I finished two books during this week, and I began my reading of 100-year-old magazine issues as well.
Books
- The Antiquary, by Sir Walter Scott — This tale centers on the title character and his friends and neighbors, including a mysterious young man whom he befriends; it offers plenty of gentle comedy and a modicum of tragedy, with the action circumscribed within a fairly small area and chiefly of fairly low stakes, save from a personal perspective. The leisurely storytelling allows Scott to develop a number of the characters, especially the antiquary himself, Jonathan Oldbuck, and the wandering beggar Edie Ochiltree, but even those in minor roles get attention enough to draw the reader’s attention and sympathy. Recommended.
- The Threefold Cord, by Francis Vivian — The third in the Inspector Knollis mysteries is rather a disappointment. The menacing killings of a rich woman’s pet bird and cat have her husband asking for police protection for himself as the logical next victim, and then a murderer strikes. The identity of the guilty was apparent nearly immediately, though some of the specific details surrounding the crime weren’t clear until rather later, but overall the mystery wasn’t sufficiently mysterious, and the ending was unsatisfactory. Not recommended unless reading the series.
Continuing Reads
- A Laugh a Day Keeps the Doctor Away, by humorist Irvin S. Cobb — a collection of 366 amusing anecdotes published in 1923 (100 years ago!), which I’ll be reading at the rate of one per day.
- More Heart Throbs — the sequel to the similar Heart Throbs, an anthology of prose and verse selections, often sentimental in nature, submitted by the general public and famous people, published in 1911; I’ll be reading one or more pages (as needed for the selections) per day throughout the year.
- The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night: A Plain and Literal Translation of the Arabian Nights Entertainments, translated by Sir Richard F. Burton in the late 19th century — I hope to read all ten volumes as well as the six supplemental volumes this year.
- Orlando Innamorato, by Matteo Boiardo, translated by Charles Stanley Ross — I hope to finish this Renaissance Italian epic this year.
Magazine
- Short Stories, January 25, 1923
Contents:- “Texas Steerers,” by Thomson Burtis — a novella in which U.S. Army fliers get involved in cleaning up corruption in a Texas town after one of the pilots is robbed. Reasonably entertaining; mildly recommended.
- “The Voice in the Drum,” by Harold Lamb — a short story in which an act of kindness receives a surprising reward on the fringes of the Gobi Desert. Recommended.
- “The Curse of the Painted Cliffs,” by W. C. Tuttle — a fast-paced novelette that seemed a mite perfunctory in its handling of the central character and his antagonists, crooks who are high-grading and also cheating a saloon owner. Mildly recommended.
- “Peg-Leg, Ship’s Cook,” by Bill Adams — a minor bit of poetry. Mildly recommended.
- “The Desert of the Three Skulls” [Part 2 of 4], by Robert Welles Ritchie — a serial, which I skipped as I do not have the issues with the other parts.
- “The Soul of the Lagoons,” by G. A. Wells — a short story with self-sacrifice at its heart. Recommended.
- “Them Dizzy Dudes,” by James W. Egan — a humorous short story set on a dude ranch where people may not be who they seem. Recommended.
- “Jockey Randleman Up,” by Romaine Lowdermilk & Lyle Abbott — a short story account of low-key heroism. Recommended.
- “Peace River Pendleton,” by Hamilton Craigie — a short story of the logging country, where a man’s ax can be the key to crime and freedom. Mildly recommended.
- “Any Old Plug,” by Wendell W. Hanmer — a short story with crew racing, gambling, and cheating at its heart, with a lesson on appearances. Mildly recommended.