Rainy Days & Thursday

Our sunny weather has abandoned us for the time being. Too bad I only got half of the gutters cleaned out, eh? Jo just phoned me as she was heading off to work to tell me that the neighbors on the corner are having their big old tree out front taken down. It did leave many many needles on the sidewalk and road. Maybe not a bad thing.

I have finished two books since my last reading update. I hoped to finish one more before end November, but it's been a good month overall. I'll provide my reviews of those two books, plus the synopses of books I've started since and any new books that have found a place on our bookshelves (actually, most of them are sitting on the desk I'm sitting at. LOL)

Just Finished

1.  Mother Finds a Body by Gypsy Rose Lee (Gypsy #2 / 1942).

"Mother Finds a Body is the 2nd book I've read by famed burlesque entertainer, Gypsy Rose Lee. The book features Gypsy in a murder mystery set in a trailer park in Texas. Gypsy, newly wedded to Biff, a fellow burlesque performer, are traveling across country from San Diego. They have acquired a bunch of fellow performers and Gypsy's mother and the crowded group; Gypsy, Biff, Mother, Gee Gee, Dimples, Corny and Mandy and assorted pets are staying at a trailer park in Ysleta, Texas. Mother discovers a body in the bathtub of the trailer (it's under the bed, I gather) and from that point on much silliness ensues. (I'm sure it's unintentional silliness, but silliness nonetheless)

The body is buried in the woods, the woods are set on fire, a trailer is burned to the ground, Mamie (or the burned trailer) joins the group, more bodies crop up, the sheriff, Hank (a great guy), begins to investigate, along with Biff... and I could go on. There might be drugs involved. Is Mother the murderer? Is one of the gang? Who is the 2nd dead body? It's light and fluffy, even with dead bodies. It makes me think of some Red Skeleton mysteries I've seen on TCM. It was originally published in 1942 and could easily have been turned into a movie, except maybe for the strippers. Ya! Maybe not.

Anyway, not a classic but easily read and hey, it's by Gypsy Rose Lee. (2.0 stars)"

2. Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton (2011).

"My first exposure to the writing and animation work of Canadian author Kate Beaton was her powerful, excellent work, Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands. 

My latest look is her first published work, Hark! A Vagrant, an enjoyable, humorous collection of her cartoons published in various magazines and online, I believe. This was such a fun read, takes on historical events, the French revolution, Canadian politeness, the invasions of England by the Vikings, etc. All were worthy of a chuckle and many provided me with laugh out loud moments. 

OK, picture this -

'Stereotypical Canadian lumberjack comes home. His wife shows him a newspaper (The Mild Observer) with the headline, Americans Being Jerks Again. 

'They made fun of us!' she says. 'And it's Stanley Cup season (hockey reference for those who don't know). 

Lumberjack rubs his hands together, 'The Perfect Storm'. 

Cut to US President and advisor, 'Mr. President! We took it too far! The Canadians heard us making fun of them and got all *effed* up on hockey!" 

American president responds, 'Don't worry. I know their weakness. They can't help themselves.' 

Cut to American Prez standing, hands on hips, in front of unruly, angry mob of Canadians. 'Why hello! It's so nice to see you all!'... 

two frames of angry Canadians, finally succumbing, 'Thank you. It's..... so nice to be here'... 

OK you had to be there.

Also excellent takes on classic literature, from Wuthering Heights to Jane Austen, to Dracula, etc etc.  It's all very light, very intelligent, very witty and the drawings are great. 

I end with this one... 

World War I.. News from the Front.

'Messenger Bird just arrived sir!'

Officer removes note from pigeons leg...

Note reads, 'Get a bigger penis in 60 days'

Officer throws pigeon away, 'Blasted Spam pigeons'... 

Yeah, ok you need to see it for yourself.

But get the book. Check it out. You need a good laugh once in awhile. (4.0 stars)"

Here's one I borrowed online. It features Marie and Pierre Curie...

Currently Reading

1. This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar & Max Gladstone (2019). My daughter might like this as Amal is a University of Ottawa professor and that's Jenn's alma mater.

"Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandant finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading. Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, grows into something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future.

Except the discovery of their bond would mean death for each of them. There's still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win that war."

New Books

(4 books arrived since my last update)

1. A Fisherman of the Inland Sea by Ursula K. Le Guin (1994).

"This new collection of short fiction by the only science fiction author to win the National Book Award celebrates her understanding that narrative is the shining thread with which we create our common humanity. Astonishing in their diversity & power, her stories exhibit both the artistry of a major writer at the height of her powers & the humanity of a mature artist confronting the world with her gift of wonder still intact.

"The First Contact with the Gorgonids"
"Newton's Sleep"
"The Ascent of the North Face"
"The Rock That Changed Things"
"The Kerastion"
"The Shobies' Story"
"Dancing to Ganam"
"Another Story OR A Fisherman of the Inland Sea"

2. The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin (Hainish Cycle #6 / 1974).

"The Principle of Simultaneity is a scientific breakthrough which will revolutionize interstellar civilization by making possible instantaneous communication. It is the life work of Shevek, a brilliant physicist from the arid anarchist world of Anarres. But Shevek’s work is being stifled by jealous colleagues, so he travels to Anarres’s sister-planet Urras, hoping to find more liberty and tolerance there. But he soon finds himself being used as a pawn in a deadly political game."

3. The Wild Robot by Peter Brown (Wild Robot #1 / 2016)

"Can a robot survive in the wilderness?

When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is all alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is--but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a violent storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island's unwelcoming animal inhabitants.

As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home--until, one day, the robot's mysterious past comes back to haunt her.

From bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator Peter Brown comes a heartwarming and action-packed novel about what happens when nature and technology collide."

4. Monstress, Volume 2, The Blood by Marjorie Liu (Monstress #2 / 2017)

"Maika Halfwolf is on the run from a coalition of forces determined to control or destroy the powerful Monstrum that lives beneath her skin. But Maika still has a mission of her own: to discover the secrets of her late mother, Moriko.

In this second volume of Monstress, collecting issues 7-12, Maika's quest takes her to the pirate-controlled city of Thyria and across the sea to the mysterious Isle of Bones. It is a journey that will force Maika to reevaluate her past, present, and future, and contemplate whether there's anyone, or anything, she can truly trust--including her own body."

So there you go, a few reading ideas for you. Enjoy your upcoming weekend.