We've been enjoying the Games as well although it's totally screwed up our sleeping habits. I've sort of failed to stay up overnight to watch events live. Jo's much better at it than I am. But we do catch up all day long. I'm very proud of the Canadian team. I'm pissed off at what happened to the women's soccer team. Who doesn't scout out their opponents before a game??? But I'm cheering for them to overcome all the adversity and win the Gold! Please! What a finish to the game against France yesterday. Both of us were screaming with joy. LOL. And today we won our third medal.... so far. Men's synchro diving. That's a first. Yesterday we won our first ever fencing medal. So things are good. Now more swimming medals please. 🥇
Now. On to books. It's been two weeks since my last update so there may be a bit of highlighting. We'll see. Let's start with completed books.
Just Completed
(I've completed seven books since my last update. Let's check out 4)
"One of my all time favorites. Great story; I can read again and again.
(Latest reread). I think this is at least the 3rd time I've read The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin. I read it the first time in university as one of the books in a Science Fiction novel course I took. What a great course! Reading two Sci Fi books a week and being graded on either a review of a book or for having written a Sci Fi short story. What more could a Sci Fi fan ask? And it introduced me to so many great authors, including Le Guin.
I read it again as I'm working through her Hainish Cycle and it's the 4th book in this Sci Fi series. The basic story is of Genly Ai, a representative of the Ekumen, a conglomeration of planets who try to add other planets to the grouping. Genly has been landed on the planet Gethen (aka Winter) to try and persuade the peoples' to join the planets. A spaceship with other representatives orbits the sun, with its crew in hibernation, awaiting word from Genly.
The beings of Gethen, divided into various individual states are 'its'. When they come into 'kemmer', i.e. ready to procreate, they become either women, ready to bear children, or male. They can change each time. It's an interesting sexual situation.
Each state / country has its own type of government. Where Genly lands first, Karhide (city of Ehrenrang), it is ruled by a king, Aragaven, who is somewhat insane. Genly is under the 'protection / guidance' of Estraven, the king's Head of State. The other country we visit in the course of the story is Orgereyn, divided into Commensals and I think the best similarity here on Earth is Communist Russia, especially under Stalin, where everyone is spied upon.
Over the course of the story, Estraven will be called a traitor by the 'mad' King, his job taken over by the plotting Tibe and Estraven will be forced to flee to Orgereyn or he will be executed. Genly comes under disfavor. The King distrusts this concept of joining a league of planets as he feels he will be subsumed into it and become minor and insignificant. Genly also makes his way to Orgereyn, where he will eventually be made a prisoner. He and Estraven will undertake a dangerous journey across the glaciers back to Karhide to escape his imprisonment.
That is the story in its simplest I think. In this third .... or fourth... reading, it took me awhile to get back into it. I think I've become used to reading books with more action. But in fact, especially at the end, it's a tense, fascinating story. There are so many elements to it. You have this sexual nature of the Gethenanians, in comparison to Genly's human, where Genly is considered a pervert for being always in 'kemmer'. You've got the various political situations. Overlaid with it is Winter, itself, a cold, forbidding planet that Genly will eventually come to love. There is a rich emotional context as well, the growing of a relationship between Genly and Estraven, the growth of the understanding by Genly of the planet his is on and its people and its nature. Reading it again reminded me of how grat the story is. I'm moving on to the next Hainish book, The Dispossessed (5 stars)"
"Wycliffe in Paul's Court is the 3rd Wycliffe mystery I've read this past month and each one has been excellent. It's the 9th book in the series by W.J. Burley.
In this story, we start with DS Kersley until Wycliffe makes his appearance. Paul's Court is a small little square of 4 apartments. You've got Willy Goppel, who makes miniature doll houses. He lives over his shop. The Wards live in the other half and run the local sub post office. There are the parents and their two kids, teenagers Alison and Henry. You've got the Fiskes, husband and wife and their mentally handicapped boy, Marty. There are the retired couple, the Hedleys. Mrs. Hedley is interested in tarot. Finally there is Natalie Cole who runs a local night club and likes to sun bath naked in the courtyard. She lives with boyfriend, garage owner, Geoff Bishop. Natalie has a teenage daughter as well, Yvette who goes to school with the Ward kids.
That's the basic situation. Willy Goppel has a son Frederick who has moved out and lives in town with the Hedley's nephew, Tony (aka Pongo). Willy is a German immigrant who married an English girl and has lived in England for many years. His wife died years ago. It turns out that Willy has a secret. He has passed himself off as a German Jew who escaped from Germany but his papers indicate something else. They have been stolen and then somebody sent them to the local police, addressed to Sgt Kersey. After the Sgt.'s visit, where he indicates he has to send the papers to the Home Office, events begin to take off.
Yvette turns up missing. Kersey begins to investigate and gradually Superintendent Wycliffe becomes involved. When a body turns up and then another, things begin to get really interesting. I'll leave the story there as I wouldn't want to ruin your enjoyment. Suffice it to say that W.J. Burley knows how to tell a story. His characters are all interesting, his plot line fascinating and the story flows very nicely. There are a variety of story lines as you get to know the characters, some with secrets, but all will out eventually. The investigation is methodical, but at the same time there is room for Wycliffe's jumps of intuition. His relationship with his team is excellent as he is well - respected and straight forward. A most enjoyable mystery and just a great story. I'm glad I still have more of the series to read. (4.0 stars)"
"Six Ostriches is the 2nd book in the Dr. Peter Bannerman mystery series by Canadian veterinarian / mystery writer Philipp Schott. The 3rd book in the series, Eleven Huskies came out in 2024. For once I'm caught up with a series!!! 😎
The series has many things of interest to me. It's by a Canadian author. I've lived in Winnipeg (ok, I lived there one year, but it felt like 4!) Manitoba. The series is set just outside so it kind of resonates with me. And, of course, I like animals so a mystery series featuring a vet is kind of neat. (I guess it's not many things, but still).
In #2, spring is just around the corner. Peter visits a local farm which is raising ostriches because one of them seems to have swallowed something. Performing surgery on the ostrich, he discovers it swallowed what appears to be a Viking artifact. (Critical point here - The local area has been heavily populated by Icelandic and Finnish immigrants for many years). The perceived artifact is a mjolnir which Peter takes to the University in Winnipeg to have examined by an expert on Viking artifacts, Grim for short. Grim believes it to be an ancient artifact and that it supports his theory that Vikings settled in the Winnipeg area around the time when they were exploring Newfoundland.
Peter also finds himself (plus the local RCMP detachment, which includes his gay brother - in - law, Kevin) investigating a series of animal murders and mutilations. Peter wants to get involved in the investigation but due to what happened in the first story (Peter was almost killed) both his wife, Laura, and his brother - in - law, emphatically tell him to stay out of the investigation. However, we know that Peter won't be able to or the story would end right there. Along with his wonderful scent dog Pippin, Peter tries to find out who is killing loved farm animals.
Throw in a secretive local white supremacist (Odin followers) movement that believe they are the original settlers???? and you've got the makings of an interesting story. Both Peter and Pippin are in danger, especially Pippin. I like that Peter's wife, who makes a living knitting thematic sweaters (pop culture themes) even gets more involved, especially with a strong knowledge of the internet.
The story moves along nicely. The characters are all interesting and getting more and more developed. I could have done without the brief interlude with Peter's ex-girlfriend, even though it's not pursued. (Just sort of a throwaway... although maybe it's a teaser for #3) I kind of had the main suspect sussed out, but it didn't matter because even there, the story kept me unsure. It's all resolved kind of nicely and quickly once you get to the end. But #2 was more enjoyable than the first and it seems that Schott is finding a nice stride with this series. #3 is currently on order. (3.5 stars)"
"The Stonekeeper's Curse by Kazu Kibuishi is the 2nd YA / Fantasy graphic novel in the Amulet series. I have to say that so far I love it. I love the art work, the coloring, the characters and the story. It's an engrossing, entertaining adventure story set in a wonderful, fascinating world.
Emily and Navin now find themselves wholly in the world below the basement of their great grandfather's home. Their mother has been bitten by a poisonous spider and is in a coma. The two desperately are seeking a cure. Their great grandfather's robots, Miskit, Cogsley and the others are now taking their home (yes, it walks) to the city of Kanalis to try and find a doctor and a cure.
The evil elves want to stop them. Emily is wearing one of the magic amulets and they know she is now a threat to their security. Emily must learn to control the being within the amulet as it wants OUT!
In Kanalis, which is under the thumb of the Elves where people are changed into animal shapes, there is also a resistance. We also meet the Fox, Leon Redbeard, who is much like Puss 'n Boots, offers his services to help Emily and Navin find the cure for her mother. The Elves attack the doctor's house, the Resistance and Navin escape through tunnels while Emily, Leon and Miskit escape across the rooftops.
It's now a race to find the fruit tree that has the cure. There is even some friction amongst the Elves. The Elf King's son is having an internal battle, loyalty to his father but hatred of him as well because of his treatment. And don't forget the entlike trees who see into the future.
It's a rich, deep story. I love the characters. I love the imagination (the walking house are so neat) and I love the way it is drawn, rich colours, lots of action. Check the series out. Enjoy the heroes. Enjoy the fantasy. (4.0 stars)"
Currently Reading
"John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife's grave. Then he joined the army.
The good news is that humanity finally made it into interstellar space. The bad news is that planets fit to live on are scarce-- and alien races willing to fight us for them are common. So: we fight. To defend Earth, and to stake our own claim to planetary real estate. Far from Earth, the war has been going on for decades: brutal, bloody, unyielding.Earth itself is a backwater. The bulk of humanity's resources are in the hands of the Colonial Defense Force. Everybody knows that when you reach retirement age, you can join the CDF. They don't want young people; they want people who carry the knowledge and skills of decades of living. You'll be taken off Earth and never allowed to return. You'll serve two years at the front. And if you survive, you'll be given a generous homestead stake of your own, on one of our hard-won colony planets.
John Perry is taking that deal. He has only the vaguest idea what to expect. Because the actual fight, light-years from home, is far, far harder than he can imagine--and what he will become is far stranger."
“What would happen if one woman told the truth about her life? / The world would split open.” These lines by Muriel Rukeyser epitomize the spirit that animated a whole generation of women poets, from the 1960s to the 1980s, who in exploring the unspoken truths of their lives sparked a literary revolution. Honor Moore’s anthology presents fifty-eight poets whose work defines an era, among them Sylvia Plath, Adrienne Rich, Anne Sexton, Sonia Sanchez, May Swenson, Alice Walker, Audre Lorde, Anne Waldman, Sharon Olds, Diane Di Prima, Lucille Clifton, Judy Grahn, Alice Notley, and Eileen Myles. Here is a fresh and revelatory look at a crucial time in American poetry that presents the full range of its themes and approaches and a generous sampling of its most compelling voices."
In a land without magic, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She has no love for the vicious king who rules from his throne of glass, but she has not come to kill him. She has come to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three murderers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she will be released from prison to serve as the King's Champion.
Her name is Celaena Sardothien.
The Crown Prince will provoke her. The Captain of the Guard will protect her. And a princess from a faraway country will befriend her. But something rotten dwells in the castle, and it's there to kill. When her competitors start dying mysteriously, one by one, Celaena's fight for freedom becomes a fight for survival-and a desperate quest to root out the evil before it destroys her world."
In "The Days of Perky Pat," people spend their time playing with dolls who manage to live an idyllic life no longer available to the Earth's real inhabitants. "Adjustment Team" looks at the fate of a man who by mistake has stepped out of his own time. In "Autofac," one community must battle benign machines to take back control of their lives. And in "I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon," we follow the story of one man whose very reality may be nothing more than a nightmare. The collection also includes such classic stories as "The Minority Report," the basis for the Steven Spielberg movie, and "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale," the basis for the film Total Recall. Selected Stories of Philip K. Dick is a magnificent distillation of one of American literature's most searching imaginations.
» Introduction by Jonathan Lethem
1. Beyond Lies the Wub
2. Roog
3. Paycheck
4. Second Variety
5. Imposter
6. The King of the Elves
7. Adjustment Team
8. Foster, You're Dead!
9. Upon the Dull Earth
10. Autofac
11. The Minority Report
12. The Days of Perky Pat
13. Precious Artifact
14. A Game of Unchance
15. We Can Remember It for You Wholesale
16. Faith of Our Fathers
17. The Electric Ant
18. A Little Something for Us Tempunauts
19. The Exit Door Leads In
20. Rautavaara's Case
21. I Hope I Shall Arrive Soon"
In the grand scheme of the worlds at large, Callie thinks she's nothing special. Sure, she's friends with the ghost of a radish and her dad owns a magical antique shop--but she's spent her life in the human world. Her dad won't let her join him on his collection trips in the magical realm “for her own protection”, so she’s only caught glimpses of that world through the gates of the town where her father’s store is.
On her seventeenth birthday, Callie goes home with her friend Declan to find her home in disarray and her dad missing. Signs of a struggle point to the portal to the magical realm and when there are signs, you follow them. Now it's up to Callie, Declan, and Radish to band together and bring him home. As they face creatures good and bad, and all sorts of adventure, Callie and Declan may just find out that they are both special in their own ways after all."
The Great Change is upon us . . .
Some say that to change the world you must first burn it down. Now that belief will be tested in the crucible of revolution: the Breakers and Burners have seized the levers of power, the smoke of riots has replaced the smog of industry, and all must submit to the wisdom of crowds.
With nothing left to lose, Citizen Brock is determined to become a new hero for the new age, while Citizeness Savine must turn her talents from profit to survival before she can claw her way to redemption. Orso will find that when the world is turned upside down, no one is lower than a monarch. And in the bloody North, Rikke and her fragile Protectorate are running out of allies . . . while Black Calder gathers his forces and plots his vengeance.
The banks have fallen, the sun of the Union has been torn down, and in the darkness behind the scenes, the threads of the Weaver’s ruthless plan are slowly being drawn together . . ."
But Flor isn’t the only person with secrets. Matilde has tried for decades to cover the extent of her husband’s infidelity, but she must now confront the true state of her marriage. Pastora is typically the most reserved sister, but Flor’s wake motivates this driven woman to solve her sibling’s problems. Camila is the youngest sibling, and often the forgotten one, but she’s decided she no longer wants to be taken for granted.
And the next generation, cousins Ona and Yadi, face tumult of their own: Yadi is reuniting with her first love, who was imprisoned when they were both still kids; Ona is married for years and attempting to conceive. Ona must decide whether it’s worth it to keep trying—to have a child, and the anthropology research that’s begun to feel lackluster.
Spanning the three days prior to the wake, Family Lore traces the lives of each of the Marte women, weaving together past and present, Santo Domingo and New York City. Told with Elizabeth Acevedo’s inimitable and incandescent voice, this is an indelible portrait of sisters and cousins, aunts and nieces—one family’s journey through their history, helping them better navigate all that is to come."
Emily and her friends think they'll find the help they need in Cielis, but something isn't right. Streets that were once busy are deserted, and the townspeople who are left live in fear. Emily is soon escorted to the Academy, where she's expected to compete for a spot on the Guardian Council, a group of the most powerful Stonekeepers. But as the number of competitors gets smaller and smaller, an awful secret is slowly uncovered—a secret that, if left buried, means the certain destruction of everything Emily fights for."
In the winding underground tunnels of the Library, the great celestial peacekeeper of the three systems, a terrible secret lies buried.
As the daughter of a Library god, Freida has spent her whole life exploring the Library's ever-changing tunnels and communing with the gods. Her unparalleled access makes her unique – and dangerous.
When Freida meets Joshua, a mortal boy desperate to save his people, and Nergüi, a Disciple from a persecuted religious minority, Freida is compelled to break ranks with the gods and help them. But in order to do so, she will have to venture deeper into the Library than she has ever known. There she will discover the atrocities of the past, the truth of her origins, and the impossibility of her future…
With the world at the brink of war, Freida embarks on a journey to fulfill her destiny, one that pits her against an ancient war god. Her mission is straightforward: Destroy the god before he can rain hellfire upon thousands of innocent lives – if he doesn't destroy her first."
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