But now, it's time to update my reading, new books, etc.
Completed Books (4 books completed since my mid-month update, 3 of the 4 by Canadian authors)
"I've been reading Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy for about 5 months and I'm glad I stuck with it. It's not the first Hardy. I also enjoyed Far from the Madding Crowd and a collection of short stories, Life's Little Ironies. Tess was a hard one to read, not because it was written badly, but because of the hardships Tess had to endure.
I believe that all of her problems were caused by her somewhat shiftless father. Tess Durbeyfield was a field worker in the town of Marlott. Her father heard a story from a wandering minister who told him that the Durbeyfields were the last members of the Norman d'Urbervilles family, royalty basically. Tess's father talks her into going to work for the d'Urbervilles, an old woman and her son, who live on their estate. Tess takes care of the poultry and other farm work. But Alec d'Urbervilles is not a nice guy and he gradually bends Tess to his will and gets her pregnant. She runs home, not telling Alec, has the baby, which gets sick and tragically dies.
Tess leaves home for a new start and starts working at a dairy from in the Froom Valley. There she meets and falls in love with Angel Claire, the son of a Minister, who wants to avoid the religious life and instead, learn about farming so he can start up his own farm, either in England or maybe in America.
Over time, the two become friendly and Angel keeps trying to persuade Tess to marry him. She keeps saying no, as she has a 'secret', right. But Angel persuades her and they get married.
On their wedding night, at a farm house where they are about to start a new life, both of them tell each other their secrets; Angel that he'd had relations with a woman of the evening while in London. Tess forgives him and tells Angel her story. Well, let's just say that he's not as understanding. They split up and Angel heads off to Brazil to get his head straight and maybe get a farm for the two of them in Brazil.
Tess tries to go home, but can't live there now that her marriage appears to have broken up, maybe yes, maybe no. She gets work at a hard scrabble farm with one of the girls who worked with her at the dairy. It's not a great live, but Tess is surviving. She spends any money that Angel gave her to help her parents get a new roof for their house and at one point decides to go see Angel's parents. He has left money for her. Now for some reason, while she's on their doorstep,, she hears Angel's brothers talking about her, negatively, and she goes back to her farm work. On the way she hears a man preaching and lo and behold, it's Alec d'Urberville.
As you can guess, this is a mistake as now that he's back in her life, Alec won't leave her alone... Not good.
There will be hope and maybe also tragedy before this story ends. Tess is a wonderful character, strong, noble, intelligent, but that doesn't help her as her life is full of setbacks and tragedies. It's an excellent story. Hardy describes the Tess's life so very well. It's a thoughtful book, you can picture where Tess lives and works, feel the changing weather, see how hard but at times enjoyable her life can be. An excellent story by Hardy. I'm glad I stuck with it. (4.0 stars)"
"I read the first book in the The Annual Migration of Clouds trilogy a couple of years ago. We Speak Through the Mountain by Premee Mohamed is the 2nd book and it was just as good as the 1st one. Even though it has been 2 years, it was still easy to get back into the flow of the story.
In a dystopic future set in Alberta, Canada, Reid Graham has been accepted for attendance at Howse University, in the Rocky Mountain. Reid suffers from an illness, CAD, that is one of the reasons for the dystopian setting. It's a virus of some sort that inhabits her body (and the majority of the people in her community of Edmonton... and all over Canada and presumably the world). The world is also suffering from a climate disaster. The hope for Reid is that by being accepted at Howse, she can help with the environmental disaster and also maybe in finding a cure for CAD.
The story starts with her on her journey, injured seriously. But she wakes up in Howse, in the infirmary. And this starts her first year at Howse. She receives injections that don't cure CAD but push it down so it kind of lies dormant.
Howse is a domed city and the students consist of young adults who have lived there all their lives and a select group of outsiders from university towns across Alberta and other locations. From her life in Edmonton, where everything is crowded and noisy, Howse is a shock; clean, quiet, sanitary. Reid persuades the university to allow her to room with Clementine, a girl from Calgary, as they both are having difficulty adjusting to the loneliness of living alone.
As Reid's year progresses, she finds many odd things about Howse. They don't talk about the past, only the future. The students from Howse seem to consider the outsiders as animals, maybe cavemen, although they tolerate them. It seems also that they have no plan to help the rest of the world outside; that they prefer the students from outside to just stay there after their 4 years study; as Reid thinks, to keep the blood supply fresh, so to speak.
Reid finds herself frustrated by this attitude. She begins to break rules; finding ways to leave the dome, even though she is punished. Clementine is a willing companion. One of the other students, St. Martin, befriends Reid, but finds it more difficult to see Reid's reasoning.
It's an excellent follow-on to The Annual Migration of Clouds. Mohamed writes clearly, developing her characters and the setting so you can really see it in your mind. The concept is fascinating and even with the ending a bit of a 'cliff hanger', leading you on to the 3rd books, it still is satisfying on its own. I've read one of Mohamed's standalones as well, The Butcher of the Forest and I have enjoyed everything. I look forward to reading Book 3 and also starting her Beneath the Rising trilogy. (4.0 stars)"
"Driven is a horrorish novel by Mason Coile, a pseudonym for Canadian horror author Andrew Pyper. I had previously enjoyed three of Pyper's stories; Lost Girls, The Killing Circle and The Guardians (I think that one was my favorite). I recently read an article about him, about establishing an award for speculative fiction / horror writers, upon his death in 2026. It was in that article that I discovered that he also wrote under his pseudonym and since Driven was the last book before his death, I thought I should check it out.
It's a surprising sort of story that takes you in all sorts of directions you don't expect. Jamie Newcross is wandering through life, after the death of his wife and infant daughter in a hit and run accident. He moves from apartment to apartment but has to keep moving, taking less and less with him. There is something haunting him; is in his mind or is some being? I mean, it seems to be the latter, especially when he sees fingers creeping around the shower curtain. But who knows?
Twist #1. Jamie sees an ad for a used car, a Lion, which happens to be the world's most advanced fully autonomous car. To Jamie, who is trying to bury himself away from the world and is constantly haunted, this might be perfect; maybe he can just live in the car and keep ahead of whatever is haunting him. The fellow he buys from, Quinn, is kind of shifty but Jamie buys it anyway. Re Quinn, there are some glitches with the computer system, mainly that the monitor screen doesn't seem to work, but otherwise, it's ok.
Turn #2. Jamie awakens in the car, bruised and shaken. What happened? There seems to be blood and hair on the hood of the car!! He doesn't remember anything but it seems as though, maybe the car has run over someone. It's not saying anything. Now what is Jamie to do? The car takes off on a long, meandering drive through Toronto and won't let Jamie out
Twist #3. Whatever is haunting Jamie, seems to now have inhabited the car.
Turn #4. Jamie originally told the car to take him home, but where exactly is home? He's moved so much since the accident. Firstly it takes him to his last residence with wife and daughter, but Jamie persuades it to take him away. Next the car (Lion) takes him to his first home outside of Toronto, where his mother seems to haunt Jamie.
I'll stop the twists and turns, but they are all fascinating. The story shifts from horror to mystery, especially when Jamie takes the car to the Lion service center and discovers some things (I'm not going to ruin it by telling you what, of course). After that, Jamie is taken on a journey and the car begins to communicate more with him, or is it whatever / whomever is haunting the car.
The story moves along very nicely and could be read in a few hours and they will be hours well spent. It's a fascinating, rich story for its shortness. Jamie is in interesting character who we learn more about as the story progresses and ultimately the Lion is fascinating. It's an emotional journey with an excellent ending. The closer I got to the end, the more enjoyable and satisfying it became. It has its scary moments but nothing really terrifying, just tenseness and it's an interesting mystery as well. Fantastic (5.0 stars)"
"Bunny by Canadian author, Mona Awad was my first exposure to her work. She also wrote 12 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl and We Love You, Bunny. Having said this, I'm not quite sure what to say about Bunny. It's definitely different from anything else I've read in many a year. It's dark and disturbing and a fascinating read... but what the heck is going on?
Samantha is on a scholarship to Warren University. She is doing her thesis in English creative writing. She is part of a very small group, her teacher, Ursula, herself and the Bunnies. The Bunnies are at best a clique of 4 young ladies, who are sort of Heathers, but in spades. And there is something sort of supernatural about them, or witchy. Samantha hates them.
Something happened to Samantha with one of her professors, Alan, after a party... or maybe nothing happened. But the Bunnies hold this over Samantha. Samantha's only real friend is Ava, a..... goth sort of girl. She also hates the Bunnies. Ava and Samantha, spend time at Ava's house, writing, dancing, being friends.
There is also Joel, in the poetry program, a doped up guy, but all in all a very nice kid. He doesn't ask anything of Samantha, but he's just there, willing to help, to be a friend.
The Bunnies invite Samantha to the Smut Salon, where the four of them... do stuff. They drink weird drinks, eat weird food, read poetry, but there is definitely something off about them. What are they doing to the bunnies outside? This is the supernatural element to the story.
Samantha kind of walks her way through the story. She lets herself be pulled away from Ava by the Bunnies. She lets herself be redesigned by the Bunnies. But gradually something begins to sink in. What actually are they doing?
Is what is happening real? Is it in her mind? Is it drugs that the Bunnies are feeding Samantha?
The story teeters along... fascinatedly, but also confusingly. And then along comes Max! Who the, what the???
There will be a final crisis, tragedy and a climatic ending, that is quite interesting. The story is strange, fascinating, and will draw you in. But you tell me what it's about. It's definitely worth trying. I have We Love You, Bunny on my book shelf. I will try it. (3.0 stars)"
Currently Reading (started since mid month update)
"Horace Rumpole — a man who never prosecutes, whose fame rests on his knowledge, whose court scenes are proverbial and whose home is ruled by Mrs Rumpole is back in this collection of stories.
Contents: Rumpole and the man of God — Rumpole and the showfolk — Rumpole and the Fascist beast — Rumpole and the case of identity — Rumpole and the course of true love — Rumpole and the age for retirement"
To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they’ll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination.
A traditional haunted house story in a thoroughly contemporary setting, Horrorstör is designed to retain its luster and natural appearance for a lifetime of use. Pleasingly proportioned with generous French flaps and a softcover binding, Horrorstör delivers the psychological terror you need in the elegant package you deserve."
Against all odds, Violet Sorrengail made it through her first year at Basgiath War College, but now, the real training begins. The stakes are higher than ever, and a determination to survive won''t be enough this time.
When a powerful new enemy threatens everything she cares about, including the man she loves, Violet must do whatever it takes to keep their secrets safe. One wrong move could have horrifying consequences - and as the web of lies spun by those in charge starts to unravel, nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.
THE DEADLY SECOND YEAR AT BASGIATH AWAITS"
Montgomery Laughton: A melancholic overseer with a tragic past and a propensity for alcohol. An outcast who assists Dr. Moreau with his experiments, which are financed by the Lizaldes, owners of magnificent haciendas and plentiful coffers.
The hybrids: The fruits of the doctor’s labor, destined to blindly obey their creator and remain in the shadows. A motley group of part human, part animal monstrosities.
All of them live in a perfectly balanced and static world, which is jolted by the abrupt arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the charming and careless son of Dr. Moreau’s patron, who will unwittingly begin a dangerous chain reaction.
For Moreau keeps secrets, Carlota has questions, and, in the sweltering heat of the jungle, passions may ignite."
One of the few men who knows of its existence is Richard Bryant, a British agent. Very early one morning, half-hidden by the swirling mists, he sets out alone to discover the secret of the lake - and unleashes a series of violent reactions - and violent deaths ..."
A is for Mrs. Ascher in Andover, B is for Betty Barnard in Bexhill, C is for Sir Carmichael Clarke in Churston. With each murder, the killer is getting more confident—but leaving a trail of deliberate clues to taunt the proud Hercule Poirot might just prove to be the first, and fatal, mistake."
Anne Carson is probably our most celebrated living poet, winner of countless awards and routinely tipped for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Famously reticent, asking that her books be published without cover copy, she has agreed to say this: "Wrong Norma is a collection of writings about different things, like Joseph Conrad, Guantánamo, Flaubert, snow, poverty, Roget's Thesaurus, my Dad, Saturday night, Socrates, writing sonnets, forensics, encounters with lovers, the word 'idea', the feet of Jesus, and Russian thugs. The pieces are not linked. That's why I've called them 'wrong'."
Animal historian Dr. Stephanie Howard-Smith tells the story of our smallest working canines and our beloved companions in a series of fun, lapdog-sized chapters, each of which focuses on a famous historical pooch. From the convents of medieval Europe, where nuns hid small dogs to be their faithful friends (despite the disapproval of male church leaders) to King Charles’s Spaniels, Queen Victoria’s Pekingese, Paris Hilton’s Chihuahua, and the pet influencers of twenty-first-century social media, Yap! follows the pawprints of the pups who set the mold for the dogs we share our homes with today.
Celebrating the petite companions with whom we’ve had our longest and closest relationship, from the lean mean little terriers who’ve kept our homes vermin-free, to our precious French Bulldogs and Toy Poodles, Terriers and Dachshunds, Pomeranians and Pugs, Shih Tzus and Spaniels, Howard-Smith presents a heartfelt ode to the yapping little dogs that have shaped our lives as much as we have shaped how they've evolved from working dogs to couch companions, providing the blueprint for the modern canine, and offered us companionship when we’ve most needed it."
Everything is very much business as usual, but at Strode House a coterie of directors plots against the family. Nowhere is disaster closer than in the Maldives, where the Adduans, an isolated seafaring people, have literally bet their future on the company.
Peter Strode, wanderer, the odd man out in a family interested only in power and money, makes the cause of the Adduans his own. Volatile, impulsive, full of driving enthusiasm, he sets out to save these people and restore his father's company. Only death can deflect him from his purpose."
So, there you go. A nice mix of books, I believe. See any that interest you? Enjoy the rest of October.
