Woodstock's Blog

Panama

woodstockreviews@prodigy.net — Wed, 25 Jan 12 16:10:00 UT

I spent four days there a couple of weeks ago. My photographs are on Facebook here.

Enjoy!

Books Update

woodstockreviews@prodigy.net — Wed, 25 Jan 12 15:26:00 UT

Time to speak up and let you know I'm still around. Perhaps not as motivated as I should have been, but still here. This is my log of reading since the last entry.

THE LONG SONG by Andrea Levy

A member of one of my book discussion groups pestered the rest of us unmercifully until we chose a book by Levy. Now we are all apologetic for delaying so long to read her work. Levy goes back in time to the Jamaica of early generations of her parents' families, and has written about the life of a young woman who was born a slave, but moved on to better things.

GHOST HERO by S J Rozan

PI's and tentative romantic partners Bill Smith and Lydia Chin get drawn into the political intrigue surrounding present day Chinese art. Works have appeared on the art markets of NY City with distinctive characteristics of an artist who died as a result of the political upheaval in China some twenty years ago. Is he still living? Is a skilled forger producing the paintings?

AN OBJECT OF BEAUTY by Steve Martin

More on the New York art scene - this time following the career of a young appraiser and gallery owner who zooms to the top of the pile and just as dramatically fails. Martin uses a first person narrator/observer to tell the story of the main character, and I often wasn't sure how the narrator could have known all he relates. The book is an interesting perspective, I have a few reservations about Martin's skill as a writer of fiction. I would advise him to keep his day job, but at this time in his life, I doubt if he will ever need to work again.

THE MOST DANGEROUS THING by Laura Lippmann

A group of persons who were close friends and playmates as children are reunited when one of their number dies in an enigmatic car accident which might have been suicide, or perhaps just an accident resulting from drunk driving. The surviving friends begin to come to terms with very unsettling memories.

I always like Lippmann's stand alone novels. In this one she uses an unusual voice - some chapters are written in the first person plural - "we did thus and such" with the reader never completely clear who is speaking. In an interview published on Amazon, Lippmann discusses her use of "we." It's an interesting discussion. Check it out if you're interested.

THE AFFAIR By Lee Child

Just how did Reacher get started on his nomadic Robin Hood way of life? All fans of Jack Reacher will gobble this one up. Readers new to the character might pick up an earlier book and learn about the protagonist.

BLOOD, BONES, AND BUTTER by Gabrielle Hamilton

A lot of my reading hours are devoted to assignments for the writing classes I'm taking. Hamilton is the head chef and owner of a well known New York restaurant. She writes about her early life, her career in food preparation, and her very unusual marriage. As a reader, I enjoyed the book. As a writer (or student of writing) some of the decisions she made on what to include in her memoir continue to puzzle me.

BOOMERANG by Michael Lewis

Lewis was intrigued by developments in the world of finance in several places in the world. He visited Iceland, Ireland, Greece, Germany, and California. He has several very astute observations about what led to the current crises in these varied locales. His writing, even on a highly technical topic like world finance, is very readable. It's the kind of book which instructs and entertains at the same time.

BELLWETHER by Connie Willis

Willis lives just north of Denver, and one of my book discussion groups schedules a book by her every few years. This novel imagines a market research firm, where varying projects, funded by grants, investigate current fads and other predictions of what to produce and what to sell. Willis' tone is wryly humorous and her powers of observation wickedly sharp. I laughed out loud quite often.

SCENT OF THE MISSING by Susannah Charleson

The author trains dogs for search and rescue and is an established member of a team based in Texas. By turns poignant, suspenseful, and tender, she writes about her life with her dogs and the work of her team.

FURIOUS LOVE by Kasher and Schoenberger

A "People Magazine" sort of biography of the years Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor spent together. I had the book on audio and listened driving down to Arizona and back over the holidays. For a device to keep me alert and not fretting during the long drive, it was OK. It's probably not a book to remember for long.

FOREIGN LAND by Jonathan Raban

On the other hand, any book by Raban is a book to remember. A British man, who worked for years in various ports in the Middle East and Africa, as a civilian in the shipping industry, finds himself at loose ends when he returns to England after his retirement. A sense of purpose reinvigorates his life when he buys a small sailboat and sets out along the southern coast of England. A neat little "gotcha!" at the end which took me an hour or so to understand. If you're not familiar with Raban's writing, I recommend that you get familiar with him.

CARAVANS by James Michener

One of my book discussion groups thought about reading this one, to understand more about Afghanistan. We eventually chose another book, but my interest was tweaked so I picked it up. It's set in the ten or fifteen years after WWII and centers on the diplomatic tangle which occurs when a young American woman disappears. I enjoyed reading and learned a little more about that far corner of the world.

That's it for this update.

Inner geek, redux

woodstockreviews@prodigy.net — Mon, 28 Nov 11 17:49:00 UT

In my entry of October 26, I described connecting a small netbook and a printer to my wireless router. And puzzled over problems with the mp3 player I listen to in the car.

Well, the mp3 issue has been solved. The cable I was using in the car and moved to the kitchen began to fail in the kitchen with the netbook speakers there.

So, I got a new cable and solved that issue, I hope once and for all.

And, in the den, I successfully set up my DVD player to access Netflix via the wireless router, and I can now watch movies via an online stream in the den.

With a cat on my lap most of the time, which makes staying awake while the movie plays a difficult task. I don't think my inner geek can help with that.

Books Update

woodstockreviews@prodigy.net — Sun, 13 Nov 11 12:23:00 UT

I was reminded by Eric's recent entry that I haven't updated the log of what I've been reading of late.

I still read a lot, my pace is picking up at least a little, but I spend a lot of time writing. I continue to enroll for successive eight week workshops here. I've found an instructor I really like, who provides direct and helpful criticism without making me feel like an idiot. So each time a new session of classes opens up, I sign on for another eight weeks.

I'm a little startled to realize (1) how hard it is; (2) how much time it takes; and (3) how much I like it. But it will take quite a bit to put me off reading completely, so here's the latest update.

FLOWERING JUDAS by Jane Haddam

Haddam's protagonist, retired FBI agent Gregor Demarkian is called to a small town where a body has been discovered hanging from a billboard. What makes the find especially gruesome is that the billboard is a plea for the return of a young man missing for a dozen years or more; and the body strung up on the billboard is the missing man. He is only recently dead, so the obvious question is: Where has he been all this time?

DECEIVING THE DECEIVERS by S J Hamrick

I had this one from the library three or four times prior to my trip to England this summer, and could not settle in to read it. After two weeks studying the spies Philby, Burgess, and McLean, I got the book again and was able to follow and stay engaged. The author claims that several governmental agencies were more interested in protecting their own reputations than in providing the truth. Hamrick painstakingly matched dates and events to make a compelling case for a sensible sequence of events. Based on my own experience trying to stick with the story, perhaps only readers who are already intrigued by the tales of the Cambridge Five will be interested.

PORTRAIT OF A SPY by Daniel Silva

Silva is one of my favorite authors and I always put my name in at the library when he has a new title. Israeli agent Gabriel Allon works with the daughter of a deceased Saudi agent to infiltrate and bring down a jihadist cell.

TOWNIE by Andre Dubus III

This was assigned reading for my personal narrative writing workshop. Dubus, who had a huge success a few years ago with HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG, wrote this memoir of his coming of age in a small New England town; his fascination when young with violence, boxing, and body building; and his eventual turning away from violence as an answer to difficult human interaction. Our instructor assigned several weekly exercises based on the writing style in some of the chapters in the book. Intriguing way to learn.

LIT by Mary Karr

Another assignment by the staff at the Lighthouse. Karr is widely credited with beginning the recent surge in interest in memoir, and the mini-boom in publishing books in that genre. She was in Denver to speak at several fund raising events, and a four week class preceded her appearance. I went to one of the events, and really enjoyed listening to her. LIT is her third book of memoir, and focuses on her recovery from alcholism; her conversion to Catholicism; and the beginning of her career as a memorist.

THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN by Garth Stein

A current favorite pick of book discussion groups, and that's why I ended up with it. It's told from the point of view of a dog, relating events in the life of the family which owns him. I found it more than a little predictable.

TURBULENT SOULS by Stephen Dubner

Another memoir, this one I picked up on my own, with no prompting from the Lighthouse. Dubner is often interviewed on various NPR shows, and is the regular host of Freakonomics, a regular broadcast on WNYC from New York. Dubner's parents each converted from Judaism to Catholicism in the late 1940's, before he was born. As an adult, Dubner became intrigued with his family's history; and converted back to Judaism. He researches his father's life; interviews his mother at length; reconnects with both his parents' families. I really enjoyed the book.

HELL IS EMPTY by Craig Johnson

Johnson lives in rural Wyoming, and sets his continuing series in a small town and focuses on the adventures of a county sheriff. Walt Longmire meets Federal agents escorting several criminals to long term imprisonment. One of them has confessed to murdering a young man and burying his body near the intersection of several county lines. When the burial site is identified as within Longmire's jurisdiction, he becomes part of the team escorting the offenders. One of the men escapes, a winter storm sets in, and Longmire endures a nightmarish ordeal tracking the escapee through the mountainous wilds. Johnson's books always have an element that is hard to describe. Not all of what Longmire perceives and understands can be explained in fully rational terms. As he struggles to find the escaped man and survive the harsh storm, he is guided and helped by an Indian man who lives in the area. It later develops that that man has died. Was he dead before he helped Walt? Does it matter? Johnson is on my "don't miss" list of authors.

CRYING BLOOD by Donis Casey

Casey's series is set in early 20th century Oklahoma in a farming community. Shaw Tucker is on a hunting trip with his sons and some cousins. The dogs sniff out a dessicated body, and as the sheriff attempts to identify the remains, a young Indian man shows up at the Tucker's ranch. Within a few hours, the young man is dead with a spear through his chest. The answer to his murder involves a long simmering land dispute; property rights of Indian women; and an undiagnosed descent into madness. As with all her books, Casey provides a delightful visit into a long vanished way of life.

TO END ALL WARS by Adam Hochschild

Historian Hochschild writes about the first World War. In addition to analyzing the military missteps and lack of understanding, he also studies the social fabric of the England of the time. Many British opposed the war; spent time in prison as a result of their beliefs; and helped to establish the current Labor party. I heard the author interviewed on NPR, and the interview intrigued me. The book is more than worth the time.

MODEL HOME by Eric Puchner

Another recommendation from NPR. Puchner's novel follows a family drawn to the real estate boom of the mid 1980's in Southern California. Not much works out they way they hoped. But even without a happy ending, the closing pages left me in a hopeful mood for the future of the characters.

CALL ME PRINCESS by Sara Blaedel

A popular Danish author, Blaedel has not had an English translation available, prior to this book. Her protagonist Louise Rick, is an investigator with the Copenhagen police. The squad is working on tracking down a particularly vicious serial rapist. The plot is classic police procedural, with a few vividly graphic descriptions of the assaults on the victims added in.

That's it for this update. Thanks to Eric for the reminded to publish the update!

Books Update

woodstockreviews@prodigy.net — Sun, 13 Nov 11 12:23:00 UT

I was reminded by Eric's recent entry that I haven't updated the log of what I've been reading of late.

FLOWERING JUDAS

My inner geek

woodstockreviews@prodigy.net — Wed, 26 Oct 11 11:43:00 UT

I got a new printer/scanner a few weeks ago. It sat around in its shipping box for more than a few days, until I got a small, cheap fiberboard stand to hold it. It's wireless and I wanted to avoid sacrificing space on the surface of my desk if I could.

I had heard more than one story from friends about problems setting up a wireless connection, so it was with a little trepidation that I unpacked the box and began to set it up. Everything went very smoothly, and I soon had a beautiful test page to gaze at.

Then I got to wondering about my little netbook in the kitchen. (See my entry of September 19 for more on that) Could I print from there? Not that I would want to very often, but still. I sat down at the netbook, and after one or two blind alleys, I found the printer drivers on the 'net, downloaded them, loaded the printer. A little inquiry box appeared: "How do you connect to this printer?" I clicked on wireless. The netbook talked to itself for a few seconds, and then asked: "Is this the printer you wish to use?" displaying the make and model of the printer in my office! So my inner geek puffed itself up a little, and I felt very intelligent.

But, my inner geek had to contend with another issue that still baffles me. It turned out OK, but I don't understand why. I have a small mp3 player that I've had for four or five years now. I listen to downloads of various radio programs in the car. In the car (the only place I was using it) it began to behave very strangely, the sound cutting out unexpectedly. If I waved it around, changed the position, it would sometimes continue to broadcast, other times not. I unhooked and rehooked the cable several times, swapping the connector ends between audio connection and player. No improvement.

I brought the player inside, checked listening with headphones. No problem. I brought the cable inside, hooked it up to the speakers on my little netbook. No problem. Hoping it wasn't the unit in the car audio system itself, I took the speaker cable I had been using on the netbook out to the car and hooked the player up using that cable. No problem. ???? My inner geek solved the issue, but I have no idea why or how. The cable that was in the car is now in the kitchen and vice versa. The speaker works just fine, and the netbook audio plays just fine. I guess I should be satisfied, but I still wonder what happened.

Phone solicitations

woodstockreviews@prodigy.net — Mon, 17 Oct 11 15:18:00 UT

I'm on the mailing list for several entities connected with the university where I got my bachelor's degree. Sometime this summer, I began to come home from the stadium with a hang up on the answering machine and a caller ID report with an area code I recognized as belonging to the town where I went to college.

This pattern continued for at least a couple of months. A call when I wasn't home, no message, and that same phone number on the caller ID report. Somewhere during that period I got an email from the alumni office with the subject line "Please answer our phone call." The email went on to describe student volunteers working long and hard to contact alumni, blah, blah, blah.

Eventually I did speak with a young student. He clearly had quite a few details from my alumni file, he knew that I had studied accounting, and a few tidbits about my employers over the years. I declined to contribute this time around. He was a pleasant young man, and handled my refusal with reasonable grace, I thought.

And then I got to thinking. Why didn't the callers during all those weeks leave messages? Wouldn't that at least have been courteous? I've managed to get my name on quite a few "do not call" lists, but non profit organizations like my alumni group don't need to participate in that program. So couldn't they be polite?

So I emailed that question to an address I found on the alumni association website, and this morning got a reply which says they will take my name off of the call list. That's fine, and will eliminate all the hang ups, but the writer completely sidestepped the issue of courtesy.

Maybe I'm just grumpy today, but I think I have similar feelings toward telephone solicitations as I do toward human bank tellers.

Banks

woodstockreviews@prodigy.net — Mon, 17 Oct 11 14:47:00 UT

In the early 1990's, my employer offered us direct deposit for our paychecks. Quite a few of the staff traveled regularly, and this was a huge help to them. Those of us who remained office bound still took advantage of the convenience. I recall that if we set up accounts in the bank used by the boss for the office accounts, that we got some kind of deal - a line of credit with a lower rate than the general public, a free credit card, something. I don't remember now, but it was enough to entice me to change my bank from the one I used previously.

Since that day, the bank has been taken over, merged, swallowed up, what have you, and I now have the same account, same account number, same ATM code that I got almost twenty years ago, but the bank I use wasn't even doing business in the Denver area when this all started.

At one point about five years ago, I got a letter from them that the sweet deal offered at the beginning had been offered to me in error, it wasn't designed for the like of small potatoes like me, and they were rescinding it. Since I had never used whatever it was in the first place, I wasn't upset. Just sort of amused. Obviously, someone had lost, or failed to keep, the records of all the carrots on all the sticks waved in front of the little band of employees I once belonged to.

In early 2003, we realized that we had a serious problem in our upstairs bathroom. Water was leaking steadily into the basement below. We got estimates from a couple of remodeling contractors to have both bathrooms upgraded and plumbing problems fixed, and needed a home equity loan to finance the project.

The house has been in my name since my first husband died. This is important to remember. The bank where I have my checking account has a small convenience kiosk in a local supermarket, and I went over there, filled out several forms to apply, and waited for the approval to arrive.

What arrived instead was a phone call with all kinds of questions I didn't understand, referencing my first husband's name, inquiring who he was, and more or less accusing me of a fraudulent loan application. There was a remarkable lack of courtesy and absolutely no sense at all that they were following up on an issue they didn't understand. The attitude was hostile. Very hostile.

I eventually got the financing at another bank.

But the whole thing puzzled me, so I asked my attorney for help, describing in as much detail as I could the type of questions I had received from the bank.

Even knowing that he and his staff were looking for a mention of my first husband's name in connection with the records of my property, my attorney couldn't find anything which answered the puzzle.

I went over to the county clerk's office. The staff there looked at me as if someone had a screw loose, but were careful not to insinuate that it was me, and joined the attorney in having no explanation for the issue raised by the bank. I paid off the second bank on time, and forgot about it. Sort of.

I don't like going to the bank in person. I like using the ATM machines for deposits and to get cash. There are several branches in my area, and one lobby where the service is OK, and if I need to interact with a person, I usually head over there.

But today, I had to make a quick deposit, I had other errands to run, so I stopped into the supermarket kiosk location. The ATM machine was "temporarily not taking deposits" whatever that means. So I went to the window. I asked to have my balance printed on the slip. "May I see ID?" was the response.

"The ATM will give me my balance without my having to ask."

"Yes, but I don't know who you are."

"The ATM machine doesn't either."

"Yes, but you enter your code in the transaction."

Exasperated all over again, I pulled out my driver's license, got my balance, and left.

I've been watching with interest the "Occupy Wall Street" incidents. We've got one going on in Denver, and there have been quite a few arrests.

I have a general idea of the issues which sent people to the streets. I'm not real optimistic that they'll accomplish much, but after my encounter today with a real live person at the bank, and having him come up short when I compare him to a robotic machine, I think I share their sentiments completely.

Thank God for Integrated Circuits!

woodstockreviews@prodigy.net — Mon, 19 Sep 11 14:37:00 UT

A few nights ago, one of the cats had a brief attack of what some cat owners call "the evening crazies." Probably Lady, at age 12 and counting, Grinch's days of zooming madly through the house are dwindling.

But someone zoomed across my feet and ankles after the lights were out at bedtime. Several trips across, in fact, each trip ending with a jump to the window sill and then a thud on the mattress on the return trip down from the window. I didn't think there was much to be gained by turning on the light to see who was thundering up and down the hall, so I just waited for the eventual calming off period.

Then came a series of strange thumps from the vicinity of the kitchen, followed by total silence.

I got up to investigate.

I have a small netbook computer I usually keep on the kitchen table. I have wi-fi in my office, and after I hooked up a set of small speakers to the computer, I can listen to any radio station I choose. WNYC from New York is a favorite, and there are several others I've stumbled on which I also enjoy.

When I got to the kitchen and turned on the light, the mystery of the thumps was solved. The computer, thank goodness, was still on the table, but the speakers and the cables which connect them to the wall, the computer, and each other trailed across the floor, around the corner, and down the stairs to the basement.

One of the speakers was near the top of the stairs, the other nearly halfway down. All the cables were still connected, although the electrical plug was out of the wall socket. Neither cat was anywhere to be seen.

I collected the speakers, untangled the cables, plugged everything back into the wall, and turned the speakers on. The green power light glowed reassuringly. Next morning I powered up the netbook and connected to WNYC. All was well.

So, to repeat, thank god for integrated circuits!

Coors Field Nugget Seven - 9/11

woodstockreviews@prodigy.net — Fri, 16 Sep 11 14:11:00 UT

With a home game scheduled for Sunday Sept 11, the on field observations inevitably were going to be more elaborate than usual. Usually the pregame announcements and recognitions last about 20 minutes, but last Sunday's ceremonies lasted at least twice that long.

The day began with a confusing pre-game script. We get one of these printouts for every game, because the guests arriving for on field introductions often arrive in the lobby and the script gives us valuable clues on who to call to provide an escort to the green room.

Last Sunday, the clues on who was greeting whom were almost impossible to decipher. I was puzzling over the page when the promotions director came through the lobby. Jason often seems to be flying low, but he stopped to go through the list with me and identify which group I should be watching for. Most of the guests were scheduled to meet their escorts at another gate.

When things got underway at about 12:30, the Cincinnati Reds and the Rockies lineups were introduced almost right away - usually those introductions come right before the teams take the field. I understood the timing change when the parade of returning veterans began. The uniformed military personnel circled the warning track and the ball players waited on the track to shake hands, offer hugs and high fives as they passed the dugouts.

There were two first pitch ceremonies, one by a double amputee returning Green Beret. He dropped one of his crutches to the dirt on the mound, and fired the ball directly over the plate to catcher Chris Ianetta. By this time, I was choking up, and of course, the phone rang. I managed to take the call without embarrassing myself.

Then it was on to unfurling the 30 by 60 foot flag on the field; a moment of silence; the National anthem; an F-16 flyover; and some rockets fired off the top of the scoreboard. Both the Rockies and Reds left the warning track to join the people on the field holding the flag.

Pitcher Juan Nicasio was hit in the neck by a line drive in early August. The ball hit and fractured C-1, the same broken bone which put Christopher Reeve in a wheelchair. But Nicasio is recovering. He wears a tall, thick cervical collar. He was on hand to greet the marching vets and stayed on hand to join his teammates in holding the flag during the anthem.

But the emotional tugs were not over for the day. One of the players we received from Cleveland in the Jimenez trade is a young pitcher Drew Pomeranz. The Rockies sent him to AA Tulsa, to get an idea of his skills. Quite a few of the baseball administration VIP's spent a couple of weeks in Tulsa to watch him pitch. And then, he ended up in the hospital with an emergency appendectomy.

We weren't at all sure we would see him this season in Denver, but he started on Sunday, with pitch count of 60. He made it through 5 innings with 62 pitches, got the win, and calmed everyone's nerves with a 3 up, 3 down first inning that featured first pitch strikes to the first two batters he faced.

All in all, a memorable way to celebrate Sept 11.

After all the hoopla this year, I'm wondering if eventually 9/11 will become a national holiday. It wouldn't surprise me.

Coors Field Nugget Six - Getting Dissed

woodstockreviews@prodigy.net — Fri, 16 Sep 11 13:47:00 UT

I've always enjoyed the political commentary of George F. Will. I probably am a little more liberal than he is, but I admire his clear thinking; his writing skill; and what seems to me to be a sort of independent streak. He's the last conservative columnist to blindly accept the current party line on any subject. The sig line on my outgoing emails quotes him on one of his observations about baseball, and I DO give him credit for the phrase.

I know he's on television regularly on one of those Sunday morning talk shows, but I almost never watch them, so I can't comment on his input there.

But, he is a baseball fan. Ken Burns included his views on baseball in his PBS documentary of a few years ago, and one of the best baseball books I ever read is Will's MEN AT WORK. It's one of the few books I've read and wanted to keep.

So a few weeks ago when I looked up to see him entering the reception lobby, I was delighted. He asked for GM Dan O'Dowd's assistant, and introduced himself. I placed the call; she was on her way down; so I asked if I could shake his hand. He complied, but without a smile and with a less than enthusiastic grip.

I tried to engage him in conversation, telling him of my quoting him in my sig line. He made some non committal monosyllabic reply and turned his back on me.

I found out later that he asked a co worker if there was any way he could get a drink of water; and Miles, who had observed our exchange and overheard his brief reply, told him that, no, we didn't have any water in the lobby. Miles also told me that he would have gone to get Will a drink, except for the way I had been brushed off.

For what it's worth, I was also dissed in similar fashion a few years ago by the wife of a well known and widely admired heavy hitter who plays for another National League team.

Mostly, I was disappointed. To be face to face with someone I admire, to the point of quoting him at least once a day when I send an email, was sort of a downer.

But, almost on cue, the head of the Rockies international scouting walked through the lobby a few minutes later. Rolando is close to a living breathing embodiment of classic Latin grace and courtesy. He has a gorgeous smile as well. His face lit up when he caught my eye, he came to shake hands and tell me how nice it was to see me again, and visited briefly before he went on to greet the people waiting to meet him. When he returned, he introduced all of us working in the lobby to his guests.

On a scale of importance in the Rockies organization, Rolando is near the top and those of us in the lobby in the evenings are fairly near the bottom. But he always makes us feel important in a very genuine way.

So from a dis to a beautiful smile. I went home in a good mood.

Books Update - Non suspense titles

woodstockreviews@prodigy.net — Thu, 1 Sep 11 17:22:00 UT

And on to the rest of the reading log -

THE DAILY COYOTE by Shreve Stockton

A few years ago, on a whim, Stockton moved to Wyoming from her big city life in New York and later San Francisco. She learned to enjoy small town living and was able to support herself as an author of specialty cookbooks. A good friend worked as a wildlife conservation agent, and brought her an orphaned coyote cub.

She began a regular series of emails to friends and family in other parts of the US - including photographs of the little coyote Charlie - dubbing the missals The Daily Coyote. This memoir is her story of that entire experience. The book raises very interesting questions about our relationships with and responsibilities to wild creatures living around us. I'm not sure I'm 100% in favor of what she accomplished, but I did enjoy reading the book.

THE PANIC VIRUS by Seth Mnookin

Journalist Mnookin became intrigued with the widespread publicity given those who believe that childhood immunizations are responsible for a wide range of complications, including most troubling, autism.

He researched the entire history of this point of view, came down solidly on the side of all the scientists whose researched has failed to find a connection, and has some very pointed criticisms for the journalistic decisions which gave the issue so much publicity.

The book reads almost like true crime, very engrossing.

IPHIGNIA IN FOREST HILLS by Janet Malcolm

I'm not sure why I picked this one up, and was only mildly interested in it as I read. Malcolm is a New York City area reporter and followed the trial of a Russian immigrant physician - for the muder of her husband.

A BOX OF DARKNESS by Sally Brady

Another memoir - after her husband's death, the author discovers some very unsettling secrets that he had kept from her.

INFIDEL by Aayan Hirsi Ali

This was a book discussion choice. Ali grew up in a succession of African and Middle Eastern countries. As a young Muslim woman, she endured female circumcision (against her mother's wishes). She eventually emigrated to the Netherlands and obtained an education and became an activist for the rights of Muslim women. After a colleague of hers was murdered she was forced to flee to the United States. The story is gripping from first page to last, I found the tone a little too strident at times.

THE LONGEST WAR by Peter Bergen

The best of this bunch, and probably one of the best reads of the year.

Journalist Bergen analyzes US involvement in both Afghanistan and Iraq, and points out more than a few errors in the political leadership which got us there. He has more hopeful things to say about the scenario in Iraq than he does for Afghanistan.

Another skillful writer - the book is based on dozens of interviews and other research, is quite serious in tone, and yet is very readable. Highly recommended.

HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins

The latest "must read" it seems. Our library book discussion group chose it. I had only made through about 70 pages the night we met, but the discussion whetted my appetite to finish it.

In a futuristic North America, young teenagers are chosen through a type of lottery to fight to the death. The main character is a young girl. The author has quite a few things for her readers to ponder. It's written for a young adult audience, like the Harry Potter books. Although I enjoyed every one of Harry's adventures, I think Collins has a more serious approach to her story.

MORTAL CRIMES by Nigel West

West was the Elderhostel lecturer on my recent trip. He is a widely respected historian of espionage. This book details Soviet infliltration of the Manhattan project. I picked it up because I was curious about his skill as an author. I think I can safely tell you that his range of knowledge and depth of research is impressive, but he writes for the academic reader.

I think that catches me up!

Books Update - Non suspense titles

woodstockreviews@prodigy.net — Thu, 1 Sep 11 17:22:00 UT

Books update - Suspense

woodstockreviews@prodigy.net — Thu, 1 Sep 11 09:22:00 UT

It's been awhile, but I have been reading!

A DROP OF THE HARD STUFF by Lawrence Block

Block is one of the first authors of suspense fiction I ever read, when I found a handful of his used paperbacks for almost no cash in a thrift store. I picked the books up primarily because of blurbs on the cover. Matt Scudder is a character straight out of the "wounded healer" tradition and I was intrigued and fully engrossed from the first chapter. One by one I tracked down all the Scudder titles and read them all. About six years ago, Block published ALL THE FLOWERS ARE DYING which wrapped up Scudder's career and life, and I thought perhaps we would never encounter him again in a new book.

Block gets himself out of this box by going back to the early days of Scudder's career, when he is coming to terms with his alcoholism and learning to "work the steps" He is approached by another AA member with help in resolving a long dormant issue.

Classic Block, classic Scudder. Block's way with dialogue is remarkable, the only word I have for it is "graceful."

THE LAST TALK WITH LOLA FAYE by Thomas H Cook

Cook is another favorite. His books are hard to classify, sometimes my library puts the little blue sticker on the spine indicating a mystery, and sometimes not.

He usually writes of atmospheric small southern towns, and tense family interactions.

A mediocre author of mediocre non fiction history is traveling on a book tour, and is approached by a woman from his small home town. She persuades him to spend some time talking with her over a cocktail and in that conversation he comes to terms with quite a few unanswered questions from his own past.

THE LAST LIE by Stephen White

Psychologist Alan Gregory has new neighbors, living the the house where his late friends Peter and Adrienne resided. Alan has custody of their son, and that alone would present all sorts of emotional problems. But when the police begin to investigate an incident which may or may not have been a sexual assault, and when one of Alan's patients may or not be involved, things become very complicated indeed.

THE COMPLAINTS by Ian Rankin

Rankin kicks off a new series featuring a new protagonist - this time a cop working in the much maligned internal affairs division. Reluctantly, he begins to understand that he is being set up by fellow cops.

ONE WAS A SOLDIER by Julia Spencer-Fleming

One of the pitfalls in writing about characters who may or may not fall in love with each other is how to maintain suspense once the relationship resolves itself. Fleming has skillfully begun to shift romantic suspense away from her two main protagonists Russ and Clare by creating a sub plot with romantic suspense between two supporting characters.

Meanwhile, in the foreground of the story, Russ and Clare plan their wedding; Clare deals with the emotional turmoil of returning to civilian life after a tour on active duty in Iraq; and a support group for returning military personnel provides the intrigue.

BURIED PREY by John Sandford

Lucas Davenport is at it again, working on a cold case and identifying a pedophile killer. For a police procedural, portraying all the techniques used by modern day cops, Sandford is one of the best.

RIPTIDE by John Lawton

I've had this book for several years, and looking for something I could read and leave behind me on my recent trip, I took it along. While it did pass some hours on the plane coming home, I could have left it on the shelf at no loss.

A German double agent flees the continent, when he perceives he will be exposed. His British contacts struggle to find him, since even after he has reached the relative safety of WWII England, he stays under cover. One or two red herrings confuse the officers and governmental agents looking for him - one of the red herrings is Rudolf Hess, who has landed in Scotland.

More on non suspense titles in the next entry

Coors Field Nugget Five - Ubaldo Jimenez

woodstockreviews@prodigy.net — Tue, 23 Aug 11 09:49:00 UT

Well, whatever I was doing wrong with the link to the photos seems to have evaporated, because I got a recent commentary by two local sports writers to load on the first try.

Ubaldo Jimenez was recruited by the Rockies into one of their training camps in the Dominican Republic a few years ago, and matured into a well respected young pitcher, the so called "ace" of the Rockies lineup. He was even tapped to start for the National League in the All Star game a year or two ago.

But about half way through the season in 2010, something began to go wrong. He was sitting with a record of 19 wins, and just could not seem to get it together to get the 20th. Some of that is probably due to his success. Once an athlete begins to stand out, he is heavily scouted by opposing teams, and every tiny weakness is noted, detailed, and no longer a secret to the batters who face him.

But still. To say that Denver fans were puzzled and impatient is a major understatement.

And the opening weeks of this season only made things worse. Ubaldo simply did not pitch well, not at all. Over and over again people asked me about it. I could only reply that I was mystified as well. Those of us who work in the executive lobby during the games were very aware that something was weighing on GM Dan O'Dowd. It had to be a very difficult decision.

So read this analysis from last Sunday's newspaper. Nothing in this article was a surprise to me, with the possible exception of the attitudes of Ubaldo's teammates who were interviewed and quoted.

A few years ago, dealing Matt Holliday worked out quite well. I hope this transaction has similar results.