I’m BAck!

It’s time for me to get back to reading and writing. I’ve read a lot in the last year and it was mostly related to work. I’ve read, but, not in the way I want to. So, now that retirement is two months away – I’M BACK. Look for another post to get me back into the web of words.

Reading Dilemma

I reserved Phil Rickman’s latest book The Bones of Avalon from the library thinking it would be some time until I received it. Then I proceeded to check out one of his first books The Wine of Angels because I wouldn’t have to rush to finish it.

The best laid plans…Bones came in and is new so it’s due back in two weeks. So, do I read Wine and take Bones back or keep Wine and read Bones fast?

Reading dilemma is nothing new in my book web.

Nick Drake, Phil Rickman, Winter

I like to read darker, heavier, somewhat fantasy or paranormal in the fall and winter.

On FB our library recommended a new book Bones of Avalon by Phil Rickman. I never heard of him before so I looked at it, reserved it, and then went off to look for info on Rickman.

Next thing I know I’ve sifted through his site which led me to what appeared to be a band. Indeed it was a band Lol Robinson and Hazey Jane II. hazy Jane II is the title of a Nick Drake song. I then discover that Rickman is influenced by Nick Drake. Did I tell you I love Nick Drake? Of course I did! So, I’m also going to read Wine of Angels because the story is influence by the music of Nick Drake according to Wikipedia.

Time to Catch Up

I really have been caught in my book web! I’ve been snared in the intricacies that professional reading can cause, but, no worries because I am back! I’ve jus finished terracing Lisey’s Story and I remember my love for all words penned by the master King. More soon.

Back in the Web

Lately I haven’t been getting caught up in the web. My hyper reading slowed to a snail’s pace so there just hasn’t been anything interesting of which to post. I’ve gone from Gaiman to Atwood to some droll non-fiction, but, nothing really snared me into research on other books, other topics, nor even a quick google search. Nothing until Shirley Jackson as of today!

I was soaking in the tub yesterday reading Mental Floss reading an article about Shirley Jackson’s short and oft retold short story The Lottery.  I recognized the title not because of  the written word, but,  as a script I’ve seen played out a few times on-screen. Ms. Jackson pops up in my reading now and then and occasionally I’ve thought about reading her, but, not very seriously because I am just not that familiar with her work…or so I thought. Maybe the warm water floating around me jolted my memory …or maybe it is my old hyper-reading self itching to get back in the game, but, a vision suddenly burst through to me of an old book lurking somewhere in my mind and home!

Raising Demons. I remember checking the box for this book on my 1970 Weekly Reader Scholastic Book order from. It cost 60 cents. It is the first book I ever bought with money that was all mine. And guess what…I still have it. In fact, I’m going to start reading it again tonight. Evidently it is a memoir about her raising her three children. Back then I simple saw it as funny and I liked the image of demons as children. I wonder what it will mean to me now some 41 years later.

Both Stephen King and Neil Gaiman cite Ms. Jackson as an influence in their horror writing. It’s no wonder I read them and read them often. Shirley influenced me and I didn’t even remember her.

The Poisoner’s Handbook

For my birthday I received a copy of The Poisoner’s Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum. Coming on the heels of reading Murder Room, it appears I have quite an interest in the diabolical.  And it is true.

The first few pages of this little “speciality” handbook has me hooked on poison! Little did I know that poison was once the killer of choice just because it was hard to detect leaving most crimes not only unsolved, but, unnoticed!

I can’t wait to see in which web I spin off from this series of dastardly readings!

The Murder Room

I truly love watching forensic criminal investigation shows. It’s true and has been since Quincy, M.D.  It’s not the crime for me. It’s the figuring out, the dissecting the essence of a person, the examining of the crime scene, and the path that led them to the crime.

Of course Criminal Minds, the 21st century grandchild of Quincy, is sexier showing more of the crime and less of the mind. Still, I hang on every frame waiting for the other mental clue to drop so I can figure it out like a Nancy Drew Mystery (although I hated Nancy Drew). So, what does this have to do with hyper-reading and being caught in the book web?  I’m reading The Murder Room: The Heirs of Sherlock Holmes Gather to Solve the World’s Most Perplexing Cold Cases by Michael Capuzzo.

Wow! I know crime investigation really happens, but, this fascinating book tells the tale of some famous crimes through the eyes of real detectives who solve the real problems and how their paths cross leading to the creation of a society of experts who meet to ruminate about and solve international cold cases. In Murder Room I met people like Frank Bender who reconstructs the faces of dead people through his art and imagination. His eccentric habits (not the least of which is an open marriage and multiple sexual partners) do not deter his eerie ability to conjure up a face from almost nothing.

The book is not easy to read. It’s kind of all over the place and the structure is loose so I decided to go the audio route. I’m glad I stuck with it. I’m fascinated by the work these folks do.

I think if I could have gotten past the violence and gore, I would have liked a career in profiling criminals.

NOTE: The name of the Vidocq Society is derived from Euegen Francois Vidocq, a French “crook-turned-cop” who is credited with being the “father of modern criminal investigation.” http://www.vidocq.org/vidocq.html