Wild Horses--#28 finished

This was a mass market paperback, one of the older ones that actually fits in a pocket okay.  I needed a book like this for doctor's appointments and this one was sitting there at home.  Not a bad read, lots of bad people and bad things happening.  A kind of depressing book in many ways even though the main character Allison comes through at end and maybe future looks bright but still a lot of ugly to get there.  

I have already posted it back on PBS, it was also a 2nd book found for an order so putting back out there on PBS.  It is only copy in system. 

Diamond in the Rough--#27 finished

This is a memoir by Shawn Colvin a folk singer that started in 1980s and playing through today.  I am not into folk singing--I like some Bob Dylan when it comes on but that is about it.  I don't think I have heard any of Shawn Colvin's songs but she has won some Grammys so maybe I have and just don't know it.  I ordered this book when on PBS someone offered me a book and I try to find a 2nd to help offset the mailing cost.  Shawn grew up in South Dakota and I think that was the hook that got me to order the book.  She also went to college at SIUC which is close to St Louis.  It is a good read about her struggles at finding her music and earning a living in the business.  Also that she was an alcoholic but has been in recovery for years now.  Also struggles with relationships but does have a daughter.  An interesting life and a good read.

I have already posted it back on PBS and it is the only copy in system.

Fordlandia--#26 finished

The rest of the title is: The Rise and Fall of Henry Ford's Forgotten Jungle City.  In the late 1920s and into the 1930s and early 1940s, Henry Ford of the Ford Motor Company developed a city and a rubber plantation deep into the Amazon rainforest in Brazil.  This was when rubber was still harvested from trees and the British had a kind of monopoly going in Asia and Ford didn't want to controlled by that.  An interesting read about an interesting attempt at this--Americanizing a part of the Amazon just didn't work.  Ford sent people with little to no experience at this in working with Brazilians, developing a plantation, knowledge of the land and jungle and on and on.  Throw in the Great Depression and then WWII along with eventually rubber in the lab and this project was just doomed.  Of course plant disease, growing conditions, worker problems, etc were going to end this badly as well.  I remember seeing a TV docu show about this and looked up this book from that.  I eventually got it through Thrift Books around Christmas.  A good and interesting read, maybe not exciting but kind of a slow motion car accident type read--you knew it was ending badly and it was at times work to get through, just wanted to find out about the ending.

There are 4 WL for this book on PBS but since have plenty of credits it will get stacked with others waiting till a time in the future to mail. 

I Will Find You--#25 finished

This is a newer book by Harlan Coben.  A young boy is murdered and the father was drunk and passed out.  The father is found guilty of using a baseball bat to kill his son basically in his sleep/drunken state.  He is serving life in prison where a family friend is warden.  A sister in law visits and shows him a picture with his son in the background from a few months ago.  A kind of crazy prisoner tries to kill the guy, a prison guard tries to kill him so warden helps him escape.  Him with sister in law tracks down and finds son.  Throw in a couple really kind of stupid acting FBI investigators along with a mob boss and things are really jumbled.  At least story keeps moving forward quickly enough that you don't realize how often these side characters are just thrown aside as two dimensional people.  Just think this could have been a better story, seems like it was rushed or just several ideas floating around shoved together for a story.

There are 25 WL for this book, last I checked--just checked now and at 22 WL on PBS for this book.  Will post & send off at some point if I ever need credits there again.

The Cat--#24 finished

This is a tough book to read.  The mother of a young boy is already a kind of loner.  The ex-husband is nearby but with a new family.  The mother has a birthmark on her face that has sort of tormented her and part of why she is a loner.  Well her you boy is killed when a car goes off the road and strikes him while he was playing in their front yard.  The mom basically wants to die as well but for a cat they had adopted and was a loved pet of her son.  She realizes she has to stay alive to take care of this cat.  Slowly she does find a way to persevere with life and finds people from her past to help on this.  While there will always be a kind of hole, she is able to move on in a sense.

There are no copies in PBS system and will probably post at some point.  I just posted some books and have to mail them off so don't need to post this and have it get requested right away--will wait a week or two.

Lies That Chelsea Handler Told Me--#23 finished

This is a book with different chapters written by those family, friends and/or victims of Chelsea Handler practical jokes or just plain painful attempts at jokes.  Funny in ways and fits with her previous books.  It is light and easy reads and that is what I was looking for.  It has to be tough when she is your boss and she is obviously setting you up but you sort of have to also believe her.  Since at this point and I guess still she is successful and I think genuinely really likes the people, there is no real blow back on this either.  Just must be a sort of crazy life if you are around her.

Maybe surprisingly the Chelsea Handler books are mostly a keeper for me at this point.  Not really sure why but I guess why not.   

My New American Life--#22 finished

I have read a couple other books by the author Francine Prose and her books always seem to be entertaining and come from a different angle than expected.  I didn't know much of what to expect on this one other than an immigrant in the US.  A young Albanian woman comes to the US as a tourist but had planned to overstay that and remain here--kind of timely for our current times.  She finds a position as a live in helper to a father and a teenage son--she is to help the son grow up and stay on top of homework, etc.  A family friend/lawyer is helping her gain legal status too.  The wife/mother had just left them on a Christmas Eve--said going to store but ends up sending postcards from different places--she has sort of lost her mind in a way.  Lulu the main character has settled in but then 3 Albanian men come to the house and get involved with her without the husband and son knowing.  At times funny, sad and just pushing along.  A different sort of read but still mostly entertaining.

There is 1 WL for this book on PBS so may try to post soon.