New Books
"2lst century Tokyo, after the millennial quake. Neon rain. Light everywhere blowing under any door you might try to close. Where the New Buildings, the largest in the world, erect themselves unaided, their slow rippling movements like the contractions of a sea-creature. Colin Laney is here looking for work. He is not, he is careful to point out, a voyeur. He is an intuitive fisher of patterns of information, the "signature" a particular individual creates simply by going about the business of living. But Laney knows how to sift for the interesting (read: dangerous) bits. Which makes him very useful--to certain people. Chia McKenzie is here on a rescue mission. She's fourteen. Her idol is the singer Rez, of the band Lo/Rez. When the Seattle chapter of the Lo/Rez fan club decided that he might be in trouble, in Tokyo, they sent Chia to check it out. Rei Toei is the beautiful, entirely virtual media star adored by all Japan. The idoru. And Rez has declared that he will marry her. This is the rumor that brought Chia to Tokyo. But the things that bother Rez are not the things that bother most people. Is something different here, in the very nature of reality? Or is it that something violently New is about to happen? It's possible the idoru is as real as she wants or needs to be--or as real as Rez desires. When Colin Laney looks into her dark eyes, trying hard to think of her as no more than a hologram, he sees things he's never seen before. He sees how she might break a man's heart.And, whatever else may be true, the idoru and the powerful interests surrounding her are enough to put all their lives in danger."
"Kipling's own drawings, with their long, funny captions, illustrate his hilarious explanations of How the Camel Got His Hump, How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin, How the Armadillo Happened, and other animal How's. He began inventing these stories in his American wife's hometown of Brattleboro, Vermont, to amuse his eldest daughter--and they have served ever since as a source of laughter for children everywhere."
"The day gets off to a bad start for Montalbano: while trying to break up a fight on Marinella beach, he hits the wrong man and is stopped by the Carabinieri. When he finally gets to the office, the inspector learns about a strange abduction: a woman was abducted, drugged, and then released unharmed a few hours later. A few days later, the same thing happens again, but this time the woman abducted is the niece of Enzo, the owner of Montalbano's favorite trattoria. The only link between the two events is that both women are thirty years old and work in a bank.
Alongside this investigation, Montalbano has to deal with an arson case. A shop that sells household appliances has burned down, and its owner, Marcello Di Carlo, seems to have vanished into thin air. Has he run off with his lover after a holiday in the Canary Islands? Is he fleeing from his creditors, or was he murdered by the mafia for not paying their protection money? At first this seems like a trivial case, but a third abduction--yet again of a girl who works in a bank--and the discovery of a body bring up new questions. Whose body is it? And where has Di Carlo's secret lover gone?"
"After the abrupt end to his military career Bern has settled into an uneasy peace in his new life in Kootenay Landing—a peace he knows can’t last. Out for a fall hike, he discovers Dr. Juniper Sinclair, the town’s lone doctor, attempting to revive small-time drug dealer Seymour Melnychuk, who has been shot in the forehead. In a seemingly unrelated incident, Gary Dowd abandons his van while crossing the US border. Gary is a local father of two, an accountant, and a steady, predictable guy. He’s also been best friends with Seymour Melnychuk since elementary school.
Bern knows the two disturbing events must be related and works with police constable Maddie Schilling to uncover the hidden ties that connect the two cases. Why was Dr Sinclair already on the scene? Why is there no exit wound on Seymour’s body? Why did Gary Dowd disappear while trying to cross the border? Who truly controls the hills and forests around Kootenay Landing? Amidst the chaos of the case, Bern’s military background comes back to haunt him, forcing him to confront the secrets of his own past that he has long sought to keep buried.
As Bern and Schilling close in on the killer, each is drawn into the case personally and the stakes are higher than anyone can imagine. Everyone has something to hide, and no one in Kootenay Landing seems willing to talk. But Bern Fortin is well aware that no secret can remain buried forever—not even his own."
Just Finished
I've finished 2 books in August so far.
"I've seen Mrs. Miniver, the movie starring Greer Garson, many times. So when I saw the book by Jan Struther I thought it might be worthwhile comparing the two. Well, there is no comparison because the book is totally different from the movie. However, both are excellent.
The book, as I understand it, was originally a series of columns that she wrote for the Times newspaper about 'an ordinary sort of woman who leads an ordinary sort of life - like yourself'. The movie, for those who might not have seen it, is about an ordinary English family living life during the initial parts of WWII. The book is set before the world, with the last chapter ending "Christmas 1939".
Each chapter presents a vignette as described by Mrs. Miniver, featuring her life and those of her husband, Clem and her three children, Vin, Judy and Toby. It presents her thoughts and observations about trips, events and sundry other items of their lives. It's very matter of fact in many ways but also very thoughtful. There were some chapters that I preferred more than others, some that stood out for me. Even one where she is deciding what new engagement book she wants to buy to record the events of the upcoming year struck a chord with me. Probably a personal one as I know how much my wife loves wandering through proper stationary stores. The last chapter where Mrs. Miniver is making her Christmas shopping list for her family and looks back over the last 17 years' lists and how her family has changed when she made up her lists was especially poignant.
In many ways, each chapter is a simple little story but some will definitely strike a chord with you and when you put them all together, it's a wonderful, rich story. I don't know how William Wyler came up with the idea to transition this book into a movie but he seems to have and made it just as rich and wonderful as this little book. You should try it. (4.5 stars)"
"I've read a few books by J.G. Ballard over the years. He writes some of the more unique science fiction that I've ever read. I like some more than others. I have enjoyed The Drowned World, Passport to Eternity, High-Rise, Crash, etc. I also enjoyed my most recent selection, Concrete Island.
At the beginning of the story, architect David Maitland, crashes his Jaguar, while driving home on the expressway outside of London. His crash brings him to an artificial island in the midst of the various interconnecting roads. In the crash he damages his hip and this affects his mobility. This begins a modern type Robinson Crusoe type of story. Days pass into days ad Maitland tries to find a way out. The area is fenced in, and surrounded by muddy hills. Cars passing by can't really see him due to the tall grass that has overgrown the area.
So that's the gist of the story. We follow Maitland as he explores the area, suffers from fever and pain, suffers from mental problems and other things. It's an interesting story, a quick read. There isn't lots of action, it's more an exploration of Maitland's frame of mind as he tries to cope with his isolation and decide what he will do to escape... if he really wants to escape. It's always worthwhile to try one of Ballard's stories to see what you think of his story-telling and writing style. (3.5 stars)"
And now, on to my July Reading Update.
July 2019
General Info June Total
Books Read - 13 83
Pages Read - 4,000 25,700
Pages Breakdown
< 250 4 34
250 - 350 3 19
351 - 450 5 19
> 450 1 11
Ratings
5 - star 1 5
4 - star 6 44
3 - star 5 33
2 - star 1 1
Gender
Female 1 27
Male 12 52
Genres
Fiction 2 11
Mystery 10 58
SciFi 1 8
Non-Fic 5
Classics 1
Poetry
Top 3 Books
2. Raymond Chandler - The Lady in the Lake 4.5 stars
3. Ian Rankin - Fleshmarket Close 4.5 stars
12 + 4 Challenge (completed 13)
1. Jim Butcher - Storm Front 3.5 stars
Papa Bear Challenge (Books I've had the longest on my Goodreads bookshelf) (completed 9)
2. Ian Rankin - Fleshmarket Close 4.5 stars
3. George Simenon - Maigret and the Nahour Case 4 stars
Mama Bear Challenge (Middle of my Goodreads bookshelf) (completed 11)
4. Robert B. Parker - Stranger in Paradise 4 stars
5. Meg Gardiner - Phantom Instinct 3.5 stars
Baby Bear Challenge (Books most recently added to my Goodreads bookshelf) (completed 10)
6. Mark Pryor - The Crypt Thief 3.5 stars
Goldilocks Challenge (Random Number Generator (completed 10)
Nil
Break from Challenges Challenge (Freebees every time I complete 10 books) (completed 5 books)
7. Max Byrd - California Thriller 4 stars
Freebies (including June Freebies)
8. Matthew Pearl - The Dante Pearl 3.5 stars
9. H.H. Kirst - Brothers in Arms 3.5 stars
10. Lionel Davidson - Kolymsky Heights 1 star
11. Ian Rankin - A Question of Blood 4 stars
Challenges from other Groups
12. Raymond Chandler - The Lady in the Lake 4.5 stars
13. Rudyard Kipling - Captains Courageous 5 stars
Aug 2019 Books - Currently Reading
2. Kelley Armstrong - Broken
3. David Downing - Jack of Spies
4. Josephine Tey - The Franchise Affair
5. Philip Kerr - Field Gray
6. Philip K. Dick - Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said
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