[DruulEmpire]

Got this for my father's birthday in September.  He's a historian who's not usually into alternative history, but he found this passable.

By the way, I wouldn't mind seeing more suggestions here -- I tend to gift with books, but there are no longer readily accessible bookstores where I can browse around for hours, the selection seems worse these days, less of those off-the-beaten-trail kinds of books that make a gift feel special.

[rtpoe]

Almost President: The Men Who Lost the Race but Changed the Nation by Scott Farris

America loves Winners.

When it comes to Presidential elections, the losers are often consigned to the dustbin of trivia questions. For example, poor Alton Parker, who lost to Theodore Roosevelt in 1904, is still waiting for some historian to write him a proper biography!

But often, as Farris point out in this collection of biographies, the losers are still important political figures that had and still have something to say. Barry Goldwater (1964) and George McGovern (1972) each changed the fundamental philosophy of their parties. Al Smith's loss in 1928 convinced America's Catholics that they had better get off their asses and do something to counter the anti-Catholic prejudice that cost Smith the election. And after losing to Lincoln in 1960, Stephen Douglas went back onto the campaign trail and put his considerable oratorical skills to use, convincing people that whatever they thought of Lincoln, it was vitally more important to rally behind him to preserve the Union.

At some point in time, many people thought that people like Thomas Dewey and Adlai Stevenson were good enough to be president. Even if they didn't make it, they are still worthy of honor and respect.

Farris also includes a chapter on one of the most underappreciated parts of our political process - the concession speech.

[rtpoe]

Banzai Babe Ruth by Rob Fitts

A lot of reviewers focus on how the 1934 visit of a team of baseball all-stars to Japan was an attempt at improving relations between the US and that country. I didn't see it that way; the influence of the State Department was minimal. Other than making sure everyone had passports and reminding them that they needed to be on their best behavior since they would be representing their country as well as their sport, the diplomats had little to do with the barnstorming tour. It was the brainchild of a Japanese newspaper publisher, who wanted it as a promotion for his paper. Diplomacy had nothing to do with it.

Given that, though, if you want to know about the history of baseball in Japan, this is the book for you. It was this tour that led directly to the first professional baseball teams in Japan. Many of the stars assembled to play the Americans became the nucleus of the Tokyo Giants.

You'll meet Jimmy Horio, a minor-league outfielder from Hawaii who hoped his stint with the Japanese All-Stars would help get him attention and a call-up to the major leagues. There's pitcher Eiji Sawamura, fresh out of high school, who, thanks to a quirk in the stadium, was able to strike out Ruth, Jimmie Foxx, Lou Gehrig, and Charlie Gehringer (Hall-of-Famers all) in succession. And Moe Berg, who on his own initiative snuck around with his movie camera and took clips of places that were off-limits to outsiders. And The Babe, of course, at the end of his playing career, hoping the experience could help him land a managerial job...

[pedonbio]

Colonel Roosevelt by Edmund Morris. It covers the period from his trip to Africa in 1910 to his death in 1919. One of the qualities of great history writing is to remind us of things that were so common that few people wrote of their significance. For example, until the 1920s or later virtually all adult Americans could identify scores of wild birds by their calls. For relaxation Roosevelt would sit on his porch ovelooking Long Island Sound after supper until he had identified 40 or 50 bird species. Now I doubt one could find that many species.

[AgentDee]

Just read Carte Blanche the new 007 novel that was written as a literary reboot of James Bond in book form.  the Ian Flemming estate hand picked the writer to relaunch 007 for a new generation.  it is a darn good book, a lot more reality and less fantasy and gadgets that were in the older movies.

[Zealot]

I just finished "Rolling Hot" by David Drake.A reporter is doing a story on Hammer's Slammers on another planet in a state of war,and before he knows it he's aboard one of their combat cars as a gunner rather than an observer.He starts out as a wimpy,privileged mama's boy trying to make a living for himself and in two days he's a raspy-voiced combat hardened veteran.War does that to you in the far reaches of space,it seems.

[AgentDee]

I've been re-reading Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: a trilogy in four (err five) parts".

Someday I'll have the whole thing memorized 

is that the one in the black hard cover with built in book mark?  if so I have it, I only read up to the Restaurant at the end of the Universe part of the stories so far.

[Zealot]

I just finished "The Tank Lords",another of Drake's "Slammers" series.I'm now starting on "The Armor of Contempt" by Dan Abnett.It's one of a number of novels based on the "Warhammer:40,000" role-playing game.It's common for any movie adapted from a video gameor even a board game(like "Battleship") to be a flop;I'm about to see if the same goes for a novel.

[pedonbio]

The Story of Jane by Laura Kaplan. Between 1820 and 1973 a tiny minority of religious zealots enacted laws against abortion state-by-state as part of a scheme to subjugate women. A few groups of women fought back, and none so successfully as Jane. My favorite part was the acknowledgements section; a couple of women I knew had been involved, but never said anything.

[rtpoe]

Conquered into Liberty by Eliot A. Cohen

Cohen, an expert on "strategic studies", looks at two centuries of conflict in one of the most significant theaters of war in America: the "Great Warpath", know to most people as the Lake Champlain region. Before the era of steam and steel, Lake Champlain was the express route between Montreal and Albany. The struggles for control of the area played a vital part in the histories of both the United States and Canada, and as Cohen shows, the battles fought there still have much to teach us.

[ChelseaCharmsFan]

Have finished reading 5 books recently.

All good books.

I recommend them.

Sacré Bleu - By Christopher Moore.  Have read all of his books and they are all hilarious.  Even read the Comic book he did.  This book was not his usual way of writing, which is cool.  He tried something different and it worked.  It got crazy towards the middle and then end of the book, just like his other books.

Chomp - By Carl Hiassen.  One of his best.  As usual, a lot of crazy ideas in the book, but the thing is, they are all based on true stories.  He puts them together to make a hilarious book.

Star Wars - Darth Plagueis - By James Luceno.  I was so looking forward to this book and it exceeded my expectations.  One of the best scenes in all the 6 live action Star Wars movies is in 'Star Wars : Episode III - Revenge Of The Sith.'  The opera scene when Anakin Skywalker meets up with Chancellor Palpatine and Palpatine explains the story of Darth Plagueis.  Totally awesome scene with weird opera music and some weird ass looking squid aliens in the background swimming in the air.

Star Trek: Typhon Pact: Plagues of Night (Star Trek - The Next Generation) - By David R. George III.  First of a trilogy of books that continue with The Typhon Pact series of books that has featured stories that invole 'Star Trek - The Original Series', 'Star Trek - The Next Generation', 'Star Trek - Deep Space Nine', and 'Star Trek - Voyager.'  Does not include 'Star Trek - Enterprise', but mentions events from the series, so it is involved in one way.  This is a good start to a new trilogy of books that involves mainly the Enterprise crew from 'Star Trek - The Next Generation.'

Star Trek: Typhon Pact: Raise the Dawn (Star Trek - The Next Generation) - By David R. George III.  The second book in the new trilogy of books in the continuation of The Typhon Pact series.  It involves the Enterprise crew from Star Trek - The Next Generation, and it is getting very good and I am looking forward to the third book in the trilogy.

[calcifer]

I've enjoyed "The Passage" a few months ago, and want to get my hands on the sequel "The Twelve" which my local library has yet to produce. If I don't get it soon, I might just use my Amazon gift credits to just buy the damned book....

[Quadhouse]

Queen of Wands by John Ringo.  For a fantasy book, it had some very interesting arguments about religion.  I also liked the Warehouse 13 crossover at the end of the first half of the first story.

[pedonbio]

Queen of Wands by John Ringo.  For a fantasy book, it had some very interesting arguments about religion. 

Hmmm. A fantasy book with interesting arguments about myths...

[rtpoe]

Sex on the Moon by Ben Mezrich

Thad Roberts is a hotshot young researcher at NASA in Houston. He and his group of friends come up with a daring game of "can you top this" for their parties. Thad, after sneaking his way onto the Space Shuttle flight simulator (it was too easy - no one asked any questions about what he was doing there), noted that his supervisor/mentor was one of the few people in the world allowed to handle moon rocks - and he kept samples in a safe in his lab...

The Last Great Senate by Ira Shapiro

Oh, for the good old days, when senators actually worked for the good of the country instead of the good of their party... Shapiro was a Senate staffer during the Carter administration, and he tells the good inside stories of how things got done back then, when you had senators like Jacob Javits, George McGovern, Edwin Muskie, and Birch Bayh who really gave a damn about doing the right thing.