March Books
Apr. 1st, 2011 06:06 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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christianreaderLots to report this month. I even managed to read a couple things that weren't written by John Grisham!
The King of Torts
by John Grisham
Good interesting story about the corrupting power of money and greed. As usual, Grisham also adds on a couple heaping tablespoons of cynicism for the U.S. justice system, understandably so. This is one where I’m curious how realistic it is. I suspect the answer is “very”. If so it’s pretty sad. 4/5
Playing for Pizza
by John Grisham
So apparently Grisham does two types of books: lawyer stuff and sports stuff. I’ve noticed all his books, I think without exception, feature the fallen hero main character. Someone who was at one point really good and successful and a star in their field who ends up having their success end and having to deal with the fallout. Anyway, this book is about a washed up fringe NFL quarterback who ends up playing in the Italian version of the NFL. It’s a fun quick read and sprinkles in a lot about the Italian people and culture. Apparently the town in the book and the Italian football league and the teams are all real, just the characters are fictional. 4/5
The Last Juror
by John Grisham
Eh, this was my least favorite of all the Grisham books I’ve read so far (8 or 10). It was about a city boy who buys a small-town newspaper and follows him as he narrates through several years. There’s a murder trial that’s the main legal issue. Too many characters and too many subplots to really give any of them a good treatment, and not enough legal maneuverings to keep it interesting. Even Grisham’s worst novel is still very readable though. 3/5
The Appeal
by John Grisham
This one centers around a huge verdict against a chemical producing company and the ensuing fight to get the verdict overturned via appeal. It’s probably Grisham at his most cynical, which is saying something. Not that I disagree with his take on things. Very good, probably one of my two or three favorite Grisham novels so far. 4/5
Into Thin Air
by Jon Krakauer
This is an account of the 1996 disaster on Mt. Everest where 12 climbers lost their lives. I think the whole book can be summed up best by this quote on page 233:
“By this late stage in the expedition we had all been subjected to levels of misery and peril that would have sent more balanced individuals packing for home long
ago. To get this far one had to have an uncommonly obdurate personality”
What I got out of this book is not just that mountain climbers are a bit nutty, but that scaling Everest is pretty much insane. It pushes even the best climbers with the highest endurance to the very edge of human limitations and beyond. I wouldn’t even have been able to handle what was going on at the Base Camp, let alone the higher 2 through 4 camps or the summit. An interesting look not just at the event itself but the people who shaped it and a facet of the human psyche I can’t relate to in the slightest. 4/5
Word Freaks
by Stefan Fatsis
This is a look at the bizarre world of high-level Scrabble players and the clinically insane people who play at that level. The author had played Scrabble a bit previously but decided to play the game competitively, meet the superstars of the sport, and jump in to the culture. It’s a good read and a good look at how single-minded and obsessive people at the top level of any competitive endeavor can be. The author himself ends up getting hooked pretty badly and the book is as much about his decent into Scrabble as it is about the other players. It also shows how high-level Scrabble has almost no resemblance to the simple game you and I have played in our living rooms. 3.5/5
A Wrinkle in Time
by Madeleine L’Engle
Interesting mix of science, religion, and adventure. It’s pretty short (203 pages), but she manages to pack a lot into it. It centers around a lost father and the struggle of his children to find him and bring him back, with the help of some powerful non-human beings. I’m not versed enough in Christianity to pick up on all the references, but I got the general drift of the whole “light vs. darkness” theme. There are 4 more books in the series, I’ll probably pick up at least the next one. 3/5
Skipping Christmas
by John Grisham
This is a short (175 pages) story about an upper-middle class couple that decides to completely skip Christmas. No tree, no presents, no parties, no office party, nothing. Their daughter has just left to join the Peace Corps so they decide to go on a 10 day cruise and still save half the money they spent last year. This means they have to deal with the disbelief and almost horror of their friends, snooty neighbors, co-workers, and everyone else. The closer it gets the more convinced they are they’ve made the right decision, but of course nothing is ever simple…This was a fun little story and very atypical of Grisham work. I’ve pretty much opted out of Christmas myself, so I can definitely relate 3.5/5
The Summons
John Grisham
I really liked this one. It centers on a son who receives a very large and very unexpected inheritance and the problems it creates. Had all the usual Grisham trademarks (interesting characters, engaging plot, rapid page turning), but also had a nice little twist at the end. Also featured a character who was prominent in his next book (The King of Torts). I can’t remember characters appearing in multiple books like that, but I haven’t’ read everything of his and I wouldn’t necessarily remember anyway. 4/5
The Fix is In: The Showbiz Manipulations of the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and NASCAR
by Brian Tuohy
This was pretty disappointing. I saw it at the library and grabbed it on a whim, thinking it would be this amazing behind the scene look at the corruption in sports, but it turned out to just be a rehash of all the big sports scandals of the century (Black Sox, steroids, Pete Rose, blah blah blah) with a little bit of total conspiracy theory paranoia thrown in. Now, I happen to agree with the book that some sporting events are fixed (do you really think the powers that be would let billions of dollars go for “purity of the game”?), but this book didn’t really add anything that wasn’t already out there. 2/5
The Backgammon Handbook
by Enno Heyken and Martin B. Fischer
At this point in my backgammon career this book didn't have a lot to offer. They had a couple sections on doubling, which is definitely an area I need help in, but overall I didn't learn a whole lot. Plus it wasn't written all that great anyway; I don't know how much I would have learned anyway. 2/5
Books for March: 11
Books for 2011: 21
The King of Torts
by John Grisham
Good interesting story about the corrupting power of money and greed. As usual, Grisham also adds on a couple heaping tablespoons of cynicism for the U.S. justice system, understandably so. This is one where I’m curious how realistic it is. I suspect the answer is “very”. If so it’s pretty sad. 4/5
Playing for Pizza
by John Grisham
So apparently Grisham does two types of books: lawyer stuff and sports stuff. I’ve noticed all his books, I think without exception, feature the fallen hero main character. Someone who was at one point really good and successful and a star in their field who ends up having their success end and having to deal with the fallout. Anyway, this book is about a washed up fringe NFL quarterback who ends up playing in the Italian version of the NFL. It’s a fun quick read and sprinkles in a lot about the Italian people and culture. Apparently the town in the book and the Italian football league and the teams are all real, just the characters are fictional. 4/5
The Last Juror
by John Grisham
Eh, this was my least favorite of all the Grisham books I’ve read so far (8 or 10). It was about a city boy who buys a small-town newspaper and follows him as he narrates through several years. There’s a murder trial that’s the main legal issue. Too many characters and too many subplots to really give any of them a good treatment, and not enough legal maneuverings to keep it interesting. Even Grisham’s worst novel is still very readable though. 3/5
The Appeal
by John Grisham
This one centers around a huge verdict against a chemical producing company and the ensuing fight to get the verdict overturned via appeal. It’s probably Grisham at his most cynical, which is saying something. Not that I disagree with his take on things. Very good, probably one of my two or three favorite Grisham novels so far. 4/5
Into Thin Air
by Jon Krakauer
This is an account of the 1996 disaster on Mt. Everest where 12 climbers lost their lives. I think the whole book can be summed up best by this quote on page 233:
“By this late stage in the expedition we had all been subjected to levels of misery and peril that would have sent more balanced individuals packing for home long
ago. To get this far one had to have an uncommonly obdurate personality”
What I got out of this book is not just that mountain climbers are a bit nutty, but that scaling Everest is pretty much insane. It pushes even the best climbers with the highest endurance to the very edge of human limitations and beyond. I wouldn’t even have been able to handle what was going on at the Base Camp, let alone the higher 2 through 4 camps or the summit. An interesting look not just at the event itself but the people who shaped it and a facet of the human psyche I can’t relate to in the slightest. 4/5
Word Freaks
by Stefan Fatsis
This is a look at the bizarre world of high-level Scrabble players and the clinically insane people who play at that level. The author had played Scrabble a bit previously but decided to play the game competitively, meet the superstars of the sport, and jump in to the culture. It’s a good read and a good look at how single-minded and obsessive people at the top level of any competitive endeavor can be. The author himself ends up getting hooked pretty badly and the book is as much about his decent into Scrabble as it is about the other players. It also shows how high-level Scrabble has almost no resemblance to the simple game you and I have played in our living rooms. 3.5/5
A Wrinkle in Time
by Madeleine L’Engle
Interesting mix of science, religion, and adventure. It’s pretty short (203 pages), but she manages to pack a lot into it. It centers around a lost father and the struggle of his children to find him and bring him back, with the help of some powerful non-human beings. I’m not versed enough in Christianity to pick up on all the references, but I got the general drift of the whole “light vs. darkness” theme. There are 4 more books in the series, I’ll probably pick up at least the next one. 3/5
Skipping Christmas
by John Grisham
This is a short (175 pages) story about an upper-middle class couple that decides to completely skip Christmas. No tree, no presents, no parties, no office party, nothing. Their daughter has just left to join the Peace Corps so they decide to go on a 10 day cruise and still save half the money they spent last year. This means they have to deal with the disbelief and almost horror of their friends, snooty neighbors, co-workers, and everyone else. The closer it gets the more convinced they are they’ve made the right decision, but of course nothing is ever simple…This was a fun little story and very atypical of Grisham work. I’ve pretty much opted out of Christmas myself, so I can definitely relate 3.5/5
The Summons
John Grisham
I really liked this one. It centers on a son who receives a very large and very unexpected inheritance and the problems it creates. Had all the usual Grisham trademarks (interesting characters, engaging plot, rapid page turning), but also had a nice little twist at the end. Also featured a character who was prominent in his next book (The King of Torts). I can’t remember characters appearing in multiple books like that, but I haven’t’ read everything of his and I wouldn’t necessarily remember anyway. 4/5
The Fix is In: The Showbiz Manipulations of the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and NASCAR
by Brian Tuohy
This was pretty disappointing. I saw it at the library and grabbed it on a whim, thinking it would be this amazing behind the scene look at the corruption in sports, but it turned out to just be a rehash of all the big sports scandals of the century (Black Sox, steroids, Pete Rose, blah blah blah) with a little bit of total conspiracy theory paranoia thrown in. Now, I happen to agree with the book that some sporting events are fixed (do you really think the powers that be would let billions of dollars go for “purity of the game”?), but this book didn’t really add anything that wasn’t already out there. 2/5
The Backgammon Handbook
by Enno Heyken and Martin B. Fischer
At this point in my backgammon career this book didn't have a lot to offer. They had a couple sections on doubling, which is definitely an area I need help in, but overall I didn't learn a whole lot. Plus it wasn't written all that great anyway; I don't know how much I would have learned anyway. 2/5
Books for March: 11
Books for 2011: 21
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