The Science of Weird Shit / Chris French

 

3.5 out of 5 stars

I chose this book in an attempt to understand a quirk of my own psychology, namely my reluctance to read novels featuring ghostly phenomena after dark. I read considerable amounts of paranormal fiction. In fact, I delight in characters who are vampires, werewolves, or powerful witches. I can read these without fear because I truly don't believe that they are real, but ghost books freak me out! What's the difference? I've come to the conclusion that it is the result of several very vivid dreams about dead relatives that have shaken my skepticism, leaving me feeling like these people actually visited me. I didn't find the dreams scary, but I guess the prospect of meeting ghosts who don't have my best interests at heart is the source of my fear.

As the author points out, belief in the paranormal involves emotions. Rational evaluation requires leaving the majority of emotion out of the equation. This is not always possible for me (and, I imagine, for many other people). Important people in my life have been killed in tragic ways and I cannot separate my experience from my thoughts about them, leaving me vulnerable to really wanting to believe in life after death. I sometimes think that my prefrontal cortex is a skeptic, but my amygdala is a believer. It's a source of dissonance. I think I will have to continue reading ghost stories only during sunshine hours.

I appreciated the author's final pages, where he describes the zetetic outlook: a suspension of judgement and a willingness to explore these concepts. I would like to explore this mindset. In the end, I agree with Mary Roach, who writes at the end of her book Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife, “The debunkers are probably right, but they're no fun to visit a graveyard with.”

The Princess Bride / William Goldman

 

4 out of 5 stars 

I bought this book from a school catalogue back in the 1970s and owned it for a few years. I enjoyed it a lot back then, but gave it away at some point. The last time I read it was in 2013, as part of my Science Fiction and Fantasy Reading Project and I must have been in a cranky mood, because I remember wondering why I had liked it so much during school.

This time around, I chose to read this novel because of another novel. In Ilona Andrews’ Kate Daniels series, Kate's favourite book is The Princess Bride. Curran reads it while they are courting and some key phrases become catch phrases for the couple. Curran often responds to Kate with “As you wish" and they both call things “Inconceivable.” I started to wonder what was wrong with me during my last experience of this book.

This time around I rediscovered my pleasure in the story. Once again, I was able to smile along with Buttercup, Westley, Humperdink, Vezzini, Inigo Montoya, and Fezzik. It felt good to renew my acquaintance with them all.

You Can Scream / Rebecca Zanetti

 

3.3 out of 5 stars 

Who needs enemies when you have a sister….pardon me, half-sister….like Abigail Cane. Laurel Snow may be an FBI Special Agent, but that doesn't give her permission to lock up her psychopathic half-sister. Abigail has killed their father and is facing prosecution. Laurel is unsure why Abigail did it, but she is keeping her distance.

The trouble is that Abigail is weirdly fascinated with her sister and has a way of manipulating her way into Laurel's life. On the steps of the court house after Abigail's first appearance, a sniper attempts to kill her and is foiled by a bullet-proof vest. But was he aiming for Abigail or Laurel? Laurel's boyfriend, Huck, isn't taking any chances—he is determined to keep Laurel safe.

Zanetti writes a tense, fast paced thriller. This is not my usual genre, but I've been reading this series for 5 volumes now and will read more when they are published. Laurel is an interesting character, not neurotypical and struggling to understand the emotions of those around her. At least she seems to have sorted out her own feelings by the end of this outing.

The Once and Future Sex / Eleanor Janega

 

3.75 out of 5 stars 

Wow, although many things have changed for the better, many of the current misogynist ideas about women have their roots in Medieval times. I think that the guy who wrote the <i>Malleus Mallificarum</i> (the Hammer of witches) would be warmly received by the Manosphere's Andrew Tate. They both seem to hate women and resent that the only way to procreate involves both sexes.

Men of Medieval times used Classical texts and Church teachings to declare that women were weak of will and always interested in sex. These beliefs were used to justified their control of women. This outlook shows up today as the controlling, abusive men we read about in the news today who lose their tempers and their minds and go on shooting rampages. Our current sexual assault trials still put the victim on trial, rather than the criminal. We still live in Medieval mindsets in many ways.

Today, the story seems to be that it's men who are sexually voracious. See Harvey Weinstein or Jeffrey Epstein. In actual fact, Medieval men were castigated by the Church for sex that would not lead to pregnancy or for the violation of days of self-restraint. I think men and women are actually pretty evenly matched when it comes to libido. 

The author disproves the modern idea that women in the workforce is something new. Women were very involved in work for economic gain in Medieval times. We may not know many of their names, but women have been wage earners for a long time. We maybe haven't come quite as far as we thought! 

A very interesting view of women's history. 

Wild Country / Anne Bishop

 

3.5 out of 5 stars 

Bishop has taken a slightly different tack with this series. In her original Others series, she stuck with the same characters for all five books. In this second series, we stay in the same world, but each book seems to have a different character focus. There is overlap, but the focus shifts. Both approaches have advantages and I have enjoyed both of them.

In many ways, this is the fantasy version of the science fiction genre's First Contact trope. Humans must learn to coexist with the Others. Unfortunately, it seems there are always humans who don't want to follow the rules or think that the rules can be negotiated. And, as Louis Armstrong said, “Some folks, if they don't know, you can't tell them.” After all the times that the Elders have thinned the human herd, you would have thought that people would have received the memo! Humans are nothing if not stubborn.

Having said all this, I have peeked ahead, and the next book returns to Vicki DiVine and her lodge, the Jumble. I look forward to visiting Vicki again.

Ain't Nobody's Fool / Martha Ackmann

 

3.5 out of 5 stars 

Dolly Parton is a force of nature who cleverly disguises herself as a blonde bombshell. I really admire how she overcame multiple obstacles like being raised dirt poor, being ridiculed for her ambition, being relegated to the role of “girl singer," and the general prejudice of the country music industry against women, especially those with unique voices.

It's difficult for me to relate to the poverty that Parton grew up in. Her song Coat of Many Colors is literally taken from her life, growing up in the Smoky Mountains. Dolly patiently endured what she had to and jumped on every opportunity that presented itself. Her determination to make something of her life and willingness to work herself hard resulted in the woman that I admire today.

Blessed with a pure but unusual voice, Dolly has defied conventional wisdom to become an icon. Her self-awareness led to her stage appearance: blonde bouffant wigs, heavy makeup, and tight clothes. But behind this façade lurks a shrewd woman who knows her own worth (and it has nothing to do with her bra size). She was fortunate to find Carl Dean, the love of her life, early on and have his support for 60 years. Carl eschewed the limelight, leaving that entirely to his wife. (Rumour has it that when she wanted to go out with him incognito, she left the wig and makeup behind and was rarely recognized.)

Dolly went through some frustrating years before she became the philanthropist we currently know. She freely admits that she made mistakes when she neglected to listen to her internal voice. But Dolly wasn't in it just for the money—she wanted to be able to take care of the people she cares about. Her theme park, Dollywood, wasn't a vanity project. Its purpose was to supply jobs and economic support for the community she grew up in. Her other concerns include women's health, education, and literacy (her father was limited by an inability to read and write). Her program to supply books to children is well known. This is what money is for, my friends, and I salute Ms. Parton for knowing and acting on it.

The tone of the book is more academic than I expected. It's not as conversational as I would have preferred, but it was still very readable. It is thoroughly footnoted and many obscure little factoids about people in Dolly's life are fascinating. In short, there is much more to Dolly Parton than meets the eye. Don't make the mistake of dismissing her as a dumb blonde!

No Fond Return of Love / Barbara Pym

 

4 out of 5 stars 

I am very much enjoying my year of reading Barbara Pym. This novel completely charmed me through the antics of the characters.

Paula Bryne in her book The Adventures of Miss Barbara Pym says, “Barbara Pym's male characters are more often than not shifty, feckless, selfish and self-dramatising, relying on excellent women to solve their difficulties.” The man in question in No Fond Return of Love, Alywin Forbes, absolutely embodies this description. His wife has left him and though they aren't yet divorced, he keeps drifting from woman to woman (when he's not sneaking around in order to avoid them).

Alywin's brother, Neville, may be a supposedly celibate priest, but he also has abandoned his duties at Easter because of an unfortunate young woman (Miss Spicer) who has apparently fallen for the handsome clergyman. Like his brother, he chooses avoidance rather than dealing with his problems. Another non-excellent man.

Dulcie Mainwaring has recently been jilted by her fiance and has attended a publishing conference to distract herself. The attractive Alywin faints during his presentation, attracting her attention. She also meets Viola Dace, the purported reason that Alywin's wife left him. Dulcie and Viola become friendly and share a morbid interest in all things Alywin.

I think all women can recognize Dulcie and Viola in ourselves and our women friends. We cringe a bit when Barbara Pym lays it out before us, but who hasn't figured out the schedule of someone we're interested in and lurked in a likely spot to “casually bump into" them? If you haven't, you're a better person than I am!

A thoroughly entertaining comedy of manners.