Monday, April 24, 2023

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus


I was reluctant to read this as I made an erroneous assumption (aren’t they all) that is was a romance novel.   In some ways it is but in more important ways it is a revelation.   Misogyny in the decade of the fifties is hardly surprising.   This book looks at an accomplished woman who struggled against the establishment to be seen.  

Admittedly I was a child during this time but it still just astounds me the climate facing women at that time.   My mother worked in the steel mill during WWII, not as a clerk, secretary, or typist but on the mill floor, with the 4F men.   She used a thirty-plus pound grinder on steel pipe and spark-tested the pipe to verify its composition.   I’m a big guy, I used a grinder when I was in the same steel mill decades later, and I was exhausted at the end of my shift, and I was ten years younger than my mother would have been during that time.   I bring that up because you would make an erroneous assumption that after men saw women doing work like that they would have been hard-pressed to return to misogyny.  

I know my wife was paid less than I was in the same kind of job, because “they” could get away with it.  Speaking to my daughter-in-law, a third generation, misogyny still plagues women in general but is often even heavier on highly educated, “uppity” women.    Logic dictates that 50% of the population should be encouraged to aspire to the highest productivity that is possible. 

This is not a diatribe on men, sometimes the cruelest critic of the accomplished woman is a woman who has suffered similar discrimination and failed to successfully defend themselves.  Which Garmus clearly points out.

Innuendo and discrimination exist and it is EVERY person’s responsibility to defend that part of our population that is being defamed regardless of gender, race, or sexual proclivity. 

Reading this book fired me up, I really enjoyed it but was appalled at the fact that similar bad behavior is continuing.

Garmus injected humor and crafted her characters quite well.   The dog and rowing both hit home for personal reasons.  

I highly recommend the book and implore you to go out of your way to support someone else's striving for success. 


This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned



Wednesday, April 19, 2023

AI Grade School Explanation by AI editied by William G. Bentrim

 Artificial Intelligence is a hot issue. Children pick up technology fast. I asked ChatGPT to explain what AI is at an upper elementary school level. In addition, I asked it to suggest an illustration for each page. The prompts ChatGPT provided were inputted in Catbird.ai which generated the illustrations. This resulted in a book, AI A Grade School Explanation by AI.

If you want a FREE pdf of how an AI explains itself, message me
wbentrim@bentrim.info

Line of Darkness by Max Tomlinson


A tough, world-weary, unlicensed, former felon private eye stumbles upon a world-spanning Nazi hunting group, neo-Nazis, and real Nazis on the streets of San Franciso. 

Colleen Hayes is struggling to reconnect with a daughter who harbors a wealth of resentment for feeling abandoned due to Colleen’s time of incarceration.  While working to support a less-than-accepting daughter, Colleen runs afoul of neo-Nazi thugs, her on-again-off-again boyfriend, and a client. 

I liked the dive into World War II history and the back story of character motivation. Tomlinson showed compassion for characters in intolerable situations.  He also showed that clarity and morality may be skewed due to circumstances.

The story had action, I enjoyed the scene where Pam demonstrated she truly is her mother’s daughter.  This was a very good detective story that I highly recommend.



 


This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

Friday, April 14, 2023

Long Shadows by David Baldacci


Amos Decker is back but he’s different.  This Amos Decker is more nuanced.  Freddie White, his new partner, is not thrilled with the case or Amos.  Together they are tasked to discover who murdered a federal judge.

Baldacci has evolved Decker’s character.  The change isn’t immediately apparent and Decker is still battling his formidable personal demons.   While suffering fools is still beyond his will, he shows some surprising empathy.

This tale has a daunting complexity.  Each twist brings a new turn and you are led down the primrose path to discover it deadends.  

The book is captivating and darn difficult to put down.

I highly recommend it.  


This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned



Sunday, April 9, 2023

Double Blind by D. P. Lyle



This is an entertaining mystery with a strong and feisty female protagonist.   Sam Cody is a sheriff's deputy and a boxer.  Her vacation from both finds her caught up in a Big Foot scenario.

Sam comes into Gold Creek, Colorado to stay at her old friend, Alyss’s bed and breakfast.   She is welcomed to the community by being run over by a murderer.  Not one to sit on the sidelines she runs afoul of Chief Wade and his presumption that he knows the identity of the murderer.

Combing greed and rogue medical experiments Lyle adds a layer of complexity to a seemingly simple murder.

Lyle stepped up his game with this book.  I really enjoyed it and recommend it. 


This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned

Tuesday, April 4, 2023

An Astronomer In Love by Antoine Laurain

This book might best be described as a character study.  Guillaume le Gentil is the French King’s royal astronomer seeking to document the transit of Venus across the sun.   Xavier Lemercier is a divorced real-estate agent searching for meaning in his life.   Centuries apart the two never meet but the life of one dramatically impacts the other.

Laurain builds his characters with precision and depth.   You, as Xavier feels, must have met sometime before.  The strength and resilience of Guillaume are awe-inspiring.  There is no action, violence, or mayhem in this book.  There are a lot of thoughtful perspectives on human nature, the courage of convictions, and the need for connection and companionship.

I did not expect to enjoy the book and I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend it.  

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned