Hey! It's Thursday!

Darn mice!

It's another rainy day in the Comox Valley. We're going to pick up our Ford Focus from one car repair shop and then tomorrow it goes to the Ford dealer to see if it needs more work. Darn mice! 

Little rats! or mice

They seem to have decided that the engine block was a nice warm place to live. Fountain Tires has done the initial work, replacing coolant hoses and now Ford will look at the wiring. This is the first time ever that I've made an insurance claim. We're currently driving a nice little rental, a Hyundai Kona. We might have to look at one as a possible replacement.

I've finished two more books since my last reading update. Or more accurately, I gave up on one and completed one. I'll provide my reviews for both and also the synopses for the next two books I've started. Shockingly, I've no new books on which to provide updates. Don't tell Jo or she'll think there is something wrong with me. 😎 I will continue with my ongoing look at Women Authors whose work I've been enjoying. 

Finished Reading

1. Fanny Hill, Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure by John Cleland (1748). I was reading this as part of my pre-1900 books. I ended up giving up on it as I found myself just skimming pages. 

"Well. OK. I've given up on Fanny Hill, Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure by John Cleland. From what I've read it's one of the earlier examples of erotica. It is well-written, I guess. Originally published in 1748, it tells the story of young Fanny Hill, who writes letters to Madam and describes her descent into a life of Pleasure.

Fanny moves to London, is taken in by one woman who teaches her about sex. She falls in love, her suitor, is sent overseas. She then moves in with another man (sold by her madam). Because she sees him having sex with her maid, she does the same with his valet. He boots her out and she moves in with another madam.... That's where I finally gave up. Not sure how it ends.

It's definitely a book of erotica, but it is also quite relentless. I didn't know that there were so many words to describe female and male anatomy. I'm sure it was shocking at the time. From what I read about Cleland, he was arrested after publication of the book. The language is 'mild' for the topic but also quite graphic. Anyway... It wasn't worth finishing and seeing if and how Fanny resolves her life. Try it and let me know. (No Rating / NR)"

2. Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton (2022). I read this as part of my CanCon genre challenge. I first heard of the book when I looked at Barack Obama's books of 2022. 

"Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton is an autobiographical story told in graphic novel format of two years spent in the Alberta Oil Sands, at Fort McMurray by novelist Beaton. After graduating from university in Nova Scotia, Beaton decides to go to work in the Oil Sands for a couple of years to pay off her student debts.

The Oil Sands attract workers from all over Canada and the world, especially from the Maritime provinces where work in the mines, fishing and steel industries were drying up. Kate meets folks from all over Nova Scotia and Newfoundland during her time there.

It's not a pretty tale, to be sure. Women working in the Oil Sands are outnumbered 50 - 1 by men. The isolation of some of the camps can change people. Kate's story is sometimes gritty; she was raped twice while there, and very revealing. It's so very well drawn as well. Her artwork is clear and sometimes awesome and grand in scale. 

It's a fascinating story peopled with wonderful people, people trying to earn money, trying to help their families but being away has its effects on people as well. And Kate tells this story clearly and thoughtfully. I'm glad that President Obama mentioned it as one of his books of 2022 and that I saw it very shortly afterwards in my local book store. Well worth checking out. (4.0 stars)"

Currently Reading

1. The Man Who Would Be King & Other Stories by Rudyard Kipling (1885). Continuing with my January Decade Challenge, pre-1900's.

"Winner of the Nobel Prize for literature in 1907, Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) drew upon his experiences in Anglo-Indian Society for much of his writing.

This anthology of tales by Rudyard Kipling contains some of the most memorable and popular examples of the genre of which he is an undisputed master. The Man Who Would Be King (later adapted as a spectacular film) is a vivid narrative of exotic adventure and disaster.

The other tales include the ironic, horrific, poignant and haunting. Here Kipling displays his descriptive panache and realistic boldness. Shrewd, audacious, abrasive and challenging, he remains absorbingly readable.

Contents of this Wordsworth Classics edition:
* The Education of Otis Yeere
* At the Pit's Mouth
* A Wayside Comedy
* The Hill of Illusion
* A Second-Rate Woman
* Only a Subaltern
* The Phantom 'Rickshaw
* My Own True Ghost Story
* The Strange Ride of Morrowbie Jukes
* The Man Who Would Be King
* Wee Willie Winkie
* Baa Baa, Black Sheep33433
* His Majesty the King
* The Drums of the Fore and Aft"

2. Stories I Might Regret Telling You: A Memoir by Martha Wainwright (2022). I saw this book one day when I was checking out The Laughing Oyster book shop. It kind of intrigued me as Wainwright comes from music royalty, her mother is Kate McGarrigle of Kate & Anna McGarrigle. Her father is Loudon Wainwright and her brother is Rufus Wainwright. Amongst others. Back in my Uni days, I bought Kate and Anna's 2nd album, Dancer with Bruised Knees. This book just seemed like one I might like to try. It's been interesting so far.

"A singer-songwriter's heartfelt memoir about growing up in a bohemian musical family and her experiences with love, loss, motherhood, divorce, the music industry, and more.

Born into music royalty, the daughter of folk legends Kate McGarrigle and Loudon Wainwright III and sister to the highly-acclaimed and genre-defying singer Rufus Wainwright, Martha grew up in a world filled with such incomparable folk legends as Leonard Cohen; Suzy Roche, Anna McGarrigle, Richard and Linda Thompson, Pete Townsend, Donald Fagan and Emmylou Harris. It was within this loud, boisterous, carny, musical milieu that Martha came of age, struggling to find her voice until she exploded on the scene with her 2005 debut critically acclaimed album, Martha Wainwright, containing the blistering hit, "Bloody Mother F*cking Asshole," which the Sunday Times called one of the best songs of that year. Her successful debut album and the ones that followed such as Come Home to Mama, I Know You're Married but I've Got Feelings Too, and Goodnight City came to define Martha's searing songwriting style and established her as a powerful voice to be reckoned with.

In Martha's memoir, Stories I Might Regret Telling You, Martha digs into the deep recesses of herself with the same emotional honesty that has come to define her music. She describes her tumultuous public-facing journey from awkward, earnest, and ultimately rebellious daughter, through her intense competition and ultimate alliance with her brother, Rufus, to the indescribable loss of their mother, Kate, and then, finally, discovering her voice as an artist. With candor and grace, Martha writes of becoming a mother herself and making peace with her past struggles with Kate and her former self, finally understanding and facing the challenge of being a female artist and a mother. Ultimately, Stories I Might Regret Telling You will offer readers a thoughtful and deeply personal look into the extraordinary life of one of the most talented singer-songwriters in music today."

Addendum. As I sit here, the mail carrier just dropped a book off on our doorstep. Of course, she was welcomed by Bonnie and Clyde in their normal fashion.

New Books

1. The City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin (The Passage #3 / 2016).

"In life I was a scientist called Fanning.

Then, in a jungle in Bolivia, I died.

I died, and then I was brought back to life...

Prompted by a voice that lives in her blood, the fearsome warrior known as Alicia of Blades is drawn towards to one of the great cities of The Time Before. The ruined city of New York. Ruined but not empty. For this is the final refuge of Zero, the first and last of The Twelve. The one who must be destroyed if mankind is to have a future.

What she finds is not what she's expecting.

A journey into the past.

To find out how it all began.

And an opponent at once deadlier and more human than she could ever have imagined."

Women Whose Works I've Been Enjoying - Carson McCullers

Carson McCullers

Carson McCullers was an American author / short story writer who was born in Georgia in 1917 and died in New York in 1967. I first discovered her work after watching The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, a great movie starring Alan Arkin. The book turned out to be just as great. Since then I've tried two others of McCullers' books. I'll provide my reviews of those three books to give you a feel for her writing.

1. The Member of the Wedding (1946).

"One of my favorite all-time books is The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter by American writer Carson McCullers. This novel explored the lives and relationships of a group of misfits in the South. I found The Member of The Wedding, written in 1946, was the 3rd of 4 novels she had published. It explores similar themes but it was a darker story in some ways than Lonely Hunter.

The Member of the Wedding follows twelve-year old Frankie who live with her widowed father and their maid Berenice. The story mainly focuses on Frankie and also Berenice and Frankie's young cousin, John Henry. The tale takes place over the period of a couple of days. Frankie's older brother is in the US Army (the setting is towards the end of WWII) and is on leave as her prepares to get married. The wedding will be out of town and we don't really meet the betrothed couple.

It's a hot summer in southern town and Frankie is lost, jealous of the wedding, frustrated with her life and angry and depressed at the same time. She plans to go away with her brother and new wife after the wedding. (Note: Dad is an absent figure in this story, it revolves around the 3 others)

The story follows Frankie as she wanders about her town on the day before the wedding. She meets people, tells about her plans for the wedding and afterwards. There is a disturbing incident that takes place and throughout their is a sometimes darkness and feeling of unease as she wanders. 

It is a fascinating story and the three main characters are well-developed and unique. The story alternates between Frankie's journey around town and their interactions in the kitchen of Frankie's home. These interactions present many interesting themes and show Frankie's feelings and thoughts, but also those of Berenice and to a lesser extent, John Henry.

The story is in three parts and in each we meet a different Frankie; Part 1 - 12 year old Frankie, Part 2 - she becomes F. Jasmine (part of her desire to leave with her brother and future sis-in-law, both F.J.'s) & Part 3 - she is Frances). Each name explains her attitude and personality and the events taking place. There are interesting discussions especially in the kitchen. I especially found the discussions on the Negro experience and feelings of Berenice as poignant and touching. Berenice's wish for a future world were profound - "But the world of the Holy Lord God Berenice Sadie Brown was a different world, and it was round and just and reasonable. First there would be no separate colored peopled in the world, but all human beings would be lighter brown color with blue eyes and black hair. There would be no colored people and no white people to make the colored people feel cheap and sorry all through their lives....." It really struck a chord with me and still resonates today in the US / world.

The story had a different, darker tone than The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and there was an ominous feel throughout. But so well-written and crafted, it was an excellent, touching, emotional story. Based on solely two stories, but she was a great writer who painted fascinating pictures of the lives she portrayed. The Member of the Wedding was also made into a movie in 1952. I may have to see it, but I don't need to cry anymore  (e.g. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter....) (5 stars)"

2. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1940).

"When she was only twenty-three, Carson McCullers’s first novel created a literary sensation. She was very special, one of America’s superlative writers who conjures up a vision of existence as terrible as it is real, who takes us on shattering voyages into the depths of the spiritual isolation that underlies the human condition. This novel is the work of a supreme artist, Carson McCullers’s enduring masterpiece. The heroine is the strange young girl, Mick Kelly. The setting is a small Southern town, the cosmos universal and eternal. The characters are the damned, the voiceless, the rejected. Some fight their loneliness with violence and depravity, some with sex or drink, and some— like Mick— with a quiet, intensely personal search for beauty." (5 stars)

3.  The Ballad of the Sad Café (1951).

"I've previously read and enjoyed two of the novels of Carson McCullers; The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (one of my all-time favorite novels) and The Member of the Wedding (which was also quite good.) The Ballad Of The Sad Café is a collection of her short stories, originally published in 1951. It contains 7 stories including the titled one; The Ballad of the Sad Café, Wunderkind, The Jockey, Madame Zilensky and the King of Finland, The Sojourner, A Domestic Dilemma, and A Tree, a Rock, A Cloud.

There is no denying that McCullers creates fascinating scenarios and settings but for the most part, I'm afraid I didn't get the point of the stories. The best one was the first, a powerfully depressing story of 3 individuals in a small town; Miss Amelia, owner of the local store and a powerful woman of the community, the hunchback who shows up (turns out he's a distant relation) and causes such a change in her life, and Marvin Macy, her ex-husband of just a few days, who turns up from prison. The resulting chaos will drastically change Amelia's life. As I said, a powerful, but depressing story.

The remaining stories are much shorter and while they do create fascinating pictures, I found the endings unsatisfying. Each seemed to leave you hanging. It's very possible I'm not perceptive enough to discern her point, that her point escaped me, but they just didn't ultimately satisfy me. 

Wunderkind, for example, is about a young girl struggling with her music lessons. Her hands aren't responding to instruction, her body aches, her teacher keeps encouraging her, but ultimately, she rushes off. Why! The Jockey features a, yes you guessed it, a jockey who confronts a table of 3 men, a trainer, an owner and a bookie. The story refers to a previous incident in which his friend, another jockey, is hurt. There is a confrontation..... OK.. but why! Each story is similar to me. I seem to miss the punchline, the result. 

But don't let that dissuade you. At the very least, you should explore The Ballad of the Sad Café. The remaining stories are short and quick and easy to read. I'd suggest you try them all and see what they mean for you. Carson McCullers is worthy of trying. (3 stars)"

The complete list of Carson McCullers' books can be found at this link.

Midweek Music Medley

Why does everything break at the same time? Words to wonder about....

Here is your midweek music medley for Wed 11 January 2023.

Midweek Music Medley

1. Norwegian punk rocker Ida Maria - I Like You So Much Better When You're Naked (2008).

2. American soul singer PP Arnold - Medicated Goo (2017).

3. South Korean DJ Peggy Gou - Starry Night (2019).

Enjoy the rest of your week.

A Quickie Sunday Update

I finished my 2nd book of 2023 this morning, by Canadian author Michelle Good. I'll provide my review of it and also the synopsis of my next book. I'll also provide the synopsis of a book by a new author for me, that arrived in the mail last week. Then if there's time, I'll continue with my ongoing look at Women Authors whose Work I've been enjoying.

Just Finished

1. Five Little Indians by Michelle Good (2020).

"Five Little Indians by Michelle Good tells the story of 5 survivors of Canada's residential school program, basically a form of state-sponsored child abuse. Indian children were taken from their parents by the Church (I believe the whole school system was run by the Christian Churches) and with assistance of the RCMP, and spent their childhoods in schools run by these churches. It was discovered years later the extent of the abuse through which these children were put. In recent years, many of the schools were discovered to have bodies of children buried on their grounds. This story is a devastatingly sad story of the impact of the schools on 5 such children as they are released from their school in British Columbia and how they try to survive as adults.

The story follows Kenny, Lucy, Carla, Howie and Maisie, reflecting somewhat on their pre-school childhoods, intimates what life was like at their particular school and then their efforts to adjust to adult life; with mixed results. 

The story follows each individual, how their lives are inter-related; their work, their personal relationships, their nightmares... It's a terrifying story in its way; how can humans be so evil, how can they treat children so awfully? The Canadian government has been trying to rectify what happened, tried to bring the evil of the residential school system into the open, but the effect on Indian children and their parents and families was still devastating.

It's one of those books that should be read, even if just to make the public aware of the treatment of these children. It saddened me terribly and I am sorry for what happened to these children. But it is well-written, emotional, with beautiful characters, very spiritual and ends with a positive hope for the future... (5.0 stars)"

Currently Reading

(continuing my Jan CanCon theme)

1. Ducks (Two Years in the Oil Sands) by Kate Beaton (2022).

"Before there was Kate Beaton, New York Times bestselling cartoonist of Hark A Vagrant fame, there was Katie Beaton of the Cape Breton Beatons, specifically Mabou, a tight-knit seaside community where the lobster is as abundant as beaches, fiddles, and Gaelic folk songs. After university, Beaton heads out west to take advantage of Alberta’s oil rush, part of the long tradition of East Coasters who seek gainful employment elsewhere when they can't find it in the homeland they love so much. With the singular goal of paying off her student loans, what the journey will actually cost Beaton will be far more than she anticipates.

Arriving in Fort McMurray, Beaton finds work in the lucrative camps owned and operated by the world’s largest oil companies. Being one of the few women among thousands of men, the culture shock is palpable. It does not hit home until she moves to a spartan, isolated worksite for higher pay. She encounters the harsh reality of life in the oil sands where trauma is an everyday occurrence yet never discussed. Her wounds may never heal.

Beaton’s natural cartooning prowess is on full display as she draws colossal machinery and mammoth vehicles set against a sublime Albertan backdrop of wildlife, Northern Lights, and Rocky Mountains. Her first full-length graphic narrative, Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands is an untold story of Canada: a country that prides itself on its egalitarian ethos and natural beauty while simultaneously exploiting both the riches of its land and the humanity of its people."

New Books

1. The Enemy by Charlie Higson (Enemy #1 / 2009).

"Charlie Higson's The Enemy is the first in a jaw-dropping zombie horror series for teens. Everyone over the age of fourteen has succumbed to a deadly zombie virus and now the kids must keep themselves alive.

When the sickness came, every parent, police officer, politician - every adult fell ill. The lucky ones died. The others are crazed, confused and hungry.

Only children under fourteen remain, and they're fighting to survive.

Now there are rumors of a safe place to hide. And so a gang of children begin their quest across London, where all through the city - down alleyways, in deserted houses, underground - the grown-ups lie in wait.

But can they make it there - alive?"

Women Authors Whose Work I've Been Enjoying - Ngaio Marsh

Ngaio Marsh

Dame Ngaio Marsh was a New Zealand mystery author known for her Inspector Alleyn series of  32 books. Marsh was one of the 'Queens of Crime' during the Golden Age of Detective Fiction; along with Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, and Margery Allingham. Marsh lived from 1895 - 1982. Her Inspector Alleyn series is one of my comfort mystery series. Since I started reading it in early 2000s, I've read 18 books in the series. I still have 10 of the series awaiting my attention. Let's take a look at them to give you a perspective of the series.

1. A Grave Mistake (1978 / #30).

"There will always be an England, and in the world of traditional crime fiction, there will always be an Upper Quintern, the sort of Little English Village that is home mostly to the very rich and the servants who make their lives delightful. But Sybil Foster s life is not delightful, even if she does have an extremely talented gardener. Exhausted from her various family stresses a daughter, for instance, who wants to marry a man without a title! Sybil takes herself off to a local hotel that specializes in soothing shattered nerves. When she s killed, Inspector Alleyn has a real puzzler on his hands: Yes, she was silly, snobbish, and irritating. But if that were enough motive for murder, half of England would be six feet under."

2. Singing in the Shrouds (1958 / #20).

"The Cape Farewell steams out to sea, carrying a serial strangler who says it with flowers and a little song. Behind, on a fogbound London dock, lies his latest lovely victim; and on board, working undercover to identify him before he strikes again, is Inspector Roderick Alleyn. But-with a collection of neurotic, bombastic, shifty, and passionate passengers at one another's throats-how long can he keep the investigation on course?"

3. Photo Finish (#31 / 1980).

"A persistent paparazzi has hounded operatic soprano Isabella Sommita until her nerves are at the breaking point. Now her millionaire boyfriend has whisked her to a New Zealand island to recover. There she plans a performance of an aria written just for her-- by her secret young lover, who, along with a bevy of envious celebrities, is also on the island. It's the perfect set-up for grand opera-- wild passions...and bloody murder. And when the great singer is found dead, a photo on her bosom, Superintendent Roderick Alleyn must find out who did the diva in..."

4. Color Scheme (#12 / 1943).

"Often regarded as her most interesting book and set on New Zealand’s North Island, Ngaio Marsh herself considered this to be her best-written novel.

It was a horrible death – Maurice Questing was lured into a pool of boiling mud and left there to die.

Chief Inspector Roderick Alleyn, far from home on a wartime quest for German agents, knew that any number of people could have killed him: the English exiles he’d hated, the New Zealanders he’d despised or the Maoris he’d insulted. Even the spies he’d thwarted – if he wasn’t a spy himself…"

5. Hand in Glove (#22 / 1962).

"Who had a hand in the murder of a country gent?

All manner of friction fills the English country house shared by genteel retiree Percival Pyke Period and fuddy-duddy lawyer Harry Cartell. Until one of them, after a flamboyant dowager's treasure hunt party, is found murdered-face down in the mire of an open drain. Which of Superintendent Roderick Alleyn's suspects-linked by a tangled set of relationships-wore a crucial, missing pair of gloves to commit this dirty deed?"

6. Death and the Dancing Footman (#11 / 1941).

"The party's over when murder makes an entrance...

With the notion of bringing together the most bitter of enemies for his own amusement, a bored, mischievous millionaire throws a house party. As a brutal snowstorm strands the unhappy guests, the party receives a most unwelcome visitor: death. Now the brilliant inspector Roderick Alleyn must step in to decipher who at the party is capable of cold-blooded murder..."

7. Light Thickens (#32 / 1982).

"The bad news: This is the last in Ngaio Marsh s marvelous Inspector Alleyn series. The good: It s one of her very best. The secret to Light Thickens success may lie in its combination of some of Marsh s greatest passions, including her native New Zealand in the person of, unusually, a Maori character and the theater. Indeed, the plot centers on a production of well, let s skirt disaster by calling it the Scottish play, a play that Dame Ngaio produced and directed several times. Among theater folk, the Scottish play is considered unlucky, so much so that tradition requires anyone who utters its proper name backstage to leave the building, spin around, spit, curse, and then request permission to re-enter."

8. Dead Water (#23 / 1963).

"A week of death threats at a faith-healing resort ends in murder. Inspector Roderick Alleyn is then faced with the most challenging case of his career. What makes matters worse is the fact that one of the suspects is his oldest friend. In classic Marsh fashion, the other suspect turns out to be none other than the victim herself."

9. Surfeit of Lampreys (#10 / 1941).

"Ngaio Marsh’s most popular novel begins when a young New Zealander’s first contact with the English gentry is the body of Lord Wutherford - with a meat skewer through the eye....

The Lampreys had plenty of charm - but no cash. They all knew they were peculiar - and rather gloried in it. The double and triple charades, for instance, with which they would entertain their guests - like rich but awful Uncle Gabriel, who was always such a bore. The Lampreys thought if they jollied him up he would bail them out - yet again.

Instead Uncle Gabriel met a violent end. And Chief Inspector Alleyn had to work out which of them killed him...."

10. Off With His Head (#19 / 1956).

"A ritual dance becomes a murderous mambo...

At the winter solstice, South Mardian's swordsmen weave their blades in an ancient ritual dance. But for one of them, the excitement proves too heady, and his decapitation turns the fertility rite into a pageant of death. Now Inspector Roderick Alleyn must penetrate not only the mysteries of folklore, but the secrets and sins of an eccentric group who include a surly blacksmith, a domineering dowager, and a not-so-simple village idiot."

The complete listing of Ngaio Marsh's work can be found at this link.

Have a great week!

A Wednesday Night Reading Update

Jo is home from work and we've had dinner; tuna melts and salad. We're currently relaxing and watching Home Economics so I thought I'd provide a reading update. I've finished one book so far in 2023 so I'll provide my review as well as the synopsis of the next book in line. I've also received a couple of books in the mail and bought one. I'll provide the synopsis of those books for you as well. I'll also continue with my ongoing look at Women Authors whose Work I've been enjoying.

Just Finished

1. The Cool Cottontail by John Dudley Ball (Virgil Tibbs #2 / 1966).

"The Cool Cottontail by John Dudley Ball is the 2nd book in his Virgil Tibbs mystery series. I enjoyed the first story, In the Heat of the Night, and this book was just as entertaining. In the 2nd volume, Tibbs is once again back in California as an LAPD investigator.

Tibbs is called out to the scene of a murder. A dead body has been found in the pool at a nudist park. The body also is nude. Tibbs begins the investigation, helping the local cops with the investigation. It's all done very methodically, first the work to identify the victim and also the final investigation to discover the murderer. It's a well-crafted and presented story with nice character development as well.

There are interesting, topical (for the period, the 60s) issues covered as well as a crime investigation. Tibbs' constant having to deal with being a black cop, even to the questioning of his actual job, is an ongoing issue. I also enjoyed the discussion of the nudist park people, of their standards. It's not made a big issue but it is an ongoing theme. Tibbs is an excellent character and his methods make me think of the Spenser books by Robert Parker. He's low-key and capable, both physically and mentally. Excellent 2nd story and I look forward to the next one. (4.0 stars)"

Currently Reading

1. The Innocent by Taylor Stevens (Vanessa Munroe #2 / 

"Eight years ago, five-year old Hannah was spirited out of school and into the closed world of a cult known as The Chosen. Ever since, followers of its leader have hidden the child and shielded her abductor. Now, childhood survivors of The Chosen who have escaped to make a life for themselves on the outside know here to find Hannah and turn to Vanessa Michael Munroe for help. Munroe reluctantly takes the job, and travels to Buenos Aires to infiltrate the cult and save the girl. Inducted in to a world unlike anything she has faced before, Munroe must navigate unpredictable members and their dangerous cohorts, the impatient survivors who hired her, and the struggle against her own increasingly violent nature so she can rescue the child before the window of opportunity closes and Hannah is lost forever."

New Books

1. March Book 3 by John Lewis (2016).

"Welcome to the stunning conclusion of the award-winning and best-selling MARCH trilogy. Congressman John Lewis, an American icon and one of the key figures of the civil rights movement, joins co-writer Andrew Aydin and artist Nate Powell to bring the lessons of history to vivid life for a new generation, urgently relevant for today's world."

2. The Sandman Vol 4 - Season of Mists by Neil Gaiman (1990).

"Ten thousand years ago, Morpheus condemned a woman who loved him to Hell. Now the other members of his immortal family, The Endless, have convinced the Dream King that this was an injustice. To make it right, Morpheus must return to Hell to rescue his banished love -- and Hell's ruler, the fallen angel Lucifer, has already sworn to destroy him."

3. Heartstopper Vol 2 by Alice Oseman (2019).

"Nick and Charlie are best friends. Nick knows Charlie's gay, and Charlie is sure that Nick isn't.

But love works in surprising ways, and Nick is discovering all kinds of things about his friends, his family ... and himself."

Women Whose Work I'm Enjoying - Hilary Mantel

Hilary Mantel

Hilary Mantel is a British writer of historical fiction. She was born in Derbyshire in 1952 and died in Devon in 2022. I've read the first book in her Wolf Hall trilogy and enjoyed very much. It was a slow build, as I recall but the more I got into it, the more I enjoyed it. I also have the 2nd book on my bookshelf and hope to get to it this year. I think the reason I haven't yet is because I start off being intimidated by tomes. Silly really because I regularly end up enjoying them. Anyway, enough rambling. Let's look at my review of the first and the synopsis of the 2nd book.

1. Wolf Hall (2009).

"My wife and I got Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel as a gift about 5 years ago. It's sat on the shelf for a long time, as you can see, and I've had quite some trepidation about starting it. I can't say why. It might just have been the size, but in the end that's a pretty poor reason as I've read longer books than it. Suffice it to say, this year it was one of my challenge reads, selected for me by a book club friend of mine. 

It's a historical novel, set during the time of Henry VIII in the early 1500's as he fights with the Pope to get his first marriage to Katherine of Aragon annulled so he can marry Anne Boleyn. The story focuses on the rise of Thomas Cromwell from the son of a blacksmith to Henry's chief adviser. We get to see palace intrigue, the life and family of Cromwell, those who people the court of Henry VIII and their dealings and personalities.

That's the story on its simplest level but it is indeed an intricate, complex, fascinating story. As with most large tomes, it took me awhile to get going with the story. I usually have a few books on the go and I can be easily distracted. But as I got deeper into the story, I found myself drawn to the characters, the richness of their personalities, the complexities of the court life and just the portrayal of England at the time.

Cromwell is made very human, as is Henry VIII and the rest of the large cast of thousands, from Cromwell's extended family, to the lords and dukes and ladies who you find at the King's court and in their dealings with Cromwell. The religious aspect is also well - described, the dealings between England and Rome as they try to get the first marriage annulled. Cromwell is everywhere, dealing with Henry, with Anne Boleyn, with Katherine, the lords and archbishops, etc. His rise in power is a fascinating story. His love and care of his family and of those people he seems to pick up off the street and add to his family was especially fascinating. 

In the end, I enjoyed the whole story immensely and was pleasantly surprised at how much I did enjoy it. Now I have to dust off the 2nd book, Bringing up the Bodies.. I may wait awhile to catch my breath though. (5 stars)"

2. Bringing Up the Bodies (2012).

"Though he battled for seven years to marry her, Henry is disenchanted with Anne Boleyn. She has failed to give him a son and her sharp intelligence and audacious will alienate his old friends and the noble families of England. When the discarded Katherine dies in exile from the court, Anne stands starkly exposed, the focus of gossip and malice.

At a word from Henry, Thomas Cromwell is ready to bring her down. Over three terrifying weeks, Anne is ensnared in a web of conspiracy, while the demure Jane Seymour stands waiting her turn for the poisoned wedding ring. But Anne and her powerful family will not yield without a ferocious struggle. Hilary Mantel's Bring Up the Bodies follows the dramatic trial of the queen and her suitors for adultery and treason. To defeat the Boleyns, Cromwell must ally with his natural enemies, the papist aristocracy. What price will he pay for Anne's head?"

The complete listing of Mantel's works are available at this link. 

2023's First Midweek Music Medley

Here is your first midweek music medley for 2023.

Midweek Music Medley

1. American music producer Marshmello w/ English pop band Bastille - Happier (2018).

2. English electronic music duo Basement Jaxx - Romeo (2001).

3. English DJ and radio presenter Mistajam - Ultimatum (2020).

Have a great week and year! 🍾