There seems to be a trend developing among card bloggers to share what books they've been reading. I'm all for this. I read four books in January. (Click the covers for links to Amazon.)
This book was a Christmas gift. Part history of the baseball, part ball-hawking primer it was a quick fun read.
My rating (1-5):
I found this in the biography section of my local library. I've been a fan since the 70's . I still have my vinyl album copies of Class Clown and Occupation Foole . Published after his death (thus the title) it seems a very honest account of Carlin's personal struggles and successes.
My rating (1-5):
This was another library find. Though it's been there for a couple of years I think I'm the first to borrow it. I was interested in Chagall both for his Jewish and Chicago connections. Here's a
link to a post of mine that shows his
America stained glass windows at the Art Institute of Chicago. The book was over 600 pages long and though I found Chagall's life interesting I wasn't that impressed with the the author's writing. As can be a problem with books about art, there was a lot of description of works without accompanying pictures.
My rating (1-5):
I was pleasantly surprised to find this in the new arrivals section at the library. I really enjoyed Barnes' last book, the part memoir, part philosophy, Nothing to be Frightened Of. This one was not a disappointment.
Here are a couple of blurbs from reviews:
“An elegantly composed, quietly devastating tale about memory, aging, time and remorse. . . . Offers somber insights into life’s losses, mistakes and disappointments in a piercing, thought provoking narrative. Bleak as this may sound, the key word here—the note of encouragement—is ‘insights.’ And this beautiful book is full of them.” —NPR
“Dense with philosophical ideas . . . it manages to create genuine suspense as a sort of psychological detective story . . . Unpeeling the onion layers of the hero’s life while showing how [he] has sliced and diced his past in order to create a self he can live with. —Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
My rating (1-5):
(You go to the head of the class if you recognize this man.)