It's Saturday and Brentford beat Man City 2-1!

Well, that was a surprise this morning. The small Brentford Bees team beat vaunted Manchester City in the City Ground 2-1 today. A bit of a surprise; they are definitely punching above their weight. 

Jo and I walked downtown yesterday and had lunch at Beninos. Jo beat me 2 games to 1 at Sequence. Ah well.

Since my last reading update, I've completed one book. I'll update that and then provide the synopsis of the next book in line and also continue with my ongoing look at Women Authors whose Work I've been enjoying.

Oh, my Goodreads book club has started looking at 2023 challenges. The first was the Motley Challenge. The moderator has provided a list of 36 possibilities of which we'll end up with a list of 26. These are the options so far.

1. A book with a villain.

2. A book written by an author with the first initial of A or Z.

3. A book about a pandemic

4. A book with a textured cover.

5. A book released over 5 years ago.

6. Flip a coin book: choose two books, appoint one head, one tail. Flip coin, read that book.

7. A book that has pictures.

8. Book with a protagonist that is over 40.

9. Book that has an even number of pages.

10. Book with an intriguing title.

11. A book involving a lie.

12. A book with alternating time periods.

13. A book about revenge.

14. A book set in the 1980’s.

15. A book that is dusty on your shelf.

16. A book under 300 pages.

17. A family drama.

18. A book with a one-word title.

19. A book with a map in it.

20. A book centered around a holiday.

21. A book involving a carnival or circus.

22. A book that starts with “H”.

23. A book with a beautiful cover.

24. A book recommended by a famous person.

25. A woman author that is new to you.

26. A new book by your favorite author.

27. A story about a road trip.

28. A book that is co-authored.

29. A gothic or noir novel.

30. A book with a sport or game involved in it.

31. A book with an autumn vibe.

32. A book set in a place you want to visit.

33. A book with a purple cover.

34. A book with a happy ending.

35. A book published in the month you were born.

36. A book with an insect on the cover.

Just Finished

1. Get in the Van: On the Road with Black Flag by Henry Rollins (1994).

"I got [book:Get in the Van: On the Road With Black Flag|88269] by [author:Henry Rollins|44736] from my daughter. Rollins was the lead singer of hardcore punk band Black Flag and this story follows their tours from 1981 - 1986, accompanied with Rollins' thoughts on life, music, etc. I will preface my review by saying that I was unfamiliar with the band and their music. It's a life style that I've never experienced and not the music (I think) that I normally follow.

Having said that, it's a powerful story and Rollins proves himself to be a capable writer and man with many self-destructive issues. Mind you, the treatment the band puts up with in their concerts (being spit on, kicked, beaten up, etc.) would make anyone feel that way, probably. Rollins suffers continuously as the front man, the person on whom the crowd focuses. The fights, even on stage, the constant threat from the police wherever they might be performing, the living tooth to nail (sleeping in their van, equipment and belongings being stolen; it's truly amazing). The first portion pretty well follows their first tour, when Rollins is hired to be the lead man, but gradually we get more and more into his feelings and thoughts.

"The initial inception must be pure. All energy must be put to use. The end must never leave your sight. Complete destruction must be had. You must maintain drive that goes beyond obsession, beyond reason. Every movement must be in the forward direction. When in the woods, seek the clearing."

As he grows, Rollins begins also performing in spoken concerts, he begins writing books, for magazines. He has a very poetic spirit, also a very self-destructive attitude. It's often a depressing story, but at the same time, a fascinating look at the life of a touring band. Well worth reading but take a deep breath first. (4.0 stars)"

Currently Reading

1. Battle of the Atlantic: Gauntlet to Victory by Ted Barris (2022). This is an important book. My father served on the HMCS Iroquois and other ships during WWII, and I always find it so interesting reading about the navy battles of the war.

"The Battle of the Atlantic, Canada’s longest continuous military engagement of the Second World War, lasted 2,074 days, claiming the lives of more than 4,000 men and women in the Royal Canadian Navy, the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Canadian merchant navy.

The years 2019 to 2025 mark the eightieth anniversary of the longest battle of the Second World War, the Battle of the Atlantic. It also proved to be the war’s most critical and dramatic battle of attrition. For five and a half years, German surface warships and submarines attempted to destroy Allied trans-Atlantic convoys, most of which were escorted by Royal Canadian destroyers and corvettes, as well as aircraft of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Throwing deadly U-boat “wolf packs” in the paths of the convoys, the German Kriegsmarine almost succeeded in cutting off this vital lifeline to a beleaguered Great Britain.

In 1939, the Royal Canadian Navy went to war with exactly thirteen warships and about 3,500 regular servicemen and reservists. During the desperate days and nights of the Battle of the Atlantic, the RCN grew to 400 fighting ships and over 100,000 men and women in uniform. By V-E Day in 1945, it had become the fourth largest navy in the world.

The story of Canada’s naval awakening from the dark, bloody winters of 1939–1942, to be “ready, aye, ready” to challenge the U-boats and drive them to defeat, is a Canadian wartime saga for the ages. While Canadians think of the Great War battle of Vimy Ridge as the country’s coming of age, it was the Battle of the Atlantic that proved Canada’s gauntlet to victory and a nation-building milestone."

Women Authors Whose Work I Enjoy - Lynda La Plante

Lynda La Plante

Lynda La Plante is an English author and screenwriter of many successful mystery series, amongst other books. Many of her books have been turned into successful TV series, Prime Suspect, Anna Travis, etc. Over her career she has written 40+ books. Since I discovered her writing, I've enjoyed 5 of her books. I'll highlight the most recent 2 books to give you an idea of her style.

1. The Red Dahlia (Anna Travis #2 / 2006).

"The Red Dahlia is the 2nd book in the DI Anna Travis mystery series by Lynda La Plante. La Plante is also known for her Prime Suspect series and also various screen plays. 

This story is about a serial killer who is following the Black Dahlia murder crimes that took place in the US many years previously. The murder investigation team is called to investigate a horrendous murder, where the body of a woman is discovered, having been terribly abused and cut in half. (Yes, quite disgusting). When the leader of the team collapses, Anna Travis's old boss, DCI Langton is called in to take over. Of course, naturally, tension is ever-present between the two, due to their previous relationship in the first book.

As the murder team conducts its investigation, they slowly are made aware of the similarities to the Black Dahlia case. The physical crime, the contact between the murderer and the press and also the police all follow the same pattern. They investigate the case trying to follow clues from the previous crime.

The killer is basically a ghost and there are not many clues. But slowly evidence is gathered, and the team makes steady progress. A profiler is brought in from the US and this adds to the tension between Travis and Langton as Travis thinks the two are having a relationship. Anna, as well, develops a relationship with a reporter who is getting correspondence from the killer.

So that is the basic gist. It's an interesting case with many twists and turns. While the story does show that the police aren't perfect, at times they do such stupid things and as well there are the ongoing relationship problems which I find irritating in this story (sometimes anyway). 

All in all, it's an engrossing, well-written story. The murders are disgusting, and the reactions of the police are appropriate. I do like the team aspect of the murder investigation. There are many unlikable characters but there are reasons for it. The ending was ultimately reasonably satisfying. Not my favorite mystery series but still entertaining so far. I have another book in the series so will continue to explore it (3.5 stars)"

2. Clean Cut (Anna Travis #3 / 2007).

"Clean Cut is the 3rd book in the DI Anna Travis crime series by English author, Lynda La Plante. Like the other books in the series that I've read, it's a gritty, tense thriller.

Travis' on and off again relationship with her boss DCI James Langton takes a big hit in this book. Their relationship is always a testy one as Langton is a moody, often angry, individual. As the story begins, Langton, while going to arrest suspects in the murder of a young woman, is attacked by a machete - wielding man and suffers severe, lift-threatening injuries. The main part of the beginning of this book deals with his recovery and the pressure he puts on Anna. He is determined to recover as he wants to find the man who did this to him.

Anna is assigned to another murder investigation, working with another team. It begins to seem as though there are links to this investigation and the one that Langton was involved with. As Langton struggles to get back to work and investigate his attack and the other case, we begin to get outlines of the whole case, drugs, illegal immigration, voodoo, child abuse, etc. This is a gritty, sometimes graphic, intense thriller. It's also quite long, but it's written so well that it flows, and the pages just fly by.

I like Anna Travis. She is very human (a skill at characterization of Lynda LaPlante), smart and intuitive. Even with her relationship with Langton up in the air, he still asks her back on his team and while he spends lots of time angry at the individualist way she works, she comes up with many great clues and breaks in the case. But it is very much a team effort. As the case grows and more evidence and clues and witnesses come in, the team gets bigger and bigger. It's fascinating how the trickle of clues starts to add up and how the team begins to build its case.

LaPlante knows how to craft a story and develop characters. There is a tendency towards repetition as the team rehashes their evidence and build up the event timeline, but, at the same time, it is necessary. I like how the story develops slowly and then as we get to the final chapters, how they close down the case. All in all, a great, entertaining story, with a couple of little twists at the end that it will be interesting to see if they come to the forefront in future stories. (4 stars)"

The complete list of La Plante's works can be found at this link.