As we wind down the month of July, I'll update some new books I've received, provide reviews of three books I've finished and the synopses of the next books in line. I'll continue with my latest theme, Women Authors I've been enjoying in a later post. We've been having pretty hot, dry weather the past few days. It'll be in the 30s for the next couple of days. It's hot trying to sleep. The doggies are finding it difficult to get comfortable.
Just Finished
1.
Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by
Jessica Bruder (2017).
"Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder was an excellent story, something I was so unaware of. Just fascinating; depressing at times but also encouraging.
The story follows America's nomads, middle class Americans whose lives have been turned upside down because of the financial crisis. Loans are defaulted, homes repossessed, jobs lost and these people find themselves trying other ways to live and survive. And this means to so many becoming road warriors; people living in buses, cars, RV's etc and traveling around the US and Canada, moving from job to job.
Bruder does an excellent job laying out the story. As part of her research she spent a number of years following the nomads especially a 66 year old woman Linda May as she travels from summer jobs at California parks to winter jobs at Amazon warehouses (Camperforce) and in between meets with fellow nomads at camp locations in the south west; at Rubber Tramp Rendezvous'. She also meets other members of this unique group, even buying herself a camper so she can go where they go.
I just found her descriptions fascinating, what brought these people to make their decisions to become nomads, their interactions, the jobs they manage to find, the business culture that makes companies like Amazon and the beet industry and national parks hire these people, for the most part in their 60s and older. I had no idea.
I have to say it makes me like Amazon even less. I was aware of the working conditions they make people work under but as I read how they treat these people desperate for work.... well. But it is the people who make this story, their gatherings, their frustrations, their depression, but at the same time, positive natures.
Linda is a wonderful lady. So many tribulations, not just her but even her family as the falling economy devastates them all. But Linda has dreams, she wants to build an Earthship (google it) and spends time searching for land to build on. She is loved by everyone she meets, just a wonderful lady.
Bruder, besides, following the nomads and spending time with them as part of her research, also tries her hand at the jobs, working at the sugar beet factories in the Midwest, working at Amazon (and it sounds mind-numbing). She provides some interesting factoids throughout; workampers (as they are called) are mostly white. Why? "Ash, Linda's friend.... mused on Facebook that a vast majority of us van-dwellers are white. The reasons range from obvious to duh, but then there's this. Linked below the post an article about the experience of ''traveling while black.'" Bruder goes on to discuss how hard it is to stealth camp on residential streets and muses how much more dangerous it might be for African Americans who suffer from racial profiling.
She also discusses how bad income inequality has become in the US. "The most widely accepted measure for calculating income inequality is a century-old formula called the Gini coefficient..... What it reveals is startling. Today the US has the most unequal society of all developed nations. America's level of inequality is comparable to that of Russia, China, Argentina and war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo."
In many ways it was a depressing tale, think of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, but at the same time, the people are wonderful people and their innate goodness comes through so clearly. Well worth reading this excellent story. (5 stars)"
2.
Locke and Key (Vol. 2): Head Games by
Joe Hill (Locke and Key #2).
"Locke & Key, Vol. 2: Head Games is the 2nd book in the fantasy / horror comic series by Joe Hill. I enjoyed the first book earlier this month and found this one just as entertaining; interesting, spooky story and great art work.
We continue in this story with the lives of the Locke children, trying to live and survive at the Locke mansion on the east coast after escaping their father's murder back in California. They live with their uncle Duncan, who holds the family together as their mother has sunk into the depths of a liquor bottle to help her cope. But Duncan is leaving to take up a job in another town.
New to their lives is Zack (in an earlier life, Luke), who came from the well at Locke manor, brought back by one of the keys. Ah yes, the keys. We've seen 3 in action so far, one releases your spirit self, one lets you travel through doors to other locations, the third changes your gender. The youngest Locke boy, Bode, has a 4th key (he is the instigator in many of the actions that take place), and is searching the manor to see what it does. He will find out but I won't say what that is as it would ruin the story. Suffice it to say, it's really 'neat'!
Luke / Zack is recognized by his old teacher and needs to get rid of the threat. He is portrayed so very well, his evilness really shines through. He has inculcated himself with the Locke children; they don't realize who he is. It's a spooky, fascinating story with excellent characters. I particularly like Bode and his brother and sister and I also like Ellie's autistic son. (Ellie is a gym teacher at the school and was Zack's girlfriend in his earlier life and he has forced himself on her. Ellie's son, Rufus, has hidden talents, methinks and might be a threat to Zack, I hope. I presume more will come out in Vol 3.. Yes, I'm getting that as well, I do have to finish the series at some point. Excellent tale. Trust me, you will be drawn in. (4 stars)"
3.
The Breaker by
Minette Walters (1998).
"Some of my favorite mystery writers are women; authors like Margaret Millar and PD James, amongst others. Another favorite is Minette Walters. Since I started reading her books in early 2000's, I've enjoyed 8 of her standalone stories. The Breaker was her sixth novel (1998) and was another excellent example of her work.
Two young boys, on vacation, walking along a cliff top, spy a naked woman lying on the beach below them. They spy on her with their dad's binoculars, but drop them to the beach below. Desperate not to get in trouble, they go down and then discover the woman is dead. A man, Steve Harding, walking there as well, calls the police. Mistaking his call, the constable, PC Ingram calls for a rescue chopper. Also on the beach is local lady, Maggie Jenner who was out with one of her horses and her dog. She is also a witness.
This is the introduction to what on the surface is an excellent police procedural, but ultimately it is more than that. It is an excellent crime novel, a fascinating investigation with a few suspects; Harding, the deceased's husband (William Sumner), and a couple of surprise others; and a well-crafted character driven story.
I have to say that I just loved the story. The police are intelligent and interesting, from PC Ingram to DI Galbraith and their boss, DCI Carpenter. With a smaller role, you've also got WPC Sandy Griffiths, who stays at the husband's house throughout, watching the young child, Hannah, and provides her own intuitions on the case from her observations of the child and husband. The suspects and witnesses are all fully developed, not just caricatures. Everything about the story is excellent, great characters, interesting twisty plot and a satisfying conclusion. There were, in my mind, obvious suspects, but Walters keeps you guessing and throws in some satisfying curve balls at the end. I did like the cops, there was a calmness and intelligence and even humor about them all.
All in all it was just an entertaining, satisfying mystery and novel. I have not ever not enjoyed a Walters mystery. This was one of her best. (5 stars)"
Currently Reading
1. Gideon's Night by J.J. Marric (Commander Gideon #3).
"On this particular
night Commander George Gideon has to deal with a couple of psychopaths,
who trail pain and blood in their wake. One targets infants, and the
other young women on London’s foggy streets. There’s also an explosive
gang war in the offing, and one way or another all of these cases are
coming to their breathtaking conclusions at the same time. Can Scotland
Yard’s finest deal with such a nightmarish scenario, with what would
ordinarily be months of time consuming police work crammed into just one
night?"
2.
Walking On Glass by
Iain Banks (1985).
"By the author of "Canal
Dreams" and "The Wasp Factory", this novel is about three men - Graham
Park, Steven Grant and Quiss. No trio of people could be further apart,
but their separate courses are set for collision."
New Books
I found some at the local Little Free Libraries and some arrived in the mail.
1.
Appointment With Death by
Agatha Christie (Hercule Poirot #19).
"Among the towering red
cliffs and the ancient ruins of Petra sits the corpse of Mrs. Boynton,
the cruel and tyrannizing matriarch of the Boynton family. A tiny
puncture mark on her wrist is the only sign of the fatal injection that
killed her. With only twenty-four hours to solve the mystery, Hercule
Poirot recalls a remark he overheard back in Jerusalem: "You do see,
don't you, that she's got to be killed?" Mrs. Boynton was, indeed, the
most detestable woman he had ever met."
2. IQ by Joe Ide (IQ #1).
"A resident of one of L.A.'s toughest neighborhoods uses his blistering intellect to solve the crimes the LAPD ignores.
East Long Beach. The LAPD is barely keeping up with the neighborhood's
high crime rate. Murders go unsolved, lost children unrecovered. But
someone from the neighborhood has taken it upon himself to help solve
the cases the police can't or won't touch.
They call him IQ.
He's a loner and a high school dropout, his unassuming nature disguising
a relentless determination and a fierce intelligence. He charges his
clients whatever they can afford, which might be a set of tires or a
homemade casserole. To get by, he's forced to take on clients that can
pay.
This time, it's a rap mogul whose life is in danger. As
Isaiah investigates, he encounters a vengeful ex-wife, a crew of
notorious cutthroats, a monstrous attack dog, and a hit man who even
other hit men say is a lunatic. The deeper Isaiah digs, the more far
reaching and dangerous the case becomes."
3.
Abandon Galaxy! by
Bart Somers (Commander Craig #2).
"Commander Craig Battles for Survival on the Planet Thand.
If
Craig makes one false move in this grotesque tournament of cunning and
savage skill, he sacrifices his life and the lives of everyone in the
galaxy.
If he wins, the deadly League of Outer Space Thieves will be
prevented from blowing up the universe. As part of his reward, Craig
will receive the exciting beauty Mylitta.
John Craig races against time as he struggles to save the world in the most dangerous adventure of his incredible career."
4.
The Doctor Digs a Grave by
Robin Hathaway (Doctor Fenimore #1).
"When cardiologist Dr.
Andrew Fenimore isn't mending weak hearts, he's solving crimes in
Philadelphia's wealthy Society Hill. But murder is the last thing the
good doctor expects when he befriends a teenage boy trying to bury his
dead cat. As the two dig a grave for the cat's final resting place in a
vacant lot-- which happens to be an ancient burial ground-- they
discover a fresh corpse, buried feet flexed, facing east, according to
Lenape Indian tradition.
Fenimore's P.I. pastime starts to become
a distinct health hazard as he and his young sidekick follow the trail
of the deceased young woman straight to the son of a colleague, one of
Philadelphia's most prominent surgeons. Surely the scion of a fine old
Philadelphia family and his Indian fiancee ignited some powerful
passions. But are they enough to risk trying for the perfect murder in a
place where civility rules with an iron fist in a velvet glove?"
5.
Do Butlers Burgle Banks? by
P.G. Wodehouse (1968).
"Do Butlers Burgle Banks?
features the hitherto fortunate owner of Bond's Bank, who finds himself
in a spot of trouble so that he wants someone to burgle the bank before
the trustees inspect it. Fortunately for him, Horace Appleby, currently
posing as his butler, is on hand to oblige. For Horace is, in fact, not
a butler at all but the best sort of gangster, prudently concealing
himself in an English country house while hiding from his rivals.
Looking for peace and safety, Horace is to discover before long that the hot-spots of Chicago are a whole lot more restful than the English
countryside. This is the lightest of light comedies, a Wodehousean
souffle from his later years."
6.
The Suez Crisis 1956 by
Derek Varble (2013).
"In July 1956 Egyptian
President Gamal Nasser nationalized the Suez Canal, causing immediate
concern to Britain and France. They already opposed Nasser and were
worried at the threat to maritime traffic in the Canal. This book traces
the course of subsequent events. Together with Israel, Britain and
France hatched a plot to occupy the Canal Zone and overthrow Nasser.
Israel attacked Sinai, and Britain and France launched offensives
throughout Egypt, but strategic failures overshadowed tactical success.
Finally, Britain, France and Israel bowed to international pressure and
withdrew, leaving the Suez Canal, and Egypt, firmly in the hands of
President Nasser."
There you go. A nice variety I think. See anything that might interest you?
