Justin Miller Miller itibaren East Beckham, Norwich, Norfolk NR11, UK
IMO, Murakami's best novel yet. He has given a delectable mix of mystery with a supernatural background. Spanning stories from WW2 to the 70's in worlds real and unreal, sometimes at the same time.
It's difficult to imagine as you start reading a book of history of over 700 pages that the entire book can be based on one thesis and that it can remain interesting reading, but of course this is Doris Kearns Goodwin, and she doesn't write about anything that doesn't truly interest her and she pulls us into her story-telling. The thesis (for all those leadership book junkies) is that good leadership is based on embracing diversity of thought and even bringing enemies into your inner circle and out of that creating a high-performing team. This is what Lincoln did in choosing and maintaining his cabinet. He utilized their opinions while always making up his own mind. It is fascinating reading with an oft-told story told in a new way.