Bill's 2018 Musical Advent Calendar
My songs aren't Christmas songs, more songs that make me feel good and if you choose to listen to them, I hope they give you the same feeling. Some loud and rocky, but lots of wonderful women singers.
My December 1 song choice was performed in 2012 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame awards. It was a tribute to honoree, Laura Nyro, performed by the wonderful Sara Bareilles; Stoney End.
My November 2018 Reading Summary
I had an excellent month of reading and met my 2018 Goodreads Reading Challenge of 110 books. I'm up to 114 as of end December. I'm not working on any specific challenges now, just picking books sort of at random. Enjoying too.
General Info Oct Total
Books Read - 12 114
Pages Read - 3,500 37,000
Pages Breakdown
< 250 5 36
250 - 350 5 38
351 - 450 0 21
> 450 2 19
Ratings
5 - star 2 10
4 - star 7 68
3 - star 3 35
2 - star 0 1
Gender
Female 3 38
Male 9 76
Genres
Fiction 4 24
Mystery 6 62
SciFi 2 17
Non-Fic 5
Classics 2 4
Poetry 0 2
Top 3 Books
"My wife and I got Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel as a gift about 5 years ago. It's sat on the shelf for a long time, as you can see, and I've had quite some trepidation about starting it. I can't say why. It might just have been the size, but in the end that's a pretty poor reason as I've read longer books than it. Suffice it to say, this year it was one of my challenge reads, selected for me by a book club friend of mine.
It's a historical novel, set during the time of Henry VIII in the early 1500's as he fights with the Pope to get his first marriage to Katherine of Aragon annulled so he can marry Anne Boleyn. The story focuses on the rise of Thomas Cromwell from the son of a blacksmith to Henry's chief adviser. We get to see palace intrigue, the life and family of Cromwell, those who people the court of Henry VIII and their dealings and personalities.
That's the story on its simplest level but it is indeed an intricate, complex, fascinating story. As with most large tomes, it took me awhile to get going with the story. I usually have a few books on the go and I can be easily distracted. But as I got deeper into the story, I found myself drawn to the characters, the richness of their personalities, the complexities of the court life and just the portrayal of England at the time.
Cromwell is made very human, as is Henry VIII and the rest of the large cast of thousands, from Cromwell's extended family, to the lords and dukes and ladies who you find at the King's court and in their dealings with Cromwell. The religious aspect is also well - described, the dealings between England and Rome as they try to get the first marriage annulled. Cromwell is everywhere, dealing with Henry, with Anne Boleyn, with Katherine, the lords and archbishops, etc. His rise in power is a fascinating story. His love and care of his family and of those people he seems to pick up off the street and add to his family was especially fascinating.
In the end, I enjoyed the whole story immensely and was pleasantly surprised at how much I did enjoy it. Now I have to dust off the 2nd book, Bringing up the Bodies.. I may wait awhile to catch my breath though. (5 stars)"
"First published in 1956, The Pusher is the 3rd book in Ed McBain's 87th Precinct police procedural series. I find it hard to believe, myself, that I rated this book 5 stars, but for its small size, it packs a great punch.
The 87th Precinct is set in a fictional US city and features the cops and detectives of the 87th Precinct. In this edition, they and the city they protect are preparing for Xmas. The story starts with Detective Steve Carella and his partner, newly promoted Detective King called out to a seeming suicide. The body belongs to a young Puerto Rican addict who is found dead with a rope around his neck. To Carella, it seems to pat and he suspects that the boy has been murdered.
This begins a fascinating case involving drug dealing, an addicted Police Lt.'s son who may be involved in the murders, possible black-mailing and other murders. The story moves along at a nice pace, mainly following Carella's investigation but also covering his boss, Lt Byrnes as he must deal with issues surrounding his son.
It's more than just an investigation, although having said that, there are interesting pieces of forensic work and excellent interrogations that are realistic and well-crafted. But you also get into the personal lives of the detectives; Carella's relationship with is lovely wife Teddy and Byrnes' troubled but powerful relationship with his wife and son. Even minor characters such as Carella's informant Danny Gimp are turned into real people. I loved the dedication of the police. I loved how McBain took time to present the city and the people who lived there.
The story ended emotionally for me. The story was only 158 pages but it grabbed me from the very beginning and held me engrossed from beginning to end. I've now read the first 3 books in the series and each and everyone has been excellent. (5 stars)"
"Shift by American author, Hugh Howey is the 2nd volume in the Silo trilogy. It contains 3 parts; Part 1 - First Shift / Legacy, Part 2 - Second Shift / Order and Part 3 - Third Shift / Pact.
Like the first book in the series, Wool, Shift is a deeply intricate, involved story. We learn many things in this volume, the origins of the Silos and we move, in the deep dark future, between Silo 1 and Silo 18 and also 17. It's a bit confusing at first but as you get into the flow of the stories and the time and location shifts, you find yourself drawn into the world Howey has created.
The stories can be quite depressing. We get more inklings about what might have happened to the world and who might have caused the 'disaster' that caused the creation of the Silos in Georgia. At the same time, there still remain many questions about what actually happened and what the plan is for the future of those inhabiting the 40 silos. My impression is that it doesn't bode well for many of those living in the majority of the Silos.
We have nano-technology which seems to have been used to preserve the lives of those creators who live in Silo 1; long periods of hibernation, with periods of activity (Shifts). They monitor and direct the other silos, passing on the Legacies, controlling the Mayors and who else run those silos and also seemingly shutting down those silos where problems occur (riots, war, etc). Maybe they are looking for the best run and organized silos? Hopefully, the final book in the series, Dust will provide those final answers (Yes, there is still one more book!!)
Besides Donald and those main characters in Silo 1, we also meet Mission in Silo 18, a porter caught up in a revolt and Jimmy (Solo) in Silo 17, struggling to live as the Silo degenerates into chaos. And who is the Cleaner???? (Is she the Juliette???) Questions, questions!!!
Not a happy view of the future but a fascinating story once again. Hoping I don't wait quite so long to read the 3rd book (4 stars) "
12 + 4 Challenge (completed 16)
1. Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel (5 stars)
New Series (completed 27)
2. A Rage in Harlem - Chester Himes (4 stars)
3. Pacific Vortex - Clive Cussler (3 stars)
4. Outsider in Amsterdam - Janwillem van de Wetering (3.5 stars)
Ongoing Series (completed 26)
5. The Pusher - Ed McBain (5 stars)
6. The Drowning Pool by Ross MacDonald (4 stars)
7. Glinda of Oz by L. Frank Baum (4 stars)
8. Shift by Hugh Howey (4 stars)
9. The Hand of Fu-Manchu by Sax Rohmer (3.5 stars)
10. Murder on Mulberry Bend by Victoria Thompson (4 stars)
Decades Challenge (completed 29)
11. The Witness for the Prosecution and other Stories by Agatha Christie (4 stars)
12. I Am Curious (Yellow) by Vilgot Sjoman (4 stars)
Canadian Content (completed 16)
Dec Books
Currently Reading
2. Katapult - Karen Kijewski
3. The Old Fox Deceiv'd - Martha Grimes
4. Wycliffe and the Three-Toed Pussy - WJ Burley
5. Just One Damned Thing After Another - Jodi Taylor
In the Mill
Well, there you go folks. One month to go and then we're into a new year.. Egads! Have a great weekend.
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