Birds of Stone / Luis Chiappe, Meng Quingjin

4 out of 5 stars

When fossils of birds from China's Jehol region first appeared in scientific circles, the world took notice. These Mesozoic masterpieces are between 120 and 131 million years old and reveal incredible details that capture the diversity of ancient bird life. Paleontologists all over the world began to collaborate with Chinese colleagues as new and wondrous fossil-related discoveries became regular events. The pages of National Geographic and major scientific journals described the intricate views of feathers as well as food still visible in the guts of these ancient birds. Now, for the first time, a sweeping collection of the most interesting of Jehol's avian fossils is on display in this beautiful book.

Birds of Stone makes visible the unexpected avian diversity that blanketed the earth just a short time (geologically speaking) after a dinosaur lineage gave rise to the first birds. Our visual journey through these fossils is guided by Luis M. Chiappe, a world expert on early birds, and Meng Qingjin, a leading figure in China's natural history museum community. Together, they help us understand the "meaning" of each fossil by providing straightforward narratives that accompany the full-page photographs of the Jehol discoveries.

If you are interested in dinosaurs, birds, and the relationship between these two groups, this is a book you should have a look at. It was larger than I had anticipated (over 30 cm tall), but that meant that the illustrations were large enough to truly appreciate. There were many full colour photographs of museum specimens, showing off the many fossil birds or the Jehol Biota, found in the Liaoning Province of China. The book collects photos of fossils from fourteen museums, thirteen of which are located in China and not easily accessible to the average North American fossil enthusiast. Finding all of them in one volume is fabulous.

The fossils themselves are marvels of preservation. Often, feathers and fleshy structures are also present in these beautiful fossils, proving that this Cretaceous Lagerstatten in China is a priceless resource. Sometimes stomach or gizzard contents are present, providing important information about the food habits of some of these creatures as well. And of course, not only birds and bird-like dinosaurs are preserved. The second half of the book also illustrates some plants and small animals that are represented in the sediments.

The second half of the book, giving more information on the current state of research on the evolution of birds, was informative, but rather repetitive. If the pygostyle (the short fleshy tail of modern birds, the pope’s or parson’s nose) was explained once, it was explained ten times. There were other details were which similarly repeated, maybe not quite so often or annoyingly. 

Still, if is definitely worth borrowing from your local library if you are a bird and dinosaur nerd, such as myself.

Breath of Fire / Amanda Bouchet

3.5 stars out of 5

SHE'S DESTINED TO DESTROY THE WORLD... 
"Cat" Catalia Fisa has been running from her destiny since she could crawl. But now, her newfound loved ones are caught between the shadow of Cat's tortured past and the threat of her world-shattering future. So what's a girl to do when she knows it's her fate to be the harbinger of doom? Everything in her power.

BUT NOT IF SHE CAN HELP IT
Griffin knows Cat is destined to change the world-for the better. As the realms are descending into all-out war, Cat and Griffin must embrace their fate together. Gods willing, they will emerge side-by-side in the heart of their future kingdom...or not at all.

Better than the first book but not one that I will ever likely re-read. What improves this offering, in my opinion, is that it veers away from the Kate-Daniels-like pattern that the first volume followed. Cat gets to be her own kind of reckless and crazy in this one. I still found the dialog to be a little too modern for the Greek-mythology-type setting, but it didn’t grate quite so much in this one. Either I’m getting used to it or the author toned it down some.

Although there isn’t a doubt about the Cat/Griffin romance (that’s settled at the book’s beginning), there are new relationships budding. Griffin has sisters and they have admirers (and those they admire) and Bouchet uses those to add the romantic tension here. I’m already fond of Jocasta and hope that she can convince her man to declare himself in the next book.

And that right there is why this book doesn’t rate more highly with me. I’d really like the fantasy-part of the plot, the quest to build a new kingdom with better governance, to take the foreground and have the relationships recede to the midground, please and thank you. Books aren’t realistic without relationships and the lead-up tension can be lots of fun, but really the romance shouldn’t overpower the actual plot. Love and sex are both great as seasonings, but they should never overpower the entire story.

Somewhere between “clueless about relationships” and “totally devoted to romance,” that’s my happy place. (Read Ilona Andrews’ Hidden Legacy series or Innkeeper series to see this done well.)

The Magic Engineer / L.E. Modesitt

3 out of 5 stars

In L. E. Modesitt's The Magic Engineer, we return to the magical island of Recluce, where Dorrin, a young scion of the Order magicians, is interested in forbidden knowledge, in the working of machines. Promising, intelligent, but determined to follow his passion for scientific knowledge, Dorrin can invent machines. He is the Leonardo da Vinci of his age, but his insights violate the rules of the Order magic of Recluce. Now he must go into exile in the lands of Chaos to pursue his dangerous inventions.

Yet Dorrin remains loyal to the idea of Order, and is tortured by the knowledge that to preserve it he must constantly create new devices for war. For the forces of the Chaos wizards are moving across the land, devouring whole countries and creating an empire--and their ultimate goal is the destruction of Recluce.

My least favourite of this Saga so far, but it is still a very readable book. There was just too much technical detail on blacksmithing and machine building for my taste. Those with engineering tendencies would be entranced I am sure (or would be happily critiquing the text). 

In many ways, this book seems to be a carbon copy of the premise of the first book. Both Lerris (1st book) and Dorrin (this book) must take training and leave Recluce because they can’t find a way to be happy & fulfilled according the rules of Recluce. Lerris does it through magic, Dorrin through engineering. 

Isn’t it always the way, that we have the most conflict with the parent who is the most like us? I butted heads with my father (we are both stubborn Danes who think we know best) and Dorrin & his father exhibit this intergenerational struggle perfectly. That I could identify with, although these two take it to an extreme.

Too much technical detail, and not nearly enough attention paid to important relationships. Dorrin is so completely clued out about emotional relationships that I ended up wanting one of his blacksmith’s hammers to beat him over the head with! His occasional flashes of insight about people’s motivations are all logic based and very few human actions are purely logic based (as much as economists would like to believe otherwise). 

Book 323 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project.

Extra note about the cover:  The ship is steam powered, but there's a dude with an oar/paddle/pole on the left--why?  Plus there are 3 guards standing around doing nothing!  The one on the upper level seems to be sans trousers?  I would find that distracting from what I was trying to do--but the woman on the cover isn't paying him any attention.  Maybe it accounts for him staring so intently forward, so as to ignore his pantsless state.  I do like the depiction of Dorrin on his horse Meriwhen.  Unfortunately, this illustrates the unhappy moment when Dorrin has to leave her behind.  I know that Darrell K. Sweet was a celebrated illustrator, but sometimes I wonder where he got some of his ideas....

Don't Lick the Minivan / Leanne Shirtliffe

2.5 out of 5 stars

As a woman used to traveling and living the high life in Bangkok, Leanne Shirtliffe recognized the constant fodder for humor while pregnant with twins in Asia's sin city. But in spite of deep-fried bug cuisine and nurses who cover newborn bassinets with plastic wrap, Shirtliffe manages to keep her babies alive for a year with help from a Coca-Cola deliveryman, several waitresses, and a bra factory. Then she and her husband return home to the isolation of North American suburbia.

In Don't Lick the Minivan, Shirtliffe captures the bizarre aspects of parenting in her edgy, honest voice. She explores the hazards of everyday life with children such as:

•The birthday party where neighborhood kids took home skin rashes from the second-hand face paint she applied.
•The time she discovered her twins carving their names into her minivan's paint with rocks.
•The funeral she officiated for "Stripper Barbie."
•The horror of glitter.
And much more!

Now, let me begin my emphasizing that this is NOT my genre and I am NOT in the target audience for this book. I’m sure that if you have raised twins, you will probably find things to laugh about in it.

So, why did I read it, you ask? Well, the author is going to be a key-note speaker at a conference that I’m attending in August. I like to have some familiarity with the work of these folks before I attend. So I’ve also read a children’s book by Shirtliffe.

I also hasten to add that I am notorious for not getting written humour. I’m sure that when I hear the author in person, that I will at least smile, if not laugh out loud. I’ll be interested to hear her speak for that exact reason.

As a single & childless woman, I can’t appreciate many of the stories that the author tells. It’s just not my experience. But I can tell that Shirtliffe has spent a lot of time on her writing and is quite skilled at it. If you read mommy blogs and have raised children, you will probably enjoy this book far more than I did.

Lord of Chaos / Robert Jordan

4 out of 5 stars

On the slopes of Shayol Ghul, the Myrddraal swords are forged, and the sky is not the sky of this world ...

In Salidar the White Tower in exile prepares an embassy to Caemlyn, where Rand Al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, holds the throne -- and where an unexpected visitor may change the world ...

In Emond's Field, Perrin Goldeneyes, Lord of the Two Rivers, feels the pull of ta'veren to ta'veren and prepares to march ...

Morgase of Caemlyn finds a most unexpected, and quite unwelcome, ally ...

And south lies Illian, where Sammael holds sway ... 

This wasn’t a straight forward read for me--I lost focus somewhere around halfway through the novel and had to go do other things for a while. But having done that, I came back and found the second part of the book to be great. Perhaps it should have been two books, instead of this enormous kitten-squisher.

I continue to be amazed at how many characters Jordan juggles during this series and the level of detail that he goes into. It must have taken incredible patience to write and edit these enormous tomes and his publisher was brave to believe that this many books in a series was a good idea.

Perhaps the second half of the book was more engaging for me because it seemed to feature the female characters a bit more. Egwene is currently my favourite--trying to find her inner viking princess warrior and subdue the Aes Sedai, who actually think that they’re going to control her and her BFFs. Not gonna happen.

I think I’m the same as many folk who read this series in saying that I care about the story and where it’s going, but I’m being driven crazy by the way the characters deal with each other, particularly the male/female dynamic. Rand doesn’t seem quite bright enough to pull off the whole “save the world” thing and if Mat and Perrin are his greatest supports, he is in a bad way. He’d be better off hooking his wagon to that of Elayne, Nyenaeve, and Egwene. 

My plan is to read one more of these books before the end of the year, but it will have to wait awhile. I will need quite a bit of palate cleansing before I proceed on.

Book number 322 of my Science Fiction & Fantasy Reading Project

Run Hide Repeat / Pauline Dakin

4 out of 5 stars

Pauline Dakin spent her childhood on the run. Without warning, her mother twice uprooted her and her brother, moving thousands of miles away from family and friends. Disturbing events interrupt their outwardly normal life: break-ins, car thefts, even physical attacks on a family friend. Many years later, her mother finally revealed they'd been running from the Mafia and were receiving protection from a covert anti-organized crime task force.
  But the truth was even more bizarre. Gradually, Dakin's fears give way to suspicion. She puts her journalistic training to work and discovers that the Mafia threat was actually an elaborate web of lies.  As she revisits her past, Dakin uncovers the human capacity for betrayal and deception, and the power of love to forgive.
    Run, Hide, Repeat is a memoir of a childhood steeped in unexplained fear and menace. Gripping and suspenseful, it moves from Dakin's uneasy acceptance of her family's dire situation to bewildered anger. As compelling and twisted as a thriller, Run Hide Repeat is an unforgettable portrait of a family under threat, and the resilience of family bonds.

Sometimes, when I read memoirs, I have to wonder what motivated the author to share a slice of their life in book form. With this volume, I have no doubt what the author’s motivation was--this is easiest way to explain the weirdness of her life to the people that she has encountered along her journey.

What if the major assumptions of your life, ones that determined major things like where you lived and who you associated with, were based on someone else’s delusion? This is what Pauline Dakin describes in this fascinating memoir of life on the run with her mother and the man that they all trusted.

Dakin is a journalist, having worked for the CBC as a medical and health reporter. She is now an instructor, teaching future journalists. With this background, it is no surprise that this is a well-written account and it is obvious that she has spent a lot of time reflecting on her experiences and trying to make sense of all that happened during her childhood and young adulthood.

I heard her interviewed on CBC radio, which put this book on my radar. I’m a sucker for memoirs, enjoying being a voyeur into someone else’s existence I guess. I’m surprised that the author’s husband and her brother’s wife were drawn into the whole delusion for as long as they were, but their spouses had been involved since childhood & were predisposed to believe Stan Sears and his complicated delusional assumptions about the world.

If nothing else, Dakin has given Delusional Disorder a little more exposure, which may be a help to others who are attached to someone with these issues.

Daughter of Smoke & Bone / Laini Taylor

3.5 stars out of 5

Around the world, black hand prints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.

In a dark and dusty shop, a devil’s supply of human teeth grows dangerously low.

And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherworldly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real, she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands", she speaks many languages - not all of them human - and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she’s about to find out.

When beautiful, haunted Akiva fixes fiery eyes on her in an alley in Marrakesh, the result is blood and starlight, secrets unveiled, and a star-crossed love whose roots drink deep of a violent past. But will Karou live to regret learning the truth about herself?

An enjoyable young-adult offering in the urban fantasy genre. This is my first novel featuring angels (or seraphs, as this author calls them).

It is very much a Romeo-and-Juliet tale, as a striking male Seraph (Akiva) meets and falls for a mysterious young woman (Karou) who is associated with the Chimaera, the seemingly evil, rather animalian opposition to the Seraphs. It quickly becomes apparent to the young couple that they are on opposite sides of this eternal conflict and that their continued relationship will probably bring them buckets of trouble. But, just like the Montague-Capulet characters, these two cannot deny their feelings. 

The author actually does a remarkably good job of delaying the grand romance, all the while treating us to a wonderful depiction of the city of Prague. It was quite wonderful to see urban fantasy set outside of the United States. She also manages to make war look like the senseless waste that it truly is, all the while making us smile with gentle humour.

Despite the very steep cliffhanger at the end, this is obviously a tale where True Love will conquer all. I prefer a little more mystery than that, a little more uncertainty before reaching that conclusion. Still, I can see myself reading further in the series at some point in the future.

Once & Future / Cori McCarthy & Amy Rose Capetta

4 out of 5 stars

I’ve been chased my whole life. As a fugitive refugee in the territory controlled by the tyrannical Mercer corporation, I’ve always had to hide who I am. Until I found Excalibur.

Now I’m done hiding.

My name is Ari Helix. I have a magic sword, a cranky wizard, and a revolution to start.

When Ari crash-lands on Old Earth and pulls a magic sword from its ancient resting place, she is revealed to be the newest reincarnation of King Arthur. Then she meets Merlin, who has aged backward over the centuries into a teenager, and together they must break the curse that keeps Arthur coming back. Their quest? Defeat the cruel, oppressive government and bring peace and equality to all humankind.

No pressure.

A very intelligent and cheeky retelling of the King Arthur legend. Merlin has been recalled more than 40 times to train various versions of Arthur and since he is aging backwards, he better get it right this time, as he’s soon going to be far too young to be taken seriously! This time, his student is a girl and he is beginning to hope for a breakthrough.

Written by two people who identify as enby (non-binary) and demigirl, their characters are a delightful mix of male, female, and several other flavours of identification. All of them fit well in the story and the “explaining” is minimal and easy to comprehend.

I love the tag-line for the story: I’m Ari Helix. I’ve got a magic sword, a cranky wizard, and a revolution to start.

With both Merlin and Morgause filling us in on the details of the Arthur legend as necessary, it’s easy to keep up with this Round Table in Space adventure. If you don’t care for cliffhangers, you may want to wait until the next book is published before you begin. I’m happy to have read it, although I think I’ll be quite comfortable waiting for the next part of the story.

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes / Arthur Conan Doyle

3.5 stars out of 5

In The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, the consulting detective's notoriety as the arch-despoiler of the schemes concocted by the criminal underworld at last gets the better of him.

Though Holmes and his faithful sidekick Dr Watson solve what will become some of their most bizarre and extraordinary cases - the disappearance of the race horse Silver Blaze, the horrific circumstances of the Greek Interpreter and the curious mystery of the Musgrave Ritual among them - a criminal mastermind is plotting the downfall of the great detective.

Half-devil, half-genius, Professor Moriarty leads Holmes and Watson on a grisly cat-and-mouse chase through London and across Europe, culminating in a frightful struggle which will turn the legendary Reichenbach Falls into a water double-grave.

***2019 The Summer of Sherlock*** 

It’s always a treat to read Conan Doyle and return to the world of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson. I suppose it’s no accident that a doctor should narrate the tales, seeing as Conan Doyle was himself a medical man. What is surprising to me is that a man with so many mystical interests would create so intensely logical and skeptical a character as Sherlock Holmes!

The last story in this little book is the final confrontation between Holmes and his nemesis, Dr. Moriarty. A man of as many interests as this author was not going to be happy pigeon-holed as a mystery writer, especially when all his audience seemed to want was more Sherlock stories. Talk about trapped in a corner! But I can definitely see why readers rebelled at this end to the great detective. The story is so short and really doesn’t do justice to the legend that Conan Doyle created. Perhaps it was a good thing that he didn’t document Sherlock’s demise too thoroughly and was able to engineer a return of the celebrated detective.

It is this truncated and unsatisfactory final story that drags my rating down to a 3.5 from my usual 4 star enjoyment of Holmes. 

Stranger in the Woods / Michael Finkel

4 out of 5 stars

Many people dream of escaping modern life, but most will never act on it. This is the remarkable true story of a man who lived alone in the woods of Maine for 27 years, making this dream a reality--not out of anger at the world, but simply because he preferred to live on his own.

In 1986, a shy and intelligent twenty-year-old named Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the forest. He would not have a conversation with another human being until nearly three decades later, when he was arrested for stealing food. Living in a tent even through brutal winters, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store edibles and water, and to avoid freezing to death. He broke into nearby cottages for food, clothing, reading material, and other provisions, taking only what he needed but terrifying a community never able to solve the mysterious burglaries. Based on extensive interviews with Knight himself, this is a vividly detailed account of his secluded life--why did he leave? what did he learn?--as well as the challenges he has faced since returning to the world. It is a gripping story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community, and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded. 

What an oddly fascinating little book! Even though I am very definitely an introvert, I cannot imagine existing in the way that Chris Knight chose to live for nearly three decades. He wandered off into the wilds of Maine in 1986 with next to no planning and next to no supplies. He managed to find himself a sheltered campsite, right alongside civilization, where he existed in a tent even during the cold of Maine winters. Mind you, he could never have achieved it without pilfering supplies from nearly all of his civilized neighbours.

Mr. Knight might still be out there, still not speaking to other humans, if he had found a way to support himself without specializing in home break-ins. I can’t conceive of not letting my family know where I am and that I’m okay. I may withhold details of my holiday locations to prevent the more neurotic from pestering my tour company unnecessarily, but I generally try to email or Facebook if I think there will be any concern. Chris Knight just wandered out into the landscape without letting anyone know anything. He also abandoned a partially paid for truck that his brother (who had co-signed the loan) was stuck paying for without the benefit of being able to drive it.

It seems like there is a tendency among a certain segment of humanity to seek solitude. The author, Michael Finkel, provides just enough history of religious hermits, recluses, and other people seeking seclusion to be interesting without being overwhelming. It rapidly becomes clear, however, that it is very difficult to avoid human interaction even under those circumstances. And most of us don’t want to completely avoid other humans.

Mr. Knight’s whole family seems to be rather taciturn and isolationist, so in some ways his behaviour is no surprise. I do feel rather sorry for him, now that he has been returned to society and must deal with people again. It is obvious from Finkel’s observations that it is a great hardship for him. In this regard, he is certainly not neural-normative. I hope he can find some way to exist somewhat happily in the world.

A Brightness Long Ago / Guy Gavriel Kay

4.75 stars out of 5

In a chamber overlooking the nighttime waterways of a maritime city, a man looks back on his youth and the people who shaped his life. Danio Cerra's intelligence won him entry to a renowned school even though he was only the son of a tailor. He took service at the court of a ruling count--and soon learned why that man was known  as the Beast. 

Danio's fate changed the moment he saw and recognized Adria Ripoli as she entered the count's chambers one autumn night--intending to kill. Born to power, Adria had chosen, instead of a life of comfort, one of danger--and freedom. Which is how she encounters Danio in a perilous time and place.

Vivid figures share the unfolding story. Among them: a healer determined to defy her expected lot; a charming, frivolous son of immense wealth; a powerful religious leader more decadent than devout; and, affecting all these lives and many more,  two larger-than-life mercenary commanders, lifelong adversaries, whose rivalry puts a world in the balance.

As usual, GGK writes like a dream. If you like historical fantasy, I would highly recommend his work. This volume features a world very much like Renaissance Italy, with all its political machinations and complications. 

But what I absolutely adore is Kay’s portrayals of women. They have exactly the same depth, the same complexity, the same motivations as the male characters. In other words, he treats women as equal people. It is such a delight to read fiction written to depict real women!

I was especially fond of Adria Ripoli (with her desire for a more independent existence and the freedom to ride in a horse race) and Jelena, the healer who rejects a traditional female life to pursue her calling and her interests. Because there must have been women during every time in history who weren’t willing to be relegated to being solely wives, mothers, or nuns. 

But there is also Ginevra della Valle, a woman who has chosen the traditional route to female fulfillment and succeeded. She began as a powerful mercenary’s mistress and has progressed to being his wife and mother of two sons. But there is absolutely no doubt in anyone’s mind that she is a power unto herself.

I cannot recommend Kay’s writing too strongly. I haven’t read his entire canon yet, but I have been delighted by everything that I have consumed so far.

A Serial Killer's Daughter / Kerri Rawson

3 out of 5 stars

What is it like to learn that your ordinary, loving father is a serial killer? 
 
In 2005, Kerri Rawson heard a knock on the door of her apartment. When she opened it, an FBI agent informed her that her father had been arrested for murdering ten people, including two children. It was then that she learned her father was the notorious serial killer known as BTK, a name he’d given himself that described the horrific way he committed his crimes: bind, torture, kill. As news of his capture spread, Wichita celebrated the end of a thirty-one-year nightmare.

For Kerri Rawson, another was just beginning. She was plunged into a black hole of horror and disbelief. The same man who had been a loving father, a devoted husband, church president, Boy Scout leader, and a public servant had been using their family as a cover for his heinous crimes since before she was born. Everything she had believed about her life had been a lie.

I wouldn’t have requested this book from the library if I hadn’t heard the author interviewed on the radio. She sounded somewhat exasperated and I wondered why, driving me to look for her book. Now that I’ve read it, I understand some of her indignation.

First, it seems that many people don’t read the title or don’t believe it. This is NOT a book about her father, this is HER story. Yes, her father appears in her account as a major player because he is her father, but the story is hers. It focuses on her life and her beliefs. I can see why she’s ticked that people read it only as a way to view her dad.

Secondly, it has obviously been written as what the evangelical Christians call “a witness.” She is professing her Christian faith and it is the most important part of the work to her. The discount of that by secular reviewers must drive her mad.

Truth be told, she could have used a good ghostwriter to assist her. There are several chapters dealing with one hiking trip to the Grand Canyon, where there should probably only be one. It was a good idea to use this trip as a way to illustrate her relationship with her father and to highlight his idiosyncrasies. It just drags on far too long and has too much religious reference in it.

It quickly becomes obvious to the reader that Dennis Rader was a volatile man and a challenge to live with. His daughter, having known no other way of life, didn’t realize the extent of his abusiveness until long after his arrest. She has fought a life-long struggle with anxiety and depression and that is unsurprising, given her family situation. Interestingly, it seems that she and her mother are the ones who are depended on to “manage” Rader. Funny how it’s always up to the women in the family to handle the volatile man! 

The important aspect of this book, to my mind, is the fact that we tend to forget the families of serial killers when we are thinking about their victims. Rawson shows us in no uncertain terms the difficulties encountered by her family and their attempts to put their lives back together. Dennis Rader may be BTK to the world, but he was still a husband and father, uncle, neighbour, and working man. Those who shared his life were shocked by his arrest and confession and had hard work to do to put all of this behind them to some extent. We need to extend to them the same compassion that is offered to the murder victims’ families, as they have been betrayed and damaged too.
 

The Red Power Murders / Thomas King

4 out of 5 stars

Thumps DreadfulWater has never liked surprises—even the good ones are annoying. So it’s no shock that a string of seemingly random occurrences is causing Thumps some real discomfort. First Noah Ridge, the Red Power Native activist, arrives in Thumps’ sleepy town of Chinook. Then the body of a retired FBI agent turns up at the local Holiday Inn. In the background hovers the ghostly presence of Lucy Kettle, second-in-charge of the Red Power movement, a tough woman in a tough place until her disappearance years ago. Now the sheriff wants Thumps to trade in his photography gig for a temporary cop beat. And it won’t be over, Thumps soon realizes, until everyone’s dead—or famous.

Hailed by critics in his first appearance, Cherokee ex-cop Thumps DreadfulWater is back in rumpled but razor-sharp form, doing his laconic, comic best to avoid trouble—and catch the bad guys. Bestselling writer Thomas King has penned a second entertaining DreadfulWater mystery, injected with the author’s characteristic dry wit and biting social commentary.

Thomas King is such a good writer! I’m loving these murder mysteries of his, starring Thumps DreadfulWater. We get both a good, convoluted mystery and a dose of King’s irreverent humour. Plus, he manages to tackle social issues that he cares about without getting preachy and without info dumps. For example, the reader just gets to witness the behaviour of the bigoted white deputy of the little village of Chinook and draw their own conclusions. 

I’m particularly fond of the elder Moses, who has a whole collection of old trailers out behind his house and many old computers too. With his younger associate, Stick, they often go out to check the internet, or as Moses puts it, consult with the Nephews. No matter when Thumps arrives, the elder is always expecting him, tea brewed and ready to consult. I’m also partial to Cooley Small Elk, the huge man who may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but who can knock down the shed to find what he’s looking for. King writes the best side characters!

King sticks with many aspects of the murder mystery recipe. Poor old Thumps is perpetually unlucky in love, has difficulty getting along with the sheriff, and always seems to be close to broke. But he has a cop’s mind and instincts and can’t seem to disengage once a problem presents itself. 

I can hardly wait to get my paws on book three. Thank you, Mr. King, for a great deal of reading pleasure!

A Tiding of Magpies / Steve Burrows

4 out of 5 stars

When his most celebrated case is suddenly reopened, Detective Chief Inspector Jejeune‘s long-buried secrets threaten to come to light. Meanwhile, his girlfriend, Lindy, faces an unseen threat of her own, one from which even Jejeune may not be able to protect her. Between fending off inquiries from the internal review and an open murder case that brings more questions than answers, Jejeune will have to rely on the help of the stalwart Sergeant Danny Maik more than ever. But Maik is learning things that cause him to question his DCI‘s actions, both past and present. In the current case, and in the former one, the facts seem clear enough. But it is in the silences, those empty spaces between the facts, that the truth is to be found.

I’ve got to hand it to Mr. Burrows, each of his books seem to be better than the previous one. His writing reminds me a lot of Louise Penny, and her Inspector Gamache series, with added birding details. Both authors may allow their detective to solve the issue of each book, but there is an overarching story-line about the main characters that keeps the reader anxious to read the next installment. Interestingly, both men face questions about their professional integrity and they tackle these issues in similar fashion, by quietly working behind the scenes.

I’m up-to-date now, and very ready for A Dance of Cranes to be released later this month (and I’m number 3 on my library’s hold list, so that’s good). I’ll be waiting to see if Dominic JeJeune can sort out the predicament that he’s got himself into now, through his own wish to withhold information from Lindy.

It seems to me that Burrows is enjoying the British/Canadian interplay and the details of the two countries that he has considered “home.” And every time I read one of these books, I want to return to Norfolk--it’s been 20 years since I first visited there and I’m due for a return one of these days.

Middlegame / Seanan McGuire

3 out of 5 stars

Meet Roger. Skilled with words, languages come easily to him. He instinctively understands how the world works through the power of story.

Meet Dodger, his twin. Numbers are her world, her obsession, her everything. All she understands, she does so through the power of math.

Roger and Dodger aren’t exactly human, though they don’t realise it. They aren’t exactly gods, either. Not entirely. Not yet.

Meet Reed, skilled in the alchemical arts like his progenitor before him. Reed created Dodger and her brother. He’s not their father. Not quite. But he has a plan: to raise the twins to the highest power, to ascend with them and claim their authority as his own.

Godhood is attainable. Pray it isn’t attained.

I’m reluctant to admit that I didn’t adore something that Seanan McGuire has written. And I’m pretty sure that it’s not her, it’s me. I love her October Daye, InCryptid, and Wayward Children series and I expected to feel the same way about this book. Unfortunately, I think I may have read it at the wrong time--maybe a re-read at some future date will leave me more impressed.

There were an awful lot of moving parts in this one, lots of details in a complicated world and plenty of characters to keep track of. For me, it took a long while to connect with the main characters, maybe ⅔ of the way through the book. Finally, though, I felt it reluctantly click into place.

This felt to me like an uneasy work, straddling the gap between the Wayward Children series and McGuire’s work under the name of Mira Grant. There are definitely more horror related details in this one that would be more at home under the aegis of the Grant persona. 

But, if you, like me, love McGuire’s writing, you should definitely give this one a try. The writing is every bit as skilled as her other works and the ideas are good. As I say, I think it was just me who wasn’t in the proper state to appreciate this one. Your mileage may vary.

Storm Cursed / Patricia Briggs

4 stars out of 5

My name is Mercedes Athena Thompson Hauptman, and I am a car mechanic. And a coyote shapeshifter. And the mate of the Alpha of the Columbia Basin werewolf pack.

Even so, none of that would have gotten me into trouble if, a few months ago, I hadn't stood upon a bridge and taken responsibility for the safety of the citizens who lived in our territory. It seemed like the thing to do at the time. It should have only involved hunting down killer goblins, zombie goats, and an occasional troll. Instead, our home was viewed as neutral ground, a place where humans would feel safe to come and treat with the fae.

The reality is that nothing and no one is safe. As generals and politicians face off with the Gray Lords of the fae, a storm is coming and her name is Death. But we are pack, and we have given our word. We will die to keep it.

Mercy Thompson, the Witchcraft edition

When this book arrived at the library for me, I dropped everything and started to read. These books are always over too quickly and they leave me wanting the next installment NOW. Unfortunately, that’s not how these things work, but judging from the ending, there will be more volumes, so that’s a good thing.

This one had all the urban fantasy goodness--a little less of all the growly werewolves, much more Fae and Vampire fun. Although I have to say, not enough Stefan. Mercy needs to get that relationship mended, because I miss Stefan! Plus, I am intrigued by what happened to Wulfe during this adventure--further details are needed. But the witches & the goblins get front-and-centre roles in this book, something that was a-okay with me.

If you jumped in at this volume (number 11, holy cow), you would wonder what kind of mad-house you had joined. But as we slowly make our way from volume 1 to present, we’ve had time to learn about the Mercy-verse, making all the details seem much less chaotic. Still, if you’re not a die-hard urban fantasy fan, this book is not the book you are looking for.

I note that the next book, Smoke Bitten, will be published next year and there doesn’t seem to be a new volume of the Alpha & Omegaseries anticipated yet. I trust that there will be another one. Between Patricia Briggs and Ilona Andrews, I spend an awful lot of time on tenterhooks, waiting for the next book to appear. To facilitate smooth publishing schedules, sacrifices to the book gods will obviously be required (see, I’ve learned a thing or two from all those witchy scenes!)

Saving Thunder the Great / Leanne Shirtliffe

 "If you have to evacuate while I'm away, just take Thunder the Great."

Those were Mamma's instructions the day before flames roared into Fort McMurray. On May 3, 2016, Mamma and Thunder the Great — a gerbil belonging to her son Jackson — were forced to flee their home. In a frightening rescue attempt, Mamma faces wildfire, traffic gridlock, an empty gas tank, and other challenges … all to get Thunder and herself to safety for the sake of her son.

Saving Thunder the Great is the true story of a hungry gerbil's rescue, a mother's love for her child, and the community who helps her.

This author will be a featured speaker at a conference that I am attending in August. Since I try to read something by each of the key-note speakers before the event, I requested this children’s book from my library. As Friday was exceedingly smokey from northern wildfires, this particular book seemed especially appropriate. Based on actual events following the Fort McMurray wildfire of 2016, it follows the path of a mother and her son’s pet gerbil, Thunder the Great, during the evacuation of that city.

If I wasn’t already familiar with the events of that summer, I think I might have sometimes wondered what was going on in this book. There is a lot of knowledge that the reader is just assumed to possess. In my opinion, the fearsome nature of the evacuation is rather glossed over--to prevent nightmares amongst the target audience presumably. If we are to abandon factual accuracy, it would have been more effective to make the child the main character of the book--I’m not sure how much children will identify with the mother as main focus. 

The artwork is lovely and very realistic. It’s not often that I see gerbils appearing in illustrations in books. An explanation for Thunder the Great’s name would have been welcome, at least to me.

3 out of 5 stars

Soulless / Gail Carriger out of

4 out of 5 stars

Alexia Tarabotti is laboring under a great many social tribulations. 

First, she has no soul. Second, she's a spinster whose father is both Italian and dead. Third, she was rudely attacked by a vampire, breaking all standards of social etiquette.

Where to go from there? From bad to worse apparently, for Alexia accidentally kills the vampire--and then the appalling Lord Maccon (loud, messy, gorgeous, and werewolf) is sent by Queen Victoria to investigate.

With unexpected vampires appearing and expected vampires disappearing, everyone seems to believe Alexia responsible. Can she figure out what is actually happening to London's high society? Will her soulless ability to negate supernatural powers prove useful or just plain embarrassing? Finally, who is the real enemy, and do they have treacle tart?

A cute paranormal romance, set in an alternate Victorian England, featuring steampunk elements, werewolves, and vampires. And really, if Victorian England doesn’t have werewolves and vampires, why would I read about it? Our heroine, Alexia, is soulless and therefore able to neutralize the magic (or excessive amounts of soul) that animate both of vampires & werewolves in this version of London.

This is kind of a modified Cinderella tale--Alexia actually has two gorgeous half-sisters, rather than step-sisters, and a mother who doesn’t value her unique qualities. They consider it punishment to stay home from various social events, but Alexia has somewhat reluctantly come to prefer her books and a good cup of tea. However, she is thrown into the company of Lord Maccon, the werewolf in charge of investigating paranormal oddities, and sparks fly. Her family’s idea of Alexia as an unmarriageable spinster may need some adjustment.

Bonus point for Lord Akeldama, a flamboyant vampire who chooses to be Alexia’s friend and confidante. He is tougher than he chooses to appear. Minus a point for Alexia’s sidekick, Ivy, who doesn’t get to talk to Alexia about anything besides men and her poor taste in hats.

There is nominally a mystery to be solved, but it comes to a conclusion almost as a side issue to the opponents-to-lovers romance plot. To some extent, I think the author might have been better served to draw out the couple’s courtship over two or three books, to produce more dramatic tension in the future volumes, but perhaps there is still enough oomph to carry the action forward for 4 more installments. I’m more than willing to give the next book a try, anyway.

Mirror Dance / Lois McMaster Bujold

4 out of 5 stars

The dwarfish, fetally-damaged yet brilliant Miles Vorkosigan has more than his share of troubles. Having recently escaped an assassination plot whose tool was a brainwashed clone of himself, Miles has set the clone, Mark, free for a new chance at life. But when he decides to let his clone brother assume his secret identity and lead the Dendarii Free Mercenary on an unauthorized mission to liberate other clones from the outlaw planet of Jackson's Whole, things start to get really messy. The mission goes awry, Miles's rescue attempt goes even more wrong, and Miles ends up killed and placed in cryogenic suspension for future resuscitation. Then, as if that weren't bad enough, the cryo-container is lost! Now it is up to the confused, disturbed Mark to either take Miles's place as heir of the Vorkosigan line or redeem himself by finding and saving Miles.

“If you love something set it free. If it comes back it’s yours. If not, it was never meant to be.”

This is basically the method that Miles Vorkosigan has chosen to use with his cloned brother, Mark. Mark is pretty damned determined not to “belong” to anyone but himself and, since abuse is pretty much the only way that others have dealt with him, his flight as far away from Miles as possible is understandable. 

However, his desire to do right by other clones leads him to impersonate his brother and embark on a quixotic mission to free as many clones persons as he can. What could possibly go wrong?

Quite a bit, actually. Especially when Miles shows up, supposedly to save the day, and digs the hole quite a bit deeper. Mark is backed into a corner, forced to meet his “parents,” Aral and Cordelia, and to learn first-hand about Barrayar. Fortunately for him, Cordelia is from Beta Colony and realizes that everything is all about choice. She should know, having chosen Barrayar, Aral, and Miles. 

An entertaining examination of the many aspects of choice that we all live with, whether we realize it or not. 

Book 321 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy reading project.

Memory and Dream / Charles de Lint

4 out of 5 stars

As the young student of the brilliant Vincent Rushkin, Isabelle Copley discovered she could paint images so real they brought her dreams to life. But when the forces she unleashed brought tragedy to those she loved, she turned her back on her talent - and on those dreams. Now, twenty years later, Isabelle must come to terms with the memories she has long denied, and unlock the power of her brush. And, in a dark reckoning with her old master, she must find the courage to live out her dreams, and bring the magic back to life.

I’ve been looking forward to this book for a while now and was so glad that it met my expectations, although in a way that I did not expect. One of my book-club women had recommended Charles de Lint’s work to me and I knew that this book was one of my reading project books for this year. I took it on holiday with me, starting it on the airplane.

To begin with, I was worried. I’m a dedicated fantasy reader and this was billed as fantasy and yet I wasn’t seeing how it could be fantasy. Imagine my relief as the required fantastical elements began to show up! I guess that’s my roundabout way of saying that it started slowly.

Like all good novels, this one explores a number of ideas and on a number of levels. What is the nature of art, whether visual or written? What responsibility does the artist have to his or her creations? What about other people, do they have a say in that relationship? How well do we really know the people in our lives? What conditions are we willing to put up with in order to learn the things we yearn to know? Are there any circumstances that justify emotional and/or physical abuse?

I found the ending just tied up a little too neatly for my tastes--I like a few messy ends left hanging and Memory & Dream came just a little too close to a HEA ending in my opinion. But that’s just me. Nevertheless, I’ll be reading more of de Lint’s work in the future.

Book 320 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy reading project.

Excession / Iain M. Banks

4 out of 5 stars

In Excession, the Culture's espionage and dirty tricks section orders Diplomat Byr Gen-Hofoen to steal the soul of a long-dead starship captain. By accepting the mission, Byr irrevocably plunges himself into a conspiracy: one that could either lead the universe into an age of peace or to the brink of annihilation.

When I intially approached Iain M. Banks’ Culture novels, I was unconvinced that I was going to like them. Now, here I am, finished number 5 and I am a total convert. There was a lot going on in this one and I maybe didn’t love it all, but the Affront made up for it.

Yup, it was all about the revolting tentacle beasts! They are unremittingly patriarchal, violent, militaristic, all about meat eating, cruel, and anything else that the Culture stands against. Not only do they know that they’re an affront (hence their name) to the Culture, they are proud and loud about it. They are the villains that you can love to hate--such a caricature of the bad guy that they’re hard to take seriously. They’re so revolting that they’re adorable.

Add to that an espionage plot carried out almost entirely by super-intelligent AI spaceships, various people stored in one ship’s memory banks (are they dead or not in this state?) and an alien object apparently from another, older universe (the Excession of the title). However, I don’t care if you’re just a glimmer in some machine’s memory banks, I don’t think any woman would write a character who has chosen to stay 8 months pregnant for 40 years! I call bullshit on that, Mr. Banks. 

Unfortunately, we lost Mr. Banks in 2013. I’m glad I still have a number of his novels as yet unread and can look forward to more time spent in the Culture.

Book 319 of my Science Fiction and Fantasy reading project.

Night Shift / N. Singh, I. Andrews, L. Shearin, M. Vane

4 out of 5 stars

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh delivers a smoldering story with Secrets at Midnight , as the scent of Bastien Smith’s elusive lover ignites a possessiveness in him that’s as feral as it is ecstatic. And now that he’s found his mate, he’ll do anything to keep her.

In #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews’ novella, Magic Steals , when people start going missing, shapeshifting tigress Dali Harimau and jaguar shifter Jim Shrapshire must uncover the truth about the mysterious creatures responsible.

From Milla Vane—a warrior princess must tame The Beast of Blackmoor to earn a place among her people. But she quickly discovers that the beast isn't a monster, but a barbarian warrior who intends to do some taming himself. 

It’s seer Makenna Frazier's first day on the job at Supernatural Protection and Investigations, and her first assignment is more than she bargained for when bodyguard duty for a leprechaun prince’s bachelor party goes every which way but right in national bestselling author Lisa Shearin’s Lucky Charms .

This was a fun little collection of urban fantasy/paranormal romance fiction. I especially enjoyed the Ilona Andrews and the Lisa Shearin contributions. Their writings are consistently on target with my reading tastes. The Nalini Singh story is also exactly what one would expect from her, a little too skewed to the romance end of the scale for my reading taste, but her fans will undoubtedly get what they are looking for.

The interesting offering in my opinion is the Milla Vane story--shades of Robert E. Howard! This is Conan the Barbarian meets his Warrior Princess version and they struggle for supremacy! (Not that Howard wrote weak women--and the limitations of his time meant that he couldn’t detail their physical relationship in his stories the way Vane does). It’s obvious that Ms. Vane has appreciated Howard’s work and probably Fritz Leiber’s as well, classics of the sword & sorcery genre. The major shift is that this story is told from a strong female point of view--Mala decides what she is and isn’t willing to put up with from her Barbarian-to-be. It could have fallen flat, but for me it didn’t. But if sex on the page makes you uncomfortable, you will squirm while reading this gritty story. Mind you, if that makes you uncomfortable, you will not have made it this far in the book!

The Andrews story details the romance between Jim Shropshire and Dali Haurimau, in delightful fashion. I had never liked Jim all that much in the Kate Daniels series, but I’m due for a re-read in the near future and will see him quite differently now (and I will see Hugh D’Ambray differently after reading Iron and Magic).

The Lucky Charms story by Lisa Shearin is the introduction to her SPI Files series. It might have been fun to have read it before plunging into The Grendel Affair, but she didn’t write in any details that were crucial to understanding that first novel. (Completely unlike Patricia Briggs’ Alpha & Omega series, where if you missed the initial short story, you ended up confused as heck during Cry Wolf).

All in all, a pleasant and fun offering by four talented authors.