A Sunday Reading Update

20 Years Ago - Aug 2002

No rants today as it's Sunday, a day of rest, and almost Valentine's Day. I proposed to Jo on Valentine's Day 2002. This year will be our 20th anniversary. Reason to be happy.

So, books.

Since my last reading update I've completed 5 books, 2 of which were short graphic novels to be fair. I'll provide my reviews of those books as well as the synopses of those I've started since. As well, I've managed to somehow acquire a few new books. Wonder of wonders, eh? I'll provide the synopses of those as well.

Just Finished

1. Serve and Protect by Vince Flynn (Mitch Rapp #10). You want a thriller, you've got a thriller.

"If you like international political intrigue, non-stop action and larger than life heroes, you'll enjoy Protect and Defend by Vince Flynn, the 10th book in his CIA operative Mitch Rapp thriller series. I've only read one other book in the series so I can't say they have to be read in order, but based on this one, I'd say it's not necessary.

The story starts with black ops agent Rapp in Costa Rica terminating an American political operative. But the main story is the destruction of an Iranian nuclear facility by an Israeli agent. This causes an international incident with the Iranians blaming the Americans and Israelis. There is conflict within the Iranian government with the President Amatullah wanting to strike back immediately (with the assistance of a senior Hezbollah operative) and the head of the Iranian spy agency, Asjani, wanting to proceed more cautiously.

Head of the CIA, Irene Kennedy, heads off to Mosul, Iraq for a face to face meeting with Asjani, with Mitch Rapp as part of the advance party in charge of security arrangements. After the meeting, Kennedy is attacked and kidnapped and the rest of the story deals with other actions by the Iranians and Rapp's efforts to find and save Kennedy.

It's a long story but takes place only over a couple of days and the action is often intense and violent. Spycraft is fascinating and the CIA ops are well-described. The story moves along quickly and easily and you find yourself turning pages quickly to see what will happen next. Flynn knows how to craft a thriller; short chapters, jumping from location to location and incident to incident. Mitch Rapp is an effective, smart, man of action and he is determined to save Kennedy even if it means disobeying orders from on high. The bad guys are well described and very bad and the folks in the middle are also all excellent. It's a pure thriller and if that's what you enjoy, you should out the series and this particular story. (4 stars)"

2. Pemmican Wars by Katherena Vermette (A Girl Called Echo #1). Interesting YA historical, time travel sort of story.

"Pemmican Wars  is the first book in a young adult, historical graphic novel series, A Girl Called Echo, by Canadian author Katherena Vermette. It follows a Métis teenager, Echo, as she struggles through school, her family situation and finds herself transported back and forth in time to the early 1800's and the war between the two trading companies trying to control western Canada; the Northwest Company (NWC) and the Hudson Bay Company (HBC)

Caught in the middle of this battler are the Métis (native / French mix) and other settlers, trying to survive in this wild west. The Pemmican Wars were a ploy by the HBC to stop the Métis from trading their big product, pemmican (a kind of jerky, I guess. There is a recipe provided), hence the cause of the war.

It's a very short story, introducing Echo as she wanders through school and home where she lives with, I believe an aunt, and also begins to read about her Métis heritage.  Her voyage to the past puts her in the middle as an observer of the events taking place. A very interesting start, clear, excellent artwork and also a solid introduction to the story. A new subject for me, although I did know a bit about Louis Riel and his Métis followers. I will have to order the next book now to see where the story goes. (3.5 stars)"

3. Dawn by Octavia E. Butler (Xenogenesis #1). Also goes by Lilith's Brood #1.

"Dawn the first book in Octavia E. Butler's Xenogenesis trilogy (also known as Lilith's brood, it seems). In some ways it reminded me of Ursula LeGuin's Left Hand of Darkness (mainly the human / alien sex component... that being if I recall Darkness correctly as it has been a few years since I last read it)

The story is set after Earth basically destroys itself after a World War. Surviving humans, including protagonist Lilith, have been removed from the planet by an alien race, the Oankali, and placed in hibernation. The aim appears to be that the Oankali will awaken and train certain humans, once again Lilith, to return to Earth and teach the others in hibernation to survive on what remains of the planet. Secondly, they will be linked in some sensory way to the Oankali, who will also come to Earth. This is a special segment of the Oankali, the Ooloi, who are bi / multi sexual??? 

We focus on Lilith for the first half of the book, her trepidation at finding herself alone on a space ship trying to discover who the Oankali are and what they want from her. She is bonded to Nikanj (the short form of his / her name), who is still a child but with her help will become a full-fledged Ooloi and then be able to mate with his two husbands / wives. (Confused??)

Lilith is then put in charge of a group of 40ish humans who have been hibernating for many years. Gradually she awakens them, tries to teach them about the Oankali, about what is required of them on Earth, etc. Like most humans, they are suspicious, of Lilith (is she a traitor to humankind, is she really still human??) and of the Oankali. They look different! Earth people must be suspicious of that, right?

It's all a fascinating, differing kind of Sci-Fi story. The interactions between humans and aliens, the distrust, the attempts by humans to escape, the links between humans and their Oankali 'mentors / mates'. Quite an interesting, at times very grim story. It ends, like most series, somewhat on tenterhooks. What will happen to Lilith? What will happen to mankind? How will we work with or not work with the Oankali as humans try to make a new life on Earth. Well written, a page-turner and a thoughtful, excellent first book in this trilogy. (4 stars) Now to find Adulthood Rites..."

4. If I  Go Missing by Brianna Jonnie (2019). Touching, poignant.

"If I Go Missing by Canadian teenager Brianna Jonnie is short, powerful and poignant. It is based on a letter, told in graphic novel format, that Brianna wrote to the Chief of Police in Winnipeg Man. She thanks the police for their prompt response in investigating and finding a missing teenager but then goes on to elaborate on how their response differs when this child / teenager is an indigenous person. She ends her letter by providing her photo and asking that if she ever goes missing (one that is a stronger likelihood for indigenous teenagers) that said photo be used in the press announcement. And also if she is found dead, that her mother be told that they are sorry and that Brianna wishes to be buried in her red dress (Look up The REDress Project at http://www.the redressproject.org for more info).

The story finishes with facts on the imbalance between white and indigenous (or black) women when it comes to homicide. 'In Australia, indigenous women are victims of homicide six times more often than non-indigenous women. They represent 16 percent of all female murder victims, even though indigenous people make up only 3 percent of the Australian population." There are other facts from the US and Canada.

Brianna makes a simple point but does so concisely and emotionally. Statistics are startling but she does end by saying that maybe the conversation is shifting. Let's hope. (4 stars)"

5. Life's Little Ironies by Thomas Hardy (1890's). A collection of Hardy's short stories.

"Up until now I've only read one of Thomas Hardy's novels, that being Far From the Madding Crowd and thought it was excellent. Life's Little Ironies (my version is called Selected Short Stories of Thomas Hardy was an excellent collection of short stories published in the late 1800's. The book features 7 specific short stories, then one I'd call a novella, I guess, A Few Crusted Characters. This 'story' features a group of travelers, telling stories about their community in Wessex to an old resident, returning from years lived afar.

All of the stories were enjoyable and well-written. (Should there have been any doubt?). They deal with a number of topics, all based on relationships. In one, An Imaginative Woman, an unsatisfied wife, who is also a published poetess (she has to publish under a male pseudonym) becomes enthralled with another poet. She craves meeting him and tries to arrange, mostly unsuccessfully (tragic results). 

In The Son's Veto, a woman chooses to marry a wealthy, older man rather than her a man from her town, in order to better herself and, if they have children (they only have one), he will be better off than if she'd married the other. Her son goes to good schools and is off to get a law degree. When her husband dies, she tries to reconnect with her first lover. What does her son think?

In The Fiddler of the Reels, the wandering fiddler has a way with woman. One he gets in a family way (I can't help thinking that this was shocking as a subject matter in the 1800's). The young woman has rejected marriage proposals from another local man, previously. He has headed to London to get away. When the fiddler rejects the woman, she tries to reconnect with the first man.... What happens you ask? 

They are all excellent stories; each dealing with relationships; family relationships, romantic relationships, etc. There is lots of tragedy, but there is humor as well. Look at Tony Kytes, the Arch Deceiver, where a lady's man has to deal with three women who he has promised himself too. Or try  Incident in the Life of George Crookhill, where a scoundrel, tries to 'rob' another man with dire consequences. Well worth reading if you've only read Hardy's novels. He does have a way with getting you right into a story and presenting them with satisfying (even if tragic) results. (4 stars)"

Currently Reading

1. The Name of the Killer by Patrick Rothfuss (Kingkiller #1). I've avoided this book for too long, probably was intimidated by the size of it. It seems interesting so far.

"My name is Kvothe.

I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.

You may have heard of me.

So begins a tale unequaled in fantasy literature--the story of a hero told in his own voice. It is a tale of sorrow, a tale of survival, a tale of one man's search for meaning in his universe, and how that search, and the indomitable will that drove it, gave birth to a legend."

2. The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes #2).

"'You are a wronged woman and shall have justice. Do not bring police. If you do, all will be in vain. Your unknown friend.'

When a beautiful young woman is sent a letter inviting her to a sinister assignation, she immediately seeks the advice of the consulting detective Sherlock Holmes. For this is not the first mysterious item Mary Marston has received in the post. Every year for the last six years an anonymous benefactor has sent her a large lustrous pearl. Now it appears the sender of the pearls would like to meet her to right a wrong. But when Sherlock Holmes and his faithful sidekick Watson, aiding Miss Marston, attend the assignation, they embark on a dark and mysterious adventure involving a one-legged ruffian, some hidden treasure, deadly poison darts and a thrilling race along the River Thames."

3. The Disappeared by M.R. Hall (Jenny Cooper #2). The series on which the CBC TV mystery series Coroner is based.

"Two young British students, Nazim Jamal and Rafi Hassan vanish without a trace.

The police tell their parents that the boys had been under surveillance, that it was likely they left the country to pursue their dangerous new ideals.

Seven years later, Nazim’s grief-stricken mother is still unconvinced. Jenny Cooper is her last hope.

Jenny is finally beginning to settle into her role as Coroner for the Severn Valley; the ghosts of her past that threatened to topple her, banished to the sidelines once more. But as the inquest into Nazim's disappearance gets underway, the stink of corruption and conspiracy becomes clear..."

New Books

1. Dorothy Parker: Complete Broadway 1918 - 1923 by Dorothy Parker. I've become very interested in her work.

"Dorothy Parker holds a place in history as one of New York's most beloved writers. Now, for the first time in nearly a century, the public is invited to enjoy Mrs. Parker's sharp wit and biting commentary on the Jazz Age hits and flops in this first-ever published collection of her groundbreaking Broadway reviews. Starting when she was twenty-four at Vanity Fair as New York's only female theatre critic, Mrs. Parker reviewed some of the biggest names of the era: the Barrymores, George M. Cohan, W.C. Fields, Helen Hayes, Al Jolson, Eugene O'Neil, Will Rogers, and the Ziegfeld Follies. Her words of praise--and contempt--for the dramas, comedies, musicals, and revues are just as fresh and funny today as they were in the age of speakeasies and bathtub gin. Annotated with a notes section by Kevin C. Fitzpatrick, president of the Dorothy Parker Society, the volume shares Parker's outspoken opinions of a great era of live theatre in America, from a time before radio, talking pictures, and television decimated attendance. Dorothy Parker: Complete Broadway, 1918-1923 provides a fascinating glimpse of Broadway in its Golden Era and literary life in New York through the eyes of a renowned theatre critic. "

2. Tailchaser's Song by Tad Williams (1985). A new author for me.

"Meet Fritti Tailchaser, a ginger tom cat of rare courage and curiosity, a born survivor in a world of heroes and villains, of powerful feline gods and whiskery legends about those strange furless, erect creatures called M’an.

“The hour of Unfolding Dark had begun, and the rooftop where Tailchaser lay was smothered in shadow. He was deep in a dream of leaping and flying when he felt an unusual tingling in his whiskers. Fritti Tailchaser, hunterchild of the Folk, came suddenly awake and sniffed the air. Ears pricked and whiskers flared straight, he sifted the evening breeze. Nothing unusual. Then what had awakened him? Pondering, he splayed his claws and began a spine-limbering stretch that finally ended at the tip of his reddish tail.”

Join Tailchaser on his magical quest to rescue his cat friend Hushpad on a quest that will take him all the way to cat hell and beyond."

3. Half a Crown by Jo Walton (Small Change #3). I need to find #1... lol

"In 1941 the European war ended in the Farthing Peace, a rapprochement between Britain and Nazi Germany. The balls and banquets of Britain's upper class never faltered, while British ships ferried "undesirables" across the Channel to board the cattle cars headed east.

Peter Carmichael is commander of the Watch, Britain's distinctly British secret police. It's his job to warn the Prime Minister of treason, to arrest plotters, to discover Jews. The midnight knock of a Watchman is the most dreaded sound in the realm.

Now, in 1960, a global peace conference is convening in London, where Britain, Germany, and Japan will oversee the final partition of the world. Hitler is once again on British soil. So is the long-exiled Duke of Windsor—and the rising gangs of "British Power" streetfighters, who consider the Government "soft," may be the former king's bid to stage a coup d'état.

Amidst all this, two of the most unlikely persons in the realm will join forces to oppose the fascists: a debutante whose greatest worry until now has been where to find the right string of pearls, and the Watch Commander himself."

4. Final Cut by S.J. Watson (2020). I enjoyed Watson's Before I Go To Sleep very much.

"They tried to hide the truth. But the camera never lies…

Blackwood Bay. An ordinary place, home to ordinary people.

It used to be a buzzing seaside destination. But now, ravaged by the effects of dwindling tourism and economic downturn, it’s a ghost town—and the perfect place for film-maker Alex to shoot her new documentary. But the community is deeply suspicious of her intentions. After all, nothing exciting ever happens in Blackwood Bay—or does it? "

5. Don't Wear Your Wedding Ring by Lilian O'Donnell (Norah Mulcahaney #2)

"Norah Mulcahaney, rookie, makes detective and goes under cover joining a ring of suburban housewife prostitutes who earn extra cash while hubby is out of town. Prostitution leads to murder and Norah herself is threatened."

Women Authors I've Been Enjoying - Martha Grimes

Martha Grimes

Martha Grimes, even though an American writer, is best known for her UK mystery series featuring Scotland Yard inspector, Richard Jury.  Since 1981, she has written 21 books in this entertaining series. I have enjoyed 8 books by Grimes thus far, since discovering her work, and have another 5 on my bookshelf.

1. The Dirty Duck (Richard Jury #4 / 1984).

""Nothing ever happens in Stratford," insisted Superintendent Richard Jury of Scotland Yard. Unfortunately, he was wrong. Besides the stage murders committed nightly at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, a real one had been performed not far from the Dirty Duck, a popular pub. The victim had been a member of an exclusive group too: Those rare homicidal maniacs compelled to leave an intentional clue - in this case, a fragment of Elizabethan verse.

Now a nine-year old boy from the same tour had vanished and Jury was worried. For, if the killer intended to finish the rhyme, would it spell death for Stratford with each new line?"

2. The Grave Maurice (Richard Jury #18 / 2002).

"Chew on this, says Melrose Plant to Richard Jury, who's in the hospital being driven crazy by Hannibal, a nurse who likes to speculate on his chances for survival. Jury could use a good story, preferably one not ending with his own demise. Plant tells Jury of something he overheard in The Grave Maurice, a pub near the hospital. A woman told an intriguing story about a girl named Nell Ryder, granddaughter to the owner of the Ryder Stud Farm in Cambridgeshire, who went missing more than a year before and has never been found. What is especially interesting to Plant is that Nell is also the daughter of Jury's surgeon.

But Nell's disappearance isn't the only mystery at the Ryder farm. A woman has been found dead on the track-a woman who was a stranger even to the Ryders.

But not to Plant. She's the woman he saw in The Grave Maurice. Together with Jury, Nell's family, and the Cambridgeshire police, Plant embarks on a search to find Nell and bring her home. But is there more to their mission than just restoring a fifteen-year-old girl to her family?"

3. Jerusalem Inn (Richard Jury #5 / 1984).

"A white Christmas couldn't make Newcastle any less dreary for Scotland Yard's Superintendent Richard Jury--until he met a beautiful woman in a snow-covered graveyard. Sensual, warm, and a bit mysterious, she could have put some life into his sagging holiday spirit. But the next time Jury saw her, she was cold--and dead. Melrose Plant. Jury's aristocratic sidekick wasn't faring much better. Snow bound at a stately mansion with a group of artists, critics, and idle-but-titled rich, he, too, encountered a lovely lady . . . or rather, stumbled over her corpse. What linked these two yuletide murders was a remote country pub where snooker, a Nativity scene, and an old secret would uncover a killer . . . or yet another death"

4. The Deer Leap (Richard Jury #7 / 1985)

"In a village plagued by missing pets, Scotland Yard's Richard Jury and sidekick Melrose Plant face the worst of human nature when a chilling old crime leads them to a brand new way to die."

5. Rainbow's End (Richard Jury #13 / 1995)

"A woman's body is discovered amidst the ancient Roman ruins of Old Sarum -- the apparent victim of an accidental fall. In the Tate Gallery in London, an elderly woman keels over -- from a supposed heart attack -- while studying a painting. At Exeter Cathedral, a third woman is found dead from "natural causes." But in Martha Grimes' bestselling novels -- and in the world inhabited by Scotland Yard Superintendent Richard Jury -- there are no natural causes.

Is there a link between these three women? Of course. And Jury is the one who sorts it out. The link is Santa Fe, New Mexico, which all three women had visited before their untimely deaths. So Jury is off to the States where, amidst the turquoise jewelry and cappuccinos, he searches for and finds an astonishing web of jealousy and murder."

The complete listing of Martha Grimes' works can be found at this link. Enjoy your upcoming week and an early Happy Valentine's Day wish to those celebrating. Take caree.