The first quarter of 2021 is just winding up. At least it's sunny today. Here is your midweek medley to wind up the month and start off the 2nd quarter.
Midweek Music Medley 31 March 2021
1. American R&B / funk / disco sisters, Sister Sledge - Do it to the Max2. American hip hop group Salt 'n Pepa - Shoop (1993).3. Italian dance act Whigfield - Saturday Night (1993).Enjoy the rest of your week and April... 😁
Yesterday in a very short time we had hail, snow, high winds and then bright sunshine. Mother Nature is an amazing thing. There are branches all over the place. Today there is bright sunshine but it's still quite breezy.
So on Sunday and this morning I finished two more books. I hope to complete one more before end month. I'll provide my reviews for the two completed books and also the synopses for the next two books. I'll also continue with my latest theme, Women Authors I'm enjoying.
Just Finished
"Endless Night by Agatha Christie was originally published in 1968. It was turned into a movie in 1972 and also various TV movies, including at least one which brought Miss Marple into the frame. But in reality, this was one of Christie's many standalone novels. Did I like it? Well, if I wanted a typical Agatha Christie mystery, I'd say no. But in reality, it was an excellent story with horror-like overtones.
The story is narrated by one Michael Rogers. Michael, we discover, grew up on the 'wrong side' of the tracks. He has moved from job to job, lastly a job as a limousine driver, escorting wealthy folks around Europe. During his travels he meets a famous architect, Santonix, who is both very unhealthy and also very successful. Michael dreams of Santonix designing his perfect home. While back in England, Michael sees a notice for a house auction, the Towers. While exploring the house, he meets Ellie, who turns out to be a wealthy American heiress. Things lead to things and the two get married, deal with her family and their jealousies. We meet the step mother, some uncles and her lawyer.
Their home is built but there are issues, especially a gypsy women who tells them to move (the home is also called Gypsy's Acres, as the land is cursed. It's a slow moving story but there are incidents, sudden disturbing encounters with Mrs. Lee (the Gypsy woman), a rock thrown their window and finally a death. The story quickly spirals out of control after this until a surprising, fascinating ending.
Unlike the other Christie books I've enjoyed this past month, this is a darker, colder Agatha Christie story. From the outset, I didn't like Michael Rogers and for the most part none of the characters except Ellie and Mr Philpot, the local Justice of the Peace who befriends the young couple. There are so many suspicious characters and so much that is suspicious. In some ways the story made me think of The Bad Seed, except from an adult perspective. A different style of story from an Agatha Christie perspective but it probably made it more interesting. Dark, forbidding and even creepy. (3.5 stars)"
"The Player of Games is the 2nd book in the Culture Sci-Fi series by Iain M. Banks. I've previously enjoyed 4 other books in this series plus two of Banks' standalones novels, one Sci-Fi and one fiction. Banks creates unique worlds, beings and stories. Player of Games was entertaining but I don't think it was quite as good as the others I've enjoyed.
The story focuses on Jernau Morat Gurgau who specializes in playing games. Yup, that's his life. He plays games, teaches game playing and writes about game playing. Now by games I don't mean monopoly and checkers. These are games that Sheldon and Leonard and friends would dream about playing. Gurgau lives a somewhat irresolute life, entertaining friends (humans and robotic), partying and becoming somewhat bored with his life. The Culture shows up one day (Culture is a life style, a utopian society of humanoid aliens and super-intelligent sentient AI) and asks him if he might like to represent them playing the Azad in the Empire, a ruthless, killing society on the edges of the Culture.
The Culture is a unique society. It sees everything, sort of, the people can change sex, repair themselves, er.. well, they have many strange and different qualities. They are a loosely formed society but they do keep an eye on other societies to see if they are a threat to Culture and the rest of the universes. Gurgeh is hesitant to travel to the Empire but is 'black-mailed' by a rogue AI drone (he persuades Gurgeh to cheat at a game against a wonder-kid and then has tapes of the cheating).
So Gurgeh makes his way to Azad, learning the game on the way so he can compete. To the Empire, the game is life itself. To win is to become Emperor and to achieve promotion within the ruling class. Gurgeh is dropped into the strange, brutal society (there are 3 sexes; male, female and apex - the ruling class). Accompanied only by an irascible drone and with some assistance by the Culture ambassador, a drunken, entertaining individual, Gurgeh must thread his way through the society and the game, trying to survive murder attempts and other threats to try and win the game.
As always Banks creates a fascinating world and also unique, interesting beings. I just found this story a bit colder and less developed than some of the other ones. It was entertaining and different but left me somewhat disappointed. But when you compare it to others which were so excellent, this one was still very good and worth reading. The Culture society and it's people are always fascinating and should be explored. (4 stars)"
Currently Reading
"On a trip to Brussels, Maigret unwittingly causes a man's suicide, but his own remorse is overshadowed by the discovery of the sordid events that drove the desperate man to shoot himself."
"The masterful second novel in the Martin Beck series of mysteries by the internationally renowned crime writing duo Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, finds Beck searching for a well-known Swedish journalist who has disappeared without a trace.Inspector Martin Beck of the Stockholm Homicide Squad has his summer vacation abruptly terminated when the top brass at the foreign office pack him off to Budapest to search for Alf Matsson, a well-known Swedish journalist who has vanished. Beck investigates viperous Eastern European underworld figures and--at the risk of his life--stumbles upon the international racket in which Matsson was involved. With the coolly efficient local police on his side and a predatory nymphet on his tail, Beck pursues a case whose international implications grow with each new clue."
Women Authors I Enjoy - Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood is a Canadian author, poet, teacher, etc. She was born in Ottawa Ontario in 1939. I was first introduced to her writing while at university when I took a Canadian writing course. The book we took was Surfacing originally published in 1972. After that I enjoyed The Edible Woman, her first fiction novel and also The Circle Game her 2nd collection of poetry. Over the years I've picked the odd novel to try and especially enjoyed The Handmaid's Tale which I've read 3 or 4 times. Since 2000, I've enjoyed 8 of her books, Sci Fi, novels, poetry and I have one of her novels awaiting my attention. I'll look at the last two books I've read and also the synopsis of the book I have yet to read.
"I readily admit that poetry is not my favourite genre. It's not poetry's fault, it's more that I probably just don't get it. Too thoughtful for my poor mind, maybe. So when one of my book groups decided that March would be poetry month, I decided to try poetry again. I remember reading The Circle Game by Margaret Atwood back in my university days so I thought maybe I'd try some of her offerings for the challenge. Hence finding a copy of Power Politics as one of my choices.
I have enjoyed Atwood's fiction and science fiction very much over the years. What did I think about this poetry offering? From a pure aesthetics perspective, I liked the look of the book, the clean simplicity of the cover and the layout of the words on the page in this Anansi Press edition from 1971.
It's a short book so I thought I'd try to read it in one sitting and it was easy to get into the flow of the poems. There was a mood and feel to the book, the struggle and emotions within relationships. I actually could appreciate the feelings. There were some parts that I thought were just perfect; "I can change myself more easily than I can change you" or "A truth should exist, it should not be used like this. If I love you is that a fact or a weapon?"
I won't say I got it all, but it did strike a chord, a different mode of story. I'm glad I tried it. (4 stars)"
"I have an ambivalent relationship with poetry. I keep trying and sometimes I think I get the poems, others I don't. But I do like to keep trying. This is my second look at the poetry of Margaret Atwood this past year, with Dearly: Poems. I do like the modernity of her poems; they don't necessarily have the feel of poetry. You know, rhyming and that sort of things. There is a stream of consciousness to them and an easy flow.
A number of topics touched on in this collection; from the strangely eclectic zombies and werewolves, to a short touching collection entitled Songs for Murdered Sisters (written for a friend whose sister had been murdered), to looks at nature and our attempts to destroy our environment and finally a series of poems dealing with her feelings about her long-time partner's death after suffering from dementia.
It's a far-ranging collection, funny at times;
"Too many people talk about what she should wear
so she will be fashionable or at least
so she will not be killed." (Princess Clothing)
and touching;
"Who was my sister
Is now an empty chair
Is no longer
Is no longer there
She is now emptiness
She is now air" (1. Empty Chair from Songs for Murdered Sisters)
I know I don't always get it, but there is a nice flow and feeling to Margaret Atwood's poetry. Try it. (4 stars)"
"Hag-Seed is a re-visiting of Shakespeare’s play of magic and illusion, The Tempest, and will be the fourth novel in the Hogarth Shakespeare series.
The Tempest
is set on a remote island full of strange noises and creatures. Here,
Prospero, the deposed Duke of Milan, plots to restore the fortunes of
his daughter Miranda by using magic and illusion -- starting with a
storm that will bring Antonio, his treacherous brother, to him. All
Prospero, the great sorcerer, needs to do is watch as the action he has
set in train unfolds.
In Margaret Atwood’s ‘novel take’ on
Shakespeare’s original, theatre director Felix has been unceremoniously
ousted from his role as Artistic Director of the Makeshiweg Festival.
When he lands a job teaching theatre in a prison, the possibility of
revenge presents itself – and his cast find themselves taking part in an
interactive and illusion-ridden version of The Tempest that will change their lives forever.
There’s a lot of Shakespearean swearing in this new Tempest adventure…but also a mischief, curiosity and vigor that’s entirely Atwood and is sure to delight her fans."
You can find Margaret Atwood's catalogue at this link. Enjoy your week. Take care and stay safe. 😷
Jo and I are having a quiet Saturday, at the moment watching highlights of the World Figure Skating Championships. Strange without crowds, very quiet.
This morning I finished a book I've been working for the past month or so. I'll provide my review as well as the synopsis of the next book. I'll also continue with my latest theme, women authors I'm enjoying.
Just Finished
"I was surprised to discover that I'd already read two of Charlotte Brontë's novels before I enjoyed this one, Shirley, her 2nd of 4 completed novels. I've enjoyed every one and Shirley was no exception. It was originally 1849. According to the synopsis on my edition, it was written after the deaths of her brother and 2 sisters and she found it difficult to finish. Her main characters, Shirley Keeldar and Caroline Helstone, displayed her feelings towards her beloved sisters.
The story is set during the early 1800s when Britain was engaged in a long lasting war with Napoleon and was also struggling with Luddite riots (fighting against modernization of factories), bad harvests and social unrest. All of these themes feature throughout this excellent book, but the main theme revolves the two excellent women leads mentioned in the previous paragraph.
It's a rich, textured story. We meet Robert Gerard Moore, an industrialist originally from Antwerp. He runs a local mill which he is trying to modernize and is struggling due to trade restrictions caused by the ongoing war. Workers are protesting his mill and he must deal with this. It's a tense, violent time as he gets rioters, threats of violence. At the same time, we meet Caroline Helstone, his cousin who loves him very much. This dynamic plays out throughout the book. Caroline lives with her uncle, Rev Matthew Helstone, a hard, cool man. Caroline's father is dead and his mother abandoned her when she was young. (She will discover more about her mother as the story progresses).
The owner of the land on which resides Moore's mill, Shirley Keeldar, arrives and brings her head strong, independent attitude to the story. We follow her growing friendship with Caroline. Shirley's London family, the Sympsons, comes to visit and we meet Moore's brother Louis, who tutors the Sympsons frail, young son. He also tutored Shirley when she was a mite younger. The main four characters remain the two women and the Moore brothers but it's a richer story than just that. There are so many excellent story lines to follow and fascinating peripheral characters.
I can't do the whole story justice but suffice it to say it's a wonderful romance (s), dramatic (riots, shootings, deathly illness) and just a fascinating portrait of the times, both the people and current events and their impact. I have had difficulties getting into some of the classics I've enjoyed, the language of the time mainly, but this story grabbed me immediately and had a perfect flow to it and got better and better as I delved further into it. I'm not a 'romance' follower but I found myself cheering on both Caroline and Shirley, smacking their potential 'lovers' on the head to help them get a move on. It was a wonderful story, tragic at times but peopled with two fascinating and strong women characters. Charlotte Bronte has written some of my favorite classics, Jane Eyre and The Professor, and now this also ranks amongst my favorites. (5 stars)"
Currently Reading
"She was cool, attractive - a society lady - and in trouble. Benny Cooperman, a private eye with a hard head and a tender heart, was ready to help her in any way he could. When her husband committed suicide as he begins an investigation, the detective realizes he's no longer dealing with "a family affair". Probing into the curious circumstances surrounding the death, Benny finds himself in the midst of more suicides - or murders."
Women Authors I Enjoy - Kate Atkinson
Over the past few years, I've enjoyed 4 of English author Kate Atkinson's excellent novels; her Jackson Brodie mystery series and her standalone novels. Atkinson was born in York in 1951. Since 1995, she has written 11 novels, as well as plays and a story collection. I still have 3 of her novels on my bookshelf awaiting my attention. I'll highlight those.
Kate Atkinson
"In Life After Life Ursula Todd lived through the turbulent events of the last century again and again. In A God in Ruins, Atkinson turns her focus on Ursula’s beloved younger brother Teddy – would-be poet, RAF bomber pilot, husband and father – as he navigates the perils and progress of the 20th century. For all Teddy endures in battle, his greatest challenge will be to face living in a future he never expected to have."
"On a hot summer day,
Joanna Mason's family slowly wanders home along a country lane. A moment
later, Joanna's life is changed forever...
On a dark night
thirty years later, ex-detective Jackson Brodie finds himself on a train
that is both crowded and late. Lost in his thoughts, he suddenly hears a
shocking sound...
At the end of a long day, 16-year-old Reggie
is looking forward to watching a little TV. Then a terrifying noise
shatters her peaceful evening. Luckily, Reggie makes it a point to be
prepared for an emergency...
These three lives come together in
unexpected and deeply thrilling ways in the latest novel from Kate
Atkinson, the critically acclaimed author who Harlan Coben calls "an
absolute must-read."
"Tracy Waterhouse leads a
quiet, ordered life as a retired police detective-a life that takes a
surprising turn when she encounters Kelly Cross, a habitual offender,
dragging a young child through town. Both appear miserable and better
off without each other-or so decides Tracy, in a snap decision that
surprises herself as much as Kelly. Suddenly burdened with a small
child, Tracy soon learns her parental inexperience is actually the least
of her problems, as much larger ones loom for her and her young charge.
Meanwhile, Jackson Brodie, the beloved detective of novels such as Case Histories,
is embarking on a different sort of rescue-that of an abused dog. Dog
in tow, Jackson is about to learn, along with Tracy, that no good deed
goes unpunished."
Such a great author. A complete list of Kate Atkinson's works can be found at this link.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Stay safe. 😷
Five days left for March and as I look at the books I'm currently enjoying I can see completing three, maybe 4. We'll see. I received a book in the mail yesterday, by a new author for me. I'll provide the synopsis for it. I'll also continue with my latest theme - Women Authors I'm Enjoying, a fantasy author this time.
New Books
"'Little escapes the notice of Mrs Olivia Strode, the well-known local historian,' teased her son. But the joke came only too true. Even before the body was discovered below Monk's Leap, Olivia found herself caught up in the fringes of blackmail. Chief Detective-Inspector Tom Pollard was to discover that the blackmailer had got the wrong end of the stick, but the blackmailer had to die -- for a start."
Women Authors I Enjoy - Kelley Armstrong
Kelley Armstrong is a Canadian Fantasy writer from Sudbury, Ontario, born their in 1968. I've highlighted Armstrong's work in a previous look at Science Fiction / Fantasy novels. She's written many series but I've been reading through her Women of the Otherworld series. It was made into an entertaining Canadian TV series, Bitten, which both Jo and I enjoyed watching. I've read 3 stories so far and have three still sitting on my bookshelf. I'll provide the synopsis of those stories.
Kelley Armstrong
"Former supernatural
superpower Eve Levine has broken all the rules. But she’s never broken a
promise—not even during the three years she’s spent in the afterworld.
So when the Fates call in a debt she gave her word she’d pay, she has no
choice but to comply.
For centuries one of the ghost world’s
wickedest creatures has been loosed on humanity, thwarting every attempt
to retrieve her. Now it has fallen to Eve to capture this demi-demon
known as the Nix, who inhabits the bodies of would-be killers,
compelling them to complete their deadly acts. It’s a mission that
becomes all too personal when the Nix targets those Eve loves
most—including Savannah, the daughter she left on earth. But can a
renegade witch succeed where a host of angels have failed?"
"Meet the smart, sexy — supernatural — women of the otherworld. This is not your mother’s coven...
Kelley
Armstrong returns with the eagerly awaited follow-up to Dime Store
Magic. Paige Winterbourne, a headstrong young woman haunted by a dark
legacy, is now put to the ultimate test as she fights to save innocents
from the most insidious evil of all.. . .
In the aftermath of
her mother’s murder, Paige broke with the elite, ultraconservative
American Coven of Witches. Now her goal is to start a new Coven for a
new generation. But while Paige pitches her vision to uptight
thirty-something witches in business suits, a more urgent matter
commands her attention.
Someone is murdering the teenage
offspring of the underworld’s most influential Cabals — a circle of
families that makes the mob look like amateurs. And none is more
powerful than the Cortez Cabal, a faction Paige is intimately acquainted
with. Lucas Cortez, the rebel son and unwilling heir, is none other
than her boyfriend. But love isn’t blind, and Paige has her eyes wide
open as she is drawn into a hunt for an unnatural-born killer. Pitted
against shamans, demons, and goons, it’s a battle chilling enough to
make a wild young woman grow up in a hurry. If she gets the chance."
"Paige Winterbourne was always either too young or too rebellious to succeed her mother as leader of one of the world's most powerful elite organizations- the American Coven of Witches. Now that she is twenty-three and her mother is dead, the Elders can no longer deny her. But even Paige's wildest antics can't hold a candle to those of her new charge- an orphan who is all too willing to use her budding powers for evil... and evil is all too willing to claim her. For this girl is being pursued by a dark faction of the supernatural underworld. They are a vicious group who will do anything to woo the young, malleable, and extremely powerful neophyte, including commit murder- and frame Paige for the crime. It's an initiation into adulthood, womanhood, and the brutal side of magic that Paige will have to do everything within her power to make sure they both survive."
I'm sure you'll enjoy if you check out Armstrong's stories. The complete listing of Armstrong's books can be found at this link.
It's another nice day. Garbage day here on our crescent. I've been Spring Cleaning my bookshelves a bit, making room for new books I've received. My Little Free Library has new books in it and I've a pile to bring to my local Used Book store. We had a very nice lunch today, finished off the roast pork chops we had last night. They were great in sandwiches.
I got two books in the mail yesterday, one that I'll be reading for an April Group Read and one from a new author. I'll provide the synopses for both. I'll also continue with my new theme, Women Authors I'm Enjoying, this time an author I've just recently tried for the first time.
New Books
"As long as "The Unaffected" fought the Llralans, Earth would not die in its sleep!
Lulled into a coma by the exotic fumes from a strange plant, the people of Earth experienced terrible dreams while orange-skinned invaders quietly began taking control.
But even as the planet slumbered to its downfall, a few Terrans miraculously remained awake. These were "The Unaffected" - men like Brad Donovan and Jimmy Rierson who battled the invaders with every weapon of technology and psychology at their disposal to prevent Earth from becoming a land of the living dead."
"She was cool, attractive - a society lady - and in trouble. Benny Cooperman, a private eye with a hard head and a tender heart, was ready to help her in any way he could. When her husband committed suicide as he begins an investigation, the detective realizes he's no longer dealing with "a family affair". Probing into the curious circumstances surrounding the death, Benny finds himself in the midst of more suicides - or murders."
Women Authors I Enjoy - Charlotte Armstrong
Charlotte Armstrong Lewi was an American author, born in Michigan in 1905 and died in California in 1969. Under the names Charlotte Armstrong and Jo Valentine, she wrote 29 novels and also short stories, plays and screenplays. I recently discovered her works and have enjoyed one mystery so far. I've another sitting on my book shelf awaiting my attention.
"A Dram of Poison by Charlotte Armstrong was originally published in 1956 and was a unique, interesting story. Armstrong's writing reminds me of other female authors I've enjoyed of a similar time-frame; Dorothy Salisbury Davis, Helen MacInnis, Margaret Millar. Different types of stories in some cases but just a similar feel.
I found this a fascinating story. It takes a bit to get going but as the story progresses, it gets more and more interesting. Mr. Gibson is a poetry professor at a small California university. He is a quiet, unassuming man who gets involved in a fascinating story. Attending the funeral of a fellow professor Mr. Gibson takes the professor's daughter under his wing. He helps bring her health back and ultimately he marries her; a kind of bargain that he will help her but not it will be basically a platonic relationship. (Note: the story starts off with Gibson in his friend's office, and he notices that his friends has poisons in stock)
Gibson realizes that he loves Rosemary and they go to celebrate. Returning from the restaurant, they are involved in a car crash that will change their lives. Gibson is invalided (broken leg) so he calls his sister Ethel to come and help. She is one of those people who cause problems and she does. A series of events happen that will involve Gibson and Rosemary making a voyage through the city, gathering up various people in their wake. This is the best part of the story as we meet a great cast of characters who help the two on their search.
The story is basically a voyage of self-discovery; their own qualities, their relationship, their love, all the while trying to find something that could kill the person who might find it. Now I realize that's a bit obtuse, but you need to read the story to find out what. The first half was a bit slow at times, lots of self-doubt, self-rationalization but it really picks up so very much in the 2nd part, getting better and better. Well worth reading. (4.5 stars)"
"An unscrupulous actress
is perpetrating a supernatural hoax that has stunned the country. She's
the Dream Walker - a mysterious apparition who shows up in two
different cities at the same time, then disappears, untraceable. Olivia
Hudson, an acting teacher at a private Manhattan girls' school,
considers this no more than a mean-spirited prank born of desperation
and blind ambition. Until, that is, it tarnishes the deservedly spotless
reputation of a beloved, but famous, family friend. Now, Olivia
respects a good actress, but when this woman's antics begin to involve
murder... someone has to intervene. Someone who can best an actress at
her own game... to escape with her life!"
A complete listing of Armstrong's works can be found at this link.
March is winding down and I'm making nice progress on the books I'm working through. I hope to complete 3 or 4 more by month's end, but we'll see. I've no new books to discuss, although I do have a few on order. More on those when they arrive. So my post this afternoon will be a relatively short one as I continue with my look at Women Authors.
Women Authors I Enjoy - Karin Alvtegen
 |
| Karin Alvtegen |
"Born into a life of
privilege, Sybilla has spent many years opting instead to live on the
streets of Stockholm, cadging a bed, a bath, a meal, where she can. Her
favorite technique--one she permits herself only as a special
treat--plays out at the Grand Hotel, where with luck she can usually
charm a lonely visiting businessman into buying her dinner and a room
for the night.
But then she picks the wrong businessman. When
his dead body is found the next morning, Sybilla becomes the prime
suspect. For years, her anonymity has sheltered her; she has found a
kind of home in the invisibility of homeless life. But with her
anonymity shattered, Sybilla is forced into the one course of action
that might allow her to go home again." (4 stars)
"When Eva discovers that her husband's been having an affair, her grief and rage drive her into vengeful action. Then she meets Jonas, who for the past two years has been keeping vigil beside his comatose girlfriend. Burdened with his own sinister history, he sees a chance to start afresh with Eva.." (3 stars)
"I've read 4 of Karin Alvtegen's books and have enjoyed every one. Shame was excellent. It's usually found in the mystery section, but really, it's about situations and people and how these situations are resolved. And when Karin Alvtegen is writing the story, the resolution is very well-crafted. The two main characters in this book are Monika, a successful doctor, and Maj-Britt, an extremely over-weight home-ridden bitter woman. Both have issues and in many ways are broken. Gradually through the course of the story, they are brought together and by this contact a resolution of sorts comes about. Is it a satisfactory resolution? You'll have to read to decide. Neither character is particularly likeable, but you are drawn to them. There are some interesting supporting characters as well, especially Ellinor (who I liked very much) and Vanya, an old friend of Maj's. The story is gritty, at times dark, with many psychological issues, but it's also engrossing and draws you in deeply. As you get further into the story, you may find yourself turning page after page to see how things will tie up. I think in some ways, Alvtegen is a similar type of writer to Minette Walters, dealing with interesting story lines and characters. I've not been disappointed yet. (4 stars)"
"This was an excellent story. It lived up to my expectations as I've read other Karin Alvtegen stories and enjoyed them immensely. She develops the story very nicely, introducing characters in each chapter and telling the story through their eyes. Each person is well-crafted, has their own individual personalities, their own faults. The story starts with the death of Gerda Persson, a lady who had previously been the house maid for a famous literary family. The preparations for her funeral will change many lives and bring people together who did not know each other existed. There are many surprises and an excellent ending, even if not what I expected. Karin Alvtegen is an excellent mystery writer, very unique style. Highly recommended. (4 stars)"
5. Guilt (1998).
"Peter Brolin's life is a mess. Heavily in debt, a failure in his business and personal life, he is one of life's nice-guy losers. Sitting alone in a cafe one day he is approached by a woman who obviously mistakes him for someone else. Before Peter can explain she has gone - leaving behind a package that she wishes to be delivered to her husband. The package and its gruesome contents lure Peter into a nightmarish hunt for this insane, obsessed woman - a hunt which eventually forces Peter to face up to his own murky past."
(I hope to find this someday. I also hope the other two books; A Probable Story and Butterfly Effect, are eventually translated.)
I recommend that Karin Alvtegen be checked out. Well worth trying.
I had a nice walk this morning to get my day started. I'm just cooling off a bit before my shower. I've also made excellent progress with Shirley by Anne Bronte. I'm quite enjoying it. Not surprising as I've read two of her other books and enjoyed them too.
Before I head up to get ready for the day here is your midweek music medley to help get you through the rest of the week.
Midweek Music Medley - 24 March 2021
1. American singer / songwriter Ava Max - My Head and My Heart (2020).2. English singer / songwriter Jorja Smith - Blue Lights (2016).3. American singer / songwriter Lauren Wood - Fallen (1989).I hope you enjoy. Enjoy the rest of your week. Stay safe. 😷
It was a beautiful day to start the week. If tomorrow is like this, I'll go for my weekly walk tomorrow morning. Tomorrow is also our Tax prep day and Jo and I also go to pick up our new glasses.. Busy busy! We went for a drive today, Jo driving and me checking out the newest Local Free Libraries. I provided a book at each one we visited and also managed to find 4 books. All in all a great day out. Even the puppies liked being in the car. Jo is preparing supper as I write this; one of her discoveries as we explore different foods to help with our diets. Tonight it's baked salmon with baked asparagus, potatoes and garlic... It's fantastic.
For today's post I'll provide reviews of the two books I completed this weekend and also the synopses of the next two books I'm reading, plus those of the 4 books I picked up today. Then I'll start off my new Reading Theme - Women Authors.
Just Finished
"I've been enjoying the Cadfael mysteries since I discovered the books in early 2000's. I had watched the TV show starring Derek Jacobi as the sleuthing monk and then discovered the book series. Neither have ever disappointed. The Hermit of Eyton Forest is the 14th book in the series by author Ellis Peters.
This 14th novel is set in October 1142. The war between King Stephen and Empress Maud has run into a stalemate with Stephen holding Maud blockaded at Oxford. In Shrewsbury, where Cadfael works at the monastery, life is quiet and the war hasn't been affecting life. Hugh Beringar, the local sheriff, is happy with the peace and quiet. Young Richard Ludel, ten years old and heir to the Ludel estate, attends the monastery as a pupil. His father dies and Richard's grandmother wants the ten-year old married off to the daughter of a nearby landowner. This causes friction between Abbot Radulphus and Dionisia, the grandmother. Richard's father wanted Richard to get his education before taking over the estate.
There are other goings-on that will provide for entertainment. A hermit monk has turned up with a young assistant, Hyacinth, and is given a cottage in Eyton Forest next to the Abbey's forest land. Things start going wrong on the Abbey lands, including an injury to the forest manager. Also showing up is an angry landowner from down south, seeking a runaway worker. He stirs things up uncomfortably for Shrewsbury. A murder will take place, Richard will disappear and Cadfael will be in the middle of everything.
As always, Cadfael is an interesting, solid, common sense character. Abbot Radulphus plays a strong role, both as Richard's protector and at staring down Dionisia and Drogo Bosiet. There are strangers about, who are all interesting and all suspects. Hugh plays more of a peripheral role in this story but you always feel his commanding presence. You get mystery, love and romance, and tension in this entertaining, excellent historical mystery. Check out the Cadfael series. Trust me. (4 stars)"
"Easy to Kill by mystery grand-dame Agatha Christie was also published under the title Murder Is Easy. It was originally published in 1939. I had previously seen a TV adaptation of the book as a Miss Marple mystery. In fact, in the book, it's classified as a Superintendent Battle mystery. Miss Marple does not play a role in the written story. There was another TV adaptation from 1981, which features Bill Bixby in the lead role and, instead of playing an ex-English police man returning from the Far East, he is supposedly a computer expert. So with all that lead in out of the way, on to the story itself.
Luke Fitzwilliam is on the train to London, having just returned from a tour of duty as a police officer in Asia. On the train he meets Lavina Fullerton from the town of Wychwood under Ashe. In the course of their conversation she tells him that she suspects there have been a number of murders in Wychwood and, because she feels the local policeman isn't up to the task, she is going to present her case before Scotland Yard. The next day, Luke discovers that Lavina has been hit and killed in a hit - and - run. Later he reads that a Dr Humbleby of Wychwood has died of septicemia. He finds this odd because Lavina had indicated that she felt the good Doctor would be the next person to die. Using his good friend Jimmy Lorimer to set things up, Luke heads down to Wychwood to investigate, staying with Jimmy's cousin, the lovely Bridget Conway.
So that is the crux of the story. Luke rolls through various suspects; the lawyer, the doctor, a strange off-putting owner of an antique store, etc as he tries to ascertain whether murders have indeed been committed and, if so, who are the main suspects. Bridget, engaged to a newspaper man, a man much older than her, assists him. There is definite friction between the two, Luke and Bridget that is. Call it sexual tension if you'd like.
It's an excellent story and was not ruined at all even though I'd seen the TV adaptation. Christie creates such great characters and wonderful personal interactions between them as you delve further into the mystery, that the mystery, while the major component, is made richer by the characters themselves. There are many suspects, possible motives and as the story progresses, increased tension. The great Superintendent Battle in fact only arrives on the scene late in the story so the main characters remain Luke and Bridget. The story flows so nicely and is so entertaining, a joy to read. (4 stars)"
Currently Reading
"Five Days Out of Time
… that was how the ad had described the Zodiac
cruise on the “weirdly misted” English river. The passengers were the
usual, unusual lot: a couple of unpleasantly hygienic Americans, an
aloof Ethiopian doctor, a snooping cleric with a wall-eye, an artist
running away from her success…
But they were not all what they seemed.
For
Inspector Alleyn knew that one of them was the faceless “Jampot”—the
ruthless killer who could take on any personality, whose thumb was a
deadly weapon. The problem was, which one?
Alleyn had five
days to trap him, or the other passengers would pay with their
lives—and one of those passengers was Alleyn’s wife!
"Gipsy’s Acre was a truly beautiful upland site with views out to sea – and in Michael Rogers it stirred a child-like fantasy. There, amongst the dark fir trees, he planned to build a house, find a girl and live happily ever after. Yet, as he left the village, a shadow of menace hung over the land. For this was the place where accidents happened. Perhaps Michael should have heeded the locals’ warnings: ‘There’s no luck for them as meddles with Gipsy’s Acre.’ Michael Rogers is a man who is about to learn the true meaning of the old saying ‘In my end is my beginning.’"
New Books
"With the redolent atmosphere of Ian Rankin and the spine-chilling characters of Thomas Harris, Mo Hayder's The Devil of Nanking, takes the reader on an electrifying literary ride from the palatial apartments of yakuza kingpins to deep inside the secret history of one of the twentieth century's most brutal events: the Nanking Massacre. A young Englishwoman obsessed with an indecipherable past, Grey comes to Tokyo seeking a lost piece of film footage of the notorious 1937 Nanking Massacre, footage some say never existed. Only one man can help Grey. A survivor of the massacre, he is now a visiting professor at a university in Tokyo. But he will have nothing to do with her. So Grey accepts a job in an upmarket nightspot, where a certain gangster may be the key to gaining the professor's trust. An old man in a wheelchair surrounded by a terrifying entourage, the gangster is rumored to rely on a mysterious elixir for his continued health"
"A deadly tide of poison
flows into ocean waters. A ghost ship drifts across the empty northern
Pacific. A luxury Soviet liner blazes into a funeral pyre. The
Presidential yacht cruises the Potomac night—and the President
disappears without a trace.
Dirk Pitt takes on a sinister Asian
shipping empire in an intercontinental duel of nerves. In his most
dangerous, fast-paced adventure, he fights to save the US government—and
to seize one desperate moment of revenge!"
"A Tale of Two Cities is Charles Dickens’s great historical novel, set against the violent upheaval of the French Revolution. The most famous and perhaps the most popular of his works, it compresses an event of immense complexity to the scale of a family history, with a cast of characters that includes a bloodthirsty ogress and an antihero as believably flawed as any in modern fiction. Though the least typical of the author’s novels, A Tale of Two Cities still underscores many of his enduring themes—imprisonment, injustice, social anarchy, resurrection, and the renunciation that fosters renewal."
"A stolen child.
An ancient evil.
A father’s descent.
And the literary masterpiece that holds the key to his daughter’s salvation.
Professor David Ullman is among the world’s leading authorities on
demonic literature, with special expertise in Milton’s Paradise Lost.
Not that David is a believer—he sees what he teaches as a branch of the
imagination and nothing more. So when the mysterious Thin Woman arrives
at his office and invites him to travel to Venice and witness a
“phenomenon,” he turns her down. She leaves plane tickets and an address
on his desk, advising David that her employer is not often
disappointed.
That evening, David’s wife announces she is leaving
him. With his life suddenly in shambles, he impulsively whisks his
beloved twelve-year-old daughter, Tess, off to Venice after all. The
girl has recently been stricken by the same melancholy moods David knows
so well, and he hopes to cheer her up and distract them both from the
troubles at home.
But what happens in Venice will change everything.
First,
in a tiny attic room at the address provided by the Thin Woman, David
sees a man restrained in a chair, muttering, clearly insane . . . but
could he truly be possessed? Then the man speaks clearly, in the voice
of David’s dead father, repeating the last words he ever spoke to his
son. Words that have left scars—and a mystery—behind.
When David
rushes back to the hotel, he discovers Tess perched on the roof’s edge,
high above the waters of the Grand Canal. Before she falls, she manages
to utter a final plea: Find me.
What follows is an unimaginable
journey for David Ullman from skeptic to true believer. In a terrifying
quest guided by symbols and riddles from the pages of Paradise Lost,
David must track the demon that has captured his daughter and discover
its name. If he fails, he will lose Tess forever."
Women Authors I Enjoy
Over the past couple of years I've explored books I've enjoyed reading in the past years. I've looked at mysteries Sci-Fi, Favorite Authors, etc. For the next while, and I imagine it'll last for the rest of the year, I'll look at Women authors I've been trying and enjoying since I moved to the Comox Valley. I've highlighted many of them already under various categories. I'll try to cover books of theirs that I've either not read or not previously mentioned. Anyway, we'll see how it goes. I'll work alphabetically through my list and at the end of each letter will highlight any authors where I've read or have only one of their books. So with that introduction, let's get started.
1. Margery Allingham. I've highlighted Allingham both in my Mystery discussion and more recently in my favorite authors theme, as I've enjoyed 9 of the 16 books of hers that I have on my bookshelf. Allingham lived from 1906 - 1966 and was best noted for her Albert Campion books. Here are a few of the books I still have to look forward to enjoying.
Margery Allingham
"Way back during the crusades Richard I presented the Huntingforest family with the tiny Balkan principality of Averna but since then the kingdom has been forgotten, until circumstances in Europe suddenly render it extremely strategically important to the British Government. They hire unconventional detective Albert Campion to recover the long-missing proofs of ownership - the deeds, a crown, and a receipt - which are apparently hidden in the village of Pontisbright. On arriving in Pontisbright, Campion and his friends meet the eccentric, young, flame-haired Amanda Fitton and her family who claim to be the rightful heirs to Averna and join in the hunt. Mr. Campion and his two young friends, Eager-Wright and Farquharson, posted as the Hereditary Paladin of Averna and his entourage! Unfortunately, criminal financier Brett Savanake is also interested in finding the evidence of the oil-rich state's ownership for his own ends. Things get rather rough in the village as Savanake's heavies up the pressure on Campion to solve the mystery before they do. In the course of the hunt, Campion dresses in drag, takes refuge in a tree, is nearly drowned in a mill race, and his friends find themselves bound and gagged in sacks, shot at, and witnesses to a satanic ceremony led by the local doctor. The rural calm of Pontisbright is well and truly shattered."
"Starring Albert Campion, bland, blue-eyed, deceptively vague professional adventurer, and Great Aunt Caroline, that formidable and exquisite old lady, ruling an ancient household heavy with evil. Uncle Andrew is dead, shot through the head. Cousin George, the black sheep, is skulking round corners. Aunt Julia is poisoned, Uncle William attacked. And terror invades an old Cambridge residence."
"Old William Faraday is dead, apparently of natural causes. Another man is dead too, and it was certainly murder. Mr Campion and his family are back in Pontisbright, along with Magersfontein Lugg and DCI Charles Luke. Danger is hardly unknown in this idyllic Suffolk village, but it is a less romantic peril than on Mr Campion's first visit, more than twenty years ago. Mr Campion's friends Minnie and Tonker Cassands put on a cheerful face as they prepare for their annual party at Minnie's house, The Beckoning Lady, but Minnie has serious problems with the Inland Revenue?and the dead man in the ditch is a tax inspector."
"In Hide My Eyes, private detective Albert Campion finds himself hunting down a serial killer in London's theatreland.
A
spate of murders leaves him with only two baffling clues: a left-hand
glove and a lizard-skin letter case. These minimal clues and a series of peculiar events sets Campion on a race against time that takes him
from an odd museum of curiosities hidden in a quiet corner of London to a
scrapyard in the East End.
Allingham shows her dark edge in Hide My Eyes and evokes the sights, sounds, and inimitable atmosphere of Fifties London."
"Finding himself the
victim of a botched kidnapping attempt, Val Gyrth suspects that he might
be in a spot of trouble. Unexpected news to him – but not to the
mysterious Mr Campion, who reveals that the ancient Chalice entrusted to
Val’s family is being targeted by a ruthless ring of thieves.
Fleeing
London for the supposed safety of Suffolk, Val and Campion come face to
face with events of a perilous and puzzling nature – Campion might be
accustomed to outwitting criminal minds, but can he foil supernatural
forces?"
So there you go, the first look at a new discussion topic. I hope you enjoy it.
