VIRTUAL Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2020 discussion

I’ll be going up the hill backwards on this, as usual. Plans right now include borrowing some of the Preston & Child Pendergast books I don’t own, as well as continuing the Kindle Unlimited borrows.

Welcome back!

#1 - Ms. Mirage by Joe Tone

Borrowed from the Kindle Unlimited “Exposure” collection.

The story of investigative journalist Pam Zekman who went all in on the battle against graft and corruption in Chicago. Specifically, it focuses on her purchase of the Mirage, a Chicago pub, using it as a magnet to draw in those functionaries looking for bribes to speed permits and approvals, following the lines to the bosses, and from there to the Chicago political machine.

Interesting stuff.

Bev wrote: "Welcome back!"

Thanks!

#2 - JLA, Vol. 15: The Tenth Circle by John Byrne, Chris Claremont, Jerry Ordway

Serves to introduce John Byrne’s version of the Doom Patrol, which reboots them yet again. The story pits the Justice League against an old vampire lord who has a world-ending plot. The story led into a new, if short-lived, Doom Patrol series.

Read via The DC Universe service.

#3 - Fairy Tail, Vol. 03 by Hiro Mashima

Chaos ensues as Natsu, Grey, Erza, Lucy and Happy have a showdown with evil wizards as the Elder council comes under severe threat. As always saving the days results in a trail of destruction, only some of which stems from the rolling battle (these guys fight a lot amongst themselves.)

Borrowed from ComiXology.

#4 - Nightcrawlers by Rosecrans Baldwin

An autobiographical account from a former teenage EMT from the town of Darien, Connecticut, a town notorious for its old whites-only policies and the rich communities that insisted that certain emergency services should be handled by teenagers on a volunteer basis. Unfortunately it doesn’t spend as much time with the EMTs as it would need to be fully effective.

Borrowed via Kindle Unlimited

#5 - Oak Avenue by Brandi Reeds

A young couple buy an old slightly run down house in the husband’s odd little hometown, and while he’s away on business in New York she sets to work renovating the place. Local tree maintenance people accidentally unearth a beautiful old oak door — Ana decides she needs to restore this and reinstall it.

Which is, of course, when the creepy terror starts because, of course, it’s that kind of story and this is a budget The Shining.

Borrowed via Kindle Unlimited, from the “Dark Corners” collection.

#6 - Titans/Legion of Super-Heroes: Universe Ablaze (2000) (Issues) by Dan Jurgens, Phil Jimenez

A crossover between the latter-day Titans and the Threeboot Legion (I think; I lose track.) Universo and Brother Blood team up, though Universo has a plan to kill every sentient in the galaxy, a plan his allies have no knowledge of. To cut to the chase, the solution involves time travel, allowing the writer to do another dull everyone dies but it doesn’t matter plot.

Borrowed from The DC Universe.

#7 - T.S. Eliot reading his poems and choruses

A 1959 recording of Eliot reading a large selection of his works. While I love Eliot’s poetry, I do find his recorded readings a bit tedious — his voice is a touch abrasive and nasally, overly mannered much of the time, and with odd emphases.

Borrowed from Scrib’d.

#8 - Ricochet Joe by Dean Koontz

An unassuming young man discovers an odd ability — he can read objects that will send him to other objects instinctively, until he encounters a crime. This blooms into a peculiar relationship with the daughter of the chief of police, and that leads into bizarre heroics. It reads like the prelude to a superhero series, really.

Borrowed from Amazon Kindle Unlimited.

#9 - The Debriefing by Jeffrey Deaver

An anti-Cartel operation goes wrong just south of the border, dragging a cop and his FBI brother into a web of confusion. There’s lots of action and a relentless pace, but this never really kept my attention.

Borrowed via Kindle Unlimited.

#10 - Identity Thief by Rachel Rosenthal

Rosenthal tells the story of how she became the victim of a particularly pernicious identity thief, one who dogged her life for years, and how the mystery was solved. While I figured it out early on, the story overall is still compelling and painful, and the success Rosenthal has had since is a testament to her character.

Borrow from Amazon Kindle Unlimited

#11 - The Savage Sword of Conan, Volume 1 by Roy Thomas, John Buscema, and various

The now-defunct Dark Horse line of reprints from the Conan black and white magazines kicked off with this volume, and I have to admit that my memories of the originals are better than the actuality as seen here. There’s actually better than average writing from Roy Thomas, both adapting Howard and producing original material, and the artwork is often excellent, but the pace and tone are often turgid and the dialogue often cringeworthy in classic purple pulp fashion. With nearly 550 pages, that’s a lot of wading through mud.

Borrowed from ComiXology Unlimited.

#12 - The X-Files: Season 10, Volume 1 by Joe Harris and various

Interestingly these season 10 stories have been adapted into a pair of Audible productions, The X-Files: Cold Cases and a sequel.

There’s not a lot to shout about here — Harris takes a swing at reviving the mythology arc and the result is about as messy and confusing as the original mythology got, which isn’t a recommendation. The art is pretty awful, too.

Borrowed from ComiXology Unlimited.

#13 - The X-Files: Season 10, Volume 2 by Joe Harris & various

Second verse same as the first verse. Shorter stories this time as Murder and Scully return to the FBI and deal with a return of Flukeman and a bizarre serial killer. The volume wraps up with a Mr X story and “More Musings Of A Cigarette Smoking Man”, neither of which go anywhere.

Borrowed from ComiXology Unlimited.

#14 - The Witcher, Vol. 2: Fox Children by Paul Tobin & Joe Quiero

Second in the graphic novel series that draws on both the video games and the original books. This time Geralt gets pulled into a really bad situation pitting ignorant humans against an ancient fox creature that can take human form. Not a hard read, but pretty much cotton candy.

#15 - Spider-Man: Life Story by Chip Zdarsky and Mark Bagley

The premise: what if Spider-Man was told in real time from 1962 to the 2010s? Zdarsky follows The character from 1966, aged 19, to his last mission at 72. Along the way Zdarsky plays the alternate world card reasonably well — other characters age in real time, too, and some unexpected twists get thrown in even when the stories are set around big Spider-Man events (Secret Wars leads to a nuclear war with Russia, Civil War leads to Doom taking over, that sort of thing.)

Unfortunately ginning up there realism also means ginning up the real world travails and that means Peter gets an emotional rough ride through much of this. The other issue is that it needed to be much longer — we often fly in for a quick sketch, some moping, and a fight scene, and then it’s off to something else.

Borrowed from ComiXology Unlimited.

#16 - Star Trek: Spin by J. Steven York & Christina F. York

One of a hefty series of stories that followed the USS Da Vinci and its crew of engineers and scientists. These are mostly puzzle stories, as here, where the team has to address a problem and improvise a solution. In this instance the problem is a seemingly derelict ship on a crash course with a planet that’s up for Federation membership. The initial plan fails disastrously, forcing a closer approach that reveals deeper mysteries and a rather peculiar solution. Pleasant enough read, and I admit to enjoying the SCE stories.

Read via Scribd.

#17 - This Is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar

A deceptive science fiction tale that plays with the multiverse, with time-travel, and with the nature of love. It El-Mohtar finally lays her cards on the table at the end, and it brought a smile even as tragedy unfolds. It’s the story of two enemies, both playing with time and universes on behalf of shadowy masters. It’s told in a mix of narrative styles, including a lovely use of belles-letres, and it’s surprisingly compact despite the density of idea and character.

Read via Scribd.

#18 - The Officer and the Entrepreneur by Dan Slater

From the Amazon Originals “Exposure” series, this tells the story of how a clever and ambitious DEA agent entrapped a group of men, Including several veterans, into a phantom scheme to run drugs and guns and carry out executions for a Mexican cartel. This resulted in the death of one of the men — a group that was unarmed — when a DEA agent went nuts and shot the man twelve times in the back (and that wasn’t even the most horrific part.)

None of the DEA agents were ever even reprimanded.

Borrowed from Kindle Unlimited.

#19 - Solid State: The Story of Abbey Road and the End of the Beatles by Kenneth Womack

Canny approach to finding a new angle on the Beatles — this book looks at the technical advances from 1967-1970, with a specific focus on Abbey Road, which saw the Beatles and George Martin using new 8-track equipment and incorporating the Moog synthesizer (Which I thought had been used on The Beatles.)

There’s a fair bit of the expected biographical material, too, contextualized. It makes for an interesting read, at least for those with an interest in music technology.

Borrowed from the brand-new Audible Plus service.

#20 - Batman's Helpers by Lawrence Block

Read by the author. A Matthew Scudder story that sees Scudder on a trademark enforcement task force that pretty much rubs him entirely the wrong way, though the conclusion errs towards subtlety.

Borrowed from Audible Plus.

#21 - Let's Get Lost: A Matthew Scudder Story by Lawrence Block

Read by the author. Scudder recounts a story of his time with the NYPD. A poker group has a dead man on their hands, and a tale of a mystery assailant. Scudder looks over the scene and comes up with a plausible alternative...which may in fact be the truth.

Borrowed from Audible Plus.

#22 - A Candle for the Bag Lady by Lawrence Block

A lawyer tracks Matthew Scudder down during his early post-NYPD drunken years, to give him a $1200 check — a bequest from a woman he barely knew, known as a local bag lady. The woman had been found murdered in an alley. Scudder is moved to investigate, and finds quickly that the woman was not what she seemed....

Borrowed from Audible Plus.

#23 - The Boys, Volume 5: Herogasm by Garth Ennis and John McCrea

I’d originally skipped over this in my Boys re-read, but came across it on ComiXology Unlimited. As it turns out I found it more interesting this time as I was able to skate by the gross stuff and get to the actual story here — which is mainly about the Homelander losing it and the Vought-American plan going into high gear.

#24 - S and M Vol. 6 by Mio Murao

The increasingly insane Saya’s plan comes to a head, with Toda’s wife Sawako in complete peril from Shingo the gigolo and Toda helpless to intervene...or is he? Toda chooses a desperate gamble, leaving Saya with self-inflicted injuries and completely over the edge. Toda and Sawako’s lives calm down, but for how long?

#25 - S and M Vol. 7 by Mio Murao

It seems that Saya, the crazy women seeking revenge on salaryman Makoto Toda for the death of her mother (which he had no hand in) seems to have vanished...until somebody pushes the reformed gigolo Hayakawa into traffic, then sets fire to Toda’s house. When the family survive that with the aid of a passing woman, Saya trues the direct approach by stabbing a Toda after he sends his family to safety...only for the knife to be deflected by a good luck charm from his daughter.

As if that wasn’t enough ex-Yakuza Kosaka, in lust with Saya, gets all of information and comes to very wrong conclusions, leading him to try and kill Toda himself. And then Saya shows up...

Via ComiXology Unlimited

#26 - S and M Vol. 8 by Mio Murao

Saya crashes her car and is rescued by Kosaka, who she manipulates ruthlessly. Meanwhile Shizue gradually pulls Toda into a relationship with her...but she’s not what she seems (by this point Saya’s scheme is taking on Rube Goldberg proportions. )

Hilariously what finally breaks Toda is getting demoted at work....

#27 - S and M Vol. 9 by Mio Murao
#28 - S and M Vol. 10 by Mio Murao

Only...Saya’s insane plan isn’t Shizue’s plan as Shizue’s plan is to kill Saya because Saya seduced her father, who then killed himself. Plot twist! Shizue and Saya grew up together! Toda Makoto is caught in the middle of all of this. Meanwhile his former junior colleague Kosaka, a born incel, is heading towards him as the story descends into soap opera.

It all comes to a head eventually in an endless sequence in an abandoned school. As the volume ends Saya has trapped herself in the burning school, hoping to enact her insane “revenge” by making Toda feel guilty.

#29 - Much Obliged, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse

The penultimate book in the Jeeves series finds Bertie Wooster called into harness for his Aunt Dahlia, embroiled in local politics, and inadvertently pegged as husband material by two women who find themselves frustrated with their pending marriages. Meanwhile, a very sensitive journal has been stolen from the club frequented by butlers, putting Jeeves in quite a bind.

At the very least amusing, as always, though perhaps not the height of hilarity.

Via Audible Plus.

#30 - Britannia, Vol. 1 by Peter Milligan and Juan Jose Ryp

I actually read this because I was wondering if there was a connection between this and the Epic/Sky series BRITANNIA (nope.) It’s a fairly flat supernatural mystery about a Centurion broken by horror who’s healed and remade by the Vestal Virgins as a combination of detective and Shoggoth-buster. It’s an interesting premise, but both characters and story needed more room to develop.

Via ComiXology Unlimited

#31 - Baltimore, Vol. 4: Chapel of Bones by Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, Ben Steinbeck

In an alternate Edwardian era Lord Baltimore continues his search for the vampire elder Haigus, who Baltimore accidentally revived. First, though, he has to deal with the murderous Inquisitioner Duvic, as well as a mysterious train. Then it’s back to England and a confrontation with Haigus...and some revelations about Baltimore, who finds himself bound to a new mission. Solid work, and with echoes of the major shifts in some of Mignola’s Hellboy-related work.

Via ComiXology Unlimited.

#32 - A Damsel in Distress by P. G. Wodehouse

Read by Jonathan Cecil, who makes this slapstick romance work exceedingly well as American composer George more than meets his match in the impetuous Maude, courtesy of her hot-headed brother Percy. Manor house antics follow. It’s the usual collection of upper-crust lunatics, of course, mixed with a few bemused examples of Wodehouse’s beloved Americans.

Via Audible Plus

#33 - Baltimore, Vol. 5: The Apostle and the Witch of Harju by Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, etc

Having dealt with his vampiric arch-foe Lord Henry Baltimore is now, with a crew, off to find the Red King. On the way, though, he has to deal with a witch terrorizing an Estonian village and hear the tale, from a wounded Inquisitor, of the fate of Duvic, the Inquisitor who had been pursuing Baltimore only to get turned into a werewolf for his troubles.

The stories are readable but...perfunctory. “The Witch Of Harju” plods along a well worn path, with barely a twist. “The Apostle” is even straighter — a group of Inquisitors track down and confront the monstrous Duvic, slaughter ensues, and Rigo, the survivor, has a crisis of faith. Throughout Baltimore is barely more than a man of action and the most interesting character is Sofia, a villager whose hated husband has returned from the dead to wreak havoc.

Borrowed from ComiXology Unlimited.

#34 - Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows Vol. 1: Brawl In The Family by Gerry Conway & etc

An alternate universe version of Peter Parker, happily married and with a kid who shares his powers (while Mary-Jane has a suit that lets her tap into Peter’s abilities.) This is a great deal of fun, and possibly the best thing Gerry Conway has written in years.

Via ComiXology.

#35 - Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows, Vol. 2: The Venom Experiment by Gerry Conway and Ryan Stegman, etc

The adventures of the alternate universe Parker family continue, bringing in the X-Men and the Venom symbiote on the way to resolving the Normie Osborn situation. Not quite as good as the previous volumes, but still fun to read.

ComiXology Unlimited.

#36 - Eggs, Beans, and Crumpets by P. G. Wodehouse

A collection of short stories featuring an assortment of Wodehouse’s more roguish characters such as Bingo Little and the awful Ukridge. Inoffensive and generally silly throughout, but very much among the spun sugar confections.

Via Audible Plus.

Continued on next tall rock.