An American Summer Sadly Like Every Other American Summer

although this one seems worse.  Or maybe I am finally more aware.  An American Summer:  Love and Death in Chicago is written by the brilliant Alex Kotlowitz.  And if one hasn't read There are No Children Here, it should be read today.  And then this one. 
And we have to do something, right?  But what do we do?  How do we make things right?  How do we, especially those of us who claim to follow the example of Jesus, and try to be Christ in the world, live out of faith so that we will live in a world where Black Lives will Matter?

Jack McEvoy kinda troubles me...(NOT!)

Of course, one doesn't have to love a character to appreciate a book or series.  And Jack McEvoy didn't trouble me until The Scarecrow.  I really did enjoy The Poet but then I didn't like Scarecrow so much I was surprised by how much I really did enjoy Fair Warning. But FW was so good that I will read the book about Jack.  Even though I do find him troubling...I don't remember why...but there were some things in Scarecrow that really made me raise my eyebrows...but maybe I am just being picky.

NO NO NO WAIT!

Dude while I didn't like Scarecrow, it wasn't Jack that bothered me...it was the guy from the other book by that woman who writes about a woman priest and a sheriff.  And the sheriff guy is a HUGE Blame-the-Victim dude.  BIG Time!  This one! 

So I had to change my title of the "review."  Jack is just a regular dude.  I mean, do feel bad for him because he lacks a lot of self confidence, especially when it comes to love.  But he isn't a creep like the law guy in that other series!  Sorry! 

My Eating

Eating has always been hard for me.  Most often I have eaten too much.  That is why David Levithan makes me so sad.  Sometimes I have eaten too little, and with the help of therapy, I am trying to get a hold on that problem.  

About 18 months ago I started a new part-time job.  I loved it, but it was a very stressful job for me.  I gained 30 pounds.  But the thing is, I am SUPER obsessive about weighing and measuring my food, counting my ounces of water, tracking my running and exercise and counting my steps.  

I hadn't made any changes in that time.  I have it all tracked.  

For whatever reason, I gained 30 lbs.  Three weeks ago I left my part-time job.  It was hard to do, but new demands at my full-time (I love that, too!  I am SO BLESSED work-wise and always have been and I am SO grateful) I knew I had to quit.

Well, in three weeks I have lost 14.5 of those extra pounds.  I can't explain it.  I haven't done anything differently, except leave my part-time job.

I did read The Mayo Clinic Diet:  Eat well.  Enjoy life.  Lose weight.  And I really think it is excellent.  But I haven't applied it.  But it is good to know that if I don't continue to lose weight, to get back to my pre-new-part-time-job weight, I can try this!  

And then maybe David Levithan will find me acceptable!  

I have 10 more pounds to go to get back to the weight I was when the photo on the right was taken.  I am trying, Mr. Levithan!

Hmmm

For a long time I have been embarrassed to say that I had not seen Judgement at Nuremberg.  Judy of course was nominated for Best Supporting Actress, but as we know, Oscar is political and usually wrong.  1954. Now may I say that even Judy would agree that Oscar was right in awarding Rita Moreno the win that year.  1962 was no 1954.  Moreno's WSS role was the standout and Moreno is just one brilliant woman and actress, but I digress.
Shocking.

Anyway...I finally watched JAN and wow.
Wow.
Wow.
Wow.
What a movie.
Yes, Judy is incredible.  And the whole film is incredible.  I also read the book form of the script written by Abby Mann because, man.  This is one powerful story.  By the way, Mann grew up in East Pittsburgh!
One review I read of it asks the question, if the Axis powers had one the war, would the United States have been on trial for the bombings of Dresden and Tokyo and for the dropping of the atomic bombs. 
Other questions asked by the defense attorney:

Where is the responsibility of the Soviet Union...
who signed in  the pact with Hitler...
enabled him to make war?
Are we now to find Russia guilty?

Where is the responsibility of the Vatican...
who signed in the concordat with Hitler...
giving him his first tremendous prestige?
Are we now to find the Vatican guilty?

Where is the responsibility of the world leader Winston Churchill...
who said in an open letter to the London Times in            
'Were England to suffer a national disaster,
I should pray to God...
to send a man of the strength of mind
and will of an Adolf Hitler.'
Are we now to find Winston Churchill guilty?

Where is the responsibility of those American industrialists...
who helped Hitler to rebuild his armaments,
and profited by that rebuilding?
Are we now to find the American industrialists guilty?

No, Your Honor.

Germany alone is not guilty.

The whole world is as responsible for Hitler as Germany."


This blew me away because SILENCE IS VIOLENCE as we see today in the murders of so many African Americans.  Police remain silent.  Politicians remain silent (at best, MANY speak hateful, vile lies).  And most embarrassingly to me, pulpits remain silent. 

We all have the blood of 8 million Jews on our hands.  We all have the neck of George Floyd under our boot. 

WE MUST ACT FOR JUSTICE AND LIFE! 
WE MUST STAND FOR LOVE AND BE PEACE MAKERS NOT PEACE KEEPERS!  Because the "peace" we are protecting when we say "all lives matter" and "stop the looting" and "cant't we just be peaceful and kind" is not a peace.  It is signing a pact with evil like the Vatican did in 1933.

We must wake up and remember we were ALL created in the image of God and the only way to grow into God's likeness is to act like Jesus did.  Jesus was political. 
Jesus was killed by the state because He spoke out for the poor, the marginalized, the oppressed.  Following Jesus does not mean "peace keeping" it means PEACE MAKING and that is dangerous, dangerous work. 

So...this is weird.

In the Bleak Midwinter is the first book in the Rev. Clare Fergusson, and Russ Van Alstyne series.    This was not a book that came highly recommended.  In fact, when my friend told me about it she said, "These characters are terrible.  They are such jerks.  They are completely incompetent at what they do."  But then she told me that she has read every one of the books in the series.  And has every intention to read any forthcoming books in the series.  
Well I had to read one, right?
I am a pastor and so is Fergusson and so I figured that might be interesting.  And I love detective fiction, so I figured that might be interesting.  
It was not interesting at all!
My friend was right!  Neither Fergusson nor Val Alstyne are good at their jobs.  They are not sympathetic characters either.  But will I read the next one?  Yes.  I have already started it.  Will I probably read the rest of the series.  Probably.  It is like not being able to look away from an accident I guess.  I actually don't know.  It is just so bizarre.
Just.  Yeah.  I can't recommend this book either, but I will say if you read it, you might get hooked.  

Perfect for a Pandemic

I think it has been wonderful that Stuart Woods (along with Parnell Hall in this case) has released two books in pandemic time.  The world is in an awful place.  The United States is in chaos, "led" by a hateful man.  I feel helpless.  What better way to take a break from the hell that is reality right now than to read about Stone Barrington and his rich and charmed friends and family.  This is the fourth Teddy Fay book, Bombshell.  At was a great escape.

Not that we can escape all the time.  In fact, now more than ever we need to raise our voices and raise our hands and do all we can to protest the murder of African Americans, most recently George Floyd.  For the first time I preached what some might call a political sermon. I was very afraid.  The church at which I serve does not really address current circumstances in the world and country but I am trying to change that.  And it was Pentecost.  And if the Holy Spirit is with us well, we CANNOT be silent.  We MUST speak up.  Tomorrow I am going to my first protest vigil at my old church.  I am embarrassed and ashamed that it is just my first one.  But I can't be silent anymore.

I know I went off on a tangent.  But an important one.
I just wanted to make sure that it didn't seem as though it was okay to just escape into a book.  There is time for relaxing and reading, but there is also time (and the time is now) to stand up for what is right.  

Both Sides

On the Horizon is a beautiful book.  One that brought me to tears.  Lois Lowry really makes magic with her words.  She recalls her childhood in Hawaii and her time in Japan and recounts the stories of lives lost at Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima. 
War.
What is it good for?
They even wrote a song asking that question.
The song's answer is "Absolutely nothing."
I pray one day we will learn from that answer.
Will there be a time, this side of heaven when we look at one another as children of God?  Only then will it happen. 

What a book...

What a beautiful meditation.  What a gift Jesmyn Ward is to the world.  Navigate Your Stars is a must-read for any graduate or soon to be graduate or someone who is breathing.  This book is inspirational for everyone.  EVERYONE.
I felt especially blessed to have listened to it because she reads it.  Just read or listen to this book right now.  It is the commencement speech that Ward gave to the students at Tulane and I bet they never will forget it.  I know I won't. 

I Do Love

these audible originals.  Second Skin was QUITE good!  It was sad and surprising and smart and keep me wanting to keep on listening.  It most certainly was an original as far as a story goes, too.  And I was surprised by the ending! 

Can a book like this be sweet?

The Getaway isn't sweet.  But it IS sweet.  Kinda.  I mean it is awful.  I mean it is very well written.  But the bad guy is BAD.  There is nothing redeeming about him.  And what he does to his victims is AWFUL.  But is a very satisfying read.   Okay.  So it isn't sweet.  But the way it ended?  It did make me say, "Sweet." 

Gorey!

I think I was first exposed to Edward Gorey's art on the cover of the book The House with a Clock in its Walls by John Bellairs.  And then I remember the opening to the PBS show Mystery which I LOVED.  AND THEN I found the book The Shrinking of Treehorn!  It is one of my all-time favorite books and Gorey was the incredible illustrator.    When I saw and read Nonsense!  The Curious Story of Edward Gorey I found out that he not only was an illustrator, but also an author.  Shame on me for not knowing that before this!  The Wuggly Ump was wonderful!  As was Nonsense! 

An Interesting Time

in which to read Notes from the Apocalypse:  A Journey to the End of the World and Back.  For a while it looked like COVID19 was the beginning of the end.  It still might be.  A lot is still unknown.  Most things are unknown.  Except that the end is coming, for each of us.  Death is the only certain thing.  Well, earthly death.  Because the only other certain thing is that we were created by Love, shown how to love in Jesus and we will return to Love when our earthly lives are over.  I have said this before and I will say it always, I am a Trinitarian Universalist.    I don't worry about dying.  

I can understand Mark O'Connell's obsession with the end of the world.  Growing up the 80s I remember the fear of nuclear war, and I have written about that, too.

This book was good.  It was honest and heart-felt and smart.  I was scared to read about the preppers.  Not surprised, but it is always jarring to see or read about racist hate.  

Funny, thoughtful...really good.  

Mike Lupica

I have said this before but I really can't say it enough, Mike Lupica does an excellent job of challenging Robert B. Parker and yet making Sunny Randall new and fresh and Lupica-ish!  Grudge Match is Sunny Randall #8 and I hope there are many more.  I love the connections with the whole Parker universe!  

Kent State

Kent State is the name of the book by Deborah Wiles and it is also the name of this university and when one hears it, it one's age or knowledge of history that impacts what it brings to mind.  I was born in 1971 so the Kent State killings had happened before I was born, and I first learned about it when I heard this song.  I remember asking my dad about it and he told me what happened. I can't remember how old I was at the time, probably 7 or 8.  My dad was NOT a fan of Nixon and so he definitely told me about the shootings from his own POV. 
As I grew older I learned more about it and began to have more sympathy for those National Guardsmen who were sent to Kent State and did the shooting.  I have not been able to find much about how they feel, fifty years later.  But I do believe what my parents told me years ago and what has been said many times over "rich men start the wars and poor men fight them."
This book is very well done and I think a very important book for all.
Living in the world is hard when we forget that the answer to everything is to respond with love.  And when we are finished responding with love, we should respond with love.  And when we are finished responding with love again, then we should respond with love...and so on and so on and so on...

Ah Lucas

Thirty books and Lucas Davenport still is a charmer. Masked Prey is set in DC but there is just something very Minnesotan about Lucas that makes me love him.  He is now a U.S. Marshall.  Great story line, great Sandford.  Thank you and now I can't wait until October for hopefully a new Virgil Flowers!

Complicated

Dignity:  Seeking Respect in Back Row America is a complicated book for me.  Some have criticized it because they consider it to be anti-Trump.  Well, I don't think that anything can be too anti-Trump.  So that wasn't my problem at all.  I found this article, written before the publication of the book, about Arnade's photography, some are included in the book, as the book is a compilation of the work he was doing and posting/publishing during the process.  
So I have some reservations...but I am more in line with this review from one the best journals out there.
And so I did give it five stars. 

Good Old Stone!

Hit List is the FIFTY THIRD installment in the Stone Barrington series and man, I hope Mr. Woods is planning to or has already written many more.  This one was really good and the ending means WOW (not that it was a shock but I am so looking forward to see how this all develops)!  I hope too that Peter and Ben come back into the stories soon!  Great stuff!  And no Felicity, which always makes a better Stone book for me!

I wish I could share this with my mom...

My mother is spending her first Easter with Jesus face-to-face and I am really happy for her, but man, I miss her.  A LOT!  And I hope that in Heaven she was able to get maybe even an advanced copy of The Missing Half of Joey Pigza.  It is one of the audible-only releases, the third in the Hidden Files of Joey Pigza series, written and READ by the incredible Jack Gantos.  The Dented Head of Joey Pigza was the first one.  Next came Pain in the Pigza, which I read and loved but did not write up because last year was a super icky year and so I didn't write up a lot of my reads.
My mom and I listened to both of those books and enjoyed them so much.  She and I were so happy that these hidden files were discovered!  Joey is such a caring, loving young man.  My mother really didn't like his grandmother very much because she can be mean with her words.  But while she is gruff as usual, in this one, her true heart really comes through loud and clear.  A wonderful addition to Joey's story. 

Light My Fire

Nothing to See Here was just excellent.  So real and so surreal.  I didn't want it to end!  Unexpected and hilarious and painful, just like real life!

It Just Reminded Me... (SPOILERS)

Of the time I read some place, and I can't find it now, that Sharon Gless refused to allow her character on Cagney and Lacey to be raped for a third time.  I saw the twist coming in A Killer's Wife, but I hoped it wasn't really coming.  Jessica Yardleys falls in love with TWO twisted serial killers?  I just was a disappointment.  Which is a shame because I enjoyed a lot of this book.  It is the first in a new series and while I was so disappointed about the end, I am going to read the next one.  Part of it took place in St. George, Utah which is a lovely little town.  We stayed here a few years ago.  A lovely young couple owned and ran it.  I wonder if they still do.