Thursday, August 28, 2014

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.

Monday, August 25, 2014

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.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

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.

Sunday, August 17, 2014

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.

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

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.

Friday, August 8, 2014

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.

Monday, August 4, 2014

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.

Saturday, August 2, 2014

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.