My winter readings

Thought I'd post what I've been reading since November. I recently signed onto the Wall Street Journal Book Readers blog. While trying to answer some questions I realized that I should keep track of what I've read if only to be able to answer what I liked and did not like. I am an avid reader, a lifelong hobby which keeps me comfortable and entertained. Here they are:

Are You Hungry Dear? by Doris Roberts aka Mom Marie of the TV show, Everybody Loves Raymond. It's an OK book with some interesting flashes into her life and efforts in show business. Most interesting are her inclusion of recipes which makes this book a keeper for my collection.

No Time for Goodbye by Linwood Barclay. This is a decent mystery about a rebellious teenage girl whose family disappears. As an adult she deals still with the trauma by becoming over protective toward her young daughter. I have not read anything else by Barclay, but would do so. It's a quick read that doesn't take much concentration, but kept me reading to find out what happened.

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. I had this book on my shelf for the past year and just finally decided I had to read it because the author has now written other books. Subtitled "How Little things can make a big difference", this book is fascinating and outstanding about why and how things happen as they do today using an analogy of epidemics. It's about change and those who affect, inspire and lead it. Three agents of change according o Gladwell are the Law of the Few, the Stickiness Factor and the Power of Context. I so enjoyed it that I sent a copy to my friend Sandy in CA. It can be read intermittently which I did while reading along something else for sheer entertainment. This book makes you think. Gladwell tells how Hush Puppies and Sesame Street became landmark successes. I especially related to his description of the Connectors, people who know lots of people. I think I'm one of those or at least I used to be during my career days in CA. Amazingly at Steve's memorial service his friend Ron described Steve as a spider who wove a web of friendship among many different peoples. That's a Connector! I was proud to hear our son was one. I also was intrigued at the description of the power of context and how children are shaped by their environments and the affect of their culture, their friends. Well there is much I could write about this book. It's definitely a keeper for me and one I'll browse from time to time again and again.

The Secret Lives of Fortunate Wives by Sarah Strohmeyer. This is an ok Chic book. To me these tales of these desperate housewives was tedious at times. A native son marries a reporter in Europe; this woman was raised on the other side of the tracks and her attempts to fit in and accommodate to their lifestyles, social posturing and veneers has moments. This is light reading. I found myself forcing me to keep reading. The most interesting part was when one of the desperadas gets into legal troubles. Would I read any other books by this author, probably not.

Still Aliceby Lisa Genova. An absolute smash read. This is her first novel and I can't wait for more. This book chronicles the descent into Alzheimer's by Alice Howland, a Harvard professor as well as the effect on the family and how she deals with the manifestations of her increasing dementia. Well written. Of immediate interest to me when I saw it on the table as a new release in Barnes & Noble. My mother had Alzheimer's so I avidly read anything fiction or non that I find about it. One memorable moment is when Alice arrives home from work and her husband looks at her with horror. He remarks something like, "You are supposed to be in Chicago at a conference." Alice recognizes then that her downslide is accelerating. How she tries to rationalize her behaviors and how she visits doctors alone at first without telling her husband are heart rending. This is also a keeper for me.

The Dream of Scipioby Iain Pears. I read only up to page 43 and could not continue. It's supposed to be thought provoking, set in Provence and flashes among three eras between 1943 and the time of the Romans. It was a local book club read here in La Crescent and all I can figure is they must have been desperate. With so many good books around I just could not waste anymore time on this.

Right now I am deep into The Preacher and the Presidentsa true story about Rev. Billy Graham and his counsel, friendships, and encounters with all the Presidents. I am enjoying it immensely as it has history and perspective. I will write more about it later.