This book was fun to read and at times caused me to laugh out loud. A bit quirky but very much faithful to the time portrayed. The status of women was painfully revealed and I think not overstated. Our heroine was feminist in the highest sense of the term. There were several lovable characters, even the dog, who was deftly described and plausibly involved, if not with the linguistic genius attributed to him. The dialogues with Mad, the daughter, were delightful. The ending was somewhat surprising and satisfying.
Tuesday, July 9, 2024
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
The Man who Solved the Market by Gregory Zuckerman
About mathematical stock trading. A waste of good mathematical talent. Men getting very rich and being very unhappy in the process.
Bill Stern's Favorite Sports Stories by Bill Stern
I read this in the sixth grade (1960) and thought it was great and always wanted to find it. Reading it now I am less impressed. I thought it was more baseball stories about the most famous players. It has some of that. The writing is, of course, from a different era and a lot of fighting occurs. It was interesting historically.
Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz
(read aloud)
Another Hawthorne murder novel, very clever and somewhat different. Again almost recursive and nuanced with a delightfully done misdirection and twist ending that is not overdone but nicely consistent with the plot but still surprising.
The Math Inspectors: Story One - The Case of the Claymore Diamond by Daniel Kenney and Emily Boever
Kids' story, well-written but not much math.
Bad Therapy by Abigail Shrier
A well-written, very thought-provoking book. Names names and takes no prisoners, very courageous and I think largely spot on. Brings to mind the old book Dare to Discipline. One seminal indisputable point is that therapy can have adverse effects, like all treatments. Dwelling on feelings intensifies them. Parents are in the best position to know what is best for their child. Experts are overrated and easily escape accountability. Treatments often fail but the diagnosis lives on and on. A must read for anyone with a child or occation to interact with a child; in short, most everyone. Our language has been taken over by Therapy-speak, once accurately known as 'psychobabble.'
Stoner by John Williams
A real novel that captures the reader's interest by creating a scene of an altogether ordinary college professor in an ordinary university experiencing the difficulties common to people. The writing is direct and concrete and as such beautiful. For drama and fireworks look elsewhere. Stoner has a single time of real happiness all the more precious for its brevity.
The Casuarina Tree by Somerset Maugham
A collection of short stories of Burma and Singapore, dealing with colonialism, race, and 'marriages' of convenience. The writing is actually beautiful and flows from the page. The tales are similar but not repetitious and create an understanding, not approval.
Burma Sahib by Paul Theroux
A fictional novel based on a part of the life of Eric Blair, more famous as George Orwell. An engaging tale but has lots of explicit sex. Blair is not too likeable and feels out of place. He seems wounded. He is very tall and thus conspicuous. He went to Eton but on a scholarship, so didn't feel a part of the rich kids school, but was pigeonholed by others who knew he went to Eton. He learned Burmese and Hindi. He killed an elephant that was going wild.
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
(read aloud)
Very good tale, good characters, wonderful writing. Narrator is a woman who is refreshingly real and imperfect but strangely noble. Course of story makes a sudden turn.
The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose
Sequel to The Maid, very enjoyable with alternating chapters of her life with her grandmother versus life now. Clever mystery and many wise proverbs. The Maid was very good as well.
So Shall You Reap by Donna Leon
(read aloud)
Death of a Sri Lankan refugee. Good plot. With old political activists paying for their crimes. Christianity, Buddhism, and agnosticism all appear. Gay rights and friendship are approached with some grace.
The House of Love and Death by Andrew Klavan
Gritty and exciting with a complex protagonist. Third in series with more to come.
Indemnity Only by Sara Paretsky
A woman private investigator in Chicago. Gritty like the city. Crime bosses, murders, and a tough V. I. Warshawski, known as Vic to her friends. This is her first V.I. story. Fairly good. A credible slice of Chicago.
Playing for Pizza by John Grisham
This is a fun romp into American football in Italy. Lots of wine, food, and fun. Would be a great airplane book.
How to Bake π by Eugenia Cheng
An introduction to category theory. The study of abstractions of abstractions and the mathematics of logic and groups and topology. I am sure it is an amazing field, but seems too difficult for me. This book is good and interesting. Each chapter starts with a recipe. She is trying to make mathematics friendly and she succeeds but I would need three more books between this one and The Joy of Abstraction which really get into the math.
Thereby Hangs a Tail
(for book group)
A 'Chet' book, funny and exciting. Kidnapping, murder, show dogs, a count and countessa. Good plot. Author still hasn't run out of ways to make the dog narrator fun and loveable.
Malady of the Mind by Jeffrey A. Lieberman, M.D.
A comprehensive discussion of schizophrenia, by an expert with impeccable credentials. The main takeaway is that the treatment should begin immediately, almost as an emergency, and not be interrupted if at all possible. Active psychosis exacerbation damages the brain. Currently treatment should include Clozaril if possible. Our nation's committal policies should be completely revised. Treatment should be a team concept with living support.
The Resistance Man by Martin Walker
(read aloud for book group)
An earlier episode, quite clever. Sad revelation about relationship with Isabelle. Balzac is a puppy. Fun with food and friends. Usual mix of local police work and EU intrigue. Notes of the Resistance but not developed in full.
The Writing of the Gods: The Race to Decode the Rosetta Stone by Edward Dolnick
How the Rosetta Stone led to the deciphering of hieroglyphs. Very interesting and well-written, with interesting diversions into alphabets and linguistics. The two towering characters Young and Champollion were so different and intriguing. An amazing puzzle solved by brilliance, persistence, and a little luck.
The Wizard of the Kremlin by Giuliano da Empoli
(read aloud)
An amazingly prescient book, which vividly explains Putin through the eyes of a fictitious advisor. Underneath the story looms the Russia of the ages, not western, not fully eastern. The musings about authority, persuasion, and the future of machines and robots and artificial intelligence are sobering. The Ukraine conflict seems entirely caused by the west.
Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes by Kenneth Bailey
The parables interpreted with deeper cultural understanding. Some of the chapters are extremely good. He most often makes a very plausible case. He is careful and methodical. He makes, I think, very valuable contributions to our understanding.
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
An annotated version and very lucid translation. Supposedly a very stoicism-oriented book, a kind of diary, evidently not intended for 'publication.' He was anti-Christian but I see many themes compatible. Naively, perhaps, I see his invocation of deities as metaphorical and his reference to God almost monotheistic. An underlying theme of humility and a quest for virtue.
The French Revolution by Hilaire Belloc
Curiously written with an unusual, antiquated style and historically opinionated. Belloc seems interesting.
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
A wonderful trip with captivating characters. Traveling twists and turns with injustice and settling of accounts and detours. Classical references abound. The ending wasn't as good as the rest of the book, but only the very end, and many might disagree. Overall only slightly less wonderful than A Gentleman in Moscow.
Gray Mountain by John Grisham
(read aloud)
Not very good. Characters not too likeable, plot with too many threads, and none resolved.
The Death Ship by B. Traven
Public domain, idiosyncratic book about early ocean steamships and sailors without a country, passports, or papers, doomed from ship to ship risking life and limb. Bits of philosophy honed by suffering.
Everywhere an Oink Oink by David Mamet
A lot of bad language, but also interesting comments on writing and film making. Some gossip. Bitter, dyspeptic, as book jacket says.
Dust Bowl Girls by Lydia Reeder
Girls basketball in the '30s. A good-hearted coach and determined girls win the national championship against all odds. How America has changed, sports and our view of womanhood.
Mourn not Your Dead by Deborah Crombie
(read aloud)
Will Duncan and Gemma make up and solve their dilemma? Who killed the police supervisor? There are plenty of suspects. Well-drawn characters and sparkling writing make up for a dense, slowly-evolving plot. But we are in no hurry as we enjoy a kind local policeman and a clairvoyant witch.
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre by B. Traven
Salty tale of prospecting, mistrust, and betrayal. Several detours into other stories and solid philosophy about wealth and avarice. Writing style reads like polished antique wood. A grim, earthy book that captures its time and place.
Mossad by Michael Bar-Zohar
The Mossad will do whatever it takes to meet their objectives. There are almost no boundaries. If you are in their sights, there is no escape. Exciting stories, but troubling.
Murder at the Washington Tribune by Margaret Truman
Fairly good writing. The ending was a little trite, but story was suspenseful and characters were good. An ethical journalist makes a big ethical mistake.
Waiting on the Word by Malcolm Guite
(read aloud for Advent)
A poem a day for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. A remarkable book with wonderful poems, unfolded by the author; some written by the author. Very well done, illuminating, and bright and dark like Advent.
The Exchange by John Grisham
(read aloud)
Sequel, well done, good characters and suspenseful. Plot has many side threads, many of which aren't resolved or even explored at the end. But otherwise a good read. Helpful to have watched the old Firm movie but book covers the past events well.
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