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| The puppies when Jenn last visited |
Silent Witness was especially good tonight, very tense and also sad. We've lost two regular members of the cast so it'll be a somewhat different show in the next episodes.
Now how about a quick reading update. I've completed 3 books since my last Friday update, last week. I'll provide my reviews and also the synopses of the books next in line. I'll also provide the synopses of 3 new books that have recently found their way to our bookshelves.
Just Finished
"Raffles is the first book in a collection of four books featuring AJ Raffles, by English author E.W. Hornung. Raffles, along with companion Harry 'Bunny' Masters, is a gentleman thief. This first book is a collection of 8 short stories featuring their crime adventures. The narrator of the stories is companion Bunny Masters, who becomes involved with Raffles when he approaches him, requesting assistance from his financial difficulties. Raffles invites Bunny to assist him with a caper and it all begins there.
The books were suggested by Hornung's brother-in-law, Arthur Conan Doyle (Hornung was married to Doyle's sister) and Raffles came into being, almost an anti-Sherlock Holmes. As Raffles tells Bunny, even though Raffles appears to be a well-off gentleman, appearances can be deceiving and his abilities as an amateur cracksman are necessary to finance Raffles living style. Definition of 'cracksman' - a burglar or safe cracker. During the day, Raffles is an excellent cricketeer and at night he and Bunny commit robberies.
Each burglary is different and interesting. There is steady friction between Bunny and Raffles as Raffles likes to go off by himself to plan his robberies and Bunny feels untrusted and frustrated. It's generally diamonds that piques Raffles' interest and he uses his ability at disguise when fencing the gems. The duo face threats from other burglars and also in a few of the cases from Scotland Yard Inspector Mackenzie. The book starts off with Bunny's first involvement, desperate for financial assistance.
We also find out about Raffles' first robbery attempt. It's set in Australia where Raffles is visiting to participate in cricket matches. Needing money, he discovers a cousin who works in banking and decides to visit him to get some help. Neat twists and turns with this one as he is mistaken for his cousin and decides to rob the bank at which his cousin is employed.
There are other neat stories; Raffles trying to beat another cracksman to diamonds while visiting an estate to participate in a cricket tournament (the first time we also meet Inspector Mackenzie.) This other cracksman, Crawshay, makes an additional appearance. Having escaped from Dartmoor prison, he shows up at Raffles' digs demanding help from Raffles to escape from England.
In another caper, Raffles and Bunny are hired to steal back a Velazquez painting, with a neat twist. The final caper involves a cruise to the Mediterranean, to steal a pearl, given as a gift by the Queen to a foreign king. Will this caper be the end of the partnership? Of course there are a couple of other capers as well. All interesting and different. Raffles is an interesting character, maybe not quite in the league of Sherlock Holmes but still entertaining.
The stories were turned into plays, movies (David Niven portrayed Raffles), radio shows and were very successful during their time. Well worth trying. (3 stars)"
"It's been a couple of years since I read and enjoyed the first Murderbot book by Martha Wells. I finally dusted off book 2 of the Murderbot Diaries, Artificial Condition and sat down to it earlier this month. Such an enjoyable read.
Open your mind to a future of Murderbots, officially SecUnits, Sexbots, augmented humans, living ship's computers (ART), etc. and enjoy the world that Martha Wells has created for you to experience. The Murderbot from the first book is now searching for clues to what actually happened at the massacre where humans under his protection were massacred.
Somehow either his memories were wiped by someone or he wiped them 'himself'. He was freed from his obligations as a SecUnit when his boss, Dr. Mensah bought him. The Bot is now traveling on a cargo ship, captained by ART who is interested in him and decides to help the Bot. They travel to the RaviHyral mine where the massacre took place (although all evidence and news of it seem to have disappeared.) ART helps make the Murderbot more human, with various surgeries.
Murderbot hires himself out to a group of scientists who were fired by Tlacey Excavations as a security expert. They want their research data back and he agrees to help. He also wants to discover what happened at the mine, so this, he hopes, will allow him access to the site. His new job turns out to be more dangerous that he thought as Tlacey has decided to get rid of the 3 scientists. So with ART's help, Murderbot will try to assist the scientists and also discover what really happened at the mine.
It's a neat, entertaining, excellent story. What a world! Do I understand everything that's going on? Nope. Does it matter? Nope. ART is a great character to go along with Murderbot. The scientists are interesting and take hold of Murderbot's heart (Does he have one?) The story is quick, with lots of action and computer stuff, to keep your attention and interest. Great story and I look forward to joining Martha Wells's world again in the near future with Book 3, Rogue Protocol (4.0 stars)"
"Death of a Red Heroine by Qiu Xiaolong is the first book in the Chief Inspector Chen mystery series set in Shanghai. I bought the book in 2017 and it sat on my shelf until Nov 2022 when I dusted it off and finally gave it a try. It's now the beginning of Feb 2023 so it did take me some time to get through it. However this is no fault of the author or the story. It was well worth the effort and I'm glad that I kept reading it. (These days I usually have 4 or 5 books on the go so a relatively deep, involved story can rest on my night stand as I read shorter, quicker reads).
OK, let's get into this story. As I said, it's set in Shanghai. Chief Inspector Chen is new to his position as head of the Special Case Squad and also relatively young for the job. His promotion is an indication of his favorability within the Communist Party, a chance to promote younger members to senior positions. Celebrating his promotion and new one room apartment, Chen is having a party with a few close friends. He's advised that a body has been discovered floating in a canal a short distance from Shanghai. He assigns Detective Yu to initiate the investigation. Yu is an older cop, his father was a cop, and he's a bit jealous of Chen for his promotion. Yu lives with his wife, the lovely wife Peiqin, their son and his father, Old Hunter, in a 2 room apartment.
The investigation discovers that the body is of one Guan Hongying, a young woman who worked in a department store and who is what is called a national role-model worker; one who represents what's best in the Communist Party. Thus begins a long investigation that has criminal elements but when delved into deeper, also political aspects that will threaten Chen's career and that even of his partner, Detective Yu.
It's a rich, deep story with many intricate, related themes; crime, politics, corruption, love, friendship, cowardice, bravery, all intertwined to make a fascinating story. It portrays Communist China as it tries to convert from a socialist society to a modern, economical society. The history of China is covered, to highlight the effect the various revolutions had on people's lives; especially Chen's and his family, Yu's, etc. It's a fascinating portrayal and well worth checking out as it makes the story that much more interesting.
Chen and Yu must walk a tight-rope, but they will find that they have brave friends, colleagues and family who will help them as they try to solve the murder and bring the suspect to justice. Will justice be served? Well, you've got to check it out. Don't be intimidated by the size and scope of the story, as I almost was. It's an excellent read. (4.0 stars) (Number 2 in the series is on order). 😀"
Currently Reading
"Tarzan had renounced his right to the woman he loved, and civilization held no pleasure for him. After a brief and harrowing period among men, he turned back to the African jungle where he had grown to manhood. It was there he first heard of Opar, the city of gold, left over from fabled Atlantis.
It was a city of hideous men -- and of beautiful, savage women, over whom reigned La, high priestess of the Flaming God. Its altars were stained with the blood of many sacrifices. Unheeding of the dangers, Tarzan led a band of savage warriors toward the ancient crypts and the more ancient evil of Opar . . ."
With the help of Detective Oscar Piper, this no-nonsense spinster embarks on her first of many adventures. The mystery is baffling, the killer dangerous, but for a woman who can control a gaggle of noisy third graders, murder isn't frightening at all."
When Susan receives Alan's latest manuscript, in which Atticus Pünd investigates a murder at Pye Hall, an English manor house, she has no reason to think it will be any different from the others. There will be dead bodies, a cast of intriguing suspects, and plenty of red herrings and clues. But the more Susan reads, the more she’s realizes that there's another story hidden in the pages of the manuscript—one of ambition, jealousy, and greed—and that soon it will lead to murder."
Praised for their expression, intelligence and comic timing, her cartoons are best known for their wonderfully light touch on historical and literary topics. The jokes are a knowing look at history through a very modern perspective, written for every reader, and are a crusade against anyone with the idea that history is boring. It's pretty hard to argue with that when you're laughing your head off at a comic about Thucydides. They also cover whatever's on her mind that week - be it the perils of city living or the pop-cultural infiltration of Sex and the City, featuring an array of characters, from a mischievous pony, to reinvented superheroes, to a surly teen duo who could be the anti-Hardy-Boys."
Forbidden from attempting a rescue, Alex and Dawes can’t call on the Ninth House for help, so they assemble a team of dubious allies to save the gentleman of Lethe. Together, they will have to navigate a maze of arcane texts and bizarre artifacts to uncover the societies’ most closely guarded secrets, and break every rule doing it. But when faculty members begin to die off, Alex knows these aren’t just accidents. Something deadly is at work in New Haven, and if she is going to survive, she’ll have to reckon with the monsters of her past and a darkness built into the university’s very walls."
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