karen

by Marie Killilea (her mom)

Published in 1960. Story of a girl with cerebral palsy. Inspiring.

review of dickens biography

Michael Dirda, Washington Post:

Many modern readers, I think, rather neglect Dickens, disdaining him as melodramatic and sentimental. Instead, we revere Jane Austen for her subtle wit or turn to Henry James for his delicate analyses of human motivation. But Dickens really is our prose Shakespeare. For proof, try almost any of his novels or just watch a DVD of the Royal Shakespeare Company or the BBC dramatizations of "Nicholas Nickleby," "Oliver Twist" or "David Copperfield." When Thackeray, whose "Vanity Fair" was then being published to wild acclaim, first read the scene of young Paul's death in "Dombey and Son," he famously -- and rightly -- cried out: "There's no writing against such power as this -- one has no chance!" For anybody who wants to know more about this dynamo of Victorian letters, Michael Slater's superb biography is the one to read.

catching up

Reading:

Shop Class as Soulcraft
*Update: finished this -- highly recommended.

Recently read:

Alcatraz and the Evil Librarians

Crazy for the Storm

Huck Finn
Tom Sawyer

Big Trouble by Dave Barry (don't bother)

sword of honor trilogy

by Evelyn Waugh

I enjoyed revisiting Brideshead so much that I'm now reading this, for the first time. Just finished Men at Arms and have started the second book, Officers and Gentlemen.

with God in russia

Recently read this and recommend it.

With God in Russia by Walter Ciszek, SJ

True account of a priest's decades as a prisoner in Lubyanka and Siberian labor camps. Have passed it on to teenage sons. Important historical and political lessons packed into a compelling and inspiring biography.

brideshead revisited

I'm revisiting this. It's wonderful. I have the urge to type or paste in long favorite passages. Maybe later.

the prince and the pauper

Just read it. Worse than I expected in some ways and better in others. Overall very good. Lots on British legal system. I'd like to see the old Disney version again. I guess that's what I was expecting.

children of men

by PD James

Finally, finally reading this. So far I'm impressed with her prose and happy not to be dealing with the tedious Dalgliesh.

man and wife

by Andrew Klavan

A psychological mystery. Had a bit of a Josephine Tey vibe, a la Brat Farrar. I'll read more Klavan for sure.

point of impact

and Black Light by Stephen Hunter

These are guys' books about a Marine sniper. Slightly ridiculous at times, and more about guns than I ever wanted to know, but page-turning fun. I will probably read more.

the natural

by Bernard Malamud

I like baseball fiction and wanted to like this. But I couldn't. The main character was ultimately too damaged, and unredeemable. I couldn't connect to the women. The whole thing left me with a bad taste in my mouth. I haven't seen the movie but can't imagine it's much like the book.

tripods books

by John Christopher

Just re-read the first book, The White Mountains, and have skipped to the prequel, When the Tripods Came. This is a first-rate series. I read it something like 12 years ago. I'm interested in the idea of people willingly surrendering their will to the tripods.