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<modified>2010-04-20T12:50:24Z</modified>
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<id>tag:www.transitionelement.com,2010://5</id>
<generator url="http://www.movabletype.org/" version="3.33">Movable Type</generator>
<copyright>Copyright (c) 2010, Peter</copyright>
<entry>
<title><![CDATA[Book &mdash; The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest]]></title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.transitionelement.com/archives/2010/04/book_the_girl_w_2.html" />
<modified>2010-04-20T12:50:24Z</modified>
<issued>2010-04-14T12:47:11Z</issued>
<id>tag:www.transitionelement.com,2010://5.3768</id>
<created>2010-04-14T12:47:11Z</created>
<summary type="text/plain"> [ US | UK ] The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets&amp;#8217; Nest by Stieg Larsson Rating: &amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9734; Synopsis: Salander is plotting her revenge - against the man who tried to kill her, and against the government institutions that very...</summary>
<author>
<name>Peter</name>
<url>http://www.mahnke.net/peter</url>
<email>peter@mahnke.net</email>
</author>
<dc:subject>culture</dc:subject>
<content type="text/html" mode="escaped" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.transitionelement.com/">
<![CDATA[<p><img class="photo right" src="http://www.transitionelement.com/img/book/1849162743.jpg" width="250" alt="The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest cover" /></p>

<p>[ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/o/asin/1849162743">US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/o/asin/1849162743">UK</a> ]</p>

<h4>The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets&#8217; Nest</h4>

<p><em>by Stieg Larsson</em></p>

<p>Rating: &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;</p>

<div class="book_synopsis">Synopsis: <em>Salander is plotting her revenge - against the man who tried to kill her, and against the government institutions that very nearly destroyed her life. But it is not going to be a straightforward campaign. After taking a bullet to the head, Salander is under close supervision in Intensive Care, and is set to face trial for three murders and one attempted murder on her eventual release. With the help of journalist Mikael Blomkvist and his researchers at Millennium magazine, Salander must not only prove her innocence, but identify and denounce the corrupt politicians that have allowed the vulnerable to become victims of abuse and violence. Once a victim herself, Salander is now ready to fight back. </em></div>

<p>Ok, so the book spins a bit out of control with a few sub-plots that didn&#8217;t need to exist (Berger&#8217;s stalker, Salander&#8217;s trips to Gibraltar)  but a great finish to the trilogy.<br />
	</p>]]>

</content>
</entry>
<entry>
<title><![CDATA[Book &mdash; The Almond Blossom Appreciation Society]]></title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.transitionelement.com/archives/2010/04/book_the_almond.html" />
<modified>2010-04-20T12:46:58Z</modified>
<issued>2010-04-11T12:45:01Z</issued>
<id>tag:www.transitionelement.com,2010://5.3767</id>
<created>2010-04-11T12:45:01Z</created>
<summary type="text/plain"> [ US | UK ] The Almond Blossom Appreciation Society by Chris Stewart Rating: &amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9734; Synopsis: The Good Life goes on at El Valero. Find yourself laughing out loud as Chris is instructed by his daughter on local teenage...</summary>
<author>
<name>Peter</name>
<url>http://www.mahnke.net/peter</url>
<email>peter@mahnke.net</email>
</author>
<dc:subject>culture</dc:subject>
<content type="text/html" mode="escaped" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.transitionelement.com/">
<![CDATA[<p><img class="photo right" src="http://www.transitionelement.com/img/book/0956003826.jpg" width="250" alt="The Almond Blossom Appreciation Society The Lemons Trilogy cover" /></p>

<p>[ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/o/asin/0956003826">US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/o/asin/0956003826">UK</a> ]</p>

<h4>The Almond Blossom Appreciation Society</h4>

<p><em>by Chris Stewart</em></p>

<p>Rating: &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;</p>

<div class="book_synopsis">Synopsis: <em>The Good Life goes on at El Valero. Find yourself laughing out loud as Chris is instructed by his daughter on local teenage mores; bluffs his way in art history to millionaire Bostonians; is rescued off a snowy peak by the Guardia Civil; and joins an Almond Blossom Appreciation Society. You&#8217;ll cringe with Chris as he tries his hand at office work in an immigrants&#8217; advice centre in Granada, spurred into action by the arrival of four destitute young Moroccans at El Valero. And you&#8217;ll never see olive oil in quite the same way again&#8230; In this sequel to &#8216;Lemons&#8217; and &#8216;Parrot&#8217;, Chris Stewart&#8217;s optimism and zest for life is as infectious as ever.
</em></div>

<p>Again, honest, light and good.</p>]]>

</content>
</entry>
<entry>
<title><![CDATA[Book &mdash; A Parrot in the Pepper Tree]]></title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.transitionelement.com/archives/2010/04/book_a_parrot_i.html" />
<modified>2010-04-20T12:43:49Z</modified>
<issued>2010-04-05T12:40:32Z</issued>
<id>tag:www.transitionelement.com,2010://5.3766</id>
<created>2010-04-05T12:40:32Z</created>
<summary type="text/plain"> [ US | UK ] A Parrot in the Pepper Tree by Chris Stewart Rating: &amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9734; Synopsis: A Parrot in the Pepper Tree, the sequel to Driving over Lemons, follows the lives of Chris, Ana and their daughter, Chloë,...</summary>
<author>
<name>Peter</name>
<url>http://www.mahnke.net/peter</url>
<email>peter@mahnke.net</email>
</author>
<dc:subject>culture</dc:subject>
<content type="text/html" mode="escaped" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.transitionelement.com/">
<![CDATA[<p><img class="photo right" src="http://www.transitionelement.com/img/book/0956003818.jpg" width="250" alt="A Parrot in the Pepper Tree cover" /></p>

<p>[ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/o/asin/0956003818">US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/o/asin/0956003818">UK</a> ]</p>

<h4>A Parrot in the Pepper Tree</h4>

<p><em>by Chris Stewart</em></p>

<p>Rating: &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;</p>

<div class="book_synopsis">Synopsis: <em>A Parrot in the Pepper Tree, the sequel to Driving over Lemons, follows the lives of Chris, Ana and their daughter, Chloë, as they get to grips with a misanthropic parrot who joins their home, Spanish school life, neighbours in love, their amazement at Chris appearing on the bestseller lists &#8230; and their shock at discovering that their beloved valley is once more under threat of a dam. A Parrot in the Pepper Tree also looks back on Chris Stewart&#8217;s former life &#8212; the hard times shearing in midwinter Sweden (and driving across the frozen sea to reach island farms); his first taste of Spain, learning flamenco guitar as a 20-year old; and his illustrious music career, drumming for his school band Genesis (sacked at 17, he never quite became Phil Collins), and then for a circus. </em></div>

<p>I liked <em>Driving over Lemons</em> and this was equally good.  It really is a series of semi-connected stories.  However, they are funny, interesting and above all genuine.  Chris is willing to share his live, warts and all.  So good in fact that he turned northern Greece into Spain for me.</p>

<p>	</p>]]>

</content>
</entry>
<entry>
<title><![CDATA[Book &mdash; A Web of Air]]></title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.transitionelement.com/archives/2010/03/book_a_web_of_a.html" />
<modified>2010-04-20T13:04:48Z</modified>
<issued>2010-03-30T13:03:54Z</issued>
<id>tag:www.transitionelement.com,2010://5.3769</id>
<created>2010-03-30T13:03:54Z</created>
<summary type="text/plain"> [ US | UK ] A Web of Air (Mortal Engines) by Philip Reeve Rating: &amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9734;&amp;#9734; Synopsis: Two years ago, Fever Crumb escaped the war-torn city of London in a travelling theatre. Now she arrives in the extraordinary craer...</summary>
<author>
<name>Peter</name>
<url>http://www.mahnke.net/peter</url>
<email>peter@mahnke.net</email>
</author>
<dc:subject>culture</dc:subject>
<content type="text/html" mode="escaped" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.transitionelement.com/">
<![CDATA[<p><img class="photo right" src="http://www.transitionelement.com/img/book/1407115170.jpg" width="250" alt="A Web of Air (Mortal Engines) cover" /></p>

<p>[ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/o/asin/1407115170">US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/o/asin/1407115170">UK</a> ]</p>

<h4>A Web of Air (Mortal Engines)</h4>

<p><em>by Philip Reeve</em></p>

<p>Rating: &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;</p>

<div class="book_synopsis">Synopsis: <em>  Two years ago, Fever Crumb escaped the war-torn city of London in a travelling theatre. Now she arrives in the extraordinary craer city of Mayda, where buildings ascend the cliffs on funicular rails, and a mysterious recluse is building a machine that can fly. Fever is the engineer he needs - but ruthless enemies will kill to possess their secrets. The fabulous sixth book in the Mortal Engines series, from the brilliant  </em></div>

<p>I have read the whole of the <a href="http://www.mahnke.net/peter/MT/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=5&amp;search=reeve">Mortal Engines Quartet</a> and <em>Fever Crumb</em> but this was my least favorite.  I think it just progressed the characters the least far really.  Still clever and worth reading &#8212; just not &#8216;amazing&#8217;.</p>]]>

</content>
</entry>
<entry>
<title><![CDATA[Book &mdash; This Is Where I Leave You]]></title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.transitionelement.com/archives/2010/03/book_this_is_wh.html" />
<modified>2010-04-20T12:38:08Z</modified>
<issued>2010-03-23T12:34:01Z</issued>
<id>tag:www.transitionelement.com,2010://5.3765</id>
<created>2010-03-23T12:34:01Z</created>
<summary type="text/plain"> [ US | UK ] This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper Rating: &amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9734;&amp;#9734; Synopsis: Poor Judd Foxman returns home early to find his wife in bed with his boss - in the act. He now faces...</summary>
<author>
<name>Peter</name>
<url>http://www.mahnke.net/peter</url>
<email>peter@mahnke.net</email>
</author>
<dc:subject>culture</dc:subject>
<content type="text/html" mode="escaped" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.transitionelement.com/">
<![CDATA[<p><img class="photo right" src="http://www.transitionelement.com/img/book/0752885847.jpg" width="250" alt="This Is Where I Leave You cover" /></p>

<p>[ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/o/asin/0752885847">US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/o/asin/0752885847">UK</a> ]</p>

<h4>This Is Where I Leave You</h4>

<p><em>by Jonathan Tropper</em></p>

<p>Rating: &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;</p>

<div class="book_synopsis">Synopsis: <em>Poor Judd Foxman returns home early to find his wife in bed with his boss - in the act. He now faces the twin threats of both divorce and unemployment. His misery is compounded further with the sudden death of his father. He is then asked to come and &#8216;sit Shiva&#8217; for his newly deceased parent with his angry, screwed up and somewhat estranged brothers and sisters in his childhood home. It is there he must confront who he really is and - more importantly - who he can become. Funny, moving, powerful and poignant.</em></div>

<p>Well, I like Tropper.  I have read <a href="http://www.transitionelement.com/archives/2008/10/book_book_of_jo.html">The Book of Joe</a> and <em>How to Talk to a Widower</em> and loved both.  This one I liked less.  There was a bit too much drama and perhaps a bit to like his other books (revisiting your past).  But his characters are great and it is laugh-out-loud funny in parts.  I think Angela liked it a lot more than I did&#8230; perhapa it cut too close to the bone in parts for me?</p>

<p>	</p>]]>

</content>
</entry>
<entry>
<title><![CDATA[Book &mdash; The Girl Who Played with Fire]]></title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.transitionelement.com/archives/2010/03/book_the_girl_w_1.html" />
<modified>2010-04-20T12:32:28Z</modified>
<issued>2010-03-17T12:30:06Z</issued>
<id>tag:www.transitionelement.com,2010://5.3764</id>
<created>2010-03-17T12:30:06Z</created>
<summary type="text/plain"> [ US | UK ] The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson Rating: &amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9734; Synopsis: Lisbeth Salander is a wanted woman. Two Millennium journalists about to expose the truth about sex trafficking in Sweden are murdered, and...</summary>
<author>
<name>Peter</name>
<url>http://www.mahnke.net/peter</url>
<email>peter@mahnke.net</email>
</author>
<dc:subject>culture</dc:subject>
<content type="text/html" mode="escaped" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.transitionelement.com/">
<![CDATA[<p><img class="photo right" src="http://www.transitionelement.com/img/book/1906694184.jpg" width="250" alt="The Girl Who Played with Fire cover" /></p>

<p>[ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/o/asin/1906694184">US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/o/asin/1906694184">UK</a> ]</p>

<h4>The Girl Who Played with Fire</h4>

<p><em>by Stieg Larsson</em></p>

<p>Rating: &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;</p>

<div class="book_synopsis">Synopsis: <em> Lisbeth Salander is a wanted woman. Two Millennium journalists about to expose the truth about sex trafficking in Sweden are murdered, and Salander&#8217;s prints are on the weapon. Her history of unpredictable and vengeful behaviour makes her an official danger to society - but no-one can find her. Mikael Blomkvist, editor-in-chief of Millennium, does not believe the police. Using all his magazine staff and resources to prove Salander&#8217;s innocence, Blomkvist also uncovers her terrible past, spent in criminally corrupt institutions. Yet Salander is more avenging angel than helpless victim. She may be an expert at staying out of sight - but she has ways of tracking down her most elusive enemies. </em></div>

<p>Again, excellent, perhaps the best of the three books.</p>]]>

</content>
</entry>
<entry>
<title><![CDATA[Book &mdash; The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo]]></title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.transitionelement.com/archives/2010/03/book_the_girl_w.html" />
<modified>2010-04-20T12:29:28Z</modified>
<issued>2010-03-07T12:25:30Z</issued>
<id>tag:www.transitionelement.com,2010://5.3763</id>
<created>2010-03-07T12:25:30Z</created>
<summary type="text/plain"> [ US | UK ] The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson Rating: &amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9734; Synopsis: Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering on the island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger clan. Her...</summary>
<author>
<name>Peter</name>
<url>http://www.mahnke.net/peter</url>
<email>peter@mahnke.net</email>
</author>
<dc:subject>culture</dc:subject>
<content type="text/html" mode="escaped" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.transitionelement.com/">
<![CDATA[<p><img class="photo right" src="http://www.transitionelement.com/img/book/1847245455.jpg" width="250" alt="The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo cover" /></p>

<p>[ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/o/asin/1847245455">US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/o/asin/1847245455">UK</a> ]</p>

<h4>The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo</h4>

<p><em>by Stieg Larsson</em></p>

<p>Rating: &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;</p>

<div class="book_synopsis">Synopsis: <em>Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering on the island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger clan. Her body was never found, yet her uncle is convinced it was murder - and that the killer is a member of his own tightly knit but dysfunctional family. He employs disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the tattooed, truculent computer hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate. When the pair link Harriet&#8217;s disappearance to a number of grotesque murders from forty years ago, they begin to unravel a dark and appalling family history. But the Vangers are a secretive clan, and Blomkvist and Salander are about to find out just how far they are prepared to go to protect themselves.</em></div>

<p>Really involved, engrossing like everyone says.  Very interesting style as well, you sort of hover on the edge of the characters minds, funny tenses and constructions.  I loved it.<br />
	</p>]]>

</content>
</entry>
<entry>
<title><![CDATA[Book &mdash; Gone Tomorrow]]></title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.transitionelement.com/archives/2010/02/book_gone_tomor.html" />
<modified>2010-02-16T08:39:12Z</modified>
<issued>2010-02-16T08:35:19Z</issued>
<id>tag:www.transitionelement.com,2010://5.3696</id>
<created>2010-02-16T08:35:19Z</created>
<summary type="text/plain"> [ US | UK ] Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child Rating: &amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9734;&amp;#9734; Synopsis: In the latest outing for Jack Reacher, Gone Tomorrow, Child’s resourceful hero is travelling in New York City, observing his fellow passengers on the subway. He’s...</summary>
<author>
<name>Peter</name>
<url>http://www.mahnke.net/peter</url>
<email>peter@mahnke.net</email>
</author>
<dc:subject>culture</dc:subject>
<content type="text/html" mode="escaped" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.transitionelement.com/">
<![CDATA[<p><img class="photo right" src="http://www.transitionelement.com/img/book/059306402X.jpg" width="250" alt="Gone Tomorrow cover" /></p>

<p>[ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/o/asin/059306402X">US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/o/asin/059306402X">UK</a> ]</p>

<h4>Gone Tomorrow</h4>

<p><em>by Lee Child</em></p>

<p>Rating: &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;&#9734;</p>

<div class="book_synopsis">Synopsis: <em>In the latest outing for Jack Reacher, Gone Tomorrow, Child’s resourceful hero is travelling in New York City, observing his fellow passengers on the subway. He’s aware that suicide bombers are easy to spot – they’re usually nervous, and (as he wryly notes) by definition they&#8217;re first-timers. As an ex-law enforcer, Jack notices that of his five fellow travellers, one is distinctly giving out the signals that spell danger. Grand Central Station is approaching – will Jack act and save lives – including his own? But… what if he&#8217;s wrong? This high voltage situation is the arresting curtain opener here, and the tension is screwed tighter, as Jack Reacher is pitched against the one of the most challenging threats he has come up against.</em></div>

<p>Another good Jack Reacher book.  He takes apart an al Qaeda Sect in this one.</p>]]>

</content>
</entry>
<entry>
<title><![CDATA[Book &mdash; Three Men in a Boat]]></title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.transitionelement.com/archives/2010/02/book_three_men.html" />
<modified>2010-02-06T21:57:18Z</modified>
<issued>2010-02-06T21:56:30Z</issued>
<id>tag:www.transitionelement.com,2010://5.3692</id>
<created>2010-02-06T21:56:30Z</created>
<summary type="text/plain"> [ US | UK ] Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome Rating: &amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9733; Synopsis: Martyrs to hypochondria and general seediness, J. and his friends George and Harris decide that a jaunt up the Thames would suit...</summary>
<author>
<name>Peter</name>
<url>http://www.mahnke.net/peter</url>
<email>peter@mahnke.net</email>
</author>
<dc:subject>culture</dc:subject>
<content type="text/html" mode="escaped" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.transitionelement.com/">
<![CDATA[<p><img class="photo right" src="http://www.transitionelement.com/img/book/0140621334.jpg" width="250" alt="Three Men in a Boat cover" /></p>

<p>[ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/o/asin/0140621334">US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/o/asin/0140621334">UK</a> ]</p>

<h4>Three Men in a Boat</h4>

<p><em>by Jerome K. Jerome </em></p>

<p>Rating: &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;</p>

<div class="book_synopsis">Synopsis: <em>Martyrs to hypochondria and general seediness, J. and his friends George and Harris decide that a jaunt up the Thames would suit them to a &#8216;T&#8217;. But when they set off, they can hardly predict the troubles that lie ahead with tow-ropes, unreliable weather-forecasts and tins of pineapple chunks &ndash; not to mention the devastation left in the wake of <span class="caps">J.&#8217;</span>s small fox-terrier Montmorency. Three Men in a Boat was an instant success when it appeared in 1889, and, with its benign escapism, authorial discursions and wonderful evocation of the late-Victorian &#8216;clerking classes&#8217;, it hilariously captured the spirit of its age.  </em></div>

<p>Lovely and timeless.  Living by the Thames, I know most of the places in the book and can&#8217;t doubt any of it.  Some bits are too funny to read in public.</p>]]>

</content>
</entry>
<entry>
<title><![CDATA[Book &mdash; Longitude]]></title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.transitionelement.com/archives/2010/01/book_longitude.html" />
<modified>2010-04-20T12:23:03Z</modified>
<issued>2010-01-17T12:16:18Z</issued>
<id>tag:www.transitionelement.com,2010://5.3762</id>
<created>2010-01-17T12:16:18Z</created>
<summary type="text/plain"> [ US | UK ] Longitude by Dava Sobel Rating: &amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9734; Synopsis: The thorniest scientific problem of the eighteenth century was how to determine longitude. Many thousands of lives had been lost at sea over the centuries due to...</summary>
<author>
<name>Peter</name>
<url>http://www.mahnke.net/peter</url>
<email>peter@mahnke.net</email>
</author>
<dc:subject>culture</dc:subject>
<content type="text/html" mode="escaped" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.transitionelement.com/">
<![CDATA[<p><img class="photo right" src="http://www.transitionelement.com/img/book/0007214227.jpg" width="250" alt="Longitude cover" /></p>

<p>[ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/o/asin/0007214227">US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/o/asin/0007214227">UK</a> ]</p>

<h4>Longitude</h4>

<p><em>by Dava Sobel</em></p>

<p>Rating: &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;</p>

<div class="book_synopsis">Synopsis: <em>  The thorniest scientific problem of the eighteenth century was how to determine  longitude. Many thousands of lives had been lost at sea over the centuries due to the inability to  determine an east-west position. This is the engrossing story of the clockmaker, John  &#8220;Longitude&#8221; Harrison, who solved the problem that Newton and Galileo had failed to  conquer, yet claimed only half the promised rich reward.</em></div>

<p>I had already seen the <span class="caps">BBC </span>dramatisation of this, but Toby recommended it as a great quick read.  I had about five days to read it why Oma and Opa took the boys to Belgium for half term.  It was a quick and great read.  Dava is a great storyteller, really bringing the history and the development of the chronometers to life.  I really recommend it.</p>]]>

</content>
</entry>
<entry>
<title><![CDATA[Book &mdash; People of the Book]]></title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.transitionelement.com/archives/2010/01/book_people_of.html" />
<modified>2010-02-06T21:55:14Z</modified>
<issued>2010-01-07T21:54:20Z</issued>
<id>tag:www.transitionelement.com,2010://5.3691</id>
<created>2010-01-07T21:54:20Z</created>
<summary type="text/plain"> [ US | UK ] People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks Rating: &amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9734; Synopsis: In 1996, Hanna Heath, an Australian rare-book expert, is offered the job of a lifetime: analysis and conservation of the famed Sarajevo Haggadah, which...</summary>
<author>
<name>Peter</name>
<url>http://www.mahnke.net/peter</url>
<email>peter@mahnke.net</email>
</author>
<dc:subject>culture</dc:subject>
<content type="text/html" mode="escaped" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.transitionelement.com/">
<![CDATA[<p><img class="photo right" src="http://www.transitionelement.com/img/book/0007177437.jpg" width="250" alt="People of the Book cover" /></p>

<p>[ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/o/asin/0007177437">US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/o/asin/0007177437">UK</a> ]</p>

<h4>People of the Book</h4>

<p><em>by Geraldine Brooks</em></p>

<p>Rating: &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;</p>

<div class="book_synopsis">Synopsis: <em>In 1996, Hanna Heath, an Australian rare-book expert, is offered the job of a lifetime: analysis and conservation of the famed Sarajevo Haggadah, which has been rescued from Serb shelling during the Bosnian war. Priceless and beautiful, the book is one of the earliest Jewish volumes ever to be illuminated with images. When Hanna, a caustic loner with a passion for her work, discovers a series of tiny artefacts in its ancient binding - an insect wing fragment, wine stains, salt crystals, a white hair - she begins to unlock the book&#8217;s mysteries. The reader is ushered into an exquisitely detailed and atmospheric past, tracing the book&#8217;s journey from its salvation back to its creation.</em>

<em>In Bosnia during World War <span class="caps">II, </span>a Muslim risks his life to protect it from the Nazis. In the hedonistic salons of fin-de-si&#232;cle Vienna, the book becomes a pawn in the struggle against the city&#8217;s rising anti-Semitism. In Venice during the time of the inquisition, a Catholic priest saves it from burning. In Barcelona in 1492, the scribe who wrote the text sees his family destroyed by the agonies of enforced exile. And in Seville in 1480, the reason for the Haggadah&#8217;s extraordinary illuminations is finally disclosed. Hanna&#8217;s investigation unexpectedly plunges her into the intrigues of fine art forgers and ultra-nationalist fanatics, and her experiences will test her belief in herself and the man she has come to love. </em></div>

<p>Based on a true story, this is very interesting and all the vignettes are well done.  Highly recommended.</p>]]>

</content>
</entry>
<entry>
<title><![CDATA[Book &mdash; Nine Dragons]]></title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.transitionelement.com/archives/2009/12/book_nine_drago.html" />
<modified>2010-02-06T21:54:00Z</modified>
<issued>2009-12-18T21:51:56Z</issued>
<id>tag:www.transitionelement.com,2009://5.3690</id>
<created>2009-12-18T21:51:56Z</created>
<summary type="text/plain"> [ US | UK ] Nine Dragons by Michael Connelly Rating: &amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9734; Synopsis: In Los Angeles, a Chinese liquor store owner is killed in what appears to be a shakedown for the triads (the retailer, Mr Li, was under...</summary>
<author>
<name>Peter</name>
<url>http://www.mahnke.net/peter</url>
<email>peter@mahnke.net</email>
</author>
<dc:subject>culture</dc:subject>
<content type="text/html" mode="escaped" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.transitionelement.com/">
<![CDATA[<p><img class="photo right" src="http://www.transitionelement.com/img/book/0752875876.jpg" width="250" alt="Nine Dragons cover" /></p>

<p>[ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/o/asin/0752875876">US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/o/asin/0752875876">UK</a> ]</p>

<h4>Nine Dragons</h4>

<p><em>by Michael Connelly</em></p>

<p>Rating: &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;</p>

<div class="book_synopsis">Synopsis: <em>In Los Angeles, a Chinese liquor store owner is killed in what appears to be a shakedown for the triads (the retailer, Mr Li, was under the thumb of a protection racket). Harry Bosch realises that the case is not quite as straightforward as it initially seemed, and finds himself taking on some very dangerous opponents. However, he has an area of vulnerability has not taken into consideration. Harry&#8217;s estranged wife lives in Hong Kong with her new Chinese lover &#8212; and Harry&#8217;s daughter. To his horror, Harry discovers that his daughter has been kidnapped, and takes the first plane to Hong Kong. His problems there are threefold: to save the life of his child as the sands of time run out, to deal with conflict with the local force (and its Asian Gangs Unit) and (perhaps his most difficult challenge) to come to terms with the ways in which he has abdicated from his duties as a father.</em></div>

<p>I love Bosch.  This book was very different than any other Bosch book, but I still liked it.</p>]]>

</content>
</entry>
<entry>
<title><![CDATA[Book &mdash; The Lost Symbol]]></title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.transitionelement.com/archives/2009/12/book_the_lost_s.html" />
<modified>2010-02-06T21:51:33Z</modified>
<issued>2009-12-16T21:48:38Z</issued>
<id>tag:www.transitionelement.com,2009://5.3689</id>
<created>2009-12-16T21:48:38Z</created>
<summary type="text/plain"><![CDATA[ [ US | UK ] The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown Rating: &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&frac12; Synopsis: Robert Langdon flies to Washington after an urgent invitation to speak in the Capitol building. The invitation appears to have come from a friend with...]]></summary>
<author>
<name>Peter</name>
<url>http://www.mahnke.net/peter</url>
<email>peter@mahnke.net</email>
</author>
<dc:subject>culture</dc:subject>
<content type="text/html" mode="escaped" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.transitionelement.com/">
<![CDATA[<p><img class="photo right" src="http://www.transitionelement.com/img/book/059305427X.jpg" width="250" alt="The Lost Symbol cover" /></p>

<p>[ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/o/asin/059305427X">US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/o/asin/059305427X">UK</a> ]</p>

<h4>The Lost Symbol</h4>

<p><em>by Dan Brown</em></p>

<p>Rating: &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&frac12;</p>

<div class="book_synopsis">Synopsis: <em>Robert Langdon flies to Washington after an urgent invitation to speak in the Capitol building. The invitation appears to have come from a friend with copper-bottomed Masonic connections, Peter Solomon. But Langdon has been tricked: Solomon has, in fact, been kidnapped, and (echoing the grisly opening of the last book) a macabre mutilation plunges Langdon into a tortuous quest. His friend&#8217;s severed hand lies in the Capitol building, positioned to point to a George Washington portrait that shows the father of his country as a pagan deity. The ruthless criminal nemesis here is another terrifying figure in Brown&#8217;s gallery of grotesques: Mal&#8217;akh, a powerfully built eunuch with a body festooned with tattoos. Mal&#8217;akh is seeking a Masonic pyramid that possesses a formidable supernatural power, and a pulse-pounding hunt is afoot, with Langdon stalled rather than aided by the <span class="caps">CIA.</span></em></div>

<p>I admit, I like Dan Brown&#8217;s books.  This was another page turner.  The Masonic bits didn&#8217;t hold as much interest at the Catholic Church, but still interesting.</p>]]>

</content>
</entry>
<entry>
<title><![CDATA[Book &mdash; Catching Fire]]></title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.transitionelement.com/archives/2009/12/book_catching_f.html" />
<modified>2010-02-06T21:48:30Z</modified>
<issued>2009-12-05T21:45:54Z</issued>
<id>tag:www.transitionelement.com,2009://5.3688</id>
<created>2009-12-05T21:45:54Z</created>
<summary type="text/plain"><![CDATA[ [ US | UK ] Catching Fire (Hunger Games, Book 2) by Suzanne Collins Rating: &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&frac12;&#9734; Synopsis: After winning the brutal Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen returns to her district, hoping for a peaceful future. But Katniss starts to hear...]]></summary>
<author>
<name>Peter</name>
<url>http://www.mahnke.net/peter</url>
<email>peter@mahnke.net</email>
</author>
<dc:subject>culture</dc:subject>
<content type="text/html" mode="escaped" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.transitionelement.com/">
<![CDATA[<p><img class="photo right" src="http://www.transitionelement.com/img/book/1407109367.jpg" width="250" alt="Catching Fire (Hunger Games, Book 2) cover" /></p>

<p>[ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/o/asin/1407109367">US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/o/asin/1407109367">UK</a> ]</p>

<h4>Catching Fire (Hunger Games, Book 2)</h4>

<p><em>by Suzanne Collins</em></p>

<p>Rating: &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&frac12;&#9734;</p>

<div class="book_synopsis">Synopsis: <em>  After winning the brutal Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen returns to her district, hoping for a peaceful future. But Katniss starts to hear rumours of a deadly rebellion against the Capitol. A rebellion that she and Peeta have helped to create. As Katniss and Peeta are forced to visit the districts on the Capitol&#8217;s  </em></div>

<p>Not as good as <em>The Hunger Games</em> but still great&#8230; can&#8217;t wait for book three.</p>]]>

</content>
</entry>
<entry>
<title><![CDATA[Book &mdash; The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher]]></title>
<link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.transitionelement.com/archives/2009/11/book_the_suspic.html" />
<modified>2010-02-06T21:45:42Z</modified>
<issued>2009-11-25T21:43:48Z</issued>
<id>tag:www.transitionelement.com,2009://5.3687</id>
<created>2009-11-25T21:43:48Z</created>
<summary type="text/plain"> [ US | UK ] The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher or the Murder at Road Hill House by Kate Summerscale Rating: &amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9733;&amp;#9734; Synopsis: It is a summer&amp;#8217;s night in 1860. In an elegant detached Georgian house in the village...</summary>
<author>
<name>Peter</name>
<url>http://www.mahnke.net/peter</url>
<email>peter@mahnke.net</email>
</author>
<dc:subject>culture</dc:subject>
<content type="text/html" mode="escaped" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.transitionelement.com/">
<![CDATA[<p><img class="photo right" src="http://www.transitionelement.com/img/book/0747596484.jpg" width="250" alt="The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher cover" /></p>

<p>[ <a href="http://www.amazon.com/o/asin/0747596484">US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/o/asin/0747596484">UK</a> ]</p>

<h4>The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher or the Murder at Road Hill House</h4>

<p><em>by Kate Summerscale</em></p>

<p>Rating: &#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9733;&#9734;</p>

<div class="book_synopsis">Synopsis: <em>It is a summer&#8217;s night in 1860. In an elegant detached Georgian house in the village of Road, Wiltshire, all is quiet. Behind shuttered windows the Kent family lies sound asleep. At some point after midnight a dog barks. The family wakes the next morning to a horrific discovery: an unimaginably gruesome murder has taken place in their home. The household reverberates with shock, not least because the guilty party is surely still among them. Jack Whicher of Scotland Yard, the most celebrated detective of his day, reaches Road Hill House a fortnight later. He faces an unenviable task: to solve a case in which the grieving family are the suspects. The murder provokes national hysteria. The thought of what might be festering behind the closed doors of respectable middle-class homes - scheming servants, rebellious children, insanity, jealousy, loneliness and loathing - arouses fear and a kind of excitement. But when Whicher reaches his shocking conclusion there is uproar and bewilderment. A true story that inspired a generation of writers such as Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle, this has all the hallmarks of the classic murder mystery - a body; a detective; a country house steeped in secrets. In The Suspicions of Mr Whicher Kate Summerscale untangles the facts behind this notorious case, bringing it back to vivid, extraordinary life.</em></div>

<p>So well written, you don&#8217;t know it is non-fiction.  So interesting, you can&#8217;t believe it&#8217;s true.</p>]]>

</content>
</entry>

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