Some interesting stuff this time around so lets get right into it..............
Non-Fiction
I decided to add this as a separate category, since I seem to be finding more and more non-fiction that piques my curiosity. I even have a biography back there in THE PILE somewhere that I'll get to eventually.
The Portable Obituary - Michael Largo ($14.95/$2.50, 273 pages, copyright 2007, Trade Paperback) Come on - who doesn't want to know how famous (and some not so famous) people died. This is an alphabetical listing of Presidents and Kings, Writers and Entertainers, and others who may be familiar to you. There's also some interesting information on how certain musicians died in similar fashions, and how TV show cast members passed on. Interesting.
One Up Trivia - Ken Weber ($9.95/$2.50, 205 pages, copyright 2006, Trade Paperback) Here's something interesting, a book that asks the next question. For example, we all know that the Wright Brothers made the first flight but..Which one flew the plane? It's set up in several categories such as Classic Movies, Sports, Weirdness, etc., some of which attracted me immediately. Interesting.
Series
Promise Me - Harlan Coben ($9.99/$.50, 489 pages, copyright 2006, Paperback) I'm pretty sure I've written about a Coben book before. He bases all of his novels in New Jersey, and once in a while I actually recognize something he mentions. This is one of his Myron Bolitar books. Myron was a Sports Agent who had expanded his business to include other celebrities. This book has nothing to do with them. It's more a personal situation that causes Myron to reconsider what he does on the side - help other people. It raises questions about just how far a parent will go for his/her child. I enjoyed it.
Sherlock Holmes
Son of Holmes - John Lescroart ($14.00/$7.50, 243 pages, copyright 1986, Trade Paperback) I found this in a second-hand store in Metuchen. Not only is it about Holmes (a hobby of mine) but it's written by Lescroat who I'm a big fan of (he writes the Dismas Hardy books). This takes place in France during the early years of WW2 and involves espionage (peripherally) and murder. Once I got it - who the Son of Holmes is - the book became even more enjoyable. There have been rumors in the past. I enjoyed it.
The Sherlock Holmes Handbook - Ransom Riggs ($16.95, 221 pages, copyright 2009, Hard Cover) This book touches on all the various aspects of Holmes life and career, with the added pleasure of instructing the reader on how to use these to become an investigator on his own. I enjoyed it.
Extra Note:
My local library held a book sale over this passed weekend. I went Friday and brought home copies of The Maltese Falcon, A Clockwork Orange, and Slaugther-house Five all for a grand total of $.75. You can't beat it. I'm looking forward to reading these again.
That's it for now. Keep Reading!
Monday, April 26, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Chapter Six
Spring is here, and I've got some interesting stuff to tell you about - including a couple of Holy Crap Look What I found items.
Series
The Girl in the Plain Brown Wrapper - John D. MacDonald (256 pages, $4.95/$.50, copyright 1968, Paperback)
The first of the Holy Crap items - a Travis McGee novel! I haven't seen one of these in about 30 years. McGee is still the salvager with a past, who does things when he needs the money, usually. This time he does his thing for someone he once knew. He meddles, he takes his lumps, and he figures it out. And he gets the girl. I enjoyed it.
Murder on the Eiffel Tower! - Claude Izmer (286 pages, $23.93/$.50, copyright 2003, Trade paperback)
This is supposed to be the first in a series centering on a bookseller in Paris in the late 1800's, along with his oriental partner/father figure, clerk, and mistresses. The method of the murder is interesting, as is the murderer, but I would've liked a little more historical information. After all this is set during the exhibition when the Tower was opened to the public, and Buffalo Bill and his Wild West Circus were there. OK.
A Catskill Eagle -Robert B. Parker (368 pages, $4.95/$.50, copyright 1985, Paperback)
Spenser at his best. Hawke is in jail, and Susan is in trouble. All of the usual comfortable characters help them out on both coasts. I enjoyed it.
Miscellaneous
You Don't Love Me Yet - Jonathan Lethem (224 pages, $24.95/$.25, copyright 2007, Hard Cover)
If you've been reading this blog, you may remember that back in Chapter One I enthused over Lethem's Motherless Brooklyn. This is totally different. The alternative rock scene in Los Angeles, with the band mates, their day jobs, and a Complainer. I tried for about 50 pages but lost interest, even though the way Lethem writes is very entertaining. Back on the pile.
Bored of the Rings - The Harvard Lampoon (Henry N. Beard and Douglas C. Kenney) (160 pages, $1.00/$.50, copyright 1969, Paperback)
You read that title right. This is the second Holy Crap item, a spoof of The Lord of the Rings. I read this back in 1969, after having read the Trilogy. I still found myself laughing out loud at some of the inventive things the Lampooners came up with. It does drag from time to time, since they do tend to overdo it. But then again, so did Tolkien. I enjoyed it.
Comics
Kick-Ass - Mark Millar (writer) and John Romita, Jr. (penciller) (Issues 1 - 8, $24.99/30% off coupon, Copyright 2010, Hard Cover Trade Edition)
This has been made into a movie that opens soon, so I was very curious about it. Simply, it's about the real world, and what happens when a young man attempts to become a "superhero" in it. It's very graphic, and very interesting. But it's only one man's opinion as to how the world would react. I enjoyed it.
That's it for now.
Read on!
Series
The Girl in the Plain Brown Wrapper - John D. MacDonald (256 pages, $4.95/$.50, copyright 1968, Paperback)
The first of the Holy Crap items - a Travis McGee novel! I haven't seen one of these in about 30 years. McGee is still the salvager with a past, who does things when he needs the money, usually. This time he does his thing for someone he once knew. He meddles, he takes his lumps, and he figures it out. And he gets the girl. I enjoyed it.
Murder on the Eiffel Tower! - Claude Izmer (286 pages, $23.93/$.50, copyright 2003, Trade paperback)
This is supposed to be the first in a series centering on a bookseller in Paris in the late 1800's, along with his oriental partner/father figure, clerk, and mistresses. The method of the murder is interesting, as is the murderer, but I would've liked a little more historical information. After all this is set during the exhibition when the Tower was opened to the public, and Buffalo Bill and his Wild West Circus were there. OK.
A Catskill Eagle -Robert B. Parker (368 pages, $4.95/$.50, copyright 1985, Paperback)
Spenser at his best. Hawke is in jail, and Susan is in trouble. All of the usual comfortable characters help them out on both coasts. I enjoyed it.
Miscellaneous
You Don't Love Me Yet - Jonathan Lethem (224 pages, $24.95/$.25, copyright 2007, Hard Cover)
If you've been reading this blog, you may remember that back in Chapter One I enthused over Lethem's Motherless Brooklyn. This is totally different. The alternative rock scene in Los Angeles, with the band mates, their day jobs, and a Complainer. I tried for about 50 pages but lost interest, even though the way Lethem writes is very entertaining. Back on the pile.
Bored of the Rings - The Harvard Lampoon (Henry N. Beard and Douglas C. Kenney) (160 pages, $1.00/$.50, copyright 1969, Paperback)
You read that title right. This is the second Holy Crap item, a spoof of The Lord of the Rings. I read this back in 1969, after having read the Trilogy. I still found myself laughing out loud at some of the inventive things the Lampooners came up with. It does drag from time to time, since they do tend to overdo it. But then again, so did Tolkien. I enjoyed it.
Comics
Kick-Ass - Mark Millar (writer) and John Romita, Jr. (penciller) (Issues 1 - 8, $24.99/30% off coupon, Copyright 2010, Hard Cover Trade Edition)
This has been made into a movie that opens soon, so I was very curious about it. Simply, it's about the real world, and what happens when a young man attempts to become a "superhero" in it. It's very graphic, and very interesting. But it's only one man's opinion as to how the world would react. I enjoyed it.
That's it for now.
Read on!
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