1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, Charles C. Mann - Brilliant. Covered an interesting and somewhat contentious subject matter with erudition, a lively discourse and with, what I felt, was a fair attempt to present both sides of the story. It consequently managed to hold my attention to the end. Could be said to be a macro-history that refutes the arguments of other macro-histories, special kudos to the rather deft treatment of the Maya (re: Diamond). Highly recommended and frankly enthralling. Cheers to NK for recommending it to me some time ago. I've managed to muster some interest in the Americas, sorta.
The Memory Room, Christopher Koch - Acceptable. Pretty standard Koch, it seems that if you've read one you've read them all. It read like The Year of Living Dangerously only less interesting with cookie cutter characters culled from the same cloth. It also lacked the historical clarity of his earlier works and felt like a faded newsreel dug up in the Australian archives complete with the moldering corpse of the clerk who got killed in a rather unfortunate doco-slide. (That place isn't conducive to human life). Not his best, possibly his worst, but still readable.
In Cold Blood, Truman Capote - Chilling but good. I didn't like the stylization, I guess, the reporter cum writer side showed through but I guess that's to be expected considering the format. Enjoyed.
Southeast Asia: An Introductory History, Milton Osbourne - The best short history of Southeast Asia. Granted, in the early period it would be more appropriate to call it not a short history but a guide to the mechanics underpinning the regions history. It nicely shows the reader the limitations of their implicit assumptions with regards to the necessity of force in the maintenance of a state, the notion of a state as an entity and the agency of locals. In short: most of what Westerners sub-consciously bring to the table when discussing the history of the region is flat-out wrong. If you want to learn how to go about understanding Southeast Asia history, then you should read this. If you want a straight history which will have almost no lasting value, I can recommend those. If you want a good general history which also takes the time to explain the inner mechanics of the region to aid in further readings, this is the book. It also has a very useful bibliography and notes. Highly recommended.
A History of Southeast Asia, ed. Peter Church - This happens to be the other history I mentioned in the previous paragraph. Solid, but only really useful in the narrowest sense.
Life & Times of Micheal K, J. M. Coetzee - Interesting. I didn't think I'd like Coetzee, I was wrong. The writing is sparse, the story is relatively simple, but the imagery and the clarity with which the Mssr. K's story is related is breathtaking. Highly recommended, although I understand that Coetzee can be a love or hate affair, with very little in the middle.
Disgrace, J. M. Coetzee - Similar to the Life & Times of Michael K. Highly recommended, with the same caveat.
Light in August, Faulkner - I like McCarthy. I don't think I need to say much more.
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan - I don't know how I read stuff like this as a kid...
