Serendipitous Reader v2.0

 I bought this book because I *loved* A Gentleman in Moscow. Ugh... don't waste your time. Not a lot of there there. And it's like it was written by a different person. 

I saw an article about Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf's son being signed to play college baseball, and the article mentioned Agassi's book, so I read it. I was a big fan of Agassi's his whole career and really enjoyed his memoir. I've never thought professional sports was an easy life, and this certainly reinforced that perspective, but it was fun to read about what was going on outside the spotlight of the major tournaments. The book felt honest and open. I really enjoyed it. 

 A series of fictional letters from a wealthy pork-packer in the 1920s to his son. The first letter is when he's just been dropped off at Harvard to start his freshman year; he later joins his father's business; the last letter is when he tells his father he's getting married and his father "turns him over to his wife to keep him in order". It's written by the editor of the Saturday Evening Post and contains wonderful tidbits of advice about life and business, many of which are surprisingly current.  Here's one from the first paragraph of the book:  "What we're really sending you to Harvard for is to get a little of the education that's so good and plenty there. When it's passed around you don't want to be bashful, but reach right out and take a big helping every time, for I want you to get your share. You'll find that education's about the only thing lying around loose in this world, and that it's about the only thing a fe...

This book was interesting, at times horrifying, and not as funny as I expected it to be. Trevor Noah grew up as a "mixed" kid (black mother, white father) in South Africa. It definitely wasn't easy. He keeps it pretty light, but the brutality of living under apartheid and the period afterwards is always there. Through everything, his mother is clearly a force of nature. It was a good vacation book. 

With the COVID19 quarantining, this book was being raved about everywhere. It's about a Russian aristocrat who is sentenced to house arrest in a hotel in Moscow, and the multiple decades that follow. While timely, that's not exactly a gripping premise and usually, books getting that much hype end up being disappointing.  But this one deserved the rave reviews. I *loved* it... It's fantastic! The writing reminded me of Nabokov, and the story is compelling and absorbing. I was sad to finish it. I've already ordered the author's other book...   Here's a sample of the writing - a paragraph about jazz: "And yet, the art form had grown on him. Like the American correspondents, jazz seemed a naturally gregarious force - one that was a little unruly and prone to say the first thing that popped into its head, but generally of good humor and friendly intent. In addition, it seemed decidedly unconcerned with where it had been or where it was going - exhibiting somehow...

I liked the first Rosie book, and really liked the second one - but this one was very "eh". Not as funny or entertaining as the earlier two. I got through it but I'm done with Rosie books. 

The author of this book did the entire MIT CS curriculum in a year, then spent 6 months each, learning 4 different languages. Clearly, he's focused (and maybe a bit obsessive). I thought the book was interesting, with some good nuggets for how learning actually happens, though it dragged in places. 

This little book is a heavy read. The injustice described is heart-breaking and astounding. It's appalling that this type of action by our justice system continues... and yet it does... We still see it in the news almost daily. Bryan Stevenson and his team at the Equal Justice Initiative (eji.org) are heroes for doing this very hard and very important work.

This book is amazing!! One of my favorite books of all time. Churchill said his whole life up to his becoming Prime Minister (at the age of 65) was preparation for that role - and it certainly seemed to be true. He was an amazing person, who - despite his flaws - was the right person at the right time in history to have an almost unbelievable impact. I had no idea how close Germany came to completely overrunning Europe. In 1940-41, without Churchill's staunch refusal to engage with the German in any way except all-out war, and without a handful of strategic military errors by the Germans, the world might look very different today.

I mentioned Churchill to a British friend of mine who immediately raved about this book. I was skeptical about a book written by Boris Johnson, but that was my mistake...  The writing is actually very good, and the book is entertaining, easy to read and fascinating. It's not a traditional "linear" biography, and in some places, Johnson discusses Churchill's impact on historical events without providing much detail about the event itself. So for those of us who aren't well-versed in British history, there were times when I felt like I wasn't "getting it" as much as someone who knew more about the broader context. Regardless, the more I'm reading about Churchill, the more there is to admire about him and this book was well worth reading.

What a great book! I knew very little about Churchill and this was a fantastic introduction to a fascinating man. His leadership during his first year as Prime Minister was astounding, and it's likely not overstating it to say that the world would be a very different place without Churchill as Prime Minister in 1940-41. I still don't have the appetite to tackle Manchester's monster biography, but as I "shelter at home" and watch the unfortunately entirely expected lack of leadership in the White House, I can't wait to learn more about Churchill. ("Lack of leadership" seems so bland... is there an opposite of leadership??)

Like the first Rosie book, this is light, fluffy and very entertaining. Rosie is pregnant, and Don's preparation for becoming a father is hilarious. I often found myself laughing out loud. 

After his late entry into the Presidential race in 2020, as we headed toward Super Tuesday, I first read Bloomberg's own book, and then the recent biography by Eleanor Randolph. His own book was surprisingly honest, and Randolph is obviously a fan of his, but her biography seems well-balanced. Bloomberg is incredibly impressive, and I enjoyed both books. I think he would have made an excellent President, but unfortunately, the disaster currently occupying the White House has used the "billionaire" card for the foreseeable future.

After reading multiple books about nuclear bombs and nuclear disasters, I was looking for something lighter and a friend recommended Bear Town. I enjoyed it, though it's not as good as A Man Called Ove. The first part of the book is relatively predictable (small, dying town that revolves around a high school sports team), but the second part is great. 

This is on Bill Gates' list of recommendations. I've never been a David Foster Wallace fan and this book didn't change my mind. A couple of the essays are "ok"; one or two of them were just a slog to get through; I enjoyed the one about Federer. 

Continuing in my nuclear theme ... This book is excellent. After watching the HBO miniseries and listening to the companion podcast, this offered a more detailed recounting of what happened at Chernobyl and left me even more horrified than I had been previously. The author attributes the origins of the disaster to "scientific, technological, socioeconomic, and human factors" unique to the USSR. Astoundingly, the remaining 3 reactors at Chernobyl continued to operate after Reactor 4 melted down - both immediately (Imagine being an operator at one of the other reactors at this power plant in late Apr 1986 and having to continue to show up for work!!) and for another 14 years. BTW, there are still 11 reactors of this design operating today in Russia.

This is John McPhee's book about writing. While some sections are on the dry side, it includes wonderful stories about his career and experiences. The stories about the culture at the New Yorker in 60's and 70's are great. What a different world that was! And - of course - it's beautifully written.

Interesting book about the Manhattan Project and the relationship between Leslie Groves and Robert Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer was clearly a genius and did an amazing job managing the scientists, but I was again struck by Groves' remarkable leadership.

After watching the horrifying HBO mini-series, Chernobyl, and listening to the companion podcast, I wanted to go back to the beginning of nuclear power and hear the story from one of the key players. I'd started this book a couple of times over the years but never got past the introduction. This time, I got into it and couldn't put it down.... It's an astounding account of project management and leadership, and all the people (and companies) that stepped up to help make this extraordinary achievement happen. Groves was the just-promoted Army General who ran the Manhattan Project. The scope of his responsibilities was astounding - including engineering, construction and operation of the plants to make the bomb materials, R&D (he hired Oppenheimer to manage the science), security and counter-intelligence as well as global intelligence related to atomic activities, selecting the target cities and managing the execution of the actual delivery of the bombs. Ironically, whe...

I read Sacred Hoops by Jackson years ago, and really enjoyed it. So I had high expectations for this book - but I had a hard time finishing it. I'm not a huge basketball fan, so maybe the detail was lost on me but I found it too detailed in places and somewhat disjointed.