NON-FICTION
1.) Bush Dweller – Essays in Memory of Father James Gray, OSB edited by Donald Ward (Part I and Part II) – The book is a collection
of essays on the relationships Benedictine monk, Father James Gray, developed
with Canadians near and far during the 30 years he lived as a solitary at St.
Peter’s Abbey in Muenster, Saskatchewan. While living alone he formed deep
friendships with many people. 21 contributed essays. In our restless, often
frantic, world the essays remind us of the benefits of time spent over cups of
tea considering our spiritual lives.
2.) Becoming Justice Blackmun by Linda Greenhouse – Harry
Blackmun was a reserved Minnesota lawyer who happened to be a childhood friend
of American Supreme Court Justice, Warren Burger. When nominated to the Supreme
Court he was expected to be a solidly conservative justice. Instead, he proved
independent and gradually became a strong liberal member of the court.
3.) Hitler’s Empire - How the Nazis Ruled Europe by Mark Mazower – Most of my reading of
World War II has been on the battles or the leading figures of the great
conflict. In Hitler’s Empire I learned how the Nazis governed their vast
territories. More specifically it was frightening to read how they were
radically transforming the Slavic lands to the East of Germany. The Nazi ethnic
cleansing was dramatic.
MOST INTERESTING
1.) One-L by Scott Turow (Guest post and my post) – For the first time as a blogger
I had both a guest blogger and a dual review of a book. My son, Michael, and I
both wrote about Turow’s book on 1st year law at Harvard in the
mid-1970’s. We went on to reflect how our respective experiences in 1st
year law compared with Turow.
2.) The Invention of Murder – How the
Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime by Judith Flanders (Part I and Part II)–
An intriguing look at how Victorian England enjoyed murder cases. The rise of
modern newspapers was significantly aided by graphic accounts of murders and
trials of those accused. The stage was dominated by re-creations of famous
cases. The book also examines the origins of crime fiction. Some of the
earliest mystery books were inspired by real life cases. Murder became major
entertainment in the 1800’s.
3.) Murder in a Cold Climate by Scott Young – In a prolific
career as a writer, Young, ventured into mystery fiction with Murder in a
Cold Climate. Set in the NWT in the mid-1980’s his sleuth Inspector, Matthew “Matteesie” Kitogitak,
is the first Inuit inspector to be a member of the RCMP. Matessiee feels
personally challenged to find a killer who shots a friend of Matteesie in front of him on
a plane while the friend is being airlifted to a hospital. The murderer flees
from the plane on a snowmobile - a Canadian winter appropriate means of flight. Young was also my "Y" post for the Alphabet in Crime Fiction hosted by Kerrie Smith at Mysteries in Paradise.
I had a good year reading in 2012 but lost ground
on the TBR piles. They dare not grow in 2013 or I will have no room left on my
home office desk.
Bill - You've got a very interesting list here. I remember when you featured One L in particular and decided then that I wanted to read it. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteMargot: Thanks for the comment. I hope you read One L. With your academic background I would be interested in your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this Bill. I used to read loads of non-fiction and now read hardly any at all and I'm not quite sure why - though I am sure part of the reason is work where I spend an increasing amount of time reading very boring non fiction (I work in a senior IT/administrative role in the Health sector so it's all studies and data and management gobbledygook) - when I read for leisure I tend to want to escape :) But I do have a vague resolution to return to facts at some stage...not least because I have quite a few pristine tomes on my bookshelf that I liked the look of but never got around to reading
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts on these books and I also enjoyed being reminded of yours and your sons reflections on first year law as compared with Turow.
Bernadette: Thanks for the comment and kind words. I know the feeling of wanting to escape after a long day at the office reading documents, reports, emails, letters, memos and court cases. My non-fiction reading is usually as much an escape as crime fiction. I think you would enjoy One L.
ReplyDeleteBill, my understanding is that Nazi Germany was much ahead of the Western powers in many critical aspects of global politics during WWII. "Hitler's Empire" reminds me of another book I read and reviewed last year. In "In Secret Armies: The New Technique of Nazi Warfare—Exposing Hitler's Undeclared War on the Americas," John L. Spivak discusses how the Nazi propaganda machine led by Joseph Goebbels infiltrated scores of countries, socially, politically, industrially, and economically, to gain the upper hand in WWII. Hitler's regime had many (undeclared) sympathisers among the elite in both the UK and the US. This book is available free on the internet.
ReplyDeleteBooks on and about wars are fascinating to read in spite of the great tragedies associated with them. I enjoy reading non-fiction and there is a sense of fulfillment on finishing a book in this category.
Prashant: Thanks for the comment. I think too often the history regarding Nazis before and during WW II gives little attention to those who supported Nazi ideals in Allied countries. There is abundant discussion on the colloborators in Nazi occupied countries but little attention to the sympathizers in England, the U.S. and Canada.
ReplyDelete