Prelude To A Century by Patrick Murphy

                                                        

Prelude To A Century by Patrick Murphy-183 pages

To anyone who loves all things "1904 St. Louis World's Fair" this is a MUST read.  There are phenomenal pictures and wonderful descriptions that transport you back in time to one of the most colossal events in St. Louis history.  So many things I never knew before. I took it in small gulps just to digest it all! 

I LOVED it!

The Amazing Adventures of Aaron Broom by A.E Hotchner

 

The Amazing Adventures of Aaron Broom by A.E. Hotchner-225 pages

Street-savvy, almost-thirteen-year-old Aaron Broom is parking his father's car when he witnesses a robbery gone wrong in a jewelry store across the street. To Aaron's shock his father, a travelling watch salesman in the wrong place at the wrong time, is fingered as the prime suspect in the murder. Despite seeing the real killer flee the scene, Aaron can't do much to help in the moment--no one will take a kid's word for it. Undaunted, Aaron enlists an unlikely band of friends and helpful adults to clear his father's name.
Aaron's unusual mission is complicated by the painful realities of the Depression: his father's longtime business folded, leaving the family in financial straits; his mother is in a sanatorium after a near-death experience with tuberculosis. So Aaron is forced to fend for himself while his father is held in wrongful custody: he ducks truant officers and nosy neighbors, landlords and social workers, and he bums meals from friends and relatives.  He's a real scrapper!
In his search for justice, Aaron draws upon the resources of a world-weary paperboy, an aspiring teen journalist, a kindly lawyer, and neighborhood friend with a penchant for baking. And as they dig into the details of the case, these unconventional detectives reveal a cover-up that goes much deeper than a jewelry-store heist gone wrong. 

Set in depression era St. Louis, you will fall in love with Aaron's optimistic personality. I enjoyed this book very much. 

The Dead of Night by Elaine Viets

 

The Dead of Night by Elaine Viets-227 pages

Angela Richman, Death Investigator #8

When Angela Richman finds two dead bodies in a cursed crypt on Halloween, she is drawn into a spine-tingling mystery. Has a Chouteau Forest legend turned deadly, or is a dangerous killer on the loose?Everyone in Chouteau Forest knows the legend of the Cursed Crypt. It's claimed that the restless spirit of a professor nicknamed Mean Gene Cortini, buried in Chouteau Forest University's crypt, has been causing death and destruction in the Forest for almost two centuries.  When Trey Lawson outbids the wealthy Du Pres family at the university's annual Howl-o-ween Benefit Auction, he wins the chance to spend the night in the crypt with his fiancée, Lydia. Angela Richman, Death Investigator, finds their mutilated bodies there the following morning. As Angela investigates, she learns that Trey was threatening the established hierarchy of Chouteau Forest. Has the legend taken a deadly turn, or are Trey and Lydia victims of a vicious power struggle?

This series just gets better and better.  Since the author is originally from St. Louis she uses references about different places around town.  I look forward to the next one.

Appointment for Murder : the story of the killing dentist by Susan Crain Bakos

          Appointment with Murder : the story of the killing dentist by Susan Crain Bakos-384 pages

I was very interested in reading this book because my parents actually took me when I was 11; to have this dentist; Dr Glennon Engleman, pull two of my teeth.  He was cheap!  We were poor!  Little did we know he had a very lucrative side gig!  He was available to blow up anyone that you wanted to knock off for their insurance money. Or if he held a grudge against you..kaboom!  There were parts of the book that I had to skip over since it is also very sexually explicit.  He even performed back room abortions to achieve his goals.  One very sick man. Thankfully with the help of his third wife they finally caught him.  And did I mention this all took place here in St. louis from the 1950's - 1980's?!  I did not like the book, but since he was a part of my history I found it interesting.     

The Last Children of Mill Creek by Vivian Gibson

 The Last Children of Mill Creek by Vivian Gibson - 144 pages

Vivian Gibson grew up in Mill Creek Valley, a segregated working-class neighborhood of St. Louis that was razed in 1959 to build a highway, an act of racism disguised under urban renewal as “progress.” A moving memoir of family life at a time very different from the present, The Last Children of Mill Creek chronicles the everyday lived experiences of Gibson’s large family―her seven siblings, her crafty, college-educated mother, and her hard-working father―and the friends, shop owners, church ladies, teachers, and others who made Mill Creek into a warm, tight-knit African-American community. In Gibson’s words, “This memoir is about survival, as told from the viewpoint of a watchful young girl―a collection of decidedly universal stories that chronicle the extraordinary lives of ordinary people.”

Winner of a Missouri Humanities award for literary achievement, The Last Children of Mill Creek/I> is an important book for anyone interested in urban development, race, and community history―or for anyone who was once a child.

East of the Arch by Robert Randisi

East of the Arch by Robert Randisi - 370 pages

St. Louis cop Joe Keough finds himself embattled on all sides. Just as he's about to chuck his job, Joe is assigned to the East St. Louis PD to assist in investigating an especially nasty serial killer, a blood-curdling creep who preys on pregnant women. Unaware that he has become a pawn in one of the mayor's political games, Joe faces the hostility of the local police, who resent his "interference." In addition, two old nemeses, Angela Mason and Jack Gail of Internal Affairs, are willing to do absolutely anything to destroy his career. 

Then he gets sidetracked looking into a wife/child beater. As Noel Coward said, "No good deed goes unpunished." No sooner has Joe put the lid on the abuser than the guy is found murdered, leaving Joe the chief suspect. Much of this distracts from the more compelling hunt for the serial killer, and eventually Randisi gets back to business. Keough is no cliché cop, but an engaging character with a welcome streak of compassion. His partner, Det. Marc Jeter, a young officer with a fondness for quoting Mark Twain, makes a splendid addition to the cast, and one hopes he will return. Randisi's well-paced procedural keeps the reader asking what happens next right up to the logical and effective finale.

The Gateway Arch: An American Icon by Jefferson National Parks Association

The Gateway Arch: An American Icon by Jefferson National Parks Association-80 pages

I got this book last time I went to the Arch and wanted to read it for this month's Non-fiction challenge. Admittedly, there is only a little text and it is mostly pictures, but it is still a cool, informative read. I learned things about the Gateway Arch that I didn't previously know.

The Lost Caves of St.Louis: a
History of the City's Forgotten
Caves by Hubert & Charlotte Rother
(144 pages)

The majority of the caves in this book were once used as cooling and storage areas for vats of beer and lager in the late 1800's to about the 1940's. Everyone has probably heard of the Lemp Brewery, but there were a few German immigrant families that started breweries in St. Louis, later to be bought out by other breweries or just go out of business. Some caves had sewer systems running within them and  one or two that were located under parks.
This was a fairly interesting book telling the location of the caves and a little of the history behind the caves.

Saint Louis Seen and Unseen by Michael Kilfoy

Saint Louis Seen and Unseen by Michael Kilfoy, 160 pages

This is a beautifully illustrated book with all the sights one thinks of when it comes to St. Louis.  Whether you are a resident of St. Louis or a tourist, you will enjoy this book.  Published in 2006, this book contains photos of the old Busch Stadium as well as the building of the new stadium.  From the Arch to the Jewel Box to the Fabulous Fox, this book will remind you why you love St. Louis.  Not only are the photographs fantastic, each page contains a few facts about the photos.

Lucky Bastard by Joe Buck

Lucky Bastard by Joe Buck
304 pages / 6 hrs, 55 mins

"Sports fans see Joe Buck everywhere: broadcasting one of the biggest games in the NFL every week, calling the World Series every year, announcing the Super Bowl every three years. They know his father, Jack Buck, is a broadcasting legend and that he was beloved in his adopted hometown of St. Louis.

"Yet they have no idea who Joe really is. Or how he got here. They don't know how he almost blew his career. They haven't read his funniest and most embarrassing stories or heard about his interactions with the biggest sports stars of this era.

"They don't know how hard he can laugh at himself - or that he thinks some of his critics have a point. And they don't know what it was really like to grow up in his father's shadow. Joe and Jack were best friends, but it wasn't that simple. Jack, the voice of the St. Louis Cardinals for almost 50 years, helped Joe get his broadcasting start at 18. But Joe had to prove himself, first as a minor league radio announcer, and then on local TV, national TV with ESPN, and then finally on FOX."  --from the publisher

Growing up in the STL area in the 60s and 70s, I remembered and related to many of the stories.  I enjoyed the nostalgia!  Of course there was a lot going on behind the scenes that I knew nothing about, too.  It was definitely worth reading although the book dragged a bit for me near the end.

The Middle of the Night by Daniel Stolar

The Middle of the Night by Daniel Stolar - 242 pages


The Middle of the Night examines the crucial moments in people’s struggles to understand the strange paths their lives have taken: a seventy-year-old retired doctor tries to teach his sixteen-year-old son how to drive; a happily married young lawyer attends a high school reunion with the woman he was never bold enough to love; a white freshman pledges a black fraternity. Each of these rich, expansive stories is endowed with an insistent but plain-spoken intelligence, illuminating the drama and mystery at the heart of ordinary life.

Wicked St. Louis by Janice Tremeear

Wicked St. Louis by Janice Tremeear, 123 pages

Wicked St. Louis is yet another book written about some of the eerie history that has passed through our metropolitan area in the past decades and even earlier.  Especially interesting is the history of Cahokia Mounds.  Other interesting tales include the Chain of Rocks Bridge, the zoo, gangsters, the history of the Coral Court Motel, and my favorite, the curse of the Lemp Mansion.  What really blew my mind "Was Jack the Ripper in St. Louis?" Wicked St. Louis is enough to send chills up your spine.

Mobs, Mayhem & Murder, Tales from the St. Louis Police Beat by Tim O'Neil

Mobs, Mayhem & Murder, Tales from the St. Louis Police Beat by Tim O'Neil, 208 pages

By no means does this book include all crimes in the St. Louis area, but it does include some of the more widely known.  Having not been raised in St. Louis, I found the history of the mob presence in St. Louis fascinating.  This book not only looks at modern crime stories but some also from over a hundred years ago.  The cases are eerie and yet fascinating.  Tim O'Neil has been a reporter with the St. Louis Post Dispatch for over 30 years.  Many of the stories are pulled from these files, along with some fantastic photographs.  Stories of Paula Sims, the cousins being pushed from the Chain of Rock Bridge, and the Kirkwood city council meeting shooting are crimes that stand out in my mind.  Definitely a read for the fan of true crime!

Amazing St. Louis by Charlie Brennan

Amazing St. Louis by Charlie Brennan, 262 pages

250 years of amazing and interesting facts about St. Louis are included in this book. The world's tallest man is from Alton, Illinois.  St. Louis hosted the 1st Summer Olympics.  One peculiar story had to do with a young Larry Connors who was a reporter at the time in Texas when he busted a whorehouse in Texas. Another very interesting fact is that O'Hare Airport in Chicago is named for a war hero who grew up in St. Louis and never lived in Chicago.  My favorite story is that Walt Disney almost built Disney World in St. Louis, if it had not been for the Busch's family love of beer.

Masters of Sex by Thomas Maier

Masters of Sex by Thomas Maier- 415 pgs

Bill Masters and Virginia Johnson were pioneers in the area of sex research and conducted this research at Washington University in St. Louis.  By observing thousands of couples in the throes of passion, Masters and Johnson were able to disprove long held beliefs about sex.  Later, they expanded their work to include counseling couples who were having problems in the bedroom.  The pair moved from a research team to a married couple.  The book goes through the work and private life of the couple who brought sex out of the bedroom and into the mainstream.

High Heels are Murder: a Josie Marcus mystery by Elaine Viets

 

High Heels are Murder: a Josie Marcus mystery by Elaine Viets 268 pages.

The job of being a mystery shopper can have lots of advantages. Like being paid to shop for high priced shoes. The problem is a sleazy pervert shoe salesman named Mel Poulaine.

Now Mel Poulaine has been found murdered. Who did it? And why? Josie Marcus has to find out.

Elaine Viets once again tells a fun story, set in St. Louis, with wit and humor.

100 Things To Do In St. Louis Before You Die by Amanda E. Doyle

100 Things To Do In St. Louis Before You Die by Amanda E. Doyle, 137 pages

If you live in St. Louis, you have to read this book!  I have lived here almost 25 years, and I do not think I have done half of what is written in this book. The author says one reason she choose the words "before you die" is to get people's attention.  Many of the places she has written about I have been to.  Top picks to do in St. Louis include the Arch, the Brewery, Grants Farm, the Zoo, Busch Stadium and the Science Center. More unusual places to visit include the ferris wheel on top of the City Museum, Ted Drewes, Gus's Pretzels, Eckerts, and Jefferson Barracks. My bucket list includes going to the Japanese Festival at the Botanical Gardens, exploring the Central Library, and having dinner on the Hill.

The Gateway Arch: A Biography by Tracy Campbell

The Gateway Arch: A Biography by Tracy Campbell - 217 pages

Part of the Icons of America series - short works written by leading scholars...who tell a new and innovative story about American history and culture through the lens of a single iconic individual, event, object or cultural phenomenon.

Growing up in St. Louis we are spoon fed the "Monument to A Dream" story of the development of the Gateway Arch but there is much much more to the history of this icon.  Campbell traces the project back to its roots at the beginning of the 1900s and examines if the Gateway Arch truly achieved any of its public objectives - memorializing westward expansion and Thomas Jefferson and revitalizing the St. Louis riverfront and downtown.  The answers he finds for the most part are no, it did not achieve those objectives.

It was interesting to see the political machinations that went on over decades to result in the monument we enjoy today.  The Arch was by no means inevitable and there were countless times when the whole project could have just disappeared.  The description of the fraud and corruption during the initial ballot measure in the 1930s to start the Arch project was particularly sobering.  This book is a thorough examination of the failures of urban planning in the first half of the 20th century and an intriguing deep look at the twisted and sometimes troubled history of the development of the Gateway Arch.  

Bitter Brew: The Rise and Fall of Anheuser-Busch and America's Kings of Beer by William Knoedelseder

Bitter Brew: The Rise and Fall of Anheuser-Busch and America's Kings of Beer by William Knoedelseder - 396 pages

Even though I knew a lot of the story of how Anheuser-Busch fell there were plenty of new details in this book to keep me intrigued.  The Busch family is St. Louis's equivalent of royalty so getting a peek behind the palace door makes this a must read for St. Louisans.  It was quite interesting to see the same family dynamics between father and son play out across different generations.

The Orchard and Vineyard of the West: A Description of Jefferson County, State of Missouri, Its Productions, Resources, and Advantages for Emigrants

The Orchard and Vineyard of the West: A Description of Jefferson County, State of Missouri, Its Productions, Resources, and Advantages for Emigrants

Compiled by the Jefferson County Emigration Society, 1867

8 pages

This informative booklet gives a glimpse of Jefferson County Missouri agricultural life in the year 1867. The book mentions the Iron Mountain Railroad that runs through the length of the county. Plus, Jefferson County is an easy day’s ride to St.  Louis, whose markets were always in need of supplies. Jefferson County had fine bridges at Le May Ferry and Fenton.

The hills were covered with useful timber, and three-fifths of the county is composed of high lands. These high lands were not first rate agricultural lands, but they have been proven to be adapted to the growth of all kinds of fruit including peach, apple, grape, strawberry, gooseberry, and blackberry.

The valleys produced about 60 bushels of corn or two tons of hay per acre. The booklet states, “Let an intelligent, educated farmer settle here, introduce better teams, better implements, more thorough cultivation, and combine stock raising with general farming, and we have no fears of the result.”

Lead mines were highlighted along with stock raising of cattle and sheep. The average winter temperature was 20 degrees. The average temperature in the Summer was eighty degrees. The extreme heat was 100 degrees.

In conclusion the booklet states, “Jefferson County has caught the spirit of the times, and is on the high road to progress. Her proximity to St. Louis, the great center of the Mississippi, her facilities for marketing her productions, her organized horticultural and agricultural societies, will not permit her fine lands to lie idle much longer… we invite all to come to our county and see for themselves, assuring every new-comer of kind, neighborly treatment, and a cordial welcome.”