Infidel - reading

Finished "Infidel" by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and rated it 5 stars. This is the story of a woman raised Muslim in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and Kenya, and the influences in her life that ultimately led her to flee from an arranged marriage to seek asylum in the Netherlands and become politically active. It brings to light the cruelty of the life of Muslim women and women in war-torn Africa, the issues she had with the Prophet Muhammad (whom she calls a "pervert and a pedophile" for his marriage to a six-year-old which was consummated when the girl was nine), and the trials she underwent in her transition to a European country. It was well-written and memorable. I recommend it with the warning that some of it is tough to get through.

The Courts of Chaos - reading

Finished "The Courts of Chaos" by Roger Zelazny. While this is essentially the denouement of Corwin's story, it is an interesting and fitting end that wraps things up nicely at the edge of chaos.

A Hologram for the King - reading

Finished "A Hologram for the King" by David Eggers. Spoiler alert: nothing happens. Seriously. The main character, Alan Clay, doesn't learn or grow. If anything he shrinks, having gone from a manufacturer/designer who cares about what he did to being a schlock salesman who seems happy to leave the work to his one-dimensional coworkers. The entire time I found myself not liking the character and not caring one way or the other what happened to him (which as I said above is nothing anyway).

The "plot" is about a team of salespeople who go into King Abdullah Economic City ("KAEC", pronounced like "cake") to sell their wondrous hologram technology. They arrive, set up, wait around, get bored and find other things to do. Alan finds himself making the same mundane mistakes of his entire mundane existence. Even when something could have happened, nothing happens. Plus: he's impotent, so even when you think something might happen with the naked woman right next to him, nothing happens. I really don't understand how this could have an average of 3+ stars on GoodReads.com.

tl;dr: Don't waste your time.

D-Day: The Battle for Normandy - reading

Finished "D-Day: The Battle for Normandy" by Antony Beevor. Loaded with facts and perspectives from both the Germans and the Allies, this was an interesting overview of the period running up to D-Day all the way to the liberation of Paris. Spoiler: Hitler doesn't die in this one. (That's the year after.) I learned what a Bangalore Torpedo was. YouTube video of Bangalore Torpedo

The Hand of Oberon - reading

Finished "The Hand of Oberon" by Roger Zelazny. (Again, this is my second time walking the Pattern.) I love this book for the simple fact that there is a world of Zelazny's construction, and unique aspects of that world play into the tension inherent in several of the scenes. This one is hard to put down!

American on Purpose - reading

Finished "American on Purpose" by Craig Ferguson. This is one of those times when I really like the audiobook version of a book, as this one was read by the author. While there was a point in the book that dragged a bit, the rest of it is top notch. Craig is honest and transparent, funny and entertaining, irreverent and occasionally appropriate. Is that what alcoholism looks like?

2012 Top Ten Books

This time last year I was finishing up Boneshaker by Cherie Priest. This year I'm in the middle of the Amber series. This is my second time walking the Pattern, and I'm loving it.

I participated in the reading challenge on Goodreads.com and pledged 30 books. I reached my goal, but only barely. I abandoned "One Perfect Word", but I gave my own book "Tunder's Year" a read-through in April, making 30 finished. 13 of 30 were non-fiction, and amazingly 8 of those 13 appear on my top 10 list for the year! Nine of 30 were printed books (as opposed to audiobooks that I listen to on my commute), which seems like a low number. That's the trouble with a long commute. Four were about a celebrity: Michael J. Fox, Betty White, Carrie Fisher and George Carlin. One was a novel draft written by a friend, and one was a novel co-written by an online friend.

Without further ado, here's Brett's Top 10 of 2012:

10. Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazies and Assured an Allied Victory by Ben Macintyre
9. Quantum Man: Richard Feynman's Life in Science by Lawrence M. Krauss
8. Don't Know Much About History: Everything You Need to Know About American History But Never Learned by Kenneth C. Davis
7. The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan
6. Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII by David Starkey
5. 1776 by David McCullough
4. No Ordinary Joes: The Extraordinary True Story of Four Submariners in War and Love and Life by Larry Colton
3. The Reapers Are The Angels by Alden Bell
2. The Guns of Avalon (Amber #2) by Roger Zelazny
1. The Good Soldiers by David Finkel

Even though I'm listing one third of all entries here, my own book Tunder's Year does not appear in this list. It's not good enough (yet).

As to worst book of the year, I can either count "One Perfect Word: One Word Can Make All the Difference" by Debbie Macomber because I couldn't make it all the way through, or "You Lost Me There" by Rosecrans Baldwin because I made it through and rated it lowest.

Happy New Year!