Author: HCNewton Page 292 of 610

Down the TBR Hole (27 of 29+)

On April 21, 2021

I only managed to cut one book last week–I managed to do a little better this week. I also managed to confuse myself a bit by some of these selections making it to my “To Read” list in the first place. It’s like I don’t know me. Let’s get into it shall we?

This meme was created by Lia @ Lost in a Story—but Jenna at Bookmark Your Thoughts is the one that exposed me to this, and as my Goodreads “Want To Read” shelf is scarily long, I had to do this.

The Rules are simple:

Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf
Order on ascending date added.
Take the first 5 (or 10 if you’re feeling adventurous) books.
Read the synopses of the books.
Decide: keep it or should it go?
Keep track of where you left off so you can pick up there next week! (or whenever)

What distinguishes this series from the Mt. TBR section of my Month-end Retrospectives? Those are books I actually own while Goodreads contains my aspirational TBR (many of which will be Library reads). The Naming of the two is a bit confusing, but…what’re you going to do?

(Click on the cover for an official site or something with more info about the book)

	Ex Libris: 100+ Books to Read and Reread by Michiko Kakutani, Dana Tanamachi (Illustrator) Blurb: “Pulitzer Prize–winning literary critic Michiko Kakutani shares 100 personal, thought-provoking essays about books that have mattered to her and that help illuminate the world we live in today—with beautiful illustrations throughout.” My Thoughts: This is the second or third book called Ex Libris that I’ve talked about in this series, the subtitle is the key, I guess. Sounds like it could be something I could get into, but the publisher’s site goes on to say that readers “will discover novels and memoirs by some of the most gifted writers working today; favorite classics worth reading or rereading; and nonfiction works, both old and new, that illuminate our social and political landscape and some of today’s most pressing issues.” It loses me there. I just don’t see me wanting to do more than argue with half of it. Verdict:
	Men on Strike: Why Men Are Boycotting Marriage, Fatherhood, and the American Dream – and Why It Matters by Helen Smith, PhD. Blurb: “American society has become anti-male. Men are sensing the backlash and are consciously and unconsciously going “on strike.” They are dropping out of college, leaving the workforce and avoiding marriage and fatherhood at alarming rates…men aren’t dropping out because they are stuck in arrested development. They are instead acting rationally in response to the lack of incentives society offers them to be responsible fathers, husbands and providers. In addition, men are going on strike, either consciously or unconsciously, because they do not want to be injured by the myriad of laws, attitudes and hostility against them for the crime of happening to be male in the twenty-first century.” My Thoughts: A reviewer I typically trust spoke favorably about this last year, so I put it on the list. Reading the description now, I don’t see the appeal. However true that premise might partially be, I can’t imagine this book is all that helpful. Verdict:
	Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter by Thomas Cahill Blurb: “The Greeks invented everything from Western warfare to mystical prayer, from logic to statecraft. Their achievements in art and philosophy are widely celebrated while others are unknown or underappreciated. In Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea, Thomas Cahill explores their legacy, good and bad.” My Thoughts: I loved Cahill’s How the Irisih Saved Civilization (longer ago than I care to admit). I bet his take on Greek civilization from The Bronze Age through AD 310 is fascinating. Verdict:
	Geek Ink: The World’s Smartest Tattoos for Rebels, Nerds, Scientists, and Intellectuals by Emanuele Pagani Blurb: “This tattoo inspiration sourcebook and ultimate coffee table book presents mind-blowing tattoos on themes from science fiction and fantasy, as well as a wide range of topics across science, mathematics, literature, fine art, cult cinema, and philosophy.” My Thoughts: Sounds like fun to flip through, but I just don’t see me shelling out the bucks for it. Also, it doesn’t appear to be available in the States. So, you know… Verdict:
	The Shootist by Glendon Swarthout Blurb: “The Shootist is John Bernard Books, a gunfighter at the turn of the twentieth century who must confront the greatest Shootist of all: Death. Most men would end their days in bed or take their own lives, but a gunfighter has a third option, one that Books decides to exercise…As word spreads that the famous assassin has incurable cancer, an assortment of human vultures gathers to feast on the corpse—among them a gambler, a rustler, a clergyman, an undertaker, an old love, a reporter, even an admiring teenager. What follows is the last courageous act in Books’s own legend.” My Thoughts: My father made me watch the movie a few times as a kid, I saw the book mentioned somewhere and had to give it a shot. Verdict:
	Shane by Jack Schaefer Blurb: “The Starrett family’s life forever changes when a man named Shane rides out of the great glowing West and up to their farm in 1889. Young Bob Starrett is entranced by this stoic stranger who brings a new energy to his family. Shane stays on as a farmhand, but his past remains a mystery. Many folks in their small Wyoming valley are suspicious of Shane, and make it known that he is not welcome. But dangerous as Shane may seem, he is a staunch friend to the Starretts—and when a powerful neighboring rancher tries to drive them out of their homestead, Shane becomes entangled in the deadly feud.” My Thoughts: I’m not a big Western reader. But there are some things that seem essential. It’s also pretty short, which helps. Between this and The Shootist, I wonder what I was doing that put classic Westerns on my radar (maybe something involving True Grit, I remember doing some reading about that last year). Verdict:
	A Good Day for Chardonnay by Darynda Jones Blurb: “AllvSunshine really wants is one easy-going day. You know, the kind thatstarts with coffee and a donut (or three) and ends with take-out pizza and a glass of chardonnay (or seven)…Before she can say iced mocha latte, Sunny’s got a bar fight gone bad, a teenage daughter hunting a serial killer and, oh yes, the still unresolved mystery of her own abduction years prior.” My Thoughts: I had more fun with the series debut last year than I expected, the only reason I haven’t read this yet is that it’s not out. Verdict:
	The Neil Gaiman Reader: Selected Fiction by Neil Gaiman (obviously) Blurb: “An outstanding array—52 pieces in all—of selected fiction from the multiple-award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman, introduced with a foreword by Booker Prize-winning author Marlon James Spanning Gaiman’s career to date, The Neil Gaiman Reader: Selected Fiction is a captivating collection from one of the world’s most beloved writers.” My Thoughts: Just not feeling it. My guess is that this collection would be very frustrating–every time I’d start to get into whatever world he’d be playing in, the story would be over. Verdict:
	Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones Blurb: “Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl’s castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there’s far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye.” My Thoughts: Based on the publication date, my kids (and, by extension, I) should have been all over this. Somehow, we missed it. Looks like it could be a fun ride…Another one Bookstooge made look appealing Verdict:
	Evolving Vegan: Deliciously Diverse Recipes from North America’s Best Plant-Based Eateries—for Anyone Who Loves Food by Mena Massoud Blurb: This “cookbook celebrates both flavors and stories from a wide array of plant-based eateries all across North America, proving that a plant-friendly diet is truly accessible to all!…Containing recipes from many different countries and cultures, and including helpful tips for lifelong vegans or flexitarians looking to expand their repertoire of vegan dishes, Evolving Vegan takes you on a food-based road trip to explore the vibrancy of veganism across North America.” My Thoughts: I’m trying to get closer to a Plant-Based Whole Food diet, looks like I should be able to get a few things out of this. Verdict:

Books Removed in this Post: 4 / 10
Total Books Removed: 148 / 290

Anyone out there read any of these books? Did I make the right call with any of them?

(Image by moritz320 from Pixabay)

The Particulars of Peter by Kelly Conaboy: Adventures of a Woman Obsessed with her Dog

By HCNewton

On April 21, 2021

In Dogs, Humor, Non-Fiction

The Particulars of Peter:
Dance Lessons, DNA Tests,
and Other Excuses to
Hang Out with My Perfect Dog

by Kelly Conaboy

Hardcover, 232 pg.
Grand Central Publishing, 2020

Read: March 30-April 1, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

I think once a person has a dog the idea of not having one quickly becomes absurd. I know there are other ways a person can fill their time—golf, et cetera. I know you can Hula-Hoop. You can pan for gold, or “do some work at a café.” I know a person can exist without the ability to make a creature they love thrash with uncontrollable joy, wild-eyed and ecstatic, at the mere mention of din—; hush, that’s enough, they’re already excited. I know you can watch TV without a dog resting his paws and head on your leg, breathing quietly, warming you and allowing you to feel like you’re having a real human experience rather than idly ingesting The Sopranos, I know you can go to sleep without a dog in your bed and wake up without a little face staring down at you, whiskers in your eyes, and a nose dripping onto your skin, waiting for you to take him outside so that he might urinate. But… why? Why even wake up at all?

What’s The Particulars of Peter About?

It is, quite simply, about Peter. Well, it’s more about Conaboy’s obsession with Peter and the things she’ll do to foster the relationship between them as well as all the things she’s willing to do with/for him for the sake of her writing.

She begins by talking about how Peter came into her life, going to Woofstock with him, trying to get into agility training, dance classes, and so on. She gets a DNA test, goes ghost hunting, consults a pet psychic, and more.

Each chapter is filled with jokes, amusing anecdotes, and useful information on a particular subject/experience, told with a lot of humor (some-self deprecating).

Some Highlights

It’s probably easier to think of this as a collection of essays rather than a cohesive book, and as such, there are going to be some chapters that stand-out above the others. I think the first two chapters—about adopting Peter and getting a DNA test were the best—with the chapter on where the dog should sleep as a close third.

The chapter on Dog Dancing was, on the whole, not that interesting for me until she dropped the jokes and got to a hard story about Peter and a medical problem. It probably became the strongest chapter in the book at that point.

On the other end of the spectrum

There were a couple of chapters that did nothing for me—training Peter for Ghost Hunting and then trying to communicate with him using pet psychic just bored me. I couldn’t get into them, but I could see where someone would find it interesting.

The rest of the chapters were a good mix of things I thought were great and then a page later made me wonder why I tried the book.

So, what did I think about The Particulars of Peter?

There was something in the preface, that made me wonder if I’d made a mistake and I was going to end up annoyed with this book, but I wasn’t quite sure. Then I got to the paragraph I quoted above—the third in the book, and realized that yeah, this book was for me.

I’m not going to tell you that this is the best book about living with a dog that you’re ever going to read. I’m not saying that every chapter was worth the time. But there’s just so much heart displayed in every chapter, that you can’t help but cut her a lot of slack for whatever shortcomings may appear.

And it’s a funny book. I chuckled and laughed a few times, I enjoyed an eye-rolling smile a few times, a more than a few times I grinned and made not of a fun line. I fell in love with her habit of writing a parenthetical remark to get a punchline into something, and then immediately following it with another parenthetical joke—naturally, I didn’t write down any examples of that, because why should I make it easy for me to explain the quirk.

Basically, this was a fun book about one of my favorite topics—of course, I’m going to recommend it.

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

PUB DAY REPOST: Blood and Treasure by Bob Drury, Tom Clavin: A Look at Dream Come Truers

By HCNewton

On April 20, 2021

In History, Non-Fiction

Blood and Treasure: Daniel Boone and the Fight for America’s First Frontier

by Bob Drury, Tom Clavin

eArc, 400 pg.
St. Martin’s Press, 2021

Read: April 5-14, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s Blood and Treasure About?

It’s pretty much in the subtitle—this book is about 2 things—Daniel Boone and the fight (literal and metaphoric) for America’s first Frontier—with a focus on what we now know as Kentucky, but pretty much everything on the Western edge of the American colonies/states.

It’s not a biography of Boone (I’ll tell you now, I wrongly expected this to be more of one), it’s more like he’s the organizing principle for the book, as we learn about Boone’s roots, early life, and adulthood the authors talk about the conflicts with the Indians on the edge of white civilization’s expanse. We’d get a chunk of a wide-view of history over a period, and then we’d focus on Boone’s life around that time. Then the focus would widen a bit and we’d look at another period of time—and so on.

Two significant ingredients in “the Fight” for the Frontier were what’s called The French and Indian War and the American Revolution. There’s the French and Indian War (and conflicts that led up to it and sprang from it) to begin with, paved the way for the latter conflicts—we see the pressure put on various tribes from the expansion of settlers, the resistance those settlers faced (from shifting alliances of Indians between themselves, and varying alliances between Western powers and the Indians).

As for the Revolution—while most histories/documentaries/etc. about it will acknowledge the fighting in the South and West, few take any time to focus on it. Instead, we casual history readers just get repeated retellings of the stuff we learned in elementary school—Washington*, the Continent Army, Benedict Arnold, Nathan Hale, the Green Mountain Boys, and whatnot—and whatever expansions on some of those topics that Hamilton has taught us in the last few years. This book is a great corrective to that showing how the Indians were largely pawns for the British to use against the colonies, to distract from the larger skirmishes as well as to try to open up another front on the war—another way to steal power and influence from the colonies. You see very clearly how easily the entire War could’ve changed if not for a couple of significant losses suffered by the British and their Indian allies.

* Washington is also featured pretty heavily in the earlier chapters, too—even if he maybe only briefly met Boone on one occasion.

Language Choices

I know this sort of this is pretty customary, but I really appreciated the Note to Readers explaining the authors’ language choices—starting with the tribal designations they used—the standard versions accepted today (there are enough various entities mentioned throughout that if they’d gone with contemporary names and spellings, I—and most readers—would’ve been very confused).

At the same time, they did preserve the varied and non-standard spellings for just about everything else. For example, there were at least three variant spellings for Kentucky: Cantucky, Kanta-ke, and Kentucki (I think there was one more, but I can’t find it).

I was a little surprised that they stuck with the term “Indian” as much as they did—but their explanation for it seemed likely and understandable.

An Image Shattered—or maybe just Corrected

Yes, I know that the Fess Parker TV show I saw after school in syndication was only very loosely based in reality. And that the handful of MG-targeted biographies I read several times around the same time were sanitized and very partial. Still, those are the images and notions about Boone that have filled my mind for decades. So reading all the ways they were wrong and/or incomplete threw me more than I’m comfortable with.

His appearance was particularly jarring—the actual Boone eschewed coonskin caps because they were flat-topped and preferred a high-crowned felt hat to look taller. THat’s wrong on so many levels. “Tall as a mountain was he” is about as far from the truth as you can get.

The fact that he spent most of his life bouncing between comfort and/or wealth and massive debt is both a commentary on his strengths and weaknesses as it is the volatile times he lived in—he lost so much thanks to colonial governments being mercurial. It was reassuring to see the repeated insistence that he was an honest man, who worked to repay his debts even if it took too long.

In the end, Boone seemed to be a good guy trying his best to get by and provide for his family—who accidentally stepped into some degree of celebrity, that magnified some good qualities and replaced the man with a legend.

So, what did I think about Blood and Treasure?

The writing itself? There are moments that were fantastic. On the whole…., but from time to time, when Drury and Clavin wanted to drive an image or description home, they could be stunning. I would have preferred things to be a bit more even—a bit more balanced and consistent on that front. But the topic and scope didn’t really allow for that. So I’ll just enjoy those moments of it that I got.

As for the book as a whole? It was impressive, entertaining (generally), and informative. When it was at its best, it didn’t feel like reading dry history but a compelling look at that portion of US History. At its worst, it was a litany of names, dates, and ideas that didn’t do much for me. Thankfully, those moments were few and far between. It’s not a difficult read at any point, just pretty dry on occasion.

There are so many other things I’d like to have mentioned or discussed—but it would make this post unwieldy. The notes about hunting (both the good and the horrible), Boone’s heroics, his character, and family; various aspects of the Indian customs discussed and so much. There’s just so much in this book to chew on that I can’t sum it up.

I liked this—I liked it enough to look at a few other books by this duo to see what they can do with other topics, people, and eras. I think anyone with a modicum of interest in Boone will enjoy this and be glad for the experience.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.

3.5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

Robert B. Parker’s Payback by Mike Lupica: Sunny Does Some Dangerous Favors for Some Dear Friends

By HCNewton

On April 20, 2021

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Robert B. Parker

Robert P. Parker’s Payback

by Mike Lupica
Series: Sunny Randall, #9

eARC, 352 pg.
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2021

Read: April 14-15, 2021
Grab a copy from your local indie bookstore!

What’s Payback About?

Sunny’s closest friend, Spike, has got himself in trouble—he needed some financial assistance to keep the doors of his restaurant open (like just about every restaurant in 2020) and let a long-time customer and friend, a hedge fund manager, loan him the money. But when Spike tried to pay off the loan, he learned the hard way that Alex Drysdale wasn’t so much a friend as he was an opportunistic toad, and thanks to clever work on the contract, Spike had defaulted on the loan almost immediately.

Spike has already let his fists do the talking (and broken Drysdale’s nose), but oddly enough, that didn’t help. So, Sunny decides she’s going to figure out a way to get Drysdale to release him. Financial crimes aren’t really Sunny’s forte—much less shady, but not criminal, financial deals—but Spike is family and she figures she can learn as she goes.

She’s barely begun digging into Drysdale and his practices when she gets a call from Lee Farrell who needs a favor. His niece, a student at Taft*, was assaulted and she refuses to talk to the police or Lee. Can Sunny help? Sunny tries to talk to her, but Emily keeps saying it was just a misunderstanding and refuses to explain anything. Lee’s worried about her, Sunny’s concerned and nosy. So while Lee deals with a major homicide investigation, Sunny starts digging into Emily’s life.

* Yup, Taft, the Parker-verse’s all-purpose university for people who don’t go to Harvard.

Before Sunny can really get anywhere with the Drysdale investigation, she’s warned off. THat warning quickly becomes direct threats against her, Spike, Richie’s son, and her father. You have to admit, that’s really not the most clever approach. Sunny warns them all to be careful and works harder to find something. One of the biggest things she finds is a link between the two cases.

Ahh, a Little COVID-19 Fiction

Early on, we’re told that this starts shortly after the pandemic is over and life has gone back to something akin to normal. But vaguely so, especially when this was written, no one had an idea when exactly this would be, so Lupica left things vague.

Also, Spike’s is in trouble because of the impact that COVID has had on restaurants.

I lost count of how many times that Sunny talked about the world falling apart and getting worse. Clearly, this is a product of 2020 (and 2021). I remember hearing and reading authors last year talking about not being sure how to address COVID in their works—if they were even going to. This is probably the best way to do it—acknowledge it happened, look at the changes/difficulties it brought about—and don’t get into the details.

Poor Lee Farrell

This is my biggest beef with the novel—and the more that I think about it, the more it bothers me.

So, Lee’s got a big case that he’s dealing with and a family member in trouble—and he’s still not in the book that much. Belson plays a bigger role than Lee does in the book, which is fine because it’s not like Belson gets a lot of use in the Atkins novels, and he shouldn’t be put out to pasture. But this was a chance for Lee to get to shine and Lupica let it pass by.

I like Lee, and have since Paper Doll (he was one of the few good things in that novel), but Parker never used him all that much—and Lupica does the same. It’s time for Lee Farrell to really get a moment.

Sunny and The Men in Her Life

There are two other things that Lupica inherited from Parker that he’s maintained—but I’d like him to move on. From Family Honor on, there’s been this tension between Sunny’s independence, being able to make it as a female in a male-dominated world/industry and her being dependent on men like Richie and Spike (and a couple of others) to help out when things get dangerous. I can see revisiting the issue from time to time, but the authors have spent so much time on it, the reader has to wonder—why doesn’t Sunny do something about it? Either step up her fitness and martial arts training, or partner up with a female who can handle the shooting and hand-to-hand stuff. They exist.

Similarly is her seemingly everlasting tie to Richie, being unable to let him go—even as it’s clear she needs to, for at least his son’s sake. Her level of commitment to Jesse Stone could use some definition as well, but that’s not going to happen as long as Richie’s around (and, I’m not sure Jesse’s capable of it). Coleman was able to get Jesse to the point where he was able to let go of Jen (a move that was more overdue than Sunny and Jesse). I’d like to see Sunny do something similar, all that therapy she’s received should be enabling her to make some tough choices.

All that said, again, these are inherited themes, ideas, and characteristics. I’m not holding them against Lupica for maintaining it (he can only do so much without getting the fans to rebel). I just think it’d be nice to see.

So, what did I think about Payback?

Lupica is locked-in on this series, he’s got a handle on the characters and the stories he wants to tell and gets it done confidently, smoothly, and with just enough flair to keep the reader hooked and turning pages. This was his best yet. I’d describe his first two novels in this series as “good, for a Sunny Randall novel.” Payback. is doesn’t get the modifier. It’s good, period.

* I’ve got both hardcovers on the shelf next to me, after getting the eARCs from NetGalley. So if that sounds a little more back-handed than I mean that to be, maybe the fact that I shelled out for them takes a bit of the sting out of it.

The prose is crisp. It’s engaging and filled with a Parker-esque clarity and wit. The story is compelling and an interesting reaction to things in the zeitgeist, and the characters are as solidly drawn and executed as they were over two decades ago when Sunny debuted. New readers or established Sunny fans alike will find enough to entertain them and will likely come back for more—just like me. I recommend Payback to you.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from PENGUIN GROUP Putnam via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.

3.5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, opinions are my own.

Just a Spoonful of Sugar—Non-Fiction to Smile With and Learn From

By HCNewton

On April 19, 2021

In Books, News/Misc.

(Updated and Revised)
Just a Spoonful of Sugar—Non-Fiction to Smile With and Learn From I stumbled onto my notes from Funny, You Don’t Look Autistic: A Comedian’s Guide to Life on the Spectrum the other day (and yeah, I forgot almost all of them in my post about the book). But it got me thinking about McCreary’s approach—taking a hard-to-talk about subject and adding a touch of humor (or at least a light-hearted voice) to it to make it palatable. It’s a great way to get someone to look at the subtleties of what the Autism Spectrum Disorder can be, how individuals can fall somewhere on that spectrum (and therefore have many things in common), and yet be very different from one another.

Now, I realized that some would point to our cultural inability to discuss difficult subjects with the sobriety and seriousness they deserve as a significant problem. And there’s something to that. More than something, probably. Still, I don’t like to think I enjoy these books and their approach because I’m shallow, but I guess I shouldn’t rule that out.

Shallowness aside, there’s something to that approach—whether it’s technical issues, trauma, socially awkward topics, disease, disorders, or other things people try to avoid discussing—doing so in a light-hearted manner or with plenty of laughs, tends to make the audience receptive. It takes a lot of skill to blend the difficult topic into an entertaining package. But it’s a great way to gain a new perspective, a deeper understanding, or learn something.

Some of the others that I’ve read/posted about in the last few years that entertain while informing/giving insight:
bullet Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher—Fisher addresses her addictions and mental health problems (and the extreme solutions) in this frequently laugh-out-loud memoir
bullet Everything is Normal by Sergey Grechishkin—Grechishkin’s memoir of growing up in 1980’s-era Soviet Russia brings the grins (and a chuckle or two) while not letting us forget how hard and terrifying it could be.
bullet Kasher in the Rye: The True Tale of a White Boy from Oakland Who Became a Drug Addict, Criminal, Mental Patient, and Then Turned 16 by Mose Kasher—Kasher’s account will make you smile, break your heart, and help you understand addiction
bullet Gluten Is My Bitch: Rants, Recipes, and Ridiculousness for the Gluten-Free by April Peveteaux—on the one hand, this seems the slightest of the issues addressed. Ask any person with Celiac Disease how hard it can be to find food that doesn’t make you violently ill—and just how violent that illness can be. But Peveteaux will make you laugh, while offering hope and help.
bullet Henry by Katrina Shawver—even in a Nazi work/death camp, friendship helps, people can find some release.
bullet Funny, You Don’t Look Autistic: A Comedian’s Guide to Life on the Spectrum by Michael McCreary—I realize I started this post talking about the book, but when I revised things, it felt like a bad list if it wasn’t on it. This Comedian talks about growing up with Autism Spectrum Disorder and how he became a comedian—he works to dispel some myths, and offer some real insight while entertaining.
bullet You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey by Amber Ruffin, Lacey Lamar:—Amber Ruffin and her sister, Lacey, recount various racist things that people have said (or done) to Lacy on an almost daily basis in her professional and personal life. It may not sound that funny, but it frequently is.
bullet And Then You’re Dead: What Really Happens If You Get Swallowed by a Whale, Are Shot from a Cannon, or Go Barreling Over Niagara by Cody Cassidy and Paul Doherty—the publisher describes this as, a “gleefully gruesome look at the actual science behind the most outlandish, cartoonish, and impossible deaths you can imagine.”

Help me expand this list—what are some other works along these lines that I should read?

Saturday Miscellany—4/17/21

By HCNewton

On April 17, 2021

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

It’s weird to look off to the right there and not see History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding listed there.
My ISP went down for a day-and-a-half this week, making it a real challenge to get anything posted, but it did help me catch up on reading. But I’m super-behind on blog-hopping, commenting, and everything. I’m looking forward to catching up and seeing all the fun stuff I missed this week.
I’m apparently in a list-making mood today.
I came across a thing I did for a bit on an old blog and then Facebook years ago, and decided I’d try to resurrect it on these posts. If you still see it in a month, I guess we’ll call it a success.

Odds n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
bullet In honor of today being the 124th Anniversary of the play, LitHub posted Watch Spalding Gray perform Our Town’s legendary opening monologue.—First off, Our Town is my favorite play, full stop. I’ve read better, but none affect me the at it does. I cannot make it through the third act dry-eyed (I’ve seen high school drama departments stumble through it, ditto for college and amateur troupes, several filmed versions—and in print). I also loved the part of Gray’s monologue, Monster in a Box this post mentions about his role and the reaction to it. I’m rambling now—just read and watch.
bullet Lauren Hough Vs The World—For the 4% of you that didn’t watch this trainwreck live, this is a good summary.
bullet Turns Out It’s Pretty Good: Reading First Thing in the Morning
bullet How Would the Publishing World Respond to Lolita Today?: Jenny Minton Quigley on the Novel Her Father Published
bullet Rare book burial brings a little-known Jewish custom to Naples (Hat tip: Jo Perry)
bullet 10 of the worst sentences found in literature—Thoughts: I don’t know how they ever settled on one from The Da Vinci Code; the New Moon selection as great; and I don’t know how I managed to read the rest of The Killing Floor (much less the 25 following novels) after that sentence.
bullet What makes you pick up a book?
bullet Amanda’s Book Format Battle
bullet My first reads!—this was a fun read and sent me down a fun trip down memory lane.
bullet @HiuGregg gives some handy advice in this thread

This Week's New Releases That I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Okay, I’ve got nothing for this. Which is happening a lot lately—have I gotten that picky?

Things I learned from reading this week (that I can’t imagine finding a use for) bullet
bullet At least 80% of all cars in Afghanistan are various years of Toyota Corollas, mostly brought into the country used.
bullet Daniel Boone didn’t like flat coonskin caps, but preferred high-crown felt hats so he’d look taller. (yeah, I know I mentioned this in my post about the book, but it was so ingrained my mind from childhood on that I have to mention it again). Also, I’m taller than Daniel Boone was, and I’m not tall, definitely not “tall as a mountain.”
bullet The American custom of having race tracks constructed to run widdershins comes from a “rabid revolutionary,” William Whitleywho built one of the first horse tracks in Kentucky, who deliberately wanted to do so contrary to the British custom.
bullet My new word for the week is, “Funt” which looks like a misprint when you come across it in a book. But after a quick internet search, you find out that it’s not and kind of wish that you didn’t know what you now do.
Sources: The Lore of Prometheus by Graham Austin-King (verified because it made me curious); Blood and Treasure: Daniel Boone and the Fight for America’s First Frontier by Bob Drury, Tom Clavin (for the next two items); Robert B. Parker’s Payback by Mike Lupica.

Lastly I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to bookish_renee who followed the blog this week. Don’t be a stranger, and use that comment box, would you?
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The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding: BOOK XVIII., xii. – Chapter the last.

By HCNewton

On April 16, 2021

In Fiction, Fridays with The Foundling, General Fiction/Literature

Fridays with the Foundling
After the hopeful note that we ended on last week, everything goes to pieces in the last two chapters—Mrs. Miller’s daughter/Nightingale’s wife dies in childbirth; Sophia can’t get over everything that Tom put her through, and dies lonely and miserable; Tom joins the Navy and dies of scurvy somewhere around Australia; Partridge becomes a successful playwright, Allworthy drinks himself to death, and Blifil becomes Prime Minister.

Okay, no. That’s not even close to it. Instead, we get something akin to Wayne’s World‘s “Mega Happy Ending.”

We start with Allworthy and Tom going to call on Sophia with her Father. Straight away Allworthy and Western leave the two alone. It takes the two a while to start speaking, eventually, Sophia breaks the silence and calls him most fortunate thanks to being freed. Tom rejects that, saying he can’t be fortunate as long as she’s upset. The ice broken, words start flowing.

Tom ensures she understands what happened with that letter—she gets it, but wants him to prove his devotion. But, she assures him,

You will now want no opportunity of being near me, and convincing me that your mind is altered too.

He wants to know how long it’ll take, she guesses maybe a year (but implies it might take longer). He calls that an eternity. She tells him to back off and not pressure her, and he does so and insists he will keep not pressuring her.

Which leads the two of them to kiss. Naturally, that’s when Western comes back in. He’s overjoyed to see this and asks when they’ll get married. Tom tries to get him to stop this, but Sophia overrides that. She’s an obedient daughter, she says—what does her father want her to do? Marry Tom the next day? Well, okay.

Tom’s stunned, Western demands Allworthy’s presence. Allworthy makes sure that she feels no constraint and then gives his blessing. The four of them go off to meet with NIghtingale and his father, but Sophia wants to keep the engagement quiet.

NIghtingale’s father and uncle trade war stories about their offspring’s impetuous and ill-advised marriage? Allworthy’s counsel works its magic and the two fathers accept the new spouses. The next day Sophia and Tom are married in a small, private ceremony.

And just like that,

Thus, reader, we have at length brought our history to a conclusion, in which, to our great pleasure, though contrary, perhaps, to thy expectation, Mr Jones appears to be the happiest of all humankind; for what happiness this world affords equal to the possession of such a woman as Sophia, I sincerely own I have never yet discovered.

But Fielding doesn’t leave us like that—like in those movies that at the end give you a freeze-frame of a character or two with a chyron summing up the rest of their life in a sentence or three, Fielding tells us what happens to the major characters—Blifil never sees his uncle again, becomes a Methodist (so he can court a woman) and plans on buying a seat in Parliament; Partridge marries good old Molly Seagrim and opens another school; Western becomes a doting grandfather to his two grandchildren (particularly his granddaughter); and so on.

Whatever in the nature of Jones had a tendency to vice, has been corrected by continual conversation with [Allworthy], and by his union with the lovely and virtuous Sophia. He hath also, by reflection on his past follies, acquired a discretion and prudence very uncommon in one of his lively parts.

To conclude, as there are not to be found a worthier man and woman, than this fond couple, so neither can any be imagined more happy. They preserve the purest and tenderest affection for each other, an affection daily encreased and confirmed by mutual endearments and mutual esteem. Nor is their conduct towards their relations and friends less amiable than towards one another. And such is their condescension, their indulgence, and their beneficence to those below them, that there is not a neighbour, a tenant, or a servant, who doth not most gratefully bless the day when Mr Jones was married to his Sophia.

So, that’s that. The ending—all of Book 18—felt rushed. But I’m not sure I could’ve taken much more. After all this, it was really just a simple story about an unlikely guy getting the girl—with a lot of insane twists, turns, and hoops to jump through along the way.

I should have more to say. And probably will soon. I’m not quite done with this series yet—see you next week.

The Friday 56 for 4/16/21: A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe by Alex White

By HCNewton

On April 16, 2021

In Currently Reading, News/Misc., Quotations, The Friday 56

This is a weekly bloghop hosted by Freda’s Voice

RULES:
The Friday 56 Grab a book, any book.
Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your ereader. If you have to improvise, that is okay.
Find a snippet, short and sweet.
Post it

from page 56 of:
A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe

A Big Ship at the Edge of the Universe by Alex White

“She’s awake,” noted the technician, his rich voice filling the bay. “Mostly uninjured, too.”

Boots nodded to him. May as well get acquainted with the rest of Cordell’s cronies. “I haven’t met this one yet, Cordell.”

Cordell stopped and gestured to the man in the med bay. “Oh, my mistake. Boots, this is Malik Jan, our ship’s doctor.”

Malik came to them in the hall and took Boots’s hand. His palms were soft and warm, if a little dry. “It’s a pleasure. I hope you slept well.”

“Great. Now you’ve met,” said Cordell, placing a hand on Boots’s shoulder. “Doctor Jan, Boots is a prisoner, and if she tries to escape, you’re to shoot her.”

Because You’re Mine by Luna Miller, Ludvig Christensen Parment (Translator): Another Missing Person Case for Gunvor Ström and Friends

By HCNewton

On April 16, 2021

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Because You’re Mine

by Luna Miller, Ludvig Christensen Parment (Translator)
Series: The Fruängen Bureau, #2

Kindle Edition, 277 pg.
Publishing Authority, 2021

Read: April 13, 2021

A Little Bit about Gunvor Ström

Two years ago, I posted about the first book about Gunvor, The Lion’s Tail*. I started off by saying, she’s “a rookie Private Investigator, forced to leave her career and changing her life after a divorce, she signs on to a Private Investigative Agency and mostly does grunt work—but does get the opportunity to do some investigative work. As much as she misses her old life, she relishes this new one (although she might like joints that are a little less painful).”

* In case you go looking for it, it has been repackaged as Looking for Alice—probably a more commercial title, even if it’s lacking the panache of the original.

She has a neighbor, Aidan, who serves as a drinking buddy (and they drink a lot), driver, and sounding board. During the case detailed in that book—her first major investigation—she ends up recruiting a couple of older teens/young adults from the neighborhood to help. The four of them somewhat jokingly dub themselves The Fruängen Bureau, and end up exposing some serious criminal activity in the course of what should have been a pretty simple inquiry.

What’s Because You’re Mine About?

It’s a few weeks later, and Aidan’s taking a friend to a nightclub to help blow off some steam after a recent breakup. While the friend is off flirting and dancing, Aidan strikes up a conversation with a woman who seems to be in a distress (he’s also attracted to her, but let’s focus on his chivalrous side—which does seem to be preeminent). She’s looking for a friend that seems to be missing—they’ve spoken almost daily for years and she hasn’t heard from him.

Aidan pretends to be much more of an investigator than he is (he’s surely picked up a few things from Gunvor, and anyway, she’ll be around soon and he can enlist her help if he needs it), asks a couple of questions, and arranges to meet the woman the next night to resume the search.

Meanwhile, Gunvor has a new client—a woman whose husband has gone missing. She insists he’s gone, she worried about his depressive bouts. His father (and employer) insists he took a two-week leave of absence. Everything Gunvor can find lines up with his father’s explanation, but the client doesn’t want to hear it.

Gunvor and Aidan end up working both disappearances together and bring in the rest of The Fruängen Bureau for assistance. Between the four of them (and a couple of new allies), they learn a few things about the two men they’re searching for—things that no one expected, but can’t seem to find either of them. Both the friend and the wife are insistent that the men be found but aren’t really forthcoming with information about themselves or the men they’re looking for. Which is strange, but the team doesn’t let that deter them.

The Fruängen Bureau

Gunvor Ström is supposed to be the protagonist of these books, but I’m not sure I see that. The first book in the series focused on her two young friends, Elin and David, at least as much as it did on her. Aidan gets the spotlight in this book—with Elin and David coming in second.* I’m utterly fine with this, it’s just odd when you have the entertaining and dynamic character that Gunvor is to set her aside.

* As always, I don’t have a word/page count or anything to back up this kind of observation. It’s the impression I walk away with.

It’s not so much the case with Aidan, but with the younger two, you see Gunvor as a catalyst for change in their lives—the events of The Lion’s Tail/Looking for Alice have changed their lives, their behaviors, attitudes, and futures. The people they encounter in this book do the same. Gunvor and Aidan seem pretty set in their identities and outlooks—but Elin and David are still works in progress. I wonder if that’s more interesting to write about, and that’s why they seem to overshadow the ostensible central character.

This isn’t a criticism, just an observation—sure, I’d like more focus on Gunvor, just because she’s interesting. But so are David and Elin, so I’m fine with that.

The Translation

This book has a different translator than the previous volume—I don’t know why. Ludvig Christensen Parment ends up capturing the same tone and feel as the previous translator did, they really feel like they were written by the same person. Which, I guess, is the point—and shows that it’s a pretty good translation. Also, on the whole, it’s really hard to tell that this wasn’t originally written in English. I think that counts as another sign that Parment did the job right.

So, what did I think about Because You’re Mine?

I spend a lot of time wondering if this was going to be how every book in this series went—Gunvor is hired to find a missing husband, only to discover that something else is going on —something possibly worse than a missing man (and probable adulterer). If so, at a certain point, I’d think that wives would stop coming to her (and/or she’d stop taking those cases). But in the meantime, it’s a perfectly decent formula for the books—and both have worked well.

Early on, I guessed what was going on in the missing person cases—and I was close to right. But what Miller did with those explanations—and the serious crimes tied to those explanations (so hard not to spoil anything there) caught me pretty off-guard. The last 20% or so of the novel really stepped up intensity and quality—it was a fine novel up to that point, then it became a good one.

I recommend this (probably more than the first, which you don’t need to read to appreciate this one, but you might as well) for a solid character-driven mystery and am very curious about what the future holds for David and Elin (and Gunvor, too).

3.5 Stars

My thanks to damppebbles blog tours for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials (including a copy of the novel) they provided.

BOOK SPOTLIGHT: Because You’re Mine by Luna Miller

By HCNewton

On April 16, 2021

In Book Tour, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Today I welcome the Book Tour for the second Gunvor Ström/The Fruängen Bureau novel, Because You’re Mine by Luna Miller. Following this spotlight post, I’ll be giving my take on the novel here in a bit. But let’s start by learning a little about this here book, okay?

Book Details:

Book Title: Because You’re Mine by Luna Miller
Publisher: Publish Authority
Release date: April 12, 2021
Format: Paperback/Ebook
Length: 277 pages

Book Blurb:

Gunvor Ström, a Swedish surgeon who had to retire because her hands weren’t steady enough to perform operations, accepts a position as a private detective and enters a new and surprisingly dangerous career.

In Because You’re Mine, she accepts her second assignment. Is it always for the best to look for a missing person? Gunvor is not entirely sure as she believes there are those who don´t want to be found. Despite this, she takes on a case. A wife needs help to find her husband, Per Cedergren. A simple case at first glance. Gunvor is convinced that he has sneaked off on an adventure with a mistress and soon will return voluntarily.

Gunvor’s good friend Aidan also makes his debut as a private detective when he helps a new acquaintance look for her missing friend.

When Gunvor and Aidan take the help of their young friends, Elin and David, the two parallel cases meander closer each other. But how do they relate? And what do the disappearances have in common with the murders that at first glance appear to be hate crimes.

Soon they find themselves in the eye of the storm, not knowing where the danger lurks.

Because You’re Mine is the second book in the series of private detective Gunvor Ström.

About Luna Miller:

Swedish author Luna Miller (pseudonym) specializes in Nordic Noir. She is the writer of the international best-seller Three Days in September and is one of the authors of the international anthology Love Unboxed 2.

In mid-life, after experiencing life and adventure throughout Europe, India, China, Pakistan, Iran, Thailand and a host of other countries, with her studies, children and work, Luna found quality time to write her debut novel Three Days in September followed by Den som ger sig in i leken – the original Swedish precursor of Looking for Alice and the first book in the series of private detective Gunvor Ström.

Gå vilse, hitta hem – the sequel in Swedish to Three days in September was published in May 2020.

Because you´re mine – the second book in the series of Gunvor Ström will be published April 12, 2021.

Luna Miller was born in Sundsvall, Sweden 1962.

Social Networks:

Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Website ~ Pinterest

Purchase Links:

Amazon UK ~ Amazon US ~ Kobo ~ Waterstones ~ Barnes & Noble

My thanks to damppebbles blog tours for the invitation to participate in this tour and the materials (including a copy of the novel) they provided.

Author: HCNewton Page 292 of 610

Books Removed in this Post: 4 / 10 Total Books Removed: 148 / 290

What’s The Particulars of Peter About?

Some Highlights

On the other end of the spectrum

So, what did I think about The Particulars of Peter?

What’s Blood and Treasure About?

Language Choices

An Image Shattered—or maybe just Corrected

So, what did I think about Blood and Treasure?

What’s Payback About?

Ahh, a Little COVID-19 Fiction

Poor Lee Farrell

Sunny and The Men in Her Life

So, what did I think about Payback?

A Little Bit about Gunvor Ström

What’s Because You’re Mine About?

The Fruängen Bureau

The Translation

So, what did I think about Because You’re Mine?

Book Details:

Book Blurb:

About Luna Miller:

Books Removed in this Post: 4 / 10
Total Books Removed: 148 / 290