Secondly, this will be quick. Jo is having a round of chemo so I'm back here, waiting for some laundry to dry so she'll have fresh sheets when she gets home. In the meantime, a quick reading update.
Recently Completed
"I've had American War and What Strange Paradise by :Omar El Akkad on my book shelves for a few years now but when I bought his latest, One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This|, I felt I should read it first. Now, having just completed it, I have a feeling that anything I say about it might just sound a bit trite. But I'll give it a go.
One Day is a non-fiction novel of despair, great despair, with a kernel of hope thrown in. The focus in on the ongoing destruction of Gaza by Israeli troops parsed with el Akkad's thoughts and feelings about it, about life, about democracy and liberalism and his ongoing despair. Each chapter starts with the devastation in Gaza. For example, Chapter One - Departure, starts
"An eighteen-month-old with a bullet wound to the forehead. Maybe the sniper was aiming elsewhere. Maybe there's some explanation. Maybe it was necessary." It's powerful and disturbing, but it needs to be said.
The chapters proceed, dealing with his life, his growing up, moving from country to country with his family and thoughts about that time and the present situation. Who is to blame, who isn't? The right wing who make pretty clear their stance on the 'war', the others.. or the Liberals, who use platitudes... 'It could be worse...'
The story moves throughout El Akkad's life to help clarify his thoughts, incidents that affected him, grew his ideas. But the crux is the despair he feels at what is happening, with the seeming acquiescence of the Western World. He mentions the revoking of funding to the World Relief Fund by Western countries, including my own Canada, due to the Aid organization employing some Hamas supporters; a small percentage in the whole organization, increasing the hunger and suffering in Gaza.
But he does see some hope. Students risking degrees, potential jobs by protesting the events in Gaza, with sit-ins on campus. Boycotts of companies providing supplies to the Israeli war machine. Award programs risking funding of their activities by supporting Palestine, etc.
As I say, I'm not doing this justice. Let me leave with this one quote that particularly struck me..
"But the notion that individuals who walk away [from the status quo] might find common cause, might use that cause to build something that, if not entirely separate from the system, is at least not completely aligned with it, reads to the system - to any system or empire - as fantasy. For someone fortunate enough to be born wearing the boot, the capacity for mercy may well extend only to how hard one chooses to step on the neck. That anyone should take the shoe off entirely, walk from the site of the trampling, is unthinkable.
Or maybe it's not. Maybe the centers of power have always been cognizant of a very limited ability to punish or control those who refuse to participate. Negative resistance becomes, then, the only thing that truly terrifies an ordering of endless appetite......."
This book is beautifully written and if it at least makes you think, it's worth reading. (5.0 stars)"
"Chris Mould's War of the Worlds: A Graphic Novel is the re-imagining of the classic Sci-Fi novel by HG Wells, putting it into a graphic novel format by Chris Mould. The book is one of my favourite Sci-Fi novels and just a great story. I've read 3 or 4 times over the course of my life. I was very interested in seeing how this version matched up.
For a graphic novel, it was excellent. It respected the original story with just minor changes and the art work was super, colored clearly and drawn beautifully. Some minor changes with the main character being an artist who is tasked to keep a written record of everything he sees. The story was basically the same, with Martian tripods invading England and the rest of the world in the late 1800's. The story focuses on the English countryside and how it is terrorized by the Tripods.
The story is much quicker but it still packs an impact and the main facts are still covered. I enjoyed reading it very much and it brought back fond memories of the original story. (3.5 stars)"
"I'm not actually sure where I heard about Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature by Becky Siegel Spratford. It's possible that I just saw it in one of my local book stores and decided to give it a try. Having said that there is no store identifier on it, so who knows... With that bit of rambling out of the way, it seemed an appropriate book to read since Hallowe'en month is just about upon us... Mwuuhaa! (That was my fear inducing chortle for you)
Why I Love Horror was edited by Becky Spratford, the Librarian & a professional book recommender in the field of Reader's Advisory, especially in the horror genre. She decided to approach a variety of horror writers and asked them if they would each write an essay on why they love and write horror. She ended up with a number of essays and chose 18. Of that list I'd specifically heard of or read about 5. Now having read this excellent book, I've been ordering a few more to try, including [book:101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered|61963198] by the lady who wrote the introduction, Sadie Hartmann, aka Mother Horror. I've also ordered books by Hailey Piper, Rachel Harrison, Tannarive Due and Brian Keene.
So about the book. Each chapter / essay is introduced by Becky Spratford, telling us about the particular author, a bit about their writing and what they will particularly talk about. She also recommends a book of that author to start with and also recommends another author who might be similar to the particular one. it's a nice intro to each author and their essay.
The essays do run the gamut but Becky does try to organize them in certain themes; childhood love of horror, life traumas and just thoughtful ideas about what horror encapsulates. The middle portion of the book, those three authors, Grady Hendrix, Cynthia Pelayo & Clay McLeod Chapman talk about their childhood's, their abuse, traumas and how horror helped them cope with this trauma. These 3 in particular are quite harrowing essays and should be read carefully.....
But the whole book is engrossing. It was interesting to be introduced to such an accomplished group of authors and to once again pique my interest in the genre. All speak wonderfully and draw you in to their ideas. They each have a unique voice, unique writing styles (Paul Tremblay includes wonderful drawings by his daughter. I've been more interested in the genre of late and look forward to exploring it some more... Look out October!!! I'm about to start Red X by David Demchuk, coincidently one of the authors who provided an essay. I've had the book for about 4 years and it's time to check it out! (4.0 stars)"
"I have to say that for the first half of this book, Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore (1953) that I wasn't really sure where it was going. I used to read Alternative History quite a bit a few years back, especially Harry Turtledove's, but I kind of lost interest in them.... so many shiny new genres and authors.
Bring the Jubilee was very well written. I actually even liked the font and paper texture of the SF Masterworks edition that I was reading. It seemed to suit the mood and feel of the time period and story. But the story itself... well... Hodge Backmaker, the main character, was just drifting along in this alternate universe. He was from a small town in New York State. It was a decrepit life as all had changed when the Southron states won the war of Southron Independence. (the Civil War). The Union States were broke, under the thumb of the Confederate States.
Backmaker moves to New York City where, after being mugged and robbed, he gets a 'job' with a book store owner, Tyss, who is a member of the Grand Army, an outlawed organization. Hodge works in the store, runs errands and just floats along. They argue philosophy.. According to Tyss, there is no free will, life is pre-ordained. He says that Hodge is fated to be a watcher of events, not a participant... Hodge also makes the acquaintance of the Haitian ambassador, Enfadin, and they become good friends. he offers a counterpoint to Tyss. Hodge loses a 'girlfriend' because of this friendship, Enfadin being a black man.
Eventually, Hodge makes his way to a community of intellectuals, because of an encounter with another woman, Barbara Haggerswell. Hodge had applied at a number of universities and Barbara had heard of them and came to see if he was interested in joining them. Basically, Hodge wants to study history, especially the history of the War of Southron Independence. (Ok, I digress here. It's 1940ish. I should have mentioned that eh? I think I've been wandering around a bit with this review)
Hodge finds what he wants at Haggershaven, the community is run by Barbara's father. On his way there, he assists a young Spanish girl, Catty. She had been in a wagon that was attacked and robbed by highwaymen (yup, wandering again). Suffice it to say that both Catty and Hodge now live at Haggershaven. Hodge begins to write his history and Volume 1 is accepted.
All this time, I'm wondering where the story is going.. I kind of like it, but it's not really grabbing me... Well! In the last 40 to 50 pages, the story moves from alternate history to time travel... And it begins an inexorable march to a fantastic ending... but I don't want to ruin that for you. It had one of those, 'oh yeah.... wonderful... ' endings... a realization of what was going to happen and just making you wonder and think about it... a lot.
The story was beautifully written. You can feel yourself traveling with Hodge. You can see what he sees. It made me remember how much I enjoyed Harry Turtledove, reminded me of The Man in the High Castle, makes me want to get onto the next books in the Jodi Taylor and the Connie Willis time travel series. The question to be answered.. in my mind... Was Hodge a piece of wood floating along the river with other pieces of wood or was he a butterfly.... 😎😁👍 (5 stars)
"50+ years ago I read the original Watership Down by Richard Adams and loved it so much I followed up with his Plague Dogs and Shardik. So when I saw Watership Down: The Graphic Novel, an adaptation by James Sturm, I thought it might be nice to refresh my memory about the book. This adaptation is excellent, beautifully drawn and colored and respects the original novel so very much.
The story is about a group of rabbits who leave their warren and try to find a new home in which to live. They leave because Fiver, a fey rabbit who sees the future, persuades his brother Hazel that disaster is about to strike the warren at Sandleford. Many of the rabbits that live there don't believe them but a large group head away. On the way they are joined by a few other rabbits from Sandleford, including Bigwig, one of the chief rabbits guards. We find out from them what happened to Sandleford. (I won't ruin it by telling)
The group are firstly welcomed to another warren of very big rabbits, Cowsill's warren. There is something suspicious about these rabbits, kind of fat and not adventurous... (once again, I won't tell their secret.. 😎😉) but Fiver and Hazel persuade the group to move on... and a few of Cowsill's group also accompany them.
There are many adventures on the way but they do eventually arrive at Watership Down, where they build a new warren. The only problem is that they don't have any does. If they don't get some, they will basically die off within a couple of years. They discover another overcrowded warren, Efrafa, led by General Woundwort, who rules like a dictator.
Hazel's group try negotiations but eventually have to come up with a plan to help some of Woundwort's rabbits escape and join them. This action will result in the climactic ending to the story.
It was so wonderful to rekindle my memories about this fantastic story. The characters are wonderful. Hazel and Fiver and Bigwig and their whole group just draw you in. The friends they make along the way, especially Kehaar, the tern they save, are also wonderful and so helpful to the group. It's a great story, suitable for children and adults, adventuresome, touching, frightening heart-breaking and just a great read. Read both the book and this wonderful adaptation. (4.5 stars)"
"Star Shapes is a novella by American author Ivy Grimes. Katherine, a young HR worker, is kidnapped from outside of her apartment by 2 masked men, thrown into the trunk of their car and driven out to a cabin in the country. There she will be watched by a strange family; husband, Otto, wife Sandra and their two sons. Why? You ask? You'll have to find out for yourself.
The story deals with reincarnation and astrology / astronomy. The family thinks Katherine is someone important, someone who will help them deal with a person who affected their lives. The Star Shapes are not your normal astronomical ones, but those created by Otto's mother many years ago and they are introduced to Katherine as a kind of test.
It's a quick story, not one that grabbed me all that much but I didn't feel like putting it down, rather I did want to see how everything would tie together. It was ok.... 2.0 stars"
"I started this book back in April of 2025, so basically six months ago. I was trying to think where I first heard of the author, Joanna Russ and I believe it was when I was exploring the Library of America book listings. I had recently purchased their Poems from the Women's Movement and had also ordered some collections of Ursula LeGuin's books. The Joanna Russ collection, Joanna Russ: Novels & Stories (LOA #373): The Female Man / We Who Are About To . . . / On Strike Against God / The Complete Alyx Stories / Other Stories sounded interesting so I also ordered it.
This was my first experience of Russ's writing and I did have difficulty grasping her stories. Not her fault. She is a unique author. The collection if interesting and what I particularly enjoyed was the Chronology of Russ's life at the back of the book. It gave me a perspective of her life and let me get to know her a bit better.
It's difficult to describe where the stories fit in. There is a feminist element in all of them, especially The Female Man, We Who Are About To (a discovery of one's lesbianism), The Complete Alyx stories. There is a speculative fiction aspect to most of them, from The Female Man's concept of the disappearance of all men from the one world and the woman visits the 'dimension' where men still reside. We go on a strange space voyage in On Strike Against God.
The Alyx stories are difficult to categorize. There is a kind of female Conan in some of the tales, a trip across an alien landscape with a group of odd people, etc. (Maybe they remind me a bit of George Wolfe... having said that I haven't read much by him)
When It Changed harks back to The Female Man, just a short vignette and Souls is a historical 'fantasy' about an Abbess trying to save her English village from shiploads of invading Vikings... maybe my favorite story.
I had trouble getting into some of the stories, more so some than others, but there was a quality that kept me going, wanting to read more of her writing. Russ has a way with words, creates interesting characters and unique settings. Is she for everyone? That's not for me to decide. The Library of American thought enough of her work to create this collection. I'm glad that I made the effort to read all of the stories. I'd suggest checking out Joanna Russ. A difficult collection to rate as some were preferred, but I'll provide this rating. (3.5 stars)"
Currently Reading
(Just books started in October. You'll notice that they all have a similar theme.)
"For over twenty years, Belasco House has stood empty. Its shadowed walls have witnessed scenes of almost unimaginable horror and depravity. Two previous expeditions to investigate its secrets met with disaster, the participants destroyed by murder, suicide or insanity.
Now a new investigation brings four strangers to the forbidding mansion who are determined to probe Belasco House for the ultimate secrets of life and death. Each has his or her own reason for daring the unknown torments and temptations of the mansion, but can any soul survive what lurks within the most haunted house on Earth?"
This camping trip is Chris’s last chance to repair his relationship with his daughters, Kayla and Emma. Nothing’s been the same since they lost their mom. But things go wrong as soon as they get to the mountains.
When they make camp, nine-year-old Emma runs off into the woods. By the time they find her, there’s a snowstorm rolling in. And Emma’s leg is badly broken. They need to find shelter, fast.
They think they’re safe when they come across an old farmstead. The woman inside welcomes them in from the howling blizzard and straps up Emma’s leg.
They settle down for the night, but when Chris wakes at dawn and looks over . . . Emma is gone.
And this family’s nightmare is only just beginning."
A vicious group of college upperclassmen prey on the freshman girls in "Why We Keep Exploding;" an impossible world of sinister desire opens beneath a family basement in "A Living Piece of Time;" a girl on a night out realizes a bizarre cop is hunting her in "The Long Flesh of the Law;" and in the acclaimed novella "Benny Rose, the Cannibal King," a Halloween prank goes horribly wrong when a murderous ghost steps out of an urban legend and into the real world.
These stories take our most difficult years of transformation and twist them into new and terrifying shapes, where the monsters are real and you'll do whatever it takes to get away, or get even."
Everyone's favorite lethal SecUnit is back.
Following the events in Network Effect, the Barish-Estranza corporation has sent rescue ships to a newly-colonized planet in peril, as well as additional SecUnits. But if there’s an ethical corporation out there, Murderbot has yet to find it, and if Barish-Estranza can’t have the planet, they’re sure as hell not leaving without something. If that something just happens to be an entire colony of humans, well, a free workforce is a decent runner-up prize.
But there’s something wrong with Murderbot; it isn’t running within normal operational parameters. ART’s crew and the humans from Preservation are doing everything they can to protect the colonists, but with Barish-Estranza’s SecUnit-heavy persuasion teams, they’re going to have to hope Murderbot figures out what’s wrong with itself, and fast."
Lynesse is the lowly Fourth Daughter of the queen, and always getting in the way.
But a demon is terrorizing the land, and now she’s an adult (albeit barely) with responsibilities (she tells herself). Although she still gets in the way, she understands that the only way to save her people is to invoke the pact between her family and the Elder sorcerer who has inhabited the local tower for as long as her people have lived here (though none in living memory has approached it).
But Elder Nyr isn’t a sorcerer, and he is forbidden to help, and his knowledge of science tells him the threat cannot possibly be a demon. . . ."
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."
“What is it you think you’re protecting in that brain of yours? The war is over. Holdfast is dead. The Eternal Flame extinguished. There’s no one left for you to save.”
Once a promising alchemist, Helena Marino is now a prisoner—of war and of her own mind. Her Resistance friends and allies have been brutally murdered, her abilities suppressed, and the world she knew destroyed.
In the aftermath of a long war, Paladia’s new ruling class of corrupt guild families and depraved necromancers, whose vile undead creatures helped bring about their victory, holds Helena captive.
According to Resistance records, she was a healer of little importance within their ranks. But Helena has inexplicable memory loss of the months leading up to her capture, making her enemies wonder: Is she truly as insignificant as she appears, or are her lost memories hiding some vital piece of the Resistance’s final gambit?
To uncover the memories buried deep within her mind, Helena is sent to the High Reeve, one of the most powerful and ruthless necromancers in this new world. Trapped on his crumbling estate, Helena’s fight—to protect her lost history and to preserve the last remaining shreds of her former self—is just beginning. For her son and captor have secrets of their own . . . secrets Helena must unearth, whatever the cost."
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