Moonglow

Moonglow by Michael Chabon 430 pages.
This is the a fictionalized account of the life and wartime experiences of Chabon's grandparents, mostly his grandfather. Or, perhaps it's a novel with a narrator named Mike Chabon telling the story of his grandfather's life. I think, after poking around reviews that it's definitely the latter. Probably. Anyway, it is an interesting tale. There's lots of adventure as a man, born poor and Jewish in Philadelphia, uses the fact that he is smart, creative, gifted even, as he grows up and tries to make his way in the world despite a world war, the love he feels for his with anger issues. The anger serves the unnamed grandfather well during the war, less well when he's fired at one point, post-war. In that scene, grandfather uses his OSS training, and a Bakelite telephone to try and kill his boss.
The shifting chronology and the narrator's discovery of the lives of his grandfather, his grandmother (a holocaust survivor), and his mother make for a great book.

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah, 288 pages.

Trevor Noah tells a very interesting story of growing up with a black mother and white father in South Africa during the time Apartheid was in its last stages. While a lot of his early life was shaped by the big policies of his country and the enormous changes to those policies, and to the country, his life was also shaped by his incredible mother and brothers, as well as the absence of his father and the presence of his increasingly abusive step-father. Anyone who enjoys The Daily Show with Trevor Noah will enjoy this book, as will fans of celebrity memoir (though this is better written and spends less time looking at celebrity and the famous life than almost any other book by a celebrity). This book also provides a unique (though sidelong) view of South Africa at a time when Apartheid was unraveling. Cool and captivating.

American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant

American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant by Ronald C. White, 826 pages.
White makes an eloquent and well-researched argument that much of Grant's reputation as a butcher of a general, and as a corrupt, incompetent president lingers as a result of the lingering narrative presented by his enemies, particularly the politicians and press of the southern states. While he was a president whose cabinet was embroiled in scandals, Grant was particularly honest. And while he lost many men during the war, Grant always felt that it was better to attack and then attack again, that fewer men would be lost by ending the war as soon as possible. Lincoln, who watched many generals hesitate and let chances and enemy armies escape, valued Grant's willingness to fight and to keep on fighting.
White also makes a fair account of the evolution of Grant's attitudes towards slavery, from a man who was willing to abide the institution, and make no fuss concerning the slaves in his wife's family, to a man willing to fight not just to preserve the Union, but also to end slavery in America.
A very readable, cogent account of a man who accomplished much but was left with a tattered reputation.

Demon: Volume 2

Demon: Volume 2 / Jason Shiga, 214 pgs.

A continuation in the Demon series, Jason Yee still does not die.  If killed, he takes over the body of the person closest in proximity to him.  The government wants him for a job...and as encouragement, has kidnapped his daughter who is also a demon.  Jason plays along for awhile but ends up outsmarting the intelligence agents.  He isn't really that interested in being forced into ANY situation.

Bloody as hell, this is still a very interesting series and it is fun to try to follow along as Jason and the agents plot against each other.

Commonwealth: a Novel / Ann Patchett, 322 pp.

I always love Patchett's smooth, flowing writing style and the truth of her stories.  This one tells of the lives of the Keatings and the Cousins, 2 families blended by divorce and remarriage.  Spanning about 40 years and set in southern California, Virginia, and Chicago, among other places, it's about ordinary people in love and in conflict, and how those people define family.  I enjoyed reading Commonwealth and was sorry to finish; it felt like the skeleton of a big American epic novel that was never quite fleshed out.

March

March: book two / John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, Nate Powell, 191 pgs.

The second graphic novel in the trio, this book deals with the civil rights movement from 1960 through the march on Washington.  In this volume, we meet the freedom riders who were beaten, arrested, imprisoned and abused.  The movement is growing and there is some dissension in the ranks.  John Lewis is still wholly engaged in the struggle.  He moves into a position of leadership.  In this book, we get a view of the struggle at the federal level and we end with Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I have a dream" speech.  John Lewis also spoke and the text of his speech is included in full.  Powerful stuff.

The old man

The old man / Thomas Perry, 337 pgs.

An exciting thriller that features Dan Chase, a retiree who is also an ex military intelligence officer that ended up with $20 million after a mission went wrong.  He has been in hiding for years after trying to make things right with the government.  Now he has been discovered and is on the run with he is two beloved dogs, Dave and Carol.  Yes, the dogs are named Dave and Carol and for some reason that makes me love them and their owner.  Dan is fairly prepared to be on the run. His wife died years ago so it is just him and the dogs.  His daughter is an adult and knows the drill.  He has been careful to keep her identity separate from his own. He has a lot of cash and several fake identities.  He was trained well by the military and doesn't have too much problem dispatching a few armatures who sent to kill him.  Now he has paired up with a woman looking for some adventure of her own who may also have an interesting past.  Also featured is a young agent who is hunting for Dan.  He is the only one who has seen the old man.  Since everyone in the book uses multiple names and fake identities, there isn't much reason to use their names in this review.  Overall the book was pretty exciting and as unrealistic as many of the enjoyable popular thrillers.

The Daily Show (the book)

The Daily Show (the book): an oral history as told by Jon Stewart, the correspondents, staff and guests / Chris Smith, 492 pgs.

Patrick recommended this book if I was a fan of the show or Jon Stewart.  I am both but was a little worried about a book of an oral history...how weird it that?  Turns out not weird at all. The book is arranged chronologically and covers many of the big changes that took place starting with Jon Stewart taking over the show.  There are enough people interviewed that you get a real "360" view of events.  I especially liked the viewpoints from the "back room" staff.  Many people started out as interns and worked their way up in the organization.  The show isn't perfect but it was interesting to delve into some of the issues and get a better idea of what was happening.  Although he never intended it, Stewart became one of the most trusted news sources in the country as they became better at pointing out the absurdity of the real world.

Big little lies

Big little lies / Liane Moriarty, 460 pgs.

A school trivia night turns tragic when things get out of hand and someone ends up dead.  The book traces back in flashback, six months prior to figure out where the problem started.  Three main characters are moms with kindergarten kids.  Two are old friends and a third, Jane, has just moved to town.  This book shows us the relationships of the women with each other, their kids, and their husbands.  Each has something that is eating away at them.  We go through most of the book before we find out whose body is recovered at trivia night.  This has recently been made into an HBO limited series that changes the setting from Australia to California.  After two episodes, it seems like the series is sticking pretty close to the book and that is a good thing.

Speaking American

Speaking American: How Y'all, Youse, and You Guys Talk by Josh Katz, 203 pages

Kathleen wrote an excellent description of this fun, info-filled book here, so I won't expand too much. But I will say that this explains so many of the pronunciation discrepancies between my husband (a lifelong St. Louisan) and me (I grew up in Kansas and Montana). Illuminating and fun.