pbadeer reads in 2012

This will serve to list my reads for 2012. An overview of my 2011 reads can be found HERE.

5 Star Reads from 2011:
London Calling by Edward Bloor
Clash of the Demons by Joseph Delaney
Deluxe: How Luxury Lost its Luster by Dana Thomas
The Glass Room by Simon Mawer
Rise of the Huntress by Joseph Delaney

5 Star Reads from 2012:
Safe Passage by Ida Cook
The Wish List by Eoin Colfer
The Devil in Vienna by Doris Orgel
A Child Called 'It' by Dave Pelzer

2012 Tallies
Owned: 31
Audiobook: 39
LT EarlyReviewers: 2
Library: 0

2012 Reads
5 stars: 4
4 - 4.5 stars: 36
3 - 3.5 stars: 22
2 - 2.5 stars: 9
1 - 1.5 stars: 1

. TIOLI Challenge, January #13, Book by someone famous for something other than writing

Completed Book #1 - Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Little Lessons for Making it Work by Tim Gunn - 4 stars

Not sure I'm proud to make this book my first read of 2012, but I felt a little "self help" was in order as I figure out what I want to be when I grow up.

But my family and I do love Project Runway, and what's PR without Tim Gunn. The book was almost stream of conscious writing, and you can easily picture him saying some of this to a designer in the middle of the show.

The book turned out to be a mix of gossip from the fashion industry and Project Runway, memoir of Tim Gunn's life growing up and how he came to this point, and honestly insightful tidbits to consider to make life fuller. Is all of it practical? Not really. I don't really travel in the circles he outlines, but I did find myself taking a few of his ideas to heart, particularly about defining yourself and clarifying your own path. I also appreciated his meager attempts to correct what I too feel is the failing moral fiber of the country as well as the loss of common courtesy which was common once upon a time.

If you're looking for heady reading, this is not for you. But for a breezy read with enough meat to make you think, this book is it.

Glad to see you back with us again, Patrick!

Welcome back!

Good to see you again.

Found you, starred you. Happy reading for 2012, Patrick!

Starred!

Are you coming back to DC for our planned June meet-up? This is the chance to bring your whole family!

Oh, I love Tim Gunn, so although I'm usually not a self-help book reader, I think that one needs to join my wishiist - thanks for the review!

Madeline, when is the June one planned for? The library shows are in Anaheim, California and Chicago this year, not DC. My daughter goes to the Concordia Language Camp (Minnesota) for German every June - for three weeks - so won't be a family outing, but if I can arrange my travel schedule, I'll absolutely plan for it. I actually flew to DC today, a day earlier than normal, because I wanted to attend the DC Antique Show at American University that ended today. Definitely worth it. Great show! I even made time to go to the Peeps Store at National Harbor which I've never had the time to do.

Patrick, when you come into town, let us know ahead of time. Maybe we could have a mini-meet-up...at least for coffee - if it's not on a work day for me or the others who live nearby.

Here's the scoop on plans for the June 2012 DC Meet-up.

. TIOLI Challenge, January, Book received (but not asked) for Christmas

Completed Book #2 - Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook by Joshua Piven - 3.5 stars

As the challenge name indicates, I did not ask for this book, but for some reason, my daughter decided that with all of my traveling lately I may need to know how to land a plane, survive a sky dive without a parachute, escape from quicksand and perform a tracheotomy (OK, that last one was actually pretty cool, and now I am jonesing for someone to choke in front of me). I couldn't decide which was more odd - the topics covered in the book, the fact that my daughter thought this was the perfect gift for me, or the serious tone in which some of the more ludicrous situations were written. But in the end, the serious tone made the reading even more ridiculous (if I am being chased by an alligator, it is unlikely my 50 pounds overweight frame will be able to outrun him regardless of whether I run in a straight line or a zigzag pattern. Quirky enough, but not necessarily a read I would recommend.

. TIOLI Challenge, January, Book with a body of water in the title

Completed Book #3 - Dawdling by the Danube by Edward Enfield - 4 stars

Although it wasn't my intention to start the year with three non-fiction books in a row, due to a little bit of a struggle finishing the two fiction books I have going, this is the way it's played out.

Dawdling by the Danube was completely unique to the other NFC I've read this year, and enjoyable in its own right. It is not a particularly popular LT title (only 7 members own it) and to date has not received the best reviews. I'm not really sure why. I did listen to it on audio, and although I rarely enjoy the author reading his/her own work, in this case, Enfield did a very good job, and I think it added to the interest. I could imagine had I been reading the text that it may have been a little dry. The title is almost literal - the entire book is a psuedo travel-log about a biking tour he took along the Danube River. It includes bits of history, culture, tourism, food, personalities, etc. and often his tangents drift so far that you wonder where you were, but he always comes back, and it's simply a quaint read. He was almost 70 when he took the tour - riding his bike through several countries - and for someone I had never heard of, I became interested in what happened to him. I can't say it's for everyone, but if you are interested in travel journals and/or you have an interest in that part of Europe (I have interest in both), you should give it a try.

. TIOLI Challenge, January, Written by someone famous for something other than writing

Completed Book #4 - No Opportunity Wasted: Creating a List for Life by Phil Keoghan - 3.5 stars

I like nonfiction, but four nonfiction titles in a row is a bit much, even for me, but I was really looking forward to this one. In my continuing quest to see what I want to be when I grow up, I thought this instruction manual on creating your own Bucket List would put me on the right track, and the fact that I love Amazing Race (and do actually wonder what it would be like to participate in it), I thought it would be perfect. Well, I was a little disappointed.

Although some of the things they do on Amazing Race are "outdoors" and "athletic", what I did not realize is that in Keoghan's personal life, he is all about living on the edge and testing your limits - and the ideas behind writing a life list tended to focus on that type of activity. Although that it fine in and of itself, the writing took on the tone that if you didn't want climb Mount Everest, you are lazy and not living up to your potential and here's how to get over your fears. I'm not afraid of Everest - I just don't want to do it. Ever. And I do not think less of myself because of it.

The book is chaptered by themes of the types of challenges you should present yourself (i.e., face your fears, test your limits, etc). Most of them did include ideas that were not physical in nature - facing your fears could be giving a public speech - but they seemed like afterthoughts. His excitement is palpable in this very readable book, and because of it, I did enjoy reading it. It simply did not motivate me to follow his example in creating his kind of Life List.

However, I have taken the concept to heart, and I am creating a kind of Life List, but a practical one. Trips I'd like to take, experiences I'd like to have with my daughter before she graduates, possessions I would like to (realistically) own, etc. If nothing else, it is starting a dialog in my own house about where our next trip should be. So maybe not the perfect read, but it served its purpose.

#12: I don't know about you, but as for the few self-help books I have read, I feel they could have been boiled down to about a page or two of random statements (with exclamation points, of course, and probably capitalized: Face Your Fears! Stop Procrastinating! You're Awesome!).

I am in a minority. I found several self-help books to be of great help when I was younger and in need of help. Maybe I should make a list?

Maggie, I don't think you are in a minority. I sell audiobooks, and Self Help is a strong category. Our general rule of thumb is that if you can get 1 or 2 solid ideas out of them, then they are worth it. Using that metric, these were fine. It would have been nice of the Keoghan book would have offered more - only because it was the kind of Help I was specifically looking for that kind of help.

unless they are based on research, most self help books are simply one person's approach for handling/doing "something". So I don't feel guilty if I disagree. I was simply disappointed in the Keoghan book because so much of it was skewed to his own personal preferences, it took what could have been a general interest book and made it too narrow. After I posted my review, I read some of the others, and it turns out that many others felt the same way.

I bet his publisher/editor should have helped write a different title for the book. Might be very appealing to some audiences.

. TIOLI Challenge, January, Title with a word which could be either a verb or a noun

Completed Book #5 - The Help by Kathryn Stockett - 4 stars

I tend not to read books which hang out for long periods of time on best seller lists. Invariably, they are hyped so much that they could never live up to my expectations. I was pressured to read this by my wife, and while I will say I'm glad I read it, I was a little disappointed in the ending - so much was built up on the writing of "the book", I felt there should have been more resolution afterward - maybe a sequel??? I have not seen the movie (and probably won't), but glad to have read the book first.

. TIOLI Challenge, January, Book with a winter scene on its cover

Completed Book #6 - People's Act of Love by James Meek - 2 stars

This was actually a recommendation by a co-worker. It was the first time she recommended a book to me...and this will be the last time I listen to her. I found almost nothing redeeming to this novel, even its location (Russia) which is normally a ringer for me. There was FAR too much animal cruelty (unnecessarily), to the point that it became almost the defining point of the book for me, when in fact, there was nothing about the animals which moved forward the plot. I didn't like any of the characters or their motivations or their plot lines, so it became a chore to progress through the book. The only reason it didn't get 1 star is that the writing was clearly strong; otherwise, it wouldn't have affected me as much as it did.

. TIOLI Challenge, January, First Book in a series

Completed Book #7 - Gideon the Cutpurse by Linda Buckley-Archer - 4 stars

This was an audiobook I have been listening to with my 12 year old daughter. It's a time travel tale (which I seem to like more than she does), but it was a good family read. The destination is 1763 London, and the action is tame and well written. Although it probably caters more to boys, one of the two time travelers is a girl. I knew it was the first in a trilogy, but I had not planned on the book ending with a cliffhanger pretty much stringing directly into the next book. Since I don't have the next one yet, it may be a while before we finish the story line. Some of the history and writing style would make this a fun read even if kids aren't part of the picture.

Adding a couple of books to the BlackHole, Patrick. Thanks for the recommendations (I think!)

The Keoghan book does sound interesting... I might pick it up with your comments in mind. I'm very much for the idea of facing one's fears and stretching one's self (after all, what is life if it's not to be lived?), but the "if you don't want to climb Everest you're lazy" mentality doesn't appeal to me. I read a book about climbing Everest, once. People who do that are INSANE. Plus, I don't like the cold.

. TIOLI Challenge, January, Narrative Nonfiction

Completed Book #8 - Eiffel's Tower by Jill Jonnes - 4.5 stars

Yet another nonfiction book for January, but this was still a great addition. Unlike some of the self help titles earlier this month, this one fit the "narrative" goal of the challenge I read it for. It covers not only the planning, controversy and building of the tower, but the events of the 1889 World's Fair as well.

The only reason it didn't garner a full 5 star rating is that some of the sections that "drifted" from the tower narrative seemed to go on a little long. Since they were interspersed (for the most part) throughout the building of the tower itself, I found myself wanting to get back to the construction/elevator engineering/lawsuits. The book may have bitten off just a tad too much to cover in one book - clearly the story of Buffalo Bill's show with Annie Oakley could become a book on its own (that narrative took up a LOT of space). But overall, still a great read.

. TIOLI Challenge, January, Chinese Culture

Completed Book #9 - Kosher Chinese by Michael Levy - 4 stars

I received this book as a SantaThing gift in response to my interest in nonfiction, travel and culture. It was a perfect fit for me.

Quirky and off color at times, the book follows the two years a Jewish American Peace Corps volunteer spends in central China. After years of Kosher living, Levy immerses himself into the culture of Guiyang, China - and his experience with their very "non-Kosher" eating habits were written with sufficient descriptions to cause me to skip a few paragraphs at a time to avoid the details.

Although a learned a lot about an area of China I had not even previously known existed, I can't say that my knowledge of the Chinese people was enhanced. Just as in any country, not one single experience can ever give the full picture of a whole culture.

Overall, an entertaining read.

Oooh, adding Eiffel's Tower to my wishlist - sounds like a good one!

Second scaifea's comment - Eiffel's Tower does look interesting!

I see that you're reading Shalom Auslander's new book. I'm very curious as to what your response will be to it. It's...er, different! :)

Both Eiffel's Tower and Kosher Chinese sound excellent - thanks for the reviews!

I'm off to check if my library system has either one....

I hope everyone enjoys Eiffel's Tower. There is so much to it, that as long as you like nonfiction, there will be something in there for everyone.

Dejah_Thoris - Kosher Chinese is a little more dicey, but as long as you like that kind of "travel narrative", you'll love it. I will repeat though, there are sections (as a dog lover) I was forced to skip (including an entire chapter). I have no guilt in that. I would have preferred him to leave that out, but it was an integral part of the culture he experienced, so for that, I don't fault him.

Madeline, my wife is actually making fun of me for getting Hope: A Tragedy. I won it through LT's EarlyReviewers, and evidently it is getting mixed reviews. My wife hasn't read it, but from what she has heard, she doesn't think I will like it. I actually got a good flavor of it last night as I was trying to find a beverage and an animal (for YOUR challenge - I didn't find one until I was in the 230's) and I liked the writing that I saw. I'm actually kind of looking forward to reading it.

> 25

The thing about Auslander's writing is that it truly offensive. However, if you can move past that, there is a uniqueness to his writing that I enjoy.

His first book, Foreskin's Lament, was even more offensive than Hope: a Tragedy, but I enjoyed (not really the right word, perhaps "was engaged by the writing in" would be better) that book quite a lot.

Read the interview with Auslander on LT's State of the Thing for a brief (but not very enlightening) interview with the author. For a better interview (and perhaps listen to it *after* you finish the book so you first get a sense of who Auslander is), try this NPR radio interview.

I'm looking forward to hearing reading your comments about Hope: A Tragedy. It's different!

. Not a TIOLI read

Completed Book #10 - Classical Mythology: The Greeks by Peter Meineck - 4 stars

Modern Scholar is one of my favorite imprints from Recorded Books (I am sad that they are discontinuing it). I listened to this with my daughter in order to help her plan for a project she is doing for one of her classes. I learned quite a bit that was new to me (re-learned items that I had evidently learned incorrectly in the past) and my daughter got some great notes for her project. It's not a stuffy, boring lecture. Meineck does a great job of keeping things upbeat and highlighting the more interesting aspects.

Is this good for a doctoral dissertation on the intricacies of Greek Mythology? Absolutely not - but it's not intended to be. Simply interesting enrichment.

. January TIOLI, book with a beverage on page 10

Completed Book #11 - The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoevsky - 2 stars

Now I know why I had never heard of this "classic"...it wasn't very good. I was trying to figure out it is a moral tale, biographical fiction, or what. Then I read the editor's note and realized that this book was written in a matter of days in order to fulfill a difficult contractual obligation. Whole characters were included which had no relevance (grandmother???) and in the end it seemed almost like an anti-morality tale. Glad to add another "classic" to my life list (since I never bothered to read them in school), but I think I could have skipped this without missing anything.

. February TIOLI, book with a title written in the first person

Completed Book #12 - My Dirty Little Book of Stolen Time by Liz Jensen - 4 stars

Although I've lived most of my life holding to the belief that SciFi/Fantasy was not a big attraction to me, through some challenges on LibraryThing and TIOLI, I've inadvertantly discovered that I enjoy Time Travel. I really like comparing the good ones with the bad ones. I still don't hunt them down, but now when I come across one, I don't immediately turn away. This was one that was fun to try.

Unlike most time travel books that I have read, this one had the characters not only traveling time, but location as well. So here a 19th century Danish prostitute travels to contemporary London. There is a lot of snarky humor, some good dry, British wit (Jensen is British), and a very easy flow of moving back and forth between the locales. A fun read.

. February TIOLI, book with a title written in the first person

Completed Book #13 - Deliver Us From Normal by Kate Klise - 2.5 stars

This book falls under the "what were they thinking" category. I can sum it up in one snarky Spoiler Alert - If you think you have problems, run away and everything will be fine. What kind of lesson is that to put in a children's book??? Plot summary with actual spoiler - a poor family living in Normal, Illinois feels abnormal, and when the daughter's class president campaign poster has "poor white trash" and "ugly b****" written on it and the son seems to have problem socializing in junior high (who doesn't), they leave in the middle of the night to drive to Alabama where they are swindled into buying a sub-par house boat built for four (did I mention there are seven people in the family) and they decide to fix it up and travel to Europe, when the boat springs a leak somewhere in the gulf and the boy decides maybe things aren't so bad and the dad says that there isn't anything they can't fix. REALLY? There's nothing you can't fix? You just lost the deposit on your house rental in Normal because you left in the middle of the night. That doesn't sound like a fix.

With all of that said, it was well written (which makes it even more of a disappointment because Klise could clearly have had a better book).

SPOILER
small addition - this thing has a sequel! Evidently they do NOT die in the middle of the Atlantic when they run out of gas and squall rips their home apart. Now that I think of it, THAT might make a more interesting book.

. February TIOLI, book with a Double L in the title

Completed Book #14 - The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe - 3.5 stars

This was a 45 minute audiobook which took my 12 year old daughter and I well over an hour to finish because I had to keep stopping it to define Poe's vocabulary for her (and hide the fact that I didn't know a lot of the words myself). Billed as "classic horror", it is exceptionally tame by current standards, by I got the willies during the important part.

I can't say I am overly familiar with Poe's works, but I really didn't feel this work was something that would lure me to his oeuvre.

I think I'll have to give My Dirty Little Book of Stolen Time a try -- it sounds like a hoot!

. February TIOLI, book with a Double T

Completed Book #15 - Aiding and Abetting by Muriel Spark - 3.5 stars

While I have had several Spark books on my wishlist for quite some time, this is the first one I was able to get my hands on and give a chance. Can't say I'm chomping at the bit to read the rest of them.

This was a short book with a fairly convoluted premise - a psychologist with a hidden past of her own takes on two new patients, both claiming to be a Lord who was found guilty of murder and been on the run for more than 20 years. With so many back stories (mostly interesting, but also somewhat hard to accept), it became difficult to follow the other characters as they interacted with the three mystery protagonists, either by helping or hindering. It's possible the story could have worked had she spent more time developing them all, but with such a short book, it all seemed unnecessarily compressed, and the resolution was very unsatisfactory. The writing is good, so I'll keep the other Spark titles on my wishlist, but again, nothing extraordinary.

. February TIOLI, book with a two word title alphabetically reversed

Completed Book #16 - The March by E.L. Doctorow - 3 stars

Not long ago I read Doctorow's Ragtime, and from what I remember, I enjoyed the book quite a lot. This title follows the same writing style of creating fictional characters with whom famous historical figures interact.

I did not enjoy this book as much as Ragtime. One problem, admittedly, is that I am not particularly familiar with the civil war, so many of the "historical figures" were unknown to me, so I lost that aspect of it. I began asking my wife about names (she is more knowledgeable on the war) just so I could see which parts were written as historical events or which were completely fictionalized by the author. Maybe it shouldn't matter, but I feel that "reality" component was what made Ragtime so interesting.

The second problem is that there are simply too many characters - both real and imagined. Given Doctorow's penchant for eliminating quotation marks, it's difficult enough to recognize conversations sometimes, but when the point of view of the chapter changes more than once - and with those changes come changes of venue and more, it was simply difficult to know what was going on. Again, his writing is strong, but this style was something I could not really get into.

Glad to hear you enjoyed Kosher Chinese! I really liked it too... but those certain sections were very hard to read (ie. dog-related). I cried through the story of the bus incident and had to put the book down for awhile.

I think I'll also add My Dirty Little Book of Stolen Time to the TBR list, sounds interesting!

"Evidently they do NOT die in the middle of the Atlantic when they run out of gas and squall rips their home apart. Now that I think of it, THAT might make a more interesting book." -- That made me snort with laughter!

>>30 dk_phoenix: - to be honest, that section was one of my big skips. I'm a total wuss when it comes to anything about animal cruelty (particularly to dogs), and the minute I saw the setup, I simply skipped to the end of the chapter. Too many of his "tidbits" caught me off guard not to heed my own senses. But those were his experiences, and that's what the book was about, so while I respect it, I didn't want to read it.

I'm listening to Doomsday Book now (more time travel) and I find myself comparing it with My Dirty Little Book of Stolen Time. Doomsday seems to take the subject more seriously, which makes it interesting in its own way. But I remembered just yesterday one of the points in Book of Stolen Time where the 19th century prostitute needs to come up with a "scheme" in her own time, and her idea comes from a Scooby Doo episode she sees in contemporary time. That's just a fun idea to put in a time travel book. I hope you like it

I love Doomsday Book. It is a serious take on time travel, but if you want a lighter version, try Willis' To Say Nothing of the Dog -- after you finish Doomsday Book, of course.

My Dirty Little Book of Stolen Time is on its way to me from a library in some other part of the state. Now that I know there's a Scooby Doo connection, I'm looking forward to it more than ever!

Since you enjoy time travel, should I assume you've read Finney's Time and Again?

>>33 Dejah_Thoris: - I can't say I'm an afficianado yet (not even sure how to spell that), but yes, I've read Time and Again. I couldn't help think about the movie Somewhere in Time - which I always loved as a kid - of course I think that's more because Jane Seymour was in it...

I liked Time and Again, and if I remember right, I think there is a series, but I haven't tried any of the others.

I have actually already read To Say Nothing of the Dog as well - not knowing at the time that it was later in this Doomsday series. But I remember at the time not feeling like I had missed out on anything. And that was read long enough ago that I don't remember the characters well enough to recognize where/who they are in Doomsday - or if even they are present. I recognize the references to "the net", but that's about it. I remember liking To Say Nothing, simply because I liked the premise of trying to find the historic artifacts, but the story was interesting too. The only reason Doomsday took me longer to get to was its size. I have a short attention span, and books of that size are daunting to me, but I have it on audio, and I'm spending a lot of time in my car this month, so thought it was a good time to give it a try.

London Calling and Day of the Assassins were two more "time travel" books I read last year. Both were YA titles, but they each had different aspects of the genre built into them, and since the genre is still relatively new to me, it's good to have some teen level introductions.

Too funny -- I loved Somewhere in Time as a kid, too -- although I'm pretty sure the attraction wasn't Jane Seymour....

If I recall correctly, there was a sequel to Time and Again called From Time to Time. It was published sometime in the 1990s, around the time of Finney's death. I don't remember many details, except that I thought it was very well done -- and the ending, poignant. The sad factor means that I've never reread it.

The only characters you'd be likely to connect between Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog are Mr. Dunwoody and Finch. Finch had the greater role in To Say Nothing - he traveled back and played the butler at the neighboring household.

Fire Watch, a short story / novella, was her first foray into her time travel universe. Recently she published the dual volumes Blackout and All Clear. They are big books focusing on the London Blitz - like Fire Watch. You would definitely recognize characters from Doomsday Book in both of them.

I don't read much YA -- although I've been reading a lot more of it since I've been on LT.

Are you familiar with Eric Flint's 1632? It's time travel only if you count an entire community transported in time and place from modern West Virginia to the German states of 1632. There are several books (and lots and lots of short stories) , but the original volume was written to stand alone.

I'll have to look up 1632. My daughter studies German (and if I am allowed to have a "Proud Papa" moment, yesterday she received a Gold Certification on the National German Exam), and I know nothing about German history (apparently neither does she - I just asked her what was happening in 17th century Germany and she said, I don't know, but I suppose they still had people). It must be pretty good to have so many people reading it - and to have such a huge series

. February TIOLI, book with an animal across from a beverage on pages with a "3"

Completed Book #17 - Hope: A Tragedy by Shalom Auslander - 4.5 stars

While I thought this was an excellent book, I find it difficult to describe. The writing is "quirky", but with a humor that is more cringe-worthy than laugh out loud funny. There are one-liners which sneak up on you, and you find them humorous in spite of yourself - because you know you shouldn't be laughing. The Holocaust isn't funny, arson isn't funny, wishing your mother dead isn't funny; but keeping a book with a list of all of the "last words" you hope you will say when you die, is kind of funny.

But I don't want to give the impression that this is a funny book. Like I said, it's quirky. Solomon Kugel has moved into an old farmhouse, right at the time when an arsonist is torching similar homes in the area. Kugel has done everything he can think of to get rid of the "smell" that eminates through his vents, when one day he discovers the source. I won't say what it is (I'm not sure if it would necessarily be considered a spoiler, but my jacket copy does not specify - of course, it seems to have become one of the worst kept secrets in the promotions of this book, even my wife heard it on the radio), but it pretty much dictates the action for the rest of the book. There are some serious issues covered in this narrative, but it never gets bogged down.

The only reason I couldn't give it a five star rating - which I had seriously been considering while reading it - was that some of it became a little repetitive. So much time is spent circling around some of the serious issues, the author seems to have been paying less attention to progressing the plot. But overall, still a recommended read.

> 37

I'm glad you ended up liking Hope: A Tragedy, Patrick. It is such a weird book that it's hard to know what a reader will think of it. I really liked it as well because I think Auslander has a unique voice.

I agree that the information you didn't give would have constituted a spoiler. My review of this book also omitted that information. Just me, I guess. I so hate spoilers!

Have you read Foreskin's Lament (also by Shalom Auslander? You'd probably like it as well (--that is, if you don't get offended by it!).

. February TIOLI, book by an author whose name would earn more than 12 scrabble points

Completed Book #18 - Liberty's: A Biography of a Shop by Alison Adburgham - 3.5 stars

I wanted to like this book more than I actually did. The subject is great, and the history is very interesting. Unfortunately, the flow of the text is not as readable as I would have liked. Possibly because it was written in 1975 when standards may have been a little different (or possibly because this was the best the author could do), there were a lot of facts simply dumped into paragraph form, and it really took some effort to get through everything. Again, the facts were interesting, and the history of Liberty of London is entertaining (if you are into that kind of thing), but the highlights got buried in a lot of muck.

This would be a perfect book for an update. The store still exists, and the development of their current tudor-style location is spelled out. Maybe a better editor could do a better job in tying the facts together. But still a recommended read if you have interest in retail history or business development.

. February TIOLI, book with a title written in the first person

Completed Book #19 - Then We Set His Hair on Fire: Insights and Accidents from a Hall of Fame Career in Advertising by Phil Dusenberry - 2.5 stars

The best thing about this book about advertising is how it was able to advertise itself as a good book. One of my bigger disappointments. The book turned out to be more a collection of self congratulatory vignettes by the author describing advertising successes he and his colleagues achieved than a book about how to do any actual advertising. There were brief glimpses of using the book as a general business "self help" book, but all nuggets of business wisdom were buried behind such specific examples of the author's advertising prowess that I simply became annoyed and didn't care. To top it off, while the writing had some humorous points, it did not live up to what I had expected based on the title itself and the jacket copy. Some of the stories were interesting, but overall, not a recommended read.

Well that's a bummer! I hope your next book is much better.

. February TIOLI, book with a two word title with the words alphabetically reversed

Completed Book #20 - The Boneshaker by Kate Milford - 4.5 stars

This book is very hard to describe. I listened to it with my daughter, and at any given point, my rating of the book could waver between 5+ stars to 2 stars. It is very odd. I was reminded of Something Wicked This Way Comes, but more from the plotline than necessarily from the writing (I read Wicked so long ago, I can't really remember the writing style). It's a children's/YA book, but the underlying story (like Wicked) is very sinister, and sometimes it caught me off guard just how dark the book would become.

In short, Arcane, Missouri is at a crossroads where dark forces are about to converge. It has happened before with questionable results, and this time, a 10 year old girl may be the only thing standing in the way from dire consequences. There is a medicine show, automatons (very Hugo), a special bicycle and a few visits from the devil. Parts are written with such attention to realism, the darkness became almost uncomfortable. Others skirt a little too closely to goofy which reminds you it's still a book for kids. At no point would this fall into a "horror" category, there are some serious parts which may prove too much for anyone younger than 10. Recommended.

. February TIOLI, book with an anagram (Night/Thing)

Completed Book #21 - Oracle Night by Paul Auster - 4.5 stars

I have always like Paul Auster, and this book was no exception. His writing is very strong, and he writes such realistic fiction, it's easy to forget that it is actually fiction. This skill was particularly powerful in Book of Illusions (which I loved), and he comes almost as close to that level in Oracle Night.

The only thing keeping this book from achieving the 5 star level is the fact that several of his "story within the story" pieces (and there were more than one) were left unresolved. It made sense with the plot, but again, comparing it to Book of Illusions it falls short. The minutiae he includes is what draws you into the narrative, so to see some of those narratives fizzle out - whether part of the plot or not - left me with a sense of abandonment. But still a highly recommended read.

. MARCH TIOLI, book set in the 14th Century

Completed Book #22 - Doomsday Book by Connie Willis - 4 stars

Adding yet another "time travel" book to my list. Last year I read To Say Nothing of the Dog which was the second book in this series, but I had been told that it didn't matter - and it didn't. Picking up Doomsday Book now, I didn't feel like it would have added anything to book #2, and to a certain extent, I'm glad I did them out of order - I liked "dog" better than this one.

Connie Willis writes the kind of time travel books I like. I am less concerned with the science of "how" the time travel works and more about the historical fiction which develops as a result. Willis puts just enough detail behind the theory to keep things flowing without worrying about getting too technical.

Personally, I have little interest in the 14th century, but the story lines jump back and forth between contemporary times and the 1300's following two separate plots, each occurring in their own time. Willis handles the switching back and forth very well, and I had no problem keeping track of "when" we were.

My biggest complaint is that the book was a good 25% longer than it should have been (in my opinion). I don't want to give anything away, but there was a lot of dialog that dragged on and on without resolution. At the beginning of the book, it's clear that something "happened", and after chapters and chapters of text, you still don't know what it is. I realize that was the style she was going for, but the focus seemed to be about keeping the truth away from the reader instead of simply moving things along, and it became distracting from what should have been a strong narrative. Had I read this (instead of listening to it, as I did), I would have been doing some heavy skimming over those sections. But still a recommended read.

Patrick, your review of Doomsday Book reminds me that I need to see if my library has To Say Nothing of the Dog available. I read Doomsday last year, and liked it with some reservations, but I had heard from others that the second book is better and worth reading for its own sake.

I was going to join you in reading Then We Set His Hair on Fire for the February TIOLI challenge, but I ran out of time. After reading your review, I think I'll skip it altogether (although it would fill in a category in my Dewey challenge!).

WAY behind...

. MARCH TIOLI, author birthplace

Completed Book #23 - The Wish List by Eoin Colfer - 5 stars

Absolutely fabulous book, completely different from the Artemis Fowl series (which I also liked). A unique exploration of what it takes to get into heaven (or hell) and probably not the best choice for someone who takes those topics seriously.

Beelzebub and St. Peter are keeping score - when you die, if you have more "good points" than "bad points" you go up. If you have more bad points, you go down. But what happens when your points are equal? You smack into the afterlife fork in the road and can't go up or down. This is what happens to Meg who gets a chance to return to earth and score a few bonus points - but "Bub" doesn't want that to happen. Can Meg help the man who was part of the reason she died in the first place finish his "Wish List" - a somewhat odd combination of Bucket List which he wants to see completed before HE dies, or will Bub's plans get in the way?

It's a YA read, so pretty easy take lightly, and simply a fun read. Highly Recommended.

. MARCH TIOLI, book about women

Completed Book #24 - Safe Passage: The Remarkable True Story of Two Sisters Who Rescued Jews From the Nazis by Ida Cook - 5 stars

Fabulous Read, and completely different than what I had expected. This book is not a biography (as I had thought) but a memor, and Ida Cook is one of the two sisters of the title.

Living in Great Britain, prior to the start of WWII, the Cook sisters are women of simple means whose greatest joy comes from scrimping their salaries to save for trips abroad to hear the Opera stars they have grown to like. When one of these Opera connections exposes them to what is really happening to the Jews in Germany, they combine their love of music with a mission to help as many people they can - by helping to smuggle the valuables of Jewish Families out of Germany and into England where they can help support the refugees when they arrive in the UK. As most of the sisters work takes place prior to the actual outbreak of WWII - and actually ends at the declaration of war because they can no longer travel - this is one entry into the Holocaust Literature Genre which, for lack of a better term, is easier to read. They know there are "problems", but the brutality of the death camps is still shrouded from their knowledge.

This narrative provides a lot of details to the buildup of WWII and how the Jews were treated in the 30's. A lot of these facts were unknown to me, and the book unveils them in a very personal and practical manner. Very little time is spent discussing the political situation and even the buildup to the war, it focuses instead on the families the sisters were able to help, making it a very personal account. Mixed in with all of these stories is the ongoing dialog of music and opera which the sisters used as a "cover" for their frequent trips. The details of some of the opera productions, conductors and singers is an interesting memoir in itself adding to the color of the European music scene of that time. Highly Recommended.

. MARCH TIOLI

Completed Book #25 - The Venus Fixers: The Remarkable Story of the Allied Soldiers Who Saved Italy's Art During World War II by Ilaria Dagnini Brey - 2 stars

Last year I read The Monuments Men, a book about how the Allied military protected and/or recovered artwork from the Nazi's during/after WWII. Although I enjoyed it, at that time I felt it was so overwhelming covering all aspects of the war throughout Europe, and I kept getting "lost". I wondered if it would have been better had it been more focused. The Venus Fixers appeared to be the answer, narrowing its focus almost exclusively on activity in Italy

Guess what....I was wrong. The Venus Fixers became tedious and repetitive covering details insignificant to the big picture of what was going on.

In short, I could not wait for the book to end. The author seemed to have almost an agenda to make most of the military look bad, highlighting minute, inconsequential events and outlining more mistakes than successes. The tighter focus of the book should have made the flow simpler, instead, the author seemed to purposely jump around from location to location, artist to artist, military event to event, so it became more convoluted than The Monuments Men. One of my bigger disappointments. Far better books have been written to cover this very interesting aspect of military involvement in WWII.

. MARCH TIOLI, book with a military term

Completed Book #26 - NERDS: National Espionage, Rescue, and Defense Society by Michael Buckley - 4 stars

A mindless audiobook to listen to with my daughter to/from school. Not as noteworthy as Buckley's Sisters Grimm series, this was a good read for a lower age range (probably 10), definitely geared for boys, with a fairly obvious morale of "never judge a person by their appearance" and "it's on the inside that counts".

Short version, super stud athlete gets braces and headgear and, therefore, becomes the object of ridicule and alienation until he becomes part of a secret organization located within his elementary school.

Nothing here is remotely within the realm of realistic fiction. It's goofy and over the top with some groanworthy humor. Perfect for a 10 year old boy.

This is not high literature, but a fun escape read.

. MARCH TIOLI, book with a homonym (time/thyme)

Completed Book #27 - Underground Time by Delphine de Vigan - 4 stars

Mathilde and Thibault both live in Paris, unknown to each other, each living their own lives dealing with their own limitations and struggles. The book is written in alternating voice, with well developed characters and situations, easily drawing the reader into the lives of the protagonists.

The book is exceptionally well written, and the pace seems to pick up as their independent paths draw together. Usually a book that is described as something you can't put down is because of some kind of drama or excitement. I found I couldn't put this one down because it was so well written, and the reader simply becomes invested in the characters (in my case one, more than the other) and you simply need to see what happens.

The only thing keeping the book from a higher rating (although 4 stars is pretty good) is the end, where what you discover what you've been reading for. I was caught off guard, not necessarily in a good way, but in hindsight, the writing ability of the author carries it all. Recommended.

. MARCH TIOLI, book with a protagonist pair

Completed Book #28 - The Water Room by Chistopher Fowler - 4 stars

This is the second book in the Bryant and Mays/Peculiar Crimes Unit Series by Christopher Fowler. I absolutely love Fowler's writing style with dry, British humor and his character development is top notch. But in both books, I find myself wishing he spent as much time developing the actual crime/resolution as he does on creating the characters. This one, even more so than Full Dark House, was almost laughable in the motive. But the book is so well written, that it's easy to overlook this and simply enjoy it as an easy mystery (not really a cozy). Recommended.

Now look what you've done, Patrick! I promised myself I absolutely would not start any more series, and now I've gone and added Full Dark House to my library reserve list. I hope you're happy with yourself!

:)

. APRIL TIOLI, humorous nonfiction

Completed Book #29- Frost on my Mustache: The Arctic Exploits of a Lord and a Loafer by Tim Moore - 2 stars

Every once in a while I get a reminder why spur of the moment purchases are not a good idea. Even at a used bookstore price, this book was a waste of money.

All signs indicated this would be great - a British author discovers an old memoir by a 19th century Lord who sailed the arctic, including a notable excursion to Iceland. Said author decides to re-create this voyage to this still relatively unknown land.

The initial chapters were living up the hype. I was laughing outloud, devouring every word, completely drawn in by the wit and observations Moore was capable of. Unfortunately, he's a one hit wonder, and that same wit becomes very tiring - how many times can you force a smile when reading descriptions of seasickness (Moore gives you double digit opportunity to make your own count - I didn't make it to the teens...). When you add on top of this the first part of the "journey" is the visit to Iceland - one of the main reasons I was attracted to the book - and that the author's wife is actually FROM Iceland, his mother-in-law ran for the Presidency of Iceland, and that the author has actually BEEN TO Iceland before, the novelty kind of wore off. By the time he's making his way to the more remote regions of the original Lord's voyage, I simply didn't care. But if you enjoy repeated references to nausea, drunkenness and scandinavian cuisine, maybe you'll enjoy it more than I did.

>>48 rosalita: - the hazard of reading LT. I've lost track of how many books I've added to my wishlist thanks to reviews on LT. I hope you like Full Dark House!

Wow, a whole string of great reviews. Too bad the Tim Moore book was disappointing. I found one ofte Peculiar Crimes books somewhere and picked it up, although I haven't read yet. I don't expect much fom mysteries, so I'm not usually disappointed if the plot is a little thin!

Great reviews. I requested Safe Passage from my library system last month in the hope of joining you in reading it, but it didn't come in time. Now that I've read your review, I'll redouble my efforts to get it read this month.

I also noticed you were reading The Venus Fixers, mainly, I think, because I liked the title. Having read your review, however, I think that's one to skip!

I hadn't heard of Underground Time - it looks as though I'll be giving that one a try, too.

Thanks!

. APRIL TIOLI, alphabetical challenge

Completed Book #30 - The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne - 4 stars

Yet another classic I should have read in school. At least this one seemed worth picking up again. I was caught off guard with some of the "mystical" stuff - although, maybe I shouldn't have since this was in Salem. But I just skimmed over it. It does explain some of the book, but in general, the book flows well on its own and has a very lyrical and enjoyable style. I would go as far as to say it's an easy read, but it wasn't the chore I had built it up to be.

. APRIL TIOLI, book of two cultures

Completed Book #31 - The Time Machine by H.G. Wells - 4 stars

Although I had not intended it, I ended up with two classics running simultaneously - this one as an audiobook I listened to with my daughter. I regret to admit that my knowledge of this book was exclusively formed by the movie, but from what I remember, a lot of the book is represented well. But, as in most cases, the book was better. I credit the editor of the movie for picking the high points, because there were some times where the book dragged. My daughter, ever the pessimist, spent most of the book pointing out the anomalies with time travel and the (admittedly obvious) stupidity of the traveler himself. But still a good read and glad to check it off my bucket list.

. APRIL TIOLI, hunorous nonfiction

Completed Book #32 - Shopping for Buddhas by Jeff Greenwald - 4 stars

This book was nothing that I expected. The title, "Shopping for Buddhas" is not some euphemism for an untold malady nor is it even a cute name for a travelog (although it is), it's a literal description for the underlying premise behind this book. The author, after traveling/working in southeast Asia for many years, decides he needs the perfect buddha statue as a souvenir on his final visit. But what could have easily become a flippant list of one liners and anecdotes (and there are plenty of them), the book was surprisingly informative, and I learned a lot about the buddhist religion including the terms for the different representations and poses. Maybe not for everyone, but defnitely a recommended read for those who enjoy quirky nonfiction.

. APRIL TIOLI, set in Italy

Completed Book #33 - The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant - 4 stars

I have always liked historical fiction, so an art based book set in Renaissance Florence seemed like a good bet. The book included a lot of "fact" based backstory, and had I been better versed in this era, I might have picked up more of it (e.g., was there only one "Bonfire of the Vanities"? if there was, it was covered in this book), but there was plenty of flavor to round out the rather run of the mill plot - repressed 15th century female with no rights longs for opportunities closed to her.

As with a lot of historical fiction, I did feel that there was a lot of contemporary feelings overlaid within the characters. Dunant is a strong author, so it seems believable, but a lot of the characters' desires - particularly late in the novel - seem like they were pulled from today.

. APRIL TIOLI, book with a word from Tarot Arcana

Completed Book #34 - Ghost Train to the Eastern Star by Paul Theroux - 4 stars

I stumbled across this (rather long) audiobook, and I was intrigued by the premise. I guess I knew that it was, in effect, a "sequel" to his initial travelog (The Great Railway Bazaar), but I figured as a travelog, it wouldn't matter reading them out of order.

While I have no regret to reading the sequel first, it kind of kills the desire/need to ever read the first one. More specific than just being a sequel, Ghost Train is actually a re-creation of the first journey - 33 years later. Therefore, every time he visits a city, he compares it to how it was the last time he was there, and it was like reading the first book anyway.

As travelogs go, there was a lot of personal revelations made in the book (including how his marriage fell apart while taking the first journey) and a refreshing amount of honesty regarding things/cities/people he did not like. But unlike someone writing only for the humor, he does not paint entire cities/peoples/heritage with a single stroke and it's easy to get drawn in.

Admittedly, I enjoyed the sections where he visited cities I also knew, but overall it was well written and easy to read.

. APRIL TIOLI, book related to another book read for TIOLI

Completed Book #35 - Masters of Enterprise: Giants of American Business by H.W. Brands - 3.5 stars

I have always liked Recorded Books' Modern Scholar collection for the variety of topics covered and the format they use to keep the lectures user friendly (i.e., 14 half hour long lessons). But for this title, the format seemed to work against it. To meet the format of Modern Scholar and still cover business scions from the beginning of American to today, Brands chose to dedicate each lecture to only one person. For some, that was sufficient, but when you try to explain the entire history of the development of the US Railway system and its impact on business in the same half hour you talk about Rockefeller, the coverage becomes thin. While I like Brands style, I finished the collection feeling I learned very little new. He would have been better served to break this into eras first (does Bill Gates really need to be in the same edition as John Jacob Astor?) so that more detail could have been pursued. Still a good read, just less than it could have been.

. APRIL TIOLI, YA Novel

Completed Book #36 - Lunch-Box Dream by Tony Abbott - 1 star

It is EXTREMELY rare that I will rate a book this low. My belief is that I am only one opinion, and if an author takes the effort to put him/herself out there with a work of literature, even if I don't like it, the author should get some show of support.

Not this one.

Unquestionably one of the worst books I have ever read, I can come up with no redeeming values for what this book included and/or what it was trying to do.

Let's lay out the plot - a caucasian family living in Ohio in 1959 needs to drive the grandmother back to Florida, which means they need to pass through the segregated south....you know, I was going to try to include more, but really, that is the plot. Even as thin as it is, something could be made of it.

But in this book, Abbott throws so much garbage onto the story line that it becomes unbelievably pointless and confusing. The Grandmother is Hungarian. why? The older brother wears glasses, oh and so does the dead grandpa...who cares. Let's visit Civil War battlefields (hmmm, you'd think there was potential there, but you'd be wrong). Mom and Dad are fighting over the telephone (well, at least that's realistic fiction). And we don't even need to explore why it appears to take them two days to leave the state of Ohio - maybe because to get to Kentucky they drive from Youngstown to Columbus...can we say "lost"?

My daughter was howling with incredulity when the book ended. We listened as audio and honestly thought we'd lost a disc or something. It couldn't have ended so anticlimactically, but it did.

As the title implies and the jacket copy seems to indicate, "something" is going to happen to this family which will "change their lives forever" as they pass through the south. The only reason we even finished this book was to see what that "something" was. I think the author is still trying to figure it out. Because he didn't include it in the book.

Again, I am not an author, and maybe it's not fair to judge a book on what it's not, but in this case, Abbott does more harm to juvenile literature than good by putting forth a narrative on a subject which really needs to be explored. The mechanics were there - chapters alternated between characters (including the African American family they "meet" in Atlanta), and a fairly significant plot line about a missing member of the African American family almost took form, but Abbott pulled the punch and left me simply shaking my head.

I won't be wasting my time with any other Abbott books any time soon.

Wow, you've posted a lot of reviews since my last visit!

Shopping for Buddhas sounds particularly interesting - exactly one library in the nearly statewide library system has it. Thanks for pointing me toward it.

Oh, and I'll be avoiding Lunch-Box Dream at all costs - thanks for that, too.

. APRIL TIOLI, YA Novel

Completed Book #37 - The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - 4.5 stars

There's not much I can add to the myriad reviews of this book, except to say that while I typically steer clear of popular fiction (feeling the books never hold up to the hype), this book was an exception. I have not seen the movie, but while reading this book, I can imagine how the movie could have been done. With the exception that knowing it's a trilogy, and having some of the "suspense" growi thin, it was a truly enjoyable read. Not sure if I'll finish the trilogy, but glad to have a little bit of pop culture under my belt.

. MAY TIOLI, book about TV/Movies

Completed Book #38 - Jump the Shark by Jon Hein - 4.5 stars

This was a goofy, very easy (and quick) read, covering TV shows and Movie Stars discussing when they "Jumped the Shark" - the term referring to a point from which everything goes downhill from there. It comes from the Happy Days episode where the gang went to Hawaii and the Fonz water skiied over a shark - after which it was just a matter of time before the show was canceled. Some of the author's examples (gathered from comments on his website) were completely understandable (when cousin Oliver joined the Brady Bunch) others were questionable (when Blake's helicopter goes down in MASH), but all were worthy of consideration. I listened to the audio version, which was narrated by the author, and his sense of humor came through very nicely adding to the quality of the book. A fun read.

. MAY TIOLI, book which takes place in a vacation destination

Completed Book #39 - The Devil in Vienna by Doris Orgel - 5 stars

This was hands down the best book I've read this year. (I don't know what it says about me that some of my favorite books are written for kids).

Taking place immediately before and during Hitler's rise to power, a Jewish girl, living in Vienna, records the events in her diary as they occur. Why doesn't her family want her to hang out with her best friend? Why does she have to sit in the back row at school? Will the Austrian Chancellor hold his stand against Hitler? (well, we know the answer to that one). Although technically a novel, it does follow some of the real life experiences of the author herself, and has been one of the most readable resources for explaining some of the political occurences and life events PRIOR to the start of WWII. I couldn't put it down. Highly recommended for all ages.

. MAY TIOLI, triple digit ISBN

Completed Book #40 - Callander Square by Anne Perry - 3.5 stars

My second Thomas and Charlotte Pitt mystery, and while I really like the writing and the characters, I may wait a little while before tackling the next installment. Although not a "cozy", it was a little too formulaic for me, and I thought some of Charlotte and her sister's attempts to help were a bit of a stretch. Perry seemed to be trying to throw some Edith Wharton style class/manner discussions into the mix which ran thin. Again, the writing is really good, I just think it could have been directed in a better manner.

I am enjoying reading your comments; your choice of books is interesting.

. MAY TIOLI, book about TV/Movies

Completed Book #41 - Forever Liesl: A Memoir of The Sound of Music by Charmian Carr - 3.5 stars

This has to go down as my biggest "guilty pleasure" of the year. Part Memoir/Part Sappy-Love fest over the movie, The Sound of Music, I had to read this book. To give a little background, my eight year old self thought Liesl was HOT. She was my epitome of the perfect "woman" - that was a 21 year old playing 16-going-on-17 after all. Jump to current day, and in a moment of overwhelming indiscretion, I happened to mention that fact during a work party (there was a lot of drinking). While embarrassed, I was not ashamed, and it has become a running joke - and I still stand behind it - for her age, Carr is one handsome woman.

With all of that said, this book was a little hard to take. While I liked the movie and can recite parts of it by heart, I had no idea such a fluffy-cult has surrounded it. In between chapters discussing the casting, the actors, the locations, the filming, etc., there are clips from individuals who are obsessed by the movie. My problem is that Carr at no point makes fun of these freaks. They are just sitting there, waiting to be mocked, but that is not the nature of the book. Even in the personal moments of the memoir where she describes people who get offended that she acts like a "normal" person and not their ideal Liesl, she defends their actions as simply having been overly impacted by the film. Sorry Carr, they're off their meds and need to be restrained.

The timing of this read was good because last year my daughter and I did the Sound of Music tour in Salzburg, Austria, so we knew some of the behind the scenes facts, but this book covers a LOT more background material. If you know the movie well, you will probably appreciated these details, too.

This would make a great "beach read" or something equally simple - and it is a fast read. I just couldn't give it a higher rating because it was too saccharin to consider it a quality recommendation.

Completed Book #42 - Understanding Movies: The Art and History of Film by Raphael Shargel - 4 stars

This was another Modern Scholar audiobook by Recorded Books, and I enjoyed this one much more than their Masters of Enterprise I read last month. Shargel takes a fairly broad topic and maintains an engaging discussion of both the theoretical and specific aspects of films, their making, and the people who made them.

In general, Shargel progresses from the beginning of films (the VERY beginning) to the silent era, to modern films and blockbusters with stops along the way to discuss sub-genres like Film Noir, French Realism, etc. More than a few of the movies he includes in these discussions were completely unknown to me, but he does such a good job explaining their relevance to his topic, that I did not feel lost or left behind. Due to the nature of the product (14 lectures, each 35 minutes in length), the topics go by in a brisk pace, but at no point do I feel he is not giving sufficient attention to his subject (the problem I had with Masters of Enterprise). A recommended read.

. MAY TIOLI, a nonfiction book covering an event within the first 23 years of my life.

Completed Book #43 - House by Tracy Kidder - 3 stars

First, picture that someone decide to write out the script of "Mr Blandings Builds His Dreamhouse" and turn it into a work of non-fiction. Now pretend that everyone in the movie hated each other. You might start getting the idea of this book.

I have had this book on my shelf for some time, and it's been one that I have been wanting to find the time to read since I got it. What a disappointment.

First, although it is a work of NonFiction, I am not exactly clear (still) how the author fits into the picture. He never plays a part in the book, he simply transcribes all of the events. But with that aside, this book must cause professional builders and architects migraines as they read not only how the events play out, but how much better these events could have been handled - hindsite is 20/20.

In short, a middle-aged, middle-income couple decide to build a house and have their friend, a trained architect, design it. Bill, the architect, has just hung out his own shingle, and this is his first commission. (Who sees "nightmare" coming???) The triumvirate is completed by Apple Core, the contractors who successfully (?) win the bid to build the house. While the author drifts down many (too many) side paths to discuss backgrounds of each of these participants, in general, the book progresses through the building of the house, and the problems which arose.

Because I like architecture, all of the above seemed like a perfect outline for a book, and the reason I was looking forward to reading it. What I had not planned on was the fact that each of them (in varying degrees) were morons. You be the judge. Who is at fault in the following situation. The architect does not specify what kind of staircase will be built on the inside of the house. The contractors bid on it as if there will be a "standard" staircase and allot $2,500 for the purpose. The contract is awarded, and THEN the architect decides that what is needed is a sweeping Grecian Revival staircase with ornamented balustrade. The staircase will now cost well over $2,500. Who is responsible for the cost? I won't tell you the results, but it takes two chapters to develop it - and then it's the wrong one (in my opinion).

I never got the impression that the point behind the book was to make the reader exasperated, but with a little marketing, that would be the perfect sales approach for it. The writing is very good, the actual processes of developing the house and some (I said some) of the side paths the author explored were interesting, but the main players were so frustrating, so I found it difficult to believe it all really happened. The writing saves the book, but if you tackle it, just be ready to roll your eyes and plow forward - maybe keeping a note pad with you to keep track of what you will NOT do when you build your next house.

I loved The Sound of Music, but I don't think I've ever been obsessed by it. I did pick up The Story of the Trapp Family Singers probably 25 or 30 years ago at a library book sale. I guess I was more interested in the story on which the movie was based than on the actors themselves, although I will have to admit that I probably more easily picture the actors than the actual individuals as depicted in portraits when I read the book. You've got my curiosity up now about the book on Liesl so I may pick it up if I run across it, but the sappy part doesn't encourage me to make it a priority.

ETA: My library has a large print copy. I guess I won't have an excuse!

Patrick, your House touchstone goes to the wrong book. I discovered that when I clicked on it to add it to my wishlist. Good review!

Thanks Rosalita. I fixed the link. I hope you like it.

> 59

Yours is an interesting review of House, Patrick. As I was reading the book, I was describing parts of the book to my husband who is a concrete contractor. He thought the sequence of what happened in the book seemed very realistic. Read that as a disconnect between what architects visualize and how construction work pans out.

Sorry you didn't care for House too much as that was indeed a kind of "longish" book. I liked it, though, and would recommend that others read it, especially if they are in the constrcution trade.

For fun, I added the review that I previously had stored on my PC here to LibraryThing. I had to have written it in 2006 or earlier. I gave the book 4 stars. :)

>63 SqueakyChu: - Madeline, I can definitely see how someone from inside the trades would read it from a different angle. I didn't hate the book (I still gave it 3 stars), but even thinking back on it, I still feel the book was written with the wrong voice. A perfect head scratcher for me is how the house ended up winning an architectural award when there are whole chapters dedicated to its shortcomings (the frieze, the bannister, the south wall window configuration, etc.)

I'm not normally like this, but I think my problem was that it didn't fit into a neat "category". It wasn't really a memoir, but there was too much narrative for it to be purely non-fiction. I think Kidder set out to write it with an emphasis on the conflicts which drove the book off course. The facts I enjoyed immensely - even the conflicts - it was the way the characters interacted that I struggled with. Kidder played the role of an omniscient narrator like it was a novel, and that didn't sit well with me.

But that's why I like LT - everyone views things their own way.

BTW - your link in your review is going to the wrong version of House

A perfect head scratcher for me is how the house ended up winning an architectural award when there are whole chapters dedicated to its shortcomings (the frieze, the bannister, the south wall window configuration, etc.)

I wonder that about literary awards as well! :)

The house itself may have been quite beautiful when it was completed despite the "issues" with it. Lots of defects in construction are either covered up or remodeled to look better. I guess the answer to your question depends on what the specific criteria were for the architectural award.

It is very common for there to be conflicts between an architect and builders. Architects just draw. They often lack the feel for the way construction "works" in real life. I know that my husband often gets frustrated by blueprints that show plans that are not appropriate for a given situation. I could really appreciate what Tracy Kidder was trying to show in his book.

Fixed the link. Thx!

. JUNE TIOLI, a book with the word "sand" in the title.

Completed Book #44 - A Thousand Cuts by Simon Lelic - 4 stars

This was a disturbing read, but I felt it was an "important" read - and it was good. Although on its surface, this book covers the after effects of a high school shooting, the way the book was written and the way that information is parsed out soon shows there is more to it. At no point does the author try to undermine the solemnity of the shooting, in a creative way (entirely through character dialog) the author unveils additional information which the reader is faced to consider.

While I enjoyed the book, and read it very quickly (always a good sign, since I read so slowly), there was a parallel storyline which I felt did not support the author's purpose as well as he had probably intended. It actually annoyed me and its absence would have probably resulted in a stronger focus.

. JUNE TIOLI, a book with the word an automobile model in the title (Volkswagen CC).

Completed Book #45 - Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett - 3.5 stars

This had been on my wishlist since reading snat's review of it a year or two ago. While the concept and general writing style were right up my alley (a misplaced antichrist and a pair of deities watching over him (one for good (a book dealer) and one for evil (who drives a Bentley)), I found it got somewhat tiresome and repetitive as the book progressed. I don't know if this had anything to do with the way the book was written by two authors (I've never read anything by Terry Pratchett), but the book seemed more interested in coming up with clever phrases and unique events, just for the sake of including them, not because they moved the plot along.

I never wanted to give up, just from reading it you know what it's leading to, and you need to know what's going to happen. I just felt we could have gotten there faster. But still a fun read.

. JUNE TIOLI, a book with the word "of" in its title

Completed Book #46 - Out of the Shadows by Neil Waldman - 3.5 stars

I'm not even sure how I ended up with this title and what about it initially attracted me. It's a short pseudo-memoir which is written very much like a novel for kids. It was so casual and so much detail was included in conversations and environment development, there were several times I forgot it was a biography - but then there was what could only be described as a commercial embedded in the middle of a section to highlight the accomplishments of the artist.

I have not heard of the artist Neil Waldman nor was I familiar with any of the works for which he won his awards, but it was a simple story covering his difficult home life, his jewish heritage and his growth to an accomplished artist. Written for a youth audience, but I had no problem going through it for my own enjoyment. Not great, but I've read worse.

. JUNE TIOLI, a book with the word "of" in its title

Completed Book #47 - The Upstairs Room by Johanna Reiss - 4 stars

Another book targeted for the youth audience, I listened to this book in audio form with my 12 year old daughter. It is a Newbery Honor book and tells a fictionalized version of the story of the author's Jewish youth, hiding in the upstairs room of a Dutch farmhouse in the later years of WWII.

The author's note shares details of how much was real versus created, but the basic premise is the truth. She was the youngest daughter of a Jewish family living in Holland during Hitler's rise to power, and her family was split apart with her and one of her sisters going into the countryside. It's a difficult story to relate, and Reiss made an exceptionally good decision to fictionalize it for the youth market. At no point did I feel it pandered to the audience, nor did I feel she was too "soft" - it's hard to hear about this aspect of history, and this book did a very good job covering the important parts without getting into the confusing and conflicting details of Hitler, his party or the larger aspects of the Holocaust. A recommended read for all ages.

. JUNE TIOLI, a book with the name of an automobile in its title (Lexus "ES")

Completed Book #48 - The Candy Bombers: The Untold Story of the Berlin Airlift and America's Finest Hour by Andrei Cherny - 4 stars

Although it was not intended, I ended up reading this book at the same time I was listening to The Upstairs Room above. Initially I was concerned the timelines would get me confused, but this is a work of non-fiction with a narrative primarily taking place several years AFTER the end of WWII - specifically during the time Germany was divided between the Allies and the Soviet Union began its efforts to convert "their" sector to communism.

Admittedly, I knew little to nothing about this specific time frame. Born two generations AFTER the war (my parents were the Baby Boomers), my exposure was limited to the paltry coverage given it in High School history class where my entire conception of the even was that the war ended and then one day Russia built a wall. I was well into adulthood before I even realized that the Berlin wall did not separate West Germany from East Germany - I pictured it kind of like the Great Wall of China...there's public school education for you.

So virtually everything this book covered was new to me. Someone with a knowledge of that history may find the first part of the book tedious - I found it tedious and it was new. You don't actually get to the Title Event (the candy "bombing") until about halfway through the book. For those who don't know, as the Soviet Union began flexing its muscle, since Berlin was wholly within "their" sector (even though Berlin itself was also divided into sectors again), they effectively blockaded the residents of the "western" sectors of Berlin, turning off electricity, gas, food, any resources which needed to pass through the eastern part of Germany in order to get to Berlin. In an attempt to support the residents of "West Berlin" as it was to become, and to prevent all of Berlin from converting to communism which was what the Soviets were trying to instigate, the western allies begain airlifts of supplies - as part of the treaty ending the war, there were allocated air rights for allied planes to fly through to get to Berlin, but there were no roads. So everything had to go by plane. At one point, one individual pilot started dropping candy for the children of Berlin. This individual act developed into a PR program supported by the US military to maintain support of the airlift.

Overall, the facts included in this book were fascinating. At times, some of the details became mundane - and the author spent a lot of time on sidetracks for the personal backgrounds of many of the players which seemed unnecessary - but it gives a great, non-academic overview of that time period and some insight (at least into the author's opinion) of the reasons why some what happened actually happened. Long, but still a recommended read

. JUNE TIOLI, a book with a tag not existing in your own collection of tags

Completed Book #49 - The Art of Cheating by Jessica Dorfman Jones - 2.5 stars

This was a quirky, tongue-in-cheek "guidebook" on how to get away with a series of different cheats (and how to catch others who are trying to do the same), but it's a one trick pony which gets tiring. Each chapter is structured exactly the same way which should give a nice consistency, but it just accelerated the monotony.

In fairness, I did find the book funny, and in an odd way, I found some interesting factoids contained within it. My biggest problem with the book is that it doesn't know it's audience. This book contains chapters on "how to stay home from school" and "how to cheat on a test" interspersed with chapters on how to conduct a marital affair and how to cheat on your taxes. I was actually listening to this book on audio with my 12 year old daughter (she completely gets this kind of humor), and I had to fast forward through some of the racier chapters, and that simply doesn't make sense. 80% of the book is perfect for a teen market because there is some great humor in it, and it's all satire, so no harm/no foul. But when you include a chapter on how to fake an orgasm (yes, that is a chapter), you've lost all mareketability to the younger reader.

If you come across a copy, it may give you a chuckle if you give it a quick skim, but not worthy of a dedicated read.

I can't believe it's been more than a month since I've updated this. So these need to be brief

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Completed Book #50 - Auntie Mame by Patrick Dennis - 4 stars

Auntie Mame is one of my all time favorite movies, and (for some reason) I had never read the book. The book was good on its own, but I know the movie too well to read the book without having the one influence the other. The book is VERY different from the movie, but very few of the changes have any significant impact on the flow - it's actually pretty easy to see why changes/eliminations were made. As a result, the movie seems "tighter". But as a stand alone book, it is still well written and entertaining.

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Completed Book #51 - At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson - 3 stars

This book is sizable, and it took me a several months to complete it (admittedly reading only in small bursts). I just couldn't get into it. I have read other works by Bill Bryson, and I love his sense of humor and dry wit. But this work seemed to be an odd example - providing almost "too much" history of private life. The premise attracted me greatly, with each chapter named after a room in house. Unfortunately, that ended up providing a very tenuous tether to the writing with chapters about a room ending up focusing on the fur trade in North America or mice or the plague. There was so much minutiae included in each chapter that his natural wit - which is still on display - is buried. Toward the end, I simply didn't care. It was too much about everything OTHER than the home, and I felt disappointed. He still writes very well, which is why I still gave it a decent rating, but it's not the Bryson I had hoped to see.

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Completed Book #52 - The Last Apprentice: Rage of the Fallen by Joseph Delaney - 4 stars

This is one of my favorite series, and I love virtually every book in it. It's been a while since I read this one, so I don't remember anything particular about it, but if you like YA fantasy that's light on fantasy and more on spooky, you would enjoy this one.

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Completed Book #53 - Fordlandia by Greg Grandin - 2.5 stars

The full title includes "The Rise and Fall of Ford's Forgotten Jungle City". Forgotten is the operative word here, and it should have remained forgotten. His desire to build a Rubber Plantation to support his automotive manufacturing in Detroit was a valid one, but the way he went about it and the blind pursuit of his goals in the face of reason begs the question of why he really wanted to do it. I think it was a little heavy on the nature of rubber plantation management - I don't think anyone would read this book to start their own - and it took away from the general flow of the narrative. A simple "the trees died" could have hacked this book by a couple hundred pages and made for a stronger and more interesting read.

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Completed Book #54 - The Bradshaw Variations by Rachel Cusk - 3 stars

I use LT a lot, and I really should pay attention to the reviews to choose my books. But instead, I found this book, recognized Rachel Cusk's name from another book I had read (Arlington Park) and decided to try this one too. Well, the reviews were spot on - this book is about nothing. There is no plot, no purpose and no direction to the text. It is simply a group of people, none of whom are particularly likable, who have some interactions with each other. Even the title and cover, which seemed to indicate there would be some music underlying the story, were very deceptive. Music plays such a small role, you almost miss it - and really there is no "role" because the book is about nothing in particular. Not a bad book, but I would recommend it only for those who enjoy "literature" - something I usually do, but this one missed the mark for me.

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Completed Book #55 - Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare - 4 stars

One of those books I should have read long ago. It's Shakespeare. Not much more I can add.

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Completed Book #56 - Mystery Man by Colin Bateman - 3.5 stars

My wife had done this series, starting with book #2 Day of the Jack Russell, and she loved it so much, she said I had to read it. I chose to go back to the start of the series, and I failed to find her same level of enthusiasm. It's funny, and if you are familiar with the BBC series "Black Books" you will find a lot of similarities with this book, but in print, that premise runs thin soon, and I eventually just wanted the book to end. Worth a read if you are looking for quirky humor.

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Completed Book #57 - The Secrets of the Chess Machine by Robert Lohr - 2 stars

I could not get into this book. I almost gave up on it, and actually put it back on the shelf for over a month, but decided to finish it anyway. Hours of my life I will never get back. I love historical fiction, and following a trip to Vienna last year, I have found myself searching out books based there, I like chess, and find automata interesting, so everything was looking promising. But the author simply couldn't deliver. Virtually every character is morally repugnant, and even the protagonist - whom you can tell the author is trying to make sympathetic - comes off as wishy-washy, annoying and completely unworthy of compassion. The only saving grace is that the author seems to have done some research into the era, and some of the atmosphere he sketches out during imperial austria was interesting - just not enough to save the book

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Completed Book #58 - Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks - 4.5 stars

This is probably the best book I've read in some time, and I came very close to giving it 5 stars. I simply loved the premise (a book narrated by an imaginary friend - an imaginary friend who can operate independently from the child who created it (such as popping off to the quickie mart to see what's up with the employees or studying all of the child's spelling words and helping with the test when the child makes a mistake). I honestly thought the premise would run thin too soon, but a fairly serious "development" takes place which gives the narrative a new purpose and creates an underlying plot to follow. The characters, real and imagined, are so well developed I found myself truly emotional during certain parts of it. What does happen to an imaginary friend when the child no longer believes in him/her anymore? This book has been at the top of my recommendation lists lately, and the only reason I nixed that final half star is because there are some areas, particularly toward the end of the novel, where the author was clearly writing with the purpose of moving the plot in a particular direction - even when there were easier means of developing the story. I get that he had a path in mind, but it seemed too forced - and a writer of his skill could have done better making that path more subtle and enjoyable. But that is being petty. It's a great book which everyone should read.

You sold me on Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend. Onto my wishlist it went.

Will you be coming into DC for the National Book Festival this year?

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Completed Book #59 - Affinity by Sarah Waters - 4 stars

This was my first Waters novel, and while I liked it, I'm not sure what to say about it. I was vaguely aware that she wrote about sensual relationships between women, but this one was so subtle that I wished I hadn't had that preconceived notion. It skewed my perception a little because I assumed things were happening before they were actually written.

The underlying story was interesting, and I found the idea of the spiratualist interesting, and how the alternating timelines, from current to past, was exceptionally well done and did a lot to move the story along.

I felt a little let down by the ending, but I'm not really sure what I had hoped would happen.

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Completed Book #60 - The Book of Vice by Peter Sagal - 3.5 stars

Admittedly, some of the material covered in this book was enough to make me blush. It was definitely selacious enough to refrain from recommending it to my wife. It includes topics as mundane as gambling but as edgy as wife swapping. All of it was written with the humor you would expect from Peter Sagal (from his "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" radio show on NPR) but maybe I'm too much of a prude to fully appreciate the depth of his writing.

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Completed Book #61 - 11/22/63 by Stephen King - 4 stars

This was the audiobook my family chose (for some unknown reason) to keep us company on a very long road trip through Michigan and Canada. It was the first King novel for all of us, including our 13 year old daughter, and I was pleasantly surprised by the experience.

Enough has been written about this book that there is little I can add to it, with the exception that the audio version definitely added to the experience. The narrator was able to tackle Maine/Northwoods accents along with accents throughout the south and Texas. True, there were times where a character in Florida sounded a lot like one of his other characters from later on, he did a good job keeping characterizations clean within conversations and situations.

With the exception of some (unnecessary) foul language, the book ended up being a good choice for a family read and generated a lot of discussion regarding time travel and what could have happened had different assassinations not taken place

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Completed Book #62 - Hamlet by William Shakespeare - 4 stars

This was actually a re-read for me, but listening to the audio version with my daughter as her first performance of Shakespeare. Let's just say that she fell asleep. She's 13. But I enjoyed it.

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Completed Book #63 - Armageddon Summer by Bruce Coville - 4.5 stars

This audiobook fared a little better with my daughter (we had another very long drive through Germany, so covered a lot of audiobooks), and we both really enjoyed it. I have always been a fan of Bruce Coville, and in this novel, he teams up with Jane Yolen to create an unexpectedly funny narrative from two different teen perspectives on how their family is taking the news that the end of the world is coming. But there's a catch - the end is coming for everyone ELSE, and these kids belong to the congregation who believes it will be the world's sole survivors. But how much do the kids believe???

The snarkiness of the teen boy is portrayed perfectly by Johnny Heller in the audio, and the entire audio was well done. There are some serious subpoints here, and the book handles them nicely and as the end is coming, the narrative picks up the pace. I didn't want it to end (the world or the book). Fun read, particularly with my daughter

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Completed Book #64 - Day of Deliverence by Johnny O'Brien - 3.5 stars

I had picked up this slim children's series in galley form at the American Library Association and enjoyed the first book in the series greatly. Book #2, Day of Deliverence wasn't as enjoyable. I think part of it is that the first book dealt with WWI and a time traveler's plot to stop the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and I knew very little about that era or the details behind the plot or anything about WWI. So I found the well researched history very entertaining, and I have that book to thank for most of my knowledge on the start of WWI.

But this title is Elizabethan England with a highlight on Shakespeare. I can't say that I am particularly well versed in this era, but I certainly have read a lot of books about it, so the novelty of the era wasn't there for me this time. It was still well researched, but so much is known about the era, I was less impressed. Some details about the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots and some plots to overthow Elizabeth added a touch of interest, but overall, it seemed a little formulaic - which simply highlights that the book is written for a 10 year old boy. And on that front, I think it is still a great series.

So glad you liked the King book, Patrick! I haven't read it yet, but so love to listen to books by Stephen King on audio. Some other really good King books to try are Heart in Atlantis, The Green Mile, Duma Key, and that old cult horror classic The Shining.

Although King has written a lot of books, some way better than others, his good ones are great. The funny thing about his books is that all readers disagree about which of them are his "good" books and which are his not so good ones. Interesting.

Oh, yeah. If you do decide to read The Shining, be sure to follow that by viewing the movie of "The Shining" starring Jack Nicholson. Jack Nicholson is so, er, Jack Nicholson (and not Jack Torrance) in that movie. I laughed my way through what was supposed to be the most frightening part. :)

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Completed Book #65 - Don't Know Much About Literature by Kenneth C. Davis - 3.5 stars

Although this book ended up as an interesting read, it was nothing that I expected, and its format resulted in a very SHORT read.

Davis creates "chapters" covering themes such as Pen Names, First Works, Author profiles, etc. Unfortunately, the chapter consists of nothing more than a short description (in some cases as short as a few sentences and never more than a couple paragraphs) and a trivia list. "Who had the following Pen Names", "Identify the authors of these first works", etc. with the answers on the backside of the page, so each chapter was only 2 pages.

Again, some interesting content, but it leaves you wanting more. Literally you can complete this book in a couple of hours - my daughter took it to read on an 8 hour flight and after starting it at the terminal, she had finished it before we reached cruising altitude (so I got to read it).

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Completed Book #66 - Livvie Owen Lived Here by Sarah Dooley - 3.5 stars

There is clearly a "backstory" as this novel progresses and hints at the backstory are held by the image on the cover and the jacket copy describing the family. But for something that seems to be so important, I almost missed it when it was finally explained.

Livvie Owen is an autistic teenager living with her financially struggling family in a series of rental houses in their small home town. The novel is narrated by Livvie, and seems to be attempting to follow the success of other similarly narrated novels (such as Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - a novel I did not particularly enjoy), and it succeeds probably just as well. Actually, I listened to this in audio, and the narrator did an exceptional job emoting the character of Livvie without making her a caricature, so as a result, I felt it was more successful.

There isn't a lot of "meat" here. It's a good story, and as a novel about an autistic child, the book proves better as a life story than as a progressive plot device. Not bad, but nothing to go out of your way for.

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Completed Book #67 - The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow - 4 stars

Although troubling to read at times, this story about a mixed-race girl who comes to live with her grandmother, covers a wide range of disturbing but very real-life issues. The way the story is written with alternating chapters with alternating voices in alternating periods of time seemed a little chaotic until the layers started tying together so that by the end I felt the writing style was sublime. But in hindsight, I have to recognize that I almost gave up. Don't give up. It's a good book.

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Completed Book #68 - The Are You Being Served? Stories by Jeremy Lloyd - 4 stars

This is an entertaining read, but admittedly targeted at a very tight audience. This work outlines a very brief history of the BBC television series Are You Being Served? as well as modest biographies of some of the major players. This "non-fiction" part of the book (which is disappointingly short) then leads into a collection of actual episodes transcribed into novel form. These are not the scripts, but if you know the show, you can easily picture each character speaking the lines, and stage directions, etc. are transcripted into paragraphs of descriptive text so that even if you've never seen the show, you can read the short stories on their own merit.

But, because of what they are, these stories are goofy and bizarre (and entirely British) and probably wouldn't hold up on their own. Particularly lines from characters like Mr. Humphries or Mrs. Slocombe are only funny if you know how they produced those characters on the screen. Highly recommended for Are You Being Served? fans.

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Completed Book #69 - A Child Called 'It' by Dave Pelzer - 5 stars

This was one of the most disturbing but rewarding books I have read in a wrong. In this memoir, Pelzer outlines the degree of child abuse he suffered through during his early adolescence in 1970's California. If you didn't know this were a memoir, you would accuse the author of going too far over the top and departing from "realism". In today's "nanny-state" environment, it is inconceivable that any child who regularly attends a public school could suffer this kind of treatment and go unreported for years. Add to that the disturbing fact that the father sits by and allows the abuse to take place is even more troubling. But as stated in the book, this ended up being the third worst recorded instance of child abuse recorded in the state up to that time - which only made me wonder if the kids involved in cases #1 and #2 even survived. It's amazing Pelzer did.

This is not a fun read, but it goes by very quickly and it is relatively short and unbelievably compelling.

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Completed Book #70 - Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky by Neal Bascomb - 3.5 stars

I was really looking forward to reading this, and the end result left me pretty disappointed. Providing insight into the era where building the "tallest building in the world" was something multiple builders could be pursuing at the same time, the book proved interesting. Secret deals, creating building techniques and outright deception were used to try to claim the highest building title from others while still under construction. The ploy used by the Chrysler Building was particularly entertaining.

But what was missing from this analysis was the impact of the depression. The WPA wasn't even mentioned - although I understand it was a prime factor in the building of the Empire State Building - and the death of the race to the sky was only implied. I felt so much detail was put into so many other less critical areas, that it was unfortunate that he didn't give that same attention to what had to have had an impact on the construction industry for more than a decade.

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Completed Book #71 - Bluegate Fields by Anne Perry - 3.5 stars

Another installment in the Charlotte and Thomas Pitt series and probably one of the edgier ones in terms of content - a teenaged male murder victim who had been "used homosexually" (and yes, that is the term which is repeatedly used in this Victorian era set tome). I think the author was hoping that the use of a "contemporary" theme occurring in the victorian era would carry the novel, but she was mistaken. The awkward way the subject is handled - particularly around the female characters - became tedious. Not a favorite.

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Completed Book #72 - Creating the Artful Home: the Aesthetic Movement by Karen Zukowski - 3 stars

For as much as I had been looking forward to reading this, I couldn't wait to give it away when I was done. Another interesting concept poorly executed.

Zukowski is an interior designer who has decided that her uber-eclectic (and markedly unattractive) residence would make a great stepping stone to the narrative history of the Aesthetic Movement. While she was wholly mistaken in the first thought, her detailed analysis of the aesthetic movement was compelling and became the only memorable part of the book. With some serious editing - along with the complete removal of all references to her own design efforts and the correlations to current design trends - this could be reissued as a serious (but very readable) reference tool to understanding a very interesting era in design. As it stands now it is a glorified "Time Life Series" type book written by an above average historian/below average designer (no offense, Ms. Zukowski)

Pelzer went on to write several more books and after reading them, one after the other, I decidedly felt there was some embellishment going on, somewhere. Just my suspicion, I have no proof, or evidence even. Just intuitive response.

I did wonder about that - LT has this listed as the first book in the "series".

I always question "memoirs" - particularly from childhood - which re-create entire conversations. I can barely remember what I said to my daughter yesterday let alone 30 years ago. But his inclusion in the epilogue (in my version) about it being documented as the third worse case in California gave it some credence. I agree with you, a lot may have been hyperbole, but even if only half of it were true, it's more than any kid should have to endure.

Oh, yes, I agree totally with that. No child needs, or deserves, to be abused. Humans are amazingly resilient and many, many have suffered from ignorance and meanness at the hands of their parents and have still grown into fine adults. But when the bad parenting moves over into abuse it is so tragic. And clearly this man knew abuse. And it should have been stopped but as you said it was a different time, and people felt strongly that all that was private family matters and seldom did people intervene. Too sad.

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Completed Book #73 - Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne - 4 stars

This falls under the category of "I think I've read this before". I have no recollection of ever picking up the book, but the story line is so familiar from popular culture and movies, that I can't honestly remember.

It was a fun and easy read, and I enjoyed it. My problem with it is, whether I had read it before or not, that I knew how it ended, and it really tainted the narrative. Not really the fault of the book, but to be truly great, a story should be able to be re-read many times without that effect.

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Completed Book #74 - The Last Apprentice: Grimalkin, Witch Assassin by Joseph Delaney - 3.5 stars

I have been a valiant supporter of this series, recommending it to anyone with a pre-teen boy and suppressing my own embarrassment that as a very much NOT pre-teen boy, I still like it. But this was my least favorite of the series. If you know the story line, the others in the series have all been written through the voice of the actual apprentice (Thomas Ward) and his first hand experiences in ridding the world of creatures of the dark. But this novel was written through the voice of Grimalkin, Thomas' sometime supporter/sometime enemy, and Thomas appears in only about 3 lines of text.

Other series (Amelia Peabody comes to mind) have done this when the story line of the protagonist gets tiring or the author wants to flex some writing muscle in other ways. Just as it didn't work when Amelia Peabody became a side character in Ramses' journals, this doesn't work either. I'm all for finding the good in those who are considered evil, but I feel like this entire book could be thrown out of the series without losing the flow. I hope the next book returns to the voice of Tom (and REALLY hope the next one doesn't get written by Alice...)

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Completed Book #75 - The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford - 2 stars

Admittedly, I had added this title to my TBR pile before I knew it was listed in the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die (and to be honest, I was attracted to it because of his goofy name, and then thought the premise sounded interesting). Now that I've read it, I still think he has a goofy name, but I no longer think the premise was interesting and have no idea why anyone would include this in any list of any books you need to read at any time of your life or death.

As a work of early 20th century literature, maybe (just maybe) this would be considered unique in the voice used to carry the narrative. Written through the perspective of one of four main characters, the book begins (and is recognized) as a type of journal capturing thoughts of events which have already passes. So the development of the story as well as the introduction of the characters, are done through hindsight with significant foreshadowing since you kind of know what ends up happening. But you only kind of know. Had I not read the dust jacket copy, it's possible I still wouldn't know what happened. A lot of it is inferred - since a proper gentleman would never speak of an affair (there, that's more of a hint than the author ever gives) - and it is ALL stream of consciousness. For me, when you throw out stacks of archaic vocabulary interspersed amid text which covers almost random thoughts, it's hard to follow along. The aside, non-sequitors, and seemingly pointless ramblings do not aid in any understanding of the characters or their situation. I cannot recommend this to anyone and only gave it more than one star because it does provide - mostly through the random inclusion of background information - an insight to the society of the time.

I read The Good Soldier while in college (between 1962-66) and remembered it mainly as, "what was that book about anyway?" Interesting that an English Professor seemed to think it was worth putting in a literature class. Oh, well, there are lots of previously famous books which I would not give any time to, today. Good show even reading it.

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Completed Book #76 - Camille by Alexandre Dumas - 4 stars

Another classic that I had never read in school (and admittedly had only vaguely heard of before). Interesting. I find a novel about a prostitute an interesting concept for the 19th century and would think that in its time, this caused quite a stir. Of course, by today's standards, the references to being a "kept woman" are so vague as to be almost benign. I believe I could have listened to this with my daughter and not even broken a sweat.

I had a good translation and narrated/produced by Recorded Books, so that helped keep the flow going - no issues with french terms or names. A good read, but not something I would necessarily recommend. Simply worthy of the term "classic"

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Completed Book #77 - Ibid: A Life by Mark Dunn - 1 star

One of the worst books I've read in a long time. Tedious and pretentious and not worthy of the pulp paper used to print it.

Dunn, author of Ella Minnow Pea does the same thing in Ibid: A Life that he did in LMNOP - take an interesting and admittedly unique concept and ruined it.

In Ibid: A Life, Dunn creates a scenario where a fictional author has written a fictional work and sent it to a fictional editor for fictional publication. Through preposterous machinations, the work is lost and the only text remaining for publication are the manuscript's "End Notes". Thus, Ibid: A Life is born - a novel written exclusively through the use of footnotes.

I was completely enamored with this idea when I first heard of this book. It's been on my wishlist for a while, and I finally grabbed a copy and started reading. Unfortunately, within a matter of minutes, I hated it. The footnotes are written as regular text (for which I should be grateful - I can imagine one of his editions being done in 4 point font printed only in the bottom two inches of the page) and carry almost no flow. As would be expected in a series of end notes, they refer to bursts of text spread out throughout the narrative, not necessarily related to each other - other than the idea they might have been sourced in the same place (hence, the use of "Ibid"). That makes for a frenetic read. But even that I may have appreciated had the notes had something worth reading. Dunn seems to have made it his purpose to make each end note more bizarre than the last in an attempt to prove how witty he thinks he is. The problem with that is that he's not witty; his insights are not developed; and the end result is proof that he does not have the ability of creating a coherent narrative.

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Completed Book #78 - 50 Buildings You Should Know by Isabel Kuhl - 4.5 stars

Not a book you would want to sit down and read in one sitting, this is still an interesting read for someone interested in architecture. Nicely laid out in chronological order, this book lists 50 individual works, all presented with full color photographs covering at least two facing pages, but sometimes more. Sometimes the author focuses on the architect, sometime on the era, but each building is explained in terms of why it's important whether for design or construction. Probably more notable for buildings which are missing (no Empire State Building) it does cover a wide range and I learned a lot about architecture. A light read and highly recommended.

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Completed Book #79 - The Presidents Club by Nancy Gibbs - 4 stars

Although this book didn't cover exactly what I thought it would, I still found it an interesting read. In theory, "The Presidents Club" is an elite membership organization with only former Presidents of the United States as its members. My original perception was that this book would focus more on the Presidents as a group, and their relationships across political boundaries as well as relationships between former and current presidents. And superficially, this book met that expectation.

What surprised me is how much of the book became simply a history lesson of what goes on behind closed doors. There were some points in time where "the Club" didn't even exist - at one point during Nixon's presidency, all of the former presidents were dead - but it didn't stop the author from covering a lot of ground about Nixon as President. Again, I didn't have a problem with this, but it's not what I was expecting, and to be honest, I think that material would have been better served in a different book. Its inclusion here made the book a little too long, and more focus on the inter-President relationships - particularly where and why some of them never figured out how to get along (evidently, few were fond of Nixon). A good chunk of the book was about the recent Presidents, but not as much about Obama - I think most of the research was being done right at the beginning of his term, so he has only a casual appearance - and almost exclusively as it relates to asking the members of the club to help him out.

A recommended read.

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Completed Book #80 - The Cloud Sketcher by Richard Rayner - 2 stars

Simply couldn't get into this. The books starts at one time - so you kind of know where it's going to be headed - and then goes back to his childhood. I just couldn't stay interested in it. It didn't help that his childhood was spent in Finland and every city and town had far too many vowels.

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Completed Book #81 - The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon - 4 stars

Very enjoyable book that reminded me a little of Paul Auster's Book of Illusions in that the history of the fictional author was so fully fleshed out.

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Completed Book #82 - House Thinking: A Room by Room Look at How We Live by Winifred Gallagher - 2.5 stars

Maybe I read this too close on the heals of Bill Bryson's At Home to give it a fair review, but this book paled in comparison (and I didn't think Bryson's work was necessarily top-notch). Where Bryson seemed to fill his book with anecdotes about everything under the sun (and not all necessarily related to the house), Gallagher turned her work into a "readable" version of an architectural design text book. Far too much time is spent discussing "ratio" and "aspect" and the technical components around designing a home. There is a market for this type of book, but I am not it.

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Completed Book #83 - I am a Star: Child of the Holocaust by Inge Auerbacher - 5 stars

One of the best works of holocaust literature that I have ever read for a youth audience. The author was one of 13 people from her town who survived their forced relocation to Terezin concentration camp. There she lived for three years, and the level of detail she includes in the work really clarifies some of the "issues" around this era for children of today. Admittedly difficult to read at times - and definitely not a work I would recommend for really young children - I found her writing compelling with a story that everyone needs to hear.

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Completed Book #84 - Heaven by Angela Johnson - 3 stars

this was an unexceptional work for a pre-teen audience which seems to bill itself as something which holds a secret that will change the main character's life forever. In my opinion - not so much. Heaven is reference to the town of Heaven, Ohio where the family chooses to live. Uncle Jack is the mystery character to whom the family wires money on a regular basis. The plot is fairly predictable - and if you read the jacket copy, it's pretty obvious what will happen - but with that, the book is well written, if uninteresting.

My biggest issue is that the best friend "cuts herself", and this disorder is only briefly covered in the book. As a teen novel, this is a serious issue and should have been "dealt with" not just left hanging out on the fringe as if it were unimportant.

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Completed Book #85 - The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck - 4 stars

I can't say that I am particularly versed in the works of Steinbeck, but I will say that I was surprised at how odd this story was. For its time, I think it would have been fairly edgy, but in the end - particularly the ending - it really just comes down to being odd.

Ethan Allen Hawley represents the straggly remains of a long established and wealthy whaling family. Now reduced to the position of clerk in the grocery store of an immigrant, Hawley is repeatedly reminded by his family and his friends how far down the social ladder he has fallen. All of that pretty much sounds exactly like what I would expect from a Steinbeck novel. But then throw in extortion, bank robbery, a prostitute, something that seems a lot like murder, plagiarism, and a whole bunch of other stuff, and it's like a Steinbeck character on acid. There is no justification for some of what happens when throughout the book examples of how dependable and honest he is are put forth. It's a character study - but the change in character is too much and too sudden and the ending - well, let's just say that I'm still not 100% sure what actually happened.

It was his last work, and I wonder if it had finished all of the editing before he died. There is really good writing here, and as a character study, it could be top notch - if just a little more time were spent on the transition.

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Completed Book #86 - Hermann Goring and the Nazi Art Collection by Kenneth Alford - 2 stars

This is a poorly written work covering an important footnote to history - the theft and return of works of art during war time. While I received this book as part of Early Reviewers, there is nothing to indicate on my copy that this is still a work in progress. It appears to have already been published. That is quite unfortunate because this book is in dire need of an editor. Simple editing errors in writing include using the EXACT same sentence twice in one paragraph, the use of initials representing an organization before the actual introduction of that organization and what those initials mean, and a tendency to repeat the most mundane facts multiple times throughout the book (i.e., when in Chapter 19 we are still being told what the Linz Museum was and its relation to Hitler - after being told multiple times earlier in the book).

All of these faulty mechanics results in a book which is simply difficult to read. I did finish it, because buried within the morass was individual nuggets of interesting details I had not previously known, and the author's use of first hand sources is laudable, but I feel in the end it was not worth my time. There are many other books written about this subject matter, and most of them handle it better than Alford did in this one.

I loved The Shadow of the Wind when I read it a couple years ago. It's one that I could see myself re-reading.

Lori - have you read any of the others in the Shadow of the Wind series? I didn't even realize it was a series until I logged it onto LT. I did enjoy it, but I wonder where the rest of the series would take it. I see the next book hasn't gotten as high of reviews on LT.

I didn't notice that it was a series when I read it. I just assumed the other books were stand-alones. It didn't read like it would be continued. I guess I should read the reviews and see if I want to chance messing up the favorable impression of "The Cemetery of Forgotten Books."

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Completed Book #87 - King Lear by William Shakespeare - 4 stars

Another classic I had never gotten around to reading. This was an audio version from "Shakespeare Appreciated" which is a series I highly recommend. It's a full cast production, with sound effects, but it also has a "narrator" who pops in as the story moves along to tell you what's going on, what different words mean and how the play reflected contemporary events in Shakespeare's time. You can also listen without the narrator, but I've learned a lot through this series, and the story is still VERY well performed and enjoyable to hear.

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Completed Book #88 - The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci - 3 stars

This was an odd audiobook I listened to with my 13 year old daughter. It's a YA title, but the characters aren't particularly well developed, and certainly not developed enough to justify some of the odd behavior they partake in. It's written as a work of realistic fiction with the story of a missing boy (Christopher Creed) forming the plot. Although a note was found after he disappears, the underlying question is whether it was a runaway note or a suicide note. And is there anyone who knows what really happened. What saved the story was an interesting component to the note where Christopher wishes his life was more like a list of other students in his class. When one of those students sees the letter it forces an analysis of why one life is considered "good" and another "bad" and where does the truth really lie. If the entire book had addressed only that, it would have been stronger. Instead, the question about Christopher keeps getting in the way, and even though that appears to be the point of the book, the work suffers by lack of a clear focus.

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Completed Book #89 - Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany by Hans Massaquoi - 4.5 stars

For some reason I seem to have found a lot of "Holocaust Literature" and/or books about WWII lately, but I will say this one stands out as one of the best books on the subject I have read in some time.

While a lot is "known" and has been written about the subject of the poor treatment of Jews under Hitler's regime, and collateral information has become common knowledge of the treatment of many other classes of "undesirables" in Germany, I will admit to having thought little about how a child of a German (Aryan) mother and an African diplomat would have been treated. Not surprisingly, Massaquoi did not have an easy time growing up in Nazi Germany, but very surprisingly, he survived, pretty much in open site, because even those responsible for implementing some of the horrible policies of Aryanization were not quite sure how to deal with this subset - and because there were so few of them, no one really cared. Even more surprising is how he was later treated by aid agencies set up in post-war Germany - since he was not Jewish, he got no aid. All of the support functions in place after the war were limited to those of the Jewish faith, so even after the war he still had problems

The only thing keeping it from becoming a 5 star read is the section which takes the author from Germany to Liberia to see his father. He becomes far less sympathetic in that environment, and I often took offense at some of the "escapades" which took place there. But overall, still a great read

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Completed Book #90 - The House of Dies Drear by Virginia Hamilton - 2.5 stars

This was a book whose star rating, in my mind, steadily dropped as I progressed through the book. A bit of a surprise since it is a Newbery Award title. But what begins and progresses as a standard haunted house type book takes a VERY bizarre twist involving an baffling practical joke and an ending which doesn't actually contain an end. (NOTE - as I posted this book onto LT I realized this actually is the first book in a series which goes a long way in explaining the absence of any conclusion to the book). What's here is very well written, but the combination of its ludicrous plot development and poorly fleshed out characters simply highlights the fact that this book is over 40 years old and has lost almost any relevance to a contemporary audience - something I don't say lightly because I love classic books. If the author had wrapped up the entire story in this one book, it would still be dated, but at least I wouldn't have the feeling I was cheated out of a quality read.

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Completed Book #91 - Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl - 4 stars

This was a very readable memoir which contained some interesting insight into the idea of being a restaurant critic as well as some dishy (pardon the pun) gossip on key players in the food world in the late 90's.

The book covers the time that Ruth Reichl served as the Food Critic for the New York Times. Reading it in a post 9/11 world - knowing it was written prior to 9/11 - did make for a different experience than likely one would have had if read at the time it was released. It's hard to read a scathing analysis of Windows on the World when you know that it no longer exists. But with that aside, there is a lot of humor and not too many inside jokes. I like food, but I'm no gourmand, so I read it simply as a fun memoir.

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Completed Book #92 - The Art of the Steal: Inside the Sotheby's-Christie's Auction House Scandal by Christopher Mason - 4.5 stars

I'll admit to having heard tidbits of this "scandal" at the time it happened, but it was so outside my personal interests and circle, I never thought twice about it. But since that time, I have taken more interest in the art/auction world, purely as an outside observer, so this was a fun read.

The book covers the basic backgrounds of the auction world both before and during the time of the scandal, doing so in a eminently readable way completely comfortable to the layman. The author also does a spectacular job fleshing out the personalities of the key players to the point that you become invested in their futures. I didn't know enough about the scandal to know exactly how it player out for the individual people, so building them up as real people made their factual "endings" that much more powerful.

Even if you are not interested in art, this is a great courtroom drama read, completely factual. Maybe not as exciting as an OJ Simpson trial, but the details which are included does force the reader to re-examine exactly how it played out and the fairness of both the US and British legal systems.

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Completed Book #93 - Death in Venice by Thomas Mann - 3 stars

The version of this story which I read was contained in an audiobook collection of multiple Mann works translated by Joachim Neugroschel. While I have no knowledge of the original German text, my opinion was that these translations were seemless maintaining a powerful imagery I would like to thank was true to Mann's original text. Many of the human interest stories centered on social norms and I felt they were very reminiscent of Edith Wharton's works.

However...the main text, Death in Venice was a troubling read. Written with the same powerful translation, the text itself proved questionable and somewhat shocking as I would think the concept of an adult male falling in love with a pre-teen child borders on tasteless regardless of whether their "relationship" results in any physical interaction. Listening to it, I couldn't believe the track the text was taking and wholly hoped that possibly the translation was putting something there that didn't exist, but by the end, I'm pretty confident that was Mann's intent. Probably not for everyone.

Patrick, don't give away Ruth Reichl's book until you copy down the cheesecake recipe on page 20. I made it, and it was scrumptious!

Glad you said something - it's in the stack for the used bookstore right now. I don't think I ever tackled a cheesecake before, but I'll keep the recipe on hand.

It's the easiest cheesecake to make, and the best one that I've ever made myself.

I do like cheesecake...

Completed Book #94 - The Big Picture MBA by Peter Navarro - 3 stars

While I am a strong believer in the Modern Scholar imprint from Recorded Books, this wasn't one of their best titles. It's not that it was badly done, it was that the subject matter really wasn't conducive to the Modern Scholar concept - namely, 14 half hour lectures. Some of the lectures in this recording were so dense, it's not really practical to cover (and retain) everything in half an hour - and if you are trying to do anything else while you listen (like Driving), you will retain even less. And during the chapter on cost accounting, you run the risk of falling asleep at the wheel.

I've been to business school, and I saw this as a light refresher, but there was nothing light to it, and I can't say that I could really recommend it to anyone as an MBA type read, but depending on your interests, some of the chapters are very well done, and I did get some ideas from his discussions on marketing.

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Completed Book #95 - The Ancient Roman World by Ronald Mellor - 5 stars

While written as a children's/YA book, this nonfiction study of Ancient Roman was exceptionally well done and very readable, even by an adult. Serious topics were covered, but in a conversational way, and I learned a lot more about ancient Rome from this simple book than anything else I have read or studied. Highly recommended.

And during the chapter on cost accounting, you run the risk of falling asleep at the wheel.

The Big Picture MBA sounds like a very dangerous book...LOL!

(I love reviews which make me laugh!)

Completed Book #96 - Before Scarlett: Girlhood Writings of Margaret Mitchell by Mary Rose Taylor - 2.5 stars

This became a very tedious read which was comprised of exactly what the title said it would - things which Margaret Mitchell wrote in childhood. First, imagine a romance western written by a 7 year old. I don't care how talented, a 7 year old cannot comprehend the scope of what needs to be said. Now add to that, the idea that the transcripts you are reading have been eaten by rats and damaged by water, so that whole pages are missing, so that you have to imagine what fills in those gaps. And on top of that, read the transcripts with individual words and LETTERS missing, replaced by underscores, and you get a headache.

The only saving grace to this work was the editorial text provided by Mary Rose Taylor which explained what made some of the writings significant - primarily by pointing out where family members or childhood friends provided the names/characterizations for some of her works.

As the book progresses, Mitchell's works mature, and they consist of works written in school annuals or newspapers (so you aren't missing wholesale sections of the text) and it is interesting how is can change - but I would expect the same could be said of what I wrote when I was seven compared to seventeen (I hope it got better). Only recommended if you are REALLY interested in Mitchell as a person. Gone With the Wind doesn't even make a cameo appearance in this book.

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Completed Book #97 - The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal - 3 stars

This will probably go down as one of my biggest disappointments for 2012. After reading glowing reviews on the work through LT, I added it to my wishlist, and when my wife gave it to me for my birthday, I couldn't wait to read it.

By about page two, I realized this was not what I had anticipated.

Vocabulary quiz - anyone know what "moue" means? Well, it appears on the first page, and was the first indication that this entire work was going to go over my head. Actually, that's not fair, I have a VERY good vocabulary (sorry, that makes me sound like an ass, but it's my thread), and I love reading intellectual works. But this seemed like he simply had a thesaurus (possibly from the 19th century) and utilized the most obscure words where simpler words would have sufficed - I actually started keeping track, but I can't find my cheatsheet - but remember one of the words was "orotund" which ironically means "pompous" which is why I remember it.

The book itself is a tad esoteric. It's a work of NonFiction (something I had missed in the reviews) where the author researches the origins of his collection of netsuke. Admittedly, you probably wouldn't pick up the book if you didn't know what netsuke were to begin with, so we're already working with a niche market. These Japanese carvings were accumulated through a Jewish family, and the book proceeds to trace this family through its residence in France and Austria, going into so much detail that the collection becomes almost irrelevant. But, it does always return, and always with the use of the author's FAVORITE word, "vitrine". And yes, I did know what a vitrine was, but its such an ostentatious word that its usage should be limited. The author obviously disagreed with me.

It still gets a decent rating (for me) because some of the history was actually VERY interesting, providing a very specific perspective on history through the family. I see that LT is giving it a fairly generous rating right now (averaging 3.94), but I still would not be able to recommend this to anyone else.

(NOTE - "moue" refers to a disappointed expression. Use it well)

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Completed Book #98 - House of Invention: The Extraordinary Evolution of Everyday Objects - David Lindsay - 4.5 stars

This was a fast and fun read giving pithy facts about the invention of many household items we now take for granted. Similar to more serious works like At Home by Bill Bryson, this was a much lighter read, but still filled with fun information. Nice book to pass on or give as a gift

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Completed Book #99 - The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough - 4.5 stars

Another fantastic work by David McCullough, this one covering approximately 75 years in the 19th century (1820's to about the turn of the 20th century) focusing exclusively on the "trend" of Americans traveling to and living in Paris pursuing artistic ends (writers, painters, musicians, etc.).

Typical of McCullough's works, The Greater Journey sweeps far more into the narrative than simply what the Americans were up to at the time. Whole swaths of his text don't reference any Americans at all and the writing transcends into an overview of the era and explanation of its history, in particular how Paris grew and changed both politically and socially (my, they do like their barricades). You can't help but think of Les Miserables while you read it. I have the soundtrack running in my head right now.

It's a serious work, and (like most of his work) a little long, but worth the effort.

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Completed Book #100 - Lost Memory of Skin by Russell Banks - 3.5 stars

My 100th read for the year (and likely my last) and it's one I have the hardest time reviewing. This was an odd book. The premise - what do you do if you are a convicted sex offender out on parole, and the terms of your parole require you to stay within the county limits, but no reside within 2500 feet of any location where children gather (school, playground, daycare center, library), and there are NO HOMES which meet that requirement - is a fascinating one. And I had expected the book to address the inconsistency of paying your debt to society vs. forced homelessness when these affected sex offenders are required to live under a causeway - the only location outside the 2500 radius of schools.

But that's not what the author decided to focus on. There is a professor of Sociology who takes interest in the group living under the causeway, in particular the main character of the book - the Kid. And there is some movement toward correction, but then something happens, and the entire narrative takes a very weird turn. In the end, there are a lot of questions, and very little conclusion. In fact, the wording of the last sentence would seem to be setting up the possibility of another book - but I don't see how this could ever be a series.

It's not a bad book, but it could have been so much more. And the subject matter borders (and often crosses the line of) distasteful, something I did not appreciate. True, it did carry the storyline, so it wasn't gratuitous, but it made for some awkward moments (and a little skipping ahead).