Trust - Hernan Diaz --------------- 2.5 Stars

Sometimes people's opinions are really different. This is a good example. Released in 2022, Trust went on to be in one of the most critically acclaimed books that year. Besides making numerous top 10 list,s including the New York Times and Barack Obama, it also received the Pulitzer Prize. Well, let's take a look at why I had a different viewpoint.

Let's start with the positives. This book was incredibly well written and the author has a meticulous way to describe scenes, characters, situations. The level of detail is tremendous and you can really get a great feel for situation's and motivations of people throughout the novel. I also really enjoy the ending as I was not quite sure how the book was going to turn out and even felt like giving up on a couple of times (more information below). Finally, it was nice having most of the book be about female protagonists and their impacts in a variety of situations.

With that being said, I really struggled with numerous aspects of the book. While book does, indeed, have a great amount of detail, it was clearly too much for me as I found much of it distracting and overwhelming. Again, very well written, I did find many of the scenes overdone with superfluous information offered. The next challenge that I found was the structure of the novel. I actually found the plot to be fairly interesting, as it was about a Wall Street tycoon in the 1920s and his eccentric wife. And while the structure was novel, at least to me, I don't feel like it it reach the high expectations that I held for it. Basically, the story was told four times over with different narrators and/or in different ways. Certainly creative, I did find the repetitiveness of certain parts frustrating and didn't find enough differentiation between the stories to fully enjoy the book.

Based on the very strong reviews on Amazon and in many other places, clearly I'm in the minority on my opinion of this book. I would suggest you read it yourself though and make your own opinion. If nothing else, I'd be surprised if it didn't at least evoke some strong views about how much you enjoy it.

 

Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It - Chris Voss ------------- 3 Stars

While I didn't really think I did a lot of negotiating in life, this book was recommended to me. And, even with an awfully serious title - Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It , the author actually makes the point that much of life is a negotiation. Really, any time you want something, you are taking part in a negotiation. Oh, yeah, and he did negotiate for people's lives a lot,

so he certainly seemed to know his stuff.

I say "he" as, Chris Voss, the author, is an important part of the book. There are many autobiographical parts, and he shares his credentials and experience often to make you feel he's authentic and trustworthy (it definitely worked for me). In addition, the book includes many stories from his negotiations as part of the FBI along with his support of many students on the business side of things. It all works out to make you believe fully in his messaging.

The book has about a dozen chapters and each offers a different suggestion to help you negotiate better. What I found most useful in the book was how much it resonated to my experience and sense of what works best; namely, it's all about connection and empathy. The old view of being a "tough guy" and creating and adversarial and dominating relationship does not work. Throughout the 200+ pages, I really felt like Voss was providing great examples and actually usable suggestions.  

While I have tried a couple of his suggestions, I am finding that they are not as applicable as I would have hoped. While I guess I negotiate multiple times a day, it's so low stakes that the tools he suggested really don't seem to make a difference. I am looking forward to trying some of his strategies in a real negotiation soon. 

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared Paperback – Jonas Jonasson ----------------- 2 Stars

The 100 Year Old Man who Climbed Out the Window, was released about 10 years ago and was popular upon its release. However, I had not ever heard of it until a few weeks ago when someone said to give it a try. It was described as a nice, fun, airy and easy to read book. While not wrong, I found it just a bit too silly.

For those that are not familiar, as you may have gleaned from the title, the book is about an 100-year-old person who leaves a nursing home through a window. The rest of the book follows a Forrest Gumpian tale of his exploits after leaving the institution and many flashbacks about his life that brought him to this place. It is nothing if not fantastical, but I can see the allure to some readers.

While I thought they were parts of the book they were entertaining and even funny, I struggled with how unrealistic the book was. I understand it was a fictional story, but it was constantly on the verge of being so unrealistic it was silly. The main character is certainly alluring and the best part of the novel where the flashbacks when he was a major player in Geopolitics for nearly half a century. I less enjoyed the current story that include his getaway, eventual connections with numerous bizarre characters, and unanticipated ending. 

As noted in the last paragraph, I really struggled with just how light this novel was. While I am not opposed to a fun story that is totally unreal, I didn't feel like it had enough humor or exciting parts to carry the unseriousness. I also found the characters really not that exciting. Again, the 100 year old man was interesting but there are four to five other complimentary characters that I just couldn't find myself caring for. By the end of the book, I really just wanted to find out what happened, rather than enjoy the journey.

As I was curious what others thought of the book, I did check out some reviews afterwards. From what I could tell, it was a fairly polarizing story. There are some readers who absolutely loved it and others, perhaps more like me, that really didn't enjoy the story. In many ways, it reminded me of a slightly more positive version of A Man called Ove. Not surprisingly, that was one of my least favorite books I've read (review here). If you haven't read, perhaps it's worth giving it a try and seeing where you fall.

Genealogy of a Murder: Four Generations, Three Families, One Fateful Night - Lisa Belkin --------------- 3 Stars

When I first read the synopsis for Genealogy of a Murder, I figured it was a book made for my tastes. A nonfiction story about a murder many years ago with a fascinating confluence of events. In addition, the author takes a fascinating historical path, describing the history of three different families that led to awful event. Yet, for some reason, I didn't enjoy the book as much as I hoped.

Continuing the synopsis, the three people include a police officer who was killed, the seemingly reformed ex-con who shot him, and a doctor (related to the author) who pledged that the killer was reformed. The book has a few notable and interesting themes. First, what leads people to a life of crime; is is nature or nurture? And, how much can those paths change by life events and how likely are they to change after being locked up. In addition, how easy is to predict a person's success after prison? What information or data could be used to inform a parole decision?

These are fascinating questions that should have made for a great read. And, to be fair, it was an interesting and enjoyable book. The story she told was a page turner, and the history she shared about each person was clearly researched and informatively shared. In addition, it was great she was able to share a bit of a postscript about each of these families. Although the murder took place in 1960, she followed up on the status of family lineage to literally last year.

With that said, I struggled with certain aspects of this text. First, while not necessarily too long, it seemed to focus on the wrong things. I was really hoping to get more of a story about the three main characters. And, while they are still the priority of the book, the author felt it important to cover both breadth and depth of their ancestors and extended family. As each came from families of European immigrants with many siblings, I felt much of the first half of the novel was telling the many stories of these people. Unfortunately, I couldn't keep up with all of them (many having the same name didn't make it easier), and I am grateful for the complex family tree in the preface that I went back to often.

My other biggest weakness has to do with the eventual murder. Based on the title and all preceding chapters, it's clear the book is slowly chugging along to reach that point. Once there, however, the author choose to tell the story of what happened in an odd time sequencing that took away from the story. While there was limited information and eyewitnesses to what occurred, I found it an odd way to conclude what was supposed to be the apex of the story.

As a whole, not a bad book at all. I love the story and ideas raised by it; I just struggled with the way the author shared information. She also has a very deliberate and informative writing style, that moves you through the facts but doesn't always keep you fully engaged with the story. Maybe take a look for yourself.

Libra - Don DeLillo --------------------- 4 Stars

This book ended up being an interesting read that had connections to two previous review. First, I really found DeLillo's Underworld an interesting read when I took on a while ago (can't believe it's been a decade!). Here is the review. The connection is more odd as this book had such a fascinating overlap of the recently read and reviewed American Tabloid by James Ellroy. In fact, Ellroy based much of his book on Libra as the similarities are notable.

If you have not read either, both are historical fiction narratives about the life of Lee Harvey Oswald and the people and events surrounding his eventual part in the assassination of JFK. As an interested and well read student of the JFK assassination and many conspiracy theories, I found both of these books interesting reads though I struggled most with the historical fiction aspects of the book. After reading multiple non-fiction books about the assassination (my two favorites - Oswald's Tale by Norman Mailer and Case Closed by Gerald Posner), it's hard to "buy into" these books that take many real life and historical events and make up the dialogue and other actions. And while I appreciate the intent of painting a much clearer and detailed picture, I often reminded myself that the author is often guessing and taking a lot of artistic license. 

That being said, I did find this book entertaining and an enjoyable read. In fact, I really couldn't put it down during the last third of the book as the preparation and plans leading up to the assassination began. Unlike American Tabloid, this book was a bit less gritty, and I preferred DeLillo's writing style to Ellroy. Ellory has much shorter prose; almost staccato like; whereas DeLillo has a more refined and smooth writing style. I also find Libra did a better job rounding out characters and giving a better and fuller representation of the people around Oswald that likely led to the events of November 22, 1963. 

And while I enjoyed the book, I could imagine others not having the same regard. First, it's a fairly dense and long book, coming in at nearly 500 pages (with some small print!). It also is pretty niche. Besides having an interest or appreciation for DeLillo (which you should because he's a great writer), the content is very specific to the JFK assassination and Oswald. Perhaps last, while not as dark as American Tabloid, it's still a story mostly about violence, deception, and spycraft. Again, great for some readers, probably not the cup of tea for others.

Feel free to check it out for yourself; meanwhile, hyperlink record with five this blog!

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession - Michael Finkel ----------------- 3 Stars

The Art Thief recently was released and seemed like a book that I would really enjoy. Even by the title alone, one could see why it seems like a great read. And, while I did enjoy the story for the most part, I didn't find the book met the expectations I had for it.

So, the story was unknown to me and actually pretty unbelievable. This book is about the most prolific art thief in modern times (or ever?). Beginning about 20 years ago and carrying out over 200 heists of 8 years, this book chronicles his life. 

As a whole, I enjoyed the story immensely. Partly this is because I knew nothing about these crimes and also because it was so interesting to learn about the life and mindset of the man responsible for these crimes. Also interestingly, because this book is so recent, the author takes you up to almost the present in understanding the current status of the main characters of the story. It also makes clear (as much as possible) the status of the many, many pieces of art that were taken.

While the story is fantastic, and almost beyond belief, I thought the telling was just average. While there was nothing wrong with the book and the author did an acceptable job of retelling the story, I felt it was pedestrian in many ways. Amazingly, he spent over 40 hours speaking with the art thief and learning all about his crimes and story. And, even with that amazing direct access, I found the book never captured my excitement the way it could have. No cliffhanger chapter endings and nothing that left me agog. This isn't to take away at all from this incredible tale; I just felt it could have been told in an even better way.

I still recommend this book strongly. It's an easy read and a good book. And, even though only 3 stars, it's an engaging read from start to finish. It's possible I just had too high of an expectation for this book. Perhaps you should take a read for yourself and see what you think! 🧐 

But What If We're Wrong?: Thinking About the Present as If It Were the Past -- Chuck Klosterman ------------------- 4 Stars

I don't think I've ever read a Chuck Klosterman book before, though I am very familiar with him and his writings. An asitute and creative cultural critic, I've read a number of his articles in various magazines and heard his musings on a few podcasts. Then, one of his books, But What If We're Wrong?: Thinking About the Present as If It Were the Past popped up as an easy borrow on Libby so I thought I'd give it a try. What a fun, thought provoking and entertaining book!

While the book is 7 years old, it feels recent and the premise, timeless. As the title states, Klosterman does his best to think about much our modern world and what will actually be remembered hundreds of years in the future. Spoiler alert - he believes it's many things that we are currently not considering. Covering art, literature, media, movies, sports, tv, and science, the book also offers commentary from many notable scientists, theorists and futurists. 

What makes this book so interesting are two things. First, is the premise on it's own - we're really bad at actually determining what matters and predicting the future so maybe we should question some of our beliefs. Many of these posits are really "hot takes" and curious. One for example, is that democracy is overrated and not that great. While he makes some strong arguments, hard to believe the alternatives might be any better (this was part of a chapter predicting how/why America may eventually fail). The second reason this book is interesting is classic Klosterman - he's super funny and has irreverent viewpoints. In a sentence explaining theoretical physics, he might offer a joke about a modern pop star. Relatedly, there were nearly 100 footnotes and many of them served as another place that he shares jokes and thoughts.

The biggest downside of the book is that parts are complicated and hard to follow. Besides making the reader really have to think through highly difficult topics, a lot of tightrope walking of thoughts (if that is a thing) is necessary. There are multiple times where it's really hard to imagine what is being considered - though this is an actual theme of the book. However, that may be also what I most enjoyed; working to understand his arguments and thinking about them later. It's one of those few books that really make you consider his writings when not reading it.  Also, I suppose if you don't appreciate his jokes and incessant footnoting, you might also not like.  

This book may be a bit of a specialized taste and recommend reading some other Klosterman before diving in. Between the complicated subject matter and unique author's style, it may be off putting to some. However, if you are open to giving it a try, or want to read a uniquely funny and highly entertaining and thought provoking book, this would be a good one to try!

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder Hardcover – David Grann ------------------- 3.5 Stars

While not planning to read The Wager, this new release was recently available and well regarded, so I thought I'd give it a shot. And, although it wasn't a book that I simply couldn't put down, it was engaging and did a great job holding my attention.

As this is a new book, quick synopsis - an 18th century British boat was sent passed South American looking for Spanish treasure. Unfortunately, the nasty Cape Horn caused a sea wreck and marooned the many sailors in a tough section of Patagonia. While there, the men struggled to live successfully and peacefully and a mutiny occurred leading to surprising and fascinating consequences.

I hate to write more and spoil some of the surprise of the book, but know that the "true" story told has some exciting twists and turns. I also include "true" in quotation marks as the author makes it quite clear that he did his best to review hundreds of centuries old sources to determine what really happened. But, many of those writing the history had strong motivations for their version of what took place to be the "truth." Nonetheless, I believe the author does a stellar job at ensuring as an objective retelling as possible.

For the most part, the book is a good read. While very heavy about life as a sailor and the work of living on a mid 1700s sea vessel, the author does a good job of explaining less relevant aspects and even connecting many modern phrases which originated as parts of sailing culture. Conversely, the first third of the book is the most difficult read. Rounding out characters and sharing the monotony of many seaman's daily lives, is not as exciting as the rest of the book's retelling of fighting off challenging storms, violence between crewmates, and the incredible stories of perseverance put forth by many when left in nearly impossible situations.

On a whole, I think this book is a worthwhile read. Fairly short and, for the most part, accessible, if you can push through the first few chapters, the payoff is worth it once the author gets to the more exciting parts. Great story and I'm really happy I wasn't a sailor in the 18th century too!

Where Men Where Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman - Jon Krakauer ------------- 4 Stars

I've been reading a lot of books lately and really enjoying many of them. Like always, however, the search to find a (hopefully) great book is a challenge. So, when I paused after my last book and thought about what might be a good read, I looked back at my favorite authors and landed on Jon Krakauer. 

CRAZY UPDATE - so, I just took a moment and reviewed my blog to see how many other Krakauer books I've read and had a stunning realizing... I actually read and reviewed this book in September 2010!  

I am not sure if it's sad or wonderful that I didn't remember reading this book (and reviewing) and enjoying it as much as I did this second time around. I seemed to enjoy it more this time as it moved from a 3.5 stars to 4.

One other result of this is that I don't think there are any other Krakauer books that I haven't read worth reading and, I believe, he is no longer writing any books. Which is very sad.

Well, here was my original review -https://bookmarkthatbook.blogspot.com/2010/09/where-men-win-glory-odyssey-of-pat.html

Still a great book!

 

The Hare with Amber Eyes - Edmund De Waal ---------------------- 3 Stars

When this book was recommended to me, I was certain I had never read or even heard of this book. And, while only a couple years old, and a NY Times bestseller, this quiet book about a subject completely unknown to me turned into a pretty enjoyable read.

I feel I should share a bit about The Hare with Amber Eyes before going into a review, as you likely are also less familiar with this book. To clear up my first misconception - based on title, I figured it was a book of fiction. It is not; rather, it's a non-fiction story that covers the fascinating history of De Waal's family and their collection of netsuke.  Again, if like me, you are not aware of what a netsuke is. They are basically Japanese carvings made of wood or ivory (the hare with amber eyes is one such that belonged to his family). I googled a few collections to get a better sense and appreciate their aesthetic. Besides being a potter as a day job, the author has a much deeper connection to these objects as it connects to his family's legacy.

In fact, the book is really a story about his research and the life of the many members of the Ephrussi family. The Ephrussi's were a rich Russian family who gained wealth as grain traders eventually growing their empire across much of western Europe. They were also Jews living in Europe in the 20th century and much of the book shares the challenges they faced with anti-Semitism and eventually navigating the Holocaust while living in Austria.

The book is an interesting read, and I enjoyed large parts of it. His family story is fascinating and the journeys and history of the Ephrussi's included a large array of charming and notable characters. I also enjoyed learning much more about the collection and beauty of netsuke.  Some of the most fascinating parts of the book were the author's musings about the importance of "things"; especially things you could hold and provided meaning and depth to the owner. I also enjoyed the author often offering his own personal commentary about his own status of the writing process mid text. It was like a television character breaking the fourth wall and telling you their thinking about a scene as it's paused. His own personal musings about challenges, surprises, etc., added more flavor to the story.

The book can be slow at certain parts and didn't fully engage me throughout. The final quarter shares the story of the collection of netsuke moving back to Japan from Europe and it was the weakest part of the story. I also struggled with some pieces of vocabulary. I feel less bad about the more than occasional dropping in of native French, Russian, Austrian or some other language. It was the English words I didn't know that was frustrating. I am fine with an author using impressive and thoughtful language but it becomes frustrating when a dictionary is necessary on nearly every other page (it also makes this humble reader feel less smart).

On a whole, I recommend the Hare with Amber Eyes as it was one of the more interesting books I've recently read. I also appreciated learning about a slice of life I knew nothing about. While the family story was truly the heart of the book and engaging tale, learning about the story of these hidden treasures being passed down to the author was fun.

The Ferryman - Justin Cronin ------------------------ 4.5 Stars

I have been a huge Justin Cronin fan for many years, beginning with his captivating book - The Passage (eventually made into a pretty awful tv show with the amazing Mark Paul-Gosselaar (who, even at his best, had no chance of saving it)). One of the few 5 star review on this blog, it was joined later by The Twelve (a decent sequel) and City of Mirrors (review of all three can be found here). So, imagine my excitement when a new book was announced earlier this summer. 

The Ferryman, a less dark, non post-apocalyptic story, was a nice change of pace from his prior novels. Moving into slightly lighter dystopian future, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and finished the 530 pages quickly in under two weeks. The basic premise revolves around the main character who works as a ferryman to take people who are close to dying to a placed called the Nursery to be "renewed". The setting is a beautiful, utopianish country that is hidden from the challenges of the modern world. Of course, not is all as it seems and he begins dreaming (something that was not believed possible), and other class conflicts begin to arise.

As noted, I really couldn't put this down. From the opening pages, I found the book engrossing and the characters, and perhaps more notably, the plot, very engaging. I also found Cronin has improved his delivery and become a writer with smoother prose, better dialogue, and greater hooks than in some of his previous works. 

Perhaps what most stuck out to me, especially as I neared the ending and finished the book are the twists and turns and how much that made me think about what I just read. I was even tempted to go back and start over to try and better understand certain plot pieces that didn't fully sink in (I didn't, thanks mostly to the excellent people on Reddit who helped me better understand pieces I missed or misundestod). As I finished the book, I realized it did have many connections to movies that I have enjoyed, and I think I most consider it a mix of Inception and Interstellar with a pinch of the Matrix mixed in. Perhaps after thinking about those movies, it makes a bit more sense why I was thinking of re-reading (not the most straight forward set of movies). But, of course, that's what made the book so exciting. Each new detail unraveled a new thread in my mind that I had not thought of or realized before, ultimately making the book much more fulfilling. 

With all this praise, I feel I should mention concerns for some potential readers. As I alluded, the book has a complicated plot and can be difficult to follow. It's also possible that the major twist at the ending, or ending by itself, may be off putting for some readers as it comes late and really changes the narrative. Most obviously, this book would fit most clearly into the the "sci-fi" realm that includes dystopian and/or the post-apoclapytic genre. If that's not for you, this may not be best.  That all being said, I think this book is a super fun and enjoyable read and do recommend strongly. 

Demon Copperhead - Barbara Kingsolver ------------------- 4 Stars

I am so happy my sister recommended the newly released Demon Copperhead. While I have never before read a Barbara Kingsolver book, I found this a great read and struggled to put it down.

Connected in premise to Dickens' famous David Copperfield, this book also tells the story of a young boy struggling with the challenges of institutional poverty and less than desirable parental figures. While Dickens famous tale did inspire Kingsolver, her version is a much more modern and painful look at the difficulties of poverty and the onset of easily attainable oxycontin in the late 90s in southwestern Virginia (and adjoining states).

While the books is filled with heartache and sad stories, it was an unbelievably engaging read. Even though this book focused on less than a decade of time of Demon (Damon's) life, the story was powerful as it detailed the formative years of his life in and out of foster care situations and battle with his other's powerful drug addictions. Coincidentally, a major theme of the book was the quick and horrific rise of oxycontin in America; a subject I read about in detail and reviewed less than two months ago via the powerful Empire of Pain (review here). Observing real life (albeit fictionalized) details of the painful consequences when large numbers of people begin abusing this powerful drug was an omnipresent aspect of this story.

Like many novels of longer length (this comes in at over 500 pages), Kingsolver did an amazing job of creating depth and a richness to most of the book's characters. That, coupled with her strong storytelling skills, truly made this book a super read. While there were some parts were it almost felt too sad or depressing to carry on, she would offer a small joke or positive spin on something less consequential to offer some much needed relief. The arc of the story is also to connect with due to her playful and easy to access writing style. Written in the first person perspective of an adolescent (and eventual teen) boy, the book is right on tone and kept me fully immersed in wanting to know what would happen next. While there were a few notable twists and turns (especially in the last 20% of the story), much of the book was a description of day to day lives (again, not ones that are as familiar for many of us (while probably too real for others)).

While I am not confident that everyone will enjoy this book as much I did, I do think it has a lot to offer. While a sad story, it's feels realistic and full, and I think is accessible to most readers. The main character is a one you can't help but root for, especially as you learn more and more about the difficulties he had to battle to live a positive life. Enjoy what is truly a modern (and better!) version of a classic story.

Lessons in Chemistry - Bonnie Garmus ------------- 3 Stars

I had heard a few people have very positive things to say about the recently released Lessons in Chemistry. And while the cover should have given me pause about what I might be getting into; ultimately, I appreciated reading this novel.

Lessons in Chemistry came out last year and was a popular book. Set in the 1950s, the book makes a strong statement about feminism and questions so many of the archaic decisions and policies that existed half a century ago. The main character, Elizabeth, is a highly intelligent and impressive scientist who, mostly because of her appearance, has to settle for a television show to demonstrate her intelligence, rather than a science lab, or classroom, or many other more appropriate places that she lacked access because of her gender.

On a positive, the book is fairly short and a moderately entertaining story. There were memorable twists and turns and the author did a good job of rounding out most characters. The book also offered enough mystery to keep the reader interested until the end and wanting to understand why certain actions were taking (or taken) place. Also impressive was how thoughtfully the author checked so many of the poorly created, or just plain stupid, rules and norms that existed many years ago.

Unfortunately, while I did enjoy the ending and general story of the book, I found the pace to be a bit slow for me. There we multiple chapters where I struggled to keep my interest as, I found the plot slowed to a nearly standstill. I do think that my gender may have something to do with this. As this book takes on gender norms and deals with the joys and challenges of motherhood, some of those experiences did not resonate with me as deeply as other experiences might.  My other observation that made this book less desirable was the change in constant change in style. I found that much of the book was playful and "fun" yet there were other very serious parts (rape, death, etc.). It seemed confusing to me, though, as to what type of book this was trying to be (in defense, when I offered this critique to someone else, they countered that this is what life is like too!).

As a whole, I think this book may be enjoyable for many. It's a fairly accessible plot and the author tells the story in an entertaining way. While there are gaps that the plot and storyline slow down notably, the highs more than make it up and the high praise this book received from many readers seems genuine. 

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak ----------------------- 3 Stars

A popular book that has been on my list to read for a while, I was happy to finally pick up and breeze through The Book Thief. Beloved by many, I was a bit split on how much I enjoyed it but understand the allure the book provides to many.

While less than 20 years old, The Book Thief has as solid reputation and made a great impression on many readers. Often a required text in some classrooms, it tells the story of an orphaned girl in Germany at the beginning of World War II. To make even more interesting, as you could likely glean from the title, she enjoys stealing books and the narrator of the story is Death. While a bit quirky, the novel is actually a fairly easy read that is fairly linear and clear.

On a positive, it's an intriguing book to read and written in a playful manner. The characters are beautifully crafted and the general premise of the story keeps the reader's attention.  While I had some frustrations about the pacing (more below), generally, I found the story moved forward appropriately and had enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. I also thought the author really nailed the ending, which could have gone a much darker way with some of the competing themes throughout the novel.

On the downside, I didn't actually feel this book had that much take place. While there were some big, notable and highly impactful parts, much of the novel read as a description of "normal" life of a young girl (albeit in pre-WW2 Germany). Going to school, playing with friends, making the occasional bad choice - none of it was boring per se, and it added more roundness to the characters, but I felt parts were either repetitive or weren't written in a way that was an enduring as other parts of the novel. Also, to be candid, I find it hard to enjoy novels about the Holocaust. While it added much depth to the novel, it created a level of emotional commitment that can be hard.

As a whole, I didn't really love this book. While I got through it and ultimately earned an average 3 stars, I stuck with it with the understanding that so many others do love it. After finishing, I did review different viewpoints about this book on the internet. Not surprisingly, most were quite positive, and I found this one notable. Besides making strong arguments about the power of words and stories, I thought one of her final lines to be accurate- "Whether you love or hate The Book Thief, I don’t think many can deny the emotional power of the novel." 

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty - Patrick Radden Keefe ------------------- 4 Stars

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty came out recently and had some good buzz, which is how it got on my radar. In addition, I really enjoyed Radden Keefe's last book, Say Nothing (review here) which was about The Troubles in Northern Ireland, though I didn't realize until about 10 pages in it was the same author. As you can tell from both ratings, I'm a big fan of his books and writing style.

Like Say Nothing, I really enjoyed this book, albeit a totally different focus. Empire of Pain, as the second part of the title describes, is about the philanthropic Sackler family who grew to be an American dynasty working on pharmaceuticals. This book tracks the beginning of this (large) family who migrated here in the early 20th century from Europe and their eventual rise to becoming of the wealthiest and philanthropic families in recent American history. Underlying all the wealth, however, was a drug company that knowingly sold and helped people become addicted to opiods. One could argue, they were the single biggest force in creating the opioid (and now fentanyl) crisis currently in the country.

While a long and incredibly detailed history covering nearly 100 years, I really struggled to put this book down. Like any clearly told story, there were a few parts that ran too long or didn't hold my interest as much as other parts. On the whole, though, it was a fascinating read. And, like his past book, I felt so many of the passages were critical to understanding that thrust of the story that I read closely and was engaged throughout. So much of the book felt like the author was building a case (which he was) to demonstrate how negligent, deliberate and (really) evil the Sackler family has been in beginning and perpetuating the opioid epidemic.

An engaging and, at times, exciting read, the book was also a downer in many ways. First, the Sackler family really are not shown in a positive light. Beginning with the elder Sackler brothers who began the companies, all the way through to their grandchildren who continue to prop up and support this billion dollar company no matter the harm caused, these people are constantly shown as being much more interested in money than any positive social good. He also makes a strong case that the millions donated to museums and medical centers created a front to ensure people had a good impression of them while they made billions at the expense of so many Americans. Second, the book, albeit in not great depth, demonstrates the power and addictive nature of opioids. Moreso, it shows how these addictions destroy lives (literally and figuratively). Finally, and perhaps most apparent, the book demonstrates how the rich and powerful in society are truly above the law. As noted above, Radden Keefe works to create an unassailable argument that the Sackler family has spent decades obfuscating laws and making billions off of the addictive nature of their pills. Yet, throughout the past 20-30 years of legal proceedings and even bankruptcy claims, the family maintained its wealth and never faced any jail time for clear instances of laws being broken. Perhaps the only thing they have lost, is the acceptance of the Sackler name.

While a heavy book (again, literally with the hard cover, and figuratively with content), it's an engaging, educational, and enjoyable read. I recommend it wholeheartedly with the understanding that it may hit too close to home for some and will likely infuriate many.  To conclude with Lord Acton, "Absolute power corrupts absolutely." 

The Right Stuff - Tom Wolfe ---------------- 3.5 Stars

I've had The Right Stuff on my "to read" list for a number of years, which isn't surprising as the book has been around for many years and is well reviewed. While I had a bit of a misconception (explained below) about the book, I did enjoy the read.

While this book came out in 1979, I really wasn't aware of it until much more recently. A popular book by the well regarded Tom Wolfe, it tells the story of the beginning of the US's space program. First, focusing on Chuck Yeager, the first person to break the sound barrier, and then the Mercury 7 astronauts. The book included deep research about the early start of NASA, the family of these famous astronauts, the background behind many of the space goals, and trying to explain why some people may have the "right stuff" to be pilots or astronauts.

What surprised me about the book was the way Wolfe told these stories. Incorrectly, I had assumed it would be a much slower and "academic" read than it turned out to be. Perhaps because of the dates covered, I figure this would read a bit more like a history book. So, imagine my surprise, when I picked up the book and quickly had to adjust to, what Wolfe dubbed, "new journalism." This included using many first person, point-of-view from characters, more slang and unique jargon, and a general informality that was unanticipated. 

Mostly because of this style, I found myself unable to put the book down after starting. Between his playful writing style and fascinating stories about Yeager's piloting skills, I was exhilarated by the story. As the book moved on, I continued to be interested in the fascinating details that Wolfe brough to many aspects of the story along with his interesting writing style. It was such a welcome and enjoyable surprise.

Unfortunately, as the book moved on, I found this style to begun to becoming grating. While fun and novel at the begin, it did begin to wear thin throughout the story. Sometimes I felt Wolfe just went too long with certain parts and didn't move on quick enough. Perhaps a better editor would have helped.

As a whole, I found this an interesting book that was fun to read (until it wasn't). It rekindled my interest in space and the early astronaut program (I wish he would have gone through the moon landing) and I am tempted to watch the movie based on the book now too (though, 3+ hours makes me think otherwise). While I know I am a bit late to enjoying this popular book, I am happy I circled back to it and was able to enjoy it.

Streets of Laredo - Larry McMurtry -------------------- 2 Stars

I think I made an error in deciding to read this book. I had recalled about 10 years ago reading Lonesome Dove and loving it. And, while that memory is fairly accurate, I misremembered giving it 5 stars when, in fact, it only was a 4 (review here). In retrospect, I think I loved the TV miniseries, though the book was still solid. Hoping that this sequel might provide a similar level of enjoyment, I deep dove into Streets of Laredo.

If you are not aware, Lonesome Dove and Streets of Laredo both tell the story of Captain Woodrow Call, a bounty hunter in the West in the late 1800s. Both books include a variety of interesting characters and interesting story arcs for most main players. Also, we get some great action based on the interaction between the "good"
and "bad" guys. Usually this includes killers and/or other types of lawbreakers and Captain Call and others who are trying enforce the law.

In general, I really enjoy the "old west" genre of books. Again, Lonesome Dove was one of my favorites and I figured this would be an entertaining and enjoyable read like many others. Unfortunately, I really struggled to enjoy this novel. While there were occasional exciting passages and chapters, I really struggled with slow pace and meandering drama (or lack thereof) throughout the story. Besides Captain Call being featured like a secondary or tertiary character, I found the other featured characters uninspiring and unengaging.

My other complaints come from the author's writing style. Again, I found Lonesome Dove so exciting and engaging but found this novel to constantly be disjointed and wandering. There were multiple characters that seemed to have little to no background that would be lightly featured for no apparent reason. There were many chapters that were included that I didn't feel moved the novel forward. And, while the ending was slightly satisfying, a long epilogue was offered seemingly to ensure that every character casually mentioned had some sort of finality. I found it unnecessary.

I acknowledge that may viewpoint on this book may be flawed. While I believe it's universally accepted the Lonesome Dove is the far superior novel, this book has strong reviews on Amazon and Goodreads so clearly many others enjoyed this book more than I did. As always, I leave up to readers to draw their own conclusions.   

King of a Small World - Rick Bennet -------------------- 4 Stars

Perhaps the least well known book that I have read/reviewed, King of a Small World got on my radar after listening to a recent podcast that called it among the best fictional depictions of poker and real life gambling. This is not the glamor you see in Hollywood, but rather a seemingly non-fictional (it's not) depiction of what gambling looks like at a smaller and local level. In this case, the local is near me as the setting was mostly in Prince George's County Maryland. Overall, happy I picked it up.

While this book was released in 2011, it was a bit difficult to find and only has twelve reviews on Amazon. However, it was an entertaining read. Since I assume most won't be familiar - the book is about a young but talented poker player living outside DC and struggling after the death of one of his colleagues (can "colleague" be used if your job is playing poker and you see the same player multiple days a week at games?). In addition, a couple unexpected life events happen which make him question his own values and trajectory of what he does. 

On a positive, the book is told in a very matter of fact way. The language is very simple, Hemingway like; with short, staccato deliveries and a lot of dialogue. The content was fascinating and the overall arc of the story was entertaining. I enjoyed pickup the book each time to read and was truly looking forward to the ending and what would happen last. Also strong, the ending was impactful and brought the story around full circle, which was welcome.

A few things could have improved the book. First, I actually wish there was more detail about the poker playing. There is a ton about what it's like to play poker (lack of sleep, cigarettes, type of games. etc.) but not as much about strategy and how a good player approaches hands. While I like simple style of the storytelling, it can seem plain sometimes and lacking deep thought. However, when the offer does offer something noteworthy, it stands out. It's a short book and a quick read but that also leads to a lack of character depth. When the conflicts escalated in the last third of the book, I actually struggled to remember all the characters fully enough to understand motivations which made the payoffs a bit lighter.

On a whole, super fun read and a great book if you have any interest in poker or gambling. And, not gambling in the everyone is winning sense, but often the opposite. It depicts the horrors of real gambling addiction and what losing money does to people and lives. 

The Talent Code: Greatness Isn't Born. It's Grown. Here's How. -- Daniel Coyle ------------ 3 Stars

The title (full one) and premise for the Talent Code is interesting to me. Basically, the book is about why people end up being talented. Specifically, talent at the absolute highest level - be it - music, sports, chess, etc. Unfortunately, as I continued through the book I realized it reminded me a lot of a book I read ten years ago, so not that much new covered.

Because I'm tired as I write this and Amazon explains it better than me, below are the three key elements that is included in the book that accounts for why people become talented:

• Deep Practice. Everyone knows that practice is a key to success. What everyone doesn’t know is that specific kinds of practice can increase skill up to ten times faster than conventional practice.
• Ignition. We all need a little motivation to get started. But what separates truly high achievers from the rest of the pack? A higher level of commitment - call it passion - born out of our deepest unconscious desires and triggered by certain primal cues. Understanding how these signals work can help you ignite passion and catalyze skill development.
• Master Coaching. What are the secrets of the world’s most effective teachers, trainers, and coaches? Discover the four virtues that enable these “talent whisperers” to fuel passion, inspire deep practice, and bring out the best in their students.

Reading the book and the summary of these elements explains a lot of why people become great at what they do. The book, of course, if chock full of anecdotes and stories that make the book a fairly enticing read that keeps the reader's attention. I especially was drawn to the author's tales of describing burgeoning talent and how it looks in those three different domains.

As I stated in the introduction, I realized mid-read that a previous book I read carried a lot of similarities with this book. Talent is Overrated (review here) covered much of the same information (for example, that book called it "deliberate practice" and this one "deep practice.") And, while I think either book is a worthwhile read, I would probably suggest The Talent Code as it includes more updated research and has better anecdotes. 

Our Country Friends - Gary Shteyngart ---------------- 3 Stars

I'm not sure how Our Country Friends made my reading list. It's certainly the most recent novel I've read in a long time, released in late 2021. And while I appreciated how topical it was, I couldn't ever say I really enjoyed reading much of it.

The book was set in a mid-pandemic retreat for a set of, mostly, friends who immigrated to the United States. Both their experiences as immigrants and living during the pandemic were major plot points of this novel. In addition, the novel also included multiple aspects that brought up the "woke" world we currently live in. As such, this was certainly the most topical novel I probably have ever read. The plot was fairly simple - a half dozen friends (some close and some more extended) landed at a largeish bungalow retreat to isolate in the early part of the COVID pandemic. While there, their relationships develop while also are further challenged. 

On a positive, the author does a great job detailing the main characters and their varying motivations. Two Russians, two Koreans, an Indian, and two Americans make up the major players throughout the story. Unfortunately, though purposefully, none are much likeable, save one or two in certain situations. The book includes a lot of excess - food, alcohol, sex, relationship questions, etc. And, while the first third to half of the story is fairly captivating, it struggles to keep up into the last half of the novel.

While the book has some funny parts and can be tongue-in-cheek, I found it struggled to gain momentum and the cutesiness of the beginning struggled to hold up over the final 100 pages. While I know the intent was to really look at the small details of the normal lives of the characters, I found it difficult to maintain attention to these, sometimes, annoying individuals. Again, not a ton of action was taking place, and while the writing was engaging to read, the plot really struggled to move forward. Sadly, the last 10% of the novel most struggled. As I was hoping for an exciting ending or something to move the novel forward, the author decided to offer multiple dream like sequences (which didn't really exist anywhere else in the novel) as he killed off the most likeable character.

So, not my favorite book but it wasn't so boring I couldn't put it down. Perhaps if I had known going in that it was be a less eventful book and more of a think piece, I would have enjoyed more fully. Perhaps I helped a future reader out....

Smash!: Green Day, The Offspring, Bad Religion, NOFX, and the '90s Punk Explosion - Ian Winwood ----------------- 3 Stars

Not really sure how I decided to find this book and pick it up a few weeks ago. Most likely I was listening to some nostalgic 90's punk music (a good pastime) and was thinking what happened to some of these bands and came up with this book on a Google search. Besides have a long title, Smash!: Green Day, The Offspring, Bad Religion, NOFX, and the '90s Punk Explosion the book felt long on more than a few occasions though I really enjoyed much of the content and memories.

As you likely can infer from the title, the book is about the popularization of punk music in the early-mid 90s, aligning perfectly with when I really got into this type of music. I was excited from the title to learn more about some of the bands I really enjoyed listening to during my formative years. And, for the most part, the author does a good job hitting the highlights of most notable bands at this time. Early in the book he warns, however, that his focus will only be on bands that he believed really were "important" in the world of punk. So, some of my favorites, got little to no air time (even a band as popular as Blink-182). 

There were many enjoyable aspects of this book. I enjoyed his writing style and he has a gift for storytelling; which can be difficult with non-fiction focused writing that follows a timeline of events. I also really appreciated getting to know more about the people behind these bands. I've been a big Bad Religion fan for years but didn't realize their founding guitarists started Epitaph Records (one, if not the, most important independent record labels). I also really liked learning more about Offspring - a band I enjoyed but really didn't follow that closely after the first couple albums. Of course, I was hoping for much more about NOFX, my favorite punk band but they had little coverage.

Unfortunately, the book was heavily about Green Day and a lesser extent the Offspring. These are the two bands that I like the least and question how "punk" they really are. As the author accurately put it: Green Day are punks that don't play punk music and Offspring plays punk music but aren't really punks. And, I think that's reason I don't care for their music and for large parts of the second half of this book. However, I understand the author's purpose is to explain how punk became so famous; and, there is no way to have that focus without leaning into Green Day. To say they're popular is an understatement. They've sold 75 million albums! Back when these bands started and Rancid or early Bad Religion albums came out, they were lucky to sell 10,000. 

Nonetheless, the book was very nostalgic and made me go back to these old bands/albums and check them out. For Green Day especially, I went and listened to some of the popular ones that I missed. And.... I still don't like it. I mean, it's not terrible but there is no way that American Idiot is better than Punk in Drublic. Overall, super specific book that likely would only be enjoyed by a narrow window of people. But, if you were into punk music in the 90s and want to learn more, good book for you.