DWD's Reviews of Books, Audiobooks, a Little Music, and Just a Bit of Video.

Angels Flight (Harry Bosch #6) (audiobook) by Michael Connelly

Race is THE issue in this great mystery

Published by Hachette Audio
Read by Dick Hill*
Duration: 10 hours, 55 minutes.
Unabridged

Angels Flight, an early installment in the Harry Bosch series, is as good as the rest in the series meaning, at least in my mind, it is a proud member of one of the best set of detective novels currently being produced.

Michael Connelly's books are usually deep and gritty and this one is no different. The lead character is Harry Bosch, the leader of a 3 detective team in the LAPD that is assigned an unusually sensitive case. A well-known civil rights attorney that has successfully sued LAPD over and over again for violations of federal civil rights laws has been murdered on the eve of an especially notorious case against the LAPD. Of course, everyone inside LAPD and out believe that a police officer killed him in a fit of revenge and the city is seething.

Set just a few years after the Rodney King riots and the O.J. Simpson murder trial, Los Angeles is racially tense, to say the least. This works well with one of the main themes of the entire series - Harry Bosch's name. Harry's real name is Hieronymus Bosch. If you are not familiar with Hieronymus Bosch let me explain. The real Hieronymus Bosch is a Renaissance painter that painted detailed and fanciful paintings of the torments of hell, including demons, strange creatures and their victims. Connelly often presents Harry Bosch as a man walking among the sites and smells of hell - torture, betrayal, riots and the literal burning of parts of the city in protest are the backdrop of this moody, brooding book.

Michael Connelly

Connelly deftly handles the tricky topic of racial discrimination and issues of black and white in this book. While the case is being worked race tints every aspect of the case - Black vs. White vs. Blue (LAPD) is a frequent topic that is discussed - not overtly but neatly inserted as conversations that flow quite naturally in the context of the story.

I heard this book as an audiobook and it was truly a joy to hear Dick Hill's narration*. He's done several of Connelly's novels and I've never been disappointed with any that he's narrated. He is as good as it gets.

I rate this audiobook 5 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: Angels Flight by Michael Connelly.

Reviewed on December 19, 2008.

*Note: This audiobook has been re-recorded. The version with Dick Hill as the narrator can be tricky to find.

The Last Stand of Fox Company: A True Story of U.S. Marines in Combat by Bob Drury

A slow start - but don't let that deter you

Published in 2009.

Although I am a history teacher, I have to admit that I am woefully under-informed on the Korean War - at least when compared to our other wars. Sadly, I am not alone in this fact - there's a reason why the Korean War is called "The Forgotten War".

Drury and Clavin start off slowly, in part because there is no context as to why the soldiers are marching around in the subzero weather in northern Korea. However, once they explain the purpose of this particular campaign in the war as a whole and show the reader a few maps I got a lot more comfortable with how they were telling the story and appreciated it a lot more.

Marines during the Chosin Campaign
in the Korean War

The Last Stand of Fox Company: A True Story of U.S. Marines in Combat is not a fancy history - it is told from the ground level perspective of the the Marines on the hill and is full of tales of bodily fluids, men too young to actually join the Marines, frozen toes, poor equipment and a command structure that not only failed to realize the Chinese Army had entered the war, but failed to realize that a few thousand Marines were up against tens of thousands of those same Chinese soldiers.

Highly recommended for those who enjoy a "Band of Brothers" type perspective on the war. This book is not a general history but I'd suggest it as a companion to any general history in order to get that gritty feel of the front line perspective - the point of view of the men who actually fought the war.

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5 and it can be found on Amazon.com here: The Last Stand of Fox Company: A True Story of U.S. Marines in Combat.

Reviewed on December 19, 2008.

The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids by Alexandra Robbins

Fascinating. Disturbing. Inspirational.

Published in 2007 by Grand Central Publishing.

The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids is a fascinating investigation into the lives of some of America's top students - the kids who want to do it all and oftentimes do, but at great personal cost and for dubious reasons.

Alexandra Robbins befriends and follows several students from Whitman High School in Maryland through one school year as they try their best to score perfect 1600s and 2400s on the SATs, be accepted into Ivy League schools and pad their resumes to impress the admissions officers with tons of extracurricular activities (one student she interviewed had SIX typewritten pages of extracurricular activities!).

Robbins intersperses research and interesting facts with her stories of the students and discusses the unhealthy obsession with perfection and how the true values of education (knowledge, exploration, wisdom, self-discovery to name a few) is often subverted in the name test numbers, be they SAT, ACT or No Child Left Behind tests.

Alexandra Robbins

She correctly notes that honesty and any actual learning is routinely sacrificed for the GPA points due to widespread cheating, especially by the good and even great students. I've been teaching for 19 years now and I've never encountered so much cheating (and plagiarism) as I have in the last three years. It's rarely the weak students - the ones that outsiders would suspect. Nope - it's the good students - the ones with so much riding on maintaining super-high GPAs that they cannot afford even one bad quiz.

The students ring true to me. I know kids like she's profiled here - the flirt, the Slacker, AP Frank, the Meathead, the Superstar. They come from a variety of homes and financial situations (though most are upper class - money does not seem to be a worry for most of them).

I hope that Alexandra Robbins turns her talents to documenting other groups of kids in schools someday, but in the meantime this is a fine and thought-provoking introduction to the modern American high school.

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5.

Reviewed on December 19, 2008.

Update: I am now in year 30 of my teaching career. The comment on cheating is still true - even more so with the advent of smart phones. Students can take a picture of an assignment and "airdrop" it to everyone in class with little effort. They can text it to friends in other classrooms or even post it on Instagram (if it is a textbook-based assignment it is on Instagram and has been since the moment the textbook reached a school).

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids.

Beowulf by Gareth Hinds

A strong and relatively short re-telling of the classic tale

Published in 2007 by Candlewick.

If you are like me and are well read, are mildly interested in Beowulf but just plain lack the desire to read a 3000-line long medieval poem, this volume may be the answer. I plowed through this graphic novel in about a half an hour and certainly was entertained and a bit more enlightened as to the tone and nature of the Beowulf saga.

I was aware of the outlines of the first two sections of this story which are about the battle against Grendel and the battle against Grendel's mother. I was totally unaware of the story of Beowulf's death from the fight against a dragon.

To his credit, Gareth Hinds includes sections of a translation of the original text to narrate his text. Hinds' artwork is fantastic, especially his renderings of the beasts that Beowulf fights.

Does it replace the original? No, of course not. But, it's a pretty good stopgap substitute and its pretty darned entertaining.

I rate this graphic novel 4 stars out of 5.

This graphic novel can be found on Amazon.com here: Beowulf.

Reviewed on December 20, 2008

Marvel 1602 by Neal Gaiman

Didn't do much for me

Marvel 1602 just didn't do much for me, which is surprising since I'm a casual comics fan but a serious reader of history. I figured (correctly) that there'd be no problem taking superheroes into a different time period. But I also figured (incorrectly) that the story would be more interesting and have more of a focus.

Lack of focus is really the problem I have with the series. Is it a spy novel in which the familiar superheroes are involved in a complicated web of deceit and danger? Yes and no. Is there more than that and the entire world (actually every universe) is threatened with destruction and everyone must bring their unique talents to save the day?

Yes. It degenerates into that. Degenerates? Yes. Degenerates. Every character is brought into the fray and the storyline is muddied by bringing everyone in for a token cameo and the whole story becomes an over-the-top "jump the shark" type of plot usually reserved for aging and decrepit series that can't seem to drum up interest unless the stakes are the salvation of the universe itself. Puh-leaze! Gimme a break.

While beautifully drawn, I lost interest as even more characters were brought into the storyline. There was precious little character development after the first 3 parts of this 8 part volume. Plus, what's up with the dinosaurs? Why are dinosaurs wandering around?

I rate this collection 2 stars out of 5 and it can be found on Amazon.com here: Marvel 1602 by Neal Gaiman.

Reviewed on December 22, 2008.

Quantum (Nolan Kilkenny #2) (abridged audiobook) by Tom Grace

So-so effort

Published in 2000 by Hachette Audio.

Duration: approximately 3 hours
Read by Jerry O'Connell
Abridged

For once this was an abridgment to an audiobook in which I didn't feel like something important was left out.

Unfortunately, the plot and the characters in Quantum were only so-so. Jerry O'Connell read the story - and at first I thought that would be a big plus since I've liked most of the stuff that he has done. However, this time I was not impressed. Not his best work.

Nolan Kilkenny, who should be known as 'the one man army' based on his unstoppable one man's (a former Navy SEAL) performances against several teams of battle-tested, better-armed former Russian Special Forces throughout the book, is a tiresome character. Many of the supporting characters were much more interesting and I would have preferred it if some of them would have had a greater role throughout the book.

If you are a fan of Tom Clancy and want something that is similar (but not as well done) to hold you over until the next Clancy book, this may fit the bill.

This audiobook can be purchased on Amazon here: Quantum

I rate this audiobook 3 stars out of 5.

Reviewed on May 23, 2006

Out of Season: An Undersheriff Bill Gastner Mystery (#7) by Steven F. Havill

Well depicted characters make this one a winner!

Published in 1999.

The mystery is not all that mysterious. No international criminal ring threatens. National Security and the fate of the free world do not depend on what happens in Posadas County, New Mexico and its tired and ready to retire Undersheriff Bill Gastner. That, of course, is the charm and strength of Out of Season.

Posadas County, New Mexico's small sheriff's department suffers the loss of its well-intentioned but inexperienced Sheriff in a plane accident - except it looks like it was not an accident after all - the pilot was shot before he crashed. Undersheriff Gastner looks into the private investigation that the Sheriff was looking into and finds that his inexperienced boss may have had good instincts after all.

First, let me praise what Havill does best in this book - character development. Gastner is a tired old horse who is ready to go out to pasture but when duty calls the value of his years of experience (more than anything else) move Federal, state and local authorities towards finding out who has killed Sheriff Martin Holmann. He is a restraining hand on the young pups, a prod to the confused, and a sounding board to the others.

This is my first Havill book. You do not have to start the series at the beginning and I give this one 5 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Out of Season: An Undersheriff Bill Gastner Mystery

Reviewed on May 23, 2006.

Peter and the Starcatchers, Book One by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

As an adult fan of both Barry and Pearson I couldn't resist picking this one up...

Published in 2004 by Hyperion Books for Children.

Dave Barry has long been a favorite of mine and Ridley Pearson is on my list of writers to look for as well so when I saw that they had taken on the Peter Pan storyline and created a prequel, I knew that I just had to read it.

Happily, I was not disappointed. Peter and the Starcatchers is fun, escapist fiction at its best. The book works on multiple levels - adults will understand several double entendres while kids will love the quick pace and high adventure.

The plot revolves around a group of people called Starcatchers, people who collect starstuff, glowing magical stuff that falls from the sky and makes the people that use it superhuman. Michelangelo, Attila the Hun and Zeus are all historical figures that have found and used starstuff. The Starcatchers try to capture it to keep it out of the hands of evil people.

I am more than happy to recommend this one to readers of all ages. Well done Barry and Pearson.

This is the first of the Starcatchers Series.

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5 and it can be found on Amazon.com here: Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson.

Reviewed on May 17, 2006.

A Crooked Man by Christopher Lehmann-Haupt

Great potential but fails to deliver
Originally published in 1995.

A Crooked Man features U.S. Senator Nick Schlafer who has proposed to decriminalize drugs across the United States. Soon afterwards he is caught up in a confusing maelstrom of drug power players who may or may not want the bill to be passed, including the Drug Czar and mafia-types.

Schlafer's difficulties are complicated by a messy family background, including a daughter whom police believe slit her wrists while high on drugs. Family politics and national politics become intertwined and the book really starts to lose its focus. Schlafer is confused about who to trust and family secrets are exposed that shake him to his foundations. However, so many different things are going on that Lehmann-Haupt does a poor job of keeping all of the strands moving forward in a credible and meaningful way.

While a breeze to read, I was not terribly impressed.

I rate this book 3 stars out of 5 and it can be found on Amazon.com here: A Crooked Man by Christopher Lehmann-Haupt.

Reviewed on May 11, 2006.

Thereby Hangs A Tail (A Chet and Bernie Mystery #2) by Spencer Quinn

The Second in a Nifty Series

Published in 2010.

I read the first book in the Chet and Bernie series as part of the Amazon Vine program, meaning I was given a pre-publication copy of the book for free. I thought the series had a good hook to it (Chet is a dog, his owner Bernie Little is a private detective - the only detective in the Little Detective Agency. The story is told entirely from the point of view of Chet) but I doubted it would have staying power. I am pleased to say that I was mistaken - not only does this series have legs, but each of the two follow up stories are better than the original.

Chet is a completely trained police dog who will only say that he washed "out on the very last day, a long story, but it's not secret that a cat was involved!" Bernie and Chet are now partners in the best sense of the word - Chet often is well on his way to solving the mystery before Bernie has anything figured out due to his superior sense of smell and hearing, but it is so hard for a dog to explain things to humans (and sometimes Chet does not even know he has solved it because it is so hard for dogs to concentrate and use those higher level thinking skills).

Spencer Quinn and his dog

In Thereby Hangs a Tail, Chet and Bernie are hired to protect a prize-winning tiny dog as she competes in a dog show. But, Chet's enthusiasm and impulsiveness when it comes to dog treats causes the prissy owner to fire Chet and Bernie, only to be kidnapped hours later. Her husband hires the Little Detective Agency to find both the owner and the dog and that's when things start to get real complicated....

This is a truly fun series. I hope that Spencer Quinn keeps up the high quality and the great insights into dog behavior and psychology as he continues to tell Chet and Bernie's stories.

Click on the 'Spencer Quinn' or 'Chet and Bernie' tags below to see my reviews on books 1 and 3 in the series.

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5 and it can be found on Amazon.com here: Thereby Hangs A Tail (A Chet and Bernie Mystery #2) by Spencer Quinn.

Reviewed June 20, 2011.

H Is for Homicide (Kinsey Millhone Mysteries) by Sue Grafton

From an occasional reader of the Kinsey Millhone series

Originally published in 1991.

I am only an occasional reader of this series as you can probably tell since I am reading H Is for Homicide more than 15 years after it was first published. I have no idea what letter Sue Grafton has worked her way to by this point but I am more interested in catching up after reading this installment.

Sue Grafton

Lots of fast-paced action keeps Kinsey thinking on her feet throughout the book. Ostensibly, she is undercover to expose a car insurance fraud ring (they cause low speed accidents and fake serious hard-to-prove injuries such as 'back pain') but mostly she's trying not to get killed as things spiral out of control as she goes undercover with some very tough people.

Good job. I give this one 5 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: H is for Homicide by Sue Grafton.

Reviewed on May 7, 2006.

The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate (audiobook) by Gary Chapman

Fill your mate's "love tank"

Published by Northfield Publishing in 1996.
4 hours, 46 minutes.
Read by the author, Gary Chapman.

Gary Chapman

The author, Gary Chapman, does an excellent job of narrating the audiobook version of The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate.

Chapman's thesis is, simply, that we all have a love tank, and it is best filled by two of 5 different love languages. If your spouse expresses his or her love to you in a love language that you don't speak than you will both be frustrated and your love tank will not be filled and eventually you will look for other ways to fill it.

The five love languages are:
-Quality Time
-Words of Affirmation
-Gifts
-Acts of Service
-Physical Touch

Chapman provides plenty of concrete examples so that most listeners will be able to identify themselves or their spouse.

He includes a section about expressing love to one's children as well using his love language theory.

Very interesting. Makes total sense to me. Chapman has a website where you can test yourself and see what love languages work best for you. Click here.

I rate this audiobook 5 stars out of 5 and it can be found on Amazon.com here: The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate.

Reviewed on May 7, 2006.

The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo

A more "grown up" fairy tale

Published in 2003.

Inspired by a friend's son who wanted DiCamillo to write a story about "an unlikely hero...with exceptionally large ears," The Tale of Despereaux is both dark and joyful. It is a story of fear, hate,sadness, greed and the awful things of life as well as being the story of love, kindness, pity and courage.

There are many vocal detractors of this book. I am not one of them. I am not entirely happy with the book. For example, no one mourns the jailer and the rat is essentially pardoned for his death for it is not brought up at the end of the book - but I don't hate it - its many strengths greatly outweigh its weaknesses.

For those that don't like its themes of abuse, servitude and death I would refer you to this lengthy, but appropriate comment from C.S. Lewis:

"Those who say that children must not be frightened may mean two things. They may mean (1) that we must not do anything likely to give the child those haunting, disabling, pathological fears against which ordinary courage is helpless: in fact, phobias. His mind must, if possible, be kept clear of things he can't bear to think of. Or they may mean (2) that we must try to keep out of his mind the knowledge that he is born into a world of death, violence, wounds, adventure, heroism and cowardice, good and evil. If they mean the first I agree with them: but not if they mean the second. The second would indeed be to give children a false impression and feed them on escapism in the bad sense. There is something ludicrous in the idea of so educating a generation which is born to the...atomic bomb. Since it is so likely that they will meet cruel enemies, let them at least have heard of brave knights and heroic courage. Otherwise you are making their destiny not brighter but darker."

Kate DiCamillo

I'd rather my daughter know that danger exists and it is up to us - the little mice of the world to go out and rescue the princess. As the book notes, there is no knight coming to the rescue. It's also useful to know that there are people easily misled and used (Mig) and those who commit evil because they feel they are justified in doing so (the rat).

I rate this book 4 stars out of 5 and it can be found on Amazon.com here: The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of Thread.

Reviewed on December 23, 2008.

Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain (audiobook) by Maryanne Wolf

Brilliant. One of the best books I've encountered this year.

Published by Highbridge Audio
Read by Kirsten Potter
8 hours, 21 minutes
Unabridged.

Filled with everyday examples but also full of technical explanations about how the brain actually works when it reads, Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain is a bit of history, a bit of science, a bit of philosophy, a bit of educational theory and a whole lot of learning bundled into an entertaining package.

Maryanne Wolf

I may be an ideal reader for Maryanne Wolf since I am a foreign language teacher, a history teacher, I love reading, and I am very much interested in how boys, in particular, suffer from reading difficulties (Wolf cites biological research that is buttressed by others who say we start too early to try to teach our students and we label students too early as having reading difficulties).

Wolfe explores the early history of writing and reading, the different types of writing and how the brain reacts to them, the dangers and positives of written text, how the brain actually physically reads, reading difficulties such as dyslexia and postulates on the future of reading in our new digital age. Wonderful stuff - all of it.

Audiobook notes: Well-read by actress Kirsten Potter, the audiobook lasts about 8 hours and 21 minutes. Oh, and yes I do appreciate the irony in listening to the audiobook version of a book about reading.

I rate this audiobook 5 stars out of 5 and it can be found on Amazon.com here: Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain.

Reviewed on December 23, 2008.

My Jesus Year: A Rabbi's Son Wanders the Bible Belt in Search of His Own Faith by Benyamin Cohen

A charming spiritual journey in which an Orthodox Jew discovers that "Hanging out with Jesus has made me a better Jew."

Published in 2008.

First off - My Jesus Year is not one of those stories of conversion.

Rather, Benyamin Cohen does not feel fulfilled by his experiences with the synagogue or the hundreds of rules that an Orthodox Jew must follow. He decides to go to the other side of the street and see if the grass is greener (he literally grew up across the street from a Methodist church that seemed so much more vibrant and alive and happy than the synagogue that was attached to his house).

Cohen gets permission from a Rabbi to spend a year with the Christians - he goes to church every Sunday (after synagogue on Saturdays this makes for some long weekends I am sure) and treats the experience as a wandering anthropologist looking into the strange and wondrous world of Christianity.

Benyamin Cohen

What follows is a remarkable journal of one man's exploration of Judaism and Christianity - some of it mainstream, some odd (Christian professional wrestling, for example) but all of it treated respectfully by a man who is searching for what he's missing in his own faith. On the way he finds it and the reader is blessed with wonderful writing, witty insights, touching observations and, quite simply, the experience of a great read.

I am writing from the perspective of an active, involved Christian and I find myself chuckling at some of his offbeat observations about the quirky things we do. I also learned a lot about Judaism along the way. I am sure some would find offense, but...whatever. It was not written in the spirit of offense and if they are offended they should grow up some.

One of the best books of the year for me.

I rate this book 5 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: My Jesus Year.

Reviewed on December 26, 2008.

Twice Buried (Bill Gastner #3) (Posadas county #3) by Steven Havill

Not up to the standards of later Gastner mysteries

Originally published in 1994.

Having read several of the later Undersheriff Bill Gastner mysteries I found myself a little torn with Twice Buried.

I love the character of Bill Gastner. The characters in this series are particularly well-developed and realistic. The procedures in this book are thorough and seemingly well-depicted (I'm not a police officer, but it seemed pretty kosher to me) except for one very large hole in the way the investigation developed - a whole line of investigation was ignored that seemed obvious to me. This hurt the integrity of the book in my eyes, but I still give it 4 stars.

If you are a fan of Tony Hillerman's Navajo Tribal Police books you should check out this series.

I rate this book 4 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Twice Buried.

Reviewed on December 29, 2008.

The Little Ice Age: How Climate Made History, 1300-1850 by Brian M. Fagan

Published in 2000 by Basic Books

Brian Fagan's The Little Ice Age: How Climate Made History, 1300-1850 is, by definition, an introduction to the climate phenomenon of the same name. Actually, it is quite similar to a History Channel documentary of the same name. On page xix Fagan notes that historians are either "parachutists" (big picture) or "truffle hunters" (love all of the details of one particular era or topic). Fagan warns that this is a parachutist book - an overview.

So, what of this overview? Fagan starts with the Vikings and covers an area that is better covered by Jared Diamond's Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. However, his stories of how the fishing industry was affected by the shift to a colder climate was surprisingly interesting.

A lengthy discussion of how the colder climate change brought more disease, famine and general mayhem is punctuated by the single best one page description of the changes in farming methods that came about in the 1600-1700s that I have ever read (page 107).

An interesting (and too short) section on glaciers proved quite fascinating and should be required reading for those that point to the melting of those "ancient" glaciers in our day as a cause for worry. If 200 years old is ancient, well...

Frequent maps are a big positive but some of them are unnecessary. However, too many maps is much better than the normal too few that are in most books.

The end of the book gets bogged down in the Irish Potato Famine. We go from being a parachutist to a truffle hunter in this section.

The last chapter is a commentary on something out of the scope of the book's stated thesis. We leave the Little Ice Age and receive a lecture on Global Warming that is at variance with some of the things we've just read. Early on in the book he tells us the Medieval Warm Period was warmer than we are now (p. 17) and spent the better part of 200 pages telling us that cooling brings famine, death and disease. Why is global warming so bad then? On page 206 he mentions cattle herding as a source of methane over the last 150 years. In the United States at least, cattle herding was only possible by clearing out the deer and buffalo east of the Mississippi and by killing off millions of buffalo out west (imagine herds from one horizon to the other in the Great Plains) to make room for millions of head of cattle. To me, that seems to be a methane trade-off.

Regardless, this is really a nice little book. You'll undoubtedly learn something new. Skip the last chapter.

I rate this book 4 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: The Little Ice Age: How Climate Made History 1300-1850.

Reviewed on December 31, 2008.

Note: there is a revised edition of this book that was published in 2019.

Here Lies Arthur by Philip Reeve

A re-telling of the Arthurian legend

Published in 2008.

Philip Reeve's re-telling of the Arthurian legend has a ring of truth to it, although he openly admits in his notes that this re-telling is based on nothing more than his own imagination and is not a product of new research.

Intellectually, I appreciate his take on Arthur in Here Lies Arthur. I never have been a big fan of the Arthurian legend. To me it is too puffed up, too self-important. You would think that this re-telling - a re-telling that includes a not-so-noble Arthur being promoted by a story-weaving Merlin so that Arthur's legend can grow to the point where he can actually unite the Britons against the Saxons would appeal to me. All of the magic from the story is explained away. All of the legends are laid bare, exposed as frauds.

And, the story loses all of its punch.

It becomes nothing.

Wonderful characterization fails to make up for the fact that Here Lies Arthur takes the magic from the story which, in the end, turns out to be the whole point of the legend.

I rate this book 3 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: Here Lies Arthur.

Reviewed on January 13, 2009.

A World of Wealth: How Capitalism Turns Profits into Progress by Thomas G. Donlan

While I agree with most of his premises...the delivery needs some work

Published in 2008.

I'm an economics teacher with a firm belief that markets are the single most efficient way of creating wealth and that interfering with markets is a sure way to slow or stop the creation of wealth for all, not just for the elites.

However, despite the sometimes eloquent prose, Donlan's A World of Wealth is merely a solid book, not a great one. Two issues cloud the book for me:

1) no footnotes, endnotes or even a bibliography. Instead, there is only an interesting list of recommended reading. I would not let my high school students get away with such shoddy scholarship, an editor of a magazine should know better.

2) Meandering text and incomplete arguments get in the way of his discussions of immigration and education. Too bad since there is some nice writing here.

This one won't hurt the reader too much (scholarship-wise) but others do it better.

A better introductory text would be Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science.

I rate this book 3 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: A World of Wealth.

Reviewed on January 13, 2009.

I Am Not a Cop!: A Novel by Richard Belzer and Michael A. Black

Okay, but not great detective fiction

Published in 2009 by Simon and Schuster.

Law and Order: SVU's Richard Belzer tries his hand at fiction (with some help from mystery writer Michael A. Black) with I Am Not A Cop!: A Novel ,a bit of noir lit that reminds me of Robert B. Parker without all of the psychobabble but with more conspiracy theories and lots more political commentary. Belzer inserts himself as the main character in this interesting but tedious work.

Belzer's acid wit comes to the fore throughout his personal investigation into the disappearance of a Ukrainian-born friend. Belzer's multiple police contacts due to the TV show (ride-alongs, police advisors to make the language and procedures more realistic) and a simple assumption that he can figure out how to investigate crime in real life since he's done it so long on TV.

At times it's interesting, at times it gets repetitive, especially with multiple passages similar to this one: "...when I get determined, it takes an act of Congress to dissuade me. Well, those are usually pretty watered down by the time they get out of committee and have all the pork attached to them. Maybe I should change that to an executive order. Unless it came from someone with the last name Bush." (p. 198) Cute enough, but put one on every fifth page and you begin to wonder if the book was being padded for some reason.

Richard Belzer

Throw in some repetitive phrases such as "It hit me like a punch in the liver" (p. 197) and "Buteyko's comment...came back to me like an elbow to the kidneys" (p. 211) and "I felt like I'd bumped up against a live outlet" (p. 178) and I began to tire of the whole thing.

Interestingly, there are no reviews of the actual book on the book. Instead, on the back of the book there are reviews of Belzer's stand-up routine from Chris Rock, Robin Williams, Chevy Chase, Robert De Niro, Richard Pryor and John Belushi. In my mind, that says something about the quality of the book as a whole. The reviews play to Belzer's strength - his history as a comic but ignore the book completely. It may be harsh, but to be honest, the premise of the book (TV actor who plays a cop really investigates a crime) and the fact that it was written by a celebrity carried the book. If this were written by a no-name author about a fictional actor investigating crimes on his own time I don't know if I would have finished it.

I rate this book 2 stars out of 5.

This book can be found on Amazon.com here: I Am Not a Cop!.

Reviewed on January 15, 2009.

The Black Ice (Harry Bosch #2) (audiobook) by Michael Connelly

Not the best Bosch book, which means that it is merely very, very good and not excellent

Originally published in 1993.
Audiobook originally published in 1998 by Brilliance Audio.

Read by Dick Hill.
11 hours, 11 minutes.

Unabridged.

Connelly's Hieronymus (Harry) Bosch is named after a Renaissance painter who specialized in fanciful and gruesome visions of hell from high above and detailed looks at the tortures that it holds for its residents. Hieronymus Bosch is designed to be our guide through the modern hell of Los Angeles - at least that's the way it seems to the Hollywood Homicide Division.

Fittingly, The Black Ice starts with Harry Bosch watching a wildfire burn part of the canyon below his home. His thoughts are interrupted with a radio call about a homicide and Bosch descends the mountain into the madness. A long, complicated case unrolls for Bosch as he goes against direct orders and privately investigates the presumed suicide of a narcotics and I will go no further so as to avoid spoilers.