Temptation (Debt Collector 13)

Temptation by Susan Kaye Quinn

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I will recommend Temptation, Debt Collector episode 13, as a significant part of the entire season while giving 1.5 stars. One star being "I didn't like it". It didn't go that low, but it was barely OK. Two stars.

This would barely rate as a story, which is why zero or one star might serve. Stories have beginnings, middles, and ends. This was more like a transition sentence to the next paragraph. The 6 chapters that make up this episode did supply some plot moving information so while I felt little significant happened, it seemed to have a point.

Ms. Quinn may have called it Temptation for a couple things that take place. One being some kind of life energy seduction where Ishtar and Moloch keep pumping life energy into Wraith. It is written to make it appear as if this "life energy hit" was causing some extreme addictive euphoria. It appears to work. Then they pass Wraith off to Zachariel for the purpose of being sexually and emotionally seduced.

Zachariel announces this seduction is his "job". Then he doesn't try to do it. By not doing it he appears to accomplish the job, just the same. Yeah, you'll have to read it. It'll make sense.

Menace (Debt Collector 12)

Menace by Susan Kaye Quinn

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I feel like I'm in literary review hell. Earlier I gave Emma by Jane Austen 3 stars and was about to give this "episode" three stars. That seemed ridiculous to me.

I went in search of my old "rating charts" to verify I really wanted to give this 3 stars. Having located them I see that 2 stars is "OK". This episode is "OK". Subjective ratings in my analytical mind isn't a good thing, I suspect.

First two chapters of this episode had me frustrated. Chapter One I became excessively aware that Wraith was wearing black stiletto heels. Here are my entire notes for Chapter Two:

Ch2: 1-almost go down with my stiletto heels. // 2-help me climb from the cab in my tight skirt and heels. // 3 -The crumbled pavement is tricky in my heels, but I manage it //4 -up, even with my five-inch heels. // 5- from my black stilettos up to my red tailored jacket. // 6 - stepping out of my heels, shucking off my jacket…

Emma

Emma by Jane Austen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I believe this novel, Emma, by Jane Austen rates 3 stars but still recommend I as a 5 star classic. I might have given it 4 stars if I hadn't thought more than once to abandon it entirely. My frustration isn't entirely an issue with the book. I was trying to listen to the book while doing other things.

I'm reviewing two versions of the audiobook and the ebook by Feedbooks. Volume 1 of this 3 volume book I primarily listened to the audiobook read by Juliet Stevenson. Ms. Stevenson is a fine narrator but the speed of her reading and my unfamiliarity of Jane Austen's style, verbiage, and vocabulary of the era, along with a large Dramatis personæ with regularly changing names via marriage or adoption left me feeling lost and confused. Such was my first 5½ hours with the audiobook.

I obtained another copy of the audiobook read by a full cast of the "online stage". I don't generally like dramatic readings of books but it was an unabridged edition and I thought I'd try it since I was struggling with Ms. Stevenson's reading. My next 10 hours and two volumes was more pleasant. I didn't struggle so much with the dialog with different artists reading the dialog, which is a largest portion of the novel.

Specter (Debt Collector #11)

Specter by Susan Kaye Quinn

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Let me start with a dismal 3 stars and a "take it or leave it" recommendation. I read Season Two, Debt Collector 10 "Wraith" last December. For me that's a long time between "episodes" so I had to review notes to remind myself of the Season up to this second episode.

To promptly flesh this out, "debt collecting" is when a specially skilled person drains all the life from someone who has been deemed unable to financially contribute to society equal to or above the amount they owe society. Usually in medical bills.

"Debt collectors" are soul suckers, or if you prefer quasi-vampire substitutes, who suck life force instead of blood. (Think Lifeforce) I believe it is a genetic mutation in which the government has become heavily invested. This naturally means it is corrupt, being used ineffectively, immorally; ruining every life it touches from debt collectors, debt collectees, managers, administrators, lobbyist, and syndicated crime, ad nausea. With government involved, typically, there is approved soul sucking that is legal and other soul sucking that is illegal. Of course this makes debt collecting very profitable for nefarious slackers and ne'er do-gooders.

Framed

Framed by David Archer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I'm giving this pretzel plotted gumshoe musical 3.1415926535 stars and recommending it as if it is a 5 star blockbuster to lovers of mysteries or people who know what an Edgar award is.

It is a very fast paced private eye detective novel that feels a bit like Father Knows Best, Mayberry R.F.D, or The Brady Bunch. I don't know how to explain that comparison. Hanging out with Sam Prichard, Indie and Kenzie while investigating mysteries rife with danger and intrigue is like playing Monopoly with a few of your good friends. It's entertainment. It's fun. You may or may not lose sleep with it but only because you won't mind returning to be with your friends again tomorrow. Ok then…

*Warning* contains spoilers related to Sam Prichard novels 1-3. How can you not write a spoiler about book 4 in a series? I'll try not to ruin your enjoyment of the earlier books.

Gulliver's Travels

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 stars yet highly recommended. This book is so much more than what I remember reading as a child.

I would still say children may enjoy Gulliver's adventures with Gulliver as a giant man among the tiny people of Lilliput. Children won't help but smile imaging Gulliver as a very tiny human stranded in a land full of giants and fighting off mice who might devour him. These vivid images have been the delight of children for at least a dozen decades.

Then again, Gulliver's Travels is very clearly a book for grown-ups. It probably should be mandatory reading before graduation of high school or college.

I've considered how I might best review this book. I believe the best would be to aim you at a great review with which I wholeheartedly agree. So in that line, here's a really great review by "Stephen" at Goodreads.

Secondly I thought I should review "by example or illustration". I selected Part 3, Chapter 6, [A further account of the academy. The author proposes some improvements, which are honourably received.]

Public Folder our path for Reading Classics

Our Reading Classic Program & Original HTML Reviews

Sagely Fox has an alternate 'private' site where you may:

• Access my 2021 reviews as they were originally written in HTML.
• From that page you may access our Public Files Index.

The original purpose for this 'private' site was to store our 'Free Reading Classics Program' E-books and Audiobooks! But it has become slightly more over time.

The Reading Classics Program

There you can download epub e-books and audiobooks, usually the audio in zipped files containing the book's mp3 files. Some links are simply to where you may access the e-book and/or audiobook online for yourself. There are two ways to access The Reading Classics Program. You may either scroll down to the list of available downloads on the 'private' Index/Public Files page or you may click on The Reading Classics Program heading at the top of the Index/Public Files page to directly access the directories.

You're free to download any document or file in the Sagely Fox Public Files or share them with your friends. You'll not be doing anything illegal. They are all public domain files.

Learn More Here...

The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1808)

The Life and Adventures of Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Four Stars, recommended as a classic.

In summary this is written as an autobiography of an English youngster, born in the year 1632, in the city of York, anxious for adventure against his family's advice. He sets upon the sea to satisfy his adventure yearnings. He endures some hardships, some enslavement, and some fortune obtaining a plantation in South America. To enhance his fortune he voyages to find laborers to work on his plantation, slaves. (He had been a slave to moslems for some years during his adventures, this isn't a controversial point in this 1600s novel)

During his voyage he is shipwrecked and is the sole survivor on a deserted island for some 27 years when circumstances change to allow him to return to England. There after are some other minor adventures, re-obtaining his properties and monies he had entrusted to others before he vanished at sea.

The meat of the novel is his adventures as a sole survivor on a deserted island.

Don Quixote

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I found a list with the top ten best classic books and Don Quixote was at the top. I read the Kindle edition and listened to an Audible edition, alternating and sometimes reading and listening simultaneously.

Any blurb anywhere (Goodreads, Wikipedia, Amazon, book cover) can give you a more in depth summary of the stories. Everyone, even those who have not read the book know of the gallant Knight Errant... The Renowned Don Quixote De La Mancha attacking windmills with his faithful squire Sancho Panza right behind him.

The book is so much more. First thing I would note is the fact I laughed to tears, stopped reading (and laughing), then laughed some more. 

If laughing until you cry isn't encouraging, the wisdom and quantity of puns streamed together by Sancho Panza is surpassed in wisdom by Proverbs which also makes more sense -- but does not have the reach of Sancho who may have expressed every pun under the sun.

2019 Goodread's Challege

I've upped my prediction to 30 and included the top ten classics in my challenge.  I've offset that ambition with 8 or so books from the Debt Collector's season that are all very short books.  But then compared to the classics I'll be attempting... the number of pages I'm attempting is the largest every, I think.

I was told to make plans... don't plan results.  So the plan for the 2019 Challenge of 30 books is as follows:

The Art of War

The Art of War by Sun Tzu

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I read The Art of War by Sun Tzu translated by Lionel Giles in 1910 as it had been suggested to me in a variety of ways for decades and this afternoon I thought, just do it and get it off this list of things other people think I should do.

Chapter one caused me to remember As A Man Thinketh by James Allen. For the record that actually is one of the best "self-help", "spiritual-growth", "wisdom-obtaining" books in the last century and I suspect there have been 2000 books written every year since that says what "As A Man Thinketh" says, except they didn't say it as well or as concisely.

After chapter one of The Art of War my natural habit of "thinking" kicked in to high gear and I started asking myself, "What?" and "Really?"

Love and War

Love and War by David Archer

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Again, I really liked another Sam Prichard Mystery. This book. That would be four stars. I liked its writing, and Mikael Naramore's reading of it. I'm reviewing both the ebook and the audio-book.

In this book we open with Sam singing in the shower with joy of his upcoming nuptials. Which reminds me of a review of the previous Sam Pricharcd novel, “ Death Sung Softly”. I’m reminded because I mention the previous novel is a “musical”. This book is also a musical in the same ways. The audio-book sings, the ebook has the lyrics and links to the singing, but it isn’t as extensive a musical as “Death Sung Softly” where Sam became the lead singer of band who hired him as a private investigator to find their missing lead singer.

I digress.

The Goodreads blurb tells more spoiler info than I like to provide in order to encourage folks to read a book. My additions will, however, spoil it further, sorry.

Wraith - Debt Collector 10

Wraith by Susan Kaye Quinn

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The story, as short as it is, remains exciting. This book is very much about establishing Wraith, who she is. I give it three stars for some "internal-editor" reason I may remember to mention, but I do recommend the season and all the books in it as I've grown to respect Susan Kay Quinn as a person trying to do some remarkable things with her writing. I do pray I will write something about this at length at some future time.

This second season likely will be about Wraith's "growth", if my editor-critique-gut is working. This "Season" will be about Wraith going from being a mainly naive debt collector to accepting the reality of actual "good guy" debt collectors (as far as such a thing can be imagined). While Wraith will have some exceptional qualities, the events will shape her from one barely surviving situation until the next until she finally "gets it"- and my great hope is that Susan Kaye Quinn allows her to survive the entire season. I do know for a fact that Mr. Quinn does have the writer's courage to make remarkable literary decisions, even as monumental as killing off primary characters.

I would like to mention differences from Debt Collector Season One and Season Two. Season one was about Lirium, a "government" worker "life debt collector" doing legitimate "government" -- work that must have been a foresight written into Obama-care or the UK health system. BTW, he makes a cameo appearance in this story.

Passion - Debt Collector 9

Passion by Susan Kaye Quinn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I suspect anything said would have to be a spoiler to some degree with the conclusion of the both the "season" and the last book of the season. There are eight previous books to be easily spoiled with the wrong word. I only hope someone explains a "season" of books to me some day. Until then, this is a good conclusion to the "season".

Unlike TV series that leaves you hanging with the protagonist falling from an exploding airplane that is in flaming pieces above them… and they are strapped to an airplane seat without a parachute, this season one of Debt Collector concludes!

The good news is there is a season two, and it is available. It's just about a different debt collector.

Ruthless - Debt Collection 8

Ruthless by Susan Kaye Quinn

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Susan Kaye Quinn's Ruthless, Debt Collector 8 seems to be the set up for the conclusion of Debt Collector Season One. On Goodreads the blurb is:

"With Elena's help, Lirium attempts to slash into Candy's files to get evidence about the conspiracy to transfer our kids."

This is probably more information than I would normally want to divulge while trying to keep the review interesting and encouraging you or discouraging you to read it according to my recommendation.

I do recommend it. It would be meaningless not to recommend it if you have read this far into the season. You're very likely to finish the season as Lirium and those who have interacted with him remain interesting characters and Ms. Quinn has the plot on this season set to 78 RPM, for those who may recall what a vinyl record is.