| Reckless Daughter: A Portrait of Joni Mitchell by David Yaffe May-2018 |
I've always been a huge Joni Mitchell fan, and when I read about this book in the NY Times book review after it was released last year, I put it on my "must read" list. This book rambled at times, and in a few spots I wondered if someone skipped proofreading a few pages here and there. It also assumes that the reader is very familiar with Joni Mitchell's music and lyrics. So mostly it worked for me, although maybe not so much for someone who had minimal exposure to it. If you're a Joni fan or admirer, it's worth checking out, just don't expect a beautifully written read. |
| Code Girls by Liza Mundy Jan-2018 |
Subtitle: The untold story of the American women code breakers of World War II. A fascinating story, and because so much of it was classified due to security concerns, many of these women's families had no idea of the role they played during the war. You'd like to think the Army and Navy worked in tandem and pooled their resources, but they did not. I would have liked the book even better if it had gone a bit more into the details of breaking the codes - maybe a small example or two. |
| All the Light We Cannot See by Anothony Doerr Jan-2017 |
Set in France during World War II. A young blind French girl, and a young orphaned German boy cross paths through a fateful series of events. The girl becomes involved in the resistance, and the boy is involved with the Third Reich, although he never truly belongs due to his conscience. The girl's father is the locksmith at the Museum of Natural History, and with some help from these two children, helps save a valuable stone from the Germans. This was very well written, if a little long (500+ pages) with quite a bittersweet ending. |