I don’t know what it is about the Spaniards but they have a way of weaving the mystical with modern to create a macabre sense of possibility. Zafron again makes use of some well beloved characters in his first novel, The Shadow of the Wind. Read More »
I Read a Lot of Books
I read a lot of books. Sometimes I review them.
The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova
I enjoy Elizabeth Kostova. I thought The Historian was a great read, but I worried that Ms. Kostova might not be able to pull it off again. Happily, I was wrong. Ms. Kostova talent lies in being able to weave different time periods and different stories together into a larger mystery. Read More »
Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters
I don’t like Sense and Sensibility. Let me make that clear. I always felt that Maryanne was off her rocker, that Edward Ferrars was a weak sort of individual, and that Colonel Brandon needed to stop trying to rob the cradle. That being said, Austin and Winters have done it. They have written a book that makes me not utterly despise the Dashwoods. Read More »
Brothers in Battle: Best of Friends by William “Wild Bill Guarnere and Edward “Babe” Heffron with Robyn Post
I’d already read Band of Brothers, by the time I picked this book up, so I was fairly familiar with the history and the stories that were retold. Two of the most engaging ‘characters’ of Ambrose’s tale were indeed Wild Bill and Babe so it was interesting to see the past through their perspective. Read More »
The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall
This is nearly a perfect book for kids. There is a bit of action, drama, and romance, couple this with an engaging family pet, and you have the recipe for good old fashioned fun. This reminds me of what kids books were before Harry Potter, those highly politicized memoirs of slave children or Native Americans, gossipy girls, and vampires. Birdsall has written a book that recalls to mind the joy of youth, and the innocence of a summer vacation with new friendships. There is nothing sinister, nothing lurking, no misplaced moral compasses. Read More »
The Monster of Florence: A True Story by Douglas Preston with Mario Spezi
Confession, I enjoy true crime. I do. I once went to a writing seminar when they spoke of the appeal of escapist literature. A study had been done which said that people tend to read what they are missing in their lives. Teenagers read fantasy, house wives read “Twilight”, etc etc etc. If this theory holds true, I enjoy true crime because there is not enough crime in my life. Read More »
Ship of Ghosts: The Story of the USS Houston, FDR’s Legendary Lost Cruiser, and the Epic Saga of Her Survivors by James D. Hornfischer
One: unnecessarily long title. Two: seriously, after writing that title I am exhausted. That being said, this book is well worth reading. I have only a passing interest in WWII history (gasp) as I feel I’ve read it, heard it, seen it all a hundred times over. What I enjoyed about this book was that the author tried to keep the focus narrow in an arena that hasn’t received much media attention. Read More »
My Lobotomy by Howard Dully and Charles Fleming
As I began reading Dully’s account of his youth and the lobotomy given at the age of eleven, I found myself disliking the author intensely. Granted, he has had a lobotomy so his memory was affected, but he strikes me as the textbook bratty kid with a bad attitude. Read More »
Who Killed Iago: A Book of Fiendishly Challenging Literary Quizzes by James Walton
Yes, I did read this book. What can I say? I really love bargains at the bookstore and I really like books. I can think of, perhaps, four of my friends who would actually be willing to do these quizzes, but it was a fun read none the less. The premise of the book is great. Read More »
Write It When I’m Gone: Remarkable Off-the-Record Conversations with Gerald R. Ford by Thomas M. DeFrank
I have never been a big fan of Gerald Ford. It is the Star Wars/Star Trek thing. I like Reagan, and I agree with Nancy when she called him “the unelected President”. Apparently, that incensed President Ford, as comes out in the book. Despite an almost non interest in President Ford as an entity, I am a sucker for history and politics. Read More »
The Undercover Economist by Tim Harford
I like a good book about economics. I particularly like Harford’s style of sneaking the economics in there and not bogging the text down with a bunch of technical economics terms. He gives the reader just enough to be able to converse with some authority afterward, but not enough to start pitching his own economic theories. Read More »
In Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin
A little back ground is in order. I am actually half Chilean, and have spent a little time there over the years. I also lived for a while in Brazil. This helped me in my pursuit of a second major field of study at university. Yes, one major was not enough. I double majored in Political Science and Latin American Studies. As a result I feel fairly confident in my knowledge of Latin American history, culture, politics and religion. So when my uncle (also an avid reader of anything he can get his hands on) lent me his battered copy of In Patagonia, I was excited to see what Mr. Chatwin would have in store. Read More »
Betsy and the Great World And Betsy’s Wedding by Maud Hart Lovelace
Yes, it is a two for one special. And I am torn… technically this was one physical book with two books inside. Does that mean they get one grade or separate grades? So many options, and so little time.
The Betsy Tacy books as they are lovingly called by the legions of fans I never heard of before purchasing this book because it was a) on sale, and b) had a flashy illustration making good use of a scarf on the cover, are semi autobiographical. Read More »