FDR Drive by James Comey

Hello everyone.  I hope you are having a good day.

Good Gaggama, have you turned on the news lately?  You remember those old-fashioned pinball machines?  They had a metal ball that you released with a giant spring then it is hit with little flappers trying to keep it in play to earn points.  Snicker not, it was kind of fun.  So what if you had a more interesting childhood, I'm not jealous...okay, maybe a little.  These pinball machines were everywhere, they were even in my dad's favorite footlong hotdog place in Myrtle Beach, right next to the Pac Man machines.  I think I am making Atari sound new, so I'll shut up.  Anyway, my point is that I feel like that every time I turn on the news.  It is all politics or plane trouble or terrible weather.  Somehow no matter what the story is, it gets turned into politics.  You know I don't comment on it, but this turning everything into something political and constant he said, she said, he threatened, name-calling....it baffles me.  All this time on this planet and we haven't learned that hate is sad, and love is fun.  The whole thing makes me dizzy.  Needless to say, I have binge watched so many streaming series and old movies.  It is pretty bad when you can make a double feature out of Burnt Offerings followed by Audrey Rose, both kind of dark.  Still it was better than the news.  Enough said.  You'd think I'd be reading like crazy, but I've been in a bit of a slump.  Hubby is reading up a storm.  Speaking of political, he read the new book by James Comey, who was the head of the FBI.  It seemed as if he liked the book but it wasn't a favorite.  His thoughts follow.

I recently read FDR Drive by James Comey. This is a complicated story involving terrorism in New York. Told as a legal thriller, it is a slow burn. There are plenty of characters to meet and legal terms to learn, with revelations along the way. Taking much from recent past and current politics, shades of Comey's real-life shine through. A bit slower in the beginning as the reader learns the situation and those effected but the pacing increasing as the bulk of the story starts to unfold. If you like the legal world and thrillers, as I do, this is for you. An interesting read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the Mysterious Press for an advanced copy.

ps.  Next book will have no political connection. I don't want the author to even have been on the committee for the garden club or PTA, heaven forbid the Home Owners Association!

Whistle by Linwood Barclay

Hello everyone.  I hope you are having a great day.

I have to be honest, the book today I received a couple of months ago from the very generous publisher.  I have been anxiously waiting to discuss this book with you.  It is about model trains and is blurbed by Stephen King. Enough said?  No?  Okay, we have been together for a long time, reading all kinds of books.  I care about you.  So, I tell you with love and respect to stay away from trains of all sizes.  Please, I beg you!

I recently read Whistle by Linwood Barclay. This is the story of Annie and her son Charlie. To get a break from their lives in Manhattan, Annie and her son take a vacation renting a house in upstate New York. While there, Charlie finds an old train set of which he becomes unusually fond. The vacation seems to be a going well, until odd things begin happening. Unconventional neighbors behaving strangely, real train sounds coming from a train line not used in years, just for starters. There are lots more events I won't spoil for you. The reader also follows an earlier timeline in a different town. In this time period, we meet lots of characters, some briefly, as odd things are happening here too, all seemingly connected to model trains.

Whistle, while most definitely a horror book, is also quite the thriller. It is very fast paced, with most chapters ending on a cliff hanger or major revelation. Despite being fairly long this pacing makes it fly by, with pages turning quickly. Although there are plenty of characters in this story, by necessity, it is not overwhelming. Several characters are stand outs and will have you cheering for them. Entertaining from beginning to end, a very fun read.

For the record, my husband who has had model trains his whole life is now in trouble. Trains are expensive and cause us to have to purchase larger houses than necessary to accommodate his layout. Now I know they are evil (as suspected). Rest assured, I will be purchasing many copies of Whistle to hand out to hubby's train friends, as a cautionary tale. Also, I will be taking my husband's trains to the dump, have them shredded, then compacted, then put in a deep ocean trench. Do you think anyone would mind if we filled the Atlantic Ocean in with concrete?

Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow Publishing for the advanced copy and warning!

Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay

Hello everyone.  I hope your day is going well.

Did y'all have parents weekend in college?  I didn't.  I had parents day in high school at band camp.  I've bored you about marching band before, yes, yes, I can hear your nerd and geek chants from here.  Be quiet you cool people.  Anyway, once again, it was a big band, a show band with over 600 kids. We actually got paid to do halftime for the Bills and Patriots. Every fall, all these kids and teachers trudge off to the Pocono Mountains to go to camp.  Bet you thought the Poconos were just for honeymooners, nope, but thanks now I have the old song from the commercials to Mount Airy Lodge going through my head. (It is on YouTube for those of you who like punishment.) At band camp, we would learn how to march, play songs from pre-game and the first half time, and move in unison. Towards the end of the week, when we were exhausted and riddled with mosquito bites, the parents would come and sit on top of a big hill and watch the first show.  Yes, on a hill, how else are you going to see the formations.  You can't see a moving train with Penelope Pittstop tied to the tracks from ground level!  (Seriously, that was a show, the wheels turned, the train engine moved, smoke came from the stack.  It got a standing ovation at the Patriots game when they played the Dolphins. We had to kneel at the sidelines before going on and, frankly, I had a famous Dolphin's quarterbacks butt in my face.  I won't say who, then you'll know how ancient I am.) Having parents at camp was a good thing, the bad was when they left.  It was then officially skit night.  I don't want to talk about it.  I'll just say, the nightmares continue to this day.

I recently read Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay. I have read several of his other books, Every Last Fear and If Something Happens to Me. I've enjoyed them all. In this story, we are treated to Parents Weekend at a small college in Northern California. Parents arrive anxious to see their children and hear about their experiences. Excitement becomes disappointment when all five of the students are AWOL. When one doesn't show it is not that significant but when all five don't arrive for a planned dinner, something is amiss. Perhaps they all ditched their parents for a great party. Despite trying, none of the scholars will answer their phones, compounding the worry. Adding to the nervousness is a student recently found drowned on the local beach. As the feeling of something being very wrong grows, FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller is called in to assist. Fans will recognize her as a reoccurring character.

Alex Finlay's books are different for me, not your average thriller. Don't get me wrong, I love average and non-average thrillers equally. It is like choosing your favorite child. But this book is part family drama, part secrets unraveling, part kind of police procedural (yes, I know Keller is FBI, but that feel), and part thriller. Because of this kind of story, it moves slower and has more story development that a shoot straight through thriller but not dry like police books can get. If you don't want the investment in actually reading an actual story, if you just want quick, cheap and lots of twists, then this isn't the book for you. However, if you want something with memorable characters, a more involved plot, and twists, then this is your baby. Sometimes a book reads so quickly that I almost feel like I'm not getting my "entertainment dollars" from it. This is different. Despite being a pleasantly paced read, it is deeply satisfying. Once I get rid of my book hangover, I'll be ready for Finlay's next!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy. St. Martin's Press, not only always has great books, but has been so kind to me for which I will always be tremendously grateful.

PS. When writing this I kept typing Bank Camp.  Now THAT sounds like something fun.  I'll take my camp in 50's and 100's, thank you!