Fallout, by Sara Paretsky

Fallout by Sara Paretsky
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For years, my favorite V.I. Warshawski mystery was Hardball. However, Fallout, by Sara Paretsky is right up there, either a close second, or even my favorite V.I. Warshawski mystery.

(Full disclosure: I have yet to find any part of Sara Paretsky's series that I didn't like.)

V.I. is at loose ends: her neighbor, Mr. Contreras, is in the Caribbean with family, her lover is out of town for a month. But those loose ends don't last long: Enter Bernadine Fouchard. The daughter of Vic's one of late-cousin Boom Boom's Blackhawk teammates, Bernadine and a co-worker ask Vic to try finding an African-American coworker/film student, who has gone missing.

Vic's search leads her from Chicago to Lawrence, Kansas, way out of her comfort zone. Accompanied with her dog, Peppy, V.I. searches through a university town, decommissioned missile-silos, fields, all while uncovering long-standing racial tensions.

During V.I.'s search, the body-count starts adding up, which leads the local police department to question Vic's reason for being in Lawrence. Every time Vic gets close, another mystery sneaks in.

How does Fallout end? Will Vic solve all the mysteries involved with the case? (Of course she does, but not without putting herself in jeopardy.) How does she solve it? Will her lover be back in Chicago when she gets back? Will Mr. C. help out, even from a distance? Read this absolutely fantastic addition to Sara Paretsky's series.

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On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, by Stephen King

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There are many books about writing, some describing "how to" (with step-by-step rules), others more along the line of "how I did it," and some that fall somewhere in-between. If one were to choose which of these books to buy, whether for inspiration, as a guide, or simply to enjoy, which would be the best to buy?

On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King is one of the two best books about writing that I have found. (The other is Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.) On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft is part memoir (obviously), part guide to writing, and fully enjoyable, with useful information.

The first section deals with Stephen King's journey into writing. It is interesting reading, especially for anyone who wants to delve into this master story-teller's background. At one point, he mentions being totally frustrated with writing, throwing out what he had written for his first book. Thank goodness, his wife found the pages, read them, and encouraged King to continue writing. (Thanks, Tabitha!) He goes on to tell selling Carrie, including the advance for the paperback sale, which allowed him to leave his job (teaching), and writing full-time.

The second part of the book is a guide to writing. Whether one is planning to write full-time or not, it is definitely worth reading. There is no frilliness, nothing to distract, just simply great advice, skillfully written.

For anyone looking for a book about writing, or simply looking for the next good read, On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King is well worth the time.

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First, You Cry, by Betty Rollin

First, You Cry by Betty Rollin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Many of us start off by reading a book, followed by watching any movies based on that book. But there are times when we might see a movie, then, years later, read the book that the movie was based on.

In 1978, First, You Cry, by Betty Rollin came out as a made-for-T.V. movie, starring Mary Tyler Moore and Anthony Perkins. Decent movie, decent acting, as I remember. So, when I ran across the twenty-fifth anniversary copy of the book, I picked it up. It took me a while to read it.

The book deals with Betty Rollin's breast cancer diagnosis, surgery, and subsequent learning to get on with life. As anyone dealing with a cancer diagnosis, or, at least, a cancer scare knows, this is no easy feat: not the diagnosis, the surgery, nor the learning to get on with life. But Ms. Rollins lets the reader know that it is doable, that one can get on with life. Of course, First, You Cry.

The twenty-fifth anniversary copy relays that after the initial publication of the book, she endured a second mastectomy. (At this writing, she is still alive.)

While the paperback is 222 pages long, First, You Cry, by Betty Rollin is a quick read, and one that I definitely recommend.

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A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail, by Bill Bryson

A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Several years ago, I had read several books about hiking the Appalachian Trail. It was then that I decided to read A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail, by Bill Bryson.

Fast forward several years; I finally got around to reading it, and am glad that I did.

Shortly after moving to New Hampshire, Bill Bryson "happened upon a path that vanished into the woods on the edge of town." This path, of course, turned out to be part of the Appalachian Trail.

As many people do, he kicked the idea of hiking the Appalachian Trail (A.T.). After researching it, trying to ignore the "scare stories" he'd heard about it, and debating it, he finally set off to walk the A.T. as a northbound hiker. (Northbound hikers start at the southern-most end of the trail and head north; southbound hikers, naturally, head north to south.)

He found himself in the company of an old friend, Katz, who managed to convince Bill that he needed someone to hike with. There are times throughout the book when Bill wondered if that had been a mistake, while other times, realizing that having Katz along was, by far, a blessing.

There were several places along the trail that the pair skipped over for various reasons. At one point, they even left the trail to go back to their "real lives" for a while. However, they did meet up to hike more of the trail.

Spoiler alert: they did not complete the north end of the trail, though one gets the impression that the pair has a certain amount of regret on this fact. But having hiked the majority of the Appalachian Trail is no small feat.

At times, the book drags a little in its descriptions and history of the trail (there are these kinds of trees along the path, with a list of the trees; there are these animals to watch out for; there are these horror stories of hikers lost and/or hurt), which left me almost thinking, "C'mon, Bill, what happened next on your hike?" But, the descriptions and history does help move the story along.

There are also portions of the book when I wish I hadn't been reading in waiting rooms, as I had to stifle a laugh or two, as there are absolutely hilarious parts of the book.

One last note: Bryson gave a nod to Grandma Gatewood, who was memorialized in Grandma Gatewood's Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail, by Ben Montgomery, another book worth reading.

All in all, Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail is worth the read.

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Calling Home: Working-Class Women's Writings, by Janet Zandy

Calling Home: Working-Class Women's Writings by Janet Zandy
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There are times when we could use a short piece of writing, whether an essay, short story, poem, what-have-you, something that one can finish in a short period of time before going on to the next short piece. Calling Home: Working-Class Women's Writings, edited by Janet Zandy, is close to as perfect a collection of short writings as can be found.

The introduction shows that this can be used as a classroom text, describing class (working-class, middle class, etc.), writing, the lives of working-class women, as well as working-class literature. Zandy explains that "the life experiences of working-class women are not affirmed or valued in the dominant culture, or considered fitting subjects for literature. This anthology looks at the lives of working-class women at the crossroads of their lived experiences and their imagined ones, those they might call home."

Zandy, a professor at the Rochester (NY) Institute of Technology for many years (now Professor Emerita), grew up in a working-class family, and experienced the feelings of not quite fitting in, once she'd earned her degrees and began teaching; editing a book of working-class writing is a good fit.

The book itself has writings in three major sections: Part One: Telling Stories; Part Two: Bearing Witness; and Part Three: Celebrating Solidarity. Each section has several subsections, with several essays, short stories, and poems dealing with working-class women.

The writers themselves are as varied as their writings: we're offered pieces by Sandra Cisneros, Dorthy Allison, Mother (Mary) Jones, Tillie Olsen, Agnes Smedley, Marge Piercy, and many more.

As far as anthologies go for under-valued writers, Janet Zandy 's Calling Home: Working-Class Women's Writings is well worth the read.

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Water For Elephants, by Sara Gruen

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Have you ever stumbled onto a book that you started reading, with no expectations of liking it, then finding out that it's a gem? For me, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is one of those books.

The book's narrator, Jacob Jankowski, is a 90 (or 93) year old man living in a nursing home, getting weekly visits from his children. The chapters dealing with the present - looking forward to a trip to the circus, discovering that his son has forgotten to visit and bring him to the circus, and his "escape" to see the circus - anchor the book as they are interspersed between his memories of his youth.

When studying for his finals to become a vet, he learns his parents have died. He skips out of his finals, and ends up joining a traveling circus, the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. After working several jobs with the circus, he is hired on as the show's vet. He makes friends with several of the circus people, and eventually falls in love with Marlena, who is married to an abusive horse trainer with the circus. (Spoiler: Marlena and Jacob do end up together at the end of the book. How? You'll have to read it to find out.)

I really didn't have any expectations when I started the book. But the more I read of Water for Elephants, the more I wanted to read; it was the old "just one more chapter" situation.

The one down side (if it can be called that) is that there are two or three places that could be considered risque. But even then, they only last for a couple of paragraphs, and really don't detract from the story.

The punchline is that if you're looking for an engaging book that will keep you interested from start to finish, Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants is it. When I got to the last page - the last chapter was a bit of a surprise, but realistic - I was tempted to start the book again. Alas, it's a library book, so back it goes. Guess I'll have to buy my own copy!

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Trash, by Dorothy Allison

Trash by Dorothy Allison

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've been known to devour books of short stories. What's not to love? Rather than chapters all advancing a novel forward, you have stories that are long enough to get (and keep) your interest for a short while, but not so long that you put the book aside and either lose track of the story line when you come back or lose interest altogether. It's like a platter of appetizers, all just a little different.

Trash, by Dorothy Allison, is a beautifully gritty book of short stories, each told of women who grew up in rural Southern poverty, struggling to escape their situations and their past, while loving their hard families. The rural poverty itself is almost alive in these stories, practically another character to be dealt with.

In the opening story, "River of Names," the narrator tells of being almost an outsider in a large extended family, "born between the older cousins and the younger, born in a pause of babies and therefore outside, always watching." She alternates telling about her family and talking Jesse, her lover, describing her family to Jesse. She is, in turn, talking to the reader, letting the reader, like Jesse, think, "How wonderful to be part of such a large family."

Except, of course, it isn't, the way the narrator describes it.

Fourteen other stories follow "River of Names," each showing the reader how difficult rural poverty is for many of its inhabitants. Each story will worm its way into the reader's mind, not wanting to be displaced or disrespected.

Of each of the fifteen stories, my favorite has to be "Mama." Allison describes growing up with a younger sister, their Mama, and their step-father, a small, violent man whom Mama states she'll leave just as soon as her daughters are grown. The reader gets the sense that Mama never does leave her husband; in fact, we're told point-blank that she is still with him, years after her daughters have grown up and moved out.

The story shows the bond between daughters and mother. At the end of the story, Allison describes how, on her stepfather's birthday, she'll make coffee and bread pudding with bourbon sauce, tell wild stories to her friends, and wait to talk on the phone with her mother.

If one is looking for a good read with pretty stories, this might not be it. But if one is looking for a really good read with the grittiness of life, the grittiness of love, Dorothy Allison's Trash fits the bill well.

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