“Beneath The Bonfire” by Nickolas Butler

“Beneath The Bonfire” by Nickolas Butler is the best collection of short stories I have read since Robin Black’s “If I Loved You I Would Tell You This.”  Every story has power and depth, well-developed characters that elicit strong emotions and descriptive settings that made me desperately homesick for my native Wisconsin.  Each story features characters struggling with some major issue, and I like that several don’t end well or have satisfying conclusions.  My favorite was “Sweet Light Crude” with “Train People Move Slow” a close second.  Oddly I found the title story by far the weakest in the collection, although still a good read.  The highest praise I can give any author is what I offer here – I want to read his first novel and I can’t wait to see what he gives us next! 

"A Curious Mind" by Brian Grazer

I received a copy of "A Curious Mind" by Brian Grazer, through the Goodreads First Reads program.  This was a three hour read but well worth the time.  Based on the premise that curiosity is both an undervalued trait and a key to his personal success, Grazer details his personal history of "curiosity conversations" with famous and/or important people and briefly explains lessons he learned from a select few of these folks.  Very well written, I assume mostly by co-author Charles Fishman, the book is essentially a collection of interesting stories mixed with Grazer's self-help advice.  I found the book light-hearted and fun, and certainly worth the time and effort.  Most importantly, Grazer makes me want to better exercise my curiosity by approaching and meeting new a different people.  In that sense the book is a complete success.  One personal footnote regarding his list of conversations at the end of the book - it contains few literary figures.  Plenty of magazine, newspaper and academic authors, but very light on the heavyweights of modern literature.

"Course Correction" by Ginny Gilder

I received "Course Correction" by Ginny Gilder through the Library Thing Early Reviewers program.  I love history, sports, legal issues, etc., and so was intrigued by this book.  On the positive side, I found the rowing details fascinating, as well as the general Title IX equality struggles.  The high points are those involving her parents and their family problems - something to which we can all relate.  Very moving stuff.  Unfortunately the book contains far too much amateur psychology and too many rah-rah self-help platitudes for my taste.  I also think the author glosses over her end-of-the-book life choice considering how many others it likely effected.  Good for her that she made the choice, just treat it with the gravity it deserved.  In the end  the book was a bit of a disappointment, but probably still worth the read.

"Among the Ten Thousand Things"

"Among the Ten Thousand Things" by Julia Pierpont is an excellent debut novel that hit very close to home for me.  The author gets our attention with a shocking opener, but we very quickly learn that this is a book about family dynamics and a family coming apart.  Yes, there are plenty of "coming of age" moments, but Pierpont offers so much more in her study of how individuals deal with the pain of loss and separation.  Despite the shouting efforts of a previous reviewer to alter it, I believe the disjointed timeline presentation is brilliant and is inteneded to effect the way we read the remainder of the book.  Don't mess with the order - it's perfect.  Thank you for the Goodreads Firstreads book - certainly one of my recent favorites.

"The Jesus Horse"

Almost unreadable. Strange style and construction. Supposed message lost on me. Author never uses one word where she can use five. Overwrought is the best description that comes to mind. Appreciate the opportunity to check it out. Rating not lower because the author did seem genuine.

"9 1/2 Narrow"

Upon receipt of “9 ½ Narrow” by Patricia Morrisroe, I made a mental note to take greater care when clicking my way through Goodreads and Library Thing’s Early Reviewers.  Everything from the cover to the synopsis made me want to pretend I never received this.  As a middle-aged man with a strong dislike for exposed feet and a shoe collection that includes exactly two pair of New Balance running shoes, I could not imagine making much progress with this thing.  Wow, was I wrong!  I couldn’t put this book down, finishing the whole thing in two evenings.

This is a very funny first-class autobiographical effort.  Yes, the author uses shoes, especially early in the book, as a connecting thread through her life story, but not in a way that overwhelms her very well written personal story and alienates crabby old men like me.  The Sopranos is an organized crime story that is really about family, and this is a shoe story that is really about family.  The central interaction is between the author and her mother, and while abrasive on the surface, was always tender and loving in a modern sort of way.  After finishing the book I wondered if the author would have portrayed her mother in quite the same way had she still been alive.  I believe the answer is yes, only based on the way her sister Emily is depicted, probably deservedly so.

Despite all the foreign-to-me shoe terminology and designers, I was envious of the life of travel and interesting relationships.  This is the best memoir of its type that I have read since Jeanette Walls’ “The Glass Castle.”  Thank you for sending me a copy!!

"Trespassers"

You never know exactly what to expect upon receipt of the latest First Reads offering from Goodreads.  If unfamiliar with the author or the title I often begin with low expectations, as was the case with "Trespassers" from Todd and Tim Wynn.  This book was far from a disappointment - engaging plot, well drawn characters, and excellent prose combined to make this a surprising "must read" for 2015.  Set on some version of a familiar Earth, we are drawn into a tale of intrigue, love and suspense as members of the Limestone Deposit Survey Group face off with aliens on a murky mission, and a federal agent out to expose them all.  At times hilarious, and at others emotional, this book is always intelligent and fast paced. My only disappointment was learning that a sequel is not imminent!  In any case I definitely want to read more from these brothers, whatever the story.