It continues to be a slow reading month but I have completed two books since my last reading update. We are heading down to Victoria on Thursday for Bonnie's follow-up appointment with the doggie eye doctor. Hoping the drops and such we've been putting in her eyes. If there is an improvement she might be able to have surgery to get her cataracts removed. 🤞🤞 Of course our old Ford Focus has picked this time to have transmission issues. It's going in to the dealer this morning for a diagnosis. Ford sent out a letter saying they are authorizing a one-time fix. Let's see if the dealer makes any issues about it. Anyway, we're renting a car to go to Victoria just in case. Everything seems to break down at the same time. Speaking of which, I visited my family doc to complain about neck stiffness. He said it's arthritis and there isn't really anything that can be done; Tylenol, physio..... *sigh* Ah the wonderful '60's...
Anyway, let's talk about books before I go wake up Jo so she can get ready for work.
Just Finished
"My first exposure to the poetry / story - telling of Dominican / American poetess Elizabeth Acevedo was her 2018 novel The Poet X, a gem of a story written in 'free verse'. My apologies if I have the terminology wrong. I've just completed her latest novel, Clap When You Land, written in 2020, another wonderful, touching YA story.
It tells the story of two young high school students, Yahaira Rios, who lives in New York City and Camino Rios, who lives in the Dominican Republic. Both experience a tragedy at the same time, as their father is killed in a plane crash, on a plane taking him to the DR. Unknown to them, they have the same father, as he has lived a secret life, traveling back and forth to spend time with his two daughters.
The story is told from both girls' points of view and Acevedo presents each girl's character in a unique style; Camino's in three lines per verse, Yahaira's in two. This is especially useful once the girls meet, when there is some overlap.
Basically the book tells the story of both girls, their lives and struggles in their communities and homes. It tells of the conflicted feelings towards their father, especially poignant as they begin to discover the secret he kept from them. And finally it tells of their interactions as they finally meet. It's a wonderful, powerful story, beautifully presented and described. You learn to love these characters, feel their pain, admire their strength. I highly recommend it and think that teenagers would enjoy and even enjoy the exposure to Acevedo's unique writing style. (5.0 stars)"
"Casebook of the Black Widowers is the 3rd collection of short story 'mysteries' by Isaac Asimov. I have enjoyed 3 of the collections, although not in published order. The stories are such that they don't particularly have to be read in any specific order.
Basically this is the premise. Once a month (not specifically designated, it might be another time period) a group of middle - aged men meet for dinner at the same restaurant. The group is based on a group that Asimov, himself, actually met with, called the Trap Door Spiders. The group in the series consists of six diverse characters -
a. Geoffrey Avalon a patent lawyer
b. Geoffrey Rubin, a mystery writer
c. James Drake, a chemist
d. Thomas Trumbull, a cryptographer
e. Mario Gonzalo, an artist (Mario usually draws a caricature of the invited dinner guest)
f. Roger Halstead, a high school math teacher.
The group is served dinner by ever-present waiter Henry.
Each meeting a guest is invited by one of the members, that night's host. After dinner, the guest must answer questions from the others. Generally, one is designated as the initial questioner. During the questions a 'mystery' usually comes out, or, at the least, a question, that the Widowers try to figure out to help the guest. In every case, after discussion, they turn to Henry, who having listened to the conversation, comes up with the salient points to help the guest with his problem.
The stories are always interesting. In this collection, we have a spy story, a murder mystery, discussion about sexism, a Sci-Fi'ish story and even, in the final story, the ghost of a previous founding member, presents a riddle.
There is no action, just a good meal and a discussion from this irascible collection of individuals. Sometimes you can figure the 'riddles' out yourself (I think I got the gist of a couple 😁), sometimes they seem a bit nebulous, but in all, the story is an enjoyable, fun, cozy read. So there you go. Check out the series. It's nice to read something besides Sci-Fi from Asimov. (3.5 stars)"
Currently Reading
"The first mystery in Caudwell's popular series featuring amateur investigator Hilary Tamar and a cast of clever and trouble-prone young London barristers. When a young man is found dead in Julia Larwood's bed, her barrister friends are the only ones who can uncover the truth of this masterpiece of murder."
"Before his death in 2003 in Iraq's first major suicide bomb attack, Sergio Vieira de Mello--a humanitarian and peacemaker with the United Nations--placed himself at the center of the most significant geopolitical crises of the last half-century. He cut deals with the murderous Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, forcibly confronted genocidal killers from Rwanda, and used his intellect and charisma to try to tame militant extremists in Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Known as a "cross between James Bond and Bobby Kennedy," Vieira de Mello managed to save lives in the world's most dangerous places, while also pressing the world's most powerful countries to join him in grappling with such urgent dilemmas When should killers be engaged, and when should they be shunned? When is military force justified? How can outsiders play a role in healing broken people and broken places? He did not have the luxury of merely posing these questions; Vieira de Mello had to find answers, apply them, and live with the consequences."
New Books
"Rose Henshaw was dead at the bottom of the cellar stairs. At fiirst they thought she had fallen to her death, but then they found that she had been bludgeoned to death.
There were four clues: the golden candlestick, the strong box, the blue scarf, and... the letter.
Put them all together and they spelled blackmail and murder..."
"As the colony ship, the Arno, closed in on its destination, life for the inhabitants suddenly became dangerous and the mission to reach the alien artifact compromised. A lone boy could save the operation, but at what cost?
Six years ago, deep in space aboard the Arno, young Oliver spends his days in school, with his little brother and his family, and—as the imaginary Space Boy—battling Wargles. When he’s given a family heirloom, a compass, he and his father, Wyatt, are led to the discovery that the ship may be in grave danger. Hundreds of years into the mission to reach the alien artifact, Wyatt is determined to investigate his suspicions. But when his probing leads nowhere, he is rebuked, demoted, and ironically thrust into the source of the danger . . . Disaster aboard the craft leaves only Oliver to face a choice that will drive the course of the rest of his life, all while he must learn to cope with his new reality. Can he continue the voyage to reach the artifact?
In the present, Oliver’s new earthbound friend, Amy, was kidnapped during the South Pines homecoming dance by agents of the organization that is running his mission, the First Contact Project. In the aftermath, high schoolers are left reeling from the disappearance of Amy. As Zeph, Cassie, and David struggle to make sense of the tragedy, Amy begins to adjust to her new life at FCP headquarters. She finds unexpected allies as she tries to get a handle on her situation, uncover more about the shadowy organization, and what its goals are for Oliver and herself.
A teenage girl who belongs to a different time, a teenage boy on a lone mission in space, an alien artifact, a mysterious murder, and a love that crosses light years comprise the core of this touching sci-fi opera."
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