Wolf in White Van--#108 finished

 A different sort of book.  A young man has been disfigured and his life is a struggle but he seems to have come to terms with it and lives simply.  He runs a through the mail sort of dungeon & dragons game--popular I guess back before internet but even still with internet he has fans that send in monthly money to do the game.  A young couple he was corresponding with took the game way too seriously and tried to actually follow it in real life--the young girl died & the boy is in critical condition in hospital.  He was taken to court on this but seems like there was no case.  This book told a story but seemed to me like it never really got anywhere.  After I finished I checked and seemed like well received but I guess just not for me.

There are like 10 WL for this book on PBS so I will get it mailed off some point.

Also just a quick note, not sure if I will finish another book this year or not--have one short story book that is a maybe.  But at 108 this is a new high in books read for me.  I have already told myself and a few others that I will not be trying for the 100 books read next year.  I noticed I was picking books to read based off how quick I could finish them and don't like that--so now putting it in writing too--hopefully won't do that(at least not too much).  I will make sure to grab a few long reads and just enjoy without any pressure of just finishing the book.

Gorky Park--#107 finished

 This is the first book in the Arkady Renko series by Martin Cruz Smith.  I had read this book probably back in high school and years later started reading the other books in this series.  I remembered really enjoying this book and had wanted to go back & read it and it was finally the time.  Re-reading it now it is not as interesting or fun as I remembered.  Arkady is still an interesting character and how the USSR worked at the time is fun to think of.  I think part of my original enjoyment was that I really knew nothing of USSR or Moscow at the time and this book opened up that whole country to me.  Now with many, many books and internet, etc it is not such a mystery.  Still a fun read and glad I read it and will try to work through this series again.

This is one I am keeping, will keep this series.

Amateur Hour--#106 finished

 The rest of the title is: Motherhood in Essays and Swear Words.  It is a kind of funny look at her life and raising kids.  Some parts could laugh at and others just sort of rolled my eyes as a normal bitch about the world, life, kids story.  Not bad overall though, stories mostly short and quick easy reads.

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

The Omega Factor--#105 finished

 This is a standalone book by Steve Berry--he is the writer of the Cotton Malone series that I read.  This one is similar to those but instead of Cotton and a sort of team, it is loner sort that works for a UN group dealing with art issues.  The woman he loves and was engaged to, broke it off & joined a convent.  She is restoring an important piece of art and has invited him to visit, while he is there the art piece is destroyed and the follows the ladies that did this and becomes involved in a whole investigation.  A couple countries and throw in the Vatican as well and some bad guy Dominicans and some questionable motives of this other convent and there you go.  Not a bad read but characters were not very exciting and story was in many ways predictable.  Not sure if he will make this new guy a series but would need to improve to keep my attention.

There are like 30 WL for this book so I will post & send off at some point but have plenty of credits and try to avoid post office at this time of the year so no hurry.

Witch--#104 finished

 I had finished this a couple weeks ago--think it was the first weekend of Dec.  It is a true story/investigation about a lady that killed her mother and likely one of her husbands and maybe her brother too.  She is away in jail for life for her mother.  She put her mother in a plastic trash can and left her in a storage facility for at least months maybe a couple years before the can ruptured and the smell was too great that people noticed.  This is one of those stories about people's lives that you realize there are really some screwed up people in this world.  This lady's parents were screwed up and of course influenced her then as well.  The daughter Brookey had a good job in the tech industry in San Jose and a 2nd life in Las Vegas, where her mom also lived.  They were basically criminal sorts before this point but still should have been at a good point--at least where Brookey could have just left her mother alone.  I don't see the reason for the murder but I just guess Brookey just isn't right and that is probably enough.  Sad story and sad lives for them and the people they touched.

I did wikipedia Brookey and she is still in prison--life with no parole, that is good because like I said something is just not right with her and prison is probably best place for her.

The book does have some minor stains on it so I won't be posting on PBS & there are a few copies already so no loss there.

Damascus Countdown--#103 finished

 This is the 3rd and final in series about a 12th Inman coming in Iran that is actually a false prophet but still is able to bring most of the Islamic countries together and start a war with Israel.  The main character is a CIA spy in Iran that has provided sat phones to the leaders of Iran that the CIA & NSA can listen in on.  The phones are being used way more than expected so not enough translators and messages getting missed during main action.  The action does move so keeps interested.  The author also throws in a Christian bent to the book--where basically saying all Islam is false & Jesus is true son of God.  I saw this more of an angle to rub it in but series does talk about Islam a lot so I guess has a place, just seems over the top at times.

I have already posted it on PBS, there were 3 WL for it and it was on Auto Approve, didn't have to wait either.  I will get mailed off next week.

Who is Vera Kelly?--#102 finished

 A quick and easy read.  A high school girl in the late '50s runs away from home and is sent to juvenile schools and when graduates heads to New York.  She is hired by CIA and is in Argentina as a sort of spy--sets up wiretaps and gets info back to DC.  The story doesn't open up like this--it bounces from a small life story chapter to next what is going on in Argentina and then back again.  A good an interesting read.  

I have posted it on PBS, it is the only copy--it is a large print book.  I would guess at some point will get moved but can never really tell either.

The Shadow Cabinet--#101 finished

 This is the 3rd book in a series and looks like maybe the last book but ending left it open.  A girl from Louisiana moves to London with parents but her high school is a boarding school.  She has a near death experience and is now able to see ghosts.  She meets up with a police team of others like this and after first two books we are now at the 3rd.  A confusing jump back in time and a sort of what happened to these people from the '70s is thrown in here and some more investigation stuff.  A lot of over the top world could end ideas in here too.  I am glad I read it and finished the series but not a great ending or series.  I like the idea of it but thought a better series could have been developed.  It is a series for young adults so maybe just didn't hit me because I am not target audience.

There were no copies in system so I posted it and it has already been requested.  I will try to get mailed off in the coming week.

Heros of the Frontier--#100 finished

 It felt really good finishing this book and hitting my goal of 100 books read.  I actually finished it last weekend but just now logging it in.  The 100 book goal I am proud of myself for accomplishing it but I don't plan on it being the goal for next year--I noticed I was skipping books that might take me too long to read and keep me from the goal.  Next year and through this year, I plan to grab some of those and enjoy the read not the end goal of the finish.

I liked this book, a mom and her 2 young kids sort of leave life behind in OH and head to Alaska with sort of plans but not really.  She has a sort of step sister type there she wants to meet up with but really nothing beyond that.  During the trip, we get to know of the mom and her struggles in life and meet up with some interesting characters on her travels.  She is really struggling with life again but sees the growth in her and her children from this trip and in the end realize in some way they will be okay.

There are 15 WL for the book on PBS so will get it mailed off at some point.

Need to Know--#99 finished

A CIA analyst finds out her husband is a Russian spy but loves her and their kids.  He was forced into Russian service and says only has sent minor, harmless info to his handlers.  She is forced to take a step toward helping him/Russians to protect him and does this one step, which leads to more.  A lot of what should I do and trying to figure stuff out here but I didn't always buy into their decisions.  A couple good twists at the end and the very end lets you know a 2nd book being planned.  This was published in 2018 so haven't seen anything since so maybe not.

I already posted it on PBS, there are 4 copies in system so maybe will move at some point. 

Femme Fatale--#98 finished

 The rest of the title is: Love, Lies, and the Unknown Life of Mata Hari.  A really good and interesting read.  I remember hearing about Mata Hari growing up--not sure if in history books/classes or in some pop culture way--famous dancer turned spy.  This book really looks at her life in depth--from her early life, an early marriage and life in Indonesia area with a much older husband.  Having a couple children and then the older boy dying in childhood.  Their return to Holland and divorce.  Her moving to Paris basically penniless and really no skills to earn a living--her young daughter staying with the ex-husband and the new wife.  Her learning dance and then turning into an exotic type dance and her character as well.  Really remarkable for her to get to that point.  She became a star of Europe traveling around and performing and making large amounts of money that got spent just as quick.  Meeting and being with several men that also supported her and again spending lots of money quick.  After several years of this WWI happens and she gets caught up in what men/government/inspectors think of her as a spy.  Because she is basically immoral in their eyes and goes to bed with several men from all different countries including Germany which France was at war with, they see her as a spy.  This is where the book probably shines the most--the detail in the research and the way author can see the characters involved and try to get at what was really going on--makes for sad and very interesting reading.  Good book, glad I finally took time to read it.

I have posted it on PBS & it has already been requested.  I will be mailing it off later this week.

The Handmaid's Tale--#97 finished

This is a pretty famous book that has become one of the streaming places series I guess--don't watch much on streaming, at least yet I guess.  This is a sort of diary by a woman that is living after a sort of war maybe civil war where women of birthing age become basically breeding stock for high up men in the system who's wives are not able to have kids.  A lot of underlying themes going on in this story and not many answers are given.  An interesting read and a sort of different take on the whole what could happen if things turn really bad.  I am glad I have read it, it sort of goes into the genre for me of when society falls apart kind of thing--like the Postman, The World Made by Hand(I think that was the name) but this one is a lot rougher on the women. 

This is a keeper for me, one of those that probably should be the shelf in most homes.

Q Road--#96 finished

 A good read about interesting people at a farm and some houses that have been built up across from the farm.  The main character Rachel, grew up in a ramshackle houseboat on the small river with her mom that sounded like she was sort of crazy.  Rachel at 17 marries the farmer who is in his 50s maybe.  Rachel has a lot of feral instincts but does have a love for the land, that is what brought her to George.  A whole cast of side characters that sometimes is hard to keep track of but they are interesting in their own ways.  Really a good and interesting story that makes you think beyond the people relationships but also the people to the land relationship.  

This one had been sitting on my shelf a while, I looked and I got it in Oct 2014 so has been a while.  Glad I finally got to it.  There was 1 WL for it & I posted it & has been accepted.  I will get mailed off in next couple of days.

A Butterfly's Touch--#95 finished

 This is a self published book from a local author, it is her memoir.  She is young, at least in my eyes for a memoir--I am guessing mid 20s where this was written/published.  A lot of good writing and she really opens up about her life and struggles.  I really thought her writing about her virginity and then losing it was really something a lot of young girls and even boys should read.  Her family struggles with drugs & alcohol really bring a tough reality into her life that makes getting ahead for everyone in her family tough. Her two pregnancies that both ended in miscarriages of a sort are also tough to read.  It was encouraging though that even through that she is trying to hold onto a positive attitude in life.  Because she is young for writing this memoir, I kind of what to know what has come next.  I did google her & she has website to sell this book and another--an anthology she put together and same with her Facebook.  Her bigger focus is the help people write & publish their books.  I do wish her well in everything.

No copies in PBS system, not surprising on self published.  Wasn't sure if going to post or not--not likely gets request but did post it at this point.  Not sure how long will keep on the PBS bookshelf though.

The Accidental Tourist--#94 finished

 This is another book by Anne Tyler, one from early '80s that also became a movie.  I hadn't seen the movie but remember it from looking at boxes at Blockbuster, etc back then.  I enjoyed the first book I read of hers earlier this year and got this one.  This is a little different sort of book--a real sort of uptight and anal guy has troubles in life and wife leaves him.  He sort of bumps into a free spirit type lady and has a connection and eventually moves in.  At some point moves back in with wife and at end not really sure where he ends up.  I can see why movie was made--the characters are interesting and probably somewhat memorable on the screen.  Story is okay but has some good underlying points.  Overall a good read.

The copy I have is beaten up so won't be posting on PBS, it will go in my give away pile.

Off Speed--#93 finished

 The rest of the title: Baseball, Pitching, and the Art of Deception.  An interesting read about the author growing up in small town Iowa that had a town team--semipro team.  His dad played and then later coached and also maintained the field there.  Where I grew up they also had a town team/semipro team that played other towns in the area.  Last I heard it was still going on but I think my hometown team dropped a few years and then came but--not sure if still back or not.  He mixed this growing up with baseball with his reporting on baseball and following his team the Seattle Mariners and a game in which Felix Hernandez threw his perfect game.  These stories revolved around the different pitches thrown in baseball, at least the main ones--fastball, curve, slider, splitter, knuckball, etc.  A good read that I really enjoyed.

There are no copies on PBS and I will probably post it & see what happens.

Them--#92 finished

 The rest of the title is: Why We Hate Each Other--And How to Heal.  This is another book by still Senator Ben Sasse from Fremont, NE--not far from where I grew up.  He will be moving on to become president of the University of Florida in Dec or maybe Jan--something like that.  Makes interesting problem for Gov Ricketts of NE--he wants to be Senator since term limited out of Gov spot this fall but probably doesn't want to appoint himself either.  He will have to find a way to get this done--lol.  As far as the book goes, a lot of interesting and sort of common sense things--people are lonely, people are not attached to where they are living, people don't join local groups/churches/gather for local(high school)sports teams, etc.  I enjoyed the book gives one stuff to think about but not really sure about answers.  I don't see our country suddenly going back to joining the Jaycees, Lions Clubs, churches, etc.  Technology is part of the reason but also time constraints--with commuting and long work hours, just seems like tough to find time for those other activities.  He pointed out a lot of problems but did remember reading any solutions other than encouraging each person to do better.

There are 8 WL for the book on PBS but might be one to loan out to friends first.

God Save Texas--#91 finished

 A good and interesting read.  Author grew up in TX and while moving around some as an adult, moved back & lived most of his life there.  He is a sort of Austin liberal but as a reporter got to know all parts of TX and the people.  I enjoyed parts of it, other parts are just sort of depressing in the way that the Republican party is now depressing.  Interesting histories of the state and the people of the state.  Sort of scary that TX and likewise CA are the two states with such large influences on the rest of the country.  FL, NY, PA & others would like to rise up but those 2 are really the ones and the crazy stuff seen in TX is tough.  I am sure a book about CA would point out more than enough crazy stuff there too in the mostly leftward way.

There are 2 WL for this book so I will get it posted & mailed off hopefully soon.

kaddish.com--#90 finished

 A book about a guy that had left the orthodox Jewish religion and when his father died, he gave away their tradition of prayers for his father to a website.  He came around after this & re-joined and became a teacher of Judaism and probably a rabbi--not really sure.  He married and has a family when a young boy he was teaching brings back the memories of his father & his giving away his sort of birthrite.  He wants to track down this website and get it back--leads him to Jerusalem and the investigation continues.  I didn't really understand a lot of the Jewish references so I know I missed a lot of what the book was trying to tell me.  Story was interesting to a degree but not really what I was expecting.

I have posted it on PBS & it has been accepted, I will get it mailed off later this week.

How to Steal a Car--#89 finished

 This is a young adult book, a 15 year old girl has opportunity to pickup keys that person dropped getting out of his car so she does.  Then she notices he lives a few blocks away and decides to take his car--late at night & go for a drive.  Two of her good friends know and one of them tells her he wants her to steal a Hummer of a guy at school that is bullying him and she is able to get keys from dealer and does this.  They end up putting car into a pond.  From here she gets in touch with an older dropout kid that has stolen cars & she takes on that role.  While this is going on you also get brought into issues with her family & her friends so kind of realize the whole stealing car thing is almost a coping mechanism.  It is a short book but a quick and entertaining read.

I have posted it already & it is the only copy in system.  Is an older book--written in 2009 so not sure if will get requested or not.

Forty Thieves--#88 finished

 This is another Thomas Perry stand alone book, I really enjoyed it.  It is about a husband and wife private investigators hired to follow up on a murder that happened a year ago & police investigation has gotten no where.  The other side of the book is a husband and wife assassins that were hired to kill the PIs.  Took a while to get to who hired the assassins but come to find out a big group of diamond thieves had retired into CA and the guy who was murdered had gotten to close to one of this group so he was killed.  A really good investigation story from both sides.  Interesting read.

There was 1 WL for the book and I posted it but has timed out and is now on my Booklist.  Only copy in system and a good writer I expect it will move at some point probably soon.

Rise--#87 finished

 This is an autobiography but a young MMA fighter, Paige VanZant.  It talks about her struggles and rape growing up in high school and how she has fought to rise out of this.  Those are tough chapters to read about her life, the rape affected so much of her life but then she also later had an abusive boyfriend.  Tough for her to get through at such a young age and basically by herself, it took her a long time to open up & talk about these things to anyone.  Really feel sorry for her but seems like in a better place even though I am not a MMA fan--just way too violent to be as big a sport as it is.  

There are 2 WL for this book so I will mail off at some point, no reason to hold onto the book.

The Dean's December--#86 finished

 This is a mass market paperback that was sitting on my shelf for a few years so finally pulled it down and read.  I remember picking it up because the cover noted was by winner of Nobel Prize, I thought for this book but was for something earlier.  It is an older book published in 1982.  It is about a college dean from a Chicago university that is in Budapest Hungry with his wife--his wife's mother is dying.  There are struggles there inside the communist country of them being able to see the mother as well as knowing several people sort of watching/spying on their activities as westerners.  The dean also has problems going  on back in Chicago with his job, his family and controversy over some articles he has written.  I really could not get into this book.  There were long paragraphs and pages describing his feelings and thoughts on ongoing stuff and I was just wanting him to get on with the story.  It was a tough read--I questioned why I bothered reading it several times but wanted to get it done.

There are already copies in PBS system and no reason to add to it.  I will donate this away to a little library I guess at some point.

Irma Voth--#85 finished

 I have read a couple other books by this author Miriam Toews and really like her writing.  This one is also about Mennonites but instead of in Canada, this family moved from Canada to Mexico and the book is all in Mexico with some memories back about time in Canada.  Irma has basically broken from the family and married a local Mexican but to find work he has moved away.  Irma is in one of her family's houses that is down the road by herself when a group moves into a nearby house--renting it while they film a movie.  The movie is about the Mennonites and a sort of family thing there too--Irma helps out as a translator since many Mennonites speak low German and no one on film crew does.  The female lead is brought in from Germany and only speaks German so Irma is needed for this.  While this is going on, Irma's younger sister Aggie leaves home and joins with Irma.  A big confrontation occurs with their dad and he said he is selling Irma's house & wants her out.  Novel takes a turn at this point and does become much more interesting but even this beginning is a good read.  I enjoyed this book.

There are 6 WL for the book in PBS so will mail it out at some point.

Jagger--#84 finished

 A biography of Mick Jagger written in 2011.  Mick did not help or contribute to this book but the author got plenty of people close to him quoted as well as quoting other books and material out there.  An interesting read on the person Mick is--something I don't think anyone will ever get right, Mick is just an interesting and complex person.  I enjoyed the read and some of the interesting times and ideas the band was going through.  

I am keeping this book at least for now, like my Rolling Stones so why not.

Henry and Clara--#83 finished

 An interesting historical fiction novel about the couple that were sitting next to Abraham Lincoln & his wife at Ford Theatre the night he was assassinated.  The couple Henry & Clara were step brother & sister--his mother & her father both remarried to each other after becoming widows months apart.  Henry & Clara were 10 & Clara I think 13 when their parents married so still young enough that basically everyone considered them brother & sister or at least cousin like.  So when their love became known not everyone was happy about this but then Henry enlisted in the Union army and everything put on hold.  Henry was injured and came back changed too from the war while Clara--her dad was a senator and she became close to Mrs Lincoln.  The author based this book off letters and newspaper articles he could find but obviously it is fiction because he had to make up conversations and interactions.  An interesting read.

I have posted it on PBS & it is the only copy in system so will maybe move at some point.  It is an older book, published in 1994.

Fifty Cars that Changed the World--#82 finished

 This is sort of a cheap kind of book for my talley, it is only 107 pages and half of those are the photos of the cars they talked about.  This is a very much European list and more into the design then anything else it seems--no surprising because no author is listed--just Design Museum.  Some interesting cars and write-ups but I was expecting maybe hoping for more.  Oh well still a nice short interesting read.

I will probably mail it off in PBS, I had thought about keeping it but was just not that interesting to me to keep for long term.  I think there are 4 WL for it so will mail at some point.

Adventures in the Anthropocene--#81 finished

 A powerful book about the earth and our time right now.  The author travels the world looking at climate change & issues happening in different areas--atmosphere, mountains, rivers, farmlands, oceans, deserts, savannahs, forests, rocks & cities.  She goes to trouble spots and looks at what is being done and the outlook for immediate future.  She is not a doom and gloom sort--at least I didn't get that--she shows ways in which people are finding ways to cope as best they can and having some success.  Of course problems are in many many areas and the successes seem few and far between but really some interesting things going on out there.  She really gets into some scary scenarios that could be coming down pike--maybe already here.  Book was written in 2014 so I do sort of wonder if people she met with are still having some degree of success and if their ideas have taken root--just don't hear about these things.  This is a book that has really made me think what is really coming in the next many years--water shortages, climate/weather changes, expanding deserts, farmland/food struggles, throw away culture vs diminishing materials--rare earth minerals, etc.  Author does seem to think that humans--us, will find a way to adapt to the changing environment but obviously there were be lives lost and big disruptions but she doesn't really spell that out but the sense of this is there.

I am torn on what to do with this book.  I think it is important enough that more should read it but I am not sure any of my group I share books with would want it.  It is not an easy read--I was on it for over 2 months getting through it.  Might mail off since others on PBS WL I would expect to read it.  Not sure at this point.

Evvie Drake Starts Over--#80 finished

 A nice sort of story, main character's life is sort of apart but not for reason people around her know.  Her best friend sends an old college buddy that has fantastically flamed out of major league baseball to her extra apartment at her house.  She lives in small town Maine, away from most everything he is trying to avoid.  She has issues with her life & her marriage--which ended suddenly when her husband was killed in an accident.  At one point she tells baseball player he should get counseling which he has already done through team--but for some reason she does not see why she needs counseling.  Overall a nice story, of course happy ending and growth in both her & ballplayer.

There are 15 WL for the book so I will get it posted & mailed off at some point.

Kamala's Way--#79 finished

 This book was actually finished at end of August, just now getting it logged in.  I really didn't know much about Kamala Harris even though she is our VP now.  An interesting story & life so far for her.  This book seems to have been written right after she got put on the ticket and before the election happened.  The book just read like it was rushed and made un-even points, not a great read but still has some info on her and surprisingly other names that have come up in the news like John Eastman.  Also sort of leaves you wanting more since such an interesting election and then also the problems in her VP office as reported--would like to know more.  A good intro into Kamala Harris though.

I have posted it on PBS & it is the only copy but doesn't seem like a very popular book so don't know how long will be there.

One Good Deed--#78 finished

The first book in a new series.  Time is late 1940s & Archer the main character is a WWII vet that just gets out of prison and gets bused to a mid-sized town--guessing in the TX, OK or KS area--grassland and flat.  He is there for parole.  He meets up with some interesting characters and murder ensues.  He is a suspect but the state detective is there and believes in his innocence and has Archer even help with the investigations.  A good story for most part--didn't like ending with courtroom stuff and then traveling out of the country but rest was good. Since I already have book 2 will continue with series anyway.

I got this copy on PBS but since I accidentally got water damage to it, will not be posted. 

A Double Life--#77 finished

 A novel set in England, where a young girl sees a murder that is believed to be by her dad.  Her parents are separated and the girl and younger brother are with their mom & one of her girl friends--she helps take care of the kids.  Dad is aristocrat in England.  A man gets into house & kills the girl friend and tries to kill her mom, everyone believes it to be her dad who with help of rich and high placed friends disappears.  The young girl grows up & becomes a doctor but is always searching for her dad.  Book is about this search and how far she will go to find him.  An okay read, not sure if I buy everything in book but did keep moving at least so that you wanted to know what was next.

It is the only copy in PBS--I posted it already.  Also the paperback edition has WL so figure at some point will get requested.

If I Was Your Girl--#76 finished

The story of a high school trans girl in the South.  Her parents divorced & she lived with her mom in Atlanta area and transitioned to a girl but after getting beaten up, they realized she would have to move.  She moves in with her dad who is still struggling with her changes into a small-town in Tennessee.  She fits in at school with other girls and becomes good friends and sort of dating with a young man with his own home life struggles.  Eventually though it comes out in front of the whole school and she is again beaten up.  Though in end the bad guy is stopped and she returns to school with acceptance.  A good read from a different perspective for most.

There are 3 WL for the book on PBS so I will post & send off at some point. 

Clock Dance--#75 finished

 A nice story about a lady through her life, her struggles at different points and with the main part of the story the now in retirement.  It was enjoyable read overall.  Her being mostly estranged from her 2 boys at end was sad.  Her jumping in and helping an ex-girlfriend of one of her boys & the girlfriend's daughter--not her grandchild really made the book.  You could see she started understanding her life and the new people she was around and she started making some changes.  Changes that might seem a little tough late in life.  A good read overall, first book I have read by author but will look for others now

The book has water damage to it so cannot post to PBS so it will go in my give away pile instead.

Power Ball--#74 finished

 This is a good read about the modern baseball game and how it is played by Rob Neyer.  A really good read about how things have changed and some ideas to improve--some of which have happened.  It was written around a game in Sept 2017 between the Astros and the A's.  Funny thing is he kept talking about how this Astro team was such a great hitting team but book was written before the Astros sign stealing came to light--I had a hard time putting that out of my thoughts as I was reading it.  I wish he could have stapled a chapter at end with his thoughts on that.  Still good look at baseball at that time.  Of course other big thing since then is the pandemic and I guess to a much lesser extent the owners & players getting through a work stoppage and getting a new agreement signed.  A good read about baseball.

There are 5 WL for this book so I will post & mail off at some point.

Californium--#73 finished

 This is a book about a high school freshman that moved from New Jersey to California right before school started for him in the early 1980s.  The whole make new friends and where do you fit in in high school thing.  A good read with a couple twists, also fun to think back to the 1980s.  Punk rock plays a big part in the book as well.  Probably the main reason I got & read the book though is the main family their last name is the same as mine so also a nice twist in the story.

There is 1 copy in system already but I did post this one so now 2.  No idea if will get moved or not.

Black Ice--#72 finished

 This is the newest next in series by Brad Thor of Scot Harvath.  I have been reading the earlier books in this series in catching up fashion but when got this one in figured I would get it read & mailed off too.  Good story with action, in Norway with new series girlfriend when China & Russia get together to screw with US radar on Russian subs.  Scot is there & team comes in too and able to put an end to it.  Well maybe not an end because seems like plenty of open story lines for the next few books yet.

There were 9 WL on this book and is a mass market book so I did go ahead and post & will be mailing off in next day or two.

From Nowhere: My Story--#71 finished

This is English soccer player/star Jamie Vardy's book.  Being still kind of new to the Premier League soccer and everything--watch the games on weekends when I can but other than knowing some player names not too into it.  This was a very good read about how he had to work his way up from bottom rungs of soccer in England to the Leicester City and then to the championship of the PL.  Honest look at himself as well.  I enjoyed this book.

There was 1 WL for it but it timed out so is now on my Bookshelf waiting to be requested.

Bluebeard--#70 finished

 This is a Kurt Vonnegut book, it has been years & years since I have read any Vonnegut--maybe back in some college class?? not sure.  This is a beat up mass market book that went on vacation with me and just finished up now.  A good read about an Armenian artist that was part of the New York Expressionist movement--Vonnegut puts this fictional character amongst the other known artists.  The artist is in his 70s now & an interesting cast of characters around him that keeps the action moving between his current time & telling the story of his life--he was writing his memoirs.  An interesting & fun read.

This copy is way to beat up to post, probably just donate away.

Nightlife--#69 finished

I have read a bunch of Thomas Perry books in the last few years.  Generally pretty good, clever sort of action/detective type stories from different perspectives.  This is probably one of my least favorites of his. Seems like he has a couple characters he thought about developing into a series with them but just didn't materialize.  The bad person in the book, a sort of crazy lady that was getting away with murder.  She had several points where she could have walked away to a degree but didn't do so, not sure I ever bought into her character.  Oh well, can win them all.

There are already 2 copies in system & is an older book but since he is a pretty popular author I will go ahead and post it onto my bookshelf in PBS and see what happens.

Gray Mountain--#68 finished

While on vacation it seems as if I have to read a John Grisham book, some times a Stephen King book--but not this year.  This was just a good quick read by Grisham about a lawyer from big firm in NY City that is furloughed during the 2008 economic crisis, she takes an internship year in a poor small Appalachian town in western Virginia.  Because she was big city lawyer dealing with corporations, she never really saw clients and never saw inside of courtroom either.  Now she was faced with this & learned on the fly from other local lawyers.  Good read about local people in poor circumstances and of course there were the evil coal companies and their lawyers as well to spice up the story.  

I finished it on vacation and handed it off right away as well, just like a good Grisham book should.  No reason to post because probably already enough other copies in system anyway.

Phantoms--#67 finished

This is one finished on vacation.  This is the story of 2 families in Northern California--one white family that owned land with fruit trees and the other a Japanese family that immigrated to area and became their friends and worked the fruit trees.  WWII happened and the Japanese family was sent to an internment camp--the oldest boy was able to enlist in the army and fought in Europe.  The white family's boy fought in the Pacific and was killed.  When the war was over the Japanese family did not move back but instead moved to Oakland.  This story is told in the '60s by a cousin of white family by being an intermediary between the wives.  An interesting story and interesting on how it was presented as well with the author also fighting his demons from Vietnam while also hearing about what really happened between the families.  Good read.

There were no copies in system so I did go ahead and post this book, will see if it moves.  It is a newer book from 2019 so I would expect it to be requested at some point yet. 

Estranged--#66 finished

This is a memoir that was a tough read.  The author was physically but probably mostly emotionally abused by her dad.  It was not a constant thing though, at times he was loving & caring but blowups happened and really affected the author.  She was also dependent on her parents obviously growing up but also through college & grad school and some beyond.  Eventually though she cut off all contact with parents, a tough decision she made in order for her sanity & also because she started raising a family.  I am not sure I could do that and I am not sure that she convinced me in the book that it was necessary but this was her decision to make.  A tough read but one where try to put yourself in her shoes and then also into her parent's shoes--rough for everyone.

There are no copies in system so I will post this & see what happens.

The Heavens--#65 finished

 A strange sort of book.  Characters in real life but one of them a young lady named Kate, dreams about England & the time of Shakespeare and things happen in her dreams which causes changes in her real time she believes.  Her & Shakespeare are people like this.  Kind of confusing and how she manages her real "today" life basically puts her in the nut house.  Interesting concept, confusing and not really entertaining in the book.  A different sort of book.

There are 6 WL for this book and I will get it posted & mailed off at some point but again have enough credits so no reason to just yet.

One of a Kind--#64 finished

This is a biography of Stu Unger, a guy many say was the best poker player that lived.  Interesting and tragic life.  Sounds like a helluva card player but also addicted to action so lost lots of money on other gambling--horses & sports betting.  Then since he lived in '70s, '80s & '90s became addicted to drugs and at end of life crack.  The only 3 time winner of the World Series of Poker and winner of several other tournaments and helped popularize the game but died before it exploded in late 90s or early 2000s.  Overall just a sad story of his life and what could have been if he could have controlled some of his demons. 

There is 1 WL for this book so will probably post it soon & mail off but have enough credits right now. 

State of the Union--#63 finished

 This is the 3rd book in the Scot Harvath series by Brad Thor.  This series I started with more recent books and enjoyed them and then found most of the beginning series of books so started over.  The character Scot seems to have some growing up to do, little to cocky at this point for me.  Still a good action read.

I am keeping this series at this point so will go into a keeper pile in my book room.

Cold Snap--#62 finished

 This is a short story book from the early 1990s.  A lot of the stories have characters in Africa or about doctors or doctors in Africa.  Some interesting stories but overall just okay as a collection.

I have posted it on PBS, it is the only copy in system but since older book and short stories don't know if it will ever move.

Under the Banner of Heaven--#61 finished

 This is a sort of famous book about the Mormon church and more specifically the fundamentalist wing of the church--I guess not really part of the official Mormon church.  The fundamentalist believe and practice polygamy which while illegal they still find ways around and live in basically enclosed towns of like minded believers.  The author Jon Krakauer, talks about brothers that are part of this fundamentalist wing that say that they had a revelation to kill people that were against them and they kill one of their brother's wife and their baby daughter.  They were also to kill a couple more people but that didn't happen.  While telling that story he also works in research on the history of the Mormon church--an interesting and at times violent history.  The end of the book the author has an appendix where he answers criticisms of his book by a Mormon historian.  

There are 12 WL for this book.  Not sure if I will loan it out or mail it off at this point though.

The River--#60 finished

 I have enjoyed a couple other books by this author, Peter Heller and this is another one that is a good read.  A couple college age guys that are outdoorsy types, take a canoe trip in Canada along a river to the Hudson Bay--I think that was destination.  On the way they can see a forest fire coming toward them.  The also get involved with two other couples on the river.  The first meet a guy that says he lost his wife--the two go back & find her but realize the guy likely tried to kill her and then tries to kill them.  Then a couple of drunkards catch them and try to rape the girl.  Only one of the guys make it back.  I finished it a couple weeks ago so working off memory but overall was a good read.

There are 14 WL for this book so I will get it mailed off at some point.

Baby, You're Gonna Be Mine--#59 finished

 This is a short story collection by Kevin Wilson.  I hadn't read anything by him before but have ordered his first book.  Some really good stories in here and some characters that you really enjoyed or at least made you think.  I really enjoyed this book

There are 3 WL for this book in PBS so will get it mailed off at some point.  Right now have a lot of credits and a lot of books that I could mail so no hurry right now.

The Swimmer--#58 finished

 A sort of spy action type book but was a confusing cast of characters.  It also bounced back at points to different periods of time for some of the characters.  A CIA spy falls in love in Beirut, Lebanon and they have a child together.  A car bomb explodes killing the girlfriend and the spy and his baby daughter survive.  He cannot keep her so gets her to the girlfriends parents on a desolate island in Sweden.  Now jump forward 20 some years and things happen and like I said not really clear what & who is happening.  I just thing could have been better.  Also seems to take a lot of stuff from similar books of this type.

I have posted it on PBS, it is the only copy so will see if it moves at some point.  

Miss Ex-Yugoslavia--#57 finished

The writer moved as a young child with her family from the then disintegrating Yugoslavia to Australia and her life there.  After they establish some residency in Australia they moved back to Yugoslavia for a period but war was continuing so they moved back again.  She talks about family and her experiences in both places.  An interesting read and perspective on what was going on at that time.

There was 1 WL for this book so I have posted it & will see if I can get it mailed off. 

Wired--#56 finished

I hadn't read a book by this author before but had seen her name on several books.  After I picked this up I saw it was part of a series but figured I would read it & see if I enjoyed it and then look at the series.  This book was a quick read but probably because there just isn't much there.  The characters are just there, lots going on in the story but I think that is to obscure that everyone one in the book was just not that interesting.  I could probably do a better job of describing what I mean but sorry not worth it.  

There are already 10 copies in system and more as paperbacks, no reason to add to this.  This will also go into the give away pile.

The Outsider--#55 finished

 This is stories of the author, Frederick Forsyth's life.  He is one of the writers that I have to credit for my love of reading--The Day of the Jackal and The Dogs of War, were 2 of the books that probably in my junior high days that really introduced me to amazing things in reading.  This is a really good read about his life, some of the main things that happened that made him who he is and influenced his life.  I really good and interesting read.

There is 1 WL for this book on PBS but right now keeping the book, might see if anyone of my friends would be interested in it first before putting on PBS.

Bridget Jones's Diary--#54 finished

 I had seen this movie several years ago and remember it being pretty funny and cute.  I hadn't really looked to read this book but had found it very cheap at a Goodwill and figured I would be a quick cute read.  It was okay, not sure about cute more just a long line of poor judgement and over reactions.  Maybe my memory of the movie is a little hazy but I think this is one where movie is better.

There are already plenty of copies in PBS system so no reason to post it, I will put this in a give away pile and get to one of those little free library spots around here.

Telex from Cuba--#53 finished

A story of the time before Castro of American families in Cuba that the men were managing the sugar plants and fields and a nickel mine while Castro was coming to power.  Written from perspectives of several people--a French arms trader, a dancer/girlfriend to several powerful people in Cuba, a few of the children and the men and wives.  An interesting read about this time in Cuba where so much has changed.

I have posted it on PBS & is only copy in system but no idea when/if will move.

Imperfect--#52 finished

 This is baseball player Jim Abbott's memoir.  Abbot was a lefty pitcher in the 1990s that pitched at Michigan and then the first Olympics that had baseball and pitched & won the gold medal game there.  Then went the next Spring straight into the Angels starting rotation.  Struggled as a young pitcher with no minor league time but was overall successful early on.  Not a strikeout pitcher more of a weak contact type but lost some speed on his fastball and never really developed enough other pitches to make a long career.  He is probably best known for not having a right hand, was born that way and had to learn how to field and throw with just his left hand.  That in itself is pretty amazing and getting to the majors and the success he had is sort of just gravy.  He really gets into his whole early childhood and struggles he had and successes and continues into the deep dive thoughts when he was in the majors.  Book was written about 10 years or so after he was out of baseball, wish had some more about what he was doing since baseball but overall a really good interesting read.

I have posted it on PBS, it is the only copy but again no idea if will move or how long.

The Premonition--#51 finished

 Author Michael Lewis looks at people that researched responses to pandemics in past and wrote a book on it that started under Bush then Obama and then ignored by Trump.  A really interesting read about various people and their contributions to this and then the early response to the pandemic.  The book was published in 2021 so still while the pandemic was going on so don't have a longer view of the response but just the early response.  Really opened my eyes to the CDC as more of a research group than anyone to turn to in how to handle an emergency.  A really good read, will be one that I hand off to friends for their reading as well.

It is one will hand off to friends at this point, if I get it back will probably post on PBS then.  I think the WL is in the 50s right now.

Hour of the Bees--#50 finished

 Well I am halfway to my "read a 100 books this year goal" and it is mid May when I finished this book so off to a very good start.  This book seemed more like a young adult type book, the main character is a 12 year old girl who's family moves from the city to a ranch in the desert of New Mexico to help out their estranged grandpa.  Grandpa, they determined, cannot live on his own anymore & is slipping.  They are there to take care of grandpa and fix up the ranch to sell.  Grandpa & Carolina--the 12 year old, form a kind of special relationship with him telling her a kind of ongoing story.  Book ends sort of weird with her taking older sister's car & getting grandpa out of the retirement home & going back to the ranch.  Overall though an okay read, like I said probably more suited for junior high types than my age group.

I have posted it on PBS & is only copy in system so could move at some point.

The Power Couple--#49 finished

 A couple with their 2 kids--both in older teens--16 & 19 I think, take a 20th Wedding Anniversary to Europe.  She works for FBI & he is a computer guy for NSA.  During trip the oldest--the daughter is kidnapped and what goes from there.  The book also looks back at the couple and their relationship & work issues.  Building forward the issues that brought them to this vacation and the kidnapping.  I wasn't really wanting to read this book because my kids are in that same age range & being kidnapped in a foreign country is just scary.  But when I got the book from PBS, I saw that it had been mailed in Feb, March & then to me in April so I figured I had to keep it going.  I read it & have already posted it & it is accepted.  Will try to get in mail later this week.

Death Benefits--#48 finished

 This is the 2nd in Rachel Gold series by St Louis author Michael Kahn.  Book was written in early 1990s so have to go back into that mindset.  She is still based in Chicago but because she grew up in St Louis & is licensed lawyer in MO is hired by a firm to handle a problem down there.  More problems come up and just makes for a quick read.  My wife had to go to the ER on Friday & I grabbed this book since a small paperback & read it then & finished Monday morning.  

The books in series are on my keeper list since local author.

Path of the Assassin--#47 finished

This is 2nd book in this series with Scot Harvath as the star.  He still come across as an ass at times but still good quick action read.  I have read a few of the later books and enjoy them so know he sort of grows out of some of the being the ass.  He is still working in government but in this book is at first left to his own personal investigation and then later with CIA.  Gets the bad guys in the end and helps save the girl.

Right now keeping these books, already enough in system in PBS so no reason to post.

I Loved Her in the Movies--#46 finished

 Robert Wagner actor that I remember from Hart to Hart and then later a smaller part in 2 & Half Men, talks about the actresses from the 1930s onward.  Interesting to read about some of his interactions with them and how the old time movie studios worked.  Also interesting that many just washed out or gave up in a sense and the longtime stars how they forced their way into roles.  Good read with little glimpses of stars through the years.

I have posted it on PBS, it is the only copy but who knows if it will move or not.

Landline--#45 finished

 A couple in CA are struggling with marriage and wife is breadwinner & at last minute has to stay in town for work at Christmas.  Husband and two girls head back to Omaha, NE for his family.  Book then goes into the sort of strange person husband is and how they first got together.  She thinks marriage is over and is struggling and letting down people at work she stayed back with.  She starts spending her days at her mother's home and calls husband on the landline and when he answers it is her husband from right before he proposed.  They have long conversations but she is worried she is messing with timelines, etc.  It is a nice story with some interesting characters.  Nothing too great but not a bad read.  Since writer lives in Omaha and story included Omaha and I grew up in NE, now you can see the reason I picked up the book from a library sale.

There were no copies in system so I posted it & it is already requested.  I will mail off this weekend or early next week.

Sun, Stone and Shadows--#44 finished

 This is a short story book, rest of the title is:  20 Great Mexican Short Stories.  Some were interesting and some were just not.  I have had this book for a while & figured this a good time to read it and like I said some stories were enjoyable.  Some just a little to mystical type things going on for me to enjoy.  Not bad overall.

I have posted it on PBS, it is the only copy in system but who knows when if ever it will move.

Monsters--#43 finished

 The rest of the title is: History's most Evil Men and Women.  Basically short little write-ups about people in history that were very very bad people.  Starts in way back when times and goes forward to Osama Bin Laden, book written in 2008.  Sort of interesting but you almost get dulled the terrible things done through history.  Lots of bad people and those bad people seem to rise to leadership far too often.

There is 1 WL for this book so I will post it now & see if can get it mailed out right away.

Too Much is Not Enough--#42 finished

 This is by Andrew Rannells, an actor mostly on Broadway but some movie & TV credits too.  I don't know him from anything.  I saw he was from Omaha so have to read up on NE people.  He left Omaha and went to New York for college and talks about all of his life--what he did in Omaha the local theatre and high school and then coming out to his parents right before leaving for New York.  A lot about the struggles in New York and his relationships and problems with those as well.  By the end of the book he sounds like he was in a good place & had landed in a show on Broadway.  An interesting read about the struggles of a young person getting into show biz.

There are 2 WL for it so I plan to post & hopefully mail off soon.

Blood Money--#41 finished

 This is the next in series of Jane Whitefield.  She had tried to quit helping people disappear a couple books ago but just keeps at it.  This time a very young looking young lady finds Jane and she decides to help and also has to help her companion, a money guy for all of the big mafia outfits.  The guy has an eidetic memory--or whatever it is called--and the mob used him to stash away their money in investments because he didn't have to write anything down.  His murder was faked and the mob are after the young lady since she was his housekeeper, the other guy along was killed early.  Jane gets them safe but then they decide with the 10 billion or so in hiding to give it all away to charities.  Jane gets a guy to help out and they setup fake corporations, etc to transfer money & then send out checks from them to charities.  This book written in 1999 so computers/internet still too new, lots of printing & mailing going on.  Bad guys realize Jane helping but don't know her name just have a sketch and she has to avoid these bad guys. A big scene toward end where she takes down one of the big mob bosses but no one knows about it.  Lots of mistrust in the mob bosses but looks like Jane and others got away clean.

There are 2 WL for this book so will get it posted & mailed probably pretty soon.

Fierce Kingdom--#40 finished

 A different sort of book.  A mother & her young son are at the zoo right before closing time and as they are walking toward the exit, she hears gunfire.  She sees bodies that were shot and she goes hiding in the zoo and it takes hours before the police are able to get through and take out the young Columbine type killers.  The mom & son have to move hiding places at one point & come upon a couple others and then face to face with one of the killers as well.  A good interesting read, kind of scary to think about and while I didn't get why took police so long to get inside zoo and put down the killers, still a good read.

There are 7 WL for this book last I looked so I will be posting it at some point & sending off.

The Gamer--#39 finished

This is Gary Carter's autobiography that he wrote right at the end of his playing career in 1993, his last year playing was 1992.  It is sort of a sad read because I knew he passed away young & looked it up he died at age 57.  He talks a lot about his family & his mother dying young.  He talks about the strong bond he has with his wife & kids.  He also talks a lot of baseball.  Overall a good read but again sad because he did die young too.

I have posted it on PBS & it is the only copy in system so I would guess it will get requested at some point.

From the Corner of the Oval--#38 finished

 A different sort of insider book, the author needing a job while in DC, applies & gets hired as a stenographer for the White House under President Obama.  Interesting to read about the inside from a different perspective and the interactions with people especially on trips.  The book is a mix of things with the Obama presidency and also her personal life--I am sure she changed up names of some of the people because she has intimate relations with one in particular that was also dating, engaged & then getting married during this time.  Her life was sort of screwed up relationship wise but as a writer good to see she put this out there too--makes for an interesting read.

There are 25 WL for this book, sort of surprising since new author and different sort of insider type thing going on.  I will post it & mail off at some point.

After Dark--#37 finished

 I have a bunch of books that I have finished but just now getting around to logging in.  First is this book about 2 sisters, one seems locked in her room but is known as the beautiful sister and the other is a loner type out on the town overnight.  She is the one the action mostly moves around while once in a while jumping back to sister in her bed in her room.  Probably more to this than I got out of it or maybe something lost in translation but overall not really something I enjoyed.  Oh well.

There are 7 WL for this book so I will post on PBS at some point & get mailed off.  Plenty of credits right now & a few others will mail ahead of it so no hurry.

Tracks--#36 finished

An older book, published in 1980 but the adventure was in 1977 I think.  Author Robyn Davidson is a younger lady that decides she wants to take camels from Alice Springs Australia to the western coast--to the ocean, through basically the desert there.  She first has to go to Alice Springs and learn about camels, how to train & ride them and everything else to even think about the trip.  She is also basically broke, living on her part-time work in a local bar and with a farm there.  She really gets to the heart of the time and issue of the Aboriginal people & their relationship with the white people in Australia.  I remember from when Olympics were there these issues were raised about the past and how still a struggle, this book really brought it out.  Also I wasn't even aware there were camels in Australia but I guess not native, they were brought there from Afghanistan & India by the British as working animals and then basically released into the wild.  After two years learning about camels she has this knowledge but no money to make the trip happen, she meets a photographer that has her send in to National Geographic and they sponsor her trip--she has the money to buy camels & supplies but she is conflicted because she wanted to do this on her own.  She does a really good job explaining the trip & the difficulties she has to endure and people she meets on the way as well.  It just seemed though once she got to a point, the details ended and the last 3rd of trip was wrapped up in like the 10-15 pages--not really sure why so abrupt at the end.  Still an interesting read about this adventure and time in Australia.

There was 1 WL for this book & I posted it & it is accepted.  I will be mailing it off later this week with the Stephen King book and at least one other one request from my bookshelf on PBS.

Elevation--#35 finished

 A Stephen King book that reminds me of Thinner--I think that was the name one of his Richard Bachman books from way back when.  I read it on a vacation one summer.  This one the main character is losing weight but his body isn't changing to appearances so people think he is same overweight guy as always.  Throw in a lesbian couple that are his neighbors that aren't accepted in the small Maine town and at first don't get along with him either.  In the end their couple's restaurant becomes a success and they are close friends with him and when his weight is near zero he floats away.  Doesn't say what happens beyond that.  A good quick read.

This is a large print copy--bought at a library sale for whole 50 cents.  Because large print there were still WL for it & I have posted it & will be mailing off later this week.

Vertical Run--#34 finished

 A corporate VP in a high rise in New York City is targeted by mercenaries for an unknown reason.  First his boss, the CEO tries to shoot him and then the mercenaries come after him.  He is mostly stuck in the building moving between floors to get away and attack.  It is from the early 1990s so again that mostly pre-cell phone time and all the other fun gadgets that would be brought to bear if was happening today.  Still a good quick read.

I have posted it on PBS & it is the only copy.  Since older book could be a while before it moves, just never know though.

Candy Freak--#33 finished

 The author is a candy freak, says he eats candy every day but with a high metabolism so no weight problem for him.  He talks about his history with candy & then branches out into looking into scarce or regional candy bars/manufacturers.  He travels to the different companies and tastes tests the candy & tours the factory.  At times funny and interesting and other times is just kind of slogging along.  I was hooked because he talked about Twin Bings--a candy bar made in Sioux City, IA and that I grew up on in NE.  For years could not find in St Louis but there is now one gas station that carries it.  Buckys and it is close to me so I go a few times a year to get my fix.  Buckys is in Omaha and I think they try to keep this store like those and for that reason the Twin Bings are there.  I am guessing at some point they won't be and I will be sad but for now still there.

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

Russian Roulette--#32 finished

The rest of the title is:  The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump.  This book came out in 2018 but crazy how this is still an issue in today's news.  First obviously Putin with his war in Ukraine, 2nd Trump still in the news every day it seems but even minor players like Hunter Biden, Paul Manafort, Christopher Steele & his dossier, and others--names that come up in book and in the 1/6 investigation.  Just crazy.  I am glad that I read this, is a very good deep dive into the whole Putin & Trump personalities. 

This is one that I will be seeing about loaning out to friends.  Just too good and still timely to post on PBS, there is 1 copy already there anyway.

Pop Apocalypse--#31 finished

 A futuristic look at the world through the screwed up son of a multi-billionaire computer guy that came up with huge innovations that changed the world.  Terrorism and super wealthy are regular things of the day.  Capitalism and wealth building seem to flow always up for the ones already wealthy.  Lots of complete access to the web but also complete access to each individual it seems.  The story itself is just okay, the screwed up kid tries to make good but things push him to more screwed up but he saves the world in the end.  Some of the ideas in the book are interesting but overall book was meh for me.

There were not copies in system and I posted it right away & got accepted.  I will be mailing off in the next couple of days.

Evicted--#30 finished

 A really powerful and eye opening read about the struggles of people barely hanging on in life and a look at their housing situation.  The author moved into a trailer park in Milwaukee that was close to closing because of problems there with drugs, tenants and crime and that starts his journey to the story of people he meets.  Milwaukee is similar to other cities in that there was white and black sections of town and both have a poverty class as well.  The people depending on their government checks and food stamps but for issues involved do not get government housing--they spend an enormous amount of their monthly income on housing and it doesn't take much to get them behind and then evicted and what that means as far as finding the next place to live.  This could mean homeless shelters, relatives so just someone they meet.  This book really brings this struggle out and makes you hope there is a better way.  The book is closing in on 10 years old but I am not sure if much has changed since he wrote it.

There are 34 WL for this book but will probably loan out to friends first before looking to mail off.

The Book of Joan--#29 finished

This is a book about Joan Rivers by her daughter Melissa Rivers.  I grew up in the '70s & '80s so I knew of Joan Rivers as a comic and a fill in for Johnny Carson but didn't really pay much attention to her career.  Later I know she did the red carpet shows and her daughter helped out but I never really paid attention to those either.  Not really sure why I picked up this book but found used & cheap and figured would be interesting and it is.  Joan led an interesting life and a different sort of Hollywood life than many I would guess--just married once and not really a movie star but doing comedy and things on cable later.  Interesting person and enjoyable read.

I have posted it on PBS & it is the only copy in system so figure at some point it should get requested. 

Benediction--#28 finished

 A story of small town life, an older married couple in town--he has owned & run the hardware store for years, they find out he has cancer & only a little time left.  A daughter that hasn't really settled down has moved back to help with his care.  A son that left and hasn't come back or been heard from left town & family because he was gay & there was no acceptance.  Some side stories about the neighbors and one of the pastors in town, really give the reader an insight into the town but don't take away from the man nearing the end of his life.

I read another book by this author & it too was really good, I will need to search out more by him.  Maybe not happy & uplifting stories but certainly well written and true.

There are 14 WL for this book but for now will keep it.  I really enjoyed but not sure as long term keeper but might be one to loan out to friends.

The Quartet--#27 finished

 Playing some catchup today on logging in my books read.  I finished this earlier this month but not exactly sure, probably a few days since the Black Diamond book was finished.  This is a look at the roles played by George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay & James Madison took to get away from the Articles of the Confederation to get the Constitutional Convention called & the creation of our new Constitution and government.  I really interesting read.  Went into the problems with the Articles and the states just sort of deciding not to do things or even really participate and how our very new country was being threatened by that.  I really enjoyed this book even though a little dry, a lot of good information that we should probably all have.

There was like 16 WL for the book so I will get it posted & mailed off at some point but no hurry for now.

Black Diamond--#26 finished

 The rest of the title is The Story of the Negro Baseball Leagues.  Just a quick easy introduction into the Negro Leagues from the 1800s to Jackie Robinson and after integration.  Not much in-depth and not many stories but like I said more of a introduction.  When I saw on PBS the ages for book were more pre-teen/early teen I understand. 

I have posted it on PBS, there was 1 WL for it but not accepted yet so will have to see if it gets moved or not.

Wonder Valley--#25 finished

 An interesting fiction book that looks at different people, starting with most 6 years earlier and bringing them together later.  This is in CA and the 6 years earlier is from a sort of hippie commune type place in the desert that has many troubles and sort of falls apart.  Then some of those drift into the seedy homeless part of LA and their lives there.  An interesting read and was a little confusing trying to remember where at in the story because author jumps back and forth between the now & earlier period.  I enjoyed it.

I have posted it on PBS & it is accepted so will be mailing off this morning.  When I started reading there was 1 WL, then I saw zero, then couple days ago 2 WL.  I finished Friday & there was zero again, posted it yesterday & was accepted.  Not really sure what is going on with this book but glad to be mailing it off so soon.

Idiot--#24 finished

 This is another book--memoir about a young lady that wants to be on TV/Movies and gets caught up in alcohol, drugs & hard drugs instead while pursuing her dream.  A sad story but she does get through it and is now sober and has a family & doing U-Tube shows.  I don't know her from anything besides the book but glad to see her get through those troubles.  I read another similar book My Fair Junkie a few weeks ago and I kind of realized these two are the success stories, how many people do not get cleaned up.  Both books I think mentioned people that died from drugs or committed suicide as well--really sad to think about that these 2 are probably the exception instead of the rule.  That is where their success becomes a book and the others become footnotes or sad memories. 

There are 8 WL for this book on PBS so I will get it mailed off at some point.

The Lions of Lucerne--#23 finished

 Had to do a little catching up today, last day of February and I hadn't logged in my last 5 books finished until now.  This is the 1st book in Brad Thor's Scot Harvath series, I started the series in the middle and had wanted to go back & read from the beginning and found 6 of first 7--ordered the missing book from PBS.  I think the 7th book is where I started so probably already read it but by time get around to it might need to be re-read--ha ha.  This was a good beginning to series, he is a Secret Service agent & President is kidnapped by unknown international team and Harvath was basically framed for it--of course was a loose cannon before being framed too and he had to team up with a lady investigator in Europe to track down President and bring down bad guys.  One of those fun, suspend reality and just enjoy the adventure ride reads.

I will keep the book for now since I have most of the beginning books in series at this point but not sure this will be a keeper series.  Will decide later I guess.

Hazard Zones--#22 finished

 This was a sort of interesting book about a small town on an island on the Ohio River and town is in OH too.  The son and his wife return to the town because his mother has died and they have to spend a few days taking care of things.  They meet up with a couple--he knows the husband from school and the wives hit it off and a lot of time is spent on reflections of their growing up and what life was like.  There was an underlying issue to that finally comes out--his step brother's death.  A interesting read and good reflections.  It is dated so had to remember back to life in early '90s.  I enjoyed author's other work Clarinet Polka more but still glad to have read this one.

I have posted this one PBS & it is only copy so will probably go at some point but since older book who knows might be years.

The Canaan Legacy--#21 finished

 This is an older book from 1988, it is first in the Rachel Gold series by a St Louis author Michael Kahn.  Many years ago I read a book in this series--didn't know was a series & I think this was before I was even keeping track of what I read and I remember enjoying it.  I have been collecting the books in this series but just got this one--the first book in series recently & knocked it out.  Rachel is a lawyer in Chicago in this book--one I read before she is in St Louis, she left a large law firm to go it on her own.  The large law firm hires her to figure out a weird part of a recently deceased partner at law firm and this pulls her into a quick paced investigation with several people that could be the suspect.  Time before cell phones and time of business lunches and all that, fun read in that time warp sense.  Good start to series.

This is a keeper for me at this point since trying to get all the books in series.

Dreamers of the Day--#20 finished

 A really good and interesting read about a lady after WWI who had lost her family--mother, brother, sister, brother in law & their children in a short period of time from the Spanish Flu of 1919.  She was sick with it too but was able to recover.  She being the sole survivor and her father and mother had a business that was sold for good money, she was now all alone and wealthy.  Her sister & family had gone to Egypt and Palestine area and after hearing about this she decided she wanted to travel there too.  Book is mostly about this time she spent in Cairo and then traveled into Palestine.  She meets with the interesting people of the day--Winston Churchill, Lawrence--Lawrence of Arabia and others along the way.  Interesting story and interesting time.  This is a book that has been on my shelf for a few years and glad I finally got to it.

There are like 3 WL for it so I will post & mail off at some point probably soon.

The Face-Changers--#19 finished

 This was the next in Jane Whitefield series, a lady that helps people disappear.  She is married & had promised to quit this for her husband but a doctor from husband's past that helped teach him--husband is also a doctor, suddenly appears and is in trouble.  Husband calls wife, Jane & she is back in business.  She finds out that another group of people have sort of taken over her work and instead of just helping out the people/runners, they are basically extorting them for all of their money & keeping them indentured.  Well, she brings an end to that & helps doctor regain his life.  Series does continue on but doesn't really let you know at the end.

I have already posted this book & it is the only copy in system and this series has been getting requested so I figure at some point will be mailing it off.

My Fair Junkie--#18 finished

 A memoir about a lady & how screwed up her life was as an addict to drugs, alcohol and sex and her ups and downs to where she is now through it and clean.  I hope no relapse in future but I guess never really sure on that.  She is not holding anything back in this book--descriptions of sex, drugs and people around her are frightening.  Really amazing she was able to get clean and together on this.  I am glad for her.  An eye opening book about the reality of addiction.  

There was 1 WL for it & I have posted it so hope to mail off in next few days.

The Kaiser's Web--#17 finished

This is the next in the Cotton Malone series--a retired but often called in to do spy work for the US.  This time, the ex-president that liked him--current president does not--called him to help the German Prime Minister with a problem she was having.  Cotton & his girlfriend Cassiopeia Vitt start in Germany but go to Chile, then South Africa to then back to Germany to wrap things up.  It is about Nazi's that escaped to S Am after WWII--especially Martin Bormann and he threw in Eva Braun too.  Nazi offspring and the rise of the right in Germany and throughout Europe is also part of the story.  Good quick read but doesn't seem likely but detach some reality and enjoy the story.

There are 23 WL for this book so have plenty of time yet to post & mail--no hurry again to do so now.

Throw Like a Girl--#16 finished

 This is a book by women's softball player Jennie Finch.  It was more toward younger girls--teenagers, than to my age.  I was interested in her though knowing she was a dominate player in college and then for the US team.  Some good info about her mixed in with uplifting and don't quit type of writing as well.  It is a quick read at least but again I wasn't really the target on this one.

I have posted it on PBS & it is the only copy so hopefully will move at some point.  It was written in 2011 so maybe she is now too far removed from minds of softball players that it might sit too--who knows.

The President and the Assassin--#15 finished

This is a book at President McKinley and what led to his presidency and his terms in office and then also about his assassin Leon Czolgosz a self proclaimed anarchist.  A good read about what the 1890s was about--how we got into the Spanish American War and the issues and territory that brought about.  The trade issues that were hand in hand with the war.  Then on the domestic side the labor troubles and a time of "isms" seemingly fighting for a place.  Socialism, communism, anarchism, etc were all pulling the workers at the time--workers that were being paid a barely survival wages.  An interesting time in the history of our country, although it seems every time in our country is interesting if studied at a deeper than scratching the surface level.

There are 11 WL for this book but I have plenty of credits at PBS right now so no hurry to post & mail at this point. 

Bikin' and Brotherhood--#14 finished

 The author was a member of the Outlaws motorcycle club in the mid 1970s into the late 1980s or early '90s.  An interesting read about his life & the club and a short ending about retiring from the club and finding Jesus while he was in prison and continued once he was out.  While interesting stories about his life in the club, just seems like a lot of missing--left untold.  He mentions he worked on & customized bikes and a smaller part-time bouncer kind of job but otherwise no mention of how he or the club earned money.  Money needed for the clubhouses and of course the beer, drugs, etc for their parties.  Mentions if bike parts needed basically they were "found" on other bikes in area.  Just seemed like book needed to come clean on more of that to be more interesting.  I am not a bike guy--no desire to ride a motorcycle so while he talks about that some wasn't really what I was looking for.  Glad to see at end he was about to get out and seems to be leading a much safer life. 

I have posted this on PBS, it is the only copy but not sure how much interest will be--might be a shelf for a while.

Magical Thinking--#13 finished

This is a short true story book by Augusten Burroughs, I have heard of his other books but this is the first book of his I read.  Some of it was funny but a lot was just kind of out there & sort of gross or disgusting.  I have read several LGBTQ books and generally enjoy them--this seemed like the author was constantly putting it out there in just base ways.  I gathered from reading this that I probably should have read his earlier book that goes into his childhood that describes how screwed up it was and some of these stories show that he has gotten beyond that.  The stories did get better as they went along.  For my taste David Sedaris books are a lot more enjoyable and humorous than this.  I should probably go back & read his earlier book at some point too.

I have posted it on PBS, this is now the 10th copy in system so I doubt it goes anywhere but I just had the Grisham book Calico Joe requested so who knows. 

Yellow Medicine--#12 finished

 A policeman from Mississippi gets busted for taking advantage of people after hurricane Katrina and loses his job & his wife--she leaves him with their 2 kids.  He gets another job as a policeman from his ex-wife's brother in small town Minnesota.  He is certainly not by the book officer--gathers info to keep & get against/for favors from people, doesn't write up reports, etc.  But in general does sort of care about people, just looks the other way a bunch.  A group of kids making meth get caught up in a new group that comes to town to take over the meth for the area, this new group starts killing people in grizzly ways.  Comes to find out it was his old MS partner sent them thinking he could get along.  A weird twist with brother in law helping at end & costing his life.  Not really sure about this one--overall have to say not that good but a couple other books written after this one so maybe got better.  Doesn't matter though I am done with series at this point unless falls in my lap. 

I have posted it on PBS, it is the only copy but who knows if it will ever move.

The Unexpected Joy of Being Single--#11 finished

 The writer, a lady in her late 30s has come to realize that being married is no longer a main focus for herself and that being single is a good option.  I am married so wasn't sure why really bought the book--found used for $1.00 so can't beat price and sounded like a funny overall take on life.  It started as funny easy read but did bog down and by end just wanted to get it finished.  Interesting stuff for people to realize that marriage may not be for everyone.  I don't think enough was said for being married is hard work--author quoted a few friends on this but thought could have been emphasized more.  Oh well, like last book, I was not really the main audience for this book so when I say wasn't really that interesting for me figure that is about right.

There were 2 WL for it & I already posted it & it was accepted.  I will mail it off later this week.

The Grace Year--#10 finished

A dystopian world in which the men make all decisions and girls are feared with having magic.  The girls at age 16 are sent off as a group to an isolated island where the thinking is their magic is supposed to be used up & then whomever survives comes back to village & get married or sent to work.  A weird book and idea but it is a Young Adult book so I am not really the audience for it either.  I just thought it could have been better but was still a good enough read.

There are around 18 WL for this book on PBS so will post & send off at some point. 

Willie Nelson--#9 finished

 A book that needed a good editor, just way too much information thrown out there that didn't really add to the story of Willie Nelson.  The author listed out everyone in the band behind Willie during tours and then during the recording of the album, the authors of the songs and everything else you could think of.  The book was exhausting.  I liked the parts where it was more about Willie and by the end it seemed more like that but still I think a good editor could have tightened this book up and made it a more enjoyable read.  Willie Nelson is an interesting character and I did want to learn more about him and I certainly do now but again I don't want to be exhausted after reading a book.

There is 1 WL for this book & I hope to gladly mail it off soon, no reason to keep this book.  If I ever want to re-visit Willie Nelson I will just have to hope there is another book out there.

Amy Falls Down--#8 finished

A humorous look at the writing & publishing business.  The writer Amy hasn't published anything in years and teaches some courses but basically just minds her own business.  On the day of an interview with a local paper about local authors, she falls & hurts her ankle and knocks her head.  She is out for a while & gets up in time to answer the door to the reporter & gives a weird and eclectic sort of interview but she doesn't remember doing the interview just remembers the reporter driving away.  The article catches the eye of some people and starts a snowball effect of putting her back in the news--with the help of her agent.  Amy also starts to write again.  A good & fun read about what all happens and how she is forced out of her comfort zone is all good.

There are 8 WL for this book so I will mail it off at some point.

The Deputy--#7 finished

 Bad things happen one night in small town Oklahoma.  The part-time deputy gets in the middle of corrupt cops, bad guy family and the big business of shipping illegal immigrants through town to other places in the US.  Lots of shoot outs and killings, not really sure who the deputy can trust in all this either.  A good quick read.

There are 2 WL for this one & will probably be posting it & mailing off sometime soon.

The 26th Man--#6 finished

 This is a journal basically kept by a career minor leaguer Steve Fireovid during a season when he was 32 still pitching in the minors trying to get back to the majors.  He did have some time in the major leagues 3 different years but he starts off with thinking this could be his last year.  He talks a lot about his family--he is married with 2 boys & wife is expecting and how baseball season & travel keeps him from a normal family life.  A good inside look at the life of an older minor league baseball player.  He did stick around for 3 more years after this & even broke spring training with the Texas Rangers and pitched some again in the majors a couple years after this book.  I am interested to know what he ended up doing.  He had some offers of coaching but I don't see anything where he took that up.  I am not going to delve too far into, more of a just wondering thing.

At this point I am putting this on my keepers with the Baseball Gods book about baseball cards.  I do have a Steve Fireovid card somewhere too--I just need to dig out all of my old cards & look.

Binocular Vision--#5 finished

This is a short story book with some very good short stories.  The stories were from mostly Europe & New England area with a few other areas thrown in.  They were just good crisp stories that made you think and sometimes wanting more too.  An enjoyable read.  

I am not sure if I will mail off at this point or not.  Some of the stories were good enough that I want others to read but I am usually unable to talk them into it.  There are like 22 WL for the book so can mail it off sometime in future if I want.

Stirring the Pot--#4 finished

 This is a book by Jenny McCarthy, one of it seems several she has written.  It was published in 2014 so not one of her earlier ones but since I wasn't paying attention either not sure if she has a few since or not.  It is basically an advice type book in a funny way, not too bad for that.  Just light reading.  Not really a book I figured I would have bought or read but found it at a Salvation Army for a $1.00 and it is autographed by author so figured why not.  I checked eBay and looks like autographed books by her are selling maybe around $20 so I guess I did alright and was lightly entertained by her book too.

I won't be posting it on PBS since autographed I figure at some point will let my wife sell on eBay or something.

The Unexpected Spy--#3 finished

 A true story by a young lady that from college at USC joins the CIA right before 9/11.  Is on a team tracking terrorists from satellites and also travels to foreign countries and works with those countries CIA. Interviews prisoners trying to gain knowledge of activities.  Sections of the book are marked out--she says has gone through the government and they did this for national security issues.  After a few years in CIA, she decides she wants to have a home and more of a life and applies and is accepted into the FBI.  Her FBI training was rough--I guess the FBI doesn't like the CIA much and doesn't sound like they like women either and they took these out on her.  She makes it through training & is stationed in LA area but seems to be given more typical female jobs rather than challenging ones she wants.  At end she said left FBI after 15 months and now teaches at a girls school challenging her students on foreign affairs and investigations. I good read and sounds like the type of person our government should have kept as a lifer in one bureau or another.

There are like 11 wish list for this book on PBS so will probably post & mail off at some point but no hurry right now.

Shadow Woman--#2 finished

 This is the 3rd book in series of Jane Whitfield, a person that helps people in trouble disappear--start a completely new life and away from people looking for them.  This one she is now married and trying to start a new life for herself and quitting the work of making people disappear.  The last one she helped though gets tracked down & she must come to the rescue.  Interesting and clever things going on but took a while for me to get into this book.  The series continues but the ending doesn't really let on how, I think I have the next book so might try to get on it soon.

I did post this one on PBS, there was 1 copy already in system but didn't seem to matter because it got requested right away.  I will be mailing it off in the next couple of days.

Calico Joe--#1 finished

 A new year & a new books read list.  I had started most of these early finished ones in 2021 with a bunch of off days because of the holidays and was able to finish them on 1st or 2nd.  This is a John Grisham book about a rookie star sensation that comes up hitting & doing everything until he is beaned in the head and never recovers.  It is told from the point of view of the pitcher's son--as a 10 year old and then later as an adult.  A good quick read, kind of sad for most parties involved.

I did post this on PBS, there were only 4 copies ahead of it which for a Grisham book is hardly any but I guess this is not his normal book either.