2013

Title	Author	Rating	Comments
What the Dog saw: And other Adventures	Malcolm Gladwell		Some interesting ideas but not very well presented.
Crete	Antony Beever		A detailed account of the lead up to and the actual events of the Crete War as part of WWII. Not enough background, or differentiation between the different groups. Could have been a lot better because he must have done a lot of research. Interesting read when one is on Crete onself. The British leadership screwed up in a major way, for which the local population and the pikemen paid a high price.
David and Goliath	Malcolm Gladwell		Very interesting - again - description of a number of perceptions.
Scotland's Future	The Scottish Government		A long document with much repition. It provides answers (also by means of a FAQ) to relevant issues. It does not say the really obvious - that Scotland has ownership, as part of an accepted algorythm, of much of the North Sea oil. This is the basis of why Scotland should (also IMHO) own the oil fields and would therefore be a much richer country if independant. But the main issues for me (being a non-Scot) are two-fold - to dump the fools in Westminster - and to have control over their own destiny, it cannot be worse than the right-leaning attitude prevailing in the rest of the UK and especially in England.
By Myself and then Some	Lauren Bacall		Her first autobiography, some interesting stories, but a bit laboured in parts.
On Liberty	John Stewart Mill		A very dense text, the basis of human rights, which at the time were completely lacking.
Letters of a Woman Homesteader	Elinore Pruitt Stewart		A simply-told story of a woman who ups and goes to the country, builds a house and a life. These are her letters to a previous employer.
Gone Tomorrow	Lee Child		Starting in New York subway, Reacher seems to be sitting next to a bomber. Here we go...
Immortality	Milan Kundera		This begins as an excellent read, so many twists and turns all in a hand-crafted prose. Sadly it then goes into an historical literary conversation. Quote: "Compared to this merging of the bodies, (the comsuming of their pet rabbit by Salvador and Gala Dali,) the sexual act seemed to her no more than a ludicrous tickling."
The Devil's Milk: A Social History of Rubber	John Tully		An interesting perspective on the development of rubber production from the killing fields of Brazil and the Belgian Congo to the bullying existence offered by the Akron rubber factories. Not to mention the environmental damage of the materials used in production and our over-reliance on motor vehicles. (Says he who drive a camper van all around Europe, all of the time.)
Nudge - Improving Descisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness	Richard H. Thaler, Cass R. Sunstein		Some very interesting ideas on how to make people's lives better by offering good defaults for decisions. The basis is Liberal Paternalism. Quote: "We then turn to questions about the potential magic of markets and ask whether and when free markets and open competition will tend to exacerbate rather than mitigate the effects of human frailty. The key point here is that for all their virtues, markets often give companies an incentive to cater to (and profit from) human frailties, rather than try to eradicate them or minimise their effects."
Nothing to Loose	Lee Child		Reacher is at it again, creating chaos in Hope and Despair. Quote: He's religious. He's used to believing things that comfort him".
Pity the Billionaire	Thoms Frank		Excellent diagnosis of what the right wing has done to US politics - and as a consequence the economy. IMHO anyone who doesn't get what they have done is unlikely to see where changes can and should be made. Recommended
Ten Great Events in History	James Johannot		To wit: The Battle at Marathon. The Crusades (?) The Swiss battles for Independence. The Battle of Bannochburn Christopher Columbus The Dutch fight the Spanish King The Defeat of the Spanish Armada The Puritan flight to America Clive of India (?) Bunker Hill
Pagan and Christian creeds: their origin and meaning	Edward Carpenter		Dated but good information of how the development of religions have a very similar basis. Should be read by anyone who wishes to understand where religion comes from.
When it was Dark - The story of a Great Conspiracy	Cyril Arthur Edward Ranger Gull		Interesting book presenting the proposition that jc's body was actually found in a cave in Jerusalem - indicating the whole resurrection was a falsity (which of course it is) leading to a complete collapse of morals. Of course this wouldn't happen, we get our morals from thinking and philosophy, not religion. Quote: "In England one may do just what one likes if only one does not in any way, by reason of attainments, belong to the nation."
Identity	Milan Kundera		A rather well-written short story. One can see where it comes from (a French translation) but he seems to have a real hold on the personal novel. A bit like the swedish director Ingmar Bergman, but on paper.
The Drowning People	Richard Mason		A well written novel. This author is still young, but I am sure there will be more from him. This volume is a study of relationships with a thriller aspect.
I killed Scheherazade - confessions of an Angry Arab Woman	Joumana Haddad		A really good read, though I am not on her wavelength regarding poetry. Quotes: ... a balance that so many people are striving for, and that would be the efficient and noble product of an efficient and noble competition between Capitalism and Communism. Patriotism makes you blind. Patriotism makes you self-decieving. Patriotism puts you in a constant state of denial.
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York	Robert Caro		Most enjoyable if rather large tome. Shows how political corruption actually works. But in this case for a positive result - all the parks and public area in New York.
Bad Luck and Trouble	Lee Child		L.A. has bad guys too.
The Hard Way	Lee Child		Bad guys in New York.
One Shot	Lee Child		A killer is on the loose in a city. Things are not what they appear to be.
Persuader	Lee Child		Reacher sees a man who should be dead, but he isn't.
Without Fail	Lee Child		Someone wants to get the VP, but they don't know Reacher is around.
Echo Burning	Lee Child		Reacher gets a ride in Texas - geting more than he bargained for.
Running Blind	Lee Child		Sgt. Amy Callan and Lt. Caroline Cook are both high-flying, career army women, both victims of sexual harassment by their superiors, both forced to resign. And now they’re both dead. The murder investigators are sure Reacher has the answers to their question: how did these women die? And why?
Trip Wire	Lee Child		Set in Florida, Key West, Reacher comes across a man looking for him specifically. The man is killed.
Die Trying	Lee Child		Reacher is an unwilling witness to an abduction in Chicago. He doesn't walk away.
Killing Floor	Lee Child		More murder set in Texas - strange legal rules and mores.
The Affair	Lee Child		In and around LA. Someone in his team during the army MP days is found dead.
The Enemy	Lee Child		His first (well a prequel in fact.) Murder in a small town near a military base.
61 Hours	Lee Child		Fast moving thriller. Fun
Barrow's Boys	Fergus Fleming		Poorly written account of the Navy's exploring failures in the 1800s, both in the Arctic and Africa.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks	Rebecca Skloot		Interesting read. How one woman changed the world for us. Sad to see (again) how black people were mistreated - all the more for having heard justice Scolia's comments this week.
The Overlook	Michael Connelly		Proud Mary keeps on turning.
The Fifth Witness	Michael Connelly		Yet more pages.
The Drop	Michael Connelly		More pages.
Void Moon	Michael Connelly		Turn those pages.
The Corrections	Johnathan Franzen		His first big success Here is a man who is persistent in his regard for cleverness. Every page is crowded with it. Far too long, but an interesting plot.
Stuart - A Life Backwards	Alexander Masters		It is supposed to be an "International Best-seller" I can't see why.
Five Days in London - May 1940	John Lukacs		A not very special analysis of two weeks in May 1940 as Churchill gained support and the BEF withdrew from Dunkirk.
The Eagle of the Ninth	Rosemary Sutcliff		It is supposed to be an "International Best-seller" I can't see why.