The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich

 Eight little Indians gathered for pemmican and venison around the Lunch Counter on Park Avenue.  Some thought The Night Watchman was worthy of a Pulitzer Prize.  Most did not.  Their comments follow:

Travels With Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck

Nine road-weary former warriors gathered at the New Mexico Veterans Memorial, turned left past the Center for Visitors and headed for the Rose Garden. No dogs were present, but it was Americana in the morning. Hot dogs were on the grill, sweet relish for all, and the discussions began.

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from well beyond the range of Rocinante:

I am sorry I won't be able to attend this meeting of the LTBC.  I will be attending a reunion at Ghost Ranch.  I would have enjoyed hearing what others had to say about your selection and certainly would have enjoyed eating the hot dogs.  My comments regarding Travels With Charley follow.

  I was delighted when Keith selected Travels With Charley. I read it the first time over 30 years ago when I was ten years younger than Steinbeck was when he went on his search for America. Reading it now after reaching my “greater age” and after doing my share of wandering, I believe I have even a better appreciation for his experience and his ability to describe it. 

  Reading the first page of Steinbeck’s travelogue where he describes his urge to travel, I was immediately reminded of the opening lines of my own memoir, the creation of which none other than Keith had assigned each member of the LTBC to complete three years ago: “I’ve always been a wanderer…. I’ve always been on the move looking for something different. It comes naturally and started early. It’s in my blood.” Steinbeck claims his itch to travel was not cured as he aged and concludes “once a bum always a bum.” I was hooked and found it difficult to put the book down. 

  Often, I felt like I was riding along. Many segments of the journey Steinbeck describes reminded me of some of the observations I had made when traveling the “red and black roads” (avoiding interstates) crisscrossing the country. His conclusions seem prophetic when I think about what we have seen over the past 60 years since he made his trip—feelings of uncertainty, racial tensions, technological changes, environmental destruction. I am glad I read it again. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it to my friends. A+

   Regards,  Jack

 

The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley

Nine proud Fruits of the Loom gathered in the backyard of Park Ave SW to discuss The Myth of Yacub and Growing Up Islam.

The Prince by Nicollo Machiavelli

Nine Medici rejects gathered at the Greenside Cafe, and then transferred to Cedar Crest to discuss the 1512 "How To" book.

Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo

 Behind the Beautiful Forevers details life in Annawadi, a makeshift settlement in the shadow of luxury hotels near the Mumbai airport, and its residents, who are electric with hope for a prosperous future. The narrative follows key residents: Abdul, a reflective and enterprising Muslim teenager, who sees “a fortune beyond counting” in the recyclable garbage that richer people throw away; Asha, a woman of formidable wit who has identified an alternate route to the middle class in the form of political corruption; and her sensitive, beautiful daughter—Annawadi’s “most-everything girl”—who is expected to become its first female college graduate.

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Washington Square by Henry James

 Nine Victorian wannabes gathered around their translucent monitors from California to Four Hills Village to collect the wisdom of the 19th Century.  Here is what they heard:

The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams by Lawrence Block

 A small vaccinated gathering in the used book store of ideas.  None had evidence that Chalmers Mustard of Boston actually existed, let alone created baseball cards.  Heard among the shelves:

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Rob:  I was introduced to Lawrence Block's writing some 25-30 years ago by Sandia colleague, Dave Vopicka. About the same time Block came to Albq on a book tour. He was very entertaining, so I soon read a few of the books in his Matthew Scudder series of novels. Scudder had been an NYPD detective, but left the NYPD to become a private detective. He also had a drinking problem and was a regular attendee at AA meetings. Some of the Scudder books were pretty grim, so I was glad when Block launched the Burglar book series. 

Then, a few years ago, the LTBC read the first book, I think, in Michael Orendurff's series of Pot Thief books. There was a passing mention in the book of a Bernie Rhodenbarr book. Also, the Pot Thief character is sort of a Santa Fe/Taos version of Bernie in NYC. The LTBC met with Orrendurff by phone to discuss his book. I asked him if he had had any correspondence with Lawrence Block, and he said No. Kind of surprised me.. I haven't read any further Pot Thief books -- there have been eight, I think. 

When I bought the Ted Williams Burglar book I also got an accompanying Lawrence Block book, "The Burglar In Short Order" in which he explains the origins and development of the Burglar books, and he includes several new Burglar stories.

Karl:  This is a fun book. Entertaining. Humorous. Enjoyable. 

I found the solution to be a little too contrived. Using an old Nick Charles or Hercule Poirot meeting at the end to reveal to everyone how the crimes were committed and who did what to whom – and why -- seemed a little out-of-place for the Bernie character, but it’s a tried-and-true way to end a mystery, even if not an imaginative one. I also thought that the author tried a little too hard to make all the conversations “snappy” and “witty.” 

Nevertheless, there were a number of pretty good chuckles to be had. The parody on the Sue Grafton titles was clever and funny. The poetry reading summary was hysterical. 

I liked the book enough that I’ve already purchased a couple more in the Bernie Rhodenbarr series. Given the body of Block’s work, I’m surprised that I didn’t know of him until this book suggestion.

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and from locked inside the bathroom:

Had knee replacement surgery last week and thought I would have plenty of time to read this month's selection; however, my rehab schedule has left me with little to no time for reading. Sorry, Rob, would liked to have joined in the discussion. 

Regards, Jack