The Bookseller

The Bookseller (Hugo Marston #1) by Mark Pryor  300 pp.

Hugo Marston is the head of security at the U.S. Embassy in Paris. During his time there he frequents the book stalls along the River Seine. He purchases a couple first editions from one named Max, one of which turns out to be extremely valuable. However, Marston witnesses the kidnapping of Max and the police refuse to believe him. After being told by his Embassy superiors that he must stay out of the local matter, Marston continues to search for Max while uncovering convoluted government agencies and sinister gangs trying to take over the area with the book stalls. The story is a good one but the author gets a little too caught up in his descriptions bogging things down. Not sure if I will venture into more of this series.

War on Peace

War on Peace: the end of diplomacy and the decline of American influence / Ronan Farrow, 425

What happens when the diplomats get fired?  The military rules the relationships between the U.S. and other countries.  How long will it take to rebuild a diplomatic corps?  It could take decades.  People need lots of experience to actually be effective at international relations. These aren't theoretical questions, Farrow's account of the state of the Department of State doesn't give you a lot of hope that we will be able to negotiate out way out of much.  Hopefully this will all change in the near future and the U.S. can again become a world leader.

The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.

The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. by Neal Stephenson & Nicole Galland  752 pp.

A newly created agency called the Department of Diachronic Operations is created to provide a way to alter history in favor of the U.S. government. Magic, and therefore witches, have ceased to exist sometime during the Industrial Revolution. One lone witch with little power still exists after using a spell to prolong her life back in the 1800s. With her help and a complicated piece of machinery, time travel is possible and more witches are brought to the future to aid the process. But beneficial changes can only occur in subtle ways. If too big a change is made, a disastrous event called Diachronic Shear, a magical explosion that destroys people and places. When one of the witches goes rogue the future of technology is in danger and the founding members of D.O.D.O. must stop her. This novel is not as complicated and rich as many of Stephenson's books but there is plenty of scientific discussion and a wide variety of characters integral to the story. The ending is obviously left open for a sequel and, in his recent appearance in St. Louis, Stephenson said that Ms. Galland has begun writing it. I listened to the audiobook which is voiced by multiple narrators. The woman who read the character of Rebecca East Oda sounds so much like Katharine Hepburn I couldn't help but envision her playing that character.

Who thought this was a good idea?

Who thought this was a good idea?: and other questions you should have answers to when you work in the White House / Alyssa Mastromonaco, 248 pgs.

Do you need an Ivy League degree to be successful in the White House?  Well, not according to Alyssa Mastromonaco.  All you need is to be able to work your ass off and accomplish great things.  Mastromonaco is quite inspirational in telling about  her rise to a powerful White House position and giving advice to others who may wan to follow in her foot steps.  She totally owns her sensitive nature, admits to crying under stress, and adores her cat(s).  I loved hearing the personal stories about other people who work in the White House and the relationship the president had with his staff.  There isn't a lot of talk about politics but about doing the things that need to be done every day when you are working for the leader of the free world.  Loved this book!

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins  384 pp.

Somehow this was a Tom Robbins that I never got around to reading so when I found an audiobook version.... This one doesn't quite compare to his later novels but has it's quirky charm nonetheless. Sissy Hankshaw is the main character and quite a character she is. Born with abnormally large thumbs, she realizes as a teen that she was just meant for hitchhiking. When she finds herself in New York, she becomes a model for "The Countess," a misogynistic man who runs a feminine hygiene product empire. She marries an artist who is a full-blooded Mohawk in denial of his Native American-ness. Eventually she ends up at the Dakota spa ranch owned by the Countess and meets the cowgirl Bonanza Jellybean and the rest of the ranch cowgirls who take over the ranch and boot out the spa guests. Living in the hills above the ranch is a Japanese American mystic shaman known as the Chink whose favorite phrase is Ha Ha Ho Ho Hee Hee! The characters and bizarre plot twists are classic Robbins and include his hallmark philosophical expounding. The premise of the government battling cowgirls who have rustled endangered Whooping Cranes by drugging them with peyote is certainly as original as it's author.