Reviews

This is a long fiction - 566 pages - which I don't usually do, but decided to take it on vacation. It was an Oprah selection and the bookjacket blurbs caught my interest. A dog story - the protagonist, Edgar, grows up on a dog breeding and training farm, so lots of info about that. Edgar also is born unable to speak, however, he can hear.

I gave this book 5 stars on my Goodreads account. Pete Dexter is a very funny writer. The opening scene of a botched burial at sea sets the stage. Even more wonderful is the character, Calmer who becomes Spooner's step-dad while Spooner is still a young boy.

While searching for books about Kansas or by Kansas authors I stumbled upon The Lone Surfer of Montana, Kansas: Stories. It happens to come from the same brain that is behind Found, the website, magazine and book which are dedicated to discarded notes, letters, flyers, photos, lists, and drawings found and sent in by readers.

I’m generally a big fan of depressive ruminations, so you can imagine my dismay in discovering Nathan Rabin’s memoir The Big Rewind: A Memoir Brought to You by Pop Culture is funny and a fast read.

I'd give this a 3-star rating for personal enjoyment of the topic but a 5-star rating for being an essential historical document of the early 21st century. So a 4-star compromise it is.

Kansas author Moriarty follows The Center of Everything with a second thoughtful book, The Rest of Her Life. When high school senior Kara accidentally hits and kills a fellow high school student in her car she changes the course of not only her own life, but of family, friends and strangers alike.

This poignant story of a remarkable and complex struggle in one of the darkest corners of Africa brings light to our shaken world. Mark and Delia Owens have developed a revolutionary and enlightened economic system which uplifts the local population and preserves wildlife.

I am not a huge TV watcher but here are some shows I picked up in 2009.

10 Things I Hate About You