more than letters on a line today

  The Lindbergh Nanny Mariah Fredericks 3.5 stars       The re-telling of the kidnapping of 20 month old Charlie from the home of his American hero father Charles and mother, Anne Morrow Lindbergh. Through the eyes of Betty Gow, the nanny, we see her feelings of loss and guilt as she becomes the target of the media. We are allowed behind the scenes of the lives of other staff members and witness their weaknesses and foibles in dealing with the famous family.  There was a slow build-up to the actual event and given so much info on Betty's background, family, past romances, it almost ground to a halt for me. This cast of unsympathetic characters, who eventually betrayed someone, were at times hard to tolerate even though I did complete the book. Several insights of Charles Lindbergh's character and beliefs on raising a child, left me cold and did not put him in the grieving father category. The life that he and Anne led, is probably not uncommon among the rich an...

  What Makes Us Human Iain S. Thomas, Jasmine Wang, GPT-3 4.5 stars       I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has a wise voice that supersedes all religious rules/ideas beyond unknown cultures/beliefs based on discrimination and lines on a map - this voice spoke with kindness, gentleness and love. Open AI is a real thing, it was initiated by a billionaire whose name is familiar to all of us. Imagine, if our questions about Life, Afterlife, Fear, and Love could be made so simple that we could understand with a child's mind. GPT-3: generative pre-trained transformer has access to every idea, experience, or sentiment ever written down and recorded by human hands. ...perhaps we are the knowledge passed down from generation to generation, from the wisest amongst us. When posed with questions from two human (Thomas and Wang), GPT-3 responds with the knowledge of a loving parent, patient, but yet encouraging thinking. Acceptance is not resignation. Acceptance is fre...

   Sparring Partners John Grisham 4 stars  because I am a fan...       ...but I'll also say this... I am a Grisham fan, I will read anything he puts out, I love his imagination. I picture him sitting beside someone at a coffee shop for half an hour and then writing a short story about what he witnessed. Now, that is awesome! But, I was somewhat disappointed in this book with the ambiguity in these stories. Although the stories and characters are possible and believable, I want to see the end, end. I'm old fashioned that way. If you 'know' Jake Brigance, you'll understand why I picked up this book. I couldn't resist a little more time Matthew McConaughey, if you know what I mean. My words to the author: Finish the dang story John or are you writing a part 2? Please.

  Brotherless Night   V. V. Ganeshananthan  4.5 stars Pub date January 2023       An amazing book that chronicles the battles between the Tamils and the government in Sri Lanka. Spoken with the voice of an insider who lived amidst the devastation and carnage to secure the truth for the rest of the world to see. We forget sometimes when we see the televised version of wars that real people are affected. That family meals are interrupted, and each person sitting at that table, sees their war differently. The war is inside their home too. Sashi and her brothers are lost to each other in their convictions and the story unfolds of their experiences.  Committed to a life of doctor-ing Sashi must face the inevitable   passage of time, locations, and loss of those most important to her. There is no right or wrong when you love someone, there is only the co...