Hardball, by Sara Paretsky

Hardball by Sara Paretsky
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Several years ago, I made a concerted effort to start reading Sara Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski series in the order that they were written. I'd already read quite a few books in the series, but really wanted more of a sense of time-flow: When someone is mentioned in one book as an ex-lover, or a reference is made from an earlier book, I wanted to be able to relate.

In Hardball, by Sara Paretsky, V.I. reluctantly takes a case to find Lamont Gadsden, an African-American man who's been missing for 40 years, a case that unearths the seamy side of Chicago politics.

In 1966, a nail-studded baseball kills Harmony Newsome as she attends a civil rights gathering. Gang member Steve Sawyer is wrongly convicted, after being tortured to confess.

During his trial, Sawyer states that Lamont Gadsden has photos of who really killed Harmony. However, Gadsden has disappeared.

Fast forward to the present: Vic's cousin Petra, a recent college grad, is in town to help with a local political campaign. However, the campaign involves people who were instrumental in the death of Harmony Newsome, in the torture of Steve Sawyer, and the death and disappearance of Lamont Gadsden, and the death of a nun who marched with Harmony. Vic must unravel the threads in this case before both she and her cousin are killed in an effort to keep the truth secret.

While I've been a fan of Paretsky's V.I. Warshawski series for years, I am partial to Hardball, and feel that is is one of Paretsky's best that I have read thus far. This is definitely worth reading (and rereading). I highly recommend it.

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Some Things You Just Have To Live With: Musings On Middle Age, by Barbara Cawthorne Crafton

Some Things You Just Have To Live With: Musings On Middle Age by Barbara Cawthorne Crafton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Years ago, while wandering through the local library, I discovered The Sewing Room : Uncommon Reflections of Life, Love, and Work, by Barbara Cawthorne Crafton. I didn't read the book; I devoured it, and ended up buying a copy for myself.

Since this happy meeting, I've bought other books by Rev. Crafton, including Some Things You Just Have To Live With: Musings On Middle Age.

I just finished Some Things..., a slim volume of essays written by Barbara Cawthorne Crafton, a retired Episcopal priest. The essays in this volume deal with the joys (and foibles) of middle age, describing the changes we go through during this time in our lives. Written in good spirits, with a touch of humor intact, Some Things You Just Have To Live With: Musings On Middle Age is a joy to read, especially by those of a certain age. I highly recommend this slim volume.

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Talk Before Sleep, by Elizabeth Berg

For those of us who love to read, there are a few books that we reread for a variety of reasons. Whether it's to learn more on a subject, reread a well-written book, or simply akin to revisiting an old friend, it's something we usually enjoy.

Talk Before Sleep, by Elizabeth Berg is one of my go-to books when I want something quick, yet satisfying. It was the first of Berg's books that I'd read, and probably my favorite, for several reasons.

Talk Before Sleep is the story of friendship, told from Ann's perspective. Ann and Ruth first meet at a party. Ann was immediately put off by Ruth's good looks; she soon discovers, though, that Ruth has an honesty that is even more breath-taking than her looks. The book follows their friendship, shifting back and forth through past and present. The present describes Ruth's coping with terminal breast cancer, and how the two women, along with a small group of friends cope with Ruth's ongoing health issue.

The book feels as comfortable as the flannel shirts that L.D. - one of Ruth's friends - wears, while showing how distressing the disease is to the group.

A review in Kirkus several years ago states that "Berg...offers a sappy tale about a woman witnessing the death of her friend..." (https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/elizabeth-berg/talk-before-sleep/). While the book might be viewed as borderline-sappy, it came across more as telling about how friendships can help us through difficult times.

Talk Before Sleep is well worth reading, especially if looking for a quick, satisfying read.