Books I Read in August 2022

 Five books this month.

Death Angel’s Shadow (1973) by Karl Edward Wagner 

This is a collection of three stories about the immortal swordsman Kane. All three were outstanding. I’ve been reading this series on Kindle, but this is the one edition I have in paperback. 

The Book of Kane (1985) by Karl Edward Wagner 

Five stories about the immortal swordsman Kane. Only two stories were new to me as three of them are from previous collections. The two new stories were excellent though. I’ve read all the Kane books now except Darkness Weaves. I’m kind of sad that I only have one Kane book left to read. 

Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader (1998) by Anne Fadiman 

I learned about this book from The Mookse and the Gripes book podcast. Not long after I found a copy in a used bookstore and snapped it up. 

This is a collection of essays about the author’s love of books and language. Topics I found the most interesting include what she calls her "odd shelf," a shelf of polar exploration books, how some people treat books, things people write in books, fountain pens, growing up in a family of readers, how to organize a collection of books, and her love of used bookstores. It was an enjoyable read.

One of the things the author writes about is how she tried to keep her books in perfect condition in her younger days, but now that she’s older it’s no longer a concern. I went through the same transition. I don’t like damage like split spines, but I no longer mind if a book is not in perfect condition. For example, the used copy of this book has scribbling on the cover, but it didn’t stop me from getting it. 

Heroes of Atlantis and Lemuria (2019) by Manly Wade Wellman, Leigh Brackett, Frederick Arnold Kummer Jr.

This is a collection of sword and sorcery stories and an adventure story about legendary Atlantis and Lemuria. Kummer Jr. is an author new to me, but Wellman and Brackett are two of my favorite authors, so I was really looking forward to this. Sure enough it was a fun read. My favorite stories are the Wellman stories, about Kardios the last survivor of Atlantis. My full review can be found here:

We Learn by Writing: Heroes of Atlantis & Lemuria by Manly Wade Wellman, Leigh Brackett, and Arnold Kummer Jr.

Dickinson: Poems (1993) by Emily Dickinson 

This is a collection of Emily Dickinson poems published by Everyman’s Library. A number of the poems went right over my head, but I really like her word usage.