What We Are Reading - Nonfiction Part II

Thought I would start a thread for the second half of 2009...

Here's the discussion through July 14:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/51467

I just started The Cave Painters this morning. I'm halfway through the first chapter, and so far, so good!

Good call on the new thread - thanks!

ETA: Just started The Pleasure of Finding Things Out. Some things are really beyond me, but I can appreciate Feynman's voice and way of thinking.

Thanks for starting a new thread!!

I am reading David McCullough's Johnstown Flood and also an ER book called The Good Doctors, which is by John Dittmer.

#2 The Cave Painters was one of my favorite books of last year; glad you're enjoying it. I found it fascinating, inspiring, and beautifully written.

I recently received Rumer Godden's A House with Four Rooms and did not realize that it was part TWO of her autobiography.
It was recommended by someone here in this challenge, but can't remember who.
Can anyone tell me if it stands on its own, or do I have to wait until I can find part one?

Angela

I've added The Cave Painters to my tbr pile.

Message #4, I'm curious regarding this book and will check your thread to hear your comments when you are finished. Johnstown is about five hours from where I live. I pass there en route to Dayton, OH to visit my daughter.

Just finished another one, which was a bit out of the ordinary for me...



Feynman, Richard P. The Pleasure of Finding Things Out. Ed. Jeffrey Robbins.

Richard Feynman's The Pleasure of Finding Things Out is a collection of interviews, lectures, and other short works written by the Nobel Prize winning physicist. The volume, wonderfully and unobtrusively edited by Jeffrey Robbins, covers a wide range of materials that gives readers a sense not only of the scientist, but of the man; in the included works the audience is treated to stories of Feynman's childhood, his experiences and hijinks while working at Los Alamos during WWII, formal lectures and speeches on various scientific subjects, and a healthy dash of humor and personality throughout.

I was intimidated to read the work, as I fully acknowledge my lack of competency in subjects like mathematics and physics, but my husband (a great admirer of Feynman) promised me I wouldn't get lost in the physics, so I gave it a try. And yes, I did get lost at time - although more so when Feynman discussed nanotechnology than anything else - but I found it very easy to pick up the narrative again if I didn't get myself worked up over understanding the specifics of the material. I wasn't reading The Pleasure of Finding Things Out to understand physics and nanotechnology; I was reading the work to understand a little more about one of my husband's heroes, and the volume accomplished just that. Even for someone with only a marginal interest in Feynman's actual work I found The Pleasure of Finding Things Out to be quite charming.

#8: I read Feynman's Six Easy Pieces, which I genuinely enjoyed, so I am definitely going to look for this one. Thanks for the recommendation, Luxx.

I am starting In Defense of Food today and then will be tackling the 3 volumes of The Diary of Gideon Welles.

Stasia

Where did you find The Diary of Gideon Welles? It's not in our Valley CAT system and I haven't found it in any of the used book stores I haunt.

#11: Carolyn, I lucked out in that it was available through the local community college library.

Carolyn,

There is a company called Kessinger Publishing that digitally reprints old books that has reprinted the first volume with the introduction by John Morse. I have seen it at ABE Books for about $31.00. The second and third volumes are not available that way, however. Even the Chicago Public Library does not have it available for circulation--only reference.

I have the Kessinger reprint, and it is fun to see. Unfortunately I was sidetracked from reading it and am only about half way through.

Lisa

Thanks for the information. I have never used ABE Books, but just this weekend a friend recommended it to me for searching out another hard to find book. I guess it's time to check them out! :-)

I'm about to start Dorothy Butler's autobiography All this and a bookshop too which follows on from her childhood memoirs.

I just finished Adam's Curse by Bryan Sykes. Men's genetic destiny (and past) revealed. According the Sykes, the Y chromosome is in danger of extinction, and is inevitable. He thinks men still have 175,000 years to go. Of course, they may just destroy the world first.

I just finished Isabella of Castile, a kid's book about, well, Queen Isabella. It was pretty good, although I thought it talked down a little too much, even for kids.

>16 dihiba: Knowing absolutely nothing about the book, that makes me laugh. My friends and I have a joke that girl babies don't exist in our state; the past 12+ babies to be born in our immediate circle have been boys.

Lost in my Own Backyard by Tim Cahill. A delightful, humorous book regarding Yellowstone.

I'm going to make a start on Tel Aviv by Joachim Schlor.

I just finished The Purity Myth by Jessica Valenti. I can't remember who here recommended it (I read a review on someone's thread and decided to pick it up), but I'm grateful that it was brought to my attention!

I'm reading Leap of Faith: Memoirs of an Unexpected Life by Queen Noor of Jordan. Fascinating so far with a heavy dose of history of the Middle Eastern conflict.

For me it's The Collapsing Universe:The Story of Black Holes by Isaac Asimov. I'm, surprisingly, liking it.

I finished up The Bog People and very much enjoyed it.

Just finished London Labour and the London Poor: Selection (Classics) by Henry Mayhew (co-founder of punch) and I highly recommend it for all lovers of history, especially the Victorian era.

Mayhew started interviewing working people in 1849 for a series of newspaper articles. As well as these personal account he observed and documented almost every aspects of their lives, underlining his findings with census data. All this ended up in several volumes, luckily Penguin has abridged all this into a more manageable 500 pages.

> 25 This sounds fascinating. Was it quite readable? By that, I mean, does the material get lost in a hard to read style or is overloaded with statistics?
My paternal ancestors were Manchester poor, different city but probably not a whole lot different. My great-great-grandfather's oldest sister was born there in a dirt-floor cellar tenement in 1840 and I imagine their lives were much like the Londoners. I would certainly find this book interesting.

I must confess I forgot all about this thread until it re-emerged today, and I've read several nonfiction books over the past couple of months, including The Coldest March: Scott's Fatal Antarctic Expedition by Susan Solomon which I highly recommend for drama, writing, and scientific insight, Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl by Stacey O'Brien, which I didn't enjoy but people who like animal-human relationship books might, Revolution in Mind: The Creation of Psychoanalysis by George Makari, which had too much play-by-play detail for me, but was mildly interesting nonetheless, My Life in France by Julia Child, which was delightful, and Dangerous Games: The Uses and Abuses of History by Margaret MacMillan which was well written and insightful, but probably more interesting to people who haven't read a lot of history.

Now I am reading In Fed We Trust: Ben Bernanke's War on the Great Panic by David Wessel, which is giving me some scary insight into how we got where we are.

I want to "second" My Life in France--a lovely memoir that I read last year. Is this the one they are making into a movie? I remember hearing about a Julia Child movie that will be coming out soon.

Hi! Just found this thread . . . I love to read nonfiction . . . and see some familiar screen names here, too . . .

I'm currently sailing through Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy by Diana Preston. So far, it is living up to the glowing reviews I've seen for it. Not only is it a compelling story, I'm learing a lot about WWI, U-boats, ocean liners, and the general politics and society of the day.

I just found We Are Not Afraid at the county library, after reading of it on alcottacre's thread. That's probably my next non-fiction read.

Rebeccanyc: How is In Fed we Trust? It's on my TBR list, but I'm thinking I should move it up in priority. I would love to hear your thoughts.

I finished up The Peabody Sisters (excellent book) and am now trying to finish up The War Against the Jews.

> 29. I am adding Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy to my list. It sounds exciting and informative. Thank you for the great comments.

I had a disappointing experience. I ordered Warriors Don't Cry used from BWB but it was out of stock by the time my order went through. :( I'll have to try again. I'm planning on starting There Are No Children Here, about the Chicago housing projects, in the next few days.

Currently reading The Perfect Summer by Juliet Nicolson that Tui (tiffin) recommended a while back.

#26 The style is very readable. I just used the statistics them to get a sense of scale so they didn't overload.

Having said all that I did find it better to to pick it up and read for say 1/2 hour otherwise it all started blurring all into one! I guess abridging it broke up the flow as sometimes it was just interview after interview!

Also volume 4 just contains essays by others and some of those can be dry but this is a very small part of the book!

I just finished The Good Pirates of the Forgotten Bayous Fighting to Save a Way of Life in the Wake of Hurricane Katrina by Ken Wells. I highly recommend this excellent book!

I had intended for my next NF read to be We Are Not Afraid. But after reading Lusitania: An Epic Tragedy, I felt I needed something just a bit lighter, both literally and figuratively.

I had also picked up the book Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War when I was at the county library. Well, I started looking at that yesterday after work, and before I knew it, I was several chapters in. Pulitzer-winner Tony Horowitz goes on a Civil War quest through the South, and meets a lot of fascinating (sometimes funny, occasionally scary) people who are still wrapped up in the Civil War, one way or another.

I'd like to go back to reading it right now, but I have a house to clean . . . :(

(edited for typos -- I had tried to type without my glasses on.)

#36: Horowitz is one of my favorite nonfiction writers. I hope you enjoy Confederates in the Attic!

I've just finished and thoroughly enjoyed The Magic Lantern (We the People in the UK) by Timothy Garton Ash. It's about the revolutions in Poland, East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Hungary in 1989. I mooched it after I finished The File last month, also by Garton Ash, and it looked so good that it didn't make it onto the bookcasea!

rebeccanyc I might have to break my new book rule for that book you're reading... looks excellent.

Currently reading The Fighting 69th by Sean Michael Flynn.

#28, MusicMom, The new "Julie and Julia" movie is based both on My Life in France (the interesting part) and on Julie and Julia, a blog turned book turned movie about an uninteresting young woman who decides to cook everything in Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year and blog about it and her marital problems. Still, Meryl Streep is wonderful and Julia is wonderful.

#30 Bridget, I put In Fed We Trust aside for almost a week while we went on a little road trip/visit with family, but I'll be starting back in on it today. David Wessel is a journalist so he writes in a readable and engaging way, and I am learning quite a bit.

#36 tymfos

I read Confederates in the Attic earlier this year and really liked it--when I lived in Georgia I "knew" some of those people! Only the nice ones, fo course.

#40 rebeccanyc

Thanks for information. I loved My Life in France when I read it recently. Not sure I want to dilute that appreciation with the movie--maybe when it comes out on Netflix.

#41 MusicMom, I think it may have been your post about the the book that actualy caused me to put it on my TBR list, or at least to move it up on the list! :)

I'm about to start a biography - Bright Star: Beatrice Hill Tinsley astronomer.

I finished an old biography of nurse Edith Cavell, Friend Within the Gates, by Elizabeth Gray. Now I'm reading The Sea Shall Embrace Them: The Tragic Story of the Steamship Arctic by David W. Shaw.

I'm reading Connections : From Ptolemy's Astrolab to the Discovery of Electricity: How Inventions Are Linked - And How They Cause Change Throughout History by James Burke.

I just finished Voodoo Queen: The Spirited Lives of Marie Laveau, which was excellent, and am almost done with Nine Lives: Death and Life in New Orleans, which is also quite good. I seem to be in a mini New Orleans groove. Any recommendations?

#46 Have you read One Dead in Attic?

>47 tymfos:, No, I haven't heard of that one yet, tymfos. Onto the pile it goes!

I am starting American Progressivism: A Reader.

One Dead in Attic is a collection of columns New Orleans journalist Chris Rose wrote covering the time of Katrina and its aftermath. It's a pretty amazing collection of writing. The fact that the columns were written locally for primarily a local New Orleans audience is both the book's strength and its weakness. It gives the writing a peculiar power, but can make some of us "outsiders" a little lost at times when he's responding to specific local issues that didn't get a lot of national airplay. (We probably all know about the Superdome and the Convention Center horrors, but we may not know what the mayor was saying at a particular time in the recovery process.) I wish he'd added some sidebars or something to the book, just supplying a little background information on some local issues for some of us from far away. That's just a small gripe -- most of the book is understandable by anyone who watched the network news during that time period.

ditto tymfos' recommendation. When I returned from a conference in New Orleans last June, I read many books about New Orleans and Katrina...In fact, I'm still reading about New Orleans and Katrina.

I recommend the following:
http://www.librarything.com/work/6036160/book/48691313
http://www.librarything.com/work/1600040/book/31779081
http://www.librarything.com/work/1772281/book/32387358
http://www.librarything.com/work/3841565/book/32408581
http://www.librarything.com/work/3592396/book/32683468
http://www.librarything.com/work/1192623/book/32813319

Opps forgot one I recently read

http://www.librarything.com/work/8879347/book/50006875

Thanks, tymfos and Linda!

I am currently readin Abraham by Bruce Feiler.

Let me know what you think of it, Stasia. Our book group read that several years ago, and I found it extremely interesting. I met the author at a book-signing and found him fascinating.

#55: Will do, Terri!

Stasia--

I knew Bruce Feiler when he was in high school. His mother was a "friendly acquaintance" of mine in Savannah as we worked on several historic projects together and Bruce worked at the summer Art in the Parks (art and drama for children) program when my sons were young--Bruce influenced my older so much that my son became a drama teacher in that program when he was in college. I read his three "Bible" books a few years ago and really loved them--and not just because I knew him. My favorite was the second one, Walking the Bible, probably because in that one I got a chance to see how he grew spiritually through his experiences and I was interested to see the young man I was fond of as a teenager turn out so well. I highly recommend all three of the books--the third one is Where God Was Born.

Edited for spelling

MusicMom, from just the short time I heard him, I can see where he would be a great influence. I haven't read Walking the Bible yet because I saw the PBS special, and wanted to wait a while before reading the book. I wasn't aware of Where God Was Born. I'll have to put it on my list. Thanks!

I have read Walking the Bible, although it has been 5 years or more now (I could look in my old book journals to find out exactly when, but I am too lazy). I did not know about the third book, so I will look for that one, too. Thanks for the mention, Carolyn.

Does anyone other than me find the title Where God was Born really odd?

No, I find it a bit odd myself, lol.

Finished another NF book recommended by some lovely LTers...


Roach, Mary. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. 304 pages.

The cultural ideas surrounding death and the disposal of bodies are far more transient than modern American funeral rites would lead people to believe. From cremation to mummification, to burial within the floors of churches or seclusion to remote cemeteries, societies are constantly trying to find the "right" answer to the question of how to dispose of their dead. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers examines the recent history of one of those solutions - donation.

As a reporter, Mary Roach is able to offer her audiences a unique perspective on the process and outcomes of various forms of body disposal; while she very clearly supports the idea of body donation, she herself is not involved in the field (as a scientist, doctor, or mortuary professional), which allows her to give her readers a layman's view of what really happens when an individual wills their remains to science - and what could be happening in the future.

Stiff is easy to read, and Roach's lighthearted voice allows readers to chuckle at one of the most difficult emotional decisions individuals will have to make (for themselves or a loved one). While there is a narrative tendency to wander away from the immediate subject, the material presented in the numerous asides is as interesting as the initial subject at hand, and actually serves to give readers an emotional break, the lack of which may be detrimental to the objective and humorous tone that is intended. I highly recommend it.

Currently reading The Burning: Massacre, Destruction, and the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921 by Tim Madigan. I must admit this is an event of which I had never heard.

As Madigan says in his notes, "How can we heal when we don't know what we're healing from?"

Last week I read Geraldine Brooks' Foreign Correspondence, her memoirs about growing up in Australia in the 1960s. I enjoyed it - and am so happy I was born later. She had penpals as her way of seeing the world beyond Australia, and years later she tracks them down. Very sad in places.

Now I'm 3 chapters into a book I gave my husband last week...oops... It's Richard Dawkins' the Greatest Show on Earth: the evidence for evolution and it's fantastic so far! And I'm not a science person.

#64: Foreign Correspondence was the first book of Brooks' that I ever read, so it holds a special place in my heart. Glad to see that you enjoyed it.

>64 cushlareads: The Greatest Show on Earth sounds great!

I'm reading Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships: Decoding Social Mysteries Through the Unique Perspectives of Autism by Temple Grandin and Sean Barron; edited by Veronica Zysk. Very interesting so far.

I just started A Brave Vessel: The True Tale of the Castaways Who Rescued Jamestown and Inspired Shakespeare's The Tempest by Hobson Woodward. I promises to be an entertaining read.

cmt & Stasia, As soon as I read People of the Book I'll have to find Foreign Correspondence. It sounds like one I would like.

tymfos, I'll be looking for your review of that one. I'm interested in autism and will want to find it if you think it is good.

#68 Just keep an eye on my thread, I'm sure to review it when I'm done reading it.

I'm reading an early review copy of Shake the Devil Off. Kath wrote a very good review of this book, found here: http://www.librarything.com/work/8446279/reviews

I just picked up The Brigade: An Epic Story of Vengeance, Salvation, and WWII by Howard Blum and The Last Englishman: the double life of Arthur Ransome from the library and want to start both straightaway but really should keep going on Bright Star: Beatrice Hill Tinsley astronomer, where I'm still stuck in the early childhood years.

edit: touchstones

Thanks to Rachael (FlossieT), I am reading Kabul in Winter by Ann Jones. When she threatened to fly over here and put the book into my hands, I knew she meant business. So far, VERY fascinating and educational!

>72 tloeffler: I already have Kabul in Winter on my list. I look forward to your review also. Fascinating and timely topic.

I'm currently almost finished with Blueprint for Disaster: The Unraveling of Chicago Public Housing. It is great!

I looked at the description of Blueprint for Disaster: The Unraveling of Chicago Public Housing, and it sounds fascinating. There were clearly a lot of foolish decisions made by cities (not just Chicago) regarding public housing.

just starting The Great Pyramid by John Romer which will probably take me some time to read; not because of the book, the way it's written or anything else like that but because I tend to read longer non-fiction books fairly slowly and usually have a few shorter books on the go at the same time. I expect the book will be fascinating. I remember watching some of Romer's TV series on Egypt many years ago and my interest in the subject was sparked by his obvious enthusiasm for Egyptology.

#75: I look forward to your thoughts on that one. I love all things Egyptological!

>75 meanderer: I remember seeing some of that series, too! I look forward to your review, when you've finished it. I'll be patient. :)

I finished The Devil's Tickets. An interesting story largely about the game of bridge. It chronicles the lives of a couple who became the King and Queen of bridge during the Depression. It also gives an account of a wife who kills her husband after a night of bridge with friends. It was an easy read. Even though it is nonfiction, the people are really characters with interesting personalities and quirks.

I'm about halfway through Israel under Fire which is a surprisingly easy read. It is different than other books about the Middle East that I have read. The book's main purpose is to show how establishing Israel fulfills various biblical prophecies. It's interesting.

#78: Both of those books intrigue me, so I am going to see if I can locate them. Thanks for the recommendations!

I am reading (finally!) The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene. I about 50 pages in and really liking it!

About half-way through Resistance: A Frenchwoman's Journal of the War by Agnes Humbert. Although the book was written 60 years ago, I received it as an ER book because it was recently translated into English and available in paperback. An incredible story of a member of the French Resistance told with wit.

I am reading Here If You Need Me currently and following that up with The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio.

#81: Lisa, I cannot wait to see what you think of that one.

Lisa, I had that in my hands to buy last week but put it back (3 others ahead of it!). Looking forward to your comments.

I just started Clausewitz: A Very Short Introduction by Michael Howard. At 80 pages it definately is very short.

#85: I will be interested in your take on that one, Mike.

I set aside The Blank Slate for awhile, but I've picked it up again and am working on it during my commute.

I am about halfway through The Worst Hard Time, which I have to hurry with because it is due back at the library tomorrow, lol.

For those who were interested in my thoughts/comments on Resistance: A Frenchwoman's Journal of the War, I am posting a link to my review. I just cannot keep up with posting all of my reading, so my thread has fallen by the wayside. I love to try to keep up with all of yours, however!

For the readers' digest version: 4 1/2 stars and I loved the book. Loss of 1/2 star primarily because of a tiny issue I have with the translation.

http://www.librarything.com/work/5778280/reviews/51056346

I'm listening to The Hemingses of Monticello by Annette Gordon-Reed. It is fantastic!

#89 thanks Lisa, great review.

I finished Warriors Don't Cry about the 1957 racial integration of Little Rock's Central High School. I was horrified at what the nine students endured on a daily basis for an entire school year. The author, Beals, was only 15 years-old when she faced this madness and hatred. The book is written very simply and was a quick read.

#89: Nice review, Lisa. I definitely will be looking for that one.

#92: Have you had a chance to read The Long Shadow of Little Rock? It is along the same lines.

I've got two non-fiction books going.

I'm taking my time with Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships: Decoding the Social Mysteries of Autism by Temple Grandin and Sean Barron. There's a lot of information in it for me to mentally process and ponder.

I'm also reading Midnight Assassin: A Murder in America's Heartland by Patricia Bryan. This book analyzes the 1900 murder of an Iowa farmer, and subsequent arrest and trials of his wife for the crime. This isn't your typical lurid "true crime" book; it's an amazing look at the the attitudes toward and role of women (and farm women in particular) at the turn of the 20th century. Also, this is the crime which inspired Susan Glaspell's amazing short story A Jury of Her Peers, which I read in English 102 class and never forgot. (Glaspell was a reporter for the Des Moines News at the time of the murder, and covered the case -- the only woman journalist to do so.)

> 93 The Long Shadow of Little Rock is going on my list. I'm guessing that the political aspect is discussed in relation to the efforts of the NAACP? I am wanting a follow-up book which discusses the broader issues.

>94 tymfos: Added Midnight Assassins: A Murder in America's Heartland, I think for the second time. I could've sworn I added it before, but can't find it in my wishlist. Well, it just got bumped up!

I've added both Warriors Don't Cry and The Long Shadow of Little Rock to my ever-growing Wishlist now.

#94: I read both Midnight Assassin, which is very good, and A Jury of Her Peers earlier this year. I will be interested in your take on them.

I finished up 2 nonfiction books yesterday and am tackling another 2 today: Lost Languages by Andrew Robinson and 102 Minutes by Jim Dwyer.

#98 Lost Languages. I've had that on my TBR shelf for some time now. I would be interested in your opinion of it.

#99: All in all, I thought it a very good read. The first part of the book covers the decipherment of 3 lost languages, the second part of the book covers languages that have yet been deciphered. There are a couple of technical parts, but nothing so extreme as to be unreadable by a layman. There is a very good review of the book on its page if you care to take a look.

Currently reading Banker to the Poor by Muhammad Yunus about micro-lending, a subject I am very interested in since my involvement with www.kiva.org.

I'm almost finished with Blood Diamonds: Tracing the Deadly Path of the World's Most Precious Stones. Very horrifying, but an important topic.

I finished Can Any Mother Help Me? a few days ago - wonderful snapshot of women's lives in the UK during WWII, told via their writings about themselves in a 'circulating magazine', which was collectively written, compiled by one of them, and posted between members. Surprisingly little about children for a book with 'Mother' in the title.

I'm reading Into the Wild, as a group of my grade 12 students are reading it for class. I know that they worship Chris McCandless and his value system, but personally, I disagree (at least so far).

I'm reading a fascinating history of the cold war, A Fiery Peace in a Cold War by Neil Sheehan.

I'm reading Caroline Moorhead's biography of Martha Gellhorn, Gellhorn: a Twentieth Century Life. It's really interesting, as much for the detail of the events she write about (so far: the depression, the Spanish Civil War, and China during WW2) as for her own story.

#106: I have one of Gellhorn's books to read, so I will be interested in seeing your thoughts on her biography when you are done, Cushla.

Just finished a re-read of War in Val d'Orcia by Iris Origo. I really like this book, but realized upon rereading that it is more meaningful in conjunction with Origo's Images and Shadows which is a memoir/autobiography.

About half-way through The White War: Life and Death on the Italian Front by Mark Thompson. A good history of the battles with Austria in World War I.

#108: The White War looks good. I will be interested in seeing your thoughts on that one.

I'm on a Mary Roach kick right now. I really enjoyed Stiff, and picked up Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex and Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife. I also have LT recommendations like The Book of William and 13 Things that Don't Make Sense in the wings.

I finished Married to a Bedouin. I met this author (and bought the book) in Petra, Jordan. It's a fascinating story about how a woman from New Zealand met, married and lives with a Bedouin man and his culture. Not to mention she lived in one of the 7 Wonders of the World. I highly recommend this book for people who plan to visit Jordan or the Middle East.

I am currently reading Bruce Feiler's Where God Was Born.

Stasia--I'll be interested to see your reactions to that one. I knew Bruce when he was a teenager so my reactions to his books are a bit biased! :-)

#113: Carolyn, I really enjoyed it. Feiler has a down-to-earth writing style and his exploration of both faith and history in Where God Was Born was very enjoyable.

Currently I am reading The Fiery Cross: The Ku Klux Klan in America which I am finding not nearly as enjoyable - purely because of the subject matter. Man's inhumanity to man never ceases to amaze me.

#114 Currently I am reading The Fiery Cross: The Ku Klux Klan in America which I am finding not nearly as enjoyable - purely because of the subject matter. Man's inhumanity to man never ceases to amaze me.

I agree wholeheartedly. I always find books about bigotry/segregation/racially-motivated violence especially hard to get through because I get so sad and angry.

I am slowly working on Report from Ground Zero. It is very moving. This has not been a good week for reading time. Today is my day off work, so I'm hoping to get some good reading in between household chores. I have to hurry up, because Fire in the Grove: The Cocoanut Grove Tragedy and its Aftermath just came in through Interlibrary Loan, and the loan term on it is short! I have wanted to read that one for quite a while.

Stasia--I'm glad you enjoyed Bruce's book--I think that series is really well done. He has a new one out that I hope to get next time to go to the book store.

I'm starting The Suspicions of Mr. Wicher today. I hope to have some extra time to read this afternoon since I have a lighter teaching load today.

Terri--I'm anxious to hear what you think of Fire in the Grove--I have that on my wish list for next year.

I started The Children's Blizzard by David Laskin last night. It's about the blizzard of January 12, 1888, which was referenced in The Real Wizard of Oz: The Life and Times of L. Frank Baum. According to what I've referenced, Laskin seems to be an expert on it, so, although I'm expecting some poignant moments, I'm interested in finding out more about it.

>116 MusicMom41: I think you will enjoy The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher - I read it a few months ago and liked it a lot. Even without the references to Wilkie Collins, etc. it is interesting.

#117 The Children's Blizzard is on my Wishlist -- the county library has it -- so I will be very interested in your comments about it!

#115: I will be anxious to see what you think of Fire in the Grove as it is one I would like to readas well.

I am currently reading The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher along with Carolyn.

I've just started reading Susan Hill's Howards End is on the landing: a year of reading from home.

#116, 120 After I read it, I'll try to remember to post my thoughts about Fire in the Grove on this thread, as well as on the Disaster Buffs group. I'll definitely have something to say about it on my own 75 and 1010 challenge threads!

Besides the aforementioned Mr. Whicher, I am also reading The Limits of Power by Andrew J. Bacevich.

I finished Report from Ground Zero by Dennis Smith.

From my review:
It is impossible for anyone who wasn't there to really, really grasp the reality of Ground Zero on 9/11 and the days that followed. But this book gave me a clearer glimpse than I've ever had before. It takes us into the heart and soul of the disaster at Ground Zero through the experiences of those on its front lines.

Recommended.

The full review:

http://www.librarything.com/work/55219/reviews/52490505

I am currently reading Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals, the second book I have read this year on the Little Rock Nine. I also have another one yet to go.

I'm several chapters into Fire in the Grove: The Cocoanut Grove Tragedy and its Aftermath, by John C. Esposito, which recently arrived via Interlibrary Loan. I had read shorter accounts of the fire in several other books, but so far this has quite a bit of information of which I was not previously aware. Also, a diagram of the labyrinthine nightclub is provided, which is extremely helpful in understanding how so many people were trapped in the blaze.

There is one little format issue that I find annoying. I'll address that in my review when I'm done reading. And I'm truly disappointed by the fact that there are no footnotes/endnotes or bibliography.

ETA for this correction: Actually, there are a few footnotes, but they are few and far between.

Wow, Married to a Bedouin sounds fascinating! We had Bedouin workers helping us out on the dig I worked at in Jordan, and the cultural gap was enormous, though they were very hard workers with a great sense of humor. Definitely need to track that book down!

I'm reading Red Land Black Land Daily Life in Ancient Egypt by Barbara Mertz. Mertz is an Egyptologist who writes the Amanda Peabody mystery series under another name. This book is fascinating, and written in a easy to read manner, with a huge dose of Mertz's personality and opinions thrown into the mix.

Deb

Thanks for the heads up regarding the Barbara Mertz book. Now I know what to get a friend for Christmas! She will like this book!

#125 Stasia, Warriors don't cry looks great. Looking forward to seeing your comments.

#128: If you like that one by Mertz, you might also want to try her Temples, Tombs, and Hieroglyphs.

#130: I should be finishing it in the next couple of days, Cushla, so you might check my thread next Sunday as I will post the comments there.

I finished Fire in the Grove. It's certainly an interesting subject -- such a tragic fire, and one that should have been avoided altogether. Esposito does an OK job with it, though I'm disappointed that there is no bibliography, and only a few footnotes, and mentions of sources in the book's Acknowledgment.

I actually think Stephanie Schorow's account in Chapter 7 of Boston on Fire is a more compelling account of the fire -- and it comes with thorough end notes, as well as a bibliography. Of course, with Fire in the Grove being a whole book on the Cocoanut Grove fire, it has more details. (However, Schorow packs a surprising amount of detail into her chapter about the Grove.)

Full review here: http://www.librarything.com/profile_reviews.php?view=tymfos

Terri, I finished The Children's Blizzard last night. I HIGHLY recommend it!

I do, indeed, plan to read The Children's Blizzard!

Me, too - especially since I own it and have never managed to crack the cover on it yet.

I have three nonfiction titles on the go which is unusual for me. The Art of Travel which is proving very interesting. Howards End is on the Landing by Susan Hill, about a year of reading only what she already owns and remembering past reads, past purchases and writers that she has known. I'm enjoying this one a lot.
I've also picked up How to look at a painting by art writer and editor Justin Paton which was highly praised when it first came out.

I just started reading Rescue Warriors: The U.S. Coast Guard, America's Forgotten Heroes, by David Helvarg.

Terri

Let me know what you think of the book when you finish. I didn't know about it--but I plan to get it. My dad was career US Coast Guard and that sounds like a really good history.

In a bit of serendipity, I just picked up Diana: The Making of a Terrorist after having visited the Oklahoma City Memorial on Thursday.

Carolyn, I'm just getting started with Rescue Warriors, but so far I get the feeling that it's less a history (though some of that is included) and more of what the dust jacket blurb calls "adventure reporting" -- following them through their duties and reporting on what they do. So far I'm impressed.

Stasia, I can only imagine that your visit to the memorial must have been an emotional experience. Such a tragedy!

Ground was just broken for the permanent Flight 93 memorial in the past week, which is in our part of Pennsylvania. I've been to the temporary memorial, and it is very moving to just see the ground and witness the tributes that are left by people.

Terri--It sounds like I would really enjoy it. I'm asking my son who always buys me a book for Christmas to get it for me.

Last night I stared my ER book--An Artist in Treason: The Extraordinary double Life of General James Wilkinson. It looks like it will be really interesting.

I'm also reading The Drunkards Walk: How Randomness Rules out Lives. I'm enjoying this one--easy to read and food for thought.

#142: If I make it up to Pennsylvania next July, I will have to check the Flight 93 memorial out. Thanks for the mention, Terri.

Yes, the visit to the OKC memorial was definitely an emotional experience for all of us. The girls do not remember the bombing at all (they were only 4 and 6 when it happened), but they have very distinct memories of the WTC collapses.

#143 Carolyn, those both sound promising. I look forward to hearing more about them!

I am really enjoying Rescue Warriors. There was one chapter that was mainly history of the Coast Guard. So far, I've also read about their responses to Katrina and to 9/11 and the security challenges which have followed; also a fascinating chapter on boot camp and the Coast Guard Academy.

Terri--

I may not wait until Christmas! I have a 25% coupon from B&N -- if we have time to go to a bookstore this weekend I think I will use it. :-)

Recollections of the Peninsula by Moyle Sherer

written 7 years later by a romantic Pollyanna seeing events through rose-tinted spectacles. Not for the weak of stomach...

Quote:

But how shall I picture the British soldier going into action ? He is neither heated by brandy, stimulated by the hope of plunder, or inflamed by the headly feelings of revenge ; he does not even indulge in expressions of animosity against his foes; he moves forward, confident of victory, never dreams of the possibility of defeat, and braves death with all the accompanying horrors of laceration and torture, with the most cheerful intrepidity.

...He isn't? He doesn't? He does? ... perhaps Sherer was on drugs. Or something.

Edit: touchstone? *poke poke* hello touchstone?

I am currently reading both Girl Sleuth by Melanie Rehak and Lost Battalions by Richard Slotkin.

I'm still reading Rescue Warriors, but am starting to get bogged down with all the acronyms and organizational structure details. I know about Navy SEALs, the FBI, CIA and TSA, and certainly understand what SAR is, but I just can't wrap my brain around TACLET. LEDET, HITRON, DOG, AUF, etc., and keep them all straight.

I like it best when the author just tells the stories of what the various teams and task forces and squads, etc., DO!

I am finishing up Vanished Smile before beginning A War Imagined. I am also still reading Lost Battalions and The Tennis Partner.

Stasia, how are you finding Vanished Smile and Lost Battalions? They both sound very interesting to me; the reviews are quite varied for the first, with no reviews so far on LT for the latter. I'll be interested to get your opinion.

#151: Terri, I really liked Vanished Smile. Lost Battalions I am only about 250 pages into, but thus far it is very good.

#152 Thanks! I think I'll add them to the list . . . :)

I finished Rescue Warriors: The US Coast Guard, America's Forgotten Heroes, by David Helvarg.

Overall, it was very good. I got bogged down a bit in the middle, but then it picked back up. The author does spout some of his views. I can't argue with his estimation of the importance of the Coast Guard, nor their need for more resources. They must be the most under-appreciated and under-funded branch of the armed forces. Some other views, well, he's not so strident that it really got in the way for me.

I'm finishing up Manhood for Amateurs by Michael Chabon - really enjoying it.

I am thoroughly enjoying The Joys of Yiddish at the moment. It gives me a break from Lost Battalions, although both of them weigh in at over 500 pages, so it may be a while before I finish them :)

Stasia, I LOVE The Joys of Yiddish -- it's always good to dip into, although I guess if you have it from the library you'll eventually have to return it.

Just finished Patriotic Fire: Andrew Jackson and Jean Laffite at the Battle of New Orleans. Thoroughly enjoyed it--Winston Groom is my new find!

With the onset of cold weather and our first snow of the season, I have a stack of baseball books lined up.

Currently, I am reading Sixty Feet, Six Inches which is a master class-type conversation between Bob Gibson and Reggie Jackson about anything and everything baseball related. Wonderful, though I suspect it would be even better on audio.

#158: Winston Groom has several good nonfiction books out (although he is probably best known for his fiction work, Forrest Gump), so I hope you get to try more of his stuff, Terri. Since you are planning on reading about WWI next year, I would suggest you try his A Storm in Flanders.

#159, lindapanzo, I actually heard a joint interview with Bob Gibson and Reggie Jackson on NPR a month or so ago, and it was great, so I'm sure you're right about audio. If I weren't recovering from the flu, I would search the NPR site to see if it's available.

I found it! Here's the link:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=113899772

(Hope you feel better, Rebecca!)

Thanks, tymfos -- for finding it and for the good wishes.

>160 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia! I saw A Storm in Flanders under the "Also By" in his book, so I put it right on the list! I'm amassing quite a collection!

#164: Cool!

I'm 'reading' Go Fish by Al Brown (no touchstone) http://www.mightyape.co.nz/product/Go-Fish/3135751/
It has a short nostalgic memoir as a preface combined with practical recipes and tips on fish and fishing around New Zealand.

Currently reading The Worst Years of Our Lives by Barbara Ehrenreich.

I've just started the autobiography of young Chinese pianist, Lang Lang, called Journey of a Thousand Miles.

I'm about a third of the way through Andrea Gillies' Keeper, a Wellcome Prize-winning memoir (well, sort of) of living with an Alzheimer's sufferer. Really excellent so far.

I just read and reviewed Nine Minutes, Twenty Seconds, by Gary M. Pomerantz. It is about the crash of ASA Flight 529, a commuter plane that crashed in 1995. I thought it was a very good book. The author made me feel like I knew and cared about the people involved; the technical information was given in plain language that I could understand; he dealt with the aftermath of the crash very effectively, I thought.

ETA for spelling

I guess I'm on a non-fiction roll. I just read Sebastian Junger's A Death in Belmont. I couldn't put it down -- read it in one sitting . . . well, some was read standing while cooking supper. It was that engrossing. Powerful, very powerful.

Adventures of a Young Rifleman by Johann Christian Maempel

very interesting, because he was on both sides.

I finally finished Lost Battalions, an absolutely terrific book, and am now listening to The Johnstown Flood as my local library does not have it in print form.

I had started The Worst Hard Time, but it wasn't working for me right now. I could see that it was a book I should probably read at a time when I could appreciate it more.

Then, today, I received my LT Early Reviewer book for November, On Hallowed Ground: the Story of Arlington National Cemetery, by Robert M. Poole. Not any more seasonally appropriate, but it looks really interesting . . .

So I'm putting aside the Dust Bowl in order to read about the Cemetery. Go figure.

#174: The Worst Hard Time is very good, but I understand a book not working for you if you are not in the mood for it (happens to me all the time!)

I hope On Hallowed Ground is good. I will be interested in your thoughts on that one because it sounds like something I would really like.

I hope it is as good as it looks. First impressions are very positive. Extensive Notes & Sources, detailed index, photographs, and a very fine diagram of the Cemetery are included. I even e-mailed the publisher to tell them what a fine first impression it made -- if I were shopping in a bookstore and first encountered it, it would be very appealing to me.

#176: It would definitely appeal to me if I saw it in a bookstore!

I'm currently reading Seven Days in the Art World which is quite interesting. Also trying a few pages of Homage to Barcelona to see if I want to read it.

> 176 Ok, now I REALLY can't wait to hear more about On Hallowed Ground. It sounds excellent. I love maps and diagrams! (Nerd that I am.)

#174 - There's a coincidence! I picked up a copy of Egan's The Worst Hard Time just a few days ago! As for On Hallowed Ground: the Story of Arlington National Cemetery by Robert M. Poole - I'm quite green with jealousy. Looking forward to reading your completed review.