Again to Carthage--#114

 This is probably the last book I will finish reading in 2024 so let me do a little re-cap of the year.  I finished with the most books read in a year for me, besting last year's 112.  I wanted to mix in some more classic type books this year & did so but not all these classics were really enjoyable.  I don't plan on a classic goal for next year but the classics will still be thrown into the mix along with everything else.  I read some really good and interesting books this year.  It was an enjoyable year of reading.  I think I said last year I wouldn't focus on volume but I did just that once I finished a bunch of books early in year.   I will say that again for 2025--will not focus on that overall number but just read what I am interested in.  Also I am thinking I probably need to cut back some on the reading and incorporate more time for exercise instead, especially on those nice days when can get outside.  I will give more thought about 2025 in the coming days.

This book Again to Carthage is the sequel to Once a Runner--a sort of cult like book from the 1970s I guess.  This was written in 2008 so many years later but same runner that is now out of college and a practicing lawyer.  He gets the running bug again--he had never stopped running, just stopped competing.  He decides that he wants a shot at the Olympics as a marathon runner.  Time is the late part of the 1970s and he again puts in crazy miles in his training.  A couple twists and turns that make an ending for the book.  A good read overall.  It has been too many years since read the first book so not much carried over for me but was still a good read.

There is 1 WL for this book on PBS so I might be posting it soon even though I don't need the credits for PBS.

Calypso--#113

 Finishing this book marks my most read in a year beating last year's 112 & year before at 108.  Not sure if I will finishing another book before the year is out--possible but just not sure yet.  This is another David Sedaris book with chapters about his life that is generally funny or ones that sort of make you think.  I enjoy his books, I think this is 4th of his I have read.  His books are keepers for me since entertaining and easy to read, likely I would go back & read them again at some point.  

There is 1 WL for this book on but not mailing off, it is a keeper.

Here is Where--#112 finished

 A really interesting book where author travels to areas where something interesting but not really known about or acknowledged happened.  He talks about who and where the first cremations occurred in the US.  He talks about court cases, civil disobedience before Rosa Parks and others, the Spanish Flu of 1919, just a truly wide array of interesting topics and happenings.  This is a really easy and informative read, really glad I read it.  Reading it was nice to offset the previous one that I had to force myself to get through.

There are 9 WL for this book but will instead be one that I will look to loan out to friends to read first since I know this is something they will enjoy.

Submarine--#111 finished

 The first couple pages started off sort of clever with a middle school/high school type kid trying to figure out his parents and life.  It was enough for me to decide to read the book and basically it went down from there.  There were moments where funny but overall the main character is a spoiled brat kid with a screwed up way at looking at life and especially people.  I thought at some point maybe he would learn and be better for it but never happened and was too far into book at point I realized this so just pushed through to end.  I really didn't like this book so much that will not bother posting on PBS, will just donate to library and hope they can get 50 cents for it from someone.

As I said, will not bother posting to PBS--not worth the cost of mailing off to someone.  I just need to make this book go away.

Natural History--#110

 This was a sort of connected short story book.  Started with a couple girls that grew up to be life long friends in a small town lake setting in New York state.  This was back in the mid 1850s.  The stories stayed in this same area and moved forward in years with a sort of attachment to the earlier people mentioned.  It talks about women in science as a kind of theme in the stories but does branch into other things as well.  They are nice stories and good characters throughout.  You kind of hope for good things for everyone you read about.

There are 4 WL for this book so will probably post & mail off at some point but no hurry to do so right now.

The Vinyl Frontier--#109 finished

 This was a different sort of book that I found at a library sale a year or two ago.  I think I had seen it at library sale once and passed it over but when back a month or so later was still there & decided to pick it up.  This is a book that sounds interesting but was never sure if it would be.  Once I started reading though I was hooked.  The 2 Voyager satellites that were launched in 1977--I was 8 at time so don't really remember this--had an album attached.  This books talks about the album that was to be an introduction to earth for any space aliens that might find the Voyager way out in outer space.  One side of the album was music and the book talks in great detail how decisions were made on the music and trying to find a mix of music from around the world and back in history.  The flip side would have photos and statements.  I still don't understand how photos were embedded in the album but the book went into detail on this too but was basically over my head.  Carl Sagan was the main person on this, he was one tasked to do this & he put together a group to get it done.  Lucky for them it stayed mostly as a self contained group because as book pointed out once word got out to Congress and/or public everyone would want input and likely been bogged down to where nothing would have gotten done.  They had a tight time frame and their ability to locate people to do the different tasks was pretty amazing in itself.  

The book itself was really interesting to me at the beginning because just thinking about this task was fun.  The book did get bogged down with the details in tech & space science some but still overall was interesting and fun read.

There are no copies in PBS system but I also want to avoid going to post office this time of year so will probably wait to post until January or later.

Under Occupation--#108 finished

 This is a WWII spy network in France novel.  This is fiction and a good quick type read about an author that gets involved in the French resistance and has quite a bit of success in helping the British.  Interesting and does sort of bring out the feelings of a person that gets wrapped up in the resistance by accident but does their best.  I couldn't help but compare this book to A Woman of No Importance that I read earlier this year--A Woman of No Importance is the hands down winner for first being a true story and 2nd just more detail and actual people and events happening at the time.  Under Occupation is a nice read but one should really read A Woman of No Importance instead.

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

The Underground Railroad--#107 finished

 This is a powerful story about the main character Cora, a slave in South Carolina that escapes her plantation but never really gains freedom it seems.  At times a gruesome look at her and the other slaves lives.  What a stark reminder of what being a slave was like for many, this is a reminder that many people today seem to need.  Then people need to remember that Jim Crow and the rise of the KKK as well.

This story is not just about Cora but also the other characters she meets.  The author takes the liberty of making the underground railroad an actual underground railroad, which was a little confusing for me at times but seems to work to move the story from place to place a little easier.  This is a memorable book, I am glad that I have read it, even though it was tough to read at times.  

I checked wikipedia after finishing & saw it won several literature prizes including the Pulitzer prize for fiction.  While I didn't originally call this a "classic", I think I will go back & change this because to me it would be a modern day classic.  This author--Colson Whitehead--I have read a few of this books now & he is truly one of our great modern day writers.

There are no WL for this book and no copies in system but this book will be on my keeper shelf.  I had mailed a couple other books by author out a few years ago & wish I would have kept them, his books should be keepers.  I have a couple more of this books that I haven't gotten to yet but hope to soon as well.

The Inheritors--#106 finished

 This was one of my classic books that I picked to read.  William Golding author of Lord of the Flies, I remember reading years and years ago.  This book The Inheritors, has been on my shelf for a few years and just never got to it until now.  This was a hard book to get through for me.  It is about a group of Neanderthals that has their own struggles.  At one point a couple of their tribe are lost and found to be kidnapped with another human tribe--the homo sapiens.  The language of each tribe is hard to follow and at some point became hard for me to even care about.  I couldn't picture the people of either group and was hard to follow what they were doing.  I really didn't like the book from pretty much early on but just forced myself to continue hoping to get better but by end my attitude to book was also at the end--just glad I finish so won't have to read again.

There are no copies on PBS but I also have plenty of credits.  Since it is a sort of "classic" book will probably keep it for now.

Island--#105 finished

 This is an early Thomas Perry book, published in 1987, wow the year I graduated high school.  A couple that are con-people, steal a half million from a gangster and take off to Caribbean to hide out.  He finds what he believes is an uninhabited island on some old maps.  They come upon a couple other people with shading pasts to join in.  The island gets covered up by the ocean/sea at high tide so is not really an island but the main guy Harry sees it as an opportunity.  They find disguarded stuff--cars, dirt, concrete--really anything they can find to build this up into an island.  They keep at it for years & becomes a resort with golf course, baseball field, housing, a sort of downtown.  They sort of get in with the UN and become a kind of country.  They have to fend off bad characters too.  A sort of goofy but what if this could really happen type of story.  

There were no copies on PBS so I posted it & it got requested right away.  I should be mailing off in next day or two.

The Great Revolt--#104 finished

 The rest of this title is: Inside the Populist Coalition Reshaping American Politics.  The authors did a survey of Donald Trump voters after the 2016 election in the rust belt states that went for him--PA, MI, OH, WI & Iowa.  They broke out into different sort of categories the maybe surprise voters for Trump.  They looked into county data to find counties that had gone for Obama and then switched to Trump.  They then found voters they interviewed about their decision to vote for Trump.  An interesting read and I started it right after the 2024 election where Trump was elected for a 2nd time.  In the 2024 election, to men interesting that he was able to pull more votes from these rural type counties than he did previously.  These elections will be studied for years because it seems the parties have shifted from what was previously expected as to who their voters would be.  A really interesting read and I think much of what they found still applies in ways to this year's election

There were no copies on PBS so I figured I would post right away and it got requested right away.  I will be mailing off later this week.

A Very Punchable Face--#103 finished

 This is Colin Jost memoir, he is the Saturday Night Live Weekend Update host with Michael Che.  I have started trying to watch SNL after taking many years off and the Weekend Update segment is probably the one most consistently funny part.  Colin is also a writer & a head writer for SNL so maybe not as much as a compliment as it seems.  This was a funny read about his life and struggles.  Not much about Scarlett Johansen since they were just engaged at that time.  A fun quick read.

There are 14 WL for this book, not sure if one of my kids wants to read it first before I mail it off.  Again have plenty of credits on PBS but no real reason to keep this book around either.

Dinner at the Center of the Earth--#102 finished

 A really good story with good characters but because the chapters jump between the characters and 2002 and 2014 it does get a little confusing.  A Jewish man from the US, has joined a spy network for Israel but an incident occurs when dealing with a Palestinian man and the spy is arrested in 2002 and held in secret in Israel for years.  There is also a tough Israeli general and his secretary & son as characters.  Once I started to figure out what was happening on the bouncing back and forth the story made more sense.  This is probably one of the issues with me reading several books at a time, having one bounce around story wise makes it harder to follow when other story lines also bouncing around in my head.

There are 2 WL for this book so I will post & get mailed off at some point, maybe soon.

No Use For a Name--#101 finished

 This is a young adult book with some sexual situations that would bump it out of teen literature.  The main character in the book finds out when getting her learner's permit, that her parents never gave her a name on her birth certificate.  She is just listed as Baby Girl Anderson.  Her home life is really screwed up and she is just starting school and is putting herself in more screwed up situations.  Her life just needs some adult attention and help but there is none.  The book reads quick and easy and there is a twist that I didn't see coming too.  

I have posted this back onto PBS & is only copy in system.  Not sure if a self published book--in PBS it shows the back cover which I have seen before on similar books, but this book looks to me to be professionally done.  I also been logging in Goodreads and it shows up there but most reviews are because the reviewers received free copy.  Oh well, to me seems better than a self published--at least those I have read.

Handmade Wilderness--#100 finished

 Got to 100 books read already this year--wow, that seems quick.

The rest of this title is: How an Unlikely Pair Saved the Least Worst Land in Mississippi.  A really good and interesting read about a gay couple in 1968 living in New Orleans area that were looking for some property nearby.  They found 80 acres in MS that wasn't really near anything and I think 30 miles or so from the Gulf coast.  In the book, he gets into great details of the land and the different trees, marshes, wildlife, etc on this land.  Goes into the improvements that made and how after a hurricane how those improvements had to start over & actually were much improved on their 2nd time.  Not only was this a gay couple, Don the author is white and his partner Willie was a black man which plays into some of the relationships they have with neighbors.  I don't remember it being mentioned in book if neighbors thought they were a couple or if it was more like roommates or friends.  Willie does end up dying of AIDS and Don after buy some surrounding land turns it over to the Nature Conservancy to keep the land as a nature preserve.  I checked their website & it is still listed as that today--a really nice and happy ending to this story and for the land.

There are no copies in the system and I will be posting it on PBS.  I had gotten it sent to me through PBS but I think it was a free one that was sent because not in the transaction pages, oh well would have been nice to see where the book has traveled.

Salem's Lot--#99 finished

 This is an older Stephen King book about vampires.  I remember seeing part of this movie & it basically scared me then--looked up on IMDB and it was made in 1979 but probably a couple years after that since likely on TV when I saw it.  So put me around 12-13, yep it scared me.  I only remember a few minutes, I am pretty sure never watched the whole thing.  I read a bunch of Stephen King when I was in high school but avoided this one--maybe an opportunity thing since I bought used books and maybe never found one for Salem's Lot.  I know this copy I found used and have had for a while--maybe 10 years and just now talked myself into reading.  Halloween was coming up & figured this as a "classic" type book for me so finally read it.  It does it's job to scare the reader.  Lots of bad things happen and not really sure at the end if everything was taken care of or not.  Good Stephen King read, glad I finally got to it.

It will stay as a keeper, why not, it is an older book and people can find it around.  I don't need to post on PBS.

They Knew--#98 finished

 This is a powerful book that looks at conspiracies in America.  Written during the pandemic but going back to Trump's election--now his first election and looking at what has become.  I have mixed opinions on this book, I don't think all the arguments for some of this corruption are complete enough to make believable.  There is certainly a lot that points to some of her conclusions but to get there you have to believe a lot of people have to have some knowledge of the bad doings and not fighting back against it.  She does look back in American history for some of these linkages and after reading the book on Bechtel it really makes me think there could be something there.  Reading this book makes me want to learn more of what she is thinking--I read her earlier book Views From the Flyover or something like that.  I am not a podcast person but might try to track down the podcast she was doing a few years ago to give it a listen.  Read this during the election time which now the results have made it even scarier.

There are some WL for this one on PBS but this will be a keeper for now.  If for no better reason than author lives in St Louis so like to keep the local author books.

Reconciliation--#97 finished

 This is a book that has been sitting on my shelf for years and now was finally the time to read it, I guess.  It was written by Benazir Bhutto a former prime minister--democratically elected--in Pakistan.  She finished this book right before she was assassinated after recently returning to Pakistan from exile.  The book though is not so much about her as instead about Islam and how Democracy is in line with Islamic truths.  This relationship between the two has been corrupted over the years but local authoritarian leaders along with just the history of Islam becoming more men focused leadership.  She had plenty of ideas for improving her country and the other Islamic countries but unfortunately her death seems to have ended many of these.  She could have been a moderating voice so needed back in the 2000s to 2010s but it was a hard sell with the US in Afghanistan and Iraq.  A good read to learn more about Islam for a moderate voice.

There were no copies in PBS system so I have posted it, not sure if will get requested or not but figure a good one to pass along. 

All the Beautiful Girls--#96 finished

 This is one that I had sitting on a shelf next to this computer, it was sitting there for a couple years and just figured it was time to be read.  Was looking for a fiction story that wasn't too deep or anything, just a good story.  It mostly fit the bill.  Lots of tough things happened to main character Lily--later changed name to Ruby and at end of book back to Lily.  Tough things in the 1960s and 1970s--starting in small town KS and then to Vegas to get away from small town KS.  Then at end to New Mexico.  A good story but seems like author tried too hard to get different interesting things from the time into this book--a sort of Zelig or Forest Gump type thing crossed my mind but not in a good funny way.  An okay read but at times thought this book could have been better.  I am not a writer so this is an unfair criticism but was still a feeling I had.

There are 4 WL for this book in PBS so will post & send off at some point.

Bomb Shelter--#95 finished

 This is a sort of running commentary on author and her family's life.  Her kids are a son in high school and daughter in middle school.  The big event in life was her son having an epileptic seizure and just how scary this is and then working to get his medicine right and how this was affecting is life now and then worrying about the future.  She also writes about other things in life and mixes worry with humor.  A good quick sort of read.

There was 1 WL for this book in PBS and since someone had requested one of my other books I posted this one right away so hopefully mailing off in next few days.  Have plenty of credits but figured why not.

Why I Am A Catholic--#94 finished

 I finished this about a week ago but just now getting it logged in.  So this means I will be working off memory a little more.  My impression of the beginning of the book was this is very much like a history book.  A lot of details about the early church and the infighting between the east--Constantinople and the west--Rome but also throw in a bunch of other places that were sort of fighting for their ideas.  Rome was sort of seen as a seat but what they were thinking wasn't given anything additional over anyone else.  Eventually Rome did sort of wrest the power away but at the expense of having to answer to Kings, etc from Germany, France, Spain, etc.  Throw in the fact that corruption and just plain old crazy men getting elected or put into the papacy makes one wonder how all this survived to today.  

Where I think this book really stepped it up was talking about Vatican II--both what was going on before, during and then afterwards.  A really interesting time and also interesting where author thought the church got away from the good ideas of Vatican II and back slid missing out on what should have been accomplished or changed.  Makes me wonder if the holy spirit at work or looking back at history of papacy, figure more likely the bad ideas of men.  One of the reasons wanted to read this book is because the synodal meetings in Rome under Pope Francis--doesn't sound like much changing but maybe a framework for changes--best can hope for at this point I guess.

This was an interesting read if church history interests you.  Does get into the weeds quite a bit so have to wade through to get to good stuff, if that makes sense.

I am keeping this book for now--it was one that came to me from a friend that we exchange books with so not sure if he wants back or if others in group would want to read.

The Queen of Whale Cay--#93 finished

 What an interesting person, life and an interesting book.  The person is Joe Carstairs but she was named Marion at birth but decided on Joe growing up.  She was born in 1900 into a wealthy family--grandfather was part of Rockefeller's Standard Oil initial investors.  She was basically an out lesbian with some transgender/cross dressing too.  She married once for inheritance purposes and soon divorced.  During WWI she drove ambulances and trucks and then continued to do so in Ireland during fighting there.  Then back to France to help in cleanup after the war.  She found lifelong friends, started a bus type business with them and then inherited a lot of money.  She took up boat racing and won many races & had speed records.  She eventually left England when being a lesbian was no longer being okay and bought an island in the Bahamas--Whale Cay.  There she built up the island and the people living there all while living a sort of outlandish life.  She had many lovers and kept photos of them--some included in the book.  She was basically the ruler of her island.  Things changed in the 1960s and she was getting older and not able to stay on top of it so sold it and moved to Miami.  She had a stuffed doll of a boy--Lord Tod Wadley that she just adored and was of great importance to her her whole adult life.  Really my little writeup does not do justice to this book.  Also I don't think this book probably does justice to Joe Carstairs life--the author didn't know her and did an exceptional job of putting this together but I can't imagine what parts of her life were lost.  Just a really interesting and enjoyable read.

This one is a keeper for me.  I might loan out to friends hoping to get back.

Trust--#92 finished

 This is a book written by Pete Buttigieg about the title--Trust especially in issues, reporting and government.  He wrote this it sounds like right after he dropped out of the primary race for the Democratic nomination.  It was published right before the election.  So talking about trust but with readers knowing how the election went and then Jan 6th, it just seems like there is no trust with at least half of our country.  Was interested in reading book since Pete is in Biden's cabinet as Transportation Secretary but again since was written before election, that appointment was also after this book.  The points in the book are okay but with this next election weeks away, don't think there is much to the "trust" right now.  We are in a sad state in politics.

There are also 6 WL for this book on PBS so will post & mail off at some point.

Grover Cleveland--#91 finished

 This is a book that has been on my shelf for quite a few years.  Finally figured this was the time to read it since DJT is trying to do what only Grover Cleveland has done in our US history--become a 2 term President in non-consecutive terms.  I didn't know/remember much about Grover Cleveland before this so was an interesting read for the good stuff of history.  I chuckled a few times when it was talked about how terrible the Presidential campaign was with the mud slinging and personal attacks--made me think there was more similar to today's contest.  A lot to read about tariffs, silver vs gold standard and then the several main people involved.  Grover Cleveland sounds like a really good President that wasn't afraid to take a stand even if it wasn't in his self interest.  Just a good and interesting read.

There have been 4 WL for this book for probably as many years as it has been on my shelf.  I kind of want to keep it but also think there are people out there that want to read it too.  Not sure yet what to do, but do have enough credits on PBS & a bunch of books I can post for more so don't have to decide right away.

How to Catch a Russian Spy--#90 finished

 A true story about a young man out of college & recently married that wanted to get into a military intelligence position.  He had applied but didn't show enough experience--he was into computers and had changed to work and take over his parent's business of providing books and reports the businesses and individuals.  These are hard to find or get type things.  There had been Russians coming into the business for several years and his parents were providing the FBI with the lists of things the Russians were requesting and were filled out for them.  The author met with the FBI on this & wanted to see if he could do more.  He approached and basically offered up additional services to the Russian.  He developed over time the relationship with the spy and then before the Russian was to be transferred, the FBI stepped in and did a fake arrest of the US man--to show the Russians he was a burned asset.  He was basically working as a double agent.  Interesting read about how FBI operates and also how the Russian spy did as well. 

There are I think 6 WL for this book on PBS so I will probably post & mail off at some point.

Where I Come From--#89 finished

 This is a compilation of previous articles written for Southern Living by author Rick Bragg.  He grew up in small town Alabama and lived in various places but Florida and especially New Orleans also play big roles in these stories.  They are mostly short 2 page entries that are fun to read.  Nothing earth shattering but a nice read about his life and what he is thinking with some humor mixed in.

There are 13 WL for this book on PBS so I will probably post & send off at some point.

Spring Came on Forever--#88 finished

 This is an older book, wrote in 1930s by Nebraska author Bess Streeter Aldrich.  A good story about a young couple that have fallen in love in the time right after the Civil War but are soon separated.  Her family is Lutheran and is moving from IL to NE to establish farms where their group wouldn't be so spread out.  Her mother has passed and it is just her father & a younger brother--her father has already promised her to an older man in their Lutheran group.  The young man that has fallen for her tries to jump ahead and reach her group in NE before they setout for their farms and she is married.  He just misses her by a day.  The book follows them both on the life they lead and then the lives of their children and grandchildren.  A good read about the two lives in the new & growing state of NE.  Enjoyable but wouldn't say great.  Glad to have finally read one of the author's books since she is a renown NE author.

This is a keeper book for me like most NE authors.

The High Notes--#87 finished

 I hadn't read a book by Danielle Steel before so when I saw this one offered as part of a deal on PBS I figured why not give it a try.  Danielle Steel has a ton of books out there and has been writing for decades so maybe my expectations were a little too high.  I really am disappointed in this book.  Characters were simple two dimensional, you knew who was bad and who was good in about 2 sentences.  While the main character struggled, she was almost like in a fairy tale where in the end she was going to be uber successful and marry the prince and she did.  This book also seemed like it was caught between maybe the 1970s or 80s--a simpler time with no cell phones or internet and the modern today world--book was published 2022.  I am guessing the idea for this book was maybe outlined decades before but was just written now.  Overall just a disappointing book.

There were 9 WL for this book but I didn't really want it around so I have posted it & should be getting mailed off in next couple of days.

I am Sorry to Think I Have Raised a Timid Son--#86 finished

This is a group of stories that in between the stories the writer talks about his relationship with his family but mostly his dad.  The author Kent Russell is a reporter of sorts that looks for the unusual.  I am guessing he is mostly the freelance sort of writer.  His dad is sort of crazy type, they moved from Ohio to Florida when Kent was young and his dad seems the Florida guy sort that I have read about before.  Just sort of out there type character.  Kent went to school in Florida and later lived in New York while still trying to find out what he wanted to do.  His parents had moved to San Francisco sometime there as well.  From what I gather or at least remember this book seems like how Kent decided to become a full time writer.  Not really sure.  Some stories were really interesting but others just didn't make much sense.  Sort of a mixed review on this book.  This is one of those short story type books that I like to mix into my reading, not really sure why this one came my way though.

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

Proud--#85 finished

 The rest of the title is: My Fight for an Unlikely American Dream.  This is a book by the US fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad who competed for the US team and was part of the team that won the bronze medal in Rio.  As a black muslim woman wearing a hijab she stood out in this sport but she had already been standing out in school and life before this as well.  Book goes through her journey and the struggles she had on the way.  A good and interesting read.  I knew nothing about fencing and now know a little but more about the person she is, glad I read this book.

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

Red Star Falling--#84 finished

 This is the 2nd in a new series by Steve Berry with Grant Blackwood.  It takes Luke Daniels who is also part of the Cotton Malone series and gives him his own books/adventures.  This one involves Russia and a nuclear weapon satellite leftover from the days of communism.  A Russian that hates the current leader--that is a renamed Putin--wants to use this weapon to kill him and most of the leadership of Russia.  US & Daniels find out about it & want to stop it.  Race to do this happens.  A fun action/page turner type book.

There are around 19 WL for this book.  I had read the first in series a month or so ago so hopefully can mail these two books together on PBS--will have to see about that though.

The Turret Room--#83 finished

 This is an older book from the 1960s, a sort of mystery/thriller book.  I am not considering it a classic but still a fun read.  It is one of those older pocket paperbacks and I had a bookmark that I kept skipping over because it was small and I have been on a run of hardback books or larger sized paperbacks.  I needed a smaller book and this is one that I had.  I had gotten it as the 2nd book from PBS--when someone posted a book to me I always checkout their bookshelf to get another book if possible and this was it a few months or maybe a year ago.  For some reason I thought this was in England but instead it is in California--I am guessing the turret seemed more English to me maybe.  A well to do family where the son's 2nd wife is beaten up and in a coma in the hospital.  A sort of who done it--the very young 19 year old daughter, married even younger & had a child, her now ex-husband is being figured for this assault but is being hidden by a niece in the turret room.  Ends up the young 19 year old daughter is crazy & did it and the maid was trying to help her cover it up.  A sort of crazy story but turned out to be a fun read anyway.

I have posted it on PBS, it is the only copy so who knows on these older books, it might move at some point.

The Guide--#82 finished

 This book takes Jack from author's last book The River and brings him back to Colorado.  He has just left the ranch he was working with his father for a couple month job as a fishing guide on a trout stream in the CO mountains.  Things seem a little off right away at this exclusive high dollar fishing resort type place but since only to finishout the season figures he will stick with it.  Lots of talk about fly fishing which I like to fish but no fly fishing--doesn't really interest me.  Can pick out the bad guys pretty quick and sort of know other parts as well but takes a while for author to get there.  Not a big fan of this book for this reason.  It was hard for me to stay interested.  Still this is a good writer overall & I have enjoyed several of his other books, not this one though so much.

There are 15 WL for this book on PBS so will probably post & mail off at some point.

The Kite Runner--#81 finished

This is a book that was just published around 20 years ago but is on a lot of those books you need to read lists.   Well I finally got around to reading it and it is a really good book, I can see why it has made the lists.  Talks about a family from the perspective of the son as a youngster growing up in Kabul, Afghanistan in the 1970s before the Russian invasion and then a little during invasion and their escape to the US.  The son grows up marries, buries his father and is unable to start his own family.  The son is still sort of broken because of issues in his past, a letter from family friend pulls him back to Pakistan and then Afghanistan to rescue a boy that is really a nephew.  The broken land of Afghanistan right before 9/11 happens where the Taliban are running the country.  Just a really good read both about the people of Afghanistan as well as the story of this family.  Glad that I finally read this book.

There are already over 90 copies on PBS so I will not add to it.  I will see about loaning out or maybe keeping. 

As Good As Gone--#80 finished

 This is about a family in Montana in the 1960s.  The family is having problems both on the surface and also underneath the surface--individually where they are not talking about these problems.  Wife is having surgery done out of town & husband is going with her.  They have a senior girl in high school and an 11--I think, I finished over a week ago so working off memory--boy.  The husband talks to his very much estranged dad to come and help out with kids while parents are out of town.  Good story about this grandpa and why estranged.  Good relationship stories about husband, wife and wife's family.  Also good stories about the problems the kids are having but not wanting to tell anyone.  Neighbor helps out and has some romance with grandpa as well.  Well written and interesting stories. 

I did just go ahead and post this book on PBS, it is the only copy in system.  I have enough credits so wasn't going to post but figured why not.

Melania and Me--#79 finished

 The rest of the title:  The Rise and Fall of my Friendship with the First Lady.  Stephanie Winston Wolkoff was a friend of Melania Trump before DJT ever ran for President.  Stephanie admits that she didn't like much of what she was hearing from Trump during his run but she also was not involved or paid much attention to politics--if I remember reading correctly 2016 was the first election she voted in & voted for Trump.  Stephanie worked for Vogue magazine and also was a major events coordinator doing Met Galas.  Once Trump won the election, she reached out to Melania and offered to help with the inauguration festivities and helped coordinate people and events.  She then stayed on as an advisor to the first lady trying to help her start up what would be the focus of the first lady's project.  

This being the Trump White House and the even before that leading up to the Inauguration, the grift was on.  Shady dealings were happening and the author didn't realize it but thought things not quite right but figured she would be okay as a friend of Melania and really just helping out.  Well about 2 years later she was pushed forward as the person getting the grift or not staying on top of the money when she had no role in the money side of this.  She had signed a NDA so couldn't fight back on the bad press going out and reaching out & begging for help from her friend did nothing too.  Really just a sad but not surprising happening.  At least she was able to get this book written & out there to give her side--at least as much as she could--she mentioned with NDA she could only write about what was out in public already or something like that. 

There is 1 copy on PBS already and don't see a reason on make a 2nd copy so will probably look to hand off or give away instead.

A Woman of No Importance--#78 finished

 This is another finished in August book but just now getting around to logging in.  The rest of the title is: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II.  This is a true story about Virginia Hall a woman from the US that wanted more in life that just getting married and being a socialite.  She joined the diplomatic services but was blocked from moving up because she was a woman.  She served in assistant/secretarial positions while trying to move up.  She lost the lower part of her leg at one point and had to wear a wooden prosthetic.  She was in France & volunteer to drive ambulances during the German invasion.  She eventually made it to England where she was trained to be a spy inside France for England.  She was very successful at this but still because she was a woman it took until almost the end of the war before she was given a command.  The book goes into great detail about her service and the many things she was able to accomplish.  She was a true hero.  After the war she did catch on to the CIA but again because she was a woman, even though she had much more experience than others at being a spy, she was passed over again and again.  A truly amazing story but also a sad story that this book written in 2019 long after she had died, is really the first recognition of her accomplishments.

There are 43 WL for this book on PBS so will probably post & mail off at some point.

You Think It, I'll Say It--#77 finished

 This is a short story book by author Curtis Sittenfeld, a lady but goes by Curtis.  She & her family live in St Louis area and it seems most of her stories are in the midwest.  I enjoyed the stories but it has been a couple weeks since I had finished it and memory is growing short of details of the stories.  Remember there being sort of twists at end of the stories though.  I enjoyed it, was an easy read.  This was an August finished book but just now getting around to logging in.

There are  like 8 WL for this book so might get mailed off or since a St Louis author might be a keeper instead.

The 9th Man--#76 finished

 This is from the author Steve Berry from the Cotton Malone series and teamed up with Grant Blackwood.  They pulled one of the new comers from that series Luke Daniels and they are giving him a few books in his series, this is the first of that.  Luke is called by an old friend to help out because her and her uncle are in trouble.  Luke gets to the house in Belgium and uncle is killed by intruders at same time.  Luke teams up with with Jillian, the old friend, to see why they came after uncle and why now after Luke and Jillian.  There is the old bad guy that has hired thugs going after them.  Bad guys keep on their tail to Louisiana and TX and Wyoming.  Comes down that people were looking too close into some details about the JFK assassination and the bad old buy didn't want his part to come out.  An interesting quick page turner kind of action.  Nothing great but nice start on a series, will have to see where it goes.

There are 7 WL for this book so will get it posted at some point.  Just got offered the 2nd book in series so might try to read right away and maybe mail them together.

Officer Clemmons--#75 finished

 Now this is a something different book from the sort of series stuff I was reading.  This is a memoir by the person that played Officer Clemmons on Mr Rogers Neighborhood kids show.  This is a book that I am not sure why I paid the 50 cents at the library for it and then why did I read it right away.  I guess I wanted something a little lighter.  It was a good read about his life but certainly not a light read.  He grew up poor in Alabama with his mother getting beaten up by his dad.  Mother & siblings moved to Youngstown OH where he went to school and developed into a singer.  His step dad wasn't happy with him and beat him forcing him to move out of the house in high school.  His talent enough to get him into college at Oberlin and he earns his music degree and gets accepted into a masters program at Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh.  It is while singing in Pittsburgh he meets Fred Rogers and is worked onto the show.  Clemmons is also a gay man back in the 1960s and 1970s when not much freedom for that.  He is basically forced to marry a high school gal that was sweet on him to keep hidden him being gay.  The marriage doesn't last but a few years but I guess enough to satisfy people.  He has a very good career as a singer and eventually ends up at a small college in New England as a teacher.  Interesting read and also nothing but very good things to say about Mr Rogers.  Dr Clemmons is an interesting person that has lived through some interesting times.

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

The Profiteers--#74 finished

 The rest of the title is: Bechtel and the Men Who Built the World.  This is a really interesting read mostly about the business but obviously some about the Bechtel family.  A leading construction and into a little of everything company.  The founder's big step up to the big time was being of the leading contractors on building the Hoover Dam.  From there they went into helping the WWII war effort building ships.  The company took on projects of every sort--pipe lines, roads, nuclear, transit, etc.  The company went big internationally as well.  This is a privately owned company still today that does huge amount of business in US and outside the US in areas of interest.  The book really delves into this relationship between people in the company that move to big decision making positions in government and then when that admin changes they come back to the company and seemingly others in company join the new admin.  The way the author explains the Reagan presidency and the Iran Contra Affair and Iraq-gate is probably the best I have read--don't quiz me on it because is confusing and would have to go back and read again but I remember understanding and like a light bulb coming on when I read it.  A really good read and one that really makes you think about the whole military industrial complex--while maybe not making the bombs this company making the factories, the nuclear material, etc to get these done.  This family has become super rich from us taxpayers.  Not saying they haven't done good work but certainly see many times their business interests trump us needs or wants.

I got this book from PBS but it is a keeper for now.  Have some friends that might be interested in reading. 

Bread and Wine--#73 finished

 This is one of my classic books.  I remember reading one of the author's other books--Fontamara back in college or at least read enough to write an essay or two on it.  One of those classes I still remember--Dr Sanchez in the History Dept, I took 2 classes with him.  One was on the Spanish Civil War and read For Whom The Bells Toll and other books about the war.  I can't remember the other class name but there were no text books, just instead novels.  I have probably kept most of the books so I could probably dig through my shelves to find the others if I wanted.  But obviously I have digressed.  This book Bread and Wine talks about Italy in 1938 being led by a dictator--Mussolini right before they go to war in Ethiopia.  The main character is a communist radical that for several years has been living outside of Italy in exile.  He has come back but is wanted by authorities.  His friends help him hid as a priest and put him up in a small town since his health is bad.  While there the small town is excited to have a priest, even if he won't say Mass.  He is disillusioned with both the dictator and the communists as well as the people that are not striving for something better.  A really good read about this time in Italy and the struggles of the people.

This is a keeper for me, will have to match it up with the other book when I have time to go looking.

Conditional Citizens--#72 finished

 The author talks about her life and becoming a US citizen in 2000 and how even becoming a citizen it doesn't seem to give her everything that others in the US have.  Talks about growing up in Morocco and life there and then moving to the US for college and staying and becoming a citizen.  She delves into the history of US citizenship and how not everyone here has or can enjoy it.  A really good and interesting read.  I was back home with my parents when I finished this book and left it with my mom for her to read.

I will probably post & send off on PBS once I get back from my mom.

Below the Line--#71 finished

 This is the 2nd in series--and so far last one--of a sort of detective Charlie Waldo.  A burnt out police detective helps out his sort of girlfriend that is a private investigator.  Waldo has downsized his life to only having 100 things, tries to buy only locally sourced food and tries to only ride his bike or public transportation.  Interesting how he thinks and gets around.  A high school girl that has trouble with the truth, hires them for one thing and it turns into a murder investigation with her as prime suspect.  An interesting and quick type read.  Not sure if the series will continue or not but would keep reading if it does.

I have posted it on PBS & is only copy and I also have only copy of the 1st book in series too.  Be nice if someone ordered both together.

The Last Kingdom--#70 finished

 This is the next in Cotton Malone series by Steve Berry.  I enjoy the series and he tries to tie them in with sort of true investigations or possibilities.  This is about Bavaria in Germany--where it was ruled by a King prior to Bismark I guess and incorporated into Germany.  The story goes before King Ludwig II was forced to give up the crown, he had agreed and signed papers to become the new King of Hawaii--this is back in the 1880s or earlier.  A stretch of the imagination but points to the sort of raw deals Bavaria got being pushed into Germany and Hawaii got when the US basically tookover the islands from the ruling family.  All the action happens in Germany and bad ex-CIA guys, China, the would be new King and brother of Bavaria and the US with some good CIA, Luke Daniels and Cotton are all looking for the paperwork/deed to show ownership to force what they want.  If you buy all that okay, then also have to buy that Cotton can figure out a bunch of mystery clues and avoid plenty of opportunities to be shot or killed too.  A little out there but just reading for the quick action page turner so it still worked for me.

There are like 23 WL for this book on PBS so will try to post & mail off, I like sending these off since I get them from PBS.  Problem is I have too many of these WL books that I have read but also have enough credits so don't need more yet.

We Die Alone--#69 finished

 This is an older book that I did get the copy from PBS.  It was book was printed in 1955.  It is a true story of a Norwegian during WWII.  He was fighting against Germany & the Nazis.  He ended up in England and trained for going back to Norway and starting underground units with 3 others.  They took a larger type fishing boat to way northern Norway that had I think 12 sailors and the boat had their equipment--guns, radios, ammo, etc.  They get to the coast of Norway and have some names of people that should help them--they reach out to one that owns a shop in a very small town not knowing the shop owner has changed.  The new owner worried about being setup by Nazis to test his loyalty to them, calls this in.  A German boat comes into harbor where fishing boat was sort of hiding and is sank, everyone but one person is captured or killed.  The one survivor is Jan Baalsrud and he is on the run--it is winter and bitter cold and several storms--wind & snow.  He gets help from several people in the small towns and just an amazing journey and story about how he gets to Sweden and survives and also keeps his limbs which were frostbitten to where he thought he would lose his legs.  This book includes photos of areas and some of the people that helped him.  Also book includes the insight about the terror the Germans had set into the people of this area even if the war never really reached them--they were still terrorized by the Germans.  A really good and interesting read.

This is a keeper for me, no reason go give away or post on PBS.

When--#68 finished

 The rest of the title is: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing.  Goes into when people seem to be most aware and able to make good decisions--morning.  There is a lag time in early afternoon and then a little resurgence.  This changes by your age.  Most interesting I thought was info on school starting times and also school testing times.  Sounds like his info/data shows what he is talking about, not sure if any school districts in this area have adjusted their times for these ideas.  Overall some interesting stuff but this quasi self-help type book is something don't really get into but was at least short enough and simple enough ideas though.

There are 28 WL for this book on PBS so might post and mail at some point.  I guess could address here--the cost of mailing media mail books at post office has gotten higher and I am getting fewer books from PBS so consequently I am mailing fewer books.  It is a tough cycle because I like getting my PBS books but I have over 20 credits right now so don't need to mail to get more.  Oh well, hope PBS hangs on since I do like getting books from there even if slower than has been in past.

Last Looks--#67 finished

 This is the first book in a detective series with character Charlie Waldo.  He is an ex-detective in LA.  A case that he solved made him locally famous & helped his career but then comes out he had it wrong.  He spent years trying to correct and instead it all fell apart and his life went with it.  He cashed out everything and bought a few acres way outside LA and lived simply with 100 items only.  Interesting in his mindset on how living like that.  Well he gets pulled back in as a private investigator about a world famous actor being figured for the murder of his wife.  A few things going on that have to get figured out along with how Charlie gets around with his bicycle.  A good read and a good start to the series, I know there is a 2nd book which I have, not sure if more coming yet or not.

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

Grandmaster--#66 finished

 This is a chess book but is a teen fiction book.  The chess talk was kind of fun but the characters were well about what expected for a teen novel.  Obviously bad people, parents that surprise you, dorky kid starts dating a mysterious type girl chess player.  A nice quick type read but nothing too great.  I bought at a library sale and almost didn't because typically avoid the teen type books but got it because it was about chess.  It worked for that reason.

There are no copies on PBS but this book does have some stains in it so cannot post there.  I will set aside and probably donate back to the library for them to sell again.

The World According to Garp--#65 finished

 This one took a while in a few ways.  Obviously to read, it is 609 pages and is not a book you can just run through--at least for me, also it has been on my shelf for a long time waiting for me to get to it which I finally did.  I have read other books by John Irving and enjoyed them and I have seen this movie--long time ago, but also enjoyed the movie.  Since I saw the movie I did kind of remember what this book was about but obviously details come out in the book.  I really enjoyed this book, interesting characters and interesting times being written in the 1970s.  Reading the book does sort of make me want to watch this movie again, I remember Robin Williams as Garp and John Lithgow as Roberta, not sure about other actors.  This is one I am counting as a classic this year--it fits my very general feel for the term.

This one is a keeper for me, won't be posting it on PBS.  I don't think there are any copies but doesn't matter no need to send this one away.

Lake of the Ozarks--#64 finished

 The author Bill Geist worked at his aunt & uncle's hotel at the Lake of the Ozarks back in the early 1960s, maybe started late 50's--not sure.  But he talks about how crazy it was and the interesting characters around then.  Of course the employees mostly being teenagers and some college kids over the summer, plenty of stuff going on with them as well.  This is all way before my time, we vacationed at the lake a few times, usually for a week at a cabin but drove through this area where I think this hotel was located.  It is still a sort of different place but much more modernized and touristy but still can see areas of older & rural mid-MO around there. 

There are already 2 copies on PBS system so don't need another one.  Will keep this book for now since it is a MO book.

The Wrong End of the Table--#63 finished

 The rest of the title:  A Mostly Comic Memoir of a Muslim Arab American Woman Just Trying to Fit In.  Ayser moved with her family at age 3 from Iraq to Columbus, Ohio in the 1970s.  A few years later moved to Louisville, KY and then went to Saudi Arabia for a few years before back to Louisville to finish out high school and she did undergraduate school there too.  She moved to LA for grad school and at some point before her parents moved to Las Vegas and then later to Austin, TX--I think.  Lots of moving around which played into her book of finding a hard time fitting in.  Lots of relationship stuff with friends, boy friends and especially her parents.  A good quick read type book.

There was 1 WL for this book when I was reading it but when I finished it was now at zero.  I will probably post on my bookshelf on PBS & see what happens.

Burner--#62 finished

 This was the next in the Gray Man series.  Court Gentry is not in with the CIA but gets pulled back in by them in of course a covert way to track down a guy with info.  Info was leaked out of Russia showing where the money goes into Austria and then around the world.  People want this public to thwart restoring relations with Russia and giving up on the Ukrainians.  This is going on in a couple levels with Court's lover/friend Zoya also involved.  Lots of near death action.  Is a good quick read.

There are 22 WL for this book on PBS but as it seems like always I have enough credits there so will probably be a while before I post & send off.

Killer Diller--#61 finished

 This is an older mass market paperback, published in 1991.  It is the kind of book I start when I know I will be reading outside & carrying in a backpack.  It is Muny time again in St Louis and it was the book for the first show--we missed the 2nd show so this book only got the one show.  It is a goofy sort of book about some people in a halfway house in North Carolina that start a band and also become associated with the local Baptist church university.  It tries to be funny but maybe that 1991 humor doesn't carry over.  I guess there was an earlier book with some of the characters but I won't bother looking for it.  This was okay just barely. 

There are 3 copies in system at PBS so I won't add another.  This will go into my give away pile.

The Left-Handed Twin--#60 finished

 This is, at least for now, the last book in the Jane Whitefield series by Thomas Perry.  A good series but I think it might have run its course.  Spoiler, at the very end Jane is expecting and I figure that is probably a good time to call an end.  Of course during this series there have been a few gaps of several years so I guess could come back.  A good read about another young woman having to get away from killer ex-boyfriend.  The ex gets help tracking her down from Russian mafia types, that figure out Jane is worth a lot of money if they can capture her so quit looking for young woman and focus becomes on Jane.  Jane out wits the Russians and gets away.  Good quick read.

There are 14 WL for this book so I will post & mail off at some point, I did not save this series. 

Driven--#59 finished

 The rest of the title is:  The Race to Create the Autonomous Car.  This is a book about how in early 2000s DARPA--a government defense agency, created a contest/race of sorts for developing an autonomous driven car.  From there several teams competed and the researchers--engineers, computer techs, etc kept going with this concept working on this still to today.  It seems there was a sort of boom cycle on this when Uber and Google were involved--putting millions of dollars into the research and sort of forcing the big 3 automakers to also be involved.  The idea that if ever found a way to develop this were safe for people in car & outside of car, the autonomous driving car would take a large percentage of automobile sales numbers--which is a huge number each year.  While this research hasn't hit the holy grail on this yet, the research has contributed to tech upgrades to cars and trucks.  An interesting read and interesting characters in the book.

I have already posted this on PBS, it is the only copy in system so could get requested, will just have to wait & see.

The Language of Thieves--#58 finished

 This was an interesting read about a sort of secret language in Europe called Rotwelsch.  The author was born and raised in Germany but is a professor at Harvard.  He remembered some things about this language and the symbols used from growing up and during his research found that his grandfather & uncle also had researched this language.  The grandfather's research was done while he was a member of the Nazi party in Germany.  The author believes grandfather could have been a true believer but towards end comes to maybe not--cannot tell for sure.  Author's research into Rotwelsch takes him back to Martin Luther indicating this language has been around a longer time than he first believed.  This is a language of people on the road, people that went from town to town without settling down.  It is similar to Romani and Gypsies but while those languages were tied to an ethnic people this one was not.  This is a combination of languages that was used as a sort of secret code that the wanderers could use so other people they encountered didn't know exactly what they were saying.  Interesting read and interesting research on this language.

There are 4 WL for this book so I will post & mail off at some point on PBS.

Harrow--#57 finished

 This was a disappointing book.  This copy did not have the cover for the hardback book so didn't have a writeup on what it was about.  I don't remember why I put it on my WL for PBS, probably was written up in Post Dispatch & sounded interesting.  It was not interesting.  It is about some futuristic time in America, not many years off if I had to guess.  A girl is sort of the main character and people around her are strange and strange.  Nothing really made sense and just sort of stumbles along with a disjointed story.  Nothing is clear.  It is a short book, just over 200 pages so I kept thinking things would get put together but they were not.  The last 50 or so pages I just forced myself to finish since I was close to end but by then had already resigned myself to disappointment with this book.  Nothing here to recommend and will not be looking for anything else by author.

There are 4 WL for this book on PBS.  I don't  need credits right now but this will be one of the first ones I post to send off, just don't want this book on my shelf anymore.

The Christie Affair--#56 finished

 I have not read anything from Agatha Christie but had obviously heard of her and did remember hearing that she sort of disappeared for days and came back but never really explained where she went.  This book is a historical fiction work that makes up a story about those 11 days she went missing.  It also weaves in a 2nd relationship and the WWI and an issue of Irish women that were unmarried and what happened to their children.  A good and interesting read even if the story is basically not true and probably not even close to true but just an good story about Agatha Christie's missing days. 

There were only 2 WL for this book after there being 9 a few months ago.  This is one of the reasons I figured to read the book so that I could then post & mail off right away.  I have posted it and should be getting mailed off in next few days.

One Goal--#55 finished

 The rest of the title: A Coach, A Team, And the Game that Brought a Divided Town Together.  This is about a soccer team in Lewiston Maine where they has been an influx of immigrants mostly from Somalia, via different refugee centers.  I don't remember reading in the book how the first one decided on Lewiston but others came because there was a community there.  It was a smaller town than others were the government was trying to settle them.  There became a system of assistance around the families as well.  The focus of the book was the high school soccer team and the long time coach that was finally able to win the state championship.  It was also about how the team and families have been embraced by the town.  Not saying everything was great but in general it has been a positive.  An interesting read and shows what would hope other towns would look at in accepting immigrants as a way to grow and strengthen a community.

There are 2 WL for this book so will get it posted & mailed off probably pretty soon but have enough credits on PBS so no hurry.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck--#54 finished

 A sort of self-help book or at least a different way to align your priorities in life.  Don't worry so much about things that don't matter all that much.  Some helpful ideas and ways to maybe change your perspective on things.  It was easy to read and some good stories about author's life.  Sounds young and glad he seems like he is on the right track.  Just some observations though, he said he comes from a well to do family--I am guessing a family that can back him up financially if needed--this makes it much easier to prioritize things when you know you have a fall back.  This book came about from his blog where he was giving out advice.  I still don't get how one makes money at those but again good for the author, he seems to have figured it out.  Good read but wouldn't be highly recommended.

There are like 28 WL for this book on PBS so will post & mail off at some point.

The Ministry of Culture--#53 finished

 This one took a while to get going.  It is about 2 reporters in Iraq during the Iraq vs Iran war in the late 1980s, a guy and a women that also get together on their different foreign assignments.  They have a sort of relationship going but since neither really has a home is tough.  The book also focuses on a few people in Iraq, a painter & his father and the painter's wife and her father.  This is a rough time in Iraq with the war going on and Saddam really exerting his power and control over the country.  The latter part of the book, the female correspondent comes upon a Kurdish village where chemical weapons were used and the whole village was killed.  The male correspondent is in Southern Iraq at the trenches of the war and witnesses the roped together line of Iranian kids forced to walk to the Iraqi side--setting off the land mines to clear the way for the Iraqi tanks.  Both of these really did happen and is a powerful reminder about how awful this war was.  It is remarkable that Saddam and the leaders of Iran remained in power after this war. Book written in 2007 so after we went after Saddam twice and finally taking him out.  This 2nd invasion of Iraq and the aftermath was a wrong approach that hindsight shows--many saw before hindsight but back then I was a believer in the Bush admin for their reasons.  The cost to America, especially in lives but money & resources as well was too great but the removal of Saddam hopefully proves to be a good thing for Iraq maybe in long term.  Iran without Iraq to balance the power of that area, Iran has assume more power in the region and has become a player in terrorism throughout the Middle East--how this is possible with that horrendous leadership is beyond me.  I hope there are change for the good in both countries and the region soon.

I have posted this book on PBS, it is the only copy but since older--published 2007--not sure it will be going anywhere anytime soon.

Lion & Lamb--#52 finished

 This is a James Patterson book with one of his many other author's attached, this time Duane Swierczynski.  Lion is a female PI with last name Lion and Lamb is a male PI with last name Lamb--pretty easy to figure out.  In Philly so for the Eagles the star QB is murdered right before the NFC championship game.  Lion is working with the prosecutor's office and Lamb is working with the wife--a superstar singer and the lead suspect.  Lots of other angles--gambling, theft, assault--he beat his wife & kids, girlfriends on the side, a nanny that is too good to be true, corrupt owners, etc.  Reads like a TV script more than a novel to me, like one of those hour long detective shows.  Maybe that is what this becomes.  Still an easy to read quick page turner, sort of needed after getting through the last two books I read.

There are 60 WL for this book so will post & send off at some point but no hurry right now.  I have plenty of credits & too many other books that I can mail off already. 

Let Them Eat Tweets--#51 finished

 The rest of the title: How the Right Rules in an Age of Extreme Inequality.  This book was written in 2020 before the election and then the whole aftermath of the election.  It is not so much about Trump but instead the Republican party that has been shifting rightward since the 1990s.  The author's argument is that the Republican party is being run by wealthy supporters for their own gain--lower taxes, less regulation, etc and they realized only way they can get enough support in elections is to join or inspire right groups in emotional support--the NRA, Evangelicals, racists, anti-immigration, pro-life groups, etc.  With their money they can support enough of these causes to keep them in their party while still getting their true goals of financial help.  The author's use the term plutocracy to describe this & it sounds like a pretty much spot on term.  It also talks about the rightward swing of the courts from justices appointed by Trump as well as earlier under Bush and the stalling of appointments under Obama.  At times this reads more like a textbook than a regular book but does have a lot of good information in it.  Also sort of adds to my thoughts that Trump isn't the real problem with the Republican party, it is that the party--both the party officials and their voters--that support him and the issues/problems he addresses.  I am hoping once Trumps cult of personality goes away that the party will go more moderate but this book makes it sound like that is not happening.

There is 1 WL for this book so I will probably post & send off at some point.  Interesting read but not a keeper and I don't think friends & family would be interested enough to read either.

The Color of Law--#50 finished

 A powerful book that was incredibly researched about the segregation in America concerning redlining and home ownership.  Looks at how at the federal level mortgage loans would not be secured by the federal government if a mixed race neighborhood and also in African American neighborhoods would not secure the loans either.  I had read the book Ghetto a few months ago--maybe a year, can't remember--and talked about ghettos in America and was sort of left wondering how they got there.  This book goes into the details of how the ghettos were basically the only option for African Americans in most cities.  These neighborhoods with 80-90% one race are still with us today.  A really sad history in our country and certainly part of the root race problem we have today with poor neighborhoods that also make poor schools as well as still fear of other races.  As I said a very powerful book, one of those that I will have to take some time yet to reflect on what I have read.

There are 56 WL for this book.  Not sure if I will mail off or maybe offer out to friends yet but need to make sure more people read this book.

Metzger's Dog--#49 finished

 This is the 2nd novel that Thomas Perry wrote, it is from 1983.  Obviously a different time, a sort of fun ride back in time.  A group of basically small time crooks breaks into a university research area and steals cocaine there for research and while in act the leader sees a guy that looks important so he searches the professor's office that the guy was meeting.  He steals a lock box.  On way out of parking lot a security guard tries to stop them & they blow up the security shed with a cannon attached to their van--security guard not hurt.  The lock box was research CIA was doing with professor about causing disruptions in areas to better control the people.  This becomes a CIA issue on that side and the small time group figuring out what they have and how to get paid for it.  Some good back & forth stuff and some inner workings of crazies in CIA too.  A good read overall.

It is an older beaten up cover paperback.  I did get it from PBS and will go ahead and post back on PBS but isn't great shape on the cover.  It will be the only copy in system and author is still popular so could get moved at some point.

The Rule of Benedict--#48

 This is one that has been sitting on my shelf for a long time--maybe close to 15 years--since around 2009.  I almost didn't read it and was thinking of donating away at several points.  I am really glad that I did take the time and read it.  A really good history of Cardinal Ratzinger before he was cardinal and then pope.  Also a lot of good information about Pope John Paul II and his papacy as well.  Cardinal Ratzinger did not come off looking good in this book, he really was an attack dog sort for the pope.  The book was written around 1 year into Pope Benedict's papacy so really not much other that what was happening at the start in this book.  I was impressed with the research as well as the quotes from sources in this book.  A really eye opening book about the Catholic church.

I was tempted to put this book on a keeper shelf because it does have such good information but figured I very unlikely I would ever get back around to reading again so I have posted it on PBS.  It is the only copy in system but since not exactly timely not sure if it will move anytime soon.

Tides of Fire--#47 finished

 This is the next in the Sigma Force series by the author James Rollins.  He tries to take some, maybe out there, theory and apply a what would happen sort of thing to it.  This is about undersea volcanos, coral and a part of a planet that is embedded below the earth crust and also parts on the moon.  Interesting sort of science stuff and some history and throw in some gun fights and killing bad guys/people, there is the story.  A recurring bad lady is still around and as already foreshadowed the next book it seems too.  A good action adventure page turner sort of read.

There are 32 WL for the book on PBS so I will post & mail off at some point but no hurry right now either.

The Professor's House--#46 finished

 This is one of the classic books that I am trying to read more of this year.  This is a Willa Cather book but a little different from others I have read.  After I finished I checked Wikipedia and some other reviews of it and still seems out of sorts for me.  The professor is getting older and his two daughters are married.  A main character of the family was Tom Outland who was engaged to the older daughter and a former student and protege of the professor.  Tom is really the straw that stirs this story and the middle book of this story is about him.  Just a weird construction of the book and to me leaves questions about the relationships of every person in the book.  

This is a keeper since a classic & a NE author.  Also this copy of the book is an ex-student book--underlining and highlighting and stickers on it, really couldn't send out on PBS if I wanted to.

I Need a Lifeguard Everywhere but the Pool--#45 finished

 This is a mother daughter book by two writers--Lisa Scottoline and daughter Francesca Serritella.  They each write separate short thoughts on themselves and happenings.  Quick little funny reads.  Lisa Scottoline has written several books but I haven't read any of hers yet.  Francesca sounds like more of a columnist and books are mostly these and at least one novel she was working on during this book.  There is a series of these mother daughter books--I guess could be columns in a newspaper too.  This was the first one I ran into and it is a nice quick read that is mostly funny too.  I had picked it up recently at a library sale and fit the need of something light to read.

I have posted it on PBS and there is already 1 copy ahead of it.  Not sure if it will move or not but will see.

Uranium--#44 finished

 A really good read about Uranium.  The rest of the title:  War, Energy, and the Rock that Shaped the World.  The book looks into the first discovery of uranium in Czech mountains and to some uses back then.  Into the work of the Curies and more discoveries of the rock in Africa.  Then into the whole science of the atom bomb and the work that went into the development and finding enough uranium ore to make into the correct type of uranium for the bomb.  After the movie Oppenheimer it was kind of fun to read about that but from a different perspective and also hear about the work being done in Washington state and Tennessee too.  Then the time after WWII and into the whole making of power plants.  The book was published in 2009 when there was thought to be a sort of renewal of nuclear power--it hasn't really taken off at least in the US.  The manufacturing costs of the plants along with deeply held opposition are making it hard to open the new plants.  The book talks about Yemen wanting a nuclear power plant and some people involved, sadly Yemen has been in a civil war that probably started soon after this book was published making that an impossible reality.  A really good and interesting read that covered a lot of information.

There is 1 WL for this book but might hold out & see if one of my friends would be interested in reading first. 

Marsbound--#43 finished

 Looking for something a little different to read, I picked this sci-fi book about a family that travels to Mars and one of the early settler groups going there to help establish the base.  The girl at 19 is going through things, the 5 year commitment to be at Mars, growing up, sex, school, the whole authority things and so on.  At one point after being punished she leaves the base & goes outside on Mars alone.  She falls through the surface and is rescued by a Martian.  Eventually the Martian's come out from below and the world sort of changes.  It changes again later when a further out being/beings signal Earth and send a coded message to Red--the sort of head Martian.  The messages are sort of vague but still ominous.  Leads to much ado and sort of sets up for the next couple books in series.  A good read interesting take on the whole exploring Mars and space travel.  I don't think I will track down this series, first book was good enough.

There are no copies in system but this copy has some issues so will probably set aside to my donate away pile of books.

Catch and Kill--#42 finished

 Wow, a really good read by Ronan Farrow an investigative reporter that helped blow open the Harvey Weinstein sex scandal that had been going on for years.  The collateral cases of Matt Lauer and other NBC executives are also brought out.  I started reading this at the beginning of the Donald Trump trial where David Pecker was testifying and Pecker's role in this book too.  The details in the book and the amount of people and sources he had along with then the trouble of getting NBC to go forward with it & having to shift over to The New Yorker to get it published.  Just an amazing read and while Ronan wrote it so is from his side, he really seems to be a hero.  This was a story that many knew about but no one would touch because of NDAs and just intimidation from Weinstein and his lawyers.  One of the best that I have read this year.

There are 16 WL for this book on PBS--this is the large print copy.  Not sure if I will mail off or maybe instead loan out to friends to read first. 

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings--#41 finished

 This is counting as one of my classic books read--I am trying in read more classics this year.  It is a really good read about Maya Angelou's early life.  Growing up in segregated small town Arkansas, a short time in St Louis where she was raped at a very young age, back to Arkansas and then high school years in California mostly with her mother with one horrifying experience with her dad.  Life in the '30s & '40s in the South was tough but especially so for African Americans.  Even though I have read other books, what you read here is eye opening and at times very tough to read--most people she grew up with have died by now and trying to imagine their lives is really tough.  This book was on some banned book lists and that is just sad, we as a people should not be afraid of our history, these tough parts of history should inspire us to do better.

This is a keeper for me so will be staying on a bookshelf until hopefully one of my kids will want to read it.

Breakthrough--#40 finished

 The rest of the title is:  The Making of America's First Woman President.  This book was written 2015, published early 2016 just as the primaries were getting started for the 2016 Presidential election.  Donald Trump is mentioned 3 times in the book and Hillary Clinton is mentioned too many times to count.  A lot of research is referenced and polling about all matters of political questions and outcomes.  I just wondered throughout the book if the author ever came out with a what went wrong article--I didn't look hard but didn't see one either.  Lots of Hillary fans in the book but also a lot of East coast & West coast mentions, not much in the way of rust belt or midwest where Trump found his votes to victory.  I remember seeing this book at the library sale & almost didn't buy it because it was too far out from the election of 2016 but figured still interesting in that info would still carry over to future elections with women involved.  Also while reading, I am thinking the first female president might not be elected but instead a VP that moves up if one of the elderly men cannot finish their term.  Still interesting in ways but I thought too much cheerleading for Hillary.

I have posted it on PBS & it is the only copy in system but not sure will move but who knows.

Sonja's Run--#39 finished

 Just finished this one today, it had been on my bookshelves for probably 10 years or so.  Glad I finally got around to getting it read.  It was a good read, a little different sort of thing.  From the 1850s a guy travels to Russia, wanting to see the people especially in Eastern Russia/Siberia.  He is dag man--early version of photograghs--and wants to take dag/photos of the common people he meets.  Sonja is a poet that strikes the wrong person that offended her--a guy that leads warriors for the Tsar doing his bidding in ruthless ways.  This guy vows revenge on her.  Sonja and Jack--the dag guy--eventually meet up and are on the run from the bad guy.  They run into another bad guy out on the steppes where Sonja is kidnapped.  Jack meets others and with his American guns is able to rally competitors the go after bad guy #2 and while doing so bad guy #1 joins in the fight & takes Sonja away.  Jack again goes after her.  Ending with Jack getting Sonja.  A decent story, lots of riding and traveling--a map somewhere in here would have added to the story I think.  Eventually all the riding and tracking, etc sort of gets lost to me--just too much but I know that is sort of in the title.

I have posted it on PBS & it is the only copy in system so maybe will get requested, will see.  I have pulled 5 books from my PBS shelf--ones not going anywhere and other copies on PBS for 3 of them.  Other 2 were only copy but were shelf published books--I bought from library sale so will donate back to library to sell again.

The Perfect Alibi--#38 finished

 This is the 2nd in series, I had read the 1st in series earlier this month.  A good lawyer that gets involved in the investigation of cases too.  A fun quick read for both of these first two books.  There are more books in series but I don't have anymore yet.  I have a ton of books so probably need to go through them before looking to continue this series.

I have posted this on PBS, it is the only copy in system.  I also have the first book posted too.  Maybe they will move but things seem slow at PBS.

A String of Beads--#37 finished

This was the next in Jane Whitefield series by Thomas Perry.  This is one I checked out from the library, didn't want to wait it out on PBS & wanting to get the series done--or at least caught up, not sure if more books coming out or not.  This time the person she has to rescue is a guy she grew up with on the reservation and he was basically framed for a murder.  Not only framed but was likely going to be killed so real murder wouldn't be found.  Jane gets him away and has to move a few times.  Starts with low level thugs and police looking for the guy and turns into higher level mafia types.  Throw in a girl and the guy's mother as well and Jane has her hands full.  Good story and quick read.

There is 1 more book in the series and I already have it so will get it read in next few weeks or months.  This is library book so will be going back to them, no PBS on this one. 

The Lucky Ones--#36 finished

 This is basically 5 stories where there is a character that sort of overlaps between them.  All about people struggling in England, written in 2005 to give you a timeframe.  Mostly dealing with relationships in one way or another.  Interesting at times but wasn't what I was expecting and had a hard time working up to liking some of the characters.

I have already posted it on PBS & is the only copy so could move at some point.  I kept trying to remember how this book got on my WL in the first place & I cannot figure this one out--nothing else by author rings a bell and is old enough that I doubt I saw a review of it--oh well.

Don't Follow Me, I'm Lost--#35 finished

 This is a memoir of author's time in college in late 1980s and early 1990s.  The college was the very non-traditional Hampshire College in MA.  I don't really understand their classes and offerings, at least from reading this book.  This author fell in with a group that basically did all it could to not get along with others at college.  This being a very liberal and sort of at that time a hippie type of college, the group pushed things to where the group was kicked off campus author's freshman year.  His second year, he again finds his way to misfits of the college and again starts pissing off others at the college.  The book basically ends after 2nd year.  He does graduate in 5 years though.  I thought I would enjoy more because is about the same time that I was in college but Hampshire College is just too different from a more normal experience that no real connection was made.  Sort of funny at times but overall just sort of slugged my way through this.

I posted it once I finished it last night and has already been requested.  I have a couple other books to mail off so hopefully getting them all out tonight.

The Third Victim--#34 finished

 This is the first book in a series, I already had 2nd book so ordered this one through PBS.  A young female lawyer that was also an MMA fighter into college, switches from a law clerk to a defense lawyer team in Oregon.  A new big case arrives as well and Robin--new lawyer and rest of team work it along with a few other cases brought up too.  Head lawyer of group is also fighting forgetfulness and after case where defendant found guilty, head lawyer diagnosed with early dementia.  They keep investigating this case though & eventually break it freeing their client and bringing down the ladies that set him up.  All in all a good read and hopefully a good series as well. 

I have already posted this book back on PBS and is only copy in system.  Just looked and it is already up to 7 books in series.  I would think being that how popular this book series is it will get ordered at some point.

The Lemon Jell-O Syndrome--#33 finished

 This is a book that was on my bookshelf for a few years, I had looked at starting it several times but couldn't get it started.  I finally did so and well, it was okay.  It tried to be funny but I saw it more as pathetic.  The Dr Lemonjello or at least the fake one was there for comic relief but again just obviously screwed up.  The quirkiness of the other characters again wore out quickly.  Story moved along but more in a way that I just wanted it to get over, not really caring how it ended up.  Oh well, not everyone is a winner in my books read.

I have posted it on PBS & it is the only copy in system.  Author has written a few books so could see this one getting requested at some point.

Sharp--#32 finished

 The rest of the title is: The Women Who Made an Art of Having an Opinion.  It is basically about women critics since 1900s, at least some of the major ones.  I recognized some of the newer names like Nora Ephron and Susan Sontag and older one Hannah Arendt.  I had read some Arendt in college and was probably reason I picked it up from the library sale when I saw it.  I thought would be more about the individual people/women but was that somewhat but also the interaction between themselves and feminism in general.  Also throw in some more insider stuff on critics too.  Not really what I was expecting but still interesting at points.  I had started it at end of March--being Women's month so figured it was the time to read it.

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

Poison Flower--#31 finished

 This was the next in the Jane Whitefield series by Thomas Perry.  A good continuation of the series.  It started sort of in the middle of the story with Jane doing a jail break of sorts with a guy that was in prison but was at the courthouse the day she setup his escape.  Jane was caught by bad guys and bad things happened but she was able to get away.  Actually was able to kill off several people that were searching for her as well from past runners.  

I have already gotten the next book in series--was able to request from library since I figured would probably take years from PBS.  Already reading 4 books but once finish one, the next will be next. 

There are 2 WL for this book on PBS so will get it posted and mailed off at some point.

A Very Stable Genius--#30 finished

 This is another book about Donald Trump's Presidency that I wish people that are supporting him for 2024 would read.  The author's have done their research and have quotes from insiders that worked with Trump and show just how awful he was as President.  This book ends with the Mueller Report being released, right before the 1st impeachment.  So there is a lot of reasons for why he should be no where near the Presidency but this book gives good insight into some of the campaign and those first 2 years.  A long book but generally pretty easy to read.  Brings back many memories of this time too.

There is 1 WL for this book but I have a few of these Trump books already so keeping for now.

Talking as Fast as I Can--#29 finished

A quick and easy read.  It is a sort of memoir or maybe a catching up with what she was doing book that she wrote in 2016.  She is an actress that starred in Gilmore Girls and Parenthood.  I did not watch either of these shows.  She basically wrote it while finishing up Parenthood and started shooting a Gilmore Girls revival of 4 shows in Netflix.  I think I saw one of those Gilmore Girls shows with my youngest after she binge watched the original series.  I am not sure why I picked up this book from the library sale and that was just a few weeks ago.  And also not sure why I selected this book to read of the hundreds sitting in my book room and around a chair in the basement.  I guess after reading On the Road and basically not liking it and still reading a book on Trump's Presidency, I was looking for something simple and easy and this fit right in.  It didn't take long to read either.

I have already posted it on PBS, there were already 2 copies in system and probably a few paperbacks too but it can sit on my PBS bookshelf for now.

Dead Fall--#28 finished

This is the next in the Brad Thor series with Scot Harvath as a sort of mercenary type guy.  It is a long series so kind of hard to go back & explain how he got here but basically he is in his own organization that is mostly hired by US to do jobs that they don't want US servicemen or military involved on.  In this book, he is being sent into Ukraine to rescue an American woman that was there assisting an orphanage when she was kidnapped by a rouge group from Wagner that was helping the Russians.  A good story about the current war going on sort of gives some insight into this war.  Book was published last year so sort of up to date and very sad it is still ongoing.

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

On the Road--#27 finished

 This is the famous Jack Kerouac classic that sort of started the "beat" generation.  I guess I just don't get it.  It reads as an ongoing thought process where Sal--the main character is around a bunch of crazy people with one Dean basically a criminal.  I sort of see it as a group of people just after WWII that had a lot of steam to blow and didn't want to settle into a life their parents had.  I get that and I get where this just ongoing writing of non-stop stuff going on was probably so different than what other writers were doing that it became a sort of fascinating read but stepping beyond that, again I don't get it.  Didn't like the characters, didn't like the writing, didn't like the book.

It is a classic & my copy is older and sort of beaten up so won't post on PBS, will stick it on a shelf so I have it in case someone else wants to read some day.

The View From Flyover Country--#26 finished

The rest of the title is:  Dispatches From the Forgotten America.  The author lives in St Louis, so like to keep local author books.  She got her Phd from Wash U in St Louis.  Here area of study was Uzbekistan and that area of the world but she was a writer for different publications.  This is a collection of her essays.  I hadn't heard of her before finding this book and still really don't know much about her.  She has published a couple other books that I have on my wishlist on PBS.  These essays are from around 2010 to 2015 and are really good and thought provoking. 

There is 1 WL for this book but not sure if will mail off, like I said it is a local author.  I will probably keep for now at least.

Paradise City--#25 finished

 This is a book set in London, England with 4 main characters that are sort of tied into each other but not at first.  The book is about each of them and how they eventually grow and relate to one of the others in the book.  They are 4 very different people, a rich business executive, a hotel maid, a widow and a newspaper reporter.  I enjoyed how the author was able to make each character relatable and human.  Good read.

There were no copies in PBS so I have posted it right away--probably a week or so ago.  It hasn't been requested yet but think it will be at some point.

The Watermen--#24 finished

This is a book about America's first swimming hero, Charles Daniels.  A really interesting life and story about his swimming and the whole development of swimming as a sport and then the beginning of the Olympics.  Throw in that Daniels also was first to use the modern freestyle swimming stroke too.  A lot of good detail and research in this book but not overwhelming to point of boredom as other books I have read.  The story kept moving along and there were good side stories about his mother & father as well.

There is 1 WL for this book but might keep for now & see if any friends would be interested in it. 

Luna--#23 finished

 This is a book published back in 2005.  It is about a high school senior that is a male to female transsexual.  The boy Liam goes by Luna when dressed is struggling with wanting to come out.  The story is told from the perspective of the younger sister Regan, who is a couple of years behind.  It is a tough read at points because you know there will be an ugly coming out to parents and friends and it just keeps getting put off.  Regan is also struggling to find herself as most high school students are anyway.  A good read about this but like I said a little tough at points too.

There is 1 WL for this book so I will go ahead and post it & see if I can get it mailed off this week.

Armored--#22 finished

 This is an action adventure book by same author as the Gray Man series.  An professional operative that served in the army and then was a hired gun type guy, was injured in Lebanon and lost the bottom part of one of his legs.  Unable to continue that type work and no education he is reduced to taking a mall security position that pays nothing and with wife working nights and two very young children the family is struggling.  He has an opportunity to get back into the game of professional operative with a very good paying job but doesn't let them know about his prosthetic leg.  The job is security for UN negotiators in Mexico with drug lords.  Mission seems simple enough but insiders have made this a big setup job.  Duff--the main character eventually figures it out & is able to get away with part of his crew.  A good action packed read.

I got this book from PBS but it is a rougher shape so I won't be mailing it off, will instead look to donate it out somewhere.