Legacy of Ashes by Tim Weiner

A while back I posted another Tim Weiner book about the FBI called "Enemies."  It was so good I decided to read this one, which preceded "Enemies."  Like "Enemies" he takes a government institution and opens it up using the organization's own files plus many interviews.  In this case, it's the CIA.

Now you'd think that working with the CIA files would get you several tons of paper with most of the words blacked out.  However, so much previously classified documentation got declassified in the 90's and people were willing to speak on the record, this book only contains verified accounts, with no hidden sources or other obfuscations.

The main reason this is being added to the blog is the flood of recent discussions about current CIA clandestine paramilitary operations.  Part of that discussion makes it sound as if this is a new thing.  As this book points out, those types of operations constituted the majority of the CIA activities from the late 1940's onward, often to the detriment of actual spying and compiling intelligence information from the many U.S. agencies that collected their own covert information, including the military and the State Department.  The result was the overthrow of a lot of foreign governments in the 50's and 60's, but poor coordination of intelligence coming into the country.  The ultimate result was 9/11.

The current discussion around personal privacy reveals that many people hope there actually is some professional government agency that has the capability to put all the pieces together and find and stop bad guys while letting the rest of us live our lives unmolested.  That's a pretty tall order and is subject to abuse.  In this case, the CIA did such a poor job of collecting and diagnosing intelligence that the responsibility was taken away from them in 2005 when the Office of Central Intelligence was dissolved.  They still are doing paramilitary operations.  I hope they've been able to retain veteran and recruit high-quality new individuals who can do the difficult work of acquiring secret knowledge and putting all those pieces together.  In "Enemies" I came away hopeful that issues were being addressed and resolved in the FBI to give us an internal surveillance and protection organization that can address issues of the 21st century.  In "Legacy..." I'm not so sure we have that capability on a global scale.  If you liked "Enemies" you'll like this book but you may be less optimistic with the ending.

The Forest Unseen by David George Haskell

You know how you watch a really good nature program and the narrator points to something growing on the ground and then ties it to some bird who dropped something that nature made it pick up in the first place ten miles away?  After a while you start to understand that this area has microbes, insects, birds, winds in the trees that effect leaves shaped just so, etc. and it's all tied together and you think "Holy cow, that's amazing!"  Well, this book is that show and then some.

 

David Haskell is a biology professor who I really wish I'd had as my high school biology teacher.  Haskell decided to stake out a little plot in a Tennessee forest about a meter square and watch it every day for a year to see what he could see.  He likened it to a Tibetan monk's sand painting in which all the universe could be witnessed within.  Seeing the whole universe might be a stretch, but you get a good sense of the interconnectedness of living things on earth in these beautifully written vignettes.  Each chapter is around 6 pages long and represents a day's observations and thoughts on those sights.  They're all good and some of them are really cool.  It flows, makes sense and is lyrical to boot.  I would read one or two of the days and put it down, only to pick it up again pretty soon to see what was next.  The book is 245 pages with footnotes added if you want to dive a little deeper into that particular day or fact. 

 

We don't see most of what is around us.  It's there and our senses pick it up but we filter it out and move ahead.  Professor Haskell does a beautiful job of gently pulling us back to our world and seeing it with fresh eyes.

April 1865 by Jay Winik

 

What most of us know about the American Civil War was that we had a terrible conflict for about 4 years, Lee surrendered to Grant and the war ended right around the time President Lincoln was killed.  Once the first surrender occurred, it just seemed to make sense that the country would be reunited and we would get on with our growth as one nation.

Jay Winik gives greater focus to those events with context and proposes that we easily could have been a country in a continuing, decades-long guerrilla war that may still have resulted in two or more federated governments within what is currently the continental United States.

This is not dry history.  He goes back to the country's founding and makes a pretty good case that the founders were unsure a federation of the scope of 13 individual states could remain as one for any length of time.  Almost immediately, states made noises and some efforts to break away, and these were all in the north east!  When we finally split in 1861, you had the 4 years of bloody fighting east of the Mississippi River but also had a terrible guerilla conflict west of the Mississippi for most of that same time.  If you've seen the movie "Lincoln" you know the passage of the 13th Amendment was a very iffy thing.  Had it not passed when it did, there's no telling what would have happened once he was killed, even including the following amendments that gave greater rights of citizenship to freed slaves.  Finally, General Lee was ordered to take his army and melt into the mountains and fight a guerilla war, as were the other generals leading major armies in the field.  Lee ignored that order and Grant conducted the surrender allowing for all honors to the defeated army which led to the other generals also ignoring that order and following Lee's lead.  All or most of these actions occurred in that fateful month.

The issue with any historical speculation is that it's just that - speculation.  Each time there is a guess as to what might have happened, you can say "or not."  Yet Winik does a pretty good job of presenting a good argument that may not sway you completely to all his conclusions but does have enough strength to make you think about it.  If you like history at all, this one is worth your time.

Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg

“It’s time to cheer on girls and women who want to sit at the table.”

 – Sheryl Sandberg

More than half of American women are the breadwinners in their households, yet they still earn 77 cents for every dollar a man earns. This is likely not news, but for a while it seemed as if we’d been pretty silent on the subject. 

However, back in March, a new book by Sheryl Sandberg sparked a lot of conversation – some thought what she said struck a chord, others found it controversial, hypocritical, or elitist.

So I decided to check it out for myself.

I’ve always been interested in why, in 2013, there are still some pretty glaring differences in earning power between men and women, and have wondered how I can circumvent that so I don’t fall into the trap myself. And while I learned a lot of incredible, relevant, and eye-opening things while reading Lean In, I think the biggest takeaway for me was simply: “Sit at the table.” 

You’ve got to be in it to win it, ladies!

Also, I take issue with much of the criticism of the book. Some say that Ms. Sandberg’s advice was too critical of women, saying that we need to change the way we behave in the workplace to better position ourselves for leadership roles. The other is that her advice only applies to an elite circle of women.

The first point I understand. She does talk a lot about how we, as women, need to be aware of the fact that gender in our society, whether we like it or not, does play a role in how we’re perceived – both by men AND women. And I think it’s wise that we don’t pull the wool over our eyes and pretend like this isn’t the case. So the fact that she addresses this point and gives advice on how to work with it is something I found quite useful. 

The second point I didn’t notice at all. If anything, she acknowledged several times that she comes from a place of privilege and realizes that many do not. She also acknowledged that “success” can be measured in many different ways, and it’s up to us to define that for ourselves.

Basically, if you couldn’t already tell, I really liked this book. It made me feel empowered and enlightened, and helped open my eyes to things I see every day in my own working environment. It was an easy, quick read at less than 200 pages, and while I’m sure the majority of the people who pick this up will be women, I think it’d be wonderful if men were reading it, too.

So, what do you think, CB? 

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki

My name is Nao, and I am a time being. Do you know what a time being is?...A time being is someone who lives in time, and that means you, and me, and every one of us who is, or was, or ever will be.

So begins one of the most original, captivating and thought provoking novels I have read in a long time. Ozeki weaves together the story of Ruth, a novelist living on a remote island in British Columbia and Nao, a 16 year old girl living in Japan. Ruth discovers a plastic bag washed ashore near her home and wonders if it could it be debris from the 2011 Japanese tsunami? When she looks Inside the box she finds a Hello Kitty lunchbox containing several items: a man's wristwatch, a bundle of old letters and Nao's diary,"the diary of my last days on earth." Once Ruth begins to read Nao's diary there is no turning back...you, too are drawn in and compelled to keep reading along with her.

A Tale for the Time Being is a complex and multi-layered novel. It is as much a mystery story, as it is a meditation on the passing of time, and an exploration of the relationship between writer and reader. Interestingly, the novels of Marcel Proust play a key role in telling the story. As Proust writes, In Search of Lost Time, "In reality, every reader, while he is reading, is the reader of his own self. The writer's work is merely a kind of optical instrument..."

Interwoven throughout the novel, are an eclectic array of subjects- history, morality, World War II, Zen Buddhism, quantum physics, bullying, suicide, animal spirits and totems- yet they blend together to create a unique and quite unforgettable story.  

A word of caution, though. While the prose in the first half of the book is beautiful, lyrical and eerily hypnotic, the second half will jolt you out of your trance with a much grittier and more disturbing tone. That said, the transition is a surprisingly effective device that ultimately pulls all the threads together and creates such a graceful, uplifting and wonderful story. I highly recommend it. 



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Bring Up The Bodies by Hilary Mantel



English history, especially when it concerns the time of Henry VIII, is not for everyone.  It was a chaotic time, what with him cycling through various wives trying for a male heir.  We know he ended up with 6 wives and some of them met bad ends as he used various excuses to move on to the next one.

 

That said, Hilary Mantel has woven a fascinating tale from the perspective of Secretary to the King, Thomas Cromwell.  It falls to Cromwell to manipulate available circumstances to allow Henry to rid himself of Ann Boleyn so he can marry Jane Seymour.  Those lords and ladies who benefit by having Ann with Henry maneuver to avoid the break, while those who benefit by Jane stepping in spread rumors and try to hasten Ann's departure.  Since Cromwell is not a peer, he is mistrusted and looked down upon by most everyone in Henry's court.  For the time being, Henry trusts him and that allows Cromwell to proceed with the king's bidding.  You really don't need to know more than that about the circumstances, but it helps to remember that plotting against Cromwell normally turns out badly for the plotter.

 

There are a huge number of characters and you can become confused by Ms. Mantel's sometime lack of attribution as to who is speaking.  If you focus less on the names and more on Cromwell and how he dodges and maneuvers through each day, those names become less important.  You start to sense who is going to be alright in the end and who really shouldn't have done something to make Cromwell think less of him (or her).  We tend to look at history and assume the outcome was somewhat preordained, but this book hi lites just how tenuous not only the succession of the next monarch was, but also how Henry himself had to continuously move to remain in power and alive.  I couldn't put it down.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in it's own way."


The first sentence of Anna Karenina is still one of the most recognized opening lines in world literature. Considered by many to be one of the "best novels" ever written, this epic work was originally published as installments in The Russian Messenger over the span of two years (1875-1877). This novel contains all the necessary ingredients for a modern-day soap opera or cable TV series- love, family, betrayal, marriage, scandal, and forgiveness. Yet, this story is anything but trite melodrama. 

I recently spent two months reading all 923 pages of this sprawling masterpiece (Modern Library Edition). It was the perfect tome to hunker down with for the cold, snowy days of a Northern Michigan winter. Although the book was written almost 140 years ago, it is still surprisingly relevant, in many respects, for contemporary readers. It is a classic piece of literature that didn't feel like a chore to read. It definitely was not like One Hundred Years of Solitude. At least not for me.

As the title suggests, the character of Anna Karenina is the focal point of this fictional story. However, the novel is really about so much more than the consequences of one aristocratic woman's adulterous affair. Tolstoy's artistic prose weaves together a large and complex tapestry of characters, themes and plot lines, all set against the backdrop of late nineteenth century Russian society. In reading this book, at times it did feel somewhat like reading an op-ed piece. Tolstoy shared his own opinions- through the voices of the seven main characters- to expound upon his personal musings and moral beliefs about many of the most controversial topics of the day. He argues, for example, about such things as the virtues of rural vs urban life; or the distinction between class and society; faith and religion; as well as the emerging role (emancipation) of women in society. Anna, his tragic heroine, is made the poster child for what could happen if a woman stepped outside her "role" of wife, mother, caretaker.

Anna Karenina is a beautiful, emotional and insightful commentary on life. Read it for the love stories. Read it for the history. Read it to simply savor the language. It just might be one of the best books ever written. 



 

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

For all of you who believe computers and those who really understand them can solve pretty much any problem, this book is for you.  If you don't, well, it's still a fun read.

A tech-savvy guy gets laid off from a west coast start up and needs to find a job to pay the rent.  Being a clerk in an old style book store in San Francisco seems to fill the bill and the story gets strange and interesting from there.  The store is two things in one and the less obvious thing is interesting and mysterious.  The plot goes all over the place and our clerk/detective calls on some very capable tech buddies to figure out what is going on.  The characters are likable, the plot is kind of out there but worth holding on to, and the solution this crew is able to accomplish would be great if techies were always this good.  Now if this same group could keep software issues that I use from crashing my computer and telling me I've made a fatal error, I'd be a happy camper.  Enjoy.

Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin by Calvin Trillin

You might have seen Calvin Trillin on John Stewart or Steven Colbert's show.  He's a man in his 70's with a very dry wit and his writing is the best blend of James Thurber and Mark Twain.  Perhaps it's why this book won the Thurber Prize.  The book is a collection of articles he has written over the years for The New York Times, The New Yorker and other magazines.  They are grouped in sections with different headings and each heading has a blurb to set the stage.  Here are a few of those blurbs.

The Media - Liberal Elite And Otherwise "When I was a writer at Time, I tried to escape from the Religion Section by writing 'alleged' in front of any historically questionable religious event - the 'alleged parting of the Red Sea,' say, or 'thirty years after the alleged crucifixion.' "
High Society And Just Plain Rich People  "When my freshman-year roommate at Yale, Thatcher Baxter Hatcher, told me that after the war his family no longer dressed for dinner, I thought he meant that they showed up in their undershirts.  I said. 'My mom would have never allowed that, Thatcher Baxter Hatcher, and I'm talking here about Kansas City.' "

This book is laugh out loud funny. I couldn't help but start reading passages to Jackie and, in a tribute to Mr. Trillin, she laughed each time. She gave me the book for Christmas, but that doesn't mean she wants someone reading it to her when she has her own book to read.  I know Becky, Amanda and Jackie will like this one.  Beyond that, any of Becky's State News friends should really enjoy this, especially Mary.

The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes

Near the beginning of the book, one of the characters describes historical questions by noting "we need to know the history of the historian in order to understand the version that is being put in front of us."  This is Adrian Finn, the bright one of a group of four English school boys with the one putting history in front of us being Tony Webster.  The story moves quickly (163 pages in the paperback version) through Tony's life and yet we don't start to understand it until the last page.  Then you want to go back to some spots to see if the story still hangs together, which of course it does.  Tony is an inaccurate teller of history, not because he is dishonest but just because he is human.  His own history is colored by his emotions and so he doesn't fully know the history of the historian.  Things that he was certain of at 25 look different at 60.  Isn't that always the case?

 

The book is another Man Booker Prize winner and is a beautiful, subtly written look at a life and how what you think you know as the life is being lived changes over time even though the facts of the event are unchangeable.  It's an easy read yet complex.  You could read this one in a day and then go back and read it again.  I'd recommend it to all the family.  It was recommended to me by Jackie.

The Sea by John Banville

This will be two reviews in one.

First review (kinda short) - this is a beautifully written story.  Read it.

Second review (kinda long)- the estate of Raymond Chandler, who wrote one of the best detective series ever using the character of Phillip Marlow ("Farewell, My Lovely", "The Big Sleep", "The Lady in the Lake", etc.) just commissioned John Banville to write a new Phillip Marlow story.  He was selected because he is supposed to be an excellent writer and has his own series of crime novels.  I'm always on the lookout for a new crime author (most of them aren't that good), so I thought I'd give him a try. 

"The Sea" is not a crime novel but a major award winner so I figured the quality of his writing would show through, and does it ever!  The first paragraph is one of the best ones I've ever read and by the second page I'd even remembered that I read the book before many years ago.  Go figure.  It was illuminating in more ways than one, because I think I had a different impression of the book the first time around.  Then, I thought it was a good story but was a little irritated by some of the vocabulary, which seemed unnecessarily rich unless your PhD program was in English literature.  Second time around, I was more relaxed reading it and savored each paragraph, even though it still didn't take that long to read the book.  I also looked up the British English words I didn't know and it turns out he used exactly the right word each time.  It's a fairly simple story of a man who's wife dies and the man tries to cope.  He doesn't do it very well and uses a lot of thinking about the past to avoid the present and actually moves to a cottage where he met his first boyhood love on the seashore.  In short, this is a story of loss and memory.  Sounds like a downer, but it's not.  I'd recommend it for each reader in our family but think Jackie would like it best, just because she's already a better reader than me and would appreciate the quality.  The rest of our bloggers need to carve out the right time when you can just sit back for at least a relaxed half hour to get started. 

The Graveyard Book and Interworld By Neil Gaiman

Seems like I'm posting British authors of supernatural stories, ala "The Gates", but Amanda gave me two Neil Gaiman books for Father's Day and Becky was curious about them, so her goes.  I read a movie review once that said "if you like that kind of stuff, you'll like this kind of stuff."  If you liked "The Gates" you may like "The Graveyard Book."  Gaiman won a ton of awards for it, and the story is odd but enjoyable, if you like that kind of stuff.  I do.  In a nutshell, a toddler's family is murdered by a member of a secret society and he was specifically supposed to get the toddler.  But, the toddler wandered away into a graveyard, the resident ghosts decided to take him in, and the murderer was deflected away and lost track of the baby.  The rest of the book jumps every two years as the boy gets older and learns cool ghost tricks, like walking through walls and disappearing.  Each jump involves a good adventure and another understanding by the boy of the world and, eventually, how he will have to live in it.  The murderer never stops looking and the book ends with the inevitable confrontation.  I liked the boy, the ghosts and other supernatural characters who protected and mentored the boy.  A good read.

So, you probably think the other book she gave me was "Interworld."  Nope.  That was "Good Omens", which was good but jumped around so much I found it distracting.  I think Becky would get a headache.  So I checked out "Interworld" from the library and find it sort of a more adult followup to "The Graveyard Book."  Seems there's a parallel existence to the one most of us inhabit (I'm pretty sure some folks are living in a different world) and the main character gets drawn into it.  It's a lot more dangerous than the current world and time isn't quite the same.  Think of Neo in "The Matrix" before and after working in the office.  It's a good adventure, the story moves right along, and it also ends in a satisfying way.  Think of Becky's blog postings, except with pants and happening in a sewer.  Enjoy.

The Infernals by John Connolly

This is the second of Connolly's books with Samuel Johnson and his dog/friend Boswell.  It's a while after Samuel and friends save the world from demons coming through a portal inadvertently aided by powering up the Super Collider in Bern.  Now the tables are turned by the avenging demon who originally headed the invasion.  He's sucked Samuel and others from the village into Hell to gain revenge and to get in good with the head guy in Hell who's feeling a little off at the moment, leaving a lot of chaos in his leadership void.  Here's the deal... demons in an English village on Holloween - clever and funny.  Villagers in Hell against inept demons - not the same.  The funny asides and footnotes are still there, it just didn't work as well for me.  Maybe I was feeling grumpy (it happens), but I'll post on one of the books Amanda gave me for Father's day that is on a par with "The Gates."  As for this, maybe it would have been better with its English publication title "Hells Bells."  Or not.

Enemies: A History Of The FBI by Tim Weiner

I'm having no luck finding a breezy book to try and match Becky's entries. OK, you win, it can't be done (No, I might be able to find a breezy book, but Becky has the patent on funny write-ups). So.... let's all read about J. Edgar Hoover and those zany guys at the FBI!

This is one heck of a story. Starts back with presidents from Lincoln on using private investigators to try and figure out what's going on inside the country and Teddy Roosevelt setting up a federal agency for the same purpose. They didn't bother with pesky things like a congressional charter (there still isn't one for the FBI) or too much oversight, because what they wanted to know normally couldn't be done with search warrants and lots of rules. This book really isn't about J. Edgar being a loose cannon. It's about every president wanting the kind of information those agencies (the FBI is only the most recent incarnation) could provide and J. Edgar doing a pretty good job of providing it.

When Nixon came on the scene, he was so far out on the paranoid edge as far as wanting info on everyone that even Hoover pulled back from him and Nixon created his own very poor spy organization (the Plumbers) with disastrous results. The fallout from Watergate hamstrung the agency, which is only now in a position to where rules exist to guide the FBI yet give them enough leeway to do the job. I got to the end of the book with hope that there can now be a balanced future between competent outcomes and infringement of personal liberties.

The is a real page-turner. There have been continuous instances of internal and external terrorists in the U.S. since the 19th century and this narrative puts them into context and actually changed some of my thinking on individual freedom vs. civic safety. The book does not focus on the federal law enforcement aspect of the agency but on intelligence gathering and how it has sometimes kept us safe and sometimes missed the boat. It's a great read and a wonderful historical perspective.

I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett

"So, witches had to keep one another normal or at least what was normal for witches. It didn't take very much: a tea party, a singalong, a stroll in the woods, and somehow everything balanced up, and they could look at advertisements for gingerbread cottages in the builder's brochure without putting a deposit on one." (p. 53)

Tiffany Aching is a witch and a rather young one at that. She does all the dirty business witches are expected to do (births, salves, tending to the weak) and not much of the dirty business witches are thought to do (spells and general wickedness). But when the ghost of a witch hunter is unleashed into Tiffany's world and the "rough music" dances him out of darkness and into the hearts of those who "make room for the evil," Tiffany must find the courage and skill to destroy him and reunite her village in the face of unspeakable evils and the kind of fear and ignorance that tears people apart.

"I Shall Wear Midnight" confirms that I need to be reading more Terry Pratchett. Several years ago I enjoyed a book he co-authored with Neil Gaiman called "Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch." I don't know why I didn't immediately pick up another of his books right then and there. Oh yeah. It's because I started reading more Gaiman. Which wasn't a bad bet. But it's nice to know he wasn't the only one running the show with "Good Omens." Pratchett is insightful and funny and neither of those words do justice to the delight it is to read his work. Dad, start with "Good Omens" and see what you think, since this one is in the YA vein. But it's good stuff. A genuine pleasure.

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

Steve Jobs was an arrogant asshole. You still with me? Ok, now you should totally read this book. While I know members of this fine family have their personal feelings about Apple and Apple products, perhaps even about Steve Jobs himself, this is a book worth picking up. As an iPhone and iPad owner, I clearly drank the Kool-Aid. And boy is it tasty. Mmmm…sugar.

Focus, Becky. Ok, but seriously, you don’t need to own or have owned an Apple product or even like Apple products to have respect for just what Apple has done for our society. Good, bad, or in between, it’s changed us. And Steve Jobs, love him or hate him (and there are about 10 people, I think, who loved him), was a mad genius. And I don’t mean that in the Boston “wicked-smart” sense, either. He was mad, and he was a genius.

While this book is more than 600 pages long, I didn’t find anything slow or extraneous about it. Walter Isaacson, the author, has written a few biographies that I think mom and dad have read – Einstein and Benjamin Franklin. And as Isaacson states in his intro, he’s quite sure that Steve Jobs saw himself as a natural progression of that list.

This was a fascinating portrayal of a very complicated, mercurial, selfish, brilliant, eccentric, sensitive, strong, elusive man. He brought computers into the mainstream, made them cool, accessible, flashy, and functional. He brought animation into the 21^st century before we were even in it, and he changed the way in which we buy and access music, movies, and information. Steve Jobs was an arrogant asshole. And this was one of the best books I’ve ever read.  

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet by David Mitchell

I've always had an interest in Japan, especially Japan prior to its being forced open in the mid-1800's. This story centers around 50 years prior to that time, when a young Dutch clerk seeks his fortune by going to the only place where foreigners are allowed in Japan, an artificial island in the bay of Nagasaki. He becomes infatuated with a Japanese woman who is a midwife and a student of the European doctor who tends to the Dutch East India Company residents of this foreign enclave.

I almost gave up on Jacob in the first third of the book because I thought he was a rigid naif among a nest of snakes and was hoping for more. I kept going because of the writing and the characters.

Without giving too much away, Jacob's circumstances change, and then the book just takes off. The story pulls you along into a web of intrigue and Jacob rises to the occasion. If you enjoy being immersed in an exotic time and place by an imaginative plot using interesting characters, this book is for you. Becky, it has similar other worldly aspects that remind me of Murakami. Amanda, there is true evil magic. Everyone, it is subtle and beautifully written. Hope you like it.

The Voyage by Philip Caputo

Could this picture be any bigger? Anyhow, thought I'd go big for my first post in a couple of years. Was going to try for funny, but Becky set the bar on that one for her first two, so I'll try my usual format and maybe stretch out with later posts.

"On a June morning in 1901, Cyrus Braithwaite orders his three sons to set sail from their Maine home aboard the family's forty-six-foot schooner and not return until September. Though confused and hurt by their father's cold-blooded actions, the three brothers soon rise to the occasion and embark on a breathtakingly perilous journey down the East Coast, headed for the Florida Keys. Almost one hundred years later, Cyrus's great-granddaughter Sybil sets out to uncover the events that transpired on the voyage. Her discoveries about the Braithwaite family and the America they lived in unfolds into a stunning tale of intrigue, murder, lies and deceit."

I copied that last paragraph from the Random House website. Couldn't have done better, so let's call this the sincerest form of flattery. About the book, I really liked it. The initial start with the great-granddaughter looking into a mystery was kind of clunky, but once the tale was fully enveloped with the three boys and the ship, it was as good as sea stories and coming of age stories get. The mystery is good, the clues make sense when presented, and all of the scenes of storms, animal or human attacks, and family dynamics really work. I had to put the book down a couple of times and mentally catch my breath after a few of those scenes. Caputo is a wonderfully clear and descriptive writer without being verbose. I know all the not-retired folks have time constraints, but this is writing at its best and worth the time.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling

“This book will take you two days to read. Did you even see the cover? It’s mostly pink. If you’re reading this book every night for months, something is not right.”

Ok, full disclosure: This book took me three days to read when it should’ve taken me an afternoon. Why? Not because I’m secretly dyslexic or really super slow, but simply because I did not not not want this book to end. I didn’t think it’d be possible to read a book that I thought was funnier than “Bossypants,” but this one took the cake (mmm, cake).

“Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me” is written by someone who, up until reading the book, I knew nothing about, cared nothing about, and really thought was sort of annoying. I’m not a fan of the US version of “The Office”, even though I think it has its moments. But I really wasn’t a fan of Mindy Kaling’s character on that show. So when I heard that she wrote a book, it barely registered.

But then it popped up on my Amazon list under “Suggested Reads” (not sure why, I mean, just because I read any book by any famous woman who wants to give me advice on life, love, and friendship doesn’t mean…hey, it does sound funny! Thanks, Amazon.com!). However, I was still resistant because I have standards and if I’m going to be in my apartment alone reading with my cat it has to be something worthwhile, like Betty White’s “If You Ask Me…and I’m Sure You Won’t” (classic!).

In a shocking turn of events, though, I got really desperate one night when I realized that I was going through withdrawal after finishing the Steve Jobs biography (stay tuned) and “The Gates” (thanks for blogging about that, dad! Loved it! Perhaps I’ll add to your blogging…). So, I wandered over to Barnes and Noble and this pretty pink book was staring me down, just daring me to buy it. Never one to say no to a challenge, I picked it up and said “Bring it, Mindy.”

And she did.

I think Amanda would really like this book (actually, I think you all would, but for some reason I can’t see mom or dad picking it up) and I promise you will laugh out loud at almost every page. And the moment I put it down I immediately texted Courtney, Mary, Beth, and Deidre to tell them to stop whatever it was that they were doing and buy it. And since Courtney and Mary are the only ones, for some reason, who listen to what I say (mind-boggling), they did it immediately, leading to one of the greatest compliments I’ve ever received.

Court: I’m pretty sure you are the ghost writer behind this book. She sounds just like you. You need to write a book.

Me: I wish I was that funny.

Court: You are. Now shut up and go write a book.

So, you see, with a review like that how could you not want to read it?

“I'm the kind of person who would rather get my hopes up really high and watch them get dashed to pieces than wisely keep my expectations at bay and hope they are exceeded. This quality has made me a needy and theatrical friend, but has given me a spectacularly dramatic emotional life.”

Bossypants by Tina Fey

“My ability to turn good news into anxiety is rivaled only by my ability to turn anxiety into chin acne.” 

It is rare to laugh through a book as often as I laughed through “Bossypants.” And before any of you cast this book aside because you don’t think 30 Rock is funny (agreed) or SNL (agreed) or even Tina Fey herself (I was neutral), take a step back. This is at the top of my list as one of the two funniest books I’ve ever read – and the other I’m blogging about after this.

Being able to capture the funny in mundane is something I think Tina Fey does better than most. She also captures the universal feelings of insecurity, adolescence, career highs and lows, love, parenting, and everything else in between better than pretty much anyone I’ve come across. Except, of course, Tori Spelling. But c’mon, you saw that coming.

I actually think all three of you would find this book funny because it really does have something in it for everyone.  I know it’s not really the type of book any of you typically pick up, but maybe that’d be refreshing! Hey, I picked up “The Worst Book in Ameri –" wait, sorry, “Year of Wonders”, and I GUARNTEE you that this is better. Guaranteed. Wait, that’s faint praise. Ok, I guarantee that you will all like this better than “Stori Telling” by Tori Spelling. Wait……hmmm…ok, will you just pick it up already? I mean, what’s the worst that can happen, you waste an afternoon laughing and resent me for being right?

I think we can all live with that. 

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Yes, I am slack (but reading!) I found this great video online about the book I just finished: Leviathan. I really enjoyed it. I was frustrated to find it's the beginning of a trilogy (or series, or whatever) and didn't wrap up in a neat little package at the end. But I'll probably read the next one when it comes out. I just hate waiting.

Also, this is my first foray into the "steampunk" genre which wikipedia defines as: a sub-genre of science fiction and speculative fiction, frequently featuring elements of fantasy, that came into prominence in the 1980s and early 1990s. The term denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used — usually the 19th century, and often Victorian era Britain — but with prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy, such as fictional technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne, or real technological developments like the computer occurring at an earlier date. Other examples of steampunk contain alternate history-style presentations of "the path not taken" of such technology as dirigibles, analog computers, or digital mechanical computers (such as Charles Babbage's Analytical engine); these frequently are presented in an idealized light, or with a presumption of functionality.

Are you impressed with my ability to cut and paste at random from the web? I hope so, because, as I mentioned, I'm feeling quite slack. I enjoy the steampunk premise so much that the next few books up here will probably also be from that genre. What fun to make a new discovery like this! Anyway, watch the trailer, check out the book....enjoy!

Lit by Mary Karr

I have read a lot of books since my last blog entry but I think Lit

is one of my all time favorites. In general, I have avoided reading memoirs because it seems like such a shallow and narcissistic genre- does anyone else really care to know that much about you? Apparently, in some cases, YES if you have a compelling story, like Mary Karr.

When I saw that Mary Karr was coming to Traverse City for the National Writers Series, I decided to finally break down and read Liar's Club, her first book of memoir published 10 years ago. I figured that if I was going buy a ticket to hear her speak, I should have read at least one of her books. To my surprise, I quickly found myself hooked on her style, her humor and, especially her story. Lit is the third "installment" of her life story and it has convinced me that memoir can be a powerful and entertaining form of literature. I was halfway through Lit when Dave and I went to hear her talk about her work at the TC Opera House and we were not disappointed! We thoroughly enjoyed her candor, easy style, wit and insights about her struggle to overcome a hellish past (i.e. dsyfuncional family, sexual abuse, alcoholism and addiction) through sheer determination and discovering a spirituality within herself that she never knew was there.

I recommend this one for Dave, Amanda and Becky.

World War Z by Max Brooks

I loved this one! It's a collection of first-person accounts from a future Zombie War. Written by the same author of "The Zombie Survival Guide" (which is a hoot!) this one delves further into social commentary and paints a rich picture of a bleak scenario. Reading this book is like watching a summer blockbuster. It's like my version of "sTori Time" (or whatever Tori Spelling's book is called....sorry Becks!) Dad, you might like this one if you're looking for fun (with a good deal of gore thrown in.) Of course, I also realize none of you might ever pick this one up. So be it. I thought it was great.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Many of you know of my love for YA fiction. After reading this year's Newberry Winner, "The Graveyard Book" by Neil Gaiman (which I should also blog about!), I put one of the runner-ups on my hold list at the library. 76 readers later, I found The Hunger Games waiting for me at my local branch. It was well worth the wait.

This is a science fiction story about a 13-year old girl living in a futuristic version of America. A new government has risen up and the territory is divided into districts. In the past, the districts rose up against the central authority and were put down in a brutal way. District 13 was destroyed. In order to keep the citizenry in line, the government likes to remind people of what will happen if they try to revolt again. Hence, the Hunger Games.

Every year, two teenagers from each district, a boy and a girl, are chosen by lottery to participate in the Games. It is a televised fight to the death with only one victor remaining. Katniss, the main character, volunteers in her little sister's place when her name is drawn. She goes to the games along with a young man from her district. Their struggles in the arena make for a fast-paced read.

In spite of the dark premise, this is ultimately a story about trust, love, and hope. Katniss struggles to survive and you're never sure where her allegiances lie. You also question the motives of the other main characters which makes for a complex story and a very satisfying one. I don't want to give too much away, but will mention that the follow-up, "Mockingjay" is as rewarding as "The Hunger Games." I was wary, wondering where the author could go with the story. I was pleasantly surprised and captivated.

Honestly, Dad is probably the only person who would truly enjoy this story as it is brutal and of the science-fiction slant. But Dad, give it a shot. It's YA, but you may enjoy it. One of the best I've read in quite a while!

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

As you know, if I don't like the main character at all, I'm unlikely to like the book, even if it's well written (see Snow & The Kite Runner). This book is the antithesis of those stories. Major Pettigrew is a retired, widowed British soldier, in love with his village and an England that is more fictional or historic than the current version. The death of his brother sets in motion a series of events that bring this wonderful gentleman's best self to the surface and let's us in on a thoroughly charming story. He handles the petty snobbery of English village life with a dry sense of humor that had me laughing out loud throughout the book. Having him encounter an unexpected love in his senior years was just icing on the cake. I love this guy and this book. A real triumph for a first time writer. All the blog readers should really like this one.

The Big Burn by Timothy Egan

Now this is a big picture. Don't know how it got that way, but it's fitting for the story being told. In 1910, a fire the size of Connecticut swept through parts of Idaho, Montana, Washington state, and the surrounding area. The newly minted Forest Service had the job of suppressing the fire, since the thoughts of the time were that mankind could control nature to a great degree. The Forest Service did not suppress the fire and yet that failure probably saved the service. The opponents were those U.S. Senators and Congressmen who opposed the service and the concept of national parks to meet the desires of the lumber, mining, and railroad barons of the day.

This is a story similar to Egan's other book about the Dust Bowl. It's as big a topic with the added feature of bigger than life characters like Teddy Roosevelt and the interests who opposed him. The story of the fire itself is gripping and individual accounts very moving. In the end, though, what struck me most was the change in the parks themselves. They are not the pristine wildernesses envisioned by TR and people like John Muir and TR's chief forester, Gifford Pinchot nor are they resources only for the taking of big industry. Lessons learned from the Big Burn (do everything possible to suppress fires) also are no longer the established thinking. All told, the parks today probably are a more balanced approach to both saving and using public lands, but the debate is far from over. This book gives a nice background to the parks founding, their early turbulent years and where they stand today.

The book was a Christmas gift from Amanda and I believe all our readers would enjoy it.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

This is another Jackie recommendation. It is a story of the inhabitants of an upscale Paris apartment complex, with the focus being the concierge and one of the families that includes a younger daughter who does not fit in with the rest of her family. The concierge and the little girl have inner lives unapparent to the disinterested rest of the complex inhabitants. A new apartment occupant changes the dynamics of the complex and brings out the inner lives of the concierge and the girl.

This is simple story telling in the vein of "To Kill A Mockingbird" but with a broader consideration of art and the meaning of life done without pretension. The concierge contemplates the point of art and philosophy as well and as concisely as anything I've encountered while making it a part of the story rather than the point of the story. I should have had a hi lighter in hand to mark those portions bearing repeating but it would have taken away from just reading a truly lovely story that I did not want to end.

Horse Soldiers by Doug Stanton

Jackie and I both read this and liked it. It's the story of a small band of Special Forces soldiers who entered Afghanistan shortly after 9/11 and worked with local, often competing, warlord factions to overthrow the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. You get to know the men and their training prior to deployment and then follow them as they move from Uzbekistan to Afghanistan via the worst helicopter ride you'll ever read about to the headquarters of one of the warlords. They lived with, and at the level of, the local fighters, which is to say they were very deprived and operated under extreme circumstances for long periods of time. It was touch-and-go near the end and could easily have resulted in a campaign that lasted years instead of months. We are a fortunate people to have those among us willing to live the life these Special Forces troops have chosen.
For those who've read "The Kite Runner" and "Three Cups of Tea," this is a compliment to those views of life in Afghanistan. I got a stronger sense of just how widespread and evil the Taliban regime was and how complex Afghan society is. I'm not sure if the country can be governed as a republic in the same way as occurs in the U.S., but it sounds like our initial foray into that country started on the right foot and gave us a better chance as being viewed as liberators rather than conquerors.

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

Beckie sent this book for Father's Day and mentioned she thought of me while reading it. It was a thoughtful gift. You've probably read about this professor who only had a few months to live and gave a last lecture at his university. He had three small children and wanted to leave snippets of himself for them to access when they were older in addition to the video tapes of him interacting with them. The lecture and book focused on dreams he had as a boy and approaches to life he used to attain those dreams and live that life.

Randy Pausch had a self-described large ego that came through in the book. I found it a little off-putting but in the end also thought he did a good job of weaving his life approaches into the narrative of giving the lecture and approaching the end of life. I also understand why Beckie thought of me because so many of the things he described as approaches to life have come out of my mouth and into the ears of Beckie and Amanda. Maybe the ego was there, too, which is a little disconcerting. He had more specific dreams for the future as a boy than most people I know and did a good job of attaining those dreams.

As a whole, you could do worse than following his advise for living a life. It's a quick and clear read that's worthwhile for all our blogger community. It also brings up the question of how you'd spend your last few months if you knew that was the limit. He made interesting choices with that question.

The Nine by Jeffrey Toobin

As with many of the books here, Jackie read it first and suggested I'd like it. She's right. It concerns the history of the Rehnquist court, the longest running time in U.S. history when the same 9 judges sat on the court. He continues the book after Rehnquist's death until just before the '08 election.

Toobin is a clear writer who handles this topic with judgement and as little bias as can be had considering some of the court's actions sometime call for expressions of outrage or confusion. It documents the steady drift to the right of that court and the self-leveling dynamics from within the court that allowed some justices who could have been considered right of center to move to the center for the sake of common sense. In the end, the steady focus of the extreme right that has taken over the Republican Party finally broke through with today's court being the result.

Perhaps the most interesting part of the book is the conclusion that there is no such thing as a judge who is not an activist. To have the hard core Constitutionalists judges like Thomas and Scalia vote for the Bush administration and against a specific portion of the original Constitution violating the Writ of Habeus Corpus and the skewing of power toward the executive branch just shows that politics speaks louder than the Constitution when it serves a judge's interests. This is a very good book but made me angry all over again reliving the 2000-08 time frame.

A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami

Becky blogged on two books by Murakami and I tried finding them at the library and local book store, to no avail. However, there were a number of others available and I tried this one. From reading Becky's blogs, this book, and the synopsis of other books, Murakami has a consistent style. I liked it but it may not be for everyone.

The story involves a late twenty-something man who's drifting through life and gets drawn into a mystery involving a sheep with mystical powers. There is a web of intrigue surrounding the sheep as well as time shifts along the way to add a back story to the main event. The fact that the author treats the idea of a sheep with powers in a serious manner gives you a sense of his underlying dry humor. Occasionally, there's almost a science fiction feel to some of the story. Some of the dialogue sounds like those you'd have in college late at night discussing stuff that might be alcohol-fueled and would be tedious if it weren't so much fun at the time. Now that the story has ended, I'm thinking of it a little to try filling in the blanks but I think the destination is not as important as the journey.

Amanda might like him, so try either this book or the Wind Up Bird Chronicles. I'll ask Becky to bring her copy of WUBC when she's here later in the year. I'd like to read more of Murakami but need some different authors in between.

Gilead and Home by Marilynne Robinson

I'm reviewing these two books together because they are so interconnected. I actually read Gilead in 2004, the year it won the Pulitzer Prize, and reread it just a few weeks ago before I started Home. Robinson's prose is a joy to read...it is consistently beautiful, graceful and spiritual. The word elegiac, I think, best describes its tone. So, if you're in the mood for something light and cheerful, these are not the books for you right now. However, if you are in a more pensive state of mind, I think you will be swept away.

Briefly, Gilead reads almost like a sermon on living life to the fullest. The narrative flows in the form of a long letter written by the aged and dying Reverend John Ames to his young son. Since he knows he won't live to see his son grow up he wants to leave the boy with an accurate accounting of his forebears and himself. As the son and grandson of preachers he describes how his grandfather went west to Kansas to fight abolition and "preached men into the Civil War". Rev. Ames also relates his own vision of life as a "wondrously strange creation". Woven throughout his narration is also a story about the deep, complicated and often strained bonds that exist between fathers and sons.

Ames spends a good deal of time discussing his long time friend, next-door neighbor and fellow preacher, Reverend Robert Boughton. Boughton's wayward son, Jack (he was named after Rev. John Ames) returns to Gilead in an attempt to make peace with his own dying father. Jack has always been Boughton's favorite child despite his long history of thievery, meaness, drunkeness and irresponsiblity. Ames also knew Jack as a child and has never liked or trusted him. And it is clear from Ames' musings that he is anxious and fearful of what Jack's intentions might be toward his (Ames') young wife and son after he is gone from this world. The sequel, Home, provides a tender counterpoint to this notion......

The story of Home is also set in Gilead (Iowa) and runs concurrently but in Reverend Boughton's household. As I mentioned earlier, Jack, Boughton's favorite son, returns home after a 20 year absence, hoping to make peace with his father but discovers that the old man is dying. The family's youngest child, Glory had recently returned to the family home to take care of her father in his final days. Since Jack had been run out of town in disgrace while Glory was still a child, the two are now almost like strangers to each other. But as the days and weeks unfold and their father's condition continues to decline, Jack and Glory begin to forge an intense bond with each other as they slowly and painfully reveal and begin coming to terms with some of the past regrets and painful secrets that continue to haunt them. Robinson describes Jack's awkward, yet loving and tender efforts to reconcile the tattered relationship with his father in such a way that, as a reader, I began to believe that he had changed. For Boughton, however, the effort comes too late as his mind gradually slips away.

Home (and Gilead) is "about families, family secrets, and the passing of generations, about love and death and faith...an unforgettable embodiment of the deepest and most universal emotions."(inside front flap) I thought these were compelling stories...and think you will too.

The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-time by Mark Haddon

Amanda posted this review a little while back and thought I'd like it. Rather than just add a comment to her review and say "I liked it a lot" I thought I'd add this post to highlight the book.

I liked it a lot.

Everything Amanda wrote is true. My add is that it is a sad and funny coming of age story for a young man who is coming of age under very difficult circumstances. His autism is only one of them. Yet through it all he is brave, interesting and a good detective. He also manages his issues well, given how large they are. Sometimes they break your heart. It's probably a mark of the quality of the story and the writing that, once I picked it up, it was done in about a day and a half. I think everyone will like this one... a lot.

Amanda's Crafty Books

Dad is right....I've been in some sort of crafty manic phase for a while. But you said you wanted to know what I'm reading, so here goes. I recently checked out Material Obsession by Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke. The subtitle is: Modern Quilts with Traditional Roots. I know, right? Who is this person and where did Amanda go? But it is beautiful! I've never quilted, but I think it's the next craft to get added to my list. The "Avalon" and "Retro Starburst" patterns look like projects I might actually be able to accomplish. And ALL of the more advanced quilts are so inspiring that they make you want to learn the craft so you could one day make something so beautiful. Mom, I think you might like this one. I'm actually surprised you haven't quilted before (or have you? she asks, in a mysterious tone, trying to uncover some deep dark quilting secret....)

I can't go any further without mentioning "The Creative Family: How to Encourage Imagination and Nurture Family Connections" by Amanda Blake Soule. This woman has become such an inspiration to me in the last few months. I can't remember how I discovered this book, but after being so impressed with her book I quickly began following her blog http://www.soulemama.com/. I have tried a few of the projects in her book such as the birthday banner, embroidering with kids, and letterboxing. In the next couple weeks I plan to do some freezer-paper transfers of some art by one of my favorite artists, Nikki McClure (http://www.nikkimcclure.com/) which is another project in the book. Phil and Debbie, you might find inspiration from this one. She really focuses on connecting with your children and exploring nature and creativity. I'm not doing her justice here, but at least check out her blog. If nothing else, you can enjoy her beautiful photography and gentle reminders to stop and appreciate your life "right now."

Okay, I'll only make you sit through one more...I'm guessing none of you will read it because it's a children's book. However, I am blown away by Cynthia Rylant's retelling of "Hansel and Gretel" and Jen Corace's amazing illustrations (http://www.jencorace.com/). Finding well-done retellings (i.e. not Disney-ified or saccharine sweet) of classic children's stories is not easy. There are very few that are accessible for the 3-6 year old age group. Most of the well-written versions are extremely wordy. And I'm sorry, but bedtime book reading is a 20-minute event in our house. Preferably with as little whining as possible. So when I found this version of "Hansel and Gretel" I almost cried. It opens with the lines: "It has been said that guardian spirits watch over and protect small children, and that may be so. But there are also stories of children who find the courage to protect themselves. Such is the story of Hansel and Gretel." Does it get any better than that?

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami

So, none of you will probably be surprised to see that a running book finally made it onto my short list. This was a gift from my friend, Karen, and from the moment I read the title I was hooked. Since I realize I'm quickly alienating at least half of the blog readership here who could really care less about what I or anyone else talks about while running, I should say that you don't have to be a runner to appreciate this book. While all of the stories (written more like diary entries than short stories or one, fluid text) have running at the center (or at least as a supporting character), I read it as more of a life journey that happened to include a lot of intense running (this dude would wipe the floor with me on his worst day). What I loved, though, since I do happen to be a runner, was the common experience of it all. So much of what he felt, thought, talked about on any given day, in any little or big town, was very relate-able. However, when I read reviews about this book on amazon and elsewhere I found that an overwhelming majority of reviews (both professional and amature) thought that this book would only appeal to a small audience of relatively hard-core runners (a category of which I do not consider myself a part, for what it's worth). So, keep that in mind...
I can say that dad immediately popped into my mind, not only because he and I can go off on tangents about running for 10-20 minutes, but because I think he may enjoy (more than others) the writing style.
This seems to be somewhat of a theme for this and the last review I did, but I've read another book by Murakami and blogged about it as well: "The Wind-up Bird Chronicle." I loved that book and still hold firm to my recommendation on that one to you, too, dad....so, do with that what you will.
Either way, I really enjoyed this - it's a quick read, it's about running, and it was an interesting take on a solitary sport (that I try to turn into a group sport at every opportunity!).

Best American Non-Required Reading 2008

I got this book from Amanda for Christmas and loved it. I love collections like this because you can read it out of order, more than once, and skip entire entries if you want. I do have to admit, though, that my favorite part of this entire collection was the interview with Judy Blume. I have a soft spot in my heart for Judy Blume, as Amanda and I both grew up with her books, and she just seems like a really smart, down-to-earth, cool person.
On another interesting note, the editor of this collection is Dave Eggers, who happens to be the author of another book I blogged about in '08 called "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius." And while I thought the book was good in its own right, "The Best American Nonrequired Reading" was much more enjoyable, so kudos to Mr. Eggers!
The long and short of it is this: the book is part of a series that comes out each year and compiles various fiction, nonfiction, essays, journalism, comics, and humor, and in no particular order. I hope this anthology becomes a tradition (hint hint, Amanda) because I've found myself going back to it over the last few months and re-reading various stories or noticing a story that I skipped previously. So, this is something that I would actually suggest to anyone, because I think it'd be hard for each of you to not find at least a few entries you found inspired or just plain funny. Thanks, Amanda, this is definitely a keeper in my collection!

The Stanger -and - The Plague by Albert Camus

I'm posting this review just to purge my system and get ready to start "the curious incident of the dog in the night-time." Amanda recommended that book and I'm pretty sure I'll like it. I'm starting it today.

Why I decided to read Camus, I have no idea. He's one of those authors you are supposed to read to broaden your thoughts. I'd finished "In Cold Blood", an excellent book about senseless deaths and their aftermath. So what did I do? Read two more books about senseless death and its aftermath. Not a good idea at the tail end of winter. "Stori Telling" (or however it's spelled) is probably more recommended but the local book store didn't have it.

Anyhow, "The Stranger" involves a man who drifts through life, not really caring if he decides for or against any action, and ends up killing someone for no good reason. He's sentenced to death and may or may not be executed at the end of the book. There may or may not be a God, an afterlife, or meaning to any event other than its immediate utility. In "The Plague" the murderer is a disease that kills tens of thousands in the same meaningless environment. It's probably a thought to consider (if you haven't already), but you can just read this paragraph and skip the books to get the idea. Unlike "ICB" the writing was not compelling, even though the characters were reasonably lifelike and sometimes likable.

It was interesting reading a copy of "The Plague" that was Jackie's in nursing school. Turns out her dog ate nine pages just before the end of the book, plus a few paragraphs at the beginning. It didn't mater. I didn't know why the police were suddenly rushing an apartment building and dragging a man into the streets after just finishing the chapter where the plague has run its course and the city is about to be set free to resume its normal life. Had the pages been left in the book, I might not have understood why the man went crazy anyhow.

Any questions? Answer them yourself.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Becky wrote about Breakfast At Tiffany's and I mentioned I'd never read "In Cold Blood" so she loaned me her copy. If there are any others in our circle who've not read it, I strongly recommend it.

As you probably know, it's the story of two men who kill a family of four in Kansas and how they subsequently were captured and executed. The "must read" aspect of the story is Capote's descriptive yet sparse writing and his empathy for everyone appearing in the story, including the murderers. It's not a bleeding heart empathy but rather a clear-eyed look at everyone involved and a lack of vindictive slant when it would be easy to do given the awful nature of the crime. The two murderers had different backgrounds and somewhat different psychological drivers leading to the murder but you feel as if you know them, the victims, lawmen, townspeople, and anyone else touched by the crime. It's also why we lock our doors while living in an area where almost nobody else locks theirs.