The High Notes--#87 finished

 I hadn't read a book by Danielle Steel before so when I saw this one offered as part of a deal on PBS I figured why not give it a try.  Danielle Steel has a ton of books out there and has been writing for decades so maybe my expectations were a little too high.  I really am disappointed in this book.  Characters were simple two dimensional, you knew who was bad and who was good in about 2 sentences.  While the main character struggled, she was almost like in a fairy tale where in the end she was going to be uber successful and marry the prince and she did.  This book also seemed like it was caught between maybe the 1970s or 80s--a simpler time with no cell phones or internet and the modern today world--book was published 2022.  I am guessing the idea for this book was maybe outlined decades before but was just written now.  Overall just a disappointing book.

There were 9 WL for this book but I didn't really want it around so I have posted it & should be getting mailed off in next couple of days.

I am Sorry to Think I Have Raised a Timid Son--#86 finished

This is a group of stories that in between the stories the writer talks about his relationship with his family but mostly his dad.  The author Kent Russell is a reporter of sorts that looks for the unusual.  I am guessing he is mostly the freelance sort of writer.  His dad is sort of crazy type, they moved from Ohio to Florida when Kent was young and his dad seems the Florida guy sort that I have read about before.  Just sort of out there type character.  Kent went to school in Florida and later lived in New York while still trying to find out what he wanted to do.  His parents had moved to San Francisco sometime there as well.  From what I gather or at least remember this book seems like how Kent decided to become a full time writer.  Not really sure.  Some stories were really interesting but others just didn't make much sense.  Sort of a mixed review on this book.  This is one of those short story type books that I like to mix into my reading, not really sure why this one came my way though.

There are 3 WL for this book on PBS so will post & send off at some point.

Proud--#85 finished

 The rest of the title is: My Fight for an Unlikely American Dream.  This is a book by the US fencer Ibtihaj Muhammad who competed for the US team and was part of the team that won the bronze medal in Rio.  As a black muslim woman wearing a hijab she stood out in this sport but she had already been standing out in school and life before this as well.  Book goes through her journey and the struggles she had on the way.  A good and interesting read.  I knew nothing about fencing and now know a little but more about the person she is, glad I read this book.

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

Red Star Falling--#84 finished

 This is the 2nd in a new series by Steve Berry with Grant Blackwood.  It takes Luke Daniels who is also part of the Cotton Malone series and gives him his own books/adventures.  This one involves Russia and a nuclear weapon satellite leftover from the days of communism.  A Russian that hates the current leader--that is a renamed Putin--wants to use this weapon to kill him and most of the leadership of Russia.  US & Daniels find out about it & want to stop it.  Race to do this happens.  A fun action/page turner type book.

There are around 19 WL for this book.  I had read the first in series a month or so ago so hopefully can mail these two books together on PBS--will have to see about that though.

The Turret Room--#83 finished

 This is an older book from the 1960s, a sort of mystery/thriller book.  I am not considering it a classic but still a fun read.  It is one of those older pocket paperbacks and I had a bookmark that I kept skipping over because it was small and I have been on a run of hardback books or larger sized paperbacks.  I needed a smaller book and this is one that I had.  I had gotten it as the 2nd book from PBS--when someone posted a book to me I always checkout their bookshelf to get another book if possible and this was it a few months or maybe a year ago.  For some reason I thought this was in England but instead it is in California--I am guessing the turret seemed more English to me maybe.  A well to do family where the son's 2nd wife is beaten up and in a coma in the hospital.  A sort of who done it--the very young 19 year old daughter, married even younger & had a child, her now ex-husband is being figured for this assault but is being hidden by a niece in the turret room.  Ends up the young 19 year old daughter is crazy & did it and the maid was trying to help her cover it up.  A sort of crazy story but turned out to be a fun read anyway.

I have posted it on PBS, it is the only copy so who knows on these older books, it might move at some point.

The Guide--#82 finished

 This book takes Jack from author's last book The River and brings him back to Colorado.  He has just left the ranch he was working with his father for a couple month job as a fishing guide on a trout stream in the CO mountains.  Things seem a little off right away at this exclusive high dollar fishing resort type place but since only to finishout the season figures he will stick with it.  Lots of talk about fly fishing which I like to fish but no fly fishing--doesn't really interest me.  Can pick out the bad guys pretty quick and sort of know other parts as well but takes a while for author to get there.  Not a big fan of this book for this reason.  It was hard for me to stay interested.  Still this is a good writer overall & I have enjoyed several of his other books, not this one though so much.

There are 15 WL for this book on PBS so will probably post & mail off at some point.

The Kite Runner--#81 finished

This is a book that was just published around 20 years ago but is on a lot of those books you need to read lists.   Well I finally got around to reading it and it is a really good book, I can see why it has made the lists.  Talks about a family from the perspective of the son as a youngster growing up in Kabul, Afghanistan in the 1970s before the Russian invasion and then a little during invasion and their escape to the US.  The son grows up marries, buries his father and is unable to start his own family.  The son is still sort of broken because of issues in his past, a letter from family friend pulls him back to Pakistan and then Afghanistan to rescue a boy that is really a nephew.  The broken land of Afghanistan right before 9/11 happens where the Taliban are running the country.  Just a really good read both about the people of Afghanistan as well as the story of this family.  Glad that I finally read this book.

There are already over 90 copies on PBS so I will not add to it.  I will see about loaning out or maybe keeping. 

As Good As Gone--#80 finished

 This is about a family in Montana in the 1960s.  The family is having problems both on the surface and also underneath the surface--individually where they are not talking about these problems.  Wife is having surgery done out of town & husband is going with her.  They have a senior girl in high school and an 11--I think, I finished over a week ago so working off memory--boy.  The husband talks to his very much estranged dad to come and help out with kids while parents are out of town.  Good story about this grandpa and why estranged.  Good relationship stories about husband, wife and wife's family.  Also good stories about the problems the kids are having but not wanting to tell anyone.  Neighbor helps out and has some romance with grandpa as well.  Well written and interesting stories. 

I did just go ahead and post this book on PBS, it is the only copy in system.  I have enough credits so wasn't going to post but figured why not.

Melania and Me--#79 finished

 The rest of the title:  The Rise and Fall of my Friendship with the First Lady.  Stephanie Winston Wolkoff was a friend of Melania Trump before DJT ever ran for President.  Stephanie admits that she didn't like much of what she was hearing from Trump during his run but she also was not involved or paid much attention to politics--if I remember reading correctly 2016 was the first election she voted in & voted for Trump.  Stephanie worked for Vogue magazine and also was a major events coordinator doing Met Galas.  Once Trump won the election, she reached out to Melania and offered to help with the inauguration festivities and helped coordinate people and events.  She then stayed on as an advisor to the first lady trying to help her start up what would be the focus of the first lady's project.  

This being the Trump White House and the even before that leading up to the Inauguration, the grift was on.  Shady dealings were happening and the author didn't realize it but thought things not quite right but figured she would be okay as a friend of Melania and really just helping out.  Well about 2 years later she was pushed forward as the person getting the grift or not staying on top of the money when she had no role in the money side of this.  She had signed a NDA so couldn't fight back on the bad press going out and reaching out & begging for help from her friend did nothing too.  Really just a sad but not surprising happening.  At least she was able to get this book written & out there to give her side--at least as much as she could--she mentioned with NDA she could only write about what was out in public already or something like that. 

There is 1 copy on PBS already and don't see a reason on make a 2nd copy so will probably look to hand off or give away instead.

A Woman of No Importance--#78 finished

 This is another finished in August book but just now getting around to logging in.  The rest of the title is: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II.  This is a true story about Virginia Hall a woman from the US that wanted more in life that just getting married and being a socialite.  She joined the diplomatic services but was blocked from moving up because she was a woman.  She served in assistant/secretarial positions while trying to move up.  She lost the lower part of her leg at one point and had to wear a wooden prosthetic.  She was in France & volunteer to drive ambulances during the German invasion.  She eventually made it to England where she was trained to be a spy inside France for England.  She was very successful at this but still because she was a woman it took until almost the end of the war before she was given a command.  The book goes into great detail about her service and the many things she was able to accomplish.  She was a true hero.  After the war she did catch on to the CIA but again because she was a woman, even though she had much more experience than others at being a spy, she was passed over again and again.  A truly amazing story but also a sad story that this book written in 2019 long after she had died, is really the first recognition of her accomplishments.

There are 43 WL for this book on PBS so will probably post & mail off at some point.

You Think It, I'll Say It--#77 finished

 This is a short story book by author Curtis Sittenfeld, a lady but goes by Curtis.  She & her family live in St Louis area and it seems most of her stories are in the midwest.  I enjoyed the stories but it has been a couple weeks since I had finished it and memory is growing short of details of the stories.  Remember there being sort of twists at end of the stories though.  I enjoyed it, was an easy read.  This was an August finished book but just now getting around to logging in.

There are  like 8 WL for this book so might get mailed off or since a St Louis author might be a keeper instead.