Chapter Eighty

Well, it's a New Year and we have a new President. We'll see how that goes. I haven't been Babysitting my Granddaughter much but I did get some time in. I thought that I'd have more time to read but between exercising my leg and trouble with my car, I didn't get too far. This month's selections are a little different because one is the basis for a current movie and the other is something that popped up in my Facebook Newsfeed that piqued my interest. Of course, you can't expect to find something your looking for at a Library Sale so I ordered them from a couple of online Discount Book Sites that I have bookmarked.

Miscellaneous

Live By Night - Dennis Lehane ($16.99/$4.30, copyright 2012, 402 pages, Trade Paperback)
 I saw that Ben Affleck made this into a movie and I thought that I'd look it up. Lehane has been one of my favorite authors for years.  Here he takes  Joe Coughlin, who was a minor character in Lehane's previous book "The Given Day" (which was pretty good) and gives him a new life. He is the youngest son of a Boston Police Captain who turns his back on a life of fighting crime to become a criminal himself. The book reads like a collection of events in a gangster's life during the late '20's Jazz Age including bootlegging, violence, and racism. Lehane  has an amazing ability to adapt his tone to fit the era of which he writes and he's tried to create an homage to the Bogart anti-hero stereotype - you know, the good guy gone bad. But , in my opinion, there's no reasoning behind what Coughlin does and that ruined the story for me. It was OK.


The Autobiography of Jack The Ripper - James Carnac (?/$4.76, copyright 2012, 277 pages, Hard Cover)
This is the alleged manuscript of the “real” Jack the Ripper. Written in the 1920's by a man calling himself James Carnac, it was "discovered" recently in a lot of memorabilia purchased by a vintage toy dealer (Alan Hicken) and it's divided into 3 parts. The first deals with his childhood, which was quite brutal; the second concerns the murders in Whitechapel; and the third occurs decades later, with Carnac detailing an odd circumstance he has found himself in with his landlady. I've read a lot about Jack over the years and I found this book fascinating. I don't actually believe that it's real (considering that there's a Paul Begg, freelance writer, who wrote the Introduction) but there is a lot of information in the manuscript that would likely only be known by the killer. I don't think we'll ever know the truth. I enjoyed it.

Well, that's it for this month. Up next, February.

I'm hoping we can get through without too much angst, given the "State of the Union".

Until then ....

Keep reading.

Chapter Seventy-nine

It's December and it'll be Christmas in 5 days. Family circumstances have changed since last month so I haven't been babysitting but I have been able to spend some time with my Granddaughter. In the meantime, I've gotten all my shopping done, the presents are wrapped, and I read a few books.

Miscellaneous

'Tis - Frank McCourt ($14.00/$.50, copyright 1999, 367 pages, Trade Paperback)
I enjoyed McCourt's first part of his memoir -  "Angela's Ashes" -  so I was happy to come across this at a Library sale. He starts this one as a young man at 19 years old and has left Ireland to find his future in New York. He talks about a lot -  specifically his Army service and his educational experience, ending up as a teacher. McCourt has this uncanny ability of making simple dialogue catchy and witty but the first half kind of drags. The second half of the book, however, is much better. Angela McCourt, the mother, pays a visit to her sons in the US: Frank, now a high school teacher, Malachy, a bar owner, Michael, an American soldier and Alphie, living in Manhattan. What the brothers do when she passes explains the title of the first book and brings a kind of closure. There's a third volume to this memoir - "Teacher Man" - which I'll be keeping an eye out for. It was OK.

Off the Shelf

Night of Camp David - Fletcher Knebel ($1.25/$1.25, copyright 1965, 312 pages, Paperback)
I was looking through my TBR pile for something else and came across this book. Given the current political situation I decided to reread it. It follows the formula of Knebel's successful "Seven Days in May" -  a loyal subordinate begins doubting his larger-than-life superior, and must persuade a skeptical establishment about his doubts before the nation suffers irreparable damage. President Mark Hollenbach is at the top of his game on the eve of his campaign for a second term. But a scandal has disgraced his vice-president, so he needs a new running mate, and turns to first-term senator Jim MacVeagh. But as the President courts MacVeagh at the Presidential Retreat he reveals confidential plans for his next administration, MacVeagh begins doubting the President's judgment, then his sanity. MacVeagh reluctantly confides his doubts to a few colleagues, who doubt MacVeagh more than they doubt the President. But when the President schedules a summit with the wily Soviet leader, the question of Hollenbach's mental health becomes critical, and MacVeagh must air the doubts that may bring him down instead of Hollenbach. It's been over 40 years since this was first published but it feels pretty timely now. I enjoyed it.

Series

The Houdini Specter - Daniel Stashower ($12.95/$1.00, copyright 2012, 210 pages, Trade Paperback)
I've always been interested in Houdini so, when I came across this at a library sale, I snapped it up. It turned out to be the second in a series that Stashower has been writing but it stands well on it's own.The year is 1898 and Harry Houdini is twenty-four years old and is still confined to dime museums where he performs tricks that he feels are beneath him. Then, he gets a break - Biggs, a journalist and friend of Harry’s brother Dash, has been present at a spiritualist’s gathering where he’s witnessed what to him seem inexplicable occurrences. A Medium, Lucius Craig,  has attached himself to a vulnerable and very wealthy widow with a promise that he will be able to contact her recently deceased husband. When Harry and Dash are invited to join in during the next séance in order to expose what must be a fraud they are only too happy to comply, sure in the conviction that Craig won’t be able to produce any tricks they aren’t capable of themselves. When, during the séance, Craig – who has been securely tied to a chair by Harry - doesn’t just produce a free-floating ghost but also has that apparition kill one of the other participants with a knife, even Harry and Dash are astonished. Still convinced that they are dealing with a charlatan they proceed to investigate. An investigation during which Harry embarrasses himself once or twice and Dash nearly ends up as a victim himself. The solution seemed implausible to me but Stashower is also a magician and explains everything in his note at the end. The story is told from Dash's point of view so you not only get to experience the mystery but you get a glimpse into the complicated character that Houdini was. I enjoyed it.

Today is the First Day of Winter and it's seasonably cold but at least it's not snowing. It's only a few days until Christmas and I'm looking forward to this one. It will be my Granddaughter's second but the first one she'll really enjoy.

Merry Christmas to all of you and ...

Keep reading.

Seventh Anniversary Edition!

It's November but - so far - we haven't had too many cold days although I understand that's gonna change tomorrow. My Granddaughter and I are still having a great time, including spending time reading. Here are the one's that I managed to read by myself this month.

Series

Inferno - Dan Brown ($9.99/$.50, copyright 2013, 611 pages, Paperback)
I enjoyed "Angels and Demons" and thought that "The DaVinci Code" was pretty good so I was looking forward to reading this. Robert Langdon - our hero - wakes up in the hospital, with no idea where he is. Within minutes of awakening in the hospital, the chase is on. An assassin tries to kill him but Langdon escapes, joined by an attractive young female doctor, Sienna, he met two minutes before. They spend the first half of this book being pursued by various factions in black clothes driving black cars with blacked out windows. They find hidden passages, overcome locked doors, hide behind sculptures and paintings, outrun helicopter tracking drones, discover ancient caverns and on and on and on, always on the brink of being captured but always managing to make it in the nick of time as pages are taken up describing various paintings, sculptures, fountains, passageways, artists, Florentine history, and lots and lots and lots of Dante's Inferno. It's all overblown and, in my opinion, there's way too much time spent on Florentine history. I finished it but I wouldn't recommend it.


Miscellaneous


Deadwood - Pete Dexter ($14.00/$.50, copyright 1986, 365 pages, Trade Paperback)
I'm a child of the '50's and grew up watching Westerns on TV so I love when I come across anything like this. Deadwood is really everything a Western ought to be: a character-centric story full of dirt, killing, heartbreak, misery, drunkenness, and simple moments. I picked it up because it mentioned Wild Bill Hickock in the blurbs and Dexter spends a portion of the book dealing with Hicock's death but he also dedicates portions of the book to Colorado Charley Utter, Calamity Jane, Al Swearengen, and others. Calamity Jane, in particular, is shown as a drunken mess but also an extremely tender woman who cares for the sick during an outbreak of smallpox, and the complexity and inconsistency of her character make her one of the most magnetic in the book. I enjoyed it.

Totals

I haven't read as much this year, Largely because my Granddaughter has taken up more of my time and I've had some health issues to deal with. Still, I don't think the numbers are bad.

Miscellaneous - 18 books, $135.15 cover price, $18.73 actual price

Series - 8 books, $68.94 cover price, $12,22 actual price

Off The Shelf  - 4 books, $27.89 cover price, $27.89 actual price

This year's totals:

30 books, $231.98 cover price, $58.84 actual price.

Seven years totals are:

294 books, $2,984.89 cover price, $298.49.

I'm in the middle of a new book now and I hope you are, too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Next up, December so ....

Keep reading.

Chapter Seventy-eight

It's October although you wouldn't know it by the weather the last few days. I had a few extra days off over the first two weeks of the month because of School Holidays but I'm back to Babysitting 4 days a week now. My Granddaughter is getting older and we spend a lot more time taking walks, sometimes to the park or the Library. I can usually count on her to take a nap after lunch for about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 hours during which I eat my lunch and read. Here's what I've gotten through since last month.

Miscellaneous

Half Of Paradise - James Lee Burke ($7.99/$.00, copyright 1965, 469 pages, Paperback)
This was given to me by a friend who bought a box of books at a Yard Sale and thought that I'd like it. I've read a lot of Burke's books over the years - especially most of his Dave Robichaux series - and enjoyed most of them. This is Burke's first published work and reads like three different short stories that he reworked. You get the last in the line of  former Louisiana landowners who has an alcohol problem; a dirt-poor boy with a talent for playing guitar who hits the big time and drugs; and a black dock worker who boxes on the side but gets badly hurt and then framed for a robbery. These are stereotypes in Burke's books and, when he merges the stories it gets very depressing. Still, Burke's strengths are here - his characters, dialogue, and the descriptions of everyday lives ring true. It was OK.

Trans Atlantic - Colum McCann ($12.00/$3.99, copyright 2013, 304 pages, Trade Paperback)
I've read a few of McCann's books before and - for the most part - enjoyed them. This one is a collection of short (and not so short) stories about crossings from America to Ireland and vice versa that he tries to tie together into a novel. It begins with an utterly compelling account of the first transatlantic plane flight that describes the perils of what they went through. The second chapter is about Frederick Douglas's visit to Ireland during the early days of the Great Famine, which was interesting but a bit too long. Then, for me, it became a struggle. The George Mitchell chapter made me put it down for a while but the last few chapters - the crossing from Ireland to America - saved things. McCann can write and there are parts of this book that were a pleasure to read. It was OK.

A Pirate Looks At Fifty - Jimmy Buffett ($15.00/$3.99, copyright 1998, 420 pages, Trade Paperback)
I’ve been a fan of Buffett’s music for a long time. Some of it's funny and some of it's not but I have a good time when I listen (see what I did there?).  Buffet wrote this as an autobiography/travelogue type of book to celebrate his 50th Birthday (Christmas Day, 1996). He talks about his family, his early years, his wild days of drug and alcohol abuse, and his struggles to make it in the music industry. He doesn’t gloss over the fact that his fame and popularity leave him with the money and connections to do whatever he wants to, but he does not flaunt it, either. It is simply the way it is.The writing is simple and straightforward, and fun to read. I enjoyed it.

So ... that's it for now. The weather report says that we're in for more seasonal weather. I did notice, driving around today, that the leaves are really starting to fall. I'm not sure what my Granddaughter is going to be dressed as for Halloween but I'm sure she'll be cute.

Next up - November. Until then ..........

Keep reading.

Chapter Seventy-seven

It's September and it's still feeling Summery even though it's the first day of Autumn. I've been back babysitting since the 6th of the month - roughly 2 weeks ago - and our schedule has changed a bit. We go out every day, sometimes to the park and sometimes to the library. What hasn't changed is that I still get some time to read while my Granddaughter naps. Here's what I've gotten through since last time.

Series

Speak of The Devil - Richard Hawke ($7.99/$.25, copyright 2006, 376 pages, Paperback)
I'm always willing to read the first book in a series and was happy to come across this one. Fritz Malone is another detective cut from the first-person, witty Spenser mold. This starts with Fritz going out to get some bagels. He stops to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade in Manhattan and winds up witnessing a mass killing, chasing and shooting the gunman, and then getting whisked away by the police. What follows are blackmail threats, bombs, and dirty cops. Because of his "connection" to the Department, he's brought in to help in the investigation and he brings in his own people to help him. Hawke has created a fast-paced, suspenseful read and the characters are well defined. I particularly liked a couple of the supporting ones although the relationships are not clear. The ending wasn't much of a surprise and I thought it was rushed. It was OK. 

Johannes Cabal The Necromancer - Jonathan L. Howard ($15.00/$4.48, copyright 2009, 290 pages, Trade Paperback)
This popped up in my Facebook newsfeed because I follow a couple of used book sites. It sounded so interesting that I ordered it immediately. Johannes Cabal has sold his soul to the devil - with immediate possession - in exchange for mastery of the Necromantic Arts but, after a while, decides that he wants it back. He goes back to Hell and haggles with Satan who, being bored, offers him a new deal. Cabal can have his soul back if he gets 100 other people to sell theirs - and he only has one year to do it. And just because he's an okay guy, Satan gives Cabal a carnival to do it with. He agrees but then finds out that the carnival is in bad shape and he's going to need help so he literally unearths his brother Horst to help him. The rest of the book is so unexplainable that you're just going to have to trust me on this. Howard writes in that dry, British, Gaimanesque  style and his characters are stereotypes which makes them immediately identifiable. My only objection is that, at times, he seems to be so taken by his own writing that he drags a scene out too long. Still, I really enjoyed it.

Miscellaneous

The Genius - Jesse Kellerman ($9.99/$.50, copyright 2008, 548 pages, Paperback)
I'm a fan of both Jonathan and Faye Kellermans' works so I thought that I'd give their son's a try. A successful young NYC art dealer named Ethan Muller discovers a vast series of bizarre drawings in an abandoned apartment in Queens. The artist, Victor Cracke, has gone missing and Muller takes advantage of that. He sets up a show that quickly becomes the toast of the contemporary art world. He soon has cause for alarm--a retired cop sees one of the drawings in the newspaper and recognizes the little boy in it as a long-ago victim of a serial killer who was never caught. Is the artist the murderer? Muller needs to find out and someone needs to keep it secret. Kellerman does a great job setting this in the New York art world  and his characters are sharply drawn and memorable. I enjoyed it.

That's it for now.

October is coming up and the leaves are starting to turn. Halloween is just around the corner. Till then ..........

Keep reading.

Chapter Seventy-six

It's August and it's hot. I haven't had to Babysit because my Daughter didn't have to teach this month. She gets to spend the whole month enjoying time with her Daughter and I get to spend the whole month relaxing, trying to stay cool, and reading. I have this stack of books that I've been waiting to get into but I made the mistake of stopping by my local Library while they were having a Special Sale (Paperbacks for $.25) and wound up with some old favorites. Here's what I've gotten through so far.

Miscellaneous

Of Mice And Men - John Steinbeck ($.25/$8.00, copyright 1937, 107 pages, Paperback)
I am a big Steinbeck fan so picking this up was a no-brainer. I read this years ago and have seen the movie and TV versions but a classic like this always deserves to be revisited. This is the story of a two men who work as itinerant farm laborers, drifting from job to job in California. Lennie is the gentle giant, physically strong but mentally deficient. George is the "smart" one who guides and protects Lennie but also depends on him for companionship. Together, they have a dream to someday buy a place of their own where they can grow crops and raise rabbits and live happily ever after. They've had some problems in the past but now have new jobs on a new farm but, as the title implies .. "The best laid plans ...".It's a short book but Steinbeck has created some memorable characters and  the ending - even though I knew what it would be - still has an impact. (My only objection is the cover price. $8.00 for 107 pages! Ridiculous.) I really enjoyed it.

The Daughter Of Time - Josephine Tey ($.25/$2.95, copyright 1951, 205 pages, Paperback)
This has always been one of my favorites. Inspector Alan Grant of Scotland Yard is recovering in the hospital when a friend gets him interested in Richard III and the death of his Nephews. Did he really order them killed in the Tower of London, or was he unjustly implicated as part of a massive smear campaign? This is different from the other Mysteries that I've reviewed before because the detective work involved is all just good historical research which I found fascinating  Tey has her opinion and she works up to it logically. I really enjoyed it.

The Black Swan - Rafael Sabatini ($.25/$1.50, copyright 1931, 217 pages, Paperback)
I have yet to read a Sabatini novel I didn't enjoy. It's the story of Charles de Bernis, an aide to Henry Morgan, Governor of Jamaica. He's sailing home to a well-deserved retirement on a ship that's also carrying the Governor's daughter when they run into the last pirate at large - Tom Leach. To save their lives he convinces Leach that he's turned against Morgan and that the lady is under his protection. What follows is an adventure fraught with peril and suspense as our hero tries to balance his story and actions against a pirate determined to double-cross him at the first chance he gets.  Sabatini again creates some memorable characters and when he describes a sword fight, you hear and see every clash, grunt and splash. I really enjoyed it.

The Osterman Weekend - Robert Ludlum ($.25/$1.50, copyright 1972, 336 pages, Paperback)
I've always thought that Ludlum's earlier books were his best so I was happy to find this one again. It's the story of John Tanner, a TV news executive who is summoned to Washington one day and told by a CIA operative that one or more of his best friends, the Ostermans, the Cardones and the Tremaynes is a traitor. They are all gathering for the weekend at Tanner's house in suburban New Jersey and Tanner's job is to get the traitors to reveal themselves so the CIA can swoop in and deal with them. Ludlum gives us an ordinary person who's thrown into extraordinary circumstances and must get by on his own wits. It's a quick and easy read, the suspense grows nicely, and - unlike most of Ludlum's other books - everything occurs in one place. I enjoyed it.

Two Years Before The Mast - Richard Henry Dana, Jr. ($.25/$2.50, printed 1964, 371 pages, Paperback)
Last month I wrote about "White-Jacket" by Herman Melville, this month I came across this. While attending Harvard as a young man, Dana found his eyesight became weak and his health declining. He decided that salt air and plain hard work would be the cure so, for two years, he served as a common sailor aboard a clipper ship, the Alert. He was given no special treatment, living in the forecastle, eating the mess of salt beef and common hardtack, risking his life and serving under a captain crueler than most. Like Melville, Dana was able to write in such a way as to re-create the life on board a sailing ship, down to the smallest details and that's what makes this book so real - you can feel the cold of Tierra del Fuego, taste the salt beef, and feel the wind and damp. I really enjoyed it.

I spent $2.00 that day so I still have 3 more books to go but next month is September and I'll be back to Babysitting. I'm planning on helping my Granddaughter with the Alphabet and some Beginning Words. Still, I'm sure I'll find the time to read a book or two for myself.

Enjoy the rest of the Summer and ...

Keep reading.

Chapter Seventy-five

It's July and we're in the middle of a Heat Wave. I'm actually beginning to think that Global Warming has moved the really hot weather to July and that August will be cooler. My Babysitting duties have been cut in half this month so I had more time to read. Here's what I've gotten through.

Miscellaneous

Bronx Noir - S. J. Rozan, ed. ($15.95/$1.00, published 2007, 361 pages, Trade Paperback)
This is a collection of short stories with that dark twist synonymous with Noir. I don't usually buy collections like this but the locations being set in my home borough sucked me in. It's a mixed bag. Some stories are short and others run on too long. Out of the 19 stories, I only recognized two of the authors - the prolific Lawrence Block (Riverdale) and Ed Dee (Van Cortlandt Park). There are
 some clever twists and snappy endings but there are also several stories that I figured out the twist very early on. I have to admit that the main reason I bought this was that I was hoping to pick out familiar places based on where the index said the stories were set. I was disappointed. Only in Robert J. Hughes' "A Visit to St. Nick's" (Fordham Road) did I find something familiar - my old parish church (though no one I knew ever called it St. Nick's). It was OK.

White-Jacket - Herman Melville ($8.95/$.50, published 2002, 400 pages, Trade Paperback)
In this early title from the great Melville, we get an episodic account of the author's service aboard the USS United States, sister ship of "Old Ironsides", told in often startlingly candid detail. From the ritual floggings at the masthead to a critical grog shortage, Melville details the life of the 400-man crew of an American man-of-war based on his own experiences. Each chapter is a commentary on some facet of life aboard the ship. There are many characters but no real plot just a fascinating collection of observations laced with irony, dry humor, and - at times - outrage. I enjoyed it.

Series

I was on a Book Run early this month when I picked up the first 3 volumes in a Young Adult series.

Montmorency - Eleanor Updale ($2.99/$.50, copyright 2003, 233 pages, Trade Paperback)
Taking place in London in the late 1800's, Montmorency is the name given to a jailed thief recovering from injuries obtained during his bungled last job. As he heals from radical -- and groundbreaking -- surgeries, he formulates a plan to become a master thief. During the day, he is Montmorency, a gentlemen with a penchant for fashion and opera. At night, he's Scarper, a thief who scurries through the sewers of London, robbing the very wealthy. The first two-thirds of the book lay out how he goes about this and the various obstacles he faces. In the last third, he's given  a way to leave Scarper behind and still make a living in the role of Montmorency with a chance for societal respect. This volume is shorter (and the cover price is lower) then the following two and I think that was done intentionally by Updale so that it would attract readers. It worked for me. I enjoyed it.

That's another month done with. Next up is August and, again, I have a lot of books already stacked up. It's hot out so stay inside, crank up the AC and ......

Keep Reading.