I’m Back!!!!
May 15th, 2010OK…it has been a LONG time since my last post. Like 4 months. I decided to take some time off from reviewing as we got closer to the end of my wife’s pregnancy.
Well, I am happy to announce that a couple of weeks ago our baby daughter finally came! Her name is Avery Scarlett and she is the most beautiful baby that has ever existed. I’m sorry if you believe you have the most beautiful baby. You are very mistaken.
Anyway, I’ve decided that I want to start reviewing non-fiction books again. So you can expect to see some more reviews coming in the near future!
I hope I didn’t put anybody off with my long absense, and I look forward to exploring these books again with you!
So…spread the word…Letters on Pages is back!!!
Amazon Warehouse Awesomeness
January 8th, 2010Please excuse my total nerdishness on this one…but I think factory tours are the coolest thing ever. I will watch practically any show about a factory and how they make different stuff. I also think high tech warehouses are awesome.
No. YOU are a Nerd! YOU ARE!
Sorry…so for those interested, here is a cool video about one of the Amazon.com warehouse and how they work. Pretty amazing!
My Top Books of 2009
January 6th, 2010I thought I would look back at the reviews that I wrote in 2009 and see which books were my favorite. So that’s what you’ve got below:
Columbine by Dave Cullen – This is probably the best non-fiction book I have ever read. It is wonderfully written and was picked on a lot of “Best of 2009″ lists. None as important as mine of course!
The Machine by Joe Posnanski – This was a fantastically written book about the 1975 Cincinnati Reds. This is probably a somewhat limited market…but Posnanski is a fantastic writer. Easily the best sportswriter out there right now.
Drunkard by Neil Steinberg – This was a very well written memoir of the struggle of an alcoholic. Very good read…though be prepared to be sad.
Home Game by Michael Lewis – Just because I like every book he writers. This was no exception!
Follow the Roar by Bob Smiley – This is a book about Tiger Woods’ 2008 golf season. The book is even more interesting now because you have to try to figure out exactly when Woods was having his various trysts. I don’t know how he fit them in his schedule!
They Dared Return by Patrick K. O’Donnell
January 3rd, 2010Wow. It’s been a really long time since I have written a review. I didn’t realize it had been that long. I am incredibly sorry for keeping you from reading my insightful reviews. It’s just irresponsible of me. I’d give you some excuses, but you don’t care…that’s not what you come here for. So…here is a new review!
Title: They Dared Return
Author: Patrick K. Donnell
Publisher: Da Capo (2009)
I like action stories. I like war stories (which almost always are action), and I especially like WWII stories. I also like stories about German Jews escaping from Germany, joining the United States military, and re-entering Germany to do counter intelligence work. If you make a Venn Diagram out of those three things…you get this book!
They Dared Return: The True Story of Jewish Spies Behind The Lines in Nazi Germany by Patrick R. O’Donnell is a wonderfully written narrative about a couple of REALLY brave Jews near the end of WWII. A team of Jews, lead by Fred Meyer, went through training in the very early stages of official American counter intelligence. They they dropped behind enemy lines in order to gain a bunch of intel and end WWII. It is absolutely incredible to read about the things they did. Especially for these guys to know that if they were caught, and identified as Jews, they would be tortured and murdered. Yikes.
This book reads really fast…very much like a good mystery novel. In fact, I would be very surprised if this story didn’t get optioned as a movie. We love good Nazi killing spy movies here!
Anyway…I would highly recommend this book. It is really fun to read and you’ll learn a little slice of history at the same time!
Rating: 5 out of 5
—————————————-
Like what you see? Sign up for the RSS feed.
Step Back From the Baggage Claim by Jason Barger
November 10th, 2009Title: Step Back From the Baggage Claim
Author: Jason Barger
Publisher: One Love Publishers (2008)
Recently I was asked to be involved with a blog tour to help promote this book, and it sounded interesting so I agreed. Plus…the author lives in Columbus, OH! Anyway, I had a work trip scheduled in Las Vegas the week after I got the book…so I thought it would be a good time to read it, and I’m glad I did
Step Back From the Baggage Claim: Change the World, Start at the Airport by Jason Barger is a fun, thoughtful book. The goal is to change the world one airport at a time! Well, actually, the point is that we can change the world by doing small things…but specifically the book is about how to change the world at the airport.
Barger decided to spend 10 days flying around the country and never leaving the airport. He wanted to observe the behavior of travelers as they made their way trough the airport. People get pretty stressed out and frustrated at the airport, so it was a good place to look. Based on the title, his goal was to get people to step back from the baggage claim so everyone can see and to help others with their bags. Great idea!
The book was thoughtful and a good idea…but I think the book could have used better editing. There were a number of places where the point could have been made more efficiently. The physical format of the book could have been done a bit better as well.
So, when my plane got back into Cincinnati…I figured I would give it a shot. I would tell everyone to back up a couple of steps! I was going to make a difference. I got off the plane and walked the 1,000 miles through CVG airport to get to the baggage claim. I approached the machine and prepared to change the world! I stepped up…and noticed everyone was a couple of steps back. Then one person helped someone with their bags. This was disappointing as I could not change the world. But I suppose it bodes well for society. But ultimately disappointing for me.
All in all…it was a very quick read…and sends across a good message. It is a book people should read if they are looking for encouragement to help make things better.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
—————————————-
Like what you see? Sign up for the RSS feed.
The Odds by Chad Millman
October 19th, 2009Title: The Odds
Author: Chad Millman
Publisher: Da Capo Press (2002)
I was listening to a Bill Simmons (an ESPN columnist) podcast and he had on another ESPN columnist who handles the gambling beat. It was a really great interview as they talked mostly about sports betting. I like sports betting. I used to dabble in it at $5 per bet. I ended up doing OK…but also realized that having a $5 bet on a game makes me VERY involved in the outcome. VERY involved in the outcome means a lot of yelling at the TV…so I stopped. That said, I am still very interested in how it all works. On the podcast, Simmons mentioned a book that Millman wrote that eventually led to his employment at ESPN. Even thought it was written 7 years ago, I thought it was worth a review.
The Odds: One Season, Three Gamblers, and the Death of Their Las Vegas by Chad Millman is REALLY interesting look at the Las Vegas sports betting scene. As the subtitle suggests, Millman took a look at three different gambling situations: a big time gambler, a new gambler, and the sportsbook (at the Stardust) themselves. The contrast between the three was really interesting. Especially the relationship between the Stardust and the “wise guy”, named Alan Boston.
The interesting aspect of that relationship was that the Stardust and the wise guys are in direct competition, a zero-sum game. Yet at the same time, because of the massive amounts of money being bet by the wise guys…the sportsbooks want their business. So the dynamic between “customer service” and hoping painfully that the wise guys lose is an odd one.
One of the main themes that I found while reading this book was that being a Las Vegas sports gambler is a very sad and lonely existince. There didn’t seem to be a lot of happiness amongst that crew. Of course, gambling is an addiction…and most people addicted to things don’t appear to be a particularly happy group anyway. It was very sad to read the stories of people spending all day, everyday, at the sportsbook. Even when they won a bet, there didn’t seem to be much joy…just relief. Then the high would wear off and they needed to get another bet down. The book certainly didn’t make it seem like a very fun way to live.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in psychology, sociology or sports. It really does mix all three aspects into an easy to read story. Millman is an excellent writer and storyteller. I haven’t read anything else he has written…but I’m sure I will soon.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
—————————————-
Like what you see? Sign up for the RSS feed.
I Shudder by Paul Rudnick
October 12th, 2009Title: I Shudder
Author: Paul Rudnick
Publisher: HarperCollins (2009)
I am a pretty big fan of laughing…I try to do it a lot. I also enjoy memoirs, so when I get the opportunity to read a memoir that is supposedly funny…I do. Rudnick is a comedic playwright, screenwriter and novelist so I figured it would be safe on this one. I was correct, as I enjoyed this book quite a bit.
I Shudder: And Other Reactions to Life, Death, and New Jersey by Paul Rudnick is a very funny part memoir, part fiction book. He has a very relaxing style of writing, which is always nice to read. I never felt like anything that he wrote was forced…and that makes it a very fast read.
He tells his stories with great wit and honesty. I found myself laughing quite a bit reading about his times as a writer for various movies and times spent with some pretty weird friends. Oh, I should stop here and mention that he is gay. It’s a theme throughout the book…though I didn’t think it was overwhelming. So if it would bother you to read a memoir by a gay person, you should probably stay away. Also…shame on you.
Anyway…as I said before, part of the book is a fiction tale about some really weird dude. Those sections were enjoyable to read and reminded me of reading a Chuck Palahniuk book. Well, kind of like a Chuck Palahniuk book minus the totally disgusting stuff Palahniuk writes about. And minus the fear of a lack of identity which is the only thing he can write about. I don’t know if that makes sense…but it should it you have read anything by Palahniuk.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. If you like memoirs, you will probably like this one too.
Rating: 4 out of 5
—————————————-
Like what you see? Sign up for the RSS feed.
