American Gun--#80 finished

The author of this book Chris Kyle served in Iraq and probably Afghanistan too and was a top sniper there and wrote a book I read years ago I think was American Sniper--yep just looked it up.  A movie was made and Chris was a kind of famous person.  Just as this book finished up Chris and a friend were killed, it says trying to help another veteran.  If I remember right I think the guy had ptsd and shot up a firing range--not sure and will probably try looking up after typing this up.  This book is about 10 guns that influenced the US from it's very beginning to present day.  Good stories and writeups on each gun as well as talking about other similar guns or guns the opponents were using.  I am not much of a gun guy so was just a good read for me, people with real interest in guns probably enjoy this book much more.

There are no copies on PBS but at this point not posting it either.  Not sure if keeper since a lot good information here or maybe post or maybe donate away.  No hurry to decide. 

Taylor Made--#80 finished

This is a locally published kind of self published book.  The author started her own publishing company and this book came from it.  It is a rough book, rough story, 4 girls starting in middle school and going through high school and then college in St Louis in North St Louis are involved with young men that are dealing drugs and raking in a bunch of cash.  The language is rough, a ton of n-words or variations of that.  The years are late 1980s into the early 1990s which is when I came to St Louis so time and setting seem a little familiar but don't know this area or the in & outs of this life at all.  This is the first book by this author and it seems like it too.  Story gets confusing, introducing people and roles and not really sure how everyone fits at points.  Oh well a good story that reminds me that the crack epidemic of that time was really a tough time.

I have posted it on PBS, not sure if it will get requested but figure will post & see.  Might get donated away if stays on my PBS list too long.

An Unfinished Love Story--#79 finished

This is the first book I have read by the historian Doris Kearns Goodwin & it is really good.  The rest of the title is: A Personal History of the 1960s.  Her and her husband didn't meet until the 1970s but each played a somewhat important role in the politics of the 1960s.  Her husband Dick Goodwin was older and had more roles starting with JFK and his election to President and then staying on with LBJ and helping push through many of the Great Society bills.  He left LBJ to teach but also split with him on the Vietnam war.  He was back in politics help McCarthy and then his good friend RFK until he was assassinated.  Meanwhile Doris was a college student & then Phd as well that got a position in DC that eventually turned into a kind of personal assistant to LBJ.  She was with him till end of his Presidency and then continued to work on his memoirs.  This was told as a look back for them both going through boxes of material they had saved.  Unfortunately Dick made it through the boxes but died from cancer before writing the book so Doris had to do that on her own.  Just a really in depth look at politics in the US in the turbulent 1960s from an insider type perspective. 

There are 32 WL for this book on PBS so might get mailed at some point but might also loan out to friends as well or maybe just put on a keeper shelf here. 

Taking Down Backpage--#78 finished

This is by a former CA prosecutor that led the effort to take down the Craigslist of escorts and prostitutes called Backpage.  I kind of remember hearing about this years back.  Reading about Backpage and thinking this was before the MeToo movement and the Epstein files, all of those just make you wonder what the hell were we thinking.  I am sure sex trafficking is still going on, pimps and prostitutes and all that but the people running these things should be locked away for a long time and help given to the victims.  Shame at least for the customers.  Just a really sad state.  Tough to read about some of the victims in this book but glad to see it was taken down and some of the people at least went to justice.

There are 2 WL for this book on PBS so I will probably post & send off at some point.

"I" is for Innocent--#77 finished

This is the next in the series, it is a re-read series for me and while parts of the story come back to me, many details had been forgotten.  I guess that is typical, just funny though.  I have no idea how people memorize lines or poems and can repeat them back--that is so not me.  Kinsey has been kicked out/fired from her insurance company office and lands an office with lawyer Lonnie Kingman.  She has to take over an investigation for an upcoming trail that another PI was working but he just died.  Going through his work and following leads with again just interesting characters in all directions, this is a good story.  A fun read that pushes along this series.

There are plenty of copies in system, in fact I had just ordered this one when I realized I did not have it.  I am not sure if I had loaned my copy out or maybe I had checked it out from library--just don't know.  I know I read this one years ago but don't know what happened to the book.  Oh well, this series is a keeper so I will put with the others and grab the next when I feel time.

Ogallala Blue--#76 finished

Growing up in Nebraska I heard about the Ogallala Aquifer at times in school and probably in the newspaper.  Since moving to Missouri many years ago, surprised at how people here have not heard of it and how important it is, I guess since not directly under, was never really a topic.  This book gives a lot of details and information that I didn't know or think about this large aquifer.  I knew that it was being drained and that crop irrigation was one of the main culprits.  I also know that west of the Rockies there is a drought going on so figured now was a good time to read this book for a little more understanding.  The book is around 20 years old so all while reading it, I kept wondering if things had gotten better since it was written.  I quick read of wikipedia makes it sound like no, not gotten better.  The worse maybe slowed some but not better.  Lots of information in the book, I am not at all a scientist so some of the details, geology, engineering, etc were beyond me but I certainly understood the issues involving this.

Well there are no WL for this book on PBS, it is one that I got through Thrift Books anyway.  This will be a keeper for me.

You Exist Too Much--#75 finished

A Palestinian young woman is struggling in her life.  She is bi-sexual but cannot let her family know this.  Her parents are divorced and she mostly lived with her mom but her mom was tough to live with.  she almost was like living in the shadow of her mom.  And with her troubled relationship with her mom, it carries over into making trouble with the relationships she gets in.  The book reads almost autobiographical in many ways since the main character is a writer too that goes to Iowa writing school as author did too.  The book sort of ends on a hopeful note where main character is in a good relationship even if her mother cannot approve.  This was a good and interesting read.

There are 7 WL for this book on PBS so like so many others I will file away for now & probably post at some point down the line when more in need of credits.