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[MissKitty]

1. Ardennes 1944: The Battle of the Bulge - Antony Beevor
2. Krazy & Ignatz 1939-1940: A Brick Stuffed with Moom-bims - George Herriman
3. Outlander - Diana Gabaldon
4. Tit For Tat and Other Latvian Folk Tales - Retold by Mae Durham
5. Gulag to Independence: Personal Accounts of Latvian Gulag Survivors - Eugene Williams

6. Walking Since Daybreak: A Story of Eastern Europe, WWII and the Heart of Our Century - Modris Eksteins

Interesting and informative book about the plight of Eastern Europeans caught in the middle of WWII between Russia and Germany, concentrating especially on the fate of the Balts but also of Ukrainians, Poles and the Czechs.

There is a lot to take in, especially since this book looks at the war from a perspective different from that of the western allies, Russia and even Germany: That of the people caught within the shifting fronts, who for better or worse shifted allegiances like the wind, and who at the end of the war found themselves far from home, either in displaced persons camps, or more ominously, in Russian gulags.

One of the most astonishing (to me, anyway) statistics in the book was this: "In Operation Gomorrah, the firebombing of Hamburg in July 1943, in one week almost as many people were killed in that city as would die in Britain from bombing during the entire war."

[daytime drinking]

1- the heart of darkness/ the secret sharer- joseph conrad
2- blacking up; the minstrel show in 19th century america- robert c toll
3- the subterraneans/ pic- jack kerouac     
4-  judgement of paris: california v france and the historic 1976 paris tasting that revolutionized wine- george m. taber
5- tao te ching- lao tzu
6- sex at dawn: the prehistoric origins of modern sexuality- christopher ryan and cadilda jetha

7- diary of a madman and other stories- nikolai gogol- fantastic.  wished diary of a madman was longer, though in the intro a conversation he had with pushkin suggests the best parts didn't make it past the censor.  the overcoat is considered one of the finest short stories written and it is indeed good, but my favorite was how ivan ivanovich quarrelled with ivan nikiforovich.  two best friends who become bitter rivals. 

[trixi]

1.  Finding Audrey--Sophie Kinsella
2.  Watermelon--Marian Keyes
3.  The Treatment--Suzanne Young
4.  Jesse's Girl--Miranda Kenneally
5.  A Good Place to Hide: How One French Village Saved Thousands of Lives During World War II--Peter Grose
6.  Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children--Ransom Riggs

7.  Winter Time: Memoirs of a German Sinto who Survived Auschwitz--Walter Stanoski Winter  an interesting autobiography of a German Sinto (gypsy) who served as a soldier for the Germans, yet was still put into a concentration camp. 
8.  The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B--Teresa Toten
9.  The Boy in the Black Suit--Jason Reynolds
10.  Hana's Suitcase: A True Story--Karen Levine
11.  The Weight of Feathers--Anna-Marie McLemore
12.  Bone Gap--Laura Ruby
13.  Grave Secrets--Kathy Reichs
14.  Wonders of the Invisible World--Christopher Barzak
15.  Hollow City--Ransom Riggs

[Cockney Rebel]

1 ● Bill Bryson - The Road to Little Dribbling
I don't think there's ever been a better, more funny travel writer than Bryson. This latest journey finds him revisiting some of the places he waxed lyrical about in "Notes from a Small Island" as well as pontificating over how Britain has changed in the time he has lived there. Part 3 of the prologue concerns his application for British residence and he does it in Eastleigh, my birthplace and where I had my shop. He describes it (rather, how it has become in the last 15 years) PERFECTLY and it made me laugh like a fucking drain. Thoroughly recommended.

[c-lando]

1. "Fangirl" - Rainbow Rowell - I think I've turned into a Rainbow Rowell fangirl. Sigh.
2. "The Overlook" - Michael Connelly - That was an abrupt ending.
3. "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" - Benjamin Alire Saenz - This was a beautiful coming of age story. Didn't hurt that I listened to the audiobook narrated by Lin-Manuel Miranda. I've enjoyed spending a week with him in my car.
4. "Martini Man: The Life of Dean Martin" - William Schoell - I'm sure that there are much better biographies than this one for Dino's life. I learned a few things, but I don't think that this author interviewed many important people in Dean's life. He seemed to put more effort into the movie reviews than anything else. Even the photos were second or third tier. Ended up skimming most of the book. Meh.
5. "Clever Girl" - Tessa Hadley
6. "Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener" - M.C. Beaton (audiobook) - Thought I'd give this series one more go and I regret it. At least it was an audiobook.
7. "The Clasp" - Sloane Crosley
8. "The Bottoms" - Joe R. Lansdale - This is my first time reading anything by Lansdale and I'm ashamed of myself. GOOD, good stuff here. This book was "To Kill a Mockingbird" with a Stephen King twist to me.
9. "Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls" - David Sedaris (audiobook) - David goes a little dark there at the end with the short essays that aren't autobiographical. I can see why this book received some harsh reviews. But, it was mostly my cup of tea.

10. "The Drop" - Michael Connelly (audiobook) - Just felt like spending some time with Harry Bosch again even though I've already read this one. Good traffic companion and traffic has been SHIT lately.
11. "Blonde Faith" - Walter Mosley - the Easy Rawlins book that comes before "Little Green". Somehow I had missed this one. Not enough Mouse.

[c-lando]

1. "Fangirl" - Rainbow Rowell - I think I've turned into a Rainbow Rowell fangirl. Sigh.
2. "The Overlook" - Michael Connelly - That was an abrupt ending.
3. "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" - Benjamin Alire Saenz - This was a beautiful coming of age story. Didn't hurt that I listened to the audiobook narrated by Lin-Manuel Miranda. I've enjoyed spending a week with him in my car.
4. "Martini Man: The Life of Dean Martin" - William Schoell - I'm sure that there are much better biographies than this one for Dino's life. I learned a few things, but I don't think that this author interviewed many important people in Dean's life. He seemed to put more effort into the movie reviews than anything else. Even the photos were second or third tier. Ended up skimming most of the book. Meh.
5. "Clever Girl" - Tessa Hadley
6. "Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener" - M.C. Beaton (audiobook) - Thought I'd give this series one more go and I regret it. At least it was an audiobook.
7. "The Clasp" - Sloane Crosley
8. "The Bottoms" - Joe R. Lansdale - This is my first time reading anything by Lansdale and I'm ashamed of myself. GOOD, good stuff here. This book was "To Kill a Mockingbird" with a Stephen King twist to me.
9. "Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls" - David Sedaris (audiobook) - David goes a little dark there at the end with the short essays that aren't autobiographical. I can see why this book received some harsh reviews. But, it was mostly my cup of tea.
10. "The Drop" - Michael Connelly (audiobook) - Just felt like spending some time with Harry Bosch again even though I've already read this one. Good traffic companion and traffic has been SHIT lately.
11. "Blonde Faith" - Walter Mosley - the Easy Rawlins book that comes before "Little Green". Somehow I had missed this one. Not enough Mouse.

12. "Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned" - Walter Mosley (audiobook) - This is not an Easy Rawlins book. Somehow, I had never heard of this Mosley character, Socrates Fortlow. He's a complicated cat as detailed in these short stories. Loved the voice of the narrator.

[c-lando]

1. "Fangirl" - Rainbow Rowell - I think I've turned into a Rainbow Rowell fangirl. Sigh.
2. "The Overlook" - Michael Connelly - That was an abrupt ending.
3. "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" - Benjamin Alire Saenz - This was a beautiful coming of age story. Didn't hurt that I listened to the audiobook narrated by Lin-Manuel Miranda. I've enjoyed spending a week with him in my car.
4. "Martini Man: The Life of Dean Martin" - William Schoell - I'm sure that there are much better biographies than this one for Dino's life. I learned a few things, but I don't think that this author interviewed many important people in Dean's life. He seemed to put more effort into the movie reviews than anything else. Even the photos were second or third tier. Ended up skimming most of the book. Meh.
5. "Clever Girl" - Tessa Hadley
6. "Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener" - M.C. Beaton (audiobook) - Thought I'd give this series one more go and I regret it. At least it was an audiobook.
7. "The Clasp" - Sloane Crosley
8. "The Bottoms" - Joe R. Lansdale - This is my first time reading anything by Lansdale and I'm ashamed of myself. GOOD, good stuff here. This book was "To Kill a Mockingbird" with a Stephen King twist to me.
9. "Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls" - David Sedaris (audiobook) - David goes a little dark there at the end with the short essays that aren't autobiographical. I can see why this book received some harsh reviews. But, it was mostly my cup of tea.
10. "The Drop" - Michael Connelly (audiobook) - Just felt like spending some time with Harry Bosch again even though I've already read this one. Good traffic companion and traffic has been SHIT lately.
11. "Blonde Faith" - Walter Mosley - the Easy Rawlins book that comes before "Little Green". Somehow I had missed this one. Not enough Mouse.
12. "Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned" - Walter Mosley (audiobook) - This is not an Easy Rawlins book. Somehow, I had never heard of this Mosley character, Socrates Fortlow. He's a complicated cat as detailed in these short stories. Loved the voice of the narrator.

13. "Modern Romance" - Aziz Ansari - Interesting and funny, though I did end up skimming some sections. Recommended to my friend who is struggling now with online dating. If you're in that boat, it's probably an encouraging read.

[daytime drinking]

1- the heart of darkness/ the secret sharer- joseph conrad
2- blacking up; the minstrel show in 19th century america- robert c toll
3- the subterraneans/ pic- jack kerouac     
4-  judgement of paris: california v france and the historic 1976 paris tasting that revolutionized wine- george m. taber
5- tao te ching- lao tzu
6- sex at dawn: the prehistoric origins of modern sexuality- christopher ryan and cadilda jetha
7- diary of a madman and other stories- nikolai gogol

8- wars of reconstruction- douglas egerton.  nice going andrew johnson.  the accidental president.  the confederacy breathed a heavy sigh, laid down their arms and was ready to submit to union terms but that's never how wars end is it?  instead, he kept out of the way while the south quickly reestablished antebellum order, which it seems like was what he wanted all along. 

it's hard to picture, what with all the atrocities (may not even be a word for it) committed upon those campaigning for not only civil rights but plain old decency, that reconstruction wasn't an abject failure.  an economic downturn in the early 1870's turned much of the attention away, but the groundwork for democratic government in the south was lain, free public schools, and new social legislation (however broadly challenged, i.e. a bill in 1883 the supreme court struck down which would further enhance civil rights ruled that the 14th amendment only prohibited discrimination by states, not from individuals).  blacks held office, high office in many southern states well into the early 1900's.

by 1870, most of the federal troops were gone from the south.  the republican party in the south was in tatters.   widespread violence on blacks and their supporters, voter intimidation, an economic downturn, and the indian wars out west proved a proved a lethal cocktail.  all because of the color of skin.  i don't think there's a good reason to fly the rebel flag

interesting facts:  salmon p chase was a revolutionary supreme court justice
                         :  birth of a nation was screened at woodrow wilson's white house.  it's like writing history lightning. my only regret is that it's all so  terribly true.  he later claimed it was an aide who said that.
                         : web dubois and booker t. washington had a psudeo friendly rivalry
                         : andrew johnson was illiterate

[Cockney Rebel]

1 ● Bill Bryson - The Road to Little Dribbling
2 ● Design Museum - London in Fifty Design Icons
I almost abandoned this after reading the section about the Chelsea football shirt. Not because it was about Chelsea but because the information contained within it was sooooooo far off the mark I then questioned the rest of the book, as nice as it was a tome. According to the Design Museum's shoddy research World Cup winner Geoff Hurst once played for Chelsea. Which is a bit like saying Pele played for Sciotland. Tw@s.
3 ● Marilyn Krieger - Naughty No More!
We've had a new kitten since January (Twiggy Stardust). She's..... Umm.... A handful of fuzzy boisterousosity. This book told me what I needed to do to try and calm her down. However, I doubt very much if SHE will read it too. Little bitch.

[MissKitty]

1. Ardennes 1944: The Battle of the Bulge - Antony Beevor
2. Krazy & Ignatz 1939-1940: A Brick Stuffed with Moom-bims - George Herriman
3. Outlander - Diana Gabaldon
4. Tit For Tat and Other Latvian Folk Tales - Retold by Mae Durham
5. Gulag to Independence: Personal Accounts of Latvian Gulag Survivors - Eugene Williams
6. Walking Since Daybreak: A Story of Eastern Europe, WWII and the Heart of Our Century - Modris Eksteins

7 The Road to Little Dribbling - Bill Bryson

Lovely. Just lovely.

[daytime drinking]

1- the heart of darkness/ the secret sharer- joseph conrad
2- blacking up; the minstrel show in 19th century america- robert c toll
3- the subterraneans/ pic- jack kerouac     
4-  judgement of paris: california v france and the historic 1976 paris tasting that revolutionized wine- george m. taber
5- tao te ching- lao tzu
6- sex at dawn: the prehistoric origins of modern sexuality- christopher ryan and cadilda jetha
7- diary of a madman and other stories- nikolai gogol
8- wars of reconstruction- douglas egerton. 

9- bringing up bebe- pamela druckerman-  the wife and i both enjoyed this book.  light, airy, funny.  it's probably the most intense baby book i could handle. she's an american (with a british husband) rearing their children in paris.  naive psuedo ex pat's encounters with french parenting.  from her observations, french parents have a much easier time with wee ones.  they sleep better early on, eat better, behave better.... compared to western counterparts.  the wife and are considering some of the techniques

she researches a lot, interviews the right people however the only normal people she associates with are all professionals in stable relationships.  she doesn't go out of her way to talk with people who don't hold advanced degrees.  the commoners plight.  i imagine even in the best circumstances, a working class family (odd jobs, odd hours) might not so cope as well, or be in the position to rear your child as you'd want.  i might just be rambling to prove to my wife i read the book.  so how effective her personal encounters, i took with a grain of salt

[c-lando]

1. "Fangirl" - Rainbow Rowell - I think I've turned into a Rainbow Rowell fangirl. Sigh.
2. "The Overlook" - Michael Connelly - That was an abrupt ending.
3. "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" - Benjamin Alire Saenz - This was a beautiful coming of age story. Didn't hurt that I listened to the audiobook narrated by Lin-Manuel Miranda. I've enjoyed spending a week with him in my car.
4. "Martini Man: The Life of Dean Martin" - William Schoell - I'm sure that there are much better biographies than this one for Dino's life. I learned a few things, but I don't think that this author interviewed many important people in Dean's life. He seemed to put more effort into the movie reviews than anything else. Even the photos were second or third tier. Ended up skimming most of the book. Meh.
5. "Clever Girl" - Tessa Hadley
6. "Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener" - M.C. Beaton (audiobook) - Thought I'd give this series one more go and I regret it. At least it was an audiobook.
7. "The Clasp" - Sloane Crosley
8. "The Bottoms" - Joe R. Lansdale - This is my first time reading anything by Lansdale and I'm ashamed of myself. GOOD, good stuff here. This book was "To Kill a Mockingbird" with a Stephen King twist to me.
9. "Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls" - David Sedaris (audiobook) - David goes a little dark there at the end with the short essays that aren't autobiographical. I can see why this book received some harsh reviews. But, it was mostly my cup of tea.
10. "The Drop" - Michael Connelly (audiobook) - Just felt like spending some time with Harry Bosch again even though I've already read this one. Good traffic companion and traffic has been SHIT lately.
11. "Blonde Faith" - Walter Mosley - the Easy Rawlins book that comes before "Little Green". Somehow I had missed this one. Not enough Mouse.
12. "Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned" - Walter Mosley (audiobook) - This is not an Easy Rawlins book. Somehow, I had never heard of this Mosley character, Socrates Fortlow. He's a complicated cat as detailed in these short stories. Loved the voice of the narrator.
13. "Modern Romance" - Aziz Ansari - Interesting and funny, though I did end up skimming some sections. Recommended to my friend who is struggling now with online dating. If you're in that boat, it's probably an encouraging read.

14. "Saint Mazie" - Jami Attenberg
“We all lose sometimes. Life’s plenty easy when you’re winning. It’s what you do when you’re down. That’s the real test.”

[MissKitty]

1. Ardennes 1944: The Battle of the Bulge - Antony Beevor
2. Krazy & Ignatz 1939-1940: A Brick Stuffed with Moom-bims - George Herriman
3. Outlander - Diana Gabaldon
4. Tit For Tat and Other Latvian Folk Tales - Retold by Mae Durham
5. Gulag to Independence: Personal Accounts of Latvian Gulag Survivors - Eugene Williams
6. Walking Since Daybreak: A Story of Eastern Europe, WWII and the Heart of Our Century - Modris Eksteins
7 The Road to Little Dribbling - Bill Bryson

8. Rock Stars Stole My Life: A Big Bad Love Affair With Music - Mark Ellen

I've been dipping in and out of this one for awhile because I didn't want it to end. Ellen has been at the forefront of rock journalism since the 70s and, with David Hepworth, is responsible for some of the best British music magazines. He has always been first and foremost a fan, and a very knowledgable one, which I think is one of the main reasons for his staying power through the decades.

Ellen cut his chops first with Record Mirror (his first interview was with Elvis Costello!) before moving on to NME, Smash Hits, hosting a show on BBC Radio1, hosting The Old Grey Whistle Test, hosting Live Aid, and launching and editing Q and Word magazines. When the question arises as to who I would invite to a dinner party, if I could invite anyone in the world, Ellen would be at the top of the list.

Plus he and his wife are name checked in one of my favorite Robyn Hitchcock songs. How cool is that?

[Dan]

1. Anne McCaffrey - Dragonflight
2. Lori Hope - 20 Things People With Cancer Want You To Know
3. Markus Zusak - The Book Thief

This was a good story about WWII Germany told from the perspective of a poor young girl and how the war impacted her life. While I was reading it I never really cared about anyone or anything and not once did I think to myself, "hey, I wonder how they are doing" and go out of my way to read. But continue on I did and at the end I there were tears and tears and tears, so I guess the author did something right. Good for you, Zusak.

[euro60]

3. Markus Zusak - The Book Thief

This was a good story about WWII Germany told from the perspective of a poor young girl and how the war impacted her life. While I was reading it I never really cared about anyone or anything and not once did I think to myself, "hey, I wonder how they are doing" and go out of my way to read. But continue on I did and at the end I there were tears and tears and tears, so I guess the author did something right. Good for you, Zusak.

I never read the book, but I did see the big screen adaptation, a year or 2 ago? I thought the movie was okay, not great, not bad either. You should check it out at your local library. I'll be interested in your take on it.