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| Bonnie relaxing and enjoying a patch of sunshine |
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| Clyde keeping an eye on things. |
So let's go!
Just Finished
"Gun Honey, Vol. 1 is the first volume in the Gun Honey (Joanna Tan) Hard Case graphic novel series by Charles Ardai. Ardai is a pseudonym for Richard Aleas who wrote hard boiled mysteries like Little Girl Lost.
Joanna Tan sells weapons. She knows how to get a weapon into a place so that it can then be used for a killing. She got into this business when, as a child, her family was killed in a bombing in Malaysia. Now an expert, while she also tries to find the people who killed her father, she supplies guns.
In one case, a gun is used to kill many people, both in prison and outside. A secret government organization brings her in to try to get her to work for them. She is assigned a handler, Brook Barrow, and they try to find out who was the man in prison who received her most recent gun.
Suffice it to say, there is lots and lots of action, lots of shooting as Joanna and Brook run down the killer. There will be a surprise as well as Joanna ultimately discovers who was behind the bombing.
The characters are drawn larger than life in this graphic novel, especially Joanna who is, let's just say, buxom. There is some nudity, one sex scene. The colors are bright, rich. It fits into the Hard Case mold and is pure comic book entertainment. (Warning: There is violence) 3.0 stars."
"Heartstopper: Volume Four by Alice Oseman continues the story of the developing relationship between high school students, Nick and Charlie. Of course, there are highlights of other ongoing relationships as well.
Charlie is trying to decide the right time to tell Nick that he loves him, especially with Nick heading off on summer vacation with his family to Menorca. Charlie is stressing out; it's affecting his eating, his emotional well-being. Nick is very worried about Charlie's eating issues but doesn't know what to do about it.
There are family stresses, especially with Charlie's parents, mother especially. Nick wants Charlie to discuss Charlie's eating issues and emotional issues. But Charlie doesn't know how to approach his parents.
Once again it's an excellent story (and as I mention each and every volume, not one I normally read) and covers many very topics while just providing an entertaining, fascinating story. As always, it's drawn very well and is very modern in its outlook and writing. It talks about empathy, love, friendships, family, mental health and draws you in. Volume 5 is supposed to come out in December. 😎 (4.0 stars)"
"Over the years, I've read a number of the Sci-Fi stories of Philip K. Dick, 10+ I'd guess. Some have been outstanding; The Man in the High Castle is favorite all-time story of mine. Doctor Bloodmoney and Do Androids Dream Electric Dreams are among others that I've enjoyed very much. Even those that weren't necessarily favorites still were unique and interesting. That applies to my latest venture in Dick's work, Eye in the Sky. It was originally published in 1957.
The basic premise is that a group of people go on a tour of a bevatron, an electronic device. There is a disaster and the eight find themselves basically traveling in different 'dimensions' or alternate earths. Each is created from the dreams or wishes of one of the others. Each is a unique and in some ways devastating. There is the ultra religious world. There is the world where every ugly thing is is wished out of existence by one of the characters. In another, Armstrong's home becomes a living thing and wants to destroy everyone within. In another, one character's communist leanings change America, making it a cesspool of crime, drugs, violence.
The only way to get out of these alternate worlds is to either kill or render unconscious the person who has created it. It's an interesting concept. The story isn't perfect but it moves along nicely and the characters are all interesting. Dick is always worth trying. He is one of the quirkiest Sci-Fi authors that I've tried. Check Dick out. (3.0 stars)"
Currently Reading
"Nicolaos walks the mean streets of Classical Athens as an agent for the promising young politician Pericles. His mission is to find the assassin of the statesman Ephialtes, the man who brought democracy to Athens and whose murder has thrown the city into uproar. It's a job not made any easier by the depressingly increasing number of dead witnesses.
But murder and mayhem don't bother Nico; what's really on his mind is how to get closer (much closer) to Diotima, the intelligent and annoyingly virgin priestess of Artemis, and how to shake off his irritating twelve year-old brother Socrates.
The Pericles Commission is the first in an exciting new series by first-time novelist Gary Corby, who takes us to Ancient Greece at one of the most exciting times in history. In this wonderfully approachable, historically rich novel, Athens is brought vividly to life in a mystery engaging from the first page to last."
When the body of Niamh's best friend, Hollie, is found, the entire village is rocked. Elise, though generally distrustful since Andrew's infidelity, believed that Hollie was loved by her father and stepmother. Yet there was something unsettling beneath the girl's smile. As the police investigation stalls amid disjointed evidence, it's Niamh who unknowingly holds the key . . .
Flitting between the villagers' lives, silent and unseen, Elise is learning about the relationships and secrets that surround her--including those close to home. And as her daughter edges closer to a killer, Elise realizes that the truth may eclipse even her worst suspicions . . ."
When Joe Ledger and Echo Team rescue a group of American college kids held hostage in Iran,the Iranian government then asks them to help find six nuclear bombs planted in the Mideast oil fields. These stolen WMDs will lead Joe and Echo Team into hidden vaults of forbidden knowledge, mass-murder, betrayal, and a brotherhood of genetically-engineered killers with a thirst for blood.
Accompanied by the beautiful assassin called Violin, Joe follows a series of clues to find the Book of Shadows, which contains a horrifying truth that threatens to shatter his entire worldview.
They say the truth will set you free…
Not this time.
The secrets of the Assassin’s Code will set the world ablaze."
-- from the Introduction by Vice President Al Gore
Rarely does a single book alter the course of history, but Rachel Carson's Silent Spring did exactly that. The outcry that followed its publication in 1962 forced the banning of DDT and spurred revolutionary changes in the laws affecting our air, land, and water. Carson's passionate concern for the future of our planet reverberated powerfully throughout the world, and her eloquent book was instrumental in launching the environmental movement. It is without question one of the landmark books of the twentieth century.
Silent Spring served as a touchstone for Al Gore while he was working on his widely praised, bestselling book on the environment, Earth in the Balance. Now Rachel Carson's message is more important than ever, and no one is more qualified than Al Gore to introduce her classic book to a new generation of readers"
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