YCReads

After finishing To Kill a Mockingbird in 1961, Harper Lee never published another book.  What happened to her?   This book tries to answer that question but without the help of the Harper Lee it’s a little hard to find the answer.  And really, Harper Lee herself may not know the answer to that question.  The book follows Miss Lee from childhood through the present.  The most interesting part of the book are the sections on her helping Truman Capote with the interviews for In Cold Blood and the writing of To Kill a Mockingbird.  Mr. Shields has written a book about about a nice oridinary woman who is the author of one of the best loved books of all time.

 Karen - Fort Mill                                   ISBN 9780805079197

John Ransom was a young union soldier who was captured and eventually sent to Andersonville, the worst prison camp in the entire Confederacy.   This non-fiction account of the conditions at Andersonville is sometimes tough to take, but powerful nonetheless.  Ransom’s upbeat attitude through the ordeal makes it easy to read and the insight he provides turns a spotlight on a dark time in our history.

Laura W. - Fort Mill

This book was too funny! Ruth Reichl became loved and hated at the New York Times as a food critic for her famous double review. As an ordinary unrecognized individual her food and service remained at best to be adequate. As the heavily touted new food critic she found her raspberries to be three times as big, her food faster and hotter, and the service impeccable. When she wanted to give the restaurant 1 star as an ordinary citizen and 4 stars as the critic people went wild. She quickly learned that eating in disguise gave her a more authentic experience. I loved reading her evolve each new character. Like a good actress, she did not just dress up but also developed a background story, a new voice, and a fresh demeanor for each new creation. And the descriptions of the food! One minute I was salivating and the next gagging. This was a very fun vicarious experience since I know I will personally never be able to afford to eat at such establishments. I highly recommend the read.

Riana - York                                                               ISBN 1594200319

Augusten Burroughs packed more quirkyness into his life between the ages of 12 and 17 than most of us will experience in a lifetime! Many people will be interested to read this book since the recent release of the movie, but be forewarned, it is very graphic and explicit. I listened to the audio version read by the author which added to the wild first-hand accounts. Augusten has never fit in with other kids, and the fact that his father is an alcoholic and his mother psychotic, does not help. Upon his parents divorce, his mother becomes heavily dependent on her eccentric Freudian psychologist. So much so, that Augusten begins to spend the majority of his time living with the crazy Doctor and his even crazier family. The only rule in this house is that there are no rules. The results are sometimes funny, sometimes shocking, and often both.

Riana -York                                                  ISBN 0312283709

Consuming Passions describes Michael Lee West’s life long love affair with food. From Sunday dinners at Grandma’s house in rural Mississippi to the present, she recounts her favorite foods memories. The year she turned 40 Michael Lee went to six family funerals, not only were they losing the older generation but as one of her aunts put it - “we’re burying our best recipes” Already an author, she decided it was time to put the recipes down so there would be no more family recipes “lost”. If you want to read about a southern family with lots of love and a few crazy relatives, you’ll want to read this book, and if you want recipes for coconut cake, cornbread or seafood gumbo, this is definately the book for you.

Karen - Fort Mill                                                              ISBN 0060183713