I'm not much on philosophy, so when I saw the first lecture had "Metaphysics" in the title, I was skeptical, but I quickly found out that Gimbel is anI'm not much on philosophy, so when I saw the first lecture had "Metaphysics" in the title, I was skeptical, but I quickly found out that Gimbel is an excellent, practical lecturer. If anything, he goes through some very important points too quickly. Great lead-ins from each lecture to the next.
He has a good sense of humor. There's quips here & there to great effect. His examples of how science has influenced art & every day life are good. He shows it in art & literature. Very good examples. I do wish he had consistently gotten The Moon is a Harsh Mistress correct. He did the first time, but then changed 'Harsh' to something else - rough, maybe. Still, his point was well made.
What did science, the scientific method, mean to our civilization? It took away the mystery in the world. No longer was it something unknowable by the common man & that democratized society by cutting the legs out from under the existing power structures of religion & the divine right of rulers. Of course, there are always holdovers in our thinking & Gimbel mentions some of these.
Best of all, he does a great job of describing these basic ideas as they came about & how they as well as the people worked together to develop them. It's really helpful to see how the various scientists & their discoveries played out in broad form over time building on each other. He really makes sense of the progression.
It might be a bit too simple, but I appreciate that since it would be very easy to get too complicated. The first half dozen lectures deal primarily with physics & math, so he barely mentioned germ theory or the theory of evolution. He does eventually & covers them well, but the 19th & 20th centuries had so many society-shattering revelations that it's great he kept it simple & understandable. He eventually gets into psychology, AI, & Big Data, so he covers all bases.
We lived with Aristotle & Euclid for something like 2000 years before Newton & his ilk changed our worldview. Only a few centuries later Einstein & company pulled the rug out from under that & Quantum Mechanics expanded & changed their theories mere decades later, about the beginning of my generation. The changes since the 1950s are just mind boggling, accelerating ever faster. Some of the wildest dreams of SF writers are commonplace while some seem hopelessly dated.
All of these are changing our views on reality in amazing ways, but it also brings us a lot of questions. Toward the end, he kept leaving more open. What is mental illness? Homosexuality was one as late as 1974 in the US, I think. A child can now have up to 7 parents without trying to hard with our current tech. I was disappointed that he didn't mention the trouble we're having defining a GMO.
Excellent series of lectures. He missed very few things & glossed over some areas that I wish he would have gone into a bit more, but it was a fantastic job. Who would think that 18 hours of lectures would seem to short? It did. I wanted more. Highly recommended!
-------------------- This is not the correct edition. I guess this is one of The Great Courses that GoodReads has decided isn't a book. Jerks. This is course 4140 & you can find it here: https://www.thegreatcourses.com/cours... It's pricey - $220 right now for the audio version & $100 more for the video. The audio version I got from the library is fine, though.
Table of Contents 1 - Metaphysics and the Nature of Science 2 - Defining Reality 3 - Mathematics in Crisis 4 - Special Relativity 5 - General Relativity 6 - Big Bang Cosmology 7 - The Reality of Atoms 8 - Quantum Mechanics 9 - Quantum Reid Theory 10 - Chaos Theory 11 - Dark Matter and Dark Energy 12 - Grand Unified Theories 13 - Quantum Consciousness 14 - Defining Reality in the life Sciences 15 - Genes and Identity 16 - The Birth of Psychology 17 - Jung and the Behaviorists 18 - The Rediscovery of the Mind 19 - The Caring Brain 20 - Brain and Self 21 - Evolutionary Psychology 22 - The Birth of Sociology 23 - Competition and Cooperation 24 - Race and Reality 25 - Social Progress 26 - The Reality of Money 27 - The Origin of life 28 - Exoplanets and Extraterrestrial life 29 - Technology and Death 30 - Cloning and Identity 31 - Genetic Engineering 32 - Medically Enhanced Humans 33 - Transhumans: Making living Gods 34 - Artificial Intelligence 35 - The Internet and Virtual Reality 36 - Data Analytics
Merged review:
I'm not much on philosophy, so when I saw the first lecture had "Metaphysics" in the title, I was skeptical, but I quickly found out that Gimbel is an excellent, practical lecturer. If anything, he goes through some very important points too quickly. Great lead-ins from each lecture to the next.
He has a good sense of humor. There's quips here & there to great effect. His examples of how science has influenced art & every day life are good. He shows it in art & literature. Very good examples. I do wish he had consistently gotten The Moon is a Harsh Mistress correct. He did the first time, but then changed 'Harsh' to something else - rough, maybe. Still, his point was well made.
What did science, the scientific method, mean to our civilization? It took away the mystery in the world. No longer was it something unknowable by the common man & that democratized society by cutting the legs out from under the existing power structures of religion & the divine right of rulers. Of course, there are always holdovers in our thinking & Gimbel mentions some of these.
Best of all, he does a great job of describing these basic ideas as they came about & how they as well as the people worked together to develop them. It's really helpful to see how the various scientists & their discoveries played out in broad form over time building on each other. He really makes sense of the progression.
It might be a bit too simple, but I appreciate that since it would be very easy to get too complicated. The first half dozen lectures deal primarily with physics & math, so he barely mentioned germ theory or the theory of evolution. He does eventually & covers them well, but the 19th & 20th centuries had so many society-shattering revelations that it's great he kept it simple & understandable. He eventually gets into psychology, AI, & Big Data, so he covers all bases.
We lived with Aristotle & Euclid for something like 2000 years before Newton & his ilk changed our worldview. Only a few centuries later Einstein & company pulled the rug out from under that & Quantum Mechanics expanded & changed their theories mere decades later, about the beginning of my generation. The changes since the 1950s are just mind boggling, accelerating ever faster. Some of the wildest dreams of SF writers are commonplace while some seem hopelessly dated.
All of these are changing our views on reality in amazing ways, but it also brings us a lot of questions. Toward the end, he kept leaving more open. What is mental illness? Homosexuality was one as late as 1974 in the US, I think. A child can now have up to 7 parents without trying to hard with our current tech. I was disappointed that he didn't mention the trouble we're having defining a GMO.
Excellent series of lectures. He missed very few things & glossed over some areas that I wish he would have gone into a bit more, but it was a fantastic job. Who would think that 18 hours of lectures would seem to short? It did. I wanted more. Highly recommended!
-------------------- This is not the correct edition. I guess this is one of The Great Courses that GoodReads has decided isn't a book. Jerks. This is course 4140 & you can find it here: https://www.thegreatcourses.com/cours... It's pricey - $220 right now for the audio version & $100 more for the video. The audio version I got from the library is fine, though.
Table of Contents 1 - Metaphysics and the Nature of Science 2 - Defining Reality 3 - Mathematics in Crisis 4 - Special Relativity 5 - General Relativity 6 - Big Bang Cosmology 7 - The Reality of Atoms 8 - Quantum Mechanics 9 - Quantum Reid Theory 10 - Chaos Theory 11 - Dark Matter and Dark Energy 12 - Grand Unified Theories 13 - Quantum Consciousness 14 - Defining Reality in the life Sciences 15 - Genes and Identity 16 - The Birth of Psychology 17 - Jung and the Behaviorists 18 - The Rediscovery of the Mind 19 - The Caring Brain 20 - Brain and Self 21 - Evolutionary Psychology 22 - The Birth of Sociology 23 - Competition and Cooperation 24 - Race and Reality 25 - Social Progress 26 - The Reality of Money 27 - The Origin of life 28 - Exoplanets and Extraterrestrial life 29 - Technology and Death 30 - Cloning and Identity 31 - Genetic Engineering 32 - Medically Enhanced Humans 33 - Transhumans: Making living Gods 34 - Artificial Intelligence 35 - The Internet and Virtual Reality 36 - Data Analytics ...more
I've never read or listened to anything by Hill before. Like his dad, he created a very imaginative world. The characters were pretty good & had quiteI've never read or listened to anything by Hill before. Like his dad, he created a very imaginative world. The characters were pretty good & had quite a twisty situation to deal with. The acting for the audio production, voices, sound effects, & sound levels were all great. IOW, it had a lot going for it.
Unfortunately, it went on too long. I was really hoping for the end by the beginning of part 5. There wasn't a lot of obvious padding, but most situations could & should have been resolved a lot more efficiently. I just got tired of the roller coaster.
Merged review:
I've never read or listened to anything by Hill before. Like his dad, he created a very imaginative world. The characters were pretty good & had quite a twisty situation to deal with. The acting for the audio production, voices, sound effects, & sound levels were all great. IOW, it had a lot going for it.
Unfortunately, it went on too long. I was really hoping for the end by the beginning of part 5. There wasn't a lot of obvious padding, but most situations could & should have been resolved a lot more efficiently. I just got tired of the roller coaster....more
I've always liked Perry's books, generally really liked them. "The Burglar" has a female lead who thinks a lot in ways that make no sense & does so reI've always liked Perry's books, generally really liked them. "The Burglar" has a female lead who thinks a lot in ways that make no sense & does so repetitiously. The paranoia does given her 'job', but her constant attempts to make the 'security company' into cops made none. I tried hard, but at 73% I gave up - for now. I haven't deleted it yet, so I might try to finish it up later....more
Well done, but depressing. Harry usually is, though. I'm really impressed that Connelly has kept up his standards. He's aged Harry very well & that reWell done, but depressing. Harry usually is, though. I'm really impressed that Connelly has kept up his standards. He's aged Harry very well & that really helped keep up the tension at the end. Renee Ballard's part was well done & I liked the way her POV often matched my own, especially at the end. (view spoiler)[The breadcrumbs Harry left led me to the conclusion that Connelly was going to kill him off, the same fear she had. He didn't, but his time is very limited now. Unfortunately, that also led to the one really discordant note - the way Harry kept his final pills, loose in a drawer. I just can't see that. (hide spoiler)]
The narration was particularly good with 3 different narrators. One was Titus who does Harry so well & the other was a gal who voiced Ballard's part as well. The third was another guy with a smaller part, but he was just as good. ...more
I liked this better than the last team up, but it wasn't as good as most of his earlier ones. He's gone a little too Hollywood for me. At least the plI liked this better than the last team up, but it wasn't as good as most of his earlier ones. He's gone a little too Hollywood for me. At least the plot didn't have the huge plot holes of the last. Lettie makes an annoying cameo appearance which didn't help. Good narrator....more
Another disappointment. There's a new narrator who does an excellent job & an interesting plot, but it's just ridiculous. Lettie, the youngest & leastAnother disappointment. There's a new narrator who does an excellent job & an interesting plot, but it's just ridiculous. Lettie, the youngest & least experienced agent is given control of an operation & far more experienced agents in a ridiculous series of gun fights & detective work that would make even a Hollywood thriller writer groan.
Sandford has had a great run. Over 30 novels in a series that regularly got 3 & 4 stars from me, but he's apparently run the series out & hasn't quit while ahead. That's a shame. I see he has another book in the Prey series out with another planned after that. I'm not sure if I'll bother to read them....more
I haven't posted any books read this year, but I've been rereading the entire Prey & Virgil Flowers series in chronologicaI was terribly disappointed.
I haven't posted any books read this year, but I've been rereading the entire Prey & Virgil Flowers series in chronological order. I was excited to find this & almost jumped on it immediately, but waited until I'd caught up; the better to savor it.
It follows the typical formula, included many great recurring characters, & it was narrated by Richard Ferrone - all great. The action & all were top notch with touches of dry humor sprinkled in. Excellent! Should have been another 3 or 4 star read! BUT... The plot had some huge holes that were like a case of poison ivy. (I'll put them under a spoiler tag below.) A lot of people can ignore them judging by the high star reviews. I don't know how. They were an immediate false note & just got worse throughout the book which ultimately left me feeling really let down since it's the twisty plot that makes each book unique & allowed me to enjoy almost 3 dozen in a row. When the plot makes no sense, it just falls apart.
(view spoiler)[These people were so methodical about everything & yet no one addressed the financial disparity between Joa (sp?) & the 5. They're billionaires & she's flat broke. Apparently she set all this up from the goodness of her heart. I can't believe it.
Everyone of them has made plans to bug out in case they get caught except her. Our noses are rubbed in this every time one of them gives her cash from their bug-out kit. She set up a false identity, moved out of her house, & yet made no provisions for running. I can't believe it.
She then drives around the country to collect cash from each. Why?!!! Bit Coin is an anonymous, electronic payment & they're giving a Bit Coin per hit away, but none is paid to her. She has to collect cash? I can't believe it. It bugged me more each time she was in danger or the hardships of her trek were described. I could deal with the first cash payment, but once she had that, she should have been in hiding collecting the rest electronically. (hide spoiler)]
Sandford delivered his typical, good story with the heart ripped out of it. I'm very disappointed. ...more
As short as this book is, it's packed with a lot of information. Unfortunately, that means very little background on the players, especially the politAs short as this book is, it's packed with a lot of information. Unfortunately, that means very little background on the players, especially the politics. That made it tough going for me, since I'm not a Brit. The other issue was understanding the figures, such as number of planes, tonnage of bombs dropped, & such. Without anything to compare them to, they didn't mean much.
Still, there was a lot I did understand. The air war of WWI was one of an emerging technology in desperate times. Zeppelins could carry a lot, but were highly subject to winds. Planes were little more than cloth stretched over wood hauled along by bulky, low powered engines, so they were limited, but it became obvious early on that they were the future of aviation. Getting there, with hundreds of designs, custom parts, & limited fuel capacity was a battle in itself. The lack of radar or any decent navigation system was tough & flying the damn things was practically suicide even if pilots knew what they were doing & few did. Training was practically nonexistent.
On top of all that, the air force started out as part of the Army & Navy who had completely different needs & tactical objectives for the planes. Trying to create centralized control, which was needed to train the men & bring the dozens of models into line, meant fighting established bureaucracies & politics. There was no overall strategic use for planes, only dreams of what could be when the tech matured enough, so that made centralization a tougher sell than it should have been. The formation of the RFC during the war was a miracle. Evolving that into the RAF after the war went beyond miraculous, especially given the attitudes of those involved.
All in all, well narrated & interesting. The lack of background might not be a problem for those who are taught British history better than I was. As it is, I'm giving it 3.5 stars & I'm rounding it down since most of my friends live in the US.
Merged review:
As short as this book is, it's packed with a lot of information. Unfortunately, that means very little background on the players, especially the politics. That made it tough going for me, since I'm not a Brit. The other issue was understanding the figures, such as number of planes, tonnage of bombs dropped, & such. Without anything to compare them to, they didn't mean much.
Still, there was a lot I did understand. The air war of WWI was one of an emerging technology in desperate times. Zeppelins could carry a lot, but were highly subject to winds. Planes were little more than cloth stretched over wood hauled along by bulky, low powered engines, so they were limited, but it became obvious early on that they were the future of aviation. Getting there, with hundreds of designs, custom parts, & limited fuel capacity was a battle in itself. The lack of radar or any decent navigation system was tough & flying the damn things was practically suicide even if pilots knew what they were doing & few did. Training was practically nonexistent.
On top of all that, the air force started out as part of the Army & Navy who had completely different needs & tactical objectives for the planes. Trying to create centralized control, which was needed to train the men & bring the dozens of models into line, meant fighting established bureaucracies & politics. There was no overall strategic use for planes, only dreams of what could be when the tech matured enough, so that made centralization a tougher sell than it should have been. The formation of the RFC during the war was a miracle. Evolving that into the RAF after the war went beyond miraculous, especially given the attitudes of those involved.
All in all, well narrated & interesting. The lack of background might not be a problem for those who are taught British history better than I was. As it is, I'm giving it 3.5 stars & I'm rounding it down since most of my friends live in the US....more
A fun shoot'em-up-bang-bang. That's the label my family gives to mindless action flicks & this book read like one. It will make a great movie & they sA fun shoot'em-up-bang-bang. That's the label my family gives to mindless action flicks & this book read like one. It will make a great movie & they shouldn't change it much. That doesn't mean I didn't like it. I did. The author avoided jumping the shark & kept it logical. He pushed the edge while retaining good writing & consistent logic. The characters were well done without a lot of gray or angsty questions. Everything was pretty straight forward, a nice change of pace.
The narrator was good & the plot made sense for the most part. I don't think I'll ever read this again, though. It was fun once & I'll look for another by the author.
Merged review:
A fun shoot'em-up-bang-bang. That's the label my family gives to mindless action flicks & this book read like one. It will make a great movie & they shouldn't change it much. That doesn't mean I didn't like it. I did. The author avoided jumping the shark & kept it logical. He pushed the edge while retaining good writing & consistent logic. The characters were well done without a lot of gray or angsty questions. Everything was pretty straight forward, a nice change of pace.
The narrator was good & the plot made sense for the most part. I don't think I'll ever read this again, though. It was fun once & I'll look for another by the author....more
Another fun entry in the series, but pretty much the same. Fun, a cozy mystery well narrated by Grover Gardner. The book is very self-contained, so giAnother fun entry in the series, but pretty much the same. Fun, a cozy mystery well narrated by Grover Gardner. The book is very self-contained, so give it a shot if you want something that has no other redeeming qualities than being an enjoyable, relaxing read.
Merged review:
Another fun entry in the series, but pretty much the same. Fun, a cozy mystery well narrated by Grover Gardner. The book is very self-contained, so give it a shot if you want something that has no other redeeming qualities than being an enjoyable, relaxing read....more
Do you like spy thrillers? If so, this nonfiction sketch of the birth of the atomic bomb is the place to see where the modern ones were born. The accoDo you like spy thrillers? If so, this nonfiction sketch of the birth of the atomic bomb is the place to see where the modern ones were born. The accounts are barebones, often understated, but the outline is all there from trying to stop Hitler from building his own atomic bomb by destroying the heavy water plant in Norway (Norwegian resistance, gliders, & sabotage) to troubled scientists dealing with the morality of their works. There is also a sketch of the politics behind many of the decisions regarding the creation, use, & finally crazy proliferation of this WMD. How & why FDR started the program, Truman continued it, & Japan caved in due to it. The main scientists are covered;heroic Oppenheimer who was later screwed by the country he loved, the spies (Hall & Fuchs), Heisenberg, & many others.
The facts are all there & often in plenty of detail, but it never got boring. This is definitely an overview of the entire situation with a very brief summation bringing us to the present. It's not much on anyone's mind any more - not like the Cold War days when I was a student practicing hiding under my desk - but there are more atomic bombs now than there were then & they're in a lot more dangerous hands. It's mentioned that a 'small' war between Pakistan & India using a mere 80 bombs (Something less than 1%(?) of the bombs in the world.) could create a dust cloud that would disrupt agriculture over the entire earth for a decade. IOW, they're still a very clear & present danger.
I found this very interesting in light of several books I've read recently. A couple were old spy thrillers by Donald Hamilton, although he doesn't push the Commie scare typical of the period as hard as most. The other was King Rat which was about men in a Japanese POW camp. They feared they would be killed if Japan lost the war & likely would have been had the war been fought conventionally to its conclusion. By killing thousands of civilians in atomic fire, Japan's emperor was forced into accepting an unconditional surrender the military leaders probably never would have agreed to.
The book points out the tough moral questions. Oppenheimer wasn't thrilled with his baby, knew well that others could & would replicate it soon, so thought proliferation was stupid, but Truman disagreed. That eventually got Oppenheimer kicked to the curb with Hoover's boys hovering. Hall immediately saw the dangers of one country having such power & saw to it that the Soviets would also have it. Yes, he was an idealistic young man with a naive view of communism under Stalin & his ilk, but I'm not sure he was totally wrong. I can't say as I have any sympathy for Fuchs & the Rosenbergs certainly paid the heaviest price.
This particular genie is out of the bottle. We haven't dealt with it well, but better than we could have. In some ways it's made us grow up politically. The treaties on containing it, biological, & chemical weapons might not be worth a lot, but the thought is there. This book covers how we got there. Everyone should know the story & this is the best summation of the situation I've ever read.
Merged review:
Do you like spy thrillers? If so, this nonfiction sketch of the birth of the atomic bomb is the place to see where the modern ones were born. The accounts are barebones, often understated, but the outline is all there from trying to stop Hitler from building his own atomic bomb by destroying the heavy water plant in Norway (Norwegian resistance, gliders, & sabotage) to troubled scientists dealing with the morality of their works. There is also a sketch of the politics behind many of the decisions regarding the creation, use, & finally crazy proliferation of this WMD. How & why FDR started the program, Truman continued it, & Japan caved in due to it. The main scientists are covered;heroic Oppenheimer who was later screwed by the country he loved, the spies (Hall & Fuchs), Heisenberg, & many others.
The facts are all there & often in plenty of detail, but it never got boring. This is definitely an overview of the entire situation with a very brief summation bringing us to the present. It's not much on anyone's mind any more - not like the Cold War days when I was a student practicing hiding under my desk - but there are more atomic bombs now than there were then & they're in a lot more dangerous hands. It's mentioned that a 'small' war between Pakistan & India using a mere 80 bombs (Something less than 1%(?) of the bombs in the world.) could create a dust cloud that would disrupt agriculture over the entire earth for a decade. IOW, they're still a very clear & present danger.
I found this very interesting in light of several books I've read recently. A couple were old spy thrillers by Donald Hamilton, although he doesn't push the Commie scare typical of the period as hard as most. The other was King Rat which was about men in a Japanese POW camp. They feared they would be killed if Japan lost the war & likely would have been had the war been fought conventionally to its conclusion. By killing thousands of civilians in atomic fire, Japan's emperor was forced into accepting an unconditional surrender the military leaders probably never would have agreed to.
The book points out the tough moral questions. Oppenheimer wasn't thrilled with his baby, knew well that others could & would replicate it soon, so thought proliferation was stupid, but Truman disagreed. That eventually got Oppenheimer kicked to the curb with Hoover's boys hovering. Hall immediately saw the dangers of one country having such power & saw to it that the Soviets would also have it. Yes, he was an idealistic young man with a naive view of communism under Stalin & his ilk, but I'm not sure he was totally wrong. I can't say as I have any sympathy for Fuchs & the Rosenbergs certainly paid the heaviest price.
This particular genie is out of the bottle. We haven't dealt with it well, but better than we could have. In some ways it's made us grow up politically. The treaties on containing it, biological, & chemical weapons might not be worth a lot, but the thought is there. This book covers how we got there. Everyone should know the story & this is the best summation of the situation I've ever read....more
This was a far better fantasy than I recalled. It's really held up well & had all the elements needed to make it an excellent one; action, romance, & This was a far better fantasy than I recalled. It's really held up well & had all the elements needed to make it an excellent one; action, romance, & excellent attention to the realities of war, although the hyperbole factor was quite high. The best fighters were also the rulers, so they tended to continually put themselves in harm's way. Kind of silly, like Kirk & the command crew of the Enterprise, but fun.
While the world is one with magic, there are other dimensions of which ours is one, so a few characters, 2 of the main ones, are from our world. That added a lot to the story. Not everyone was good or bad, either. While Good & Evil were forces in the world, some people were occasionally jerks & got put in their place. Very well done.
I can't say I was in love with the reader, but he didn't ruin it either. It was a bit more of a production than I like. Different voices for each character & some were hard to hear, the voice was low. The Hightowers were great. They sounded like Sean Connery & made me think of Highlander, which fit perfectly.
This was a far better fantasy than I recalled. It's really held up well & had all the elements needed to make it an excellent one; action, romance, & excellent attention to the realities of war, although the hyperbole factor was quite high. The best fighters were also the rulers, so they tended to continually put themselves in harm's way. Kind of silly, like Kirk & the command crew of the Enterprise, but fun.
While the world is one with magic, there are other dimensions of which ours is one, so a few characters, 2 of the main ones, are from our world. That added a lot to the story. Not everyone was good or bad, either. While Good & Evil were forces in the world, some people were occasionally jerks & got put in their place. Very well done.
I can't say I was in love with the reader, but he didn't ruin it either. It was a bit more of a production than I like. Different voices for each character & some were hard to hear, the voice was low. The Hightowers were great. They sounded like Sean Connery & made me think of Highlander, which fit perfectly.
My library nailed me with the wrong edition. Rebecca Burns might have a nice voice for some stories, but not these. Yuck. Her voice doesn't carry the My library nailed me with the wrong edition. Rebecca Burns might have a nice voice for some stories, but not these. Yuck. Her voice doesn't carry the men who would be kings at all. :(
Find another version. Great stories, just not the right reader.
Merged review:
My library nailed me with the wrong edition. Rebecca Burns might have a nice voice for some stories, but not these. Yuck. Her voice doesn't carry the men who would be kings at all. :(
Find another version. Great stories, just not the right reader....more
I vaguely recall reading some short Ellery Queen stories many years ago & seeing a few episodes of a TV series that was kind of fun, so when I saw my I vaguely recall reading some short Ellery Queen stories many years ago & seeing a few episodes of a TV series that was kind of fun, so when I saw my library had these as audio books, I thought I'd give them a try. I listened to a bit of the narration & really liked it, but I was ultimately terribly disappointed. 1.5 stars is the best I can do. I'm giving it 2 stars simply so I'll give another a try in the future.
To sum it up in a word - misogynistic. Coming from me, that's damning. It's not a word I use often since I don't think it is used properly most of the time. This book was published in 1967, but it's #31 in the series. The first was published in 1929, so I don't expect women to be treated equally. That's the times, but this story went out of its way to denigrate women. Boob size, pretty faces, & riches were their measure & the core of the story line. It was taken for granted that they were otherwise too stupid to tie their shoe laces, save for one ugly old lady who was quite savvy & kept very secondary.
Also (I will not say worse, although it should be, so that gives you an idea how bad the misogyny was.) the big mystery was obvious about 2/3 of the way through. The last third dragged while Ellery brooded about it & then brings it to light at the very end at the worst possible moment. If I was the Scot, I'd have broken his nose.
I have #7 The Siamese Twin Mystery & might try that at a future date, but it had better be a lot better or I won't finish it. I barely made it through this one as I kept waiting for some sort of great ending. I didn't get it. My recommendation is to skip it.
Merged review:
I vaguely recall reading some short Ellery Queen stories many years ago & seeing a few episodes of a TV series that was kind of fun, so when I saw my library had these as audio books, I thought I'd give them a try. I listened to a bit of the narration & really liked it, but I was ultimately terribly disappointed. 1.5 stars is the best I can do. I'm giving it 2 stars simply so I'll give another a try in the future.
To sum it up in a word - misogynistic. Coming from me, that's damning. It's not a word I use often since I don't think it is used properly most of the time. This book was published in 1967, but it's #31 in the series. The first was published in 1929, so I don't expect women to be treated equally. That's the times, but this story went out of its way to denigrate women. Boob size, pretty faces, & riches were their measure & the core of the story line. It was taken for granted that they were otherwise too stupid to tie their shoe laces, save for one ugly old lady who was quite savvy & kept very secondary.
Also (I will not say worse, although it should be, so that gives you an idea how bad the misogyny was.) the big mystery was obvious about 2/3 of the way through. The last third dragged while Ellery brooded about it & then brings it to light at the very end at the worst possible moment. If I was the Scot, I'd have broken his nose.
I have #7 The Siamese Twin Mystery & might try that at a future date, but it had better be a lot better or I won't finish it. I barely made it through this one as I kept waiting for some sort of great ending. I didn't get it. My recommendation is to skip it....more
Very much like the previous 2, just a continuation that's self-contained enough to stand on its own. While the story comes to a satisfying end, there'Very much like the previous 2, just a continuation that's self-contained enough to stand on its own. While the story comes to a satisfying end, there's certainly room for more books. ...more
It's a pretty good continuation of the first book, but definitely suffers from middle book syndrome. Must be read in order, of course. I enjoyed it, bIt's a pretty good continuation of the first book, but definitely suffers from middle book syndrome. Must be read in order, of course. I enjoyed it, but it didn't wow me. On to the third & final book of the trilogy....more
A hands on colonel at the end of his career is sent into a war zone to solve a mystery & winds up needing to clean up a much bigger mess. That's clearA hands on colonel at the end of his career is sent into a war zone to solve a mystery & winds up needing to clean up a much bigger mess. That's clearly going to happen from the first chapter, if you know anything about the military & it should be even if you don't. The setting is one of the US failed wars (Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, leaning toward the last) that's been ported to a planet with a lot of similarities. For instance, it's a long journey away from HQ, but communications between the two are fairly quick if limited. The main base is in orbit, a few hour hop to the planet, & naval support are spaceships. It's all well done & the narrator did a fantastic job from the point of view of the main character.
One of the most popular reviews by a friend of mine only gave this 2 stars. (I HATE the new book page!!!) The reason given is that the motivations don't make sense nor does the mystery. I'm not sure how they missed either. They made perfect sense to me, especially given one of the scenes toward the end. It's not a very clean ending, but none of the wars it was modeled on were either. There are two more books in the trilogy, but they follow the main character of this book, Col. Butler. I suppose we'll never see all the bad guys rolled up with Truth & Justice prevailing, but that's just real life so I appreciated it in this novel. It was another mark of realism that raises this above the normal fare. I found it quite satisfying & am moving on to the next one....more
This was fun, an informal tour of England full of trivia about the country, history, & Bryson himself. I like his sense of humor & really sympathize wThis was fun, an informal tour of England full of trivia about the country, history, & Bryson himself. I like his sense of humor & really sympathize with him about aging. (I use a pair of dykes to cut my big toe nails & they fly off like shrapnel.) Well narrated & definitely recommended....more
My formal education about viruses is close to 50 years out of date from a course in Advanced Biology at a very good prep high school with a fantastic My formal education about viruses is close to 50 years out of date from a course in Advanced Biology at a very good prep high school with a fantastic teacher. I remember much of the material because I found the debates about viruses fascinating. Back then, we couldn't read a genome, hadn't discovered large viruses or HIV, nor was there much experience with pandemics. This, the 3d edition, was up to date into the Covid-19 pandemic, so included SARS, MERS, Zika, AIDS, & more.
It's a quick & basic walk through viruses. It was a good refresher on the history of the discovery of viruses & it didn't bog down in details. I learned a lot such as why there was hope in eradicating Small Pox, but very little hope of eradicating the common cold any time soon. How, why, & the difficulties viruses find in changing host species was of particular interest due to Covid-19.
Much of the speculation we'd engaged in during class was cleared up, but we'd never considered the role viruses play in climate. That was a surprise. My teacher, Dr. Cohen, had speculated on their role in creating life. To the best of my knowledge (Limited!!!) it wasn't popular, but I found it has gained new traction. I especially liked the way Zimmer makes it clear that labels can limit our understanding. "Live" versus "Not Alive" seems like an obvious dividing line, but Cohen didn't like it & we spent quite a bit of time trying to define both conditions. It's still a conundrum & that made me appreciate his teaching even more.
Highly recommended, well narrated, & short enough for everyone.
Contents Foreword by Judy Diamond and Charles Wood Introduction “A Contagious Living Fluid” Tobacco Mosaic Virus and the Discovery of the Virosphere Old Companions The Uncommon Cold How Rhinoviruses Gently Conquered the World Looking Down from the Stars Influenza’s Never-Ending Reinvention Rabbits with Horns Human Papillomavirus and Infectious Cancer Everywhere, in All Things The Enemy of Our Enemy Bacteriophages as Viral Medicine The Infected Ocean How Marine Phages Rule the Sea Our Inner Parasites Endogenous Retroviruses and Our Virus-Riddled Genomes The Viral Future The Young Scourge Human Immunodeficiency Virus and the Animal Origins of Diseases Becoming an American The Globalization of West Nile Virus The Pandemic Age Why COVID-19 Should Have Come as No Surprise The Long Goodbye The Delayed Oblivion of Smallpox Epilogue The Alien in the Water Cooler Giant Viruses and What It Means to Be a Virus...more
This was a lot of fun action with very little gore & sex, just a con man who tries to do the 'right' thing while lining his own pockets. Of course, thThis was a lot of fun action with very little gore & sex, just a con man who tries to do the 'right' thing while lining his own pockets. Of course, the course is a tough one to navigate, so Gas has to scramble to keep a step ahead. There are some leaps in the plot, but it's all in fun so didn't bother me.
It was nice reading another book with power armor, too. Future infantry in power armor is a theme that has interested me since I read Starship Troopers & The Forever War. Followed by Armor & Old Man's War in that order shows a progression of the idea. This is a good, if not great, addition.
Mammay really showed the feel of an infantry unit with the macho guy interplay & all. Excellent narration helped the story, too. Definitely recommended....more
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