Milo and the Calf

Tag: not recommended

  • Review: Mezrich’s Ugly Americans

    One of many reviews I wrote for an old livejournal account. Now archived here. Ugly Americans: The True Story of the Ivy League Cowboys Who Raided the Asian Markets for Millions Ben Mezrich Trashy trash. Not only trashy – horrible. I am embarrassed to say I read it and if you’ve been paying attention around…

  • Review: Trento’s Secret History of the CIA

    One of many, many book reviews I wrote for a livejournal account long, long ago. The Secret History of the CIA Joseph Trento If you want a trashy, gossipy, book full of stories of drunks and mistresses and bat-shit crazy people in charge of our nation’s espionage, then this is your book. It’s a one…

  • Review: Tannenbaum’s Badge of the Assassin

    Badge of the Assassin Robert Tannenbaum Philip Rosenberg For a while there, I was deeply interested in the history of armed struggle / terrorism in America, especially as undertaken in the 1970s by groups like the Weather Underground, the Black Liberation Army and others. Much of this era was still shrouded in secrecy and misrepresentation…

  • Review: Levy’s Nothing Serious

    This review (and the dozen or so others I’ve posted tonight) are all from a now long defunct livejournal and have been only minimally edited. Nothing Serious Justine Levy Justine Levy is Bernard-Henri Levi’s daughter. This is her novel about life with a famous father she worships and how all her boyfriends both hate and…

  • Review: Twelve Hawks the Traveler

    The Traveler John Twelve Hawks John Twelve Hawks is a pseudonym. Of who, no one knows. This is the first book in trilogy of high tech thrillers with touch of science fiction. Good enough to hold my attention, but now good enough to get me to read the other books in the series. This book…

  • Review: Waid and Ross’s Kingdom Come

    Another in a long line of review written a million years ago (2007) for a now long defunct livejournal. Kingdom Come Mark Waid and Alex Ross I think this is supposed to be a sort of post, post “adult” graphic novel where we come full circle from the flawed superhero back to the super-super hero.…

  • Review: Delany’s About Writing

    About Writing: Seven Essays, Four Letters, & Five Interviews Samuel Delany I am a huge fan of the writer Samuel Delany. A writer at the heart of what I think the best of “new wave” science fiction, Delany has gone on to write memoirs, literary fiction, pornography, comics books and much else in between. Though…

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    Review: Armstrong’s Its Not About The Bike

    Its Not About The Bike Lance Armstrong Even here, in a book that is supposed to be the inspiring, heart-felt version of Armstrong, the story of overcoming every obstacle (the poverty, the cancer, the doubters); the story of the charitable work, and the small town kid made good, even here, you can tell he’s a…

  • Review: Kostova’s The Historian

    Ed note: This review was originally written in 2007 for a now long defunct livejournal account. The Historian Elizabeth Kostova A retelling of the Dracula story, this time by a pretentious writer looking to hit it big with a “literary thriller”. Generally, this is the kind of book I cannot resist. I love nothing more…

  • Review: Lewis’s The Money Culture

    The Money Culture Michael Lewis I love me some Michael Lewis, and I have confessed here before a pleasure in the business tell all book. Michael Lewis wrote one of the genre, Liar’s Poker. This collection of pieces written right before and after Liar’s Poker is all right, but not his best work. I have…