{"id":37254,"date":"2026-04-16T08:11:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T15:11:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/?p=37254"},"modified":"2026-04-16T08:31:58","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T15:31:58","slug":"pauls-book-reviews-70","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/?p=37254","title":{"rendered":"Paul’s Book Reviews"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"clown<\/a>Clown Town<\/strong> (Slough House #9)<\/a>
\nby Mick Herron
\nFiction\/Thriller\/Espionage<\/em>
\n\"4_5\"<\/p>\n

Description (from Goodreads):<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Jackson Lamb and the bad spies of Slough House are caught in a deadly battle between MI5\u2019s secret past and its murky future in this gripping, hilarious, and heartbreaking thriller by Mick Herron.<\/p>\n

My review:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

I love Mick Herron’s Slough House novels, which together are a worthy, albeit more comic, successor to the great British espionage series of John le Carre and Frederick Forsyth.<\/p>\n

As with each previous Slough House novel, Clown Town begins with a god’s eye view of Slough House itself and its immediate environs, starting at the sticky alley-level back door and leading up the narrow staircase past the various slow horses’ offices to the attic warrens of Catherine Standish and Jackson Lamb, this time with the added glimpse of a covert murder committed by a long-ago team of British secret service agents, a stark bit of writing that should raise the hairs on the back of any reader’s neck.<\/p>\n

But … no giveaways, right? This is one of the best, tightest novels in the series. One can only pray the accompanying streaming TV series, Slow Horses (Apple TV), continues its string of renewals and that Clown Town will become its ninth season.<\/p>\n

Be prepared for some shocking changes, which hint at an altered trajectory for future Slough House novels. This is not a novel for readers simply looking for more of what they’ve liked in the past, so toughen up before you start reading.<\/p>\n

\n

\"devil<\/a>The Devil Reached Toward the Sky: An Oral History of the Making and Unleashing of the Atomic Bomb<\/a><\/strong>
\nby Garrett M. Graff
\nNonfiction\/History<\/em>
\n\"4_5\"<\/p>\n

Description (from Goodreads):<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

A sweeping and comprehensive oral history of the atomic bomb\u2019s creation and deployment, marking the 80th anniversary of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.<\/p>\n

My review:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

As advertised, an oral history. I have read a few books about the development of the atomic bomb, including several histories of its effects on Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the survivors. Where this history differs from others is in going back to the experiences of the scientists and physicists, many of them Jewish, who escaped Germany and other European countries for England and the United States, sometimes just one step ahead of the Nazis. Their recollections, along with their contemporaneous notes and letters, send a strong and spine-chilling message to American readers today, living under an anti-science and openly racist administration.<\/p>\n

Also outstanding: the histories of Oak Ridge, Hanford, and Los Alamos, three key atomic research and production facilities developed from virtually bare land in the early 1940s, including some not-so-flattering insights into Oppenheimer’s attitudes toward non-white Americans (and later, the impression shared by fellow physicists that Oppie rehearsed his famous “I am become death” line prior to the Trinity test \u2014 oh well, guess he was as human as the rest of us).<\/p>\n

As a military man and aviator, I devoured the chapters devoted to Colonel Tibbets and the 509th Bomb group and their experiences at Wendover and Tinian, not to mention the minute-by-minute memories of the crews aboard the Enola Gay and, three days later, the Bockscar on their historic missions.<\/p>\n

The chapters containing Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivor recollections are, of course, grim reading. I especially appreciated Graff’s mention of John Hershey’s famous article about Hiroshima in The New Yorker, published in August 1946, which exposed and subverted the U.S. government’s strenuous efforts to deny and cover up the longer-term effects of radiation on civilian populations. This section of the book sends another chilling message to American readers today, bombarded with deliberate government misinformation about almost everything, most lately the murders of American citizens by federal agents.<\/p>\n

Riveting from start to finish. A welcome and valuable addition of the history of the atomic bomb.<\/p>\n

\n

\"murder<\/a>Murder on the Orient Express<\/strong> (Hercule Poirot #10)<\/a>
\nby Agatha Christie
\nFiction\/Mystery<\/em>
\n\"4_0\"<\/p>\n

Description (from Goodreads):<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

A luxurious journey aboard the Orient Express turns into a race against time when a murder is committed. Detective Hercule Poirot interrogates the suspects during a long stop in the mountains of Yugoslavia.<\/p>\n

My review:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

This was my book club’s choice for March 2026. It was my suggestion we read an Agatha Christie mystery; our host considered several titles and settled on one of Christie’s best-known works, Murder on the Orient Express.<\/p>\n

As for my review, you’ve nothing to fear \u2014 in the unlikely event you know nothing of this famous mystery, you’ll not have the ending spoiled by anything I say. I’ll just say that the elements of the classic closed-room mystery are all here.<\/p>\n

Agatha Christie was not the first mystery writer to write closed-room mysteries, nor the first to create a master detective with a name almost everyone knows, one who can solve complex crimes purely through the powers of observation and deductive reasoning. Nevertheless, like Henry Ford, whom we instantly think of when we think about the development of the automobile but was one among many inventors along the way, she’s who we think of when we think “mystery writer.” And deservedly so. Her tales are well-written, entertaining, and full of surprises for the reader. Hercule Poirot is every bit as memorable as Sherlock Holmes \u2014 or Jack Reacher, for that matter. What’s not to love?<\/p>\n

These days, sensitive readers are put off by Agatha Christie’s dated assumptions about race, ethnicity, and nationality. I have heard some say she’s anti-Semitic and racist. There’s little evidence of the latter in this novel, but there’s plenty of stereotyping when it comes to social castes and nationalities. IMO that’s par for the course for writers of her era, so toughen up, buttercup. The ride is worth the occasional unwoke bump.<\/p>\n

This may be of interest to some: after reading the book I decided to see the movie. There are two: one filmed in 1974 and a remake from 2017. Both are available as rentals on major streaming services, but of the two Sidney Lumet’s 1974 production is by far the more highly-regarded and that’s the one my wife and I watched. It’s great fun.<\/p>\n

\n

\"the<\/a>The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia<\/strong> (The Hainish Cycle #6)<\/a>
\nby Ursula K. Le Guin
\nScience Fiction<\/em>
\n\"4_0\"<\/p>\n

Description (from Goodreads):<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Shevek, a brilliant physicist, decides to take action. He will seek answers, question the unquestionable, and attempt to tear down the walls of hatred that have isolated his planet of anarchists from the rest of the civilized universe. To do this dangerous task will mean giving up his family and possibly his life\u2014Shevek must make the unprecedented journey to the utopian mother planet, Urras, to challenge the complex structures of life and living, and ignite the fires of change.<\/p>\n

My review:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

My first Le Guin. I grew up on science fiction, but abandoned every Ursula Le Guin novel I ever picked up after only a few pages. Not sure I can explain why. Well, better late than never, right? Now in my late 70s, I finished The Dispossessed over the course of a few days, flipping through only a few dull passages, and can honestly say I enjoyed it. More than enjoyed: I want to learn more about the briefly-mentioned Hainish and plan to start reading Le Guin’s Hainish Cycle novels.<\/p>\n

There’s a lot of earnest expository stuff here, mostly about the socialist\/anarchist society of barren Annares and how it compares to the capitalist society of the more Earth-like Urras; sober and sincere exploration of grand ideas in the manner of late-night college dorm discussions. If you guessed those were the “dull passages” I eventually flipped through, you would be correct. Everyone on Annares is so sincere: if Le Guin’s collective anarchists were my creation, 30% of them would be dirtbags and slackers, deplorables in so many words, because my lived experience no longer allows me to view humanity through an idealistic lens.<\/p>\n

Shevek’s story is intrinsically interesting, even though his character is less than fully developed; the other characters, both on Annares and Urras, are downright paper-thin. This is a novel of ideas, not characters, but Shevek’s experiences in the present of the novel (and in interwoven flashbacks to his earlier life) pulled me along.<\/p>\n

I see now why Le Guin is so widely regarded as foundational to science fiction.<\/p>\n

\n

\"discovery<\/a>Discovery Road<\/a><\/strong>
\nby Richard Herman
\nFiction<\/em>
\n\"3_5\"<\/p>\n

Description (from Goodreads):<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Jolene Carli, a divorced mother recently released from prison, is driving to Chicago with her nine-year-old daughter, Abby. They are caught in a desert thunderstorm in California and rescued by Camden Spencer, a college professor of English, who is also bound for the Windy City. Jolene is a desert rat and Camden a brilliant Oxford-educated intellectual. Their worlds clash as they travel eastward in a small RV on Route 66, the \u201cMother Road\u201d that John Steinbeck so aptly named.<\/p>\n

My review:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Dick Herman and I flew together; we’ve been friends for a long time. I’ve followed his post-USAF writing career and believe I’ve read all of his published books. I miss the days when Dick wrote Tom Clancy-esque military thrillers, but as he says in the afterword to this, his latest novel, the publishing market moved on to other genres, and Dick adapted.<\/p>\n

I can see Discovery Road as a streaming TV series. I’d watch it, too. An improbable pairing of characters, each with problems of his or her own; a road trip on America’s most historic road punctuated by tense confrontations with gangsters, a nasty ex-husband, and shadowy FBI agents, not to mention a clapped-0ut RV that breaks down again and again \u2014 all the elements are here.<\/p>\n

As a novel? It’s a good read. I squirmed a little over the intimate parts, but that’s because I know Dick snd can imagine him squirming while writing those scenes.<\/p>\n

Dick is even more up in years than me and he tells me this may be his last novel. I sincerely hope not.<\/p>\n

Do yourself a favor: find a copy of Warbirds, his first novel, and start from there. You won’t be disappointed.<\/p>\n

\n

\"walk<\/a>A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail<\/a><\/strong>
\nby Bill Bryson
\nNonfiction\/Memoir\/Travel<\/em>
\n\"3_0\"<\/p>\n

Description (from Goodreads):<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Back in America after twenty years in Britain, Bill Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine.<\/p>\n

My review:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

This was my book club’s selection for Feb 2026.<\/p>\n

I’d not read anything by popular author Bill Bryson before. Now I have and can see why he’s popular, but I feel no great pull to read more. When people ask if I’ve read Bryson, I can now say yes \u2014 and that’s good enough for me.<\/p>\n

The book contains an excellent description of the Appalachian Trail, encompassing its history, geography, and geology, as well as the dangers and pleasures it presents to hikers. One can only admire those who’ve tackled great portions of it, not to mention the determined few who’ve hiked its length. As a geological history of the Eastern seaboard, it’s an excellent book.<\/p>\n

Bryson, however, picks an unsuitable hiking companion and spends two-thirds of the book making fun of him. I’m sure it’s all tongue in cheek and that he ran it by his friend for approval before publishing, but the net effect is still off-putting, as are his depictions of other hikers he meets and spends time with on trail. The best part of his narrative, to me, is the middle section between the southernmost and northernmost sections of the trail, when he hikes alone in parts of Pennsylvania and New England, without anyone to bitch about but himself. In fairness, he’s as hard on himself as he is on everyone else, and thank goodness \u2014 I would not have been able to stomach his book otherwise.<\/p>\n

Writing-wise, this is solid four-star work. The aspects of Bryson’s narrative that irked me may not irk anyone else, but nevertheless I’m rating the entire experience of reading A Walk in the Woods at three stars.<\/p>\n

The book is motivating, but perhaps not in the way one might expect: instead of making me want to spend more time outdoors, it makes me want to read more John McPhee.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Six short book reviews: fiction, nonfiction, science fiction, memoir, travel, history, thriller, espionage<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[412,30],"tags":[4394,836,1346,963,838,98,1071,817],"class_list":["post-37254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-books-reviews","category-reviews","tag-espionage","tag-fiction","tag-history-2","tag-mystery","tag-nonfiction","tag-science-fiction","tag-thriller","tag-travel"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=37254"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37254\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":37263,"href":"https:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37254\/revisions\/37263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=37254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=37254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwoodford.net\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=37254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}