November 2019 Books

This was an incredibly thought-provoking book that I would recommend to anyone interested in racial or social justice.

I really enjoyed this YA dystopian science fiction novel about a future where rising sea levels have completely changed the coastlines of the U.S., and children are employed in salvage work until they're too big to get into the small places on grounded ships in the gulf regions.

I was looking for Fiona Hill's biography of Vladimir Putin, but someone beat me to it: although the catalog said it was on the shelf, there was a gap where it was supposed to be. I decided to take a look at this book, which consists of interviews of Putin by several Russian journalists. While it was interesting and I learned a lot about Putin's early life, it's a clearly self-serving collection of anecdotes that mainly serves to paint a rosy picture of him and his political intentions. This came out in his first year as president, but you can see some of the same themes playing out in current events.

This is a very thought-provoking book by the author of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, which I read a year or so ago. Author Harari is a history professor at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, but his writings explore issues much broader than history. This book is organized into five parts that include 21 chapters addressing important themes such as work, equality, terrorism, war, secularism, and much more. It's extremely well-written, making it a quick read even though it covers such weighty topics.

I bought this autobiography back when it came out in 2004, but neglected it until I saw that Kiedis' band-mate Flea has published his own memoir. I dug this out and I couldn't put it down. It's unfortunate that I waited so long to read this; now I'm eager to see whether Kiedis will write about the next chapter in his life given that so much has happened in the last 15 years. Much of this book is sad, as he recounts his many bouts with addiction from the early '80's to the year 2000, but I loved reading about the inspiration for many of his songs, many of which I loved but had no idea what inspired them. For example, a verse in "Give it Away" was about River Phoenix and his death; "Tearjerker" was about Kurt Cobain's suicide.

October 2019 Films and Series

Being Flynn. Based on Another Bullshit Night in Suck City, by Nick Flynn.

Crazy Rich Asians.

The Post.

Father Brown (seasons 1-3).

The Brokenwood Mysteries (season 1).

October 2019 Books

I loved this book, which was the October pick for our book club. While my fellow club members felt that it dragged on a bit at the end, I would have been happy to keep reading. The author's writing style is clear and fresh. I liked how she told the story from both her own and her boyfriend's viewpoints, and she went back and forth between her childhood in Nigeria, her time in college, and the present. I am looking forward to reading her other novel, Half of a Yellow Sun.

 This was an excellent book to read following How Democracies Die, which I read last month. This one was more challenging for me, as it incorporated a fair amount of political philosophy, which slowed me down a bit. However, it's a very engaging and incisive look at how totalitarian movements have grown in the past, and how fascism is alive and well in Russia and other countries. The author makes a convincing case of how Vladimir Putin, inspired by the political philosophy of Ivan Ilyin, is trying to export fascism to Europe and the United States. I recommend this to anyone concerned about the state of the country today.

After the sobering book mentioned above, this collection of comics by Mark Tatulli provides a dose of relief. The main character in this comic is Lio, and his exploits and imagination are unrivaled.

September 2019 Films and Series

Rust and Bone.

Tully.

Mary Queen of Scots.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.

Call Me by Your Name.

Victoria (season 1).

Father Brown (season 1).

Perfume (season 1).

Mindhunter (seasons 1-2).

Bosch (seasons 3-5).

September 2019 Books

This is an excellent look at how autocratic governments evolve from democracies. They follow a pattern that is consistent over time and across different countries; the authors show that the pattern is repeating itself in the U.S. Very chilling to read this while an impeachment investigation is being launched right now.

This was a well-written book, although it moves very slowly and there's not much of a plot. I'm surprised that it is on the MLA list of 100 best books of the 20th century.

I loved this book about a young boy who is grieving the loss of his father who perished in the World Trade Center on 9/11.

This is an excellent historical mystery about an antiquarian bookseller who is grieving the loss of his wife. He turns to work to help himself heal, and begins tracking down the painter responsible for a small watercolor that resembles his wife, in the process unraveling a mystery about the authorship of a Shakespeare play.

August 2019 Films and Series

Bosch (Seasons 1-3). Based on Michael Connelly's best-selling detective series, Bosch season 1 follows threads: Bosch's investigation into the decades-old death of a young boy, a serial killer who attacks young prostitutes, and Bosch's civil trial for shooting a suspect.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Season 3). I loved every season of this comedy series. Its 30-minute length episodes made it particularly good to watch while I was on the treadmill, and that's how I watched most of the three seasons. This is the final season of the show, and I was happy to see that all of the story lines were tied up with happy endings.

Stockholm. This was an entertaining portrayal of the events during the bank robbery after which Stockholm Syndrome is named. The film starts by claiming that it is "Based on an absurd but true story.” But the actions of the two main characters and the police seem so silly that it's hard to believe; I would have to read more about it to know for sure how much of this was fictionalized for the film. Either way, the actors are excellent, and the film is a fast-paced, entertaining romp.

Tolkien. I loved this film about J.R.R. Tolkien. This film tells about his childhood, including the early loss of both parents, his placement with a foster mother, his mentorship by a family friend and priest, and his education. Tolkien was fortunate to have the support of his mentor who placed him into a good secondary school that prepared him well for Oxford and an academic career. Tolkien meets friends at school who develop a close bond that lasts through college. Enlisting in the armed forces to fight in WWI, Tolkien loses two friends to the war, and loses touch with the third. But the film shows how the horrors of war and his youthful friendships inspired many of the themes that he later wrote about in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. This film was inspiring and touching.

Victoria (Season 1). Very good historical series telling the story of Queen Victoria, beginning with her ascension to the throne at age 18. There are lots of inaccuracies, I assume to spice up the story and increase the drama, but it's a lot of fun, nevertheless.

Trainspotting. Second time around with this film; loved it as much as the first time.

Elementary (season 7). So sad that this is the final season, but glad they were given a happy ending.

August 2019 Books

Larry Kane's Ticket to Ride: Inside the Beatles' 1964 Tour that Changed the World is his memoir of his time traveling with the Beatles during their 1964 and 1965 tours across the U.S. He tells us about his early skepticism about the Beatles; he believed they would turn out to be just a flash in the pan. But two tours with the Beatles changed his view, and he became convinced of their lasting contributions and worth. I took this book on vacation, and found it to be a good read. The author clearly has remained a loyal fan of the Beatles, and his anecdotes were interesting and entertaining. I don't think the book is especially well-written. I think it was quite repetitive in parts, and could have used the skills of a good editor. Larry Kane was involved in news reporting for his entire career, first in radio news, and later in television news, but he isn't a great writer. Nevertheless, I found this enjoyable, and would recommend it to anyone who's interested in the Beatles.

I've been meaning to read this book for a long time, and finally did so. I found it to be as fun and entertaining as all the reviews had led me to believe. At only around 200 pages, it's a quick read, and covers what you would expect in a book on punctuation: apostrophes, commas, dashes, semicolons, colons, questions marks, exclamation points, parentheses, etc. Truss writes in a humorous style and includes lots of good and bad examples of punctuation. She also delves into the history and origins of each mark of punctuation. She cites lots of other writers on punctuation and includes their works in her bibliography. Lots of fun for grammar nerds!

I loved this first book by Amor Towles. We had read A Gentleman in Moscow for our book club last year, and decided to read this earlier novel this month. It has wonderful writing, intriguing characters, and a plot that keeps you turning the pages. It's about Katey, a secretary and editorial assistant in 1938 Manhattan, and the friends and relationships she formed during the course of the year. It's very atmospheric, and equally funny and touching in places.

This is a wonderful novel. It tells the story of Roy and Celestial, a young married couple whose life is turned upside down when Roy is unjustly accused of a violent crime, convicted, and sentenced to 12 years in prison. It tells the story from the perspective of Roy, Celestial, and their friend,Andre, who Celestial comes to lean on while Roy is incarcerated. These characters are well-developed and the dialog, emotions, and plot are completely realistic. I loved Ms. Jones' writing, and look forward to reading her other three books.

I finally got around to reading this popular book from a few years ago. It's a lovely romance set on the island of Guernsey, which was occupied by the Germans in WWII.

July 2019 Films and Series

Chernobyl. This is a chilling look at the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion and its aftermath. It's a fascinating look at how decisions were made to avoid humiliation and blame rather than to avoid catastrophic death and other consequences. The invasion of politics into every aspect of life is shown clearly, demonstrating how no one was willing to acknowledge that the party could be wrong or that a leader could possibly make a wrong decision. Excellent acting, but grueling to watch.

Stranger Things (Season 3). I'm still enjoying this '80s-themed sci-fi series, although I think they over-used Eleven's powers against the Mind Flayer. I've seen enough of her posing with her hand outstretched and blood dripping from her left nostril. Didn't she acquire any other powers from her days in captivity when she was the subject of corrupt scientific experiments? But, I don't want to belabor the point. I also enjoyed the introduction of and focus on other characters, such as Robin and Erica. I'm looking forward to season 4 and the return of Hopper.

Hitchcock Truffaut. This film documents the impact that Franҫois Truffaut's book about Hitchock had on subsequent filmmakers. I have to admit that I found it a little slow, although I enjoyed seeing the collages of Hitchcock film clips.

Dark (Season 2). This is Netflix's first German-language original series. It's a mind-bending time travel science fiction story. It's taken me two seasons to understand (sort of) what's going on, and who all the characters are. I'm really enjoying it, and looking forward to season 3, which is supposed to wrap it all up.

Hinterland (Season 1). Mystery series set in Wales.

 Shetland (Season 4).

July 2019 Books

This was my book club's July pick, based on her excellent third novel Sing, Unburied, Sing, which I had just read last month, and the fact that it won a National Book Award and. While the writing was excellent, and the story riveting, it was just about the worst book for four dog lovers to read. One of the main characters (Skeet) has a pit bull (China), which gives birth to a litter of puppies about 10 days before Hurricane Katrina hits the Southern Mississippi town where they live. Everything that can go wrong with the family and the litter of puppies does, and while none of the humans die, I can't say the same for the puppies. I think I would have loved this book if the author had simply eliminated everything about the dogs. The rest of the story was a heart-wrenching story of a family that sticks together through every type of adversity: losing their mother, hunger, poverty, an alcoholic father, etc. They try to prepare for Katrina, and go through hell when their house is flooded and begins to float off of its foundation. But the saga of the pit bull and her puppies ruined the book for me. I found myself hating Skeet when he decides to enter China into a fight just a week after giving birth; I was actually shocked at the animosity that I felt when I read those passages. While there is some judgment shown in the book about the cruelty of dog fighting, it was primarily in the form of disapproval of fighting China so soon after having puppies. Otherwise, it was presented with no value judgment at all. I have a hard time accepting that someone can show the love and affection they feel for a dog, and then voluntarily put it into a situation where it is likely to be seriously injured or killed. I don't know why this plot element was necessary at all; it would have been a great book otherwise.

 I enjoyed this collection of poems collected by the U.S. Poet Laureate. The most interesting to me was "38" by Layli Long Soldier, which tells the story of the Dakota 38, a group of Native Americans who were executed in 1862 for attacking and killing settlers and traders. After losing their land, they couldn't hunt; payments for the land weren't distributed; they were starving, and the traders wouldn't extend credit to them to purchase food. According to the poem, this is the largest "legal" mass execution in U.S. history.

This is a heartwarming story of the friendship between Arthur, whose wife has died, and Maddie, whose mother died soon after she was born. Picked on at school and with no friends, Maddie hides out in the cemetery during school lunch hour, where Arthur visits his wife's grave everyday. Soon they begin to rely on one another, and with the addition of Arthur's lonely neighbor Lucille, they learn that you can create your own family from the people you love.

Great collection by funny cartoonist Scott Hilburn. Reminds me of the quirky The Far Side comics.

This was the most ludicrous plot I've ever read. I picked it up at the 2019 ALA Annual Conference in Washington, DC, as an advance reader's copy; it won't be published until later this year. I thought it would be a good distraction from my pre-vacation stress (trying to get too much done in too little time), and I was right, but it's really nuts. Also, I wasn't very impressed with the underlying religious proselytizing.