Author: Jack
I retired in 2008 and so I have more time now to devote to several of my interests The blog here is mainly for my interests in some current events but may have the occasional rant on other subjects. I have also decided to keep my genealogy posts here instead of in a second blog (and so simplify my life a little).

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo trilogy

I guess most folks have heard of these books by now. Of course I refer to “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, “The Girl who Played with Fire”, and “The Girl who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest”.

First of all, I think it is a great trilogy. And although you could read then as separate books, you would miss a lot. It is much better to read them in order. The first starts out slowly. At least it seems that way to me and I’ve heard that comment from others. I didn’t really get into the story until about 50 pages. I’ve heard other say it was more for them. But I really think you need those pages to build the background for the characters on which the rest of the series is based.

And once you get thought that initial so period of 50 or more pages, you have 3 page-turners on your hands. And we are talking about a good number of pages. I guess it was about 1500 pages or so for me but I guess that may vary a bit depending on your editions. And of course it you have a Kindle or such there are no pages to turn. And I don’t think anyone has come up with a page-turner phrase for eReaders yet.

So “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” introduces with main characters and tells part of their stories in the first few chapters. Then goes on to involve them in a mystery with several unexpected developments. The characters and situations, like the mystery, are a bit odd (especially Lisbeth of Dragon Tattoo fame) but entirely believable. I know there are plenty of reviews that will tell you something of the plot but that is not what I am doing here. Plenty of reviews like that on Amazon (see my link below). I would have been satisfied with this as a stand-alone book.

But of course I knew there was a second and a third and as I enjoyed the first so much I went on with hardly a break. The second starts out with Lisbeth in an entirely new setting but some the tie-in is obvious, the action moves back to Sweden, and many of the characters from the first book re-appear. We learn a good bit more about Lisbeth and why she is like she is. And some events from the first book make more sense and become more important. The third book follows directly from the second.

Steig Larsson was a journalist and it is probably no accident that a main character is a journalist. They say you should write about what you know. It is the fictional journalist (Mikael Blomkvist) who is convicted of libel and gets involved in the central mystery of book one and brings Lisbeth in to help because of her special talents. She is clearly the main character in all 3 books.

So if you are interest in trying these books (maybe even getting all three at once) or just want to know more about the books or author, please check out the
Steig Larsson Page at Amazon

Annoying political phone call on Sunday morning

Annoying political phone call on Sunday morning

For the past few weeks, we’ve been getting phone calls on behalf of almost everyone running for office. Now we usually check the CallerID and if we don’t recognize the number, the machine answers. Some one caught us half-asleep this morning and we answered. The call before 9 on a Sunday morning. Of course as soon as we heard the beginning of the “Hello Pennsylvania” call, we hung up. So we don’t know who did it. Could be candidate X or the opponent pretending to be candidate X to make us annoyed at candidate X. I guess we will never know. Anyway, I think a good number of folks are tired of the calls, the mail, and the negative ads and may end up not voting or voting for the least annoying candidate. Kind of a shame as there surely are real differences.

The Ghosts of Belfast  by Stuart Neville

The Ghosts of Belfast by Stuart Neville

“Maybe if he had one more drink they’d leave him alone.” So says the man in the bar with his 12 ghostly companions. Well, you learn that on the first page and are immediately pulled into “The Ghosts of Belfast” by Stuart Neville.

Now that Northern Ireland is at peace, it would seem there is less material around for a thriller. And you’d think that an ex-hit man would not be a good main character. But this book proves those ideas wrong. Certainly the peace is there but there is a bit of tension still in the air, mostly behind the scenes. And then there is a certain aftermath. Gerry Fegan had gained a certain status in his Belfast as a killer for the IRA but is now hounded by his past. It is hard to imagine feeling sympathy for a professional killer but somehow Neville manages manages that neat trick.

The peace is fragile. I don’t want to say too much about it as the presentation here is both wonderful and depressing and I certainly don’t want to try to summarize or say so much than it ruins some of your pleasure in reading about it here. Both sides (the IRA and Unionists) have their politicians and violent sides and there is a tension within and between. The book is does have a good bit of violence so if that sort of thing bothers you, this may not be a good choice for you. But if you enjoy a good story, try it now. The link below is for the paperback but it is easy enough to move around and get the hardback or the Kindle edition if you’d rather have one of those.

The book is published by Soho Crime. If you like good books, especially with an international flavor, you might want to check out Soho Press.

The Ninth Step by Gabriel Cohen

The Ninth Step by Gabriel Cohen

Last month I was at the Brooklyn Book Festival and I attended a panel discussion there featuring crime writers. I am a fan of Michael Connolly and he was on the panel so I thought it might be interesting. Also on the panel was Gabriel Cohen. I never had read anything by him but had read that he wrote about a detective in Brooklyn and I thought since I was in Brooklyn, it might be interesting to hear him. He read from the first chapter of his new book. It was just a few pages but I immediately knew that I wanted to read that book.

In his new book, “The Ninth Step” the action starts with the detective at home eating his breakfast. Not very exciting, right ? Then the doorbell rings and the person at the door starts telling a story with much vagueness. Then comes the hook: the man at the door killed the brother of the detective years ago.

If that is not enough to make you want to read this, let me add a few bits. The detective wants to find something that will help solve the cold case of his brother’s murder for which he feels partly at fault. Then the cold case of his brother’s murder moves from an apparently random robbery into the Mafia, longshoremen, and a little known World War 2 event. The detective also is involved with solving what seems to be a rather routine but odd murder which gets involved in a possible terrorist plot, massive injustice, Homeland Security, and more. Part of fun and value of this book is the way the author handles these events (and often surprised me in the process) so I really don’t want to say too much here in case you decide to try this book.

“The Ninth Step” stands on its own as a great read but it is the 4th in a series about Detective Jack Leightner. I completely enjoyed it and plan to look for the earlier books in this series.

The revolutionaries: Founding Brothers & American Creation

The revolutionaries: Founding Brothers & American Creation

I recently re-read Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis. It is not a large book but (about 248 pages in the paperback excluding notes) but, I am reading on the train so I read in short intervals and quite often there are distractions.

Ellis tells several stories about the founders of the United States. Despite his modesty in the Preface, he does quite a remarkable job of making these Revolutionaries come alive in the stories. He starts with the well known story of the Hamilton-Burr duel which sets the stage for the rest and gets the unpleasantness out of the way. And he concludes with the reconciliation of two old friends who became bitter enemies in the rough and tumble politics of the early years of the republic (John Adams and Thomas Jefferson). In between are a few more stories about the Revolutionary Generation.

All the stories contribute to understanding of the dynamics among these revolutionaries. All eventually agreed that we needed to separate from England but they disagreed about how to proceed in founding a new country after we won our freedom. The Constitution did not settle the argument but just provides an orderly framework to allow the argument to continue. The document was a series of compromises and a bit of ambiguity in many cases.And it has continued for over 200 years.

The biggest of the compromises was about the clear inconsistency of allowing slavery in a nation whose founding is based on human rights. A good number of the founders saw the inconsistency and the wrong of it but it was probably impossible to get others who were both culturally and economically dependent on slavery to agree. The reached a compromise which only delayed the day of reckoning and results in civil war. During the intervening years the institution of slavery only increased but our country also became stronger. Ellis does a very good job in getting the reader to understand how we can see the inevitable in hindsight but that what we see as inevitable was not at all obvious to the revolutionaries and that there course may well have been the best that could be done given the fragile nature of our union in their time.

After I finished reading Founding Brothers, I thought it a good idea to read Ellis’s next book, American Creation. In many ways it was a continuation of his earlier work. Founding Brothers told the story of the Revolutionary era via stories about several of the founders; and American Creation is more chronological in approach and focuses largely on the 20 years after these revolutionaries have won freedom from Great Britain. That said, the 2 books do overlap in many ways (both characters and time and especially in some overarching themes) but the emphasis is a bit different.

Ellis neither puts the founders on pedestals nor treats them as unsympathetic dead white men as some works or views of history tend to do. He does not gloss over that facts that they were white and the men in that time had the power so all the main actors were men. (And of course they are dead now.) But importantly they were men of their time and while they were exceptional they were also human, complicated, and shared a certain lack of perfection with all of us.

All of the founders saw the need to set up our own government but they disagreed on what a federal government should look like and how it would related to the states. The first attempt (The Articles of Confederation) failed to give enough power to the federal government for the national government to remain viable. A second attempt resulted in the Constitution. There were failures, ambiguities, and many compromises but Ellis tells this story much better that I could.

Neither of these books is very large (less than 300 pages in each paperback) and I think most Americans would profit by reading both. Although I do not remember the books addressing this point, they put today’s political unpleasantness in perspective. But if I had to pick one, I would suggest the second. It is especially important because we constantly hear various pundits and politicians passing judgment on whether or not specific actions by the federal government are Constitutional. So if you are the type who likes to have an informed opinion on these matters, read one or both of these books.

The candidates

The candidates

Why are most of the candidates afraid of being positive about their positions on the issues? It is not like there is nothing important happening. But most do not seem to take a strong position of the issues or if they do take a position it is so vague as to be meaningless. Yes, candidate X stands for lowering taxes and cutting all that unnecessary spending. Is there anyone who likes unnecessary spending? Be specific. Which programs would be cut and why. If we don’t dramatically cut spending, how will we pay for things and cut taxes at the same time. But rather than face real issues, everyone seems to be running negative ads against the opponent. I guess the reasoning is that if you make the other guy (or gal) look so bad, people will vote for you to keep that other person out of office. But because both sides do it (and there are usually 2 sides), the voters merely end up disgusted with both candidates.

I’d really like to see someone who says “I better than my opponent” and backs it up with some positive stands than might convince us to give our votes with pleasure rather than disgust. Lets see some positive ads for a change.

If it is too hard to get a convincing positive spin on your ideas in 30 or 60 seconds, refer to a position paper on your website to more full explain your position.

2 Short Reviews Veracity and Heresy

2 Short Reviews Veracity and Heresy


Interesting novel in which the United States degenerates into a dystopian state in the near future. The story is also about the importance of words. The banning of certain words prevents certain thoughts which the state would rather not have. Certainly there are elements found in other novels of this general type (1984, Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451 come to mind) but the emphasis on security in our society since 9/11 adds to the relevance. Thought-provoking and I’m going to think about it a bit.

A mystery with several murders set in 16th century Oxford University. Religous intolerance, conspiracies, plots against the crown, the Queen’s spymaster, and an undercover monk-scholar all work to make this a compelling historical thriller.

The Ghost Writer

The Ghost Writer

As a test of how this blog works I thought I would begin by copying (and updating) a few reviews I wrote for my other site. 

I recently read The Ghost Writer by Robert Harris and liked it much more than I expected I would.

The book has been issued as a paperback to coincide with the movie of the same name.   I had read a couple of Harris’s previous books and enjoyed the first I read but not the next as I recall.  So I probably would not have looked to try another, however the previews for the movie looked pretty good and I thought I would try the book before seeing the movie.  I was totally taken by the book and read it is less than 2 days which is unusually fast for me.  For those who don’t know the basic story line, it is about a ghostwriter working with a former UK Prime Minister on his memoirs.  Without going into much detail on the plot, let me just say it is a mystery, a thriller, and political commentary on current events.

The story is told from the ghostwriter’s point of view and draws you in immediately.  And it continues to get better as he travels to a secure location (a billionaire’s estate on Martha’s Vineyard in winter) to meet the former PM (and staff) and confronts various issues related to the war on terror, human rights and war crimes. 

If you are still not sure this book is for you, just follow my link to Amazon and read the reviews there.

Hello

Hello

Welcome to the ChesCo Reader blog.  I’ve decided to start this blog which will feature reviews  on books as I read them and additional book-related comments as appropriate.   I started doing this on my personal blog but I’m moving them here and will add new ones here as I go.  Please add comments.

Reading on the R5

Reading on the R5

These days I am commuting by train and decided to re-read a few books on my bookshelf as well as some new stuff. I started with Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis. Brings back fond memories of why I liked the book. He does an excellent job of discussing the the Revolutionaries and their many disagreements. Not only were the colonists divided about separation for England but there were also sharp divisions about what type of country America should be after we won the war and were a separate country. The first attempt at forming a new country resulted in the Articles of Confederation which were inadequate and eventually we ended up with the Constitution. The Constitution has worked well for the most part (the Civil War was not a high point) but it was a series of compromises among people with very different opinions about how the United States should be governed.

Update:
I had started a book review blog called the ChesCo Reader. But now I’ve combined those reviews on this blog, RetiredGuy. I am retired and not riding the train but I still like to read in my retirement. Stop by and join the discussion or just visit awhile.

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My Pennsylvania Primary Problem

My Pennsylvania Primary Problem

I just voted in my first Pennsylvania primary and I must say I was disappointed. I moved here from Georgia and expected voting would be about the same. Maybe even better, after all this is the state where both the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were written.

There is a buffer zone around polling places. It is usually a fairly significant distance, around 100 feet is typical but it does vary from state to state. In Georgia I think it is 150 feet. In Pennsylvania, it is 10 feet. So as you walk to the polling place you do see a rather large number of political signs until just before you get to the front door. This is true in both primary and general elections. Seems rather strange to me but it is not really a problem after all those are the rules here.

But today (my first primary here) I was really surprised. As I walked into the polling building, there were 2 tables. I assumed part of the voting process. But I was wrong, they were staffed by the local parties ( Republicans and Democrats) and I actually was given a sample ballot with choices marked. I am not sure if the marked choices were the choices of the local committee or just meant to be an example of how you select your choices.

After I had signed in at one of those tables and no one seemed interested in giving me a real ballot I asked where the voting was and was told it was in the next room. I don’t know if this was actually a violation. I suspect there may be a loophole as the political tables were at least 10 feet from the place where you actually vote but they were in the same building. In fact they were inside the front door to the building and you had to walk by them in order to vote.

Privacy and Facebook

Privacy and Facebook

I saw several interesting commentaries this morning on the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) deeplinks blog. Several were about Facebook and the loss of privacy there and how it changed over time.

The website of the EFF is athttp://www.eff.org/ and the blog is at http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archive and there are several commentaries recently. I won’t list them all here but have a look.

Chester County PA

Chester County PA

I live in Chester County Pennsylvania (USA) and have decided to start a website with Chester County information. That’s in Southeast PA, not too far from Philadelphia.

So far I’ve just done things like local government (townships, boroughs, city) and school districts but intend to add much more – points of interest and so forth, maybe even another blog. So while I’m thinking about what I should do, feel free to add suggestions here. By the way, my new site is http://www.chescopa.com/.

Sad but true: Part-time Senators

Sad but true: Part-time Senators

I first thought this was a joke but it appears to be true. Our hard-working Senate Republicans are blocking any committee hearing after 2 PM. Is the GOP becoming the PTP (Part Time Party)?

If we learn anything from this, it may be that if you expect the Senate to do much, you should not vote for a Republican. Something to think about in November!

Be positive and benefit childhod cancer foundation for free

Be positive and benefit childhod cancer foundation for free

I signed up so I could vote to benefit the B+ foundation ( http://www.bepositive.org/ ) for childhood cancer.
Chase Community Giving is giving away lots of money to the winners of a poll on Facebook. I voted to help the Andrew Mcdonough B Positive Foundation ( http://www.bepositive.org/ ) which helps families of children with cancer and funds research to find a cure for these terrible diseases.
Go to their webpage ( http://www.bepositive.org/ ) and click on the Chase Community Giving icon to vote. You will be asked to sign it to your Facebook account (or create a new account if you don’t have one).

Here is your chance to help and it doesn’t cost a penny