Since I've been slow to finish books lately (still working on Leckie's memoir, as well as Private Life by Jane Smiley), I thought I'd occasionally glance at my bookshelf and mention a good read. So...
Have you read Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald? I think it's the heat and humidity we're experiencing in NY right now that brought my eyes to this one. He captures heat so well [who can forget the (literally) steamy apartment scene in The Great Gatsby?]. Like most of his books -- at least, the ones I've read -- this isn't exactly upbeat, but still I liked the characters, though sometimes I wanted to slap them. The story is engaging, so beautifully written, and is subtly autobiographical. You should pick it up if you haven't read it yet.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Monday, June 14, 2010
A Perfect Way to Spend Flag Day
It could have only been better if it had been Veteran's Day. Or November 10, the Marine Corps Birthday. Or -- better still -- Or V-J Day (August 15). Flag Day will have to serve as my best day to finish With the Old Breed by E. B. Sledge. Finishing this book left me feeling a mix of melancholy and gratitude. Thankful for all of those millions of men and women who have died and continue to die in battle to preserve our nation. Sad that I don't think about them enough. Guilty that I complain so much. When they are old enough, I feel like this is a must read for my children. I'm thinking High School would be best. I'm anxious to now get started on Helmet for My Pillow.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Back Log
I started this blog with every intention of being as diligent in writing as I am in tracking my food. But, alas! Alack! It hasn't happened. Tonight, though, is the night I right this wrong.
So, without further adieu, over the last month I read...
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
I honestly can't say enough good things about this book. No, I have not read The Tipping Point (same author) or Blink. Adam put this book down after a few chapters, claiming it was making him depressed. I could see why, but, after a few more chapters I found it hopeful. And, in an indirect way, it explained things about my parents and their parents. Things they probably never realized. In a word, fascinating.
The Red Thread and The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood
I found the first very frustrating. Her characters were not very likable and I didn't feel drawn in. This is why I put it down after 100 pages. The Knitting Circle was better, but again I didn't love the characters, though they were well-written. There was too much drama -- unrealistic drama -- in every characters life, so I had a hard time feeling connected. I finished it, but felt like maybe it had been a waste of time. Sorry, Ms. Hood.
I re-read parts of The Help by Katherine Stockett and felt as pulled in by the story and the characters as I did when I first read it last year. Really a spectacular first book. I read it for the first time in a day. One of the many, many times Adam declared himself a book widower.
I am currently in the half-way through With the Old Breed by E.B. Sledge. Gripping. Gripping, I say! It's making me wonder why we never learned anything about the war (WWII) in the Pacific in school. I picked this up, along with Helmet for My Pillow by Robert Leckie, after starting to watch the HBO mini-series The Pacific with my brother-in-law in PA. I absolutely loved Band of Brothers, draining and painful as it was, and fell immediately for the new series. Unfortunately, I was only in PA long enough to see the first 3 episodes. I was distraught enough to consider for a brief moment getting TV. When I voiced my dismay to my brother, he suggested reading the two memoirs it is based on. Military man that he is, he's read a lot of war histories and soldier memoirs and proclaimed these two of the best.
So, without further adieu, over the last month I read...
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
I honestly can't say enough good things about this book. No, I have not read The Tipping Point (same author) or Blink. Adam put this book down after a few chapters, claiming it was making him depressed. I could see why, but, after a few more chapters I found it hopeful. And, in an indirect way, it explained things about my parents and their parents. Things they probably never realized. In a word, fascinating.
The Red Thread and The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood
I found the first very frustrating. Her characters were not very likable and I didn't feel drawn in. This is why I put it down after 100 pages. The Knitting Circle was better, but again I didn't love the characters, though they were well-written. There was too much drama -- unrealistic drama -- in every characters life, so I had a hard time feeling connected. I finished it, but felt like maybe it had been a waste of time. Sorry, Ms. Hood.
I re-read parts of The Help by Katherine Stockett and felt as pulled in by the story and the characters as I did when I first read it last year. Really a spectacular first book. I read it for the first time in a day. One of the many, many times Adam declared himself a book widower.
I am currently in the half-way through With the Old Breed by E.B. Sledge. Gripping. Gripping, I say! It's making me wonder why we never learned anything about the war (WWII) in the Pacific in school. I picked this up, along with Helmet for My Pillow by Robert Leckie, after starting to watch the HBO mini-series The Pacific with my brother-in-law in PA. I absolutely loved Band of Brothers, draining and painful as it was, and fell immediately for the new series. Unfortunately, I was only in PA long enough to see the first 3 episodes. I was distraught enough to consider for a brief moment getting TV. When I voiced my dismay to my brother, he suggested reading the two memoirs it is based on. Military man that he is, he's read a lot of war histories and soldier memoirs and proclaimed these two of the best.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
