The Noble Hustle--#77 finished

Writer Colson Whitehead gets offered entry into the World Series of Poker in exchange for some magazine articles and takes them up.  He is just a house game player so the book is about what he did to get ready and tangents off into trip after college took him to Vegas and just about stuff in his life in general.  I have read a couple of his books and generally liked them.  I have a couple more in my book room that I haven't been able to start on yet too.  I really liked this book because it was easy to place myself in his shoes as in getting ready for the WSOP if the offer happened to me.  Also interesting at end hearing about his coaches and their advice.  Not much heavy poker info, if that is what you are looking for but just a good read with lots of insights into poker and the author. 

I don't think I will be keeping the book but might give it some more thought--it is a good read and would be good for anyone thinking about trying out professional poker.  I got it from PBS and there are around 30 or maybe 40 WL for it so have plenty of time to decide on keeping or not.  

This will probably be my last read/finished book of 2014.  I will probably look to do a recap on 2014 in the next week or so.

Swimsuit--#76 finished

This is a James Patterson book with a co author Maxine Paetro.  I really didn't like the book.  Got to know the people and liked them before a serial killer kills most everyone.  Just a lot of killing going on. I didn't really buy into the idea of the peepers, real wealthy people that pay to see killings and or rapes, etc.  In the end the peepers are arrested but serial killer gets away and writer that exposed it goes in hiding with wife and soon to be child.  Just really didn't like it.  It had short chapters and quick reading so those are the reasons I stuck with it.  Also my copy is all beaten up so figured taking it along on vacation wouldn't harm it at all.

There are many copies on PBS & one I have is an Advanced Reader Copy so cannot send through PBS anyway.  I got it as part of a deal I think--just a throw in book and figured a Patterson read would be good--now I will be more wary.  I will be giving it away somewhere, no reason at all to keep.

Saga--#75 finished

This is a sort of continuation of a book I read a few years ago, Epic, a sic-fi book about a New Earth planet where people live as usual but also hook into a video game.  Well, a video game developed a couple thousand years before this moves into area and hooks up with planet.  The video game is basically it's own life--people live and die in the game with only a select few, down to 2 at this time, that are immortal and run the game.  Well a player or two from the first book get involved but are not main characters--more of supporting roles.  An okay story but just too confusing about the Saga game and just kind of weird happenings.  I thought Epic was a really good story from what I can remember, unfortunately Saga is not close to that.  Some interesting characters but overall just not that good.

I will be posting it on PBS at some point, I think there are 2 WL for it so will probably do so kind of soon.  I did finish this a few days ago when I was out of town for Christmas so just playing a little catch up now.

Calvin Coolidge--#74 finished

A short quick read about Calvin Coolidge.  He seems to be an interesting person in that he is more complex than what is figured on first glance.  I guess that is probably the case for most of us though too but I guess I had never gotten beyond the first glance of Coolidge before.  A small government, simple life kind of person but also made friends with big time businessmen and supporters that helped him gain the Vice Presidency under Harding and then ascend to the Presidency after Harding's death.  A very almost unspoken way about him but then also used the new media--radio & movies to reach out to people in ways never done before.  And the radio & movies were all very handled in the sense they were done to get a certain message across to the people, kind of bypassing the newspapers & congress in a sense.  Was hand's off on policy in that he depended on his cabinet for carrying out the details of what he wanted done.  Had to fight both Democrats and sides of his own party on issues too.  Then in personal life had lost his mother & sister when he was a teenager and then as President lost one of his sons.  These deaths certainly affected him and certainly his son's death his Presidency.

I good read and interesting to learn somethings about him.  He is kind of a forgotten President being before the Great Depression and New Deal politics and happening after WWI and Wilson's Presidency.

I will be posting it at some point on PBS, there are 3 WL for it so it should mail off right away once I do.  Still reading Saga and Swimsuit by Patterson, will add a 3rd and maybe 4th today or this weekend.

Aftermath--#73 finished

I was very surprised at how good this book was discussing leftover armaments.  The first chapter talked about large areas in France that were gated off from the public because there were too many unexploded bombs in the area.  Also many when dropped went into the ground & eventually work their way to the top in fields all through the country.  Surprising for me at least, was that most were WWI bombs than WWII because of the much less time fighting in WWII in France and also because the better bombs in WWII fewer were duds.  It moved from there to the dead around Stalingrad as well as bombs there too.  Then to around Nevada where the US did atomic weapons testing and how the ground there is saturated with radiation and won't be used for thousands of years.  Then Vietnam again with bombs and land mines.  Then Kuwait, this book was written in mid 1990s before the 2nd Iraq war, and the clearing of land mines there.  Finally, the end talked about the US trying to find a safe way to burn the stored weapon chemicals from the '50s & '60s.

I really thought this was eye opening.  I hadn't given much thought to what life was like after a war--the devastated land almost as bad as the job of trying to rebuild destroyed areas.

I am not sure if I will post it or hand it off to someone that also enjoys history.  There is 1 WL for it so could mail off if I want too & may just do that.

Jock Itch--#72 finished

This is kind of a memoir by an actress Rosa Blasi.  I don't think I have ever watched a show she was in unless by accident--she was in Married with Children but not like a star I think, one of those one or two episode actresses.  The title Jock Itch:  The Misadventures of a Retired Jersey Chaser and the picture of a very cute lady on front grabbed my attention.  It was kind of funny and really pretty pathetic at times. It is sad that people making that much money--actresses/actors and especially professional athletes waste so much money on stupid stuff.  Of course it is easy for me to say from my humble position here that I wouldn't do that but I really really hope I wouldn't.  Good thing for me though it is very unlikely I will be in their position anytime soon.  Overall kind of funny, sort of interesting and really kind of surprising at times what she does open up and talk about.

I have posted it on PBS and it is the only copy on system so I am sure it will get shipped off at some point--if for no other reason than the opens that I ordered it.

College Football--#71 finished

I good read about the history of college football.  Lots of stuff in here about the early years and how the sport was founded and the controversies and changes it went through.  Kind of funny but football has had to keep evolving into the sport that it needs to be for that time period it seems.  The book was published in 2000 so in college football terms there has been changes & I would guess the author would say not changes for the better.  Especially the continued professionalization of the college game. At the end he mentions that at some point colleges may have to get away from football, especially the big time colleges because it no longer has any real connection to the college.  Players are fed classes to keep them eligible, spend more time practicing football than studying and continue to get better accommodations than the average student--the football teams really should just become the minor league teams they are in most ways already.   The obscene pay of coaches is another reality.  Of course in the last year the Northwestern players talking about unionizing and NCAA talking about paying players are the next changes coming.  There is also the injuries and concussion issues that have hit the NFL, that are probably a few short steps from hitting the colleges as well.  These are all too new so not in the book but I couldn't help but wonder what the author would say and what direction they are pulling college football.

I will be posting this book on PBS at some point, I think there are 3 WL for it.  Since it is the Christmas season and the post offices are busy, I generally try to avoid mailing many books at this time of the year but since my credit had run low recently, I did mail some off.  If that happens again, this one could be getting moved sooner.

Last Night at the Lobster--#70 finished

A short book, only 146 pages and a quick read but it was very good.  A Red Lobster restaurant is closing and it is the last day, it will be closed for good after this day.  Manny the longtime manager is the main character and we go through the day with him.  How he does his job and what he thinks about and how he interacts with the other employees, it is really insightful.  I am probably one of the few people in this world that did not have a food service job so I learned something there.  Most of it I kind of heard of knew but putting it all down in the book made the story that much more authentic.  Some good characters and good interactions but because it is such a short book you are left with holes about people and how things will turn out but to me it seems like people will be okay.  Good read & enjoyable story.

I have already posted it on PBS, I think there were 4 copies ahead of it.  I don't know if it will move but I would think so at some point it should.  I am nearly finished with College Football book, that has taken months to get done.  Still reading Jock Itch, some actress that liked to date athletes wrote a memoir about it--kind of funny & kind of pathetic but she is cute in the photos.  I will be adding 1 or 2 more tonight to my reading pile as well.

Silence--$69 finished

A good detective read and hopefully a start of a series.  I have book 2 also but doesn't look like book 3 is out and not sure if being written.  The main character, Jack Till, has a young adult daughter with Down syndrome.  She is just a background character but you can tell by reading it she is in his thoughts all the time.  Just like the way that is in the story.  Detective helped lady disappear 6 years ago and then suddenly has to find her & goes about tracking her down while killers are also tracking to kill the lady.  Good details about everyone's life and thoughts.  Story kept moving.  Maybe not the most brilliant but overall a good read.

I just checked back and saw that I have read more books than last year.  Last year checked in a 67, 2012 at 70, 2011 at 75, 2010 at 87 and 2009 at 81.  I won't hit the 80s this year but should get somewhere in lower to middle 70s--nice to stop that downward trend I had been on.  Of course some of my books this year were short and just entertainment types but I don't mind.

I am not sure if I will put this on PBS or not.  Might just wait to see how book 2 goes first.  There are copies already on system so I doubt it would move right away so no hurry either way.

Stories of Your Life and Others--#68 finished

I had heard of Ted Chiang as a smart writer but hadn't read anything by him till now.  This is a republish of some of his short stories from earlier in his career it sounds like.  I really enjoyed the stories, they are certainly not your normal spit it out there story.  You have to think while reading, it is not just entertainment reading but actually thinking and considering what is going on.  Fun stuff.  I have been reading too much just plain old books, nice that this one through a little curve ball to me.  It is a kind of science fiction but not all set way far off or with hard to follow abstract concepts--all really more real to life.  Seems like ideas or possibilities are just a few short years away.  Good stuff.

I will be posting on PBS at some point, there are 35 WL for it so it should move once I do post it.  I had a run on books coming to me the last couple days so I am a little short on credits but getting 3 or 4 mailed out in the next couple days to replenish my supply.

Tales of an American Hobo--#67 finished

Kind of interesting thoughts of a person that rode the rails back in the '30's and '40's and so on.  An interesting period of history where people just kind of walk off and either thumbed rides or jumped on a train and went somewhere else.  Earned living by doing some day work on farms or businesses and then moved on again.  A nomadic lifestyle that isn't really possible today.  Back then though there were thousands and thousands living like this.  Makes me kind of wonder what do the restless people of today do?  After you earn some money maybe RV around or motorcycle but what does a 20 something do?  There are still buses running for cheap at least cheap by today's standards but really no shanty towns anymore--would need to find homeless shelters or cheap motels, all costing money today.  I guess maybe the nearest comparison would be illegal immigrants that stay dozens in a room and work the farms or yard care or similar type jobs.  Some stay long term and some move on or back home returning for seasonal work.  Oh well, interesting reading of a different time.

I will post at some point, I think there are 5 WL for it but still have enough credits so no hurry in posting it now.

Have You No Shame?--#66 finished

A pretty funny book/memoir by a maybe 30 something Jewish girl that grew up in Omaha, NE.  Funny stuff mostly and some kind of serious stuff threw in.  Good writing and really kind of shocking honesty about growing up.  I grew up on small town NE so Omaha was always our big city, but still seems as though there is a certain amount of pride in being from NE that you don't always seem to get from other places or people from other places, I should say.  It is a book of stories more than a memoir but it really seems to work best this way.  I really liked this style and will have to keep it in mind if I ever get around to start writing about something.

I will probably post it on PBS at some point, while I really liked it, not sure I will make it a keeper but I am considering that.  There are like 6 WL for it but everything seems to be moving slow on PBS so have plenty of time to decide.

Where Do Nudists Keep Their Hankies?--#65 finished

This is one of those kind of funny and lets see what we can do on the internet books.  Ask a bunch of questions about sex and get some answers.  Now most answers were not straight off the internet but from people the author knew like friends and doctors, etc.  A few were of the internet variety, look something up, give some answer and maybe a followup with someone located over the internet.  Nothing really interesting and nothing really shocking, just a sort of funny read.  Very short chapters so easy to read a couple pages & then set aside for a day or two or so.

I have already posted it on PBS, it is the only copy on the system and with it's title I am pretty sure it will be getting mailed off so that is good.

Sticklebacks and Snow Globes--#64 finished

I really enjoyed this book about a poor area in London, it sounded like public housing or assisted public housing--not really sure.  About the lives of some of the families in the area.  Really interesting characters that you get to see their good and bad sides.  Not everything is nice and clean, there are some  tough parts in the book that make the reader uncomfortable but to me that is just good reading.  Really liked it and am glad to move it onward to the next person once it gets requested.

I have posted it and it is the only copy on the system now.  I would hope it moves but you can never really tell.

The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells--#63 finished

An interesting concept & story, a woman is treated for depression after her twin brother dies & her longterm boyfriend/companion leaves her.  The treatment is some kind of shock to her & it sends her into herself in different time periods, 1918 & 1941--her current time is 1985.  The same people from 1985 are also there.  There are 3 Gretas that are switching from each period after each treatment.  Kind of slow at first & kind of confusing but generally a good story with some interesting insights into the different lives.  Not anything great for me but a good read overall.

There are over 100 WL for it on PBS so at some point I will post it & mail it off, just in no hurry right now.  My WL has been slow but I have found some books that look interesting & have ordered them so at least I am shuffling some books around.  I have mailed a few off as well.  I am at 6 credits but have 2 that were just mailed & 2 more that I will mail this week so staying right around 10 which is plenty for me.

"L" is for Lawless--#62 finished

This was the next in line for the Sue Grafton series.  I had read this book before but it had been several years ago so since trying to read in order figured I should catch up with it again.  Good read like all of them are.  Most of the action on this one takes place out side of CA which is a little different and not as much dealing then with the local cast of characters.  The bad guys seem to have gotten away with it, makes me wonder if they will show up in a later book or not.

I will need to find another book because now down to the two that I described as muddling through.  Baseball game tonight so not sure if will get another book found tonight or tomorrow.

Variations in the Night--#61 finished

I was looking for a shorter book with short chapters that I thought would be a quick read while I am kind of muddling through the other books I am reading right now.  I picked this one and it was that but it was also a better read than I expected.  Nothing great but I enjoyed the characters and how comfortable the author seemed in writing about them.  A 30 year old man moves from small town Ohio to New York and meets a girl and they go out.  They are on different wavelengths on about everything but seem to get along well.  He is stuck in his job and isn't sure NY is for him and she is noncommittal about most everything.  He moves back home kind of open ended & both realize they miss what they had.  He comes back and they seemingly figure it out even though they suck at communicating.  The book ends there, a nice ending.  I really have a hard time seeing this end well but there was no reason for the author to continue--let the reader guess on their own.  I really liked the book, a good read.  Oh this is also from back in the 1980s, which is an almost completely different time.  Book was written in 1987 so no looking back just what it was.

When I said I was muddling through a couple books, well I still am doing so--reading College Football book and around page 110 and still hasn't gotten to the first thrown pass.  Good read so far & interesting but hard to read much at a time.  Also reading The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells and just having a hard time staying interested in it but still working on it.  Also reading L is for Lawless the next Kinsey Milhone book and enjoying it like the others, I had read it before but has been a while so doing a re-read while going in order.  The first two are the muddling books.

Inferno--#60 finished

This is the latest Dan Brown, of The DaVinci Code fame, with the same main character Robert Langdon.  He tries to employ the same style as his other books, fast paced, point to point action with a kind of confusing storyline.  This time instead of the Catholic church, he weaves a story about Dante The Inferno and an eco terrorist and helpers.  It lives up to this but overall just okay as a story.  It is a page turner and quick read but I just got weary because it was the same kind of action his two famous books had.  In this one though it sounds like the bad guys kind of won at least but wasn't as bad as everyone feared either.

I had gotten this book from PBS and wanted to read it right away so I could send it out to someone on PBS.  I will post it later this week or next to get it moving.

West of Venus--#59 finished

This is the other book that I was reading that was kind of about a woman searching to find herself.  I don't know if that is actually correct because for most of the book she wasn't really searching, she was more like just going with the flow.  By the end though it was a happy ending for her and the rest of the characters seemed like they were going in a better direction than during most of the book.  A good story with some humor mixed in as well.  It was a first novel for the author and I should try to keep lookout for other books by her.  I don't think any are available from PBS right now though.

I have already posted it on PBS and there was a copy or two already on the system, I think this book does move though.  I think the number of copies on system has changed the last few months so hope to be mailing it off at some point.

And She Was--#58 finished

A really good story of a woman trying to find herself, actually maybe more of her coming aware that she needs to find herself.  Crummy life growing up and continues just a wayward life and after following a man to the Aleutian Islands kind of slips into the unusual life in a desolate area.  The books bounces between Brandy's life and the life of Aleut women over time.  This is a tough place to live and you get a history lesson of what the natives had to go through especially after the Russians came and then later the Americans in WWII changed so much of their lives.  Interesting read of some customs, not sure they are completely true, I should probably check into that, but certainly sounds possible.  Brandy investigates some of this & through that realizes more about herself.  The book doesn't wrap it all up nicely.  She mentions on the last couple pages about her later life but no real answers about finding herself.  I guess that is a continuous journey.  A good book.

I have posted it on PBS, there were a couple copies on the system before but when I posted it today it was the only copy there.  I expect it will move at some point.  Also reading West of Venus--another kind of woman trying to find herself book with more comedy and bizarre characters.  Also reading a College Football book and The Incredible Lives of Greta Wells.  I will probably start another book today or at least over the weekend.

A Necessary Evil--#57 finished

This was the next in the Alex Kava series with CIA agent Maggie O'Dell.  This one was her story about the priest scandal.  I brought back her first adversary and maybe will get him killed off too in the next book.  Not a bad read and did continue the storyline and also reintroduced Maggie to her kind of love interest Nick from the first book.  Next book maybe answer or move these story lines ahead a little, I would hope.

I have been keeping my Kava books so this one will get tucked back in with the other books in series.  I need to keep on this series too but still need to move forward on the Grafton one and the Harry Potter thing too and probably another series or two as well.

Big Hair and Plastic Grass--#56 finished

The rest of the title is, A Funky Ride Through Baseball and America in the Swinging '70s.  A good read that touches on each baseball season in the 1970s and also touches on some of the unusual happenings going on around there too.  Most of the stories I had heard of but many I hadn't just because  I was under 10 all through the '70s.  Fun stuff and a fun read.  I started paying attention to baseball in 1977 and remember the Yankee vs Dodgers world series that year & the next.  My team was & still is basically---I have added the Cardinals to my team list since I live here---but growing up my team was the Texas Rangers.  I think some of it has to do with I liked the Lone Ranger tv show & the TX Rangers just fit with that.

I am not sure yet if this will be a keeper book, I am leaning that way.  I have enough credits on PBS & enough other books to mail off that I at least won't be in any hurry to move this one anytime soon.

The Home Jar--#55 finished

This is short story book by Nancy Zafris.  I read her book, Lucky Strike and enjoyed it.  This was different.  Some of the stories had interesting characters but most were kind of abstract.  It seemed as if the story itself wasn't that important but instead just putting down what the characters were doing & thinking.  I can understand that but isn't really what I enjoy.  I am sure there is lots of symbolism and references that I am missing, I am not an English or Literature major and it was like that is really more the intended audience that just some guy who picked up & read the book.

There is 1 WL for it so I will be posting it soon to mail it off.  PBS is still very slow on my WL books so don't need more credits but still do have a couple books that would be best to just mail and this is one of them.

The Girl Who Played With Fire--#54 finished

I really enjoyed this, the 2nd in series of the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.  Good and interesting characters and quick fast paced story.  I will need to get to the 3rd installment soon, too bad it is the end.  I know no one reads this but the author passed away shortly after handing over all 3 books intact to his publisher.   Thankful he was able to finish them but sad that no more will be coming out for obviously my own selfish reasons.  I really like the main character Salandar, an interesting person and was neat to see in this part how she matured.  Interested to see how being shot will carry over into the next book with her personality.  This is the longest book I have read so far this year but I really just flew through it, probably around a week or less.

There are already many copies on PBS so I won't be adding another one, it just wouldn't move anyway.  I doubt I re-read this but might.  Might pass along to others, maybe my oldest in a year or two--probably still a little young for this book/series but if I told her that she would be mad at me.

Gil's All Fright Diner--#53 finished

This is a more young adult type book, I guess.  It has sex but when it happens it kind of blurs off, lots of bad stuff happening around the diner--zombies, conjuring up dark gods, ghosts and more.  Kind of a weird book that is mildly entertaining.  Werewolf & vampire come into town and help out the mortals, which people just sort of accept that fact there are vampires & werewolves around in real life.  Characters are okay and story still also okay, it keeps moving and comes to a nice end.  Nothing really memorable here just some sort of entertaining quick read.  

I will be posting it on PBS sometime soon, I think it has 1 or 2 WL for it, even if no WL it seems like it is the type that a WL comes up for it pretty regular so will probably get mailed off soon.  

The Dog Stars--#52 finished

An interesting read & take on the whole end of the world thing.  No zombies or vampires or the like, just a virus of some sort released and kills 99% of the population maybe.  End of the book hints at not all areas of earth were affected the same, Arabs in jets, whatever.  Just a pretty good read about a couple of the few people that survived and how their life is still a struggle.  Of course chaos rules and everyone you meet is out to get you, not sure I really bought into that idea but there it was.  Also main character, Hig, is able to keep a Cessna plane still flying.  Lots of stuff that just have to go with the flow on and just realize it is about how the character acts & thinks is really the main thrust of the book.  I guess if you are writing an end of the world as we know it book, the details are all yours, who can argue.

It was just okay, not bad but not one that I will remember much about long term either.  I will be posting it back on PBS, that is where I got it from.  There are like 150 WL for it so just a matter of when I want to finally mail it off.

I Hate Your Guts--#51 finished

Well, what to say about this book.  It was funny but in a trashy extremely crude way.  The lowest & basest humor.  I don't think I have ever seen this author's stand up or anything else on TV or his radio show, I did see one of his movies but don't remember him in it but his was a bit part.  The crude no holds barred humor seems to work better hearing it, reading it in this book was just too much.  Even when I agreed or laugh at what he was talking about, the crude shots just seemed too over the top.  I will have to watch for him on TV, even mentioned he does Red Eye on Fox News and I have caught that a couple times so might have to watch for him there.  I doubt I read his other book since sounds along the same vein as this one.

I have posted it on PBS and there were 2 copies ahead of it.  I guess it will move at some point especially if he is still doing his comedy and shows.  Still reading The Dog Stars and Gil's All Fright Diner.  I will probably try to pickup a 3rd book either tonight or tomorrow.

Reyita--#50 finished

This is a testimony book by Maria de los Reyes Castillo Bueno as a black woman in the 20th century in Cuba.  The introduction of the book by Elizabeth Dore is really good to help the reader understand the life and also the type of book this is being a testimony.  This is how a 90+ year old lady remembers her life in looking back, so while she certainly sounds sharp, I am sure not everything is exactly as she remembers.  But looking at the highlights and the details she provides is insightful and interesting.  She certainly lived in Cuba when much was going on.  Her view which was also her mother's, on getting ahead in life by marrying a white man really shows the racism there and how it carries through the book.  Even in communism there is the same underlying racism.  The other thing that struck me was how fractured family life was there, single women raising their families or husbands that have walked out on them.  Whole extended families with step children and cousins being raised and children being separated and some with dad & others with mom, really was tough to read about.  At the end of the book Reyita talks about all her extended family and it sounds as if some of that did not occur with her children and grand and great grand children.  I guess this is just a circumstance that life was tough back when she was young.

I enjoyed the book, it wasn't a history book about who was in charge & generals running things but instead it gives insight into the day to day life of a real person.  It does make me want to search out more books on Cuba too.

I have posted it on PBS, there was 1 WL for it so hope to mail it off soon.

SideStreets St Louis--#49 finished

This is a collection of columns by the author, M.M. Costantin, wrote for a St Louis magazine at the end of the '70s and into early '80s.  The forward of the book talks about how St Louis is a dying town.  Living here for about 25 years now, since late '80s, it seems that topic comes up every few years, it is almost a joke now.  Today St Louis is so much better than what it was when I first moved here that the change is almost remarkable.  While there is plenty to kind of wonder if areas or jobs or people will ever get better, most of the area has progressed very well.  It was nice though to read this book and see what was going back then.  Also to kind of reflect on what life was like back then compared today.  It was a nice read, nothing great but I did enjoy it.

I have posted it on PBS, there was 1 WL for it so I should be mailing it off soon.  I am guessing another St Louisan out there will enjoy this as well.

Harry Potter and the Socerer's Stone--#48 finished

Being years behind everyone else, I have finally started the Harry Potter series.  I have also only caught bits and pieces of the movies.  I know from hearing people talk about it basically what it is about though.  Finally read the first book in the series and it was good but in more of a children's book way than I thought it would be.  After reading the Hunger Games series and a couple Twilight books, I guess I expected this to be more grown up but have been told it gets older sounding as Harry gets older.   Still good book and good story and can see why it became popular, maybe not crazy popular though.

The copy I have is a beaten up book so I will be keeping it.  Also will keep in case younger kids want to read the series.

Gone to the Crazies--#47 finished

A memoir of a middle age woman that lived a tough life in her younger years.  The only child of a very well to do mom & dad in New York city.  Problems early on in that mom sends her to therapy at age 5--really, that is just crazy.  From what it sounds she was just a kid that had different ideas and desires than the perfect image her parents wanted her to present to friends.  Really screwed up family life in that sense.  Of course then by middle school acting up and smoking, drugs & alcohol--again where were the parents.  Earlier lots of good things to say about the maid that basically raised her, not so much about her parents.  Then after daughter gets kicked out of school and then sent to one boarding school where she continues not caring and just screwing around, they ship her off to a cult like boarding school in nowhere CA.  Lots of discipline and getting in touch with feelings but sounds like really light on actually solving problems and giving real long term help--basically clean them up & brainwash them enough that parents think they are fixed but eventually life catches up & the fall back into problems.  Alison's problems came quick & got worse--addictions galore and no direction in life.  Bottoms out and realizes she wants to clean up her life & does so.  Too late with dad though, he was old when she was born--maybe 60s and now elderly & set in his ways but mom seems to have come around.  Really a sad story of half a wasted life but hope author continues and sounds like she will.

I have posted it on PBS & will be mailing it off probably this week, like 9 WL for it.  I had gotten it in a kind of deal where I jumped to the head of the line so kind of promised myself I would return it to next person in line to make up for skipping.  I have a few others that I need to do this with also and Bed from earlier was one of these too.

No, They Can't--#46 finished

This is the latest John Stossel book.  He is a libertarian and I seem to get closer to his views each time I read a book of his.  I do think our country needs to move a lot more in this direction in the coming years  both economically and socially.  A lot of good points and a lot to think about in this book.  Not sure if this will be a keeper book or not--it probably should be one for me.

Like I said, I may just keep this book.  I have plenty of PBS credits and enough other books to mail out if I need more that this book won't be a priority to send off so will keep for now.  I am reading Gone to the Crazies and Sidestreets St Louis, might add a 3rd later today.

Mistress--#45 finished

I did not finish this the same day as Corked, it was a day later, but just now getting to sit down & type these up.  This is a good James Patterson page turner type book.  Presidential scandal and a rich online newspaper reporter/owner gets tangled up in it.  Fun stuff and keeps it going with twists and turns.  Wraps up a little too neatly but everyone likes a sort of happy ending or at least happiest that could be expected at that point.  I liked the main character, Ben, has some interesting things about him, a kind of ADHD type personality and also a cut to the chase type.  I wouldn't mind if this was the start of a series with him as the main character but will just have to wait & see.  Patterson really cranks out the books so it could be possible.

There is a bunch of WL for the book, like 140 some, but this book has stain on a couple pages so is not postable for PBS.  I might try to offer it up on a deal page at PBS or maybe just donate it out somewhere.  Still reading the John Stossel book and just started Gone to the Crazies, I think is the name.  Might try to start another tonight but not sure yet.

Corked--#44 finished

It says it is a memoir but is a little crazy if it is.  The author and her dad are the two main characters.  Kathryn, the author, struggles with getting beyond hitting & killing someone with her car several years ago in college.  Her dad is a kind of checked out emotions type but also with very strange ways.  A kind of odd couple but you can see they also kind of favor each other in a way.  She is looking for acceptance from her father and it seems as though wine is his most important part of his life.  She also sees him aging and the fear of losing him without really knowing him scares her as well.  I also think there is a lot to do with the person she hit & killed was an elderly man and she sees her father getting to that point & is realizing that death can be that immediate.

Overall, just okay.  Not a big wine person but kind of fun to read about some of the wineries they visited.  A lot of the tension and her screwed up life just really didn't interest me.  Dad finally told a real story of his life, of being imprisoned for 30 plus days for a crime he didn't commit and how that kind of changed his life.  How when bad stuff happens he sort of returns to that state.  Okay but overall not really that interesting or that funny but this is a first book for the author so not too bad either.

I have posted it on PBS and there is 1 copy a head of it.  I would expect it to move at some point but PBS as whole has been moving slowly so who knows.

Terra Nullius--#43 finished

The author travels through No Man's Land in Australia talking about the horrible and genocidal treatment of the Aborigines in Australia.  I really had studied or read much about Australia and was pretty shocked at what I read.  I remember in the Sydney Olympics there was a big deal that one of Australia's best long distance runners was an Aborigine and that it got a lot of press.  I kind of remember references to 2nd class citizens but no details only that the county seemingly embraced her & that helped relations.  I guess not being in area where colonialism hit at least recently, it is had to imagine this happening.  The US has the Native Americans and also the Africans brought over as slaves and while there were and probably still are real problems, what happened in Australia is horrible and how long it went on is almost just amazing.  Really makes one think that majority rule really sucks for minorities even in supposed civilized countries.  Would like to say "man" is getting better but can't really say that when minorities are fighting for rights & freedoms all across the globe.

As far as the book, it was just okay.  It touched on lots and gave some detail but was generally scattered and hard to get real conclusions from it.  Also had the feeling that maybe some of this is exaggerated--don't want to say for sure but author seemed to have an agenda in this book.  Maybe not though and things were/are this horrible but I can't say this book has all the answers either.

This is an ex-library book and it has some water stains & food stains so is not postable.  It will go to my stack of books that will get donated or turned in for credit at a used books store.  I am still reading John Stossel's book, a James Patterson book Witness and a book about a wine trip, Corked.  My oldest is wanting me to start the Harry Potter series so I might start the first book there in the next few days too.

Orange is the New Black--#42 finished

I was surprised I really enjoyed the book.  Really interesting and open and honest look at author's year spent in federal prison.  You can see in the book how she was able to accept her crime & how playing even a small role in drug running can affect people since many of the other women in prison have their own drug issues.  Not much talked directly about the war on drugs but certainly on non-violent criminals basically shouldn't be in jail/prison.  Prisons only seems to teach them to be better criminals or just puts them further behind the eight ball of life.  I don't know any answers to all this but all of the drug convictions seems to just be maintaining the poverty class--families trying to support others in the families while husband, wife, father, mother, etc are doing time.  Author didn't have the poverty background but many in prison did and that is what they were returning too.  It is really tragic for those and unfortunately we don't know how the others ended up.  Good read but still sad in that sense.

There are many WL for it so at some point I will post it on PBS but I have enough credits now so no big hurry to post.  I started a James Patterson book--Witness and still reading Terra something about Australian outback and the terrible treatment of the Aborigines there.  Also reading the latest John Stossel book.  Will probably just stay with these 3 for a couple days.

K is for Killer--#41 finished

This was the next in line in Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone series.  A really good series that is just about at the end of the alphabet.  I do need to step up and read more than a couple a year to get caught up on it.  Good read, interesting case & overall just fun.  This was more on the case and not as much about her personal life.  Looking back on my books read sheets, I read this book in 1998, it seemed familiar but since I had read a handful of these before starting in order just a few years ago I wasn't sure.  I am already looking forward to continuing this so will have start the next in a few weeks probably.

I am also reading Orange is the New Black and Terra Nullius, about the Austrialian no man's land.  Also just started john Stossel's No, They Can't.  Might just go with these 3 for now.

Third Degree--#40 finished

A fast paced action novel.  About everything that could happen, happens all in one day to a family--kind of seat of your pants action--keeps you busy enough with the action that you don't step back and think just not possible.  Not that great of a story but still fun overall.  At least a little different from the military/spy action novels I have been reading.  Also nice not a series, just over after one book.

I have posted it on PBS, but there are over 300 copies of this version of the book, so hundreds more of other paperbacks and hardback probably on the system.  This book won't be going anywhere unless someone throws it in as a extra book to order.  I will leave it posted for now since I might do a deal at some point on my bookshelf.  I have plenty of credits right now on PBS so no worries there, more worry about how slow WL books seem to be coming in.

Tiger--#39 finished

This is a book about Tiger Woods written right after his sex scandal, not sure if that is the correct way to refer to it since it was multiple sexual events but I think everyone gets the picture.  The book does a nice job of talking about his parents and their lives and then into Tiger's life.  Pretty remarkable life for Tiger from little on to now.  It is too bad for his family that all this came out in such a public light, his ex-wife seems to not want the spotlight and putting kids through it is terrible too.  The paparazzi is one of those scourges on our society but of course it is us the public that feeds them.  I guess we just suck.  Oh well, I thought this was a good read, lots of good insight into Tiger and his family.  Also interesting stuff about how the PGA tour really depends on Tiger's name to get viewers and then prize money coming in.

I will be posting it on PBS, there are already 3 copies on the system but figure it should move at some point--once Tiger starts golfing and winning again.

The Reckoning--#38 finished

Interesting characters and decent story, seems like some of it could have been fleshed out a little more.  I enjoyed the book but had a lot going on with it and by end you seem to have a lot of questions.  Not questions on the ending which are there but questions on how it got there, it did explain it but just to me seems like more was needed.  I had read another book by this author and kind of liked it, more of a lukewarm feeling and again I think this is about the same.  I know he has other books out there but not sure if I will try one or not.  Might just wait to see if one stumbles my way.

I have posted it on PBS, there was only 1 WL for it and I figured I should move it if I can.  Still reading Tiger, about Tiger Woods.  Also have kind of started Orange is the New Black.  I will need to get another book or 2 going, probably later today.

General JO Shelby's March--#37 finished

General JO Shelby was a Civil War general for the Confederates in the Missouri Arkansas area.  After the South surrendered he and many of his men decided not to surrender but instead march into Mexico where a civil war was going on between Maximilian, who as Emperor was propped up by the French and Juarez leading many of the native Mexicans.  Shelby and his men thought they would go as an army and fight for one side against the other but that didn't happen either.  Before crossing into Mexico his men voted to side with Maximilian while Shelby wanted to side with Juarez.  Really though neither side wanted them because neither side thought they could trust them.  Also Shelby was trying to sell the idea that he could get thousands of Confederate soldiers to join him, which had to be scary because at that point both sides thought they could win their civil war.  Shelby and thousands of Confederates might instead try to take over was the fear.  In the end though Mexico was crumbling and Shelby and others were given land grants and the lands seemed promising but there was no security to keep bandits and rebels at bay--most Confederates returned to the US.  Also after a couple years, the Union seemed more welcoming than right after the war--Shelby feared either jail or execution for his crimes.  Instead when he came back he took an oath and was basically free to return to his home.  Other interesting stories of his association with Frank & Jesse James and then becoming US Marshall at the end of his life--really make him an interesting character in US history.  It was just a few days ago I was also watching The Outlaw Josie Wales and Josie mentions going into TX to catch up with Shelby and continuing on to Mexico at one point--really funny how that happens.

I have posted this book on PBS, there were 3 WL for it and it was on auto accept so didn't have to wait for it.  I will be mailing it off in next couple days along with a couple other books that someone ordered.

The Mid-Night Club--#36 finished

This is a James Patterson book from the late 1980s.  Not too bad but it does read a little old but obviously that can't be helped.  A crime boss with legitimate businesses tries to become the leader of all crime bosses but also can't help getting dirty still doing killings, etc.  A kind of take over the world by finance and money through crime--drug trade, prostitution, etc, etc.  Characters okay & story okay but that is about it, not really an exciting book.  My copy was a mass media paperback and I needed a book like that to tuck in and take places the last month & this one fit the bill.  Would have qualified for a summer reading book during vacation but already finished it.

I might as well post it on PBS at this point since I got it from a PBS deal but I don't expect it to go anywhere unless I offer a deal or something.  There are many copies on PBS already.

The Death Cure--#35 finished

This is the 3rd and last in order in the Maze Runner series.  This is another young adult series and I think it was just okay.  I wasn't a big fan of the first book and hoped the 2nd would be better and it was until a confusing end.  The 3rd book is still confusing and I really just have a hard time caring about the characters and what is happening to them.  I was mostly just rooting to get the book read and be done with the series.  The author has a prequel to the series now but just not interested.  Glad I am through the 3 books and the series, they are done and probably soon forgotten.  The Hunger Games series is much better or my time would have been better spent reading the Harry Potter series, which I haven't gotten to yet.  Oh well not all books I read I have to like or enjoy.  This one is not completely bad, I would have never finished it but just isn't that good either.

I will be posting it on PBS at some point, there are something like 100 WL for it.  Again no hurry to post, still sitting at 9 credits right now.  Still reading The Midnight Club and Jo Shelby, not sure if I will start another book tonight or not.

The Night Ranger--#34 finished

The next in the line of John Wells books by Alex Berenson.  A fun and easy book to read for action adventure.  Volunteer college students are kidnapped in Kenya by an inside job and then kidnapping goes bad and are really kidnapped by small time warlord on Somalia.  Wells is on the mission and has to find them and rescue them with little support.  Interesting descriptions and sounds realistic of the area and how people would react.  Like I said a good read.

Not sure if I will post this or not.  It is an ex-library copy & just in so so condition.  I might just to move it on but still in no hurry to be posting much on PBS right now since movement of books is slow.  I did get a WL book and have spent a couple credits on non-WL books.  At 10 credits have enough for now with such a slow rate.

Lips Unsealed--#33 finished

This is Belinda Carlisle's memoir, Belinda of Go Go's fame.  I remember the Go Go's and I remember her doing some solo stuff in late '80s maybe early '90s but that was about it.  I guess she did more solo stuff than I knew & also the Go Go's did more reunions than I ever heard about.  Most of the book discussed her addiction to drugs, mainly cocaine.  Good to hear she is cleaned up and life seems to be going good for her.  Kind of an interesting read, a little portions of inside the music business once in a while especially with her changing her label often.  Mostly about her life on drugs though.

There are like 12 WL for it so I will post it at some point but since I have enough credits already no need to it or others at this time.

Grime and PUNishment--#32 finished

Wow, I am embarrassed to even have this book listed among books that I have read.  It is a 113 pages of bad sexual puns.  I really thought the book was tasteless and not worth my time but at least it was little time.  I kept reminding myself when I was growing up Mad Magazine was very popular and this is along those lines.  I think if I read Mad now I might have a similar reaction.  Oh well.

I have posted it on PBS but not sure why.  I will probably weed it out along with some others this summer.

Death by Rodrigo--#31 finished

A lawyer story, not too bad.  Some interesting twists & turns and nice to see these are not the perfect man type lawyers that you might see in a Grisham book, these are kind of screwup type lawyers but in the end it seems to work out.  Characters are okay, I think there is a 2nd book so might be nice to see the characters fleshed out a little more too.  A pretty good read that I enjoyed.

I have posted it on PBS, I think there was 1 copy already on system so might be a little while before it moves.  I just started the 3rd Maze Runner book, The Death Cure and still reading the Belinda Carlisle book, Lips Unsealed.  Reading a terrible pun book from the early '80s, kind of bad Mad Magazine type humor.  I will looked to get another book started tonight or tomorrow as well.

Bed--#30 finished

I thought I would really like this book and it started off very good.  Two boys growing up with the older one being very different--throwing tantrums, getting undressed in public and generally just not being a social kid.  The book never really dated this but sounded like '70s or '80s before spectrum diagnosis and medicines were used to treat a child like this.  Mal, the older & unusual grows up still a little different but does seem to find a place and has a girlfriend.  The younger brother falls in love with girlfriend and knows a disaster is coming to her because she loves Mal.  At 25 Mal decides to stay in bed for the rest of his life and his mom in a bizarro way starts stuffing him with food.  He is in his bed never leaving well into his forties and rest of the book revolves around this.  The younger brother & the girl do get together & then apart.  The end is all open ended but sounds like they will be together.

I guess all of the characters have flaws and some are really exposed by Mal checking out.  By the end they all seem crazy and with their inability to break free, I was at the point of no longer feeling sorry for them.  An interesting book but really ended up just a little too far for me.  Oh well.

There are like 29 WL for it so at some point I will post it & ship it off but no need to do so right now.

The Postman--#29 finished

I think I was one of the few that sort of liked the movie The Postman with Kevin Costner, it was his 2nd in a row big budget flop after Waterworld.  I liked parts of the movie and I liked the idea of rebuilding after the world goes to hell.  It has been a while since I last saw the movie but I think the basic idea remained but they re-arranged parts and removed other parts altogether.  I actually think what was removed was good, the book had a couple weird things--supercomputer that lights up but doesn't actually work but everyone thinks it does, the smart people around it feed ideas out like it came from the computer.  Then introduced late in the book, augmented people, super strong or super ability people that were originally military that are fighting the good people.  These supers want to become the Kings and lord over everyone else, even though everything there is is basically barely survivable shit.  Other than that and really those didn't take away from the basic story much, I liked the book like I liked the movie.  Maybe I have been missing these types of books with all of the focus on the walking dead, zombies, world ending stuff--a real look at rebuilding & how it could be done is kind of interesting to me.

I will probably post it on PBS, it is an older book and is a little beaten up but is still postable.  I was thinking about keeping it but I just don't see a good reason to do so,  better to pass it along.  I started 2 other books in the last couple of days, Death by Rodrigo and Belinda Carlisle's book Lips Unsealed.  Still reading Bed.  Might find a 4th later today as well.

Does Anything Eat Wasps?--#28 finished

This is a book by New Scientist magazine where one part of the magazine was a question and answer part.  This book is from that.  Readers would send in questions and the magazine would publish the questions and then readers, lots of scientists, would answer the questions.  Kind of interesting and also more science than I understand as well.  The idea and some of the questions are really good, but by the end it was mostly tedious.  It was an easy read of 3-5 pages though.

I have already posted it back on PBS, I think it is copy 6.  I think it will be sitting there a while but you never know either.  I am still reading The Postman and Bed.  I need to pick out another book or maybe two tonight or in the next day or so.

The Mysterious Montague--#27 finished

A good read about someone I had never heard of before.  This is about a person that gained some fame in the 1930s as a golfer but not on the tour but instead a club pro type that people he played with built up to be one of the best golfers ever.  The Mysterious being he had committed a crime--armed robbery with others in small town New York and escaped to eventually Hollywood, where his golfing introduced him to many famous Hollywood types.  He avoided photos and publicity as a way to stay away from the law but this too caught up to him and he returned to New York 7 years later for a trail.  While probably guilty, his lawyer, that was famous for getting mob bosses off, was able to create enough doubt that he was acquitted.  The trail & the rumors of his golf and other exploits made this big news of the day and he had his 15 minutes plus of fame.  Out of shape and not playing much golf, he wasn't able to put himself fully into golf and with everyone wanting a big splash, it never happened.  Hollywood was told by the Hays Group, or something like that, a government censor type group, to keep him out of movies.  Today, this type of person would probably make a movie or two before flaming out, a Brian Bosworth career maybe.  Instead Montague just simply got old and seems like never really got past not hitting it big.  He didn't get a job or career, putting on golf exhibitions and marrying well got him through it seems.  Kind of a sad ending but then again overall a kind of sad life altogether.

There were no copies on PBS so now this is the only one.  I would expect it to move at some point.  Still reading Does Anything Eat Wasps and The Postman and just started Bed.  Might look to start another book in the next day or two as well.

The Clarinet Polka--#26 finished

I really enjoyed this book.  It is about a couple Polish families in small-town West Virginia.  In an area where holding onto your Polish identity was very important.  The time was the late 1960s and Vietnam and WWII and then USSR taking over Poland were major themes.  I really liked the characters and it seemed at times you could easily transport back to that time.  While more than a few parts were hard to read because bad things were happening to good people, in the end the good wins out.  In a book like this where I like the characters, I do like a happy ending.  I wouldn't mind a continuation of life for the main characters even but I am not sure that book is coming.

I am not sure if I will post this or hold onto it.  There are no copies on PBS and there are no WL for it either.   I think I will just hang onto it for now.  I will probably post at some point, just because I probably won't re-read this book but in no hurry to post it.

Silent Enemy--#25 finished

This is the 2nd in a series about an Air Force pilot and an Army sergeant.  Pretty good book, lots of action and author switches back and forth between the two to give reader different thoughts on what is going on.  This time he is piloting a transport plane with injured people, soldiers and Afghans and after they take off they find out there is a bomb on the plane that forces them to stay in the air like 30 some hours.  Plane has mechanical issues and injured people are getting worse.  Good read.  I am not sure if this series will or should continue, the two main characters went their separate ways after the first book & had no contact until this book, like 4 years later.  That seems a little strange.  Oh well.

I have posted it on PBS, there was 1 copy in the system so I would think it will move at some point.

Crude World--#24 finished

The subtitle is The Violent Twilight of Oil.  The author talks about all of the economic downfalls of oil especially from the producing countries.  Countries like Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Iraq, etc.  Countries were corruption and vast wealth disparities have become the norm.  The author seems to really favor wind & solar as replacements as I would think most people would if proven effective enough.  And by replace, I don't mean and neither did the author mean completely, enough to start weaning our economies away from oil dependence.  A good read with some interesting thoughts and insights.  As part of the consumer country here in the US, I know I often don't think of what it takes to get the oil here and refine it for our use.  I enjoy watching shows like Klondike Gold and Nome Gold and think while watching, what a waste of time and effort for that little bit of gold.  Reading this book I had similar thoughts--all of efforts, corruption, pollution, destruction of environment, poverty, etc that are brought about by oil, really makes you question if it is worth it.  Of course our style of living is predicated on cheap energy, take the cheapness away and things would change drastically.

I will post it on PBS at some point, but no hurry right now, I think there are 14 or so WL for it.  I am still reading The Clarinet Polk and Silent Enemy and the Does Anything Eat Wasps books.  I might look to start another tonight or tomorrow.

Dead Eye--#23 finished

This is the next book in the Gray Man series for me.  I like the series & I liked this book.  Rogue assassin with a heart gets on CIA/America's bad side and has to live off the grid.  Good action in this one & pulls some other characters in & certainly ends with the anticipation that more books should be coming.  It is kind of Bourne like, maybe more like the movies than the books which were older.  Maybe there are new Bourne books, I don't know but that is kind of what this is like.  Easy to read & good page turner.

I will post it on PBS at some point but have enough credits & other books I can post so might be a little while yet.  Still Wasps book and The Clarinet Polka and started an Crude World book about oil and all it's problems.  I might add another book this weekend too.

Nightwing--#22 finished

This is a 1970s book by Martin Cruz Smith, the same author that has the Russian detective Renko series.  This is not part of that series and it predates that series.  It has a lot of what I remember about the  '70s, some Indian/Native American themes and a fear that something was going to wipe humans out.  I remember the Billy Jack movies & the mushrooms, I think they were '70s movies, at least that is when I saw them and there was the commercial about pollution being bad with the Indian with a tear running down his cheek.  The Westerns as movies were popular and there were TV shows like Lone Ranger and Gunsmoke(not sure if had Indian themes but was western).

The 2nd part was the fear of wild unknown things wiping out humanity.  I remember killer bees and killer ants.  There was a fruit fly scare that I kind of remember as well.  This book with vampire bats that spread the plaque on an Indian reservation out west with the plaque threatening to go epidemic proportions.

For these reasons this book placed me back into a childhood kind of memory.  It is a good story and for the most part I like Cruz Smith as a author.  This isn't anything great but was a good read.  I needed a paperback to grab quick before a doctor's appointment last month & this was the one I saw and it fit the bill.  I think I read at least the first 50 pages in the waiting room and then waiting in the exam room.

I have posted it on PBS, there was a copy of this version already and I think probably plenty of copies of other versions.  I don't expect it to move but I have been surprised enough to realize I need to put it on my PBS bookshelf and see what happens.

The Columbus Affair--#21 finished

A fun read about Christopher Columbus being Jewish and hiding the lost temple treasures in Jamaica.  I get the author Steve Berry confused with James Rollins in that both take rumors or unlikely theories and pull them out into a story.  Not just a ho-hum story but an action page turner type story.  They are fun.  I really don't know much about Columbus or lost temple treasure so I can't say how hair brained these theories really are, but Berry makes them sound both possible in some ways.   The treasure in Jamaica very unlikely but had to find a way to put them together to make the story.  It was entertaining at least and somewhat educational in a way.

I have posted it on PBS, there was 1 WL for it so I will be mailing it off with a couple other books shortly.  Still reading Nightwing but getting closer to finishing.  Also still reading The Clarinet Polk and Does Anything Eat Wasps--I hadn't read much this last week, been busy with other stuff.  Weather is also turning better so reading time will probably shrink some as well.

Capital Moves--#20 finished

The complete title is Capital Moves:  RCA's 70 Year Quest for Cheap Labor.  A pretty good read about  how RCA, like most large companies I guess in a way, have shifted operations to where it has more control and cheaper labor.  The book starts talking about the huge facility in Camden, NJ and how it was all good with no labor issues.  Once strikes and more activist unions got inside the manufacturing complex, RCA started moving their manufacturing lines.  Bloomington, Indiana became the next major line and eventually headquarters moved to nearby Indianapolis, IN.  Same thing here, all was well for a while but eventually the unions & workers wanted more, also they were expensive.  RCA built and moved some lines to Memphis, TN but that was short-lived because of labor tension & this was also during the time of MLK assassination, Memphis was a kind of hotbed and RCA pulled out.  It was around this time the looked to Mexico.  The area across from El Paso, TX--Ciudad Juarez.  RCA was one of the earlier manufacturers to move there & it kept moving more from Bloomington over the years.    Same story in Mexico, eventually the workers wanted more but it took much longer for them to organize given the structure of unions in Mexico.  At this time though RCA gets sold off to a French company.  The book was written shortly after that so, doesn't really go into much of what happened since.  I know RCA label is still put on TVs, our newest TV is an RCA but I don't have the box and haven't crawled around it to see where made, but I think it is China.

This is one of those reads that make you think.  While any business is there to make a profit, this book is a good reminder that in the world of big business it is pretty much cold hearted profit.  The business doesn't really care about the workers especially the factory line workers so long as the business is in a place where they are easily replaced.  It is kind of a depressing read and it makes me wonder what the future of jobs will be here & in the world.

There are no copies in PBS and there is no WL for this book but for the paperback there is 2 WL.  I will post it and I figure it will move probably pretty soon.

Confessions of a Prairie Bitch--#19 finished

March has been a busy month for my reading this year, glad to see if even if a lot of these books are smaller type books.  This one is the Nellie Oleson actress Alison Arngrim's autobiography.  A good read, lots of stuff I didn't really know.  I remember watching Little House on the Prairie growing up, it was a regular show at our house.  Of course this was back in the days of one TV and we had to agree on what to watch.  I never read the books and really not a big fan but I remember enjoying it.  Now my wife was a fan of the show and is still a fan of the show, she still watches it today.  She read the Melissa Gilbert book and I saw this one & thought she might like it too but she never did read it, just wasn't interested.  I thought it would be interesting and it was--lots of stuff about the show and Hollywood in the 1970s.  Her parents were also interesting in some ways.  I had now idea her older brother molested her and I didn't know she was an AIDS activist.  Her husband on Little House who also became a very good friend of hers died of AIDS in the 1980s.  A good interesting book.  Also didn't know she is doing some standup comedy, I wouldn't have thought Nellie to be a comedienne.  It is kind of hard to separate out the character from the actor.

I will be posting it on PBS, I think there are over 100 WL for it so it should get mailed off soon, probably next week.  I already added a book late this week, can't remember the name but a vampire bat book by Martin Cruz Smith--needed a paperback to take along to a doctors appointment where I knew I would be sitting and waiting a while.  Probably won't start another for that reason.

The Watch--#18 finished

This is a short story book by Rick Bass.  I had read one of his other short story books earlier & kind of remember liking it.  This one is mostly good.  Stories have interesting characters and interesting happenings for the most part.  Mostly around the south in the US and not all that favorable of the south in many cases too.  Most of the stories were from the 1980s, which makes them remind me in some ways as what it was like growing up then.  A kind of nostalgia for the time.  Overall good stuff.

There is 1 WL for the book but this book is tore a little at the bottom of the spine, borderline postable.  I will probably post it & send an email to person about it and some underlining in one chapter & see if they still want it and throw an extra book in as well.  If not I will probably just donate it off with some of the others I have set aside.

Tomato Red--#17 finished

A story of the rough life of some other side of the track people in the Ozarks of MO.  The mom was the local hooker and her two children lived next door but didn't seem to really like mom.  The kids meet a stranger that is also a kind of kindred soul at a house they had broken into to screw around & play in, he broke in looking for drugs.  They hit it off and led a pointless life that was slowly pointing to getting out of the town since their reputation of being poor & trashy held them down.  After a showdown at the country club where the distance between them and the people of the country club is seen, they take revenge on the golf course in a big downpour and destroy many of the greens with pigs and chains.  Well, the brother ends up dead a few days later, death ruled drowning.  Police comes to them and basically says some country club types grabbed the kid and accidentally killed him.  The country club types passed a hat & offered them $5500.  Books ends with sister skipping town with a gun, no mention of money.  The kindred soul tries to chase after her but stopping for smokes, goes a little crazy and kills someone.  To me none of this really makes sense.  While parts of the book and characters were interesting, the ending really leaves a sour taste in my mouth.  I am sure the author has some meaning in it but to me it is just pointless.

I will post this on PBS at some point, there is something like 22 WL for it so it will move whenever I post it.  I am getting close to finishing The Watch and have started RCA 70 Years of Labor something and Nellie Oleson's book--whatever the actress' name is.  I will probably start another book either tonight or tomorrow.

Mullah's Storm--#16 finished

Another military novel about Afghanistan.  This time a plane is shot down with a high level prisoner & because of injuries some have to stay with the plane and the navigator, an interpreter--female, and the prisoner take off to get away since they knew bad guys were coming.  A good read and lots of good stuff about survival tactics.  The weather keeps help out for more than a few days & capture and then rescue and then tracking down the bad guys, lots of good action.  While I am not sure all of this happened at a time, it is a fiction novel, parts of this certainly did and it really sounds like most of this is possible or real scenarios in Afghanistan.  There is a 2nd book but I am not sure author was planning a 2nd book as this one just kind of ended, wasn't a complete clean ending.  I have the 2nd book so will probably try to read it soon.

I have posted this on PBS and I think there are like 15 copies ahead of it.  It might move if the series continues and gains popularity but I guess we will see.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist--#15 finished

I enjoyed the book and the perspective it offers on a Pakistani, that recently graduated from Princeton and has a job at a high powered small firm in NY city, right before 9/11/2001 and how it affected his life.  I don't get the suspense from the reviews, I guess they were talking about the book is really a conversation between this Pakistani now back in Pakistan and an American CIA sounding type at a restaurant in Pakistan.  To me the book was really about this person's life and how it was changing by being in America and finding his first love.  The first love was complicated to say the least and made for a nice story within this story.  A good read and some interesting insights but that is about all for me.

I have posted it on PBS, there were 2 copies already but I think it has been moving some, I think there were more copies before.  I am not sure if a movie is coming out or something like that but I figure it will move at some point on PBS.  I picked up and started reading again The Watch and still working on Tomato Red and started The Mullah's Storm.  Not sure if I will start another one later today or not.

The Other Wes Moore--#14 finished

A very good read about 2 people that started growing up around the same time in Baltimore.  Both were without fathers much of their lives and both were in tough situations and both are black.  Growing up in inner city or close to inner cities in the 1970s & 1980s had to be tough, the one Wes Moore got caught up on the street.  With no father figure around and seeing his older brother into the drug trade, he followed suit.  Even when he got older and tried the jobs corp and had some limited success at that, he couldn't see a career there and went back to the drugs.  He eventually commits an armed robbery of a jewelry store with his brother and 2 others, where a police officer working security was shot & killed. This Wes Moore is now doing life in prison.

The author is the other Wes Moore.  His dad died when he was young & mom fought to raise him right. Moved to Brooklyn to be closer to her family and paid to send him to private school and then to  a military school to get him out of the neighborhood and to force him to take school and life seriously.  From there he gets to Johns Hopkins, internship with mayor,  overseas study in South Africa, Rhodes scholar, officer in Army fighting in Afghanistan and just a true success.

It was interesting to see the two people and the similarities and also the differences.  The author's family was college educated and it was an unfortunate health problem that was the cause of his father's death.  The Wes in prison's father was never around, the book mentions the son only seeing his father a handful of times and then usually his father being drunk or not recognizing his son.  This Wes did like his father, having kids at a young age but did seem to want to be involved but really had no idea how and by then was already wrapped up on the drug life.  It is a sad story that is just seen too much in too many cities across our country.  Hopefully this book helps a few find their way.

I am posting it on PBS, there was plenty of WL for it.  I feel it is a book that needs to be passed along, the more that read it the more people could be helped.  I am also reading Tomato Red and The Reluctant Fundamentalist and I still have the short story book The Watch but haven't read it for a few days now.

Black Order--#13 finished

This is a James Rollins novel from a few years back, 2006.  I had read a few newer ones & figured I could go back & read one.  A good read, like most of the Rollins books, he tries to find something that could be possible and apply it to an action book today.  This one is about some Nazi experiments that some is known about but the research and scientists were not found.  All about a Bell and quantum physics.  Mostly far fetched and the characters aren't as developed as they seem to be in later books.  A good read but not a favorite by far.  I am not sure what number this is in the kind of series so might have to check into that & delve a little deeper to earlier books.

I won't be posting it on PBS, there are probably way too many copies and it is also non-postable with a couple pages that are tore in half.  I did tape them together with scotch tape but it can't go to PBS.  I have a few now that need to find a new home.  I will either donate them somewhere or maybe see about a used book store and get some credit there with them.

American Sniper--#12 finished

This is per the front cover, the autobiography of the most lethal sniper in US military history.  A Navy SEAL that had also gone through sniper training and then 9/11 happens and he does multiple tours in Iraq.  He gives the reader a real sense of what it was like over there, the street to street fighting and some of the tactics used to secure the different cities.  It was kind of disturbing at points where he mentions really enjoying the war and being a sniper and killing people that deserved to be killed.  I am glad he was there fighting for the US but still this brings to mind there is a cost beyond just the killed and injured in war, there is also how war changes people.  I just wonder if given a few more years if his attitude will change, I don't know, but I do wonder.  Also I want to make sure to mention, he is not a prima donna but really does give credit to everyone that he served with and that the fact of him having more sniper kills is really just a matter of time and place.

I will be posting it on PBS at some point and passing it along.  There is well over 100 WL for it so it should move quickly.  Reading Black Order, a James Rollins book and The Other Wes Moore and also working on The Watch, a short story book.  Not sure if I will be adding another one right away or not.

The Mystery of Olga Chekhova--#11 finished

An interesting book about the niece of Anton Chekhov and the life she lead in Russia around their revolution and then in Germany during the rise of Nazism and then through WWII and the life afterwards.  Much speculation and research went into Olga's life.  Her life that was mostly open where you could see her as a movie and stage actress, playing a role of a celebrity in Germany in the 1920s through the 1940s.  There is also evidence of her having a role as a possible spy for Russia during this time, while she can be linked to this, there is no idea what kind of information if any she was passing along.  She may have been a sleeper, that was only to be called in at a later time.  An interesting read but unfortunately not full of complete answers, after reading you are left with questions on her.  Book just seems incomplete and that is too bad because it sounds as if she was a much more interesting person and story than this book can give.

I am not sure yet if this book will be loaned out or might be posted on PBS.  There are no copies on PBS so it would probably move at some point if posted.  I am still reading American Sniper and Black Order and The Watch, might start another this weekend, not sure yet.

The Scorch Trials--#10 finished

This is the 2nd book in The Maze Runner series. I wasn't a big fan of the Maze Runner and this one was just okay.  Starting to sort out stuff on this but still really not making sense and not enough here to really cause me to care.  There is a 3rd book in this series & I have it so I will read on but not overly excited about it.

This is a futurist series, where a group of boys and another group of girls are basically test subjects  being used to help the rest of humanity.  My main criticism is the reader is given almost no idea of what is left with humanity, this 2nd book explains some of it but really I am just at the point of just get on with it.  Too much unexplained behind the scenes stuff is just taking any real enjoyment from this series.  I was hoping the 2nd book would be better and it was to a degree.  I figure the 3rd has to sort it all out, if it doesn't well that is my fault for reading on after the first book.

I wil be posting it on PBS, probably try to see if someone out there wants both books & send them together.  Both have plenty of WL so they will be moving on.

Nowhere Near the Sea of Cortez--#9 finished

An interesting read about a small Illinois town in 1969.  Lots of weird characters that keep it kind of light but also some real happenings and emotions that give the book enough of a real feel to it as well.  Parts almost have a cartoonish feeling and other parts are sad and almost hopelessness type feelings.  This is or was at least then a Missouri writer so that is why I bought the book years ago at a library sale, finally read it because it looked like it would be a quick read, which it really wasn't.  I will still qualify it as a good read though, surprising in lots of ways and did have lots packed into its just over 200 pages.  There is the start to some very good characters that I would mind if he fleshed them out a little more jumping a head in time to see what happens to them, but since book is 13 years old, I am guessing any hope for that has passed.

I have posted it on PBS, it is the only copy on the system so I would hope it will move at some point down the road.  I am reading The Scorch Trials and The Mystery of Olga Chekhova.  I might add another book tonight or wait till over the weekend to do so.

(1413 of) Those Words--#8 finished

Okay just a little background on this I guess is needed.  On PBS, a member there was asking for people to order her book and read it and give it a review.  This was last fall at some point and I thought what the heck, I read about anything, sure I will order it and do that.  It was somewhere in early Nov that I started this book and just finished it this morning.  I believe this to be a self published book and I think the author is a blogger or something along those lines.

Okay, now that that is out of the way a couple points.  This is kind of an autobiography but at points it reads almost like a diary--maybe a kind of therapeutic autobiography.  She has had a rough life in many ways & to endure & get to the part where her & her high school love are back together is a great story.  This had to be an emotional book to write to discuss being molested by a neighbor growing up, to family problems and then the teenage problems that most experience but hers with the kind of dulled senses toward sex because of the molestation--lots for a kid to endure.  Her true love in high school being indecisive and basically sticking with girlfriend number 1 instead of chancing it on girlfriend number 2, she sees as a kind of turning point.

Her partying ways through her 20s & 30s and eventually having a kid and then marrying someone else.  It was it sounds like a loveless marriage but stuck it out kind of thing.  So when HS love finds her on Facebook, all the old feelings come back.  Many, many pages of their communication are in the book, the back & forth of email or Facebook or eventually text messages.  It sounds like both have had less than ideal lives & nice to hope that getting together will be right for them.

This is probably my first experience with a self published book and I think this book is screaming for a good editor to come in & really clean it up.  It took me this long to read & I nearly quit reading too many times to count almost.  I would go weeks without touching this book, it just couldn't hold my interest.  Which is too bad because I think there is a good story in here, better than what is here but this is what it is.  I cannot recommend this book and I would have a hard time giving it an even decent review because of this.  Oh well, maybe give it a couple days & rethink it.

I am not sure if I will post it on PBS, probably not, most likely just a give away book.  Still finishing up Nowhere Near the Sea of Cortez.  Still in early stages of The Scorch Trials & just started The Mystery of Olga Checkova.  Not sure if another book will get started yet, I am thinking will wait till I finish Nowhere...

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo--#7 finished

I recorded this movie to watch a couple times on my DVR & it rolled off both times.  I finally decided to read the book first & glad that I did.  It is a good book, but I figure I would have missed a lot if I had just watched the movie.  Interesting characters and good story, couple of times I didn't think they were making sense but action and story kept moving.  It took a little bit to get started but once it did it was a page turner.  Because of the interesting characters I am looking forward to getting to the next 2 books.

I would normally post this but it some kind of wrinkles in it at the beginning, I don't think water problem but still could be seen as non-postable.  I will keep because this is one that might get lent out at some point.  Also I think there are well over 1000 copies in the different books on PBS--paperback, hardcopy and various releases & editions, no reason to add one more to it.

A Nation Rising--#6 finished

A good read about people & happenings in early US history.  Lots of good info about things like Aaron Burr, Seminole Indian Wars, Andrew Jackson, Jessie Fremont, slave revolts and abolitionists.  Easy to read and really do learn a lot in each chapter.  I really enjoyed this.  I am still debating if this book is a keeper or not.

There are like 4 WL for it but like I said above, I may make this a keeper book, not sure yet.  I really enjoyed it but not sure I will re-read it but might be one to loan out to others down the line.  Still reading 1413 words--I was very close to quitting but have kind of talked myself back into it, under 100 pages to go.  Also still reading Nowhere Near the Sea of Cortez and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  I might start a 4th tonight but not sure.

100 Malicious Little Mysteries--#5 finished

This is a short story book about crime, murder, etc.  The stories are all much older than I thought they would be--from the '50s to the '70s.  While some are decent most are just not that interesting or even good.  Many don't hold up to the test of time well, how old the stories sound really was my take away on this.  I took forever to read this book, starting in Nov and barely moving with it and just finishing it now.  I only finished now because for the last couple weeks made a more concerted effort to just get it done.  I see now that it was originally put together in 1981 and released in 1992.  Oh well, at least most were short enough that I only spent about 3 minutes a day on it until the end, that is why it took so long to get through it.

I have already posted it on PBS, there are 5 copies a head of it so it won't be going anywhere for a while if ever.  I will need to add another book in to the mix, I have just barely started another but since not far at all better not claim it started just yet.

Poker Nation--#4 finished

This was a really quick read.  A few short stories or personal observations about the author's life in poker.  Not a bad read, nothing earth shattering but just kind of your normal poker stuff.  It was kind of interesting to hear him or others in the book about being small time poker professionals.  Look for the right games & try to earn so much per hour.  I think many people that want to be poker professionals should see and read this--you can say you are a professional but still not make all that much money.  Also in poker you are a bad streak away from being flat broke too.  Book doesn't glamorize poker but was also mostly about the life of poker before Moneymaker gave poker the huge boom.  Not a bad read though all in all.

I cannot post it on PBS, there are a couple stains on a couple early pages that make this copy unpostable.  I have a few books now that will need to go to a used bookstore for credit--hopefully credit at least.  That is alright because there are copies of this book in the PBS system and I have a bunch of books already posted that aren't really moving so no need to add another into the mix.

The Shadow Patrol--#3 finished

Good action book again in the John Wells series.  The writer Alex Berenson does a nice job with the character and places him in interesting situations.  The only problem is there are so many similar writers doing series that it is hard to keep them straight--Brad Thor Horvath series, the Gray Man Series--can't remember author, Rollins Cotton Malone series to just touch on a few that I have read the last few years.  I like this writing but I really can't read that much of it, it would really wear me down.  This was a good read though and from what I think I remember probably better than the couple earlier ones I had read.

I will be posting it on PBS, there are a few copies a head of it but I think it will move at some point, it is a new enough book.  I am still reading those ongoing long term books and also just started Poker Nation.  I will probably find another one to start in the next couple days as well.

Mr. Adams's Last Crusade--#2 finished

It is a slow start to 2014 for my reading but at least I have to say this was a very good book.  I knew that John Quincy Adams served in the House after being President and was an abolitionist but had no idea really of the person and the journey he had in life.  A very interesting person and a very interesting read.  This book was more focused on his time after being President but did go through his earlier career as well.  A good principled man who should have been a good President but as the book described the role of politics was changing then and Adams wasn't changing with it.

This book makes me more interested in life back in slave times, it touched on the slave owners in Congress and how they fought to keep slavery and even to keep it from being brought up for discussion.  That is an interesting time and I will have to look for other books of the period as well as into the Civil War too.

I will be posting this book on PBS at some point, there are 3 WL for it but I don't think it has moved much if any for the last 6 months or so.  I am still reading the 1413 words book and have finally broken through the beginning portion and am now around page 100 where I hope it opens up and can be read a little more easily.  I am also still picking away at the short story book but progress there is slow too.  I also have the Bernsen, Wells, Soldier book but not far long in it at all.  Not sure if I will start another right away or not.  I really need to concentrate on what I have started & get some done in those books but there are many many books that I also want to read too.

"J" is for Judgement--# 1 finished

I had to check my past Books Read sheets and found out I read this book before, which I thought I had, it was also the first book read of the year back in 2002.  Kind of funny both being first books read for a year.  I just have my Books Read sheets from then, there was no blogging at the time so I don't have any thoughts of the book from then.  I would guess then like now I enjoyed it.  Every book in the series I have enjoyed.  They are good investigation books with a kind of dogged or keep at it type investigations.  She doesn't seem to have any miracle conclusions or from left field type wrap ups, instead it is from working at it and piecing things together she gets the job done.  Her personal life is interesting but also limited so there are not a ton of characters to really remember from novel to novel, just a nice handful.  Good series and I will have to keep at it reading more this year.  I previously read "K" back in 1998 so a re-read will be good on that one.  "L" was 2009 but before I decided to start the whole series over with "A" later in that same year.

I will not be posting this one on PBS, this series is a keeper for me.  I am still reading 100 Malicious Little Mysteries getting to around 160 pages only so far.  Also still struggling through the 1413 words book--I am only at page 77.  Both of these books were starting in November I think so they are really taking too long but I plan to stick with both.  I also started reading Mr. Adams's Last Crusade just a few days ago and am around 50 pages in.  I will probably start a 4th book tonight as well.

2013 wrap up

I don't know why I haven't done a quick wrap up in the past.  This blog is basically now just a log of the books I finish reading during the year.  I am not sure that it will be anything more than that in the coming year, although a few extra posts of other stuff would probably be good.

I was looking back at the numbers of books I have read the last few years.  My log starts in 1997 with 6 books, 1998-15 books, 1999-18 books, 2000-15 books, 2001-18 books, 2002-8 books, 2003-10 books,  2004-9 books, 2005-6 books, 2006-12 books, 2007-16 books, 2008-30 books, 2009-81 books, 2010-87 books, 2011-75 books, 2012-70 books and 2013-67 books.  Just from looking at that, it was sometime in 2008 when I started reading multiple books at a time.  Before that I was strictly a one book at a time reader, if that book was slow or boring I just had to tough it out.  Kind of funny seeing it put down like that.

2013 was a different kind of year for my reading, I didn't really go back and re-read any of my favorite Russian novels.  I read both Tim Allen books, not sure why though but one was good & one was very much not good from what I remember.  I finally read Enemy at the Gates about Stalingrad and even after reading it and remembering the movie it is hard to grasp the reality of that battle or front of war.

My non-fiction read of the year probably has to go to Queen of the Oil Club, a really good read about a fascinating person that I had never heard of before reading the book.  The runner-up would have to be Passion & Principle about John & Jesse Fremont, I had heard of John Fremont but didn't really know much about him before reading the book and had no idea about his equal & wife Jesse.

My fiction read of the year, in a tough decision, is Miss Morissa by Mari Sandoz.  This is only the 2nd book I have read by Mari Sandoz & her Old Jules is one of my all time favorites.  Miss Morissa while not rating that high is a very good book.  I read two books in Mark Greaney's Gray Man series and really enjoyed them from an action entertainment point of view.  I also really liked Anonymous Sources by Mary Louise Kelly with a seemingly fresh type of action book--a female news reporter instead of the ex-spy, army guy type that many books have.  But as far as runner up in fiction this year I think it has to go to Winslow in Love by Kevin Canty.  I liked the book because it got into the frailties and insecurities of a writer who had seen his best days & was just plain old struggling with life.  Not an exciting read but one that does stay with you.

When I first glanced through my books read list, yes I keep a paper copy list not just here on the blog, I didn't see much I liked.  The more I looked though the list seemingly got better and better.  A couple disappointments though need to be pointed out.  The Land of Painted Caves, the last in Jean Auel's series was a real disappointment--I really liked all of the earlier books but this one just seemed too repetitive and just not inspired.  The Twelve, the 2nd in a trilogy by Justin Cronin wasn't bad but struggled to live up to the first and makes me wary of the 3rd.  The Big Bounce an Elmore Leonard book from the '60s wasn't very good and also makes me wary although I have read others by him that were much better so I am sure I will try another of his.  Finally, The View from Mount Joy by Lorna Landvik wasn't up to my expectations.  I really liked Your Oasis on Flame Lake and enjoyed Welcome to the Great Mysterious and Mount Joy just didn't reach that.  I have other books by her & will read more.

Overall a good year of reading.  As far as 2014, my reading will continue as it has with several books being read at a time and not really having much rhyme or reason going into which books are getting read.  I do try to have at least one non-fiction going and one fiction going beyond that not much planning.