Books and other stuff I feel like discussing
By education and experience - Accountant with a specialty in taxation. Formerly a CPA (license has lapsed). Masters degree in law of taxation from University of Denver. Now retired. Part time work during baseball season as receptionist & switchboard operator for the Colorado Rockies. This gig feeds my soul in ways I have trouble articulating. One daughter, and four grandchildren. I share the house with two cats; a big goof of a cat called Grinch (named as a joke for his easy going "whatever" disposition); and Lady, a shelter adoptee with a regal bearing and sweet little soprano voice. I would be very bereft if it ever becomes necessary to keep house without a cat.
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Books Update
Before I take off for a quick visit to the far flung offspring and her family, here's a summary of my reading of late.
BLONDE FAITH Walter Mosley
One of the most durable series of the last dozen or so years has been Mosley's books featuring Easy Rawlins. Mosley's character has aged as the books have appeared, moving from single father in post WWII Los Angeles to paterfamilias of the early 21st century, and coming to terms with personal change, still bearing a hard edge of realistic bitterness arising from racism in the US. This could be Rawlins' swan song, yet the book ends on an enigmatic note, and Mosley may have more life for his character to live. I hope so.
THE FRANCHISE AFFAIR Josephine Tey
A book discussion group choice and my introduction to her work. Her career was tragically short and the handful of books she published are more than worth the time. When startling accusations confront a pair of women, living on an economic tightrope in the English countryside, the two request help from a local attorney. He is somewhat surprised to find the dull limits of his life expanding as he helps them figure out what's going on. I sent a so-called "retro review" into CrimeSpree magazine. Still don't know if they'll publish it.
THE TENDERNESS OF WOLVES Stef Penney
A small Canadian community north of Toronto is jarred out of its normal routine when a resident is found bludgeoned to death. At about the same time, a young man disappears. A group sets out to uncover the truth about the man's death, find the missing man, and search for a missing artifact which may or may not have a large monetary value. Penney's novel is a very enjoyable combination of "road story" and mystery.
RUN Ann Patchett
A Boston politician's family confronts the truth of long buried secrets. Two of the politician's sons come of age in ways no one had planned, and a young girl finds a bright future but only at a very poignant cost. One of the most important facts in the entire scenario remains known only to the reader. A very worthy successor to Patchett's previous award winning BEL CANTO.
HIDDEN MOON James Church
A police procedural set in present day North Korea. Inspector O is determined to do his job, and investigate a bank robbery, even as conflicting and contradictory orders and guidance arrive from his superiors and from various other authoritative agencies. The best fiction takes to reader to unfamiliar locales, where the author presents characters which are as familiar as the man next door. I hope we have more books featuring Inspector O.
THE SULTAN'S SECRET Jenny White
The nude body of an English woman is discovered floating in the sea near Istanbul Turkey. She is wearing a strange medallion, with a symbol of the Sultan's authority pressed into the design. The investigation will begin to center on late 19th century political intrigue and upheaval in the capital. In alternating chapters, White tells of the plight of a young woman from a wealthy family confronting the limitations of her society and its traditions. The two story threads intersect and impact each other, but only the reader will understand important facts in the story.
AN ABSOLUTE GENTLEMAN R M Kinder
A teacher in a small Midwestern town is unmasked as a serial killer, when his impulses compel him to murder a colleague. The story is told from his point of view, with enigmatic references to previous crimes. The story is made more chilling by notes on book jacket which disclose that the author was once involved with a man later arrested for murder. It seems the real life killer was found by law enforcement just in time.
THE KINGDOM WHERE NOBODY DIES Kathleen Hills
The title is a quote from Edna St Vincent Millay, and a reference to the time of childhood. In 1950's Michigan, a farmer new to the community is killed on a bucolic afternoon, shot in the head as he moves across his field on his tractor. The local constable is frustrated to find no motive for the murder. However his investigation begins to uncover lots of secrets.
THE DAUGHTER OF TIME Josephine Tey
The evening spent discussing Tey's work at the library piqued my curiosity to read more. While a policeman is confined to a hospital bed after a work related injury, he requests historical texts and sends an assistance to libraries on a quest to find out everything he can about the supposedly diabolical Richard III. Did he order his two little nephews murdered or not? Some incidents, which may or may not be criminal, never release their hold on society's fascination. I think the unknown fate of the two Tudor princes is one of those incidents.
HOUSE OF MIRTH Edith Wharton
I've been listening to Wharton's novels in the car. A beautiful young woman, born to privilege if not to wealth, struggles to find a role for herself in early 20th century New York society. She is both ostracized and exploited by others in her social circle, and the one relationship which might save her is doomed by a tragic misunderstanding.
PERFUME Patrick Suskind
This was apparently a best seller about 10 years ago, and was recently made into a movie. Opinions at the book discussion session varied widely, with some regarding it as excellent and others exasperated and dismissive. Books like this lead to our best discussions!
STRIKE DOG Joseph Heywood
Heywood writes a very entertaining series featuring a conservation officer based in Upper Michigan. I think he's deserving of a much wider reputation. In this entry, Grady Service simultaneously deals with personal tragedy and bureaucratic frustration. His fiancee and son have died in an automobile accident; and state authorities send him to help investigate a nationwide string of deaths of state conservation authorties. Eventually it's clear to Service, if to no one else, that all the deaths are related.
THE FARTHER SHORE Matthew Eck
A small squad of US servicmen is more or less abandoned to their own ingenuity when a raid on an unnamed foreign city goes awry. Reminiscent of the debacle in Mogadishu, Somalia - the small group of men must struggle through hostile urban terrain to survive and to connect with larger US Armed Forces. Almost surreal and very compelling.
CRIES AND WHISKERS Clea Simon
Simon's books feature cats, yet they both are beloved pets and on occasion exploited victims of crime. Protagonist Theda Krakow is a free lance journalist, covering the alternative rock scene in present day Boston. These two plot threads are an interesting combination, and very readable.
BLONDE FAITH Walter Mosley
One of the most durable series of the last dozen or so years has been Mosley's books featuring Easy Rawlins. Mosley's character has aged as the books have appeared, moving from single father in post WWII Los Angeles to paterfamilias of the early 21st century, and coming to terms with personal change, still bearing a hard edge of realistic bitterness arising from racism in the US. This could be Rawlins' swan song, yet the book ends on an enigmatic note, and Mosley may have more life for his character to live. I hope so.
THE FRANCHISE AFFAIR Josephine Tey
A book discussion group choice and my introduction to her work. Her career was tragically short and the handful of books she published are more than worth the time. When startling accusations confront a pair of women, living on an economic tightrope in the English countryside, the two request help from a local attorney. He is somewhat surprised to find the dull limits of his life expanding as he helps them figure out what's going on. I sent a so-called "retro review" into CrimeSpree magazine. Still don't know if they'll publish it.
THE TENDERNESS OF WOLVES Stef Penney
A small Canadian community north of Toronto is jarred out of its normal routine when a resident is found bludgeoned to death. At about the same time, a young man disappears. A group sets out to uncover the truth about the man's death, find the missing man, and search for a missing artifact which may or may not have a large monetary value. Penney's novel is a very enjoyable combination of "road story" and mystery.
RUN Ann Patchett
A Boston politician's family confronts the truth of long buried secrets. Two of the politician's sons come of age in ways no one had planned, and a young girl finds a bright future but only at a very poignant cost. One of the most important facts in the entire scenario remains known only to the reader. A very worthy successor to Patchett's previous award winning BEL CANTO.
HIDDEN MOON James Church
A police procedural set in present day North Korea. Inspector O is determined to do his job, and investigate a bank robbery, even as conflicting and contradictory orders and guidance arrive from his superiors and from various other authoritative agencies. The best fiction takes to reader to unfamiliar locales, where the author presents characters which are as familiar as the man next door. I hope we have more books featuring Inspector O.
THE SULTAN'S SECRET Jenny White
The nude body of an English woman is discovered floating in the sea near Istanbul Turkey. She is wearing a strange medallion, with a symbol of the Sultan's authority pressed into the design. The investigation will begin to center on late 19th century political intrigue and upheaval in the capital. In alternating chapters, White tells of the plight of a young woman from a wealthy family confronting the limitations of her society and its traditions. The two story threads intersect and impact each other, but only the reader will understand important facts in the story.
AN ABSOLUTE GENTLEMAN R M Kinder
A teacher in a small Midwestern town is unmasked as a serial killer, when his impulses compel him to murder a colleague. The story is told from his point of view, with enigmatic references to previous crimes. The story is made more chilling by notes on book jacket which disclose that the author was once involved with a man later arrested for murder. It seems the real life killer was found by law enforcement just in time.
THE KINGDOM WHERE NOBODY DIES Kathleen Hills
The title is a quote from Edna St Vincent Millay, and a reference to the time of childhood. In 1950's Michigan, a farmer new to the community is killed on a bucolic afternoon, shot in the head as he moves across his field on his tractor. The local constable is frustrated to find no motive for the murder. However his investigation begins to uncover lots of secrets.
THE DAUGHTER OF TIME Josephine Tey
The evening spent discussing Tey's work at the library piqued my curiosity to read more. While a policeman is confined to a hospital bed after a work related injury, he requests historical texts and sends an assistance to libraries on a quest to find out everything he can about the supposedly diabolical Richard III. Did he order his two little nephews murdered or not? Some incidents, which may or may not be criminal, never release their hold on society's fascination. I think the unknown fate of the two Tudor princes is one of those incidents.
HOUSE OF MIRTH Edith Wharton
I've been listening to Wharton's novels in the car. A beautiful young woman, born to privilege if not to wealth, struggles to find a role for herself in early 20th century New York society. She is both ostracized and exploited by others in her social circle, and the one relationship which might save her is doomed by a tragic misunderstanding.
PERFUME Patrick Suskind
This was apparently a best seller about 10 years ago, and was recently made into a movie. Opinions at the book discussion session varied widely, with some regarding it as excellent and others exasperated and dismissive. Books like this lead to our best discussions!
STRIKE DOG Joseph Heywood
Heywood writes a very entertaining series featuring a conservation officer based in Upper Michigan. I think he's deserving of a much wider reputation. In this entry, Grady Service simultaneously deals with personal tragedy and bureaucratic frustration. His fiancee and son have died in an automobile accident; and state authorities send him to help investigate a nationwide string of deaths of state conservation authorties. Eventually it's clear to Service, if to no one else, that all the deaths are related.
THE FARTHER SHORE Matthew Eck
A small squad of US servicmen is more or less abandoned to their own ingenuity when a raid on an unnamed foreign city goes awry. Reminiscent of the debacle in Mogadishu, Somalia - the small group of men must struggle through hostile urban terrain to survive and to connect with larger US Armed Forces. Almost surreal and very compelling.
CRIES AND WHISKERS Clea Simon
Simon's books feature cats, yet they both are beloved pets and on occasion exploited victims of crime. Protagonist Theda Krakow is a free lance journalist, covering the alternative rock scene in present day Boston. These two plot threads are an interesting combination, and very readable.
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