I'd been meaning to read this book for a long time and finally got to it recently. While I didn't find it as powerful or as outstanding as some review...moreI'd been meaning to read this book for a long time and finally got to it recently. While I didn't find it as powerful or as outstanding as some reviews indicated it to be, I nonetheless thought it worth the time to read.(less)
I think Kingsolver is one of our best writers today. No two books are alike, except for her wonderful prose. This one is her first novel in nine years...moreI think Kingsolver is one of our best writers today. No two books are alike, except for her wonderful prose. This one is her first novel in nine years, and I hope it will not be nine more before she writes again. The Lacuna may not be the best novel written this year, but it's a good one.(less)
The new book by the author of Three Cups of Tea (tho there is some controversy about how much of that book he wrote himself) picks up where his last o...moreThe new book by the author of Three Cups of Tea (tho there is some controversy about how much of that book he wrote himself) picks up where his last one left off. It's good to know that Mortenson is still hard at work (now with his 'Dirty Dozen," - 12 Disciples?). Now more than 130 schools have been built, at least 40% of whose population is female in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The power of one man to make change!(less)
A lovely, small story of a young Irish woman who comes to Brooklyn in the mid 50s. The story and character stayed with me long after I finished the bo...moreA lovely, small story of a young Irish woman who comes to Brooklyn in the mid 50s. The story and character stayed with me long after I finished the book,(less)
When I was about half way through this one, I was going to repeat something I had said about another book: forget the reviews, just get it and read it...moreWhen I was about half way through this one, I was going to repeat something I had said about another book: forget the reviews, just get it and read it.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, I finished Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol, and my conclusion is much different: don’t waste your time.
At least half of it is a ‘page turner,’ a race to see what is going to happen. But some where beyond the middle, it slows.
And by the end, Brown has turned what began as a thriller into moralizing and philosophizing pablum.
I suspect many folks will be disappointed by this book.
But the sad realization that once you’ve finished the trilogy, there i...moreWhat a bummer!
Not The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest.
But the sad realization that once you’ve finished the trilogy, there is (probably, see below) no more Steig Larsson to look forward (to).
This final book in the Milleniumseries is every bit as good as the first two - - The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (reviewed here) and The Girl Who Played with Fire (reviewed here).
In fact, it may be the best of the three.
But it’s a bit different than the first two.
While this one is as involving and as hard to put down as the others, it is less filled with nonstop action and, sadly, has a bit less of our heroine Lisbeth, although it is mostly about her.
Without spoiling anything, I can tell you that Larsson succeeds in completing unanswered questions from the previous two books (it’s a necessity to have read them both before enjoying this one).
And he doesn’t wait until the last chapter to do so.
I don’t think you need to know much more.
Except, maybe, how to get a copy of it.
For some hard to fathom reason, the American publishing date is not until May, 25, 2010. What’s with that?
If you can’t wait, simply go to Amazon.uk.com and order the book, which will be shipped to you and will arrive in about a week to 10 days. (Disclaimer: I have no stake or stock in Amazon, etc.). I did notice this morning that there are also some used copies available if you do not want to pay full price.
I suspect this trilogy will become to the genre of suspense/mystery writing what Lord of the Rings is to fantasy writing, and thus you may want to own all three books in case e-books take over the world.
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I had high hopes for this book after I heard an interview with the author and even (foolishly) gave a copy of it to my father as it was portrayed as a...moreI had high hopes for this book after I heard an interview with the author and even (foolishly) gave a copy of it to my father as it was portrayed as a husband and wife’s struggle with her ending years and her final days as she dies of cancer.
The title is misleading, I think, as the book largely alternates between the first year of Enrique’s marriage to Margaret (Yeglesias’s wife real name) and the last several years of their life together. But while the writing is often rich, especially about the two ends of their marriage, it never seems to answer the question implied in the title.
Or if it did, I missed it.
It’s a curious book in many ways. It’s presented as a novel, tho it is largely taken from the author’s experience with his own marriage. Why he chose to present this in novel form is not entirely clear; tho I suspect he was not really ready or able to put himself and his marriage on stage, so to speak.
Yet that is what he does. Mostly writing about himself, Yeglesias does present his struggle with her end of life as well as his unfaithfulness to her in the middle years of their marriage.
Most reviews have been quite positive about "A Happy Marriage," and I would be curious to know what any of you think about the book.(less)
These are 13 stories woven around the character of a retired school teacher, Olive Kitteridge, and her small New England town of Crosby, ME.
...moreThese are 13 stories woven around the character of a retired school teacher, Olive Kitteridge, and her small New England town of Crosby, ME.
Although I struggled a bit with the form of this ‘novel,’ I found myself increasingly drawn to the characters, particularly Kitteridge, who by the conclusion of Strout’s book, had grown on me to the point that I will remember both Kitteridge and Strout long after I’ve forgotten a number of other books and characters I’ve recently read.
I was surprised to learn that my 26+ year old daughter and her book club all ‘loved the book’ as I had mistakenly supposed the middle and elderly aged characters in these stories would not particularly appeal to a younger generation.
Ah, another example of how little I really know.(less)
Although I gather Kathy Reichs, author of "206 Bones," has a dedicated following and has written numerous books with Tempe Brennan as a fore...moreAlthough I gather Kathy Reichs, author of "206 Bones," has a dedicated following and has written numerous books with Tempe Brennan as a foresenic anthropologist, this book was my first contact with Reichs and with Brennan.
What I enjoyed most was what I learned about this field and how much a good medical examiner can learn by a careful study of our 206 (or a portion thereof) bones after we die.
The story itself was mostly enjoyable but without these foresenic details, I'm not sure I would recommend the book.
Still, I'll probably read at least one more of Reichs' books based on my enjoyment of this one.
Styron is one of my favorite writers, and, as such, I read not only what he wrote but a good deal about him also.
This small volume is a re...moreStyron is one of my favorite writers, and, as such, I read not only what he wrote but a good deal about him also.
This small volume is a recently released group of letters he wrote to his father over a period of approximately 10 years, most of the letters during the time he was struggling to write and complete his first successful book, Lie Down in Darkness.
The early letters in this volume consist of his requests for financial support from his dad as well as reports on his progress, or lack of progress, on this novel.
I enjoyed following Styron’s development from an unsure, young author through the publication and success of his first novel.
With its publication and success, his letters show a growth in confidence as well as his enjoyment of spending time in Europe.
There are only three letters from his father back to him, but between Styron’s letters to his dad and these three replies, it’s quite clear that the support of his father (financially and morally) were of great importance to Styron and to Styron’s success.(less)
A good read, tho not as good as "Prince of Tides." This one takes a bit of time to get going and you need to 'suspend disbelief' a bit (acce...moreA good read, tho not as good as "Prince of Tides." This one takes a bit of time to get going and you need to 'suspend disbelief' a bit (accept Conroy's premises), but if you can, it's an enjoyable read with Conroy's usual good descriptive writing, this time about Charleston, SC. Put it on you list; tho it doesn't need to be at the top of it.(less)
If you read and enjoyed any of the following, William Styron's "Darkness V"isible," Joan Dideon's "A Year of Magical Thinking,"...moreIf you read and enjoyed any of the following, William Styron's "Darkness V"isible," Joan Dideon's "A Year of Magical Thinking," David Rieff's "Swimming in a Sea of Death, C.S. Lewis's "A Grief Observed" or Kay Redfield's "An Unquiet Mind," there's no doubt you will find this book thoroughly satisfying.
On one level , it’s an autobiography, the story of journalist’s Ariel’s attempt at coming to...moreThis true story can be read on several levels:
On one level , it’s an autobiography, the story of journalist’s Ariel’s attempt at coming to terms with a father he did not understand and did not like as a youth. There is honesty here, and Ariel is willing to portray himself in less than a favorable light. The book, probably initially a search for what his father’s life had been, becomes an attempt not only to reconcile the past and present but also to seek some forgiveness for his adolescent treatment of his father.
On another level, it’s the wonderful biographical, if often sad story, of Yona Sabar’s life, his life in the ancient Kurdish town of Zakho, and his and his family’s emigration to Israel and then to the US. More than 100,000 Jews left Kurdish Iraq in the 1950s, leading to the virtual extinction of their particular culture and language.
Yona has a difficult time with his emigration(s), even though he becomes a well -known professor at UCLA and is able to write and publish an authoritative book on the Aramaic language (which becomes virtually extinct between 1950 and 2000). Ariel tells the story of his father and his father’s struggles in a direct and lovely and ultimately loving way. And ultimately, Yonar is the hero here, even though he never seems to feel the triumph of his successes.
One a third level, it’s the story of the descendants of one of The Lost Tribes of Israel and their way of life that somehow existed in the midst of Islamic lands.
As part of his search and story, Ariel returns to Zakho and attempts to capture what remains of his father’s former life (almost nothing), but he does succeed to some degree in giving the reader a sense of a way of life that no longer exists.
If any, or even one of the three levels mentioned above (autobiography of Ariel, biography of Yonar, and/or portrait of a lost culture) holds interest for you, you time will be well spent with this book, which won the 2009 National Book Critics Circle Award for Autobiography.
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This story concerns a 35 year old struggling to ‘artist,’ (among other activities) who lives on the Lower East Side and becomes involved in a murder. ...moreThis story concerns a 35 year old struggling to ‘artist,’ (among other activities) who lives on the Lower East Side and becomes involved in a murder.
You know the guilty parties early on, but the strength of this novel is the language and the conversations. Price has captured, at least for me, the current lingo as well as a side of the Lower East Side that passes me by when I go to Chinatown, Little Italy, and the (former) Jewish world of lower NY.
Worth a read if you want to see a world that you probably are not aware exists. I think ‘social realism’ (according to the NY Times) may be the appropriate term for what Price is doing here. (less)
This book is a follow up, in several ways, to French’s best selling "In the Woods."
I didn’t read the former book but was encoura...moreThis book is a follow up, in several ways, to French’s best selling "In the Woods."
I didn’t read the former book but was encouraged to go directly to The Likeness by my daughter who said French’s second detective thriller could be read independent of the first. And was a good read.
I think there is something going on in what I politically incorrectly call ‘chic lit.’ Both of French’s book and the ones by Steig Larsson ("The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and ""The Girl Who Played with Fire, both reviewed here in Millerstime.net) feature strong female characters, headstrong protagonists.
Both main characters are delightful and a relief from some of the other ‘chic lit’ nonsense that is out there.
"The Likeness" requires a certain suspension of disbelief (that detective Cassie Maddox can pass for another woman, Lexie Madison, and not be discovered by a group of four other housemates). If you can accept that premise, then this psychological thriller is pretty entertaining, although a bit of editing wouldn’t have hurt.
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This gigantic book is the new edition and is almost twice the size of the previous one (1999). I went to hear Dickson speak the other night when he w...moreThis gigantic book is the new edition and is almost twice the size of the previous one (1999). I went to hear Dickson speak the other night when he was in town for the SABR convention. The room was filled with folks who were every bit as wacked out as I was about the game.
I find I keep this essential dictionary near my desk and TV and check it both to see if I really understand something, to see if something just said is in the book, and/or to get something to stump one of my chump (fans of teams other than the Sox) friends.
Did you know…. for instance…that a ‘Demolition Derby’ is a grand slam, that a ‘Hipper-Dipper’ is a sharp breaking curve ball, a sneaky curve, or that an ‘Onion’ can mean a baseball, a lemon, a stupid player, or a player’s head (as opposed to an ‘Onion Picker’ which is an old term for a third baseman or an outfielder)?
You might want to save this 900+ page Dickson book for the dead of winter when you are feeling deprived and at a loss for a meaning to your life. But I think you can go ahead and get it now, as there are more than 10,000 entries and 18,000 definitions, enough to keep you busy now and later.
Plus, you can show off your baseball knowledge between innings when the Sox are safely (?) ahead in a game.
Sent to me by a Yankee fan. Nevertheless, since I had read a positive review in the Times about this new book, I was already intrigued.
I ...moreSent to me by a Yankee fan. Nevertheless, since I had read a positive review in the Times about this new book, I was already intrigued.
I must say that the book had a strong impact on me. I’m probably much more naïve (a romantic, an idealist?) than I would ever admit (don’t tell anyone) and had ‘bought’ many of the myths about the wonders of baseball and its ‘heroes.’ I suppose I should have been forewarned from the subtitle.
Chafets quickly and thoroughly disabuses the reader of such foolishness (thinking of the Hall of Famers as true heroes). By the time one finishes learning the real story about Cooperstown (the museum and the town, particularly the Clark family who has had a monopoly on the Hall of Fame since its inception), any idealism/naïveté/romanticism about the game and the museum is almost destroyed.
The HoF is filled with a bunch of drunks, addicts, gamblers, cheaters, racists and folks you wouldn’t want your daughter to marry. If you’ve long revered but haven’t known much about the personal lives of Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Babe Ruth, Grover Cleveland Alexander, Roger Hornsby, Joe DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Lefty Grove, Jimmy Fox, John McGraw, Dizzy Dean, Leo Duroucher, to name just a handful of HoFers, you may have some revision of your thinking in store for you.
Chafets, who is not a sports writer but a pretty good story teller, has strong opinions, and you know where he stands on most of the controversies surrounding the HofF. These including whether various players and other folks actually belong in the museum, what he thinks about both the process of gaining admission (not much) as well as issues such as the use of steroids (thinks they shouldn’t affect whether players are voted in or not) to name just three of the most obvious issues.
If you are a baseball fan, but not too young of one, I think the book is certainly worth the quick read.
Once you’ve finished it, I strongly suggest you read the Comments’ section in this blog post: http://bit.ly/1MNzld
They will put "Cooperstown Confidential," and much more, in the context it belongs.
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I was looking forward to this new biography as I have a vague memory of seeing him when I was just learning about baseball. Whether in fact I saw him...moreI was looking forward to this new biography as I have a vague memory of seeing him when I was just learning about baseball. Whether in fact I saw him or am just suffering from one of those ‘recovered memories,’ I’m not sure.
Anyway, initially I was disappointed by this book. When I finished it, I didn’t feel I ‘knew’ Leroy “Satchel Paige in the way say I felt I ‘knew’ Lincoln from Ronald White’s recent biography.
I certainly learned a lot about Satch from Tye’s biography, and a good deal about the times in which he came of age, what others said about him, and how he aged (or didn’t age). But there seemed to be something missing from the story.
The more I thought about it, tho, the more I think I might have been the problem. I think I wanted him to be more of a ‘hero’ and ‘pure’ than the human being he was. I was critical of his life both on and off the field. I was quite judgmental about him. ( wanted to like him the way I liked Lincoln.
But now that I have read Cooperstown Confidential and indulged in a web posting about my dilemma as to whether to pass on my baseball addiction to my young grandson (see here), I think I’ve been straightened out. Mostly by folks who have made Comments, wonderful ones, about my so-called dilemma.
And so if I rethink my reaction to and discount my unfair judging of Paige as an imperfect person, I guess I would say that if you are interested in knowing more about probably the best pitcher who ever lived, then get the book. Tye does a good job of setting the context and placing Paige in the ‘times,’ from his early years all the way through to the end of his pitching career at the age of 59.(less)
Not as good as his "The Shadow of the Wind," which if you haven't read, I recommend it.
But "The Angel's Game" will kee...moreNot as good as his "The Shadow of the Wind," which if you haven't read, I recommend it.
But "The Angel's Game" will keep you entertained and involved. Like its predecessor, it takes place in
Barcelona and involves writing, intrigue, friendship, love, power, money, danger, etc.
Just don't expect it to be as good as his previous book. (less)
If you're an obsessed Red Sox fan, my suggestion is you get this book for the winter, and one day when there's snow on the ground, everything is shutd...moreIf you're an obsessed Red Sox fan, my suggestion is you get this book for the winter, and one day when there's snow on the ground, everything is shutdown, and there's no baseball in sight, get it out and read it.
It will hold you because of it's inside Sox color and a reminder of the 2007 season. It's also pretty good for those familiar with Fenway and the surrounding area.
As a mystery, it will hold you because of the Red Sox connection.
If you are not a Sox fan, I doubt you'll care much for the book.
I got to this memoir after my daughter recently saw and raved about the NY play ('Irena's Vow') based on the book.
'In My Hands' was writte...moreI got to this memoir after my daughter recently saw and raved about the NY play ('Irena's Vow') based on the book.
'In My Hands' was written by a 23 year old Polish a nursing student after surviving six years of separation from her family, rapes by Russian soldiers and several years of servitude to German officers.
But it is not another Holocaust book. Or rather, it's a different kind of a Holocaust book. It's the story of an adolescent who decides that what's happening to the Jews is sickening. She first helps Jews in a ghetto by leaving food under a fence for them.
Then she protects Jews who she is supervising in a German controlled hotel/headquarters. She later hides 12 of them in a villa where she has become the housekeeper for a German major so they will not be killed. The German major discovers what she is doing. She becomes his mistress to protect these 12 Jews and a baby. Eventually she escapes and joins the Polish partisans as the Germans are retreating. Finally, she gets home, only to find many members of her family are no longer alive.
Her memoir is both a riveting adventure story and an example of how one individual, an adolescent in this case, makes a difference in the world when she has courage and chooses not to accept terrible wrongs.
Worth reading. And according to my daughter and wife, worth seeing too.
No sense in your wasting time reading a review of this thriller. Just buy it (it's in paper now) and be sure you have nothing else scheduled for the n...moreNo sense in your wasting time reading a review of this thriller. Just buy it (it's in paper now) and be sure you have nothing else scheduled for the next 24 hours when you start reading it. Two million Europeans couldn't put it down. I doubt you will be able to either.(less)
(Disclaimer: Author Beth Noveck is a recent friend as well as a colleague of sorts with my wife.)
This book will never be widely read...more(Disclaimer: Author Beth Noveck is a recent friend as well as a colleague of sorts with my wife.)
This book will never be widely read.
So why did I give it five stars? Not because I like Beth but because I think what she has done both in her creation of the Peer to Patent program and in writing this book is unusual and has the chance of making a genuine difference in how government can work.
She understands the power of the new technologies. Although she's one of 'those academics,' she has actually done something with her knowledge, not just written about her theories. She writes from her experience of having created a program that most folks would dismiss if she presented it as an idea to be considered.
The subtitle of her book - 'How Technology Can Make Government Better, Democracy Stronger, and Citizens More Powerful' - sounds naive. It is anything but, and that's a pretty strong statement for a sometimes cynic such as myself.
'Wiki Government' tells the story of how Beth and others were able to use the power of the internet to assist patent examiners in their usually isolated often difficult, and sometimes impossible work. She brought 'together' folks from the public sector, from government, from business. She got lawyers talking with techies, policy makers working with scientists and experts in disparate fields. She had students and retired folks involved with each other. And most of these folks never met and never meet face to face.
If it all sounds a bit far fetched, it was. At first. But if you are interested in how technology and citizens can work together to strengthen democracy, at least read the chapters on the Peer to Patent program. You will be pleasantly surprised.
And I bet you'll want to read the rest of 'Wiki Government,' which is also worthwhile as Beth explores how the ideas and/or variations of the ideas used in Peer to Patent can be used in many other areas of our society, in federal, state, and local government.
It's beyond refreshing to know that the new Administration in Washington embraces and is pushing ideas such as those found in 'Wiki Government.'
Wiki Government shows how to bring innovation to government. In explaining how to enhance political institutions with the power of networks, it offers a fundamental rethinking of democracy in the digital age. Collaborative democracy-government of the people, by the people, for the people-is an old dream. Today, Wiki Government shows how technology can make that dream a reality. In this thought-provoking book, Beth Simone Noveck illustrates how collaborative democracy strengthens public decisionmaking by connecting the power of the many to the work of the few. Equally important, she provides a step-by-step demonstration of how collaborative democracy can be designed, opening policymaking to greater participation. "Wiki Government" tells the story behind one of the most dramatic public sector innovations in recent years - inviting the public to participate in the patent examination process. Patent examiners usually work in secret, cut off from essential information and racing against the clock to master arcane technical claims. The Peer-to-Patent project radically transformed this process by allowing anyone with Internet access to collaborate with the agency in reviewing patent applications. "Wiki Government" describes how a far-flung team of technologists, lawyers, and policymakers pried open a tradition-bound agency's doors. Noveck explains how she brought both fiercely competitive companies and risk-averse bureaucrats on board. She discusses the design challenges the team faced in creating software to distill online collaboration into useful expertise, not just rants or raves. And she explains how law, policy, and technology can be revamped to help government work in more open and participatory ways in a wide range of policy arenas, including education and the environment.
Some folks say all of Gladwell's books are similar. And the reviews of Outliers have not been as positive as those of his other books. But I always le...moreSome folks say all of Gladwell's books are similar. And the reviews of Outliers have not been as positive as those of his other books. But I always learn something or get a different perspective from reading him.
His newest book, 'Outliers', is about folks who are unusually successful, who are often outside the norm in whatever field they are in. He argues that their success is not simply a result of their unusual intelligence or gifts. Much more important, he argues, is when they were born, who is their family, what kind of environment they inhabit, and to some degree luck.
Gladwell has his theories, and he can be pretty convincing when he explains why the Chinese are so good at math, why top NYT lawyers have the same resume, how come you've never heard of the world's smartest man, why the Beatles were so successful and what they have in common with Bill Gates.
Outliers is an easy read and worth the time. Gladwell gets you thinking outside the box. And I'll bet you'll hear yourself saying, "yeah, that makes sense. I never thought about it that way."
This book was given to me by a friend whose mother is part of the story (true) of the Russian/ Stalin's massacre of more than 4,000 Poles (perhaps as ...moreThis book was given to me by a friend whose mother is part of the story (true) of the Russian/ Stalin's massacre of more than 4,000 Poles (perhaps as many as 11,000?) in 1940, and then the attempt to cover it up.
But "Katyn" is about more than just the massacre and the cover up. It's also about what happened to Poland in WWII, the shameful acquiescence of Churchill and Roosevelt in the destruction of Poland, the strength of the Poles to endure the atrocities of the 40s, and the seeds of its resurrection.
Probably not a book of wide interest, but if you have some connection / interest in that part of the world, in that history, then "Katyn" is worth reading.(less)
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