A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Beautiful, thoughtful poetry about nature and animals and our place in the universe. These poems celebrate attention to the larger world around us, outside of our human exploits, to learn something about the quiet nature of existence.



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Blue Heaven by Joe Keenan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


An amusing story set in New York about a gay man and a wealthy duchess's daughter who plan to marry solely for the gifts. Their shallow scheme grows more complicated as the story proceeds. There's very funny one-liners as things grow increasingly contrived. The characters are shallow and, as a result, not sympathetic, but the situation and hijinks are funny and I read the book with a smile on my face.



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The Cutie by Donald E. Westlake

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A Hard Case crime novel by the late great Donald Westlake. The cover is completely misleading. In this case, "the cutie" is the person who set up a hapless heroin addict for a murder. Clay is assigned by his criminal organization to investigate (the heroin addict is also a part of it). Decent twists and turns, but the main thing is Westlake's strong voice and writing. Since the book's first publication in 1960 (under the title The Mercenaries), some of the references have become dated, but the story moves along at a good clip and is entertaining.



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Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


The plot summary makes it sound like a spaghetti western: A mercenary is betrayed, tortured, and left for dead, her brother killed. After a long arduous recovery, the mercenary resolves to take revenge, killing the seven men responsible. However, the novel is set against a dark fantasy world, a bloody, violent world constantly at war. I liked the action and the wicked black humor of the book, and they kept me going through its considerable length and sometime redundancy. However, I never felt really connected or concerned with any of the characters, simply wondering whose death was next or whether it'd be more gruesome than the last. Enjoyable, but probably a bit long.



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Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance by Barack Obama

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Long before his political career, Barack Obama published a memoir about his journey to know and understand his father, who he had only spent a short time with as a child and who died suddenly. The journey retraces the future president's early years in California, Indonesia, Hawaii, and New York and his work as a community organizer in Chicago before attending Harvard Law School. It culminates in a journey to Kenya to learn more about his culture and his father from his extended family. The book was reissued as his meteoric political rise took place and it's interesting to see where Obama came from as well as the changes in his writing style (he admits in the new preface that he now finds some of the writing clunky). The audiobook is abridged, but is read by the author.



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Me and the Devil by Nick Tosches

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


In New York, an aging writer named Nick finds rejuvenation in drinking the blood of his much younger, almost too willing female partners. It reminded me a lot of William Burroughs, with its beautiful and often profane writing. It's a mix of fantasy, delusion, and rumination, full of rambling thoughts, philosophical musings, and reflections on contemporary culture. It's definitely not for everybody, but it has some devastating and powerful moments and is recommended for readers interested in a less sanitized, more raw dark novel.



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Help Thanks Wow: Three Essential Prayers by Anne Lamott

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I don't consider myself a Christian, but if I was, I'd be of the Anne Lamott variety. This beautifully written short book really serves to remind us of the willingness to ask for aid, the power of gratitude, and to remember to take time to see the beauty and power in life. Regardless of your beliefs, this book has something to say about recalling our place in the universe and being willing to be both unafraid to ask for help and appreciative. The audiobook is read by the author and her reading perfectly fits with the themes of this quick read.



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A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I loved the first two Flavia de Luce books, but this one was a bit of a chore. I can't put my finger on why. I found myself not caring about the murder and feeling disconnected from the central character. There are some great moments, and it didn't put me off the series altogether (I will read the next one), but I didn't love it as I did the first two.



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The Cloud Corporation by Timothy Donnelly

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A dazzling and challenging book of poetry, often dark and disturbing, focusing on the ideas of knowledge and grappling with the notions of space, both physical space and the spaces between our knowledge and how we know anything. It is brilliant and very worthy of the several prizes it has received.



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Hardcore Zen: Punk Rock, Monster Movies and the Truth About Reality by Brad Warner

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


One of the better books I've read in putting Zen into perspective with contemporary culture. Warner is a Zen master, though he hates the term, and he has been a punk rock musician and aficionado as well as having worked in Japan on monster movies. It provides some practical advice while being blunt and often funny.



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