Wednesday Welcome
USS Bataan arrives for Fleet Week 2024, Reuters photo by Brendan McDermid:
Ruth Ware, born Warburton in Lewes, England, is on an impressive literary run. She has written eight thrillers. Before that she had five young adult novels published under her birth name. A copy of her latest, Zero Days, recently came my way. It’s the story of a woman of about 30 who earns her living testing the security measures of companies, breaking into buildings and exposing weaknesses. Her latest effort results in arrest. After several hours in custody, she arrives home and finds she is being framed for murder and more. She eventually takes flight in order to find evidence to clear herself, experiencing several narrow escapes. There are two aspects I hated about the book. The author occasionally uses the politically correct “them” rather than “he” or “she” in prose, which is okay in dialogue, as many speak that way. I’ll never get used to it. Second, the protagonist suffers an injury to her side early in the narrative, and the point is belabored from then on. The novel is highly detailed in terms of technology, way more than I prefer, but that is above criticism. It is more grounded than many in the genre, nothing outrageously implausible. And, mercifully, the body count is very low, making it read more like an adventure. The prose and dialogue are solid. The F-word is used liberally. The 354 pages of the hardcover edition read like a bit less, as there are blanks between phases. More than 8000 users at Amazon have rated Zero Days, forging to a consensus of 4.1 on a scale of five. I’ll go with 2.5. The title refers to “a recently discovered security vulnerability that hackers can use to attack systems.” I should have learned not to bother with these types of books, as I’m always unsatisfied. Not that fans of the genre should be deterred, as Ware has been bestowed awards for her work. Two of her novels are being adapted to the screen, one as a TV series. She is a mom of two. Photo from Google Images:
Damned if you do, etc.. Excerpt from an article by Tracy Swartz at nypost.com: “Steady use of fish oil supplements might increase the risk of developing heart disease or having a stroke for the first time — but it also might slow the progression of existing cardiovascular health problems and lower the risk of death, a new UK study finds.” This stuff is frequently maddening. I’ve been using the stuff for decades. Aaargh!
Forgive me, I was unable to track down who did this terrific cartoon.
The tough stretch continues for the Anti-Inflation Book Shop despite gorgeous weather. My thanks to Lynn, who came along late in the session and bought a Merriam-Webster large print crossword puzzle book and Stardust by Neil Gaiman.
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