Armstrong and Charlie

Armstrong and Charlie by Steven Frank  298 pp.

This is one of the books selected for my Treehouse Book Club. It takes place during the 1970s shortly after the resignation of Richard Nixon. Sixth grader Armstrong LeRois has been enrolled in a busing program to take him from his neighborhood school in the Los Angeles South Central projects to a previously all-white school in wealthy Laurel Canyon. Charlie Ross will be attending that school as always even though many of his friends have been pulled from there by parents who disagree with the busing of African-American kids to the school. The boys are also dealing with their own issues at home. Charlie's older brother died recently and his mother is deeply depressed while his father is trying to hold everything together. Armstrong's dad is a Korean War veteran who lost his leg in battle and still suffers flashbacks from the war. Armstrong and Charlie engage in a lot of one-upmanship and some physical altercations before reaching a truce and ultimately becoming friends. The story also realistically covers the important adolescent issues of peer pressure and boy-girl relationships. Even though some of the 70s references will be lost on the kids reading it today, the themes are ones still apply to contemporary society.   

Transcription, by Kate Atkinson

A new book by Atkinson is always a cause for celebration and this one doesn’t disappoint.  Like many of her best novels, it is set in England during the Second World War.  And like some, it darts back and forth in time, from the war years, to 1950, to 1980 and back again.  Young Juliet Armstrong, who has recently lost her mother and is alone in the world at eighteen, is recruited into M15 in 1940.  Her job, not too fascinating, is to transcribe recordings secretly obtained of meetings between an M15 agent and British Fascists who support Hitler and his aims.  But things don’t stay boring as Juliet is pulled further into the shadowy world of espionage.  The bright, brittle, witty chatter that makes up most of the book is reminiscent of a fast-talking Forties comedy of manners, but the undertone is distinctly more reminiscent of LeCarre’s world of  ambiguously moral figures during the war years and the Cold War.  “This England,” indeed.  335 pp.

An Elderly Lady Is up to No Good

An Elderly Lady Is up to No Good: Stories / Helene Tursten, trans. by Marlaine Delargy, 171 p.

Maud lives alone in a spacious apartment in Gothenburg, Sweden. She is 88, and, after a life of hard work teaching and acting as caretaker for her mentally ill sister, she lives exactly how she pleases.  And I do mean exactly.  That is to say that if someone - anyone - disturbs her pleasant routine, they may be in for an unpleasant surprise.  Written in the dry, no-nonsense style I've come to expect from a lot of Scandinavian writers, these little stories almost operate on the realm of moral fantasy.  What would it be like to live with no regard whatsoever for others?   I suppose I should say I was shocked and appalled.  I suspect Maud appeals because most readers have at least a little bit of her inside. 

Landwhale

Landwhale: one turning insults into nicknames, why body image is hard, and how diets can kiss my ass / Jes Baker, 255 pgs.

A bit of a memoir, a bit of a manifesto, Jes Baker tells us what she thinks about a lot of different things. A "body positive" activist, she doesn't really give a shit what you think of her body and how you are going to tell her you are worried "for her health."  She points out it is "my body, my rules" which she had tattooed rather predominately on her body.  Seems fair.  I mean, just like we are having a resurgence of hate and loathing in this country, Jes is here to tell you that she is a person who makes her own choices.  So suck it up.  I like that attitude.  The memoir part about her relationship with her dad is a little frightening.  She, however, sees what it has given her and how she is stronger after some adversity.  Good for Jes!  She seems quite beautiful inside and out despite her struggles.

In the House in the Dark of the Woods

In the House in the Dark of the Woods by Laird Hunt, 218 pages

Once upon a time, a young wife walked into the woods to gather some berries for her husband and son. When she happened upon a small stream, she sat down, took off her shoes, nibbled a few berries, and took a nap. But when she woke up, it was much later and she could not find her way home, and soon got lost in the dark, spooky woods.

This is the premise that starts Hunt's story of an abused colonial wife's adventures in the forest near her home. Like any good fairy tale, this one has mysterious people popping in and out (a helpful woman named Eliza, a yellow-robed young girl bearing odd gifts, the creepy Granny Someone, and the generally helpful pirate Captain Jane), as well as many situations that may or may not be what they seem. I enjoyed the premise of the story, but for some reason, the unresolved uncertainty of situations (are those really pigs?) and characters was somewhat bothersome to me. That said, I'd definitely recommend it to people who enjoy spooky and atmospheric tales.

Delicious Foods

Delicious Foods by James Hannaham, 371 pages

Patrick and Christa have both blogged about this book before, and it was on their recommendation that I decided to give it a read. Or rather, a listen, despite my tendency to shy away from novels in audiobooks (I get too involved in novels, much to the chagrin of anyone riding in the car with me). And holy cow, was it good.

When the novel starts out, Eddie is in the process of escaping from a horrible situation, one that somehow led to both of his hands being cut off at the wrist. The rest of the book tells the story of what exactly led to that horrific situation — turns out, it was a bunch of other horrific situations, including the racially-driven murder of Eddie's father, Eddie's mother, Darlene's, subsequent addiction to crack cocaine, young Eddie's long search for his mom after she disappeared one night, and Darlene and Eddie's entry into not-quite-slavery (but-yeah-totally-slavery) at the titular farm. The narration of this book bounces between Eddie, Darlene, and, ingeniously, the crack cocaine itself. Hannaham does an excellent job of presenting this tough and sobering story, and his narration is top notch. I'm so glad I listened to this!

When Breath Becomes Air

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (2016) 225 pages

I have seen this book circulate so many times at our library that I finally took a moment to read the front flap before shelving it. (Or I should say, before not shelving it.) It's written by a neurosurgeon who was diagnosed with lung cancer in his mid-thirties. What is fascinating is the doctor's attitude as well as the story of his education, from his early years, living in Kingman, Arizona, to his degrees in English and biology at Stanford, to Yale's medical school, and back to Stanford for his residency in neurosurgery. Before he could graduate from the residency program, his cancer diagnosis upended everything. His thought processes show that not only does the cancer itself cause upheaval, but the fact that one doesn't have a handle on the time-frame for one's life makes it hard to decide how to spend it. If he thought he had twenty years, he would spend it differently than if he had ten or one. The fact that he and his wife were both doctors also changed the way they viewed his disease.

Kalanithi's personal and professional relationships are explored, as well as his decision about how he chose neurosurgery versus other specialties he saw fellow students going into (like dermatology or radiology) which would give those doctors a better quality of life, but which weren't a "calling."

The reading flows; I felt that I knew the author. His early interest in literature, and frequent quotations from authors evokes comfort. Kalanithi's wife Lucy wrote an epilogue that was as thoughtful as her husband's writing and filled in the gaps perfectly.

Hope Never Dies

Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer (2018)  301 pages

Inspired by Kara, I started reading this work of fiction featuring Joe Biden and Barack Obama on election day. Told from Joe Biden's point of view, the story begins with Biden feeling hurt because Obama hasn't reached out to interact with him since they left office, and trying to assuage his jealousy when he sees media reports of Obama's interactions with the rich and famous. But then who should appear but Obama himself, to tell Biden that a longtime acquaintance of Biden's, Amtrak conductor Finn Donnelly, has been hit by a train. The Feds found a map indicating that the conductor was trying to contact Biden. Worse, Biden learns later from a Delaware police detective that the conductor had heroin in his pocket.

The story takes off from there, with Biden making sure the conductor's family is okay and then trying to vindicate Finn. Obama and his Secret Service agent, Steve, go along for the ride (often literally) as the details come out. But who can be trusted? The story is filled with folksy aphorisms and metaphors galore, which make Biden sound so authentic. The wrap-up is quite thrilling. Fun book!

City of Ink

City of Ink: a Mystery  / Elsa Hart, 341 p.

Number 3 in the series which includes Jade Dragon Mountain and  The White Mirror and featuring intrepid 18th century imperial librarian Li Du and his frequent sidekick, the storyteller Hamza. 

Ah...how I love a good series!  For me, this one has it all: intriguing plots, likable characters, and an unusually strong sense of place.  In this case, the place is 18th century Beijing.  I'm in no position to know whether Hart's research and understanding are accurate, but if they are, then reading this series is the easiest time travel anywhere.

In his efforts to learn more about the imperial plot that saw the execution of his mentor Shu, Li Du has returned to the capital from exile and taken up a position as a lowly clerk.  The job is beneath his super-librarian abilities, but it gives him surreptitious access to the documents he needs to do his research.  He's taken away from his digging when the bodies of a man and woman are found stabbed to death in a factory that produces roof tiles.  Were they lovers?  Is it a case of a jealous husband?  Does it have something to do with the elite book discussion club held a few evenings earlier at the factory?

Good and mad

Good and Mad: the revolutionary power of women's anger / Rebecca Traister, 315 pgs.

Odd only to those who haven't been paying attention, this book talks a lot about modern day anger issues.  It also delves into the history of women's anger and what it has accomplished.  Funny how a lot of things women have done aren't making it into the history books.  Funny how angry women are deemed "hysterical" on "unhinged" and angry men are seen as strong leaders.  Feeling angry?  Read this book and know that you are not alone and that anger is an energy that might be the key to change.