Books of May 2010

10 Books
3417 pages


The Pianist
Wladyslaw Szpilman
ISBN 0-312-31135-4
222 pages
May 29

Frightening how easily people turn into brutal animals.  How willing people are to collaborate with them to save themselves, yet how unwilling people can be to fight against tyranny.



Nineteen Minutes
Jodi Picoult
ISBN 0-7434-9673-6
455 pages
May 29

An interesting book about a school shooting.  I knew what the 'surprise' ending was going to be a few chapters in.  I'm surprised there aren't more school shootings.  I'm surprised how important it is to teens to be sheeple.



Tales From the Mos Eisley Cantina
Kevin J. Anderson, Editor
ISBN 0-553-56468-4
380 pages
May 24

Another that I bookmooched.  More enjoyable than the trilogy, fun backstories of Cantina characters. 


Jedi Search
Kevin J. Anderson
ISBN 0-553-29798-8
354 pages
May 18

Dark Apprentice

Kevin J. Anderson
ISBN 0-553-40809-7
354 pages
May 20
Champions of the Force
Kevin J. Anderson
ISBN 0-553-29802-X
322 pages
May 21

I understand now why I haven't read much of the Star Wars universe.  Luckily, the suckage of the latest three Star Wars films prepared me.  "The Jedi Academy Trilogy" is pretty weak.  One thing that particularly bugged me was the repetition of exposition.  All three books were published the same year, you'd think there is an expectation that they would be read soon enough after each other that you don't need to spend a big chunk of the second book rehashing the first and a big chunk of the third rehashing the first and second.  Weak and predictable characters and plot.


The Killer Angels
Michael Shaara
ISBN 0-345-34810-9
355 pages
May 16

I don't think I've read a lot of pulitzer prize-winning novels.  It was interesting.  Reminds me of my lack of historical knowledge.

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All These Earths
F.M. Busby
ISBN 0-553-25413-8
215 pages
May 13

Ultimately disappointed in this one.  A very interesting premise, FTL travel causing slippage to duplicate (with minor differences) universes.  Read like a series of short stories rather than a novel.


The Hollow Man
Dan Simmons
ISBN 0-553-56350-5
341 pages
May 9

Story about a pair of mind readers.  I could believe the mind reading more than I believed the improbably adventures he gets into.  The most interesting thing in this book was the quote from Robert McNamara about there being three types of people.  People who talked mostly about things, people who talked mostly about people, and people who talked mostly about ideas.




Star Wars Allegiance
Timothy Zahn
ISBN 978-0-345-47739-2
419 pages
May 3rd

I don't think I've read any of the Star Wars universe books before.  Strange, since I'm a big Star Wars fan.  It was fun, I've sent off for some more from Bookmooch.