The Dogs Buried Over the Bridge: A Memoir in Dog Years by Rheta Grimsley Johnson

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Full confession:  I often refuse to read books where I know the animal dies at the end.  I empathize far too much.  This is why I didn’t pick up The Dogs Buried Over the Bridge when it first arrived at the library.  I felt the title said it all.

However, I was looking for something to read and remembered how much I had enjoyed Rheta Grimsley Johnson’s column in the newspaper.  Even when she was writing about something I really didn’t care about (okay, Auburn football), she managed to make it interesting.  She is one of those people who sees the details, especially picking up on the little things that bind us together, and makes life in a swamp seem as familiar as life in a holler. Even better, most of the time she did write about things of interest such as the South and country music.  She even wrote a book about Hank Williams, Sr.

The first chapter in, I knew I had made a good choice.  The book is more memoir than I expected, but that is not at all a bad thing.  I confess I had wondered a bit about her life from various references in her columns and not only was I going to find answers, but they’d be given in her own inimitable style. That’s not to say the dogs got short shrift; they are an important part of her life.  She’s learned a lot from her dogs, but she didn’t start out as an avid dog lover.

 Growing up, the rule was no animals in the house.  It didn’t matter if there was a heatwave or a flood: no exceptions.  When Rheta and her first husband, Jimmy Johnson (author of the Arlo and Janis comic strips) got their first dog, they really didn’t know how to take care of it. Also, they were barely scraping by themselves so didn’t have the money to spare for dog food, much less vet bills or dog accessories.  They ended up giving that dog away, but the seed had been planted.  As she writes, “We dog people are born, not made, and simply need dogs. We aren’t easily discouraged by inconveniences—or reality.”

Johnson writes beautifully.  She is descriptive but she cuts to the heart of the matter.  She is honest about her failures with dogs and relationships, and how hard it is to write a personal newspaper column, to give away parts of yourself to be scrutinized by thousands of readers who believe they know you and can criticize or just come visit at will.

So, yes, there are losses in this book, but Grimsley Johnson is clear-eyed about them all, never maudlin even though you know how much it hurts.  She is more interested in conveying their lives than their passing.  Mabel, her heart dog, is the one who convinced her to get her to get permanent eyeliner because Mabel’s natural “raccoon eyes” always helped her get her way.  It certainly helped Mabel to to become the first of many indoor dogs, breaking once and for all the “no animals in the house” rule.  

Even non-dog lovers will find much to enjoy in this book.

Bad Boy Beat by Clea Simon

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Emily Kelton is a journalist, currently working for the Boston Standard on three months’ probation before becoming a full-fledged employee.  She has the crime beat, working anything of interest that comes in over the scanner, desperate to get copy in—especially a story that would rate a byline.  She’s no rookie; she’s jaded enough to know that some crimes won’t rate space in the paper or police investigation time.  She knows a lot of the small time operators in the city, and she is good at spotting patterns.  When dead bodies start turning up in alleys, she thinks there may be a connection but handsome detective Jack Harcourt disagrees.

That isn’t going to stop Em.  She’s a real reporter and and she knows a story when she sees one.  One way or another, she’s going to uncover what is really going on in the streets and alleys of Boston.

This is a standalone novel from Simon, who is also the author of several series. It’s a bit darker and grittier than some of her other offerings but just as well written. Em is no wide-eyed innocent, for all her rookie status. She comes off as more an old-time journalist, eschewing databases for pounding the streets and interviewing witnesses.  She is cynical and a bit of a loner though she is loyal to friends like Roz, a reporter who is working on stories out of city hall. Em is tough; she’s cautious in the streets but not cowed. She’s well able to stand up for herself against editors, bouncers, or cops and can hold her own at a bar.  She is   As a reader, I enjoyed the peek behind the scenes at a newspaper, even as subscriptions dwindle and content goes online.  Simon also does a good job of conveying the atmosphere of the seamier side of Boston. Good mystery, strong characterization, some fast-paced action and a few twists and turns make for a most enjoyable read.

Other standalone novels by Simon are World Enough and Hold Me Down; her most recent series is Witch Cats of Cambridge.

World Enough by Clea Simon

Reviewed by Jeanne

Tara Winton is divorced, working in communications for a large corporation, and really just marking time.  Her job doesn’t excite her; she could do most of her tasks in her sleep.  Her days are pretty much routine.  It wasn’t always like this.  Back in the day, she was a music reporter for an independent ‘zine, covering the burgeoning Boston music scene.  Those were heady days, watching the musicians that made it, the ones that didn’t, and the ones who flamed out too soon. It was more than that, though: it was a community.  Relationships were forged then that had repercussions from then until now.  But that seems like another world, another lifetime.

She still hits some of the clubs with long-time friends, listens to the music.  Some of the bands are still around, the ones that were good but not good enough; the ones who had a sound, but whose members, like Tara, work other jobs to pay the rent and only get together to play because they love it.  Then Tara hears that Frank, one of the old gang, has died from a fall. It seems a sad and unlikely ending.

The news prompts Scott, Tara’s old editor from the ‘zine days, to give her a call.  He’s now the editor of City, a glossy publication full of puff pieces, but he wants to make it edgier.  Maybe a story about the old music scene, tying it in with Frank’s death, will attract a wider audience.

Tara is reluctant, but soon discovers this is just what she’s missed: real journalism, digging for a story, and maybe enjoying reliving the old days.  Memories come flooding back, along with some nagging questions about what happened to Chris Crack, the star who was on the verge of superstardom before that accidental overdose . . . 

Since I’ve never been to Boston and my musical tastes run more to folk, bluegrass, and Americana, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to get into this book which, as the jacket copy emphasizes, is all about the Boston music scene of a particular era.  I need not have worried; Tara is an easy character to relate to, and the whole feeling of the book was nostalgia for the past, when the world was new and exciting, rather than esoteric music knowledge.  Simon does an excellent job of conveying what it was like in those heady times, when it seemed superstardom was on the horizon for some of the bands, and everyone was chasing dreams.  (Actually, it all reminds me of a country song called “Life Happened.”) I particularly enjoyed the way that layers were peeled back, revealing that rosy memories had more than a bit of amnesia to them.  For example, Tara was always too high on music to be part of the drug scene, but she gradually realizes that there was a sudden upswing in the amount of drugs available, cocaine especially—a fact of which her friends were well aware. She also finds that Frank had been asking some questions about those old days before his convenient fall. 

World Enough has turned out to be one of my favorite books by Simon.  I liked the deft way the author handled Tara’s gradual re-evaluation of her memories about events and even her friends, questioning her perceptions, and even the way she’s currently living.  It’s a book that will stay with me for some time, bolstered by strong characterization and a near-universal tendency to revisit our past at certain points in our lives. You don’t have to be a rock fan to enjoy this book, but it helps if you’re old enough to have attended (or avoided!) a high school reunion or two. There’s enough grit to qualify it as noir, but it’s never overly graphic.  

In short, it’s a most enjoyable book even for those who aren’t mystery readers or rock fan fans but who appreciate good characterization and atmosphere.

Full disclosure:  I was given an advance copy of the book by the author without any stipulations or conditions.The book is due out in the U.S. on November 1.

These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly

Reviewed by Christy H.

            Jo Montfort is an extremely privileged young lady in the 1890s. Her life is made up of polite conversation, proper tea etiquette, and staying within the strict confines of what is expected of her – or trying to. It isn’t becoming for a young lady to want to write, like the famous journalist Nellie Bly no less. But that’s exactly what Jo wants to do. She dreams of becoming a hard hitting investigative journalist who can uncover society’s wrongdoings. She doesn’t really expect that to happen though. She fears she will be betrothed soon as she is nearing the ripe old age of 18. Unfortunately, her shot at a groundbreaking story comes when her wealthy shipping magnate father is found dead under suspicious circumstances. With the help of an up and coming reporter named Eddie, Jo sets out to discover the truth. In doing so she reveals a dangerous conspiracy she never could’ve imagined.

Jennifer Donnelly has written numerous historical fiction novels for adults and young adults. She is one of my favorite authors, and I was thrilled to see her return to this genre. However, this homecoming isn’t perfect. These Shallow Graves’s subject matter is certainly geared toward an older young adult audience. But it’s written as if the reader is in their very early teens. Anyone above that age will a lot of times be one step ahead of Jo. Donnelly’s most recent books, the Waterfire Saga, were aimed at middle school readers so perhaps she wasn’t able to shake off that tone. Also, in this novel, she has the unfortunate habit of ending chapters on a cliffhanger only to jump slightly ahead in time in the next chapter, whether it’s a few moments or a few weeks, and go back and explain what happened in between. I don’t remember her doing that in her older novels, and I’m honestly not sure what the point is. It’d be a much smoother transition to let the actions play out naturally. Thankfully, it didn’t happen every time but enough to grow tiresome. 

Although These Shallow Graves is probably Donnelly’s weakest novel it is by no means bad. It’s a quick and fun read but not completely lacking in depth. It explores themes like misogyny, classism, and female friendships that I think are interesting and important – especially for teen readers. I definitely missed Donnelly’s plucky heroines, and I look forward to reading her future offerings. Hopefully, she has more adult fiction coming our way.

Starvation Lake by Bryan Gruley

Reviewed by Jeanne

Gus Carpenter grew up in the town of Starvation Lake, escaped to become a reporter at the Detroit Times, and now with has journalist career in tatters he’s editing the hometown paper.  His out of town bosses aren’t fans of hard-hitting news stories or even medium hitting: they want the social news, local sports, and stories that will encourage advertising.  The rest of the town isn’t really welcoming either, since they hold Gus responsible for missing that one goal that would have won the state high school hockey championship.  It was the town’s one shot at fame, and things have gone downhill ever since.  If they could, they’d even blame him for the death of Jack Blackburn, the coach who almost took them all the way, only to die in a snowmobile accident on the lake.

Now pieces of that old snowmobile have turned up—in the wrong lake.  What really happened that night? And what other secrets lie hidden in Starvation Lake?

When this book came out in 2009, it received a lot of praise from the mystery readers on the DorothyL list.  They talked about the good writing, the strong characterization and clever plotting.  One even said that she never thought she would read and enjoy a book about hockey.  I didn’t think I would either, which is why I put off reading it this long.  On the other hand, one patron I recommended the book to didn’t like it so as penance I decided I had better read it before I suggested it to anyone else.

The verdict?  I enjoyed it. I will say that the book started a bit slowly, but much of it was letting the reader get a feel for the town and the people. The town is almost a character itself:  it reminded me of so many of the little towns here in the mountains where jobs are few but the people keep trying to hang on with steely determination and sometimes just sheer cussedness. The plot, like the town, has its share of grit and its share of shady business deals and political maneuvering.   There is a lot of hockey action but understanding or even caring about the game isn’t required; he does use it to good advantage in revealing certain aspects of personality.

Gus, the narrator, is a wholly believable creation; we may not always agree with his choices but we understand why he makes them.  Most of the rest of the cast are people from Gus’ past, his friends and his enemies. These are people he’s known his whole life, which means there’s a lot of personal baggage associated. In a few places the reader may spot things before Gus does simply because he’s too close to parts of the story.

Despite the slow start, the story gained steam and I raced through the last 150 pages to see what would happen.  There were some good twists and turns in both plot and action, and a mostly satisfying resolution.  I’m already reading the second book, The Hanging Tree, and so far I would say that you wouldn’t have to read the books in order. I just prefer to do so.  The third book is The Skeleton Box and, according to his website, he’s at work on a fourth.

Shunning Sarah by Julie Kramer

 Reviewed by Jeanne

Riley Spartz is a TV news reporter working for a station in Minneapolis, trying to scoop the other stations in a very competitive market.  The station has just taken on a new manager after a horrific incident, meaning that Riley doesn’t yet have a good sense of how things will be run.  Still, when she gets a tip from her mother about a child trapped in a sinkhole, Riley figures that’s a no-brainer and probably a ratings bonanza. As it turns out, there’s much more to it than that: not only was the boy trapped in a sinkhole, but he was sharing it with the corpse of a murdered woman.

What doesn’t play out as expected is the new boss’s reaction:  he takes a dim view of covering events outside of the immediate market area.  He also has some other ideas about station economics that make life miserable for anyone actually trying to cover news. Riley stubbornly pursues the story, discovering that the deceased was a member of the close-knit Amish community.  Close-knit also means closed mouthed, especially to English (i.e., non-Amish) television reporters.  Soon Riley realizes that her investigations may not only be jeopardizing her job, but her life as well.

This is the fifth in Julie Kramer's popular Riley Spartz series, but the first one I’ve read. I noticed a blurb from James Patterson on the front cover, and the structure of the book did remind me of his work:  short, punchy chapters designed to keep the reader turning pages.  The plot has enough twists and turns to surprise, and there are some strong action scenes.  One in particular is a standout. There’s even a bit of romance in the background as Riley tries to decide whether or not to rekindle the flame with an ex-boyfriend or to move on. If there’s a weak point for me, it’s the characters don’t seem to have a lot of depth. I enjoyed the book but didn’t feel compelled to find the others immediately and catch up get any background I might have missed. There’s also one part of the book I had a quibble with but I can’t discuss it without giving away a part of the plot that I definitely don’t want to spoil.

My favorite parts of the book had to do with the insider’s view of how television news: not just the reporter’s tricks of getting the good shots, but what determines the stories that are covered and the ones that aren’t. There’s no sugar-coating about the public’s need to know; for the most part it all comes down to advertisers and money.

Shunning Sarah is a good solid thriller which I’ll be recommending to our readers who like well-written action-oriented books.