Good story about the human power of transformation. Too bad about religious overtones near the end.
This was such a gorgeous book. I was sorry to get to the end. Cather evokes the time and place so wonderfully. I will seek out more of her work.
It's poetry, sure. TS Eliot kinda almost ruined it for me by saying that, lol. It is a great piece of writing, and I enjoyed the ride. Though all the characters speak in "pronouncements," in the same oratorical voice--it's the author speaking throughout--which can make the story difficult to follow sometimes.
The wages of war pay far and long. The story is so heartbreakingly tragic, but beautifully told. Sentences run long and sometimes seem to lose the thread, but there are many rewards to be found in West's clever, poetic, evocative delivery. This book deserves its place on the 102 greatest books by female authors, which I'm slowly but surely working through.
Allegory of French history, which I don't know all that well, but interesting and entertaining anyway as to how little things change in human society.
No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt - The Home Front in World War II by Doris Kearns Goodwin
As always, DKG tells it like a story AND marshals the historical facts, synthesizing a great and illuminating read that easily holds your interest. FDR, Eleanor, Churchill, Stalin, and all the other players come to life as they participate in the great events of the time. Goodwin captures the flaws and the missteps as well as the heroic and brilliant actions.
Very thorough and well-written bio of a less-known president.
Might almost serve as an apologia for Hoover (and a take-down of FDR, in the last hundred or so pages), but that's what you want in a biography, I suppose. The writer is obviously a great fan of Hoover, and I came to like him too. A very thorough life, and not without the warts.
Chopin plays the English language like a concert pianist. Many lovely and poetic turns of phrase. What was shocking in 1899 wouldn't alarm an eight-year-old today, the book is still an engaging read, at times almost like Chopin is whispering it into your ear.
Your Song Changed My Life: From Jimmy Page to St. Vincent, Smokey Robinson to Hozier, Thirty-Five Beloved Artists on Their Journey and the Music That Inspired It by Bob Boilen
A quick, fun, interesting read. If you like the deep dives into musical influences, or just like musicians in their own words, this is worth your while. Wish there was more--maybe there will be!
I'm gonna say I read it; I read about 100 pages and then threw it away. It is extremely rare for me to not finish a book I start, AND to throw it away rather than pass it along, but I found this one so tedious and amateurish--every character speaking in the same voice, for one thing--I felt it best to recycle into some other product rather than let it live on as a book.
Benjamin Harrison: The American Presidents Series: The 23rd President, 1889-1893 by Charles W. Calhoun
Good basic bio of a less-than-significant president.
Dense but entertaining and (of course) THOUGHT-provoking look at how language shapes our though and thought shapes our language. If you ever thought words are unimportant...