(ellipses added)
I didn’t care for Harkaway’s Tigerman, but am super excited to read anything he puts out anyway: most of his books are right up my alley.
yes, thanks
I was too lazy to type it out twice
Thanks!
I couldn’t agree more, and well said. Two previous threads that may be of interest:
I took a break from Old Man’s War by John Scalzi … picked it up again Wednesday.. “Oh it’s Jingoism and Colonialism in space..” Now I’m ready to cheer on the aliens. And I’m very interested in where Scalzi is going to take this.
He acknowledges and runs with those issues (among others). Hope you’ll stay with it.
Just finished Malinalli, by Veronica Chapa. It’s a fantasy retelling of the life of La Malinche, the indigenous woman who acted as a guide and interpreter for Cortes as he and his soldiers rampaged through Mexico. It’s a great idea, and a lovely setting with evocative magic, but not enough to overcome the earnest, stodgy prose. What should have been the novel’s climax was brief and unexplained. I hope the author develops a better voice; she’s got great ideas, but they didn’t translate well into a novel.
Oh I figured he would, I’ve read enough of his shorter stuff to realize he isn’t Rudyard Kipling. It has renewed my interest in the story.
Finally finished the Emily Wilson translation of The Odyssey. Now on to some old non-series Edgar Rice Burroughs
Finished Bogeys and Bandits: The Making of a Fighter Pilot, by Robert Gandt, which is one of the best books I’ve read this year. Also finished Thurber on Crime, by James Thurber, which is a collection of stories, articles, essays, and drawings. Some excellent stuff in here too, of which my favorite is the article “Lo, Hear the Gentle Bloodhound”.
Next up: Always Carry Salt: A Memoir of Preserving Language and Culture, by Samantha Ellis; and Eight Dogs Flying, a cozy mystery by Karen Ann Wilson.
Finished Dog Bless You by Neil S. Plakcy, the fourth in his long running cosy mystery series about an ex felon and his dog solving mysteries in a small Pennsylvania college town. Nothing very deep, I knew the answer early on in the book, but enjoyable in a potato chip kind of way.
Currently reading
Source: Goodreads https://share.google/e1728CHtDmGLvKyNv
Monsters In the Archives: my year of fear with Stephen King, by Caroline Bicks.
This University of Maine professor delves into the origins of Mr. King’s earliest published novels, AKA his best work, assisted by the man himself. If you’re a fan, don’t miss this.
The Plunge: Maverick Swimmers, an Unlikely Quest, and the Transformative Power of Cold Water Chris Ballard
The weird world of competitive cold-water swimming. Not just jumping in and then dashing back out to the sauna, but actual organized races in very cold water, including a particularly insane challenge called the Ice Mile. Some people lose feeling in their hands for months afterwards. Now, once a long time ago, in an attempt to impress a young woman, I splashed around in a cold Lake Michigan on a winter’s evening. She wasn’t impressed alas, but I rather enjoyed it and would do a cold plunge occasionally until I moved out of the Chicago area. But no way would I ever do a long-distance swim in very cold water.
Anyway, enjoyable book. The author is a sports journalist, and the style is light and breezy, with lots of italics.
I’m re-reading Going to Extremes by Joe McGinniss, his 1980 book about Alaska. He shows Alaska warts and all, and is quite bleak in his assessment of the northernmost parts and the Natives who live there. It’s a gritty read, and has some hard truths, and I know a lot of Alaskans really resented his characterization of the land and its people. That said, I believe it to be pretty accurate.
I finished listening to Buried in the Backwater by Drew Strickland. A small-town West Virginia sheriff, along with his newly-hired deputy, attempt to solve the murder of an 11-year-old girl, the daughter of a prominent family. Lots of folks in town have reason to do harm to the girl and/or her parents. Not a bad read…except for a major plot twist at the end which made very little sense. This is the first of nine books about the sheriff. I probably won’t read any more.
You might also like John McPhee’s Coming Into the Country, a pretty interesting 1977 nonfiction account of Alaska and its people, also warts and all, although I wouldn’t call it bleak.
I read that years ago. A very amusing account of his travels.
Halfway through Entrances and Exits by Michael Richards.
Its riveting!
Just started “Between A Flock and a Hard Place” by Donna Andrews.
Supposedly the plot involves wild turkeys, which are a fixture here in Western Mitten State. So far, it’s a light & entertaining read.