My on-line book journal…
(In sort-of chronological order, since I started blogging 7/27/2006; books tagged with 
I got free from BookMooch)
In bed with me:
Meditation For Dummies Yeah, the chick with a pathological dread of silence wants to learn to meditate. And?
On the shelf:
The Scent of Blood My thanks to the blogger who recommended this (I can’t remember for the life of me who it was). Really good non-stereotypical crime novel–the private detective hero has a Master’s in English and a conscience. Hopefully this becomes the first in a series.
The Yale Shakespeare Complete Works No, I’m not claiming that I’m presently reading the whole damned thing–just a play or two, maybe some sonnets, before I go contemporary again. Besides, I could use a refresher: Jeopardy audition time is coming up again soon.
Imperial Life in the Emerald City Completely non-fiction book that made me think of nothing more than Catch-22–except maybe M*A*S*H. The story of the first year of the American occupation of Iraq under the bubble-headed bureaucratic cluster-fuck that was the Coalition Provisional Authority. It would be funny if it weren’t all so tragic. For me, this is the money quote: “I don’t give a shit about international law. I made a commitment to the president…Let’s go have a drink.”
Water For Elephants Quick-reading historical novel set in a Depression-era lower-tier train-traveling circus. It’s meticulously researched and full of the characters you’d expect to find, right down to the fat lady, but it was the stories of the working men behind the tents that have stuck with me. It also, I’ve read, supposed to follow the biblical story of Jacob, but I am a godless heathen and can’t vouch for that.
Bleachers A gift–had been on my shelf, unread, for years. Otherwise known as the shortest thing John Grisham has written since high school. Total brain candy that I read in three hours.
The Big ShowTen years old now, so it’s pretty out of date, but still a lot of fun for fans of smartassed sports geekdom. Like me.
MiddlesexWon the Pulitzer Prize for a reason. Beautiful, lyrical writing and imagery and a solid grounding in history and Greek mythology explain the awards, but it’s also a great page-turner of a novel. I’m not giving my copy away.
Game of Shadows Absolutely should be required reading for sports fans, history buffs, and anyone who still thinks Barry Bonds has just been the unfortunate, put-upon victim of “The Man.”
Blood Meridian: Or The Evening Redness in The West The most violent thing I’ve ever read, made even more disturbing by its historical background. Possibly the most beautiful thing ever written about unchecked mass murder and man’s barbarous nature.
America (The Book) Seriously funny. This has been sitting on my shelf since Christmas two years ago; when I finally picked it up last week it was just to flip through a chapter and maybe get a couple of giggles. I had so much fun that I ended up reading it straight through. And it didn’t do anything to stifle my geeky crush on Jon Stewart.
Freakonomics There are some things I just can’t understand, no matter how much I read or study; calculus is one. Microeconomics is another, but this book was a fun read because somehow the writers made everything clear to li’l old English major me. Also, the chapters feature what seem to be conflicting subjects (i.e.: “The Ku Klux Klan and Real Estate Agents”).
Hannibal Rising Quick, junk fiction (I read it in two afternoons with my infected eye and darvocet high). It’s a prequel to The Silence of The Lambs, detailing just what in the hell happened to Dr. Lecter when he was cute little Hannibal that made him his charming adult self. Read it mainly because I’ve read them all, and it confirmed my previous opinion: the quality of the writing (as well as the scares) has declined with each book since Red Dragon. Still, it probably says something about me that serial killer stories are my idea of light Summer reading.
Dreams From My Father Wow. I don’t even know what to say, and plenty has been written in the past few years about both book and author. Made me smile, made me cry, made me proud, and made me ashamed of the gifts and opportunities I’ve been given and squandered. It’s beautifully written, too–and it’s a real, immeasurable gift to have someone in American public life with the ability to construct intelligent and coherent writing without help of a staff of twelve, whatever you think of him politically.
The Third Option The third in the series of novels featuring counter-terrorist operative Mitch Rapp, the 2nd-baddest mofo in contemporary fiction. (Until I read about Mitch killing a bad guy using only denim-clad thighs of death, Jack Bauer’s still number one.)
The Places in Between Amazing story. It takes a little patience to read; you can’t expect slam-bang action in a book about a guy walking. The thing is, he’s a British subject walking across Afghanistan, unarmed and mostly alone but for a sickly dog, and it’s January, 2002–three months after the fall of the Taliban. Stewart is an historian as well as a writer and diplomat, so the book is much more than a travelogue.
Now I Can Die in Peace I had more fun with this book than I have in quite a while, and it was the perfect thing to help amp me up for another Cubs baseball season. A collection of columns by my favorite online sportswriter focusing on the seasons immediately before and after the Red Sox World Series win. Funny as hell.
The Thin Place Here’s what I can say for sure: I read this book (and quickly, too). I don’t know if I enjoyed it or even understand the point of the whole thing. The style is interesting–the point of view switches frequently from young girl to 94-year-old woman to dog to glacier to, I think, God. Or not. As I said, I’m just…not sure.
Thy Neighbor’s Wife Really interesting history of sex in American society researched and written in the 1970’s. Censorship, massage parlors, skin mags, open marriage, the Supreme Court–it’s all covered. Also, I was fascinated by Barbi Benton when I was a little girl, and she’s all over the Playboy chapters.
No Country for Old Men Great chase story, lean, evocative language, and a lot to say about the choices we make, fate, and inevitability, and featuring one of the scariest, most conscious-less killers I’ve ever read (he may be the personification of evil). I’m still thinking about it two days after I finished it, and now I can’t wait to get into more Cormac McCarthy.
The Kite Runner Excellent first novel with wonderfully drawn, fully realized characters that I only pray to be able to create. Set in Afghanistan from the 1970’s through 2001 as well as the Afghan refugee community in northern California and steeped in Afghan culture and history, it was also highly educational for me. I love this book.
Lady Chatterley’s Lover A classic for a reason. It’s famous for the sex scenes (declared obscene in the 1920’s but it’s barely R-rated and even kind of cutesy today), but I also love its commentary on post-WWI English society and industrialism. Besides, Lawrence’s language is just extraordinary.
Transfer of Power By the same author as Term Limits, it’s the first in a series of novels featuring Mitch Rapp, a counter-terrorist operative who probably knows Jack Bauer. Or at least has his cell number.
The Worst Person in the World (And 202 Strong Contenders) Kind of a greatest hits from my imaginary boyfriend Keith Olbermann’s nightly show, Countdown.
Term Limits Political/terrorism thriller, it’s fun mental popcorn perfect for the 24 off-season.
The Year of Magical Thinking Another huge seller and award winner that I wouldn’t have finished if it had been ten pages longer.
The Memory Keeper’s Daughter Beautiful, sad novel about the corrosive damage caused by lies and family secrets. A husband delivers his own twins, realizes that his daughter has Down’s syndrome and tells his wife that she was stillborn. Heartbreaking.
Running With Scissors One of those books that are huge bestsellers that I just don’t get. I couldn’t wait to finish it and give it away.
The Plot Against America Imagines what might have happened if isolationist Charles Lindbergh had run for president in 1940, beaten FDR, and built a government sympathetic to the Nazis. The effects of national events are filtered through Roth’s own Jewish family, and it’s terrifying.
For One More Day Mitch Albom’s third tear-jerking novel and the first that didn’t make me cry. Not bad, but not a favorite.
The Time Traveler’s Wife Well-written, one-of-a-kind novel, with the rare star-crossed romance that never made cynical old me roll my eyes even once. A movie is in pre-production; God I hope they don’t fuck it up.
Great Books A middle-aged man returns to his Alma mater and retakes the required courses on the ‘great books’ of western literature. A little slow going, but really interesting.
Benjamin Franklin: An American Life An excellent, accessible biography that confirmed what I always suspected: Ben was a fun guy. Also, he invented the urinary catheter. In case that’s ever a Jeopardy question.
