My name is Frannie and I love to read. Honestly. I’ll read just about anything: novels, biographies, memoirs, epics, magazines, essays, blogs, social commentaries, newspapers, legal thrillers, cookbooks, cereal boxes…
Who I Am As A Reader
- Some of my favorite books include: Gone With the Wind, Team of Rivals, Bonfire of the Vanities, The Devil in the White City, and Seabiscuit.
- I try to buy most of my books used – new books are so expensive and kind of a waste. It’s cheaper to buy used books, it’s a form of recycling, and it’s a way to support local businesses. I try to frequent local used bookstores as much as possible. Amazon also gets a decent amount of my book-buying budget.
- Typically, before I buy a new purse, I’ll check to make sure a book will fit in it.
- When I’m not reading a book, I’m typically reading one of the following: Time, The Chicago Tribune, Vanity Fair, Glamour or Self magazines (yeah, yeah), The Chicagoan, and Smithsonian.
- I am a proud holder and active user of a Chicago Public Library card.
- My bookshelves are vaguely organized by cover color, not title or author.
I’ll be using this blog to review all of the books I read. Each book will get its own review and its own rating. As a heads up, I’m somewhat of a harsh critic, but to be fair, I read a lot, so my standards are pretty high. You’ve been warned. If you’re looking for a little more detail on what goes on here, check out one of my first posts: So… What’s This All About?
Frannie, Wonderful to have another source for intelligent recommendations of books to read. Two recommendations for you. First, on the subject of German history (and the broader topic of Eastern Europe) try The Year That Changed the World by Michael Meyer and, in the category of fiction, try The History of the Siege of Lisbon by Jose Saramago.
Keep it up! Uncle Gary
Thanks Uncle G! I have been on a bit of a World War II/Germany kick lately so I appreciate the recommendations. I’ve also been interested in reading more about Vichy France – do you have any suggestions on that one? I’m open to fiction and non-fiction.
Frannie, Well as a matter of fact … An interesting book with a perspective on the subject is a biography, “Petain” by Charles Williams about the WWI hero who became premier of unoccupied or Vichy France. His life story, including his transformation from hero to “collaborator” exposes the moral hazards of the era, as well as the past tense judgments of others (which are so often self-serving). Easy read, but thought-provoking.
In the same category are two other books I’ve read and are worth a look – The Collaborator: The Trial and Execution of Robert Brasillach (little suspense about how it ends for him) and Algeria Hotel: France, Memory, and the Second World War.
None are proper histories of Vichy France, but they provide background for the era, as well as psychological insight into the experience during and after.
Uncle Gary
I read this novel called “Sarah’s Key” about the round-up French Jews into the Vélodrome d’Hiver for deported to Auschwitz in July of ’42. That book was okay (review to come) and it sparked an interest in Vichy France. I did some research and was having a hard time finding much that looked good, so I definitely appreciate the recommendations.
Found your blog site through a LinkedIn Boston College group and, for whatever reason, felt prompted to check it out.
What an absolute delight! Read through many of your reviews. Found your writing style quite conversational and your reading selections to be quite in line with my particular interests.
Will try to figure out how to link your blog to mine and would enjoy keeping in touch.
Glad you took your hobby to the next level so others like me could enjoy.
Maura Sweeney
(aka Maura4u)
BC ’80
Thank you Maura – I really appreciate your comment! I hope you’ll keep coming back and feel free to comment on any of my other posts. I’d love to get a little more dialogue going here.
Great job on the blog – spot on regarding Water for Elephants.
I’m hoping that you’ve heard of Joseph Ellis, Professor of History at Mount Holyoke College. If not, I think you might enjoy some of his books as you pursue the biographies of the American presidents.
-June
Hi June – Joseph Ellis is already pretty high on my list of respected history authors. I’ve read a number of his books about the Founding Fathers. His Excellency and American Sphinx are sitting next to each other on my bookshelf right now.
I really love your tagline at the top! Thanks for posting your reviews!
Thanks Kate – I’m usually judging something, so I figured I might as well put it out there!