Book Nook Cafe discussion

I'm pretty sure Barbara read Traitor to His Class: The Privileged Life and Radical Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt

I have H.W. Brands on my TBR list. I've seen him on Book TV.

madrano wrote: " I'm curious, thinking this will be my Reagan bio but at 800+ pages, i don't want an avid Love Fest on the man. ..."


I know how you feel. I am not ever interested in reading gushing biographies about anyone, no matter how much I might personally admire them. (Any more than I want to read hatchet jobs on people I don't like that are written with a clear bias and agenda.) I want bios that are as factually correct and objective as possible -- warts and all. Which is why I rarely read autobiographies, especially those written by politicians.

My cousin, who has a framed poster of Reagan on his wall, gave me a book about him and urged me to read it. I felt obligated, even though I am not a Reagan fan. I can't remember the title of it -- but it was utterly and completely a PR piece that glossed over (or left out completely) anything negative about Reagan's life and political career while basically beating you upside the head with reasons why you should revere him. I ended up skimming the last half of it just so I could tell my cousin that I'd gotten through it.

madrano wrote: "That is a good reminder, Bobbie. Sometimes i will not read more than one book on a topic or, even less often a person, because i don't want to handle the repetition. I'm glad to learn about the oth..."

I did read Traitor to His Class and enjoyed it very much. Well written.

Alias Reader wrote: "Bobbie57 wrote:A good reminder that various perspectives are what history is made of.."

Truer words were never posted !

Thanks for the Halberstam title. I'm going to check it out."

The first book was about the issues and how RFK was dealing with them. The Halberstam book has more of the insider campaign perspectives and organizing. Halberstam was there.

You know that parlor game question about -- if you could have dinner with 3 people either living or dead who would you choose? Well, there are lots of easy answers, but I realized while reading this book that my three are Halberstam, RFK, and a man by the name of Allard Lowenstein. You probably don't know that last name but I wish you did. He was involved in liberal political organizing and with RFK and I did work with him. Oh my. He is mentioned once on one page in the first book and is a key character in the Halberstam.

I have not only heard of Allard K. Lowenstein, I met him once. It was at a wedding. I was very impressed. He was a Congressman at the time.

Shomeret wrote: "I have not only heard of Allard K. Lowenstein, I met him once. It was at a wedding. I was very impressed. He was a Congressman at the time."

Yes, Allard was my Congressman for at least 2 minutes. Well, what I mean is that he was considered enough of a threat that he got redistricted out of his seat. And you have no idea how pleased I am that someone in our group knows who I am talking about. Thank you Shomeret.

Thank you, Bobbie, for the words about Traitor. Unless i learn better i'll keep the author's Reagan book on my bio list. As Amy noted, i don't want a glorified bio or a hatchet job. If you can't be fair, address the positive & negatives, i'm not interested.

Thanks to for the contribution of Allard Lowenstein name. I'm not familiar with him but your comments led me to a Wiki article about him. Tragic ending to his life. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allard_... Thanks, Bobbie & Shomeret, for the posts.

I'm a bit late to this, so just a quick review.

The Glass Palace This was a radio book club pick. I found it too long though it was a multi-generation epic. 2 stars

The Plague Started out OK but too philosophical for me. 2 stars.

Little Hut Of Leaping Fishes Another China read on audio. Drawn out too much. 2 stars.

Far from the Madding Crowd I loved this classic. A re-read after 30 years. Fab in every way for me. 5 stars.

Brave New World OK for a genre that is not a favourite of mine. 3 stars.

The Clan of the Cave Bear Pre ice age door stopper which I may have read when it first came out, but I wanted to read again after seeing some fascinating mummies in a museums in China. 4 stars.

A House for Mr Biswas Another radio book club read which was way too long and rambling for me. 2 stars.

Sometimes i think about rereading that Jean Auel novel, Lesley. I remember really liking the story & that i felt it moved quickly. I read two more in the series, The Valley of Horses and The Mammoth Hunters before losing interest. I think i may be one of the few who also liked the film of the first book.

madrano wrote: "Sometimes i think about rereading that Jean Auel novel"

Does anybody else picture Daryl (wait, isn't that a hillbilly guy's name?) Hannah in that white Duran-Duran-music-video makeup from the 80s film? I haven't been able to re-read that novel since.

Thanks for posting your reads, Lesley. It's never too late ! :)

I enjoyed The Plague by Albert Camus more than you did.

Mkfs, i'm glad to report that video isn't something i remember seeing. Hannah has a small but important part in the Netflix series i watched, "Sense8". She has few words but her character began the series of events. I hadn't seen her in some time.

I didn't realise there was a movie from the first book, so when I googled it of course I got the reference to Daryl Hannah and the makeup! I have Valley of the Horses waiting for me at the library. I have no idea how far I will go with the series.

madrano wrote: "Hannah has a small but important part in the Netflix series i watched, "Sense8"."

Hmm, missed that one. Looks intriguing, though I've never met a Wachowski film that I liked. Well, maybe Bound.

I'll give it a go when I'm back in the city and can stream netflix again.

MK, you'll have to let me know what you think of the show. If they go no further, i'll be content. But if they do, it'll be fun to see where it goes. Hannah isn't even in most of the episodes, btw.

I am a fan of the Wachowski kids, though, so you might not care for it. Just a warning. I liked Sense8's international appeal.

Good luck with the series, Lesley.

Bound is a great movie!

I barely remember Bound, so should probably rewatch.