A Weekend Reading Update

Our Daughter Jenn visiting

It's been a nice week, well, partly anyway. Jo and I have been getting over colds that she acquired during her visit to England the ten days before that. Jo is also not too mobile as she also broke her foot in England. But the good thing was a nice visit we had from our daughter Jennifer. She had spent the week before at Comicon in San Diego and instead of heading straight home, she stopped off here for 4 days. We weren't in any condition to do lots of entertaining, but she got to relax, do some running (see photo above) and just spend some time with us.

Bonnie

She even managed to survive our two puppies, Bonnie and Clyde. They have mellowed somewhat, even thought they still howled when she moved from one location to another. But there were long periods of quiet as well. I think they actually missed her when she left for her flight back to Ottawa.

Clyde lets her rub his tummy

She took a couple of pictures the two of them, all very cute. Maybe they are getting a bit more relaxed.

I say that, but the video above shows how the two of them act when Jo and I go out. We had a doctor's appointment on Friday and Jenn took this video of the dogs' reaction to our being away. Lol!

Most recent photo of mine

So now it's Saturday and the dogs are bored. They haven't said so but I think they miss Jenn. This morning I took them out for a drive and we visited the local free lending libraries. I dropped off a few books and picked up three. I also have acquired a few new ones this past week, either via the mail, from 2nd Page Books and even one from the Airport when I dropped Jenn off. Since my last entry, I've finished three more books. So for this entry, I'll stick to highlighting my new books and updating my reading. I'll get back to my look at the Mystery Genre in my next post.

Just Finished

1. Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling.












"What a lovely, entertaining story. I found Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling by chance. Kipling might be better known for The Jungle Book and Kim but this story was great.

It starts with a bang. Young 15 year old Harvey Cheyne, son of a wealthy family and spoiled, is on a sea voyage with his mother when they hit a storm in the Grand Banks off Newfoundland, and he is washed overboard. Luckily for Harvey, the fishing fleet is working at the Grand Banks as well and one of the fishermen, out in his dory, sees Harvey in the water and saves him.

Harvey wants the crew of the We're Here to take him back to the mainland so he can contact his father. They don't believe he is from a wealthy family and can't afford to leave the prime fishing season for such a long period. So Harvey finds himself forced earn his keep working on the fishing boat. The boat is crewed by a wonderful diverse bunch of characters and Harvey soon makes friends of all of them, especially Dan, the son of the ship's master, Disco Troop.

We follow Harvey and the crew as they spend the season out on the banks with the other fishing boats, learning about the people, how hard the job is, but how there is such wonderful camaraderie between the crew members. It's a brave, daring book but at the same time, it's also folksy and friendly. We watch Harvey grow as a human being, from a selfish spoiled boy to a hard-working young man. It's an excellent coming of age story, a pure joy to read. Fair warning, it will take a mite to get used to the language as it was written in 1896 and there is a fair bit of local dialect. It doesn't take away from the joy of the story. Well worth reading (5 stars)"

2. Storm Front by Jim Butcher (Dresden Files #1).












"I've enjoyed both the TV series and the books about sorcerer / private detective Harry Dresden. Author Jim Butcher has created a unique, fascinating world. Storm Front is the first book in the series and officially introduces us to Harry and the people with whom he associates; Lt Karrin Murphy of Chicago's Special Investigation unit, with whom Dresden consults on strange cases; Bob, the ghost / wizard who lives in a skull in Dresden's basement and laboratory, Morgan, who works for the White Council and monitors Dresden for violations in the White Council's laws. Of course there is also Dresden's cat, Mister.

Dresden is down on his luck, having difficulties paying his rent and other bills. A woman calls him and wants Harry to find her husband, Victor. At the same time, Harry gets a call from Karrin Murphy, a tough, spunky Lt. She wants his help finding out who killed two people, a man and a woman, who's bodies have had their hearts ripped out, more like exploded out. This requires powerful magic. According to Morgan, he thinks Dresden did it, as he is one of the only wizards in Chicago with the power to do it. As well, the local gangster chief, Johnny Marcone, threatens Harry if he continues to work the case.

That is the gist of the story and it's an interesting one. We find out lots about Harry besides his money problems, like how electric appliances and phones are affected by his magic. Someone is also trying to get rid of Harry by sending a demon to kill Harry. Harry has many conflicts with this case, which can be frustrating at times. I do get irritated with this strong silent types at times, keeping things from Murphy, trying to do things on his own. But it doesn't take away from the entertainment of this story, a nice mix of mystery and fantasy. And they get better in future stories (3.5 stars)"

3. California Thriller by Max Byrd (Mike Haller #1).












"California Thriller is my first exposure to author Max Byrd. It was his 1st novel, written in 1984 and also the 1st novel in his Mike Haller thriller trilogy. Haller is a PI working in San Francisco, along with his partner Fred, an ex- San Francisco cop. Haller moved to SF from the East and worked as a reporter before getting his PI license. His girl-friend, Diana, is a psychiatrist.

Haller is hired to find reporter George Webber. Webber has worked many corruption cases but also has a habit of running off with a likely lady. His wife and his lawyer hire Haller to find him. As Haller delves into Webber, he finds that he has been investigating something in the San Fernando Valley. but doesn't know what. An attempt is made to scare off Haller by local crime boss (now seemingly respectable citizen and head of Brookline Security) Frank Brazil. Of course this doesn't work and we learn how capable Haller is in handling himself.

The investigation brings him into contact with a professor at Berkley University, who works on a project on the brain, how drugs can make people more docile, or aggressive, or more controllable, etc. Haller is suspicious of him. Haller also contacts his old boss at the Constitution, where Webber also works, to find out more about what Webber was working on. The owner of the paper, who is very anti-violence, doesn't like Haller's way of doing things.

So that's the gist of the story. I will say it does get somewhat convoluted at times and the ending is somewhat far-fetched but nonetheless very exciting. Definitely a thriller. Max Byrd does know how to put words down on the page and to create interesting characters and stories. His description is excellent and this story falls very nicely into the noir / hard-boiled genre. Most entertaining and lots of satisfactory action and I liked the ending. (4 stars)"

Currently Reading

1. The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey (Inspector Grant #3).












"Robert Blair was about to knock off from a slow day at his law firm when the phone rang. It was Marion Sharpe on the line, a local woman of quiet disposition who lived with her mother at their decrepit country house, The Franchise. It appeared that she was in some serious trouble: Miss Sharpe and her mother were accused of brutally kidnapping a demure young woman named Betty Kane. Miss Kane's claims seemed highly unlikely, even to Inspector Alan Grant of Scotland Yard, until she described her prison -- the attic room with its cracked window, the kitchen, and the old trunks -- which sounded remarkably like The Franchise. Yet Marion Sharpe claimed the Kane girl had never been there, let alone been held captive for an entire month! Not believing Betty Kane's story, Solicitor Blair takes up the case and, in a dazzling feat of amateur detective work, solves the unbelievable mystery that stumped even Inspector Grant."

New Books

1. The Black Curtain by Cornell Woolrich. Sounds a bit like Memento.












"After a slight accident on a tawdry street, Frank Townsend goes home - only to discover he hasn't been there in years. Suffering from amnesia, accused of murder, and the object of a deadly pursuit, he must overcome the crime that time has thrust upon him..."

2. What Happened to the Corbetts by Nevil Shute. From one of my favorite authors.










"Nevil Shute wrote this prophetic novel just before the start of the Second World War. In it he describes the devastation that results from an aerial bomb attack on Southampton that destroys the city's infrastructure and leaves the inhabitants at the mercy of cholera and further assaults. The story follows the trials and tribulations of the Corbett family as they try to get to safety."

3. The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock #2).












"When a beautiful young woman is sent a letter inviting her to a sinister assignation, she immediately seeks the advice of the consulting detective Sherlock Holmes. For this is not the first mysterious item Mary Marston has received in the post. Every year for the last six years an anonymous benefactor has sent her a large lustrous pearl. Now it appears the sender of the pearls would like to meet her to right a wrong. But when Sherlock Holmes and his faithful sidekick Watson, aiding Miss Marston, attend the assignation, they embark on a dark and mysterious adventure involving a one-legged ruffian, some hidden treasure, deadly poison darts and a thrilling race along the River Thames."

4. The Croquet Player by H.G. Wells.











"This allegorical satire about a man fleeing from his evil dreams was written under the influence of the Spanish Civil War. The croquet player, comfortably sipping a vermouth, listens to the strange & terrible tale of the haunted countryside of Cainsmarsh--a horror which broadens & deepens until it embraces the world.

Wells' modern ghost story of a remote English Village, Cainsmarsh. Dark events are plaguing its people. A terrified farmer murders a scarecrow. Family pets are being bludgeoned to death. Loving couples are turning on each other in vicious rage. People are becoming suspicious of every move each other makes. Children are coming to school with marks on them. One observer thinks there's evil underground scattered all over the marsh, invading villagers' minds, & it's spreading. A well bred, affable & somewhat effeminate croquet player is told the strange story of Cainsmarsh & it's impending doom as if its plight was the beginning of the end of civilization."

5. Dance for the Dead by Thomas Perry (Jane Whitfield #2).












"When eight-year-old Timothy Decker finds his parents brutally murdered, it's clear the Deckers weren't the intended victims: Timothy's own room--ransacked, all traces of his existence expertly obliterated-- is the shocking evidence. Timothy's nanny, Mona, is certain about only one thing. Timmy needs to disappear, fast.

Only Jane Whitefield, a Native American "guide" who specializes in making victims vanish, can lead him to safety. But diverting Jane's attention is Mary Perkins, a desperate woman with S&L fraud in her past. Stalking Mary is a ruthless predator determined to find her and the fortune she claims she doesn't have. Jane quickly creates a new life for Mary and jumps back on Timmy's case . . . not knowing that the two are fatefully linked to one calculating killer. . . "

6. All the Weyrs of Pern by Anne McCaffrey (Pern #11).












"For generations, the dragonriders had dedicated their lives to fighting Thread, the dreaded spores that periodically rained from the sky to ravage the land. On the backs of their magnificent telepathic dragons they flew to flame the deadly stuff out of the air before it could reach the planet's surface. But the greatest dream of the dragon riders was to find a way to eradicate Thread completely, so that never again would their beloved Pern be threatened with destruction.

Now, for the first time, it looked as if that dream could come true. For when the people of Pern, led by Masterharper Robinton and F'Lar and Lessa, Weyrleader and Weyrwoman of Benden Weyr, excavated the ancient remains of the planet's original settlement, they uncovered the colonist's voice-activated artificial intelligence system - which still functioned!

And the computer had incredible news for them: There was a chance - a good chance - that they could, at long last, annihilate Thread once and for all!"

7. Death of an Addict by M.C. Beaton (Hamish MacBeth #15).












"Former drug addict Tommy Jarret rents a Scottish chalet to check out reports of a sea monster. But when he is found dead of an apparent drug overdose, constable Hamish Macbeth suspects foul play. Teaming with Glasgow Detective Inspector Olivia Chater, Macbeth goes undercover and dives into the underworld to root out a cartel secretly entrenched in the Highlands."

8. Catch Me by Lisa Gardner (Detective D.D. Warren #6).












"Charlene Grant believes she is going to die. For the past few years, her childhood friends have been murdered one by one. Same day. Same time. Now she’s the last of her friends alive, and she’s counting down the final four days of her life until January 21.

Charlene doesn’t plan on going down without a fight. She has taken up boxing, shooting, and running. She also wants Boston’s top homicide detective, D. D. Warren, to handle the investigation.

But as D.D. delves deeper into the case, she starts to question the woman’s story. Instinct tells her that Charlene may not be in any danger at all. If that’s true, the woman must have a secret—one so terrifying that it alone could be the greatest threat of all." 

Well, there you go. Now to go make supper for Jo. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Read a good book!