Millions and Millions

Stealing Rembrandts: The Untold Stories of Notorious Art Heists by Anthony M. Amore, Tom Mashberg

Summary: Today, art theft is one of the most profitable criminal enterprises in the world, exceeding $6 billion in losses to galleries and art collectors annually. And the masterpieces of Rembrandt van Rijn are some of the most frequently targeted.

In Stealing Rembrandts, art security expert Anthony M. Amore and award-winning investigative reporter Tom Mashberg reveal the actors behind the major Rembrandt heists in the last century. Through thefts around the world—from Stockholm to Boston, Worcester to Ohio—the authors track daring entries and escapes from the world’s most renowned museums. There are robbers who coolly walk off with multimillion dollar paintings; self-styled art experts who fall in love with the Dutch master and desire to own his art at all costs; and international criminal masterminds who don’t hesitate to resort to violence. They also show how museums are thwarted in their ability to pursue the thieves—even going so far as to conduct investigations on their own, far away from the maddening crowd of police intervention, sparing no expense to save the priceless masterpieces.

Stealing Rembrandts is an exhilarating, one-of-a-kind look at the black market of art theft, and how it compromises some of the greatest treasures the world has ever known.

Review: A collection of interesting stories about art thefts of Rembrandt’s works with a little history about Rembrandt himself.

Art thieves, at least art thieves who steal famous works of art, never prosper. They wind up ditching the painting, using an intermediately to return the painting, or using the painting for leverage or ransom. It’s quite ironic since the thieves are expecting to make tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, or even millions from the paintings. Despite the popular image, most art thieves are petty thieves who would steal just about anything to make a quick buck. They often grab what they think is the most valuable and oftentimes leave pieces that are just as valuable or even more valuable.

What surprised me was how some people got almost happy about art thefts, like the thief was sticking it to the rich man. But as the authors point out, when the thieves take from museums, people are losing the chance to ever see that important work of art. Museums are for the masses. The glimpses of Rembrandt’s life was fascinating and I will certainly read more about him and his paintings. His workshop churned out paintings like a modern factory line. Then he lost it all and went into bankruptcy.

Rating:






Recommendation: I would recommend this book to those that are interested in art and art history.

Don't Go to Sleep

The Bed by Sara Brooke

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for a review.

Summary: Don't go to sleep. You never know where you'll wake up. Little Darcy Walker is getting the bed she's always dreamed about. A black bed that's one-of-a kind. But Darcy's bed may not be as new as it looks, and she could be falling into a deathly slumber.

Review: A quick and creepy horror read with an ending that keeps the horror going.

I wondered how a bed could possibly be creepy. Was it possessed? But how could a bed be possessed? I personally believe the bed wasn’t inherently evil, but it was in a place where evil lived and ill deeds occurred. Also, it could have been created from wood in that evil place. While the bed may not have been evil to begin with, it certainly is evil in the story. It acts as a portal to the evil place from whence it came. I can’t tell much more without giving the plot away, but expect loss, sacrifice, and despair. The ending adds to the horror already experienced throughout the book.

Rating:

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to those that enjoy supernatural horror novels.

Zero Plus Zero Equals Zero

Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Seife

Summary: The Babylonians invented it, the Greeks banned it, the Hindus worshipped it, and the Church used it to fend off heretics. For centuries, the power of zero savored of the demonic; once harnessed, it became the most important tool in mathematics. Zero follows this number from its birth as an Eastern philosophical concept to its struggle for acceptance in Europe and its apotheosis as the mystery of the black hole. Today, zero lies at the heart of one of the biggest scientific controversies of all time, the quest for the theory of everything. Elegant, witty, and enlightening,Zero is a compelling look at the strangest number in the universeૼand one of the greatest paradoxes of human thought.

Review: An interesting history of zero that stretches the importance of zero too far by mixing it in with the idea of the void.

What does make zero so dangerous? This book does a good job of going over the history of the zero and how mathematics were before and after zero. I did not realize how much difference having a zero actually made nor the mathematical problems that could occur with zero. Zero really is an incredible concept and I don’t really believe that anyone fully understands zero and how it functions. I also really enjoyed learning about the different mathematical systems of various people. Our minutes and hours are derived from the Babylonians who had a base sixty number system.

What did hurt this book was the connection of zero to a philosophical void or nothingness. I know that zero represents a void or nothingness, but the voids and nothingnesses that were addressed in this book were not simple zeros. They were connected to philosophical and religious questions and discussions that could confirm someone’s belief or break it down. Regardless, I did enjoy learning about how different philosophers and theologians along with societies and religions viewed the void and nothingness and how that changed over the centuries.

Rating:






Recommendation: I would recommend this to anyone interested in the history of mathematics.

Next Up, Bob Goes to Mars

The Sun Zebra by Rolando Garcia

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for a review. 

Summary: The Sun Zebra, is best described as a children's book for grownups. Its aim is to encourage us to discover (or rediscover) the amazing things that children and their magical carefree world can teach us, even as we try to teach them about the harsh realities of our own. The book is a collection of five stories that follow the "adventures in living" of an unusual little girl named Nell, her mother Rhonda, and Nell's father who is the narrator of the stories.

Review: A sweet collection of stories about a man and his daughter and the childlike wonder we lose as adults.

I enjoyed these stories. They were very sweet and showed the natural wonder and innocence of a child. Too often, we lose this innocence and natural wonder of a child, some sooner rather than later. I personally am rather cynical about childhood innocence, but after reading this book, I can certainly see the importance of preserving that innocence as long as possible even though one cannot survive with too much innocence in today’s world. Not all children are alike and Nell seems like a very special child and certainly a great one to write stories about.

My favorite story was Bob the Intrepid Insectnaut. I love insects and was privileged to see, as a child, a cicada coming out of its shell. Cicadas are fascinating creatures. Due to my childhood, I can be rather childlike at times and I found myself wishing that Bob would fly to the stars and see beautiful sights. I was extremely glad that Bob landed in the backyard of a retired entomologist who was able to help him. The other stories were delightful, but not as delightful as Bob. I think this book would resonate strongly with adults who have children.

Rating:






Recommendation: I would recommend this book to those that those are parents or who are involved with children on a daily basis or anyone who misses what was lost in adulthood.

You Never Saw it Coming

Mask of Shadows (Michael Drake Mystery #2) by Erick Burgess

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for a review. 

Summary: Michael Drake, a part-time private investigator and part-time jazz club owner, starts the day as he has many others, doing a favor for a friend. In doing so, he falls right into the middle of a torrid affair. As Michael tries to decide whether or not to tell his friend of his wife's indiscretion, she is murdered. Through no fault of his own, Michael is entangled in a murder plot that reaches back to his days in college. The problem lies in the fact that, in clearing himself, he may implicate the friend that he intended to help. That is only the beginning when murder and passion collide in a small south Louisiana town. When the true killer is revealed, Drake must deal with the consequences and the lives he helped destroy.

Review: A murder mystery with so many twists, turns, and dead ends that you won’t know what’s coming.

The description for Mask of Shadows let me know that this wasn’t going to be a straightforward mystery, as far as mysteries can be straightforward. It sounded like it might be rather torrid, especially with Michael Drake having an affair with a woman who is murdered soon after. And I was certainly not disappointed. I might read more mysteries if they were actually like Mask of Shadows. I did not have the slightest idea that the culprit was actually the culprit. And that’s how a mystery should be. It should keep you guessing until the end.

There weren’t too many characters, but I had a little trouble remembering them all. Some of them were in and out so quickly. Although I am against cheating, I can’t really fault Drake for what he did. Drake was an interesting character. He had a lot of baggage that kept him too much in the past and I know how dangerous it can be to live in the past. His past comes back to him in unexpected ways, but he is finally able to accept the past and start living in the present. I have hope for him.

Rating:






Recommendation: I would recommend this book to those that enjoy gritty mysteries.

To Be Human

Tsukahara's Ghost by Leon Bruce

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for a review.

Summary: Morgan Brunhilde lives on the fringe of society, outcast because she prefers the company of Governed Intelligences to human beings. When a stranger called Tsukahara asks Morgan to help him find a Governed IQ that has gone missing, a Mind, he says, of unlimited intelligence, Morgan agrees on the condition she gets access to the Intelligence once they recover it.

But when Morgan realizes what the existence of an ungoverned Mind actually means, she must decide whether she can trust Tsukahara enough to keep his side of the bargain, or run the risk of losing everything in an effort to win the greatest of prizes.

Review: An enjoyable science fiction story with fascinating technology and questions of humanity.

The short story, “Tail to Contact,” connects with this story although I won’t tell you how since it would spoil the surprise. Tsukahara’s Ghost brings up the same issues raised in Tail to Contact. Issues of identity, what makes humans human, humanity, control, and technology. Element of this book do remind me of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and the comparison is a good one. The plot is seemingly straightforward, but I will admit to being confused at times. This book is short and could have probably been expanded at parts so a reader could better understand the story.

I was a little rough on what CDI exactly was. It seemed like an internet you could “physically” go into with the use of implants or through a connecting device. Beyond that, I wasn’t really too sure. Also, I understood that IQs were governed artificial intelligences. None of them seemed to be self aware even though some of them had very high intelligence. Morgan liked to interact with these IQs although it’s never fully explained although that does explain why she accepted Tsukahara’s offer. I really did not like how many times Morgan got raped or almost raped. It felt unnecessary.

Rating:

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to those that enjoy science fiction that deals with artificial intelligence and clones.

Expiration Date

Tail to Contact by Leon Bruce

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for a review. 

Summary: From the author of Tsukahara's Ghost comes a tale about Reikino Fifty-Nine, the newest assassin.

The fifty-ninth Reikino model to be concepted in MitsuiBiotech's clone manufacturing labs, Rei is an assassin of the highest order. Her abilities and intelligence are unmatched by her predecessors, however with an increase in skill comes an increase in conscience, an increase Mitsui will do anything they can to avoid.


When Rei is sent on a routine mission to catch a spy, her loyalty is tested - by the mission itself, and by the company who made her.

This short story is based on characters from the novel, Tsukahara's Ghost. While it contains back-story to the novel, it may also be enjoyed as a stand-alone read.

Review: An intriguing short story set in a science fiction world where clones and internet implants are normal.

Tail to Contact is a short story that takes place in the world of Leon Bruce’s novel Tsukahara's Ghost. It is a prequel of sorts, but Tsukahara's Ghost can be read without reading Tail to Contact. The idea of clones having expiration dates reminds me of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep and it’s not a bad comparison. I like the questions that are raised regarding obedience, the soul, and our lives truly our own? The story was action packed and I really liked how it connected to Tsukahara’s Ghost.

Rating:

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to those that enjoy science fiction short stories.