What I've Read - [since Oct 07]

Well, I think I can say the "monthly reading list" post has been an unqualified failure. I'd inevitably get hung up at the end of the month when I'd be in the middle of a book or two. Thinking "as soon as I get through this book I'll post up." Of course, by the time I was through that one, I'd be in the middle of another, or two. [Let's see... book on the desk at work, another by the computer at home, another in the bathroom [tmi], another in my messenger bag... one day I'll stop reading so much and get a life. Though the 1000 or so books/CDs/DVDs on my Amazon wishlist dispute that assertion.]

So anyways, the "monthly reading list" is now "what I've read" and that takes the whole time constraint bit off it, thereby reducing my feelings of failure, guilt and shame. [I was raised Catholic. That's what happens.]

Here we go again, catching up...

[All descriptions from their Amazon.com blurbs or a [fair use] selection from an Amazon.com review.]

Zero Limits: The Secret Hawaiian System for Wealth, Health, Peace, and More by Joe Vitale, Ihaleakala Hew, Ph.D -

...Imagine wiping your mind's slate clean and starting over without preconceived notions, so you can live in a world of daily wonder. Imagine if anything and everything were possible. In fact, everything is possible when you look at the world free of mental constraints. This book is a key that opens your life to a new universe of possibility and accomplishment——a universe with Zero Limits.

Positive psych. Worthwhile read. Needs re-reading. Cause I'm slow like that.

Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs -

A superb new writer introduces her intrepid heroine to crime fiction. Dr. Tempe Brennan, a trowel-packing forensic anthropologist from North Carolina, works in Montreal's Laboratoire de Medecine Legale examining recovered bodies to help police solve missing-persons cases and murders.

Still searching for a replacement for the early, good, Kay Scarpetta novels... before Cornwell shot them all to hell. This wasn't bad, but didn't really hook me.

Already Dead: A Novel, No Dominion: A Novel, and Half the Blood of Brooklyn: A Novel by Charlie Huston -

Huston does an irresistible and fiendishly original take on the vampire myth. Manhattan is teeming with the undead, the island divided into often-warring vampire clans such as the Society, the Hood and the Enclave. The most powerful is the Coalition, whose goal is to protect its members from public scrutiny and persecution. Rogue PI Joe Pitt (aka Simon), who like all vampires is infected with a virus that requires him to drink blood regularly... Huston has fun playing with the conventions of the genre, creating his own hip update that will appeal to fans of Quentin Tarantino and Buffy the Vampire Slayer alike.

...The second Joe Pitt casebook finds Greenwich Village's favorite undead shamus caught in a nasty power struggle between competing vampire clans.

...Huston's third Joe Pitt vampire novel takes his Manhattan-based hard-boiled hero on a dangerous trip into the undead communities across the bridge in Brooklyn.

My new fave series of books. Vampire Noir. Bloody Philip Marlowe. Awesome.

Brimstone (Pendergast, Book 5)by Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child -

As FBI Special Agent Pendergast immerses himself in the investigation of an art critic's bizarre murder, he conjures up clues pointing to the Devil as the culprit.

Wanted to love this, as Pendergrast is an Holmes homage. Plus, lots of potential blasphemy. It was only okay.

Reflex (Jumper) by Steven Gould -

In this delightful SF thriller, the long-anticipated sequel to the critically acclaimed Jumper (1992), Gould puts a fresh spin on the classic plot device of human teleportation. Once a teen struggling to escape an abusive father, Davy Rice is now a covert operative for the National Security Agency and happily married to Oklahoma psychologist Millie Harrison-Rice. Enter sudden marital discord over starting a family, and Davy, eager to avoid the issue, jumps from their remote West Texas hideaway to a meeting in Washington, D.C., only to be snatched by an evil organization intent upon forcing "the asset" to work for them.

Really enjoyed this... as I did the first one - Jumper.

The Blue-Eyed Salaryman: From World Traveller to Lifer at Mitsubishi by Niall Murtagh -

A rare inside look at corporate life in Japan—one that is worth more than a dozen business-school studies.

I dug the book, and it was an interesting read, though I ended up not liking the author so much. Odd, that.

The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell, Dustin Thomason -

Caldwell and Thomason's intriguing intellectual suspense novel stars four brainy roommates at Princeton, two of whom have links to a mysterious 15th-century manuscript, the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili. This rare text (a real book) contains embedded codes revealing the location of a buried Roman treasure.

Great premise, but not as good as I hoped. Parts dragged. Interesting, but not exceptional.

Choke Hold (The New Destroyer) by Warren Murphy, James Mullaney -

Pity poor tobacco tycoon Edgar Rawly.Thanks to lawsuits, government meddling and the inexplicable deaths of many of his best customers, his megabucks industry is gasping its last breath.That is, until the introduction of the Cheyenne Smooths, Rawly's latest product.Not quite tobacco, not quite legal, more addictive than crystal meth... Enter Remo Williams, the Destroyer, and Chiun, the deadly Master of Sinanju.They've been sent to kick some butt, but wind up in danger of being snuffed out themselves. Turns out Edgar Rawly is not the only shady character to recognize the value of the Cheyenne Smooths, and things really start to heat up when Remo bumps into a cult of ancient Chinese assassins, an Asian crime lord, and a worldwide addiction that just might send civilization up in smoke...

Fun, funny and politically incorrect. Classic Remo Williams fare... and that's a good thing.

Secret Dead Men by Duane Swierczynski -

Del Farmer isn't your ordinary hardboiled private eye. Instead of collecting fingerprints or clues, he collects souls of the recently dead.

The best premise for a book I've read in a long time. Kind of disappointing. Finished it up with what felt like too many unanswered and unasked questions and a sense of not really having gone anywhere. Like life, I guess.

Super Crunchers: Why Thinking-by-Numbers Is the New Way to Be Smart by Ian Ayres -

Yale Law School professor and econometrician Ayres argues in this lively and enjoyable book that the recent creation of huge data sets allows knowledgeable individuals to make previously impossible predictions.

Interesting, in the same way Freakonomics was, with the same failings. Reducing everything to numbers, math and statistics crushes individuality and paints a picture of small, circumscribed lives devoid of passion and humanity. Plus, and the same caveat with the other, is that it all depends on whether you can "control for sufficient variables." You can't. That's why it's called life.

Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself by Melody Beattie -

Is someone else's problem your problem? If, like so many others, you've lost sight of your own life in the drama of tending to someone else's, you may be codependent-and you may find yourself in this book.

Yeah, I did. I do. Work in progress.

Toxic Parents: Overcoming Their Hurtful Legacy and Reclaiming Your Life by Susan Forward, Craig Buck -

All parents fall short from time to time. But Susan Forward pulls no punches when it comes to those whose deficiencies cripple their children emotionally. Her brisk, unreserved guide to overcoming the stultifying agony of parental manipulation--from power trips to guilt trips and all other killers of self worth--will help deal with the pain of childhood and move beyond the frustrating relationship patterns learned at home.

This actually reinforced and validated a lot of things I've had to come to on my own over the last 5 or 6 years. Wish I'd have read it way earlier. Would have helped.

Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II by John W. Dower -

Embracing Defeat tells the story of the transformation of Japan under American occupation after World War II.

Best history book I've read in some time. Helps to decode a lot of modern day Japanese idiosyncrasies. Most disturbing bit of info - a popular children's game in the post war occupation was panpan asobi - pretending to be a GI and prostitute.

American Shaolin: Flying Kicks, Buddhist Monks, and the Legend of Iron Crotch: An Odyssey in the New China by Matthew Polly -

...Polly's quest for manhood leads this guy from Topeka, Kans., to the Shaolin Temple, ancient home of the fighting monks and setting for 10,000 chop-socky movies. As much a student of Chinese culture as he is a martial artist, Polly derives a great deal of humor from the misunderstandings that follow a six-foot-three laowai (white foreigner) in a China taking its first awkward steps into capitalism after Tiananmen Square.

Outstanding book. Lots of fun, well written, culturally revealing. Highly recommended.

Steroid Nation: Juiced Home Run Totals, Anti-aging Miracles, and a Hercules in Every High School: The Secret History of America's True Drug Addiction by Shaun Assael -

"With Steroid Nation, Shaun Assael has brilliantly anatomized the American obsession with performance -- and physique -- enhancing drugs. If you are interested in the truth about todayÕs sports world -- the unvarnished but juiced-up, muscle-bound truth -- Steroid Nation is required reading." --Jeremy Schaap, author of Cinderella Man: James J.Braddock, Max Baer and the Greatest Upset in Boxing History and Triumph: The Untold Story of Jesse Owens and Hitler's Olympics

Extremely well written. Inadvertently reveals the inanity of this particular aspect of the Drug War, but perpetuates dumb myths regarding steroid use. The most obvious was the way the author lets the implication endure that Lyle Alzado's brain cancer could have anything to do with his steroid use. No medical evidence for that anywhere at all.

Comics, TPBs and Graphic Novels

Checkmate, Vol. 2 : Pawn Breaks by Greg Rucka, Jesus Saiz -

...Greg Rucka's Checkmate continues to impress with Pawn Breaks, the second TPB of the series. Amanda Waller, always seeming to be one step ahead in the game, has big plans in store, and the way that writer Greg Rucka weaves everything together is simply fantastic.

Espionage in the DCUniverse of superheroes by one of the best suspense/thriller/espionage writers today.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus, Vol. 2 by Various -

This second volume of our Buffy omnibus series collects many of the best Buffy comics to see print. As we follow the newly-chosen slayer from Los Angeles to Sunnydale and through her parents' divorce - with Dawn in tow - the souled vampire Angel makes his first appearance and the not-so-souled Spike and Drusilla cleave a bloody path towards the West Coast.

Pleasant and diverting. BTVS fans only, probably.

Uncle Sam and the Freedom Fighters by Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti, Daniel Acuna -

The classic super-hero team known as the Freedom Fighters isback in a new configuration for a new generation!Meet the all-new PhantomLady, Doll Man, Human Bomb and the Ray -- members of the government taskforce known as SHADE, the country's first line of defense against super-powered threats and terrorists. When the government becomes corrupt, how far will SHADE have to go to protect the country? And what of Uncle Sam? Has the embodiment of thespirit of America really been forced underground?

Fun, crazy ideas. Great art. Wild visuals.


Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight, Volume 1: The Long Way Home by Joss Whedon, Andy Owens, Georges Jeanty, Jo Chen -

The newest incarnation of the Buffy comic, written by series creator Whedon, is effectively the new season of the TV series... The Long Way Home establishes the season 8 status quo: demon-killing heroine Buffy Summers is now commanding an army of hundreds of Slayers (and her little sister, Dawn, has been turned into a giant by Whedon's favorite transformative force, sex). Still, there's some creepy unfinished business from the TV show to deal with, and the U.S. Army is coming after her, too.

Season 8 of BTVS with the return of Joss Whedon as "show runner," writer and dialogue god. It is AWESOME. With a capital A.

The Boys Vol. 1: The Name of the Game by Garth Ennis , Darick Robertson -

THIS IS GOING TO HURT! In a world where costumed heroes soar through the sky and masked vigilantes prowl the night, someone's got to make sure the "supes" don't get out of line. And someone will... A CIA backed team of very dangerous people, each one dedicated to the struggle against the most dangerous force on Earth-superpower. Some superheores have to be watched. Some have to be controlled. And some of them-sometimes-need to be taken out of the picture That's when you call in THE BOYS

Wicked humor by Ennis and great art by Robertson.

Phonogram: Rue Britannia by Kieron Gillen, Jamie Mckelvie -

Britannia is ten years dead. Phonomancer David Kohl hadn't spared his old patron a thought for almost as long... at which point his mind starts to unravel. Can he discover what's happened to the Mod-Goddess of Britpop while there's still something of himself left? Dark modern-fantasy in a world where music is magic, where a song can save your life or end it.

Fascinating, but most all of the music references - 90s Britpop - were lost on me. Clearly not the intended audience. Cool read though.

Blue Beetle: Road Trip by John Rogers, Cully Hammer -

Since the inception of Spider-Man, the young superhero learning about his power and responsibility has been an effective platform for examining the trials and tribulations of growing up. The Blue Beetle character's legacy reaches back into comicdom's golden age, but his latest incarnation is Jaime Reyes. A young man of Latin American descent living in El Paso, Jaime deals with the mysterious scarab that has melded with his body, manifesting as armor that gives him astonishing capabilities.

Best young superhero book out there, bar none.

52: The Companion by Various -

The super-powered stars of 52, DC Comics' acclaimed weekly comics series, are featured in this graphic novel collecting the best oftheir solo stories.Classic tales of Adam Strange, The Metal Men, Booster Gold, Steel, BlackAdam, The Question and others from the 1960s to today...

Great classic comics.

Doctor 13: Architecture and Morality by Brian Azzarello, Cliff Chiang -

...collects the Doctor 13 back up stories that appeared in the most recent Spectre mini series. This is a very fun collection with great artwork that tackles and gives new life to some old minor DC characters. It's a trippy adventure tale laced with bits of humor...

Funny as hell. Metatextual. For lovers of comics, and comics history.

Rex Libris Volume One: I, Librarian by James Turner -

At no time does Rex Libris seem pretentious. It's smart, yes, but it is accessible all the same because its core concept of a librarian charged with retrieving overdue library books reads like a tale of high adventure.

The tales of a librarian retrieving overdue books from interstellar despots, with a bird for a sidekick and a boss who is the ancient Egyptian god Horus. Extremely well written, really funny.

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang -

Indie graphic novelist Gene Yang's intelligent and emotionally challenging American Born Chinese is made up of three individual plotlines: the determined efforts of the Chinese folk hero Monkey King to shed his humble roots and be revered as a god; the struggles faced by Jin Wang, a lonely Asian American middle school student who would do anything to fit in with his white classmates; and the sitcom plight of Danny, an All-American teen so shamed by his Chinese cousin Chin-Kee (a purposefully painful ethnic stereotype) that he is forced to change schools.

Well crafted and worth reading.