I'll talk about books I think and while I'm doing that Jo and I can finish watching The Great British Bake Off. Much cheerier.
Now on to my Reading update. I've finished two books in the past few days and, of course, started two new ones. Yesterday, I picked a book out of my Little Free Library as I was adding a few new books of my own. Today I got a book order in from Awesome Books. So I'll update that as well. And then I'll finish off with another of my Author's A - Z list.
Finished Reading
"I've read many of the books written by C.S. Forester. I've been working through his Horatio Hornblower adventure series. He's written some excellent series based on both World Wars; The General, The Ship. His The African Queen was also translated into an excellent movie which won Humphrey Bogart an Oscar. He's also written some excellent crime stories. I've enjoyed Payment Deferred and now have just completed Plain Murder.
In its way, it's a simple story but at the same time, a fascinating one. 3 employees of an advertising agency are under threat of being fired for using bribery in finding customers. Under the thrall of one of the three, Mr. Morris, they determine that their supervisor must be murdered before he can put in his word to the owner of the business.
Morris is the ring leader and pressures the others into assisting him so that they can be blackmailed into silence. But murder can become something is easier and easier to commit. We get an interesting portrayal of Morris; his treatment of his family, his plotting mind, his matter-of-fact cruelty. The story moves along nicely and the action is sufficient. It was a different kind of story and I enjoyed it very much. I've enjoyed seeing the variety of stories in Forester's mind and his portrayal of his characters and their motivations. Well worth trying. (3.5 stars)"
"My missus and I have enjoyed watching the Call the Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times TV series based on the biographical books by Jennifer Worth since it first came out. There hasn't been an episode that hasn't brought tears, laughter and intense emotion. I bought the first book in the series for my wife, Jo, for Xmas a few years ago.
I'm so glad I've finally read it. It does coincide with fresh viewing of Season 1 of the series. It's been very interesting reading the book and recognizing the characters and episodes and comparing the stories to the TV episodes. So many similarities and also differences between the two.
The book is a series of vignettes, allowing you to experience life at Nonnatus House, introducing you to the nuns and midwifes who live there and also discovering the lives of the people treated by these wonderful, powerful women. It's hard to understand how difficult life must have been in London's Dockyards, especially when comparing it to the life I experienced, growing up as a military brat in Canada.
Worth describes the lives and setting so very well; the hardships but also the strength of character of the people living there. The stories are often gritty and heart-breaking but also there are stories of wonderful, loving people to make sure you don't just get depressed reading the book. Some of the stories; I'm thinking of Mary whose life is so heart breaking, living as a prostitute, trying to survive with a pregnancy (you can read it to discover the whole story). But then there is the story of Conchita, the Spanish woman who has given birth to 24 children and shares a life of love and happiness with her husband Len. There is an amazing story about her giving birth to a premature child, and the desperation as to whether she or both will survive and the efforts of the mid-wife and doctors to assist during a period of blinding smog. What an amazing story.
The book is a fascinating read peopled with wonderful characters, even more amazing because the stories are true. You must read! (4 stars)"
Currently Reading
As I've finished those two books, I've started the books below.
"The Last Unicorn is one of the true classics of fantasy, ranking with Tolkien's The Hobbit, Le Guin's Earthsea Trilogy, and Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. Beagle writes a shimmering prose-poetry, the voice of fairy tales and childhood:
The unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone. She was very old, though she did not know it, and she was no longer the careless color of sea foam but rather the color of snow falling on a moonlit night. But her eyes were still clear and unwearied, and she still moved like a shadow on the sea.The unicorn discovers that she is the last unicorn in the world, and sets off to find the others. She meets Schmendrick the Magician--whose magic seldom works, and never as he intended--when he rescues her from Mommy Fortuna's Midnight Carnival, where only some of the mythical beasts displayed are illusions. They are joined by Molly Grue, who believes in legends despite her experiences with a Robin Hood wannabe and his unmerry men. Ahead wait King Haggard and his Red Bull, who banished unicorns from the land."
"Anna Peters, the unorthodox New World Oil Company researcher, gets tapped for a delicate mission to pre-unification Germany: collect an East German oil chemist who has discovered how to separate oil from sea water. If genuine, the new process means huge profits. Philip McKenzie, New World Oil’s brilliant chief chemist, assures Anna and her boss that everything is on the level.
Anna thinks this may be too good to be true, and when she and McKenzie arrive in Germany she finds out that fraud is the least of her worries. The German chemist and his thuggish brother have their own agendas and some very nasty skills. And the gifted, mercurial Philip McKenzie has a bad habit—putting himself, and Anna, in danger."
New Books
"We expect our judges to be honest and wise. Their integrity and impartiality are the bedrock of the entire judicial system. We trust them to ensure fair trials, to protect the rights of all litigants, to punish those who do wrong, and to oversee the orderly and efficient flow of justice.
But what happens when a judge bends the law or takes a bribe? It’s rare, but it happens.
Lacy Stoltz is an investigator for the Florida Board on Judicial Conduct. She is a lawyer, not a cop, and it is her job to respond to complaints dealing with judicial misconduct. After nine years with the Board, she knows that most problems are caused by incompetence, not corruption.
But a corruption case eventually crosses her desk. A previously disbarred lawyer is back in business with a new identity. He now goes by the name Greg Myers, and he claims to know of a Florida judge who has stolen more money than all other crooked judges combined. And not just crooked judges in Florida. All judges, from all states, and throughout U.S. history.
What’s the source of the ill-gotten gains? It seems the judge was secretly involved with the construction of a large casino on Native American land. The Coast Mafia financed the casino and is now helping itself to a sizable skim of each month’s cash. The judge is getting a cut and looking the other way. It’s a sweet deal: Everyone is making money.
But now Greg wants to put a stop to it. His only client is a person who knows the truth and wants to blow the whistle and collect millions under Florida law. Greg files a complaint with the Board on Judicial Conduct, and the case is assigned to Lacy Stoltz, who immediately suspects that this one could be dangerous.
Dangerous is one thing. Deadly is something else."
"Lost items found. Paranormal Investigations. Consulting. Reasonable rates. No Love Potions, Endless Purses, or Other Entertainment. Harry Dresden is the best and technically the 'only' at what he does. So when the Chicago P.D. has a case that transcends mortal capabilities, they come to him for answers. For the 'everyday' world is actually full of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in. Takes a wizard to catch a - well, whatever. The first six Dresden files novels will be published over three months - a great introduction to Harry Dresden, a modern-day wizard who manages to get into some seriously tricky situations."
"Detective Sergeant Petrella of the London police is called in when a woman's partially buried body is found near the reservoir. She has been murdered. She also turns out to be the wife of a criminal who has escaped from prison."
"The setting is Thailand. A very important representative of the Queen is scheduled to visit Bangkok on a good-will tour. A threat has been made against his life, and somewhere amidst the golden spires awaits a deadly assassin.
The top-secret British espionage bureau feels ordinary security precautions are not sufficient, so they call in agent Quiller. He's a cynical loner, but the only man capable of tracking down the would-be killer. The tale is complex, set at a breathless pace!"
Bill's Author's A - Z
 |
| Patricia Cornwell |
"Under cover of night in Richmond, Virginia, a human monster strikes, leaving a gruesome trail of stranglings that has paralyzed the city. Medical examiner Kay Scarpetta suspects the worst: a deliberate campaign by a brilliant serial killer whose signature offers precious few clues. With an unerring eye, she calls on the latest advances in forensic research to unmask the madman. But this investigation will test Kay like no other, because it's being sabotaged from within—and someone wants her dead."
"Someone is after Beryl Madison -- spying on her, making threatening phone calls. Terrified, she flees to Key West. When she comes back home it's not harassment that's waiting...it's murder. Someone kills her, someone she trusted enough to open her door to.
Police work begins with Dr. Kay Scarpetta, Chief Medical Examiner. She finds laboratory clues no one wants to believe. So she follows them herself, putting her professional career -- and her life -- on the line."
"In Richmond, Virginia, young lovers are dying. So far, four couples in the area have disappeared, only to be found months later as mutilated corpses. When the daughter of the president's newest drug czar vanishes along with her boyfriend, Dr. Kay Scarpetta knows time is short. Following a macabre trail of evidence that ties the present homicides to a grisly crime in the past, Kay must draw upon her own personal resources to track down a murderer who is as skilled at eliminating clues as Kay is at finding the."
 |
| Colin Cotterill |
"A new author for me and I'm glad I discovered him. The Coroner is Dr Siri Paiboun, the only coroner in Laos. He's a 72 year old doctor who was appointed the Coroner. He works under poor conditions, has a wonderful staff of two, Nurse Dtui and Mr Geung. Their relationship is affectionate and humorous. The cast of characters are wonderful and Dr Siri is a wonderfully drawn personality, smart, individualistic, curmudgeonly and with a lovely sense of humour. The story is well-crafted, many twists and turns as Siri tries to solve the cases he has been given. There is political intrigue and even a very spiritual aspect. It's a story that draws you in from the very first page and there will be many surprises. In some ways it reminds me of the first Number One Ladies Detective Agency book, different, fascinating and with humour and love and mystery all mixed together. I highly recommend and know that I'll be reading more of the series. Loved it! (5 stars)"
"I've only read the first two books in this series, which features Dr. Siri Paiboun, the national coroner of Laos and the mysteries he becomes involved with. I like his co-workers, Dtui, his irrepressible Nurse, and Mr. Geung, his mentally challenge lab assistant. I enjoy the humour and the mystical aspects; Siri is possessed by the spirit of an old shaman, Yeh Ming, and he is often visited by the spirits of the victims of crimes he is investigating. This story involves murders of women by what seems to be a bear. Another case causes Siri to go to the North, leaving Dtui to continue the investigation, with a potential danger to her life. The investigation is so interesting to be part of and the characters are wonderful. Excellent series so far. (4 stars)"
"Killed at the Whim of a Hat is the 1st book in Colin Cotterill's Jimm Juree mystery series. I was introduced to his books with The Coroner's Lunch, the first book in the Dr. Siri Paiboun series. I've enjoyed the first two books in that series very much.
Jimm Juree is a female reporter in Thailand who lives with her quirky family. Her mother announces that she has sold their house and bought a hotel in the south of the country. Her brother and grandfather accompany her and her sister decides to stay in the big city. It seems on the surface to be a dysfunctional family but we see how they interact and come together as the story progresses. Bored with life at their less than successful hotel and with the seemingly backwardness of the community, Jimm finds herself getting involved with the investigation of two unrelated murders / deaths. First a VW van is discovered buried in the soil of a farm with two bodies in it. It's been there for a long time. At the same time, a monk is found murdered at a local monastery.
The investigation itself is somewhat convoluted but as the story moves along, there are interesting twists and turns and the ultimate resolution is different and surprising.
What is most entertaining is the interactions between Jimm and her other family members. All are interesting; from her mother who seems to be getting a bit senile and hunts for the killer of their dog, to her weight lifting brother, to her sister/ brother who is a computer genius and helps with the case and to her grandfather, an ex traffic cop who displays unique insight. We also meet local characters who flesh out and enrich the story. I wasn't sure I was enjoying the book at first but as it moved along and I got into it, I found it entertaining and quite different from the other series. Cotterill hasn't disappointed yet. (4 stars)"
 |
| Douglas Coupland |
"The synopsis of this book compares the style to Kurt Vonnegut and J.G. Ballard. I can see that somewhat, especially JG Ballard, especially the situation. However, I find the characters more sympathetic and easy to relate to than those in the Ballard books I've read up to now. I also can compare the story and feeling somewhat to Emily St Mandel's Station Eleven, without the scope of her story. In Player One, you have basically 4 people, Rick, Karen, Rachel and Luke and also the narrator, a computer game voice of Player One, all trapped in an airport cocktail lounge by a world-wide crisis. This crisis involves the sudden drastic increase in the price of oil and a series of explosions, etc. The four are in the cocktail lounge for various reasons; Rick as the bartender, Karen, just having flown in to meet an internet companion to see if they can strike up a relationship, Rachel, trying to meet a man to make her feel human and Luke, a parish priest on the run. Player One is the unseen voice, elaborating on the events of the previous hour and expounding on what will happen in the next. The story is set over 5 hours and in each hour, the four humans and Player One tell what they are thinking and what is occurring. It's an interesting concept and each person is well-crafted for such a short time-frame and the story is engrossing and draws you in. I could easily have given this a 5-star rating, but I think a solid 4 is fair. I enjoyed this story very much and found myself being drawn back to it to see how it would all resolve. Excellent and surprisingly good. (4 stars)"
So there you go. The weekend is on the way. Check these out and you might get some ideas for future reading. Have a great weekend!
No comments:
Post a Comment