How Reading Changed My Life

How Reading Changed My Life by Anna Quindlen
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Of course it's a good book!  Anna Quindlen doesn't know how to write any other kind.  I'm sure her grocery lists are riveting.

This is a salute to reading; it's a love letter to reading;  it's a life story about a reader reading.  As an avid, compulsive reader I identified with most of Anna's experiences.  I, too, have marked important life events by reading;  I've solved life problems by reading;  I've elevated reading to its natural rank in my daily life and I've moved beyond reading (without letting go of the book) to writing, although I'm not nearly as prolific or accomplished as A. Quindlen.

It's a short book with a deep heart-felt message, a kind of thank you note to reading, and a note of gratitude to the life she's lead, which allowed her to read.  The end includes several interesting reading lists, suitable to pass around book clubs (one list is actually just for book clubs).



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Truth Like the Sun

Truth Like the Sun by Jim Lynch
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Seattle is itself a character in this story of political corruption, greed, and ancient secrets.  One story line covers the 1962 World's Fair, held in Seattle, exposing the back alley deals between the city's most powerful men.  The other story line propels the reader into 2001, when Mr. Seattle decides to save his city by running for mayor, stirring the interest of a young reporter new to the city and eager to expose his past.  The book alternates story lines chapter by chapter, unveiling every secret friendship and money-laundering deal and with perfect timing.

Truth Like the Sun is very different from Lynch's other book, Border Songs, but both provide an enjoyable, engrossing read.  Seattle has always intrigued me; now it's on my list of travel destinations.


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The Four Hour Chef by Timothy Ferriss

Four Hour Chef by Timothy Ferriss
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This tome will reside on my reference shelf until I die.  The title is somewhat of a misnomer--the reader will learn how to become a chef within four hours, it's true, but she'll also learn how to butcher a chicken, how to use spices, and how to memorize a deck of cards in 43 seconds.  Ferriss also covers such practical matters as how to survive in the wild, the Rule of Threes, and a fairly comprehensive study of Meta-Learning.  He provides cheat sheets.

This book, if I'd written it, would have been titled The Four-Hour Life Hack.  Read it and improve your life in some way.  Learn everything!

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention.  It's gorgeous.  Gazing at the hundreds of high-quality color photographs throughout, and enjoying the humor of Tim Ferriss, will life even the bluest of souls.


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The $100 Startup

The $100 Startup: Reinvent the Way You Make a Living, Do What You Love, and Create a New Future by Chris Guillebeau
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What an eye-opening book!  Chris Guillebeau, I'm pretty sure, is living my life, or at least the one I dream about.  He travels the world and makes money, all at the same time.  And he shares his story, and others' stories, so his readers can enjoy the same kind of lifestyle.  If they're willing to take the leap, which I'm not.  BUT, if I didn't have a great job and didn't live near my family and was maybe twenty years younger, I'd have started doing some of the things he suggested before I finished the book.

Good thing I bought this for my daughter (I frequently read books before giving them away as gifts) as she's about twenty years younger than I am, so maybe she'll take off and fly with Chris's ideas.

If you're looking for an inspiring book, if you need some entrepreneurial motivation, or if you'd just like to learn how the lucky, adventurous people live, read this book!


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Flint Book Expo

Stop by the Flint Public Library this coming Saturday, May 4, 2013 to meet and greet 42 different authors and browse/buy their books!

This will be my first appearance at the Flint Book Expo, so I'm not sure what to expect;  for more information, check out the Facebook event page here:  https://www.facebook.com/events/405196682909343/  or search for #fplbookexpo on Twitter.

I hope to see lots of people there--hop in the car and come on down to Flint!  It'll be fun.

I'll have all four of my books there available for sale, and I can accept credit cards with my snazzy new Paypal swiper!

 

Range of Motion

Range Of Motion by Elizabeth Berg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the realistic, yet somehow uplifting, story of a wife's grief over her comatose husband.  The first few lines of the book reveal Lainey's numb shock over the absurdity of her husband becoming the victim of a large chunk of ice falling off a roof.  Lainey puts as much of her life on hold as she can, shelving her job and caring for her two daughters like a not-quite-single mom.  Lainey's neighbor Alice proves indispensable, shuffling over in her bathrobe from the other side of the duplex to watch Lainey's daughters or bolster Lainey's spirits.  In return, Lainey listens to Alice's marital woes and maintains the friendship both women desperately need.

Lainey's tireless belief in Jay's recovery sustains her most days, and she brings many sensory experiences to his hospital room.  HIs favorite shirts, his daughters' artwork, photographs and kitchen spices, his favorite cologne are all faithfully presented to Jay with the hope he'll respond.

I won't give away the ending here--this is a book worth reading, and the characters will stick with you for a long time.


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Once Upon A River

Once Upon a River by Bonnie Jo Campbell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Join Margo Crane on her search for her mother as she lives off the land on the Stark River. This story is a coming-of-age-style adventure odyssey full of memorable, realistic characters and plenty of ethical and moral conundrums.  Margo calms herself by target practicing, and is able to easily shoot the ash off of a cigarette from twelve paces.  Her heroine is Annie Oakley, with whom she shares trick-shooting skills.  She shoots, skins, cooks and eats squirrels and deer, perfecting her skills so she can start selling fur, using the money she earns for more ammunition.

After Margo's father is killed, she sets off down the river to find her mother, who had previously left under somewhat sketchy circumstances. On her journey down-river, she encounters a few other people, some helpful and some harmful, and she learns valuable lessons from each of them.

The writing is superb.  I'll remember this book for a long time.


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