misajane79's reviews
1586 reviews

An airplane read this morning--wonderful little book about a bookstore on wheels. And what happens to a 40ish "old maid" when she buys said bookstore. Somewhat predictable, but charming and some wonderful commentary on how books are needed in order to advance society.

This book had been sitting on my shelf for years, mainly because I usually don't like Revolutionary War history. But damn, this was a great book. Not only does it explore the rich complexities of an amazing man, but he writes in an incredibly engaging way. Wiencek takes his time in explaining his own journey through the archives and certainly doesn't answer all the questions he has about Washington's views on slavery, and especially the changs in those views. And he's okay with not being a know-it-all historian. Highly recommended, even if you're not sure you want to read about yet another founding father.

The third in the Maisie Dobbs series. Still enjoying them, but the bloom is somewhat off. Another great plot revolving around history that doesn't get told though, and that always makes me happy.

This is one of those classics that I just hadn't gotten around to. I enjoyed the snapshot aspect of it--small town, outsider observing--it all reminded me a bit of L. M. Montgomery. The writing was beautiful, and I can see how it became a classic (no real plot and people still liked it!), but it didn't completely grab me.

This anthology was produced as an homage to Sheldon Myers, an editor at Oxford University Press who ushered into print some of the greatest historical works of the last 40 years. There was great variety in the places discussed, including Fenway Park, Queens and the Grand Canyon. They wrote of how the place shaped them as people or how the place impacted their career or how they felt connected through the power of place. Good stuff, though it was very long.

This is one of those books that have silver award stickers on the front and for good reason. It's the story of a girl living in Nazi Germany during the first part of World War II. For various reasons, she comes to live with a foster family and becomes a book thief. It's really about the power of words and how they can be used for good and for evil. Lots to think about here, and it's just a beautiful book. Oh, and did I mention the narrator is death? Occasionally he complains about how tired he is, especially in Russia in 1942. This amused me.

Published in 1943, Fisher writes of her growing love affair of food, from a childhood in California to her early adulthood in Europe. She writes also of the changing political climate in France and Switzerland. It's really a combination of food and memoir, but I grew frustrated because of the huge gaps in the autobiography. There were some jumps in her story (though occasionally she went back and explained) that drove me mad. An enjoyable book, but not so extraordinary that I'm feeling a need to rush out and read all of her books.

The second in the Maisie Dobbs series. Just as good as the first--I especially like how she takes some of the more difficult stories from the war--it's historical education and fiction in one.

The book club selection for this month. I've been wanting to read this for quite some time, and it was well worth it. Written pretty engagingly for a history book (and I say this as a historian) and does a great job of weaving all the threads together--women's history, labor history, disaster. The chapter about the fire, especially regarding how quickly it moved, was terrifying and I had to put the book down several times.

Messing with a classic, whether by writing a "what happens next" or "what happened before" is always a tricky, scary business. So, how would a prequel to Hamlet, one of the all time Greats, fare? I really enjoyed it--it raises just as many questions as Hamlet and provides a logical depth to many of the characters. It was good enough to make me think about hunting up Hamlet again, but I haven't done it yet. And good enough to make me want to read more of Updike (one of those authors I'm somewhat ashamed I hadn't read previously--one of my English profs talked about him all the time).