Reading Post #4

[desertvixen]

It's been a slow week for reading. There will be NO reading post next week, as I will be out on field training manuevers. :(

The Royal Bastards of Medieval England by Given-Wilson and Curteis was pretty good, if a bit specialized. It looked specifically at the attitudes during this period towards illegitmate children. My, Henry I was a busy, busy boy. Seemed to take that "father of the people" thing a bit too far.

The Abuse Excuse by Alan Dershowitz is basically a collection of essays from late 80s to mid 90's (covering such fun topics as Lorena Bobbitt, the Menendez brothers, a little bit of OJ) and how there's some crackpot defense stuff going on. Some of it I agreed with, some of it I didn't, but decent read all around.

A Question of Honor, by Olsen/Cloud, is about the Polish airmen of WWII, who fought mostly for Britain after Poland was invaded. It's an excellent book, providing information about the pilots of the Koscuiszko Squadron and the needed political/historical background. I was quite pissed by the end of the book, seeing as they effectively got sold out. There were bigger issues at stake, I agree, but displaying a willingness to discard smaller allies when they are not needed can be bad. However, overall, it was definitely an inspiring read.

There were 3 Nancy Drews and 1 Hardy Boys in here as well. I'm getting closer to my goal of reading/collecting all the Nancy Drew hardcovers. BTW, celticdragonfly, I'm ordering the book you recommended.

Just Impossible by Judith A. Landsdowne was pretty good. It's the first big novel of hers I have read. Usually I confine myself to her smaller Regencies, but I was bored, so. It wasn't the best thing I've ever read, but it kept me entertained on a plane, so thumbs up. Besides, I like books about crazy families.

Conquistador by SM Stirling. I've had this one for awhile, but sat on it. I still like the other stuff better, but this was pretty decent. As usual, it was filled with characters who are Good Guys but not necessarily Nice Guys. There's a tip of the hat to LMB as a writer whom two characters compare. The humor is pretty good, as well. The hero, Tom Christiansen - I liked him. Tall, blond, and Norweigan. Also a principled, decent guy. The female lead is pretty knockout as well.

To Punish and Protect by Jeannine Pirro (with Catherine Whitney) is by the Westchester County, NY DA. Pretty good - hardline on crime and about victims' rights.

101 Things You Never Knew About Disneyland - Well, I knew some of them. Interesting Read.

Gunpowder Empire by Harry Turtledove was pretty decent. It reminded me vaguely of Household Gods. My favorite part is where the older teenager has to write a bureaucratic report that has a lot of big words without actually saying anything important.

DV

Comments

[kd5mdk.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed Conquistador too. I forget, have you read Peshawar Lancers?
Also, the sequel to Dies the Fire is supposed to be out this week, I believe.

[desert-vixen.livejournal.com]

I loved Lancers.

Brian and I are waiting for Dies The Fire in PB, so we'll see.

DV

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

By the way, I use these posts of yours to go look up the books, see if they look interesting to me, and request interesting ones from the library if they have them. Thanks!