I have become a big fan of Jon Ronson from listening to him on podcasts. He’s a nerdy effeminate British dude which is kind of my kryptonite. In my admittedly lazy fandom, I hadn’t realized that he was the author of this book. One of my personal goals is to read everything on my “to be read” shelf and review it for CBR. As a frequent browser of used book stores who also experiences poor impulse control, the unread pile is a little out of […]
America, You Great Unfinished Symphony
Losing Our Way is just about the saddest book I’ve ever read. It took me well over a month to read it, even though it’s great, because I had to keep stopping so I wouldn’t sink into a terrible depression. Losing Our Way is basically the story of everything that’s wrong with the United States today, from our failing infrastructure, to struggling schools, to wage stagnation and income inequality, to endless wars in the Middle East. Bob Herbert knows his stuff, and he doesn’t pull […]
A Search for Nuance Comes Up Dry
I read the first book in this series during the Cannonball two years ago, so I went back to read my review before writing this one. Sadly, it seems that in the years that have passed between these novels, Mr. Forstchen has gotten more hyper-militaristic in his writing and a bit more willing to express a few bigoted viewpoints as well. And he continues to either relegate women to periphery roles, or, when granting higher-profile roles (the President is apparently a woman, the former Secretary […]
Wars, treason and homosexuality in 18th century England
An offshoot of the original Outlander series, the Lord John novels deal with Lord John Grey, a British nobleman, a soldier and a patriot in the time of the Seven Years War in 18th century Europe. He is also a secret homosexual, at a time when coming out would not only destroy his career, his reputation and that of his family, but would very likely lead to his exile, jailing, or possibly even execution. Despite the fact that homosexuality is pervasive during these times, and […]
Pardon Me, There’s a Girl in my Space Battle Book
By Force of Arms by William Dietz (2000) – As you’ve probably guessed by now, I like space opera. Mr. Dietz is one of the primo shoot-em-up-in-space writers, and I enjoy his exciting writing a great deal. His space battles are second to none and offset his tendency to use way too many viewpoints (not at the same time) and – in this novel – his awkward attempt at placing his hero in a love triangle. I started this book without realizing that there had been […]
All Is Not Fair In Love And War
I typically shy away from war or militaristic stories, but the boarding school aspect of this young adult book hooked me. That particular trope is like catnip for me and the high school setting definitely made the militaristic aspects more accessible. I’m happy to say this was a great read. Sam McKenna comes from a military family. Her father is a high-ranking member of the Army and her two older brothers excelled at the prestigious Denmark Military Academy at which Sam has decided to enroll. […]
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