Cardboard Gods--#48 finished

I received this book through PBS a couple years ago and finally took the time to read it.  I had sort of followed the writers blog for a while & when I heard he wrote a book off his blog idea, I put it on my WL.  His blog is now the same name as his book--although I haven't checked it out for a couple years.  In it he would pull out one of his old baseball cards and examine the player, his uniform and background and wrap all that with something that went on in his life.  He has lead an interesting life, at least by my standards but I don't think I would call it exciting.  The book was more about his life and his struggles to fit in and become something.  There was less focus on the cards and more focus on his life, which makes sense.  I did miss some of his crazy insights about the baseball cards though that he threw out there in the blog.  I will have to check on his blog & see if it is still running and how it has changed.

The book itself kind of reads like a John Irving novel, I just read his Twisted River--back in January I believe and it seems similar at least to the Irving character's mid 30s age.  This writer Josh Wilker hasn't gotten to the level of success yet that Irving gave his character.  Now that I rethink it, maybe not that similar but the book had kind of that feel to it with baseball cards instead of wrestling--Irving likes wrestling.  Overall I liked this book and really hope the writer becomes successful.  I didn't get a good feeling either way on Josh's life--good or bad.  Lots of issues and hope for the best.  Wonder if in 10-15 years another book will be coming out?

I am not sure if I will be posting it or not.  Right now I think it is a keeper for me.  His blog is one of the reasons I have this blog and still think about writing something.  I don't think I can mail this book off.  It will go by the Adventures in Mainstreaming that also gets partial credit.

I am reading The End of Mr Y and also started The Color of Night.  I hope to add a 3rd book later today.

Consider This, Señora--#47 finished

I really enjoyed this book about Americans that start a housing development in the 1960s on a hill overlooking a lake close to a poor Mexican city in the interior of the country.  A good story about the people that moved there and their lives.  The book was colorful and insightful for both the foreigners that moved in and the locals that have lived there for generations.  It is a very good and interesting read,  I really enjoyed it.  I wasn't sure what the book would be like when I started, I feared more romance and there was very little of that.  This book really surprised me in a very good way.

I will not be posting it on PBS, the spine is cracking in one spot.  Now I must decide if this book is a keeper or if I will pass it along elsewhere--right now leaning toward keeper.

Love Kills--#46 finished

This is the last in the 4 book series about a detective in Pasadena, CA--Nan Vining.  The first 3 books in the series dealt with Nan tracking down a serial killer that had almost killed her.  The third book she kills the serial killer but I guess the author wanted to tie up some loose ends so a 4th book was written.  This book basically tied up the loose ends and put the detectives in the middle of an almost Tom Cruise Scientology or cult investigation.  Don't get me wrong, it had nothing to do with Scientology but the case and characters seemed similar to me an ways.  Not too bad, the series needed to get wrapped up and this book did the job.  The author has started another series, but not sure if I really want to get into it.  I have plenty of other books to read so will probably pass at this point.

Reading Consider This, Señora and Cardboard Gods.  I also just started The End of Mr Y a book I started once before but didn't get through much at al before shelving it for later & later is now I guess.  I have posted Love Kills on PBS and it is only the 2nd copy on the system so I expect it to move at some point.  Since I have all 4 books in series I could also offer a deal like 2 credits for all 4 books just to move them--won't do right now but maybe down the line.

"F" is for Fugitive--#45 finished

I am still working my way through these books in order and F is the first one this year that I read.  I need to start reading 3 for 4 a year otherwise it is going to take a long long time to get through the series.  I read this book way back in 1998 according to my books read sheets and I did remember parts of it but also thought the ending was different--which is a good thing since I didn't know what happened till I read it.  I think I was confused with one of the other books.  This is just a good series and every book I have read is enjoyable.  I am not sure if I have G or not--if not might have to get it from PBS.

I am still reading Love Kills and just started Cardboard Gods.  I also started Try This, Señora or some thing like that but after reading 20 pages I haven't touched it again, maybe this weekend.

Radical Chic & Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers--#44 finished

These are two Tom Wolfe essays or commentaries written in 1970 dealing with race relations at the time.  In Radical Chic he looks at the very upper class white liberals in New York City that host "parties" or "meetings" where radical groups are brought in as guests and a sort of debate and fundraiser occurs.  He points at some of the absurdities of these events and basically calls out the liberals for their white guilt.

In Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers he examines how poor or ghetto groups have learned to game the governmental bureaucracy system to get funding and "jobs" for the poor.  He looks at how these groups use intimidation and again a sort of white guilt to get money for their group.  I have seen reviews that call these essays funny but I think they show what has become the problems in government and has lead to groups like the Tea Party hating the idea of tax money being wasted.

Good stuff.  I really liked these essays and found them to be surprising that Wolfe went against the establishment the way he did back in early 1970s.

I have posted it on PBS, it is the only copy on system at least for this edition.  I expect it to move soon but even if not soon it will move at some point.

The Secret Soldier--#43 finished

This is the 2nd John Wells series book that I have read & I really liked this one.  If I remember without checking back, I think the Midnight House was just okay but this book really stepped up with a realistic scenario and storyline and that just made the book that much more interesting.  I will have to find the earlier books in the John Well series and read them forward.  Okay about this book, an new terrorist group in Saudi Arabia forms to disrupt the SA government and backstabbing happens within the group as well.  With a still ongoing "Arab Spring" happening in Syria and elsewhere, this book in a way asks the question of why nothing is happening like that in SA.  I really interesting read and lots of good info on the Middle East.

I will be posting it on PBS probably soon, I think there are around 15 WL for it.  It will be a nice book to read for whoever is next.   I am not far with Love Kills and just started Radical Chic & Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers--an early Tom Wolfe book/short stories.  Also just started F is for Fugitive the next one for me in order.  I had actually read this one back in 1998 and from the first few pages I kind of remember stuff but being that long ago a re-read is in order.

Growgirl--#42 finished

Growgirl by Heather Donahue, she is the actress from The Blair Witch Project.  This is her book about her life of a couple years ago, when she decided to give up acting and instead hooked up with a guy & group of pot growers in CA.  She never really addresses her finances in real dollars just says she basically has no or little money.  I thought she would have made a bundle on the movie or at least between it and the second one enough to live comfortably.  Who knows.  Well she ends up meeting this guy who she dates who is into this whole hippie community sense of growing pot--really kind of bizarre life/lifestyle.  She breaks up with him but is already setup with a rental property with the garage all decked out for growing pot.  She gets into all of the details of it both growing and how it is quasi-legal in CA.  She does get out of it in the end but that is also the end of the book so not sure where she is at right now.  I think it was an okay read if you are interested in pot--I'm not so not so much my cup of tea.  Some more details about her life before would have helped but I guess the pot was the focus not the before life.

I have posted it on PBS & it has already been accepted so I will be mailing it off this week.  I am now reading The Secret Soldier and Love Kills.  I will start a 3rd book, maybe tonight if I can pick one out quick.