MORE BOOK REVIEWS

I've read two books in the past three weeks!  I LOVE reading!  And I LOVE when I find time to read (or make time to read)!

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson was fascinating!  This book is non-fiction and vividly portrays Chicago in the late nineteenth century.  The story goes back and forth between preparation for the World's Fair of 1893 and a terrible serial-killer that rivals Jack the Ripper operating nearby.  My sister-in-law recommended this book, and I'm glad she did.
This was a compelling book and I learned a lot.  Burnham, the architect and overseer of the fair, builds the White City.  (I only wish there had been more pictures because it sounded amazing!)  Here are a few interesting facts:  Cracker Jacks and Shredded Wheat were created just for this fair; The Ferris Wheel was created by George Washington Ferris; Mr. Ferris was trying to "Out Eiffel the Eiffel Tower."; and Landscape Architecture really played a huge part in the fair.
Henry H. Holms was a young, charismatic doctor who had blood-curdling obsessions.  He killed at LEAST 20 people (mostly women).  He created his own house of horrors only a few blocks away from the fair.  He said of himself, "I was born with the devil inside of me.  I was born to murder."

I've also read The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury this week.  I really like Ray Bradbury's writing style, and I decided that since I've read a lot of his other stuff, I better read this one too.  I have been wanting to read it every time I think about tattoos, etc.  (Not that I think about "human art" very often.)  For someone who has never read this book:  This book is a collection of short stories, most of them sci-fi, about a man who is completely covered in tattoos that tell stories about the future.  Most of the stories are about space, and have pretty dark themes of revenge, futile searches for paradise, and Armageddon.  A lot of the stories made me think and question and learn.  Some of the stories I didn't like at all.  (They were too dark for me.)  But others made me smile.  And others made me think.  Overall, I'm glad I read this book.  But it is definitely NOT my favorite of his.  I prefer Dandelion Wine.  I also liked Fahrenheit 451 and Something Wicked This Way Comes.
I'm going to start my next book now....