Monthly Archives: May 2009

Jumper

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Jumper

By Stephen Gould

This book presents the story of a boy who discovers that he can teleport himself to anywhere in the world. That in itself is a pretty amazing thing to consider. He is faced with a few limitations. For example he can only teleport or “jump” to places that he has been and can clearly remember.

The story that evolves around his new found ability is pretty interesting and actually quite believable because it is surrounding a person with potentially normal problems, with only a few unfortunate but believable ones added to the story.

Overall the story predictably escalates, to some rather less predictable sequences of events. I enjoyed the story because the main character isn’t a superhero that everything goes well for and he acts as I hope I may act in a similar situation.

Besides the primary antagonists in the story who are agents of the NSA he also seeks throughout the story to find a way to reconnect with his abusive father and deal the the death of his mother who is killed by terrorists while trying to build a healthy relationship with his girlfriend all while dealing with being able to teleport to anywhere in the world.

The story is dynamic and a great read.  It is pretty interesting if you like mild science fiction set in believable settings. It is a bit older and written to take place in a pre 9-11 society (though aspects of this story deal with issues of terrorism that are almost insightful to our world today).

There is a movie made on the premise of this book, but the story is almost totally different. It is okay, but at times is weird.

The movie and the book are both 3 out of 5 stars.

1776

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1776

by David Mccullough

1776 is a wonderful book that looks closely at the events surrounding that fateful year that was so important in the formation of the United States of America. The writer is really a great narrator of events and does an amazing job of considering all applicable accounts and presenting the story from all the participants perspectives.

The book covers primarily the wars and maneuvers of the opposing army’s but also includes important information and involvement that the continental congress had.

One of my favorite parts of the book is that it also considers very closely the primary characters that played a part in the military actions and their personal ideas and characteristics. This helped to paint an even more illuminating picture of the events that occurred during this years time.

This book actually covers about 18 months of time, primarily to give important background information leading up to the main events of 1776 and a few major events that occurred in the first few weeks of 1778.

Overall I liked this book. It really clearly illustrates how many times the war was almost won and lost by both sides.

The book is a great piece of work about the revolution of the United States of America. If you want to learn more about this era, then this is a must read. It gets a 4 out of 5.

Last Place on Earth

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Last Place on Earth (National Geographic) (v. 1&2)

Michael Nichols and Mike Fay

This book is a photo book by Nichols, an accomplished National Geographic Photographer, and a journal of writings by Fay that documents a year long journey through the Congo Jungles to document the natural diversity present in an area almost untouched by man.

The book has wonderful writing and the photography is absolutely amazing documenting amazing animals, natural vistas, and the unfortunately carnage and brutality that follows man and the greed we often posses.

I personally own several books of photography and only purchase what I consider to be quite amazing, and this tops all that I have. I highly recommend the quality of the content but also the presentation of it in the folio case that is included. I at first balked at the price (actually for more than a year) but seeing the final product I lament that I waited at all to buy it.

This story was also documented in National Geographic Magazine in a three part series that was presented over a year or so period. I new the work was momentous from the mere glimpse you get from these three separate articles.

So if your interested in Africa at all, this is a must see and read. It does an amazing job at showing the diversity present and what can be potentially lost if it isn’t protected and active preservation practices put into place.

It gets a 5 out of 5 stars.

Unfortunately it is expensive and quite a large product so most bookstores aren’t likely to carry it, especially now that is has been around a while. It is worth the cost, if it holds any interest for you!

Last Place on Earth (National Geographic) (v. 1&2)

Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

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Benjamin Franklin: An American Life

By Walter Isaacson

This biography by Isaacson is quite impressive. It explores a wondrous American life that all Americans owe something to. Franklin played an extensive part in the formation of our country and how it is today. He was the only person present at the signing and creation of all our countries important original documents. This books goes into great detail about… Continue reading →