Thanks Elmer. I just downloaded a sample to try. Don't know how I overlooked this previously.

I requested it @ my library. Thx!

I read it within the past year, and greatly enjoyed it. Just 15 minutes ago I finished Larson’s “ Isaac’s Storm”.. It is an easy read of a very dreadful event.

I'll give a small hint regarding content which in no way is a spoiler.

I draw a parallel to Larson's Devil In The White City, another book worth reading.

The "White City" refers to the 1893 Worlds Fair in Chicago. Larson's approach, as I surmise is "You may have heard about the 1893 Worlds Fair. I'm going to tell you a lot about it, many things that will be new to you. In addition, there's an intertwined story that I suspect you may never have heard of and likely know little about. I'm going to tell you about that too".

There's a large park near the center of Berlin called the Tiergarten. It's been there a long time. The name can have a few different translations into English, a few of which are "Animal Park" or "Garden of Beasts". The latter of course can have many meanings.

Much of the action in the book takes place in or near that part of Berlin. Draw a parallel to how I described White City and that will introduce what to expect.

PS

Larson's Thunderstruck has a similar approach. The book tells the story of something you've maybe heard a bit about, but also includes an intertwined, related story you've likely never heard anything about.

I agree that In the Garden of Beasts is excellent. I'll recommend The Splendid and the Vile which covers Churchill's first year as PM and the blitz and development of England's air force. Riveting.

I've liked all of Larson's books that I've read so far. Thunderstuck is a tad slow by comparison to some of the others.

Interesting, sushipup. I didn't enjoy the last two books of his I've read, Dead Wake (about the Lusitania) and The Spendid and the Vile, as much as some of the others.

I haven't read the most recent one yet, the one about the Civil War.

I've enjoyed a number of his books, especially Devil in the White City and In the Garden of Beasts. But I found The Demon of Unrest (the one about the Civil War) almost unreadable, maybe because the subject matter isn't high up on my list of interests (which is why I wanted to read it, to learn more.) It might have helped if I'd had more background knowledge beyond the basics, but in any event I stopped partway through, somewhat bored and thoroughly confused!

I haven’t read any of Erik Larson’s books so I was reading about him and them. I read this bit in an author interview with Jenna Homen on 11/5/20 & posted on Libro.FM - I was interested in his reply about his favorite audiobooks. Another Harry Potter fan!

Are you an audiobook listener? If so, what are some of your favorite audiobooks?

I listen occasionally. My absolute favorite audiobooks were the Harry Potter books. I also have a particular fondness for the first audiobook ever made from one of my books—Isaac’s Storm—mainly because it kept my young (at the time) children quiet for an 11-hour drive.

I might try reading ”The Spendid and the Vile”. It would be very different than ”Lady Clementine” by Marie Benedict which I read quite awhile ago. Also a historical fiction but the focus was on Clementine & the Churchill kids not Churchill himself.

The second thing in your post that interested me Elmer is the fact that you maintain a spreadsheet of books you’ve read. I thought my husband was unique in that regard! His list is by author / copyright / title. He doesn’t note the date he read the book but he said he does reread some of the books and not always by design. If a book is sounding familiar he’ll look it up to confirm & if it’s interesting enough he’ll finish it. He does follow many series but hasn’t read Larson either. His list numbers over 2K so he’s had it awhile!

KN PNW, I’m not sure Splendid is the best introduction to Larson. I’d read extensively about the period, including Churchill’s six-volume The Second World War, which—despite its flaws—offers insight straight from the old horse's mouth. Because of that background, I didn’t find Splendidespecially compelling, even with its promise of information from newly available sources. You say you've had some prior readings too so you may have a similar experience.

To sample Larson at his best, I’d recommend one of the two books many consider his strongest. If pre-WWII Germany interests you, try Garden—it’s fascinating, shocking, and surprising. If you prefer Americana, White City fits the bill just as well and the same descriptions apply. That’s just my opinion; others may disagree.

My career was a jealous mistress, so reading was limited to a few audiobooks a year while driving and a few vacation books. After retiring, I dove into reading—almost entirely audiobooks during mindless activities like driving or exercising. I never just sit and listen. My pace is modest, maybe 50–75 books a year. It depends on the year and depends on the length of books. I don't shy away from long books - when I reread the two book Winds of War series, it took over two months because as I recall, the two together are nearly 100 hours long. Or 2,000 pages, take your pick. My pace is slow especially when compared to that of a close friend who devours 4–6 books a week.

I started my book spreadsheet when I retired. I track only author, title, and year read—enough to help me keep similar titles distinct from one another, to use as a reference to avoid duplication and to track when a prior read is ready for a re-read. I don’t always remember titles, but seeing them usually triggers recollection. I reread books I enjoyed only after enough time has passed that the details have faded; Garden is a good example—I first read it 14 years ago and found it fresh again now.

Good luck.

I tend to shy away from books about our wars - movies too about past or imagined wars. But, if there’s a strong personal story - about a person with known historical significance I do read those. Lady Clementine fell into that category. The story was about the influence she wielded over Churchill and the actions he took during the war. It was the reason I enjoyed the recent movie ”Nuremberg”. So, your recommendation of The Devil in the White City might be a better read for me although its story of serial killer is pretty dark too..

I do understand the demands of work limiting one’s reading to work related if any time to read at all. My husband’s post military work involved some long road trips with collegues & they each took a turn at the wheel. When my DH joined the road crew he brought along some audiobooks which the others hadn’t ever either been exposed to or thought about bringing either to share or plug in for quiet time. He took quite alot of ribbing the first trip out. On subsequent trips suggestions were offered for audiobooks to bring along! He made converts to the fun & boredom release of listening to books on the road! A different kind of book club!

Interesting that you related it to White City (which is my all-time favorite non-fiction read). I shall download it from my library and give it a go!

My opportunity for audiobooks on drives is almost exclusively limited to when I'm alone. My wife isn't much of a reader (unfortunately) and our tastes have no overlap so there's nothing we can listen to together. When we're on a long enough drive together, I wait until the conversation is exhausted (I ask her in advance to let me know) then I can listen to a book using one ear bud and she can use two and listen to music.

I haven’t listened to an audiobook outside of while being on a road trip. My mom often did while she was quilting & my dad would sit with her & listen when his vision deteriorated & he could no longer read. Listening to audiobooks seems to require some adjustment period. I had a tough time with my first couple of audiobooks with the feeling of being ”read to” & couldn’t quite focus on the first couple of books we listened to on road trips together. The really great narrators make you get lost in the story & forget their voice. I found it very distracting if the narrator was female & she changed her voice when reading the male parts. I agreed to audiobooks for our road trips on the condition we would each choose 2 and choose with the other person’s interests in mind. We both enjoyed ”The Help” and ”Water for Elephants” - many others too but those were memorable. They were my picks my husband made. We tried matching the book length to the trip but didn’t always succeed. Often after we arrived back home, for a couple of days we’d be listening to the last chapters of a book while driving around doing errands - which we had to do together because of the book! 😁

I agree, KW, that a narrator who actually "lives" the book and doesn't make it obvious that it's being read, is the best kind. It's wonderful to forget the narrator, and I get picky about choosing a good one. One of the best book/narrator combinations I've encountered is Endurance : Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing, narrated by Simon Prebble. Another is Wild Swans by Jung Chang, narrated by Pik-Sen Lim.

I have read both In the Garden and White City.

As I was reading the one that takes place in Berlin, I kept wondering why the ambassador and his family did not seem to experience trepidation. I understand that better now.

" Listening to audiobooks seems to require some adjustment period. "

Yes, that's very true.

When I first started with audiobooks—back in the 1980s when they arrived in a box in the mail, on cassette tapes from Books On Tape—I had to make it work or not read at all. It took time. The biggest challenge during commute drives was losing focus to think about a work related matter and losing my place. And then having to rewind.

With practice (and frustration of how difficult it seemed at times), I learned to pause playback when my mind wandered to something I needed to think about and then return my attention when I turned it back on.

An unexpected bonus is that I became a great listener. I can focus fully when someone is speaking, without mental drift. I suspect many regular audiobook listeners have experienced the same thing.

I was just at DD's house and the Garden of Beasts was on the coffee table as SIL was reading it. I commented that I was pretty sure I'd read it, and that I know people always praise it highly ( as in this thread) and that I remember thinking it was good but I didn't see what others saw in it.

Clearly I'm in the minority. It's just funny that this thread gets posted now.

Anyway, glad you all loved it. SIL agreed with me. It was very good, but not one of the greats.

That's what makes the world go around.

Eh, salonva, I don't think "everybody loved it" or there's anything wrong with your thinking "not one of the greats".

I happened to decide to reread it and as in other threads about books, thought I would share my thoughts. They're mine, others may not agree, it's all good.

" But I found The Demon of Unrest (the one about the Civil War) almost unreadable, "

bookwoman, I checked my reading records to see when I read Demon. It turns out I had an experience similar to yours. It’s a 17-hour audiobook, and my notes show I quit around the 3-hour mark and made the notation “Terrible.”

I hadn't remembered. It's rare for me to put down a book in the middle of it so there it is. I’m not sure how well Demon did overall in ratings and sales. Larson has a large fan base which gives any book he releases momentum to have respectable sales.

But from the same author - several books I enjoyed and one I couldn't even get one-quarter through.

Many people in creative and innovative fields can reach the peak level of their accomplishments at or even before the midpoint of their careers. My impression of Larson's last three books, mine and only mine, is that he seems to have lost his mojo. These three are not at the level of several that preceded them. The excellence of his work seems to be on the decline.