Readers and Reading discussion
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Dead authors
JoAnn/QuAppelle wrote: "Yesterday one of my favorite authors of all time died....Maeve Binchy. While she never considered her books to be great literature, as my friend R said, you could always count on Binchy for a satis..."Yes, I shall miss Maeve. She provided many hours of relaxing reading pleasure. RIP.
John Keegan, who was born in Clapham, London, England, on 15 May 1934, died on 2 Aug 2012 in Kilmington, England. I have read these books by him:3444. A History of Warfare, by John Keegan (read 14 May 2001) (Duff Cooper prize for 1993)
3509. The First World War, by John Keegan (read 10 Dec 2001)
3683. The Face of Battle, by John Keegan (read 21 Jan 2003)
3821. The Mask of Command, by John Keegan (read 6 Nov 2003)
My comment on these works:
3444. A History of Warfare, by John Keegan (read May 14, 2001) This is the first book I have read by Keegan, and considering how well-known he is I suppose that is somewhat surprising. This is well-written and a lot of what he says is interesting and makes sense. But it is somewhat theoretical and ranges over the whole history of warfare and is not very chronological. Overall it is a good book, worth reading. ( )
3509. The First World War, by John Keegan (read Dec 10, 2001) This came out in 1999 and it is hard to believe I waited till now to read it, since its subject is one that is of consuming interest to me. The early part of the book I thought not well-done. (The Guns of August, by Barbara Tuchman, does a far better job on the first months of the War in France.) But the book got better right along and of course the last chapter, as is usually true of World War One books that deal with the events of 1918, was a delight to read. A great, great book. ( )
3683. The Face of Battle, by John Keegan (read 21 Jan 2003) I finally read this famous book, which examines with great insight the battles of Agincourt, Waterloo, and the Somme. This is one of the best books of military history I have read and was most worthwhile and great to read. Possibly the best book I read this month. ( )
3821. The Mask of Command, by John Keegan (read 6 Nov 2003) This was the fourth of Keegan's books I have read (A History of Warfare on 14 May 2002, The First World War on 10 Dec 2001, and The Face of Battle on 21 Jan 2003), and was timely read since while I was reading it I saw Brian Lamb's C-Span three-hour interview of Keegan on Nov. 2, 2003. The Mask of Command was published in 1988 and studies with felicity the exercise of command by Alexander the Great, the duke of Wellington, U.S. Grant, and Hitler. Much of the discussion of the four is very well done and of great interest. Keegan's opinions are so well stated one tends to accept them. ( )
I'm sorry to hear an author you enjoyed passed away, Schmurgals. I missed your books read this month. I'll put up a thread.
Alias Reader wrote: "I'm sorry to hear an author you enjoyed passed away, Schmurgals. I missed your books read this month. I'll put up a thread."
I do believe I posted my books read in July 2012 on a place somewhere here. If not, I can easily do so if you tell me where to post it.
Schmerguls wrote: "I do believe I posted my books read in July 2012 on a place somewhere here. If not, I can easily do so if you tell me where to post it."==============================
I don't think JoAnn put up a thread this month but I may be wrong. I know she is busy.
So I put one up. You can post at either or both groups. Thanks ! :)
Here at Readers and Reading
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/9...
or at
Book Nook Cafe
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/9...
Arlen Spector died on Oct 14, 2012, in Philadelphia. Iy comment on it was:3481. Passion for Truth: From Finding JFK's Single Bullet to Questioning Anita Hill to Impeaching Clinton, by Senator Arlen Specter with Charles Robbins (read 30 Aug 2001) I have never been a particular fan of Senator Specter, but this book is so absorbing and easy to read that I really enjoyed it. There is no modesty displayed in the book, but Specter has much he need not be modest about. Whether one agrees with him or not, the inside detail he uses to whet interest succeeded in my finding this book was one that I could not be distracted from while reading. Anyone who followed the topics he discusses--and did not everyone?--cannot help but be caught up by the account herein, I'd think. ( )
flag Schmerguls | Nov 23, 2007 | edit | |
George McGovern died today, 21 Oct 2012, in Sioux Falls, SD. He was born 19 July 1922 in Avon, SD. I read his book:2936 Terry: My Daughter's Life-and-Death Struggle with Alcoholism, by George McGovern (read 15 Dec 1996) This is a little book about the author's daughter (born June 19, 1949, died in Madison, WI, Dec 13, 1994) who had a terrible life.
Jacques Barzun, who was born 30 Nov 1907 in Creteil, Paris, France on 30 Nov 1907, died in San Antonio, Texas on 25 Oct 2012. I read a book by him and my comment on it was:3454. From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life 1500 to the Present, by Jacques Barzun (read June 10, 2001). I found this quite a book, and about 2/3rds of it was of considerable interest to me. Barzun is immensely learned, and much of what he discusses one should know more of--but the book is not very chronological and is more of a commentary than a factual cultural history. I concluded: "Reading this book has been an event in my reading
life, though not as enjoyable as I had hoped." That is my fault, not the author's. ( )
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Larry L. King died 20 Dec 2012 in Washington, D. C. here is what I read by him and my comment thereon:4161 In Search of Willie Morris The Mercurial Life of a Legendary Writer and Editor, by Larry L. King (read 14 May 2006) Continuing in Mississippi, this memoir concerning the superb Mississippi-born writer, Willie Morris, is full of interest. I have read this by Morris:
3527 My Dog Skip, by Willie Morris (read 13 Jan 2002)
3558 My Cat Spit McGee, by Willie Morris (read 1 Dec 2002)
3897 The Courting of Marcus Dupree, by Willie Morris (read 8 June 2004)
3922 Taps A Novel by Willie Morris (read 18 Aug 2004)
All great reading, and there is more by him I would like to read. He was editor in chief of Harper's for ten years, then floundered for years, always drinking too much, but did great writing and was a great friend of James Jones, Norman Mailer, David Halberstrom William Stryon, Truman Capote, Robert Penn Warren, Gay Talese, Donna Tartt, John Grisham, Winston Groom (all of whom I have read something by). The author is not the CNN interviewer, and I did not like the author too well--he seemed too eager to bring himself into the narrative and his unnecessary use of four-letter words repelled. But Morris' life is full of interest, though he is a greater writer than he was an upstanding man.
Richard Ben Cramer died in Baltimore on Monday night, which I presume means he died Jan 7, 2013, I read one book by him:3488. Joe DiMaggio A Hero's Life, by Richard Ben Cramer (read Sept 25, 2001) This is a gossipy, warts and all biography, and since I was always against the Yankees I did not mind at all the depiction of DiMaggio as a thoroughly despicable human being, albeit a fantastic player. The book has no footnotes, and its note on sources basically gives only names, without attributing anything in the book to any specific name. I am not sorry I read the book, but it is not a very worthwhile book. ( )
Evan S. Connell died in Santa Fe, NM on Jan 10, 2013. I read one book by him., Mrs. Bridge. I read that book Dec 25, 2010 and said of it:I have admired Thomas Savage ever since I on Oct 25, 1989, read his superaltively powerful novel The Power of the Dog and when I heard that he had said Mrs. Bridge was one of the best novels he had ever read I sought it out and have now read it. It tells of an incredibly ineffectual society woman in Kansas City utterly dominated by her brusque lawyer-husband and overwhelmed by her growing children. I found the book laugh out loud funny often even though the woman's inability to assert herself or to express an unfavorable opinion is pathetic. The bookt is extremely easy to read and thought-provoking. It is so good that one thinks one should read other books by Evan S. Connell.
Stanley Karnow died in Potomac, Maryland, on Jan 27, 2013. I read two books by him:2356. In Our Image America's Empire in the Phillippines by Stanley Karnow (read 6 Feb 1991) (Pulitze history prize in 1990)
4257. Paris in the Fifties, by Stanley Karnow (read 12 Jan 2007)
My comments thereon:
4257 Paris in the Fifties, by Stanley Karnow (read 12 Jan 2007) Karnow in the 1950s was a correspondent in Paris, and this 1997 book tells of his time there. Most of the book is of much interest, though that he had to tell us of his masturbation and his time with a whore and his fornicating with the woman he eventually married I did not think added to the book's interest. Nor were his chapters on French food and French fashion of much interest to me. But he has excellent chapters on France's penal colony in South America, on the LeMans car crash on June 11, 1955 (83 dead, up to 100 wounded--but the race was completed nevertheless), on events in Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria; and on Ho Chi Minh in Paris from 1917 to 1923 He writes very well, though there are no footnotes nor any bibliography, since it is a memoir, not a history. A well done interest-holding book ( )2356 In Our Image: America's Empire in the Philippines, by Stanley Karnow (read 6 Feb 1991) (Pulitzer History prize in 1990) This is a journalistic history of the Philippines and I found it absorbing reading. I guess I somehow had not realized how gruesome our "conquest" of the country was, and I found the account of the time since then, while more or less familiar, well worth reading. It is a problem country and Corey Aquino is probably not going to accomplish much. The Marcos years were an awful waste. The Filipinos have not been converted to American political probity, that's for sure. ( )
On Feb 4, 2013, Essie Mae Washington-Williams died at Columbia, SC. She was born 12 Oct 1923 at Edgefield, SC. I read her book and said of it:4059 Dear Senator A Memoir by the Daughter of Strom Thurmond, by Essie Mae Washington-Williams and William Stadiem (read 14 Aug 2005) This is a book by Strom Thurmond's daughter, conceived by him upon a 16 year old black maid at his family home. The author tells of her contacts with her father thru the years and the account of the events after Thurmond died on June 26, 2003, are of extreme interest and I found highly moving. Now the author's name is even listed on the statue erected to Thurmond on the South Carolina Capitol grounds, along with his white children's names. This was an easy and informative book to read, and the author's justification for joining the United Daughters of the Confederacy makes a pertinent point. This was a great book. ( )
On March 21, 2013, Chinua Achebe died in Boston. I read his book, Things Fall Apart, and said of it:3175. Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe (read Mar 17, 1999) This is on the Radcliffe list of 100 best books in English of the 20th century. The book is told from a prospective of the pagan tribesman. I did not particualrly enjoy this book as I was reading it, but clearly it is an important book for one who might want to understand Nigeria and natives such as are painted in this book.
On Mar 25, 2013, Anthony Lewis died in Cambridge, Mass.I read two books by him:
3510. Make No Law: The Sullivan Case and the First Amendment, by Anthony Lewis (read 14 Dec 2001) This is a 1991 book dealing with the seminal case of New York Times v. Sullivan, and it is very good dealing with the events leading up to the case (a 1960 ad in the New York Times saying things about conditions in the South and seeking donations to aid the civil rights struggle), and the trial and the appeal. Anyone interested in libel law should read this book since it makes the famous case come alive. A thoroughly enjoyable book. ( )
and
1672 Gideon's Trumpet, by Anthony Lewis (read 17 Nov 1981) This 1964 book tells the story of Gideon v. Wainwright, which held that an indigent accused of crime was entitled to a lawyer, overruling Betts v. Brady (1942). It is a well-written book. Abe Fortas was appointed to represent Gideon and Arnold, Fortas & Porter used ample resources to represent Gideon. Florida's work was all done by a young guy in the Attorney-General's office there. Gideon was found not guilty on retrial. Very interesting account. ( )
On March 28, 2013, Robert V. Remini died at Evanston. Ill. I read five of his books:1478. Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Empire, 1767-1821, by Robert V. Remini (read 27 Jan 1978)
1868. Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Freedom, 1822-1832 Volume II, by Robert V. Remini (read 15 Sep 1984)
1869. Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Democracy, 1833-1845, by Robert V. Remini (read 27 Sep 1984) (National Book Award nonfiction prize for 1984)
2514. Henry Clay Statesman for the Union, by Robert V. Remini (read 30 Jun 1993)
3095. Daniel Webster: The Man and His Times, by Robert V. Remini (read 26 Jul 1998)
My comments on these books:
1478 Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Empire, 1767-1821, by Robert V. Remini (read 27 Jan 1978) This is the first book of Remini's monumental trilogy on Jackson. It is an excellent study, though it did not excite admiration for Jackson too much. I liked John Quincy Adams better. But the book has many good points--I must admit I had never really known the picture involved in the battle of New Orleans until I read this book. The book is really well-done. The second volume had not yet been published when I read this volume. [Those volumes are:
1868 Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Freedom, 1822-1832 Volume II, by Robert V. Remini (read 15 Sept 1984)
1869 Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Democracy, 1833-1845, by Robert V. Remini (read 27 Sept 1984) (National Book Award nonfiction prize for 1984)]
But this period of American history interests me a lot [and still does today]. ( )
1868 Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Freedom, 1822-1832 Volume II, by Robert V. Remini (read 15 Sep 1984) In January 1978 I read the first volume of Remini's three-volume biography of Jackson. This second volume covers ten years--1822 to 1832. An interesting time, and the book is well-written, though rather pro-Jackson. (
1869 Andrew Jackson and the Course of American Democracy, 1833-1845, by Robert V. Remini (read 27 Sep 1984) (National Book Award nonfiction prize for 1984) This is the final volume of Remini's masterful biography of Jackson. It is a very pro-Jackson work, but this does not mean that the author approves of all that Jackson did. He deplores Jackson's poor appointments and his Indian removal attitude. But in general he is non-condemnatory. Jackson died June 8, 1845, having seen Polk's election and annexation of Texas. ( )
2514 Henry Clay: Statesman for the Union, by Robert V. Remini (read 30 Jun 1993) This in form is a perfect biography--it is strictly chronological. Clay was born April 12, 1777 in Hanover County, Virginia, and died June 29, 1852 in Washington, D.C. A 130 foot column at Lexington, Ky., has a 12 and a half foot statue of Clay on it I'd like to see. Clay had many faults, but he did some good things. In general I do not feel he was too very right. But his life is an interesting one and this book is excellent, though I found it not really entrancing. I feel quite familiar with the period in which he lived, since I have done much reading in it and do like that period of U.S. history. ( )
3094. Daniel Webster / The Man and His Time, by Robert V. Remini. There is so much good to say about this book I scarcely know where to begin. It is a perfect book for anyone interested in the man Webster and the super-interesting time he lived. And the footnotes are where they belong--on the same page, so one can see whether they should be read or can be skipped. (read July 26, 1998). ( )
Margaret Thatcher died April 8, 2013. I read her two books. My comment on them:2576 The Downing Street Years, by Margaret Thatcher (read 5 Feb 1994) This is a fascinating book, brimming with energy. Thatcher is a an extremely able, hard-working, and committed woman and her time as prime minister (May 1979 to November 1990) was good for Britain and the world. There were times in this book--as in Harold Wilson's book, which I so enjoyed and found memorable when I read it in May 1987,-- that the obscurities of internal English affairs were daunting. Long stretches on health, education, and housing politics, filled with obscure Briticisms, were hard to follow. But the foreign affairs and parliamentary intricacies were a breeze. I liked the book much, and was much moved by her quote from her final speech in Commons. This is a great book by a great leader whom I agree with on many things. ( )
2790 The Path to Power, by Margaret Thatcher (read 11 Oct 1995) This tells of the author's fascinating life from birth (on 13 Oct 1925 "over the shop" at Grantham, Lincolnshire, till the present, skipping the period 1979-1990 covered by her earlier book, The Downing Street Years. This book is well-done and convincing. She certainly makes a good case for her economic views, and her survey of the world in the last chapters is encouraging. ( )
Haynes Johnson died 24 May 2013 in Bethesda, MD. My comment on the books by him I read;2441 Sleepwalking Through History: America in the Reagan Years, by Haynes Johnson (read 12 Apr 1992) This is the author's attempt to emulate Frederick Lewis Allen's great books on the 1920's and 1930's, but it is far more opinionated and not very comprehensive. It concentrates on a few things, like the greed on Wall Street, televangelists, and Iran-Contra. He clearly shows Reagan's pitiful performance as President. He certainly paints a dim picture of America's future--our 3 trillion dollar debt, the decline of America's education, etc. It is journalism, not history, but well worth reading. ( )
4713 The Battle for America 2008 The Story of an Extraordinary Election, by Dan Balz and Haynes Johnson (read 27 May 2010)Even though I read Game Change (on 25 Feb 2010) and this book covers the same election, I thoroughly enjoyed this book also. It is so great to read an account where one knows that it all comes out fine in the end. This book again makes clear how important Iowa was to Obama and how serious for Hillary was her failure in iowa. And McCain's weird behavior in September 2008 in response to the economic collapse, combined with his goofy choice for vice-president, detemined the outcome of the election. A very enjoyable book. ( )
Andrew Greeley died 29 May 2013. I read three of his books:1670 The Making of the Popes 1978 The Politics of Intrigue in the Vatican, by Andrew M. Greeley (read 11 Nov 1981) The early part of this book annoyed me greatly, as Greeley bemoans all involved with the Vatican and tells lies about things e.g., that Cesar Borgia controlled all but two votes in one conclave thru bribery and murder, and that in one conclave a large minority of cardinals were teenage nephews or sons of the late Pope) but his actual coverage of the 1978 elections and his words on both John Paul I and John Paul II were very moving. I was also impressed by his view of John Paul ! and I decided John Paul I was maybe good Pope material. I after he died thought maybe he was in over his head, but maybe he was OK. Very easy reading and except when he is sniping at his Church fun to read. ( )
2453 Happy Are the Merciful: A Blackie Ryan Mystery, by Andrew M. Greeley (read 10 Jul 1992) This book is trash. Poorly written, and the courtroom scenes are awful. This is a story of two people killed in a locked room in a rich north of Chicago suburb, the trial and conviction of their adopted daughter, the prosecuting attorney falling in love with the daughter, and Father, now Bishop, Blackwood Ryan solving the mystery. This is not serious fiction--it is pulp. It reads easily and one wants to keep reading, but there is nothing to it. Tom Clancy is a literary genius compared to this. It is bad sloppy writing. ( )
2888 White Smoke: A Novel about the Next Papal Conclave, by Andrew M. Greeley (read 17 Jul 1996) This is an exciting book about a lady working for CNN and her husband working for the New York Times--covering the 'next' papal conclave. It is poorly written and unnecessarily offensive since he has cardinals using obscenities. I found this highly obnoxious. The book is wildly liberal and conservatives would put it on the Index if the Index still existed. ( )
These notes are not very charitable, but Father Greeley did a lot of good and we are the poorer for his being gone from this earth.
Elmore Leonard died today, aug 20, 2013,I read one of his books:
2751 Glitz. by Leonard Elmore (read 28 May 1995) David Lehman's ten favorite crime novels include this title so I read it. It was published in 1985. The book is laid in Puerto Rico and Atlantic City, and Vicent Moro is a Miami Beach cop. The book is full of spelled-out obscene and profane words and is really sickening. It reads easy, of course, but the last few chapters are kind of boring. I need read no more of Leonard, who reads like pulp fiction.
Seamus Heaney died today, Aug 30, 2013.Here is what I read by him and my comment thereon:
4148 Beowulf A New Verse Translation Seamus Heaney (read 5 Apr 2006) (Whitbread Book of the Year for 1999) This book by the Nobel Prize for Literature winner in 1995 is a translation of Beowulf. I figured Beowulf is a book everyone should have read--and what easier way to read it than in this perfectly readable translation. I cannot say I was too interested--in high school and college lit classes the story never interested me. Beowulf was a heroic figure, overcoming Grendel without weapons and going after Grendel's mother in the depths of the sea. He eventually becomes king, reigns fifty years, and dies in a fight with a dragon. Well, now I've read the whole story, and it was no chore, so I am content.
John S. D. Eisenhower died yesterday, Dec 21, 2013 at a place n ot stated specifically in the news story on his death. I read one book by him and here is my comment on it:3618. Yanks The Epic Story of the American Army in World War I, by John S. D. Eisenhower with Joanne Thompson Eisenhower (read Aug 19, 2002) This is the first book by John Eisenhower I've read, though I have often thought about reading other books by him especially The Bitter Wood, his account of the Battle of the Bulge. But I won't, now. This book was a disappointment. A far better book on the same subject is The Defeat of Imperial Germany 1917-1918, by
Rod Paschall, which I finished on (appropriately) April 6, 1991. Eisenhower's book might be great for people who had a relative in a particular unit in World War I, or maybe for wargamers, but one not overly interested in the technical aspects of war won't enjoy it much, I don't think. A tiny footnote: he says the US was at war with Austria-Hungary as of Apr 6, 1917, but I find that war was not declared on that country by the US until Dec 7, 1917.
I wonder why we declared war on it then. [I have since heard it was to encourage the Italians, who were reeling from the defeat suffered in October, 1917.] Anybody have access to the Congressional Record for that date who can tell me?
Today, Jan 17, 2014, BBC reported that Hiroo Onoda had died in Tokyo. The exact day of death was not given. I read one book by him:4799. No Surrender My Thirty-Year War, by Hiroo Onoda Translated by Charles S. Terry (read 10 Feb 2011) The author was a Japanese officer sent to Labang Island in the Philippines in 1944 and stayed there till 1974. not believing the war was over. I found this a super-interesting account, annoying though it was that he could not believe the war was over. He started out with three other Japanese soldiers. At the end he was alone. He had a radio and got many messages the war was over but refused to believe them. He reminded me of Robinson Crusoe. One had to admire his resourcefulness in living all that time, finding food, putting up with jungle life, etc. A most interesting book, never dull even though the life he lived seemed like it had to be monotonous. According to Wikipedia he is still alive--he will be 89 on March 19, 2011.
Wow, a blast from the past.Thanks for posting.
On Sunday, March 2, 2013, Justin Kaplan died in Cambridge, Mass. I have read one of his books and this is my comment thereon:3147. Mr. Clemens and Mark Twain, by Justin Kaplan (read Jan 15, 1999) This won the 1967 Pulitzer Prize for biography, which explains why I read it, since I have a sort of plan to read all the winners of that, too. This book starts when Twain is 31, and so omits some of his most interesting years--tho we find out about them as the book proceeds. I found the book of passing interest, tho Mark Twain has never been a special favorite of mine. (3 stars)
Yesterday, Mar 10, 2014, Joe McGinnis, who was born 9 Dec 1942 in New York City, died at Worcester, Mass. I have read three of his books:1899 Fatal Vision, by Joe McGinniss (read 5 Jan 1985) I started reading this after Thanksgiving after seeing the TV show based on it. It tells of Dr. Jeffrey McDonald, whose wife and two daughters were killed on an army base in North Carolina on 17 Feb 1970. McDonald was eventually, after many years, convicted of killing them. The author of the book concludes McDonald was guilty. I think he may be, but certainly he is an obnoxious person and his being in prison is no loss to society.
3649. Cruel Doubt by Joe McGinniss (read 11 Nov 2002) I read the author's Fatal Vision on Jan 5, 1985, with great appreciation, so when I came across this 1991 book by him I decided to read it. It is absorbing, telling of the July 25, 1988, murder of Leith Van Stein and the wounding of his wife in Beaufort, N.C. by the arrangement of the wife's son and his Dungeons and Dragons fellows. The book holds one enthralled, and one can see at 421 S.E. 2d 577 (N.C. 1992) information not in the 1991 book. This is an outstanding true crime account with a well-told account of a dramatic criminal trial.
3704. Blind Faith, by Joe McGinniss (read 23 Feb 2003) Because I so liked Fatal Vision (read 5 Jan 1985) and Cruel Doubt (read 11 Nov 2002), I read this. It is not as well done as those books. The book changes the names of many persons involved, all of which real names can be found in the New Jersey Supreme Court decision on the accused murderer: State v. Marshall, 586 A. 2d 85 (1991). There is no suspense in the book, and much whining and extravagant bathos.
Peter Matthiessen died ysterday, March 5, 2014, at a hospital on Long Island. The news story on his death does not say which hospital so I cannot say in what city he died. If anyone knows I hope he or she will tell me. He was born in New York City on 22 May 1927. I read one book by him, of which I said:Shadow Country: A new Rendering of the Watson Legend (read 11 Dec 2007)
This book is 892 pages and tells three times over (from different vantage points) of the life and death of Edgar Watson, a guy who was born in 1855, married three wives, killed many people, and was shot to death on 24 Oct 1910. He was an apparently larger than life figure in the Everglades country of southwest Florida. The book has power, and is at times powerfully written, but with a thoroughly unadmirable central figure, and lots of other non-admriable characters, I confess I was glad to get to the end of the book. But reading it was an experience and I am glad I read it.
Farley Mowatdied Tuesday, 6 May 2014 at Port Hope, Ontario, Canada. He was born 12 May 1921 at Belleville, Ontario. I read four books by him:2029 Never Cry Wolf, by Farley Mowat (read 9 Nov 1986) This tells of a biologist who is sent to Northwest Territories, Canada, to study wolves. He spends a season watching a wolf family: George, Angeline, Uncle Albert, and the cubs. He is pro-wolf, and he makes out a convincing case. I'll never go wolf-hunting. The blurb for this excellent book says it is "destined to take its place on the shelf of animal classics near Born Free, A Ring of Bright Water, the Incredible Journey, and alongside an earlier Mowat book, The Dog Who Wouldn't Be." [I've read The Incredible Journey, and after reading this book read all the other books mentioned.](four stars)
2032 The Siberians, by Farley Mowat (read 22 Nov 1986) This is a 1970 book. What a cropper! It tells of two trips of Mowat to Siberia, where he found everything and everybody perfect, and becoming more perfect all the time. The temperature is never less than 10 below--usually 40 below--and everybody is ebullient and all is paradise. He sounded--all the way through the book!--like a Communist tour guide. Ugh.(one-half star)
2033 And No Birds Sang, by Farley Mowat (read 23 Nov 1986) This is about Mowat's experience in world War II and I was really affected by it. He tells things as I believe they were: no glamour, really rough. He was in Sicily and Italy with a Canadian regiment. The book ends abruptly at Christmas 1943. It is most anti-war, and its object is to again put the lie to Homer's claim that it is a sweet and good thing to die for one's country. This is one of my more moving reading experiences. It goes to show: just because Mowat's The Siberians was so awful a book, it does not mean the author can't write. It all depends on the subject. I do not know if the title of the book owes anything to John Keats' words:
:O WHAT can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
Alone and palely loitering?
The sedge has wither'd from the lake,
And no birds sing. (4 stars)
2035 The Dog Who Wouldn't Be, by Farley Mowat (read 24 Nov 1986) This tells of Mutt, who was bought by the author's mother for four cents in Saskatoon, Sask. What a dog! What a book! The last chapter is the most poignant I've ever read. The last sentence thereof is: "The pact of timelessness between the two of us was ended, and I went from him into the darkening tunnel of the years." This book was the sheerest pleasure to read. (5 stars)
Daniel Keyes, who was born 9 Aug 1927, in Brooklyn, New Yorke, N.Y. and died 15 June 2014 in Fla. wrote Flowers for Algeron which I read 4 Nov 2005 and of which I said:This is a 1966 'young adult' book and my daughter Sandy was in a play based on it when she was in high school . It is listed as no. 75 on the Brothers Judd "Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century" (of which I have now read 58) . It tells of Charlie, a retarded man who undergoes an operation which turns him into a genius. It is a touching story altho Charlie even when a genius does objectionable things and one does not find him totally an admirable person. But it is well worth reading. (3 stars)
Walter Dean Myers, who was born in Martinsburg, W.V., on 12 Aug 1937, died on July 2, 2014 in New York City. I read two books by him:4437. The Journal of Scott Pendleton Myers A World War II Soldier, by Walter Dean Myers (read 10 May 2008)
4764. Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers (read 13 Oct 2010)
My comments on them:
My grandson, who is in 7th grade, recommended this book to me. It is a true story of a a 17-year-old man from Roanoke,VA, who was in on the Normandy Invasion on June 6, 1944. It is part of a series: My Name is America. It is actually quite exciting and when I learned it was non-fiction I was the more impressed. It has the ring of authenticiy and ends when he was wounded in France on Aug 14, 1944. He died Mar 19, 1992, at age 65. I am glad my grandson told me to read this book and that he read it and appreciated it. (3 stars)
This is a gritty novel about a kid from Harlem enlisting in the army and going to Vietnam. It is called juvenile fiction but the language is just like Vietnam adult fiction. But the hero is not immoral and prays so I guess that is why it is deemed fit for juveiles tor read--altho our library had it on the adult fiction shelves. There is some poignancy in the story but I did not find the story overly compelling, though it is pretty realistic and certainly not likely to inspire a guy to wish he had been able to fight in Vietnam (3 stars)
Edvard Shevardnadze, who was born 25 Jan 1928 in Manati, Georgia, Europe, died today, July 7, 2014. He was the author of one book which I read on 9 Feb 1992:The Future Belongs to Freedom. My comment on this book was:
2437 The Future Belongs To Freedom, by Edvard Shevardnadze translated by Catherine A. Fitzpatrick (read 9 Feb 1992) The author finished writing this book on Aug 24, 1991. He is one of the great men of these days, and one to whom much is owed. He never in this book explicitly rejects Communism, but all he does say makes excellent sense. I remember when he became Soviet Foreign Minister on July 2,1985, I had never heard of him. I think his role till he resigned Dec 20, 1990, was one solely for the good. The book is good, though turgid and not well-organized. (3 and a half stars )
James MacGregor Burns, who was born 3 Aug 1918 in Melrose, Mass. died yesterday, 15 July 2014, at Williamstown, Mass. I read five books by him:1978. The American Experiment: The Vineyard of Liberty, by James MacGregor Burns (read 10 Feb 1986)
1979. The American Experiment, Volume II: The Workshop of Democracy, by James MacGregor Burns (read 22 Feb 1986)
2234. The American Experiment Volume III: The Crosswinds of Freedom, by James MacGregor Burns (read 29 Sep 1989)
4162. Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox, by James MacGregor Burns (read 17 May 2006)
4163. Roosevelt: The Soldier of Freedom, by James MacGregor Burns (read 21 May 2006) (Pulitzer History prize in 1971) (National Book Award for history and biography in 1971) (Parkman Prize for 1971)
My comments on them are as follows:
1978 The American Experiment: The Vineyard of Liberty, by James MacGregor Burns (read 10 Feb 1986) This is a wonderfully enjoyable and excellent book. It was published in 1982. It is superlative history, covering American history from 1787 to 1863. I can't think when I have enjoyed a book more. My knowledge of American history inevitably has as its reference point my grade school wide-eyed enjoyment thereof, and the superiority of this book's treatment over that of grade school texts makes the subject just so much more interesting. Furthermore, this book shows American history is a far cry from simplistic. This book shows how complex things were, and are, in American history. The book emphasizes what of course our texts in grade school ignored--the inequality of freedom: the slaves, women, were entirely left out. This book gives sources, including many secondary sources, but has no bibliography as such. But each period seemed the most interesting, as I read about it. If I read a better book this year, I'll be surprised. (5 stars)
1979 The American Experiment, Volume II: The Workshop of Democracy, by James MacGregor Burns (read 22 Feb 1986) This volume covers the years from 1863 to 1932. This book was not as satisfying as the first volume. It tends to be kind of "skim-my." which wasn't noticed as much in Volume I. But it was good to read, though the author's leftist bias is rather obvious, not that I object to that. I wonder when Volume III will be published? [The American Experiment Volume III: The Crosswinds of Freedom, by James MacGregor Burns (read 29 Sep 1989)] (4 stars)
2234 The American Experiment Volume III: The Crosswinds of Freedom, by James MacGregor Burns (read 29 Sep 1989) I read volumes I and II in February of 1986. This volume goes right up to the fall of 1988. It was the least satisfying of the three volumes. His view of FDR is fine with me, but some of his views on the 1970's and 1980's were disenchanting to me. Burns is quite turgid and the book at times scarcely seemed like the history I love to read. The subject--1932 to 1988--is so vast that it almost defies synthesis. I cannot conclude but that most of the country's trouble today is the fact that too few seek to observe what the author calls "old-fashioned" morality. (three stars)
4162 Roosevelt: The Lion and the Fox, by James MacGregor Burns (read 17 May 2006) I have for years intended to read a FDR biography and this month I finally read Burns' two-volume one. This volume, covering the years to 1940, has many good chapters even though my reading in the first part of May covered much of the same ground. Burns is frequently non-praising of FDR though he rightly has much good to say of him. The accounts of the 1932, 1936, and 1940 elections are so much fun to read. FDR's second term was really devastated by the Court-packing fight--a fight so unnecessary as it turned out. Much of this book was sheer enjoyment to read. Political history is so much fun to read one can get so caught up in it. (four and a half stars)
4163 Roosevelt: The Soldier of Freedom, by James MacGregor Burns (read 21 May 2006) (Pulitzer History prize in 1971)(National Book Award for history and biography in 1971) Reading this volume was an amazing experience for me because it covered the years 1940 to 1945, all of which was a time of acute awareness for me, especially as it pertained to FDR. So the events were very familiar, even though there were things that I did not know (though not much, it seemed). Burns is not overly friendly to FDR, but on balance he is favorable to much of what he did. The final chapter, as in all great biographies, was superb and wrenching. Reading these volumes was a stupendous experience for me, eminently worthwhile, and I should have read them 35 years ago. (five stars)
Curt Gentry, who was born 13 June 1931 in Lamar, Colo., died July 10 2014 in San Francisco, Cal. He was the co-author of one book I read, about which book I said:1436 Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders, by Vincent Bugliosi with Curt Gentry (read 6 Mar 1977) The author was the chief prosecutor of the persons directed and inspired by Charles Manson to commit the seven murders on Aug. 8 and 9, 1969 of Sharon Tate and others. The first part of the book, telling of the crimes, was absorbing, but the book goes on for 664 pages and really told me more than I wanted to know about a person as bizarre and goofy as Manson. The same goes for his girls. (2 and a half stars)
Bel Kaufman, who was born in Berlin, Germany, on 19 May 1911, died in New York City on 25 July 2014. I read one of her books and said of it:4692. Up the Down Staircase by Bel Kaufman (read 4 Apr 2010) This is a 1964 book written by a New York City high school English teacher. It is denominated fiction, but one suspects it is derived from the author's experiences. I laughed aloud a lot of times, and found the book worth reading--but would have preferred a book holding itself out as relating actual events. The fictional teacher, Sylvia Barrett, is new to Calvin Coolidge High and this novel depicts events from September to Christmas of her first year there. I read The Blackboard Jungle by Evan Hunter on 13 May 1961 and suspect this book was inspired by that one; if I recall correctly that book also had a "down staircase" not to be used as an "up staircase." (four stars )
Park Honan, who was born in Utica, N.Y. on 17 Sept 1928 (just one day before me!)died on 27 Sept 2014 in Leeds, England. I read one of his books:1664 Matthew Arnold: A Life, by Park Honan (read 17 Oct 1981) This is a 1981 biography by Park Honan, who is with the University of Birmingham, England. Since I value so highly much of Arnold's poetry, I simply had to read the book. Not that Arnold had a particularly exciting life, and besides Arnold spent so much time as a school inspector. But this book was worthwhile. Arnold was born Dec 24, 1822, at Laleham (in the Thames Valley) and died suddenly at or near Liverpool about 3 PM on 15 April 1888. I was pleased to read the following about my very favorite lines: "He used the severe, nominal style with more restraint in Dover Beach, but there it lends dignity to the natural scene and beauty to his passionate identification with Obermann:
Behind are the abandoned baths
Mute in their meadows' home.
The leaves are on the valley paths,
The mists are on the Rhone--
(four stars)
Ben Bradlee was born in Boston on 26 Aug 1921 and died yesterday, 21 Oct 2014, in Washington, D. C. I read a book by him, of which reading I said:2801 A Good Life: Newspapering and Other Adventures, by Ben Bradlee (read 18 Nov 1995) The author ran the Washington Post from 1968 to 1991. I deplored the author's use of crude language, and was appalled he told of using hashish and pot, and was really disgusted by his frequent adultery. He has been married three times and his personal life cannot be called "good." He was a great friend of Edward Bennett Williams and of JFK. He does conclude that if JFK's private life had been known he'd have been impeached. It is a super-interesting life, but I'm glad I don't move in his circles. (2 stars )
Tom Magliosi was born 28 June 1937 at East Cambridge, Mass. and died 3 Nov 2014 I do not know where. He was a co-author of a book I read:2520 Car Talk with Click and Clack: The Tarpet Brothers, by Tom and Ray Magliozzi with Terry Bisson (read 20 Jul 1993) This book makes me paranoid. And it says never buy a new car--it is always cheaper to fix the old car. But the dependability of a new car is worth much to a non-mechanic like me. (3 stars)
P. D. James, who was born 3 Aug 1920 at Oxford, England, died there on 27 Nov 2014. I read three of her books:2673 Cover Her Face, by P. D. James (read 6 Nov 1994) This is James' first book, which was published I think in 1963. It tells of the murder of Sally Jupp at an English estate, Martingate. Sally is a servant. Eleanor Maxie is the mistress. Simon Maxie is nearly comatose. Sally is found strangled to death in a locked from the inside room. Sally is presumably an unwed mother who on the day before had been proposed to by Stephen, the son of Eleanor and Simon, to the family's consternation.. Chief Inspector Adam Dalgliesh is the wise investigator--mistake-less and all-observing. I really liked the book, and will read another one: such fascinating, effortless reading! (4 stars )
2701 A Mind to Murder, by P. D. James (read 4 Feb 1995) This is the author's second book. It is quite good and finishes strong. It is carefully plotted and well-done. The scene is a closed one and I made no attempt to figure out the killer: one has to read too carefully--and thus slowly--to do that, so I just went with the flow. A blurb compares James with Michael Innes and Dorothy Sayers. I had never heard of Michael Innes, (3 and a half stars )
3451. The Maul and the Pear Tree: The Ratcliffe Highway Murders 1811, by P. D. James & T. A. Critchley (read May 28, 2001) Until Jack the Ripper came along in 1888 or so, the Ratcliffe Highway murders were apparently THE crime of the century in England. This carefully researched account of them nevertheless was less than absorbing reading as far as I was concerned. I suppose the fact I did not remember hearing of the crimes before detracted from my appreciation of the book, since some crimes (Lizzie Borden, the Lindbergh kidnapping, Jack the Ripper, e.g.,) have been the subject of my reading a number of books with undiminished interest. (2 and a half stars )
Kent Haruf, who was born 24 Feb 1943 in Pueblo, Colo., died 30 Nov. 2014 in Salido, Colo. I read two of his books:3306. Plainsong, by Kent Haruf (read Apr 27, 2000) This was talked a lot about on a book board I follow earlier this year so I thought I would read it. I could not admire the protagonist, but the story is easy to read, tho I am not sure it is a great book.(three stars)
5183. The Tie That Binds, by Kent Haruf (read 22 July 2014) This is Haruf's first novel and I was moved to read it because I was much attracted by his Plainsong which i read 23 Apr 2000. This is a brutal novel of farm life in notheastern Colorado, depicting a tyrant father utterly dominating his son and daughter. The son escapes, but the daughter is held by the paternal tie.. The narrator is the son of the man who loves the daughter but is despised by the father. Long after the father dies the son returns, setting up a new scenario for drama. I found the first part of the novel totally absorbing, and the ending suitably gripping though some of the account after the son's return and before the dramatic close did pall a bit. But it is a superior fictional drama which is poignant and at times heart-stopping. (4 stars)
Carleton Mabee, who was born 25 Dec 1914, at Shanghai, China, died 18 Dec 2014 at Gardiner, New York. I on 14 Oct 2007 read a book by him, The American Leonardo A Life of Samuel F. B. Morse, of which I said:This won the Pulitzer for biography for 1944, and so I have read it, since I am half-heartedly trying to read thoae winners. It is a workman-like study of Morse, who is not a totally admirable person, being eager for self-glorification and a "nativist" and at times a candidate of the Know Nothing Party. But if you want to know more about Morse, this is a good book to read. (3 stars)
Robert Stone, who was born 21 Aug 1937, in New York City, died 10 Jan 2015 in Key West, Fla. I read his book, Dog Soldiers, on 28 Dec 2001, and said of it:This was a co-winner of the 1975 National Book Award for fiction. Reading it means I have read all those winners except 12. I did not expect to like the book and I was not wrong. The dialogue is laced with obnoxious four-letter words and the characters are all without exception despicable and unlikeable. I found this a thoroughly bad and repulsive book, with no redeeming feature that I could detect. (one star)
Walter Berns, who was born in Chicago on 3 May 1919, died 10 Jan 2015 at Bethesda, Md. I read one book by him and said of it:1437 The First Amendment and the Future of American Democracy, by Walter Berns (read 10 Mar 1977) I found this a very thought-provoking book, raising questions which the author answers in ways which resonated with me at the time I read this. He was more questioning about the then direction of the Supreme Court's cases than I today am of that direction, what with a rightward tilt in the Court now which was not as evident at the time the book was written. (four stars)
John Bayley, who was born 27 March 1925 in Lahore, India (now Pakistan), died 12 Jan 2015 at Lanzarote, Canary Islands. I read one of his books, Elegy for Iris, on 28 July 2003, of which I said:I only have read two books by Iris Murdoch: The Sea, the Sea, which won the 1978 Booker prize and which I read Dec. 4, 1983, and Under the Net, which was no. 95 on the Modern Library panel's 100 best books written in English in the 20th century list, which I read 9 Nov 2001, and I did not appreciate either one. Yet I decided to read this memoir of Iris Murdoch by her husband, written in 1998--she died a victim of Alzheimer's on Feb 8, 1999. I found this an elegiac and touching memoir, and it is told gracefully with appealing erudition. I rate the book, to my surprise, a most satisfying reading experience. (four stars)
Frederic Morton, who was born 5 Oct 1924, in Vienna, Austria, died Apr 20, 2015, in Vienna. I read three of his books. My comments on them were:
2918. Thunder at Twilight Vienna 1913/1914 (read 12 Oct 1996)This book is all based on secondary sources, a number of which I have read, but it tells well the story of Vienna from 1913 till after the war started. Hitler, Trotsky, and even Lenin and Stalin were in Vienna for a time during this time. The account herein of how war came in the last week in July is fast-paced and oversimplified but not misleading--it puts the blame on Austria, deservedly, though of course there were other things which helped. I found this book thoroughly enjoyable and worthwhile. (four stars)
4612. The Rothschilds A Family Portrait (read 27 Aug 2009) This is Morton's first book, and is by now somewhat dated. The early part tells the story of the rise of the Rothschilds well, but as the book progresses it spends much time telling of the silly extravagances of the Rothschilds, which really seem diagusting and ridiculous. By the time I finished the book I was glad it was ending. I did read Guy de Rothschild's memoir The Whims of Fortune: The Memoirs of Guy de Rothschild (read 22 Jan 1994) and found it pretty good reading in parts. (3 stars)
4925. A Nervous Splendor Vienna 1888/1889 (read 26 May 2012) This book, published in 1980, describes the events occurring in Vienna from the summer of 1888 to April 20, 1889 (the day before Easter and the day Hitler was born in an Austrian town (not Vienna)).. The story covers the doings during that time of Theodor Herzl (a playwright, not yet a Zionist), Brahms, Strauss, Bruckner, Freud, Mahler, et al. and of course Franz Joseph and his son Rudolf. The Mayerling murder-suicide on Jan 30, 1889, occupies much of the time from that date to the end of the book. The book is well-done for its type--not history, except incidentally--and one feels one is authentically shown what Vienna was like to the people described. This is he third book by Morton I've read and I found it worth reading. (4 stars)
It is a bit ironic that Morton died on Hitler's 126th birthday!
I have just learned that Raymond Carr, who was born 11 Apr 1919, in Bath, Somerset, England, died on April 20, 2015, Wikipedia says he died in Barcelona, Spain, but that fact is unconfirmed. I read one book by Carr:2367 Spain 1808-1939, by Raymond Carr (read 12 Mar 1991) This magisterial 1966 book is really worth reading and having done so it makes me feel I understand recent Spanish history much better. I confess some chapters, dealing with much I knew little about, drug, but from 1923 on all seemed immediate and revealing. Even the earlier time cast much light on Franco and his era. I thought this book excellent even though it often assumed one knew what had happened and spent its time talking about it rather than telling about it. (four stars)
Gunter Grass, who was born 16 Oct 1927 in the then free city of Danzig, died 13 Apr 2015 in Lubeck, Germany. I have read this by him:1042 The Tin Drum, by Gunter Grass translated from the German by Ralph Manheim (read 25 Jan 1970) Obviously I am not with it. I've just read this book, also on Time's list of Notable Books of the Sixties, the complete list of which I have set out in my review of The First Circle, by Solzhenitsyn here on LibraryThing. This book tells a story of a dwarf born in Germany about 1923, and of his life to age 30, when he is in a West German mental hospital. His name is Oscar, and he is of course insane. I suppose all is very symbolic, but it symbolized bad taste and crudity to me. The whole theme just strikes me as not worth reading about. It is an ugh book, and I just think it is ridiculous to call it notable. But obviously, the book has, since it appeared in 1959, in Germany, excited much critical comment. It is boorish and ishish and ughey. (one-half star)
Ruth Rendell, who was born 17 Feb 1930 in London, England, died 2 May 2015 in London. I read one of her books:3778. No More Dying Then, by Ruth Rendell (read 30 July 2003) Awhile back I ran across a book called "Ten Women of Mystery" which discussed ten women mystery writers. One was Ruth Rendell, who apparently is quite famous but who I had never heard of. This title of hers is on a list I have of the 100 greatest mysteries of the 20th century (I had only read 15 of the 100) so I thought I would read it. It is the 10th book of hers using the same police investigators and locale, and while they are supposed to be freestanding I think I would have been better advised to read her first book. The literary allusions are kind of neat, but I thought the plot a bit hard to follow, though the ending was satisfactory. One could spend a lot of time reading mysteries. (2 and a half stars) )
Allen Weinstein, who was born 1 Sept `1937 in The Bronx, New York City, died 18 June 2015 at Gaithersberg, MD. I read one of his books:3385. Perjury The Hiss-Chambers Case, by Allen Weinstein (read 2 Jan 2001)
and said of it: After on July 11, 1998, I read with much appreciation Sam Tanenhaus' superlative biography of Whittaker Chambers I wanted to read this book, but only now have done so. It is a tour de force and is very convincing. One thinks, in view of Hiss's lifelong assertion of innocence, there is a reasonable doubt as to his guilt, but when one looks at the evidence it is clear he is guilty. i think this book demolishes all the pro-Hiss arguments. It is a fascinating subject. and especially the accounts of the trials--the first one where the jury hung (the foreman was convinced of Hiss's innocence before the trial began) and the second, where Hiss was easily convicted. This is a most worthwhile book. When this book came out, in 1978, the tide which since Watergate had been turning in Hiss' favor, quit rising. (5 stars )
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She was 1 of my favories, after I discovered her by accident. I was in a small airport, killing time looking at the books, like always, and I saw Tara Road. It look like a good thick book that I could sink into. After that, I could not wait for more books. I eventually went back and read most if her earler works. I will say that I liked her later books over her earlier, but this one in the fall I will definately get.
RIP Maeve.