Two Envelopes And A Phone > Recent Status Updates

Thrilled to be here again!

Nothing spectacular yet, but I think both the stories I’ve read so far were solid. There’s definitely a chance that something is going to elevate itself above the groove Rohmer is already in. But things need to get more inventive. He’s also not the greatest stylist, and I’m not sure he gonna elevate that, at any point. But as a book to dip into between novels, this is fun.

Cover, synopsis…I’m not past the threshold yet, and I’m already scared of this book. Is this gonna be like Beautiful Darkness, but somehow EVEN MORE disturbing??

The store(‘s basement) where I found this had it mixed it in with a bunch of Rohmer…and surprise surprise most of them were Fu Manchu books. I didn’t really want Fu Manchu in my life at this time; I have read the first one in the series, and a little goes a long way. The only snag is, there’s a Fu Manchu story in here, so I could run, but not quite hide. Anyway, I am curious about these tales.

It’s very entertaining. Great way to usher in a new half a year!

Good start.

It’s pure Fun - perfect escapist reading for summer. I mean, 1940s Science Fiction is not about the science. This is Action Adventure set in a troubling future, that needs and gets a hero from the past (though I don’t yet know if he will succeed). I’ll look for other snacks from this author.

I’m gonna wrap up the last few stories in this tomorrow morning. Things are better in the ‘Future’ section, but not great. This book will have to work hard in the final stages to get out of the 2-star rating zone, sadly.

An Espionage novel from an author who wowed me with a couple of hard-boiled sizzlers not too long ago. I don’t know what to expect, except to end up shocked.

Well, I just took this little 80-page investment out of its protective plastic - Whoo! That is some tiny print I gotta deal with! Okay. This is part of an SF reading project I’m joining, called ‘Rocket Summer’, where I have to read an SF book from 1930s or earlier, then 1940s, then 1950s, then 1960s. I’m gonna be the usual troublemaker, and read them in whatever order I want, though. This will be first Fearn for me.

Gonna finalize it in just a little while!

I am loving this one; it could end up being a big favourite with me when it comes to 'shipboard whodunits' - though it's hard to imagine anything topping The False Inspector Dew.

I like it - a lot - but this isn’t the first time a whodunit got me thinking “I hope the Bridge scores aren’t that big a deal, because if that’s a big clue, I don’t know what the heck really went on.”. Also, I tend to be a One Map guy, and right around the detailed Bridge scores, tons of maps also started flowing in! I can’t memorize all that, and I’m not going to flip back a million times. But I do like it, a lot.

It's a cool Western, and also a solid Mystery. Meanwhile, July should see me finally wrapping up one Fantasy series I have left hanging - plus at least four SF novels, all from different decades. Reading a fair amount of Westerns this June has made me consider doing a few more throughout the year - things have gone well - but I'm fresh out, and would need to acquire.

Reading Westerns throughout the month has been a success, with no letdowns - I don’t think I’m saying ‘no letdowns’ too early, and I think The Bridge will stay strong. The highest rating went to a ‘modern’ Western, Prairie Edge, while Bought with a Gun and True Gritwere also great. A Prayer for the Dying, Revelator, The Murchison Murders, Iced, Montezuma’s Revenge, and even Jelly Roll Blues fit in, in cool ways!

Unfortunately, I did not have a lot of variety on my shelves, when it comes to Pride Month, but S. Patrick and Patrick Quentin are both pseudonyms for the same writing team, and 'Patrick Quentin' has been my go-to author for Pride Month (along with one Highsmith novel). I expect no dip in quality just because 'Patrick Quentin' is suddenly 'Q. Patrick', and I tend to enjoy shipboard whodunits.

Great horny toads - the last thing I was expecting was a Live and Let Die vibe! Instead of Solitaire, we have Seraphine. Always up for a bit of the occult, in any genre that only rarely presents it as the real deal. Fortune-telling, visions, bad omens and a spirit world do liven up the Espionage genre...or the Western! It's early, here, though - so we'll see how legit the supernatural is, as we go along...

I finally got to a story I enjoyed - 'The Fourth Power'. The book, after all, is divided into three sections; Past, Present, Future. It looks like in the Future section, Brunner has actually decided to present some intriguing SF...unless things drop back to being rather dull, and not very Science-Fictional.

Well, it’s a shame, but I had to take The Wild Ohio by Bart Spicer off my Currently Reading list, because the book wasn’t just falling apart - it was missing pages. But I’ve got this Western to step in, as my last Western of the month. I liked Parker’s novel Appaloosa - and Brimstone - but this is someone else dealing in the same characters. Still - I have high hopes.

It's very good; I'll wrap it up tonight The Wild Ohio, and then probably another Patrick Quentin novel for Pride Month.

I am very happy with this. It’s weird to be reading a novel set in Montana in late December temperatures - well below freezing and darkness coming early - but this is the choice I made. It’s a Crime Thriller with a slight Western vibe. I seem to be happier with Siler’s books more than mean ratings suggest other readers have been. This is a good one.

Even when I think I'm reading something outside the Western genre this month, I haven't actually gone that far away from the dustiest genre. I did know this was set in Missoula; even though it's modern, and a Crime novel...I feel like I'm outside the Western genre by a hair - which is fun! And - Bonus! - this is a cool pick for Pride Month.