Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen

So much of this biography was familiar - life in the 50's is New Jersey was so much like the 50's in West Mifflin.  His description of his early life provided many smiles of recognition.  Not as familiar was the unusual Irish Italian mix of family and neighborhood.  I do have to admit that I did not read every word of every step in his musical journey but I was surprised at how well it was written.  A very pleasant read.

Leonardo Da Vinci by Walter Isaacson

If you want to know everything possible about all the art Da Vinci produced than the 500+ pages are definitely worth it.  Isaacson has borrowed from many earlier biographies to see Da Vinci as more than an artist and he is just as interesting a person as we have come to expect.  My favorite section was on the Vitruvian Man and the authors's own take on the legacy of Da Vinci.  His attitude of Michelangelo is also an interesting read. Such a big person surely deserves such a big book.

The Ghost Writer by Alessandra Torre

Helena Ross is a famous writer of successful romance novels and she is dying.  With just months to live she has one more book she needs to write and it is to be her confession.  Readers of her novels could not have imagined her life of isolation.  When she realizes that she is not well enough to finish the book, she decides to hire a ghost writer.  Surprisingly, her choice is Marka Vantly, her major writing competitor.  But Marka is not who Helena imagines.  There are secrets everywhere that make the book hard to put down.  The clues to the "confession" are slowly released mixed in with back story of a life that is unravelling.  This is easily a one sitting read.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

There has been a trauma early in Eleanor's life that, as the reader, you think you have figured out.  It has made  her a decidedly socially awkward person. She has a job she does quite well but is the butt of many office jokes.  She spends her weekends drunk so she won't have to think about how lonely she is. All of that changes.  Eleanor's directness is in humorous conflict with a world that seemed to function more on politeness than truth but there is also a lot of sadness.  It turns out that one friend can make all the difference in the world.

Bear Town by Fredrick Backman

As much as I loved A Man Called Ove, I hated this book.  It was not that it was badly written but I hated having to read about the jock culture.  I hated the bullying.  I hate the price Maya must pay to try and fit into this culture.  I guess the fact that this story of playing hockey in a small town in Sweden has the capacity to make me so outraged is probably a good thing if that was Backman's intent.  To be fair, there is a lot to think about in terms of family and community and personal responsibility but the argument that being good at a sport is an excuse for bad behavior just doesn't fly for me.