BOOKS THREAD

As a commuter I read a ton and I felt I had been negligent in posting some of the books I had been reading in case you had some money burning a hole in your pocket!

 

In a departure from my usual array of shitty mysteries and thrillers, I have checked out Jan Jarboe Russell's The Train to Crystal City.

So far, so good, and I already learned about something appropriate to our current political climate -- the Asian Exclusion Act of 1924. They didn't teach about this in my high school or college history classes... or I slept through those lectures.

Very pleased with the Kindle library loan process that has been saving me a bundle on books. Wish I had figured it out long ago!

 

Just finished this delightful bio of Ethel Payne, the "First Lady of the Black Press." Well-researched, well-written. It took me a while to get through it, but that was my fault, not because it wasn't captivating. Really enjoyed it.

Joe Bob says check it out.

 

A few years back on this thread I mentioned that I didn't see Springsteen writing a Keith Richards/Pete Townshend-type memoir. Well obviously I was wrong. And while I don't think Born to Run is as good as those books it is breezy, at times funny and very candid (with more profanity than I saw coming) and is an excellent companion to Peter Carlin's book of a few years back. Didn't spend as much time discussing the music and the inner-workings of the E Street Band as I thought it would but the parts dealing with his bar band years were great.

Now reading Mike Love's new book on life as a Beach Boy.

 

Will have to check this out. A good title would be "Heroes and Villains," because most BB fans think he's the latter.

 

Indeed, as I recall there was already a Beach Boys bio - dating back to the 80s - called Heroes and Villains"

 

The New York City public library system is renovating apartments which still exist in many buildings.
Inside the New York Public Library's Last, Secret Apartments

Also, Buzzfeed has compiled a listicle of fabulous independent book stores throughout the United States.
19 Beautiful Bookstores You Need To Visit In America

 

Based on a Last Movie You Watched post, I started American Pastoral.
I'm a few hundred pages in and NOT a fan.
I hate the lack of dialogue. To much of this is devoted to this guy's thoughts. And then - maybe I skipped over it - how the hell did we get to the family scene's with the Swede and Merry?

May bail on this one.
I have The Girl Next Door sitting in my que and Hillbilly Elegy on deck.

 

Huh. I saw the movie last night and was thinking of reading the book now. Maybe I won't.

 

Maybe its because - as a sportswriter - I encountered the narrator of the story - for years.
Again, I'm a few hundred pages in and the narrator is absolutely ga-ga over a 3-sport high school athlete. Even 50 years after the fact... They probably devoted 50 pages to this kids high schools sports performances, which really weren't all that great.
Again, I'll bet I've read 300 pages and maybe a third of it is dialogue. The rest is "insight" from the narrator.
I dunno ... Not my cup of tea.

FWIW .. I got it from our online library.