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12
Sep

#Novella Ring Shout

NOVEMBER

Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark by P. Djèlí Clark P. Djèlí Clark

Finish date: 11 September 2022
Genre: dark fantasy  novella (176 pg)
Rating: C
Review: Ring Shout (ISBN: 9781250767028)

 

 

Themes: – horrors of racism, resistance, hate, trauma
Characters: – Maryse Boudreaux, Chef (Cornelia) and Sadie.
Plot: Ring Shout tells the story of an otherworldly evil that
has risen in the 1920s South in the form of monsters who take up residence within the bodies of people filled with hate – namely the Ku Klux Klan.
Motif: a sword — a mystical one that simply paints a picture in the reader’s mind through repetition of imagery.

 

Good news: LOVE the cover! It just says: “Read me!”

 

Good news: Real cinematic quality writing … I could see the characters and scenes and events unfolding so clearly in my head. Best part: description of Butcher Clyde: “…sores break out along his skin…little mouths…they move about under his skin like maggots..” (pg 81)  See also the cover of the book…can see the mouths with white jagged teeth!

 

Good news: Clark has done his homework. He blends history with fiction. He takes key pieces of history and makes them fantastical in his writing.

 

I learned about the origins of the KKK …how it was named and who started the first klan.
I learned about D.W. Griffith’s move “Birth of a Nation” from another perspective! The 1915 D.W. Griffith infamous ‘classic’ film is used to summon Ku Kluxes who are non-human entities of the human Ku Klux Klan. On (pg 81) Clark mentions “…make the invisible Empire strong.”
This is a reference to book (1930) by D. F. Horn Invisible Empire: Story of the KKK 1866-1871.

 

Good news: The tables are turned. In one sentence Clark tells us that black folk are calling the shots! Maryse says: “I hunt monsters—they don’t hunt me.” (Pg 80)

 

Bad news: Supernatural with a whiff of horror…not a book I would normally read. But that is the benefit of a reading challenge like RIPXVII …I open myself up to other genres. There are several “dream scenes” that Clark suddenly weaves into his narrative. At times I struggle to switch from reality to a faraway realm. It isn’t Clark’s fault…it is me. My imagination has not been challenged and supernatural or fantasy books I just have to learn to read!

 

Bad news: I had difficulty following the dialect that some of the characters use. Remember “buckrah debbil “ = KKK’ers infected hate and they can morph into monsters! I just have to go with the flow.

 

Good news: Original narrative idea…story of Maryse Boudreaux and her band of badass women as they storm through early 1920s Georgia on a quest to find and eliminate the monsters she calls “Ku Klux.”
There’s nothing more appealing than “badass women” on a mission!
PS: Clark is also an academic historian!

 

Personal:
Clark uses the mystery that hangs about the Ku Klux name to create a supernatural / horror story. I thought “Ring Shot” would be the central motif….but it turned out to be the “supernatural sword. Strong point: …bringing in alternate takes on history while mixing in more traditional fantasy elements. If you read this novella …be warned…there’ are a few pages of of slithering and crawling pieces of flesh!  Skim if you are squeamish! #JICK

 

9
Sep

#Londen Bridge Is Down

  1. #LondonBridgeIsDown I don’t usually have a glass of chardonnay in the afternoon
  2. …but it has been quite an emotional rollercoaster in the last 48 hrs.
  3. Rest in peace…Queen Elizabeth II  (1926 – 2022)
  4. …and God save KingCharles III
9
Sep

#Play “Lungs”

AUGUST

Lungs by Duncan Macmillan by Duncan Macmillan (no photo)

Finished: 26.08.2022
Genre: play
Rating: A+++++
Title: Lungs

 

Good news: Absolutely a stunning play, really!
It is an exhilarating love story that will linger in my mind.
One of the best plays I read this year.
It is brutally honest, funny, edgy and current.
If you have 2 hours to spare….take the time to read this excellent piece of writing!

7
Sep

#RIP Challenge 2022 Reading List

 

You can SIGN UP  RIP XIV here.

  1. Rules: Read or watch dark, creepy, gothic books, films or TV  shows.
  2. Timeline: 01 September and 31 October.
  3. Hashtag: #RIPXVII
  4. RIP = R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril challenge

 

Update: 07 September:   This is my sign-up post for RIPXVII.

 

Update: 03 September:

  1. The Colour of Magic  (Terry Pratchett)
  2. … it was impossible to read (first 50 pages)
  3. …could not follow the story.
  4. DNF after reading 25%
  5. …putting this book on the back burner.
  6. After a good nights sleep….
  7. I will  TRY to finish the  AUDIO book!

  1. Great A’Tuin is a turtle…with  four World Elephants and a disc-shaped world 
  2. Ankh-Morpork is the largest city on the Disc with about a million inhabitants.
  3. It is also one of the most common locations for the Discworld stories.
  4. This is all difficult to digest
  5. ….I need time to settle into Pratchett’s bizarre Discworld!

 

Genres:

  1. Horror – The Shining (659 pg)  – S. King (1977)  – novel
  2. Gothic – We Have Always Lived in the Castle (146 pg) – S. Jackson (1962)  novella
  3. Gothic – The Haunting of Hill House (182 pg) – S. Jackson (1959) – novella
  4. Gothic –The Sundial – Shirley Jackson (245 pg) – S. Jackson (1958) – novel
  5. Gothic – Mexican Gothic (301 pg) – S. Moreno-Garcia (2021) – REVIEW
  6. Fantasy – Penric’s Demon (129 pg) – L. McMaster Bujold (2015) …review in progress  novella
  7. Horror – Holly and the Nobodies  (334 pg) Ben Pienaar (novel)– REVIEW
  8. Supernatural – Ring Shout – P. Djèlí Clark (185 pg) – REVIEW – novella
  9. Mystery – Wrong Man Down (CF) (2022) – Jerry Masinton – REVIEW
  10. Fantasy: – The Colour of Magic  (228 pg) – Terry Pratchett (1983) – REVIEW

 

3
Sep

#AusReadingMonth2022 Red Zone

 

Red Zone China's Challenge and Australia's Future by Peter Hartcher by Peter Hartcher (no photo)

Genre: Non-fiction
Rating: A+++
Review: Red Zone (ISBN: 9781760642167)

 

UPDATE: 

  1. I read this book a few weeks ago but still wanted to share it
  2. for  #AusReadingMonth 2022.
  3. There are significant implications for Xi’s consolidation of power for Australia.
  4. It will be interesting to see how Australia’s new foreign minister, Penny Wong
  5. will “navigate the waters” between China and US and Australian’s interests!
  6. P. Hartcher was long listed for the Walkley Award 2021 for this book!

 

Good news: Hartcher explains how China works….
“Not like a hurricane coming hard and fast but more like
climate change long, slow, pervasive.” (pg 182)

 

Good news: Australia (and the world) should give this book a “prize” just because it wakes the country up …to see the risks of Chinas’s increasing infiltration of every level of life.

 

Good news: The writer explains in clear and easy terms what China is up to…not only in Australia but in many other countries.
Hartcher used the image of opiatic blue lotus that proved addictive to Odysseus’s crew to make clear what is happening. Australia’s elites becoming addicted to rising corporate profits and having a seat at the table of imperial power. Just think what happened this week: Solomon Islands refused entry to their port for US ships! Prime Minister  Solomon Islands ….taking a bribe from China?

 

Bad news: Chapters 1-5 can be a challenge for a reader who wants to know what is happening today! Hartcher’s writing plan moves slowly to give us some backstory. If you follow the news than there isn’t too much you don’t know. Stick with the book…skim chapters if you must because there is a LOT MORE to learn in later chapters.

 

Good news: My image of Mr Xi is becoming clearer. I knew nothing of his ‘difficult early years’ in China and in the CCP. Did you know Winnie de Pooh is banned in China because “the round-bellied bear with a shy smile and benign expression is thought to resemble Xi Jinping!” (pg 96)
Try to get that image out of your mind the next time you see Xi in the news!

 

Personal: China scares me…as it should scare us all!
What is China’s end game?
Read chapter 18 very carefully. Hartcher gives us China’s 14 demands ….the Rosetta Stone…for reading the psychology of Xi Jinping’s regime.
One of the strongest points in the book is Hartcher’s chapters laying out very clearly what Australia must do NOW!!!  China’s policy toward Australia has been “hostile” since 2017.
I fear Australia in very much in Xi Jinping’s cross-hairs!
This book is well worth your reading time…and EYE-OPENER!

 

Previous reviews:

  1. Quarterly Essay “Without America”
  2. Has China Won?
  3. The China Model
  4. A Force So Swift: Mao, Truman, and the Birth of Modern China
  5. AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order
  6. City On Fire: The Fight For Hong Kong – A. Dapiran finalist 2020 Australian Walkley Award

 

31
Aug

#Wrap-up 20BooksOfSummer 2022

 

QUICK SCAN:  UPDATE: 31 August 2022

  1. READ:  13 of the original list of 20 (65%)
  2. COMPLETED:  total: 24 books (01 June – 31 August)
  3. ADDED:  12 books during the summer (see: last minute)
  4. DNF: 2
  5. REJECTED: 1 play
  6. LEFT-OVERS:  3 books moved to TBR September
  7. FRENCH: read 4 books in French (#ParisInJuly)

 

 

DNF:

  1. Atom and Ashes: I started it but was not impressed.
  2. It is just a re-hash of the history of nuclear reactor castastrophes.
  3. I thought the writing would save it but no…it was just too depressing.

 

DNF:

  1. Hooked…I couldn’t get past the first chapter!!
  2. The book felt confused, slapdash, inconsistent in sum….a dog’s breakfast.
  3. NOT wasting my reading time on this! #Bah

 

REJECTED:

  1. Mojo play by Jez Butterworth. Having read some reviews
  2. …I decided the book was not worth reading.

 

LEFT-OVERS:

  1. Perfume, The Age of Phillis and Bonnard are still on my TBR for September…
  2. I just could not manage to squeeze them in this summer.

 

FRENCH:

  1. I lost my “French reading mojo” after completing #Paris in July
  2. and did not complete Ma vie antérieure…or the thriller by Frank Thilliex.
  3. I’ll save them  for another day.

 

Last minute, spur-of-the moment.

I did add a few books …after reading some reviews this summer:

  1. Thank You For Your Servitude  (2022)- M. Leibovich (NF) – REVIEW
  2. Devil in the Blue Dress – W. Mosley (CF) – REVIEW
  3. Portrait of an Unknown Woman – Daniel Silva (CF) – REVIEW
  4. All the White Friends I Couldn’t Keep – A. Henry (NF) – REVIEW
  5. Living By the Word – Alice Walker (USA) (essays) – REVIEW
  6. The Crown Ain’t Worth Much – (50 poems) Hanif Abdurraqib – REVIEW
  7. Stages of Struggle: Modern Playwrights – J. DiGaetani (NF) – REVIEW
  8. Invisible Storm – Jason Kander (memoir) – REVIEW
  9. Stony the Road  – H.L. Gates jr.  (NF) – REVIEW
  10. When Harlem Was In Vogue – D. Lewis (NF) – REVIEW
  11. Gordo – J. Cortez (12 stories) – REVIEW
  12. Lungs – Duncan MacMillian (2011) play – REVIEW

 

Complete Reading list:

  1. Thank You For Your Servitude  (2022)- M. Leibovich (NF) – REVIEW
  2. Devil in the Blue Dress – W. Mosley (CF) – REVIEW
  3. Portrait of an Unknown Woman – Daniel Silva – REVIEW
  4. Le Dernier Jour d’un Condamné   – Victor Hugo – REVIEW
  5. All the White Friends I Couldn’t Keep – A. Henry – REVIEW
  6. Le Dieu de Dostoïevski – Marguerite Souchon (France)- REVIEW
  7. La Cousin Bette – Balzac – REVIEW
  8. Flyboy in the Buttermilk – Greg Tate (USA) – REVIEW
  9. Unfollow Me – J. Busby – REVIEW
  10. Living By the Word – Alice Walker (USA) – REVIEW
  11. The Crown Ain’t Worth Much – (50 poems) Hanif Abdurraqib – REVIEW
  12. Stages of Struggle: Modern Playwrights – J. DiGaetani – REVIEW
  13. The Periodic Table – Primo Levi (Italy) – REVIEW
  14. Invisible Storm – Jason Kander (memoir) – REVIEW
  15. Stony the Road (NF) – H.L. Gates jr. (USA) – REVIEW
  16. Mildred Pierce – James M. Cain (USA) – REVIEW
  17. Profession du père – Sorj Chalandon (France) – REVIEW
  18. Hooked: Art and Attachment – Rita Felski (USA) – REVIEW
  19. Beachmasters – Thea Ashley (Australia) – REVIEW
  20. When Harlem Was In Vogue – D. Lewis (USA) – REVIEW
  21. Everything Flows – Vasily Grossman – REVIEW
  22. Gordo – J. Cortez (12 stories) – REVIEW
  23. Lungs – Duncan MacMillian (2011) play – REVIEW
  24. The Impossible Exile – G. Prochnik (NF) – FINISHED…review in September

 

 

 

28
Aug

#Mini reviews August…books by the pool!

AUGUST

Gordo by Jaime Cortez by Jaime Cortez (no photo)

Finished: 18.08.2022
Genre:short stories
Rating: D

Bad news: Not my type of writing/stories.
Not one story really entertained me.

 

 

AUGUST

Everything Flows by Vasily Grossman by Vasily Grossman Vasily Grossman

Finished: 14.08.2022
Genre: novel
Rating: B

Good news: Impressive…reading this with an eye
on what is happening in Russia today.
pg 208″…yet still the same as ever, unchanged.”
Ch 14 – 15 especially difficult to read describing the
famine in Ukraine caused by Stalin.

 

 

AUGUST

Why We Did It A Travelogue from the Republican Road to Hell by Tim Miller by Tim Miller Tim Miller

Finished: 13.08.2022
Genre: non-fiction
Rating: F

Bad news: Awful…don’t waste your money.

 

AUGUST

Stages of Struggle Modern Playwrights and Their Psychological Inspirations by John DiGaetani by John DiGaetani (no photo)

Finished: 06.08.2022
Genre: non-fiction
Rating: A

Good news: So many new insights about plays and playwrights!
If you love the theatre….you’ll love this book!

 

 

AUGUST

Until Justice Be Done America's First Civil Rights Movement, from the Revolution to Reconstruction by Kate Masur by Kate Masur (no photo)

Finished: 01.08.2022
Genre: non-fiction
Rating: A

Good news: One very long but interesting history lesson!
#MustRead for the “real history buffs”
…but if you are looking for a casual read
you will be disappointed. Book demands your
reading committment!

 

 

 

 

28
Jul

#See you in September!

 

Time to enjoy vacation

…with heat waves + mocktails Shirley Temple

…watching movies and series on streaming

…reading back issues of The New Yorker

…making lists for Fall and Winter reading.

 

 

 

19
Jul

#Heat Wave 2022

July 18 2022 Europe….and I’m in the middle of this!

 

 

 

  • It is too HOT to sit down and write a long review.
  • I’m keeping my notes “short and sweet”!

 

JULY

Invisible Storm A Soldier's Memoir of Politics and Ptsd by Jason Kander by Jason Kander (no photo)

Finish date: 18 July 2022
Genre: memoir
Rating: B

Honest, raw, brave
Jason Kander is the poster child for a man recovering from PTSD.
He is persuasive and explores this difficult topic with honesty and simplicity.

PS Please also read:

Redeployment by Phil Klay by Phil Klay Phil Klay

Both Invisible Storm and Redeployment

are #MustReads…to understand what men women  sacrifice to serve USA.

13
Jul

#Paris in July 2022 Mini-reviews

 

  1. Les délaissés   (2020)-Thomas Porcher (non-fiction) – READ
  2. Update: book is a difficult read…
  3. …but well worth the effort!
  4. Polishing my French reading skills this morning  @PorcherThomas
  5. Chapter 2 “La France de Banlieusards” is impressive
  6. …love Pocher’s insights.
  7. The man knows what he’s talking about…and it shows!
  8. He grew up in a “banlieu”…and through hard work and study
  9. …was able to become one of the best writers in France!

 

  1. La Guerre des idées (2021) – Eugenie Bastié (French journalist for Le Figaro) READ
  2. Update: another book that was a difficult read…in chapter 2  I had to look up
  3. 20 names, mostly French philosophers and historians.
  4. I hope all this hard work pays off as I continue my reading.
  5. Can you name 3 French philosophers?  I can.

 

  1. Le fagot de ma mémoire –  (2021) S. B. Diagne – READ
  2. Update: book is a difficult read…
  3. …but in this case NOT worth the effort!
  4. S. B. Diagne may be one of the 50 greatest thinkers of our time
  5. …but his memoire did not impress at all.

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