Just a quickie today. Beautiful day in the Valley and we're basically relaxing. Jo is recovering from her 3rd session of chemo and Clyde and I are trying not to disturb her too much. Might make a sweet and sour pork with cauliflower rice for dinner or maybe just some meat pies and mashed potatoes. Whatever Jo prefers.
Books! Probably not too much to report since my last update but let's see.
Completed Since Last Update
8 books completed since my last update. I need to do these updates more regularly, eh?
"I have previously read The Annual Migration of Clouds by Canadian author Premee Mohamed and have the 2nd book sitting on my book shelf to read. But I recently found another of her books, The Butcher of the Forest and decided to try it before continuing with the Migration series.
Have you ever seen Escape from New York, the movie? Or maybe Lockout? Well, if you have, you have the gist of this excellent story, except the main character is a young woman and rather than Sci Fi, this is more horror / fantasy.
Veris Thorn, the afore-mentioned young woman, is hauled out of her home in the middle of the night by soldiers of the Tyrant, the foreign ruler of her land. He is merciless and has murdered hundreds of thousands in his conquests. Dragged to his castle on the hill overlooking her village, Veris discovers that the Tyrant's two children, a young girl, Eleonor, and her younger brother, Aram, snuck out of the castle in the middle of the night and went adventuring in the North Forest. The tyrant wants Veris to go into the forest and find them and bring them back out. He knows that once before Veris did this for a child from her village.
Veris doesn't want to do it because the forest is an evil place, haunted with old creatures and nobody who enters has ever escaped... except for this one time. Veris barely survived herself. But the Tyrant tells her that if she refuses or fails, he will kill everyone in her village, including her grand parents with whom she lives.
And with that introduction, the story follows Veris as she prepares to enter the forest (bringing a few charms and sustenance) and the complete journey to find the two lost children.
It's a very short story so I don't want to ruin it by going into any more details. Premee tells it beautifully, keeping up a breathless pace, describing the forest and creatures Veris encounters like portraits. You can picture everything so clearly. You can feel every emotion. Veris is a wonderful, brave individual who has suffered much in her life. The creatures are interesting, some evil, some helpful, some dealmakers. Nice little touches like when Veris talks to the birds, but can she trust them? The evil within the forest is palpable. The story is just so fascinating and was a pleasure to read. Not terrifying necessarily but still creepy and making you feel wary.... Loved it and I'll continue to explore Premee Mohamed's work. (4.5 stars)"
"The Wild Robot Protects by Peter Brown is the 3rd and final book in the adventures of Roz the robot. The first book were also turned into an excellent animated movie. As we've followed Roz, she was washed ashore on a small island, grew personally as she made friends and helped save the animals on the isolated island from many disasters, raised a young gosling who lost his mother, was 'rescued' (& I use the term loosely) by other robots and returned to civilization, worked on a farm, plotted her return to the island, etc.... The first stories were beautifully written, complete with lovely illustrations by Brown.
So this final book in the trilogy comes out six years after #2. Roz is living happily on her island with all of her animal friends. Her son, Brightbill, the goose, has just returned with his flock of geese from their winter spent in their wintering grounds. As the island rejoices, we hear of a seal struggling on the beach. He tells of a poisonous tide that is flowing through ocean, killing everything in its way.
Roz tells the islanders that they should be safe, but she is incorrect. The tide begins to wash ashore, driving sea otters in its wake. The islanders must move further inland and work to create safe, clean watering holes deeper inland to protect everyone from being affected or worse by the tide. Then a forest fire strikes the island as well, causing much damage.
Roz learns that there is an ancient shark who may be able to help get rid of the poisonous tide and she begins a long journey to the far north to find it. (In book 2, Roz was improved by her creator and she has discovered that she can swim, that water won't damage her circuits and many more things. )
The journey is a long one and fraught with danger. Roz meets many new creatures on her way to discover the cause of the poisonous tide. I think it's best the story be left there for you to enjoy it all and to discover the who, what and why and whether Roz and her friends can solve this deadly problem.
Suffice it to say, the story is once again told wonderfully and can be enjoyed by both children and adults. There are many layers to the story. It's written intelligently. The characters are all interesting and the story draws you in completely. Brown's illustrations add to the depth of the story. It's a tense, exciting adventure that I'm sure you'll enjoy. Check out the complete trilogy. (4.0 stars)"
"I've been enjoying exploring the work of Ai Jiang. Odd Jobs is a collection of stories from 6 different authors including Jiang, where her story tells of a young environmentalist who ends up working for an 'oil' company to raise the money to begin fighting her causes.... Linghun is a novella by Jiang telling of the suburb of Home, where families move to try and be close to the spirits of dead family members. Very strange, interesting story.
So now I've tried Smol Tales, which is a collection of Jiang's short stories, interspersed with an interview of her thoughts on writing, her future, etc.
The collection is strange, varied and interesting. After each story, Jiang provides some insight into what she was attempting with each story. (If you've not yet tried Linghun, the last story is a teaser from that story, if you wish to get a feel for it before actually trying the whole story).
I readily admit I didn't get every story in this collection and some I liked better than others, but that is the nature of short stories anyway, I believe. It takes a particular talent to write short stories, to get the thought and plot idea down quickly and as well, to resolve it quickly and satisfyingly. Most of the short stories in this collection are less than 10 pages, I'd suggest. They explore Jiang's earlier efforts, most of which were accepted for publication.
You have stories that have reflections on Canada's residential schools (the graveyards at the schools / Missing Dolls from Around the World), a particularly interesting story that features the border between the Eastern and Western gods (The Year of the Niu). Another reminded me of The Blue Lenses by du Maurier. In Jiang's story, a young girl sees ghosts from her right eye. But it is more than that as it also deals with family issues, which added to the interest. There is a particularly poignant story, Waves and Seesaws, about an elderly Chinese woman, living in Toronto, braving her lack of English to head off to the Grocery store on her own. For a very short story, I loved it and it reminded me of another story I'd read recently, Denison Avenue by Christina Wong.
The stories are an interesting mix of dystopia, fantasy, fiction, etc. I will continue to explore Ai Jiang's work, in fact, I now have A Palace Near the Wind on my book shelf to enjoy. (3.5 stars)"
"Saga, Volume 9 by Brian K. Vaughan, illustrated by Fiona Staples contains Chapters 49 - 54 of this excellent graphic novel series. It's fast become one of my favorite, if not my favorite, fantasy / Sci Fi graphics. It continues the journey of Hazel, progeny of a loving couple of two warring races, the wings and the magical horns. Since the first chapter, this family has been hunted by bounty hunters sent by both races. As well, they've gathered a quirky group of friends that have been accompanying this journey / adventure.
Volume 8 was entertaining but Volume 9 has been a real return to form. The art work was beautiful and the story so very excellent. It was difficult to put it down... in fact I finished it in an afternoon reading session. Hazel and family are hiding out on an island with Prince Robot, his son, Squire, Petrichor, a trans alien, with whom the Prince is falling in love. Also with them are two cute aliens who are training Hazel and watching over her. There are also two gay reporters who want to write their story.
Chasing them are Ianthe, an alien (I guess in truth they are all aliens to me) bounty hunter out for revenge for the murder of her lover and also her prisoner, The Will. It's a very rich involved story that moves from Hazel and her family to the hunters. I love the family and their friends. The planet is interesting and their lives draw you in. There are so many shocks in this particular edition and the story leaves you hanging. I can't wait now for the next book. It's told from the perspective of Hazel, her thoughts as she grows up experiencing this dangerous life. Such a unique, fascinating world Vaughan and Staples have created. Vol 10 is on order! (4.0 stars)"
"A bit of a preamble here before I get into my review of The Wintermen by Brit Griffin because I do like a little bit of preamble. I mean who doesn't eh? Anyway, in my travels through the internet, specifically BlueSky, I started following a Canadian politician, Charlie Angus (well, a retired politician). When I researched him I saw that his wife, Brit Griffin, had authored a trilogy featuring the Wintermen and thought maybe it might be interesting to check it out. The Wintermen is the 1st book in this trilogy.
Now back to normal ambling...
The Wintermen presents a dystopic future, this story set in northern Ontario, around my birth place of North Bay. This added to the interest.
Climate change has turned the north into a frozen wasteland. A merciless corporation, Talus, wants to mine the crap out of the north, to get all of the precious minerals out of the ground. As the story starts, Johnny Slaught, one of these northern boys works in a shipping yard, loading everything that Talus is robbing from the north. They are trying to gather all of the northern residents to send south to the city so they will have free reign to the resources.
One of Johnny's co-workers steals a pair of gloves to keep warm and is murdered by the foreman. This forces a decision on Johnny who decides he has to fight back. The Talus bosses are taken over and then sent down south to tell their bosses to keep out of the North. And the Wintermen are born.
Jump forward a couple of years and Talus has plans to finally get rid of the Wintermen who have set up a town in the abandoned community of Cobalt, an old silver mining town in northern Ontario. The town has grown with many strays arriving. The Wintermen, Johnny Slaught and his best friend, Algonquin Chumboy Commando, search far and wide to build up food and medical supplies to help their rugged community survive.
Talus, along with Police Service officials, send up Mitch Black (one scary lady) and Grier Laskin, two mercenaries to deal with the Wintermen. Get rid of them and ship any innocents down the City. And that is the gist of this entertaining story, the 'battle' between the evil Corporation and the freedom loving Wintermen, who don't really want to fight, but will to protect their friends.
It's kind of a combination western, the cattle ranchers and the sheep farmers, and a Star Wars adventure (you know, the evil Empire vs the down and out rebellion, with the Wintermen as the Jedis). It's a rough and ready story with lots of action, a fascinating setting and great characters. It's a nice, easy read but it also packs a punch, especially as the story moves to its climax, a real page turner. I was totally satisfied with the story and as I look around the current world situation, with corporations and governments trying to dig up our natural resources, it's even an interesting cautionary tale. I'm looking forward to reading #2, Into the Deep Dark. Thank you, Brit Griffin for providing such an enjoyable read. (3.5 stars)"
"In the past year, I've been exploring the graphic novels of Iranian - French author, Marjane Satrapi. The 1st three books I enjoyed have all been non - fiction, dealing with her life, a story about an uncle and also the plight and battle for freedom of women in Iran. The Sigh, originally published in 2011, is quite different, being a short and sweet fairy tale.
The Sigh tells the story of 3 sisters, focusing on the youngest, Rose. The sisters live with their widowed father, a travelling businessman. On one trip, each daughter tells him what to buy them as gifts; a dress for the oldest, Orchid, a merino shawl for Violet and the seed of a blue bean for Rose. Unfortunately, father is only able to find the 1st two gifts on his travels.
Rose is disappointed and sighs, bringing to the home, Ah the Sigh, a sort of spirit. He provides the father with a blue bean seed but makes him promise that at some time he must grant wish to The Sigh. A year later, Ah the Sigh returns with his demand... that being that father must give up Rose to the being. After much argument, Rose says she'll go and off they ride into the night.
The rest of this short story details Rose's life in the distant land where she falls in love with Ah's master, the Prince of Sighs and the tragedy that befalls the Prince and then Rose's efforts to save him.
It's a lovely story. Rose is a strong, wonderful character, with great wisdom and sensibility. The story is short and lovingly written and illustrated and was most enjoyable to read. I've enjoyed my exposure to Marjane's stories very much. I will keep exploring. (4.0 stars)"
"I first discovered the horror / fantasy / Sci Fi work of Caitlín R. Kiernan at the end of 2023 when I discovered her Tinfoil Dossier trilogy. Great series and I've one left to read. I started exploring more of her work and Alabaster graphic novel series. So imaginative. Alabaster Volume 2: Grimmer Tales sort of fits into the middle of the books I've previously enjoyed and is a collection of 3 short stories, basically interpreting 3 of the Grimm Brother fairy tales; Red Riding Hood, the Little Mermaid & Snow White... but making them scary..
In these stories, Dancy Flammarion and her companions, the ghostly werewolf Maisie and the ever-present talking blackbird, have gone their separate ways. The blackbird is on a boxcar with 5 other creatures, who are considering having him for dinner. In the same way as Scheherazade saves her own life, the begins telling stories of Dancy's 'adventures' with the supernatural creatures. We hear 3 of the stories.
The first has Dancy and the others taking a bus to Black Hammock, Georgia. The 'book' that is inside of Dancy tells her there is something there that needs to be dealt with. This is the Mermaid story. The Mermaid has gained the ability to live on land if she has an annual sacrifice to the being who made her human.
The second story is loosely based on Red Riding Hood. Dancy might be dreaming or hallucinating as she is in a space ship that has landed in the South and she must try to get things working again. Maisie is the wolf in the story, trying to stop Dancy, clothed in a 'red' spacesuit.
The final story is based on Snow White. Maisie and the blackbird coincidently meet up and cross a corn field in Alabama, looking for Dancy. They've been dreaming about her. Meanwhile the voices inside Dancy want her to kill Maisie and she must fight the voices.
The concept is fascinating, that being the blackbird telling the stories and the stories themselves are all unique and interesting... draw you in and keep your interest. I like Dancy very much, she's a troubled soul. She's been controlled by some Angel that has abandoned her in previous stories and now relies on the voices from the evil book she destroyed. Her relationship with Maisie and the blackbird is both humorous (especially with the blackbird) and emotional and touching. Kiernan has packed a lot into these graphic novels. I believe there is at least one more graphic in the series and maybe a chapter book... Time to find out. (4.0 stars)"
"It took me awhile to get through On Freedom by Timothy Snyder but that was my problem not the quality of this book. It's a thoughtful, well-organized and well-written philosophy on the nature and concept that make freedom. I do find myself leaning towards graphics and fantasy and such of late but it felt good to delve into this excellent treatise.
Timothy Snyder was, until recently, the Richard C. Levin Professor of History and Global Affairs at Yale. Just recently, he, his wife and a close friend, all professors at Yale, moved to Canada to teach at U of Toronto. Anyway, that's neither here nor there. Now to look at this book.
I readily admit that I get lost in the words when I read a book on political philosophy, or any other type of book. Why I don't know, in my increasing older age, maybe I have a shorter attention span. I did take a few politics courses back in my university days, not that it made me any smarter. Once again, I digress...
Timothy Snyder breaks his book down into to major sections; his introduction to the concept of freedom and his conclusion on what Government can do to enhance freedom for its citizens. He has two main ideas that are developed over the course of his analysis. Firstly, he differentiates between 'Freedom to...' (positive freedom) and Freedom from...' (Negative freedom) As well, during his discussion he uses two German terms in discussing how people are treated or described, Leib (positive freedom) and Korper (negative freedom)
He talks about freedom to in terms of freedom to think, freedom to speak, freedom to listen, freedom to move, freedom for health care, freedom to get an education... In terms of the negative freedom from, he highlights many concepts, freedom from government, freedom from learning about the varieties of people, ideas, other religions, etc. (I may have added things not necessarily mentioned, but you get the idea, I hope)
Korper deals with just the person as a body, someone to be used and abused, to be treated as an other. Whereas Leib treats a person as a thinking individual with a soul and intelligence. Depending whether you practice negative or positive freedom, will be shown how you treat people, how you try to understand them or not, how you are willing to learn from them, or not, etc.
His discussion of freedom is broken down into 5 areas; Sovereignty, Unpredictability, Mobility, Factuality and Solidarity. I found these discussions very interesting. Just some examples, like Mobility where he talks about the positive and negative aspects. You can get right down physical mobility. He highlights Poland as compared to the US. When he visited Poland just after the wall came down, their roads in the eastern part of the country were poor and mainly gravel. But now, they have great roads throughout the country, thereby enhancing 'mobility'. In comparison, he finds the roads in the US to be deteriorating, resulting in a negative effect on mobility. There is also the mobility to go somewhere for you education, to travel for work, to experience more than just your small localized town. Positive freedom, freedom to, allows this mobility, enhances an individuals freedom. Negative freedom, freedom from, keeps individuals, especially poor people and minorities, bound to their small area. Stop local transport like buses, makes cars too expensive. Keep the bodies from growing and enhancing.
It's a fascinating read and I like that he offers solutions, not just highlighting the differences between positive and negative freedom. Snyder has presented a fascinating, thoughtful treatise that is well-worth reading. It will make you think, I hope. (4.0 stars)"
Currently Reading
"1141 A.D.: King Stephen is warring with his cousin Empress Matilda over the throne of England. Every cathedral, every castle, every seat of power will swear fealty to one or the other—but not every stronghold is as strategic or as valuable as Kenniford Castle in Oxfordshire. Its mistress, sixteen-year-old Maud of Kenniford, swears fealty to Stephen, but Matilda’s forces have decreed that she marry the odious John of Tewing.
Life in the fenlands carries on as usual—that is, until the mercenaries ride through the marsh, and a small red-haired girl named Em is snatched and carried off. After the soldiers have finished with her, they leave her for dead. But fenland girls are not easy to kill.Although she has lost all memory of her past life, including her name, Em survives and falls under the protection of Gwyl, a Breton archer. Together Gwyl and his new protégé—now crop-headed and disguised as a boy—travel through the countryside giving archery exhibitions. But there is one man who hasn’t forgotten the little red-haired girl. He has some unfinished business with her, and he is determined to see it through.
And one freezing winter in an Oxfordshire castle completely besieged, he might well get his chance..."
Sometimes called Wind Walkers for their ability to command the wind, unlike their human rulers, the Feng people have bark faces, carved limbs, arms of braided branches, and hair of needle threads. Bound by duty and tradition, Liu Lufeng, the eldest princess of the Feng royalty, is the next bride to the human king. The negotiation of bridewealth is the only way to stop the expansion of the humans so that the Feng can keep their lands, people, and culture intact. As the eldest, Lufeng should be the next in line to lead the people of Feng, and in the past, that made her sisters disposable. Thankful that her youngest sister, Chuiliu, is too young for a sacrificial marriage, she steps in with plans to kill the king to finally stop the marriages.
But when she starts to uncover the truth about her peoples' origins and realizes Chuiliu will never be safe from the humans, she must learn to let go of duty and tradition, choose her allies carefully, and risk the unknown in order to free her family and shape her own fate.
A powerfully imaginative, compelling story of a young woman seeking to save her family and her home, as well as a devastating meditation on the destruction of the natural world for the sake of an industrial future."
The Ninth Necromancer needs a swordswoman.
Gideon has a sword, some dirty magazines, and no more time for undead bullshit.
Brought up by unfriendly, ossifying nuns, ancient retainers, and countless skeletons, Gideon is ready to abandon a life of servitude and an afterlife as a reanimated corpse. She packs up her sword, her shoes, and her dirty magazines, and prepares to launch her daring escape. But her childhood nemesis won't set her free without a service.
Harrowhark Nonagesimus, Reverend Daughter of the Ninth House and bone witch extraordinaire, has been summoned into action. The Emperor has invited the heirs to each of his loyal Houses to a deadly trial of wits and skill. If Harrowhark succeeds she will become an immortal, all-powerful servant of the Resurrection, but no necromancer can ascend without their cavalier. Without Gideon's sword, Harrow will fail, and the Ninth House will die.
Of course, some things are better left dead."
“Lesbian necromancers explore a haunted gothic palace in space! Decadent nobles vie to serve the deathless emperor! Skeletons!” ―Charles Stross on Gideon the Ninth
“Unlike anything I've ever read.” ―V.E. Schwab on Gideon the Ninth
“Deft, tense and atmospheric, compellingly immersive and wildly original.” ― The New York Times on Gideon the Ninth
She answered the Emperor's call.
She arrived with her arts, her wits, and her only friend.
In victory, her world has turned to ash.
After rocking the cosmos with her deathly debut, Tamsyn Muir continues the story of the penumbral Ninth House in Harrow the Ninth , a mind-twisting puzzle box of mystery, murder, magic, and mayhem. Nothing is as it seems in the halls of the Emperor, and the fate of the galaxy rests on one woman's shoulders.
Harrowhark Nonagesimus, last necromancer of the Ninth House, has been drafted by her Emperor to fight an unwinnable war. Side-by-side with a detested rival, Harrow must perfect her skills and become an angel of undeath―but her health is failing, her sword makes her nauseous, and even her mind is threatening to betray her.
Sealed in the gothic gloom of the Emperor's Mithraeum with three unfriendly teachers, hunted by the mad ghost of a murdered planet, Harrow must confront two unwelcome questions: is somebody trying to kill her? And if they succeeded, would the universe be better off?"
George Takei has shown the world many faces: actor, author, outspoken activist, helmsman of the starship Enterprise, living witness to the internment of Japanese Americans, and king of social media. But until October 27, 2005, there was always one piece missing—one face he did not show the world. There was one very intimate fact about George that he never shared… and it rhymes with Takei.
Now, for the first time ever, George shares the full story of his life in the closet, his decision to come out as gay at the age of 68, and the way that moment transformed everything. Following the phenomenal success of his first graphic memoir, They Called Us Enemy, George Takei reunites with the team of Harmony Becker, Steven Scott, and Justin Eisinger for a jaw-dropping new testament. From his earliest childhood crushes and youthful experiments in the rigidly conformist 1950s, to global fame as an actor and the paralyzing fear of exposure, to the watershed moment of speaking his truth and becoming one of the most high-profile gay men on the planet, It Rhymes With Takei presents a sweeping portrait of one iconic American navigating the tides of LGBTQ+ history.
Combining historical context with intimate subjectivity, It Rhymes With Takei shows how the personal and the political have always been intertwined. Its richly emotional words and images depict the terror of entrapment even in gay community spaces, the anguish of speaking up for so many issues while remaining silent on his most personal issue, the grief of losing friends to AIDS, the joy of finding true love with Brad Altman, and the determination to declare that love openly—and legally—before the whole world.
Looking back on his own astonishing life on both sides of the closet, George Takei presents a charismatic and candid witness to how far America has come… and how precious that progress is."
Collects Something is Killing the Children #26-30."
But all that is about to end. When Johnny invents a clean reactor that could eliminate fossil fuels and change the world, she awakens primal, evil Ancient Ones set on subjugating humanity.
From the oldest library in the world to the ruins of Nineveh, hunted at every turn, they will need to trust each other completely to survive
All the Birds in the Sky meets Lovecraft Country in this whimsical coming-of-age story about two kids in the middle of a war of eldritch horrors from outside spacetime."
