An August 2024 Update

It's a beautiful sunny day. We've got temperatures for the next week of 27ish ℃ and continued sunny skies. It's a bit warm at night but not too bad. Jo is currently having a mid morning nap as she's been staying up overnight watching Olympics. We'd planned to go to Victoria this past week but she hurt her knee and ankle so we decided it was better to just stay at home so she could rest and recuperate and be ready to go back to work next week. Clyde and I just came back from a walk so he's kind of pooped. I figure it's a good time to do a reading update. 

Oh tonight Jo and I plan to get in the Zoom call for Comics for Kamala. I know we can't donate because we aren't Americans but we're hoping it'll be a good laugh.

So let's get down to business, reading updates.

Just Finished

Since my last update, I've completed 4 books.

1. Wycliffe in Paul's Court by W.J. Burley. This was my 3rd Wycliffe mystery in July. I'm switching to Maigret mysteries for August.

"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)"

2. Borders by Thomas King (2021). 

"Borders by Canadian author Thomas King is a young adult graphic novel about a young Canadian Blackfoot boy and his mother's trip to Salt Lake City to see his sister Laetitia. Laetitia found her home town in Alberta boring and wanted to try something new.

They cross the border into the US at the Coutts Alberta crossing station. The American border stop is Sweetwater. This is where things get interesting. When the US border guard asks Laetitia's mother her nationality, she states simply, Blackfoot. This starts a back and forth series of confrontations at both the US and Canadian border stations. Neither will let them in, even though they crossed at the Canadian border crossing.

The two are in a limbo for 3 or 4 days, running out of food and being forced to sleep in their car. The only building between the two border crossings is the Duty Free shop and the owner does try to help them. It's not until local reporters come to interview the two that the situation changes.

It's an interesting story, emphasizing the importance of your identity. The young man doesn't necessarily agree with the stance his mother is taking. He only wants a burger. 😎🍔 But he understands and respects her. 

It's one of those stories that made me think. How important is it to be Canadian? How important is it to recognize the aboriginal cultures that were here first? Interesting story, simply and poignantly told. Beautifully drawn and colored by Metis artist Natasha Donavan. (4.0 stars)"

3. Poems from the Women's Movement edited by Honor Moore (2009).

"Over the past few years I've been trying to explore the poetry genre a bit more. Poems from the Women's Movement, edited by Honor Moore seemed like a good book to try as it contains poetry from a number of women poets.

For the most part I found the poems accessible (a big thing for me as I normally struggle get the themes and ideas being presented) and some caused quite visceral reactions. Poems like 'a poem for my father' by Sonia Sanchez, 'rape poem' by Marge Piercy, 'First Time: 1950' by the editor, Honor Black were very powerful. I found Alice Walker's 'For My Sister Molly Who in the Fifties' very touching. 

Rape poem was like a punch in the gut. 

"The is no difference between being raped

and being pushed down a flight of concrete steps

except that the wounds also bleed inside.

There is no difference between being raped

and being run over by a truck

except that afterward men ask if you enjoyed it.

There is no difference between being raped

and being bit on the ankle by a rattlesnake

except that people ask if your skirt was short

and why you were out alone anyway......" excerpt of Rape Poem by Marge Piercy

There is such a variety of contributors, Lucille Clifton, Erica Jong, Rita Mae Brown, Alice Walker, Audrey Lorde, Sylvia Plath, Alice Notley and on and on. So many varied styles and themes. The collection is part of the Library of Congress's American Poet Project. I'm glad that I tried this. (4.0 stars)

One other excerpt for you - 

Ten Commandments for Liberation 

1. though shalt clean up thine own messes.

no servants whether paid (cleaning ladies)

or indentured (wives)

2. thou shalt not use other people. as tome

hayden used james rector to advertise

people's park, as marxists use workers

to overthro the ruling class, as i just

used tom hayden for demonstration purposes.

3. thou shalt not foul the air, with motor

vehicles, the water, with detergents,

the earth, with chemicals and pesticides.

4. thou shalt not deny any person's

humanity. blacks are not niggers, vietnamese

are not gooks, women are not chicks,

cops are not pigs.

5. thou shalt not endanger other people

for an idea.

6. thou shalt not be ashamed, we are all

perverts. we all have pasts we could spend

our lives denying.

7. thou shalt revel in what you really are:

don't change your looks, don't stop

talking, go ahead and be.

8. listen to your body: it will let you

know whether or not you are content

9. living things shall be allowed to

breathe & grow.

10. write your own commandments. i am only 

a person like you. "burn this

& memorize yourself."

poem by Alta (words to live by)"

4. Time Gladiator by Mack Reynolds (Joe Mauser #4).

"Time Gladiator| by Sci Fi author Mack Reynolds is the 4th and final book in his Joe Mauser, Mercenary from Tomorrow series. Unfortunately, I read this one first and then sort of discovered the remaining 3 so I can't compare.

Dennis Land is a scholar working in the 21st Century (funny that I'm now reading Sci Fi books where the 21st Century is considered the Future). He lives in West World, basically North America, which has become highly structured; people ranked by class - Lower, Middle and Upper with gradations in between. Land is a Middle Middle and he studies the ancient Etruscans. As the story begins he is taking part in the Gladiator entertainments, basically wanting to test his knowledge of ancient weaponry. He survives the finals, along with another Tony Gonzales.

Oh, before I go on, the World is divided into West World, the former Communist countries and Common Europe, with the remaining countries part of Neut (neutral) regions. A scientist in Common Europe has come up with a design for an anti-missile system. This is problematic because all of the countries have renounced the use of nuclear weapons and any other technological weaponry. The fear is that if this scientist is allowed to develop his designs, it will end the Cold War peace.

Dennis is 'hired' by the Bureau of Investigation to find the scientist and bring him to the West. He is believed to be in Spain. The Eastern Bloc has sent their best spy to do the same. In Spain, the scientist will disappear and all of the 'blocks' decide that if peace is to be maintained, there must be a 'gladiator' type battle to stop the possible wars. This battle will be televised around the world and I guess maintain peace. Consider the Hunger Games on a smaller scale. Three champions from the three regions fight to the death. Dennis and the Russian make a deal to not kill each other and then to work to find the scientist.

So there is your story. It's kind of strange but moves along nicely and portrays this vision of the future very well. I have to say that overall I enjoyed it, even though the ending was kind of anti-climatic. The characters are all well - drawn, thoughtful and capable. Joe Mauser doesn't seem to play a very big role but I look forward to seeing what he's up to in the remaining 3 books. Worth checking out I think. But start at the beginning. (3.0 stars)"

Currently Reading

1. Pavane by Keith Roberts (1968), The next book in my Sci Fi challenge.

"In the year 1588, Queen Elizabeth of England was assassinated. As a result, when the Spanish Armada attacked, England went down defeated, changing the history of Europe and the New World as we know it.

Now, in the Twentieth Century, the Church of Rome reigns supreme over a world of pastoral beauty, while technology is held back to the level of the steam locomotive and the primitive radio. Yet science cannot be suppressed forever, and its advocates are becoming more daring as each year passes. A revolution is building—one that will rock the foundations of an empire. An acknowledged classic of alternate history fiction, Pavane will continue to inspire writers and readers for generations."

2. Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus (2022). Jo and I started to watch the TV adaptation.

"Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an average woman. But it's the 1960s and despite the fact that she is a scientist, her peers are very unscientific when it comes to equality. The only good thing to happen to her on the road to professional fulfillment is a run-in with her super-star colleague Calvin Evans (well, she stole his beakers). The only man who ever treated her--and her ideas--as equal, Calvin is already a legend and Nobel nominee. He's also awkward, kind and tenacious. Theirs is true chemistry.

But as events are never as predictable as chemical reactions, three years later Elizabeth Zott is an unwed, single mother (did we mention it's the early 60s?) and the star of America's most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth's singular approach to cooking (take one pint of H2O and add a pinch of sodium chloride) and independent example are proving revolutionary. Because Elizabeth isn't just teaching women how to cook, she's teaching them how to change the status quo."

New Books

1. The Empress of Salt and Fortune by Nghi Vo (The Singing Hills Cycle #1 / 2020)

"A young royal from the far north is sent south for a political marriage in an empire reminiscent of imperial China. Her brothers are dead, her armies and their war mammoths long defeated and caged behind their borders. Alone and sometimes reviled, she must choose her allies carefully.

Rabbit, a handmaiden, sold by her parents to the palace for the lack of five baskets of dye, befriends the emperor's lonely new wife and gets more than she bargained for.

At once feminist high fantasy and an indictment of monarchy, this evocative debut follows the rise of the empress In-yo, who has few resources and fewer friends. She's a northern daughter in a mage-made summer exile, but she will bend history to her will and bring down her enemies, piece by piece."

2. Opening Night by Ngaio Marsh (Inspector Alleyn #16 / 1951) This is one series I hope to finish.

"A London actor was dying for a star billing...

From the leading lady's liaison to the harassment of an aging juvenile lead-there's never a dull moment, darling, at the Vulcan Theatre. But vanity and hysterics, suspicion and superstition, brandy and jealousy, are upstaged by a death on opening night. Was it really suicide? Or a macabre encore to a long-ago murder in the same backstage room? Scotland Yard's cast of suspects for the final curtain."

3. The Earth War by Mack Reynolds (Joe Mauser #2 / 1963)

"In the 21st Century the face of war had changed. Atomic weapons -- out! Bazookas and rockets -- nyet! Machine guns -- maybe. The newest secret weapon -- gliders! East and West had managed an uneasy truce in the arms race by banning ail weapons developed before 1900 -- and restricting wars to local disputes between corporations or companies and unions. It was a crazy way of doing things -- but it worked…until an ambitious Major upset the apple cart, and threw the world’s peace into deadly peril! In this exciting picture of the next century, veteran science-fiction writer MACK REYNOLDS combines mastery of a unique setting with a fast-action story of combat and intrigue."

4. Mercenary from Tomorrow by Mack Reynolds (Joe Mauser #1 / 1962).

"Is the story of 21st Century Earth - a world where work is forgotten, where the masses fight boredom with trank pills and telly, and where it is almost impossible to leave the social class you were born in. You could break the class barrier only by hiring yourself out as a mercenary to fight in the prime-time wars that are fought to keep the telly-viewing public satisfied. That is the only way to move up the ladder if you could stay alive long enough."

5. Autocracy Inc. by Anne Applebaum (2024).

"All of us have in our minds a cartoon image of what an autocratic state looks like, with a bad man at the top. But in the 21st century, that cartoon bears little resemblance to reality. Nowadays, autocracies are run not by one bad guy, but by sophisticated networks composed of kleptocratic financial structures, security services and professional propagandists. The members of these networks are connected not only within a given country, but among many countries. The corrupt, state-controlled companies in one dictatorship do business with corrupt, state-controlled companies in another. The police in one country can arm, equip, and train the police in another. The propagandists share resources—the troll farms that promote one dictator’s propaganda can also be used to promote the propaganda of another—and themes, pounding home the same messages about the weakness of democracy and the evil of America. Unlike military or political alliances from other times and places, this group doesn’t operate like a bloc, but rather like an agglomeration of Autocracy, Inc. Their relations are not based on values, but are rather transactional, which is why they operate so easily across ideological, geographical, and cultural lines. In truth, they are in full agreement about only one Their dislike of us, the inhabitants of the democratic world, and their desire to see both our political systems and our values undermine. That shared understanding of the world—where it comes from, why it lasts, how it works, how the democratic world has unwittingly helped to consolidate it, and how we can help bring it down—is the subject of this book."

6. Eleven Huskies by Philipp Schott (Dr. Bannerman #3 / 2024). I'm enjoying this series and hope to keep up with each new book.

"Peter Bannerman, veterinarian and amateur detective, deserves a summer vacation. Peter and his family head to a remote fishing lodge in northern Manitoba for a canoeing trip with his champion sniffer dog, Pippin. But a series of incidents color their plans. The lodge’s sled team of huskies has been poisoned and, at the same time, a floatplane crashes into the lake, killing the pilot and both passengers. While Peter works to save the huskies, it is discovered that the plane crash wasn’t an accident. It was murder. It’s been a hot and dry summer, and one morning the Bannerman family wakes up to find a forest fire spreading quickly. They manage to dodge the conflagration, making it back to the lodge before it becomes cut off from the outside world. Peter soon figures out that the murderer, who probably also poisoned the huskies, must be among the other guests or staff trapped with them at the lodge. The power fails. The now-enormous fire draws nearer. Can Peter discover the culprit in time?"

Women Authors Whose  Works I've Been Enjoying - Barbara Tuchman

Barbara W. Tuchman

Barbara Tuchman was an American historian who wrote one of my favorite history novels. Over the years I've probably read The Guns of August three times. It's such a great portrayal of the first days of WWI. I've only read one other of her books but I think both are worth highlighting. 

1. The Guns of August (1962).

"In this landmark, Pulitzer Prize–winning account, renowned historian Barbara W. Tuchman re-creates the first month of World War I: thirty days in the summer of 1914 that determined the course of the conflict, the century, and ultimately our present world. Beginning with the funeral of Edward VII, Tuchman traces each step that led to the inevitable clash. And inevitable it was, with all sides plotting their war for a generation. Dizzyingly comprehensive and spectacularly portrayed with her famous talent for evoking the characters of the war’s key players, Tuchman’s magnum opus is a classic for the ages." (5 stars)

2. The Zimmerman Telegram (1958).

"I enjoyed this story very much. It tells the story of German attempts to keep the US out of WWI by trying to goad Mexico and Japan into keeping the US too busy to make them enter the war against Germany. Wilson, President at that time, wanted to get the warring factions to sit down and discuss peace. The British discovered the German activities and plans by breaking down the telegrams sent from Berlin to Washington. The book deals with British plans to break the news of the German plots against Washington and how to do so without alerting the Germans to their code-breaking activities. A very worthwhile read, maybe not with quite the breadth of Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August, but still an excellent piece of historical research that has been presented in a very interesting fashion. (3.0 stars)"

The complete listing of Tuchman's works and biographical information can be found here.

Enjoy your Olympic viewing and a good book. Take care.