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. 😷
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