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** Americana. A collection of Mr. Sides columns written over a period of years. At least to me, only marginally interesting. |
* No Touch Monkey. An idiot book written by an individual with way too much time and money on her hands, and who consequently spends a lot of time traveling, and inexplicably focusing her travels on the most unappealing destinations and the most unappealing accomodations. Every trip seems to be in the company of a different male, which is a story in and of itself. The only thing dumber than the person who wrote this drivel, is the idiot who bought and read it. |
** The Geography of Bliss. The drivel according to a individual that sets out to find out which of earth's nations has the happiest residents. What he discovers is an answer to a question that nobody asked. |
*** Fire. Initially, a synopsis of fire and the particulars in fighting it. Then a number of descriptions of a few of the higher profile forest fires and thier cost in dollars and lives. |
 **** Little Heathens. A delightful book of vignettes recounting a families attempt at coping on the farm during the great depression. Largely the childhood memories of the author. Mildred Armstrong Kalish. |
 * The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. My primary response to this book is ? It seems an exercise in self-flagellation by the characters involved, and left one with the thought, "Why in the he-- did I spend the time reading this one, anyway??" Carson McCullers. |
 *** The Book Thief. I read this book because someone told me, "Ya just gotta read this book!" After reading it, I had to ask, "Why?" It was a well-written book, from a literary point of view, and the writer's style was fascinating and not your everyday approach to writing, but didn't do much for me as I certainly have read books I liked better. Markus Zusak. |
 ** The Mammoth Book of Cover-Ups. Covers the gamut and well-researched. A long read however due to the minutiae. Jon E. Lewis. |
 * Along the Edge of America. From the writer of A Walk Across America, comes this dreary epistle of this author apparently having to 'find himself' after his wife set him packing. It is a purile book of him playing on someone's money and quite frankly made me want to puke. Peter Jenkins. |
 *** My Father's Paradise. A very interesting look at the Jewish culture and a small contingent of Jews that were long-term residents of Kurdish Iraq, and were displaced during WWII. Ariel Sabar |
** Press On! OK, Yeah, I know you are thinking, why the hell isn't this in AVIATION?? That is because this book ISN"T ABOUT AVIATION! I know it is Chuck Yeager, Mr. Aviation, but this book is about his leisure-time pursuits, some of which I certianly DON'T agree with, and so it just doesn't belong in Aviation. Mr. Yeager is without question a pilot's pilot, and incredibly competent in that venue. But he is wildly full of HIMSELF, and it was just not that rewarding a read, in and of itself. |
*** A Ram in the Thicket. A not particularly interesting read, about a family that traveled west in the 1800s, and attempted to make a living of a homestead in that difficult time. What was frustrating about this one is that this gentleman was never happy where he was for very long, and just kept insisting that his family be uprooted once again in order to 'move on'. Couple that with a case of insecurity bigger than the known universe, and a temper to go with it, it was a just not rewarding to read. Kudos to his wife who just continued to hang in there despite her mate's failings... which were many. |
** The Hostage's Daughter. If you have a fascination with the middle east, you might be able to get something out of this thoroughly boring epistle. This is more about the inability of the writer to adjust to life than the vagaries of the middle east itself. I didn't find the fact that she did it all and tried it all in an attempt cope with reality particularly interesting. |
