Monday
Aug232010
Len Fisher's WEIGHING THE SOUL: THE EVOLUTION OF SCIENTIFIC BELIEFS
Monday, August 23, 2010 at 10:55AM The theme of this book is that scientists do sometimes believe things that seem opposed to reality or common sense.
Dennis McDonald’s BOOK REVIEWS
This section contains my occasional book reviews. You can find my movie reviews here.
- A complete index of my book reviews is here.
- Scroll down for book review summary links sorted by date.
- My movie reviews are here.
Monday, August 23, 2010 at 10:55AM Monday
Aug162010
Graham Greene's OUR MAN IN HAVANA
Monday, August 16, 2010 at 08:49AM This is a grim but witty tale of Cold War skullduggery in pre-revolution Cuba. An expatriate British vacuum cleaner salesman whose teenage daughter has expensive tastes agrees to serve as a paid informer for the British secret service. He starts inventing agents and intelligence reports in order to pad his monthly expense reports.
Friday
Jun252010
Conor Cruise O’Brien's FIRST IN PEACE: HOW GEORGE WASHINGTON SET THE COURSE FOR AMERICA
Friday, June 25, 2010 at 06:16AM This little book is organized around George Washington’s first and second terms as U.S. President. The first chapter concentrates on the relationship between Washington and his Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson. The second focuses on the visit to the U.S. by Edmond-Charles Genêt, also known as “Citizen Genêt,” whose job it was to secure support from the American people for the French Revolution.
Friday
Jun112010
Guy Delisle's SHENZHEN
Friday, June 11, 2010 at 05:37AM Have you ever worked by yourself for an extended period of time in a foreign country? If so, you’ll recognize a lot of what author Delisle writes about in Shenzhen.
Saturday
Jun052010
Herman Wouk's THE LANGUAGE GOD TALKS
Saturday, June 5, 2010 at 10:33AM At first I thought this book was both meandering and annoying. It wasn’t till page 69 (out of only 183) that I finally figured out what it’s about.
Tuesday
Jun012010
Andrew Williams' THE BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC
Tuesday, June 1, 2010 at 09:32AM This war history book about the U-boat war in the Atlantic during World War II has one of the best balances of strategy, tactics, and firsthand experience that I’ve read.
Saturday
May222010
Guy Delisle's PYONGYANG
Saturday, May 22, 2010 at 03:51PM This graphic novel depicts a two-month visit to North Korea by animator Delisle to supervise children’s TV animation work subcontracted by Delisle’s French employer.
Wednesday
Apr212010
Guy Delisle's BURMA CHRONICLES
Wednesday, April 21, 2010 at 05:33PM This comic strip depiction of Delisle’s year in Burma as a “house-dad” while accompanying his Doctors Without Borders wife is simultaneously touching, funny, and scary.
Thursday
Apr012010
Peter Bernhardt's THE ROSE'S KISS: A NATURAL HISTORY OF FLOWERS
Thursday, April 1, 2010 at 09:04PM I started paying attention to flowers last year. My son gave me a camera that takes decent closeups. I started carrying the camera while walking our dog down by the creek near our house and while working in our yard.
Thursday
Mar112010
Osamu Tezuka's PHOENIX: A TALE OF THE FUTURE
Thursday, March 11, 2010 at 07:57PM The artwork is nowhere near the level of detail and sophistication present in the author’s Buddha graphic novel series, but the story’s scope is vast. It begins in the year 3404 when the human race is decaying. The periodic intervention of the mystical Phoenix is all that stands in the way of total physical collapse of the Earth.