Jo and I had a lovely day out yesterday; went to lunch at Atlas in Courtenay; it was yummy. Then we had a nice leisurely walk around 5th and 6th Street, visited some shops we hadn't been to in a couple of years, plus some new shops, just enjoying the mild weather and fresh air and spending time together. It was a grand day all in all. Today, Bonnie and Clyde (shhhh, I'm saying this quietly) are going to spend the afternoon at the groomers... or as we tell them, they are getting a spa afternoon. Not that they believe us.
A few new books to tell you about, plus the last couple of books I've finished reading and those that I've started. If I've got time I'll also continue with my ongoing look at women authors who I've been enjoying.
New Books
1. Patrick Tilley - Amtrak Wars: Book 1 - Cloud Warrior & Book 6 - Earth-Thunder.
I ordered the first two books in this series but ended up getting 1 & 6. That's alright though because if I enjoy #1, I'll get the remainder. It does sound interesting.
Book 1 - Ten centuries ago the Old Time ended when Earth's cities melted in the War of a Thousand Suns. Now the lethal high technology of the Amtrak Federation's underground stronghold is unleashed on Earth's other survivors - the surface-dwelling Mutes.
Book 6 - As the great mountain in the west speaks to the sky with a tongue of flame, the Talisman Prophecy is on the verge of fulfillment.
The rulers of the Lone Star Confederation are convinced that Clearwater's child - whose birth coincides to the second with the volcanic eruption - is the Thrice-Gifted One. And they hold both in their power. Cadillac and Steve's kin-sister, Roz, who have combined their formidable powers are determined to free her but Steve, lured by the prospect of a dazzling career within the First Family, is no longer certain who to support or betray.He has little time in which to decide for, in Ne-Issan, the land of the Iron Masters, a lone woman intent on avenging her dead lover is about to plunge her nation into a civil war that will set the whole continent ablaze.
"This horrifying retelling of the Pied Piper fairytale set in present-day Chicago is an edge of your seat, chills up the spine, thrill ride. When Detective Lauren Medina sees the calling card at a murder scene in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood, she knows the Pied Piper has returned. When another teenager is brutally murdered at the same lagoon where her sister’s body was found floating years before, she is certain that the Pied Piper is not just back, he’s looking for payment he’s owed from her. Lauren’s torn between protecting the city she has sworn to keep safe, and keeping a promise she made long ago with her sister’s murderer. She may have to ruin her life by exposing her secrets and lies to stop the Pied Piper before he collects."
"A young girl in Harlem discovers slam poetry as a way to understand her mother’s religion and her own relationship to the world. Debut novel of renowned slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo.
Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking.
But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about. With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself.
So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out, much less speak her words out loud. But still, she can’t stop thinking about performing her poems.
Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent. "
"Echo Desjardins is adjusting to her new home, finding friends, and learning about Métis history. She just can’t stop slipping back and forth in time. One ordinary afternoon in class, Echo finds herself transported to the banks of the Red River in the summer of 1869. All is not well in the territory as Canadian surveyors have arrived to change the face of territory, and Métis families, who have lived there for generations, are losing access to their land. As the Resistance takes hold, Echo fears for her friends and the future of her people in the Red River Valley."
"It took two lifetimes and countless victims, but Lucas "Dodge" Caravaggio has his terrible prize at last: the key which will open The Black Door. Disguised in the form of little Bode Locke, Dodge descends into the Drowning Cave, to throw back the door and release the demons on the other side. Those who have stood against him for so long - Tyler, Kinsey, Scot, Nina, Rufus, and all the rest - take their places as the final tragedy unfolds... A confrontation between decency and hate in the caverns a hundred feet beneath Keyhouse, at the threshold of an evil kept for generations under lock and key."
"The Wheel of Time turns and Ages come and go, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth returns again. In the Third Age, an Age of Prophecy, the World and Time themselves hang in the balance. What was, what will be, and what is, may yet fall under the Shadow.
When The Two Rivers is attacked by Trollocs-a savage tribe of half-men, half-beasts- five villagers flee that night into a world they barely imagined, with new dangers waiting in the shadows and in the light."
"London, 1930. A spate of violent deaths – the details too foul to print – has horrified the capital and the smog-bound streets are deserted. But Rachel Savernake is on the killer's trail...
A superb Golden Age mystery packed with twists, from the winner of the Diamond Dagger 2020.
LONDON, 1930
The night is sooty, sulphurous, and malign. A spate of violent deaths has horrified the capital and the smog-bound streets are deserted. No woman should be out on a night like this. But Rachel Savernake is no ordinary woman.
To Scotland Yard's embarrassment, she solved the Chorus Girl Murder, and now – along with journalist Jacob Flint – she's on the trail of another killer.
Savernake and Flint's pursuit of the truth will mire them ever-deeper into a labyrinth of deception and corruption. Murder-by-murder, they will be swept ever-closer to that ancient place of execution, where it all began and where it will finally end: Gallows Court."
The night is sooty, sulphurous, and malign. A spate of violent deaths has horrified the capital and the smog-bound streets are deserted. No woman should be out on a night like this. But Rachel Savernake is no ordinary woman.
To Scotland Yard's embarrassment, she solved the Chorus Girl Murder, and now – along with journalist Jacob Flint – she's on the trail of another killer.
Savernake and Flint's pursuit of the truth will mire them ever-deeper into a labyrinth of deception and corruption. Murder-by-murder, they will be swept ever-closer to that ancient place of execution, where it all began and where it will finally end: Gallows Court."
Just Finished
"Huma Abedin came to my attention during Hillary Clinton's run for President when she had 'e-mail problems' due to her husband, Anthony Weiner. Both/And is her life story, especially focused on her work with HRC.
It's a fascinating story about someone I knew nothing about at all. She was born in Michigan; her parents were of Muslin / Pakistani and Muslim / Indian descent. The story follows Huma and her family to Saudi Arabia, where both of her parents helped set up a university for women. The story continues with Huma returning to the US for university and then the beginning of her career with HRC, from her time as First Lady up until her unsuccessful run for President (*sigh*.. yeah, I know. Get over it already)
Besides an excellent portrayal of Huma's life, the story also provides quite a bit of insight into the workings of Hillary Clinton. Of especial interest in this story, of course, is the incident involving her husband, Anthony Weiner; a successful New York politician whose life (and Huma's as well) was turned upside down due to his sexting incidents. It must have been such a terrible time for Huma, trying to continue to work for HRC (it also shows how loyal HRC is to those close to her) and keep her family together.
Many interesting themes highlighted in Huma's story; e.g. the inherent racism of the right wing of the GOP, starting with an incident involving Michele Bachmann. The story is well-written, moves along very nicely, circling back when needed to cover differing aspects of specific periods and is a portrayal of one person's life, her family, her friends and her future. An interesting read. (4 stars)"
"I'm not quite sure how to take Cranks and Shadows, the 11th book in the Mario Balzic crime series by K.C. Constantine. There is a sort of mystery; who is funding the mysterious Emergency Response team, that seems to have unlimited funds and is run by the 'volunteer' fire chief, one Eddie Slitko.
Rocksburg police chief Mario Balzic is feeling out of touch and out of sorts. His long suffering wife Ruthie is tired of Rocksburg, of their tiny too small house and wants Mario to retire and go to Florida, even if just for a vacation. Mario is getting frustrated with the town council, whose mayor wants him to 'fire' / retire 4 police officers. This is due to removal of federal funding by the Reagan administration.
Mario discovers this new emergency police force when responding to a domestic situation and discovers an armed team lurking outside the house. The more he looks into this group, the more suspicious it seems. Where are they getting their funding? What is this whole IRS tax break thing about? Why does the Fire Department seem to have an unlimited source of funds and is it legal?
Mario finds himself so out of touch with this situation. He's tried to be above the political fray as police chief but now realizes that this has just left him not knowing what is going on. How is Mario going to resolve the situations? Will he even manage to do so, especially with an election coming up and his own position at threat?
It's interesting even though so much time is spent in argument and discussions, seemingly pointless.... There is a sort of resolution, even if it's not all that satisfying. Mario is grumpy and when I say grumpy, I mean GRUMPY. Luckily he does have a core of good cops around him. Very different crime story than I've been used to and even though there is an air of finality to a series, oddly enough there are still 6 more stories in the series. I do have to read other books in the series as there is something appealing about the books I've read so far. (3 stars)"
Currently Reading
"Somebody in Pacific Point is guilty of a kidnapping, but what probation officer Howard Cross wants to find most is innocence: in an ex-war hero who has taken a tough manslaughter rap, in a wealthy woman with a heart full of secrets, and in a blue-eyed beauty who has lost her way. The trouble is that the abduction has already turned to murder, and the more Cross pries into the case the further he slips into a pool of violence and evil. Somewhere in the California desert the whole scheme may come down on the wrong man. Somewhere Cross is going to find the last piece of a bloody puzzle—a mystery of blackmail, passion, and hidden identities that might be better left unsolved."
2. Wycliffe and the Cycle of Death by W.J. Burley (Wycliffe #16). This has become one of my favorite crime series.
"The bookshop owned by the Glynn family—New, Secondhand, and Rare Books: Established 1886—was old, charming, and we’ll-run. So when Matthew Glynn was discovered bludgeoned and strangled in his bookshop office, it was doubly shocking, for who could have done such a thing to one of Penzance’s most respected families?
Wycliffe, trying to unravel the murky secrets of the past, began to suspect that Sara Glynn, the reserved sister of the warring brothers, knew more than she pretended—and he had to persuade her to tell all she knew before another murder took place."
Well, there you go. I'll continue with my recurring thread about women authors in my next post as now I've got to make lunch before we take the dogs for their 'spa' afternoon. Have a safe, great weekend.
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