A Good Friday Book Update.

After Thursday's rainstorms, we're having a Good Friday sunny, bright day. In fact I found our lunchtime walk a bit exhausting; all that sunshine and fresh air made me feel a bit woogly. So before I get lunch started (Greek salad today), let's look at some books I've received/ finished / started.. 😁

Just Finished

1. Moghul Buffet by Cheryl Benard (1998). Interesting but didn't thrill me.

"Moghul Buffet was my first experience of the writing of Cheryl Benard. The question I asked myself at the end was, did I like this story / mystery? All I can say about it was that I didn't necessarily dislike it and I didn't give up on it either. There were things that interested me, especially the look at life in a portion of Pakistan, that being Peshawar on the border with Afghanistan. The story was different for sure, but it didn't wow me or leave me feeling anything in particular.

Let's see. American businessman, Mickey Malone, is sent to Islamabad to represent his company. They sell warehouses. Mickey is persuaded to fly to Peshawar by Walid Khan, somewhat to Mickey's discomfort. Khan has a deal for Mickey, he wants to ship arms to Pakistan in the shipments from the US. Mickey is uncomfortable with this. Khan sends a woman, Fatima, to his room to try and encourage him. Mickey basically runs away and then disappears. 

Mickey's disappearance causes pressure from the US and results in Inspector Iqbal being sent to Peshawar from Islamabad. Mickey's mother also has his sister, reporter Julia, go to Peshawar to try and find him.

It's suspected that Mickey has been murdered even though his body hasn't been found. His disappearance also coincides with the murders of a number of other men; both Pakistani and Indian. Inspector Iqbal's work is made even more difficult. Throughout this tale, Fatima wanders, forced into a life of prostitution by Walid Khan. She appears to be a link between the various murders, or at the very least a woman (man?) dressed in a similar outfit is seen at the various scenes.

So that's your story. The investigation is an ongoing thread. The story is told from different perspectives, Fatima, Iqbal, Julia, and others. Or, more correctly, the story is told by a disembodied narrator who follows the various characters. It's an interesting story, set in an area of the world that is totally unfamiliar to me. The characters are interesting although I can't say I felt any empathy for any of them. Not that it should be a necessary facet of a good story. Ultimately, the story did keep me reading and the ending was satisfying. Try it out for yourself. (2.5 stars)"

Currently Reading

1. Skull-Face by Robert E. Howard (1929). Back in the day, I enjoyed the Conan books very much. Great adventures.

"The story begins with Steve Costigan drearily waking in Yu Shantu's Temple of Dreams, a hashish den in the city of London, England. He has been re-occurring dreams of something he calls "Skull Face", and is puzzled about their meanings..."

2. Saga, Volume 2 by Brian Vaughan (Chapters 7 - 12). I enjoyed Vo1 1 very much.

"Collecting the epic second storyline of the smash hit series Entertainment Weekly called "the kind of comic you get when truly talented superstar creators are given the freedom to produce their dream comic." Thanks to her star-crossed parents Marko and Alana, newborn baby Hazel has already survived lethal assassins, rampaging armies, and alien monstrosities, but in the cold vastness of outer space, the little girl encounters her family's greatest challenge yet: the grandparents."

New Books

1. Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier (2021). A new author for me. Sounded interesting.

"The past never forgets...

Before an ambush by enemy soldiers, Lord Cassia was an engineer's apprentice on a mission entrusted by the king. But when plague sweeps over the land, leaving countless dead and devastating the kingdom, even Cas’ title cannot save him from a rotting prison cell and a merciless sickness.

Three years later, Cas wants only to return to his home in the mountains and forget past horrors. But home is not what he remembers. His castle has become a refuge for the royal court. And they have brought their enemies with them.

When an assassin targets those closest to the queen, Cas is drawn into a search for a killer… one that leads him to form an unexpected bond with a brilliant young historian named Lena. Cas and Lena soon realize that who is behind the attacks is far less important than why. They must look to the past, following the trail of a terrible secret—one that could threaten the kingdom’s newfound peace and plunge it back into war."

Women Authors Whose Work I've Been Enjoying - Lynne Olson

Lynne Olson

American historian Lynne Olson wrote a number of books, two of which I enjoyed very much. She was born in 1949 and got her degree at University of Arizona. I'll highlight the two books of hers that I enjoyed very much. I'll have to try some of her other stories.

1. Troublesome Young Men (2007).

"A riveting history of the daring politicians who challenged the disastrous policies of the British government on the eve of World War II.

On May 7, 1940, the House of Commons began perhaps the most crucial debate in British parliamentary history. On its outcome hung the future of Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's government and also of Britain--indeed, perhaps, the world. Troublesome Young Men is Lynne Olson's fascinating account of how a small group of rebellious Tory MPs defied the Chamberlain government's defeatist policies that aimed to appease Europe's tyrants and eventually forced the prime minister's resignation.

Some historians dismiss the "phony war" that preceded this turning point--from September 1939, when Britain and France declared war on Germany, to May 1940, when Winston Churchill became prime minister--as a time of waiting and inaction, but Olson makes no such mistake, and describes in dramatic detail the public unrest that spread through Britain then, as people realized how poorly prepared the nation was to confront Hitler, how their basic civil liberties were being jeopardized, and also that there were intrepid politicians willing to risk political suicide to spearhead the opposition to Chamberlain--Harold Macmillan, Robert Boothby, Leo Amery, Ronald Cartland, and Lord Robert Cranborne among them. The political and personal dramas that played out in Parliament and in the nation as Britain faced the threat of fascism virtually on its own are extraordinary--and, in Olson's hands, downright inspiring." (4 stars)

2. Citizens of London: The Americans who Stood with Britain in its Darkest, Finest Hour (2010).

"This is the second book by Lynne Olson that I've read and I enjoyed them both very much. She has a way of making history accessible and interesting. In this book, she covers a similar period, that of WWII and set in England for the most part. This story focuses on three Americans who worked tirelessly to bring the US into WWII in support of the beleaguered UK, who were standing on their own against Nazi Germany. The three with Gilbert Winant, US Ambassador to UK, Edward Murrow, CBS radio representative and Averill Harriman, head of the Lend Lease program. The book doesn't strictly focus on the activities of these three, rather it introduces the discussion with them, then moves onto a more active discussion of the history of the time; the relationship between Churchill and Roosevelt, the actions of the Head of the Combined US/ UK forces, General Eisenhower and his work to build a coalition amongst his head strong generals of both countries. The book is quite wide in scope, many times very depressing; the racism of the white US military personnel against their black brethren, the devastating impact of the deprivations experienced by Londoners during the Blitz and many other events. But as well, there is a very uplifting portrait of Londoners who kept their city moving even during the worst phases of the bombings by the Luftwaffe. It's a very interesting history portrait and I highly recommend. (Also check out Troublesome Young Men: The Rebels Who Brought Churchill to Power and Helped Save England by the same author) (4 stars)"

You can find out more about Lynne Olson at this link. Check her out. Happy Good Friday!