Recent Reads

I am Scout by Charles J. Shields.  This is an interesting idea.  Shields wrote a full biography of Harper Lee and then wrote this which is a young adult version of the biography.  It's pretty good, but left me with unanswered questions that make me want to read the regular version.  This centers largely on the writing of Mockingbird and Capote's In Cold Blood.  I'd have liked a bit more on Lee's relationships with her sisters and on what she does with her life. 

The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr. A painting turns up in an Irish monastery and is possibly a lost Caravaggio.  This book follows scholars trying to track down documentation and restorers trying to authenticate the work.  Nicely written in that it is clear several of the characters do not like each other, but the author does not take sides.  An entertaining real life detective story.

They Came to Baghdad by Agatha Christie.  A political thriller by Dame Agatha.  I had a hard time getting into it at first, but it gets nice and twisting with some good surprises thrown in.

Memoirs of a Vending Machine by James Pollard.  This was free for Kindle which is about what it is worth.  Only finished it because it was short.  This is the story of the first night a man spends in Japan.  He arrives knowing nothing of Japan's language or customs and gets hopelessly lost and confused.  I was confused since his purpose in going to Japan was to teach English, but how can he do that is he cannot communicate with the Japanese? 

Mrs. Jack by Louise Hall Tharp.  A biography of Isabella Stewart Gardner from 1965.  A proper biography presenting Gardner in a glowing light.  Yes, she gifted the world with a great museum, but the author seems a bit too enthralled with her subject.  Gardner "mentored" promising young men, but the author is clearly tap dancing around the idea that at least one of those relationships was a full blown affair.  Then there is the insistence that Gardner was a charming person who was just a little strong willed when the book lists enough incidents to make it clear Gardner was more a harpy who always had to have her way.  And as a side note, I was somewhat disappointed in the web site for the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.  The main feature of the museum is that each piece was personally placed by Gardner.  You can explore individual pieces of art on the site, but you cannot explore rooms and see the art in its surroundings.

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.  When Vonnegut is good, he is very good.  The book examines pure researchers who look for answers in the name of science with no concerns of consequence.  There's also a interesting religion based on untruths.  The writing is simple and plain, but there's a lot of deep thought behind it.
Lasting Yankee Stadium Memories edited by Alex Belth.  I picked this up for Kindle when it was free one day.  A nice collection of memories of the old Yankee Stadium by people who both loved and hated the Yankees.  I'm not a baseball fan, but enjoyed reading about the passions a building can engender.