Very in-depth coverage of a branch of architecture that has been ill-appreciated. As the author explains in the introduction, these buildings are not simply the easiest method of shelter but a rational choice involving both environmental concerns , most importantly, tradition and spiritualism. However, this book does not lend itself to a two-week lending period and so I shall put this one to the side for the moment....

Cursory information at best (having been on the tour twice) that obscures probably the most interesting photos: the journal notes of the owner.

"Recycled Spaces" and recycled photographs! While the photography is indeed lovely, more would be preferable to periodic recycling in later chapters. In the same vein, a certain project was highlighted for the subject of each chapter, but only for example. The book reads as a textbook for what to expect (which is enlightening) and neglects the opportunity to explore the stories that came about in the process that can often be more telling.

Riveting telling of the Ruth Snyder-Judd Gray murder case. Hansen recreates NYC in the twenties wonderfully and the murderers are not without sympathy. The case calls to mind the recent media circuses surrounding the Simpson and Anthony cases. I couldn't put this one down, even though it's not a whodunit.

A recommendation from A Jury of Her Peers, these linked stories give a vivid impression of a small nineteenth century Maine fishing village. I liked them but I felt they became a little repetitious and a tad too sentimental. However, there are some great characters and the structure was certainly influential.

Rather fluffier than I expected given the references to Edith Wharton in the blurb; but maybe the jacket's description of this as a "guilty pleasure" should've set me straight. A lot of historical detail and a romance narrative that mingles a variety of characters and events that I feel like I've mostly seen elsewhere (though there are some original things sprinkled in there). In general, I'd prefer a Julia Quinn; I would rather a book be completely fluffy than fluffy but trying to pass itself off as more substantial literature. Fun, fast, not particularly surprising or thought-provoking. Still, it was an entertaining read, and I don't feel like I've thoroughly wasted my time.

The characters were not well-developed enough for me to really understand why they acted as they did; rather than fleshing them out, Goodwin just tells us what their motivations are or worse, has them explain to each other why they are acting as they do. The latter option is not always a bad choice, but the dialogue Goodwin writes in these portions is not smooth enough to make it not feel like a big expository chunk. I couldn't really commit to the characters; couldn't feel strongly one way or the other about whether Cora stayed with her husband or ran off with Teddy, except on an abstract level of "how moral is this and which choice would make a better plot?"

Linked short stories in preindustrial small-town America. Sherwood's characterizations are sharp, his descriptive abilities impressive. Powerful stuff about the changing of America.

Always fun Brunetti.

Three short, noir stories populated with amazingly drawn anthropomorphic animals. I thought the stories often went by too quickly -- the climaxes passed without impact because there was so much going on that I was still getting engaged with the stories when they were already nearly over. But for atmospherics and a primer on how to make an animal look perfectly human without losing the distinctive features of its species, this is definitely one to read.

I've seen the movie, plus two other movies concerning Capote's life and his involvement with this case. However, that did not prepare me for this. I loved his evocation of the Kansas community, his multifaceted protraits of the family, the law enfocement people, the killer. Stellar.

Ann Patchett: State of Wonder

She's left her Minnesota territory for the Amazon and untamed tribes. It's not a bad book - the writing is professional - but Patchett isn't entirely at ease in this exotic location - or with her characters researching a drug made from tree bark and (yes) butterfly excreta.

Savagely nasty dissection of class warfare in Britain post WW I.

Strange little vignettes, described as 'poetic prose,'one of the few things Kafka saw published in his lifetime.

Beautifully constructed and suspenseful. In Corrigan, Blackwood fools us by making complex characters initially seem simple. The whole thing comes together beautifully.

I enjoyed this epic fantasy. I especially liked the way Shea, Flick, Hendel, Balinor and others face trials in their quest to find the Sword of Shannara.

Rating: 3*/5 = good

I liked this book about Savannah and what happened there in 1981 and afterwards. Just learning about the city's history and its inhabitants was worth the read. I look forward to seeing the movie.

Rating: 3*/5 = good

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. by Rebecca Skloot.
Fascinating in it's human interest and science. Written almost in an almost fiction manner the books jumps from future to past chapter to chapter.

Cleopatra: a life. by Stacy Schiff
Beautifuly descriptive without being verbose. Fact heavy, light on myth.