• Home
  • Escapes and Pleasures
  • Family and Friends
  • Go Sox
  • The Outer Loop
  • Articles of Interest

MillersTime

MillersTime

Monthly Archives: December 2011

Books Most Enjoyed by MillersTime Readers in 2011

31 Saturday Dec 2011

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 1 Comment

First, much thanks to all of you who took the time and patience to recall the books you’ve enjoyed this year. There are 59 of us, almost evenly divided (31-28 in favor of the females), who sent in 272 titles and comments.

Second, please forgive my endless reminders, tho the results, I believe, may have been worth the nagging. (Late additions will be posted as they arrive, without any snarky comments from the editor.)

There is a rich diversity of titles, and some of the most intriguing are those that were only mentioned once. How, for instance, can one not pay attention to Dixon Butler’s “The most important book I’ve read in years,” or Bob Thurston’s “one of the most surprising, amazing books I’ve ever read…really worth tracking down and reading”?.

The breakdown in fiction/non-fiction favored fiction 55%-45%.

A few non-fiction titles kept popping up, particularly Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken, Eric Larsen’s In the Garden of Beasts, Walter Issacson’s Steve Jobs, and Rebecca Skloot’s The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

In fiction, Colum McCann’s Let the Great World Spin, Julie Orringer’s Invisible Bridge, Helen Simonson’s Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, and Kathryn Stockett’s The Help (a repeat from last year) were popular.

Folks are still reading the Stieg Larsson’s Millenium Triology and Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games.  And Jo Nesbo appears to be the ‘go to’ writer for those looking for a replacement for Stieg Larsson.

I have starred (*) titles that occur more than one time in the list.

The list will take time to peruse, but I think it gives all of us suggestions worth considering for 2012.

Finally, just a reminder that this list is not meant to be ‘the best books of 2011,’ but rather what the title of this posting states – ‘The Books Most Enjoyed by MillersTime Readers in 2011.’

And, of course, I take responsibility for any inaccuracies or mistakes in the posting of the titles, authors, subject matter, etc. as MillersTime readers rarely make grammatical mistakes in their submissions.

Enjoy.

Continue reading »

Share

Goodnight iPad

21 Wednesday Dec 2011

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ Leave a Comment

And goodnight gadgets everywhere.

Share

Maybe the Best Film of the Year?

19 Monday Dec 2011

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ Leave a Comment

Mini-reviews of two films, both enjoyable, and one which is at the top of my list of best films for 2011:

A Separation *****

You’re going to have to hunt around to find this film, which has been at various film festivals (and won numerous awards) but has not yet been released widely here.

If you find it, you’re in for a treat.

I hesitate to say too much about the film, both because I don’t want to spoil it, oversell it, and for fear that folks will be turned off by the fact that it’s an Iranian film with subtitles and a bit long.

I’ve always felt that Pirandello’s play Six Characters in Search of an Author is my ideal of good theatre/writing, where each character wants you to see the world/the conflict being portrayed from his/her point of view. And that’s what’s so good about A Separation. Each of the four main characters, five if you include the 11 year old daughter, want you to understand their point of view. And writer/director Ashgar Farhadi is quite successful in not taking sides. At various times, I found myself identifying and/or ‘rooting’ for each of the various characters to emerge ‘the hero.’

The film is set in present day Iran and gives a very different view of that country than the one we get from the current media.  It is basically a drama that unfolds as the individuals portrayed struggle to cope with issues of family relationships, class, gender, age, religion, and the unintended consequences of their own actions.

Tho set in Iran and with aspects that are particular to that setting, the issues the characters struggle with are in many ways universal. It is a contemporary tragedy that has much to teach us.

Maybe the best film I’ve seen all year.

*     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy  ****

Wonderful acting by Gary Oldman who plays the role of George Smiley, the retired (forced) British spy who is called back into service to find the Soviet mole in the British Intelligence Service..

I can’t say as I could always follow the ins and outs of Smiley’s thinking and approach to accomplishing his task. But eventually, I just sort of sat back and let the film do all the ‘work.’

John le Carrie’s 1974 novel was made into a seven-part televison series starring Alec Guinness, and I think I saw it. But I can’t imagine any better portrayal of Smiley than the one done here by Oldman. And there are other good performances too.

The film doesn’t hurry you along, but it keeps you engaged all the way through.

Share

Boswell: How Much Is Too Much?

16 Friday Dec 2011

Posted by Richard in Go Sox

≈ Leave a Comment

Those of you who have been long time followers of MillersTime/GoSox (all three of you) no doubt know that I am a big fan of Wash. Post sports writer Thomas Boswell. I always feel I learn something from his columns.

He wrote another one the other day entitled A Different Kind of Moneyball, wherein he looked at the recent deals with Pujols (and to a lesser degree the ones with Reyes, Wilson, Buehrle, and Bell) and asks, “How much is too  much?”

Continue reading »

Share

Two Films and a Book

14 Wednesday Dec 2011

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ Leave a Comment

New voices.

These three ‘Escapes and Pleasures,’ mini-reviewed below, are all ‘firsts.’  Helen Simonson, J.C. Chandor, and Alrick Brown, all in their mid to late 30s, have each produced a winner in debut works.  Good new voices, new talent.

First, the book.

Continue reading »

Share

Skydiving – From 32 Years Later

12 Monday Dec 2011

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures, Family and Friends

≈ 4 Comments

(Ed.–Since posting Elizabeth’s recounting of her and Caroline’s skydiving — The Coolest Thing I’ve Ever Done — I have been told by at least a half dozen folks about experiences they had that were similar. This morning, I found the following in my email, written by long time friend Leslie Lierman.)

“I want to thank Beth for sharing her story! I have not shared the details of this
experience with many and even though few may read through it, it was fun for me to relive it and capture the story if even for my own amusement.”

Singing in the Sky
By Leslie Lieman

Continue reading »

Share

Reminds Me of Manny in Boston

11 Sunday Dec 2011

Posted by Richard in Go Sox

≈ 3 Comments

New England/Florida cousin sent me the following article on life after Pujols for St. Louis.

I don’t know enough about how Pujols was seen in St. Louis, and I hope any of you from St. Louis will weigh in on this (Ben Senturia, for example?). But the article sure reminds me of Manny in Boston, where folks had to overlook so much for so long because he was so good with his bat.

I suspect this story is repeated around both leagues with different players.

Oh for those days of old where players stayed with the same team for their entire career.

Check it out.

Albert Pujols Is Leaving St. Louis. Rejoice!

Share

A Modest Suggestion

09 Friday Dec 2011

Posted by Richard in Go Sox

≈ 2 Comments

So I am reading about the 100th anniversary of Fenway Park and all the plans the Red Sox have for showing it off throughout the 2012 season.

No one asked me, but I have a modest suggestion for the Red Sox:

Continue reading »

Share

Sometimes Everyone Wins

09 Friday Dec 2011

Posted by Richard in Family and Friends, The Outer Loop

≈ 11 Comments

(My wife and I have been having a ‘fight’ for at least the last six months over whether we should cancel our subscriptions to the paper editions of the Washington Post and the New York Times.

Said wife claims that it is a waste of money since she never reads the print editions (true) and she doesn’t think I do either (partially true).

Crunch time has come as the Times wants to charge us $815.78 to renew our subscription and said wife refuses to pay the bill (she is in charge of the monthly bills). Either I am to pay this bill, or our subscription will lapse.

Continue reading »

Share

Steve Jobs: “Tweaker” or “Visionary”?

06 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 2 Comments

In a recent piece in the The New Yorker, Malcolm Gladwell called Steve Jobs “the greatest tweaker of his generation.”

Malcolm Gladwell as you may know, is the best selling author of The Tipping Point, Blink, The Outliers. He seems to capture trends, occurrences, and happenings in our society that others may sense but have not fully realized nor described.

Continue reading »

Share

Three Films: One Not to Miss

05 Monday Dec 2011

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 1 Comment

Is it possible that a new, black and white, silent movie can be better than either one of the two recent George Clooney films?

I think that just may be the case.

Continue reading »

Share

“The Coolest Thing I’ve Ever Done”

04 Sunday Dec 2011

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures, Family and Friends

≈ 7 Comments

(When our younger daughter Elizabeth was in college, she called us to say, ‘Don’t kill me. I’ve got something to tell you.” We promised not to kill her, whereupon she told us she had pierced her tongue.

Only later did we learn that she had not done so at all but was just testing us out to see how upset we might get. And, of course, when we didn’t disown her, she then got her tongue pierced.

Well, it’s now ten years later, and Elizabeth called last night to tell us she was going skydiving today. I thought (silently) that she shouldn’t do it. But she’s 28, and I wasn’t going to start telling her what not to do now.

And so about 9:30 AM this morning, we got the following text message:

“I’m alive. Coolest thing I’ve ever done.”

Being not only a father but also the editor of MillersTime, I quickly (after I told her I was relieved), texted back saying, “I see a MillersTime post in the offing.”

And here it is:)

Continue reading »

Share

35 Hot Stove League Predictions

03 Saturday Dec 2011

Posted by Richard in Go Sox

≈ 2 Comments

In an attempt to add a bit of interest to this winter’s ‘Base Ball’ machinations, I added a new MillersTimeBaseball Contest:
this winter’s Stove League.

The prize: two tickets to a game in any stadium of the winner’s choosing for the 2012 season.

Here is the list of what folks predicted:

Continue reading »

Share

Photos from Warsaw & Krakow

02 Friday Dec 2011

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ 1 Comment

Below you will find a link to 40 of Ellen Miller’s photos from our recent trip to Warsaw and Krakow, including Ellen’s pix from Auschwitz-Birkenau.

First click on the link just below this paragraph. When the pictures appear, click on “Slideshow” at the bottom left of the page.

Click Here for Pix

(I previously posted nine pictures from Auschwitz by our traveling companion Maria Jesus Verdugo. If you haven’t seen those photos, click here.)

Share

What Books Have You Most Enjoyed This Year?

01 Thursday Dec 2011

Posted by Richard in Escapes and Pleasures

≈ Leave a Comment

As I have done for the past three years, I am asking for a list (anywhere from one to as many as you’d like) of the books you’ve most enjoyed reading in 2011.

There is no definition to the kind of book which you might add to this list. They can be fiction, non-fiction, science fiction, science, mystery, romance, hobbies, children’s books, etc. I am just looking for what you truly enjoyed this past year (old or new books) with the thought that others might get some ideas for their reading in 2012.

Continue reading »

Share

♣ Search



♣ Featured Posts

  • The List: “MillersTime” Readers’ 2024 Favorite Books
  • Returning to Sedona, AZ
  • Looking for Good Films to See?
  • And the Winners Are…
  • The Book List: 2023
  • The Lake Country: Thru Ellen’s Lens
  • I Did It Again
  • Readers’ 2023 Mid-Year Favorite Books
  • By the Sea, By the Beautiful Sea…
  • Yes, It’s True…I Biked from Bruges to Amsterdam!
  • Carrie Trauth Made the World a Better Place
  • “I Used to Be a Human Being” – Andrew Sullivan
  • Sam Miller: “There Is Never Enough.”
  • When I Was 22…
  • The Best $50 I’ve Spent All Year…Even Though It’s Free

♣ Recent Comments

  • David Price on 2025 MillersTime Baseball Contests
  • Andrew Cate on 2025 MillersTime Baseball Contests
  • chris eacho on 2025 MillersTime Baseball Contests
  • Ed Scholl on 2025 MillersTime Baseball Contests
  • Anthony leon on “The Secret History of Tiger Woods”

♣ Archives

  • April 2025
  • March 2025
  • December 2024
  • November 2024
  • July 2024
  • June 2024
  • March 2024
  • December 2023
  • November 2023
  • October 2023
  • August 2023
  • July 2023
  • June 2023
  • April 2023
  • February 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011

♣ Sections

  • Articles & Books of Interest
  • Escapes and Pleasures
  • Family and Friends
  • Go Sox
  • The Outer Loop

Proudly powered by WordPress Theme: Chateau by Ignacio Ricci.