New Books & Women Authors

Had a good run / walk today; they're becoming more run than walk. I try not to overdo it, running on level ground and walking up and down the hills. It keeps the pressure off my knees and hip. Old man that I am.. er, middle - aged, that is. 👴

Received two books the past couple of days, both by authors I've not tried before. One was one I ordered because May was Asian-American month. Yup, I know, I'm not American but I felt it was important and the book sounded very interesting. One more in the mail. So, I'll provide the synopses of both books and also continue with my look at my latest theme, Women Authors whose books I've been enjoying.

New Books

1. The Mysterious Commission by Michael Innes (Charles Honeybath #1).

"Portrait painter Charles Honeybath is intrigued when he is visited by a mysterious Mr. Peach about a commission to paint an anonymous, aristocratic sitter, known only as 'Mr X', whom relatives claim is insane. Under cover of night, Honeybath is taken to the house and asked to stay while he completes his work; but when he returns to his studio, he discovers that the bank next door has been robbed and that he is under suspicion!"

2. The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen (2015).

"It is April 1975, and Saigon is in chaos. At his villa, a general of the South Vietnamese army is drinking whiskey and, with the help of his trusted captain, drawing up a list of those who will be given passage aboard the last flights out of the country. The general and his compatriots start a new life in Los Angeles, unaware that one among their number, the captain, is secretly observing and reporting on the group to a higher-up in the Viet Cong. The Sympathizer is the story of this captain: a man brought up by an absent French father and a poor Vietnamese mother, a man who went to university in America, but returned to Vietnam to fight for the Communist cause. A gripping spy novel, an astute exploration of extreme politics, and a moving love story, The Sympathizer explores a life between two worlds and examines the legacy of the Vietnam War in literature, film, and the wars we fight today."

Women Authors I'm Enjoying - Susan Cooper

 

Susan Cooper

Susan Mary Cooper is a British author of children's books especially noted for her Dark is Rising series. I've enjoyed the first two books in the series and have the others on my book shelf. I've also got the first book in another series as well. I'll look at the 4 books I haven't read yet to give you a taste for her stories. Here is a pop culture factoid about Susan Cooper that you might find interesting before I get into her books. In 1996, she married Canadian actor Hume Cronyn. They had co-written a play on Broadway that he had starred in with his wife at the time, Jessica Tandy. There you go, factoid complete.

1. The Boggart (Boggart #1 / 1993).

"'Centuries old and thousands of miles from home'. When Emily and Jess Volnik's family inherits a remote, crumbling Scottish castle, they also inherit the Boggart - an invisible, mischievous spirit who's been playing tricks on residents of Castle Keep for generations. Then the Boggart is trapped in a roll-top desk and inadvertently shipped to the Volniks' home in Toronto, where nothing will ever be the same - for the Volniks or the Boggart.

In a world that doesn't believe in magic, the Boggart's pranks wreak havoc. And even the newfound joys of peanut butter and pizza and fudge sauce eventually wear thin for the Boggart. He wants to go home - but his only hope lies in a risky and daring blend of modern technology and ancient magic."

2. Greenwitch (Dark is Rising #3 / 1974).

"Simon, Jane, and Barney, enlisted by their mysterious great-uncle, arrive in a small coastal town to recover a priceless golden grail stolen by the forces of evil -- Dark. They are not at first aware of the strange powers of another boy brought to help, Will Stanton -- nor of the sinister significance of the Greenwitch, an image of leaves and branches that for centuries has been cast into the sea for good luck in fishing and harvest. Their search for the grail sets into motion a series of disturbing, sometimes dangerous events that, at their climax, bring forth a gift that, for a time at least, will keep the Dark from rising."

3. The Grey King (Dark is Rising #4 / 1975). 

""Fire on the Mountain Shall Find the Harp of Gold Played to Wake the Sleepers, Oldest of the Old..."

With the final battle between the Light and the Dark soon approaching, Will sets out on a quest to call for aid. Hidden within the Welsh hills is a magical harp that he must use to wake the Sleepers - six noble riders who have slept for centuries.

But an illness has robbed Will of nearly all his knowledge of the Old Ones, and he is left only with a broken riddle to guide him in his task. As Will travels blindly through the hills, his journey will bring him face-to-face with the most powerful Lord of the Dark - the Grey King. The King holds the harp and Sleepers within his lands, and there has yet to be a force strong enough to tear them from his grasp..."

4. Silver on the Tree (Dark is Rising #5 / 1977).

"This is the fifth and last book in "The Dark Is Rising" sequence. The Dark is rising in its last and greatest bid to control the world. The servants of the light: Will Stanton, the last of the Old Ones, the mysterious Professor Merriman, and the strange albino Welsh boy, Bran, are helped by three ordinary children in this last desperate battle."

The complete listing of Cooper's books can be found at this link. Enjoy the rest of your week. Stay safe. 😷