Chapter Twelve

This time around, I have an interesting mix of books to tell you about. AND, another in my random sampling of DVD's.

Miscellaneous

Douglas Adams's Starship Titanic - Terry Jones ($12.00/$.50, 245 pages, copyright 1997, Trade paperback)
That's right - Douglas Adams - as in A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. AND that's right - Terry Jones - as in Monty Python's Flying Circus. I have to admit I was sceptical when I picked this one up. I've read other books by other "comedians" (see past Chapters) and I've always been disappointed. Not this one! Take the greatest starship ever built, and in 3 Earthlings who, typically, don't know what they're doing, and stir in complete destruction and you get a very funny book. I enjoyed it.

Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha - Roddy Doyle ($10.95/$.50, 282 pages, copyright 1993, Trade paperback)
What's interesting here is that there are no chapters. Just snippets of a 10-year old boy's life in the Ireland of the 1960's. These run everywhere from a half a page, to several pages, are largely Paddy's dialog - external and internal - and always come across as accurate. They the gamut from childish pranks to how a child deals with serious issues. I don't know if any of it is autobiographical but it rings true. I enjoyed it.

The Fuck-up  - Arthur Nersesian ( $12.95/$1.00, 296 pages, copyright 1991,  Trade paperback)
Another "slice of life" story, this time set in New York City in the 1980's. The protagonist here is an early-20 something. A slacker with no ambition and the people who come in and out of his life. Unfortunately, to me, he has no redeeming qualities and his friends aren't any better. I couldn't finish it.

Series

The Neon Rain - James Lee Burke ($4.99/$.50, 281 pages, copyright 281 pages, paperback)
I think this is the first of Burke's novels dealing with Dave Robicheaux. Set in and around New Orleans, Burke paints a wonderful picture of the cities, towns, and bayous that surround the area. Robicheaux, at least in this one, is a police lieutenant dealing with a murder that grows into a drug case, government intervention, and family problems - and the personal demons faced by all alcoholics. I enjoyed it.

Some Danger Involved - Will Thomas ($15.00/$.50, 290 pages, copyright 2004, Trade paperback)
 This is the first in a proposed series of mysteries set in London in the late 1880's. The main character is down on his luck, and gets taken on as an assistant by a private detective. This one leans more toward the seamy side of London, and involves the murder of a Jewish immigrant and the possibility of religious persecution in the crowded streets of back-alley London. I enjoyed it.

DVD

Highlander
"In the end, there can be only one." Well, in the beginning, there was. This movie, in my mind, was a one-shot. Then something interesting happened, it became popular. So a sequel was made (not as good), and others, and a TV series. It became a sci-fi phenomenon. But in the beginning there was only one. Connor MacLeod (Christopher Lambert) is the Highlander and Ramirez (Sean Connery) teaches how to be an immortal and how - for some reason - they fight with swords and behead each other until the end. A self-contained movie, and it was perfect - from the sword fights to the special effects, to the soundtrack by Queen. I enjoyed it.

That's it for now. I have more books to read and more DVD's to watch.

Keep reading!