A Chain of Thunder--#65 finished

This is the 2nd novel in the Western series of the Civil War.  This one is about the Siege of Vicksburg.  Vicksburg is under Confederate control and the Union wants it so they can control all of the Mississippi river a main source of shipping equipment, supplies, men around the West.   I like the writing style of focusing on a couple people on each side & talking about what they were going through day to day along with the generals.  Grant had the numbers and better supply lines and basically forced the Confederates back into Vicksburg where they were stuck.  Not sure why Confederate general Johnson didn't come to help.  Good read that gets into the details of the people and battle.  I think there is 1 more in this series that I need to get to in the coming months.

There is 1 copy already on PBS but this series is a keeper so will be going back on my shelf.

"G" is for Gumshoe--#64 finished

I am back on the Kinsey Millhone series running through F & G this month.  This one she is being tracked by a contract killer.  A guy she helped get arrested has put contact on her a judge & maybe prosecutor and judge has already been killed.  A bodyguard comes to help her Robert Dietz.  Kinsey also moves into the rebuilt apartment but her VW bug is a total loss.  Books ends without knowing what happens to car.  Dietz has moved on.  She does solve a case and actually a murder case from long ago along with it.  A good story that keeps moving.  Maybe too many moving parts on this one, gets confusing.  Also a few times where not sure why she didn't step back & let police takeover.  Oh well still a fun read and a fun series.

This is a mass media paperback and plenty of copies on PBS but this is a keeper series for me so will go back on my shelf.

Grit, Spit and Never Quit--#63 finished

This is by Rob Riggle, a comedian that also served as a Marine--getting deployed to Liberia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan.  I saw him doing the NFL picks and seemed like a pretty funny guy.  Reading this he also did a year on Saturday Night Live and also worked for The Daily Show--these were times when I wasn't watching these shows much so I don't remember him.  I have seen him on different movies and always plays a pretty funny character.  I guess he has done some drama roles but I haven't seen or at least remembered them.  I enjoy these type of memoirs, reading about how people--celebrities--got to where they are.  His is a really good story with also doing it while serving as a Marine--a lot of credit to him.

There are 2 WL for this book on PBS and since I got it from PBS I will probably post & send off at some point.

Commander in Cheat--#62 finished

The rest of the title: How Golf Explains Trump.  This is a book by a golf writer Rick Reilly about how Trump cheats at golf and so not surprising how he cheats at other things in life--wives, not paying workers, and then politics.  This was published in 2019 so before Covid and before Jan 6th riot.  It is funny how this sports writer was able to pull so much together and present it in a very easy to read book about Trump.  It really shows that Trump is a sort of one of a kind person--even with his many, many failings, he is also someone that people seem to like enough to get elected twice as president.  I have no idea how history will handle him but certainly is changing the way politics has been done.  This was a good quick read.

There are no copies in PBS system but for now I will keep this book, might hand out to friends. 

"F" is for Fugitive--#61 finished

This is that next book in the Kinsey Millhone series that I am re-reading.  I guess I started this over last year and slowly making progress on this.  I really enjoy this series and need to keep at it with a little quicker pace.  This one Kinsey is out of her apartment as it was blown up in the previous book.  She is living in landlord's extra bedroom while her apartment being rebuilt but this is just mentioned at beginning.  She gets a job out of town at a small town motel on ocean a couple hours away where she stays at the hotel.  She is investigating a murder from 17 years ago where the guy that pleaded manslaughter walked away from prison way back then and was just now caught.  Family wants him proven innocent and hires Kinsey.  A whole cast of characters and small town life unfolds.  Good story and investigation.

These are all keeper books, this one is an ex-library book in rough shape so wasn't going anywhere anyway. 

Making the Play--#60 finished

The rest of the title:  The Inspirational Story of Mike Jones as told to Jim Thomas.  This is Mike Jones of the Tackle that saved the St Louis Rams Super Bowl win in 1999.  This is a really good story.  Been more than a few years and even a bunch of years since the Rams were pulled from St Louis & taken back to LA.  St Louis was football crazy then and there is still and under current of crazy football here.  For me the sport of football is really hard to care much about.  I do enjoy going to our local high school games with my son when possible and I am still part of an on going fantasy football league and will probably continue to follow Nebraska football especially if they ever get back to relevance.  So not completely shut away but pro game really just isn't very good in my opinion.  Oh well, all of that it was a nice journey back in time to Mike Jones, Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk and all the other Rams.  Good read.

I started this one to read and then mail off but in reading it, it just has too much St Louis history to send off.  It is a keeper for me, at least for now.  There is 1 WL for this book and I would guess it is someone in St Louis area wanting it.

Showdown at Shepherd's Bush--#59 finished

The rest of the title:  The 1908 Olympic Marathon and the Three Runners Who Launched a Sporting Craze.  That is basically the story--goes over some marathon history and then more in depth about the 3 main runners.  Johnny Hayes an American from Ireland, with obviously Irish Americans competing in London then was also part of the Olympic story.  Tom Longboat an Onondaga Indian from Canada who was probably the favorite--had to endure racists taunts, poor handling, etc back then.  Then Dorando Pietri from Italy who became the fan favorite even after being DQ'ed for getting assistance at the end of the race.  After the race a lot more good information about the marathon races they participated in eventually all turned pro to earn money from their racing.  Really good and interesting read.

There are 2 WL for this book on PBS but for now a keeper.  I got this book from Thrift Books too so don't feel to guilty about not putting into PBS as I do others that I get from PBS.