Settle into September with these reads

Settle into September with these fiction and nonfiction reads. 

 

Starting out with a superthriller – “A Secret About A Secret” by Peter Spiegelman is a tech story in a Gothic, moody setting. This story hurdles along with excellent pacing. I want to read more from Mr. Spiegelman. 

 

“Take No Names” is the second book from Daniel Nieh that features Victor Li. The first was “Beijing Payback,” which I thoroughly enjoyed. You don’t have to read both to appreciate the stories, which are complex crime thrillers. 

 

“The Cherry Robbers” by Sarai Walker received quite a bit of prepublication hype as she had a huge success with “Dietland.” However, in spite of her excellent descriptive passages, I found this book to be depressing and dull. It is the story of six sisters in a wealthy family in Connecticut and the fates that befall them as predicted by their menatally unstable Mother. 

 

“Pay Dirt Road” by Samantha Allen was much more entertaining for me. A young woman is trying to move on from her small Texas town, but gets involved in the investigation of another woman’s disappearance. Well drawn characters and realistic story made this an easy, engaging read. 

 

“The Local” by Joey Hartstone also takes place in small-town Texas, but this is a legal thriller – if that isn’t an oxymoron. The author is a TV writer and knows how to keep the action moving and writes honest characters resulting in  another book that goes down easy. 

 

“An Honest Living” by Dwyer Murphy is a noir mystery with shady women and shadier men. It revolves around real estate deals in NYC and rare books are the currency for money laundering. This plot is a tad more complex and requires a bit more attention to keep it all in order. Think Chinatown, the movie.  

 

For a funny, timely, and delightful read, pick up “Iona Iverson’s Rules For Commuting” by Clare Pooley. Contemporary British humor and a satisfying story.

 

Outstanding non-fiction choices this month! My must read recommendation is “Corrections in Ink” by Keri Blakinger. This young woman went from straight-A student, Olympic athlete to drug addict and worse. But she manages during her time in prison to figure out her issues and eventually graduate from Cornell and become an award-winning journalist. She owns her story and tells it with unvarnished detail. Her real life description of prison is educational and should make for excellent discussion if your Book Club chooses this book.

Spectacular – don’t miss it.

 

“Everybody Thought We Were Crazy” by Mark Rozzo was a remarkable read for me. The story of Dennis Hopper and Brooke Hayward in 1960s Hollywood and the dawn of  contemporary art. You do have to marvel how these people did so many drugs for so long and still managed to work and raise children. I never appreciated  how influential Hopper was in the art world until I read this. 

 

“Growing Up Getty” by James Reginato is sort of a starry-eyed description of the Getty offspring which soured me a bit. But the story of J.Paul Getty who amassed the original fortune is fascinating and shows him to be a man dedicated to his company, but also, savvy with

his estate management. I can’t say the same about the grandchildren and great grandchildren, though Getty Images was a brilliant creation. 

 

For all you foodies out there, you will appreciate the farm to table heritage of your next restaurant meal a lot more after reading “Pig Years” by Ellyn Gaydos. Food gets to your plate thanks to the low-wage, hard-working people who labor in unglamorous, uncomfortable conditions to create those provisions. Gaydos clearly has affection for the animals on the farm, but she is unblinking about the need to kill the pig to put the bacon on the plate.

 

If you would like to support a local author, Bob Farina has penned three enjoyable books – one memoir and two novels available at BobFarinaLLC.com.

 

For more reads, visit beckysbookclub.com.