Nick Schenkel Book Reviews

The 100 Year Old Man

Nick Schenkel Book Reviews — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 22:12:01 +0000

Part comedy, part police procedural, The Man Who Climbed Out of A Window And Disappeared 100-year-old Allan Karlsson, a man who does not takes chances. Nor is he a man of deep convictions, passions or drive. Allan IS a man who defines “opportunist”. Discover all this and more with Allan and his merry band of run-aways in this haphazard and fascinating tour of the 20^th century.

House of Stone: A Memoir

Nick Schenkel Book Reviews — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 19:48:32 +0000

The first experience we have of this marvelous book is the beautifully crafted, precise and yet languid language....next we meet the sense of place and sense of home that so many of us have lost in this hurly-burly world of America. We learn that Anthony Shadid's story is shared by many of us – his return to the home of his family’s birth is the story of rediscovery of the old country for so many of us whose families were immigrants to America too.

The Big New Yorker Book of Dogs

Nick Schenkel Book Reviews and Nick Sc — Fri, 31 May 2013 11:30:00 +0000

Only The New Yorker could fetch such an unbelievable roster of talent on the subject of man’s best friend. This copious collection, beautifully illustrated in full color, features articles, fiction, humor, poems, cartoons, cover art, drafts, and drawings from the magazine’s archives.

People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished From the Streets of Tokyo...

Nick Schenkel Book Reviews — Fri, 24 May 2013 13:10:58 +0000

This is the story of Lucie Blackman, a young woman murdered while pursuing adventure in a foreign land – Japan - far from her home in Britain. Lucie’s story is told by a London Times journalist who labored for many years to discover the truth behind Lucie’s tragic death. Compelling in its writing, People Who Eat Darkness has been deservedly compared to the best books of the true-crime genre.

Washed Away: How the Great Flood of 1913...Terrorized a Nation and Changed it Forever

Nick Schenkel Book Reviews — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:30:00 +0000

It is Easter week, 1913. Our true story unfolds with the anticipation and the excitement of a best-selling novel. Writing an hour by hour, day by day diary of the incredible weather events of that infamous week 1913, Geoff Williams develops characters that tug at our hearts in the few moments we know them, and paints a gripping picture of the many towns and states through which the totally unexpected weather would rage throughout the Midwest...from small towns to major urban centers.

Asphalt Renaissance: The Pavement Art and 3-D Illusions of Kurt Wenner

Nick Schenkel Book Reviews — Fri, 10 May 2013 19:10:39 +0000

Kurt Wenner’s remarkable street chalk artistry is as ephemeral as it is full of impact – this is art that is washed away in a sudden rainstorm and inevitably will wear away as feet trod over the art. Yet in this ephemera lies this art’s greatest gift to the world – its emphasis on “creation” and the public nature of its production.

And Know This Place: Poetry of Indiana

Nick Schenkel Book Reviews — Fri, 03 May 2013 11:27:00 +0000

This marvelous poetry collection opens with the changes that have come to Hoosier life and landscape, poems that paint a picture of the vanishing past of Indiana with more joy than sorrow. As we meander on through the collection we come across the many more moods of life in Indiana – poems of joy and sorrow, pain and excitement, all composed by poets who share a Hoosier connection.

The Muses Go To School

Nick Schenkel Book Reviews — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:58:10 +0000

Whoa! Did Herbert Kohls write that sports are part of the creative world? That developing my home budget is a creative act as is dancing or listening to music as I study? What is going on here?! This is NOT your typical “arts are good because they foster math skills” kind of book, is it? No, it certainly is NOT! This IS a book that makes the case for celebrating the arts in the curriculum of our schools and our daily lives.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel

Nick Schenkel Book Reviews — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 17:48:56 +0000

What story! Set in a San Francisco bookstore that is more a bizarre lending library than a place to buy books, a mysterious cult’s underground library in the heart of New York City, a cast of characters frail and yet passionate, and a modern-day quest oddly intertwined with a fictional fantasy series featuring a talking dragon….Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore is a romp I know you’ll enjoy!

Air Force One: The Aircraft That Shaped the Modern Presidency

Nick Schenkel Book Reviews — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 17:28:47 +0000

What to Harrison Ford, George Bush and Bill Clinton all have in common? A jumbo jet that has been specially developed to whisk the President and his entourage around the world...enter the incredible world of Air Force One!"