Farther Away / Jonathan Franzen 321 pp.

A collection of essays and long book reviews from 2005-ish until publication in 2012. Most notably there are Franzen's eulogy for David Foster Wallace and a long essay he wrote about grieving his friend which involved a trip to a remote Chilean island. I gather that some thought Franzen may have been too honest in his assessment of his friend, or insufficiently hagiographic. Not knowing a great deal about DFW but being well-acquainted with loving a sick and self-destructive human being, I would say that Franzen was extremely generous. And in general I noticed in this collection how frequently he writes about love: of parents, siblings, and friends, in addition to the kind between partners. Given that the long novel Freedom was, to my view, an examination of how human beings can do the work of loving one another, I find this focus beautifully old-fashioned in a way that compensates for some of the grumpier pieces, on technology, for example. The book reviews have expanded my to-read list: Christina Stead's The Man Who Loved Children, Paula Fox's Desperate Characters, and The Hundred Brothers by Donald Antrim.

Self-inflicted wounds

Self-inflicted wounds: heartwarming tales of epic humiliation / Aisha Tyler 252 pgs.

Aisha Tyler voices the ass-kicked Lana Kane on Archer and is kind of an ass-kicker in real life.  This book is a collection of stories from her life where things didn't exactly work out as planned.  Many are sweet and from her youth and very relate-able to anyone who grew up in the last couple of centuries.  Reared by her dad after her parents divorced, they have a great relationship and there is very little trauma to report...aside from the time she snuck out of the house or the first time she asked a boy out on a date.  The stories of her deciding to become a stand-up comedian are great...sometimes things just take work.

We all make mistakes, and you can only hope that some of yours are as funny as Tyler's.

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Citizen: An American Lyric

Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine, 169 pages.

In this collection of poems and essays Rankine, former National Book award judge and 2014 NBA nominee, probes the absurd and the ordinary things that people do and say about race. She examines slights, insults, accusations, and innuendos (some very real, some inadvertant, misunderstood, or ambiguous), from her point of view and the point of view of several other narrators or voices. Racist comments overheard, ambiguous looks and responses from white colleagues and disrespect from clerks, strangers, and passersby are parsed and pondered.
Brief but compelling.

Furiously Happy

Furiously Happy: a funny book about horrible things / Jenny Lawson 329 pgs.

Jenny Lawson is crazy...in the best way possible.  In this book Jenny talks a lot about mental illness, ADD, depression, anxiety disorders...you know, all the funniest stuff.  And Jenny has every right to talk about these topics because she suffers from all of them.  Of course as you read some of these hilarious chapters, you wonder if "suffers" is the best way to describe it.  Alas, the realities are occasionally daunting instead of entertaining.  Life was Jenny was perfectly summed up by her husband, Victor when he said "Life without you might be easier, but it wouldn't be better."

I think the only way this book could be better is if it was LONGER.

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The Book of Stone / Jonathan Papernick 389 pp.

Matthew Stone is the grandson and son of a gangster and influential judge, respectively. Unlike his 'big man' forebears, Matthew has always felt himself a very small man, indeed. Unable to finish school, maintain relationships or mental health, his father's death sends Matthew into a downward spiral. His father has left him access to a large stash of funds which he may or may not have intended him to use to fund a group of Israeli terrorists functioning out of a cell in Brooklyn, and his father's former friends stalk Matthew in pursuit of the money. Very dark and atmospheric (Matthew never knows who to trust, and he is nearly always drunk, high, or self-mutilating), the story moves toward a grim end which the reader can never quite see coming, for which I give Papernick high marks. The author tried to say a lot here, about becoming a man, and specifically becoming a Jewish man weighted with history, and he didn't fully achieve it, but this was still an engrossing read.

Humans of New York: Stories /Brandon Stanton 428 pp.

From Stanton's blog of the same name, this contains 5 years of photos and accompanying stories (usually just brief quotes) of people from all ages and walks of life in the city. Stanton has great talent for composing his shots and accompanying them with perfectly selected quotes to create maximum impact on every page, whether that impact be pathos, humor, beauty, or, occasionally, adorable children. This is a perfect introvert's treat: read it and you'll feel like you've spent a day in deep conversation with a bunch of fascinating new people without any of the, you know, effort that actual conversation requires.

The Wright Brothers

The Wright Brothers / David McCullough 368 pgs.

Most of us know the basic story of the Wright brothers, Wilbur and Orville made history withe the first powered flight and then went on from there to make MORE history and improve their flying machine.  McCullough gives us much more about the men themselves.  Their relationship with each other and the rest of their family, their own special genius and hard work that made all of this happen.  I really appreciate feeling like I know the PEOPLE behind great things a little more than just the facts about the great thing.

Another revelation is Katharine Wright, the little sister who was the only one in the family to graduate from college and who gave so much support to her brothers (including financial) that it is shocking that previous biographers have made little mention of her.

A great book that will be enjoyed by those interested in history, aviation, or just plain old American ingenuity.

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Only Yesterday

Only Yesterday: An Informal History of the 1920s by Frederick Allen Lewis, 338 pages

Originally published in 1931, Only Yesterday is a comprehensive look at the 1920s, a decade full of explosive changes in American history. Rather than tackling the decade chronologically, Lewis devotes his chapters to focusing on decade-long topics: Prohibition, presidential politics, women's rights, fashion, real estate trends, the much ballyhooed publicity stunts (flagpole sitters, anyone?), and various elements of the economy are all explored in detail, and given room to breathe. What's particularly wonderful about this book is how immediate the reactions are--Lewis truly wrote this when the ink was barely dry on the decade--and how many of his observations could easily apply to today's cultural climate. If you have any interest at all in that era, it's well worth a read (or a listen, as the narrator for downloadable audiobook has such an early-radio voice).

Saga, volume 5

Saga, volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan, art by Fiona Staples, 152 pages

This is the most recent volume in Vaughan and Staples' fantastic sci-fi tale of a new family trying to find their way in the universe. Of course, it's not that easy. Mom and Dad are different races that have been warring against each other for generations, and all of the stakeholder groups are sending their best soldiers, assassins, and revolutionaries to kidnap, kill, or otherwise eliminate Marko, Alana, and their daughter, Hazel. It's a grand, imaginative, not at all kid-friendly tale, and it's well worth reading. This volume follows in the tradition well, with lots of uneasy alliances and backstories. Check it out, but start from volume 1.

Mycroft Holmes

Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse, 328 pages

A prequel of sorts to Arthur Conan Doyle's classic Sherlock Holmes stories, Mycroft Holmes focuses on Sherlock's big brother when he was a 23-year-old political newbie (in a "secretary to the secretary" position). Sharp and observant like his better-known brother, Mycroft becomes aware of mysterious occurrences taking place in Trinidad, homeland of both his sweet fiancee Georgiana and his close friend and tobacconist Cyrus Douglas. Using his governmental connections, Mycroft heads to the Caribbean island to investigate and uncovers a scheme to reinstate slavery throughout the Americas.

According to the author bios, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a longtime Holmesian, as well as an NBA legend, and his fanaticism for the works of Conan Doyle are obvious in this, his first novel. That said, it's also obvious that Abdul-Jabbar is living vicariously through his character, Cyrus Douglas, a tall black man skilled in martial arts. He has fun with the character, though he's cognizant of the potential problems of giving Mycroft a black sidekick in the Victorian era, and for that he should be commended. That said, the story is a bit convoluted, and definitely not on par with the Sherlock Holmes canon, though it does have some fun elements. Give it a whirl while you wait for the next season of Sherlock.