This Week In Books: #7
Nov. 27th, 2006 01:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
akujunkanWhat have I read, you ask? Well, I've read the damn GRE book. Cover to cover. Twice. Assiduously worked through all the problems. So imagine my dismay upon discovering, as I attempted to work my way through the official ETS practice problems and tests, that the GRE book only covers about half of what will actually be tested. Thus, I have only finished two books this week.
1) *A Short History Of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson
The "nearly everything" in question including, obviously, life and the universe. Having read both The Science Of Discworld and its sequel The Globe, I'd already encountered a good percentage of SHNE's content, at about the same level of difficulty (ie, geared to the layperson), and presented in the same irreverent, slightly sarcastic, slightly bemused tone. In fact, the first major difference to leap out at me was the lack of Discworld vignettes between each chapter (which could be a plus or minus depending on one's mood, I suppose). Otherwise, Bryson's book goes into much more detail on each subject he covers, as he isn't constrained by having to present a Discworld corollary for each. Thus, he delves further into the details, and he's also free to spend quite a bit of time on the quirky personalities of the scientists he discusses, who are often as kooky as any wizard at UU. My only complaint is that the narrative makes frequent jumps back and forth across centuries and continents as Bryson covers each topic, but if you've got a fairly good memory, this shouldn't pose much of a problem.
2) House Of Bush, House Of Saud - Craig Unger
I seem to be on something of a political nonfiction kick these days. HBHS is a wonderful, pithy book about the scratch-my-back-I'll-scratch-yours relationship between the two titular families and their respective hangers-on. I highly recommend this book for two reasons: the first being that it's exhaustively researched and obsessively notes its sources (footnotes, appendices, and notes in the back), and that it is ridiculously unbiased. When claims about the families' dealings haven't been conclusively proven, Unger states so. When claims about the families' dealings have been proven false, Unger states so, too. This might not always please the hardcore Michael Moore fans, but it does exponentially increase the credibility of Unger's book. But what emerges overall is a portrait of Bush-Saudi ties that, while not as overtly diabolical as the tin hat crew might wish for, incontrovertibly value the participants' mutual good will over the security and prosperity of their respective nations. My only caveat is that readers will get much more out of earlier chapters if they're already somewhat familiar with Reagan-era political scandals.
That will be all.
1) *A Short History Of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson
The "nearly everything" in question including, obviously, life and the universe. Having read both The Science Of Discworld and its sequel The Globe, I'd already encountered a good percentage of SHNE's content, at about the same level of difficulty (ie, geared to the layperson), and presented in the same irreverent, slightly sarcastic, slightly bemused tone. In fact, the first major difference to leap out at me was the lack of Discworld vignettes between each chapter (which could be a plus or minus depending on one's mood, I suppose). Otherwise, Bryson's book goes into much more detail on each subject he covers, as he isn't constrained by having to present a Discworld corollary for each. Thus, he delves further into the details, and he's also free to spend quite a bit of time on the quirky personalities of the scientists he discusses, who are often as kooky as any wizard at UU. My only complaint is that the narrative makes frequent jumps back and forth across centuries and continents as Bryson covers each topic, but if you've got a fairly good memory, this shouldn't pose much of a problem.
2) House Of Bush, House Of Saud - Craig Unger
I seem to be on something of a political nonfiction kick these days. HBHS is a wonderful, pithy book about the scratch-my-back-I'll-scratch-yours relationship between the two titular families and their respective hangers-on. I highly recommend this book for two reasons: the first being that it's exhaustively researched and obsessively notes its sources (footnotes, appendices, and notes in the back), and that it is ridiculously unbiased. When claims about the families' dealings haven't been conclusively proven, Unger states so. When claims about the families' dealings have been proven false, Unger states so, too. This might not always please the hardcore Michael Moore fans, but it does exponentially increase the credibility of Unger's book. But what emerges overall is a portrait of Bush-Saudi ties that, while not as overtly diabolical as the tin hat crew might wish for, incontrovertibly value the participants' mutual good will over the security and prosperity of their respective nations. My only caveat is that readers will get much more out of earlier chapters if they're already somewhat familiar with Reagan-era political scandals.
That will be all.
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no subject
on 2006-11-27 06:43 am (UTC)no subject
on 2006-11-27 06:21 pm (UTC)Now. To the important stuff: OMG OMG OMG OMG Susanna Clarke has a new book out!!! I am hitching a ride to the next big city TOMORROW so I can go sit with it at the bookstore. (I too desire a TPB to go with my TPB of JSMN. That is the best news I've had in AGES; thank you!
no subject
on 2006-11-27 12:22 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2006-11-27 05:54 pm (UTC)books
on 2006-11-28 09:08 am (UTC)-Karl Bakla
http://karlbakla.blogspot.com/