No comments about Betty Boothroyd: The Autobiography.

No comments about Eventful Years (Isis Nonfiction).

5 comments about Condi: The Condoleezza Rice Story.

1. It was an incredible biography. It was especially poignat in that my children went to St, Mary's Academy in Denver. The book was well written and clear complete and concise. It was a testiment that blacks can compete and be sucessfull if the right environment and attitude, is present.



2. Condoleeza Rice is unquestionably one of the major minds of our day. Her life history and accomplishments challenge any parent to love and support thier child to the best of their ability with God's help.



3. This account of Condoleessa Rice is most helpful in understanding her upbringing, her motivation and her significant abilities. The author appears to have interviewed a large number of persons: 27 in number. However, no persons of highest notoriety were interviewed. Instead those notable persons were quoted only from other sources. The author typically did not write about Ms. Rice's personal views which was disappointing.
   
   The book unfortunately leaves several important questions unanswered, namely:
   
   1. How was it possible that Condi could have leaped over the normal path of ascension that others historically were required to endure and instead be awarded the esteemed position of Stanford provost?
   2. Why did Condi leave her position as Stanford provost for the significantly lesser position of Hoover Institute senior-fellow? The author's answer given in the book is not credible.
   3. Why did the author never interview Ms. Rice for this book? What was Ms. Rice's response when she was asked for an interview?
   4. How did Ms. Rice's notable but inadequate credentials of being a college provost qualify her to be appointed as head of the National Security Agency of the most powerful country on Earth?
   5. Why did the author not discuss negative issues regarding Ms. Rice as that would have given the book a balanced assessment?
   6. How was Ms. Rice's pro-abortion stance received by the conservative presidents that she served?
   7. Why was Ms. Rice's step-mother interviewed instead of her father, especially considering her step-mother was not even mentioned until 3/4 of the way through the book? Since Ms. Rice gave her father the highest credit for her success, would he not have been the preferred choice?
   
   While the book is enjoyable, it does leave some hard questions unanswered.



4. I thought this biography of Condoleezza Rice was very informative and enlightening. Particularly interesting to me was the fact that she had excellent guidance from her parents who encouraged her to pursue her education to the fullest. The books talks of her pursuing her diverse talents and her ambition to succeed. Although I felt that the book glamorized her life a bit too much and indicated that she rarely made mistakes, she is one who deserves everything she has worked hard for. She is truly an inspiration.



5. I'm not American so I was not well acquainted with Condi Rice and her life, both private and political. I came to admire her very much after reading the very detailed book which contains a lot about her private life, and a lot about her professional life which takes up most of her time and energy. She would be a great president, she has the guts and the intelligence and the sobriety to represent America in a very positive way.

No comments about A Boy in the Blitz: The 1940 Diary of Colin Perry (Reminiscence).

5 comments about Stuffed: Adventures of a Restaurant Family (Beeler).

1. In the past several years, food writing has mushroomed, and I believe the bubble is about to burst. I came across this book in a local charity shop, the kind patronized by well-heeled and well-read donors. This book is well-written, humorous, full of family anecdotes, and also contains memorable quotes about the Volk family's advice on living a good and full life. The family photographs are gorgeous, to put it in Volk's terminology. I give it 5 stars when considering it within the gastro genre. Forget Ruth Reichl's multi-volume in-progress autobiography. This is food lit meets Judaica, and it is a worthwhile read.



2. I bought this after reading Volk's newly-published novel, which I also enjoyed. Good writing through-out this book. I just ordered the audio version.



3. Here, Patricia Volk reminisces about her 19th- and 20th-Century ancestors, mostly New York City Jewish restauranteurs. The entire work is flavoured with a touch of humor, outright hilarity in places.
   
   Ms. Volk's family is bulging with people which are found in every large family -- that's partly what makes the book so interesting. There also seems to be an above-average degree of eccentricity among her clan which makes for good reading as well.
   
   One of the more interesting facets of the book is the story of an ancestor who first acquired the recipe for, and then introduced, PASTRAMI to America. This is a good tale, and especially so since it's true.
   
   There was a certain point in the book where I sighed, took a break, and then finally moved on. But, mostly, it's a pretty fluid read. A lot of folks would say that this is "women's reading" but I enjoyed it quite a lot, mostly due to my personal interest in culinary topics.
   
   Recommended to people with large families or to anyone interested in culinary history.



4. A well written memoir of an interesting quirky family that resonates and reminds us that we all have these odd members in our families, and that is what makes life interesting.



5. Enjoyable, evocative, and wonderfully written. Both funny and touching, it made me laugh, and it made me cry! I bought five copies to give as gifts! C.L.

5 comments about Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time.

1. Dava Sobel's Longitude manages to be both entertaining and enlightening. It's hard to imagine a book based on such a taken for granted historical landmark could prove to be such a good read. Personally, I must to confess a preference for historical issues, and John Harrison proved to be an engaging figure if for nothing else than his single mindedness to the task at hand. He spend the larger part of his life trying to solve a single riddle, and in the process, solved many others.



2. One of the most pressing issues for early sailors was the problem of longitude. Because it was impossible to determine longitude, many ships and sailors died. Also, captains used the same routes as pirates or enemies of the state, which made it easy to lie in wait for your next victim. In 1714, English Parliament passed the Longitude Act which created an award for the first person to accurately determine longitude. Longitude, by Dava Sobel, explores the work of John Harrison, the man credited with accurately determining longitude for ships at sea.
   
   Contents:
   Acknowledgements
   Foreword, Neil Armstrong
   Chapter 1: Imaginary Lines
   Chapter 2: The Sea Before Time
   Chapter 3: Adrift in a Clockwork Universe
   Chapter 4: Time in a Bottle
   Chapter 5: Powder of Sympathy
   Chapter 6: The Prize
   Chapter 7: Cogmaker's Journal
   Chapter 8: The Grasshopper Goes to Sea
   Chapter 9: Hands on Heaven's Clock
   Chapter 10: The Diamond Timekeeper
   Chapter 11: Trial by Fire and Water
   Chapter 12: A Tale of Two Portraits
   Chapter 13: The Second Voyage of John Cook
   Chapter 14: The Mass Production of Genius
   Chapter 15: In the Meridian Courtyard
   Sources
   Index
   
   Today, ships have GPS to tell them where they are on the seas. But before John Harrison created his first sea worthy clock, sailors were pretty much lost at sea as soon as they lost sight of land. Watches were not accurate and clocks worked on a pendulum, which didn't help on a rolling sea. Sobel weaves an interesting tale of John Harrison, a carpenter turned clockmaker, who created an extremely accurate clock for determining longitude. But this story isn't solely about Harrison. There are others that are attempting to do the impossible as well, using the heavens to find longitude. Harrison must battle prejudice, and himself, to get his timekeeper judged for the prize (£20,000 is the award). In the end, Harrison developed several chronometers, extremely accurate and able to withstand the seas and weather, that by the 1780's all log books had an entry for longitude readings by timekeeper.
   
   This is a topic that many may not find interesting. But Sobel hasn't written an academic dissertation on the subject, she has created a highly engaging study of a man dedicated to solving one of the greatest issues facing the world at the time. Her writing style makes this an easy book to read, as there are few technical details. However, for those that need more information, she provides a rather detailed source listing. I found the book to be a fascinating look at early sailing and the answer to a problem that plagued those sailors. Also, the background on Harrison adds to the story. While he worked as a carpenter, his knowledge of wood aided him in his quest for an accurate timekeeper. His chronometer was accurate to less than a second, in the 1700's, when other, more learned clockmakers could only be accurate to 15 minutes a day (plus or minus).
   
   This is a very good, enjoyable book on a fascinating subject.



3. What do Galileo and John Harrison have in common? They both had run-ins with bureaucracies that impeded the acceptance of their breakthrough ideas. And they are both subjects of books by Dava Sobel. Longitude is second book by her that I have read, the other being Galileo's Daughter. As with the latter book, Sobel combines the science of the times with a lot of background on the politics and religion of the age. She weaves these together into a coherent story that is entertaining and informative. I had never even considered that there was a ever a problem in determining longitude, so this book opened my eyes. The book I had purchased contained color illustrations that helped bring the devices that are the subject of this book to life (more can be found at http://www.portcities.org.uk/london/server/show/ConNarrative.132/chapterId/2685/Greenwich-and-the-story-of-time.html). These devices were one inventor's way of solving the problem of determining longitude at sea. Sobel covers her topic with a great deal of sympathy. Indeed, the blatant way in which the establishment hampered Harrison was very frustrating, meaning that the writing was very compelling. Interestingly it speaks to Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific revolutions, which pointed out the great steps forward in science can be accomplished by those newer to the field and that science doesn't really change until the older generation passes. I recommend this book to anyone interested in boating or science or anyone who uses a GPS device to have an appreciation for how difficult travel used to be.



4. John Harrison completes his first pendulum clock in 1713 before the age of 20. He made the gears for this out of wood which was radical for such a use, but as a carpenter, perhaps not to him---which is a mark of genius, I'd say; to reach beyond accepted norms in this manner. This he did after borrowing a book on math and the laws of motion; which he copied word for word, making his own copy. He incorporated different varieties of wood into his clock for strength and later invented a bi-metal pendulum to counteract the expansion and compression of various individual metals. He also employed friction-free movements so as to do away with problematic lubricants. When intrigued by the puzzle of time at sea and the issue of longitude he contemplated substituting something not prone to gravity, as a pendulum of course is, to track times passing. In 1737 he creates a cantilevered clock 4 foot square. This the longitude board (which had offered a cash bonus to anyone who could devise a method in which time at sea could be kept) admired. Four years later he returns with an improved model; then starts on a 3rd model, like the previous two, also a fairly large sized clock.But there exists a problem within this book: An artisan freemason by the name of John Jefferys at the Worshipful Company of clockmakers befriends Harrison and then later presents to him a pocket watch in 1753. Then in 1755, while still working on his 3rd model, Harrison says this to the Longitude board: I have..."good reason to think" on the basis of a watch "already executed that such small machines[he's referring to pocket watches] may be of great service with respect to longitude." He then completes version 3 in 1759. His fourth version appears just a year later, however, and is a 5 inch wide pocket watch! The obvious inference made by the author is that after he received the pocket watch from Jeffreys he seemingly put his version #3 on the back burner and soon started on the pocket watch 4th version. The author does not claim Harrison copied anything from the Jeffreys model, but she certainly phrases this section so as to lend one to believe that this may have been the case; that Jefferys had a hand in the masterstroke invention Harrison eventually produced in version #4. This is not true. Harrison commissioned the watch he received from Jeffreys and was based on Harrison's specifications. It seems that Harrison simply asked Jeffreys to test an idea which he himself hadn't the time to attack just then; as he was still working on his 3rd version of a table-top prototype clock. Hence Harrison's above statement to the board in 1755 whence his ideas were validated by Jeffreys. In addition, the author plays up the part of the Astronomer Royal's part in attempting to impede Harrison from convincing the longitude board of the efficacy of a time-piece solution to this problem over a celestial answer to this conundrum. The author also jazzes up the issue of whether Harrison received the prize the board promised to pay for a successful solution herein; even though the board supported him for upwards of 20 years as he pursued this quest. It's as if the author intentionally omitted some facts (that the Jefferys was a Harrison commission), and pumped up others (of a rival/foil on the board trying to impede Harrison and the compensation issue; implying that Harrison was jipped) just to make the story more compelling. John Harrison's story, however, is extremely compelling as it is and didn't need this extra spice served up by the author.Do read this (very short) book on how this Mr. Harrison solved the problem of knowing where one is when at sea; and if you're in London, visit the Old Royal Observatory and the Clockmakers museum (in the Guildhall) where you can see Harrison's wonderful creations in person. Enjoy!



5. A short but well written book that sheds light on an almost forgotten man who changed the world. Interesting and fun to read, worth checking out.

1 comments about Mountain Time: A Western Memoir.

1. While browsing through the Large Print section of our local public library, my tired eyes lit on an old familiar title; Mountain Time. But this wasn't Ivan Doig's prose-poetry of the Montana sheep country that I expected. Instead, I was pleasantky surprised to find a different locale. the semi-desert and mountains of New Mexico. And a totally different attitude toward the land, its non-human occupants and their tanglrd relationships. The book is composed of about a hundred ( I didn't stop to count ) essays arranged chronologically, illustrating the author's gradual transition from a frustrated Eastern school teacher to a satisfed Southwestern professional writer. Each essay is self-contained, ideal for a brief literary escape from the dreary weather outside my window to the blue skies and strong sunshine of the New Mexico desert. Since you can't hop on a plane and fly to Sante Fe, this is the next best thing.
   Charlie A Allen

No comments about How to Grow Old Disgracefully (Transaction Large Print Books).

No comments about Policeman's Prelude.

No comments about Prince Edward (Charnwood Large Print Library Series).