First of all, not sure if this ISBN is tied into a different/foreign publisher, but this is actually an audio of “The Aviator’s Wife.”

Sometimes the reader can make all the difference in the enjoyment of a title. This was definitely a case in point for me. The reader sounded very much like Barbara Billingsley, “Leave it to Beaver’s” mom. While there is nothing, per se, wrong with her voice, I didn’t find it right for the parts of the book where Anne Morrow Lindbergh was younger. In fact, it wasn’t until the book itself developed some tension that I could fully engage with the story.

Not a bad book, but a little slow going at times.

Unique story about creation, told by an unnamed narrator (Mr g), who dwells in the Void with his Uncle Deva and Aunt Penelope, along with a shady entity known as Belhor. Brings up a number of fascinating philosophical questions. Would love to actually read this again and take some time with it …

This was one of the most spell-binding series I’ve seen in a long time. The acting is sharp and to the point, the stories masterful blends of homage & originality.

Can’t wait till Season 3!

Why do we do what we do?

I found myself asking this question as I read this book.

I have worked in a public library branch for about as long as Mr. Borchert, and from what I could tell, in a similar (paraprofessional) job. And the waiting list for our libraries’ copies of “Free for All” is made up largely of my fellow workers.

To Borchert’s credit, most of all of his experience as a library employee rings true. The problem/quirky/belligerent patrons, the latchkey kids, the machinations of a public library system, even the foul deposit in their book drop (unfortunately)—none of this was news to me. These experiences and others like them make up the bulk of the book, accompanied by the author’s pithy comments. Only a couple of chapters talk about people or situations that have touched his heart.

Which brings me back to my original question.

For me, the answers are easy, although it took me a long time to discover them. First of all, I love books, facts, and details. My mind just seems to be hard-wired that way, and a library is a great place to be able to use those skills. Second, heaven help me, I like people. I have enjoyed some really great working relationships. And I like helping people, for the most part, especially when something I’ve done has made a difference for them, even in a small way. When I left retail a dozen years ago I took a pay cut to work in the library. The number of sincere thanks I received that first year (which has somewhat diminished over the years) more than made up for the smaller income.

In an interview with USA Today, Mr. Borchert is quoted as saying that the library can be the “dullest place in the world—91% of the time,” and that it’s the other 9% of the time that “Free for All” deals with. What I would love to ask the author is why, if your job is boring most of the time and loony the rest, do you continue to do it? That was the part of the book I think I really missed …

This book tries to do too much, making the whole somewhat tedious. Prefer her older, lighter romances.

I am a sucker for a a good title, and this one is a doozy. Much of the language contained within lives up to the title, if not surpassing it. Along with some of the situations included, this would easily be rated NC-17.

And all things considered, I find egregious use of profanity irritating, especially when it’s used just to color things up. It sticks in my head, & that bugs me.

All of that said, I rather liked this book. Because between the dirty words and descriptions, we get lovely glimpses of the real Kevin Smith. When he writes of his passion for filmmaking, his father’s passing, his love for his daughter, and his emotional passion for his wife, the words he uses are clear and real. This isn’t “Silent Bob” or “a fat, lazy slob who did good” (from the book’s subtitle). This is a guy who appreciates his life, recognizes his blessings, and isn’t afraid to tell you.

For that, I can stand some extraneous “language.”

image from http://moviesmedia.ign.com/movies/image/SBhester.jpg

Wow.

This was a brief, deep, amazing book that left me wanting to read more. Very cool.

This was great—the perfect mix between “real life” and the ironic things that happen that make life funny, and bearable. The story was good, the acting was great … highly recommended!

This is definitely worth a read

By now, many people have seen the film with Colin Firth. If you haven’t, it is very much worth viewing.

This book is based on the research & family documents discovered by Mark Logue, grandson of Lionel Logue, King George VI’s speech “therapist.” It is the warm story of Logue’s life, his orgins in Australia, the close relationship with his wife, and finally, what turned out to be a long-term and caring relationship with the King of England.

Not much information is given on actual speech therapy techniques used, as the field was in its infancy and records weren’t kept.

Also included are actual recordings of a couple of the king’s speeches, interesting to listen to in the context of the story.

If you’re an Anglophile, which it seems I may be turning out to be, or you simply enjoyed the movie, you’ll want to pick up this book.

For me this was a whole new way of looking at the world, treating the marginalized simply as people instead of as “problems.” For every happy story there was a sad one, true, but what Father Greg is doing with the gangs in East L.A. is nothing short of amazing.