The Green Mill Murder

The Green Mill Murder by Kerry Greenwood (1993) 173 pages

Another mystery featuring Phryne Fisher, another satisfying read! The murder occurs on page one as a dance marathon reaches its 48th hour, ending when one dancer is stabbed to death. Phryne was on that dance floor enjoying the jazz music at the Green Mill club (but not as a contestant in the marathon) and when her date runs to the loo, presumably to be sick after seeing the dead body, he never returns. He appears to be a suspect, and his mother hires Phryne to find him, as well as his brother, who had left home after his return from the Great War many years ago. The overexcited woman appears to be more interested in figuring out her financial status than anything else.

This adventure takes Phryne into the Australian bush in her airplane. Set in the late 1920s, she's using memorized maps from the mid-1800s in order to navigate over the mountains. Runways? Easy access to fuel? Not where she's going! I've found this series really engaging, and this book is no exception.

Wait for Signs

Wait for Signs: Twelve Longmire Stories by Craig Johnson  183 pp.

This was a re-read for me. I blogged about it nearly 2 years ago. The stories are great and a few are perfect for the upcoming holidays. The story of the bears, the owl, and the outhouse still makes me laugh.

October totals!

Christa  16/3986
Heather  1/368
Jan  12/2746
Josh  8/2593
Kara  14/4366
Karen C  9/2835
Kathleen  11/3696
Linda  9/2892
Naomi  4/1631
Patrick  19/6505

Total: 103/31,618

Eat me

Eat me: the food and philosophy of Kenny Shopsin / Kenny Shopsin and Carolynn Carreno, 287 pgs.

Shopsin started out owning a corner grocery store in his NYC neighborhood that eventually became a restaurant.  He had a menu with an amazing amount of options on it, sometimes up to 900.  He and his wife Eve raised their kids in the family business, now some of them help run it.  Kenny certainly has a philosophy and he lives by it.  People can get kicked out of his place for doing things that piss him off.  He likes cooking for people and talking to customers.  He is there to make a living but never to figure out a way to maximize income.  I love that his life makes so much sense. On of my favorite quotes, talking about the chicken-fried hamburger, "It is really terrific, although, to be honest, I do't think I have ever eaten one."  This book also has a bunch of recipes which makes it a total treasure.

Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in US Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man

Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in US Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man by Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic, 578 pages.

Vincent and Vladic do an incredible job recounting the history of the Indianapolis, a storied ship, sunk by torpedoes at the end of the war. The authors fill the book with stories of the crew members, stories of the Japanese sailors involved in its sinking, and the lengthy saga of the Captain's court martial and the subsequent attempts to clear his name. The ship itself is central to the story. Indianapolis served as Admiral Spruance's flagship during the war. She delivered the "Little Boy" atomic bomb to Tinian in preparation for its flight and detonation over Hiroshima. Indianapolis was among the last major American ships sunk in the war. And the fact that only 316 men, out of a crew of over 1100 survived the sinking and the almost five days floating in the Pacific, made it, as the title states, one of the US Navy's worst disasters ever. The book explores the various naval failures that led to the huge delay by the Navy in mounting a rescue operation. It was only by chance that a patrol bomber spotted the men in the water days after the Indianapolis had sunk. While there was plenty of blame to go around, and at least two Admirals had some possible culpability, the Captain of the Indianapolis, Charles McVay, was the only man during the war to face a Court Martial for having his ship sunk in battle. The fight to clear his name lasted until 2000.
Vincent and Vladic have written a great book, it's compelling and eminently readable.

Washington Black

Washington Black by Esi Edugyan, 333 pages.
George Washington Black, born a slave in Barbados on Faith plantation, a horrendously brutal place, in the 1820s, finds himself a pawn in the family drama surrounding the plantation owner, Erasmus Wilde. George Washington Black becomes the personal assistant to Christopher, brother of Erasmus, known as Titch. Now known as Wash, his quick wits, and his ability to learn everything allows him to use his situation to his advantage. One day though, the Wilde family drama takes a turn and a cousin's death imperils Wash. Titch and he flee and they soon find themselves far from Barbados and the plantation, hunted by Erasmus and his lackeys. Wash travels to the Arctic with Titch. After tragedy and hardship, Wash continues his journey, from New England, to London, and onward. His explorations and adventures swirl around news of his past at Faith plantation. He often finds himself in danger, and sometimes near despair, but he continues to seek knowledge and peace.  An exciting and satisfying book. It already looks like it will be on many of this years "best of" lists, deservedly so. The downloadable audio is narrated by the always excellent Dion Graham.

Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions and We Should All be Feminists

Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chmamanda Ngozi Adichie, 80 pages.
We Should All be Feminists by Chmamanda Ngozi Adichie, 64 pages.

Two brief, but powerful essays / collections of essays from Adichie, the award-winning author of Americanah. We Should All be Feminists is based on the author's TED talk, and Dear Ijeawele is a series of essays that attempt to answer a friend's questions about raising her daughter as a feminist.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris, 336 pages.

The author based this book on an account given to her by the person on whom the protagonist was based. While it makes for compelling reading, and it is a decent book, I felt that the author did not do a great job in making the protagonist seem like a believable character. Just my opinion. I am willing to believe that the person on whom this story is based was as brave, resilient, and selfless as the author tells us, but I also feel that her telling did not really do that character justice. Or, I believe the story on which it is based, but not necessarily the character in the novel.

Vincent's portraits

Vincent's portraits: paintings and drawings by Van Gogh / Ralph Skea, 112 pgs.

Although better known for his landscapes and flowers, Van Gogh considered portraits to be his most important work.  This book gives a nice overview of the development of painting styles and colors by grouping work chronologically.  The work changes depending on Van Gogh's location, his state of mind and the styles that he tries.  One thing that stays the same is his ability to capture the essence of his subject.  He often paints himself but there are many other models that appear and frequently the same people modeled multiple times.  Skea references many sources and provides a nice bibliography for further reading.  Photos never really do justice to paintings but this book is nicely done and if you can't see it in person, a decent way to consider the work.

Creative Struggle

Creative struggle / Gavin Aung Than, 146 pgs.

A lovely little reminder that even the greats have struggled with creating. Each chapter talks about a specific person and their personal story with creating.  Mary Shelley struggled with the story she was writing as part of a contest.  She could not come up with anything  but was finally blessed with an idea that came to her in a dream.  This year we celebrate the 200th anniversary of the publishing of her dreamed story, you might have heard of it, "Frankenstein."  Sixteen other stories will convince you that you are in good company.  The last chapter is some advice from the author.