The Churchill Complex--#49 finished

The rest of the title: The Curse of Being Special, from Winston and FDR to Trump and Brexit.  Starts off on FDR and Churchill's relationship during WWII and continues with the relationships between the US & English leaders from then to now.  A really good and interesting read.  Learned a lot about the different circumstances and decisions made often with this relationship in mind.  England has basically always been our major supporter while we--the US--exercised our superpower over the globe.  Good read with a lot of information.

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

Population: 485--#48 finished

The author Michael Perry has moved back to his hometown, a small town in WI back in the 1990s after moving away for several years.  He gets a house in town and joins the volunteer EMS/Fire Dept.  He is trained as a nurse but has become a writer over time.  This book has stories about the calls he goes on and his thoughts on just a lot of things.  A lot about the rough calls where people have or are in process of dying, really makes you think about this from the first responder perspective.  Really enjoyed the read even with some very sad stories.

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

Wild Game--#47 finished

The rest of the title:  My Mother, Her Lover, and Me.  The author at 14 was pulled into finding out & helping her mother cheat on her step dad.  If that wasn't bad enough, the lover was the step dad's best friend.  The lover and his wife were really great friends of her mother and step dad.  A screwed up situation.  Step dad had a stroke shortly after married to mother and the lover's wife was poor health and getting a little worse over time as well, so the two healthy ones sort of fell in love but neither wanted to end their marriage so a long term cheating went on.  To make it even more screwed up, the author after college moves to San Diego and marries the other couple's son.  Son is adopted because of the wife's health issues but certainly sees her as his mom.  Author keeps all this a secret still until right before wedding the best friend opens up to his wife and it all falls apart.  The step dad had already passed by this time.  Well of course the guy stays with his wife and the mom is shattered and lonely.  Wife dies about 2 years after this and then friend and author's mom do marry very soon afterwards.  Well author and husband grow apart, move apart and divorce but still friends and see each other on holidays since parents are married.  Author does find love and marries and has a couple kids.  Lots in here about her struggles with her mom, kinda reads like a very long session with a therapist.  

There are 22 WL for this book on PBS so will post and mail away at some point.

Delphine Jones Takes a Chance--#46 finished

I wanted a lighter kind of read and this book was sitting near the top of a pile so I picked it up.  It was a nice light read, maybe a little more chic-lit than I thought but a nice read.  Single mom--had her daughter at 16 and basically had to quit school in England at that point--at least no college.  Delphine is obviously very smart and talented but because raising her daughter and having a father that checked out when her mom died, Delphine had to take care of the household.  I get that but when she starts turning things around, she can sing, play piano, exceptionally well read and can write--just don't see why she was struggling at a terrible coffee shop which she gets fired from.  Oh well, she turns her life around and maybe finds a little love as well.  Some answers on her past also come through.  Nice read overall.

There is 1 WL for this book on PBS so I went ahead and posted it, will see if gets accepted or not in next couple of days.

Enemy of the State--#45 finished

I finished this one last night late so it was finished in May & puts me at 9 books a month average.  Not really pushing for all time most read but still reading along at a good clip.  This is a series book kind of like the Sigma and Cotton Malone series where the main character Mitch Rapp is a CIA guy that is basically the best in world killer/operative something like that.  This is the 16th book in series that is on the 2nd author.  Was a good read but really similar to those others and not sure really want to get into another series like that.  Might go back & see what that first book in series was like if do anything.  I had got this book at a library sale--hard to pass up 50 cents.  Was sitting on shelf for a year or so and finally just wanted an easy kind of read like this & it fit.

There is 1 copy in PBS system so might post but holding onto now in case decide to search back for the earlier books in series. 

The Riches of this Land--#44 finished

This is a book about the American middle class, first looking at definition and then why such a rise and what has happened to it.  The author is an economics reporter and this book is a process of several interviews of many years, articles he has written and his research that he combined into this book.  I guess one of the main take aways is too often in a middle class discussion women and minorities seem to be left out when really it is their participation in work which gave the middle class the rise after WWII.  There is a lot of information and ideas packed into this book that me typing a few sentences about it would not do it justice.  I didn't get any big takeaways here, writer does sort of mention that these issues are complicated to solve and really have to start at a base level of person to person.  A lot to think about here.  A good read.

There are no copies on PBS site but at this point I am keeping book, maybe loan out to friends or post down the line.

Bob Plager's Tales from the Blues Bench--#43 finished

Bob Plager was basically a lifetime Blues player and executive back from the beginning of the team.  I am not much of a hockey fan, never watching it growing up and only catching a few games here and there since living in St Louis.  I had heard stories of the Plager brothers--all 3 of them playing for the Blues at one time.  This book was picked up at a library sale for a quarter or 50 cents and has been on my bookshelf for years.  Figured I needed something light and easy to read so grabbed it.  It has some funny stories as well as some of the more tragic story about his brother in here too.  Overall a good quick read, especially if an old time Blues fan.

I have already posted it on PBS, it is the only copy but since older book, don't know if it will ever get requested.