Should I or Shouldn't I?

Me, thinking

I've been kind of stewing over a question this past week or so. Background - I watch a few podcasts from people who talk about books, their favorites, their current reads, etc. I enjoy hearing their thoughts on books I've enjoyed or getting ideas for new reads. So, anyway, I started thinking I might like to try one myself. 

Positive point(s) - I like books. I read many books. I review books. I was a radio DJ back in the day, late '70s - early 80's. (not saying I was a good one. I just was one) 🤷

Negative point(s) - I'm retired and lazy. I still have lots of yard work to do. I already spend probably too much time sitting at this computer in the other room from Jo. Is that true, Jo??🙍‍♀️🙎‍♀️ (that might mean yes)

Anyway, I'll think about it some more and we'll see what comes of it.

Now, let's look at books read, started and purchased since my last update.

Books Completed

3 books completed in May so far. 

1. The Golden Ball and Other Stories by Agatha Christie (Short stories / 1971). A nice collection of short stories, without the benefit of Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot.

"The Golden Ball and Other Stories is a collection of short stories by crime master Agatha Christie. As a first comment, none of the stories include Christie's most famous creations, Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot. They are basically standalone mysteries, which makes them more (maybe) interesting for that.

In my poor old mind, the stories start off kind of fluffy.... cute. A guy is fired from his job by his uncle. He meets a pretty girl. They get involved in a mystery. They fall in love. All ends well. While quite different in their own way, the first few stories were kind of like that and they were quite enjoyable. They showed Christie's skill with the short story, her ability to get into her characters, her plot and move the story along nicely, to come up with a quick, satisfying result. 

But the tone changes a bit as the stories progress, maybe with Swan Song. Swan Song features a famous opera soprano, Mme Nazoroff, who is a prima donna giving a number of performances in London. She is offered an opportunity to also perform at a private estate and agrees. But she has a darker motive, which I won't ruin, but it is not quite like the other stories. The next few stories are almost mystical in their tone. They made me think of AC Doyle, when he wrote his tales of suspense, or HG Wells with the Invisible Man. Now Christie's stories are really horror but the provide a chill and a much darker tone. The Hound of Death is about a Belgian (she does like her Belgians) who escaped from Belgium during the war where an incident occurred in her church, something haunted, a hound??

The Gypsy is a story of foretelling, once again, not scary, but quite mystical and quite entertaining. In The Lamp, a mother, her young son and her father move into an old house that's been empty for a long time. It has a history, a young boy unintentionally abandoned by his father who died within. They can hear his pitter patter footsteps, her own son sees his spirit and ultimately, there is a sad, touching tragedy.

The Strange Case of Mr. Carmichael is quite creepy with two friends trying to help a young man, Carmichael regain his memory, his senses while something strange is going on in his estate; oriental mysticism, a 'dead cat'.... The Call of Wings is another spiritual, mystical story about a rich man, happy with his life, who sees a legless man playing a haunting tune one night and it affects him greatly. It ultimately makes him change his life drastically, to stop the conflict between his soul and his affinity for wealth.

Magnolia Blossom tells the story of a woman leaving her husband to be with the man she has fallen in love with. She discovers that her husband is about to lose everything, his money, his business so she returns to stand by him, with interesting consequences. And the final story, Next to a Dog.. well, it broke my heart, even if it does have a satisfying ending. A woman struggling to find work. She's lost everything, her husband, killed in the war, her money, gambled away by her husband, everything except her dog and she won't take a job that means she'll have to leave her dog; 12 years old, aging, slightly decrepit. I won't go any further, but it was a touching, tender, sad / happy, beautiful story.

The change in tone and type of story made this move up from a very good, entertaining collection of stories to a quite excellent, engrossing collection. Christie is truly a master story teller (4.0 stars)"

2. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken (Wolves Chronicles #1 / 1962)

"I was introduced to the stories of Joan Aiken when I read & greatly enjoyed her The Serial Garden: The Complete Armitage Family Stories, a collection of stories featuring the wonderful Armitage Family. Deciding to further explore her work, I acquired The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, the first book in her Wolves Chronicles. To be fair, while a scary addition to the story, the wolves themselves play a fairly minor role in the story itself (unless you consider being attacked by wild, ravenous packs of wolves as something major, then fair ball).

The story follows two young cousins, Sylvia, who at the start, lives with an ailing aunt Jane in London and Bonnie, a young girl living on an estate outside of London, the Willoughby Estate, with her very wealthy father and ailing mother. The story is set in a Dickensian kind of alternate England where packs of wolves roam the countryside, men wander around armed with muskets to defend themselves from the wolves and trains even are attacked when the wolves are roaming. 

Sylvia is sent to Willoughby Hall by her aunt as her Jane is quite poor and also frail and wants Sylvia to benefit from the wealth and life style of her brother in the countryside. On the train ride to Willoughby Estate, she meets a Mr. Grimshaw, who she distrusts, even though Mr. Grimshaw does save her when the train is attacked by wolves. As they arrive at the station by Willoughby, Grimshaw is knocked unconscious so Sylvia's cousin decides to bring him back to the Estate where he can recover.

Willoughby Hall is in a state of unrest as Sylvia arrives as the Lord and Lady are about to depart on a cruise, for Lady Willoughby's health. A distant cousin, Miss Slighcarp is coming to run the estate while the Lord and Lady are away. (distant rolling warning drums begin to beat - that was my addition, it's not in the book)

I don't want to ruin the plot anymore but suffice it to say that Miss Slighcarp is an evil villain who had designs, along with Mr. Grimshaw, to take over the estate, remove the parents totally from the picture, get rid of the staff and Bonnie and Sylvia. It's a fascinating, at times fairly dark story, in the great tradition of Dickens (I think) and filled with wonderful, heroic characters, especially Bonnie, Sylvia, their friend Simon, Pattern (their maid) and Jamie (the young butler). 

The story moves along nicely, with neat twists and turns and it provides a beautiful setting, from the dark cold winter of England to the bright spring that bursts upon them as the girls and companion travel to London to get help. Wonderful story, wonderful adventure and wonderful characters. Black Hearts in Battersea is the next book in the series and is on my bookshelf (4.0 stars)"

3. The World Needs More Canada by Heather Reisman (Non Fiction / 2017). I actually just received this book in the mail but wanted to read it right away.

"The World Needs More Canada edited by Heather Reisman is a table top type book published in 2017 to celebrate Canada's 150th anniversary. At the end of last year, I read a similar sort of book, Elbows Up, which was in a similar format, just less of a table top book.

At any rate, this book contains thoughts about Canada, on its anniversary, from a multitude of Canadians; authors, poets, artists, musicians, activists, actors, etc. Just a page each, some with very small remarks, some with more detailed thoughts. They were basically asked a few questions; 

- What does it mean to be Canadian?

- What makes you proud to call yourself Canadian?

- The best way to endear yourself to a Canadian is...

- When you are travelling, what do you miss most about Canada

- What is your most 'Canadian' memory?

Sometimes the answers are quite simple - 

Malin Akerman (actor) - 'We are very welcoming people and known throughout the world for our kindness. If you bump into someone else, the Canadian will always be the first one to 'sorry'; or

Eric Walters (YA author) 'Being Canadian is about being tough - think Vimy Ridge, Juno Beach and hockey - But also about being kind, caring and accepting. We are tough people, but we are a caring people"

I readily recognize that Canada is not a perfect country. We have a bad historical record when it came to dealing with our indigenous peoples and we are still trying to correct and reconciliate that. During WWII we put Japanese Canadians in camps and took their property. Chinese immigrants who were crucial to building out railroads were treated badly. But I think we've been trying to improve, to show that we are welcoming, caring and willing to help other countries in the outside world. (that's me doing my bit of proselytizing about Canada. 🍁😁)

On the whole the book was empowering and made me feel stronger about my Canadian citizenship. I enjoyed everybody's thoughts on being Canadian. I read one response to my wife, that being by journalist / author Ami McKay. Her happiest memory of being Canadian was when she took her citizenship test. Her young son had helped her study and then she went out to actually write her exam. At the end, while everyone sat quietly, the proctor came to the front of the class, smiled, told them they had all passed. Joyous applause from all there. I readily admit that I had difficulty reading it, it made me proud, happy and I got quite choked up. 

I've tried to answer the question myself. What does it mean to me to be Canadian? I'd have to say service. My father served in the Royal Canadian Navy during WWII, joining as a very young man. After the war, when he was married, he went to work in the gold mines in northern Ontario, then joined up with the Royal Canadian Air Force as aircraft engine mechanic. We travelled through Canada and Europe while he was in. Both of my brothers and I also joined the Canadian military. I served across Canada and worked with the American Air Force in Germany, also deployed to Dubai. Both brothers had much more hazardous tours. We all served many years and enjoyed our careers. For myself, it gave me a perspective on how good and diverse Canada is.

My most Canadian memory? Saturday nights, my brother sister out for the evening, my mother in bed reading, my dad and I in the living room watching a hockey game. My brother coming home and making a Kraft pizza for all of us, bringing up a slice for my mom to enjoy. (Now I'm choked up again... LOL) (4.0 stars)"

Currently Reading (started since May 1)

1. The Minority Report and Other Stories by Philip K. Dick (Short stories / 1987)

"Many thousands of readers consider Philip K. Dick the greatest science fiction mind on any planet. Since his untimely death in 1982, interest in Dick's works has continued to mount and his reputation has been further enhanced by a growing body of critical attention. The Philip K. Dick Award is now given annually to a distinguished work of science fiction, and the Philip K. Dick Society is devoted to the study and promulgation of his works.

This collection includes all of the writer's earliest short and medium-length fiction (including some previously unpublished stories) covering the years 1954-1964.

Volume 4/5 contains:
- Autofac (1955)
- Service Call (1955)
- Captive Market (1955)
- The Mold of Yancy (1955)
- The Minority Report (1956)
- Recall Mechanism (1959)
- The Unreconstructed M (1957)
- Explorers We (1959)
- War Game (1959)
- If There Were No Benny Cemoli (1963)
- Novelty Act (1964)
- Waterspider (1964)
- What the Dead Men Say (1964)
- Orpheus with Clay Feet (1987)
- The Days of Perky Pat (1963)
- Stand-By (1963)
- What'll We Do with Ragland Park? (1963)
- Oh, to Be a Blobel! (1964)"

2. Memoirs of a Spacewoman by Naomi Mitchison (Sci Fi / 1962).

"Mary is a communications expert, passionate and compassionate about the strange and often unnerving life forms she encounters on her travels to distant galaxies. Non-interference is the code, but her emotional and erotic entanglements cannot always be avoided, and scientific detachment is not always easy to maintain. Mary explores her own sexuality with colleagues and with friends such as the hermaphroditic Martian, Vly."

New Books (as of 1 May)

1. The 500 Years of Indigenous Resistance Comic Book, Revised and Expanded by Gord Hill (Graphic Novel / 2002).

"When it was first published in 2010, The 500 Years of Resistance Comic Book was heralded as a groundbreaking illustrated history of Indigenous activism and resistance in the Americas over the previous 500 years, from contact to present day. Eleven years later, author and artist Gord Hill has revised and expanded the book, which is now available in color for the first time.

The 500 Years of Resistance Comic Book powerfully portrays flashpoints in history when Indigenous peoples have risen up and fought back against colonizers and other oppressors. Events depicted include the the Spanish conquest of the Aztec, Mayan and Inca empires; the 1680 Pueblo Revolt in New Mexico; the Battle of Wounded Knee in 1890; the resistance of the Great Plains peoples in the 19th century; and more recently, the Idle No More protests supporting Indigenous sovereignty and rights in 2012 and 2013, and the resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2016.

With strong, plain language and evocative illustrations, this revised and expanded edition of The 500 Years of Resistance Comic Book reveals the tenacity and perseverance of Indigenous peoples as they endured 500-plus years of genocide, massacre, torture, rape, displacement, and assimilation: a necessary antidote to conventional histories of the Americas.

The book includes a foreword by Pamela Palmater, a Mi'kmaq lawyer, professor, and political commentator."

2. Virginia's Sisters, an Anthology of Women's Writing by Virginia Woolf (Short stories / 2023).

"A unique anthology of short stories and poetry by feminist contemporaries of Virginia Woolf, who were writing about work, discrimination, war, relationships, sexuality and love in the early part of the 20th Century.   Includes works by English and American writers Zelda Fitzgerald, Charlotte Perkins Gillman, Radclyffe Hall, Katherine Mansfield, Alice Dunbar Nelson, Edith Wharton, and Virginia Woolf, alongside their recently rediscovered ‘sisters’ from around the world. This book offers a diverse and international array of over 20 literary gems from women writers living in Bulgaria, Chile, China, Egypt, France, Italy, Palestine, Romania, Russia, Spain and Ukraine.

List of authors and works A Woman  by Fani Popova-Mutafova (translated by Petya Pavlova)
Thoughts  by Myra Viola Wilds
The Little Governess  by Katherine Mansfield
Villa Myosotis by Sorana Gurian (translated by Gabi Reigh)
The Mark on the Wall  by Virginia Woolf
Miss Ogilvy Finds Herself  [extract] by Radclyffe Hall
I sit and sew  by Alice Dunbar Nelson
First Steps  [extract] by Dorka Talmon (translated by Mira Glover)
Coming Home by Maria Messina (translated by Juliette Neil)
Vegetal Reverie  by Magda Isanos (translated by Gabi Reigh)
The Iceberg  by Zelda Fitzgerald
The Russian Princess  by Carmen de Burgos (translated by Slava Faybysh)
Bring to Me All…  by Marina Tsvetaeva (translated by Nina Kossman)
Autres Temps by Edith Wharton
Unheard  by Yente Serdatsky (translated by Dalia Wolfson)
Fog  by Gabriela Mistral (translated by Stuart Cooke)
Natalia  [extract] by Fausta Cialente (translated by Laura Shanahan)
What makes this century worse?  by Anna Akhmatova (translated by Olga Livshin)
Broken  by Nataliya Kobrynska (translated by Hanna Leliv & Slava Faybysh)
Sunset  by Antonia Pozzi (translated by Sonia di Placido)
Once Upon A Time  by Ling Shuhua (translated by Leilei Chen)
Their Religions and our Herland  [extract] by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Goodbye Lebanon  by May Ziadeh (translated by Rose DeMaris)"

3. Y: The Last Man, Vol 4 - Safeword by Brian K. Vaughan (Dystopia / 2004).

"As the Last Man on Earth and his companions continue to head West, the story takes a detour into the psychological.

In the care of a fellow Culper Ring member, Yorick Brown is forced to confront his tremendous feelings of survivor guilt that lead him to constantly put his life in danger. Once on the road again, the group runs up against a literal roadblock in Arizona, where the female remains of the Sons of Arizona militia have cut the interstate to keep out any vestiges of the U.S. government."

4. The Perfectionists, How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester (His / 2018).

"The revered New York Times bestselling author traces the development of technology from the Industrial Age to the Digital Age to explore the single component crucial to advancement—precision—in a superb history that is both an homage and a warning for our future.

The rise of manufacturing could not have happened without an attention to precision. At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in eighteenth-century England, standards of measurement were established, giving way to the development of machine tools—machines that make machines. Eventually, the application of precision tools and methods resulted in the creation and mass production of items from guns and glass to mirrors, lenses, and cameras—and eventually gave way to further breakthroughs, including gene splicing, microchips, and the Hadron Collider.

Simon Winchester takes us back to origins of the Industrial Age, to England where he introduces the scientific minds that helped usher in modern production: John Wilkinson, Henry Maudslay, Joseph Bramah, Jesse Ramsden, and Joseph Whitworth. It was Thomas Jefferson who later exported their discoveries to the fledgling United States, setting the nation on its course to become a manufacturing titan. Winchester moves forward through time, to today’s cutting-edge developments occurring around the world, from America to Western Europe to Asia.

As he introduces the minds and methods that have changed the modern world, Winchester explores fundamental questions. Why is precision important? What are the different tools we use to measure it? Who has invented and perfected it? Has the pursuit of the ultra-precise in so many facets of human life blinded us to other things of equal value, such as an appreciation for the age-old traditions of craftsmanship, art, and high culture? Are we missing something that reflects the world as it is, rather than the world as we think we would wish it to be? And can the precise and the natural co-exist in society?"

5. The Van Driesen Affair by Holly Roth (Spy / 1960).

"A Soviet expatriate living in Washington, D.C. mysteriously disappears on the way to a meeting. The previous day she'd suggested to those in Washington that a division of the Department of Justice should cooperate in the kidnapping of a Russian official. Fifteen hours later, she was gone! Did she drop out of sight due to stress, or has she been kidnapped?"

So there you go folks. Enjoy checking out these reading suggestions. Have a great weekend!

May 2026 - 1/3 of the Reading Way through the Year.

Me, figuring out my reading stats

So here we are, 35% of the year is gone by the wayside. How about a look at my challenges and how I'm doing this year so far. I'm sure you're all very excited to hear about that, eh?

Yearly Stats

Books completed: 56 (of these 56 there were 3 that I gave up on)

Pages read: 14,400 (roughly) Now, just to be accurate... well, as accurate as I can be, obviously I didn't read all of the 3 that I gave up on. But according to Goodreads, I've actually read 14,463 pages) So let's say, 14,000+ pages

Ratings: 5* - 1 book

4* (means 4.0 & 4.5 stars) - 29 books

3* (3.0 & 3.5) - 23 books

No Rating - 3 books

Favorite book so far - The Serial Garden, The Complete Armitage Family Stories by Joan Aiken (5 - stars)

Reading Challenges

1. 12 + 4 Challenge - Short Stories - Completed six books so far and currently reading The Golden Ball and Other Stories by Agatha Christie.

2. 12 + 4 Challenge - Graphic Novels. Challenge completed 12 April. Favorite book Botticelli's Apprentice by Ursula Murray Husted (4.5 stars).

3. 12 + 4 Challenge - Shiny New Books. Completed 5 books. Currently reading The Sundial by Shirley Jackson.

4. 12 + 4 Challenge - Dusty Books. Completed 5 books. Currently reading Skeleton Key by Jane Haddam.

5. Individual Challenges (Dusty Books, #17 - 416 from my Goodreads TBR list). Completed 4, one DNF and currently reading All the Tea in China by Kyril Bonfiglioli.

6. Individual Challenges (Middle Books, #417 - 832). Completed two and had two DNF's, probably my least successful challenge so far. Currently reading A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab.

7. Individual Challenges (Newest Purchases #833 - 1263). Completed 15, reading 3, Assassin's Code by Jonathan Maberry, Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker & The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken.

8. 12 + 4 Challenge (My latest, books around 200 pages) Currently reading Police at the Funeral by Margery Allingham.

There is my reading an updated challenge list. Four new books have arrived since my last update so I'll include those in this post as well.

Newest Books

1. All in her Head; The Truth and Lies Early Medicine Taught us About Women's Bodies and Why it Matters Today by Elizabeth Comen (Non Fiction / 2024).

"The fascinating history of women’s health as it’s never been told before.

For as long as medicine has been a practice, women's bodies have been treated like objects to be practiced on: examined and ignored, idealized and sexualized, shamed, subjugated, mutilated, and dismissed. The history of women’s healthcare is a story in which women themselves have too often been voiceless—a narrative instead written from the perspective of men who styled themselves as authorities on the female of the species, yet uninformed by women’s own voices, thoughts, fears, pain and experiences. The result is a cultural and societal legacy that continues to shape the (mis)treatment and care of women.

While the modern age has seen significant advancements in the medical field, the notion that female bodies are flawed inversions of the male ideal lingers on—as do the pervasive societal stigmas and lingering ignorance that shape women’s health and relationships with their own bodies.

Memorial Sloan Kettering oncologist and medical historian Dr. Elizabeth Comen peels back the curtain on the collective medical history of women to reintroduce us to our whole bodies—how they work, the actual doctors and patients whose perspectives and experiences laid the foundation for today’s medical thought, and the many oversights that still remain unaddressed. With a physician’s knowledge and empathy, Dr. Comen follows the road map of the eleven organ systems to share unique and untold stories, drawing upon medical texts and journals, interviews with expert physicians, as well as her own experience treating thousands of women.

Empowering women to better understand ourselves and advocate for care that prioritizes healthy and joyful lives—for us and generations to come—All in Her Head is written with humor, wisdom, and deep scientific and cultural insight. Eye-opening, sometimes enraging, yet always captivating, this shared memoir of women’s medical history is an essential contribution to a holistic understanding and much-needed reclaiming of women’s history and bodies."

2. A Cat Story, a Graphic Novel by Ursula Murray Husted (YA / 2020).

"A graphic novel about two irresistible cat friends on a journey to find their forever home—a journey inspired by the magic of art and storytelling.

Cilla and Betto are two friends who need a place to call home. The docks in Valletta are too wet, and the scraps of food too scarce. The city’s streets are too busy, and the humans too unreliable.

But what about the quiet garden from old kitten tales—a place where all cats are welcome, and the humans are always kind? Could the stories really be true?

As Cilla and Betto embark on a grand adventure to find out, they begin to spin a tale of their own—one that will take them through the art and stories of many journeyers who came before, and that will bring them to a surprising destination."

3. Three Bengal Kittens by Philipp Schott (Dr. Bannerman #4 / 2026).

"With his sniffer dog, Pippin, Dr. Peter Bannerman uncovers suspects, treats animals, tracks a kitten kidnapper, and must solve a locked-room mystery.<?b>

In the fourth book in the series, Dr. Peter Bannerman’s brother Sam takes in three Bengal kittens after the previous owner, his neighbor in a Winnipeg north end apartment building, is found dead. The death was originally thought to be due to accidental autoerotic asphyxiation, but after investigation, Sam is arrested and charged with his neighbor’s murder.

Sam suffers from several mental health conditions, but Peter refuses to believe that he is capable of killing someone, so he sets out to prove his innocence. Sam, however, is more concerned about one of the kittens who has gone missing. With the help of his talented sniffer dog, Pippin, Peter tries to find the kitten, as well as evidence that someone else murdered the neighbor.

Peter talks to the other people in Sam’s building, and several appear to be plausible alternative killers. However, by that time Sam, still in custody, begins to rave about ghosts being the real murderers and insists Peter investigate that. Despite not believing in ghosts (not in the slightest), he has a terrifying experience while spending the night in Sam’s apartment.

The situation rapidly spirals, putting Peter and Pippin in peril and ultimately revealing a story of revenge served cold from decades ago and continents away."

4. When the Forest Breathes; Renewal and Resilience in the Natural World by Suzanne Simard (Non Fiction / 2026).

"The trailblazing scientist who pioneered the concept of sophisticated communication between trees returns with a book that places nature’s own cycles of renewal at the center of a powerful vision for the future of our forests

With her bestselling book Finding the Mother Tree, forest ecologist Suzanne Simard introduced the world to the profound intelligence and interconnectedness of trees. Now, with When the Forest Breathes, she uncovers the ways that nature’s deep-rooted cycles of renewal can ensure the longevity of threatened ecosystems.

Raised in a family of loggers committed to sensible forest stewardship, Simard has watched as timber companies leave forests at higher risk for wildfires, water crises, and plant and animal extinction. But her research has the potential to chart a new course. The forest, she reveals, is a symphony of finely honed cycles of regeneration—from mushrooms breaking down logs to dying elder trees passing their genetic knowledge to younger ones—that hold the key to protecting our forests. Working closely with local Indigenous communities, whose models of responsible forestry have been largely dismissed, Simard examines how human interventions—particularly destruction of the overstory's mother trees—endanger new growth and longevity. If we can honor the tools that trees have honed for sharing intergenerational wisdom, she argues, we can protect these sacred places for many years to come.

As she considers how older living things facilitate the conditions for new growth to flourish, Simard faces parallel rhythms of loss and regeneration in her own life, watching her two daughters grow into adults and savoring her final days with her ailing mother. Animated by wonder for our forests and the intricate practices of caretaking that have long sustained them, When the Forest Breathes is a vital reminder of all the natural world has to teach us about adaptability, resilience, and community."

So there you go folks. Enjoy your May selections and the rest of 2026.

A Much Needed Reading Update.... Right??

My last actual reading update was 12 April and since then I've posted some poems by Mary Oliver and then some new books from my last Rotary Club Book Sale. So time for my normal update; books read, books started and any new books received. 1, 2, 3.....and we're off and running

Books Completed (since last update)

1. The Antifa Comic Book: Revised and Expanded by Gord Hill (2025). I think I may need to do a political / philosophical type post on books I've read and plan to read in a future post)

"For some reason, since about 2016, I've found myself getting more political, even to donating to Canadian political parties and other groups. Anyway, I'm also getting more interested in exploring issues like tyranny, fascism, etc. When I saw a listing for The Antifa Comic Book: Revised and Expanded (and I don't know where I saw it) by Canadian indigenous author, Gord Hill, I thought I should check it out. It ended up being a succinct, clearly presented historical perspective of both fascism in the world and those forces trying to combat its influence and search for power.

The comic book starts off with a definition of fascism -

- an ideology the promotes a strong, centralized state under the command of a supreme leader (often a cult of personality)

- fascist movements are authoritarian and militaristic, often with a paramilitary force

- ultra nationalistic in nature & inherently racist

- an imperialistic world view

- predominantly anti semitic

- all aspects of society are regimented and all opposition violently repressed

- media, entertainment & educational / cultural institutions replaced with fascist views

- cult of personality is strengthened & the entire state apparatus becomes almost mystical.

Antifa  is an abbreviation of antifaschistische aktion, originally set up by by the German Communist party in 1932 to oppose the Nazis.

The book offers a historical perspective of the birth and rise of both groups, starting after WWI, especially in Germany and Italy. But it goes from country to county over the years, from those in Europe to North America and even in the Middle East. It doesn't go into tons of detail but the points it highlights are clear and concise.

As the updated book progresses, it moves along to current time, with fascist organizations throughout the world. I found it particularly interesting the portions on Britain. My wife, who is British, probably remembers this time, but the battles between right wing fascists (skinheads and white supremacists) and the left wing, trying to protect immigrant communities. 

I especially found how much the police forces & governments focused on protecting these right wing groups from attacks by those defending their countries from them. I also found it interesting how the anti Semitism (which is still a major focus) has also moved along to anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant biases. There is a chapter on Israeli Zionist actions, to create a Zionistic Middle East expanded country. The book ends with the current American administration's right wing tendencies. 

The final sentence leaves hope, maybe "This resistance will only increase in the future.... and the future is unwritten." An interesting book, at the very least. Food for thought (4.0 stars)"

2. Dark Benediction by Walter M. Miller Jr. (Short Stories / 1980).

"Dark Benediction is a collection of Sci Fi short stories by Walter M. Miller Jr. who also wrote A Canticle for Leibowitz, a book I read back in my university days. Dark Benediction contains 14 stories published between 1951 - 1957.

The stories cover topics from a child who suffers from a rare disease where he can't grow (but what else is there about him?); an alien invasion (stopped by a woman with a shot gun?); a man trying to save Mars' atmosphere; an over-populated Earth that stops births and instead develops childlike creatures to be raised by families; an aging actor who now cleans a cinema / playhouse that shows plays with robot actors but who wants a final bow; a plague that cause people to go insane and one man's journey to escape; workers on the Moon who are visited by a traveling whore house and the effect; and a Russian woman who is assigned to kill the American general in charge of the invasion of Russia, etc.

All in all, I enjoyed the stories. Some seemed a mite long but I think that's Miller's writing style. He paints interesting pictures of the setting, characters and stories. Dark Benediction was a particular favorite and I also enjoyed The Darfsteller and Conditionally Human but each had its own merits. Worth checking out, especially if you've tried Canticle before and you want to explore Miller's writing some more. (3.5 stars)"

3. Montgomery Schnauzer P.I. & the Callous Car Thieves by Timothy Forner (Monty Schnauzer #2 / 2025).

"This might sound silly but when I heard of this book series (Montgomery Schnauzer PI), it made me think of the 4 puppies, miniature schnauzers, that my wife and I have had as companions over the past many years. We lost our last one a year ago and we both miss Clyde terribly. Anyway, I had to check out this series, a children's book series, because the main character was, of course, a schnauzer.

Go Monty!!

Montgomery Schnauzer P.I. and the Callous Car Thieves is the 2nd book in the series by American author, Timothy Forner. There are currently two books in the series, but Monty's dad indicates there is a 3rd book on the way. I read the 2nd book first because it was easier to get a copy. #1 is now on the way. 🐶

So Monty lives in an unnamed city with his Momma, Sarah. Sarah is struggling, as her old beater of a car breaks down on the highway. She needs a car to get to work and discovers a nice little fancy car for sale on line. Walter, the salesman, says he'll accept Sarah's offer and Sarah now has a newer, sportier car.

But..... the next day, Sarah and Monty are arrested by the police for driving a stolen car. Sarah is taken to the police station and booked and Monty is taken to the pound. Monty is desperate to find Sara and also prove that she didn't steal the car. With the help of another dog, he breaks out of the pound and finds his way back to the car dealer.. but everybody is gone and it's shut down.

Over the course of the book, Monty continues to try and discover where the car thieves are and along the way he meets new friends and has lots of adventures. I won't tell you any more about the story, just to say, it's fun and adventure filled. Monty is a smart dog, frustrated that he can't get the 'humans' to understand what he is saying, but always managing to move his investigation along, ultimately to a satisfactory conclusion. The cover art and the interior drawings are all excellent and the story is fun for adults and should be entertaining for kids. Go Monty! (3.5 stars)"

Currently Reading (started since last update)

1. The Golden Ball and Other Stories by Agatha Christie (Short Stories / 1971). 

"Is it a gesture of good will or a sinister trap that lures Rupert St. Vincent and his family to magnificent estate? How desperate is Joyce Lambert, a destitute young widow whose only recourse is to marry a man she despises? What unexpected circumstance stirs old loyalties in Theodora Darrell, and unfaithful wife about to run away with her lover? In this collection of short stories, the answers are as unexpected as they are satisfying. The Queen of Crime takes bizarre romantic entanglements, supernatural visitations, and classic murder to inventive new heights."

2. Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker (Horror / 2026). I follow a few podcasts on YouTube by folks who talk about books. A few had advance copies of this book and ranked it very highly so I put in an order for it and received it yesterday. Enjoying thus far.

"In this lyrical, wildly inventive horror novel interwoven with Japanese mythology, two people living centuries apart discover a door between their worlds.

October, 2026: Lee Turner doesn’t remember how or why he killed his college roommate. The details are blurred and bloody. All he knows is he has to flee New York and go to the one place that might offer refuge—his father’s new home in Japan, a house hidden by sword ferns and wild ginger. But something is terribly wrong with the house: no animals will come near it, the bedroom window isn't always a window, and a woman with a sword appears in the yard when night falls.

October, 1877: Sen is a young samurai in exile, hiding from the imperial soldiers in a house behind the sword ferns. A monster came home from war wearing her father’s face, but Sen would do anything to please him, even turn her sword on her own mother. She knows the soldiers will soon slaughter her whole family when she sees a terrible omen: a young foreign man who appears outside her window.

One of these people is a ghost, and one of these stories is a lie.

Something is hiding beneath the house of sword ferns, and Lee and Sen will soon wish they never unburied it."

Newest Arrivals (yes... since my last update)

1. Gideon Falls, Vol. 2, Original Sins by Jeff Lemire (2019).

"The lives of a reclusive young man obsessed with a conspiracy in the city's trash, and a washed up Catholic Priest arriving in a small town full of dark secrets become dangerously intertwined around the mysterious legend of The Black Barn -- an otherworldly building that is alleged to have appeared in both the city and the small town, throughout history, leaving death and madness in its wake."

2. Modem Times 2.0 by Michael Moorcock (2011).

"Jerry Cornelius—Michael Moorcock’s fictional audacious assassin, rockstar, chronospy, and possible Messiah—is featured in the first of two stories in this fifth installment of the Outspoken Author series. Previously unpublished, the first story is an odyssey through time from London in the 1960s to America during the years following Barack Obama's presidency. The second piece is a political, confrontational, comical, nonfiction tale in the style of Jonathan Swift and George Orwell. An interview with the author rounds out this biting, satirical, sci-fi collection."

3. Seeing by Jose Saramago (2004). This is a sequel to Saramago's Blindness.

"On election day in the capital, it is raining so hard that no one has bothered to go out to vote. The politicians are growing jittery. Should they reschedule the elections for another day? Around three o' clock, the rain finally stops. Promptly at four, voters rush to the polling stations, as if they had been ordered to appear.

But when the ballots are counted, more than 70 percent are blank. The citizens are rebellious. A state of emergency is declared. But are the authorities acting too precipitously? Or even blindly? The word evokes terrible memories of the plague of blindness that hit the city four years before, and of the one woman who kept her sight. Could she be behind the blank ballots? A police superintendent is put on the case.

What begins as a satire on governments and the sometimes dubious efficacy of the democratic system turns into something far more sinister. A singular novel from the author of Blindness."

4. You Will Not Kill Our Imagination: A Memoir of Palestine and Writing in Dark Times by Saeed Teebi (2025). New in my local book store, it sounded interesting and is a topic I've been exploring.

"A vital, fearless memoir in the vein of Between the World and Me that explores what it means to be a Palestinian in this moment, the effects of the genocide on Palestinian art and imagination, and that to even claim a belonging to the land from a country thousands of miles away is an act of subversion.

Imagination is a more powerful force than hope.

Acclaimed author Saeed Teebi was at work on his first novel when the attacks on Gaza began in late 2023. The violence and cruelty of the attacks, accompanied by the assent and silence of international governments, stunned many across the globe, like Teebi, into a new state of permanent horror.

What does it mean to be of the Palestinian diaspora in such a moment? What does it mean to be of a people who have sustained such a large-scale assault not only on their homeland, but their entire identity? What is the role of art, of language—of imagination—in asserting one’s identity, when that very assertion is read as an act of subversion?

In this incisive work, Teebi explores, with searing, razor-sharp prose, the effects of genocide on the bodies, minds, and imaginations—of Palestinians especially, and humanity in general.

This is at once a memoir of one family’s displacement, a scathing indictment of global complicity in the face of brutality, and a profound rumination on art and imagination as a means of defiance. It is an astonishing work of resistance by a major intellect, and it is both urgent and timeless."

5. Y:  The Last Man, Ring of Truth by Brian K. Vaughan (Vol. 5 / 2005).

"Yorick Brown, the last man on Earth, finally makes it to San Francisco where his unbalanced sister, Hero, finds him seemingly succumbing to the male-killing plague after losing his still-unused engagement ring to the burqa-clad agents of the Setauket Ring. But is the ring really the key to his survival? And what does it have to do with the mysterious Amulet of Helene, which the Setauket leader is determined to take from Agent 355 by any means necessary. Collects issues #24-31."

There you go. All caught up once again. Jo and I will be starting our weekend by taking her to a chemo session this afternoon and I hope to get more yard work done this weekend pending our sprinkler guy coming to turn us on for the year. :) Enjoy your weekend!

A Rotary Club Book Sale Visit

Yesterday I took an hour and went to see if there were any books that interested me at the local Rotary Club Book Sale. This time I started in the Sci Fi / Fantasy section. It's usually at the end of the visit because it's by the cash register, so I started there this time. I figured I wouldn't be too tired this way. Anyway, I did find a few books.

New Books

1. Mammoths of the Great Plains by Eleanor Arnason (Alternate History / 2010)

"Shaggy herds of mammoths still roam the Great Plains--to the delight of President Thomas Jefferson--in this imaginative alternative history in which the beasts thunder over the grasslands as living symbols of the oncoming struggle between the Native peoples and the European invaders. This unforgettable saga soars from the Badlands of the Dakota Territory to the icy wastes of Siberia, from the Russian Revolution to the American Indian Movement protests of the 1960s and one woman’s attempt to harness DNA science to fulfill the ancient promises of her Lakota heritage. In addition, this volume includes the essay “Writing During World War Three,” a politically incorrect take on multiculturalism from a science fiction point of view and an outspoken interview with the writer of some of today’s edgiest and most uncompromising speculative fiction."

2. Sick Heart River by John Buchan (Leithen #5 / 1941). I'm enjoying exploring Buchan's work.

"Sir Edward Leithen is in London when he is diagnosed with tuberculosis and told that he has a year to live. Initially unsure of how to live out his remaining days, Leithen is unexpectedly given an opportunity to help search for a missing man in the Canadian north. Accepting the task, Leithen embarks on a physical and spiritual journey that helps him come to terms with his life, death, and legacy. John Buchan is most widely known for his adventure novels, such as those featuring the spy Richard Hannay. The spiritually poignant Sick Heart River is a departure from Buchan’s usual themes, even more so because it was the last book he wrote, and was published posthumously after his accidental death in 1940. The main character, Edward Leithen, had appeared in several other, more lighthearted books of Buchan’s, including The Power-House and John Macnab . Harper Perennial Classics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in eBook production and celebrating reading in all its forms. Look for more titles in the Harper Perennial Classics collection to build your digital library."

3. For Us, The Living by Robert Heinlein (Sci Fi / 2003). It's been quite awhile since I tried anything by Heinlein.

"July 12, 1939 Perry Nelson is driving along the palisades when suddenly another vehicle swerves into his lane, a tire blows out, and his car careens off the road and over a bluff. The last thing he sees before his head connects with the boulders below is a girl in a green bathing suit, prancing along the shore....

When he wakes, the girl in green is a woman dressed in furs and the sun-drenched shore has transformed into snowcapped mountains. The woman, Diana, rescues Perry from the bitter cold and takes him inside her home to rest and recuperate.
Later they debate the cause of the accident, for Diana is unfamiliar with the concept of a tire blowout and Perry cannot comprehend snowfall in mid-July. Then Diana shares with him a vital piece of The date is now January 7. The year...2086.

When his shock subsides, Perry begins an exhaustive study of global evolution over the past 150 years. He learns, among other things, that a United Europe was formed and led by Edward, Duke of Windsor; former New York City mayor LaGuardia served two terms as president of the United States; the military draft was completely reconceived; banks became publicly owned and operated; and in the year 2003, two helicopters destroyed the island of Manhattan in a galvanizing act of war. This education in the ways of the modern world emboldens Perry to assimilate to life in the twenty-first century.

But education brings with it inescapable truths -- the economic and legal systems, the government, and even the dynamic between men and women remain alien to Perry, the customs of the new day continually testing his mental and emotional resolve. Yet it is precisely his knowledge of a bygone era that will serve Perry best, as the man from 1939 seems destined to lead his newfound peers even further into the future than they could have imagined."

4. Haunted by James Herbert (Hor / 1988). I've really come to enjoy his horror stories.

"James Herbert's Haunted is the first chilling novel in the David Ash trilogy.

Three nights of terror at the house called Edbrook.

Three nights in which David Ash, there to investigate a haunting, will be victim of horrifying and maleficent games.

Three nights in which he will face the blood-chilling enigma of his own past.

Three nights before Edbrook's dreadful secret will be revealed, and the true nightmare will begin . . ."

5. Factoring Humanity by Robert J. Sawyer (Sci Fi / 1998). I've read one book by Sawyer so far and really enjoyed it.

"In the near future, a signal is detected coming from the Alpha Centauri system. Mysterious, unintelligible data streams in for ten years. Heather Davis, a professor in the University of Toronto psychology department, has devoted her career to deciphering the message. Her estranged husband, Kyle, is working on the development of artificial intelligence systems and new computer technology utilizing quantum effects to produce a near-infinite number of calculations simultaneously.

When Heather achieves a breakthrough, the message reveals a startling new technology that rips the barriers of space and time, holding the promise of a new stage of human evolution. In concert with Kyle's discoveries of the nature of consciousness, the key to limitless exploration---or the end of the human race---appears close at hand."

6. A Wild Light by Marjorie M. Liu (Hunter Kiss #3 / Fantasy / 2010). I've been really enjoying Liu's Monstress graphic novel series but it's winding down. I was pleasantly surprised to see she's also written novels. I'll have to get the 1st book in the series.

"For too long Maxine Kiss has felt an inexplicable darkness inside her-a force she channels into hunting the demons bent on destroying the human race. But when she finds herself covered in blood and crouched beside her grandfather's dead body with no memory of what happened, Maxine begins to fear that the darkness has finally consumed her."

7. Why Call Them Back From Heaven? by Clifford D. Simak (Sci Fi / 1967). I don't always like his stories but for some reason, I'm hooked on exploring Simak more.

"Immortality - The ultimate To come back to life - and never die again - that's what Forever Center promises the human race. And that's why, in the year 2148, people spend their whole lives in poverty, giving all their money to Forever Center to ensure their happiness and comfort in the next eternal life.

Daniel Frost is a key man at Forever Center. When he accidentally stumbles onto some classified documents, Dan incurs the wrath of an unseen enemy who has him framed and denounced as a social outcast. With the notorious mark of ostracization on his forehead, he is condemned to the desperate life of a hunted animal. But a few people will risk their lives to help Ann Harrison, the beautiful renegade lawyer who is convinced of his innocence, and Mona Campbell, the brilliant mathematician who has discovered some shattering information about Forever Center...and the essence of life itself."

8. Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson (Historical Fiction / 2002) I do hope to eventually read everything by Atkinson.

"1926, and in a country still recovering from the Great War, London has become the focus for a delirious new nightlife. In the clubs of Soho, peers of the realm rub shoulders with starlets, foreign dignitaries with gangsters, and girls sell dances for a shilling a time.  

 
The notorious queen of this glittering world is Nellie Coker, ruthless but also ambitious to advance her six children, including the enigmatic eldest, Niven, whose character has been forged in the crucible of the Somme. But success breeds enemies, and Nellie’s empire faces threats from without and within. For beneath the dazzle of Soho’s gaiety, there is a dark underbelly, a world in which it is all too easy to become lost.
 
With her unique Dickensian flair, Kate Atkinson gives us a window in a vanished world. Slyly funny, brilliantly observant, and ingeniously plotted, showcases the myriad talents that have made Atkinson one of the most lauded writers of our time."

9. The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu (Three Body Problem #2 / 2008). I have yet to read the 1st book, but I hear such great things about this one.

"Time is running out for humanity in The Dark Forest, the stunning sequel to Cixin Liu's award-winning and bestselling masterpiece The Three-Body Problem.

Earth is still reeling from the revelation of a coming alien invasion. The aliens' human collaborators may have been defeated, but the presence of the sophons, the subatomic particles that allow Trisolaris instant access to all human information, means that Earth's defense plans are totally exposed to the enemy. Only the human mind remains a secret. This is the motivation for the Wallfacer Project, a daring plan that grants four people enormous resources to design secret strategies, hidden through deceit and misdirection from Earth and Trisolaris alike. Three of the Wallfacers are influential statesmen and scientists, but the fourth is a total unknown. Luo Ji, an unambitious Chinese astronomer and sociologist, is baffled by his new status. All he knows is that he's the one Wallfacer that Trisolaris wants dead.

The Dark Forest continues Cixin Liu's ground-breaking saga of incredible scope and vision."

10. Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi (Fuzzy Sapiens #7 / 2011) Back in my university days, I enjoyed the 1st 3 books in this series, by H. Beam Piper. It seems that it's been continued by other authors.

"Zara Corp holds the right to extract unlimited resources from the verdant planet Zarathustra―as long as the planet is certifiably free of native sentients. So when an outback prospector discovers a species of small, appealing bipeds who might well turn out to be intelligent, language-using beings, it's a race to stop the corporation from "eliminating the problem," which is to say, eliminating the Fuzzies―wide-eyed and ridiculously cute small, and furry―who are as much people as we are."

There you go.. Enjoy your week, folks!