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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Review: The Man Who Fell To Earth

The Man Who Fell To Earth by Walter Tevis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Like "War of the Worlds", (view spoiler)[but with the alien (singular) succumbing not to smog but to gin and governmental overstep (hide spoiler)]. My second Tevis book, and I find his writing likable, though feeling a bit askew, like you are looking at things slightly differently than normal, at an angle. Not your father's dystopia.

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