Liberty's Torch: The Great Adventure to Build the Statue of Liberty by Elizabeth Mitchell - turns out it's a myth that the Statue was a gift from the French people. She was actually the idea of the sculptor, Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. A little too much detail into peripheral characters and somewhat repetitious.
2 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Felicia's Journey by William Trevor - a pregnant Irish girl journeys to England to find her boyfriend. She is befriended by a rather odd man. A sense of dread gradually builds as the relationship grows. Quite a twist at the end.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I Can See in the Dark by Karin Fossum - Riktor is not a very nice man and he knows it. He's shocked, however, when he's arrested for the death of one of the patients in the nursing home where he works. He's done something worse. Told in the first person.
4 stars
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The Wives of Los Alamos by TaraShea Nesbit - this is written in first person plural and so is very generic in a way. But I thought that helped convey the confusion and loneliness the wives must have felt while their husbands were inventing the atomic bomb. This is a work of fiction.
4 stars
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A Colder War by Charles Cumming - an old fashion spy novel. A disgraced spy must find a mole in either the British or American agency.
3 stars
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Delancey: A Man, A Woman, A Restaurant, A Marriage by Molly Wizenberg - Molly hasn't been married very long when her husband, with no experience, decides to open a pizza restaurant. This book is the true story of what happens to them along the way. With recipes.
3 stars
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Lucky Us by Amy Bloom - a rather odd book with not totally likable characters and yet I cared about them enough to continue reading. Eva and Iris, half sisters who don't know about each other for several years, strike out into the world during the 40's. Along the way they meet people who become family.
3 stars
Sunday, August 31, 2014
Sunday, August 24, 2014
August 17-23, 2014
Don't Let Me Go by Catherine Ryan Hyde - Billy Shine is a former dancer, now an agoraphobic. He sees 9 year old Grace sitting on the steps of his apartment and unwillingly becomes involved in her life. Gradually, all the neighbors in the building are drawn in and become unlikely friends. I must have been in just the right mood, loved this book.
5 stars
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The Old Man and the King by Joe Corso - a free Kindle book and that's about what it was worth. A young man's vehicle is ambushed in a snowstorm but he's able to get away. Turns out he's the King of Talvania. Somehow he hooks up with Lom, a Korean War vet. Many unrealistic gun battles later, they're in Talvania fighting it out with the evil brother. And the end reads more like a fairytale.
1 star
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The Home Place by Carrie La Seur - a lawyer in Seattle goes home to Montana to deal with the unexpected and unexplained death of her younger sister. Almost everyone in this story is dysfunctional. Told mostly in the present tense which I find irritating.
2 stars
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*Like a Thief in the Night: A Bernie Rhodenbarr Story by Lawrence Block - a very short story that has just been released. It originated in the '70's, but few saw it when published. I'm not putting in on Good Reads because it's not a book. Amusing story with a twist.
3 stars
5 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Old Man and the King by Joe Corso - a free Kindle book and that's about what it was worth. A young man's vehicle is ambushed in a snowstorm but he's able to get away. Turns out he's the King of Talvania. Somehow he hooks up with Lom, a Korean War vet. Many unrealistic gun battles later, they're in Talvania fighting it out with the evil brother. And the end reads more like a fairytale.
1 star
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Home Place by Carrie La Seur - a lawyer in Seattle goes home to Montana to deal with the unexpected and unexplained death of her younger sister. Almost everyone in this story is dysfunctional. Told mostly in the present tense which I find irritating.
2 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Like a Thief in the Night: A Bernie Rhodenbarr Story by Lawrence Block - a very short story that has just been released. It originated in the '70's, but few saw it when published. I'm not putting in on Good Reads because it's not a book. Amusing story with a twist.
3 stars
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Aug 10-16, 2014
Take the Monkeys and Run by Karen Cantwell - there are mysterious goings on at the empty house next to Barbara Marrs. Trying to do something to occupy herself after her husband suddenly leaves her, she decides to investigate. A free kindle book.
3 stars
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Cruising Panama's Canal by Al and Sunny Lockwood - I thought this would be more of a description of going through the canal than it was. It focused more on the ship itself. And Mr. Lockwood mostly described the desserts. I didn't find him as funny as he did.
2 stars
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A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush by Eric Newby - in the 1950's, the author and a friend decide to go to the Nuristani region of Afghanistan and attempt to climb a mountain there. Without any experience. The description of their 4 days of mountain climbing training in Wales is amusing. But the story of the actual trek is rather tedious much like the actual trip. From a 2014 perspective, the treatment of the natives by the English duo seems appalling.
2 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blade of the Sumurai by Susan Spann - the shogun's cousin has been killed and Hiro's friend is suspected. Hiro and Father Mateo are asked to investigate. The implication is that they will be killed if the murderer is not found.
3 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stronger by Jeff Bauman with Brett Witter - Jeff is one of the survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing, he lost both his legs. He seems brutally honest about his family, who seem dysfunctional at best but always there for him. He also seems quite honest about the struggle to maintain a positive attitude and learn to walk using his new prosthetics.
4 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Return of the Portable Curmudgeon by Jon Winokur - I probably enjoyed this because I am one. A collection of quotes and a few essays and interviews by renowned curmudgeons. I skimmed some of the interviews because they were a little too mean spirited for me. As with anything, the humor is only funny if you agree with it.
3 stars
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Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan - it wasn't until Kelly found herself stranded in Australia and took a job as a nanny that she began to appreciate her mother. The lessons she learned in a house reeling from the loss of their wife and mother led her to reevaluate their relationship.
4 stars
3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cruising Panama's Canal by Al and Sunny Lockwood - I thought this would be more of a description of going through the canal than it was. It focused more on the ship itself. And Mr. Lockwood mostly described the desserts. I didn't find him as funny as he did.
2 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush by Eric Newby - in the 1950's, the author and a friend decide to go to the Nuristani region of Afghanistan and attempt to climb a mountain there. Without any experience. The description of their 4 days of mountain climbing training in Wales is amusing. But the story of the actual trek is rather tedious much like the actual trip. From a 2014 perspective, the treatment of the natives by the English duo seems appalling.
2 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blade of the Sumurai by Susan Spann - the shogun's cousin has been killed and Hiro's friend is suspected. Hiro and Father Mateo are asked to investigate. The implication is that they will be killed if the murderer is not found.
3 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stronger by Jeff Bauman with Brett Witter - Jeff is one of the survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing, he lost both his legs. He seems brutally honest about his family, who seem dysfunctional at best but always there for him. He also seems quite honest about the struggle to maintain a positive attitude and learn to walk using his new prosthetics.
4 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Return of the Portable Curmudgeon by Jon Winokur - I probably enjoyed this because I am one. A collection of quotes and a few essays and interviews by renowned curmudgeons. I skimmed some of the interviews because they were a little too mean spirited for me. As with anything, the humor is only funny if you agree with it.
3 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Glitter and Glue by Kelly Corrigan - it wasn't until Kelly found herself stranded in Australia and took a job as a nanny that she began to appreciate her mother. The lessons she learned in a house reeling from the loss of their wife and mother led her to reevaluate their relationship.
4 stars
Sunday, August 10, 2014
Aug 3-9, 2014
Under a Silent Moon by Elizabeth Haynes - DCI Louisa Smith has just
been put in charge of her first murder investigation when a suicide is
discovered that may be connected. Most of the people in this book are
liars about small things and large. At one point I was even suspecting
different people on the police force. Would have given this 4 stars if
not for too much sex.
3 stars
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Beating the Lunch Box Blues by J.M. Hirsch - some good looking lunches in this book. Mostly it encourages you to think outside the box for lunch ingredients.
3 stars
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Philomena: A Mother, Her Son, and a Fifty Year Search by Martin Sixsmith - this was a completely different book than the movie by the same name. If I had read it under it's original name, The Lost Child of Philomena Lee, I wouldn't have been surprised. The movie is almost completely from the mother's point of view. The book is from her son's, who is no longer living. I have a problem with the author telling me what he (the son) was thinking and feeling. I enjoyed the movie much more.
2 stars
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The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown - totally unknown sports history for me, I had never heard about this before and I live in Washington. Told mostly as a story of one of the boys and the incredible hardships he had. I personally thought the book delved a little too much into the German side but I guess that was to show what a big deal it was for the Americans to win.
4 stars
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Oystercatchers by Susan Fletcher - I don't understand why this story drew me in when the author writes in such an irritating way. Perspectives and tenses changed constantly, sometimes within paragraphs! And the person telling the story wasn't all that likeable. She's basically telling her life story to her 16 year old sister who is in a coma. But I still found it interesting enough to finish.
2 stars
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The Poacher's Son by Paul Doiron - Mike Bowditch became a game warden partly to spite his poacher father. Now his father has been accused of killing a cop and another man and Mike is sure he didn't do it. One unnecessary sex scene.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Kill Switch by James Rollins and Grant Blackwood - Tucker Wayne and his military dog, Kane, are asked to get a pharmaceutical scientist out of Russia. This was like reading an action movie, one tense situation after another. I really liked this and am looking forward to the next book.
4.5 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Care and Management of Lies by Jacqueline Winspear - not a Maisie Dobbs book, but a stand alone about WWI. How the war affected one family. The whole book has a rather sad air about it.
* In fact, I downgraded my rating today because the more I think about this book, the sadder I get.
2 stars
3 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Beating the Lunch Box Blues by J.M. Hirsch - some good looking lunches in this book. Mostly it encourages you to think outside the box for lunch ingredients.
3 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Philomena: A Mother, Her Son, and a Fifty Year Search by Martin Sixsmith - this was a completely different book than the movie by the same name. If I had read it under it's original name, The Lost Child of Philomena Lee, I wouldn't have been surprised. The movie is almost completely from the mother's point of view. The book is from her son's, who is no longer living. I have a problem with the author telling me what he (the son) was thinking and feeling. I enjoyed the movie much more.
2 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown - totally unknown sports history for me, I had never heard about this before and I live in Washington. Told mostly as a story of one of the boys and the incredible hardships he had. I personally thought the book delved a little too much into the German side but I guess that was to show what a big deal it was for the Americans to win.
4 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Oystercatchers by Susan Fletcher - I don't understand why this story drew me in when the author writes in such an irritating way. Perspectives and tenses changed constantly, sometimes within paragraphs! And the person telling the story wasn't all that likeable. She's basically telling her life story to her 16 year old sister who is in a coma. But I still found it interesting enough to finish.
2 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Poacher's Son by Paul Doiron - Mike Bowditch became a game warden partly to spite his poacher father. Now his father has been accused of killing a cop and another man and Mike is sure he didn't do it. One unnecessary sex scene.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Kill Switch by James Rollins and Grant Blackwood - Tucker Wayne and his military dog, Kane, are asked to get a pharmaceutical scientist out of Russia. This was like reading an action movie, one tense situation after another. I really liked this and am looking forward to the next book.
4.5 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Care and Management of Lies by Jacqueline Winspear - not a Maisie Dobbs book, but a stand alone about WWI. How the war affected one family. The whole book has a rather sad air about it.
* In fact, I downgraded my rating today because the more I think about this book, the sadder I get.
2 stars
Sunday, August 3, 2014
July 27-Aug 2, 2014
Death at the President's Lodging by Michael Innes - I almost didn't finish this, it had so many words. "... the horror of these events was exacerbated by the inspissated gloom in which they were enveloped." Written in 1936, the story takes place in an English college, which causes me enough trouble in modern times. I had to Google a Proctor in order to figure out exactly what he was doing. Extremely convoluted ending. And yet I found the policeman intriguing enough that I might read another - one at least set in the '80's.
1 star
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The Reckoning by Jane Casey - someone is killing sex offenders and pedophiles and Maeve Kerrigan is put on the case. When the reason behind the killings is discovered, the story takes a very different turn. This is the second in the series.
4 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Garner Files: A Memoir by James Garner and Jon Winokur - not really a straight timeline memoir, but instead sections like childhood, Maverick, and golfing. He's not quite as easy going as he seems in his roles.
2 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller's Tragic Quest For Primitive Art by Carl Hoffman - the title pretty much says it. The author spent a month with the tribe in New Guinea that supposedly knows the truth. I thought he put a little too much of himself in the story but he also seems to have documented everything extensively. Somewhat stomach churning.
3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra by Helen Rappaport - this is not a study of the Russian Revolution or who was right and wrong but about the lives of the four sisters. Their parents were quite unusual for the time and their position in that they actually spent time with their children. And the press in the early 1900's seemed as irresponsible as now. Maybe a little too much quoting from letters and documents to get her point across by the author.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Quick by Lauren Owen - my first vampire book and supposedly that's a spoiler. But I knew before I started reading so it's not that much of a secret. The story starts out very slow and is told from different viewpoints and in different styles. Rather exciting near the end, then a very (to me) anti-climatic last 50 pages. It was like this first time writer had a really good idea but didn't know how to end it.
3 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thrones, Dominations by Dorothy L. Sayers and Jill Paton Walsh - a Lord Peter Wimsey started by Sayers and finished by Walsh. Peter and Harriet Vane are now married and the story contrasts their marriage with another couple. Disaster strikes and Peter investigates. I found the "witty" conversations very pretentious. I'll have to re-read an original to see if it's me or Walsh didn't quite get it right.
3 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Good Talk, Dad: The Birds and the Bees...and Other Conversations We Forgot to Have by Bill Geist and Willie Geist - I'm not familiar with either of the authors tv shows but thought this might be an amusing book. And it was but with a little too much raw language for my taste. Mostly funny stories from Willie's childhood.
3 stars
1 star
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Reckoning by Jane Casey - someone is killing sex offenders and pedophiles and Maeve Kerrigan is put on the case. When the reason behind the killings is discovered, the story takes a very different turn. This is the second in the series.
4 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Garner Files: A Memoir by James Garner and Jon Winokur - not really a straight timeline memoir, but instead sections like childhood, Maverick, and golfing. He's not quite as easy going as he seems in his roles.
2 stars
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Savage Harvest: A Tale of Cannibals, Colonialism, and Michael Rockefeller's Tragic Quest For Primitive Art by Carl Hoffman - the title pretty much says it. The author spent a month with the tribe in New Guinea that supposedly knows the truth. I thought he put a little too much of himself in the story but he also seems to have documented everything extensively. Somewhat stomach churning.
3 stars
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra by Helen Rappaport - this is not a study of the Russian Revolution or who was right and wrong but about the lives of the four sisters. Their parents were quite unusual for the time and their position in that they actually spent time with their children. And the press in the early 1900's seemed as irresponsible as now. Maybe a little too much quoting from letters and documents to get her point across by the author.
3 stars
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Quick by Lauren Owen - my first vampire book and supposedly that's a spoiler. But I knew before I started reading so it's not that much of a secret. The story starts out very slow and is told from different viewpoints and in different styles. Rather exciting near the end, then a very (to me) anti-climatic last 50 pages. It was like this first time writer had a really good idea but didn't know how to end it.
3 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thrones, Dominations by Dorothy L. Sayers and Jill Paton Walsh - a Lord Peter Wimsey started by Sayers and finished by Walsh. Peter and Harriet Vane are now married and the story contrasts their marriage with another couple. Disaster strikes and Peter investigates. I found the "witty" conversations very pretentious. I'll have to re-read an original to see if it's me or Walsh didn't quite get it right.
3 stars
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Good Talk, Dad: The Birds and the Bees...and Other Conversations We Forgot to Have by Bill Geist and Willie Geist - I'm not familiar with either of the authors tv shows but thought this might be an amusing book. And it was but with a little too much raw language for my taste. Mostly funny stories from Willie's childhood.
3 stars
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