Books 2009: brain AWOL, call again later

Books 2009: 98-101

98-99. Laura E. Reeve, Peacekeeper and Vigilante.

Space opera influenced more by nuclear disarmament than the traditional clash of superpowers. Ariane Kedros is a Reserve Intelligence officer for the Consortium of Autonomous Worlds, something that occasionally interferes with her job as a pilot for Aether Explorations. In both these books, Kedros's past with Temporal Distortion Weapons (the nukes of the future) comes back to haunt her. Entertaining, if a little ragged around the edges.


100-101. C. S. Forester, A Ship of the Line, Admiral Hornblower.

Admiral Hornblower is an omnibus comprising the last four Hornblower novels. A Ship of the Line is their immediate predecessor. Less exciting naval action, but still plenty to go around.

Books 2009: brain AWOL, call again later

Books 2009: 98-101

98-99. Laura E. Reeve, Peacekeeper and Vigilante.

Space opera influenced more by nuclear disarmament than the traditional clash of superpowers. Ariane Kedros is a Reserve Intelligence officer for the Consortium of Autonomous Worlds, something that occasionally interferes with her job as a pilot for Aether Explorations. In both these books, Kedros's past with Temporal Distortion Weapons (the nukes of the future) comes back to haunt her. Entertaining, if a little ragged around the edges.


100-101. C. S. Forester, A Ship of the Line, Admiral Hornblower.

Admiral Hornblower is an omnibus comprising the last four Hornblower novels. A Ship of the Line is their immediate predecessor. Less exciting naval action, but still plenty to go around.

Books 2009: not exactly light reading

Books 2009: 102

non-fiction

102. Valerie Hansen, The Open Empire: A History of China to 1600, W.W.Norton, London & New York, 2000.

I owe tanaise for the recommendation. This is an introductory textbook for Chinese history, stretching from the Bronze Age to the Ming Dynasty. It's reasonably well-written, and offers an overview accessible to the most ignorant of beginners (to whit, me).

It recounts history both chronologically and thematically, with the themes incorporated into the historical sections. As a historian, I would have preferred slightly more analysis and discussion both of the sources and of what they reveal, but. Introductory textbook. Nearly three thousand years' worth of data. Fortunately, it has numerous suggestions for further reading at the end.

Definitely worth reading.

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Still sick, in case you were wondering. Although I suspect at this point it's more to do with the antibiotic and too much time in bed than the original illness.

Books 2009: not exactly light reading

Books 2009: 102

non-fiction

102. Valerie Hansen, The Open Empire: A History of China to 1600, W.W.Norton, London & New York, 2000.

I owe tanaise for the recommendation. This is an introductory textbook for Chinese history, stretching from the Bronze Age to the Ming Dynasty. It's reasonably well-written, and offers an overview accessible to the most ignorant of beginners (to whit, me).

It recounts history both chronologically and thematically, with the themes incorporated into the historical sections. As a historian, I would have preferred slightly more analysis and discussion both of the sources and of what they reveal, but. Introductory textbook. Nearly three thousand years' worth of data. Fortunately, it has numerous suggestions for further reading at the end.

Definitely worth reading.

---

Still sick, in case you were wondering. Although I suspect at this point it's more to do with the antibiotic and too much time in bed than the original illness.