WWW.WEDNESAY
asks us three questions to prompt you to speak bookishly. To
participate, and to see how other book lovers responded, click here.
1. What are you currently reading?
And the Sea Will Tell by Vincent Bugliosi and Bruce Henderson. Palmyra is a tiny (less than 5 sq. miles) island south of Hawaii. It's officially "unoccupied," meaning no one lives there -- though US Navy personnel and conservationists stay for short periods. It's on this virtually deserted island that two couples meet, and a real-life mystery ensues.
Mac and Muff Graham, a wealthy couple with a luxury yacht, sailed down to Palmyra from San Diego for a tropical adventure. Buck and Stephanie escape to Palmyra from Hawaii, using their amateurishly rehabbed boat to evade law enforcement. Somehow Buck and Stephanie and the big yacht end up in Arizona ... and no one has heard from Mac or Muff in ages. What happened?
This true story is told with flair by Bruce Henderson and Vincent Bugliosi -- the latter represented Stephanie at trial. It's not high art, but it's entertaining. And as I read, I wonder about the similarities between Stephanie and Muff. On the surface, they appear to be radically different, yet they each got on board and took off for Palmyra, despite tremendous misgivings. Both the society matron and the hippie chick would have been better off if they'd listened to their little voices.
This true story is told with flair by Bruce Henderson and Vincent Bugliosi -- the latter represented Stephanie at trial. It's not high art, but it's entertaining. And as I read, I wonder about the similarities between Stephanie and Muff. On the surface, they appear to be radically different, yet they each got on board and took off for Palmyra, despite tremendous misgivings. Both the society matron and the hippie chick would have been better off if they'd listened to their little voices.
2. What did you recently finish reading?
I wish I liked this book more than I did. The Biden family story as they say goodbye to their eldest son is told with authenticity and I'm sure it will help others through their grief. But at times, the book reads like Biden's foreign policy CV. I understand that it was important to set the stage, to let the reader know everything else that the Vice President was dealing with as his son fought cancer. But instead of giving me context, this level of detail annoyed me. I didn't care what Joe was doing to smooth the situation in Tikrit, I wanted to know what was going on the hospital room with Beau.
Still, I'm glad I read it, and I recommend it for a massive dose of much-needed humanity in The Age of Trump.
3. What will you read next?
Probably a mystery.
Probably a mystery.
I want to read the Joe Biden book. Enjoy your week, and thanks for sharing. Here's MY WWW POST
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry you didn't love the Joe Biden book, but I love the quote you picked from it. A dose of humanity does seem to be needed. Looking forward to seeing what mystery you choose as your next read. Here is my WWW post if interested: https://greatmorrisonmigration.wordpress.com/2018/10/10/www-wednesdays-october-10-2018/
ReplyDeleteI had the pleasure of meeting Joe Biden when he was vice-president. He stopped what he was doing, asked me how I was and payed attention to me as though I were the only person in the whole world. It was profound. I only wish that I could deliver that intensity into my interactions. I lost my sister to brain cancer so I can't relive it with this book but I would very much like more Joe in my world right now. Here is my WWW: https://silverbuttonbooks.com/2018/10/10/www-wednesday-october-10-2018/
ReplyDeleteI know the feeling about the Biden book. I loved the parts that were actually about his son, but it was like they felt the book was too short with just that stuff so they padded it to turn it into a super standard political memoir. Here's my WWW: https://litlistening.com/2018/10/10/www-wednesday-weekly-wrap-up-4/
ReplyDeleteAnd the Sea Will Tell sounds intriguing!
ReplyDelete