Y is for Yesterday--#26 finished

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

This is on my keeper shelf.

Children of the Flames--#25 finished

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

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

Blue--#24 finished

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

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

Another Brooklyn--#23 finished

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

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

Dad is Fat--#22 finished

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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