Easley Library Bookworms discussion

Yesterday, I started reading a short story anthology, The Haunted Train: Creepy Tales from the Railways: Gothic Ghost and Horror Stories. it's not a review copy as such; but my friend Andrew Seddon has a story included, and I'm reading it from cover to cover rather than dipping into it intermittently as I often do with short story collections.

In recent days, I've started on two new books, very different from each other. One I'm reading to myself, and one I'm reading to my wife.

The former is a Victorian classic, The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. I'm reading this as a participant in a common read in another group; but though I didn't anticipate it in my reading plans for the year, it's been on my to-read shelf for forever, so I'm very glad to have the motivation for reading it now.

Barb and I are reading the second book in the Avenging Angels series, Avenging Angels: Sinners' Gold. The nominal "author," A.W. Hart, is a house pen name used by Wolfpack Publishing for all of the authors of books in this series (and at least one other series). In this case, the actual author (credited in the back of the book) is one who's new to both of us, Wayne D. Dundee. (We're not planning to read the whole series; but last year, we read the seventh book, Avenging Angels: The Wine of Violence just because my Goodreads friend Charles Gramlich wrote it, and we liked it so well that when I had a chance to buy this one for a modest price, I took the chance. :-) )

I'm continuing my reading of K. W. Jeter's Kim Oh series with the next installment, Real Dangerous Place.

The book I started reading in electronic format last night, House Blend, a short (11-chapter) novel in my Goodreads friend Heather Day Gilbert's Barks and Beans "cozy' mystery series, isn't in the Goodreads database yet, since it's not expected to be published until October. Heather kindly shared an advance e-copy with me earlier this year, in a format compatible with my Kindle app; and since my Internet access was messed up for some reason last night, I got a good start on reading it.

Even though Mexico is a contiguous country to my own, until now I've never read any book set in Mexico, nor by a Mexican author. But now that I'm joining in another group's common read of Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, that lapse is being corrected. (The author has lived in Canada since 2004; but she was born and raised in Mexico and sets her fiction there, so I think I can fairly count her as a Mexican writer.)

I've just added The Complete Poetry by John Milton to my "currently reading" shelf, but that's a bit misleading. The edition of his collected poetry that I'm actually reading from is the one edited by James Holly Hanford (Ronald Press, 1953); and besides Handford's introductory matter, I only plan to read Paradise Lost. But once I finish that, I will have read Milton's entire poetic corpus (spread over a 56-year period).

Having invested so much time and effort over the years in reading Milton, and having a lot of will power, on this final read I stuck with the collection for five days. But at the age of 70, my tolerance for sinking time into eye-glazingly tedious books just because they're touted as "Great Classics That Everyone Must Read!" is no longer what it once was; so I finally bailed. I won't presume to rate his poetry; but I do have some thoughts on it that might be of interest to some readers, and I hope to post them this coming weekend.

What I'm reading now is a marked change of pace: Real Dangerous Fun by K.W. Jeter, the fourth book in his Kim Oh series. When I finish it, I'll be caught up with all of the series volumes that are currently available in paper format.

Moving from fiction to nonfiction, I've just started reading Highbrow/Lowbrow: The Emergence of Cultural Hierarchy in America by Lawrence W. Levine. Last year, I realized that I've never made a serious study of the history and ideology of so-called "high" culture, to give substance and context to my impressionistic observations; so that's what put this book on my radar.

This afternoon, Barb and I started on the second book of the Barks and Beans "cozy" mystery series, Iced Over, by my Goodreads friend Heather Day Gilbert. (I've mentioned the series before on this thread.) We're both fans of the author, though my favorite part of her work is actually her Viking-themed historical fiction (which is a genre that Barb doesn't get into). This particular series will particularly appeal to dog lovers.

It's unusual for me to start reading four different books within days of each other. But last week was such a time!

Last Monday evening, I wasn't able to log on to Goodreads because the site was down. I decided to read on my Kindle app instead, but had nothing new to read at the time; so I went looking for a promising freebie to download. The one I picked, after reading the teaser, was Assassin's Vow: An Espionage Thriller Novella by the team of David Bruns and J.R. Olson. So I'll be reading that one sporadically, as I get time to do so. :-)

Barb and I are now continuing our read of the Barks and Beans Cafe' mystery series, by Heather Day Gilbert, with the third book, Fair Trade.

Although Behind a Mask: The Unknown Thrillers of Louisa May Alcott didn't win the poll to become a common read this year in a group where I nominated it, it was still high on my agenda to reread. When I discovered a copy of it in the public library in Harrisonburg, VA earlier this week, while passing time there, I realized that (since it's a relatively short read), I could get a good start on it there and then finish it fairly quickly by checking out the BU library's copy here in Bluefield. So I'm in the process of doing that!

Finally, I'm also taking part this month in another group's common read of a short collection of stories by G.K. Chesterton, The Club of Queer Trades. (I'm expecting the last three books on this list to be fairly quick reads.

The Covert Guardian: The Unsanctioned Guardians #1, by Liane Zane, is the opening novel of a projected prequel trilogy that spins off from her Elioud Legacy series. She's a Goodreads friend of mine (whom I've mentioned here before) and recently gifted me with a paperback ARC; I started on it yesterday. The book is a short one (155 p.), so I'm expecting it to be a relatively quick read.

Francine Rivers is an evangelical author of serious Christian fiction, about whom I've been hearing good things for decades; but though I've had titles by her on my to-read shelf for as long as I've had one, I've never read any of her work until now. This morning, Barb and I started on her historical novel Redeeming Love, a retelling of the biblical book of Hosea in the context of the 19th-century U.S. (mainly California). I'm excited at finally encountering this new-to-me author!

Well, Barb bailed fairly quickly (in the Prologue) on our joint read of Redeeming Love, and I understood why. Rivers chose to start the story with the female protagonist's unhappy very young childhood, as an out-of-wedlock daughter to a married father who doesn't love her and never wanted her, and who made her feel that she has to compete with him for her mother's love. That makes the beginning of the book unremittingly bleak and painful. However, I intend to continue reading it on my own.

As out next book to read together, Barb and I are trying out Girls of Silver Spur Ranch (1913), by the writing team of Grace MacGowan Cooke and Anne McQueen. This is a novel for younger readers, set in Texas in the time of the Spanish-American War; it's a reread for me (although I was just a kid when I read it), but a brand-new read for Barb.

Barb and I have gotten a good start on reading Spilled Milk the fourth novel in the Barks and Beans Cafe Mystery series, by Heather Day Gilbert (whom I've often mentioned before on this and other threads), We've previously read and liked the first three books (and I've also read an ARC of House Blend, which isn't in the Goodreads database yet); but so far, I'm liking this volume the best of those that I've read.

While passing time earlier this week in the public library in Harrisonburg, Virginia, I started reading The Best Short Stories of Bret Harte, which goes onto my "being read intermittently" shelf for the present. This is actually my third read of that collection; but the most recent one was around 20 years ago, so I've largely forgotten most of the stories and it's almost like a new read.

Given my Swedish background and interest in all things Scandinavian, I've long been interested in reading The Prose Edda: Tales from Norse Mythology by the medieval Icelandic poet and scholar Snorri Sturluson. It's been in my physical TBR piles for quite a while; so yesterday, since I was looking for a short book before starting a group read next month, I finally pulled it out and began reading it!

The excellent Goodreads group Works of Thomas Hardy (https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/... ) often features discussions of individual poems by Hardy. I've not read many of these; but the comments there whetted my interest, so I've begun intermittently reading (when I'm between other books) The Complete Poems of the author. (In this edition, the text itself has 954 pages; so this will definitely be a long read!)

Another group I'm in is doing a common read of the medieval Welsh classic The Mabinogion, and I'm joining in. This book has been on my to-read shelf for awhile now, mostly because my understanding is that it's a basic original source for Celtic mythology. Another title that's been on that list a long time is The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander; and I'm thinking that the former will be a good source of background material for the latter! :-)

Well, I gave The Mabinogion an honest try, but bailed on it after 44 pages. This note explains why: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... .

Now, I've begun reading To Calm a Storm, the concluding book of the Tavland Vikings duology by Heather Day Gilbert and Jen Cudmore, newly published this past summer. (It's not a review book, but rather one that I purchased because I liked the series opener.) I'm a fan of historical fiction, and the medieval period is one of my favorite settings, so this is right up my alley!

Having finished Spilled Milk, the fifth book in the Barks and Beans Cafe' cozy mystery series by Heather Day Gilbert, Barb and I are continuing right along with the sixth installment, Trouble Brewing!

A couple of days ago (although I didn't get around to posting about it until now), I started reading the text of the play A Man for All Seasons (1960), by British playwright Robert Bolt. I've seen the 1988 movie production starring Charlton Heston, and have the impression that it's more faithful to Bolt's original than the better known 1966 movie version starring Paul Scofield (which I haven't seen, but have some information about). So I wanted to check out my impression by going back to the source! :-)

For October, The Ghosts (1969) by Antonia Barber is a common read in another group; I'm joining in, and it worked out best for me to start a day early. It was originally recommended to me by our own Paula Beasley (who has kindly loaned me her copy) and was actually written for younger readers; but that's not necessarily any problem for me. :-) (Some of my most enjoyable and rewarding reads have been children's or YA books!)

G.K. Werner is a long-standing Goodreads friend of mine. Though I've never read any of his work, I've long been intrigued by the descriptions of his retelling of the Robin Hood legends, The Clerk of Copmanhurst's Tales trilogy, and the three books (all of them purchased) have been sitting in my TBR piles for years. Yesterday, I finally started on the first book, Robert of Wakefield: Robin Hood's Father.

So far this year, although I've read parts of a couple of poetry books, I haven't read a whole one. To remedy that, I've started reading Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (although I'm reading the undated Grosset and Dunlap printing, not the one pictured here. Longfellow's The Song of Hiawatha only got two stars from me, but I thought that his long poetry deserved another chance.

To complete our group's Easly Library Ongoing Reading Challenge, I need to read a book "from Africa" (that is, written by an African writer). Although I wouldn't force myself to read a book I didn't think would be rewarding just for a challenge, the classic South African novel Cry, The Beloved Country by Alan Paton has been on my to-read shelf for a long time. So I'm finally seizing the opportunity to read it.

The Lady of the Shroud by Bram Stoker is a long-standing "loose end" in my reading; I started reading it as a kid, but didn't get to finish it at the time (long story!). I always intended to eventually get back to someday, but have never gotten around to it until now. But an unexpected window of opportunity having opened up in my reading schedule, I've finally seized on the opportunity to start it again. (I know a bit more about it from secondary sources than I did back then, but I'm still interested!)

Barb and I read Through the Ice by Piers Anthony and Robert Kornwise sometime back in the 90s, after buying a copy at a flea market; but I've never reviewed it, and it's been on my "to-reread" shelf for quite a while, since I need a refresher read to do it justice. We both liked it at the time: and since Barb has even less memory of it than I do, so that for her it can be essentially a new read, we've started reading it again. (We've also read and liked a number of Anthony's Xanth novels.)

One way to not have as many ongoing, "dangling" series on one's literary plate as I once had is, once you start reading one, to follow up with the sequels quickly. :-) So, having embarked on The Clerk of Copmanhurst's Tales trilogy by G.K. Werner earlier this year with the series opener, Robert of Wakefield, I've now started on the second book, Robin of Locksley: Tales of Robin and Marian.

With the end of the year approaching, I wanted to start a fairly quick read; so I went with one that's been on my to-read shelf for a long time, the nonfiction book The Everlasting Man by G.K. Chesterton (180 p.). (However, I've already discovered that due to the author's style, the small print, and the complexity of the thought, it's not really likely to be a quick read after all. I'm in it for the long haul, though!)

Well, I still want to read a correctly printed copy of The Everlasting Man sometime, but I gave up on the copy I had because it turned out to be very poorly digitized. :-( Still wanting a quick read before I start my Christmas season reading, I've begun on one of the many books in my physical TBR piles, The Ginger Star by Leigh Brackett. Her Black Amazon of Mars got five stars from me when I read it back in 2016.

As a kid, although I was something of a fan of the Hardy Boys mystery series, I never discovered the Nancy Drew books, and only heard about them much later. I've often regretted that, and have been curious enough to have had The Secret of the Old Clock (1930), the series opener, on my to-read shelf for some time. Having time to work in one more short book before the end of the year, I decided to finally give it a read! :-)

While I'm waiting to start a buddy read in another group on Jan 1, I'm dipping into Irish Fairy and Folk Tales (1920), a collection of traditional Irish legends retold by James Stephens. This one is on my "being read intermittently" shelf.

In another group, my Goodreads friend Deb Atwood and I (and perhaps others who might join us) are taking part this month in a buddy read of The Hacienda (2022) by Mexican-born writer Isabel Cañas. This is a Gothic tale set in the Mexico of 1823, and is the author's first novel.

Back in 2020, I first encountered Shiela Crerar, the heroine of a short story cycle by British author Ella M. Scrymsour (whose full name was Ella Mary Scrymsour-Nichol) published in 1920, through the story "The Werewolf of Rannoch." The Adventures of Shiela Crerar, Psychic Detective collects all six of the stories; and having gotten a copy for Christmas, I was able to start reading it yesterday!

A few years ago, my friend Andrew M. Seddon, finding that he had gotten an extra copy of the 2009 reprint edition of Weird Stories (1882) by Victorian ghost-story writer Charlotte Riddell, kindly passed it on to me. I've finally begun dipping into it while I wait for a couple of review books I'm expecting by mail (so, for now, it's on my "being read intermittently" shelf).

A couple of days ago, I got my review copy (technically it's a contributors copy, but I'm treating it as a review copy) of Wolf Wanderings, an anthology of both older and newer wolf-friendly short fiction edited by my friend Andrew M. Seddon, and was finally able to start reading it today. (All profits from the sale of this book go to wolf conservation organizations and sanctuaries.)

Barb and I started on a new book (I'm reading it aloud to her) today, Cold Drip. It's the sixth book (in the main series numbering) in the Barks and Beans Cafe' mystery series by my Goodreads friend Heather Day Gilbert, which we're planning to stick with until we get caught up (there will be at least nine books in the series, although the ninth one isn't scheduled to be published until November of this year).

Meanwhile, for my individual reading, I'm about to start a review book from another Goodreads friend, Liane Zane. It's the second volume of her Unsanctioned Guardians series, , The Harlequin Protocol, a prequel trilogy to her earlier series, the Elioud Legacy. Barring anything unexpected, I should begin reading this book tomorrow.

Earlier this week, I started on the next review book in my queue, Dr. Andrew's Curious and Quirky Compendium: Hints, Helps, Perils, Pitfalls, Constructive Comments and (Hopefully) Awesome Advice for Aspiring Authors, by my Goodreads friend Andrew M. Seddon.

Like my previous read, the book I'm reading now, Ranger's First Call: More Short Stories & Memories of German Shepherds is a review book I was given by the author, my friend Andrew M. Seddon. It's a sequel to his earlier collection, Bonds of Affection: Short Stories and Memories of German Shepherds.

Since my grandson Philip gave me a copy of Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein this past Christmas, I've wanted to prioritize it as much as possible. Having now completed all of the scheduled reading and review books that I wanted to finish first, I've now started on this novel, which will be my first experience with the author's long fiction. (Although I'm a science fiction fan, my taste doesn't typically run primarily to hard or military SF.)

Right now, I'm taking part in another group's common read of Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy. This is a reread for me, but my only prior read was over 50 years ago, and there's a fair amount that I've forgotten.

Having read and liked a couple of books in Wolfpack Publishing's Avenging Angels series by A.W. Hart out of series order (long story!), Barb and I have decided to follow the series (she's an avid Western fan, and I enjoy these books as well). So we've started on the first book, Avenging Angels: Vengeance Trail. The actual author of this one is Peter Brandvold ("A. W. Hart" is a house pen name).

Late last year, as part of my ongoing challenge to support physical bookstores, I bought a copy of the anthology American Midnight: Tales of the Dark. Today, I've started reading it while I wait for an interlibrary loan book; since I might not finish it before the other book comes, it's on my "being read intermittently" shelf.

I'm still passing time waiting for an interlibrary loan book (the lending library sent the wrong book the first time; so, as movie directors might say, we're now on "Take #2" :-) ). So while I'm waiting, having finished two story collections, I've started on a third one, The Penguin Book of Horror Stories. This one is a lot thicker than the last two combined, so it will probably serve me through this situation and several more like it!

Back in the early 70s, I read a book by the 20th-century Chinese Christian leader and theologian Watchman Nee; but by the time I joined Goodreads in 2008, I no longer remembered the title. On my "read" shelf, it's listed as The Normal Christian Life (which is his best-known work). But I've begun to suspect that it was actually The Normal Christian Church Life; so I'm now reading the latter book to see if I recognize any of the text. (If it is the same book, after a lapse of 50 years or so, it needed a reread anyway!)

The forthcoming novel (expected publication date, Sept. 15 of this year) Victoria Unveiled, by my Goodreads friend Shane Joseph, is a near-future science fiction tale, dealing with the potential pitfalls of AI and sentient androids. Having received an e-ARC (to be deleted when read) from the author, I started on it today. (Reading in electronic format doesn't fit regularly into my schedule, so I have to grab time to do it when I can!)

My encounter with A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith began as a pre-teen kid (which probably wasn't the best time of life to read it). I'd been listing it as "read," but I think I actually just skimmed some of the last chapters, rather than reading them, and don't remember the book very fondly. But I've long felt that to be fair to the author, I should read it with an adult's perspective; so I started on that read yesterday.

While on our recent road trip to visit family, Barb and I started a new "car book," Castle of Deception, co-written by Mercedes Lackey and Josepha Sherman. This is a reread for us, though our first reading was back in the early 90s and we've forgotten much of the plot. Though both authors are veterans in the fantasy genre, so far this is the only novel I've read by either; but I've read single short stories by each of them in fantasy anthologies.

Barb and I got started today on a new book we're reading together, Caught in Crystal by one of my favorite fantasy authors, Patricia C. Wrede. (This is another one we read once before, back in the 90s, but are revisiting.) We read it as a standalone, having stumbled on it at a flea market; I only learned after joining Goodreads that it's the fourth book of the author's Lyra series, which I'm not familiar with otherwise.

I'm taking part in another group's July read of The Spy Who Came In from the Cold by John le Carré (and have started a little early). This is another reread for me, but my prior read was in the early 70s, and there are major gaps in my memory of the book. At the time, I didn't appreciate it much (I've never reviewed it, but I rated it at two stars); however, I've often wondered if I'd rate it higher now, if I read it with the added maturity I've gained since.

Last year, I read and liked the first two books of my Goodreads friend G. K. Werner's The Clerk of Copmanhurst's Tales series, which I'm finding to be an excellent retelling of the Robin Hood legends. This year, I'm hoping to finish the four-book series; so to that end, I started today on the third book, Robin of Barnsdale: Tales of Maidens and Outlaws. (Technically, these books are story collections, but the stories form a closely-linked cycle.)