The Hyperbole
M Rothmus – Cliff Hock: Desert Gold (The Cliff Hock Universe) (2022) ** Bounty hunter crash lands on a planet, or is it a planet? gets embroiled in a time-looping universe-spanning battle for existence, not horrible but I doubt I’ll continue the series.

Kevin McCarthy – The Wintering Place (2022) **** Sequel to Wolves of Eden, Two brothers and an ex-whore half breed hunker down in a cave in the Wyoming wilderness after surviving the Fetterman Massacre. Survival against the elements, trappers that kill more than game, and indians. The author continues the stylist approach from the first book switching from journal entries of one brother to limited third person POV from the other brother and ex-whore. Left loose ends so I hope there will be third installment.

S.A. Cosby – Razorblade Tears (2021) ***Β½ The fathers of a murdered mixed race same sex couple go looking for the killer/s. Along the way they have come to Jesus moments over race and sexuality mixed in with lots of violence. It’s like a woke George Pelecanos novel. Bro would love it.

 

R.J.
Well, crap. I already put down that I was reading β€œThe Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin,” and β€œCharlie and the Great Glass Elevator in that post that was clearly designed as sabotage! So I decided to put down something else this month, I hope this works. And before you asked, yes. These are really books on my shelf:

β€œMarquis De Sade: The Complete Writings” by who else? (My edition published 1965): After Penguin did his excellent comic about the debasement of young Wesley from Star Trek, I had to go back and read β€œEugenie de Franvalβ€œ from that compendium, about a young girl who was completely at the mercy of her family. I just imagined it was Wesley and I had a great read.

β€œHead Hunters in the Solomon Islands” by Caroline Mytinger (published 1942): The story of two young women who went to visit the Solomon islands and befriend the cannibals. Pretty amazing. They pained pictures of the natives, did interviews, etc… and then… I’m not telling. Can’t spoil plot points! It’s a travelogue so clearly somebody came back.

β€œWith Wolseley to Kumasi” by Captain F.S. Brereton (pub 1908). I can never get enough about old history straight from the source. Probably because people always try to revise it later. Need a firsthand account of the first Ashanti War, in all the blood soaked details? This is it.

Typed in semaphore using an Intellivision joypad

 

Fourscore
I only read stuff purported to be non fiction, mostly historical. The problem is a lot of the material has no witnesses, not recorded, left to the author’s imagination. Footnotes often cite a source that also is subject to another’s interpretation. Since I’m reading for fun I really don’t get too concerned though. I finished Unger’s biography of Henry Clay. One of the most fascinating books I read about Early American politics. The Founding Fathers were not a bunch of Good Ol’ Boys sitting around, talking politics. Many hated, with a vengeance, their opposition. Most were busing trying to carve up the pie, in wealth through land speculation or other means of tapping the till. Great book, if one likes American history.

Then I went to Drury and Clavins “Blood and Treasure” a biography of Daniel Boone, an American icon with lots of romantic and daring legends having been written that have been portrayed on TV and taught in grade schools. Contrary to OMWC’s belief, I was not a personal friend of Dan’l. Again, a lot of info that can’t be verified as he is purported to have been alone in the wilderness much of his time. The authors’ style did make him seem to be more human and prone to making mistakes. He fathered (more or less) 11 kids and may have had more during his forays into the Indian Country. He too was always on the trail of making money through land speculation and business deals that never quite materialized into fruition. A fun read.

I just started Bill Yenne’s “The Other Custers”. We all know the tragedy of Little Bighorn, we’ve seen the movies and TV stuff. Hardly mentioned is that George had two brothers, a brother-in-law and a nephew along that fateful day when he should have stayed in bed. I haven’t gotten into it too far but it’s more about the early history of the Custers. Good background. Still have more books lined up.Can’t catch up or keep up.

 

Richard
Lately I’ve been on a Larry Correia binge. It started with free copy of “Monster Hunter International” then all the rest of the Monster Hunter series comprising eight novels and some interstitial short stories: The thesis is that monsters exist, the government pays a lucrative bounty for killing them, and an outfit called MHI is who you’re gonna call. The series is noteworthy for the number and detail of guns. Lots and lots of guns. The last book ends in a cliffhanger and frankly I think Correia has already taken the series farther than it should have gone.

Then I started the “Grimnoir Chronicles” series and was pleasantly surprised. It’s better than MHI, more focused, with more interesting characters, and comes to a satisfying conclusion. It’s three novels with some interstitials and also features lots and lots of guns:

Encouraged I started something different, a Correia series in a setting that doesn’t have guns. The “Saga of the Forgotten Warrior” is four books and the usual interstitials and I’m currently in the middle of the second book:

So far so good. All these series use the thematic element of “The Chosen One”. It’s not explained in MHI, maybe the next book will do that. It’s done well in the “Grimnoir Chronicles” and I have yet to see how it turns out in “Forgotten Warrior”.

 

Animal
Right now I’m reading Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth, by Avi Loeb. Dr. Loeb in this book makes the point that we cannot rule out the idea that Κ»Oumuamua, the first confirmed object we’ve observed that has passed through our solar system from outside the system, may in fact have been an alien artifact. Not necessarily an active artifact; it may be just a dead remnant. I’m not sure I’m convinced but it makes an interesting read.

Prior to that I read Cameron Langford’s Winter of the Fisher, a favorite from my youth. This one is the story of the first winter of a fisher living in the Canadian north woods, his interactions with a fur trapper working the area and the old Ojibway Indian man that is his tentative ally. It’s a neat book, beautifully written and very evocative.

That’s the most interesting stuff I’ve been through this month.

 

LCDR Fish
During slow periods at work, alternating between books on my shelf and new acquisitions. Currently rereading “To Green Angel Tower” (book 2) by Tad Williams – for the first time since high school. Remember it being a little slow and not getting into it as much as later works like “War of the Flowers” – but upon rereading – particularly relatively soon after revisiting Lord of the Rings – it stands out as a very “deep” fantasy “trilogy” compared to much has come out the last couple of decades. The lore isn’t on the level of Tolkein, but there is a vast amount of original world building, language/cultural background created from whole cloth (or admittedly like Tolkein – with a few toes in the our own historical backgrounds) – and a ridiculous amount of original songs/verse/poetry – some pages long and very well done. And yeah…like Tolkein, it’s a little slower paced and more thoughtful in composition than most of the more recent series – but glad to revisit it.

I have a feeling that when I get around to rereading Guy Gavriel Kay’s “Fionavar Tapestry”, I’ll find something similar.

When I get back on the plane next weekend (29 Jan) – for the next few trips, I’ll be getting caught up on kindle reading like Complete Kipling and a few similar collections (and book 2 of Lucas Marcum’s Valkyrie series).

 

Yusef
Annals of the Former World by John McPhee
Enjoy a road trip? This is an unforgettable journey across the country and through deep time.
Full of jargon and tales of the near and distant past, these five volumes will give great insight into the study of geology, and the author tells a good story.

Nova Roma, Book 1 by Anderson Gentry
I can’t say enough about this one: the blending of two favorites, Rome and alternate history. Well- written, serious and still witty.

Churchill, Walking with Destiny by Andrew Roberts
After watching a podcast with the author, I knew I needed this book. At 1100+ pages it should be a good read. I’m only at his petulant boarding school years right now; he still has time to screw things up.

All About Me by Mel Brooks
He sounds like a very nice guy so far – grew up poor but happy. I will report back on this one.

How to Set Up Your Guitar Like a Pro by Johnny Blackwood
I consider myself a competent luthier, especially electronics and setup, but this guide gives a lot of tips I wasn’t aware of, so it’s quite handy when I’m at the bench. Recommended for any level of guitar tinkering.