On a 2nd note, I just celebrated my 70th birthday (yesterday), an age that I have trouble fathoming. I don't know what it's supposed to feel like to be this age. I know I'm a bit over weight and have many aches and pains but I still walk / run 3X a week. I still enjoy reading and I've got quite a few to go through over the next few years. I look forward to Jo finishing her cancer treatments so we can both travel and go to some places we've talked about. My dad is 101 this year (his birthday was on the 7th) and he's still pretty darn sharp so if I can have his longevity, I'll be happy. Thinking back over my life, I know I've been very lucky. I travelled with my Mom and Dad throughout his career and saw much of Canada and Europe and during my own military career and since, I've seen New Zealand, Tunisia, UAE and more of Europe and the US. Let's just leave it and say, more to follow! 😎
Now, on to books, because that is the title of this Blog, which I just checked and see that I started in Oct 2010. There are probably easier ways of talking about books and such, but I'm stuck with this.
As I have mentioned in my Goodreads groups, I'm not starting any new books this year until I have finished all those that I have ongoing. I've whittled that list down quite a bit this month, having read 8 books so far. So a few reviews for you and a look at any new books I have received as well.
Books Completed
"The Content Assignment is the first book written by American author Holly Roth and the second book I've read and enjoyed by her. It was originally published in 2 parts in The Saturday Evening Post in 1953.
I really enjoyed this novel, an intriguing, entertaining, 'lost girl' thriller with spy intimations. The story follows English reporter John Terrant as he travels to America to find Ellen Content. Terrant had been working in postwar divided Berlin and along with a friend met Ellen, who says she works as a secretary at the US Embassy. Over the course of the next week or so, he meets with her a total of 4 times. In the last meeting, he gets involved with Ellen as she tries to rescue a Russian man and his wife. The find the man dead. Ellen orders John to save the wife and take her to Ellen's boss. John does this and then loses track of Ellen.
John has fallen deeply in love with Ellen during these short meetings and over the next years he continues to try and find her. He does discover that she has worked for the CIA and that she seems to have disappeared on a ship to New York. When John discovers a new article that seems to indicate Ellen is still alive, he heads to New York, against advice / orders from the American FBI and even Scotland Yard, to try and find Ellen. There you have the crux of this entertaining thriller, as John stumbles around New York city and state, trying to find clues to Ellen's existence.
The story moves along nicely. It's not perfect as there are moments that seem inconceivable, but to Roth's credit, everything is explained satisfactorily. The characters are well - crafted, John is likable and intense. The FBI and police aren't idiots and act reasonably and sympathetically. It's a nice introduction to Roth. She has a clear writing style, the story is logical and well-crafted and just plain enjoyable. I will explore Roth's works further as I do enjoy her style and story-telling. (4 stars)
Update for re-read 1 Nov 2025. I enjoyed it as much as previously. Gave it a 3.5 stars. Romance with spy overtones. One scene stands out in my mind as quite humorous. When Tarrant realizes he's being followed down a dark road and it turns out there are two groups of men who follow him. The ensuing fist fight between the group is wonderfully described and Tarrant's sneaking away while the four other men continue to grapple really tickled me. Most enjoyable story overall... Now to read a Holly Roth I haven't read before..."
"I've enjoyed M.R. Carey's Felix Castor books (written as Mike Carey) and when I saw The Girl with All the Gifts, the first book in a new series (The Hungry Plague / 2 books so far), I thought it might be worth checking out. All that I can say is what a neat, scary story.
Melanie is one of a group of kids kept in cells somewhere in England who each day are brought to class. They are shackled, strapped into wheel chairs and gagged until they reach the class. Then there at least have their muzzles taken off while they learn their lessons. Melanie's favorite teacher is Miss Justineau, who is always fun and treats them like kids.
But there is something different about Melanie and her classmates. They are only released from their bonds when they are back in their cells. Once a week, they are hosed down with disinfectant. It's a strange life, but Melanie seems to be one of the different kids. And Doctor Caldwell, who manages the camp, takes a child every so often for some reason and they don't return.
The camp is run by the military, led by Sgt Parks, who Melanie doesn't like. He's not very nice.
This will all change when the camp is attacked by a group of Junkers, scavengers who live in the wild, amongst the 'Hungries'. That is the group that Melanie and her friends belong to. Some virus has spread over the earth, turning humans into mindless Hungries... well, most humans. Some, like Doctor Caldwell, are trying to find a cure... she's pretty ruthless...
The attack by the Junkers will turn the whole situation upside down and inside out. Doctor Caldwell, Miss Justineau, Sgt Parks and one of his soldiers, Private Gallagher, along with Melanie, manage to escape and then begins a journey towards what they hope is sanctuary in a place called Beacon, a place around London that is barricaded from the Hungries.
It's a fascinating story, filled with action and terror and with a group of interesting people trying to survive together in a region that is peopled with creatures and enemies that are a constant threat to their lives. Melanie is a wonderful, smart, unique character. Miss Justineau is also wonderful and Sgt Parks, well, he's kind of neat when you get to know him.... Fascinating story. (4.0 stars)"
"Running Wild is a murder mystery by J.G. Ballard. Over the years I've read 10+ of his strange and fascinating books. Running Wild is very short so I won't ruin my thoughts by getting into the plot too much. Suffice it to say (and this is pretty well the blurb on the back) a mass murder has been committed in a gated community near London. 32 adult residents have all been killed and their children kidnapped. Dr. Richard Greville, a psychiatrist, and Sgt Payne look into the crime to try and ascertain who did it.
The story is somewhat akin to others of Ballard's stories. I'm thinking of High Rise, Crash, and especially Kingdom Come. All look at how modern life, the building of new towns in the UK, the disassociate life styles, affect the lives of those living them. And Ballard does take it to extremes. Very strange but also powerful stories.
Running Wild is interesting. Ballard lays out the investigation in an orderly fashion, looking at the community, Pangbourne Village, the residents and their lives and then at the events as they took place. For a very short story, he packs in a lot and it's an interesting read. I had my ideas on what took place pretty early on but I don't think that's what matters really. It's just the getting there. (3.0 stars)"
"The Testaments is the 2nd and final book in The Handmaids Tale duology by Canadian author Margaret Atwood. I enjoyed the 1st so very much, have read it 3 or 4 times, seen the movie, watched some of the TV series. All excellent. I've had Testaments on my shelf for a little while and finally told myself to get with it and start reading it.
I like how the story is laid out and how by the end it all ties together. The story follows three characters. Aunt Lydia, one of the founders of the Aunts is followed by a secret journal she is writing. The other two characters are followed via their Witness Testimony (what the testimony is for isn't really explained, but it doesn't really matter in the scheme of things) Witness 369A is a young girl living in Gilead, who gradually discovers she isn't who she thought she was and follows her into joining the Aunts as a supplicant and onwards. Witness 369B is a young girl living in Toronto, Daisy, with immigrant parents Neil and Melanie.
It's a fascinating story and as it develops, shows how Gilead was formed, how it's progressing and beginning to fail. We learn about the resistance that operates underground railroads to get young girls and families to safety in other countries. We see better how the Aunties operate, the Pearl Girls who work in other countries trying to gather girls into Gilead's tentacles and bring them back to the country to be wives and baby makers for the Commanders.
Like the first book, it's a rich, fascinating, even terrifying story. The development of the main characters and the gradual tying them together is beautifully presented. Each character is presented as flesh and blood and fully developed. They are smart and brave. It's a terrifying story but not futile. The more I got into it and the more the story developed, the more I liked it. Great series and such a great author. (4.0 stars)"
"The Bone Yard is the 6th book in the Boddy Farm series by Jefferson Bass (the writing team of Dr. Bill Bass and Jon Jefferson). In this story, things are quiet at the University of Tennessee human decomposition research facility (the Body Farm) as the summer season begins. Dr. Bill Brockton is at loose ends, trying to write a new book, but not enthused about it.
Bill is asked for help from an old friend, Angie St. Claire, a forensic scientist working for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). Angie's sister is dead, the local coroner in Georgia determining her death was by suicide. Angie believes her brother-in-law murdered her sister and she asks Bill Brockton for his assistance in examining the body.
While there, another case crops up in Florida, the discovery of a boy's skull. Since he's there anyway, Brockton assists Angie and the FDLE investigator Stu Vickery, in trying to determine the identity of the skull. It turns out that a dog had brought the skull to his owner, an old fella living in wilderness in Florida's panhandle.
So both cases occupy Bill's attention with the latter becoming more and more involved. Another skull found by the dog. The group decides to attach a (words!!! what is the word???) location finder to the dog's collar so they can track where he goes to find the bones. It turns out that the old fella lives near an old Boys' Reformatory with a bad reputation that burned to the ground years before.
It's a complex, rich, interesting and also distressing mystery (the cruelty of man to children) that gets more and more tense as the story builds. The history of the Reformatory comes out more from an old diary kept by one of the inmates. Threats and deaths start to crop up in present. Just like the earlier books in the series, Bass has presented a fascinating, well-written mystery people with interesting characters. The trio of investigators especially, Brockton, Angie and Vickery are all interesting and likable. Entertaining with a tense, but ultimately satisfying ending. (4.0 stars)"
"I can't remember where I heard of Travel Light by Naomi Mitchison but it turned out to be an interesting sort of folk tale / fantasy. The story follows Halla. While still a baby, her father, the King remarried. The new Queen wanted him to get rid of the old Queen's 'brat'. Her nursemaid Matulli takes her from the castle, changes into a bear and takes Halla with her to live with the bears.
Halla grows up with the bears and Matulli becomes more and more of a bear and in now unable or doesn't want to change back to being a human. While bearish herself, Halla isn't really one so she heads out on a journey. For many years she lives with a dragon, Uggi, cleaning his treasures, learning from him, meeting the other dragons. All this time, Halla learns to communicate with all of the other animals around. When Uggi is killed by a hero, she leaves with another dragon but in the end, leaves on her own journey.
And this short tale is the story of her journey. She will help people and learn how to travel light. But the question remains throughout is will Halla ever find her own peace. The story reflects the Norse myths, what with the Valkyries appearing, and such. But it is also more than that. It's a short novel but a fascinating one and Halla is a wonderful character. While I don't know where I heard of the book, I've ordered another by Naomi Mitchison to explore her work more; that being Memoirs of a Spacewoman. I rate this book 4.0 stars. I think middle school and older children might like it. There is sadness, some violence and death."
"Camp Concentration is the first book I've ever read by American Sci Fi author Thomas M. Disch, as far as I remember anyway (To be fair I've been reading 60+ years so I may have read something). Anyway, I've since ordered another of his stories.
So, back to Camp Concentration. As I read it, it reminded me of Flowers for Algernon, but much darker. The story follows conscientious objector, Louie Sacchetti. He starts the story in prison in Springfield but is moved to another prison, Camp Archimedes. He's not sure where it is, but gradually believes it might be all underground.
He gradually becomes aware that the prison is conducting experiments on the other prisoners. They are being fed / injected? a drug called Palladine, based on the syphilis virus. The drug enhances the mental powers of the prisoners. Unfortunately, it also results in the premature deaths of the patients. Louis is there to write about the prisoners, what he sees, and to get to know them. The prisoners are given free reign to do what they want, conduct experiments, write, make movies, plays, etc.
There is a crisis when on of the prisoners, Mortdecai, who is researching alchemy, performs his master opus, with the assistance of the prison director, Haast, and Mortdecai dies at the crucial moment.
In the 2nd half of the story, one of the psychiatrists has disappeared, Louie discovers something that kind of surprised me. There is a new group of prisoners taking part in the experiments. At this point, as much as it has been very interesting up to this point, the story really, really gets interesting and I won't ruin it for you by continuing.
The story is fascinating, the philosophical discussions interesting and the lives of the prisoners so well-presented. I did not have a clue where the story would end up. It just leaped it up in my estimation as well. (5.0 stars)"
"The Girls in the Cabin by Caleb Stephens was one of my October horror reading selections. While it took me awhile to get into, once I did, it really grew on my and became a page turner, an excellent horror thriller.
The story focuses on widower, Chris and his two daughters, Kayla and Emma. Chris has decided on a camping trip to Colorado as a means of rebonding with his daughters. Kayla is still mad at Chris as she saw him cheating on her mother with another woman. (And Chris had planned to admit all to his wife, Lexi, but she became fatally ill and he couldn't do it) Emma is still traumatized and hasn't spoken since her mother's death.
The camping trip hasn't been going well and then while Chris is chasing after Kayla, who has wandered off, Emma does the same and falls down a hill, breaking her leg. Of course, they get lost, a snowstorm blows in and they find themselves stranded on the mountain. But as Emma's condition worsens, Chris forces the girls to try and find help and lo and behold, as their condition reaches a critically stage, they come across a house in the woods.
The house, rickety and crammed with junk, is occupied by Clara and her somewhat slow son, Billy. Clara, who had received nursing training at some point, helps them with their injuries and offers to let them stay in the house until the storm blows over. Chris wants to leave but the storm is so heavy and he can't even call for help as the phone lines are down.
Over night, they begin to hear strange noises, loud bangs, cursing, but finally manage to fall asleep. Upon waking up, Chris discovers that Emma has disappeared!!! And things begin to take an even worse course over the rest of the novel. (I will stop there because you really need to read it and experience the whole feeling of terror of this story.
The story is told by pretty well every character, each chapter switching from one to the other. The story also jumps from the present to Clara's childhood and previous life; the traumas that she experienced, etc. And the constant question held above everyone's head is, who has been staying upstairs in the attic?
All in all, it's a very well - written and presented horror story. Stephens has managed to make the isolated cabin in the woods into a unique experience. Worth checking out. (4.0 stars)"
Currently Reading
I won't go into any detail on the six books I have to finish before I start any more new ones but they are
- Exit Music by Ian Rankin (Inspector Rebus #17) (started in August, my next book to finish)
- The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge (Snow Queen Cycle #1)
- The Doctor Digs a Grave by Robin Hathaway (Dr. Fenimore Cooper #1)
- Hangsaman by Shirly Jackson
- Our Love Will Devour Us by R.L. Meza
- The West Passage by Jared Pechacek
New Arrivals
"Within forty-eight hours, Yaya Betancourt will go from discovering teeth between her thighs to being hunted by one of the most powerful corporations in America.
She assumes the vagina dentata is a side effect of a rare genetic condition caused by Alpha Beta Pharmaceutical, decades ago, when she and several thousand others were still in the womb.But, when ABP corporate goons upend her life, she realizes her secondary teeth might be evidence of a new experiment for which she’s the most advanced test tube... a situation worsened when Yaya’s condition sprouts horns, tentacles, and a mind of its own.
On the run and transforming, Yaya may be either ABP’s greatest success, or the deadliest failure science has ever created."
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