howgreen's reviews
120 reviews

The Whistler by John Grisham

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure by Greg Lukianoff, Jonathan Haidt

challenging hopeful informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

A must read for any parent anticipating sending a child to college.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Freezing Order: A True Story of Money Laundering, Murder, and Surviving Vladimir Putin's Wrath by Bill Browder

adventurous challenging informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

I completely disagree with the Wall Street Journal review of this book (WSJ, "Freezing Order review: Putin's No. 1 Problem?" May 4, 2022); I found it just as complelling as Browder's first book, Red Notice.  WSJ says it has "a great deal of filler . . . of little interest." Couldn't disagree more.  This book is filled with details of the criminal operations of Russia and Vladimir Putin and his oligarchy.  The west should should never trust Russia again.  The kind of history Browder uncovers goes back centuries in Russia and in my opinion puts the country beyond redemption.

San Fransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities by Michael Shellenberger

challenging informative medium-paced

4.0

The author of this book is a self-proclaimed progressive.   I had judged from the title that this might not be the case.  Throughout, as one who has been personally involved in working with the homeless, I found myself in agreement with what is said.  Very good analysis of the problem.  His solution, however, is the implementation of yet another huge government bureaucracy which he thinks will solve the problem.  I'm not sure what will solve it, but I'm certain another layer of big govenment is not the answer.

Happy: Why More or Less Everything is Absolutely Fine by Derren Brown
Did not finish book. Stopped at 23%.

I found it a rather long-winded recitation of various schools of philosophy.  The author is hostile to faith.  The featured word in the title is "Happy" but having read 1/3 or so of it, I'm definitely not feeling it.

Has it Come to This?: The Mysterious, Unsolved Murder of Frank Richardson by Kimberly Tilley

dark mysterious medium-paced

3.0

Entertaining, but I find the writer's style confusing. She describes the work as nonfiction but uses a lot of quotation marks which record dialogue, facial expressions and other details which could only be fictionalized or factual if directly observed. Maybe I just don't understand the genre.

The Maid by Nita Prose

lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

There are a number of mistakes in the plot (e.g., a hotel maid enters a high-end hotel through the main entrance rather than an employee's entrance), etc. the kind of things an editor should have caught.  It seems unlikely that this book would have been published and promoted as aggressively as it has been were it not for the fact that the author is on the editorial staff of a major publisher.

Cold Heart: The Great Unsolved Mystery of Turn of the Century Buffalo by Kimberly Tilley

dark mysterious medium-paced

3.0

This is a book based on actual facts which would be interesting to persons drawn to the unsolved crime genre.  I was a bit confused by the writer's style.  She uses a great many direct quotes and descriptions of characters' mannerisms ("he frowned," "she smiled," etc.)  This gives the impression that she directly observed the events recorded which is impossible given the dates of the events.  Maybe just a stylistic choice, but I think this should be classified as a novel based on history rather than an actual record of historic events.

Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling

challenging hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

Probably the most interesting and challenging book I have read in the last 5 years.  I would highly recommend it to anyone, especially to business leaders, decision makers, teachers, journalists or people who are worried about the state of the world.