…still working on our crazy bear
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Crazy Bear
…still working on our crazy bear
The Last Policeman
The Last Policeman is a police procedural mystery thriller kind of novel with an unusual and clever premise. An asteroid is going to crash into the earth. People are checking out early – hanging themselves 
in bathrooms and closets. Others have abandoned jobs to chase their bucket lists. Still others have turned to booze or drugs. What still matters? But this one apparent suicide captures the attention of rookie detective Hank Palace and he feels compelled to investigate.
The premise almost stopped me in my tracks. This isn’t the kind of book I usually enjoy. On the other hand, the book was recommended to me (by Karen London) and I thought to myself, self, don’t be so closed-minded, read the damned book.
The book is a whodunit, but at the same time it’s a book about what life could be like on the brink of an apocalypse. It is as if the whodunit format has given author Ben Winters a way into this grim situation. It’s a fascinating and entertaining page-turner. I understand this is the first of what is going to be a series of books, and the second one is out. I have mixed feelings about that. I’ll read the second one for sure. I just hope Mr. Winters doesn’t exploit his premise until it becomes a tiresome formula.
A big thanks goes out to Karen who recommended not just this book but also the previous one I read, 419 by Will Ferguson – I enjoyed both books thoroughly. My copy of The Last Policeman will be going into the book box out front so others can enjoy it. My next read will be The Mushroom Hunters by Langdon Cook – On the Trail of an Underground America!
Searchers
A number of people have found this blog recently after asking that magician Mr. Google for the location of King Boletes in Ontario. For those who don’t know what I’m talking about, these are the tremendously tasty edible forest mushrooms also known as Porcini. I have a message for those searchers. If you do find that secret location you’ve been looking for, remember that you’re going to need someone to validate the ID of those mushrooms, so I suggest you send the locations to me immediately. I’ll make sure you don’t eat anything you ought to stay away from. Thank you.
What’s new in the book box?
We’re continuing to see plenty of activity at the book box. A number of people have left encouraging notes for us – thank you!
I see a Henning Mankell title in there for all the Nordic Noir fans out there (I love those Kurt Wallander novels!). I’ll also recommend Then we Came to the End. It’s both tremendously funny and at the same time sad, and it’s perfect for anyone working in today’s precarious corporate world. Joshua Ferris cleverly appropriated the term “Walking Spanish” from Tom Waits for those on the short end of downsizing stick. I see a Richard Feynman book in there too for the physics fans on the block. All his books are really great.
Autumn in the Air
You can tell it’s getting into fall when roasting veggies becomes a regular activity here on 27th Street.
Sick Bay
Ellie Mae has been having a problem with her rear right leg, and it’s been getting worse. Today she had a very hard time even getting up. We had an appointment with our regular vet but decided it was best to take her into the emergency clinic. After some X-rays and an examination by an orthopedic specialist, we still don’t know the cause of the problem. They couldn’t find anything like a tumour and her bones are ok and they think the ligament is ok. It could be a soft-tissue injury. For now, we have some good pain meds for her and we’re going to see how she does over the next few days.
Ellie Mae on her way to the emerg this morning
Imagination Station
The imagination stations out in the backyard continue to evolve. The first one is solidifying some as I’ve been adding soil and sod and other garden material. This one also has a pair of chairs on top and is home to Mr. Froggy.
Froggie went a courtin….ah ha…
Waterbound and I can’t get home
Here’s a great Old Time song called Waterbound. It’s also known as Down in North Carolina. Here’s the Last Chance Stringband….
Bear Update
Work continues on the grizzly bear mosaic. Tonight, I’ve been working on the face….
419
419 by Will Ferguson
In the end I liked 419 quite a lot, although I felt the book sagged some in the middle. There are different threads going on, different stories, that get increasingly tied together. It’s about Nigeria and it’s about oil and it’s about email scams and poverty and organized criminal activity and about a family in Canada who get scammed. It’s an ambitious book. I like that it’s a bit messy and imperfectly resolved.
I don’t know nearly enough about Africa, or Nigerian culture, outside of listening to some old Fela Kuti records. It was fascinating to read about Nnamdi and his village and the Delta and Igbo Joe and the somewhat mysterious Amina, about oil and greed and war and the huge gap between wealth and horrible poverty.
Who knew that anyone actually responded to the ubiquitous Nigerian email scams. Who knew what a big business it is? The mystery of Laura’s father’s death in Calgary cleverly sets our visit to Nigeria, where most of the novel takes place.
Overall, 419 is a good read. I learned a lot, and I enjoyed the stories, and I liked it enough that I’d like to check out other writing by Will Ferguson.
This book was recommended to me by my friend Karen London. Thanks Karen! She has recommended another book to me as well, The Last Policeman, by Ben H Winters, which I’ll read soon.
So, what are you reading? Care to make some book recommendations?
27th Street 