Southern Fatality--#105 finished

 A wanted to be retired hot investigator gets pulled in by her boyfriend to help a friend of his.  This friend is married to an uber-rich guy but she finds he is not cheating but bad stuff is going on.  The rich guy's son is kidnapped--step son to the gal that wanted it checked out.  From there story heads off, not a bad story and some decent characters.  Could figure out pretty early on who the bad guys were just a question of how the knew each other and all that.  Not a lot of reality but suspend your thoughts on that and not a bad read.  Looking at this verses the Sue Grafton series and can see just doesn't stand up but I guess this was more action and maybe humor attempts than reality of the story, oh well.

I have posted it on PBS, there was 1 copy in system already so don't know how long or if ever will move.

Playing catchup on logging in the books for Dec.  Might get one or two more done before the end of the year.  Still can't believe I made it to 100+ books read for the year.

Bohemian Girl--#104 finished

 A story set in southern Nebraska that starts before the Civil War, a young girl is lost in a bet by her dad and given to an Indian for a term of 4 years work.  This Indian is a mound builder and has gotten women to do the work of the mound building and works them basically to death and adds their bones to the mound.  At the end of her term, he wasn't going to let her leave but she was able to escape.  Finds a group that was trying to start a small town but after a night there her and another girl and a baby are all that survive--the rest of the people were working in a field when a lightning strike hits & kills them.  The 3 find a fort and eventually heal up some but again have to escape and while out meet up with 2 men that were floating in a ballon.  The find a town but send the girl and the baby ahead to check it out and if possible to leave the baby.  The town is in process of being shot up and seems to be the pro-slavery forces trying to influence the town.  The girl hides in the textile store after seeing the owner shot dead right out front.  As the fight ends people come to the store & she cuts cloth for bandages and burial blankets.  The next day she goes back to the others & they are gone.  She goes back to town and says she was the niece for the textile owner and takes over the business.  Took a while to get to this point but from here I enjoyed the story.  A little bit of the history of NE, throw in a Willa Cather as a youngster reference too and seems a little fun.  It was tough going at first but by the end an enjoyable read.

No copies in PBS system and no WL.  Since a NE book I might keep this one.

The Forgotten History of America--#103 finished

 The rest of the long title is: Little-Known Conflicts of Lasting Importance from the Earliest Colonists to the Eve of the Revolution.  It reads kind of like a text book but maybe not quite that dry either--been a few years since I have read a text book.  Lots of information and history about the battles between the colonists and the Indians and which tribes were friendly & which were not, which sided with the French & which sided with the English.  Basically all Indian tribes were fought against it seems at times but the Indians did get some shots in too.  Just a good reminder that there were people here before the Europeans arrived and that colonizing America was a dirty & messy business.  You can't go back and change history but remembering it is still important.

There are no copies in PBS system & no WL for the book but since has a lot of good information I think I am keeping it at this point, no reason to post it at least yet.

The Last Odyssey--#102 finished

 This is the next in James Rollins Sigma Force series.  I like that he tries to come up with theories or rumors and makes them life like in his books.  This one the Illiad & Odyssey by Homer are really true stories and there is a rich international group that wants to use this knowledge to force an end to the world so an end times and a 2nd coming or whatever comes after for their faith.  Just a little out there.  Throw in beyond ancient mechanical monsters and nuclear water and of course the Greek fire or whatever that is called too.  I read it but mostly disappointed with it.  Hopefully next in series is better.

I will be posting this & sending off, I think there are 17 WL for it but better to get it moving soon, it is a Mass Market paperback.

Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls--#101 finished

This is a David Sedaris collection of writings, mostly very funny and sometimes thought provoking.  I enjoy his books & this one too.  Just his thoughts on everyday happenings are interesting and basically outside of some of the normal.  I finished this book probably 2 weeks ago but just now logging it in so details of what I read are now hazy but memory that I enjoyed it is still there.

I have been keeping the David Sedaris books, even though I might not read again but they might become ones to hand out to friends to enjoy.  Not posting at this time even though I think there are a few WL for it. 

Hadji Murad--#100 finished

 WOW, 100 books read for the year and with a month to go still.  Back in Feb or March is when I first thought of this.  I had read a book by Ben Sasse last year or maybe two years ago where he mentioned when working in George W Bush White House there were several staffers that made it a goal of theirs.  It sort of stuck with me & figure this was the year.  Since basically stuck in the house much of the Spring and not much of any social life rest of year--not that I had much anyway, this became a focus.  I am glad I made it.  I have to admit that I did avoid some longer books in order to reach the 100 read.  I don't expect to have this goal again for next year, but glad it got it done.

This is a Leo Tolstoy book that was published after his death.  A good story about the Russians fighting in the Caucasus and Chechnya areas.  The title character is a general that was fighting against the Russians but turns himself in & offers to fight for them since the leader of the rebels--for lack of better term--is a hated enemy of his.  The enemy has his mother, wives and children though and they try to negotiate for them but is unsuccessful.  Story is about the people holding him and his life.  Lot of good information and insight into their lives. 

This is a very cheaply published book, too many to count spelling errors in this, just all through this book. I will keep since it is Tolstoy but might have to look to get a better copy too.

Tolstoy books stay on my keepers so will keep this one.  Also is the 100th book read of 2020 so might keep for that reason too.

Hardware River--#99 finished

 A short story book with most of the stories from around the Appalachian Mountains with interesting characters and an attachment to the land.  The book was published in 1991 so a little dated, had to think back to that time when reading these stories.  Enjoyable reads with some memorable people and descriptions.  I do enjoy short stories as a nice change of pace.

I have already posted it on PBS, it is the only copy but not sure how fast it will move.

Don't Skip Out On Me--#98 finished

 A really powerful book about people trying their best.  A young man that never knew his father & his mother remarried and left him behind with grandma to raise.  When grandma died when he was in high school went to live with an older couple on a ranch where he was already working.  They raised him & he helped them a lot around the ranch.  They kept telling him he was like a son to them but he had to strike out on his own by wanting to become a champion boxer.  The struggles he has and the struggles the older couple has in trying to maintain their ranch are really exposed, just some great writing and characters.  A tough read because you would like the young man to make better choices but in end can see a lot of it stems from feeling abandoned by his parents.  Really good book.

There are a couple WL for it on PBS but not sure it is going to be mailed off soon but do like to pass enjoyable books along to others too, so not sure at this point.

You Might Remember Me--#97 finished

 The rest of the title is The Life and Times of Phil Hartman.  A good read, brought back a lot of good memories of shows and skits that Phil Hartman was part of.  Also a lot of how he got to where he was, interesting that he was a graphics/artist sort that paid the bills while waiting for his Hollywood shot.  Also didn't know he connection to PeeWee Herman either.  Sad end to his life, just way too soon for this talented performer.

There are a couple WL for the book so I will probably mail it off at some point.

The Faithful Spy--#96 finished

 This is the first book in the John Wells series and was kind of fun because I don't think it was written with it being that first book in a series.  An American CIA agent is able to get himself inside al Qaeda before 9/11 but is just a lowly soldier so is not aware of that plan.  After years inside, al Qaeda obviously know that he is an American so trust builds very slow, he is sent back to America on a mission.  Because the CIA no longer trust him because he has been away for so long & rarely checks in and al Qaeda still has their doubts about him too, he doesn't get much info on this attack but in the end is able to stop it.  I have the 2nd book in series too.  I jumped in on the series around 5th or 6th book so have a little catching up to do.

I got the book from PBS but it is a little rough so will not be posting it back on, will keep it for now and maybe donate away at some point.

Rickey & Robinson--#95 finished

 An interesting and good read about Branch Rickey and Jackie Robinson.  Talks about Rickey's background and what led him to signing Robinson and Robinson's background leading up to the signing.  Then also about both of their careers and lives from there on.  Not a real in depth look, book is only 228 pages but it gives you a good sense of what was happening.  Also looked at the ends of their lives, some of the struggles they had, especially Jackie with his failing health and not being financially secure.  I am glad I read this, was not something I was really familiar with before.

I will post this on PBS too, there are no copies in system so who knows what will happen.

Life on Mars--#94 finished

 This is a short story collection about living on Mars.  The stories mostly seem to not be about the first settlers but instead after a generation or two, a kind of how is it going thing but told from an individual perspective.  I really enjoyed this book, a lot of really good stories and many that I could see becoming something larger--a book or series even.  There are some really good authors in this short story book.

There are no WL for the book so I will probably post it & see what happens.  I had gotten this book from someone on PBS when looking for that 2nd book to order from them.

The Kingdom of Speech--#93 finished

 I have enjoyed the books I have read by Tom Wolfe and I enjoyed this one as well.  He strikes out at Darwin and evolution when it comes to explaining how language evolved.  Then continues hitting at the Linguistic study and especially Noam Chomsky and his study of language & speech.  The whole study of this at a desk vs out in the field looking for native peoples that were not influenced by others.  This is what a Dr Everett has done with a small tribe in the Amazon and Wolfe feels this shows how wrong Chomsky was.  This is an area I don't study & really know little about but it was an interesting read.  I just skimmed through the wikipedia page on this & seems more critics feel Wolfe got this wrong but that doesn't change it being interesting and something to think about.

There were 3 WL for the book so I went ahead and posted it and should be getting it mailed off in the next few days.

The Last Days of California--#92 finished

 A different sort of story, a family believes the rapture is coming on a certain date that some leader has proclaimed.  The story starts with the family on the road to California for this event.  Their house is in Alabama but making this road trip.  Mom, dad and two teenage girls, one 17 or 18 & just found out she is pregnant and the other 15 that is the narrator of the story.  The older girl is pretty and flirty and doesn't buy into the whole religion thing that mostly her dad is forcing on them.  Her younger sister is the only one that knows of the pregnancy.  Interesting read about their struggles and just the road trip in general.  They don't make it to CA & are instead at a casino hotel in AZ when the rapture was supposed to happen and story ends with them heading back to AL.  Interesting read, characters and story give you something to think about and will probably stick with me for a while.

There are 4 WL for the book so I will probably post & get mailed off sometime soon.

Beyond the Ice Cream Cone--#91 finished

 The rest of the title is, The Whole Scoop on Food at the 1904 World's Fair.  The author looks at the 1904 Worlds Fair in St Louis and the foods that were being sold as well as the different restaurants and food carts they had.  Also talks about a couple of the food demonstrators there and recipes they used.  Being in St Louis you hear about the 1904 Worlds Fair some and this book gave some good information on it.

There is 1 WL for this book so I will probably post it and send off at some point.  This is also another October finished book that just now getting logged in.  Last of the October books.

Misery--#90 finished

 This is an older Stephen King book that I didn't read back in high school when I read a bunch of Stephen King books.  Finally got around to reading it now, I picked up my copy a few years ago and has been on my shelf waiting for me.  It is a good read, actually kind of fun with the main character discussing his writing process while being forced and tortured by his crazy captor.  I have only see parts of the movie but the parts I have seen Kathy Bates plays a very scary captor.  Glad I read it and I enjoyed it.

At this point I am keeping the book, no real reason to post it and send off.  This was an October finished book but just now getting around to logging it in.

Place Last Seen--#89 finished

A family, husband, wife and a 9 year old boy & 6 year old girl with Down syndrome, go on a day hike in the mountains.  The girl runs off and they cannot find her.  Search teams come in, then dog teams, helicopters and more are there and she is not found.  The story gets into each of the family members as well as into the minds of some of the searchers.  A tough book to read, especially as my son has Down syndrome.  At 6 he was a runner too and got away from us a few times but obviously nothing like this story.  Is a sad read and tough at times but I think the author handled it well and did a good job of coming at this situation from different sides.  It was published in 2000, so would have been thought of/written in the 1990s so cell phones not everywhere but in mountains no cell service anyway.

This is a beaten up copy, I got from PBS but was really not a book that should have been sent.  Not sure if spine was cracked before or not but is now so won't go through PBS.  Not sure if keeping at this point or if will donate off somewhere else.

Havana--#88 finished

 This is a book by Mark Kurlansky, I have read several of his books and they are pretty enjoyable.  A sort of history, travel, food and just basic and interesting info in the books and this fits the bill.  I didn't really know much of Cuba and Havana and book helped get me a little more knowledge.  A mostly fun and quick read.  An interesting place that has sort of started opening up and will be interesting to see what comes in the future between it & the US.

There were 2 WL for the book so I already posted it & hope to mail it off either today or tomorrow.

Charming Billy--#87 finished

 This is a book that has been on my shelf for a while and finally got around to reading it.  Story of an Irish family in New York from during WWII to the mid '70s.  After the war Billy & Dennis met two Irish sisters and Billy fell in love to Eva but she was returning to Ireland.  Billy gives her a ring and gets a loan from a local and sends money so she can return to New York.  The other sister was working as nanny and lets Dennis know that Eva is not returning she is marrying a guy in Ireland.  Dennis decides to not tell Billy this and instead tells him Eva died in a car crash.  Billy was already a drinker so not sure if this made worse or not but becomes full fledge alcoholic but does marry a local gal, whose father was also an alcoholic.  Story bounces along but Billy does find out 40 years later on his trip to Ireland--why Dennis doesn't tell him the truth before this trip, I have no idea.  Basically Billy's life is written and dies from his alcoholism.  This is an award winning book but not for me, didn't really like the characters or much of the story.

There are like 90 some copies on PBS so this will be a give away book for me.

Things That Matter--#86 finished

 This is a book of columns Charles Krauthammer wrote over the years.  A really interesting read to hear about what he was saying at a certain time in history.  I really liked reading this and about his opinions, I really think his voice is missed today.  The book was published in 2013 so misses on all the Trump rise to nomination and presidency, I had to wikipedia it and it sounds like he was a Never Trump guy.  While he couldn't stop Trump, he would have been a reasonable voice at Fox and for conservatives to counter Trump.  Oh well history moves on but no one seems to fill his shoes at least for me.

There are copies in the PBS system so not posting it at this point.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?--#85

 This is a sort of memoir by Mindy Kaling, the actress who played Kelly Kapoor in The Office.  She is more of a writer for the Office but earned her way into being on screen too.  This is similar to some of the other books by actors I have read, some part about their life & how they got into acting, some what it is like on set and then about their thoughts and random stuff.  Good light reading I guess.

There are around 5 copies in PBS system so not posting it anytime soon.  My youngest is an Office fan so will probably keep around for her to read at some point.

The Girl Who Lived Twice--#84 finished

 This is the next in the Lisbeth Salander series.  Lisbeth & her sister are still trying to track each other down for a final battle.  Camilla kidnaps Blomkvist and forces that final confrontation at the end of the book.  While all this is going on Blomkvist was involved in identifying a homeless man that was murdered.  Lots of moving stories and characters in this book.  At times seems a little too disjointed but was still an entertaining read.

So far these books have been keepers for me and this one joins the others.

The Day of the Jackal--#83 finished

 This is an older book, looks like published in 1971 about an assassination attempt on Charles DeGaulle president of France.  This is one of those books that I read back probably in junior high/middle school that just roped me into reading.  It was a favorite then and figured I should give this a re-read after all these years.  A lot of this book really holds up well, the steps the Jackal took and the steps the investigators were taking.  Had to wrap my head around this time period of technology too.  I couldn't help but feel maybe wasn't as clever and cool as I remembered but then I had to think that I have read much since then of similar books and storylines that had the benefit of working off this book.  I am glad I have re-read the book and it will stay on my keeper list.

Epicenter--#82 finished

 I had read a couple of the author's fiction books about the Mid East--1st two in one of his series and while not great thought interesting.  I saw this book at a library sale months ago and picked it up.  It has some very good information about Mid East but the whole book is about a few paragraphs in the Bible book of Ezekiel about end of the world stuff dealing with several countries and Mid East.  Russia & Iran attacking Israel basically.  The premise really isn't too far off, I just don't think this bible story for centuries ago isn't the road map that he sees.  Also it seems as if he is a little too focused on the end of times scenario.  Just a little too out there for my way of thinking.  This book was originally written in 2005/2006 time but my copy is a reprint I guess from 2016--so not as up to date as I would have liked either.

There are a couple copies in PBS system but I figure I will post it too & see what happens.

The Girl in the Flammable Skirt--#81 finished

 A short story collection by Aimee Bender.  Most of the stories are a kind of off the wall sort of imaginations.  Some sort of interesting but most just seemed to not make much sense to me.  Not really a fan of these type stories and not really interested in trying to figure out any sort of deeper meaning.  Oh well, at least it is a short book and the stories were quick reads.

I have posted it back on PBS, there are 2 copies ahead of it so I don't think it will be moving for some time.

One Soldier's Story--#80 finished

 This is Bob Dole's memoir, mostly about his growing up, his time in the Army and his recovery from his injuries from the war.  I liked Bob Dole's midwestern conservative way as a Senator and then Presidential candidate back in the 1980s and 90s when I was starting to pay attention to politics.  I enjoyed reading about his earlier life because I really didn't know much of this at all.  I knew he was injured in the war but didn't know the extent of it and his recovery until reading this book.  Makes one appreciate the service all our WWII veterans did for our country.

There are 5 copies in PBS right now and since this copy is a little beaten up, I will probably just donate it way rather than post.

The Madness Underneath--#79 finished

This is the 2nd in series, & might be last--not sure, where a high school girl switches from small town Louisiana to a boarding school in London.  She has near death experience & can now see ghosts.  First book was a Jack the Ripper kind of copycat.  She gets involved in a secret London police group of other type seers and ends with her being stabbed.  This one after she recovers she now has the touch to send the ghosts away--as in way away, no longer on earth I guess.  She is hurried back to London from Bristol where she was with her parents and in school at near end of term but she is beyond behind and pressures of school and being a tool to send back ghosts away is getting too much for her.  She is sent to a therapist that not surprisingly ends up being a bad person and kidnaps her with only being saved by the police group.  Didn't really like this one as much as first and the ending hinted at stuff but not sure a 3rd book ever was done, oh well.

There are no copies on system so will probably post at some point with the first book too.

Dressing Up for the Carnival--#78 finished

 This is a short story book by Carol Shields.  It has been years ago but I read a book by her and enjoyed it. This book has been on my shelf for a few years now & finally got to it.  She is a Canadian writer and not surprising every story was in Canada, some in very outpost areas along the Atlantic Ocean and the like.  I mostly enjoyed the stories, some a little out there or a little off but overall very good stories.  

I will post this one on PBS too since there are no copies in the system, be nice to pass along for someone else to enjoy.

The Maid's Version--#77 finished

 In small town MO in 1929 a dance hall burns while a full house is at the dance and several people die.  This is the story of that happening from the sister that lived.  Goes around to different people in the town and what the town was like.  A little confusing about timelines and who is actually telling the story at points--the narrator is a nephew that came to visit I guess, like I said a little confusing.  Also I finished this book a week or two ago and already forgetting parts I guess.  Not a bad read but I liked the couple other books of his that I have read quite a bit more.

There are already 8 books in the system but figure I will post it anyway.  Can always cull it off later if need space.

Flash Boys--#76 finished

 Wow, one of those really eye opening books.  I really don't understand investing all that well and this book gives me even more doubts about it.  The basic idea of the stock markets--ownership of stock is ownership of the business, that kind of stuff but this is in the details of how those stocks are bought and sold.  Basically with the speed of connection people found ways to skim off millions and billions from the stock market.  Very complicated on how it was done & very complicated on how it would be fixed.  A group did find a fix and books ends hopeful but since I don't really follow, I have no idea if it really fixed it or if other ways of doing this were found.  I enjoyed the other book I read by Michael Lewis and really enjoy this one too--lots of information.  I will have to look up his other books.

There are quite a few WL for this, not sure how many right off hand but it will get mailed off at some point.

My Squirrel Days--#75 finished

 Actress Ellie Kemper from The Office, is how I know her, she is one of several people on the show with St Louis connections--she grew up here.  My youngest became a fan last spring & over summer so watched some repeats and enjoyed it but at times the humor on the show gets to point of painful--just too much.  Oh, well, this was a good read, I really knew little about her and she seems like a good person that is also an actor.  After reading the book, I looked her on up wikipedia and found out her family is very wealthy--part of the Kemper family that the art museum in KC is named after and family owns Commerce Bank or did so at one time.  This was never mentioned in book and since about herself and not family I kind of understand it but does kind of show not really the starving artist type while learning her acting skills.  A good enjoyable read though.

I think there are around 25 WL for it so will get posted & mailed off at some point.

Foreign Influence--#74 finished

 This is a series that I started reading a few books in it but not from the beginning.  I looked on PBS & the first book in series is not available and I had this one--something like the 9th book and figured I would just read it.  A good read, a few of the characters I knew, obviously the main guy Scot Horvath.  Some of the things done, the extreme torture of terrorists especially seem like issues so long ago, this book was written in 2010.  I will have to keep looking for book number 1 and try to start series at the beginning at some point.

There are already enough copies on system and this book is a little rough with slightly tore pages toward the end, I will probably keep for now in case want to re-read when I start the series from beginning. 

Book Doctor--#73 finished

This is a lady that helps people write their books and it is a story about her relationships and how her perspective was changed by one she was helping.  It is a funny kind of quirky book with interesting characters.  I enjoyed reading the letters she received from people that wanted her help and the types of books they were writing.  The tax attorney that comes and wants her help to write his story but his story seems to change pretty regularly.  She gives him some writing advice & lessons and meets him once a week but it is almost therapy for him and her.  A good and interesting read.

There are no copies on PBS so I will probably post it now.  Was thinking about keeping it but doubt I can get anyone else in house interested in reading. 

Satchel--#72 finished

 This is a book about Satchel Paige.  A good telling of his life from growing up in Mobile, AL and then his life in baseball.  Some of the struggles both for him and the leagues he was playing in.  The travel time and side games he was sent to to earn extra money.  It had to be a tough life but since he was one of the best, he at least was earning more than most.  The traveling to Dominican Republic and Cuba as well in winters to keep earning a paycheck.  Also then once the color barrier was broken, how Jackie Robinson was seen by other Negro Leaguers and then his chance at the big leagues.  Then his life after the major leagues but not without baseball--still playing on traveling teams.  This is certainly a story worth hearing, glad I read this book.

There are 3 WL for it on PBS so I will probably mail it off to let someone else enjoy it.

Contagious--#71 finished

 Contagious: Why Things Catch On, is the full title.  It talks about characteristics of things that become popular.  He talks about a blender that was so powerful could bust up marbles, golf balls, etc but was unknown until was able to get videos out showing these things.  It goes of different things to consider and think about for products and ads.  I thought a lot of good more practical advice but wasn't really something that interested me overall.

There are 3 or 4 WL for the book so I will get it mailed off at some point probably soon.

The Burglar--#70 finished

 A fun read about a female burglar that breaks and enters and steals cash, guns, jewelry--smaller easy to grab items from rich houses.  One house she enters she finds a murder scene and backs out & thinks she gets away but people keep chasing her.  She thinks it is the police but comes to realize it is a security team that had planted small cameras throughout their clients houses and was blackmailing them.  They were also the ones that killed the 3 people in the house and are now after her.  A good quick read, lots of action and good detail about what goes on in her life. An enjoyable and different kind of story.

Will probably post at some point on PBS, I think there are 20 some WL for it so no hurry.

Open--#69 finished

 This is a short story book by a Canadian author.  I enjoyed some of the stories and others just seemed to be more exercises in writing--almost trying to throw the reader off by talking about the now & the same paragraph flashing back or sideways or something.  I have generally had good luck with the short story books I have read and this didn't seem as good--not bad--more of a disappointment I guess.

There are no copies in PBS but this is also an author signed copy.  I will probably post on PBS at some point though since overall seemed just okay to me.

A Painted House--#68 finished

 This is an older John Grisham book that I hadn't read before.  This book and also the three before it were my vacation books.  This one & the one just previous were finished after back from vacation.  I enjoy the Grisham books and this was a nice change in that it wasn't about any lawyers.  A poor sharecropping family in Arkansas in the 1950s and the hillbillies and Mexicans they hire for the harvest of their cotton.  A good quick type read.

Plenty of copies of this already on PBS so this will also just go in my donation pile.

Heart of the Land--#67 finished

The rest of the title is: Essays on Last Great Places.  This is a book of short essays put together for the Nature Conservancy done in the early to mid 1990s.   Talks about areas that are important to the author and also where the Nature Conservancy is involved and how it will hopefully or has gotten the land back to what it was.  Kind of interesting to hear about the places & what they were like and then the changes & hopefully getting back to what they were.  A few cases there weren't changes but still needed protection to keep they from being changed.  The timing of this book struck me part of the way through because there was no mention of global warming or climate change--if this had been compiled a few years later I am sure that would have been a main theme.

There are no WL for it on PBS, it is a hardback with it's cover but does have a minor stain on the cover & through to the book cover too.  I think probably still postable at PBS but to avoid any question of problems will probably just go in my donate away pile.

The Zero Game--#66 finished

This is the other book finished on vacation.  It is also an older book from back in 2004.  I have had it for years on my bookshelf and finally got on reading it.  Not a bad read, a behind the scene game being played in DC by congressional aids turns deadly.  Suspend some reality and remember electronic tracking and all that stuff wasn't as big back then and is still enjoyable.  I doubt what the evil people were planning could ever be done but still made a good enough book to read.  

There are over 60 some copies in PBS so this will just go to my donate away pile.

Inside the Kingdom--#65 finished

 This is one of the 2 books I finished on vacation at the end of July but finally getting around to logging it in.  This lady was married to one of Osama Bin Laden's older brothers.  There are I think 54 kids--dad was married multiple wives & divorces, etc all in this.  The book was written after 9/11 and the connection to Osama certainly made it newsworthy and sold copies but just as interesting was her life in Saudi Arabia and how she was lucky enough to get out with her children and get divorced away from there.  Since the dad/man has all the power, she likely would not have been able to take her girls out of the country & they would have remained and eventually married off.  Just crazy that it goes on and really only very slowly changing.  I guess since guys in power & most women in country know that from day they were born, not much of a fight for rights going on.  Really interesting read about the country and the family.

I have mentioned this to some others and they might be interested in reading it so keeping it for now.

The Scarlet Pimpernel--#64

This is one of those classic books that I hadn't read before.  I forget where I picked up a copy of this but probably from a library sale at some point.  Written in the early 1900s about an English nobleman that disguises himself to help get aristocrats out of France during the Reign of Terror around 1782.  The book is told from the perspective of his wife but she didn't know he was the Scarlet Pimpernel, she thought her husband simple minded and not serious.  She grew up in France and a French diplomat that is really more of a spy is in England trying to find out who is the SP and forces her to help him.  In the end the SP slips away from the French and gets his people out safely again.  He also has regained the love of his wife.  Overall a good story.

Since it is a classic I will keep this one.

Platinum Doll--#63 finished

This is a fictional but tried best author could to make it true as she could about Jean Harlow, a movie actress star in the 1920 & 1930s.  This is just about her life as she was breaking into movies & the beginning of her career.  I had heard the name before but knew nothing about Jean Harlow and this was a very good & interesting story of this part of her life.  The book really ended just as she was becoming a big star but also surprising to me is that she also died very young, she died of kidney failure at age 26.  I have not seen any of her movies but I will have to watch for them on TCM shows some old movies very often, will have to try to catch one sometime.

I will post it & mail off on PBS at some point, I think there are 3 or 4 WL for it so will probably post it soon but have enough credits for now.

Don't You Forget About Me--#62 finished

This is a collection of thoughts from writers about growing up in the 1980s & the influences of the John Hughes films--Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Weird Science, Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and Some Kind of Wonderful--the last one is one I haven't seen.  I think I have only seen Weird Science once & that was back in the '80s or '90s, but the rest I have seen several times.  I really enjoyed the movies and reading this brought back a lot of good memories.  I have a tape cassette of the soundtrack for Pretty in Pink & I listened to that a lot over the years.  Funny stuff about memories and the 1980s.

I am keeping this one right now & might look to hand off to friends since they are right in this time period too.

America By Heart--#61 finished

This is the 2nd book by Sarah Palin, the one that came out after the election they lost.  I think the first one came out during election but if not was very soon after election.  This was soon after she resigned from Governor of Alaska, she barely mentions it in the book though.  I still think she was treated unfairly in many ways and that before really given a change she became a punchline and she was never really able to get beyond that except for the base.  I mostly enjoyed the book, reminded me of a time when I used to like Republicans instead of the now Trump Republicans.  Some of the things like the Tea Party was just getting going & again was mentioned in the book but not a lot since was just starting.  This was a book that had been on my shelf for a while & I am glad I finally got to it.  Just reminded me of a better time for my support of Republicans and maybe the party can get back to that someday.

There are plenty of copies on the system so figure this will go in the give away pile.

The Name of the Star--#60 finished

I really enjoyed this even though more of a young adult/older teen type book.  A girl in high school--I think senior, moves to London from small town Louisiana because her parents are professors on sabbatical in England.  She is at a boarding school in London while they are a few hours away.  So there is the whole adjustment thing of London, boarding school etc going on but also there is a copy cat Jack the Ripper killings going on.  Rory--the girl--has an accident when she first gets there and since nearly dying she can now see ghosts--she doesn't realize this until later in book.  It is a powerful ghost that is doing the killings and Rory gets caught up with a super secret team of police that can also see ghosts.  Suspend reality & enjoy the read and it was fun.  I have already ordered the 2nd book in series.

I will keep it for now since again might be others that will want to read this.

Plainsong--#59 finished

I really enjoyed this book about people in a small town in Colorado.  I don't remember it saying when but I am guessing 1980s or 1990s--could be earlier I guess too.  Interesting characters and lots going on with them while maybe to others around it doesn't seem like much.  Kind of my thought that there is a story with every person, it is just a matter of perspective and ability to tell the story--author I think has done an excellent job in telling the story.

There are already some copies in system so probably won't add to it but might try to encourage someone else in house to read so keeper for now.

A Moveable Feast--#58 finished

This is a book about Ernest Hemingway's time in Paris in the 1920s and the people he was around.  This was published after his death, I am not sure if he had this written out or if from notes.  It has short chapters about different incidents and times from back then so working off his memories.  Interesting hearing about how he basically was living in near poverty writing and trying to get stories published to keep him going.  Finally toward the end he talks about his first novel getting written The Sun Also Rises and you can kind of see he was stepping into a different part of his life.  The last chapter mentions a new woman in his life and feeling terrible because he still loves his first wife Hadley.  I like Hemingway as a writer and this adds to him and his writings.

My Hemingway books are keepers so this one will be sticking around.

The Bassoon King--#57 finished

This is by Rainn Wilson, the actor that played Dwight Shrute in The Office.  An interesting person and life.  He really lets you in to see the struggles of acting and how it is very competitive and almost lucky about how he landed some of the parts that he has.  I guess he also has a website/blog thing with soul pancakes, I haven't checked it out but it is mentioned throughout the book as well.  He enjoys thinking and talking about the big things about life.  Overall an interesting person and good read.

I will probably be keeping this book.  My youngest is the big Office fan and this is also an autographed copy so might as well put on my keeper shelf.

Sweeter Than Life--#56 finished

This looks like a kind of self published book, some editing issues with Ccapital letters--this happens through most of the book & sort of drove me crazy but became used to it.  A sort of coming of age story about a high school senior with special needs kids, divorced parents, bulimia, sex/relationships and drunk driving all thrown into the mix.  I enjoyed the story but the timeline was off for me.  The main character is a fast runner hoping to get a college scholarship but only runs a relay? and is a senior graduating in days & hoping to get that scholarship at a top university?.  If she is really that good of a runner I would think she would get offered something a plenty of division II or III type schools but she has only applied to the "best" schools--UCLA, Ohio State and Baylor are mentioned--very good schools but I don't see that as the best track schools.  So throw some of that out and you still have a pretty good story about a 17 year old girl growing up and accepting and working through life changes--new job, new friends, a boyfriend and family issues.

There are no copies on PBS but not sure if I will post it or not--it is a local author but I don't know her so no real reason to keep.  I checked Amazon and shows only 1 copy in their system & for like $45--don't understand that either.  At this point might as well keep it.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes--#55 finished

This is the Hunger Games series kind of look back book--it is about the future President Snow when he was finishing his high school and the struggles in his life and choice he made at that time.  The Hunger Games was only in it's 10th year and he was a mentor for a girl from District 12 that eventually won the games with his help.  A really interesting read and a quick read too.  Not sure if another book is coming to fill in the gap of those 65 years, might be interesting.  I would also like to see a book about 10 years after the Mockingjay to see how everything ended up--of course I would like a happy ending and who would write a book like that.

This is my youngest's book and after she read it I got the chance.  It will not be going on PBS.

The Dixon Cornbelt League--#54 finished

This is a short story book by WP Kinsella that also wrote the story that became the Field of Dreams movie.  These are all baseball stories and are pretty good.  I had read something from this author in past and while I like the baseball & also throws in some magical/mystical stuff that just doesn't make much sense to me.  There is some of that in a few of these stories but overall a good read.

I will be posting it on PBS, there are no copies but who knows with it being an older book and a short story book, those don't usually move very much.

Vermeer's Hat--#53 finished

This is the book that I finished last night, just playing catch up on logging in the books now.  The rest of this title is: The Seventeenth Center and the Dawn of the Global World.  The author looks at paintings by Vermeer and objects in the painting such as the hat and looks at where it has come from--from North American beaver pelts.  A Chinese bowl and silver coins and a lot to do with trade with China.  A really interesting look at what was going on and how he related it back to the Dutch and what was going on there.

There are 4 WL for the book but this book has a ton of highlighting and underlining in it.  I guess it was a textbook for some previous owner.  I can post & mail so long as I let the person know & if they are okay with it but it really is a lot.  Will have to see on this one.

The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye--#52 finished

This is the next in the Lisbeth Salander series, I had read the one before just a couple months ago and actually have the next one already too so will probably read it yet this year.  I enjoy this series with Salander and the journalist Blomkvist getting involved it different sort of happenings and plots and figuring things out.  Salander starts this book in jail from the end of the last book where she kidnapped the autistic boy to keep him safe.  She probably could have avoided jail but offered no defense and in the course of prison meets with some bad characters and one unjustly jailed girl.  Of course figures out the bad guys with this girl and also while things are coming up from her past that Blomkvist is working on.  Book moves along and keeps this story continuing.

There are 17 WL for the book.  I have been keeping this series but not sure if I will keep after the first author's first 3 so might mail this one off but at least no hurry right now.

Git-R-Done--#51 finished

This is the Larry the Cable Guy book.  I saw some of his standup comedy on the Blue Collar Comedy Tour when it made it on TV and enjoyed it.  I know he is basically a white trash type comic and grew up for a while in NE & is a NE football fan so figured could check out this book. I really dislike the book, no I would have to say overall I hate this book.  At points maybe a chuckle but overall just his insults to everyone, just too much and not funny.  I don't remember his stand up being like this but maybe being in print it was just too much for me.  No respect for the person anymore either.

To show how much I hate this book, I am not going to post it on PBS, I don't think it should be mailed off to anyone else to read.  I am instead going to throw in it recycling, I am not even going to give it away.  Just an awful book.

Munson--#50 finished

The Life and Death of a Yankee Captain is the rest of the title.  I was starting to pay attention to baseball in this time, I remember the Yankee & Dodgers World Series and some of the Yankee and KC Royals Championship series.  I remember hearing about Munson dying in a plane crash and enjoy baseball reference.com  for all the stats in baseball.  I remember Munson as a very good player and was sort of surprised he didn't get credit for dying young that would help him get into the Baseball Hall of Fame.  Not sure he is a HOFer but just wonder if the surgical and medical advances of today were available how much better his knees would be and lengthen his career.  Same thing you can wonder about Gayle Sayers too on the football side.  I didn't know anything of Munson's personal life and this book filled in a lot of that.  I am not a Yankee fan so was getting tired of the world revolves around the Yankees feel the book has but still interesting read to learn about the person of Thurman Munson.

I have posted it & it is the only copy in the system so figure at some point it will get mailed off somewhere.

Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty--#49 finished

A different sort of story a young family that has always known money suddenly finding out their money is gone.  They have options but the stress of this gets to them.  The story jumps from growing up & meeting in the '60s to being married with three children in the '70s.  He sets up a dinner date that becomes a spouse swap but his wife didn't realize & then refuses.  She won't let him home that night & the next day she leaves a note and takes off on a cross country trip with a man she just met.  The husband joins with his dinner date lady and they decide to take a sailboat of his dads and sail off to the Bahamas or maybe farther.  Neither one knows what the other is doing.  Meanwhile the kids are at home, the 9 year old girl and twin boys around 5 I think.  The 9 year old gets them ready for school and they have their adventures at home but don't tell anyone because of horrible things they heard about orphanages.  All in all a good story, even if you struggle at times to like the characters.

There are 9 WL for the book so at some point will post it & mail it off.

Prairie Silence--#48 finished

I really enjoyed this book, a memoir by a lady that grew up in small town North Dakota and came to realize she was gay but didn't come out until leaving for college and then Minneapolis.  She was worried about what people would think back in the small town.  She eventually decided to take a month and go home to help on the farm and sort of take a sabbatical to write and get reacquainted with the area.  She talked about her time growing up and her college time and trying to understand herself as well.  A good read and interesting perspective.

There are no WL or copies in system at PBS but will probably set aside for now--not sure if keeper book but don't want to mail off either.

The White Man in the Tree--#47 finished

This is a short story book by Mark Kurlansky, these are fiction stories.  I have enjoyed his non-fiction writing more in his books about the Basques, Cod and Gloucester.  These stories are a little different with the focus being the islands of the Caribbean.  Characters are interesting and stories are ones that at points make you think but overall more just okay.

There is 1 WL for the book so I figure I will get it posted & mailed off kind of soon but I have been mailing a bunch of books already so might be a week or two yet before I post it.

Mission Critical--#46 finished

This is the next in the Gray Man series, a fun shoot them out & blow stuff up kind of series.  A CIA very off the books spy along with another off books guy and sort of join up at times with the 3rd off books spy gal that came via Russia.  Bad things happening and all 3 follow leads into London & then Scotland where they sort of join up.  Gray Man and the gal are together from a book or two ago where he saved her & brought her to the states for a new life and into the CIA.  Her dad, who was supposed to have been dead for years, is found to be alive and running a revenge mission against the good guys spy networks that get together for a big meeting every year.  The 3 have to bust it up but she is mostly just wants to talk to dad and after talking then wants to just kill him.  My typing up something on this really doesn't do it justice.  This is a fun series if the whole spy thing is your thing.

There are around 25 WL for the book so I will get it mailed off at some point.

Unqualified--#45 finished

I really enjoy the TV show Mom and Anna Faris is the star on that show.  I saw she had a book out & got it through PBS.  I guess it hadn't soaked into me that she married Chris Pratt of Guardians of the Galaxy fame but he wrote the forward.  Anna has a podcast and I guess the book grew out of that where she gives out unqualified advice to people that send in or call in with questions.  Those parts of the book were not that interesting.  I enjoyed reading about her background and life.  After I finished the book I had to do the IMDB check on her & found out she & Chris Pratt are divorced, looks like about a year after the book came out.  That is really too bad, can tell in the book they loved each other--or maybe some was overcompensation because they were having problems??--my very unqualified guess.  Still they have a son together and it must have been rough time.

My youngest watches Mom too and she wants to read this book also so posting on PBS might wait a bit, I think there is 1 WL for it right now.

A Song for Nero--#44 finished

I finished this last weekend after way too long--I started at least in March & might have been end of February.  I am not sure why I pushed on with this book, I really didn't like it from the start.  I liked the idea of the book more than what I was reading and the reading I think needed an editor and this book could have been cut in half.  The idea that Roman Emperor Nero escaped and lived a sort of simple life on the move with most everyone believing he was killed, sounded like a neat idea for a book.  This book was way too long and just too much that just didn't make sense.  Because it was nearing 600 pages, there are some points where it was entertaining but overall just a waste of time.  This is a book that has been on my shelf for years and finally talked myself into reading it, I think that was why I had to stick with it since I had it for so long.

There is a minor stain on the book so I cannot post on PBS, it will go into my giveaway pile.

Immunity--#43 finished

I bought this book a few months ago from a library sale, the corona virus was probably then mostly in news for China at the time and had no idea it would morph into today.  This book starts off with a deadly virus that changed the world and forced relocation camps and government forced everything.  A former rich socialite is given the chance to have health coverage and earn some money which she needed but she had to get a procedure done--an implant that was supposed to keep the virus away.  The book is very much about the haves vs the have nots.  It started with that basic premise and seemed promising but then sort of switched to a super rich behind the scenes guy pulling the strings and going psychotic.  Oh well I am not a writer so probably shouldn't criticize but I would have preferred a different kind of change midway through this.  Still sort of entertaining but left me with a what could it have been feeling too.

There are 6 WL for this book on PBS so like others will get it mailed off at some point.

Sin Bravely--#42 finished

A different kind of memoir I guess.  Maggie Rowe is a writer, comedian and probably more in Hollywood.  I am not familiar with her really though, the title of the book is probably what hooked me to pick it up.  Growing up she had a real fear of going to heaven.  Her family is Evangelical but maybe not as committed as she is/was?  She kept saying all she had to do was believe to get to heaven but she was never sure if her belief was true enough.  She spent a summer after freshman year of college at an Evangelical help clinic and most of the book is about that.  The other people there the group sessions and the counselors she saw.  I didn't really find any of this that funny and really just felt sorry for almost everyone involved.  Not a fan of this book.

There are 6 WL for this book so I will be mailing it off at some point soon but like mentioned in other post, no big hurry to mail more off right now.

But Enough About Me--#41 finished

This is Burt Reynolds memoir.  I grew up in the 1970s and 80s and so of course know some of Burt Reynolds work from more serious roles like Deliverance and The Longest Yard to the happy funny things Smokey & the Bandit and Cannonball Run.  Boogie Nights was kind of a re-boot to his career, I think he was really good in that.  I didn't know much of his career that was before my time--his Tonight Show hosting, or his longtime relationship with Dinah Shore.  It was also interesting to hear about his growing up and playing football and then an injury in college forced him to look for something else & he found acting.  It is a fun read and nice memories of people and friends he mentions.

I will post at some point on PBS, there are 5 WL for it but I had just mailed off some books so should be okay for a little while on my PBS credits.

For Edgar--#40 finished

A detective story with the serial killer working off stories from Edgar Allen Poe.  Kind of gruesome and story is not the best or most clever that I have read.  Detective does her own thing too much.  Characters are hard to believe.  Not a great read but not bad either.  I guess if I was more of a Poe fan maybe would have enjoyed it more.

I have posted it on PBS but there are already 4 copies in system ahead of it so not likely going anywhere at this point.

Outliers--#39 finished

The author Malcolm Gladwell looks at success and delves a little deeper to see some of the random and not so random things that happened to help people to their success.  He starts by looking at rosters of ice hockey teams in Canada and sees that a Jan 1 cutoff date seems to give older by months kids a head start over kids born later in the year--a few months difference and they get selected on the better teams and better coaches and they succeed while kids born later in the year have a much harder time of getting those selections.  Also looks at Bill Gates and another computer guy that were both born and seemed to fall into the perfect time where they could access a computer and spend that 10,000 hours on it giving them a benefit/headstart over other computer people--he does still credit them for being very smart but also getting some breaks.  It goes on with other examples with the super rich of the 1800s and NY lawyers of the '70s & '80s, Chinese advantages to math & learning.  A very interesting read that makes you think about your life and how your kids were brought up.

There are no copies right now on PBS so I will probably go ahead and post it, I expect it should move hopefully sometime soon.  Also this is the first finished book in May.

Alternate Side--#38 finished

I really enjoyed this book, it seemed to really get into the lives of a husband and wife and the kind of tuck away neighborhood in New York City.  Their twin children are off to college but still around and the neighbors are interesting but you can see the husband and wife have drifted apart.  A conflict happens in the neighborhood and sides are taken and during this time they realize their marriage is at an end.  Not a big fight or battle, just an end to them being together.  I thought this was a very insightful book about relationships, again really enjoyed reading.

There are around 40 some WL for this book so I will post & mail off at some point.

Route 66 Lost & Found--#37 finished

This & the next book are actually April read books but just getting around to logging them in now.  This is probably more of a coffee table book--bigger size hardback & lots of photos.  The photos are for businesses & towns along Route 66 back when built or heydays and then what it looks like today. Motels, cafe/small gas station and main streets are the main subjects.  An interesting read about Route 66.  It cuts through St Louis so I have heard a bunch about it at least from around this region but haven't really paid a lot of attention to it other than the basic knowledge.  This book gave some interesting insights into it & good to see what was still there, at least when the book published 16 years ago--I have a feeling many places have changed more and probably not for the better.

There are 6 WL for this book and while it is a larger size, I will probably post & mail off, I don't really have a reason for keeping it.  St Louis was hardly mentioned or written about in the book so no really local interest reason for keeping it.

Little Girl Blue--#36 finished

The rest of the title is: The Life of Karen Carpenter.  I just finished this book this morning and it is upsetting.  I guess if more was known about anorexia back then she might still be alive today.  She was a very talented singer/musician and was caught in a tough situation with a mother that seemed to favor her brother Richard.  She adored Richard and let him and their mom make most of their decisions and she just had a hard time getting away.  When she did finally meet someone & marry, he was basically a fraud.  Her mental state I guess wanted control and eating became the thing or lack of eating.  A sad story, where while reading it I almost hated the people around her but again it is almost more of a statement of the times--these people loved her but had no answers for what she was going through.

There are 25 WL for the book so I will get it posted & mailed off at some point but will probably find another one to send off first.

Whip It--#35 finished

A high school girl in a small town about hour outside of Austin TX that doesn't fit in with most kids in town and is forced into beauty pageants by her mother, gets on a roller derby team in Austin without her parents knowing it.  I saw the movie first and it was mostly enjoyable--a teenager coming of age kind of story so I ordered the book from PBS and read it once it came in.  Book as different in quiet a few ways from the movie but generally stayed the same story.  It is more young adult/teen book but I enjoyed it.

There are no copies in PBS now--I ordered the only one that was, so I will get this posted & see what happens.

High Plains Tango--#34 finished

This was a pretty good read, I have now read a couple books by Robert James Waller & have enjoyed both of them.  I haven't read his most famous one The Bridges of Madison County but will probably have to get around to it at some point.  This book fits in with that one--not sure if before or after and the jacket mentions that some of the characters do carryover.  A guy that is an artist like carpenter is roaming the country & ends up in small town South Dakota, buys a cheap old 1 room farmhouse & some acres and rebuilds the farmhouse into something amazing for those parts.  Bad politicians have been behind the scenes working on putting an interstate through from Canada to New Orleans and he starts to fight this.  Throw in some Indian burial grounds & legends and a couple ladies and some bad local guys and here it is.  Took a little while to get it moving but was a good story overall.

Already 10 copies in system so this will go to the donate away pile.

God Save the Fan--#33 finished

This is by the guy that started Deadspin, a sports blog that kind of stayed on the outside of sports reporting.  An almost anti-ESPN kind of thing--and anybody that is anti-ESPN has to be alright.  It is an older book published in 2008 so not very timely but still a lot of it holds true still.  Also written with a light touch and some humor so was an easy & quick read.

There is already 1 copy in system so I will still post it but not expecting it to move anytime soon.  My shelf that holds all my posted books for PBS is stuffed so I will need to move a couple out & put them in the donate away pile.

Thomas Hart Benton: A Life--#32 finished

A MO artist that, at least in the state, is probably most known for painting the mural at the capital--I think that is where it is.  He is from an early political family in MO and his father was a federal congressman for a few terms.  Thomas in his early years traveled the state with his dad during campaigns and then was in Washington DC while serving.  He grew up in Neosho, MO down in the SW corner of the state.  He had to kind of fight his parents into letting him study art & painting--they wanted him to be a lawyer and continue with the whole politician thing.  He went to Chicago to study & then to Paris & then to NY.  Those were his formative years and was developing his style.  He eventually ended up in Kansas City & taught there for a while & painted but summers were in MA at Martha's Vineyard area.  Book has a lot of information about him and his painting and his style and arguments with other artists.  An interesting life for sure.  Book at times read more like a textbook though so took a while to get through it.

There are 2 WL for it so I will go ahead and post it today & see if I can get it mailed off tomorrow.

Hot Damn!--#31 finished

I have not heard of James W Hall before, the author.  This is a collection of columns he wrote for a Florida newspaper over 3 years, just about his observations of what was going on around him or in his life I guess.  He was also writing books at this time--I may have to look some of these up.  Not too bad, a nice read that gives you an idea of him and the area of S Florida back in the 1990s at some point.  I finished it a week or so ago & now having a hard time remembering much of this--I remember his search for & finding his house and then hurricane Andrew came through and knocked down trees & damaged the house some.  A casino in the Everglades--Indian run so I guess was kosher and maybe a couple more.  Nothing really that stuck with me but was a nice read.  The title probably gave me more hope than I should have had for this book.

I will go ahead and post it on PBS, there is already 1 copy in the system so I don't expect it to go anywhere but that ol' never know thing.

The Fall of Lisa Bellow--#30 finished

Probably more of a young adult kind of book.  Two middle school girls in the 8th grade end up at the same sub shop after school, one is the most popular girl in school according to the other at least and the other is part of a more nerdy kind of group.  The sub shop is robbed and when the robber is leaving takes the popular girl with him.  The book is basically about the struggles of the other girl and the people around her.  8th grade is already a tough time.  She becomes friends with the popular girls and sort of leaves her old friends out.  Some interaction with the mom of the missing girl as well.  The biggest struggle is the one within her family and especially her mom.  A good read that makes you think and takes you back to that middle school/high school time of struggles.

There are like 3 WL for the book so once things kind of get back to normal, I will post it & mail it off.

IV--#29 finished

This is a book of Chuck Klosterman's articles.  He wrote for Spin magazine and others and this is a bunch of those but is not all about music also has other people & topics.  Overall pretty good, I am not a big music fan so when he gets into actual bands and influences I was lost at times.  You can tell from his writing that he enjoys what he does and that carries over--makes it enjoyable to read.

I will post on PBS, there is 1 or 2 copies already on system so might not go anywhere for a while or ever.

Crucible--#28 finished

This was the next in the Sigma Force series.  This one gets into AI, with a computer program that can grow and think.  It has been developed by a young woman with other professional women assisting and when it was to be first turned out, bad guys invade and kill people and then eventually track down the young girl too and steal her machine.  Of course a kidnapping goes on as well sort of connected but that forces the group to separate.  Bad guys want to throw world back into almost dark ages where the church could rule again--not sure about this but then again this book seemed to take some very large leaps of faith.  Paris gets burned but in the end it all ends up okay except for the AI that supposedly gets destroyed but a time traveling finger at the end makes you question this too.  It was an action read but really didn't care for much of this book.  It is a series so I will continue on with it but could be running out of decent material.

There are 8, 10 or 12--not really sure WL for the book and like earlier entry just not posting anything at this point.  Will post & move once things sort of open up again.

West of Sunset--#27 finished

I really enjoyed this author's book Last Night at the Lobster and was able to get this book on PBS.  It is about F Scott Fitzgerald and his life the last couple years of it, with Zelda in an institution and their daughter at boarding school.  While he is a very famous author now, then he was struggling for money and went to Hollywood and was doing movie scripts to earn a living.  He also had a girlfriend at that time too.  While obviously it cannot be a true account, it puts the reader into the life and you can see the struggles as well as the glamour of Hollywood too.  I good read, I enjoyed it.

I think there are 7 or 8 WL for the book so I will get it posted & mailed off at some point.  Right now with the virus and stay at home orders, not looking to post anything.  I have enough credits & plenty of books on my shelves so not looking to make any unnecessary trips out to the post office.

Y is for Yesterday--#26 finished

This is the last book in this series, the author Sue Grafton passed away before finishing Z and from what her children said she did not want anyone else to write or finish up the novel--her notes, etc were to be destroyed.  I was and am still sadden by this but have to understand her wishes.  I really enjoy the series and glad to have gotten to Y at least.  Her family after her passing had a statement along the lines of: the alphabet now ends at Y for them.  I like that.  This book does wrap up a couple things--Ned Lowe tries to kill Kinsey but in the end he dies.  It also wraps up the case she was working.  Henry & his family continue on.  Her family is still in background except for Anna and we start to come around on Pearl introduced earlier.  A nice ending to a very good series.  I am looking forward to re-starting it at some point.

This is on my keeper shelf.

Children of the Flames--#25 finished

The rest of the title is Dr. Josef Mengele and the Untold Story of the Twins of Auschwitz.  A tough book to read, the cruelty of the Nazis and especially Dr Mengele is just shocking.  How he was at the trains when they came in & he would literally decide who would live & who would be sent to the gas chamber and then crematorium.  This book touched on that but also the focus was on how twins were pulled out & sent to a separate area where he would do experiments on them.  Many died but this book tracked down some of the living and their stories are in the book along with the research they did on Mengele.  Also Mengele was able to avoid being arrested and lived in South America until he died in the 1980s is also just shocking.  In today's world with the internet and information at finger tips you can't see how this would happen but then I remember the US & allies searching for years for Bin Laden.

There are 7 or 8 WL for the book so I will get it posted & mailed off at some point.

Blue--#24 finished

The rest of the title is The LAPD and the battle to redeem American policing.  The author looks at the LAPD and the power of the chief of police.  He looks at the chiefs over time and shows how slow they were to react to changing times from the 1960s onward.  How they were basically run as a type of military and their response to gangs were to arrest more rather than work with people & try to keep them out of gangs.  The Rodney King beating and then the acquittal of the police officers and the riot that happened after that, played a big role in forcing the changes to the dept.  Also talked about the OJ Simpson arrest & how badly the police performed in collecting the evidence as well as how the African American community in LA wanted to strike back at the racist cops there.  The book was written in 2015 so a few years dated but the end of the book basically was all of the positives that were occurring and how much better the LAPD was working with the community now.  I have never been to LA & really other than what I have read from afar, don't know much about these issues.  This book did a great job of providing information and underlying causes as to what was happening there. I really enjoyed this book.

There are no copies in PBS but since I don't want to mail off anything, will wait to post it at some later date.

Another Brooklyn--#23 finished

The story of 4 middle school and into high school girls growing up in the late '70s in Brooklyn.  All 4 are African American and all 4 become best friends but in ways really do not know each other.  As they grow up they also are sort of forced apart.  The main character is one of the girls & she and her younger brother are back after several years for their dad's funeral.  This underlies the fact that their mother wasn't with them, even though the young girl kept saying the mother will come to them.  Each of the 4 has a troubling problem in the background and for some becomes too much.  A good story about the time & place--white flight and riots in Brooklyn.  An interesting time & good story but still a sad read.

There are around 50 WL for the book so I will post & mail at some point.  Right now with the virus I am not actively posting anything.  I have enough credits so will use them as I need them.  I haven't turned off my account so if someone wants to request from my shelf it is still open.

Dad is Fat--#22 finished

Comic Jim Gaffigan's book.  I have seen him before, not sure where maybe a movie but lately I know he has been doing the Chrysler Pacifica commercials.  I didn't realize he & his wife have 5 kids and that is a large part of this book.  The title Dad is Fat is from something one of his kids wrote, so kind of funny.  They live in a small 2 bedroom apartment in NY City and the struggles of doing this.  Overall a good light reading type book.  Short chapters so can pickup & read for a couple minutes and then put down--when reading 4 books or so, it is nice to have one like this.

This is 1 copy already in system so I might as well make it 2 copies & see if it gets requested at some point.  I will have to check & see what movies or TV shows he has done to see if I can remember where I have seen him before the commercials.

The Girl in the Spider's Web--#21 finished

This is the next book in the Lisbeth Salander series but a new author.  The author of the first 3 books died shortly after handing them into his publisher--The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo--being the first one & with a good movie too.  This was a good continuation of the series even though Lisbeth has a sister that I don't remember being mentioned before, but I may have just forgotten her since has been a while since I have read those books.  Sister is evil and wants to kill Lisbeth because Lisbeth killed their dad--lots of bad stuff in this family.  Well there was other stuff going on with stealing AI computer programs and a young savant that is incredible with numbers & also drawing but no one knew this at first.  Throw in stuff with the reporter & the magazine and makes a good story, I enjoyed it.

There are already 11 copies in system & this is an ex-library copy that has a couple issues, I will not post it.  I have kept the first 3 books and will keep this. It is a good series & would like my kids to read it at some point.

Laura: America's First Lady, First Mother--#20 finished

A book about Laura Bush, wife and first lady under George W Bush.  This was mostly written at the beginning of the first year he was elected, 9/11 was sort of filled in at the end.  The book is not very good unfortunately, just a lot of talking points & almost propaganda, you don't get much of a true sense of her.  Learned a few things but these sort of cheerleader type books that get thrown out there early in a term are generally not good & this fits it.

There are already a dozen copies in PBS so no reason to add another one.  This will be a give away book in one of those little free library stands that are around.

The Killer Angels--#19 finished

The 2nd in a series sort of, father wrote this book and then years later son wrote one before & after this, so a sort of series to me.  This is about the Civil War and this book is focused on Gettysburg.  Good reading in that it tries to take you into the mindset of mostly the Confederate Generals and also some officers in the Union.  Really helps the reader understand that war is awful and especially the Civil War where tactics were not up to par with the technology changes.  Throw in the fact that basically the generals were making blind decisions--they were never sure what the strength of the army against them really was--a lot more guesswork than I am sure any of them would like, this just shows how rough the Civil War really was.  I am interested in Gettysburg and I would like to do a tour of Civil War battlefields--only seen Shiloh and a couple smaller ones in MO so far but I have not studied these in depth as I know many people have.  Still an key time in our country and shows how close it was to our country being at least broken in two and maybe more pieces--talk about changing the history of the world for our times.

This is an old beaten up mass market paperback, not in any shape to be mailed off & since I have liked the series I was going to keep it anyway.

The Man Who Loved Clowns--#18 finished

This is more of a middle school or maybe even younger type book about a young man with Down syndrome.  Story is told by his niece Delrita, he lives with her & her parents.  They had just moved from the country into town & she has started school and has tried to not make any friends because she is afraid of how they would react to her Uncle Punky.  She loves him but is scared of how people react to him and is basically trying to protect him.  Her mother is Punky's sister and they have another brother that lives in town too & is married but they have no children.  There is some conflict because Uncle Bert & Aunt Queen think Punky should be out more--going to special olympics and working at a special needs workshop but Delrita's mom doesn't want this.  She stays at home with Punky.  Well throw in a terrible accident that kills Delrita's parents and her and Punky are now with Uncle Bert and Aunt Queenie--conflict happens obviously.  Sadly Punky has a heart condition too and dies, think he was in late 30s only.  Delrita wants a private ceremony for the funeral but when going to the cemetery a parade of people from town join in and she realizes that Punky affected people positively more than the negative way she had seen.  A sad kind of younger kid read.

Book is in a little rough shape and it will be on my keepers since about Down syndrome too.

Baseball's First Indian--#17 finished

This is about Louis Sockalexis a Penobscot Indian from Maine that played for Cleveland in the late 1890s.  He seemed to be an emerging star when he first arrived, could hit, hit for some power, great speed and amazing throwing arm.  But about halfway through the season started drinking himself out of the game.  Played a few games the next year and about 7 his final year--this on the worst team ever in baseball the 1899 that went 20-134.  The owner had bought the St Louis Browns and sent all the decent players there and also played tons of road games so would get gate receipts for games since no one would show up in Cleveland to watch the team after he gutted it.  The Cleveland team really didn't have an official name then but was called the Spiders back then.  Looks like Cleveland took year off & then came back as AL team Blues then later the Naps after a player coach and then after he left eventually some Cleveland writers chose the Indians.  They were sort of known as the Indians back when Sockalexis was there before and it stuck this time.  The author certainly dug deep to find out what he could about Sockalexis, and it had to be hard research trying to locate any mentions.  Basically Sockalexis was the first Indian to play professional baseball minus a couple other mentions that are likely not true.  And while he drank himself out of the majors he did play a couple more years in lower levels before sounds like he returned to the reservation in Maine but eventually dying young likely from alcoholism.  An interesting story even though the book was pretty boring at times to get through.

I have posted it in PBS & it is the only copy so hope at some point it will get requested & moved.

The Fifth Risk--#16 finished

Michael Lewis basically looked into the Trump transition team and the early part of his presidency in a few of the cabinet positions--Energy, Commerce and Agriculture.  It just pissed me off even more about our president.  I was not a fan of Chris Christie but thought it was appropriate that during the summer before the convention, Christie recognized Trump's team was under qualified on setting up a transition team.  He steps up & starts work on this as is mandated even while getting push back from Trump himself because he didn't see the need.  Then once elected, days afterward, Christie & all his work on vetting people for appointments is out.  What a scary thought and then basically no transition happened--no help or training the new people coming in with what all of this is about.  This is not just about the cabinet secretary level but many many levels in all these departments.  This is why you cannot elect a stupid anti-establishment president.  Anti-establishment fine, but most would recognize or soon learn to recognize the importance of our government departments.  Trump doesn't and seems to have not learned this either.  I still remember Rubio basically pointing out that Trump didn't want to learn or had any real interest in how the government works in a debate and how true this is being proven.  Ok, enough ranting but wow I just hope 4 years is enough, a re-election of this guy would be too much for this country.  By the way I am usually a very dependable Republican voter but Trump has turned me off this party.  Of course I don't see myself fitting in the Dems either but they are the lesser of the 2 evils at this point.

There are 40 some WL for this book in PBS so I will get it posted soon & mail it off, need to encourage others to read it.

Sex Object--#15 finished

This is a memoir by noted feminist Jessica Valenti--maybe I shouldn't say noted because I hadn't heard of her before but she has published & has blogged & articles.  I don't really follow feminist writings much but this sounded interesting.  I have mixed feelings about this book.  She has suffered through some torment, seeing men exposing themselves to her at a young age and the whole struggle of self image in the teen years along with finding out about herself sexually after that.  She also made a choice to have an abortion and while she is a feminist, I am sure it had to be a tough decision.  My thought is to pray for her.  She later had a daughter & she was a premie and the struggles with that, our youngest was a premie so I could understand some of what she was going through.  While I don't agree with much of her politics, I think she has a story to tell and I was glad to read it.

There are around 7 WL for this book on PBS so at some point I will offer it out there & mail it off.  This book was finished in February which shows how slow I have been at updating my books read list.  Will try to get better but already have 3 for March that will try to update tonight too.

Stiletto Justice--#14 finished

Kind of a chic-lit type book.  Three ladies from a group to protest how innocent or at least wrongly sentenced people are in jail in KS area of Kansas City, KS.  A bad prosecutor that wants more people in jail and for longer terms to help keep a privately owned jail full to help him and investors is well the bad guy.  Seems like could have been a better story--the idea was decent to good but just not much there in the story.  Didn't really like this book but oh well, that is the way it goes.

I have posted it on PBS, it is the only copy but doubt it is going anywhere anytime soon.

38 Nooses--#13 finished

The rest of the title is: Lincoln, Little Crow, and the Beginning of the Frontier's End.  This the Little Crow or Dakota war that happened in Minnesota at the same time the Civil War was going on.  The Dakota indians were on a reservation in MN and the government issued payments to the tribe once a year.  Because of the Civil War the no longer got gold but script, if I am remembering right, and this year 1862, this money was delayed in getting there.  Throw in basically corrupt dealings with the traders and the indians and the indians really struggling with hunger and changes in their life, it didn't take much for some young warriors to basically start the war.  Little Crow was the chief and the book makes it sound like he might not really been for it but once started he didn't see a way to stop it and took charge as best he could.  White settlers were killed and many in horrific ways and some kept as captives and some of these accounts became part of this book.  For a little known war, that was a step along the complete defeat of the indians, this book does a good job of placing it in our history.

I have already posted it on PBS & hope to get it mailed off today yet.

The Malta Exchange--#12 finished

This is the next in the Cotton Malone series, this time it is the Pope that has recently died.  Right before a conclave to choose the next Pope, a Cardinal and his twin that has mostly been in background but has risen to head of Order of Malta, are on the trail of tracking down an old & important document.  Cotton comes at it from the Italy side to Malta and Luke Daniels, the young gun, is in Malta and eventually the meet up and things get done.  A good action page turner type book but I didn't think as good as others in this series.  Might be because I am a Catholic so just don't see some of the evil going on as being part of the church but I guess I could be very naive too.

There are 28 WL for this book so I will post it & mail it off at some point.

Eat the Document--#11 finished

A story about a couple radicals from the early 1970s that were protesting the war & put bombs inside homes of CEOs of military weapons manufacturers or others similar to this.  One bomb blew up & killed a housekeeper that wasn't supposed to be there.  The two had to split up & go on the run.  The story mostly focused on the lady of the two & where she jumped around too and eventually having a son & getting married.  Her husband dies and as her son gets older she wants to turn herself in once he is able to be on his own.  The guy is in hiding but didn't run far & is still sort of attached to the protest movements but I guess wasn't worried about getting found.  It ends with them turning themselves in.  An interesting read and I really enjoyed parts of it but overall I guess I was hoping for more.

I have posted this on PBS, there was already 1 copy in system so who knows how long it will take to move if it ever does.

When You Are Engulfed in Flames--#10 finished

This is another book of stories by David Sedaris. Really pretty funny overall.  Just an interesting person and what seems to be an interesting life.  Has a unique way of seeing things and while at times comes off maybe a little elite the next story he will talk about a crappy job he has had and even done as an adult and you realize he is probably pretty grounded with experiences of all kinds.  I was entertained.  I finished it a couple weeks ago and still remember some of the stories but they are not really the kind meant to stick with you--at least in my opinion--they are more for the entertainment or enjoyment of reading at the time.

There are already 13 copies in the system so will not bother posting it.  I have a couple of his that I have kept and will add it to that stack.  Not sure really keepers at this point, might get donated off at some point down the line.

The Tehran Initiative--#9 finished

This is the 2nd book in a 3 book series.  It is about a 12th Inman that has come about in Iran and is getting the Islamic countries to come together in a kind of union.  At the same time Iran has developed nuclear weapons and Israel believes Iran & this Inman will use them on Israel.  The US President doesn't see it that way though.  The story revolves around a CIA operative inside Iran that is gathering & sending intelligence to the US.  It is a good story, that maybe gets a little to wrapped up in the religion side of things but overall a good and interesting read.  I don't have the 3rd book yet and I don't think it is moving much in PBS, this might be one that I have to search out in the library.

I haven't decided yet if keeping the series or not.  Interesting and timely for sure but not sure really a keeper series.  I still have the first book in series and there are no copies in system & no WL for it either so just kind of in a holding pattern right now.  This 2nd book in series does have I think 12 WL for it so could post & move if wanted to.

Also, just to note, this book was finished in January which shows how slow I have gotten on logging in my books.  I have 3 finished in Feb at this point, hopefully get them logged in tonight too.

Walk in the Light and Twenty-Three Tales--#8 finished

This is a Leo Tolstoy short story book.  Lots of religious talk and themes running through the stories. Really overall interesting reading but not so exciting that I really had to read.  It was more of a book on the side kind of thing.  I think I started it in Nov and just now finishing it, it got set aside for days & probably a week or so here and there.  That is one of the things with my reading short stories, once I finish a story, that usually becomes a break for me & I jump to other books I am reading.  His epic novels are much more interesting to me than were these short stories but obviously because he is one of my favorite writers, I am glad I read this book.

This is a Tolstoy work so it is on my keeper shelf.

A Girl Called Vincent--#7 finished

The rest of the title is: The Life of Poet Edna St Vincent Millay.  She was born in 1892 and died in 1950 and in between was a major poet in the US.  I should say at least according to this book, I have to admit I had not heard of her before reading this book.  Her mom gave her St Vincent as a middle name because her brother had just recovered from some illness or something at a St Vincent hospital and decided that so even though Edna was her first name Vincent is who she really became known as.    She was lively & often outspoken, she seemed to challenge the norms of the day from as a pre-teen when she started writing poems and basically taking care of her younger sisters growing up.  She became an embodiment of the 1920s with her work and early feminist and also spent time in Paris like so many other artist types then.  This was an interesting read and a very interesting person and writer.  I will try to track down some of her books as well--just went on PBS & ordered one.

There is 1 WL for this book and I will post this & try to mail off right away.

Beautiful Eyes--#6 finished

This is a book by a dad of a daughter with Down Syndrome & the rest of the title is A Father Transformed.  He is a doctor & his wife was a nurse and that fact their daughter Sarah had Down Syndrome was a surprise for them.  He goes through his thoughts and feelings on this & also a lot of the history of how Down Syndrome was first figured out in the 1800s and then the genetic components with the chromosomes and finding that out.  It was fun hearing about his daughter growing up & seeing similarities with my son.  He towards the end of the book has realized he now sees just his daughter for who she is and not so much her disability.  I enjoyed the book, was an honest look at his daughter and his family.

There are 11 WL for this book on PBS so I will probably mail off at some point.  Could also donate out to others, not really sure yet.

The Underworld--#5 finished

The author takes a true happening where a silver mine in a small town in Idaho in the early 1970s had a fire and 91 miners died.  He takes this happening and weaves a story around some fictional people and what happened and how they dealt with it.  I have enjoyed the books by Kevin Canty that I have read and this is another good one.  Really good characters and their interactions.  A really tough and hard story knowing it really happened and these stories were probably pretty close to how some of the people dealt with it.

There are 9 WL for the book so will get it posted & moved at some point.

The Guardians--#4 finished

The newest John Grisham lawyer book.  A lawyer that also is an Episcopal preacher.  He really only practices law now for a small firm that only looks at freeing people that were wrongly convicted.  Like all Grisham is a good quick read with a lot of things going on.  He has a few cases he is working but takes on a new one that even though the guy has been in prison for 22 years, when they start to work it, the bad guys still come out on it.  Eventually with help from FBI and others are able to free the guy and make some arrests of the bad guys.  A good story overall.

This is one I am pulling out of PBS & will instead donate it to a silent auction basket at church on an upcoming event.

Stripes of the Sidestep Wolf--#3 finished

The tough life of a small town in Australia that has been passed by the highway and is slowly dying.  The story revolves around a husband wife and their son.  The husband just kind of lost it & has quit working life saying God will provide.  Wife struggles working and son has hard time finding work too & doesn't want to move out of town like many others do.  The town is near a volcano that is not active & while he is there collecting wood, sees a wolf with stripes.  He mentions this to a kind of crazy girl and she researches it as a thylacine, a Tasmanian tiger that is now believed to be extinct.  A good read with interesting characters that also makes you think about these areas/small towns that are slowly dying out.

I have posted it on PBS, it is the only copy so I hope at some point it will get ordered & mailed out.

Birdseye--#2 finished

This is about Clarence Birdseye who innovated the whole frozen food industry & helped turn it into the huge deal that it is today.  He led an interesting life growing up outside New York city, hunting in Montana for ticks to help understand & develop cure for Rocky Mountain fever.  Time in New Mexico & Washington DC, then moving to Newfoundland/Labrador hunting, fishing & raising foxes for the pelts.  Then at Glouster MA developing the frozen food technology and then light bulb enhancements, tried dehydrated foods and then near end of life in Peru working to develop paper from sugar cane stocks.  Good read and interesting person.

I have posted it on PBS, it is the only copy in system so I hope it will get moved at some point.

Pharaoh's Friend--#1 finished

This was a book sitting on my shelf for a number of years.  I picked it up at a library sale and I think the only reason was because the author bio mentions she was born in St Louis but now lives in Houston.  Doesn't mentioned when she moved or the St Louis question of what high school she went to but still kind of a local author.  The story is kind of weird, not bad but just weird.  A couple loses their young daughter and the mom is the focus of the story & she is having a real hard time coming to terms with things in her life.  Throw in a trip to Egypt and large cats in Egypt that get shipped to TX and then Houston that she is also dreaming about and makes for kind of a strange story.  The pain of the mom and also the troubles of the people around her are evident as well.  Not a great read but some interesting characters.  Thought the whole ending was maybe rushed, just trying to find an end. Oh well.

I will probably post this on PBS, even with her as a sort of local author, no reason to make it a keeper.  Is the only book she has written at least listed in PBS.  There is already 1 copy in system so don't see this one moving anytime soon.

Glasshouse--#87 finished

I finished this one late on New Years Eve, I wanted to get my 87th book read for this year--this ties the most read in a year for me.  I don't know how I did it but I did, don't think I can top it but would be nice to do so.  This is a sci-fi book set way in future with humans but people after getting mind wiped that clear lots but not all memories and then the people get put into 1990 to 2010 time period.  Also gender changes for some of the people.  Interesting from that point but also past memories coming back too.  Then the people running this experiment have bad intentions and the hero in this along with a group find a way to overthrow these bad guys but are stuck in the experiment for a long period of time--time was figured differently with different terms and I could never keep it straight--might have been a few lifetimes or maybe 30 to 90 years, not really sure.

Good read with some interesting thoughts and interesting what the author sees as a future.  I will probably post it but I think there are 1 or 2 copies in system already.

The next post will start the list for 2020, hope to get one finished this weekend.

X--#86 finished

This & the next book to be logged in were finished in 2019 but just now getting them into this blog.  This is the next in Sue Grafton's Kinsey Milhone series, with only 1 book left to read, I am already missing this series.  I will try to finish up soon and enjoy the finish.  I am already kind of looking forward to re-reading the series at some point too, I have kept the books so have this full series on my shelf.  This book had a few different things going on with a simple case turning into marked bills and her getting taken by the client and having to basically investigate the client & her ex-husband being involved too.  Then crazy neighbors that sneaked in & basically took over the house without telling the owners & being pains as well as criminals.  Then also working a case from a private detective that died and Kinsey is now friends with the widow, the case went back years & was scary with murder & Kinsey being threatened too.  Good read like all the books in this series.

This joins the keeper shelf along with rest in this series for me.