The American Spirit by David McCullough

The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For by David McCullough
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A collection of speeches given my McCullough through the years at various organizations, college graduations, in Congress etc. He focuses on the importance of education, knowledge of our history and important people and their influence on the course of our history. He, throughout, extols the values of those who came before and how those values have become the threads of the fabric that is American.

As always, he is easy to read--he speaks in a voice of one on one conversation--and thought provoking. He is uplifting and provides hope and encouragement for our continued strength and success in a world that is still amazed at our story.

One statement he made that resonated with me: We are the only country in the world that knows exactly when we were formed, why we were formed and how we were formed, that is, who did it. Isn't that the most amazing thing???

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Rereading Grisham One Book at a Time--The Client

The Client by John Grisham
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Continuing to read Grisham's legal thrillers in order, though this one follows The Pelican Brief, which is the next to be read. Wish the movie of this one was available to watch again, now that I've reread the book. An eleven year old boy, Mark Sway and his little brother, Ricky, witness the suicide of a New Orleans attorney for the mob. Before he shoots himself to death he tells Mark where the body of a Mafia murdered Senator is buried. Terrified with this knowledge, Mark seeks out the assistance of Reggie Love, a fifty something attorney with a soft heart for kids. The two of them find themselves beleagured by DA's and FBI agents wanting the information while trying to avoid the wrath of the Mafia which wants the info buried as deep as the corpse.

The entire book is a trip but the character of Mark is unbelievably captivating--a street smart kid, being brave for his traumatized little brother and his single mother, while being terrorized by adults on both sides of the law. Terrific.

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The Take by Christopher Reich
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Action packed political thriller. Marseilles gangs, Saudi Princes, KGB and CIA all pitted against each other trying to get their hands on a mysterious letter. Who sent it? Who received it? Why does it matter? Millions of euros floating around for its recovery.

Simon Riske, who is hard to describe---former thug, former con, current high end auto body guy, available to recover lost things. He's been hired by the CIA to simply retrieve the letter from the Prince. When the Prince's cavalcade of cars is high-jacked and his money stolen, along went the letter in his briefcase. So, who has it NOW?

Page turning excitement, car chases, train brawls and airplane causing car accidents--never know where the next surprise will occur. Fun! This review is of the paperback edition provided by GoodReads for review.

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Who Slays the Wicked--Sebastian St Cyr Mystery

Who Slays the Wicked by C.S. Harris
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Strange to start an author's series with its last installment, but that in no way made the plot difficult to follow nor the hero and his associates lacking in depth. As a matter of fact, unlike other series in which each subsequent book is taken up with a repetition of the history of the characters and their relationship, this one moves right into the mystery at hand with sure-footed ease. The reader doesn't need lots of personal backstory to see that the possibility that Sebastian's niece may have murdered her debauched husband gives him added impetus to find the murderer, whom he hopes is not she.

The victim, a nobleman who is infamous for his sexual tastes and lack of loyalty or regard to paying his debts, has racked up a goodly list of enemies. Among them, of course, his wife, recently delivered of twin boys and with whom he does not live. There is the cabinet maker whose bills have not been paid and who makes a public spectacle of accosting the victim and loudly berating him in public. This man's business has all but been destroyed. And there is the fortune teller, whose young, beautiful daughter was raped by the rogue and who, when discovering herself pregnant, commits suicide. These are just the suspects Sebastian has been able to unearth.

But, why would any of them kill the valet, too? And leave him naked in an alley. What does the parcel of blood-stained woman's clothing retrieved from the Thames have to do with the case? How is the lady-in-waiting to the sister of the Tsar of Russia involved? The more pieces that come to light in this puzzle the more puzzling it all becomes. Unfortunately, it also seems to look more and more as though the wife did it--at least the husband--she would have needed someone helping her, however, to manage the murder of the valet and the next victims that appear as Sebastian struggles to make sense of it all.

A frustrating page turner that has convinced this reader it is time to move to episode 1 and get to know Sebastian St Cyr a bit better. This review is of a Goodreads ARC provided for review.

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The Last Collection

The Last Collection: A Novel of Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel by Jeanne Mackin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Sometimes There is Too Much Color
At one point the author in discussing a painting mentions that a thin wash of gray can make the background recede more from the foreground. It was as though a thin wash of gray lay between the story and the reader. It felt as though everything was being told through the heavy grief of this guilt ridden widow. Yet, though unable to paint because of it, she sees vibrant color everywhere and mentions it endlessly, as though to show the reader just how many colors she can recite. For all the vibrancy and emotions this should have evoked it all remained bland--the words said there was excitement or foreboding or passion or anger and yet those things were not evoked in the reader. The most arousing moment was the one in which Coco sets the tree afire. It was hard to get through this book. The Women of Paris is much better if you want an idea of Paris before and during German Occupation.
This is a review of an ARC provided by BookBrowse for that purpose.

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The Ripper, The Boston Strangler, Ted Bundy--One Serial Killer Imitates Them All in Imitation In Death

Imitation in Death by J.D. Robb
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A serial killer is murdering women by imitation--a prostitute in an alley, a la the Ripper; a older widow living alone by strangulation, a la the Boston Strangler. Who is he? There are several possibles , all with strong indications they could be the one. Dallas likes first one but Peabody likes another for the crime. Then Peabody changes her mind when new information is revealed. One of the most frustrating of the In Death series for me. That is until I listened to the spewing language of the enranged killer as he tried a Ted Bundy on her and didn't succeed. He had to scurry off, defeated and blinded by the spray she managed, despite her beating, to apply to his eyes.

I knew then who it was but Dallas, who tells Roarke she knows , too, doesn't have anything that will stick. They will have to set a trap. And, as always, Eve Dallas gets the perp with a little help from her friends and that sexy husband of hers. PS--I missed Somerset--really needs to be more of him, he's such a delight.

Bring on the next case

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Amelia Earhart Wasn't the Only Female Pilot of Note--Fly Girls

Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History by Keith O'Brien
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If the only early woman pilot you've ever heard of is Amelia Earhart then you need to read this book. There were many, many others : some who set records, some who died horribly trying, all who fought to be recognized by the likes of Lindbergh and other male pilots. Their lives and struggles made for fast and interesting reading. Meet the two Ruths, Ruth Elder and Ruth Nichols from diametrically different backgrounds who flew the same competitions. Meet Louise Thaden who tried and succeeded in having it all--fame as a pilot and happiness as a wife and mother. Meet airplane developers like Beech of Beechcraft and his fiesty wife. Get to know the kid known as Granny who built the GeeBee in Springfield Mass. Fly with the men and women in competitions for money and prizes promoted by Cliff Henderson. So much history and Earhart was just a very small and not even very good part of it all. Were it not for her marriage to CP Putnam of the publishing house and his connections her name would probably be lost as much as she was and as much as the names of these other ambitious, dedicated women who wanted to make aviation the transportation of the future. This edition was a free copy provided by Book Browse for discussion

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Alifair is All Grown Up and Dave is Obsessed with His Own Mortality

The Glass Rainbow: A Dave Robicheaux Novel by James Lee Burke
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Usually, Burke's books are pretty exciting and involved but this one was more disturbing in a strange way. The crimes and the perpetrators are always upsetting--especially since I love the time we spend in New Iberia and it just doesn't seem possible these things could be true, even at a lesser intensity than the fictional town and its people. But in this book, Robicheaux is really obsessed with his own mortality, even to the point of hallucinating the arrival of a Showboat on the Teche coming to take him to the next plane. Not sure if Burke feels this way or if he has had a health issue but considering I'm of the same vintage or pretty close, and do not feel the weight of impending death, it was distracting from the main story.

Also, though I am proud of my daughter just as Burke should be proud of his lawyer/novelist daughter in real life, his constant praise of her literary prowess was rather heavy handed. Especially since I've read her first trilogy ( Kinkaid ) and found it less than gripping or stimulating. I hope her association with the more experienced Mary Higgins Clark will help her improve her skills. Until the last couple of his books, I didn't realize how much of his own life is included in his writing.

Basically, the added biographical information in this book tended to make it and the previous one less satisfying than his earlier entries in the saga of Dave Robicheaux, his friend, Clete Purcell and New Iberia.

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