Category: Goodreads Reviews

author: Peter Hopkirk
name: Elaine
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1990
rating: 3
read at: 2010/01/03
date added: 2010/01/19
shelves: history, non-fiction, politics, religion
review:
One of the books recommended by the folks of Ask Metafilter, when I asked for books about the British in Afghanistan. Stupendous huge book chronicling about 100 years of conflict between the British and the Russians in Central Asia. A little overwhelming in the sheer mass of data, but fascinating nonetheless. Could have stood for more (or more readable) maps, or possibly a cast of characters section. Don’t think I could pass a quiz on most of the details, but I have a pretty good sense of the broad movement of the history of that region in that time.

Both of the non-fiction books I’m reading/have read from those recommendations are pre-9/11. This one is from 1991, and so the preface is all about the collapse of the Soviet Union. Gives an odd sense of presentiment to say the least.

(Update 1/19/2010: the maps in this book were much better than the ones in Tournament of Shadows, IMHO.)

author: Shareen Blair Brysac
name: Elaine
average rating: 3.75
book published: 1999
rating: 3
read at: 2010/01/19
date added: 2010/01/19
shelves: biography, history, non-fiction, politics
review:
I’m vacillating whether to go with 2 or 3 stars — parts of this book were fantastic, great narrative, crazy crazy characters in a vast story. Maybe that’s the problem: the story was a little TOO vast, so there was no single theme that seemed to hold it together, just a chronicle of one thing after another.

I will single out the maps as a particular irritation: the book has lots and lots of locations which are likely to be unfamiliar to the general reader, and the maps were just not good enough to keep track of where all the players were going; neither the inside cover map nor the smaller maps in the text had enough place names. There was much gnashing of teeth every time a place was mentioned, and I flipped to a map, and: nope, not there.

On the other hand, it was interesting to get a slightly different angle on the events in The Great Game: The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia, and to go a little farther forward in time. The combination of the two books gave me a much better understanding of the backstory of Great Game era empire messing around with Afghanistan (et al), which these days is a damn good thing to know.

author: Rosemary Jones
name: Elaine
average rating: 3.74
book published: 2007
rating: 4
read at: 2010/01/02
date added: 2010/01/19
shelves: d-and-d, fantasy, fiction
review:
So help me, I really enjoyed this. (C checked it out of the library.) Somehow managed to be both accurate to D&D mechanics and a rollicking good story. Strong narrative POV from the main protagonist, both consistent and engaging.

author: Diana Peterfreund
name: Elaine
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2009
rating: 2
read at: 2010/01/17
date added: 2010/01/19
shelves: fantasy, fiction, kid-lit
review:
One of those books where I was totally caught up in it *while* I was reading, but that felt off somehow after I was done. Not sure how much of that was due to the super-perfect BF she ends up with at the end of the book. (Sexy, nice, smart, and totally ok with her not being able to boink pretty much ever.) Or maybe it was just the whole virginity thing. But it was a fast read, and action-packed, as they say. 🙂

author: Cory Doctorow
name: Elaine
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2009/12/30
date added: 2009/12/30
shelves: fiction, kid-lit, sci-fi, technology
review:
Read in html, oddly enough. I still need some time to process this one, but I found it intensely moving.

author: Maggie Mahar
name: Elaine
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2009/12/10
date added: 2009/12/23
shelves: economics, health, history, non-fiction, politics
review:
Alas, I can’t remember a whole lot, since I read it back before the hell-cold, but I do know that it was a good compliment to The Healing of America, with lots of detail about our current system.

author: George MacDonald Fraser
name: Elaine
average rating: 3.99
book published: 1969
rating: 4
read at: 2009/12/22
date added: 2009/12/23
shelves: fiction, history
review:
Discovered this book via an Ask Metafilter question, looking for books about the British empire in Afghanistan. It’s fiction, but with rich historical detail. Wild tale of a obnoxious fellow, a liar and a weasel who somehow always turns out looking like a hero. (As an aside, First Afghan War: horrifying.)

author: Richard Holmes
name: Elaine
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2009/12/09
date added: 2009/12/11
shelves: biography, history, non-fiction, science, writing
review:
An examination of (primarily English) science from Joseph Banks to Charles Darwin — using the round-the-world voyages of each as bookends, follows the early professionalization of science as it evolved from "natural philosopher" to "scientist." The other major figures of the book are William Herschel, his sister Caroline, and Humphrey Davy. Fascinating biographies: lots of folks literary and scientific wander through. I would have liked to have seen more of the Romantic poets, although I think he’s written about them in previous books.

He makes a good case for more of an overlap of science and poetry, one that gives me a great deal of personal satisfaction. Davy actually wrote some beautiful poetry, along with messing around with nitrous oxide and inventing the safety lamp. It makes me want to simultaneously write more poetry and watch a bunch of PBS science shows. 🙂

Wonderfully evocative writing, although the pacing was a little jumpy, and it assumed more knowledge of late 18th/early 19th century British history than I’ve got. Still, definitely recommended.

author: Seanan McGuire
name: Elaine
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2009/12/10
date added: 2009/12/11
shelves: fantasy, fiction
review:
A clever little book, sort of a hard-boiled detective novel but with fairies. And not happy cute Victorian fairies, but complex dangerous pre-Christian fairies. Strong narrative voice. Compelling enough to keep me up until 11:30 last night finishing it up.

author: Gail Carriger
name: Elaine
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2009/11/29
date added: 2009/12/07
shelves: fantasy, fiction, history, sci-fi
review:
Delightful steampunk-ish alt-history novel set in a Victorian England of vampires, werewolves, and airships. Great "feisty" protagonist. Would have rated higher, but the messy POV shifts got to me after a while. (Almost 3rd person omniscient, but not quite. Distracting.) A very quick read, although part of that may have been reading it while waiting at Urgent Care on a Sunday afternoon. (Bruised rib from a bike accident.) Definitely looking forward to the next one!