The Duplex

 

By Glenn McCoy

This description of McCoy's comic strip comes from Wikipedia:  The Duplex  is a comic strip by Glenn McCoy and his brother Gary McCoy, syndicated by Universal Press Syndicate since 1993. It has been published as a syndicated daily newspaper comic strip and on the internet. In 2005, the National Cartoonists Society gave The Duplex the award for 2004's best Newspaper Comic Strip.

The characters are:

• Eno L. Camino, the main character
• Fang, Eno's dog and best friend
• Gina, Eno's neighbor
• Mitzi, Gina's poodle
• Elvin, Eno's neighbor and friend

Here are some examples of the strip, taken from their website, Glenn McCoy.com.

I really enjoyed this collection of McCoy's comic strips. I think it is hilarious and I am glad I stumbled across it. Find it, read it and laugh!

The Gabriel Hounds

 

By Mary Stewart

Cousins Charles and Christy have known each other all their lives and have always been good friends. So when they realized they were both going to be in Beruit at the same time, it was only natural to spend some time catching up. While there, they also wanted to visit their Great-Aunt Harriet, who lived in an old Arabic palace with her dogs and a few servants. Harriet was know to be a little loopy and eccentric, not surprising in a person in their eighties. 

What was surprising was how resistant the old woman's servants were to letting Christy in to visit her aunt. Christy was finally able to talk her way into the palace and actually see her aunt, who seemed to be doing pretty well for an old woman in precarious health. However, when she asked permission for Cousin Charles to visit, she was flatly turned down. Informed by the servants that the aunt did not want to see Charles and that she wanted to be left alone.

When Christy told Charles about her time with Harriet, he knew at once that something was off. Together they hatched a plan to sneak Charles into the palace so he could see Aunt Harriet for himself. And maybe figure out what kind of funny business was going on. 

This was a fun read. The author is really good at describing the local scenery but without boring the reader to death. Her descriptions make one wish to see it for oneself, but given the state of things in the Middle East and Hezbollah's little hate affair with Israel, it is doubtful western tourists are welcome there these days.

Here is a review of the novel by Kirkus Reviews.

Hangman's Holiday

 

By Dorothy L. Sayers

A collection of mystery stories by the author of the Lord Peter Wimsey detective series. Four of the stories feature Lord Peter. Six stories feature Montague Egg, who is just a guy who happens to stumble across murders while working as a traveling salesman. And two other stories complete the collection:

• The Image in the Mirror: Peter helps a confused man who is worried he is going insane.
• The Incredible Elopement of Lord Peter Wimsey: Peter helps a woman escape her abusive spouse.
• The Queen's Square: A woman is murdered at a house party where Peter is a guest.
• The Necklace of Pearls: A woman's necklace is stolen at a house party where Peter is a guest.
• The Poisoned DOW '08: One of Montague Egg's customers is poisoned by a bottle of wine that Egg sold him.
• Sleuths on the Scent: A man is killed in the area and his killer is hiding among a group of men at a bar among whom is Egg.
• Murder in the Morning: A woman mistakenly alibis a murderer. Egg comes along as a witness.
• One Too Many: A swindler disappears while on a train that Egg is also traveling on.
• Murder at Pentecost: a college professor whom Egg hoped to sell some wine to is killed the morning Egg stops by the college to see him.
• Maher-Shalal-Hashbaz: A teenage girl's cat is rescued by Egg and he becomes interested in her plans for the cat, whose name is the title of the story. 
• The Man Who Knew How: A non-Egg, non-Peter story in which a man's little joke backfires on him.
• The Fountain Plays: A non-Egg, non-Peter story about a man who seems to have a good life but who has a secret that could ruin everything.

I didn't know who Maher-Shalal-Hashbaz was so Googled it. According to Bible Wiki, Maher Shalal Hash Baz was a son of Isiah. His name was a prophecy given by god, meaning "In making speed to the spoil he hastens the prey." This was a warning to Syria and Israel that they would be invaded by Assyria.  In the Egg story, the girl explains her cat's name because he makes haste to the spoil. 

These stories are Ok. Sometimes a bit to far back in time and a bit too British for an ignorant non-British reader to figure out what they are talking about. Like mufti. I had to look that up when a character in one of the Egg stories is described as being in mufti. Turns out it means some one who is normally seen wearing a uniform who is instead wearing ordinary clothes, in this case a policeman.  

I was also confused in the Egg story about clocks. Apparently they used things that looked like clocks but actually weren't clocks that were used to show "lighting up time." Looked that up on Google too. According to Wikipedia, "In the United Kingdom, lighting up time is a legally enforced period from half an hour after sunset to half an hour before sunrise during which all motor vehicles on unlit public roads (except if parked) must use their headlights." 

And again in the story where Egg was on the same train as the swindler, I really didn't understand the mechanics of how he pulled off his disappearance. All that talk about tickets and stops and such just didn't connect with me. I have no experience of train travel. Especially not train travel in Britain a hundred or more years ago. 

I felt quite lost at times which limited my enjoyment of the stories somewhat.  

How I Got This Way

 

By Patrick F. McManus

Another collection of the author's funny short stories, including hilarious stories of his childhood, stories of his adult outdoor experiences (not as funny but still very enjoyable) and even some more serious and touching stories, including a rather melancholy one about a kingfisher. All in all a wonderful, funny and touching collection that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

The stories:

• How I Got This Way, Part I
• Ethics, and What to Do About Them
• Bambo
• Get Ready
• Toe
• The Bandage
• The Big Woods
• Elk Magic
• There She Blows
• Brimstone
• The Blue Dress
• Warped Camshaft
• The 400-Pound Pumpkin
• Tenner-Shoe Blight
• Letter from a Kingfisher
• The Ultimate Bull
• My Greatest Triumph
• Another Boring Day
• The Complete Curmudgeon
• The Liars Club
• A Couple Pickles Shy of a Full Barrel
• Excuse Me, While I Get Out of the Way
• The Two Masked Raiders
• Mosquito Bay
• My Hike with, ahem, the President
• Ed in Camp
• How I Got This Way, Part II

Here is a review from Publishers Weekly.

A Fine and Pleasant Misery

 

By Patrick F. McManus

A collection of the author's humorous stories dating from the 1960s to 1970s. Quite enjoyable, even for those who are not outdoorsy. These are the stories:

• A Fine and Pleasant Misery
• A Dog for All Seasons
• The Modified Stationary Panic
• Grogan's War Surplus
• -The Big Trip
• The Theory and Application of Old Men
• The Two-Wheeled ATV
• The Backyard Safari
• Shooting the Chick-a-nout Narrows
• The Miracle of the Fish Plate
• The Backpacker
• Great Outdoor Gadgets Nobody Ever Invented
• The Purist
• The Outfit
• Kid Camping
• How to Fish a Crick
• Further Teachings of Rancid Crabtree
• The Great Cow Plot
• The Mountain Man
• The Rescue
• "I'll Never Forget Old 5789-A"
• The Ba'r
• The Rendezvous
• Cigars, Logging Trucks, and Know-It-Alls
• But Where's the Park, Papa?
• A Yup of a Different Color
• Mountain Goats Never Say "Cheese!"