Yes We Did

by Lawrence Jackson
foreword by Barack Obama
Hennepin County Library hardcover 173 pages
genre: photojournalism

I loved this book, but it also made me sad. Jackson worked for the White House along with Pete Sousa, documenting the Obama administration. The photos are interspersed with commentary and input from others.

My absolute favorite parts included the letter from Bono (December 2015):

"The photo is taken at the center of power. But what this picture says to me about power has nothing to do with its usual instruments: economic, military, cultural might. What this photograph shows - and what President Obama showed us during his years in office - is just how much power there is in restraint, in goodness, in grace, in love. Maybe we understand this more in its absence. Because there's another model of leadership that is finding its way to center stage on both sides of the Atlantic, one that's grabbed the megaphone and is shouting that goodness and grace are signs of weakness, not strength. We are seeing a power that defines itself by demonizing 'the other.'"

On page 77, Jackson writes, "When addressing the staff, President Obama often talked about what 'we are doing.' He was always inclusive, ready to share the successes of his administration but accepting full responsibility for the failures. He inspired a passionate and loyal team committed to helping our country find its best self."

Valerie Jarrett contributed, "What I find striking is that notwithstanding all of his years in the rough-and-tumble world of politics, he still has an optimistic outlook and searches for the good in people." (page 78)

Page 140 - "It's the biggest lesson I've learned from watching them up close: be authentic. Take away the prestige, titles, positions, and money ,and you have your words and actions to define you - an unvarnished truth of who we are as told by what we do and say. Humans relating to other humans without pretense and reminding us that we have more in common than the differences on the surface might suggest." (Jackson)

I miss President Obama and First Lady Michelle. I miss their positive, encouraging selves representing the United States of America. This book was lovely.

Riot

by Walter Dean Myers
Hennepin County Library audiobook 3 CDs
read by full cast
genre: YA Historical Fiction

Like other books by WDM, this one was challenging in some regards and very accessible in others. I loved the opening montage with different music for different eras (modern, 1954, 1900, 1863), but I'm not exactly sure why the author chose to bring us back in time by starting in the modern day. The book is essentially a Civil War story, but by starting in today's era, perhaps he's trying to "hook" young readers and bring them gently back. It made me wonder what the print version does! The music works very effectively for the audio version. (I made another note later about the music enhancing the story.)

The story is written like a screenplay, which immediately made me think of Monster. It was a bit disjointing, though, to have all the "fade out," "long shot," etc. language. Another difference between experiencing the book in an audio vs. print format.

As with most historical fiction, I wonder about the accuracy. Some of the language surprised me. Did they really refer to single men as "batching" it back then?

The role of the Irish in NYC . . . super interesting. Police, soldiers, poor people, rioters, . . . people shouldn't be pigeonholed, but trends and majorities get noticed.

Myers is an amazing author. I would love to hear how students, especially black students, respond to his work. For a white person in a primarily white community, I'm glad that he broadens my horizons as a reader.

Claire's identity crisis felt a bit overwrought . . . but perhaps that was more the vocal work than the writing. With a black dad and a white Irish mom, I'm sure she would have had identity concerns with her pale skin.

At the end, Walter Dean Myers read the author notes. I was surprised by his voice; I guess I'd never heard it before. It wasn't what I expected at all. I couldn't listen to all of the author interview because the interviewer was awful! He talked AT the author instead of asking good questions and listening. Argh!

I had never heard of the Draft Riots of 1863 before! In all the years I did History Day research with students, this never crossed my awareness. I suppose with all the other Civil War events of 1863, these riots were not the biggest news. Still, I love when reading fiction helps me to learn something new.

I added two more books to my reading list because of this title - one is about Amistad.
I've not gone on to do any research on this topic (lots of other stuff going on right now), but I'd love to learn more about this event and Five Points in NYC.

A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence, and Power

by Jimmy Carter
read by the author
Scott County Library audiobook 6 CDs
genre: non-fiction

There are things I really liked about this book for the first two CDs . . . and others I'd love to discuss with other readers. I had to stop listening, however, because as much as I typically like audiobooks read by the author, this one was too difficult to understand. I'm not sure how much of that is due to his age and how much is because of the Southern drawl, but his lack of enunciation meant that I often was not really certain of what he was saying. If I'm not sure if that was a "did" or a "didn't," the meaning is different! I've decided to pass on this book for now.

I do like and admire that Carter unabashedly proclaims Jesus as his Lord and savior. I love that he and his wife Rosalyn have spent their post White House years in service (Habitat for Humanity). I liked the parts where he shared his personal experiences and stories growing up in the South and in the governor's mansion. I just struggled to listen to his voice that much.


I found a scrap of paper with some notes.
- Jimmy Carter's voice - accent and lack of enunciation plus age - hard to understand - had to really focus on it
- like his personal stories better than legislation or U.N. policy info
- basic HUMAN rights, peace
- post WWII "growing acceptance of violence and warfare" . . . I don't remember what he was referring to . . . 

Out Stealing Horses

by Per Petterson
translated by Anne Born
read by Richard Poe
Scott County Library audiobook 6 CDs
genre: realistic / historical fiction

I am starting to really love literature by authors from Norway and Sweden! There's a different way of looking at life and a depth to their work . . . I am tempted to get a print copy of this to re-read and really spend time thinking about . . . though Poe's vocal work was excellent.

The story moves back and forth between 67 year old Trond, recently widowed, and his 15 year old self in 1948. There was so much going on in this story that I don't even know what to write!

- "Boy with the golden trousers" - I love that his sister, then his wife, referred to his lucky self this way. It made me smile.
- it was so sad that his sister died from cancer and his wife in a car accident the same month . . . three years before his self-imposed isolation as a 67 year old.
- I loved the visit from his daughter and all the complicated emotions in that scene
- what really happened with Yume? (I have no idea how his name is spelled . . . but that's what it sounded like in the story.) I had hoped that he and Lars would have more conversations about the past and their families.
- I have so many other questions about the story and the characters! I may need to get a print copy and read it again to see if I've missed a lot or if the author leaves interpretations open.
- I loved the references to Dickens and especially Sidney Carton at the end of A Tale of Two Cities!
- I loved the different meanings for the boys and the adults as far as the title . . .

Such an amazing book!

Geography Club

by Brent Hartinger
Hennepin County Library paperback 226 pages
genre: YA realistic fiction, LGBTQ

Russel hasn't told anyone he's gay - not his parents, not his best friends Min and Gunnar, and keeping this secret has been challenging. Then he "meets" someone in an online chat room and decides to meet IRL (in real life). The joys and fears of this teen are lived out on an hourly, daily, weekly basis.

What I liked: a group of "outcasts" creating a club so "boring" no one will want to join (The Geography Club), Min as a character - my favorite!

What I disliked: the general immaturity of Russel and the simplicity of the story line. I just don't see teens making the decisions they did . . . but I think for kiddos struggling with the issues of being gay in a primarily straight world, it might resonate. Having seen active gay-straight alliances in middle schools and high schools for a while now, the community in this book seems a bit different than what I've observed.

The Coincidence of Coconut Cake

by Amy E. Reichert
Scott County Library paperback 310 pages
genre: romance, cooking

Oddly, I enjoyed the first half of this book more than the second half! I got it after reading a review in the Costco Connection. I'll scan and post the review at the bottom of this page. (My reviews are to help trigger my own memories; sorry if you're looking for high quality reviews from me!)

I liked chef Lou and her friends Sue and Harley. I liked Al's transformation and how he falls in love with Milwaukee (and Lou). I didn't like Devlin and Lou as a couple . . . why was he so determined? And why did she stay with someone so awful for so long?

My favorite parts of the story were centered on the elderly couple Otto and Gertrude. I cried toward the end! I had envisioned a different twist to their involvement in Lou's life. This was an enjoyable book, but nothing spectacular. It was way better than most romance books! In a way, it's more a love letter to Milwaukee than anything else . . . which I think is sweet.

I have no desire to make the coconut cake (recipe included in the book), but I'd love to try a slice of it!!!

The Words Between Us

by Erin Bartels
Dakota County library paperback 355 pages
genre: Christian realistic fiction

Super excited to go to book club tomorrow night! Erin Bartels is a wonderful storyteller. I really enjoyed this story about Robin Windsor / Dickinson and her journey from a wealthy life to striving to hide her family connections to running a bookstore by herself. The author uses "then" and "now" at the start of each chapter as we alternate between present time and Robin's teenage to young adult days. Beautifully written!

Pg. 46 - "I want to be alone. I'm best alone. But sometimes you do things you don't want to do in order to please your friends. People think that once you're an adult, stuff like that stops. It doesn't. It just changes."

As Robin concedes to Sarah's and Dawt Pi's insistence that she needs to get out of the bookstore, she recognizes that maturity doesn't always bring what one expects of life.

Page 83 - "Beneath it all ran the ragged sound of something else - that thing that all dead things are missing - leaving that dog's body. At the moment of impact, Farley looked me in the eye where I sat on the front lawn, and I could swear it wasn't a dog at all looking at me. It was whatever left that dog. It was there, Then it wasn't."

Throughout the book, the author describes death and life and that intangible essence of life in many different scenes and situations. This one just seemed to capture that moment of transition between life and death particularly well.

Page 141 - "I don't want to tell you what to do, Robin, but most people don't know what kind of time they have left with someone. You might." The "then" Peter was trying to convince Robin to visit her parents in prison, especially her dad before he was executed.

Life is precious! Reconcile differences. Hug the people you care about the most. Spend time with loved ones.

Page 178 - "Most of these books are not alive. They have not stood the passage of time. They do not still burn in the hearts of those who have read them. . . . They are merely inert paper and ink, and I doubt very much they could live again."

Comparing the books that were used to build their giant dinosaur (Dreadnoughtus) with great literature, Robin alludes to the physical life and death she has already talked about.

Page 252 - "Too much time has passed. Too much unspoken grief. All the letters I never wrote. But I can't go home with nothing to show for the miles this time. I can't keep going on this way, swept along by the winds of rumor and regret. Time moves in only one direction. I can't get back the time I've squandered. I can only move forward."

This is probably the absolute best "message" in the book!

Page  297 - "I'm looking for Dawt Pi. Because of all the people I know, she's the only one who has ever made me wonder if perhaps GOd must be real despite everything."

This gave me chills! People recognize when we truly live our lives for the Lord. I want to be like Dawt Pi, faithfully being "real" to the people around me, ready to share my faith.



This is a book I would consider purchasing, re-reading, highlighting, sharing, . . . it is a great book for book lovers. 

Boom!

by Mark Haddon
Scott County Library audiobook 3 CDs
read by Julian Rhind-Tutt
genre: YA SciFi (initially, I thought it was realistic fiction . . . ha!)

This surprised me in a delightful way! First off, I'm a sucker for a British accent. Rhind-Tutt did a great job with the vocal work. (I had to look up "spanner" in British slang - it's a wrench.) This book had me wondering what was next - there were plenty of surprises. In a lot of ways, it's just silly. But I enjoyed it nonetheless!

Jimbo and his best friend Charlie are mediocre students. Jim's sister Becky is dating Terry (aka "Craterface") and there's no love lost between these siblings. Dad is in an unemployed funk, questioning his worth as a man, flying remote controlled planes and helicopters until they crash.

The two boys plant a walkie-talkie to eavesdrop on their teachers and something they hear starts them on a crazy investigation that gets more and more bizarre. I don't want to spoil the story for other readers, but I do want to include a line that made me laugh out loud. (Stop here if you're averse to spoilers.) "They want to repopulate their planet with SciFi fans? Is that wise?" (I'm paraphrasing, but that was the gist of it. So funny!) The cafeteria scene also made me laugh, thinking of a cliched romance - "Charlie!" "Jimbo!" as they ran toward one another.

I loved Becky by the end of the story. What a hero! I found this book to be surprising, unexpected, amusing, and suspenseful. I may have to see if Haddon has written other YA books.

Simply Clean: The Proven Method for Keeping Your Home Organized, Clean, and Beautiful in Just 10 Minutes a Day

by Becky Rapinchuk (founder of Clean Mama)
Hennepin County Library paperback 247 pages
genre: non-fiction, self-help of a sort

I love this book! I'm seriously considering buying it! (and tabbing, highlighting, underlining, etc.)

Positives:

• she has a very positive, encouraging tone
• she emphasizes that you need to do what works best for you
• short, regular bursts of cleaning time (use a timer) - this is like my "clean quickly and clean often"
• sort and organize a space (like a closet, drawer, etc.) by emptying it out 100% and then dealing with everything! Yes! This strategy works really well.
• checklists, charts, etc. - very helpful
• like Heloise Helpful Hints, there are some really great tips, recipes for cleaning products, etc.

Negatives:

• I'm too cheap to buy a book on cleaning, especially since I don't like cleaning. I've renewed this from the library the maximum number of times, so it needs to go back. Perhaps I will end up buying it. . . I'm going to scan some of the charts and checklists that I liked so much, but won't post them here. I don't expect to ever actually like cleaning, but I do like having a clean house. 

Blindsided

by Priscilla Cummings
Scott County Library hardcover 226 pages
genre: YA realistic fiction

A student loaned me her library copy of this book one day when I was subbing. I got to page 53 before the video (and class) ended, so I returned it to her. I was curious about how it turned out, so I got it from the county library.

Natalie O'Reilly is 14 years old and losing her sight. She has a rare condition that causes her to not have irises, so her eyes are extremely sensitive to light. When her doctor recommends that she go to a school for the blind so she can learn helpful skills "in case" she completely loses her sight, she and her father are both opposed.

Take all the normal issues and anxieties for a teen girl and add the loss of vision. The book surprised me as it went from Natalie's self-focused sadness to a more balanced outlook on her life options. The Bree storyline added a lot. I'm glad I read this book.

O Pioneers!

by Willa Cather
Scott County Library audiobook 5 CDs
read by Betsy Bronson
genre: realistic fiction (Cather lived 1873-1947, so it seems to be Historical Fiction)

I loved this! Cather is amazing. It makes me want to re-read My Antonia. From the back of the case: "Alexandra Bergsons, the daughter of Swedish immigrants, inherits her family's ailing farm in Hanover, Nebraska, upon the death of her father. Over the years, she turns the farm into a successful enterprise. However, success has not brought peace, as passion and love intervene."

Alexandra is an admirable main character. The story opens with her baby brother Emil mournfully trying to get his kitten back. Alexandra, Emil, Carl, Marie, . . . I was drawn into these characters' lives. What a powerful, heartachingly good story.

The reader's voice bothered me. The accents seemed fakey, especially on the deeper male voices. Swedish? Norwegian? Alien? It was hard to tell. It made me wonder if Cather wrote the story in a foreign language and had it translated. . .

When their dad died, Alexandra was the oldest. Her brothers Lew and Oscar were 19 and 17. Emil was much younger. Their mother didn't play an important role in the story.

I loved Evar! He was fascinating, albeit odd. The part about why he went around barefoot made me smile!

Alexandra's wisdom, wise investment, and willingness to try new ideas made me admire and respect her. "Puissant"  is the word Cather used. Right now, Blogger is indicating that I've misspelled it. I double-checked. Puissant means "having great power or influence."

The Marie and Frank portion of the story was so frustrating! How could she be so clueless about Emil's true feelings?!?! Then when she opens her eyes, how can she be so stupid and selfish?!

Carl was another favorite character for me. What a wonderful man!

I wasn't sure about "The Divide." Why was the land called this? Did I not listen carefully enough? Probably. One of the hazards of audiobooks.

Under a Wing: A Memoir

by Reeve Lindbergh
Hennepin County Library hardcover 222 pages
genre: non-fiction, memoir

This wasn't as captivating as The Aviator's Wife, which is frustrating since that was fiction and Lindbergh's book is about her life and memories. I loved the photos and the way the remembrances made me want to write my own stories. I appreciate that she neither tried to demonize nor sugarcoat her parents' lives. This seems very honest and observant.

Page 58 - "I had no interest in my father's flying or his writing career, but I thought that surely my mother did not really want to be shut away for a whole afternoon with a pen and a pad of paper, without seeing my face, hearing my thoughts, inspecting my bruises, or in some other way affirming for both of us the extraordinary importance of my presence in her life."

This made me smile! As the youngest child, I'm sure Reeve (like most small children) really DO think they're the center of the universe.

Page 81 - I made a note of her comment about the movie The Fisher King (with Robin Williams). Apparently there's a scene where they actually make fun of Anne Morrow Lindbergh wondering where her baby is. I've never heard of this movie, and I'm horrified that someone would joke about a personal tragedy this way. Here's what I found: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmfGLfWqlzA

Page 117 - The whole scene where she talks about being at her grandma's house and offered malted milk tablets! What a hoot! She expected something nasty. "I made a vow to myself, too, that no matter how terrible the next few seconds might be, I would not choke or vomit. Thus stoically prepared, I selected one of the clay-colored capsules, thrust it quickly back toward my molars, and bit down into one of the great surprises of my life. Malted milk tablets were delicious. The taste that touched my tongue and spread everywhere through my mouth was as rich and deep and delightful as chocolate, which I adored. I was mesmerized, astonished, completely seduced. I chewed, sucked, and drizzled malted milk into the greedy moistness of my inner cheeks while I stared at my father and my grandmother, and I felt an unsuspected melting pleasure of belonging draw itself gently over me."

Page 181 - "She will carefully mark special places in these diaries as she reads, sometimes leaving as many as fifty markers in one book. She will mark her place, or her places, with scraps of paper, envelopes, napkins, pieces of ribbon, whatever comes to hand."

Reeve is referring to her mother, but I loved that image and I also love to "mark" up books . . . usually with Post-it notes.

Page 216 - "She said that it had been his hbvit for so long, growing up so alone, to listen only to himself. He had learned to rely on his own judgment, and this had been critical for him, because his survival often depended upon following his instincts."

This is Anne ML referring to Charles, but it just made me think of Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding . . . "

The Lost Mother

by Mary McGarry Morris
Scott County Library audiobook 6CDs
genre: historical fiction

This book was heart breaking! Set during the 1930s, Thomas (age 12) and Margaret (age 8) are living in a tent with their father. Their mother has gone to the big city to try to find work. Poverty and the lack of work, money, and housing plague Henry Talcott as he tries to raise his children alone. His own mom died when he was 15 and crotchety neighbor Mr. Beebow took him in.

As the story went along, I was horrified by the adults who chose to be selfish and cruel instead of extending kindness to these children. Even Mrs. Farley, who lavished food and gifts on them, was cruel in her deceptions. I got really frustrated with the story as these poor children had one difficult scenario after another. The author did an excellent job of crafting this story!

Gladys Beebow was one of the few bright spots, but her duty to her father outweighed her desire to care for Thomas and his sister. Otis extended kindness to Thomas, but ultimately kowtowed to Mr. Farley so he wouldn't lose his job. The sweet, quiet nun who listened to Thomas offered some relief from the troubles he experienced.

This book made me think, care, and cry. It was powerful and sad. The ending surprised me a bit, but I love how it resolved. I'd love to do this book as a club discussion!

Memories of Glass

by Melanie Dobson
Carver County Library hardcover 397 pages
genre: Christian historical fiction

Set in Amsterdam during WWII and also in modern day times, this story followed the Kingston family and their connections through the Holocaust and beyond. There were things I really liked about the story (mostly Ava's modern-day journey to help the Kingston Foundation and find out her family history) and things I disliked.

I'll start with disliked: my confusion over all the characters and how they were connected! I understand why the author didn't provide a "who's who" type of list, as that would have spoiled some plotlines. I ought to have made my own, since this proved a challenge for me to follow some aspects of the story line (and judging by our book club discussion, a barrier for others, too).

Landon and Ava/ coffee and compassion / Uganda and Seattle - definitely my favorite aspect of the book. Here are some other spots I noted:

Page 52 - "God, she suspected, would want the theology she'd spent a lifetime learning to siphon down into her hands and feet. Share His love with those who needed a glimpse of it during this dark season." (Josie, May 1942)

Page 85 - "Books, she once said, are the best legacy. They outlast one's life and shed light on the past when truth is hard to find." (Ava, in Uganda)

Page 115 - "Every experience God gives us, every person He puts in our lives is the perfect preparation for a future that only He can see." (Quotation from Corrie Ten Boom's The Hiding Place.)

Page 242 - "I sit on a bench and retrieve her Bible out of my handbag to find the verses where Jesus speaks about the truth of His teaching, truth that could set people free. The father of lies wants to conceal the truth, He said, enslave people in their sin. Their shame. God sent His Son to set them - to set me - free." (Ava, in Seattle, after meeting Mrs. West)

Page 308 - "A glimpse of heaven, that is the terroir I need right now, a place where evil can no longer hide, the supreme light of Christ blasting away the shadows." (Ava, in Amsterdam)

Page 313 - Yes! I suspected this but was pumped when Paul answered what his father's name was!

Page 347 - "He started buying antique bottles in their memory, and for years we would watch the light pour into each one, filling what had been broken, their legacy living on in both of us." (Mrs. West, talking to Ava, Landon, and Kendall) This scene is so gorgeous in my mind that it makes me want to start collecting colorful glass containers to put in a sunny window!

We had a good discussion, but I was only halfway done reading it so I couldn't fully participate. I need to get the book club book more quickly and hunker down to read it!

Of Sound Mind

by Jean Ferris
NPMS library hardcover 215 pages
genre: YA realistic fiction

This is a more serious title from Ferris, who often writes with humor. Theo is a senior in high school. As the only hearing member of his family, his ability to hear and speak English as well as use ASL means that he does a lot of interpreting for his parents and little brother Jeremy. He also takes on a large share of responsibility for the household.

Theo as a character was a delightful young man, but it didn't seem realistic that he was so innocent about so many things. Perhaps I'm too jaded. That said, his friendship with Ivy and the conflicts with his mother made this very readable. I'm not sure how easy a "sell" it would be to middle schoolers. Unlike most realistic fiction, this book has clean language and no sexual content. The kiss scene (pages 134-5) is super sweet!

I loved Jeremy and Theo's care for his family. There was actually a climax to the story that I did NOT anticipate. This was worthwhile. The signing, frustrations, and challenges for deaf people and their family members was enlightening.

The Bees

by Laline Paull
Scott County Library audiobook 9CDs
read by Orlagh Cassidy
genre: fiction, bees, unusual

Other than a prologue and epilogue that bookend the story, the entire book is told from the bees' point of view. Specifically, a worker bee named Flora 717. I don't think I can do justice to a description of the book . . . so I'll grab one off Amazon.

"The Handmaid’s Tale meets The Hunger Games in this brilliantly imagined debut set in an ancient culture where only the queen may breed and deformity means death.Flora 717 is a sanitation worker, a member of the lowest caste in her orchard hive where work and sacrifice are the highest virtues and worship of the beloved Queen the only religion. But Flora is not like other bees. With circumstances threatening the hive’s survival, her curiosity is regarded as a dangerous flaw but her courage and strength are an asset. She is allowed to feed the newborns in the royal nursery and then to become a forager, flying alone and free to collect pollen. She also finds her way into the Queen’s inner sanctum, where she discovers mysteries about the hive that are both profound and ominous. But when Flora breaks the most sacred law of all—daring to challenge the Queen’s fertility—enemies abound, from the fearsome fertility police who enforce the strict social hierarchy to the high priestesses jealously wedded to power. Her deepest instincts to serve and sacrifice are now overshadowed by an even deeper desire, a fierce maternal love that will bring her into conflict with her conscience, her heart, her society—and lead her to unthinkable deeds. Thrilling, suspenseful and spectacularly imaginative, The Bees gives us a dazzling young heroine and will change forever the way you look at the world outside your window."

I didn't think I'd like it, but I ended up wanting to know what would happen to Flora and wanting her to succeed. I was very curious what a bee keeper would think of this book. (Yes, I could look up other people's reviews . . . but I'm tired and want to go to bed.)

I was surprised by passages in the book that had strong religious themes and language and others that were extremely sexual in nature. It was a very strange book, but interesting, too. I liked Flora's trip to the greenhouse, her fight with the wasp, and her courage in "reading" the queen's library and becoming a forager. I also liked Sir Linden, the drone. Odd but fun book! The vocal work was excellent.

The Aviator's Wife

by Melanie Benjamin
Scott County Library audiobook 13 CDs
read by Lorna Raver
genre: historical fiction

This book told from the perspective of Anne Morrow Lindbergh has been fascinating and frustrating. I've already gone online to look up some info . . . so far, it seems very historically accurate. I want to read something actually written by AML now - perhaps Gift from the Sea.

Charles Lindbergh comes across as an arrogant jerk. Anne at times seems pathetic and other times powerful. The best parts (to me) are her early years as an ambassador's daughter (including their courtship) and the section on the "baby's" kidnapping. To me, a twenty-month old is a toddler, but that's quibbling. How incredibly awful for them to go through such a horrific event. (Side note - I hate that there are still so many questions about Hauptman and if others were involved but went free . . . )

I wondered a lot about Dwight Jr. since the author barely mentions him after Anne marries Charles. There's not a lot about him online . . . not that I've dug deeply. I loved when he and Anne were joking around when Lindbergh called her. Sibling fun!

When they had their first baby, I was horrified by "the Watson method" for raising children! To suppress the maternal instinct belies the way we are designed to care for our young! This part made me wonder a lot more about Lindbergh's own mom and dad and how they raised him. Later, when he told Anne to forget about their murdered child and move on, it was like another death blow. How does a marriage survive something like this?

The fact that he admired Hitler and was of like mind . . . I'm pretty sure that's historically accurate. "Lucky Lindy" allied himself with the Germans prior to WWII. I don't understand how he could be such good friends with Harry Guggenheim yet subscribe to Hitler's attitude toward Jewish people and the dangers they posed. This section also made me think about the "America First" attitude again prevalent in America . . .

The descriptor on the back of the case includes this: "The Aviator's Wife is a vividly imagined novel of a complicated marriage - revealing both its dizzying highs and its devastating lows." I found it interesting that the storyline moved from 1974 back to the 1920s, 30s, etc. Large chunks of their shared life were summarized in a few paragraphs. I think the author made some good choices, but ultimately I found myself frustrated with Anne for caving in to Charles so often, then choosing her own life, and denying him forgiveness on his death bed. Not sure how realistic this is, or what the Lindbergh children would think of it. It feels very autobiographical . . . but is fiction.

The vocal work was excellent.

Oh! The author's note was informative at the end of the book. And I can appreciate Anne's interest in moving to Germany prior to WWII, since they were hounded by the media everywhere else. The author described it as the worst paparazzi situation along with what Princess Diana experienced. Horrid!

Also, the fact that Anne's diary - her diary! - was heavily edited by Charles before his death makes me NOT want to read it. He tried to sanitize his image even via his wife's personal recollections!

I am interested in reading their daughter Reeve's book Under a Wing. . . 

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

by Marjane Satrapi
Scott County Library paperback 153 pages
genre: graphic novel, memoir

This was intense! I'm so glad for the author's note at the start, but I still struggle to understand the complexities of Iran's history and politics. At the end of the book, I wanted to know what happened to her parents. I did a little looking online, but almost everything is about her. I am surprised that she returned to Iran! I want to read Persepolis II. In terms of graphic novels, not one that I adore. In terms of graphic non-fiction (I'm assuming she is telling her story as it happened, to the best of her memory), it's fabulous. I'm glad I read this! I'm also curious to check out some of her children's books to get a better sense of her voice.

(Okay, part of my brain is super irritated that I'm labeling this as both graphic *novel* and *memoir* . . . if you are particular about specific designations like that, please leave a comment for me! I welcome a little sharpening of my lazy intellect.)

The Winter Bees

by Jill Kalz
New Prague Community Read, paperback, 181 pages
short stories, realistic

I got this book so I could participate in the New Prague community read, but I may now be out of town on Sunday so may miss the gathering with the author. This collection of ten short stories would be great to discuss with other readers and the author. Here's my quick reaction to each story:

Last Call

• German phrases - frustrating to not understand them and me too lazy to look them up
• Lloyd no-show . . . what's his story?
• Ana! killing the squirrel / brother Johnny / lonely

The Humming Bee

• Loved this! bookstore . . .
• so sad - for Shirley and health and loneliness . . . 
• for Joe - the jar of honey - poignant!
• beautiful use of language

A Yin-Yang Year

•  Oh! Beautiful and sad.
• Science. Luther, forlorn.
• Minnie 1969
• Frozen pond.

The Flight of Herman Engelmann

• WingDings! Drone flying club
• bachelor farmer
• Doc - cheap, bad hips, 
• Lila (his wife) - cleaning

Blue Bird of Happiness

• weird / short / bus driver / garter

The Siebenbrunner Nose

•  Greta's funeral
• so sad! 
• her sister Eleanor . . . not really knowing how to deal with her sister's unusualness . . . 
• Adeline singing at funerals, whether anyone appreciates her or not.

Schultz

• Don't understand
• is HE the arsonist?
• loneliness again . . . such a recurrent theme

 Blue Snow

• Molly, eating too much
• trying to weight herself down so her heart doesn't fly
• sad again . . . more ethereal

Beneath My Skin Like Honey

• sad, loss
• mom's death (dad's suicide in 1961)
• lover's ability to hear sights
• is she planning to leave him? or is it just that he is older and will die first?

 Ana's End

• So sad!
• Ana dies alone . . . 
• story of Johnny's life and death intertwined

Here is the flyer that came with the book:

All Manner of Things

by Susie Finkbeiner
Hennepin County Library paperback 436 pages
genre: Christian historical fiction

Oh my. I loved this book. I need to find more by this author, because she crafts a story with well-developed characters and a wonderful plot. Set primarily in the late 1960s, the book focuses on Annie Jacobson and her family.

I most especially loved the letters - from Mike to his family, from Annie to Frank, from Walt to Annie . . . these were insightful, heart-rending, and I would have liked even more!

The characters were amazing - my favorites are Annie, Bernie, Mike, David, Joel, mom, Oma, Joceyln, . . . I even ended up appreciating Rose, Frank, Grandma, and Walt!

*** There are some spoilers below.***

Page 83 - "Mom pursed her lips in irritation and made her way to the door. I followed after her, thinking how exhausting it must be to hold so tightly to conflict." The way she expresses this is so very true. Holding tightly to conflict can indeed be exhausting.

Page 150 - "Forgiveness would take time." This resonated especially after the Thrive conference and the emphasis on forgiveness.

Page 248 - "But underneath that crusty attitude and gruff grimace was a tenderhearted man who had made it his business to take Mike and me under his wing. And he'd taught us more about what a godly man was than any sermon could have." Yes! I loved Bernie! And the way he lived his life was truly a sermon of love.

Page 257 - "Of all the things in the world that Mom had in plenteous supply, it was opinions. She held to them stringently, never wavering from them even if they were proved to be wrong. One such strongly adhered to opinion was that, under no circumstances, should Christmas decorations be put up before Thanksgiving. And, if she'd had her druthers, never before December first." This made me think of Jodi!!! Times of year and types of food or decorations are a big deal for some people.

Page 316 - When Annie and her mom are having a conversation about Walt and mom says, "What does a boy like him want with a girl like you?" After misunderstanding her mom's meaning, Annie and her mom have a great conversation about Annie and her worth. "There's depth to you. The soul inside you is startlingly beautiful. . . . don't let him make you forget who you are."

Page 350 - Mike's letter to Annie is so incredible. I love when he describes the war and says, "We weren't made for this. I can't believe that God created us for all this death and destruction. War wasn't his idea. I'll be he hates it more than I do even." Yes, I agree. God must hate war.

Page 388 - Another letter from Mike to Annie. "I've been reading my Bible a lot more lately. On days that are especially hard, it just seems to help me breathe again. Did you know Oma sent me a pocket-sized one a couple of months ago? It's been a real life saver the past few weeks."


Page 417 - This was the scene that made me cry the most. When Aunt Rose tells Annie, "I know how much you loved him." (Loved - past tense.) Annie is upset and talks with her Oma. Their conversation was meaningful:
"Is it wrong if I still love him?" I asked.
"Well, I don't think so." She took my hand. "Are we not made for eternity?"
I nodded.
"Then Mike still is," she said. "Even if he isn't here in this house or riding a helicopter over the jungle or doing who knows what, he still is."
My shoulders curled down but Oma caught me, her arms stronger than I ever expected them to be.
 "You can love him," she whispered through my crying. "It's right to."
I let her hold me, her words stuck in my head.
Mike still is.

Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, not Food

by Lysa TerKeurst
Scott County Library audiobook 5 CDs
read by Jill Brennan
genre: Non-fiction self-help healthy eating

I only listened to two chapters of this book, though I really like Lysa TerKeurst a lot! It simply isn't the right book for me right now. Five years ago, this would have been perfect! I love the idea that God designed us to crave Him. I think I'll look for other audiobooks by her.

The Medallion

by Cathy Gohlke
Scott County Library paperback 400 pages
genre: Christian historical fiction

This was our last month's book club book, but I just finished it! Part of the reason it was a slow read for me is that it is yet another book dealing with the horrors of the Holocaust. It's so difficult to read a fictional story about people and events that really happened in such an awful chapter of human history. It is a worthwhile read, but a very sad one.

Main characters:
Sophie (British, but married to a Polish fighter pilot - for the RAF - and stuck in Warsaw at the start of WWII)
Janek (her husband)
Rosa (Jewish and Polish, mother to Ania)
Itzhak (Rosa's husband, an electrician, also Jewish and Polish)
Matka (Rosa's mother)

I won't summarize much. Warsaw, Poland. WWII. Nazis. Cruelty to the point of sheer evil. Starvation. Deprivations. Death.

The medallion is a Tree of Life necklace that Itzhak gave to Rosa on their wedding day. When Rosa sends her toddler Ania away with Irena Sendler to try to save her life, she breaks the tree in half, intending to reunite the necklace along with her family after the war.

Page 357 - "I can handle this on my own. There is nothing I can't handle - just leave me alone."
"We're not meant to handle life alone, Sophie. It's too hard, too unpredictable, too messy and big. There is One who is willing and ready to help, to travel with us, if we let Him."
I love this scene! We don't get to know Carrie very well, but she has wise advice for her friend Sophie.

Page 371 - "What should I do, Lord? Not what do I want, this time, but what should I do? I can't do this alone - and I shouldn't." Finally! Sophie takes a long time to get to this point, but when she trusts the Lord, the situation changes.

Author's note, page 405 - "The Medallion is a reminder to help when help is needed, regardless of the cost to ourselves."

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend

by Katarina Bivald
Scott County Library audiobook 10CDs
read by Fiona Hardingham and Lorelei King
genre: realistic fiction

There were things I really enjoyed about this book and others I disliked a lot. Overall, I'm glad I "read" it.

Some quick observations:

• Sara (pronounced "Saara") was such a wussy! Get a spine, girl!
• horrible accents for Iowa . . . they sounded western / Southern . . . just wrong for the Midwest
• interesting characters 
• interviewing people together . . . typically police and others interview one person at a time to see if they can catch inconsistencies. I get why this worked in a literary sense, but it didn't seem realistic at all.

The biggest negative for me in this book had to do with Amy (via letters) and Sara and others having such a negative and misguided perception of who God is. Their attitude about religion, the Bible, and God was as though any person should obviously believe it's all worthless. It made me sad. Even Caroline, who cared about being a Christian, was stereotypically written and changed into what the author portrayed as enlightened at the end. It made me sad.

I loved the literary allusions and the entire genesis of the book store. I cared most about some of the minor characters and definitely felt as though this could be a real place.

Moon Over Manifest

by Clare Vanderpool
read by Jenna Lamia, with Cassandra Campbell and Kirby Heyborne
Scott County Library audiobook, 8 CDs
genre: YA historical fiction

The historical fiction in this story went between "present day" 1930s Kansas in the grip of the Depression and WWI as depicted in letters and stories. It's placed in the small town of Manifest, Kansas, and is peopled by fascinating characters.

Abilene (made me smile, having recently finished with The Help) is a 12 year old girl who has lived the lifestyle of a hobo with her dad, Gideon, until he sends her to Manifest.

Miss Sadie
Hattie Mae
Sister Redempta
Shady
Ned
Jinx

"There is power in a story" is one line from the book that I jotted down. I think the power of this book is that very real power in stories . . . there is much that is believable and relatable in the stories of people's lives, even fictional ones.

I'm not sure how I would "sell" this book to middle schoolers. If they are fans of historical fiction, that is one easy angle. Another is the mystery of who "The Rattler" is and how the kids ferret out that information. There are also plenty of kid adventures as Abilene and her new friends explore the area around Manifest.

This is a delightful story (Ned and Jinx were my favorites) and the vocal work is excellent.

The Help

by Kathryn Stockett
Scott County Library audiobook 15 CDs
read by: Jenna Lamia, Bahni Turpin, Octavia Spencer, and Cassandra Campbell
genre: historical fiction

I'm shocked that I don't have an entry for this book! I read it several years ago. I remember being stunned that it was written by a white woman. Then I saw the movie. Amazing! I picked up this audiobook because I spend a lot of time driving and was ready for a re-read.

Despite the controversy surrounding the money the author made without credit / money going to the woman who was the inspiration for her story, I appreciate the work Stockett put into this novel. The characters are vivid and believable. The vocal work is impeccable as Minnie, Abilene, Skeeter, and others are brought to life. This story also made me think again about the racism that still thrives in America, even though it's not like it was in the early 60s. Mississippi in the news then and now . . . with monuments to Emmett Till regularly being destroyed. So incredibly sad.

Just like when I first read the text, I wished the story had brought Minnie and her kids to live with Celia and Johnny . . .

The DNA of Relationships: Discover How You Are Designed for Satisfying Relationships

by Dr. Gary Smalley
Scott County Library hardcover 206 pages
genre: Non-fiction, relationships, self-help

In the 90s, I loved Dr. Smalley's stuff. Reading this, I wondered if I've changed / grown or if his writing has changed. This seemed over-hyped and too elementary. I dislike books that spend the first few chapters telling me about the great stuff they're going to tell me in future chapters.

It had some great examples. It had sound info on communication (the true key to successful relationships, IMO). It was a fairly quick read.

It did not inspire or motivate me.

The Printed Letter Bookshop

by Katherine Reay
Carver County Library paperback 315 pages
genre: Christian realistic fiction

I like Reay's writing, but found this book both more complex than previous titles of hers and less enjoyable . . . perhaps a sign of my summer mood? We had a good discussion last night at book club.

Alternating between Madeline, Claire, and Janet, this story shows the personal development of these women as they navigate life together.

 My favorite character is Maddie, even though the story opens with her funeral. What an amazing woman to inspire such love and devotion! I want to love Jesus and love people like she did.

Page 138 - "Please, I'm a mom. We know no limits." This made me laugh! As Claire is trying to set Janet up on a date, Madeline observes that "There might be a limit to meddling." My kids are constantly telling me to back off!

I loved Greg Frankel (the lawyer) and how he helped guide Madeline to a new way of using her talents as a lawyer. He was delightful!

Page 170 - "Dear World, This may sound slutty, but I want to be used. Love, Grammar." I had to read this a few times to decide if I liked it or not, but I definitely liked it. Both Jodi and Jes also appreciated this quote! We're such nerds.

Page 236-7 "You're a good lawyer. Here. Doing this." There's so much about this chapter that I appreciate. I think my favorite aspect is Janet's changed attitude as she seeks God and He does a work in her heart. When she says this line to Madeline, things shift into focus for her as well. I love Janet's return to creating art. I love how God can take the broken parts of us and make new life.

Page 298 - "One word. Brian says nothing more." When Brian tells Claire "yes" to her proposal about the Printed Letter, it was so joyful. Their conversation is such a delightful resurgence of love and connection in their marriage.

This is a wonderful book, though I'm not reviewing it well. I enjoyed it and appreciate Reay's literary talents and love of literature. I would definitely re-read all her books. She includes a list of titles alluded to . . . and I'm resisting the desire to see which I've read and which I would add to my list. . .  

Break No Bones

by Kathy Reichs
Carver County Library audiobook 10 CDs
read by Dorothee Berryman
genre: murder mystery fiction

This book really bugged me . . . but I'm not sure how much was the text and how much was the reader's voice. Berryman did a great job with differentiating voices, speaking French, etc. but I found Dr. Brennan to be incredibly irritating. She was a pathetic and stupid character. Perhaps my perception was formed too firmly by the character portrayed on TV's Bones.

She was irrational, bossy, and impulsive. The murders and detective work had interesting elements. There were lots of clues. It kept my attention. But I won't seek out other Reichs' books, no matter how talented or popular she is. (I wonder how much of herself she writes into her protagonist . . . the pathetic "romance" stories between her and her estranged husband, and her lover Ryan . . . she was just too pathetic to me.)

Each chapter ends with a mini-cliffhanger. Interesting tactic. 

And seriously. Why didn't she bring Boyd out with her at the end of the story? She always had the dog with her. Stupid storyline. What a shocker when we find out who the attacker / murderer is . . . dude!

Nicholas Nickleby

by Charles Dickens
Hennepin County Library audiobook 25 CDs
read by Robert Whitfield
genre: historical fiction (sort of)

Whitfield's vocal work is phenomenal! Such a range of characters and voices!
I love Dickens and had never before read this one. I almost wish I'd had the print edition . . . this was a LOT of CDs and car time! (If I'd seen "Dotheboys" hall in print, I'd have mentally pronounced it "dothe boys" but it was read as "Do the boys" and I had to Google it because it sounded so weird!)


Random notes:

• Mrs. N is ridiculous! And she has no idea how clueless she is . . . ugh! How did such a mother raise two such wonderful children as Nicholas and Kate?
• Smike (?) - I'd love to know more about his sad story. (By the end, I did! So very sad.)
• Sir Mulberry is hideous. I actually thought, "I hope he died in the carriage crash." 
• Mantolinis are crazy . . . and frustrating. 
• pence / shilling / guinea / pound farthing / tuppence - what are the monetary values? I need a way to compare these to better understand so many things!
• Ralph is such an evil nasty man. He gets worse and worse as the story goes on! 
• Squeers is also awful. What a horrid man! And spending so much time talking about morals! Yuk.
• Names . . . "Tim Lincolnwater" repeated so much. 
• Scoundrel! The whole part with Gride . . . and Ralph . . . and poor Madeleine Bray. 

I love Charles Dickens' storytelling. He also has a bit of an expose' in his writing. He has a lot to say about greed and evil. I will almost certainly re-read this at some time in the future!

How the Light Gets In

by Jolina Petersheim
Scott County Library paperback 368 pages
genre: Christian Fiction

Warning: there WILL be spoilers at the ***, so don't read past them if you plan to read this book!

This was our book club title for April, but I just got it recently from the library. Luckily, I forgot what was talked about during book club, so the plot twists were "new" to me! Unluckily, I didn't like how it ended . . . for such a talented author, I wish she'd made different choices.

First of all, I'm never thrilled with the Amish / Mennonite setting for Christian fiction. I guess I just can't relate to it as much. Although the main character, Ruth, is a modern "English" gal, the setting is primarily the cranberry farm in Wisconsin where her husband Chandler grew up.

On the positive side, I loved how this was a modern retelling of Ruth. I loved the relationship between Ruth and Mabel and how it paralleled the Biblical story.

Page 53 - "Ruth knew the odds of anyone getting through were slim. This pleased her." Yes! There are times when I love going to the lake simply because our reception is so bad that I just shut my phone completely off. And it feels great!

Page 53 - "Ruth yearned to capture this moment through any medium she could - " I'm in too much of a hurry now to capture the two paragraphs that inspired me to note this page. I love that she recognizes natural beauty and is inspired to make art. I love that God gave us the desire to create!

Page 93 - "'Oma Mabel loves us,' Sofie said, one of the simplest ways children categorize acceptance." Love truly is the hallmark of what God calls us to be and do. I want love to be the way I am known by my children, grandchild(ren), friends, etc. . . .

Page 116 - "But now, at thirty, Ruth had a different view. The adventure did indeed stop - or at least change - after children, and to try to deny that was like trying to deny the sun rising . . . "  This resonated for me! I would argue that the adventure changes. A lot. Children change your life. I wasn't ready to become a parent at 21, but it's been absolutely grand! It's fun to be a grandma now - a completely different adventure!

Page 176 - ". . . finding someone to love you wholly was one of the greatest mysteries of all." When Elam has the realization that falling in love with Ruth and her falling in love with him is such a blessing. Yes! I love being married to the love of my life!

Page 177 - I won't quote the whole conversation, but it's wonderful how Elam shares God's love and the simplicity of living for God. "By loving him and loving those he puts in our lives." Simple! I'm grinning as I type this, because sometimes it's very hard indeed. And yet, it doesn't need to be. We just need God's power working in us.

Page 212 - I like to note where the title comes from. ". . . from a Leonard Cohen song, 'Anthem.' There is a crack, a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in."

Pages 304-5 - Marriage. Praying for your spouse. These pages are great for discussion . . . but I don't want to dig into them now.


*** Pages 362-3
When I got to the end, I was so frustrated! She never fell in love with Elam? And Chandler never survived? And she spent six months writing a novel which she promptly put into the fire and let burn up? What?!?!?! That felt as though the whole book was pointless. I wish I'd been able to discuss this back in April!

Love Among the Walnuts

by Jean Ferris
paperback, PRMS discard 216 pages
genre: YA fiction

I had this up at the lake and wanted a quick read. It was goofy, fun, and very very very middle-school oriented. It reminded me a bit of the Brendan Fraser movie Blast from the Past. Sandy was raised by his wealthy reclusive parents on an isolated manor out in the countryside. When his scheming uncles try to do away with the family so that they can inherit, Sandy is spared but now has to deal with the "real world." Adding to the oddness of the story is the presence of Walnut Manor next door, a convalescent home of sorts with strange patients and weird surprises.

Fun story. I'll put it back on the shelf . . . it has a nice message about relationships being more valuable than money. (Though it's always amusing when incredibly wealthy people are the ones making this observation . . . ) Still, I like Ferris' writing style.

Every Good Endeavor: Connecting Your Work to God's Work

by Timothy Keller with Katherine Leary Alsdorf
Scott County Library hardcover 253 pages
genre: non-fiction Biblical living
published: 2012

This book was incredible. I've always liked Keller's stuff, but I think this is the first book of his I've read. I was surprised at how many life lessons and Scriptural applications it contained. I'm nowhere near being a pastor, yet Sunday sermon topics kept jumping out at me!

Having quit my full time job over two years ago, I still feel as though I'm trying to find God's purpose for my life. I struggle with wants vs. needs and spending less money since I now earn so little money. What are my gifts and talents and how does God want me to use them for His glory?

This book really helped me see that "work" isn't just how I make money. It's about why I work. What's the purpose? If it's ever just for a paycheck, then I'm not doing it the right way. Whether I teach full time or ring up people's purchases at McDonald's, there is so much more to the concept of work.

I love how this book is structured! I would definitely re-read it. I recommend it for anyone looking for their direction in terms of work. I recommend it to pastors for a wealth of sermon ideas with lots of great Scripture references!

Toward the end, he recommends two books that I may or may not get: The Call by Os Guinness and Creation Regained by Al Wolters.

All Quiet on the Western Front

by Erich Maria Remarque
personal copy, paperback 175 pages
genre: historical war fiction
published: 1929

This book sat on my "should read" shelf for a long, long time. I wanted a quick fiction read since I've got a lot of non-fiction on my reading shelf right now. Wow.

This book was intriguing and made me do some searching right away. Set during WWI, I was a bit confused about its origins. I'll just grab info from Wikipedia:

All Quiet on the Western Front (German: Im Westen nichts Neues, lit. 'In the West Nothing New') is a novel by Erich Maria Remarque, a German veteran of World War I. The book describes the German soldiers' extreme physical and mental stress during the war, and the detachment from civilian life felt by many of these soldiers upon returning home from the front.
The novel was first published in November and December 1928 in the German newspaper Vossische Zeitung and in book form in late January 1929. The book and its sequel, The Road Back (1930), were among the books banned and burned in Nazi Germany. All Quiet on the Western Front sold 2.5 million copies in 22 languages in its first 18 months in print.^[1]


Translated into many different languages and universal with its raw human emotion, I see why it's referred to as "the classic war novel of all time." It is horrible and amazing. I wonder what modern day soldiers think of it (or if they even read it). How interesting that it was banned and burned in Nazi Germany. I may need to read more about him . . . the little I already saw fascinates me. He left Germany for Switzerland in the 1930s, remarried his ex-wife so she wouldn't have to return to Germany, went to America and became a naturalized citizen, and didn't find out that his sister was tried and decapitated for "unpatriotism" until after WWII was over. Whew!

Back to the book. I found it very readable and horrible (as war is). I only marked three places, but could definitely see re-reading it!

Page 100 - when he is home on leave and his mother wants to hear about his experiences, he simply cannot relate to any civilian about the reality of war.

"Was it very bad out there, Paul?"
Mother, what should I answer to that! You would not understand, and never realize it. And you never should realize it. Was it bad, you ask. - You, Mother, - I shake my head and say: "No, Mother, not so very. There are always a lot of us together so it isn't so bad."

This is in such direct conflict with what he has just left. The reality of pain, fear, hunger, death . . . but he simply cannot explain it and does not want her to have to understand it.

Page 104 - While in the midst of conflict, the men often dreamed of their "other" life and its pleasures. But on leave, Paul is continually brought up short. He even misses his comrades.

I imagined leave would be different from this. Indeed, it was different a year ago. It is I of course that have changed in the interval. There lies a gulf between that time and to-day."

Page 154 - the only part of the book that made me laugh out loud!

When they are laying in the hospital ward, recovering, and Paul throws a bottle at the praying nuns who are keeping the soldiers from sleeping, a different man takes responsibility for the action. Later, he explains that he has a "shooting license."

"I got a crack in the head and they presented me with a certificate to say that I was periodically not responsible for my actions. Ever since then I've had a grand time. No ones dares to annoy me. And nobody does anything to me. I reported myself because the shot amused me. If they open the door again to-morrow we will pitch another."

This little bit of humor helped lighten a very heavy, but worthwhile book about the horrors of war.

One last thing I'd like to know - who did the translation to English and did Remarque agree with it? I may need to get a book about him and his life . . . after I finish all the other non-fiction I've got!

The Last Year of the War

by Susan Meissner
Carver County Library hardcover 386 pages
genre: Christian historical fiction

Another wonderful story by Meissner! She's one of my favorite authors we read for book club. This one follows Elise Sontag from her present day elderly situation into her past in 1940s America and Germany. Much of the book focuses on her unlikely friendship in a detention center with a Japanese American girl, Mariko. Elise's father and mother have lived in the United States for twenty years but have not applied for citizenship status when WWII and its fearfulness interrupt their lives in Davenport, Iowa.

I didn't tag any pages in the first half of the book . . . though there was much that I enjoyed. I especially liked the opening pages as Elise describes Alzheimer's as the thief Agnes who steals parts of her life and brain from her. Having seen the devastation that dementia can wreak in a loved-one's life . . . this was a very apt description!

Page 177 - "You know, I don't think it matters now what happened in the past . . . What's important is what happens now. Today." Words of wisdom from Rina, Mariko's adult daughter!

Page 199 - "I had never had a grandmother speak to me this way or look at me with the kind of love with which she was now gazing at me. . . . She loved me without having met me. . . It was so hard to know who I was in that moment, other than a teenage girl loved by her grandmother." Oma is the kind of grandmother I want to be! Loving so extravagantly that the child feels it and knows it thoroughly. (Though I would never want to go for 13 years without meeting a grandchild!) I think part of the reason I tagged this was simply because of that extravagant love . . . like God has for us.

Page  218 - "Love, when it's lavished on you after you've said ugly things, is almost too painful to bear." After the teenaged Elise had erupted at her parents and spewed all her unhappiness, her dad comforts her beautifully. His acceptance of her feelings and understanding of her expression of frustration . . . great parenting!

Page 234 - "We decide who and what we will love and who and what we will hate. We decide what we will do with the love and hate. Every day we decide. It was this that revealed who we were, not the color of our flesh or the shape of our eyes or the language we spoke." To me, this is the key point of the book. Powerful and true - our choices and decisions make us who we are.

Page 269 - "The rich have always been able to get what they want and do what they want. Money is power, Elise. It always has been." Ralph is so very right in terms of "how the world works" but his cynicism is still discouraging. Elise is so young and inexperienced in how the world works. He doesn't make things easy on her!

Page 281 - "The human brain, I have since read, is still ripening when we're seventeen. It's still growing, still forming thought patterns and avenues for arriving at logical conclusions, and it doesn't stop maturing until we reach age twenty-five." Amen! This is so true and yet 18 year olds are legal adults . . . brain development is fascinating.

Page 302 - "She nods in understanding. Mother-love transcends biology." When Elise and Mariko are talking about their lives, Elise explains Pamela and Teddy. This made me think of Katie of course!

Page 379 - "I wanted them to see that not everyone is lucky enough to have family around who love them, and I also wanted them to know that we are all on the road that leads to the edge of our mortality. Life is too brief to waste a minute of it chasing after things that don't matter." Elise brought Pamela and Teddy to nursing homes with her while they were young . . . life's lessons have power.

A reference on page 382 made me think of The Secret Language of Flowers . . . and then yesterday, I saw a copy of it on the library's "discard" cart. I almost bought it, but it's a large print edition and those tend to make me batty when I read them. I love that book and will probably re-read it! This title by Meissner was quite good, but there are others of hers that I like better. The Alzheimer's aspect most resonated with me . . . how awful to start losing parts of your memory and mind.

The God Wink Effect: 7 Secrets to God's Signs, Wonders, and Answered Prayers

by SQuire Rushnell and Louise DuArt
Hennepin County Library hardcover 221 pages
genre: non-fiction, Christian faith

I'm really torn about this book . . . on the one hand, I thought the title was cheesy and since there's an entire SERIES of these Godwink books I figured it was a gimmick thing. On the other hand, I plastered a LOT of post-it notes in this skinny book and it was quite inspirational. At one point, I even put a copy in my Amazon cart so I could have my own copy and highlight it. In the end, I recognize that the power is in God's Word. I can highlight that and re-read it often! (And I do.) I'm not sure why I requested this book / how it came across my reading radar. I'm trying to be better about tracking that, but I missed the boat on this one.

Page X - My first post-it had to do with the title. As he explained what a God Wink is (". . . I introduced the term Godwinks in my first book . . . some fifteen years ago . . . if there's no coincidence to coincidence, what do you call it?"), I realized that I have my own cheesy term for that phenomenon: God-incidence (instead of "coincidence"). The term "Godwinks" still bugs me, though.

Page 2 - "When I pray, coincidences happen. When I don't, they don't!" Prayer truly does make all the difference in the world! People who are not believers will acknowledge coincidences in their lives, so this isn't really a profound statement. Rather, to me it's a reminder that if I want to see God at work in my life, I need to be persistent in prayer.

Page 3 - The first "secret" (another wording that bugs me) is Prayer. "Simply put, prayer is communication between you and God. You can talk to Him anytime from anywhere about anything." I think I post-it noted this because it's a good thing to share with people who do not already have a deep prayer life. Anytime. Anywhere. Anything.

Page 11 - The stories that they include to demonstrate the points of the "secrets" are well-chosen. I loved the story of the woman who was able to travel to her son's wedding. "God, I know that if You want me to go to this wedding, You'll make the way." I love her prayer of faith and trust in God!

Page 12 - "This experience reaffirmed for her that prayer works . . . and that when you are faithful to God every day of your life, when you remain in conversation with Him, He is right there beside you and faithful to you!"

Page 34 - ". . . they were astonished to discover - as most people do - that praying consistently with another person expands the power of your prayer and divinely aligns your paths with Godwinks He wants to bless you with." I love when Louie and I take time to pray together, especially for our kids and grandson.

Page 37 - He mentions his book The 40-Day Prayer Challenge. I may or may not get that from the library . . . But I wanted to "pin it" here.

Page 46-47 - Love this!!! He listed Scriptures about "ask" . . . wow! God's Word tells us to ask. (Matthew 18:19, Matthew 21:22, 1 John 5:14, John 14:13, John 15:7, John 16:23, Mark 11:24) And those are just SOME of the Scriptures like that! Praise God!

 Page 98 - "When you see absolutely no evidence that your prayers are being answered, it's difficult to keep your faith strong. But later, when we look back, we can always see that God was getting people and events into proper alignment."

Page 100 - From James 1:5-6: "If you don't ask in faith, don't expect the Lord to give you any solid answer." My Bible has it like this: "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." Again, as much as I enjoyed reading this book, I already have the Book I need.

Page 125 - "There are countless stories of people who averted car accidents because of a sudden nudge to pull over to the side of the road. When we acknowledge God's presence in our lives and talk with Him daily, we will be able to hear and feel those little tugs. Don't ignore them. God is talking to you." I'm not very good at listening! I'm so glad that God's not finished with me yet. I get so focused on my to-do list and my plan that I forget to spend time in prayer asking Him for His plan!

Page 131 - "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1)

Page 134 - "Every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything." (Hebrews 3:4)

Page 200 - Psalm 31:21-22 Really, God's Word is more than enough!

Page 215 - Deuteronomy 31:8 - this is the key part of the story about the woman who donated a kidney for a little girl. It's an amazing, powerful story about the power of God's love and faithfulness. I also liked the story about Karen Kingsbury running into Rod Stewart in a park. The stories really fit the points the authors were making.

One last thing: Why does he spell his unusual first name with capital s, capital q, lower case u-i-r-e?

"Secrets":
1. Pray
2. Ask
3. Believe
4.  Expect
5. Signs
6. Wonders 
7. Divine Alignment

Orbiting Jupiter

by Gary D. Schmidt
Hennepin County Library audiobook 3 CDs
read by Christopher Gebauer
genre: YA realistic fiction

Once again, Schmidt's amazing storytelling skill is on powerful display. This is the first of his books that hasn't been historical fiction! (Of those I've read. Though the mention of Coach Swieteck made me think of Okay For Now . . . ) Louie and I listened to this one together when we had a lot of driving to do.

Jack and his parents have taken in a 14-year-old foster child named Joseph. He got a 13-year-old pregnant when he was also 13 and he kept trying to see her, even after her parents got an injunction against him. This info comes later in the story, though.

The characters range from compassionate to cruel. Joseph's voice is at times silent and at other times, overpowering. The relationship between sixth grader Jack and eighth grader Joseph develops slowly and in classic guy terms. Jupiter is the baby girl that Joseph wants to see and take care of. He wants to be the loving father he himself does not have.

I cried. I'm listening to it over again. I think I'll get some other Schmidt stories on audio for our next road trip. I'd love to share the ones I've loved with Louie.

The Mystery of the Third Lucretia

by Susan Runholt
Hennepin County Library audiobook 5 CDs
read by Krista Sutton
genre: YA mystery

I hadn't heard of this author before, but I found her story delightful! Two 14-year-old girls, Kari and Lucas, have an adventure involving art, a "new" Rembrandt, and a mysterious stranger in disguise.

Parts of it were irritating (as is the norm for middle school books) but the mystery kept my attention and the vocal work was solid.

Kari's mom is the kind of adult teenagers need. I'll need to see if this author has written other mystery stories for young adults. She did a great job with this one!

Dragondrums

by Anne McCaffrey
Hennepin County Library audiobook 8 CDs
read by Sally Darling

Published: 1979 (this version 1992)
genre: YA fantasy

I had read all three Pern books with Menolly as a primary character several times in the 1970s and 80s, but grabbed this when I was looking for some audiobooks for drive time recently. It was fun to revisit Piemur's story. (His voice changes, the MasterHarper has a special job for him, he's in the drum heights learning the measures . . . )

The vocal work was interesting. Darling has an odd accent that I couldn't quite place . . . something from out East? Anyhow, it worked for the story but kind of made me giggle. I ended up finishing the book in the print format just to be done.

McCaffrey is a delightful storyteller. I've not read all her Pern books, but most of them. Dragonsong is probably my favorite.

 

(Above written 5.27.19. Below added 10.11.22.)

 

Since I had re-read (listened) to books one and two, I decided to finish off this series.  

Same reader. She *does* have an interesting accent, but it does not detract from the story. I love that Piemur is able to use what he's learned in the drum heights to make a new life in the South.

Between Heaven & the Real World: My Story

by Steven Curtis Chapman with Ken Abraham
Scott County Library hardcover 430 pages
genre: autobiography

I have long enjoyed SCC's music. I remember hearing about the accident when his teenage son accidentally hit and killed his little girl in their driveway at home. How does a strong Christian get through the pain of that? When I saw this book, I knew I wanted to read it and learn more about his journey. What an amazing story!

Filled with lots of photographs, SCC shares about his childhood, music, struggles, and faith. One thing I didn't know about him (since I don't go to concerts) is that he is very talkative! The book gets a little long-winded, but since I am cut of the same cloth, verbosity doesn't put me off. I truly enjoyed reading this story of his life.

I marked a LOT of passages and there were many more I didn't mark that impressed me. At times (especially the last quarter of the book), I had to wipe tears from my eyes just so that I could continue reading.

Page 48 - in his childhood, their family agreed to host a layman, Dr. Baird, who was in town for a revival. What a cool experience! And how life-changing for the Chapman family!
"It turned out that a layman's revival did not feature a 'professional evangelist' but centered around the personal stories presented by a group . . . the laymen simply shared their own experiences of putting their faith in Jesus Christ and then stayed around to talk, answer questions, and pray with anyone wishing to trust Christ with his or her life. It was a deeply spiritual yet very natural, low-key presentation . . . Dr. Baird was not a theologian or a preacher; he was a dentist."

Page 65 -  I love this! It makes me think of legacy and how I want to be faithful to Jesus and shine His light in the world. It also makes me think of Delta (I can't remember her last name) in junior high. She seemed alien to me! But I knew she had strong faith and strong morals, without her being self-righteous.
"Years later, at class reunions, some former classmates told me, 'We always knew where you stood as a Christian, and that made you kind of uncool, but we respected you.'"

Page 84 - His dad's insistence on practicing is admirable.
"'If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right!' And the fact that we were just singing on a Sunday morning in our little church was never a reason for anything less than a stellar performance. 'If we're gonna do something for the Lord, it needs to be done with excellence.'"

Page 107 - When SCC and Mary Beth were dating and had a makeout session that caused him to apologize to her and they had a conversation about saving themselves for marriage . . . powerful.

Page 121 - "I finally realized there was more going on than what met the eye. We were in an invisible but very real spiritual battle. Satan hates marriage. He loves romance and sexual desire because he tries to twist them for his purposes. Marriage, however, is a symbolic picture of our relationship with Jesus. That's why God is so pro-marriage, and that is why the enemy works so hard to destroy marriages."

Page 188 - "'You, as a husband, are responsible for the emotional well-being of your wife.' Whether or not Dr. Dobson actually said that I'm not sure, but that's the message I heard. To me, that meant if my wife was not doing well, it was my fault. Her emotional health was my responsibility as her husband. If she was broken, I had to fix whatever had caused it. I had no idea that fixing someone - even myself - was impossible."
As I read this, there were times I appreciated the challenge in being both candid and respectful. I wonder what his wife's feedback was on this . . . he doesn't shy away from admitting his mistakes and flaws, but this focus on "fixing" people, relationships, etc. persists throughout the entire book. In fact, the next page I marked was 195, where they are visiting with a counselor.
"I still felt a heavy weight of responsibility to fix what part of this brokenness was my doing, and I was sure much of it was. Maybe we just needed to pray and read the Bible more and try harder."

Page 227 - I'll miss the context of this without including the entire interaction, but I love how God uses us in our faithfulness. SCC was "ambushed" by a Howard Stern employee and gave the best testimony he could for Jesus, but was mocked as a Christian. He was a "fool for Christ" and kicked himself for not being more wise.
"But at least one husband started a fresh journey with his wife as a result of the encounter in which I felt I had failed to represent the Lord well. It was a poignant reminder of the truth: God never calls us to be successful; He calls us to be faithful."

Page 336 - When he was in the midst of deep despair, repeating God's promises over and over helped him survive. "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord. . . . " There truly is power in God's promises.

Page 337 - "She had asked Mary Beth on February 20, 'Does God really have a big, big house? I wanna go to God's big house. I wanna live with Jesus in His big house.' And I knew - I knew both intellectually and spiritually - that it was true. It was all true. Maria was with Jesus."
Even re-reading this now to blog it makes me tear up. I want the people I love to have this same conviction and knowledge of life after death. What am I doing to share the Good News of eternal life?

Page 340- "It was all I could muster, but as I did, the light and the clarity came back. I sensed that we were on holy ground. God's act of drawing back the curtain just enough that I could peer into eternity, to catch a glimpse of His eternal perspective, was a gift He gave to help me survive. I could do nothing to make it open again; there was no magic formula."

Page 354 - "It wasn't that what I had done previously was insignificant; it was simply that my world had shifted on its axis and I viewed things through a different lens."
This notion of a dramatic change in life and world-view, aka a paradigm shift, is hard to comprehend until you experience it. I know that phrase bugged me (paradigm shift) until 2013, when my world changed dramatically. Reading this immediately made me think of my own world shifting on its axis.

Page 356 - "Many times I cried out like David in the psalms. I felt like I was wrestling with God. It wasn't a matter of trying to be 'spiritual' or simply saying the right things; it was survival."

Page 400 - "'Satan is screaming lies over us all day long. And God whispers the truth in a still, small voice. So often the voice we listen to most is the one we hear the loudest.'"
SCC is quoting / paraphrasing a friend of his, but this is so very true! I need to be careful to spend time drawing near to the Lord so that I can actually hear Him over the loud voice of the accuser!

Page 405 - Although I've not experienced the highs of SCC's fame or the lows of his loss of a beloved child, I definitely can relate to his dilemma about wanting to shine for Jesus but not fake the personal struggle. It's really hard to want to witness and bring people to the knowledge of Jesus, but to also want to be authentic and confess the struggles.
"I was at the place where I basically said, 'Okay, God, if that's what You want to do, to have us stand in front of the world as broken as we are, and maybe even have everything fall apart with everybody watching, then it's in Your hands. . . I can't imagine how that's a good thing, but I'm going to trust You with it.'"

Page 407-8 The letter from his adult daughter Emily was amazing!!!
"One of the best things, ironically, I believe that you gave me was your inability to fix it. Really, it was a kind and gentle introduction to a harsh world that eventually every child has to grow up in and out from under their parents' wings and cope with. If you could have fixed it all, why would I have needed to turn to God? You always led us to the throne of grace, especially when you couldn't fix it."
"And that, that is indeed a great gift, because on these really hard momma days, when I feel like I am failing, the enemy is throwing all his darts, . . . then somehow I have to raise kids and have hope to look for the kingdom coming in what can feel like a hellhole at times, I remember what you taught us. Maybe I can't fix it, but I know the One who can."

I love this book enough to want to buy it, but as I'm working on saving money AND decreasing clutter in my home, I'll just recommend it highly! (And appreciate public libraries.)

King and Maxwell

by David Baldacci
Scott County Library audiobook 11 CDs
read by Ron McLarty and Orlagh Cassidy
genre: detective fiction

I grabbed this after my sister's reaction to the last Baldacci book I read . . . she's a huge fan of King and Maxwell. I like the characters pretty well, but I'm not a "must read" fan.

The vocal work on this was irritating for the first few CDs. Not the actual voices, but the pacing. It sounded as though they didn't record at the same time and place, so the person who edited left odd gaps. The narration and all male characters were read by McLarty. Only Michelle Maxwell's (and other female characters') lines were read by Cassidy.

Not sure why I made a note of this, but I jotted "Charge of the Light Brigade" on my car paper . . . there must have been a reference to it in the book, but I don't remember it now. Must. Google.

I loved the little old neighbor lady by the Wingos' house! "I gotta pee." She was a hoot! I kind of wished she'd been in more scenes.

Alan Grant is evil. As I listened, I kept thinking of his wife and kids not being aware of his other life. The lengths someone might go to in exacting revenge . . . this story's premise is extreme, but definitely gets at some of the baser aspects of human nature.

Sam Wingo, geopolitics, etc. Interesting stuff.

Edgar was another favorite character for me! Brilliant but clueless. I love him! By the end of the story, I'm actually thinking of getting whatever is the "next" book in this series to see how the Edgar part turns out . . .

The description of the president's limousine - "The Beast" - was fascinating! I wonder if it's true?

I suppose the sign of a wonderful book is one that makes me more curious. This one succeeded!

The Saturday Night Supper Club

by Carla Laureano
Hennepin County Library hardcover 381 pages
genre: Christian realistic fiction, romance

This was a lovely, lightweight book that I read in part of a day. It's our April book club title, so it'll be fun to discuss.

Rachel Bishop is a James Beard award-winning chef in Denver, but she resents being identified as a female chef. To her, gender is irrelevant if she makes good food. But she is drawn into a media stir by a writer's article that criticizes a troll . . . leading to her loss of reputation, stake in her restaurant, and an identity crisis.

Her two best friends (Melody, a talented pastry chef) and Ana (a high-powered lawyer) help her to assess the situation and buoy her spirits. Ana also gives her a kick in the pants (proverbially) to help her move forward.

Page 62: "How painfully ironic that her attempt to keep the focus on her food had turned into a glaring personal spotlight. She couldn't even muster the self-righteous zeal to defend herself. Not when deep down, she wondered how much truth was contained in those horrible accusations. She had been foolish to think she could make this work. Foolish to believe that in the end, she would be anything more than a failure." "No. She pressed Stop on that recording before it could begin playing an endless loop in her brain."

I love that sentence! I love that someone could make the conscious choice to shut off the negative self-talk before it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy!

Page 101: "She'd been overcome with misplaced affection over some good - and clearly manipulative - writing and made a deal with the devil. A devil with hazel eyes and a dimple she couldn't stop thinking about."

This really bothered me. This is the first book I've read by this author, and I don't know much about her, but it's disappointing that a "deal with the devil" is the way she chose to express this idea. It's bothersome . . . not a phrase I would take lightly.

Page 363: "She'd been so quick to think the worst of him. She hadn't even given him the chance to explain. That made her as bad as all the strangers who had condemned her on social media without bothering to learn the truth, passing what they saw through their own damaged filters."

This phenomenon is troubling. There is so much hatred, condemnation, and criticism in the world. It's discouraging.

All in all, this was a fluffy read. You know that Rachel and Alex are going to fall in love. I probably enjoyed the storyline with Alex's sister the best. It was an easy, pleasant read.

The Boat People

by Sharon Bala
Scott County Library hardcover 330 pages
genre: realistic fiction

Oh my! I just finished reading this. SPOILER!  

Mahindan and his six-year-old son Sellian have gotten on a refugee ship from Sri Lanka to Canada with 500 other people fleeing the war between the Tigers and Sinhalese. Canadian authorities have vowed to keep terrorists out and so the refugees languish in detention centers.

Priya, of Tamil descent but not a native speaker, wants to work in corporate law, but is placed with Gigovaz to help with the refugees.

Grace is of Japanese descent, has twin teen daughters, and is dealing with her aging mother's obsession with what happened during WWII to the Japanese. She is also trying to please her hard-line boss while being fair with adjudicating the hearings for the refugees.

This was a powerful story, moving in time from the present in Canada to the past in Sri Lanka as we learn more of Mahindan's life story. Wow.

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

by Malcolm Gladwell
Scott County Library audiobook 7 CDs
read by the author
genre: Non-Fiction

I definitely liked Outliers better. The idea of "thin slicing" or making snap judgments was interesting but also frustrating. The power of the subconscious is not necessarily something I wanted to read an entire book about.

It bothered me when he used the expression "mind reading" even though I understood how he was using that phrase.

The part on facial expressions and tracking eye movements of regular people and autistic people . . . got a bit long. Also, the expression that people can have "temporary autism" - again, I understood his meaning, but the expression of the idea bothered me.

The part on police shootings was very timely.

The section on the Pepsi taste test of the 80s and the whole "New Coke" debacle was very relatable since I lived that and remember it well! (Though I actually could pick Coke and prefer it to this day.) Pepsi is too sweet!

I would gladly re-read Outliers. I'm not as interested in Blink. Gladwell is pretty amazing, though.

In Case You Missed It

by Sarah Parer Littman
Mrs. Weiers bookshelf, PRMS paperback 305 pages
genre: YA realistic fiction

You can google a description of the book . . . college-prep stress, friendships, social media, true self vs. what people see, parents and children, cancer, etc.

I chose this book while subbing (10 minutes silent reading time) because the book I had brought from home was not worth my time (Better World Books donation later that day). The first one I grabbed off Katie's shelf didn't work for me, either. This one was better.

Likes: realistic people and situations (brother/sister dynamic, girlfriends, etc.), positive outcome, grappling with difficult situations, etc.

Dislike: Although I liked the book overall and took the time to read it cover to cover, the characters and storytelling just weren't engaging enough for me to rave about it. It's not a book that I'll think about tomorrow . . . but it was worth the time.

Hour Game

by David Baldacci
loaned by a coworker . . . a few years ago, hardcover 437 pages
genre: murder mystery

I seriously considered just returning this book without reading it . . . but after two or so years, I thought it made sense to just get 'r done. So I read it while cuddling my grandson. That made the grisly murders less horrific somehow.

Someone is committing murders that look like famous serial murder copycat crimes . . . only the killer is sending letters that say they are purposely NOT copycats. There's a huge cast of characters, but private investigators Alex King and Michelle Maxwell are the ones to crack the case.

As I mentioned this book to my sister, she raved about Baldacci's team of King and Maxwell. She hadn't read this book yet (the title alludes to the killer using watches on his victims to indicate the number . . . and one tick off for certain victims). I don't want to include any spoilers, but I did not figure things out before the end!

Now I can finally return the book! (Clear the clutter in my home and my life . . . )

Outliers: The Story of Success

by Malcolm Gladwell
Scott County Library audiobook 7 CDs
read by the author
genre: non-fiction

Gladwell is such an interesting person! I love his research and writing, though there were times I didn't appreciate his rhetoric. (For someone who tends to over-the-top, you'd think I'd appreciate his hyperbole . . . ) My notes don't make much of a blog entry for others to read, but I highly recommend this title and may end up re-reading it!

hockey and soccer players and birthdates . . . crazy!
1954 technology / Bill Gates / opportunities
practice and 10,000 hours
The Beatles / Hamburg
entrepreneurs / 1833
lawyers
China / rice farms / math / numbers / logic . . . fascinating section!
4853976
"Working really hard is what successful people do."
Kipp School (?) - interesting . . . rigorous

Gladwell is basically debunking outliers that have typically been shown to be extraordinary people. He identifies different factors that have opened opportunities for success. Fascinating stuff!