Special Post: My Forever Books

My Forever Books. October, 2025. Print

 

First Sentences:

To build up a library is to create a life. It's never just a random collection of books. --Carlos María Domínguez, The House of Paper 

A [book] collection is a reflection of who we are and what we love. It is a testament to our passions and the things that bring us joy. -- Unknown author and source 

Collect with your heart, not just your eyes. Choose items that speak to you on a deeper level. --Unknown author and source 

Introduction:

I am in the process of giving away or donating most of my current library. Why? It's certainly not due to a lack of space as there is plenty of room on the shelves the cosy reading room in our house. It's not that I have grown tired of scanning over the titles of loved books from my reading past. That is a sight I will always enjoy. I do, however, still love getting books as presents as well as recommendations from friends and family. Maybe they'll will become part of my "Forever Books" collection (see below).

 

So why donate them? 

• I don't plan to re-read most of these soon-to-be-eliminated books, although they do give me pleasure to see them lined up on my bookshelves, reminding me of their stories, the worlds they opened to me, their language, and even the circumstances I came to possess them (gifts, funky second-hand bookshops, online used books sites, library sales, and sometimes actually even purchased brand new;

• I can easily acquire from a library any of those books I might possibly re-read;

• I had once thought I would loan/give my books to friends and family when they wanted a recommendation and I would be able to steer them to something great from my collection. Never happened. I was very rarely asked by someone to borrow one of my books, so that dream eventually faded;

• I felt there may be other people, unknown to me, who might enjoy discovering a new, offbeat book that caught their eye and then picked up at a library book sale, Goodwill, or Little Library box (and, of course, read its first sentences).

So I am gradually, sometimes reluctantly, donating books to my local library book sale, dropping them off at the nearby Volunteers of America resale shop, and placing them in Little Library boxes I walk by in my neighborhood. Safe travels and enjoy your new homes.

However:

 

There are some what I call "Forever Books" that will remain with me until I die, never ever to be given away, and only begrudgingly loaned (with blood-signed promises to return them). These will be placed proudly in full view on my bookshelves. 

 

Why keep these particular books?

• The plot, characters, writing, and setting of these specific books' remain fascinating to me even after multiple readings. These elements may be familiar to me, but somehow always seem new, like meeting up with a lifetime friend who continues to entertain, surprise, and confide in you;

• I plan to re-read and immerse myself into the worlds of these books until my eyes won't focus anymore, and then will tell my long-suffering care-giver to read them aloud to me;

• Just seeing the spines of these favorites continue to give me great pleasure and memories. They make me tingle in anticipation of the next opportunity when I will be able to immerse myself into their worlds and characters. Whether through their plots (which never get old and always provide new elements, as well as teach me something about the world, people, and myself); their writing (unique, clear, humorous, clever, wise, or all the above); the characters (brave, silly, noble, skilled, thoughtful, open, honest, self-deprecating, or just likeable); or the setting (challenging, gorgeous, natural, imaginative, violent, or serene), these volumes have a special place in my mind and heart.

 

My Forever Book Titles and Description:  

 (* = Click on these titles to read my reviews)

 

[Note: There will probably be a few more that I simply cannot part with, but here is today's list.] 

* 5 Simple Steps to Perfect Golf  - Count Yogi

My father's short, ragged book with simple, clear, solid instruction by and demonstrative photos of the flamboyant character, Count Yogi, a wonderful golfer who set many golf records on the Los Angeles courses, but refused to join the PGA circuit as he didn't want to get up for early tee times.

* Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare - Isaac Asimov

My go-to reference book for understanding any Shakespeare play. Probably the book I use most often, allowing me to best understand the language, nuances, history, humor, and unique writing of The Bard, especially to bone up on the piece before watching any performance 

* Asimov's Guide to Science - Isaac Asimov

Finally I have a book I can search to understand anything in the world, from the universe to Earth, to biology, the body, evolution, atoms, and so much more, written in highly-readable, clear, sentences for a layman like me. 

The Complete Short Stories of W. Somerset Maugham - W. Somerset Maugham

Two hefty volumes of the most remarkable, unpredictable, beautifully-written short stories ever, full of fascinatingly human characters and unique tales in Maugham's lovely prose. I've donated away this collection for years, but keep repurchasing used copies because these stories are always fresh, unpredictable, and wonderfully written, stories that will reach me no matter my mood. Guess I can't quit them.

* Cowboys Are My Weakness - Pam Houston

Short stories powerfully and sincerely written, narrated by courageous, outrageous women and their relationships with questionable men in the gorgeous settings of remote towns in the back country of the Western mountains.

The First and Last Freedom - J Krishnamurti

Given to me by a close friend, this unique book of philosophical questions in dialogue form are continually grounding and deeply thoughtful, always forcing me to challenge any easy answer to life and relationship, and search for the truth amidst the reality of living. 

A Gift from the Sea - Anne Morrow Lindbergh 

Crystal clear, quiet thoughts and exquisitely delicate writing on various aspects of love and relationships using sea shells as her metaphors.

* The Golf Omnibus - P.G. Wodehouse 

My absolute favorite, book for cheering me up or just offering escapist fun through a world of goofy characters doing outrageous activities in the stiff-upper-lip language and manner on the golf course.  

The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien

A book I have loved for years, re-reading it for my own pleasure and to our son from an early age, as well as to young tennis players in India while traveling on long-distant train rides. My copy was a special edition given to me by our son, so I will never part with it and will continue to read it alone and maybe even with a future grandchild.

* The Housekeeper and the Professor -  Yoko Ogawa

There is something about the story of an aging mathematics professor with a memory of only 80 minutes and his humble housekeeper and her son that compels me to re-visit their quiet, challenging world over and over to reclaim their individual struggles and peaceful co-existence.

* Housekeeping - Marilynne Robinson

A strange, compelling tale of a wandering transient aunt who is unwillingly given the responsibility to settle down and raise two young girls in a bitter cold environment. Always captivating, unexpected, challenging, and loving.

 The Importance of Living - Lin Yutang

Another book introduced to my by a close friend on the value of noticing small things, not taking everything seriously, enjoying the humor of everyday life, loafing, appreciating details of home, nature, travel, culture, and the art of thinking. Challenging, humorous, and thoughtful on every topic.

 * In a Sunburned Country - Bill Bryson

Who knew a travel account about Australia could be so outrageously funny? Always something new in this book to learn about this interesting country, always something funny to make me laugh out loud every time I read it.

Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace

I will probably never read even a small portion of this book. But it was given to me by dear friends when I had Stage 4 cancer, along with the note that said they had confidence I would live long enough to read this tome. That meant a lot to me and I will never forget their confidence in me regaining my life and health, as symbolized by this book. 

* Kayaks Down the Nile - John Goddard

This author was a life-long adventurer who at age 15 compiled a list of 127 actions he wanted to accomplish before he died. One of these was paddling from source to mouth of the Nile. My sister gave me this book because Goddard used to come to our high school twice a year to show slides from his latest death-defying exploration. He therefore has a deeply-embedded place in my heart both for his fascinating narrations and for getting the entire school out of class for his semi-annual assemblies. 

Keeko - Charles Thorson

This children's book by the extremely talented illustrator of Bugs Bunny cartoons was the first book in my life I remember, with its lush pictures I drooled over long before I could read. A wonderful story of a young Indian boy trying to find an eagle feather.

Life of Pi - Yann Martel

I just love everything about this book's plot, writing, characters, and setting. Seems to offer me something new and changes my opinions with each re-reading, the marks of a great book

* The Lord of the Rings  - J.R.R. Tolkien

Simply the best epic story ever. These volumes were given to me by a close friend which we read aloud several times, and which later I read to our son. He later carried his own thick volume version to his elementary school class as he read it for himself. Unmatched in every aspect of a great novel.

* The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat - Oliver Sacks

Can never get enough of this volume of very human, unique, fascinating accounts of people with unusual behaviors caused by previously undiagnosed brain disorders 

* Manners from Heaven - Quentin Crisp

Simply a wonderfully witty, barbed, sarcastic, and insightful view of the world, why humans should be well-mannered (not just following stiff rules of etiquette), and how to achieve this highly agreeable personality.

* The Martian - Andy Weir

I simply never get tired of the ingenious bravery of the main character and the setting of his lonely world. Wonderfully concise, precise, funny writing as well. Any books that opens with the first words "I'm pretty much f**ked" promises to be a wild ride ... and delivers on every page.

* The Martian Chronicles - Ray Bradbury

These timeless stories about the exploration of Mars, along with the nature of man's ingenuity, emotions, greed, love, and dreams in a unique setting show a mirror of the face of humanity and consequently never grow old for me. 

Moment in Peking - Lin Yu-Tang

Introduced to this book by a man I admired, this sprawling novel is a powerful, yet intimate introduction for me into the world of pre-Mao China, the lives of wealthy and poor people, and the culture of that era. 

 * Never Cry Wolf  - Farley Mowat

Another book that always makes me laugh at the misadventures of the narrator and the natural world he finds himself in, forever confused by his misconceptions about wolves and men. 

* The Piano Shop on the Left Bank - Thad Carhart

Just a delightful memoir about piano restoration in a hidden store, where the author learns about pianos, their history, their tones, and their personalities, as well as the men who bring them back to life. 

* Plainsong - Ivan Doig

My wife introduced me to this gentle, thoughtful book which I return to often when despairing of the lack of kindness of humans towards each other. This book never fails to restore my faith that there are gentle, quiet people out there doing good for the benefit of their fellow humans. 

A River Runs Through It - Norman MacLean

A beautifully-written memoir about a family fishing, and living life in the backwoods of Montana. It never fails to inspire a warm glow about nature, nor evokes such sadness at the foibles of human nature. 

Roughing It - Mark Twain

A book that continues to make me laugh while learning about the untamed West through the eyes of a young "secretary" (Twain) who has free rein to explore and describe whatever catches his fancy, whether odd people, unusual sights, or wild adventures.  

* Shakespeare Saved My Life - Laura Bates

Memoir of a teacher who entered a prison's solitary confinement cell block and, by pushing books, questions, and notes through the men's food slots, leads discussions of the Bard's writings among prisoners sentenced to years of solitary confinement. These men, through lively conversations, eventually re-wrote some of Shakespeare's plays to better express the criminal's point of view behind the action, and then had other prisoners perform these revised versions, performances the solitary prisoners could never attend. Inspiring.

* Tennis for Life - Peter Burwash

The absolute best, simplest tennis instruction book written by the former pro and president of the tennis management company I worked for which changed my life. This company sent me to teach these techniques from this book at tennis facilities on Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Chennai (India), and The Woodlands (Houston), Texas where I met my beautiful wife.

* To Serve Them All My Days - R.F. Delderfield

A shell-shocked WWI soldier is hired by a boys' school to teach for the first time and by this experience, hopefully achieve some recovery and encourage his re-entrance into the world. Warm, funny, insightful, and always full of characters I would love to meet. 

* Total Immersion - Terry MacLaughlin

My reference book on how to swim efficiently. I return to it often to improve my stroke and understand the body's relationship to the water to swim more "fish-like" and efficiently. 

* We Took to the Woods - Louise Rich 

A wonderful memoir of life in the isolated woods of Maine by a woman who, in each chapter, answers the most common questions she received about living alone in the woods. Inspiring, funny, clear-sighted, and beautifully written. Always a book for me to bring calm to a frantic world.

* The Whistling Season - Ivan Doig

Small Western town novel about a widower and his sons who hire a housekeeper (who can't cook) to organize their home and life. She and her brother who joins her are whirlwinds of new ideas, strong personalities, and challenges to the widower, his family, and the community. Always new, unexpected, and delightful. A book I recommend to more people than all the other books I have ever read. 

* Why We Swim  - Bonnie Tsui

Inspiring essays on the history and wonders of swimming that continue to remind me of why people are fascinated by and thus lured to enjoy the water. 

So there you have my list. I might have a change of heart over some other books of mine before I donate them, but for now these are the books that continue to inspire and entertain me. Each book makes me wish I were a better, funnier, braver, more thoughtful, or admirable person, or at least a better writer. And I wish I were reading each one for the first time again.

Hope you find something here to interest you. Please me know your own "Forever Books." Just reply to this email. I'd be very interested to read about your choices and your reasons behind each selection

 

Happy reading.

Fred

Click here to browse over 480 more book recommendations by subject or title (and read the introduction to The First Sentence Reader).

I See You've Called in Dead

Kenney, John. I See You've Called in Dead. New York : Zibby 2025. Print.

First Sentences:

The good news, of course, is that someone died today. That came out wrong. My name is Bud Stanley. I am an obituary writer. 

 

Description:

For starters, my wife loved this book and laughed out loud frequently while reading it, a very good sign that this would be a story worth it for me to dive into. The clever title to John Kenney's novel, I See You've Called in Dead, was also enticing. Most importantly, from the first few sentences, it seemed to have an interesting, quirky narrator with an unusual job (obituary writer), who was facing a turning point in his life. I was hooked.

Bud Stanley, the obituary writer, has been having a bad time getting serious about his writing assignments and living his life in general. His boss and friend at United World Press, an international news supplier to the world's newspapers and information outlets, likes Bud but is discouraged by Bud's recent work. His examples of Bud's slipshod obituary details sums up Bud's distraction and indifference to his work. 

Wrong age of deceased...Nine times last year...Wrong spouse and children's names. Fourteen times....Wrong affiliations. Twenty-one times. Wrong birthplace. Twelve times. Here's my favorite: Wrong cause of death. Four times. You claimed an eighty-one-year-old grandmother of five who died peacefully in her sleep had, instead, died by suicide by leaping off a bridge.

Bud's background: a sad miscarriage for his wife, a failed marriage, and a disastrous blind date (where the woman, after one look at Stanley, brought her ex-boyfriend into the bar and told Stanley she and her ex were getting back together). These numbing experiences are recalled by Stanley as the stream-of-consciousness narrator with black humor, sarcasm, and overwhelming sadness. These events lead him to a drunken night and his subsequent writing of a fake obituary for himself on the highly password-protected news service's wire service.

Unfortunately, a awkward drunken motion at the keyboard caused him to accidentally post his obituary to the world. This leads everyone he knows (and doesn't know) to believe Bud is dead. In this ill-conceived obit, the world learned that during his lifetime Bud accomplished a great many unusual feats:

Bud Stanley, forty-four, former Mr. Universe, failed porn star, and mediocre obituary writer, is dead.

But ironically, because Stanley is now considered dead in the international news data bank, he technically cannot be fired from United World Press. One cannot fire dead people, it seems. 

So the company's HR Department puts him on leave while they try to figure out what to do with him and how they can legally terminate his employment with them. Until then, Stanley is free to walk around the streets and try to figure out who he is, his purpose, and what he will do with his life.  

What he learns about himself and society drive the rest of the plot forward through many twists and turns, misdirections, revelations, friendships, and life's quirks.

Like most black humor books, this is not necessarily a comedic book. It is, however, certainly one that might make you feel a wee bit guilty for laughing at the characters, their rambling dialogues, and the many awkward situations and odd characters they face.

So, for a complete change of pace read, full of unexpected turns and curious plot lines, I highly recommend I See You've Called in Dead. I guarantee it will captivate you and in the process brighten your day. 

[If this book interests you, be sure to check out:]

 West, Nathanael. Miss Lonelyhearts.

A newspaper columnist who writes an newspaper advice column similar to "Dear Abby," comes to realize that the people who ask for help have genuinely heartbreaking situations they (and now he) cannot address easily or dispassionately. Highly recommended.

Happy reading.

 

Fred

Click here to browse over 480 more book recommendations by subject or title (and read the introduction to The First Sentence Reader).

 

Asimov's Guide to Science

Asimov, Isaac. Asimov's Guide to Science. New York : Basic Books 1960. Print.

First Sentences:

Almost in the beginning was curiosity....There comes a point where the capacity to receive, store, and interpret message from the outside world may outrun sheer necessity. An organism may for the moment be sated with food, and there may, at the moment, be no danger in sight. What does it do then?....[The] higher organisms, at least, still show a strong instinct to explore the environment. Idle curiosity we may call it. ....The more advanced the brain, the greater the drive to explore....[Curiosity] for its simplest definition is "the desire to know."


Description:

This is a first for The First Sentence Reader. I am recommending a book that: 1) I have not finished reading yet and therefore will only review the first 100-page section; and 2) It is a book I don't expect anyone else to read (although I would hope someone out there would be interested enough in some content to at least flip through it and maybe even get caught up enought o read a section or two - or the entire book as I will certainly do.)

Behold, I enthusiastically recommend Isaac Asimov and his thrilling, all-encompassing, wonderful, 945-page Asimov's Guide to Science. 

As a very poor student of any science class but still an interested outsider, I finally wanted to try to understand the world around me. Asimov to the rescue! In his Guide to Science, Asimov covers in separate sections and chapters:

• What is science?
• The Physical Science (The Universe, Earth, Atmosphere, Elements, Energy, etc.)
• The Biological Sciences (Molecules, Proteins, Cells, Microorganisms, The Body, The Mind, etc.)  

Already I can sense your feeling of being overwhelmed by this vast amount of information. Maybe you've never really been interested in science in general. But Isaac Asimov is the most gentle, understanding, clear-thinking, and readable non-fiction author you will ever find. Pick a random subject in any field of science that interests you and he will give you the background, historic figures of relevant scientists in this field and their discoveries, the current advancements, and the plans for the future. 

 

And it is all delivered in easy-to-read sentences chock full of fascinating details that pull you along from paragraph to paragraph until you find you have read 20 pages (or even more) on this scientific topic - and miraculously you've understood it. And you'll also find that you cannot wait to bend the ears of friends and family with fascinating scientific tidbits from Asimov about the world around us.

So as I said, I have only started this tome, finishing the first 100+ pages on "What Is Science" and "The Universe." Both were absolutely riveting. What did I learn?

• What separates humans from most other animals and drives science is curiosity, the "need to know" and to find answers;
• How to measure great distances, such as miles from the Earth to the Moon, to the Sun, to other planets, and far-flung stars as well as determine planetary and other astronomical orbits;
• With the naked eye, we can see about 6,000 stars on a clear night;
• Galileo's telescope showed for the first time that the Milky Way was composed of millions of stars and was flat-shaped;
• A light year is 5.88 trillion miles, i.e., 186,282 miles per second (the speed of light) x 31,536,00 (the number of seconds in a year);
• The unsolved question whether the universe is "evolutionary" (continually expanding and contracting), or whether it is "steady-state" (density of galaxies remains the same);
• A nova is not the death of a star but simply its sudden expansion (sometimes "a millionfold in less that a day") before settling back into its usual brightness;
• Clear explanations and examples of white dwarfs, red giants, super novas, comets, quasars, interstellar gas, dust clouds, telescopes, spectrum photography, radio waves, and so much more)

 

Hope I haven't bored you already. If so, I am very chagrined to have done so. For me, it's so exciting to finally be able to understand scientific terms and the descriptions of the universe I see or read about daily, and in words and examples I can comprehend. I found every page, almost every paragraph, fascinating, informative, and very entertaining. And although I have a lot of the book to go, I cannot wait to dip into its treasures with Asimov as my patient, understanding, and wise guide.

[P.S. I just noticed Asimov wrote an updated and expanded version of his Guide to Science (see below). This new text was written 22 years after the original Guide, so covers new discoveries in fields of computers, AI, robotics, astronomy, biology, etc. Looks like I have my lifetime To Be Read list filled up for the near future. FR]

[N]o one can really feel at home in the modern world and judge the nature of its problems -- and possible solutions to those problems -- unless he has some intelligent notion of what science is up to. But beyond this, initiation into the magnificent world of science brings great esthetic satisfaction, inspiration to youth, fulfillment of the desire to know, and a deeper appreciation of the wonderful potentialities and achievements of the human mind.

[If this book interests you, be sure to check out:]

 Asimov, Isaac. Asimov's New Guide to Science.

Updated version (written 25 years later in 1984) of the original Guide to Science, and covers new discoveries in physics, robotics, biology, astronomy, computers, artificial intelligence, and other fields.

 Happy reading.

Fred

[P.S. Click here to browse over 480 more book recommendations by subject or title and read the introduction to The First Sentence Reader.] 

So Far Gone

Walter, Jess So Far Gone. New York : HarperCollins 2025. Print.

 

First Sentences:

A prim girl stood still as a fencepost of Rhys Kinnick's front porch. Next to her, a cowlicked boy shifted his weight from snow boot to snow book. Both kids wore backpacks. On the stairs below them, a woman held an umbrella against the pattering rain...."We aren't selling anything," said the boy. He appeared to be about six. "We're your grandchildren."


Description:

Rhys Kinnick chose to become a recluse. One day, simply fed up with his work as a newspaper columnist on environmental issues, the world in general, and his own life in particular, he walked off his job. He left his home and drove to an almost-abandoned deep woods cabin built by his grandfather, unoccupied and rarely visited now. There he lived off the grid for seven years -- no phone, no internet, no television, no outside communication -- peacefully, collecting books to be read for pleasure or research for a possible future book he was writing. He slowly erased himself from everything.

I felt like the world was drifting in one direction and I was going the other way. 

But the appearance of his grandchildren, Asher and Leah, on his porch, and a note from his daughter held by the kids' neighbor who brought them, changed his life. 

Dear Anna. If you're reading this, I had to leave in a hurry. I know this is a lot to ask but can you take the kids to my father, Rhys Kinnick. He is a recluse who cut off contact with our family and now lives in squalor in a cabin north of Spokane....

Rhys' daughter, Bethany, had to flee from her husband Shane who recently had become an extreme religious fanatic and planned to forcibly move their family into The Rampart, an armed religious community of similar ultra far-right souls. He had frequently argued with Bethany that she was an unfit mother for not bowing to his demands and his position as husband and father, finally threatening to take sole custody of their young children and make this move with or without her consent.

Rhys awkwardly takes in the young children. But the next day at Asher's chess tournament, they are confronted by two armed thugs from The Rampart. Acting on the orders of the children's father, the roughnecks beat up Rhys, violently grab the children, and take off with them. 

It is now up to Rhys, along with the help of a retired detective, a Native American neighbor, and his ex-girlfriend to try to locate and take back his grandchildren from the religious fortress. But even if he does find and reclaim his grandchildren, what then?

This may sound like a fairly common, straightforward tale, but in the hands of a skilled author like Jess Walter, all the elements found in a quality book -- great plot, writing, characters, and setting -- play important, unpredictable roles in the unspooling of this tale. Relationships are created, challenged, destroyed, and renewed throughout the book, with characters both rising to the challenges facing them and alternatively failing to reach their own desired goals. 

The story and people grow closer to readers until you simply have to keep reading to peek at what will occur next, find out how a person could possibly escape a situation, or watch from between fingers over your eyes whether impending violence will take place and what the outcome will be.

It's a compelling read full of conflicting emotions, bravery, hiding, and throughout it all, an underlying love for family and friends. Well-written, wonderfully paced, and chock full of interesting people and situations, So Far Gone is a highly worthwhile read for just the pleasure of good writing and all the other elements that make a great read.

[If this book interests you, be sure to check out:]

 Haruf, Kent. Plainsong

Two elderly bachelor farmer brothers take in a pregnant teenage girl, protect her from an abusive boyfriend and help her adjust to a life on an isolated farm in a small town. Wonderfully touching and honest. (Previously reviewed here.)

Happy reading.

 

Fred

Click here to browse over 480 more book recommendations by subject or title (and read the introduction to The First Sentence Reader).

 

Land of the Blind

Nadel, Barbara. Land of the Blind. London : Headline 2015. Print.

First Sentences:

He could only stand. A slight bend of the knees was all he could do and if he leaned forward his head touched the wall. Just out of reach, on the dirt floor, was a candle...His chest felt as if it was enclosed in the coils of a snake. The air, stale , and thick with dust, irritated his lungs, forcing him to breathe consciously against the pollutants as well as the embrace of the imaginary serpent.


Description:

It is funny how I came across Barbara Nadel's Land of the Blind. I had recently been reading several books by a new favorite author, Jess Walter, (So Far Gone, Over Tumbled Graves, and Citizen Vince) and wanted to read another of his works, Land of the Blind. But when I did a local library search for that title, I hadn't noticed I had accidentally reserved Barbara Nadel's novel by the same name.

 

Ah, well. After reading those first sentences, I was hooked, even though I knew nothing about the setting, characters, or plot. That writing and first impression were enough for me to plunge in.

 

Nadel's Land of the Blind is set in modern day Istanbul and revolves around Police Inspector Cetin Ikmen and fellow officers in their search for the murderer of an archeologist. She was a Byzantine art specialist and her body was found in Istanbul's ancient Hippodrome building. What was strange was that she also had also recently given birth, but no baby or blood was found at the site. 

 

Ikmen finds her personal diary that alludes to her recent discovery of a skeleton along with an ancient sword. She conjectured that this might actually be the remains of the last emperor of Byzantine, hundreds of years old. And her notes implied that she knew of a living relative of his family, despite the fact that this royal lineage had been completely wiped out centuries ago.

 

Meanwhile, there is a rich land developer who wants to purchase a historic house in order to tear down and build a luxury hotel. The house is the home to generations of the Negroponte family. The matron, a 90-year-old brain-damaged victim of the anti-Greek riots of 1955, still resides there under the care of her servant and her long-lost son (whom some question is actually her true son).

 

And I've saved the best part about this book for last. This is one of those special books that doesn't reveal the truth to an underlying mystery until the very last sentence. Any book that does this has a special place in my heart.

 

So read it, get absorbed into the modern and ancient life of the Turkish and Greek people living and working in modern day Istanbul, and try to discover the truth behind the mysteries that drive this story. A wonderful read on so many aspects. 

Best of all, there are in all 27(!) Inspector Cetin Ikmen novels by Barbara Nadel and a BBC TV series, The Turkish Detective, as well, so you have plenty more cases in Istanbul to solve with these wonderful characters. 

[If this book interests you, be sure to check out:]

Mukherjee, Abir. A Rising Man.

A British Scotland Yard policeman, newly-arrived in Calcutta, India in 1919, is faced with a complicated murder as well as his own shortcomings in this hot, humid, unsettling environment. (Previously reviewed here.)

 Happy reading.

Fred

[P.S. Click here to browse over 480 more book recommendations by subject or title and read the introduction to The First Sentence Reader.]

 

Strange Pictures

Uketsu. Strange Pictures. New York : HarperCollins 2022. Print.

 

First Sentences:

All right, everyone, now I'm going to show you a picture.


Description:

What a compelling opening sentence. Who could not read at least a few more lines to have a peek into that picture and why this person wants to talk about it? The simple, perfect hook for readers. 

 

I absolutely cherish any book that when, after reading the very last line, all I can think about is going back to the beginning and re-reading the whole story again. 

This time, I think, I will catch the subtle hints about the characters, what's about to come, and the significance of overlooked actions and words as the story slowly unravels anew before me. 

It's like watching a great movie that you re-watch again and again for the plot, the characters, the foreshadowing, and the still-surprising actions (like in Jaws when you can never really expect nor avoid jumping when the dead man's skull drops down in the hole in the sunken boat hull).

 

In Strange Pictures by Uketsu (Note: please click here to read about this mysterious Japanese YouTuber/Author sensation whose identity is unknown as he always wears a masks and black body suit when pictured), we are presented with four seemingly unrelated stories as well as nine drawings. All seem distinctly separate from each other, including the art work. 

 

But after coming across an obscure blog called Oh, No, Not Raku, two college students in Japan are captivated by the drawings in this blog and the diary entries from its author. Raku's daily postings center around his family but contain drawings by his wife. These are quick sketches which seem somehow related, but pose many puzzling questions to the college students, especially after Raku posts that his artistic wife died during childbirth of their daughter

When faced with true sorrow, people lose even the strength to shed tears.

Next we jump to a story centering on an unusual picture drawn by a pre-schooler for his mother. It depicts the boy and mother standing in front of a six-story building. The strange part of the picture is that the apartment room where they live is smudged out. Why would that be? If someone could explain this "intentional" blurring in the drawing, they might therefore understand the boy and his mama, and possibly the history of each.

 

The two other stories also involve drawings, but their plots focus on character studies, broken relationships, crimes and mysteries where the drawings might contain a valuable key. 

 

But best of all, somehow all these stories, people, and situations have a connection to each other. Slowly, ever so slowly, readers begin to unravel confusing clues, clarify relationships, and uncover overlapping timelines in this seemingly simple, yet wildly entertaining book.

 

It's one of the most unusual, gripping, and puzzling books I have ever read. Cannot wait to start it all over again in the very near future, maybe next week. Uketsu has another book out now as well, Strange Houses, so I'm definitely checking that one out as well. Highly recommended.

 

[If this book interests you, be sure to check out:]

Hallett, Janice. The Twyford Code.

Probably the most complex, yet completely engrossing mystery I've ever read involving the search for a children's book which might contain in its text the secret to a lost stash of money. Highest recommendation. (Previously reviewed here.)

Happy reading.

Fred

Click here to browse over 470 more book recommendations by subject or title (and read the introduction to The First Sentence Reader).

 

Open Tennis

Evans, Richard. Open Tennis: The First Twenty Years, the Players, the Politics, the Pressures, the Passions, and the Great Matches. New York: Bloomsbury 1988. Print.

First Sentences:

 

His [Pancho Gonzales'] favourite exercise now is to stand on the back porch of his Las Vegas home and drive golf balls out into the Nevada desert. Then he strides out amongst the scrub and cacti and picks them up.

Description:

Having just watched Richard Evans be inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island in 2024, I was intrigued to look into his most famous of his twenty-three books, Open Tennis: The First Twenty Years, the Players, the Politics, the Pressures, the Passions, and the Great Matches. Evans, a longtime writer of tennis articles who covered over 200 grand slam events, dozens of Davis Cup Challenges, and countless tournaments, is a brilliant observer and interviewer of tennis players, agents, administrators, investors, sponsors, and anyone else who existed in the developing world of open tennis during the 1960-1980s and decades later.

 

Evans started off as a newly-hired sports reporter in 1960 for London's The Evening Standard. As the youngest newcomer, he was assigned to cover Althea Gibson, the first black woman to win Wimbledon. 

Watching her play and even attending the champions' dinner as her escort hooked Evans on the sport. He began his long journalistic career covering tennis, eventually becoming the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Press Officer and later European Director, and therefore privy to an insider's look into the game which he narrates to us lucky readers in Open Tennis.

I was their age, so I had this huge advantage of being able to travel with a group of players.…There were no coaches, no managers, no agents, no wives or girlfriends, except for the odd occasion, traveling the world,” Evans said. “You can imagine the Aussies knew how to travel the world. They knew how to enjoy themselves on court, very competitive, and off court less competitive.

Prior to the Open Era, tennis tournaments, especially the Grand Slams, were reserved for players who were "unpaid" amateurs only. To survive, amateur players took appearance money under the table from sponsors and tournament directors. 

Some superstar players like Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Pancho Gonzales, Lew Hoad, and Bobbie Riggs joined Jack Kramer's new pro tour to make any sort of money. Other pro tours, especially the WCT created by Lamar Hunt, soon emerged, and drew paying fans, luring Arthur Ashe, Charles Pasarell, and Stan Smith away from the amateur events. 

But the majority of players opted to remain amateurs to protect their eligibility to enter the more prestigious Grand Slam tournaments and other tour events, even if those tournaments did not include all the world's best players. 

 

But in 1968, Wimbledon announced it would include all the top players, pro and amateur, in its draw. Evans was there to cover the angst this opening of tennis caused among the tournament directors, international tennis administrative associations, and purist fans who felt their heroes should only play for the love of the game (despite their public "secret" that these heroes were accepting appearance money). 

But when ATP pro and amateur players alike began boycotting tournaments that did not allow professionals to play, tournament directors and governing bodies reluctantly gave in and the Open Era, where amateurs and professionals alike could compete on the same court, was born.

 

Evans describes highlights of this era in wonderful, gripping detail. The rise of the professional women's tour with Gladys Heldman and Billie-Jean King, the great matches of Gonzales-Pasarell, Laver-Rosewall, Borg-McEnroe, Ashe-Connors, and Evert-Navratilova. There are chapters on the behind-the-scenes negotiations between tennis governing bodies and players (with Evans as reporter), the unusual World Team Tennis tour, and Davis Cup matches. There is even a chapter on "Sex and the Single Player" detailing the demands on players and their behavior on the tour at a time where few had coaches, much less the entourages of today with girlfriends, managers, trainers, publicity agents, and friends to support them.

 

I will not attempt to explain the various organizations (ATP, WCT, WTT, ILTF, USLTA) covered in Open Tennis, or major movers and shakers of this era (Kramer, Dell, Heyman, Drysdale, Tinling, Heldman, Hunt). But Evans, in his genius manner of making readers feel present at important meetings, introduces these key players and governing bodies, relating the influence each has on tennis, both positive and negative. 

He explains the current ATP point system where each player receives a per-determined number of points for his/her record at a tournament, with point tallies used to determine rankings, future seedings, and entry into the end of the year championship tournament. For the first time, I understand the bones of the tennis organization, the major people, and the events leading to the creation of the today's Open Era game.

While everyone in not the tennis enthusiast that I am, this book is an important history of a worldwide game as it moved into the modern era, told by one man who was there to see it happen and be in close contact with the figures who encouraged or blocked this progress. 

Open Tennis will help readers understand what previous as well as current players have to deal with every day to even play in tournaments, compete at the highest level, and possibly win or gain enough points to improve their ranking, future seeding, and therefore potential prize money.

 

It is a strong book, written with attention to detail, impartiality, and a genuine love of the game and its players. Read it, skim it, or just dip into portions that interest you. But if you enjoy watching/playing/understanding tennis, this is the definitely book for you.

 

[If this book interests you, be sure to check out:] 

  

McPhee, John. Levels of the Game.   

Simply the best description of two men, Arthur Ashe and Clark Graebner, as they play a grueling match in the 1968 US Open. Breathtaking shot-by-shot examination of the thoughts, emotions, and strokes, along with the resulting triumphs and failures of each play throughout the match. In one word: Riveting.

Happy reading.

Fred

 

Click here to browse over 465 more book recommendations by subject or title

(and read the introduction to The First Sentence Reader).