Appetite for America: How Visionary Businessman Fred Harvey Built a Railroad Hospitality Empire That Civilized the Wild West by Stephen Fried

What a great book! A historical account/biography that reads as a intriguingly as a novel. Investigative journalist Stephen Fried clearly delved into his subject with relish, and as a result has produced an important work about development of (primarily) the Southwest via the railroads, specifically the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe, and hospitality network created by Fred Harvey, whose company fed and the housed travelers and tourists discovering the West. 

I came across this book in the gift shop of the Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ during a recent trip and on my return, was able to obtain it from my local library. Not only did I enjoy it immensely, but I learned a tremendous amount about the locales where Harvey's network of restaurants and hotels were established, and in some cases, still exist under other management. Can't wait to get back out West and visit a few of them.

Idyllic Edinburgh: The Quiet Side of Passion by Alexander McCall Smith (Isabel Dalhousie Number 12)

What better escape from the daily grind is there than to virtually accompany philosopher Isabel Dalhousie on her rounds through Edinburgh, as she solves problems large and small, conquers moral dilemmas and generally puts everyone's lives to rights. 

Actually I don't just want to accompany Isabel, I want to be her. She's admired, respected and loved by nearly everyone, with the possible exception of the annoying Dr. Lettuce (one of McCall Smith's perfectly-named characters), and she lives in a large and lovely inherited home with her charming, handsome and considerably younger husband, a professional musician, and her two young boys. She edits a journal of philosophy, occasionally helps out in her niece's gourmet delicatessen, and attends a lot of concerts and plays. She also continues to cultivate Brother Fox, who lives in the woods behind her home, with the occasional roast chicken. It's a very good life and she's a good person.

I just finished this latest installment a few evenings ago and closed the book with contentment. All was made right in Isabel's world, and thus, for a little while, I shared in her good fortune. It definitely made me sleep better, and that is worth 5 stars anytime.

Anne Frank as Heroine: Annelies by David R. Gillham

Once I started this novel, I could hardly put it down. The author has created an alternate scenario for Anne Frank. Instead of dying at Bergen-Belsen, as the real Anne did, she survives and returns to Amsterdam, where she joins her father (the actual sole survivor of the eight who hid together from the Nazis), Miep, Bep and the rest of the office staff at 263 Prinsengracht.

Hers is not a happy existence. Her anger, anxiety, survivor's guilt and the post-war surroundings are portrayed with a remarkable intensity. It is all so vivid and compelling that it is easy to almost believe that it is true, not fictional. As a reader, you want to believe it.

From the age of ten or so, Anne Frank has been a part of my life. Like so many other girls, I read The Diary of a Young Girl multiple times, and as an adult, I read every book and account of her life I could find. I first visited the Anne Frank house in 1987, when it was still possible to climb the narrow stairs that led to the attic where the Franks and their friends had lived, and peer into her room, where some of her film star pictures were still glued to the walls. 

Despite all this, Anne remained untouchable and abstract. It was always clear that she had a talent and unique intelligence, and her death (along with the millions of others) was a horrible and unfathomable crime. I have always wondered what work she would have produced had she survived.

Somehow, this novel provides a context, even though it is all conjecture. It is, however, an amazing window into the workings of the mind of a survivor of a horrific experience, and into the conditions in Amsterdam and other European cities, post World War II. I don't think, for those of us Americans who were born after the war, that this is really something we can easily grasp.

The author has clearly done an immense amount of research into Anne Frank and the others who hid in the Annex, the Jewish community of Amsterdam prior to and during the war, the circumstances of the expulsions to the camps and the conditions and experiences of the inmates, survivor life in The Netherlands and elsewhere, and the psychological and emotional effects of such experiences.

On top of all that, this is a compelling story with a satisfying conclusion. I look forward to reading more by this author.

Rina and Peter on Their Own: Walking Shadows by Faye Kellerman (Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus, #25)

I enjoyed this latest Decker/Lazarus novel because it examined their relationship more closely, leaving out, for a change, the extended family. Faye Kellerman brought to light some of the issues facing older couples - retirement, health concerns and worries about their own very elderly parents.

As usual, there was a gruesome murder and other crimes to solve, and good detective work by Peter, Rina and Tyler McAdams (Decker's young and prickly partner). Tyler has become familiar with Judaism, kosher food and Shabbos observance, and enjoys being a frequent visitor to his mentor's home.

I also enjoy Kellerman's very visual descriptions of the locales, the appearances of the characters, and especially Rina's wardrobe, in which she manages to follow Orthodox conventions but still look contemporary and fashionable.

There was a good tease at the end about what's next for Peter and Rina, and I'm looking forward to it!

Not a Hit Tune: Tony's Wife by Adriana Trigiani

Not Trigiani's best work, unfortunately. Too many cliches and anachronisms. I liked the heroine, Chi Chi Donatelli, until she became Tony's wife. It was all downhill after that - I just could not understand why such an intelligent, ambitious and talented woman would marry a womanizer that she didn't even love, even though they were good friends. She should have kept it that way and married the nice guy who would have supported her in her musical career. 

I found a lot of the references to characters and locations in Trigiani's other books to be somewhat forced as well. Big Stone Gap and Roseto, PA seemed very out of place in this book set on the Jersey shore. And then there was the transistor radio - these radios were not out until the 1950s, but in this book they appeared in the 1930s. How did Trigiani get that so wrong, and where was her editor? 

What a shame... Tony's Wife was just not up to Trigiani's best books, including Lucia, Lucia, Very Valentine and of course, Big Stone Gap. Hopefully, her next book will be a winner.

Not Forgotten: The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai

So beautifully written and moving... a novel that examines the AIDS crisis in 1980s Chicago and also its aftermath, through the life of one particular gay man, and through eyes of his friend, a woman whose brother was one of the early victims. It's a book about hate, and a book about love. A book about fear, and a book about bravery and compassion.

It took me straight back to that period in my own life, working in the fashion business in New York – when so many men I knew were cut down in their 20s and 30s... a neighbor down the hall in my apartment building, the partner of a co-worker, and so many others. It seemed to come out of nowhere, and suddenly there was an epidemic and death was everywhere in the gay community, and touching the friends of those of us on its periphery. It was a complete and utter tragedy that changed so much of life in the city and decimated a large component of my generation.

Despite the sadness of the story, I'm very glad to have read this important work. It's far too easy to forget what those bad times were really like - just 30 or so years ago - and to think what the victims might have accomplished had they not been struck down in their prime. So sad.

Go Stewart! A Time of Love and Tartan by Alexander McCall Smith (44 Scotland Street, #12)

How does he do it? How does an author of so many books, in multiple series, continue to produce works of such quality? How does he manage to combine such a mix of superb character studies, timely attention to topics of current interest, imagery, gentle humor, wit and so much more in these volumes?

A Time of Love and Tartan was one of his best, I think. The doubts and concerns of the main characters were dealt with and resolved, and that negativity put right where it belongs... with those that bring it. The positive developments were celebrated and form a basis for future episodes of the inhabitants of 44 Scotland Street, and their friends and associates.

As always, the wonderful voice characterizations of Robert Ian MacKenzie bring added delight to listeners. His supercilious tones for Irene, deep Scottish burr for Angus, and the tones of seven-year-old Bertie are impeccable. Perfection to the ears!

If you are an optimist, this book will reaffirm it. If you are a pessimist, on the other hand, it may cure you.