A Friday Update

There was a big surprise at the World Cup today. Our friend Seb at Benino's won't be happy. The 2nd game is in the 2nd half. Will it be the Netherlands or Argentina who comes out on top? In the meantime we're watching Curling on Sportsnet. And for some reason, Pictionary.

Since my post earlier this week, I've finished two more books (graphic novels). I'm working through the novels I've also got on my foot stool and hope to finish all of them before the end of 2022. Otherwise I'll shift any unfinished books to my first reads of 2023. I'll provide my reviews of those books plus the synopses of any books I've started as well. I've also purchased a couple of books in December so I'll provide synopses of those books as well. If I have time, I'll get back to my look at Women Authors whose Books I've been enjoying.

Just Finished

1. Alpha & Omega; Locke & Key #6 by Joe Hill (2014). This is the final book in an excellent series. I've got to try the TV series now.

"Alpha & Omega is the sixth and final graphic novel in the excellent Locke & Key series by Joe Hill. I've enjoyed everything about this series since I started it. The stories have been engrossing, tense, scary. The artwork has been excellent, wonderful drawings and coloring. And the characters, especially the Locke family and their friends have been strong, brave, even as the dealt with family crises and their battle against Dodge and his Shadows.

Dodge has taken over the body of Bode Locke and plans to sacrifice the teens of Lovecraft at the Cave Rave. The only people who stand against him (and don't know that Bode is now him) are the remaining Locke kids, their mom and uncle and young orphan, Rufus. It's an unequal, terrifying battle that will engross from beginning to end. 

Fantastic story, entertaining and filled with tension. I'd suggest you won't be able to put it down. You'll be devastated and emotionally involved in the final outcome. Great series, great finale. (4.5 stars)"

2. The Absolute Death by Neil Gaiman (2012). Death, the sister of The Sandman in Neil Gaiman's universe, was introduced to me in Vol 1 of The Sandman. She was one of my favorite characters in that graphic novel.

"When I read The Sandman Book One, one of my favorite characters was his sister, Death. I found out that there was a collection of her stories as well, by Neil Gaiman, that being The Absolute Death. Having now finished this collection, I have to say that I've got a bit of a crush on her. Of course, considering her job as the personification of Death, I'm more than happy to wait quite a few more years before I ever meet her... quite a few!

Anyway, I loved this collection of stories. As I said, Death is a wonderful character. We have stories with her brother The Sandman, where they basically sit on the steps outside in Paris and she explains what happened when she couldn't do her job anymore and how she came to realize the importance of being an empathetic person who helps bring acceptance of those on death's doorstep. There are two 3-part stories, that in some ways are linked together, featuring characters who want death and learn more about their feelings and what Death means. There is even a Death PSA where she explains the importance of safe sex. (A fascinating story, that one)

Death is lovely, empathetic, doesn't force her way into any situation, but sits, listens, and helps. I have nothing but positives to say about this collection; it's thoughtful, not overly dramatic, peopled with fleshed out characters and drawn and colored just perfectly. The more I read Neil Gaiman, the more I enjoy his work and its variety. (4.5 stars)"

Currently Reading

1. The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman (Sandman #2 / 1990).

"A being who has existed since the beginning of the universe, Dream of the Endless rules over the realm of dreams. In The Doll's House, after a decades-long imprisonment, the Sandman has returned to find that a few dreams and nightmares have escaped to reality. Looking to recapture his lost possessions, Morpheus ventures to the human plane only to learn that a woman named Rose Walker has inadvertently become a dream vortex and threatens to rip apart his world. Now as Morpheus takes on the last escaped nightmare at a serial killers convention, the Lord of Dreams must mercilessly murder Rose or risk the destruction of his entire kingdom."

New Books

1. Against a Dark Background by Iain M. Banks (1993). One of my favorite Sci-Fi authors.

"Sharrow was once the leader of a personality-attuned combat team in one of the sporadic little commercial wars in the civilization based around the planet Golter. Now she is hunted by the Huhsz, a religious cult which believes that she is the last obstacle before the faith's apotheosis."

2. Lore Olympus: Vol 3 by Rachel Smythe (2022). I've enjoyed the 1st book in this fantasy novel series. Looking forward to reading 2 & 3.

""It is natural for a King to be curious about his future Queen. . . ."

All of Olympus--and the Underworld--are talking about the God of the Dead and the sprightly daughter of Demeter. But despite the rumors of their romance, Hades and Persephone have plenty to navigate on their own.

Since coming to Olympus, Persephone has struggled to be the perfect maiden goddess. Her attraction to Hades has only complicated the intense burden of the gods' expectations. And after Apollo's assault, Persephone fears she can no longer bury the intense feelings of hurt and love that she's worked so hard to hide.

As Persephone contemplates her future, Hades struggles with his past, falling back into toxic habits in Minthe's easy embrace. With all the mounting pressure and expectations--of their family, friends, and enemies--both Hades and Persephone tell themselves to deny their deepest desires, but the pull between them is too tempting, too magnetic. It's fate."

3. Gone South by Robert McCammon (1992). This past year one of my favorite books has been Robert McCammon's Boy's Life. I'm looking forward to reading more of his writing.

Flooded by memories, poisoned by the deadly fallout of Agent Orange, and desperate for work, Dan Lambert kills a man in a moment of blind fear and fury. It is an act he cannot excuse--a mistake that will change his life forever. Now Dan is on the run, heading south toward the Louisiana bayous. On his trail are police officers and bounty hunters, including the most memorable and bizarre team ever paired in modern fiction: Pelvis Eisley, an Elvis impersonator of the worst kind, and Flint Murtaugh, a fastidious, rootless loner and freak-show refugee who carries the body of his unformed twin brother on his side.

As Dan heads down into the swampland in search of his own salvation, he meets a young woman who is on a similar journey. Like Dan, Arden Halliday bears a great burden--a disfiguring purple birthmark that blankets half her face. Wounded by the stares, by the pity and revulsion, she is making her way into the bayous to search of the Bright Girl--a legendary faith healer who will rid her of her birthmark and her suffering. Though on separate missions, Arden and Dan come to respect each other's quest for freedom, for a touch of simple kindness in a world grown cruel. Thrown together by circumstance, bound by a loyalty stranger than love, they set off on a journey of relentless suspense and impassioned discovery...an odyssey over dark, twisting road and waterways into the beautiful and mysterious depths of the human heart."

4. Fairy Tale by Stephen King (2022). I've been kind of hesitant to read King's books in the past few years but I'm starting to explore them again. This book has received so many favorable comments that I think I want to give it a try.

"Charlie Reade looks like a regular high school kid, great at baseball and football, a decent student. But he carries a heavy load. His mom was killed in a hit-and-run accident when he was ten, and grief drove his dad to drink. Charlie learned how to take care of himself—and his dad. Then, when Charlie is seventeen, he meets Howard Bowditch, a recluse with a big dog in a big house at the top of a big hill. In the backyard is a locked shed from which strange sounds emerge, as if some creature is trying to escape. When Mr. Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie the house, a massive amount of gold, a cassette tape telling a story that is impossible to believe, and a responsibility far too massive for a boy to shoulder.

Because within the shed is a portal to another world—one whose denizens are in peril and whose monstrous leaders may destroy their own world, and ours. In this parallel universe, where two moons race across the sky, and the grand towers of a sprawling palace pierce the clouds, there are exiled princesses and princes who suffer horrific punishments; there are dungeons; there are games in which men and women must fight each other to the death for the amusement of the “Fair One.” And there is a magic sundial that can turn back time."

Women Authors Whose Works I've Been Enjoying - Helen MacInnes

Helen MacInnes

Helen MacInnes was a Scottish / American author of spy thrillers. She was born in Glasgow in 1907 and died in New York in 1985. Her novels seem to focus on post WWII and the Cold War. I discovered her work only in the last 10 or so years and am so glad that I finally did. Her stories are thoughtful, well-crafted and so entertaining to read. Over the course of her life she wrote 20+ novels. I have enjoyed 3 of her novels thus far and have another 4 sitting on my book shelves. I'll provide the synopses of those 4 to give you an idea of her stories.

1. Cloak of Darkness (1982 / Robert Renwick #3). Renwick features in 3 of MacInnes's stories. I haven't read any of the series but I also have the 1st book.

"From North Africa to New York, from London to Switzerland, the action and suspense of Helen MacInnes' new thriller are superb and unrelenting. The London pub was quiet and friendly-but the message passed was deadly. It was the beginning of a vast conspiracy of underground arms dealing...."

2. Ride a Pale Horse (1984).

"When Karen Cornell, a beautiful journalist on assignment in Czechoslovakia, agrees to help a would-be defector by carrying top-secret documents to Washington, she is pulled into an astonishing web of terrorism, political assassination, blackmail, espionage, and treason in the highest levels of both superpowers. One false move could cost Karen her life -- and throw the world into violent war."

3. Prelude to Terror (Robert Renwick #1 / 1978).

"New York art expert Colin Grant is sent to Vienna and bid on a priceless Old Master on behalf of a Texan millionaire. No sooner has Grant landed in Austria than his seemingly simple assignment turns into a nightmare, as he finds himself at the center of a conspiracy to unleash a wave of international terrorism."

4. Agent in Place (1976).

"This sophisticated narrative of spy/counterspy is set in Washington, where the Russians have planted an "agent in place." For nine years he has worked himself quietly into the fabric of government and society. Dedicated and patient, he has everyone's respect. It is a plot where amateurs are the villains and professionals are the heroes -- particularly a team of British and French agents whose job is to foil further Russian intervention.

The story moves from Washington to New York to Menton on the French Riviera, where it concludes in a series of stunning revelations, dismaying setbacks and breathless discoveries."

The complete listing of Helen MacInnes's books can be found at this link.