A Mother's Reckoning

A Mother's Reckoning by Sue Klebold was surprisingly easily to read, given that it's about the Columbine High School shooting on 20 April 1999, and written by the mother of one of the shooters. It's also surprisingly difficult to review.


So many thoughts. So many questions. So much sympathy.


If you ever thought the parents were to blame in this tragedy, read the book. Read the book if you want to learn to recognise signs of depression in your loved ones. The author wrote it hoping she could help prevent another disaster.

Catch Me If You Can - the book

I never realised "Catch Me If You Can" the movie was based on a book. I went to see it when it was showing on the big screen (primarily because Leo di Caprio said "I concur" so sexily in the trailer) and loved it, but only now have I happened upon the original semi-biography in book form.

The book is well-worth a read, even if (or perhaps especially if) you've seen the movie. The two are quite different, but in a good way. Neither is an accurate reflection of reality - and it doesn't matter.

Some cool quotes:

• “Former police chief of Houston once said of me: “Frank Abagnale could write a check on toilet paper, drawn on the Confederate States Treasury, sign it ‘U.R. Hooked’ and cash it at any bank in town, using a Hong Kong driver’s license for identification.” 
• “I learned early that class is universally admired. Almost any fault, sin or crime is considered more leniently if there’s a touch of class involved.” 
• “It’s not what a man has but what a man is that’s important.” 

Shark Tales: How I Turned $1,000 into a Billion Dollar Business

Shark Tales: How I Turned $1,000 into a Billion Dollar Business by Barbara Corcoran is a humorous biography of a woman who had 9 siblings and always got peanut butter with grape jelly sandwiches for lunch. I loved the author’s voice, and while I’m too risk-averse to ever start my own business, I couldn’t put the book down.

Blurb:

The inspiring true story of Shark Tank star --and her best advice for anyone starting a business. After failing at twenty-two jobs, Barbara Corcoran borrowed $1,000 from a boyfriend, quit her job as a diner waitress, and started a tiny real estate office in New York City. Using the unconventional lessons she learned from her homemaker mom, she gradually built it into a $6 billion dollar business. Now Barbara's even more famous for the no-nonsense wisdom she offers to entrepreneurs on Shark Tank, ABC's hit reality TV show.

Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible

Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia by Peter Pomerantsev is one of very few non-fiction books I would choose to pick up. But pick it up I did, and having picked it up, I read it. To the end. Thoroughly enjoyed it. And now I want all my friends to read it too. It's that good.

And it's that scary. Cold War 2, here we come?

For those of you who are firm fiction fans, fear not. The book reads like fiction, like a series of short stories set in an unreal universe. Only, it's real.

From Amazon: "When the Soviet Union collapsed in the early 90s, the West rejoiced with the relief that came with the end of the Cold War and the possibility of an era of peace and cooperation. At the same time, its corporations and conglomerates trained a beady eye toward its newly opened markets, and a seemingly virgin economic landscape soon became home to icons such as Coke and McDonalds and Levi’s. But the door was open wide, and tagging along with big business were some seedier characters: organized crime, a youth-and-glamour-obsessed oligarchy, and an entertainment complex hungry for the new concepts of its Western counterparts. That’s where Peter Pomerantsev comes in. Born in Kiev but raised in Great Britain, Pomerantsev returned to Russia as a consultant to its burgeoning film and television—especially “reality” television—industries. What he found was a capitalist’s wet dream: an unfettered cash and service economy with no apparent limits on cash or available services--one where everything is possible, if you can pay for it. At the top of it all sits Vlad Putin, infusing the old TASS tactics with Hollywood flair to create a vision of a bare-chested (bear-chested?) virility and power, of both self and state. Pomerantsev finds himself gazing deeper into this looking-glass world—willingly and otherwise—and he finds it impossible to look away, as will his readers. "

A Slip of the Keyboard: Collected Non-fiction by Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett is an excellent author, not only because his imagination created the magical Discworld, but also because he can write. I mean, really write. He understands grammar. He knows how to structure the piece. And his trademark sense of humour doesn't hurt, either.

A Slip of the Keyboard is a worthwhile collection of his non-fiction: articles, speeches, musings. From topics as diverse as Alien Christmas and Old Timers Disease (read the book to find out), he spins an enchanted web with which to capture his readers.

If you love Discworld, read this book, too.

When Cultures Collide

Having lived on three continents, I pride myself on knowing plenty about the clash of different cultures. Which is probably why the book "Almost French" has struck such a chord with me. It's a first-person true-life account of an Australian girl who moved to Paris to be with her boyfriend.

This is not a love story. Apart from an initial statement that there was a spark between them, you don't get a spectator's view into her heart or her bedroom. What you do get is an account of how painful, frustrating, and ultimately wonderful it is to assimilate into a new culture. You get to tut-tut with her over the crazy Parisienne folk, cry with her when she longs for the open spaces of the Southern Hemisphere, and almost taste the black truffle shavings in her salad.

Don't be misguided by the old-fashioned cover: this book is fresh and fun!

History of the Housewife

I'm reading a fascinating book: INSIDE STORIES by Frances Walsh. It's a non-fiction account of the housewife's role in New Zealand from 1895 till 1975. (In 1975, it became fashionable not to be a housewife, or at least not to admit to being one.)

What struck me was how different women's magazines were back then: real articles about real issues (including World War 2), loads of advice from how to clean a water stain off a table to dating tips, and almost no celebrities! (When they did interview celebrities, they asked for household tips. Now that's putting Ms Jolie in her place!)

The book made me think about the lives our grandmothers led. The things they thought about before they closed their eyes at night. Their daily chores.

What modern invention reduced the workload of the housewife? I posed this question on my Facebook page, and the answers varied from plumbing to the pill.

For me personally, it's probably the supermarket. I struggle to find time to make bread at home - imagine having to kill and pluck your own chicken!

If you only read one non-fiction book this year...

If you only read one non-fiction book this year, make it Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers - the Story of Success". It poses many challenging questions, such as:

• Why do some people succeed, living remarkably productive and impactful lives, while so many more never reach their potential?
• What contributes more to a child's achievement: their IQ or culture, circumstance, timing, birth and luck?
• Why were the best hockey players born in January?

You'll be amazed at the answers!

Some reviewers question the scientific validity of the author's findings, saying that his theories are too "out there" (e.g., that coming from a rice-growing culture helps you be a good maths student) but that shouldn't stop you from enjoying the easy anecdotal narrative of the book, nor should it prevent you from drawing your own conclusions about your unique recipe for success.