The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett
A very book-ish sort of book! Imagine what would happen if Queen Elizabeth II were to begin reading… compulsively, widely, and attentively. (If you envision all heck breaking loose, then you and Alan Bennett are on the same page.) In this enchanting novella, the queen’s dogs create a huge ruckus near the “travelling library” that is parked near the palace, so she goes in to apologize and then checks out a book just to be polite. And thus she starts down a slippery slope… She becomes addicted to books. And man, does it make her advisors nervous. A lovely little book about the glories and the power of reading.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Sunday, April 27, 2008
I'm Back in Wyoming Again (though I've really not left home)
Open Season by C.J. Box
Joe Pickett works as a game warden in Wyoming, where he lives with his wife and two young daughters. In this fine debut novel, he uncovers a devious plot involving wildlife – and lowlifes. I picked up this book because it’s set in the West (and I wish Craig Johnson would write a little faster, please!) and because the books in this series always seem to get strong reviews. At first I was surprised to find Joe so vulnerable, and then I was glad he’s so human (and, in the end, so brave). Another aspect of these books that is strongly appealing is the importance of Joe’s family, and particularly the beautiful relationship he has with his two little girls. They say liking the main character is the key factor in whether you follow an entire mystery series, so I’m hooked. The second and third books are in my pile of books to read, and I can’t wait.
Joe Pickett works as a game warden in Wyoming, where he lives with his wife and two young daughters. In this fine debut novel, he uncovers a devious plot involving wildlife – and lowlifes. I picked up this book because it’s set in the West (and I wish Craig Johnson would write a little faster, please!) and because the books in this series always seem to get strong reviews. At first I was surprised to find Joe so vulnerable, and then I was glad he’s so human (and, in the end, so brave). Another aspect of these books that is strongly appealing is the importance of Joe’s family, and particularly the beautiful relationship he has with his two little girls. They say liking the main character is the key factor in whether you follow an entire mystery series, so I’m hooked. The second and third books are in my pile of books to read, and I can’t wait.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Bike Cult
Lance Armstrong’s War: One Man’s Battle Against Fate, Fame, Love, Death, Scandal, and a Few Other Rivals on the Road to the Tour de France by Daniel Coyle
Who knew professional cyclists were as touchy-feely as senators? But while the politicos tend to keep the grasping and back-slapping above the waist, the cyclists aim right for the mid-section… and below. It turns out they like to check out the competition by pinching and prodding to determine their rivals’ gluteal muscle tone. But really, this book is about Lance Armstrong… and his enormous ego, remarkable natural athletic ability, unparalleled work ethic, determination to live life to the fullest after cancer, and the temperament that both makes him a winner and makes him exceedingly difficult to deal with. Plus, the small, fascinating world of professional cycling; and doping; and team dynamics; and, yes, Sheryl Crow; and Tyler Hamilton, Jan Ullrich, Iban Mayo, Floyd Landis (before he won the Tour and popped positive for le dopage), Alexandre Vinokourov, and the other racers of the 2004 season. Coyle was an editor for Outside magazine, which is one of those magazines whose writers (Jon Krakauer, Sebastian Junger, Hampton Sides, Randy Wayne White – to name a few) are just plain amazing. So this book, like Into Thin Air, The Perfect Storm, and others written by the Outside crew – has appeal beyond the core audience who would seek it out because of the subject matter. In other words, this is the type of nonfiction that’s simply good writing that sucks you in like a vortex.
Who knew professional cyclists were as touchy-feely as senators? But while the politicos tend to keep the grasping and back-slapping above the waist, the cyclists aim right for the mid-section… and below. It turns out they like to check out the competition by pinching and prodding to determine their rivals’ gluteal muscle tone. But really, this book is about Lance Armstrong… and his enormous ego, remarkable natural athletic ability, unparalleled work ethic, determination to live life to the fullest after cancer, and the temperament that both makes him a winner and makes him exceedingly difficult to deal with. Plus, the small, fascinating world of professional cycling; and doping; and team dynamics; and, yes, Sheryl Crow; and Tyler Hamilton, Jan Ullrich, Iban Mayo, Floyd Landis (before he won the Tour and popped positive for le dopage), Alexandre Vinokourov, and the other racers of the 2004 season. Coyle was an editor for Outside magazine, which is one of those magazines whose writers (Jon Krakauer, Sebastian Junger, Hampton Sides, Randy Wayne White – to name a few) are just plain amazing. So this book, like Into Thin Air, The Perfect Storm, and others written by the Outside crew – has appeal beyond the core audience who would seek it out because of the subject matter. In other words, this is the type of nonfiction that’s simply good writing that sucks you in like a vortex.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
The Best Book I Read Before Visiting Dealey Plaza
The Death of a President, November 20 – November 25, 1963 by William Manchester
A remarkable book – remarkable! – that almost wasn’t published, due to the Kennedy family’s concerns about what the book would contain. (Manchester tells that whole tale in his book Controversy and Other Essays in Journalism, 1950-1975. Controversy, indeed.) The Death of a President amazes me on many levels. The writing is so clear, it’s as though you are there on the trip to Texas in November 1963 and during the terrible days that followed. Manchester sets scenes simply yet completely, and he mercilessly evokes the emotions of the time. I’ll never forget his description of Bobby Kennedy and Robert McNamara selecting the president’s burial site at Arlington National Cemetery – and McNamara toiling to outline the burial plot in the rain. When I realized that Manchester published the book in 1966, it nearly knocked my socks off. It’s not a small book, it’s beautifully crafted, and he wrote it in mere months (…which nearly led to a breakdown. Also outlined in the Controversy book, which is darn near required reading after finishing The Death of a President, to get the story behind the story.) Manchester supports the lone gunman theory, which may be… controversial. One final thing I loved about the book (which is a small thing, but I adore it): In the front of the book, he lists all the Secret Service code names for people and places that were in use in November 1963. And he uses three of the code names to title the sections of the book: Lancer (JFK), Charcoal (temporary residence of the president), and Castle (the White House). Manchester was the perfect person to have written about these events. I wasn’t even born yet when JFK was assassinated, but this book makes me mourn.
A remarkable book – remarkable! – that almost wasn’t published, due to the Kennedy family’s concerns about what the book would contain. (Manchester tells that whole tale in his book Controversy and Other Essays in Journalism, 1950-1975. Controversy, indeed.) The Death of a President amazes me on many levels. The writing is so clear, it’s as though you are there on the trip to Texas in November 1963 and during the terrible days that followed. Manchester sets scenes simply yet completely, and he mercilessly evokes the emotions of the time. I’ll never forget his description of Bobby Kennedy and Robert McNamara selecting the president’s burial site at Arlington National Cemetery – and McNamara toiling to outline the burial plot in the rain. When I realized that Manchester published the book in 1966, it nearly knocked my socks off. It’s not a small book, it’s beautifully crafted, and he wrote it in mere months (…which nearly led to a breakdown. Also outlined in the Controversy book, which is darn near required reading after finishing The Death of a President, to get the story behind the story.) Manchester supports the lone gunman theory, which may be… controversial. One final thing I loved about the book (which is a small thing, but I adore it): In the front of the book, he lists all the Secret Service code names for people and places that were in use in November 1963. And he uses three of the code names to title the sections of the book: Lancer (JFK), Charcoal (temporary residence of the president), and Castle (the White House). Manchester was the perfect person to have written about these events. I wasn’t even born yet when JFK was assassinated, but this book makes me mourn.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
A Sequel That Stands Up
Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos
Cornelia and Teo, who are introduced in the splendid Love Walked In, are newly married and newly arrived in the suburbs, where Cornelia has become quite certain she’ll never fit in. After a few social humiliations, she meets the irreverent Lake, who appears to be a kindred spirit, and the two become fast friends. Lake’s son, Dev, a science prodigy, has a developing story of his own, as he falls in love for the first time and decides to track down the father he never knew. Piper, the neighborhood queen bee who is the root of much of Cornelia’s certainty that the ’burbs are not for her, becomes positively human right before our eyes, as she suffers along with her best friend, Elizabeth, who has cancer. de los Santos has a gift for developing warm, realistic characters who nearly walk off the page. She also has a skill for writing interweaving storylines (which merge here in a way I didn’t see coming). All kinds of good stuff: marriage (beginning and ending), friendship, betrayal, the inability to know truly what our neighbor is experiencing right across the street, and the connections we can make as we build our families.
Cornelia and Teo, who are introduced in the splendid Love Walked In, are newly married and newly arrived in the suburbs, where Cornelia has become quite certain she’ll never fit in. After a few social humiliations, she meets the irreverent Lake, who appears to be a kindred spirit, and the two become fast friends. Lake’s son, Dev, a science prodigy, has a developing story of his own, as he falls in love for the first time and decides to track down the father he never knew. Piper, the neighborhood queen bee who is the root of much of Cornelia’s certainty that the ’burbs are not for her, becomes positively human right before our eyes, as she suffers along with her best friend, Elizabeth, who has cancer. de los Santos has a gift for developing warm, realistic characters who nearly walk off the page. She also has a skill for writing interweaving storylines (which merge here in a way I didn’t see coming). All kinds of good stuff: marriage (beginning and ending), friendship, betrayal, the inability to know truly what our neighbor is experiencing right across the street, and the connections we can make as we build our families.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Behind the Scenes
This Just In: What I Couldn’t Tell You on TV by Bob Schieffer
How can you not love a book that begins with a cub reporter’s tale of how he drove Lee Harvey Oswald’s mother to the Dallas jail on November 22, 1963, and then bluffed his way into the jail by allowing the police to believe he was a detective? The young Bob Schieffer already had the skill to find his way to the heart of the story. Schieffer narrates the audiobook himself, and he’s perfect.
How can you not love a book that begins with a cub reporter’s tale of how he drove Lee Harvey Oswald’s mother to the Dallas jail on November 22, 1963, and then bluffed his way into the jail by allowing the police to believe he was a detective? The young Bob Schieffer already had the skill to find his way to the heart of the story. Schieffer narrates the audiobook himself, and he’s perfect.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Did He... or Didn't He?
In the Lake of the Woods by Tim O’Brien
I still don’t know how it ends. I’ve read this book 4 times now, and I continue to marvel at O’Brien’s mastery of the art of telling a story – and at my ability to change my mind about what actually happens to the main characters at the end of the story! Each time I’ve read the book, I’ve come to a different conclusion. Politician John Wade and his wife Kathy have retreated to northern Minnesota, following a major electoral defeat. And while they’re on vacation, they both vanish. The novel is a combination of the story of the days leading up to their disappearance, and chapters that contain little blurbs: quotes from friends and colleagues; excerpts from books about politics, Vietnam War, and magic; and excerpts from the transcript of an inquiry into a My Lai-like massacre in which John Wade had participated during the war. Remarkable, disturbing, unforgettable.
I still don’t know how it ends. I’ve read this book 4 times now, and I continue to marvel at O’Brien’s mastery of the art of telling a story – and at my ability to change my mind about what actually happens to the main characters at the end of the story! Each time I’ve read the book, I’ve come to a different conclusion. Politician John Wade and his wife Kathy have retreated to northern Minnesota, following a major electoral defeat. And while they’re on vacation, they both vanish. The novel is a combination of the story of the days leading up to their disappearance, and chapters that contain little blurbs: quotes from friends and colleagues; excerpts from books about politics, Vietnam War, and magic; and excerpts from the transcript of an inquiry into a My Lai-like massacre in which John Wade had participated during the war. Remarkable, disturbing, unforgettable.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Piecing Together a Life
The Quilter’s Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini
Sarah, a newly-married young woman, is forced to re-invent herself when she moves with her husband to a small Pennsylvania town. After she meets an ornery older woman who is a master quilter, Sarah gradually discovers her calling. The first book in the comforting Elm Creek Quilts series. I’m a quilter, so these books drew me in immediately. I’ve met many non-quilters who love the series, too.
Sarah, a newly-married young woman, is forced to re-invent herself when she moves with her husband to a small Pennsylvania town. After she meets an ornery older woman who is a master quilter, Sarah gradually discovers her calling. The first book in the comforting Elm Creek Quilts series. I’m a quilter, so these books drew me in immediately. I’ve met many non-quilters who love the series, too.
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