Weird_O Bill's Warped and Wacky World (of Reading) Part The Second

 

Weird_O's Place, Cinco de Mayo 2013 Something to look forward to… It can't come soon enough.

Current Reading

 

Year-to-Date 2016

January (8 read)
1. The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler (1/2/16) ROOT AAC3--January ®
2. The Singular Adventures of Baron Munchausen by Rudolph Raspe and others (1/3/16) ROOT
3. Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith (1/5/16) ROOT MnM ®
4. The Quiet American by Graham Greene (1/7/16) ROOT Wedgie ®
5. Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler (1/9/16) ROOT AAC3--January
6. The Old Wives' Tale by Arnold Bennett (729 pages) (1/15/16) ROOT DwD ®
7. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt (1/24/16) ROOT PPM NFC ®
8. Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler (1/26/16) ROOT PPF AAC3--January ®

February (11 read)
9. Our Town by Thornton Wilder (2/3/16) ROOT PPM ®
10. The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey by Walter Mosley (2/5/16) ROOT MnM ®
11. The Tycoons by Charles Morris (2/10/16) ROOT NFC
12. The Graveyard Book Graphic Novel, vol 1 by Neil Gaiman (2/13/16) ®
13. The Graveyard Book Graphic Novel, vol 2 by Neil Gaiman (2/13/16) ®
14. Empire Falls by Richard Russo (2/14/16) ROOT AAC3--February PPF
15. The Thirty-Nine Steps and The Power-House by John Buchan (2/16/16) ROOT Wedge ®
16. March Book One by John Lewis (2/23/16)
17. March Book Two by John Lewis (2/27/16)
18. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (729 pages) (2/27/16) ROOT DwD
19. Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller (2/27/16) ROOT PPM ®

March (6 read)
20. The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown (3/5/16)
21. Being Mortal by Atul Gawande (3/7/16)
22. Train Dreams by Denis Johnson (3/8/16) ROOT Wedge
23. A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley (3/11/16) ROOT AAC3--March PPF ®
24. War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy (3/22/16) ROOT DwD ®
25. Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley (3/22/16) MnM
26. A Stillness at Appomattox by Bruce Catton (3/25/16) PPM

April (1 read)
27. The Alienist by Caleb Carr (4/4/16) ROOT MnM
28. Venice by Jan Morris (4/16/16) NFC (for March)

Lists of Challenge Book Possibilities

Pulitzer Prize TBRs here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/210740#5396390

Deadweight Doorstop TBRs here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/210740#5396393

Wedge Doorstop TBRs here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/210740#5396394

Murder 'n' Mayhem TBRs here: https://www.librarything.com/topic/210740#5396395

BREAKING NEWS Nocturnal Bird-Feeder Raid!
Just a few minutes ago, our bird feeder filled with black-oil sunflower seeds was purloined from a hanger on the side porch. One light on inside. I was surfing through the LT threads. Heard a noise. Turned on the outside light and looked. The feeder is now aout 15 yards from the porch, laying on the round, devoid of seeds.

It's da bear.

It's the time of the year when Mamma lures junior out into the woods and "accidentally" forgets him. Now he has to find his own food, and he looks for the easy meal first. Bugger.

Happy new thread, Bill!

Condolences on the feeder...

Happy New Thread, Bill! Love the colorful toppers. I am yearning for some color too.

Hey, Bear Junior is a growing boy, right?

Happy new thread, Bill! Bummer about the feeder.

Wonderful spring-y blooming trees! Something to look forward to on my cold snow showery morning.

I haven't had any bear problems , although many in this area do - especially on the other side of the river. Sounds scary! Are they a regular problem for you?

Happy new thread, Bill! Love the photos of your trees. Sorry to hear the bears are at your feeder - have you had bears living nearby long?

>6 scaifea: >7 msf59: >8 Crazymamie: Hello, hello. Thanks for stopping by. No worries about the feeder. The one we have is resilient; its hook gets unbent. It's back up. We just have to remember to bring it in at dark time.

>9 streamsong: >10 bell7: We're about a mile south of the first ridge of the Appalachian Mountain chain, which is mostly wooded, and I think that's the bears' natural turf. The Appalachian Trail--Maine to Georgia--follows this ridge. But the junior ridge we live on is wooded for much of its length, so bears roam all over our corner of the county. I'm not aware of them being a major threat. But when they awake from their winter snooze, they're kinda hungry and the yearlings especially rip up bird feeders and bee hives. (There're hives near us that are surrounded by a solar-powered electric fence.) If the bears do get to be a problem, the game commission folks try to trap them in a huge "Hava-Heart" style contraption, then haul a captive miles and miles away before releasing it. But bears have been around here for hundreds of years.

Hi Paul. My wife has maintained one or two rhubarb plants for about 40 years. She loves it, as does her brother. Me, not so much.

(Reply to post 274 of the previous thread)

(273 and 277 of previous thread) That Thingaversary passed me by. I guess I'll have to celebrate; we'll be out and about tomorrow and maybe a visit to a bookstore is in my near future. Been an interesting year, I must say. Thanks to all youse guys who read and then write about it.

Happy new thread Bill, love the thread topper photo's.

>14 johnsimpson: Thanks John.

Bill--Congrats on the new thread! I left you all sorts of Thingaversary info on my thread. ; ) And I saw that Paul left you a piece of pie on your old thread, but that's old...so here's another! (Blueberry not rhubarb per #12.)

Happy New Thread, Bill. Judging from the cover pictures you have a gorgeous home. I am especially fond of trees and you have them in luxuriant abundance seemingly.

Your home looks lovely and the flowering trees in bloom, well, they are spectacular. In Seattle, it is tulip and cherry tree season. I love it.

>16 Berly: Man, that pie looks good!

Weirdo's place in May looks beautiful, Bill. We're getting there.

Congratulations on the spiffy new thread!

Oh, I adore your opening, Bill. Sooooo beautiful. Congrats on your shiny new thread.

Beautiful pics! And bears!!! Very cool - probably cooler for me because we have no bears than for you dealing with them. The most we get are cute red squirrels stealing monkey nuts out of next doors bird feeder :)

Wow. Bears eating the bird seed. Not a.problem we have here. A mouse occasionally though.

Happy new thread, Bill! Wow, that you have furry bird feeder rustler that come onto your property. Good thing you were indoors.

I notice that since posting us all those pies Bill, you have been very quiet.

You must be stuffed full dear fellow!

Have a great weekend.

 House Guest

The family of Son the Elder is off in Paris, having a good time. Judi, Bridie, and I are providing shelter for their pooch, Iris (for Iris Murdock...really). Schnoodle. Iris is a dog that's in your lap, pawing at your arm so you'll rub her. Put my feet up on the ottoman, laptop in...yes...my lap, and there's Iris with her chin on my shin.

Happy Sunday, Bill! Hooray for the first day of Spring!

Love those literary pet-names!! I want to get a Newfie and call him Steinbeck!

>5 weird_O: oh my, after working in the Pocono Mountains for ten years, I developed a healthy respect for two things 1) Bear and 2) snakes, especially cooperheads.

Thanks for the images of spring. The bud are starting to form on our sand cherry tree. It brings such joy when they bloom. Their beauty is short lived as it only takes a soft wind to carry the pink petals throughout the neighborhood.

Happy Sunday!

And, I really like your grand dog Iris. She is precious!

I am anxious to learn your thoughts on Being Mortal, A few days ago I read When Breath Becomes Air, found on Darryl's thread. If you thought Being Mortal was good, then I also recommend When Breath Becomes Air.

>26 weird_O: Lively pic. I do like a dog that doubles up as a hot water bottle.

How are those Pulitzer reads coming?

Happy Spring and Happy Sunday.

Can someone please tell me what this is?



Granddaughter Claire posted this on FB without explanation. She and some classmates are in France for week-long exchange; they'll spend two or three days with each of two different families. Then school-age members of those families will spend time with the American families. Claire and her twin sister Helen seem to be having a dandy time. So what is this? Is the red substance the same stuff as the cone?

Yes, I do want at least one of these.

I am hoping that I can bull through the final 93 pages of War & Peace by tomorrow morning. Yes, a great book, but I am wilting. W&P is my deadweight doorstop for this month; finishing it will make me 3 for 3, so far. It'll also allow me to read somethin' else. Okay, I must admit that I've been reading passages in Devil in a Blue Dress to clear my reading palate. that's for my own personal Murder 'n' Mayhem challenge. I want to read Venice and A Stillness at Appomattox to wrap up Pulitzer and NF challenges.

>1 weird_O: We have hints here, and it happens every year... but the chilly gray is dragging along...
>5 weird_O: Well I'm impressed, a bear! Ever get a photo?

>31 weird_O: I had something similar at an Italian gelato place here in Chicago called "Amorino" last summer. It's 2 flavors of gelato (maybe strawberry or blood orange and chocolate or hazelnut?) in a giant cone. The gelato is scooped into the cone in rounded layers to make flower/petal shapes. Hers has 2 clear spoons stuck in the middle, which is the easiest way to eat this gigantic thing.

You can see similar creations on their website: http://www.amorino.com/us/ From the website, I see that they call one of these cones an "Amorino Rose." And they have stores in France, apparently.

>34 kac522: Wow! Thanks, Kathy. That must be it.

>33 qebo: The season is shifting, slowly. Looks like we'll have a warm spell and sunnier days. The maples are full of buds. As far as bears go, my wife saw one in the road several years ago, but they seem to be nocturnal.

War & Peace...



My reading life can return to normal. Devil in a Blue Dress will be completed tonight.

Then on to the American Civil War in A Stillness at Appomattox, a Pulitzer winner for history in 1954. (Apparently the Franco-Russian War of 1812 wasn't enough combat for me.)

>36 weird_O: Congrats!

>17 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. The place was part of a cornfield when we bought it and built the house. I think we planted all but two or three of the trees. Our shale soil is brutal to dig in, so planting each tree was a lot of work.
>25 PaulCranswick: I have been quietly reading. We introverts don't always have a lot to say.

>18 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen. Cherry trees are in bloom here. Our maples are full of buds. We also have oaks, which are laggard, but they'll be along.

>20 jnwelch: Joe... Thanks for stopping by.

Congratulations!!!!

>36 weird_O: Congrats Bill. I am a long ways away from being finished but seeing other persevere gives hope.

>31 weird_O: I love these gelati very much but it isn't to recommend when it's too hot because it would be melting and dripping.

BTW where in France is your granddaughter?

>37 qebo: >39 Berly: >40 Oberon: Thank you all. I knew I could do it, but I set it aside after completing Part Eight, which was the end of the first volume of the two-volume edition I was reading. Had other books to read, like David Copperfield. Picking it up three or four weeks later was more difficult than I thought it would be. One thousand six hundred seventy-two pages. I want to say it was gripping, compelling, and the like. But I must say also that it was grueling.

>41 Ameise1: Hi, Barbara. I would like to try a gelati that's a flower in a cone. It's not too hot for it right now. The twins are/were in Nancy. Very pretty it is in the FB photos Claire posted. But Paris is involved as well. Their father (my older son) was in Zurich for three days on business, then he went to Paris. His wife and their youngest daughter flew to Paris Friday night. The twins have been able to break away to meet up in Paris. They all will be home Saturday morning.

As I vowed, I did finish reading Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley. Book number 25 for the year. For Murder 'n' Mayhem next month, I've got to move away from Mr. Mosley. I have a lot of suitable novels on the TBR list to choose from.

I am behind on book reports. Some won't ever be done, but I do want to post some comments on a few. And yes, Linda, Being Mortal is on the TBR (To Be Reported) agenda.

Meantime, I'm about a quarter of the way through A Stillness at Appomattox, the third volume of Bruce Catton's The Army of the Republic trilogy.

>42 weird_O: Nancy is a beautiful town. I've been there very often. I hope your son saw some lovely spots in my home town. Ah Paris, it's always a trip worth. I love it.

Sweet Thursday, Bill! Congrats on finishing W & P. You can now have your life back.

I am reading a Door-Stopper, City on Fire, which clocks in at 900 pages. At least it is much more fluid than W & P.

I read Mr. Lincoln's Army a few years back. I would like to bookhorn in the next book. I also would like to finally dip into the Shelby Foote trilogy too. Talk about Chunksters!! Have you read any of those?

>7 msf59: I'm glad the bears aren't a problem. Still, I wouldn't want to meet one unexpectedly on a dark night!

Congrats on finishing W & P! I hope to do the same by this weekend. I'm on the second epilogue so the end is in sight. Oddly enough, being so close to the end has slowed me down rather than speeding up my reading.

Hiya, Bill. Sorry Devil in a Blue Dress wasn't better for you. Congrats on finishing W & P!

>45 msf59: I am impressed with your doorstop wrasslin' this year! I've seen City on Fire mentioned on some threads, but it hasn't registered on my reading radar.

The American Civil War is of continuing interest to me. I have read Shelby Foote's three volume history of the war. (3000+ pages! Three Deadweight Doorstops; read them all between 1/9/11 and 2/12/11, just a few days more than a month. I was really engaged and just tore through them.) I've also paged through an illustrated, multi-volume version of it published by Time-Life.

I read Mr. Lincoln's Army by Catton a few years ago, and just happened on a decent hardcover of A Stillness at Appomattox at a library sale. Still have to find a hardcover copy of Glory Road, the second book in the trilogy. So far, this book is emphasizing the inhuman, relentless combat/slaughter that characterized the battles between Lee's army and Grant's army in Virginia. Simple math: the North had more bodies than the South, so the South would run out of fighters before the North.

>46 streamsong: I think I experienced that entropy, Janet. I just wanted it to end, but I was mired in the Russian mud and kept slowing as the muck weighted my boots.

>47 jnwelch: Joe! I'm sorry I was insufficiently enthusiastic about Devil in a Blue Dress. I liked it. Yes, yes, I did. But my M'n'M Challenge list includes several Hiaasens, two Dame Agathas, Helter Skelter, Eric Ambler's highly regarded A Coffin for Dimitrios, two by Richard Price, three by James Ellroy, and so on. Despite having five unread Mosleys, others are rattling my chain.

Have a wonderful Easter.

Bill, I wish you a fabulous weekend.

Happy Easter Bill, sending love and hugs.

>26 weird_O: That photo of Iris is so cute!!!! I'm glad you're willing to let her sit on your lap while you LT since she probably missed her folks, eh?

Congratulations on finishing War and Peace!

And have a great weekend, Bill.

Stopping by to wish you a Happy Easter Bill and congratulations on finishing W&P!

Congratulations on finishing War and Peace. I officially quit on it, deciding I simply didn't like it. Also, great review (I gave it a thumb) of A Thousand Acres, which I read long before LT and remember not liking very much either. Your review reminded me why that was, and unlike some others I'm not tempted to re-read it now. I can often be fascinated by unsympathetic characters, but no one in that novel grabbed my interest. I'm re-thinking my intention to try another Smiley novel...I haven't managed to get to one so far in March, and I think I may just consign her to the realm of "Dunwiddit".

>56 weird_O: https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/entertainment/how-peeps-are-made-inside-the...

Hey Bill, thanks for the Peeps! So cute! I've never eaten one, as fan of chocolate only! :P Now that is weird! Love the cute little video @57. Cool to see how Peeps are made.

Happy Easter!

I, too, have never eaten a Peep. But they are very pretty. Happy Easter to you, Bill.

>36 weird_O: So did you enjoy War & Peace? I read it probably 20 years ago and think it's about time to read it again.

# 24 War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy Finished 3/22/16

The Weird Report^TM  

War & Peace is very long, one of the longest novels ever published. My edition ran one thousand six hundred seventy-two pages. I read every word, even the Second Epilogue.I am glad I did. I'm proud I got through it unscathed.

This epic historical novel describes the 1812 Franco-Russian War and its impact on all strata of Russian society. Tolstoy creates a multitude of characters, many of them in the upper classes. You could say it's a soap opera—boys and girls grappling with their dreams and emotions, their naiveté, their parents and family connections (and the lack thereof), their rivals real or imagined. I have to say I was jarred by the realization that in these 19th century days and in this society, 13- to 16-year-old girls were consumed with the husband hunt—seeking out an eligible and above all suitable man to marry. Unmarried men likewise were trawling for eligible and suitable girls.

Set against this social whirl is the threat of war. Europe's bully-boy Napoleon Bonparte, having conquered Italy, Austria, and Prussia, squabbles with Russian emperor over…well…hurt feelings. That means WAR! From this start, the Russian army backs and backs and backs. Tolstoy exposes the politicking, the bowing and scraping, the tempestuous clashes amongst officers on the Russian side. Eventually the French arrive at Moscow, find it largely abandoned, plunder it, and allow it to burn. Napoleon loses interest and he and his army head home. Beset by snow and freezing cold, lacking rations, medical care and sheltered rest, and harried by marauding Cossacks, only a relatively small contingent actually gets home



Throughout Tolstoy disputes the then (1860s) accepted history of the war, and more specifically the "Genius" dogma. He debunks historians' conclusion that Napoleon's earlier victories were results of his genius. Tolstoy wants it understood that this war was a resounding defeat for Napoleon, the French, and its allies. He depicts Napoleon as self-absorbed, often disconnected from the war, and very lucky. No genius he.

On the whole I liked it, especially through Part Eight. That's where I suspended reading for about a month. Upon returning to the book, the reading seemed slower, the digressions less interesting, the characters less engaging, the author more bullying, more didactic. I just wanted it to end.

I think—trying to be open about it—that taking that month-long break queered me for it (or it for me). Were I to reread it, I know I'd pick up details and viewpoints I missed and get a better understanding of Tolstoy's intentions. Reading the Wikipedia entry in full might clarify the novel for me, and I might do that. Reread it I will not.

I'm perplexed by readers who say they skipped the "war" passages because they were boring. Without some guide, how would you know what can be skipped? The characters—Prince Andrew, Nicholas Rostov, even Pierre—were caught up in the combat and influenced and drastically changed by their experiences. Napoleon is central to the novel, and his actions leading up to and in battle, are essential to understanding Tolstoy's point about the theory of "genius" in history. If you don't read those passages, you don't get the full story.

I think you'd do better to read an abridged edition. Maybe I should have done that, huh?

 

             

Happy Easter Bill! I ate my very first Peep! today. :)

>60 weird_O: Great review and illustrations, Bill!

Bill, I am going to quit complaining about the squirrels eating our black oil sunflower seeds. No bears in our area thank goodness, although I would love to see one in the wild sometime.

>36 weird_O: Congratulations on completing War and Peace. Well done! I am reading more door wedges than doorstops these days. I hope to turn that around next month now that my travels are over for a while.

Hope all is well in the Land of Peeps. What's with all these LTers that shun the little sweeties! They make me smile and satisfy an insatiable sweet tooth, although I still prefer chocolate treats over marshmallow ones.

>60 weird_O: Your review gives the book a certain appeal, but 1672 pages is far far more than I'm willing to take on. I guess even an abridged version would've given you doorstop credit.

# 25. Devil in a Blue Dress by Walter Mosley Finished 3/22/16

The Weird Report^TM  

Devil in a Blue Dress is an Easy Rawlins murder 'n' mayhem novel by Walter Mosley. First published in 1990, the story is set in Los Angeles in 1948. Rawlins is young, single, a WWII vet, and a homeowner. After losing his job, Easy is anxious for any paying work, because he's got to pay his mortgage each month. An acquaintance who runs a speakeasy catering to blacks connects him with a pushy, vaguely threatening white man named DeWitt Albright. He is looking for an attractive young woman named Daphne Monet. Just tell me where she is, he says.

Easy's queries around the black neighborhoods and bars trigger mayhem galore. Folks are murdered, the police detain and mug Easy, and a variety of menacing figures abduct him from the street and appear in his house. They ALL are interested Miss Monet. Easy is uneasy, very uneasy. He's not even sure if he can trust any of his friends. Moreover, he learns that the girl is concealing $30,000. Hmmmm. Then she calls him.

The danger spikes when Easy's pal Mouse, a remorseless killer, shows up from Texas. More and more shifty characters charge in, wanting the girl, wanting the money. Quickly, the body count too spikes. Does it all work out? Of course it does.

>65 weird_O: Yay! Nice to see Devil in a Blue Dress featured, Bill.

Did we talk about the movie with Denzel Washington? If you haven't seen it, it's a good 'un. Don Cheadle as Mouse is perfection.

Great review of W&P, Bill. I love this book. It looks like I have to take a look for Mosley's book. I don't know if my local library has some of him.

I am hobbled. Oh woe is me. My computer croaked on Saturday. I am looking in on few threads using a tablet, but just writing these few words... OMG!!! Beyond me. So I will be commenting very little for a few more days.

>68 weird_O: Oh no, sorry to hear about your computer mess. I hope it'll be fixed soon.

Bummer, Bill. Sorry to hear about your computer.

Uncroak, thou blasted computer! Did that help any, Bill?

Seriously, hope those computer troubles clear up for you soon. They've become a pretty indispensable part of our lives these days.

Argh computers and their glitches. Hope you're up and running again soon.

Drat and drat re the computer. It's like losing a shoe, or breaking your eyeglasses or something. My daughter's going through the same thing. In any case, glad you enjoyed Devil in a Blue Dress. That was my first Mosley, and I came to it through Denzel Washington's perfect portrayal in the movie. If I ever meet Mr. Washington, I will give him a big ole kiss on the mouth for introducing me to one of my favorite authors. (Well, I'd have to have SOME excuse, right?)

Yuck. Hope you get it resurrected soon!

I am currently learning how to work with a MacBook after decades as a PC user. I’m getting there.

I LOVE the battery life. With both Dell and Toshiba laptops that preceded this here MacBook, the best I could hope for unplugged was about two, two-and-a-half hours. The Mac seems to go all day. Epic!

Learning the keyboard shortcuts is taking time. Learning the foibles of the word processor is something I am just beginning. Same with the filing and foldering setup. And I’m trying to wean myself from mouse usage.

I got into this new phase when my Toshiba abruptly shut down while I had several tabs open in Chrome as well as two or three Word files. Bink! Blackout! Hit the power button and the computer displays a dark blue-black screen with a blinking white hyphen in the upper left corner. No rattle; it was a quiet death.

I had backed up my files to an external hard drive some time in March, so I didn’t lose everything. Using Chrome meant that I still have all my bookmarks (hundreds).

The new MacBook doesn’t drive my old HP printer, even with the latest driver downloaded and installed. I hit print and all the lights on it started a nervous, frenetic winking. No printing, though. I think it meant, “My brain is exploding!!!” The upshot is, of course, that I now own a new wireless printer (that scans and copies, too, but doesn’t do the dishes).

All of this means my reading has dropped precipitously. A chapter in Venice, a chapter of Lonesome Dove, some pages in John Brown’s Body.

Hooray for your MacBook. It's great to have you back. Happy weekend, Bill.

Cool! We're Mac people, so let me know if you have any questions.

Hooray for having backed up the computer! Can't even imagine life losing everything, so am pretty compulsive about that. Congrats on the upgrade. We love the wireless printer! Happy weekend!

Happy Sunday, Bill! Congrats on getting a Mac! I am still a humble PC user, meself.

I sure hope you are enjoying Lonesome Dove. I would find that one, a very difficult one, to dip in and out of. That narrative is highly infectious. Some of the best characters, I have ever read in fiction.

#27. The Alienist by Caleb Carr Finished 4/4/16

The Weird Report^TM  

The last book I read, finished 4/4/16, was The Alienist, a 1994 novel by Caleb Carr. It’s about the hunt for a serial-killer in NYC in 1896. The victims, discovered in various obscure locations close to bodies of water, are adolescent boys, cross-dressing prostitutes. The bodies are horribly mutilated. The police aren’t particularly interested, but Police Commissioner Theodore Roosevelt is very concerned. He is approached by a prominent, pioneering psychologist named Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, who proposes to Roosevelt that he be allowed to assemble a small team to investigate the killings and develop a description of the killer, based on the identities and lives of the victims, the killer’s methods and whatever clues they can find. The future President agrees.

Joining Dr. Kreizler are John Schuyler Moore and Sara Howard. Moore was a Harvard classmate of both Kreizler and Roosevelt, who takes a leave from the New York Times to assist the doctor. Moore is the book's narrator. Howard is the only female employee of the NYPD. Her police job is secretarial, but she's a smart, fearless, assertive woman, well ahead of her time.

To supplement this trio, Roosevelt assigns newly hired (by him) Detective Sergeants Marcus and Lucius Isaacson to the team. The pair are actually unknown to the police, an important benefit, because they reported for duty to TR, not the police chief or his minions. The brothers are, of course, smart, tough, energetic, and over time display an amazingly broad range of interests, knowledge, and experiences. Which know-how they apply to the investigation.

Though the team is operating in secret, word of the endeavor leaks out, and everyone from the mobsters to the police to the mayor to Catholic and Episcopal church leaders and even J. Pierpont Morgan himself express strong opposition.

In a way, The Alienist reminded me of the 1960's TV show The Wild, Wild West, wherein a brilliant scientist-inventor comes up with gadgets to enable his partner to best the villains of the post-Civil War American west. Here what is being created is a new way of assessing evidence, a new way of thinking about and understanding the villain.

It was an engaging murder 'n' mayhem read. I give 'r a thumbs up.

Thanks all, Jim, Joe, Linda, Barbara, Marianne, Mamie, Charlotte, and Mark. I've tossed the towel and I am once again using a mouse. Ahhhh, all is better!

Marianne, I did realize last night that one file I miss is the start of my Weird Report on A Stillness at Appomattox by Bruce Catton. Had a real satisfying start, and it's as good as vanished. It's still on the Toshiba's hard drive, but I'm not sure whether it is worth the expense of having a techie retrieve it and the other files on there. Maybe a clean break is good.

Mark, I am finding what you are saying is quite true. Jumping from book to book is unproductive. I gotta pick one and stick with it to its end, and only then resume reading one of the remaining two.

Glad you liked The Alienist! I've always thought it looked interesting.

>80 weird_O: Glad to hear the mouse is once again active in the house, Bill!

Nice review of The Alienist. I remember liking that one a lot when I read it, and you brought back good memories. It's one of my mystery-reading daughter's favorites.

>80 weird_O: I read that probably not long after it was published, which means I've mostly forgotten it. I read the sequel too and about all I remember is I didn't care for it as much.

Ha! My comments are identical in Katharine's in >84 qebo: :)

>84 qebo: >85 katiekrug: Ohhh. Groan. And to think I just spent two bucks for a hardcover copy of the sequel. A recent purchase, yet curiously low in the TBR tower.

Hooray for the mouse! And hooray for reading one book at a time, Bill. It has always worked for me, but of course this only applies to print books, not audios or GNs and now poetry.

Nice review of The Alienist, Bill.

Glad to hear your tech issues are sorted (and smart work on the backing up - thank goodness for the Cloud).

Nice review! Coincidentally, Jeff (mahsdad) posted a link on his thread to an article announcing Carr's working on another sequel and a prequel to The Alienist. Here's the link:

http://www.ew.com/article/2016/04/11/alienist-author-caleb-carr-returns

Congratulations on the new MacBook and I see you are reading Lonesome Dove! Like mark, I found it a bit difficult to put down. great writing.

Fantastic review of The Alienist. I read that one a couple of years ago and while I wasn't immediately drawn in - the book seemed to plod along at a slower pace than I was expecting - by the half-way mark I was hooked.

Another great review. I read The Alienist awhile back. Your comments brought it back to me!

Hi Bill, wishing you a lovely weekend.

Bill--glad you have conquered the computer issues! And I hope you enjoy reading one book at a time.

Happy Sunday, Bill.

Good news on the computer front...mostly. Terrible to lose any files, of course, especially one of the Weird Reports. I don't think you need to view it as a "giving up" kind of thing that you've gone back to using a mouse. Why not, after all?

Good review of The Alienist. One I've meant to read forever.

Oh dear, tell me you're not really going to be thrown out of the 'how many books can I read at once?' club?

I was momentarily down to four, but am back up to six. I think the camps are divided on this one-book-vs-many-at-the-same-time, but being a congenial bunch we are all willing to let everyone choose their own poison (as my Dad used to say).

Hi Bill! I love my MacBook Air and I'm glad your computer woes seem to have come to an end. Technology can be both a gift and a curse.

I read Lonesome Dove eons ago and keep thinking about revisiting it. Such a great read.
Regardless of what I'm reading, I tend to be a one-book-at-a-time sort of person. I can have an audiobook going at the same time and sometimes I can have a book of poetry or short stories going at the same time as an engaging novel. But mostly, I start reading a novel and that is what I read until I finish it.

Speaking of which, I need to get back to my book now! I'm reading Sweetland by Michael Crummey and finding it very rewarding.

April's been an abnormal month in my reading experience. I think a change of pace, place, page is in order.

So I've started a new thread. Part The Third.

     
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