First off, I want to wish everyone a Happy Easter! Please enjoy your day and call someone you love who may be on their own.
It's another beautiful day here in the valley, around 18°C and nice and sunny. I got a bit more yard work done so when the guy comes to turn on the sprinklers tomorrow he'll be able to walk around the yard..
Last night Jo and I watched Blade Runner 2049. We really quite enjoyed. I think it was a bit to moody and Jo said it could have been 20 minutes shorter. I agree. Still it definitely held our attention. Today we're watching Harry Potter movies. Space shows them every long weekend it seems.
Let's see. I finished another book this morning, the 3rd Richard Jury mystery. Quite excellent. I'll provide my review and also the synopsis of the book next in line. Finally I'll continue with my look at the Sci-Fi novel.
Just Finished
"I've enjoyed the Richard Jury mystery series by Martha Grimes very much. The first three or four books were read out of sequence but I've recently begun to read them in order. The Anodyne Necklace is the third book in the series and definitely one of my favorites. While it might not be overly deep and provocative, there is something about the story that draws you in and emotionally attaches you to the characters, whether Jury, his ever-present Sgt Wiggins and best friend Lord Ardry, AKA Melrose Plant, or the suspects and people involved in the case.
Jury is just setting out for a weekend vacation time with his friend Melrose when he receives a call from his boss and bane of Jury's existence, DCI Racer. Jury has been tasked to assist a local police force investigate a murdered body found in the woods near the tiny village of Littlebourne, a town near London. Bringing Wiggins along and asking Plant to come as well, to do some 'undercover' investigating, Jury heads to the town. What an interesting place and such interesting people. We soon discover that a crime, possibly related to the murder, has also taken place in London. Katie O'Brien, a young lady from Littlebourne, who traveled to London for violin lessons, had been struck on the head and is in hospital in a coma. (This is how the story opens). As well, there have been other incidents that make for both a fascinating town and that might also be related.
Thus begins Jury's investigation. And it will involve so many fascinating characters, Polly Praed, the local mystery writer, the Bodenheims (Sir Miles and family) who are the subject of Praed's murder plots, the Ashe family in London, a more rascally but lovable bunch you will never meet, the local Bobby, Peter Gere, but especially young Emily Louise Perk, an independent, stubborn, wonderful girl who will so influence both Melrose and Jury in this story.
The mystery is the crux of the story but it's the interrelationships and the characters that make it such a joy to read. I found myself becoming invested in so many of them and turning pages to find out how they would further develop. The story was such a pleasure to read, bringing out many emotions, sadness, happiness, anger... I so enjoyed the story, a lovely little gem. Oh and a nicely satisfying mystery as well, with an excellent ending. (5 stars)"
Currently Reading
"The Con Man: a trickster taking money from an old woman for his own private charity, a cheater fleecing businessmen out of thousands of dollars, and a lady-killer. If the boys of the 87th Precinct know every trick he plays, then why are the bodies still washing up on shore?"
The Science Fiction Novel - Pierce Brown
Firstly, let me just say that I'm quickly winding down this thread. Not sure what I'll do next. (I'm open to suggestions) Maybe go through my lists and feature some of my favorite authors; e.g. those I've read more than 5 or 10 books. How does that sound?)
Anyway, now about Pierce Brown. Brown is a new author for me. Brown is from Denver, Colorado, born in 1988. He is known for his Red Rising series of five books (currently). I have the first three books but have yet to start them. I hope to read the first one, at least, this year.
"The Earth is dying.
Darrow is a Red, a miner in the interior of Mars. His mission is to extract enough precious elements to one day tame the surface of the planet and allow humans to live on it.
The Reds are humanity's last hope.
Or so it appears, until the day Darrow discovers it's all a lie.
That Mars has been habitable - and inhabited - for generations, by a class of people calling themselves the Golds.
A class of people who look down on Darrow and his fellows as slave labour, to be exploited and worked to death without a second thought. Until the day that Darrow, with the help of a mysterious group of rebels, disguises himself as a Gold and infiltrates their command school, intent on taking down his oppressors from the inside.
But the command school is a battlefield - and Darrow isn't the only student with an agenda.
Break the chains.
Live for more."
"Golden Son continues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom from the overlords of a brutal elitist future built on lies. Now fully embedded among the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his work to bring down Society from within. A life-or-death tale of vengeance with an unforgettable hero at its heart, Golden Son guarantees Pierce Brown’s continuing status as one of fiction’s most exciting new voices."
"Darrow would have lived in peace, but his enemies brought him war. The Gold overlords demanded his obedience, hanged his wife, and enslaved his people. But Darrow is determined to fight back. Risking everything to transform himself and breach Gold society, Darrow has battled to survive the cutthroat rivalries that breed Society’s mightiest warriors, climbed the ranks, and waited patiently to unleash the revolution that will tear the hierarchy apart from within.
Finally, the time has come.
But devotion to honor and hunger for vengeance run deep on both sides. Darrow and his comrades-in-arms face powerful enemies without scruple or mercy. Among them are some Darrow once considered friends. To win, Darrow will need to inspire those shackled in darkness to break their chains, unmake the world their cruel masters have built, and claim a destiny too long denied—and too glorious to surrender."
The remaining two books in the series are -
- Iron Gold (2018)
- Dark Age (2019)
So there you go. Enjoy what remains of your Easter weekend. Best wishes.
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