Upon a White Horse / Peter Ross

 

4 out of 5 stars 

***2026 Summer of Sightseeing from my Sofa***

Ride a cock-horse to Banbury Cross,
To see a fine lady upon a white horse;
Rings on her fingers and bells on her toes,
She shall have music wherever she goes.

I remember this rhyme from one of my childhood books and it always appealed to me. However, the rhyme is more recent than the places examined in this book. My mother's family came from Britain (among other places), so the prehistory there has been of interest to me. It was enjoyable to follow in Peter Ross's footsteps as he visited various historic sites. He has a way with words, describing these spots well and providing photos for many of them.

Ross begins with the best known of all: Stonehenge, which I have seen only through the fence which surrounded it in 1999. I longingly stuck my camera lens through the metal mesh, but we were on a birding tour and searching for Corn Buntings. No Stonehenge communing for me. From there, the author explores some (perhaps) less well known places, at least no non-English people: Silbury Hill, the chalk figures of the Uffington White Horse and the Cerne Giant. There were also sites that I only learned about a couple of years ago (Vindolanda) and one that came to the world's attention through vandalism (Sycamore Gap) when some idiot(s) chopped down an old, enormous sycamore. My best friend grew up by Hadrian's Wall, so I knew a bit about it, but I wasn't familiar with the Antonine Wall. That's probably because it was primarily constructed of turf and it has faded back into the landscape. The Romans didn't end up sticking around to make it more permanent.

The common denominator between all these places is the lack of written records. What we know about the people who built them has to be inferred from archaeological evidence and involves a certain amount of story telling. There has been a large increase in tourism to sites like these, apparently a response to the pandemic shutdown. People want to get out to touch grass (or in many of these, granite). I felt that Ross hit the nail on the head when he wrote, “Mystery is so important in a world where everything is on your phone."

Scales of Justice / Ngaio Marsh

 

4 out of 5 stars 

What a fish story this was! Inspector Alleyn is called into a murder case in a small village. One of the Old Boys has been beaten over the head and left for dead beside the fishy remains of a much desired trout known as the Old ‘Un.

Marsh teases us with possibilities of the murderer's motives. There is strong competition amongst all the fishermen to be the one to hook the Old 'Un and it has created great animosity. There has also just been a natural death, of Howard Lacklander, who had consigned his memoirs into the hands of the murder victim just before he expired. There is great trepidation and unhappiness among the neighbours about the contents of these memoirs. Marsh dangles hints about what might be causing this consternation, hinting that it might be worth killing for.

This is a very Agatha Christie like novel—set in a small village where everyone knows everyone else's business. It also shows us the class differences that were so blatant at the time. Marsh misdirected this reader quite masterfully and I was completely startled by the solution. A well plotted mystery with a perfect title.

Evil Genius / Claire Oshetsky

 

3.5 stars

I spent most of my time reading this book wondering about the title. Who was the evil genius? Surely not Celia, this nineteen year old woman with a horrible job, an abusive husband, and a controlling mother. If her life is this awful, she's no genius, evil or otherwise. On the other hand, maybe she's not the most reliable of narrators?

If I was believe Celia's account of her life, all kinds of coincidences continually happened to her. She is a runaway train, jumping the tracks of her boring life and gas lighting husband. Her job (dealing with late payments at the phone company) leads to some odd situations, which feel real enough if you've ever worked in the service industry. (I worked a telephone job for a while and was propositioned regularly by the guys who phoned.) There's the Sock Man who repeatedly phones to ask her to put a sock on his willy. The evening out with the girls that results in being propositioned by a well tailored man (her mother was a seamstress, she recognizes a well fitted suit). Finding dog poo all over his house and finding that he is an inferior fondler. It all just rolls along organically.

By the book's end, I was doubting my interpretation of events. Had Celia actually masterminded everyone's reactions to a tee? Maybe she was an evil genius? I still haven't decided and maybe I'm not meant to.

Do Travel Writers Go to Hell? / Thomas Kohnstamm

 

***2026 Summer of Sightseeing from my Sofa***

DNF @ 36%

At this point, I just disliked the author enough that I had no desire to read another word.

This book has taught me that traveling as a birder is entirely different from the regular travel crowd. I mean I already knew that, but I now realize just how different we are. If anyone on my birding tours was trolling for drugs, I don't remember it. Our tour leader in Japan regularly got soused drinking sake, but hangovers don't mix well with early mornings and bright sunshine.

I just couldn't relate. And couldn't dig up enough enthusiasm to finish the book. He's a good writer, but I'd never want to have a coffee with him.

The Odyssey / translated by Emily Wilson

 

4 out of 5 stars 

***2026 Summer of Sightseeing from my Sofa***

When I was planning a travel theme for this summer, I thought why not read one of the earliest travelogues, Homer's The Odyssey? Little did I know that I would be competing with adventurous movie goers who decided to read it either before or after seeing this year's film.

The introduction was so informative, with notes on the history of the tale and how it came to be a written document rather than only an oral tradition. I am reasonably sure that I read a different translation back in the early 1980s while studying classics at university but I remembered very few details. I was entranced by this new translation with its graceful phrasing and beautiful vocabulary.

This is really many stories strung together like a necklace. As a child, I read a lot of Greek mythology books and I was pleased to meet up again with some old friends. Bits and pieces of The Odyssey were packaged as something short-story-like and suitable for children and provided by the extension librarian. I had no idea back then of how well educated in classical knowledge I would be! This translation was very readable. I was pulled into the tale immediately and enjoyed it. I was also reminded of how different the worldview of the Ancient Greeks was from a 21st century North American. 

How to Become the Dark Lord and Die Trying / Django Wexler

 

DNF @ 18%

I may come back to this eventually, but I'm not in the right mood for it now.

I wanted to like this book. Friends have enjoyed it, people that I trust. It has things that I like: humour, snark, and an unconventional approach to a time loop. That's why I say that I may return to it someday. But these elements are so unrelenting! Davi can't seem to say anything non-snarky. At the 18% mark, I found myself avoiding reading because this was what was due at the library. That's my sure sign that a DNF is immanent.