Yet another list of books

I don't know much about who Donald Barthelme is but I'm always interested in book lists. His looks quite good.

Latest Reads

I've actually read a large amount of books lately. Here's the ones I remember:

Sin In The Second City. This book was great. I might even say it was better than "Devil In The White City", if only because it was better documented (less fictional details to invent) and the subject was very interesting. It's hard to imagine the South Loop -- now alternating between derlict buildings and approaching gentrification -- was a hotbed of sin. Highly recommended; it reads like a great novel.

Tomcat In Love. This held great promise, and indeed, the first 100 pages were good. But I quickly tired of the main character. This book was technically good but reminded me that I don't like to read book whose main characters I don't like. Not recommended; probably try a different book by the same author. There's talent there, but this book wasn't his best showing.

Born Standing Up Almost done with this, and I have to say that it is quite good. It is simple and circumspect: instead of talking about everything that happened in his life, Steve Martin traces just the parts that touch on his comedy. He is one of my favorite performers, and I listened to one of his tapes so often as a kid that I think it finally broke. (I liked to get "small" with him.) Highly recommend, especially as it is very short.

The Chicago Way. This was enjoyable, but not fantastic. It tried too hard to be dark and/or troubled, and too often the lead detective just seemed like a cliche instead of a real person. Also, for someone familiar with the city, it was annoying to have him name real places and then have the geography not work out. With those points out of the way, it was a very good plot and I hope he publishes other books with the same detective. A quick and fun read. Recommended.

The Crucible. What can I say? It was as good as everyone says it was. I was impressed how stage direction were a really important part of the text. The characters didn't tell you everything; the stage directions revealed a lot. Highly recommended.

Also, I'm reading about Seattle and Portland, Food Not Lawns, which convinced me to dig up my backyard for some quick impromptu composting (and then it froze over), and a travel guide about the Maritimes in Canada.