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| And I'm not nervous one bit |
Jo had her chemo yesterday so she's having a nap this afternoon. Perfect time for a reading update. Besides it's blowing a gale and a miserable day outside.
Books Completed
(since my last update)
"I first heard of A Writer's Diary: Being Extracts from the Diary of Virginia Woolf by Virginia Woolf when I was reading Susan Hill's Howard's End is on the Landing. In it, Hill made a list of 40 books she would select if she could only read and reread 40 books for the rest of her life. Woolf's Diary was one of these books.
My experience with Woolf's works is relatively limited. I've read Mrs. Dalloway and Between the Acts, which were both interesting. I don't know what I expected from this selection from her diaries, maybe an appreciation of her writing ideas and style, suggestions for other books. It has made me want to explore her work more. I now have Orlando sitting on my bookshelf and have ordered A Haunted House and other Stories.
A Writer's Diary was published in 1953 and was edited by her husband, Leonard Woolf. Virginia wrote a diary each year beginning in 1915 until her death in 1941. Her last entry was 4 days before she committed suicide in the River Ouse. The book extracts selections from her diaries and covers her thoughts as she writes each new book, her doubts about her abilities, her conversations with friends & family and about her day to day life.
It portrays a fascinating woman. She regularly worked on her novels, at the same time providing articles to various publications, all the while being a constant reader. Throughout the diaries are references to the books she was reading while working on her own works. I got the impression that she learned Greek so she could read the Greek authors in their original language, but I may be wrong. Woolf and her husband were active in many writing groups, the most famous maybe being the Bloomsbury Group. They were friends with many other well - known authors of the timed, John Maynard Keynes, E.M. Forster, Roger Fry, etc. The casual references to dinners with Aldous Huxley and T.S. Eliot just amaze me. What a circle of friends!
It's evident as y0u read through the diaries that she did have health issues; mental or physical. She refers regularly to long bouts with headaches that incapacitated her for long periods. The last year or two had a tremendous effect on her; the war with Nazi Germany, caused more and more references and thoughts on death. They lived in the flight path of the Nazi planes flying towards London on their bombing runs and the upset to their lives.
It's a fascinating look at the work she put in for each of her novels, the years of work on each. First, the handwritten work that she wrote and rewrote and then typed up as she prepared them for publication. The mood swings she goes through as she works through the novels; the adrenaline rush as she gets her ideas then begins to flesh them out; the depression as she begins to edit, her doubts about the reception of each book.. she cares, she doesn't care....
How do you rate such a personal, interesting book? I was going to give it a 3.5, but as I write about it more, it becomes more fascinating again, such a view of one of the unique authors, ever.... (4.5 stars)"
Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 5 is the 5th volume of the horror graphic novel series by James Tynion IV. In them we follow Erica Slaughter as she travels around the US accompanied by her demon 'assistant' a stuffed octopus trying to save children from horrific murders by demons / creatures.
In Vol 5 (fair warning, it will continue into Vol 6, we find Erica arriving in Tribulation, New Mexico where some creature is, yup, killing children. The local sheriff is out of his league and knows it. He can't get help from the State Police. He doesn't know what to do. A young Gabi has seen her siblings and parents murdered by something but she won't talk to him. He leaves her with a family friend, who operates a roadside diner.
Erica arrives. (NB. Erica used to belong to the Order of Saint George, a group that killed demons. However, they also basically rubbed all traces of their activities from any news, etc. Even if it meant killing all of the witnesses) She is now operating on her own, with some help by Big Gary, who operates a facility where the Order trains its operatives)... To add a bit of spice to the story, the Order has requested the assistance of the Cutter, a European operative, to come to the US to kill Erica. Interesting?
It's gritty... very gritty with excellent graphics and artwork. And it's darned creepy... dare I say scary! Yes. I really like Erica and will now have to get onto Volume 6 to see how everything is resolved.. Tense, spooky and just darn good. (4 stars)"
"I finished Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 5 by James Tynion IV yesterday and because it left the story hanging, I had to read Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 6 today.... All that I have to say is Nooooo! It also left the story hanging and at such a tense, exciting part! Now I've ordered Vols 7 & 8 but will have to wait until they arrive. *Sigh*
This is such an excellent graphic novel series. It's scary, gruesome, beautifully drawn and filled with excellent characters that draw you in. Volume 6 continues Erica Slaughter's journey to Tribulation, New Mexico where a creature, a Duplicitype is killing children and their families. This creature gains strength the more it kills and eventually can assume a human form... usually that form being of a human it fears the most... Enter Erica Slaughter.
Erica has left the Order of Saint George because she can't follow its practices anymore. They do kill monsters that are killing children but they also remove all evidence of their activities, even if it means killing witnesses. They trained Erica to be one of their black masks after her family was killed by a monster... (This monster is now her pet and adviser, held captive in the form of a stuffed octopus. (A bit of humor there)
So Erica is in Tribulation. She does do battle with the monster but doesn't know how to kill it. Her advisor, Big Gary, was killed by another Black Mask from the Head Office. She is known as Cutter. Cutter has been tasked to remove Erica from the picture, a job she loves doing. Cutter is a bit of a psycho.
So Erica, now seriously injured by the monster also has to deal with Cutter and a local sheriff who doesn't know what is going on, except that something or somebody is killing lots of people. And he is about to be more confused when Cutter arrives.
There is so much going on in this relatively short volume but it's just fascinating. Erica is a great character and she is being helped by Riqui, a native American lesbian and Gabi, a young girl who has seen the monster in action. Both have their own issues but also their own strengths.
The story is so great, the artwork fantastic and the characters excellent. I can't wait for the next volume of this series to arrive... Well, I guess I have to... *sigh* (4.0 stars)"
"When you have a sleepless night, it's nice to have a good book to keep you occupied. And last night, I finished High Country by Nevada Barr, Anna Pigeon #12. Without fail, the series has entertained and satisfied me. High Country was no exception.
In High Country, Anna has been asked to work undercover as a waitress in Yosemite National Park. The park ranger is concerned after the disappearance of 4 workers and has requested an undercover operative to help investigate. Anna has left her job as senior ranger at the Natchez Trace National park to help the ranger, Lorraine Knight, find out what has happened.
Anna moves into the room of one of the missing people, Trish, a room she shares with 2 other park workers, waitresses Nicky and Cricket. (Much younger than mature Anna). It doesn't take long for things to start happening. Anna discovers that the cabin occupied by Dixon, another missing person, has been taken over by a group of men, who are quite threatening when they first meet Anna one night, when she has gone out exploring with another waitress, Mary (a lovely girl).
Trish's room is tossed that night by two men and Nicky has been threatened. Cricket collapses at work as they set up for a wedding party. Both Cricket and Nicky seem high. It turns out that Trish was a local drug supplier. Cricket almost dies and ends up in the hospital.
Trish's 'brother' shows up demanding all of Trish's personal effects. He seems to be looking for something. When Anna arrives at work, for one of her shifts, the cook is suddenly very angry with her delaying her orders. Anna can't understand why. She discovers a needle taped inside the sleeve of her jacket and it's filled with what seems to be blood and set to inject if she had pushed on it. Lorraine is away at a conference and her #2 is not at all helpful to Anna when she reports in, misogynistic, drunk.
Anna decides to investigate a bit more, hiking into the mountains on her day off. She had heard conversations about some sort of windfall in the mountains. She discovers something that might solve what has happened to the missing 4some and might solve the whole kit and kaboodle, when she is attacked by two men and leads a merry chase down the mountain in the dark. Anna injured, freezing, desperate and being shot at... (Nevada Barr does know how to spin a tense, exciting situation)
So as you can see. Lots going on, lots happening quickly and potentially deadly but Anna is an old pro. The case is interesting, exciting when it needs to be and the story is filled with interesting, mysterious characters and lots of suspects. The story ties itself all together very nicely and satisfactorily. Nevada Barr knows her national parks. She describes them so very well. And Anna Pigeon is one of the excellent mystery characters created. (3.5 stars)"
"Of late I've become more aware of the events taking place south of Canada and it's effect on our relationship with the US and Canadians feelings about it. I saw Elbows Up!: Canadian Voices of Resilience and Resistance, a book of essays edited by Elamin Abdelmahmoud at my local book store and because the expression has become a rallying cry in Canada, I thought it might be worth checking out.
I started reading it right away (yes, even neglecting the many other books I've got on the go) and it was a relatively easy read; short essays by a variety of writers, making it easy to put down after each chapter. This book was put together by Leslie Hurtig, who runs the Vancouver Writers Festival and Stephanie Sinclair, a McClelland & Stewart publisher. Back in 1965, Leslie's father, Mel Hurtig and Canadian poet Al Purdy, put together a similar book The New Romans, to counteract / discuss the effects of the US on Canadian life, culture and economy.
The original book concept was sent out to a variety of Canadians asking, 'What some well known Canadians really think of Americans and the US.' Four of the contributions to this original book; by Margaret Atwood, Mordecai Richler, Margaret Laurence and Farley Mowat are included in Elbows Up as well.
In this book, we have essays, stories, poetry from 29 Canadians (including the 4 from the previous book). They include indigenous authors, immigrants, Quebecers, men / women, people from the arts, sports, politics, etc. The book takes a look at Canada, its imperfections (mistreatment of its indigenous peoples, its racism towards immigrants, its kowtowing to American business), its possibilities and just its history and its future. The varied voices offer different writing styles, different emotional content, differing ideas, all told thoughtfully and making interesting reading.
I thought it would be a book about Canada's anger at what is happening down South; Trump's trade war with Canada, his steady declarations that we should be the 51st state. And that is an aspect of the book, to be fair. But it's so much more than that. I think the main point is whether we can make Canada the place that we think it is, kinder, generous to all of its citizens, but also strong enough to stand on its own and making it a place worth defending. (I've probably simplified that much too much)
Anyway, I'm glad I read it. It's made me think some more about my country and the people that make it up. Definitely worth reading. (4.0 stars)"
Currently Reading
(Books started since my last update)
"The Bone Yard is the most gripping installment yet in the New York Times bestselling Body Farm series. Called away from Tennessee’s renowned Body Farm (the real life human decomposition laboratory around which these remarkable thrillers are based), Dr. Bill Brockton discovers the dark side of the Sunshine state when he’s called in to investigate human remains found on the grounds of a Florida boys’ reform school."
"Natalie Waite, daughter of a mediocre writer and a neurotic housewife, is increasingly unsure of her place in the world. In the midst of adolescence she senses a creeping darkness in her life, which will spread among nightmarish parties, poisonous college cliques and the manipulations of the intellectual men who surround her, as her identity gradually crumbles.
Inspired by the unsolved disappearance of a female college student near Shirley Jackson's home, Hangsaman is a story of lurking disquiet and haunting disorientation.Shirley Jackson was born in an affluent suburb in California in 1916. At university in Syracuse, she met her husband, the future literary critic Stanley Edgar Hyman, with whom she had four children. In 1948 she published her iconic short story 'The Lottery' in The New Yorker, sparking furious letters from readers to the magazine. Her novels - most of which involve elements of horror and the occult - include The Road through the Wall, Hangsaman, The Bird's Nest, The Sundial, We Have Always Lived in the Castle and The Haunting of Hill House. Shirley Jackson died in her sleep in 1965 at the age of 48."
Vicken has a throw himself into the Saint Lawrence River in Montreal and end it all for good, believing it to be the only way out for him after a lifetime of depression and pain. But, stepping off the subway, he finds himself in an endless, looping station.
Determined to find a way out again, he starts to explore the rooms and corridors ahead of him. But no matter how many claustrophobic hallways or vast cathedral-esque rooms he passes through, the exit is nowhere in sight.
The more he explores his strange new prison, the more he becomes convinced that he hasn't been trapped there accidentally, and amongst the shadows and concrete, he comes to realize that he almost certainly is not alone.
A terrifying psychological nightmare from a powerful new voice in horror."
Rory Morris isn’t thrilled to be moving back to her hometown, even if it is temporary. There are bad memories there. But her twin sister, Scarlett, is pregnant, estranged from the baby’s father, and needs support, so Rory returns to the place she thought she’d put in her rearview. After a night out at a bar where she runs into Ian, an old almost-flame, she hits a large animal with her car. And when she gets out to investigate, she’s attacked.
Rory survives, miraculously, but life begins to look and feel different. She’s unnaturally strong, with an aversion to silver—and suddenly the moon has her in its thrall. She’s changing into someone else—something else, maybe even a monster. But does that mean she’s putting those close to her in danger? Or is embracing the wildness inside of her the key to acceptance?"
Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan.
Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie.
But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits. Jake had enemies, and now they're coming after Charlie. His uncle might have been a stand-up, old-fashioned kind of villain, but these are the real thing: rich, soulless predators backed by multinational corporations and venture capital.
It's up to Charlie to win the war his uncle started against a league of supervillains. But with unionized dolphins, hyperintelligent talking spy cats, and a terrifying henchperson at his side, going bad is starting to look pretty good.
In a dog-eat-dog world...be a cat."
Over a couple of beers with his best friends, John and Sherm, Tommy launches a bold scheme to provide for his family’s future. And though his plan will spin shockingly out of control, it will throw him together with a child whose touch can heal—and whose ultimate lesson is that there are far worse things than dying."
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