The Weekend (Almost) Update and Author's A - Z

Well, it's Friday and after a few really hot days (yes, it's all relative), the temperature has dropped to a more reasonable 17 degrees Celsius. Instead of going for my morning walk today I went to the gym and used their walking machine.. Kind of boring but I watched a bit of footie on the TV, managing to avoid falling off the treadmill as I walked and watched. I CAN DO TWO THINGS AT ONCE!!!

The missus and I have spent this week fuming at the humanitarian crisis invoked by the F*@*wit in chief of the US and his henchmen / women that run his government. We even contributed to an organization that is working to support the immigrants locked up and to reuniting them with their children. One of the positive things that seems to have occurred in response to Trump's actions. (Click on the link above if you want to check out their Facebook page.

I've watched a bit of the World Cup of Footie, but have basically just kept track of the scores. I'll check out England's game against Panama on Sunday. I've been avoiding the Toronto Blue Jays for much of this year. They have their moments but I think it might be a year for rebuilding, get some young talent to go with their young players in the minors. Keep Grichuk, Pilar, Diaz, Solarte and some of the other youngsters. Maybe trade Donaldson, Morales. I'd hate to see them trade Happ and Estrada because they can be a steadying influence to younger starters. But I also can see that they might be used to get more young strength. Oh well. We'll see what happens.

Anyway, now on to my Reading update. A couple of books arrived in the mail this week and I found a couple at my local used book store as well. I'll update that and also continue my Author's A - Z.

New Books

From Nearly New Books in Comox

1. Lieutenant Hornblower by C.S. Forester. I've read many of the Hornblower books and this is the last one that I needed to add to my bookshelf. It's been an enjoyable series so far. As well, I've enjoyed the TV series very much.









"In this gripping tale of turmoil and triumph on the high seas, Horatio Hornblower emerges from his apprenticeship as midshipman to face new responsibilities thrust upon him by the fortunes of war between Napoleon and Spain. Enduring near-mutiny, bloody hand-to-hand combat with Spanish seamen, deck-splintering sea battles, and the violence and horror of life on the fighting ships of the Napoleonic Wars, the young lieutenant distinguishes himself in his first independent command. He also faces an adventure unique in his experience: Maria."

2. Mercy Among the Children by David Adams Richards. I read one of Canadian author, Richards' books last year and enjoyed very much. I liked the view of New Brunswick and its people. This book won the Giller Prize in 2000.










"As a boy, Sydney Henderson thinks he has killed Connie Devlin when he pushes him from a roof for stealing his sandwich. He vows to God he will never again harm another if Connie survives. Connie walks away, laughing, and Sydney embarks upon a life of self-immolating goodness. In spite of having educated himself with such classics as Tolstoy and Marcus Aurelius, he is not taken seriously enough to enter university because of his background of dire poverty and abuse, which leads everyone to expect the worst of him. His saintly generosity of spirit is treated with suspicion and contempt, especially when he manages to win the love of beautiful Elly. Unwilling to harm another in thought or deed, or to defend himself against false accusations, he is exploited and tormented by others in this rural community, and finally implicated in the death of a 19-year-old boy.

Lyle Henderson knows his father is innocent, but is angry that the family has been ridiculed for years, and that his mother and sister suffer for it. He feels betrayed by his father’s passivity in the face of one blow after another, and unable to accept his belief in long-term salvation. Unlike his father, he cannot believe that evil will be punished in the end. While his father turns the other cheek, Lyle decides the right way is in fighting, and embarks on a morally empty life of stealing, drinking and violence."

Halcyon Books, UK

3. The Leavenworth Case by Anna Katharine Green.  I am one of the moderators of the Mystery, Crime book group in Goodreads. One of the other moderators, Nancy, has been reading mysteries starting with the origins of the genre. This book was one she read as part of that challenge and it sounded very interesting to me.








"First published in 1878, nine years before the debut of Sherlock Holmes in A Study in Scarlet, this atmospheric and suspenseful mystery well deserves a modern audience." — Publishers Weekly
Horatio Leavenworth, a wealthy merchant and pillar of nineteenth-century New York society, has been found shot to death in his Fifth Avenue mansion. Circumstances point to a member of his household as the killer and particularly to his lovely nieces, one of whom will inherit his fortune. The idea of a lady murderer, especially one of the Leavenworths' social stature, is almost too shocking to entertain, although the evidence — a broken key, an incriminating letter, and an overheard snatch of conversation — points toward the young nieces. But which one?
This brilliantly plotted tale of love, greed, sacrifice, and betrayal introduced the first American series detective, Ebenezer Gryce, and is widely considered the first full-length detective story written by a woman. The suspenseful bestseller is credited with attracting writers to a genre previously considered unworthy of serious literary attention. It remains not only a fascinating whodunit but also an absorbing look at nineteenth-century mores and manners."

World of Books, UK

4.  Let Sleeping Girls Lie by James Mayo. I read the first book in Mayo's Charles Hood spy series a couple of months ago. I'm enjoying exploring 60s spy series, like Adam Diment's Philip McAlpine series and Peter O'Donnell's Modesty Blaise series. I've also got James Leasor's Dr. Jason Love series in my sights.








"Charles Hood, dynamic hero of Hammerhead, tackles another breathtaking assignment. At the request of Lord Claymore, head of the City's secret consortium The Circle, he trails a lovely blonde with a Bentley across Europe."

Bill's Author's A - Z

G.K. Chesterton

1. G.K. Chesterton. English author, Chesterton, lived from 1874 - 1936. He is especially known for his Father Brown mystery series. I have also enjoyed his The Man Who Would Be Thursday and have another on my bookshelf.

a. The Innocence of Father Brown (Father Brown #1).













"In his day, Flambeau was a legend of the underworld. Even now, his old confederates remember with pride the Tyrolean Dairy scheme, in which he built a thriving milk business despite owning not a single cow. But today the master thief finally meets his match. Attempting to steal a priceless cross, Flambeau runs afoul of Father Brown, an ordinary-looking priest with amazing insight into the criminal mind. With grace, logic, and good humor, the stout little clergyman soon reforms one of England’s most notorious villains.

In thrilling tales such as “The Blue Cross,” “The Secret Garden,” and “The Hammer of God,” G. K. Chesterton’s immortal priest-detective applies his extraordinary intuition to the most intricate of mysteries. No corner of the human soul is too dark for Father Brown, no villain too ingenious. The Innocence of Father Brown is a testament to the power of faith and the pleasure of a story well told."

b. The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare.













"Perhaps best known to the general public as creator of the "Father Brown" detective stories, G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936) was especially renowned for his wit, rhetorical brilliance and talent for ingenious and revealing paradox. Those qualities are richly brilliant in the present volume, a hilarious, fast-paced tale about a club of anarchists in turn-of-the-century London. The story begins when Gabriel Syme, a poet and member of a special group of philosophical policemen, attends a secret meeting of anarchists, whose leaders are named for the days of the week, and all of whom are sworn to destroy the world. Their chief is the mysterious Sunday - huge, boisterous, full of vitality, a wild personage who may be a Chestertonian vision of God or nature or both. When Syme, actually an undercover detective, is unexpectedly elected to fill a vacancy on the anarchists' Central Council, the plot takes the first of many surprising twists and turns."

c. The Napoleon of Notting Hill. 









"A comical futurist fantasy, first published in 1904, about a tradition-loving suburban London community of the 1980s at war with its modernizing neighbors. Chesterton's splendid storytelling gifts and his sympathies for the plight of small nations trying to remain independent are strongly in evidence."

Lee Child

2. Lee Child. English writer James D. Grant, writing under the name Lee Child, has made a name for himself with his action-filled Jack Reacher series. At the moment there are 23 books in the series. I've read 5 so far and enjoyed them all. I've got another 3 sitting on my book shelf awaiting my attention. Below I've highlighted my last three books.

a. Die Trying (#2).













"A Chicago street in bright sunshine. Jack Reacher, strolling nowhere, meets an attractive young woman, limping, struggling with her crutches, alone. Naturally he stops to offer her a steadying arm and then they turn together—to face twin handguns held level and motionless and aimed straight at their stomachs.

Chained to the woman, locked in a dark, stifling van racing 2,000 miles across America, Reacher needs to know who he's dealing with. The kidnappers are saying nothing and his companion claims to be Holly Johnson, FBI agent. She's fierce enough and tough enough, but he knows there must be more to her than that. And at their remote, hostile destination, they will need to act as a team and trust each other, pitting raw courage and cunning against insane violence and seemingly hopeless odds, with their own lives and hundreds more at stake."

b. Tripwire (#3). 












"Reacher's anonymity in Florida is shattered by an investigator who's come looking for him. But hours after his arrival, the stranger is murdered. Retracing the PI's trail back to New York, Reacher's compelled to find out who was looking for him and why. He never expected the reasons to be so personal - and twisted. 

c. Running Blind (#4). 













"Women are being murdered nationwide by a killer who leaves no trace of evidence, no fatal wounds, no signs of struggle, and no clues to an apparent motive. All the victims have one thing in common: they each knew Jack Reacher."

Next in line are -
a. Echo Burning (#5)
b. Without Fail (#6)

Erskine Childers

3. Erskine Childers. English writer Robert Erskine Childers was born in London in 1870 and died in Dublin in 1922. He was a Fenian revolutionary who smuggled guns to Ireland and was executed by the authorities of the Irish Free State during the Irish Civil War. He is also noted for his 1903 novel, The Riddle of the Sands, which was acclaimed as one of the earliest forms of the espionage novel. I found it quite interesting.

The Riddle of the Sands.

"While on a sailing trip in the Baltic Sea, two young adventurers-turned-spies uncover a secret German plot to invade England. Written by Childers - who served in the Royal Navy during World War I - as a wake-up call to the British government to attend to its North Sea defenses, The Riddle of the Sands accomplished that task and has been considered a classic of espionage literature ever since, praised as much for its nautical action as for its suspenseful spy craft."

There you go folks. Have a wonderful weekend!