Pre Dental Reading Post

It's Wednesday. Jo is having an early morning nap. I'm about to head off to the dentist for a cleaning. Oh, and Donny Trump has delayed his 50% tariffs for 3 days.. Sigh! If I had my druthers, I'd say, just tell him to get stuffed. But I'm not involved in the day-to-day intricacies of running a country that's on the border with an insane dictator wannabe. I'll just do my bit by buying anything but American products as much as possible and adding my voice to those defending our great country. Oh and casting my vote to have the US Ambassador, Pete Hoekstra, unceremoniously ejected from Canada. As of today, as I write this, 237, 861 people have signed this petition to the House of Commons. Check it out and if you agree, please sign it as well.

Now let's do a mid month (slightly more than mid month) reading update.

Completed Books (3 books completed since my last update)

1. Inspector West Alone by John Creasey (Inspector West #9 / 1950) This is my 2nd book in the series. I haven't been reading in sequence, as you can see.

"Inspector West Alone by John Creasey is the 9th book in this police series and the 2nd I've read. As I recall, the 1st book was ok but this one was excellent; tense, well paced and quite a page turner.

Inspector West of Scotland Yard receives a telephone message purportedly from his wife, Janice, asking for his help. She is with a cousin in the country. Not suspecting anything, West heads out to see what is going on. He arrives at an isolated house that seems to be empty. When he enters, he hears moaning upstairs and goes to investigate. He finds a dying woman, is attacked by someone and almost immediately, the local police arrive and arrest West. His paperwork identifies him as someone else.

While being driven to the police station, the police car is attacked, West is grabbed and he is rendered unconscious. He finds himself in another location, locked in a room, watched and kept prisoner. Gradually, he begins to discover the position he is in. The leader, Mr. Kennedy has plans for West. This involves blackmail, plastic surgery and a new life, helping with a criminal enterprise.

It's a fascinating premise. Does he try and escape, knowing his wife and children are watched and any escape attempt may result in their deaths? As far as he knows, the police believe it is West who has murdered the girl in the cottage. Thus begins a story of trying to escape from what seems an untenable situation. The police are suspicious of this new West, now known as Hanley, but how does West get them to understand the situation without risking his family and any other acquaintances.

It's an excellent story. The characters are well described. The sense of tenseness and helplessness is developed steadily and the ultimate ending is handled expertly. Most interesting mystery / thriller. I have a few more Inspector West books to read and am looking forward to continuing this series. (4.0 stars)"

2. The Furies by Keith Roberts (Hor / Sci Fi / 1966).

"The Furies by Keith Roberts is my 2nd look at his Sci Fi work, after enjoying Pavane previously. The Furies, while quite different from Pavane, was also excellent, a tense, dystopic future. The story starts off with a bang as an English farmer is killed by a giant wasp, which quickly become The Furies. 

The story is narrated by Bill Sampson, a relatively successful cartoonist living in the English countryside. He's a quiet, somewhat irascible individual, living on his own, well, on his own except for his Great Dane, Sec, short for Sekhmet, the Egyptian goddess of darkness. While working at home, Bill is visited by a young lady, Jane, visiting her parents who live nearby and are expected home soon.

Everything is quickly disrupted though. A nearby village is destroyed by an attack by a swarm of Furies. At the same time, the world is in the midst of an arm's race and both Russia and the US are about to test new atomic weapons. A few days after the first attack, Sampson's town is attacked by a swarm of Furies, almost at the same time as the nuclear tests take place, both causing tremendous damage. The village is destroyed by the wasps and also the fissures caused by the simultaneous blasts from the bombs.

Sampson and Sek survive and along with Jane try to find out what is happening and also trying to survive from the marauding wasps. Reports indicated that they are all over the world and even the army can't seem to stop them. So there is the basis of the story, a wasp dystopia, where the humans are not only trying to survive but also trying to destroy the invaders. 

It's a fascinating, dark, at times very depressing but also very thoughtful story. As things get worse, humankind begins to fracture, some helping the wasps build their cities / hives, gathering food, etc. Others, Bill and a small group of other people, try to find places to hide, to survive and to fight back against the swarms. It moves along steadily. Roberts doesn't respect people you might like, he plays no favorites. 

The characters are all interesting, displaying various aspects, positive and negative, of humankind. But like other such books, The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham, and The Death of Grass by John Christopher, this book is also fairly thoughtful. It looks at humankind, what it might be doing wrong or right. It tries to provide a cogent analysis (never boring) of what the Furies actually are, where did they come from?

There are moments where you find yourself drawn right into the action, the fear, the tension. Roberts knows how to ramp things up quickly and forcefully. It's violent, but not overly graphic. All in all, it's an entertaining, tense, dystopic Sci Fi novel and well worth reading. (4.5 stars)"

3. A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab (Shades of Magic #2 / 2016) It took me awhile to get through this book, but it was worth it.

"Oh! I'm so angry!! Darn right I am! A Gathering of Shadows, the 2nd book in the Shades of Magic trilogy by V.E. Schwab made me so angry!! 

Inner Voice - But did you enjoy it? (Ed Note - For some reason I hear this voice as Hal, the shipboard computer in 2001, A Space Odyssey)

Me -Yeah... well, sure, ok... yes I enjoyed it... But I'm so angry!! 

Inner Voice - Calm down and let's just talk this through. Why did you enjoy it and why are you angry?... 

Me -Sigh... ok, here we go

A Gathering of Shadows is the 2nd book in the trilogy and it follows Delilah Bard, the master thief, and Kell, the Antari magician, as they move along from the first book, where they saved Red London from the darkness that threatened to destroy it. Kell is now once again living in the palace with his brother, Rhy, the two now inextricably enjoined now that they were magically linked to save Rhy from dying. Delilah is now on board the Night Spire, a buccaneer ship captained by Alucard Emery, having adventures.

Rhy is organizing the great magic competition between the 3 lands in the Red World, 36 of the greatest magicians, 12 from each country, will compete for the grand prize. This will bring Delilah back to Red London, because Alucard plans to compete (he is from one of the royal families in Red London (a black sheep) and a skilled magician. He's been teaching Delilah to hone her own magical skills and unbeknownst to Alucard, she plans to enter the competition (because that's what Delilah is like). Kell and Rhy have their own plan, in that Kell will also enter but under a fake name. 

In the meantime, as we learn from snippets throughout the story, Holland, their arch enemy from Book 1, is now King of White London and magic has been restored there (I apologize if I get the various London's incorrect, as I do get confused). Holland has been taken over by a dark force, who wants to be transferred to the body of an Antari...

Anyway, that's your story. It's long but moves along very nicely and when you've read for an hour or so, you find that you've made steady progress. The characters are great, each well - crafted, with their own individual personalities. The setting is excellent. The story is always interesting

Inner Voice - And you're angry why? 

Me - All through I kept waiting for the story to get to the crux, the key moment, the point of the whole thing. And what was that point? WAIT UNTIL BOOK 3!! That's why I'm angry... 

Inner Voice - Ah, well, that sounds fair. What's your solution?

So, here's my final thoughts. Book 1 was fantastic, just an amazing story with an amazing world. Book 2 was entertaining, set in the same amazing world, with the same great characters and it satisfactorily sets the stage for the final chapter. Check it out. (4.0 stars)"

Currently Reading (As always, these are books started since last update)

1. Wycliffe and the Tangled Web by W.J. Burley (Chief Superintendent Wycliffe #15 / 1988).

"Hilda Clemo, bright, beautiful, still at school, dropped the bombshell of her pregnancy to her family and boyfriend—and then vanished from her Cornish village that same summer afternoon. As fears for her safety grew, Chief Superintendent Wycliffe was brought in to search the fields and cliffs and question the Clemo family—a weird, feuding clan whose kinship and hatreds covered some unpleasant secrets.

One of the secrets finally led to the discovery of a body—but not the body of Hilda Clemo. By the time Hilda’s corpse was found, Wycliffe had a welter of mysteries to solve, not least the true character of the precocious murdered schoolgirl."

2. American War by Omar el Akkad (Dys / 2017). I have read one other book by el Akkad, a non fiction work.

"Sarat Chestnut, born in Louisiana, is only six when the Second American Civil War breaks out in 2074. But even she knows that oil is outlawed, that Louisiana is half underwater, that unmanned drones fill the sky. And when her father is killed and her family is forced into Camp Patience for displaced persons, she quickly begins to be shaped by her particular time and place until, finally, through the influence of a mysterious functionary, she is turned into a deadly instrument of war. Telling her story is her nephew, Benjamin Chestnut, born during war – part of the Miraculous Generation – now an old man confronting the dark secret of his past, his family’s role in the conflict and, in particular, that of his aunt, a woman who saved his life while destroying untold others."

3. Young Men in Spats by P.G. Wodehouse (Humour / 1936)

"Meet the Young Men in Spats - all members of the Drones Club, all crossed in love and all busy betting their sometimes nonexistent fortunes on unlikely outcomes - that's when they're not recovering from driving their sports cars through rather than round Marble Arch.

These wonderful comic short stories are the essence of innocent fun. In them you'll encounter some of Wodehouse's favourite characters - including, for the first time, his future hero Uncle Fred. The collection is widely regarded as one of Wodehouse's best and includes one of his own favorites, 'The Amazing Hat Mystery'."

4. The Genocides by Thomas M. Disch (Sci Fi / 1965).

"In this harrowing novel, the world's cities have been reduced to cinder and ash and alien plants have overtaken the earth.  The plants, able to grow the size of maples in only a month and eventually reach six hundred feet, have commandeered the world's soil and are sucking even the Great Lakes dry. In northern Minnesota, Anderson, an aging farmer armed with a Bible in one hand and a gun in the other, desperately leads the reduced citizenry of a small town in a daily struggle for meager existence. Throw into this fray Jeremiah Orville, a marauding outsider bent on a bizarre and private revenge, and the fight to live becomes a daunting task."

New Arrivals 

1. Secrets of Stone by Coltrane Seesequasis (A Wolf in the Sun #1 / 2024).

"Centuries have passed since the forces of nature won the war against humanity. Sentient animals now rule a healing world, and as the stain of mankind continues to dwindle, a young wolf called Silversong is determined to rise in the hierarchy of his pack. Strong at manipulating wind and air, all he needs is a way to prove himself to his Chief.

Before he can gain the respect he deserves, however, Silversong’s aspirations are cut short by the Heretic and his outcast wolves. Against all odds, the Heretic and his band of exiles escape their imprisonment far to the west and wreak havoc on Silversong’s pack. The exiles pose a threat unlike any other, and their enigmatic leader won’t stop his brutal conquest until all wolfkind submits to him.

Silversong can’t let a monstrous wolf like the Heretic roam free. With the wind at his back, he pursues the leader of the exiles into forests of shadow and into ancient places better left forgotten. But the further he strays from home, the more he comes to realize that maybe his enemies aren’t so evil after all. Maybe there’s a reason for the destruction they seek… and maybe there’s a far greater danger lying in wait."

2. A Gentle Habit by Cherie Dimaline (Indigenous / Short Stories / 2015).

"The inspiration for the collection comes from American Poet Charles Bukowski who wrote "In between the punctuating agonies, life is such a gentle habit." Following this theme of extraordinary ordinariness, A Gentle Habit is a collection of six new short stories focusing on the addictions of a diverse group of characters attempting normalcy in an unnatural world."

3. Intergalactic Exterminators, Inc by Ash Bishop (Intergalactic Archives #1 / 2022)

"Finding work is easy. Staying alive is a little bit harder.

When Russ Wesley finds an unusual artifact in his grandfather’s collection of rare antiquities, the last thing he expects is for it to draw the attention of a ferocious alien from a distant planet. Equally surprising is the adventurous team of intergalactic exterminators dispatched to deal with the alien threat. They’re a little wild, and a little reckless. Worse yet, they’re so impressed with Russ’s marksmanship that they insist he join their squad . . . whether he wants to or not."

4. City of Spies by Mara Timon (City of Spies #1 / 2020).

"LISBON, 1943. After escaping from Nazi-Occupied France, SOE agent Elisabeth de Mornay, codename Cecile, receives new orders: she must infiltrate high society in neutral Lisbon and find out who is leaking key information to the Germans about British troop movements. As Solange Verin, a French widow of independent means, she will be able to meet all the rich Europeans who have gathered in Lisbon to wait out the war. One of them is a traitor and she must find out who before more British servicemen die.

Complications arise when 'Solange' comes to the attention of German Abwehr officer, Major Eduard Graf. As they get to know each other, she struggles to keep her lies close to the truth.

But in a city that is filled with spies, how can she tell who is friend, or foe?"

So there you go, folks. Some reading ideas for you. And always remember, 'Open the pod bay door, Hal'

Mid July is already here!

Only my 2nd post of July. I have been reading but not as much or as quickly as normal. I do have a few tomes on the go, so that's my excuse.. I've actually got off my butt a bit, cleaned the deck finally and put out the deck chairs. Mowed the lawn, even though it's pretty dried out as we're on Level 3 watering restrictions. I've vetted my book shelves and got rid of a few that have been hanging around. Yada yada... 

Not a lot to report re books, but I have finished two  more and am making steady progress on the others. I'll update my completed books, books I'm starting and any new ones that might have arrived. 

Recently Completed

1. The Beasts of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Tarzan #3 / 1914). Entertaining adventure.

"The Beasts of Tarzan is the 3rd book of Edgar Rice Burroughs adventure series featuring the Lord of the Jungle and it was originally published in 1914. My first exposure to his work was his John Carter of Mars Sci Fi series. I read that a couple of times. Over the past few years, I've been meandering through his other works, some standalones, the Caspak (Land that Time Forgot books). I can't say that his stories are fantastic but they are always entertaining and filled with action and adventure. 

In Tarzan #3, things start off with a bang. An old enemy, the Russian terrorist, Rokov (he was supposed to be in a French prison) and his partner, Paulvitz have a plan to destroy Tarzan's life. At this time, Tarzan is a civilized man, Lord Greystoke, living in London with his wife, Lady Greystoke and their infant child, John. The two schemers want to kidnap John and Tarzan, which they do manage to do. Jane, even though she's told to stay at home, follows the events and is also kidnapped.

Tarzan is dropped off on an isolated island off the west coast of Africa. Rokov plans to turn the baby over to cannibals on the mainland so he'll be turned into one as well. His plans for Jane are to have her reject her husband and choose Rokov. (Not likely, buddy!)

And that's the gist. Tarzan reverts easily to his jungle life style. He hunts, stalks, discovers a humanoid / ape tribe that he 'befriends' and also a black panther, Sheeta, that he wins over to his side when he saves it from a fallen tree. As well, an African tribe has run ashore on the island and after a battle between Tarzan and his friends, their remaining soldiers are also won over to Tarzan's side.

This motley group must find a way to get off the island (may I suggest an airship, a bridge.. oh, right how about a boat... duh) and then they will track Rokov and is group of reprobates through the jungles of Africa to help Tarzan save Jane and his child.

The story moves from Tarzan's perspective to that of Jane and even of the two villains. It's a quickly paced story, even though the writing is a bit turgid, I found. Put aside the portrayal of Africa as a savage, violent land (not that I was alive in 1914 to know what much of the world was like) peopled by cannibals and wild tribes, the story is still exciting and Tarzan always finds honorable,  faithful friends no matter where he finds himself.

Lots of action, lots of bodies, friendship, vengeful enemies, roaring jungle beasts, it's got a bit of everything you'd expect from Burroughs. Some of the throw-ins, like the sudden appearance of more villains, seemed unnecessary, but they all served a purpose. Not great, but still entertaining (2.5 stars)"

2. The Unquiet Night by Patricia Carlon (Mys / 2001). A new author for me.

"The Unquiet Night by Australian writer, Patricia Carlon was my first attempt at her work. I believe I discovered her during my exploration of the Soho Crime catalogue. It introduced me to many new, interesting authors. She lived from 1927 - 2002 and wrote 14 suspense novels between 1961 and 1970, one obviously being this one. As an aside, I've checked for copies of the other 13 books and thus far have only found one other.

OK, the story. It starts very quickly. A young man, Mart, is in the park with a young woman, Rose, and he's panicking. In a fit of rage, he's murdered her. She went with him, hoping for some fun, but he just wanted to talk about his dreams, etc. and when she said he was a strange bird, he shook her and shook her. Terrified now, he drags her body to a hill overlooking a reservoir, lake... and rolls her down the side into the water.

As he's leaving he sees a lady and young girl, Aunty Rachel and 9-year old Ann. Their eyes make contact, Rachel says hello, he responds and then a rainstorm begins and Rachel grabs Ann and rushes to her car.

As he stands there in the rain, Mart begins to worry. He's not really worried that the pair saw him killing Rose, but when her body is discovered, she might remember him being there. Now begins the real story as Mart tries to find out who the lady and girl are and how he's going to have to silence them.

It's a fascinating story, that grows tenser and tenser as it progresses. The story is told mainly from Mart and Rachel's perspectives, but it jumps from individual to individual as Mart and Rachel make contact with people in the small town. Mart isn't stupid and is quite ingenious in his way of trying to find out who Rachel and Ann are. But these contacts start to develop a picture for the police and mainly Rachel's sort of boyfriend, Steve, a radio broadcaster, who until the exciting ending, begins to put pieces together until the satisfying final sentence.

Carlon gives you a nice perspective of how people react to Mart's telephone calls, the fear he begins to inculcate in local mothers as he tries to find out Ann's name. I don't want to ruin the story because you should get the full impact, but trivial  little normal day-to-day activities impact on the final part of the story. Will Mart be able to silence Rachel and Ann? Why are people so frustrating!! I'll get at that tomorrow... No, no! You need to do it now! 

It's filled with those little scenarios that make suspense so suspenseful, disconnecting your phone so nobody can disturb you, telling your daughter that you don't want to talk to her about what she might have seen, etc. A pleasant surprise and I'm looking forward to reading my other book by Carlon, The Whispering Wall (4.0 stars)"

Currently Reading (One book started since my last update)

1. Traitor's Doom by John Creasey (Dr. Palfrey #1 / 1942) Continuing my exploration of the work of Creasey.

"Nazi Agents are at work in the neutral countries of Europe - attempting to subvert so as to provide further easy victims for the Third Reich. Dr. Palfrey and the 'Rescue Squad' are faced with the challenge and danger of meeting this treachery and overcoming the full might of the German state in its quest for power. There is much standing against them, and they are likely to be uncovered and caught at any moment, but they must succeed as the fate of the allies may depend upon it."

New Books (believe it or not only one book has arrived... Darn it!)

1. Zone One by Colson Whitehead (Horror / 2011). I've read one other book by Whitehead, but it wasn't horror.

"A pandemic has devastated the planet, sorting humanity into two the uninfected and the infected, the living and the living dead. The worst of the plague is now past, and Manhattan is slowly being resettled. Armed forces have successfully reclaimed the island south of Canal Street - aka 'Zone One' and teams of civilian volunteers are clearing out the remaining infected 'stragglers'.

Mark Spitz is a member of one of these taskforces and over three surreal days he undertakes the mundane mission of malfunctioning zombie removal, the rigors of Post-Apocalyptic Stress Disorder, and attempting to come to terms with a fallen world.

But then things start to go terribly wrong..."

Books in the Hopper (depending on the which book by challenge I complete next, these are a few of the books I've got waiting on my computer desk)

1. The Dream Master by Roger Zelazny (Sci Fi / 1966).

2. Inspector West Alone by John Creasey (Inspector West #9 / Thriller / 1950). I hope to read a few more by Creasey / Marric before the end of the year.

3. Wycliffe and the Tangle Web by W.J. Burley (Inspector Wycliffe #15 / 1988) I'm making excellent progress on this series

4. American War by Omar El Akkad (Dys / 2017). I've read Akkad's non-fiction work and thought it was very thought provoking.

5. Romola by George Eliot (Classics / 1863) I might not start this until I finish Tess of the d'Urbervilles. 

6. Cobra Trap by Peter O'Donnell (Modesty Blaise / 1996) A collection of short stories featuring action heroine Modesty Blaise.

7. Killadelphia by Rodney Barnes (Vol 1 / 2019). A new graphic novel horror series recommended by a friend.

So there you go friends. Some reading ideas for you. Enjoy the rest of July.

As June 2025 Winds Down...

The temperature has cooled down the past couple of days and we even had some rain, not lots but we needed it. It's been somewhat confusing regarding Jo's chemo. This past weeks was cancelled but when her doctor came back from vacation, he said it shouldn't have been so we were off to the clinic yesterday. It knocked her out a bit but she slept most of the evening and overnight, but she's much better today. 😊 

So the month is winding down... ALREADY! Time for a quick update on what I've been reading, etc. You know the skit if you read this Blog at all. All 12 of you.. 

Just Finished (2 books completed since my last update)

1. A Fragment of Fear by John Bingham (Mys / 1965). I've enjoyed a few of Bingham's books, this one didn't do it for me.

"A Fragment of Fear is the 4th mystery / thriller that I've read by English author, John  Bingham and it was the one I enjoyed the least, unfortunately. I like his writing style very much but I can't say I liked the main character very much and the ending was a bit wishy washy for me... Oh well. I will continue to read his stories but this one didn't work.

So, mystery writer James Compton is vacationing in Naples. He had been in a car accident which injured his legs so he has taken the opportunity to go there to just vacation and also to strengthen his legs. He's due to marry Juliet and she is in the US for work, so this is his opportunity to relax a bit. While there, he makes acquaintance of an elderly British woman, Mrs. Dawson. As the story begins, she's just been murdered in the ruins of Pompeii. Compton gets interested in the case and thinks it might make a nice mystery story.

Compton finds many odd things happening in Naples, the hotel manager is acting strangely, the police haven't solved the case. Compton finds her room door open so goes in and does a bit of a search. He also goes to the graveyard and finds only one decrepit wreath, from some group called the Stepping Stones. 

From the little bit of information he finds in her room, he discovers that she normally lives near Brighton in a hotel with other elderly people. Questioning them about Mrs. Dawson, she finds them somewhat disingenuous and cranky. On his way back to London on the train, he shares a room with a dumpy woman who he finally has a conversation with. As they leave, she gives him an envelope, which basically warns him off from further investigation. Now the story gets quite odd.

The letter has been typed on Compton's typewriter in his apartment. He decides to bring the letter to the police, only to find a police officer already on his door step. Oddly, the woman on the train has filed a complaint with the police. The cop says they don't really believe her, but Compton is quite obstreperous and finally forces the letter on the cop.

He discovers the next day, while reading the paper, that the woman has been murdered. Feeling he has to report his contact with her to the police, he goes to the police department but is basically not believed. Other odd things continue to happen and I won't get into all of them because it does make the story interesting. 

Compton is kind of like John Hannay in the 39 Steps, a man against an unseen threat and kind of isolated from any kind of help. Except Compton isn't all that nice. He's provided many opportunities by this 'threat' to stop investigating the murder of Mrs. Dawson, even to threatening Compton's fiancé, but due to his intransigence, he lets matters unfold, whether or not Juliet is hurt.

The story does finally unravel but it's not quite as satisfying as I would have liked. I liked the idea of the story, the mysterious threats, the isolation that Compton feels, but it wasn't quite good enough for me, I'm afraid. (2.5 stars)"

2. The Minority Report and Other Classic Stories by Philip K. Dick (Sci Fi / 1987) I really enjoyed this. Dick is one of the unique writers of our time.

"I've been reading and enjoying the Sci Fi of Philip K. Dick since my university days. My favorite has always been The Man in the High Castle, probably my first attempt at a Dick work, if I remember correctly. I think it was one of the books we read for my Sci Fi novel course in my university days. I've read it 3 or 4 times and have also enjoyed the TV series, although I've never seen the end. But over the years, I've read another 11 books and also an interview with him. Some I enjoyed more than others; Dr. Bloodmoney was excellent, as were Do Androids Dream, A Maze of Death, etc. I could obviously go on. 😎😁

My latest attempt was for a short story challenge I'm doing this year, The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick 4: The Minority Report by Philip K. Dick|which was published 1987, although my particular copy is entitled, The Minority Report and Other Classic Stories by.... 

OK, now that we have that all settled, I enjoyed the collection very much. It consists of 18 stories and at the end are notes on each story. There is also an introduction by James Tiptree. The title story, The Minority Report, was made into a movie starring Tom Cruise and the movie was better. But I think that's because you can flesh out a movie much more. The story was still interesting. 

Let's see... some favorites. Waterspider was maybe my favorite as it was actually quite funny. It's a time travel story where people from the future believe Sci Fi writers are precogs and they especially want Poul Anderson to come to the future to help explain the problem they are having with space travel. He's picked up at a Sci Fi convention so we meet various other Sci Fi authors, including Philip K. Dick. The plan backfires and that old adage 'don't change the past' or it will impact the future... Well, it does in a funny kind of way.

Another time travel story, Orpheus With Clay Feet involves a man, Jesse Slade, who's bored with his life in the future (ok, his present) so he goes to a 'travel' agency where they send you into the past to motivate his favorite Sci Fi author, James Dowland, to switch from writing TV westerns to creating his magnum Sci Fi opus. Of course this also back fires and the travel agency has other plans for Jesse (neat idea). As a nice twist, Orpheus With Clay Feet was written by Dick under the pseudonym of, you guessed it, James Dowland. hee hee.

The last story Oh, to be a Blobel is supposed to be anti war story, how war makes you more like the people you are fighting. An interesting quote from Dick in his notes on this subject, "Hitler had once said that the true victory of the Nazis would be to force its enemies, the US in particular, to become like the Third Reich - i.e. a totalitarian society - in order to win. Hitler, then, expected to win in losing. As I watched the American military - industrial complex grow after WWII I kept remembering Hitler's analysis, and I kept thinking how right the son of a bitch was." (prophetic much??) Another aspect of this story reminded me of The Gift of the Magi by O Henry, in a sort of convoluted way.

I could go on but I'll stop there. Suffice it to say, the collection of short stories did not disappoint. Every story was entertaining. Dick shows the ability to shift from novels to short stories very easily. What else can I say but he's one neat dude. I still have seven more books of his sitting on my book shelves to enjoy. Yay! (4.0 stars)"

Borrowed from Simon & Shuster

Editor's Note - A call from my local book store just came in saying some books I ordered have arrived. Happy Saturday!! I'll update when I get back.... Editor's Note X 2 - I'm back. 4 books in.. and, no, Jo didn't swear at me, no matter what I told Kelly at the book store, that store being Books 4 Brains.

Currently Reading (started since last update)

1. The Dead Side of the Mike by Simon Brett (Charles Paris #6 / 1981). I've been enjoying the Charles Paris books, actor / writer and part time detective.

"Murder at the BBC? It's almost unimaginable.

When Andrea Gower, the beautiful studio manager is murdered, the producer's only concern is the dead air emanating from the transmitter.

But Charles Paris, the now famous actor/detective has come to Broadcasting House to give a talk, and ends up as a mystery voice on a showbiz quiz show.

Paris has to wallow through layers of BBC scandal, and uncovers a complicated fraud - with clues concealed in seemingly innocent announcements.

These clues lead to a trap that is nearly the end of Mr. Paris in 'The Dead Side of the Mike'."

3. Pump Six and Other Stories by Paolo Bacigalupi (Short Stories / 2008). I've previously read and enjoyed The Wind-up Girl by Bacigalupi. I'm hoping these are as enjoyable.

"Paolo Bacigalupi's debut collection demonstrates the power and reach of the science fiction short story. Social criticism, political parable, and environmental advocacy lie at the center of Paolo's work. Each of the stories herein is at once a warning, and a celebration of the tragic comedy of the human experience.

The eleven stories in Pump Six represent the best Paolo's work, including the Hugo nominee "Yellow Card Man," the nebula and Hugo nominated story "The People of Sand and Slag," and the Sturgeon Award-winning story "The Calorie Man.""

Newest Arrivals

(A few books to add here)

1. The Genocides by Thomas M. Disch (Dystopia / 1965)

"In this harrowing novel, the world's cities have been reduced to cinder and ash and alien plants have overtaken the earth.  The plants, able to grow the size of maples in only a month and eventually reach six hundred feet, have commandeered the world's soil and are sucking even the Great Lakes dry. In northern Minnesota, Anderson, an aging farmer armed with a Bible in one hand and a gun in the other, desperately leads the reduced citizenry of a small town in a daily struggle for meager existence. Throw into this fray Jeremiah Orville, a marauding outsider bent on a bizarre and private revenge, and the fight to live becomes a daunting task."

2. The Road Through the Wall by Shirley Jackson (Hor / 1948) Jackson's first novel.

"The compelling novel that began Shirley Jackson's legendary career

Pepper Street is a really nice, safe California neighborhood. The houses are tidy and the lawns are neatly mowed. Of course, the country club is close by, and lots of pleasant folks live there. The only problem is they knocked down the wall at the end of the street to make way for a road to a new housing development. Now, that’s not good—it’s just not good at all. Satirically exploring what happens when a smug suburban neighborhood is breached by awful, unavoidable truths, The Road Through the Wall is the tale that launched Shirley Jackson’s heralded career."

3. The Listener by Robert McCammon (Hor / 2018). One of two books I got by McCammon, one from a Little Free Library that I walked past on my morning walk. I've previously enjoyed Boy's Life.

"1934. Businesses went under by the hundreds, debt and foreclosures boomed, and breadlines grew in many American cities.

In the midst of this misery, some folks explored unscrupulous ways to make money. Angel-faced John Partlow and carnival huckster Ginger LaFrance are among the worst of this lot. Joining together they leave their small time confidence scams behind to attempt an elaborate kidnapping-for-ransom scheme in New Orleans.

In a different part of town, Curtis Mayhew, a young black man who works as a redcap for the Union Railroad Station, has a reputation for mending quarrels and misunderstandings among his friends. What those friends don't know is that Curtis has a special talent for listening... and he can sometimes hear things that aren't spoken aloud.

One day, Curtis Mayhew's special talent allows him to overhear a child's cry for help (THIS MAN IN THE CAR HE'S GOT A GUN), which draws him into the dangerous world of Partlow and LaFrance."

4. Ties that Bind; The Story of an Afro-Cherokee Family in Slavery in Freedom by Tiya Miles (Indigenous / 2005). One of the books discussed in a previous read, The Bad Indians Book Club.

"This beautifully written book tells the haunting saga of a quintessentially American family. It is the story of Shoe Boots, a famed Cherokee warrior and successful farmer, and Doll, an African slave he acquired in the late 1790s. Over the next thirty years, Shoe Boots and Doll lived together as master and slave and also as lifelong partners who, with their children and grandchildren, experienced key events in American history—including slavery, the Creek War, the founding of the Cherokee Nation and subsequent removal of Native Americans along the Trail of Tears, and the Civil War. This is the gripping story of their lives, in slavery and in freedom.

Meticulously crafted from historical and literary sources, Ties That Bind vividly portrays the members of the Shoe Boots family. Doll emerges as an especially poignant character, whose life is mostly known through the records of things done to her—her purchase, her marriage, the loss of her children—but also through her moving petition to the federal government for the pension owed to her as Shoe Boots's widow. A sensitive rendition of the hard realities of black slavery within Native American nations, the book provides the fullest picture we have of the myriad complexities, ironies, and tensions among African Americans, Native Americans, and whites in the first half of the nineteenth century."

5. Kill Creek by Scott Thomas (Hor / 2017). A new author for me, suggested in 101 Horror Books You Should Read before You're Murdered.

"At the end of a dark prairie road, nearly forgotten in the Kansas countryside, is the Finch House. For years it has remained empty, overgrown, abandoned. Soon the door will be opened for the first time in decades. But something is waiting, lurking in the shadows, anxious to meet its new guests…

When best-selling horror author Sam McGarver is invited to spend Halloween night in one of the country’s most infamous haunted houses, he reluctantly agrees. At least he won’t be alone; joining him are three other masters of the macabre, writers who have helped shape modern horror. But what begins as a simple publicity stunt will become a fight for survival. The entity they have awakened will follow them, torment them, threatening to make them a part of the bloody legacy of Kill Creek."

6. The Book of Accidents by Chuck Wendig (Hor / 2021). Wanderers by Wendig was one of my favorites of last year.

"Long ago, Nathan lived in a house in the country with his abusive father—and has never told his family what happened there.

Long ago, Maddie was a little girl making dolls in her bedroom when she saw something she shouldn’t have—and is trying to remember that lost trauma by making haunting sculptures.

Long ago, something sinister, something hungry, walked in the tunnels and the mountains and the coal mines of their hometown in rural Pennsylvania.

Now, Nate and Maddie Graves are married, and they have moved back to their hometown with their son, Oliver.

And now what happened long ago is happening again . . . and it is happening to Oliver. He meets a strange boy who becomes his best friend, a boy with secrets of his own and a taste for dark magic.

This dark magic puts them at the heart of a battle of good versus evil and a fight for the soul of the family—and perhaps for all of the world. But the Graves family has a secret weapon in this battle: their love for one another."

The 1st two books in the Misewa Saga series, an indigenous young adult series.

7a. The Barren Grounds by David A. Robertson (#1 / 2020). I've enjoyed Robertson's Reckoner graphic novel series and Sugar Falls.

"Narnia meets traditional Indigenous stories of the sky and constellations in an epic middle-grade fantasy series from award-winning author David Robertson.

Morgan and Eli, two Indigenous children forced away from their families and communities, are brought together in a foster home in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They each feel disconnected, from their culture and each other, and struggle to fit in at school and at their new home -- until they find a secret place, walled off in an unfinished attic bedroom. A portal opens to another reality, Ask, bringing them onto frozen, barren grounds, where they meet Ochek (Fisher). The only hunter supporting his starving community, Misewa, Ochek welcomes the human children, teaching them traditional ways to survive. But as the need for food becomes desperate, they embark on a dangerous mission. Accompanied by Arik, a sassy Squirrel they catch stealing from the trapline, they try to save Misewa before the icy grip of winter freezes everything -- including them."

7b. The Great Bear by David A. Robertson (#2 / 2021).

"Eli and Morgan journey once more to Misewa, travelling back in time.

Back at home after their first adventure in the Barren Grounds, Eli and Morgan each struggle with personal issues: Eli is being bullied at school, and tries to hide it from Morgan, while Morgan has to make an important decision about her birth mother. They turn to the place where they know they can learn the most, and make the journey to Misewa to visit their animal friends. This time they travel back in time and meet a young fisher that might just be their lost friend. But they discover that the village is once again in peril, and they must dig deep within themselves to find the strength to protect their beloved friends. Can they carry this strength back home to face their own challenges?"

8. Baal by Robert McCammon (Hor / 1978). This is the book I found in the Little Free Library.

"A woman is ravished...

and to her a child is born...
unleashing an unimaginable evil upon the world!

And they call him BAAL in the orphanage, where he leads the children on a rampage of violence...in California, where he appears as the head of a deadly Manson-like cult...in Kuwait, where crazed millions heed his call to murder and orgy.

They call him BAAL in the Arctic's hellish wasteland, where he is tracked by the only three men with a will to stop him: Zark, the shaman; Virga, the aging professor of theology; and Michael, the powerful, mysterious stranger."

9. The Luck of the Vails by E.F. Benson (Mys / 1901). I recently finished his first mystery, The Blotting Book.

"When the Luck of the Vails is lost,

Fear not fire nor rain nor frost;
When the Luck is found again,
Fear both fire and frost and rain.

The Luck of the Vails is an exquisite gold cup, encrusted with precious jewels. On the eve of his twenty-first birthday, Harry Vail, twelfth baronet, discovers the chalice hidden in soft leather folds up in the attic. Little can he imagine, as he unwraps this unexpected gift, the birthday curse he is about to bring down upon his head.

Set amid the rolling Wiltshire dales and the clattering, gaslit streets of London, The Luck of the Vails gradually reveals a long, bitter history of corruption and violence amongst the old aristocracy. It is a vintage crime story."

And now the 4 books that arrived today... phew...

10. Split Tooth by Tanya Tagaq (Indigenous / 2018). A new author for me.

"From the internationally acclaimed Inuit throat singer who has dazzled and enthralled the world with music it had never heard before, a fierce, tender, heartbreaking story unlike anything you've ever read.

Fact can be as strange as fiction. It can also be as dark, as violent, as rapturous. In the end, there may be no difference between them.

A girl grows up in Nunavut in the 1970s. She knows joy, and friendship, and parents' love. She knows boredom, and listlessness, and bullying. She knows the tedium of the everyday world, and the raw, amoral power of the ice and sky, the seductive energy of the animal world. She knows the ravages of alcohol, and violence at the hands of those she should be able to trust. She sees the spirits that surround her, and the immense power that dwarfs all of us.

When she becomes pregnant, she must navigate all this.

Veering back and forth between the grittiest features of a small arctic town, the electrifying proximity of the world of animals, and ravishing world of myth, Tanya Tagaq explores a world where the distinctions between good and evil, animal and human, victim and transgressor, real and imagined lose their meaning, but the guiding power of love remains.

Haunting, brooding, exhilarating, and tender all at once, Tagaq moves effortlessly between fiction and memoir, myth and reality, poetry and prose, and conjures a world and a heroine readers will never forget."

11. Blood over Bright Haven by M.L. Wang (Fantasy / 2023). Yup, a new author.

"Magic has made the city of Tiran an industrial utopia, but magic has a cost—and the collectors have come calling.

An orphan since the age of four, Sciona has always had more to prove than her fellow students. For twenty years, she has devoted every waking moment to the study of magic, fueled by a mad desire to achieve the impossible: to be the first woman ever admitted to the High Magistry. When she finally claws her way up the ranks to become a high mage, however, she finds that her challenges have just begun. Her new colleagues will stop at nothing to let her know she is unwelcome, beginning with giving her a janitor instead of a qualified lab assistant.

What neither Sciona nor her peers realize is that her taciturn assistant was once more than a janitor; before he mopped floors for the mages, Thomil was a nomadic hunter from beyond Tiran’s magical barrier. Ten years have passed since he survived the perilous crossing that killed his family. But working for a high mage, he sees the opportunity to finally understand the forces that decimated his tribe, drove him from his homeland, and keep the Tiranish in power.

Through their fractious relationship, mage and outsider uncover an ancient secret that could change the course of magic forever—if it doesn’t get them killed first. Sciona has defined her life by the pursuit of truth, but how much is one truth worth with the fate of civilization in the balance?"

12. The Last Contract of Isako by Fonda Lee (Sci Fi / 2026). I believe it was recommended on the CBC book page. I did not know the Lee was Canadian.

"A battle-worn corporate samurai undertakes one last mission on a merciless planet where death is always a mere breath away, in this standalone dystopian epic from the author of the modern fantasy classic Jade City.

LIVE BY THE CODE. DIE BY THE KNIFE.

Isako is a legendary swordswoman, but every legend must come to an end. When her long-time client unexpectedly retires, she plans to follow—to walk out into the frozen wasteland of their planet with her head held high and her family enriched by her death. But when she’s offered a final mission, she can’t refuse, especially when she realizes who lies at the center of it all: Martim, her last—and worst—apprentice, who’s somehow made his way to the top. As she’s thrust into a world of corporate espionage and shadowy secrets, what she uncovers could forever change humanity’s existence among the stars."

and finally...

13. Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark (Hor / Hist Fiction / 2020). I've seen around but never bought. It was recommended in 101 Horror Novels.... 

"In America, demons wear white hoods.

In 1915, The Birth of a Nation casts a spell across America, swelling the Klan's ranks and drinking deep from the darkest thoughts of white folk. All across the nation they ride, spreading fear and violence among the vulnerable. They plan to bring hell to Earth. But even Ku Kluxes can die.

Standing in their way are Maryse Boudreaux and her fellow resistance fighters, a foulmouthed sharpshooter, and a Harlem Hellfighter. Armed with blade, bullet, and bomb, they hunt their hunters and send the Klan's demons straight to hell. But something awful's brewing in Macon, and the war on hell is about to heat up.

Can Maryse stop the Klan before it ends the world?"

There you go folks. Some reading ideas to fill your summer reading list. Enjoy July.