Since my last reading update, er... well, a week and a half ago, we've had rain... and some more rain. Finally, Monday was bright and sunny so I dug the lawn mower out and cleaned the yard a bit. Dragged some broken branches off the lawn, cleaned up copious amounts of doggy doodoo, all those fun things. Good thing I did that because the showed up Tuesday morning (I was sure it was supposed to be Thursday, but was wrong) to turn on the sprinkler system.
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| Sunshine!! You're kidding right!! |
Yesterday, we took a trip down to Courtenay. I found a couple of books, we had more treats from Hot Chocolates and then finished off getting some groceries at The Old Farm Market, a new store that replaced a local Thrifty's. We kind of like it. We also noticed that Big Foot Donuts has opened up in its new and bigger location. We may have to treat ourselves one of these days. 🍩
So, not to books. Since my last update, I've completed 4 books. I'll add my reviews here as well as the synopses of the next books started. I'll also provide the synopses of the new books added to my shelves.. There have been a few.
Just Finished
"What a fascinating story Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo. It's not my normal type of novel but I enjoyed it very much. Let's see. It's set in San Francisco's Chinatown in the mid-1950's and features 17 year old Lily Hu, a young girl finishing high school and dreaming of her future. It's an interesting troubling time. The McCarthy era is taking place, the Feds are searching for Communists and the Chinese community is not immune to this pressure.
Lily is trying to just grow up and decide she wants to do in the future. She loves Sci-Fi and dreams of working in the Jet Propulsion Labs with her aunt Judy. But Lily is also discovering something else; that she is homosexual and is falling for fellow high school student, Kath. Her friendship with Kath is causing friction with her Chinese - American friends, especially best friend Shirley. Lily finds an advertisement for Telegraph Club and its headliner, male impersonator Tommy Andrews and she feels a strong desire to go to the club which is just down the road. Her first furtive visit to the club with Kath will change the course of Lily's relatively sheltered life.
Malinda Lo has presented a rich, fascinating story where she follows Lily's life and also tries to tie her actions into the events taking place in San Francisco and the US during that time period. She portrays the history of Lily's family, how they arrived in the US, the pressures they are under as a result of the Communist witch hunt; her father has his citizenship papers taken away for refusing to implicate other Chinese in the Communist scare. The interplay between Lily's Chinese community and the surrounding San Francisco community is well-described. And the hidden, furtive life of the homosexuals in San Francisco is also brought into focus.
It's an excellent story, emotional, sensitive and powerful, peopled with interesting characters and it leaves with a hopeful ending. Well worth trying. (4.0 stars)"
"A Killing in Comics by Max Allan Collins is the first book in his Jack and Maggie Starr mystery trilogy. Collins is a novelist and graphic novel story-teller. After enjoying this, I'm checking out more of his work.
Jack and Maggie Starr run the Starr movie syndicate. Maggie is an ex-stripper and step mother to jack Starr, who was an MP during WWII and now works as a VP in the Starr syndicate. They have a working relationship with Americana comics, publishing popular comic strips from the Americana company; like Batwing, and Wonder Guy. The owner and co-publisher of Americana comics, one Donny Harrison is murdered at a party he is hosting (at his mistresses apartment). There are many suspects and Maggie wants Jack, a licensed PI, to look into it. Basically Jack is looking out for the best interests of Starr, as some of the suspects provide comic strips to them and because he knows the comic business more than the cops.
Thus begins an interesting, kind of noir, investigation into the comic business to find out who murdered Donny. There are no shortage of suspects; his partner, straight - laced Lou Cohn with his own ideas for the future of comics; hard done by comic creators Mort and Harry, who haven't received the credit due for their creation of Wonder Guy; Selma, Donny's wife, who has to put up with the embarrassment of Donny's affairs; Honey Daily, Donny's mistress... There are others that might also fit the bill and Jack checks them all out.
The story is interesting but the whole comic business makes for a unique story. Jack is a great character, in the vein of Mike Hammer and other well-known PI's but to me the best character is his stepmother, Maggie Starr, smart, common-sense and great looking. She stays in the background but is the guiding influence of Jack's investigation. I also liked Honey Daily, another great character.
It's an enjoyable, easy to read story that flows along nicely. It provides a great picture of the early days of comics and of the time period, the late '40s in New York. Most enjoyable and I've got the 2nd book in the trilogy on order. Will check out more of Collins's works. (I also have Vol 1 of hs Ms. Tree comic series on order) (4.0 stars)"
"Scottish author Val McDermid has been a number of crime series and I've enjoyed books from her Wire in the Blood series, her Karen Pirie series and her standalone books. Dead Beat is the first book in her Kate Brannigan mystery series of six books. Brannigan is a PI working out of Manchester UK.
Brannigan works for Bill Mortensen as a junior partner in their firm. They specialize in white collar crime and security issues. Their current case is helping the police investigate a gang of criminals who specialize in selling fake high-end watches and other items. They have now gone to the point of pretending their fake watches are the real thing. It's been an ongoing investigation. Brannigan's boyfriend Richard is a rock music reporter and has been promised the opportunity to write the auto-biography of a local musician, Jett. Jett's agent puts the kibosh on that by hiring another reporter to do the work. At the same time, Jett hires Brannigan to find his ex-writing partner, Moira, who disappeared after the 2nd album.
Kate accepts the job and while still working on the fake watches, she also begins to look for Moira. Moira's life has hit a roadblock, drug (heroin) dependency, prostitution... Kate is a solid, smart detective and she is successful in finding Moira and reuniting her with Jett. Tragedy will result and change the course of Kate's investigation, her work causing friction with the Manchester police.
The story reminds me of another series I've been enjoying, Liz Evan's Grace Smith mystery series. Like Grace, Kate Brannigan is a competent, smart investigator. Kate has a much more stable life than Grace. She is every bit as enjoyable a character though and her boss, Bill, while somewhat subordinate in this story, is also smart and they work competently together. I also enjoyed being introduced to boyfriend, Richard.
The mystery is well presented and investigated, with a suitable cast of suspects. Each is well-crafted and interesting. I enjoyed the flow of the story, the setting and ultimately the ending. Excellent first book in this series and I'm looking forward to reading #2, which is waiting on my bookshelf. (4.0 stars)"
"What can I say? Well, Wow! and oh yes, Wow! Did I say Wow? Well, Wow!
A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab is the first story in her fantasy trilogy, Shades of Magic. What a great story! I enjoyed it so very much.
The setting is London, or rather, a variety of London's, layers of London. There is Grey London, home of wanted criminal Delilah (Lila). Grey London is a non-magical version of London. It is connected by magical doorways to Red London, home of Kell, an Antari (one of two left in the 'world'), who can travel between the various Londons. The other Antari is Holland, who lives in White London, the most magical of the three. London is ruled by the Danes (brother & sister, magical evil twins). The final London has not been seen for many years (centuries?), that is Black London. Black London was sealed off when it's magic became wild and unchecked. It was connected to White London which was left alone to battle the magic of Black London.
Got that? Kell is a traveler. He takes messages between the Londons, from the king of Red London to the other rulers. Kell also likes to take artifacts from one London to another and sells them to interested people. This is an activity that is frowned on. His best friend is the son of the King of Red London, Rhy, a happy - go - lucky, gadabout, but a nice guy all the same.
Kell is given an object to bring from White London to Red London, which turns out to be a piece from Black London. This will cause turmoil in the Londons. It will cause the meeting of Lila and Kell and their adventure through the Londons as they try to save themselves and also bring the piece of evil magic to Black London. It's a rollicking piece of great magical fantasy fun. Kell and especially Delilah who is one of my favorite characters ever. She's spunky, strong, smart, just a great heroine. She is a perfect foil and partner to Kell. The action is high -paced and builds steadily through the story. It's a page turning exciting fantasy story. The ending was completely satisfactory and it left me wanting to read the next one. If you like fantasy, this book will totally satisfy you. (5 stars)"
Currently Reading
"Bestselling novelist Daniel Silva (author of The Unlikely Spy) draws upon his experience as a foreign correspondent and a Washington journalist in The Mark of the Assassin. Set in London, Cairo, Amsterdam, and Washington, the story line follows CIA case agent Michael Osbourne as he attempts to locate the terrorists who shot down an airliner off the coast of Long Island. Osbourne has two main antagonists: Delaroche, a KGB-trained expert assassin ordered to kill the handful of people who know the truth, including Osbourne, and the corrupt political culture of Washington, which ominously stymies him at every turn. There's a love story at the core of this book, as well as a brave attempt by Osbourne to reconcile a mystery in his past with a present he has not fully accepted. The prose is slick, and readers will find themselves racing through these pages as the body count grows and the conclusion nears. "
"The untold story of the three intelligent and glamorous young women who accompanied their famous fathers to the Yalta Conference with Stalin, and of the fateful reverberations in the waning days of World War II.
Tensions during the Yalta Conference in February 1945 threatened to tear apart the wartime alliance among Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin just as victory was close at hand. Catherine Grace Katz uncovers the dramatic story of the three young women who were chosen by their fathers to travel with them to Yalta, each bound by fierce family loyalty, political savvy, and intertwined romances that powerfully colored these crucial days. Kathleen Harriman was a champion skier, war correspondent, and daughter of US ambassador to the Soviet Union Averell Harriman. Sarah Churchill, an actress-turned-RAF officer, was devoted to her brilliant father, who depended on her astute political mind. Roosevelt’s only daughter, Anna, chosen instead of her mother Eleanor to accompany the president to Yalta, arrived there as keeper of her father’s most damaging secrets. Situated in the political maelstrom that marked the transition to a post- war world, The Daughters of Yalta is a remarkable story of fathers and daughters whose relationships were tested and strengthened by the history they witnessed and the future they crafted together."
Though through this and his succeeding adventures he will struggle gloriously and win (usually) mighty victories, Dominic Flandry is essentially a tragic figure: a man who knows too much, who knows that battle, scheme and even betray as he will, in the end it will mean nothing. For with the relentlessness of physical law the Long Night approaches. The Terran Empire is dying..."
Today, Peter Mansbridge is often recognized for his distinctive deep voice, which calmly delivered the news for over fifty years. But ironically, he never considered becoming a broadcaster. In some ways, though, Peter was prepared for a life as a newscaster from an early age. Every night around the dinner table, his family would debate the news of the day, from Cold War scandals and Vietnam to Elvis Presley and the Beatles.
So in 1968, when by chance a CBC radio manager in Churchill, Manitoba, offered him a spot hosting the local late night music program, Peter embraced the opportunity. Without a teacher, he tuned into broadcasts from across Canada, the US, and the UK to learn the basic skills of a journalist and he eventually parlayed his position into his first news job. Less than twenty years later, he became the chief correspondent and anchor of The National.
With humour and heart, Peter shares never-before-told stories from his distinguished career, including reporting on the fall of the Berlin Wall and the horror of 9/11, walking the beaches of Normandy with Tom Brokaw, and talking with Canadian prime ministers from John Diefenbaker to Justin Trudeau. But it’s far from all serious. Peter also writes about finding the “cure” for baldness in China and landing the role of Peter Moosebridge in Disney’s Zootopia. From the first (and only) time he was late to broadcast to his poignant interview with the late Gord Downie, these are the moments that have stuck with him.
After years of interviewing others, Peter turns the lens on himself and takes us behind the scenes of his life on the frontlines of journalism as he reflects on the toll of being in the spotlight, the importance of diversity in the newsroom, the role of the media then and now, and the responsibilities we all bear as citizens in an increasingly global world."
When Rin aced the Keju—the Empire-wide test to find the most talented youth to learn at the Academies—it was a shock to everyone: to the test officials, who couldn’t believe a war orphan from Rooster Province could pass without cheating; to Rin’s guardians, who believed they’d finally be able to marry her off and further their criminal enterprise; and to Rin herself, who realized she was finally free of the servitude and despair that had made up her daily existence. That she got into Sinegard—the most elite military school in Nikan—was even more surprising.
But surprises aren’t always good.
Because being a dark-skinned peasant girl from the south is not an easy thing at Sinegard. Targeted from the outset by rival classmates for her color, poverty, and gender, Rin discovers she possesses a lethal, unearthly power—an aptitude for the nearly-mythical art of shamanism. Exploring the depths of her gift with the help of a seemingly insane teacher and psychoactive substances, Rin learns that gods long thought dead are very much alive—and that mastering control over those powers could mean more than just surviving school.
For while the Nikara Empire is at peace, the Federation of Mugen still lurks across a narrow sea. The militarily advanced Federation occupied Nikan for decades after the First Poppy War, and only barely lost the continent in the Second. And while most of the people are complacent to go about their lives, a few are aware that a Third Poppy War is just a spark away . . .
Rin’s shamanic powers may be the only way to save her people. But as she finds out more about the god that has chosen her, the vengeful Phoenix, she fears that winning the war may cost her humanity . . . and that it may already be too late."
This collection includes all of the writer's earliest short and medium-length fiction covering the years 1954-1964, and featuring such fascinating tales as The Minority Report (the inspiration for Steven Spielberg's film), Service Call, Stand-By, The Days of Perky Pat, and many others. Here, readers will find Dick's initial explorations of the themes he so brilliantly brought to life in his later work.
Dick won the prestigious Hugo Award for the best novel of 1963 for The Man in the High Castle. In the last year of his life, the film Blade Runner was made from his novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
The classic stories of Philip K. Dick offer an intriguing glimpse into the imagination of one of science fiction's most enduring and respected names.
CONTENT
Autofac • (1955)
Captive Market • (1955)
Explorers We • (1959)
How Do You Know You're Reading Philip K. Dick? • (1987) • essay by James Tiptree, Jr.
If There Were No Benny Cemoli • (1963)
Notes (The Days of Perky Pat) • (1987)
Novelty Act • (1964)
Oh, to Be a Blobel! • (1964)
Orpheus with Clay Feet • (1987)
Recall Mechanism • (1959)
Service Call • (1955) •
Stand-By • [Jim Briskin] • (1963)
The Days of Perky Pat • (1963)
The Minority Report • (1956)
The Mold of Yancy • (1955)
The Unreconstructed M • (1957)
War Game • (1959)
Waterspider • (1964)
What the Dead Men Say (1964)
What'll We Do with Ragland Park? (1963)"
Vancouver, 1897. Jack Winston refuses to let his bloodline decide his vocation. Keeping his family connections secret as he joins the Constabulary, the rising detective works hard to make a name for himself on his own merit. But when he investigates a missing young lawyer, he's shocked to find his own journal connects him to a woman claiming to be from the future.
Vancouver, 2017. Riley Finch adores history. With life pulling friends and family further away, the archivist throws herself into her new position cataloging police files from the nineteenth century. And her excitement with her research bears thrilling results when she finds a way to contact a policeman from the past.
Despite his well-founded suspicions, Winston still struggles to wring answers out of his list of prime suspects. And as Riley risks her job to unearth useful information, she's inexplicably drawn to Jack's great-grandson but forced to keep both men in the dark.
Can the pair forge a partnership across decades and solve an impenetrable crime?"
Starr Syndicate also had connections to the new musical, which added fuel to the fire between the cartoonists, but Jack and Maggie believe Rapp's been framed. Between loan sharks, jealous husbands, bitter artists, and Fizer's widow—who has taken a romantic interest in Jack—there are more colorful characters with murderous motives than in a month of Sunday funnies—"
Based on the Kopp sisters’ real-life adventures, Girl Waits with Gun introduced the sensational lives of Constance Kopp and her sisters to an army of enthusiastic readers. This second installment, also ripped from the headlines, takes us farther into the riveting story of a woman who defied expectations, forged her own path, and tackled crime along the way."
The night he and his wife, Paola, attend, Flavia gives a stunning performance to a standing ovation. Back in her dressing room, she finds bouquets of yellow roses—too many roses. Every surface of the room is covered with them. An anonymous fan has been showering Flavia with these beautiful gifts in London, St. Petersburg, Amsterdam, and now, Venice, but she no longer feels flattered. A few nights later, invited by Brunetti to dine at his in-laws’ palazzo, Flavia confesses her alarm at these excessive displays of adoration. Brunetti promises to look into it. And when a talented young Venetian singer who has caught Flavia’s attention is savagely attacked, Brunetti begins to think that Flavia’s fears are justified in ways neither of them imagined. He must enter in the psyche of an obsessive fan before Flavia, or anyone else, comes to harm."
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