It's Tuesday!

Catching up on Jeopardy. We've got a nice cool breeze blowing in the patio doors, it feels so good. So while we're relaxing, let's do a quick reading update.

Just Finished

(Only finished one since my last update)

1. A Game of You by Neil Gaiman (Sandman #5). I love this graphic novel series.

"I admit it. I love this graphic novel series. A Game of You is the fifth volume in the Sandman collection, created by Neil Gaiman and drawn and penciled by great artists. 

Sandman plays a very small role in this story. It features Barbie, a hard luck girl living in New York, sharing an apartment with an eclectic group of characters, all of whom will be pulled into her dream world. You've got Wanda, born Alvin, her next door neighbor. You've got Foxglove and Hazel and Foxglove, two lesbians who live upstairs. There is Thessaly the buttoned up girl down the hall. And, finally there is George, the strange man who lives on the top floor.

All will be involved in Barbie's dream world, once she has a dream. Barbie is Princess Barbara in the other world. She hasn't dreamt for two years but when she does, she is called to help save this world (or skerry) from the Cuckoo. A cuckoo is a bird who lays its eggs in other birds' nests and then kills their chicks and takes over.

The creatures of this dream world send Martin Tenbones to New York to find and collect Princess Barbara. When Barbie falls into a deep sleep, the cuckoo invades the dreams of the other apartment residence until Thessaly, who is more than she seems, saves them and takes Foxglove and Hazel to find and save Barbie. Well, that's just an after effect. She really wants to kill the Cuckoo.

So there is your story. Princess Barbara and her followers trying to save the dream world from the Cuckoo. Thessaly and her companions following the Moon road to get to Barbie. And Wanda watching over Barbie's sleeping body, while Hurricane Lisa bears down on New York. And Sandman? Well, he's watching and waiting.

It's a fascinating, rich story filled with neat, interesting characters. The artwork is, as always, great; dark, rich, violent. Just a fantastic series. I've got #6 awaiting my attention and #7 on order. If you haven't tried it yet, DO SO! (4.5 stars)"

Currently Reading

1. Ms. Tree: Deadline by Max Allan Collins (Vol 4). I always find this an interesting series. 

"The next incredible instalment in the case books of Ms. Tree, private detective, from famed Hard Case Crime author Max Allan Collins!

From the minds of author Max Allan Collins and artist Terry Beatty, comes the fourth collection of 5 classic Ms. Tree stories. Join Michael Tree, the 6ft, 9mm carrying private detective on her thrilling adventures. No case is too small, no violence too extreme, just as long as it gets the job done.

Fans of hard-boiled detective and crime fiction will get a thrill from these tales!

Featuring the stories:
"Deadline"
"Skin Deep"
"Runaway"
"Runaway II"
"Death, Danger and Diamonds"

New Books

1. Fables and Reflections by Neil Gaiman (Sandman Vol 6).

"The issues in the collection first appeared in 1991, 1992 and 1993. The collection first appeared in paperback and hardback in 1993.

The book contains four tales under the banner of "Distant Mirrors", containing Issue #29 "Thermidor", #30 "August", #31 "Three Septembers and a January" and #50 "Ramadan". Three of the issues making up the "Distant Mirrors" group were published between the "Season of Mists" and "A Game of You" story arcs. The last, "Ramadan", was written contemporaneously, but because of art delays DC published it as Issue #50, after the "Brief Lives" arc.

Three other issues appearing in Fables & Reflections, published as the Convergence story "arc", are also single-issue short stories. "Convergence" appeared between the "A Game of You" and "Brief Lives" story arcs. It contains Issues #38 "The Hunt", #39 "Soft Places" and #40 "The Parliament of Rooks".

The collection also includes the Sandman Special "The Song of Orpheus", retelling the Greek myth of Orpheus, and a brief piece from a Vertigo promotional comic."

2. Blind Devotion by Cathy Symons (2012). The veterinary eye doctor suggested this book.

"For millions of people their pet is a beloved member of the family. For these people the loss of a pet’s vision can be especially difficult. Blind Devotion is a book these people can turn to. The author connects with her audience by sharing a touching, warm story of her own blind pug dog. Cathy Symons uses her vast experience as a veterinary technician and canine rehabilitation practitioner to offer advice on caring for a blind dog and enhancing their lives through environmental enrichment vital to maintaining a joyful life. Ms. Symons educates the reader on what it means to be blind, how to keep your pet safe, how to stimulate other senses, making life enjoyable for your pet and developing new commands. The author also discusses difficult topics such as quality of life, commitment, anxiety, enucleation, and addressing owner emotions. By sharing her story the author offers reassurance and guidance, shares ideas, and gives hope."

3. The Complete Roderick by John Sladek (Roderick #1 -2 / 1992). I saw this book listed in the back pages of another I was reading and decided to take a chance on it.

"Roderick is a robot and this is his autobiography. Educated by watching television, he is adopted by an elderly couple in Kansas and tries to adjust to American society. Sladek conveys, with great sensitivity and insight, the innocence of an artificial intelligence and asks profound questions about mankind's right to manipulate others. It also portrays how a numerological mind might structure a narrative."

4. The Female Man by Joanna Russ (1975). Another Sci-Fi novel I decided to take a chance on.

"'The Female Man' is the story of four women from parallel universes. Joanna's world is like our own, Jeannine's world is a poorer, grungier version and Janet comes from a world where men have died off. Lastly we meet Jael, warrior and assassin."

Women Authors Whose Work I an Enjoying - Samantha Power

Samantha Power

I'm not sure when I first heard about Samantha Power. I think probably when watching political shows. She was born in London in 1970, was an international reporter. She worked in Barack Obama's administration as US Ambassador to the UN and is currently in the Biden administration as the Administrator in the US Agency for International Development (US AID). I read her autobiography to learn more about her. I am currently reading a second book by Samantha and enjoying so far.

1. The Education of an Idealist (2019).

"The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir is an excellent memoir by ex-Obama Ambassador to the UN, Samantha Power. While a large portion of the story deals with her time working on President Obama's first campaign and his 8 years in office, it also tells the story of her family, her initial years in Ireland, her move to America and her young adult years as a reporter in war-torn countries, especially in Yugoslavia (on its break-up).

It's a fascinating story and Samantha Power is such an interesting person. I've traveled in my life but not to the extent she has. We learn about her family, the split up of her parent's marriage (mother went to the US with new husband and two kids) while father remained in Ireland. Every event in her life shaped her beliefs, her desire to improve peoples' lives in the world. The book is a search for the best way to help; as a teacher, a reporter, or public servant. 

We see the Obama WH from her perspective; agreements / disagreements on policy. It's neat seeing people I've become accustomed to watching on news shows and now in President Biden's new government crop up in this book. It's interesting watching a government in action, the crises that have to be dealt with (Syria, Ebola, ISIS, etc.) and how both the national government under Obama and also the international government, i.e. the UN work or don't work in dealing with them.

I especially enjoyed the seeing how Power worked with the international community as Ambassador to the UN, the friction with the Russian ambassador but also the coalitions she was able to craft to achieve positive results. Of course, she recognizes there were failures, especially the situation in Syria but she offers a broad perspective on many issues. And through the whole book is the importance of family, her parents, her marriage and her children. The book is so well-written and well-presented, a most enjoyable, interesting read. President Biden has nominated Samantha Power to head the US Agency for International Development (US Aid) organization. She will provide great benefit to the US government, I'm sure. (4.5 stars)"

2. Chasing the Flame: One Man's Fight to Save the World (2008).

"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."

Power has written two other books; A Problem from Hell; America in the Age of Genocide (2002) and The Unquiet American: Richard Holbrook in the World (2011). If you like non-fiction, check Samantha Power out.