Steve Hopkins’ Bookshelves
This Bookshelf: All Books Authors H through M
Links to Other Bookshelves
Web Page
PDF (Searchable)
All Books Authors A through G
All Books Authors A through G
All Books Authors H through M
All Books Authors H through M
All Books Authors N through Z
All Books Authors N through Z
Current Bookshelf: 2021 Books
Current Bookshelf: 2021 Books
This web page lists all books appearing on the pages of Executive Times and at http://bkrev.blogspot.com from April 1999 through
December 2020 for authors last names from H through M. For the pending list (The Shelf of Possibility) and reviews by Steve Hopkins
in 2021, visit http://www.hopkinsandcompany.com/2021books.html. You can click on the title of a rated book to jump to the detailed
book review. Click on the picture of any jacket cover to jump to amazon.com where you can purchase a copy of any book on this shelf.
You can jump to an issue of Executive Times by hitting the date in the “Issue Date” column. When you hit a broken link, send an e-mail
to books@hopkinsandcompany.com to request what you want.
Key to Ratings 1999-2012
Key to Ratings: 2013 and
after
Outstanding book-read it
now
*****
I love it
Highly recommended
****
I like it
Recommended
***
It’s OK
Mildly recommended
**
I don’t like it
Read if your interest is
strong
*
I hate it
Do Not Read: Take a Pass
DNR
Title (Click on
Link to
purchase at
amazon.com)
Author(s)
Blog Date
Comments
Click on Picture to
Purchase at
amazon.com
A World in
Disarray :
American
Foreign Policy
and the Crisis of
the Old Order
Haass, Richard
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
Stephen Florida
Habash, Gabe
9/25/17
Winning. After I finished racing through Gabe
Habash’s novel titled, Stephen Florida, the one
word that came to mind was “wow.” The first-
person narrator, Stephen, is a college wrestler and
the novel is set mostly in the final season of senior
year that culminates in a championship match.
Habash’s finely written prose draws readers into
the complicated and troubled mind of Stephen as
he focuses obsessively on winning. What appears
on one level to be a common coming of age story
shifts to a study of a person’s descent into madness.
At another level, it is a story of loneliness and love.
On one level this is a character study of a loner; on
another level, it as an exposition of the complexity
and depth inside each of us. On one page Stephen is
a jerk and on the next page Stephen is you and me.
Reinhardt’s
Garden
Haber, Mark
Shelf of Ennui 2020.
Puppetmaster:
The Secret Life
of J. Edgar
Hoover
Hack, Richard
Feb 05
Excesses. More sad than sensational, this life of
Hoover highlights all the demons he fought, and the
life of fear he created and led.
American
Amnesia: How
the War on
Government
Led Us to Forget
What Made
America
Prosper
Hacker, Jacob S.
and Paul Pierson
Shelf of Ennui 2017.
Let Them Eat
Tweets: How
the Right Rules
in an Age of
Extreme
Inequality
Hacker, Jacob S.
and Paul Pierson
8/5/20
Plutocrats. Spend a little while reading Jacob S.
Hacker and Paul Pierson’s book titled, Let Them
Eat Tweets: How the Right Rules in an Age of
Extreme Inequality, and you’ll begin to marvel
about how a tiny minority of successful American
plutocrats have gotten unpopular things done to
their advantage. Hacker and Pierson describes the
methods by which a few rich and powerful
individuals have commandeered the levers of
political power and built up unlikely coalitions to
protect or enhance wealth and power for the few.
This effort has been building over a long period of
time and the current environment is the
consequence of gradual changes and incremental
steps. Readers interested in public policy and
political science are those most likely to enjoy this
engaging book. In case you haven’t noticed, this is a
great time in America to be a plutocrat. The authors
of this book explain why and how that happened.
Off Center: The
Republican
Revolution and
the Erosion of
American
Democracy
Hacker, Jacob S.
and Paul Pierson
Shelf of Ennui 2006
Disturbance of
the Inner Ear
Hackett, Joyce
Mar 03
Lingering Melody. Debut novel embraces the
cello, grief, concentration camp life and its
aftermath, love, loyalty, and survival. Tightly
written inner and outer journey of a fascinating
woman and a cello named the Savant.
Blood in the
Water
Haddam, Jane
Other titles pushed this one to the back of the line.
Shelf of Ennui 2012.
Fighting Chance
Haddam, Jane
9/26/14
Justice. Fans of character-driven crime fiction are
those most likely to enjoy the latest Gregor
Demarkian novel by Jane Haddam titled, Fighting
Chance. This is the 29
th
novel in this series
featuring a cast of Philadelphia characters led by
Gregor, who retired from the FBI’s behavioral
science unit. In the current novel, his friend, the
Armenian priest Father Tabor, has been arrested.
Plot twists abound, red herrings swim in many
directions, and most readers will close this book full
of satisfaction with a story well-told.
Flowering Judas
Haddam, Jane
9/9/11
Layers. Jane Haddam’s new novel, Flowering
Judas, will satisfy most readers of mystery novels,
especially those who like the assurance and stability
that comes from a recurring detective. Gregor
Demarkian unravels this case, as expected, while
readers are presented with the twist of the
detective’s distraction because of his concern for
the health of his ninety nine year old friend and
neighbor, George Tekemanian, who was taken to
the hospital as Gregor was called to solve an out of
town murder. Haddam explores many layers and
levels of familial concern in this novel, and draws
readers into both the light and dark sides of close
and extended family life. This likeable protagonist
can deal with grisly matters and come away with his
humanity intact, to the great pleasure of readers
who like things to be resolved in the end.
Hearts of Sand
Haddam, Jane
7/28/14
Angles. I let Jane Haddam’s latest Gregor
Demarkian novel titled, Hearts of Sand, sit on the
shelf for months after its release. I wanted to read it
in the summer, and I did that with great pleasure
recently. Demarkian agrees to consult on a murder
case in the small and wealthy Connecticut town of
Alwych. Haddam allows the clues to unfold at a
moderate pace as Gregor works all the angles to
figure things out. There’s another murder that
increases the pace, and without spoiling the plot,
Gregor solves it through a process of elimination
that involves some very specific angles. Readers
who like mysteries are those most likely to enjoy
this novel and the series.
A Spot of Bother
Haddon, Mark
Dec 06
Quirky. Talented writer uses all his skills to make
the ups and downs of the extended and quirky Hall
family a pleasure to read. Readers will be
undecided whether to laugh or cry.
Boom!
Haddon, Mark
6/2/10
Spunky. I decided to read Mark Haddon’s new
novel, Boom!, because I thought his debut novel,
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night was
the best debut novel of 2003. The new novel is a
rewrite of an earlier work of Haddon that was a bit
of a publishing flop. As a result of Haddon’s rewrite,
Boom is a fun book that will appeal especially to
pre-teens. I laughed, and expect that kids who read
this will enjoy it. Consider it for a vacation book to
read aloud in the car.
The Curious
Incident of the
Dog in the
Night-Time
Haddon, Mark
Sep 03
Unique. Creative debut novel uses a narrator with
autism to reveal the story and allow readers a
glimpse into the world view of those with autism.
Best debut novel read so far this year.
The Pier Falls
Haddon, Mark
6/17/16
Humanity. We are each tested by the turmoil of
life. Sometimes the tests are life threatening.
Sometimes we can despair at our human condition.
Mark Haddon explores those extremes and our
survival in nine finely written short stories
assembled in a collection titled after one of them,
The Pier Falls. Haddon captures emotional
intensity with great skill in these stories. Readers
who like finely written prose and the efficiency of
the short story genre are those most likely to enjoy
these stories.
The Porpoise
Haddon, Mark
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Red House
Haddon, Mark
7/16/12
Holiday. Fans of literary fiction with a high
tolerance for confusion and frustration are those
most likely to enjoy Mark Haddon’s novel, The Red
House. An extended and estranged family gathers
for a holiday and Haddon unpacks their personal
baggage with a mix of descriptive prose, witty
dialogue and serial interior reflection by each of the
eight characters. At times, I found myself re-
reading a sentence to figure out what Haddon was
describing. While his prose is often beautiful, it isn’t
always obvious. Each character is struggling with
something, and the change in location for a holiday
along with new characters for interaction provide
fresh ways for the struggles to be exposed. Read an
excerpt before buying the book. Chances are the
excerpt will test your tolerance and lead you to
proceed or quit.
Everything Will
Be All Right
Hadley, Tessa
Shelf of Ennui 2004
Sunstroke and
Other Stories
Hadley, Tessa
Shelf of Ennui 2008
The Master
Bedroom
Hadley, Tessa
Shelf of Ennui 2008
Net Worth:
Shaping
Markets
When
Customers
Make the Rules
Hagel, III, John
and
Singer, Marc
6/99
If you’re a senior executive with any interest at all
in capturing customer information effectively, read
this book.
The Fateful
History of
Fannie Mae:
New Deal Birth
to Mortgage
Crisis Fall
Hagerty, James
R.
12/18/12
Quasi. Readers looking for a deeper understanding
of the rise and fall of Fannie Mae will find a crisp
account of the past seven decades of that
organization’s highlights and lowlights in James R.
Hagerty’s book, The Fateful History of Fannie Mae:
New Deal Birth to Mortgage Crisis Fall. Bob
Hagerty is a reporter for The Wall Street Journal
who has covered the mortgage business and the
government sponsored enterprises (GSEs)
extensively. He relates how a public purpose was
paired with private capital to create a quasi-
governmental entity that became the largest holder
of residential mortgage debt. Political machinations
over many years led to inadequate capital and a
weak regulatory framework. Investors took gains in
the good years and taxpayers are now covering
losses. I worked at Freddie Mac from the mid-1970s
to the late-1990s, so I know the subject of this book
from an inside perspective. Hagerty gets all the
headlines right in this book. There is more to each
story than what he presents, but those nuances may
be meaningful only to those who were immersed in
the business. General readers will find in this book
a cogent presentation of how Fannie Mae came to
be, to grow and to generate huge losses. Any reader
with an interest in public policy, especially relating
to housing, will enjoy reading this book.
This Life:
Secular Faith
and Spiritual
Freedom
Hägglund,
Martin
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Righteous
Mind: Why
Good People
Are Divided by
Politics and
Religion
Haidt, Jonathan
Other titles pushed this one to the back of the line.
Shelf of Ennui 2012.
Man in the
Middle
Haig, Brian
Mar 07
Retaliation. Sean Drummond returns, now
working temporarily for the CIA, and embroiled in
a thrilling case of revenge.
Mortal Allies
Haig, Brian
Jul 02
JAG Sean Drummond returns to defend an Army
officer accused of murder. Great plot momentum
for 500 pages.
The Capitol
Game
Haig, Brian
9/21/10
Accountability. Brian Haig’s latest novel, The
Capitol Game, tells a story of financial shenanigans
that kept me engaged for all four hundred pages,
despite some distracting ways in which Haig
doesn’t understand business. What he does well is
keep the plot moving, as his protagonist, Jack
Wiley, lives true to his name as he carefully skirts
the boundaries of illegal activity. Greed leads
certain characters to fall into Wiley’s traps and the
whole idea of accountability for behavior becomes a
theme of the novel. Any reader looking for an
action thriller will find excitement in the world of
government contracting and private equity that
Haig presents here.
The Hunted
Haig, Brian
12/14/09
Brains. Alex Konevitch, the protagonist of Brian
Haig’s new novel, The Hunted, beats his
adversaries with brainpower over brawn. Konevitch
built up a successful business in Russia until a
former KGB employee stole it out from under him.
Alex and his wife flee Russia, trailed by assassins. A
complicit FBI director cooperates with Russian
bureaucrats who want Alex brought back to Russia
for “justice” in exchange for the advance of
American interests. Haig presents a fast paced tale
in The Hunted, which is based on a true story.
Every setback leads to another advance, and Alex is
both talented and effective as he strikes back
against his enemies. While this novel is a departure
for Haig from his series featuring JAG lawyer Sean
Drummond, it shares one common element: a
protagonist larger than life, and in some ways too
good to be true. The Hunted provides thrilling
entertainment that most readers will enjoy.
The Kingmaker
Haig, Brian
Mar 03
Uncle. Haig pumped out too many pages without
honing his writing skills. With his latest, we cried
“uncle.” Predictable plot in military, legal non-
thriller.
The President’s
Assassin
Haig, Brian
Nov 05
Smarts. Author reprises Army lawyer Sean
Drummond who pairs up with an FBI agent to try
to protect the President. Lots of gratuitous violence
that smarts, brainy people with smarts, and
exposition that drags.
How to Stop
Time
Haig, Matt
3/3/18
Old. The creative premise that drives the plot of
Matt Haig’s novel titled, How to Stop Time, is that a
small group of people in the world age at a rate
much slower than the rest of us. Protagonist Tom
Hazard is one such individual, and he’s still around
although quite old, given that he was born in 1581.
Haig draws readers into Tom’s long and interesting
life including stints as a musician for Shakespeare,
a jazz artist in 1920s Paris, and now as a history
teacher at a high school. Readers may never again
think about time and aging in the same way as
before meeting Tom Hazard.
Baker Towers
Haigh, Jennifer
Shelf of Ennui 2005
Faith
Haigh, Jennifer
6/7/11
Saved. Jennifer Haigh chose an unlikely situation
for her latest novel, Faith, and the result gave me
hours of reading satisfaction. She selected the
clerical abuse scandal in Boston as her tension, and
uses the sister of an accused priest as the narrator
of the story. Haigh dives into the ways in which
clerical formation programs dehumanized priests,
and how a family’s secrets became the principal
dynamic in relationships. This is a heartwarming
story of family, loyalty, love, doubt, faith,
forgiveness and salvation. Thanks to Haigh’s fine
writing, the story unravels with care, and is likely to
appeal to readers who enjoy the opportunity to
think and reflect that a good novel can provide.
Heat and Light
Haigh, Jennifer
Shelf of Ennui 2017.
News from
Heaven: The
Bakerton Stories
Haigh, Jennifer
4/5/13
Place. The fictional coal mining town of Bakerton,
Pennsylvania, is the place that links the ten stories
in a new collection from Jennifer Haigh titled,
News from Heaven. The stories present the lives of
people in or from Bakerton in prosperity and in
decline. After I finished the last story, I felt as if I
knew Bakerton and these people. Haigh’s prose
uses just the right amount of descriptive language
and character development to complete each story.
Any reader who likes short stories and finely
written prose should consider reading this fine
collection.
The Condition
Haigh, Jennifer
Shelf of Ennui 2009
Detroit Hustle:
A Memoir of
Life, Love, and
Home
Haimerl, Amy
Shelf of Ennui 2016.
The Teammates:
A Portrait of a
Friendship
Halberstam,
David
July 03
Friends Forever. Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky,
Bobby Doerr and Dominic DiMaggio didn’t just
play baseball on the same team, they became
lifelong friends. Read and find out from an award-
winning writer why they have no regrets about how
they’ve lived their lives.
The Shores of
Tripoli:
Lieutenant
Putnam and the
Barbary Pirates
Haley, James
Shelf of Ennui 2017.
With All Due
Respect:
Defending
America with
Grit and Grace
Haley, Nikki
1/24/20
Blunt. Nikki Haley’s memoir titled, With All Due
Respect: Defending America with Grit and Grace, is
a political novelty. She doesn’t speak out of school
and settles few scores on these pages (one or two
worthy targets get their comeuppance again, bless
their hearts.) Based on timing, this is also not the
opening salvo in a political campaign. It is a blunt
appraisal of many contemporary issues, and a
personal story about how Haley’s life experience
and principles guided her actions in public life.
Agree or disagree with her positions, but read her
story with an open mind, willing to listen to a story
of what made her the person she is today.
Our Kind of
Cruelty
Hall, Araminta
9/12/18
Games. Fans of dark psychological fiction are
those readers most likely to enjoy reading Araminta
Hall’s novel titled, Our Kind of Cruelty. V and Mike
have a relationship built around a game involving
desire and an irregular line between a made-up sex
game and reality. After V marries Angus, Mike
believes this is a sham wedding and part of the
extended game, so he remains in love with V and
tries to suss the next move in the game. Hall draws
readers into Mike’s troubled mind as the story
grows ever darker.
A Carnival of
Losses: Notes
Nearing Ninety
Hall, Donald
12/17/18
Words. Fans of fine writing will be delighted by
Donald Hall’s book titled, A Carnival of Losses:
Notes Nearing Ninety. There are short and long
reflections in this book, about people and places,
that are so beautifully written in an unwavering
voice that I found myself savoring the word choices
and the wisdom of what is being recalled. His
writing about his late wife, Jane, was profound and
conveyed his deep pain of loss. Many of us lose our
filters as we age, and what comes out orally or in
print is painfully honest. Even in the lightest
vignettes of this book, Hall shows off his great skills
as a writer, an original and talented voice.
Essays After
Eighty
Hall, Donald
12/4/15
Mortality. I imagine that if by the time of one’s
eightieth birthday, thoughts of death haven’t
become frequent, the individual may be out of
touch with reality. Donald Hall remains in full
grasp of reality, as his prose shows in a new book
titled, Essays After Eighty. The parts about
smoking, drinking and driving are so finely written
that I reread some sentences multiple times. Fans
of Hall’s poetry may see some threads in these
essays. Any reader who enjoys fine writing will find
something to like in this short collection.
Aristotle’s Way:
How Ancient
Wisdom Can
Change Your
Life
Hall, Edith
Shelf of Ennui 2019.
The Case of the
Deadly Butter
Chicken
Hall, Tarquin
9/10/13
Revenge. India’s Most Private Investigator Vish
Puri is back on the job in Tarquin Hall’s novel, The
Case of the Deadly Butter Chicken. This series
provides classic crime fiction set in India. A strong
protagonist, Puri, gets to the bottom of the case
after several interesting twists and turns. There is a
crime that may be one of revenge, and Puri’s
mother is also on the case. Readers who don’t know
much about India and the 1947 partition will learn
a thing or two while being entertained. I’ve liked
this series, and look forward to reading the next
installment.
The Case of the
Love
Commandos
Hall, Tarquin
4/7/14
Identity. Fans of character-driven crime fiction
are those most likely to enjoy reading Tarquin
Hall’s latest Vish Puri novel titled, The Case of the
Love Commandos. Readers of the earlier books in
the series will enjoy the reprise of the familiar cast
of characters, and the way in which Hall presents
with a sharp eye for detail contemporary issues of
life in India. In this outing, there’s an exploration of
caste differences, genetic testing, rape, corruption
and murder. Both Puri and his mother continue to
use their skills to get to the bottom of what’s
happening.
The Case of the
Man Who Died
Laughing: From
the Files of Vish
Puri, Most
Private
Investigator
Hall, Tarquin
10/26/10
Tricks. The second novel by Tarquin Hall to
feature India’s most private detective, Vish Puri
(Chubby), is titled, The Case of the Man Who Died
Laughing. Fans of the debut novel will remember
the returning cast of characters, especially Mummy,
and the skill with which Hall brings the sights and
sounds of India to the pages of the novel. The plot
involves scientists, gurus and magical tricks, but
plot is secondary here to the ways in which the
characters come alive, no matter what they are
doing. Most readers will find the novel to be
entertaining and enjoyable and those who love
Indian cuisine can almost taste the foods that
Chubby consumes as he solves the mystery.
The Case of the
Missing Servant
Hall, Tarquin
12/12/09
Chubby. Tarquin Hall’s mystery novel, The Case of
the Missing Servant, introduces readers to a
memorable detective, Vish Puri. Known to old
friends and family as Chubby, Vish Puri runs
Delhi's Most Private Investigators Ltd., from which
he and his staff spend most of their time
performing investigations on potential marriage
candidates to be sure that families aren’t surprised
by skeletons in the closets of a bride or groom.
While part of The Case of the Missing Servant
uncovers sensitive information about a bridegroom,
the bulk of this mystery involves the disappearance
of a servant and Puri’s efforts on behalf of his client
to prove that he did not murder the missing girl.
Vish Puri has the grey matter to solve a case with
the skill of a Hercule Poirot, the ability to draw
information from others along the lines of Mma
Ramotswe, and a distinctly 21
st
century Delhi
temperament. Readers who love India or mysteries
will enjoy reading The Case of the Missing Servant.
City on Fire
Hallberg, Garth
Risk
Shelf of Ennui 2016.
Asymmetry
Halliday, Lisa
3/3/18
Inequality. We seem to be living during a time of
great differences and conflicts that can become
defining for the prospects and lives of individuals.
Lisa Halliday presents several aspects of inequality
in her novel titled, Asymmetry. Structured in three
sections, the novel opens readers to pondering
many different questions throughout the finely
written narrative. In this first section, we see the
unequal relationship between an elderly renowned
male novelist and a young woman in her twenties
who works in publishing. Halliday presents these
two complex characters in ways that demand a
reader question memory and the feelings behind
the behaviors described. The second section
presents an Iraqi American narrator who has been
detained at airport border control in London. The
final section presents an interview with the eminent
writer after he wins a Nobel. Fans of literary fiction
are those readers most likely to enjoy reading this
finely crafted debut novel.
Bad Paper:
Chasing Debt
from Wall Street
to the
Underworld
Halpern, Jake
10/29/14
Spreadsheets. Jake Halpern takes readers inside
the fascinating world of bad debt collection in his
book titled, Bad Paper: Chasing Debt from Wall
Street to the Underworld. Naïve readers like me will
be shocked by the people and practices that
Halpern describes. Through the personal stories he
uses to illustrate what’s happening, Halpern brings
to life something that might have been a boring
story about a small corner of the world of finance.
Sh*t My Dad
Says
Halpern, Justin
8/16/10
Character. What started as a Twitter
phenomenon turned into a book as Justin Halpern
shares the range of what comes out of the mouth of
his father. In Sh*t My Dad Says, Halpern captures
the humor and wisdom of a most interesting
character. Blunt and outspoken, often vulgar, this is
a father outside the Robert Young mold. Readers
who are open to dysfunctional humor are likely to
enjoy this quick read.
Einstein's Dice
and
Schrödinger's
Cat: How Two
Great Minds
Battled
Quantum
Randomness to
Halpern, Paul
Shelf of Ennui 2015.
Create a Unified
Theory of
Physics
Can't
Remember
What I Forgot:
The Good News
from the Front
Lines of
Memory
Research
Halpern, Sue
Shelf of Ennui 2008
Losing My
Faculties: A
Teacher’s Story
Halpin, Brian
Nov 03
Instructive. You don’t need to be a teacher to enjoy
and learn from this reflection on what makes us
happy or sad at work. Bosses, co-workers and
situations resonate for anyone who has ever
worked.
Leading the
Revolution
Hamel, Gary
10/00
Reading this book is annoying, disturbing and
uncomfortable, which are three great reasons to
pick it up.
The Future of
Management
Hamel. Gary
Shelf of Reproach 2008
Discontent and
its Civilizations:
Dispatches from
Lahore, New
York, and
London
Hamid, Mohsin
Shelf of Ennui 2015.
Exit West
Hamid, Mohsin
4/19/17
Separation. Almost every human longs for a
better world, and wants to live a settled life in a
community where we can love and be loved.
Protagonists Nadia and Saeed are those people, just
like us, in Mohsin Hamid’s novel titled, Exit West.
They fell in love in a distant city, and when violence
reaches their doorstep, they flee, and are separated
from their community and loved ones. To ease their
passage and to manage the separation, Hamid uses
the device of magic doors. Would that these doors
exist, given the plight of people like Nadia and
Saeed in many parts of the world today. Hamid
takes the headlines, and brings them close to
everyone’s home in this finely written novel. He
captured our situation, in my view, in this excerpt:
p. 158 “The news in those days was full of war and
migrants and nativists, and it was full of fracturing
too, of regions pulling away from nations, and cities
pulling away from hinterlands, and it seemed that
as everyone was coming together everyone was also
moving apart.” All this separation needs to be
healed. We need to mend all these fractures. Hamid
does some mending with his finely written prose in
this novel.
How to Get
Filthy Rich in
Rising Asia: A
Novel
Hamid, Mohsin
5/21/13
Pursuit. Mohsin Hamid riffs on the structure of a
self-help book in his short novel, How to Get Filthy
Rich in Rising Asia. Hamid packs a wallop in this
clever and quirky novel. He presents the rags to
riches story of someone who pursues success. Along
the way, his unhappiness grows. Hamid explores
ambition, dreams, the search for meaning and for
love in life, as well as financial rewards. Read a
sample before jumping in. Those readers who like
an excerpt are likely to enjoy the whole book.
The Reluctant
Fundamentalist
Hamid, Mohsin
July 07
Janissary. Finely written novel presented as a
monologue from a young Pakistani, educated at
Princeton, and working in New York at 9/11, caught
between two worlds, but loyal to only one, like the
janissaries.
Downtown: My
Manhattan
Hamill, Pete
Aug 05
Heartfelt. Finely written memoir of Hamill and
the city he loves, Manhattan, especially the streets
of downtown. Learn of the building, the
demolishing and the rebuilding of the city and
society.
North River
Hamill, Pete
Nov 07
Home. Finely written historical novel, set in New
York during the Depression, in which a doctor faces
his demons, finds love and makes a home for others
during challenging times.
Tabloid City
Hamill, Pete
Shelf of Ennui 2011
Laura Rider’s
Masterpience
Hamilton, Jane
5/23/09
Opera. Jane Hamilton’s new novel, Laura Rider’s
Masterpiece, could be considered as a new genre:
comic opera in novel form. Laura decides to
disengage from sex with her husband, Charlie, after
a dozen years of marriage. Charlie’s only skill is
lovemaking, and Laura’s had enough for a lifetime.
While they work together in their garden and
landscaping business in Hartley, Wisconsin,
Laura’s dream is to write a book. After Charlie
begins flirting with Jenna, a radio talk show host,
Laura decides to encourage the relationship and use
it as material for her to write her masterpiece: a
romance novel. Hamilton creates a funny book
through this trio’s exploits, and the plot made me
think of a comic opera, with ample pratfalls to
provide broad entertainment. Sit back, relax, enjoy
and laugh as you read Laura Rider’s Masterpiece.
The Excellent
Lombards
Hamilton, Jane
8/4/16
Orchard. As I read Jane Hamilton’s novel, The
Excellent Lombards, I felt like I was getting an
inside view of two mysterious places: a Wisconsin
farm and the mind of a young girl. Hamilton
presents an enthusiastic protagonist, Mary Frances
“Frankie” Lombard who loves the family orchard,
and her extended family. Just as the apples go from
blossom to fruit to harvest, Frankie goes from little
girl to adolescent to adult. Calling this a coming-of-
age novel may not communicate the quality and
depth of the finely written prose. Hamilton brings
readers to Wisconsin and welcomes us as members
of this family, and that happens before we know it,
thanks to her great writing skill.
When Madeline
Was Young
Hamilton, Jane
Nov 06
Duty. Complicated relationships unraveled
through superb writing on the themes of duty and
caring, set in the suburban 1960s and today.
How Congress
Works and Why
You Should Care
Hamilton, Lee H.
May 04
Representative. Plain-spoken former Indiana
congressman and vice chair of the 9/11 commission
tells the simple and complex story of how things get
done in Congress and why we should all pay
attention to the work of Congress.
A Stolen Season
Hamilton, Steve
Read, but not reviewed.
The Second Life
of Nick Mason
Hamilton, Steve
7/8/16
Compromised. Just when I thought I had read
every possible plot for a crime novel, along comes
Steve Hamilton and his novel titled, The Second
Life of Nick Mason, first in a series. An imprisoned
crime boss, Darius Cole, selects inmate Nick Mason
for special treatment. Cole offers Mason a deal: get
out of prison twenty years early, and do what I want
you to do on the streets of Chicago. Mason agrees
and once compromised finds himself doing things
that he wants to stop. The fast pace of the novel
seems best suited for the screen rather than the
page, especially as Mason wrecks multiple restored
classic cars while carrying out Cole’s commands.
Fans of crime novels are those most likely to enjoy
reading this one and may join me in looking
forward to the next installment.
The Secret Race:
Inside the
Hidden World
of the Tour de
France: Doping,
Cover-ups, and
Winning at All
Costs
Hamilton, Tyler
and Daniel Coyle
10/5/12
Lanced. Readers interested in the world of
professional cycling are those most likely to read
Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle’s book, The Secret
Race: Inside the Hidden World of the Tour de
France: Doping, Cover-ups, and Winning at All
Costs. I had the sensation while reading this book
that Hamilton needed to purge the poison out of his
system, like lancing a boil to bring relief from pain.
The Lance at the center of much of this book is
Lance Armstrong, a teammate and competitor of
Tyler Hamilton. In no uncertain terms, Hamilton
describes the long time practice of Armstrong,
Hamilton and others in using any means possible,
legal or illegal, to win bike races. This is a sad
personal story about a sport that has been tarnished
by scandal. I finished the book feeling like now
Hamilton can get on with his life.
The Parisian
Hammad,
Isabella
5/9/19
Nablus. Fiction can help readers understand life in
a time and place especially through an intense focus
on one character’s life. In her debut novel titled,
The Parisian, Isabella Hammad tells us about life in
Nablus, Palestine in the early 20
th
century.
Protagonist Midhat Kamal is the son of a wealthy
merchant and attains the moniker in the title after
his father sent him to study medicine in Paris in
1914. Midhat finds a different Nablus after he
returns from Paris: British occupation and activists
pressing for nationalism. Midhat’s life doesn’t turn
out as he or others expected. Neither has Palestine.
Here’s one of my favorite lines from late in the
novel: p. 547: “When I look at my life,” he said, “I
see a whole list of mistakes. Lovely, beautiful
mistakes. I wouldn’t change them.”
The Lake
Hammer, Lotte
and Soren
2/9/18
Immorality. Lotte and Soren Hammer have
reprised Copenhagen homicide detective Konrad
Simonsen for a dark novel titled, The Lake. The
subject of the novel involves human trafficking, and
the authors explore a culture and society in which
immorality can thrive when certain behaviors are
not illegal. Readers who enjoy noir Scandinavian
crime fiction are those most likely to enjoy reading
this novel and this series.
The Night Ferry
Hammer, Lotte
and Soren
Shelf of Ennui 2018.
The Vanished
Hammer, Lotte
and Soren
3/23/17
Twists. I find winter to be an ideal time to be
entertained by Scandinavian crime fiction. I picked
up a novel titled, The Vanished, by Lotte and Soren
Hammer, and was delighted by the plot twists and
depth of character development. Detective Chief
Superintendent Konrad Simonsen gets a new case
when he returns to work following recovery from a
heart attack. The pace of the novel may be more
plodding than crime readers are accustomed to, but
that rhythm gives readers ample time to get to
know the protagonist and see his complexity. The
mystery is interesting and involves enough twists to
satisfy most crime fiction readers.
Faster Cheaper
Better: The 9
Levers for
Transforming
How Work Gets
Done
Hammer,
Michael and Lisa
Hershman
3/12/11
Process. When Mike Hammer died in 2008, he
had completed the first draft of a new book. Lisa
Hershman, CEO of Hammer and Company, has
completed the book titled, Faster Cheaper Better:
The 9 Levers for Transforming How Work Gets
Done. This is required reading for any manager
involved in process redesign. This work sounds
simple but can be extremely challenging to
implement. The clear examples and positive and
negative case studies are useful, as are the dos and
don’ts at the end of each chapter. Managers who
hate process can find this book a way to understand
what this topic is all about.
The Art of the
Wasted Day
Hampl, Patricia
6/24/19
Leisure. How unscheduled is your life? How much
do you go with the flow? Do you daydream much?
Is leisure for you a set of structured recreational
activities or is it a period of being totally carefree?
In her book titled, The Art of the Wasted Day,
Patricia Hampl explores leisure and takes readers
into episodes from her life, as well as stories from
the lives of Michel Montaigne, Gregor Mendel and
others. We can discover a lot about ourselves and
others when we get off the beaten path mentally
and physically and lose ourselves in thought and in
the places we go.
Deceiving the
Deceivers: Kim
Philby, Donald
Maclean and
Guy Burgess
Hamrick, S.J.
Shelf of Ennui 2005
Curious Toys
Hand, Elizabeth
4/16/20
Pin. You don’t need to be familiar with the Chicago
amusement park, Riverview, to enjoy Elizabeth
Hand’s novel titled, Curious Toys. Set in the
Summer of 1915, protagonist Pin is the fourteen-
year-old daughter of a fortune teller, and she has
the run of the park, often dressed like a boy. An
environment of fun and some mischief turns dark
after a girl is murdered. All the characters are finely
drawn, and even Charlie Chaplin makes an
appearance. The settings are described vividly, the
characters are complex and compelling, and the
plot is thrilling. Pin is an absolute delight. Fans of
historical fiction, especially of this time period, are
those most likely to enjoy this finely written novel.
Mortal Love
Hand, Elizabeth
Shelf of Ennui 2004
The Stench of
Honolulu: A
Tropical
Adventure
Handey, Jack
1/6/14
Language. What I liked most about Jack Handey’s
The Stench of Honolulu: A Tropical Adventure, is
the way in which he twists a sentence in one
direction at the beginning, then veers in a very
different direction to end the sentence. Sometimes I
felt as if he were filling in the blanks of Mad-Libs.
Handey’s humor appeals most to those of us who
enjoy the playful use of language. Handey may be
an acquired taste, but for any reader who liked his
Deep Thoughts segment from SNL, this book will
provide a lot of reading pleasure. If you’ve not been
a fan, read a sample before you jump in.
Bottle Grove
Handler, Daniel
9/13/19
Monsters. There be monsters in Daniel Handler’s
novel titled, Bottle Grove. The beasts are often
human, despite the presence of foxes, including a
human one named Reynard. Handler uses the tech
environment of San Francisco as the backdrop for
this comic dark view of contemporary life and
marriage. There’s love and greed, and a lot of
clunky prose on these pages. Every reader open to
reflecting about the forces inside and outside us
that bring us together or tear us apart will find
something to appreciate from this novel.
We Are Pirates
Handler, Daniel
8/25/15
Pursuit. I picked up Daniel Handler’s adult novel
titled, We Are Pirates, since I knew him as the
author of the children’s Lemony Snicket books.
Handler explores the ways in which adolescents
and adults pursue happiness. Set in and around San
Francisco Bay, the two main characters are
fourteen-year-old Gwen and her father, Phil. I
found the sections of the novel in which Gwen
dominates are energetic and exciting, while the
parts featuring Phil are morose and dull. While
both Gwen and Phil are pursuing what they think
will make them happy, their differences are
striking, and the plot never quite pulled them
together in a way that satisfied me.
Creating True
Peace: Ending
Violence in
Yourself, Your
Family, Your
Community,
and the World
Hanh, Thich
Nhat
Oct 03
Teacher. The practice of peace always begins right
here, right now. Busy executives may enjoy the
excerpt about taking time to live, and using a tea
meditation to nourish mutual understanding and
happiness.
The Novice: A
Story of True
Love
Hanh, Thich
Nhat
10/27/11
Response. Renowned Buddhist teacher Thich
Nhat Hanh has rewritten an old Vietnamese story
in a new book titled, The Novice: A Story of True
Love. As with most Buddhist teaching, this story
helps readers understand the response of love to
situations of injustice and suffering. For readers
who want to take a break from daily concerns and
read a short book that can lead to reflection about
our responses to what life throws us, this book is a
great choice.
Red Birds
Hanif,
Mohammed
6/18/19
Weary. The darkly comic war satire titled, Red
Birds, by Mohammed Hanif uses multiple narrators
to move the story along quickly. Readers weary of
our seeming never-ending wars may become even
wearier after reading this novel. Major Ellie is an
American bomber pilot who bailed out of his plane,
parachuted to the desert where he is wandering and
lost for eight days. His narration speaks to the
foibles of American military intervention. Ellie is
found by another narrator, the dog named Mutt,
whose observations are the most cogent and
philosophical in the novel. It is Mutt who gives us
the title, as he observes the last blood drops of
those killed in war turning into birds as they die. A
teenage boy named Momo narrates the many
personas he tries on from his refugee camp as he
strives to become an entrepreneur, especially where
he sees the most to gain: from warfare and refugee
aid. Hanif’s prose is skewering, and those readers
who can appreciate finely written satire are the
readers most likely to enjoy this novel.
Uncommon
Type
Hanks, Tom
2/9/18
Typewriters. I enjoyed reading most of the
seventeen short stories in a collection titled,
Uncommon Type, by Tom Hanks. Many of the
stories included detailed descriptions of manual
typewriters, an object the author enjoys and
appreciates. The writing is as down-to-earth as
Hanks appears to be, and the stories are both
entertaining and interesting. I sensed the joy and
pleasure that must have surrounded Hanks as he
wrote these stories to share that pleasure with
others.
The Bird Man
and the Lap
Dancer: Close
Encounters with
Strangers
Hansen, Eric K.
June 05
Community. Nine engaging and memorable
essays spanning thirty years about the unusual
people Hansen has met in remarkable places
around the world.
A Wild Surge of
Guilty Passion
Hansen, Ron
7/9/11
Sensational. Readers who appreciate fine writing
will find all the elements present in Ron Hansen’s
latest novel, A Wild Surge of Guilty Passion. The
characters and plot are drawn from a real crime
from New York in the 1920’s. Ruth Synder’s
unhappy marriage to Alfred sets the stage for her
affair with Judd Gray, a traveling corset salesman,
and Alfred’s murder. Hansen soars in bringing to
life the depth of each key character and the
sensuality and sensational aspects of their lives.
Readers may not empathize with these characters,
but they become believable and their passion is
real. Crime and punishment are presented with a
precision in writing that many readers will find
enjoyable.
Exiles
Hansen, Ron
Aug 08
Hop. Finely crafted novel of the return of Jesuit
priest Gerard Manley Hopkins to poetry following
his reading of the fate of other exiles, six German
nuns, in a shipwreck that inspired Hopkins’ epic
poem, The Wreck of the Deutschland.
Isn’t It
Romantic
Hansen, Ron
Apr 03
Franco-American Treats. French tourists find
Nebraska, love, fine wine from the magic waters of
Frenchman’s Creek. Given Hansen’s versatile
writing skills, readers will laugh at loud.
She Loves Me
Not: New and
Selected Stories
Hansen, Ron
11/26/12
Variety. The nineteen stories in Ron Hansen’s new
collection, She Loves Me Not, provide readers who
love short fiction with a tasty smorgasbord.
Through efficiency and precision, Hansen drew me
into the lives and settings of people whose behavior
displays a wide range of human nature. I found
myself reading two stories in the morning and two
in the evening as a way to pace myself and reflect
on each one individually. Readers who savor fine
writing and enjoy diverse characters and geography
are those most likely to enjoy this collection.
The Kid
Hansen, Ron
Shelf of Ennui 2017.
A War Like No
Other
Hanson, Victor
Shelf of Ennui 2006
The Leadership
Secrets of Colin
Powell
Harari, Oren
May 02
Few secrets and not much new about leadership.
Motivating and inspirational, but not necessarily
useful.
Homo Deus: A
Brief History of
Tomorrow
Harari, Yuval
4/19/17
Possibilities. After I read the book jacket of Yuval
Harari’s book titled, Homo Deus: A Brief History of
Tomorrow, I set it aside and read his earlier book,
Sapiens. Before I took a journey with him to
explore our possible future, I figured I should have
some perspective on how he views our past. With
that foundation, which I recommend to any general
reader, I started to read the new book and began to
think about all the possible future paths that our
species might pursue. The pace of change seems to
be accelerating, and our capabilities to set a path
toward certain different future states seem to be
expanding. Any general reader may be shocked by
some of Harari’s perspectives, and will likely be
encouraged to think more deeply as a result of
reading this book.
Sapiens: A Brief
History of
Humankind
Harari, Yuval
4/19/17
Synthesis. I was only a few dozen pages into
reading Yuval Harari’s book titled, Sapiens: A Brief
History of Humankind, when my mind drifted back
four decades to think about two of my university
professors. Harari is a historian and he examines
human evolution in this book from the perspective
of both history and biology. His synthesis in this
book organizes his view of homo sapiens and he
presents that view with vivid prose that should
engage all general readers. I had a makeup midterm
exam in freshman biology with Dr. Unzicker. She
asked me to tell her a story, using this as her
prompt: “There was oxygen, carbon, nitrogen and
hydrogen. Tell me what happened.” What followed
was an engaging conversation between us about
evolution, the topic of the mid-term. Dr. Spaulding
began his two semester survey course, The History
of Western Civilization, with remarks along these
lines: “Pay close attention because every word I say
is pregnant with meaning. During each class we
may cover hundreds or even thousands of years of
history. I update my notes for this class every day
when I read the work of scholars. This course will
introduce you to the study of history. It’s up to you
to keep current on understanding what we humans
learn about our past.” Thanks to reading Harari, I
am doing just that, and I expect Dr. Spaulding
would be pleased.
21 Lessons for
the 21
st
Century
Harari, Yuval
Noah
10/17/18
Observations. Yuval Noah Harari synthesizes lots
of current thinking by himself and others in a
reflective book titled, 21 Lessons for the 21
st
Century. Harari’s observations about nationalism,
religion, robotics, artificial intelligence, the future
workforce and lots more are clear and reasoned.
From these observations, he formulates lessons that
we should be learning from these and similar
observations. Chances are that whatever you are