Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior by Ori & Rom Brafman

An enjoyable nonfiction book about how we can inadvertently sabotage ourselves without even realizing what we are doing. A quick and interesting read.

The Hard Way by Lee Child

How cool is this - I finished The Hard Way on my Kindle, riding back from my grandmother's house (my brother was driving) and promptly purchased another thriller by the same author while speeding down Route 80. I think I need to lay off the thrillers, though. I was doing some gardening this morning and I came across a small, roundish piece of light-colored rock and my first thought was "Oh no! Someone buried a severed fingertip in my yard!!"  Thankfully it turned out to be rose quartz and not human flesh.

Trunk Music by Michael Connelly

An excellent Harry Bosch thriller with lots of twists and turns. Kept me up late!

Last Coyote by Michael Connelly

Another good Detective Harry Bosch thriller! Hard to put down.

The Abortionist's Daughter by Elisabeth Hyde

Wow - I really enjoyed this book. It was pretty un-put-downable.

Recent downloads to my Kindle

One thing I love about my Kindle is that I can download sample chapters of books I'm thinking about reading. Often I can tell during the first chapter whether or not I want to continue reading something. (No, I am not one of those people who feel compelled to finish reading whatever they started, no matter how much they hate it. Life is too short.)

Anyway, here are a few books whose first chapters I just downloaded to my Kindle to try:

Home by Julie Andrews
Go Put Your Strengths to Work by Marcus Buckingham
The City of Ember by Jeanne Duprau
Paranoia by Joseph Finder
Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin (have been meaing to read this one FOREVER)
Escape by Laura Palmer.

Bill Bryson's African Diary by Bill Bryson

The only complaint I had about this book is that it is too short. It's actually only 64 pages -- but I didn't know that when I downloaded it to my Kindle! Bryson is always entertaining and this is an enjoyable read. All royalties and profits from this book will be donated to CARE International.

Be Happy Without Being Perfect by Alice Domar & Alice Lesch Kelly

This book was recommended to me by Trisha and I am really learning a lot from it. If you harbor perfectionist tendencies in any area of your life, you might learn some ways of talking yourself down from the ledge with this book. I consider myself a "recovering perfectionist" and I was able to learn quite a few good tips and tricks for how to ensure I don't fall into that trap again. I definitely recommend this book!

It's Easier Than You Think: The Buddhist Way to Happiness by Sylvia Boorstein

A very insightful little book. Boorstein is accepting of her own flaws and the flaws of those around her. She gives some good advice for how to be content with the life you've been given. She writes "I once heard someone say that a sign of enlightenment was the ability to say (and mean it in any moment, 'Well, this isn't what I want, but it's what I got, so okay.'"

Highly recommended.

Pay Attention, For Goodness' Sake by Sylvia Boorstein

Valuable insights and knowledge about how to be a decent human being. I can always tell how much a book has moved me by how many Post-its I use to mark passages that speak to me. This book is pretty much flagged to death with Post-its. Here's one such wise passage:

"My mind, like everyone else's mind, falls into habitual, predictable traps. I get confused. Practice is not about never getting trapped. It's about recognizing traps and choosing freedom. If I pay attention, I won't get stuck forever. I'm determined to do it."

Quiet Please: Dispatches from a Public Librarian by Scott Douglas

Amusing and in some places downright insightful commentary on what it's like to serve the public and work in a library.

Infinity Beach by Jack McDevitt

Ehh. It was okay, but there were some plot holes you could drive trucks through. And I didn't like the characters (or the tone of the novel, for that matter) as much as I liked some of McDevitt's other novels.

Semper Mars by Ian Douglas

Quite satisfying military SF.

The Dog Says How by Kevin Kling

Very enjoyable essays about the absurdities of life. Kling is a commentator for NPR and a storyteller, which is apparent in the grace with which he tells these stories.

Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson

Another excellent read from Laurie Halse Anderson. Raw and vivid and truthful about what it is like to be a teenager.

Friday Nights by Joanna Trollope

I usually enjoy Joanna Trollope but this book did not grab me. Within the first few chapters the author had switched perspective among the four main characters several times, and I never felt a sense of attachment to any of them because each time I got close, she'd switch to writing from a different person's perspective. Not my thing.

When Science Goes Wrong by Simon LeVay

When Science Goes Wrong: Twelve Tales from the Dark Side of Discovery is a fascinating book. I saw the author a few weeks ago on Jon Stewart, which got me interested enough to check out the book. In these essays he describes what science looks like when it doesn't work the way you expect it, or when something goes awry. Really interesting stuff, and well-written, too.

Practically Perfect by Katie Fforde

A very enjoyable escapist read! The best I've read from Katie Fforde in several years.

Rocket Science (movie)

Hard to describe... but I did enjoy it.

The Wedding Date (movie)

I don't know why this is true, but even sappy romantic comedies with weak storylines sound better when half the actors have British accents.

Power Play by Joseph Finder

How awesome is this? I downloaded the first chapter (for free) onto my Kindle, decided that I liked it, and downloaded the entire book in about 5 seconds while sitting in a meeting.

 

I have never read Joseph Finder before but I enjoy him -- he does a good thriller.

Chindi by Jack McDevitt

Pretty good -- but I didn't enjoy it quite as much as some of the others that he's written featuring Priscilla Hutchins.

The Foreshadowing by Marcus Sedgewick

The first book I read on my Kindle! It was pretty good. So was reading it on the Kindle. :)

Odyssey by Jack McDevitt

Another fantastic, gripping, interesting, terrific sci fi novel by the amazing Jack McDevitt. What a writer. And he has really strong female characters too, which is of course something I think is incredibly important. I couldn't put this book down. I highly recommend it.

Killing Floor by Lee Child

I can see why so many people enjoy Lee Child's "Jack Reacher" novels. This guy is a good writer, keeps you on the edge of your seat. I almost blew off a dinner engagement because I just wanted to stay home and keep reading this, which is the first of the series (but I doubt they really have to be read in order).

Pizza, Pigs and Poetry by Jack Prelutsky

Quite enjoyable!

Enchanted (movie)

Charming! Very enjoyable.

Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson

Not bad. But I enjoyed her others better.

Helvetica (documentary)

A fascinating look at the world of typography and graphic design. No, I'm not kidding -- it's really good! Take a look at what IMDB says: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0847817/ -- then do yourself a favor and go rent it.

Murder at Madingley Grange by Caroline Graham

A modern, funny twist on the English country-house murder genre. I had never heard of this author till I found this book languishing on the giveaway shelf at a nearby Starbucks. I really enjoyed it! Can't wait to read more by this author.

Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely

A fascinating look at human behavior. Ariely, a "behavioral economist," says that we are wrong when we expect people to behave in rational ways. Not only are we irrational in the ways we make our decisions, but we are predictable in our irrationality. This book provided a lot of food for thought, was written well, and was entertaining as well as educational. How much better could things get? I would highly recommend it.

I've been on a teen book kick

Here are three of the really good teen books I've read lately:

 

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (this one appears on a lot of high school reading lists and I'm glad -- it's really great, and also contemporary

 

Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson (on the theory that reading one book by an author you like is never enough)

 

Tithe by Holly Black. Interesting.

The Best Military Science Fiction of the 20th Century (anthology)

I had high hopes for this book of short stories, and while there were some pretty good stories in there, I was disappointed in the end. How could they not include a story from Lois McMaster Bujold? And why include a chunk from Ender's Game, which (while very good) isn't really a short story? Oh well.

Tales of a Low-Rent Birder by Pete Dunne

I didn't enjoy this series of birding essays quite as much as I enjoyed Kenn Kaufmann's memoir Kingbird Highway, but there were some great moments here. A very browsable book.

No Dogs in Heaven? by Robert T. Sharp DVM

A fun memoir of what it's like to be a country veterinarian. If you like James Herriot's stuff you will probably enjoy this too.

Crazy in Love by Lani Diane Rich

A very satisfying, funny romance novel. My favorite line: "The Poughkeepsie dive where Jake had set up his appointment with Rhonda Bacon was dark and smelled vaguely like feet and peanuts."  Feet and peanuts? What a combination.

Crawling: a father's first year by Elisha Cooper

An engaging and honest tale of what it's like to be a father -- especially when you weren't sure you wanted to BE a father in the first place -- and how it changes things. Funny at times, touching at others, this is a quick enjoyable read.

Long Hill Library Winter Reading Club

For the next few months I'll be posting book reviews to Long Hill Reads, a blog created for the Long Hill Library's Adult Winter Reading Program. Feel free to visit me there!

Mary

Larklight by Philip Reeve

Awesome! Very enjoyable beginning to a series which I hope will continue on for a good long time.

Babymouse: Puppy Love by Jennifer & Matthew Holm

Babymouse rocks, and Volume 8 of this great graphic novel for kids is no exception. Go, Babymouse!

About Alice by Calvin Trillin

I enjoyed this brief portrait of Alice Trillin, as written by her husband Calvin. His love for his wife shines through every word.

Just One More Thing, Doc: Further Adventures of a Maine Veterinarian by Bradford B. Brown

Enjoyable tales of the interesting life of a large-animal veterinarian, but I didn't find this second memoir as wonderful and compelling as Brown's first book, "While You're Here, Doc."  That one seemed much meatier and more interesting. I highly recommend While You're Here, Doc.

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

A very well-written, interesting look at one man's internal struggle against the constraints of "polite society" in 1870s New York City, where he can never have the woman whom he loves. This book won the Pulitzer Prize in 1921. Thanks to Trisha for recommending it to me.

Starcross by Philip Reeve & David Wyatt (kid's book)

This book is terrific! It is so funny and entertaining. It sort of reminds me of a cross between the magical air of The Invention of Hugo Cabret and the quirky strangeness of a Jasper Fforde novel. It's the second in a series (which I didn't know when I picked it up), and now I've got the first one on my list to read as well.

Before I Die by Jenny Downham (a book for older teens and up)

This book, about a British teenager who only has months to live (she has leukemia), has been getting rave reviews. I thought it was okay, but I didn't think it was *great.* And I swore to myself that I wouldn't cry at the end, but of course I did.

Seeker by Jack McDevitt

Another rousing space odyssey/mystery by Jack McDevitt, my current favorite SF author. This one focuses on the fate of a mysterious colony that was lost nine thousand years prior to when the story takes place. I enjoyed it, but I must confess that the ending was disappointing to me -- the villian seemed too contrived, and detracted from the overall story of the lost colony. But maybe that's just me.

Running to the Mountain by Jon Katz (memoir)

I really enjoy Jon Katz's writing. He is thoughtful and interesting and I love his honesty and occasional crankiness. This book is an account of the time he spent alone (with his dogs) in a remote part of New York State, away from his wife and daughter and their life in suburban New Jersey.

 

"I'm not nearly as afraid of dying as I am of the hinges inside my mind and soul rusting closed. I am desperate to keep them open, because I think that if they close, that's one's first death, the loss of hope, curiosity, and possibility, the spiritual death. After that, it seems to me, the second one is just a formality." (p. 11)

The Bourne Ultimatum (movie)

This movie rocks! It's an action flick with a brain. And Matt Damon's not bad to look at either. :)

Now Face to Face by Karleen Koen

Ugh. I'm glad I am done with this trilogy. By the end, I was just slogging through because I was curious to see what happened to the characters. The author kept changing viewpoints every few pages so I could never really get into a character's head, because by the time I did, she changed the viewpoint. And there was way too much court intrigue, melodrama and mishegas. And way too many bad things happened to this one person, ostensibly the main character of the book. It got to the point where I would just roll my eyes because the level of horrible things she had to deal with got to be kind of unrealistic. And frankly, by the end of this loooooong book, I didn't like ANY of the main characters! At all! So I really didn't care what happened to them.

Cauldron by Jack McDevitt

A very enjoyable, intelligent sci-fi book. I really do enjoy Jack McDevitt's writing.

The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex (kid's book)

A hilarious, sweet book. Thanks to Michelle C for recommending it. It's a bit hard to describe, though... so I'll just quote from the book flap.

 

"Twelve-year-old Gratuity 'Tip' Tucci is assigned to write five pages on 'The True Meaning of Smekday' for the National Time Capsule contest, and she's not sure where to begin: when her mom started telling everyone about the messages aliens were sending through a mole on the back of her neck? Maybe on Christmas Even, when huge, bizarre spaceships descended to Earth, and aliens -- called the Boov -- abducted her mother? Or when the Boov declared Earth a colony, renamed it 'Smekland' (in honor of glorious Captain Smek) and forced all Americans to relocate to Florida via rocketpod?"

Through a Glass Darkly by Karleen Koen

Jeez! This book was kind of depressing! It's a historical novel set in the early 1700s. Very well-written and interesting, but practically everyone dies, and not in a pretty way either. I kept reading it because the writing is really good, but every time someone else bit the dust I wondered who would be left standing at the end.

Still, the story was compelling enough to make me check out the sequel, which is another fat book called Now Face to Face, so I can find out what happens to the people who actually managed to survive the first book.

I might try reading something a little lighter in between though.

Cures for Heartbreak by Margo Rabb (teen novel)

Well-written and interesting.

Polaris by Jack McDevitt

Very enjoyable mystery/science fiction.

The Design of Future Things by Donald A. Norman

I have thought Donald A. Norman is really neat ever since I read The Psychology of Everyday Things back in grad school. This book is an interesting companion to that one. In this book, Norman stresses that technology and human beings have to work out better ways of communicating with each other. He writes: "as machines start to take over more and more... they need to be socialized; they need to improve the way they communicate and interact and to recognize their limitations. Only then can they become truly useful."

 

And, this is SO important in my opinion, "we must design our technologies for the way people actually behave, not the way we would like them to behave."

 

If you like thinking about human-machine interfaces or user-interface design (or even if you've just had a really bad experience with a piece of technology) you might get a kick out of this book!

Waitress (movie)

Just saw this cute, quirky movie and really enjoyed it. The main character is in an unhappy marriage and spends her time dreaming up new pies to bake. She calls them things like "I hate my husband pie" and "Bad baby pie" (this is after she finds out she is pregnant with an unwanted child). For more info about the movie check out IMDB at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0473308/

Dark Angels by Karleen Koen

A very satisfying historical novel set in England in the reign of Charles II (late 1600s). I highly enjoyed it. This is the "prequel" to Through a Glass Darkly, which I have now added to my long list of things to read.

 

If you were a fan of The Other Boleyn Girl or if you enjoy historical fiction, you should definitely give this a chance. It's one that I will be recommending a lot.

Omega by Jack McDevitt

What a fantastic sci fi adventure. I've never read anything by Jack McDevitt before but now I am planning to track down everything he's ever written. He not only writes interesting SF but he actually puts time and thought into character development, so that I feel invested in the fates of even the minor characters. I read this book on the train and barely noticed the time passing. In fact, I was annoyed when I got to my station because I had to stop reading long enough to get off the train and navigate to my next destination. Now THAT'S the mark of a good book.

Oh yes, and I am definitely in the "infatuation" phase of the Seven Steps of Falling in Love with an Author, as described by the folks at Unshelved...

T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton

Ah, one of the great benefits of working in a public library. I snarfed the new Sue Grafton book practically out from under the nose of Pat D, our book linker, and spirited it home last night to read it. It was another satisfying trip into the world of Kinsey Millhone, Private Investigator. If you're a fan of Sue Grafton's work I think you will like this one.

Last Town on Earth by Thomas Mullen

Beautiful writing, but kind of a depressing book. I kept waiting for things to get better but they never did... bad things just kept piling onto each other.

By the way, this book is a fictionalized account of how the Influenza Pandemic of 1918 affected one small town in Washington State. For a terrific, gripping nonfiction account of this Pandemic, I highly recommend New York Times science writer Gina Kolata's "Flu : the story of the great influenza pandemic of 1918 and the search for the virus that caused it." This was a really fascinating book.

Dauntless (The Lost Fleet, Book 1) by Jack Campbell

Military SF. Not too bad, but I wasn't really in the mood.

Options: The secret life of Steve Jobs (a parody by Fake Steve Jobs)

This was a pretty amusing (and fast) read. I enjoyed it. The book originated as a blog - http://fakesteve.blogspot.com/ - which is still being published.

Luna by Julie Ann Peters (teen novel)

An interesting book written from the perspective of a girl whose older brother is transgendered -- he thinks he is a girl trapped in a boy's body. This was a National Book Award finalist. It was good, but I liked Peters' latest, Between Mom and Jo, better.

The Wood Wife by Terri Windling

I think I would have enjoyed this book more if I'd been in a different mood.

Define "Normal" by Julie Anne Peters (teen novel)

I liked this book about two very different high school girls who slowly learn to become friends and help each other through difficult times.

Family of Strangers by Susan Beth Pfeffer (teen novel)

A well-written novel about a dysfunctional family and how one of its members tries to get help.

Free for All: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangstas in the Public Library by Don Borchert

A funny look at life in a small branch library in California. Many of the situations that Borchert describes will ring bells with other public librarians. It's a good read.

Between Mom and Jo by Julie Ann Peters (teen novel)

Wow, what a great book! Thirteen-year-old Nick is heartbroken when his biological mom and his mom's partner, Jo, break up. During the course of the book Nick tries to figure out where everything went wrong, who he is and how he can deal with this new life. This is a powerful and moving, well-written book. I enjoyed it very much.

Stick to Drawing Comics, Monkey Brain! by Scott Adams

A collection of very entertaining, short essays on whatever topics Adams feels like writing about on any given day, ranging from "How to dance" to "Chinese Striptease Funeral" and beyond. The book is collected from entries in Adams' blog - http://dilbertblog.typepad.com. I really enjoyed it.  

The Rejection Collection Vol. 2: The Cream of the Crap by Matthew Diffee

More cartoons that didn't make it into The New Yorker -- not necessarily because they weren't funny enough, but because they were too un-PC or too gross. (My kind of humor. I found most of the cartoons in here to be screamingly funny.)

The Professor's Daughter by Joann Sfar and Emmanuel Guibert (graphic novel)

Entertaining... but I had a little trouble following the story. It could be that there's something wrong with me rather than the book. I did enjoy the illustrations and drawings.

Milk Eggs Vodka: Grocery Lists Lost and Found, by Bill Keaggy

Yes, an entire book consisting of pictures of old grocery lists that people tossed to the ground when they were done with them. I enjoyed the first few pages, but then it got a bit old, and some of the author's snarky comments were kind of annoying. This is a great book to borrow from a library!

It Takes a Worried Man by Brendan Halpin

Loved this book. It's a memoir, based on a journal that Halpin kept during the year his wife battled with breast cancer. Honest, sad, brutal and funny. I  also really enjoyed Halpin's memoir of teaching, which is called Losing My Faculties. If you haven't read this guy's nonfiction work, you should definitely try it - it's quite powerful stuff.

Cottage for Sale, Must be Moved by Kate Whouley

I enjoyed this memoir of a Cape Cod woman's purchase of a small cottage, which she then proceeded to move 20-odd miles down the road to join onto her existing house. It is quite a good look at all the trials and tribulations that go into tackling a major building project like this. If you enjoyed Tracy Kidder's House, you will probably enjoy this as well.

How Ya Like Me Now by Brendan Halpin (teen book)

Very, very good book. When Eddie's dad died last year his mom fell apart, and got hooked on oxycontin. Eddie's barely been managing to keep things together. When his mom finally gets busted and sent to rehab, Eddie gets sent to live with his aunt, uncle and cousin Alex. This sounds like a grim tale and in many ways it is, but Halpin writes with such humor, honesty and authenticity that it's a hard book to put down. By the end, both Eddie and his cousin have learned a lot about how to deal with life. Note: I also very much enjoyed Halpin's previous teen book, Donorboy. And he's written a couple of memoirs that are also good.

Empire of Ivory by Naomi Novik (book 4 in the Temeraire series)

I wasn't that big of a fan of Black Powder War, the third book in this series, but boy, this one really kept me riveted. If you haven't yet been introduced to this series, do yourself a favor and pick up the first one -- His Majesty's Dragon. In this alternate universe, set in the 1800s during the Napoleonic Wars, everything is much the same as in our universe, except there are dragons -- and the dragons are part of the military. I don't want to say more except that I highly recommend this series.

 

 

Goldilocks and the pile of library books

No, that's not the title of an actual book. It's how I felt last night as I tried to find a book that would catch my interest.

 

Repossessed, by A. M. Jenkins (teen). Rejected (though I did skim it very rapidly to see if I was missing anything.)

 

The Falconer's Knot by Mary Hoffman (teen). Rejected -- set in 13th century Italy and I just didn't feel like slogging through a period book right now.

 

The Spell Book of Listen Taylor by Jaclyn Moriarty (teen). Rejected -- I could swear I tried to read this book before (and didn't like it then either). I've liked other things by this author, but this one left me cold.

 

Why We Read What We Read by Lisa Adams and John Heath (nonfiction). Rejected. The book was too heavy and uncomfortable to hold, and I think the authors could have done with a little more editing. I would have read this if it was a magazine article but it just didn't do anything for me as a 340-page (heavy) book.

Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert

This is a really interesting look at happiness and the human brain. It's accessible, well-written, scholarly and funny, all at the same time. I really enjoyed it and it gave me a lot of food for thought.

Millicent Min, Girl Genius by Lisa Yee

Recommended to me by Diane D. What a fun book! Millicent Min may be only 11 years old, but she has an astronomical IQ and is going into her last year of high school. Being really smart isn't the same thing as having high emotional intelligence... and through the course of the summer, as Millicent finds her first real friend and tries to tutor the stupid Stanford Wong so he won't fail English, she learns and grows a lot. This is a funny, well-written book! Am looking forward to reading the sequels.

Lost Light by Michael Connelly

A very satisfying thriller, one that kept me guessing until the end. (It did get kind of violent at the end but I skipped that part.) This is one of the Harry Bosch series that Connelly writes about a cop in the Los Angeles police department.

Someday this pain will be useful to you, by Peter Cameron

Eighteen-year-old James Sveck lives a privileged life in New York City but is still unhappy and filled with existential anxiety. He can't relate to people very well, especially people his own age, and he is not sure what he wants to do with his life. His closest friend is probably his grandmother. During the course of the book we watch James try to come to grips with his life, and realize that he must make certain compromises if he wants to cultivate relationships with other people.

 

This is a well-written book, but I found the protagonist to be a bit too precious and precocious. For me, there wasn't enough humor in the book to balance out the extreme levels of teen angst.

The Fire Within by Chris D'Lacey

This is the first in a trilogy. I liked the writing, but I just couldn't get into the book, and for a really stupid reason. I didn't like one of the names of the characters! So every time I started really getting into the book, this character's name would pop up and it would drag me out of the reality of the book as I thought to myself "Dang, I hate that name."   So, I had to give up. Oh well.

Surf's Up (movie)

I loved Surf's Up! It is a clever cartoon -- the kind that kids will enjoy, but adults might enjoy even more. It's a "mockumentary" about a penguin named Cody who wants to be a surfer. If you enjoyed Best in Show you will definitely like this as well. Give it a try.

Scratch (documentary film)

What an interesting documentary. It traces the history of "turntablism" -- the art of making beats by "scratching" a record back and forth under a turntable's needle -- from its beginnings to the present. A surprising number of the people interviewed in this film got their first exposure to "scratching" when they saw it being done at Herbie Hancock's "Rockit" performance at the 1984 Grammys. I myself remember how awesome that was. If only I had channeled my admiration for scratching into something positive... then I could have been the "Scratchin' Librarian." That would be cool. (Or maybe just uncomfortable.) Anyhoo... this is a very fun documentary. I love Netflix -- imagine trying to find this at your neighborhood Blockbuster? Forget about it.

Look me in the Eye by John Elder Robison

This wonderfully-written memoir is fantastic - by turns hilarious and sad. Robison, an "Aspergian" (as he calls himself), grew up at a time when Asperger's Syndrome was not known or diagnosed. For most of his life he wondered what was wrong with him, that he could not connect with or make friends with people. During his twenties, he worked as a sound engineer for bands such as KISS, and his account of that time is quite interesting. Finally, in his 40s, someone suggested that he might have Asperger's. Learning that his quirks and idiosyncracies had an actual diagnosis helped Robison realize that he was not alone. He has also developed a lot of good coping strategies and has painstakingly taught himself to interact more successfully with people. Interestingly, he theorizes that as he learned how to interact better with people, he lost some of his savant-like abilities to look at machinery and circuits and understand how they worked. (If Robison's story sounds a bit familiar, that's because he is the older brother of Augusten Burroughs, author of Running with Scissors.)

 

Babymouse: Skater Girl by Jennifer and Matthew Holm

As usual, Babymouse rocks my world. This time she wants to become an Olympic-class ice skater. But is she up to the challenge? It means no more cupcakes(!), and no more after-school fun skating on the pond with best friend Wilson and the gang, because she'll be too busy practicing.

 

You'll have to read the book to find out the rest of the story, 'cause I ain't telling. Babymouse: Skater Girl is available now, in a library near you (in the kid's section).

The Grail Bird by Tim Gallagher

What a fantastic book! This is an entertaining, well-written non-fiction account of the author's search for ivory-billed woodpeckers in the swampy bayous of Arkansas. Ivory-bills have long been considered an extinct species by ornithologists. Gallagher and some colleagues are convinced they've seen ivory-bills. But have they? The story of their current-day search for ivory-bills is interspersed with snippets of history about the ivory-bills descent into extinction (and boy, was it helped into extinction by mankind; we seem to have a strange need to shoot everything we see, *especially* if it's almost extinct).

 

Highly readable, interesting and enjoyable! Thanks to Bob N for recommending this to me, after I made him check out Kingbird Highway by Kenn Kaufmann.

The Spellkey by Ann Downer

Thanks to Jessica B for recommending this young adult fantasy book to me. I enjoyed it. It is not a new book -- it was published in 1987 -- but I had never heard about it till Jessica told me about it.

Hero by Perry Moore

This young adult novel is entertaining and interesting. It definitely kept my attention!

Houston, we have a problem

Hi, my name is Mary and I just discovered that I may have a problem. I now have so many piles and shelves of unread books scattered through my house that it just took me 10 minutes to locate a book I knew I had bought -- not only because I had to go into every room in the house, but also because I kept getting distracted by all the OTHER great books I came across during my search. Sigh. If only I could get the cat to go out and earn a living wage so that I could stay home and catch up on my reading...

Agent to the Stars by John Scalzi

Very funny and enjoyable!

D. A. by Connie Willis

Not a bad little novella from Connie Willis, but not her best effort either. She's turned to more lightweight stuff lately. I still enjoy her meatier stuff more, like Doomsday Book and Passage.

The River of Doubt by Candice Millard

Last night I finished this nonfiction account of Theodore Roosevelt's journey down an uncharted river of the Amazon. Wait! Where are you going? Come back here and listen! Are you one of those people who still thinks that nonfiction is dry and boring? Then you haven't read this book. It was so engaging and interesting and well-written (and such an amazing tale of a harrowing journey that I wondered how any of them made it out alive) that I couldn't put it down! I actually resorted to the "Mary-gulp" method of reading, where I get so excited about what's going to happen next that I skim the book more than I should. (It gets me to the end faster, but it sure doesn't help my retention rate after I close the book.)

 

Thanks to Kim and Diane for recommending this book -- I really liked it.

The Bourne Ultimatum (movie)

I forgot to mention that I went to see this movie with my friend Janet last weekend. I had enjoyed both of the other Bourne movies and was expecting to like this one too -- and I was not disappointed. Matt Damon makes an excellent tortured action hero, in my opinion. Plus, there was violence, but not too much blood and gore, which means I only had to clutch at Janet 3 times during the movie, which is not bad considering how much clutching and eye-hiding I have done at other movies with more violent content.

Kingbird Highway by Kenn Kaufmann

I loved this book! It's a memoir of Kenn Kaufmann's time on the road in 1973, hitchhiking around the U.S. trying to see as many different bird species as he could in one year (birders call this a "Big Year."  He was still a teenager. People who don't bird (and yes, it's a verb to those who do it) are usually a bit surprised to realize that there is a very thriving birding subculture, and this book is terrific at evoking what the world of birding was like in the early 1970s. Kaufmann (who has since written several field guides to North American birds and wildlife) is an excellent writer and he makes birding sound fun even to people who don't think they would enjoy it. Here's part of his description of a "Big Day" he did with some other birders in Texas (a Big Day means trying to find as many different bird species as you can in one long day, beginning before dawn and ending no later than midnight. It's a very active pursuit, as you can see from the following!):

 

"Pulling up to the Texas City Dike, we leaped out of the car like gunslingers, binoculars blazing. In a matter of moments we had checked off two dozen new birds. Two Common Loons floated low in the water, like enemy submarines. Several White Pelicans and a flock of Eared Grebes were valuable bonuses. Among the Ring-billed gulls and Royal Terns we picked out two Herring Gulls, a Caspian Tern, and a Sandwich Tern. In less than five minutes we were back in the car driving away."  (pp. 179-180)

 

See what I mean? He's a great writer, makes it exciting, and frankly, it's also cool just to read along and get familiar with all the weird bird names. (Eared Grebe?!)

She Got Up Off The Couch by Haven Kimmel

This is a terrific memoir of a girl growing up in a small Midwestern town, whose life is constrained by the borders of the town but not by her imagination and her adventures. It ranges from laugh-out-loud funny to downright sad. I enjoyed every last word of it. If you liked Bill Bryson's Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid or if you enjoy reading memoirs of growing up in quieter times (but no less complicated times), you might want to give this book a try.

Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned from Judy Blume, edited by Jennifer O'Connell

Women of a certain age (like me) grew up reading Judy Blume's books as comfort against the raging storms of adolescence. The women who wrote the essays in this book are honest about the painful days of being a teenager, and also talk about how much Judy Blume helped them survive. If you grew up loving Judy Blume, if her books spoke to you when you were a young girl or a teenager, then I think you will also enjoy this collection of essays.

Dog Days by Jon Katz

Katz's latest book talks about life on Bedlam Farm in upstate New York, where he lives with his menagerie (including an overly-friendly cow named Elvis). I am not sure he'd be happy with the comparison, but I sort of think of him as writing in the style of a modern-day James Herriot. He writes about his life on the farm, observes his animals with wit and humor, and talks openly about the physical pains and problems that plague him as he gets older, and how he deals with them. The book was both funny and touching. And I always enjoy reading Katz' insights -- not only about dogs, but about the other animals on his farm, and also about himself.

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield

I enjoyed this engrossing book. It sort of reminded me of Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier -- it's a great old-fashioned gothic novel, replete with strange summonses from the country, odd stories, brooding heroines, and just enough suspense to keep me reading, without too much suspense that I felt the need to read the last few pages first! I recommend this book. It's a fun and entertaining read.

How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman, MD

A fascinating and gripping book. We hope that doctors are "superhuman" and know more about things than we do, but it would be better for everyone if we all realize that doctors are just as human as the rest of us are, they screw up just as often, and they certainly don't know everything. Like the rest of us, doctors also have biases (some that they may not even be aware of), and they may also have hidden agendas. Scary stuff, but it's good to have it out in the open, because that's the only way we can address it and try to make things better. Expecting our doctors to be infallible superhumans only sets them up to fail, and sets us up for disappointment.

"Uncertainty creeps into medical practice through every pore. Whether a physician is defining a disease, making a diagnosis, selecting a procedure... he is walking on very slippery terrain. It is difficult for non-physicians, and for many physicians, to appreciate how complex these tasks are, how poorly we understand them, and how easy it is for honest people to come to different conclusions." (David M Eddy, professor of health policy at Duke Unversity, quoted on pp 151-152)

So what can we do about this? Groopman suggests: "Informed choice means, in part, learning how different doctors think about a particular medical problem and how science, tradition, financial incentives, and personal bias mold that thinking. There is no single source for all of this information... so a patient and family should ask the doctor whether a proposed treatment is standard or whether different specialists recommend different approaches, and why." (p 233)