Forever a Winner by Carole Buck--a collection of stories about St. Louis Cardinal Broadcaster Jack Buck

Bob Forsch's Tales from the Cardinals Dugout--stories from the St. Louis Cardinals during the 1960's though early 1980's. The author was a ptcher during the period in question with the Cardinals.

I just finished Ten Minutes from Normal by Karen Hughes. This is the autobiography of the former Counselor to the President and your reaction to it would be very much dependent on your personal political stance.

Prison Diary by Jeffrey Archer--Diary of his first few weeks in prison in the UK.

Quitting America by Randall Robinson--this one I really didn't care for as it came off me as a real diatribe. The author moved from Washington DC to the island of St. Kitts in the eastern Caribbean. It seemed like every chance he got he was making negative comments against the US and postitive ones about St. Kitts.

Against All Enemies by Richard Clarke

Against All Enemies by Richard Clarke  About 80% of this one was a fascinating analysis of his role in both the Clinton and Bush administrations and 20% was a partisan justification for his viewpoint. similar to what he said during the 9/11/01 commission hearings.

Emporess Orchid

Empress Orchid by Anchee Min Story of one of the wives of a Chinese Emporer from the tine of the Manchu dynasty.

Miss Julia Meets Her Match

Miss Julia Meets Her Match by Ann Ross--a very funny work set in western NC where the main character is a steel magnolia of a certain age who always has lots of adventures.

This time she's dealing with a creepy person who wants to build a theme park on her property that's supposed to be a recreation of the Holy Land, a whole bunch of people are either cheating on each other or suspected of doing so. To boot, one of Julia's friends has a child who went and had a sex change--and all of this is just for openers.

 

Official Handbook of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy by Mark Smith A wry look at how conservatives think.

The Patriot Act--Section 215

http://www.readerprivacy.com/

This is a link to a online petition to change Section 215  of the USA Patriot Act. The government now has the right to examine library and bookstore records without any knowledge on the part of library and bookstore patrons. Those who came up with the petition are aiming to get one million signatures--and I have already done so personally. I may be a conservative for the most part poltically, but this particular provsion really bothers me.

Library sites

I have posted in the Favorite sites some useful links for those in the Chicago area in the library area. Feel free to let me know of further ideas for that area.

April reads no. 2

Girls in Trouble by Caroline Leavitt--I really didn't know what to make of this one. It's the story of a couple who does an open adoption and how it unfolds.

April Reads

Here are my reads so far in April:

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult--a very gripping work on medical ethics and how this issue can impact a family. One of the narrators in the work was specifically born to be able to help her sister overcome a medical condition.

In the Company of Soldiers by Rick Atkinson: Coverage of the 101st Airborne Division during the first part of Operation Iraqi Freedom--from before the start of operations in Kuwait until the 101st arrives in Bagdhad--does not cover the division's later work in Mosul Iraq which I thought was a real shortfall!

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides: The story of a person who starts out life as a girl and later finds out that due to a genetic mutation that she is not a girl at all--but rather a genetic male and how the protagonist copes with this discovery.

 

The Client by John Grisham--A eleven year old finds out where a body is buried and both the Mafia and the FBI want to know.

Late March Reads

Some of the books I have read in the late part of March are:

My Prison Without Bars by Pete Rose--his autobiography and yes, he does admit gambling on baseball games.

Deliver Us From Evil by Sean Hannity--A very telling reminder of why there is evil in the world and measures that can be taken to combat it.