Just checking through my previous postings and I realize I haven't done an actual reading update or new book update since 21 July so this one might take awhile. It's a warm day. I had a good run this morning, much better than my Thursday run. The house is smelling great as Jo is cooking up a batch of pork bourgignon. The Blue Jays game is on the tube and they aren't losing yet. Mind you if Dan Shulman starts touting the Blue Jay pitchers or batters, I'm expecting the jinx will be in play. Case in point, yesterday's game.
So let's get right down to business.
New Books
(Since my last update, I've purchased or acquired 13 new books. I'll talk about ten here and the other two will be mentioned in my Just Finished or Currently Reading portions.)
"Derek and his friends, living outside of London during World War II, regard the frequent air raids with more fascination than fear--after all, they can barely remember a time without them. The boys are thrilled when school is canceled for a few days due to a raid, giving them time to work on their secret camp. But when their camp is savagely attacked by a rival gang from the neighborhood, the harsh reality of the violence surrounding them suddenly crashes down upon Derek and his friends--and a long night of bombing changes his feelings about the war forever."
"Featuring David Sedaris's unique blend of hilarity and heart, this new collection of keen-eyed animal-themed tales is an utter delight.
Though the characters may not be human, the situations in these stories bear an uncanny resemblance to the insanity of everyday life. In "The Toad, the Turtle, and the Duck," three strangers commiserate about animal bureaucracy while waiting in a complaint line. In "Hello Kitty," a cynical feline struggles to sit through his prison-mandated AA meetings. In "The Squirrel and the Chipmunk," a pair of star-crossed lovers is separated by prejudiced family members."
"Son of Rosemary opens at the dawn of the new millennium - a time when human hope is shadowed by growing fear and uncertainty, and the world is in greatest need of a savior. It is here - against a glittering backdrop of New York City in 1999 - that Rosemary is reunited with her son. It is also here that the battle between good and evil will be played out on a global scale - a struggle that will have frightening, far-reaching consequences, not only for Rosemary and her son but for all humanity."
"Witness what the gods do after dark in the second volume of a stylish and contemporary reimagining of one of the best-known stories in Greek mythology from creator Rachel Smythe.
Persephone was ready to start a new life when she left the mortal realm for Olympus. However, she quickly discovered the dark side of her glamorous new home—from the relatively minor gossip threatening her reputation to a realm-shattering violation of her safety by the conceited Apollo—and she’s struggling to find her footing in the fast-moving realm of the gods. Hades is also off-balance, fighting against his burgeoning feelings for the young goddess of spring while maintaining his lonely rule of the Underworld. As the pair are drawn ever closer, they must untangle the twisted webs of their past and present to build toward a new future."
"In 1901, the word ‘Bondmaid’ was discovered missing from the Oxford English Dictionary. This is the story of the girl who stole it.
Esme is born into a world of words. Motherless and irrepressibly curious, she spends her childhood in the ‘Scriptorium’, a garden shed in Oxford where her father and a team of dedicated lexicographers are collecting words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. Esme’s place is beneath the sorting table, unseen and unheard. One day a slip of paper containing the word ‘bondmaid’ flutters to the floor. Esme rescues the slip and stashes it in an old wooden case that belongs to her friend, Lizzie, a young servant in the big house. Esme begins to collect other words from the Scriptorium that are misplaced, discarded or have been neglected by the dictionary men. They help her make sense of the world.
Over time, Esme realises that some words are considered more important than others, and that words and meanings relating to women’s experiences often go unrecorded. While she dedicates her life to the Oxford English Dictionary, secretly, she begins to collect words for another dictionary: The Dictionary of Lost Words.
Set when the women’s suffrage movement was at its height and the Great War loomed, The Dictionary of Lost Words reveals a lost narrative, hidden between the lines of a history written by men. It’s a delightful, lyrical and deeply thought-provoking celebration of words, and the power of language to shape the world and our experience of it."
"From one of our most powerful writers, a work of stunning frankness about losing a daughter. Richly textured with bits of her own childhood and married life with her husband, John Gregory Dunne, and daughter, Quintana Roo, this book by Joan Didion examines her thoughts, fears, and doubts regarding having children, illness, and growing old.
Blue Nights opens on July 26, 2010, as Didion thinks back to Quintana’s wedding in New York seven years before. Today would be her wedding anniversary. This fact triggers vivid snapshots of Quintana’s childhood—in Malibu, in Brentwood, at school in Holmby Hills. Reflecting on her daughter but also on her role as a parent, Didion asks the candid questions any parent might about how she feels she failed either because cues were not taken or perhaps displaced. “How could I have missed what was clearly there to be seen?” Finally, perhaps we all remain unknown to each other. Seamlessly woven in are incidents Didion sees as underscoring her own age, something she finds hard to acknowledge, much less accept."
"In a house in the English countryside, a man has just turned up dead, surrounded by a crime scene that seems, at first glance, to be fairly straightforward. He’s found with a bullet through the head in an unlocked room, and all signs point to a recent strange visitor as the perpetrator. The body is even accompanied by an ostentatious clue, presumably left by the killer: The tarot card of The Eight of Swords, an allusion, perhaps, to justice.
But when Dr. Gideon Fell arrives at the house to investigate, he finds that certain aspects of the murder scene don’t quite add up—and that every new piece of evidence introduces a new problem instead of a new solution. Add to that the suggestion of a poltergeist on the property, the appearance of American gangsters, and the constant interruptions of two dabbling amateur sleuths adjacent to the case, and you have a situation puzzling enough to push Fell’s powers of deduction to their limits. But will Fell be able to cut through their distractions and get to the heart of the matter, before more murders take place?"
"A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn’t thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she’d claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse where she once lived, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy.
A groundbreaking work as delicate as a butterfly’s wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out."
"Acclaimed as a quiet triumph and a brutally moving work of art, the first volume of Art Spiegelman's Maus introduced readers to Vladek Spiegleman, a Jewish survivor of Hitler's Europe, and his son, a cartoonist trying to come to terms with his father, his father's terrifying story, and History itself. Its form, the cartoon (the Nazis are cats, the Jews mice), succeeds perfectly in shocking us out of any lingering sense of familiarity with the events described, approaching, as it does, the unspeakable through the diminutive.
This second volume, subtitled And Here My Troubles Began, moves us from the barracks of Auschwitz to the bungalows of the Catskills. Genuinely tragic and comic by turns, it attains a complexity of theme and a precision of thought new to comics and rare in any medium. Maus ties together two powerful stories: Vladek's harrowing tale of survival against all odds, delineating the paradox of daily life in the death camps, and the author's account of his tortured relationship with his aging father. At every level this is the ultimate survivor's tale - and that too of the children who somehow survive even the survivors."
"Gentleman thief Raffles is daring, debonair, devilishly handsome-and a first-rate cricketer. In these eight stories, the master burglar indulges his passion for cricket and crime: stealing jewels from a country house, outwitting the law, pilfering from the nouveau riche, and, of course, bowling like a demon-all with the assistance of his plucky sidekick, Bunny. Encouraged by his brother-in-law, Arthur Conan Doyle, to write a series about a public school villain, and influenced by his own experiences at Uppingham, E. W. Hornung created a unique form of crime story, where, in stealing as in sport, it is playing the game that counts, and there is always honor among thieves."
Just Finished
(I've completed 3 books so far in August)
"The Inspector Alleyn mysteries are one of my favorite crime series. Death At The Dolphin was the 24th book in the series by Australian author Ngaio Marsh. I haven't read the series in any particular order but it's not really critical. There are personal details like his relationship with artist Deanna Troy that plays out over the course of the series but it doesn't detract from any particular story.
Marsh especially liked to set her stories in the stage and this one is no exception. Playwright / producer Perregrine Jay has a love affair with an old London playhouse, The Dolphin. It's been abandoned and he has a dream of owning it and setting plays, especially Shakespeare's plays, there. By happenstance, due to an accident while he is checking out the Dolphin, Jay meets the owner, reclusive millionaire, Vassily Conducis. Conducis agrees to renovate the playhouse and let Jay produce plays there.
Conducis also shows Jay a glove he has in his possession, a glove that Shakespeare purportedly gave to his son, Hamnet. Jay decides to write a play based on this story. Time passes, the play is put on, it's a great success and then disaster strikes. There is a murder, the young actor playing Hamnet is seriously injured and the glove is stolen.
Enter, stage left, one Inspector Alleyn, who takes over the investigation with his favorite Inspector Fox at his side. And the investigation takes over for the remainder of the story.
I love Marsh's writing style. We get to meet the main characters as the story progresses. She takes time to flesh them out before we even get to the crime and then nicely and methodically we follow Alleyn as he solves the crime. I do love how Marsh takes the time to present the setting, the characters so that you can see them in your mind's eye and develop feelings for all of them. It's entertaining and enjoyable. The story flows and the characters, especially Perregrine, are more than cardboard cutouts. Most enjoyable and refreshing. (3.5 stars)"
"Back in the day, I was quickly hooked on Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake fantasy / horror series. I read every book that was published in the series, got my daughter & her friends hooked on the books and couldn't wait for the next book to come out. I wasn't as engrossed in her Meredith Gentry fantasy series. So what do I think of her latest entry, A Terrible Fall of Angels, the 1st book in her Zaniel Havelock series. At least I presume & hope it will be a series as there are so many unanswered questions at the end of the novel. I need answers!
So Zaniel Havelock is the first time that Hamilton has had a male lead in her fantasy series. Havelock is a cop who works in Metaphysical Coordination Unit, investigating demonic crimes. Zaniel previously went to the College of Angels, selected as a young boy due to special powers he possessed. He was either expelled from or left the college in shame; something to do with a female angel. He joined the US Army and now works for the police.
A demon in human form, or in possession of a human body is killing college co-eds, in the most gruesome manner. Zaniel is attacked by the demon / human while at the hospital... a specially warded section. He and the rest of the team are trying to investigate the situation, they are assisted by humans from the College of Angels, one of them was an ex-close friend of Zaniel, one Suriel, who assists in trying to remove a demon from one of the other cops, a witch / wiccan Athena Ravenstrong.... she's transforming into the demon.
Lots of the story is back story on Zaniel's life; his time in the College, his reconnecting with old friends; Suriel and Levi (another who was kicked out of the College) and his attempts to save his marriage with Rebecca. There is a lot of this and it can take away from the whole demon investigation, unfortunately. This latter bit has to be somewhat rushed into the story I felt and ultimately dealt with in a quick, unsatisfying manner.
But the story is a good introduction to the series. I liked many of the characters; Lt Charleston, Zaniel's boss, others of the cops on the team, Emma, who is helping Levi rediscover himself and others that crop up. And as I mentioned, there are many items that were left unanswered; what happened to Ravensong's raccoon totem? Why did Suriel rip it away from her? Whose side is Suriel on? What is the College of Angels up to? There better be another book! I do want to know more. (3.5 stars)"
"March: Book One is a graphic novel, the first of three, penned by US Representative & true American hero, John Lewis. It tells the story of John's early days in the Civil Rights movement, in the form of a story told by Mr. Lewis to a group of children visiting him at his office in the House of Representatives in 2006.
This is a period I know a bit about but it was so interesting to hear it from Mr. Lewis's perspective as he was intrinsically involved in the movement. This book starts with John's early years on his parents' farm in Alabama. It then follows John to his university days at college in Tennessee and his beginnings in the civil rights movement beginning with the peaceful protests of stores in Nashville who would allow colored people to shop in the store but not use the washrooms or lunch counters.
The story moves back and forth as John Lewis prepares for an event in Washington and jumps back to her early life. It ends with the ending of segregation of lunch counters in Nashville, with more to come in the two follow-on stories (I have already ordered Book 2).
It's well told, well drawn and both depressing and uplifting, an excellent recounting of the events of that time period in America. I highly recommend. (4.5 stars)"
Currently Reading
(I've started 4 books since my last update)
"The tony ski town of Tucker Peak, Vermont is experiencing a rash of condo burglaries. Normally this wouldn't be a case for Joe Gunther and the newly-formed VBI, but when high-profile people have their high-value possessions stolen, names get dropped and strings get pulled. Turns out it's just as well they called in Joe, since once they begin investigating the case suddenly develops a body count. Between drug-dealing, burglary, financial shenanigans, ecoterrorism, sabotage and murder, there's something deathly serious going on behind the resort's pristine veneer."
"Here, in Roald Dahl's first collection of his world famous dark and sinister adult stories, a wife serves a dish that baffles the police; a harmless bet suddenly becomes anything but; a curious machine reveals a horrifying truth about plants; and a man lies awake waiting to be bitten by the venomous snake asleep on his stomach.
Through vendettas and desperate quests, bitter memories and sordid fantasies, Roald Dahl's stories portray the strange and unexpected, sending a shiver down the spine.
'One of the most widely read and influential writers of our generation' The Times
Roald Dahl, the brilliant and worldwide acclaimed author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and many more classics for children, also wrote scores of short stories for adults. These delightfully disturbing tales have often been transformed into films, helping to keep alive Dahl's legacy as a timeless and beloved author."
"Two longtime friends share an intimate and urgent conversation about life, music, and their enduring love of America, with all its challenges and contradictions, in this stunningly produced expansion of their groundbreaking Higher Ground podcast, featuring more than 350 photographs, exclusive bonus content, and never-before-seen archival material.
Renegades: Born in the USA is a candid, revealing, and entertaining dialogue between President Barack Obama and legendary musician Bruce Springsteen that explores everything from their origin stories and career-defining moments to our country’s polarized politics and the growing distance between the American Dream and the American reality. Filled with full-color photographs and rare archival material, it is a compelling and beautifully illustrated portrait of two outsiders—one Black and one white—looking for a way to connect their unconventional searches for meaning, identity, and community with the American story itself. It includes:
• Original introductions by President Obama and Bruce Springsteen
• Exclusive new material from the Renegades podcast recording sessions
• Obama’s never-before-seen annotated speeches, including his “Remarks at the 50th Anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery Marches”
• Springsteen’s handwritten lyrics for songs spanning his 50-year-long career
• Rare and exclusive photographs from the authors’ personal archives
• Historical photographs and documents that provide rich visual context for their conversation
In a recording studio stocked with dozens of guitars, and on at least one Corvette ride, Obama and Springsteen discuss marriage and fatherhood, race and masculinity, the lure of the open road and the call back to home. They also compare notes on their favorite protest songs, the most inspiring American heroes of all time, and more. Along the way, they reveal their passion for—and the occasional toll of—telling a bigger, truer story about America throughout their careers, and explore how our fractured country might begin to find its way back toward unity and global leadership."
"This blistering debut by "perhaps the best writer of Arabic fiction alive” (The Guardian)is the first major literary work about the Iraq War from an Iraqi perspective. Showing us the war as we have never seen it before, here is a world not only of soldiers and assassins, hostages and car bombers, refugees and terrorists, but also of madmen and prophets, angels and djinni, sorcerers and spirits.
Blending shocking realism with flights of fantasy, The Corpse Exhibition offers us a pageant of horrors, as haunting as the photos of Abu Ghraib and as difficult to look away from, but shot through with a gallows humor that yields an unflinching comedy of the macabre. Gripping and hallucinatory, this is a new kind of storytelling forged in the crucible of war."
So there you go. All caught up. Next time I will continue with my look at women authors. I promise. Hope you see something of interest in this selection of books.
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