Review: Chinese Frescoes from the Royal Ontario Museum

Chinese Frescoes from the Royal Ontario Museum by The Royal Ontario Museum of Archaeology

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Illustrated with numerous b\w photo plates and illustrations, this work covers the acquisition, shipment, and interpretation of several frescoes. The large, 8vo paperback binds together the Bulletin of the Royal Ontario Museum of Archaeology Nos. 12-14 from 1937.



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Review: Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town

Methland: The Death and Life of an American Small Town by Nick Reding

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This is really a shocking and detailed look at the history, roots, and state of the "meth epidemic" and rural, small town America. The author met victims and actors in this grim drama and convincingly paints this scourge as the "American drug" as it gets its hold by offering energy and euphoria to underpaid works doubling up on shifts and doubling down on the bet that hard work will bring success, or at least security.



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Review: The 15th Over Italy

The 15th Over Italy by Jack H. Bozung

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This is a unit history of the United States Army Air Forces 15th Air Force. The first two pages are a history from its formation through the end of WW II. The rest of the book is B&W photos with captions as the only text. These photographs cover warfare, R&R, camp life, the locals, the enemy, and more. In addition to action photos, the book has many photos from the Italian towns and cities visited by the 15th including sections on R&R in Cairo and Palestine.



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Review: Accidental Playboy : Caught in the Ultimate Male Fantasy

Accidental Playboy : Caught in the Ultimate Male Fantasy by Leif Ueland

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



Part of what intrigued me was the setup here of this memoir of a wanna-be novelist riding the bus for the Playboy's Millennium Playmate search (ultimately chosen were Carol and Darlene Bernaola, Peruvian twins) as a daily poster for Playboy.com. Long ago, I was a stringer for MTV.com. Much less glamorous, but I am aware of what it meant then to be part of a minor Web site page of a much larger media empire. Despite running into content restrictions, little of that is here.

The author did parlay this opportunity into confronting his own anxieties, sexual hangups, and general insecurity and triumphing. That is, I think, the real story here and along the way there is explicit descriptions of world-class babes and detailed sexual encounters.



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