THE PENGUIN BOOK OF OUTER SPACE EXPLORATION – John Logsdon, editor

Posted by Daniel on July 20, 2019
Posted in: NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

It is pretty hard to miss the fact that we are currently celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first crewed moon landing (July 20, 1969).  There are abundant films, books, and memorabilia celebrating this feat. The Penguin Book of Outer Space Exploration is certainly timed to coincide with this anniversary, though it explores a much wider range than just the lunar landing(s).

Editor John Logsdon has pulled together select items that chronicle the United States’ space exploration, from inception to infancy to today’s hopes for the private sector exploration.

We can read history’s and first-hand accounts from any number of participants in the space age infancy since we still are in its infancy, but what this does differently is give us direct access to the thoughts and planning and politics behind the events.

Starting with articles published in Collier’s magazine as early as 1952 and an article in 1954 written by Wernher von Braun titled “Can We Get to Mars?,” we get all the way to 2016 and Elon Musk’s address to the International Astronautical Congress, “Making Humans a Multi-Planetary Species.” Some of the most interesting pieces included in the book, from a political standpoint, are tape recording transcripts from the Nixon Whitehouse and we see just how much NASA and the future of space exploration relied on political ambition:

Nixon: Space, what’s the problem here?
Ehrlichman: Well the problem here is do we go ahead with the
next two shots [Apollo 16 and 17]?
Nixon: No! If we go, no shots before the election.
Ehrlichman: Then what would we do with all those employees?
Nixon: For those shots? How many, George?
Shultz: 17,500 or something like that.
Nixon: I don’t like the feeling of space shots between now and
the election.
Ehrlichman: But thinking of this thing [the space program] in
just pure job terms, it is a hell of a job creator.
…
Nixon: I only see a minor waste of money. Keep the people on,
but don’t make the shots. I just don’t feel the shots are a big
deal at this time
. . . There is also the risk you could have another
Apollo 13
. . . That would be the worst thing we could
have
. . . We are just not going to do it. There will not be any
launches between now and the election. The last shot, fine.
Let’s go forward with the last shot.

This political maneuvering – how our government has used the space program for political/party gain – certainly doesn’t come as a surprise, but it’s fascinating to actually follow.

I also quite liked the debriefing reports.  From the astronauts on various voyages as well as the occasional technical debriefing.  This generally straightforward reporting of a flight is a side that the layman generally doesn’t see.

And all along the savvy reader will come away with anecdotes to share with friends.  My favorite was learning that the Apollo 11 astronauts, after coming back to Earth and being picked up by the recovery ship and sitting through quarantine (we had no idea what alien microbes might have been picked up at that time) – on arriving in Hawaii, the astronauts flew back to Texas … and had to go through customs!

Looking for a good book? The Penguin Book of Outer Space, edited by John Logsdon is a must-read for anyone with an interest in mankind’s adventure in space, and a perfect gift for anyone you might want to get interested in space exploration.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

* * * * * *

The Penguin Book of Outer Space Exploration: NASA and the Incredible Story of Human Spaceflight

editor: John Logsdon

publisher: Penguin Classics

ISBN: 0143129953

paperback, 400 pages

MORNING STAR – Pierce Brown

Posted by Daniel on July 19, 2019
Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

When I noticed that I the next Red Rising Saga book in my ARC queue and that I was due to read it soon so I thought I’d better get caught up quickly.

Here, our hero Darrow has been captured by The Jackal and submitted to torture. But not killing Darrow straightaway could come back and haunt his enemies as he still manages to pull his allies together and leads a revolution to overthrow the Empress and free the Reds (a lower class of people in the Mars caste system).

Author Pierce Brown has a unique writing voice and applies it well with this series.  There is a strong YA attribute to the writing – that constant sense of pathos. But unlike so many YA books that I’ve read, here that pathos is mixed with a strong sense of determination to overcome the situation instead of resignation.  In fact it is Darrow’s determination that provides the drive and action of this book.  In addition to his drive, his is also motivational and is deft at drawing people to him and fitting in with other groups of people (which is how he’s managed to infiltrate a different levels).

As with the first two books in the series, this is packed with action. However I did feel more distraction here: myself and Darrow. I wasn’t pulled into the story and held there all the way through as I was with the previous volumes.

Even though this is the third volume I get more of a sense of set-up than conclusion. The ending, in particular, leads us to the next volume much more than it does close the book – which is something I don’t typically care for.

Fans of the series will of course want to read this and enjoy this next step on the Red Rising Saga, but it doesn’t hold quite as much pure power and stands more as a gateway to whatever happens next.

Looking for a good book? Morning Star by Pierce Brown is the third book in the Red Rising Sag and should be treated as such … a book that doesn’t quite stand on its own, but one that might be enjoyed if you’ve read the first two and plan to read the next.

I borrowed a digital copy of this book from my local library.

* * * * * *

Morning Star

author: Pierce Brown

series: Red Rising Saga #3

publisher: Del Rey

ISBN: 0345539842

hardcover, 524 pages

MENTORS – Francis M. Naumann

Posted by Daniel on July 17, 2019
Posted in: NON-FICTION. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

Before I ever wrote my first book review, I was an art student and I had been writing reviews of art shows in my community.  It never occurred to me that anyone could make a living as an art historian/reviewer … I did it as a way to make sure I got to different art shows. When I saw this book available for review I was so delighted to have my request approved.  Mentors, and art, and art history are certainly subjects dear to me.

What’s really intriguing about this book is that it is an autobiography and a series of mini-biographies all rolled into one book.  Francis M. Naumann is telling his story, but how can any of us tell our own story without bringing into light the people we connected with and who helped shape us?

As we get to know more about Naumann – an art scholar and expert on Dada and Surrealism – we also get to know Leo Steinberg, John Rewald, and Beatrice Wood (and to a lesser degree [through the course of the book], Robert Rosenblum, Robert Pincus-Witten, and William Rubin) – each an important figure in the world of art and art history.

One portion of the book is distinctly not art related.  Naumann tells of his being adopted, tremendously happy with his adopted family, but like many who are adopted, curious about the genetics that formed him (since the book is about his ‘learned environment’ in becoming the man he is, this becomes the section related to his biological environment).  His search for his biological parents does lead to a meeting with a frail, ailing parent that does not have the result he was hoping for … which is why this is little more than a footnote of a chapter.

I was impressed with this book and Naumann’s writing.  I’m quite curious about his other works and now have a new list of books that I hope to read.

Looking for a good book? Mentors: The Making of an Art Historian by Francis M. Naumann is a truly delightful autobiography and collection of mini-biographies rolled into one well-written book.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

* * * * * *

Mentors: The Making of an Art Historian

author: Francis M. Naumann

publisher: Doppelhouse Press

ISBN: 0999754467

paperback, 204 pages

DEADLANDS: BONEYARD – Seanan McGuire

Posted by Daniel on July 15, 2019
Posted in: Dark Fantasy/Horror, ENTERTAINMENT, SF/FANTASY. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a comment

It is not a secret that I am a tremendous fan of Seanan McGuire’s work.  I think she’s the best urban fantasy and urban horror writer actively working today (under both her name and her pen name Mira Grant).  And so, of course, when I see I McGuire/Grant novel available for review I eagerly request it.

Deadlands: Boneyard is a media tie-in book. This is the third book in a series and it is based on a role-playing game (RPG) series.  While I am a self-professed gamer, I stick primarily to board and card games.  My RPG experience sticks pretty much to the first and second editions of Dungeons & Dragons. The basic premise of Deadlands is that it is a steampunk American western with a horror bent, which is appealing to me.

Annie Pearl travels with a circus.  She is in charge of the freaks and the monsters that run amok and terrorize the citizens of the communities in which the circus performs. Annie is mother to Abigail, a mute girl.

The circus is heading for a place in Oregon known as The Clearing, where the word is that a circus can make good money.  But The Clearing holds a secret and Annie will need to step up to save her daughter and the circus.

Of all the McGuire/Grant books that I’ve read in the past few years, this is one of my least favorites. I thought about this along the way and I think it’s mostly because this isn’t her own world. As much as she created something unique for herself, this is someone else’s world in which McGuire is playing.

There are some moments that made it clear this was a McGuire book – more than once I felt a connection to her Ghost Roads series. But despite the clever storytelling and plotting, I never felt the connection to the characters that is typically so powerful in a McGuire book. Everything here centers around Annie but Annie’s connection to the circus and the circus performers seems less important than setting a mood and telling a dark story.

Horror is hard to sustain in a novel and we never quite get a full sense of horror or a strong motivation to stay invested in the story.  Still, it’s a McGuire book, and that counts for something.

Looking for a good book? Boneyard by Seanan McGuire is part of the Deadlands series of books, based on a role-playing game and doesn’t have the typical McGuire flair and thrills, but fans of the game, looking for a read will likely enjoy this.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

* * * * * *

Boneyard

author: Seanan McGuire

series: Deadlands #3

publisher: Tor Books

ISBN: 0765375303

paperback, 352 pages

quotes – July 2019

Posted by Daniel on July 13, 2019
Posted in: OTHER. Tagged: . Leave a comment

If there’s no buzz with a man, tell him to buzz off.
Linda Yellin – What Nora Knew

I could see the fireworks. I just couldn’t feel them.
Linda Yellin – What Nora Knew

A nation cannot be destroyed from without till it is destroyed from within. Remember that.
Pierce Brown – Red Rising

Doing something over and over and expecting a different outcome is perhaps the definition of ignorance.
Bo Brock – Crowded in the Middle of Nowhere

Life is not about achieving one great thing, because once that thing is over, life keeps going.
Mike Massimino – Spaceman

You only have one life. You have to spend it doing something that matters.
Mike Massimino – Spaceman

I live in a very unpleasant world because of its routine ugliness.
Rene Magritte Selected Writings

There are no imbeciles, there is only imbecility.
Rene Magritte Selected Writings

I’m never quite what anyone expects.
Kameron Hurley – The Mirror Empire

The only constant is change.
Kameron Hurley – The Mirror Empire

A FIELD GUIDE TO COLOR – Lisa Solomon

Posted by Daniel on July 12, 2019
Posted in: NON-FICTION. Tagged: , , , , , . Leave a comment

Painting is one of my most enjoyable hobbies – and it is just a hobby – and except for my high school years, I have not had any formal training (which probably shows). Because of this, I often enjoy art books that provide some training and lessons. A Field Guide to Color by Lisa Solomon is a beginner’s guide to color in painting.

But note that I write it’s a “beginner’s” guide … this is not mentioned in the title or the descriptions I’ve read.

Solomon does a really great job of reminding us of the essentials of color (in paint) and goes on to explain how the combining of colors creates different colors. This is some pretty basic information, though I recognize that some who come to this book may be doing so as relative new-comers to painting.  And if you already know your colors, it’s a handy refresher.

What I appreciated the most was the topic of tints and shades and the chapter on saturation.  These are both topics that I haven’t seen covered enough in art help books.  Knowing what tints and shades are and knowing how to apply them in the course of mixing paints are two very different things and I definitely learned something here.  So, too, with the topic of saturation.

The book features a lot of practice opportunities.  A lot.  Solomon explains the different exercises and what each one is meant to accomplish, and the book features blank pages for the reader to try the exercises themselves without delay (though book paper is not nearly as conducive for these sorts of practices as good art paper).

But as I got further along in the book I was finding the exercises to be a bit repetitive. While they were meant to bring me to a different understanding of the way in which the blending of paints (and water) worked, I started skipping the exercises because it just felt as though it was keeping me from wanting to experiment by actually painting.

Looking for a good book? The information in A Field Guide to Color by Lisa Solomon is nice quality, but it’s tad thin and the bulk of the book is taken up with exercises that feel a little repetitive by the end.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

* * * * * *

A Field Guide to Color: Watercolor Explorations in Hues, Tints, Shades, and Everything in Between

author: Lisa Solomon

publisher: Roost Books

ISBN: 1611806127

paperback, 145 pages

VIGILANTE NIGHTS – Erin Richards

Posted by Daniel on July 10, 2019
Posted in: Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a comment

Lucas and his twin sister, Silver, are accosted by a local gang one night. Just when they think they are about to get escape this gang initiation they discover that they are stopped on a road that is used as a local drag racing strip and they wind up in a horrible accident. Lucas wakes up from his coma to discover that his body is a mess and he’ll never get to college as an athlete, and worse yet, Silver has died from her injuries. With the ghost of Silver urging him on, Lucas is now motivated for revenge against the gang who killed his sister, and against her boyfriend whom he always thought very little of.  Lucas puts together his own gang of vigilantes with the ghost of Silver overseeing everything.

Oh, but this was lousy.

Maybe this wasn’t the worst subject matter for a book, especially given that it’s a YA book and we know that YA books often  tend to be overly dramatic, but it’s pretty close. An entire book build on the theme of revenge or vengeance?  That’s pretty tough.

What really brings this book down are the characters. Everyone is extremely one-dimensional. Our main character, Lucas, is such an odd choice for a leading character.  He’s driven by only one emotion and action – revenge. He talks like a surfer dude, which brings his credibility down two or three notches, and it never felt legitimate … it never felt like the character talking, but rather the author trying to be a character she clearly couldn’t identify with.  Perhaps that’s not the case, but that’s how it came off.

And because the gang members who were partially responsible for Silver’s death and Lucas’ injuries were members of a Hispanic street gang, Lucas come across as racially prejudiced and refers to them as ‘spics.’

I’m sorry, but that’s just not appropriate in this era … especially for younger readers.

The opening was well written and held promise for an interesting story, but it never grew beyond that interest. This was easily one of the flattest, most one-dimensional books I’ve read in a long time.  This is definitely not recommended.

Looking for a good book? You won’t find it here.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.

* * * * * *

Vigilante Nights

author: Erin Richards

publisher: Simon Pulse

ISBN: 1440562350

hardcover, 304 pages