July Book Wrap Up

 Check out the blog for full reviews COMING SOON! And please........go get a Covid-19 vaccine.

Beautiful Things: A Memoir by Hunter Biden- Picture if you can a bookchild birthed from bookparents Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas and The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead. Unbelievably candid, sincere, and honest Hunter Biden takes the reader into the loss of his brother, what its like growing up a Biden, and his deep journey to recovery. Biden handles attacks on his family and himself with class and aplomb not afforded by political shitheels liked Rudy Giuliani and Pmurt, but that is not the central focus of this book. Moreover this is a memoir of losing your other (sometimes better) half, and have the courage to push through difficult times in the midst of drug use and sickness. While many on the right will read this as a gloss over of wrongful business dealings and personal failures, anyone with a shred of decency will see this as a human, struggling from the bottom of a deep dark hole. I recommend this for anyone looking for a glimmer of hope in the otherwise dark world of substance use or someone curious to gain a first hand story of what Hunter Biden's real journey has been like to day. Also, if you can, get the audiobook! 

On Her Majesty's Secret Service by Ian Fleming- Over the 4th of July holiday, I needed an audiobook to listen to while driving home from the native lands. After the intense but worth it memoir above, I needed something of a pallet cleanser and what a good choice. Never really seen in the movies, though the Daniel Craig versions are better about this, is James Bond as a human. Yes, he has a drinking problem, and beds more than a few females without (some would say proper) courtship, but all of the Ian Fleming novels reveal a human side to 007. I recommend this for exactly what I used it, a pallet cleanser. Bond fans will likely have read it, but those of us on the fringes won't have picked up the books. This is a fun little read and is a mile post between the dense John La Carre spy novels and the drivel produces by hacks like James Patterson or Dale Brown 

The Big Seven by Jim Harrison- This is my first full linked novel by Jim Harrison, and I remain flabbergasted by his ability to leave just enough room for the reader's own imagination. Now though, I have to add his ability to switch the reader's thoughts from sex, to booze, to murder, to sex, to booze, to murder, to nostalgia, to fishing, and back to sex all in a few pages. No other author, except maybe Tom Robbins can leave me as (being honest here) horny and hungry at the same time. Robbins makes me crave tomato and mayo sammies, Harrison rich garlicy, heavy foods. We won't go into the other side here (my family reads these sometimes). There were not enough stars to give on Goodreads and I would recommend this to a range of people. Harrison is fitting for the rough and tumble crowd and the smart ones who want to read really good writing. Flag Jim Harrison somewhere between William Faulkner for his thoughtfulness and Ernest Hemmingway for his bravado and lust. 

War on the Border: Villa, Pershing, the Texas Rangers, and an American Invasion Hard by Jeff Guinn- If you are completely unfamiliar with the Punitive Expeditions and US/ Mexican relations in the early 1900's this is the book for you. Fantastically written, and well researched, you are going to be engulfed in this story about political infighting, rough and tumble fighters, and struggles to eek out a life on both sides of the border. Most history buffs might know a little about the Punitive Expeditions against famed bandit/revolutionary Pancho Villa, but many folks have not read the whole story. Guinn dishes out a heaping helping of the whole story that is both entertaining and enlightening. I would recommend this for anyone looking for to discovery new fields of history. 

Chasing the Thrill: Obsession, Death, and Glory in America's Most Extraordinary Treasure Hunt by Daniel Barbarisi- I was hooked by the subtitle. This burns me sometimes, but not here. What a wild and crazy trip into the world of treasure hunting! SO well written, and with great insight into the complexities of people looking to get rich quick. Backstabbing, #metoo issues, death, travel, escapism, and so much more all wrapped up under the journalistic eye of Daniel Barbarisi. I couldn't read this one fast enough. 

Black Cherry Blues by James Lee Burke- Dave Robicheaux is at it again. This time taking his troubled life to Montana to confront the men threatening his family. I really appreciate Burke's writing, at least thus far in the Dave Robicheaux series. Its not stale or repetitive like some others I don't read (James Patterson, David Baldacci, and Stuart Woods) and story is much more involved than a simple fill in the blanks, Madlibs type book. I used James Lee Burke both as a slump buster AND reading streak fuel. This one came during a streak that I hope to keep alive. That right mix of inner turmoil and slow burn action is great for reading when things are good. When they aren't, its great to get your imagination primed and moving again. 

Every Tool's A Hammer by Adam Savage- I could not have enjoyed this audiobook more.  There are so many words of wisdom, applicable to everyone (not just makers) that it deserves a read in print. And maybe you own copy so you can mark it up. Still the audio was great because Adam himself reads it, and you get to hear his excitement for the subject at hand every minute. You are going to be a better (insert what it is you are) for having read this book.