096483202X Clifford D. Simak 2010-02-28T17:50:48Z http://www.amazon.com/Over-River-Through-Woods-Clifford/dp/096483202X%3FSubscriptionId%3D0CA9AFXMCK6XJ6BQSZ82%26tag%3Dlarkware-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D096483202X 160 over-the-river-amp-through-the-woods-the-best-s Enjoyable classic SF that concentrates on good story telling, salt of the earth rural people, and one fun twist per story. I find this sort of thing refreshing compared to the cyberpunk idea-a-paragraph guys who frankly just seem to me to be trying to hard. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/21W60N9CJNL._SL75_.jpg 2010-02-28T17:50:48Z 0060652888 C. S. Lewis 2010-02-28T17:49:23Z http://www.amazon.com/Mere-Christianity-C-S-Lewis/dp/0060652888%3FSubscriptionId%3D0CA9AFXMCK6XJ6BQSZ82%26tag%3Dlarkware-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0060652888 159 mere-christianity This is Lewis's explanation of the basic beliefs of Christianity, and why they should be believed. He argues in part from a natural law perspective that clearly there is something that tells us what we "ought" to do, and pins that on God. He also dismisses any suggestion that Jesus was just a great teacher; you either have to take what he says at face value, or believe he was barking mad. It's a quietly persuasive book that's liable to leave the thinking reader a bit uncomfortable if they're not already one of the Christian faithful. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41FojBy2RjL._SL75_.jpg 2010-02-28T17:49:23Z 0792274113 2010-02-21T16:14:54Z http://www.amazon.com/North-Pole-Narrative-Geographic-Adventure/dp/0792274113%3FSubscriptionId%3D0CA9AFXMCK6XJ6BQSZ82%26tag%3Dlarkware-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0792274113 158 north-pole-a-narrative-history-national-geograph The history of polar exploration in the north from Captain Frobisher to Peary, as told in contemporary accounts by the men who were there. It's striking how much misery men were willing to go through to chase the pole, and how many died as a result. The stiff upper lip is amazing in some of these accounts, where a meal of lichen and shoes is considered a special treat. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51FTEKRA4AL._SL75_.jpg 2010-02-21T16:14:54Z 1932100040 David Gerrold 2010-02-21T16:12:08Z http://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Folded-Himself/dp/1932100040%3FSubscriptionId%3D0CA9AFXMCK6XJ6BQSZ82%26tag%3Dlarkware-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D1932100040 157 the-man-who-folded-himself Time travel story in the vein of Heinlein's "All You Zombies" with a closed loop of personhood, wildly changing history, and speculation on what it'd be like. I remember liking this a good deal in 1973 when I first read it, but then, I was 14 and it had sex. Nowadays it's a light and amusing read, and that's about all (and the very mild sex scenes make far less of an impression). http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51F4AWPS69L._SL75_.jpg 2010-02-21T16:12:08Z 0802139329 Magnus Magnusson 2010-02-10T17:38:33Z http://www.amazon.com/Scotland-Story-Nation-Magnus-Magnusson/dp/0802139329%3FSubscriptionId%3D0CA9AFXMCK6XJ6BQSZ82%26tag%3Dlarkware-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0802139329 156 scotland-the-story-of-a-nation Giant history of Scotland in the kings-and-wars school of historical writing. I would have preferred having some more everyday history mixed in, but as I knew next to nothing about the region when I started reading, this was quite educational in any case. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51415CQFXJL._SL75_.jpg 2010-02-10T17:38:33Z 081296859X John Toland 2010-02-10T17:36:37Z http://www.amazon.com/Last-100-Days-Tumultuous-Controversial/dp/081296859X%3FSubscriptionId%3D0CA9AFXMCK6XJ6BQSZ82%26tag%3Dlarkware-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D081296859X 155 the-last-100-days-the-tumultuous-and-controversia Some of Toland's details might have been challenged in the years since this was published, but not his broad picture of the end of WWII in Europe. What's most striking is how many of the Germans viewed that final struggle: the vain hopes that the Allies would join them in fighting the Russians, or failing that, the hopes that the Allies would capture most of Germany. It's also clear how little Eisenhower was interested in geopolitics at the time, slowing down the advance of the Allied armies to avoid putting men in harm's way despite what this did to give land to the Soviets. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51eHHseDT9L._SL75_.jpg 2010-02-10T17:36:37Z 0486218929 L. Frank Baum 2010-02-10T17:34:05Z http://www.amazon.com/Magical-Monarch-Mo-Frank-Baum/dp/0486218929%3FSubscriptionId%3D0CA9AFXMCK6XJ6BQSZ82%26tag%3Dlarkware-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0486218929 154 the-magical-monarch-of-mo A non-Oz book from Baum that overlaps the Oz stories in one or two spots. This one is more silliness than fairy story and a nice change of pace. Mo is a land where everything, from shoes to donuts, grows on trees, and dragons and giant mechanical men and other odd things put in a steady appearance. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5102TZWRCEL._SL75_.jpg 2010-02-10T17:34:05Z 0679602984 Hunter S. Thompson 2010-02-10T17:32:13Z http://www.amazon.com/Loathing-American-Stories-Modern-Library/dp/0679602984%3FSubscriptionId%3D0CA9AFXMCK6XJ6BQSZ82%26tag%3Dlarkware-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0679602984 153 fear-and-loathing-in-las-vegas-and-other-american- Who would have ever predicted that Hunter S. Thompson would end up in a Modern Library edition? Thompson was an influence on some of my own early writing (which, fortunately, I do not think has survived). This book includes the title story plus his classic writeup of the Kentucky Derby and a few other things. If you only know him from stupid movies, the books are much better. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513yVjPLj3L._SL75_.jpg 2010-02-10T17:32:13Z 0451208706 Ken Follett 2010-02-10T17:30:30Z http://www.amazon.com/Man-St-Petersburg-Ken-Follett/dp/0451208706%3FSubscriptionId%3D0CA9AFXMCK6XJ6BQSZ82%26tag%3Dlarkware-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0451208706 152 the-man-from-st-petersburg Winston Churchill and the British upper crust meet bomb-throwing anarchist while trying to negotiate a treaty with the Russians. A somewhat unbelievable historical thriller thanks to the romances that get tangled up in the politics. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41RN2G2GBYL._SL75_.jpg 2010-02-10T17:30:30Z 0553271989 Frederick Forsyth 2010-02-10T17:28:34Z http://www.amazon.com/Odessa-File-Frederick-Forsyth/dp/0553271989%3FSubscriptionId%3D0CA9AFXMCK6XJ6BQSZ82%26tag%3Dlarkware-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0553271989 151 the-odessa-file That's ODESSA as in the organization of former members of the SS - the book was published in 1972 when there were still a fair number of Nazis around to chase. Now it reads as more of a period piece, with some social commentary but mostly the intricate plotting that makes Forsyth such a joy to read. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/712AWDBNBFL._SL75_.gif 2010-02-10T17:28:34Z 0060167599 Bryan Burrough 2010-02-10T17:26:53Z http://www.amazon.com/Vendetta-American-Express-Smearing-Edmond/dp/0060167599%3FSubscriptionId%3D0CA9AFXMCK6XJ6BQSZ82%26tag%3Dlarkware-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0060167599 150 vendetta-american-express-and-the-smearing-of-edm There are actually quite a few books with the title "Vendetta" - this one is the story of how American Express went a bit wacky and started smearing a banker they didn't like. The author does a reasonable job of connecting the dots to make a case that Amex top management was in on the deal, though he avoids flat-out saying so, no doubt to avoid lawsuits. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31Rg0JE5UuL._SL75_.jpg 2010-02-10T17:26:53Z 0486277569 L. Frank Baum 2010-02-10T17:24:58Z http://www.amazon.com/Rinkitink-Oz-L-Frank-Baum/dp/0486277569%3FSubscriptionId%3D0CA9AFXMCK6XJ6BQSZ82%26tag%3Dlarkware-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0486277569 149 rinkitink-in-oz More characters for the Oz canon, though most people never get this far: noble Prince Inga, fat and jolly King Rinkitink, and the grumpy goat BilBil (who later proves to be an enchanted prince himself). Old characters from Ozma to the Nome King figure in the story too, as well as some rather disturbing (for Baum's work) villains - notably the evil Queen Cor, who likes to whip her captives and tickle them. All's well in the end, though the "in Oz" part only covers about two chapters out of the whole story. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/516H1NJ29PL._SL75_.jpg 2010-02-10T17:24:58Z 0553569570 Robert Ludlum 2010-01-04T02:05:24Z http://www.amazon.com/Apocalypse-Watch-Robert-Ludlum/dp/0553569570%3FSubscriptionId%3D0CA9AFXMCK6XJ6BQSZ82%26tag%3Dlarkware-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0553569570 148 the-apocalypse-watch Ludlum wrote some good books. This isn't especially one of them. The plotting is confused, the action ludicrous, and the ending secret - Adolf Hitler surviving into his 80s - is thoroughly telegraphed. For Ludlum completists only. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51hPvzOU%2BbL._SL75_.jpg 2010-01-04T02:05:24Z 0671676164 Harry Patteron 2010-01-04T02:03:42Z http://www.amazon.com/Catch-King-Harry-Patteron/dp/0671676164%3FSubscriptionId%3D0CA9AFXMCK6XJ6BQSZ82%26tag%3Dlarkware-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0671676164 147 to-catch-a-king At the start of WWII, the Duke of Windsor was indeed in Portugal, and of interest to both the Nazis and the Brits. Of course, his loyalty lay with the latter, and he was off to govern the Bahamas. On this slender thread, Higgins comes up with an amusing tale that, so long as you don't mind severely one-dimensional characters (the SS thugs scarcely have two brain cells to rub together), is a quick read. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/516XKCFZ3GL._SL75_.jpg 2010-01-04T02:03:42Z 067172133X Roger Zelazny 2010-01-04T02:01:16Z http://www.amazon.com/Flare-Roger-Zelazny/dp/067172133X%3FSubscriptionId%3D0CA9AFXMCK6XJ6BQSZ82%26tag%3Dlarkware-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D067172133X 146 flare Another Zelazny/Thomas collaboration, this one mixing improbable beings who live in the sun's atmosphere, space adventure in the solar system, and the sun awakening after a long sunspot minimum. Pretty minor stuff. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51evTAxllDL._SL75_.jpg 2010-01-04T02:01:16Z 0375708278 Erik Larson 2010-01-04T01:59:52Z http://www.amazon.com/Isaacs-Storm-Deadliest-Hurricane-History/dp/0375708278%3FSubscriptionId%3D0CA9AFXMCK6XJ6BQSZ82%26tag%3Dlarkware-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0375708278 145 isaacs-storm-a-man-a-time-and-the-deadliest-hu The story of the 1900 Galveston hurricane. Not only was this a terribly destructive storm, it was also an example of the fledgling Weather Bureau completely screwing up. Larson explores both the terror and disaster, as well as Isaac Cline, the resident meteorologist, and his ideas on the weather. Depending on who was telling the story, he was either a hero or a cad, and both sides come out here. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51F76F9H1ML._SL75_.jpg 2010-01-04T01:59:52Z 0801487137 Henry Gee 2010-01-04T01:57:35Z http://www.amazon.com/Search-Deep-Time-History-Comstock/dp/0801487137%3FSubscriptionId%3D0CA9AFXMCK6XJ6BQSZ82%26tag%3Dlarkware-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0801487137 144 in-search-of-deep-time-beyond-the-fossil-record-t Gee's main argument is roughly that the fossil record is so fragmentary that no scientific statement whatsoever can be made about the relationships between extinct species. I have my doubts. While cladistics (Gee's own chosen approach) certainly does illuminate some corners of evolution and biology, I do not see that it replaces all else. Just because we do not know 100% the chains of inheritance does not mean that all possible chains are equally probable, or that we cannot make any useful or interesting statements about them. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/416SH7S2T3L._SL75_.jpg 2010-01-04T01:57:35Z 0156011719 Robert W. Gutman 2010-01-04T01:54:39Z http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Cultural-Biography-Robert-Gutman/dp/0156011719%3FSubscriptionId%3D0CA9AFXMCK6XJ6BQSZ82%26tag%3Dlarkware-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0156011719 143 mozart-a-cultural-biography Terribly serious and thick biography of Mozart. I enjoyed it, but then, I enjoy history in general; I certainly wouldn't recommend this to the casual reader. It was interesting to read of the way his career intermingled with his father's dreams of aristocracy, as well as the extent to which scatalogical jokes infused Mozart's own writings, among many other little nooks of history here. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PXg9fecHL._SL75_.jpg 2010-01-04T01:54:39Z 0486423603 L. Frank Baum 2010-01-04T01:43:25Z http://www.amazon.com/Sky-Island-L-Frank-Baum/dp/0486423603%3FSubscriptionId%3D0CA9AFXMCK6XJ6BQSZ82%26tag%3Dlarkware-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0486423603 142 sky-island The second of L. Frank Baum's books of Trot and Cap'n Bill (and there is an Oz tie-in, though you don't find out all about it until you proceed to the Scarecrow of Oz). In this one they meet Button Bright, who has a magic umbrella that whisks them away to an island in the sky. Trot ends up queen of two countries before the dust clears, and there are the usual assortment of fantastic characters to deal with. Kids loved it, and I enjoyed it myself. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51KVKJ2Y53L._SL75_.jpg 2010-01-04T01:43:25Z 0688147194 L. Frank Baum 2010-01-04T01:41:18Z http://www.amazon.com/Scarecrow-Oz-Books-Wonder/dp/0688147194%3FSubscriptionId%3D0CA9AFXMCK6XJ6BQSZ82%26tag%3Dlarkware-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3D0688147194 141 the-scarecrow-of-oz-books-of-wonder-series Yes, we're still reading the Oz books at bedtime - and if the kids continue to enjoy them, we could be doing so for years to come. This one does in fact feature the Scarecrow, but it's much more about Trot and Cap'n Bill, how they meet Button Bright again (in the magical land of Mo), and end up in an obscure corner of Oz. Great stuff, and introduces the Ork, a curious bird with a propellor tail. http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51PRGZXMERL._SL75_.jpg 2010-01-04T01:41:18Z