I have been a bit AWOL from the blog lately as I was playing in a big senior tennis tournament here last week and my doubles partner from Austria was staying with us. She used to live here and decided to fly in and visit so we could play the age-group event, which included players ages anywhere from 35 to 85, competing against one another in their own age bracket. It was fun and we did fairly well and battled hard. I also placed fifth in singles, and now need to rest up after the seven matches played. Tennis is not so easy on the ole body, but it sure can be a good adrenaline rush at times.
Meanwhile spring seems to be gaining hold and we’ve had some warm days recently. I need to get the garden going, especially in planting tomatoes, cucumbers and geraniums — the usual summer drill. The owl family that I posted about earlier has left the trees by the river; they are gone now. We believe they are healthy and happy somewhere and we wish them the best. We will continue to watch for them.
Meanwhile my book assistant and dog, Stella, at left, enjoyed a nice swim in the river over the weekend. She would make a good river otter and doesn’t hesitate to launch into any body of water. I just need to make sure there are no rocks before throwing her her ball. She will get it no matter what.
Speaking of water, I enjoyed Peter Heller’s recent outdoorsy novel “The River” about two college school buddies (Wynn and Jack) who decide to canoe the Maskwa River in northern Canada and end up getting a wee more than they bargained for. There’s a wildfire headed their way and a couple of drunk Texans (damn) and a married couple at odds with one another who make things rather dicey. It’s not only the wildlife or natural disasters that you need to worry about, it’s the creepy homo sapiens you come across in the wild. You might recall the 1970’s book and movie “Deliverance” right? It seems this canoe novel pays a bit of homage to that, mentioning author James Dickey along the way, though the story doesn’t come off as chilling as that scary river classic.
I enjoyed “The River” as an audiobook. It starts off rather leisurely paced as a backwoods paddle between two Dartmouth College friends who seem adept outdoorsmen — Wynn is a burly tall guy from Vermont and Jack grew up on a ranch in Colorado — and builds as it goes along as conflicts start to arise and ultimately spills over into a pretty action-packed ending. The author writes well about the natural world and men camping and fishing in the woods. Apparently he’s a former whitewater kayaker who once traveled the world writing about challenging descents.
I’m not an avid camper or kayaker (I’ve tried them a bit), but I’ve done quite a bit of hiking, cycling, and two river raft trips in the mountains so wilderness /survival novels sort of entice me. This is the third of Heller’s books that I’ve completed — perhaps the best being his post-apocalyptic debut novel “The Dog Stars” from 2012. “The River” touches quite a bit on male friendship and the outdoors. It’s probably not for everyone, but I found it hit the right rapids for me and would make a good summer read for those interested.
Next up, I read Australian author Jane Harper’s mystery “The Lost Man” about the Bright family and its three brothers who have large adjacent cattle ranches to one another in the remote Australian outback. When Cam, age 40, the middle brother, and largest land overseer, is found dead near a gravesite in the parched sun nine kilometers away from his truck — his mom and relatives are perplexed: why would he leave his vehicle and its safety rations under such brutal heat conditions? Did he wish to kill himself? The older brother, Nathan, starts to investigate what happened to him, ultimately learning some things about his brother and family that were long-ago tucked away. Uh-oh.
Most of this mystery I really liked, especially the setting in Australia’s remote outback, which is very vivid in the story, and its main protagonist Nathan, a lonely divorced dad who’s been ostracized from the town for reasons that become clear and who is trying to reconnect with his teenage son Xander, who’s visiting from the city. He makes for a sympathetic investigator into his brother’s death. And it’s compelling too that for quite a while in the story so many people seem to be possible suspects to what happened to Cam. Was it the backpackers that worked at his ranch, or his wife who he wasn’t getting along with, or the younger brother Bub who wanted more of Cam’s land? Or someone from his past who had been trying to contact him? You won’t find out till the very end when it all unravels.
But meanwhile it’s a slow burn of a story that kept me interested till long past dark, particularly due to Nathan and his circumstances and complicated history with his brother’s wife, but the ending and who did it I found quite disturbing and maybe even hard to believe. The ending likely docked a star from me on Goodreads, otherwise there were parts of the book I enjoyed. I wouldn’t totally throw it against a wall, but the whodunit reveal didn’t really agree with me.
This is the third book I’ve read by Jane Harper and is a standalone novel from her previous two mysteries that feature federal agent Aaron Falk. This one is without Falk, and I must say it was okay he wasn’t there. I’m not sure which one of her mysteries I liked best; they all had a few pluses and perhaps one minus to them. So while I’ve liked them, I haven’t overly loved loved them. Still they are enjoyable enough and somehow I continue to be drawn to her mysteries’ in remote Australian settings. I’m sure I’ll likely pick up the next one because I seem to be a sucker for them.
That’s all for now. What about you have you read either of these novels and if so, what did you think?
Mabel is loving swimming again as well!
Thanks for the reviews Susan. I am looking for a book or two for our upcoming trip to Norway and Svalbard (google it!) and your blog is my first stop for titles. I’m thinking of Washington Black and The Lost Man.
Congrats on the tennis! I don’t know how your knees manage!
Thanks again for your blot – great writing and great tips.
Wow thanks Sue. Great to hear from you! I’m glad you can find some titles from my blog. I just googled Svalbard and had no idea about it. I have been to Norway before and it is Awesome. I hope you have a wonderful trip! If you are home this summer, let’s bike the Legacy Trail sometime …. or the 1A. All the best.
It sounds like your tennis playing was rewarding though taxing.
The River sounds interesting, though it does sound a lot like the film Deliverance. I have not read the book. I really want to read The Dog Stars.
Stella is a cool book assistant 🙂
Thanks Brian, the book assistant is the apple of my eye 🙂 . The River novel was good and not as harsh as Deliverance … which still gives me chills. I think you’d like The Dog Stars — it’s a good summer read. The tennis was rewarding definitely.
Well done on tennis tourney! Glad Barb was able to return as your partner! Great team! Is she missing Canada? Thanks for review of The River, sounds like a good read for Nick, who Is now enjoying retirement! Take care Viv
Hey Viv, thanks for the update. That’s great Nick is now retired, wow enjoy! I hope you two have a wonderful summer on Georgian Bay. Apparently the senior nationals are in Toronto in August … debating whether to go to that with Barb. It was great to see & play with her again. I think she does miss Canada. We are finally getting spring here, woohoo!
I am not a sports woman but I admire anyone who is. I have a friend who is in her late 70s and still plays racket ball!
I have heard quite a bit about The Dry from other bloggers I follow. I did not know the author always writes mysteries but I usually love any fiction from Australia. I have not read the other author yet.
Excellent reviews though, Susan.
Thanks Judy, these two books — sort of popular fiction — fit with my busy week. They were both sort of from the Outback, ha. Now I’m back in civilization with my current reads. I guess I’ve been a sports woman since birth, but now I’m in my 50s and hanging on, ha. I’m impressed that your friend plays racketball in her 70s, wow!
So glad you liked The River. I also listened to it on audio and really liked the narrator, Mark Deakins. It was the first Heller book for me, so recently picked up the audiobook of The Dog Stars. It started off a little slower for me, but with only about 90 minutes left, I’m very glad I listened. I may try The Painter, too.
Yeah Susie, I like Mark Deakins as a narrator — I didn’t realize he’s done over a 150 audiobooks, wow. I recognized his voice from The Dog Stars perhaps. The Painter I read as a book — it was okay good but perhaps not as great as The River or The Dog Stars, but see what you think. Some of Heller’s outdoors novel writing is sort of male-macho-ness that occasionally makes me roll my eyes. 🙂
I haven’t read either of these but I think it’s because I’m not reading a lot of male focused fiction these days. Sexist of me, I know, but given what men in power are doing in America right now I have no patience for any of them.
I hit a wall after April’s month of outstanding reading and went back to the safety of Louise Penny. I’m hoping it was the reset I needed and that I can start my June reading fresh.
Ha, Catherine, it’s totally understandable and I hope Louise Penny resets your reading mojo for June. I think I just needed some light popular fiction /adventure kind of reads for that week. Now I’m good for awhile in that category.
Congratulations on your tennis tournament… well done! Curious to know if you’ve tried pickleball. It has caught on in a big way here in SWFL. Several resorts, towns, and condo complexes have converted tennis courts.
Not sure if I’ll try The River, but I would like to read Jane Harper.
Hey JoAnn: I haven’t tried pickleball yet, but I know it sure is popular. I might try it if I get anymore tennis injuries. I think perhaps you would like Harper’s mysteries.
I have the Heller book but haven’t started it yet.
I guess your weather is warming up a little if your pup can take a swim now. Here? It rained all day yesterday and is a little chilly. Commencement begins tonight where I work so at least the grads won’t have rain or 110 degree temps this weekend to deal wit.
Right now, I am reading The Invited by Jennifer McMahon. It’s building up nicely. A ghost story with a twist is how it’s being advertised. I haven’t gotten to the twist yet.
That McMahon novel sounds good. I’ll look for your review. I guess it’s good that SoCal is getting some more rain — how surprising. Good luck with commencement tonight.
Glad to hear you liked The River—I’m on the wait list at the library for the audio version. I didn’t like Heller’s Celine, but this seems good so I’m willing to give him another try. I also like the premise and setting of The Lost Man—the outback is so compelling and I have wanted to read more novels set in Australia.
The owls are gone! It happens—maybe the pair will come back next year and have another family for you to watch. So great to be a little part of their cycle.
Hi Jane, indeed the owls are gone which saddens me a bit but perhaps they will be back next year near the same area. They’re amazing birds! We will watch for them. It’s generous of you to give author Peter Heller one more try. I did not read his novel Celine — maybe b/c of your review. But the audio of The River seems descent. And I liked most of The Lost Man just maybe not the whodunit reveal part. Thanks for stopping by.
Both books sound good for different reasons: The River for the complex outdoors dynamics and The Lost Man because it seems a strong mystery despite the (unreal) ending. I saw a movie about kayakers on white waters in some sort of “accident”. I don’t remember the title but I believe Kevin Bacon stars (not sure though).
Yeah I remember that Kevin Bacon / river movie. I think it had Meryl Streep in it too. Wasn’t Kevin Bacon the bad guy? I just looked it up and it was called The River Wild from 1994. Those were the days. This River novel is a bit like that … in that bad guys overtake the boat of some good people going down the river. Uh-oh.