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| Our Little Clyde Enjoying the Sun |
So we're now into the downward slope of 2025. Let's do a reading update...
Completed
(6 books completed since my last update)
" Over the years I've read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee many times. I can safely say that it's one of my Top Ten favorite novels ever. I've also enjoyed the movie based on the book as many times. It never fails to touch my soul. I had recently enjoyed the graphic novelization of The Wizard of Earthsea by Fred Fordham and when I checked out his other work discovered that he had also adapted and illustrated To Kill a Mockingbird: A Graphic Novel. So needless to say, I decided to try it as well.
I won't get into the story too much. Suffice it to say it's the story of Scout Finch, a young girl growing up in Maycomb, Alabama with her older brother, Jem, her widowed father, lawyer Atticus Finch and their housekeeper, Calpurnia. It's the story of small town life in the Southern US in the 1930's. It's a coming of age story as Scout begins school, learns about life, hatred, love, racism and tried to understand all of it with sage advice from her loving father. There is the mysterious neighbour, Boo Radley who they never see but who will impact their lives. There is the trial of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white woman, who is defended by her father and the impact that will have on their lives.
It's a powerful, emotional story and Fordham captures it beautifully in this graphic novel. He doesn't change anything. He respects the original story and just enhances it, adding a visual reference to the words. It was a pleasure to get back into this story. I did so with some trepidation because my feelings about it had been affected by Lee's next story, Go Set a Watchman... but that's a separate issue. Fordham's adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird was loving and respectful and had the same impact to me. I note that he's also done an adaptation of Brave New World which I may have to check out. (4.5 stars)"
"There are a number of mystery series that I enjoy, that featuring Inspector Alleyn by Ngaio Marsh being one of my favorites. Over her life, 1895 - 1982, Dame Ngaio Marsh wrote 32 books in this crime series. One last one was published in 2018, completed by Stella Duffy. Since I started reading this series in the mid-2000's, I've managed to complete 19 of the books and enjoyed every single one. On our visits to England, my wife and I got acquainted with the TV series based on the books and it's just as good.
Anyway, specifically back to my latest book, Photo Finish, the 31st book in the series... and yes, I haven't always read them in sequence. I picked this one because I've had it the longest on my shelf and I've been trying to clean off some of the dustiest books this year. This Alleyn mystery is unique because it's set in New Zealand, instead of England. There were about 4 set in New Zealand. At any rate, this provided a nice change of pace and scenery from the other books.
Alleyn's wife, famous artist Troy, has been requested by a famed soprano, Isabella Sommita, to travel to New Zealand to paint her portrait. Troy is very excited by this request as Sommita is a prima donna. At the same time, Scotland Yard receives a request from Sommita's manager to conduct an informal investigation at the same time. It seems that someone has been harassing Sommita by following her and taking photos of her that show her in an unfavorable light. Alleyn doesn't want to step on his wife's thunder but it's a chance for them to go away together so he accepts.
Sommita is staying on an island estate on the south island of New Zealand which is owned by her friend, wealthy Montague V. Rice. She will be performing for a private audience, an opera written by her protege and lover, a young man she met in Sydney Australia, one Rupert Bartholomew. When they arrive, the Alleyn's note a considerable friction. Rupert now believes his opera is sub-standard and wants Sommita not to embarrass herself. But it's all been arranged and the guests have arrived as well as a small group of performers.
After the performance, a number of things happen... a major storm has brewed up so the majority have to depart quickly or get stuck on the island. Rupert breaks down in front of the group. Sommita heads off to her suite and later on, her maid, Maria discovers her dead body.. stabbed in the heart with the most recent embarrassing photo pinned to her chest.
Alleyn is in a bit of a pickle now. He's not officially on duty but the island has been cut off because of the storm and the phone is not working. With the assistance of Sommita's doctor, John Carmichael and of his lovely wife, Alleyn tries to conduct an investigation into the murder and that is the crux of the story. And it's an entertaining, interesting one.
The cast of characters are all well-defined. Because it's kind of a closed room mystery on a slightly larger scale, the story allows them to all become more than two-dimensional. And because they are of the emotional musical crowd, they keep Alleyn hopping. The mystery itself is also interesting as there is a mafia feud element that is discovered as Alleyn delves deeper into the diva's life. It gets kind of confusing as the varied possibilities are explored but ultimately everything is wrapped up very nicely. A nice page turner, great characters, fascinating locale and all around entertaining story. (3.5 stars)"
"I bought Cloud Warrior the 1st book in the Amtrak Wars series by Patrick Tilley back in 2022. I basically grabbed it because of the cover and then the story sounded interesting. It's been sitting on my shelf since then but I really wanted to take a look at this series. It was all right.
The story is set in a dystopian US (no, it's not in 2025), ten centuries into the future? Many centuries before the US (and maybe the whole world, that's not clear yet) was destroyed by something. I believe it to be a major nuclear war but it's not specifically stated. These centuries into the future, the US is divided into the technological folks who live underground, they being the Amtrak Federation, ruled by the First Family and the surface peoples. These people who live on the surface are the Mutes who run in tribes and have certain powers.. at least some of them do. Now there are hints of other groups who live on the surface but I'm presuming they might become more obvious as the series develops. But there is mention of some escapees from the Amtrak federation who have survived on the surface and also some people from Pennsylvania who provide tools and weapons made of iron.. More to follow in that regard as I continue the series.
At any rate, the story focuses on Steve Hamilton of the Amtrak Federation who is finishing pilot training and will join one of the Pioneer groups to explore and invade one of the Mute regions. He has a sister, Roz, who seems to have some sort of psychic link with him... just hints of that mentioned. On the Mute side, you've got Cadillac, Clearwater and Mr. Snow, of the She-Kargo Mutes of the Central & Northern Plains (lots of names like this for the surface dwellers). Cadillac is learning to be a seer from Mr. Snow, the spiritual leader of their tribe. Clearwater is his 'lover / betrothed' and has her own powers.
So... the two groups, the Pioneers with Steve Hamilton and the She-Kargo Mutes will meet in the field of battle, the Pioneers using all of their technology and the Mutes their strength, grit and a bit of hocus pocus. The result will be that Steve Hamilton will find himself a prisoner of the Mutes and that's where the story continues to develop.
It's an interesting concept. And there is still so much to learn. Who are the First Family? How did the Amtrak Federation get started? What is the link between Steve and his sister? Mr. Snow has a link with the Talisman... is it spiritual or might it be another computer? But how accurate is its foretelling. The people are interesting. I love the names of the Mutes. Because of their link to Chicago and Detroit (Mo-town), you get names like Three degrees, Night-Fever, etc. It's fun trying to figure out the references.
And the story is interesting. Once you get into it, or when I got into it, I found myself getting more involved, engrossed. Not perfect but still interesting enough to get me to order #2. Worth checking out if you like dystopian Sci-Fi (3.0 stars)"
"All's Faire in Middle School is the 3rd YA graphic novel I've enjoyed by Victoria Jamieson. I've also read Roller Girl and When Stars are Scattered, both also excellent.
All's Faire follows young Impy (Imogene) who is about to start Middle School after spending her first years being home schooled. She lives in a small apartment block in Florida with her parents and younger brother Felix. They are not a rich family but are a close one. When it's in season, they are employed at the local Renaissance Faire. Her father Hugh is generally the Black Knight of some such villain. The rest work in their mother's craft shoppe. But this year, Impy will finally get to be one of the cast of the Faire. She will begin Squire training and earn a salary.
So two big events taking place in Impy's life, an exciting new job and an exciting but scary start to a new life at a big middle school with a bunch of total strangers. There are new clothes and all the other things that you get when you start school.
Everything doesn't go well with Impy. Life at the Faire is generally ok. She meets a girl from school, Anita, whose father lets her spend her weekends there. But Anita is a very smart girl and is picked on all the time at school. She's not quite like the others. This is a new situation for Impy, something she's never experienced. So while making new friends as school and also getting to know Anita at Faire on the weekends, she's also trying to keep those relationships apart. Not an easy job.
School isn't all that easy. She fits in but at the same time doesn't. Her clothes are a bit different because she can't afford to buy the trendy things. Her science teacher is difficult, a task master and Impy is having difficulties concentrating... So many things to think about.
Slowly Impy's life begins to spiral downwards, having problems at home, having issues at school and it starts to affect her work at the Faire. Will she be able to get her life back on track? You'll have to read it, eh?
It's a lovely story filled with great characters. I like Impy, her family and her friends at Faire. It's beautifully drawn and colored for a graphic novel, bright, clear, fresh. I hope Victoria Jamieson is working on new works. She is great! (4.0 stars)"
"The Religious Body is the 1st book in the Inspector Sloane mystery series by Catherine Aird and what a nice surprise it was. It was originally published in 1966 and Aird went on to write 25+ books in the series. I will continue to check it out.
The story is set in the fictional county of Calleshire, England. This particular story in a convent, located next to an agricultural college. On the night before Bonfire night, a nun, Sister Anne goes missing. Nothing is suspected until the next morning after breakfast (The convent has appropriate religious terms for the various activities and times of day, so please forgive me if I don't use them as I'd have to search into the story to find them. 😎) A search is organized by Mother Superior and her body is found at the bottom of a stairway leading to the cellar.
Calling the local doctor, he finds the death suspicious and, thus, the local police Criminal Investigations Department, led by Inspector Sloane is brought in. His normal DS is not available, so he takes DS Crosby with him. And this commences an entertaining, well-written mystery that drew me in and kept my interest. Inspector Sloane is a well-written character and the whole cast of suspects and witnesses and just the story itself was excellent.
There are many suspects. Could it be someone from within the convent itself? It turns out that Sister Anne came from a very wealthy family and planned to use her share of the family money to help the convent and its activities abroad. A cousin shows up, conveniently. He plans to turn the family business public and Sister Anne may have been an obstacle to that. What about the Agricultural college next door? On bonfire night, Inspector Sloane receives a telephone call, telling him to check out the colleges bonfire? Why is the body wearing a nun's wimple and Sister Anne's glasses? And what about the grumpy handyman who works out of the basement?
It's all very fascinating. Sloane conducts a competent, wide ranging investigation... 'ably?' assisted by Crosby. Sloane's daily interactions with his boss, Superintendent Leeyes, are always entertaining. Leeyes can only think of the golf game he is missing because of the murder investigation. And his recourse to quoting from his course on Logic always add something. It's just an entertaining story, not too dark, but still a murder investigation. It is wrapped up neatly and satisfyingly. I will be reading #2, Henrietta Who? Check out this series (4.5 stars)"
"I bought Lessons from Cats for Surviving Fascism by Stewart Reynolds AKA Brittlestar because I have enjoyed his humorous takes on politics on his Instagram feed. This book was short, sweet, light but to the point. Basically if you're fighting fascism, be more like a cat than a dog. But basically, he makes his point succinctly and clearly.
"Fascists survive on predictability because their entire system is built on the illusion of control." Be like the cat. Be unpredictable. Fascists can't handle unpredictability.
"Fascists, despite their chest-thumping bravado, are deeply insecure" They thrive on denigrating and making people feel small. They only win if you let them. Cats won't let them. You shouldn't either.
One more...
"Fascists, despite their swagger, are terrified of sharp resistance - both literal and metaphorical. They thrive on compliance..." So never let them think you are defenceless...
It's an interesting way of presenting this battle between democracy and fascism and it makes the point very clearly. Check it out and check out Brittlestar... (3.5 stars)"
Currently Reading
"As long as "The Unaffected" fought the Llralans, Earth would not die in its sleep!
Lulled into a coma by the exotic fumes from a strange plant, the people of Earth experienced terrible dreams while orange-skinned invaders quietly began taking control.But even as the planet slumbered to its downfall, a few Terrans miraculously remained awake. These were "The Unaffected" - men like Brad Donovan and Jimmy Rierson who battled the invaders with every weapon of technology and psychology at their disposal to prevent Earth from becoming a land of the living dead."
Chronically depressed, constantly strapped for money, always willing to bend the rules a bit, Hoke Moseley is hardly what you think of as the perfect cop, but he is one of the the greatest detective creations of all time."
Then, on the night of the wedding, the Ichiyanagi household are woken by a terrible scream, followed by the sound of eerie music. Death has come to Okamura, leaving no trace but a bloody samurai sword, thrust into the pristine snow outside the house. Soon, amateur detective Kosuke Kindaichi is on the scene to investigate what will become a legendary murder case, but can this scruffy sleuth solve a seemingly impossible crime?"
Born in Sri Lanka during the Second World War, Ondaatje was sent as a child to school in London, and later moved to Canada. While he has lived here since, these poems reflect the life of a writer, traveller and watcher of the world – describing himself as a “mongrel,” someone born out of diverse cultures. Here, rediscovering the influence of every border crossed, he moves back and forth in time, from a childhood in Sri Lanka to Moliere’s chair during his last stage performance, from icons in Bulgarian churches to the California coast and loved Canadian rivers, merging memory with the present, looking back on a life of displacement and discovery, love and loss. At first sight it is a glittering collection of fragments and memories – but small, intricate pieces of a life are precisely what matter most to Ondaatje. They make an emotional history. As he writes in the opening poem: “Reading the lines he loves / he slips them into a pocket, / wishes to die with his clothes / full of torn free stanzas / and the telephone numbers / of his children in far cities”. Poetry – where language is made to work hardest and burns with a gem-like flame – is what Ondaatje has returned to in this intimate history."
'One sensed in him neither flesh nor bone, nothing but soft, flaccid matter, so much so that his movements were hard to make out. Very red lips stood out from his orb-like face, as did the thin moustache that he curled with an iron and looked as if it had been drawn on with India ink; on his cheekbones were the symmetrical pink dots of a doll's cheeks.'
People find Mr. Hire strange, disconcerting. The tenants he shares his building with try to avoid him. He is a peeping Tom, a visitor of prostitutes, a dealer in unsavoury literature. He is also the prime suspect for a brutal murder that he did not commit. Yet Mr. Hire's innocence will not stand in the way of those looking for a scapegoat as tragedy unfolds in this quietly devastating and deeply unnerving novel.
'The romans durs are extraordinary: tough, bleak, offhandedly violent, suffused with guilt and bitterness, redolent of place . . . utterly unsentimental, frightening in the pitilessness of their gaze, yet wonderfully entertaining' John Banville
Georges Simenon was born in Liège, Belgium, in 1903. Best known in Britain as the author of the Maigret books, his prolific output of over 400 novels and short stories have made him a household name in continental Europe. He died in 1989 in Lausanne, Switzerland, where he had lived for the latter part of his life."
A Russian Soyuz capsule is coming down from the International Space Station carrying three passengers: one woman and two men. Could this be the end of Yorick's tenure as last living male?"
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| Clyde says 'Have a great day! ZZZZZ' |
