Patron Book Reviews: February 2016

Book Reviews provided by EPL patrons

The History of Great Things by Elizabeth Crane (expected publication April 5, 2016)
Author and her deceased mother tell each other's life - not true versions, but rather "untrue but could've been true." Very meta-fictional at times, also sometimes hard-ish to keep track of the the voices, but worth the effort. I didn't really embrace either narrator as a person.











There is Life After College: What Parents and Students Should Know About Navigating School to Prepare for the Jobs of Tomorrow by Jeffrey Selingo
A very good book that every kid should read but only parents will.







You're Better than Me: a Memoir by Bonnie McFarlane
Her attempts to document her rise as a professional comedian. Would've enjoyed more about her youth on a (northern!!!) Alberta farm.








The Black Calhouns: From Civil War to Civil Rights with One African American Family by Gail Lumet Buckley
Sadly, although the subject should be very interesting, the author rendered it near-lifeless. She seems unable to exclude any datum her research turned up, resulting in a string of facts rather than a narrative of life.

The Story of Charlotte's Web: E.B. White's Eccentric Life in Nature and the Birth of an American Classic by Michael SimsA charming story about the man who wrote (perhaps) the best children's book ever. E.B. White (Audy) was a shy, quiet, introverted, gentleman farmer who loved animals and had a knack for writing. The last third of the book caused me to buy a copy of Charlotte's Web and enjoy what Sims wrote to what White wrote.








Wish You Were Here by Rita Mae Brown
I don't kow who I like better in this book -- the animals or the people!! The author incorporates animals into her story and the result is pure delight! I will read this book again, or maybe listen to it next time.