The puppies survived their trip to the groomers yesterday. They once again look like dogs rather than little sheep. They were definitely exhausted after their day away from us. Of course now that they have their spring hair cuts, today it's raining... Typical, eh?
Anyway now to move on to my All-Time Top 100 Books list. Today I'll be listing those in the Top 20.
#30 - 21
30. Kittyhawk Down by Garry Disher (Mystery). This is the 2nd book in the Inspector Hal Challis Aussie mystery series. I enjoyed the first book, The Dragon Man, very much. In fact I had it listed at 94 in my Top 100. This second book was even more enjoyable. Great series so far. Next book in line is Snapshot, currently sitting on my bookshelf.
"Kittyhawk Down is the 2nd book in the Inspector Hal Challis Australian police series by Garry Disher. I've enjoyed both immensely. It's a simple premise really, following the investigation of a variety of crimes by the Australian police of the Mornington Peninsula Police Force. The Criminal Investigation Bureau is led by Homicide Squad Inspector Hal Challis, in which he is assisted by Sgts Ellen Destry and Scobie Sutton. In this story we also follow to uniformed cops, John Tankard and Pam Murphy.
There are various crimes being investigated; the disappearance of a two-year old baby, the discovery of a dead body that washed ashore and over the course of the story, various murders. You follow the cops and also various of the suspects and other characters, including Challis' girlfriend, reporter Tessa Klein. Each cop has their own problems which makes them human and likable. The progression of the case, the various suspects and the community in which the story takes place makes it even more interesting. It's not a perfect story by any means, but then again, neither is life.
I just found everything about this story enjoyable and refreshing and I liked how the crimes were eventually worked out. All in all it was as satisfying as the first book, The Dragon Man."
29. Downbelow Station by C.J. Cherryh (Science Fiction). Last year in this BLog I did a series of posts where I listed the top songs and top books from various sources, e.g. Pulitzer Prize, Hugo Award, etc, for each year starting with the year of my birth, 1955. (Yup, I'm an oldie but goodie). Anyway, Downbelow Station won the Hugo Award in 1981. I'd never tried anything by her before so thought it might be the time to see if I liked this book, especially as my interest in Science Fiction has been rekindled in the past couple of years. Well, it was worth trying. My review is below.
"My first comment about Downbelow Station by C.J. Cherryh is Wow! I've never read anything by Cherryh before. I was aware of her books when I'd rooted through the SciFi section of my book stores but I'd not tried anything. Recently, I was running through the years in my BLog and for each year listing various book award titles. Downbelow Station won the Hugo Award for best SciFi novel in 1981. So I thought I should check it out... So with that preamble...
This is such a fantastic book! I readily admit that it took me a few chapters to start understanding the various people, worlds, etc but once I got into the flow, it just got better and better.
How to summarize? Over centuries Earth began to expand into the stars to keep Earth's economy moving. They set up stations floating around various worlds and from there continued their expansion outward to the Fringes. Downbelow Station circles the planet Pell and it is sort of the hub between Earth and the stars. On the planet are the Downers, beings sort of like Ewoks or Fuzzies (from H Beam Piper's Fuzzy books). Earth men work the planet in concert with the Downers, passing supplies up to the station for the stations use and trade.
War is brewing between Earth's old fleet run by a hard leader, Mazian and the fringes, Union and Pell finds itself caught in the middle, trying to be neutral but at great risk. Throw in the Merchanters, those ships that travel between the stars and you've got an interesting mix of great characters.
Pell is run by various families with the Konstantin's one of the main ones and they also provide the major characters. This family must tread carefully and try to keep Pell safe from all. Stations all around are being destroyed and refugees flocking to Pell and overloading the station. There are plots and subplots galore. I found myself being drawn into the characters and the excellent story. It starts a bit slowly but then moves along at breakneck speed until the excellent, satisfying ending. I truly loved this story and world that CJ Cherryh created. I can't recommend the story more."
28. Smallbone Deceased by Michael Gilbert (Mystery). I listed Gilbert's Petrella at Q in the 35 position in yesterday's post. Smallbone Deceased was another gem from author, Michael Gilbert. It's the 4th book in his Inspector Hazelrigg series.
"I've read a couple of other books by Michael Gilbert and have enjoyed them all so far. Smallbone Deceased ranks up there with Petrella at Q as my favorites of his. Smallbone is a perfect little mystery. It's billed as an Inspector Hazelrigg mystery and, indeed, the good Inspector does play a prominent role.
But the supporting cast also adds very much to the story, especially poor Sgt Plumbtree who has to wander around London interviewing possible witnesses. He is an inexhaustible man, a credit to the London Police Force. As well, there is Henry Bohun, the newest member of the offices of Horniman, Birley and Craine, who finds himself helping Inspector Hazelrigg with his investigation to a great extent.
The basic story is that a body, that of Mr. Smallbone, a client of the firm, is found in one of the firm's deed boxes, having resided there for a few weeks. This starts up the investigation, which I enjoyed following very much. There was an interesting steadiness to the investigation; I've mentioned Sgt Plumbtree already, but the rest of the team of investigators are all excellent. I'll highlight Mr. Hoffman who works through the paperwork, checking the firm's finances to try and find reasons for the murder.
The investigation moves at a nice, steady pace, allowing all of the characters time to inculcate themselves into your memory. They all are enjoyable; there is a nice humour at times that keeps the story light. All in all, the book was so very enjoyable, even the ending was satisfying. I will definitely continue to find more books by Gilbert to enjoy."
27. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (Dystopian). I took a chance on this story by Canadian author Mandel in 2016 and it ended up being one of my favorites of the year. I've since read one of her earlier books, Last Night in Montreal, quite different but also excellent.
"I loved Station Eleven. It was one of those books that I wanted to finish to see how it ended, but, at the same time, I wanted to continue exploring the lives of the characters. Does that make sense?
It brought out so many emotions; sadness, anger, tears (in both a good and bad way), happiness, encouragement, etc. In some ways it reminded me of The Road by Cormac McCarthy, but it wasn't so consistently dour and scary. Probably part of the reason for that may be that Station Eleven had more characters and it also didn't just situate itself solely in the dystopian (am I spelling this right?) future.
I particularly liked how the story moved along, starting in their present (our future), introducing the Traveling Symphony and highlighting the new way of life of people trying to survive, then wandering to other characters, explaining where they were when the Georgia Flu caused this world-wide destruction and following their adjustments to the post-flu life.
I liked how the main characters are slowly linked up, such as how Kirsten came to be in possession of Miranda's comic, Station Eleven, even how this comic may have impacted The Prophet. The Prophet introduced a very scary element into the whole story. Was he not utilized enough? Maybe, but, personally, I think his appearances were just sufficient enough to provide a negative counterpoint to those trying to live safe lives. More of him might have put a completely different tone to the overall story. How people coped with this new future is what was most interesting.
There were so many nice touches. I liked Kirsten especially but every character was excellent and their personalities developed just to the right amount. I could go on and on. Suffice it to say, it's an excellent story and well worth reading. I think the ending left the story open - ended enough to provide a continuation story to show us how the future continues to unfold, should Emily St. John Mandel so desire. Maybe?? Please.."
26. The League of Frightened Men by Rex Stout (Mystery). Stout is the author of the classic mystery series featuring famous sleuth Nero Wolfe. I started by reading one of his later books, a collection of 3 short stories. This was his 2nd story in the series. I know that I will continue this unique series.
"Rex Stout is another of those authors that I have come to late in my reading life. My first experience was with one of his last books, a short story collection, Death Times Three, which I enjoyed quite a bit. I've been trying to find his first book, Fer de Lance (1934) but so far with no luck. But I did find this book, The League of Frightened Men, his second book, originally published in 1935.
From being someone who enjoyed my first experience of the great detective, Nero Wolfe, I now find my self an unabashed fan. This book was excellent, a fascinating, entertaining, great mystery. Nero Wolfe and his partner, Archie Goodwin are a great team and both interesting in their own rights. Wolfe is an oversize detective, basically housebound, whose life, while he works to solve mysteries, is quite regimented. Each morning and each afternoon, he works upstairs in his home, tending his multitude of orchids. While he can be visited, no business is conducted. He settles the remainder of his day, in his office, tending to business.
Archie is his eyes, ears, arms and legs. Archie conducts the investigations, travels around New York and local environs, interviewing, gathering information. He can be Wolfe's strong arm man if necessary. The stories are told in Archie's voice, from his perspective. (Oddly enough, Wolfe does sometime leave his home, this I discovered in this story. But this seems to be a rarity, not the norm)
So this story; a group of men, Harvard classmates have a secret past. While in university, they hazed another classmate and as a result caused him to have severe injuries. Out of guilt, they have banded together to pay medical bills, etc. Now two have died, or maybe been murdered. They think that Paul Chapin is involved and that he plans to kill them all. Wolfe is hired and so the story begins.
I enjoyed so much how the story is presented; small details like how Wolfe decides how to bill each of the different members of the group, and so many other aspects. The story has a surprising menace throughout and the case is so very interesting (even when Archie and Wolfe seem to be grinding their heels trying to get information.) I love Archie's manner of presenting the case, his thoughts on Wolfe; a combination of affection and anger. Great story and now I will have to read the whole series. An excellent story and mystery. Can you figure out the ending?"
25. Disordered Minds by Minette Walters (Mystery). Walters is one of my favorite mystery writers. Her stories are stand-alone mysteries and each is unique and so interesting.
"Excellent 'mystery' by Minette Walters. I think she is one of the unique mystery writers I've ever read. Each story I've read is unique in its own right and covers different aspects of human behavior. In this story, two investigators, one a university professor and the other a town councilor, Jonathan and George, delve into the past to try and prove that a convicted murderer, a young man with mental difficulties, who committed suicide in prison, was, in fact, innocent of the murder. The trail of their investigation is an interesting one, involving many twists and turns, potential suspects, deceit, etc. As well, they both must deal with their own issues, that may or may not colour their investigation. Walters has a unique style of writing, this story is partly written in emails, case transcripts, etc. I liked both Jonathan and George and their book editor, Andrew Spicer and the other characters are interesting and full of mystery. Excellent story and highly recommended."
24. Case Histories by Kate Atkinson (Mystery). I first became aware of this series when Jo and I watched the British TV series based on the books, with Jason Isaacs starring as Scottish PI, Jackson Brodie. I tried this first book and loved it as much as the TV series.
"It's a toss-up as to whether I gave this story 4 or 5 stars. Such an excellent book and definitely my favourite of 2013. I had seen the BBC TV series starring Jason Isaacs as Jackson Brodie, which I'd enjoyed immensely. So I approached this with both trepidation and excitement. I did find it somewhat odd that the book is set in Cambridge, whereas the TV series was set in Scotland, but once I'd accepted the difference, I enjoyed the book so very much. Kate Atkinson draws you in immediately, introducing the various Case Histories, then Jackson Brodie, then meanders through each, tying them together when felt necessary. Every character is interesting and well-presented, Jackson Brodie is super, witty but with his own issues. The story isn't really tense, even though there are awful crimes involved, but it's more of a character study. The writing is subtle, intelligent, funny at times. Loved it so very much. I look forward to reading more of Kate Atkinson's work. Thanks to the BBC to introducing me to her and making me search out her books."
23. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (Mystery). I saw these excellent copies of Chandler's mystery series featuring PI Philip Marlowe and thought that it was time to try this classic series. Marlowe is like Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade and Ross MacDonald's Lew Archer, those classic noir gumshoes. The Big Sleep was the first book in the series. I'm glad I finally tried it.
"The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler is my first exposure to this excellent writer of the noir genre. Chandler created Private Investigator Philip Marlowe, who worked the streets of San Francisco. There was a movie made of this story starring Humphrey Bogart as Philip Marlowe. I think I've seen it but will now have to watch it again.
Marlowe is hired by a wealthy San Francisco family to try to sort out a black-mailing situation. The wealthy senior of the family has two wild daughters, especially Carmen, who is the subject of 'personal' photos. The investigation moves Marlowe into the criminal underworld and into close contact with various criminals and also murders. It's a nicely confusing plot, with many twists and turns and enough action to keep you very interested in the story.
Chandler has a way with telling his story. His characters are so well-described that you can picture them clearly. They have unique personalities and you do find yourself drawn to some and repulsed or afraid of others. His story telling is straight-forward, with a touch of humour and also a nice flair for the written word. I love this line, "I went back to the office and sat in my swivel chair and tried to catch up on my foot-dangling." I know it's just one small sample but it's so perfect and the story is filled with such perfection.
You don't necessarily get to know a great deal of Marlowe's past but you definitely get a feel for the type of character he is. Even though a private eye, he's got friends in the police force who respect him. He's similar to Ross MacDonald's Lew Archer, John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee, a loner private eye with standards. I don't know that I see Humphrey Bogart as Marlowe but I'll have to think more on that subject. I do know I am looking forward to reading the other books in this short series. Excellent and for lovers of great mystery, must-reads."
22. The Chequer Board by Nevil Shute (Fiction). For the longest time the only books by Nevil Shute that I read were On the Beach and Pied Piper, two of my favorites of all-time. In the past few years, I've begun to explore his other works. What a fantastic story teller. This story is no exception. (by the way, you may see a few others in the upcoming lists).
"The more books by Nevil Shute that I read, the more I come to recognize that he is one of the best story-tellers ever. I've enjoyed so many of his books so far; The Far Country, On the Beach, Pied Piper, etc and as I've been slowly exploring his other works, I'm enjoying him more than ever.
The Chequer Board, published originally in 1947 was no exception. It is set after WWII and tells the story of Capt (Ret'd) Turner. Turner was injured during the war, while on a flight from Africa to England to be tried for black marketeering. On the flight were other personnel, including a Negro American soldier (on his way to be tried for attempted rape), a young English Commando (on his way to be court martialed for murder) and the English co-pilot. These four survive an attack by German fighters.
After the war, Turner is now being treated for the effects caused by his injuries (pieces of shrapnel still lodged in his brain). He is told that nothing can be done due to the location of the shrapnel and he has maybe a year to live. This starts Turner on a journey to find the other three men, all of whom kept him company while he recovered from his surgeries, and all of whom have moved on.
It's a simple story but the journey to find out what happened to these men and the internal journey of Turner, his past, his relationship with his wife, etc, makes for a fascinating and at times very emotional story.
There are other issues that are touched on; the treatment of African - Americans in the US military, how the English impacted those countries that they ruled over, etc, but it is the stories of each man that is so interesting and the emotional stories as well. Shute has such a knack for addressing these emotional touches, that you probably don't realize how much you have found yourself becoming involved in the sub-stories, until the end. I do find that this story, like so many others Shute stories I've read, always strike my heart and soul, lovely to read and to think about."
21. The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier (Fiction). I originally read this while I was at university. It was my first book by du Maurier. I've since read 2 or 3 more times and it's still an excellent fantasy.
"Richard Young, tired of
his life as a publisher, bored with his wife Vita and his two stepsons,
is staying in his scientist friend Magnus' house in Cornwall. Magnus
has developed a new hallucinogenic drug which Richard tries. His trips
on this drug take him back 600 years as invisible witness to lives more
exciting than his own, whose fascination begins to have repercussions in
the "real" world.
Daphne du Maurier skillfully intertwines the
lives of Richard in the present and Roger Kylmerth, his alter ego, in
the past, so that two stories unfold simultaneously, both leading to
separate, but related, deaths and disasters. Her description of the
Parish of Tywardreath in Cornwall in the present and in the past possess
an unforgettable vividness."
Honorable Mention
Graham Greene is one of my favorite writers. Many years ago I went through a phase of reading his books. I'm sure I took at least one in my many English courses at university. I remember reading Our Man in Havana and The Tenth Man. In the past few years I've been exploring his books more and more and have enjoyed trying his earliest books and some of his non-fiction works. I've been trying to find his earliest works and have a fair collection now. Below are some of those I've enjoyed in the past few years.
1. Our Man in Havana (Spy) - "First published in 1959, Our Man in Havana
is an espionage thriller, a penetrating character study, and a
political satire that still resonates today. Conceived as one of Graham
Greene's "entertainments," it tells of MI6's man in Havana, Wormold, a
former vacuum-cleaner salesman turned reluctant secret agent out of
economic necessity. To keep his job, he files bogus reports based on
Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare and dreams up military installations from vacuum-cleaner designs. Then his stories start coming disturbingly true."
2. The Lawless Roads (Travel) - "I've been exploring more of Graham Greene's work the past few years and I enjoy his writing very much. This book is the second of his non-fiction works that I've read. Written originally in 1939, the story follows Greene as he explores Mexico, especially the Chiapas and Tabasco regions, in the wake of the destruction of the Catholic churches and teachings by the Mexican rulers. At the time of this visit, the Mexican government is also in the process of nationalizing the petroleum industry, making life uncomfortable for gringos. Greene travels through a primitive, backward region by plane and donkey. I enjoy his observations of the people and life and admire his spirit. I found the memoir kind of lost its way as he came to the end and headed back to England, but overall found the story quite interesting."
3. Journey without Maps (Travel). "I've read a few of Graham Greene's works and have enjoyed them. I like his style of writing. This is the first book of non-fiction I've read. Journey without Maps was a memoir of Greene's first trip away from England and was written in 1936. His journey is through the wilderness of Liberia on the coast of Africa. He is accompanied by his cousin, Barbara Greene, although he never mentions her by name or gender, rather refers to her only as 'my cousin'. I would have found it interesting if we'd learned more about her as he often in his travels left her alone with her porters. I found it interesting learning a bit about a portion of Africa that I really knew nothing about and also from a time frame when basically not much was known about it in the Western world. But ultimately, even though I enjoyed the story overall, it didn't necessarily wow me. If you aren't familiar with Greene's writings, it's worthwhile to take a gander at this earlier work and still an interesting story."
4. Getting to Know the General (Travel). "I've been reading quite a few books by Graham Greene over the past few years. Getting to Know the General: The Story of an Involvement was one of his later books and the 3rd book of non-fiction of his that I've read. It is about General Omar Torrijos Herrera, the leader of Panama in the '70s, who was killed in a plane crash in 1981. Greene was invited to Panama to meet him, in 1976 and the two became friends over the next years. As well, it is also a book about Torrijos, friend and confidante, Chucho, who is the go-between and constant companion of Greene on his visits to Panama. Greene has a wonderful way of telling stories, whether fiction or non-fiction. You can feel the genuine affection he feels for the country and Torrijos and Chucho. He travels considerably during his brief visits to Panama, often accompanying Torrijos to other countries or representing him; to Nicaragua, Cuba, even the US. I'm constantly amazed at the access that he gains in this book and the places he has visited over the course of his life. Most interesting book."
5. A Gun for Sale (Fiction). "A Gun for Sale was Graham Greene's 7th novel, published originally in 1936. I've been slowly going through his books, especially his earlier works and he's become a favourite of mine. I can see inspirations for books like Brighton Rock in this book. In fact, it was his next published work.
The story is about Raven, a gun for hire, is sent to kill a foreign war minister. He is paid with stolen money, which makes him the subject of a police investigation by Scotland Yard (who don't know about his assassination). The officer in charge, Inspector Mather, is engaged to Anne, an aspiring actress about to go to Nottwich for a job in a panto show. Coincidentally, the man, Davis / Cholomondeley (he does go by various names) who paid Raven is on the train and being followed by Raven who wants to exact revenge for how he was tricked.
An undercurrent throughout the story is the ominous threat of war, partly due to the assassination, which is causing stress and mistrust within Europe.
The story is a string of coincidences; Anne is kidnapped by Raven as he tries to avoid the police; Anne goes to dinner with Davis and has her life threatened; Mather is assigned the case of trying to track down Raven; etc. It sounds convoluted but the story is presented in a straight-forward manner, tying up many aspects of the coincidences and making for an entertaining, interesting, tense story. The characters are well-crafted and you do get a good sense of who they are and why they are. All in all, a most enjoyable story."
6. Brighton Rock (Fiction). "Pinkie, a boy gangster
in the pre-war Brighton underworld, is a Catholic dedicated to evil and
damnation. In a dark setting of double-crossing and razor slashes, his
ambitions and hatreds are horribly fulfilled ... until Ida determines to
convict him of murder. But Pinkie, on the run from her pursuing fury,
becomes even more dangerous ..."
7. The Man Within (Fiction). "The Man Within was Graham Greene's first published work, published in 1929 when he was 25 years old. Over the past couple of years, I've begun to explore his writing more and more; both his fiction and non-fiction. It was interesting to finally get a copy of his first book and see how it all started.
The story revolves around an English smuggler, who wanting to get out of the 'business', turns in his crew mates with an anonymous letter to the police. In the struggle to arrest the smugglers, one of the police is killed. Andrews, who was the person who turned in the smugglers, goes on the run to escape from the others. He is a self-professed coward, who in his escape, comes across a hut on the Sussex moors and meets a woman who will change his life. He is encouraged to give evidence against his comrades, an act that might have disastrous consequences.
I quite liked this story. It took a few pages to get into the flow, but it became a story I couldn't put down. Unlike Greene's later work, which acquired a finesse in his writing style, this story was very raw, emotional. Andrews is an introspective person, filled with self-loathing for his life style, his cowardice, but who falls in love deeply with Elizabeth, and who wants to change for her. The story moves quickly, building in tension; it's definitely difficult to put down as you get into the flow. Excellent first story. I've got a number of Greene's other books still on my bookshelves and look forward to continuing my exploration with his writing."
8. Stamboul Train: An Entertainment (Spy). "As the Orient Express
hurtles across Europe on its three-day journey from Ostend to
Constantinople, the driven lives of several of its passengers become
bound together in a fateful interlock. The menagerie of characters
include Coral Musker, a beautiful chorus girl; Carleton Myatt, a rich
Jewish businessman; Richard John, a mysterious and kind doctor returning
to his native Belgrade; the spiteful journalist Mabel Warren; and Josef
Grunlich, a cunning, murderous burglar.
What happens to these
strangers as they put on and take off their masks of identity and
passion, all the while confessing, prevaricating, and reaching out to
one another in the "veracious air" of the onrushing train, makes for one
of Graham Greene's most exciting and suspenseful stories. Originally
published in 1933, Orient Express was Greene's first major
success. This Graham Greene Centennial Edition features a new
introductory essay by Christopher Hitchens."
There you go. I've still got another nine of his books on my bookshelf awaiting my attention so I'll be enjoying his stories for a while in the future.
So there you go, the 20s finished. Tomorrow I'll be listing 11 - 20 of my favorites. I hope you've been enjoying.
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