I'm sorry, I probably could have come up with a more positive summary than that. I actually thought the James Hunter's ideas about being a servant leader where spot on. In an introduction Hunter explains how happy and amazed he is that his parable has been so successful and well recognized in the business world. If that is true, he has done a good work in the world. It is a good leadership handbook, but, alas, it is terrible literature. It was super painful to listen to. The conversations between the characters are totally unnatural and stilted. Different characters spontaneously spout quotes from a huge variety of sources, complete with accurate reference, and make wise and witty comments. The characters, themselves, are paper cutouts: the hardnosed sergeant, the compassionate nurse, the world weary school principal, the cheery priest and the jaded businessman. I would have enjoyed the book so much more if Hunter had just talked, straight out, about Servant Leadership, rather than trying to couch it in a totally fake story. Sigh. Still, I am not sorry I listened to it. It gave me food for thought and some ideas about what I want to accomplish as the Management Round Table Vice Chair next year. (1998, 178 p.)
Deelibrarian Reading Log Blog
This is a record of all the books I read or listen to.
Thursday, April 18, 2024
The Servant by James Hunter
The Lost Letter by Mimi Matthews
I chose this as a filler book while I was waiting for some books I have on hold to come in. This is the first book I have read by Mimi Matthews, and I was pretty happy with it. It is a very standard Victorian romance, but it is clean and decently written. I appreciated the fact that neither main character acted stupidly, though there was some frustrating miscommunications. The story isn't very complex, a pretty standard Beauty and the Beast motif, but it is short and enjoyable enough that I put Ms. Matthews on my Clean Romance Writer's list and will probably try reading something else by her sometime in the future. (2017, 242 p.)
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Great Courses: Charlemagne by Philip Daileader
Charlemagne is one of the historical figures that looms larger than life. His father was a successful ruler, Pepin, King of the Franks, but Charlemagne was able to expand his inherited kingdom to include almost all of the continental Europe. After his brilliant military victories, he instituted educational and civil reforms that have positively impacted Europe ever since. In this 12 lecture series, Dr. Daileader looks at Charlemagne's life and impact in several different categories, including his military successes, his leadership in the Carolingian Renaissance, his religious reforms and others. He finishes with a lecture about how Charlemagne's legacy has lived on into the modern day.
I have listened to several different Great Courses lecture series lately about the middle ages in Europe. This is partly in preparation for my planned trip to Europe in the fall. I have enjoyed all the Great Courses classes I have listened to, but I must admit that is one wasn't my favorite. It may be that I wasn't really in the mood for it, but it seemed a little more dry than the one I listened to about Italy or the one I listened to about the history of the Levant. I did learn a lot of new facts about Charlemagne and Europe in the Middle Ages. For instance, I am embarrassed to admit I had always thought of Charlemagne as French since his name sounds French, but he was actually more German than French. I was also interested in the section about how he managed his family and his dynasty. When I listened to the history of Italy, one of the big problems with Italian medieval leaders was that they had a hard time establishing heirs. Charlemagne seemed to manage his own dynasty better than most. I also found it interesting that one of the reasons Charlemagne was so successful is that Europe just happened to have several years of really good weather during his reign, increasing crop output and decreasing plague. This isn't a bad introduction to an impressive historical figure, but, as I said, a little bit boring in its presentation. (12 hr., 2023)Monday, April 15, 2024
City Spies by James Ponti
This is a new book on the Battle of the Books list this year. There have been a lot of "spy school" stories in the past. It is interesting that Stuart Gibbs gives one of the "blibs" on the cover, since his Spy School series is one of the most well known and one that I liked the most. This one is OK. The kids are likeable, and the plot has some good twists to it. Everything is a bit over the top. I don't think anyone, let alone a 13-year-old girl without any computer education, could do the kind of hacking she is supposed to be able to do. There are some plot problems, too, but I don't know if kids would pick up on them. The story is fast paced and fun, so I am not that disappointed that it is on the Battle of the Books list this year. I may even read the next in the series some day. (2020, 384 p)
Friday, April 12, 2024
The Many Assassinations of Samir, Seller of Dreams by Daniel Nayeri
This is one of the Newbery Honor books this year. I must give the committee credit for choosing something original and unique. The setting is interesting; the Silk Road trading route in the middle ages. The author includes a note in the end explaining what the Silk Road was and how much of the setting and the ethnic groups represented were based on history. The thing that makes the story really work, though, are the characters of Samir and Monkey. Samir is a trickster character, but a loveable one. He always has a good story to tell, and sometimes shows surprising willingness to forgo an advantageous trade to help someone out. It is fun to watch Monkey slowly switch from being a self-righteous monk's apprentice to learning the art of the bargain, and, when needed, the hasty escape. I can't say I was as impressed with this book as I was with the other Newbery Honor I read recently, Simon Sort of Says, but I do appreciate that it wasn't just another social issues book. (2023, 224 p.)
Friday, April 5, 2024
The Girl in His Shadow by Audrey Blake
This is not your Hallmark style historical romance. The author seems to enjoy describing the most gruesome Victorian medical practices she can include with vivid detail. Definitely not for the medically squeamish. If you can stomach descriptions of amputations, and mothers hemorrhaging in child birth than the rest of the book is really quite good. The characters are fully drawn and the historical setting is fascinating. I was especially interested when the doctor is first introduced to ether as an anesthetic. He gets very excited about the new substance, but doesn't know what to do with it, so he ends up using himself and Nora as test subjects. I also liked the fierce rivalry between opposing factions in the large teaching hospital. I enjoyed the book, but I must admit all the bloody medical scenes did disrupt my sleep this week. Nevertheless I am not opposed to reading more from this author. (384, 2021)
Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie
I was delighted to find a Miss Marple book that I hadn't read before. Miss Marple is my favorite of the Christie sleuths. The plot is nicely constructed, and the ending decently surprising. Christie is the master of red herrings, and is so good at dropping minor details that end up being major clues. The characters are not very dimensional, but the cleverness of the plot, and Miss Marple's charming personality makes up for it. There are reasons why Christie's books have never gone out of print. (1976, 256 p.)