Recently Mentioned Books

It differs from "insight through analysis," "insight through description," and related concepts.  I am never sure if I should report on books which offer insight through horribleness. Jack Henry Abbott is a (dead) author who has insight through horribleness.

5. Unscientific America: How Scientific Illiteracy Threatens Our Future — Chris Mooney's new book — is now out.

You can buy it here .  Here is an Imperial slide show .

The subtitle is Food, Wine, and the End of France and the author is Michael Steinberger.  This is a very readable and interesting book on France's decline as world culinary leader, building on an informal "economics of cuisine."  Even in France I would usually rather eat outside of Paris and this book helps explain why.

5. TV show about : Veronica Mars , especially season one .  Excellent dialogue, and it asks what family really consists of.  One of my favorite years of any TV show.  Is the British show Life on Mars good?  I vaguely recall My Favorite Martian from when I was a kid.  Was it actually about being gay?

5. TV show about : Veronica Mars , especially season one .  Excellent dialogue, and it asks what family really consists of.  One of my favorite years of any TV show.  Is the British show Life on Mars good?  I vaguely recall My Favorite Martian from when I was a kid.  Was it actually about being gay?

4. Film about : Mission to Mars .  Underrated de Palma, much better on a big screen, where it has a nice poetry of motion.  I already know that some of you hate this movie, so there is no need to pillory me again on this count.  I have never seen The Eyes of Laura Mars .  What's that old science fiction movie modeled after The Tempest ?

4. Film about : Mission to Mars .  Underrated de Palma, much better on a big screen, where it has a nice poetry of motion.  I already know that some of you hate this movie, so there is no need to pillory me again on this count.  I have never seen The Eyes of Laura Mars .  What's that old science fiction movie modeled after The Tempest ?

2. Album about : David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars . Venus and Mars is not overall a good album; it is mostly dull and overproduced.  So Bowie is a clear winner here.

5. The Generalissimo: Chiang-Kai-Shek and the Struggle for Modern China , by Jay Taylor.  A new and apparently exhaustive biography, based on many new sources.  The first fifty pages (all I've read so far) read very well.  I am told that Chiang was "incorruptible" — who would have known?  "Brutal, but underrated" seems to be the takeaway.  This could well be one of the more important non-fiction books of the year.

4. The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science , by Richard Holmes.  It's a well-written book with a great cover, a nice title, favorable reviews everywhere, and good information on each page.  Still, I don't quite see what it all adds up to.  But if you're inclined to read it, I don't see any reason not to.

3. Bangkok Days , by Lawrence Osborne.  Books on this topic are tricky because they have a tendency to exploit cheap salaciousness but this one is quite good and also conceptual in nature.  It prompted me to order more books by the author.

2. Calvin , by F. Bruce Gordon.  This excellent biography brings French Renaissance theology to life.  Recommended.

1. Genesis , by Bernard Beckett.  A dystopia by a Kiwi author who writes (broadly) in the style of Margaret Atwood.  My complaint that it was too short is one of the better complaints you can have about a book.

The subtitle is Ben Bernanke's War on the Great Panic and the author is David Wessel.  Here is one good excerpt:

The author is Joel Grus and the link to the book is here .  I am a pro-religion non-believer, but if you wish to hear from an anti-religion non-believer, this is the place to go.  He will tell you that your religion is false.

8. Gospel : Blind Boys of Alabama.  They transfer better to disc than do a lot of gospel groups.

5. Bluegrass : The Louvin Brothers. Tragic Songs of Life is one of my favorite albums as it has a deeply scary and tragic feel; again you can love it even if you hate country and bluegrass.  Do you know the song "The Great Atomic Power"?

4. Country music : Hank Williams.  Even if you hate country music you should buy the two CDs of his collected works.  I also love Shelby Lynne; start with I am Shelby Lynne .

3. Jazz : Lionel Hampton is the obvious choice, but I will pick Sun Ra, who is a musical god of sorts for me. Jazz in Silhouette is the best place to start, although it does not communicate the overall diversity of his work.  He remains an underrated musical figure.

1. Popular music .  Emmylou Harris is from Birmingham and I like her albums with Gram Parsons .  "The New Soft Shoe" is an excellent song.  While I appreciate Nat King Cole in the abstract I never choose to put it on.  Lionel Richie has a nice voice but the sound is too bland for my taste.

The subtitle is A Migraine Diary and you can buy this very interesting book here .  Levy outlines his struggle with migraines, their possible roots, and what they reveal about the broader human condition.  According to Levy, Asians and African-Americans are less prone to migraines and the differences may be partly genetic in origin.

That is the title of the new novel by Rafael Yglesias .  Here is a tiny excerpt:

3. Architecture book , set in : Robert Venturi, Learning from Las Vegas .

1. Movie, set in : Viva Las Vegas , with a number of strong runner-ups, including Ocean's Eleven , Leaving Las Vegas , the still under-rated Casino , Diamonds are Forever , Showgirls , Austin Powers (partly, I recall), and you might even squeeze Godfather II into the category.  Catch this erotically supercharged clip of Elvis singing to Ann Margaret .  Wasn't Them set in Nevada?