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How I Got This Way by Regis Philbin

Posted by Ray on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 9:30 AM

Title: How I Got This Way by Regis Philbin

I've read two or three other books by Regis, tv personality, and have enjoyed them. His writing just so corresponds to his friendly, chatting tv voice that one can just hear him talking in one's head without having an e-audio book. I wasn't sure what else he could say that I would find interesting but he comes through in spades. The structure of the book consists of short little chapters he devotes to a particular person concluded in very large type "WHAT I TOOK AWAY FROM IT ALL" and then some pithy little comments of accrued wisdom. The chapters include loads of celebrities among whom are ND Coaches Frank Leahy, Ara Parseghian and Lou Holtz, Joe DiMaggio, Donald Trump, George Clooney, Dean Martin, Walter Winchell and Bill Cosby. It is just great fun with a multitude of emotional elements. Dave Letterman's "foreward" alone is worth checking out the book — it's hilarious. Plane or train trip? Long winter's evening? A must!

The Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz by Denis Avey

Posted by Stephanie on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 at 9:41 AM

Title: The Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz by Denis Avey

If you enjoyed Unbroken and In The Garden of Beasts, you should really read The Man Who Broke Into Auschwitz: A True Story of World War II by Denis Avey with Rob Broomby. Now in his 90's, Avey finally tells the story that has been haunting him since 1945. He was a young British soldier serving in North Africa when he was captured by the Italians. He was turned over to the Germans and ended up at a POW camp next to Auschwitz. He was forced to work building a factory with the Jews in the neighboring camp. While he was horrified by the working and living conditions that he and his fellow prisoners were subjected to, the plight of the Jews troubled him even more. He was able to sneak conversations with some of the "stripeys" and learn more about their plight. He decides to switch places with one prisoner for the night and manages to do it. Avey also tells the story of liberation and its aftermath. He suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental problems caused by his experiences during captivity. With the help of his co-author he is even able to learn the fate of a Jew he helped by giving cigarettes to. I really couldn't put this book down. It is every bit as good as Unbroken and better than In the Garden of Beasts. I learned after reading the book that some news reports are discrediting his story and accusing Avey of lying or misremembering something that took place so long ago. I feel that even if his story is fabricated, it still makes for fascinating reading and gives another voice to the holocaust.

The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz

Posted by Ray on Monday, January 9, 2012 at 1:40 PM

Title: The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz

While I don't know precisely what this means, on the cover of Anthony Horowitz's new Sherlock Holmes novel is a sticker "Sherlock Holmes Conan Doyle Estate Ltd." It is the first pastiche of Holmes and Watson officially sanctioned by the heirs of Conan Doyle which is saying something because there are well over 318 pastiche novels and over a thousand short stories (In the latter category my favorite is Colin Dexter's "A Case of Mis-Identity"). And in these there are a variety of "hits" and "misses", those capturing the spirit of Conan Doyle's writing and those which do not. Horowitz does. It is almost as if this is the real 61st story of Holmes and Watson (Conan Doyle of course having written 4 novels and 56 short stories of the world's first consulting detective). While not a member of one of the many clubs of experts on arcane Sherlockian knowledge and disputation, I have read the stories maybe five or six times each and love the Jeremy Brett personification of Holmes on television viewed may times. I've read a goodly number of the pastiches and confess that I think Holmes and Watson are better in short stories than in novels. That said, Horowitz does draw us in. I still believe while he captures well the spirit of the author/creator, his writing style does not quite match Conan Doyle's, but it is captivating tale for those who must have more than the canonical 60.

Pogo by Walt Kelly

Posted by Ray on Monday, January 9, 2012 at 10:12 AM

Title: Pogo : The Complete Syndicated Comic Strips. Volume 1 by Walt Kelly

It seemed during the Vietnam War it would be announced every six months the war would be ending in six months. In much the same way the complete Pogo newspaper strips were announced to be coming out on a particular date and the closer one got to that date, the further away it became. Finally, the book is out and a big apology for the wait was offered in the opening remarks with the hope that it was worth it. It was! They have done a first-class job with great introductory and post-text material, including early Pogos. While it does not contain (nor claim to) Pogo comic book material, it does have all the newspaper strips, well reproduced and Sundays in color! If you liked Pogo, and many people did, this is a wonderful introduction to the whole spread. If you have never really read him, now's a good time to start. The gentle little possum and his allied associates will swamp your afternoon with cleverness and fun.

A Ghost in the Machine by Caroline Graham

Posted by Ray on Thursday, January 5, 2012 at 8:32 PM

Title: A Ghost in the Machine by Caroline Graham

Having watched at least 73 episodes of Midsomer Murders (two or three times each), I thought I'd see where they came from, namely the Chief Inspector Barnaby Mystery stories by creator/author Caroline Graham. I didn't pick the first one, I just picked one, A Ghost in the Machine, which came out in 2004. It was not what I had expected. In a work of some 375 pages, the first "murder" came at page 120 and at page 139 it was ruled an accidental death. The first appearance of anybody from TV was on page 143 when Gavin Troy was mentioned. Eventually Gavin is joined by Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby and then until page 342 it is pretty much like the television series, switching between the police and other characters. The last 25 pages or so are an afterward which leaves out the police but ties up the lives of many of the characters of the story. It seems to me this particular work is a novel which has a detective story inserted into it. The characters are all very interesting and the story is captivating, and certainly as to the mystery part, it is very hard to "guess" until Tom Barnaby understands and explains things to us. With an alert to the structure, this is a very entertaining book and well recommended.

The Oil Kings by Andrew Scott Cooper

Posted by Ray on Friday, December 23, 2011 at 11:58 AM

Title: The Oil Kings by Andrew Scott Cooper

Ph.D. candidate Andrew Scott Cooper's first book, The Oil Kings, jumped off the New Books shelf at the library and into my hands. I found myself being the third person to check it out since its arrival in August. It was so good that I didn't even stop to paw through the photo insert section until after the book ended. I guess I would have titled it more like: Nixon, Kissinger, Ford and the Shah of Iran. Now admittedly I had to consult the National Geographic world atlas to figure out where all these countries were — not a bad thing, actually.

As Cooper tells it with barrels of primary sources, much only appearing in public now, in 1971 the British removed their military shield from the Persian Gulf. America was just withdrawing from being badly soaked in the quagmire of Vietnam and had no great desire to get sucked into the quicksands of the Middle East (sadly future presidents would). What they needed was a powerful ally who would do the work for us and in that Nixon, Kissinger et al. found the Shah of Iran. Notoriously, he had been "put" on the throne of Iran in 1953 through the efforts (among others) of the CIA and America thought he was "their" man. Iran and the Shah were very important to the governments foreign policy then. CIA listening posts were built in the north to eavesdrop on the Soviets. The Shah's strong presence was needed to help control affairs in "West Asia", and to balance the powers of the Middle East. He was one of the few who would (however surreptitiously) resupply Israel with oil when it desperately needed it. The Shah, although an absolute monarch (dictator?), was a powerful force for modernizing and westernizing his native land. He played an amazing role with women's rights (albeit, not so much suffrage — but most everything else) in Iran. He had grand plans to rapidly modernize the land and to develop industry so that when — here's the big word — oil ran out, there would still be left a strong, developed country. The Shah also had a voracious appetite for modern weaponry and although the Kennedy-Johnson days required domestic development before a limited amount of arms sales, with Nixon and Kissinger the Shah had almost (Pace, Harry Kissinger) a blank check for U.S. planes and weaponry (save nuclear ones). And they winked the blind eye at oil price increases. The Shah desperately needed more and more billions for his huge plans militarily and domestically. But then the camel dung hit the fan: through grossly under analyzed international loans, banks were in a very sad state. And as the oil prices rose (with the Shah in both the lead and cheering sections), country after country bordered on severe economic turndown (at the least). Suddenly American realized they couldn't control "their man" and he even began experimenting with switching sides, pal-ing up with Iraq (much to the death of the Kurds). The story is fascinating and very few of us — even those who lived through the times — until now have had opportunity for such a complete story of what was actually happening. Not a beach read, but very, very interesting and opening the gates to further interest in Kissinger (Walter Isaacson's bio?), Iran, Iraq, the Saudis, etc. Very recommended.

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

Posted by Ray on Monday, December 19, 2011 at 10:02 AM

Title: Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

Looking at the great Christmastime book display near the Reference Desk, I spotted John Grisham's little book Skipping Christmas. Just before it came out I read a review and thought it would be a fun read — but then so did so many other people that I never got my hands on it. Then it slipped from memory. I can't believe it is ten years — a decade — later that I was finally able to read it. Indeed it is a fun, short read and is as meaningful now as it would have been then. I also have to compliment the jacket design by John Fontana and the illustration by Andrew Davidson which perfectly captures the story. Recommended seasonal reading.

Shockaholic by Carrie Fisher

Posted by Ray on Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 11:25 AM

Title: Shockaholic by Carrie Fisher

A friend alerted me that Carrie Fisher had a new book and so I placed a hold on it. This is a short book. It is some 162 pages. Minus 25 pages of interspersed pictures. Minus about five blank pages at chapter's end. Minus a very small size. And yet I find Ms. Fisher writes engagingly. She is a celebrity and she writes about celebrities: herself ("Me, me, me, ME"); Senator Chris Dodd (although it ultimately was about Ted Kennedy); Michael Jackson; Elizabeth Taylor; and the author's father, Eddie Fisher. Not only are they all celebrities but, excluding Ms. Fisher, they're all dead. I was shocked to discover that the "shock" in Shockaholic is her continuing ECT treatments to drag her out of manic-depression. And while it dissolves a number of memories, it seems to be working for her. I read her books — I think I've read all of them — because she writes so entertainingly, so cleverly and with much humor. And yet she also has some insights. I think her analysis of Michael Jackson is the best I've ever read. After decades of paternal absence, she decided to care for her father in his decline, acting as a caregiver or mother, and that brought about a wonderful transformation in their relationship (or formerly lack thereof). The above-mentioned small size (fitting easily into a purse, carry-on, or, yes, a Kindle, allows this to be a great airport, airplane, train station, train book. You'll be at your destination before you know it.

1493 by Charles C. Mann

Posted by Ray on Wednesday, December 14, 2011 at 10:56 AM

Title: 1493 : Uncovering the New World Columbus Created by Charles C. Mann

This past August, Charles C. Mann published his latest book, 1493. He's the author of 1491. Notice a title trend here? I heartily recommend this book, well at least the first 123 pages that I finished. I checked it out and then had some medical difficulties greatly slowly down my advance. However, what I did read was exceptional and the reason why I didn't renew the book is only because other people are waiting to read it (such is the word of mouth and press) so I was not able to do so. His basic theme, quite simple, really, is that with Columbus and his voyages (and all the others they spawned), the eastern and western hemispheres were again joined and in a very real sense a "New World" was created, one interdependent upon both hemispheres in terms of economy, diet, health and many other things. It was truly a different planet after Columbus. There was a long chapter on "Evil Air", mostly about malaria, which came to the Western Hemisphere from European ships and those who rode them, and devastated (for some time to come) both hemispheres. Among many insights in that chapter, he pointed out that part of the reason American won its War of Independence was because Cornwallis' s British army in the south was devastated by the disease, he only being able to field about half his army when faced with the Americans and French (army and fleet). Further, the Civil War was greatly prolonged because of massive Union losses (Yankees had little immunity to the disease which was prevalent in the South) due to malaria and other such diseases. Had the war been over quickly, it would have mostly been a war for preserving "The Union". As it turned out, the longer it lasted, the more it became a war also to free slaves and thus had a tremendously different impact upon our land due to the sickness.

I learned with interest about the massive Columbus Lighthouse in San Salvador (which maybe you've seen on vacation), a memorial for Columbus created in the 20th Century as well as statues to a couple of men in the Philippines who greatly increased world trade. Indeed Mann takes us to events in China and how Columbus et al. impacted life and regimes even there. This is an exceptional story and as Mr. Mann is also a journalist, the theories, history and details of many things are presented in an interesting way. Put a hold on it too!

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Posted by Stephanie on Monday, November 21, 2011 at 10:31 AM

Title: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Fans of historical/magical fiction will greatly enjoy "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern. A magical circus arrives in town with no warning. Only open at night, audience members can go from tent to tent enjoying one amazing act after another. What they are not aware of is that the magic they see is real magic. The circus is carefully constructed of actual magic that serves as the venue for a contest to the death between two rival magicians, Celia and Marco. Bound into this battle by their mentors as children, Celia and Marco trained for years without really knowing what they were training for or who they would be fighting with. When they fall in love, they have to figure out how to end the contest without destroying the circus and all of the people they care about.
The novel is set during the last thirty years of the nineteenth century, although the tale is timeless. The descriptions of the clothing and settings are wonderfully vivid. The characters are very interesting and compelling. I really couldn't put this book down.

Catherine the Great by Robert K. Massie

Posted by Ray on Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 4:44 PM

Title: Catherine the Great : Portrait of a Woman by Robert Massie

At some 578 pages, this book is almost as massive as the Russian Empire. It is also an amazing journey. As a young teenage girl, Sophia, a German "princess", is commanded to go to Russia with her mother and shortly is "encouraged" to convert to the Russian Orthodox faith (given the new name "Catherine") and marry the Grand Duke Paul. It was not a happy marriage. As time passes, rather than be put away in a convent, she goes along with numerous supporters and seizes the Russian throne and rules as an "enlightened" autocrat for the rest of her life. What a tremendous insight into the life of both royalty and serfs. It certainly was not life as Disney wrote it. Massie offers a gripping account of Catherine's life as well as Russian and European history. While it is a heavy book to pick up, it is also very hard to put down. You feel as if you are there in the Russian courts. Another great work by the author of Nicholas and Alexandra.l

The Garner Files by James Garner and Jon Winokur

Posted by Ray on Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at 4:30 PM

Title: The Garner Files by James Garner

When I saw that this was coming out — James Garner's "autobiography" — I knew I wanted to read it and having just read it — I am glad I did. Looking at it before I dug into the text, I was thinking maybe it was not going to be so good because at the end there is a) no index, b) a list of movies/tv shows with comments and c) a chapter on friends/co-workers giving quotes or stories for the book. Looked like it was padded. Discounting that, it is about 250 pages of medium-size type and a breezy, Jim Garneresque story of his life. You can almost tell the parts that Jon Winokur wrote (detailing the life and times). You can certainly "hear" Jim Garner speaking. A good deal is spent telling the story of Jim's hard life as a kid — he was basically on his own since age 14, and then we follow on how he got to be what he is — a star who doesn't flaunt his celebrity, a flawed but a good man who treats the high and the lowly as people, who tries to create a family atmosphere on the film or television set, who works very hard on the job but leaves the job at the studio, and someone who has been married to the same woman for many, many years. Lots of inside stories on car racing and playing golf are available. One of my favorite little stories was that a golf professional gave Jim a tip. When he throws his club (Garner gets really angry often, golfing), throw it into the fairway. That way you don't have to walk back and get it. Almost all the people who have ever worked with him professionally like James Garner, and his fans are legion. Just let him eat dinner without having to sign an autograph (Which he will do, graciously, but he prefers not to.). This is a quick and enjoyable read about the man who made Bret Maverick and Jim Rockford household names but who has done a lot more than that.

Area 51 by Annie Jacobsen

Posted by Ray on Monday, October 31, 2011 at 10:54 AM

Title: Area 51 : An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base by Annie Jacobsen

Looking for something to read, I again browsed the library's fine Recent Nonfiction shelves and came upon this book. I thought: Okay, flying saucers and government cover-ups. Too bad I didn't read more closely the subtitle of this book. Jacobsen, a contributing editor to the Los Angeles Times Magazine, gives us an exceptional, captivating history of America's top secret military base in Nevada. Using de-classified documents, interviews with people who had worked there, and other sources, the author tells us a great deal about U-2s, Francis Gary Powers, the A-12 and SR-71 (my fav.) spy planes, atomic testing (I couldn't believe how many bombs were exploded both here and overseas), the Vietnam War, the U.S.S. Pueblo, Johnson, Kennedy, Eisenhower, stealth bombers, life on the ranch (Area 51), atomic powered spaceships, radar, electronics, and, oh, did I mention flying saucers. The latter was hardly the focus of the book, more bookended little sections at the front and ending. And here's a spoiler: she believes the famous Roswell, New Mexico crash of 1947 was a saucer built by Stalin via adapted plans from Nazi era flying wing planes, piloted (or at least had aboard) deformed children courtesy of the experiments of Dr. Joseph Mengle. The ship was not from beyond the galaxy; it had Cyrillic writing on the interior. For a work close to 400 pages, it is well-written, well documented, and a great window to national security (bombs and aerial spying) from the 1940s thru the 1980s. Strongly recommended — unless you're a conspiracy theorist.

The Sandburg Connection by Mark De Castrique

Posted by Ray on Monday, October 31, 2011 at 10:45 AM

Title: The Sandburg Connection by Mark De Castrique

This is a pleasant reading mystery that takes place in the Asheville (and Flat Rock) North Carolina area with plenty of local color. The P.I. Sam Blackman is a former military policeman back from the Middle East (although one of his legs remained there) and along with his friend and colleague, Ms. Nakayla Robinson, solves mystery. This one is involves Carl Sandburg's Flat Rock home, some songs, events relating to the Civil War, National Park Service Rangers, police, college professors, a medical lawsuit and goats. It speedily runs its course and while not great literature is fun and diverting.

Render unto Rome by Jason Berry

Posted by Ray on Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 10:19 AM

Title: Render unto Rome : The Secret Life of Money in the Catholic Church by Jason Berry

While this book has been very well researched, I found it clumsily written. It is Mr. Berry's concluding effort of a trilogy which began with 1996's Lead Us Not into Temptation and continued on in 2004's Vows of Silence about the most recent abuse scandals in the Catholic Church. I would hazard a guess that some 35% of this book is about that as well, put leading into detailed discussions and narratives of the misuse of clerical power and funds in the United States, at the Vatican and elsewhere. Its point is very important: conceived in the time of kingdoms and empires, the hierarchy of the Church is open to misuse of power and there is very little punishment (as deterrent?) to misuse of trust both in terms of covering up abuse and financial mismanagement (or corruption). In particular Bishops and Cardinals and others of that rarefied caste seem most likely to be "bumped upstairs" rather than punished for culpable actions. There is not a sense of true justice within Church structure, Mr. Berry affirms. And, he suggests, this failing greatly diminishes the voice of the Church when it tries to be an authentic voice for Christ, for peace, for the affirmation of the dignity of human life, and preaching values of a greener planet. The individual segments or narratives (read: journal articles?) which Mr. Berry offers are indeed interesting and insightful. However I felt it could have a much tighter, clearer structure with perhaps less details in some areas to allow for a better understanding of his message. I think I would have enjoyed this as an audio book if it is available as such.