Nerve
Posted: 2017/05/16 Filed under: Book Reviews, BookLust I, Fiction | Tags: 2017, book lust i, book review, Dick Francis, Fiction, horses, may, mystery Leave a commentFrancis, Dick. Nerve. New York: Harper & Row, 1964.
Reason read: the Kentucky Derby takes place in May. Read in honor of the horses.
Robert “Rob” Finn is an up and coming steeplechase rider with a passion for the competition. His passion turns to self doubt after a series of events threaten his confidence. First Arthur Mathews, a fellow jockey and friend, takes his own life in front of everyone. Then Rob starts to lose race after race after race. A fall from a horse has the whole steeplechase community convinced Rob has finally lost his nerve. And everyone knows a rider without nerve is a useless rider. It isn’t until Rob discovers a carefully orchestrated trap and uncovers proof of sabotage that he starts to formulate his revenge.
As an aside, I would like to know people who are “as cheering as rum punch in a snow storm” (p 8). I think that would be a good thing.
Favorite lines, “Stifling hope is a hopeless business” (p 46) and “Who wouldn’t love a girl who thought of hot soup at a time like that” (p 127).
Author fact: Francis was a jockey himself and you know what they say, people should write what they know.
Book trivia: Nerve is short, not even 200 pages long. This is Francis’s second mystery.
Nancy said: Nerve is simply a “treasure” and “ought not to go unread” (p 165).
BookLust Twist: from Book Lust in the chapter “My Own Private Dui” in Nancy’s category “ought not go unread” (p 165). I know, I said that already.
May I Read Another Book?
Posted: 2017/05/01 Filed under: Early Review, Fiction, NonFiction | Tags: autobiography, biography, california, Dick Francis, Donald Collins, Early Review, Elizabeth Shepard, Fiction, henry james, HW Brands, Leon Edel, librarything, Mary Collins, mental health, mystery, NonFiction, Robert Graves, series, Sue Grafton, war Leave a commentConfessional: I don’t have any runs planned for May. I don’t have any travel planned for May (except going home-home). All I want to do is read, plant my gardens & master the grill. While the garden and the grill ambitions cannot be quantified, here are the books!
Fiction:
- Nerve by Dick Francis ~ in honor of the Kentucky Derby being in May
- A Gay and Melancholy Sound by Merle Miller ~ in honor of Miller’s birth month. BTW – This is a behemoth (nearly 600 pages) so I am not confident I’ll finish it in time.
- H by Elizabeth Shepard ! in honor of mental health month. This is barely 160 pages & will probably finish on a lunch break or two.
Nonfiction:
- Age of Gold by H.W. Brands ~ in honor of History month being in May (confessional – this looks boring)
- Lusitania: an epic tragedy by Diana Preston ~ in honor of the month the Lusitania sank
- Goodbye to all That by Robert Graves ~ in honor of Memorial Day
Series continuations:
- “Q” is for Quarry by Sue Grafton ~ to continue, and for me, finish the series started in April in honor of Grafton’s birth month (AB). Should be able to finish this in a weekend (AB + print)
- Henry James: the Conquest of London (1870 – 1881) by Leon Edel ~ to continue the series started in April in honor of James’s birth month.
Early Review for LibraryThing:
- At the Broken Places: —- by Mary and Donald Collins