The Lion, by Nelson DeMillie, audiobook narrated by Scott Brick, 2010, Hachette Audio
We listened to this book over three days while we drove from Rhode Island to Florida. I don’t have much to say about, either positive or negative, other than it gave us something to pass the time. The book seemed to be enjoyable but didn’t stand out as a great story.
by Michael Lewis, Kindle version, W.W. Norton & Company
This is a fascinating (and sad) story that centers on our public health system in the U.S. and how it responded to the Covid-19 pandemic. It’s difficult to believe that the United States can even function as we operate this country as a collection states, and even counties, all doing their own thing even in time of dire crisis. Reading this book is believing that we have to come up with a way to do it better in the future or the resulting chaos will be the same.
The book was not organized very well and the narrative didn’t connect or flow well. Also, many of the quotations were laced with profanity. Does everyone, even individuals who are supposedly respected public servants, really talk that way? If so, we have degenerated to the point where a pandemic or maybe a couple of them may be warranted.
by Janet Skeslien Charles, 2021, Atria Books
This is a novel that centers on the American Library in Paris before and during WWII. A young French girl gets a job at the library despite the objections of her father. The novel then flips to another young girl living in Montana in the 1980’s who befriends the French woman who had married a U.S. serviceman at the end of WWII and had emigrated to Montana. The story of what happened in Paris unfolds.
The book is well written and the author did a lot of research to determine the circumstances in the library during that time. The book ends, however, with a lot of issues still unresolved leaving me a bit unsatisfied. Nevertheless, it was enjoyable to read.
2021, by Walter Isaacson, Kindle version, Simon & Shuster
I was amazed by this book and the discoveries that it described. I was also impressed by the accomplishments of the female scientists, Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuel Charpientier among others. Our society seems to value celebrities such as the Kardashians and Brittany Spears so much. At the same time, if I ask my friends and acquaintances if they know who Jennifer Doudna is, most have never heard of her, despite her having discovered perhaps the most revolutionary scientific discovery of our times and received the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2020. This is really too bad.
Isaacson traces the discovery of the CRISPR gene editing process by Doudna and others and provides biographical information on many scientists who have played a role in that discovery. This is a world that is entirely foreign to me and it was interesting to dive into. More importantly, however, is the potential of this discovery to not only cure some of the diseases that afflict so many individuals, but it also has had a profound impact in the development of the mRNA Covid vaccines. It may, in fact, be the solution to combating all viruses in the future.
It seems that Isaacson inserts himself into the narrative a lot which is probably a result of his research and interviews that he undertook to write the book. Usually an author keeps himself at a distance, but this was not the case in The Code Breaker. Although he does a great job in chronicling Doudna’s accomplishments and career, I didn’t seem to get a feel for her as a person. It seems that she is a pretty private individual.
Isaacson spends about four chapters discussing the ethics of various applications of gene editing. While these chapters were not the most interesting in the book, I believe the discussion was necessary to put the possible consequences of these discoveries on the table.
In summary, I was blown away by the complexity of these discoveries and the sheer brilliance of the scientists who are working in this field. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is curious about what is going on in the realm of biochemistry. 
by Sinclair Lewis, 1922, with an afterword by Mark Schorer, a Signet Classic, published by the Penguin Group, New York
We found an old paperback copy of Babbitt in our home and I decided to read it. The text of this book is probably the most boring that I have ever read and nothing exciting ever seems to happen in the entire book. The book, however, won the Pulitzer Prize and then the Nobel Prize for literature in 1930. So, what’s so great about this book when I could barely stay awake while reading it (a problem I seem to have with more and more books these days)?
The answer is in the message that this book conveys in it’s portrayal of a supposedly successful businessman who is celebrated in his community. He seems to sense, however, that his life is unfulfilling and attempts to escape by getting involved in an extra marital affair, partying with nefarious and vapid individuals, and excessive alcohol consumption. None of it works and he eventually returns to his prior life and activities.
A bit of what this describes is what later became known as “mid-life crisis” but Lewis does describe in detail the vacuous and superficial world that may entrap an individual. I was very surprised to see the interactions that George Babbitt had with his two children which in 1922 seems very fresh when viewed in 2021, almost 100 years later. George’s son, Ted, isn’t cut out for college and wants to pursue his interest in a factory career dealing with mechanical things. It sounds very familiar.
After reading the book and sitting back thinking about it, Sinclair Lewis’ portrayal of Babbitt and the culture in which he was enmeshed, is done extremely well. The afterword by Mark Schorer really helped me to understand the book better. Despite the drudgery associated with reading this book, I have to give it the credit it’s due.
by Michelle Obama, 2018, Crown Publishing Group, New York
This book is a personal memoir of Michelle’s life from when she was a young child through her tenure as First Lady. The book highlights her struggle to find her role in life as she migrates from her childhood living in the South Side of Chicago to being the wife of the President while raising two daughters.
The book is interesting as it gives a picture of how someone with her background manages to get into Princeton and Harvard Law School but some of the really interesting parts related the arrangements that had to be made to transport and protect her children while trying to give them some sense of normalcy. She also make her distaste of politics very clear.
I wasn’t fully engaged with this book for some reason but it is a good read and provides a good picture of Michelle as a person and her aspirations.
by Stuart Woods, 2008, Penguin Books, LTD
I had read only two other books by Stuart Woods (Hot Mahogany and Two Dollar Bill) and I rated both of them 2.0 Stars. This one is quite a bit better and held my interest more so I gave it 3.0 Stars. Maybe there is some hope for him after all.
by Robert B. Parker, 2002, G.P. Putnams Sons
This is book in the Spencer for Hire series. It is not worthy of a revue. The plot is thin, the characters are all caricatures, and the ending is unfulfilling. It is totally recreational reading but this one barely held my interest. 
by Dr. Sharon Saline, forward by Dr. Laura Markham, 2018, Tarcherperigee One of our grandchildren has been diagnosed with a form of ADHD where he focuses so hard on whatever he is doing that he has difficulty transitioning to another … Continue reading →
by Morris L. West, 1971, Compania Financiera Perlina, S.A.
This book is a hard one to review. I loved the writing. The setting of the book is in the Hebrides and we had read the Lewis Trilogy (The Black House, the Lewis Man, and The Chessmen) by Peter May which also takes place in the Outer Hebrides. The characters and the descriptions of the area are excellent. The plot focuses on the relationship of the main character with a native of the islands and it is a strange relationship. Some of the interactions reminded me of The Great Gatsby because the character he describes is so full of himself. The book does bog down a bit, however, because as it is somewhat short on action and long on delving into the individual’s character. I did enjoy reading the book, however, and would recommend it to anyone who isn’t looking for a quick thriller.