Book Shelf: 2012 Books

This web page lists all books reviewed by Steve Hopkins at http://bkrev.blogspot.com during 2012 as well as books pending (The Shelf of Possibility), or relegated to the Shelf of Reproach or the Shelf of Ennui. You can click on the title of a book or on the picture of any jacket cover to jump to amazon.com where you can purchase a copy of any book on this shelf.

Key to Ratings:

*****	Outstanding book-read it now
****	Highly recommended
***	Recommended
**	Mildly recommended
*	Read if your interest is strong
DNR	Do Not Read: Take a Pass

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Title (Ctrl + Click on Link to purchase at amazon.com)	Author(s)	Rating	Blog Date	Comments	Ctrl + Click on Picture to Purchase at amazon.com
American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee	Abbott, Karen	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in February 2011
Capitol Punishment: The Hard Truth About Washington Corruption From America's Most Notorious Lobbyist	Abramoff, Jack	Unread		I looked at the photos and read the first few pages. I concluded quickly that I really didn’t want to know anything more about Abramoff, especially from him. Shelf of Ennui.
Last Man in Tower	Adiga, Aravind	*******	1/5/12	Solitary. Readers who enjoy fine writing that stimulates deep thinking should consider Aravind Adiga’s latest novel, Last Man in Tower. Sixty-one year old retired teacher, Masterji, is a widower who has lived in Vishram Society Tower A for decades, and the place holds memories for him, and his relationship with his neighbors seems positive and mutually supportive. When a developer proposes buying the building, all residents except Masterji agree. His stolid perseverance brings out animosity in his neighbors. How does one be true to oneself and live in community? What are our obligations to our neighbors? Adiga’s fine writing lays out the plot and develops multiple characters in ways that will captivate readers and present the range of complexity in human nature.
Would It Kill You to Stop Doing That: A Modern Guide to Manners	Alford, Henry	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
Our Black Year: One Family's Quest to Buy Black in America's Racially Divided Economy	Anderson, Maggie	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination	Atwood, Margaret	Unread		I prefer Atwood’s fiction. I stopped reading this collection of essays after about 50 pages. Shelf of Ennui.
Zero Day	Baldacci, David	*******	1/5/12	Character. I read David Baldacci’s novels because I find them amusing and entertaining. I’m often most amused by poorly written dialogue or characters that are stereotypes or poorly developed. In his latest novel, Zero Day, Baldacci seems to start from scratch. He introduces a new heroic protagonist, John Puller, and I found myself recognizing the individual and rooting for his success. The fast pace of the plot and the thrilling action kept me turning pages quickly, and I found the dialogue was not as distracting as it had been in earlier Baldacci novels. Readers who like character-driven action thrillers are those most likely to enjoy this novel.
Pulse	Barnes, Julian	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in March 2011
The Sense of an Ending	Barnes, Julian	********	1/5/12	Memories. In a clever novella, Julian Barnes delves into the notion of memory, and the difference in form between action and our constructed and amended memories. The Sense of an Ending is constrained and concise, and a reader is almost compelled to start re-reading once the last page is turned. There’s that “aha” sense that can propel a reader to take newly found insight and read again to see the book in new light. Readers who enjoy literary fiction and clever writing are those most likely to enjoy this short novel.
Lunatics	Barry, Dave and Alan Zweibel	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in December 2011
Machine Man	Barry, Max	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in July 2011
On Canaan’s Side	Barry, Sebastian	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in September 2011
Wild Thing	Bazell, Josh	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
Mrs. Nixon: A Novelist Imagines a Life	Beattie, Ann	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in October 2011
Great Companies Deserve Great Boards: A CEO's Guide to the Boardroom	Behan, Beverly A.	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in February 2011
Smut: Stories	Bennett, Alan	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
The Shadow Patrol	Berenson, Alex	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in November 2011
Buckley: William F. Buckley Jr. and the Rise of American Conservatism	Bogus, Carl T.	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in October 2011
Fatal Risk: A Cautionary Tale of AIG's Corporate Suicide	Boyd, Roddy	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in April 2011
Waiting for Sunrise	Boyd, William	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
Greenback Planet: How the Dollar Conquered the World and Threatened Civilization as We Know It	Brands, H.W.	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in October 2011
Screw Business As Usual	Branson, Richard	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
Collaborate or Perish!: Reaching Across Boundaries in a Networked World	Bratton, William and Zachary Tumin	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
James Madison	Brookhiser, Richard	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in November 2011
Strategic Vision: America and the Crisis of Global Power	Brzezinski, Zbigniew	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
Perilous Fight: America's Intrepid War with Britain on the High Seas, 1812-1815	Budiansky, Stephen	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2011
Ragnarok	Byatt, A.S.	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking	Cain, Susan	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
Scapegoat: A History of Blaming Other People	Campbell, Charlie	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson	Caro, Robert A.	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
Stay Awake	Chaon, Dan	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
My Two Worlds	Chejfec, Sergio	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in July 2011
The Astral	Christensen, Kate	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in April 2011
Back to Work: Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy	Clinton, Bill	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in November 2011
Money and Power: How Goldman Sachs Came to Rule the World	Cohan, William D.	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in April 2011
Blink of An Eye	Cohen William S.	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in October 2011
In Our Prime: The Invention of Middle Age	Cohen, Patricia	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck--Why Some Thrive Despite Them All	Collins, Jim and Morten T. Hansen	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in October 2011
A Covert Affair: Julia Child and Paul Child in the OSS	Conant, Jennet	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in March 2011
Red on Red	Conlon, Edward	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in September 2011
The Drop	Connelly, Michael	*******	1/18/12	Twists. The latest detective Harry Bosch novel from Michael Connelly is titled, The Drop. Fans of the series and first-time readers can find equal pleasure in the exploits of this heroic, flawed protagonist whose moral compass distinguishes right from wrong with clarity. The world gets messier than he’d like it to be, and the good guys can let him down, while the bad guys also need justice. Can Harry overcome the demons that distract him and move on? Can he be a father and a detective? Will he find love again? Connelly writes a fine crime novel, and the character of Harry Bosch continues to develop and mature. Readers who like character-driven crime fiction are those most likely to enjoy this novel.
Death Benefit	Cook, Robin	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
Daughters of the Revolution	Cooke, Carolyn	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in July 2011
Effie: The Passionate Lives of Effie Gray, John Ruskin and John Everett Millais	Cooper, Suzanne Fagence	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in July 2011
Taken	Crais, Robert	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
Micro	Crichton, Michael and Richard Preston	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
The Maid: A Novel of Joan of Arc	Cutter, Kimberly	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in November 2011
The Inverted Forest	Dalton, John	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in June 2011
Almost a Family: A Memoir	Darnton, John	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in April 2011
The House I Loved	de Rosnay, Tatiana	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
The Hare with Amber Eyes: A Family's Century of Art and Loss	de Waal, Edmund	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
The Variations	Donatich, John	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
Bullfighting	Doyle, Roddy	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in March 2011
Wild Abandon	Dunthorne, Joe	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
Clover Adams: A Gilded and Heartbreaking Life	Dykstra, Natalie	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in November 2011
Life Itself	Ebert, Roger	*******	1/18/12	Upbeat. Reading memoirs can be a crapshoot. Most readers of Roger Ebert’s memoir titled, Life Itself, will come away winners. We know Ebert from his decades of movie reviews in print and on television. Most of us also know that because of complications from treatment for thyroid cancer, he can no longer speak nor eat and his face is disfigured from the loss of bone. His voice comes through with ebullience in his animated writing. In his account, he’s had (and is having) a wonderful life. He’s worked hard at doing what he loves. He’s married to his soulmate, and thanks to AA, he quit drinking. He’s made friends all around the world, and his conversational writing style makes readers feel like we’re sitting at a dining room table listening to the stories of a life well lived. All that adds up to an inspiring memoir, well worth reading.
The Prague Cemetery	Eco, Umberto	********	1/5/12	Hate. Can a novel about evil and hate be entertaining? In the competent hands of Umberto Eco, the answer is yes when it comes to his latest novel, The Prague Cemetery. Eco sets the novel in the tumultuous late 19^th century, and all the characters except the protagonist are historical. That protagonist is the scheming, evil, hateful Simonini who gives voice and action to a wide range of vitriol and plots. An equal opportunity figure, Simonini hates Jesuits, Masons, Russians, Germans, French, and blames the Jews for everything. What Eco accomplishes in this portrayal of hate and evil is to give readers goose bumps that such evil lives among us now. Readers who like to think when we read are those most likely to enjoy this finely written novel.
The Forgotten Waltz	Enright, Anne	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in September 2011
Gossip: The Untrivial Pursuit	Epstein, Joseph	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in October 2011
Civilization: The West and the Rest	Ferguson, Niall	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in November 2011
A Brief History of Thought: A Philosophical Guide to Living	Ferry, Luc	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
The Dogs of Rome	Fitzgerald, Conor	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in July 2011
The Fatal Touch	Fitzgerald, Conor	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in July 2011
Cinnamon Roll Murder	Fluke, Joanne	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
The Memory of Blood	Fowler, Christopher	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
Dick Francis’s Gamble	Francis, Felix	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in July 2011
Pity the Billionaire: The Hard-Times Swindle and the Unlikely Comeback of the Right	Frank, Thomas	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
Nightwoods	Frazier, Charles	*******	1/23/12	Bleak. The prose in Charles Frazier’s novel, Nightwoods, is lyrical, the characters are richly developed, and the description he presents in a meandering plot presents a bleak life. In some ways, this novel explores the nature of love and evil, using a setting and characters that provide an ideal backdrop for the contrast between light and darkness and fire and water. Readers who are patient with a plot that can be a challenge to follow and who appreciate lyrical prose are those most likely to enjoy this novel.
The Newlyweds	Freudenberger, Nell	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
The Fry Chronicles	Fry, Stephen	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in December 2011
George F. Kennan: An American Life	Gaddis, John Lewis	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in October 2011
Distrust That Particular Flavor	Gibson, William	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope	Giffords, Gabrielle and Mark Kelly	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in November 2011
The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood	Gleick, James	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in March 2011
Say Her Name	Goldman, Francisco	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in November 2011
1861: The Civil War Awakening	Goodheart, Adam	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in May 2011
V is for Vengeance	Grafton, Sue	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in October 2011
The Swerve: How the World Became Modern	Greenblatt, Stephen	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in September 2011
The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos	Greene, Brian	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2011
The Art of Fielding	Harbach, Chad	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in July 2011
The Fear Index	Harris, Robert	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in December 2011
Songs of Unreason	Harrison, Jim	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in November 2011
The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America's War in Afghanistan	Hastings, Michael	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
King of the Badgers	Hensher, Philip	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in October 2011
The New Deal: A Modern History	Hiltzik, Michael	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in August 2011
The Red Garden	Hoffman, Alice	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in March 2011
The Stranger’s Child	Hollinghurst, Alan	*******	1/5/12	Desire. The atmosphere, tension and drama that Alan Hollinghurst writes in his novel, The Stranger’s Child, carries readers through 450 pages of a sweeping novel spanning a century of time. Two families provide the focus of our attention, and the many forms of desire are spun out in ways that are witty, exacting in detail, and tragic. The character development and attention to detail bring to life past and modern times with precision. Readers who appreciate fine writing and who are willing to tolerate an indirect plot and paths that seem distracting are those most likely to enjoy this novel.
Rome: A Cultural, Visual, and Personal History	Hughes, Robert	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in September 2011
Steve Jobs	Isaacson, Walter	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in October 2011
The Man Within My Head	Iyer, Pico	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
Death Comes to Pemberley	James, P.D.	**	1/18/12	Curiosity. I was intrigued when I heard that the venerable mystery writer, P.D. James, chose to set her latest novel, Death Comes to Pemberley, in the place, time, and characters of Jane Austen. Curiosity brought me to this novel, and James’ skill at mystery writing kept me interested. I suspect that both Austen and James fans are likely to come away from this novel with some degree of disappointment. Darcy, Elizabeth, Wickham and others are familiar characters to most readers, but they are set in our minds from Austen’s writing. James may be true to many aspects of these well-developed characters, but she sets them in a situation that is unlike anything that Austen would have done. Along the way, readers get an interesting mystery to read, but one neither great nor memorable.
The Last Testament: A Memoir by God	Javerbaum, David	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in October 2011
Maphead: Charting the Wide, Weird World of Geography Wonks	Jennings, Ken	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in July 2011
Lonely at the Top: The High Cost of Men's Success	Joiner, Thomas	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in November 2011
Rodin’s Debutante	Just, Ward	********	1/23/12	Artist. How is art formed? How is the artist formed? These are some of the questions that Ward Just explores in his finely written novel, Rodin’s Debutante. The core of the novel is a coming of age story about a man named Lee Goodell who grew up in a small town as the child of a prominent father, a judge who was the son of a judge. A side story involves Tommy Ogden a wealthy loner who prefers hunting and whoring over other pursuits. Ogden founds a school which Goodell attends. The novel explodes with the contrasts of beauty and the grittiness of life, and the real scars that Goodell experiences turn into his marbles, the sculptures he creates. Just creates vibrant characters and masterfully expresses powerful emotions with an economy of finely chosen words. Readers who enjoy thought provoking fiction are those most likely to enjoy this novel.
Thinking, Fast and Slow	Kahneman, Daniel	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in September 2011
What to Ask the Person in the Mirror: Critical Questions for Becoming a More Effective Leader and Reaching Your Potential	Kaplan, Robert Steven	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in June 2011
American Dreamers: How the Left Changed a Nation	Kazin, Michael	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in October 2011
Flea Circus: A Brief Bestiary of Grief	Keifetz, Mandy	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in December 2011
Jacqueline Kennedy: Historic Conversations on Life with John F. Kennedy	Kennedy, Caroline and Michael Beschloss	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in September 2011
11/22/63: A Novel	King, Stephen	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in August 2011
On China	Kissinger, Henry	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in June 2011
City of Scoundrels: The 12 Days of Disaster That Gave Birth to Modern Chicago	Krist, Gary	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
Capital	Lanchester, John	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
Raylan	Leonard, Elmore	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in November 2011
Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress--and a Plan to Stop It	Lessig, Lawrence	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in October 2011
The Ecstasy of Influence: Nonfictions, Etc.	Lethem, Jonathan	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in October 2011
The Compass of Pleasure: How Our Brains Make Fatty Foods, Orgasm, Exercise, Marijuana, Generosity, Vodka, Learning, and Gambling Feel So Good	Linden, David J.	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in June 2011
How It All Began	Lively, Penelope	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
The Future of History	Lukacs, John	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in April 2011
Car Guys vs. Bean Counters: The Battle for the Soul of American Business	Lutz, Bob	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in June 2011
Drift	Maddow, Rachel	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
Age of Greed: The Triumph of Finance and the Decline of America, 1970 to the Present	Madrick, Jeff	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in August 2011
The Flame Alphabet	Marcus, Ben	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman	Massie, Robert K.	********	1/5/12	Stupendous. Octogenarian Robert K. Massie has condensed the scale of his broad and deep knowledge of this subject into 650 pages of lively reading titled, Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman. Massie tells the story of her life, her struggles and her great successes with a level of detail and insight that will appeal to those readers of biography who crave for good stories and wise, critical examination. My knowledge of Catherine’s life was sketchy, so I was enthralled by Massie’s depiction of this enlightened leader’s prudence and risk taking. All readers will come away from this book with many reasons why she was a great leader.
Exile on Wall Street: One Analyst's Fight to Save the Big Banks from Themselves	Mayo, Mike	*******	1/18/12	Lonely. Mike Mayo has spent his career as a financial analyst specializing in banks. In his book, Exile on Wall Street, Mayo describes his early experience working at the Federal Reserve providing analysis on bank mergers, and then as a sell side stock analyst for a variety of Wall Street firms. Readers will come away from this book with the sense that Mayo is not a person inclined to get along and go along. He is willing to go against the views of those around him and come up with his independent judgment. His record shows him as being right more often than he was wrong. Instead of being acclaimed for his wise analysis, he was often treated as a pariah. Accepting that his account is one side of a story, this is an interesting description of the challenges involved in financial reform. Those readers interested in this subject will find the book quick to read and liable to induce further thinking on this subject.
We Others	Millhauser, Steven	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in July 2011
The Most Controversial Decision: Truman, the Atomic Bombs, and the Defeat of Japan	Miscamble, Wilson	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in August 2011
Jerusalem: The Biography	Montefiore, Simon Sebag	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in September 2011
The First Detective: The Life and Revolutionary Times of Vidocq: Criminal, Spy and Private Eye	Morton, James	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in July 2011
All I Did Was Shoot My Man	Mosley, Walter	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in November 2011
God's Jury: The Inquisition and the Making of the Modern World	Murphy, Cullen	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in January 2012
Grand Pursuit: The Story of Economic Genius	Nasar, Sylvia	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in July 2011
The Devil’s Star	Nesbo, Jo	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in February 2010
The Leopard	Nesbo, Jo	*******	1/18/12	Inhumanity. Readers who can tolerate massive amounts of violence and inhumane acts described in detail can open Jo Nesbo’s novel, The Leopard, and settle right in. It’s helpful to have read the earlier novels in the Harry Hole series to understand why this protagonist has hit his nadir and is living a life of darkness in Hong Kong. Coerced home to Norway to solve yet another serial murder case, Hole who has subjected himself to great pain, faces even greater physical pain during this case. The plot is complicated, and it can be painful to an empathetic reader to watch the damaged Hole suffer. Harry Hole is a great character, and Nesbo’s writes well (probably better in the original Norwegian), and readers willing to spend time exploring the nature of evil will find this book engaging.
Absolute Monarchs: A History of the Papacy	Norwich, John Julian	Unread		Added to Shelf of Possibility in August 2011