Before I get in to that, a couple of days ago I visited a local bookseller who also sells online; Charles Purpora Books. He has books in a nice outbuilding behind his house. He also has a main bookstore on the mainland. Anyway, I spent a half hour there looking through his books. My main purpose was to pick up a book of poetry by Margaret Atwood, for a monthly Genre challenge.... that being, of course, Poetry. Anyway, these are the books I picked up.
New Books
"I readily admit that poetry is not my favourite genre. It's not poetry's fault, it's more that I probably just don't get it. Too thoughtful for my poor mind, maybe. So when one of my book groups decided that March would be poetry month, I decided to try poetry again. I remember reading The Circle Game by Margaret Atwood back in my university days so I thought maybe I'd try some of her offerings for the challenge. Hence finding a copy of Power Politics as one of my choices.
I have enjoyed Atwood's fiction and science fiction very much over the years. What did I think about this poetry offering? From a pure aesthetics perspective, I liked the look of the book, the clean simplicity of the cover and the layout of the words on the page in this Anansi Press edition from 1971. It's a short book so I thought I'd try to read it in one sitting and it was easy to get into the flow of the poems. There was a mood and feel to the book, the struggle and emotions within relationships. I actually could appreciate the feelings. There were some parts that I thought were just perfect; "I can change myself more easily than I can change you" or "A truth should exist, it should not be used like this. If I love you is that a fact or a weapon?"
I won't say I got it all, but it did strike a chord, a different mode of story. I'm glad I tried it. (4 stars)"
"A mysterious death prologues a rich and meaty saga, narrated by Dr. Jonathan Hullah, which looks back over a long life punctuated by the dazzling intellectual high-jinks and compassionate philosophies of Hullah and his circle."
"Far out in the asteroid belt, an alien spaceship of colossal dimensions is discovered. Initial investigations of its vast, gothic interior reveal a number of humanoids preserved in a state of suspended animation. At last, there is real proof that intelligent life does exist in other galaxies. But when three of the beings are brought back to Earth, disaster strikes. The humanoids are discovered to be vampires, preying on people's life-fields and sucking the body's energy with a kiss of death. Suddenly one of the vampires--a female of extraordinary beauty and sexual allure--escapes. The desperate hunt to track it down soon develops into a psychic struggle for the survival of the human race."
Now to continue with my Top 100 Countdown.
Books 81 - 90
"Across the country, dozens of teenage girls have vanished. Authorities are convinced they're runaways with just the bad luck of the draw to connect them. It's the job of criminal profilers Dr. Tony Hill and Carol Jordan to look for a pattern. They've spent years exploring the psyches of madmen. But sane men kill, too. And when they hide in plain sight, they can be difficult to find...
He's handsome and talented, rich and famous--a notorious charmer with the power to seduce...and the will to destroy. No one can believe what he's capable of. No one can imagine what he's already done. And no one can fathom what he's about to do next. Until one of Hill's students is murdered--the first move in a sick and violent game for three players. Now, of all the killers Hill and Jordan have hunted, none has been so ruthless, so terrifyingly clever, and so brilliantly elusive as the killer who's hunting them..."
"Rosamund Clifford, the mistress of King Henry II, has died an agonizing death by poison - and the king's estranged queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine, is the prime suspect. Henry suspects that Rosamund's murder is probably the first move in Eleanor's long-simmering plot to overthrow him. If Eleanor is guilty, the result could be civil war. The king must once again summon Adelia Aguilar, mistress of the art of death, to uncover the truth.
Adelia is not happy to be called out of retirement. She has been living contentedly in the countryside, caring for her infant daughter, Allie. But Henry's summons cannot be ignored, and Adelia must again join forces with the king's trusted fixer, Rowley Picot, the Bishop of St. Albans, who is also her baby's father.
Adelia and Rowley travel to the murdered courtesan's home, in a tower within a walled labyrinth - a strange and sinister place from the outside, but far more so on the inside, where a bizarre and gruesome discovery awaits them. But Adelia's investigation is cut short by the appearance of Rosamund's rival: Queen Eleanor. Adelia, Rowley, and the other members of her small party are taken captive by Eleanor's henchmen and held in the nunnery of Godstow, where Eleanor is holed up for the winter with her band of mercenaries, awaiting the right moment to launch their rebellion.
Isolated and trapped inside the nunnery by the snow and cold, Adelia and Rowley watch as dead bodies begin piling up. Adelia knows that there may be more than one killer at work, and she must unveil their true identities before England is once again plunged into civil war . . ."
"Reading a new (only for me as Nevil Shute has been dead since 1960) book by Shute is like putting on a cardigan, comfy pj's and slippers and cozying up on the couch. It's comforting, even though astounding things can happen. Trustee from the Toolroom was Shute's last book. As soon as I started reading it, I fell comfortably into the fantastic world that he created for my reading enjoyment.
Like many of Shute's stories, it focuses on a normal, unassuming man (or woman) who finds him/ herself involved in a situation so far out of his comfort zone that you find yourself following him, holding your breath to see how it will resolve. Now, I'm not saying that it's page after page of heart-stopping action. Because it isn't that. It's just that you find yourself amazed at how this mild-mannered person deals with this situation so out of his comfort zone.
Keith Stewart is a middle-aged Englishman living in London in the 1960's. Many years ago he gave up his wartime job as a rigger at an aircraft factory and now works from home, creating miniature engines and such and writing articles for a magazine called Miniature Mechanic. The magazine is shipped to people around the world who try to create Keith's designs and correspond with him. He makes little money and his wife makes a bit more so they can live a relatively comfortable life, nothing extravagant. They have never really traveled and live very insular lives.
Keith sister, Jo and her husband, an ex-Navy officer have decided to travel by sailing boat to Vancouver. They ask Keith and Katie to look after their young daughter, Janice until they get settled. They die on the way. So that's the basic story, except that as well, they have designated Keith and Katie as trustees to their daughter. They had Keith install a jewelry box in concrete in the hull of their ship; Janice's inheritance. Keith decides that if they are to ensure Janice the life she deserves, he needs to get the jewels.
This leads to Keith journeying to Tahiti, with little to no money to try and achieve his aim. This is the crux of this fascinating story. There are so many rich elements that develop. Keith might seem an ordinary man who lives on his street, but we gradually discover hidden elements to him that make him more and more interesting and also links to so many people around the world, that even he doesn't realize. Like all of the other stories by Shute that I've read, I was instantly drawn into the characters and the story and ultimately so satisfied with the ending. If you've never read anything by Shute, you are missing out on one of the great story tellers. (4 stars)"
"Set in mid-1970s India, A Fine Balance is a subtle and compelling narrative about four unlikely characters who come together in circumstances no one could have foreseen soon after the government declares a 'State of Internal Emergency'. It is a breathtaking achievement: panoramic yet humane, intensely political yet rich with local delight; and, above all, compulsively readable."
"Nevil Shute continues to be one of my favourite authors. I've now read 4 or 5 of his books and each one has been so excellent. I can't sing the praises of books like On the Beach, Pied Piper and The Far Country enough. Today I finished Most Secret, published originally in 1945, during his war period.
On the surface, it's a simple war story, 4 men of diverse backgrounds coming together to devise a plan for the English to harass and destroy German assets and at the same time to give new courage to French citizens on the French coast, who have been under the thumb of German rule throughout the war.
But as always with such a well-crafted Shute story, it's much more than that. Shute takes the time to tell us about the characters, to develop feelings for them and what they've been through. His narrator is a Navy Commander, drawn into the scheme to bring fire to the Germans, who becomes invested in them and who tells their story in such a matter-of-fact way, but also manages to provide us with the emotion and caring he has for Simon, Boden, Rhodes and Colvin.
Shute also adds in the Navy Wren who is assigned to transport the crew, the Commander and who falls in love with Rhodes. The story is one of great heroism and daring and also fairly technical in its own way. The plot basically is to convert a French fishing vessel into a raider, equipped with flame throwers to go across to France and fight the Germans. That is it in its very simplest forms. The four men each has his own motivations, which you find out throughout the story.
I thought as I read it, that yes, it's a pretty interesting story, but more and more I became invested in these characters, even with Rhodes' rabbit and by the end felt quite choked up with the ending and how everything turned out. Shute writes in a very understated manner but at the same time manages to get you completely involved in his story. His heroes are everyday people who strike a deep chord with you. Another of my favorites. (5 stars)"
"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)"
"George Smiley had liked the man and now the man was dead. Suicide. But why? An anonymous letter had alleged that Foreign Office man Samuel Fennan had been a member of the Communist Party as a student before the war. Nothing very unusual for his generation.
Smiley had made it clear that the investigation, little more than a routine security check, was over and that the file on Fennan could be closed. Next day, Fennan was dead with a note by his body saying his career was finished and he couldn’t go on."
"What a joy to read! How do you describe Solomon Gursky Was Here? In its simplest form, it's the story of Ephraim Gursky, a minor crook and forger, who escapes from prison in England and tricks his way onto the ill-fated Franklin expedition, and manages to survive the disaster. He roams the Arctic, becomes a religious leader to a band of Eskimos; in some way he persuades them they are one of the 12 tribes of Israel. He eventually finds his way to Saskatchewan, starts a family and then the story follows his three grand-children; Solomon, Barnie and Morrie and their children. The grand-sons found successful liquor business, built partly on smuggling booze to the US during their prohibition; then settle in Montreal. The other aspect of the story follows one Moses Berger, son of poet LB Berger, who worked for the Gursky families. Moses goes through this story trying to find out the truth about Solomon Gursky; a trickster like his grand father, who died in a plane crash in the North of Canada. That is the story in its simplest form. It meanders from the past, following Ephraim, then his grand sons and their kids; also following Moses, now drunk, a failed writer as he explores the Gursky family. There are so many lovely tidbits, humor; just great, entertaining story-telling. It's an entertaining read and it winds up in such a satisfying manner; it was a pure joy to read. I highly recommend. It's been many years since I read something by Mordecai Richler and I'm going to have to find Barney's Version next."
"A most enjoyable introduction to the Miss Marple series of mysteries. I particularly enjoyed how the story was presented, with the Vicar being the story teller. Miss Marple is almost in the shadows, as the Vicar wanders around town on his own or with the police inspector, chatting with people, hearing the ideas and thoughts. Miss Marple is a watcher, a wise lady, who observes and figures things out. The Vicar meets with her regularly, discussing ideas, clues and gaining her insight. I loved the story, loved trying to figure things out (for the most part, unsuccessfully) and I loved the main characters, the Vicar and his lovely young wife, Griselda and Miss Marple especially. The story was fun and a pleasure to read. I was even happy with the ending, more than satisfied as Miss Marple presented her findings and solution. Loved it!"
"Wow! What a great story, courage, bad guys, good guys, interesting concept and characters that you can enjoy. The story of the people of Silo 18 (you'll have to read it to find out what it is) whose daily lives move along, a relationship from floor to floor, all contributing in their own way; Mechanical, Medical, IT, Farming, Law, but at the same time there are secrets and plots. The story starts off with Sheriff Holston who is dealing with the death of his wife three years before, who chose to go on a 'cleaning' (more for you to read about) and decides to join her. The Mayor and deputy go down to Mechanical in search of the new Sheriff (Juliette.. a lovely, brave, wonderful character), much to the dissatisfaction of Bernard, Head of IT, who has ideas of his own for running Silo. The implications of this conflict form the basis of the story, which, in this Omnibus edition, runs for 5 Chapters (Books). Silo will be turned upside down, new heros discovered; Juliette will go on her own journey and there will be discoveries that will shock many of the residents of Silo. I can't say enough about this story. I want to get the next books, but am also kind of hesitant as Hugh Howey indicates in a Q&A at the end of the book, "There is always a story to tell, just maybe not the one that the readers expect." Great story, hard to put down and enjoyed every minute of it, even if some were with trepidation."
So there you go, the Top 100 list from 81 - 90. Anything interest you?
Honorable Mention
As I've created this list, it's got me thinking of books I read much earlier in my life that I'd like to mention to you as well. Today's honorable mention are books from Russian author, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who lived from 1918 to 2008. In high school, I read 3 of his earliest books. As I remember, they were excellent, depressing stories of the earlier days of the Russian revolution and how people suffered under it. If you want an early feel for his style, try One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (1963) (the translated edition), the story of a Russian prisoner in the Gulags, terrifying and powerful. If you find that one interesting and worthwhile, then check out The First Circle (1968), the story of political prisoners forced to work for the government as punishment and then Cancer Ward (1968), the story of treatment of people with terminal illness and the 'cancerous' police state. They aren't necessarily easy reads. You have to get used to the names for the first thing. The stories are so detailed and rich that though that once you get into the flow, I'm sure you will have difficulty putting them down. I may have to try one again to see if my memories of them are accurate.
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