Reading Post #10

It's been awhile since the last time.

The Mysterious Miss M by Diane Gaston, is the author's debut book, a "gritty Regency". It was definitely gritty, and the characters were quite real.

The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule, is her book about Ted Bundy - someone she worked with and knew. It's a pretty chilling book, and like all of hers, it is ultimately about the victims, not the criminal.

How The Republicans Stole Christmas by Bill Press was already reviewed in my journal.

I've made it through three of Anne Perry's Thomas and Charlotte Pitt mysteries: Silence in Hanover Close, Bethlehem Road, and Highgate Road. All three were entertaining, although Bethlehem's ending had me a little surprised. I'm noticing a trend, however: I can usually guess WHO the killer is, even if I don't have the motive down pat. And I love Great-Aunt Vespasia.

Going Postal by Terry Pratchett - flipping hilarious. A good book for those who like Vetinari, and a new character in Moist von Lipwig. It's also interesting, in that it's about Ankh-Morpork, but not the part of it Vimes fans are really big on. The deal with letters gaining sentience, and the slight time-travel - it was really good. Thud! is next on the Pratchett list.

Royal Babylon by Karl Shaw, is a gossipy, mean-spirited look at royalty, with a little emphasis on the inbred factor. It was entertaining, although some of the material was a retread of Michael Farquhar's Treasury of Royal Scandals.

Chain of Command by Seymour Hersh, deals with how the US got from 9-11 to the Iraq War. I didn't totally agree with the conclusions he drew, but it was definitely thought-provoking.

The Girl Sleuth by Bobbie Ann Mason, is a short look at Nancy Drew and some of the other, less well known female series characters. It was fairly interesting.

The Mission by Dana Priest, is a book about how in recent years, the US government has replaced diplomacy with throwing militray resources at problems. It was interesting, both as a history student and as a soldier. And it was on the bargain rack at Barnes and Noble, so good deal.

It's Still The Economy, Stupid by Paul Begala, was another bargain-rack-buy, but since it's from 2002, was pretty out of date. A stark recitation of facts, most of which I have seen elsewhere.

Do-Gooders by Mona Charen was borrowed from one of our conservative friends (yes, rockahulababy, *that* conservative friend). It was interesting, even if I disagreed with a lot of it. I don't think feminism and gay rights activism have killed the American family. I don't think divorce is one of the worst evils of society. But some of the stuff - like the useless excuse for education that were the mandatory bilingual ed programs.

DV

Linked from pecunium

This is just... f'ed up is not a strong enough word. It's not for the faint of heart, but I feel compelled to leave it un-LJ-cut.

http://www.livejournal.com/users/pecunium/153561.html

Highlight: (or rather, lowlight)

pecunium:Ok, that's to address the issues of, "moral relativism."

VoxDay (a wretched example of blowhard given credence because he is extreme, and sadly one who is given a pulpit because his father is wealthy and there are too many who either think it amusing to see him foam at the mouth, or actually agree with him, said the following recently.

pecuniumThe problem isn't that VoxDay is so extreme, but that so many of his underlying mantra are still at large... women could avoid rape if they didn't provoke men being the most prominent.

Men could avoid rape by, avoiding rape. Those who advocate the punishment model could prevent rape by seeing to it that those who rape get convicted.

And those who favor either of those can prevent rape by smacking down idiots like VoxDay. It's a lot like playing whack-a-mole, but it needs to be done.


IT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF MYSELF AND pecunium THAT SOME OF THE COMMENTS IN HIS ORIGINAL POST (SEE LINK) WERE INCORRECTLY ATTRIBUTED. SOME WERE MADE BY VOXDAY, SOME WERE MADE BY COMMENTERS.

APOLOGIES FOR THE INACCURACIES.

DV