Chapter Ninety-two

February turned out to be a hit-or-miss kinda month, weather-wise. We had some really cold days, we had some snow, and we had some warm days - including one record-breaking Wednesday. I'm still sitting with my Granddaughter twice a week (for a couple of hours) and I still have some follow-ups with a couple of doctors. And, I still have a lot of books from the Metuchen Library sale last month.

Miscellaneous

When you're at these kind of sales sometimes you get lucky.

The Wanderers - Richard Price ($15.95/$1.00, copyright 1974, 239 pages, Trade Paperback)
 I grew up in The Bronx in the '60's and I understand what Price was writing about. This book is sort of a coming-of-age story for a teenage street gang of the same name in the 1960's Bronx. In the first chapter, we are introduced to the world in which they live. In this world  street gangs are numerous, and based on ethnic identity. There are Italian, Black, Irish and Chinese gangs. Perhaps the most bizarre of the gangs described are the Ducky Boys, a whole neighborhood of dwarf-like Irish kids who carry straight-edge razors. I was sure that this was something Price had made up, but someone from the Bronx of that time once told me there really was such a gang. The novel follows the lives of the gang members, Richie, Perry, Joey, Eugene and Buddy as they try to figure out their lives in this rough environment. These guys are really just kids trying to make the best of things in challenging circumstances and, like teenagers everywhere, they go to school, fall in love and worry about their future. There is an unusual honesty about this novel. Price lays it out in an uncompromising way with recognizable characters and the story lines don't always work out. I enjoyed it.


Series

When you're at these kind of sales sometimes you take some chances.

Nevermore - Harold Schechter ($6.99/$.50, copyright 1999, 465 pages, Paperback)

What if Poe's famous Gothic stories were based not on imagination but reality? This book takes the idea that Poe was involved in the investigation of hideous murders in Baltimore in his youth, murders that seemed to be related to his family. While unravelling the dark thread of these horrific murders, Poe eventually finds the inspiration that leads to some of his most famous works.Fans of Poe will enjoy matching the murders to similar events in his stories, such as The House of Usher and The Masque of the Red Death. What I found especially interesting was that Schechter brings another historical figure into the story - Davy Crockett. I admit that I found this annoying at first but in the end the partnership does work out.  It was good.

Last Words - Rich Zahradnik ( $13.95/$1.00, copyright 2014, 237 pages, Trade Paperback)
Last Words
It's March of 1975 in New York and newsman Coleridge Taylor roams police precincts and ERs. When a body is brought into Bellevue, Taylor immediately knows something is off. Sensing a story, he begins to follow whatever thread he can to find out the truth. Zahradnik has created richly drawn characters, both the major ones and the minor ones. I have to say that one of the more enjoyable aspects of this book was the sense of time and place. I felt transported back to 1975, right to the streets of that time period. The political, economic and social climate of the era feels right It was an enjoyable mystery, atmospheric and suspenseful. This is one of those books I hope gets lots of attention. It enjoyed it.

That's it for this month.

Coming up is March, which means St. Patrick's Day and - hopefully - warmer weather. Until then .........

Keep reading.