The History Book Club discussion

Candy Bean, here is your new thread in 2016. Happy reading in the new year.

Our Required Format:

JANUARY

1. by Winston S. Churchill
Finish date: January 2016
Genre: (whatever genre the book happens to be)
Rating: A
Review: You can add text from a review you have written but no links to any review elsewhere even goodreads. And that is about it. Just make sure to number consecutively and just add the months.

Thanks for setting this up! I can't wait to get started.

JANUARY

1. by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Finish date: January 2016
Genre: Non-fiction; memoir
Rating: B
Review: I finished this book quickly, put it down, and that was that. Then I realized I was behind on my reviews, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about this book.

This is a tough one to review because I didn't like it, and I'm glad I read it. It's not a comfortable read, and it's so personal that it's a bit too much like being in someone's head.

What I liked best about this book was that it gave me to opportunity to practice what I preach: when someone tells me how they experienced something, I believe them. So, when Coates blamed a woman's racism for pushing his son in NYC, and I reacted with skepticism, I went back and thought about belief. No one knows exactly why that woman pushed his son. Maybe she was just rude, and yet Coates has experienced enough racism to make it plausible that he was once again. That is telling.

Social issues aside, the writing was striking and beautiful until it wasn't anymore. It drew me in, and then I tired of the stream of consciousness style. Further, I am concerned that some of the events may have been misrepresented. While this doesn't make Coates wrong to be angry at the effects of racism, it does poke holes in his credibility and add grist to the mill of those claiming that racism isn't existent.

2. by Elizabeth Strout
Finish date: January 2016
Genre: Fiction; short stories
Rating: A
Review: I loved this book. The writing is beautiful, the characters are developed and seem like real people. The sadness is palpable. This will easily be one of my top books read in 2016.

3. by Ben Goldacre
Finish date: January 2016
Genre: Non-fiction; popular science
Rating: B+
Review: This is a worthwhile read. It's straightforward and funny, and while Goldacre is very critical of certain school of thought, he never attacks the buyers as he goes after the sellers. So many people buy into naturopathy, but he does not dismiss them as stupid, and in fact acknowledges that such treatments can be successful. He just calls for these successes to be attributed to the proper mechanisms.

Overall I was pleasantly surprised that he backs his claim that he merely wants people to have all of the facts. And while he is viciously dismissive of snake-oil salesmen who take advantage of the ill and of the ignorant and sensationalizing media, he does not begrudge anyone their personal choices.

4. by Bernard Cornwell
Finish date: January 2016
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: B+
Review:

5. by Josh Malerman
Finish date: January 2016
Genre: Fiction; horror
Rating: C+
Review: This book is a suspenseful page-turner that entertained me. The twist on the menace that brought down civilization was excellent, and gave me a much needed break from zombies.

The writing is a bit lazy though in that the survivors don't seem to have too hard a time of daily life, and there are details and events that you just have to accept if you want to get through the book. The hardest of these was the denouement, in which the two stories (the past and the present) are connected. What was supposed to be horrific was a little absurd. The spare writing style that had worked for much of the book further made the events difficult to picture.

Overall I enjoyed it, and I would read more by Malerman, but I wouldn't call this a great book.

6. by Thích Nhất Hạnh
Finish date: January 2016
Genre: Non-fiction; spirituality
Rating: B+
Review: A quick and easy peek at what meditation means, this book will give new and seasoned meditators some ideas on how to practice. It is especially helpful in its simplicity.

7. by Charles Duhigg
Finish date: January 2016
Genre: Non-fiction; psychology; business
Rating: B-
Review: It's well-written, and the illustrative stories are pretty and fascinating, and yet at the same time, it can get boring. Some of the stories just drag. I especially get tired of sports stories in books like this. However, I gained some interesting insight on habit. I really enjoyed the chapters on organizational habits. It gave me ideas for the next time I train staff.

FEBRUARY
8. by Alfie Kohn
Finish date: February 2016
Genre: Non-fiction; education
Rating: A
Review:

9. by Charles P. Pierce
Finish date: February 2016
Genre: Non-fiction; politics
Rating: B-
Review:

MARCH
10. by Willa Cather
Finish date: March 2016
Genre: Fiction, classic
Rating: B
Review:

Candy Bean - you can't just add books without completing the review - the review can be brief but it has to be completed before beginning your next book.