Review: Sinatra's Century: One Hundred Notes on the Man and His World

Sinatra's Century: One Hundred Notes on the Man and His World by David Lehman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

My father-in-law lived with us for a year before he passed, and I played him a lot of Frank Sinatra songs while he was here. I bought this book for him, and he read it but wasn't so impressed. I think he'd already heard most of the anecdotes and had a lifetime of guys waxing poetic on their favorite Sinatra lyric. I decided to give it a try, and found that I liked the mix of anecdotes and reviews of Sinatra's work, usually summary reviews, like a listing of some of the best rarely heard songs, with some description that went deeper than typical liner notes. I tracked down and listened to a lot of the uncommon songs on Apple Music - very nice. A nice appreciation of Ol' Blue Eyes.

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Review: The Diving-bell and the Butterfly

The Diving-bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Review: First Meetings: In the Enderverse

First Meetings: In the Enderverse by Orson Scott Card
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I had read that original Ender story in Analog magazine when it came out, but I didn't remember it very well. I was glad to have a chance to reread it without buying the now high-priced copy of Analog. I read the Ender and Ender's Shadow series, so I was glad to read a little more in the same style that provided some historic background into Ender's ancestors and Jane. Good for a few hours of entertainment.

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Review: The Latte Factor: Why You Don't Have to Be Rich to Live Rich

The Latte Factor: Why You Don't Have to Be Rich to Live Rich by David Bach
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Another personal financial planning / retirement savings parable. One of many, nothing very outstanding here.

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Review: Oh William!

Oh William! by Elizabeth Strout
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I listened to this as an audiobook and I very much enjoyed it. I've seen some not so positive reviews of this on Goodreads, and I wonder if what I liked, the pacing, the shared emotion (or lack of emotion at times), and the way the sentences sounded was as much a function of the narration as the writing. Perhaps so.

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Review: Suder: A Novel

Suder: A Novel by Percival Everett
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Caused me to listen to a particular Charlie Parker album I hadn't listened to before. Very odd happenings, but put together realistically. I look forward to seeing what the author can do without leaning heavily on the bizarre.

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Review: Going Zero

Going Zero by Anthony McCarten
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

A friend read this and thought I would really enjoy it. I can understand her thinking -- the surveillance we all face from the use of technology is something I can worry about. But the problem with books like this is that the author suggests that technology exists that seems far fetched, and then makes that technology a key part of the plot. It happened a couple of times, and while I'm willing to suspend disbelief when reading such books, this one went to the well too many times for me. So I liked the concept and the story and the non-technology related twists, but the tech side was a bridge too far. This did feel very much like a screenplay, and i can see someone like Amazon picking this up for filming.

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Review: The Greatest Game Ever Pitched: Juan Marichal, Warren Spahn, and the Pitching Duel of the Century

The Greatest Game Ever Pitched: Juan Marichal, Warren Spahn, and the Pitching Duel of the Century by Jim Kaplan
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I had recently finished Bob Gibson's "Pitch by Pitch", his recounting of the details of a single game in the 60s that he believe memorable. It was. And I found his book to be quite well done, showing Gibson's thinking about the situations of almost every pitch, as well as his take on his opponent's pitching decisions. You learned a lot and were entertained. I expected the same with this book. Instead, this was more of a two pitcher biography, with lots of back (and post-) story on these player's careers. The game itself was not covered in the depth that Gibson wrote, and I suppose that's no surprise given the author is a reporter and not one of the pitchers. I did find i learned a lot about these players, but not so much about a single game, but about their careers.

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Review: This is It: And Other Essays on Zen & Spiritual Experience

This is It: And Other Essays on Zen & Spiritual Experience by Alan W. Watts
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Having read the many positive reviews here, I suspect that my listening to the audiobook, without the benefits of reading and reflecting as I would with a physical book, was not a good thing. I found a lot of long-winded sentences that were difficult to follow on audio. With a book you could easily re-read. While driving and listening, no way. I will possibly try another...

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Review: A World Lost: A Novel

A World Lost: A Novel by Wendell Berry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Follows a boy who loses a beloved, freewheeling uncle to murder through his life before and after the murder, and years later when he starts to question to find out what actually happened. You are in the boys head all throughout the short book, and you see how he thinks as he learns that some stories and some storytellers can't be trusted. It all happens in the bucolic country, and slowly as a typical Southern story.

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Review: The Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story

The Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story by Douglas Preston
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I read this to keep up with an online book club. I found the story interesting. What starts as a archeology adventure story with some mysteries becomes something else quite different at the end. I enjoyed that change the most. it was like reading two or three very different books. Kept my interest all along.

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Review: Sabine Spring

Sabine Spring by James Lee Burke
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I've read almost all of Burke's books, so this one from early in his career was a nice reminder of his writing but in a very different setting, much more an old Western than his more typical mysteries or later historical fiction. His description in the early part of the book of prison life and escape was very well described and memorable. I didn't find the rest of the book, with a lot of chasing and running, as well drawn. Burke's writings from the last couple of decades have a heavy dose of the supernatural and/or superhuman characters. This one didn't, and it was good to see his style of writing working without resorting to that plot crutch. Of course, this one was shorter without that stuff.... Altogether, it was nice to read and recall why I started reading Burke's books, with great setting description, typical Western heroes, and some interesting action.

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Review: The Chaos Machine: The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired Our Minds and Our World

The Chaos Machine: The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired Our Minds and Our World by Max Fisher


I listened to this audiobook 7 months ago and can't remember a single thing it said. I believe that provides some affirming evidence of one of the points he makes about social media ruining your memory. But I think it also makes the point that this kind of story isn't new, it's something I read about often, in other books and in the media and from internet sources. Problem yes, solution??

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Review: Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions

Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions by Temple Grandin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I loved the initial concept that there are visual thinkers and verbal thinkers and a set of folks that combine the both. The details, analysis, and conjectures about the meaning of this got a bit boring, though. Trimming would make this better.

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Review: The Kentucky Thoroughbred

The Kentucky Thoroughbred by Kent Hollingsworth
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I picked this up after recently reading Geraldine Brook's "Horse", and was surprised to find one of the horses highlighted here with its own chapter was Lexington, the focus of the Brooks book. It was nice to get a quick read on the real life Lexington and to see where the novel differed from real life. Overall, this book was just OK, with a lot of pro-Kentucky boosterism built into the writing. Nice for a quick horsey read.

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Review: Trust

Trust by Hernan Diaz
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I had no idea what this was about when I started reading it. I was just trying to catch up with a book club reading, and it had something to do with finances. I listened to the audio and was not wowed. The big reveal was something I expected from near the beginning. Although this type of story is definitely my cup of tea, this particular way of doing it was not.

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Review: Kilkenny

Kilkenny by Louis L'Amour
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Another gunslinger trying to get out of the business and retire to his own private valley, while the rest of the world seems to conspire to keep him in his previously chosen profession. The bad guy here is a big rancher with lots of sons. Now if you make the rancher into an evil businessman and the gunslinger into a journalist and the private valley into a Christmas tree farm, you have a great Hallmark movie, with a similar level of plot gymnastics. Good entertainment, with the bonus of L'Amour's beautiful descriptions of Western landscape.

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Review: Blast #2

Blast #2 by Wyndham Lewis
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Forgettable, but for the artwork.

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Review: Out of the Dog House

Out of the Dog House by Dick Portillo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Many of the reviews here trash this book as repetitive, and with the author's arrogance in plain sight. I have read many business biographies, which this is, and I found it actually pretty good. Portillo goes into some depth in describing his childhood and how his time in the Marines taught him how to think. He relates the difficult start to the business, including not having running water at his first location. He talks about how he came up with his drive through concept and tested it to get it to work better. He even talks about how his kids were involved in the business. He also dives into the operations of the business, dealing with competition, rewarding the long-time employee, and running a massive training program. He doesn't give all the details, you get more of an outline than a blueprint, but the story, for those interested in modern rags to riches stories that don't involve the internet, is quite interesting. When you finish this book, you understand how Portillo thought about running his business. I see this book as being written to provide to Portillo's employees and vendors, to help keep his way of thinking in the business. As Portillo sold off his business, this was likely his last chance to influence its ongoing operations.

I recall hearing an interview of Dick Portillo, probably on Chicago's WGN, probably during the 2008 recession. The announcer jokingly suggested Portillo's deal with the recession by putting less beef on his Italian beef sandwiches. Portillo's reply, deadly serious, was that they would never reduce the size of their offerings, because that's not what his customers want. The announcer jokingly repeated his idea of reducing serving sizes, and Portillo, even more deadly serious, said they would not do it. It seemed if the announcer repeated himself one more time, it would come to blows. You love to hear guys this serious about their product and talk about the business, as you'll get to know how they think and became successful. It might not be replicable, but it's interesting.

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Review: Paula

Paula by Isabel Allende
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I listened to this audiobook on a couple of long drives by myself. Sometimes listening that way makes you forget the story, but here I have memories of many of the sequences and anecdotes, and strong memories of the emotions reading this induced. Allende tells of her family's history, as well as her own, with unexpected depth. You feel you know each as a character. And along the way she tells of her daughter, Paula, becoming more and more ill. It's the story of moving, changing cities and countries many times throughout a lifetime, and often for difference circumstances. Many trials are faced. I found this quite memorable and will plan to read more by Allende.

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Review: Talking Mysteries: A Conversation With Tony Hillerman

Talking Mysteries: A Conversation With Tony Hillerman by Tony Hillerman
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

It was more a hardback fanzine than a book. There are a number of articles, most not by Hillerman. Interesting only to those who have run out of Hillerman mysteries to read.

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Review: The Handmaid's Tale

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I found the suspense in the story very well managed by Atwood. It was a very compelling read, once you got into the setting. I read her MaddAdamm books before this, and really enjoyed them. In comparison, this felt more like the less technical 1970s. I am looking forward to reading this one's recent sequel to see if the difference in when it was written makes a difference to the story.

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Review: Count Frontenac and New France under Louis XIV

Count Frontenac and New France under Louis XIV by Francis Parkman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Another in Parkman's series of old Canada and America histories. Parkman writes with details and imbues the stories in the history with adventure and with hardship you can see and feel. Nice reading.

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Review: The Art of Living

The Art of Living by André Maurois
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I found this little book with a neatly penned gift inscription for a young man just starting out in the world. It was in a Christian organization's thrift store. While this copy was 60 years old, it looked to be like new, but had been read. I thought I'd take it for a spin, and found the writing to be about what you'd expect, very reflective, mostly common sense, with some odd suggestions here and there. I enjoyed the feel of the book - it felt antique in the thoughts, though not in the writing.

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Review: Regicide's Widow

Regicide's Widow by Antony Whitaker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

So a couple of years ago I was zooming a genealogy web site, and by zooming I mean picking a random n-great grandparent and drilling backwards through public trees to find new-to-me ancestors, and I happened across Lady Alice Lisle, last person to be beheaded in Britain, and according to the website, my 10th great grandmother. Also interesting was the last name Lisle, as that is the name of the town I live in. i found this book about Lady Lisle's life and mostly about her court case. Her husband was a judge who crossed a king and was murdered by his agents after fleeing to Switzerland. Lady Lisle stayed behind, but let an opponent of the king stay the night in her manor. The case is in great detail, although the author states that much of that detail seems to have appeared decades after the events, so no telling how true it is. Quite interesting. Did Lady Lisle get railroaded? Seems likely.

A coda to this review, in looking at a different genealogy website, I was surprised to see major dissent on the relationship with Lady Lisle. It seems more likely that my ancestor worked for Lisle, and was not her daughter. While it would have paid to have done this research first, I'm glad i read this book, as I had no knowledge of the times in Britain, and found this interesting background with a number of stories I'd like to follow up on.

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Review: Trying to Save Piggy Sneed

Trying to Save Piggy Sneed by John Irving
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Most of this was forgettable, as are most books of short stories when I don't write a review for 10 months. But i do remember "The Imaginary Girlfriend", not by name, but because it was an ode to wresting. I read Pat Conroy's "My Losing Season", about his basketball playing days in college, mostly, and could imagine Irving, having finished reading the Conroy book, saying to a friend "Hold my beer." Conroy's passion for wresting lasts beyond his youth, such that he's coaching and wrestling decades beyond his college days. Irving writes dedication well, and it is oddly inspiring to read about that dedication to an unmonetized sport.

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Review: Nine Inches: Stories

Nine Inches: Stories by Tom Perrotta
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Unease in suburbia. People in Perrotta's stories just aren't that happy. And the stories all seem a bit off kilter, which made them more readable but not so identifiable. Still, i enjoyed these, and though the situations were odd, the settings were very familiar.

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Review: Angle of Repose

Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While the main story presented here is of the narrator's grandmother's life, the parts I found most memorable were the stories of Lyman, the narrator's life, writing his book through new disability and loss. It's almost as if I remember this as two books, both well written and telling their stories. More Stegner is called for.

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Review: The Last Bookseller: A Life in the Rare Book Trade

The Last Bookseller: A Life in the Rare Book Trade by Gary Goodman
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

An interesting book about used and rare booksellers in the era of Amazon and eBay. While the author tells the story of his own businesses selling used books in Minnesota, he also covers other sellers, include book cities, as well as book thieves, specialists, and more. As an eBay and Amazon book seller, I found this story of the other side of the tracks very familiar, and written with good humor.

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Review: Another Kind of Eden

Another Kind of Eden by James Lee Burke
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Again, the writing is top notch. Will Paton's narration of the audiobook is exceptional. But the story is so similar to others by Burke that it becomes hard to separate. With the Holland Family Saga series, at least you can picture the times that the stories take place, there's a distinction there. But the evil, the touch of the supernatural, the loose cannon, the mostly just hero, they are all aspects of every Burke book. I kinda hope he writes about the bad guys winning once, not just about damaged good guys.

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Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make. -Beatles

I don't suppose that is the best way to sum up this final book in the series, but it's a song that sounds final, and this is a book that sounds final as well, even though it's left with open ends. Based on what ends up being faulty recollection, I assumed a different ending was coming. This one surprised me in both the back and forth battles and in the serenity in the conclusion. Quite intense, and overlong, but enjoyable.

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Review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I waited 8 years after reading 5 to read 6 and 7 back to back. I wanted to say I finished them, and by 5 I was not at fanboy level. This one was more interesting to me, with a lot going on, and a lot of back story that you can tell is leading up to a climax. I'd call this the big build with a story. Enjoyable, a bit more frightening than the others.

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Review: Lulu in Hollywood

Lulu in Hollywood by Louise Brooks


A very entertaining look at early Hollywood and the wildness of the stars pre and post sound. About half of this is about Louise, and half are essays written by Louise about others, like WC Fields. Brooks brings these actors to life.

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Review: West of Last Chance

West of Last Chance by Peter T. Brown


A one word review, at least of the pictures in this book, is "stark". If you kick it up to three words, "stark, but beautiful". I found Haruf's writing as enjoyable in these shorter paragraphs as his novels. The pages start with barren landscape, and almost as barren writing, but you start to see and read more detail as you go through. I enjoyed the church story near the end the best, and it's also the most fully drawn and longest.

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Review: Prelude to Foundation

Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov


My first read of Asimov's extended Foundation series. I found this one an easygoing romp. I enjoyed the writing, especially the action scenes. I found it kind of funny how Seldon seemed to have some action, and then announces he has figured out a bit more about his theory, then more action than another announcement. Those announcements, though, didn't seem to be breakthroughs based on the action, but a bit separate, kind of like a Sherlock Holmes story with a successful conclusion without explained deduction. Oh well, it was a fun read and I'm going to try the next one soon.

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Review: Esther

Esther by Henry Adams
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Headstrong socialite gets mixed up in an art project at a church, falls for the minister, then realizes she can't stand the ways of the church. You can picture this as a Merchant & Ivory production with some humor, but as written there isn't much out and out humor but more a comedy, or is it a tragedy, of "modern beliefs" meeting a congregation. Enjoyable.

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Review: If on a Winter's Night a Traveler

If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The writing was well done, the concept was interesting. Truthfully, listening to this on audio felt quite a bit like listening to an extended Joe Frank episode, which I tend to like. Weird, fun in a way, but I wonder if I got lost along the way, or if there wasn't really a path were I thought I was going...Might be worth trying again, but not on audio.

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Review: The Unfinished Odyssey of Robert Kennedy

The Unfinished Odyssey of Robert Kennedy by David Halberstam
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Halberstam writes one of the better books to analyze the candidate Robert Kennedy, following him on the campaign trail while relating his history and analyzing his turn from a rough anti-crime, anti-communist fixer to a champion of hopeful causes. I picked this book up to read a page or two, and got pulled into finishing it. That rarely happens to me. I was not very knowledgeable on Kennedy, so perhaps that helps make this a book that grabs you. The ending was very abrupt, much like the ending of "The Diary of Anne Frank", and for about the same reason. Halberstam shares many anecdotes from his life on the campaign trail with RFK. The funniest was that campaign advisor Dick Tuck was given responsibility for keeping track of RFK's dog while campaigning. When others commented how the mighty had fallen and asked how he liked taking care of the candidate's dog, Tuck replied that while they saw a dog, he saw an ambassadorship.

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Review: God and Starbucks: An NBA Superstar's Journey Through Addiction and Recovery

God and Starbucks: An NBA Superstar's Journey Through Addiction and Recovery by Vin Baker
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The story of addiction, mostly to alcohol but also to the NBA star lifestyle. Starbucks wasn't the savior here, just a small step on the path between Baker's playing (and drinking) career and his role in an NBA team's player development. Baker also had a stint as a preacher that was probably longer and more interesting than his Starbucks experience, but perhaps it wasn't novel enough to put in the title of his book. The most interesting thing about this story is that Baker had a drinking problem when most of the addiction stories you hear about now are for drugs. An old school addiction for an NBA star is different. Also, his inside view of the NBA star lifestyle was everything you'd expect.

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Review: American Born Chinese

American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A set of three very different stories that come together in the end in a very nifty way. I've thought about this quite a bit since I originally read it six months ago. It wasn't the story that stayed with me, it was the feeling and the ah-ha understanding you got at the end. Nicely done.

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Review: Birthday Stories: Selected and Introduced by Haruki Murakami

Birthday Stories: Selected and Introduced by Haruki Murakami by Haruki Murakami
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A collection of short stories having a connection to "Birthdays". I recall the stories being hit or miss, but overall enjoyable. I write this about a half year after reading, and the only part I recall clearly is the introduction. So I guess I really appreciated Murakami explaining himself.

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Review: Pitch by Pitch: My View of One Unforgettable Game

Pitch by Pitch: My View of One Unforgettable Game by Bob Gibson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One of the best baseball books I have read. A lot of my enjoyment has to do with Gibson's personality, during the game in the 60s that he dissects here, and his changed personality as the reflective, older writer. Gibson the pitcher was a mean fellow back in the day. Gibson the writer is willing to tell you why -- how he used his meanness to his advantage on the mound and in life. And you get the impression he has mellowed with age. Not completely, but enough to learn from. Great read.

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Review: Horse

Horse by Geraldine Brooks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read this to follow a college alumni book club, but I must admit I didn't really keep up with the conversations. I'm very glad I read it though. I hadn't heard of the historically great horse that the book is written about, but I've run across this story in other books since I read this. I enjoyed the feel of the times, from the parts of the story that took place in the Civil War era. And I enjoyed the mystery of how all the introduced people would fit together. The art dealers arc and the final arc about the student were not quite as interesting, but it provided the right amount of closure and completeness to the story. I liked it and would read more by Brooks.

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Review: Win Shares

Win Shares by Bill James


Another Bill James classic. In this one, Bill rethinks the numbers to assess a team / standings / stadium / era free measure of the good a player has done for his team, offensively and defensively. The beginning of the book rolls out the statistic and its creation, and it is quite complex and has a number of stand-alone rules to make it all work. It's understandable why he had the complexity given the task, and he compares his method to other methods in existence that tend to be less complex or rigorous. The second part of the book is taking the numbers he generated and writing those analysis papers that you expect from James, and he adds some good ones now, given he believes he has a better handle on the numbers to answer questions like who was the best second baseman by season. The final half or so of the book are the generated winshares for players and teams over time. I found it another enjoyable romp into the says who type of arguments you get into about baseball, and provides a well thought out, and often pithy answer.

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Review: Backstage Passes & Backstabbing Bastards: Memoirs of a Rock 'N' Roll Survivor

Backstage Passes & Backstabbing Bastards: Memoirs of a Rock 'N' Roll Survivor by Al Kooper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Dear Lord, how had I never heard of this guy? I guess I wasn't paying attention. Kooper shows up at key places in rock and roll history, Zelig-like. From writing "This Diamond Ring" to hanging around a recording studio and lucking into playing organ on Dylan's "Like a Rollin' Stone" to producing and playing on Lynyrd Skynyrd albums and the Tubes albums to starting Blood, Sweat and Tears, Kooper has been behind many of the songs I have loved throughout my lifetime. His story seems unbelievable, which is the one thing that made it a little uncomfortable reading -- were you being fed a line of bull, or is it possible a guy got this much exposure to the rock world for twenty years (with a name that didn't ring a bell). I guess I believe. Very fun read, lots of rock and roll anecdotes. Kooper is a big name dropper, he mentions many in the rock and roll, folk, jazz, and blues worlds. And he shares pictures with many of these other stars. Again, very Zelig-like. A fun read.

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Review: Help Thanks Wow: The Three Essential Prayers

Help Thanks Wow: The Three Essential Prayers by Anne Lamott
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Lamott tries very hard to write a pithy sermon here. I liked the basic concept. I didn't like the style -- Lamott kept using examples where one or two of the examples were so off the wall compared to the rest that it didn't add to the understanding, those were obviously there to look edgy.

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Review: Mind Hacking: How to Change Your Mind for Good in 21 Days

Mind Hacking: How to Change Your Mind for Good in 21 Days by Sir John Hargrave Sir
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If you've read those self help books that suggest different ways to think, this is another one. The concepts I've seen many times before. But as I often like refreshers, I happened to read this at the right time, and i found it useful. The author uses some computer programming references that resonated with me, but might not with the non-tech reader. He comes across as a bit goofy. On the audiobook version of this, the author goes through his text, then he turns the audiobook into a kind of collection of podcasts with an episode for each of the 21 days he says it takes to change your thinking. Each episode lasts about 5 to 10 minutes, and often repeats a thought or an anecdote from the book, followed by guided meditation, often with 5 to 10 minutes of quiet time per episode. These reminded me greatly of an NPR podcast, as the narrator's voice and enthusiasm and use of music felt very familiar. I ended up fast forwarding through much of the quiet space. I could see how this might be of use as guided meditations, but as I listened mostly in the car -- bad idea.

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Review: Memoirs of a Geisha

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I found long stretches of this story were there to relate historical research by the author, not necessarily to advance the story. At times it read like a Wikipedia article. The story was fine and memorable, but I'd have liked it more if it didn't feel like I was getting a lesson.

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