GO CANADA!!

CANADA!!!

Canada's first World Cup game is about to start but I'm avoiding until it gets going so I don't jinx them. Yes, I do have that power. So in the meantime, a quick reading update. I think it might be very quick because I don't think I've completed any since my last update. Oh and tomorrow the Rotary Club is having a book sale. I may visit!!

Books Completed

(My mistake, I have completed one since my last update)

1. 101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered by Sadie Hartmann (Non Fic / 2023).

"101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered by Sadie Hartmann, aka Mother Horror (that's what it says 😃) is a book about books. I've read a few of these types of books in the past couple of years, in fact, I'm reading another at this time as well. I like them because they give me ideas about other authors, other books. My wife isn't all that thrilled because.. well, it gives me ideas about other books and often buy them. 😇

I liked the format of this novel very much. Hartmann has broken down the horror genre into sub-genres, even sub-sub genres; e.g. Paranormal is broken down into Haunted Houses, Ghosts & Creatures. In each grouping, she 4 or 5 books within the sub genre that she considers her favorites. But Sadie doesn't stop there. She also, throughout the book, highlights various authors, talking about what she enjoys about their writing and highlighting various of their books. She also asks them to list the 3 horror books that influenced their writing. Finally, she has a few horror authors provide their thoughts on the genre. There are also titbits throughout on women writers, graphic novels, etc.

It makes for a most enjoyable book. You can tell how much Sadie loves the horror genre. It's evident with every word she puts on paper. And you can tell that horror authors respect her as well, with their willingness to contribute to this book. I readily admit that I've ordered a few of the books listed in this book and I'll keep it on  my shelf as I continue to explore the genre. Check it out if you're thinking of trying a horror novel or two, or if you just want to expand your library. (4.0 stars)"

Currently Reading

1. The Blotting Book by E.F. Benson (Mystery / 1908). A new author for me.

""And in a copse close by to where the body of the murdered man was found had been discovered a thick bludgeon of a stick, broken it would seem by some violent act, into two halves. On the top half was rudely cut with a pen-knife M. ASSHE . . . What was puzzling, however, was the apparent motive of robbery about the crime."

Newest Arrivals

(4 books, three by authors that are new to me)

1. Solution Three by Naomi Mitchison (Sci Fi / 1975).

"As a fast-paced novel about a future shaped by feminist ideals of sexual and racial equality, "solution three" at first seems to be a peaceful answer to the world's problems. Homosexuality as an international norm and reproduction by cloning have minimized aggression and overpopulation. The sexes have equal rights and status, racial tension has been eliminated through genetic intermixing, and scientists work closely with the governing body, the Council, to keep an eye on the food supply and to heal the earth of prior environmental terrorism.

Originally published in 1975, Solution Three presents a future society in which reproductive control and homosexuality shape a more equitable life for all, eradicating aggression and racism, curbing overpopulation, and providing a dependable food supply. But there are those who are rebelling in this peaceful Miryam, a geneticist, secretly married, is rearing her own children; Lilac, a surrogate mother chosen to carry a Clone baby, is delaying her son’s seizure for social conditioning; and even the carefully conditioned Clones are behaving unexpectedly. This novel asks the courageous What is the cost to women of new models of reproducing life, regardless of the intentions behind the goal?"

2. The Intruder by John Rowe Townsend (YA / 1969).

"There was something weird about the stranger, something that Arnold didn't like. He made him feel uneasy and suspicious. Always poking his nose in where it wasn't wanted and winding Arnold up. All Arnold wanted was for him to go away and leave him alone but there was only one way he could stop him... "

3. Boys in the Valley by Philip Fracassi (Hor / 2023).

"St. Vincent's Orphanage for Boys.
Turn of the century, in a remote valley in Pennsylvania.

Here, under the watchful eyes of several priests, thirty boys work, learn, and worship. Peter Barlow, orphaned as a child by a gruesome murder, has made a new life here. As he approaches adulthood, he has friends, a future... a family.

Then, late one stormy night, a group of men arrive at their door, one of whom is badly wounded, occult symbols carved into his flesh. His death releases an ancient evil that spreads like sickness, infecting St. Vincent's and the children within. Soon, boys begin acting differently, forming groups. Taking sides.

Others turn up dead.

Now Peter and those dear to him must choose sides of their own, each of them knowing their lives — and perhaps their eternal souls — are at risk."

4. Invitation to the Game by Monica Hughes (Dys / 1991). It kind of reminds me of another book... do you agree?)

"Unemployed after high school in the highly robotic society of 2154, Lisse and seven friends resign themselves to a boring existence in their "Designated Area" until the government invites them to play The Game"

There you go. All caught up. I've got a few books on order so the new books might become a busy thread. 😉