The Bean Trees--#92 finished

 This will be my last book finished for 2021, giving me 92 for the year.  I am very happy with that end number.  This is a book that I had picked up to read over vacation, it is a paperback with a bunch of copies in PBS so knocking around on vacation would be no problem.  In fact I took it on a couple vacations but never started it.  Finally figured with a bunch of days off around Christmas this year to read it, good quick read.  A small town girl out of high school in KY decides to get away from there & go somewhere else.  She drives west & ends up in Tucson, AZ--only after being handed a young girl/baby on the way.  In Tucson she meets up with others and they all help out each other.  Like I said earlier a good quick read but also funny at parts too.  Enjoyable overall.

There are already enough copies on PBS that I won't bother posting it, I will instead put in my give away pile.

Birthday--#91 finished

The rest of the title is:  A Love Story Eighteen Years in the Making.  It is about 2 boys growing up together and at around junior high time of the boys starts to have feelings of transgender--maybe it was earlier even, not sure.  This person also lost his mother to cancer months before and is struggling with lots of things in life.  Dad is the football coach & Morgan the TG child was a star on the team but decides to quit.  Eric is Morgan's best friend and they share the same birthday so they have also spent their birthdays together in some way.  The book basically focuses on that time of their birthdays.  A tough story to hear at times because of the struggles both are going through but in the end the two are together & planning a future.  An interesting read of a whole different life & perspective.

There were 5 WL for it & I did go ahead & post right away & is accepted.  I hope to get mailed off maybe tomorrow.

Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bone--#90 finished

First off, I am glad to hit 90 books read this year and maybe a couple more before end of year.  I realized early on that 100 was out of reach but surprised I was able to get this many--this is my 2nd most ever.

This is a book that has been on my shelf for a long time.  I have read a few other books by author Lorna Landvik, most are pretty good, the last one I read was a little too much outer space/alien stuff and really turned me off.  This is one of her books that just hits right.  Ladies in a subdivision meet each other & decide to start a monthly book club and the story just flows from there with their lives.  All interesting characters and really just an easy read for the most part.

There are already like 55 copies on PBS so I will just put back on my shelf with a couple of her other ones at this point.  Not quite ready to give away but do really see myself keeping them either.   

Why We Don't Suck--#89 finished

 A book by Denis Leary, I guess there was an earlier book Why We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupid.  I had no idea he was a writer.  I know he was on a few shows/movies and always seemed to play a grating type person.  I didn't know he hosted award shows in past or really anything about him.  I thought it would be a quick sort of easy read when I bought it and it really was.  Nothing too much exciting, some normal bitching and stuff and some about his career.  I had bought it used so was cheap and read it because there was 1 WL for it on PBS.  I posted it but it was not accepted.  Now it sits on my bookshelf, I hope it goes away at some point.

Longitude--#88 finished

 An interesting read about how to solve the problem of finding Longitude for boats on the ocean.  An interesting problem that became a priority when Britain ruled the seas after losing too many boats and sailors from hitting rocks because they didn't know where they were at.  It seems the scientists of the day mostly were looking to the sky and plotting stars and patterns to solve the problem.  A clockmaker developed a clock that was accurate even on the water/at sea.  Neither of these was an easy solution--both took decades to develop & fine tune.  While it seems the clock won out over time--the expense of the clock vs the sky & stars made it a closer race I guess.  I good read about an interesting problem & the solutions.

I have posted it on PBS, there was already 1 copy in system so who knows when/if ever it will move.

Shirley Jones: A Memoir--#87 finished

 Not really sure why I bought this book, bought it used from a resale shop so was only $1.00--can't beat the price but never really paid attention to Shirley Jones.  I was sort of aware she did the Partridge Family but that was a show I never really watched--a little to hippie for us in NE to watch as repeats--I was too young to remember the original shows.  David Cassidy and his brother had their flash in the pan as singers and sort of didn't buy that either like so many others in the '70s it seemed like--cute long haired guys became huge stars and then sort of disappeared.  Oh well, back to Shirley Jones, I didn't realize she had won an Oscar or did a bunch of musicals before the TV series.  An interesting life with troubles for sure but still interesting in that Hollywood sort of way.  A decent quick read sort of book.

There was 1 WL for it so I posted it & already accepted so will get it mailed off hopefully tomorrow.

Willa: The Life of Willa Cather--#86 finished

 I have enjoyed some of Willa Cather's books and knew somethings about her from them and also from just growing up in NE & she being a NE writer.  This book fills in a lot of what her life was like and the people around her--really interesting.  The book mentions the other women she had relationships with but never really spelled out that these were more lesbian relationships rather than just women that were very good friends.  Not sure if author wanted to avoid that or if it was because Willa herself seems to have kept these relationships sort of undefined to her world.  Still even with that being said, the book has a lot of information about her & her life and books.  I did enjoy reading this.

There is 1 copy still in PBS system but with this being my NE author, this book will be kept as a keeper book.

Red Metal--#85 finished

 From the same author as the Gray Man series, this sounds like the first in a new series.  An interesting read with Russia invading Europe into Germany in order to weaken a response in Africa where Russia was also sending a 2nd force to invade Kenya to take back over a mineral rich(rare earth metals) mine/area.  Lots of action between the 2 fronts and how Russia would do this & the American & NATO responses.  Interesting read but is a long book.

There are 12 WL for the book so I will probably post & send off at some point.  Ending made it sound like at least another book will be coming so will have to watch for that as well.

The Summer of Beer and Whiskey--#84 finished

 This book was actually finished at end of Nov but just now getting around to logging it in.  This book about the early days of baseball when a few teams joined together to form the American Association, separate from the other main league the National League.  With teams in towns the National League left or never entered and targeting more working class people the brought back some enthusiasm to the game in these cities.  They charged less to get in, sold beer & whiskey and played Sunday games.  An interesting read about baseball in those early years and some of the great characters of the game.  I enjoyed the book.

There is 1 WL for it so will probably post & send off at some point but no hurry since does talk a lot about the St Louis Browns which eventually became the Cardinals.  With the local angle might put on the keeper shelf, not sure yet.

NYPD Red 6--#83 finished

 This is the next in the series of an elite NYPD investigators called Red that take on the cases in NY City for the rich & famous.  There are 2 partners that have known each other a long time--she is finally coming out of a marriage/relationship--husband has disappeared and he is in a good relationship but still has feelings from years ago 1 month with partner while she was on a break.  This is really the driving story behind the story.  An internet/tv famous lady marries guy with thought was big money but actually his mom has the big money and she hates the internet/tv famous lady.  Internet/tv famous lady is kidnapped right after her wedding, they find out it is one of her stalkers that has done it but cannot locate them.  Twist at end is she basically encouraged him and then killed him.  She will go to jail I guess.  Also the rich guy mom is killed.  Not a bad story just a quick read.  There is a 2nd shorter story as a bonus, a little tougher read--kids killed, innocent guy kidnapped by upset parents, etc.  Same in that a quick read.

There are like 22 WL for the book so I went ahead and just posted it, probably mail off this morning.  It is a mass market book of popular series, kind of need to just keep these moving.

The Dutch Wife--#82 finished

 I am not really sure why I picked this one to read.  I wasn't looking for a holocaust book and a sort of overall depressing book.  A Dutch couple are arrested in WWII and sent to concentration camps.  The wife is selected but sort of joined up for brothel duty and while there one of the Nazi commanders falls for her. The book writes from her perspective, then his and then to a younger 20 something man caught up in Argentina's Dirty War.  Interesting to see the different concerns and also how they are connected.  I liked the book a different perspective on the war and the people.

I have posted it on PBS, I think there were already 4 or 5 copies in system so probably not going anywhere anytime soon.

Palace of Treason--#81 finished

 This is the 2nd in trilogy, first book was The Red Sparrow.  A girl that becomes a Russian spy and then becomes a spy for the US.  I had seen the movie first but think I had the first book too but didn't read until after seeing the movie. Sort of interesting, a modern day spy story and this 2nd book continues this.  Talks about Putin and Russia and some inner workings--seems realistic at least to me.  The Red Sparrow in the 2nd book continues to move up the ranks in Russia but with lots of other things going on.  A good read but does get bogged down at times and was easy to lose interest.  Glad I got through it and will try to get a copy of the 3rd book to finish the series.

There are 6 WL for the book in PBS but no hurry to mail off at this point.  Not really a keeper series but I like that the book includes recipes at the end of each chapter.

License to Deal--#80 finished

 A sportswriter basically follows around a fairly newer sports agent and his team in 2004-2005 time frame.  Interesting with the names of players--lots of minor leaguers that basically get cups of coffee or maybe not even that.  Good read about some of the nuts & bolts of being an agent.  The agent Matt Sosnick had already made a lot of money & sounds like also came from family of money, he got out of his business life & switched to being an agent.  While at this point it didn't sound like his agency was making much money, it seemed to be about laying the groundwork for the future.  His biggest name player was Dontrelle Willis coming off his rookie of the year & helping the Marlins to their World Series title.  Was fun looking up the different players mentioned.  I kept from checking out agent until after the book was over--sounds like no longer an agent and had marital problems that might have forced him out of being an agent--hope all is well for him. 

I had already posted it & it was the only copy in PBS system & got requested today so will get it mailed off in the next few days.

The Biggest Lie in the History of Christianity--#79 finished

 This is one of several books the author Matthew Kelly has written that is basically trying to inspire Catholics in their faith.  This one is more directed at Christians in general that just Catholics.  The answer to the title is basically that everyone can become holy.  We can do simple to much larger holy acts every day throughout the day and if everyone is going this imagine what our world would become.  A real general feel good type book, mostly trying to inspire those good works or thoughts.  For my first Matthew Kelly book it was okay, just seems like a lot was not said in this book but I guess just wanted to focus on positive.

This book was given to me so will be either given back or passed along.  Plenty of copies on PBS so no reason to add another if do end up with it.

Demi-Gods--#78 finished

 This is the story of a broken family back in the 1950s.  The dad of two young daughters and a younger son, leaves the family and mom starts dating one of dad's coworkers, himself with two young sons.  The sons also spend time with their mom in San Diego area of CA.  The daughter's mom is on a small island in Canada near Vancouver I guess.  The mom's life is falling apart & she is drinking too much and really pays no attention to her daughters.  The boyfriend is not always there either--with work and everything.  The story starts in the '50s goes into the '60s and then finishes in modern day.  The 2 older ones got married and the younger sort of have a relationship thing going on.  I don't know, didn't really like the book much and not worth trying to dredge up the memories.

There are 3 WL for this book on PBS so I will post it & get it mailed off in the next few days.

Teaching the Cat to Sit--#77 finished

 This is one of those books you read that you really have to question when the Catholic church is going to figure out their LGBTQ problem.  This is a memoir of a lady with a wife and together they adopt a child, a young toddler boy.  The boy goes to pre-school at their local Catholic church but is told by the priest that the boy cannot go to school there.  They pull him out but when happens to another that makes the news, these parents come out and put their names to the story.  The author bounces between growing up & really not know who she was and eventually coming to the point that she is gay in college.  She grew up in a very Catholic family and still loves her Catholic faith but obviously has a hard time with Catholicism not accepting her.  She is part of a loving couple with a young boy--these are exactly the people that should be in our church but instead they are turned away in rather demeaning fashion.  It makes me sad and I also realize the Catholic church has to change & get this right or in 75, 100 years there might not be a Catholic church that anyone pays attention to.

This one is a keeper for me.  I almost don't want to pass it out afraid I won't get it back.

The Household Spirit--#76 finished

 Just a weird sort of book but I remember the other book by this author as being sort of strange too but I think this one has it beat on the strangeness rating.  On a highway outside of small northern town in upper NY state there are 2 houses that sit next to each other.  A guy is in one and he could be described as strange or maybe just really shy--was married but after 1 kid came along was divorced when the girl was still young.  He has worked at same job at the GE plant for years and is now in his early 50s.  He never really was friendly with the neighbors--seems like each sort of ignored the other.  A grandpa and a granddaughter lived next door--the daughter and grandma were killed in a car accident and the girls father is an unknown.  The shy guy and the granddaughter are the main characters--their lives are basically forced upon each other and together they sort of help each other out.  Guy's daughter gets back into picture at end too.  Interesting read but just the amount of strange makes it hard to recommend.

I have posted it on PBS & is the only copy  so might get moved at some point.

Too Much and Never Enough--#75 finished

This is the book by Donald Trump's niece, daughter of his older brother Freddy who died back in the 1990--maybe '80s.  While she does have an axe to grind with the family and it is pretty evident throughout the book, she does also have a PhD in psychology and has interesting perspective on the family dynamics in the Trump family.  This book came out before the election as part of the wave of books basically saying do not re-elect this person.  Books from insiders in the White House, family, reporters, experts in areas--just amazing so many voters overlooked or just didn't look and still voted for him.  It is a sad commentary on our country.  It is a shorter book but does have a lot of information.  Will have to checkup & see if she ever gets more out of the estate--family basically played games & screwed her & her brother when the grandfather died.

I have posted it on PBS & was the only copy & has already been requested so I will be mailing it out probably over the weekend.

Paper--#74 finished

 This is another Mark Kurlansky book, just a really good read about the history of paper.  Something really I have taken for granted like most people without ever realizing how we got to this point with paper.  Tons and tons of detail in this book, interesting but at times seems too much.  Good read and really interesting points about technology through the ages.

There are WL for the book but I will see if group of friends wants to read it first--one mentioned he might be interested.  I don't always get books back so not sure if will be mailed off in future or not.

Between Gods--#73 finished

This is a memoir by a Canadian author that I have enjoyed a couple of her books--Alison Pick.  She seems a little young for a memoir but once I started reading I can see why she wrote this, almost as a way the help work through her feelings.  She was raised Christian and family practiced but she finds out that her father's parents--her grandparents had fled from Czechoslovakia at the start of WWII because they were Jewish.  Several of the relatives were murdered in the Holocaust.  She starts to study Judaism and starts to see where she sees where her life already matches some Jewish practices.  She is also engaged to be married but he does not really have any faith.  She starts to study to convert to Judaism but is not sure she will be accepted because of the possibility of a mixed marriage--both not Jewish, the Rabbi and group that decides this normally don't allow it.  At several points in this book it is very emotional for her and she is crying--I really felt for her because of everything going on and how she wasn't getting simple answers in any direction.  I really good read and interesting story/life.

I have posted it on PBS, there was 1 WL for it & it has been accepted.  Will mail off at some point this week.

The Widow of the South--#72 finished

 An interesting historical fiction based on a true part of the Civil War.  In one of the last battles of the war, the South in TN came upon the Union in Franklin, TN.  A bloody charge and battle happened.  A southern style mansion was close by and became a Confederate hospital that lasted for months I guess as the soldiers recovered.  Some recovered and left quickly and others once recovered the Union came & took to a prison camp for the remaining few months of the war.  The lady/family of this house nursed the sick and then eventually donated land and had bodies moved a few years after the war to a cemetery there on the land next to the house.  She wrote letters to family all during this time and this is now basically a historical landmark.  The author took this story and wove a fictional account of what this was like.  Interesting read and interesting characters.

I have posted it on PBS, there are 2 copies ahead of it for the hardback and probably a few paperbacks.  Not sure it will move anytime soon but never know.

The Submissive--#71 finished

 I am embarrassed to even put down that I read this book.  I did not read the whole 50 Shades of anything books and when I saw this one I figured it was like that.  Since at a library sale & I think a quarter for paperbacks, I bought it.  I decided I would read it but kept in the basement--kids didn't need to see this book.  I was about like I expected, not great writing, not great story and characters are basically out of some kind of fairy tale.  Some sex and I guess S & M stuff here but really didn't seem worth it.  I just about stopped reading a few times but pushed on for some reason.

I have already posted it on PBS, there were already 3 copies in system so I doubt it moves but I don't really want to put into a little free book library either.  Might just give back to library as donation at some point.

Inside Out--#70 finished

 This is a memoir by Demi Moore.  One of those books I found at a library sale for a $1.00 and figured should pickup.  I had sort of forgotten much of her career in acting before reading this.  I sort of remember she was part of the Brat Pack because she was in St Elmo's Fire, didn't remember her dating & being engaged to Emilo Estevez.  Remembered her being married to Bruce Willis and soon after that ended dating & marrying Ashton Kutcher.  GI Jane and Ghost being the other big hit movies she was in.  Interesting to read about her struggles in growing up--parents that were a little shady and always moving to stay ahead of trouble.  Really lucky she made it out of there sane enough to live a life.  I didn't know modeling was her way in and she didn't talk much about acting lessons & getting her start, just that modeling got her noticed & kind of went from there.  Book ended with her struggles with her children, now adult or close to it.  I think I have seen recently photos of her & all 3 girls so hopefully all is going well with her now.

There are 35 WL for the book so will get it mailed off at some point.

Seldom Seen--#69 finished

 This is a book from the early 1990s, where the author decides about a year in advance to break away from his normal living.  He is in KC area and decides he wants to walk to Helena, MT and then get a canoe and come back to KC down the Missouri River.  This book is about his walk, I guess he has another book out there about the canoe trip.  This being the early 1990s, there is no cell phone for him so lots of stops and calls back to his young daughter from pay phones.  Story about the people he meets during this journey.  Some interesting and a couple scary type people.  He doesn't walk the whole way, he doesn't hitchhike but does accept rides.  Enjoyed hearing about small towns.  Sad hearing about the people with really no opportunities in those small towns and how the Walmarts and fast food places really have taken over back then & expect it to be much worse today.  Since I grew up on small town NE, this book was written just before large numbers of Hispanics moved into some of these towns, be interesting to see the changes that I would expect for the better because of this.

I got the book from PBS but is not really postable, water stain at bottom of at least 3rd of pages.  I would like to mail on but really cannot.  Will probably go in my give away pile instead.

One Minute Out--#68 finished

 This is the next in the Gray Man series.  This is one where he is no longer working for the CIA but is instead rogue.  He has a job to assassinate an old general from the Serbian war days.  Killing him he finds a bunch of women--young women that are being held & moved for the sex trade.  He gets involved with a lady that is trying to find her sister and follows this group killing off bad guys & eventually breaking up most of the group.  The top bad guys are helping US government though in other areas so he cannot kill them but does best to bust up.  Book ends with CIA picking him back up for his next job.  Good Gray Man stuff--action, smarts, travel all that.  A good series.

There are 17 WL for this book so will get posted on PBS at some point & send off.

The Fool's Journey--#67 finished

 A professor in an English department and lots of relationship issues & departmental politics in this book.  At the same time all that is going on the main character is also going through a time to reassess her life and a mystic/tarot card reader helps her out I guess.  I am not really into the whole tarot thing but it does fit with the book--several of the characters need to reexamine their lives I guess and at least the main character is doing so.  It was probably supposed to be much funnier than I found it but was still a good read.

I have posted it back on PBS & it is the only copy so hopefully it will get requested soon.

Near Dark--#66 finished

This is the next in the series with Scot Harvath, this is the followup after he escapes from Russia and he was kidnapped and the people close to him were all killed.  He is starts in a bar in Key West area basically trying to drink his life away when assassins attack but he is saved by a crew of good guys tracking him down.  They let him know a bounty has been placed on his head and he devises a way to track down the killers and find out who is after him. A good quick spy/thriller read.  More to come like all these series are.

There are 24 WL for the book so I will get it posted & moved at some point in next couple months.

Preferred Lies--#65 finished

 The rest of the title is: A Journey into the Heart of Scottish Golf.  The author is more of a writer & adventurer but because of a brain issue and surgery that saved his life, he is not climbing mountains anymore.  He was a golfer in high school or at that age in Scotland--not sure what the schools are exactly called there.  But even as a very good golfer then he basically gave it up for other pursuits.  Now he has taken it back up for exercise and also to write his next book about going to the different courses in Scotland.  Some courses are very rural and isolated with only sparse maintenance and others are the world famous course that people travel to.  I am not much of a golfer but really enjoyed this read.  Interesting life and perspective on things.

I have posted it on PBS & it is the only copy in system so hopefully gets moved at some point.

Good Karma--#64 finished

 A quick easy sort of chic lit book about a couple that retired & moved from New Jersey to Savannah GA. Couple basically had nothing in common anymore & she felt no longer part of a marriage and while husband flirts w/ realtor she eventually finds a widow to be with.  Some sort of zaniness I guess and they get together in the end.  Nothing too much but just light entertainment.

I have posted it on PBS, there were 3 copies already so probably not going anywhere anytime soon.

For Whom the Bell Tolls--#63 finished

 The classic Ernest Hemingway novel about the Spanish Civil War.  It had been many years since I read it and I remembered only parts.  What a good book about the interplay between people and how they picked sides to a degree and also how just sort of thrown at them at this time.  Makes you also realize just how rough & tough war is on people obviously physically but also emotionally.  I real classic, glad I read it again.

This is one that stays on my keeper shelves.

Israel--#62 finished

 The rest of the title is: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn.  Talked about the 1800s Zionist movement and the momentum of Jewish people moving back to Palestine.  Basically as the rest of the title says a concise history of this--Palestine and then Israel once it became it's own country.  Lots of really good information and written in an easy to read way--not really a dry history book but a book where you get a real sense of what was going on and the major players at the time.  I really enjoyed this book.

I had thought about keeping it but realized I wouldn't make time to read a 2nd time and thought it better to hand off to someone else.  There were no WL for the book and it was the only copy in system when I posted it this morning and it has already been requested so I will be mailing it off later in the week.

I Might Regret This--#61 finished

This is by one of the creators of Broad City, I guess on the Comedy Network--this is a show I hadn't heard of before and never seen.  The author Abbi Jacobson, lives in New York City and grew up there but business has also taken her to LA.  She hasn't really seen the rest of the country so she decides to drive from NY to LA.  She decides on a kind of southern route--NY to N Carolina to Memphis and into TX, New Mexico and Arizona before getting to LA.  She knows a few people along the way but doing this by herself has free time to think and I guess jot down some notes.  As a kind of travel book type thing, I picked it up and sort of surprised myself to read it.  I finished it a week ago but don't really remember much about it.  She talked about her show starting on U-Tube I think and getting picked up, talked about her family but otherwise I just don't remember much.  Oh well, what can I say--I guess I didn't dislike it just not really anything I cared about either.

There are 7 WL for the book on PBS so I will mail it off at some point.

The Last Juror--#60 finished

This was one of the John Grisham books that I had for a long time but hadn't gotten around to reading yet. It is a mass market book and since we were planning to go to the outdoor musical & to take to softball practices, I had started it.  Well the musical was cancelled because of covid and I started helping with practices so didn't read much then either but did get it finished up.  It is an older book but was about the 1970s in Mississippi and the main character is a fresh out of college reporter that ends up able to buy the small town newspaper he was working at.  An evil family from the country and one of those kids ends up raping & killing a widow with two young children so get some investigation and trail along with just the main guy learning about the town & area.  Time passes and the bad guy gets out of prison and more murders of the jurors start happening.  A good Grisham book, quick reading page turner.

There are plenty of copies in PBS already so this will be in my donate away pile.

Volt--#59 finished

 This is a short story book but does seem to revolve around a sheriff in a small town and the problems she is facing--the murder of a teenage girl, a flood and power going out and rounding up a felon that missed a court date.  Good stories and characters.  These are stories where a lot is left unsaid, you know things are happening but they are left out or for your imagination.  Seems to work but still after finishing it kind of want more--this is probably the author's goal.  

There are no copies on PBS so I will post it & see if it moves.

Going Dark--#58 finished

This is the 3rd and final book in series about soldiers that have computer overlays that allows them to communicate over them by thoughts as well as pass along info during missions.  The main character has this embedded onto his head/skull and gives him more advanced info and assistance but he also realizes it can control him at times as well.  This is a really good series about a not so futuristic time and what our soldiers will be like and what kind of enemies they could be facing.  I have really enjoyed this series and this was a good ending for it as well.

There are 3 WL for this so I will get it posted & mailed out soon.

Are You Anybody?--#57 finished

 This is a memoir of Jeffrey Tambor an actor that I remember first from Hill Street Blues--he married Franks ex-wife and was later a cross dressing city judge if I remember right.  I also seen him with bit parts elsewhere.  He might have mentioned Hill Street once in the book.  He also mentioned the Ropers & I remember him from that too.  He also did the Garry Shandling Show, Arrested Development and Transparent--all shows that he is a lot more famous for and shows that I have never seen even an episode of once.  Still though and quick & easy read with enough funny bits to keep it interesting.

There are 4 WL for this book on PBS so I will get it posted & mailed off at some point.  I should really watch Arrested Development too, I think I would enjoy it.

Also if you haven't noticed I was playing a little catch up on logging in my books tonight & finally got the August read books updated.

In the Shadow of the Arch--#56 finished

This is the 2nd book in a series but I didn't read the first book.  A detective moves from NY City--where 1st book was about--to St Louis and takes a job in one of the suburban departments there.  First day on the job a whirlwind starts and a serial killer is on the loose.  The 1st book was about a serial killer in NY City and a reporter wrote a book about this and the detective so most people he is working with has copies of this book too.  Story is okay but at least the action keeps moving.  This was written in early 1990s and just pushes the references to things around St Louis at that time--since I moved to St Louis only a few years before it was nice remembering some of these things.  The story is so so and the whole serial killer investigation and other detectives are not really memorable.  This was a mass market paperback that is kind of beaten up but wanted it for outdoor reading--especially before the shows started at the Muny and book did it's job.

There are enough copies already on PBS & this is a little beaten up so I will put it in the donate away pile. Not sure if I will bother getting the other books in series or not at this point.

Neon in Daylight--#55 finished

A young, mid 20's, lady moves to New York city to house/cat sit an apartment for a family friend of her mom.  The friend was going on an around the world trip and cat wasn't going.  Kate the young lady leaves behind a boyfriend that she was not really sure about and tries to find her way in NY.  In a kind of--really, you expect me to believe this way--she meets a younger more eclectic and outgoing girl that tries to break her from her shell and she also meets this younger lady's father--but doesn't know they are father daughter.  The father is a sort of famous writer of one book that has basically supported his life since & he is doing some teaching too.  Kate's life sort of bounces between the two and the book is about her time doing this.  Need to overlook the unlikely story and there is a lot of good in this book--interesting characters and people that are trying to grow up and understand their lives from 20 somethings to the older characters too.  Overall a good read.

There are 3 WL for this book so I will get it posted & mailed off probably in next few months. 

A Higher Loyalty--#54 finished

 This is James Comey's book about his career and especially his time as FBI Director and then working for those few months with Trump before Trump fired him.  Comey comes across as very believable and very reasonable about what was going on.  He didn't express strong feelings for or against Trump but more of a knowledge that Trump was in over his head and wasn't getting good advice.  I do wonder what he thinks of Trump now at this point after the 2020 election and Trump refusing to admit defeat.  Comey had a very good and important career for the US and our country should be grateful that people like him serve our country. 

There are like 17 copies in the PBS system already so I won't post another one.  I will put in the pile to share with friends since they might like to read it or if not to give away.

The Archer's Tale--#53 finished

 The first in a 3 part series about an English archer fighting in France.  The archer's village was destroyed by French invaders and a holy relic was stolen and Thomas, the archer, is sworn to return it.  He also swears to do several other tasks while fighting battles in modern day France to defeat the French king for his English king.  There is also an underlying question of where he came from and I am sure this will be gone into in the next 2 books.  I think I have the 2nd book, that is the reason I ordered this one.  A good start to a short series so will be pushing on to the next one hopefully soon.

I will go ahead and post this book on PBS now, there are no copies in the system so maybe it will get requested.  Movement of books on PBS seems a little slow but I do mail a couple a month or so to keep my credits around 10.

The Actor's Life--#52 finished

This is Jenna Fischer's book, Jenna the actress from The Office--Pam.  She is also from St Louis so that is a big reason had to read the book.  It is a book about how she got to where she is in Hollywood and acting--good story but more about helpful hints and advice and less about her life.  Still a good read and seems like really helpful advice for someone wanting to get into acting.  It took her 8 years in Hollywood before she landed on The Office and it was a tough 8 years to get there.  Good read.

There are 13 WL for this book so probably will mail off but I have kept a couple other books of actors from the Office so might keep it, haven't really decided.

Devil's Sanctuary--#51 finished

 The rest of the title is:  An Eyewitness History of Mississippi Hate Crimes.  This was written by a MS reporter and a MS lawyer that both grew up in MS in the 1960s.  It is really a shocking account of what was going on in MS at the time.  I had seen some documentaries about the Civil Rights Movement and Martin Luther King Jr but hadn't read anything like the details they discussed in this book.  While it seems to have gotten better I think it is still ingrained in the thoughts and minds of some people.  Almost like fear/hatred of Jewish people in Germany & Eastern Europe is still sort of hiding just beneath the surface.  It is a mindset that I really just cannot understand but makes me thankful for where I grew up & the life I was given.

There is 1 WL for this book but this book is a little rough in areas but I think still postable on PBS so will probably post it some point.  A good book that really needs people to read it.

Dance for the Sea--#50 finished

 This is the 2nd in the Jane Whitefield series.  She is a lady that helps people disappear from the life & get established in a new life.  She is also native American and that plays into her self and into the stories.  This is one where she is trying to help a young child arrive to a court date for his inheritance and the couple helping her are killed.  She was put in jail but gets out but a person from jail also needs her help and ends up being from the same people that were after the child.  She helps the lady but eventually has to with the lady's help go after the bad guys.  Good story and action and some really clever parts as well.  I think I liked this more than the 1st book in the series.

I have posted it on PBS & it is the only copy in system so hope it moves at some point.

Detroit: An American Autopsy--#49 finished

A newspaper reporter that grew up in Detroit and worked at the NY Times, returns to Detroit to work at local paper.  He covers much of the local terrible news going on with the corruption in City Hall, deserted neighborhoods, rampant crime and on and on.  A really depressing read about what was once a great city.  This slide into despair didn't happen over night but has been decades in making.  Book was published in 2013 so maybe a start of a turn around is happening, not really sure but would hope so at least.  A really good read, very interesting even if also depressing.

There are like 4 WL for the book so will post it at some point & send if on.

House of the Deaf--#48 finished

 This is a book that has been sitting on my shelf to be read for a long time and this was the year & time to finally get to it.  A daughter in college goes to Spain to study for a summer and while out for a run is killed by a bomb that ETA had exploded near a police station.  This was about a year later that the father is kind of losing it decides to go to Spain.  His life since his daughter's death has spun out of his control it seems--his wife has left him because he is a shell of himself and she is moving on & becoming a successful realtor.  The younger daughter is in college in the east and the father just kind of shows up at times at her school.  Summer break just started and daughter went home but dad wasn't there, she eventually figures out he went to Spain and tracks him there.  The dad is trying to make sense of this & develops a real hatred for ETA.  Dad meets an American lady there that was married but now divorced but still living there and becomes involved with her but his obsession is still with ETA & the Basques.  He just disappears and soon after the youngest daughter appears and the lady and her team up to find dad.  A little confusing type book and ending too.  Glad finally read it & have posted it.

I have posted it already & it is the only copy in PBS system so might get moved at some point.

Pastrix--#47 finished

The rest of the title is: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint.  The author is a woman that was raised in a very traditional and conservative Christian family.  This really turned her off religion and she talks about her stumbling around her life as a comedian and other things till she found her calling to be a Lutheran pastor.  But not a traditional pastor but one that embraces everyone--homeless, LBGQT+ (I hope I got the letters right), addicts and others that struggle with religion.  She talks about founding her church and the good things they do and their outreach.  Really an inspiring look at religion and how it should be open arms to everyone but really isn't in practice.  This book really made me think.

At this point the book is a keeper but does have around 25 WL for it so could mail off if that changes at some point. 

The Winner--#46 finished

This was a book that has been on my shelf for a long time.  I just looked on PBS & I got this book in June of 2009, the first year I was signed up on PBS.  I think I got it from a 2 or 3 for 1 deal there, I don't think this was a book I would have ordered for a credit alone even back then.  It is a mass market paperback but it is a long one at over 600 pages--probably the reason I hadn't read it before.  Well since last year I made my goal of 100 books(+) read, this year I have looked for some books like this one to read.  I started it before vacation and figured it would be a good one to bring along on vacation and it was.  The story is about a super smart behind the scenes guy that finds a way to rig the lottery and he picks winners and gives them enough money & help to keep them very rich while he takes the money and invests in ways that make him super rich.  But his is also a very evil man and will kill people when needed without a 2nd thought.  The story is about one winner that once she wins she has to go out of the country to get away from troubles--her boyfriend was murdered as a drug dealer & while she didn't do it she is a suspect.  Well being super rich wasn't enough--even after telling her she couldn't ever return to the US after 10 years she does so and evil guy not happy & a reporter on this story tracks her down and people start dying.  Well of course she had a hired guy at super rich mansion that happened to be a super hero ex CIA guy that saves her & evil guy dies.  I really did not like much about this story.  I thought the premise was good and started okay but really should have been much better.  I know the author has written several books and this is probably just an early book of his--oh well, didn't really like it and invested way too much time in it.

This is going in my give away pile, there are over 20 copies in PBS already so no need to pile on there.  Some little library in area will get this and a few other books probably this weekend.

Growing Up St Louis--#45 finished

 I bought this book from the author at a local farmer's market.  It sounded interesting, he interviewed people and/or researched people from each decade of the 1900s about what they remember about the decade from growing up.  Nothing earth shattering or anything, just a nice easy read.  He wrote a page or two before each decade about what was going on in world & US and then about St Louis.  I had higher expectations for the book but was still a nice enough read.

No copies in the PBS system but probably not posting there.  Will probably just keep on hand since it is a local book and author.

The American Way of Eating--#44 finished

 The author a journalist by trade, decides to investigate food from farm to store to restaurant.  She starts by moving to California and getting hired on harvesting different crops--grapes, peaches & garlic are the ones I remember but might have been another one or two as well.  But not only was she doing the job, she gave herself a budget to live off what she was being paid as well.  She stuck out here because she was the only white female in the fields basically, a mostly Hispanic crew of harvesters doing the work.  She was able to rent rooms from people and live with them and really gave a good idea of what a life these people have.  This was probably the most interesting part of the book for me.   She grew up in Detroit area and moved back to get work at Walmart--first one in just part of the store & then later actually in the produce section where she wanted to see how the food made its way through the system.  Then she finished with working at Applebees in New York, she had limited prior experience but was able to get hired on & worked at the line getting the orders ready.  She observed that most food already came pre-made in most cases--the sauces & setups, a lot of re-heating--microwaving and putting with the main dish.  I enjoyed the book and thought it was a really good idea.  I liked the field work section and then the Applebees sections the best and wouldn't mind reading something expanded on these even.

There are like 20 WL for this book so I will post it & mail off at some point.

The Whistler--#43 finished

 The state office that investigates judges in Florida is handed a big complaint about a corrupt judge taking payoffs from a mafia type group that is behind the scenes running an Indian casino in N Florida.  This is a good Grisham read, moves quickly and keeps you hooked.  Introduces lots of characters but does a good job in giving you the info where you want to keep know what is going on.  Bad guys get arrested in end and the good people end of making out okay.  This one was started on vacation and finished a few days after--Grisham books and vacation just seem to go together for me.

There are already enough copies in PBS so will probably just look to give this one away.

Killer View--#42 finished

 This is the 2nd in a series about a sheriff in Idaho, a part of Idaho where the super rich have moved into the skiing town and meet with the locals.  Some interesting stories and characters.  Action moved quickly and was an easy read--started just before vacation and finished during vacation.  It was a good vacation read.

At this point there are already plenty of copies in PBS so will probably not post.  The author is from St Louis and still lives here part time, part of the reason I wanted to read some of his books.  Not sure if keeping or stocking up & giving away, will have to see.

Killing Reagan--#41 finished

 This is one of the several Bill O'Reilly books that he did about famous people.  This one gives background on both Ronald Reagan and the person that nearly assassinated him--John Hinckley.  An easy quick type read with good info on Reagan--where he came from & his acting career & then entry into politics.  Info on Hinckley that I wasn't aware of either.  How after Reagan was shot, Nancy inserted herself even more into controlling Reagan--especially his schedule.  It sort of leaves open the question of what his presidency would have looked like if he wasn't shot.

I have posted it on PBS, there were no copies so I would expect it will get moved at some point. 

Ready For a Brand New Beat--#40 finished

 This book looked at the emergence of rock n roll and rhythm and blues influences and then into Motown and Detroit.  The hook I guess is how "Dancing in the Street" became a Motown song that was a happy dance song to some and others became a rallying cry for the '60 protests.  I have read more than a few of Mark Kurlansky's books and I really like the way he does the research but also lays it out in an easy to read fashion.  Lots of info here about music and bands/singers of the '60s.

There are 2 WL for the book but not sure if will keep and handout to friends that might be interested.

Dragon Teeth--#39 finished

 The author Michael Crichton passed away several years ago--2008 but in a note in the Afterward section it says that he was always working on several projects and this was one.  It was already researched out and maybe written that someone was able to complete this.  His wife Sherri Crichton lists several people that helped get this book done but Michael is still listed as the author.  A story that is based on some real happenings and people--two university professors that were strong rivals in the new field of paleontology both were headed west in the 1870s with teams of people looking for dinosaur bones to bring back to their university for further studies.  A story revolved around that with the whole traveling the west, trains and then horseback & wagon.  Fighting indians and sometimes soldiers too.  The star then gets separated and runs through Deadwood and other parts out in the wild west.  To me not a great read but just a nice easy sort of page turner.

This was a book that I got from a friend on our books exchange and will give it back next time we all get together.

Bicycle Love--#38 finished

Just a lot of short stories about people and their love of bicycling.  True stories that range from a couple of pages to maybe 6-8.  Interesting range of bicycling people--commuters, mountain biking, cross country trips, team biking, etc.  Made of something different every few pages.  I am not a bicyclist--I have a bike & it gets pulled out a couple times a year at most.  It is probably 20 years old but looks mostly new once the spiderwebs are pulled off, so I don't really fit with the stories but was still a good read.

I have posted it on PBS, it is the only copy so hopefully will move at some point. 

John Quincy Adams--#37 finished

This book took a long time for me to read and it has also taken long for me to get it logged in.  I finished it on the last day of May and just now getting to it.  A really good read with a ton of great information about John Quincy Adams.  A lot of the infighting going on in politics back then is a good reminder that politics has always been a fight.  Each generation or time thinks it is worse now than ever, maybe some ways it is, but it has always been kind of ugly. 

JQA is really a person that was a bridge from the founders of our country, traveling with his dad to France during our fight for Independence and then with his career in the House extending to when many Republicans were starting to join him--not called Republicans yet but the seeds of the Civil War were certainly sprouting by then.  An amazing person and statesman.  I a really glad I read this book

There are 8 WL for this book so at some point I will post & mail off.  I thought about seeing if friends would be interested but really such a long book and almost work to read it I doubt they would be interested.

The Real Girl Next Door--#36

 This is a memoir by Denise Richards, probably most famous for being an ex-wife to Charlie Sheen.  She has 2 girls with him and while their marriage was short the relationship is long--with ups and downs.  She has tried to keep him involved with the girls but his crazy life gets in the way.  She sounds like a really nice person that is just trying to do her best.  I am sure she has her crazy moments--she married Charlie Sheen for god sakes but it sounds like she has really made her children and people around her as most important.  Also throw in working in Hollywood, while maybe not an A lister, she has name recognition and from wikipedia still appearing on TV and movies.  I have been watching 2 and a Half Men reruns so when I saw this book in the thrift store figured I would give it a read.

I have posted it on PBS, it is the only copy but since a 10 year old book might be sitting for a while or maybe not--hard to predict.

Love & Terror on the Howling Plains of Nowhere--#35 finished

 It has been a while since I have read a book by Poe Ballantine and I have had this one on my shelf for a few years.  It is about his life in Chadron, NE and also about a person--sort of friend maybe more acquaintance that goes missing and is eventually found dead.  Questions about what happened--officially a suicide but just seems like too much there for the man to have acted alone.  All this while Poe is also talking about his life--struggles in marriage and raising a boy that is interesting certainly and likely on the spectrum too.  Poe has an interesting perspective on things in general and life and is able to bring that out in his writing.  There is also supposed to be a documentary about the man that was found dead--will have to see if I can find it.

There are a few WL for the book but my Poe Ballantine books are keepers, sorry.  I don't think I want to chance them and loan out either.

Monkey Mind--#34 finished

 The rest of the title: A Memoir of Anxiety.  The author has a real struggle with anxiety and really looks back at his life and things that have triggered it.  I have to admit that the reason I got this book is because of the toy monkey with symbols on the cover--my son has one & loves these toys--I guess since Toy Story 2 or 3.  I think everyone has some anxiety about stuff but not nearly to the degree of the author, good read and info on what he has done to get through it as best he can.

Not sure yet if I will post, like I said I like the cover.  There are 9 WL for it so can move at some point if I want.

Playing For More--#33 finished

 This is a book by QB Case Keenum about his football life and his relationship with God.  Not really a book I would read but I picked up at a thrift store and since he was in St Louis for a year--I think the last year the Rams were here, I figured I would give it a try.  I didn't know much about him so reading his story of high school and college was interesting and then his bouncing around in the NFL.  This was written right after his big season with the Vikings but they still wanted a different QB so he just signed with Denver at end of book.  Story since then is still bouncing around in NFL but glad to read about his success too. Quick read.

I have posted it on PBS, it is the only copy but no idea when if ever it will move.

Captive Audience--#32 finished

 The writer Lucas Mann, looks at his life and then also the lives of people on reality TV.  I had enjoyed his book about Class A baseball in IA area and thought I would try this one too.  I don't watch the reality TV shows that he does--Housewives, Kardashians, The Little Couple and many more it seems.  That part of the book didn't always make sense and the parts about his life just seemed like part of the story.  I think if these were shows I watched I probably would have enjoyed it more.

I got this as a throw in from an order on PBS--it is an Advance Reader copy so not a published copy.  I cannot post it on PBS so it will go in my giveaway pile.

Caught--#31

 I had read a short story book by the author & had put this book on my request list but not really sure why. Her short story book I remembered as okay.  Oh well, I got this book and on the cover says "Now a major CBC Television Series...".  I didn't remember hearing about this but figured just missed it.  A couple guys get arrested taking a boat of marijuana into Newfoundland Canada in 1970s, one of the guys skips bail & disappears while the other Slaney goes to prison and after 4 years escapes.  Reconnects with pal & pal has a life now but knows they have to repay people that lost money on last adventure so another boat trip is setup, pal stays home because has new life now while getting out of Canada for Slaney is good thing.  They hope to make enough money to escape into the world. Some good twists & turns, basically the police are helping Slaney--get away from prison and do the boat trip back to Canada with more marijuana so they can arrest him again & also his pal--Hearn.  They do arrest both, Slaney no bail & sentenced to 20 years.  Hearn gets bail & then police get caught listening in on a meeting with lawyer & let him off.  Troubling ending I guess.

I posted it already on PBS & there were no copies & woke up this morning a day later & it is requested.  I will mail it off today or tomorrow with a couple other WL books I had posted.

I'm Living Your Dream Life--#30 finished

This is a non-fiction book about a young couple living in San Francisco area of CA that wanted to do something different.  The looked for & found a resort on a lake in northern Wisconsin and bought it.  The title comes from people that come to stay saying they--the owners--are living my dream life.  She is basically pointing out the hard work involved the struggles of remodeling and then building new cabins of finding good workers and dealing with the people that come in every week.  Nothing too surprising really once you step back a bit & think about it.  I wanted the book because they also say they are the first Disc Golf Ranch/Resort--they have put in more than the normal 18 disc golf holes on their resort & host tournaments there and also people just come by to play.  Not as much disc golf mentioned in the book as I would have liked but I guess DG is not a big audience.

I have posted it on PBS & it is the only copy so hope it will move but not much moving off my shelf right now.

Paul and Me--#29 finished

It was a few months ago that I first heard of AE Hotchner, it was on a Living St Louis tv show that talked about him and his recent passing.  I didn't know he was a St Louisan and had no idea about his long time friendship with Paul Newman.  The rest of this title is:  53 Years of Adventures and Misadventures with My Pal Paul Newman.  A really interesting and entertaining read.  I new of Newman's Own salad dressing and sort of remember seeing other products too but didn't know Hotchner was his business partner & how it all started and how this business was run in their own way.  Glad I read this book and I am glad there were people like this in our world--we can probably use a few more like these two.

I am not sure if I will post it or not, leaning toward not since author is from St Louis.  Might be a good one to offer to friends if they would be interested.

Vanishing Act--#28 finished

 This is a start of a series book by Thomas Perry--I really like several of his books that I have read.  This is an older book, published in 1995 and you notice it--no cell phones and the main character uses public pay phones several times throughout the book.  She also buys newspapers and searches the ads several times as well, just funny because that is just not done anymore.  The main character, Jane Whitefield, is a person that helps other people disappear, people that need to get away and stay away for their own safety--bad marriage, mob after them--that sort of thing.  A guy comes to her with a story & he is being followed & they have to leave ASAP.  Getting away and how she develops new personas for the people is interesting but I could tell something wasn't quite right and this guy was a bad guy tracking down someone she helped disappear in the past.  He finds & kills that guy & Jane now has to track this bad guy down & get him.  Some big leaps of faith in her abilities, throw in some NE Native American stuff--almost mystical, makes parts of the book hard to buy but still a good page turner at least.

I have posted it on PBS, this is only copy in system so hopefully will move at some point.

Factory Man--#27 finished

A really interesting read about the furniture factories and business in general.  It basically follows the Bassett family and Bassett furniture and then John Bassett III who wasn't going to run Bassett Furniture & moved over another furniture maker Vaughan-Bassett Furniture that also had family ties.  A lot of the book focuses on the 1970s into the 2000s where the furniture manufacturing changed from USA to Taiwan and then other countries in Asia and eventually China.  While most US companies moved production to Asia, John Bassett III fought to keep production in US and waged a trade type war forcing some fairness in the process.  The book was written in 2014 and Vaughn-Bassett Furniture still has US factories so they have found a way to compete.  An interesting read with lots of good info that I had no idea of before picking up this book.

There are 2 WL for the book and I will probably post soon & mail off.

The Con Man's Daughter--#26 finished

 An interesting read, true story about a woman that grew up with a dad that was some kind of con man--at a grade school class she stood up & told everyone her dad was a bookie--not knowing this was not a good thing.  She mentions her family moved 17 times before she graduated.  She also mentioned they would drive a new car for a few days or weeks before it was changed out.  The lived in a large home with a pool in backyard one summer--the summer their mom left their dad--her & her older brother picked dad to stay with because of the pool.  She never really mentions the crimes her dad commits but I guess she was just a kid so maybe didn't really stick with her.  Rest of book then about her struggle to get her life together & finding God.  Not a great read but still interesting.

I have posted it on PBS & has been accepted, there was 1 WL for it.  Hope to get mailed off in the next few days.

Falling...in Love with San Miguel--#25 finished

 The rest of the title is:  Retiring to Mexico on Social Security.  Two ladies that have lived in several places in the US--MI, AZ & CA--Los Angeles that have also traveled quite a bit too, decided to go to San Miguel Mexico with plans to live there retired years there.  They are probably a little more well to do than most but still go in great detail about how they are living there.  This book is a kind of journal of their first year and the successes and some failures or issues maybe that came up.  An interesting read.  Not sure about San Miguel still--sounds like a decent sized city with an artist type makeup.  The book is from mid 2000s so about 15 years ago so not sure what everything is like today

Not sure if will post or not.  The book is missing like 6 pages that looks like were cut out so can't really post it but there is 1 WL for it so might see if want it anyway.  Don't like trying to send like that so not sure if will even try.

The Warsaw Protocol--#24 finished

 This is the next in the Cotton Malone series and like all the others was a good quick read with enough action & thought to keep it interesting.  This time he gets involved with an international auction for some incriminating evidence against the president of Poland.  The new US president seems very Trump-like, basically an ego centric idiot and Malone & his former boss Stephanie make that clear.  A big shootout and tracking down the bad guys.  In the end of Polish president gets the evidence so it can't be used against him and Malone & Stephanie are in trouble with US president.  The last paragraph signals the next book with former US president coming to Malone and telling him he needs help.

I have already posted it & will get it mailed off hopefully this morning.  There were like 23 WL for it but figured no reason to keep it.

The Garner Files--#23 finished

This is James Garner's memoir.  I remember him from watching re-runs of Maverick and we sometimes watched the Rockford Files.  I remember him in some movies as well I guess in the '80s & '90s but never really thought of him as a big star.  Was an interesting read about his life, how he got into movies & TV and then how he carved his own way with his own production company and suing for correcting how Hollywood paid actors on shows.  Nothing really earth shattering in the book but gives you some insight into the whole TV & movie thing from '50s on.

I have posted it on PBS, again it is the only copy but will see if it gets requested or not. 

Troika--#22 finished

This is another book that was finished in March but just now logging in.  Not really sure about the book, the characters are interesting but just seem a little too over the top amazing I guess.  Julian comes from an orphanage in Russia but his mom saves him and a friend gets him to America where after school becomes super rich.  Perla is a stripper/dancer in Florida that is doing the best she can.  They meet and while Julian is married, his wife is in a wheelchair because of a car accident.  All three come together.  Interesting story, not sure if quite the love story some of the cover reviews talk about but not a bad read.

I have posted it on PBS, it is the only copy in system so I would think it would move a some point but I have several posted that are only copy and they aren't moving so who knows.

Killer Weekend--#21 finished

 This book was finished in March but just now getting around to logging it in with a couple others.  This is the first in a series by Ridley Pearson, an author from St Louis so figured I should read some of his books. It is set in a ski/resort town in Idaho where the main character is the local sheriff.  A weekend of bigwigs coming into town for like a Ted talk thing where the Attorney General is supposed to announce her candidacy for President.  She & the sheriff go back to an earlier encounter where he saved her life.   Lots of other characters and action keeps moving.  Not the best thing but not too bad either.  I think I have the 2nd in series already too so will give it a try at some point.

There are already like 12 copies in PBS so not sure if worth it to post.  Will probably read 2nd in series and then decide.

My Father's Daughter--#20 finished

 Frank Sinatra's youngest daughter, Tina Sinatra writes about Frank's life.  Most of it revolves around her & her older sister Nancy & older brother Frank Jr and their relationship with their dad.  Frank being married 3 times but all the kids with the first wife, plays a big part in the book too.  Especially his last wife that sort of took over Frank's life the last 20 years or so of his life as well as pushing his kids more to the side.  I enjoyed his music--we had a double CD of greatest hits that we played when kids were young & they enjoyed it too.  Not much of a music person myself so haven't listened to it in years.  I also enjoy the image of the Rat Pack and remember some of the comedy roasts with them.  Book gives good insight into Frank but of course not all of it good.

I have already posted it & it has already been requested, might even get it mailed off yet today.

The Color Master--#19 finished

 A short story book with some interesting and some just plain weird stories.  I did enjoy this more than the first short story book by this author but still just a little too far out there for my tastes at times.  Not much more really to say, probably won't be searching out anything more from this writer.

There were 2 WL for the book and I posted it & will be mailing it off, probably tomorrow.

Raceball--#18 finished

 The rest of the title is: How the Major Leagues Colonized the Black and Latin Game.  The book looks back at the Negro Leagues and players and the relationship with Latin American countries--Cuba especially at first and then later Dominican Republic.  How Jackie Robinson opened up the major leagues to black players and black Hispanic players as well but it was also the beginning to the end of the Negro Leagues.  In the Negro Leagues many owners, managers & general managers were black but when it ended, none of this switched to the Major Leagues--it wasn't really until the 1980s it was seen as an issue and still today is an issue.  The end of the Negro Leagues also was the beginning to the end of baseball being the main sport for black youth--football & especially basketball have taken over.  In Latin America it talked about baseball academies being setup and how they have become feeders for the big leagues.  Basically taking away the games between the hometowns that happened in the past, showing that maybe the love of the game is missing since not as much going out & watching games as kids developing their game for a job and future.  Book really made me step back and look at baseball a little differently and wonder what the future will be like for the sport.

There was 1 WL for the book and I posted it & will be mailing off, probably tomorrow.

Red Sparrow--#17 finished

 A kind of action spy book, that became a movie. I saw the movie first & thought was just okay but saw the book at a Goodwill or something and picked it up cheap.  Since over 500 pages, didn't get read last year because of my emphasis on quantity--getting to over 100 books read--so figured this was the time to read it.  Different in many ways from the movie and better in most ways.  It is a trilogy so I have wishlisted for the next two books.  A Russian ballet student suffers an injury and her uncle puts her into the spy business and she excels but doesn't really like the Russian government and becomes a spy for the US after meeting a few men she really likes.  This puts her into some tough situations and makes for a good read.

There are like a dozen copies in PBS so no reason to add to it, will just donate away at some point.

The Professor and the Madman--#16 finished

A good read about the making of the Oxford English Dictionary and how a dictionary is actually made and how one of the main contributors at the time was locked up in an asylum after killing someone.  Interesting in how the mostly volunteers searched early books for when words first used & how they were used in complying the dictionary.  The madman was an educated doctor and served as a doctor in the US Civil War and how he started slipping after that.  Eventually with his military pension he was to travel Europe and when got to England had a night where he lost it & shot & killed someone basically at random.  Was found insane and locked away in basically a home & because has some money was sort of comfortable but still locked away.  He was a reader and had many of his own books and saw where they were looking for volunteers on the making of the dictionary & he started this work, submitting many thousands of entries.  An interesting read.

There are a couple copies already in PBS and my copy has some underlining & writing in it so I will just donate it away somewhere instead.

Jewish Jocks--#15 finished

 An edited collection of quick 2-5 page write-ups about some famous athletes or fringy sports guys that are Jewish.  Lots of people I hadn't heard of before, boxers from 100 years ago & into the '30s & '40s.  Some like Howard Cosell, that wasn't an athlete but because he was a sports announcers made the book.  Nothing too great but was kind of fun to read about several people and a quick writeup on their history.

There were no copies in system so posted it right away & about 2 days later was requested.  Should be mailing off later today.

The Opposite of Love--#14 finished

 A nearly 30 lawyer at a large law firm in NY city is struggling with her life.  Her boyfriend, family and work.  Fearing her boyfriend might ask her to marry him and she is scared of this, she decides to break up with him.  She gets assigned a shitty case with a worse lead lawyer and after some sexual harassment she quits the law firm.  She finds out her grandfather is slipping into Alzheimers too.  She basically bottoms out and with help of a psychologist type starts on her way back.  Funny at times and still tough because of what she is going through.  By end comes out stronger as a person.  A good read.

This was just finished this morning so a March finish.  There is 1 copy in system already, I will post this but might be a while before it moves on.

Mothers, Tell Your Daughters--#13 finished

 A short story book that focuses on women and basically tough lives of women.  Some stories kind of hard to read but generally the strength of the women come through in these stores.  Not saying happy ending stories or anything like that but more of a strength of endurance.  A really good read.

There are I think 8 WL for the book so will post at some point but like the last book might also get loaned out for others to read.

Wild Horse Country--#12 finished

 This is a wonderful read.  A lot of information about wild horses and their history and what is being done now with them.  The idea of wild horses out in the open land, running free is an image I think most Americans is sort of heartwarming.  Unlike the buffalo that were shot to near extinction and now only sort of roam in fields in small numbers, wild horses is a picture we would all like to envision.  This books embraces that but then also introduces the reader with the reality that wild unmanaged horses overbreed and will overrun grazing & wells/water areas.  On federal lands they do roundups to try to keep the numbers down, but since they cannot kill the horses they are pinned up on large ranches at huge expenses. There are like 50k horses like this.  They try to sell or basically give away what they can but schemes come up where buyers are getting the horses and selling to processing plants--food heading to Europe.  Book really points out that current ways & laws not working and no real leadership to change it.  Both sides--ranchers want fewer horses and several groups want no harm to horses and also to stop roundups.  At end of book, author finds a couple areas where mountain lions returning, they are keeping the horse population in check, so long as horses forced go to into mountains for food & water.  Interesting but problem that many people also dislike the mountain lions.  A very good read and really makes you think.

There are WL for it, I think around 4 or 5 but at this point keeping it.  Might be one to loan out at some point to friends to read.

The Silent Man--#11 finished

 This is a February finished book and so will be the next couple too, but just getting around to logging it in.  This is the next in the John Wells series of books.  A good series, interesting characters.  The plot of a nuclear weapon being stolen from Russia and then brought to the US, taken apart & reworked into a bomb--without the codes cannot set off the weapon.  Lots of good details about how this could happen, not sure I buy it all but did make for a quick action read.

I restarted the series a few months ago with book and I think this was 3rd in series.  Not sure where I started it but probably have a couple to go yet.  I don't think I will re-read any but not posting these either at this point. 

Leaving Van Gogh--#10 finished

 This is a good historical fiction about the end of Vincent Van Gogh's life.  It is told from the perspective of a doctor and friend that lived in the same town and helped Van Gogh during this time.  I enjoyed learning about both Vincent and his brother Theo.  All based on a true story, the author does a very good job weaving in what she thinks their day to day lives were like and especially their struggles. Good read and interesting subject.

I have posted it on PBS & it has already been requested so will be mailing off in the next few days.

Mr. Mercedes--#9 finished

 This is a Stephen King book but not a supernatural or really out there fiction type story.  A retired detective is having a hard time with retirement, the whole boredom of life thing.  One of the cases he couldn't solve is still lingering and the sociopath killer--he drove a heavy duty Mercedes through a crowd killing 8 people--reaches out to the detective.  The detective re-evaluates the crime and starts investigating it again with help from a high school friend and family from lady that owned the car.  Sort of creepy and some good twists and turns too throughout.  Not a bad read but took a while for me it get into it.

I have posted it on PBS, there is one copy ahead of it, I am hoping it moves at some point since it is a Stephen King book.

What Did We Use Before Toilet Paper--#8 finished

 The rest of the title is: 195 Curious Questions & Intriguing Answers.  Some interesting and some not so much.  I finished this like a week ago and I really couldn't tell you much that I remember.  Just a sort of mindless read in short blurbs about stuff.  Not too bad but not really memorable either.

I have posted it on PBS, there are 2 copies ahead of it so I doubt it moves soon if at all.

Fear--#7 finished

 This book and the earlier one were both finished in January but just now getting them logged in.  This is the Bob Woodward book about Trump's 2016 election and the first 2 years of this presidency.  Talk about dysfunctional, I am just amazed that our country was duped by this guy into electing him as our president. You might like some of his ideas or positions or the tough talk but he was not presidential material--he made decisions on hunches & instincts, while having some of the best information being provided to him. I remember in the campaign then with Rubio hitting him that he doesn't understand or want to learn about details of our world--something along those lines--it rang true to me when I heard it and still rings true today, especially after reading this book and a few others about him.  I need to track down the next Woodward book that is out there too.  

What really scares me is that so many people are still supporting him, even after the lies and seeing that it is always all about him--not the country or party--it is all about Trump the person.  That our country could elect such a charlatan makes me worry for our country.

There are like 5 or 6 copies in PBS system already so not sure if I will post it.  I might set aside and look to loan out instead. 

The Last Full Measure--#6 finished

This is the last in the 3 book series started by the author's father about the Civil War with a focus on some of the people--mainly generals involved.  This is about the end of the war, pretty much from when Grant gets appointed in charge of the union forces.  The focus is on Grant, Lee & Chamberlain--a college professor that moved up the officer ranks to become a general--he was also focused in the earlier books too.  A really interesting and good read, I enjoyed the whole series.  It is hard to even imagine the whole Civil War even with all the problems & divisiveness in our country right now, I can't imagine whole states of people taking up arms against other states.  I have ordered other books from author about the Civil War in the west and hope to get to them later this year.

This series is on my keeper list.

Francis: Pope of a New World--#5 finished

 This was a book written & published right after Pope Francis became Pope.  Gives some information about his background and about the very beginning of his papacy.  I am a big fan of our Pope and feel he has at least started moving the church in a more modern direction.  I know this has upset lots of conservative Catholics especially here in the US.  I also fear for who will be the next pope if it will still be headed in the same direction or revert back to more conservative times.  This is a rough time for the church and while I feel many changes are needed the old guard will probably fight most attempts at changes.  Good quick read.

I posted it on PBS & will be mailing off in the next week or so.

1920: The Year of the Six Presidents--#4 finished

The title is a little confusing but basically means the 1920 election had 6 people that were or will be Presidents sort of vying for it.  Woodrow Wilson was President and wanted to run again but after suffering a stroke and basically not functioning as a full time President the people around him kept him from running again.  In the lead up to the 1920 election Teddy Roosevelt was wanting to run again as a Republican but he died before he had that chance.  In the Republican primary and convention there were several candidates and in the 2nd grouping was Warren Harding--because the top group call cancelled each other out, Harding became the best of the 2nd group and got the nomination and the Presidency.  In the further behind candidates were Calvin Coolidge who became Vice President and then President after Harding passed, and also Herbert Hoover who would serve in their administrations and then succeed Coolidge after he completed his full term.  Then on the Democrat side the VP candidate in the 1920 election was Franklin D Roosevelt who would come back and gain election after Hoover.  

An interesting read and an interesting time.  It was a good reminder that even through going through crazy stuff now in politics, there has been other times with craziness and our country & democracy has endured. Trump and his supporters might be a little higher up on the craziness scale but maybe not after reading this.  The WWI was ending and the fight about the League of Nations going on.  Prohibition and Women's Suffrage were happening.  A strong Socialist Party was in place, not so much communist at this point, along with very strong racists people and laws.  Throw in some girlfriends on the side and you can see this was a little crazy.  Biden does sort of remind me of a Harding in that they seem like normal good guys at least to the electorate.

I am keeping this book for now and likely passing out among friends that I think will enjoy.

The Snow Leopard--#3 finished

I finished this around a week ago but just now logging in.  I guess just kind of disappointed in the book, I was hoping for more about the Snow Leopard and instead got more about the travel and Buddhism.  The time of this was early '70s--maybe 1971 and the writer was going through a tough time with his wife passing away no long before this trip.  He also has 2 young boys that he mentions but never really explains where or who is taking care of them while he is off on this research trip.  With that going on and purpose of trip the Snow Leopard thought the focus would be there but instead it was more about his personal journey both the several weeks to journey where the research in Himalayas was going to be done & his personal spiritual journey.  I have had this book on my shelf for a while and was looking forward to finally getting to it.  I started it in early November and just couldn't get into it, fought through it and finally at beginning of January just pushed myself to get through it.

I have posted it on PBS since there were no copies in system & it has already been requested.  I will be getting it mailed off later today or tomorrow. 

Fortune Smiles--#2 finished

 A short story book that has a wide range to topics in the six stories.  The stories have memorable characters and topics, topics like North Korea, child-porn, hurricane Katrina, East Germany and a couple others.  Just a wide and unusual range of topics.  I will have to look for other books by the author, this was a very good read.

There are 6 WL on PBS for this & I really enjoyed it but do want to also pass this along for others to enjoy.  I will post & mail off at some point.

Blown Away--#1 finished

This is a book published in 1990 with interviews of people around the Rolling Stones about their beginnings and the 1960s.  The Rolling Stones are my favorite band but I hadn't really read a lot about them so this was a really interesting read.  How Brian Jones started the band and their influences and struggles in that early going.  The interviews of the girlfriends and people around the band are really very good and give great insight into this time.  Brian Jones is an interesting person, everyone says he was a super talented musician with ability to play several instruments and his personality influenced Jagger but there was also a competitiveness between them that Jagger seen he had to win.  Jones real issues were his inability to write the songs they were playing and also a terrible drug habit.  The drug habit caused him to miss performances and recording sessions as well as personal issues of fighting and physical assaulting his girlfriends.  It is a sad story for him but from reading this can see that Jones had to be kicked out of the band.  Soon after this happened he drowned in a pool accident at his house.  The author worked to track down people that were there at the time and he came to believe some of the home remodeling workers that were at the party were the cause of Jones drowning.  Lots of good information about the time and the band in this book.

This is one that will be a keeper for me since it is about the Rolling Stones.  First book of the new year finished. 

The Ghost War--#106 finished

 This was the last book read in 2020, the 2nd book in series by Alex Berenson's John Wells.  A good continuation of the series.  Wells returns to Afghanistan and gains intelligence that eventually leads to China problems and he travels to China to get a spy/source out of China.  I took up this series in the middle somewhere and I am playing a little catch up now.  A good quick read that generally has non-stop type action.

At this point I am not posting these back in PBS but might at some point.  I didn't keep the middle series books I have read so doubt I will keep these but no hurry to post.

I am playing catch up on logging in 2020.  I did make it to my goal of 100 books read in 2020 and finished at 106.