The 13-Story Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and illustrated by Terry Denton

I was browsing at Barnes & Noble and taking my time. This series looked like a good bet for either John or Henry. I decided I needed to read it before foisting it one of them...and I'm glad I did. It's not negative and nasty like so much that I see in the children's section. It delights in mischief and imagination. And there's just enough mayhem and silliness to delight them. I bought a brain games book also, and I think that's a better fit for Henry. I think this one will go to John. He has a vibrant imagination and the pictures will help him feel like he's making progress. This is part of a series and if he loves it, I can give him more. John will love the burping and wild monkeys and maybe I can convince him to share it with Henry!

Fare Thee Well by Joel Selvin with Pamela Turley

Leonard ordered this book because he has a long history with the Grateful Dead and wanted to read about the years after Jerry Garcia's death. The subtitle is: "The Final Chapter of the Grateful Dead's Long, Strange Trip." I picked it up after he was done with it, and enjoyed it very much.

While I'm not and never was a Deadhead, I am familiar with their music and have enjoyed it over the decades. So this book's detailed accounts of what songs were played where and why was something I could connect with, even though it got much more detailed than I cared about... What was fascinating to me was the description of how the surviving band members interacted with each other and how each of them pursued their own individual passions, and how difficult it was to ever get them to cooperate together again.

As the story unfolds, the author meaningfully chronicles much of the culture around the Dead that made them what they were. These parts were the most interesting to me, having seen them in Colorado, and having been to the Fillmore (West). That the Dead themselves were unaware of the Deadhead culture was almost beyond belief, but as they learned to appreciate it, especially at the final concerts, it was gratifying to see. The chapter about all of this coming together was almost poetic and very lyrical. It took me back to the time of Peace, Love, and Rock n Roll, and that was fun to think about. And it's great to see that some vestiges of that are growing in succeeding generations...whether fueled by drugs or no, still there's some value there, I believe.

I didn't have much familiarity with individual band members, but I got to know them through this book. Phil and Jill Lesh come off by far as the villains and the most destructive of any of them, although their persistence did result in some final concerts. Their apparent selfishness is almost unbelievable, and I had to keep reminding myself that this is just one point of view.

Bobby Weir has always been an attractive person to me, and it was kind of disappointing to learn of his chronic problems with alcohol. I love his looks, his singing, his ways from the early days. Too bad he's not weathering well! Micky Hart is just a genius who is so far out there--good for him! Billy Kruetzmann wrote a book and hung out in Hawaii...it might be worth reading to get another perspective...

One part I especially enjoyed was the description of the final concert in the Bay Area. I read this through Eli's eyes, since he was there! It's always been kind of cool to me that he picked up Leonard's love of the Dead and is part of the next generation who is appreciating the creativity and culture that the Dead personified. Yes, it has its dark side, but the technological advances are pretty impressive. I also appreciated hearing that the mystical connections that that music spawned was able, occasionally, when it soared, to override the reunited group's problems and clashes. Very cool...

Boys in the Trees - A Memoir by Carly Simon

I read reviews about this book that encouraged me to give it a try. I'm very interested in the time period of when Carly got big, and I've always enjoyed her music. I thought it would be interesting to read about her life. And it was. But being the daughter of a publisher does not mean that she is either a good writer or someone who can process and see deeper meaning in her life.

So, I enjoyed the peek into celebrity life, especially the stories about Mick Jagger, James Taylor and Warren Beatty. Her stories about her childhood and growing up years in privileged New York and Martha's Vineyard were also interesting because her life was so different from anything I ever experienced growing up. The dinner parties her parents gave, her performances with her siblings as a youngster, her mother's infidelity, and her lack of interest or success at school were all foreign territory and therefore intriguing to me. Her struggle with stuttering and her coping methods were also interesting to read about.

What surprised me as the book went on was how she couldn't move on or recover from her marriage and relationship with James Taylor. She seems to be emotionally immature, even though she has lived passionately. It's a cautionary tale about too much self-indulgence, perhaps. Or too little desire to be a force for good in the world. I wonder about the mental health of her children or her own peace as she lives into old age. I still enjoy her music, but her voice and songs made me think she was someone who had something valuable to give. After reading her story, I don't think there's much to admire here. Too bad! Her next book, about her friendship with Jackie Kennedy, promises good stories, but I don't plan to read it because she's not introspective enough to draw any learning or lessons from her life. Or at least any of the kind that would be valuable to me. Sorry if that sounds judgmental--it's just that we life in different worlds. And hers is not one I care to inhabit again, even in a book.

The Soldier's Holiday Vow by Jillian Hart

I love Denise Anderson, a marvelous and powerful woman whom I got to know working in the temple. I asked her one day what she liked to read. She said she likes clean, get-away-from-it-all reading and suggested an author. I forgot about that conversation until she brought me this little paperback.

I should have known from the cover that this would be a lightweight book. It looks like a Hallmark movie set. I don't have the patience for Hallmark movies either, unless I'm in a certain mood. I obviously wasn't in the right mood for this because it made me ANGRY. What's up with that?

I think it's because these characters were not only shallow and predictable (as was the plot), but they the author kept repeating to the point of nausea, the same thoughts over and over and over again. So frustrating. So redundant. Yuck. Why did I stick with such shallow junk? Because I was hoping to be able to say SOMETHING positive to Denise when I return it to her. After all, this is one of her favorites. What I do I say to her? Yes, it is a get-away-from-it all book. And yes, it was squeaky clean. I guess that's all I can say.

And I will keep asking people for their suggestions, and hope I will find a good book buddy soon!

The Heart is a Lovely Hunter by Carson McCullers

Why do I keep finding stories set in such dismal environments? I'm not sure why, but here's another depressing time and place. However, the characters are fascinating, and the story portrays life in the 1930s as very hard and hungry. These are people who struggle and work and still don't get ahead. I almost gave up multiple times, but then there would be some eloquent speech by one of the characters, primarily the maid Portia's father, the black doctor in this small mill town. And then I would try to follow the thinking and the pain that this man was living. Fascinating.

The other fascinating character was Mister Singer, a deaf mute, who was completely embraced and revered by the other characters. He listened so sympathetically and meaningfully...It was perhaps intended irony that this character couldn't respond, and the ones who revered him projected his responses. At any rate, that was interesting. Also, the 13-year-old Mick was a girl with great musical power and memory...another interesting character. But these characters were in a story and setting so bleak and without any visible hope, that I almost stopped reading several times. The story ends without any hopeful rays apparent, or any resolve.

I did marvel at the sophisticated thinking and speaking of the characters since McCullers was only 23 when she wrote this. I picked this up at the used bookstore, thinking it was a classic. Maybe it is, or maybe it isn't...but I won't be picking it up again. It will go into one of the Little Library boxes around Bismarck.

Inferno by Dan Brown

On a recent trip to California, I was complaining to Sierra about my inability to find good books to read. I explained my methods of getting recommendations, and she had one of her own: had I ever tried Dan Brown? No, I admitted. Is he a good writer? Interesting characters? She said she thought I would enjoy the diverse settings of his novels and how much one can learn about the cities and the history he shares as his stories unfold. When we got back to South Dakota, she lent me Inferno, which is where I began. It had to be good, right, with Tom Hanks on the cover?!

Well, I have to say, it was just okay. It was good reading at the end of every busy day we had on a bike riding and pickleball trip across Minnesota. I didn't need anything great, just a little read to get me ready to sleep. This was a little more action and suspense than I'm used to, but nothing too violent or disturbing. The story moved right along, with details of miraculous escapes and twists and turns that got a little redundant....all set amidst the beautiful museums, art, and buildings of Florence. So it probably would have been more meaningful to me if I had been there and enjoyed those things as Sierra had, and then it would have been a nice memory-connection. It did make me want to explore Florence, though...

And the characters....very shallow. Kind of interesting, but only on a surface level. The villains were villainous and the heroes heroic, along with a turncoat or two. Just ho-hum. But what really surprised me was the absolute terror Dan Brown tries to instill in the reader about overpopulation. That theme is very thick throughout the book, along with terrible statistics and immoral solutions. One immoral solution is the crux of this story. All of the dire predictions about the impending doom of our planet are presented as scientific facts...this blatant political subplot interfered with my enjoyment of the book. Actually, not that much, since my enjoyment level was pretty low anyway, but I was surprised at this author's attempt to propagate his views. Maybe I'm just unaware of how bad our situation is, but this story did nothing to convince me of its veracity. If I were on Amazon, I would give this two stars--one for the beautiful descriptions of Florence and its art, and one for the introduction to Dante's literary work.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

This book was down in the corner "Little Library" box, so I pulled it out. The hype on the back cover promised intriguing, cerebral literature. The "Oprah's Book Club" stamp also sold it as worthy to carry home. Meh.

Edgar is a youth whose family raises dogs. They all have an uncanny ability to communicate with the dogs, and have perfected a breed that is intuitively tuned in to mankind in amazing ways. Yet this is all a little hazy and sci-fi, but interesting nonetheless. What could have been a fascinating read was darkened by murder, hatred, and anger in the characters. It was also a little vague and mysterious, or maybe I was too dense to pick up on the clues. I'm still not sure who murdered whom, but it made me sad. I'm taking it back to the box...

Still, I have to say, the characters were interesting, just not particularly likable. Edgar, though, was fascinating, and the story is told from his point of view. His inability to speak yet ability to communicate was interesting. And how he survived when he ran away was also interesting...but not particularly pleasant as he raided abandoned cabins and stole food, eventually landing with a loner who welcomed him in. Interesting yes, but I want to inhabit more pleasant environments!

And...the dogs loom large as fascinating characters...