Kaethe

14 Feb 1998

26 Nov 1998

19 Sep 2016

Saturday was the fall library booksale. I had to pick up some holds and check them out at the front desk, so the girls got to hunting. The self scanner was down, and there were lines for the librarians so it took me a few minutes to get back to the sale room. I walked in and they immediately started handing me things they knew I would want, and pointing out where other things (like Dick Francis hardcovers) were. I picked up several delightful finds, but of my haul, only two were not chosen first by my kids. They get me. They also cleaned up for themselves: Al Franken and Stephen Colbert, an aircraft/flight coffee table book, a smallish two-volume hardcover Complete Shakespeare, and another copy of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, because sometimes one needs one's own copy. I also bought a Francis hardcover that I already own, but that's okay, because I'll donate the spare back to the library, and pick up whatever I'm missing next time.

So, I don't know why I didn't have this one, unless there's a random box of books hiding somewhere unpacked. We've lived here eleven years, but that is a possibility.

Review: very much like Hot Money in the son-bodyguarding-the-father bit. The son is 17 when this starts, 23 at the end, and although he is the narrator, there's no mistaking this for YA; the voice is looking back from some distance.

Feminism fun fact: no one is mocked for being a feminist. On the contrary, there is really understanding of the special disadvantages women suffer (in this case, politicians getting bad press about their clothes, rather than their policies). Oddly, for a book about politics, parties are never identified, nor are policies. Surreally, the by-election takes 1 month, and strict spending limits are followed. I know it's not the same as a general election, but I'm not sure we in the US could even elect a dog catcher now without spending billions and dragging it out for years. When will our long national nightmare be over?

Personal copy