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Some of these come from the end of last year, but I didn't post them
These books all came as recommendations, some from friends and some from other books.
Aaron Elkins was the first author I chose from recommendations in More Book Lust .Gideon Oliver is a forensic anthropologist but friendlier and more socially adept than Temperance Brennan. Oliver is closer to what I think a real forensic anthropologist would be like. Not infallible, respectful of others' views. I like Elkins' books because he shares interesting information without making it an info dump, the way some cozies do. His wife is a park ranger, his friend is an FBI agent. They live in the Pacific Northwest but travel a fair amount, so we get info on other countries as well as forensics. In Uneasy Relations, anthropological fraud is uncovered. The story is set in Gibralter and has interesting information about its history. Where There's A Will, set in Hawaii, involves mistaken identity, multiple wills and heirs, and an honest look at the limits of forensics. Twenty Blue Devils is set in Tahiti, which is cool. It's got interesting information about the coffee industry. Dying on the Vine is set in Tuscany. Interesting plot and difficulties in dating two bodies.
The Track of Sand by Andrea Camilleri. The series features Inspector Montalbano and is translated from Italian. I enjoyed it. It seems to be a hallmark of Italian detectives that they eat good food and the meals described here sound delicious. The detectives aren't as obsessed with corruption and the book has a more playful tone than Donna Leon's. I'll look for others.
Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck. I can't believe it took me so long to read it. It's over 50 years old but it's still fascinating. I read it in an afternoon and wanted to start it all over again when I was done. Some parts are dated but most of it is timeless. Beautifully written. It was so worth it.
The War of Art by Steven Pressman. He wrote The Legend of Bagger Vance, among other books. I think this book could resonate with a lot of the authors out there, but it applies to other projects as well. The first part talks about the enemy of the creative which he calls Resistance. The second part discusses the tools of the professional. The third talks about the source of inspiration.
Love, Life, and Elephants by Daphne Sheldrick. She was the wife of a game warden in Kenya and pioneered techniques for rearing orphan elephants. I'm ambivalent about the book. Some parts of it are bothersome, especially the sections that discuss politics. They have a real flavor of entitlement. But the sections about fighting poachers and the various animals she adopted and reared were interesting. I learned a lot about African flora and fauna.
These books all came as recommendations, some from friends and some from other books.
Aaron Elkins was the first author I chose from recommendations in More Book Lust .Gideon Oliver is a forensic anthropologist but friendlier and more socially adept than Temperance Brennan. Oliver is closer to what I think a real forensic anthropologist would be like. Not infallible, respectful of others' views. I like Elkins' books because he shares interesting information without making it an info dump, the way some cozies do. His wife is a park ranger, his friend is an FBI agent. They live in the Pacific Northwest but travel a fair amount, so we get info on other countries as well as forensics. In Uneasy Relations, anthropological fraud is uncovered. The story is set in Gibralter and has interesting information about its history. Where There's A Will, set in Hawaii, involves mistaken identity, multiple wills and heirs, and an honest look at the limits of forensics. Twenty Blue Devils is set in Tahiti, which is cool. It's got interesting information about the coffee industry. Dying on the Vine is set in Tuscany. Interesting plot and difficulties in dating two bodies.
The Track of Sand by Andrea Camilleri. The series features Inspector Montalbano and is translated from Italian. I enjoyed it. It seems to be a hallmark of Italian detectives that they eat good food and the meals described here sound delicious. The detectives aren't as obsessed with corruption and the book has a more playful tone than Donna Leon's. I'll look for others.
Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck. I can't believe it took me so long to read it. It's over 50 years old but it's still fascinating. I read it in an afternoon and wanted to start it all over again when I was done. Some parts are dated but most of it is timeless. Beautifully written. It was so worth it.
The War of Art by Steven Pressman. He wrote The Legend of Bagger Vance, among other books. I think this book could resonate with a lot of the authors out there, but it applies to other projects as well. The first part talks about the enemy of the creative which he calls Resistance. The second part discusses the tools of the professional. The third talks about the source of inspiration.
Love, Life, and Elephants by Daphne Sheldrick. She was the wife of a game warden in Kenya and pioneered techniques for rearing orphan elephants. I'm ambivalent about the book. Some parts of it are bothersome, especially the sections that discuss politics. They have a real flavor of entitlement. But the sections about fighting poachers and the various animals she adopted and reared were interesting. I learned a lot about African flora and fauna.
