Sunday Reading Update

The puppies relaxing with me while Jo was at work

Our trip to Victoria to see the Veterinary Eye specialist wasn't what we'd hoped for. After 3 weeks of making sure Bonnie got her drops, the vet checked out her eyes to see if she was now in a position to have her cataracts removed. Unfortunately, it turns out that Bonnie is blind so the surgery would be an unnecessary intrusion into her comfort. I don't know who was more upset, the doc or us.. So instead, Bonnie will have a different surgery. 😞😞😢 We love her dearly.

Well.... Let's look at books. At the moment we're enjoying the warm weather and watching the Blue Jays. Let's take a look at books I've finished, yada yada...

Just Finished

1. Ottoline at Sea by Chris Riddell (Ottoline #3). I felt the need for something light.

"If you have young children and like to read to them, the Ottoline series by Chris Riddell is worth checking out. Riddell both writes and illustrates the stories. Ottoline at Sea is the 3rd book in this 4 book series.

It's a short, fun story with neat little references to the Beatles for the adults. Ottoline lives in an apartment in the Pepperpot Building. Her parents are explorers and rarely home, communicating with Ottoline by post card. (remember them?). Her constant companion is Mr. Munroe, a friendly troll. Their parents found Mr. Munroe during one of their trips to Norway.

In this book Mr. Munroe seems sad and everywhere he looks he sees reminders of Norway. Ottoline is trying to plan a vacation with Mr. Munroe and she is kind of oblivious to Mr. Munroe's situation. She is surprised one day to find he has disappeared, leaving a note simply stating Norway. Thus begins her fun journey, accompanied by the Canadian bear who spends the winter sorting clothes in the basement laundry room.

That's really all you need to know about the story. It's short, quick, fun and lovingly illustrated. There are neat people all along the way and, yes, it's a happy ending. Sometimes even an adult needs such a story. (4.0 stars)"

2. The Sandman  Vol 4: Season of Mists by Neil Gaiman (Vol. 4). Great graphic novel series.

"The Sandman Vol. 4: Season of Mists is the 4th collection of the Sandman graphic novel series by Neil Gaiman. This edition contains an introduction by Patton Oswalt and a foreword by Harlan Ellison. This story contains comics #21 - 28 from 1990 - 1991.

In this collection Sandman must go to Hades to right a previous wrong, that of sending Nada to Hades for rejecting Sandman's marriage request. A meeting is held by Destiny, after he receives a visit from the 3 Fates. Destiny calls together, Sandman, Death and their other kin. This is where Sandman realizes he needs to go to Hades.

I won't tell you what exactly happens when Sandman meets with Lucifer, but suffice it to say that the result is that Sandman will receive many visitors in his kingdom; from Asgard, Egypt, Japan, etc. All want what Sandman now possesses and he has a big decision to make.

It's a very interesting story, continuing the excellent work from the initial stories. The artwork is edgy, the characters fascinating. My biggest complaint is that there wasn't enough of Sandman's older sister, Death. It was interesting meeting the remaining family members. All in all, the story was neat and I've now ordered the next to collections.. Darn you, Neil Gaiman!!! (4.0 stars)"

New Books

(Don't you hate it when you pick up a book and then realize that it's a book you've already read but under a different name? Luckily I didn't pay for the book, just took it from a Little Free Library)

1. Old Babes in the Woods by Margaret Atwood (2023). Amongst my favorite writers of all time.

"A dazzling collection of short stories from the internationally acclaimed, award-winning author of The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments, stories that look deeply into the heart of family relationships, marriage, loss and memory, and what it means to spend a life together.

Margaret Atwood has established herself as one of the most visionary and canonical authors in the world. This collection of fifteen extraordinary stories--some of which have appeared in The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine--explore the full warp and weft of experience, speaking to our unique times with Atwood's characteristic insight, wit and intellect.

The two intrepid sisters of the title story grapple with loss and memory on a perfect summer evening; "Impatient Griselda" explores alienation and miscommunication with a fresh twist on a folkloric classic; and "My Evil Mother" touches on the fantastical, examining a mother-daughter relationship in which the mother purports to be a witch. At the heart of the collection are seven extraordinary stories that follow a married couple across the decades, the moments big and small that make up a long life of uncommon love--and what comes after.

Returning to short fiction for the first time since her 2014 collection Stone Mattress, Atwood showcases both her creativity and her humanity in these remarkable tales which by turns delight, illuminate, and quietly devastate."

Women Authors Whose Work I'm Enjoying - Ruth Rendell

Ruth Rendell

Ruth Rendell, Baroness Rendell of Babergh, wrote mysteries, featuring Inspector Wexford. She also wrote mysteries under the pseudonym Barbara Vine. She was born in Essex in 1930 and died in London in 2015. Over the course of her life she wrote 24 books in the Inspector Wexford series, plus 30+ standalones and a whole bunch of other books. 😎 I've read and enjoyed two of the Inspector Wexford books and have another six on my bookshelf. Let's look at those.

1. The Best Man to Die (Wexford #4 / 1969).

"Here comes… the best man to die!

No one suspected that the jovial stag party for the groom would be a prelude for the murder of close chum Charlie Hatton. But Charlie was only the first to receive his death sentence in a string of puzzling murders involving small-time gangsters, philandering husbands and loose women. The suspense is spiced with ironic twists as Chief Inspector Wexford and his gloomy assistant, Burden, join forces with the groom to track down the murderer."

2. The Rottweiler (2003).

"The first victim was discovered with a bite on her neck. The police traced the DNA to the girl’s boyfriend, but the tabloids had already dubbed the murderer “The Rottweiler,” and the name stuck.

The latest body was found near Inez Ferry’s shop in Marylebone. Someone spotted a figure fleeing into the shadows, but couldn’t say even if it was a man or woman. The only other clues are the murderer’s penchant for strangling his prey, and then removing a small token — a necklace, a lighter.

To make ends meet, widowed Inez Ferry takes in tenants above her antique store. The unpredictable and obsessive acts of the serial murderer begin to disturb the lives of the heterogeneous little community of lodgers, especially when suspicion grows that one of them might be The Rottweiler."

3. An Unkindness of Ravens (Wexford #13 / 1985).

"Rodney Williams's disappearance seems typical to Chief Inspector Wexford—a simple case of a man running off with a woman other than his wife. But when another woman reports that her husband is missing, the case turns unpleasantly complex."

4. A Guilty Thing Surprised (1970).

"Elizabeth and Quentin Nightingale. A happy couple who lived quite graciously at Myfleet Manor in the gentle English countryside.

Elizabeth Nightingale found peace and tranquility on her nightly walks through the rich, dense forests surrounding Myfleet Manor. But the peace she treasured was shattered one night when she found death waiting in the woods.

Chief Inspector Wexford and his colleague Inspector Burden find a most unsavory case on their hands—and must use all their wit and wisdom to solve it . . ."

5. Wolf to the Slaughter (Wexford #3 / 1967).

"Anita Margolis has vanished. Dark and exquisite, Anita's character is as mysterious as her disappearance.

There was no body, no crime - nothing more concrete than an anonymous letter and the intriguing name of Smith. According to headquarters, it wasn't to be considered a murder enquiry at all.

With the letter providing them with only one questionable lead to follow, Wexford and his sidekick Inspector Burden are compelled to make enquiries. They soon discover Anita is wealthy, flighty, and thoroughly immoral. The straight-laced Burden has a very clear idea of what happened to her. But Wexford has his own suspicions..."

6. Murder Being Once Done (Wexford #7 / 1972).

"It seems fitting that the final resting place of a girl's body should be in a graveyard. But this is no peaceful burial. This is a brutal murder scene.

Under strict orders from his doctor to indulge in no criminal investigation, Wexford is sent to London for a break away from the pressures of the Kingsmarkham police force. But then he discovers that his nephew Howard is heading the investigation into the macabre murder of Loveday Morgan, whose body was found abandoned in Kenbourne Cemetery.

Despite opposition from Howard and his team, Wexford is drawn to the case. And when he unearths Loveday's connection to a religious cult whose leader was imprisoned for sexual abuse, he relentlessly pursues this sinister new lead..."

The complete listing of Rendell's books can be found at this link. Enjoy your upcoming week.