The book earned the 2014 Man Booker Prize, given to the best novel written in English, published in the UK. I’ve read plenty of the previous winners including “The God of Small Things,” “Amsterdam,” “Life of Pi,” “The Sense of an Ending,” and “Lincoln of the Bardo.” Continue reading →

This book feels like it falls right in line with “The Dharma Bums” and “The Art of Travel.” It’s about trails, written by a guy who has done some epic hikes, but he starts the book by talking about the concept of trails, a meditation on trials, how and why they are formed and by whom. Continue reading →

The group of mostly non-sailors experienced things very few humans have had or will ever have, crossing the ocean with no motor, just the wind and the currents. Thor Heyerdahl wanted to prove the so-called primitive people from South America settled Polynesia in pre-Columbia times. He was right. They created a raft using only the materials, like balsa logs, and technologies available in the pre-Columbia times. In three months at sea in 1947, the men float along the ocean encountering all manner of sea life. The story is really unbelievable. Continue reading →

The pivotal scene of the book, set on a university campus, is when an English professor … SPOILER ALERT … who has been placed in charge of the department, picks up a goose and – in front of television cameras – threatens to kill a duck a day until his department gets its funding. That was an awesome scene. Continue reading →

This book is about a boy with magical powers named Harry. Maybe you’ve heard of him. I thought that this was the best book of the series thus far. I’ve liked all of the books so far, but this one provided more information, more characters and side adventures that made this book a lot of fun. Five stars from me. Continue reading →

I enjoyed all of the characters, especially the lead, Katey Kontent, and a time and place that I am interested in. New York in the 1930s. I loved this book. I can’t wait to read another Towles-penned book, “A Gentleman in Moscow.” Continue reading →

Homer is blind and he serves as the narrator, so you are getting a very unique perspective of events. His brother, Langley begins accumulating newspapers of historic events by categories, historic slots. Based on a true story, the pair do not leave home, but somehow the world over the decades comes to visit them in their stately manor from the Great Depression to Vietnam. Continue reading →