7.21.2012

 

Jerusalem: The Biography

by Simon Sebag Montefiore, 544 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: A

An impressively beastly tome in size, this "biography" is surprisingly easy to read. Numerous chapters of history are further broken down into titled subsections so there's frequent places to pause, in addition to very readable prose. I believe Montefiore largely succeeds in recounting the complex history of the city, relying on archaeology and primary sources where possible. I also think he does a fair job of portraying the events of more recent history (British Mandate, Six Days War, etc.) objectively. Thoroughly recommended as a primer for understanding today's Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 4:49 AM
 

Good Luck, Yukikaze

by Chohei Kambayashi, translated by Neil Nadelman 425 pgs, paperback
Sequel to 'Yukikaze'
Overall Grade: A-

Strong military scifi. At the beginning of the book, our protagonist Rei Fukai is catatonic, months after being rescued from a bizarre episode in the skies above the planet Faery, where the combat intelligence system in his plane, Yukikaze, transferred itself to a different plane before it was destroyed in combat. Thanks to the support and stubborness of his commander and friend, Major Booker, Rei regains consciousness and begins to lead his unit on a surprising journey to understanding the JAM entities humanity is fighting.

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 4:42 AM

7.18.2012

 

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

PG-13, 129 min
Official Site | IMDB

2nd in the series

Overall Grade: B


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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 6:14 PM
 

The Amazing Spider-Man

PG-13, 136 min
Official Website | IMDB
Overall Grade: A-


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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 6:08 PM

7.07.2012

 

A Discovery of Witches

by Deborah Harkness, 579 pgs, hardcover
Series: All Souls Trilogy book 1
Overall Grade: B+

Plot: Diana Bishop is a decendent from two lines of powerful witches. She wants nothing to do with her innate powers and talents and instead has a promising career as a historian of alchemy. In the process of summer research, she calls up an alchemic text from an Oxford library that was long thought lost, and which all three races of creatures want. These three races of creatures, witches, vampires, and daemons, live among humans, blending in with various degrees of success, though they are actually genetically separated species from each other and humans. Now it looks like all the sides want Diana in order to get their hands on the book. And if Diana might just be falling into a forbidden romance with the vampire, Matthew Clermont, that has taken it upon himself to protect her, that might just bring even more trouble down about her ears.
Review: A romance without being overally sappy, this book has plenty of fantasy to keep the reader happy. Once the plot starts thickening in Oxford, you move to France, and from there to the US. The sequel promises to have Diana and Matthew back in time somewhere. Matthew's romantic self-restraint is explained in terms of his character's backstory, but it is still refreshing a suitor who is so romantic without clothes coming off. Diana is a bit Mary Sue, in her sheer number of crazy witch abilities, held back only by her inexperience and lack of training. I expect those gloves to come off in the next book or two as she gets trained up and then we'll reassess her Mary Sue-ness.

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 6:29 PM
 

Hitlerland: American Eyewitnesses to the Nazi Rise to Power

by Andrew Nagorski, 327 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: A-

A little jumpy and hard to follow at times, but this is due the nature of the book, which doesn't follow just one person or family (like 'In the Garden of the Beasts' followed the Dodd family), Nagorski pulls accounts from many sources, students, spouses, reporters, diplomats. Moving chronologically, the author presents varying perspectives on Germany (mostly Berlin) of the 1920's and 1930's through the eyes of the Americans that were there, right up till Dec. 1941 when Germany declared war on the US. Interesting to see how frustrated the diplomats and reporters could be with the people back home who just couldn't believe their forecasts of what was coming.

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# posted by Cptn. Suz @ 6:28 PM

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