This is a vast, vast book. Not just in its global canvas, but in depth of thought, opinion, and detail. Max Hastings, the British author of many previous war histories, has done the near impossible: summarized World War II in a brilliant, thrilling single volume. He gives not just the overview of major events of titanic proportion, but first hand accounts of individuals who experienced the war from many perspectives and situations. As we read this brilliant book, we begin to have a pretty good idea of what it was like to have your country invaded, or to have engaged in battle, or lay wounded in a field hospital, or have your home bombed out, or witness unspeakable horrors… Read more
After reading this book, you will never look at public signs, newspapers, advertising, or even your computer settings the same again. Just My Type by Simon Garfield is a brilliant little book on a topic you would think boring beyond belief. But you would be wrong, for there is a lot to learn about how fonts and type sets affect the way we read and think. Thousands of fonts are all around us and we are affected by them in an almost subliminal manner. Why do some ads attract us more than others? Why is the masthead of a newspaper written in a gothic style? Why are highway signs printed in lower case letters? And why did IKEA change its font from Futura to Verdana, and endure… Read more
Although this autobiography is a bit dated (published 1988), it is an interesting look into the old Hollywood star system and one stars process through it. Debbie Reynolds has written a good book, about her life and her career, although this reader began to wonder how much bad luck can one person accumulate. Debbie's education was on the old MGM lot and she learned plenty. Above all, she was a hard worker with a kind heart. Unfortunately she made a disasterous marriage to Eddie Fisher, who dumped her with infant children for Elizabeth Taylor. Well, Frank Sinatra warned her about singers. This was followed up by an apparent happy marriage to millionaire Harry Karl, who by the end… Read more
