Can't Read Too Many Books -- January 2012

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.)