One of the internet’s favorite catch phrases would have made a great title for this, but I couldn’t bring myself to use it. I’ve been a longtime fan of true crime, but this book was hard for me to read. I’m giving it 3 stars, because it’s well executed, but it’s not enjoyable and neither is my review.
On Atomic Bombs, Samba Music, and Preposterous Intelligence
Teacher. Physicist. Prankster. Ladies’ man. Incomparably brilliant human being. Though not in the same pop culture stratosphere as some of his contemporaries, Richard Feynman is nevertheless one of the titans of twentieth century science. And he’s not too shabby a storyteller, either. His memoir Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman gallivants with great aplomb across much of Feynman’s life, starting with his childhood in Queens in the depths of the Depression. As usually happens with preposterously smart folk, Feynman was a precocious child, skilled in radio […]
A Beginner’s Guide to Atheism
I always prefer to listen to an audiobook narrated by the author. I think there is an element of authenticity that is not present otherwise. Hitch is an excellent orator but this book was poorly read. The sound goes in and out and becomes difficult to hear at times. It was thoroughly distracting from the essays. God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything is a collection of essays written by one of the paragons of modern atheism, Christopher Hitchens. Hitch discusses his own childhood […]
The More the Merrier….
I am an unabashed fan of Jon Krakauer so I was excited when this book became available at my library. Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith is the story of the Lafferty brothers and the heinous murders they committed in 1984. The Lafferty brothers were Fundamentalist Mormons. They practiced polygamy and communicated directly with God via “revelations.” In 1984, they brutally murder Brenda Lafferty and her 15-month old daughter. Brenda was their sister-in-law and her daughter, their niece. Ron and Dan […]
On the (not?) eating of animals
I know that JSF is a polarizing author. You either love him or you hate him. You find his fiction avant-garde or too pretentious. I liked him a lot in college, though since my exposure to contemporary fiction has widened, I don’t LOVE him the way I used to. But I’m still in the favorable camp towards his fiction. But I think Eating Animals may be his most compelling work to date. When he found out he was going to be a father, Foer went through […]
How to Write–and Live–with Humor
Part memoir, part writing guide, Bird by Bird is a delightful book filled with rib-tickling anecdotes about relationships, parenting, faith, taking risks, following your dreams, and just plain living. I picked it up with hope of getting tips on doing some serious writing, and came away with a notebook filled with thoughts and ideas and suggestions about writing, and lots more. As a person who has often needed to be nudged to get going on projects that posed a serious challenge, I felt that Lamott […]