en-US Thu, 01 May 2025 14:38:29 -0700 60 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Review7534950792 Thu, 01 May 2025 14:38:29 -0700 /review/show/7534950792 Clair gave 5 stars to Playing for Keeps: Michael Jordan and the World That He Made (Hardcover) by David Halberstam
Playing for Keeps is a remarkable story about a remarkable athlete by a remarkable author. David Halberstam has demonstrated time and again how fluidly he can move from the subject of politics to sports and back again. His undertaking to tell the Michael Jordan story is another example of that unique talent. Some may criticize Halberstam's writing as glorification of the Jordan era in the NBA. If this was indeed the case, it would be difficult to not understand why. Jordan was then and remains the greatest among NBA greats (no apologies to Lebron James fans). Halberstam casts extended and in-depth light on what Jordan meant to the Chicago Bulls and the NBA itself (and to a lesser degree to the University of North Carolina). But Halberstam does not shy away from the dark side of Michael Jordan. He was and is after all, human, and there is no effort made to hide the bully-side. nor the selfish side that are part of the complicated man. Playing for Keeps was released more than 25 years ago. Halberstam is no longer living and Jordan is no longer an every day subject in the news. The NBA specifically and professional sports in general, has evolved numerous times in those 25 years. But like any great story of history, Playing for Keeps is a book that lives on, and should be read as a reminder of how times have changed. ]]> Review7496946450 Thu, 17 Apr 2025 15:30:13 -0700 /review/show/7496946450 Clair gave 5 stars to The Kite Runner (Paperback) by Khaled Hosseini
A remarkable novel of hope told in the shadows of a country that for so many years held no suggestion of hope. Khaled Hosseini's story is as much about Afghanistan as it is of Amir, Hassan, Baba, Soraya and so many other remarkable characters that together make The Kite Runner a beautifully told story. Like the recent history of Afghanistan, The Kite Runner evolves from a dark, uncertain history, but hope for a better time is suggested in the end. So it seemed for Afghanistan as well, and as uncertain as life was for the Afghan people, there was a glimmer of hope, until recent years with the Taliban returning to power. Would The Kite Runner have a different ending, had it been written in 2023, rather than 2003? ]]> ReadStatus9295527767 Thu, 10 Apr 2025 20:33:31 -0700 /review/show/7479383735 Clair wants to read Patriot: A Memoir by Alexei Navalny
]]> Review7479351892 Thu, 10 Apr 2025 20:17:36 -0700 /review/show/7479351892 Clair gave 5 stars to And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle (Hardcover) by Jon Meacham
There have been countless marvelous books written about the great 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. And I have read many, but few, if any take on the perspective that Jon Meacham takes with And there was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle.

Beautifully written and shedding great light on the moralist and spiritual Lincoln, Meacham parlays that but suggesting early on that Lincoln had his sights on a life as a politician. Others have suggested that Lincoln was not a religious man, perhaps even an agnostic, but Meacham offers that Lincoln while not evangelistic, realized his role was guided by the principles of a higher being. Time and again, the author references that Lincoln's purpose was Providential; namely in bringing an end to slavery. But the politician side of Lincoln was always in view, recognizing that the country, both sides of the civil war would never embrace emancipation as the reason for war; it was about saving the Union, first; an objective skeptical, if not outright racist Northerners would patriotically embrace.

Meacham's portrayal of Lincoln is like few, if any others. Lincoln's words are offered frequently and powerfully. It's remarkable and nothing short of a miracle that Lincoln was so fortunately in the right place in what otherwise was a horrible time in US history. ]]> ReadStatus9262967821 Wed, 02 Apr 2025 10:37:15 -0700 /review/show/7456840167 Clair wants to read Crazy Horse and Custer by Stephen E. Ambrose
]]> Review7454689206 Wed, 02 Apr 2025 10:09:24 -0700 /review/show/7454689206 Clair gave 3 stars to Red Dog Farm (Hardcover) by Nathaniel Ian Miller
Orrie is not Sven. Not that author Nathaniel Ian Miller's intention was to write a sequel to his marvelous first outing, The Memoirs of Stockholm Sven, when writing Red Dog Farm.

In Miller's second novel, Orri, is a young man at a crossroads. Continue with college or return to the farm. It seems every main actor in Red Dog Farm is faced with their own life's challenges: Orri's parents, his neighbor, Runa, Orri's girlfriend Mihan. Only Orri's grandmother and dog are grounded. And all taking place in Iceland, no less.

This should all make for a terrific novel, but after the incredible story in the Memoirs of Stockholm Sven, Red Dog Farm doesn't quite measure up. Miller's wonderful word flow and his delightful humor are still present. His ability to vividly capture the darker side of Iceland, that which we don't learn about in tourist guides, especially on a small struggling farm is colorful and intimidating. But beyond the midpoint of the book, the story bogs down, becomes staid and more than a little predictable. It's an unfortunate turn.

if for no other reason, read Red Dog Farm, because it's the work of a remarkable writer. While it may not be his best, this read will leave us looking forward to Miller's next outing. ]]> AuthorFollowing108317256 Tue, 01 Apr 2025 14:26:03 -0700 Review7447540461 Sun, 30 Mar 2025 09:01:50 -0700 /review/show/7447540461 Clair gave 4 stars to When the Mississippi Ran Backwards: Empire, Intrigue, Murder, and the New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-12 (Paperback) by Jay Feldman
Jay Feldman expertly provides a view of the cataclysmic earthquake that shook the center of North America in 1811-12 in his work, When the Mississippi Ran Backwards: Empire, Intrigue, Murder and the New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-1812. It's surprising that more hasn't been written about this event and its impact on the Westward Expansion of the US. Feldman provides fascinating detail of the event through the eyes of the few who bothered to document it. One senses the shock and overwhelming emotions they experienced, as if life along the Mississippi wasn't already challenging. But more than just a record of the earthquake, Feldman shares the impact of the growing cultural and land battles with the numerous Indigenous people of the region and the heroic efforts of Tecumseh to rally them to stand their ground. To a lesser extent, Feldman sheds light on slavery in the involved territories, particularly one grisly occasion that epitomizes the horror that slavery in the US was and continued to be. when the Mississippi Ran Backwards is not a long book, but Feldman does a remarkable job of capturing the young United States as it was at that time, temporarily halted by a yearlong earthquake and subsequent tremors that were it to occur today, would dramatically change our way of life in the center of the country. ]]> Review7432238597 Mon, 24 Mar 2025 18:03:25 -0700 /review/show/7432238597 Clair gave 4 stars to Conclave (Paperback) by Robert Harris
Perhaps I should have read the book before seeing the movie. Both were very good, but it's hard to read the book and not see Ralph Fiennes, Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow in their respective roles, and for whatever reason, it detracted from reading. But the book itself read like it was the screenplay, verbatim. Is that a good thing? With only a few exceptions, it was as if every scene, every conversation, every thought was captured in the film adaptation. Nevertheless, Conclaves is an enjoyable read. Harris is terrific in capturing the painful process, Ralph, sorry, Lomeli, experiences virtually every moment leading up to and during the Conclave: his interaction with other cardinals, his prayers, his angst on literally every page. Other characters too, but none more so than Lomeli as the Dean of the Conclave. Enjoy both the movie and the book, but read the book, first. ]]> Review3056570797 Fri, 21 Mar 2025 04:42:09 -0700 /review/show/3056570797 Clair gave 5 stars to A Gentleman in Moscow (Hardcover) by Amor Towles
How does one deal with the news that his life has been spared from the firing squad and instead will live the rest of his life in an attic space in a large hotel. So begin A Gentleman in Moscow. Considered a voice opposed to post revolutionary Russia, but recognizing the popularity of his poetry, Count Alexander Rostov is exiled to live in the Metropol Hotel in the heart of Moscow. Rostov demonstrates his masterful skills in re-setting his life and lifestyle to this exiled world inside the six story walls of the Russian landmark. Author Amor Towles demonstrates his masterful skills as a writer, involving his readers in the life of this gentleman of Moscow and of the world. Anticipation of this being a dark story of brooding and self pity, is turned on its ear immediately as we find ourselves in awe of the Count's adjustments to his new way of life, and exhibiting his embrace of those beautiful souls around him. a real factor of his survival with grace, yet never losing sight of being a Count. But this is not a Pollyannish tale in any way, shape or form. It is a story of aspiration and hope; tale of joy from first page to last. ]]>