Admission--#45 finished

 This is a fiction story about the whole college admission scandal from a few years back.  While fictional, the inspiration is on Lori Laughlin and the family.  The characters in the book seem similar but the book was written before the scandal was fully played out.  The book looks at the life of this family and how a scandal affected them--I thought this was a really good read.  The senior girl that the family was cheating to get her admitted into a top school is the main character in the book and does make you think about what she was thinking while others around her were doing these things. 

There were 2 WL for this book and I have already posted it so hope to get mailed off in next few days.

Spectacle--#44 finished

 The rest of the title is: The Astonishing Life of Ota Benga.  What caught my eye and reason I got this book and read it, is this person Ota Benga was brought from Africa to the 1904 World's Fair in St Louis as part of native cultures exhibits there--he was brought as pygmy with others.  This is a well researched book that is kind of amazing could get this much information.  The author writes about the person and others around him that went to Africa and brought back people from there for the World's Fair and about how Ota was basically attached then to this person.  Ota was then given to the New York Zoo where he was put on display in a cage in the monkey house and sometimes with the monkeys.  There was a outcry about this being wrong and it only lasted a month.  While it sounds like Ota wanted to return to Africa, he wasn't able to do so.  He ends up in a orphanage and then to Virginia to a school and then work.  In the end he shoots himself.  It is a sad story and just one that makes you think about what the time was like only a little over 100 years ago.

There were no copies or WL for the book so I posted it and it has already been requested so I will get it mailed off in next few days.

Dodgers--#43 finished

 An interesting story of 4 LA gang members that are given a job to drive to Wisconsin and kill a judge that was going to sentence the gang leader.  The interaction between the 4 on the trip and some of their history and then the troubles on trip make a good read.  They end of killing the judge and then things sort of fall apart--it had been already leading to this on the way--and the main character just sort of walks away.  He finds employment and starts a new life.  The end hints at him being pulled back to the gang though but seems doubtful but not sure since ended.  I really enjoyed this book.

There is 1 copy in PBS system already but I think I will set this one aside to see if friends would want to read it instead.

One Summer--#42 finished

 The author David Baldacci more of a spy, private eye type stories, wrote this one about a family going through some struggles.  At first husband is dying and they are dealing with this--his wife, three kids and her parents.  Then right before Christmas, the wife is killed in a car accident and grand parents take in oldest kid and move to AZ and wife's siblings take in the younger two.  Husband has a turnaround and lives and goes through rehab and is able to get back to health and gets the kids back.  Grand mother doesn't really believe he will stay healthy--undercurrent in story.  He moves family to South Carolina where wife grew up on the beach there and they start new lives and get to know each other better as a family.  An okay story, more of chic-lit it seems than what I expected. 

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

Ghetto--#41 finished

 This book read more like a textbook discussing previous textbooks instead of going into more modern info on ghettos.  Gives a history of ghettos from back in Europe & the Jewish ghettos and then into the US ghettos and redlining in northern cities with the black migration north to get away from the Jim Crow laws of the south.  I wish there was more of the info on this but instead this book dealt a lot with the researchers at the time and their influences and such.  It wasn't what I was expecting and while it did show how complicated the problem was, to me the whole book was muddled down on showing their work/research more so than the information.  Overall a tough read.

I have posted it on PBS & it was the only copy in system and has already been requested so I will be mailing it off later this week.

Takedown--#40 finished

 This is the 5th book in Brad Thor's Scot Harvath series.  Since I started in middle of series and now trying to play some catch up, some characters have been introduced that I know from the future books.  This book was okay, can see where Scot will be jumping from a government job to the private sector soon but like all these good action in the story.  Is an easy to read page turner type series.

So far the books in this early part of series I have just been keeping, not sure why but just stacking them up as get through them.  Maybe post later or give away, not sure.

Fitting Ends--#39 finished

 This is a short story book by Dan Chaon, a writer from Nebraska.  Looks like grew up in way out western NE around Sidney and a lot of these stories have that feel from being out that way.  The sort of desolate sandhills of that part of NE seems to bring out writers--I enjoy Mari Sandoz and Poe Ballantine that were also writing of that area.  Some of the stories were a little out there but generally liked them--easy to read and have memorable parts in them.

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

The Rothschilds--#38 finished

 This is an older book, published in 1961, this copy printed in 1963 and is a smaller paperback.  This copy does show its wear too but still in good readable condition.  I had heard of the Rothschild family and their money growing up but really didn't know much about them.  This book certainly provided a lot of insight into them--at least into the 1950s.  Doing a quick wikipedia reading looks like they are still doing very well.  I really interesting read about how this family rose from a Frankfurt Jewish ghetto to being a dominant financial family in Europe for now centuries. 

I will keep this book for now--too old and sort of beaten up to try to put on PBS.  Still good info if ever want to refer back to it.

Strip--#37 finished

 This is a Thomas Perry stand alone book.  A good read about a guy new to LA that becomes a suspect in a burglary of a nightclub & strip club owner's bank deposit.  While the owner & his hired thugs are tracking this guy, the real robber joins up with a crazy lady and continues robbing the deposits.  Lots of things going on here too--the police are involved and there is a backstory with the lead investigator as well.  Throw in a couple girlfriend types and some background on thugs and get a good mix of characters.  Another good read, I do enjoy Thomas Perry's books.

I have posted this on PBS & is the only hardcopy in system so I would think will get requested at some point.