Reading in 2012

I have done some reading in 2012.  I read Northwest Corner by John Burnham Schwartz.  It was the follow up book to, Reservation Road.  I rated it 4.  It was good, just not as good as the first book.  Twelve years after a tragic accident and a cover up that led to prison time for Dwight Arno, he is still struggling.  He started over but did not move on.  He lives alone in California.  He gave up seeing his son.  He does not tell anyone about his past.  Dwight's son, Sam, makes a terrible mistake and shows up in California.  Sam is being crushed by guilt.  It is a good story.  You do not have to read Reservation Road to understand this story but it helps give the characters more depth.
My second book of the year was, Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe.  This is a very well written autobiography.  It is witty.  It is honest.  It is more interesting than I thought it would be.  Nice stories about his life.  Stories about other famous people he knows.  It was a smooth read.  I really enjoyed it.  I rated it a 4.
The next book I listened to on audio.  I have the book.  I knew it would be more interesting to listen to it.  It was, Jacqueline Kennedy; Historic Conversations on Her Life With JFK.  Interviews she did with Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., in 1964.  I have always been curious about Jacqueline more than JFK.  The tapes are hard to listen to.  The technology in 1964 was scratchy. 
Just hearing Jackie's voice was amazing.  I was surprised how soft spoken she was.  It was amazing to hear her talk about JFK.  What surprised me was that she came off as being madly in love with him.  She was very protective of his memory.  She sounded so proud of his achievements.  She was well read, articulate.  Listening to these interviews made me want to read more.  I rated this book a 5. 
The CDs are now making the rounds at my office.  Two people have completed them.  Two are currently listening to them.  Everyone that listens to the tapes falls in love with Jackie. 
As a follow up to the last book, today I finished, The Kennedy Detail by Gerald Blaine.  This is an interesting account of the Secret Service Detail guarding President Kennedy.  It describes the agents, how their lives are consumed by their jobs.  Days leading up to the assassination, the assassination, and how the agents tried to get on with their lives.  There were so many facts that surprised me.  The fact that the agents made very little money.  The Secret Service Department had a very small budget.  They could not even afford the President's car.  It cost $200,000 to make and was given to them by Ford Motor Company.  The car was not bullet proof.  The bubble that would sometimes be put on top was not bullet proof.  In 1964 the Secret Service was a small staff.  It was next to impossible to protect the President from being shot from one of the buildings.  Their jobs were so difficult.  They respected the President.  They felt close to his family.  The agents that watched the President be hit by the bullet had to live with that terrible image.  They all had guilt.  This story added to my respect for Jacqueline.  How she handled herself after watching her husband be murdered right next to her is nothing short of amazing.  She might have been in shock but she kept her head about her enough to worry about her husband's dignity.  As soon as he was pronounced dead she was making plans for his funeral. 
I do not believe there was a conspiracy to kill John F. Kennedy.  After reading this book, I would never think his Secret Service Agents would have been a part of a conspiracy.  The agent that was running towards the car trying to get there before the next shot was fired would have gladly thrown himself in front of the President.  He regretted that he could not have sacrificed his life so that the President could have lived.  It only took him two seconds to reach the car and he thought he should have been quicker. 
Here is something that was in the book that made me happy to read, the Secret Service Agent said he only saw Marilyn Monroe with the President two times.  Both times they were with many people.  He said if the President had been with Marilyn, the Secret Service would have known it.  I would like to believe he was being honest.  After listening to Jackie talk about her husband, I do not want her to have lived with someone that did not deserve her love.  I gave this book a rating of a 4.  Now I want to go back and read more JFK books.  In high school I did my major composition report on Jacqueline Kennedy.  Looked up to her for a long time.
My year of reading is off to a good start.  I have a Nora Roberts book waiting for me on my Kindle.  I also need to read our January book for The Page Turners. 
I have not been reading as much as I would like.  I have also not been posting as much as I would like.  I am in the background keeping Tru Stories life running smoothly right now.  Coach is busy with his basketball, Tru Stories has yoga and pilates.  Both of them are getting ready for, The BIG Dance.  That means, I am busy with my grandchildren.  The Kid and Tink are fairly easy.  That Coco, she is something.  I cannot say that enough.  She is a force to be reckoned with.  Not an easy force.  A bullheaded, bossy, force.
If you have never listened to an audio book, make the Jacqueline Kennedy Interviews the first you listen to.  It is a great way to pass time in the car.  At work.  Just for fun.  It is a great piece of history.  The people I shared the CD's with were not disappointed.