Reading Report; December2024/January 2025

Continuing my Rudyard Kipling jag I (re-)read “The Bridge Builders,” a story I had read before maybe 30+ years ago.

Read some of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Wonder Book,” where he re-tells Greek Myths for a young audience. I read a lot of these stories but never his version. A lot lighter tone than in his more famous works (like “Scarlet Letter.”)

Finished reading Kipling’s story “The Maltese Cat,” a story about Polo from the horse’s point of view. Funny and actually sweet! (I had to look up a couple of the old songs mentioned in the tale; at least one of them quite bawdy!) It’s Kipling’s December 30^th birthday and I plan on reading at least one more Kipling story today. And I did! “Children of the Zodiac,” a downbeat tale I’d read before.

Wrapped up the Kipling Birthday read with his poem “Envoy.”

Finally got around to reading stories in Peter Cannon’s “Scream For Jeeves,” which places P. G. Wodehouse’s Jeeves and Bertie Wooster in the world of H. P. Lovecraft! Started with “Cats, Rats And Bertie Wooster,” and read “Something Foetid.” The latter a mix of “Cool Air” and “Fawlty Towers!”

Those stories are collected in Cannon’s spoof-laden collection “Forever Azatoth.” (The original “Scream For Jeeves” has become rather pricey!)

Also in H. P. L. mode, listened to “At The Mountains Of Madness” done up as a Dr. Seuss book by R. J. Ivankovic. Great fun!

For Clark Ashton Smith’s January 13^th Birthday, read his story “Mother Of Toads” and his poem “The Old Water Wheel.” The poem was sweet and wonderful!

(Oh, and Smith is an offstage character in Leiber’s “Our Lady Of Darkness” which I’m also reading!)

Started reading Stephen King’s “The Gunfighter,” the first book in his “Dark Tower” sequence. This is the version he revised about twenty years ago as there were some inconsistencies with later books in the series. He said he set out “to tell a tale of wonder” and it is a gripping read!

And of course I read the excellent offerings online by E. H. Timms and Kaje Harper.