A May Quickie

Congrats to our PM! Give Trumpy what for! #ElbowsUp

My first post in a little while, let me take this opportunity before I get to books to congratulate Prime Minister Mark Carney on his recent victory, giving the Canadian Liberal Party a minority government! 

Jo and I, well, mainly Jo, are entering a new phase as she started her chemo therapy yesterday. The nurses at the hospital were all lovely and Jo was brave as all get up. I love her dearly. 

Spring has finally sprung here in the valley, the sun is up earlier and earlier and we're enjoying having the patio door open all day. Now to finish getting my yard work done and cleaning off the deck.. I could be doing that instead of sitting here, but there is always manana, right?

This is my first reading update of May 2025, so let's get to it.

Books Completed

3 books completed since my last update.

1. The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline (2017)

"The Marrow Thieves is the first of two books (so far anyway) in this new series by Canadian / Metis author Cherie Dimaline. In some ways it reminds me of The Road by Cormac McCarthy (the journey towards a hopeful future) but more so of Waubgeshig Rice's Moon books, with its indigenous group struggling to survive a dystopic future in northern Ontario. Having said that, it's also a unique interesting story in its own right.

The story follows a group of indigenous people who are heading into northern Canada to escape from what is going on in the cities. It's told from the perspective of Frenchie (Francis) a Cree teenager, who keeps track of the events and also tells us more about the other members of the party, which is led by Miigwans, a native elder. There has been a natural disaster caused by over-population, destruction of the environment. The waters have risen, the climate is fighting back. One of the interesting things that's taken place is that white folks can no longer dream whereas the indigenous can.

So, because of this, the whites have resurrected the residential schools in a new manner. Captured indigenous peoples have become scientific experiments to help the whites get back the ability to dream. The indigenous are hunted down and taken to these 'schools', where they seem be changed... well, it's not perfectly explained and I'll let you discover it. The group is heading north to find more of their people, to find safety.

So the story is the journey and as well, it's the stories of the individual members of the party, their interactions and the budding relationships between them. It's an interesting story, that needs to be continued to how it all wraps up. The individuals are all interesting and well-developed and the story definitely holds your attention. I've got # 2, Hunting By Stars awaiting my attention. Excellent novel. (3.5 stars)"

2. The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin (Hainish Cycle #5 / 1972). It's such a great Sci-Fi series.

"The Word for World is Forest is the 5th book in Ursula K. Le Guin's Hainish Cycle Sci-Fi series. An excellent story it is also a surprisingly violent and stark story. 

The planet New Tahiti, as named by the human colonists, has been colonized by Earthmen because of its forests. They are there to chop down trees and send the lumber back to Earth. The planet is peopled by a peaceful race, the Athsheans, small and furry beings who have been turned into indentured slaves by the yumens. They are made to help chop their forests, work as servants and generally to be abused, especially by some of the 'yumens'. 

Enter Capt. Davidson, a heartless individual who treats the indigenous people as bugs. He is in charge of Smith Camp and seems to do whatever he pleases. He's far away from the main camp that nobody really controls him. He's had run-ins with 0ne of the Science officers, Capt. Lyubov, who in fact interjected when Davidson was about to kill the other main actor in this novel, Selver, a friend of Lyubov. Davidson had raped and in so doing, had murdered Selver's wife. Selver, now bereft, had attacked Davidson, an unheard of action by an Athshean.

Things now escalate rapidly. Davidson is away, with Lyubov at Centralville. Davidson was there to greet a shipload of Earth females, there basically to provide sex for the men on the planet. While they are away, Smith Camp is attacked and destroyed by an army of Athsheans led by Selver. And things continue to get worse... I'll stop there.

It's an interesting story with all sorts of references to Earth's history and the treatment of indigenous peoples by colonists. There is a strong spiritual element to the story. The Athsheans are dreamers; their dreamworld co-existing with their real world. The story basically follows one of the main 3 characters in each chapter; either Selver, Lyubov or Davidson and each is presented quite differently. 

It's beautifully written and crafted and moves along at a steady pace. How it is resolved between the Athseans and the colonists and their home world is fascinating. Another excellent book in the Hainish series. But beware. For a Le Guin story it is quite gritty (4.5 stars)"

3. The Complete Persepolis: 20th Anniversary Edition by Marjane Satrapi (2007).

"I had read Woman, Life, Freedom by Marjane Satrapi last year, an excellent graphic novel about the history of Iran and the fight for women's rights. After that I decided to check out another work, The Complete Persepolis: 20th Anniversary Edition. This 20th anniversary edition combines Vols 1 & 2 from 2003 / 2004. 

This story is basically a graphical novel autobiography of Marjane Satrapi's life as she grew up in Iran during the fundamentalist regime and also her life in Austria, where her parents sent her to get an education. It's a surprising story which always has the background of the Iranian regime's war against human rights and freedom of expression. It covers the period of the war with Saddam Hussein's Iraq as well. 

In many ways it's a terrifying story. I can't imagine how people kept going, from the 'relative freedom' of the Shah's regime... and I use that term loosely because his regime also had its secret police that disappeared people who expressed opposing opinions. Marjane's family were relatively wealthy during this period but things did change with the mullahs took over. Life for them and for everybody changed drastically.. well, it changed from a different perspective. The freedom to wear what you wanted, to read what you wanted, to watch what you wanted, to go to night clubs, all disappeared and the veil became prevalent again.

Marjane is a typical kid, really, considering the conditions under which she lived. She and her friends rebel at school, especially against wearing the veil. As she gets older, her parents decide she needs to leave Iran for her own safety. They stay behind while Marjane goes to school in Austria, to continue her French education. Life there isn't very easy for Marjane, a struggle to make friends, to adjust to the life style of this country. She spends time moving from residence to residence, using drugs, developing relationships, having sex (usually alluded to, not actually shown) Back in Iran, things are much more difficult.

After the break-up of a relationship, Marjane heads home to be with her family. She finds the return, after 4 years, very difficult; how to communicate about her life in Austria when it seems trivial to what her parents had been experiencing in Iran. The story, after many trials, descents into despair, does end on a positive note, with Marjane leaving once again, to continue her education in France.

It's a fascinating story, a mix of cultures, conflict between secular Iran and fundamentalist Iran, war, growing up replete with more struggles than just your average teenager. The artwork is beautiful but stark,  the story rich but bleak at times. I may have to check out more of her work. (4.0 stars)"

Currently Reading

1. Barking! by Liz Evans (PI Grace Smith #4 / 2001). I love this detective series.

"Stuart Roberts is a mild-mannered, shy accountant suffering from nightmares in which he remembers committing a violent murder, and he wants to know if they really happened. Grace doesn't want to take the case on the grounds that murders tend to mean there's someone who is prepared to kill around, and she'd rather pass, thanks very much. However, these are killings with a difference—they took place nearly 30 years before Stuart was born. During his dreams, Stuart becomes "Joe," and has vivid recollections of life as a hop farmer's son, a world Stuart swears he knows absolutely nothing about. Despite her skepticism, Grace has never been able to resist the lure of an unlimited expense account, so she takes the job. And then discovers that her client isn't quite what he appears to be."

2. Novels & Stories by Joanna Russ. I've wanted to read Russ's The Female Man for awhile and when I saw this compendium of her works, thought it was worth a try. I'm well into The Female Man.

"Rediscover one of America’s best SF writers in a definitive hardcover edition gathering all her finest work together for the first time

A LGBTQIA+ pioneer joins the Library of America series

An incandescent stylist with a dark sense of humor and a provocative feminist edge, Joanna Russ upended every genre in which she worked. The essential novels and stories gathered in this definitive Library of America edition make a case for Russ not only as an astonishing writer of speculative fiction, but, in the words of Samuel Delany, “one of the finest––and most necessary––writers of American fiction” period.

Here is her now-classic novel The Female Man (1975), in which four remarkable women––Jeannine, Janet, Joanna, and Jael––traverse alternate histories and parallel worlds (including the brilliantly imagined all-female utopia, Whileaway) in a multi-voiced, multidimensional voyage that continues to alter readers’ sense of gender and reality.

We Who Are About To … (1977), recounting the fate of a misfit band of space-tourists stranded on an alien world, challenges “golden age” expectations about civilization, in what becomes an allegorical thriller.

In On Strike Against God (1980), her incisive, darkly comic, and ultimately joyous final novel, Russ returns to Earth to explore LGBTQIA+ and feminist themes and the unfamiliar territory of “coming out” and lesbian romance.

Russ’s “Complete Alyx Stories” ––which feature her inimitably sly, resilient, and stone-cold heroine Alyx, who is plucked from a life of petty crime in ancient Phoenicia to serve as adventurer-for-hire for the Trans-Temporal Authority, and which reinvent the sword and sorcery genre for a postmodern era––are presented in their entirety here for the first time, and newly restored to print.

Also included are her unforgettable tales “When It Changed” and “Souls,” the former a 1973 Nebula Award winner and the latter the recipient of the 1983 Hugo and Locus Awards."

3. The Wintermen by Brit Griffin (Wintermen #1 / 2014). The Wild West meets the dystopic Wild North!

"The Wintermen is a near-future, climate-changed western, with snow machines riding into town and a showdown in the snow. Johnny Slaught and his Algonquin buddy Chumboy Commando didn't set out to lead one of the most notorious bands of rebels in recent history. But after the world descends into climate change chaos, the government does some serious triage, forcing wide-scale evacuations and abandoning rural areas to the non-stop snow. Soon enough, Slaught is forced by circumstance to stand up to the muscle of TALOS Security Corporation, setting in motion a rebellion of average folks fighting to rebuild their lives in the abandoned snow-scape of the northland. As TALOS sees it, Slaught and his Wintermen are a dangerous bunch of resistant fighters threatening control over the resource-rich hinterlands. TALOS, protecting their control and financial bottom line, are taking the Wintermen resistance very seriously. And so the hunt is on, with souped-up snow machines and heavy-duty firepower. To face off against TALOS? ruthless mercenary contractors, Slaught deploys a mixture of scrap snow-machines, gasoline and the military wisdom of Subcommander Marcos, backed-up by a ragtag community of bible-thumping seniors, a hippy midwife, a couple of gay stoners and Chumboy's mystical Auntie. Forget the western. Welcome to the Northern!"

New Books

(4 new books since my last update)

1. I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones (2024). A new author for me.

"It’s the summer before senior year for best friends Tolly Driver and Amber Dennison. They’re not in the marching band, they’re not in the FFA – they don’t really count. Amber’s the only Native student in town, and Tolly’s only on the radar due to his father’s recent death.

This is all about to change.

Bodies are going to be dropping fast in this small West Texas town. For a few unbearably hot days that will resonate through the decades and even get made into a TV movie, Tolly and Amber will be famous. Notorious even. Finally, everyone will know their names.

This is Stephen Graham Jones x-raying the slasher genre, interrogating its motivations over the shoulder and in the voice of the killer itself – from a town he did some growing up in, in a year he was also seventeen.

The kills will be poignant, the jokes will hurt, and the violence will be endearing. Everything’s turned around for Tolly, for Amber – for all of Lamesa, Texas.

Be happy you weren’t there.

Be happy you’re only reading about it."

2. The Gum Thief by Douglas Coupland (2007).

"One day, Bethany discovers Roger's notebook in the staff room. When she opens it up, she finds that this old guy who she's never considered to be quite human is writing mock diary entries pretending to be her - and spookily, he is getting her right."

3. The Accidental Soldier by Owain Mulligan (2025).

"Owain Mulligan was never what you'd call a career soldier. Nor even a particularly good one. At weekends he trained with the Territorial Army and dreamt of swapping the mayhem of teaching in a tough school for the adventure of service in Iraq. At least they'd let him wear a helmet in Iraq.

But when the job in headquarters he's been expecting doesn't materialize, he finds himself on the streets of Basra during one of the most violent periods of the conflict. Between homicidal militias, a chain of command who seem determined to get him killed, and equipment which might well do it for them, he and his men have their work cut out. It certainly puts double geography with 9E into perspective.

The Accidental Soldier is a searingly honest and darkly funny account of what it was really like being in the British Army in Iraq (including all the bits they probably hoped you'd never find out). We share all the hardships, fears, and occasional lunacy of military life as Owain and his men try to navigate a war gone badly wrong. One thing's for sure; you'll never look at the phrase 'military precision' in quite the same way again..."

4. Down World by Rebecca Phelps (Down World #1 / 2021).

"As the site of a former military base, there have always been rumors that East Township High School was the site of experiments with space and time. For years, students have whispered in the hallways of a doorway created within the school, one that can access multiple timelines and realities, a place known as the Down World.

As the new kid in school and still reeling from the unexplained death of her brother Robbie, Marina O'Connell is only interested in one thing: leaving the past behind. But a chance encounter with handsome Brady Picelli changes everything. He will lead Marina to a startling discovery. The Down World is real and the past, present, and future are falling out of balance.

Brady is determined to help Marina discover what really happened to her brother. However, what is taken from one world, must be repaid by another. And Marina is about to discover that even a realm of infinite possibilities has rules that must be obeyed."

Well, folks, there you go. See any books that might interest you? I hope so. Enjoy the rest of the week and your May reading.

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!

My First Post of April

It's already April 9th and this is just my first post of the month. My apologies. It's been a relatively busy month so far and will only get busier. Three books to update, plus a few new ones that have arrived. So let's get to it.

Books Completed

I've completed two books since my last update and gave up on one more.

1. The Girl and the Glim by India Swift & Michael Doig (2022).

"I'm not sure where I heard of India Swift. I'm guessing in the back of one of the other graphic novels I've been enjoying. At any rate, I just received The Girl and the Glim illustrated and written by Swift and colored by Michael Doig. It came out in 2022 and is the story of Bridgette, a young girl about to start in a new town and a new school. 

Putting on her lucky shirt and a brave face, off she goes, hoping to make a good impression. Of course, she's late for her first class, too short to write her name on the blackboard above everything else on it and soon is the butt of some of the other kids. It seems as well that there are things going on with the schools electrics; phones not working, lights shutting off. 

The next day her troubles continue. At the Library to find a book on improving your self-confidence, she's discovered by the 'bully' (sort of a bully) and locked in a supply room. Bridgette escapes through a window and has to follow a difficult path that leads her to a tumble into the woods where she discovers some dark creatures. Running home, she then discovers a fluffy, glimmering little creature and after a brief tussle, they become friends. (Oh... only Bridgette can see the Glim and these other creatures)

The story follows Bridgette's efforts to save her school.. Let's just say, it's a fun, action-filled story, beautifully drawn and colored. Bridgette is adorable. The other characters are drawn with such excellent expression as well. It's not a unique story, new kid in school, trying to fit in and the troubles!! But it's still an excellent tale. And it left you feeling satisfied but at the same time thinking maybe there might be a sequel. We'll see. Check it out, or get if for your kids (3.0 stars)"

2. Lost Girls by Alan Moore (2006).

"Over the past few years, I've enjoyed many of Alan Moore's graphic novels, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and many others. I had heard of Lost Girls but for some reason, it's only recently that I bought it and decided to try it.

Firstly, this Warning about Lost Girls, it contains Extreme Adult Content. This is the gist of the story. 3 women famed as young girls; Dorothy Gale from the Wizard of Oz, Wendy Darling from the Peter Pan stories and Alice from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, have grown up and all arrive at a hotel in Austria. They are all running from there pasts and all meet up and gradually over the course of the story, begin to tell of their 'adventures' in their earlier lives.

Their adventures in the specific books are related to their own real lives. Their relationships in Austria become very close, even sexual as they take turns telling their stories. Call it Fanny Hill on steroids. The setting enhances their sexual experiences. The owner leaves erotic literature in each room and often as the women are interacting, portions of the 'white book' accompany their own stories.

The setting is early in the 1900's just when Crown Prince Ferdinand is assassinated and WWI is about to begin. This plays only a small role in the story. The women ignore it as everybody else departs the hotel, leaving it to them. 

The premise of the story is quite interesting, especially the link between their literary stories and their 'real' lives, but I have to say the constant sexual activity, graphically presented in the artwork, gradually gets oppressive.. to me anyway. The artwork is excellent and the samples at the end of how images were created were also interesting. A cult work by Moore (maybe all of his work is cult work....) and interesting. Just beware if you want to try it. (2.5 stars)"

3. Children of Chicago by Cynthia Pelayo (Children of Chicago #1 / 2021). I did not finish this one.

"I'm afraid that Children of Chicago by Cynthia Pelayo was a DNF for me, hence no rating (NR). After 110+ pages, I'm still not even sure what the book is about. This is what I've gathered. Lauren Medina is a police homicide investigator, following in her father's footsteps. She's a troubled cop, in that she's regularly getting into trouble. There is something going on in Chicago, something.... supernatural?? related to Grimm's fairy stories (the nasty ones). It involves murders of children / teenagers... There is a mysterious person / being, who is related somehow to the Pied Piper who is leading these child murderers??? You see my confusion? 

I'm sure it's all explained very well, but for me it wasn't working. There is a follow-on book in this series. Anyway, don't go by what I say, judge for yourselves, please. Just because it didn't work for me, means nothing in the great scope of things. (DNF / NR)"

Currently Reading

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

"The striking seventh novel in the Martin Beck mystery series by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö, finds Beck facing one of the greatest challenges in his professional career.

The gruesome murder of a police captain in his hospital room reveals the unsavory history of a man who spent forty years practicing a horrible blend of strong-arm police work and shear brutality. Martin Beck and his colleagues feverishly comb Stockholm for the murderer, a demented and deadly rifleman, who has plans for even more chaos. As the tension builds and a feeling of imminent danger grips Beck, his investigation unearths evidence of police corruption. That’s when an even stronger sense of responsibility and something like shame urge him into taking a series of drastic steps, which lead to a shocking disaster."

2. A Question of Proof by Nicholas Blake (Nigel Strangeways #1 / 1935).

"The annual Sports Day at respected public school Sudeley Hall ends in tragedy when the headmaster's obnoxious nephew is found strangled in a haystack. The boy was despised by staff and students alike, but English master Michael Evans, who was seen sharing a kiss with the headmaster's beautiful young wife earlier that day, soon becomes a prime suspect for the murder. Luckily, his friend Nigel Strangeways, nephew to the Assistant Commissioner of Scotland Yard, is on hand to help investigate the case."

3. On Freedom by Timothy Snyder (2024). As a matter of interest, Mr. Snyder and his wife just recently left the US for Toronto because of the current political situation in the US.

"A brilliant exploration of freedom—what it is, how it’s been misunderstood, and why it’s our only chance for survival—by the acclaimed Yale historian and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller On Tyranny. Timothy Snyder has been called “the leading interpreter of our dark times.” As a historian, he has given us startling reinterpretations of political collapse and mass killing. As a public intellectual, he has turned that knowledge toward counsel and prediction, working against authoritarianism here and abroad. His book On Tyranny has inspired millions around the world to fight for freedom. Now, in this tour de force of political philosophy, he helps us see exactly what we’re fighting for. Freedom is the great American commitment, but as Snyder argues, we have lost sight of what it means—and this is leading us into crisis. Too many of us look at freedom as the absence of state We think we're free if we can do and say as we please, and protect ourselves from government overreach. But true freedom isn’t so much freedom from, as freedom to—the freedom to thrive, to take risks for futures we choose by working together. Freedom is the value that makes all other values possible. On Freedom takes us on a thrilling intellectual journey. Drawing on the work of philosophers and political dissidents, conversations with contemporary thinkers, and his own experiences coming of age in a time of American exceptionalism, Snyder identifies the practices and attitudes—the habits of mind—that will allow us to design a government in which we and future generations can flourish. We come to appreciate the importance of traditions (championed by the right) but also the role of institutions (the purview of the left). Intimate yet ambitious, this book helps forge a new consensus rooted in a politics of abundance, generosity, and grace."

New Books

1. The Prince in Waiting Trilogy by John Christopher (1972). I've enjoyed most of the books I've read by Christopher.

"A thirteen-year-old’s expectations of royalty give way to adventure in the first book in the post-apocalyptic Sword of the Spirits trilogy from the author of The Tripods series. In Winchester, roles are clearly defined. Warriors fight battles every spring. Dwarfs make the swords and the shields. Grotesque mutants are the servant class. Seers interpret the wishes and predictions of the spirits. And the Prince is the ruler of the city. Thirteen-year-old Luke has no reason to suspect that any of this will change. It’s been this way for centuries...at least since the year 2000. But things are not what they seem, and soon Luke is thrown into a story of ambition and adventure in the primitive world of the future, Beyond the Burning Luke encounters rage, treachery, and revenge in the second book in the post-apocalyptic Sword of the Spirits trilogy from the author of The Tripods series. As the Prince in Waiting, Luke has been protected by the High Seers since his father’s murder and his half-brother’s ascension to the throne of Winchester. But after hiding for months in the underground Sanctuary, Luke discovers a shocking in a world where mechanical devices have been forbidden, the Seers themselves are secret technologists. Now restless, Luke seizes the chance to explore the world around him. His quest leads him to unimaginable dangers and unexpected delights...but the most dangerous part of his journey awaits him at home. The Sword of the in the conclusion to the trilogy set in post-apocalyptic England, Luke returns a triumphant Prince from his expedition in the North, although he loses the three things he cares about most."

2. Collected Poems 1951 - 1975 by Charles Causley (1975). I enjoyed a smaller collection of Causley's poems very much.

"Charles Causley is without question one of Britain's foremost living poets. He has been writing poetry for a quarter century that because it is perfectly crafted and easily comprehensible has moved and entertained a large and admiring audience. Causley is one of our language's last great popular his verse rhymes; he employs traditional forms such as the ballad; he writes of the sea, of children, of war, of Cornwall where he has always lived and taught. This volume presents the perfected version of every poem Causley has wished to preserve, together with 23 new ones. These are poems of vigorous rhythms and diction. They express deep compassion and rare insight. While never unsubtle, Causley is always direct and consequently always readable."

3. Dirty Snow by Georges Simenon (1948).

"Nineteen-year-old Frank Friedmaier lives in a country under occupation. Most people struggle to get by; Frank takes it easy in his mother's whorehouse, which caters to members of the occupying forces. But Frank is restless. He is a pimp, a thug, a petty thief, and, as Dirty Snow opens, he has just killed his first man. Through the unrelenting darkness and cold of an endless winter, Frank will pursue abjection until finally there is nowhere to go."

4. Clocks Without Hands by Carson McCullers (1961).

"Set in Georgia on the eve of court-ordered integration, Clock Without Hands contains McCullers's most poignant statement on race, class, and justice. A small-town druggist dying of leukemia calls himself and his community to account in this tale of change and changelessness, of death and the death-in-life that is hate. It is a tale, as McCullers herself wrote, of "response and responsibility--of man toward his own livingness."

5. Europa by Aurora Springer (Taxyon Space #1 / 2017).

"Science fiction thriller and romance. What alien creatures lurk under the icy surface of Europa? Dr. Nikki Bell’s plan to discover intelligent life on Jupiter’s moon hits a rocky start when her spaceship crashes on the icy surface of Europa. Seconds before she blacks out, she spies a man’s face in the water beneath the ice. When she wakes on the submarine Station, nobody believes her story. Convinced the mysterious stranger saved her life, Nikki searches for him while she explores the ocean and its alien inhabitants. Kiron Arqin Ramis chose exile as a Watcher on a remote outpost to redeem his family’s honor. He never expected to find an attractive Earther woman close to death. He violates the prime policy by rescuing her. Despite suffering the penalty, he strives to warn her about his hostile leaders. Nikki’s unexpected meeting with Kiron triggers a chain of disasters in Europa’s perilous oceans. Can the daredevil scientist and scarred Watcher forge a new alliance despite their people’s antagonism?"

6. East of West Volume 5, All These Secrets by Jonathan Hickman (2016).

"It's the fifth volume of the Eisner-nominated, best-selling East Of West. All These Secrets is the twisting road of lies that will lead to Armageddon.

Collecting: East of West 20-24"

7. Close to Hugh by Marina Endicott (2015).

"Close to Hugh is a glorious, exuberant, poignant comic novel about youth and age, art and life, love and death--and about losing your mind and finding your heart's desire over the course of seven days one September. As the week opens, fifty-something Hugh Argylle, owner of the Argylle Art Gallery, has a jarring fall from a ladder--a fall that leaves him with a fractured off-kilter vision of his own life and the lives of his friends, who are going through crises (dying parents; disheveled marriages; wilting businesses) that leave them despairing, afraid, one half-step from going under emotionally or financially. Someone's going to have to fix all that, thinks Hugh--and it will probably be him.

Meanwhile, beneath the adult orbit, bright young lives are taking form: these are the sons and daughters of Hugh's friends, about to graduate from high school and already separating from the gravitational pull of their parents. As bonds knit and unravel on cellphones and iPads and Tumblr and Twitter, the desires and terrors and sudden revelations of adolescence are mirrored in the second adolescence of the soon-to-be childless adults.

With exquisite insight and surefooted mastery, Endicott manages something surprising: to show us, with an unerring ear for the different cadences and concerns of both generations, two sets of friends on the cusp of simultaneous reinvention. And, as always in Endicott's wonderful fictional worlds, underpinning the sharp comedy and keenly observed drama is something more profound: a rare and rich perspective on what it means to rise and fall and rise again, and what in the end we owe those we love."

8. Coven by Soman Chainani (2025).

"Need your magical crime solved?

Call the Witch Coven.

Hester, Anadil, and Dot are legendary across the Endless Woods as vigilante detectives and protectors of the peace. The famed trio are not only talented witches but also ride-or-die friends who’ve never left a case unsolved.

That is, until the Coven answers a call for help from a mysterious new world—Red Isle, where the Light and Dark Lands are on the brink of all-out war, each blaming the other for a grim spree of deaths. Now the Coven must work together and unmask the killer before Red Isle tears itself apart. Little do they know: The real enemy might be hiding in plain sight . . ."

So there you go folks, all caught up. Hope you see something that interests you.