I picked up this book because I love the time period. I hadn't heard much about the author, and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It had a decenI picked up this book because I love the time period. I hadn't heard much about the author, and was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. It had a decent mystery, and a noir feel without the usual cardboard female characters that you get in those books. The romance worked for me. ...more
The majority of the pages in this book are devoted to teaching parents mindfulness skills, including meditation, and explaining how this can make the The majority of the pages in this book are devoted to teaching parents mindfulness skills, including meditation, and explaining how this can make the task of parenting a child with ADHD more peaceful and effective. While this is undoubtedly true, it's weird that the title doesn't reflect that and it wasn't exactly what I picked up the book for. The meditation sections were well explained, but I already knew the material and did not need to go over it again. What I found most helpful about the book was actually some of the shorter sections - perhaps because it's not the main focus and therefore the auhtor felt free to summarize rather than getting into the weeds. Bertin has done an excellent job of reviewing the traits of ADHD and the evidence on what kind of parenting and medication approaches can help. This is discussed in just the right amount of detail for professionals to recommend this book to parents, and addresses possible concerns without patronizing. ...more
I'm never going to do this myself - dive in caves and underwater buildings and shipwrecks of pirate ships and warships. So I'll just read books like tI'm never going to do this myself - dive in caves and underwater buildings and shipwrecks of pirate ships and warships. So I'll just read books like this. This is a book about a life's work written by an archaeologist who headed a special diving unit that was part of the National Park Service. The book is largely in chronological order, which can be a little disjointed, as they skip around geographically, and sometimes visit the same wreck several chapters apart. Despite the lack of literary structure and stylings, he's a good writer, able to convey history without lecturing and paint visual pictures of what the divers actually saw down there. I loved the chapters on the USS Arizona in Hawaii....more
Well, this book really is a bit like being in the ocean, at the mercy of the big waves. This story goes where it goes and you have no choice but to goWell, this book really is a bit like being in the ocean, at the mercy of the big waves. This story goes where it goes and you have no choice but to go with it. It's plot driven and compelling, and I like its optimism about people pushed to the extreme. I did not find it as literary as I was expecting from other reviews - just a ripping good story, well told. You can almost imagine it being told around a campfire on a beach somewhere. ...more
This mystery satisfied, and left me eager to read other books in the series. There is a strong sense of time and place, 1930s Australia, and the mysteThis mystery satisfied, and left me eager to read other books in the series. There is a strong sense of time and place, 1930s Australia, and the mystery is embedded in that time and place - it could not have happened anywhere else or at any other time. I liked the detective, an heir to a fortune but an artist who hangs out with leftists. I was intrigued by his unrequired love Edna, a sculptor, and look forward to seeing how their relationship develops. The mystery was well plotted and logical, without any unbelievable twists for the sake of surprise. I'll keep reading!...more
I really enjoyed this novella for the early 2oth century setting, the well drawn characters, and the sensitivity around issues of immigration, sexism,I really enjoyed this novella for the early 2oth century setting, the well drawn characters, and the sensitivity around issues of immigration, sexism, racism, and cross-cultural relationships....more
Weird but good. I ended up listening to the audiobook while looking at a library copy of the print book. The audio is a great experience, with the maiWeird but good. I ended up listening to the audiobook while looking at a library copy of the print book. The audio is a great experience, with the main narrators being Nick Offerman, David Sedaris, and George Saunders himself. There are also many little cameos from people famous and unfamous (at least to me). I'd recommend this unorthodox audio/print setup, because the audiobook is pretty amazing, but I think it would be confusing without seeing the multiple narrators on the page. It ends up a bit like reading a play.
This book is extremely creative and singular. The main plot thread relates to the death of Lincoln's beloved son Willie, who died of an unexpected illness while Lincoln was in office. In this book, Willie is trapped in a kind of purgatory. He isn't really the main character - we hear most from two other souls, Bevins and Vollman, who are influenced by seeing the grief and love between Willie and his father. At the same time, there is a chorus of voices of other souls in purgatory, and even at times, comments from the many books written about Lincoln, in a twitter-like stream.
In addition to being a book about the 1860s about twitter? (nice trick), I think it's about grief and love and empathy. The portrait of Lincoln is empathetic and moving, and imagine, really, to have to go and executive your way through the Civil War the week your son died. Lincoln keeps returning to the crypt to embrace the body of his son, and has these interactions with the other souls that they are aware of but he isn't...or is he, sort of, subconsciously?
I love a book that leaves unforgettable images in my mind and this is definitely one of those. ...more
I was squeeing and flapping my hands for a lot of this book - I can't believe I haven't read Neil Gaiman until now and there are so many to look forwaI was squeeing and flapping my hands for a lot of this book - I can't believe I haven't read Neil Gaiman until now and there are so many to look forward to. The thrills tailed off at the end of the book, as some of the more explicit and straight-up horror stories weren't to my taste, but oh, how I loved the ones that were basically magical realism: Chivalry, the story of an elderly woman who finds the Holy Grail at a thrift store, and The Goldfish Pool, the story of an author who is enduring an already surreal time while trying to write a screenplay at the Bel Air Hotel in Hollywood, and encounters a bit of magic on top of that. I love them for the pageantry, the portentousness of the references to fairy tales and lore, the creativity of the ideas, and the wit of the sentences. ...more
This is the memoir of a rare book expert who spent many years trying to track down and document all existing editions of Shakespeare's first folio - sThis is the memoir of a rare book expert who spent many years trying to track down and document all existing editions of Shakespeare's first folio - so expensive and prestigious that both in its time and now, it was owned by the kings and queens and celebrities, and has always been a target for thieves. This book has an unedited feel to it - the order to the anecdotes seems randomly chosen, and there's no overarching structure. The author's voice has an earnest, nerdy enthusiasm. It works - it feels like you're standing next to him at the cocktail party, as he speaks off the cuff. ...more
I enjoyed the first book in this series, and I initially liked the characters here. However, the conflict between them that could have been resolved wI enjoyed the first book in this series, and I initially liked the characters here. However, the conflict between them that could have been resolved with one honest conversation went on for far too long. And the villainess of the piece was somewhat overdone. ...more
I read this book a while ago and liked the atmosphere, but got lost in the plot and the tangle of characters. Went back to re-read it after falling inI read this book a while ago and liked the atmosphere, but got lost in the plot and the tangle of characters. Went back to re-read it after falling in love with the delightful TV show, and enjoyed it the more for being able to picture the characters vividly. A lot of the delight is in the 20s trappings, well drawn, and the heroine's boldness. However, I think the show does a better job of showing the heroine as competent, rather than just brave. ...more
A very short story, although it's amazing how much punch it packs. If you need some sweetness to cleanse your palate after another book that's stressfA very short story, although it's amazing how much punch it packs. If you need some sweetness to cleanse your palate after another book that's stressful or negative, this one works perfectly. ...more
**spoiler alert** YA is not my favourite (Then why am I reading so much of it this year? Because it's in the zeitgeist and being done well, and people**spoiler alert** YA is not my favourite (Then why am I reading so much of it this year? Because it's in the zeitgeist and being done well, and people I trust keep recommending it). Despite that, I liked a lot about this book particularly by the end. This book included a great big tragedy that not many teens will have to face (losing a parent to a plane crash) but emphasizes that grief is grief no matter the variety of the loss. It also includes a lot of small tragedies that most teens will face: falling in love but having it not work out, doubting that your parents love you, letting your friend down. And does so without villains and with a message of persistence and hope. ...more
Some creative ideas in here, but it felt long and rambling and lost its momentum a bit. Loved the setting and wish there was even more about it in theSome creative ideas in here, but it felt long and rambling and lost its momentum a bit. Loved the setting and wish there was even more about it in the book - a small southern town where a significant number of residents invested in Coca Cola early and made milllions. I liked the idea of having the hero's fame be a part of the conflict - because really, if a movie star just showed up and fell in love with you, wouldn't that be so weird that you would have trouble trusting it? I liked the pet chicken. The sexual tension worked for me, but I ended up not entirely convinced that the hero was a good guy given his previous years of shallowness. ...more
This is a soothing, reassuring book about the struggles of everyday life. It is really a book that takes a stance against shame, by acknowledging thatThis is a soothing, reassuring book about the struggles of everyday life. It is really a book that takes a stance against shame, by acknowledging that everyone who is being honest feels scattered and insufficient at times. It's not a new idea, but it's expressed with humour and wit. I think it's especially relevant to mothers, who spend much of their time dealing with small daily hassles, because it's about how there is a hero's journey even inside those difficult days. ...more
This book is a guilty pleasure because the conflict is melodramatic, with a very large coincidence. Having said that, the melodrama worked perfectly tThis book is a guilty pleasure because the conflict is melodramatic, with a very large coincidence. Having said that, the melodrama worked perfectly to create intense mutual pining on the part of both characters, and I was all in emotionally. Both the hero and heroine were a little too good to be true, but also did come across as generally brave and wise in facing the difficult circumstances that life gave them. Though there is a misunderstanding in this book, it isn't because anyone is being stupid or jumping to conclusions - it's based on a web of people with complicated obligations to each other, and lies told because of the incentives thse complicated obligations set up. The hero and heroine fall for each other quickly, but not inexplicably. I could see what each saw in each other aside from the sexual attraction, and despite the misunderstandings, they were largely honest with each other. The book was perfectly paced with no slow stretches. And though in retrospect, the plot twists seemed inevitable, I actually didn't foresee them at the time. If you're willing to suspend belief for the big coincidence, the rest of it does make emotional sense. ...more
Not a bad book, but not what I was expecting. This sad but sweet story of a widower moving on is intense, and I rooted for the couple. I believed thatNot a bad book, but not what I was expecting. This sad but sweet story of a widower moving on is intense, and I rooted for the couple. I believed that they belonged together. What I liked: that they were really adults, not kids or new adults, the setting of her job as an art appraiser at an auction house, and the sense of longing that suffused the book. However, with the title "Sex, Straight Up" I was expecting the sex to feel joyful and adventurous, and it was pretty brief and straightforward. This is not a fun romp - it's a meditation on moving on after grieving. ...more
A short book of essays on clothes and what they mean to us, including discussions of how frivolity and the joy of surfaces interacts with abrupt traumA short book of essays on clothes and what they mean to us, including discussions of how frivolity and the joy of surfaces interacts with abrupt traumas such as the holocaust and 9/11, and how it feels to be a middle-aged woman who cares about clothes. A pleasant interlude, but I don't know that I will think about it much in the future. I'd recommend it to those who have ambivalence about a love of clothes. ...more
This book was just what it promised to be. A practical guide to weeknight cooking that balances healthy, stylish but not obscure ingredients, with simThis book was just what it promised to be. A practical guide to weeknight cooking that balances healthy, stylish but not obscure ingredients, with simple techniques. ...more
I have read other books on this topic, and my only average rating may reflect the fact that much of the info here was already familiar to me. Still, II have read other books on this topic, and my only average rating may reflect the fact that much of the info here was already familiar to me. Still, I am entirely on board with the premise, and respect the author's attempt to counter the power of narrative and often used by alternative practitioners with a narrative of their failures, so rarely publicized, while still respecting the power of science to prove things and move forward. ...more
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