What I've been reading recently
January 4, 2023
It’s been awhile since I wrote about reading books. I’ve had some comments from people who say they like hearing about new books or authors so I decided to focus on that this week.
Currently I’m reading an advance copy of local author Sheldon Russell’s new book “Listen” that’s due to be available to the public soon. It’s set in Atlas, Oklahoma, a fictional town that bears a strong resemblance to Alva including a Castle on the Hill which houses the new state college. I’m about halfway through and really enjoying it.
Somehow I’ve accumulated a number of regular books, the non-electronic versions. My daughter gave me one, I received one for Christmas and I have a few more I haven’t had time to read. I have a whole list of authors I enjoy so I’m never at a loss for choosing a book, but sometimes I try a new author. These are some of my recent reads:
The FireBaller by Mark Stevens
This is a story about a talented baseball player. Frank Ryder is unstoppable on the baseball field—his pitches arrive faster than a batter can swing, giving his opponents no chance. He’s being heralded as a game-changing pitcher.
But a tragic incident from his past haunts him as he becomes the darling of sports writers and fans while being feared by batters. He faces pressure from the league to slow down his pitches which doesn’t seem right. He makes a journey back to the past where his life changed to find peace and his place in the world.
While I’m not someone who follows baseball, I found the book informative about the sport while telling a moving tale.
A Light to the Hills by Bonnie Blalock
Amanda Rye, a young widowed mother, comes to the Kentucky Appalachians to work as a packhorse librarian. The community has been hit hard by the nation’s economic collapse. The proud but poor people of the hills refuse to accept “charity” and are suspicious of her offer of books. She explains how the lending system works and even helps youngsters learn to read.
The special bond she forms with the MacInteers reminds her of her family with whom she longs to be reconciled. She also brings a dangerous secret from her past that catches up with her in the present.
The Boys from Biloxi by John Grisham
I’ve read a lot of books by John Grisham, many of them focusing on attorneys. However, he has also written about sports and other topics. Many of his books are set in Mississippi like this one.
Biloxi is known for its beaches, resorts and seafood industry but it has a darker side. It’s also notorious for corruption, vice, gambling and even contract killings. The “boys” in the title are two young men, the grandsons of immigrants, who grow up together as friends in Biloxi.
Their lives take different directions as one’s father becomes a prosecutor determined to clean up the coast while the others father becomes the boss of Biloxi’s criminal underground. The boys follow in their fathers’ footsteps, setting them against each other.
Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions by Temple Grandin
This is the only non-fiction book in the list. Temple Grandin began her writing with a book about her early life, coping with being on the autism spectrum. She now has a successful career designing equipment used with livestock as well as writing and giving speeches.
This book expands on her “Thinking in Pictures” book, written about 25 years ago. She believes that visual thinkers don’t receive enough encouragement and aren’t valued enough in education and the business world. She repeatedly asks, “Where are the clever engineers?”
As one review says, Temple Grandin – the “anthropologist on Mars,” as Oliver Sacks dubbed her – transforms our awareness of the different ways our brains are wired. Do you have a keen sense of direction, a love of puzzles, the ability to assemble furniture without crying? You are likely a visual thinker.
It’s an interesting read, especially if you are a visual thinker or have a family member who thinks in that way.
The Fire and the Ore by Olivia Hawker
Each month, Amazon offers a selection of free books to those who subscribe to Prime. I selected this one from among those offered one month.
The fictional book is about three women, wives of the same husband, in nineteenth-century Utah. Each of them reaches this situation in a different way. One young woman journeys from England to Utah to marry her destined husband, only to find he already has a wife. The third is an orphan seeking
protection for herself and her younger sister. It’s an uneasy situation for all concerned.
But when the US Army’s invasion brings the rebellious Mormon community to heel, the three women are forced to retreat into the hostile desert wilderness. Their resolve to keep themselves and their children alive forges a strong bond among them.
Other Authors
Perhaps you’ll decide one of these books sounds like something you’d like to read. While the majority of my reading material comes from my extensive list of favorite authors, I like to try a new author from time to time including some non-fiction reading.
If you’re into mysteries like me, here are some of my favorite authors in no particular order: John Sanford, David Baldacci, Robert Crais, Robin Cook, Karin Slaughter, Vince Flynn, Lee Child, Lincoln Child and Lisa Scottoline. There are many more, but these are some I’ve been reading recently.
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