Finished VIRAL

 

A cautionary tale for those of us who don't have great health insurance and for people who capitalize on a health care system that is out of control.  I loved it, though it was not as gripping as most of his books.  It certainly was infuriating.

I have now started Trejo by Danny Trejo, a character actor I'm sure whoever is reading this has seen in something somewhere.  He has even been in a Snickers commercial and on Desperate Housewives as a self-styled emotional healer.  I have met him at a couple of fan conventions and I have not really met many actors as friendly to fans.  The man is very sweet.

But now, as I read the blurb on this book (and saw him in an interview promoting the book), I see he has not always been so.  I look forward to reading an optimistic biography of a person finding his way to a healthy and happy life.

Finished WAITING SEASON

 

It turns out there are problems and danger to be had during a Midwest winter.  But with fortitude and good friends and family, all can be endured and even enjoyed.  There is peace on the farm, separated by moments of sheer terror.

I then went back to War and Peace for another 50 pages.  Again I am struck with the similarity of writing styles with Mark Twain--tongue in cheek exaggeration and understatement.  The first skirmish  many of our characters experience with Napoleon's army is really a comedy of errors (if lives weren't lost) with neither army knowing what they are doing, communication being pretty much non-existent and exploits being greatly exaggerated (or outright lies) in reports to command.

I have now started Viral, by Robin Cook.  The pandemic causes a young couple to suspend usual vacation plans and rent a cottage on the Atlantic side of Cape Cod, where they encounter another kind of virus.

Finished THE DROWNING MAN

Who would crack a 2000 year old petroglyph out of the rock to sell to wealthy collectors?  And is the value of it worth human lives?  Father O'Malley and lawyer Vicky to the rescue...wait a minute...neither of them carries a weapon.  I think this was one of the best in the series.  Very suspenseful.

Then I read Falling BAKward, another of Henry Melton's YA sci-fi books.  And I think it is one of the best, just because of the suspense.  Suppose you decided to dig in your back yard looking for Native American artifacts and find instead a flying saucer complete with skeletons of aliens and a portal to another world!  And the story began so sweetly...  Loved this.

And yesterday evening, I started Waiting Season by Melanie Lageschulte, the fourth book in this series.  Thank goodness.  After two such suspenseful books, this one promises to be peaceful and very sweet.  Although winter on this Iowa farm may well turn out to be difficult for a woman alone.  Let's see...