It's a rainy Tuesday and Jo is currently just waking up. I was going to try a run this morning. Got all dressed up, opened the door to steady rain, turned around and headed back to bed. 😗😏
So instead, while the coffee is brewing, let's provide a reading update.
Just Completed
Since my update on Remembrance Day, I've completed 7 books. I've caught up with quite a few books that I had no the go for a couple of months and squeezed in a couple of short ones. I'm down from a reading high of 7 on the go at once to just 2. Much more reasonable. And I'll keep it that way until end December now. (NB. Unfortunately the site isn't letting me upload my book covers. Hoping it's just a temporary glitch. Looks like I've got to do it this way for now..) (NBB. It's back to normal today!!)
"Back in 2008ish, when I was stationed in Victoria, BC, my wife got me one of my best Xmas presents. Down on Fort Street was one of my favorite book stores, The Chronicles of Crime (no, she didn't buy me the book store.... not that I wouldn't have loved that). We were still living up island and on our way out of Victoria back to our home, she had me stop at the Chronicles to pick up something. Well, on Xmas Day, I discovered the almost complete collection of Ian Rankin's Rebus books. There were a couple missing but I purchased them in Comox, the following weeks. Thus began a love affair with the Rebus mystery series, which also extended to both TV series based on the books; one starring John Hannah and the other starring Ken Stott, who remains my favorite Rebus.
So to get to the point, we now come to my review of Book #17, Exit Music by Ian Rankin. At the time, I began the series, this was the last book and the title refers to Rebus's retirement from the Edinburgh Criminal Investigation Division. Since that time, Mr. Rankin has resurrected Rebus, starting five year after this book... Do I dare continue?
So... as Rebus heads to retirement, with his faithful DS Siobhan Clarke about to take over (maybe) as the DI, a Russian poet is murdered in Edinburgh. His last acts involvement the investigation of this murder, plus a follow-on murder of a Scottish producer, who seems to have a relationship with the Russian. the investigation will bring in suspects far and wide, Russian oligarchs investing in Scotland, Scottish bankers & politicians and Big Ger Cafferty, Rebus's nemesis since Day 1, the Scottish mobster, with his ties into everything.
I think it would be pointless to try and get into too much of the plot. Like all of the Rebus books, the case has twists and turns, the investigation will follow many tangents. Rebus will be suspended from the investigation for irritating one too many high profile suspects. Siobhan will continue to feed Rebus with information while he continues to investigate in the background. A replacement DI will take over and test everyone's loyalty. And the ultimate resolution to the murder(s) will be surprising and ultimately satisfying..
The partnership between Rebus and Siobhan is one of the best written in detective fiction, I believe. Their patter, their humor with each other, Siobhan's frustration at times with working with such an irascible boss, but ultimately her friendship and love for Rebus (and his for her) makes them such a great team. And the two DC's Phyllida and Colm add a nice touch when they get involved as well. Rebus has grown so much throughout this excellent series, that yes, I will probably continue to explore his life in the next books. It's a series you should really check out. (4.0 stars)"
"The Doctor Digs a Grave by Robin Hathaway (Dr. Fenimore #1) is my first exposure to this mystery series set in Philadelphia. Dr. Andrew Fenimore is a cardiologist working out Philadelphia. He doesn't like the hospital politics but still works out of his local hospital so he can access his hospitalized patients. He also runs a one-man practice out of his house with one assistant, Mrs. Doyle. Besides that the only other resident in the home is Sal, his cat, who will soon have some little kittens.
To supplement his income, Fenimore also works as a private detective, helping out (or getting in the way of) his friend, Detective Inspector Haggarty.
This story starts with a body being dropped off in a dark alley and buried there. There is a delay as the driver doesn't want to finish the job until it's dark enough. MEANWHILE.... Dr. Andrew Fenimore is taking a break from his hospital work and getting some fresh air. He sees a young man carrying a sack, looking through the hedges nearby. Interested, Fenimore follows the young man and discovers that the boy is trying to find a spot to bury his dead cat. It turns out that the alleyway previously mentioned is designated as Native American land, specifically the Lenape Indians and is purportedly also a burial ground. Fenimore and boy bury the cat there and see the parked truck. When Fenimore goes back later, the truck is gone and he sees that the earth has been disturbed where it was parked. Finding a shovel, he digs and discovers a body and then is hit across the back of the head with the self-same shovel.
And so it all begins. The body is that of a young Lenape Indian woman, with a history of heart problems. She was to be married shortly to a young man, heir to one of the rich Philadelphia families. And this begins an investigation, basically conducted by Fenimore, with help from his police friends and his assistant Mrs. Doyle and his new assistant, the young man he met earlier, named Horatio ('Rat').
It's an interesting story, filled with different people. We learn more about natural poisons. We learn about the Lenape Indian's culture and history. We meet Sweet Grass's brother, Roaring Wings, now living on reserve land in New Jersey, and a possible suspect. We meet the Hardwick family (Son Ted was to have married Sweet Grass). It's a neat little mystery that moves along nicely and has a satisfactory ending. I'd class it as a cozy mystery and am looking forward to reading #2, which awaits my attention. (3.0 stars)"
"(Ed. Note. This story is a scary, creepy, horrific and at times very graphic horror story)
Every October I try to focus my reading on horror stories, it being Horror month, don'tcha know... 😁👌👹 One of the books I chose this October was Our Love Will Devour Us by R.L. Meza. The story is one of the cabin in the dark woods horror-type stories and to be fair, it is really horrific.
Claire has headed to her parents' home out in the northern woods, I believe of Minnesota, to sell the place after both of their deaths. To be fair, her mother disappeared but no body was found. Claire has gone on her own due to problems happening with her own marriage to Emma (back in California). Claire is drinking and Emma is spending all of her time at work. This leaves their two children, Lily, the oldest and Silas, the youngest to try and deal with the problems.
We discover that Claire has had a traumatic, abusive childhood, especially after her father died. Her mother, a religious fanatic, would punish Claire by locking her in the basement, until Claire finally ran away from home. But she has been unable to discuss this trauma with Emma, causing many problems within their marriage. Emma has her own problems, of course.
At her mother's cottage, Claire meets Evelyn, a close neighbour, who tries to help her get the cabin up to snuff so she can live there while she tries to sell the house. Evelyn has a dog, Oscar, who was my favorite character. (Does that tell you something about my feelings of the story?)
There are flashbacks to the early 1900's to a young girl named Grace. Her father, turned nearby land into a residential school and used her to get native boys and girls away from the families. The land on which they lived has a major role to play in this future / present story.
Claire isn't dealing well with being on her own. The home is bringing back those bad memories. She begins drinking again. She finds a diary of that her mother wrote. She is definitely spiraling out of control. Into this mix comes Emma and the kids. Emma wants the family to spend Christmas together but when they show up at Claire's place, things don't go well. Arguments between the two women and eventually the two children disappear one night.... in the middle of a snowstorm.
Now it starts getting really scary and I'll leave it at that... Ha ha! Suffice it to say that Claire and Emma will be in a battle for their lives and those of their children. What is 'haunting' their home? Is it Claire's mother wandering around in the snow in her bare feet? Or is it something more terrifying?
So.... did I like the story? Was it horror? Definitely... oh yes, definitely. Did I like the characters? Not particularly. I understand how much trauma they (especially the two spouses) were dealing with, but I just couldn't feel anything for them. The things they were willing to do to save their kids. I get it, but sheesh! As I said, I liked Oscar the dog. And I liked Silas, but hey, he disappears really early in the story. If you like being creeped out and sleeping with your bedroom lights on, check out this story. It's definitely interesting and scary. (2.5 stars)"
"Hangsaman is about the 3rd or 4th book I've read by American author Shirley Jackson. I picked it as part of my October horror month selections and it is listed as horror. But to my surprise, it isn't really, unless it falls under the gothic or psychological horror style?
To me it's more a story of a girl growing up, dealing with family, dealing with college and the people there. There are intimations, and maybe I read this bit too quickly, that Natalie (the protagonist is Natalie Waite) was sexually assaulted by an older man at one of her parents' parties. But if so, Natalie buries it.
The story really explores Natalie's mind, her dreamworld, her attempts to adjust to life, to people. Her father is a very commanding, controlling person, while she lives at home and even while at college, as evidenced by his correspondence to her. Natalie doesn't make friends at college and is pulled by other students. Like many of them, she has a crush on the English professor. He married one of his students a few years ago and their relationship isn't great; his wife latches onto Natalie somewhat.
Things are going on in the dorms; items missing, and rumors of other happenings to girls, but nothing horrific (in the horror sense). Natalie finally meets Tony, another loner girl and things begin to get weird with her......
It's a beautifully written story, creating wonderful pictures of the events and thoughts. But it kind of just moves along and sort of fizzles out. To my mind anyway. But if you have enjoyed Shirley Jackson, this is her 2nd novel and is worth checking out. (2.5 stars)"
"Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 7 by James Tynion IV (2024) is the 7th volume in this horror graphic novel series. It contains Chapters 31 - 35 in the series and completes the episode set in Tribulation, New Mexico. It finds Erica Slaughter, with the help of Riqui & Gabi as they try to destroy the Duplicitype, a creature that is, of course, killing the children and their families. Unfortunately for Erica, another member of the Black Mask, the insane Cutter, has coaxed (if that's the right word in this case) to change shape into a facsimile (duplicate) of Erica.
So Erica and Riqui and Gabi now have not only the Duplicitype and Cutter with which to contend but her previous mentor in the Black Mask, Cecilia, has shown up. While Erica doesn't trust her, she recognizes that Cecilia can help her fight the creature. Cecilia hates Cutter because she killed her love, Gary. Cecilia has also brought a formula that can kill both the creature and Cutter... it's also deadly to anyone else who might touch it (basically burns them up from the inside out...) Yup, not good stuff.
So there is your story. Erica and friends have a plan to attract the creature and the weapon that can kill it. But with Cutter in the picture, how will the plan work?
It's all very intense and deadly and exciting. James Tynion, like George RR Martin, once again shows he doesn't care who gets bumped off in his stories.. Grrr! I found the artwork a bit muddier than the others, but still very good. All in all, it was a 'satisfying' conclusion to this three-part story, but not my favorite one of the bunch. Vol 8 awaits me. (3.0 stars)"
"I bought The Disintegration Machine by Arthur Conan Doyle a couple of years back, not realizing it was a short story. I also now have a copy in a collection of Prof. Challenger stories, but when I noticed it hiding under some paperwork last night, looking lonely, I decided to take the book to bed with me. What an interesting short story. Now, I'm not sure whether it was the story or some residue of a sleeping pill I took the previous night, but I even had a dream, somewhat related to the story (more related to the Invisible Man, maybe, but still...).
Anyway, my preamble is now almost as long as the story itself. 😁 Professor Challenger has appeared in a few of Conan Doyle's novels, starting with The Lost World (1912). I have the remaining stories contained in The Poison Belt and Other Stories.
Anyway, anyway... Prof Challenger is asked for help by a young friend, newspaperman Malone. A Latvian scientist living in London has purportedly invented a device that can disintegrate an object (even a living object) to its basic atoms and then as required return it to its original form. He is offering to sell it to any country. Malone and Challenger go to his flat to examine the device, only to discover that Dr. Stein has sold it to the Russians.
The rest of the story is the discovery by Challenger whether the device actually works and, if so, what to do about it? The story is only 33 pages long, but Doyle packs a lot into it, creating a fascinating, surprising and tense little story. Check it out for yourselves. (4.0 stars)"
"The Snow Queen is the first of four books in the Snow Queen Cycle by American Sci Fi author Joan D. Vinge. Because I've become lazy and it's a relatively long book, it took me a little while to get into it. But, wow! What a great story! It's filled with a fascinating world, Tiamat, a great interspace 'hegemony', great characters and just a fantastic, rich story.
Tiamat is currently ruled by the Snow Queen Arienrhod, one of the Winter colonists of Tiamat. The other culture is the Summer colonists who are due to take over when the Black Hole that links Tiamat with the other planets of the Hegemony closes... for a couple of hundred years or so.
But Arienrhod has her own thoughts on this. She wants the technology that the Hegemony brings to Tiamat (but either shuts down or takes with them when the abandon Tiamat (the whole Black Hole thing that means they all abandon the planet until it opens up again). Arienrhod has been harvesting the Mers, creatures of Tiamat's oceans, whose blood grants agelessness. She sells the blood to the aliens in exchange for their favor.
Let's see. You've also got Moon Summer (you guessed it, she's one of the Summer colonists) who is training to become a sibyl. Her cousin and 'boyfriend' Sparks Dawntreader' also wants to become a sibyl but fails along the way and he abandons Moon and heads to the Snow Queen's city, Carbunkle, to make his own fortune. Along with Arienrhod, they will play the major role in the ongoing story.
Add to the mix, the police inspector Jerusha, one of the Hegemony police force members. When the current Police chief is 'removed from the job' by Arienrhod's anger and actions, she becomes the Police Chief. Jerusha is, like all of the police (the Blues) a member of the Hegemony. They are tasked with protecting aliens on Tiamat and of course, keeping the law.
It's such a deep, rich story and I don't want to ruin your enjoyment by telling too much. Let's just say, it will move off Tiamat to another planet of the Hegemony, Kharamough, where Moon will learn the truth about what the sibyls are and also about the Mers. The story all is leading to the Change when the Summer Queen will take the place of the Winter Queen. But Arienrhod has her own plans to deal with that. Fascinating, excellent, wonderful story.
One quote sticks with me... Jerusha talking with Gundhalinu..
"'I know, Commander. But what force in the galaxy is stronger than she is?'
'Indifference.' Jerusha surprised herself with the answer. 'Indifference, Gundhalinu, is the strongest force in the universe. It makes everything it touches meaningless. Love and hate don't stand a chance against it. It lets neglect and decay and monstrous injustice go unchecked. It doesn't act, it allows. And that's what gives it so much power." (Words to think about.)
While I've mentioned the main characters, there are others that I really love, Gundhalinu, Jerusha's friend in the police force, Tor, who runs the night club for the Source (evil alien villain) and her companion, the robot Pollux. Just wonderful. Elsevier, who takes Moon off planet but is just a lovely, wonderful character. It's just a great, Sci-Fi story. There are 3 others but they seem difficult to find. I'll keep looking. Check it out, please. You'll enjoy it. (4.5 stars)"
Currently Reading
Just two books on the go and I'll keep it that way until I start my 2026 challenges.
"A palace the size of a city, ruled by giant Ladies of unknowable, eldritch origin. A land left to slow decay, drowning in the debris of generations. All this and more awaits you within The West Passage, a delightfully mysterious and intriguingly weird medieval fantasy unlike anything you've read before.
When the Guardian of the West Passage died in her bed, the women of Grey Tower fed her to the crows and went back to their chores. No successor was named as Guardian, no one took up the fallen blade; the West Passage went unguarded.Now, snow blankets Grey in the height of summer. Rats erupt from beneath the earth, fleeing that which comes. Crops fail. Hunger looms. And none stand ready to face the Beast, stirring beneath the poisoned soil.
The fate of all who live in the palace hangs on narrow shoulders. The too-young Mother of Grey House sets out to fix the seasons. The unnamed apprentice of the deceased Grey Guardian goes to warn Black Tower. Both their paths cross the West Passage, the ancient byway of the Beast. On their journeys they will meet schoolteachers and beekeepers, miracles and monsters, and very, very big Ladies. None can say if they'll reach their destinations, but one thing is for sure: the world is about to change."
When Ensign Bluemage Honor Renn is rescued from the wreckage of her first naval post, she expects death or disgrace. Instead, she wakes aboard the Touchstone, a mythic vessel whispered of in dockside ballads and royal war rooms alike. With a crew of misfits. A mysterious, elven captain. And a mission tied to the Dreadwall, the crumbling barrier that has kept the Overland and Nethersea from open war for a hundred years.
But the tragedy that sank her last ship didn’t just take lives―it left something behind.
Now Renn carries a secret everyone wants. A magik that’s chimeric, arcane...and slowly killing her. But the captain’s mission may be her only chance to survive, even if he still doesn’t trust her.
Caught between privateers, princes, and spies, Renn knows each choice could sink her future―or set the sea on fire.
Ship of Spells is perfect for readers who crave the raw grit of Arya Stark, the world-building of Samantha Shannon, and the slow-burn tension of enemies who should never trust or want each other."
The first paperback (and twentieth anniversary) edition of a landmark debut collection. Howard Waldrop's encyclopedic knowledge of superheroes, baseball players, world wars, long-dead film stars, Mexican wrestlers, pulp serials, fairy tales, and extinct species is put to good use in these sophisticated re-combinations of our pop-culture dreams.
Contents:
The Ugly Chickens (1980)
Der Untergang des Abendlandesmenschen (1976)
Ike at the Mike (1982)
Dr. Hudson's Secret Gorilla (1977)
"...The World as We Know't." (1982)
Green Brother (1982)
Mary Margaret Road-Grader (1976)
Save a Place in the Lifeboat for Me (1976)
Horror, We Got (1979)
Man-Mountain Gentian (1983)
God's Hooks! (1982)
Heirs of the Perisphere (1985)"
Archivist Wasp fears she is not the chosen one, that she won't survive the trip to the underworld, that the brutal life she has escaped might be better than where she is going. There is only one way to find out."
Something had to be done and fast. Captain Hansard left for Earth via the instantaneous transmitter of matter, hoping to arrive immediately. But when he sank into the manmitter's once solid steel floor, he realized that he was a ghost. Only he did not remember dying... Well then, it was as a ghost that he would have to try and save mankind from atomic destruction..."
Timothy Snyder's New York Times bestseller On Tyranny uses the darkest moments in twentieth-century history, from Nazism to Communism, to teach twenty lessons on resisting modern-day authoritarianism. Among the twenty include a warning to be aware of how symbols used today could affect tomorrow; an urgent reminder to research everything for yourself and to the fullest extent; a point to use personalized and individualized speech rather than cliched phrases for the sake of mass appeal; and more.
In this graphic edition, Nora Krug draws from her highly inventive art style in Belonging--at once a graphic memoir, collage-style scrapbook, historical narrative, and trove of memories--to breathe new life, color, and power into Snyder's riveting historical references, turning a quick-read pocket guide of lessons into a visually striking rumination. In a time of great uncertainty and instability, this edition of On Tyranny emphasizes the importance of being active, conscious, and deliberate participants in resistance."
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