Gary Shteyngart is the author of several acclaimed novels. I have not read him but I was immediately engaged by his memoir. He was The Immigrant song…
Gary Shteyngart is the author of several acclaimed novels. I have not read him but I was immediately engaged by his memoir. He was born Igor Shteyngart in Leningrad, in the late 1960s and then immigrated to New York in the late 70s. Igor was an only child and was nicknamed the “Little Failure” by his father. The boy was a lonely oddball, doted on by his Jewish mother, thrashed by his father and bullied by his classmates. The last kid to be picked for kickball. He finally finds refuge in books and writing. This is his family’s story and it is filled with wonderful anecdotes, offbeat relatives, his stoner college years and his heavy drinking, all told with a sharp wit and uncanny insight. I will now have to dig out my copy of Super Sad True Love Story. ...more
Just a few days after 9/11, in a remote trailer, outside of Tombstone Arizona, a woman is shot to death. Her fifth husband and probable killer, has diJust a few days after 9/11, in a remote trailer, outside of Tombstone Arizona, a woman is shot to death. Her fifth husband and probable killer, has disappeared. The author of this haunting memoir was twenty years old at the time. His mother’s death left his life in tatters and he spent the next ten years, repairing the damage and looking for answers. What really happened in that trailer, that fateful day? He did not like his step-father Ray but would have never imagined him capable of murdering his wife. Did he do it or was it someone else? St. Germain has great writing chops, following the lean, gritty style of Mary Karr, James Ellroy and Jeanette Walls and he has crafted an excellent story, filled with his own pain and frustration. His descriptions of the hot, dusty landscapes and the wasted little ghost-towns, along with the real-life characters that populate these desolate areas, are insightful and spot-on. I hope this is just the beginning for this young talented writer....more
Mary Anne Schwalbe is in her early 70s. She is a mother, a humanitarian and a lifelong reader. She is also dying from pancreati“What are you reading?”
Mary Anne Schwalbe is in her early 70s. She is a mother, a humanitarian and a lifelong reader. She is also dying from pancreatic cancer. Her son, Will, is also a dedicated reader. They have always enjoyed talking books and decide to form a two-person book club and while she is receiving her treatments, they discuss a book they have recently read together. This is an amazing memoir. Warm, funny, touching and brave. It’s about love, friendship, caring and of course books, scores of books. Mary Anne is such a winning real-life character, I find myself smiling just thinking about her. Do you want a great end of the year read? Hunt this one down....more
A soldier, decked out in full bomb gear, an 80 pound Kevlar suit, making the “long walk” toward an armed bomb. Is “"Don't be scared of the soft sand."
A soldier, decked out in full bomb gear, an 80 pound Kevlar suit, making the “long walk” toward an armed bomb. Is there anything more desolate or terrifying? Brian Castner served three tours in Iraq, as part of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit. This is the story of two journeys: the adrenaline-fueled, blood-soaked world of the combat soldier and the equally difficult return to a “normal” life. This is a raw, emotional memoir, filled with riveting prose. Castner describes the everyday intensity and horror of a EOD soldier, disarming bombs and cleaning up the aftermath. Collecting “right hands” to count the casualties. Placing a soldier’s personal info in their boots, because feet “pop” off in an explosion. And then Castner’s long painful recovery back home. The fear, the paranoia. While grocery shopping, he scans the crowd for potential insurgents and targets, clutching a non-existent weapon. Crying, while putting his son’s hockey gear on, which reminds him of donning his bomb suit. Castner vividly places the reader in each of these situations and has created one of the best books on war, that I have ever read. I cannot recommend it higher....more
“Whenever my father went out of town, he had the mail stopped.”
Bill Sandell was an adventurous, larger than life, father. An ex-Green Beret, war hero,“Whenever my father went out of town, he had the mail stopped.”
Bill Sandell was an adventurous, larger than life, father. An ex-Green Beret, war hero, with a law degree and a P.H.D. He was both revered and feared by his children, especially Laurie, his oldest child. When Laurie was in her early twenties, she applied for her first credit card and was declined because of a bad credit record. It turns out several cards were already issued in her name and all of them were maxed out and unpaid. She follows the trail to her father and everything she ever knew about her beloved padre begins to unravel. Lies upon lies are revealed. Is her father just a fraud, an imposter, living the “big con”? This illustrated memoir, told by Laurie is a joy. The writing is smart and the drawings are perfect. I much preferred this one over Are You My Mother, which I read a few months ago. I hope to spread the word on this one. Seek it out!...more
“When the Navy sends their elite, they send the SEALs. When the SEALs send their elite, they send SEAL Team Six”
This is a mildly interesting look at w“When the Navy sends their elite, they send the SEALs. When the SEALs send their elite, they send SEAL Team Six”
This is a mildly interesting look at what it takes to be a SEAL and then a sniper. The intensive training makes my Army basic training look like nursery school. The story also follows Wasdin on several missions, including the show-piece of the Battle of Mogadishu, which was covered in Black Hawk Down, in both book and film. This memoir version looks like it was packaged as a YA, so I’m curious how the original book was written. If this subject interests you, check it out, otherwise remain at ease. ...more
In early 1996, Cheryl Strayed was adrift. She was twenty-six, and still reeling from the sudden death of her mother, a few years earlier. She was in aIn early 1996, Cheryl Strayed was adrift. She was twenty-six, and still reeling from the sudden death of her mother, a few years earlier. She was in a shaky marriage, experimenting with hard drugs and sleeping around. Something needed to give. Enter the PCT: The Pacific Crest Trail. Spotting this in a travel guide, while living in Minnesota, Cheryl decides this is her crossroads, her sea change moment and armed with “Monster” her hellishly large backpack, sets out on an eleven-hundred mile hike, from the Mojave desert to Washington State. She was a complete novice and had only done the occasional day hike. This is simply a wonderful memoir, full of adventure and self-enlightenment. She is one scrappy young lady and I found myself slack-jawed at her toughness and tenacity. This is the perfect female companion to [A Walk in the Woods], although this has the grittier edge. She tells this story in a strong vivid voice and I felt like I was walking alongside her, from the comfort of my favorite chair. Highly recommended....more
“I was born in Manchester in 1959. It was a good place to be born.”
The author was only a few weeks old, when she was adopted by a Pentecostal couple. “I was born in Manchester in 1959. It was a good place to be born.”
The author was only a few weeks old, when she was adopted by a Pentecostal couple. Her adopted father was meek and indifferent and her mother tyrannical. Here’s an early description: “She was a flamboyant depressive; a woman who kept a revolver in the duster drawer, and the bullets in a tin of Pledge. A woman who stayed up all night baking cakes to avoid sleeping in the same bed as my father.” Mrs. Winterson was a big looming woman, casting her shadow over young Jeanette’s every move. She forbade books in the house but secretly devoured mysteries, which she made her daughter retrieve from the library. The Bible was read aloud every day. Her favorite hymn was “God Has Blotted Them Out”, which she regularly sang at high volume. This potent mixture did not turn Jeanette into a cowering mess, but quite the opposite, she evolved into a tough, rebellious kid, who escaped into books and later into writing. She fled home at sixteen. This is a strong memoir, beautifully written in brutal prose. It’s a search for love, identity and happiness. Jeanette became an acclaimed author. I had not heard of her before reading this but I will definitely go back and read her novels. Lastly, the title comes from a statement, her mother made, when she realized her daughter might be gay. Yes, she was a piece of work....more
Robert Wittman is a career FBI agent, who specialized in art theft, occasionally going undercover, dealing with some dangerous criminals. He not only Robert Wittman is a career FBI agent, who specialized in art theft, occasionally going undercover, dealing with some dangerous criminals. He not only recovered painting masterpieces but many different historic artifacts, like a Civil War battle flag, Civil War weaponry, a missing copy of the U.S. Bill of Rights, Native American treasures and body armor from a Peruvian King. The list is endless, the items totaling into hundreds of millions of dollars. This is a smart, fast-paced and suspenseful memoir, filled with many facts regarding artists and their works and the varied histories behind the stolen swag....more