It’s been a crazy, busy week, full of upheavals, as well as working around a hand Persephone bit (hard) last Thursday when she got scared while at the vet for her annual checkup. (It’s almost better, thank you. Yes, I did see a doctor.) Books were a very welcome refuge.
For those of you unfamiliar with this column, the Friday Fragments lists what I’ve read over the past week. Most of the time I don’t include details of either short fiction (unless part of a book-length collection) or magazines. The Fragments are not meant to be a recommendation list. If you’re interested in a not-at-all-inclusive recommendation list, you can look under Neat Stuff.
Once again, this is not a book review column. It’s just a list with, maybe, a bit of description or a few opinions tossed in. And it’s also a great place to tell me what you’re reading.
Completed:
The Animal World of the Pharaohs by Patrick F. Houlihan. This 1996 study is enjoyable and engrossing. I really liked the ambition of this study. From sacred animals to family pets, everything is covered.
The Rails that Bind: America’s Freedom Trains as Reflections of Efforts to Form Cultural Consensus and Indicators of the Weakness of Cold War Memory by Daniel Speer. A William & Mary Honor’s Thesis.
Where There’s a Will by Rex Stout.
Jenny’s Moonlight Adventure, story and pictures by Esther Averill. A short story about courage.
Jenny and the Cat Club, story and pictures by Esther Averill. Jenny, in case you wondered, is a little black cat who wears a red scarf.
In Progress:
The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater. Audiobook. Fourth of her “Raven Cycle.” I’ve read the whole series, but this one only once, so a re-listen seemed a good thing. For those of you who enjoy audiobooks, the reader does an excellent job with this series.
The Mother Hunt by Rex Stout.
Also:
Finished Smithsonian right in time for a new one to arrive. I feel bad for the painting that is mocked in one article. I don’t think it merits it, for a variety of reasons.
Jane Lindskold: Wednesday Wanderings 
July 15, 2022 at 3:03 am |
As I had predicted, reading fell off this week. Instead I watched 2 episodes of the old British mystery TV series “Lovejoy” and rewatched a few of the British TV movie mysteries “Inspector Morse.” Both are based on books, for those interested. I also watched several episodes of “The Umbrella Academy” season 1, which is based on a comic book.
“Lovejoy” has Ian McShane when he was young and his face mostly unlined, for those who only know him via “Deadwood” or the John Wick movies. Lovejoy is the “wrong” sort of scoundrel for me to like in this series, an antiques dealer willing to cheat innocent people. His roguish charm and loyalty to his friends wasn’t enough to get me past that. I can see the Lovejoy DNA in the Vinyl Detective book series which I do enjoy, but the Vinyl Detective doesn’t cheat people. He just knows what things are worth and uses that.
“Inspector Morse” is a man closer to the end of his career than the beginning. He lives alone, never married, and loves opera, good beer, and British crosswords (which are not the same as American ones), not necessarily in that order. He’s too clever by half and while he always gets his murderer, he tends to go down a lot of rabbit holes before he gets there. The movies were made in the late 80s and through the 90s and some of the hairstyles and fashions show it. There are 33 of them (one for each novel by Colin Dexter, who appears in every episode as a background extra). I’ve watched the whole series once when I was younger than Morse, and am going to do so again, in between other things, because I am now the same age as him. The episodes strike me differently, now.
“The Umbrella Academy” is in the vein of “Doom Patrol” and “X-Men” – kids with powers, raised by a manipulative old man, now adults, all with major issues from their abnormal upbringing, and the world’s about to end. I’m invested enough to finish the season, not sure if I want to revisit these characters for season 2 or 3.
Back to more reading this week, I think.
July 15, 2022 at 7:29 am |
I had the same reaction to Lovejoy, back in the day. Errol Flynn’s Robin Hood is about as far as I can go w/the charming thief. And thank you for reminding me of Inspector Morse… I’ve read a few, and remember enjoying.
July 15, 2022 at 5:26 am |
Ouch! I am glad your hand is healing! Watch out if you start batting bottle caps across the floor and napping on top of the refrigerator!
A lot of reading this week because allergies were acting up – ragweed.
I finished Clockwork Destiny (Clockwork Angels #3) by Kevin J. Anderson and Neil Peart. I had read the first two books a long time ago, but it didn’t matter. This book is good enough it could stand alone. A very good steampunk adventure.
The Pursuit (Fox and O’Hare #5) by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg is the second book I finished. The conman and the FBI agent team up to stop a major criminal. An easy read. As with Stephanie Plum books, secondary characters are fun.
I read The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey. It was an excellent, exciting book. I enjoyed figuring out what was really going on. The ending seemed kind of out of left field. Still, a very good, thought provoking book.
Next, I read a Middle grade fantasy, Over the Woodward Wall (The Up-and-Under #1) by A. Deborah Baker. I won Book #3 in a Goodreads Giveaway, so I wanted to read the first 2. It was ok. Maybe the next book will be better now that I know the basic story.
Finally, I read The Perdition Score (Sandman Slim #8) by Richard Kadry. This was an easy read with lots of clever dialog. Bloody, violent, action packed. A book I can read as a total spectator.
July 15, 2022 at 7:32 am |
Wow… That’s an amazing list. I think I read Over the Woodward Wall and had a similar reaction. Jim is also allergic to ragweed, so we send sympathies. Y’know, I think being a werecat, especially if I lived in this household, would be cool. Out on the streets, not so much.
July 16, 2022 at 8:44 pm |
We went camping last week [Killarney Provincial Park, if you’re interested. Lovely place]. Which means I was finally sitting around enough to finish The Emperor’s Wolves, by Michelle Sagara. For those familiar with her Chronicles of Elantra, this is the story of how Severn Handred joined the Wolves – and got pitched into a major hunt before he was even sworn in. Rather enjoyed it – Michelle is quite adept at keeping readers on the edge of their seats despite the fact that they rarely know any more about what’s going on that the characters do, and sometimes less. Technically, I would classify it as a fantasy police procedural, criminal investigation division.