unhappiness stemmed from a suicide, a couple of murders. The story picks up when the accused murderer comes home again from the big city after 5 years. He'd been acquitted, but the small town could not/would not accept the verdict. The way Hart describes the community, but especially the land and the river is absolutely mesmerizing. His understanding of father/son relationship intricacies is right on target.
So very well done!

Keller's Fedora by Lawrence Block 5/5

I love Keller's.......er, Block's sense of humor. Wry, self-deprecating and on the macabre side, it's enough to make the reader laugh out loud but then catch themselves. I mean, really, what's funny about murder?

Keller. Lawrence Blocks laconic hit man makes a return in this novella that captures the essence of the character. If you appreciate a bit of gallows humor, run out and buy the full length Keller books. Well worth the time. I guarantee.

City by Clifford D. Simak 5/5

Man ceasing to be the dominate species on Earth. That can't be a bad thing.

Simak covers so much ground in what is actually a collection of 8 short stories, each with it's own Notes section. The rise and fall of civilizations, the reach out to the stars, the travelling from one dimension to the other. The definition of God. A robot that lives 12,000 years and sees almost all of it. We see what can happen when our desires are thought to be known, but are not. Loyalty, love, the shedding of our humanness. All shown through the lens of one family.

This author puts Life into perspective in the simplest of manners. This is the long view. Good stuff.

I've also now reread the first two in Justin Cronin's trilogy. Their being The Passage and The Twelve. The third, just released this month, The City of Mirrors is next on my reading list. I'll start it tonight or tomorrow.

Just reread The Twelve. Better the second time around. I'm rereading to go into the next and last of the trilogy, The City of Mirrors with the backstory fresh in my mind.
My previous confusion has cleared up, thankfully, and I can appreciate the story telling even more now.

To call this a "Vampire Story" is not to do it justice, by any means. It is a story of redemption, a panoramic view of an apocalypse and dystopian aftermath wonderfully told.

Petra wrote: "Alias, The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History is high on my list to read this summer. So glad that you enjoyed so much. That makes me look forward to it all the more."

It's funny that as soon as I read the book I saw stories about the 5 extinctions everywhere. I DVR'd the Smithsonian channel's program on extinction. I watched it last night and it was well done. The American Museum of National History, which I visited yesterday, of course has a whole section on it. I read an article in the NY Times just the other day on the Coral Reef. * see end of post.

I am sure this was all there before I read the book. But now my eyes are open to it. I know I sound geeky but this, for me, is is exactly why I love to read and why I think it's important !

Australia, Fearing Fewer Tourists, Has Chapter Taken Out of Climate Report

By MICHELLE INNIS
MAY 27, 2016

SYDNEY, Australia � Leading scientists in Australia and abroad have expressed concern that a new United Nations report about the impact of climate change on dozens of World Heritage sites is absent a chapter describing damage to the Great Barrier Reef, after the Australian government requested that the section be cut.

“I was amazed,� the lead author of the report, Adam Markham, deputy director of climate and energy programs at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said by telephone.

The Australian government requested that the chapter be removed from the report, issued by Unesco and the United Nations Environment Program on Thursday, so that further accounts of damage to the reef, the world’s largest coral ecosystem, would not adversely affect tourism.

In a statement on Friday, the Department of the Environment said “experience had shown that negative comments about the status of World Heritage-listed properties impacted on tourism.� The statement went on to say that the department did not support any of the country’s World Heritage-listed properties being included in “such a publication.’�

Environment Minister Greg Hunt had not been informed of the department’s decision, the statement said, but concerns had been relayed to Australia’s ambassador to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, or Unesco.

“But as far as I can see, it is in the newspapers every day,� Mr. Markham said. “Pretty much everyone in the world knows there is a problem on the Great Barrier Reef.�

For full article see

Petra wrote:
Pavilion of Women: A Novel of Life in the Women's Quarters by Pearl Buck - (3-star) I enjoy Pearl Buck's writing. It's a relaxing, enjoyable read and her characters are wonderful. I thought this one kind of sagged a bit at the end but I still very much enjoyed it..."

I also like Buck. I have The Child Who Never Grew by Pearl S. Buck on my Determination list for this year.

Amy wrote: "My reads for May:


Miracle in the Andes by Nando Parrado: A memoir by one of the survivors of a plane crash in 1972, when a rugby team traveling to Chile crashed into the Andes. A group of 29 teammates survived the initial impact, and struggled to survive for 72 harrowing days. The author was one of the two survivors who made a 50-mile trek to seek help. While the story was told already in Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors, as a first-person account this one goes deeper into an exploration of the emotional anguish, fear, sadness, and courage it took to survive the experience. 3 stars because the translation seemed rather clunky in spots.

Last month I read the book by the other person who made the trek for help. :)
I Had to Survive: How a Plane Crash in the Andes Inspired My Calling to Save Lives by Roberto Canessa

Cateline wrote: "I've had a pretty fair month. :)

I've now read the trilogy featuring the Coughlin family. The first one, The Given Day, 4/5, covers from about 1917 through 1919 (give or take a few ..."

I'd say you sure did have a nice reading month ! I enjoyed reading your reviews. :)

Amy wrote: "The Book Thief by Markus Zusak: I'm probably the last person to finally get around to reading this one...."

Last person but me! Still haven't gotten around to it, though I hear it's very good.


Cateline wrote: "City by Clifford D. Simak 5/5

Man ceasing to be the dominate species on Earth. That can't be a bad thing..."

I like Simak. I read City awhile back, but really can't remember much of it except that I enjoyed it more than Cosmic Engineers, and less than All Flesh Is Grass and Other Stories.

May's reading:

Group Theory in the Bedroom, and Other Mathematical Diversions by Brian Hayes. This is a selection of old (90s) articles on math and computer science, collected and republished in 1999 with an afterword to each article describing how it has withstood the test of time. These afterwords turn out to be even more embarrassing than the original articles, because they were written 15 years ago with an eye towards posterity. Anyways, pretty dated, and the topics are not that interesting to begin with, though their treatment is pretty accessible. Three stars.

Empire of the Sun by J. G. Ballard. As much as Ballard is one of my favorite authors, I've been putting off reading this for at least two decades. I fully expected this to be a "wartime is hell" book, like Black Rain, or a wallowing in childhood tragedy like the film Graveyard of the Fireflies. Ballard, however, does not disappoint: while wartime is hell, and tragedy abounds, there's a sense of perspective throughout that differentiates acts of genuine charity or cruelty from the desperate acts undertaken in the name of immediate survival. Five stars.

Faust by Goethe (full review). The second of the big three books in my Faust reading project (spoiler: the Mann book is taking forever to read). I may be getting too old to read Goethe and his symbolism-for-the-sake-of-symbolism: Part II of the work is an attempt to encompass all of classical literature in a single play, partly as a way to show how Faust (or Modern Man) is the moral and intellectual descendant of those glorious bygone days, and partly as a self-indulgent exercise in poetic style. Yes, it is stylistically brilliant, and yes, it is grandiose in vision and execution, but no, it is not readable. Part I is good, and Acts IV and V of Part II are quite well done. The innovation of Goethe, in relation to the Faust myth, is twofold: a) the introduction of a romantic interest (the peasant girl Magrete) who isn't Helen of Troy, and b) the loophole by which Faust escapes damnation (those who eternally strive, avoiding complacency, are automatically saved). The first leads to a redemption of Faust by the Eternal Feminine (yes, exactly as cheesy as it sounds), while the second reduces Faust's bargain to a mere wager between God and Mephistopheles. In short, we have Goethe to thank for the corruption of the Faust legend that eventually led to it being used as an allegory for artistic selling-out. Four stars.

Lives of Faust: The Faust Theme in Literature and Music: A Reader by Lorna Fitsimmons. An excellent resource on the evolution of the Faust legend over time. The actual source material included: letters from the time of the historical Faustus, an English translation of the German Faustbook, the transcript of a medieval Faust puppet play, the librettos for the Gounod and Berlioz Faust operas, a couple of stories by Hawthorne, and excepts from Moby Dick and two modern Faust plays/poems . I thought the twentieth-century treatment was a bit lacking: certainly one of the librettos could have been removed in order to bulk up the more modern offerings. Five stars.

You win the Heavy Reading Award this month Mkfs !

I enjoyed the reviews. Thanks for sharing with us.

I really enjoyed When Saigon Surrendered: A Kentucky Mystery- probably my favorite book this year.
My review is here:
/review/show...?

Margaret wrote: "I really enjoyed When Saigon Surrendered: A Kentucky Mystery- probably my favorite book this year.
My review is here:
/review/show...?"

Welcome to Book Nook Cafe, Margaret ! Thank you for sharing the title of your favorite book you read this year.

Amy wrote: "My reads for May:

Nonfiction:
The Nurses: A Year of Secrets, Drama, and Miracles with the Heroes of the Hospital by Alexandra Robbins: Narrative nonfiction account o..."

I loved The Book Thief, too. Still want to get around to seeing the movie one of these days, though the reviews (as expected) aren't as good.

I didn't finish anything in the month of May between packing, a 5 day road trip, getting established at the new house, and unpacking.

I did manage to get a local library card, but have only checked out toddler books so far. :)

June looks much more promising now that we're unpacked and settling in! The new couch even has a "cuddler" that makes a perfect reading nook. ;)

Enjoy your new home, Emma. Library cards are the first thing i get when i move, too.

I haven't read a book or sentence since our return to Texas, which bodes poorly for June's list. These aren't really heavy-weight, either, but they are what i read.

Growing Up Laughing: My Story and the Story of Funny by Marlo Thomas. This is a sort of memoir, in that Thomas shares bits about her life growing up in California with her family, as well as her career. Interwoven are interviews she held with comedians of today about their youth and what they felt led them to their careers. Frankly, i was disappointed. I liked both parts but felt they didn't compliment one another well.

Reading Jackie: Her Autobiography in Books by William Kuhn introduces an unusual approach. Kuhn tells the story of her life by primarily basing his conclusions with an eye toward books edited and brought into production by her. I think the premise was weak but i learned some things about publishing and history, as she was interested in many eras, including pre-French Revolution and ancient Egypt. I have a number of titles i want to pursue as a result, including two below. Overall, i felt rather indifferent about his approach.

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. I read about this on our BNC board here. It was clever. The idea is an old man escapes his retirement home hours before his 100th birthday party. He has adventures but the author also informs us of the man's past adventures meeting famous leaders we recognize.

The Wolves at the Door: The True Story of America's Greatest Female Spy by Judith L. Pearson is about a Baltimore woman who, in WWII, worked in the French Resistance as part of her work for both UK and US foreign services. One thing which makes her story fascinating is that she had only one leg, having accidentally shot it when in her 20s.

Dyed in the Wool by Joyce Lekas is a mystery my library (and several others, i noted) offered as a sort of feature for Overdrive users. It was a decent mystery, set in Arizona primarily on a Navajo reservation. The MC is a new weaver (& scientist) and visits a woman who has worked in wool her entire life. She complains of the changed quality of the wool, leading to investigations which end with learning illegal dumping has occurred in the area. Not great, not bad. I would read the next in the series.

Capital of Heaven with photos by Marc Riboud. This is one i learned about from the Jackie book, gratefully. Capital of Heaven is a range of mountains in centralish China. The Chinese carved stairways into the mountains, first suggested by the widow of one of Chiang Kai-shek’s (Jiang Jieshi’s) generals. Sixty miles of trails and stone stairways wind through the range. The photos are rich, including visiting poets, artists and travelers. Great photography, leading one to want to visit, knowing it's highly unlikely.

One thing which appealed to me is that the stairs allow regular folks to climb the mountain, quite unlike the mountain climbing in other countries. To my mind it's a sort of democratizing of the sport (if it's still a sport when there are stairways). It allows everyone to travel to the clouds, walking the land trod by Chinese poet Li Bai.

Maverick in Mauve: The Diary of a Romantic Age by Florence Adele Sloane with running commentary by her son-in-law, Louis Auchincloss. This was another book i read having read the Jackie book. Apparently JKO was fascinated by the Gilded Age and the way debutantes had a limited amount of time to find a husband before being labeled a spinster. This wasn't a great book but it was curious to read about the life of the woman and her idle rich friends. Florence craved deep conversations and intelligence, making her selection of a lifemate more challenging.

madrano wrote: "Enjoy your new home, Emma. Library cards are the first thing i get when i move, too.

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. I read about this on our BNC board here. It was clever. The idea is an old man escapes his retirement home hours before his 100th birthday party. He has adventures but the author also informs us of the man's past adventures meeting famous leaders we recognize..."

This is a good movie as well.

Emma wrote: "I didn't finish anything in the month of May between packing, a 5 day road trip, getting established at the new house, and unpacking.

I did manage to get a local library card, but have only checke..."

Congrats on the new home !

madrano wrote:
Growing Up Laughing: My Story and the Story of Funny by Marlo Thomas. This is a sort of memoir, in that Thomas shares bits about her life growing up in California with her family, as well as her career. Interwoven are interviews she held with comedians of today about their youth and what they felt led them to their careers. Frankly, i was disappointed. I liked both parts but felt they didn't compliment one another well..."

I follow her on FB. She posts nice pics of her and hubby. I also enjoy the "Throwback Thursday" clips she posts of That Girl.

madrano wrote: The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson. I read about this on our BNC board here. It was clever. The idea is an old man escapes his retirement home hours before his 100th birthday party. He has adventures but the author also informs us of the man's past adventures meeting famous leaders we recognize. ..."

I enjoyed this one. However the audio of his other book
The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden: A Novel By Jonas Jonasson. The audio was terrific and funny as heck.

Thanks for posting about this book, deb, as I see the author had a new book come out in April.
Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All

Barbara wrote: "

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson.
This is a good movie as well.
.."

I didn't know there was a movie. Thanks for the heads-up, Barbara.

Alias Reader wrote: "Barbara wrote: "

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson.
This is a good movie as well.
.."

I didn't know there was a movie. Thanks for the heads..."

you're welcome.

I agree, i didn't know there was a movie. I'll have to check it out. I'm glad my post led to news about his latest, too.

I read the Veronica Roth trilogy in May: Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant. My daughter was going to read them and wanted me to read the series with her. I can see why they're popular with the YA target audience. The plots are propulsive and teens have the ability to be part of major things. I don't think these are books that will stay with me long term.

I do recommend One Amazing Thing by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. A group of people very different from one another are thrown together in an emergency situation and end up finding their common humanity.

Thanks for sharing your May reads with us, Laura !

I think it's awesome that you share reads with your daughter.

I enjoyed reading series with my children, as well. Back then (80s and 90s) they weren't as exciting as recent and challenging ones like the Roth series. Well, there was Star Trek...