Think Like a Freak by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
211 pages

 What’s it about?
This book challenges you to think differently-“ like a freak”.  Much of the book seems obvious and yet the suggestions are difficult to put into practice.  Some concrete suggestions resonated with me and I will try to incorporate them into my thinking.  Say “I don’t know” more often.   Ask basic questions, much like a child, and do not rely on what you think you know.   Lastly, if you must engage in a disagreement (avoid these as you are probably not going to convince anyone of anything) then use stories to help convince others of your point of view.    

What did it make me think about?
 It did make me think about being more open to possibilities.  Not always relying so heavily on what I already know, as it will color my thinking.  I can think of a few people that might benefit from this book….

Should I read it?
It was quick and entertaining, but most of the information could have been shared in a long magazine article.  I will go back and read "Freakonomics".   The two authors have a great writing style and what they have to say is really interesting.  

Quote-
 “But let’s say you are excellent at a given thing, a true master of your domain, like Thomas Sargent.  Does this mean you are also more likely to excel in a different domain?

A sizable body of research says the answer is no.  The takeaway here is simple but powerful: just because you’re great at something doesn’t mean you’re good at everything.  Unfortunately, this fact is routinely ignored by those who engage in –take a deep breath- ultracrepidarianism, or ‘the habit of giving opinions and advice on matters outside of one’s knowledge or competence’.

            Making grandiose assumptions about your abilities and failing to acknowledge what you don’t know can lead, unsurprisingly , to disaster.”
    

       

6 stars

An Untamed State by Roxane Gay 
367 pages

What’s it about?
This novel is about a young, wealthy Haitian-American woman who is kidnapped on a family visit to Haiti.   The violence is brutal, but once you start reading this book you will do nothing else until you have read the last page.

What did it make me think about?
It made me think of extreme wealth and extreme poverty living side by side.  How they coexist, but not easily.   Also, it made me NOT want to visit Haiti.

Should I read it?
Roxane Gay writes in such a clear, direct way.  I am sure we will be reading her work for years to come.  My suggestion-  don't start this book unless you can put everything aside to read.

Quote-
 "When my mother and I had conversations about kidnapping in the before, I got angry.  I told her there were people who needed her.  I told her if she were kidnapped, she would have no choice but to survive.  I told her nothing truly bad happens when someone is kidnapped, that kidnapping is only a matter of time and money and that she would always have both.  This was when it was easy to speak wrongly on such things.  In the after, I understood my mother's fears more clearly.  She knew my father too well."

8 1/2 stars

If you liked this try-
And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
Room by Emma Donaghue 
The Round House by Louise Erdich

 Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
333 pages

What’s it about?
Imagine that a pandemic quickly spreads throughout the modern world killing 98% of the population.  Over time, society as you know is falls away.  No technology, electricity, or communication.  The world becomes a place of small, isolated communities.  Ms. Mandel takes us back and forth in time from the world as we know it, to this post pandemic world she has created.  

What did it make me think about?
 Possibilities.....  Not all good.

Should I read it?
 It is the best kind of book- a book you miss as soon as you finish.  I do not think of myself as a  fan of post- apocalyptic novels, but I loved this book.   Ms. Mandel seems to have a different approach in this novel.  "Station Eleven" seems interested in the concept of how you would begin to rebuild a society.   Fascinating!
  
Quote-
 "I don't remember my parents.  Actually just impressions.  I remember hot air coming out of vents in winter, and machines that played music.  I remember what computers looked like with the screen lit up.  I remember how you could open a fridge, and cold air and light would spill out. Or freezers, even colder, with those little squares of ice in trays.  Do you remember fridges?"

9 stars

 If you liked this try-
The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
On a Such a Full See by Chang-rae Lee
When We Were Orphans by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters
564 pages


What’s it about?
This novel takes place in London in 1922.  The First World War is over and London is still reeling from the deaths of so many young men.  In this atmosphere, Mrs. Wray and her spinster daughter Frances must take in boarders to make ends meet.  Nothing will be the same after Mr. and Mrs. Barber move into the house.

What did it make me think about?
The historical time period was interesting.  You forget how many freedoms we now enjoy that men (and especially women) did not enjoy in 1922.

Should I read it?
I enjoyed this book but thought it was a little wordy at times.  Much like “The Goldfinch”,  I felt like the book would have been better had they cut out about 50 pages.  Having said that, it was a totally unexpected story.  Some will love it and some will not. None of the characters were particularly likable and that is an obstacle for me.  Because of that, I enjoyed it but did not love it.

Quote-
“Like the parted kimono, the sounds were unsettling; the silence was most unsettling of all.  Sitting at her bureau a short time before, Frances had been picturing her lodgers in purely mercenary terms- as something like two great waddling shillings.  But this, she thought, shuffling backward over the tiles, this what it really meant to have lodgers: this odd, unintimate proximity, this rather peeled-back moment, where the only thing between herself and Mrs. Barber was a few feet of kitchen and a thin scullery door.”

Question-
Did anyone else think it wordy?

 

7  stars

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
263 pages

What’s it about?
This book explores, from a physician’s viewpoint, how the medical field is influencing the way our lives end- in illness and in old age.  
 
What did it make me think about?
I cannot overstate how important I thought this book was.  It was such a fascinating look at the way we make decisions for the elderly and the very ill.  Dr. Atul Gawande steers us through this difficult terrain with wisdom and grace.   

Should I read it?
I think this book was a must read for anyone who is dealing with aging or death.  Basically, that means everyone…   I felt like this book radically changed my perspective.  It changed how I will frame the discussions I have with my family.  How often does a book do that? 

Quote-
“The problem with medicine and the institutions it has spawned for the care of the sick and the old is not that they have had an incorrect view of what makes life significant.  The problem is that they have had almost no view at all.  Medicine’s focus is narrow.  Medical professionals concentrate on repair of health, not sustenance of the soul.  Yet- and this is the painful paradox- we have decided that they should be the ones who largely define how we live in our waning days.  For more than a half a century now, we have treated the trials of sickness, aging, and mortality as medical concerns.  It’s been an experiment in social engineering, putting our fates in the hands of people valued more for their technical prowess than for their understanding of human needs.

               That experiment has failed.  If safety and protection were all we sought in life, perhaps we could conclude differently.  But because we seek a life of worth and purpose, and yet are routinely denied the conditions that might make it possible, there is no other way to see what modern society has done.”

 
Question-
Did you feel like this book changed your viewpoint?


9 1/2 stars

The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
455 pages


What’s it about?
 This book is the second novel written by J.K. Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.  Both novels feature detective Cormoran Strike. They are good, old-fashioned, detective novels set in present day England.   


What did it make me think about?
These novels just make you want to turn the page.

Should I read it?
 Great characters and a good plot keep you reading until the end.  I have enjoyed both the novels in this series.

Question-
Should I finally read the Harry Potter novels?

7 stars