Read Recently
The Last books of 2004 . . .
Talion: Revenant by Michael A. Stackpole
The Shattered Empire has been shattered for a while now; its Provinces now Kingdoms, its nobility rootless wanderers reviled in the popular imagination. The only solid remnant of it is the Talions; originally the Emperor's interprovincial peacekeeping force, now an interkingdom force consisting of Lancers, the finest military unit available, the Elites, who fly giant hawks, Wizards, whose magic makes much that the other units do possible, and Justices, solitary warriors who travel the land hunting down evildoers. Justices are marked by a skull tattoo on their right hand, and can, by pressing it against a person's forehead, kill them by drawing the soul out of the body. For obvious reasons, Justices are greatly feared, even by the innocent.
When his home kingdom of Sinjaria is conquered by the King of Hamis, and his family killed, young Nolan ra Sinjaria (the tradition seems to be for people to take the name of the Kingdom as a surname) walks across the continent to Taliana, the city of the Talions, to become a Justice. We first see him as an adult Justice, tracking down the bandit Morai and his band of psychopaths and killers. Morai, thoughtfully, has split the band up, allowing Nolan to take them down in ones and twos before finally facing the charming and quick-witted bandit leader, who tricks Nolan and makes his escape without harming anyone. Nolan is recalled to Talianna to take on a new assignment: the King of Hamis, the one man he hates more than any other, is threatened by a magical attack that Talianna is partly responsible for. Can Nolan put his hatred aside and defeat the conspiracy that both wants to kill him and use him?
The story is told in alternating chapters, first in the present and then in the past, the stories of how Nolan became a Justice and met Morai originally. At first I thought this structure unwieldy; we know he becomes a Justice so it's hard for the past to have any suspense. Which just shows that I'm not as smart as I think I am, since the purpose isn't to create suspense but to illuminate Nolan's history and give us the background of the story.
So: recommended highly. This is one of the best books I read this year.
The Bishop Goes to The University by Andrew M. Greeley
The latest in Greeley's popular mystery series starring Bishop John "Blackie" Ryan, this one has the Bishop unravelling the murder of a Russian Monk who taught at the University of Chicago, which for Chicagoans (at least in Greeley's fictional Chicago; I don't know about the real world) is the University; all others receive full names to distinguish them. As usual, the mystery is a locked-room killing. And, as usual, there are a pair of young lovers to by guided to happiness.
I'm a fan of Greeley's writing, though I'd be the first to admit he's a better storyteller than writer. There must be twenty books in the Bishop Blackie mysteries by now; Greeley has 'em down to an art-form. Reading them is, for me, a sort of intellectual comfort food. There's nothing challenging here, just a visit with old friends.
The series does develop some, of course; we get hints in this one that Bishop Ryan is expected to become Cardinal Ryan someday, perhaps soon--that's the first time the idea has been raised.
Not recommended, of course, for those opposed to Catholicism.
The Care and Feeding of Books Old and New: a simple repair manual for book lovers by Margot Rosenberg and Bern Marcowitz
A book on book repair: how could I resist? As a bonus, it was on sale.
Unfortunately, it seems to be aimed at someone whose collection is not mostly made up of Mass Market Paperbacks. Oh well.
Innocent Graves by Peter Robinson
Another Inspector Banks mystery; the first one in the third omnibus edition. A teenage schoolgirl is found dead and apparantly sexually molested in a graveyard. Suspects include the Vicar, who has been accused of sexual improprieties by a fired handyman, the handyman himself, who is not exactly a savoury character, and of course person or persons unknown. The case is complicated by the fact that the dead girl's family is politically powerful, and thus supposed to be off limits to Banks' questions.
Much as I enjoy this series, Robinson does something in this story that really annoys me (he did it before, in Wednesday's Child, but in a lesser way): a character says a foreign name to Banks and then explains how it's pronounced. I mean, that's obviously done for the sake of the audience, who cannot hear how the name is said, but in context it doesn't make any sense and just pulls me out of the story.
Otherwise, a good book.
Final Account by Peter Robinson
A dead man in a country barn; an accountant with a mysterious life and no apparant reason for an execution-style death. There turns out to be a political side to everything which complicated Banks's job greatly. Plus, Banks' career is beginning to put a strain on his marriage.
This is the second book in the omnibus. By copyright dates, it should come before Innocent Graves; it does on the cover.
Dead Right by Peter Robinson
Third and last mystery in the omnibus. A dead skinhead is found in an Eastvale alley; is it a pub brawl gone wrong, or is there an ugly, racial twist to it? Or is it something even darker than that?
All three books are recommended for mystery fans.
Mutliple Identities & False Memories: A sociocognitive Perspective by Nicholas P Spanos
Before his death in 1994, Nicholas Spanos was the head of the laboratory for hypnosis research at Carlton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He wrote and published widely in the field. This book was his last manuscript; never actually polished in the way he would probably have liked but still a very interesting read.
Brieflly, hypnosis, MPD, and memory are not exactly what you probably think they are. Really, that's as much as I can sum it up. This is a 300 page book with a further 50 pages of references. I couldn't do it justice. If these subjects interest you, and you can find a copy of this book (try your local university library), you might want to give it a look.
The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
I forgot how rough Vonnegut gets on his characters. An interesting SF story, but hard to read both for weirdness and for empathy for it's central characters. I'm glad I made the effort, though.
Except the Dying: a Detective Murdoch Mystery by Maureen Jennings
A series of mysteries set in 19th century Toronto? How could I resist?
This was a fun read. A servant girl running away from her placement in a rich doctor's home is found dead and naked in a back alley near Sumach street, a reasonable walk from where I live now. Acting Detective William Murdoch, a catholic in protestant Toronto, has to solve the mystery of her death, working around the limitations of policework in 1895.
Apparantly this has been optioned for a series on Bravo and CityTV!
Lies Across America: What our historic sites get wrong by James W. Loewen
Of course, it's not my history, but I still found this book both fascinating and educational. Y'all Yanks should give it a read. I intend to look up Loewen's other book, Lies My Teacher Told Me, about how history is taught (wrong, one assumes).
So that was 10 books, for a total for the year of 115 books, 28 of them non-fiction. Not a bad total, especially when you consider I was counting only new reads, not re-reads.
So that leads us on to the new year, and a question: should I continue with this? I think I intend to continue keeping track of what I read, but should I bother with the mini reviews? Is anyone getting anything from this? I'd settle for enjoyment. You don't have to find them useful. But am I wasting my time here?
Talion: Revenant by Michael A. Stackpole
The Shattered Empire has been shattered for a while now; its Provinces now Kingdoms, its nobility rootless wanderers reviled in the popular imagination. The only solid remnant of it is the Talions; originally the Emperor's interprovincial peacekeeping force, now an interkingdom force consisting of Lancers, the finest military unit available, the Elites, who fly giant hawks, Wizards, whose magic makes much that the other units do possible, and Justices, solitary warriors who travel the land hunting down evildoers. Justices are marked by a skull tattoo on their right hand, and can, by pressing it against a person's forehead, kill them by drawing the soul out of the body. For obvious reasons, Justices are greatly feared, even by the innocent.
When his home kingdom of Sinjaria is conquered by the King of Hamis, and his family killed, young Nolan ra Sinjaria (the tradition seems to be for people to take the name of the Kingdom as a surname) walks across the continent to Taliana, the city of the Talions, to become a Justice. We first see him as an adult Justice, tracking down the bandit Morai and his band of psychopaths and killers. Morai, thoughtfully, has split the band up, allowing Nolan to take them down in ones and twos before finally facing the charming and quick-witted bandit leader, who tricks Nolan and makes his escape without harming anyone. Nolan is recalled to Talianna to take on a new assignment: the King of Hamis, the one man he hates more than any other, is threatened by a magical attack that Talianna is partly responsible for. Can Nolan put his hatred aside and defeat the conspiracy that both wants to kill him and use him?
The story is told in alternating chapters, first in the present and then in the past, the stories of how Nolan became a Justice and met Morai originally. At first I thought this structure unwieldy; we know he becomes a Justice so it's hard for the past to have any suspense. Which just shows that I'm not as smart as I think I am, since the purpose isn't to create suspense but to illuminate Nolan's history and give us the background of the story.
So: recommended highly. This is one of the best books I read this year.
The Bishop Goes to The University by Andrew M. Greeley
The latest in Greeley's popular mystery series starring Bishop John "Blackie" Ryan, this one has the Bishop unravelling the murder of a Russian Monk who taught at the University of Chicago, which for Chicagoans (at least in Greeley's fictional Chicago; I don't know about the real world) is the University; all others receive full names to distinguish them. As usual, the mystery is a locked-room killing. And, as usual, there are a pair of young lovers to by guided to happiness.
I'm a fan of Greeley's writing, though I'd be the first to admit he's a better storyteller than writer. There must be twenty books in the Bishop Blackie mysteries by now; Greeley has 'em down to an art-form. Reading them is, for me, a sort of intellectual comfort food. There's nothing challenging here, just a visit with old friends.
The series does develop some, of course; we get hints in this one that Bishop Ryan is expected to become Cardinal Ryan someday, perhaps soon--that's the first time the idea has been raised.
Not recommended, of course, for those opposed to Catholicism.
The Care and Feeding of Books Old and New: a simple repair manual for book lovers by Margot Rosenberg and Bern Marcowitz
A book on book repair: how could I resist? As a bonus, it was on sale.
Unfortunately, it seems to be aimed at someone whose collection is not mostly made up of Mass Market Paperbacks. Oh well.
Innocent Graves by Peter Robinson
Another Inspector Banks mystery; the first one in the third omnibus edition. A teenage schoolgirl is found dead and apparantly sexually molested in a graveyard. Suspects include the Vicar, who has been accused of sexual improprieties by a fired handyman, the handyman himself, who is not exactly a savoury character, and of course person or persons unknown. The case is complicated by the fact that the dead girl's family is politically powerful, and thus supposed to be off limits to Banks' questions.
Much as I enjoy this series, Robinson does something in this story that really annoys me (he did it before, in Wednesday's Child, but in a lesser way): a character says a foreign name to Banks and then explains how it's pronounced. I mean, that's obviously done for the sake of the audience, who cannot hear how the name is said, but in context it doesn't make any sense and just pulls me out of the story.
Otherwise, a good book.
Final Account by Peter Robinson
A dead man in a country barn; an accountant with a mysterious life and no apparant reason for an execution-style death. There turns out to be a political side to everything which complicated Banks's job greatly. Plus, Banks' career is beginning to put a strain on his marriage.
This is the second book in the omnibus. By copyright dates, it should come before Innocent Graves; it does on the cover.
Dead Right by Peter Robinson
Third and last mystery in the omnibus. A dead skinhead is found in an Eastvale alley; is it a pub brawl gone wrong, or is there an ugly, racial twist to it? Or is it something even darker than that?
All three books are recommended for mystery fans.
Mutliple Identities & False Memories: A sociocognitive Perspective by Nicholas P Spanos
Before his death in 1994, Nicholas Spanos was the head of the laboratory for hypnosis research at Carlton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He wrote and published widely in the field. This book was his last manuscript; never actually polished in the way he would probably have liked but still a very interesting read.
Brieflly, hypnosis, MPD, and memory are not exactly what you probably think they are. Really, that's as much as I can sum it up. This is a 300 page book with a further 50 pages of references. I couldn't do it justice. If these subjects interest you, and you can find a copy of this book (try your local university library), you might want to give it a look.
The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
I forgot how rough Vonnegut gets on his characters. An interesting SF story, but hard to read both for weirdness and for empathy for it's central characters. I'm glad I made the effort, though.
Except the Dying: a Detective Murdoch Mystery by Maureen Jennings
A series of mysteries set in 19th century Toronto? How could I resist?
This was a fun read. A servant girl running away from her placement in a rich doctor's home is found dead and naked in a back alley near Sumach street, a reasonable walk from where I live now. Acting Detective William Murdoch, a catholic in protestant Toronto, has to solve the mystery of her death, working around the limitations of policework in 1895.
Apparantly this has been optioned for a series on Bravo and CityTV!
Lies Across America: What our historic sites get wrong by James W. Loewen
Of course, it's not my history, but I still found this book both fascinating and educational. Y'all Yanks should give it a read. I intend to look up Loewen's other book, Lies My Teacher Told Me, about how history is taught (wrong, one assumes).
So that was 10 books, for a total for the year of 115 books, 28 of them non-fiction. Not a bad total, especially when you consider I was counting only new reads, not re-reads.
So that leads us on to the new year, and a question: should I continue with this? I think I intend to continue keeping track of what I read, but should I bother with the mini reviews? Is anyone getting anything from this? I'd settle for enjoyment. You don't have to find them useful. But am I wasting my time here?