Uncertainty, loss, and new hopes

I have been reading, but working in public health and spending my days reading a lot of literature about COVID, I have reverted back to gentle, re-reads in the evening, where I know the outcomes. However, I have read three books which were totally new to me.

The first one was The Whole Town's Talking by Fannie Flagg. If you have read my previous blog posts, you will know I am a huge fan of Fannie Flagg's writing, and this was no exception. It was absolutely wonderful and beautiful, focussing on a small town in Missouri, created by Lordor Nordstrom and his Swedish mail-order bride. Together they create a small town for family and friends, and the book explains each story and how the town grows, including the development of the town cemetery, and what happens to the town residents when they die. It is such a great story and a pleasure to read.

The second book I am writing about is in sharp contrast to the first one. Endorsed by Amnesty International, the Windrush Child was an emotional rollercoaster. It is about a young boy who has the ideal life with his Mum and Grandmother, when he has to move to England to be with his Father, who has been creating a new life for them. When he gets there, he has to adjust to seeing his Dad after all this time, the new climate, the different food, culture, people, etc. It is such an interesting story, and I was gripped throughout. I learnt so much about Jamaica, and the experience of Jamaicans moving to England. It must have been such a shock to this little boy, Leonard. He must have felt really torn, choosing between his Grandmother and his Mum and Dad. The book takes you through his experiences as a child and later as an adult. He has a family, and one day, when his daughter is all grown up, they decide to return to Jamaica for a visit together, and that is where the story comes to a shocking conclusion. The ending is so powerful and thought-provoking. It took me a while to process the outcome of this book. It was brilliantly written, by Benjamin Zephaniah, who made me feel everything that Leonard went through. It really is well worth reading.

The last book I am writing about was a surprise. I picked it up in a charity shop for a pound. I bought it because I liked the front cover, which was illustrated by Sylvia Dyson. Melissa Ann was written by Ethel Parton. There are no details of dates, but it sounds as though it was written in the 1800s. It is a delightful story about a young girl called Melissa Ann. It reminds me very much of Anne of Green Gables, by LM Montgomery. You learn about Melissa's, known as Mitty, family and friends. In a similar manner to the Windrush Child, she has to move from her childhood home, with her grandparents to another home. There is much uncertainty in her life, and she deals with it all, with courage, and she seems like a really sweet character. The book is filled with lovely characters and storylines. It was a wonderful surprise, and makes me want to learn more about Ethel Parton.

Michael Crichton, writing as John Lange

I am a huge fan of Michael Crichton, although I preferred his older books (Andromeda Strain, Timeline, The First Great Train Robbery, Congo, Jurassic Park, Sphere) to his newer ones (Rising Son, Disclosure). I suppose it was the fantasy and creative elements of the early ones; they really challenged the imagination. I remember the twist in Jurassic Park (the book, not the film), which was so fantastic. I was such a fan, that I even read his autobiography, Travels, which was so brilliant, that bizarrely, I left a few pages unread, because I didn't want it to end. Michael Crichton seems to have been a remarkable man. So, you can imagine my delight, when I discovered that he had also written under a pseudonym! John Lange, recently republished by Hard Case Crime, and written in the late 60s early 70s, when he was a student at Harvard Medical School. He wrote eight books in six years. I have just read two of them, and although slightly raw in places, they were both fantastic, and as exciting and creative as all of his books. They were both proper action adventure stories, with a tiny little bit of romance thrown in.

Easy Go is about an illegal archaeological dig, looking for the last tomb, and it is brilliant, from the fabulous characters to the history and knowledge conveyed about the tombs in Egypt, to the amazing twist at the end.

Grave Descend is set in Jamaica, and focuses on a diver, who is recruited to bring up some treasure from a boat that has recently sunk. It is a complicated story, involving wartime treasure transported by boat to Jamaica, followed by the Sicilian mafia. I can't tell you what happens to the treasure, but it is a very exciting finish. I particularly liked reading about the diving at night experience, and also the walk through the jungle area. Great descriptions in both books, making me gasp when there was a scare! If you are a fan of Samuel Johnson (often referred to as Dr Johnson), there are some nice quotes throughout the book too.

The books are a little bit sexist perhaps, particularly the front covers, but that is understandable, given when they were written. Both of these books are real page turners, easy to read, interesting, and full of adventure, quite in the style of James Bond, but with the heroes a little more rugged, like Indiana Jones. I can't wait to read the rest of them now. Are there any other Michael Crichton fans out there? Which ones are your favourites?

Geek fact of the day: One of my favourite films is Hackers (great film, great soundtrack), and one of the characters is called Zero Cool, which is also the name of one of the books in this series!