Sunday Salon

"The Cruelest Miles-The Heroic Story of Dogs and Men in a Race Against an Epidemic" by Gay Salisbury and Laney Salisbury, is a book I read about at Age 30+...A Lifetime of Books.

Nome, Alaska in 1925 was icebound with no access other than 700 miles of snow and ice to the nearest railhead. Brave men and dogs formed relay teams when disaster struck in the form of Diphtheria. Compelling and so informative, the authors capture every nuance of the incredible story. A lone doctor struggling to save the children of Nome and the surrounding area, without the proper tools, and not losing hope that help would come in time in the from of serum to fight the epidemic. Without hesitation, and without thought of compensation, the men and their amazing dogs, carried the serum across the worst, most unforgiving landscape, in the worst weather imaginable. The fact that they succeeded is a testament to the strength of character that made Alaska great.

I was so lucky to find this book at my Library, and without Heather's review I might not have even heard about it. I love nonfiction, and this was such a good read, from start to finish. I highly recommend it, if you need something to read on a snowed in day. (you will be happy to know that you could be rescued)

I am Haunted

I've always been a sucker for a ghost story. Even as a kid, around a campfire, shivering with excitement, waiting to be scared out of my wits, I listened with rapt anticipation.

As someone who was not a fan of "The Time Travelers Wife", I was a little reluctant to try "Her Fearful Symmetry" by Audrey Niffenegger. When I found it on the "lucky day" shelf at the library, I thought, what the hell, I will give it a try.

Now I am haunted, really haunted, by the story of two sets of twins, one set middle aged and one set just beginning their adult lives. Secrets kept for decades, and the consequences of those secrets, are haunting me.

What really interested me, the haunting plot, were the descriptions of the Highgate cemetery, and the people buried there. Sometimes I think I care more about the places in books more than the people. I guess it is my form of travel, enticing me past my front door. I need to digest awhile, before a more complete review comes. Maybe when I am less haunted, and have more time in the light, I will be able to give it the review it deserves.

American Lightning

A while ago I read a small part of this in some magazine, I can't remember which one, and thought it sounded really good. I was right! This was a terrific book. Howard Blum has written a narrative nonfiction book that is one of the best I have read. An amazing story, real people, and the fact that it is all true, made it even better. October 1, 1910 the LA Times building was blown up, killing 21 and injuring many others. Billy Burns, called the American Sherlock Holmes, is called into service, to discover the perpetrators, and bring them to justice.

Clarence Darrow, DW Griffith, Mary Pickford, and others are all a part of this story.

Anarchists, water wars, unions vs. non-union men, were all suspected in the bombing. It turned out to be the leaders of the unions, "suggesting" non-union places to bomb. The men who actually did the bombing, had done over 100 bombings across the country.

Burn's life was threatened, more than once. Scandal, bribery, and violence were all part of the trial, and at the conclusion, there was a surprise. Showmanship, and theater in the courtroom played out, much like what we see on Court TV. Movies were made about each side of the case, while the case was ongoing.

I learned alot from this book, most interestingly, that Edgar Lee Masters, one of my favorite authors, was a law partner of Clarence Darrow. It really showed that there is a big difference, then as today between justice for the rich and famous, and justice for the everyday man.

The whole story was intriguing, and a very sad part of American history.

I got this book from the Library.

A Drunkards Path

No I haven't started drinking to excess...although....

This is actually a quilt pattern and the title of a terrific, new to me author, Clare O'Donohue, part of her cozy series, The Someday Quilts Mysteries. There is nothing like a cozy, and a quilt on a cold and windy night.

Nell Fitzgerald, aspiring artist, beginning quilter, and amateur sleuth, is stood up on her first date with Jesse DeWalt, Police Chief of Archers Rest, the small town where she has relocated and is living with her grandmother. Of course the the dead girl in the river might have something to do with it. Romance, murder and quilting don't sound like they would be a good match, but O'Donohue makes it work. I also learn a little about quilting, something I always wanted to learn, but never did.

A cozy mystery along the lines of the Teashop Mysteries, and the Coffee House Mysteries, this is a charming entry to the genre. Though I was pretty sure I knew who did it, the story was fun and fast paced. The characters, were believable, and I wanted to know what would happen next in their personal lives. I always think it's not the destination, it's the journey that counts.

If you find yourself getting chilly, curl up with a cozy Quilting Mystery, and it will warm you up!

I got this book at the Library!

A trip to the Liberry

After Jacks short haircut (hence the sweater)...I had the flu and neglected his daily brushing....we went to find some fun reading at the Library. I went to the lucky day section (this is a place for new books you don't have to wait for) and woo hoo I got a few good ones. "White Picket Fences" by Susan Meissner, "Her Fearful Symmetry" by Audrey Niffenegger, "The Devil's Punchbowl" by Greg Iles, "Best Friends Forever" by Jennifer Weiner, and "The Drunkards Path" by Clare O'Donohue. I came home and patted myself on the back, because I stayed out of the bookstore.

While I am behind on my reviews, I do have some ready to be typed and posted, but was too gimpy to climb the stairs to get them. I will remember to bring them down tomorrow, and get them up.

My one resolution for this year was to be more organized in my reading and reviews, keeping a calender of books received for review, along with my personal choices, from the Library, and my own bulging shelves. Now I just need new calendar pages!

Sunday Salon-I needed a beach

Last Summer everyone was reading and enjoying "The Castaways" by Elin Hilderbrand, and I felt a little left out, since I was number 473 on the wait list at the Library. Well, it was finally my turn, and I have to say.....not so much. I read it, but I didn't enjoy it much. Maybe I am getting too long in the tooth, but these people were all just not very nice. I expected more fun and less angst, so I was disappointed. Four couples who did so much together, they became like family, living on Nantucket, travelling together, all the things so few people really do, and when one couple dies suddenly, all the secrets come to a head.

My parents had a group like this and it was awful when it hit the fan, so I could relate somewhat.

The couples were all just okay for me, the rich couple, the farmer couple, the teacher couple and the cop couple, had just too many secrets and not nearly enough good times. I really wanted to like this, but you can;t win them all, I guess.

I got this book from my Library, number 474, you are up.

A couple of days in Paris with Hemingway

Instead of doing my shopping, I spent a couple of days this week in Paris, with Hemingway in the 1920's. Oh what a time I had! In "A Moveable Feast" Hemingway recalls his days in Paris, with friends like Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Zelda. What I wouldn't give to have actually have been a fly on the wall. Sylvia Beach, owner of Shakespeare and Company, a wonderful bookstore, had a lending library, where Ernest got many of the books he carried with him on his many travels.

I love the way he writes. To me it is just like listening to a real person.

As he tries to write and sell his stories, he also basks in the wonder of Paris, and all the wonderful friends he made during his time there. His struggles with money and drink become more apparent as time moves on, but still he writes. His son Bumby sounds like a precocious and charming little boy, who he seems to have adored. His first wife Hadley stood with him through lean times and they seemed happiest when they had the least.

The descriptions of the people, the sounds and sights of Paris made for a wonderful trip. What a better way to spend the week before Christmas...Wish you were here!

This book came from my local Library!

Happiest of Holidays to one and all.....

Homer and Langley

E.L. Doctorow has long been a favorite author. With "Homer and Langley" he remains near the top of my list.

The fictionalized story of the infamous Collyer brothers, extraordinary hoarders, and just all round weird guys, he has written a story of compassion, and sadness, making me glad I am not in their shoes. I confess, I am messy. There, I said it. Not dirty, but messy. I cannot have a flat surface without something on it. Homer and Langley could not have an empty floor, or cabinet, in fact they had a Model T to generate electricity, so they did not have to pay Con Ed. Pretty clever if you ask me. (if only it had worked)

Reclusive to the extreme, Homer, sightless, and Langley losing his mind, they lived for decades with tons of discards, and trash, eventually, the whole thing caved in. (literally) How they managed, and struggled is a compelling read. The last paragraph is heartbreaking.

Such a sad story, so well told, it should not be missed.

I got this from my public library.

Ernest Hemingway-A Writers Life

Written for the YA crowd, this bio, by Catherine Reef, is chock full of information, and wonderful photos. The troubled genius of Hemingway comes out in full force, in the chapters, accounting his life both as a child and as a troubled, haunted man.

What a mans man Hemingway was- he beleived in living in the NOW, seemingly without a thought for tomorrow. His passion for writing, and life was extraordinary, and with so many injuries and illnesses over the years, it is surprising his sanity lasted as long as it did.

The people he associated with were also an amazing array of writers and artists, who, given the chance to choose, I would have befriended, had I the money and talent.

I often think I was born at the wrong time. I would have made a terrific flapper!

I got this book by accident, from the Library,(I misread the description, though I wanted a Hemingway biography) but I am glad I read it.

Sunday Salon

Since a trip to the Library on Friday to pick up books that I have been waiting for, I read 2 of them.

"The Uncommon Reader" by Alan Bennett was so charming and terrific, I read it in one sitting (it is a novella after all). When the Queen's corgis run into a bookmobile, the Queen feels obligated to check out a book. One of the cooks helpers is reading and they become, if not friends, book buddies, with Norman suggesting books, the Queen discovers a true love of reading, something that does not sit well with her staff. She seems to change in her thinking, and her dress, and worried staffers try to discourage her. It is, of course, a fantasy, but it made the Queen seem more human, like the rest of us. I loved this book!!!!

"Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins did not disappoint! The sequel to "The Hunger Games" was so good, full of drama, excitement, nail biting scenes, that kept me reading long into the night. I cannot wait for the third book in this wonderful series!!

The Help

Kathryn Stockett has written a WONDERFUL book about the relationship between Black maids and their White employers in 1960's Mississippi. In a time when Whites thought you got diseases from using the same toilet as Blacks,(huh??) when "the help" was told they were members of the family, but were treated like garbage, Skeeter, a white writer decides to write a tell all about how it really was to live in the charged atmosphere of Jackson, Mississippi.

Hilly is the Queen Bee of Jackson, and rules with an iron fist. She is small minded and evil.

Skeeter was Hilly's best friend, but begins seeing her for what she really is, as she contacts maids in secret to get to get their stories. Minny and Aibileen have been domestics since their teenage years, cleaning, doing childcare, elder care, and learning the secrets of the folks they serve. They help recruit the maids, who are fearful, but ready to shed some light on a dark secret.

It is a dangerous time and a dangerous place to be, and some people did not think twice about burning a house, bombing a church or maiming/ killing a Black person. A story of selfishness,

gossip, fear, triumph and change, it is a splendid piece of writing.

This debut novel was touching, and shocking, with heartbreaking, heart stopping incidents, that captured the time perfectly. It was pure heart!

I got this book from the library. My tax dollars at work!

I went to the Library

Now I need a nap!

Jack