One Shot at Compelling

Well, I finished the collection of short stories (or at least as many as I wanted to read).  They were of that "literary" type, of course, and were therefore sometimes confusing and sometimes depressing and sometimes wonderful.  There were a few of each in Best American Short Stories of 1999. 

Next I started on another "T" book, Caliban's Shore: The Wreck of the Grosvenor, a history of late 18th century India and some English colonists who attempt an ill-fated voyage to England around the bottom of Africa.  The author, Stephen Taylor, is South African.  I tried reading it, but there was so much detail about the politics of the East Indian colony that I just couldn't get interested in it.

So, I've decided to abandon that book and move on to one a co-worker lent me, One Shot at Forever, by Chris Ballard, a sports writer.  The book is a true story of a high school baseball team in a small Illinois town and their quest to compete at the highest level in the state.  It takes place in 1971 and their improbably successful coach is a hippie dude who coaches (and teaches) in a completely different way from what they and their parents are used to.  Rather than using the drill-sergeant-style method of discipline and training, this coach allows them to find their own way and to train and discipline toward a self-imposed goal of improving and playing competitively while also having fun.

It's very well written and compelling, so I'm enjoying it.  I'll return to my list when I'm finished.

Meanwhile, I've also been listening to audiobooks of Ruth Rendell's Inspector Wexford series (as incentive for walking).  Reginald Wexford is a middle-aged police detective in a suburb of London and he is a great character! Rendell started writing these books back in the early 1960's, when Inspector Wexford was around 50 years old.  She's still writing them, although now the inspector, who should be over 100 by now, is still middle-aged and adjusting to the social and technological changes of the 21st century, as he did with each decade of the 20th century since the 60s.  Despite their protagonist's apparent deal with the devil, Rendell's novels are just as well-written as ever--cleverly plotted with interesting, realistic characters and very little violence or sexual suggestion (never any actual sex being described).  They count as what are called "cozy" mysteries, which I prefer, I think.  I like the puzzle of it--I can imagine the violence myself.

Until next time . . .

From History to Short Fiction: Continuing on the T-Train

The past week I finished the Troy, Maine history and started on a collection of short stories edited by Amy Tan (another "T" author): Best American Short Stories of 1999.  I've read a couple of the stories so far and have been enjoying them.

I'll have more to say next week on this.