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Penric's Progress by Lois McMaster Bujold
I've always liked Bujold. Her stories are always well crafted. I first encountered her reading the Vorkosigan Saga. But they were a pain in the ass to figure out the main story line or the order of the stories. And as she tells in the introduction of Penric, she doesn't really do linear narrative. She writes a story and then realizes that maybe there should be a story that becomes before that so she writes it. She's not tied to writing her stories in a linear fashion. And she makes no apologies for it.
Penric's Progress is a collection of three novellas she wrote around the main character Penric. In her world of the 5 gods, sorcerers get their powers because of a demon that cohabitates in their bodies. When the sorcerer dies, the demon passes on to an awaiting acolyte. The demons accrue the personalities of the people they 'ride' Penric gets his demon by mistake because he was the only person around when the sorcerer died.
They are fantasy stories but they come across more like police procedurals with Penric aiding the detective trying to solve the murder. In most cases, it's Penric's job to find out what to do with the spirit that didn't go where it was supposed to go.
The stories are fun and to the point. Lots of banter. Quick reads. On to Penric's Travels.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm
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The Trains of the Yosemite Valley by Hank Johnston
You are going to really like trains to read this pictorial essay. And yes, every book written about Yosemite ever was written by Hank Johnston. But trains. So many train details. Lots of scale drawings. Lots of maps on how to make Model Railroads of the Yosemite trains. There is a list of every engine and caboose that was on the Yosemite line.
But I read it for the history of the railroad. The book title is a misnomer because they never had rail travel in the park. The Yosemite Valley RR stopped at El Portal. Then you had to at first take a stage coach, at first, and eventually cars, the rest of the way. The book does give a very concise history of the passenger rail service up the Merced Canyon. The train tracks were also used to haul Timber down from the logging operations to a mill at Merced Falls as well as all the crushed rock for a cement plant.
I'm working on an idea for a film, hence the spate of Yosemite books, about early tourism into the park, specifically the stage coach run that went by my house. About a minute after the park was discovered the race was on to bring visitors to the park. There were a lot of entrepreneurs who saw Yosemite as a great money making opportunity. There were three competing concerns to get the first stage coach road built to the valley. Two were north of the valley and one was south. The two northern routes were completed first but the Southern route was shorter and had the benefit of having a rail stop right at the beginning. Yes, that rail stop was Raymond, CA. But the victory only lasted about twenty years until the train was completed up the Merced Canyon. The train was doomed the second they completed the highway that ran parallel to the train tracks. The highway is the 140.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm
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Penric's Travels by Lois McMaster Bujold
Three more Novellas involving Penric and his chaos demon Desdemona. But these combine closer into one longer all about Penric's adventures in Chalion. He helps rescue a General and the General's sister. Lots of palace intrigue as both Penric and the General are both tied up in a treason plot. There is a lot less detective work in these three and more just straight up adventures. There's the big escape in the first one. There's the journey to safety in the second. And the third involves rescuing a prisoner.
All good stories. They went down easy.
There are two more novellas in the series that I will now track down.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm
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Direct from Nature: The Oil Sketches of Thomas Hill by Janice T. Driesbach
Thomas Hill was one of the preeminent painters of the West, particularly of Yosemite and it's environs. Hill was born in 1829 in Birmingham, England and passed away in 1908 in Raymond, CA. Yes, that Raymond, CA. For the last decade of his life, he had a studio adjacent to the Wawona Hotel. He would spend his summers there and would winter in Raymond. The book is a nice intro to Hill's work along with a solid biography of his life. The main thrust is an introduction to oil sketches Hill would do in the field. Hill would then use the oil sketches to create his larger work. For some reason oil sketches weren't considered real art at the time. The book attempts to legitimize these smaller works.
There is also a lot of consideration given to how Hill made a living and the struggles to find financing and patrons. One excerpt talks about the greatness of the art plus as an added bonus you get a really nice frame. Towards the end of his life, his studio at Wawona acted almost like his personal gallery. People would come over from the hotel and buy his works. The gallery still stands today as a visitors center at Wawona. I would visit it but the gallery is currently closed as a year long renovations is being done on the hotel.
You're going to want to do a really deep dive on Yosemite history to read this book.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm
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Gods without Men by Hari Kunzru
Literature! It confuses me. Gods without Men tells the tale of the pinnacles, a rock structure out in the dessert in San Bernardino County, sort of. The pinnacles are the epicenter for Indian God, Coyote to try to get out of the afterlife. I think. It's weird novel. Really well written. The scenarios it tells from 1870 missionaries to 1920 WW1 Vets to a strange cult to to a sort of modern missing child story all our woven together. Some of the characters from one era do transfer into the next era to show some continuity.
At the end, I think I only barely grasped the story the author tried to tell. I think.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm
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Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells
Another slim entry into the Angry Sec Unit canon. I can't imagine people paying $18 for this. Thank you library. In this quick read, the Sec Unit is called upon to solve a murder mystery. There is lots of the usual Sec Unit stuff about him being better than the meat sacks around him at doing things. Lots of description about he does stuff. Lots of anger at the mortals around him. It does get a bit repetitive, but at this stage still enjoyable.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm
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Galen Clark: Yosemite Guardian by Shirley Sargeant
Galen Clark was one of the original pioneers to visit and live in Yosemite Valley. He helped discover (white man) the Mariposa and Fresno Groves of Big Trees. (Why don't we know about the Fresno Grove of Big Trees. They were chopped down). This book was written in 1963 and it's odd the author got to talk to people that actually knew Clark, who died in 1910. Clark was responsible for the hotel area that eventually became the Wawona Hotel. He had a range of mountains and one peak named after him. He was the last person buried in the Yosemite cemetery.
But even after reading the book, I'm still unsure why he is still so revered. He was a terrible businessman. He was constantly in debt. I think he died still owing his brother money on a 50 year old debt. He was one of the first and last Guardians of Yosemite when it was still just the Yosemite Grand and not the National Park. I got the feeling he told really good stories to people who knew him, but those stories aren't recorded. For a long time he was Mr. Yosemite. Everyone that came to the park wanted to see him, but again it's at a remove from the story and you don't get a sense of him.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm
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Dead Man's Sins by Caimh McDonnell
More wacky Irish mystery with everyone's favorite hurling coach/detective Bunny McGarry. McDonnell continues to mine the life of Bunny for stories. He currently writes two different series at different points in Bunny's life. This is earlier on. Bunny is being framed for murder and must solve the case before he lands in jail. There is lots of trickery and odd characters and they mystery is pretty good.
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Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman
1930s era gothic horror set in a strange small town in Georgia where something bad happens in the woods outside of town. WWI shell shocked vet Frank and his soon to be bride, Dora, relocate to the small town of Whitcomb after Frank inherits a house there. Frank intends to write a book about one of his ancestors who was an evil slaveowner. Bad things happen. And it does make a huge change about halfway through the book. It was one type of book but then becomes another type. Or maybe it was headed there all the time and I didn't see it.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm
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We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker
A literate sort of mystery where everyone is damaged. Vincent goes to jail for accidentally killing his girlfriend Star's sister. Years later Vincent's best friend, Walk is the town sheriff on the eve of Vincent returning to town. Star has two kids Duchess and Robin. Star is a drunk. Duchess is an outlaw at 13. Robin is an angel boy.
After Vincent leaves prison, Star is murdered and Vincent is the main suspect. There are plenty of other subplots going as well. Everyone has an agenda. The whole story is an exercise in sadness as more of the plot reveals itself.
Best of all set in a fictitious coastal town that is somewhere near Salinas, sort of.
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The Necromancer's House by Christopher Buehlman
Modern day magician has to do battle with a Russian Boogeyman or woman as the case may be. It took a long time for me to figure out what the hell was going with this story and I felt i was playing catch-up the entire time I read the book. The story showed a really interesting application of magic to the modern world. The magic dealt with cars and over the internet and used VHS tapes to talk to the dead. It was very imaginative. The main magic user goes to AA and so does his best friend. The story kicks off because one of Alexander's creations kills a Russian neighbor. Unfortunately the Russian neighbor has connections to dark magic in Russia and they come seeking payback.
I think this story is going to stay with me for a while.
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The Kill by Jane Casey
Maybe these books are growing on me. I seem to be enjoying them. Or maybe it's just comfort food. I still don't understand the relationship between Maeve and her superior Derwent, but since they fight so much I figure they will eventually be a couple.
This one starts with a cop murdered in his car. Before you know it, there seems to be a cop killing spree going on. The only question does the first murder tie in to all the other murders? Some of the threads from earlier books po up to sow confusion. They mystery was pretty good.
On to the next in the series. I think I have three left.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm
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Let the Dead Speak by Jane Casey
Poor Maeve. At least she go a promotion between books. At least I hope it's between books or else I missed a book. A girl comes home to her house to find it covered in blood and her mother missing. Enter the MET team to find out what happened. Pretty much everyone becomes a suspect. The bodies start piling up and there is even a false ending. Casey has her formula and she plays it well.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm
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After The Fire by Jane Casey
This one comes before Let the Dead Speak but I forgot I didn't put it in the list. But the list is up to date now.
Maeve Kerrigan has to investigate a fire at a Council Apartment Building. The big problem is an MP is found dead at the scene. But who is the real target? Plus, Maeve's stalker is back on the scene. Maeve's life continues to be a mess.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm
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A Necessary Evil by Abir Mukherjee
Another mystery in the time of the Raj in India. After witnessing the murder of crown prince Adir, Captain Wyndham and Surrender-Not travel to the city-state of Sambalpore to find the murderer. More princes continue to die. No one can be trusted. The main joy for me in these books is the depiction of India in the 1920s.
As a matter of fact, my anger does keep me warm
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