Thunderstruck (Erik Larson)

Thunderstruck is an interwoven tale of two men- Guglielmo Marconi (inventor of wireless) and Hawley Harvey Crippen (responsible for the grisly 1910 North London cellar murder).  The book gives considerable back-story to both men, and culminates with how Marconi's wireless machines eventually play a role in the capture of Crippen as he fled across the ocean to America (where he was apprehended).

Erik Larson, the author, does a masterful job of building suspense here.  Admittedly, the Marconi chapters (focusing on his struggles to understand and harness the wireless technology) were not as interesting as those on Crippen (focusing on his life of misery with his wife Belle, whom he eventually  murdered), but it was still good overall.  Larson strikes me as a cross between Bill Bryson (in throwing in tons of fascinating miscellany throughout the book) and Dan Brown (in his penchant for building suspense).  In the end, I think a bit too much of Marconi was covered, but it's recommended nonetheless.

Rating: A-

Shanghai Noon

I'm a bachelor for the week, so a friend and I have been passing the time playing old games (Nintendo 64!!) and watching old movies.  Yesterday, we watched Shanghai Noon, the 2000 western/comedy starring Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson.

Shanghai Noon is the story of Chon Wang (Chan), who leaves China and travels to Nevada in the 1850s to rescue the kidnapped Princess Pei Pei (Luci Liu).  In the process, he ends up partnered with Roy O'Bannon (Wilson), an incompetent cowboy outlaw.  Hilarity ensues- sometimes.

I like both Wilson and Chan, and enjoyed their chemistry on-screen, but overall this didn't do it for me.  The fight scenes, comedy, and suspense were all second-rate.  I'd skip this one.

Rating: C

World Cup 2014

I'm a bit late on this one.  Eleven days ago, the 2014 World Cup began in Brazil.  Running for a month, and happening only once every four years, the World Cup is perhaps the most-watched venue on television today- 3.2 billion people watched the last world cup (2010, in South Africa), which makes it about 30x more popular than the Super Bowl (according to this website).  Like it or not, my fellow Americans, soccer really is the world's sport, and every country wants to see their team represented on the world stage.

The tournament consists of 32 national teams, chosen from qualifiers held in the two years leading up to the contest.  The teams are separated into groups of four, and play three games each (vs. everyone else in their group).  After these three games (called the "group stage"), the top two teams in each group (decided by their overall point total- 3 for a win, 1 for a tie, and 0 for a loss) advance to the 16-team elimination round.  This round is a standard tournament structure, with single elimination and each team advancing only with a win (ties are broken by penalty kicks).

Team USA

Whether or not you're into soccer, I recommend tuning in to the World Cup.  Living in Europe heightened my appreciation for this great tournament, and I wish at least some of the enthusiasm they displayed would carry over to the USA.  In Germany in particular, every town had a big-screen TV set up in their walking area, around which the residents would congregate to eat, drink, and be merry while watching their nation play.  And if Germany won a game?  Look out!  Horns honking, people screaming, automobiles stopping on the highway . . . it was bedlam, but joyous bedlam.  We don't really get that much excitement in the US . . . we're too big, too spread out, and too varied in our athletic interests.  That's a shame, though, and I wish it would change.  So do your part- go out somewhere public, watch the game, and have a great time.  After all, it's only once every four years.

The Lego Movie

The Lego Movie is the story of Emmett- a nobody in the super-controlled world run by President Business- who breaks through his self-imposed limits to save his friends from the Kragle (the doomsday weapon Business plans to unleash on the kingdom to ensure permanent order).  Along the way, he is helped by a list of colorful characters, to include WyldStyle, Batman, Superman, Shaquille O'Neal, and other amusing Lego figures from the days of yore.

The movie is fantastic.  Those familiar with (at a high level) pop culture and Lego sets of years past will find this especially amusing.  After viewing, I was wondering if this was really intended for kids- a lot of the jokes seemed geared towards adults.  It's extremely colorful- almost overwhelmingly so at times- but it's surprisingly well-done overall.  Well worth a viewing- or more.

Rating: A

Just Passin' Through

Life is temporary, but we don't think on it often.  Many life stages, of course, we know are of a set duration.  College won't last forever (probably).  The kids will mature (hopefully).  That job won't last forever (though it may feel like it).  Yes, many things have definitive ends, and we know that going in.  The thing I tend to forget is that our overall lives are the same- they, like the individual stages of which they are composed, will end.  That fact has been emphasized to me recently- this idea of temporary.

It's not just our lives; our surroundings, too, are ever changing.  As our things traverse the Atlantic, we've been staying with my parents, in my childhood home.  Returning here has affected me in ways I didn't expect.  My old stomping grounds have changed.  Homes have been updated, schools have been renovated, playgrounds decayed, stores built, and familiar haunts demolished.  Familiar faces have moved, died, grown up, or been ravaged by debilitating illness.  A cherished college mentor sits in a home, afflicted by Alzheimer's and no longer able to recognize most.  A once-strapping neighbor has been destroyed by a blood disease; I see his now-wiry frame hobbling down the street once a day for his exercise.  A friend's mother just passed away from cancer.  In general, as I look around my neighborhood, I marvel at what now is, reflect on what once was, and inevitably focus on the fact that the future will bring more change.  Not just our lives, but everything here is temporary- even that childhood environment I took for granted.

Our recent overseas tours were temporary, and we knew that at the start.  That fact was in our minds frequently, and here's the point: it changed how we lived.  We explored more- because we had only a few years to do it.  We traveled, soaked in the culture, tried new foods, and enjoyed the experience- because we knew it would one day be beyond reach, relegated to fond memories.  The end was always in sight.  Then, last month, it was all over.  We returned home, and have been looking for a house, car, and a new 'normal' ever since.  I've caught myself being more anxious this time around, because it feels permanent.  Lord and employer willing, I can work at my present job for the next 30 years.  Gone is the sense of transience; I feel every decision is supremely important, because it could dictate our future for decades.  But here's the thing: I should always have that sense of 'temporary' in my mind, because one day, this stage- and my life in this world- will end. 

How does this truth change things for me?  For you?  That's another topic for another time- answers will vary based on worldview, and exploring them all is beyond the scope of this post.  For now, I'll just say this: I suggest that our response to this reality- this fragile and perishing existence- should not be one of rampant consumption, nor one of resigned indifference.  We do have a purpose here- a calling.  Make your life count- we're just passing through.

Iron Road (Christian Wolmar)

The Iron Road, by Christian Wolmar, is exactly the illustrated history of the railroad its subtitle claims it to be.  A DK publication, it's rife with informative maps, explanations, and illustrations on all things railroad.  It talks about the first tracks, the initial spread of the technology, how the railroad came of age, the evolution through the war years, and the railroad today.

I really enjoyed this book.  In addition to the topics mentioned above, it covered major railroad undertakings on each continent (to include the transcontinental US railroad, Orient Express, trans-Siberian, and proposed (but never fully realized) Cape-to-Cairo in Africa), which was interesting.  The graphics and maps were especially helpful and appreciated.  Written for a laymen, this is recommended for anyone with even a passing interest in "the iron road."

Rating: A-

A Brief History of Robin Hood (Nigel Cawthorne)

I thought I was done my Robin Hood kick, but I spotted today's title at a bookstore, and couldn't say no.  A Brief History of Robin Hood looks at what truth may have existed behind the modern-day legend.  It covers a variety of angles, from history to literature, includes plot summaries of the earliest Robin Hood stories, and looks at known historical figures (like Fulk Fitzwarin, Eustace the Monk, and Hereward the Wake) who may have had influences on the story development.

This is okay, but there are better out there.  Cawthorne has written a number of books on many topics- so Robin Hood is not his life's ambition or expertise (unlike, for example, J.C. Holt (his work reviewed here).  He includes some irrelevant information, like a chapter on outlaws from the 1800s and 1900s who had Robin Hood-like qualities (who cares?), and when giving backstories of historical figures or summaries of Robin Hood literature, he gives too much detail (it felt like filler).  He also makes some fanciful assumptions, making statements about which Robin Hood historical figures were (or were not) likely to be real, without backing any of his opinions up.  The book is relatively comprehensive, which is nice- the plot summaries of the early works (though too detailed, as mentioned, and boring) are informative- but it's too long, and some chapters appear to be included solely to beef up the book.  In the end, this really isn't "the true history behind the legend"- because many have shown that we do not, and likely can not, know for certain.  At best, this is good for information, and an introduction to the uninitiated, but if you're truly interested in Robin, Holt's treatment is better.

Rating: C-

Rand McNally Atlas of American History

As recently posted, I'm interested in American history, but quickly tired of the text-only offerings (like Paul Johnson's, reviewed here).  Thus, I approached it from the other extreme- a book that was almost entirely maps.  Enter the Rand McNally Atlas of American History.

This book is short (~90 pages), and separated into 9 sections of American historical periods.  A brief text introduces each section, which thereafter is nothing but maps illustrating a variety of things, from Indian tribe locations, to Civil War battles, to population densities, etc.  There's a lot of information- good information- here.

Overall, I liked the maps (though the quality- and color choices- could have been improved).  However, I need a balance between text-only and map-only.  This is a good resource, nice for perusing on a lazy afternoon, but it in itself is insufficient for history.  Still, it is interesting, and recommended.

Rating: B

Dirty Harry

Dirty Harry, the 1971 classic starring Clint Eastwood, is the story of an unconventional cop.  The story follows Harry as he hunts down a serial killer within- or outside of- the law.

Aside from the classic "do you feel lucky, punk?" line, this movie didn't do much for me.  Very much a product of its time, it struck me as dated and (frankly) uninteresting.  I'm sure it was influential, and I shouldn't pan it so, but here I stand.

Rating: C

Colossus (Michael Hiltzik)

Colossus is the story of the Hoover Dam (built in the 1920s-30s on the Colorado River near Las Vegas).  Very much in the same vein as The Path Between the Seas (by David McCullough, reviewed here), it covers not only the construction of the dam, but the necessity of it, planning, political factors, environmental concerns, logistics, labor conditions, short biographies of the leaders, and more.  Pre-dam realities and attempts to corral the Colorado near the Imperial Valley in California are also covered.  In short, if it has to anything to do with the Hoover Dam, it's discussed.

This book is pretty good.  Hiltzik did his homework, that's for sure.  I enjoyed learning about the topic, and seeing just how many different things have to be considered when attempting an undertaking of such magnitude.  More explanation and graphics pertaining to the actual construction would have been nice, but overall, it's a good effort.  If you like stories of significant feats, you'll like this.

Rating: A-

A History of the American People (Paul Johnson)

After three years of devoted UK-centric study, I shift gears (as I shift countries) and focus on my own folk.  I've had American history in high school and college, but wanted a refresher.  I started with a very brief history book (Boyer's very short introduction; reviewed here); it was time to delve into something with more meat.  Enter Paul Johnson's A History of the American People.

I quickly realized that survey histories, done in narrative form with no pictures, graphics or maps, are not for me.  I put the book down after reading 20%.  Here are the things I didn't like:
- no pictures, graphics, or maps.  Maps especially speak volumes; I need them to aid comprehension.
- there were no chapters, just extremely long sections covering 80+ years each.  I need more frequent chapter breaks to help break up the learning around specific concepts or time periods.  One topic melded into the next- probably intentionally- but I had a hard time with that.
- Johnson's book is about 1000 pages, which gives more meat than Boyer's 140-page overview, but not enough meat for me.  Some topics were covered in-depth; others were glossed over.  That's the reality for every book of this nature, so it's not a ding on this specific edition; just on the general concept.

In the end, I've decided to approach my American history survey two ways:
1) read a few "historical atlas of the United States" books.  National Geographic, Hammond, and Rand McNally (to name a few) have produced them over the years, and I think the focus on maps/etc will help me better comprehend.
2) read the 12-volume Oxford History of the United States series (list of titles here; only 8 volumes have been published to date).  This should give me more detail on each time period, while still being considered overviews.

Some final comments: all history books have their bias; Johnson's is what I'd consider to be moderately conservative.  He's British, so he brings an outsider's perspective, which was nice.  It's not a bad book, overall; just not what I was looking for.