The Queen of the South -- by Arturo Perez-Reverte

 

Arturo Perez-Reverte might have worked too hard on this one, but it was a best-seller and made into a five-season series on television. I saw part of it before something else got in the way.

The descriptions were top-of-the-line, and he didn't hold back with characters, scenes, and dialogue. Perez-Reverte, also author of The Fencing Master, is a master of his craft. He earned his fame by throwing himself into writing anything he could after working as a war correspondent for 21 years.

Perez-Reverte is also a frequent topic of discussion in Spanish bars. Many of his fans kept up with his southern coast temporary homes. The Queen of the South proves he wasn't just fishing from his yacht. This exhibits good nautical knowledge of those southern bays, ports, law enforcement, smugglers, and Mediterranean boating. Most of the book was set along that southern Spanish coast, and he demonstrated that he knows those waterways.

Part of the action was also set in Mexico, and if he didn't visit there he certainly had good sources.

The story neatly builds toward a dramatic shootout in Culiacan, Mexico before heroine Teresa Mendoza disappears into legend and speculation.

The author wisely credits various contributors on p. 437-438 of my edition. There is also a sample chapter at the end from Captain Alatriste. That was also made into a television series, and it might remind some historic fiction fans of Cornwell's Sharpe series.

I give The Queen of the South a 4 and 9/10 rating. It was very good reading, but there was one chapter near the middle that ran at a visibly slower speed than the rest of the content. It was a translated book, which could have figured in somewhere. The editing appeared to be strong, too.

Dream Station -- by Adeleine Keane

 

I had problems getting through this book because it was relaxing me, and putting me to sleep. It was that effective.

I haven't read poetry in a while, and it caught up to me quickly. Rhyme, word choice, pacing, and good spacing are all there in this single-author shorty. Many poetry books come as anthologies, but Adeleine Keane put a good one together here all by herself.

None of it was disappointing, but as it is in poetry, there were a few words meant to connect with much higher vocabularies. 

Keane started strong and didn't let up. Chimera is in the lead on p. 3, followed by W. Fred:

"Look upon ole, frolicking Fred,

skipping stones by the watershed

Where he finds joy in his chosen fad:

Not soured by fears of being slightly mad

Where he bends down by birch tree,

While other folks would, but flee;

To pull iron crow with childish glee

and with high hopes and plenty pursuit --

Whacks once, twice and three,

Then takes keen work to knee

To rustle up his world-famous gum,

Nice and thick -- wouldn't you agree?

And you could cook up your own gum;

Nice and thick -- and free"

I got my copy from a neighbor for my reading, and review.

Eneas Africanus -- by Harry Stillman Edwards

 

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

My late grandmother gave this to me several years ago, and it returned to me earlier this week while going through my late mother's books. My grandmother said it might give me some slight insight into the way things were in the South long before I was born. The book was published by J.W. Burke in Macon, Georgia in 1920.

Eneas Africanus was entrusted with recovering a stolen silver cup: a prized family heirloom. Over the course of eight years, he got it and returned to the Tommey family in Macon. The quest began in 1864, but he started a family on the road and returned with a wife and a few children.

The Tommeys received several letters during those eight years, and not all praised Eneas but reported varying opinions of his character. They provided interesting reading, too.

The book's second half is of a church trial, in which Eneas was accused of making his wife work on a Sunday by plowing some land. The trial read like a possible rough template for a Tyler Perry TV skit with Eneas being acquitted. Reading through the rural Southern talk was a little challenging, but the book is very short.

It could be considered an interesting read, but this was truly from another world, published over one hundred years ago in the Deep South. (less)

Zelensky -- by Andrew L. Urban and Chris McLeod

 

I am always hesitant to buy a book revolving around something not finalized, or if the dust is still flying. There's frequently some annoying mistakes from a rushed production. Even the best writers can be weakened in a rush. Look at the numerous political event books that frequently pop up.

I learned early, dragged to several of Elvis Presley's movies as a child.

It took a while until the really bothersome errors showed up. These Australian newspaper guys, Urban and McLeod, had pretty decent copy until about the middle. There was more repetition than necessary, but an overlooked OOOPS-type on error p. 94-95 was an unavoidable distraction.

On p. 94 it says he was born on January 25, 1978, but on the following page, it says he formed a group of performers in 1977. I wish I could do things like that.

While a better title might have been something like Ukraine and Zelensky, and it isn't up there with the classics, it is a very strong reference book for Ukraine, its history, relationship with Russia, and other neighbors. I found it for under $20 at Walmart, and plan to hang onto my copy.

The content is different from most books on the shelf. Much is newspaper-style with small paragraphs, and it moves fast until that middle area. My guess is that they probably still have their day jobs, children, and other life issues. All of that can take a toll, and they possibly lack that serious additional, honest proofreader. 

Or, edits were made but weren't accepted in the electronic publishing processes. Annoying, but not worth losing sleep over.

Even if you watch all the televised videos about the Ukraine-Russia war you would still read facts here often skipped in electronic reporting.