THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB discussion
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WHAT ARE YOU READING AND WHY!!
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Steve
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Feb 10, 2015 02:57PM
Reading and enjoying Wayfaring Stranger, since it's a James Lee Burke novel. Great writer. It's a different type of story for him, covering decades of midcentury American history and power, but it's equally dark. It slows in the middle act but it's picking up again. Glad I stuck with it.
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Bryson's observations are sometimes humorous but they're almost always snide and critical. Again and again Bryson complained that the cities were dirty, had menus he couldn't read; served bad, expensive food; harbored surly service workers (clerks, waiters, hotel staff); sported poor transportation; wouldn't accept whatever kind of money he happened to have; had panhandlers; sold useless merchandise; and so on.
The book is also heavy with sexual innuendos and comments about prostitutes, describes lots of excess drinking, and contains 'dirty' language that's off-putting in a light-hearted travel story (and I'm no prude).
On the positive side Bryson's descriptions of some of the sights are interesting: the northern lights, museums, parks, historic sites, artworks, and so on. Still, I was glad when he finally went home. Not one of Bryson's best efforts.
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When Darrow and his wife run afoul of the law tragedy ensues and Darrow realizes that the Golds have been lying. Darrow becomes determined to get revenge and free the Reds. He falls in with rebels who "transform" him to resemble a Gold so he can attend an elite academy.
What follows is like a hyper version of 'The Hunger Games'. The academy students are divided into 'houses' that battle each other until one house is the winner. The whittling process takes months, during which the students demonstrate their intelligence and battle prowess in hopes of getting job offers from prominent Gold families. The students are forced to perform horrific deeds, there's cheating, and not everyone is who they seem.
Darrow is smart but seems to be thwarted every time he's about to achieve an important goal. Thus he must be cleverer, sneakier, and more politically astute than his rivals. I liked the book and look forward to reading the rest of the series.
R.A. Lafferty's Through Elegant Eyes.It could almost be read as a novel in consecutive stories. It wouldn't quite work, as a look at Arrive At Easterwine (which is based on another ongoing series, The Institute of Impure Science Stories) would show. An anthology of those stories (What's the Name of That Town?, Flaming Ducks and Giant Bread, Thus We Frustrate Charlemagne, Through Other Eyes, All But the Words etc.) might be similarly semi-novelistic if arranged sequentially (although these may not be as clear a sequence--the only thing I know for sure is that the last story would be All But the Words, since that looks forward to a time when the Insitute is no more, its members scattered and largely silent. I'm reasonably sure that wasn't the last story he wrote in the series however. Who knows? it might even be the first story in a collection like that, if an ongoing Sword of Damocles effect was desired.)
The first stories in Through Elegant Eyes, at least, are precisely sequential.. A lead character is subtracted in The All-At-Once Man, but the four men who know everything and the author, who doesn't, are all assembled. Mud Violet adds the sawdust ghost Loretta Sheen and the schizo ghost Mary Mondo (and the electronic genius Roy Mega) and Barnaby's Clock introduces the last of the main recurring characters, Austro. The other stories could possibly follow in different sequence, but he deliberately builds from one to the next. Reading them independently, a reader could follow what was happening (especially with the helpful synopses of backstory the author supplies), but if you've read those three in that order there's a surer sense of continuity in what follows. (Old Hallowe'ens on the Guna Slopes, for instance, gains a great deal of resonance from a previous acquaintance with Mud Violet.)
I wonder how far Lafferty was following an original plan, and how far improvising in response to the material, in the characterizations of Loretta Sheen and Mary Mondo particularly? Their development isn't inconsistent, taken all together, but it certainly is surprising given their starting point as listless suicides.
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Fearing backlash the Emperor sends his son to Bohemia, where Julius is imprisoned in a castle. A local barber-surgeon named Pichler is hired to cure the mad royal using blood-letting and leeches. To assist him, Pilchler brings his daughter Marketa, a pretty girl who works in the family-run bathhouse. The descriptions of what goes on in the bathhouse are quite graphic. The men paw the bathhouse girls, masturbate, and one particularly gross customer negotiates with Marketa's mother to take Marketa's virginity.
Deranged Julius becomes obsessed with Marketa and his subsequent behavior has terrible consequences.
The story's setting is well-portrayed and characters are vividly described and believable though I disliked many of them. For me the story moves slowly and isn't totally compelling. Fans of historical fiction, though, might like the book better than I did.
Though I know little about Jack Kerouac and his works, I am a bit curious to understand why he is so highly regarded as a writer. For that reason, I began reading today the memoir You'll Be Okay: My Life with Jack Kerouac by Edie Kerouac-Parker, who was Kerouac's first wife. It offers a rare account of the early days of the Beat Generation from a woman's perspective.
On the Road is one of my favorites by him :)
KOMET wrote: "Though I know little about Jack Kerouac and his works, I am a bit curious to understand why he is so highly regarded as a writer. For that reason, I began reading today the memoir [book:You'll Be..."On the road is one of my favorites by him :)
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and Loved it!!! a very very good 2nd book in a terrific series
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Jill wrote: "KOMET wrote: "Though I know little about Jack Kerouac and his works, I am a bit curious to understand why he is so highly regarded as a writer. For that reason, I began reading today the memoir [..."
I have to admit..I have never read On The Road!! on my list though!!
Rick wrote: I have to admit..I have never read On The Road!! on my list though!! +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Rick, you should check out the memoir written by Jack Kerouac's first wife, which I'm now reading -
You'll Be Okay: My Life with Jack Kerouac by Edie Kerouac-Parker
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Rick, you should check out the memoir written by Jack Kerouac's first wife, which I'..."
Looks like a great read. Definitely on my TBR list for this year
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Now, 17 years later, Carlton Flynn disappears in similar circumstances. Megan chooses this time to revisit La Crème and is pulled into the investigation of Carlton's disappearance - and as it turns out - the disappearance of other men. This upsets Megan since she's hiding her former identity from her husband.
Meanwhile, Carlton's father hires a pair of psychopaths - Ken and Barbie - to find out what happened to Carlton. This horrific pair go on a torture spree to get information, an endeavor aided by a corrupt cop.
Eventually the police figure out what's going on, but the solution is not satisfying or believable. I'm a Harlen Coben fan but I was disappointed with this book. Ken and Barbie are over-the-top and cartoonish. Ray and Megan are self-involved and hard to care about. And the story is convoluted and doesn't gel. I was thinking maybe Coben had a co-writer since this book seemed so different from his usual style and quality.
I've listened and finished Me Before You - Jojo Moyes. Now I am gonna read Never Look Back - Clare Donoghue.
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At the same time Rinaldi is working with the FBI on a case involving serial killer John Jessup, convicted of murdering 4 prostitutes. Jessup, who was killed in a prison riot, had an admirer who wrote him letters signed 'Your Biggest Fan'. The admirer is now on a murder spree of his own, killing people responsible for Jessup's imprisonment and death. This seems to include Lyle Barnes, the FBI profiler who fingered Jessup. Barnes now suffers from night terrors and needs a psychologist.
Local police are working with the FBI to protect potential victims and nab Jessup's admirer. They're hampered, however, because the killer has inside information. Clearly, the investigation is compromised.
While working on the cases Rinaldi is often involved in life-threatening situations like chasing down a gunman, being run off the road, putting himself in the path of a murderer, and so on. To me, he's an unrealistic character - a sort of psychololgist/superhero - but he seems to be a decent guy. There's also romance in the story since Rinaldi gets together with a woman he's been attracted to for some time.
Eventually Rinaldi gets information that's pivotal to both cases. I thought this was a pretty good story with interesting characters and a nicely-constructed plot.
Today I finished reading "You'll Be Okay: My Life with Jack Kerouac" by Edie Kerouac-Parker, who had been married to Kerouac between 1944 and 1948. Its nostaglic value is priceless, giving the reader a slice of life lived in New York during the early 1940s among of group of 20-somethings eager to embrace life to the full, and struggling to make sense of it all.
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Meanwhile Sharon's husband Hy Ripinsky, head of a security firm, is negotiating with the kidnappers of Van Hoffman, who works for a government think tank.
When Sharon goes to investigate the 'satanic building site' she learns that her case is connected to Hy's. Both Jay Givens and Van Hoffman belong to "The Night Searchers", a weird group of people that go on evening scavenger hunts.
When Hy has to leave the country Sharon helps with the Hoffman situation. She learns that Hoffman is disliked by his family and about to lose his job. Simultaneously, Sharon discovers that Camilla may not be nuts after all.
Sharon (aided by her relatives and employees) eventually uncovers information that helps resolve both the Givens and Hoffman situations - a resolution that some readers may see coming in advance.
I think this is an okay mystery that most fans of the series will enjoy.
I'm reading A Snitch in Time by Sunny Frazier. I'm thoroughly enjoying it, and so far it's a little lighter reading.
A Snitch in Time
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Melissa is put in the position of having to track down and 'fix' Dorothy before the AI does something drastic like launching nuclear bombs. She is eventually aided in this endeavor by former CIA agent Wyman Ford.
Meanwhile, a crooked investor named G. Parker Lansing - who uses computer programs to manipulate the stock market - is bilked out of a fortune by someone even more clever than himself. Furious and determined to get revenge Lansing hears about Dorothy and becomes determined to catch the AI software and use it for his own ends.
From here the story turns into a kind of chase novel, with Melissa and Wyman competing with Lansing and his henchmen to catch Dorothy. At one point Dorothy takes refuge in the toy robot of a troubled 14-year-old boy, which sets off a lot of drama. There are also some religious overtones to the story as Dorothy starts 'thinking about' the purpose of life and studying up on Jesus, etc. This adds a discordant note to the book.
The book's thin plot - various people chasing Dorothy and meeting obstacles along the way - was tedious and repetitive. I don't recommend this book.
Several days ago, I began reading "Christine: SOE Agent & Churchill's Favourite Spy" by Madeleine Masson. It is a story about a most remarkable & courageous woman, born to lesser Polish nobility, who risked her life time and again during WWII only to meet with tragedy in the early postwar years. Truly a story of this magnitude should be adapted either for a TV movie or the silver screen. 
I've finished and reviewed Slim to None - Jenny Gardiner. Now I am going to read No Place to Die - Clare Donoghue.
Today I began reading "The Art Student's War" by Brad Leithauser, which is centered upon the life of a young art student in WWII Detroit, who takes on the assignment of drawing portraits of wounded soldiers in the local hospitals. Contrary to what many people know of Detroit in the present day, the Detroit depicted in this novel is rich, vibrant (despite underlying tensions caused by wartime pressures and racism), and in its heyday, acting as America's "Arsenal of Democracy." 
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While in Bethesda Louise stays with her friend Emily Holiday who is under the thumb of her husband Tom. After the garden show taping, Louise, Emily, and Tom are taking a walk when they hear gunfire. They discover that Catherine Freeman was killed as she and her husband were returning from an evening out. Louise feels compelled to investigate and Emily is an enthusiastic sidekick.
This is one of those books where the amateur sleuths are more capable than the police. Louise tries to put the police on the right track, but they reject her interference - which makes her more adamant to solve the crime. Louise and Emily decide the killer must be a woman in the garden club and proceed to investigate the ladies.
I like cozies, but in books set in modern times - with police having access to forensics, phone records, CCTV, and so on - it strains credulity to think amateur detectives are more capable than the cops. Even accepting that amateurs are better, however, this story relies too much on blind luck and an unlikely confession to unveil Catherine's killer. I won’t read more books in this series.
FYI: The author does weave some interesting gardening tips into the story, and provides a useful essay about gardening in times of drought.
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Meanwhile Detective Molina, who's investigating Branick's death, suspects it wasn't suicide. He's stymied when the Justice Department takes possession of Branick's body and moves to close the case. Clearly someone has something to hide. Concurrently, retired ClA operative Charles Jenkins - who once participated in an operation with Branick and the future President - is pulled into the situation when an attempt is made on his life.
It becomes clear that a massacre occurred in a Mexican village many years ago, an incident which somehow affected Sloane. As it turns out all three men - Sloane, Molina, and Jenkins - become involved in figuring out what happened to Branick, why the package is important, and what government officials are covering up.
There are a lot of interesting characters and plenty of murder and violence in this enjoyable thriller.
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In any case, Santago pursues his dream, but it's not easy or straightforward. Along the way he's robbed several times, meets an alchemist, falls in love, has run-ins with a couple of tribal chiefs, and has conversations with the wind and sun - who assist him in a time of trouble. There are some spiritual elements in the story and a lot of talk about love being the most important thing in the world - a theme which also occurs in other Coelho books.
Santiago is never diverted from his quest and eventually discovers his treasure and presumably lives happily ever after. This book didn't really resonate with me as I don't seem to share Coelho's philosophy but I thought it was an okay story.
Earlier today I finished reading "Black Warriors: The Buffalo Soldiers of World War II: Memories of the Only Negro Infantry Division to Fight in Europe" by Ivan J. Houston, who served in the 92nd Infantry Division in Italy during 1944 and 1945. Indeed, Houston served in the same regiment --- the 370th Regimental Combat Team --- as my uncle, who was a junior officer in command of Company H, a heavy weapons unit. So this book had a lot of personal resonance for me. "Black Warriors" also sheds light on an aspect of the war that has been unsung, marginalized or forgotten for far too long: the contributions made by African Americans in the U.S. military during the Second World War.
Read and finished Embryo - J.A. Schneider. Was a great thriller with a medical twist. Now on to the Into the Darkest Corner - Elizabeth Haynes. Can't wait to see where this is going to take me lol.
Just finished the intriguing Into the Darkest Corner - Elizabeth Haynes, a good thriller and into a mind of a psycho. Now I am off to read Crosshairs - J.A. Schneider, to carry on the series where I left off.
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More killings follow and Detective Logan and Dana realize that a huge cover-up is in the works - but what is being covered up?
During all this Dana has serious health concerns and marital problems - and warm-hearted Detective Logan helps by providing support and sympathy. Other characters include a fey jewelry maker who seems to have psychic powers, a presidential candidate, security personnel, a witness to a killing, and so on. This helps round out the story.
Though somewhat predictable this is an enjoyable fast-paced thriller, good for a plane ride or beach read.
Began reading this morning on the subway "Writers Between the Covers: The Scandalous Romantic Lives of Legendary Literary Casanovas, Coquettes, and Cads" by Shannon McKenna Schmidt. As a richly loaded book in terms of its subject matter, it is proving to be highly enjoyable reading. Just the sections alone that I've read about T.S. Eliot's marriage to a woman he later had committed to an insane asylum and the antics of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald have made for an enlightening experience!
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Sounds like an interesting book.
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Libby lived off a fund donated by a sympathetic public but now, at 31, she's broke. To make money Libby hooks up with an organization called 'The Kill Club', who study crime. They believe Ben Day is innocent and are willing to fund Libby if she'll talk to people they view as suspects/persons of interest. Libby agrees and begins to waver in her belief that Ben's guilty.
The story alternates between events that occurred twenty-five years ago and what is happening today. Major characters include Ben Day and his creepy friends, absentee dad Runner Day who comes home only to ask for money, Patty Day who can't make ends meet, etc.
The book made me uncomfortable at times because most of the characters are unlikable people who behave badly. It would be a spoiler to tell more so I'll just say the book has many threads which are skillfully woven together to lead to the twisty, satisfying conclusion. This is a well-written mystery, highly recommended.
I have finished the action packed Raney & Levine - J.A. Schneider. Now I am going back to reading The Good Girl - Mary Kubica (once I buy the Amazon copy in morning). So I'm not sure what to start til then lol. As soon as I know, I will tell ya ;) xx
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In some stories characters hook up with the wrong people because they're lonely and then are disappointed. In other stories characters have dishonest and/or unfaithful partners.
One story is about parents coping with a baby who has cancer. Another is about a woman who was holding a friend's baby when an accident occured, killing the child; the woman blames herself and can hardly go on.
My favorite story is about an unhappy spouse who learns to use a gun, then gets to shoot a nutcase who breaks into people's homes to make them sing. For me this was the most satisfying tale.
It's a good book but you'll probably need something light and fun after reading it.
In recognition of the upcoming 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo, I began reading tonight "Dancing into Battle: A Social History of the Battle of Waterloo" by Nick Foulkes.
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Jacob Lev is a washed-up LAPD detective who's been relegated to the traffic department. Then a severed head is found in a house along with the Hebrew word for "justice". Lev is reassigned to the ensuing murder investigation because of his Jewish heritage.
Jacob discovers that a series of interconnected murders are the work of one or more serial killers. In his pursuit of the killers Jacob travels to Prague where he makes startling discoveries.
A second pseudo-biblical tale alternates with the story of Jacob's investigation. This historical tale - which starts out with Cain and Abel and evolves into the origin of the golem of Prague - turns out to have links to the current serial murders.
The conglomeration of the modern story and the bible-like story doesn't work well. While the narration of Jacob's murder investigation is mildly engaging the historical tale is slow and - for most of the book - doesn't seem to be going anywhere. By the end of the book it seemed like an unlikely, disjointed fairy tale about (I think) justice across the ages. Moreover, I didn't care about the crimes, who committed them, or why. I was just glad to be done with the book.
I'm a fan of Jonathan Kellerman and have enjoyed many of his books but this collaboration of the father son team - Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman - is not a success. I don't recommend this book.
I have finished the amazing If I Could... - Rene D. Schultz. Now I am going to carry on reading Embryo 4: Catch Me - J.A. Schneider.
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A coded letter from American criminal mastermind Clarence Devereux is found on the body. Jones - who has studied Holmes' methods - deciphers the letter, which has details of a meeting between the evil masterminds. Hoping that Devereux believes Moriarty is still alive Chase impersonates him at the meeting, while Jones is set to follow anyone who shows up.
This leads the detectives to Devereux's gang and eventually to the American criminal genius, who is untouchable. There's much murder and mayhem in the wake of the detectives' investigations but they forge ahead to a dramatic climax and finale.
Sherlock Holmes fans will recognize many nods to the original stories in this worthy 'sequel', which is entertaining and clever and has the feel of 'real' Sherlock Holmes stories. Highly recommended to fans of the original tales.
Barbara #9582:A most cogent review.
Write more.
Just saying.
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A most cogent review.
Write more.
Just saying."
Thanks Howard :)
Last night, I went to a book reading given by Helen O'Donnell, whose book "The Irish Brotherhood: John F. Kennedy, His Inner Circle, and the Improbable Rise to the Presidency" I began avidly reading. I was lucky enough to chat with Miss O'Donnell --- whose father had been a close friend and political aide to President Kennedy --- as she autographed my copy of her book. I bought this book because of my fascination with JFK and his Administration. So far, it's proving to be a fantastic book.
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I don't know if you watch TV (or DVDs) but from your posts I think you might like the TV series 'Brotherhood'. Description from Wikipedia: "an American television drama series about the intertwining lives of the Irish-American Caffee brothers from Providence, Rhode Island: Tommy is a local politician and Michael is a professional criminal involved with New England's Irish Mob.
I thought it was very good.
I have finished the intensed Embryo 4: Catch Me - J.A. Schneider. Now I am off to listen/read The Good Girl - Mary Kubica. Then tomorrow hopefully I will read EMBRYO 5: SILVER GIRL - J.A. Schneider.
Barbara wrote: I don't know if you watch TV (or DVDs) but from your posts I think you might like the TV series 'Brotherhood'. Description from Wikipedia: "an American television drama series about the intertwining lives of the Irish-American Caffee brothers from Providence, Rhode Island: Tommy is a local politician and Michael is a professional criminal involved with New England's Irish Mob. I thought it was very good.
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The TV drama you alluded to brings to mind a Dennis Lehane novel ---
Live by Night
Lehane - like President Kennedy - hails from Massachusetts.
I just finished 'As sure As the Dawn' by Francine Rivers. This book is the third and last in a series of the Roman Empire circa 79 AD. I prefer the first book in the series called 'A Voice in the Wind'. There is violence and what we would call barbaric practices, especially in the Gladiator and arena descriptions. All three contain topics perhaps not popular/fashionable today. This may be too Christian for most but I enjoy stories of early Christianity and the other beliefs/religions in the ancient world.
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THE JAMES MASON COMMUNITY BOOK CLUB
Books mentioned in this topic
Confessions on the 7:45 (other topics)Amity (other topics)
Truly, Devious (other topics)
We All Fall Down (other topics)
Get Even (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Monica Rodden (other topics)Lisa Unger (other topics)
Natalie D. Richards (other topics)
Maureen Johnson (other topics)
Gretchen McNeil (other topics)
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