Author: HCNewton Page 227 of 623

DETAILS:
Series: Terra Chronicles, #6
Publisher: Shadow Phoenix Publishing
Publication Date: June 21, 2021    
Format: Paperback
Length: 239 pgs.
Read Date: August 8, 2022

What’s Divine and Conquer About?

We know that Silver’s Order has been trying to get him back to HQ for some time, and for reasons he’s not been terribly clear about (as I recall, anyway), he’s been reluctant to listen. So they force the issue by arranging a wedding between him and another Paladin. If he’s going to break it off, he has to be there in the flesh.

But he’s going to need more than a “I don’t want to,” so he enlists Ketayl in an undercover effort—they enter into a courtship relationship and he can say that he can’t get married because he already has an intended. Ketayl has some misgivings, but goes along with it—primarily to help Silver, but she’ll also get a chance to look through the Order’s library and maybe find some info on necromancy that’ll help.

Things start going wrong from the instant they arrive—the Order isn’t crazy about Ketayl’s presence (many of them aren’t crazy about her existence, and a big prejudice against elves is on full display). Things between the Order and Silver start off contentious and get worse. And then Ketayl finds a whole new batch of trouble—TIO kind of trouble. Things go from bad to worse from there.

Marzena and Amanda

There are a whole passel of new characters in this novel—one of the benefits of traveling to a new area and encountering a whole Order. But there are really two characters that we really get to focus on.

Amanda is the young paladin that has been selected as Silver’s bride-to-be. She’s driven and smart. She’s not much when it comes to combat—and really not much of a candidate for the order, you get the idea that there’s something not that impressive about her. But she’s good at doing what she’s told, and will do whatever she can to accomplish it—including going through Ketayl.

The other Paladin we really get to know is their Weapons Master, Marzena. She was a fantastic character—the way she quickly embraced Ketayl and resumed the old friendship with Silver in a heartbeat was great. We aren’t used to people outside the TIO knowing Silver so seeing that he has at least one great friend in the world from years ago helps solidify his character. But beyond that, Marzena is exactly what the book needed for the plot, a bit of fun, and perspective on all the events surrounding Ketayl and Silver. She’s definitely the MVP of Divine and Conquer, and I hope we see her again soon.

Ketayl’s Super Power

Sure, we’ve known that Ketayl’s a Mage with more power and potential than she realizes. But that’s really not what makes her such an effective leader and agent—we’ve seen this since the beginning, but it’s been emphasized in the last two books in particular.

Ketayl has this ability to take a rival, critic or outright enemy and turn them into an ally, if not a friend. Divine and Conquer surrounds her with plenty of antagonists—she doesn’t turn them all around, by any means. She doesn’t even try. But there’s one person she does turn around, without really intending to.

I really appreciate this ability of hers, and am glad Jackson is letting it shine—sure, she’s not the only character in the genre with the ability, but she goes about it in a different way than others do. She reminds me of Kitty Norville more than anyone else in that. Anyone that reminds me of Kitty is a winner.

The Order of the Paladins of the Holy Son

So here’s the problem I had with The Order—and therefore the book. It’s a religious Order, sure. But there’s no religion to it. There’s a hierarchy, there are adherents, underlings, traditions—even a couple of group prejudices. But that’s it—it’s the shell of a religion with nothing at the core.

And if it was the case that the Order had drifted from their former orthodoxy and become an apostatized or agnostic group, that’d be one thing—people’d be talking about that. Silver’s friend is one of the few that holds on to the old ways—but we’re talking about training, loyalty, traditions, not beliefs.

Instead, for whatever reason, Jackson didn’t allude to their departure from the faith while hanging onto the form, she didn’t even point to a time when the Order stood for something. I get the impression (and I can’t point to specifics to support this, but I still walk away with the impression) that Jackson has some ideas about what the Order used to believe (maybe still believes)—but I’ve got no idea what it is.

A religious order without a dogma is hard to get invested in—you can’t fault them, you can’t hope they reform for the characters you like to be okay—it’s just a soulless bureaucracy making things difficult for those characters. And hey, that’s a daunting organization to take on, sure.

But boy howdy, do they want Silver back in the fold and are pulling out quite a few stops to achieve that. Also, I’m not sure I get why that is, I mean, I like the guy, but their interest seems a bit extreme. But I can roll with it for the sake of the story.

So, what did I think about Divine and Conquer?

This is the book I’ve been waiting for—possibly for too long, but whatever—we needed the development and background for Silver and some overdue conversations were had. Plus, Ketayl’s achievements with the Arcana Consortium were great to see (at some point, she’s going to start accepting what everyone’s saying about her magic abilities, right?)

I’m not sure I could buy how long the negotiations around Silver’s marriage took—the sheer number and length of meetings seemed out of proportion. Maybe Jackson could’ve given us some other things for them to have been discussing. But they gave us what the novel needed—a way to get him off-screen so Ketayl could get to know Marzena and Amanda better, interact with others of the Order, and generally get into trouble.

This is one of my favorites in the series—because of the character arcs and development. Plot-wise, I think it stumbled a bit, but by the time I get my hands on Book 7, I won’t remember that, I’ll remember the character stuff.

I’m enjoying this series still and am looking forward to the next one. Apparently it’ll be in June 2023, which gives you all plenty of time to read the series.

3.5 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

Reposting Just Cuz: The Last Adam by Brandon D. Crowe

By HCNewton

On August 14, 2022

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

The Last Adam: A Theology of the Obedient Life of Jesus in the Gospels

by Brandon D. Crowe

Paperback, 215 pg.
Baker Academic, 2017

Read: February 19 – March 19, 2017

I just don’t know how to sum up this book succinctly honestly. After a few attempts that are best never seen by anyone, I decided that no one does it better than Crowe does in the first three paragraphs:

What is the purpose and significance of the life and ministry of Jesus in the Gospels? At one level, this may seem like an obvious question. The Gospels are all about Jesus. Moreover, given the structure of each of the four Gospels, it is difficult to miss the central role played by the Passion Narratives. And yet there is much more in the Gospels beyond the Passion Narratives. Jesus is amazingly active. He preaches, heals, exorcises, prays, rebukes, forgives, calls, authorizes, confounds, challenges, rejoices, weeps, blesses, curses, prophesies, and more. In addition, he consistently draws attention to himself as he does these things.

And then there are the Christmas stories (that is, the infancy narratives). These are among the more familiar parts of the Gospels in today’s culture. But what is the relationship between the infancy narratives and salvation? Jesus appears to be quite passive lying in the manger as he is adored by shepherds, and we do not find him to be very active when the magi come and prostrate themselves before him in Matthew 2. But can we look even to the infancy of Jesus and say that Jesus was somehow already beginning to accomplish something of significance? To ask this question is to lead us back to the driving question of this volume, since Jesus did not bypass infancy, childhood, adolescence, or adulthood on his way to the cross. Why? What was it about the life of Jesus that was necessary for salvation—from the manger to the cross and everything in between? Do the Evangelists themselves give us any indications that this is a question they have in view as they write their Gospels? I will argue that they do.

In this volume I will argue that we find a shared perspective among the diversity of the four Gospels that the obedient life of Jesus—in its entirety—is vicarious and salvific in character. More specifically, I will argue that Jesus is portrayed in the Gospels as the last Adam whose obedience is necessary for God’s people to experience the blessings of salvation. In pursuit of this thesis, I will consider what the Gospels themselves say about the lifelong obedience of Jesus, which concomitantly involves considering how Jesus’s life and ministry are related to his passion. By concentrating on the Gospels I do not intend to imply that these are the only documents in the New Testament that speak to this issue. I do believe, however, that a focus on the Gospels qua Gospels is important because of the way they narrate the life of Jesus, and because their testimony to the significance of Jesus’s life for salvation has often not been given sufficient attention. Thus a sub-aim of this book is to help us read and interpret the Gospels theologically.

So, there’s his aim, rather, there are his aims. How does he go about it? Here’s the Table of Contents to give you a look at how he’s approaching his arguments (yeah, I’m quoting a lot here, but you try to tackle this book in a blog post rather than a dozen or so page review and see how easy it is):

1. A Tale of Two Adams in the History of Interpretation
2. The Last Adam and the Son of Man in the Gospels
3. The Last Adam as the Obedient Son of God
4. The Last Adam and the Fulfillment of Scripture
5. The Glory of the Last Adam in the Gospel of John
6. The Last Adam and the Kingdom of Righteousness
7. The Death and Resurrection of the Last Adam
8. The Last Adam and Salvation: Theological Synthesis and Conclusions

This is primarily an exegetical work — dealing with the text of the Gospels directly. But Crowe leans upon historical and systematic theology as well (especially in Chapter 8). Outside of Chapter 5, he’s primarily dealing with the Synoptics — but not exclusively. It is not impossible to read for the dedicated layman — I’ve read more difficult works in the last few months, but it’s not something you can skim with profit. There are issues that I’m not sure I understand the purpose of addressing, as I’m not aware of all of the academic controversies he’s addressing, but even when you don’t understand everything about those portions of the book, you can still gain from working through them.

I learned a lot. I thought about passages in a way I haven’t before — seeing things in a new light, or at least a different light. I really don’t have a lot to say about this particular book — primarily I just wanted to post about it to maybe get a reader or two to look at it that might not have otherwise. I loved it, even when I had to work a little harder than usual to get what he was saying, it was worth it. This is the kind of thing the Church needs more of.

This is written from a Confessionally Reformed perspective, but not necessarily for the Confessionally Reformed any more than other Evangelical/Evangelical-ish readers. Although, the Reformed will be more used to thinking in some of the categories he uses than others (as Crowe indicates late in this interview).

This is not an easy read, this is not a quick read, but it is a good read (why do I feel like Lewis’ Mr. Beaver now?). This is theology that will lead to doxology — as well as more theological and doxological reflection and study. I wasn’t sure what I expected to get out of this book, but Crowe delivered it and more. I’m not doing a good job summing things up here, just get this book and read it (as well as all the books Crowe writes that you can afford, I’m pretty sure I never got around to posting about his book on the General Epistles which was almost as good as this one (and easier to read)).

—–

4 1/2 Stars

Saturday Miscellany—8/13/22

By HCNewton

On August 13, 2022

In Books, News/Misc., Saturday Miscellany

It’s Left Hander’s Day and I should have a list of characters to mention here, but I can only think of Kvothe and Arya Stark when it comes to fiction. Anyone out there know of any notable sinistral characters? There has to be a bunch of them…

I don’t have a long list today, apparently I wasn’t the only one not feeling incredibly creative this week. (or with time on our hands). More time for our Weekend Reads, right?

Odds ‘n ends about books and reading that caught my eye this week. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:
bullet Where Are Mass Market Paperbacks Headed?
bullet The Fine Art of Naming Characters in Crime Fiction
bullet Anne Rice and the making of a modern vampire
bullet The Five Great Novels of Dashiell Hammett—for years I’ve told myself I need to read Hammett…this might have pushed me over the edge.
bullet NetGalley’s blog, We Are Bookish, had a couple of handy posts this week:
bullet NetGalley’s Guide to Who to Tag in Book Reviews
bullet Tips for Battling Reviewer Writer’s Block
bullet The Books that Made Me – The Once and Future King by T.H. White—Inexplicably, I’ve never been able to finish this book, I need to give it another shot.
bullet Different Ways To Categorise Fantasy—another helpful post from Peat Long
bullet Reading & Book Collecting
bullet 10 Years, 10 Favorite Books—Great idea for a post, but I have no idea how Caitlin was able to limit it to just one book for each year without at least one tie. (then again, I do, what 5 or 6 best of lists each year, I clearly have trouble limiting myself)
bullet How Reviewing Changed the Way I Read?

A Book-ish Related Podcast episode (or two) you might want to give a listen to:
bullet The Thriller Zone Episode 83: Eli Cranor, author of Don’t Know Tough—Cranor sounds and talks just like you’d expect, this was a great chat.

This Week’s New Releases that I’m Excited About and/or You’ll Probably See Here Soon:
bullet Bark to the Future by Spencer Quinn—Chet and Bernie are back for novel #13, and it’s a doozy. Bernie tries to help an old high school teammate and gets into a lot of trouble. I blogged about it couple of weeks ago
bullet The Art of Prophecy by Wesley Chu—What do you do when the prophecy about the Chosen One who will save the country is wrong? Taishi, the greatest war artist of her generation, decides to mold the object of the prophecy into who the kingdom needs him to be.
bullet The Deal Goes Down by Larry Beinhart—a retired PI is hired as a hitman and ends up working to save women from abusive marriages—and make money at the same time. (that’s a lousy job of summarizing the description, but without reading the book, it’s as good as I’m going to get…click the link)

Lastly, I’d like to say hi and extend a warm welcome to tinareadsallthebooks who followed the blog this week. I hope you enjoy the content and keep coming back.
Late Night Reading

Persecution by RC Bridgestock: Charley Mann Hunts Her Most Elusive Killer Yet

By HCNewton

On August 12, 2022

In Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller

Persecution

by RC Bridgestock

DETAILS:
Series: DI Charley Mann Crime Thrillers, #3
Publisher: Canelo
Publication Date: July 8, 2021
Format: Kindle Edition
Length: 267 pgs.
Read Date: August 9-10, 2022

What’s Persecution About?

DI Charley Mann is looking into a murder—one of those killings that make you despair for anyone’s humanity—and it’s a complicated case—just establishing the identity of the victim is difficult. The motive for the killing is impossible to pin down. And there’s a dearth of viable suspects.

But she and her team keep plugging away, making slow and steady progress—in a great touch of realism (as per usual for this series).

At the same time, she’s overseeing the investigation into some break-ins at a local university. Someone is breaking into the rooms of single women and staring at them while they sleep. Campus security hasn’t been paying attention to the reports until some police officers take a report seriously. The invader hasn’t crossed the line into violence, but the police know it’s only a matter of time.

There’s no evidence to support it, but Charley’s gut feeling is that these are connected. But even if she’s right, it doesn’t do her any good—she has no evidence to point to a suspect for either. There’s a break out there for her team to catch, they just have to keep working at it.

I Finally Put My Finger On It

This is the third book in the series that I’ve read, and I’ve talked about the problems I have with a lot of the dialogue. I’m not sure I’ve done the best job describing it, but I’ve tried. I think I finally put my finger on it, now.

There was something about a conversation in the first chapter that rang a bell with me, but it wasn’t for another 10-20% that it came to me: these characters—crime scene officers, PCs, detectives of all ranks—they talk like they’re in an HR training video.

If you’ve ever made it through a training video, you know what these people frequently talk like.

So, what did I think about Persecution?

This isn’t important at all, but this is a bad title. It has nothing to do with anything in the book. Really, it doesn’t matter, because most people are going to think of it as Charley Mann #3 or something like that. But, blech.

On to more substantive things—I don’t have a lot of new things to say about this book. Actually, I have nothing new to say. Like its predecessors, I really liked the story, I think the characters are interesting, and the police procedural aspects of the novel (the crime, the investigation, the twists, the original victim’s backstory, etc.) are exactly what I look for in a procedural—but the writing isn’t quite there. If Bridgestock took a little more time with the writing and editing, I’d be a huge fan.

As is, this is an entertaining enough diversion—frustrating when it misses, satisfying when it hits.

3 Stars

The Friday 56 for 8/12/22: One Decisive Victory by Jeffery H. Haskell

By HCNewton

On August 12, 2022

In Currently Reading, News/Misc., Quotations, The Friday 56

This is a weekly bloghop hosted by Freda’s Voice.

RULES:
The Friday 56 Grab a book, any book.
Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your ereader. If you have to improvise, that is okay.
Find a snippet, short and sweet.
Post it.

from 56% of:
One Decisive Victory

One Decisive Victory by Jeffery H. Haskell

Jennings sat back, staring intently at the map. She manipulated the controls, zooming in on the compound and rotating it clockwise to look at the building from all angles. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but… what about a compromise?” she asked.

From the expressions on the other marines, Nadia suspected those words might never have escaped the sergeant’s lips before.

Composite Creatures by Caroline Hardaker: This’ll Live Rent-Free in Your Mind for A While

By HCNewton

On August 11, 2022

In Fiction, Science Fiction

Composite Creatures

by Caroline Hardaker

DETAILS:
Publisher: Angry Robot
Publication Date: April 13, 2021
Format: Paperback
Length: 267
Read Date: August 3-6, 2022

“The Back of the Book”

I’m pretty sure I’d end up ruining something if I tried to summarize this myself, so let’s use the description from the Publisher’s site:

In a society where self-preservation is as much an art as a science, Norah and Arthur are learning how to co-exist in domestic bliss. Though they hardly know each other, everything seems to be going perfectly – from the home they’re building together to the ring on Norah’s finger.

But survival in this world is a tricky thing, the air is thicker every day and illness creeps fast through the body. The earth is becoming increasingly hostile to live in.Fortunately, Easton Grove have the answer, a perfect little bundle of fur that Norah and Arthur can take home. All they have to do to live long, happy lives is keep it, or her, safe and close.

The World Building

This is a terrifying look at an entirely possible not-that-future world for us. I’m not going to get into the details, but this is an England (and we can assume the rest of the world is a lot like it) devastated by pollution, climate change, and humans messing around with genetics and other experimental medicine.

The effects of all that are seen in nature—flora and fauna—and in the health of just about everyone in the novel.

Some things never change, however, those with money—or a way to get it—have a better shot at whatever slim advantages there are to be had.

And Hardaker absolutely sells this world—the choices she made in constructing, depicting, and revealing the details of this world were perfect. I cannot say enough for the setting and the way she showed it.

So, what did I think about Composite Creatures?

Sadly, the world that Hardaker portrayed was the only part of this book that resonated with me.

I was pretty sure of two things within the first 50 pages (less than that, but I wasn’t keeping score):

This was a fantastically written book, it’s wonderfully conceived, prescient, and haunting.
This was not a book for me.

This wasn’t a case of me disliking it—it was too good for that. But I just didn’t care, I wasn’t invested—I never got more than mildly curious. If I’d been forced to return this to the library before I finished, I don’t know that I’d have bothered to check it out again. I did keep waiting for that moment—the one that changed everything and made the whole thing worthwhile—and it didn’t come.

I’m giving this 3 stars—the writing/worldview/etc. deserves at least 4, but my experience was a big ol’ “meh” and probably would’ve gotten a 2 if a lesser writer had been responsible for it. So we’ll average the two.

Now, I think I’m the exception—Hardaker’s a great writer and this combination of too-likely dystopia and environmental collapse is the kind of thing that I can see a lot of people really getting into. I’d recommend you do. When Paul recommended Composite Creatures to me, he said something like he couldn’t stop thinking about it—I don’t blame him, it’s going to be a long time before I stop thinking about it. Incidentally, you should read Paul’s post about the novel for a different and very positive take.

3 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

WWW Wednesday, August 10, 2022

By HCNewton

On August 10, 2022

In Books, Currently Reading, News/Misc., WWW Wednesday

Like I said Saturday, I’ve been largely occupied with non-book related things this week, but I did have time to put together this last night, I should be back to normal tomorrow. But for now, here’s WWW Wednesday!

This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and revived on Taking on a World of Words—and shown to me by Aurore-Anne-Chehoke at Diary-of-a-black-city-girl.

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Easy enough, right?

What are you currently reading?

Today, I’m wrapping up the third Charley Mann thriller, Persecution by RC Bridgestock, and I should be finishing Plugged by Eoin Colfer, John Keating (Narrator) on audiobook.

Blank Space

What did you recently finish reading?

I just finished J. C. Jackson’s Divine and Conquer—a pivotal installment for this series—and Summerland by Michael Chabon on audio.

Blank Space

What do you think you’ll read next?

My next book should be One Decisive Victory by Jeffery H. Haskell, which promises to be chock-full of action. To gear up for the next Toby Daye in a couple of weeks, I’m going to revisit When Sorrows Come by Seanan McGuire, Mary Robinette Kowal (Narrator) via audiobook.

One Decisive Victory Blank Space

What about you?

Spelling the Month in Books: August

By HCNewton

On August 10, 2022

In Books, News/Misc.

Spelling the Month in Books: August
Okay, I couldn’t stick to my “books read before I started blogging” theme—titles that start with U aren’t that common, and I had two of them this month. But I did go for books that I read a few years ago, anyway. The problem with this post is that I want to take a break from everything I’m doing to re-read these (and their sequels/other entries in the series) today.

	Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick Joe Schreiber’s YA thriller is about what you’d expect from this title. It’s a fast, light, thriller about a high schooler stuck taking an exchange student to prom. It turns out that she’s a little more than the shy geek he imagined. Okay, she’s a lot more than that.
	Updraft Fran Wilde’s book is too hard for me to describe in a sentence or two—this is a wildly imaginative novel brimming with great worldbuilding, a strong story, and memorable characters. It’s not quite the book that will make you believe a man (or young woman, in this case) can fly—but you’ll hope it was so.
	Gone, Baby, Gone Dennis Lehane’s fourth novel was my introduction to both him and his Kenzie & Gennaro. And it made me an insta-fan. It’s a great piece of P.I. fiction, a gripping story that’ll break your heart and haunt you for a long time to come (24 years so far for me).
	Unseemly Science The second novel in Rod Duncan’s Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire series takes a lot of what was established in the first book and blows it up so that the characters are driven to new strengths and adventures and so that readers’ expectations are surpassed. Espionage and strange science take this steampunk/gaslamp adventure in a direction that few in this genre go.
	The Stepsister Scheme Jim C. Hines’s repurposing of these fairy tale princesses is one of my favorites—he takes Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty and turns them into secret agents who are defending the kingdom with their wits, magic, and martial arts. There’s a little bit of humor, but he doesn’t play this for jokes. This book sets up a series of four re-imagining of these (and other) fairy tale/Disney princesses that The Mouse definitely wouldn’t approve of.
	Tonight I Said Goodbye Michael Koryta’s debut blew me away—PI Lincoln Perry and his partner/mentor Joe Prichard are hired to investigate the apparent suicide of an investigator and the disappearance of his wife and daughter. Lincoln and Joe soon find themselves up to their neck in danger from the Russian mob. I’ve read this two or three times over fifteen years ago, so my memory is pretty vague, but I remember being gripped by the story and the characters—and thinking that three sequels to this were not enough. Koryta’s gone on to bigger and better things—but I’d take another book with these characters any day.

PUB DAY REPOST: Bark to the Future by Spencer Quinn: Bernie Goes Back to High School

By HCNewton

On August 9, 2022

In Chet and Bernie, Fiction, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, Spencer Quinn

Bark to the Future

by Spencer Quinn

DETAILS:
Series: Chet and Bernie, #13
Publisher: Forge Books
Publication Date: August 8, 2022
Format: eARC
Length: 320 pg.
Read Date: July 25-28, 2022

Chet the Narrator

For roughly a decade now, Chet has been my favorite first-person narrator (at least among those being currently published). This K-9 school dropout is an engaging and personable narrator who will get the reader emotionally invested and charm you within the first few pages after you meet him. He’s optimistic, generally positive, and his unique perspective will make you chuckle frequently while you read a solid P.I. story.

At the same time, there’s an extra level of attention that needs to be paid to what he says so you can pick up what’s actually going on—Chet’s the best kind of unreliable narrator, he’s not being deceptive, he just doesn’t (and can’t) understand what he’s seeing and hearing. But he’s honest and thorough.

So, what I’m saying is, there’s little chance I’m not going to thoroughly enjoy a new Chet and Bernie novel. So going in, expect me to say nice things.

What’s Bark to the Future About?

Bernie’s approached by a panhandler while stopped at a light on a freeway off-ramp, who recognizes Bernie from high school and refuses to take his money. Life’s been harder on him than Bernie, who can’t recognize him at all. Bernie takes him for a burger, and tries to help him out a little—by this time, he’s identified himself. He’s an old baseball teammate, and the two shared a highlight or two of their careers. After their meal, Rocket Saluka has Bernie drop him off on the off-ramp.

But he’d said a thing or two that Bernie can’t stop thinking about, so he goes back the next morning to follow up. Rocket’s nowhere to be found, but someone else directs Bernie to a camp Rocket was staying at. He’s not there, either—and there’s almost no trace of him. Chet does find his distinctive switchblade buried under Rocket’s tent, however—and now Bernie’s even more curious, and he sets out to find his old teammate.

It turns out that there’s quite the history attached to this switchblade, and most of it was shared by other people who were associated with their high school (including one person Bernie knows but didn’t realize was from the same school). What starts off as a way to deal with some unnecessary guilt becomes a hunt for someone responsible for at least one murder—and hopefully, Rocket.

Weatherly and Trixie

I was a fan of Suzie Sanchez and didn’t like it at all when that relationship fell apart, and I wished for more time with the doctor Bernie dated. But now that Quinn has brought Weatherly into the series, I’m glad that things between them and Bernie ended.

Weatherly’s a great addition to the series period—someone in law enforcement that Bernie can talk shop with (who isn’t a former colleague) and who can pitch in when Bernie needs backup. And their romantic relationship is better than Bernie’s had before—there’s a trust, an honesty that was missing with Suzie. Bernie’s learned from his past mistakes and is making sure that he doesn’t make them again. It’s great to see.

I do feel back for Weatherly’s dog Trixie, Chet’s a jealous boy (we are learning), and he’s not doing well with a female counterpart with similar strengths (maybe stronger in a couple of ways than Chet). Yes, she scores a few wins over our narrator, but his feelings toward her color what we’re told about her, and she doesn’t come out looking so good.

We’ve seen something like this with Shooter, Chet’s son. But it’s a little different with Shooter because there’s a somewhat paternal aspect to Chet’s description of him.

We know that Chet can get along with other dogs—but the extended time with Trixie is showing us another side of his personality. You wouldn’t think you’d get that in a dog character, but it’s good to see that Quinn can give us that.

Bernie’s Notoriety

As he’s visiting fellow alumni and other people associated with the case, several people mention how they’d read/seen something about him because of the events of Of Mutts and Men (although one harkened back to Heart of Barkness. I’m glad that there are people out there who know that Bernie Little is out there, doing good work. Most of the time in PI fiction, you get the idea that outside of those close to a case, no one notices that the PI we’re so heavily invested in does anything of note.

But what’s better to me is that Bernie’s getting recognition for this case—one of the first things we learn about him 12 books ago is that he has very definite opinions about water usage and the local aquifer. From Chet, we get some ideas about other things that Bernie cares about, but from his own mouth, we know that he cares about Charlie, Chet, and water (and now, Weatherly). Of all the cases for him to get good PR for, this is the one that’s going to mean something to Bernie.

So, what did I think about Bark to the Future?

Not surprisingly, I liked it. I really did. We get a little character backstory here, we see Bernie as a good father (and a fumbling one), we see development in his relationship with Weatherly, we see the potential for a (small) income stream for Bernie outside the PI business, and there’s an intriguing mystery or two for our heroes to dig their teeth into (literally, for Chet).

Starting with Of Mutts and Men that Quinn’s found another gear. I can’t put my finger on it—I wish I could—but there’s something about the novels that have stepped up a notch or two. The series is always reliable, but these last few have been better than some of the previous. Bark to the Future continues that streak.

I heartily recommend this to you—if you haven’t tried one from this series before, don’t worry—they’re all good entry points. Jump in now, you’ll be glad you did.

Much like Chet and a Slim Jim, I’ve gulped this one down and am ready for my next one.

Disclaimer: I received this eARC from Macmillan-Tor/Forge via NetGalley in exchange for this post—thanks to both for this.

4 Stars

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Top Ten Tuesday: Titles that Tickled My Funny Bone

By HCNewton

On August 9, 2022

In News/Misc.

The topic for this week’s Top Ten Tuesdays is the Hilarious Book Titles.

Sure, calling some “hilarious” practically invites the response of “eh, it’s okay, I guess.” Hilarity (to me) implies funny to the nth degree. So, when I picked the books for this list, I went with “Titles that tickled my funny bone (and continue to)”—that seemed more attainable. My Long List after going through my shelves and Goodreads numbered in the 70s, but whittling it down was super easy (would’ve been easier if I’d have let myself use multiple titles from Watterson, Kellett, or Trudeau).

Titles that tickled my funny bone (and continue to)

	Live Right and Find Happiness (Although Beer is Much Faster) by Dave Barry That title is pure Barry—a little silly, maybe a little lazy, but funny. The book was largely pieces of wisdom that Barry is passing on to his daughter and grandson. More of the advice is helpful than you might think, it’s all worth listening to. The rest of the book ain’t bad, either. In case you’re curious about what I’ve written about this audiobook (and some others written by Barry), click here.
	Have You Eaten Grandma?: Or, the Life-Saving Importance of Correct Punctuation, Grammar, and Good English by Gyles Brandreth Sure, we’ve all seen the jokes/memes, etc. about “Have you eaten, Grandma? vs Have you eaten Grandma?”, it’s using it with the subtitle phrase “Life-Saving Importance” that grabbed my attention (and it was worth it—a fun and helpful guide to grammar, etc.) In case you’re curious about what I’ve written about this book, click here.
	Literature: Unsuccessfully Competing Against TV Since 1953 by Dave Kellett This title for the collection of bookish-themed strips from the webcomic Sheldon isn’t the best part of the collection, but it always makes me grin. I’ve read the thing from cover to cover a handful of times, and have read bits and pieces of it frequently—I’m a big fan of Kellett’s work and this is among his best.
	A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher I’m sure I’m not the only one who picked up this book because of the title alone—I’m not even sure that I read the blurb for it. I’m so glad I did, it was full of heart, charm, and humor—and leaves you craving baked goods (magic-free, preferably). In case you’re curious about what I’ve written about the audiobook, click here.
	A Bathroom Book for People Not Pooping or Peeing but Using the Bathroom as an Escape by Joe Pera, Joe Bennett (Illustrator) When you see the title, you imagine that this is a parody of a book listing or something, right? It can’t be a real book. Ahh, but it is. The title tells you pretty much everything you need to know about this odd source of affirmation and encouragement. In case you’re curious about what I’ve written about this book, click here.
	99 Poems to Cure Whatever’s Wrong with You or Create The Problems You Need by Sam Pink It was someone sharing a poem from this book that caught my eye, but it was the title that cinched it for me—I had to give these poems a try. It’s the last clause that did it. After reading these, I don’t think any problems were created or cured, but I got a nice break from them for a little bit. In case you’re curious about what I’ve written about this book, click here.
	46% Better Than Dave by Alastair Puddick It’s the specificity of the percentage that did it for me. I’m not sure what it is about the 46 that works, but it does. A man with a perfectly nice life loses perspective when a he gets a new neighbor that shares his first name. Suddenly he’s the “old” Dave to all his friends—and “new” (with an implied “improved”) Dave seems to have a better life—46% better. It’s a funny and sweet novel about realizing how green grass on your side of the fence is. In case you’re curious about what I’ve written about this book, click here.
	I Just Want My Pants Back by David Rosen I didn’t like this book as much as the title, but the title still works for me. You can hear the lament/whine… After a one-night stand, Jason Strider has to go on a quest to get his jeans back. Hilarity (theoretically) ensues. In case you’re curious about what I’ve written about this book, click here.
	Even Revolutionaries Like Chocolate Chip Cookies by G.B. Trudeau I mean, who doesn’t? This subtle little reminder about our shared humanity comes from this collection of newspaper strips in 1972. It’s one of the earliest Doonesbury collections, the humor (as I recall) isn’t quite as refined as it would become—but maybe hits the targets better.
	Scientific Progress Goes “Boink” by Bill Watterson I think it’s the “Boink” that sells this title for me—if it had been another sound, I don’t know if it’d would’ve clicked for me. This Calvin and Hobbes collection is just wonderful, which is a tautology, sure. I just can’t think of anything else to say.