We have visitors in town today

CF - 18 Hornet in action

We don't often get fighters in town but for the next few days but for the next few days there will be CF-18s here on a bit of an exercise. You always know when they are here, the sound level increases a bit. 

It's mid September so lets do a bit of a reading update.

Completed Books (3 completed with one of them a DNF)

1. The Humanoid Touch by Jack Williamson (Humanoids #2 / 1980) This was my DNF book.

"I gave up on The Humanoid Touch, the 2nd book in American Sci Fi author Jack Williamson's Humanoid series. There is a 3rd book but I've been unable to find a copy. I have noted that I read the first book, but for the life of me, I can't really recall it. Maybe that explains why I gave up on The Humanoid Touch.

Williamson was in the forefront of Sci Fi, his first book published in 1928. The Humanoid Touch came out 30 years after The Humanoids. I don't even know if I can describe what I read in the 52 pages I did complete. It focuses on a young boy, going through school on some distant planet. His father is distant and basically drops the boy off at boarding schools. His father is fanatical about the threat of the Humanoid race. They want to control mankind.

Kell finds something that may help his father's efforts. He meets a girl from another planet (I wondered if she might be a humanoid spy)... and then I thought. Who cares. I just really couldn't grasp what was going on and didn't care enough to keep trying. I'm sure others have enjoyed it. I do have books from Williamson's Seetee trilogy and his Legion of Space trilogy and I'll probably try them again. But not today. So No Rating for this on."

2. The Rainbow and the Rose by Nevil Shute (Fic / 1958) Nevil Shute never disappoints.

"I honestly don't know how Nevil Shute does it to me every single darn time! He grabs me one way and then twists me around so I'm looking in the other direction and just grabs my heart strings. I've read so many of his stories (*Checks his book list, counts on his fingertips*), 15 so far, not counting this latest, The Rainbow and the Rose, and there hasn't been a bad one in the lot. 7 five-star reads and the others were all great. Anyway, enough rambling, let's look at this book.

The Rainbow and the Rose was published originally in 1958 and starts off with a bit of a preamble about Johnny Pascoe, a pilot, born in Canada, who fought in the RAF during WWI, then after traveling ends up in Tasmania at a small airfield where he crop dusts, does some flying lessons. An old friend from his England days, Ronnie Clark, an Englishman, now flying commercial liners for an Australian airline was trained by Johnny back in England. While their paths haven't crossed in awhile, he hears that a small plane had crashed in Tasmania and that Johnny was flying it.

And that starts this fascinating story. Ronnie, upon returning to Australia, checks into the crash a bit more. It seems that Johnny was flying to a small house in the interior of Tasmania with a small (VERY SMALL) airstrip to pick up a young girl with appendicitis and when he tried to land, he crashed. (btw, Johnny is in his 60s now). Johnny has a fractured skull and is in a bad way and Tasmanian authorities are trying to figure a way of either dropping off a doctor to treat both Johnny and the little girl, or to somehow fly them out.

Ronnie talks to his wife and decides to head down to Tasmania, the town of Buxton, to see if he can maybe help. He offers to fly in the local doctor. Now what this means is that in his small plane, Ronnie will land and while still taxiing, the doctor will jump out of the plane with his kit and then Ronnie will take off again. This is do to the poor runway strip and also the fact that severe weather is coming in. The doctor is rightfully kind of hesitant but grows to the idea. I'm on the edge of my seat.... They try but the weather is too bad and they have to fly back to Buxton. They try once more, but it's even worse and they return again.

They can't get there by sea because of the weather and a group with a doctor is trying to hike in (it'll take a few days). The RAAF is looking to parachute a doctor and nurse in and another flying doctor has arrived in Buxton but he doesn't want to try either until the weather improves.

Now this is told all very matter-of-factly but man oh man, the whole situation just kind of boggled my mind.

Ronnie is exhausted and stays overnight in Johnny house in Buxton so he can make another attempt to fly in the next day if weather improves. Two women show up, one a long lost daughter of Johnny's who isn't very nice and a nurse from the mainland who flew with Johnny as a hostess and wants to help the doctor, to drop in with him.

Now the story takes a strange turn that at first left me wondering.. what the heck! What about the rescue!! While sleeping in Johnny's house, Ronnie kind of jumps back into Johnny's early life and we begin to discover more about who Johnny was and about his life. In the back of my mind, I couldn't see why this was necessary. This was the story of a rescue and I wanted to get back to it. We learn about Johnny's activities in WWI, the stress and toll it took on him. We learn about his marriage and the break up of this relationship. We learn about his life as a flying school instructor, his only other real relationship and its tragic ending (Ronnie oddly shows up in this bit, as this was where he was trained by Johnny) And finally Johnny's life as he nears retirement as a commercial pilot, the air hostess that sort of comes into his life (and the twist).....

And then the ending..... Shute does it every single time. An outstanding story with a normal story within, all tied together and just saying bye and leaving you happy, bereft... One of the great story tellers, Shute never fails. (4.5 stars)"

3. The Collected Essex County by Jeff Lemire (CanLit / Graphic / 2009). Just excellent.

"Jeff Lemire is a Canadian graphic novelist. I started his Gideon Falls horror series recently and enjoyed it very much. I was reading an article about banned books in a Canadian Broadcasting Corp (CBC) web page and his name came up again, in reference to this series, The Collected Essex County. So, of course, I thought I should check it out.

Lemire grew up in Essex County Ontario, a county which borders Windsor. So the setting he is using is familiar for this collection of stories. The artwork is stark, the stories ... difficult to describe... about life, about growing up, about relationships, about aging, death... oh, and hockey.

I readily admit that I wasn't sure what to expect as I began to read it but I just found myself just turning page after page, drawn into the story. There is young Lester in his super hero outfit, living with his uncle on his farm and making friends with Jimmy who runs the local gas station. As the story develops, we discover that Lawrence's mother died and she asked her brother, Lawrence's uncle, to raise Lawrence. Jimmy was a hockey player, managed to get into one game with the Toronto Maple Leafs, scored a goal and then took an elbow to the head, ending his career before it got started. Jimmy is supposedly slowish but befriends Lawrence. Lawrence's uncle doesn't like the friendship, the reasons which become apparent much later on.

There is the local nurse, a widow, having difficulties with her son, who tries to keep life going by helping the elderly, sometimes forcefully, which she admits. There are Lou and Vince, two brothers, both hockey players. Lou played with a minor league team and gets his younger brother Vince a tryout. Vince becomes a star, Lou falls in love with Vince's girl friend, they become distant, come together on the death of their mother and then later in life, Lou now has to take care of Vince.

And there are a number of minor short stories that were to be included in this series but are added at the end. All are related by Essex County, by their lives, but the people. It's odd but just draws you in. What a nice surprise. 4.0 stars"

Currently Reading (since my last update) I'm focusing on horror for the next month

1. Dead Men's Boots by Mike Carey (Felix Castor #3 / 2007). It's been too long since I checked out this horror series.

"You might think that helping a friend's widow to stop a lawyer from stealing her husband's corpse would be the strangest thing on your To Do list. But life is rarely that simple for Felix Castor.

A brutal murder in King's Cross bears all the hallmarks of a long-dead American serial killer, and it takes more good sense than Castor possesses not to get involved. He's also fighting a legal battle over the body - if not the soul - of his possessed friend, Rafi, and can't shake the feeling that his three problems might be related.

With the help of the succubus Juliet and paranoid zombie data-fence Nicky Heath, Castor just might have a chance of fitting the pieces together before someone drops him down a lift shaft or rips his throat out.

Or not. . ."

2. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (Classic / 1818) My copy is the 1831 revised edition.

"Obsessed with the secret of creation, Swiss scientist Dr. Victor Frankenstein cobbles together a body he’s determined to bring to life. And one fateful night, he does. When the creature opens his eyes, the doctor is repulsed: his vision of perfection is, in fact, a hideous monster. Dr. Frankenstein abandons his creation, but the monster won’t be ignored, setting in motion a chain of violence and terror that shadows Victor to his death."

New Arrivals

1. Threshold by Caitlin R. Kiernan (Chance Matthews #1 / Hor / 2001). I've enjoyed Kiernan's work very much.

"A strange girl speaks of being charged by an angel to battle monsters and claims she cannot do it alone. She needs Chance’s help.

Chance Matthews has suffered enough tragedies. The latest — her grandfather’s death — has left her shaken, convinced that she will always be alone. What she needs now is time — time to recover, time to determine what her future will be. What she doesn’t need is a strange girl with alabaster skin who knows things about Chance she can’t possibly know.

Chance doesn’t believe in angels. Or monsters. But among the artifacts left by her geologist grandparents, there lies a fossil of a creature that couldn’t possibly have ever existed.

But it did. And still does…"

2. America, USA; How Race Shadows the Nation's Anniversaries by Eddie S. Glaude Jr. (History / 2026) Jo and I watch Eddie Glaude on MS NOW regularly, such an intelligent, thoughtful, well-spoken man.

"Celebrated public intellectual Eddie S. Glaude, Jr. returns with a groundbreaking book about the vicious cycles of American history and the country’s enduring refusal to face its true nature—especially at the moments when national anniversaries steer us back toward the mythology meant to disguise the truth.

America, U.S.A., deliberately formulated and beautifully written, details a heart-wrenching exploration of America’s legacy. It is a magnificently complex combination of voices and lessons that, together, paint a sprawling and honest tableau of the United States, its complicated past, and ever more tenuous future. Glaude’s is a powerful voice of conscience in our tumultuous world, and his writing will undoubtedly leave you reeling yet ready for more. He pulls no punches, calling on us to interrogate our conceptions of innocence and freedom and the stories we tell ourselves about our past and present.

Centered around the major celebrations of America’s birthday across 250 years of history, the book offers a riveting look at the battles over who has a stake in the American story. Devastatingly candid, profoundly moving, and deeply reflective, America, U.S.A. is a shining meditation on how we might reckon with a grim past in order to strive for the better angels of our future." (If only the US listened to him)

There you go, a mid - month reading update... and, yes, the noisy planes are still circling.

Should I or Shouldn't I?

Me, thinking

I've been kind of stewing over a question this past week or so. Background - I watch a few podcasts from people who talk about books, their favorites, their current reads, etc. I enjoy hearing their thoughts on books I've enjoyed or getting ideas for new reads. So, anyway, I started thinking I might like to try one myself. 

Positive point(s) - I like books. I read many books. I review books. I was a radio DJ back in the day, late '70s - early 80's. (not saying I was a good one. I just was one) 🤷

Negative point(s) - I'm retired and lazy. I still have lots of yard work to do. I already spend probably too much time sitting at this computer in the other room from Jo. Is that true, Jo??🙍‍♀️🙎‍♀️ (that might mean yes)

Anyway, I'll think about it some more and we'll see what comes of it.

Now, let's look at books read, started and purchased since my last update.

Books Completed

3 books completed in May so far. 

1. The Golden Ball and Other Stories by Agatha Christie (Short stories / 1971). A nice collection of short stories, without the benefit of Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot.

"The Golden Ball and Other Stories is a collection of short stories by crime master Agatha Christie. As a first comment, none of the stories include Christie's most famous creations, Miss Marple or Hercule Poirot. They are basically standalone mysteries, which makes them more (maybe) interesting for that.

In my poor old mind, the stories start off kind of fluffy.... cute. A guy is fired from his job by his uncle. He meets a pretty girl. They get involved in a mystery. They fall in love. All ends well. While quite different in their own way, the first few stories were kind of like that and they were quite enjoyable. They showed Christie's skill with the short story, her ability to get into her characters, her plot and move the story along nicely, to come up with a quick, satisfying result. 

But the tone changes a bit as the stories progress, maybe with Swan Song. Swan Song features a famous opera soprano, Mme Nazoroff, who is a prima donna giving a number of performances in London. She is offered an opportunity to also perform at a private estate and agrees. But she has a darker motive, which I won't ruin, but it is not quite like the other stories. The next few stories are almost mystical in their tone. They made me think of AC Doyle, when he wrote his tales of suspense, or HG Wells with the Invisible Man. Now Christie's stories are really horror but the provide a chill and a much darker tone. The Hound of Death is about a Belgian (she does like her Belgians) who escaped from Belgium during the war where an incident occurred in her church, something haunted, a hound??

The Gypsy is a story of foretelling, once again, not scary, but quite mystical and quite entertaining. In The Lamp, a mother, her young son and her father move into an old house that's been empty for a long time. It has a history, a young boy unintentionally abandoned by his father who died within. They can hear his pitter patter footsteps, her own son sees his spirit and ultimately, there is a sad, touching tragedy.

The Strange Case of Mr. Carmichael is quite creepy with two friends trying to help a young man, Carmichael regain his memory, his senses while something strange is going on in his estate; oriental mysticism, a 'dead cat'.... The Call of Wings is another spiritual, mystical story about a rich man, happy with his life, who sees a legless man playing a haunting tune one night and it affects him greatly. It ultimately makes him change his life drastically, to stop the conflict between his soul and his affinity for wealth.

Magnolia Blossom tells the story of a woman leaving her husband to be with the man she has fallen in love with. She discovers that her husband is about to lose everything, his money, his business so she returns to stand by him, with interesting consequences. And the final story, Next to a Dog.. well, it broke my heart, even if it does have a satisfying ending. A woman struggling to find work. She's lost everything, her husband, killed in the war, her money, gambled away by her husband, everything except her dog and she won't take a job that means she'll have to leave her dog; 12 years old, aging, slightly decrepit. I won't go any further, but it was a touching, tender, sad / happy, beautiful story.

The change in tone and type of story made this move up from a very good, entertaining collection of stories to a quite excellent, engrossing collection. Christie is truly a master story teller (4.0 stars)"

2. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken (Wolves Chronicles #1 / 1962)

"I was introduced to the stories of Joan Aiken when I read & greatly enjoyed her The Serial Garden: The Complete Armitage Family Stories, a collection of stories featuring the wonderful Armitage Family. Deciding to further explore her work, I acquired The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, the first book in her Wolves Chronicles. To be fair, while a scary addition to the story, the wolves themselves play a fairly minor role in the story itself (unless you consider being attacked by wild, ravenous packs of wolves as something major, then fair ball).

The story follows two young cousins, Sylvia, who at the start, lives with an ailing aunt Jane in London and Bonnie, a young girl living on an estate outside of London, the Willoughby Estate, with her very wealthy father and ailing mother. The story is set in a Dickensian kind of alternate England where packs of wolves roam the countryside, men wander around armed with muskets to defend themselves from the wolves and trains even are attacked when the wolves are roaming. 

Sylvia is sent to Willoughby Hall by her aunt as her Jane is quite poor and also frail and wants Sylvia to benefit from the wealth and life style of her brother in the countryside. On the train ride to Willoughby Estate, she meets a Mr. Grimshaw, who she distrusts, even though Mr. Grimshaw does save her when the train is attacked by wolves. As they arrive at the station by Willoughby, Grimshaw is knocked unconscious so Sylvia's cousin decides to bring him back to the Estate where he can recover.

Willoughby Hall is in a state of unrest as Sylvia arrives as the Lord and Lady are about to depart on a cruise, for Lady Willoughby's health. A distant cousin, Miss Slighcarp is coming to run the estate while the Lord and Lady are away. (distant rolling warning drums begin to beat - that was my addition, it's not in the book)

I don't want to ruin the plot anymore but suffice it to say that Miss Slighcarp is an evil villain who had designs, along with Mr. Grimshaw, to take over the estate, remove the parents totally from the picture, get rid of the staff and Bonnie and Sylvia. It's a fascinating, at times fairly dark story, in the great tradition of Dickens (I think) and filled with wonderful, heroic characters, especially Bonnie, Sylvia, their friend Simon, Pattern (their maid) and Jamie (the young butler). 

The story moves along nicely, with neat twists and turns and it provides a beautiful setting, from the dark cold winter of England to the bright spring that bursts upon them as the girls and companion travel to London to get help. Wonderful story, wonderful adventure and wonderful characters. Black Hearts in Battersea is the next book in the series and is on my bookshelf (4.0 stars)"

3. The World Needs More Canada by Heather Reisman (Non Fiction / 2017). I actually just received this book in the mail but wanted to read it right away.

"The World Needs More Canada edited by Heather Reisman is a table top type book published in 2017 to celebrate Canada's 150th anniversary. At the end of last year, I read a similar sort of book, Elbows Up, which was in a similar format, just less of a table top book.

At any rate, this book contains thoughts about Canada, on its anniversary, from a multitude of Canadians; authors, poets, artists, musicians, activists, actors, etc. Just a page each, some with very small remarks, some with more detailed thoughts. They were basically asked a few questions; 

- What does it mean to be Canadian?

- What makes you proud to call yourself Canadian?

- The best way to endear yourself to a Canadian is...

- When you are travelling, what do you miss most about Canada

- What is your most 'Canadian' memory?

Sometimes the answers are quite simple - 

Malin Akerman (actor) - 'We are very welcoming people and known throughout the world for our kindness. If you bump into someone else, the Canadian will always be the first one to 'sorry'; or

Eric Walters (YA author) 'Being Canadian is about being tough - think Vimy Ridge, Juno Beach and hockey - But also about being kind, caring and accepting. We are tough people, but we are a caring people"

I readily recognize that Canada is not a perfect country. We have a bad historical record when it came to dealing with our indigenous peoples and we are still trying to correct and reconciliate that. During WWII we put Japanese Canadians in camps and took their property. Chinese immigrants who were crucial to building out railroads were treated badly. But I think we've been trying to improve, to show that we are welcoming, caring and willing to help other countries in the outside world. (that's me doing my bit of proselytizing about Canada. 🍁😁)

On the whole the book was empowering and made me feel stronger about my Canadian citizenship. I enjoyed everybody's thoughts on being Canadian. I read one response to my wife, that being by journalist / author Ami McKay. Her happiest memory of being Canadian was when she took her citizenship test. Her young son had helped her study and then she went out to actually write her exam. At the end, while everyone sat quietly, the proctor came to the front of the class, smiled, told them they had all passed. Joyous applause from all there. I readily admit that I had difficulty reading it, it made me proud, happy and I got quite choked up. 

I've tried to answer the question myself. What does it mean to me to be Canadian? I'd have to say service. My father served in the Royal Canadian Navy during WWII, joining as a very young man. After the war, when he was married, he went to work in the gold mines in northern Ontario, then joined up with the Royal Canadian Air Force as aircraft engine mechanic. We travelled through Canada and Europe while he was in. Both of my brothers and I also joined the Canadian military. I served across Canada and worked with the American Air Force in Germany, also deployed to Dubai. Both brothers had much more hazardous tours. We all served many years and enjoyed our careers. For myself, it gave me a perspective on how good and diverse Canada is.

My most Canadian memory? Saturday nights, my brother sister out for the evening, my mother in bed reading, my dad and I in the living room watching a hockey game. My brother coming home and making a Kraft pizza for all of us, bringing up a slice for my mom to enjoy. (Now I'm choked up again... LOL) (4.0 stars)"

Currently Reading (started since May 1)

1. The Minority Report and Other Stories by Philip K. Dick (Short stories / 1987)

"Many thousands of readers consider Philip K. Dick the greatest science fiction mind on any planet. Since his untimely death in 1982, interest in Dick's works has continued to mount and his reputation has been further enhanced by a growing body of critical attention. The Philip K. Dick Award is now given annually to a distinguished work of science fiction, and the Philip K. Dick Society is devoted to the study and promulgation of his works.

This collection includes all of the writer's earliest short and medium-length fiction (including some previously unpublished stories) covering the years 1954-1964.

Volume 4/5 contains:
- Autofac (1955)
- Service Call (1955)
- Captive Market (1955)
- The Mold of Yancy (1955)
- The Minority Report (1956)
- Recall Mechanism (1959)
- The Unreconstructed M (1957)
- Explorers We (1959)
- War Game (1959)
- If There Were No Benny Cemoli (1963)
- Novelty Act (1964)
- Waterspider (1964)
- What the Dead Men Say (1964)
- Orpheus with Clay Feet (1987)
- The Days of Perky Pat (1963)
- Stand-By (1963)
- What'll We Do with Ragland Park? (1963)
- Oh, to Be a Blobel! (1964)"

2. Memoirs of a Spacewoman by Naomi Mitchison (Sci Fi / 1962).

"Mary is a communications expert, passionate and compassionate about the strange and often unnerving life forms she encounters on her travels to distant galaxies. Non-interference is the code, but her emotional and erotic entanglements cannot always be avoided, and scientific detachment is not always easy to maintain. Mary explores her own sexuality with colleagues and with friends such as the hermaphroditic Martian, Vly."

New Books (as of 1 May)

1. The 500 Years of Indigenous Resistance Comic Book, Revised and Expanded by Gord Hill (Graphic Novel / 2002).

"When it was first published in 2010, The 500 Years of Resistance Comic Book was heralded as a groundbreaking illustrated history of Indigenous activism and resistance in the Americas over the previous 500 years, from contact to present day. Eleven years later, author and artist Gord Hill has revised and expanded the book, which is now available in color for the first time.

The 500 Years of Resistance Comic Book powerfully portrays flashpoints in history when Indigenous peoples have risen up and fought back against colonizers and other oppressors. Events depicted include the the Spanish conquest of the Aztec, Mayan and Inca empires; the 1680 Pueblo Revolt in New Mexico; the Battle of Wounded Knee in 1890; the resistance of the Great Plains peoples in the 19th century; and more recently, the Idle No More protests supporting Indigenous sovereignty and rights in 2012 and 2013, and the resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline in 2016.

With strong, plain language and evocative illustrations, this revised and expanded edition of The 500 Years of Resistance Comic Book reveals the tenacity and perseverance of Indigenous peoples as they endured 500-plus years of genocide, massacre, torture, rape, displacement, and assimilation: a necessary antidote to conventional histories of the Americas.

The book includes a foreword by Pamela Palmater, a Mi'kmaq lawyer, professor, and political commentator."

2. Virginia's Sisters, an Anthology of Women's Writing by Virginia Woolf (Short stories / 2023).

"A unique anthology of short stories and poetry by feminist contemporaries of Virginia Woolf, who were writing about work, discrimination, war, relationships, sexuality and love in the early part of the 20th Century.   Includes works by English and American writers Zelda Fitzgerald, Charlotte Perkins Gillman, Radclyffe Hall, Katherine Mansfield, Alice Dunbar Nelson, Edith Wharton, and Virginia Woolf, alongside their recently rediscovered ‘sisters’ from around the world. This book offers a diverse and international array of over 20 literary gems from women writers living in Bulgaria, Chile, China, Egypt, France, Italy, Palestine, Romania, Russia, Spain and Ukraine.

List of authors and works A Woman  by Fani Popova-Mutafova (translated by Petya Pavlova)
Thoughts  by Myra Viola Wilds
The Little Governess  by Katherine Mansfield
Villa Myosotis by Sorana Gurian (translated by Gabi Reigh)
The Mark on the Wall  by Virginia Woolf
Miss Ogilvy Finds Herself  [extract] by Radclyffe Hall
I sit and sew  by Alice Dunbar Nelson
First Steps  [extract] by Dorka Talmon (translated by Mira Glover)
Coming Home by Maria Messina (translated by Juliette Neil)
Vegetal Reverie  by Magda Isanos (translated by Gabi Reigh)
The Iceberg  by Zelda Fitzgerald
The Russian Princess  by Carmen de Burgos (translated by Slava Faybysh)
Bring to Me All…  by Marina Tsvetaeva (translated by Nina Kossman)
Autres Temps by Edith Wharton
Unheard  by Yente Serdatsky (translated by Dalia Wolfson)
Fog  by Gabriela Mistral (translated by Stuart Cooke)
Natalia  [extract] by Fausta Cialente (translated by Laura Shanahan)
What makes this century worse?  by Anna Akhmatova (translated by Olga Livshin)
Broken  by Nataliya Kobrynska (translated by Hanna Leliv & Slava Faybysh)
Sunset  by Antonia Pozzi (translated by Sonia di Placido)
Once Upon A Time  by Ling Shuhua (translated by Leilei Chen)
Their Religions and our Herland  [extract] by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Goodbye Lebanon  by May Ziadeh (translated by Rose DeMaris)"

3. Y: The Last Man, Vol 4 - Safeword by Brian K. Vaughan (Dystopia / 2004).

"As the Last Man on Earth and his companions continue to head West, the story takes a detour into the psychological.

In the care of a fellow Culper Ring member, Yorick Brown is forced to confront his tremendous feelings of survivor guilt that lead him to constantly put his life in danger. Once on the road again, the group runs up against a literal roadblock in Arizona, where the female remains of the Sons of Arizona militia have cut the interstate to keep out any vestiges of the U.S. government."

4. The Perfectionists, How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester (His / 2018).

"The revered New York Times bestselling author traces the development of technology from the Industrial Age to the Digital Age to explore the single component crucial to advancement—precision—in a superb history that is both an homage and a warning for our future.

The rise of manufacturing could not have happened without an attention to precision. At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in eighteenth-century England, standards of measurement were established, giving way to the development of machine tools—machines that make machines. Eventually, the application of precision tools and methods resulted in the creation and mass production of items from guns and glass to mirrors, lenses, and cameras—and eventually gave way to further breakthroughs, including gene splicing, microchips, and the Hadron Collider.

Simon Winchester takes us back to origins of the Industrial Age, to England where he introduces the scientific minds that helped usher in modern production: John Wilkinson, Henry Maudslay, Joseph Bramah, Jesse Ramsden, and Joseph Whitworth. It was Thomas Jefferson who later exported their discoveries to the fledgling United States, setting the nation on its course to become a manufacturing titan. Winchester moves forward through time, to today’s cutting-edge developments occurring around the world, from America to Western Europe to Asia.

As he introduces the minds and methods that have changed the modern world, Winchester explores fundamental questions. Why is precision important? What are the different tools we use to measure it? Who has invented and perfected it? Has the pursuit of the ultra-precise in so many facets of human life blinded us to other things of equal value, such as an appreciation for the age-old traditions of craftsmanship, art, and high culture? Are we missing something that reflects the world as it is, rather than the world as we think we would wish it to be? And can the precise and the natural co-exist in society?"

5. The Van Driesen Affair by Holly Roth (Spy / 1960).

"A Soviet expatriate living in Washington, D.C. mysteriously disappears on the way to a meeting. The previous day she'd suggested to those in Washington that a division of the Department of Justice should cooperate in the kidnapping of a Russian official. Fifteen hours later, she was gone! Did she drop out of sight due to stress, or has she been kidnapped?"

So there you go folks. Enjoy checking out these reading suggestions. Have a great weekend!

A Quick Update

Jo is on a video call with her best friend in England and we're waiting for a call from her doctor about tomorrow's chemo session so I thought I'd do a very quick update while I'm sitting here.

Completed Books

(Only one book completed since my last update and one that I gave up on)

1. Blood and Judgment by Michael Gilbert (Peter Petrella #1 / 1959).

"Blood and Judgement is the 1st book in the Peter Petrella police procedural series by Michael Gilbert. This was the 2nd book in the series that I've enjoyed, the other being Petrella at Q. There are six books in the series but unfortunately, they are difficult to find, or very expensive so this might be the last I'll try. I do have some of Gilbert's standalones so I'll continue with those anyway.

Petrella is a Detective Sgt who works in Dept Q in London. He has been working as part of a team trying to find a young girl but is called off that task when a woman's body is found near a reservoir buried under some leaves. It looks like maybe suicide so after a perfunctory examination, Petrella heads back for his other job. However, the coroner, in his examination, discovers that she has in fact been murdered by gun shot.

So this starts the investigation into the woman's death. Firstly, Petrella has do find out who the woman is. He is assigned a Detective Inspector from another division due to manning shortages in Q. The investigation progresses, the DI is attacked and severely hurt so another DI is brought in, this one more objectionable, from Scotland Yard. 

The main suspect is a local gangster involved in jewelry robberies who has been in conflict with his boss, another gangster who escaped from prison and supposedly managed to get to France. The woman seems to be a girlfriend to both of them?

Basically, you've got an excellent police procedural. Petrella is an excellent character, not perfect (many things are missed originally) who diligently searches for clues and uses his intelligence to sort things out. His new DI is set on a specific suspect and is willing to leave evidence out to help get him convicted. Petrella risks his career to continue investigating.

Gilbert lays out an excellent story. The setting is described nicely, the characters are fleshed out. I like Petrella's actual boss, level-headed, supportive of his men and using common sense. I do enjoy a well developed and presented police procedural and this story was no exception. I hope that I can find the other books in the series. (4.5 stars)"

2. Suez: Britain's End of Empire in the Middle East by Keith Kyle (History / 1991).

"Suez: Britain's End of Empire in the Middle East by Keith Kyle was unfortunately, a Did Not Finish (DNF) for me. I saw it originally when it first came out (2003) and at that time my interest was piqued by the subject matter. I finally bought a copy a few years back.... In the interim, I've read a much shorter book that dealt more strictly with the Suez war itself. This book deals with the build up to the war, the political machinations, the characters; Nasser of Egypt, Eden of England, Eisenhower, etc. It's detailed, intricate and I've just come to realize that when I'm reading 10 pages a week, it'll take me forever to finish. I can't say it's not interesting but it is so far in the weeds... well. If you like history and this area interests you, please try it. Mr. Kyle put tremendous effort into his research and deserves a better audience than me. Oh well. No rating (NR)"

Currently Reading

1. The Godfather of Kathmandu by John Burdett (Royal Thai Detectives #4 / 2009).

"John Burdett's famed Royal Thai detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep is put to the test both as a Buddhist and as a cop as he confronts the most shocking crime of his career.

A rich American film director has been murdered. It is an intriguing case, and solving it could lead to a promotion for Sonchai, but, as always, he is far more concerned with the state of his karma than he is with his status in the earthly realm. To complicate matters his boss, Colonel Vikorn, has decided to make Sonchai his consigliere in a heroin smuggling operation. Sonchai travels to Kathmandu to meet Vikorn's connection Tietsin, a Tibetan Buddhist monk, and falls under the sway of this dark and charismatic guru."

2. V is for Vendetta by Alan Moore (Graphic novel / 1990).

""Remember, remember the fifth of November..."

A frightening and powerful tale of the loss of freedom and identity in a chillingly believable totalitarian world, V for Vendetta stands as one of the highest achievements of the comics medium and a defining work for creators Alan Moore and David Lloyd.

Set in an imagined future England that has given itself over to fascism, this groundbreaking story captures both the suffocating nature of life in an authoritarian police state and the redemptive power of the human spirit which rebels against it. Crafted with sterling clarity and intelligence, V for Vendetta brings an unequaled depth of characterization and verisimilitude to its unflinching account of oppression and resistance."

New Purchases

1. Latchkey by Nicole Kornher - Stace (Archivist Wasp #2 / 2018). I enjoyed the 1st one very much.

"Isabel, once known as Wasp, has become leader of the fearsome upstarts, the teen girl acolytes who are adjusting to a new way of life after the overthrow of the sadistic Catchkeep-priest. They live in an uneasy alliance with the town of Sweetwater—an alliance that will be tested to its limits by the dual threats of ruthless raiders from the Waste and a deadly force from the Before-time that awaits in long-hidden tunnels.

Years ago Isabel befriended a nameless ghost, a super soldier from the Before-time with incredible powers even after death, and their adventure together in the underworld gave her the strength and knowledge to change the brutal existence of the Catchkeep acolytes for the better. To save Sweetwater, Isabel will have to unlock the secrets of the twisted experimental program from centuries gone by that created the super soldier and killed his friends: the Latchkey Project."

2. Black Hearts in Battersea by Joan Aiken (The Wolves Chronicles #2 / 1964).

"Simon, the foundling from The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, arrives in London to meet an old friend and pursue the study of painting. Instead he finds himself unwittingly in the middle of a wicked crew's fiendish caper to overthrow the good King James and the Duke and Duchess of Battersea. With the help of his friend Sophie and the resourceful waif Dido, Simon narrowly escapes a series of madcap close calls and dangerous run-ins. In a time and place where villains do nothing halfway, Simon is faced with wild wolves, poisoned pies, kidnapping, and a wrecked ship. This is a cleverly contrived tale of intrigue and misadventure."

There you go, folks. A few reading ideas for your consideration. Take care!

Happy Thursday

Had a reasonable run / walk this morning. There were a couple of slick patches on the sidewalk. We've had near 0 ℃ temperatures and some fog the past few days (Yes, I realize it's nothing like what's being experienced back East... stay warm and safe by the way) so it has made things a bit greasy. But it was still a refreshing run. Jo started a new chemo regime yesterday and it didn't seem to affect her too much. We had a nice lunch and a pretty good dinner; a couple of Aussie steaks, fried potatoes and some veggies. I'm a pretty darn good cook. It's nice she seems to have her taste back again and is enjoying her meals.

I'm off to donate blood this afternoon but thought it might be good to do a quick update.

Just Completed

(4 completed and one Did Not Finish - DNF since my last update)

1. Worlds Without End by Clifford D. Simak (Short Stories / Sci Fi / 1964).

"Over the past few years, I've been exploring the work of American Sci Fi author, Clifford D. Simak. He's been a hit-and-miss sort of author for me. There have been a couple of 5-star reads, City and The Werewolf Principle but there have also been 2 star selections, like Time Is the Simplest Thing and Empire. So it's always with a bit of trepidation when I decide to try another of his books. 

My latest was a collection of short stories, Worlds Without End, which contains 3 short stories. And, to be fair, this ran the same gamut as the novels I've tried. The first story, Worlds without End was probably my least favorite of the 3. It is set in the far future where people sign up for the Dream, basically hibernation. They've been doing it for 500 years. Norman Blaine is one of the people who works there and gets involved in a struggle between the various Guilds who run Earth. His boss is found murdered. A man escapes after 500 years in Dream. Norman tries to figure out everything, the plots and schemes between the guilds. The concept was interesting but the ending wasn't satisfying and it didn't really grab me... I'd give that one 2.0 - 2.5 stars

Story 2, The Spaceman's Van Gogh, follows Anson Lathrop as he teleports to a distant planet, following a 'famed' artist, Reuben Clay, who had died there. Anson has been following his route through various planets and has jumped to this planet because he has lost Clay's trail. At the planet, Lathrop meets the inhabitants of the planet, a gnomelike people, who had admired Clay, thinking his art was magic. It was a more enjoyable story, still not perfect but thoughtful and interesting... 3.0 stars

The 3rd story, Full Cycle, was definitely my favorite. It's set in a dystopic future and follows history professor Amby Wilson. Wilson's life has been upturned as his university in Minnesota (or somewhere up north) has closed down. Amby decides to go on the road, with his neighbour and family, trying to settle with one of the roving communities that have formed in the US. They work on farms, factories, etc. and move on when that work has been completed. It's a fascinating life. Amby and his friends cannot find a community to settle with as they are all filled up and neither can offer any particular skills. One morning Amby discovers his travelling companions have abandoned them. As Amby continues down the road on his own, he discovers something new and exciting in this 'new' world order. I won't ruin it by getting into much detail but it's quite interesting. Definitely my favorite story and I'd rate that a 4.0 stars. Overall, an interesting read, some better than the other. (3.5 stars)"

2. The Serial Garden; The Complete Armitage Stories by Joan Aiken (2008). My first 5-star read of 2026.

"I can't remember where I heard of this book, The Serial Garden: The Complete Armitage Family Stories by English author Joan Aiken but I'm so glad that I discovered it. Such a wonderful collection of fantasy stories. The cover artwork in this Big Mouth House edition was by American artist Beth Adams. My wife thought it was so striking that I ordered a print of it for her Xmas gift this year. The inside illustrations are also excellent and they are by Andi Watson.

So with that out of the way, what to say about this surprising book. The book contains the complete collection of the Armitage family stories that Joan Aiken wrote over the period 1953, to some previously unpublished that were discovered in 2008. If you've ever enjoyed The Secret Garden, the Narnia books or the fantasy books of Susan Cooper, amongst others, you'll love these stories as well.

The Armitage family live in a small village in southern England and consist of the ever harassed Mr. Armitage, the lovely Mrs. Armitage and their two  children, Mark and Harriet. In the final story, a new edition, Milo, makes an appearance. It's a seemingly normal village, with village fairs, music classes, school life, etc. but it's also peopled with witches, unicorns, magicians, goblins, little people, sometimes the Furies, etc. And the lovely thing is, it's all taken as just in the course of normal events. Sure, the goblins might cause some irritation. Sure the cantankerous witches might cast the odd spell on you if you bother them. But it's all dealt with.

Mark and Harriet live their lives, dealing with all of the fantastical, wonderful things that go on about them, with coolness and aplomb. The stories tend to focus on one or the other, or both. They get the normal illnesses like whooping cough, measles and the other one might have an adventure then. They get visits from weird and strange relatives. Oh, they have a 300 year old ghost who lives in the spare bedroom and in one instance chaperones Harriet on a school day because her parents are otherwise occupied. As I mentioned previously, they also have a unicorn who lives with them and a big old cat, the Walrus.

The fantasies are just so wonderful and imaginative. For the most part they end fairly happily, but even there, there are a couple of story lines that are quite touchingly sad. There is Mr. Johannsson, the music teacher, who lost the love of his life, many years ago when she cast a spell so the two of them could marry, but the message was not passed on by her mean sister. Now the Countess lives in a fairy world waiting for Mr. Johansson. At least two attempts are made by Harriet and Mark to reunite them, but ... well, I'll leave it at that.

The collection of stories are rich, wonderful, entertaining and just a joy to read. They suit adults and at the same time would be wonderful for parents to sit with their children to read together. Just lovely, great stories and a fantastic collection. (5.0 stars)"

3. The Devil's Breath by Tessa Harris (Dr. Thomas Silkstone #3 / 2013). My first DNF of 2026.

"The Devil's Breath is the 3rd book in the Dr. Thomas Silkstone historical mystery series by Tessa Harris. I 'liked' the first two books but after 85 pages of this 3rd book, I've decided to put the book & series down. 

In the Devil's Breath a mysterious fog is sweeping across England (acid rain??) and people are dying when caught out in it. At the same time, Thomas and his fiancé Lady Lydia are looking for her son. She had always assumed that the boy died in birth but it turns out that her husband of that time, had given it to a wet nurse... When he died, the wet nurse put the child into a work 'camp'.... 

And there is more intrigue as someone else is trying to find the boy, as, being the next male of the family, he stands to inherit the estate from his father.. 

It was an interesting concept but I just couldn't find enough interest to keep going... Please don't use my review to make your decision. If you liked the 1st two, keep on going. But for me, I'm finished... (NR)"

4. The Big Fat Kill by Frank Miller (Sin City #3 / 1994).

"Sin City, Vol. 3: The Big Fat Kill is the 3rd volume of the Sin City graphic novel series by Frank Miller. Dwight is with Shellie when her abusive boyfriend and some pals barge in. They want Shellie to get some of her girl friends so they can all party. Dwight scares them away so the 'boys' decide to joyride around Sin City to find girls.

Unfortunately, they run into Gail and the other girls who run Sin City, with an arrangement with the cops. The cops will stay away and the girls will control the prostitution, drugs and keep the city safe. Jackie Boy and pals harass one of the ladies of the night and are attacked and killed by Gail, Mihu and the other girls.

Dwight and Gail discover that Jackie Boy is actually an undercover cop so they need to dispose of the body so the cops won't know he's dead. While Dwight takes all of the bodies to the tar pits, the mob hits Sin City and take Gail... Lots of problems.

Dwight and the other ladies now have to save Gail and get rid of the mob... 

Needless to say, it's a gritty, violent, stark, excellent story. All of the artwork is black and white which creates a great effect. The characters are drawn so well. Everything about this series is excellent. Great crime novel, great, strong characters and enough action to satisfy you. (4.0 stars)"

5. God Flare by David A. Robertson (Reckoner Rises #3 / 2024).

"God Flare| is the 3rd graphic novel in the Reckoner Rises graphic novel series by Canadian indigenous author David Alexander Robertson. The series started with a novel trilogy as well. I have yet to read the novels. 

The series is set in Winnipeg, Manitoba and the Wounded Sky reservation. The folks at Mihko Labs are trying to sell the creatures / monsters to another organization but the lab doesn't trust the potential buyers. They have a bad feeling about the buyers and send their pack to deal with them... some weird creatures.

Meanwhile, Cole and Eva and the others are trying to discover the God Flare, a potion that will five another of them super powers. They need more so they can do battle with Mihko.

That is the basis premise of this short story. Like the others, it's interesting but it leaves everything hanging at the end. The artwork is excellent and the story is also interesting. I look forward to finding out what happens next when Volume 4 comes out... 

Oh, one neat textual thing happened, the crossing of the 4th wall. One of the characters tells the author that he needs to move on with the story rather than give up secrets of a spirit lodge. And the author (shown in the story) agrees to move on. (3.0 stars)"

Currently Reading (just the books I've started since my last update)

1. The Confession of Brother Haluin by Ellis Peters (Cadfael #15 / 1988).

"Brother Cadfael is witness to a shocking near-death confession and accompanies a fellow Benedictine on a dangerous quest for redemption."

2. Sleep No More: Six Murderous Tales by P. D. James (2017). The first two were very interesting.

"A holiday gift for all  P. D. James fans to stand alongside her bestselling The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories : six previously uncollected stories from the beloved "Queen of Crime"--swift, cunning murder mysteries from throughout her extraordinary career.

Put your feet up and enjoy a good read! Longtime P. D. James fans will devour these short tales of criminality and deception, each one a pleasure, evocative and engrossing. Including several stories originally published in magazines, this enchanting arrangement of memorable whodunits treats the reader to atmospheric storytelling, mysteries to be solved, and enjoyable puzzles that will keep you guessing. With wit and warmth, P. D. James pays tribute to her English crime-writing forebears, delighting in the dark secrets that lurk beneath the surface of quintessentially English settings.

       Sleep No More is a beautifully produced, rare gift book, and an exciting addition to the P. D. James library, offering her devoted readers a glimpse of earlier work never before collected between two covers, and--for those who come newly to it--a delightful place to begin."

3. Suez: Britain's End of Empire in the Middle East by Keith Kyle (1991) I have read a shorter story about the Suez crisis but I've wanted to read this for quite a long time.

"Keith Kyle has drawn on a wealth of documentary evidence to tell this fascinating political, military, and diplomatic story of how Britain, France, and Israel colluded in attacking Egypt, ostensibly to protect the Suez Canal, but in reality to depose Gamal Abdul Nasser . The US opposition to this scheme forced an ignominious withdrawal, and Nasser was triumphant. Above all, Britain’s imperial posture was decisively over. Suez is acknowledged as the classic work on the subject."

4. Archivist Wasp by Nicole Kornher-Stace (Archivist Wasp Saga #1 / 2015).

"Wasp's job is simple. Hunt ghosts. And every year she has to fight to remain Archivist. Desperate and alone, she strikes a bargain with the ghost of a super soldier. She will go with him on his underworld hunt for the long-lost ghost of his partner and in exchange she will find out more about his pre-apocalyptic world than any Archivist before her. And there is much to know. After all, Archivists are marked from birth to do the holy work of a goddess. They're chosen. They're special. Or so they've been told for four hundred years.

Archivist Wasp fears she is not the chosen one, that she won't survive the trip to the underworld, that the brutal life she has escaped might be better than where she is going. There is only one way to find out."

New Purchases (I did buy 3 yesterday when I was waiting for Jo to finish her chemo treatment and a couple more came in the mail). I'll highlight a few of them.

1. Bunny by Mona Awad (Bunny #1 / 2019).

"We were just these innocent girls in the night trying to make something beautiful. We nearly died. We very nearly did, didn't we?

Samantha Heather Mackey couldn't be more of an outsider in her small, highly selective MFA program at New England's Warren University. A scholarship student who prefers the company of her dark imagination to that of most people, she is utterly repelled by the rest of her fiction writing cohort--a clique of unbearably twee rich girls who call each other Bunny, and seem to move and speak as one.

But everything changes when Samantha receives an invitation to the Bunnies' fabled Smut Salon, and finds herself inexplicably drawn to their front door--ditching her only friend, Ava, in the process. As Samantha plunges deeper and deeper into the Bunnies' sinister yet saccharine world, beginning to take part in the ritualistic off-campus Workshop where they conjure their monstrous creations, the edges of reality begin to blur. Soon, her friendships with Ava and the Bunnies will be brought into deadly collision.

The spellbinding new novel from one of our most fearless chroniclers of the female experience, Bunny is a down-the-rabbit-hole tale of loneliness and belonging, friendship and desire, and the fantastic and terrible power of the imagination."

2. Murder Before Evensong by Reverend Richard Coles (Canon Clement #1 / 2022). Jo and I watched the 1st Season of the TV series based on the book(s) and enjoyed it very much.

"Canon Daniel Clement is Rector of Champton. He has been there for eight years, living at the Rectory alongside his widowed mother - opinionated, fearless, ever-so-slightly annoying Audrey - and his two dachshunds, Cosmo and Hilda.

When Daniel announces a plan to install a lavatory in church, the parish is suddenly (and unexpectedly) divided: as lines are drawn, long-buried secrets come dangerously close to destroying the apparent calm of the village.

And then Anthony Bowness - cousin to Bernard de Floures, patron of Champton - is found dead at the back of the church, stabbed in the neck with a pair of secateurs.

As the police moves in and the bodies start piling up, Daniel is the only one who can try and keep his fractured community together... and catch a killer."

3. The Aspern Papers by Henry James (1888).

"Arguably the most popular and critically successful of James longer works, The Aspern Papers tells the story of a poetry enthusiast and aspiring biographer driven to desperate lengths to procure the last letters of a recently passed American poet, Jeffrey Aspern. Reflecting many of James own reservations about publicity and biographical exploitation, The Aspern Papers remains a powerful defense of the dignity and privacy that should be afforded all authors in life and in death."

4. Flight Volume 1 by Kazu Kibuishi (2004).

"Flight Volume One features stories by professionals and non-professionals alike, all playing on the theme of flight in its many incarnations. From the maiden voyage of a home-built plane to the adventures of a young courier and his flying whale to a handful of stories about coming of age and letting things go, this first volume of Flight is full of memorable tales that will both amaze and inspire."

There you go. Hoping you see some books that interest you or pique your imagination. Stay warm!