It's December...

 

Well, the last month of 2025 is now upon us. Time to try and finish off a couple of 2025 reading challenges and just read. I've got a couple of year end appointments, dental, eye check-up and I should get the car in for a winter tune-up. (Ya think!) And Jo is preparing for surgery at the end of the month. 😑😔

Anyway. How about books?

I've completed one so far in December. I'm not going to have more than 2 on the go at one time for the rest of the month. 

Completed Books

(I've completed 3 since my last update)

1. The West Passage by Jared Pechacek (2024 / Fantasy). Such an enjoyable read.

"I thought I'd try The West Passage by Jared Pechaček because it was nominated for the Ursula K. Le Guin award. I'm glad that I did. What a wonderful, imaginative fantasy story. Pechacek has created a fascinating world filled with interesting beings and creatures. It's got a gentleness to it, but at the same time there is a Beast coming and people you like are getting killed all over the place. The Ladies of the various towers; Black, Yellow, Blue & Red are some weird dudes.. dudettes.

The story revolves around Hawthorne (Apprentice Guardian at Gray Tower) (Gray Tower has not had a Lady for many years) and Yarrow who is newly appointed as Mother of Gray House. Both will head off on separate journeys to let the other Towers / Ladies know about the impending arrival of the Beast. That has been the function of the Gray Tower, that being to keep the Beast from breaching the West Passage and destroying all of the other houses. Hawthorne, as Guardian, is supposed to battle and defeat the Beast.

But Gray is a shadow of its former self. The Tower / House is basically empty and with Hawthorne and Yarrow leaving, will have only a basic few left to keep things going... and Winter is setting in!!!

Along their journeys, we'll meet so many interesting people, Frin the rabbit-eared Beekeeper at Black Tower who will become Hawthorne's Squire (even though neither knows what a Squire actually does) and Peregrine, the Itinerant Butler with his 'steed' (too hard to describe) Tertius, who will escort Yarrow on her journey.

Hawthorne and Yarrow are both fascinating characters (there is a fascinating change in Hawthorne when they assume the mantle of Guardian). Yarrow reminds me somewhat of the traveling monk in Becky Chambers' Monk and Robot books, that sort of gentleness she possesses... 

There is just so much going on in this story to try and decipher and explain logically. The best thing is to say it's wonderful, amazing and just so fascinating of a fantasy story. Rich, rich, rich. I hope that Jared Pechacek continues the at some time because I've got some questions!! (I have my idea of who Servant is, but .....) Check it out. Pure enjoyment (4.0 stars)"

2. Gideon's Press by J.J. Marric (Commander Gideon #19 / 1973). One of my favorite series. This also completes my 12 + 4 Dusty Book challenge. It was my 12th book.

"The Commander Gideon police procedural series has quickly become one of my favorites. Since then I've also enjoyed the standalone movie based on the series and the TV series that followed the books. It's nice to read about and see shows that reflect the police in such a positive light. Anyway, Gideon's Press (#19 in the series) written by J.J. Marric was somewhat familiar to me from the TV show but was nevertheless an excellent story.

Commander Gideon, head of London's CID is alone at home since wife Kate has gone off to visit one of his daughters. His other daughter, concert pianist, has also gone to take on job with a symphony that is touring Scotland. Penny also happens to be dating Gideon's #1, Alec Hobbs.

There are two story lines in this book; one following union strikes against London's newspapers and a threatened strike by dock workers. As well, there is a multi-service investigation taking place to catch smugglers who are illegally bringing in Pakistanis and Indians by sea. (As an aside, I found it interesting that this was a topic of interest back in the 70's but I was just a kid then)

Gideon will use the services of the press quite a bit in this story, which makes an interesting side story as we follow two reporters investigating the events taking place on the dockyard. We also have Inspector Homiwell diligently working the smuggling case, as he believes that the smugglers have deliberately sunk at least one boat filled with immigrants.

It's just a fascinating story as we move from one character to another, intricately tying them together and the main stories. Marric gets into the minds and the lives of each character and even bring back one from a previous story to see how his life has changed. The meetings with the press, the investigations by the reporters, the diligence of the police. It all makes up a great, fascinating, page turner and it all results in a satisfactory conclusion. Great series. (4.0 stars)"

3. Brave New World, A Graphic Novel by Aldous Huxley, adapted and illustrated by Fred Fordham (2022).

"Brave New World: A Graphic Novel by Fred Fordham is a graphic novelization of the original novel by Aldous Huxley (originally published in 1932). I've read the original novel a couple of times, once back in my university days as part of a Sci Fi novel course and again in 2016. When I compare it to 1984 and War of the Worlds and other Sci Fi novels, I think I preferred them.

However, Brave New World, both the novel and the graphic novel provide an interesting look at Huxley's view of a possible future for mankind, one where mankind is a caste system where people are created in test tubes, the lower classes are controlled; working 7.5 hours a day, and then spending their free time inn hedonistic activities and then falling asleep to Soma, a sleep drug. History, science, solitude are all frowned on. Old things are not good. Live for today, enjoy excess. There are alphas who create these rules but who can break them, read Shakespeare,  practice science, etc. Any others who do are sent to islands where they are isolated.

This story follows one man who feels alone, doesn't like the hedonism. He takes a vacation to the Savage Lands in New Mexico, along with his current 'girl friend.' There they meet John, a savage whose mother was once part of the new world, but abandoned by an Alpha who got her pregnant then left her there. She still remembers the old world of hedonism, drugs but is forced into this world of individuality and is basically shunned by the 'savages'. John is also caught in this duality.

They are both taken back to the 'city', somewhere in England. John's mother is a spectacle and basically lives in a Soma dream world at the hospital, waiting to die. John is shown around this new world and can't cope. 

It's an interesting concept and a fascinating story and Fordham explores it with thoughtfulness and care. I've enjoyed other adaptations by him and this one was also very interesting; well drawn and well presented...

This is the Brave New World as explained to John...

"In a properly organized society, nobody has any opportunities for being noble or heroic. There aren't any wars nowadays. The greatest care is taken to prevent you from loving anyone too much. There's no such thing as divided allegiance. No temptations to resist. And if ever, by some unlucky chance, anything unpleasant should somehow happen, why, there's always soma."

And how does John, the savage, cope with all of this??? Now you've got to read the book. (3.5 stars)"

Currently Reading

(My next 3 books will help me with my 12 + 4 Finish a Series challenge. I've got two of them on the go at the moment).

1. Maddie Hatter and the Timely Taffeta by Jayne Barnard (Maddie Hatter #3 / 2017).

"Maddie Hatter’s third Adventure finds her in Venice on an all-expenses-paid assignment: report on the season’s most extravagant Carnevale costumes. Determined to land an inside scoop, she enlists the help of her half-Venetian friend, Lady Serephene, to penetrate Madame Frangetti’s Costume Atelier in disguise.

Serephene is pursuing plots of her own: training in secret for a career that’s forbidden by her family, and flirting madly with a low-born Scottish inventor in his airship laboratory. When the inventor’s fabulous new fabric is targeted by industrial spies, Serephene risks not only her family’s displeasure but her own safety to protect him and his work.

Pursued through the floating city’s legendary canals and squares, Maddie must draw on all her hard-won survival skills to keep herself and Serephene out of the spies’ clutches. With the help of unexpected allies among Venice’s underdogs, the daring young ladies just might reach Carnevale’s grand finale alive."

2. The Other Wind by Ursula K. Le Guin (Earthsea Cycle #6 / 2001).

"The sorcerer Alder fears sleep. The dead are pulling him to them at night. Through him they may free themselves and invade Earthsea. Alder seeks advice from Ged, once Archmage. Ged tells him to go to Tenar, Tehanu, and the young king at Havnor. They are joined by amber-eyed Irian, a fierce dragon able to assume the shape of a woman. The threat can be confronted only in the Immanent Grove on Roke, the holiest place in the world, and there the king, hero, sage, wizard, and dragon make a last stand. In this final book of the Earthsea Cycle, Le Guin combines her magical fantasy with a profoundly human, earthly, humble touch."

New Books

(7 new books to talk about)

1. Tuck Everlasting, the Graphic Novel by K. Woodman - Maynard (2025). I've never read the original novel.

"What if you could live forever?

In this timeless story about immortality, friendship, and growing up, young Winnie Foster learns of a hidden spring in a nearby wood and meets the Tuck family, whose members reveal their astonishing discovery of the spring’s life-changing power. Now Winnie must decide what to do with her newfound knowledge—and the Tucks must decide what to do with her. But it’s not just the curious girl who is interested in their remarkable tale. A suspicious stranger is also searching for the Tucks, and he will stop at nothing until he finds them and uncovers their secret."

2. The Serial Garden by Joan Aiken (2008). Jo loved the book cover on this edition.

"A Junior Library Guild Selection and Smithsonian Magazine Notable Book for Children. "A literary treasure."—Philip Pullman "My happiest discovery this year."— Los Angeles Times The complete collection of twenty-four charming and magical Armitage family stories. Includes a prelude by the author and introductions from Garth Nix and Lizza Aiken."

3. Love and Rockets, Vol. 7; The Death of Speedy by Jaime Hernandez (1989).

"The original, seminal Love & Rockets comic book series, which ran for 50 issues from 1981 to 1996, singlehandedly defined the post-underground generation of comics that spawned Daniel Clowes, Chris Ware, and so many others. Now collected into 15 volumes, Love & Rockets is a body of work that The Nation has described as "one of the hidden treasures of our impoverished culture." Created by brothers Gilbert, Jaime, and Mario Hernandez, three Southern California Mexican-Americans armed with a passion for pop culture and punk rock, Love & Rockets gave a voice to minorities and women for the first time in the medium's then 50-year history and remains one of the greatest achievements in comic book history."

4. Them Bones by Howard Waldrop (1984).

"Madison Yazoo Leake, of the bombed-out, radiation-ridden 21st century, wanted to go back in time to stop World War III before it began. When he stepped through the time portal, he thought he was entering 1930s-era Louisiana. Instead, he found himself in a world where Arabs had explored America, Christianity and the Roman Empire had never existed, and Aztecs performed human sacrifices near the Mississippi as wooly mammoths roamed nearby..."

5. Dawn of the Firebird by Sara Mughal Rana (2025).

"Khamilla Zahr-zad’s life has been built on a foundation of violence and vengeance. Every home she’s known has been destroyed by war. As the daughter of an emperor’s clan, she spent her childhood training to maintain his throne. But when her clansmen are assassinated by another rival empire, plans change. With her heavenly magic of nur, Khamilla is a weapon even enemies would wield—especially those in the magical, scholarly city of Za’skar. Hiding her identity, Khamilla joins the enemy’s army school full of jinn, magic and martial arts, risking it all to topple her adversaries, avenge her clan and reclaim their throne.

To survive, she studies under cutthroat mystic monks and battles in a series of contests to outmaneuver her fellow soldiers. She must win at all costs, even if it means embracing the darkness lurking inside her. But the more she excels, the more she is faced with history that contradicts her father’s teachings. With a war brewing among the kingdoms and a new twisted magic overtaking the land, Khamilla is torn between two impossible vengeance or salvation."

6. The Sundial by Shirley Jackson (1958).

"Before there was Hill House, there was the Halloran mansion of Jackson’s stunningly creepy fourth novel, The Sundial. Aunt Fanny has always been somewhat peculiar. When the Halloran clan gathers at the family home for a funeral, no one is surprised when she wanders off into the secret garden. But then Aunt Fanny returns to report an astonishing vision of an apocalypse from which only the Hallorans and their hangers-on will be spared, and the family finds itself engulfed in growing madness, fear, and violence as they prepare for a terrible new world. For Aunt Fanny's long-dead father has given her the precise date of the final cataclysm!"

7. Bad Indians Book Club by Patty Krawec (2025).

"In this powerful reframing of the stories that make us, Anishinaabe writer Patty Krawec leads us into the borderlands of history, science, memoir, and fiction to What worlds do books written by marginalized people describe and invite us to inhabit?

When a friend asked what books could help them understand Indigenous lives, Patty Krawec, author of Becoming Kin, gave them a list. This list became a book club and then a podcast about a year of Indigenous reading, and then this book. The writers in Bad Indians Book Club refuse to let dominant stories displace their own and resist the way wemitigoozhiwag--European settlers--craft the prevailing narrative and decide who they are.

In Bad Indians Book Club, we examine works about history, science, and gender as well as fiction, all written from the perspective of "Bad Indians"--marginalized writers whose refusal to comply with dominant narratives opens up new worlds. Interlacing chapters with short stories about Deer Woman, who is on her own journey to decide who she is, Krawec leads us into a place of wisdom and medicine where the stories of marginalized writers help us imagine other ways of seeing the world. As Krawec did for her friend, she recommends a list of books to fill in the gaps on our own bookshelves and in our understanding.

Becoming Kin, which novelist Omar El Akkad called a "searing spear of light," led readers to talk back to the histories they had received. Now, in Bad Indians Book Club comes a potent challenge to all the stories settler colonialism tells--stories that erase and appropriate, deny and deflect. Following Deer Woman, who is shaped by the profuse artistry of Krawec, we enter the multiple worlds Indigenous and other subaltern stories create. Together we venture to the edges of worlds waiting to be born."

There you go. I hope there are a few reading ideas for you. Enjoy your December.

October Update

 

Firstly, I'm not going to comment on yesterday's Blue Jays game... *Sigh*

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

1. One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad (2025 / Non Fiction).

"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)"

2. The War of the Worlds, a Graphic Novel by Chris Mould (2024).

"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)"

3. Why I Love Horror: Essays on Horror Literature edited by Becky Siegel Spratford (2025)

"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)"

4. Bring the Jubilee by Ward Moore (1953).

"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)

5. Watership Down, The Graphic Novel by James Sturm (2023). I've a few more of these reimaginings of classic novels still to read. I'm looking forward to them.

"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)"

6. Star Shapes by Ivy Grimes (2024).

"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"

7. Joanna Russ; Novels and Stories by Joanna Russ. This collection of the stories of Joanna Russ has been a bit of a long haul but she is different and unique.

"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.)

1. Hell House by Richard Matheson (1971)

"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?"

2. Our Love Will Devour Us by R.L. Meza (2023).

"A remote cabin in A snowy forest could be the perfect place for Claire and Emma to work on their marriage and bond with their two children, if only it didn’t come with so many memories of Claire’s inhumane treatment at the hands of her abusive mother, and if only the strange abandoned schoolhouse nearby didn’t have a dark history of its own. When their children go missing in a snowstorm, the two mothers must put their personal troubles aside and rely on one another to get them back, but nothing has prepared them to face the ever-growing horror that steps lightly in the storm.

Soon the two mothers are forced to ask themselves, how far would you go to save the ones you love?"

3. The Girls in the Cabin by Caleb Stephens (2023).

"A dad will do anything to keep his daughters safe. But the phone lines are down. The roads are blocked. And the woman in the cabin is hiding a terrible secret . . .

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."

(Did you see a theme there? Still a few more to go in October, I believe)

(Ed Note. Just returned from picking up Jo at the hospital. She's feeling pretty good. Will finish this and get supper on.. Left over mashed potatoes and chicken)

New Books

(Some of my October purchases)

1. Teenage Girls Can Be Demons by Hailey Piper (2025).

"13 coming-of-rage stories the way only Bram Stoker Award-winning author Hailey Piper can tell them—wildly inventive, brilliantly imaginative, and completely and utterly enthralling.

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."

2. System Collapse by Martha Wells (Murderbot Diaries #7 / 2023).

"Am I making it worse? I think I'm making it worse.

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."

3. Elder Race by Adrian Tchaikovsky (2021).

"I am going to make a momentous decision. Most likely it is a bad decision. Certainly it may be the last major decision I ever make.

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. . . ."

4. Coup de Grace by Sofia Afram (2024).

"A mind-bending and visceral experimental horror about a young man trapped in an infinite Montreal subway station, perfect for listeners of Mark Z. Danielewski and Susanna Clarke.

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."

5. Alchemised by SenLin Yu (2025).

"In this riveting dark fantasy debut, a woman with missing memories fights to survive a war-torn world of necromancy and alchemy—and the man tasked with unearthing the deepest secrets of her past.

“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."

So there you go. Some new reading ideas for you, mayhaps? Take care and stay safe.

Vote Dammit! Vote! and Book Stuff.

It's April 19, the 2nd day of Advance polls in the Canadian Federal election. It'll all be done and dusted on the 28th. I voted yesterday morning. The polls opened up at 0900 and I think I was there by 9:20 or so. It took 2 hours to vote, but I think part of that was a learning curve for the polling people. Everybody took it in stride. It didn't hurt that it was a lovely day here in the valley. This riding tends to the NDP and I have been told by a couple of people that I needed to vote strategically for them to make sure the Conservative candidate (a hateful worm if there ever was one) didn't win. But I just can't. We can't work on historical tendencies. We need to make sure the Liberals just win a majority. Please! Most importantly, don't sit on your butts. Get out and vote. It's as easy as it can be. Take a couple of hours from your daily schedule and VOTE! 

OK. Let's get to books. It's been a bit of a slow month so far, with the election stuff... both Jo and I have even watched both the French and English debates. I spend lots of time on Blue Sky chatting with other Canadians who are just as concerned as I am about what's happening down South and how it might impact us.. and the rest of the world. We've got some personal stuff as well going on, that involves many doctor's appointments. I'll leave it at that. So, like I said, it's been a slow reading month, even though I have completed 4 books thus far, with another that I gave up on. So I'll move on from my last post and update my reading, current reading and new books that have arrived.

Books Completed

1. The Abominable Man by Maj Sjowall (Martin Beck #7 / 1971)

"The Abominable Man is the 7th book in Maj Sjöwall & Per Wahloo, Swedish crime series focused on police detective Martin Beck and his squad in Stockholm. I've not read any of these stories in any particular order and I don't believe it really matters. They refer to the Roseanna case within this story (#1 in the series) but it doesn't really impact on the story.

So basically, an ex cop, who is recovering in a hospital room is murdered, stabbed with a bayonet, many times. Beck is called on the scene by one of his men, Ronn, for that reason, as the ex - cop, Inspector Nyman, had a reputation for abusing prisoners (many complaints filed, with no resolution) and for also abusing his men. One of Beck's men Kollberg tells horrific stories of what Nyman did to his men when they all served in the paratroopers, while in the army.

This case deals in great deal with police abuse and as Beck and his men investigate, they start to narrow down who might have wanted Nyman dead, and as it turns out, many other police officers. It's an eminently readable story. Beck and his team (we basically follow Beck, Ronn, Kollberg and Larsson) are all interesting characters, each unique and with their own well-developed personalities. They make an interesting group. They don't necessarily like each other, but at the same time, they do feed off each other.

The case moves along at a steady pace; the whole group are extremely fatigues as they work through the night and next day. The story ends with a climatic, fascinating and shocking conclusion. You're kind of left hanging a bit at the end, but all in all, it's a great example of Scandinavian crime novels. (3.5 stars)"

2. The Snowman by Jo Nesbo (Harry Hole #7 / 2007)

"The Snowman is the 7th book in the Norwegian mystery series featuring police inspector Harry Hole by Jo Nesbø. I've previously enjoyed 3 other books in this entertaining series. I've had Snowman on my shelves the longest of the other couple books I currently own and still have to read.  Snowman was also turned into a movie in 2017, with Michael Fassbender playing Harry Hole. 

So enough preamble. The story starts in November 1980 when a woman goes to meet a lover in a vacant house. In the back seat she has left her young son. When they depart the home, the boy says, "I saw him." And adds, 'The Snowman."

The story jumps to the present and Harry Hole will soon be investigating the disappearance of a woman from their relatively isolated home. Another woman will also have disappeared, leaving her son alone. Into Hole's team comes a young woman cop from Bergen, Katrine Bratt. She's mysterious (and played by Rebecca Ferguson in the movie, if you're interested)

As the team begins to investigate, they realize that over the past years a number of women have gone missing. Harry has also received an anonymous letter from someone called The Snowman. Oh and Harry's apartment is being torn apart by some guy who showed up saying he's investigating mould. Yup.

It's an investigation that goes back many years, leading Harry and Katrine back to Bergen where they discover the body of an ex cop, suspected of murdering women in the past. There turn out to be many suspects; a flashy newspaper owner who seems to have been fathering children everywhere, including the children of the two most recent missing women; a couple of doctors, involved in exploring blood links between children, mothers and their 'fathers'. And who is Rakel's new boyfriend (Rakel is Harry's ex, but they continue to meet clandestinely for sexual evenings). 

Harry is troubled, as always. He's an alcoholic, trying to stop and the pressure makes it even more difficult. The case keeps turning this way and that and they keep finding more bodies, especially of their suspects! It's all very interesting and comes to a thrilling, tense conclusion. I like how the story starts with one small incident and then at the end, concludes from that incident going through all the follow-on events. Neat way of resolving a mystery  / thriller. All in all, even though I did keep putting the story aside at the beginning, it was another entertaining Harry Hole mystery. Harry is always good value for money. (3.5 stars)"

3. Heartstopper, Volume 5 by Alice Oseman (#5 / 2023)

"I find it amazing how unobservant I can be. I've enjoyed the first 4 volumes of the Heartstopper series by English author, Alice Oseman and I'm almost embarrassed to admit that it wasn't until I was almost half way through Heartstopper: Volume Five that I finally realized that the series was set in England! *sigh* And the clues were all there; the school uniforms, the Volume 3 trip to Paris, the school rugby!! Then in Volume 5, Nick, who will graduate after this school session is going to visit possible universities and he goes to Oxford, Loughborough (*sp). The local university is Kent University, but I was thinking Kent State.. Duh!! And if I'd only looked as he drove his car, the steering wheel is on the other side!!!

Anyway, my lack of observing skills doesn't take away from the fact that Volume 5 is as good as the previous 4 volumes. In this latest volume (the final volume, #6 is still TBA, at least in Wikipedia), Nick and Charlie are working towards the next stage of their relationship, will they take the next step (Sex). Charlie is regaining his self-confidence after his traumatic last couple of years; trying overcome his eating disorders and other issues. He still won't remove his shirt when he's alone with Nick, but he's working on it. His guidance counselor wants him to apply for the position of Head Boy (another clue this is set in England... doh) because he feels Charlie has been through so much he can offer something to the younger kids. He's also been drumming and some chums want him to play with them.

Meanwhile, his bf, Nick, who's a year older is now having to think about applying to university. (and another clue, they do say uni!). Does he go to Kent so he can stay close to Charlie or does he go further away and work around the distant relationship thing. It's all very well laid out and no issue is brushed over, but rather presented thoughtfully and sensitively; discussions with friends and family, the issues of other friends. I admit that I've had this Volume on my shelf for awhile now but I'm glad I took it down and continued with Nick and Charlie's stories. My kids are all grown up and have moved away years ago but I still enjoy this series very much. Check it out and let your kids read as well. There may be things they want to talk with you about? Now when will the final volume come out?? (4.0 stars)"

4. Lord of the Flies, the Graphic Novel by Aimee de Jongh (2023)

"Many, many years ago, I enjoyed William Golding's story about a planeload of young boys who crash land on an island in the Pacific and have to survive until help arrives. I've read it a couple of times at least and also have watched movie adaptations of the book. I was pleasantly surprised to see this graphic novel based on the book; Lord of the Flies: The Graphic Novel, adapted and illustrated by Aimée de Jongh.

Let me start off by saying that this adaptation is every bit as excellent as the original story. It's respectful to the ideas being presented by Golding, that being the ease with which a modern, society can descend into brutality and lack of any concern or feelings for their fellows (even as presented with young children). The basic story is that a group of school children are in a plane that crashes on a deserted island. Two of the older boys, Ralph and Jack, try to become leaders of the group. The younger boys vote for Ralph, angering Jack. Ralph wants to build shelter for the boys, who are afraid and miss their homes. He also wants to keep a fire going to attract passing ships. Ralph is helped by a bespectacled, chubbier boy, nicknamed Piggy, who is not liked by Jack and his gang.

jack wants to hunt, to have adventures and does what he can to usurp Ralph's authority. As the days pass, the boys' lives become more and more primitive; the physical attributes that show this is longer hair, dirtier faces, torn and worn school outfits.

A series of incidents happen that will drive wedges even more so between the groups, even death. It's a fascinating and shocking story that is beautifully illustrated and colored by Aimee de Jongh. She presents a story that superbly displays the feelings described in the book. The story flows along nicely and progression, or more accurately, I guess, the regression of the boys' attitudes and actions is sharply described. Excellent story, presented in a new format. (4.5 stars)"

Currently Reading

1. The Bone Thief by Jefferson Bass (Body Farm #5 / 2010)

"“The Body Farm novels have become bestsellers because of their attention to the fine details of forensics combined with great plot lines.” — Deseret News (Salt Lake City)   The latest Body Farm novel from New York Times bestseller Jefferson Bass, The Bone Thief is a must for fans of Patricia Cornwell and TV’s C.S.I. The hero of four previous thrillers— Carved in Bone, The Devil’s Bones, Flesh and Bone, and Bones of Betrayal —Dr. Bill Brockton must stop a grisly black market dealing in body parts and cadavers in this white-knuckle adventure written by the man widely considered to be the world’s foremost expert in forensic anthropology. Read The Bone Thief and discover why Kathy Reichs calls Bass, “The real deal.”"

2. The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin (Hainish # / 5 / 1972)

"When the inhabitants of a peaceful world are conquered by the bloodthirsty yumens, their existence is irrevocably altered. Forced into servitude, the Athsheans find themselves at the mercy of their brutal masters.

Desperation causes the Athsheans, led by Selver, to retaliate against their captors, abandoning their strictures against violence. But in defending their lives, they have endangered the very foundations of their society. For every blow against the invaders is a blow to the humanity of the Athsheans. And once the killing starts, there is no turning back."

New Books

1. Botticelli's Apprentice; a Graphic Novel by Ursula Murray Husted (2025)

"This funny, empowering graphic novel from rising star Ursula Murray Husted is a gorgeously illustrated glimpse into the forgotten history of Renaissance Italy, following an ambitious young girl's quest to become an apprentice to the famous Sandro Botticelli. 

Life as a chicken girl isn’t so bad, but Mella wants more. Though girls can’t be official apprentices to artists in Florence, Mella has been secretly teaching herself to paint while tending to artist Sandro Botticelli’s chickens.

When one of Botticelli’s actual apprentices discovers Mella’s work, he threatens to take full credit for it. Why does it matter who drew it if it’s good?

With the help of unexpected allies, an important patron, and a tenacious stray dog named Blue, Mella must summon all her courage, smarts, and skills to prove her worth and demand the recognition she deserves."

2. Cold Stone and Ivy by Leighton H. Dickson (The Empire of Steam #1 / 2016)

"Jack the Ripper gave her his heart. Now he wants it back.

The year is 1888, the clockwork British Empire is crumbling, and young writer Ivy Savage has literally received a heart in the post. Terrified, her father sends her north to a strange sanitarium in Lancashire where the brilliant but unpredictable “Mad Lord of Lasingstoke” makes his home.

Here, Ivy finds the dead are as dangerous as the living, and she is immediately swept into a world of manners, mystery, and supernatural intrigue, uncovering a secret that will lead both her and the Mad Lord back to London and the dark streets of Whitechapel."

3. To Kill a Mockingbird; a Graphic Novel by Fred Fordham (2018) I readily admit that I am hooked on these novel adaptations

"‘Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit ‘em, but remember it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird.’

A portrait of race and class, innocence and injustice, hypocrisy and heroism, tradition and transformation in the Deep South of the 1930s, Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird remains as important today as it was upon its initial publication in 1960, during the turbulent years of the Civil Rights movement.

Now, reborn as a graphic novel. Scout, Jem, Boo Radley, Atticus Finch and the small town of Maycomb, Alabama, are all captured in illustrations by artist Fred Fordham."

4. History's People; Personalities and the Past by Margaret MacMillan (2015)

"In this year’s highly anticipated Massey Lectures, internationally acclaimed historian Margaret MacMillan gives her own personal selection of the memorable figures of the past, women and men, who have changed the course of history and even directed the currents of their times.

The actions of Hitler, Stalin and Thatcher had epic, resounding consequences, but there are other ways to shape the course of history: those like Samuel de Champlain, the dreamers, explorers or adventurers who stand out in history for who they were as much as for what they did; or observers like Michel de Montaigne, who kept the notes and diaries that bring the past to life for us.

History’s People is about the important and complex relationship between biography and history, individuals and their times, and the transformative moments that have shaped the world.

Margaret MacMillan is the author of the international bestsellers The War that Ended Peace, Nixon in China and Paris 1919: Six Months that Changed the World, which won many major awards including the Samuel Johnson Prize and the PEN Hessell Tiltman Prize. She is also the author of The Uses and Abuses of History. She sits on the boards of the Mosaic Institute and the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. The past provost of Trinity College at the University of Toronto, MacMillan is now the warden of St Anthony’s College and a professor at Oxford University."

There you go. Just one more reminder that you need to get out and vote in this federal election. There are so many ways to do it. Check out the Elections Canada website. Enjoy your Easter weekend!