Reading the Alphabet

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MackerelCat
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Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:44 pm

Re: Reading the Alphabet

Post by MackerelCat »

Updating my chart here:

A. The Artful Egg by James McClure (a murder mystery set in apartheid-era South Africa)
B. The Body by Bill Bryson
C. The Crocodile Bird by Ruth Rendell
D. Dog in the Dark by Gerald Hammond
E.
F.
G. The Ghosts of Eden Park by Karen Abbott (a true story about a clever and brutal Prohibition-era bootlegger and the woman who brought his empire down)
H. H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald and Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker
I. In the Valley of the Sun by Andy David (a terrific modern vampire Western that held up well to a second read)
J.
K. The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan.
L.
M.
N. Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder. How the fall-out from the Great Recession led to American senior citizens living in vans and old RVs, working grueling seasonal jobs to supplement meager retirements. This would be too grim to withstand reading if it weren't for the warmth and support the nomads have for each other.
O. Operating Room Confidential: What Really Goes On When You Go Under by Paul Whang, MD & Organizing Her Life by Laura Saunders
P. The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donahue (re-read it because it's wonderful)
Q.
R.
S.
T. This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett & This Won't Hurt a Bit (can't remember author)
U.
V.
W. Whose Dog Are You? by Gerald Hammond & The Wide Night Sky by Matt Dean
X.
Y.
Z.
Last edited by MackerelCat on Mon Mar 29, 2021 3:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Mackie
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MackerelCat
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Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:44 pm

Re: Reading the Alphabet

Post by MackerelCat »

Read my S book over the weekend: The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix.

This book is classified as horror and parts of it are truly terrifying, but it is way smarter than that and weaves in themes of women's oppression and how they overcome it by banding together and supporting each other, along with a dash of how men fall for a charismatic leader who makes them abandon their principles. I've never read anything quite like it and enjoyed it immensely.
Mackie
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Jackielou
Posts: 13395
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 7:51 pm

Re: Reading the Alphabet

Post by Jackielou »

Read my "R" book entitled The Red Hill by David Penny.

My "P" book was The Perfect Wife by Blake Pierce.
Jackie
http://inthelandofthelivingskiesii.blogspot.ca/
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Jackielou
Posts: 13395
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 7:51 pm

Re: Reading the Alphabet

Post by Jackielou »

Finished my "S" book, Smart Finance Guy's Budget Guide by "Paul Davenport.

Will be moving on to get my "Q" book read since I finally scoured the shelves downstairs for one.
Jackie
http://inthelandofthelivingskiesii.blogspot.ca/
gaylejackson2
Posts: 3172
Joined: Tue Sep 08, 2015 1:13 pm
Location: Utah

Re: Reading the Alphabet

Post by gaylejackson2 »

MackerelCat wrote: Fri Mar 26, 2021 8:51 am Updating my chart here:

A. The Artful Egg by James McClure (a murder mystery set in apartheid-era South Africa)
B. The Body by Bill Bryson
C. The Crocodile Bird by Ruth Rendell
D. Dog in the Dark by Gerald Hammond
E.
F.
G. The Ghosts of Eden Park by Karen Abbott (a true story about a clever and brutal Prohibition-era bootlegger and the woman who brought his empire down)
H. H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald and Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker
I. In the Valley of the Sun by Andy David (a terrific modern vampire Western that held up well to a second read)
J.
K. The Kitchen Front by Jennifer Ryan.
L.
M.
N. Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century by Jessica Bruder. How the fall-out from the Great Recession led to American senior citizens living in vans and old RVs, working grueling seasonal jobs to supplement meager retirements. This would be too grim to withstand reading if it weren't for the warmth and support the nomads have for each other.
O. Operating Room Confidential: What Really Goes On When You Go Under by Paul Whang, MD & Organizing Her Life by Laura Saunders
P. The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donahue (re-read it because it's wonderful)
Q.
R.
S.
T. This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett & This Won't Hurt a Bit (can't remember author)
U.
V.
W. Whose Dog Are You? by Gerald Hammond & The Wide Night Sky by Matt Dean
X.
Y.
Z.
Your Nomadland book has made me think about a lady at my local Walmart: about 15-18 years ago, she & her husband invested their life savings into a friend's pyramid scheme financial group--both she & her husband as well as her friend & her husband all lost their life savings (several 100K U$D). Fast forward to now, this lady's husband has died, but she cannot live on their combined SS, so she works as a cashier at Walmart, and I suspect that she works holidays too. I think that she must be pushing 70, if not already well past.
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MackerelCat
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Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:44 pm

Re: Reading the Alphabet

Post by MackerelCat »

Much of that book is just heartbreaking, Gayle. The main characters, who the reporter followed for upwards of three years, were living off $500 to $600 a month in Social Security because they'd lost their savings in the Great Recession with the housing bubble bust, or they'd always worked low-earning jobs while raising a family and had no savings, or they were pushed out of their jobs early and priced out of where they were living.

There was one fellow, who was 70, who managed to get on permanent at Amazon after the Christmas season, out of the 1,500 or so senior citizens the company hired seasonally that year. So that kind of gives you an idea why the woman you knew was clinging to that job at Walmart. She was lucky to have it.
Mackie
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