Just Finished
I managed to finish two books in the last couple of days of November. It was a slow month for me. I'm still hoping to reach my planned total of 120 by end December but I'll just play that by ear. Anyway, these are my two most recent books read.
"On Her Majesty's Secret Service is the 10th James Bond book by Ian Fleming. The movie version was George Lazenby's one and only stab at the role of 007. As I read the book, it was interesting to see how faithful the movie was to the story. It brought back memories of the movie for me.
Basically, Bond continues to hunt Ernst Stavro Blofeld, head of SPECTRE. He is tired of this mission and considers retirement from the Secret Service. While traveling through France, he meets Tracy, a troubled woman, daughter of the head of the Corsican Mafia, who tries to kill herself. Bond stops her and at the same time makes friends with her father, Draco.
We jump ahead and Bond gets information that Blofeld might be in Switzerland and off he heads to try and discover if the info is true. He takes on the identity of a member of the College of Arms who is gathering info to prove that Blofeld is descended from French royalty. (stoking the ego don't you know.. :))
At Blofeld's mountain eyrie / ski resort, Bond discovers that he is using young women as part of a nefarious plot against England. What follows is action and more action as Bond tries to get his revenge on Blofeld. (Plus a surprisingly sad ending)
Always good for entertainment and always an interesting story. I've said it before and I'll repeat myself, it's been fun revisiting the Bond stories this past few years. (3.5 stars)"
"The Pilgrim Of Hate is the 10th book in the Cadfael historical / mystery series by Ellis Peters. If you've not ever tried one, it was also a very successful, popular TV series starring Derek Jacoby. (Excellent books and TV series)
Cadfael is a Benedictine monk, ex soldier in the Crusades who came back to find a new life in the Abbey in Shrewsbury during the wars of succession between Empress Maud and King Stephen. Cadfael is responsible for growing and making medicines for the monks and for people visiting the Abbey.
In this story, the Abbey is preparing for the anniversary of the translation of the bones of Saint Winifred (the recovery of her bones from Wales is part of a previous story) from her place of rest to the Abbey. Pilgrims from all over England are coming for the celebration in the hope of a miracle.
Coincident with this celebration is the murder of a knight in Winchester, during meetings there to try and stop the civil war.
As always, the story is interesting, giving an excellent picture of life during the 12th Century. Cadfael is a very sympathetic, interesting character and the mystery of the murder is developed very nicely in the context of the story of the celebration. While I had an idea of of who was who and how the mystery might resolve itself, there were still some surprises (especially the last sentence) and it's just a gentle, fun read. I always enjoy entering this series and wandering around in the 12th Century. (3.5 stars)"
New Books
Every couple of months I take a drive around the area and check out the local Little Free Libraries. They are like birdhouses outside peoples' homes, except they have books in them. For any books you take, you are supposed to leave a book in its place. There are about five that I know of in our local area of Comox. Turnover isn't great but I have found a couple of books each time I've gone out. I found 3 books this past week.
"July 1209: in Carcassonne a seventeen-year-old girl is given a mysterious book by her father which he claims contains the secret of the true Grail. Although Alais cannot understand the strange words and symbols hidden within, she knows that her destiny lies in keeping the secret of the labyrinth safe...
July 2005: Alice Tanner discovers two skeletons in a forgotten cave in the French Pyrenees. Puzzled by the labyrinth symbol carved into the rock, she realises she's disturbed something that was meant to remain hidden. Somehow, a link to a horrific past - her past - has been revealed."
"When Graciella Rivers steps onto his boat, ex-FBI agent Terrell McCaleb has no idea he's about to come out of retirement. He's recuperating from a heart transplant and avoiding anything stressful. But when Graciella tells him the way her sister Gloria was murdered it leaves Terry no choice. Now the man with the new heart vows to take down a predator without a soul. For Gloria's killer shatters every rule that McCaleb ever learned in his years with the Bureau - as McCaleb gets no more second chances at life ... and just one shot at the truth."
"Hector Munro, whose pen-name Saki is thought to derive from the golden boy of that name in FitzGerald's Rubaiyat, remains an oddly mysterious figure. The apparent savagery of his work made him a rarefied taste among contemporaries, although he was taken as a master by Noel Coward and Evelyn Waugh.
Saki's territory is the drawing room and country house party of the Edwardian upper class, whose brittle facade he exposes with his acid and very funny prose. From the cynical tale of Tobermory, the speaking cat, to the supernatural terror of 'The Music on the Hill' and the black humour of 'The Unrest-Cure', these twenty-eight stories and short sketches show the full range of his talent at a time when, as Auberon Waugh says in his Introduction, 'his rage and indignation against humanity had not yet conquered the simple desire to please."
November 2017 Reading Summary
I wasn't all that satisfied with my reading totals for November but at the same time I've had a couple of very long books on the go that I will finish in early December. My total pages was on the low side but not by that much. Anyway, here is my summary.
General Stats
November 2017
Books Read 8 108 (I hope to read 120 by end year. We'll see)
Pages Read 2,700 41,000
Pages Breakdown
< 250 4 49
250 - 350 3 36
351 - 450 0 14
> 450 1 9
Ratings
5 - star 1 11
4 - star 3 53
3 - star 4 41
2 - star 3 3
Gender
Female 2 27
Male 6 81
Genres
Fiction 3 29
Mystery 4 50
SciFi 1 25
Non-Fiction 0 2
Classics 0 2
2017 Reading Challenges
Canadian Literature (4 of a planned 5 so far).
I have one planned for December.
Classics (Pre-1900) (2 of 4)
One on the go that I will finish in December.
Mysteries (Cops) (20 of 25)*
1. A Dedicated Man by Peter Robinson (5 stars)
2. Wobble to Death by Peter Lovesey (3.5 stars)
Mysteries (Sleuths) (20 of 25)*
3. Running Blind by Lee Child (3.5 stars)
4. The Pilgrim of Hate by Ellis Peters (4 stars)
Fantasy (4 of 5)
I may finish off this challenge in December.
Horror (7 of 5)
5. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (4 stars)
Fiction (6 of 15)*
6. Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (4 stars)
SciFi (2 of 5)
I have one on the go and one more planned.
Spies / Thrillers / Adventure (9 of 10)
7. Royal Flash by George MacDonald Fraser (3.5 stars)
8. On Her Majesty's Secret Service (3.5 stars)
Top Three Books of November
"A Dedicated Man is the 2nd Chief Inspector Banks mystery by Peter Robinson. Once again I found it to be quite different to the TV series that was based on the books. But that matters not as both are enjoyable in their own way.
Banks is called to a small town in his district in Yorkshire to investigate the murder of a local professor / historian. It's a very small hamlet with basically one police officer. He brings along Sgt Hatchley to assist. It's a typical case, the professor is well-loved, seems to have no enemies and even though he has friends, they all seem to have little motive and reasonable alibis.
The pacing is excellent; we aren't caught up with countless murders to cope with. It's Banks and Hatchley investigating, talking to possible suspects as they try to gather information and we also get the perspective of a variety of the locals; young Sally, the budding actress with her own ideas of the murder, the local singer who may have had a relationship with the victim, etc.
It was a pleasure to read and just enjoy the thought processes, the locality, the people and the case. I had ideas of how the murder might have happened but for some reason, never considered the final solution which was presented and I must say I found it very satisfying. Banks is not really like the TV version; he has a much smaller staff to work with and his personal circumstances are different, at least for the first two books, but I like him very much and was very satisfied with this most enjoyable mystery. Now to find the 3rd book. (5 stars)"
"Mrs Dalloway is my first exposure to the writings of Virginia Woolf. It wasn't an easy book to read but once I got into the flow, I enjoyed it very much. It's a unique style, one long chapter that flows from one character to another over the course of a single day. It's like a wandering vine; one story branches off and then by a circuitous route through other vines, it once again joins the main story.
That main story focuses on Mrs. Clarissa Dalloway, wife of Richard Dalloway, a British Member of Parliament, as she prepares for a party at their home. Over the course of the day, the tale branches off to that of Peter Walsh, an old boyfriend who returns to London from India to arrange for his marriage with a married woman and drops in to see Clarisse; there is Rezia Warren Smith, Italian wife of shell-shocked Septimus Warren, trying to get him help for his condition, plus all of the sundry characters the people this story.
The switch from one character to another is often swift and if you're not paying attention you might not realize it. It happens when a chance crossing of paths occurs and the story switches to that particular character. Even if they don't meet, there are links with characters that interact with both; Dr Bradshaw attends Clarissa's party and also treats Septimus.
It's a fascinating story, somewhat limp ending maybe but all in all quite an introduction to Virginia Woolf. (4 stars)"
"I Am Legend is a collection of horror short stories and one novella by author Richard Matheson. I am Legend was the basis for at least two movies; The Omega Man (1971) and I Am Legend (2017). Other stories remind me of episodes of The Twilight Zone and Night Gallery. Prey was made into a TV movie (part of Trilogy of Terror) starring Karen Black as Amelia, in a truly terrifying story of a young woman terrorized by an African tribal doll.
Every story was interesting; some very scary and even some humorous (The Near Departed and The Funeral).
It was interesting to finally read I Am Legend. I found it closer to The Omega Man, which starred Charlton Heston. Robert Neville is, as far as he knows, the last man on Earth. The rest is peopled by either vampires and people who still live but suffer from the effects of a virus that make them 'seem' like vampires; they aren't dead but still need blood and suffer from many of the effects of vampirism. Neville lives in a world of nightmare, trying to drown the memories of his past with drink and spending days killing these creatures. His life is turned upside down when he meets Ruth. (I'll leave you to read the story to find out about this incident). It was an excellent story and interesting to compare to my memories of the movies.
The other stories included stories with killer dolls, voodoo spells, strange funerals, haunted houses, etc.; all interesting and page turners. A pleasantly satisfying and enjoyable read. (4 stars)"
Currently Reading
I'm starting off December with the four books below, three carried over from November. I hope I'll reach my 120 total by the end of the month. Have a great December! HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
2. Downbelow Station by C.J. Cherryh. My first exposure to SciFi writer Cherryh and after a slow start to get used to her writing style, I'm enjoying very much.
3. The Man with the Cane by Jean Potts. Another new author for me and I'm enjoying thus far.
4. Jade Lady Burning by Martin Limon. Just started this mystery set in South Korea.
So there you go. I'll keep you posted on how this goes and as we get nearer the end of the month let you know my challenges for 2018 and my book summary for the end of 2017. Take care!
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