Comments on: In Your Opinion: Your Favorite Book of 2010

By: Alan Thornton

Alan Thornton — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 13:33:25 +0000

I liked the Franzen books okay. I wish I had the time I spent on Freedom back to spend on two other books though.

By: Alan Thornton

Alan Thornton — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 13:28:13 +0000

I happened to listen to the audiobook version of this. Johnny Depp reads as Keith and others. It sounds like Tom Waits as himself discussing Rain Dogs.

By: Al

Al — Sun, 23 Jan 2011 07:41:19 +0000

Several fine non-fiction books — Daniel Okrent’s “Last Call,” a history of Prohibition; Pauline Maier’s “Ratification,” a history of the ratification of the Constitution; Shankar Vedantam’s “The Hidden Brain” was excellent about why we make decisions that our conscious mind would be appalled by; “Jung the Mystic,” a biography of Carl Jung focusing on his more New Age-y beliefs, and “Rebel Buddha,” a fine demystification of Buddhism by Dzogchen Ponlop . Fiction-wise, Armistead Maupin’s “Mary Ann in Autumn” was wonderful, and all the praise for “The Art of Racing in the Rain” is very accurate. Currently reading “American Veda,” a history of Hindu thought in America, and “The Devil in the White City,” which is great mix of architecture, U.S. history and true crime.

By: Deanne

Deanne — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 18:36:45 +0000

Karass, you’ve said it exactly. The soundbite ways we’re taught history really lessens it. I didn’t know what I didn’t know until I read this book. John Lewis simply tells the story of what all happened in his quiet way. He’s a remarkable man with a tremendous capacity for forgiveness, and he’s my hero.

By: karass

karass — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 17:27:00 +0000

Congrats! Take care of yourself! In some ways, baby #2 is easier because the whole birth/postpartum thing isn’t such a shock. On the other hand, the work is multiplicative, not additive, and you don’t always get as much attention and help the second time around.

A boy and a girl? Perfect! Although, I warn you, after the first year of life, a girl is double the work of a boy! More verbal, complex, more drama, more clothes issues! But toilet-training and shoe-tying is easier.

By: karass

karass — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 17:23:57 +0000

I love Walking with the Wind too! I learned so much more about that period of time than I ever knew despite countless MLK work and school celebrations. This is an issue I have with how we celebrate our leaders and heroes. The same superficial story gets told over and over again in a way that trivializes the reality. It ends up doing a disservice to the motivation for having the holiday. A lot of folks in this country think MLK Day is just a token gesture because they have never been exposed to some of the incredible and fascinating stories behind the Civil Rights Movement and the thousands of people involved.

By: Deanne

Deanne — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 15:56:24 +0000

I love to let books find me through the library & the thrift stores, so most of the ones I read last year were older titles. Newer ones that I really enjoyed:

Fiction: Olive Kitteridge, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, The Help,
A Reliable Wife, Mrs. Darcy and The Blue Eyed Stranger

Non Fiction: Committed, The Man Who Loved Books Too Much, Running The Books, A Peculiar Tribe of People

And childhood re-reads: The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories

Two on my all time list:
Walking With the Wind by John Lewis
The Professor and The Madman by Simon Winchester

By: Keith F

Keith F — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 20:57:06 +0000

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand

Decision Points by George W. Bush