Challenge: 50 Books discussion
*Retired* 2008 Lists
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Patrick's reading journal
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Book #44: IN THE MIDST OF DEATH, by Lawrence Block. Another Matthew Scudder mystery, but not a very good one. But I finished it anyway because I am in the "read-'em-all" mode for this series.http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/76...
Book #45: A LONG LINE OF DEAD MEN, by Lawrence Blockhttp://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26...
This is the last of the Scudder mysteries currently in print, and so I guess I am done with the series. The investigations and adventures of Matthew Scudder and his companions have been a nice diversion over the past six weeks or so, and I really enjoyed nearly all of the books. I recommend to anyone any of the books published after the book EIGHT MILLION WAYS TO DIE (and I recommend that one as well, since it's the Scudder book I started with). In these later books, Scudder is a more mature and nauanced character. His compatriots are more multi-dimensional and better written. The plots and the myeries are more complex, and the resolutions to these plots are more interesting (if not always satisfying to this reader) and often left me with something to think about.
OK, back to non-fiction and Proust....
Book #46: ANYTHING FOR BILLY, by Larry McMurtryMcMurtry's fictional take on the life and legend of Billy The Kid. Very fanciful. Not one of McMurtry's best...he crammed way too much into this novel for me to really enjoy it as I have so many of his other books. Furthermore, there aren't any great and memorable characters in here as there are in his other stories.
My review:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16...
Book #47: TAKE TWO: True Stories of Real People Who Dared to Change Their Lives by Jo BransI found this at one of my favorite used bookstores in Long Beach, and added it at the last minute to the pile I was buying that evening. The title makes the book sound better than it turned out to be. This book is likely (and deservedly) out of print, and it's probably not in too many libraries by now, either.
The author tells short stories of how various people have changed their lives, and that probably takes up four-fifths of the pages within. About half of these were at least mildly interesting; none were sensational. But throughout the book the author intersperses her own thoughts and observation on the nature of change and how people react to it, and I found these to be trite at best and annoying at worst.
My Review:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23...
Book #48: COLLAPSE: When Buildings Fall Down by Phillip WearneDespite the provocative title and the fact that the publisher is some outfit called "TV Books" (apparently this book was written in conjunction with a documentary on The Learning Channel), this book was really good. Informative and anjoyable, despite being about tragic circumstances. My four-star review:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18...
Book #49: ONE RED PAPERCLIPBook #50: ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD
Challenge: 50 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
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Danine, though 'tis always a wonderful feeling to find an interesting book for mere pennies at a library sale, swap meet, garage sale, or the like, I'm sure you know the flip side of the book buying addiction, which is that once you get home with your new purchase you have to find a place to put them, and and then you have to find time to read them. I am grateful that I actually picked up that first book I read in the Scudder series and took it with me on a short flight up to San Jose, but I am equally grateful that I haven't felt my typical compulsion to have to possess the rest of the books in this series, as I've already got far too many interesting books at home. Much as I love to find a great deal, I need to stay away from the library sales for a bit, although I could quite likely never buy another book and still have plenty to read from my own collection to get me through the next ten years or so.
Kelly, I enjoyed your comment, and you've hit upon a significant reason as to why I enjoy these books so much. I, too, get a vicarious thrill from reading about Scudder's detective work, but I'm glad I don't have to risk my life to enjoy what he does, either.