chilling tale

The Road by Cormac McCarthy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a chilling, creatively told tale of survival in a post-apocalyptic US. It is captivating in its intensity and its tenderness. Of course, images from post-apocalyptic movies i've seen came to mind, specifically "The Book of Eli" with Denzel Washington. A great book, albeit troubling.

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Wow!

I can't help but wonder if most of Trump's supporters can even read, much less comprehend this fine summary.

https://goo.gl/g3FtX3

oops

The Red Pony by John Steinbeck
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

One of the three stars i gave this book is in honor of John Steinbeck, who remains one of my favorite authors. The other two are for the book itself. This is the least enjoyable book (by a decent margin) of all Steinbeck's works that I've read. It felt disjointed (as if published in installments with plot gaps in between), and I could not discern the point of the story. My wife gave me some hints partially through and I still missed the point. Given that Steinbeck was a master and a powerful writer, I'm inclined to believe that my (lack of) impression of this story is my lacking and not his. That being said, this is my least favorite, and I would not recommend this as a sample of the wonderful Steinbeck canon that I've read. Everyone has an "oops" i guess. :)

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leaving us with HOPE

Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Barbara Kingsolver is a great storyteller! I love the characters, the places and situations, and the substantive insight and wisdom that is conveyed through her novels. The characters in this story deal with life situations and feelings we all deal with. So much insight into our own lives and those of the people we know is illuminated through this story. We all have dealt with: family secrets, issues growing up, escape from and return to our hometown, life purpose and calling, love in all its forms whether real, imagined, or superficial, political, economic, and social powers overwhelmingly large, yet still conquerable. This is a wonderful story with 3D characters to care about and love, with many twists and turns, and in the end, leaving us with HOPE.

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superbly written tale of disfunction and excess

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The Robert Redford version of "The Great Gatsby" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071577/) came up on my Netflix menu and i started to watch it. But before the opening credits were through, i stopped it and went upstairs to grab this book off the shelf and (finally) read it after all these years. I knew it was fairly short and i read it in a day. This is a superbly written tale of disfunction and excess of the rich and famous living on Long Island during the 1920's. Todays reality TV and scandals have nothing on the people there 100 years ago. It was during prohibition, but booze and money were flowing like old man river. F. Scott Fitzgerald tells this story wonderfully, and i loved every page. For such a short story, the characters and places are painted with a rich economy of words that immediately put the reader in contact with and in the middle of this story. I loved it and highly recommend this version of the text which is "authorized" and contains many notes and explanations (at the beginning and end, NOT in the text itself). Now back to watch the Redford film version. :)

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Still one of my favorite books

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read it again, slowly. Still one of my favorite books. Love it.

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the infinite area of gray rationalization in between

The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The only reason i shouldn't give this book 5 stars is because i already gave 5 stars to The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck's crowning masterpiece. Oh heck, I'm giving it 5 stars anyway, I loved this book. The Winter of Our Discontent is a wonderfully told story with deep meaning and authentic characters, places, and situations. Steinbeck was a master storyteller. Ethan Allen Hawley's story captures what so many people have experienced at some point in their life. The conflict of right and wrong and the infinite area of gray rationalization in between is brilliantly laid out in this story. This was Steinbeck's final novel, published in 1961. As i look over the Steinbeck canon, i am saddened that I have nearly reached its end. But with the end will also come a beginning of re-reading my favorites, of which this is surely one. Hope to catch the TV version also.

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weird

Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This young adult story is a combination of the Jewish flood myth and the theory of relativity, with some ethics, politics, sexuality, social science, and ecology mixed in. Some interesting thoughts, as well as some pretty weird ones. Not sure what the author was smoking. The merging of the story of Noah with modern physics felt forced. Oh, and i forgot to mention the angels and fallen angels that are behind much of the weird goings on, when they are not masquerading as animals. Strange.

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our diverse and lovable city

27 Views of Durham: The Bull City in Prose and Poetry intro by Steve Schewel
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very nice collection of prose and verse about our city, Durham NC. This little book contains a variety of articles which have whet my appetite for a deeper dive into the history of Durham. There were even details of some happenings over the past 30 years that we had missed while living here. And the book ended with a song by Rebecca Newton entitled "One Square Mile", which you can listen to here - All in all, this book is a must read for residents of our diverse and lovable city.

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a beautiful collection

BLUE HIGHWAYS Revisited by Edgar I. Ailor III
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The authors of this book present a beautiful collection of photographs along the original path of William Least Heat-Moons' journey in "Blue Highways" (30 years later). Quotes and page numbers from "Blue Highways" are included to tie the photos to the original book, in many cases including original black and white photos for comparison. In addition to visiting the places, the authors track down many of the people interviewed in the original book. It is both interesting and inspiring to see the paths these lives have taken as time has changed their circumstances, their work, and the places they call home. This book is a great tribute to Blue Highways, and a perfect follow-on volume. I'm still looking forward to the remaining books in Mr. Heat-Moons' travel "trilogy".

map: http://www.bluehighwaysrevisited.net/The-Route.html

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farsickness

Blue Highways: A Journey into America by William Least Heat-Moon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book. The author, William Least Heat-Moon leaves Columbia MO in 1978 to embark on a trip literally around the entire continental US (map here)  in a 1975 Ford Econoline van (the van he named Ghost Dancing) .  I arrived in Columbia as a freshman engineering student the following year, 1979. His plan was to follow the secondary roads rather than the main highways (blue on the map, interstates were red), hence the title "Blue Highways". This account of his journey is filled with history, real people and places, and a depth and authenticity in the telling of these peoples stories that allows the reader to experience the interaction that the author is sharing with us. The places visited, and people encountered and interviewed on this journey are fascinating and offer a rich cross section of the US. Historical depth is provided, sometimes by the author, but most often by the people interviewed. This account bears a similarity to another travelogue I recently read by John Steinbeck entitled "Travels with Charley". Both of these books are excellent, and I thoroughly enjoyed them.

I couldn't help but feel like embarking on a journey of this kind myself. Maybe that feeling is what is referred to as "wanderlust"? The Wiki article suggests that a better term may be "farsickness". Whatever it is called, I felt it, and also am reminded of a trip my wife and I took 2 years ago. After a family reunion in Colorado, we kept the rental van, and spent 2 more weeks driving around Colorado and New Mexico, just seeing what we could see. It was but a small taste of what this wonderful book shares, but a taste nevertheless. I'm jumping into the companion volume "Blue Highways Revisited" which is a pictorial journey over the same route some 30 years later. In addition I'm in search of the remaining 2 books of the so-called travel trilogy by William Least Heat-Moon
1. Blue Highways
2. PrairyErth
3. River-Horse

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Follow your bliss

The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the companion book (although not identical) to the 6-hour 1988 PBS miniseries of the same title. It is a fascinating journey as Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell chat about "The Power of Myth". Not only does this volume provide explanation of what myth is, and how it fits into our society and species, but it gives a multitude of illustrations from prehistory up through recorded history to the modern age in which we live. This book was great follow-on to the Karen Armstrong book i just previously read "A Short History of Myth". I particularly enjoyed the discussion of the relationship of myth to religions over the ages, and to the religions with which we are familiar in this century, and also the contrast of myth with religion, and the effects religion has on myth. Myth draws on many aspects of our lives, and in turn feeds many aspects of our lives. This is a great discussion, and i'm looking forward to watching the PBS series on DVDs which i checked out at our local library. I love Joseph Campbell's personal worldview, and how inclusive and really true it is, to himself, and to those around him, and to his world. He offers the same to all of us, if we each just, as he instructs us "Follow your bliss".

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How true, how true.

A Short History of Myth by Karen Armstrong
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a great summary of the history of mythology. I enjoyed the overview, and am looking for some more detailed books to follow with. I especially liked the last chapter "The Great Western Transformation" which discusses the place of myth in our modern society and religious teachings. A favorite quote, related to the modern era in which we live: "It has been writers and artists, rather than religious leaders, who have stepped into the vacuum and attempted to reacquaint us with the mythological wisdom of the past." How true, how true. I really enjoyed this short but information filled volume.

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Another great installment in The Walking Dead

The Walking Dead, Compendium 2 by Robert Kirkman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Another great installment in The Walking Dead "parallel universe" that is the book series.

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another Steinbeck masterpiece

The Pearl by John Steinbeck
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

John Steinbeck's The Pearl is an absolutely beautifully written retelling of the biblical parable "the pearl of great price". Differing from the gospel account, Steinbeck's version is firmly rooted in the human condition, and the realities of our world and our species. The writing is fully Steinbeck and flows beautifully yet simply, with his brilliant economy of words. Once again, i walk away from a Steinbeck tale with a sense of awe and wonder, yet also a deep feeling of connection to my humanity and to our community that is the human species. This is a must-read, and I can't wait to savor it again.

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MORE Lisbeth please!

The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am a big fan of Stieg Larsson's Millennium series. I am a bigger fan of the heroine of the series, Lisbeth Salander. She makes these stories special. I am glad that the Millennium series has been continued by David Lagercrantz after the untimely death of Mr. Larsson. This continuation of the series from a new author measures up quite well. At the center of the story is a little boy with autism. His story is combined with computer (in)security, encryption and decryption, corrupt corporations and national security agencies, and some really rotten Russian gangsters! What a great story! My only complaint is: not enough Lisbeth! I want more. She is a fascinating and compelling personality. She is strong, incredibly smart, and completely dedicated to righting injustice and corruption using her most unorthodox means. She is a master hacker and coolest heroine i've read about for some time. I am looking forward to the next installment in this series - with MORE Lisbeth please :)

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many layers of narrative

The Princess Bride by William Goldman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is one fun book to read. I enjoyed Mr. Goldman's writing style, irreverent witty, fun. I loved getting the inside story of a great film "The Princess Bride". But I also loved the back stories of the characters, from every level of the story. I don't think I've ever read a story written with so many layers of narrative. The central plot of the book is obviously a tale of fiction, of make believe that we are all familiar with from the film. But the enclosing layers of the storyline which the central story is wrapped within bounce about between fact, fiction, and the gray region somewhere in between to such a degree that the reader (at least this reader) is never quite sure where the facts leave off and the fiction begins! What a fun way to write, and to read, a story. Bravo. :)

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a great story

A Swiftly Tilting Planet by Madeleine L'Engle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is my favorite so far of the Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quintet. I love the story arc and the fascinating concepts and message of the story. I was somewhat confused by all the jumping between generations in time, and didn't come away with a solid grasp of all the generational relationships between the characters, but I loved the story enough to be willing to re-read it to get a better handle on all the interrelationships. It has a strong message that what we do in our time makes a difference to future generations - something too often forgotten as we chart our course through our lives. This is a great story :)

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The Moon Is Down

The Moon Is Down by John Steinbeck
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The U.S. government commissioned this work from Steinbeck as part of his contribution to the Allied war effort during WW-II. The resulting story paints a compelling picture of the human aspects of occupation in a real and palpable way. Reading this story, one becomes acquainted with both the victor and the conquered. In so doing, the reader finds that the captors are as human as the captives, and as they become part of a merged society together, we see that "It is always the herd men who win battles and the free men who win wars." This story was translated into at least 8 languages during WW-II and copied and distributed throughout the underground resistance to the Nazi occupation of the nations in Europe. The message and inspiration of this story played a significant role in the lives of the occupied peoples of Europe. This is a moving and memorable story, and i'm looking forward to reading it again, to experience it again in a deeper way.

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South Carolina results

I'm just seeing the South Carolina results. I believe in democracy, and i assume it's at work in SC, so i'm left again asking the questions - "Is this really what America wants? Is this what we have become? Is this who we want to be in this world?" I'm trying to keep these questions in the rhetorical status because i'm afraid of what the literal answers probably are.