Nevermore: In the Lives of Puppets, Secret Appalachian Highlands, Paws of Firefighters

Reported by Rita

 

In the Lives of  Puppets by TJ Klune

When an unwitting act of betrayal leads to the capture of his android Gio, who once hunted humans, Victor Lawson and his assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to the City of Electric Dreams to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming.

It's funny and enjoyable if you’re looking for a light read.    – WJ     4 stars

 

Secret Appalachian Highlands: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure by Robert Sorrell

The Appalachian Highlands, a rural region consisting of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, is world-famous for its country music treasures, fast cars, early pioneer history, and breathtaking natural scenery. It is centered on the tri-cities of Bristol, Johnson City, and Kingsport, and is surrounded by smaller communities and rural wonderlands. Secret Appalachian Highlands: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure digs deeper and uncovers some of the region’s lesser-known places, mysterious stories, and creative oddities. Each community in the Appalachian Highlands has its share of secret attractions, such as Jonesborough, Tennessee’s, pillory; dinosaur creations in Bluff City, Tennessee; and the wolves of Abingdon, Virginia. A few famous faces, including President Andrew Johnson, NASCAR great Dale Earnhardt Jr., and pop- culture icons Tennessee Ernie Ford and Hank Williams Sr. have all made their unique mark on the Appalachian Highlands. The region also features some of the nation’s most spectacular natural features, including one known as the “eighth wonder of    the world.” Local author Robert Sorrell will introduce you to the secret side of the Appalachian Highlands, a treasure trove of intriguing peculiarities and hidden history just waiting to be explored.

An excellent resource to own for planning outings.      –WJ     5 stars

 

Paws of Firefighters: The Dogs and Other Animals of New York Firehouses by Emmy Park

This series of pet bios and accompanying portraits tells the stories of the animals that serve on duty at New York's firehouses. In this book, Emmy Park has combined her love for dogs and cats and her passion for documenting the relationship between pets and their families in this unique journey with the firefighters who serve New Yorkers and the companions that serve them unconditionally. Meet beloved canines, felines, and even a pig of New York’s firehouses—in all five boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island) and Long Island.

This is a fabulous collection of photos of firehouse animals.     –NH     5 stars      

 

Other Books Mentioned

The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly

The Consequence of Anna by Kate Birkin

Crow Talk: a Novel by Eileen Garvin

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J. D. Vance

One of Ours by Willa Cather

Smoky Jack: The Adventures of a Dog and His Master on Mount Le Conte by Paul J. Adams

The Trouble I've Seen by Martha Gellhorn

Above the Waterfall: a Novel by Ron Rash

Thick as Thieves by Sandra Brown

Thereby Hangs a Tail: a Chet and Bernie Mystery by Spencer Quinn

In My Time of Dying: How I Came Face-To-Face With the Idea of an Afterlife  by Sebastian  Junger

How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley

Ranger McIntyre: Unmentionable Murders by James C. Work

Reviewed by Jeanne

Ranger Tim McIntyre, WWI vet and fishing enthusiast, is enjoying his job as ranger in the newly minted Rocky Mountain National Park.  Not that there’s much to do, except stop city folk from feeding marshmallows to chipmunks, man the entrance gate (except that there’s no gate), stop poachers, and the like.  He’s certainly enjoying a visit with Doris, the lady photographer who is visiting to take photos of some of the park’s waterfalls in hopes of selling them for picture postcards, magazine articles, or maybe even a book.  He’s not quite prepared to embark on a suspicious death investigation, but when a body of a man is found clad only in his underpants, he really doesn’t have much choice but to trek on up to the remote location, Doris in tow, to see what he can discover.

This is a promising beginning to a new series, set in the early 1920s.  Ranger McIntyre is a delight, a man who has been to war and is aware of the dark side of human nature, but hasn’t let it turn him bitter.  He takes a lively interest in his fellow human beings, and an even livelier interest in fish, but puzzles are what he likes best.  The mystery of this dead guy in his skivvies is a doozy and our ranger is dead set on figuring it out.

I was enticed to read this book by the reviews that mentioned the likeable character, amiable humor, and –oh, all right, the Publishers Weekly review said Ranger McIntyre was a smarter version of Dudley Do-Right and I was hooked.  They were right! Tim isn’t dim at all, but his laid-back personality causes people to underestimate him.  He has an eye for the pretty ladies, and an even sharper eye for good grub, but there’s a lot more going on in that brain of his.  I liked the sweet nature of the book; Ranger McIntyre isn’t naïve but he doesn’t go looking for the bad in everyone either.

I also enjoyed the setting:  not just the park, but the Prohibition period, when people are first taking to the road to search for the great outdoors.  Since the park is so new—and the whole park system is fairly new—everybody is trying to figure things out.  Questions such as, “Who has jurisdiction over a crime in the park?” need answers, but in the meantime, the rangers do the best they can.  Photography, while not new, is still a bit of a novelty as everyone rushes to get photos of places few people have seen.

A “don’t miss” part of the book for me was the glossary which gives definitions that you didn’t know you needed.   Under “Chipmunk,” for example, Work notes that scientists have spent a great deal of time and effort to find out that they are not gophers, marmots, or prairie dogs, but that tourists have been known to blur such distinctions and send children out “to give  peanuts to  the ‘chipmunks’ which turn out to be brown bears.”

Yep, next time Ranger McIntyre is on the case, I’ll be happy to ride along.