Ideas, Opinions, Genealogy, and Book Reviews
I downloaded Q-23: A Novel of Espionage and Racqueteering by Paul R. Theroux from NetGalley and I found it a quick read and enjoyable. Continue reading “Q-23: A Novel of Espionage and Racqueteering, a quick read”
Congratulations to Dan Fagin for winning the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction for a great book on the environmental catastrophe at Toms River, NJ. I previously reviewed Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation by Dan Fagin here . Continue reading “2014 Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction – Toms River catastrophe”
Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson’s Lost Pacific Empire: A Story of Wealth, Ambition, and Survival by Peter Stark is a page-turning tale full of great adventures and a true story that was once well-known but until now was a forgotten piece of history.
In this remarkable book, Peter Stark tells us Continue reading “Astoria by Peter Stark”
This is the second in a series. I liked the first and reviewed it about a year ago on this blog. I liked it so much I eagerly jumped at the chance to read and review an ARC of Brooklyn Graves: An Erica Donato Mystery by Triss Stein. Continue reading “Brooklyn Graves: An Erica Donato Mystery”
I have been a fan of Gabriel Cohen‘s writing for several years now. So when I received an email that his Jack Leightner crime novels have been published as ebooks by Open Road Media, I thought I should help spread the word. Continue reading “Gabriel Cohen mysteries published as ebooks”
By the mid to late 1800s major cities had become extremely congested. There were several ideas to help ease that problem. From our vantage point today, we see the subway as a fairly obvious solution. But it wasn’t so obvious then.
This is a history of how we came to see the subway as a solution and some of the interesting personalities involved. Continue reading “The Race Underground: Boston, New York, and the Incredible Rivalry That Built America’s First Subway by Doug Most”
Sarah Ettritch’s The Deiform Fellowship Two: The Cult is the second in the The Deiform Fellowship series. I thought the premise a bit odd but the title of the first intrigued me and so I gave it a try.
I wrote my review of The Atheist: The Deiform Fellowship One less than a week ago and as I was writing I was thinking about how good this book was and that maybe I should try the second in the series.
I should mention (for the benefit of those who haven’t read my review yet) that Deiforms are agents of God (or at least believe that to be true) and the main character in The Atheist is Jillian. And there is an interesting conflict of beliefs since Jillian is an atheist. Continue reading “The Deiform Fellowship Two: The Cult by Sarah Ettritch”
I was just browsing Netgalley looking for something that would be an interesting read when the title The Atheist caught my eye. So I looked a bit further and the description seemed interesting:
“Jillian Campbell doesn’t believe in God. When local pastor Jim Preston claims to be an agent of God called a Deiform, and declares that Jillian is one too, she dismisses him as a kook. Two days later, Preston is dead, and Jillian stands accused of his murder.”
Continue reading “The Atheist: The Deiform Fellowship One by Sarah Ettritch”
I saw My Country, ‘Tis of Thee: My Faith, My Family, Our Future by Keith Ellison on Netgalley and it sounded interesting so I thought I would give it a try. I’m glad I did. I think it was not only fascinating but is an important book. It is certainly important Continue reading “My Country, ‘Tis of Thee: life and politics of Congressmen Keith Ellison”
I came in ignorance. But found a good book anyway. In fact, I found what seems to be a good series. Let me explain.
I had heard of Nero Wolfe. I never Continue reading “2 Nero Wolfe Mysteries by Robert Goldsborough”
I read All Standing: The Remarkable Story of the Jeanie Johnston, The Legendary Irish Famine Ship by Kathryn Miles because of an interest in Irish Genealogy. And then thought I should review this book since I enjoyed it and that is one of the things I do here. So that is how the book review got here and why it is listed under both Book Review and Genealogy.
I guess I should make clear than this is not a genealogy book but rather a history book about one of most important important events to Irish Genealogy.
I read the paperback version of the book and that runs to 214 pages excluding reference, acknowledgements, prologue and that type of thing. The book also comes as a hardback (if you want to spent a bit more) and a kindle version if you want to spend a bit less).
The ships the Irish traveled on to emigrate from Ireland during the potato famine were often called coffin ships because so many passengers died during the voyage. The Jeanie Johnson was an exception. It made many round trips between Ireland and North America carrying passengers one-way and cargo on the return voyage without losing a single passenger.
Although the Jeanie Johnston was called a lucky ship, this record was not just a matter of luck. The Irish passengers were usually malnourished and weak before beginning the journey. Conditions on the ship were not great and many succumbed to disease. But conditions on the Jeanie Johnson were better than usual and even more unusual was the presence of a ship’s doctor to care for the passengers. So the words remarkable and legendary in the subtitle are appropriate.
The book is about much more than the Jeanie Johnston. There is quite a bit on the Irish potato famine or the great hunger. And the inadequate relief efforts. The English who were in charge at the time did very little but did get around to apologizing about 150 years later.
There is also quite a bit about Tralee, the home port of the Jeanie Johnston and home of the owner. And a good bit of general information about ships of the time and the hazards they faced. Then whole story is interlaced with the stories of some of the passengers.
Unlike many history books which can have a tendency to bore you with too many detail, this is a lively history that reads well and quickly. I think in part that is because there is sufficient background to understand why this ship was so remarkable and then there are the remarkable stories of the ship and one of the families that traveled on it.
OK, it is not the whole title. The title is – Without Their Permission: How the 21st Century Will Be Made, Not Managed – a bit too long for a reasonable headline.
Much to my surprise, I liked this book quite a bit. But I’m getting ahead of the story so let me begin where this book ended up on my Kindle. Continue reading “Without Their Permission by Alexis Ohanian”
I enjoyed Intelligently Designed: How Creationists Built the Campaign against Evolution by Edward Caudill but did not finish it.
I liked this book and believe that evolution is by far the superior theory but that creationists are often winning the argument in the United States. At least winning much more often than the evidence would support. I am a scientist so I find it shocking Continue reading “Intelligently Designed: How Creationists Built the Campaign against Evolution”
I had mentioned last month that I had subscribed to the Wilson Quarterly for years and enjoyed it. They stopped printing paper copies so now I can get the articles on-line or on my Kindle. Continue reading “Wilson Quarterly, Pacific Standard, Frustrated Blogger, and Expanding Social Security”
I mentioned before that I subscribed to the Wilson Quarterly by mail for several years. There were long articles and almost always several were interesting. There were shorter articles (maybe a page or so) which summarized longer articles often published in scholarly journals or more popular magazines of the intellectual or policy type. And Book Reviews that I found interesting.
The Wilson Quarterly was a very thought provoking and often gave me a look and differing perspectives on various issues. But a while back, they stopped printing on paper and published the Quarterly on the web.
I was trying to decide if I wanted a web subscription. I enjoy reading in my easy chair and was looking for something that would allow me to read the Wilson Quarterly without sitting at my computer. Of course I could get a web subscription and read at my desk or on my laptop or Chromebook.
I also noticed they have subscriptions via iPad, Nook, Kindle Fire, Kindle, Android Tablets and Sony but I had none of these except an old Kindle. So I thought I would give the Kindle subscription a try.
I was a bit skeptical since the Kindle was several years old (no touch) and I was unsure how easy it would be to maneuver around the Wilson Quarterly as there are several sections and several articles withing each section. So far it seems fairly easy to move around and read articles of interest.
Amazon has a try it policy. I am now trying out the Kindle version for a 30 day trial. You order and give credit card info but they won’t start charging while you are in the trial period. What could be fairer than that?