Brief Reviews of Finished and Unfinished Books

My book reviewing interferes with personal reading so that some books take me years to read since I only read them now and then. Sometimes I read them on my phone in a waiting room.

I also pick up books and decide not to read them.

Here are some brief reviews of books that fall into these categories.

Unfinished Books and Still Reading

The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, WIlliam Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism by Doris Kearns Goodwin

How could I NOT have finished this yet? I loved the early section about the childhood, marriages, and early careers of Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft. Then, I got bogged down on McClure's magazine and Ida Tarbell, and then there was...well, so much more. I am on page 722, the last section, and expect to finish it sometime this year. Gift ebook.

John Quincy Adams Militant Spirit by James Traub
I am 41% into this biography, for several years I have been reading it now and then in waiting rooms and such times. Having read numerous biographies of JQA I have not been impelled to read this one, although it has increased my understanding. The ebook was a gift.

Beyond the Horizon by Ella Carey is historical fiction about a woman who was a pilot during WWII but has kept her past a secret. I have picked it up several times and have read 30 pages. "Meg's grace seemed so small and helpless" stopped me the last time. I am puzzled over anthropomorphizing a grave. It has over 4 stars on Goodreads. Must be me. Amazon Kindle book.

My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
I love love love the Masterpiece Theater series The Durrells of Corfu. And I need something to read that makes me laugh when the darker books I prefer get me down. This one does the trick. Lovely nature writing, hilarious characters. I am 41% in and don't expect to finish it soon. I don't want to. Like medicine, I save it for when I am sick at heart. Purchased ebook.

The Last Bathing Beauty by Amy Sue Nathan
A woman remembers her last summer of girlhood in South Haven, Michigan, before she accepted a marriage of convenience. I am 22% in. I have nothing against the novel, but romances are not my meat and potatoes so I may nibble on it now and then when I need to rest my brain. From Amazon Prime.


Miss Grief and Other Stories by Constance Fenimore Woolson
After reading Anne Boyd Rioux's terrific biography of Constance Fenimore Woolson I picked up this collection of stories, edited by Rioux. I have read about half the book. I have reread the story St. Clair Flats for its description of how the St. Clair River appeared before we dredged it for our convenience. Wonderful stories. I purchased an ibook.

My Squirrel Days by Ellie Kemper
Being pop culture ignorant, I don't know Kemper although I do recall seeing an episode of The Office with my son....years ago...I have read nearly a quarter of the memoir. Entertaining enough. I will likely return and read a chapter now and then.
A Simon & Schuster free Glose ebook

I have been reading The Complete Poems of Emily Dickinson since early February. I read a few poems several nights a week. It is interesting to read her poetry in order. I see how her themes and images progress as life changes. I am in 1862, the time of her greatest creativity. I am reading a paperback purchased forty years ago.

Finished Book

Appetite for America: Fred Harvey and the Business of Civilizing the Wild West--One Meal at a Time by Stephen Fried
I had this book on Kindle before I read Fried's masterful biography Benjamin Rush. I quickly read Part One over a summer, then slowly read Part Two over another year.  The entertaining book tells a story of an immigrant who builds an empire and changes the American landscape. Fred Harvey was "the father of the American service industry," building a chain of restaurants and hotels on the burgeoning railroads that opened up the West. It touches on many aspects of American history and society. Purchased ebook.