It’s been a while since I have updated my book reviews. Here are the books I have read lately and my thoughts on them. Enjoy!
Fiction
(+)First Phone Call From Heaven by Mitch Albom. It was a good and quick read. Not his best work, but pretty fast moving and entertaining.
(+)The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer. One of the best books I have read in a long time, following a group of friends over the course of their lives. The writing was superb and the story was excellent. I look forward to reading the rest of her writing soon.
(+)The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach. A superb book about a college baseball player that captivated me from beginning to end. Another must read.
(+)Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline. I enjoyed this book about the life of a girl who was orphaned in New York City in the early 1900′s. It was well written and the main character was well developed.
(+)Sycamore Row by John Grisham. I have liked most of his fiction works and this one was no exception. This book is another story with the same A Time to Kill main character and is a good, fast read.
(+)The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri. I like books about different cultures and the author did a good job taking you inside the Indian culture. The story was excellent and moving as well.
(=)Cuckoos Calling by Robert Galbraith(aka JK Rowling). I don’t think she is as talented in the adult fiction arena as in the children’s. It was a ok, but nothing special.
(+)Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison. I like well written fiction with a twist and this is good. This book is similar to the books written by Gillian Flynn.
Non-Fiction
(-)Floating City by Sudhir Venkatesh. He does interesting sociological work but there was no cohesiveness and the book was boring and difficult to read.
(+)The Power of Negative Thinking by Bob Knight. I love Bob Knight and think he has done a great job molding and teaching basketball players who are scholars as well as athletes. Though the book was not brilliant, I was very interested in his point of view.
(+)Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris. I am generally negative about humorous memoirs, but this one was well written and entertaining.
(-)Made To Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. A poorly written book with information that has been much better explained elsewhere. Habits by Charles Duhigg is a much more preferable.
(=)You’ll Know at the Finish Line by Joe Desena. It’s a promotional ebook for Spartan Race, but the discussion of diet and exercise regimens is good. It also has a section of recipes in the back of the book.
(-)I Wear the Black Hat by Chuck Klosterman. This book discusses TV heroes that are dark and in morally gray areas. I was excited initially, but it quickly became boring and uninteresting.
(+)Endgame by Frank Brady. A very good look at Bobby Fischer’s rise and fall. The author made him very captivating and gave the reader a good look inside his mind and the reasons behind some of his bizarre behavior.
(+)The Reason I Jump by Naoki Higashida. A look inside the mind of a 13 year old boy with autism. It is the first book of its kind and the author did a good job of conveying his daily life to the reader in a meaningful way.
(+)Double Down by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann. It was a great look inside the 2012 election and perhaps even better than their first book, Game Change. The authors do a great job of weaving together the stories in a cohesive and entertaining way.
(+)David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants by Malcolm Gladwell. Though this book is a bit weaker and less groundbreaking than his previous ones, he is an excellent writer and this one is probably still worth a read.
(+)Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan. Pretty much the same review as Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls. Fun, lighthearted, but not enough laughs for me.
(+)Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink. A look inside the war zone like situation in a Katrina devastated hospital. I thought it was a little preachy about morality in the latter half, but the situations they had to deal with were extreme.
(-)Happy Happy Happy by Phil Robertson. I wanted to read it since I had never watched Duck Dynasty. I was not a fan of him or his writing, to put it mildly.
(=)Orange is the New Black by Piper Kerman. The book that became a TV series. The TV show is better than the book.
(=)Eleven Rings by Phil Jackson. A look inside the mind of the Zen Master and one of the winningest coaches of all time. There were a few interesting stories, but nothing spectacular.
(+)Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. The writer had a very tough childhood and tells the stories in a very moving and humorous way. I will probably read the rest of her books.
