Remote, Volume 02

Remote, Volume 02, by Seimaru Amagi and illustrated by Tetsuya Koshiba (2005)

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

I couldn't find the correct cover online, so I posted the one above from an eBay auction. It looked better than the photo I took.

I believe I found this book in a Little Free Library although I suppose it could've come from Philcom. I saw it was volume 2, but I figured there would be a recap to bring me up to speed. Not really, just a description of the two main characters.

As with all graphic novels I find (and the ones that are donated), I flip though them before I put them into my library. Like Crazy Food Truck, this one had nudity in the first few pages as the young woman from the cover steps out of the shower. Unlike CFT, she's only naked this one time. Unlike CFT, this manga gets its kick with unnecessary, gratuitous upskirt shots. This is a specific camera angle used multiple times, instead of just showing the woman in her underwear or a skimpy bathing suit. If anyone wants to discuss my concerns offline sometime, come find me, possibly at the next convention. (Also, to highlight the fact that she's wired, there is only panel where her clothing is transparent but her body and underwear are not grayed out.)

The crux of the matter: this book is not going into the rotation in my classroom. It's going back into a Little Free Library in my neighborhood -- and not the one in front of the K-5 school!

Kurumi Ayaki is a police officer who is assigned to an elite unit in charge of solving crimes that have been classified as unsolvable. She does the legwork for Kōzaburō Himuro, a recluse, a "guy in the chair", who lives in the basement of his manor and doesn't come out. He's a genius with a tragic, traumatic past.

There are 9 or 10 chapters (I forget) in this book. The first few are dedicated to the crime from the first book, which gets solved here. This segues into a second crime involving students from a local high school. Ayaki goes to investigate -- to ask questions while her boss feeds her questions. While she's there, the school is threatened will bombs in the building, so Ayaki goes under cover as a new student, which catches the interest of a number of possible suspects. (The calls are coming from inside the school.)

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. A fantastical foursome of flash fiction and short stories.

Cast the First Stone (Warren) -- repost

Cast the First Stone
David James Warren (2021)

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

This was a book club selection. I decided to make a separate entry rather than update the entry from June. That's the blog biz for you. And there was so much time between the two readings that this make sense. The last time (that I recall) reading after listening, it was closer in time and there were no other grand revelations to discuss.

I listed Cast the First Stone as one of my three picks for the book club. My other choices were Sea of Tranquility, which I read after, and Gods of Manhattan, which I haven't read. Gods was rejected mostly for being a kids book.

Overall, the book was well-received. A couple of people would be interested in the second book, or at least hearing about what happens next. It was a pretty straightforward book, so there weren't a lot of questions for discussion. Mostly, what did we think of the plot, characters, and situation. What do you think will come next?

We did compare it to other time travel books that we've read previously.

Also of interest is that David James Warren doesn't exist. There are three authors for this book: Susan May Warren, James L. Rubart, and David Curtis Warren. So I each of the three supplied one name even though Susan and David have the same last name.

It was just as enjoyable the second time around, and it's eassier to review what I missed or what happened while I was falling asleep, as opposed to rewinding when a loud truck or train passes by.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. The fourth book will be available by the time you see this!

Cast the First Stone (Warren)

Cast the First Stone
David James Warren (2021)

[NO IMAGE -- AUDIO BOOK ONLY]

(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)

I needed a new audiobook to listen to while I'm out walking (and I do a lot of walking). It would be nice if the library had a tag for audio duration or if I could sort by time. Cast the First Stone came up as a "short enough" science fiction novel, so I gave it a shot without knowing anything about it.

Overall, I was pleased, and during the summer, I might look for the actual book after I've caught up with some other books.

The main character is a cop named Rembrandt Stone, who receives a watch from the former Chief of Homicide, who passed away, along with a box of cold cases. The watch doesn't seem to work, so he brings it to a jeweler who tells him that the watch is working exactly as it should be. Stone doesn't understand.

Stone wakes up "the next day" and he's traveled back in time to the time of an unsolved cold case involving three bombings. He also has the young body he had back then. He believes that he's still dreaming, but he goes along with it and tries to solve the case. He starts to realize something's off when he stays in the past.

While he's there, he sees the jeweler again, or for the first time, and sets up the future meeting. He also starts talking to the woman who would later become his wife, figuring that he could speed things up, instead of waiting years to start dating.

Instead of getting information to solve the cold case in the "future" (the present), he prevents the third bombing and solves the crime "back then".

Stone returns to his present time, feeling the pain of the injuries he'd suffered many years earlier. The book ends with Stone finding else what else has changed in the intervening years. This opens the book up for a series where he can solve more cold cases -- but are they really cold cases any more? -- while trying to repair the damage he's done to his own personal life.

Would I read more of these? Maybe, but first I have to read the first one.

If you stumbled across my page via the Internet, please check out my short book series, Burke Lore Briefs. The fourth book will be available by the time you see this!