The History Book Club discussion

30. by Douglas Preston
Finish Date: July, 3016
Genre: Fiction
Rating: A
Review: I have enjoyed reading the novels based around the Pendergast character. He is a fascinating individual and the plots are regularly unique, fascinating, and often nail-biting. This one was not the best in the series, though it was far from bad. This would not be the best introduction to the series.

31. by Robert Crais
Finish Date: July, 2016
Genre: Fiction
Rating: A
Review: I have not read this series featuring private detectives Elvis Cole and Joe Pike in order, but after reading one or two, you get a feel for the characters and style and, so far, the overall story thread has not been too tied to the books I have read. This one from early in the series took them east to New York and a tangle with the mafia. I thought the ending was particularly satisfying.

30. by Douglas Preston
Finish Date: July, 2016
Genre: Fiction
Rating: A-
Review: I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the books in the Pendergast series. This one was good but not among the very best. I would not recommend it as the best introduction to the series. If you are a fan like me, it won't put you off the series. Just not the best.

31. by Robert Crais
Finish Date: July, 2016
Genre: Mystery
Rating: A
Review: This is actually an early book in the series involving private investigator Elvis Cole and his partner Joe Pike. I have read several later ones prior to this. However, the series is not so tightly interwoven that you have to read them exactly in order. In this one, the California duo end up in New Jersey tangling with members of the Italian mob. As always, there is a satisfying showdown that brings justice.

32. by Susan Sontag
Finish Date: July, 2016
Genre: Photography/Essay
Rating: A-
Review: I have had this book on my to-read list for a long time. It is recommended as one of the best think books on photography. It is an older book and a little dated in places, but amazingly on point in many thoughts about photography and its meaning in relation to art especially. Can't say it is an easy read, but I'm glad I did make it through it.

33. by Will Wyatt (no photograph)
Finish Date: July, 2016
Genre: Biography
Rating: A
Review: Having recently read Treasure of the Sierra Madre I wanted to learn more about the somewhat mysterious author B. Traven. I was aware of some of the tales but did not know much beyond that. This book, though older, is a great detective story. The author set out to make a film on Traven (or whoever he was) and recounts the unfolding story of how he learned who this may really was and to a degree why he worked so hard to hide his real identity. I found it quite fascinating. The reader does learn the full story, including a delicious bit of irony at the end that I think B. Traven would have found most appropriate.

Thanks for that add, Jim. That will go on my tbr list as I always wondered who B. Traven was but didn't know that his/her identity was discovered.

34. by Stephanie Dalley (no photograph)
Finish Date: July, 2016
Genre: Archaeology
Rating: A
Review: This is an interesting book dealing with a famous subject, the hanging gardens of Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Dalley uses a combination of archaeological elements to build her case that the gardens were not in Babylon but in Ninevah and not built by Nebuchadnezzar but by Sennacherib. She uses ancient texts, artifactual remains of structures and sites, ancient images (or copies of ones now lost), and a good measure of logical reasoning to prover her case. Not light reading, but also not that difficult to follow a well-argued case.

35. by Thomas A. Desjardin (no photograph)
Finish Date: July, 2016
Genre: History
Rating: A
Review: While it does contain quite a bit of detail of the battle of Gettysburg, this is not a book about the battle. It is about the fascinating and, for me at least, less known attempts by which a number of individuals (including participants) worked diligently (and not always honestly) to promote their own views of the battle. Many people see it as the turning point of the war because specific people worked to create that view. I found it fascinating that this site of a great Northern victory may do as much as any place to preserve certain illusions of the Southern "lost cause" mythology. You will never view this battlefield in the same way after reading this work.

AUGUST

36. by Craig Johnson
Finish Date: August, 2016
Genre: Mystery
Rating: A
Review: I have thoroughly enjoyed reading my way through the Longmire series. Longmire is the small town Wyoming detective created by Johnson. These books are filled with interesting characters, fascinating plots, and just a bit of the mystical to spice things up. This short novel takes Walt and his friend Henry Standing Bear to a stretch of highway along the Wind River supposedly haunted by a dead highway patrolman. While this story expects one to know the history of Walt and Henry, you could still enjoy it even if you know little of them. As in most of his adventures, Walt does have a brush with the supernatural--perhaps.

Good progress, Jim.

37. by Lee Child
Finish Date: August, 2016
Genre: Action
Rating: A
Review: This is the second book in the series featuring Jack Reacher, a retired Military Police Marine, who lives a nomadic life, which carries him around the country and into various action adventures. This book was written in the late 1990s but was still scarily relevant to today, By a random event, Reacher is dragged into an encounter with a militant separatist group in the wilds of Montana ruled by a sadistic racist fueled by a personal agenda of hate. I haven't read many of these yet but Reacher is basically an individual with considerable skill to kill and create havoc. There are quite a few books out in the series and a couple of films starring Tom Cruise as Reacher (he is too small to be the character in the book). I do plan to continue through the series.

38. by Cass R. Sunstein
Finish Date: August, 2016
Genre: Philosophy?
Rating: B-
Review: I thought I would really enjoy this book, but I didn't. I am not a Star Wars fanatic, but I have enjoyed them. I still recall seeing the very first one. But Sunstein is a little too much of a fan. It becomes something of a put-off. There was some interesting background and behind the scenes trivia about the creation of the movies. Devoted fans might already know this also. Not me. Each chapter (excuse me, I mean "episode" as Sunstein calls them) has a different focus. One deals with the movies and their creation. Others attempt to provide all these great lessons using the movies, for example regarding governments, psychology, the nature of evil, etc. There are some good points but at times it seems a bit strained to link all this to a line or two in one of the movies. The saddest thing was when he made references to the great dialogues from the movies (or the novelizations) and then quoted from them and they were just not that great in their phrasing or content. I recommend this only to the Star Wars fanatic and you may even find it lacking. I don't think the Force was with Sunstein on this one!

Good review, Jim!

39. by Amos Nur (no photograph)
Finish Date: August, 2016
Genre: Archaeology
Rating: A
Review: I found this to be a fascinating book, though there are a few places where the geology and examples become a little repetitious. That said, the book does a good job of making earthquakes and how and where they occur quite understandable. The central premise is that earthquakes played a greater role in the disruption/changing of ancient cultures than most archaeologists are willing to admit. In fact, if some of the reports are true, some of them directly ignore evidence or scoff it off with little thought. The primary group of events considered is the end of the Mediterranean Bronze Age when many archaeologist have posited that some mysterious "Sea People" brought about the end of the age. Nur doesn't claim earthquakes were the sole cause of the events, but that they most likely did play a role in changing the Mediterranean World. His analysis of earthquakes in Madrid and, of course, ancient Jericho are particularly intriguing and provide support for his central contention.

SEPTEMBER
40. by Felix Gilman
Finish Date: September, 2016
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: A-
Review: I had this book on my to-read for a long time. I finally located a copy while in South Carolina. From the information I had read, I expected it to be a really great and different read. While it was pretty good, for me it just did not get up there in the classic range I wanted. A kind of mash-up of fantasy, steampunk and western genres, it does have an interesting world structure involving two competing forces, the Line and the Gun, both humans possessed and driven by some sort of spirits. The two use their human pawns in an eternal conflict. I realize this is part of a series (at least a second volume is out) but I wanted more plot and excitement than I found. That said, I did enjoy it enough to continue on into the next volume.

41. by Mark Z. Danielewski
Finish Date: September, 2016
Genre: Horror?
Rating: A
Review: I knew going in this was a different kind of book. One can determine that with a quick flip through the pages. However, I wasn't prepared for just how "different" it is. After two attempts I finished it with a sense of accomplishment. However, I still am left wondering if I read something subtly profound or, to paraphrase Shakespeare, an idiotic tale, filled with sound and fury, signifying nothing. I can't begin to summarize the plot, except to say that it has several layers of narrators, with a film about this strange house which contains infinite spaces. That is confusing enough, but the text is constructed in different pieces, fonts, texts, and with an elaborate structure of footnotes (and notes within notes, missing notes, and notes that link to other places that defy any meaning why). Add in, the weird formatting, with pages upside down, filled with dense print or almost no print, text within text, etc. and you have a small grasp of what awaits you. By the way, there is all this illusion that there was a real film with numerous analysts (see footnotes--most if not all of which are fiction). Finally, the book even becomes self-referential when the last narrator, a really confused young man, overhears comments about the book he apparently has not yet written--because he appears to never have completed it. Anyway, for a mental challenge and an endurance run (over 700 pages), give this a try.

42. by Colson Whitehead
Finish Date: September, 2016
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Rating: A+
Review: I don't even know if a category of "historical fiction" exits, but that seems the best description of this book's category to me. Whitehead created this story to examine the horrors of slavery and, beyond that, of being black across American history (with echoes of today, to me). The novel starts out as historical on a slave plantation in Georgia, detailing the life (and ancestors) of Cora a young woman born in slavery. When she flees with a young man who convinces her to escape with him, the story enters fantasy when the underground railroad becomes an actual train line beneath the earth that carries them to other states. These "states" while actual ones--South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Indiana--are also different states of experience where alternatives to slavery are played out, usually with violence as the final outcome. This allows Whitehead to examine variants of actual black experience in America--segregation, black communities on the western frontier, the horrors of lynching and the insane fears fueling it. Though fantasy, this is a book that provides a "real" look at the extremes of the relationships between blacks and whites. It is a great read. I highly recommend it, especially to those who enjoy history. However, steel yourself, it is not light reading.

Jim- I have been waiting for this book and have seen it hyped. Glad to see that you think it is worth the hype it is receiving.

Brina wrote: "Jim- I have been waiting for this book and have seen it hyped. Glad to see that you think it is worth the hype it is receiving."

Briana--While it is certainly different with the fictional structure, I think there is a great deal of "reality" within it. I hope you find it a worthwhile read.

Jim......you are a patient reader. I just couldn't get through House of Leaves, so you get a nod from me!!!

by Mark Z. Danielewski

Jill wrote: "Jim......you are a patient reader. I just couldn't get through House of Leaves, so you get a nod from me!!!

by [author:Mark..."

Thanks for the compliment. I guess it's one of those things you can say you did, even as you wonder why you did it.

43. by R Dean Johnson (no photograph)
Finish Date: September, 2016
Genre: Young Adult
Rating: A-
Review: I won a copy of interesting coming-of-age book from Read It Forward. Set in the early 1980s, it deals with the experiences of Reece Houghton in California following the recent relocation of his family there for reasons we discover near the end of the book, especially the efforts of Reece and the first few friends he makes to fit into his new world. Central to the story is the formation of a punk rock band (with no musical experience or equipment) as a means to attain acceptance and the beautiful girl next door. Suffice it to say things don't turn out quite as planned. I'm not much into punk music history or the crude language it inspired, but that wasn't a complete turn-off. As a former teacher, I enjoyed the way school and teachers were a realistic part of the story, true to kids, but not cardboard stereotypes, especially the chemistry class, which gives the book its title. I think this is a nice, fairly light read, that brought smiles but no deep laughs, enjoyable but perhaps not destined to become a classic.

44. by Christopher L. Kolakowski (no photograph)
Finish Date: September, 2016
Genre: American History
Rating: A
Review: This an excellent short history of this significant Civil War campaign. I have read some on the Stones River campaign and this book does a good job of capturing the essence of the conflict. I assume the same for the Tullahoma campaign as well. The photographs are good but the maps are far too small to be of any use. That was really the only critique I had.

I must check out this series!

They do provide succinct accounts and make a great starting place for some Civil War reading.

45. by Sharyn McCrumb
Finish Date: September, 2016
Genre: Fiction
Rating: A
Review: Sharyn McCrumb does a masterful job of writing stories about the Appalachian Mountains and the people who dwell in them. Several were built around old ballads. This one is set in the tough years of the Depression and centers on a family that has moved down to a town in search of a better life. The central character is a woman who, through a series of turns of fate, becomes the sheriff of this small town. That, in itself, would make it an interesting story. However, things grow even more complex when she must deal with her duty to hang a convicted killer. This is based upon a true story by the way.

OCTOBER
46. by Anita Sanchez
Finish Date: October, 2016
Genre: American History
Rating: A+
Review: I recently visited Hanover Shaker Village in Massachusetts. What a fascinating place. While I knew a little about the Shakers, I learned so much on the tour of the site. I wanted to find a book that told their history but was not some exhaustive study. In the gift shop there I found this amazing little book. Though fairly short, it does an outstanding job of providing a sense of Shaker origins, life, history, and decline while also focusing on some relatively little-known aspects of the Civil War. One primary issue examined is the Shaker's struggle to attain conscientious objector status during the war. I highly, highly recommend this book as interesting, informative and quite well written. Especially haunting to consider is the Shaker invitation to President Lincoln to come spend a few days in retreat with them. How different history might be if he had!!

47. by Brad Thor
Finish Date: October, 2016
Genre: Fiction Adventure
Rating: C
Review: This was my second Brad Thor novel featuring Scott Harvath. As the second one in the series, it was older and harder to locate a copy. I wasn't blown away by the first one and, with this one, I have read all I care to by Thor. I found his character a bit too arrogant with little to show for it at several points in the story. There was too much sophomoric humor also I thought. I think Lee Child and James Rollins do a far better job in this genre.

48. by James Rollins
Finish Date: October, 2016
Genre: Horror
Rating: A
Review: I usually find James Rollins to be "out there" somewhat but ground a little more in reality than in this novel (apparently the first in what will be a series). Perhaps the co-author had something to do with it. This is an interesting and gripping read. It contains quite a few apocalyptic events such as the destruction of the Masada site. Then, there are the Christian vampires, some really deadly werewolf types and some interesting speculations on Christ. It might offend some believers, but I think there is actually a powerful thread of faith running through the book. Oh, there are also old Nazi elements, a lot of deadly battles in nasty places and a nice ironic romantic twist near the end.

49. by Edith Wharton
Finish Date: October, 2016
Genre: Fiction
Rating: A
Review: On a recent New England trip we visited The Mount, Wharton's home in Massachusetts. Before the tour I never realized how prolific a writer she was and how different a life she had. I decided to read some of her work and this short novel was suggested. I was warned it did not end happily and that was certainly true. However, it is very well written and leaves you with several things to consider. One that stood out to me was the crushing impact of poverty on the course of lives, especially on the choices we have. In this case, a bad choice leads to even worse circumstances than those that Frome hoped to escape. I plan to read more Wharton.

50. by Samantha Mabry
Finish Date: October, 2016
Genre; Fiction
Rating: A
Review: I was a Grand Prize in the Read It Forward and GiftLit Giveaway Drawing. This book was one of three from GiftLit. This mystical tale is set in Puerto Rico and involves a mysterious girl who lives in what appears to be an abandoned house and who carries a deadly poison within her system. The story does a great job of capturing some of the culture and folklore of the island. There is more than one type of poison at work in this small group of youngsters. There are two interrelated stories regarding children with "poisonous" fathers and mothers who abandoned them. There is also a bit of subtle poison in the relationship between the two main characters. And, to me, there was also a tragic poison in the sad little notes containing wishes that are tossed over the wall of the home of the poisoned girl.

Congratulations on your win, Jim and also hitting the magic 50 books read mark!!!!!