Boleto

Boleto by Alyson Hagy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A beautifully written book.  It is part Cormac McCarthy, part Hemingway and all Alyson Hagy's own style.  I picked this up at a bookstore because it was signed, knowing nothing about the author or story.  Rewarded for judging a book by its cover.

The story takes place in Wyoming, California and Texas and is the sparse story of a young cowboy learning to make his way in the world.  Not an easy thing while family issues and work make it harder. His love for his horses,  his family, and kindness make him an interesting character faced with anything but kindess.   The plot moves quickly, a few parts that have no end and over all well worth reading.

Highly recommended.

Calico Joe

Calico Joe by John Grisham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was an amazing book.  I love baseball and this was the story to end the story of the players and the game.

It takes place in the 70's, when baseball was a game to be watched--all the greats were playing.  The story is about the (fictional) Calico Joe who is having the games of his life while playing for the Cubs.  Then, he faces a pitcher named Warren Tracey, a rotation pitcher for the Mets.

The story is told by Tracey's son, and it moves between then and now.  It was hard for me to remember at times that this book is fiction because it is so well told, wrapping in the big names of 1972.

If you have a passion for baseball and good writing, read this book.  If you like audio versions, the reader on this is one of the best I have listened to -- he gets it right.

Five Stars plus.

Knitting Yarns and Spinning Tales: A Knitter's Stash of Wit and Wisdom by Kari Cornell
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A book of short essays about knitting and crocheting.  Some were more thoughtful and touching than others.  A nice break from the other reading that I am doing and made me want to knit even more.

Recommended for knitters/crocheters.

Multi tasking.

Reading My Life

Let's Take the Long Way Home: A Memoir of Friendship by Gail Caldwell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is about loss.

Of friendship because of cancer.  Of a dog due to age.  Of alcohol because of need.

It is the story of Caroline Knapp, who wrote Drinking: A Love Story and Gail Caldwell, winner of the Pulitzer Prize.  This was expectations of something well written and personal.  I just didn't expect it to be so personal to me.

The first line:

'It's an old, old story:  I had a friend and we shared everything, and then she died and so we shared that, too.'

Oh, so true.  And it ripped me open to read that line, so I knew this would be a poignant read which it was all the way through.


'We  found out that day, fairly quickly, how great and complex our fondness was for each other; I also had my first sense of something central about Caroline that would become a pillar of our friendship.  When she was confronted with any emotional difficulty. however slight or major, her response was to approach rather than to flee.  There she would stay until the matter was resolved, and the emotional aftermath was free of any hangover or recrimination.'

That was my friend, too, who died of breast cancer 19 years ago. This line defined how our friendship evolved from 12 to 40.  Only once have I had that and I miss it.�

A beautiful read, as long as you like a lump in your throat.

Freedom

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I listened to this book--and it took a while.  It was like listening to a soap opera--I could put it down and pick it up with out missing a beat.

It was an interesting story, covering 30 + years in the life of Patty and Walter.  Usually the ancillary characters were more interesting, while Patty and Walter whined their way through life.

It was ok.  Good to listen to - the story moved - but not a book/listen of huge importance.  The title was opposite of what this book seemed to be.

Unbroken

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a book.

Highly recommended.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Annie Barrows
My rating: 5 of 5 stars







This is a lovely book that transpires through letters.  It takes place in Guernsey off the coast of England right after WWII.

Guernsey was occupied by the Germans during the war, something I hadn't known and  this fiction book made it interesting to learn that history.  It is a series of letters between a group of the Islanders who were part of the Literary Society and an author in London.  The story grows with just the right tempo.

A wonderful read that I completed within 24 hours.

Highly recommended.

Read This Book

Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny  Lawson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars







I laughed out loud through most of this memoir--and I laugh when reading Jenny's blog (thebloggess.com) because her humor has that element of just being funny and poignant at the same time.

It took me three days to read this because I had to WORK.  A bad excuse for not being able to read the book straight through.

This is not a book for everyone.  It deals with mental illness and use the f word a lot but if that isn't a stopper for you, definitely read this well written story.

Jenny also has helped me when at Texas dinner parties and the subject of George W. comes up.  Instead of getting all huffy I just will calmly comment that 'Necrophilia is bad" and see where the conversation goes from there.  It can only get better.  Page 152.

Their Eyes Were Watching God

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars





This was a very good book.  Written in 1934 by Hurston--the most prominent black author of the time.  The story is timeless, and after getting used to the pastois of Florida at that time, putting the book down was difficult.

I thought I had started this book before--there was a book mark in the third chapter and that is where I began to read.  When I finished I went back to the first chapter and realized I had missed some of the important groundwork.  It was an interesting way to read the book.  I also read a bit about Zora Neale Hurston and would like to know more.  I believe she must have lived an interesting life.

Still The Same

Effective Project Planning And Management: Getting The Job Done by Barry Z. Posner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have had this book for at least 20 years and it is still relevant and useful.  Project management just doesn't change that much.  The story that is used throughout the book (Noah's Ark) works well and is used with humor.

Useful, practical and going to stay in my library.


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Last Night in Twisted River

Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book spans 50+ years, New Hampshire, Putney, Vermont, Windham College, Iowa, Boston and Toronto --  it is about tragedy, violence, food, and fatherhood.  It is also full of redundant writing and who the hell cares politics.

The reader of the audio book is excellent.  Irving's character development is excellent.  Waiting for everyone in the book to die, be killed or perish is all Irving.

The middle portion of the book took place in Putney Vermont while the protagionst, Danny Angel, was teaching at Windham College and writing a novel.  Like a lot of Irving's work, he pulls from his experiences.  Neither Windham or Putney come well in the book--and it was a necessary read for me because I attended Windham and Irving was one of my professors.  It was fascinating to read what he thought about it.  Truth or not.

This book was long and repetitive but a good read.

Undeniable Genius

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

When Job died, a lot was written about him--some of it from this book and in the beginning it seemed like this was a rehash of all those articles.  The more I read, the more I learned and it was a tremendous read.

Jobs wasn't a good manager, he was in anger/back-up mode too much of the time but my god the man was a creative genius.  I knew the world lost a lot when he passed but now I believe the world has no idea of his full impact.

A management case study, well written and page after page I highlighted--so simple to do on the iPad 2.  He thought it all through.

Highly recommended

The Naked Presenter

The Naked Presenter: Delivering Powerful Presentations With or Without Slides by Garr Reynolds
My rating: 5 of 5 stars





The most excellent book on presentations skills.  And I have read most of them.  If you read only one book to help you improve when presenting, make it this one.

Strong recommend.

Three to Get Deadly

Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich
My rating: 4 of 5 stars







OK, still love this series.  Anything that can make me laugh out loud I am going to like.

Lori Perry is the reader on this version--I don't like her version of Ranger but everything else is good.

Evanovich was good story teller in the beginning and is still good now but one thing I noticed is that Stephanie seems more proficient in the earlier versions of the series and loses her ability in the later books.

I recommend this in the audio version.

The God of Animals

The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Twelve year old Alice is left to bear the brunt of her screwed up family.  She is left, after her older sister runs away to get married, to deal with her dad, the horses, her mother, her own self doubts and ability to navigate her small Colorado world.

I had this book sitting on my reading pile for a long time--I don't remember where I picked it up and threw it in my briefcase for a long flight.  2:45 AM the next morning I was still reading.  The haunting feel of the book, the need for me to hope for the situation to get better and the reality that it wasn't going to kept me reading well into the night.

Compelling read.  The violence towards the horses repelled me and I learned about taking care of horses.  This book is sad from start to finish and it grows with intensity so be aware.

Recommended, but not if you are depressed.

A Life in Stitches

A Life in Stitches by Rachael Herron
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book of essays.  I am not sure if you need to be a knitter to fully appreciate these writings but it helps.  Each essay was wonderful, full of heart and soul.

I have been reading Rachael's blog for years, and knew some but not all of many of the stories.  I knew about Lala, and watched the relationship grow on the blog, little Mama and the love and sadness when she died, the blanket that was sent to heal, and Digit.  I don't know how many times I have read the post about Digit's return on the blog.  It is what every animal owner who has lost a pet wants to read.  It gives me a lump in my throat every time.  I was one of the people who contributed to his vet bill, and it was nice to read appreciation.  The essay's in the book gave me more 'back story' and more of the impact on Rachael's life.  I could have read many more and hope she continues to write this way.

Rachael's voice is true in these stories.  Lovely, and loving.

Highly recommended

The Piano Teacher

The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K. Lee
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book takes place in Hong Kong during and after WWII.  The stories were told simultaneously making it interesting to play out the before and after.  I had a hard time connecting emotionally with the characters throughout the book, and maybe that was by design.  The characters never emotionally connected with each other, except in review.

The book seemed rushed at the end trying to tie up too much, and at the same time, didn't end.  More was written, and my attention waned because I was over the story and the people involved.

I do recommend this book for those who like books set in Asia and want to know more about the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong.  The book is lovely in word choice.

My Latest Grievance

My Latest Grievance by Elinor Lipman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Interesting story of the daughter of two PhD's.  She grew up on the college campus, and the story springs from there.  I liked the twists and the dialogue.  On the recommend list.

Sizzling Sixteen

Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I loved it.

A fan, through and through.

But I do wish Evanovich would let Stephanie get smarter.  She can be just as charming and funny being good at her job.