Eric’s Comments (group member since Dec 31, 2016)

Eric’s comments from the What's Next? group.

“A butler of any quality must be seem to inhabit his role, utterly and fully.”

“ I can’t even say I made my own mistakes…. What dignity is there in that?”

Winner of the Booker Prize 1989. The author also won the Nobel prize for literature.

A story of the English butler, told in the backdrop between WWI and WWII and the interactions of English nobility with German leaders.

A book of self reflection. What makes a great butler? Is the triumph of doing one’s duty enough? Does the belief in class and the superiority of the noble class of English gentlemen create blind spots and misplaced trust? Can you measure your life through the decisions of someone else? What about the road not take, and love not pursued? Brilliantly written.

5 stars. Recommended read.

“… everything on this prairie’s a lie, child. Ain’t nothing what it looks like.”

“… a feather from a Good Lord Bird’ll bring you understanding that’ll last your whole life”.

Earlier work by the author of "The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store" and "Deacon King Kong".

Wild (semi historical) telling of the John Brown story from the perspective of young black child abducted during a tavern skirmish. Captures the tension building across the country in the years before the Civil War.

Finishes strong. 4.5 rounded down.

My best of (so far) includes:
- All the Colors of the Dark”. Epic story of friendship.
- Lincoln in the Bardo. Most original. The imagery and story telling stays with you.
- Wild Dark Shore. Quality follow up to “Once There Were Wolves”.
- The Horse. Beautiful story of survival with man and beast.
- The Names. Uniquely told “sliding doors” perspective on life.
- The Correspondent. Memoir of sorts, told through letters.
- The Formula. History of F1 racing. Highly engaging and will make you a fan of the sport.

Special shout out to Frederick Forsyth, who passed this past year and read for the first time. “The Day of the Jackal” and “The Odessa File” are great thrillers and classics in the genre.

“Peoples are not evil; only individuals are evil … guilt is individual, like salvation.”

Classic Frederick Forsyth novel, with his typically meticulous reporting and attention to back stories. Highlights the importance to bear witness.

The story is based on the secret organization - “Odessa” - formed for SS officers to escape at the tail end of WWII, and the real hunt for former SS Eduard Roschmann. A suspenseful, captivating story of the "state within the state". A disturbing read, especially in the context of today’s political environment.

If written today, readers would be tempted to classify as "true crime" since much of the storyline and characters are based on real people. Since its been more than 50 years since published (1972) and approaching 90 years from the events of WWII, it will soon be historical fiction.

4.5 stars rounded down.

Cormac Reilly #4. Quick read but just average, when compared to her earlier novels. The storyline was clunky and characters less likable.

Unique insights into F1 through the history and personalities that built it. Also illustrates that having the best product does not guarantee financial success.

In order to scale a business, the perfect craft is not enough; you need the right strategy. In sports, individual success can also come at the expense of the sport. F1 had to find the balance that drove competition without undermining the viability of the product, while building its fan base.

A life told and shared through correspondence. Old fashioned but intended to provide more substance.

Letters as a way to communicate - “most people write back” - and rooted to her birth mother, who left a note for the adoptive parents.

Warm and satisfying read.

“It’s not hard to be nonpartisan. It’s hard to be perceived as non-partisan. Our work is trying to make the federal government be better.”
- Max Stier, CEO of the Partnership for Public Service

“The best thing in the world is when no one can remember whose idea it was. Then you know you’ve succeeded because the greatest thing that can happen is no one can remember who did it or how it was done; everybody has taken a piece of the idea, and its bee institutionalized”.
Ronald Walters
National Cemetary Administration
Veteren Affairs

Anchored by Michael Lewis, the book is a series of essays to spotlight the role of government through the lens of interesting roles and stories.

The columns ran un the Washington Post, celebrating overlooked hero's. It is not a political book.

The best essay is the IRS cyber sleuth article by Geraldine Brooks.

Overall, the collection is good but uneven. 3.5 rounded down.

Throwback Cold War spy thriller, written in classic style.

Set in the early 1960s, the first novel in a planned trilogy, and easy to visualize as a future movie script. Overall, an easy, fast paced read, although there are several threads and loose ends that don't fully relate to each other.

An original - and at times raw -- debut novel. I expect this book will appear on many "best of" lists this year.

The book focus on three versions of the same story -- think, Sliding Doors for fans of the movie -- across 35 years, with the update for each alternative shared for the same time period before jumping ahead to the next 7-year point in time. Emotional connections with characters vary with the context as the author explores themes of nature versus nurture.

4.5 stars rounded down.

New novel from the author of Americanah", "Purple Hibiscus" and "Half of a Yellow Sun", and her first work of fiction in over 10 years.

The story is mostly set b/t Nigeria and the US and covers the relationship between 4 Nigerian women, alternating points of view - their dreams, careers, relationships and families. The story also touches on challenges of being an immigrant and the pros and cons of assimilation.

Fans of the author will enjoy reading her prose again. Themes are complicated, however, reflecting an increasingly messy world. Grief (or sadness) and death overhang the novel, reflecting experiences in and around the Covid pandemic, plus the author's personal life.

The book is uneven, with some threads stronger than others, and perhaps could have been blended more. 3.5 rounded up.

Gabriel Allon #25.

Well done art heist thriller. No need to have read the series. Nice break from terrorism and politics.

4.5 rounded down.

#1 of new series from Thursday Murder Club author.

Same light, witty style. Page turner and good for summer reead. Howver, characters and plot not as strong as the other series.

4 stars.

Surprisingly inspirational tale of a man’s lonely encounter with a sick horse, i.e., broken man meets broken animal. Hopeful despite the description of “sad and ruined people”, the story is a series of flashbacks that fill in the timeline for the main character, who has spent his lief as a musician in and out of bands while struggling with relationships and alcoholism. The music - and writing songs - is both his purpose and means of connecting with people, and making sense of his life. 5 stars.

Cormac Reilly #3. Solid detective page turner. While 3rd in a series, the books are independent and do not need to be read in order.

Frederick Forsyth's classic debut novel. Given his recent passing, I finally picked up this book; I should not have waited so long.

Reads like historical fiction. Meticulous descriptions and brilliantly written. The art of assassination -- in this case a fictional attempt on the French President -- plus a clinic on world class detective work.

Recommended read. 5 stars.

“… that was London Rules for you: force others to take you on your own terms. And if they didn’t like it, stay in their face until they did.”

Slough Horses #5. The new season will air starting in Sept.

Solid book. Same great, witty writing. If already a fan of the series, you will enjoy. 4.5 rounded down.

“ … all you can do in this life is to learn to accept loss.”

Debut novel from Paul Lynch, who won the Booker Prize in 2023 for “Prophet Sing”.

Dark themes. Hard land and old grudges. Violence. Talented writer and great prose in parts but the story dragged in parts and did not resonate with me.

3.5 rounded down.

New non fiction book by Pulitzer Prize winning author, Geraldine Brooks. Her previous book, "Horse", was a best seller. "Horse" was written before and after the events in this book.

"Memorial Days" is a highly personal telling of the death of her husband, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, Tony Horwitz, who collapsed and died on Memorial Day in 2019.

The book balances the events immediately after Tony's death with the author's efforts to grieve three years later and serves as a tribute to him. It is also a therapeutic approach to grief and loss.

“Credit Suisse was the poster child for banking screwups.”

History of CS and Swiss banking. Useful and thorough overview, although a bit one sided at times. While the red thread of scandal and cultural failures guided the narrative, CS had a strong client franchise and was respected for their thought leadership and advice, even as they were taking outsized risks that led to the final result. That part of the history was missing. Banking is built on trust. In the end, depositors and regulators lost faith the bank could be fixed. 3.5 stars rounded down.