What I Read -- City of Buried Ghosts

I picked up City of Buried Ghosts, by Chris Lloyd, in a hotel where S and I recently stayed.  It's a detective mystery, and follows the genre tropes just as one might expect.  So insofar as that goes, it was not particularly clever or creative. 

Where it is challenging is that it's set in Catalonia, which is a region of Spain where a particular dialect of Spanish is spoken. Consequently,  the character names and place names are unusual, making them both difficult to pronounce and a tad harder than normal to remember. (At least that's the experience I have with words and especially languages that are unfamiliar.  I had a similar experience with my recent book on Indonesian history.  Or perhaps that's just me?)

Anywho, I didn't find much special in this book to recommend it over others of its kind, but if you're interested in a moderately sad page turner, this will get the job done.

What I'm Reading Now -- Stuck: How the Privileged and the Propertied Broke the Engine of American Opportunity

I have no idea where this book came from; I just found it in my reading app on my phone one day.  Not having any other audiobooks available at the time, I took the "something is better than nothing" approach and decided to give it a go.

Here are a few ofthe things this book told me before my time ran out and the library took it away:

 - Settlers in America have always been extremely mobile. The goal was to move up, get better economic opportunities, or escape your past.
 - People who moved had a higher-than-average rate of involvement in civic, religious, and community associations. People who stayed put had lower rates of involvement.

 - The rise of zoning lows in (in California, primarily as a way to exclude the Chinese and Chinese-owned laundries through the mid- and late-19th century) began the trend of limiting mobility in order to satisfy the desires of the people who already lived in a particular area or neighborhood.
 - Zoning expanded and was further developed in NYC and Flint, Michigan, particularly in response to the first and second great migrations.

At which time, the library reclaimed its free mystery book, so I have nothing further to offer unless and until I finish up listening to it.

The Small and The Mighty -- Take 2

The Small and The Mighty: Twelve Unsung Americans Who Changed the Course of History, From the Founding to the Civil Rights Movement is a rare combination of quick, entertaining, and informative.  Where I find that it really shines is in finding little-known historical figures who did youman's work, often for years or decades, and giving color and depth to the story of their often Herculean efforts.

In the end, it attempts to convey the message that we all have a role to play in potentially changing history.  I'm not quite sure I believe I'm ready to go there.  It seems like a fun idea, but one that may only exist when there are certain circumstances present -- a certain social, cultural, or psychological stew that has been brewing already, some kindling already on the fire, in order for one's actions to light the inferno.

The author shamelessly plugs her own podcast atthe end of the book ... but I was interested enough to want to check it out. If you're curious to check it out yourself, it's called "This is Where It Gets Interesting."

A Brief History of Indonesia -- Take 2

A Brief History of Indonesia: Sultans, Spices, and Tsunamis: The Incredible Story of Southeast Asia's Largest Nation is exactly what it purports to be, and I very much appreciate that about it. Specifically, it meets both the expectations set by its title and subtitle, and also in its introduction, which promises a non-academic review of the long and tumultuous history of this portion of the Malay archipelago.

For us westerners, it's easy for a country like Indonesia to be ignored.  It's not one of the world's military superpowers; it's not the exclusive source of any particular product which we Americans must have; its economy overall is pretty much in shambles domestically, not to mention internationally.

But that doesn't mean that it doesn't have a fascinating history of discovery, exploitation, and resistance.  As a nation of islands in southeast Asia, it was perfectly positioned to be central to the spice trade -- together with all the good and bad things that came along with that.  If you want to learn about them, this book is a pretty good introduction.