Another good turnout for the September Book Lovers SIG matching last month’s attendance.
Always exciting when someone new joins us; this month it was Robert from Omaha! Robert is a retired Industrial Engineer. He was born in Austria (I think) where his father served at the end of WWII.  Graduated from high school in Germany. Earned his degree at Iowa State, where his father taught ROTC classes at one time. Growing up in a military family, he has seen a lot of the world.
Cynthia joined us from the Mayo Clinic, so didn’t have any books to report on, but it was still lovely to see her.
It was also nice to see Michael back after a couple of months’ absence.  Our core group of regulars rounded out the group: Peggy, Beth and Linda.
Speaking of Beth, she finished her 94th book, well on her way of reaching her goal of 100 for the year. And that’s just reading in her spare time!
In all, 63 books were read/discussed/reviewed. The full list can be found here:
https://mamensa.org/category/book-lovers-sig-book-talks/
Book Lovers SIG always meets on the second Sunday of each month; in this case October 12. We meet online using Zoom, so it is easy to join in.
Folks generally start checking in around 2 p.m. for a bit of socialization.  Book discussions begin around 2:30 p.m., more or less, or when Peggy says, “OK, Let’s talk about books!â€
To join us on Zoom, simply click on the link shown below:
https://tinyurl.com/BookLoversSIG
You can also open your Zoom app and use these parameters:
Meeting ID: 946 0436 4344
Passcode: 844358
*****
Peggy
The Mysterious William Shakespeare: The Myth & The Reality, by Charlton Ogburn.  I have dived back into the Shakespeare authorship debate.  This 900-page opus is the second major book positing that the Earl of Oxford wrote the plays, sonnets, etc. ascribed to Shakespeare.  The Oxfordian’s haven’t gotten as much attention because they keep feuding with one another on several issues.  First, the use of codes and ciphers to find hidden revelations.  See the late Alexander Waugh’s YouTube playlist, in particular “Where is Shakespeare Really Buried?â€, for a spectacular demonstration.  You learn why the Shakespeare statue in Westminster Abbey wasn’t erected until 1740, over a century after the First Folio was published. Second, the “Prince Tudor†issue, which posits that the young Earl of Oxford had an affair with Queen Elizabeth, and the resulting child grew up to become the Earl of Southampton.  See “Don’t Quill the Messenger†podcast, episode “Good Night, sweet princeâ€.  I am not done with the book yet; more to report next month.
Happiness Falls, by Angie Kim. One morning a father and his autistic, non-speaking son go for a hike; only the son returns.  How does the family figure out what happens if the witness can’t speak?  An unusual mystery where the police are present, but the daughter is the key investigator.
An Inside Job, by Daniel Silva. Â Another Vatican-related art theft and restoration thriller. Mostly the same characters as previous mysteries, Silva is in a rut.
Beth
Abundance, by Ezra Klein, Derek Thompson. The writers detail how by solving the problems of the mid-20th century, we created the problems we have today, by layering on laws and regulations that try to be everything to everyone and perfected the art of suing to stop what you don’t like. Nothing can get done. This is the perfect being the enemy of the good. Government also became the enemy and risk averse, so innovation doesn’t happen. Interesting look at how we got here.
The Invasion Chronicles, by Morgan Rice. A 12-year-old boy with leukodystrophy starts hearing voices and seeing vivid pictures, labeled as hallucinations, is actually being contacted by aliens. Turns out there is a big alien war going on, the psychopaths vs. the empaths, and they are coming for Earth. They infect humans with nanobots that make them zombies to infect other humans.
The Taste of Ginger, by Mansi Shah. Our protagonist is a 30-year-old Indian woman who migrated with her family to America when she was 7. This is her story of trying to find common ground, or at least a pathway that includes both cultures. Very thought provoking, as many issues and world views are diametrically opposed, while others are the same.
Dragon Bones, by Lisa See. This is a story around the building of the Three Gorges Dam in China. A group of archaeologists is trying to save ancient objects, some of which may have magical properties, from destruction when the dam is finished. It looks at native objects, superstitions, the economy, the artifact market, and the ecology of the river. The story is told around the death of an American archaeologist and the search for his killer.
The Ghost Speaker Chronicles, by Patty Jansen. In a world that looks like Europe (sort of) there are people who feel and can use magic, but in this inland port town, the “new” church is firmly against this evil. Unfortunately, magic does exist. This story follows one woman who is resisting her magic, and her assigned role in the world, when magic beings unleash war on her city.
Where the Forest meets the Stars, Glendy Vanderah. A student studying bird nesting patterns in Illinois finds a dirty, hungry girl on the porch of her cabin. The girl says she’s an alien coming to Earth to learn about humans. When the cops are called, she runs away. All attempts to find her family fail, and she is taken in by the student and a neighbor. There is a backstory, and it takes the whole book to find what it is.
The Code, An Orphan X Short Story, by Gregg Hurwitz. This is a short story about some of the trials that Orphan X endured in his training.
Orphan X, A Mysterious Profile, by Gregg Hurwitz. A short story about Orphan X after book #10.
The Artifact Hunters Bundle, by A.W. Exley. Set in Victorian England, in a steam punk version of that time, a woman who has been abused by her father, and sold into marriage, works to put her life back together after she escapes from her husband and her father is murdered. The mystery concerns her father’s collection of strange artifacts that appear to have magical powers. Our protagonist, having spent time in America with relatives works to find stability in her life, while being chased by treasure hunters who are sure she holds valuable secrets is a good ride, and includes DRAGONS!
Antarctic Station, by A. G. Riddle. Our protagonist is an anesthesiologist who witnesses a colleague stealing and using drugs from the OR. Betrayal ensues on all fronts, and she finds herself in the Antarctic at a research station working on a cryo-sleep project. All is not as it seems, and she is determined to escape across the frozen land, being chased by bad guys.
No One Crosses the Wolf, by Lisa Nikolidakis. A story of an abused woman who is trying to find her center and blend her American and Greek culture, and find out who her abusive father really was, before his murder.
The Grief of Stones, by Katherine Addison.  Book number 2 in the world of speakers for the dead. Our protagonist works to solve the mystery of the death of a noblewoman. Good characters, struggling to do their job, in a world with the usual power struggles and clashing moral codes.
Tomb of Dragons, by Katherine Addison. (Book 3) Our protagonist has lost his gift of hearing the dead, but the work goes on. This one involves the death of dragons and their quest for restitution.
Compulsory, by Martha Wells.  Murderbot before he escapes. A very short (8 pages) story of a rescue that is accomplished outside mission parameters, because Murderbot.
Rapport, by Martha Wells. A short (34 pages) Murderbot story from ART’s point of view. Reads almost like a love story.
Michael
Sisters of the Revolution, edited by Ann and Jeff Vandermeer. An unusual and striking anthology of 1950’s and 1960’s speculative fiction written by some of the most noted female authors in the field, including Angela Carter, Octavia Butler, James Tiptree Jr., Ursula K. Le Guin, Kit Reed, Leonora Carrington, and others.  This unique collection includes Angela Carter’s “The Fall River Axe Murders†(see Lizzie Borden), James Tiptree, Jr.’s “The Screwfly Solutionâ€, and other memorable pieces.
Grendel, by John Gardner. Beowulf told from the point-of-view of the monster Grendel, who understands language and listens and tries to understand the humans.  He consults a philosopher who happens to be a giant fire-breathing dragon sitting on a pile of gold who advises him on human nature and then tells him to ignore the humans and collect gold and sit on it.  Grendel slowly becomes more humanized, but the warrior Beowulf arrives mumbling language that confuses Grendel and you know how it has to end.  In the epic poem, Beowulf is eventually killed battling the dragon.
The Pilgrim Hawk, by Glenway Wescott. The 1930s.  A rich American entertains a visiting Irish couple, the Cullans, at her estate east of Paris.  Mrs. Cullan arrives with a live peregrine falcon perched on her left arm as a sort of over-sized dramatic jewelry.  Over the following hours, personalities intersect and clash and we learn a lot about falcons and falconry.  In the end, the most admirable character in the book is the falcon.  P.S. Latin for pilgrim is PEREGRINVS.
A High Wind in Jamaica, by Richard Hughes. A rare book about children who behave and talk like real children.  In this case seven of them, ages three to eleven, who have been accidentally kidnapped by pirates in Jamaica. They adapt immediately to their new situation and complain about the food and are not allowed to climb the ratlines up to the tops of the masts. There’s continual confusion caused by the children’s only speaking English while the pirates only speak Spanish and one child dies while another is forced to kill so it’s a serious book but brilliant in its portrayal of real children.  A bad movie of the book featured Anthony Quinn as the pirate captain and James Coburn as the first mate. (You can watch the movie for free on YouTube.)
The 14-Minute Marcel Proust: A Very Short Guide to the Greatest Novel Ever Written, by Stephen Fall. A concise and valuable short guide that reviews the major characters and events of each individual volume of Proust’s book and compares and evaluates all of the currently available translations.  I will tackle Lydia Davis’s translation of Swann’s Way as soon as I’m ready to commit to re-reading this magnum opus.  If you’ve read Proust’s book, you will be reminded of it every time you meet a woman named Gilberte, Albertine, or Odette.  Or visit Paris. Or dip a madeleine cookie into a cup of tea.
Classic Crimes, by William Roughead. An anthology of long and extremely detailed reports on what were at the time famous crimes compiled by a court reporter and sometime court official.  The style of writing is charming and antiquated and reminds one of the writings of Samuel Pepys or Samuel Johnson’s Boswell. Each case, though, is about 100 pages of police reports and court documents after a brief description of the actual crime, so, interesting reading but a tough slog.
The Best of Philip K. Dick, by Philip K. Dick. Collected short stories, mostly sci-fi, somewhat dated now.  Rocket ships and ray guns predominate and astronauts smoke cigarettes and take notes on actual paper, but the original concepts have spawned many films including Second Variety which was made into Screamers.
Lessons in Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus. Witty and charmingly told story of a young, single, attractive and highly intelligent female scientist struggling to be recognized for her brain in a male-dominated 1950s world where sexual discrimination is the norm.  A rape, being fired, the death of her lover and the theft of her research are all problems overcome until she eventually triumphs as a television cooking show host who mixes lessons in chemistry with her recipes.  A very good television series was made of the book with Brie Larson in the lead role.
Secular Buddhism, by Stephen Bachelor.  An advanced level discussion of Buddhism’s application to our current age’s value systems and predominate culture.  Several interviews of noted Buddhist writers and philosophers and comparisons to Christian, Hindu, and Muslim theology and practices.  Intended for serious readers only.
The Courage to Be, by Paul Tillich. This book was required reading in classes at Union Theological Seminary, Harvard University and the University of Chicago, where the author, an existentialist philosopher, religious socialist, and Lutheran theologian taught for many years.  He defines courage in many ways and covers the argument of whether courage, however defined, or wisdom is ultimately the most important human quality.  He creates four categories of people depending on how they deal with the question of ontological anxiety, (where we come from and why we are here).  The first contains people who simply can’t even think about this and allow some other leader or group to make all of their decisions for them. (See MAGA.) The second group contains artists, who are closer to the truth than others, but knowing that the others don’t really want their simplistic ideas questioned, try to contribute their ideas of the truth through symbolic works of art. The third group contains intellectuals who actually do think about and argue about philosophy and religion, and this is where tribal and world wars are born. Finally, the last group comprises the true believers in religion as Tillich says perfection can only be found in religion, as all man-made ideas cannot be other than imperfect.  Sort of.  This has been one of the most important books in my life and I have recommended it to many students and friends.
The World of Odysseus, by M.I. Finley. A deep sociological study of the world existing around the Iliad and the Odyssey, covering the primary importance of personal reputation as a warrior, family loyalty, and reciprocal gift-giving, plus concepts of nobility and honor and the absence of an as-yet-undeveloped community or national spirit. The book also covers the controversy over the actual location of the Troy ruins and whether an individual named Homer, which means “anonymous†in ancient Greek, actually existed or not. The book The World of the Shining Prince by Ivan Morris serves the same background function for Japan’s great epic, The Tale of Genji.
The Tower, by Flora Carr. Very well-written fictionalization of the year Mary, Queen of Scots, was held hostage in Lochleven Castle in Scotland, and planned her eventual escape and return to power.  Historically accurate regarding the real women who were allowed to serve and assist her.  The book compares well with Maggie O’Farrell’s The Marriage Portrait.
Edith Holler: Being Her Story, by Edward Carey. At the turn of the century, Edith, a 12-year-old girl who was born in a theatre and can never leave or it will collapse because of a curse, learns that her wicked stepmother is responsible for the deaths of dozens of local children!  A complicated ghost story that will especially appeal to theatre people because of the many references to parts of a theatre building and many lines inserted from famous plays.
Birnam Wood, by Eleanor Catton. A novel about the conflict between Birnam Wood, a group of ecology-conscious youths who farm without permission on public and private lands and a rapacious millionaire who tries to mine rare-earth minerals from the same lands.  There is blood. Very timely.
The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, by Eric Hoffer. The blockbuster book which had provided insight into fanaticism in a mass movement.  Even more relevant today than when it was written in 1951 when Stalin was still running the Soviet Union and China was still undeveloped.  He draws many examples from history, including the French, American and Bolshevik revolutions and the Nazis.
A Haunting on the Hill, by Elizabeth Hand. A return to the horror of Shirley Jackson’s Hill House.
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Fairies, by Heather Fawcett.
Cynthia
Cynthia is back at the Mayo Clinic, so she didn’t have any books to report on, but it was still lovely to see her.
Robert
Roberts mainly watches movies, and prefers comedies, but mentioned the last book he read was Fear, by Bob Woodward.
Linda
(M) Indicates ones previously reported by others in this group.
(M) Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books, by Kirsten Miller 4*  A small Southern town erupts in controversy over book-banning. At first, I thought this was going to be redneck humor in the style of Fannie Flagg. It became more serious and involved many changes in the characters’ lives.
(M) The Mother-in-Law, by Sally Hepworth 4*  Sort of a combo family drama and murder mystery. A rich woman with a very interesting history is found dead of an apparent suicide, but maybe it’s murder. Her children are considered the suspects. Interesting characters and well done.
(M) The Machine Stops, by E.M. Forster  5* I think Christina reported on this. I found it truly amazing – published in 1909, it comes very close to predicting the Internet and its increasing control over human life, as well as the toxic results of climate change. I feel like the author of the Silo series must have been influenced by it.
(M) The Grace of Wild Things, by Heather Fawcett.  A young orphan discovers she’s a witch and wants to apprentice herself to a cranky old witch living in a forest. She accomplishes many magical spells and makes friends who help her out. Charming.
(M) The Wedding People, by Alison Espach 4*  A woman books into a luxury hotel intending to kill herself, only to find everyone else in the hotel is part of a wedding party, which she somehow becomes part of. Relationships evolve.
(M) Mango, Mambo, and Murder, by Raquel Reyes 2*  Pure chick lit fluff, fairly amateurish writing and poor proofreading. The story involves a woman of Cuban ancestry in Miami who gets roped into doing a cooking show while trying to solve a couple of murders. I finished only because I liked some of the characters and wanted to see what happened. Recommended only if you’re looking for an unchallenging beach read.
My Friends, by Frederik Backman 4*  About a group of childhood friends, one of which becomes a famous artist, and a young girl who becomes involved with them and their history. There are some dark moments. I have read almost all of Backman’s books, 4 and 5 stars to all.
Happiness Falls, by Angie Kim 4*Â Â The death of a father and possibly involving his non-verbal autistic son.
Never Flinch, by Stephen King 3*
Holly Gibney series (The Outsider, If It Bleeds, Holly, and Never Flinch), by Stephen King 4*
Holly becomes involved in the search for a killer who is threatening multiple murders, while working as a bodyguard to a wildly popular female “influencerâ€.
Nemesis, by Gregg Hurwitz 4*
No. 10 of the Orphan series.  Focusing on Tommy Stojak, his friend, and weapons-supplier. Has Tommy turned to the dark side? We’ll find out.
Paladin’s Grace, by T. Kingfisher 3*  Fantasy, involving a Paladin (sort of soldier) and a perfume-maker who is accused of poisoning a prince. A fair amount of sex. I liked it but it’s apparently part of a series and I don’t think I’ll pursue the rest.
The Listeners, by James Gunn 4*  Amazingly published in 1972, predating SETI by a couple of decades, it’s about listening for alien transmissions using the radio dish in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. And just maybe they hear something.
The Undoing Project, by Michael Lewis 3*  About two Israeli psychologists and their life-long collaboration in discovering patterns of human behavior. Some of it was a bit dry and overly academic, some was a fascinating insight into some amazing people who could think outside the box.
Bingeing Michael Connelly:
Blood Work (Terry McCaleb Book 1). A retired FBI agent recovering from heart transplant surgery agrees to investigate the murder of his donor.
The Poet.  A serial killer obsessed with Edgar Allen Poe.
Chasing the Dime 4*  An early, standalone novel involving futuristic technology research and a murdered prostitute. Very different from the usual Connelly but very good.
Jim
The Feminine Mystique – 50 Years, by Betty Freidan (ISBN 978-0-393-06379-0)
This 50th anniversary edition was Great! I should have read it long ago. It talks about the strange malaise affecting suburban American housewives, who were trained to believe that being a housewife, and mother was the ultimate in femininity, in the 40’s to 60’s , but after achieving that exalted state, found that their life was meaningless.  The author cites extensive research in her conclusions.  The way out of the ‘problem that has no name’, she concludes, is education and meaningful work outside the home, which leads ultimately, to having a healthy sense of self identity.
Quantum Theory, by Niels Bohr & Max Planck (ISBN 978-1-80417-568-2)
This is in two parts:
A 1920 lecture by Niels Bohr: The Origin and Development of the Quantum Theory
On the Quantum Theory by Max Planck (1918)
This was HEAVY on differential equations, and I had to skip over most of it.
The Republic, by Plato (ISBN 978-1-80417-793-8, special ISBN 978-1-83562-172-1)  The classic, including the Allegory of the Cave.  It is in the style of Socrates having a dialogue with his students (recorded by Plato) about what makes the ideal ‘state’.
The Meaning of Truth, by William James (ISBN 978-1-80417-794-5)  William James was a philosopher in the mid and late 1800s. This is a collection of lectures and papers on what ‘truth’ is.  He concludes that it is subjective, and that ‘truth’ changes with the times and from person to person.  What characterizes it is that it must be predictive of future experiences.
Websites of interest
https://littlefreelibrary.com
https://waymarking.com
Brad (49/19,033)
The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA, by Liza Mundy. The title pretty much explains what this book is about, the story of women throughout the history of the CIA and the discrimination they faced along the way. Based on a lot of personal interviews of the women that lived through it, none of this is really surprising for those familiar with the Agency and American culture.
Munday also wrote Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers Who Helped Win World War II, which I also read and enjoyed. ****
The Amateur, by Robert Littell.  The CIA’s top cryptographer works all day long in an isolated, highly secure office. He doesn’t have much of a life, but he has finally met a woman he loves, and almost improbably, she loves him. Things take a really bad turn when she is taken hostage by a group of terrorists robbing a bank and is then murdered. At which point the German government allows the hostages to escape to East Germany and beyond. That’s Part 1.
The cryptologist goes to his bosses at the CIA and tells them they have got to do something about this. We know where the terrorists are; send someone in and eliminate them. They refuse to do so, which ticks him off. So, he comes up with a plan. All those secret messages that he has been decrypting for his bosses contain a lot of embarrassing /illegal actions that would put the CIA in a very poor light. And he has been keeping copies. So, he blackmails the CIA leadership; they agree to train him as a field agent and send him into the East to enact his revenge. At least that is what they say. They are merely playing for time until they can discover where he has hidden the documents. So, he’s at the FARM, where he decides after two weeks that he is ready. (This is where it fell apart for me. Most training at the Farm takes 9-12 months, and this is for people that are already screened and show they are capable.)
So now he’s at the border, waiting to cross. At that very moment the CIA finds the documents and tells the guy who is facilitating the crossing to go ahead and kill our would-be agent. He suspects something is up and kills his handler instead. But now he is on his own in East Germany.
Fortunately, he remembers that the sister of his dead girlfriend lives nearby. He finds out where she is living, tells her his story and she agrees to help him.
And I’ll leave it at that. Lots more action and intrigue follow.
Well written, with an intricate plot. You definitely need to suspend belief at a few points along the way.  No idea that was originally written nearly 45 years ago. I would have enjoyed it more had I not read The Sisterhood immediately prior to this. ****
The World’s Greatest Detective and Her Just Okay Assistant, by Liza Tully.  So. A young woman applies to be an assistant to a world-renown private detective. Yes, that’s right, the author would have you believe this P.I. is just that famous. Strike one. The young woman is hired and is pretty much incompetent. She is not a likeable or relatable character, unless you are a real ditz. Strike two. And finally, this isn’t that well written. Strike three. I was drawn in by the clever title, hopeful for clever storytelling. Didn’t happen. Just bad chick-lit. Not recommended. **
The Briar Club, by Kate Quinn. This is the story of a group of women living in a Washington D.C. boarding house in the 1950s. They start out as strangers, but a new tenant brings them together to become (mostly) friends. You learn about the different lives that they lead, all told in the backdrop of the Red Scare and the McCarthy Era.  There is an excellent double twist at the end that really shakes things up yet fits in well with the story.
I really like previous books I’ve read by Quinn, including The Alice Network, The Huntress, The Rose Code and The Diamond Eye and would recommend this title as well. ****
Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Readers’ Favorite Historical Fiction (2024).
Matrix, by Lauren Groff. This is a bit of an odd story; nothing to do with math at all. It turns out “matrix”, is Latin for “mother” or “womb”. The main character, Marie, who is a product of rape, but whose mother and aunts were all part of the royal family, is banished to an abbey by her relative, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, after being deemed too unattractive and assertive for a suitable marriage. Marie is a tall, broad, strong woman, with large hands, you see. What royal would possibly want to marry her? So off to the nunnery she goes, to become the prioress, or head bossman.
The nunnery is in bad shape. The nuns are dying of malnutrition and disease, as the Queen hasn’t been providing them adequate funding. Marie isn’t really religious and is somewhat resentful at being sent there. But soon her strong will kicks in and she devises a plan to help get things under control. Over the next 50 years or so one success builds after another.
This really did turn out to be a good read. ****
Anxious People, by Fredrik Backman. This is kind of a crazy story. It starts with someone attempting to rob a bank. Except it is a cashless bank. They aren’t a very good bank robber. Realizing their mistake, they flee across the street and enter the first building they come to, an apartment building. One with an open house. Which the robber bursts into, startling everyone attending the open house. The rest of the story reveals, bit by bit, all the characters involved, including the police, the robber, the wanna-be apartment buyers, and all those on the periphery. Nothing is ever as it seems, as more details are revealed. *****
Other books I have read by Backman include A Man Called Ove, Beartown and Us Against You. I love his storytelling and would recommend anything he has written.
Trickster’s Point (Cork O’Connor #12), by William Kent Krueger. For once Cork isn’t hired to solve a murder. Instead, he is accused of murdering someone who used to be his best friend, a man running for governor of Minnesota and has ambitions beyond that. So that is the mystery to be solved. Along the way we learn that Cork has moved on from losing his wife (read the book to learn the details). And his new adopted grandson has become a big part of his life. Another well-written book, with excellent character development. ****
