What are you reading now?: October 12, 2024.

Having just wrapped up Control, The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is next on deck.

Fear of Music and Eagles Over the Sea are next.

I'm closing in on the halfway point of the third quarter of The Guermantes Way by Marcel Proust, which I'm reading one 150-page quarter at a time.

I listened to In a Dark, Dark Wood this week, and would recommend it for anyone looking for a decent thriller.

I'm currently listening to Confessions on the 7:45, which is as gossipy as it sounds. It's thoroughly enjoyable.

I spent a lot of time reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: The Illustrated Edition by J. K. Rowling and made it past the halfway mark.
I also read an essay from Laura Aguilar: Show and Tell by Rebecca Epstein. I've seen her photography exhibit, Nudes in Nature, at our local museum twice, and I may go one more time before it leaves next month.

I just finished the wonderful Playground by Richard Powers. Still a little thrown by having the rug pulled out from under me at the end.

started this audio via Audible ~

Passions in Death
(Eve Dallas/In Death series, #59)
by J. D. Robb

I finished up a seasonal short story collection, Dark Tales by Shirley Jackson and started Richard Osman’s latest, We Solve Murders.

The Affairs of the Falcóns – Melissa Rivero
4****

Ana Falcón, her husband Lucho, and their two children have fled the political turmoil of their native Peru for the chance at a better life in New York City. But despite Lucho’s education, the only job he can get is driving a cab on the night shift. Meanwhile Ana works as a seamstress in a factory. They are living with Lucho’s cousins, Valeria and Rueben, which adds stress to their family. Ana has resorted to borrowing money from a local loan shark, Mama, and she’s behind in repaying the loan. Should she give up and succumb to Lucho’s idea to return to Peru, or at least to send the children back?

My heart broke for Ana and her family. There is a lot going on and they can never catch a break. Yet Ana holds on to the hope of a better future. She is willing to work hard, to do whatever is necessary to keep her family together and in a relatively safe environment. She feels capable but is constantly reminded that she is from “the wrong side of the mountain,” being from an indigenous family, while the Falcóns were white Peruvians with college educations. She seems to really be carrying the future of her family on her shoulders, alone. But is that partly her own fault? She seems unable, and at least unwilling, to share her burden with her husband and his cousins.

I was glad to see that the family did enjoy some moments of joy and celebration. A nice dinner at Christmas, a New Year’s Eve party with friends. But those moments barely relieved the stress of their circumstances. And they needed to constantly watch out for who might betray them, or what would happen if ICE raided the factory where Ana (and many other undocumented women) worked.

The ending is jarring and unsettling and ambiguous. I desperately want to know what happens next!

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store – James McBride
Book on CD read by Dominic Hoffman
5*****

McBride begins this work of historical fiction in 1972, when skeletal remains are discovered at the bottom of a dry well by a construction crew. From there the story goes back to the early 20th century and the thriving community of Chicken Hill in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, where immigrant Jews who originally settled the area are moving out as the African Americans move in. But Moshe and Chona, who run the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store and live in the apartment above the business, refuse to leave. They continue to serve the African-American community and are comfortable with their neighbors.

The crux of the story revolves around Dodo, an African-American orphan who is deaf (as the result of the gas stove in his residence exploding), and whom the state wishes to consign to the notorious Pennhurst Asylum. The efforts of Dodo’s aunt and uncle, Addie and Nate, and of Moshe and Chona, to keep Dodo away from that hellish environment is the basic plot.

But the novel is less plot-driven than character-driven. McBride paints a colorful and intricate landscape, of two equally strong cultures co-existing because of the strength of character of their leaders. They rely on and support one another. They show compassion and empathy and love. And, yes, anger and disdain as well. There were times when I wanted McBride to “get on with it.” But I was invested in all these characters, even the unlikeable ones. I recognized that I needed to know all of them to understand the dynamics of Chicken Hill. At its heart, this is a story of community, cooperation, tolerance and respect.

The hardest section to stomach was the part set at Pennhurst. My heart broke for Monkey Pants, and I wanted to throttle Son of Man (and the administrators who allowed him to prey on the helpless).

Readers should definitely read the acknowledgement section at the end, where McBride tells of the real-life heroes and mentors who inspired this work of fiction.

Dominic Hoffman does a marvelous job of narrating the audiobook. He has a lot of characters to deal with, but he is up for the task. I was rarely confused about who was speaking (and when I was, it was MY fault, for not paying attention).

Mother-Daughter Murder Night– Nina Simon
3.5***

Lana Rubison is a high-powered businesswoman in Los Angeles, specializing in real estate deals and developments. Her daughter Beth, works as a nurse at a nursing home and is content to live in a small beach cottage in the Monterey Bay area with her daughter, teenager Jacqueline (Jack). But when Lana has a serious medical emergency, she winds up living with Beth and Jack. And when Jack discovers the body of an environmentalist while leading a group of tourists on a sunset kayak tour, Lana feels compelled to investigate.

I enjoyed this fresh take on the typical whodunit / cozy mystery. The amateur sleuths here are intelligent and reasonable in the risks they take. Of course, they should probably leave the sleuthing to the professionals, but then we wouldn’t have much of a story.

I appreciated that Simon crafted a plot that kept me guessing right up to the reveal. First I thought it was X, then I was sure it was Y, then I went back to X, only to settle on W a few chapters later. I was kept guessing right up to the reveal.

But, what I really enjoyed about the book was the family dynamics. Beth and Lana are frequently at odds, but clearly love one another. And they are both fiercely protective of Jack. I could not help but think back on the often-fraught relationship I had with my own mother. We loved one another but could not live close to one another. And yet, when the need arose, we were there for one another. I still miss her (but wouldn’t want to live together).

The ending of this novel makes me hope for a sequel. I want to know how the Rubicon women navigate the next phase of their journey.

My Beloved Monster: Masha, the Half-wild Rescue Cat Who Rescued Me
Caleb Carr
4/5 stars
Caleb Carr is a bestselling author, and he has written a wonderful story about his life and his pet cat Masha who he rescued from an animal shelter.
Non-Fiction

The new thread is up over here.