Tuesday, September 23, 2025
Rogues: True Stories of Grifters, Killers, Rebels and Crooks - Patrick Radden Keefe ----------------- 4 Stars
Saturday, September 6, 2025
Shogun - James Clavell ----------------------------- 3 Stars
I'm a big of taking on large, hopefully rewarding books over the summer. With the added time to be able to engage and read more, it's sometimes fun to take on those books that would take months to get through at other times of the year. So, I thought I'd give James Clavell's epic Shogun a try. Besides being a over 40 years old, it's been on a few lists of books recommendations I follow. That, plus the new award winning Hulu miniseries that everyone’s been talking about, made me want to give it a shot. Unfortunately, it didn't meet my high expectations.
As this books is over a thousand pages, it’s not something you just breeze through in a week. That being said, there are plenty of parts that that make you want to keep going. The story follows John Blackthorne, an English pilot who shipwrecks in Japan in the early 1600s, and gets pulled into the political and cultural world of the samurai. Clavell’s detail is incredible; he clearly did his research, and the immersion in Japanese society and customs is fascinating. Some of the set pieces, like Blackthorne learning how the culture works or navigating loyalty to the warlords, are really engaging. I read that for many original readers of this book, this was how many around the world learned about Japan.
There are also some fantastic characters beyond Blackthorne. Toranaga, the powerful daimyo, is a brilliant mix of strategist and manipulator. I never quite knew what he was thinking until the move is already made. Mariko is another standout, a woman caught between cultures who ends up being the emotional core of the story. Their arcs, and the relationships they have with Blackthorne, give the book some of its best moments.
However, the length is daunting. There are whole sections that feel like they could have been trimmed, and after a while, the politics between the different lords start to blur together. It’s also packed with characters, some of whom fade in and out, so it’s not always easy to keep track of who matters most. There's simply too many people in the story. And while the depth is impressive, Clavell doesn’t always know when to stop explaining. It can get pretty dense, which makes it a slow read at times. Yet, ironically, with all the time he takes on certain parts I found the end incomplete and unfulfilling. That was frustrating!
I'm writing this having finished the book and am halfway through the miniseries. Honestly, if I were to do it again, I think I'd just watch thew show. It's beautifully shot, and in many ways, takes the best parts of the book and even makes them stronger.
The book is… massive. Still, when the book is working, it’s fantastic. The clash of cultures, the rise of power struggles, and the vivid sense of place really do transport you. It’s a commitment, but if you’re willing to settle into something long and detailed, it can be rewarding. I’m glad I read it, though I’ll admit the show moves a little faster and spares you some of the bloat.
Saturday, August 23, 2025
The Hunt for Red October - Tom Clancy ------------- 4 Stars
Like most, I've been aware of Tom Clancy for many years and have enjoyed a number of the movies based on his book. However, it wasn't until I just finished The Hunt for Red October (his most famous book?) that I can say I read one of his novels. This was his first book, the one that made him famous, and supposedly even got a presidential shout-out. That was enough to make me curious.
The setup is fantastic: a Soviet submarine captain, might be defecting with the most advanced sub in their fleet. The Americans and the Soviets both scramble, and in the middle of it is Jack Ryan, a CIA analyst who would go on to star in a whole series. It's a pretty simple set up but the book really does a nice job of slowly building tension and keeping the reader engaged.
The story absolutely has its strengths. Ramius is an interesting character, and Jack Ryan is a good “thinking man’s” hero who pieces things together without ever firing a gun. There are moments of real tension where you feel the weight of what’s at stake, and the chess match between navies can be fun to follow. I was also fascinated by just how patriotic this book ended up being. Not surprisingly as it was written mid Cold War, but wow, Clancy really makes you not like the Soviet Union while detailing all the advantages of America.
But this book is also a lot. Clancy is famous for technical detail, and wow, he really doesn’t hold back here. There are entire stretches that feel more like a submarine manual than a thriller, and while it’s impressive, it slowed me down. On top of that, there are way too many characters to keep track of. Every few chapters a new captain, commander, or analyst pops up, and it’s not always clear if they matter in the long run. I found myself thinking this was a 5 star book about a third of the way in and that number kept diminishing as I continued.
Overall, if you love military detail and don’t mind following a huge cast of characters, you’ll probably enjoy it. For me, it was more of a mixed bag, worth reading, but not the masterpiece some make it out to be. Still, this book deserves the credit, as I found it engaging for the vast majority of the read. It’s smart, suspenseful, and very much of its time, and I can see why it made such a splash when it came out.
Tuesday, August 12, 2025
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot ----------------- 3 Stars
Tuesday, July 22, 2025
The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver ----------------- 3 Stars
Sunday, July 6, 2025
Trapped!: The Story of Floyd Collins – Robert Murray and Roger W. Brucker --------------- 4.5 Stars
Sunday, June 8, 2025
The Idiot: A Novel - Elif Batuman ------------------ 1.5 Stars
A Pulitzer Prize finalist from 2018, I had read people really enjoyed The Idiot. They said it was clever, funny, and an interesting read. Well, I did not find myself with the same impressions of the book as many of those who enjoyed.
This story is a bildungsroman focusing on a Turkish immigrant beginning her first year at Harvard. The book tells the story of her experience in college and, later, trip to Hungary. That's it. That's the plot.
As you can guess from my rating, I really disliked this book. While I know that the plot wasn't actually why it was so liked, I did think it might have a bit more... something. I've read many, many books when the plot is not the central focus of the novel, but this one probably is the most disappointing of all of them. Truly, it felt like nothing ever happened.
Now, all this could be forgiven if the other areas of focus - character building, prose, dialogue, ideas, etc.- were interesting. Unfortunately, I struggled to enjoy any other aspects of this book as well. Perhaps it has to do with me struggling to identify with the main character; it is true that I am not a college age Turkish immigrant at Harvard. However, I've enjoyed so many books with characters and people that are dissimilar than me. I don't think that's it.
I can only explain it as one of those things that happens with "art" sometimes where the "in" people (critics, other writers, etc.) determine that a piece is actually much better than any average observer would actually feel it is. I'm sure there was things that I missed that perhaps were clever, thoughtful, or funny that added something to this novel. But I believe that any average reader picking this up would hate it. And, in many ways I felt like the idiot continuing to stick with it even though I never enjoyed any part of it. But, I continually hoped it might get better and felt obligated to finish it. Perhaps I am wrong and you did or would enjoy this more than me. If that's true, that's great. But for me, this one just didn't resonate. They're not all winners!
Saturday, May 10, 2025
Hard Rain Falling - Don Carpenter ----------------4 Stars
Sunday, April 20, 2025
The Playground/The Overstory - Richard Powers ------------ 3.5 Stars/4 Stars
o cause harm to these things. Both books have a few main characters with seemingly unrelated timelines and stories that do come together at the end. Finally, both books really do have some amazing prose and storytelling.
Saturday, March 29, 2025
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - J.K. Rowling ----------------- 4 Stars
Unless you've been living under a stone for the past quarter century, you know who Harry Potter is and you know about the many books and movies (and everything else that go with it). So, no point in summarizing the book. Rather, I'll share my mid-40 year old thoughts about this first HP book - it was pretty dang entertaining!
Sunday, March 9, 2025
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil - John Berendt ---------------- 3.5 Stars
Sunday, February 2, 2025
The Premonition: A Pandemic Story - Michael Lewis ----------------- 2.5 Stars
I've really enjoyed books written Michael Lewis. I've read a few and was so impressed (review from a few months ago) with Going Infinite, the story about Sam Bankman-Fried, I figured I'd enjoy The Premonition: A Pandemic Story. Unfortunately, it was my least favorite Lewis book to date.
Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind - Yuval Noah Harari --------------- 2.5 Stars
On my list to read for a while, I was excited to finally tackle Sapiens during the Winter Break. I actually started it in early December and figured it'd be an engaging read that I would get through quickly. Well, I was wrong in a couple ways.
Coming in at nearly 600 of fairly dense writing, I struggled to get through and enjoy this book. It was odd though, when I was reading it, I often was interested and did find it engaging, but I really struggled to read in long bursts and want to pick it back up day after day. Taking over a month and a half to get through (while having larger amounts of free time than normal), I was a bit surprised this book didn't resonate with me more fully.
If you are not familiar, the book has a great premise. Here is it as Amazon writes it better, "From renowned historian Yuval Noah Harari comes a groundbreaking narrative of humanity’s creation and evolution—a #1 international bestseller—that explores the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be “human.”
One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there is only one—homo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what may happen to us?"
Really, its a history of humans; a subject that seems fascinating. And many parts of the book really are fascinating. I learned a ton about the biology of people, the evolution of Sapiens, and became more much more aware of how many things have changed. I think this book does an amazing job offering perspective about our current world and living while also making you realize just how big and long our universe has existed.
I also will say that Harari's writing style is enjoyable. Again, for a nearly 600 page retrospective about the history of humans, he does a fairly good job of keeping the reader engaged through an informal, and occasionally funny, writing style. It actually reminded me a lot of a Bill Bryson book I love titled, A Short History of Everything. Bryson's book was much more science focused and bit more humorous, but similar all the same.
Ultimately, I don't know if I struggled to engage with this book because other things preoccupied me (tv, phone, family) during Winter Break or it just a book that I would have struggled with regardless of place and time. I am thinking more and more it's the latter. I usually fly through books when I have some time away and usually read multiple during previous Breaks. It's also odd as I tend to prefer books about people and politics rather than other areas of non-fiction. But again, this book never could make an impression on me.
So, I leave it to you to decide what you think. With a 4.3 Goodreads and 4.6 Amazon rating, it's clearly a book that many enjoy (and a Obama and Bill Gates summer reading pick!). And, the content was great and I actually did learn many things. However, I never felt super excited to get back to it and stay engaged with it.
