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What did you read last month?
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What I read in February 2016
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Nonfiction
Rate: 1/5
The ideas were too far out for me.

Nonfiction
Rate: 3/5
Audio book
I decided to read this book because it was recommended by a good friend. The author is the unconventional pastor of House for All Sinners and Saints in Denver, Colorado. I liked the message and enjoyed listening her on my walks.

Nonfiction
Rate 3/5
Yahoo ! I finally finished this tome. It was a group read for Book Nook Cafe. Though only a few of us read it, I still enjoyed reading and discussing the book with you. I don't know if I would have finished it if it weren't for you all. The author explores three topics. Theodore Roosevelt, President Taft and the muckracker writers at McClure’s magazine. I thought Kearns overreached with this book. It was too much info and I didn't really care for how it was organized. I think it would have been better to be three separate books.

Fiction
Rate: 4/5
I really enjoyed this story of a small island bookstore owner.

Nonfiction
Rate: 4/5
This book was published in the 1970s. It's the sad tale of the 1939 voyage of the St. Lewis. On board are over 900 Jewish passengers fleeing Nazi Germany and headed toward Cuba. There they are refused entry. Also on board, unknown to the Captain, are Nazi spies. Sad and riveting tale.

Fiction
Rate: 2/5
I read this because my local library is trying to get a book group started. I thought this read like a YA book. It's about the the immigrant experience. The main characters come from Mexico to seek special ed for their daughter who was injured in an accident. They go to Delaware. The book is the interaction of the family with the others immigrants as they try to make their way in their new country.

I read All the Birds in the Sky Fantasy about two kids who are polar opposites; Patricia is a born magician, and Laurence a precocious science nerd. Both are tormented in junior high school and form a bond of sorts. Each has an important formative experience that sets his/her life course. The end is apocalyptic and unexciting at the same time. But I liked most of it.
Ready Player One Not a bad future world --well, it's bad, but not dull. A genius computer game inventor who has changed the world is dead, and he has left behind the ultimate gaming challenge. The winner will get his multi-billion dollar fortune and be able to rule the world. Many of the hackers work in groups, but there are plenty of individuals working alone, and there is a monster multi-national corporation which will do anything to win. The ending is formulaic, but I liked the journey
Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome Great book about the rise of Cicero, who was a bit of a country bumpkin, but who made a career of being smarter and more prepared than anybody else. I liked the plot, which I suppose has been doctored a bit, but Cicero is a great character and his slave who narrates the book is also interesting. I will read another in the series.
When Breath Becomes Air Impactful, thoughtful, shocking true story of a young doctor who is diagnosed with cancer. Don't miss it.

When Breath Becomes Air Impactful, thoughtful, shocking true story of a young doctor who is diagnosed with cancer. Don't miss it. "
Thank you, Michele ! You had a nice month, too.
I have Breath on my TBR list. I'm glad to see you recommend it.

Alias, Accidental Saints sounds interesting. I will look that one up.
Michele, I loved Ready Player One. All that 80s memorabilia and the story of isolation and learning to trust & reach out was well told through that game.
In February I read:
In Search of Lost Time: Swann's Way: A Graphic Novel - I read the graphic novel because this is (technically) a reread and I didn't want to reread the original book. I liked how it followed the original. The artwork was amazing and, for a graphic novel, there's a short novel of words in there. A good recap but I don't recommend it as a way of not reading the original.
Egg & Spoon - an interesting "prince & pauper" Russian tale. It's a bit young, I thought, but I enjoyed the basic story.
The Garden of Burning Sand - this could have been a good crime/court-room drama set in Africa but instead it became all about the American girl's "woe is me" story.
The Lower River - I liked this one. A middle-aged man goes back to a tiny village in Africa where he spent a few happy years as a volunteer in his youth. Things have changed; it doesn't go well. I will read more books by this author. His writing is good.
Secondhand Souls - the sequel to A Dirty Job. I like the zany humor and hearing the story of the characters again. This was a fun read.
Lean Mean Thirteen - another Stephanie Plum. This series is fun to listen to while commuting.
Saint Mazie - an interesting story of a real-life lady who lived in Brooklyn in the 20-40's, helping people in need. There's very little known about Mazie, which makes the book rather vague in many ways (kind of glosses over things to reach the conclusion).
As I Lay Dying - my second book by Faulkner. I love his writing. Both books have totally engrossed me. This one was dark-funny. The story hinges around a hillbilly-type family fulfilling a promise to bury the matriarch in her hometown. The journey is one comedy of errors.
Valeria's Last Stand - bah....stay away from this one. An entire village acting petty and mean.

In Search of Lost Time: Swann's Way: A Graphic Novel - I read the graphic novel because this is (technically) a reread and I didn't want to reread the original book. I liked how it followed the original. The artwork was amazing and, for a graphic novel, there's a short novel of words in there. A good recap but I don't recommend it as a way of not reading the original..."
Nice month, Petra. I do own a copy of Swann's Way. I hope to get to it one of these years. :)

Petra, glad you liked the Faukner. It's certainly different from others i've read by him!

It Can't Happen Here bySinclair Lewis. I liked the beginning and the way it echoes this year's primaries/candidates. The ending pleased me, too, but the middle was not nearly as interesting. Still, a fine book for 2016.
VALIS by Philip K. Dick. It's the first in a proposed trilogy but i wouldn't read the rest, based on this. The MC could be insane, or picking up vibes from aliens or processing life as we know it. He created his own sort of sacred writing which, frankly, became tedious to read.
The Obituary Writer by Ann Hood. I think someone here mentioned this (or maybe from the recent releases Alias shares. The story lines and MCs alter between 1960 and the 1912-ish years. I liked the book, referencing the San Francisco earthquake and JFK's inauguration. Loss is a large part of the stories from both eras, as is the status of women.
Memoirs of Journeys to Venice and the Low Countries by Albrecht Dürer. The famous artist Durer kept a journal if his travels over a smallish time frame, primarily noting his expenses, where he was and some events which occurred. The accounting became tiresome but it was fun to see the trades he made, as well as the aspects of travel back then.
Catherwood by Marly Youmans. Small gem of a book i encountered at the end of an aisle at the library. I thought it might be a novel about Willa Cather or a fan. Instead it's a story about a woman in the mid1600s and how she met her adopted mother, her husband and traveled to the American colonies. While visiting nearby friends she takes a wrong turn on her return walk. She and her year or so old daughter are lost. I liked this one.
The Company We Keep: A Husband-and-Wife True-Life Spy Story by Robert Baer and Dayna Baer. Too much about their post-CIA lives for my reading pleasure. As their work took them to some of today's hot spots, the history of their time there was instructive, so i don't consider it a waste of time, just not as informative as i hoped.

It Can't Happen Here bySinclair Lewis. I liked the beginning and the way it echoes this year's primaries/candidates. The en..."
Very nice reading month, deb !
I just was discussing the Lewis book, It Can't Happen Here, with a friend who also read it for my library group. How preposterous to imagine a demagogue fascist come to power in the U.S. ;)

NONFICTION:
Full Body Burden: Growing Up in the Nuclear Shadow of Rocky Flats by Kristen Iversen: Narrative nonfiction by a woman who, as the title suggests, grew up in a small Colorado town close to Rocky Flats, a secret nuclear weapons plant once designated "the most contaminated site in America." The author intersperses the history of the nuclear facility with memories of her less-than-ideal childhood and family issues. I found myself skipping over the pages on the family life to get to the details of Rocky Flats. Still a decent read. 3 stars
Drunk Mom by Jowita Bydlowska: Memoir of a young mother’s lapse into addiction after the birth of her son, and her yearlong struggle to regain her sobriety once again. 3 stars
FICTION:
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante: The first in the four-part series of the “Neapolitan Novels”, this book begins the tale of Elena (Lena) and Lila, who become friends as small children growing up in Naples in the 1950s. Although the book centers around their relationship, it also offers a fascinating picture of life in a small village in post-war Naples. I hurried out to purchase the rest of the series and convinced my f2f book club to read this. 4 stars
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin: Charming, sweet and funny novel about an irritable, grieving bookstore owner and the unexpected package that arrives on his doorstep—a package that completely changes his life. The characters are quirky and real. A very enjoyable read. 4 stars
Bird in Hand by Christina Baker Kline: A novel that opens with a woman who, after leaving a party where she had two drinks, gets into a car accident that leaves a small child dead. The traumatic experience reverberates throughout her life, marriage, and friendships. A quick read. 3 stars
Falling Angels by Tracy Chevalier: A historical novel about two families in London at the turn of the 20th century. Told in alternating chapters between several characters, including the son of the local gravedigger. A decent read while you’re in it, but I forgot the plot fairly quickly after finishing it. 3 stars
The Secret Chord by Geraldine Brooks: Historical fiction about the life of Old Testament's King David. I usually enjoy books by Geraldine Brooks. I had to force myself to finish this one. 2 stars

RE:
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante: The first in the four-part series of the “Neapolitan Novels”, this book begins the tale of Elena (Lena) and Lila, who become friends as small children growing up in Naples in the 1950s. Although the book center around their relationship, it also offers a fascinating picture of life in a small village in post-war Naples. I hurried out to purchase the rest of the series and convinced my f2f book club to read this. 4 stars
I am so glad to read this. I have it on hold at my library. However, someone in my class at Y, who was reading one of the later books in the series, said she didn't like the first book. I almost cancelled my library hold. Now, I'll give it a shot. Thanks !
Somnus and the March Hare by Ashley Capes and The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami. I rate both four stars. Magic realism is more realistic than I imagined.
Michele wrote: "I enjoyed the two Murakami books I read, but it's a big commitment. Is this one enormously long?"
It is very brief.
It is very brief.

Michele, have you read The Strange Library or After the Quake? Both are short.
I'm a fan of Haruki Murakami's books as well. I've only read 2: Kafka on the Shore and 1Q84.
Petra wrote: "Michele wrote: "I enjoyed the two Murakami books I read, but it's a big commitment. Is this one enormously long?"
Michele, have you read The Strange Library or [book:After the Quak..."
The only other Haruki Murakami that I have read, apart from some of his short stories that I hardly remember, is After Dark. It is similar to Ryū Murakami's Piercing in setting, but these books are as thematically different as chalk and cheese.
Michele, have you read The Strange Library or [book:After the Quak..."
The only other Haruki Murakami that I have read, apart from some of his short stories that I hardly remember, is After Dark. It is similar to Ryū Murakami's Piercing in setting, but these books are as thematically different as chalk and cheese.

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
A Wild Sheep Chase, which i see from GR is the third in a series, something i hadn't realized at the time. As it was tough going at first, i better understand why now.
Amy, don't you treasure that feeling when a book grabs you that way, craving more NOW? Savor!
Madrano wrote: "Thanks for the comments on the Murakami book, Greg. The two i've read were fascinating.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
A Wild Sheep Chase, which i see from GR is the third i..."
Wind/Pinball: Two Novels. For those who like totality.
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
A Wild Sheep Chase, which i see from GR is the third i..."
Wind/Pinball: Two Novels. For those who like totality.


I've also done Kafka on the Shore, After Dark, and A Wild Sheep Chase.
Norwegian Wood is another short one (300pp or so).

As Good As Gold: 1 Woman, 9 Sports, 10 Countries and a a 2-Year Quest to Make the Summer Olympics - 4 stars
A lifelong athlete and journalist sets out to make the 2008 summer Olympics by trying obscure sports with seemingly better odds than the popular one. I learned a bit about those obscure sports (pentathlon, handball, and others) and enjoyed reading about her journey.
Talk Like TED: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds - 3 stars
It was interesting reading analyses of some of the most popular TED talks. The advice about public speaking can be found from numerous other sources, but it was an easy read.

I am so glad. A group not obsessed with fiction.
Madrano wrote: "I had to locate my list of Books Read in Feb.
It Can't Happen Here bySinclair Lewis. I liked the beginning and the way it echoes this year's primaries/candidates. The en..."
Valis is one of my favourites from Philip K. Dick. Horselover Fat is a wonderfully crazy invention. I love him almost as much as Kurt Vonnegut's Kilgore Trout.
It Can't Happen Here bySinclair Lewis. I liked the beginning and the way it echoes this year's primaries/candidates. The en..."
Valis is one of my favourites from Philip K. Dick. Horselover Fat is a wonderfully crazy invention. I love him almost as much as Kurt Vonnegut's Kilgore Trout.
Madrano wrote: "Interesting books from all this month. I liked Ready Player One, too, Petra. I can also see what Michele mentioned, too. I suppose it was the characters which caught my imagination.
Petra, glad y..."
The youngsters are all reading Ready Player One. But if you ask them about Neuromancer by William Gibson, they don't have a clue. How quickly things change! I have been superseded.
Petra, glad y..."
The youngsters are all reading Ready Player One. But if you ask them about Neuromancer by William Gibson, they don't have a clue. How quickly things change! I have been superseded.

One of the best things about Book Nook Cafe here at Goodreads is that so many of us post about both fiction and nonfiction. I've been introduced to many great titles that i doubt i would never run across. A good example is the first book Emma listed. I'm not a sports fan but those "minor sports" at the Olympics intrigue me. Thanks for the title, Emma.

The Joke by Milan Kundera. A young Party member sends a joking postcard to his girlfriend, the joke misfires, and his life is ruined as a result. Years later, he seeks to take his revenge, and learns that revenge is really in the eye of the holder. A good tale, expertly told, though it took quite a long time for me to warm up to it. Three stars.
Shoggoths in Bloom and Other Stories by Elizabeth Bear. Magical-realism and sci-fi short stories.I only read about a third of the stories all the way through. After that, I would read each remaining story up to the point where I felt it was wasting my time. Very few lasted an entire page. Not really sure how to describe it: these stories aren't *bad*, and some people here may quite like them, but the vague, amorphous approach to storytelling was not to my taste. Two stars.
Life: A User's Manual by Georges Perec. Wow, what a bore this guy is. Another Europrean Classic that seems to be awarded merit only by the Stockholm Syndromatic people who managed to finish it. Here's the deal: the author wrote up a list of 179 one-line descriptions, assigned each description to a room or space (e.g. 'the stairs') in an apartment building, arranged them in a nonrandom but also nonsequential order (the "knight's move" chessboard tour, for those interested), then fleshed them out into chapters. There are some good stories buried among the lists of knickknacks and the banal anecdotes, so it's not a complete waste of time, and the core story is good. Three stars.
Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis. A welcome break after the Perec novel, and a reminder of why reading is enjoyable. This is a simple tale of a talentless misanthrope torn between two women: the one he likes, and the one who likes him. Many reviewers seem down on the main character for the simple reason that the girl he likes is attractive, and the one who likes him is not, and how dare he -- but it becomes pretty clear that the one he is trying to leave in the lurch is not a sympathetic character. Neurotic, manipulative, malicious, the whole lot. Anyways, if you can get behind a Louis C.K.-style protagonist, someone unlikeable but witty, with a deep resentment of his fellow man and not too much love for himself, then you will find this quite entertaining. Five stars.


I liked the Milan Kundera novel quite a bit. It really made a good point about how strict such governments are, even on a personal level. However, i was not tempted to read another book by him.
Greg, sorry to learn of your disappointing book reading last month. I hope this month is better for you.


We have a member here, Carol, who is trying to become a writer. If she doesn't see your post, I'll drop her an email. Thanks for sharing.

Glad to share! I hadn't heard of it either. A good friend of mine from our gymnastics days happened upon it on Amazon and sent it to me for xmas. I ended up shipping it to her to read, too. Also, it's not a summer sport, but there was an entertaining interlude with luge training in there, too. ;)

On the PKD front, I had a similar experience with VALIS. Out of curiousity, I read Radio Free Albemuth, which is the Valis triology before the rewrite, and it is better, i.e. shorter. PKD was always a little weird, but his writing after the Pink Beam experience got pretty nutty.
Might have to check out Imperium and A. J. Fikry -- those look good.


Welcome to Book Nook Cafe, Mary !
Thank you for sharing the title. I'll have to check it out.


Masters of Illusions: A Novel of the Connecticut Circus Fire by Mary-Ann Tirone Smith
In July 6, 1944, on a hot afternoon, thousands of fans made their way to Barbour Street in Hartford, Connecticut to see the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus performance. Unfortunately, 167 circus fans never went home. And others returned home with physical and emotional scars that they will bear for the rest of their lives. My dad was a kid, who rode his bike to the circus, but shortly after the fire began, he left ASAP. I love Mary-Ann Tirone Smith's writing, and second, my father was just a kid at the circus when the fire began. He was very fortunate to leave early. Sad but true, only one young girl died. And her family also never came back.
http://www.circusfire1944.com/uploads...
Fire began . . .
http://38.media.tumblr.com/78aa979045...
8 yrs old Eleanor Emily Cook perished.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...
Little Miss 1565 -- She died; no one ever claimed her.

I have almost read 1/2 of Becoming Jane Eyre. So far, I am enjoying it.
Last but not least . . .

Set in Stony Point, Maine. Annie Dawson and friends discover mysteries in the attic of Annie's ancestral home, Grey Gables.

I lol when I read the name of the home was Grey Gables. Of course it reminded me of Grey Gardens.


Masters of Illusions: A Novel of the Connecticut Circu..."</i>
I'm particularly interested in [book:Becoming Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre is one of my favorite classics and I love reading about the Bronte sisters. There is also novel called Worlds of Ink and Shadow which deals with the Brontes and the fantasy realm that they created.


I see that this one is a novel. If you are looking for a good nonfiction account of the Connecticut Circus Fire, I highly recommend The Circus Fire: A True Story of an American Tragedy by Stewart O'Nan.

My favorite novel about the Bronte family is Brontë by poet Glyn Hughes. There were some images that are still with me. I liked his writing so much i read another novel set in the Bronte town, Haworth but Where I Used To Play On The Green a generation before they arrived. It was about the poverty and the religious upheaval that swept that part of the country in the mid 18th century. It was good.
Sad story about the Circus Fire. It's all news to me.

Dictator by Robert Harris 4/5
Finally! Harris has come up with the last of his Cicero trilogy. :) Here is my review. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Innocent by Harlan Coben 4/5
Harlan Coben at his best with a twisty novel of deception.
Who is Conrad Hirst? by Kevin Wignall 3/5
An assassin that wants to get out of the business thinks he has a logical way out, but it proves much more complicated that he thinks. After all, he doesn't even know who he really works for, or why.
The premise promised more than the story delivered, but was good enough. A little too "pat".
Just "o.k."
Disclaimer by Renee Knight 4/5
A woman finds a book on her night table, but how did it get there? Upon reading the book, she discovers that it contains a story of an incident in her past that only one other person knows about. And that person is quite dead, publicly and without any doubt.
full review, here. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Books mentioned in this topic
Falling Angels (other topics)Kafka on the Shore (other topics)
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World (other topics)
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle (other topics)
Norwegian Wood (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Doris Kearns Goodwin (other topics)Tracy Chevalier (other topics)
Haruki Murakami (other topics)
Philip K. Dick (other topics)
Milan Kundera (other topics)
More...
Share with us what you read in February 2016!
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