The Coming of the Third Reich   Richard J. Evans
Measured, scholarly, and detailed history of the political rise of the Nazis. Starts with the political conditions in Germany from Bismarck. Surprising how unoriginal the Nazis were, just more violent and better organized. Far too many electoral demographics for my taste, but highly relevant. Excellent account of the Nazification of all levels and aspects of German politics and society primarily by the directed intimidation by unrestrained physical violence. Good use of diaries that provide a fascinating insight into areas of German society. Interested particularly in the intellectual and cultural Nazification. Excellent summation at the end. Very well done.

Exile's Return: A Literary Odyssey of the 1920s    Malcolm Cowley
Another volume on “the lost generation,” this one much more personal and impressionistic than Flowering. Really liked the brief essays on Eliot, Joyce, and Pound, and their influences on the lost generation, and the depictions of Joyce. Very interesting social history as well as literary, Cowley captures an American generation’s development as well as their literary ambitions and accomplishments. Excellent depiction of the growing corporatization of American life in the 20s. Harry Crosby’s life and death was the perfect example of the generation, as Cowley says. Very good, very well written.

Extreme Prey   John Sandford
Latest Lucas Davenport police procedural, this time he’s trying to stop a suspected political assassination down in Iowa. Procedural was a little tedious at first, but enough mayhem developed that things picked up nicely, humming by the end. As always, Camp’s prose pulls you right along. Not enough Kidd and Flowers for me, but another enjoyable ride.

Green Hell   Ken Bruen
Another deeply sad, entertaining, and, in the end, satisfying Jack Taylor novel. Introduces a fascinating new character. I forgot how emotionally brutal these books are, so I was repeatedly stunned by plot twists so cryptically presented. As always, Bruen’s, achingly spare prose was a delight. Very good, quick read.

Why Does the World Exist?: An Existential Detective Story   Jim Holt
Entertaining, journalistic examination of the philosophical question, “Why is there something rather than nothing?” Found it a little irritating that he too often has to reduce his arguments to logical notation equations, but he is from that tradition, I guess. Though unpersuaded, Holt treats the god hypotheses with too much respect. Personally, I find, and have found for some time, the quantum theory persuasive and satisfying, at least intellectually. Unfortunate, useless detour into Platonism of all things, as well as other deeply unconvincing “theories.” A moving chapter at the end on death and the return to nothing. Even though I enjoyed it, took far too long to read this, sometimes only one or two paragraphs at a time. Fun read, though.

The Great Influenza: The Epic Story of the Deadliest Plague in History   John M. Barry
Embarrassingly over-written, sensationalized account of the 1918-1920 influenza pandemic. I guess that’s what happens when you’re telling an “epic” story rather than just a history. Wasted a lot of time plowing through Barry’s verbosity. Interesting, very short, account of how viruses work, especially the H1N1, in particular. Book is at least twice as long as it needed to be. Excruciating by the end, and nearly nothing to show for it. Too bad.

A Second Flowering: Works and Days of the Lost Generation   Malcolm Cowley
Beautifully written, first-hand literary history and analysis of the generation of writers who flowered after World War I. First chapter is one of the best descriptions of WW I I’ve ever read. Also, an excellent description of the American expatriate colony in Paris in the 1920s. Made me want to re-read most of the eight authors covered, especially my favorite, Hemingway. Very well done, really enjoyed it.

The Last Days of Innocence: America at War, 1917-1918   Meirion Harries and Susie Harries
Far too much detail on all the tiny parts of the military buildup, excruciating. Lifeless prose that is really just an accretion of lists, the authors love nothing more than a list, the longer the better. Descriptions of the WW I battles are somewhat better, but also more useless detail. No real social, intellectual, or cultural history. I think they over-emphasized the centralization of government power, as demonstrated by the 20s and early 30s. After nearly 500 pages, don’t really feel like I have an understanding of the U.S. in these two momentous years. Too bad.

The First Word: The Search for the Origins of Language   Christine Kenneally
Well-written, informative, and scholarly overview of current research and thinking about the origins of human language. Very well organized. Deftly covers the ideas that have lead to linguists’ current understanding of how humans evolved language. The idea that language evolved, and the mechanism(s) of how it evolved, are new, so Kenneally spends a lot of time speculating on the future of the field. Other than the speculations, an excellent book. Learned a lot.

Ayako   Tezuka Osamu
700-page, bleak, brutal manga about a Japanese family from 1949-1973, nearly every member of which is disgusting. Murder, incest, all forms of deception, political intrigue. Didn’t really enjoy it, at all, but glad I read it, Tezuka is a huge figure in manga history.

The Searcher   Christopher Morgan Jones
Excellent thriller about a man who goes to Georgia (the country, not the state) to find a friend who has disappeared while investigating an act of terrorism. Like Jones’ other books with these characters, it is highly intelligent, convincing, and entertaining. Seems to me, it captures the complexity and brutality of the place. Very good.

The Quantum Moment: How Planck, Bohr, Einstein, and Heisenberg Taught Us to Love Uncertainty   Robert P. Crease Alfred and Alfred Scharff Goldhaber
Well-written, interesting, and informative discussion of the development of quantum theory and mechanics. Good history, and historical and scientific analysis, with special care for the impact on society and culture in general. Based on the course they teach at Stony Brook. Learned a lot, and enjoyed the read.

Sailing the Wine Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter   Thomas Cahill
Brief, popular, and pseudo-scholarly glance at ancient Greek culture, thought, and politics. At times, Cahill’s tone seems unjustifiably flippant and superior. Also, he couldn’t resist talking about Christianity in an inappropriate and irrelevant closing section. But I’ve loved the Athenians since I first encountered them, spent years studying and writing about Greek philosophy, so even Cahill couldn’t wreck that. Not bad, wish it had been better.

The Ancient Minstrel   Jim Harrison
A collection of three novellas, a form that Harrison mastered. The first of the three novellas is a slightly fictionalized memoir. The second is another of his exquisite portrayals of an idiosyncratic, wonderful life. The third is distilled from Harrison’s 2015 novel The Big Seven, or the novel developed out of this novella. Deeply sad that Harrison died recently, that sadness saturated my reading, especially the memoir. I will miss his rambling style and robust characters.

SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome   Mary Beard
A “history” of Rome that is more a meditation on all the possibilities than any actual occurrences. Much more about the Roman historians such as Livy and Polybius than what they wrote. She discusses writings about the three Punic wars without any information about the wars themselves. After 200 pages, I hadn’t learned anything about Rome except what we don’t know. Deeply disappointing.

Keynes: The Rise, Fall, and Return of the 20th Century's Most Influential Economist   Peter Clarke
A chatty, even gossipy overview of Keynes’ life, and a good, well-written introduction and evaluation of his economic work. Being who I am, I was much more interested in the biographical elements, especially when they intersected with his economic theory and policy. Wish he had more influence in the 21^st century. Brief, well done, and valuable.

The Upright Thinkers: The Human Journey from Living in Trees to Understanding the Cosmos   Leonard Mlodinow
Disappointing book supposedly about human intellectual development. I was really excited about it because of the great title. Turned out that Mlodinow only briefly skimmed over human origins. Also, he presented an irritatingly adolescent view of human thought, the tired idea that current science is the smartest humans have even been, he even disparages Aristotle for not using the scientific method. Too bad the title was the best thing about this book.

This One Summer   Mariko Tamaki, Jillian Tamaki
Read this Caldecott award-winning teen graphic novel because I saw an article about it being banned in a school because a single person complained about it, the usual stuff. Story of two friends and a summer they spend at the lake. Very thoughtful, real, sweet, and interesting, even for an old man like me. Graphics strongly influenced by manga. Enjoyed it. Disgusted that it was banned.

The 1920s Decade in Photos: The Roaring Twenties   Jim Corrigan
Excellent little book with good, representative photographs of all the high points of the decade in the United States, with a small nod to Europe and the rise of fascism. Very useful summary, a quick read.

The Deluge: The Great War, America and the Remaking of the Global Order, 1916-1931   Adam Tooze
Very well written, highly intelligent, very well researched history of America’s economic and political ascendancy to world leadership. Amazing detail on the economic and political maneuvering of the belligerents in the war, after it, and through the 1920s. Not nearly enough about the domestic situation in the United States for me, but that is not a criticism of this excellent, impressive book. While his understanding of European economics and politics, and America’s growing involvement, in this period is impressive, wasn’t really what I was looking for. But an excellent book.

The Twenties in America   Paul A. Carter
Disappointing rumination on how the twenties have been understood rather than a history of the period. More a meta-history, with abundant reference to scholars who have written about the twenties. No real history here, but plenty of self-referential interpretation. Waste of my time. At least it was short. Too bad.

The Perils of Prosperity, 1914-1932   William E. Leuchtenburg
Well-written, informative, serious history of the period in the United States. Excellent, concise explanation of Wilson’s reluctant move to war. Good explanation of the social, cultural, and political movements and trends of the 1920, the political and social fundamentalism surprised me. Brief, but effective overview of the causes of the 1929-1932 crash and depression. Well worth it.

The Other Side of Silence   Philip Kerr
Latest in the generally very enjoyable Bernie Gunther series. Even though Kerr’s prose moves things right along, didn’t really like this one very much. Bernie’s in the south of France in 1956, and the rather contrived plot is about Somerset Maugham and British intelligence. Only token Nazi references, and once again, the female relationship is  unconvincing. Too bad. But thanks, Charlie, I really appreciate it. Glad I read it.

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania   Erik Larson
Bloated “history” of the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915 that helped eventually to nudge the U.S. into World War I. Filled with unnecessary information like what clothes one of the babies was wearing, and extensive commercial background on one of the passengers. It’s like Larson put in anything he found, relevant or not. Written a little sensationally, like true crime rather than real history. Disappointing.

The Tyranny of Change: America in the Progressive Era, 1900-1917   John Whiteclay Chambers
More of a survey than a primary-source history, Chambers covers these years in broad strokes. American society changed dramatically because of massive immigration from southern and eastern Europe, rapid urbanization, and sweeping industrialization. He gives a glancing account of the Roosevelt, Taft, and Wilson presidencies, but  much detail about what is generally referred to as the progressive movement that resulted from all the change. Also, America’s shift from isolationist to interventionist foreign policy. Pretty good introduction to the first two decades of the 20^th century. Overall, worthwhile, especially since I had trouble finding histories about these two decades.

The Universe in a Nutshell   Stephen Hawking
A lavishly illustrated sequel to Hawking’s unbelievably popular A Brief History of Time. A little too rudimentary, and about 15 years out of date. Good, clear explanations of concepts that are, however, basically incomprehensible in any practical sense, like real time and imaginary time. All that matters in understanding the universe is whether the math works. Ok, I guess.

The Particle at the End of the Universe: How the Hunt for the Higgs Boson Leads Us to the Edge of a New World   Sean Carroll
Interesting, lucid, and up-to-date book about the “God particle.” Fascinated by the idea that there are no such things as particles, everything is really a field, and what we call particles are really vibrations or fluctuations in a field. Good background on particle physics, the history of colliders and what they do, and the LHC experiments. An excellent history of the development of “Higgs” theory. Very helpful diagrams and photographs. Good book for me, learned a lot.

Providential Accidents   Geza Vermes
Deeply interesting autobiography of one of the world’s foremost scholars of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the historical Jesus.. He is chatty, gracious, and a little emotionally distant. Would have been nice to know what it was like for him to go from lifelong celibacy to falling in love and getting married. I loved his discussions of his life of scholarship. I’ve always enjoyed books like this, and I really liked this one.

American Bloomsbury: Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Henry David Thoreau: Their Lives, Their Loves, Their Work   Susan Cheever
Gossipy rather than scholarly, admittedly very repetitive, account of the interplay of the lives of some of the greatest writers and thinkers in American history, all congregated in Concord, Massachusetts in the middle of the 19^th century. While Cheever acknowledges their genius, she is disparaging of the men, but always sympathetic to the women. The book is like an exposé, it became very tedious. Deeply disappointing. Too bad.

The Age of Wonder: The Romantic Generation and the Discovery of the Beauty and Terror of Science   Richard Holmes
Beautifully written, fascinating intellectual history of the English “second scientific revolution” that occurred between the 1760s and 1831, when Darwin began his voyage on H.M.S. Beagle. Never heard of Joseph Banks before, but what a profound effect he had on the development of the sum of human knowledge. Really enjoyed the sections on Banks, on the Herschels, the science of Frankenstein. Informative and very enjoyable.

Dark Territory: The Secret History of Cyber War   Fred Kaplan
Almost exclusively a tedious recounting of the political development of cyber security policy, players, and meetings. Covers the bureaucrats and organization charts of U.S. government cyber security and action, but there’s no theoretical or technical information. Very disappointing, waste of my time.

Trying Conclusions: New and Selected Poems, 1961-1991   Howard Nemerov
I first encountered Nemerov in the stacks of my high school library back in the 60s, and I have liked his poetry very much ever since. “To A Scholar in the Stacks” is a good example of what I love about his work, beautiful and intellectual. Some of the earliest poems in this collection seemed dated, and the newest poems reflect a world without depth. For national poetry month.

Midnight Sun   Jo Nesbø
Interesting novel about a man hiding from a drug dealer’s assassin in the remote arctic area of Norway. Pretty good, but the ending was kind of unbelievably positive and lovely. Whole thing was kind of a fantasy. What happened to the Joe of the Harry Hole novels. Not bad though, no regrets.

America, 1908: The Dawn of Flight, the Race to the Pole, the Invention of the Model T, and the Making of a Modern Nation   Jim Rasenberger
Well-written, engaging history of the year in United States history. Unfortunately, the subjects are more what would be considered for sensationalist journalism than social history, such as the sordid Shaw murder trial, the around-the-world auto race. But the other points of focus were highly relevant to where the U.S. was then and how it would develop throughout the 20^th Century. Pretty good.

Baseball Haiku: The Best Haiku Ever Written about the Game   Nanae Tamura, Cor van den Heuvel
A collection of 200 haiku about baseball, some average, some pretty good, all entertaining. The editors admit that the form doesn’t really work in English, so many of the English poems don’t have the structure, and the translations of the Japanese poems can’t retain the syllable structure, but, in my opinion, haiku does seem to go well with the subject of baseball. Glad I read it, especially in April.

The Wright Brothers   David McCullough
Well-written, fascinating, and detailed account of their aerial achievement. As usual, McCullough is not interested in tearing down the images, and in this case that seems appropriate. Gained a profound respect for the brothers’ thrilling and monumental achievement and the way they accomplished it. Very engaging and enjoyable history of something I have always loved. Really liked it.

Quarry’s Vote   Max Allan Collins
1987 addition to the Quarry series. This time he is happily married and living a retired and contented life until everything goes bad, big surprise. He proceeds to track down the people who did him wrong. While this book follows the formula of the other books, pretty much identically, I didn’t find it as interesting, got kind of slow. Same clear, effective prose.

The Imperial Cruise: A Secret History of Empire and War   James Bradley
An account of the cruise in 1904-1905 to cement U.S. colonies in Asia with in-depth background to it. Completely undermines Teddy Roosevelt’s manly image. Good description of the powerful racism everywhere in American culture, especially in Roosevelt’s policies toward Asia, the depth of Roosevelt’s personal racism is staggering. Astonishing how Roosevelt and Taft completely bungled policy toward Asia. Bradley does a pretty good job of showing how their policies led to our involvement in World War II in the Pacific. Found Alice to be kind of interesting. Informative and mostly convincing.

The War Lovers: Roosevelt, Lodge, Hearst, and the Rush to Empire, 1898   Evan Thomas
Informative, well-written, and useful history of the push to continue American expansion beyond our borders once the frontier was closed. Really enjoyed the focus on the people and not just what they did. William James turns out to be a hero, to me, by not being swept along. Teddy Roosevelt, notwithstanding his later reformist work, was an egotistical, malevolent jerk. Unsurprisingly, Hearst was an evil, unfeeling manipulator. Learned a lot. Good bridge into the twentieth, American, century.

The Jackal’s Share   Christopher Morgan Jones
Beautifully written, intelligent, and entertaining novel about the investigation of a man who wants to be proven above reproach. Not even close. The investigator gets into violent confrontations and political intrigue with the Iranian secret police. While the bad guy needed more development, this was an entertaining and rewarding read. Really enjoyed it.

Banquet at Delmonico's: The Gilded Age and the Triumph of Evolution in America   Barry Werth
Engaging and informative intellectual history of the general adoption of the concept of Spencer’s notion of “the survival of the fittest” in the United States. Follows the lives and intellectual development of the eminent thinkers and personalities who spoke at the late-1882 banquet, as well as Spencer himself. Good history of the period as well as the influence of the concept. Excellent read.

The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn  

Nathaniel Philbrick
At turns compelling and stuffed with useless facts, Philbrick explores the epic imagery and facts of Custer’s fateful battle on the Little Big Horn river. I was much more interested in the Amer-Indian histories than the military rivalries and infighting, but both are well documented. I think Philbrick’s proposed reconstruction of the demise of Custer’s command is plausible. Found Sitting Bull a much better man and leader than Custer. Pretty good book.

Quarry’s Cut   Max Allan Collins
Brief, entertaining 1977 novel about the hit man turned killer of hit men. This time Quarry is snowbound in a mostly-abandoned hotel with the small crew of a porn shoot. Some twists, some skin, violence, and a little sex. Collins’s clean, crisp style and Quarry’s no-nonsense pursuit made it worthwhile. Pretty good distraction.

Age of Betrayal: The Triumph of Money in America, 1865-1900   Jack Beatty
Very well written (e.g., “the Populists sought to pull the New Deal through the sleeve of time”), well-researched, highly intelligent, and erudite history of the United States in the last third of the 19^th century. Interesting emphasis on Tom Scott’s unacknowledged place in financial and political corruption. Gripping accounts of the horrors of southern “redemption,” the Great Railroad and Homestead strikes, and the People’s Party juxtaposed against the conspicuous and disgusting opulence of the moneyed class. Really enjoyed the uncompromising, accurate point of view. This is a very good book.

Chomsky for Beginners   David Cogswell
Introduction to Chomsky’s intellectual contributions to linguistics and political analysis of American politics. Enjoyed the valuable introduction to Chomsky’s linguistics ideas, but the analysis of Chomsky’s theories about the media and politics seemed strained and out of date, especially media. Maybe it’s because I’ve already read several books by Chomsky himself. Not very good, too bad.

American Colossus: The Triumph of Capitalism, 1865-1900   H.W. Brands
Economic history describing the explosion of American capitalism through the gilded age to the end of the 19^th century. Excellent distilled explanation of the attempts at economic reconstruction of the south after the Civil War, and the economics of the conquering of the peoples and spaces of the great plains. Interesting accounts of the waves of immigration, the complete corruption of the political system by all the money, the urges to imperialism, and the ongoing conflict between capitalism and democracy during this period. Very good.

Reconstruction: America's Unfinished Revolution, 1863-1877   Eric Foner
Extremely-detailed, scholarly, highly-intelligent history of the attempts to reconstruct the defeated confederacy as part of the greater United States and create a new social order with Negro equality in the conquered states. The failure to do so, caused by racism, in the north as well as the south, incompetence, greed, political infighting, and economic depression, spawned the deeply depressing and revolting institutionalization of illegitimate white supremacy that lasted a century. Very good, essential but depressing read.

After Lincoln: How the North Won the Civil War and Lost the Peace   A. J. Langguth
Very readable overview of the mismanagement of the post Civil War period from 1865-1877. As with his other books, Langguth uses the main players for the framework of the history. Very informative for me especially about Andrew Johnson’s corrupt mismanagement of Reconstruction and racist policies that led to the Jim Crow south. Reinforces the point that the failure of Reconstruction wasn’t the unsuccessful reconstruction of the union, it was the betrayal of the negroes by allowing the construction of a social order in the south almost as brutal and discriminatory as slavery. Deeply tragic.

The Stainless Steel Kimono   Elliot Chaze
A collection of short stories set in occupied Japan shortly after the end of World War II. Chaze’s tone and descriptions capture the sordid, pathetic, and uncomfortable relationships between the U.S. soldiers themselves and with the Japanese civilians. Very well written in clear, straightforward, readable prose. Very good, too bad he is not well known.

The Civil War: A Narrative: Volume 3: Red River to Appomattox   Shelby Foote
Incredibly detailed, very beautifully written, 1000+ page “narrative” of the last 18 months or so of the Civil War. Impressive use of primary sources, though nothing is footnoted. I guess that’s why it’s a narrative. Even though I read other books before and simultaneously, I really learned a lot from it. Many powerful images from the narrative are stuck in my mind. Really enjoyed reading about the North’s victory and the destruction of the elitist, racist society of the South. Very, very good, notwithstanding the inappropriately reverential eulogizing of Jefferson Davis at the end.

Quarry’s Deal   Max Allan Collins
Another of Collins’ generally entertaining Quarry novels about the ex-hitman who now kills only other hitmen. This time she’s beautiful and he starts falling for her. Even though there’s plenty of sex, this iteration lacks the intelligence and violence that made others in the series more fun and interesting, it was just a little boring. Too bad. Good thing the style still made it a quick, easy read.

The New York Times: Complete Civil War, 1861-1865   Harold Holzer, Craig Symonds
Original news articles covering the war. Disappointed that they are not produced as facsimiles, but I understand that that wouldn’t have worked spatially. Also, the included DVD was useless, didn’t work in either of my computers, too bad. That having been said, this is an invaluable historical source, well organized, well presented. Thoughtful and helpful annotations, inclusion of interesting drawings and photographs from the published editions. Also includes dispatches from other papers, even from the south. Many of the histories I’ve read and learned so much from use the same accounts assembled here. Excellent to have these original accounts compiled together.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass   Frederick Douglass
Deeply troubling and well-written brief firsthand account of Douglass’s life as a slave in Maryland. As bad as I thought slavery was, this account portrays it as worse than I imagined even though Douglass’s tone isn’t bitter or incendiary. The ugliness, violence, and hypocrisy of slaveholders is astonishing and sickening. I wish I could have read how he escaped, but I fully understand why he could not record it. My view of our history is changed, and it is nauseating that ¼ of U.S. presidents have owned slaves. Everyone should read this.

Borderline   Lawrence Block
Reprinted 1958 novel about people in El Paso and Juarez exploring sex and committing psychotic violence. I’ve really enjoyed several books by Block in the past, but this one, perhaps because it was early in his career, didn’t have his usual clean style, and it just seemed sordid rather than anything else. Not bad, just didn’t like as much as others.

Battle Pieces   Herman Melville
After people stopped reading Melville’s increasingly difficult novels, he decided to become a poet. So he produced, among others, these brilliant, highly-structured, and sometimes difficult poems based on Civil War battles (Antietam, Vicksburg, The Wilderness, etc.). Just as much of an achievement as his novels, they help prove Melville’s literary genius. Stylistically, pretty much the opposite of Whitman’s. Very good.

The Book of Dead Philosophers   Simon Critchley
A history of philosophers rather than a history of philosophy. Short, some very short, essays about philosophers and their deaths. Very engagingly written. Covers more than just European philosophers, some Arabs, some Chinese, and more than just philosophers, some scientists and some religious writers. Many very obscure thinkers as well. I was moved by Critchley’s account of Gadamer and his death because I had the privilege to spend a day with him back in the 80s. Really enjoyable. Didn’t want it to end.

 

Southern Storm: Sherman's March to the Sea   Noah Andre Trudeau
Incredibly detailed, sometimes excruciatingly so, well-written account of each day, November 15, 1864 – January 21, 1865 of Sherman’s march from Atlanta to Savannah, and it’s occupation. Outstanding research, relies primarily on first-hand accounts. Another excellent book by a “non-professional historian.” Ends with an outstanding summary analysis. For me, this was an excellent book, informative and well done.

Drum Taps  Walt Whitman Whitman’s poems about the Civil War. His usual beautiful rhythms and powerful images, especially in poems such as “The Wound Dresser.” Also read his poems about President Lincoln. Makes me very sad. Excellent additions to my Civil War reading.

Silken Prey   John Sandford
2013 Lucas Davenport police procedural about political very-dirty tricks during a Minnesota senatorial campaign. Really enjoyed the appearances of Kidd and Lauren, and Virgil Flowers’ cameo. Unfortunately, the bad guys, one senatorial candidate and her two security people, were completely unconvincing. Also, the dénouement was weak. But, Camp’s prose, and what action there was, were good enough to be a satisfactory distraction.

War Like the Thunderbolt: The Battle and Burning of Atlanta   Russell S. Bonds
Well-written, detailed history of Sherman’s campaign to take Atlanta and its aftermath. Excellent, extensive  use of primary sources for everything. Though Bonds is not a “professional historian,” this is a very good history of events that I find deeply interesting. Sherman is my namesake, and the more I learn about him, the more I like and admire him. I really liked the afterward. Well done and very interesting.

Pinball 1973   Haruki Murakami
Surreal novel about a man’s life and involvement with playing pinball, and his buddy The Rat. Strangely, their narratives are completely separate, and, to be honest, make no sense, at least, none that is explained. Even though his style is again very readable, probably like this least of all the Murakami I’ve read.

Atlas of the Civil War: A Complete Guide to the Tactics and Terrain of Battle   Stephen Hyslop
Outstanding collection of maps related to the Civil War battles. Also, great photographs, good text and descriptions and narrative. Really helped understanding what happened in each battle, amazingly lucid descriptions of the tactics and battles. Invaluable accompaniment to any reading of Civil War history. Really useful.

 

Battle Cry of Freedom, The Civil War Era   James M. McPherson
Well-written, thorough, especially for a single volume, account of the American “Civil War Era,” as the subtitle states. Many details about political party internal struggles and voter demographics, and financial foundations for the war, all necessary, but tedious. Excellent detail and analysis of most battles, and all of the important ones, amazingly lucid descriptions of the tactics and movements. Disappointing, truncated ending and  epilogue which deals with nothing is a haze of unanswered questions. Overall, very valuable.

Disunion: Modern Historians Revisit and Reconsider the Civil War from Lincoln's Election to the Emancipation Proclamation   The New York Times, Ted Widmer
Interesting, somewhat out of the mainstream, essays about the Civil War by scholars writing today. Read most of them when they appeared in The New York Times. Because of the historical perspective and the short length, quite a few new intricacies I at least, was unaware of. Very valuable.

The Disagreement   Nick Taylor
Novel about a young Virginia man who goes to medical school during the civil war. Though it is very nicely written in prose something like that period, I found that I disliked the protagonist more as the narrative developed, none of the characters were of any real interest, there was really nothing about the war, it is only a plot device, and I felt almost nothing when I finished it. Too bad.

Gathering Prey   John Sandford
Latest Lucas Davenport police procedural about a Manson-like group of killers traveling to Juggaloe gatherings. As usual, excellent, spare prose propels the interesting plot right along. Good addition of more of Davenport’s daughter Letty, an interesting character. Enjoyed it, good entertainment even though I don’t really like Davenport that much, definitely less than Virgil Flowers. Fun.

The Impending Crisis, 1848-1861   David M. Potter
History of the period leading up to the beginning of civil war. Written in florid, sometimes almost pompous prose, with too many asides for the reader and comments about what other historians have done, would have preferred “just the facts, ma’m.” And it didn’t really provide information I wasn’t already getting from other, better sources. Disappointing.

The Promise   Robert Crais
Latest highly-entertaining Elvis Cole novel. Also includes Joe Pike and Jon Stone, as usual, two excellent additions, as well as Maggie, a German shepherd, and her handler. Fast-paced plot rendered in Crais’ usual crisp, clean prose, a little of Cole’s famous sarcasm, and just enough emotion. A lot of fun, and a nice distraction. Couldn’t put it down.

Showa 1953-1989: A History of Japan   Mizuki Shigeru
Fourth volume of Mizuki’s brilliant manga history of the Showa period (1926-1989) of Japanese history. This volume covers events he thinks were important as well as Mizuki’s postwar struggles to make a living, establish his manga career, have a family, and find happiness. Once again, fascinated by every frame. Couldn’t put it down. Mizuki died late last year, that’s how I heard about this history. Now that I’ve finished it, I feel sad, like I’ve lost a friend.

A World Lit Only by Fire: The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance: Portrait of an Age   William Manchester
Beautifully written history of the transition from the Medieval to Renaissance worldview in Europe. Some of Manchester’s sources seem a little suspect, like Will Durant, but the detail is good, and the narrative is gripping. Love this mixture of intellectual and social history. Couldn’t put it down.

Religion and Sexuality: The Shakers, the Mormons, and the Oneida Community   Lawrence Foster
Interesting history of these three religions’ sexual ideologies. All three blossomed during the early decades of the 19^th Century, thus my historical interest. Though it reads like a Ph.D. dissertation, it is filled with good research and insights. Interesting to me that each movement Foster documents perfectly reflects the sexual desires of the founder, though of course, they all say it’s from God. Good distinction between polygamy of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. Enjoyed it.

Saturn Run   John Sandford and Ctein
Entertaining and interesting science fiction novel about a race between American and Chinese spaceships to contact aliens in the rings of Saturn. Well-written with plausible science and plot. A little weak on the alien encounter, but fun and diverting. Enjoyed it.

Driven West: Andrew Jackson and the Trail of Tears to the Civil War   A. J. Langguth
Horrifying, difficult to read, history of the forced expulsion of the five “civilized” Amerindian tribes, especially the Cherokees, from the United States for only two simple reasons: greed and racism. Andrew Jackson is an even worse figure than I thought he was. As usual, Langguth’s prose is engaging, and this time his history is more thorough and less episodic. Learned a lot about the Cherokees. Very informative about a tragic, and shameful American history. Really liked it.

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex   Nathaniel Philbrick
Another pretty interesting, though bloated, history of a single event, this time the sinking of an American whaleship by an enraged sperm whale in 1819. It captured Americans’ interest so much that both Poe and Melville wrote novels about it. Some interesting facts such as the information about Nantucket society, that 4/5ths of all whaling was done by American ships. Didn’t really like it that much.


What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848   Daniel Walker Howe
Detailed, thorough, over 800-page history of crucial decades in the development of the United States as a nation. Not as interested in the extensive details about political maneuvering and religious intensity, but they were, indeed, part of the time. Strange final chapter on the beginnings of feminism that seemed like a current academic requirement rather than an actual history of the period. Even with the stiff, rather lifeless prose, a lot of good information. Really glad I read it.

Genesis   Bernard Beckett
Quick, pretty enjoyable science fiction novel about a young scholar’s entrance examination for The Academy in a far future society. Even though it is well-written in excellent prose, the narrative format got a little tedious. The twist at the end is the only thing that saved it.

Waking Giant: America in the Age of Jackson   David S. Reynolds
Interesting, well-written history of the United States from 1815-1848. Reynolds covers all the main topics, economy, religion, society, and even intellectual and artistic development, with all the culprits and heroes. Very good survey of the period. Enjoyed it.

Gene Mapper   Taiyo Fujii
Entertaining and highly intelligent science fiction novel about bio-terrorism in a future with distilled crops. A lot of detailed information about the technology, especially genetics and the ubiquitous augmented reality. The plot is really secondary, and the relationships of the characters are very Japanese, felt like an anime at the end. Enjoyed it.

Showa 1944-1953: A History of Japan   Mizuki Shigeru
Third volume of Mizuki’s brilliant manga history of the Showa period of Japanese history. This volume covers Mizuki’s incredible survival of the war and his postwar struggles to survive at home and find a profession. What an interesting life in a period I already knew a lot about, fascinated by every frame. Couldn’t put it down.

Showa 1939-1944: A History of Japan   Mizuki Shigeru
Second volume of Mizuki’s brilliant manga history of the Showa period of Japanese history. Framed on his autobiography as well. Covers the Pacific war and his action in it. Deeply horrifying and sad. Really good, liked getting a Japanese perspective on the battles. On to the next one.

Empire of Liberty: A History of the Early Republic, 1789-1815   Gordon S. Wood
Another outstanding work of history writing by Wood. Filled with immense amounts of information about the crucial beginning 26 years of the American republic’s politics, economics, law, religion, society. Highly intelligent analysis, very well written, well presented. This is what all history writing should be like. Really learned a lot. Loved it.

Showa 1926-1939: A History of Japan   Mizuki Shigeru
Mizuki’s brilliant manga history of the Showa period of Japanese history. Framed on his autobiography as well. Graphics range from cartoonish simplicity to complex historical realism. Tone is forthright and cynical. Deeply enjoyable and informative. Loved it. On to the next one.

Union 1812: The Americans Who Fought the Second War of Independence   A. J. Langguth
Engaging and informative history of the war of 1812. Like Langguth’s other histories, it is very well written. At times, I couldn’t put it down. Covers enough of the causes and circumstances leading up to war to be very useful. Also liked the very interesting chapter on the war’s aftermath.

Unidentified Woman #15   David Housewright
Latest of Housewright’s McKenzie novels, an entertaining thriller set in these Twin Cities about a ring of shoplifters who get involved in blackmail and murder. Liked the opening, some characterization, pretty good plot with a tiny twist, and invisible prose that moves nicely. Easy, fairly good escape. Not sure whether I’ll read another in the series, or not.

Field of Prey   John Sandford
Enjoyable Lucas Davenport police procedural about the search for a serial killer in tiny Holbein, Minnesota. As always, Sandford’s prose pulls you right along, unconstrained by characterization or reflection, all plot, with some good cop banter, and gruesome and graphic violence to season it. I stopped reading this series after about the first 10 because I no longer liked Davenport, but liked this one enough that I might read the next one. Adequate escape.

“Negro President”: Jefferson and the Slave Power   Garry Wills
A deeply disturbing history of the “slave power” that dominated American politics until the Civil War. The title comes from Timothy Pickering’s appellation for Jefferson who was elected in 1800 solely because of the federal ratio, slaves counted as 3/5 of a person for voting. For me, there is too much about Pickering, and a little too much banter aimed at other historians who have gotten it wrong. But I learned a lot about the influence of slavery in American history, all of it horrible. For example, ¼ of all U. S. presidents owned slaves, and the war with Mexico was fought, and the annexation of Mexican territory occurred, to provide new slave states. Wills does an excellent job discussing really ugly history.

Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West   Stephen E. Ambrose
Ambrose’s very engaging, at times exciting, account of Meriwether Lewis’s involvement in the great expedition through the Louisiana Purchase. Though Ambrose seems to idolize Lewis, he is also clear-eyed about his mistakes. Sad about his suicide. Good, helpful maps. Enjoyed this history very much, learned a lot.

Hemingway In Love: His Own Story   A. E. Hotchner
Hotchner’s account of conversations, in Hemingway’s last days, in which Hemingway recounts the breakup of his first marriage to Hadley, as well as brief glimpses of subsequently being unhappy with Pauline. Stupid and sad and indulgent, but fairly interesting insight into how he used specific personal experiences for stories. Also read one of his stories, “A Canary for One” based on an episode of the breakup. Still love his prose.

Sartre: Romantic Rationalist   Iris Murdoch
An excellent, instructive analysis of Sartre’s philosophy from his novels and plays. Very clear, well-reasoned, and well-written. Second philosophy book I’ve read of Murdoch’s, and both were very good, learned a lot and enjoyed them. One of the great tragedies that she developed severe Alzheimer’s. Breaks my heart, she was very intelligent and gifted.

Inheriting the Revolution: The First Generation of Americans   Joyce Appleby
Interesting and informative social history of the new United States of America from 1776-1820s. Full of good primary sources and statistics, and many believable generalizations based on them. Captures convincingly the population, economic, social, and religious explosions that filled the void left by the dissolution of the colonial monarchical structures. Works as a good transition into the 19^th century.

The Radicalism of the American Revolution   Gordon S. Wood
Excellent history of the severing of the monarchical “ligaments” that held together colonial society. The result was not only radical, it was contrary to what the founding fathers wanted, a commerce-based political and social democracy. As usual, Wood is detailed and highly intelligent. Very well written with emphasis on primary sources. Really, really good.

Make Me   Lee Child
Another deeply entertaining Reacher thriller. As usual, the narrative is propelled by Child’s clean, crisp prose and filled with intelligence and convincing detail. Though there still isn’t much characterization as such, this time, Reacher shows some vulnerability, getting hurt and falling in love. This series is my favorite of contemporary thrillers. Very good, didn’t really want it to end.

Adams vs. Jefferson: The Tumultuous Election of 1800   John Ferling
Very good, very well-written history of the epochal election of 1800. Excellent backgrounds on the four participants, and an important overview of the preceding, crucial, decade of American political history. While I was familiar with the framework of these events from Ferling’s A Leap in the Dark, this book provides much more detail. On a personal political note, it’s really a good thing Jefferson won.

The Girl in the Spider’s Web, A Lisbeth Salander Novel   David Lagercrantz
An attempt to continue the magnificent series by Stieg Larsen. Disappointing that Lisbeth herself is, until the very end, just a minor character. Many characters, somewhat convoluted and interesting plot, and well-enough written, but there isn’t the power of Lisbeth’s personality or Larsen’s original narratives. But enjoyable enough. Glad I read it, even glad Lagercrantz is doing a series.

A Leap in the Dark: The Struggle to Create the American Republic   John Ferling
Outstanding single-volume history of the American Revolution from 1754-1800. It’s amazing that Ferling could cram so much useful information, covering so many crucial years, into a well-written, compelling narrative. This is a very good book. Really enjoyed it and learned a lot.

Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex   Mary Roach
I read this book because years ago I saw a very entertaining Ted Talk by Roach on the same subject. I didn’t find any of this book nearly as interesting, or maybe there was just too much of it. She loves the nitty-gritty of experimentation, even participating as a subject. I’m much more interested in what we can understand from it. It all got kind of tedious for me, even her delight in much of the apparent absurdity of it all. Too bad.