Books and other stuff I feel like discussing
By education and experience - Accountant with a specialty in taxation. Formerly a CPA (license has lapsed). Masters degree in law of taxation from University of Denver. Now retired. Part time work during baseball season as receptionist & switchboard operator for the Colorado Rockies. This gig feeds my soul in ways I have trouble articulating. One daughter, and four grandchildren. I share the house with two cats; a big goof of a cat called Grinch (named as a joke for his easy going "whatever" disposition); and Lady, a shelter adoptee with a regal bearing and sweet little soprano voice. I would be very bereft if it ever becomes necessary to keep house without a cat.
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Books Update - Non fiction
Wow - I hadn't realized over a month has gone by since my last post. I have several books to update you on - beginning with non fiction.
THE INSURGENTS by Fred Kaplan
I'm not a real big military geek, I'm more interested in the personalities involved in history making incidents. I heard this book mentioned in an NPR broadcast, and I was intrigued. The author traces the developing changes in US military strategy, as mid level officers gradually begin to realize that much of what they have learned about effective strategy will no longer apply. Waves of infantry, with tanks in the lead, sweeping over vast stretches of landscape - not the way wars will be fought from now on. Kaplan traces the careers of several officers who realized this and fought within the system to have others understand their views. A really good series of character studies.
And an addendum to the first paragraph - As I read, I was filled with indignation and something quite a bit stronger than just plain indignation. Thousands of young people from the US and its allies were in situations where the old military strategies were simply not going to work, and many of those young people suffered and even died as a result. Meanwhile, military thinkers and planners who DID understand that the old ways would be ineffective struggled to have their ideas considered.
THE BILLIONAIRE'S APPRENTICE by Anita Raghavan
A fascinating recounting of the fall of Galleon Group, one of the biggest insider trading scandals of the last 10-15 years. Several men, all from the Indian sub continent of Asia, all work for various investment advisory and consulting firms. Several break out to start their own firms, and all become seduced by the lure of greater and greater riches. Persistent work by investigators, aided by
testimony from some on the inside who decide to aid the investigation results in evidence which convinces a jury. As is the case with THE INSURGENTS, the most intriguing part of the book is the cast of characters.
FIRE SEASON by Philip Connors
The author works during the summer months as a lookout in one of the last remaining fire towers in the wilderness of the American Southwest. His book celebrates the pleasures of solitude and provides fascinating insight into the mechanisms of forest preservation. Much of the work he does during the summer months can only be accomplished using methods which might seem to us rather old fashioned, but the rugged remote landscape he watches over prevents the use of more "modern" methods. He bemoans the expansion of maintained roadways.
The book is not all sweetness and romantic idyll. In excruciatingly honest detail, he relates an encounter with a young fawn. I had to close the book for a bit and compose myself after that chapter.
Nevertheless, it's one of the best books I've read in a long time.
FLAGRANT CONDUCT by Dale Carpenter
The legal case of Lawrence v Texas began during a turbulent argument involving the residents of a run down apartment complex in Houston, Texas. It ended about three years later in a ground breaking decision of the U S Supreme Court. The case affirmed the rights of gay Americans to have protection from arrest and persecution while in the privacy of their homes.
The widespread understanding of the actual details of the case isn't very accurate, and the author does a good job of explaining the legal planning of the defensive team. Most of the principals involved were interviewed by the author. It's a very engrossing read, even when you know how it all turns out.
I've got some fiction titles to update you on. I hope to be writing more frequently.
THE INSURGENTS by Fred Kaplan
I'm not a real big military geek, I'm more interested in the personalities involved in history making incidents. I heard this book mentioned in an NPR broadcast, and I was intrigued. The author traces the developing changes in US military strategy, as mid level officers gradually begin to realize that much of what they have learned about effective strategy will no longer apply. Waves of infantry, with tanks in the lead, sweeping over vast stretches of landscape - not the way wars will be fought from now on. Kaplan traces the careers of several officers who realized this and fought within the system to have others understand their views. A really good series of character studies.
And an addendum to the first paragraph - As I read, I was filled with indignation and something quite a bit stronger than just plain indignation. Thousands of young people from the US and its allies were in situations where the old military strategies were simply not going to work, and many of those young people suffered and even died as a result. Meanwhile, military thinkers and planners who DID understand that the old ways would be ineffective struggled to have their ideas considered.
THE BILLIONAIRE'S APPRENTICE by Anita Raghavan
A fascinating recounting of the fall of Galleon Group, one of the biggest insider trading scandals of the last 10-15 years. Several men, all from the Indian sub continent of Asia, all work for various investment advisory and consulting firms. Several break out to start their own firms, and all become seduced by the lure of greater and greater riches. Persistent work by investigators, aided by
testimony from some on the inside who decide to aid the investigation results in evidence which convinces a jury. As is the case with THE INSURGENTS, the most intriguing part of the book is the cast of characters.
FIRE SEASON by Philip Connors
The author works during the summer months as a lookout in one of the last remaining fire towers in the wilderness of the American Southwest. His book celebrates the pleasures of solitude and provides fascinating insight into the mechanisms of forest preservation. Much of the work he does during the summer months can only be accomplished using methods which might seem to us rather old fashioned, but the rugged remote landscape he watches over prevents the use of more "modern" methods. He bemoans the expansion of maintained roadways.
The book is not all sweetness and romantic idyll. In excruciatingly honest detail, he relates an encounter with a young fawn. I had to close the book for a bit and compose myself after that chapter.
Nevertheless, it's one of the best books I've read in a long time.
FLAGRANT CONDUCT by Dale Carpenter
The legal case of Lawrence v Texas began during a turbulent argument involving the residents of a run down apartment complex in Houston, Texas. It ended about three years later in a ground breaking decision of the U S Supreme Court. The case affirmed the rights of gay Americans to have protection from arrest and persecution while in the privacy of their homes.
The widespread understanding of the actual details of the case isn't very accurate, and the author does a good job of explaining the legal planning of the defensive team. Most of the principals involved were interviewed by the author. It's a very engrossing read, even when you know how it all turns out.
I've got some fiction titles to update you on. I hope to be writing more frequently.
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