Well, Valentines Day is this week after all. Looking forward to this one. Time to dig in.

Digging into "The Far Empty" this week. It's been dark, dusty, and determined so far. Here's a picture of the women in my life as they navigate a dark and dusty path along the flood walls of Richmond.

80% through this lovely book. The mood? Dark. The writing? Superb. Not realizing Mr. Price is right up the road teaching some very lucky students at UVA? Priceless. Here's a picture of some shoes hanging from a wire that I took. Dark feels good.

Finally, I have the time and, I have the head-space to dig into this one. If there's an Underground Highway out there, I could complete the Planes, Trains, and Automobiles of near historical fiction.

What an enjoyable read. The time was ripe with a need for escape and Ward's first novel set in my home town was just what I needed to disappear into the past for a bit. Race, sexual orientation, baseball, WWII, who done it, strong female characters, and 40s Richmond all rolled into one? Yes, please.

Alright Ward, let's get right into it. A 40s crime novel set in Richmond, VA? Yes, please. I picked this up last weekend at the 2nd Annual Brew Ho Ho sponsored by Chop Suey Books. 30+ authors in the house getting the rawk star treatment by us book enthusiasts. You know? Authors drinking beers and talking to fans. Very backstage hairband vibe. Good Times.

I love books that take place in and around my beloved Richmond, VA. Yet, this one was difficult on the old sleep cycle a couple of nights while reading this book. With bombs in RVA, DC, and areas near me, Lenore placed me right in the thick of it. The pace and cadence of her writing get right down into the stress of life, death, and all points in between when trying to stay alive in a desolate surrounding after a disaster.

Time for some local author love, coffee, warmth from a windowed sun, and a cozy pooch at my side *buttweiler not pictured.*

*insert snooty, holier than thou PBS voice* It was... ok. I still give it two horns up for the history and build towards the ending, but it just up and stopped at the end. As if Mr. O'Nan had to hop up and run off while in sight of the "proper" ending. Leaving him no choice but to scribble the final paragraph and bolt for the exits. Damn, I HATE saying anything ill of anyone willing to put words on a page for me to read.

The term "page turner" has always bothered me somewhat. As if getting SO deep into a book so very quickly that you cannot put it down is EVER bad thing. This was, indeed, a "page turner" with teeth, humor, compassion, honor, action, and rather poignant political view of our veterans tossed aside like so much trash when they return home. Pick it up, devour it in a day, and be better for it.

I don't always read with a Buttweiler on my feet. Wait, this just in. Yeah, I do always read with a Buttweiler on my feet. #buttweiler #getlit #ronrashandroll

Reading Ron Rash, for me, is not unlike hearing a story told by one of my Aunts or my Uncle. A story told over a plate of my Granny Mac's pintos and cornbread all washed down with a glass of sweet tea.

"I see the world through bloodshot eyes
Streets filled with blood from distant lies.
The dogs of war never compromise,
No real time for rearranging.
"Help me Jesus, help me clean my wounds"
He said he cannot heal that kind.
Bleeding soul becomes a bitter mind.
He said it happens every time" Corrosion of Conformity to clear the palette. That, Black Coffee, and Ron Rash.

Near Future Fiction is quickly becoming a favorite genre for me. I'll be adding Ben Winters to my list of must read authors, putting him just right of Paolo Bacigalupi. Tweaking our past in order to adjust our future opens doors. Some doors open to glorious fun. Some? Not so much. Winters's "Underground Airlines" lands firmly in what, well, damn-near IS y'all. Scares the absolute phuck out of me honestly.

#haiku
There are days in need
of work-crushing soul searching.
There are days indeed.

No one well tell "the corporation" I took a break to lounge on be floor and use the old noodle for good rather than evil right?

Thoroughly enjoyed this one. As with all of the Ron Rash novels I've read, they move quickly and precisely through the darkness and back into the light. The struggles with alcohol are heavy in this one. Those newly sober may find it a wee-tad too real.

Coming up next on "My Leg, What I'm Reading, and What I'm Drinking." The alternate title, "Sorry Kids, No Groceries This Week. Daddy went to Chop Suey Books" did not test well amongst left-handed teens with eye roll disorder. In all seriousness, Ron Rash kicks ash.

As an unapologetic lover of Pat Conroy's over the top and perfectly tragic southern tale, I can only say, "Damn, I miss you son." I'll just have to reread them all just one more time.

For me, reading Pat Conroy is like surfing. The laughter on one page is the moment the wave picks me UP and allows me to be completely free, if only for a moment. Then, on the next page, I misstep and CRASH headlong into wave after wave of absolute despair. Then, the next page I'm back UP...

For me, reading Pat Conroy is like surfing. The laughter on one page is the moment the wave picks me UP and allows me to be completely free, if only for a moment. Then, on the next page, I misstep and CRASH headlong into wave after wave of absolute despair. Then, the next page I'm back UP...

Such a brutally beautiful book. More than once, I found myself putting the book down to breath deep, get up, walk outside and let the sun warm me because memories of family and friends long dead surfaced. Such a gift this book. Such a gift.

"Listen. Dead people never stop talking." Not sure why this has sat in "The Pile" for SO long. Here. We. Go y'all.

"Listen. Dead people never stop talking." Not sure why this has sat in "The Pile" for SO long. Here. We. Go y'all.

Quick moving and articulate. The writing was quite descriptive without overindulging in $5.00 words. If it wasn't for that pesky job thingy, I'd have finished in one day. Read it. You'll love it.

"The day I committed my first crime I was dressed in civilian clothes--" is the way it begins? Ok, I'm in like Flynn.

Sully's my homie. Russo, you sly devil, you made me laugh often and, at times, allowed and inappropriately. I thank you for that.

Really enjoyed the overall perspective and deep feeling of Nguyen's writing. An absolute must for history based readers.