kotay.net - Keith - Books Archive

Quote of the day: "From the smallest necessity to the highest religious abstraction, from the wheel to the skyscraper, everything we are and everything we have comes from one attribute of man--the function of his reasoning mind." --Ayn Rand

I started this page in the fall of 2000. I thought it would be interesting to put my opinions about the books I've read online. If I had more time I'd go back and add books I read before I created this page--maybe when I retire? ;-) I hope you find my comments interesting...

I didn't find the time to keep up with this page from sometime around 2003 to 2007 (slight matter of finishing my Ph.D. thesis and working as a postdoc). I hope to add more entries in the near future...

Book & Movie Ratings:

++++ = On one of my top 10 lists
 +++ = Loved it (will definitely read/watch again)
  ++ = Liked it (probably would read/watch it again)
   + = Worth the time (probably wouldn't read/watch it again)
   - = Generally good but deficient in some way (like too much violence)
  -- = Disliked it (definitely won't read/watch it again)
 --- = Hated it (wish I could excise it from my brain)

Note: Numbers in square brackets indicate the number of times I've read this book.

Mini-reviews

A

• The Agony and the Ecstacy - Irving Stone +++ (The story of the greatest artist who ever lived--yes I mean Michaelangelo *not* da Vinci) [3]
• All 14 Eight-Thousanders - Reinhold Messner ++ (RM describes each 8000+ meter climb in his bid to become the first person to ascend all 14 8000 meter peaks; a very nice reference book for mountaineering fans--the mountains are well documented, with RM's routes clearly illustrated; very nice photography)

B

• The Barrytown Trilogy - Roddy Doyle ++ (three short novels about working-class life in Dublin as experienced by the Rabbitte family: The Commitments, The Snapper, and The Van; I wanted to read The Commitments because I like the movie; all of these novels are funny, but my favorite was The Snapper--the story of Sharon Rabitte's pregnancy)
• Bertrand Russell's Best - Robert Egner, ed. +++ (Nice collection of philosopher Bertrand Russell's ideas, drawn from his many books; some are very funny, most are very insightful; I'm very impressed with what BR had to say--it's amazing to me that he was considered by many to be an advocate of immorality and a corrupter of youth, much the same way Socrates was in ancient Greece)
• The Bible - Many Authors +++ (Certainly one of the greatest books ever written; the Gospels are especially moving for me)
• The Big E - The Story of the USS Enterprise - Edward P. Stafford ++ (The story of the most famous carrier in WWII and it's operations in the Pacific; battered but never beaten, the Enterprise fought from the first to the last day of WWII; the bravery of the men who fought at that time can hardly be fathomed in this day and age)

C

• The Caves of Steel - Isaac Asimov ++++ (The first R. Daneel Olivaw novel and IA's insight on mankind's possible future with robots) [3]
• The Climb - Anatoli Boukreev and G. Weston DeWalt ++ (Anatoli Boukreev's version of the events on Everest in 1996, written to a large extent as a response to Jon Krakauer's article in Outside magazine; AB felt JK had criticized him unfairly for his actions and also made some factual mistakes about what happened; AB is able to explain/refute some of JK's allegations, but what is interesting is AB's approach to guiding which I might not appreciate if I was one of his clients--however AB's courage and dedication in the rescue is amazing; the story is not told as well as Into Thin Air and it could have been better researched--DeWalt's fault, not Boukreev's)
• The Cobra Event - Richard Preston ++ (the first novel by the author of "The Hot Zone," this one is even more frightening considering recent events--nothing is scarier than biological terrorism; very interesting historical account of biological weapons development--yes, we started the whole thing here in the U.S., and did you know that Iraq purchased their anthrax and botulism strains from a company in Virginia?; a bit over the top in some places--trying too hard for the gross-out)
• The Crystal Horizon - Reinhold Messner +++ (RM's account of his solo, alpine-style, oxygenless ascent of Mt. Everest in 1980--widely held to be the greatest mountaineering feat of all time; RM discusses his impressions of Tibet at great length, describing how the country is faring since the Chinese "invasion" in 1959; also includes journal entries from RM's girlfriend at the time which provide an interesting perspective on RM's personality; very nice photography)

D

• The Day of the Jackal - Frederick Forsyth ++++ (The ultimate political suspense story; so good it can be read again and again) [6]
• The Dead Zone - Stephen King ++++ (SK's best work from start to finish; a real treasure) [4]
• The Death Zone - Matt Dickinson ++ (MD's description of his British expedition to Everest in 1996; MD gives an overview of the tragedies that occurred while he was there, but the majority of the book describes his own experiences; what made this book special is the exeptional detail about the physiological toll high alpine mountaineering takes on the human body--after reading what MD went through to reach the summit I find it hard to believe people are willing to go through the suffering necessary to climb an 8000m peak)
• The Deathworld Trilogy - Harry Harrison +++ (a trio of 60's sci-fi novels in one volume; fun books, if a bit violent at times; if I read it for the first time now I probably would think it's superficial, but it's been with me since the mid-70's so it's an old friend) [6]
• The Devil's Alternative - Frederick Forsythe ++ (below par for FF; some very unlikely plot developments)
• Doctor Zhivago - Boris Pasternak ++ (Strong on imagery, somewhat weak on plot--the novel meanders quite a bit but it's very poetic)
• The Dogs of War - Frederick Forsyth +++ (FF's third novel, about the world of mercenary soldiers in Africa and corporate dealings which create/effect the wars in which they fight; a pretty dark novel but well-researched and true to the mercenary way of life; disturbing account of international arms dealing) [4]
• Dune - Frank Herbert +++ (the initial book on the Dune series, and my favorite of the ones I have read; FH hits the nail on the head, with the perfect mix of action, character development, travelogue, and political intrigue)

F

• The Firm - John Grisham +++ (very entertaining legal drama from JG about a young lawyer who joins the wrong law firm; one of my favorite books to read when I'm sick in bed--it's such a page-turner that I forget I'm not feeling well) [3]
• First Blood - David Morrell + (first novel from DM, and the basis of the Rambo movies; here Rambo and a small town police officer face off, after the cop tries to usher long-haired Rambo out of town; the novel is much darker than the movie--in the movie Rambo is pushed into the violence by the police and he tries to avoid killing, in the book he is a more willing participant in the violence and he kills often; the result is that movie Rambo is much more sympathetic, book Rambo and the police chief equally share the blame for the escalation of violence; not much of a theme in the book other than stubborness, the movie tries to illustrate the raw deal Viet Nam veterans sometimes received when returning to the U.S.)
• The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand +++ (a great exposition on creativity and our society; characters tend to extremes but it helps AR make her points) [3]
• The Fourth Protocol - Frederick Forsyth +++ (great as usual) [4]

G

• The Gods Themselves - Isaac Asimov +++ (a very creative Hugo and Nebula award winner from IA, a great read)
• The Golden Man - Phillip K. Dick ++ (I generally prefer novels to short stories, but this collection of Dick's short stories gives good insight into the mind of PKD; although none of these stories are the ones that have been made into movies, they were chosen as a cross section of his work--some are humorous, some are morality plays, some are just things that only PKD could write)
• The Guns of Navarone - Alistair MacLean ++ (liked the movie better; the book is so action packed it works better on film)

H

• Hammer of the Gods - Stephen Davis ++ (biography of the rock group Led Zeppelin which reveals the behind-the-scenes antics of one of the most popular hard rock groups ever; the writing style is more descriptive than illustrative; what's sad is the typical effect of unlimited money and power: abuse of alcohol, abuse of women, and abuse of drugs; no creativity points here for their lifestyle, they must have saved it all for their music which *is* very creative; however the book reveals that Jimmy Page had no compulsion against borrowing from his predecessors--sometimes without credit--but, to be fair, many musicians could plead guity to borrowing) [2]
• Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams +++ (zany sci-fi romp that is very funny; mocks any belief that we can understand anything at all)
• The Hot Zone - Richard Preston ++ (scary, scary, scary--the real bogeyman isn't a big monster, it's a little virus)
• Hotel - Arthur Hailey +++ (another well-written description of what goes on behind the scenes by AH--this time in a large New Orleans hotel; AH's research and attention to detail are fantastic; AH weaves multiple plot lines into an engrossing page-turner) [3]

I

• Into Thin Air - Jon Krakauer +++ (JK's version of the events on Mt. Everest in 1996, where 12 people lost their lives; a very compelling story--JK is very honest about his own shortcomings as a member of the expedition--his criticism of guide Anatoli Boukreev may be a bit harsh, but he does raise valid questions about Anatoli's approach to guiding, and about the wisdom of "buying your way" to the top of the world)

J

• Journey to Ixtlan - Carlos Casteneda ++++ (metaphysics according to Don Juan--"...But it's all around if we could but perceive...") [6]

K

• K2, Triumph and Tragedy - Jim Curran ++ (JC's description of the events on the world's 2nd highest mountain in 1986 when 13 people perished, including JC's close friend Al Rouse; well told story of the risks and hardships which must be endured to "climb high"; makes me wonder what motivates these people to put their lives on the line for no financial reward, only a fleeting bit of fame)

L

• The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula Le Guin ++ (well written sci-fi novel about a future world being visited by an envoy of the Ekumen, a loose confederation of worlds populated by humans; this planet has a strange adaptation of humanity: individuals are hermaphrodites, once every 26 days they become sexually active and when a pair becomes involved neither participant knows which one will manifect as male or female--the rest of the time the people are not sexually active at all and demonstrate a blend of male and female personality traits; the beginning was a bit slow for me, but the last 1/3 of the book was very engrossing)
• Lincoln - Gore Vidal +++ (intense account of the life of Abe Lincoln while he was president; illustrates how he was the consumate politician and a very intelligent man, despite giving the impression he was a bumpkin)
• Logan's Run - William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson ++ (interesting sci-fi novel about the future, where the maximum allowed age is 21--on reaching 21 citizens must visit a 'sleep shop' to end their lives; the story is fast-paced and exciting; it was later made into a movie by the same name which had a slightly different plot)
• The Longest Day: June 6th, 1944 - Cornelius Ryan +++ (a good telling of the D-Day invasion; made into a good movie)
• Lost Horizon - James Hilton +++ (a breath of fresh air)

M

• A Man For All Seasons - Robert Bolt +++ (a wonderful play about the clash between Sir Thomas More and Henry VIII over Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon to marry Anne Boleyn, resulting in the break from Catholicism and establishment of the Church of England; a character study of the moral fiber and faith of More, Bolt was a bit selective in his characterization of More and probably used some poetic license to put More on a pedestal--no matter, poetic license was never more justified than in this case, since Bolt uses it to get to expose the nature of moral dilemma; also see the movie, featuring outstanding character acting plus one of the great acting performances of all time by Paul Scofield as More)
• Midway - Mitsuo Fuchida & Masatake Okumiya ++ (a candid view of the most decisive naval battle in history from the losing side)
• The Moneychangers - Arthur Hailey ++ (novel about the banking industry in the U.S., follows the usual AH format of revealing details about an industry that are not commonly known; on a first reading I would say it is a notch below "Hotel": the plot is a bit transparent although sufficiently dynamic, and the characters are a bit stereotypical)

O

• The Ox-Bow Incident - Walter Van Tilburg Clark +++ (a study of mob behavior in the American west; shows why Justice must be blind)

P

• The Pelican Brief - John Grisham ++ (another fast-paced legal drama by JG; a good read, but the plot is a bit over the top)
• The Perfect Storm - Sebastian Junger ++ (well written novel about the "Storm of the Century" which occurred in October 1991 off the coast of New England and took several lives; well researched--although some of the narrative is conjecture, SJ is careful to point out what he knows and what he doesn't) [2]

R

• Red Storm Rising - Tom Clancy ++++ (My favorite TC work, partly because Jack Ryan isn't in it, but mostly because it's accurate and action-packed) [5]

S

• Selected Political Writings - M. K. Gandhi, Dennis Dalton (editor) ++++ (a wonderful, concise presentation of the philosophy of the greatest man of the 20th century)
• Shogun - James Clavell ++++ (although he arranged Japanese history to his own liking, JC captured the soul of Edo period Japan in this book--the ultimate "Stranger in a Strange Land" story) [4]
• Siddhartha - Hermann Hesse +++ (may deserve to be on my top 10 list, so beautifully written and so spiritual that it cannot help but have a profound impact; read this book!)
• Solo Nanga Parbat - Reinhold Messner ++ (RM describes his solo, alpine-style, oxygenless ascent of Nanga Parbat, the first ascent of its kind on an 8000 meter peak; well-told account of the psychological as well as physical demands of solo high altitude mountaineering; very nice photography)
• Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury ++ (a gritty blend of sci-fi, mystery, and coming-of-age novels; what sets it apart is RB's writing, which verges on the poetic at times)
• Startide Rising - David Brin ++++ (DB's best novel, it won the Hugo and Nebula awards and rightfully so) [4]
• Stranger in a Strange Land - Robert Heinlein +++ (probably the best science fiction novel ever written--Heinlein gives us an outsider's look at ourselves when a human raised my Martians comes to live on Earth and tries to comprehend humanity; religion, ethics, and politics are seen from a different and interesting point of view; famous for introducing the term 'grok', which means to understand fully and completely) [2]
• The Sum of All Fears - Tom Clancy ++ (another Jack Ryan novel--this time Palestinian terrorists manage to create at atomic bomb and set it off in the United States--a sobering theme in light of recent events; interesting description of the bomb making process--amazing how easy it is if you have the right equipment and the plutonium) [2]

T

• Tales of Power - Carlos Casteneda ++++ (The fourth book in CC's description of his apprenticeship with don Juan, a `man of knowledge' who teaches CC that there are alternative ways to perceive and interact with the world around us; IMHO this is the best book CC wrote, the focus is on arriving at `the totality of oneself,' an understanding that we are only perception and that the `standard' way we perceive the world--which has been affirmed by everyone around us since we were born--is only one possible way to perceive the world, and that `men of knowledge' are capable of willfully changing their mode of perception and are therefore capable of feats the average man cannot understand; I find this book very stimulating and capable of making me question my `run-of-the-mill' reality and that's of great value regardless of whether this book is non-fiction or fiction, about which there is great debate--try a web search on `Carlos Casteneda' and you'll find lots of people who are determined to prove CC made it all up) [7]
• The Teachings of Buddha - ? +++ (great compilation of the doctrines of Buddhism and the life of Buddha; this book is found in most Asian hotels along with the Gideon Bible)

W

• The Winds of War - Hermann Wouk ++++ (a book that's gripping as fiction *and* non-fiction simultaneously--the sequel, War and Remembrance, is just as good) [4]

Z

• Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig ++++ (an amazing semi-autobiographical novel about one man's search for truth; this well-crafted first novel is many layered--from the account of a motorcycle trip with his son to the exploration of deep philosophical issues, the layers complement each other and add up to a powerful novel; the philosophical discussion is somewhat loose but it is exciting and meaningful, something that is lacking in most modern philosophical writing; RP may be closer to what Philosophy should be than all the dry textbooks whose tired arguments lay siege to Truth--Philosophy should inspire, it should motivate, it should be a *relationship* between Man and Truth that produces Meaning for an individual in the present; the genius of this book is not that it presents a philosophical position you will remember ten years from now, but that it makes you think about your reality and feel the wonder of philosophical exploration) [3]