“Spook Street” is the fourth novel in the ‘Slow Horses’ series of spy thrillers by Mick Herron. The story circles around David Cartwright, a top-tier spook of the Cold War era, as he slides into senility at about the same time that an unknown agency decides to take him out of the picture. I like these books for their fast, tight pacing. They’re so engaging I can easily read one from beginning to end in just two or three days. I honestly didn’t expect to become so engrossed in the series. The characters are all such colossal train wrecks, personally and professionally, that I thought they might put me off reading the whole series, but so far I’ve felt compelled to keep reading, in anticipation of a redemption arc for everyone except, I suspect, Jackson Lamb.

“Fledgling” by Octavia Butler is a vampire story? Okay, I didn’t expect to ever like a vampire story, but this one was pretty good. The ending seemed a little rushed, and the conclusion wasn’t especially satisfying, but I liked reading a vampire story in Butler’s voice. This novel was included in the Library of America volume I picked up a couple months back when I visited our local bookstore on a whim.

“Marginalia,” a short story by Mary Robinette Kowal, appeared in issue 56 of Uncanny Magazine. Until this, the only work of Kowal’s I had read was her “Lady Astronaut” series of novels (highly recommend!), an alternate history of the US space program and more in the camp of “hard SF” genre than fantasy, which is where “Marginalia” seems to fall (giant marauding snails? Yeah, seams fantastic to me). I usually lean more to SF than fantasy but this is a lovely short story which makes me feel I may have to check out her other works of fantasy.

“Standing By the Wall” is a collection of four novellas by Mick Herron in the ‘Slow Horses’ series. The first three novellas revolve around a third-rate spy called John Bachelor, and the fourth touches on the relationship between Molly Doran, the keeper of the Park’s records, and Jackson Lamb, sort of. That last novella is a chapter in one of the Slow Horses novels, I forget which one. 

“London Rules” is the fifth book in the series of “Slow Horses” novels by Mick Herron. This series of genre spy novels is pretty much my addiction right now. Not sure what I’m going to substitute for them when I finish. Not my favorite book of the series. The premise of the story felt weak; I never cared much who it affected or why. And most of the characters felt static, not growing much if at all, except for Whelan and Draper. Roddy Ho, who played arguably the most central part to the plot, barely made an appearance and when he did, developed not at all. Still, it’s a quick read and I’m very much looking forward to reading “Joe Country,” the next book in the series.

“Slouching Towards Bethlehem” by Joan Didion – I must have read Didion while I was studying for my English degree. She exactly the kind of author who would have been on a syllabus or two in my school, but that was before I paid much attention to authors who weren’t cranking out science fiction and fantasy, sadly for me. (Imagine paying for classes toward a bachelor’s degree but not paying attention. And that was back when four years of college loans totaled $5,000.00! I was such a putz.) I was triggered to go look for Didion again by the mention of her name in a new song by Natalie Merchant. I’m glad I went looking. This was a very enjoyable read.