Thursday, November 30, 2017

Me Talk Pretty One Day--63 finished

A mostly funny read with short stories/memories, etc from the author's life.  Some seem just too far out there to qualify as completely true, I am guessing exaggerated for entertainment purposes but that is kind of what makes it enjoyable.  The stories toward the end are the more recent in life & seem to be little more reality but still author's thoughts & how sees things are funny too.  Good read.

Not sure at this point if will keep or maybe go to donate pile.  If I remember correctly there are enough copies already on PBS.  I finished this before Thanksgiving but just getting around to it now to logging in for the month.

Wednesday, November 15, 2017

Chinese Takeout--#62 finished

I really enjoyed this book.  A struggling artist in New York City so you get to read about the whole art scene in NYC as well as living out of his van and all the odd things that seem to go along with all this.  Also some of what inspires his art.  You realize that he really does have a gift and seems to realize that he needs to work at this as well.  The older artist that sublet his studio to him for a few months seems to have provided some of a wake up call to the younger artist--stop living out of your van and become a serious artist, also implied I think is to stop wasting your time selling books to make a few dollars.  The time wasted doing that should be put to his craft.  It seems like by the end he has come to realize this but you as the reader get to take it from there.

There are no copies in PBS so I will post the book and I would expect it to be requested at some point.

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Second Life--#61 finished

I really just didn't like this book.  Didn't like the characters and really couldn't get into the whole who did it thing with the murder of her sister.  Julia, the main character, is married but couldn't have kids but adopted her crazy younger sister's son when he was a baby & has basically raised him as her own.  He is aware that Kate, the sister, is his mom, he is like 15 or 16--something like that.  Kate lives in Paris while Julia & family are in London.  Kate is murdered and Julia is stunned and then crazy sensitive to any kind of mention of this.  Also Julia gets online the same dating site that Kate was using.  Julia meets a guy & while investigating has an affair.  Affair goes bad in many was along with Julia's life, etc, etc.  Sorry, just don't like Julia at all so that means I don't like this book.

I will be posting it soon on PBS, I think there was like 44 WL for it.  I will be glad to mail it off & get it out of my house, really has been a while since I disliked a book this much.  I almost stopped reading it several times but just pushed through for some reason and now will be glad when it is gone.

The Hardest Working Man--#60 finished

The rest of the title is:  How James Brown Saved the Soul of America.  The book looks at the life of James Brown but it starts out with how after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, one day later James Brown did his scheduled concert in Boston and allowed them to televise it & play to the local audience too.  This was done in order that people could stay home & enjoy the concert & also for a healing affect after MLK's death.  There was rioting in other cities but in Boston it wasn't nearly as violent.  Boston was also one of MLK's towns, going to school there & meeting his wife there.  An interesting read about this concert and about James Brown the person.  I am not a big fan of his music but also had no idea of it either since was before my time and a style wasn't really into either.

There is 1 WL for it but there is a crack in the spine enough that probably shouldn't post on PBS.  This will go into my give away books.

Saturday, November 4, 2017

Positively Fifth Street--#59 finished

The author goes to Las Vegas to cover women in poker during the 2000 World Series of Poker and takes his advance on the article and wins a satellite into the World Series of Poker main event.  Also while this is going on Ted Binion murder trial is happening in the court house there.  The Binion family that owns the Horseshoe Casino where the WSOP was happening.  This is his story of not only covering the events and people but also his participation in the WSOP.  The author makes the final table & comes in 5th place.  A good read with lots about poker and Las Vegas.

There are already like 5 or maybe 7 copies on system at PBS so probably not posting it there but this might be one that is handed off to others that I know like poker instead.  This book was finished in October but just now getting around to log in.  October was a busy month for my reading this year.