Another nice day outside today. I spent an hour digging up a blackberry bush and some other yard work. This weekend, I've also finished 2 books and have started one more. I also received a new book on Thursday. I'll update those for you and also continue with my look at my favorite authors.
New Book
"A mature alien woman judge sees an amphibious human woman, obviously a slave, displayed in a tank in front of a sex palace. And so an interstellar plot of murderous proportions involving many races and planets, galactic corporations, exploitive sex and horrible slavery is revealed."
Just Finished
"The Network is Australian author Margaret Lomas' first work of fiction. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading this entertaining book; a combination romance / thriller. Sam Canon is a young lady trying to find her way in the news industry. She is a junior writer for an Australian news agency, somewhat bored with her work, involved in a relationship with Ryan. She has success with one story but her job has stagnated. When her relationship breaks up, her best friend, Bella, helps her find a job that will change her life; working in Indonesia for a small but more impactful news service.
Sam is a smart, beautiful, young woman but at the same time filled with self-doubt. This is reflected in her need to have someone in her life, first Ryan, who breaks her heart and then in Indonesia, Jase, a handsome man who fills her life with hope, love, but, at the same time, feelings of uncertainty and despair. Sam's job at CNB fills her with excitement and hope that she will be able to translate it into the career in international journalism that she has dreamed of. She loves the new life she finds in Jakarta, a city teeming with people, poverty but also opportunity and life.
While Sam works on stories that she hopes to develop into powerful stories, there is also an undercurrent in this story of uncertainty (confusion about Jase's feelings and his reactions to his friend Arwan), danger (Muslim fanatics). It all makes for a fascinating, entertaining story, which develops nicely and then just sort of takes off with an exciting ending.
I must say I really liked Margaret Lomas' writing style, clear, descriptive and flowing. The characters were all well-developed, each filled with strengths and weaknesses. The description of life in Jakarta was fascinating and the food even made me hungry. Sam is an interesting character, sometimes frustrating, but also imaginative and strong. Her team at CNB, while not fleshed out in too great detail, work with her effectively and as a closely knit family. Jase is a complex character and Sam's childhood friend, Bella, is a source of strength and also provides a splash of reality to Sam. All in all, it was an entertaining story. I had it sort of sussed out, I think, but it didn't matter as the tension held me to the very end. Great first story. (4 stars)"
"I've said it before and I'll say it again. Short stories are hit and miss with me. I think it takes a singular skill to be able to write a short story, to be able to grab your attention immediately and then make your point with an engrossing story in just a few pages. Canadian author Alice Munro is an expert at crafting such stories. Dear Life, published in 2012, was her most recent compilation of original short stories and the book was excellent.
Most of this collection are set just after WWII in rural Ontario. Each story had its own little surprise, a twist that made me shake my head. In some ways the stories made me think of a collection of stories I'd read by English author, H.H. Munro (aka Saki), that being the little surprises. Let's see. Take for example, The Train where a soldier returning from war, decides to jump off the train he is traveling and then walks down the tracks in the opposite direction he had been heading. His life is altered by the new situation he finds himself in, but ultimately, years later, his original decision comes back to smack him in the head.
Or the very first story where the young woman takes her daughter on the train from Vancouver to Toronto because her husband is going away on business. She hopes to meet a man that she had previously met in Vancouver, but on the train another chance encounter has an impact on her. Two stories in particular had a big impact on me; Gravel, which describes a childhood incident at a gravel pit and In Sight of the Lake, in which a woman wants to check out where the office is of a doctor she is supposed to see. The office is in another town so she drives there the night before to make sure she doesn't get lost. That one surprised me totally.
Munro's stories are told very matter-of-factly. There doesn't seem to be a lot of emotion in them, but at the same time, they often hit you emotionally, just with this straight forward approach to writing. I refer again to Gravel and In Sight of the Lake. They are observational, thoughtful and nicely descriptive. They do grab you right away, they flow nicely and for the most part, they make their point concisely and neatly, but twistily. There were a couple where I probably didn't get the point, but even with those, I found the story satisfying. The last four stories are set aside, as Munro describes them, "They form a separate unit, one that is autobiographical in feeling, though not, sometimes, in fact." Of course they were also excellent. If you're not a short story reader normally, and you want to give them a try, you can't go wrong with this excellent collection. (4.5 stars)
Currently Reading
"A story of flying, drug smuggling and murder in the 1920s. Pilot Philip Stenning crashes his aircraft while flying from London to Devon. He is rescued by escaped prisoner Denis Compton, who claims he was sent to prison for embezzlement after being framed by his half-brother, Italian baron Rodrigo Mattani. Owing Compton his life, Stenning agrees to investigate Mattani's illegal activities."
My Favorite Authors - Hans Hellmut (H.H.) Kirst
Many years ago, I watched an excellent movie, that starred Omar Sharif and Peter O'Toole, Night of the Generals. The m0vie was based on a book by German author, Hans Hellmut Kirst. He wrote a number of books about WWII, focusing on German soldiers and basically anti-Nazi. Kirst was born in East Prussia in 1914 and died in 1989. Over his life he wrote 46 books, many translated into English. He wrote a series of books featuring German soldier, Gunnar Ashe. I've read 5 of his novels so far and still have a few on my bookshelf to enjoy.
H.H. Kirst
"A Polish prostitute is murdered in Warsaw in 1942. The possible suspects are narrowed down to three German generals, but the investigation eventually comes to nothing. A similar crime happens in Paris in 1944 when all three generals are assembled once more - but again the investigations are halted by the famous 'night of the generals' - the coup against Hitler. Then, in 1956, a third murder occurs in Dresden. This time the killer must be caught..." (4 stars)
"Also published as "Death Plays the Last Card", this is an historical novel about everyone's favorite Soviet spy in wartime Japan: Richard Sorge."(4 stars)
"Hans Hellmut Kirst is a German writer known for his stories set during WWII. I've enjoyed some of his books already; The Hero in the Tower, The Night of the Generals (also a great movie starring Omar Sharif and Peter O'Toole). He offers a unique view of the German military during WWII.
Last Stop Camp 7, originally published in 1966 is set just after the war. Camp 7 is a POW camp for German soldiers and civilians and run by the US Army. Capt. Keller is the camp commandant and Lt Harte, a German - Jewish refugee, is in charge of investigating the prisoners to ascertain if any have committed war crimes and should be passed on to criminal courts in Dachau or Nuremburg. Hauser is a German POW who is suspected of committing war crimes. Harte investigates methodically but is being pressured to get on with it.
That is the basic premise, but what you have is an intricate story with a cast of many, both German POW's, Germans working in the camp, such as Fraulein Sylvia Meiners and Herr Gernsback, responsible for denazification procedures, and then a variety of American GI's etc.
It's quite an interesting, different story. The characters are well described, Harte's cynicism, but his frustrated desire to sort out the Hauser issue; Keller's sometimes abuse of powers, his desire to get Hauser, and also to develop a relationship with Hauser's wife; and the infighting between the varied prisoners. I particularly liked Sylvia Meiners, who works as an administrator in the camp, who likes Harte and wants him to help this new Germany.
The story moves along nicely and comes to an exciting and satisfying conclusion. I've enjoyed the books of Kirst that I've read so far. I have a number of others on my bookshelf, especially a series involving the life of Gunner Asch. Well worth trying. (3.5 stars)"
"I've read a few books by German author, Hans Hellmut Kirst|, starting with his classic, Night of the Generals. He is a quite different author. Brothers in Arms was originally published in 1961 and its first translation into English was 1965.
It's an interesting plot line. Six members of a German army section from WWII have settled into life in a German city after the war. Each is successful in his own right; Schulz, the Sgt, owns a gas station, Kerze is a successful factory owner, Gisenius is a lawyer and political operative, Frammler owns a funeral parlor, Hirsch runs a popular hotel / night club and Bennicken has a taxi service. Their lives are disrupted when another member of their platoon, Meinecker, a person who they thought dead, shows up. There is some sort of history involving Meinecker from an incident that happened near the end of the war that unnerves them. It seems to involve the possible rape and murder of a young woman near the Russian front.
Gisenius, who is the ring leader of the group, and a conniving, sneaky individual, persuades the others to hire a private investigator to search out Meinecker. He hires an ex police investigator, one Taunus, now living in retirement, on the recommendation of another person. We soon discover that Taunus, rather than keeping to the simple assignment also likes to find out reasons beyond his task; why he has been hired, what other reasons might be involved. Taunus begins to inculcate himself into their lives.
There are various other story lines, some that are disturbing. Kerze's daughter is a problem child, sleeping around, trying to start a relationship with Hirsch. Kerze's accountant has an unhealthy interest in Kerze's young son. Schulz's sister, who lives a sheltered life with him, starts a relationship with Gisenius' problem son, etc. It's quite a rich, detailed story, told from everybody's perspective. Also as part of the story line, at the end of each chapter, one of the six is interrogated by the police about the events of that particular day in 1945.
Taunus is a fascinating character. He finds out so much, has great intuition and a sweet tooth. The other characters all are varied and interesting and the story also holds your interest throughout. I have a few other Kirst books on my shelf and look forward to continuing to work through them (3.5 stars) (Ed. Note. Apologies for any errors in spelling or recalling character names)
"This takes place in the late summer of 1940 in a small town not far from Paris. There is a series of 'accidental' deaths, which are regarded as not worth investigating, so the only course is to murder the murderers." (3 stars)
So there you go. The complete listing of Kirst's books can be found at this link.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend.
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