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In Gumption Nick Offerman exposes that it was the writers on Parks & Rec. that made him funny. For a comedic actor he had very few jokes, I will tell them now so you don't have to read this book: 1.) I'm not saying he's not a free mason 2.) Oh look it is a black guy. 3.) Oh look it is a lady.

And some of those he says more than once.

In addition for a guy who goes on about how we need to see the best in both sides, that all of the politicians are all the same, for some reason he thinks Obama is different, he then goes on to spout Democrat talking points for the rest of the book: the second amendment is for hunting (much life your right to keep and bare a fishing pole); unless tax payers foot the bill for killing babies we are inhuman monsters; America is the greatest country in the world; and perhaps the most out of touch parents should buy their kids a house when they graduate high school.

Not worth reading.

This book was pretty good, but one thing it is not is juvenile fiction: sex, murder, adultery, orgy, I don't want to expose my young adult to any of that. Thankfully it wasn't too graphic, though the description of the Tsar's son's hemophilia was more than enough to make me quesey and put the book down more than once.

The first part is told like a fairy tale. I'm usually not too big on symbolism, to the point I argued with my hush school English teacher that it didn't exist. Regardless it's quite clear the bear is the Russian people and Vlad and Leo are Trotsky and Lenin.

I almost thought that part was actually more interesting than the actual historical fiction part with English author Arthur Ransom and his Russian mistress. I was surprised that Ransom returned to England to be with his daughter for a time as in the fairy tale we are told of the foreigner with the briefcase having Russian air in his lungs for the rest of his life.

I still don't understand why he wanted to leave his wife Ivy, and I couldn't imagine my wife making my life so miserable that I would be willing to live thousands of miles from my daughter.

All in all it was a nice quick read before bed a few nights and I would be willing to pick up a couple of the real Ransom's books.

I was disappointed in how little of the actual October revolution there was in almost 300 pages.