End of Week Catch-up

The haze from the mainland fires turned the moon red

Happy Sunday! The sun is shining, there is a nice breeze coming in the den window... which now that I look at it, needs a good cleaning. Jo and I went out for a drive with the pups a week ago or so when we had a particularly hot spell and you could taste some of the smoke from the fires they've been dealing with on the mainland. It was so hazy, the moon had turned a reddish. Don't know if you can tell from the picture Jo took. It's much better now... well, better here on the island. It's probably not much changed on the mainland as we still haven't really had any of the rain that was supposed to fall.

Sunday morning on the couch as Dad watches footie and reads

Clyde survived his trip to the vet to get his teeth cleaned and a couple more removed. He felt sorry for himself for a couple of days (can't really blame the poor fella) but he's pretty well back to normal now, scrapping with Bonnie and barking at the neighbours.

I finished the third book in Laurie R. King's Mary Russell / Sherlock Holmes mystery series. I have to say that I like it but don't love it. The stories read OK, but they don't leave me feeling wow or anything like that. Anyway, my review is below. I've started the 8th book in one of my favourite mystery series next, Fatal Remedies by Donna Leon, the Inspector Brunetti series. I've only read the first 3 chapters but I already know I'm going to like it.






"A Letter of Mary is the 3rd book in the Mary Russell / Sherlock Holmes mystery series by Laurie R. King. I have to say that I continue to have mixed feelings about the series. The concept in itself is interesting; Russell who started off being mentored by Holmes and is now his wife and works cases with him. Holmes, himself, is basically retired from detective work and they live on a piece of land in Sussex where Holmes raises bees and Russell works on a degree at Oxford while also spending time with her husband.
An acquaintance of Russell, a lady archaeologist, Dorothy Ruskin, visits them, and gives them a letter she had found in a dig in the Middle East, a letter purported to have been written by Mary Magdalene to her sister. The next day, Ruskin is found dead, hit by a car in London. Holmes and Russell get involved, suspect that Ruskin has been murdered for some reason. The same day, Holmes' home is broken into and searched. Further suspicion now that it was murder and not an accident.
The rest of the story involves their investigation, with help by the son of Lestrade (now a police detective) and also by Sherlock's brother Mycroft. Both Holmes and Mary follow different suspects; one a misogynist Colonel, the other the sister of Dorothy.
So that's the barest outline. The story is interesting, but, personally, I do find it difficult to warm to Russell. At one point she calls Holmes a prig and I thought, no, you're the prig. She is a strong-willed, intelligent character, but so much time is spent with her kind of anti-snobbishness that she seems to be a snob. I'm not saying this correctly. I like Holmes, I like Mycroft, I like Lestrade and Russell is OK in her own way. I liked the story, but I didn't love it. At the end, I thought, OK, there you go. So what. Does that mean I won't read any of the others I still have on my bookshelf. No, it doesn't, but I'll read a few other books before I do. Try the series and let me know what you think. (3 stars)"

New Purchases

I found a couple of books on a recent trip downtown. Two from series I've been collecting and one I don't think I knew had actually been a book before it became a movie.

1. The Pyx by John Buell. I saw this many years ago, an interesting crime drama / horror story starring Karen Black in the lead. The book is by Canadian writer John Buell. I'm very interested in reading it.






"When heroin-addicted call girl Elizabeth Lucy dies in a fall from a swanky penthouse terrace, homicide detective Henderson is assigned to the case. Was it murder? Suicide? Through his investigation, Henderson uncovers a frightening underworld that is far more dark and dangerous than those of prostitution and the drug trade. But more than anything, this is Elizabeth's story. Told through flashbacks and by hose who knew her, revelations unfold, revealing a life that ends with a struggle unlike any other."

2. Wings above the Diamantina by Arthur Upfield. This is the third book in the Australian Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte mystery series. I've found 3 or 4 of the books so far and look forward to delving into it.






"The discovery of a stolen monoplane on the dry, flat bottom of Emu Lake meant many things to many people: for Elizabeth Nettlefold, it meant a new purpose in life; for Dr. Knowles, brilliant physician and town drunk, it meant the revival of a romantic dream; for person or persons unknown, it meant a murder plan gone badly awry; and for Detective Inspector Napoleon Bonaparte, it meant one of the toughest cases in his career."

3. Maigret in Holland by Georges Simenon. I like the Inspector Maigret series very much and I especially like it when I come across Harcourt Books special editions. I like the covers. What can I say. :)






"In his latest case, Maigret finds himself in the town of Delfzijl investigating the murder of a teacher. He is presented with two clues - a sailor's cap in the bathtub and a Manila cigar butt - and a gaggle of suspects, including a flirtatious farmer's daughter, an angry lawyer, a larcenous ship owner, an unaccountably frightened cadet, and a pompous criminologist with a revolver. The Inspector, in turn, is preoccupied with a suspicious pathway lit by a lighthouse beam, which leads him to wonder if this is the kind of spot where secret lovers might be discovered."

The Missus's Pop Culture Challenge

Today I'll look at Days 22 - 24. I'm falling behind on this.

Day 22 - Name a Film Guaranteed to Make you Cry.  Jo's one caveat was that you should want to watch it again. I chose To Kill a Mockingbird, especially the scene at the end where we finally meet Boo Radley, who has just saved Scout's life. Jo chose the end of Love Actually. She is a soft touch and has vowed never to watch some of the movies I've recommended because the make her sob throughout. Her sister Sue chose the scene in Funny Girl where Barbra Streisand signs My Man. Other choices included On the Beach, A Touch of Class, Beaches, etc

Day 23 - Which TV Series do you Wish had never Ended. I chose the short lived Firefly, Joss Whedon's entry into the Space genre. It was a combination Space / Wild West adventure. Jo chose The Newsroom, a favourite of ours. Other choices included New Tricks, Dragnet, The West Wing, etc.

Day 24 - Your Favourite James Bond theme. I chose the theme of the first Bond movie I ever saw, that being Goldfinger by Shirley Bassey. Other choices included Live and Let Die by Wings, Casino Royale (Burt Bacharach) as chosen by Jo, You Only Live Twice, Diamonds are Forever, etc.

Great Historical Events

Today's entry covers 1783.

"Loss During the Revolution

1783. Seventy thousand men estimated to have been lost during the Revolutionary War.
Oliver Evans introduced the first improved grain mill.
Fur-trading established in Alaska.
Feb. 5. - Independence of United States acknowledged by Sweden.
Feb. 25. - Independence of United States recognised by Denmark.
March 24. - Independence of United States acknowledged by Spain.
April 11. - Peace proclaimed by Congress.
April 19. - Peace announced by Washington to the army.
July. - Independence of United States recognised by Russia. (Ed. note. Seemingly Russia now wants US to be a province under Mr. Putin.)
Sept. 3. - Definitive treaties of peace between England and the United States, France, Spain, and Holland.
Oct. 18. - Proclamation of disbanding of the army.
Nov. 2. - Washington's farewell orders.
Nov. 25. - New York evacuated by the British.
Dec. 23. - Washington resigns his commission."

So lots happened in 1783. Will 1784 be similar?

Science of Common Things

Today's excerpt from Prof. L.G. Gorton discusses the rays of light and other things of interest.

What is a ray of light? It is the smallest portion of light discernible. What is a beam of light? A collection of rays. of what is a ray of light composed? It is composed of seven elementary parts, giving the colours violet, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange and red. (Ed. note. As I was taught in school, ROYGBIV - red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet.)"

Next entry the good Prof will explain colour.

The Birth Date Thing 10 November 2005
I was now 50 years old (the old half century) and Jo and I had been married for 3 wonderful years. You'd think that better songs could have been on the list for my 50th birthday, eh?

US Billboard #1 Single 10 November 2005

Gold Digger by Kanye West. American rapper, singer, song writer, or Happy as I like to call him has been active since the mid-90s. Gold Digger, which features Jamie Foxx, was his 2nd US #1 single.
UK #1 Single 10 November 2005

You Raise Me Up by Westlife. Westlife were an Irish boy band formed in 1998 and disbanded in 2012. They had a string of #1 hits in the UK before You Raise me Up. The song was originally recorded by Irish / Norwegian duo, Secret Garden.

In Memoriam



Rest in Peace

It was just reported on CBC News, which I've got on in the background, that legendary comedian Jerry Lewis has passed away at the age of 91.

New York Times #1 Fiction Best Seller 10 November 2005

At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks. At First Sight is the sequel to American author Nicholas Sparks' previous book, True Believer. Sparks has published 18 novels, including At First Sight, A Walk to Remember, Nights in Rodanthe and The Notebook.








Pulitzer Prize Winner 2005

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. Gilead is American author Marilynne Robinson's second novel. "It comprises the fictional autobiography of the Reverend John Ames, an elderly Congregationalist pastor in the small, secluded town of Gilead, Iowa, who knows that he is dying of a heart condition. At the beginning of the book, the date is established as 1956, and Ames explains that he is writing an account of his life for his seven-year-old son, who will have few memories of him."





Nobel Prize Laureate 2005

Harold Pinter (United Kingdom). English playwright, screenwriter, actor and director, Harold Pinter lived from 1930 - 2008. Three of Pinter's plays, The Birthday Party, The Homecoming and Betrayal were adapted for the screen by him. He also adapted a number of other works for the screen; The French Lieutenant's Woman, Sleuth, The Servant, etc. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature as a writer who "in his plays uncovers the precipice under everyday prattle and forces entry into oppression's closed rooms".

Hugo Award Winner 2005

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. I read this in 2012 and enjoyed very much. It took a bit to get into but then it just drew you in to the unique world Clarke had created. It was also turned into a TV series, but I've yet to watch. My review is below.








"I was unsure whether to give this three or four stars. The story was very interesting and flowed nicely. I felt at times that it didn't have to be so long. The plot was interesting, but the ending somewhat of a let down; only somewhat, as the story was resolved satisfactorily. It was interesting and different and worth reading. The characters were well crafted and in some cases quite menacing. The magic was quite intriguing and I liked both Strange and Norrell, for different reasons as they are quite different characters. I think my favourite characters were Childermass, Arabella Strange and Flora Greysteels.. as well as Mr Segundus.. Worth reading and making the effort. (3 stars)"

Edgar Award Winner 2005

California Girl by T. Jefferson Parker. Parker also won this award in 2002. I might have to try his work. California Girl was one of his standalone works of crime fiction.

"The Orange County, California, that the Becker brothers knew as boys is no more -- unrecognisably altered since the afternoon in 1954 when Nick, Clay, David, and Andy rumbled with the lowlife Vonns, while five-year-old Janelle Vonn watched from the sidelines. The new decade has brought about the end of the orange groves and the birth of suburban sprawl. It is the era of Johnson, hippies, John Birchers, and LSD. Clay becomes a casualty of a far-off jungle war. Nick becomes a cop, Andy a reporter, David a minister. And the decapitated corpse of teenage beauty queen Janelle Vonn is discovered in an abandoned warehouse."

Man Booker Prize Winner 2005

The Sea by John Banville. The Sea is the 18th novel by Irish writer, John Banville.

"The story is told by Max Morden, a self-aware, retired art historian attempting to reconcile himself to the deaths of those whom he loved as a child and as an adult."






Giller Prize Winner 2005

The Time In Between by David Bergen. Bergen was born in 1957 and has published 9 novels. The Time In Between was his 4th novel.

"In search of love, absolution, or forgiveness, Charles Boatman leaves the Fraser Valley of British Columbia and returns mysteriously to Vietnam, the country where he fought twenty-nine years earlier as a young, reluctant soldier. But his new encounters seem irreconcilable with his memories.

When he disappears, his daughter Ada, and her brother, Jon, travel to Vietnam, to the streets of Danang and beyond, to search for him. Their quest takes them into the heart of a country that is at once incomprehensible, impassive, and beautiful. Chasing her father’s shadow for weeks, following slim leads, Ada feels increasingly hopeless. Yet while Jon slips into the urban nightlife to avoid what he most fears, Ada finds herself growing closer to her missing father — and strong enough to forgive him and bear the heartbreaking truth of his long-kept secret." 

Well, there you go. A lengthy update for you. On Friday a favourite series of ours finished on our local PBS station, Knowledge Network. We enjoyed The Indian Doctor very much. Tonight, happily, the 4th season of Endeavour starts. I'm looking forward to it. For now, it's time to watch the Blue Jays lose their 3rd straight against the Cubbies. *sigh*