Being a St Louis Cardinal fan, I really enjoyed this book. Years ago we went to his restaurant in St Louis and he was there. He was walking the floor and giving out photos that he was autographing for anyone who wanted them. Such a friendly, unassuming man. The book really shows what a great man he was - coming from nothing, a hard worker, a great man and ballplayer. It was interesting reading about the connections that he had - not only with other ballplayers (both on and off his team) but also with the community.
A $500 House in Detroit: Rebuilding an Abandoned Home and an American City" by Drew Philip
Ugh! This book brought many mixed reactions. It is the story told by a man who bought a house and an adjoining lot in a blighted Detroit neighborhood for $500 each and set about restoring the house. The interesting part of the book is stories about the neighborhood. The UGH part is when the author makes comments along the line of his generation is just waiting for the older generation to die so the world will be a better place;that Occupy Wall Street was a great movement even though they really didn't know what they were trying to accomplish and when he reams out his dad who has been nothing but generous with his time and talents. I never caught the connection with how he is contributing that much to bettering society - just a lot of words about how it needs to be done and some examples of other people doing it. Interesting since I travel up that way so much and interesting to read about some of the neighborhood people, but frustrating at times too.
Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave
It takes 800 grapes to make one bottle of wine. This is a story of a family who owns a small vineyard/winery in California. It is very light read that not only deals with the grape harvest, but also the family dynamics. The parents, the daughter and the two sons are all dealing with hurt and conflict. Which if you think about it all seems a little far fetched that all of them are having some of the same issues. If you want a quick, entertaining read then check this one out.
The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff
A good historical fiction book. The orphan is actually more than one - a woman, Noa, who's parents have disowned her and a baby she rescues from a train car full of babies - mostly dead - on their way to a camp. Noa flees with the baby and ends up in a German circus, The circus travels and has some Jewish performers. That results in a complicated layer to travel and performing. A well written story that like so many of them from this time in history is not always an easy one to read.
The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson
A twisted family tale of performers. The parents are "flash" performers setting up situations in public that people don't know are actually performances. The kids are the main component of many of these performances. The story rotates between childhood and adulthood. When the parents disappear, the kids are left to find their parents - if in fact they are still alive. The book started a little slow for me, but ended up being a good story. The ending shows how warped of a life the family lived, but because all along, you knew they were crazy, it makes sense.
Comments