Two Recommendations from the Gentlemen's Auxiliary

The African Queen, by C. S. Forester

“Although she herself was ill enough to justify being in bed had she been a person weak-minded enough to give up, Rose Sayer could see that her brother, the Reverend Samuel Sayer, was far more ill.” That is the opening line of the book they made into a classic movie. Read the book.

The sailors amongst you will appreciate Forester, who also gave us Horatio Hornblower, knows and tells us what it really takes to voyage down a river in a working steam launch. He considers the machinery, the boat, the river, and the logistics. We feel the labor of the requirement for the
boat and its crew. This is a story you can appreciate.

The warriors amongst you will appreciate the commitment to a mission. Forester shows you the exhaustion, the roadblocks, the rise and fall of doubt, the courage that you find and the fears that accumulate, the comrades you support, and the support they give you; all that it takes to preserver, and the very real possibility of failing. This is a story you can appreciate.

This is a story for the poets and the incurable romantics amongst you. Forester gives you a story
to make you believe there is reason to hope; shows you the unlikeliest people, who’ve given up on love if they ever believed in it, can still find love, can fall in love, can be uplifted by love. This is a story you can appreciate.

This is a page turner that tells you what the movie could only try to show you, what Hepburn and Bogart could only hint at. Read the book.



The Confidential Agent by Graham Greene

From the jacket of my talking book:
“Without Graham Greene we might never have had Le Carre’, Ludlam, Follett and the rest. They owe him much. He made authentic detail, evocation of atmosphere and meticulous plotting essential elements of the “spy thriller.” It wouldn’t be going too far to say that Graham Greene created the genre."

I cavil at only one word of that description. I would call the book a “spy drama” rather than thriller. There is no daring-do, no skilled and carefully developed “trade craft,” no martial arts training that disables foes at a glance and a flick of the wrist. It had none of the excitement television and movies have made common place. There is one car chase, but that does not end well.

The plot is simple. From a foreign country ravaged by civil war a confidential agent comes to 1930’s England to bargain for coal, a resource which both sides need. He is opposed by an agent from the other side, and not entirely trusted by his own side.

This book has my complete recommendation without any of the quibbling, half-hearted and caveat-laden words of the previous recommendation of a Greene story (This Gun For Hire). The
Confidential Agent is a far more thoughtful “entertainment” which is how Greene described all his works. I will offer a warning: It starts slowly, very slowly. There is no grabber first sentence, first paragraph, first half, but perseverance is rewarded with a thoughtful story, a storyline that pulls you in with compelling gentleness, convincing credibility, and a well thought-out philosophy that smacks of all the ambiguities of Smiley and Le Carre’. I will tell you now the ending is perfect, perfectly unexpected, and yet easily predicted in hindsight.

I will make one other recommendation. Listening to this story in the talking book format is probably better than reading it. The narration is in the third person, but the voice of the narrator as the author wrote him shares the lead character’s tired disillusionment at life, his ennui with death and fear, distrust and small unintended treacheries. When I read, it is hard for me to hear all that reflected from the text to echo in my inner ear. The reader of my talking book achieved it. Choose the format that is convenient to your habits, but try to keep this in mind.

This story also explores some interesting questions. In America, when a quiet, unassuming, pacifist character is pushed too far, made to accept too many indignities, faced with an unacceptable injustice he snaps to become John Wayne on the trail of revenge. Is that true of everyone, even a middle aged disenfranchised professor of Romance Languages in 1930’s England? What does he do when he snaps? What about the idea of war as infection, a communicable disease that infects the people around the carrier agents? When you are not trusted, should you remain trustworthy, committed? There are others to roll around in your head as you enjoy this “entertainment.”

A New Book Series for your Consideration

At my work we have one of those shelves where you can give a book or take a book. Its a really nice idea and lots of people have started using it.

A couple of months ago I searched the titles and found one that looked really interesting. However, I failed to take it and someone beat me to it... so I've been checking the shelf periodically hoping for the return of the book  - because I couldn't remember the name or the author just what the premise was.

Today - was my lucky day. The book returned to the shelf.  This book series is written by a Catholic priest who solves murder mysteries. They are called "The Blackie Ryan Mysteries". I haven't read any of them yet but I am so intrigued by them. I have no idea if you are supposed to read them in order or not. I thought I would share just in case you guys might like to check them out.

The Blackie Ryan Mysteries
Author: Andrew M. Greeley

The Bishop and the Missing L Train

The Bishop and the Beggar Girl of St. Germaine

The Bishop in the West Wing

The Bishop Goes to the University

The Bishop at the Lake

The Archbishop in Andalusia

The one I picked up is the last one listed and I will be happy to share it.

Terry-Jo

~Listens with Sticks

Rip Tide by Stella Rimington

Loved it!  It's as good, or almost as good as her first novel.  A "ripping good read" if I don't say so myself.  Interesting plot, premise and characters.  Liz Carlyle is such a great protagonist.  And the ending is a real nail-biter.  Don't open it unless you are ready to read nonstop.

March 2012's Chosen Book


http://www.katemorton.com/the-forgotten-garden/

March's book that we will all read is: The Forgotten Garden: A novel.  By Kate Morton

A tiny girl is abandoned on a ship headed for Australia in 1913. She arrives completely alone with nothing but a small suitcase containing a few clothes and a single book -- a beautiful volume of fairy tales. She is taken in by the dockmaster and his wife and raised as their own. On her twenty-first birthday they tell her the truth, and with her sense of self shattered and with very little to go on, "Nell" sets out on a journey to England to try to trace her story, to fi nd her real identity. Her quest leads her to Blackhurst Manor on the Cornish coast and the secrets of the doomed Mountrachet family. But it is not until her granddaughter, Cassandra, takes up the search after Nell's death that all the pieces of the puzzle are assembled. At Cliff Cottage, on the grounds of Blackhurst Manor, Cassandra discovers the forgotten garden of the book's title and is able to unlock the secrets of the beautiful book of fairy tales.

The moment I read the synopsis I was hooked.
Check out the link I've provided to a slightly different synopsis from the Author. I can't wait!!!!
Happy reading!
Terry-Jo
~Listens With Sticks

Upcoming Themes

November - something from your stash of books

December - supernatural or scary

January - author Mona Simpson

February - love stories

March - book to be chosen by "listens with sticks"

April - biography

May - moms

June - dads or grads

October minutes

Recommended books about friendships among women:

The Hot Flash Club by Nancy Thayer

The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

The 10 Best Days of My Life by Adena Halpern

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

Let's Take the Long Way Home by Gail Caldwell

Carried over from last month:

The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton

Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik

Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand

Swamplandia by Karen Russell

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

Looking forward to:

The Four Ms. Bradwells by Meg Waite Clayton

Random:

Animal, Vegetable, Mineral by Barbara Kingsolver

September Meeting Notes

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America by Timothy Egan

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand

Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik

The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton

Bad Girl Creek by Joanne Mapson

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion

The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver

State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

Christine Falls by Benjamin Black

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Swamplandia by Karen Russell

The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta

Theme for October - friendships among women

Agenda for October - choose themes and locations for the year