Books 36-38

He, She, and It - Marge Piercy

This is not what I expected.

Our world in the future is run by huge corporations, and Shira has been an under appreciated worker in one of them for a while. We meet her at the custody hearing for her son, and it's a brief one... custody is given to her ex-husband and shortly after he is shipped off to work on a different planet. Shira's appeal for custody now must wait the two years until they return to earth, so she returns to the free Jewish city where she was raised to live with her Grandmother and work for her ex-boyfriend's dad.

On her return she finds that they've been busy developing Yod, a cyborg who's main objective is to protect the settlement. But he's very different from previous attempts - he is able to feel, to learn, to create emotional connection. Love story ensues.

At the same time, we hear the tale of Joseph the Golem who was created to protect the Jewish ghetto in Prague.

It's an interesting combination, futuristic science fiction and ancient Jewish mysticism, but it works.


Fool Moon - Jim Butcher

Fool Moon is the second in the Dresden Files series. Fast, fun, and entirely enjoyable..... if not even remotely believable. But that's not what the Dresden Files are about.

Harry Dresden, professional Wizard, is called in to consult on a bad murder case. It leads us into the world of werewolves, of which there are many sorts and we meet at least a few of them. There's magic, treachery, violence and sexy sexy goodness... how can you go wrong?

Actually, I found this book particularly thin in comparison to Storm Front, the first in the series. I am hoping they thicken up a bit after this. I'm a completest and having started the series, I intend to finish it.

Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town - Stephen Leacock

According to Amazon, this book sits at #19 in there listings for Canadian Classics. And it's easy to see why. This book is pretty funny, and very real, it is every small Canadian lakeside town and anyone who has spent any time in a town of that nature knows the people within. What makes this book amazing, though, is that even though it was published in 1912 (that's almost 100 years! Basic math! Whoa!). Somehow, this book has managed to remain funny, and somehow oddly current, despite its age.

Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town is based in the fictional town of Mariposa, largely believed to be Orillia, Ontario. And, it's entirely true to the title... little stories about the goings on of Mariposa, and the characters within. I think my favourite was the chapter about the Mariposa Belle, the steamboat that takes the townspeople on excursions about the waterway. But then we find out that a sinking of the Mariposa Belle is not unexpected.... so much so that if you're late for an engagement, telling them the boat sank is a completely understandable excuse. Why aren't people more worried, why, the lake is only 6 feet deep at the deepest point....

What makes the book completely special is that you don't realize you're reading anything comedic until something strikes you as funny. The fact that Stephen Leacock was British is not big surprise, as the dryness of wit comes through completely clear in the writing.

****

Book count: 38/50