The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If you'd told me about The City We Became in general terms, I wouldn't have thought it would be my kind of book. I would have been very wrong. This is a terrific book. It's a sci-fi/fantasy novel, and it's also a love note to New York City.

I felt that way for much of the book, where the city, manifesting itself through human representatives, is fighting off an existential threat from other universes, and I was certain of my view when I read one character saying this: “'Yeah, well, you know New Yorkers—everybody except the new ones—always say that. It’s dirty and there’s too many cars and nothing’s maintained the way it should be and it’s too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter and it stinks like unwashed ass most of the time. But ever notice how none of you ever fucking leave? Yeah, now and then somebody’s elderly mom gets sick down in New Mexico or something and you go live with her, or you have kids and you want them to have a real yard so you bump off to Buffalo. But most of you just stay here, hating this city, hating everything, and taking it out on everybody . . . But then you meet somebody fine at the neighborhood block party, or you go out for Vietnamese pierogies or some other bizarre shit that you can’t get anywhere but in this dumb-ass city, or you go see and off-off-off-Broadway fringe festival play nobody else has seen, or you have a random encounter on the subway that becomes something so special and beautiful that you’ll tell your grandkids about it someday. And then you love it again. It glows off of you. Like a damn aura.' She shakes her head, smiling to herself a little wistfully. 'I get on the train to go home every day, and sometimes I look around and see all these people glowing. Filled with the beauty of this city.'”

Then there's the connection you feel with the characters, through their flaws and their nobility, and the tension of whether they can deal with this scary alien invasion.

The City We Became is a great novel, and I look forward to reading more from N.K. Jemisin.


View all my reviews

Well said

In <i>The City We Became,</I> a character is observing her right wing, Staten Island father. "Evil is other people [in his misogynistic, bigoted, violent view of the world]. She will leave him this illusion, mostly because she envies his ability to keep finding comfort in simple, black-and-white views of the world."

The author, N.K. Jemisin, has painted this picture so well. In a time when political divisions are stark, one thing worth recognizing is that these people who hold hateful views of others also think that they are righteous. That's a hard thing to fight. 

We must fight it, but if our goal is to change their minds, we're unlikely to win that battle. Rather, we have to pool our support of those who can steer society in a better direction.

Walk the Wire by David Baldacci
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Amos Decker is back, in a puzzling murder mystery with national security implications. And another Baldacci character, Will Robie, joins him. The story has tension, close calls and plenty of bad guys. It also continues to allow Decker to develop as a human being, struggling through the damage he's endured over the years, from his brain injury to the loss of loved ones. I tore through Walk the Wire quickly, and I'm looking forward to whatever is next for both Decker and Robie.


View all my reviews

Caliban's War by James S.A. Corey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A great, entertaining novel, combining sci-fi with horror (not my usual thing) in the form of an alien life form that seems to threaten humanity's very existence. If you're going to read this, start with the first book, Leviathan Wakes. This series definitely has me in its grip!


View all my reviews

The Iceman: A Novel by P.T. Deutermann
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a great page-turner of a WWII novel. Following Malachi Stormes from submarine service with the Atlantic fleet to his new command in the Pacific, we see a dedicated, smart sub captain who brings brutal efficiency to his work. This book is written with both the technical knowledge of a veteran naval officer and the writing skill of an author who creates characters we care about.

Well done, Captain Deutermann. I'm looking forward to reading your other books!


View all my reviews

The Warehouse by Rob Hart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a disturbing book. A dystopian nightmare combining today's behemoth retail companies (Amazon being the main example) with a century+ ago company town where you were a worker who never went home, because home was right there where you worked, did your shopping, found your relaxation, and all with your money going right back to your employer.

Told from the points of view of a new employee, a corporate spy, and the dying CEO who founded the company, The Warehouse paints a picture of a badly damaged world dominated by pure capitalists willing to use people as nothing more than drones. Take the worst article you've read about working conditions in one of the giant corporations of today, then imagine another 50 years of lobbyists buying favorable regulations, those companies skewing things to crush out every little bit of competition, and employees becoming desperate beyond measure for any way to survive, and there you have the world of "Cloud," the beyond-measure behemoth dominating warehouse-based, online retail sales and crushing the soul out of the world.

I don't want to say too much here, for fear of giving away something I shouldn't. But this novel has elements that should be very recognizable to anyone staying on top of the current state of our world, particularly in comparable business models. It wouldn't be hard to see things heading this way, and that's very disturbing!


View all my reviews

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Thinking, Fast and Slow is an interesting book that explores the way our brains work and the way we make decisions. The information shared in its pages is worth knowing and considering. With that said, this is a book in desperate need of a strong editor. Any number of times, as the examples went on and on, I felt like begging the author to stop. The book could have been half its length and conveyed the concepts with sufficient examples to makes it points.

I went to an excellent university, and I had classes taught by people at the very top of their fields, including Nobel laureates like this author. A number weren't the best at conveying information in interesting ways. I'm afraid that's this author's affliction as well. A solid editor might have cleaned this up and made it a better book. As it is, Thinking, Fast and Slow has worthwhile information, but prepare for a long slog to get through it.


View all my reviews

Artificial sweeteners are poison

Yes, I know. That headline is so shrill. I'm not a fan of people who make such pronouncements and think they have better knowledge than what many have told us (i.e., artificial sweeteners are safe). Bear with me!

First, I acknowledge that artificial sweeteners probably don't affect everyone the same way. Granted.

Now some background. Over 20 years ago, my doctor noted that, among my annual bloodwork, two liver enzymes were high. Not dangerously high, but still high. He ran tests, and we eliminated the various, scary possibilities, but we never nailed down a cause. Maybe it was because of my obesity, but it never really was nailed down. Still, I didn't worry because he--and subsequent doctors--said it wasn't a big deal. It just happens that way for some people.

Recently, I went to an endocrinologist, and I like her a lot. She's smart, clearly skillful, and she makes sense and respects what I have to say. (Some doctors are a bit condescending.) When we came to this issue, she had a different point of view. Yes, the numbers aren't very high, but having them a bit high for so long can start to do liver damage. In the end, I could wind up with cirrhosis in old age. Okay, so now she had my attention.

We talked about things that could cause this. Being heavy can be a problem, but, even though most people probably haven't noticed it because it's happened slowly, I've lost a lot of weight over the past several years. No change. So we talked about a lot of possible liver irritants, and nothing seemed to match up. Then I thought of something and asked, "Could artificial sweeteners be bothering my liver?"

She then said she wasn't sure, but it was possible. She added that, even if that isn't the cause, she would rather I stop using them, if I can manage it, or at least reduce the amount I use. But now I needed to know. Could 20+ years of my liver complaining be because of little packets of sweetener in my morning coffee and the stuff in soda?

So a couple of months ago, I stopped using them. No diet soda, no Sweet & Low, Equal or Splenda (the name of this blog notwithstanding), and I checked some of the products I consume (like FairLife protein drinks) and cut out those as well if they had artificial sweeteners.

Today, I went for follow-up blood tests. The one enzyme was down markedly and almost to the official "normal" range, while the other was fully down in the normal range. Neither number has looked this good in a very long time. Of course, that's just one round of tests. Hopefully this continues, but I'm convinced already--because nothing else changed (and the area of my liver that had been firm is now softer... yes, you can feel these things yourself), and suddenly a multi-decade problem has receded.

Please, if you can't completely cut out artificial sweeteners, cut back on them. I'm going to be one of those annoying people, because I'm convinced, they're poison!

Empire of Lies by Raymond Khoury
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was an interesting book. Driven by a secret incantation, one man has managed to go back in time and change history. This has led to a world with firmly entrenched religious empires, including the modern version of the Ottoman Empire that rules Europe, now led by an autocratic religious ruler.

Some good people get caught up in bad events, and good people are hurt. But can these bad things be changed with the same incantation? If they are, then what? What becomes of the world? And what comes next?

This was a thought-provoking, interesting book. I liked it.


View all my reviews

Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I was pretty disappointed in this book. Somehow, I never read Breakfast at Tiffany's. Since it's such a famous book, with the iconic movie based on it, I felt I should remedy this.

In short, I wish I liked this book more. I suspect it was considered very racy and revolutionary for its time. Since that was over 60 years ago, things have changed. Now that nothing in it is racy at all, based on today's standards, we're just left with the characters themselves, most importantly Holly Golightly. Ms. Golightly, whose wild life may have raised eyebrows back in the late '50s, is now just a selfish, annoying young lady. She really has few redeeming qualities.

At least the book is short. So it's a very quick read.


View all my reviews

We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really loved this book. So much science fiction is either poorly thought out or very dark. Yes, there's a dark, dystopian future for humanity, followed by major calamity. Even so, there is hope and more importantly, since it's fiction, there's a lot to make the reader think and imagine what might be on other worlds.

I wasn't sure if this book was for me when I first read about it, but now I'm ready for the next in the series. Well done, Mr. Taylor!


View all my reviews

The Night Fire by Michael Connelly
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The Night Fire is another great book by Michael Connelly. His writing and stories are so good that I get mixed emotions as I approach the end of a book. On the one hand, I want to see how everything turns out. On the other, I don't want it to end! While this generally is the case with his books, this one was exceptionally good. He's managed to keep an aging Harry Bosch going while continuing to build his compelling new character, Renée Ballard. Bravo, Michael Connelly! And thanks for another great read!


View all my reviews

Funny how we touch lives along the way

Today, I grabbed lunch with an old friend from my government days. We worked in the county attorney's office together. Then I was promoted to head HR, and he moved on to work as an attorney in one of the other county departments.

We ran into each other a few weeks ago at the train station, and that's when we said we should get lunch and catch up. So today we did.

When the waiter brought the check, he grabbed it and said it was a thank you that was 20 years overdue. I said, "a thank you for what?"

Apparently, when he was looking at two different job possibilities, I looked into them and advised him on what I thought was the better choice, and my advice panned out well. That was nothing special. I'd do that--and did that--for anyone who wanted the advice. But it seems it helped him get on a great career path that has worked well for 20+ years now.

It's nice to know a small gesture made such a difference!

What's that smell?

There's a part of Savannah about 8 miles from our house here where we do a lot of shopping. From supermarkets to department stores, there's a lot out there. But sometimes when we go out that way, we find ourselves wondering about a not-too-pleasant smell in the air.

I've never been able to figure it out, but it was quite noticeable when we went out there yesterday, so we started talking about it. Jeff and Marc have plenty of Midwest experience, where there are more plants, slaughterhouses, etc., that created some noteworthy smells.

So these two college buddies started kicking it around. Jeff landed on his best guess pretty quickly. "Smells like a paper mill to me."

As a suburban New York boy, I had no frame of reference, but Marc thought that seemed right. So I asked Google to tell me the nearest paper mill. It said,

"International Paper 1.6mi"

Well, whaddya know! Good call, Jeff!

They also discussed some old non-favorites, like slaughterhouses and sugar cane processing plants. Sugar cane? Really? But yes, apparently they're quite stinky, despite the sweetness of their product.

I actually enjoyed the whole discussion, as I learned new things.

Blue Moon by Lee Child
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I went back and forth about a rating for this book. On the one hand, Lee Child's Blue Moon is well written and moves quickly, but on the other hand, I feel like he's out of ideas. This certainly isn't the first Reacher book that doesn't hold up to critical thinking. Just starting with the odds of one man, even a very perceptive one, always wandering into these major criminal happenings is enough to make the stories ridiculous.

Add to that the fact that whatever compunction Reacher had about killing seems to have disappeared, and it's really too much. Yes, Reacher always was very dangerous when provoked, but now it feels like the killing is what he wants. Not an "I kill if I have no choice" hero but a "come on, give me an excuse to kill" vigilante. There's a big difference. In this book, he even kills an unarmed man who, while repulsive in his actions, isn't a violent criminal. He just executes him. Is this where we've wound up?

I didn't go with one star, because, as I said at the start, it moves quickly and is well written. But I can't go more than two stars, because we've gone from a thoughtful righter of wrongs to the Terminator, set loose in unnamed towns where he magically stumbles upon huge organized crime syndicates that he, with the help of a few friends, is going to annihilate.

Maybe Lee Child needs to do some prequel work. Go back and let a younger Reacher be an MP officer again and investigate military crimes. At least that wouldn't be so far-fetched.


View all my reviews

The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City by David Lebovitz
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I grabbed this book, because I love baking and love Paris. So what could be wrong?

Well, the author doesn't say much about his work as a pastry chef, except for keeping some Parisians happy with American-style brownies. (He does share recipes, but that's not the same.) Regarding Paris, wow, he loves to complain! More specifically, about Parisians.

My experience, over the course of all our trips to Paris, has been that the turnover of generations (my first trip there was 38 years ago) has mellowed the Parisian demeanor. In 1981, I found Parisians to be as unfriendly as they were reputed to be. During more recent visits, however, I found them to be much more friendly and helpful. You wouldn't know it from this book.

Perhaps it's the author's own approach to them, or perhaps it's the more nuanced perspective of someone who's there full-time, but his description of life in Paris wouldn't have encouraged me to visit the City of Light if I hadn't been there already.

Two fun subjects, baking and one of the world's greatest, most beautiful cities, and still this book was hard to get through.


View all my reviews

A war story to rival the best of Tom Clancy

Red Metal by Mark Greaney
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Red Metal is one of the most entertaining books I've read in quite some time. If you're not interested in reading about battles, then it's not for you, but if you like books like Tom Clancy's better works from his early days, such as The Hunt for Red October or Red Storm Rising, then you'll like this. In fact, speaking of Red Storm Rising, I'd even say Red Metal is similar but an even better novel. The battle and technical details are on par with that book, and the plot moves even better, with a more satisfying conclusion, even though it also creates a bit of a cliffhanger.

I've had mixed feelings about Mark Greaney's prior work. Some I've liked a lot while others were just okay, but this hits it out of the park. I'm really anxious to see what comes next! One thing I found amusing is the prominence of Lieutenant Colonels in this novel, considering that Mr. Greaney's co-author is one. The US Marines also take a lead role here, but I couldn't help but notice the importance that particular rank played in the different theaters of operation. I will also give them credit for having respect for members of the service from other countries. Too many novels of this genre treat allies and enemies like their armed forces are comprised of cowardly idiots. Here, there's respect for the skills and sacrifices of fighting men and women in general, and that's something I was very happy to see.

This really is a terrific novel, and even at roughly 650 pages, I tore through it in no time, doing all the things I shouldn't, like staying up way too late to see what happens next. Well done, gentlemen!


View all my reviews

Too Much Is Not Enough by Andrew  Rannells
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've enjoyed Andrew Rannells' work on TV and the stage. Most recently, we saw him on Broadway in The Boys in the Band, and I was very impressed with his performance. He's clearly very talented.

Having enjoyed his acting, I was hoping to enjoy this book. Happily, I wasn't disappointed! So many memoirs by people I've liked on stage or screen turn out to be either boring or way too self-absorbed. Not so in this case. Rather, Mr. Rannells shows a lot of introspection and honesty as he takes us from his childhood up to his first time in a Broadway show.

I liked his insights on what it means to struggle to find your way in the acting world, as well as his discussion about growing up gay and trying to find his way to some semblance of sanity in dating. Many of us know these struggles, and his memories ring true, even if some are sad to relive with him.

My respect for Andrew Rannells grew with the reading of this book, and the book itself was interesting and enjoyable to read!


View all my reviews

Total Mayhem by John Gilstrap
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Total Mayhem certainly kept me riveted, and that's the main point with a book read for entertainment. I went through its over 400 pages in a day and a half. I started reading Saturday evening and finished at 3am Monday morning. That's another sign--that I stayed up way too late reading.

I was just a little disappointed in this particular book. I've read plenty of Mr. Gilstrap's work before, so I pretty well know what to expect, but authors in this genre can get a little too cavalier with human life and I feel like he turned that corner here. That may sound silly, since the whole concept is that Jonathan Grave runs a company that, among other things, deals with violent criminals bent on hurting innocent people. It just felt like this particular installment was looking for ways to take innocents and bring them to horrible ends, whereas the other installments generally had a feel, at least as I remember them, of saving innocents from wanton destruction.

That disappointment aside, I tore through this book. So if you want a good guys versus bad guys type of novel, go for it.


View all my reviews

Ship of the Line by Diane Carey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Wow, there are some harsh reviews of this book, and I really think they're uncalled for. Was this the best Star Trek novel I've ever read? No. It wasn't even the best Diane Carey Star Trek novel I've ever read. There were some little pieces that were strangely out of place and personal to the author--you'll see if you read it--and parts could have fit together better, but those weren't fatal flaws.

This book followed the interactions of the crew of the Enterprise after the destruction of the Enterprise-D, as seen in the movie Star Trek Generations, as well as a major part of the book following Captain Morgan Bateson, first encountered in the ST:TNG episode Cause and Effect.

Granted, it's hard not to read the book and be hearing and picturing Captain Frasier Crane--not the author's doing, of course--but I actually found the character rather well developed. He's a man out of place and time, trying to take his experience as a Starfleet captain and make it work decades after his time. He's dealing with a difficult situation largely of his own creation, but he's also a man of integrity who admits his mistakes and respects those around him, even those who disagree with him strongly. I actually found his character admirable if frustrating at times.

We also have a crossover between other characters from the different generations of Star Trek, and that was enjoyable, too. With that said, I saw two major flaws to this book. One is that it rehashed too much of the original series, literally reciting some scenes word for word. Most people who would read a Star Trek novel are serious fans, so I'd think most, like me, know those scenes intimately. No need to rehash them line by line to make the connection to other, relevant observations being made by Captain Picard.

The second thing is that the biggest turning points of the novel, including the final big battle, felt rushed as compared to the rest of the book. This key part got short shrift and was resolved a bit too easily.

For all of that, I enjoyed this book. Not perfect, but it was an enjoyable read. I was tempted to give it a higher star rating, because I think some of those 1-star rants of prior reviewers are borderline malicious. But that's not what this site is supposed to be about, so I won't weight my rating. Goodreads says 3 stars means I "Liked It" so that's what I selected, because I liked it!


View all my reviews