Kate’s 2¢: Natt och Dag, Niklas “The Wolf and The Watchman”

Kate’s 2¢: Natt och Dag, Niklas “The Wolf and The Watchman”

Not to be confused with “The wolf and the watchman: a father, a son, and the CIA” by Scott Johnson

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

This is an awesome story, from when the Watchman pulls the human torso out of the polluted water, to the search for the perpetrator, to the surprise ending.

When Natt och Dag writes (paraphrased): ‘…The storm stalked the town like a hump-backed beetle on spindly legs of lightening…’  it rivals Robert Frost’s ‘…The fog comes / on little cat feet/ It sits looking/ over harbor and city/ on silent haunches/ and then moves on/…’.(from ‘Fog’ by Robert Frost).

I was surprised to find another book with a similar title “The wolf and the watchman: a father, a son, and the CIA” by Scott Johnson.

From the WEB:

…Niklas Natt och Dag (“Night and Day”) is a member of the oldest surviving noble family in Sweden. He enjoys playing the guitar, mandolin, violin, and the Japanese bamboo flute. “The Wolf and the Watchman “, his first novel, was named the Best Debut of 2017 by the Swedish Academy of Crime Writers and is being published in thirty countries.

… In his debut novel, Natt och Dag examines the effects of a brutal murder on those who investigate it—and explores the psychological causes for the crime. Stockholm, 1793: Sweden is still recovering from an unpopular war with Russia; some veterans, like watchman Mickel Cardell, lost limbs in the slaughter, and he was one of the lucky ones.

From NLS/BARD/LOC

The wolf and the watchman DB95349

Natt och Dag, Niklas. Reading time: 13 hours, 43 minutes.

Read by Caspar Rundegren.

Mystery and Detective Stories

1793. A year after the death of King Gustav III, paranoia and whispered conspiracies fill the land. Mickel Cardell, a disabled ex-soldier and former night watchman, finds a mutilated body. He teams with lawyer Cecil Winge to find the perpetrator. Translated from the original 2017 Swedish edition. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2019.

Kate’s 2¢: Bendell, Don “Chief of scouts Books 1-3”

Kate’s 2¢:  Bendell, Don “Chief of scouts Books 1-3”

Not to be confused with De Barthe Joseph The life and adventures of Frank Grouard chief of scouts USA

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

Oh, Dear Gussie!  Who doesn’t love a good oater and/or western book, especially when it starts out with our hero shaking in his boots, but, never showing it, as Christopher Columbus Colt, the nephew of the Colt 45 gun manufacturer, rescues the beautiful pioneer woman?

I once read a book by a radio announcer who published his interviews with real, old-time cowboys and the book written by a cowgirl who high-lighted her mother’s life and other strong, Western cowgirls who stood by their men and on their own ‘back in the day’. “Chief of Scouts” by Don Bendell  blends the best of both those books. He has done his homework, research, and has the experience to craft wonderful fiction. He weaves Chris Columbus Colt into historic events with Custer, Chief Joseph, the Buffalo Soldiers, and other historic figures, as well as, a stint of doing it all blind. I’ll look for more of his books to read and, apparently, there are a lot of them.

From his website:

best-selling author, mainly of westerns, Don Bendell has penned 29 books with over 3,000, 000 copies in print worldwide. Don is a 1995 inductee into the International Karate & Kickboxing Hall of Fame and 1996 inductee into the Martial Arts Museum of America Don and his wife, the late Master Shirley Bendell are the only couple in history to both be inducted into the International Karate and Kickboxing Hall of Fame…

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, Don developed Ischemic heart disease and  Type II diabetes “due to excessive exposure to Agent Orange.”  He is rated by VA as a 100% disabled Vietnam veteran…

Don has a Master of Science in Leadership degree from Grand Canyon University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Colorado Christian University. He has also been a US Army Special Forces (Green Beret) captain, a licensed Colorado big-game guide and outfitter, bodyguard, executive sales rep, TV Talk show host, and radio disc jockey. In  the nineties, Don also created and wrote the first six books of the popular science fiction “Tracker” series under the pen name Ron Stillman.  See his website for the full scoop on this fascinating author.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Chief of scouts. Books 1-3 DB94901

Bendell, Don. Reading time: 20 hours, 19 minutes.

Read by Jack Fox.

Historical Fiction

Western Stories

Trilogy written in 1993 and 1994. In Chief of Scouts, cavalry scout Chris Colt must choose sides at the battle of Little Big Horn. In Horse Soldiers, the army battles Chief Joseph. In Colt, Colt tries to suppress an Apache rebellion. Violence, strong language, and some descriptions of sex. 1994.

Kate’s 2¢: “The Silent Corner “;” The whispering room”; “The crooked staircase”; “The forbidden door” by Dean Koontz

“The Silent Corner “;” The whispering room”; “The crooked staircase”; “The forbidden door” by Dean Koontz

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

I think it was in 2017 that I received the NLS cartridge titled “The Silent Corner” by Dean Koontz. I read it and sent it back. Then, a few months ago, I received a story that rang a bell. The characters  sounded very familiar  and I was off on a search to find more Jane Hawk stories. I found “The Silent Corner “;” The whispering room”; “The crooked staircase”; “and The forbidden door”.

I was amazed at how many books Koontz has published. Among the many descriptors of Dean Koontz’s works are:  Suspense Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Mystery and Detective Stories, adventure, and, of course, Bestsellers.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

The silent corner DB89177

Koontz, Dean R, (Dean Ray). Reading time: 14 hours, 24 minutes.

Read by Elisabeth Rodgers.

Suspense Fiction

Bestsellers

Psychological Fiction

“I very much need to be dead.” These are the chilling words left behind by Jane’s husband, who had everything to live for–but took his own life. Jane is determined to find the truth, because other accomplished, happy people have recently been committing suicide in surprising numbers. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller. 2017.

The whispering room DB89869

Koontz, Dean R, (Dean Ray). Reading time: 16 hours, 41 minutes.

Read by Elisabeth Rodgers.

Suspense Fiction

Bestsellers

Psychological Fiction

Following Jane Hawk’s husband’s inexplicable suicide–and the equally mysterious deaths of scores of other exemplary individuals in The Silent Corner (DB 89177)–Jane picks up the trail of a secret cabal of powerful players who think themselves above the law and beyond punishment. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller. 2017.

The crooked staircase DB91680

Koontz, Dean R, (Dean Ray). Reading time: 15 hours, 59 minutes.

Read by MacKenzie Beyer.

Suspense Fiction

Adventure

Mystery and Detective Stories

Psychological Fiction

Bestsellers

Jane Hawk plans the capture of the Department of Justice’s Booth Hendrickson, one of the powerful cabal responsible for “adjusting” over sixteen thousand people using brain-altering nanotechnology and then eliminating those they believe would steer civilization in the wrong direction. Violence, strong language, and some explicit descriptions of sex. Bestseller. 2018.

The forbidden door: a Jane Hawk novel DB93915

Koontz, Dean R, (Dean Ray). Reading time: 14 hours, 30 minutes.

Read by Emily Ellet.

Suspense Fiction

Psychological Fiction

Now that fugitive rogue FBI agent Jane Hawk has made some inroads against the Techno Arcadians mind-control cabal, they are more intent than ever to find her well-hidden young son Travis to use against her. And Jane is rushing to stop them. Violence and strong language. 2018.

Dean Koontz: a writer’s biography DB48324

Ramsland, Katherine M. Reading time: 19 hours, 28 minutes.

Read by Bob Askey.

Biography of Writers

Describes how Koontz, born in 1945, endured a troubled childhood, married, taught briefly while writing books in various genres, and then began producing his string of bestselling suspense novels that include Fear Nothing (DB 45719) and The Eyes of Darkness (DB 42555). Includes chronologies of his work and life.

Kate’s 2¢: “Dean Koontz, A writer’s Biography” by Katherine Ramsland

“Dean Koontz, A writer’s Biography” by Katherine Ramsland

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.  I’m just saying…

Once I’d read Koontz’s Jane Hawk series, I was curious about the author. This book is extensive and thorough to the nth degree; however, it didn’t include his blood type or DNA sequence. lol

I was interested in his childhood and adult life, but, also in the process of writing, business protocol, and ultimate success.

Surely, you’ve heard that behind every successful man is a woman.  Gerta is the woman behind or, at least, standing by her man. Early on, she offered to be the sole provider for five years, while he made it in the writing and publishing world…or not. He rewarded her trust in his talent and are sitting in a mansion in Newport Beach, CA.

I empathized with his plights of other writers plagiarizing his stories. Early on, in my writing career, the Rochester Area Childrens Writers and Illustrators (RACWI) invited Kent Brown to visit our group. He talked with me,  took my manuscript, saying he was very interested in it. I waited many weeks. Experienced RACWI members encouraged me to contact him and ask about my manuscript. Twice I did that and each time, I was told the editors were discussing it. Then, members who had friends in the Buffalo writers group brought to my attention that an author in Kent Brown’s stable, was having a story published that was mine!  In her version, the very young blind child was walking with a guide dog in harness.    I wrote to tell him that, at that time, children under 16 were not issued trained guide dogs and he should not present false hope to these children. The story was published, but, they changed the ending to have the child running in a meadow.  Hello! How does a blind child run through a meadow without a guide? Obviously, that author and publisher didn’t do their due diligence.

Well, that experience of having my first story stolen, colored the rest of my career. I’ve been loath to share my stories with anyone. I was too inexperienced and naïve to have considered sueing for copyright infringements, as Koontz was able to do.

In the late 60’s, sometimes the anger in his stories was aimed at God…The themes of his novels echoed much of what science-fiction was doing at the time: Examining categories of personhood, promote the bonding of separate species, and renouncing the rigidity of ignorance…from within the same source, comes the potential for benefit and harm.

As the new wave writers of science-fiction viewed Koontz as the old guy, he began to appreciate the suspense genre, especially, that of John D. McDonald. He Straddled traditional and new wave attitudes…Told in a linear manner  with an unusual hero.

He thought that eventually, A science fiction that is molded from the best of the stylistic principles  from main stream and the best from  the story-telling concepts of science fiction would emerge.

I dislike using pseudonyms; however, Koontz stated he often used multiple pseudonyms so that he could experiment with different genres without sullying the reputation he’d built-up with previous stories. His pseudonyms are Aaron Wolfe, Brian Coffey, David Axton, Deanna Dwyer, John Hill, K.R. Dwyer, Leigh Nichols, Anthony North, Owen West, Richard Paige. When his income was sufficient, he began to buy back the copyrights to the books under his pseudonym and re-issue the pieces under his own name. Lewis Carroll,author of “Alice’s adventures in Wonderland” and “Through the looking glass, and what Alice found there”, used this pseudonym because he didn’t want people to associate him with the fantasy stories he wrote to entertain young Alice with the scholarly tomes of mathematics he wrote as an Oxford don, a mathematics instructor, and a master of wordplay.

I like the way Ramsland wrote this biography in chronological order adding in historical references to set the time and flavor of the culture. This was also my contemporary milieu, but I wasn’t aware of all that was happening as it happened.

While this biography is quite long, it is well worth the time for enjoyment and to parse the workings of a very prolific author…and to think, Dean Koontz is only 11 days older than I am.

From NLS/BARD/LOC:

Dean Koontz: a writer’s biography DB48324

Ramsland, Katherine M. Reading time: 19 hours, 28 minutes.

Read by Bob Askey.

Biography of Writers

Describes how Koontz, born in 1945, endured a troubled childhood, married, taught briefly while writing books in various genres, and then began producing his string of bestselling suspense novels that include Fear Nothing (DB 45719) and The Eyes of Darkness (DB 42555). Includes chronologies of his work and life.

Lewis Carroll: a biography DB42220

Cohen, Morton Norton. Reading time: 21 hours, 48 minutes.

Read by John Horton.

Literature

Literary biography of Charles Dodgson (Lewis Carroll), author of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland ; and, Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There (DB 50842). Cohen provides insights to the enigmatic Victorian writer based on thirty years of studying Carroll and analysis of his diaries and letters. Carroll was an Oxford don, a mathematics instructor, and a master of wordplay. He was also friend to many young girls, including the real Alice.

Kate’s 2¢: Witucki, Kristen “Outside Myself”

Kate’s 2¢: Witucki, Kristen “Outside Myself”

Kate’s 2¢: There is a plethora of in-depth biographies of authors and reviews of their books, that state the title, author, published date, and genre; as well as,     describing what the book is about, setting, and character(s), so, Kate’s 2¢ merely shares my thoughts about what I read.

Author Kristen Witucki was on the tele-conference with members of Behind Our Eyes/Written Word Party-Line on July 21, 2019. to discuss her books. She discussed development of characters and specifically whether these same novels would have worked if set in a later time. Kristen told us about some other writers she enjoyed and how they influenced her reluctant choice to write about blindness

The story is semi-auto-biographical, which explains how she’s gained insight into the issues at hand. During the interview, she mentioned that her husband had taken the older children out, leaving her with an infant to keep content as she continued chatting.

I enjoyed “Outside Myself”, but, the library system is different now-a-days and the relationship might be misconstrued by today’s cultural standards.

from her web-site:

Kristen been totally blind since birth. She was raised in New Jersey. She earned a BA in English from Vassar College in 2004 with a minor in German and certification to teach students in grades 7-12. She followed it with three Masters degrees: an MA in teaching gifted students from Teachers College, Columbia University, (2006); an MFA in the creative writing of fiction from Sarah Lawrence College, (2008); and an Ed.M in teaching students who are blind or visually impaired from Dominican College, (2011). While in school, she earned her living at Learning Ally, where she helped people with visual impairments, dyslexia and other disabilities to access technology related to reading audio books.

The Transcriber is Kristen’s first published book of fiction. Her nonfiction has appeared at the Huffington Post, the Momoir Project, Literary Mama and Brain, Child.

Kristen is working on a project for Learning Ally which will help college students who are blind or visually impaired. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and two sons (now three children).

From NLAS/BARD/LOC:

Outside myself DB91111

Witucki, Kristen. Reading time: 7 hours, 43 minutes.

Read by Jennifer Hubbard.

Disability

Human Relations

Young Adult

When Tallie, a girl struggling to adjust to her blindness, calls Adult Reader Services at a library for the blind, she connects with Benjamin, an older man working in customer service. The two bond over the phone and create a special relationship. Strong language. For senior high and older readers. 2018.