Day 5 - My Xmas Month Countdown - A Book and a Song

Oh Happy Day!!! Oh Happppppy Dayyyyy!!! Brighton beat Arsenal 2-1 today. Yay!!

OK, now to get onto my daily December topic, my 25 favorite books read in 2019 and my 25 favorite songs on my USB. Today will be Book and Song number 21.

Book 21

Kathy Reichs

Kathy Reichs - Fatal Voyage.

Kathy Reichs is author of the Temperance Brennan forensic / archeological mystery series. I have just featured her in my ongoing look at the Mystery genre - American cops. You can see that article at this link. My review of Fatal Voyage is below.

"Kathy Reichs's Temperance Brennan forensic mystery series is always entertaining. I have felt at times that she is dialing in her story. This was not the case with Fatal Voyage, the fourth book in the series. I think this was one of my favorites so far, of the 9 that I've read.

Temperance is part of North Carolina's DMORT, a disaster response team, and is called to the hills of North Carolina to help in the investigation of a plane crash. This is a major effort, of course, involving local, state and federal investigators. Temperance is surprised to even find her partner from the Montreal police force, Detective Ryan, involved. His partner had been on the flight, escorting a criminal back to Montreal and Ryan is now part of the investigation.

At the outset, something strange occurs. Tempe discovers a foot that she must take from a coyote (with Ryan's assistance). The foot doesn't seem to be part of the crash remnants. Quite suddenly, Tempe is accused of disrupting the air crash investigation, especially by the lieutenant-governor and as the story moves along, she is removed from that investigation.

Some people don't believe what has taken place and continue to help Tempe with her efforts to prove that she didn't commit any wrongs. These include Ryan, an FBI agent, McMahon and a local police chief, Lucy Crowe. As well, Tempe is baby-sitting a dog for her ex-husband, Pete. Boyd is a great character. Anyway, the efforts to investigate this foot, and also to get into a hidden cabin located near the crash site, are stymied consistently, even to the point of a friend of Tempe's being murdered.

It's a tense, rich story. The people are well-crafted (I particularly liked Sheriff Crowe, smart, independent, down-to-earth) and the story moves along very nicely, especially considering its length. There are frustrations, but they are minor and don't take away from the overall enjoyment of the story. I like her relationships and her stubbornness, even though it does get her into  trouble. But she is an intelligent, passionate, relentless investigator. There is some development of her relationships with her ex and with Ryan but this part of her life doesn't play too much of a role in this story. More to follow in the others. All in all, an excellent, enjoyable mystery / thriller with a pretty darn satisfying ending. (4.5 stars)"

Song 21

Phillip Bailey

Walking on the Chinese Wall by Phillip Bailey.

Phillip Bailey was born in 1951 and is an American R&B singer / songwriter. He was one of the early members and one of two lead singers for the band Earth, Wind and Fire. He also had a very successful solo career. This song was from his 3rd solo album, Chinese Wall, which also featured a duet of Easy Lover with Phil Collins. I only recently heard this song for the first time, even though it was originally released inn 1985. I'm glad I finally heard it.

Well, there you go. Tomorrow will be song #20.

Day 4 - My Xmas Month Countdown - A Book and a Song

It's the middle of the week, hump day... garbage day on my street and it's kind of rainy. Perry Mason starts in 40 minutes so let's get this post done and then I'll make the missus a cuppa and bring her some short bread to eat while we enjoy the show. Funny how much enjoyment we've been getting out these old TV shows; Perry Mason, Cannon, Barnaby Jones, Mannix. Anyway, I digress. Below are my Day 4 book and song.

Book 22

Anthony Trollope

Anthony Trollope - Phineas Finn

Anthony Trollope was born in London in 1815 and lived until 1882. He was a prolific writer, with many single novels, the Barchester Chronicles and a series I've begun the past couple of years, those being the Palliser novels. He wrote six books in this series. I read the first Can You Forgive Her? last year and enjoyed immensely. This year I took on the second, Phineas Finn and enjoyed that one just as much. I have the third book, The Eustace Diamonds, sitting on my bookshelves and may try it next year.

"Phineas Finn is the second book in the Palliser series by Victorian author, Anthony Trollope. As simply put as possible, the story follows young Irish lawyer, Phineas Finn, as he arrives in London, finishes his legal education and decides to run for Parliament.

He arrives with no money other than his father's allowance, no prospects and no love life. He has left behind Mary Flood Jones, who loves him, but who Phineas feels he can't yet offer any sort of life.  Thus begins Phineas's journey in London, a journey of romance(s), of life in government and of his rise up the ladder and then, well, I won't ruin how it ends.

Call it a Victorian soap opera, but an interesting one for sure. We do get some people crossing over from the first book, namely my favorite character Lady Glencora Palliser, but for the most part, this story is filled with new personages. You have, of course, Phineas, but also those people who he meets and gains friendship with from his days in government; Barrington Erle, Mr. Monk, Lord Brentford, etc. We also meet those women whose paths Phineas crosses throughout the story, Lady Laura, Violet Effingham and the lovely Madame Goesler (my favorite).

There is much more politics in this story which adds to the interest. Personally, Finn's dealings with the Canada 'issue' definitely added to my interest, being Canadian and all. :0) But of course, there is romance, attempts, failures, duels, etc. It's a long story, but all the same a very interesting one. Anthony Trollope isn't a George Eliot by any means but he still spins a neat tale. I enjoyed it very much, being very frustrated by the frustrating attempts for romance, not just by Phineas, but by all of the main characters really. But that didn't really matter in the long run, it just added to the story.

The next book in the series is The Eustace Diamonds and I'll wait a bit to start it, but now that I'm into the Palliser series, I do want to continue. (4 stars)"

Song 22

Twenty One Pilot

The Hype by Twenty One Pilots

Twenty One Pilots formed in 2009 and is an American band formed in Columbus Ohio consisting of Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun. Since their formation in 2009, they have released 5 albums, their latest, Trench, came out in 2018. At times I've had various of their songs on my USB. The Hype is their most recent single and it reached #3 in the US charts. According to the write-up, the song explores themes of perseverance, loyalty and the weight of fame.

Hoping today's selections will help get you over the hump of midweek. Have a great day.

My First December Reading Update

Well, it's the first week of December. Egads! I've put up the outside lights so far, although I was going to try and add a few more. Now for the inside. Not feeling much like it, mind you. Ah well, once we get started, everything will swing into place.

So, let's see, where to now? I've finished my first book of December. It was a bit of a long 'un, so took me over a month to read it. Well worth it though. I'll update that book and also add a book that was left in my Little Free Library outside the front door, last week. Then I'll continue my winding down of my look at the Mystery genre - American Cops.

Just Finished

1. Middlemarch by George Eliot. I'd previously read 3 of Eliot's other books; Adam Bede, Daniel Deronda and The Mill on the Floss. Middlemarch was just as good. (My copy of the book, which is from the same publisher, isn't in quite such good shape. As Jo said, I should have purchased another edition and just kept this one on the shelf)








"I've previously read and enjoyed 3 of George Eliot's 7 novels. Middlemarch, Eliot's 6th novel, originally published in 1871-2, was my 4th of her novels. It's supposed to be her best work. I enjoyed it very much, especially once I got into the flow, but I do think I preferred others.

Middlemarch is set for the most part in a fictitious Midlands town of Middlemarch. It focuses on a number of characters, all involved in 'romantic; relationships. You have Dorotea Brooke, courted by both Sir James Chettam, a wealthy land owner, and Rev Edward Casaubon, who she prefers as she wants to help him write his great novel. You have Mary Garth, my favorite character, who works for an elderly rich crank, Peter Featherstone, who is courted by a ne'er - do - well, a good looking young man with many financial issues, Fred Vincy. As well, there is Rosamond Vincy, Fred's sister, who has set her oar for the new doctor in town, Dr. Tertius Lydgate.

Of course, those are the main character and we are surrounded, richly by a great supporting cast. The book, made up of 4 mini-novels, moves from the various main characters as their relationships develop and grow. I have to say that there were a number of characters who I didn't like at all, but they were nicely counteracted by those I did like. And like all of Eliot's books, all of the characters are beautifully crafted and the story is thoughtfully told. I won't get into the plot any more. Suffice it to say, if you try this story, you will enjoy it immensely. This story was made into a BBC mini-series in 1994 with a cast of fantastic actors. I will have to try it out as well. (4 stars)"

New Books

1. The Fly on the Wall by Tony Hillerman. I've enjoyed Hillerman's Navajo Police series so far. I found this book (a Hillerman standalone) had been left in my library (see above) out in front of the house, so thought I should try it myself. I sounds interesting.








"Ace reporter John Cotton is a fly on the wall -- seeing all, hearing all, and keeping out of sight. But the game changes when he finds his best friend's corpse sprawled on the marble floor of the central rotunda of the U.S. Capitol. Suddenly Cotton knows too much about a scandal centered around a senatorial candidate, a million-dollar scam, and a murder. And he hears the pursuing footsteps of powerful people who have something to hide ... and a willingness to kill to keep their secrets hidden."

My Ongoing Look at the Mystery Genre - American Cops
In my last entry, I looked at James Patterson's Women's Murder Club mystery series. 

Kathy Reichs

1. Kathy Reichs - Temperance Brennan. When I first moved to Comox and was on my own, I spent lots of time frequenting a local used book store, ABC Books, which is no longer in business. At that time I did lots of exploring of the mystery genre. I found a couple of excellent forensic mystery series by women authors, Patricia Cornwell's Kay Scarpetta series and Kathy Reichs's Temperance Brennan series. People who haven't read the books might recognize Temperance Brennan from TV's long running series, Bones. Reichs was born in Chicago in 1948 and is a crime writer, forensic anthropologist and academic. She used her expertise in these areas to create Temperance Brennan who works both in the US and Montreal Canada with the police as a forensic analyst. Since 1997 she has written 19 books in the series and has one more due out in 2020. I have read 9 of the series, in no particular order and have another 3 on my bookshelf. I'll look at two that I've read and two of the others.

a. Cross Bones (#8 / 2005).












"Cross Bones is the 8th book in Kathy Reichs's Temperance Brennan forensic mystery series. I found it to be one of the more interesting ones so far.

Temperance is working at her 2nd job as forensic anthropologist assisting the Montreal coroner. (For those not familiar with the books, Temperance works in South Carolina most of the time, but spends time also in Montreal as part of an arrangement.) This story starts off with Temperance assisting with two bodies, one who is found in a chimney and another who may have committed suicide. His autopsy is witnessed by members of the Jewish community as well. During this autopsy, Tempe is given a photo of a skeleton and is advised that is the reason for the victim's 'murder'.

Thus starts an adventure that will take Tempe and her lover, police detective Andrew Ryan to Israel in search of further evidence and also to discover if the bones might be those of Jesus Christ. It's an intriguing story; a murder mystery and an investigation into the history of Jesus' family. The story moves along very nicely and provides an interesting history of the archeological digs in Israel as well as a nice glimpse of the country itself.

I did find some of it confusing, especially the story (which is based on a true one) of the discoveries in Masada. As well, the possible implications of discovering the body of JC, if it turns out to be the case in this story, and its impact on Christianity, Judaism and even Islam are examined, sometimes a bit too much. There is lots of action and the interactions between Tempe and Ryan are excellent. All in all it was a fascinating mystery and a joy to read. I have found that sometimes Kathy Reichs seems to be going through the motions, but not in this story. (4 stars)"

b. Break No Bones (#9 / 2006)

"It's been 5 years or so since I visited the forensic world of Temperance Brennan by Kathy Reichs. I thought she'd been kind of going through the motions with the book I read at that time. I just finished Break No Bones, the 9th book in the series, and I'm sorry that I've been neglecting the series. This was quite excellent.

Temperance is leading a class of archaeology students at a Native American dig on an island near Charleston, SC to ascertain whether there are archives of any sort there. A developer plans to build homes on the site and the dig is necessary to ensure no historical relics are being disturbed. While there, her students find a body, a recent one. This is the start of an interesting mystery.

Tempe is asked to help the local coroner, a friend of hers, Emma Rousseau, as Emma is dealing with the effects of treatment for lymphoma. She asks Tempe to help with the case and as more bodies begin to crop up, Tempe becomes the lead for the coroner's office. This is a complex, entertaining story. Tempe's ex-hubby, Pete, a lawyer, arrives in town to investigate the financials of a local religious group. Ryan, Tempe's current boyfriend, also shows up and while there is steady friction between the two men, he helps Tempe with the investigation. Throw into the mix, local sheriff Gullet, who is somewhat distrustful of her involvement and you've got an all-round entertaining story.

There are many twists and turns in this story; there are threats to Tempe. There is the involvement of a missing PI who seems to be checking out a local medical clinic as part of an investigation into the missing daughter of a local well-to-do. As more bodies show up, Tempe and the others investigate whether there are links between them. Tempe also tries to deal with her feelings for her two beaus and also with her concern for Emma's health.

I enjoyed this story very much. I liked all of the characters. I have always liked Tempe, she's spunky, irritable, hard - working, funny, just one of the great characters. As always, the forensic aspects of the add to the interest. It's a tensely developed story and the intensity grows as the story moves to the climax. Most enjoyable. (4 stars)"

c. Bone to Ashes (#10 / 2007)












"Temperance Brennan, like her creator Kathy Reichs, is a brilliant, sexy forensic anthropologist called on to solve the toughest cases. But for Tempe, the discovery of a young girl's skeleton in Acadia, Canada, is more than just another assignment. Évangéline, Tempe's childhood best friend, was also from Acadia. Named for the character in the Longfellow poem, Évangéline was the most exotic person in Tempe's eight-year-old world. When Évangéline disappeared, Tempe was warned not to search for her, that the girl was "dangerous."

Thirty years later, flooded with memories, Tempe cannot help wondering if this skeleton could be the friend she lost so many years ago. And what is the meaning of the strange skeletal lesions found on the bones of the young girl?

Meanwhile, Tempe's beau, Ryan, investigates a series of cold cases. Three girls dead. Four missing. Could the New Brunswick skeleton be part of the pattern? As Tempe draws on the latest advances in forensic anthropology to penetrate the past, Ryan hunts down a serial predator."

d. 206 Bones (#12 / 2009).

"There are 206 bones in the human body. Forensic anthropologists know them intimately, can use them to reconstruct every kind of violent end. When Tempe finds herself regaining consciousness in some kind of very small, very dark, very cold enclosed space—bound, hands to feet—Tempe begins slowly to reconstruct...

Tempe and Lieutenant Ryan had accompanied the recently discovered remains of a missing heiress from Montreal to the Chicago morgue. Suddenly, Tempe was accused of mishandling the autopsy—and the case. Back in Montreal, the corpse of a second elderly woman was found in the woods, and then a third. Seamlessly weaving between Tempe’s present-tense terror as she’s held captive and her memory of the cases of these murdered women, Reichs reveals the incredible devastation that would occur if a forensic colleague sabotaged work in the lab. The chemistry between Tempe and Ryan intensifies as this complex, riveting tale unfolds, proving once again, that Reichs is the dominant talent in forensic mystery writing"

The remaining books in the series are listed below. I've provided ratings if I've read them and put an asterisk if I have an unread copy.

1. Deja Dead (#1 / 1997) (5 stars)
2. Death du Jour (#2 / 1999) (4 stars)
3. Deadly Decisions (#3 / 2000) (4 stars)
4. Fatal Voyage (#4 / 2001) (4 stars)
5. Grave Secrets (#5 / 2002)
6. Bare Bones (#6 / 2003) (4 stars)
7. Monday Mourning (#7 / 2004) (4 stars)
8. Devil Bones (#11 / 2008) (3 stars)
9. Spider Bones (#13 / 2010) *
10. Flash and Bones (#14 / 2011)
11. Bones are Forever (#15 / 2012)
12. Bones of the Lost (#16 / 2013)
13. Bones Never Lie (#17 / 2014)
14. Speaking in Bones (#18 / 2015)
15. The Bone Collection (#19 / 2016)
16. A Conspiracy of Bones (#20 / 2020)

Well, there you go folks. More to follow in a couple of days. Have a great week!

Day 3 - My Xmas Month Countdown - A Book and a Song

Another day, another song and book for you to consider as we count down to Xmas day.

Book 23

Nigel Balchin

The Small Back Room by Nigel Balchin'

English author, Nigel Balchin, lived from 1908 - 1970. He was known especially for his novels written during and just after WWII. He also wrote under the pseudonym of Mark Spade. He is also known for his screenplay for The Man Who Never Was and Mandy. The Small Back Room was my first exposure to his work and I will try to find others of his books; Darkness Falls from the Air and Mine Own Executioner. My review for The Small Back Room is below.

"I can't exactly remember how I heard about The Small Back Room by Nigel Balchin. I imagine it was listed at the back of another book I'd enjoyed and it sounded interesting. Balchin lived from 1908 - 1961 and is noted for his novels written during and after WWII, of which The Small Back Room was one. He also wrote novels under the name of Mark Spade.

The Small Back Room tells the story of Sammy Rice, who because of a crippling disability (which means he has an artificial foot, is unable to be in the British military during WWII and now works as a weapons scientist for a small firm that assists the British government with new ideas for equipment. Sammy is disillusioned with the politics of his work, especially with RB Waring, an advertising executive who keeps inserting himself in their work. Sammy finds Waring always trying to affect the scientific analyses of his team as they try to report on this new equipment.

Sammy lives with Sue, a secretary at the firm and struggles to understand why she should want to be with him, a broken man. Sue is a wonderful woman, who always tries to encourage Sammy and keep him from his more destructive impulses, brought on by his work frustrations and the steady pain of his damaged leg.

Sammy also in involved with situation. He has been called to assist an English military engineer, a bomb specialist. It seems that German aircraft have been dropping booby traps that have killed a number of people. Little information is available as the bombs have been exploded before they are able to get information about them; what they look like, what sets them off, etc. This is an ongoing story line that will be critical to the final action of the story.

It's a fascinating story that mixes the emotional context of Sammy's work and relationships with the technical aspects of this work. It's nice that it doesn't get too lost in the technical part, but presents enough to make that part also interesting. The story moves along at a nice pace and we get an excellent view of the characters and their lives. The last chapters are tense and almost heart stopping. I initially found the ending somewhat unsatisfying, but as I think about it, it's actually not at all. I think the reactions of Sammy as he looks at his life are quite normal and realistic. Excellent little gem of a story. (4 stars)"

Song 23

Sigrid Raabe

Sigrid - Mine Right Now

Sigrid is a Norwegian singer / songwriter born in 1996. She released her first EP in 2017. My first exposure to her music was with her song Sucker Punch which was also the name of her debut album, released in 2019. The song Mine Right Now is from the same album.

There you go, folks, some reading and musical entertainment for your Tuesday. Later on, I'll have another post updating my December reading. Enjoy what's left of your Tuesday.

Day 2 - My Xmas Month Countdown - A Book and a Song

Yesterday you had my Day 1 selections from my Top 25 songs on my USB and from my Top 25 reading choices of 2019. So let's move on to Day 2

Book 24

Cornell Woolrich

Rear Window and Four Short Novels by Cornell Woolrich.

Cornell Woolrich was born in New York City in 1903 and lived until 1968. He was both a novelist and short story writer. His biographer rated him the 4th best crime writer of his day, after Dashiell Hammett, Erle Stanley Gardner and Raymond Chandler. He wrote such novels as The Bride Wore Black and I Married a Dead Man, amongst many others. My first exposure to his work was Rear Window and Four Short Novels, all excellent stories. Of course, Rear Window was turned into one of my favorite movies by Alfred Hitchcock.

"Rear Window And Four Short Novels is my first exposure to the noir writing of Cornell Woolrich. I had been looking for The Bride Wore Black when I found this collection of short novels. All in all it was excellent.

The 5 novels are Rear Window (turned into the excellent movie by Alfred Hitchcock), Post-Mortem, Three O'Clock, Change of Murder and Momentum. All were used by Hitchcock, in some form or other, the movie I mentioned and episodes for his TV series for the others. I think my favorite was Three O'Clock, my least favorite, Momentum. But I enjoyed them all.

Rear Window is familiar to most. Alfred Hitchcock obviously fleshed out the story. There are no Grace Kelly and Thelma Ritter in the book. Instead, he has a man who comes in each day to cook meals. Sam plays both roles, dropping off the letter to Thorwald and then entering the flat later to find any clues. Less of a role is also played by the various neighbors. They are really mentioned only in passing. But the tension is there, built up very nicely in a short period of time. I think it was as good as the movie in it own right, and that is saying something considering how much I love the movie.

Post Mortem is nice little story. Mrs. Mead discovers that her dead husband had purchased an Irish Sweepstakes ticket on her behalf and it turns out to have been a winner. Now to find it. Her current husband helps her look for it but when it turns out that it is probably buried with him in his suit, new hubby turns cold to the idea about exhuming the corpse to find it. Who is the strange man who shows up, trying to help Mrs. Mead? It's a neat little story with a couple of twists and with a neat ending, albeit somewhat confusing.

Three O'Clock features a husband who believes his wife is cheating on him. He decides to get his revenge by setting up a bomb in the basement to kill her when she returns home. But things don't turn out quite as he planned. Excellent short story, with building tension until the exciting climax at the end as 3 o'clock approaches. As always, an excellent twist at the end, in fact, almost a double twist.

Change of Murder features a hit man who wants to kill the man who took his wife from him while he was in prison. He pays for an alibi in advance, but has a change of heart. The consequences of these actions make for a neat ending.

In Momentum, a man goes to his ex-boss to get his overdo pay to prevent his wife and he being thrown out onto the street. This leads to a disastrous chain of events that while predictable to me, still made for an excellent story.

All in all, I enjoyed Woolrich's story-telling and writing style very much. Short stories can be hit or miss but these were 'hit'. Woolrich displayed the ability to get right into a story, developing and building tension quickly and coming up with neat, tidy endings. (4 stars)"

Song 24

Dermot Kennedy

Dermot Kennedy - Outnumbered

Dermot Kennedy is an Irish singer / songwriter. His debut album Without Fear was released in 2019 which produced his most successful single Outnumbered. He cites artists such as David Gray and Damien Rice as inspirations for his folk style. Kennedy says that Outnumbered is an attempt to comfort anybody feeling overwhelmed. Nice sentiment.

I hope you enjoy both of these selections. See you tomorrow!

My November 2019 Reading Summary

November was a satisfactory reading month overall. I've more than achieved my yearly reading goal. Maybe next year I'll increase that total a bit and not be quite so conservative. I've got my 2020 Reading challenges sorted out, subject to minor changes. I'll post those more towards the end of December, or if our Xmas company keeps us busy, sometime early January. Bet you can't wait, eh?

Well for my 2nd post today, below is my November reading summary, some stats and then a summary of the books I completed in November and a look at those I'm currently reading to start December. So without further ado, here we go.

Nov 2019

General Info               Nov                  Total
Books Read -                9                       129
Pages Read -               2,700                37,100

Pages Breakdown
    < 250                        5                         57       
250 - 350                      1                         31
351 - 450                      -                          26
   > 450                         3                         15

Ratings
5 - star                          -                           6
4 - star                          6                        66
3 - star                          3                        53
2 - star                          -                          4

Gender
Female                         3                        52
Male                            6                        77

Genres
Fiction                         3                        20
Mystery                       2                        77
SciFi                            4                        26
Non-Fic                       -                          5
Classics                       -                          1              

Top 3 Books

1. In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes 4.5 stars
"I first heard about In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes when I was exploring the site of a publisher, Femmes Fatale. They published books by authors such as Valerie Taylor, Vera Caspari and also another author, Dorothy Hughes. I tried one by Valerie Taylor and I've been looking for others since. I was surprised to discover that In a Lonely Place was also turned into a movie, starring Humphrey Bogart as the main character, Dix Steele. I don't think I've ever seen it before but I do know it shows on TCM once in awhile.

Anyway, to get on to the story. In a Lonely Place is a psychological noir thriller that explores the mind of a serial killer. Dix Steele, a WWII vet, has come to LA to discover himself. He moves around and finally meets up with an old Princeton chum, Mel Teriss, and while Mel heads to Rio, Dix takes over his apartment, clothes, car, etc. Dix is a loner and has a number of quirks, e.g. hates crowds, doesn't like the noise of his electric razor, etc. He survives on a monthly stipend from an uncle back in New York, who agreed that Dix could go out west for a year to write a novel. Dix doesn't sleep a lot and he spends his nights wandering about LA, and seems to stalk girls.

At the same time, the police are looking for an apparent serial killer, the Strangler. One of the cops on this team is Brub (yup, that his name) Nicolai, who meets with Dix one day. It turns out that he and Dix were best friends in the Air Force stationed in England. Dix's routine is thrown for a loop as he begins to take more of a part in Brub's life and meets with Brub's wife, Sylvia. Dix also meets a woman in his apartment complex, Lauren, a red haired fire brand. His life is changed drastically by these events and he falls hard for Lauren. He likes being with Brub, as he gets updates on the status of his investigation.

Dix's life slowly and then more quickly unravels as time goes on. He doesn't trust Lauren, finds people following him. An incident from his past crops up that also unsettles him. Lauren begins asking more and more about where Mel has gone. Everything unsettles Dix and you feel the turmoil in his mind.

It's a fascinating portrayal of Dix and how his mental issues grow and grow. The last half of the story moves along a quick pace and you can feel what Dix is feeling. I'm glad that I found and read this excellent story. Hughes lived from 1904 - 1993 and over the course of her life wrote 14 crime novels. I'll have to check out the others. (4.5 stars)"

2. Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper 4.5 stars
"What an excellent story! Over Sea, Under Stone is the first book in English author Susan Cooper's young adult The Dark is Rising fantasy series of 5 books. People of a certain age might remember those 60's TV shows featuring precocious kids involved in all sorts of adventures. Well, this is a reminder of those excellent shows.

Three young kids, Simon, Jane and Barnie Drew go on a summer vacation with their parents and Great Uncle Merry (or as they call him gumerry) to the Cornwall coast. Their parents have rented a house, the Grey House, from an old sailor and gumerry is staying with them.

What these three great kids don't know is that they will become involved in a search with their Great Uncle for the Grail of King Arthur. And this search will be contested by forces of the dark who also want the Grail for their own reasons. The kids find a secret room in their rental house and find a old map, which will guide them in their search. It's a dangerous search and they don't know who their enemies are and Merry isn't always about to help them. Of course they do have the sailor's dog, Rufus, faithful and with strange insights.

The story moves along at a nice clip and we get exposed to the kids' ingenuity, intelligence and bravery as the search for clues to guide them to the Grail. Their parents play very little role in this entertaining story, leaving the children free to wander about the area, deal with the 'bad guys' and have fun and adventure.

This was a completely entertaining story, lovely kids, interesting locale and lots of action. I can't wait to try the next installment, which currently resides on my bookshelves. (4.5 stars)"

3. Nobody True by James Herbert 4.5 stars
"I had previously only read The Fog by James Herbert before I started Nobody True. The basic premise is that the narrator of Nobody True, one James True is a successful ad executive, a husband and father and is also able to perform OBE's (out of body experiences). While on an OBE one night, he returns to his body to find that he has been brutally murdered (this is quite graphically described).

My first thoughts on starting the story was, 'heck, this is a long 'un'. It takes a little while to get to the crux of the story. (It is told in the first person, if you are interested). We learn about True's childhood, his poor relationship with his mother, a bicycle accident in which he suffers a head injury and finds himself observing his body from the outside. This starts his exploration of OBE's (there are neat little footnotes throughout the story that elaborates on things that James discovers over the course of his life, about these experiences). True becomes a successful graphic designer and forms a small, successful advertising agency with two friends. Later in his life, one of his partners wants to sell their business to a bigger agency, there is an argument and at this point True, alone in their hotel room, has an OBE and as mentioned previously, returns to find his body desecrated.

True's partner is suspected as well as a serial killer who has been committing similar murders, with some key differences. True now without a body, finds himself wandering around London, visiting his wife and daughter, his mother, the police and also finds himself drawn to a basement apartment where he meets the person who might actually be the serial killer. From this point the story takes off. It's gruesome at times, as True describes the killer's actions, but at the same time also fascinating. True meets with other spirits at a seance and is told he must stop the killer. I had ideas about this, but will let you form your own as you delve into this story.

There are neat twists and turns that are unexpected (to me anyway) and also some very emotional moments that caught me up as well. I wasn't expecting much from this story and it too me awhile to get through it (I partially blame it on the fact that I have a few books on the go at once), but I'm glad that I stuck with it and spent a couple of hours this morning finishing it off. Excellent, well-paced, well-written and totally entertaining. (4.5 stars)"

12 + 4  Challenge (completed 16) (Challenge Complete)
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Papa Bear Challenge (Books I've had the longest on my Goodreads bookshelf)
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Mama Bear Challenge (Middle of my Goodreads bookshelf)
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Baby Bear Challenge (Books most recently added to my Goodreads bookshelf)
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Goldilocks Challenge (Random Number Generator)
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Break from Challenge Challenge (Freebees every time I complete 10 books)

1. Nobody True by James Herbert 4.5 stars

Challenges from Other Groups

2. Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper 4.5 stars
3. In a Lonely Place by Dorothy B. Hughes 4.5 stars

September Individual Genre Challenge - Women Authors

4. The Last Temptation by Val McDermid 3.5 stars

October Individual Genre Challenge - Horror

5. The Dragon Factory by Jonathan Maberry 3.5 stars
6. The Mind Parasites by Colin Wilson 4 stars

November Individual Challenge - War

7. The Guns of Navarone by Alistair MacLean 4 stars
8. The German Agent by J. Sydney Jones 3.5 stars
9. The Small Back Room by Nigel Balchin 4 stars

Dec 2019 Books Currently Reading

1. The Passage by Justin Cronin
2. Middlemarch by George Eliot
3. Death in Captivity by Michael Gilbert
4. Gently By the Shore by Alan Hunter
5. Anne of Avonlea by Lucy Maud Montgomery
6. A Firework for Oliver by John Sanders

Next Possibles in line
(Depending how I progress with The Passage and Middlemarch, I may not try any others but if I finish them early enough, I might try these books)

1.  Children of the Night by John Blackburn
"For centuries, the small English village of Dunstonholme has been the scene of mysterious tragedies. Local lore traces these strange events back to the year 1300, when a sect of Christian heretics known as the Children of Paul were involved in a bloody massacre. Since that time, there have been railway disasters, mining accidents, shipwrecks, and other terrible happenings. Now a wave of suspicious deaths has the locals on edge and looking for explanations. Dr. Tom Allen and adventurer J. Moldon Mott think they know what is behind the killings: an ancient evil, dating back seven hundred years, lies hidden underground—and it is preparing to emerge to the surface..."
 

2. They Shoot Horses, Don't The? by Horace McCoy.
"The depression of the 1930s led people to desperate measures to survive. The marathon dance craze, which flourished at that time, seemed a simple way for people to earn extra money dancing the hours away for cash, for weeks at a time. But the underside of that craze was filled with a competition and violence unknown to most ballrooms."

So there you go, December is set. Now to do some Christmas shopping... :0)

Day 1 - My Xmas Month Countdown - A Book and a Song

So here we go. It's early morning December 1st and since I'm up and about to relax with a few good books or maybe doze off again, here are my first two selections. Number 25 of my favorite books read in 2019 and Number 25 favorite song on my USB...

Book 25

P.D. James

Death in Holy Orders by P.D. James. James lived from 1920 - 2014 and wrote one of my favorite ongoing mystery series, that which featured Police Commander Adam Dalgleish. She wrote 14 books in this series and to-date I've read 4, not in any particular order and also one of her standalone novels.

Death in Holy Orders is the 11th book in the series.

"Death In Holy Orders is the 11th book in the Inspector Dalgliesh mystery series by P.D. James. It's the 4th I've read. The books are a joy to read, intelligent, thoughtful and excellent mysteries. Commander Adam Dalgliesh works for Scotland Yard, in charge of a prestigious murder team.

In this story, Dalgliesh is asked to go to a seminary near Norfolk to look into a previously closed death. A young ordinand had been found dead at the base of a cliff. The death is deemed to be death by accident. The young man's father wants Scotland Yard to investigate. Since Dalgliesh is about to go to the area on vacation so he agrees to look into the case. It also turns out that as a child, his father being a parson, that Dalgliesh spent time at St Anselms and it becomes somewhat a visit into his past.

The story starts in the past with the original discovery of the boy's body by Margaret Munroe, an elderly woman who works at St Anselms. This part of the story is told through the means of Margaret's diary. She ends it with a statement that the death concerns her and that it reminds her of something that occurred in her past. Margaret is discovered dead the day after this last entry.

So there are two deaths that Dalgliesh looks into, wondering if they are related? At the same time the Arch Bishop responsible for St Anselms is coming for a visit. He is most unlikeable and wants nothing more than to close the seminary. There are also other visitors to St Anselms and there are links between them all. Another death, this time a murder, brings all of Dalgliesh's team into the case; DI Piers Tarrant, DI Kate Miskin and DS Robbins.

Thus begins an interesting investigation as the team try to find clues to the murder and to see if the other deaths are in any way related. I love the way James presents the story, delving into the personalities, in a way that you feel you know them and presenting the investigation methodically and neatly. James has such a clear manner of presenting the story. I thought it would be too long but the pages turn quickly and the story holds your attention and keeps you moving along nicely. Don't expect much action, just a well-crafted, excellent mystery and just an excellent piece of fiction. (4 stars)"

Song 25

Post Malone

Post Malone - Circles

Austin Richard Post, AKA Post Malone, is an American rapper / song writer from Syracuse NY. His debut album, Stoney, came out in 2016. The song, Circles was released in 2019 from his Hollywood's Bleeding album and reached #1 on the US charts and #3 on the UK charts.

So there you go, Day 1 is posted. I hope you enjoy. I may do another post later today with my summary of November Reading. See you then.