Judge A Book by It's Cover ... Books YOU are reading or have read?

[Sue Pendleton]

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/plut...own/1113303419

Plutopia is an easy read considering the subject. The writer, Kate Brown, knows her subject and presents it as two sides of the same coin. Plutopia is about Richland, Washington and Ozersk, Russia; the first two cities to produce plutonium. The scary part is the short cuts taken, the waste and how it is disposed of and what people will do for material wealth. She takes the history of these "company towns" from many angles and includes a lot of recently declassified information from both sides. I found the most surprising take was the push to continue making plutonium after both sides had plenty of back up and more than enough weapons to accomplish MAD. Ever wonder where your tax dollars go or how healthy our post-war world is this is a great read.

I read this on a Nook and it had the fewest errors I've seen in any eBook so far. That is until the bibliography where it's 1 reference per page so it runs about 70 pages. If you want a translation of a Russian (she uses transliteral Russian meaning the Latin alphabet) organzational name or program in an eBook just highlight the word or phrase and click Look Up in Google where the word will come up in nominative case. Then click on Google's translator and the English comes up. There is an Index that also has most organizations in English in the back of the book. Overall, this is a great read that comes across fairly well balanced on the political spectrum and it moves from 1942 to today and includes the recent Japanese reator disaster also.

I give this one 5 stars and wish I had bought the hardcover.

[bob clark]

Originally Posted by SCI-Nurse

I just finished this as an audiobook, which I bought based on a review. Boy, do I wish had had all those hours back!!


This is a story based in England about a young woman, desparate for a job, who takes a position as a personal care attendant for a man with a low tetraplegic SCI. The family of the man is wealthy. He is bitter and angry. She tries to "save" him from his plan to be euthanized and predictably, also falls in love with him. There is a lot of the story about her trying to inspire him to find meaning in life by getting out of the house and experiencing life, and introducing him to things like computers and voice recognition software. Guess this guy never got any meaninful rehab...

There are also some side stories about her family and boyfriend which don't add much to this tale.

I felt the whole approach was condescending and patronizing, and I hated the ending (don't want to put a spoiler here, but it sucks).

Don't waste your money on this one.

(KLD)

I take it- a thumbs down then?

Thanks for the warning.

Bob.

[DaleB]

I'm pre-reading The Lord of the Flies, again, in anticipation of giving it to my soon to be 11 year old son, as part of his required reading for school, and I am really enjoying its style. The narrative is one thing, but I'm struck by how well it's written. Seems to have something I've missed in the few recent contemporary novels I've read.



I dunno, but I'm enjoying the rhythm, pace and style of it, quite a lot.

[Sue Pendleton]

How I missed this book published in 1991 just as the USSR was becoming the CIS I don't know. Like his 2 books, Sarum and London, he takes Russia apart over 1800 years and in such a way that all 890 pages is very hard to put down. The vast majory of the book is well researched and with a few name changes could be a college text book. And yet it is anything but dull. From the fairy tales of the Firebird and Baba Yaga to the horrors of the pogroms within the Jewish Pale of Settlement this book moves along following 4 or 5 major families.
If you have a Nook or Kindle with Wiki and Google plugged in I would buy the eBook. For those who get curious over all the tribes and languages that were interwoven to become the Russian Empire being able to look further into something that interests you is a nice bennie but not necessary.

If you enjoy this book do get his Sarum which is all about the English area of the Salisbury Plain from the prehistoric Stonehedge onward. London is also well done. Back to the slightly shortened Russian Revolutions...

[rdf]

Sounds like Michener to some extent. I'll see if I can check him out. I've been reading a lot since I was a boy and it's getting harder to read everything I want to. A nice problem to have I guess.

Originally Posted by Sue Pendleton

How I missed this book published in 1991 just as the USSR was becoming the CIS I don't know. Like his 2 books, Sarum and London, he takes Russia apart over 1800 years and in such a way that all 890 pages is very hard to put down. The vast majory of the book is well researched and with a few name changes could be a college text book. And yet it is anything but dull. From the fairy tales of the Firebird and Baba Yaga to the horrors of the pogroms within the Jewish Pale of Settlement this book moves along following 4 or 5 major families.
If you have a Nook or Kindle with Wiki and Google plugged in I would buy the eBook. For those who get curious over all the tribes and languages that were interwoven to become the Russian Empire being able to look further into something that interests you is a nice bennie but not necessary.

If you enjoy this book do get his Sarum which is all about the English area of the Salisbury Plain from the prehistoric Stonehedge onward. London is also well done. Back to the slightly shortened Russian Revolutions...

[lavenderthistle]

Just finished reading Aunt Jane of Kentucky (sorry no photo ) by Eliza Calvert Hall

It reminded me of my relatives I knew and loved so well. My Grandmother (b 1915 in rural KY) raised me. I heard her voice and inflection in so many lines, my Great Aunts, Great Uncles and Grandfather.

This was a sweet gentle read, as warm and welcome as a visit from a friend, or a warm cup of coffee in the morning. It was a wonderful book written in a blend of general writing and vernacular. The book is a collection of Aunt Jane's recollections as told to a friend as she sits on her porch, tends her garden, brings in the quilts from a spring airing....etc, and cover a variety of topics all with joy and loss in each.