What’s Ziggyman Reading?
I just finished The Bangtail Ghost by Keith McCafferty, the last in his Sean Stranahan series. Sean Stranahan is a painter, fly fisherman and private investigator who enjoys solving mysteries, often assisting Sheriff Martha Ettinger when the need arises. There is an attraction between Sean and the Sheriff that results in an ‘on again, off again’ relationship. If you love the great outdoors, the author tries to educate the reader with an aspect of the wilderness in each of the eight novels in the series. The Bangtail Ghost of this book is a mountain lion, so you learn lots about cougar behavior. Because many of the supporting characters are in each of the novels, I suggest you read the series in order. https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/keith-mccafferty/
Another novel I recently read was Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry. I was introduced to this author by my daughter several years ago when she was in a book group at Our Table Cooperative, a co-op of farmers in Sherwood, Oregon. Wendell Berry is an American novelist, poet, essayist, environmental activist, cultural critic, and farmer, whose writings tend to center around rural America. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wendell_Berry. I enjoyed Hannah Coulter because the time period of the novel is similar to my life. A description of this book from the book jacket states, “In this latest installment of Wendell Berry’s acclaimed story about the citizens of Port William, Kentucky, Hannah Coulter sorts through her memories. Twice-widowed, alone, and in her late seventies, Hannah recalls childhood, young love and loss, raising children, and the changing of the seasons. She offers her steady voice as she contemplates the deterioration of community, with wise and often fiery opinions about the way things were, are, and might have been.” There are several other books in this series about the folks of the fictional rural town of Port William, Kentucky. The stories are told from the perspective of the Membership, a group of families that includes the Coulters, Catletts, and Feltners. If you were born in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s, a time period that had black and white television, unpaved roads, social activities that included large family and neighbor gatherings, I think you would enjoy this book.
Finally, I have been reading novels by Richard Russo whose most well-known novel was probably Empire Falls for which he won a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2002 and was made into an HBO miniseries in 2005. Thus far, I have read Empire Falls, Mohawk, and The Risk Pool. The setting for each of these is upstate New York and are semi-autobiographical. Like Hanna Coulter, the time period of these three books is similar to my life. Mr. Russo is a year and a half younger than me so I can relate to many things in his novels. I am just beginning to read Nobody’s Fool, which was made into a movie in 1994 starring Paul Newman. In fact, Paul Newman starred in Empire Falls and another film, Twilight, co-written by Russo, and has his photo on the cover of Nobody’s Fool.
While we’re on the subject of reading, I just learned that the National Literacy Trust’s annual literacy survey found that only 35% of eight to eighteen year old’s enjoy reading in their spare time. There are probably many reasons for this, including the approaches to teaching reading today in the schools, which put an emphasis on targeting struggling readers; video entertainment from smartphones, computers, and game boxes; and, a lack of funding in some communities resulting in library closures. As a student in grade school in the 1950’s, I remember having to stand in front of the class and present my “Book Report,” a book picked out by me and read for pleasure. Research has shown many benefits of reading for enjoyment, including, academic achievement, social and emotional wellbeing, relaxation, and life satisfaction. I have many friends in my age group today who read for pleasure each day and enjoy talking about and sharing books with each other. It is alarming to me that only one in three kids today enjoy reading in their spare time. But, hey, why sit down and read when you can get all you need to know or be entertained by watching Fox News or CNN.
Well, I didn’t win the Make America Great Again bible. Pam Bondi, who the hell is she? I’ll need to do some research. I guess the two football clowns, Walker and Tuberville, are being considered for other positions in the Kakistocracy. I’m still thinking Tuberville for Secretary of Defense, as I see Hegseth following the path of Gaetz soon. Remember, Tuberville radically held up over 300 senior military promotions for over six months because he disagreed with the Pentagon’s abortion policy of reimbursing service members that travel across state lines for the procedure. He also has pissed off colleagues for saying “no one up here is more military than me.” Tuberville has never served in the military.
I guess that will do it for today. It’s raining out there, so I think I’ll pour myself a cup of coffee and sit down in my reading chair to enjoy a few more chapters of Nobody’s Fool. Have yourself a great weekend!! Ziggyman
Mountain Man Musings 