Stuart Tares
A well written look at policing in the near past. Would be good if there was an up to date version taking into account some of the new methods which are briefly discussed in the book (ie computerisation etc)
This was an interesting read of the mafia from the 50s to the 90s. Of course it should be taken with a pinch of salt as it is written from one side of a story and the fact that some of the people are dead and cannot therefore refute the comments.
Also Philip Carlo seems to be forgiving of Gaspipe and not truly independent.
Hints of Harry Hole and John Rebus are clear in this book. Sometimes a little disjointed but that could be the translation rather than the original.
Having been to Copenhagen a few times, some of the places mentioned were old and some new. Interesting mix of the new and the old; mixing present, the near and not so near past.
Enjoyed the book and look forward to the next in the series when translated.
There are always two sides to every story. I have watched both series of Making a murderer and I believe there are unanswered questions on both sides but I think that Ken Kratz missed an opportunity to give a completely neutral view of both sides of the story and allow the reader to make a decision.
This was a very interesting read behind the history and potential future of the Church Of Scientology.
It showed that from the very beginning of the Dianetics/Church of Scientology there was a requirement to control the members and to ensure that they stayed onside with whatever the thinking was at that time. It also showed that L Ron Hubbard was egotistical and that he appropriated a lot of information from other areas and put forward as his own - of course, this is often what other religions do as well - after all Christmas Day was a pagan festival before a Christian one.
It was also interesting to read how David Miscavige took control and the insinuation that this is not what LRH actually wanted.
What came across is that the auditing that Scientologists go through can be physically tiring and that in some cases, there was also apparent physical abuse as well (the Lisa McPherson case being one significant case) but it appears to some people to work for them but some would argue that also happens in other sleep deprivation/abuse scenarios.
Overall, I think that this was a balanced book which allows the reader to make their own decisions based on documented information (there are lots of cross references to source material). Of course, some of this source material may be biased in itself to begin with but to allow a in depth “introduction” to the background and power of the Church of Scientology, I would strongly recommend this book.
After reading the initial book, it was an known quantity for the second.
There are more tails of the abuse in both the physical and mental ways that LAS personnel (and I am sure other ambulance/EMT personnel) have to put up with as well as the abuse of the actual system.
An enjoyable book especially if you have been fortunate enough to have visited some of the places which Bryson writes about.
It would be interesting if he was to do an update in a few years time to see how the fall of communism has had an impact on the places which he visted, especially Yugoslavia.
A good read giving the inside track (and possibly the most definitive history) of Pink Floyd.
Because Heather suggested I read it.
Funny in places but predictable ending with a subtle twist.
Having been a fan of Bruce for a long time, I was looking forward to this book.
It is a warts and all take on the history of Bruce and The E Street Band. It moves from Bruce's childhood all the way through to the very recent past.
The book is well researched with Peter Carlin having access to a lot of people who have been intimately involved in the Bruce Story.
A very interesting read. Written in an easy to read manner, it explains the trials and tribulations of a man who risked his life each and every day for the betterment of Northern Ireland as a whole.
I am sure that there were other people who were in similar situations who would have reacted very differently and therefore there would have been a very different outcome.
As with a lot of the Rebus series, there are a lot of intertwinning of plots, some of which hark back to older times.
A well written book, leving the reading wondering if we will hear from some of the main characters again.
We also find out where the name Strawman comes from.