Friday Finds (Nov. 14)

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I thought I had this post all ready and waiting for link up Friday morning, but I guess I skipped the whole "writing of the post" step. So I'll have to be quick here. Though quick, for me, seldom means brief.

 

Because of all the Nonfiction November action this month, I've stumbled upon some great books--which led to other great books. You know how it is, that whole TBR snowball effect.

 

(And speaking of snow, we have a great big pile of it, and it's COLD here, which makes me want to do nothing more than hibernate with one of these books.)

 

 

 

On Musings from a Bookmammal this week, I was reminded of America's Queen, called the "definitive" biography of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. I just bought Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis last week, so I'll likely read that first, but I'll be reading this one someday too. "Definitive" will get me every time.

 

Elizabeth is by the same author as America's Queen, Sarah Bradford. I so enjoyed Elizabeth the Queen by Sally Bedell Smith last year that I'm up for another book about the Queen. (And I'm still looking for something to name Lilibet [the Queen's childhood nickname]. I think a Boston Terrier named Lilibet would be hilarious!)

 

And speaking of queens, a Nonfiction November post by Andi at Estella's Revenge reminded me of Serving Victoria, which tells what it was like working for Queen Victoria.

 

 

I recently saw Tavis Smiley on a news program, and he talked briefly about his new book, Death of a King. While I don't always agree with Smiley's political views, I've read the intro to his book and he seems to have a deep love and respect for Martin Luther King Jr. Though I'm always a bit leery of books subtitled "The Real Story..."

 

Isaac's Storm is another book by Erik Larson, one that wasn't on my radar at all. I tend to like storm movies and books.

 

I admire Dr. Ben Carson for many reasons, and I'm told he's soon to announce his candidacy for 2016, so it's time I read his newest book, One Nation. He really is a remarkable man, rising from abject poverty to be one of the best (the best?) pediatric neurosurgeons in the world. What was the beginning for him? His illiterate mother forcing him to read books and write her book reports. Stories were his way out.

 

I was looking at my long, long book list the other day and was reminded of Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure. I'm sort of a sucker for Truman--he's my kind of people. This is the story of his road trip with Bess after he left office in the early 50s.

 

Last week I scored a number of great books at a used book store. In the bargain basement, I found a copy of David McCullough's Pulitzer Prize-winning tome Truman for $2.00. I could not pass it up!

 

Lastly, set to release Dec. 2, When Books Went to War is the story of books being sent to soldiers during World War II. I'm intrigued as to which titles were chosen for the program and all the other nerdy logistics. 

 

And that's this week's list.

 

What's on your list?

Nonfiction November - Week Two

Click on the icon for an introduction to Nonfiction November.

 

Click here to link up to Week 2.

 

Week 2: Be the Expert/Ask the Expert/Become the Expert

 

This week we're sharing about a topic we're expert on, want to be expert on, or hope to get expertise from others on. I thought long and hard about what I might be expert in when it comes to reading, and I've decided it will be a long time before I consider myself an expert in anything! (Maybe I'm an expert in dabbling?) But I have always had a love of the World War II era. So this week I'm sharing how I'm becoming an expert in WWII. I'm sharing the books I've read, the book I'm reading, and the books I want to read focusing on this war.
 

 

First, what I've read...

 

I read Prague Winter hoping to understand the Jewish side of the European front in WW2. Written by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, the book explores her family's decision to hide their Jewishness as well as giving a history of Czechoslovakia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unbroken is destined to become a classic in World War II literature. Telling the story of one remarkable POW in the Pacific theatre, the book explores not only the brutal treatment of American POWs in Japanese hands, but also the resilience of the human spirit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bomb is the story of the making of the atomic bomb and its use to end World War II. It's written for the YA audience, but it does not dumb down either the science or intellectual struggle surrounding the bomb's creation or use.

Plus, spies!

 

 

 

 



Killing Patton is the fourth in Bill O'Reilly and Martin Duggard's "Killing..." series. Here, they investigate the death of General George Patton and point to evidence that the accident that killed him was likely no accident at all. This book deals more with the battles of WWII and the personalities (Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Churchill, Roosevelt, Eisenhower, etc.) than the others on my list. I learned a lot about the war in this book.









What I'm reading now...

The Monuments Men, now made into a motion picture, discusses the efforts of a handful of men (and one woman) who are tasked with the recovery of the world's great works of art, either lost in war or confiscated by Hitler.












What I'm planning to read in the future...

I'm very interested in reading Doris Kearns Goodwin's Pulitzer Prize-winning No Ordinary Time. Dealing with President Franklin Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor, this promises to be a comprehensive look at the Roosevelt family and World War II on the home front.









I also plan to read Erik Larson's In the Garden of Beasts about American ambassador to Hitler's Germany, William E. Dodd.










Do you have any favorite World War II books? Please share.




 

Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good, Kathleen Flinn

Burnt Toast Makes You Sing Good: A Memoir of Food and Love from an American Midwest Family

Kathleen Flinn

Category: Nonfiction: Memoir; Food & Cooking; Families

Synopsis: Flinn recounts her childhood on a farm and family life in food.

Date finished: 5 September 2014

Rating: *****

Comments:

This cinches it, I’m a Flinn fan for life. I enjoy each of Flinn’s books more than the last, and this one is my favorite so far. First was The Sharper Your Knife the Less You Cry, detailing her experience at a student at the famed Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. Then was The Kitchen Counter Cooking School, where she takes inexperienced cooks under her wing and teaches them to make simple, scrumptious dishes. Her latest, though, is her most autobiographical, and it is a top-notch memoir.

Why did I love it so much?

First off, Flinn is a Midwestern girl. She was raised on a farm in Michigan. I was raised on a farm in Wisconsin. We had common roots. Her family was like mine, strapped for cash, hard-working, church-going. They went deer hunting, ice fishing, and spent a lot of time with extended family. Flinn captures the simplicity and wonder of life lived on a farm. There are loads of funny and touching stories. I literally laughed and cried. And I’m not generally a laugher or a crier while reading.

Secondly, the memories she relates are all tied to food, and the recipes are provided. This is good, hearty, home-cooked food using ingredients they grew themselves. This is what I ate growing up and what I still crave now.

Lastly, Flinn has a genuine, honest way about her that make her stories easy to identify with. I felt like a member of her family, and many members of her family were much like members of mine.

Truly, this is the most heart-warming book I’ve read all year. I devoured it, and loved every morsel. Will you enjoy it even if you weren’t raised on a Midwestern farm? Yes, I’m sure you will. Like a good meal around a table full of loved ones, it will just make you feel good.

Would you recommend this to a friend?

Wholeheartedly.

You might also enjoy:

The Sharper Your Knife the Less You Cry
The Kitchen Counter Cooking School
Coop, Michael Perry

Friday Finds (Nov. 7)

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I'm so excited about my finds this week! A whole lotta great nonfiction.

 

First, three books that haven't been released yet...

 

A Royal Experiment is about England's King George III (from whom America won its independence) who decides to lead a different sort of life from his royal predecessors. No mistresses for him. And his 15 children will be raised to be happy and well-educated. It will be released Nov. 18.

 

Laura Hillenbrand has made her best-seller Unbroken into a YA book. I'm interested to see how the book "translates" to the younger crowd. It's set to release on Veteran's Day, Nov. 11.

 

The masterful historian David McCullough is coming out with a new biography called The Wright Brothers. To be released May 5, 2015. I've not read any of McCullough's books, though I've definitely meant to. Where does one start? Maybe I'll start with this one.

 

 

I've been watching the Ken Burns PBS series The Roosevelts: An Intimate History, and I'm enjoying it so much that I've added two more Roosevelt books to my TBR. First, the Pulitzer Prize-winning No Ordinary Time, by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Second, Mornings on Horseback by David McCullough. Both authors appear in the documentary, and I have become fascinated with them. It's quite possible that Doris Kearns Goodwin is the most practical woman on earth--I love it.

 

Juliette Gordon Low is the founder of the Girl Scouts, and apparently she was quite a woman. I'm excited to add this biography, titled with her name, to my list. 

 

Glenn Beck. What to say about Glenn Beck? He's a little too Chicken Little extremist for me, but I think he's sincere in his kooky beliefs. At any rate, he writes a book about every eight days, and while I've never really been tempted to read one before, his newest, Dreamers and Deceivers sounds right up my alley. Each chapter is another little-known nugget of American history.

 

Gretchen Rubin often recommends books for her readers, and this week she recommended A River Runs through It. I still haven't figured out if this is fiction or memoir, because it's described as both. But I'm always looking for small "quiet" books, and I think this would fit the bill.

And there you have it, another great week of book trolling. What have you added to your list?

Nonfiction November - Week One

Click on the icon for an introduction to Nonfiction November.

Click here to link up to Week 1.

Week 1: Your Year in Nonfiction: Take a look back at your year of nonfiction and reflect on the following questions –

 

What was your favorite nonfiction read of the year?

If I counted right, I've read 61 nonfiction books this year (out of 73), so narrowing it down to one is a mighty big task--although I do think it's easier than narrowing it down to ten! I'd have to say the nonfiction book that rocked my world the most was Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand. It was flawlessly written and so full of heart. It was one of those books I seriously considered reading again as soon as I finished it.

 

What nonfiction book have you recommended the most?

Gosh, I don't know. I did a lot of talking about Open, Andre Agassi's autobiography.

 

What is one topic or type of nonfiction you haven’t read enough of yet?

Historical. Presidential biographies, narratives about events and people throughout history, etc. I discovered this year that I just couldn't get enough of all of it.

 

What are you hoping to get out of participating in Nonfiction November?

Frankly, even if I wasn't participating in Nonfiction November, I'd be reading nonfiction, so I don't think I'll up my n/f reading, but I do look forward to the community feeling of lots of bloggers talking about good nonfiction books. And I'm always looking for titles to add to my TBR list!


 

Top Ten Tuesday (Rereads)

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It's been ages since I've done a Top Ten Tuesday post. The last several were geared toward fiction-readers, so I had to wait for one that worked for my geeky nonfiction self.

This week's topic: Top Ten Books I Want To Reread

I would love to reread more books, but with so many new books piquing my interest, I seldom get to revisit old friends. But if I did, these would be the ten I'd reread first:

 

Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt
I read this one summer during college and remember thinking it was simply brilliant. I credit this book with turning me on to memoirs.

How Reading Changed My Life, Anna Quindlen
I love books about reading, and this might be my favorite. I don't remember it well, and I've been hoping to read it again for awhile.

Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Do you know this book? It's just fabulous. Rosenthal is one of the most creative writers I've encountered. This is a memoir written in encyclopedic form.

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything across Italy, India, and Indonesia, Elizabeth Gilbert
Folks either love this book or hate it. I happen to love it.

A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland Indiana, Haven Kimmel
I have never laughed so hard while reading a book in my life. I must reread this one soon.

The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Anne Fadiman
I read this shortly before I taught high school English to Hmong students. It explores the Hmong culture, and I've forgotten more than I remember.

The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir, Kao Kalia Yang
Speaking of Hmong culture, this book tells the tale of Hmong immigrants. Ms. Yang was a visiting professor at my university a few years ago, and I heard her speak once. It was the single most inspiring university speech I've ever heard.

Madame Curie, Eve Curie
I read this one summer during high school, while I was a carhop. My life is full of contradictions....

Julie and Julia, Julie Powell
This book was panned, and it is universally agreed that in this case, the movie is better than the book. Frankly, I enjoyed the book (in spite of all the f-bombs). But I love the movie. I'd like to reread the book to see why so many people hated it.

The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio, Terry Ryan
The movie version of this book was much darker than the book was. It was a fun, uplifting book, even though there was some obvious family drama.

What are you hoping to reread soon?

October 2014 Recap

 

Well, Wisconsin has descended from a beautiful autumn to pre-winter. The leaves are off the trees. There are extra blankets on the bed. And temperatures will be dipping to 28 degrees tonight. Nothing sounds better than snuggling under a blanket on the couch and reading a nice long book.

 

October was a self-imposed "clear up the TBR" month, and I did okay. I read one new release (Killing Patton) and one book kind of found my way home from work (In Other Words--poems my one of my former poetry professors), but the rest had been languishing on the TBR for months. Too bad there are dozens more still on the list!

 

In October, I read seven books:

 

Creepy

 

Informative

 

Enjoyable

Entertaining

Humane

Confused

Uplifting

Going into November, I'm reading:

 

My goodness do I love this book. The paradox about finding a book you LOVE is that you want it to last forever but you read it quickly because you enjoy it so much. Some Luck is that book.

 

 

Other possible November reads:

 

 What was your favorite October read?

What are you looking forward to reading in November?