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 - More Fiction
THE ABSENT ONE and CONSPIRACY OF FAITH by Jussi Adler-Olsen
Olsen is one of Danish contributors to the recent influx of so-called "Scandinavian Noir." His protagonist is a cop grown weary of his job, hoping to make it to his retirement in a manner as free of stress as possible. When he is assigned to the cold case unit, he figures his plans will work. But an overly ambitious politician wangles an impressive source of funding, dedicated to cold cases, and in order to keep his whole department afloat, the supervising officer assigns a new assistant to the department and begins to send demands for results in clearing the long dormant cases.
These two books had different translators, and it showed. THE ABSENT ONE is an engrossing read, focusing on a group of men who, as secondary school students, were involved in a string of cruel and serious harassments. They have moved on to the abuse of animals and then to murder. The person of the title is a mentally ill street person, a woman who has been aware of all their activities and whom they perceive as a threat. Despite her illness, she is savvy enough to elude them. Eventually all the baddies get appropriate comeuppance. Translated by K E Semmel
The second book begins with a riveting "hook" Scottish fishermen find a note in a bottle. One delay after another follows, while the readability of the note deteriorates. After five or six years, the text is finally identified as Danish, sent to Copenhagen, and a hunt begins for the truth of the events - the note seems to be describing a torture and a threatened murder. The perpetrator is chillingly bad, and his sociopathy has been triggered by abuse at the hands of a strict religious sect. He is very skillful at hiding in plain sight. Unfortunately, what must be a poor translation renders this very slow going, and the book seems about 100 pages too long. Only my wish to know the fate of an innocent young boy and his mother, both victims of domestic violence kept me going to finish. The translator was Martin Aitken.
I debated for a bit before identifying the translators. But the first two books I read by Adler-Olsen were excellent reads, and I wondered why the third was such a slog. When I thought to check and compare translators' names, I realized I probably had my answer. Since several responders have, over the years, told me that they read books based on my recommendation, I decided it was appropriate to share what I learned.
A SERPENT'S TOOTH by Craig Johnson
Johnson writes evocative mysteries set in rural Wyoming. The books have been adapted for television in the series LONGMIRE. Johnson, in a book tour stop at Tattered Cover bookstore here in Denver, told his audience he is very pleased with the TV adaptations of his books.
In the latest entry, Sheriff Walt Longmire discovers a young man hiding in a house in the small town where he is based. He learns that the kid is a fugitive from a fundamentalist sect, an offshoot of the Mormon church. Events expand to include exploitation of natural gas and oil well drilling permits, and a group of very nasty men who will stop at nothing to protect their access to the source of their ill gotten gains. As usual, Johnson delivers a very good read.
MADAME BOVARY by Gustav Flaubert
Another classic I had never read before. The class at the writing center studied several writing techniques Flaubert is credited with inventing. Academics aside, it's a very engrossing read. A young woman in rural France marries a physician, expecting her life to unfold like the romantic fantasies she is so fond of reading. Flaubert views all the action through a very ironic lens.
Olsen is one of Danish contributors to the recent influx of so-called "Scandinavian Noir." His protagonist is a cop grown weary of his job, hoping to make it to his retirement in a manner as free of stress as possible. When he is assigned to the cold case unit, he figures his plans will work. But an overly ambitious politician wangles an impressive source of funding, dedicated to cold cases, and in order to keep his whole department afloat, the supervising officer assigns a new assistant to the department and begins to send demands for results in clearing the long dormant cases.
These two books had different translators, and it showed. THE ABSENT ONE is an engrossing read, focusing on a group of men who, as secondary school students, were involved in a string of cruel and serious harassments. They have moved on to the abuse of animals and then to murder. The person of the title is a mentally ill street person, a woman who has been aware of all their activities and whom they perceive as a threat. Despite her illness, she is savvy enough to elude them. Eventually all the baddies get appropriate comeuppance. Translated by K E Semmel
The second book begins with a riveting "hook" Scottish fishermen find a note in a bottle. One delay after another follows, while the readability of the note deteriorates. After five or six years, the text is finally identified as Danish, sent to Copenhagen, and a hunt begins for the truth of the events - the note seems to be describing a torture and a threatened murder. The perpetrator is chillingly bad, and his sociopathy has been triggered by abuse at the hands of a strict religious sect. He is very skillful at hiding in plain sight. Unfortunately, what must be a poor translation renders this very slow going, and the book seems about 100 pages too long. Only my wish to know the fate of an innocent young boy and his mother, both victims of domestic violence kept me going to finish. The translator was Martin Aitken.
I debated for a bit before identifying the translators. But the first two books I read by Adler-Olsen were excellent reads, and I wondered why the third was such a slog. When I thought to check and compare translators' names, I realized I probably had my answer. Since several responders have, over the years, told me that they read books based on my recommendation, I decided it was appropriate to share what I learned.
A SERPENT'S TOOTH by Craig Johnson
Johnson writes evocative mysteries set in rural Wyoming. The books have been adapted for television in the series LONGMIRE. Johnson, in a book tour stop at Tattered Cover bookstore here in Denver, told his audience he is very pleased with the TV adaptations of his books.
In the latest entry, Sheriff Walt Longmire discovers a young man hiding in a house in the small town where he is based. He learns that the kid is a fugitive from a fundamentalist sect, an offshoot of the Mormon church. Events expand to include exploitation of natural gas and oil well drilling permits, and a group of very nasty men who will stop at nothing to protect their access to the source of their ill gotten gains. As usual, Johnson delivers a very good read.
MADAME BOVARY by Gustav Flaubert
Another classic I had never read before. The class at the writing center studied several writing techniques Flaubert is credited with inventing. Academics aside, it's a very engrossing read. A young woman in rural France marries a physician, expecting her life to unfold like the romantic fantasies she is so fond of reading. Flaubert views all the action through a very ironic lens.
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