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February 14
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Bill
gave
 
to:
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid: A Memoir (Hardcover)
by Bill Bryson
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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read in February, 2008
Bill said:
"I just finished listening to the Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid and Garrison Keillor's Pontoon-- which I will try to write about in a separate entry. These books are both about the Middle West. They are both humorous. And they both deal wit...more
I just finished listening to the Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid and Garrison Keillor's Pontoon-- which I will try to write about in a separate entry. These books are both about the Middle West. They are both humorous. And they both deal with every day events. But the 2 books have very different tones. Keillor writes about a place where anyone who is odd or stands out is suspect, though it must be admitted that the "heroes" in the novel go against the system to think for themselves. Bryson's memoir, on the other hand, is a laugh out tour of his childhood in the 1950s--with hilarious portraits of his nice but wacky family and his collection of odd friends. Much of what he says, however, has a familiar ring for someone like me who grew up in the 1950s. But that may be Bryson's point--everyone's families are wacky, and everyone's friends are odd. Unlike Keillor's narrator, Bryson left Iowa at age 20--left the country really. While he often says that there were many things about Iowa in the 1950s that were wonderful, by the 1960s things had started to change. Much of what made his town Des Moines unique and attractive was disappearing. I should say that you don't have to come from the Middle West to relate to this book. Growing up in New York I experienced much of what he says about toys, television, fears of nuclear explosions, etc.
This is a very funny book, perhaps my favorite among Bryson's books. ...less
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Bill
is currently reading:
Museum: Behind the Scenes at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Hardcover)
by Danny Danziger
bookshelves:
currently-reading
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Bill
is currently reading:
Rumpole Misbehaves: A Novel (Hardcover)
by John Mortimer
bookshelves:
currently-reading
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Bill
is currently reading:
Death of a Dreamer (Hamish Macbeth Mystery, Book 22)
by M. C. Beaton
bookshelves:
currently-reading
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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September 06
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Bill
gave
to:
Hundred-Dollar Baby (Spenser, Book 34)
by Robert B. Parker
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Bill
gave
to:
The Burglar Who Liked to Quote Kipling (Mass Market Paperback)
by Lawrence Block
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Bill
gave
to:
The Burglar on the Prowl (Mass Market Paperback)
by Lawrence Block
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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Bill
gave
to:
The Burglar in the Rye (Bernie Rhodenbarr Mystery)
by Lawrence Block
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Bill
gave
to:
The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams (Bernie Rhodenbarr Mysteries (Paperback))
by Lawrence Block
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my rating:
Added to my books!
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Bill
gave
to:
Burglars Can't Be Choosers (Mass Market Paperback)
by Lawrence Block
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my rating:
Added to my books!
add my review
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