Readers and Reading discussion

Please post the books you read in June....comments appreciated.

What I Read in June 2012

4928. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow & Other Stories, by Washington Irving (read 2 Jun 2012) Well, yes, I read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle when I was in 8th grade but I had nothing by Irving in my list of books read (since to get on that list a book has to be read cover to cover, and stories in a reader thus don't get on the list). I did not find The Legend much of a story, but Rip van Winkle has a neat plot line which we all remember. When we were kids we used to play a game which was introduced by (or concluded by) the line about Rip van Winkle sleeping for 20 years. There are 16 other Irving stories in this book. All are soberly literate and some are of interest. Beside the two famous ones I found "The Wife" (http://classiclit.about.com/library/b...
"The Pride of the Village," http://pinkmonkey.com/dl/library1/irv...
and "The Governor and the Notary" http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php... probably the best of the 18 stories.

4929. Just Kids, by Patti Smith (read 4 Jun 2012) (National Book Award nonfiction prize for 2010) I only read this because I try to read National Book Award winners. The author is a poet and musician into rock and roll and in this book tells, mainly, about her connection with Robert Mapplethorpe (born 17 Nov 1946, died of AIDS Mar 9, 1989). Patti Smith was in New York and about to be 'picked up' by a guy who bought her a meal and then invited her to his room--she saw Mapplethorpe and asked him to say he was her boyfriend. He agreed and they hooked up, starving a lot, and doing weird things. Mapplethorpe turned homosexual and Smith connected sexually with others (finally marrying a guy in 1980). This book tells of the amoral life led by the author, using drugs and doing lots of crazy things. I found the account wearying and was glad to get to the last page.

4930. Nemesis, by Agatha Christie (read 5 Jun 2012) This is the ninth Christie novel I've read. It was published in 1971, just four years before Christie died. The scenario is so totally contrived and unlikely, but that is Christie's usual way. Miss Marple is given a task to seek to clear a rich guy's son of a murder he has been convicted of. She goes on a tour of castles and gardens in England, but when she gets to a town on the tour she is invited into a home. There are two old murders and a new murder on the tour and of course Miss Marple solves them all. It was not a bad story but not up to Christie's best.

4931. The Interrogation, by J.M.G. Le Clezio translated from the French by Daphne Woodward (read 7 Jun 2012) The author won a Nobel prize in 2008 so I thought I should read something by him. This book was written when he was 23, in 1963. The novel tells of a mentally distraught guy who does and says nutty things, lives in a house whose residents are away, messes up the house, spends a lot of time tracking a dog, and at the end is questioned by folk to see if he is sane. I found it all absurd--I really don't mind some absurdity, such as Ionesco's, bur this was totally boring and pointless so far as I could see.

4932. Gypsy Moth Circles the World, by Sir Francis Chichester (read 10 Jun 2012) The author left Plymouth, England, Aug 27, 1966, alone in his boat, turned 65 on Sept 17, 1966, and returned to Plymouth May 28, 1967. His only stop was in Sydney, Australia,. He had lots of troubles along the way, capsized once, but he got no help from anyone while he was at sea. He seems to have been exceptionally courageous--I know I'd have given up many times, but he just kept going. There is a lot of technical sailing talk in the book which to me was just words, but there was lots of excitement. On Sept 4, 2009, I read Captain Slocum's account of his around the world trip alone in a smaller boat but Slocum's trip took over three years and he stopped often. I also read Dove on Sept 4, 1998, about a boy's trip around the world. This book is on a par with those good books on solo trips sailing around the world.

4933. Heaven and Hell The War Diary of a German Paratrooper, by Martin Poppel translated from the German by Dr. Louise Willmot (read 11 Jun 2012) This is a book by a German paratrooper--first published in German in 1988 and in English in 2008. The author went into the German military at age 18 (he was born in Bavaria in 1920). He became a paratrooper but apparently only jumped in Holland in 1940 and in Crete in 1941, though he was also in Norway, Russia, Sicily, Italy and France. He surrendered in Germany in March 1945 and was a POW in England for a year. The book has lots of pictures, all of poor quality and poorly captioned. His account of the fighting in Sicily, Italy, and France isn't really very interesting, and the book sure could have used better maps. The most interesting part I thought was his short account of the time after the war, when in time he says he came to see that Hitler was wrong. I had forgotten the Germans were in Sicily--per the author, they were very successful there, though they evacuated from there and fought in Italy till he was wounded. He was also wounded in France. I was always glad when he was telling how they were losing.

4934. The Education of Little Tree, by Forrest Carter (read 12 Jun 2012) This was first published in 1977 and was first billed as a true story, though it is fiction written by a white racist (though this book is the opposite of racist). The book purports to tell of an Indian boy five years old in either Tennessee or Alabama whose parents have died and he goes to live with his grandparents--his grandfather is half Cherokee and his grandmother is all Cherokee. They live in the mountains and the grandfather distills whiskey from corn (this is during Prohibition). As I read I did not think it was great reading and I thought I'd probably give it only 2 or 3 stars. Then the boy is taken from his grandparents and the closing chapters are utterly poignant and I found myself tremendously moved by the story. The story is a winner--mawkish, maybe, irreligious, certainly, but utterly devastating in its assault on one's emotions. A tremendously moving story.

4935. Smoky The Cowhorse, by Will James (read 15 Jun 2012) (Newbery winner in 1927) This was first published in 1926 and won the first Newbery medal. It is the tenth winner of said medal I have read. I found it a very irritating book because, though containing little dialog, it uses bad grammar all the time and misspells words. It is a terrible book for kids since it abounds in stupid and unnecessary things like saying "them" instead of "their" and using "is" with plural subjects. Says "figgered" instead of "figured", etc. What is the sense of such stupidity except to induce kids to think incorrect English is acceptable? The book tells of a horse born in Montana who is trained to be a horse used to handle cattle. He is stolen and becomes a bucking horse in rodeos. He gets old and is finally reunited with the guy who trained him. The ending is not a bad one, but otherwise the book is boring and poorly written.

4936. Waking Giant America in the Age of Jackson, by David S. Reynolds (read 18 Jun 2012) This book deals with American history from 1815 to 1848--one of my favorite times in such history. It tells the history of that time in nicely chronological fashion, but with a good chapter on religious events of the period--outlining some of what some would say are crackpotty religious ideas of the time, not the least of which are the weird events giving rise to the Mormons. There is also a chapter on reforms and inventions, including the sad state of medicine during the time. The chapters on the political events of the period are very well done and a joy to read, recalling the highlights of the Monroe, John Quincy Adams, and Jackson administrations, and after. It was sheer joy to read the account of the events--probably the only less interesting parts of the book were some of the discussion on Emerson and on painting. But all the rest was like manna from heaven for anyone besotted by the history of the U.S. from 1815 to 1848 A very enjoyable reading experience.

4937. When Hitler Took Austria A Memoir of Heroic Faith by the Chancellor's son Kurt von Schuschnigg With Janet von Schuschnigg (read 21 Jun 2012) This is a very thorough memoir of the author's time from his birth in 1926 till 1945, he being the son (born 1926) of the Chancellor of Austria during the years 1934 to 1938. It is so detailed that it raises one's doubts as to how much was simply added to make the story. I found it very readable, and most of the book deals with what the son went through after he turned 17 in 1943. He was in the German navy and near the end of the war he deserted and had hair-raising times traveling around Germany, finally escaping into Switzerland. I found it exciting and was eager to keep reading, even though I was not sure if all the detail was literally true.
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4038. Travels With My Aunt A Novel by Graham Greene (read 23 Jun 2012) This is the ninth novel by Greene I have read. It was published in 1969, and is a far cry from the Greene novels of the 1940's and 1950's. Henry Pullen is a retired bank officer who meets his aunt at his mother's funeral and is drawn into travels with her to Brighton, Paris, Istanbul, and South America. She is 75 and has led a far more adventurous life than Henry. The book is often funny and easy to read and very sprightly. Whether it is important in the way Greene's great novels, The Power and the Glory, The Heart of the Matter, and The End of the Affair, are is another matter. But it was fun to read and is very well-written.

4039. Atlantic Fever Lindbergh, His Competitors, and the Race to Cross the Atlantic, by Joe Jackson (read 26 Jun 2012) This is a 2012 book telling of the competition which developed when in 1919 Raymond Orteig offered $25,000 to the first person to fly non-stop between New York and Paris. The book details all the efforts to accomplish the feat, but Lindbergh was the only competitor who proposed to make the flight alone. His competitors failed, though Clarence Chamberlain, of Denison, Iowa, succeeded in doing so on June 4 to 6, 1927--after Lindbergh did it on May 20 and 21, in 33 hours and 30 minutes. The book becomes increasingly gripping as events cascade up to the time of Lindbergh's flight, and the account of his actual flight is astonishingly tense even though we know he will succeed. That is the high point of the book but the book goes on to relate the efforts of many to emulate the feat. This is a wonderfully attention-holding book.

Schmerguls said: Just Kids, by Patti Smith (read 4 Jun 2012) (National Book Award nonfiction prize for 2010) I only read this because I try to read National Book Award winners

Schmerg, were you aware of who she was before you read this? I don't care about awards. Life's too short to waste time reading punk rockers' memoirs. IMO.

Liby, her name meant nothing to me till I read the book. By reading award winners I learn things I otherwise would not.

Have finally started to get back into the reading groove. Here are my June reads:

Top Reads

Throne of the Crescent Moon
Saladin Ahmed
Debut fantasy with a different kind of setting (Mid-Eastern), an older main character whose body may not be up to the job of saving his city, and a page count of under 300 pages proving that tightly written and plotted fantasy can be just as entertaining as 700 page door-stoppers. I also loved the cover art.

A Trace of Smoke
Rebecca Cantrell
I found this to be a very good historical mystery. The early 1930's setting in Berlin was well described and very atmospheric and the plot, while a bit over the top, was very compelling. There were a few info-dumps that were a bit awkwardly inserted into the narrative but, other than that, a very good debut.

Father's Day: A Journey into the Mind and Heart of My Extraordinary Son
H.G. Bissinger
Since I am a big fan of the author's writing I was pretty much predisposed to like this and found it very candid and moving though can see where others would not. I especially liked how honest it was and how the son's disabilities were not glossed over with a lot of happy talk and platitudes.

Good Reads

The Inquisitor
Mark Allen Smith
Nicely done suspense audio with an intriguing lead who has a special skill that helps with his job of "information retrieval". The narration was done by Ari Fliakos a NTM reader who did a very good job.

Footsteps in the Dark
Georgette Heyer
While the plotting was a bit shaky the occasional witty turns of phrase and dilapidated English country house (that may be haunted) setting made this an audio worth listening to. The narration was done by Margaret O'Brien who did a good job of keeping all the different characters distinct.

Scorcher
John Lutz
After a horrific crime strikes his family, Florida PI Fred Carver decides to hunt down the villain with or without police help. A pretty good suspense/mystery audio read by a multi-voice cast.

Everybody Loves Our Town: An Oral History of Grunge
Mark Yarm
The Seattle music scene during the grunge movement gets the oral history treatment. Lots of different voices (perhaps too many) add to the overall story and most of the book was pretty interesting, especially the early days.

Scribbling the Cat: Travels with an African Soldier
Alexandra Fuller
This was well written and extremely well narrated by Lisette Lecat but was sometimes hard to listen to and was definitely more about the journey than the destination.

The Seventh
Richard Stark
I always enjoy the books in this series and this audio was no exception. Quick and violent with no excess fat. Narration was done by Stephen R. Thorne who did a very serviceable job.

Temporary Sanity: A Crime Novel
Rose Connors
Nicely done legal suspense with a brisk plot, an interesting Cape Cod setting, and characters who you can root for and against.

OK Read

Run
Douglas E. Winter
At the start of this thriller, featuring a gun runner sent on what should be a milk run, I really enjoyed the author's voice and the frantic action. The middle bogged down though and, by the end, my suspension of disbelief had run its course.

Schmerguls said: By reading award winners I learn things I otherwise would not.

I understand your perspective, and I didn't mean it as a criticism. I did wonder if you had known a bit about who Patti Smith was before you read the book if you still would have chosen to read the book. Because I wouldn't have chosen to read a book by or about Patti Smith, or Sid and Nancy, or any of those types myself. In fact, I haven't even read any of the memoirs by people whose rock music I DID like. I'd make an exception for Bob Dylan, if I ever get around to it.

So, I had just wondered if you'd subjected yourself to this unknown (which you said you did), and if so, if you would have made the same choice to read it knowing what you were getting into.

My June reads

Tea and Sympathy~~Robert Woodruff Anderson
Fiction - Play
Rate 4/5
I read this classic play because it was Book Nook Cafe's group play read. It also prompted me to rent the DVD. I enjoyed both quite a bit.

Harvey~~Mary Chase
Fiction - Play
Rate 4/5
I thoroughly enjoyed this comedic play. The main character, Elwood, believes he has a 6 foot tall invisible rabbit, named Harvey, as a friend. Elwood is an eccentric simple man. His sister, wants to institutionalize him. My favorite line from the play is, 'Dr. Chumley, my mother used to say to me, In this world, Elwood, - she always called me Elwood- She'd say, In this world, Elwood you must be oh, so smart or oh, so pleasant.' For years I was smart, I recommend pleasant. You may quote me."

The Possibility of You~Pamela Redmond
Fiction
Rate 2
Beach read. The story of three generations of women and how they deal with an unexpected pregnancy. I read this for my f2f book club. We had a good discussion.

Super Immunity: The Essential Nutrition Guide for Boosting Your Body's Defenses to Live Longer, Stronger, and Disease Free~~Joel Fuhrman
Non Fiction
Rate 4/5
Advice on how to get and stay healthy through a plant based diet. I've read and enjoyed his other book, the best seller,Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss. If you want to feel better and avoid illness, I recommend this book.

Brain Power: Improve Your Mind as You Age~~Michael J. Gelb
Non Fiction
Rate 3/5
Positive and encouraging up to date advice on how to improve your brain health through diet, exercise, and attitude. It's a terrific book to read if you would like to improve your daily life as well as your brain long term.

Schmerguls wrote:


4936. Waking Giant America in the Age of Jackson, by David S. Reynolds

4038. Travels With My Aunt A Novel by Graham Greene

I added both of these to my To Be Read list. Thanks !