Unmasked by Paul Holes

   It is not easy doing cold cases. 

   Have you ever asked yourself just what kind of person does this type of work? Or what type of life style does it take?

    Paul Holes, along with Robin Gaby Fisher, pens a book that could help you put flesh to the  person who does this type of forensics work.

   "My ex-wife used to say my job was my mistress, and I chose my mistress over everyone," writes Holes.

   Just what type of mind set does it develop? 

   Holes takes you with him as he works his job as a crime solver. It has the sub-title My Life Solving American's Cold Cases. And he lets you see the losses he suffered as he narrowed his attention to his one passion- to close these cases.

   This book isn't  a collection of individual snapshots as are some other true crime books. This is a daily over the shoulder journey of a crime fighter. He does close some cases. But his frustration also is allowed to be recorded..

   "Few people know the pressures of the woeful world of homicide ..not one to be entered lightly...No one leaves unscathed." he observes.

       I see the main case dominating the story is finding who he calls the East Area Rapist. It took him many years to close that cold case. 

     "A psychological sadist... brandishing control, tying up and blindfolding his victims, before ordering them to sexually satisfy him," is how he described the person.

     This book can be read by people interested in true crime non-fiction. It is not for the casual reader. Nor for the thrill seeker. It is serious.

      You may be able to find this in your local library or bookstore. It runs around $28.99 in hard cover. The publisher is Celadon Books, a Division of Macmillan Publishers.

       

Quiet by Susan Cain

 

 The world is made up of two types of people. They are introverts and extroverts. About one third of the population is an introvert. There is nothing wrong with that. It is the introvert who thinks through the problem and gets it fixed. The extrovert is in motion and may not, unless he is a mix, slow down enough to realize  the pleasure of slowing down and smelling the roses.

     This book has the subtitle of -- The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking. It has been in print now for a decade. I mention it because it is a good study and well written.. It is not a text book so the general reader will not get lost in the reading.

       Cain opens with an introduction concerning the layout of introversion and extroversion. I recommend you don't skip it. She sections it into four parts. In the first she covers the myth of  charismatic leadership. In  the second she  looks at the biology asking if the temperament is destiny.

        A short third section, which is only one chapter in length,  wants to know if all cultures have an idea of extroversion.  And we end up in the fourth section looking at extroversion and introversion in love and work situations. 

       Cain is an introvert and contends that the introvert is vastly underrated. Personality traits exist and they are shaping our lives in profound ways.

       This 352 page book has  a study guide at the end for those who wish to use this in a discussion group.

        The book is published by Crown Publishers (Random House) and can be found at Barnes & Noble, Amazon (Kindle) , and Audio Books. Your local library should have a copy for you to check out. 

    

The Splendid And The Vile by Eric Larson

 Any book which helps us understand history better is always welcome. Also this period of history needed to be explained. If anyone really asked how did the elevation of Churchill to the office of Prime Minister of England at the age of sixty-five contribute to the  outcome of the war, this is the book  to read.

Churchill rose to power at a time of history that was suited for him. He was not a man to give up or aback down. He seemed to hold a philosophy of if a person attacks you you attack back. Hitler seems to feel if he could destroy Britain, Churchill and the British people would give in. With the previous PM, Chamberlain, that would have been possible, but they picked on the wrong PM. This book covers the first year of  Churchill's term as the Prime Minister .It also involves the people around Churchill such as his wife, his son, his daughter, his counselors. And the enemy, Hitler, Goebbels, Rudolf Hess and others. Churchill's objective was  to get America to join him in the fight but it seems Roosevelt was afraid of the congress that kept him neutral. It wasn't until Pearl Harbor that he got the message. This book is well research and I recommend it to history buffs , not that  the general public wouldn't also enjoy it. It is an easy read and delightful. 

It is published by Crown and runs for about $32.00 in hardcover. You can find it in softcover. Your local bookstore should have it or you can find it in the library.

I, Saul by Jerry B. Jenkins

   

Sure, this one is a book that has been out for a while. The copyright is  2013. Yet I still think it is a book that bears reading. Especially if you like stories of Biblical characters.

    Done in two voices which alternate, moving from today, well, the present, you can read the twenty first century or twentieth-- it really doesn't slow down the story-- and in the second voice of the prisoner Paul in the city of Rome awaiting execution back in the days of Nero.

    In the present day we have a seminary  professor  in the state of Texas, in a seminary just down the way from Dallas Seminary, trying to establish himself, getting a call from a fellow travel guide in Israel asking for  help. Seems he has discovered a memoir by the Apostle Paul written concerning his early education as a Pharisee and his life as a strict protector of the law. 

   The other viewpoint is the first century. Paul in the pit at Rome. awaiting execution. Doctor Luke is helping him write his memoirs. They must hide it from the Roman guards or it will be destroyed.

   Back to the present. It is discovered and  some people don't want it published.

  This is Jenkin's attempt at a thriller. It is a good read but not much of a thriller. It did bold my interest and I was not bored. The idea of a memoir of Paul is somewhat possible but as to Paul having done so, well, I don't really think he was that much of a person who worried about rehashing what was already recorded. 

    As I read the Scripture, he doesn't come across as that type of personality. He would have just been   restating what had already been said. In Acts, he doesn't seem to be that way.

    This book may still be on the shelve some where, But if you can't find it there in your local bookstore you can always try biblio.com. 

    This book is published by Worthy Publishing and my copy was about $16.99. You may find it for less online.

Where I Was From

                                                           

      Here we have a collection of essays by Joan Didion concerning  early California history. As a writer  She wrote lots of books.  Her writing can be looked at as in the style of new journalism.

    A good place to start with her writing is with  Slouching Toward Bethlehem  or The White Album. Maybe even at her 1070 book Play it As It Lays.

    This book of her essays is not a good place to start. It is a bit disjointed with lack of transitions.

     Maybe that is the form of this movement of new journalism, but it still makes for a style that is, in my opinon, not easily readable. She uses inclusive pictures of social unrest and psychological fragmentation. This seems to be her style. It may not be for everyone.

    I was handed this book as the 2022 Santa Monica Reads choice for discussion. It should be a good discussion generator

    

I'm Not Single, I Have a Dog by Susan Hartzler

 It is not easy being single in a married environment. And the choices we make in our dating life sometimes are not the best. If you are  willing to settle for anything in pants because you have a poor self image then you deserve  what you get.

Susan Hartzler thought herself a good judge of character. But she didn't seem to be too good when it came to men. Put friends or dogs in front of her and she does fine. Yet when it came to mates, here she lacked.

Her first attempt was an abuser. Her second lasted a bit longer, but he didn't like dogs. He lasted longer because he met a need in her life to care for someone else. But he was not a provider.

This is the story of a woman seeking love. It has the subtitle Dating Tales from the Bark Side.. 

She had a childhood of abuse so she carried that in to her choice of men. But the story ends happily. It seems the dogs she had in the journey to discover herself and find acceptance as a single woman paid off.

Hartzler is open about herself and her story. It wasn't an easy life, but she made it.

This is a delightful book. The point is that we may disappoint one another, but dogs never do that to us.

This book is published by McFarland & Company. I am sure you can find it in your local bookstore, Amazon carries everything, so I would think you can find it there. Or you can easily find it by searching for it online. Or maybe your local library will have a copy. 

Happy reading..

Hungry For More by Adrienne Youdim M.D.

 The New Year is here now, and I can bet one of your resolutions is to lose weight. We may start out with good intentions, but soon we need more than just the good intentions. We need a change of behavior. Something Doctor Youdim refers to as a hunger.

"Food security gets ingrained not only in our thoughts but also in our genes," she says. 

We all hunger for more out of life that manifests in  our actions which influence how we sleep. eat, work--all cone down to choice.

Dr. Youdim offers stories of patients she deals with as a nutrition specialist and puts each case under a category she refers to as a hunger. This book is not a diet book with meal plans. Oh, no. There is some psychology behind  her tales, all true. She shares her journey as well as the journey of those who come consult with her. 

The writing is a bit disjointed, but since I am not seeking a diet plan at the moment, I may have not completely understood  the thesis. But don't  let that stop you from reading it. For those who wish to know they aren't alone in the area of weight gain, and perhaps wish to consider why they need to reconsider it is possibly a unrealized need or hunger that keeps them from  attaining their vision, perhaps this is tghe book for you.

The author states "The current weight loss culture is based on fear, false promises and judgement serving up what is simply untrue--that weight is matter, trick and quick fixes."

She also has said "In the many years of doing this work, rarely  have I encountered a human whose emotions did not inform their eating."

This book can be ordered from Amazon should you wish to secure it.