Sunday, January 2, 2011

RatCave Book Wrapup—December 2010

I read a lot. Locally we have a "Book Fair". This is run by the area's most upscale auctioneer. He buys damaged pallets, overstock, seconds, etc. Generally everything is 1/3 or 1/4 the cover price. As a result I have a lot of books. Here's what I read in December...

Not everything comes from the Book Fair. I got this from Amazon (free shipping):

Henry & Glenn Forever—A love story featuring Henry Rollins (Black Flag) and Glenn Danzig (The Misfits). The rumor hill has it that Henry likes it and Glenn hates it. And for "Bob"'s sake don't miss this heart-warming Xmas special/commercial for the book featuring the boys.

Next up we have The Barbary Plague, the story of the arrival of bubonic plague in turn-of-the-century San Francisco. A classic tale of racism and denial with a dash of scientific medicine. I love the one negative review as it perfectly illustrates the same sort of Asio-centric racism that was a major factor in the initial failure to accomplish anything.

Also in the clean-up vein is Sin in the Second City, the story of the battle over prostitution in teens Chicago just before the Capone Era. The action revolves around the super-classy brothel run by the "Everleigh" sisters. They were definitely ahead of their time.

Of a more scientific bent is Meteorite Hunter. Professor Roy Gallant rambles all over Russia in search of impact sites while dealing with a variety of colorful characters in the former Soviet Union. (I got it for $1.99.)

Finally, what December would be complete without some Oliver Sacks? The Island of the Colorblind is also a travelogue with Dr. Sacks island-hopping around the Pacific. It's his usual blend of human interest mixed with fascinating neuropathology. He also gets stoned on a local substance and talks a great deal about his life-long cycad fetish.

No comments: