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HELGA'S 50 BOOKS READ IN 2017
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Yes, it was sort of a fantasy but I loved it. I love dog books that are warm like that.
22.
by
Colum McCannFinish date: April 8, 2017
Genre: Historical fiction, Irish
Rating: B+
Review: This book by the Irish American author is a story that spans centuries and is intermingled. There are 3 different time periods and three different plot lines all connected in a fine weave to Ireland. It takes place in 1919 in Newfoundland with two aviators as they attempt the first nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean to Ireland in a modified bomber from WWI. The next story takes place in Dublin Ireland, when Frederick Douglass goes on a lecture tour for his autobiography and finds the Irish sympathetic to his cause. He finds famine in the countryside that are astonishing even to him, who was once an American slave. The 3rd story is about an American Senator who goes to Belfast Ireland to help in the peace talks with Northern Ireland. These 3 crossings are linked through the ages by people and their descendants. It starts with Lily Duggan who was the housemaid who met and was inspired by Frederick Douglass. She travels to America to start her life over. We then meet her daughter and granddaughter, Emily and Lottie and read about their life but meet them the first time when Emily as a journalist meets the aviators and writes a story about them.
This was a really interesting book by this acclaimed author and the imagery he invokes. I met him a few years ago when he came to the University where I work and gave a book reading for one of his books which was a National Book Award Winner.
(Finished this during the read-a thon)
23.
by
Aldous HuxleyFinish date: April 15,2017
Genre: Dystopian, science-fiction
Rating:B
Review: This classic dystopian society novel is prophetic in many ways. A masterpiece written in the 1930’s during the rise of fascism, it struck a chord with me with this reading. It takes place in an advanced future where humans are cloned, socially indoctrinated and pharmaceutically anesthetized to passively uphold an authoritarian order. It is a remarkable piece of literature in that it deals with a world that is genetically engineered and could become a reality. In this century, science has progressed to being able to genetically modify plants and animals and does dull the senses with drugs. The future portrayed in this book is frightening and quite relevant today. It’s good but not Orwell in my opinion.
24.
by Maurice Lamm (no Photo)Finish date: April 20,2017
Genre: Spiritual
Rating: A
Review: I read this immensely helpful book during this time of loss of my father. I needed something to read that helped me spiritually and is helping me in my transition of grief and grief recovery. Rabbi Lamm helps mourners to get through our grief and grow in strength through it. He has superb insights on the days of shiva, the year of kaddish, and the loving kindness of others that reveals the true purpose of Jewish mourning. His themes are optimistic. Despair “teaches us about our inner strength”; encourages us to ask “le’mah” (for what) rather than “lamah” (why) and ends from Psalms, “They that sow in tears shall reap with songs of joy.”
This book is a wise and helpful guide which has cross-over appeal, not just Jewish readers and is highly recommended reading during a time of loss.
25.
by
Michael LewisFinish date: April 30,2017
Genre: Biography
Rating: A
Review:This is another great book by Michael Lewis one of my favorite authors. This book is about two Israeli psychologists, Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, who forty years ago, collaborated together with their original work about the decision making process. Their work created the field of behavioral economics and led to advanced evidence- based medicine and led to a new approach to government regulations.
Daniel Kahneman was born in Tel Aviv but lived in Paris. His family fled the area when the Nazis invaded France and settled with his family in Palestine. He was an introvert with an aptitude for psychology which he studied at Hebrew University with a minor in mathematics. He was drafted as a 2nd lieutenant to the Psychology branch of the Israel Defense Forces where he assessed candidates for officer training and worked for the army and air force. He became a professional at Berkeley after he received his doctorate there. He met Amos Tversky in 1968 when he taught a graduate seminar on the applications of psychology to real world problems and his life changed. He received the Noble prize in Economic Sciences 2002 for the work they did.
Amos Tversky was born in Haifa Israel. He served in the Israeli Defense Forces as a captain and was decorated for bravery. He received his undergraduate degree at Hebrew University and his doctorate from University of Michigan. He taught at Hebrew University and later at Stanford University. He was a cognitive and mathematical psychologist and received the MacArthur Fellowship and Guggenheim Fellowship. Tversky and Kahneman in their collaborations showed how humans do not always act “rationally” in the sense that economic theory predicts.
Michael Lewis does a wonderful job portraying these two geniuses in their thought processes and collaborations. I highly recommend this book.
MAY 26.
by
Joby WarrickFinish date: May 5, 2017
Genre: Non-Fiction, Middle-East
Rating: A
Review: This was an exceptional book about ISIS by this Pulitzer Prize winning author. It’s easy to understand why this was the Best Book of 2015 and winner of the 2016 Non-Fiction Pulitzer Prize. I learned a lot about how ISIS rose to power, the people involved and the how our government acted and did not act as they should have and the surrounding countries. This is a must read book to understand what is going on today with the Middle East and ISIS. Highly recommended.
27.
by
Michael ChabonFinish date: May 8, 2017
Genre: Historical-fiction
Rating: A
Review: Moonglow was another amazingly good book by the Pulitzer Prize winning author, Michael Chabon. This book is semi-autographical and a real page turner. It is based on the narrator’s discussions with his mother and confessions from his dying grandfather and takes place in 1989. He describes his life’s adventures from his childhood from the Jewish slums of Philadelphia and experiences as a soldier during the German invasion during WWII and his career at NASA during the height of the space program. He speaks of his imprisonment and his wife’s days in an insane asylum and ends with his life in a Florida retirement home He digresses about the war and rocketry throughout the book. It was so well written that I found it difficult to discern what was autobiographical and what was fiction. This was a masterfully written book and well worth reading.
Sounds like one for the to-read list. Great review!
Mod
Thanks. If you like some of his other books, you will like his latest.
28.
by
Andrew GrossFinish date: May 12, 2017
Genre: Historical-fiction thriller
Rating: A-
Review: This riveting historical fiction and thriller about WWII was engaging. It was suspenseful and quite descriptive. It was about a Physics professor, Alfred Mendl who became separated from his family after being captured by the Nazis and was sent to Auschwitz. He meets a chess prodigy with a photographic memory whom he teaches the important formulas and facts about electromagnetism and the making of the atomic bomb that the Americans need for the Manhattan Project. The Americans decide to smuggle in to the Auschwitz a soldier, Nathan Blum, who escaped Poland when the war started. He would be in for 3 days and was to search for Professor Mendl and then escape with him so he could fly him to America. We see vivid and upsetting descriptions of the camp and the cruelties that take place on a daily basis. This book gets quite suspenseful. I enjoyed how it blended historical events of the holocaust and the Manhattan project into fiction.
29.
by
David BaldacciFinish date: May 18, 2017
Genre: Thriller
Rating: B
Review: This is the 3rd in a series about Amos Decker by this popular writer. Amos Decker has a perfect memory. He was a football player in college and a violent head collision knocked him off the field but left him with a side effect that he can never forget anything. He became a cop and during a stake out his family was murdered. Due to his perfect memory he became a great asset to the FBI and helps them with cases. In this latest book, he helps solve a case where he sees a murder right before his eyes. He assists the FBI and DIA in solving this espionage case that becomes a matter of national security. Decker is laser focused to solve this baffling case.
30.
by
Lisa ScottolineFinish date: May 20,2017
Genre: Women sleuths, mystery
Rating: B-
Review: This is a book in a series about women attorneys, Rosato & DiNunzio). In this book, a 10 year old boy, Patrick O’Brien a dyslexic who is shy is targeted at school. This book does a good job exploring how a dyslexic child or other disabled children are targeted in school and are bullied and even in this case assaulted. In this case, the school aid who assaulted him is accusing Patrick of attacking him. The school is remiss in providing the proper education as determined by the IEP-Individual Education Program. Mary DiNunzio becomes involved in this case since she specializes in special education cases and becomes a champion for justice for Patrick. It was interesting to see how some special education things work and others are totally broken in the system. We also see how the foster care system works and its failings.
31.
by
Haruki MurakamiFinish date: May 22, 2017
Genre: short stories, magical realism
Rating: B
Review: Murakami has been described as the West’s favorite Japanese writer because his writing is both hip and mystical. This book is a collection of 6 stories and they are all loosely connected to the disastrous 1995 earthquake in Kobe. Murakami returned to live in Japan after the earthquake and the deadly poison gas attacks in the Tokyo subway. These events prompted him to write this book. He presented a world marked by despair, hope and human transformation and love. All of the stories have news of the earthquake throughout. There are also elements of the surreal like unlikely frogs turning up in unlikely places. In another story a female doctor on vacation in Thailand after a bitter divorce meets a mysterious old woman who tells her “There is a stone inside your body…You must get rid of the stone. Otherwise, after you die and are cremated, only the stone will remain.” Many of these stories will remain with you after reading. Very interesting reading.
32.
by
Donna LeonFinish date: May 24, 2017
Genre: Mystery
Rating: B+
Review: This is a Commissario Brunetti Mystery frim this best-selling series. It takes place in Venice when a famous German conductor, Helmut Wellauer is found dead from cyanide poisoning during intermission. Guido Brunetti investigates the death and probes into the Maestro’s past which uncovers his sympathies with the Nazi’s and he questions all the people around the victim from the present to the past. It was interesting to read who, what, where, when and how all of the characters are involved. Brunetti has a family so we see a real life character. The descriptions of Venice are realistic since the author lives there. This is a good series to get involved in.
You're so right, Helga. This really is a good series. I've enjoyed these mysteries for a long time and love her characters and, especially, her descriptions of Venice. Each one manages to present this city from a different aspect. Lovely.
33.
by
Michael CrichtonFinish date; May 26,2017
Genre: Historical fiction, paleontology
Rating: B+
Review:This is an early Crichton book that was found by his wife Sherri. It is a true Crichton and she states that the birth of this book came about in 1974 after he wrote a letter to a curator of vertebrate paleontology of the American Museum of Natural History. In this book he wrote a story that takes place in 1876 about 2 real paleontologists, Edward Cope and Othniel Marsh who were competitors and bitter enemies and known for “the Bone Wars”. The narrator is a Yale student, William Johnson who goes on a trip out west with the Professor Marsh on a bet to a class mate. He gets deserted by Marsh who thinks he’s a spy for Cope. Cope meets up with him and he continues with him into the Indian territories. There is a lot of action. The Indian Wars described really happened so we get a pretty good picture of the Badlands, Indian country, Wyatt Earp and some shoot outs. Johnson is also on a dig with Cope in the Badlands where they find the teeth of the largest dinosaur which Cope named the Brontosaurus. Cope leaves with his crew but Johnson is left for dead. He manages with some help and excitement to transport the majority of the bones including the dragon teeth back east. I found this to be a fast reading and fun book. Though it is fiction, it had real elements and events that actually happened during the time period.
JUNE34.
by
Viet Thanh NguyenFinish date: June 7, 2017
Genre: Historical fiction, Vietnam
Rating: A-
Review: This novel deservedly won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2016, as well as other awards. This was the debut novel of the author born in Vietnam but an American since age 4. He gives stunning insight to American Vietnamese relations through the eyes of the narrator who is half Vietnamese by his mother and half French by his father. It is an espionage story and has some very vivid scenes about war. It takes place in the US and in Vietnam. It should be read by many to understand how Americans view the Vietnamese and understand the people, culture and place.
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35.
by
Bruce FeilerFinish date: June 10, 2017
Genre: Non-fiction, religion and theology
Rating: A
Review: I have always liked this author and have read all of his books. His latest is a new retelling of the story of Adam and Eve in the Bible. He writes with much insight and wisdom and has done quite a lot of meticulous research. This book began when the author visited Rome and the Sistine Chapel and looked at the Michelangelo painting on the ceiling depicting the Creation of Adam. Feiler travels to Garden of Eden in Iraq, the Sistine Chapel in Rome and John Milton’s London. He discusses them with the perspectives of a Jewish scholar, an art historian, a fundamentalist preacher and others to tell this story with clear views. He introduces us to an Adam and Eve as a role model for unity, forgiveness and love. It made me think about women’s equality and their role or lack of in the church and get the viewpoints of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a leading figure of the early women’s rights movement and I spent some time looking at the pictures of the Sistine Chapel’s paintings to envision the story better. I highly enjoyed this book and would recommend it.
36.
by
Sheryl SandbergFinish date: June 15, 2017
Genre: Non-fiction, self-help
Rating: B+
Review: Sheryl Sandberg, an executive of Facebook, lost her husband very suddenly and unexpectedly while on a trip to Mexico. This book explains how she handled grief in what she calls “Option B”. She writes this book with a Wharton Psychology Professor, Adam Grant. Option A, living with her husband was no longer available so she had to make the most of Option B. She had to live with her grief and also be strong for her children. She gives tips on how to cope with her grief and tips for people who don’t know what to say or do to someone who is grieving. She discusses the power of rehabilitation, recovery and redemption on overcoming adversity. She also writes about making organizations more resilient, and help employees recover from a loss or crisis. There isn’t one way to grieve. She says, “Facing adversity is a part of daily life from childhood to adulthood”. And “Tragedy does not have to be personal, pervasive or permanent, but resilience can be.”
This is a good book for those who are grieving or who have had a loss or those who are supporting someone who has had a loss. She is also donating all proceeds to an organization she founded OptionB.org, a nonprofit initiative to help people build resilience and find meaning in the face of adversity.
37.
by
M.C. BeatonFinish date: June 21, 2017
Genre: Mystery
Rating: B
Review: This is the first of the series of Constable Hamish Macbeth mysteries that takes place in the Scottish Highlands. I have read other books of this series but decided to start with the beginning books that I missed. These are fun to read and fast. We get a view of the Scottish Highlands that is ruggedly beautiful. This one takes place with visitors taking a fishing class when a busy body gossip gets killed. Hamish Macbeth as the oldest son in his family helps the rest of his siblings and parents by sending his income home. He first comes across as a lazy, not to smart detective but he is watching, listening and it’s he that solves the mystery and not his superiors who come to investigate the murder. This is a good series to curl up with and enjoy.
38.
by
David SedarisFinish date: June 22, 2017
Genre: Autobiography, Humorous essays
Rating: A-
Review: David Sedaris is a Grammy Award nominated American humorist. I always look forward to a new book by him. His latest is a lifetime in the making as he writes about his life from a diary he has kept for 40 years. He captures and records everything that comes to his attention in this diary that takes place from 1977-2002 in volume 1. We see him from his college drop-out years at 20 years old going to the International House of Pancakes and his inability to hold down a job to becoming a world renowned humorist. From his bleak days, from 1977-1983, we see his life changing in 1990 when he moves to NYC and the world opens up to him. We see his emergence into the writer that he has become. He explains the title in the introduction, “in the UK, if you discover something of value and keep it, that’s theft by finding.” This is vintage Sedaris. I am looking forward to volume 2.
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39.
by
Oscar WildeFinish date: June 26, 2017
Genre: Classic fiction, Ireland Challenge
Rating: A-
Review: I read this book as part of the Ireland challenge. This was a wonderful collection of his works. It included 5 of his plays and some critical essays. I found the plays to be quite witty and most enjoyable. I especially loved The Importance of Being Earnest which I also saw as a Broadway production at the Spoleto Festival in Charleston SC. An Ideal Husband was another favorite though I found all of his plays quite entertaining. Wilde’s play on words and his portrayal of Victorian society really showcases his genius. He had a gift for revealing the hypocrisies of fashionable society. This book also contained two interviews with Wilde at the peak of his career and some of his critical writings where he discusses the nature of art. This was a worthwhile read that gave me insight into this famous or infamous writer.
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JULY 40.
by
Katharine GrahamFinish date: July 2, 2017
Gnere: Autobiography, History
Rating: A
Review: This book was on my "To Read" list for a long time. This is a Pulitzer Prize winning book by one of America’s most famous and admired women. It is both a memoir and history. She came from a multimillionaire family. Her father left private business and bought and restored the failing Washington Post. Katherine Graham married Phil Graham who clerked for 2 Supreme Courts. Graham was a self-absorbed mother and was more interested in politics and charity then her children. She was friends with Thomas Mann and Adlai Stevenson. Phil Graham was a manic –depressed and committed suicide. She quite movingly recounted his life. Katherine was brought up in a family of great wealth. She was half-Jewish but was unaware of this fact for many years. She grew up awkward and naïve but was very intelligent. She learned to gain confidence and became a great success. She interacted with fascinating characters that we have heard of like, Felix Frankfurter, Warren Buffett=her great advisor and protector, Robert McNamara, George Schultz, Steichen, Brancusi, Woodward and Bernstein and her editor partner Ben Bradlee. This was a great book and is recommended.
41.
by
Georges SimenonFinish date: July 4, 2017
Genre: Mystery
Rating: B+
Review: This was an intriguing psychological thriller by Simenon and #9 in the Maigret series. I read this while I was on vacation. I find Simenon to be a prolific writer and with high standards. In this book Maigret has a showdown with a killer who is baiting him. Maigret sets out to prove the innocence or guilt of a man condemned to death for a brutal murder. Based on his intuition, Maigret plans an elaborate escape for the prisoner and then he follows him. This is a tale of death, blackmail and murder and an elaborate game of cat and mouse. Maigret has had years of experience with crime and we see how his mind works in an impassive way as he corners the killer. I am really glad that these books, many of which I read many years ago are being reprinted by Penguin books.
42.
by
Margaret AtwoodFinish date: July 6, 2017
Genre: Dystopian fiction
Rating: A
Review: This is a powerful, chilling futuristic book which takes place in a dystopian society. It is very well written and seems to have a resonance today that it didn’t quite have in 1986. It takes place in the near future America after a nuclear devastation that caused infertility. There were wars between religious sects, gender inequality and restrictions on personal freedoms. It takes place after right-wing fundamentalists staged a coup in the United States and established the tyrannical mono-theocratic Republic of Gilead. It has reacted to declining birth rates which resulted from the poisoning of the environment. The regime has taken literally from the patriarchal tales of Genesis. There are a lot of Biblical references in this story. The phrase, “Give me children or I die” is the focus of bringing a “maid” or handmaid into a childless marriage. In Genesis, the handmaids Bilhah and Zilpah bear children for the matriarchs Leah and Rachel.
Atwood portrays women with one dimensional functions. They are Wives, Marthas, Handmaids, Aunts or Unwomen. The Unwomen are rebels and are banished. The other women all have the singular focus of procreation. The Handmaid’s are women like Offred (of Fred after the Commander she serves) who narrates the story and tells her story moving from past to present.
This book is about fascism and misogyny and is allegorical. It is ingenious and is still relevant today. I highly recommend this book.
43.
by
M.C. BeatonFinish date: July 7, 2011
Genre: Mystery
Rating: B
Review: This is the 2nd in a series, Hamish Macbeth murder mystery that takes place in the Scottish Highlands.
One of the guests at an engagement party of the famous local Priscilla Halliburton-Smythe gets murdered and Macbeth gets involved in the murder. Many of the guests are suspects and have reason to murder him. It is when the culprit strikes again, Macbeth investigates the murder and prevents Priscilla who he is smitten with, and save her from a miserable marriage that only her father wants. Another fun and fast read.
44.
by
Georges SimenonFinish date: July 8, 2017
Genre: Noir Mystery
Rating: B
Review:This is a New York novel by Simenon and not one of his Maigret mysteries. An actor who is recently divorced is at loose ends in New York and meets a lonely woman by chance at a bar. They roam the city street, hit the late night clubs and are brought together. A different kind of book by the prolific Simenon.
45.
by
Robert KursonFinish date: July 10, 2017
Genre: Military History
Rating: A-
Review: This was a great adventure story and true book about military history. It is a true story of 2 American divers, John Chatterton and Richie Kohler who went deep wreck diving in the Fall of 1991. They dove 230 feet and in the frigid Atlantic waters off the New Jersey coast found a WWII German U-boats. In this book we learn alot about the hazards of deep water diving and the dangers in the deep underworld. Over the next 6 years, the divers risked everything even their marriages to solve the mystery. This was a thrilling, and exciting book. Shadow diving is extremely hazardous because of nitrogen narcosis in which they can lose their judgment and focus and can’t figure out where they are or what to do. This sport is only for the diehards and there are only a few hundred of them. The 2 men spent years which involved letters, meetings with military record administrators and flying to Germany to find out about this Uboat that never should have been there. This was a very compelling and informative book. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a great adventure story and military history.
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Helga wrote: "45.byRobert Kurson"This title comes with a critical counterpart:
by Gary Gentile(no photo)
Thanks Dimitri. I will check this one out and find out more about it as I found this very interesting.
I have this on my to-read list and bookshelf at home. Great review, Helga. Thanks Dimitri for the other book. Now I have two to read!
by
Robert Kurson
by Gary Gentile (no photo)
Thanks Alisa. It's an interesting subject.
46.
by
Sinclair LewisFinish date: July 12, 2017
Genre: Classic dystopian fiction
Rating: A
Review: This was a semi-satirical, dystopian novel written in 1935. It has become quite popular this year after our last election. It was published during the rise of fascism. It is a tale of how fragile democracy is and how fascism can take hold of America. Berzelius “Buzz” Windrip defeats Franklin Delano Roosevelt to become President of the United States. He promised drastic economic and social reforms and a return to patriotism and traditional values. Sounds familiar. After Windrip became president he imposed a totalitarian form of government with paramilitary force using the Minute Men or MM. Their use of force very much resembled that of Hitler and his SS. The main character, Doremus Jessup a newspaper journalist opposes the new regime. Windrip rapidly outlaws dissent and incarcerates political enemies. He eliminates the US Congress influence and the Supreme Court. Windrip’s administration is known as the “Corpo” government and it curtails women’s rights and eliminates individual states and forms districts and sectors. Opponents of the administration, led by Senator Towbridge form the New Underground organization and they help dissidents escape to Canada and distribute anti-Windrip papers. Jessup becomes involved with this organization and he is eventually caught and imprisoned in a concentration camp and beaten up badly. But after 6 months, he is assisted by the resistance to escape. Windrip is deposed by his administration. Eventually one of the new administration officer defects to align with the opposition to fight with the resistance movement and civil war breaks out. Jessup works as an agent for the New Underground.
This book was originally written to have emphasized the connection with Huey Long who was preparing to run for President in the 1936 election. This is an excellent and highly recommended book.
I read this many years ago and thought it was very good then. I can see why people are reading it again although I really don't think we are in that kind of danger. At least, I hope not. It does make you think though.
Yes, it does make us think. I agree we should not have that kind of danger.
47.
by
Herman WoukFinish date: July 13,2017
Genre: Memoir
Rating: B
Review: This is the last book, sad to say, for this 102 year old author. He has always been one of my most beloved authors. This book is a memoir written at 100 and it is about his reflections on his writing career. I have read many of his works and intent to read the rest of them. He is a Pulitzer Prize author. Some of the topics he wrote about were 2 book sagas about World War II and the formation of the State of Israel and non- fiction books about his Judaism and his views on science and religion among others.
In this latest book, he has reached a major milestone of 100. In the title Sailor and Fiddler- the sailor represents his life as a writer, the fiddler is his spiritual side in which he writes about his Judaism and growing up in the Bronx and his travels. This is a slim volume for such a tour de force writer but it sums up what it means to him to be a writer.
48.
by
Oscar WildeFinish date: July 14,2017
Genre: Short stories, Irish
Rating: A-
Review: This is such nice collection of 8+ short stories by Oscar Wilde. I read it for the Ireland challenge. I really love the writings of Oscar Wilde. They are engaging and clever. The two longer stories in this edition, “The Canterville Ghost” and “Lord Arthur Saville’s Crime”-are very funny and full of sarcasm at British antiquarianism. Such a fun book to read.
The History Book Club
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21.
Finish date: April 2, 2017
Genre: Fiction, Animals
Rating: A
Review: I read this book because I love dogs. This book is written in the dog’s perspective. The dog has multiple lives and remembers everything from every life. The premise is that he has a purpose in life. And my question is do we rescue dogs, or do they rescue and help us? Dogs give us unconditional love and loyalty. As Bailey, his purpose is to love the boy Ethan and to watch over him. As Elie, her purpose is as a rescue dog and to save people and lives. As Buddy, his purpose is to find Ethan and watch over him for the rest of Ethan's days and to give him joy. This book reminds me of how dogs are our greatest gift. Dog lovers should read this. It will touch your heart and will make you laugh and cry.