The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II

Wilson's Weblog Posted on by

by Buzz Bissinger, 2022, Harper 1.0 stars

This is possibly the worst book I have recently read. It attempts to portray the marines who played a game of football on Guadalcanal prior to fighting in the battle for Okinawa where many of them lost their lives.

The book is more of a tribute to those individuals and serves well as a memorial, but it is terrible reading. There is little information regarding the battle itself, but rather a play-by-play description of each of the marine’s death. The author also employs a great deal of the foul language that would have been used by the marines at the time, but it actually detracts from the narrative. I had a very hard time getting through the book and probably the best reward came when I was finally finished.

There were some passages in the book that were totally worthless. For example, there was a whole chapter on a scouting mission on Guadalcanal on which very little happened. There were also about three pages devoted to FDR’s recipe for a mint julip cocktail.

There was some information about John McLaughry who fought in and survived Okinawa. This was interesting to me as he was Brown University’s varsity football coach when I was a freshman and sophomore at Brown. Bissinger also highlighted the lives of some of the other football players of the time, but the detail was not very interesting.

This book was a Christmas present from my wife who had heard about it from some friends. Sorry to say, I didn’t enjoy it at all.

A Fatal Grace

Wilson's Weblog Posted on by

by Louise Penny, 2006, Audiobook narrated by Ralph Coshan released in 2014, Macmillan Audio 3.5 stars

This is the second Chief Inspector Armand Gamache mystery by Louise Penny. He is called to investigate a new homicide that takes place at a curling match in a nearby town to Three Pines. The murder is by electrocution and it’s highly improbable. After many false starts, Gamache again is able to solve the crime.

While not quite as compelling as her first novel, the story is well crafted, and the characters are well done. The author always gives a hint at the end of the book regarding what is unfolding in the next book, so I think it’s important to read these in order.

Ralph Coshan continues to do an excellent job of narrating and the characters are portrayed very well.

Dressed for Death (Commissario Brunetti Book 3)

Wilson's Weblog Posted on by

by Donna Leon, 1994, Audiobook produced 2009, narrated by David Colacci, Blackstone Audio, Inc.2.5 stars

This book is about a murder of a supposed transvestite man whose face is bashed in. Guido Brunetti is called to Mestre (near Venice) to investigate and begins to have suspicions that the circumstances of the man’s death are not what they appear to be. It’s not too long that the murder is revealed to be part of a larger plot that leads to additional murders.

The book is a typical Donna Leon mystery in that it is extremely slow moving, but well-crafted Each of the characters are formed with great detail and are very believable. in addition, Leon inserts, not too subtly at times, her critique of Italian society and culture. Brunetti’s family life is also woven into the plot and is delightfully described.

II you are a fan of Donna Leon’s Brunetti mysteries and/or all things Italian, this is well worth it.

Iron Lake

Wilson's Weblog Posted on by

by William Kent Krueger, 1999, Atria Books 2.5 stars

This book is about a former sheriff in Northern Minnesota who is having a rough time as he has recently separated from his wife and is engaged in a romance with another woman. He was recalled from his position as sheriff after he killed two individuals who were disrupting a protest about fishing regulations involving the native tribes. He uncovers a murder that had gone undetected.

The setting of the book was interesting as it was located near the Boundary Waters in Minnesota where I have traveled on numerous canoe trips. This helped me visualize the descriptions of the lake and surrounding area. The fictional town is located near an Indian Reservation and one passage described an abandoned church mission building. We had attended a church camp on Cass Lake near Bemidji one summer that was near such a building so that brought back some memories.

While this book has some good qualities, the writing is a bit amateurish and the plot see-saws around until the mystery is solved. The novel garnered a lot of praise as it was the first book by this author. The bottom line is that I have read many mysteries that are better written and constructed.

The Lincoln Lawyer

Wilson's Weblog Posted on by

by Michael Connelly, 2005, Audiobook narrated by Adam Grupper, Hachette Audio 3.5 stars

At first, I didn’t think I liked this book, but the more I listened to it, the more it grew on me. The characters aren’t always the most likable, but they are believable. The plot has several twists and turns, and there is a final one that I wasn’t expecting. This is the first book in the Lincoln Lawyer series, and I suspect that the series gets even better. In this first book, the author introduces us to many aspects of the criminal defense profession, often providing us with the strategy employed to win the case.

The narratot, Adam Gupper, is excellent. I think he is the incarnation of the main character, Mickey Haller. His voice has just the right tone and attitude to portray Haller. He does a pretty decent job with the the other characters as well.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

Wilson's Weblog Posted on by

by Gabrielle Zevin, 2014, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill 3.5 stars

This is a really nice story about a bookseller on the fictional Alice Island off the coast of Cape Cod. There is a little bit of romance, some mystery, and a lot of serendipity. The main character, A.J. Fikry, evolves from a mean, crotchety person to a lovable crotchety individual as he finds his purpose in life.

The author is a real lover of books, and it shows throughout the story. There are little book reviews written by the bookseller interspersed throughout the book.

I read this book much more quickly than I usually read, only to find that I was sad that I had finished it. That is definitely a sign of how much I enjoyed it.

The Survivors

Wilson's Weblog Posted on by

by Jane Harper, 2021, Audiobook narrated by Stephen Shanahan, Macmillan Audio 2.0 stars

I don’t think this is Jane Harper’s best work, although I have read only two of her books. The first book I read was her first book The Dry, and I enjoyed it a lot. The major difference was that Tge Dry focused on one character who was dragged into an investigation of a murder against his wishes. He eventually solved the crime after following various leads.

The Survivors, on the other hand, deals with a number of individuals who are affected by two incidents, one some deaths from a storm twelve years prior, and another death that has occurred recently but under similar circumstances. The story meanders back and forth from the prior incident to the current one and finally comes to an end when all of the information is revealed.

This novel takes place in Tasmania where I had visited briefly in 1970 so I was curious about the location. It was interesting in that regard, but I didn’t enjoy it otherwise. The characters weren’t that interesting, and the plot just seemed to wander. There wasn’t much of a twist in the end and the solution to the mystery was ho-hum. Hopefully, some of her other books will be much better.

The reader did a nice job as I enjoy a book about Australia a lot more when it’s read with an Australian accent.

Lessons in Chemistry

Wilson's Weblog Posted on by

by Bonnie Garmus 2022, Doubleday, New York 4.0 stars

This is a story about a woman in the 1950’s who has a passion for science and wants to conduct research in chemistry. Unfortunately, she runs into many challenges, the primary one being that she’s a woman and is not recognized or respected as a scientist.

The primary character, Elizabeth Zott, is very outspoken and is fired from her job. The company she worked for didn’t really want to hire her in the first place, but they were forced to by a large doner. She subsequently becomes a chef on an afternoon TV show and demonstrates that cooking is basically science.

The plot of this novel is really very clever, but the character of Elizabeth Zott really stands out. The dialogue is crisp and funny, and this all adds up to a very enjoyable novel.

Some of the ingredients of this book are a bit hard to believe (a dog who can recognize almost a thousand words, a four-year-old girl who reads adult books), but if you can accept that it’s all fiction and read on, the book is really enjoyabe. I am glad, however, that it was set in the 50’s as it does make the story much more believable.

It is a delightful book to read and also very fast. It’s too bad that some of the terrible things described in the book that happen to women actually happen in the real world.

My Italian Bulldozer

Wilson's Weblog Posted on by

by Alexander McCall Smith, 2017, Pantheon 3.5 stars

This is a delightful book about a man who breaks up with his girlfriend and then travels to Tuscany to finish writing a book about Tuscan food and wine. He finds that when he gets there that the car rental company has not record of his rental reservation and there are no cars available. He ends up renting a bulldozer to travel around while he is there, and the rest of the story goes on from there..

The author is really adept at capturing the essence of his various characters, whether they are Italian or otherwise. When reading a book by Alecxander McCall Smith the reader can just picture whatever individual is being depicted.

When I picked up the book, I thought that this would be a great situation to read a story filled with hilarious escapades and I would be doing belly laughs. While there are certainly some very funny moments, it’s more of a very pleasant experience to read. I really did enjoy it.

Cooper’s Creek: Tragedy and Adventure in the Australian Outback

Wilson's Weblog Posted on by

by Alan Moorehead, originally published in 1963, Kindle version, 2010, Skyhorse2.5 stars

This book is about an exploration expedition into the interior of Australia in 1860. Much of Australia had never been explored at that time and this was one of the first attempts. There were many decisions, actions, and inactions that led to a disastrous outcome. While the expedition has been compared to some of the more famous early polar expeditions, the author at one point indicates that this expedition would be largely forgotten had it been successful.

I encountered a person from Australia, and I mentioned to him that I was reading this book. He asked me how it was. I told him “It’s very dry, like your country.” Well, he didn’t take my comment very well, but I think this about sums it up. There is a lot of detail, quotes from letters, dairies, and newspaper articles, etc. In addition, the terrain of the area being explored is not all that interesting. The result is that this is one of the least interesting books I have read. I recall reading Moorehead’s White Nile and Blue Nile many years ago, and I found those to be much more interesting.