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| Day of Deceit: The Truth about FDR and Pearl Harbor |
| Blood Roses |
| The Stars My Destination |
| In the Beginning...Was the Command Line |
| The Physics of Golf |
| De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium |
| Killer in Drag |
| Disgrace |
| Jukebox Queen of Malta |
| The Dress Lodger |
| Billie Holiday: The Complete Decca Recordings [BOX SET] |
| LETTERS TO THE EDITOR |
| Contact and Subscription Information |
| Credits |
| Netsurfer Books |
Netsurfer Books is a bi-monthly e-zine offering short reviews of books and related items. We include listings based on recommendations from our staff and reviews from other individuals. Are we bribed to include any of these items? No. Do we receive a commission if you purchase an item through one of the links included here? Yes. Are we waiting to hear from you about what you'd like to see reviewed? Definitely.
EDITOR'S CHOICE
Day of Deceit: The Truth about FDR and Pearl Harbor
Day of Deceit: The Truth about FDR and Pearl Harbor
Free Press; ISBN: 0684853396
Robert B. Stinnett
SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY
Blood Roses
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Tor Books; ISBN: 0312872488
Blood Roses is the French name for the 14th-century Black Plague,
descriptive of the body sores that marked the disease. The plague is
sweeping Europe in Yarbro's latest entry of her popular Ragoczy series.
Offering ancient medicines to the population is Ragoczy, now called
St-Germain, who is an alchemist, healer, and vampire with origins going back
to dynastic Egypt - not to mention that he's a '90s kind of guy who always
puts his lovers' pleasure before his own. In Blood Roses, the local
citizenry, gripped by the twin diseases of the plague and ignorance, suspect
that St-Germain's kindness and medical skills put him in league with dark
forces. If they only knew! He should pull up stakes, as it were, but his
sensual connection to a noblewoman holds him. Yarbro re-writes vampire
legends, giving little power to the usual weapons we rely on to extinguish
the undead.
The Stars My Destination
Alfred Bester
Vintage Books; ISBN: 0679767800
How would it stand up, this reviewer wondered, this SF story, a classic now,
first read long ago as a brand new 35-cent paperback? In Alfred Bester's The
Stars My Destination, Gully Foyle is relentless and merciless; he wants only
revenge. Gully probably isn't anyone you'd care to know but he forces the
reader to breathe hard to keep up in a smoothly written story that's as
compelling now as it seemed in those far off high-school years. Well worth
revisiting or experiencing for the first time. A real jaunt, this one: hard
to best, and widely considered a proto-cyberpunk classic.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
In the Beginning...Was the Command Line
In the Beginning...Was the Command Line
Neal Stephenson
Avon Books (Pap Trd); ISBN: 0380815931
Neal Stephenson, author of the classic post-cyberpunk
Snow Crash and the equally prodigious cryptopunk epic
Cryptonomicon, weighs in on the future of operating systems. The slim book
grew out of a piece posted and dissected on
Slashdot and is a manifesto about what he thinks is wrong - and right - with
current generation of operating systems. Well worth reading if you care
about how you're going to control that glorious machine on your desk.
The Physics of Golf
Theodore P. Jorgensen, A. Kluwick (Editor)
Springer Verlag; ISBN: 038798691X
Strictly speaking, the title should probably be "The Physics of the Golf
Swing", but Amazon reviewers don't seem to be quibbling too much. They
pretty much agree that understanding the swing, from top to finish, is
helping them improve their game. There's also help in understanding
aerodynamics and trajectory. Outside the swing itself, Jorgensen addresses
club selection and explains the handicap system. The season's just getting
underway in many places, and here's help to start it off right.
De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium
De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium
Nicolas Copernicus
Octavo Corporation; ISBN: 1891788140
Incunabulist wannabes take heart. Even if you never hope to see, touch, or
breathe the scent of truly rare manuscripts, Octavo's feature-laden
electronic version of Copernicus' pivotal treatise will almost make up for
its inability to deliver the sensory goods. Octavo has been true to the
nature of this manuscript marked by elegance. You can turn the pages through
a thumbnail index and full-screen images; but, in features that Copernicus
never imagined, readers can examine the text in sharp images at up to 400%
magnification. You can also search both the original Latin text and the
cross-linked English translation, and move through both languages using
Adobe's own elegant but practical navigation tools. Here, too, you can
bookmark text onscreen, something certainly frowned up in antiquarian
circles. And, readers may refer to commentary on the history, binding,
collation, and provenance of the work, and learn about those little
thwarters of history, bookworms.
BUSINESS AND FINANCE
The Internet Bubble: Inside the Overvalued World of High-Tech Stocks - And What You Need to Know to Avoid the Coming Shakeout
Anthony B. Perkins and Michael C. Perkins
Harperbusiness; ISBN: 0066640008
The Perkins brothers are founders of Red Herring, a San Francisco monthly
covering the business side of publicly and privately held high-tech
companies. Their assessment and prediction are hardly new. Internet stocks
are overvalued; they're going to crash, and soon. Tech stocks, says Michael,
have risen 400% while the general market can credit only 20%. First-day
trading in IPOs is hugely profitable - for some - and notoriously volatile
for all. The Perkins have more than conventional wisdom to offer, though.
They look to history and another emerging technology. Some years back, 508
start-up companies were brawling for the consumer and investor dollar;
today, just how many of those automakers made it, even in the short term?
The Fearless Shopper: How to Get the Best Deals on the Planet
The Fearless Shopper: How to Get the Best Deals on the Planet
Kathy Borrus
Travelers' Tales Inc; ISBN: 1885211392
This savvy book of tips and wisdom will help show you the best ways to shop,
whether you're in your hometown or traveling the world. As a buyer for the
Smithsonian, author Kathy Borrus roamed the planet looking for treasures and
striking great bargains. Here, she shares her shopping secrets. Learn how to
haggle in an open-air market in a language you don't even speak. Learn how
to spot scams and avoid rip-offs. Learn when to buy and when to walk away.
Borrus believes that "great shopping is not about acquiring things. It's
about exploring culture and preserving the sights, sounds, and touch of a
place. And whether you buy anything or not, shopping is about the enjoying
the experience.
Creating Value in the Network Economy
Creating Value in the Network Economy
Don Tapscott
Harvard Business School Press; ISBN: 0875849113
This collection of 12 essays from the Harvard Business Review
address three broad areas of the new Internet driven economy:
the changing nature of corporate value, the evolution of the
corporation itself, and the impact of all this on the consumer.
If there is one overall theme it's that any corporation which
does not embrace the net - and it's attendant upheaval of the
marketplace - is doomed to be outcompeted in the marketplace.
Good reading for Net economy junkies.
BIOGRAPHY, SOCIETY, AND HISTORY
Round-the-World in 20 Days: The Story of Our History-Making Balloon Flight
Round-the-World in 20 Days: The Story of Our History-Making Balloon Flight
Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones
John Wiley & Sons; ISBN: 0471378208
In diary form, Piccard and Jones take turns recounting their high and
dangerous adventure in the Breitling Orbiter 3 balloon, the first to
circumnavigate the globe. At times flying as high as 35000 feet and as fast
as 100 knots, the two men surmounted technical difficulties, diplomatic
challenges, and meteorological conundrums, aided by a crack team of experts
on the ground. The nature of the two men, tested by the long, hard
confinement in the small gondola, shines vividly from the fascinating text,
which is enriched with stunning photographs of their epic adventure.
The Beast Reawakens: Fascism's Resurgence from Hitler's Spymasters to Today's NeoNazi Games and Right-Wing Extremists
Martin A. Lee
Routledge; ISBN: 0415925460
Look around. It's everywhere, fragmented, largely undereducated,
marginalized - but everywhere. In Russia, France, Austria, Italy, England,
North America, fascism - sometimes generously labelled ultraconservatism or
ultranationalism - is making a surprisingly strong comeback. Democracies
seem baffled by how to tolerate and stymie it simultaneously. Author Lee
quotes Frankfurt School philosopher Theodor Adorno: "[T[he continued
existence of fascism WITHIN democracy [is] more threatening than the
continued existence of fascist tendencies AGAINST democracy". Lee points out
that fascism is a slippery philosophy to begin with, tenacious but
ill-defined, and adept at adopting aliases and changing shape to exploit
fears. He chronicles the history of neofascism and neoNazism, tracing it to
the July 20th assassination attempt on Hitler. The aftermath of the attempt
left 2000 ranking Nazis dead and brought two true believers who survived the
World War relatively unscathed to prominence in the ensuing Cold War. Not
surprisingly, it was while the superpowers busied themselves fighting each
other that neofascism sank its roots, often leeching from their wilfully
blind dominant partners.
Swaggart: The Unauthorized Biography of an American Evangelist
Swaggart: The Unauthorized Biography of an American Evangelist
Ann Rowe Seaman
Continuum Pub Group; ISBN: 0826411177
The phenomenon of television evangelism fascinates us, most notably for its
success in reversing definitions - pointing outward to cultism, clothing
naked greed in the generous spirit of faith, taking sacred names in vain
pursuits, and cynically perverting true belief. Among the most familiar
names in the faith game is Jimmy Swaggart. Unlike other disgraced leaders,
Swaggart's sackcloth and ashes actually succeeded in rehabilitating him a
time or two. Seaman doesn't gloss over Swaggart's considerable flaws, but
she does try to identify the demons that drive the man so relentlessly on
both sides of the pulpit. He really is an interesting character, the product
of a childhood in which religiosity and speaking in tongues among children
were status symbols elevating the mothers. Seaman also makes telling
connections among the behaviors of Swaggart and his first cousins, Jerry Lee
Lewis and Mickey Gilley. Ultimately, though, what she offers is the picture
of a man who claimed to mediate between his flock and the Almighty, but was
unable to reconcile the divine and profane in himself.
NONFICTION
Two Fat Ladies Obsessions
Clarissa Dickson Wright and Jennifer Paterson
Clarkson Potter; ISBN: 0609606344
Even we admit to how daunting it would be to dine like this on a
regular basis. But, when the occasion simply demands indulgence, these
are the women with the goods: Cream, butter, red meat, salt, bacon,
whole eggs with extra yolks, chocolate and other caffeines, and
(horrors!) white sugar. As always, the recipes are only part of the
story, and the books are filled with the ladies' zest for life and
taste for tradition as well. Obsessions is the ladies' most recent
offering, published posthumously after Jennifer Paterson's death late
last year. You might also be interested in
Two Fat Ladies Full Throttle or
Cooking with the Two Fat Ladies.
The Director's Vision: A Concise Guide to the Art of 250 Great Filmmakers
The Director's Vision: A Concise Guide to the Art of 250 Great Filmmakers
Geoff Andrew, Joel and Ethan Coen (foreword)
Lawrence Hill Books; ISBN: 1556523661
Geoff Andrew's method is not to analyze the filmographies of the great
directors. Instead, he deconstructs them on what amounts to the atomic level
of film-making - by examining a single exemplary frame from each artist's
work. And, striking images they are. The cover arrests us immediately, with
fortune hunter Cary Grant climbing the staircase, framed in a spider's web
of shadows, bearing the ultra white glass of milk that may or may not carry
poison to his heiress wife Joan Fontaine. Could there be a more Hitchcockian
image? (Did Hitch suffer from climacophobia, we wonder - the dread of
stairs?) The limitation that Andrew imposes on himself and his readers,
though, is to confine his selections to directors with an immediately
identifiable visual style. Thus, Ed Wood, Jr., for instance, makes it into
the gallery - and could a real cinephile argue? Directors strong on story,
but without a visual signature, don't appear. For sheer entertainment, don't
miss the indies' Coen brothers' comic foreword.
Technology of Orgasm: "Hysteria," the Vibrator, and Women's Sexual Satisfaction
Technology of Orgasm: "Hysteria," the Vibrator, and Women's Sexual Satisfaction
Rachel P. Maines
We were mightily amused by a story we read recently about Alabama's 1998 law
outlawing the sale of vibrators in the State, and a little cruising in the
bookstore led us to this related work. For many centuries and with some
variations, it was received medical wisdom that women diagnosed with
"hysteria" - womb disease - were suffering the effects of the accumulation
of fluids that would otherwise be freed by intercourse. The prescription:
manipulation of the genitals until the woman reached "paroxysm", usually in
the doctor's place of business and sometimes administered as often as once a
week. But, doctors found it a dreary business; sometimes it took as much as
an hour of their time, for Pete's sake. So, they turned the work over to
midwives. Then, in the late 19th century, inventors began to offer
mechanical devices to do the job. We like the bells and whistles that came
with some of the efforts - musical accompaniment and rubber balls, for
instance. Our favorite, though, came by catalogue from Sears Roebuck; it was
a home motor with attachments for churning, mixing, beating, grinding,
operating a fan - and vibrating. It took Alabama nearly a century to come up
with anything half so funny.
Prince Borghese's Trail: 10,000 Miles over Two Continents, Four Deserts and the Roof of the World in the Peking to Paris Motor Challenge
Genevieve Obert
Council Oak Distribution; ISBN: 1571780858
We could be forgiven in dispensing with a blurb for this book, given its
perfectly descriptive title. You immidietly know what it's about. What
you may not know is that this is a rousing account of two women piloting
a tiny British sports car in the worlds longest vintage car ralley. A
grand adventure which expertly portrays the thrill, drama, and
spactacle of this eminently eccentric event. Great fun.
FICTION
Killer in Drag
Ed Wood Jr.
Four Walls Eight Windows; ISBN: 1568581203
Yes, THAT Ed Wood Jr. In Killer in Drag, he sets out to prove that his
literary gift was every bit the equal of his cinematic talent. From the
same man who brought you "Plan 9 from Outer Space", "Jail Bait", and
"One Million AC/DC" comes the story of Glen, cross-dressing contract
killer for the Mob - and, no, that's not the Glen of Wood's
cross-dressing filmed opus "Glen and Glenda". Glenda becomes the target
of her employers and runs off to buy a circus. Tragedy and death follow
her, of course. Wood's words are treasures, every line, every phrase a
contender for the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest of the world's most
deliciously dismal writing. Savor Glenda's tender moment with her own
angora-clad falsies: "She squeezed harder - then harder - she rubbed it
- the sensation overwhelmed her - She sighed aloud - 'Oh what matter -
there are more panties in the glove compartment.'" Eventually Glenda
kills another transvestite hitman and ends up on Death Row, where she
tells her story in
Death of a Transvestite. True to his passions, Wood didn't stop there.
Four Walls Eight Windows, the eclectic independent publisher, has
already issued
Hollywood Rat Race, and there are about a dozen more Wood novels in
the wings.
Disgrace
Viking Pr; ISBN: 0670887315
J.M. Coetzee
There are plot guys and word guys, and Coetzee is definitely a word guy -
yet events do keep twisting and twisting. Word guys come in two flavors:
those who add sugar to sweeten life, and those like Coetzee who serve it
plain and uncompromising. What are we, he wants to know, under the skin,
close to the bone, stripped of all degrees and possessions, vanities and
pretensions - what are we? Coetzee picks at this question in mesmerizing
fashion, sharing his puzzlements and illuminations in this lean, no sugar
added tale that won him distinction as the only double Booker Prize winner.
Nothing disgraceful about this book
Jukebox Queen of Malta
Nicholas M. Rinaldi
Simon & Schuster; ISBN: 0684856123
Is this novel tough to describe? Well, we've read reviews that compare
it to "Catch-22" meets "Alice in Wonderland" and to "The English
Patient". On the face of it, it seems simple enough. An American
soldier is sent to Malta during World War II. Malta was the staging
area for bombing runs that successfully kept Rommel in check in North
Africa and it endured terrible attacks as a result. But endure it did,
for two years. Meanwhile, back in our novel, our American, Cpl. Rocco
Raven, has discovered that his orders were wrong, his supposed
commanding officer is dead, and running the show is Lt. Fingerly, who
merrily mines the war for fun and profit. Rocco also discovers love in
the form of Melita Azzard, who delivers jukeboxes made from spare auto
and gramophone parts. Despite its comic elements, this is a graceful
book, beautifully written, fully aware of its harrowing setting.
The Dress Lodger
Sheri Holman
Atlantic Monthly Pr; ISBN: 0871137534
A semi-gothic thriller set in Georgian England of 1831 where cholera
rages and a young surgeon finds no shortage of bodies - dead or alive -
to further his ambitions. As you might expect the book is medicinally
grousome, but brimming with humor and wit, making it a delectable snack
of a read.
MUSIC TO READ BY
Billie Holiday: The Complete Decca Recordings [BOX SET]
Billie Holiday: The Complete Decca Recordings [BOX SET]
Billie Holiday
Uni/Grp; ASIN: B000003N36
In the 1940s, when she was signed with Decca, Billie Holiday left
behind the jazz stylings that had made her reputation and surrendered
to Decca's lush string arrangements and torchy lyrics. Despite the
constraints of the torch song and arrangements, Holiday managed to make
her expressive renditions distinctly her own and raised the bar for
torch singing ever after. Here's a collection that shows how she did
it. On this two-CD box set about half the songs come with alternative
versions of the final recording, some of which may be familiar. With
Holiday's voiced stilled for so long now, it's a jolt to hear the
difference in familiar numbers, variations that come from a slight
change in phrasing, a tiny choice about timing, or the simple twist on
a note. Unlike the more impassioned extemporaneous Lady of her early
and late career, you can hear Holiday experimenting and layering her
choices in successive takes. It took Holiday almost eight hours, for
instance, to put down a master of Big Stuff that passed muster -
obviously not all of it offered here. Beautifully presented, the set
includes a hardback linen cover and a first-rate illustrated booklet.