Book Nook Cafe discussion

Alias Reader wrote: "Julie wrote: "
Will
Will Smith
4/5 stars
This is the actor Will Smith's autobiography and published in 2021. I thought this was quite an int..."

That incident with his wife was prior to this book but I read somewhere that they are trying to work it out.

Julie wrote:
That incident with his wife was prior to this book but I read somewhere that they are trying to work it out..."

Thanks for the heads-up on that. If people were looking to read about that incident it won't be in this memoir.

Julie wrote: "Alias Reader wrote: "Julie wrote: "
Will
Will Smith
4/5 stars
This is the actor Will Smith's autobiography and published in 2021. I thought ..."

I didn't know he'd written an autobio but i think that's a good idea. It'll help many figure out what has happened (positive & negative) in his/her life that led to where they are. I'm glad to learn it was a good book.

I like the simple cover art, too. Thanks for sharing it all, Julie.

The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War
Erik Larson
3/5 stars
Erik Larsen's newest book looks into the beginning of the Civil War and the events surrounding it including the election of Lincoln. Not my favorite of his books but I still learned a lot about that time in history! Non-Fiction

Thanks for the post, Julie. I haven't added it to my TBR, exactly. Because we've traveled to visit so many battlefields, i'm not eager to read about it further. Someday, maybe. However, your reaction to the book is in line with much i've read about it. Still, Larson writes well & his research is great.

Congratulations on completing this one.

Re: The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War

Well done on the prompt, Julie. I enjoyed this one more than you did.

Re: The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War

madrano wrote: "Thanks for the post, Julie. I haven't added it to my TBR, exactly. Because we've traveled to visit so many battlefields, i'm not eager to read about it further. Someday, maybe. However, your reacti..."

Deb, this book only covers a week or so and the events that started the war. There are no battlefield discussions.

Thanks, Alias.

The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel that Scandalized the World
Sarah Weinman
4/5 stars
What a very interesting true-life book about Sally Horner who was kidnapped and killed at the age of eleven. Lolita, the movie was based on Sally's life. Non-Fiction

Julie wrote: "
[book:The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel that Scandalized th..."

I had no idea Lolita was based on a true story.

I tried to read Lolita but didn't get far before I DNF it. I probably would do better with the book you read. Thanks for the info.

I see the eBook is on sale at Amazon for $2.

When i read Lolita--Vladimir Nabokov, i didn't know it was based on a real instance. I finished the novel but didn't get why folks thought it was well written. I'd much rather read the book you did, Julie.

Thank you for telling us about it. Did you read the novel? Would it be fair to compare the two? If so, what was your conclusion?

Julie, i meant to relate a big "thank you" from my husband. Last month you wrote about The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II--Buzz Bissinger, and i told him about the book. He immediately checked it out & relished reading the story. What a good mix of topics--war & sports, so to speak.

Thanks!

madrano wrote: "When i read Lolita--Vladimir Nabokov, i didn't know it was based on a real instance. I finished the novel but didn't get why folks thought it was well written. I'd much ra..."

I can't remember if I read the novel. If I did it was long ago!

Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory
Ben Macintyre
4/5 stars
Interesting WWII book surrounding an operation about using a dead man to fool the Nazis into thinking that the Allied Forces were going to attack Greece or Sardinia instead of Sicily. Non-Fiction

Thanks for the title, Julie. That sounds interesting and about a part of WWII that I've not heard before.

Julie wrote: "Interesting WWII book surrounding an operation about using a dead man to fool the Nazis into thinking that the Allied Forces were going to attack Greece or Sardinia instead of Sicily."

This book has been on my TBR for years. I first heard about it when i read a book about the OSS & one of their female spies. More recently i saw a film with alluded to it. Now you, Julie. I'm thinking the Universe is Calling My Name.

Good Challenge book, i think. Thanks.

Oh, i also wanted to mention another book i added to my TBR around the same time.
Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program that Brought Nazi Scientists to America--Annie Jacobsen, about how, in the chaos following WWII, the US gov’t faced decisions, including what to do with the Third Reich's scientific minds. These were the brains behind the Nazis' once-indomitable war machine. So began Operation Paperclip, a decades-long, covert project to bring Hitler's scientists and their families to the United States. The film i saw which mentioned it was about Werner Von Braun.

What Time the Sexton's Spade Doth Rust
Alan Bradley
4/5 stars
Flavia de Luce is back again in a mystery about a case of poisonous mushrooms eaten by a neighbor, Major Greyleigh. Greyleigh used to be a hangman. The cook is a suspect but Flavia believes that she didn't do it. This is one of my favorite series! Books Off My Never Ending Reading List

Another title bites the dust, so to speak. Good work in whittling down your Reading List, Julie.

madrano wrote: "Another title bites the dust, so to speak. Good work in whittling down your Reading List, Julie."

I still have to read a few books to my goal and I am kinda of behind. We will see what happens!

I like that you targeted some books in your Challenge, purely for the pleasure of deleting them from your TBR, Julie.

Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown
Anne Glenconner
4/5 stars
Interesting autobiography of Anne Glenconnor. She was friends of the royal family and acted as a Maid of Honor at Queen Elizabeth's Coronation along with being a Lady In Waiting to Princess Margaret. Well written! Books Off My Never Ending Reading List

Julie wrote: "
Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown
[author:Anne Glenconner|1933..."

You're doing really well clearing off the old TBR, Julie. Nice !

Julie, i read and liked that book very much. I read it in hopes of learning more about what a Lady in Waiting does. It turns out, that was the least interesting thing she wrote.

The stories of her youth were outstanding. My favorite was about her duty to air the then-family-owned Codex Leicester, Leonardo da Vinci’s seventy-two-page manuscript, a study on water and stars. She'd lick her fingers as she turned the pages, so got a giggle when it finally sold to Bill Gates for $30 million dollars, knowing her DNA was all over it.

Thanks for the stroll down my Reading Memory Land, Julie. And congratulations on eliminating another from your TBR.

Cocktails with George and Martha: Movies, Marriage, and the Making of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Philip Gefter
4/5 stars
Interesting book about the making of the 1966 film Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. This is quite an extensive look of the film made by director Mike Nichols. It was Nichols' first film. A Dozen Film and TV Books

I have only 3 books left and the ones I ordered from the library haven't come in. I may have to pick three others.

Julie wrote: " ..."

Great choice for the Challenge, Julie. At the time, i didn't realize it was Nichols's first film. I suppose i remembered him with Elaine May, so that fact didn't register. Can you imagine your first film being with Taylor & Burton? Wow.

Congratulations on approaching completing your challenge!

The Full Moon Coffee Shop
Mai Mochizuki
4/5 stars
A tale about a coffee shop and the people who work and spend their time and money there. A very delightful story. Miscellaneous Books

Still waiting for the trilogy I ordered from the library!

Julie wrote: "
The Full Moon Coffee Shop
Mai Mochizuki
4/5 stars
A tale about a coffee shop and the people who work and spend the..."

I have a friend that I think would love this book. Thanks for the title, Julie !

Julie wrote: "
The Full Moon Coffee Shop
Mai Mochizuki
4/5 stars
A tale about a coffee shop and the people who work and spend the..."

Sounds lovely, Julie. Thanks for drawing our attention to it. The cover is pleasing, too, i think.

Speaking of coffee, I heard on a podcast today that the price of coffee will soon be going up due to the very bad weather in Brazil and Vietnam. Apparently we get most of our coffee from these two countries. I don't know if the tariff situation will also impact the price.

Great tie-in, Alias.

I hadn't heard that. Oddly, though, i just got off the phone with my brother. Our conversation mentioned the "Sugar Crisis" of the mid 1970s. The price doubled within a week, so folks began hoarding. In the late '80s an elderly neighbor, whose husband had recently died, found 4 5-pound bags of sugar he "saved" way back then. (As a note, i'll add that the price of sugar didn't resume to the old price. Typical.)

Time to load up on coffee?

Darn, the movie I ordered only comes in Blu Ray at our library system!

Wow, i didn't realize they still made those. Or is it just that old?

Bride of the Tornado
James Kennedy
3/5 stars
Interesting book about a town who has a Tornado Day. The residents lock up during the tornado but there is a boy called the Tornado Killer and the adults seem to know that there is a secret of the origins of this storm! Miscellaneous

I am still awaiting one of my books from a trilogy. I got 2 of them but the first book is still in transit.

Julie wrote: "
Bride of the Tornado
James Kennedy
3/5 stars
Interesting book about a town who has a Tornado Day. The residents lock up du..."

Sounds intriguing, Julie. Thanks for sharing about it. The cover appeals, too.

Good Night, Irene
by Luis Alberto Urrea
4/5 stars
Based loosely on a true story which revolves around World War II in which females from the United States came to help set up food depots to serve the men during the war. Very fascinating! Miscellaneous Books

Julie wrote: "
Good Night, Irene
by Luis Alberto Urrea
4/5 stars
Based loosely on a true story which revolves around World War II in which fe..."

I don't know if the books title has any connection to the hit folk song.

Goodnight, Irene" or "Irene, Goodnight," is a 20th-century American folk standard, written in 3 4 time, first recorded by American blues musician Huddie 'Lead Belly' Ledbetter in 1933. A version recorded by the Weavers was a #1 hit in 1950.

The Weavers - Goodnight Irene
https://www.youtube.c m/watch?v=MSDyiUBrUSk

Lyrics
Irene, goodnight
Irene, goodnight
Goodnight, Irene
Goodnight, Irene
I'll see you in my dreams
Last Saturday night I got married
Me and my wife settle down
Now me and my wife are parted
I'm gonna take another stroll downtown
Irene, goodnight
Irene, goodnight
Goodnight, Irene
Goodnight, Irene
I'll see you in my dreams
Sometimes I live in the country
Sometimes I live in town
Sometimes I take a great notion
To jump in the river and drown
Irene, goodnight
Irene, goodnight
Goodnight, Irene
Goodnight, Irene
I'll see you in my dreams
Stop your rambling
Stop your gambling
Stop your staying out so late at night
Go home to your wife and family
Stay there by the fireside bright
Irene, goodnight
Irene, goodnight
Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene
I'll see you in my dreams
Goodnight Irene, goodnight Irene
I'll see you in my dreams

Here is a bit updated version by Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton - Good Night Irene
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZm96...

Here is the Lead Belly version

Lead Belly Sings "Goodnight Irene"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn50J...

Julie wrote: "
Good Night, Irene
by Luis Alberto Urrea
4/5 stars
Based loosely on a true story which revolves around World War II in which fe..."

I didn't know this. Thanks for the additional knowledge & title, Julie.

Alias Reader wrote: "Goodnight, Irene" or "Irene, Goodnight," is a 20th-century American folk standard, written in 3 4 time, first recorded by American blues musician Huddie 'Lead Belly' Ledbetter in 1933. A version recorded by the Weavers was a #1 hit in 1950..."

Lots of info there. I thought it was the song played at the end of dances & balls of the era, but found no mention of that. Likely, i saw it in one film & made it universal, to my mind, that is.

For even more facts--https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodnig...

Alias Reader wrote: "Julie wrote: "
Good Night, Irene
by Luis Alberto Urrea
4/5 stars
Based loosely on a true story which revolves around World War ..."
Thanks for the info!

A Fatal Inheritance: How a Family Misfortune Revealed a Deadly Medical Mystery
by Lawrence Ingrassia
4/5 stars
This is an interesting non-fiction book about a family who discovered that many of their family members came down with cancer and how they lived and coped with the disease. Non-Fiction

Julie wrote: "
A Fatal Inheritance: How a Family Misfortune Revealed a Deadly Medical Mystery
..."

Sounds like a poignant and informative read, julie. The Amazon reviews are good also.

Julie, i found that book fascinating in many ways. I suppose the oddest story was about the origins of the problem in Brazil. Who could have imagined? I read the book this year for our prompt#9-- Medical or character related to topic.

I'm pleased you found it as interesting as i did.

madrano wrote: "Julie, i found that book fascinating in many ways. I suppose the oddest story was about the origins of the problem in Brazil. Who could have imagined? I read the book this year for our prompt#9-- M..."

I saw this book and I really liked it. It gave me some more information about cancer.

Julie, same here. I didn't know much about the basics of cancer & its research, which now Ingrassia has informed me.