Finished (Paper Book) - "The Eleventh Plague" - Jeff Hirsch

My daughter ordered "The Eleventh Plague" as part of her interest in dystopian worlds ("City of Embers" books and "The Hunger Games" books).  As she took a break from this book, I picked it up (I liked the "Embers" and "Hunger" books, along with the old favourite "1984" by Orwell).

I can't say I got too much out of this book.  It was fairly typical scavengers and isolated pods of "normalcy" - nothing particularly unique or surprising.  The "City of Embers" had the whole idea that as generations went by, they didn't even realize they were underground - "Hunger Games" had the political realities and the forced Games themselves to drive home issues.

"Eleventh Plague" suffered from the main character not being defined well enough to have any deep feelings for his motivations.  Further, the main confrontation, and the lead-in causes were weak and childish.  The setting could have led to a more complex and meaningful confrontation (e.g. making the "leader family" more evil, which would have required more events in the book, or making the precipitating event more substantial - as it was, a childish prank caused a major repercussion).

In all, the elements of the book were OK, but the balancing was off - the familiarity with some key characters was lacking, so some of the power of the story was lost, and the town, which seemed idyllic, was apparently (and inexplicably) so unstable, that one event on one home resulted in a war-response.

Not high on my recommendation list, but I'm not particularly the target audience for the book.

Finished (E-Reader): "Under the Dome: A Novel" - Stephen King

As I had re-kindled my interest in Stephen King with "11/22/63" I decided to e-read "Under the Dome".  Like all SK novels, it does read well - you are compelled to find out what the next chapter holds.

The basic premise is that a small town in Maine suddenly finds itself locked under an impenetrable, clear dome. No traffic in or out of town.  Small town political leaders become driven by power...

However, I didn't find the book all that "believable".  The move to evil of the locals seemed much too fast, and the ending wasn't' all that fulfilling, it seemed a little extreme and rushed.  I guess the purpose of the dome was interesting, but I found it too "out to lunch" and might have been better as some more intrinsically interesting plot or mystery.

I have found other SK novels to be much more complete and probably wouldn't recommend this one.

Finished (E-Reader): "That Used To Be Us How America Fell Behind in the World It Invented and How We Can Come Back" - Thomas Friedman

"That Used to be Us" is a sobering look at changes in the U.S. in recent history - the loss of the pre-existing blue-collar work, polarization of politics, inability of the politicians and public to deal with real issues (climate change, deficits, public debt, infrastructure, eduction) all pointing to a loss of status of the U.S. in the world, with the trend downward.

I did find the text easy to read, but difficult to read long-term, as the topic was relatively depressing.

I must say that I felt the authors tried their best to be apolitical, and tried to assign the current political problems evenly between democrats and republicans.  However, with the recent changes in the political environment in the states being the rise of Fox News, and the conservative radio network, it is perhaps disingenuous to try to keep things "even".  It is the coordinated network, and the controlled, consistent messaging that allow for a relatively radical positioning to take hold, which does drive the "other" party to become permanent defenders of the status quo.  I personally don't believe the pre-Fox arena was "liberal media", and I don't think there has ever been as coordinated an effort from the "left" to drive an agenda the way the Fox/Limbaughs/Becks/O'Reilly have done in the past 20 years or so.

All in all, I think the book is a necessary read, particularly for anyone who wants to make a difference, or anyone who has a need to understand the changes that have occurred in the world economy in order to understand that which needs to change, and that which is lost forever.

Finished (Paper Book) - "New York - The Novel" - Edward Rutherfurd

I received "New York - The Novel" by Edward Rutherfurd for Christmas.  I haven't read any "historical fiction" before, but found the book compelling.  I've always had an interest in New York, so getting a feel for the history of the place was great.

The novel reads, well, like a novel.  It is difficult to put down, and there are linkages through the years from a dutch settlement dealing with the fur trade, and gradually moving the Native Americans away, through the takeover of the British, the American Revolution, the War of 1812 and up through prohibition, the Depression and on into 9/11.

Over the course of the book, there is a link through the Master's family from trapper days to the present, but also longitudinal following of immigrants from Italy and a slave/freed-slave family.

The characters intertwine naturally and the story flows nicely between storylines.  The history learning occurs painlessly, and I had little trouble keeping track of characters (I'm pretty bad with names, so this is an issue for me with complex storylines).

I found it a great read, and will probably read more in this genre.  I hadn't though Michener's books ("The Source" and "Space") could be considered historical fiction, but I had read these years ago.  I'm quite ready for another epic.

Finished (Audiobook) "Here Comes Trouble" - Michael Moore

I've always had a soft spot for Michael Moore.  Growing up in Windsor, I saw the effects of changes to the auto industry, which he made explicit in "Roger and Me" a documentary about the abandonment of Flint, MI by the General Motors corp.

I wasn't that thrilled with the start of "Here comes trouble", as I was not really interested in the dating scene in Michael's high school, his early crushes, or his birth story.  However, I'm certainly glad I continued with the book, as there are several really interesting events that are retold:

• As a young man Michael was working in a "distress line" type youth centre and had to deal with a suicidal man with a gun;
• Michael ran as an 18 year old (on election day) for the school board as a response to his treatment in high school - the politics of the area and the board are fascinating;
• A near miss at a terrorist attack in a European airport;
• Hearing the commencement of the outsourcing plan for industry in the U.S. in the '80's;
• the learning and rationale to his first film ("Roger and Me") and his treatment after winning the oscar for " Bowling for Columbine";
• Talking about the priest who blessed the atomic bombs dropped in Japan in WWII and his subsequent feelings about the issue.

Michael Moore has led a much more interesting and varied life that I would have thought.  I did find several of the stories required me to sit in my own driveway for several minutes to hear the ending - not a bad advertisement for an audiobook.