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I've been interested in rum for a while now, but I haven't done too much research into it yet. I've read a number of websites, particularly reviews for what's worth buying. Even though this is my first book on rum, I would not really recommend it for people just starting out.

The book is a beautiful hardcover and is broken into three main parts: history; production; and a lengthy listing of a hundred or so rums, their flavors, and mixing with them. And pictures. Lots of beautiful pictures.

The history section is very brief. A few paragraphs have to suffice for several decade's worth of happenings for each major Caribbean island. It jumps around back and forth a lot. I imagine it's pretty similar to how ice cubes feel in a cocktail shaker. I'd describe this section as The History of Rum for People Who Don't Want to Read about the History of Rum.

The production section is equally brief, but in a different way. If the history section treats the reader as being simple and having a short attention span, this one assumes you already know how rum is made or else are a chemistry student and can absorb the high-level discussion. It leaves much to be desired for those who just want to know how rum is made.

Once the token sections are out of the way, we get to what seems to be the real purpose of this book: a section where one page (including a large, color photo of the bottle) is dedicated to a given rum, the distiller, a bit of background information on the brand, the general flavor, and how it works with a few simple mixes (coconut juice, ginger beer, clementine juice, cola) and a cocktail for each major style. This seems to be the most useful part of the book and, as such, it is the largest section. It is also the part that will become the most useless over time as brands or distillers cease to exist or alter blends, or as new rums enter the market. It'll still be relevant for a couple more years, but the clock is ticking.

However, the most useful part of the book for me was a one-page flavor map which plotted all of the listed rums on a vertical and a horizontal axis. Rums are plotted based on their characteristics: Oaky & Rich, Soft & Sweet, Light & Fresh, Crisp & Dry. In one, quick glance, I could see what flavor of rum I preferred based on the ones I've tried (Oaky & Rich non-Jamaican English style).

Overall, I can't really recommend this book, unless you specifically know you don't care about rum history and production and just want a brief description of a hundred or so rums. The list is pretty good as far as quality and popularity go. There are a few cocktail recipes as well, but those are everywhere on the internet. This book also works fine as a coffee-table book for guests to flip through while you're doing something else. As a general book about rum, though, it falls short. To use an analogy a rum-drinker may appreciate: a lot of emphasis has been placed on the beauty of the bottle, there's a hint of something on the nose, but the body is thin, the flavor simple, and the finish short; it definitely could use more refinement in the blending and a few more years in the barrel.

A very succinct look at human technical ingenuity, from the 6th to 16th centuries. For readers who have read their previous Life in a Medieval... series, there is some overlap. However, this book covers those topics in only passing detail. I'd still recommend those other books for more detailed information on cities, castles, and villages.

I found the information on all of the technology that came from China and India quite fascinating, as well as similar technology that was developed independently of each other's. There is also some interesting discussion as to what allowed China to take an initial technological lead, but why Europe eventually surpassed it.

If I have one gripe, it's that there weren't enough pictures to back up the items and descriptions of what they were talking about. That would've made the book longer, and potentially more expensive, but it would've helped. In 2018 it's not a huge problem because of the internet, but it would've been more of an issue back in 1994 when it was originally published.

Still, it's an informative read and probably the best of their books that I've read. I highly recommend it, along with their others.

The third book in the "Life in a Medieval..." series, and easily the most polished in terms of information and narrative. I'd still recommend reading the other two first for things that are explained in greater detail there.

Definitely a good beginner series for those interested in life in the Middle Ages.

A fairly quick, easy-t0-understand book and a good introduction to what gave rise to castles, how they developed, their use, their effects, and their downfall. It doesn't have detailed explanations about layout or floor plans, though. The first part was a bit slow as it seemed to talk about historical individuals instead of castles, but it picked up after that. I actually found the parts about daily life and the villagers more interesting than the knights or war. It's a very informative book, but it is still just an introduction. A very good introduction.

In the 13th century, in China, two soon-to-be fathers and best friends make a vow to unite their families, starting with their as-yet unborn children. However, a chance meeting with a stranger and an attack on their village set in motion a series of events that will alter their families forever.

This is the second novel I've now read in English by Jin Yong (the other one being Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain). He's a legend in Asia for creating a number of stories that have transcended mere pop-fiction and have become part of the culture, somewhat akin to George Lucas with Star Wars or Stan Lee with his many comic-book superheroes. Chances are, if you know someone who grew up in China, Hong Kong, or Taiwan, they know of Jin Yong--most likely because they've read his wuxia (martial-arts hero) novels or seen the stories on TV.

The narrative style is very thin and, unfortunately, the atmosphere is lacking. As such, the novel is filled mainly with many characters doing many, many things. The only exception to this thin narrative is the kung fu, where the fights can go on for several pages. This thin narrative does lend an air of antiquity to the novel, and the action keeps the story flowing. It's a very quick, light read, and all the information you need to know about Chinese history and the wuxia culture are either explained in the text or else in the introductory comments or the appendices.

The plot and characters are something that I can only describe as a lite version of Charles Dickens, set in the martial-arts world of China. Interestingly, both writers serialized their works when they were initially publishing them, which also gives A Hero Born an episodic feel with the spacing out of the twists and action sequences.

At this point, there really doesn't seem to be much mentioned to recommend this novel--and my 3-star rating doesn't help either. However, I think absolutely everyone should read this novel, and here's why: it gives a very natural and easy-to-understand portrayal of the rivalry that is a major part of Chinese culture. As Westerners from a predominantly Christian culture, many of us have been taught to forgive, to not be jealous, and to compete only with oneself. This novel will open any reader's eyes to the deep-seated rivalry, vengeance, and pure power-lust that is so prevalent in Chinese culture. It also discusses misunderstandings, honor, pride and the taking of offense, and cunning shrewdness. This novel will be immediately beneficial to any reader who reads about China in the news or who has dealings with Chinese business people.

It's not a novel without its frustrations, but it is certainly more valuable than it is a waste. It's quick and easy--quite funny at times--and it has Genghis Khan. Go for it.



NB. For anyone looking for perhaps a bit more information about the history of the time period or wuxia, here are two useful links to Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jin_dynasty_(1115%E2%80%931234)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuxia

It took me three starts over many years, but I finally got around to finishing this book. It's very informative, and great for people just starting out with the Middle Ages. The main theme running throughout the novel was the fairs. However, I'd say this wasn't a strong enough narrative thread to pull me along. It could've been better written, but it is what it is--a very good place to start.

Decades after the events of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, British Intelligence is being sued by descendents of two people who died during that operation. Peter Guillam, retired former agent and George Smiley's right-hand man, has been called in to make an accounting--and potentially serve as a convenient scapegoat.

Having read most of John le Carré's novels (the sole exception being his non-espionage The Naive and Sentimental Lover), I'd divide his oeuvre into four categories: the early works (1961-1968, 5 novels), the peak (1974-1989, 6 novels), the random works (1990-1999, 5 novels), and the activist works (2001-2013, 6 novels). The early works were a young novelist struggling to get noticed and find his niche and his voice. The peak was the time of his brilliance, and where most of his fans will find their favorite novel (mine is A Perfect Spy). The random works were written after the Cold War ended and had various antagonists and were rather hit-or-miss in their quality. The activist works, a period he still is in, are more concerned with social issues, are still hit-or-miss as far as quality, and often casts the Americans as the indirect antagonist. A Legacy of Spies seems to be a combination of the peak and the activist works.

(For reference: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_le_Carr%C3%A9#Novels)

For long-time fans, we finally get closure--of a sort. We finally know what happens to Smiley, and we finally know what happened to Karla. We now know who that cyclist was at the start of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. We also get a whole lot more than we bargained for in that we never knew the backstory to and the backroom goings-on of that whole operation and its aftereffects. It makes for a much more intriguing story all round, as I've often felt that novel was overhyped.

The character of Peter is well-enough developed for the purposes of this story, and many fans will enjoy hearing this novel from his point of view. Much of the story is told in the form of him reading old case files, being interviewed by current intelligence officers, and his own reminiscing. The narrative voice le Carré has chosen is slightly less-developed than what he usually gives us, but I think that may be because this novel would have been too much of a jump in style if the readers had only read The Spy Who Came in from the Cold before this.

The purpose of this novel, however, is open to some debate. When I first heard about it and its premise, I was skeptical. It seemed to me le Carré was just drumming up interest in his backlist. What better way to get a whole new generation of readers interested in his "Smiley" franchise? Also, le Carré's sons are movie producers and have already made several of his novels into movies and a TV miniseries. This novel could also lead to renewed interest in remaking the movies that were previously made, as well as greenlighting ones that haven't yet been made. After reading A Legacy of Spies, I still think this to be the case, it's just that the novel was an enjoyable read in the process.

(As a side note, the word "legacy" has an antiquated meaning of "a body of persons sent on a mission". That certainly gives the title A Legacy of Spies another meaning, as we get to see a number of old friends from past le Carré novels.)

I'd say this is a novel for the die-hard fans of his peak, and one they've been waiting a long time for. It is not--I repeat, NOT--a novel for new readers as they'd be lost as to what is going on. A working knowledge of The Spy Who Came in from the Cold is a prerequisite. Plus, there are spoilers, not only for that novel, but also Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. I would probably give this one a 3.5 rating and say it's weaker than all the others from his peak, but I still enjoyed reading it and am glad that I did. It was great to be back in the hands of a master of Cold War espionage fiction. And, like the ending of Smiley's People (my second-favorite of his novels), we're left wondering if their mission was justified in the end. Brilliant, Mr. le Carré. Brilliant.


EDIT: I feel somewhat vindicated about my suspicion of the genesis of the novel.

http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/books/john-le-carre-why-i-brought-back-guillam-smiley-and-the-cold-war-20170912-gyfjb5.html

Khristo, a Bulgarian, is recruited, trained, and sent on assignment by the NKVD in the 1930s. What he and his comrades experience will forever change them.

This is the novel that started it all for Alan Furst. Since its initial publication in 1988, he has written 13 more, all with varying degrees of success, but all set in that 1933-1945 time period in Europe. Having picked up the series at The Polish Officer (book 3) and read all the way through to A Hero of France (book 14), I'm only now going back and reading the first two that I'd missed at the beginning.

This story, as I'm assuming the early novels in the series all share, is less focused on a central plot. It is very much so a group of characters, the things they did, and how it affected them. The Polish Officer had a similar structure, but was focused on one single character--and I think that made a world of difference. While Furst has an amazing grip on atmosphere, and he does put more emphasis on plot in the books in the middle of the series, character has never been his strong suit. This novel has too many of them doing too many things. In the end, it's difficult keeping them straight and even remembering what they had done earlier in the novel. Something definitely should've been done to make us more invested in what's going on with them, perhaps by making the novel longer and spending more time with the characters, or else by cutting some characters out. As it is, in addition to Khristo, we follow a couple of other NKVD recruits and a couple of Americans as well, none of which were handled very well.

That's not to say the novel is time wasted. Furst has an enjoyable style of writing, and the atmosphere is top notch. There is a load of information about the different conflicts at the time, as well as the different politicians and groups who were influential. It's also interesting to see how Furst presents the appeal of Soviet ideology in an unbiased manner, and then the eventual disillusionment through his characters' eyes. I'd say these aspects were actually the part of the novel that saved it from getting a 2-star review from me.

Without having read book 2 in the series yet, I'd heartily recommend anything that he has published in 1995 - 2006 (books 3 - 9), inclusive. After The Foreign Correspondent, it seems like he either isn't focused on his subject matter anymore, or he's become too comfortable and no longer thinks he needs to deliver a quality novel to his readers. This has been dreadfully apparent in his last three novels, published in 2012 - 2016. This book, though, is interesting to see where some of his recurring characters got their start. If you're already a fan, read it for a sense of completion. If you're a new reader, it gets better from here (but then it gets worse later).