Book review – Rock Seen
Wow. Just wow. This book is for anyone who is a) interested in the history of rock and roll, and b) likes to see photography from the time period of the 60's up to the 90's.
Unknown to me, but evidently very well known in the world of rock photography, Bob Gruen brakes out some of his rare archival photographs and brings them all together in this fabulous book. I was surprised at how many pictures I recognized, never realizing that Gruen was the photographer. That picture of KISS all done up in make-up and wearing suits? He took it. The picture of The Clash on a rooftop in New York City? He took it.
The list just goes on and on and on. This is a very impressive (and heavy) book. Again. If you like rock music, and in particular rock music photography, pick this book up.
Book review – Dark Market
I could not put this book down. I highly recommend this book for anyone who has an interest in:
- Computer hacking
- Network privacy
- International crime
- Privacy
- Credit card crime
In short, this book is about several internet websites that sprung up in the mid 2000's and the people who ran them. Author Misha Glenny does a great job of building the cat and mouse game between the hackers and law enforcement, which is what I think added to the book's allure. Plus the cast of characters/hackers are all unique in their own right, right again makes for great reading.
I finished this book in four days. That was how much I enjoyed it. The only thing missing? Well some pictures of the hackers or some kind of network map of how the hacks took place all over the world would have been nice. But the book stands up on its own without it. A good read indeed.
Book Review – Stiff
Readers of this blog will know will know that I enjoy books that deal with forensic science. As part of my travels to find more books that relate to forensic science, I came across this book - Stiff by Mary Roach.
This book was awesome. And scary. In short Roach investigates that happens when people donate their bodies to science. And in page after page, Roach takes you on a journey from plastic surgeons learning new techniques on the heads of corpses to automobile manufacturers looking at the impacts of car crashes, to the devastating effects of ammunition.
For anyone who has any interest in what happens to our physical bodies after we pass from this earth, this book is a must read. And for anyone who is considering donating their bodies to science when they die, I highly recommend giving this book read too. Trust me. You won't be disappointed.
Book Review – A Visit from the Squad
I picked this book up based on a recommendation from a friend of mine. And I'm happy to report that my friend was bang on. This was a great book. Whether it was the constant references to great musical acts, the writing style, or the great background to the characters, I really enjoyed this novel.
Be warned though. This book doesn't follow the standard novel formula. And all I mean by that is the chapters are each written from a different characters perspective. String them all together and author Jennifer Egan has managed to write great little book.
As I normally say in situations like this, pick the book up. You won't be disappointed.
Book Review – Last Man in Tower
After reading the past two books by Aravind Adiga when his most recent novel came out I knew I had to pick it up. And so, after finishing this novel I must say I quite enjoyed it. In fact what I like about Adiga's books are that that a) they are all set in India and b ) when I read them I seem to learn a bit more about the country.
The short premise of this book. A very rich developer offers a whole bucket load of cash to a series of people living in a building, hoping to buy them out so he (the developer) and build a swanky new tower. And of course, there is one person who is on the fence on whether or not to jump ship. Hence the name of the book - Last Man in Tower.
This was a good book. I enjoyed it and could hardly put it down. Give it read.
New reviews to come
Hey,
Well fear not. There are new book reviews on the way. Trouble is finding the time to post them. Some new books read though include...Panicking Ralph, Greetings From the Goon Squad, In The Garden of Beasts, and others.
Thanks for stopping by. More to come.
Meh – An Uncertain Place
I picked this book up because it made a 'best of' list. But why this book made a best list is beyond me. There was no way I could get in to this novel. It just dragged on and on and on. Yes there was some interesting criminal activity early in the book. But author Fred Vargas couldn't seem to capitalize on it and keep the momentum going. Or at least she couldn't keep it going for me.
And that's a shame to. Or at least a shame for me because Vargas has written several novels in this series. It would have been great to get involved in another mystery series too. Alas it won't be happening with this line of mystery novels.
Book review – King Leopold’s Ghost
This was a fabulous book to read. Even if it was a little disturbing. This book tells the tell of how King Leopold of Belgium decided to make his a country a world power by colonizing the Congo. This a story of how the drive first for ivory, and then rubber, impacted on the people who lived in the Congo, and how the slave trade and European views impacted on the people and the environment.
Filled with historical notes, photographs, and descriptive information about what the behind the scenes action wielded by King Leopold to shape the Congo in his vision, I couldn't put this book down. If anything, the subject of this book is very intense. So much so that as much as I wanted to read it from cover to cover, I had to take my time to digest and understand everything I was reading.
This is a great book. Do pick it up and give it a read.
More reviews to come…
I've read the books, just need to find the time to write about them now...
New reviews coming soon
Hi there,
I have tons of reviews to post. Tons. There has been a lot of reading going on of late. From Duff Mckagan's autobiography to The Swerve to Kingpin to The Dark Net. Trouble is I've been reading so much that I haven't had time to get out any book reviews. Nevertheless I will endeavour to get some reviews up here.
Thanks for your patience.