Category Archives: Book Reviews

Book Review: The Lost World by Michael Crichton

I enjoyed reading “Jurassic Park” so much that I anxiously looked forward to reading the sequel.  As I explained in my review of that book, Crichton is not a stylist; his prose is very rudimentary, but he is capable of … Continue reading

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Book Review: Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World by Liaquat Ahamed

My motivation in reading this book was not curiosity about the economic crash and depression of the late 1920s and early 1930s.  It’s an interesting subject, sure, and I go for anything that piques my interest if I have time … Continue reading

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Book Review: Jack London, Sailor on Horseback by Irving Stone

We writers are often lonely people.  We labor away day after day, alone in our rooms at our keyboards.  Often those around us don’t understand what we are going through and what drives us to persevere. How I acquired this … Continue reading

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Book Review: Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Recently I came across a nonfiction book, “Travels” by Michael Crichton at a book sale.  The book itself was so-so due to the fact that only about a third of it was actually about traveling, but the author’s writing style … Continue reading

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Book Review: Travels by Michael Crichton

It so happened on the 4th of July 2012 I was temporarily sojourning on Coronado Island in San Diego.  When I wandered to the main street of the town to get some air and exercise, lo and behold a parade … Continue reading

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Book Review: Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card

I may as well plunge right in by saying that I consider “Speaker for the Dead” a far superior book to “Ender’s Game”, though it is its sequel.  “Ender’s Game” is, for the most part, standard science fiction.  It is … Continue reading

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Book Review: The Fifties by David Halberstam

This is a terrific book by a terrific writer.  When I came across it in a used bookstore in Pacific Beach, San Diego, I was first put off by its size.  In its hardcover edition it’s a real doorstopper of … Continue reading

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Book Review: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

This is one of those books that sat for years on my shelf before I read it.  I don’t know why.  No special reason.  Sometimes there’s just a right time to do things, and I guess this was the time.  … Continue reading

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Book Review: The Radicalism of the American Revolution by Gordon S. Wood

I like history books that read like novels:  full of anecdotes, details, fast-paced narration, fascinating characters.  This book is not like that.  It does not read like a novel at all; it reads more like a university lecture.  You have … Continue reading

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Book Review: The Air-Conditioned Nightmare by Henry Miller

By way of introduction let me emphasize that Henry Miller is one of my favorite writers.  His writings changed my life, changed my attitude towards writing and towards literature.  “Tropic of Cancer” is one of my favorite books of all … Continue reading

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