tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18129142591500982442012-02-16T06:07:36.655-06:00Keeping an eye on the world around me....SpyGlassezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747635387048641531noreply@blogger.comBlogger241100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812914259150098244.post-23263844345343545902008-09-24T18:42:00.004-05:002008-09-24T18:49:33.312-05:00

Let's face it. I suck at blogging on this blog. I suppose it's because I have another blog I update with day-to-day things. So instead of wasting time with talking about the books I haven't been reading this week (all mags, pretty much, and the wonderful comic compilations of Get Fuzzy and Cul de Sac,) I thought I'd gakk a LolCat and put it here.more animalsWant more cat pics? Of course, go

SpyGlassezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747635387048641531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812914259150098244.post-70980082074847098312008-09-04T21:07:00.005-05:002008-09-04T21:33:55.454-05:00

I have realized I don't have the stamina to keep up this blog as I had originally intended, but I want to keep the idea viable, so I am going to modify it and use it as a list of briefer book reviews. This past week, I have finished three books; the first was Blue Death, by Robert D. Morris, a true story of waterborne diseases. Actually, it read like two separate books. The first half of the

SpyGlassezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747635387048641531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812914259150098244.post-87630714165742143022008-08-18T00:07:00.000-05:002008-08-18T00:07:43.238-05:00

Jesus FreaksDon LattinI'm not trying to go through a phase of anti-cult literature - honest, I'm not - but Jesus Freaks caught my eye at the library. Honestly, I thought it was a different book (Krakaur's Under the Banner of Heaven was the book I was looking for), but I opted to read this book for now. I knew nothing, going into this book, about the Children of God, also called The Family. Lattin

SpyGlassezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747635387048641531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812914259150098244.post-36284875155762597252008-08-10T22:07:00.003-05:002008-08-13T18:24:56.236-05:00

Debunked!Richard RoeperI thought this book was hysterical. And if you think the world is, in general, suffering from an overdose of hysteria, then you'll love it, too. Roeper sets out in this book to debunk many of the so-called "truths" of our time, and he has fun while doing it. Along the way he addresses Katrina news-reporting gone wild, conspiracy theorists who spin elaborate stories of

SpyGlassezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747635387048641531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812914259150098244.post-8557252594884243982008-08-10T21:10:00.004-05:002008-08-10T21:42:05.642-05:00

EscapeCarolyn JessopThis book was a huge seller from the moment it hit the shelves at the bookstore where I work, and having finally had the chance to sit down and read it, I understand why. It reads like a slow-motion train-wreck; you already know the ending (as it is told in the first chapter), and yet following the trail to reach that ending makes it rude to stare and still impossible to look

SpyGlassezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747635387048641531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812914259150098244.post-89130277797914609862008-08-03T20:18:00.005-05:002008-08-03T20:29:02.571-05:00

This seemed rather prescient, considering the recent weeklong exploration we did recently of mountaineering literature (see here for a review of Jordan's Savage Summit, featuring K-2).My heart goes out to the families of these climbers. Nine climbers are missing on K-2, which is the second-highest mountain in the world (785 feet shorter than Everest, but steeper and with even more changeable

SpyGlassezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747635387048641531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812914259150098244.post-56691336338981054002008-07-29T17:10:00.002-05:002008-07-29T17:13:23.075-05:00

I've been gone for a while, which is why I haven't posted in about a week. I plan on making this a twice-a-week blog from now on. It will be a little easier for me.As such I don't have a review prepared for today, but I wanted to make a brief commentary on book covers. Anyone who is anyone in the teenage female reading public knows that this Saturday, Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyers goes on

SpyGlassezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747635387048641531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812914259150098244.post-37492375844875880502008-07-22T15:53:00.000-05:002008-07-22T15:54:40.693-05:00

The Devil's TeethSusan CaseyThe Devil's Teeth is at it's heart a book about the fascination we all have for the unknown: for sharks, especially great whites; for the people who study them; for the forbidding seas in which they roam; and for the isolated outposts where they congregate. In the words of E. O. Wilson, "We're not just afraid of predators, we're transfixed by them.... In a deeply

SpyGlassezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747635387048641531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812914259150098244.post-2728714516329193972008-07-21T16:26:00.002-05:002008-07-21T16:27:46.855-05:00

Appetite for DetentionSloane TanenThis book was an unmitigated disappointment. Previously reviewed Bitter with Baggage Seeks Same and Going for the Bronze, two of Tanen's other books, were ironically and sarcastically funny, and had a sly way of ferreting out the kinds of things we want to know about others but would never ever ask, a sense of airing one's laundry in a public space. It was

SpyGlassezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747635387048641531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812914259150098244.post-53820034042649450662008-07-19T19:28:00.001-05:002008-08-10T21:46:05.484-05:00

Dead LuckyLincoln Hall"The day I climbed Everest was the day I died. I lost my life, the tips of eight fingers, a toe and a half, thirty seven pounds, and two-thirds of the energy I needed to live in my normal fashion.... No one that season who had lain down on the Northeast Ridge exhausted, delirious, and unable to move had survived - not David Sharp, not Igor Plyushkin, not Vitor Negrete, not

SpyGlassezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747635387048641531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812914259150098244.post-29189359661221165422008-07-17T18:11:00.000-05:002008-07-17T18:12:29.754-05:00

Dark SummitNick Heil Heil's Dark Summit tells the story of the 2006 climbing season on Everest, arguably the worst since 1996. Eleven climbers perished climbing Everest in 2006, despite the fact that the weather was, for Everest, unusually good. The main thrust of Heil's book is the tragic death of climber David Sharp, making his third ascent on Everest with minimal support. Several teams of

SpyGlassezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747635387048641531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812914259150098244.post-47439487277331301422008-07-16T18:23:00.001-05:002008-07-16T18:23:27.512-05:00

Forever on the MountainJames TaborThought I'd jump mountains again; there are plenty of books about Everest, but I like a little variety in my diet.Forever on the Mountain, James Tabor's tale of the controversial 1967 expedition up Mt. McKinley won grand prize in the Banff Mountain Book Festival, and it is easy to see why. Twelve men started the climb; only five survived. The rest were stranded

SpyGlassezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747635387048641531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812914259150098244.post-84236072572089291232008-07-14T16:29:00.000-05:002008-07-14T16:30:52.460-05:00

Savage SummitJennifer JordanJennifer Jordan's Savage Summit is the true account of six courageous and strong women who defied the odds to summit K2, the second tallest mountain in the world and one of the most deadly. K2 is located between China and Pakistan and has claimed a high percentage of climbers, including three of the women who summited it. Jordan's account does not try to gloss over

SpyGlassezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747635387048641531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812914259150098244.post-13941284156842319382008-07-13T20:47:00.001-05:002008-07-13T20:47:53.312-05:00

As much as I have loved reviewing Georgette Heyer, it is time to move on; so I've chosen Mountaineering and Everest for this week's topics. I never hope to climb a mountain myself (and, let's all face it, wouldn't make it out of Base Camp on Everest because I hate cold), but I love to read about daring adventures and amazing rescues. I'm going to start with one of my recent favorites, a good

SpyGlassezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747635387048641531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812914259150098244.post-17671260775234170412008-07-12T21:59:00.005-05:002008-07-13T20:50:25.592-05:00

VenetiaGeorgette HeyerThis week was Heyer week, so I'm going to top today off with a nod to Venetia, a fine Heyer romance, and a brief mention about other of Heyer's works. Heyer wrote a number of Gothic stories (such as My Cousin Kate and The Quiet Gentleman), several romances set in the Georgian period (Masqueraders, Powder and Patch and The Convenient Marriage, among others), her Regencies;

SpyGlassezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747635387048641531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812914259150098244.post-85853119307701479062008-07-11T16:20:00.001-05:002008-07-12T16:21:53.753-05:00

Lady of QualityGeorgette HeyerThe careful reader will by now have discerned a trend in the direction of our romance reviews; today's review is Georgette Heyer's Lady of Quality. This is the diverting tale of a woman past the marrying age and her suitor, a hardened rake. A chance carriage accident lands Miss Annis Wynchwood in the role of temporary guardian to young Lucy Carleton, a rich heiress

SpyGlassezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747635387048641531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812914259150098244.post-70524841087962989492008-07-09T18:13:00.002-05:002008-07-10T16:18:49.020-05:00

False ColoursGeorgette HeyerFalse Colours is another of Heyer's wonderful Regencies, involving a pair of twins and an intricate deception. Christopher (Kit) Fancot comes home from his work in the diplomatic service to find that his brother Evelyn has disappeared just shy of his upcoming engagement to a personable and rich Cressy Stavely. To save the family fortune, Kit reluctantly agrees to

SpyGlassezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747635387048641531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812914259150098244.post-6362998825600282502008-07-08T19:21:00.000-05:002008-07-08T19:22:27.743-05:00

Third CircleAmanda QuickAmanda Quick is the pen named used by author Jayne Ann Krentz for her Victorian romances, and with the Arcane Society stories, she created a series that leaps from Victorian England, to modern times, and back again. This is the fourth effort in the series, and fans of her other Victorian works won't be disappointed. Third Circle seeks to answer questions raised in the

SpyGlassezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747635387048641531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812914259150098244.post-23517000791368305322008-07-07T19:42:00.003-05:002008-07-07T20:00:28.656-05:00

CotillionGeorgette HeyerGeorgette Heyer can be remembered as one of the best Regency romance writers, comparable to Jane Austen in her knowledge of the time, her deft characterizations, and her use of illustrative touches that set her apart from most of the genre. Cotillion is one of her best-written books. It centers around the mock-betrothal of Kitty Channing and Freddy Standen, but the plot

SpyGlassezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747635387048641531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812914259150098244.post-62753426735997770102008-07-06T21:26:00.007-05:002008-07-07T20:02:02.555-05:00

Bitter With Baggage Seeks SameSloane TanenBitter with Baggage and the follow-up, Going For The Bronze: Still Bitter, More Baggage, are an exercise in snarky good times. Using doll-house style dioramas and the little yellow pipe-cleaner chickens people give in Easter baskets (I can only imagine what her local craft store thinks), this author creates delightful, ironic, and, yes, bitter vignettes.

SpyGlassezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747635387048641531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812914259150098244.post-32003570044451721132008-07-05T18:40:00.002-05:002008-07-07T20:01:45.206-05:00

As Roger Ebert said once in a review of a children's movie: "I am certain there is an audience for this, and I am certain I am not it."This was my reaction to Joshua Harris's Sex Is Not the Problem. I will be the first to say that the author's excessively chipper, can-do cheerleader attitude (which comes across clearly on every page) struck a cord with me. I have no doubt that what he was

SpyGlassezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747635387048641531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812914259150098244.post-21161535250794158212008-07-04T23:43:00.005-05:002008-07-06T21:25:17.799-05:00

Here we'll pause on the way to the Dr. Cloud trifecta and review Rapture Ready! by Daniel Radosh. Rapture Ready! is a humorous and insightful look at the world of Christian popular culture, exploring such things as Christian rock concerts, Christian Superheroes, and Christian theme parks through the eyes of a secular humanist Jew. While one might expect either a too-pat treatment or else a

SpyGlassezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747635387048641531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812914259150098244.post-56208351897933715502008-07-03T18:06:00.007-05:002008-07-03T18:35:44.515-05:00

BoundariesDr. Henry CloudDr. John TownsendBecause I found How to Find a Date Worth Keeping so interesting, I decided to pick up Boundaries by the same author. Where How to Find a Date Worth Keeping offers practical advice that would work in almost any situation, I did not find Boundaries nearly so apropos. For one thing, while peppered with anecdotal evidence, it did not have the feel of

SpyGlassezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16747635387048641531noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812914259150098244.post-57413240580505773512008-07-02T17:43:00.000-05:002008-07-02T17:59:58.348-05:00

How To Find a Date Worth KeepingDr. Henry CloudI picked this book up on a whim at the bookstore where I work. I was intrigued by the title; as a twentysomething who has seen more than her share of quiet Fridays tick past, I thought it might give me a few pointers on spiffing up for the dating scene. I thought that the advice Dr. Cloud gave in this book was right on topic. Dr. Cloud's thesis in

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