Reading & All That Jazz

The Lane Libraries present the twelfth annual Reading & All That Jazz summer program. Due to a building renovation currently in progress at the Hamilton Lane Library, jazz performances will not be offered this summer. You can still enjoy book reviews every other Tuesday at noon throughout the summer at the Lane Administration Center, 1396 University Blvd., Hamilton.

Tuesday, June 3, Noon
Joe: Rounding Third
& Heading for Home
By Greg Hoard
Reviewer: Ruth Wells

We may have thought we knew all there was to know about Joe Nuxhall, but author Greg Hoard gives us a new glimpse of the Ol’ Lefthander. We learn about a loving, Depression-era family who sees Joe’s athletic talent as a ticket to a better life. Hoard takes you from a lonely teen thrust among men, trying to find himself as a pitcher, to the 38 seasons that Nuxhall spent in the Reds radio broadcast booth on 700 WLW.

Tuesday, June 17, Noon
People of the Book
By Geraldine Brooks
Reviewer: Mary Kay Fisher

This novel is about the very real and famous Sarajevo Haggadah
(a Jewish holy book), created in Spain around 1480. The people of the book are those that Hannah Heath, the protagonist and narrator, states “made the book, used it, and protected it over the centuries.” When Hanna, a rare book expert, makes new discoveries about mysteries within the book, she takes the reader on a detailed trip, tracing the book’s journey from its salvation (in Sarajevo) back to its very creation.

Tuesday, July 1, Noon
Alice
By Stacy A. Cordery
Reviewer: Lori Rehm

The full title, Alice: Alice Roosevelt Longworth, from White House Princess to Washington Power Broker gives you an idea of the breadth of this biography. Cordery utilized Alice’s personal papers to paint a picture of the person the press called Princess Alice. The eldest daughter of Teddy Roosevelt, she was one of the most astute observers of the Washington political scene during the 20th century. Cordery shows how Alice flouted social conventions and opened the door for other women to do the same.

Tuesday, July 15, Noon
The Geography of Bliss
By Eric Weiner
Reviewer: Henry Cepluch

Eric Weiner has created a new category of literary non-fiction: a philosophical, self-help, humorous, travel memoir. Weiner, a veteran foreign correspondent for NPR, has covered a multitude of catastrophes in many countries over the past 20 years. For The Geography of Bliss: One Grump’s Search for the Happiest Places in the World, however, he visits some of the world’s most contented places. Weiner not only provides answers as to where happiness is (or is not), but also offers travelers interesting, new ideas for sunnier destinations and dispositions.

Tuesday, July 29, Noon
Heart of Darkness
By Joseph Conrad
Reviewer: Steven Turner

Heart of Darkness is a well-known work among scholars of classical and post-colonial literature. The story centers on Marlow, an introspective sailor, and his journey up the Congo River to meet Kurtz, a man he is told has great abilities. The desolation of the land described in the book is an actual account of locations seen by Conrad when he was captain of a steamboat on the Congo River.
In this book full of symbolism, Marlow is a voice of reason and goodness and Kurtz shows the evil and dark side of man.

Tuesday, August 12, Noon
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
By Bill Bryson
Reviewer: Marion Thoms

Bill Bryson offers a vivid, nostalgic and often hilarious memoir of growing up in the 1950s. Using his excellent memory, Bryson recreates the life of his family in Des Moines, Iowa. Part of the superhero generation, he was able to leap tall buildings in a single bound and vanquish evil as “The Thunderbolt Kid.” Bryson also provides a social history of the time through young Billy’s eyes. A fun read that should bring back memories for those who lived through the 1950s as Bryson did.

Tuesday, August 26, Noon
Henning Mankell:
Swedish Mystery Writer
Books by Henning Mankell
Reviewer: Al Wiebe

Henning Mankell is a Swedish mystery writer who has gained bestseller international stardom with his series of crime novels featuring inspector Kurt Wallander. For mystery enthusiasts, the reviewer will introduce you to an author you may not be aware of, but who many feel is the best writer of police mysteries today. Several books featuring Wallander as the “hero” will be discussed as well as some history