One of our good friends passed on recently.  He was a loyal library patron and an avid reader of non-fiction. True crime was his favorite, but he enjoyed any book that taught him something new.  He submitted many written reviews of the books he read.  Here are few excerpts.  We’ll miss you RA!

The Poet and the Murderer – Simon Worrall
(Using the forgery of an Emily Dickinson poem as a guide, Worrall reconstructs the life and crimes of the 20th century’s best forger whose actions resulted in the murder of two innocent people.)

“My favorite by far.  Murder, forgery and religion, this one has it all.  Once you’ve read The Poet and the Murderer, you’ve read the best. Don’t bother with other books on forgery, this is the only one worth reading!”

Julie & Julia – Julie Powell
To be released in theaters this summer.
(One woman’s endeavor to cook in the span of a single year, each of the 524 recipes in Julia Child’s legendary “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.”)

“I was a little concerned at the beginninng because I don’t know a thing about cooking.  I read the whole book and I thought it was daringly delightful and funny.  I know the next time I go out for dinner I’m ordering calve’s liver & spiced pecan cake.  Fascinating to see how successful her blog of this project became!”

The Know-It-All – A.J. Jacobs
(One man’s endeavor to read the Encyclopedia Britannica cover to cover.)

“This book is dynamically entertaining, very humorous and loaded with fascinating facts and stories, particularly his discussion of the IQ –  intelligency is notoriously hard to define.  A lot of fun to read!”

The Devil’s Gentelman
(The riveting tale of Roland Molineux, a socially ambitious chemist accused of poisoning his adversaries and the sensational trial that rocked Manhattan at the turn of the 20th century.)

“Murder by poison is not as graphic or violent as that by shooting or stabbing, but the forensics are more complex and interesting.  Enthralling crime story.”

Enter the Past Tense: My Secret Life as a CIA Assassin – Roland Haas (Story of a young man recruited by the CIA for elimination assignments and the impacts it had on his life.)

“During his career, he eliminated 18 people and was targeted for killing several times as well.  An incredible story of international intrigue, deception and assassination.  The entire book is full of exciting/intriguing episodes from this man’s extraordinary life.”

Ted, white, and blue : the Nugent manifesto – Ted Nugent (A collection of essays and ruminations by the veteran rocker, commentator and neo-libertarian rabble-rouser conservationist.)

“I’ve read biographies of Kurt Cobain, Bob Marley, Axl Rose, Brian Wilson, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison (to name a few) but who is Ted Nugent?  My son could write biography of the man, but I’ve never heard of him (not even Cat Scratch Fever).  Thank you for recommending it, I found it very interesting.  Most surprising: the “Wild Man” doesn’t (appear to) have a single tattoo.  And now I know why!”