Well it seems … sadly the news for May is not looking like it’ll be any better than April in terms of the pandemic and some say it will get worse (ugh, I won’t detail the grim projections from an internal report by a Johns Hopkins epidemiologist to the Trump administration that was reported in the New York Times recently, but American deaths per day listed by June 1 were considerably more than they are now). So it’s best to remain vigilant and stick to the rules whether on the job, or in public, and if possible to keep staying at home.
Mentally we forge on … in distracted spare moments with books, screen time, family video chats, dog walks, and even a puzzle. The good news is spring has arrived here and the grass around town has just turned from brown to green in the past week. The leaves on the trees are about to burst open soon and the sun feels good. I’m taking pleasure in the little things that surround us … and keep us going.
As for book news, you might have seen that it was announced on Monday that Colson Whitehead just won the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his novel “The Nickel Boys,” which I, like so many bloggers, had admired last year. His book beat out the other finalists: Ann Patchett’s “The Dutch House” and Ben Lerner’s “The Topeka School,” and apparently Whitehead is only the fourth writer ever to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction twice, since he also won the prize in 2017 for his novel “The Underground Railroad.” He’s been on a roll as of late … with his past two books being about weighty topics … but he says: “The next book I’m working on has more jokes in it, and it does feel like those two books seem sort of remote now.”
As for TV series, over the past month we finished: Season 3 of “The Crown” in which Olivia Coleman did a good job as Queen Elizabeth in her first season with the show, and I thought Episode 3 about the Aberfan disaster in Wales in 1966 was the most powerful and sad episode they’ve ever made. Good grief, what an awful tragedy … which I hadn’t known about till I watched the episode; did you see it?
Then we picked up and finished the final eighth season of “Homeland” … which has a doozy of an ending. If you were torn by the ending of “The Americans,” perhaps you will be with this one too. I can’t say anymore, but I will miss Claire Danes and Mandy Patinkin who were great on the show.
Also the first season of the British mystery/crime show “The Capture” was pretty good and now we are onto Season 6 of “Bosch.” That’s Harry Bosch — the detective out of L.A. He’s one cool cucumber and the show has some terrifically shot scenes around Los Angeles … and one from Season 5 over the Salton Sea. Don’t miss it, if you like cop kinds of shows. And now, I’ll leave you with reviews of a few novels that I finished lately.
Long Bright River by Liz Moore / Riverhead Books / 482 pages / 2020
Synopsis: Mickey is the narrator protagonist, a single mom and cop who patrols a rough Philadelphia neighborhood that’s rocked by the opioid crisis, where her sister Kacey lives on the streets in the grips of addiction. These sisters once inseparable are now not speaking … but Mickey still watches out for her until one day Kacey disappears … all the while a string of murders start to take place, leading Mickey on a search to find Kacey before it’s too late.
My Thoughts: I listened to the audiobook (read by Allyson Ryan) and loved it (giving it 5 stars) … mainly because I liked Mickey and wanted her to prevail. You really get a sense of what’s between these two different sisters and how they grew up at their grandmother’s since their parents were addicts (and their mother died young).
Author Liz Moore delivers with this one … it’s powerful in an understated way and though it doesn’t have a ton of action, it slowly builds and you really get a lot on the characters, the area, and the police beat. It’s both a police procedural and a family drama and I was caught up in it pretty much from the get-go … though it is drawn out to good effect. I was rooting for Mickey to unravel her sister’s disappearance and the murders … and hopefully not to get killed in the process. I thought the couple twists that came towards the book’s end were cleverly done.
I enjoyed it more than Moore’s last novel “Unseen World,” but I plan to read her others like “Heft,” which others I know have really liked. She’s definitely an author to watch and I think “Long Bright River” will likely make my favorites list at the end of the year.
Heat & Light by Jennifer Haigh / Ecco / 430 pages / 2016
Synopsis: It’s about the small, dying coal mining town of Bakerton, Pennsylvania, that sees an awakening after fracking exploration comes to town. The story includes quite an array of townspeople who are affected in different ways by the fracking development.
There’s the Texas CEO and fracking crews who come to town; there’s those who eagerly sign leases for drilling on their lands, such as Shelby and Rich Devlin (with their sickly daughter who might be getting sick from contaminated water); there’s Pastor Jess who’s a widow and gets involved with a manager on the crew; there’s meth heads and addicts and Darren Devlin who’s trying to hang on to his sobriety; and there’s a lesbian couple who are organic dairy farmers — Rena and Mack — who don’t sign a lease and become anti-fracking activists.
My Thoughts: The novel seemed well researched with various perspectives about such a town, and I learned a bit about fracking and energy in Pennsylvania and what happens to people when such an enterprise comes to town. I felt I came to know some of the characters, like Rena and Darren and that drew me in … though I also found the story a bit scattered as it meanders around between all the different people and side stories including a few chapters about the Three Mile Island disaster. Still it’s an interesting look at fracking and those who are for and against it and what happens to a town in the midst of such an upheaval change.
This was my second read from author Jennifer Haigh whose 2011 novel “Faith” I liked as well.
You’re Not Aone by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen / St. Martin’s / 352 pages / 2020
Synopsis: When 31-year-old Shay sees a woman her age throw herself in front of a New York City subway train, she becomes anxiety-filled and fixated to learn more about her. She ingratiates herself into the dead woman’s inner circle of friends — lead by the glamorous Moore sisters — who befriend her … but then it turns out that not all is what it seems to be.
My Thoughts: I guess I’m not really much of a psychological thriller kind of reader — though I keep trying — so I’m probably in the minority on this one. And it was my first by this popular writing duo that I listened to it as an audiobook, which was narrated by multiple readers for the characters.
I liked the lonely, insecure protagonist Shay (a market researcher) and her love of statistics … which she writes down and quotes from her data book — such as: “The average person will walk past 16 killers in the person’s lifetime” (hard to believe eh?) — and which ultimately help her figure things out. But the plot of the Moore sisters and their inner circle and how it plays out … had me sort of rolling my eyes. It didn’t do much for me and maybe a few of the villains felt a bit cardboard-ish. Still if you’re ever on an airplane again, this read will likely go down swiftly.
That’s all for now. What about you … have you seen or read any of these and if so, what did you think?
You have been reading an interesting bunch of books. I would imagine that a few fiction writers are trying to deal with the opioid crises. Long Bright River sounds like a worthy attempt to do this.
Let us hope that the coming weeks are not as bad as the worst predictions indicate.
Yes Brian, hopefully these dire predictions won’t come true … if people keep with the guidelines etc. But it’s different when things are opening up & people might think it’s safe & not be as vigilant etc. Anyways, Long Bright River handles the opioid crises well as a story.
I really liked Long Bright River, Heat & Light looks interesting.
Hey Shelleyrae — glad you liked Long Bright River too. It was a 5 star-er for me!
My husband bought Colson Whitehead’s book when it first came out, but neither he nor I have read it yet. Some other book always seems to rush in ahead of it. We did watch “The Crown” and thought it was very well done. I’ve admired Olivia Colman in everything I’ve ever seen her in. We are currently watching and enjoying “Bosch.”
I haven’t read any of the books you reviewed yet, but they sound like worthy additions to my TBR list.
Stay safe. Let’s flatten that curve!
Hi Dorothy — I agree — let’s keep the curve down! I’m glad to hear you liked The Crown and are enjoying Bosch / it’s sort of addicting for us to watch one episode per night. I’m finally getting out to garden … but we don’t have the flowers or colors just yet. Enjoy yours!
We are mid way through Season 2 of The Crown. We lost momentum for a few weeks and switched to crime dramas but maybe we will jump back into it soon.
I have Long Bright River. I say that about a lot of books. I have it, but have I read it? Hello, distraction. From my at-home work set-up, I see things like a spot of missing paint on a baseboard or a chip in the stair railing and then I go off to fix it.
Last night I went to bed so fed up with the world that I had nightmares again. People in our city are being completely stupid. They organized a protest. No masks. No social distancing. Brought the kiddies. It was on the news and I saw many of my friends there. VERY disappointing to witness. They are not oppressed. They have never experienced oppression. Not going to the beach or being asked to wear a mask is not oppression. I am so over it.
Hi Ti, if you like crime dramas, you’d probably like Bosch, but it’s on Amazon Prime I think. Season 2 of The Crown has a lot on Margaret, right? It’s pretty good. And I totally agree with you … that people are letting their guards down way too soon about social distancing & masks etc. It’s maddening to see. It’ll make the cases spike etc. Sigh. Tennis courts have just opened here and I’m cautious and not sure what to think about that. Hmm. Stay clear of the madness and keep healthy.
I think I have Long Bright River on audio and will have to try it out soon. I liked Heat & Light more than you did. I do like thrillers but the Hendricks/Pekkanen books haven’t been favorites.
Stay safe and keep on keepin’ on!
Thanks Kathy. I hope you really like Long Bright River … I felt the audio was excellent. It is long though … but good for listening while doing your puzzles. Some of the Hendricks/Pekkanen readers say their other novels have been better but I think I’ll hold off for awhile. Enjoy your week.
I think that Long Bright River looks really good and I’ll keep that one on my list. I read the first book that Hendricks/Pekkanen wrote and liked it well enough. Probably won’t rush to that one. I do like the psycho-thrillers, but I got a little burned out on them last year. Hope you have a good week!
Hi Kay, thanks. Yeah I think you’ll like Long Bright River. The mystery about it kept me going. I’d probably do another Hendricks/Pekkanen book … but not right away …. they’re okay for summer lite reads.
The Nickel Boys was among my favorites last year and I’m happy for Colson Whitehead, but I was really rooting for The Dutch House. I listened to three of Jennifer Haigh’s novels years ago and enjoyed them all. Mrs. Kimble was my favorite. Long Bright River is on my wish list… glad to know the audio production is well done. Unfortunately, I think you’re right about May. It’ll be much the same as April, and potentially worse by the end of the month with the premature re-openings…
Hi JoAnn: I think you’ll really like the audio of Long Bright River when you get to it — it really was a highlight so far for 2020. Colson’s book last year was also a favorite of mine. I hope Florida will avoid a big spike in cases. Fingers crossed!
I hadn’t heard of the Aberfan disaster either, until this post. All those children and their families – feel so sad for them.
So good for Colson Whitehead! I haven’t read either of his books, due to them being about heavy topics but I’m hoping to read one of them this year. We’ll see how that goes.
Hi Athira, yeah the Aberfan disaster was horrific …. and The Crown Season 3 Episode 3 really took my breath away with it. I’m curious to see what Colson Whitehead puts out next …. it should be lighter apparently!
I’m so happy to see buds on the trees. It’s finally getting warm here. I have Underground Railroad on my TBR shelf, so I’ll read it eventually. I hope you have a good week!
Hi AJ : thanks for the visit … the buds on the trees are surely a morale booster. I too still have to get to The Underground Railroad … but we will eventually. Stay well.
I saw Whitehead won a Pulitzer; he’s on a roll! You have reviewed an eclectic bunch, Susan. I’m almost done with Utopia Avenue, which is almost 600 pages; still, it reads fast. I have Bosch on my queue to watch, The Crown too. I left Homeland in S4; I want to re-watch the first four seasons in order to move forward. Soo sad what happened to Quinn. I was rooting for him and Carrie to stay together. Such a sad world! Stay safe.
Thanks Carmen, I didn’t realize Utopia Avenue is so long … you’re one of the first readers of it! Whitehead is definitely on a roll and now he’s writing something new. Oh poor Quinn on Homeland. Yeah that episode bummed me out. We just finished Bosch 6. And will move on to something else. Stay well.
We watched season one of The Crown and I had forgotten about it when we got involved in other series. Same with Homeland. Now I have the time to go back to both! Long Bright River sounds like a book I would enjoy, and it takes place in Philadelphia and I in the Philadelphia suburbs. As far a people being vigilant and remaining careful, I am already seeing people shedding their masks, having friends over, and eating in restaurants in Florida that have just opened up. I’m with you!
Hi Judee: thanks for the visit. Yeah if you live near Philly than it’d be interesting to hear what you think of Long Bright River. It’s mostly about the Kensington neighborhood there … and how the opioid crises has hit it hard. Tragic news all over the place. Keep a mask handy and stay well!
The view in that photo is amazing!
I think we need to stay “Safe At Home” longer. It’s too soon to open things back up and let people roam around without masks, which it seems most are doing.
I haven’t watched any of the shows you mentioned or read any of the books other than the first one by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen. The other two are on my list. Sorry you didn’t enjoy You Are Not Alone.
Thanks Vicki — the photo is of the river in town just a few blocks away. It seems you are right about staying at home longer (so says Dr. Fauci) and everyone needs to be on the same page about wearing masks in public places etc. Why is it so haphazard? Leadership on it is lacking. As for You Are Not Alone it was okay as a thriller kind of book … at least I thought the protagonist was endearing enough. Stay well.
I keep hoping that warmer weather will slow the virus down. We had several days in the high 80s (C) last week, and we always have high humidity. Typically, viruses don’t survive in high heat and high humidity. I’m trying to be hopeful for May.
I have a copy of Nickel Boys here. I just don’t want to read something I am sure will be a heavy and dark read right now.
We have been watching The Good Place. We’re nearing the end so I’m on the lookout for another comedy. In the meantime, I found DVDs of Seinfeld at the library, so that should hold us for a while.
Yeah Deb, we really like Seinfeld reruns right now. My favorite comedy show ever! It’s so good and great for light escape. I too am hoping May turns out better than some think it will be. Will the heat slow the virus down? I sure hope so. The cases here seem to be going down, I think due to the distancing rules. Enjoy your week.
Hi Susan, I also recently listened to the audiobook version of Long, Bright River. I thought it was great and echo your comments. I have heard that Heft is good as well. Take care!
Hey great to hear from you Jillann and I’m glad you too liked Long Bright River. I was totally captivated by Mickey’s narration. I’m now listening to Heft and liking it as well — though LBR is still tops. I hope you all are doing well there. Ugh. It’s been tough. Is the library there still closed? It’s closed here …. but might be opening in a couple weeks … I haven’t seen a date yet. But I’m looking forward to new books coming in. Take Care.
Somehow I missed this post. I will have to check out some of these books, as I have heard of them but did not decide to read them at the time, especially Long Bright River. I once read a book by Jennifer Haigh and was put off by it. Perhaps I should try another one. I feel The Nickel Boys truly deserved the Pulitzer.
I agree Judy, to me the Pulitzer winner was The Nickel Boys over the other nominees easily. I think you might really like Long Bright River — good storytelling. And I think to me — this Jennifer Haigh book wasn’t my favorite but others have really liked it. She has potential so I’ll keep an eye what she does next. Enjoy your week.
I’m in the same space as you- your photo even looks like Michigan right now. Still brown, but the green is peeping through. We actually had the windows open yesterday and it was lovely.
I agree completely about The Crown. Olivia is marvelous and I cried throughout the Aberfan episode. I had never heard a thing about it. The opening scene and then those while digging-I still tear up.
My TV viewing veers between really dark- Ozark, which is crazy and addictive in its twists and Jerry Seinfeld stand-up comedy. We watched one from just after Seinfeld ended and he’s going on about being a bachelor etc and then we watched his latest 23 Hours to Kill and it was even funnier listening to him contradict everything he said decades ago. His observations are always welcome relief.
Hi Catherine, the Aberfan episode was scary & so sad, glad you saw it. It blew me out of the water. And we just watched 23 Hours to Kill too …. I need my Seinfeld fix each week otherwise I can’t deal with Trump tv etc. I’ve been in my yard this weekend and about to plant the veggie garden … I think we’re safe from snow …. but who can say? enjoy your books.
We’re staying home. I’m worried that the “opening up”will just make things worse. Nice group of books! Now if only it’d green up outside. 🙂
Hi Beth : Yeah it seems staying safe is the best course. Too many unknowns at this point. I think one more week and things should be pretty green here. We’re supposed to get three days of rain this week which should turn things quickly. Hope you are well. Thanks for stopping by!