A Reading Update, a New Book and My Ongoing Look at Favorite Authors

 The weather has been a bit topsy turvy the past couple of days; windy and rainy yesterday, today bright sunshine. That's Canada for you, eh? Well, I've been suspended from Twitter again.. lolol That'll teach me for saying something derogatory about the lame duck president's family.. 😊😎😁

Today we've been catching up on programs we've got taped on VoD. We had a great lunch today. Yesterday Jo made a really tasty beef stew and it was even better today, along with a nice baked potato. Light supper tonight.

So I received a new book in the mail this past week. I seem to be ordering more Sci-Fi lately, books by authors I haven't tried before. I also finished a book yesterday. So I'll provide the synopsis and review for those, as well as the synopsis of the next book in line. Then I'll continue with my look at my favorite authors.

New Book

1. Grass by Sherri S. Tepper.

"Generations ago, humans fled to the cosmic anomaly known as Grass. But before humanity arrived, another species had already claimed Grass for its own. It too had developed a culture… Now a deadly plague is spreading across the stars, leaving no planet untouched, saved for Grass. But the secret of the planet’s immunity hides a truth so shattering it could mean the end of life itself."

Just Finished

1. Bram Stoker - The Secret of the Sea.

"Bram Stoker is most famous his classic, Dracula. I have to say I've never read it as I've been kind of intimidated by the look of it. (Silly reason). I had previously read his Jewel of the Seven Stars, a mummy story. The Mystery of the Sea is my 2nd attempt at his work and I quite enjoyed.

The story starts off on one tangent, very mystical / ghost story, with the protagonist, Englishman Archibald Hunter, followed by a strange Scottish spiritualist, Gormala MacNeil. Archie sees the ghosts of sailors who have died off the coast of Cruden Bay, where he vacations and plans to have a house built. Amongst these spirits are ghosts of the Spanish Armada. Archie also saves Marjory Drake, a wealthy American, and her companion, Mrs. Jacks. 

The story slowly changes into an adventure and romance as Archie and Marjory begin a search for hidden Armada treasures. It's a slow burn as Archie tries to break down the code of a document he has found, so he can try to locate the treasure. As well, a group of kidnappers are on the hunt for Marjory and Archie must fend them off as well as American detectives trying to protect Marjory.

It sounds a bit convoluted but as the story wanders about at the first portion, it quickly begins to take off. The search for the Armada's treasure is fascinating and dangerous. The threats from the kidnappers quickly endangers Marjory's life. The story moves from mystical (although even that plays a part later on) to a thrilling adventure, a la John Buchan's best. The characters are excellent. I liked Archie's ability to break down codes, his loyalty and love for Marjory and his steadfastness and dependability. Marjory is a joy, a strong, independent, intelligent woman. Gormala is difficult to understand with her strong Scottish accent and is somewhat a caricature, but she comes through very much in the end. All in all, I was surprised how the story turned out, pleasantly so. It was an excellent adventure. Maybe I'll try Dracula some day. (4 stars)"

Just Reading

1. Stephen King - Everything's Eventual: 14 Dark Tales. I generally love King's short stories.

"'Riding the Bullet,' published here on paper for the first time, is the story of Alan Parker, who's hitchhiking to see his dying mother but takes the wrong ride, farther than he ever intended. In "Lunch at the Gotham Café," a sparring couple's contentious lunch turns very, very bloody when the maître d' gets out of sorts. "1408," the audio story in print for the first time, is about a successful writer whose specialty is "Ten Nights in Ten Haunted Graveyards" or "Ten Nights in Ten Haunted Houses," and though Room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel doesn't kill him, he won't be writing about ghosts anymore. And in "That Feeling, You Can Only Say What It Is in French," terror is deja vu at 16,000 feet.

Whether writing about encounters with the dead, the near dead, or about the mundane dreads of life, from quitting smoking to yard sales, Stephen King is at the top of his form in the fourteen dark tales assembled in Everything's Eventual. Intense, eerie, and instantly compelling, they announce the stunningly fertile imagination of perhaps the greatest storyteller of our time."

My Favorite Authors - Donna Leon

Donna Leon

American author, Donna Leon's Inspector Brunetti mystery series set in Venice, Italy, has been one of my favorites since I discovered it. (I was originally attracted by the excellent covers) She has a feel for developing characters who you enjoy, describing locales so you feel you are there and even making you want to eat the excellent food. Leon was born in New Jersey in 1942, but she lived in Venice for over 30 years, so she understands the city and its people. Since 1992, she has written 29 books in this series and has another due out in 2021. I have read 12 books in the series so far. I'll provide reviews of the five most recent books I've enjoyed.

a. Dressed for Death (Commissario Brunetti #3).

"Commissario Guido Brunetti's hopes for a refreshing family holiday in the mountains are once again dashed when a gruesome discovery is made in Marghera - a body so badly beaten the face is completely unrecognizable. Brunetti searches Venice for someone who can identify the corpse but is met with a wall of silence. He then receives a telephone call from a contact who promises some tantalizing information. And before night is out, Brunetti is confronting yet another appalling, and apparently senseless, death." (4 stars)

b. Quietly In Their Sleep (Brunetti #6)

"I have enjoyed every one of Donna Leon's Inspector Brunetti mysteries. Quietly in Their Sleep is the 6th book in the series and was as entertaining as all of the others. A nun, who looked after Brunetti's mother in a home, comes to see Brunetti. She has left her Order and tells Brunetti that she suspects that people in an old age home are being killed for their inheritance. She has little evidence but Brunetti starts to investigate.

 

The ex-nun is hit by a car and remains in a coma at a local hospital. It's a very slow-paced story and at times I thought that the investigation was started on very flimsy evidence. But as the story progresses and we start to look at a Catholic secret society Opus Dei and a side story involving a priest, at Brunetti's daughter's school, who might be abusing young girls, the story begins to move along quickly and a very dark, scary feel develops.

As always, I liked the characters; Brunetti and his wife, Paola, his Sgt Vianelli and the ever - knowledgeable Signora Elettra. While I don't know that it is my favorite Brunetti story, it is still interesting and thoughtful. (3.5 stars)"

c. Fatal Remedies (Brunetti #7).

"Donna Leon's Inspector Brunetti and Martin Walker's Bruno books are two of my favorite mystery series. They are more than a mystery; they are about communities - the people, the families, the food, etc. I've read 10 of the Brunetti books, with Fatal Remedies being the most recent.

This story involves Brunetti's wife, Paola, being arrested for breaking the window of a travel agency involved in arranging tours for men to go to places like Thailand to have sex with underage prostitutes. There is definite tension between Brunetti and Paola throughout the story but there is also the underlying love each feels for the other. 

The owner of the tourist agency is murdered and suspicion falls on Paola, or at the least, suspicion that her previous actions might have encourage some radical to act. Brunetti must walk a tight rope trying to solve the murder and to keep Paola out of the investigation. With the help of his ever present Sgt Vianello and the lovely, intelligent secretary, Signora Elletra, Brunetti works steadily to solve the murder, which could now involve the sale of out-of-date drugs.

I enjoyed this story as I have enjoyed all of the Brunetti mysteries but at the same time I think Donna Leon kind of coasted a bit with the story. I missed the family interactions but the children didn't play much of a role in this story. We never got to experience the family dinners, wonder at the great meals Paola usually makes. And I didn't enjoy the tension between Brunetti and Paola, even though their love trumps even that. I liked that Signora Elletra played a bigger role this time. She is one of my favorite characters. All in all, still an enjoyable, comfortable read, with even a bit of action. A great series (3.5 stars)"

d. Friends in High Places (Brunetti #9) see phot above

"I always enjoy reading an Inspector Brunetti mystery. Friends in High Places is the 9th book in the series created by Donna Leon and it contains the regular cast of excellent characters.

Brunetti is relaxing alone at home one Saturday; his wife Paola and two children are all out. Brunetti is reading the Anabasis, a story written by Greek philosopher and warrior, Xenophon, when he is interrupted by one Franco Rossi who works for the Ufficio Catasto. (I understood it to be the Venician government department dealing with housing licenses, etc.) Signore Rossi wants to ensure that Brunetti's top floor apartment is official. Due to a reorganization within the various organizations, it appears that no official paperwork has ever been filed authorizing this apartment. Brunetti risks both fines and possibly having the apartment dismantled.

Thrown into this mix are the crimes; one being Rossi's eventual death (murder?) at the site of another apartment. His body is discovered after Rossi tries to make an appointment with Brunetti for some secretive meeting. As well, Vice Questore Patta (Brunetti's boss and pain in the ass) needs Brunetti's help because his son was arrested on suspicion of dealing drugs. Finally, a young man is found dead in another building of an apparent overdose.

So these are the cases that will occupy Brunetti's time in this entertaining mystery set in Venice. As always we get to meet the wonderful, capable, intelligent, beautiful Signora Ellettra (Patto's secretary and Brunetti's source of information), his Sergeant Vianello, straight forward and competent, and Brunetti's family, his wonderful wife Paola, his son Raffi and daughter Chiara. Such a wonderful cast of regular characters, who all play important roles in assisting Brunetti or living with him.

The cases are all very intriguing and possibly intertwined. Other bodies crop up and besides the drug trade we discover the evil world of loan-sharking which may play an even more important role in Brunetti's case. I do enjoy how Brunetti gathers information; using the skills of Signora Elletra, and also of Brunetti's friends who he meets throughout the city. 

I enjoyed this story. The ending wasn't necessarily a pat one but it was also a satisfying one. I loved the atmosphere that Donna Leon creates and the characters and dialogue and the food and the city. There isn't much not to enjoy in her Brunetti series and this story did not let me down.  I look forward to visiting with this wonderful cast of characters again in the near future. (4 stars)"

e. Blood from a Stone (Brunetti #14) See cover photo above.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again, I love the Inspector Brunetti mystery series, set in Venice, by Donna Leon. Blood from a Stone is no exception. It contains the best features of all of the books I've read in the series, great food, a loving family, Brunetti's fantastic assistants and political intrigue.

The basic story is the murder of an African refugee by unknown assailants while he sells fake purses along with other refugees in Venice. The murder is witnessed by a group of American tourists and they provide the initial information to Brunetti. Brunetti and his capable assistant, Vianelli, begin to investigate this mysterious group and discover the dead man has a cache of diamonds. Brunetti's boss, Patta, tells him to cease his investigation and all of the files are taken by the Ministry of the Interior. However, neither Brunetti and Vianelli, along with Patta's assistant, Signora Elettra (a favorite character of mine) follow the instructions but continue the investigation surreptitiously. 

Why did this man have the diamonds, what were they for, and why are the Interior Ministry and Foreign Ministry involved. Brunetti and his team must tread carefully as they seem to be under threat from these mysterious government sources. 

It's a fascinating story with many sub-plots. As always there is the wonderful family dynamic. In this story, daughter Chiara surprises both Guido and his wife, Paola, when she talks about the murdered African and complaining about her father's lateness for dinner, saying ' Yes but it's only a vu cumpra (Italian for the African refugees)'. Paola is shocked and this is an ongoing sub-theme in the story. 

The story is complex and rich, filled with fascinating characters. I can't say enough about this excellent series. If you try it, I'm sure you'll fall in love with Venice, the wonderful food and the great characters.. Oh, yes, and the mysteries themselves. (4 stars)"

If you are ever looking for an excellent mystery series to try, check out this one. The complete listing Donna Leon's books can be found at this link.

Have a safe week. Wear a mask.😷