Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked the period of time and events that took place in this book. I don't think we as Americans like to think of rounding up Japanese-Americans and sending them to camps during WWII. It was a great springboard for discussing issues of immigration, culture, perception, in our book club. I felt like the book itself was a little overly sentimental and predictable. But it was fine story--I just wish we could have peeked a little bit more into the Japanese themselves, what life was like in the camps, their thoughts and feelings.

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Columbus: The Four Voyages

Columbus: The Four Voyages, 1492-1504 by Laurence Bergreen
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a solid biography about Columbus and I learned a lot. I didn't know he went on four voyages, nor did I understand how skilled he was in navigation and survival skills, but not particularly a leader. Bergreen hammers home the idea that Columbus never fully understood where he was but always thought China was just around the corner. It is sad to read about the violence that the Spanish inflicted on the native Americans and the greed that drove them. But it was interesting to read about this flawed but gifted man and his struggles with the Indians, with his men, and with himself.

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The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John le Carré
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is Le Carre's third book and the one where he hits his stride as the one of the best spy novelists. He said it this book came to him in three weeks and it shows: it is tight, full of suspense, and inspired. Loved it.

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A Murder of Quality

A Murder of Quality by John le Carré
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is one Le Carre novel that is a straight up mystery and not a spy novel. It has lots of twists and turns and no one seems to be who you think...very well written. But I have to admit I missed the mystic of the spy genre.

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Call for the Dead

Call for the Dead by John le Carré
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is Le Carre's first book, where we are introduced to George Smiley and Peter Guillium. Smiley is called to investigate a murder, and it is a decent murder mystery. It feels like Agatha Christie wrote a spy novel, but it is a good place to start with George. Unlike some of his later novels, Carre spells out the evidence and conclusions (almost painfully) so that the reader doesn't miss a thing. It was an enjoyable read and a good beginning for things to come.

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Bossypants

Bossypants by Tina Fey
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It is always hard for me to critique a memoir because it is the world according to.... And so you end up not judging the book but the person. I bought this at the airport in the used section for $5. My kids kept asking me why she had man hands on the front. I still don't really know.
I gave this 3 stars mainly because I laughed about every other page or so. But this is also why I think it was more like 2.5 stars. Fey tries to tell about her life, but just when she gets to something revealing or heartfelt, she throws in a zinger. It makes you laugh, but you never really get to know her. And though she starts out with her childhood, once she gets past college, it is pretty much all about work. There are some good stories of SNL, but not enough about her relationships--with her co-workers, her husband, or even her kid. It is kind of interesting to read about how she ended up doing Sarah Palin, but the bits I liked best were her simultaneously planning a birthday party for her kid, or the part about her husband and her on a cruise. The 30 pages or so of how to do a photo shoot? Snoozeville.
Toward the end of the book, I got kind of annoyed with her. Maybe I shouldn't have read it straight through on a flight because her humor seemed to go from "ha ha ha, that Tina, she's so funny" to eye-rolling at her snarky comments. She seemed almost angry-mad in a lot of her "jokes" about being taken seriously as a director/writer/impressionist/mother. I know from watching her on-air personna that most of these quips are meant to be said in an off-hand, almost silly way, but in cold hard print they kind of make her seem like a defensive witch. I think her mistake is trying to make something funny out of something she feels about strongly. Either that or I should have gotten it on audio book.

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Siblings without Rivalry

Siblings Without Rivalry: How to Help Your Children Live Together So You Can Live Too by Adele Faber
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Yes, I resorted to a psychological book to help my kids get along. It is an easy read with some good examples. Still, I feel like I have to read it every day to refresh my memory on how I am "supposed" to respond to situations. Lately I've just been resorting to asking them "What Would Jesus Do?" and that seems to help better than anything.

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