Photojournalism - Reuel Golden

Subtitled, 150 Years of Outstanding Press Photography, this book offers a few paragraphs with a couple pages of photos from over 100 photojournalists.  It is well put together and offers some interesting insights into many well-known and iconic photos.  A leisurely read, especially enjoyable for photographers and news junkies.

The Forgotten Waltz - Anne Enright

Enright is an excellent writer in the tradition of great Irish storytellers.  Her original style and insights make this book worth reading, but not one of her best.  It lost some steam midway through.

The Things They Carried - Tim O'Brien

A novel told in a series of short stories.  It is a war, it is Vietnam, it is ugly, it is surreal, it is real.  O'Brien has written a book that will stop you in your tracks.  Devastating and tender, it is simply superb.

Learning to See Creatively - Bryan Peterson

A very basic book on photo composition that is flawed by the author's insistence of only using his own photos as examples.  It comes off as more of a promotion for the author than a real educational tool.  It would have been great to show examples of various photographer's different use of composition techniques.

West Wind - Mary Oliver

The Sound of Waves - Yukio Mishima

The Fall - Albert Camus

The Maid - Kimberly Cutter

The author claims that Joan of Arc was the greatest woman in history and after reading this book, I don't disagree.  Many have written about this amazing woman, but this novel brings to life the young girl who lead an army.  Cutter sticks to historical facts as she imagines Joan's life in this novel.  It quickly becomes a page-turner even though we all know the story.  The author has a wonderful style and the ability to involve the reader into what is perhaps the most real retelling of this tale.  It is blunt and gruesome in parts, but how could it not be describing that period in time.  An excellent book!

Paris Portraits - Harriet Lane Levy

This book is subtitled, Stories of Picasso, Matisse, Gertrude Stein and Their Circle.  It is a short book containing a variety reflections by Harriet Lane Levy.  For those who enjoy the changing art world in Paris as Picasso and Matisse come into their own, this book is a fun read.  The book is a collection of fragments written by Levy as she spent time in Paris with her friend Gertrude Stein as she developed her art collection and her famous salons.  I suppose it is not a coincidence that this book was released in the same year as the popular movie, Midnight in Paris, since it offers further insight into that romaticized period.  I enjoyed the book, although I did not find myself liking the author in her curious and somewhat detached relationships.  For those who can't get enough about this time in Paris, the book offers more small insights.