2012-33 - The Art of Fielding, by Chad Harbach

33 - The Art of Fielding, by Chad Harbach, 512 pages, Back Bay Books, 2011
WHY I PICKED IT: Saw it in a book store
ELAPSED TIME: 1 week
RATING: REQUIRED READING

Wow.  I truly enjoyed this story.  Well written, good characters, and satisfying without oversimplifying.

Mike Schwartz meets Henry Skrimshander when Mike is a freshman in college and Henry is a scrawny kid who loves baseball... and sees a talent that is truly rare.  Mike helps Henry get into college and gets him on the road to baseball stardom.  Henry's college roommate, Owen, is not your typical jock (his team-mates call him Buddha).  Guert Affenlight, the President of the College, falls in love.  Pella Affenlight comes to this college to escape an ill-conceived marriage.

This book is their story... from Mike and Henry before Henry starts college, introducing Owen in Henry's freshman year, introducing Guert and Pella in Henry's Junior year... all culminating in a final baseball game that is gripping on its own... but more so in the context of their collective experiences.

My favourite line from the book was easy to choose: "... a soul isn't something a person is born with but something that must be built, by effort and error, study and love."

I recommend this book!

2012-32 - The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, by John Le Carre

32 - The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, by John Le Carre, 219 pages, Penguin Books, 1963
WHY I PICKED IT: Recommended by my friend Darrin
ELAPSED TIME: 2 weeks
RATING: Meh

This book was ... well, just not my type of book.  A perilous assignment for a British spy at the end of a career, in the midst of the cold war.  Well written, good characters, and a very well considered plot, but that just wasn't interesting to me.  A great read if you like spy novels with good characters.  For the rest of us, skip it.