Music & More

Murder On Music Row

Stuart Dill's "Murder On Music Row" is described on the cover as a music industry thriller. Published just last year, Mr. Dill's first novel comes in at 341 pages. He's been an artist manager for over 25 years in Nashville's country music scene, helping to guide the careers of Minnie Pearl, Dwight Yoakum, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jo Dee Messina and Laura Bell Bundy among others. On the back cover you can read testimonials to his first effort as an author from Rodney Crowell, Marshall Chapman and Jo Dee. There are plenty of reviews on-line. I'm merely a recommender, not a reviewer.

If you enjoy the murder mystery/thriller genre, this book is for you even if you don't give a damn about country music. If you choose to read a review rather than just go with my recommendation (can't blame you if you do), I recommend (there I go recommending again) reading Tennessean senior music writer Peter Cooper's interview/review of October 24, 2011. In addition to writing for The Tennessean, Cooper is also a singer/songwriter. He describes the superstar recording artist in Mr. Dill's book, Ripley Graham, as egomaniacal and says that the job of artist manager involves more than a modicum of psychology. Dill says that  "we manage artists by getting to know their fears so we can get them to a safe place". The copy of the book I bought at the Cool Spring's Barnes & Noble had been signed by Mr. Dill with "Find a 'safe place' and enjoy!" I did. Hope you do too.

 

River of Doubt

Although I'm probably one of the least adventureous guys around, - no motorcycle riding or downhill skiing for me - I really enjoyed reading "The River of Doubt, Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey" by Candice Millard. Published in 2005, it's about 350 pages in my paperback edition from Anchor Books. I never heard of Candice Millard, a former writer and editor for National Geographic, and I got two of her books for Christmas. The other is a book with the intriguing title of "Destiny of the Republic, A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President". I love alliteration. Maybe more on the three M's book at a later date. I haven't read it yet.

Back to the River. Teddy had recently lost his attempt to win back the Presidency as a progressive against the incumbent republican, his hand picked protege William Howard Taft, and the democratic challenger Woodrow Wilson. Former Dakota rancher and Rough Rider, TR craved adventure. He was not a man built for retirement, staying home with the wife and doting on grandchildren.

This tale of Teddy's trip to the Amazon rainforest region of South America began in 1913. TR, 55 at the time, was accompanied by son Kermit. The expedition leader, Candido Rondon, was Brazil's most famous explorer. The  5'3" Rondon hoped to map the River of Doubt, a rapids-choked tributary of the Amazon. There were a few obstacles: piranhas, snakes, deadly insects,  hostile natives and raging rivers, heat and heavy rain, just to name a few things that reduced the men to near starvation and for TR, a life threatening illness as well. We get some insight into TR's character, as well as Kermit's, Rondon's and others, through Millard's description of how they handled their adversity. "River of Doubt" is a great read. But don't take my word for it. Read the many reviews on-line.

The edition of the book I have included 8 pages of photos of TR, Kermit, Rondon, etc. They appeared between pages 178 and 179. The same photos appeared in reverse order between pages 226 and 227. It appears that  different photos were meant to be included in the second group since the credits listed on page 408 mention 16 pages of photos and their source. I'll have to check out the hard cover edition in my local library to see the other photos.

Other books I've read by or about TR:

"Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail" - Theodore Roosevelt (originally published in 1888, it covers the years 1884 - 1886 in the Dakota territory.)

"TR, The Last Romantic" - H.W. Brands (full bio of TR published in 1997)

 

Rash Story - Serena

After reading a review by Janet Maislin in the NY Times on-line of October 5, 2008, I added Ron Rash's fourth novel, "Serena", to my "to read" list. There it sat for a few months shy of 3 years. Many titles have since been added by retractable ball point pens to this 8 1/2" x 11" standard sheet of printer paper. Quite a few have been crossed out. Serena remained. More titles have been added to the back of the paper. I fold the list into 1/8th of its size and stick it in my back pocket every time I go to a library or book store. There are some tiny holes along some of the creases.

Maislin's review of Serena was titled "Couple creates an empire by felling trees and anyone in their way". With that enticing lead in, how did I wait so long to read it? All the book reader's cliches apply: a real page turner, couldn't put it down, etc. But don't just take my word for it. Read Maislin's and some of the other reviews on line. Serena's 370 pages were gone before I knew it. I confess that I did put it down a few times since I read it over 3 or 4 days.

I won't give away the story but it takes place primarily in western North Carolina at the beginning of the Depression. You might guess from the title where the real power resided in the relationship of this power couple invading the mountainous Carolina woods. Some reviewers likened the wife Serena to Lady MacBeth. Besides the main story, we are told that a battle was going on between timber interests and those favoring the creation of what became the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The big losers in these business affairs, besides Serena's competitors, were the workers who faced death and serious injury on a daily basis, something that was of little concern to the timber barons. If you got hurt and couldn't work, you were discarded with no compensation.

I'll have to check out Ron Rash's other novels and short stories. He has also written some poetry which may be of interest to some.

Little Bighorn - 135th Anniversary

On June 25, 1876, just 9 days before the nation's centenial celebration, George Armstrong Custer became famous. It wasn't the way he had it planned. The Battle of the Little Bighorn was the biggest victory Native Americans achieved over the U.S. Army but it was the beginning of the end, their Last Stand. The road from there led to the reservation.

In 19th Century American history, the Little Bighorn is probably the most famous battle after Gettysburg and the Alamo. While the casualties at Gettysburg far exceeded those of the Alamo and Little Bighorn combined, the latter two battles seemingly involved situations where American forces were virtually wiped out. The defenders of the Alamo were hoping for reinforcements right up until they met their end on March 6, 1836. The Little Bighorn situation differed in that Custer divided his forces on the day of the battle. The 7th Calvary was split into three battalions led by Lt. Col. Custer,  Major Marcus Reno and Captain Frederick Benteen. One company was left under Captain McDougald to guard the pack train. The 210 men in Custer's battalion were all killed. The Reno and Benteen battalions with a combined total of about 430 men suffered about 60 casualties. How would the 7th Calvary have fared if Custer had not split his forces? It's something we'll never know.

Nathaniel Philbrick's "The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn" is the latest and maybe the best take on this famous battle which took place in southeastern Montana, just a bit north of Sheridan, Wyoming. As the jacket notes indicate, Philbrick brings to light a new source, the unpublished writings of Private Peter Thompson, begun just months after the battle. There is no claim that Thompson's story is unimpeachable but it is worth considering. Also considered among many other source documents was a memoir by Wooden Leg, a Northern Cheyene, which provides a stirring account of the attack of the Seventh Calvary. Check out the reviews online.

Philbrick also wrote a great book about the Pilgrims called "Mayflower", published in 2006.

Other books I've read on Custer:

Evan S. Connell - "Son of the Morning Star: Custer and the Little Bighorn", published in 1984

David Humphreys Miller - "Custer's Fall: The Indian Side of the Story" (1985)

Douglas Jones - "The Court Martial of George Armstrong Custer" (1976), a  novel with the premise that Custer survived and was brought to trial.

James Welch with Paul Stekler - "Killing Custer: The Battle of the Little Bighorn and the Fate of the Plains Indians" (1994)

William O. Taylor - "With Custer on the Little Bighorn" (1996)

In August of 1992 I got to visit the Custer Battlefield while on a family vacation trip from Long Island to Colorado Springs. Among other places we got to see were Yellowstone National Park, Pike's Peak and Mount Rushmore. 

 

 

Chernow's Washington, A Life

I recently finished reading "Washington, A Life" by Ron Chernow, a Penguin Press book published last year.  As you might guess from its length of 817 pages, which is exclusive of notes, etc., this is a detailed biography. While the bulk of the time is spent on Washington's early military exploits, the Revolution and his presidency, there is considerable time given to family and his life as a planter and slave owner at Mount Vernon. It is not and shouldn't be a quick read.

Chernow's portrait is not of a white-washed Washington. In examining his strengths and weaknesses, he humanizes the man without diminishing any of his accomplishments. Washington was not one to pass on an opportunity to advance his career or fortune, yet he was very much concerned with his image and legacy. He did not wish to be thought of as too ambitious or as one currying favor. He was extremely brave in battle but not willing to risk his fortune by freeing his slaves. While many tend to think of Washington as above politics, his political skills were considerable. Ultimately, it was the political machinations of fellow Virginians Jefferson and Madison that awakened him to the seamier side of politics and destroyed his relationships with both men.

If you enjoy this book, you'll probably enjoy reading Chernow's excellent biography, "Alexander Hamilton", published in 2004.

Other good books I've read on Washington:

Robert Leckie's "George Washington's War: The Saga of the American Revolution" published in 1992.

James T. Flexner wrote a four volume  biography of George Washington. I read his 1994 one-volume bio "Washington: The Indispensable Man".

 

Civil War's 150th Anniversary

The 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War occurred a week ago on April 12th. On that day in 1861 the Confederates fired on Fort Sumter to begin a war which would ultimately claim over 618,000 lives. In the past fifteen years, I've read a fair amount of history and historical fiction about the Civil War and related events. Before then, the only Civil War books I can recall with certainty reading were Stephen Crane's "Red Badge of Courage" and Bruce Catton's "This Hallowed Ground". I vaguely recall reading a book about Robert E. Lee but can't remember the title.  Most of us know the basic facts about the war but are a little hazy about the details. For a lot of us, it's been many years since we took American history in high school or college. What follows is a list of books I've read about the war that can fill in some of those details. In parenthesis I've included the year of publication and length. There are plenty of reviews on line that you can read rather than just take my recommendation.

Although I've been a resident of a southern state for the past 4 1/2 years, it hasn't changed my opinion about the conflict. I'm reminded though of a former co-worker and fellow New Yorker who moved to Georgia. One of his young sons asked him one day "Daddy, why did we lose the Civil War?". Shortly after moving to Nashville, I decided to read historian Shelby Foote's three volume history, "The Civil War: A Narrative", to get a southern perspective. I had read reviews that credited his work as fair minded and I think it was. Foote's history is a long read but well written. Volume I is called "Fort Sumter to Perryville" (810 pgs - 1958), Volume II "Fredericksburg to Meridian" (966 pgs - 1963) and Volume III "Red River to Appomattox" (1,060 pgs - 1974). Foote became well known when he appeared on the Ken Burns PBS documentary, The Civil War.

Stephen B. Oates began a Civil War Trilogy called "Voices of the Storm". Volume I, "The Approaching Fury, 1820 - 1861" (512 pgs - 1998) provided the events leading to the war; Volume II, "The Whirlwind of War, 1861 - 1865" (864 pgs - 1999) covered the war itself. The third volume  was supposed to cover the reconstruction period but has not appeared as yet. The first two volumes were excellent. Oates has the characters - John Calhoun, John Brown, Lincoln, etc. - speaking in the first person about their lives and events. Oates was also one of the commentators on the Ken Burns documentary. He had previously written the excellent full length biography "With Malice Towards None: A Life of Abraham Lincoln" and "Fires of Jubilee: Nat Turner's Fierce Rebellion".

Speaking of Lincoln, I would also highly recommend "Team of Rivals, The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln" (2005 - 754 pgs) by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Lincoln's team of "Rivals" included William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edwin M. Stanton and Edward Bates.

"Lincoln" (1995 - 599 pgs) by David Donald is another great read. It's a cradle to the grave bio but mercifully doesn't dwell for long on the front end.

Michael Kauffman's "American Brutus, John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Conspiracies" (2004 - 398 pgs) is very interesting. Kauffman's take on the responsibility for the assassination makes a lot of sense.

"LIncoln at Gettysburg, The Words That Remade America" (1992 - 189 pgs) by Garry Wills is a Pulitzer Prize winner about the Gettyburg Address.

Since we're talking Gettysburg, Michael Shaara's historical novel "The Killer Angels" (1974 - 355 pgs), also a Pulitzer Prize winner, has been called the best historical novel about war. 

Michael died in 1988 but his son Jeff Shaara has taken up where dad left off with books like "Gods and Generals" (1996 - 498 pgs), the prequel, and "The Last Full Measure" (2000 - 640 pgs), the sequel, to his father's "The Killer Angels".

"Cloudsplitter"  by Russell Banks is a historical novel about John Brown (1998 - 758 pgs). The story is told from the perspective of Owen Brown, the last surviving son of John Brown. Banks has written many novels and also writes short stories. "Trailerpark" is my favorite collection.

Harriet Beecher Stowe's  "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (1852 - 447 pgs) needs no commentary.

Ambrose Bierce's "Tales of Soldiers" are short stories of an anti-war nature, emphasizing the horrors of war. Bierce, also the author of the Devil's Dictionary, served as a soldier in the Civil War. Good stuff.

Jeffrey Wert - "General James Longstreet" (1994 - 528 pgs) After reading about Gettysburg, a book about Lee's second in charge seemed like a natural followup.

Other Civil War books I would recommend in roughly descending order:

Stephen Sears - "Chancellorsville" (1998 - 640 pgs)

Geoffrey Perret - "Ulysses S. Grant, Soldier & President" (1997 - 542 pgs)

Brian Steel Wills - "A Battle From the Start: The Life of Nathan Bedford Forest" (1992 - 457 pgs)

John Bowers - "Stonewall Jackson, Portrait of a Soldier" (1990 - 360 pgs  )

Roy Morris, Jr. - "Sheridan: The Life and Wars of General Phil Sheridan" (1992 - 542 pgs)

Stanley Hirshon - "White Tecumseh, Biography of William Tecumseh Sherman" (1998 - 475 pgs)

Robert Hicks - "The Widow of the South" (2005 - 432 pgs)

Charles Frazier - "Cold Mountain" (1997 - 449 pgs)

Laurence Hauptman - "Between Two Fires, American Indians in the Civil War" (1995 - 304 pgs)

Jack Coombe - "Thunder Along the Mississippi, River Battles that Split the Confederacy" (1996 - 260 pgs)

William Fletcher - "Rebel Private: Front and Rear: Memoirs of a Confederate Soldier" (1997 - 240 pgs)

James Street - "The Civil War, An Unvarnished Account of the Last but Still Lively Hostilities" (1953 - 144 pgs)

Richard Harwell (editor) - "The Confederate Reader: How the South Saw the War" (1989 - 416 pgs)

I should read:

Number one on my "to read" list is the Pulitzer Prize winning "Battle Cry of Freedom, The Civil War Era" by James McPherson, a one volume history (862 pgs) published in 1988. I bought the book over 10 years ago while I was still working. My lame excuse for not reading it then was that it was too heavy to lug around. I did much of my reading back then on the LIRR to and from Penn Station. As a retiree, I no longer have that excuse.

George R. Stewart - "Pickett's Charge" (1959 - 384 pages). I read and really enjoyed two other Stewart books, "Names on the Land, A Historical Account of Place-Naming in the United States" and "The California Trail".

What books about the Civil War would you recommend?

When my wife and I visited Gettysburg in September of 2005, one of the things that stood out for me was the site of Pickett's charge, the confederate assault on Cemetery Ridge. Imagine being one of the soldiers leading the charge. You're moving across an open field, uphill toward a well barricaded enemy. I would have been terrified. It was nothing less than a suicide mission.

 

 

Little Girl Blue

My wife and I went to see the Carpenters in concert on August 10, 1975 at the (Marjorie) Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. Neil Sedaka, the opening act, was enjoying a comeback after his initial success in the late 50's to early 60's so we looked forward to a great evening of music. The Carpenters sounded exactly like their records, not a missed note to be heard. There was however no significant interaction with the audience. They were almost robotic. In contrast, Neil Sedaka was mister personality; he had the audience in the palm of his hand. The Carpenters had your hand covering your mouth to stifle a yawn. I didn't know that shortly after Sedaka got fired from the tour. Less than eight years later, I was saddened to hear of Karen Carpenter's death a month before her 33rd birthday.

In "Little Girl Blue, The Life of Karen Carpenter" by Randy L. Schmidt, I found out about the Sedaka firing and that my wife and I were not the only ones disappointed in a Carpenters performance. The bio is an interesting story focussing quite a bit on the family dynamic and how it influenced their music career, Karen's anorexia and even her marriage. I'm tempted to say that everyone knows their music but then I remember that my grown kids weren't even born when Karen and Richard had their run of big hits from '70 to '76. There aren't too many times when I hear a singer for the first time and have what I simply call a "wow - who is that?" moment. I did the first time I heard Karen Carpenter sing "Close to You" on the radio in 1970. (I didn't know that song was first recorded in 1963 by Richard Chamberlain of "Dr. Kildare" fame.)

When I think of the Carpenters now, the first song that comes to mind is "Rainy Days and Mondays",  written by Paul Williams and Roger Nichols, and then their Christmas album which we still play every Christmas. I never knew that they had a country hit, "Sweet, Sweet Smile" which reached #8 on the Billboard Country Singles chart in 1978. It's nothing special. For music fans, bios of this type are also interesting for comments on other artists and things going on in the music industry at the time. Music business personalities most prominently involved in Karen's life included Herb "Tijuana Brass" Alpert, musician and head of A&M Records, and record producer Phil Ramone. Phil's wife Itchie was one of Karen's closest friends (along with Frenda Franklin). Olivia Newton-John, whom Karen called "ONJ" (pronounced ahhnj), was also a friend. There are many other artists mentioned as a quick check of the book's index will reveal.

LGB is not the first Carpenters biography. Ray Coleman wrote "The Carpenters, The Untold Story: An Authorized Biography". It was published in 1994.

Singer/songwriter Neil Sedaka was one of my favorites as a teenager in the late 50's early 60's with songs such as "The Diary", "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen", "Stairway to Heaven", "Calendar Girl", "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do", etc.   I still have the 45's. I also enjoyed the music he made during his comeback with songs like "Laughter in the Rain" and a ballad version of the upbeat "Breaking Up is Hard to Do".

 

 

 

 

 

Bierce

I don't often read book reviews, but this is one of my all-time favorites:

"The covers of this book are too far apart."

One of my old friends, Mike Crowley, mailed me an article on Ambrose Bierce, the author who disappeared into Pancho Villa's revolution wracked Mexico at the age of 71 in 1913. Mike remembered that I like Bierce's short stories. The article by Victor LaValle appeared in the July 12, 2010 edition of the Nation. It was called "Bierced" and you can find it on-line. The article begins by telling of Bierce's service in the Civil War and goes back to provide a bit of a bio. Some time after the war, he became a caustic columnist for William Randolph Hearst's San Francisco Examiner, even reviewing books as evidenced by his most famous effort quoted above. LaValle mentions that Bierce is often compared to Stephen Crane and Ernest Hemingway. Whereas they wrote about war, Bierce wrote about being a soldier. Of the three writers, Bierce was the only one who actually fought in the military.

I read Bierce's "Collected Writings" over 10 years ago. In addition to the short stories, the Writings included Bierce's cynical and at times hilarious  "Devil's Dictionary". LaValle says that the Devil's Dictionary reads like a collection of great Twitter posts. I don't Twitter so I'll take his word for it 'til some expert on twittering refutes his claim. There's actually a website, www.thedevilsdictionary.com. Here are some examples to whet your twitting appetite:

Corporation - "An ingenious device for obtaining individual profit without individual responsibility".

Lawyer -  "One skilled in circumvention of the law".

Politics - "A strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage".

Impartial - "Unable to perceive any promise of personal advantage from espousing either side of a controversy or adopting either of two conflicting opinions".

"Education" -  "That which discloses to the wise and disguises from the foolish their lack of understanding".

Happiness -  "an agreeable sensation arising from contemplating the misery of another".

Since I lost "Collected Writings"  (830 pages) in the WTC and B&N didn't have it when I went there earlier this year to use a Christmas gift certificate, I bought "The Complete Short Stories of Ambrose Bierce" (a mere 496 pages). Since the Devil's Dictionary is now on line, I felt no need to buy "Collected Writings" again. The Foreword by Cathy N. Davidson begins "His desk held a skull and a cigar box. When asked, he ventured that the former was all that remained of an erstwhile friend while the latter contained the ashes of a rival critic". The Introduction by Ernest Jerome Hopkins states that the Bierce short stories were of 3 main types: satirical horror stories, anti-war satires, emphazing the brutality and human wreckage of war, and, by contrast, a crazy group of old-Western "tall tales". His stories did not have happy endings - but they make good reading.

Wish I knew what book was the subject of Bierce's succinct satirical review. Bierce had a low opinion of the writings of William Dean Howells and Henry James and propably many other novelists.

 

 

 

 

 

Best Seller: Sebold's Lovely Bones

Just finished reading "The Lovely Bones" written by Alice Sebold. It was published in 2002 and became a national bestseller.  My daughter Kathleen recommended it and I read it (about 325 pages) in less than two days. There are many on-line reviews so, as I've said in previous posts, you won't find one here. The book begins, "My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973." Susie narrates the story of her rape and murder and how it affects the lives of her family, friends and the killer - from heaven. Well written - great read. It was Ms. Sebold's first novel, published when she was 39. I haven't read her memoir, "Lucky", published in 1999 or her latest novel, "The Almost Moon", in 2007.

Just because a book was a best seller doesn't necessarily mean that it's good or that it will appeal to today's readers. Check out "80 Years of Best Sellers, 1895 - 1975" by Alice Payne Hackett and James Henry Burke published by R.R. Bowker Company in 1977. (There were previous volumes, 50, 60 and 70 Years of Best Sellers.) This book provides the names of the top 10 fiction and non-fiction best sellers each year with a commentary. The foreword to "50 Years of Best Sellers" begins "The term 'Best Seller' was coined and came into common use to fill a need. A term was needed to describe what were not necessarily the best books but the books that people liked best." Did you know that "Beside the Bonnie Brier Bush" by Ian Maclaren, a lover of alliteration I suppose, was the #1 fiction best seller in 1895? My guess is that very few of today's readers will have heard of the book or the author. Maybe you're familiar with the 1949 #1 best seller, "Egypt" by Mika Waltari? When I first read "80 Years ..." over 20 years ago, I was surprised at how many of these best sellers I had never heard of. Guess they didn't pass the test of time. Some books that did not make any of these lists, like Steinbeck's "Tortilla Flat" (1935) and "In Dubious Battle" (1936), can still be found in most libraries.

Thomas H. Cook Books

Unlike authors such as Michael Connelly and John Sandford, Thomas H. Cook is not exactly a name well known by readers of mysteries in this country. He should be. Like these other gentleman, his genre could be summed up as crime-mystery-suspense novels, and he handles this genre  extremely well. He has written over 20 books since his first was published in 1982.

I read five of his books in the early 90's and four so far this year. I don't recall anything now of those earlier reads although I must have enjoyed them to read five within three years. If I don't like an author's style or subject matter it's generally one and done for me. There's so many books to choose from so there's no need to press on with an author whose writing is not to your taste. My early reads included two of the three Cook wrote as part of a series with a recurring character, Frank Clemons. The series includes "Sacrificial Ground" (88), "Flesh and Blood" (89) and "Night Secrets" (90). Since then, each novel stands on its own - a fresh slate. A very interesting interview with Mr. Cook can be found in January Magazine. Check it out at  Januarymagazine.com/profiles.cook.html. There are other interviews and quite a few reviews of his works online.

Towards the end of last year, I read a very good short story collection called "Dangerous Women" (05), edited by Otto Penzler. In the introduction, Mr. Penzler commented on other works by the contributing authors. Thomas Cook was one of the authors and the book noted was "The Chatham School Affair". Published in 1996, it was an Edgar Award Winner. I enjoyed it so much that I decided to get back into his books again. "Red Leaves" (05), "The Clouds of Unknowing" (07) and "Master of the Delta" (08) soon followed. It may sound trite but the usual cliche applies to these books. I couldn't put them down.

I generally don't review, I just recommend. As I've commented elsewhere, my criteria is Chekhovian. (See my post of October 26, 2009 re A Favorite Quote from Chekhov.) I divide all works into two categories - those I like and those I don't like. Why should anyone read Mr. Cook's books or any books I recommend? I admittedly possess no expertise whatsoever. Do you only read books favorably reviewed in the NY Times or some other erudite source? Many of the authors I've really come to enjoy were recommended to me by friends. Is your choice of a book because the subject matter interests you? the title was intriguing? it was on sale? These are all legitimate reasons including the last. I love library sales. That's where you get the best bargains. I don't suggest that anyone go out and pay $25 or more for a book on my say-so. Taste in reading is obviously very subjective, just as it is in music, art and other interests. I think it's a good idea to use the library if an author is new for you. Then if you really like his style or material, you can decide if you want to have her or his books for your own.