To quote John Lennon.."Another year over, and a new one just begun". This is the first posting of the third year for this blog, but the last for this calendar year. And I have a real mixed bag of books to tell you about, so here we go..........
Non-fiction
A Monk Swimming - Malachy McCourt ($14.00/$.50, copyright 1998, 290 pages, Trade Paperback)
Malachy is Frank McCourt's brother. Having read Frank's book about their impoverished upbringing in Ireland, I thought that Malachy's tales of his early years in New York would be as interesting. Malachy has some great tales to tell, drops names left and right, and always seems to have a drink in his hand in whatever country he finds himself. Then it hit me, almost at the end, that he still had some baggage from Ireland that he hadn't left behind. It was interesting.
Miscellaneous
Metzger's Dog - Thomas Perry ($13.95/$.25, copyright 1983, 314 pages, Trade Paperback)
Here we have the story of "Chinese" Gordon and his friends who steal a supply of cocaine from a university using it for a study. They also, however, manage to take something that the CIA wants back, and the rest of the book involves attempts by both sides to get what they want. It's described as a "comic thriller", but it is 28 years old and it's not quite as comic or as thrilling as it once must have been. It was interesting.
Creepers - David Morrell ($7.99/$.25, copyright 2005, 356 pages, Paperback)
The premise here is that a reporter joins a group of "urban explorers" while they look through an abandoned, about-to-be-torn-down, hotel in Asbury Park. The original intent is to learn about the history of the building, perhaps to get pictures of ornate furnishings and other things, and never to disturb anything. But nothing goes right. Not everyone is who he says he is, and there are plenty of surprises in store. And it all takes place during one dark and stormy night. I enjoyed it.
Gunman's Rhapsody - Robert B. Parker ($7.99/$.50, copyright 2001, 316 pages, Paperback)
I've written about Parker's other westerns before, but this one is different. It's a version of the Gunfight at the O. K. Corral. There are certain historical events that have interested me, and this is one that I've read up on. Parker gets his facts right, but I'm of the opinion that facts - in this case - take away some of the mystique of the event. Kostner and Quaid or Russell and Kilmer may have been more historically accurate, but I prefer Lancaster and Douglas or Fonda and Mature. It was interesting (I was gonna say it was OK).
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars, The Fall of the Amazing Zalindas - Tracy Mack & Michael Citrin ($16.99/$1.99, copyright 2006, 259 pages, Hard Cover)
Although mentioned in only a handful of stories, the street urchins that populated London were a kind of private army for Sherlock Holmes. He used them to follow people, listen in on conversations, and probably some other not-so-legal things. Here we find Holmes involved in the death of a tight-rope walker, which leads to a breech of the queen's palace and his old enemy, Moriarty. This book is the first in a proposed series that focuses on the Irregulars, so there is much attention paid to Wiggins and his associates. I enjoyed it.
Graphic Novels
Jimmy Corrigan, The Smartest Kid on Earth - Chris Ware ($19.95/$1.00, published 2000, Trade Paperback)
I've read very few non-super hero graphic novels, but I saw a review last year that said this one had won some awards, so I gave it a try. It was originally published as a series of newspaper strips, then as a section in a self-published book by Ware. It's the story of a middle-aged man trying to get to know his long-missing father, interspersed with past versions of the Corrigan men and their dysfunctional father/son relationships. I found it very depressing, and gave up about a third of the way through. I didn't like it.
That's it for now.
Merry Christmas! And...
Keep reading!
Friday, December 16, 2011
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Second Anniversary Issue!!!
That's right, folks. It's been 2 years since I started this blog, and I'm still having fun doing it. This year, I spent some time doing other things so my totals aren't as high but that's the way things go. So here are the books I've read since the last post, and I'll throw in some stuff at the end.
Miscellaneous
The Manhattan Hunt Club - John Saul ($7.99/$.25, 365 pages, copyright 2001, Paperback)
When I started this book, I was expecting a sort of urbanized " The Most Dangerous Game" plot. You know, rich guys hunting humans. In a way, it is, but there's much more here. The terrain is the underground tunnels in New York, populated by the homeless - the forgotten. The hunted is a man wrongly convicted of a violent crime. The characters are well thought out, and there were several surprises towards the end. I enjoyed it.
Series
Jolie Blon's Bounce - James Lee Burke ($7.99/$.50, 449 pages, copyright 2002, Paperback)
I've mentioned Burke's books before, and in particular those centering on Dave Robicheaux. This is one of those. Burke presents him as a flawed cop trying to do the right thing against the odds. Here, he tries to prevent a young, black man from being convicted of the murder of a young, white woman in a part of the South that really hasn't changed all that much since the Civil War. Burke always delivers. I enjoyed it.
Heat Wave - Richard Castle ($7.99/$0, 198 pages, no copyright, Paperback)
Yes, this is a book written by that Richard Castle - from the TV show of the same name. In fact, it's the first in his new series based on his "partnership" with a police woman. I was mildly surprised to see that the Castle-like character - called Rook here - comes off as a bit needy and incompetent, while the female cop - Nikki Heat - is the efficient crime solver. It does read like an episode of the show, but there is decent police work shown. I enjoyed it. (There's no copyright, because they couldn't put the real author's name on it.)
Totals
For those of you keeping score, Here are this years numbers. 1 Sherlock Holmes book, cover price total $9.99, cost to me $0. 22 Series books, cover price total $202.19, cost to me $17.99. 23 Miscellaneous books, cover price total $210.53, cost to me $16.74. My Grand Total is 46 books, total cover price $422.71, cost to me $34.73. That comes out to be 6 books less then last year. My average cost this year is about $.85 per book. Not too bad. (Although I have spent a lot of time playing PC games that I download off of GameHouse which took up a lot of time.)
Stuff At The End
I spent some time this year in paying attention to what goes on around me. Not just the family stuff - a wedding, a christening, etc. - which I'm pretty sure I've mentioned here. But the stuff that impacts our lives - or, at least, my life. What effects us all, we need to pay attention to. If you think Washington is screwing with us, or is no longer representative of us, vote them out. Next year is a big one - politically - so please pay attention.
What effects me - now - is that this is also my 3rd Anniversary as a heart transplant recipient. It was a tough one on my donor's family, and I've been thinking a lot about them and the need for donors, and decided that it was time for me to do something about it. I have volunteered to help out with The Sharing Network and their Donate Life Chapter here in Middlesex County. I'll let you know how that goes.
Here's looking to many more years of doing this so.....
Keep reading.
Miscellaneous
The Manhattan Hunt Club - John Saul ($7.99/$.25, 365 pages, copyright 2001, Paperback)
When I started this book, I was expecting a sort of urbanized " The Most Dangerous Game" plot. You know, rich guys hunting humans. In a way, it is, but there's much more here. The terrain is the underground tunnels in New York, populated by the homeless - the forgotten. The hunted is a man wrongly convicted of a violent crime. The characters are well thought out, and there were several surprises towards the end. I enjoyed it.
Series
Jolie Blon's Bounce - James Lee Burke ($7.99/$.50, 449 pages, copyright 2002, Paperback)
I've mentioned Burke's books before, and in particular those centering on Dave Robicheaux. This is one of those. Burke presents him as a flawed cop trying to do the right thing against the odds. Here, he tries to prevent a young, black man from being convicted of the murder of a young, white woman in a part of the South that really hasn't changed all that much since the Civil War. Burke always delivers. I enjoyed it.
Heat Wave - Richard Castle ($7.99/$0, 198 pages, no copyright, Paperback)
Yes, this is a book written by that Richard Castle - from the TV show of the same name. In fact, it's the first in his new series based on his "partnership" with a police woman. I was mildly surprised to see that the Castle-like character - called Rook here - comes off as a bit needy and incompetent, while the female cop - Nikki Heat - is the efficient crime solver. It does read like an episode of the show, but there is decent police work shown. I enjoyed it. (There's no copyright, because they couldn't put the real author's name on it.)
Totals
For those of you keeping score, Here are this years numbers. 1 Sherlock Holmes book, cover price total $9.99, cost to me $0. 22 Series books, cover price total $202.19, cost to me $17.99. 23 Miscellaneous books, cover price total $210.53, cost to me $16.74. My Grand Total is 46 books, total cover price $422.71, cost to me $34.73. That comes out to be 6 books less then last year. My average cost this year is about $.85 per book. Not too bad. (Although I have spent a lot of time playing PC games that I download off of GameHouse which took up a lot of time.)
Stuff At The End
I spent some time this year in paying attention to what goes on around me. Not just the family stuff - a wedding, a christening, etc. - which I'm pretty sure I've mentioned here. But the stuff that impacts our lives - or, at least, my life. What effects us all, we need to pay attention to. If you think Washington is screwing with us, or is no longer representative of us, vote them out. Next year is a big one - politically - so please pay attention.
What effects me - now - is that this is also my 3rd Anniversary as a heart transplant recipient. It was a tough one on my donor's family, and I've been thinking a lot about them and the need for donors, and decided that it was time for me to do something about it. I have volunteered to help out with The Sharing Network and their Donate Life Chapter here in Middlesex County. I'll let you know how that goes.
Here's looking to many more years of doing this so.....
Keep reading.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Chapter Twenty-four
It's October, and Halloween is just a week away. The leaves are turning, the temperatures are lower, and we'll be "falling back" on the clock pretty soon. This month, I've got a few interesting items for you.
Non-fiction
The Killer Book of True Crime - Tom and Michael Philbin ($14.95/$1.00, 327 pages, copyright 2007, Trade Paperback)
This caught my attention because I've been reading a lot of crime fiction lately. It's broken down into chapters that deal with such diverse topics as Robbery, Organized Crimes, and Mass Murder. The authors also try to lighten things up by adding Q and A's, jargon explanations, and some "Crimes can be funny" sections. I enjoyed it.
Imaginary People, a Who's Who of Modern Fictional Characters - David Pringle ($24.95/$.25, 509 pages, copyright 1987, Hard Cover)
Now who wouldn't want to read through/own something like this? It's a World Almanac Book, and lists characters from books, television and movies in alphabetical order - from Abbott, Judy to Zuckerman, Nathan. I thought it was fascinating, following the cross-referenced characters and their relationships. The only problem with this is that it was compiled in 1987, and obviously does not include all of the modern-day cultural icons of the last 24 years. I enjoyed it.
Series
Ghosts - Ed McBain ($5.99/$.50, 213 pages, copyright 1980, Paperback)
This is subtitled "A Novel of the 87th Precinct", one of that series of police procedurals that McBain (real name Evan Hunter) is most famous for. I haven't read one of these in a long time, but it's easy to fall right in step with, in this case, Detective Steve Carella as he investigates a double murder that may or may not involve ghosts. And, McBain throws in several other members of the detective squad, and what they're working on to boot. I enjoyed it.
Miscellaneous
Don Camillo's Dilemma Giovanni Guareschi ($.50/$.50, 256 pages, copyright 1954, Paperback)
Here's a curious little volume. It's not really a novel, but a series of short stories that pit the Catholic priest of a small town in Italy against it's Communist mayor in a series of amusing little situations. And they all fit snugly together as if they were written this way. I remember reading some of Guareschi's stories as a young, Catholic school boy and enjoying these games of wit. They're kind of dated now, but I still found it enjoyable.
Masques - Bill Pronzini ($4.99/$.25, 269 pages, copyright 1981, Paperback)
Yes, I know, it's Halloween time and this book deals with Mardi Gras but the chills it generates make it acceptable reading for this time of year. The set up is simple - a man vacationing in New Orleans gets a mysterious phone call from someone demanding something that the man doesn't have. Then you add in the mania of Mardi Gras, and mix it with voodoo, and drugs and a couple of surprises at the end that I didn't see coming. I enjoyed it.
I would like to take this opportunity to point out something that I have found interesting. We refer to things as either "true" or "untrue", "real" or "unreal". So, it would appear that the side that is of lesser importance is referred to with the negative prefix (i.e., non-, mal-, mis-, un-, etc.). I find it interesting that when it comes to writing, we have Fiction or Non-fiction. I'm just saying. Just a reminder that next month will be the Second Anniversary issue of this blog. Stay tuned and..
Keep Reading!
Non-fiction
The Killer Book of True Crime - Tom and Michael Philbin ($14.95/$1.00, 327 pages, copyright 2007, Trade Paperback)
This caught my attention because I've been reading a lot of crime fiction lately. It's broken down into chapters that deal with such diverse topics as Robbery, Organized Crimes, and Mass Murder. The authors also try to lighten things up by adding Q and A's, jargon explanations, and some "Crimes can be funny" sections. I enjoyed it.
Imaginary People, a Who's Who of Modern Fictional Characters - David Pringle ($24.95/$.25, 509 pages, copyright 1987, Hard Cover)
Now who wouldn't want to read through/own something like this? It's a World Almanac Book, and lists characters from books, television and movies in alphabetical order - from Abbott, Judy to Zuckerman, Nathan. I thought it was fascinating, following the cross-referenced characters and their relationships. The only problem with this is that it was compiled in 1987, and obviously does not include all of the modern-day cultural icons of the last 24 years. I enjoyed it.
Series
Ghosts - Ed McBain ($5.99/$.50, 213 pages, copyright 1980, Paperback)
This is subtitled "A Novel of the 87th Precinct", one of that series of police procedurals that McBain (real name Evan Hunter) is most famous for. I haven't read one of these in a long time, but it's easy to fall right in step with, in this case, Detective Steve Carella as he investigates a double murder that may or may not involve ghosts. And, McBain throws in several other members of the detective squad, and what they're working on to boot. I enjoyed it.
Miscellaneous
Don Camillo's Dilemma Giovanni Guareschi ($.50/$.50, 256 pages, copyright 1954, Paperback)
Here's a curious little volume. It's not really a novel, but a series of short stories that pit the Catholic priest of a small town in Italy against it's Communist mayor in a series of amusing little situations. And they all fit snugly together as if they were written this way. I remember reading some of Guareschi's stories as a young, Catholic school boy and enjoying these games of wit. They're kind of dated now, but I still found it enjoyable.
Masques - Bill Pronzini ($4.99/$.25, 269 pages, copyright 1981, Paperback)
Yes, I know, it's Halloween time and this book deals with Mardi Gras but the chills it generates make it acceptable reading for this time of year. The set up is simple - a man vacationing in New Orleans gets a mysterious phone call from someone demanding something that the man doesn't have. Then you add in the mania of Mardi Gras, and mix it with voodoo, and drugs and a couple of surprises at the end that I didn't see coming. I enjoyed it.
I would like to take this opportunity to point out something that I have found interesting. We refer to things as either "true" or "untrue", "real" or "unreal". So, it would appear that the side that is of lesser importance is referred to with the negative prefix (i.e., non-, mal-, mis-, un-, etc.). I find it interesting that when it comes to writing, we have Fiction or Non-fiction. I'm just saying. Just a reminder that next month will be the Second Anniversary issue of this blog. Stay tuned and..
Keep Reading!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Special Insert #7 - Some "Modest Porposals"
Some "Modest Proposals on How the Federal Government Can Save Money/Generate Revenues
Politics is not the type of subject that I normally devote an entire Special Insert to. I have ranted in a few past posts, but I thought that this time I'd share some thoughts that I've had recently. I tried sharing these as a Note post on FaceBook, but that whole process is all screwed up.
So...we're into the process of narrowing down which Republican will run against President Obama. Over the next year, we will hear a lot of proposals - from both sides - on how to reduce government spending and/or generate income. I have a few of my own ideas, which I will list now before any of these candidates steals them.
1.) Eliminate Redundancies
They always talk about this, but never give any concrete examples. Well, here's one from me. I asked myself, "Do we really need a North Dakota AND a South Dakota?" And my answer was "NO". Make it one state called Dakota. This eliminates the need for 2 separate state governments; saves them the costs involved there; and saves the Federal Government the money they used to send to both since they won't need it anymore. AND we can do this to the Carolinas and the Virginias.
2.) Services Sharing
This is being tried in many places in nearby areas, but I don't know the results so far so I'm proposing a Pilot Program using the 2 smallest States. I say that the services that the States of Delaware and Rhode Island provide for their citizens be taken over by larger states nearby - say New Jersey and Massachusetts respectively. This would make their state governments obsolete, and the money that is saved there (minus a percentage to the larger states) would allow the Federal Government to hold on to whatever they would normally have sent.
3.) Branding/Naming Rights
There's a lot of money to be made here - consider Citi Field or MetLife Stadium. Of course, it would probably only apply to large corporations or really wealthy people. I propose that we start with the 3 states I mentioned in Article 1 above. Carolina could become Carolina (Rice)tm, Virginia could be Virginia (Slims)tm, and Dakota could be Dakota (Fanning). Pure profit.
ALSO, since we would be eliminating several state governments that would effectively remove them as individual states which would no longer require representation in Washington. This would reduce the Senate by 10%, and open up a lot of prime real estate in D. C. which the Federal Government could now rent to lobbyists. (Since Representatives are based on population, I can't see any changes here.) More income!
I may just be kidding around with these, but don't be surprised if you hear something like these during the debates. And remember....
You heard them here first.
Politics is not the type of subject that I normally devote an entire Special Insert to. I have ranted in a few past posts, but I thought that this time I'd share some thoughts that I've had recently. I tried sharing these as a Note post on FaceBook, but that whole process is all screwed up.
So...we're into the process of narrowing down which Republican will run against President Obama. Over the next year, we will hear a lot of proposals - from both sides - on how to reduce government spending and/or generate income. I have a few of my own ideas, which I will list now before any of these candidates steals them.
1.) Eliminate Redundancies
They always talk about this, but never give any concrete examples. Well, here's one from me. I asked myself, "Do we really need a North Dakota AND a South Dakota?" And my answer was "NO". Make it one state called Dakota. This eliminates the need for 2 separate state governments; saves them the costs involved there; and saves the Federal Government the money they used to send to both since they won't need it anymore. AND we can do this to the Carolinas and the Virginias.
2.) Services Sharing
This is being tried in many places in nearby areas, but I don't know the results so far so I'm proposing a Pilot Program using the 2 smallest States. I say that the services that the States of Delaware and Rhode Island provide for their citizens be taken over by larger states nearby - say New Jersey and Massachusetts respectively. This would make their state governments obsolete, and the money that is saved there (minus a percentage to the larger states) would allow the Federal Government to hold on to whatever they would normally have sent.
3.) Branding/Naming Rights
There's a lot of money to be made here - consider Citi Field or MetLife Stadium. Of course, it would probably only apply to large corporations or really wealthy people. I propose that we start with the 3 states I mentioned in Article 1 above. Carolina could become Carolina (Rice)tm, Virginia could be Virginia (Slims)tm, and Dakota could be Dakota (Fanning). Pure profit.
ALSO, since we would be eliminating several state governments that would effectively remove them as individual states which would no longer require representation in Washington. This would reduce the Senate by 10%, and open up a lot of prime real estate in D. C. which the Federal Government could now rent to lobbyists. (Since Representatives are based on population, I can't see any changes here.) More income!
I may just be kidding around with these, but don't be surprised if you hear something like these during the debates. And remember....
You heard them here first.
Monday, September 26, 2011
Chapter Twenty-three
It's September. And I know that a lot of people have been waiting for it. Baseball fans because the regular season is winding down and the playoffs will start. Football fans because the season has just started. And people like me, who wait for the start of the new, Network TV season. More on that later.
Miscellaneous
Interworld - Neil Gaiman and Michael Reeves ($16.99/$1.00, 239 pages, copyright 2007, Hard Cover)
I grabbed this up when I saw it because it was by Neil Gaiman. Later, I realized that it was for Young Readers. Oh well. Our hero, Joey, finds out that he's a Walker and can travel to other Earths in other dimensions, each slightly different from each other. An interesting idea that falls by the wayside when the authors bring in a war for total control between magic and science with Joey and an army of himselves (each different from each other) trying to prevent it. The authors tried to pitch this originally to TV executives, but no one bit. Maybe it would work better as a graphic novel. It was OK.
Series
Darkness, Take My Hand - Dennis Lehane ($7.99/$.50, 355 pages, copyright 1996, Paperback)
This is the second in Lehane's Patrick Kenzie/Angela Gennaro series, and it is way darker then the first. It starts with a Prologue that sets up the foreboding atmosphere that pervades the book. Sure, it starts with our protagonists still having fun, and involved in a menacing stalker kind of case but it quickly becomes so much more. Mob figures, cops, crazy gunmen, and a serial killer who's been operating off the radar for years weave through this in ways that will keep you guessing. I enjoyed it.
Cold Service - Robert B. Parker ($9.99/$.50, 336 pages, copyright 2005, Paperback)
I've mentioned before what I call the Spenser Effect - where the protagonist has a partner who handles all the really dirty work. No one does it better then the original. In this one, Hawk (the partner) is seriously wounded while trying to protect a family. He seeks revenge. Spenser's moral code demands that he go along. Add in cops, corrupt officials, mobsters, and some amazing dialog and you get a great read. I enjoyed it.
Other Notes
As I mentioned earlier, the new Network TV season has started. (I only have limited, basic service so they are pretty much all I get.) I've seen a few and I have to admit that nothing seems to jump out at me.
I found "Person of Interest" ...interesting There was a good twist in the first episode, but I'll reserve judgement for now.
I thought the first episode of "Prime Suspect" to be incredibly sexist, and unrealistic because of that.
This seems to be a season for funny women. "Two Broke Girls", "New Girl", and "Whitney" had some amusing moments but I probably won't see too much of them due to scheduling.
"The Playboy Club" and Pan Am" seem to the Networks attempt to capitalize on the success of "Mad Men". I don't intend to watch either.
I am looking forward to "Terra Nova" and "Grimm". If they're still around next month, maybe I'll give you my opinion. Till then...
Keep reading.
Miscellaneous
Interworld - Neil Gaiman and Michael Reeves ($16.99/$1.00, 239 pages, copyright 2007, Hard Cover)
I grabbed this up when I saw it because it was by Neil Gaiman. Later, I realized that it was for Young Readers. Oh well. Our hero, Joey, finds out that he's a Walker and can travel to other Earths in other dimensions, each slightly different from each other. An interesting idea that falls by the wayside when the authors bring in a war for total control between magic and science with Joey and an army of himselves (each different from each other) trying to prevent it. The authors tried to pitch this originally to TV executives, but no one bit. Maybe it would work better as a graphic novel. It was OK.
Series
Darkness, Take My Hand - Dennis Lehane ($7.99/$.50, 355 pages, copyright 1996, Paperback)
This is the second in Lehane's Patrick Kenzie/Angela Gennaro series, and it is way darker then the first. It starts with a Prologue that sets up the foreboding atmosphere that pervades the book. Sure, it starts with our protagonists still having fun, and involved in a menacing stalker kind of case but it quickly becomes so much more. Mob figures, cops, crazy gunmen, and a serial killer who's been operating off the radar for years weave through this in ways that will keep you guessing. I enjoyed it.
Cold Service - Robert B. Parker ($9.99/$.50, 336 pages, copyright 2005, Paperback)
I've mentioned before what I call the Spenser Effect - where the protagonist has a partner who handles all the really dirty work. No one does it better then the original. In this one, Hawk (the partner) is seriously wounded while trying to protect a family. He seeks revenge. Spenser's moral code demands that he go along. Add in cops, corrupt officials, mobsters, and some amazing dialog and you get a great read. I enjoyed it.
Other Notes
As I mentioned earlier, the new Network TV season has started. (I only have limited, basic service so they are pretty much all I get.) I've seen a few and I have to admit that nothing seems to jump out at me.
I found "Person of Interest" ...interesting There was a good twist in the first episode, but I'll reserve judgement for now.
I thought the first episode of "Prime Suspect" to be incredibly sexist, and unrealistic because of that.
This seems to be a season for funny women. "Two Broke Girls", "New Girl", and "Whitney" had some amusing moments but I probably won't see too much of them due to scheduling.
"The Playboy Club" and Pan Am" seem to the Networks attempt to capitalize on the success of "Mad Men". I don't intend to watch either.
I am looking forward to "Terra Nova" and "Grimm". If they're still around next month, maybe I'll give you my opinion. Till then...
Keep reading.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Special Insert #6
Yesterday was an anniversary. A somber day. Gray. With all the news coverage of the day's events - and the heightened security measures - it really brought that grim day rushing back. And then....
The sun came out today.
Literally and, I think, figuratively.
To illustrate:
1.) I was in ShopRite and I noticed a manager singing along with the taped music. "Everybody's Talkin'" by Harry Nilson.
2.) I was in WalMart and I noticed a customer singing along with their taped music. "You're Song" by Elton John.
In both cases - not humming, not under their breath...singing. I felt like singing, too. And I know why.
The sun came out today.
And I realized that, although we sometimes mark anniversaries with tears and somber music... anniversaries are for the living.
Personally, there have been a number of anniversaries in my family this year (and I include birthdays in with anniversaries). And there have been "Special Days" - some of these will cause anniversaries of their own and some are just individual milestones that call for celebration. Back in March, I referred to all of these days as swatches in a family's quilt. Special moments - good or bad, black-and-white or colorful - that make up a family's collective memories. That get passed down from generation to generation. Days that are remembered and celebrated.
In February, we had a party for my father-in-law on what would have been his 90th birthday. It had been talked about before he passed away the previous year and it helped as a way to remember him.
In March, my daughter got married. Many anniversaries will follow.
In April, my first great-nephew (grand-nephew?) was Baptised.
In May, My youngest nephew made his First Communion.
In June, my oldest nephew graduated college. And, his parents - my sister and her husband - celebrated their 30th Wedding Anniversary.
We've also had my "second" cousin's 40th Birthday, my 60th Birthday, and my aunt's 70th Anniversary as a nun.
Anniversaries, future anniversaries, and special occasions. All of them celebrations. These are the one's I choose to remember. I acknowledge the others - the sad ones - but I refuse to be overwhelmed by them.
Maybe it's because I - and I'm sure others in the famiy (especially one cousin) - have a more immediate view of life. Life is special, and every day is important, and special days should be celebrated.
Yes, there will be dark and dangerous times. There is still the unknown. But remember....
The sun came out today.
I'm pretty sure it will tomorrow, too.
The sun came out today.
Literally and, I think, figuratively.
To illustrate:
1.) I was in ShopRite and I noticed a manager singing along with the taped music. "Everybody's Talkin'" by Harry Nilson.
2.) I was in WalMart and I noticed a customer singing along with their taped music. "You're Song" by Elton John.
In both cases - not humming, not under their breath...singing. I felt like singing, too. And I know why.
The sun came out today.
And I realized that, although we sometimes mark anniversaries with tears and somber music... anniversaries are for the living.
Personally, there have been a number of anniversaries in my family this year (and I include birthdays in with anniversaries). And there have been "Special Days" - some of these will cause anniversaries of their own and some are just individual milestones that call for celebration. Back in March, I referred to all of these days as swatches in a family's quilt. Special moments - good or bad, black-and-white or colorful - that make up a family's collective memories. That get passed down from generation to generation. Days that are remembered and celebrated.
In February, we had a party for my father-in-law on what would have been his 90th birthday. It had been talked about before he passed away the previous year and it helped as a way to remember him.
In March, my daughter got married. Many anniversaries will follow.
In April, my first great-nephew (grand-nephew?) was Baptised.
In May, My youngest nephew made his First Communion.
In June, my oldest nephew graduated college. And, his parents - my sister and her husband - celebrated their 30th Wedding Anniversary.
We've also had my "second" cousin's 40th Birthday, my 60th Birthday, and my aunt's 70th Anniversary as a nun.
Anniversaries, future anniversaries, and special occasions. All of them celebrations. These are the one's I choose to remember. I acknowledge the others - the sad ones - but I refuse to be overwhelmed by them.
Maybe it's because I - and I'm sure others in the famiy (especially one cousin) - have a more immediate view of life. Life is special, and every day is important, and special days should be celebrated.
Yes, there will be dark and dangerous times. There is still the unknown. But remember....
The sun came out today.
I'm pretty sure it will tomorrow, too.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Chapter Twenty-two
Well, it's almost here - Labor Day, the unofficial end of Summer. This month has certainly been memorable, what with an earthquake and then a hurricane all in the same week. And, on a personal note, a "milestone" birthday, that led to my finding a couple of reminders of my younger days.
(This is also as good a time as any to explain the notations I list for each book I read. The title and author are obvious, and the numbers inside the parentheses are : the cover price/what I paid for the book; the number of pages I read in the book; the copyright year; and whether it is a Hard Cover, Trade Paperback, or regular Paperback.Variations of this may occur if I'm dealing with comic book material or an edition that has no copyright, etc. In the case of a missing cover price, I usually rely on Amazon.com.)
Miscellaneous
The King of Lies - John Hart ($6.99/$5.24, 371 pages, copyright 2006, Paperback)
I read a review last month of Mr. Hart's latest book, which praised him for his writing talent and mentioned the awards he'd received. Then I remembered that I had bought this book shortly after I'd gotten out of the hospital but never got into it. So I dug it out of "The Pile". I admit he does write well, but the main character/narrator in this mystery is such a self-loathing whiner that I couldn't bring myself to care about what happens to him. There were a couple of red herrings that kept the book moving, but the ending seemed pulled from out of the blue and took place mostly off-screen. I didn't like it.
Series
I, Alex Cross - James Patterson ($9.99/ $1.00, 278 pages, copyright 2009, Hard Cover)
This is the series that got me into Patterson in the first place, and one of the few that he writes all by himself. Another set of vicious, psycho murders takes place and it's up to Alex Cross and company to figure it out. This is one that doesn't have such a memorable killer, and a lot of the leg work takes place off-screen, but Patterson brings Cross' family front-and-center with a personal crisis that makes this book very readable. I enjoyed it.
Now for those reminders of my younger days. As I mentioned, I celebrated a birthday this month. To treat myself, I actually went to a couple of second-hand book stores located in neighboring towns and, amazingly, found the following books that bring me back to those "simpler times".
At The Earth's Core - Edgar Rice Burroughs ($12.95/$6.99, 277 pages, published 2000, Trade Paperback)
Finding anything by Burroughs other then the Tarzan or John Carter books is difficult. This is a Commemorative Edition of the first of the Pellucidar stories, which was first published in a magazine in 1914. Instead of the jungles of Africa or an alien planet, Burroughs posits a world inside the Earth. A primitive almost prehistoric world. Again, Burroughs uses the courageous-man-battling-a-strange-world concept to great affect, and leaves the reader wondering what will happen in the next volume. I enjoyed it.
Tom Swift and His Flying Lab - Victor Appleton II ($3.44/$1.00, 208 pages, copyright 1954, Hard Cover)
When I was in Elementary School, the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books were popular. I, however, always favored Tom Swift (actually, Tom Swift, Jr. to be precise). This is the first volume in that series, which I remember so fondly. Tom is a scientific genius and these books are filled with his inventions. I'm pretty sure that my enjoyment of Science Fiction started right here. In this book, Tom and his friends use his Flying Lab (the forerunner of the Space Shuttle?) to thwart South American rebels and discover a new type of uranium. I enjoyed it.
One other note - since my last posting, we had to deal with the political brinkmanship in Washington over the Debt Ceiling. I feel very strongly that this was a low moment in American History and we have the politicians in Washington to thank for putting us through it. I'm not singling out any one party - they are all to blame. Please don't forget that there is an election in November. I, for one, do not intend to reelect any of them.
Keep reading.
(This is also as good a time as any to explain the notations I list for each book I read. The title and author are obvious, and the numbers inside the parentheses are : the cover price/what I paid for the book; the number of pages I read in the book; the copyright year; and whether it is a Hard Cover, Trade Paperback, or regular Paperback.Variations of this may occur if I'm dealing with comic book material or an edition that has no copyright, etc. In the case of a missing cover price, I usually rely on Amazon.com.)
Miscellaneous
The King of Lies - John Hart ($6.99/$5.24, 371 pages, copyright 2006, Paperback)
I read a review last month of Mr. Hart's latest book, which praised him for his writing talent and mentioned the awards he'd received. Then I remembered that I had bought this book shortly after I'd gotten out of the hospital but never got into it. So I dug it out of "The Pile". I admit he does write well, but the main character/narrator in this mystery is such a self-loathing whiner that I couldn't bring myself to care about what happens to him. There were a couple of red herrings that kept the book moving, but the ending seemed pulled from out of the blue and took place mostly off-screen. I didn't like it.
Series
I, Alex Cross - James Patterson ($9.99/ $1.00, 278 pages, copyright 2009, Hard Cover)
This is the series that got me into Patterson in the first place, and one of the few that he writes all by himself. Another set of vicious, psycho murders takes place and it's up to Alex Cross and company to figure it out. This is one that doesn't have such a memorable killer, and a lot of the leg work takes place off-screen, but Patterson brings Cross' family front-and-center with a personal crisis that makes this book very readable. I enjoyed it.
Now for those reminders of my younger days. As I mentioned, I celebrated a birthday this month. To treat myself, I actually went to a couple of second-hand book stores located in neighboring towns and, amazingly, found the following books that bring me back to those "simpler times".
At The Earth's Core - Edgar Rice Burroughs ($12.95/$6.99, 277 pages, published 2000, Trade Paperback)
Finding anything by Burroughs other then the Tarzan or John Carter books is difficult. This is a Commemorative Edition of the first of the Pellucidar stories, which was first published in a magazine in 1914. Instead of the jungles of Africa or an alien planet, Burroughs posits a world inside the Earth. A primitive almost prehistoric world. Again, Burroughs uses the courageous-man-battling-a-strange-world concept to great affect, and leaves the reader wondering what will happen in the next volume. I enjoyed it.
Tom Swift and His Flying Lab - Victor Appleton II ($3.44/$1.00, 208 pages, copyright 1954, Hard Cover)
When I was in Elementary School, the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew books were popular. I, however, always favored Tom Swift (actually, Tom Swift, Jr. to be precise). This is the first volume in that series, which I remember so fondly. Tom is a scientific genius and these books are filled with his inventions. I'm pretty sure that my enjoyment of Science Fiction started right here. In this book, Tom and his friends use his Flying Lab (the forerunner of the Space Shuttle?) to thwart South American rebels and discover a new type of uranium. I enjoyed it.
One other note - since my last posting, we had to deal with the political brinkmanship in Washington over the Debt Ceiling. I feel very strongly that this was a low moment in American History and we have the politicians in Washington to thank for putting us through it. I'm not singling out any one party - they are all to blame. Please don't forget that there is an election in November. I, for one, do not intend to reelect any of them.
Keep reading.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Chapter Twenty-one
I was going to hold off on this posting for another day or two, until I finished the book I am reading right now. Then it dawned on me that I could tie some of this month's books into last months posting AND tie all of this month's books in together also. Pretty cool, but you have to pay attention.
Series
The Hunt Club - John Lescroart ($9.99/$.50, copyright 2006, 512 pages, paperback)
Lescroart is the author of the Dismas Hardy series of mysteries, and this is the first in a new series for him. He, however, hedges his bet by using characters from the Hardy series and even brings in Hardy himself a time or two. The main character, Wyatt Hunt, is a private investigator. Here he's involved in a murder and a missing persons case. The cases are interesting with a couple of good red herrings, but I feel like I've seen the character before in series' by Harlan Coben and Robert Tanenbaum.It was interesting.
Miscellaneous
Hardcase - Dan Simmons ($6.99/$.50, copyright 2001, 277 pages, paperback)
The "hardcase" in question is a former private investigator named Joe Kurtz who did something that got him prison time. He's out, and he's trying to get back on his feet and he's tied up with the mob, a crooked cop, psycho murderers, and smuggling. Through it all he is judge, jury, and executioner - a throwback to the Mike Hammer days. It was OK.
The Forever War - Joe Haldeman ($6.99/$.25, copyright 1974, 254 pages, paperback)
This is one of those humans-versus-aliens war stories where the actual fight scenes are limited. Instead, the focus is on a particular human, William Mandella, and his experiences - particularly back on earth. The catch is that the spaceships that carry Mandella and crew to and from battles use Black Hole-like portals so that what they experience as weeks and months actually adds up to years and centuries. Some of the future is jarring, yet Haldeman doesn't spend enough time on the civilian side to make it really interesting. It was OK.
Quantum Leap: Prelude - Ashley McConnell ($4.99/$.50, copyright 1994, 247 pages, paperback)
That's right, Quantum Leap, as in the TV series. I wasn't a faithful fan of the show, but I did see enough of the reruns to appreciate it. Here are Sam and Al before that first leap, undergoing what led up to it. In fact, the book ends with Sam's taking that first one. The interaction between the 2 main characters is great - I could see Bakula and Stockwell saying the words - but I didn't relate to the other characters, and I felt like there was no real resolution to the situation created in the book. It was interesting.
Tie-ins
Did you figure them out? Well, last month I mentioned what I called the Spencer Effect - where the hero has a side-kick who does the dirty work. Simmon's book goes back to when the pulps were being published and the main character did whatever he had to do. (I know, this one is a reach.)
AND, both the Haldeman and McConnell books deal with Time Travel - in one aspect or another. These tie in beautifully with the Time Travel anthology I mentioned last time around.
Not too bad, but how to tie this month's selections together? Check out the next category.
Great Books
The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe - ($16.00/$1.00, 1975 edition, 1026 pages, Trade Paperback)
OK, class, have you figured it out? Well, the first two selections this month deal with Private detectives. Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is considered to be the first detective story. The next two selections deal with Time Travel, and Poe's " Three Sundays in a Week" was actually included in the afore-mentioned Time Travel anthology. TADA! Seriously, I obviously did not read every story or poem in this book, but I did enjoy several of the classics. A collection like this is meant to be dipped into from time to time, and savored. Perhaps on "..a midnight dreary..". I enjoyed it.
Keep reading.
Series
The Hunt Club - John Lescroart ($9.99/$.50, copyright 2006, 512 pages, paperback)
Lescroart is the author of the Dismas Hardy series of mysteries, and this is the first in a new series for him. He, however, hedges his bet by using characters from the Hardy series and even brings in Hardy himself a time or two. The main character, Wyatt Hunt, is a private investigator. Here he's involved in a murder and a missing persons case. The cases are interesting with a couple of good red herrings, but I feel like I've seen the character before in series' by Harlan Coben and Robert Tanenbaum.It was interesting.
Miscellaneous
Hardcase - Dan Simmons ($6.99/$.50, copyright 2001, 277 pages, paperback)
The "hardcase" in question is a former private investigator named Joe Kurtz who did something that got him prison time. He's out, and he's trying to get back on his feet and he's tied up with the mob, a crooked cop, psycho murderers, and smuggling. Through it all he is judge, jury, and executioner - a throwback to the Mike Hammer days. It was OK.
The Forever War - Joe Haldeman ($6.99/$.25, copyright 1974, 254 pages, paperback)
This is one of those humans-versus-aliens war stories where the actual fight scenes are limited. Instead, the focus is on a particular human, William Mandella, and his experiences - particularly back on earth. The catch is that the spaceships that carry Mandella and crew to and from battles use Black Hole-like portals so that what they experience as weeks and months actually adds up to years and centuries. Some of the future is jarring, yet Haldeman doesn't spend enough time on the civilian side to make it really interesting. It was OK.
Quantum Leap: Prelude - Ashley McConnell ($4.99/$.50, copyright 1994, 247 pages, paperback)
That's right, Quantum Leap, as in the TV series. I wasn't a faithful fan of the show, but I did see enough of the reruns to appreciate it. Here are Sam and Al before that first leap, undergoing what led up to it. In fact, the book ends with Sam's taking that first one. The interaction between the 2 main characters is great - I could see Bakula and Stockwell saying the words - but I didn't relate to the other characters, and I felt like there was no real resolution to the situation created in the book. It was interesting.
Tie-ins
Did you figure them out? Well, last month I mentioned what I called the Spencer Effect - where the hero has a side-kick who does the dirty work. Simmon's book goes back to when the pulps were being published and the main character did whatever he had to do. (I know, this one is a reach.)
AND, both the Haldeman and McConnell books deal with Time Travel - in one aspect or another. These tie in beautifully with the Time Travel anthology I mentioned last time around.
Not too bad, but how to tie this month's selections together? Check out the next category.
Great Books
The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe - ($16.00/$1.00, 1975 edition, 1026 pages, Trade Paperback)
OK, class, have you figured it out? Well, the first two selections this month deal with Private detectives. Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is considered to be the first detective story. The next two selections deal with Time Travel, and Poe's " Three Sundays in a Week" was actually included in the afore-mentioned Time Travel anthology. TADA! Seriously, I obviously did not read every story or poem in this book, but I did enjoy several of the classics. A collection like this is meant to be dipped into from time to time, and savored. Perhaps on "..a midnight dreary..". I enjoyed it.
Keep reading.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Chapter Twenty
Summer is here again, and I'm back to my stride with the number of books read this past month. And, I've got a little something extra to talk about at the end of this posting, so let's jump right in.......
Miscellaneous
Mr. Shivers - Robert Jackson Bennett ($7.99/$.50, 324 pages, copyright 2010, paperback)
What drew me to this book was that it takes place during the Great Depression so I naturally expected something like "The Grapes of Wrath" - one of my favorite reads. The main character is riding the rails, but not in search of work. He's out to find the person who killed his daughter. What I thought would be a straight-forward revenge story veered into the supernatural. I figured out the ending about 3/4 of the way through. It was interesting.
The Night Gardener - George Pelecanos ($7.50/$.50, 431 pages, copyright 2006, paperback)
I've been wanting to read something by Pelecanos for some time now. I've read a lot of praise for his work - both as a novelist and as a writer and producer of "The Wire". This one deals with a series of murders in Washington, DC in 1985 and how - 20 years later - they have effected 3 police officers who were at the scene of the last one. Their lives have gone in different directions, and they now find themselves facing what could be the return of the killer. I found the ending very satisfying. I enjoyed it.
Time Machines - Bill Adler, ED. ($13.00/$.50, 382 pages, copyright 1998, Trade Paperback)
This is an anthology of "The Best Time Travel Stories Ever Written"..their words, not mine. I gotta be honest, I don't usually pick up anthologies. Now I remember why. I managed to get through about 7 of the 21 stories in the collection before giving up. They just got too technical, and I found myself struggling to keep at it. I didn't like it.
Series
The Big Bamboo - Tim Dorsey ($7.99/$.50, 367 pages, copyright 2006, paperback)
The first Tim Dorsey book I read - a couple of months back - blew me away. It was hysterically funny. Now here was another one starring his homicidal hero, Serge Storm. This one runs from Florida to Hollywood, involves movie-making, kidnapping, the Yakuza, and an oil-land con game. Unfortunately, it did get as confusing as it sounds, it could've been funnier, and Serge came across as really crazy instead of neurotically eccentric. It was OK.
These next 2 books - parts of different series' - share a similarity. I'm gonna call it the Spencer effect. When Private Eye novels started, they came out of the Pulp magazines of the 50's. The P. I. was a loner with a sense of humor and a code of honor, but he could also be judge, jury, and executioner. Think Marlowe, Spade, Hammer. Now we still have the honorable, quick-with-a-snappy-retort hero who agonizes over his moral code, but the dirty work - the real violence, the killing, the "wet works" - are done by the side-kick. Think Spencer and Hawk. These next two books are perfect examples of this change.
Deal Breaker - Harlan Coben ($7.99/$.50, 343 pages, copyright 1995, paperback)
This is the first in the Myron Bolitar series. He's a sport's agent who just happens to have an unexplained, mysterious background with the Federal Government (FBI, CIA?). And, his side-kick is a rich, preppy, closet homicidal maniac named Win (who also was Myron's partner during government service). Here they deal with a missing girl, a new client, and some ties to his past that Myron tries to make right. I enjoyed it.
Stalking the Angel - Robert Crais ($7.99/$.50, 260 pages, copyright 1989, paperback)
This, I believe, is the second in the Elvis Cole series. Cole is a Vietnam Veteran turned P. I.. This case involves a stolen work of Japanese philosophy, a kidnapping, and the Yakuza. The "wet works" involves Cole, but is primarily handled by Cole's partner, Joe Pike. I enjoyed it.
(ASIDE: What are the odds of two books in the same month involving kidnappings and the Yakuza?)
DVD
Here's that something special I mentioned.
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Errol Flynn? No. Kevin Costner? No. Russell Crowe? No. Richard Greene? YES!
That's right. Richard Greene, in the 1955-starting TV series that ran for about 3 or 4 years. I was part of the first generation to grow up with TV and this was one of the first non-juvenile shows I remember. This DVD - found at a library sale for $4 - has 4 episodes from that series, including the very first one. Interestingly, it was made in England with an English cast which added to it's authenticity. It's in glorious black-and-white, though the sound quality is poor, and the first episode is grainy in parts - possible due to being filmed out-of-doors. The sword fighting is laughable, but Robin and his band of outlaws - including Little John, Friar Tuck, and Maid Marian - constantly make fools out of the Sheriff of Nottingham and his minions. They even outwit Prince John in one episode. I couldn't wait to read the stories the series was based on. Excellent.
Enjoy the summer and....
Keep reading.
Miscellaneous
Mr. Shivers - Robert Jackson Bennett ($7.99/$.50, 324 pages, copyright 2010, paperback)
What drew me to this book was that it takes place during the Great Depression so I naturally expected something like "The Grapes of Wrath" - one of my favorite reads. The main character is riding the rails, but not in search of work. He's out to find the person who killed his daughter. What I thought would be a straight-forward revenge story veered into the supernatural. I figured out the ending about 3/4 of the way through. It was interesting.
The Night Gardener - George Pelecanos ($7.50/$.50, 431 pages, copyright 2006, paperback)
I've been wanting to read something by Pelecanos for some time now. I've read a lot of praise for his work - both as a novelist and as a writer and producer of "The Wire". This one deals with a series of murders in Washington, DC in 1985 and how - 20 years later - they have effected 3 police officers who were at the scene of the last one. Their lives have gone in different directions, and they now find themselves facing what could be the return of the killer. I found the ending very satisfying. I enjoyed it.
Time Machines - Bill Adler, ED. ($13.00/$.50, 382 pages, copyright 1998, Trade Paperback)
This is an anthology of "The Best Time Travel Stories Ever Written"..their words, not mine. I gotta be honest, I don't usually pick up anthologies. Now I remember why. I managed to get through about 7 of the 21 stories in the collection before giving up. They just got too technical, and I found myself struggling to keep at it. I didn't like it.
Series
The Big Bamboo - Tim Dorsey ($7.99/$.50, 367 pages, copyright 2006, paperback)
The first Tim Dorsey book I read - a couple of months back - blew me away. It was hysterically funny. Now here was another one starring his homicidal hero, Serge Storm. This one runs from Florida to Hollywood, involves movie-making, kidnapping, the Yakuza, and an oil-land con game. Unfortunately, it did get as confusing as it sounds, it could've been funnier, and Serge came across as really crazy instead of neurotically eccentric. It was OK.
These next 2 books - parts of different series' - share a similarity. I'm gonna call it the Spencer effect. When Private Eye novels started, they came out of the Pulp magazines of the 50's. The P. I. was a loner with a sense of humor and a code of honor, but he could also be judge, jury, and executioner. Think Marlowe, Spade, Hammer. Now we still have the honorable, quick-with-a-snappy-retort hero who agonizes over his moral code, but the dirty work - the real violence, the killing, the "wet works" - are done by the side-kick. Think Spencer and Hawk. These next two books are perfect examples of this change.
Deal Breaker - Harlan Coben ($7.99/$.50, 343 pages, copyright 1995, paperback)
This is the first in the Myron Bolitar series. He's a sport's agent who just happens to have an unexplained, mysterious background with the Federal Government (FBI, CIA?). And, his side-kick is a rich, preppy, closet homicidal maniac named Win (who also was Myron's partner during government service). Here they deal with a missing girl, a new client, and some ties to his past that Myron tries to make right. I enjoyed it.
Stalking the Angel - Robert Crais ($7.99/$.50, 260 pages, copyright 1989, paperback)
This, I believe, is the second in the Elvis Cole series. Cole is a Vietnam Veteran turned P. I.. This case involves a stolen work of Japanese philosophy, a kidnapping, and the Yakuza. The "wet works" involves Cole, but is primarily handled by Cole's partner, Joe Pike. I enjoyed it.
(ASIDE: What are the odds of two books in the same month involving kidnappings and the Yakuza?)
DVD
Here's that something special I mentioned.
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Errol Flynn? No. Kevin Costner? No. Russell Crowe? No. Richard Greene? YES!
That's right. Richard Greene, in the 1955-starting TV series that ran for about 3 or 4 years. I was part of the first generation to grow up with TV and this was one of the first non-juvenile shows I remember. This DVD - found at a library sale for $4 - has 4 episodes from that series, including the very first one. Interestingly, it was made in England with an English cast which added to it's authenticity. It's in glorious black-and-white, though the sound quality is poor, and the first episode is grainy in parts - possible due to being filmed out-of-doors. The sword fighting is laughable, but Robin and his band of outlaws - including Little John, Friar Tuck, and Maid Marian - constantly make fools out of the Sheriff of Nottingham and his minions. They even outwit Prince John in one episode. I couldn't wait to read the stories the series was based on. Excellent.
Enjoy the summer and....
Keep reading.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Chapter Nineteen
Back to basics. I was in the middle of what would've been the fourth book in this months posting when I came across something that I just couldn't resist. I've still got 4 books to tell you about, just not the 4 I had intended.
Series
Run for Your Life - James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge ($9.99/$.50, 338 pages, copyright 2009, paperback)
This is a new series from the Patterson "stable". The main character is a NYC Detective, widowed, with 10 kids (all adopted), an Irish nanny, and a grandfather who joined the priesthood at a late age. It's a typical Patterson thriller - fast paced, short chapters, and a great villain. Since several of his series' have co-authors, I'm wondering if he thinks up the basic outline and has the other writer fill it in. Sort of like how Stan Lee "wrote" all of those comics in the 60's (although Patterson does share the credit). I enjoyed it.
Non-fiction
A Doughboy With the Fighting 69th - Albert M. Ettinger and A. Churchill Ettinger ($5.99/$.50, 260 pages, copyright 1992, paperback)
One of the earliest books I remember reading was "Fighting Father Duffy" (I think that was the title). My aunts gave it to my brother and I when we were in grammar school. Father Duffy was the chaplain for the Fighting 69th, and the book, as I recall, dealt with his career with them during World War I. This book is a war-time biography of Al Ettinger based on his stories as remembered by his son. It wasn't quite what I expected, considering Ettinger senior seemed to have had a pretty good time "Over There". (Note: The number of pages I list for any book reflects the number of pages I read. I do not read biographies of authors, extracts from future works, or - as is the case here - appendices that give historical background that doesn't interest me.) It was OK.
Miscellaneous
Appaloosa - Robert B. Parker ($7.99/$.50, 290 pages, copyright 2005, paperback)
That's right..Robert B. Parker also wrote westerns in addition to his Spenser and Jesse Stone mysteries. The 2 main characters - Cole and Hitch - are, basically, gunmen who hire themselves out to towns that need lawmen. The interaction between these 2 is handled very well, the story line is compelling, and I found the ending to be excellent. I didn't see the movie, but I can recommend the book. I enjoyed it.
The Lost Continent - Edgar Rice Burroughs ($3.99/$.50, 131 pages, copyright 1915, paperback)
This was the find that I couldn't wait to read. I have been looking - on and off - for something by Burroughs other then a Tarzan or John Carter book. (I know, I can go to Amazon and find them but that doesn't have the same thrill of discovery.) Here we have a future world, after the Great War, where the Americas keep away from what was Europe. A navy crew, however, gets into some trouble and winds up crossing the forbidden borders. The cover is somewhat misleading (as most of them were back then) but the adventures of the main character in this forgotten continent were fun to read. I enjoyed it.
End Notes
Everything ends - good, bad, or indifferent. Here's an example of each.
Smallville - This show was on for 10 years, and I admit to being hooked on it for about the first 4. Then I would watch sporadically for the next 4, and all but stopped for the last 2. However, I did turn in for the last 45 minutes of the final episode and I gotta say it was worth it. What more could you ask for - flying, The Suit, saving the world - it had it all. Was it a little hokey? Yeah, but it was also the perfect way to end the series. Good.
Wizard Magazine - I have been a subscriber to this magazine for most of the last 12 or 15 years. As I've said in the past, the price of comics, and now even Trade Editions, has increased to the point that I can't afford to indulge too often. I relied on Wizard to give me my monthly dose of "what's going on in comics". Unfortunately, the magazine has been cancelled. That, by itself, was disappointing, but the people at WizardWorld who owned the magazine never notified their subscribers, never made an attempt to compensate them for outstanding subscriptions, and don't respond to emails. Bad.
The Event - I have always been a fan of science-fictiony shows, and this one had promise. Unfortunately, there was an incredibly long winter break - running, I think from before Thanksgiving until sometime in mid-February. This all but killed the show, to me. Plus, there was no character that I particularly identified with/cared about. Yes, they had some great twists, but it ultimately lost it's fan base when it failed to get renewed. Indifferent.
That's it.
Keep reading.
Series
Run for Your Life - James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge ($9.99/$.50, 338 pages, copyright 2009, paperback)
This is a new series from the Patterson "stable". The main character is a NYC Detective, widowed, with 10 kids (all adopted), an Irish nanny, and a grandfather who joined the priesthood at a late age. It's a typical Patterson thriller - fast paced, short chapters, and a great villain. Since several of his series' have co-authors, I'm wondering if he thinks up the basic outline and has the other writer fill it in. Sort of like how Stan Lee "wrote" all of those comics in the 60's (although Patterson does share the credit). I enjoyed it.
Non-fiction
A Doughboy With the Fighting 69th - Albert M. Ettinger and A. Churchill Ettinger ($5.99/$.50, 260 pages, copyright 1992, paperback)
One of the earliest books I remember reading was "Fighting Father Duffy" (I think that was the title). My aunts gave it to my brother and I when we were in grammar school. Father Duffy was the chaplain for the Fighting 69th, and the book, as I recall, dealt with his career with them during World War I. This book is a war-time biography of Al Ettinger based on his stories as remembered by his son. It wasn't quite what I expected, considering Ettinger senior seemed to have had a pretty good time "Over There". (Note: The number of pages I list for any book reflects the number of pages I read. I do not read biographies of authors, extracts from future works, or - as is the case here - appendices that give historical background that doesn't interest me.) It was OK.
Miscellaneous
Appaloosa - Robert B. Parker ($7.99/$.50, 290 pages, copyright 2005, paperback)
That's right..Robert B. Parker also wrote westerns in addition to his Spenser and Jesse Stone mysteries. The 2 main characters - Cole and Hitch - are, basically, gunmen who hire themselves out to towns that need lawmen. The interaction between these 2 is handled very well, the story line is compelling, and I found the ending to be excellent. I didn't see the movie, but I can recommend the book. I enjoyed it.
The Lost Continent - Edgar Rice Burroughs ($3.99/$.50, 131 pages, copyright 1915, paperback)
This was the find that I couldn't wait to read. I have been looking - on and off - for something by Burroughs other then a Tarzan or John Carter book. (I know, I can go to Amazon and find them but that doesn't have the same thrill of discovery.) Here we have a future world, after the Great War, where the Americas keep away from what was Europe. A navy crew, however, gets into some trouble and winds up crossing the forbidden borders. The cover is somewhat misleading (as most of them were back then) but the adventures of the main character in this forgotten continent were fun to read. I enjoyed it.
End Notes
Everything ends - good, bad, or indifferent. Here's an example of each.
Smallville - This show was on for 10 years, and I admit to being hooked on it for about the first 4. Then I would watch sporadically for the next 4, and all but stopped for the last 2. However, I did turn in for the last 45 minutes of the final episode and I gotta say it was worth it. What more could you ask for - flying, The Suit, saving the world - it had it all. Was it a little hokey? Yeah, but it was also the perfect way to end the series. Good.
Wizard Magazine - I have been a subscriber to this magazine for most of the last 12 or 15 years. As I've said in the past, the price of comics, and now even Trade Editions, has increased to the point that I can't afford to indulge too often. I relied on Wizard to give me my monthly dose of "what's going on in comics". Unfortunately, the magazine has been cancelled. That, by itself, was disappointing, but the people at WizardWorld who owned the magazine never notified their subscribers, never made an attempt to compensate them for outstanding subscriptions, and don't respond to emails. Bad.
The Event - I have always been a fan of science-fictiony shows, and this one had promise. Unfortunately, there was an incredibly long winter break - running, I think from before Thanksgiving until sometime in mid-February. This all but killed the show, to me. Plus, there was no character that I particularly identified with/cared about. Yes, they had some great twists, but it ultimately lost it's fan base when it failed to get renewed. Indifferent.
That's it.
Keep reading.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Chapter 18
I haven't read a lot this past month, and there's a reason for that. In fact, I was tempted for a while to do another Special Insert because of what's been occupying my time. Thankfully, I waited long enough, and I'll explain that at the end of this entry. So, let's start with a quote from Rene Descartes.
"The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries."
Non-fiction
The Crusades - Michael Paine ($13.00/$1.00, 144 pages, copyright 2005, pocket-sized Hard Cover)
This is how I like my history - the entirety of the crusades, in less then 150 pages. No elaboration on socio-economic situations, no family trees, and no segues into the personalities of individuals. As Joe Friday used to say, "Just the facts, ma'am." I enjoyed it.
Series
The Goliath Bone - Mickey Spillane with Max Allan Collins ($23.00/$.50, 274 pages, copyright 2008, Trade Paperback)
This is an uncorrected proof copy of the last Mike Hammer novel. In fact, Spillane died in 2006 but left notes with Collins in order to have this one completed. It deals with an archaeological find - the thigh bone of the biblical Goliath - and how various factions will stop at nothing to claim it for their own. The dialog and the established Spillane characters ring true, but this takes place in Manhattan in "real time" (post September '11) and I had a hard time picturing Mike Hammer still kicking ass in his 90's. It was OK.
Sherlock Holmes
The War of the Worlds - Manly W. Wellman and Wade Wellman ($9.95/ Gift Card, 226 pages, copyright 2009, Trade Paperback)
This is part of a series called The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, where different authors attempt to add to Conan Doyle's legacy. This one takes the H. G. Wells classic and posits how Holmes would have been involved. It includes several of the usual Holmes associates - obviously including Watson. What makes this fun is that it includes that other Conan Doyle-created character - Professor George Challenger (main character in The Lost World, among other stories). The ending is obvious, but the fun is in following how the characters react/interact to situations/each other. I enjoyed it.
EXPLANATION
April is Donate Life Month. Without going into too much detail here, I contacted the Governor of New Jersey's office on Thursday, March 31st, to see if they would issue some sort of statement. I got no answer by Tuesday, April 5th, so I resent my request. When you make a request like this, you have to pick a "topic" from their list. Having thought about it overnight, I resent my request on Wednesday, April 6th, using a different topic. Due to this change, I got an email on Thursday the 7th which included the official New Jersey Donate Life Month proclamation. I thanked the Governor's office the same day, but reiterated my request that someone issue a statement - something that would go out to the public. No response. I emailed the Governor's office again on Tuesday the 12th. By Thursday the 14th, I still had no response. At that point, I emailed everybody I can effect with my vote - 2 U. S. Senators, 1 U. S. Representative, 1 State Senator, and 2 State Assemblymen. By Monday the 18th, I'd received 3 system-generated "thanks, and we'll be in touch" responses.
That was when I decided to just drop it. My blood pressure was running high, and I didn't see anything else I could do.
Today, I got an email from my State Senator's Office with a copy of the Press Release they issued in support of Donate Life Month. No one else has responded.
Will the Press release get published? I don't know. Is my Senator up for re-election? Does he mean it? I don't know. Is there a moral to this? I don't know. All I know is that I reached someone, and he said something. That's all I wanted.
I repaid a little of what I owe.
Postscript
April 26th. Late today I got a phone call from the Governor's office - in fact, from the person I had been emailing. He apologized for the delay, and for the fact that his office had no plans to issue any statement at this time. He said that I was welcome to contact the office at any time to see if they could arrange a future statement or appearance. I told him that I appreciated his response, and we left it at that.
To be honest, anyone or any organization can do the same thing - contact the Governor's Office about a statement or appearance. But I got a response, and that was all I was really looking for.
Apologia
Also, I asked above whether my State Senator really meant the Press Release his office issued. The answer is "Yes". He is the co-sponsor of the New Jersey Hero's Act, which mandated the teaching of the need for organ donations to grades 9 through 12, and required the Motor Vehicles Corp. to make more of an effort to get people to sign up.
Keep reading, and think about signing up as an organ donor.
"The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries."
Non-fiction
The Crusades - Michael Paine ($13.00/$1.00, 144 pages, copyright 2005, pocket-sized Hard Cover)
This is how I like my history - the entirety of the crusades, in less then 150 pages. No elaboration on socio-economic situations, no family trees, and no segues into the personalities of individuals. As Joe Friday used to say, "Just the facts, ma'am." I enjoyed it.
Series
The Goliath Bone - Mickey Spillane with Max Allan Collins ($23.00/$.50, 274 pages, copyright 2008, Trade Paperback)
This is an uncorrected proof copy of the last Mike Hammer novel. In fact, Spillane died in 2006 but left notes with Collins in order to have this one completed. It deals with an archaeological find - the thigh bone of the biblical Goliath - and how various factions will stop at nothing to claim it for their own. The dialog and the established Spillane characters ring true, but this takes place in Manhattan in "real time" (post September '11) and I had a hard time picturing Mike Hammer still kicking ass in his 90's. It was OK.
Sherlock Holmes
The War of the Worlds - Manly W. Wellman and Wade Wellman ($9.95/ Gift Card, 226 pages, copyright 2009, Trade Paperback)
This is part of a series called The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, where different authors attempt to add to Conan Doyle's legacy. This one takes the H. G. Wells classic and posits how Holmes would have been involved. It includes several of the usual Holmes associates - obviously including Watson. What makes this fun is that it includes that other Conan Doyle-created character - Professor George Challenger (main character in The Lost World, among other stories). The ending is obvious, but the fun is in following how the characters react/interact to situations/each other. I enjoyed it.
EXPLANATION
April is Donate Life Month. Without going into too much detail here, I contacted the Governor of New Jersey's office on Thursday, March 31st, to see if they would issue some sort of statement. I got no answer by Tuesday, April 5th, so I resent my request. When you make a request like this, you have to pick a "topic" from their list. Having thought about it overnight, I resent my request on Wednesday, April 6th, using a different topic. Due to this change, I got an email on Thursday the 7th which included the official New Jersey Donate Life Month proclamation. I thanked the Governor's office the same day, but reiterated my request that someone issue a statement - something that would go out to the public. No response. I emailed the Governor's office again on Tuesday the 12th. By Thursday the 14th, I still had no response. At that point, I emailed everybody I can effect with my vote - 2 U. S. Senators, 1 U. S. Representative, 1 State Senator, and 2 State Assemblymen. By Monday the 18th, I'd received 3 system-generated "thanks, and we'll be in touch" responses.
That was when I decided to just drop it. My blood pressure was running high, and I didn't see anything else I could do.
Today, I got an email from my State Senator's Office with a copy of the Press Release they issued in support of Donate Life Month. No one else has responded.
Will the Press release get published? I don't know. Is my Senator up for re-election? Does he mean it? I don't know. Is there a moral to this? I don't know. All I know is that I reached someone, and he said something. That's all I wanted.
I repaid a little of what I owe.
Postscript
April 26th. Late today I got a phone call from the Governor's office - in fact, from the person I had been emailing. He apologized for the delay, and for the fact that his office had no plans to issue any statement at this time. He said that I was welcome to contact the office at any time to see if they could arrange a future statement or appearance. I told him that I appreciated his response, and we left it at that.
To be honest, anyone or any organization can do the same thing - contact the Governor's Office about a statement or appearance. But I got a response, and that was all I was really looking for.
Apologia
Also, I asked above whether my State Senator really meant the Press Release his office issued. The answer is "Yes". He is the co-sponsor of the New Jersey Hero's Act, which mandated the teaching of the need for organ donations to grades 9 through 12, and required the Motor Vehicles Corp. to make more of an effort to get people to sign up.
Keep reading, and think about signing up as an organ donor.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Special Insert #5
I'm pretty sure that everyone who actually reads this blog knows that my daughter got married this past Saturday. What you don't know is that I have spent most of this past month concentrating on my Father-of-the-Bride duties and have had very little time to read anything for pleasure. What that means is that this entry will have nothing to do with my usual topics but, since it's my blog, deal with it.
I'm not going to post any pictures here, but I do want to list some of the things - the brief moments, the episodes - that stand out, for me, from the rest of the Big Day's activities. So, in no particular order, here goes:
Seeing my daughter walk into her mother's living room in her Wedding dress for the first time - with her hair and make-up done. That's when I realized she wasn't my "little girl" anymore.
Walking down the aisle with my daughter and her mother. Don't know if that's acceptable, but it was right.
Handing her to her Husband-to-be. Telling him to keep her safe. Asking her if she was happy.
Seeing my brothers and sisters together, for the first time in years, at a happy occasion. Having most of their kids there, too. Being able to talk about inconsequential stuff with them was great.
Being introduced at the reception.
Watching Cousin J. escort in both of the Bridesmaids. He did it for the ceremony, but the entrance at the reception - strut and all - was priceless. We all said he was the only one who could pull it off.
Giving the Father-of-the-Bride speech. This was the main reason that I got no reading done for the last month. I had the idea running through my mind all that time, but I wrote nothing down.I put it together as I was speaking and I think it came out pretty well. People said they liked it.
My nephew, C., coming to me after my speech and saying that he knew it wasn't my original but that I had the "heart of a writer". Very much appreciated.
The Father-Daughter dance. She told me that she hadn't cried all day, until then. I told her the same. The song was by Heartland, "I Loved Her First". My daughter had it engraved on the top of a photo cube for me. I tried to keep talking so that I wouldn't have to hear the words and cry some more.
The cake-slicing ceremony.
My nephew, K., dancing with my daughter's grandmother.
The longest-married couple dance. 56 years. God Bless 'em.
The people who helped all day. 1) Debbie, at the reception hall. She kept everything running smoothly. 2) Johnny, the DJ. Did an excellent job. 3) Martin, the photographer. He was with the bride from 11:30 AM till the reception ended at 11 PM. He was so personable, and he really knew what he was doing. 4) Dom, the limo driver. I was only with him from when he showed up at the house to pick up the bridal party, till they left the church, but he exuded confidence. He told us what to do, and calmed my daughter down early on. 5) Father Desmond, who performed the ceremony. He was warm and funny and managed to make everyone feel good. (Coincidently, he is a friend of the groom's father and the chaplain at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital, where I'd met him.)
My new son-in-law saying, when everything was closing down just before 11 PM, that he understood why you often read about a celebrity punching out a paparazzi.
Just some random observations that stick in my mind out of everything that happened on the happiest day of my daughter's life.
I'm not going to post any pictures here, but I do want to list some of the things - the brief moments, the episodes - that stand out, for me, from the rest of the Big Day's activities. So, in no particular order, here goes:
Seeing my daughter walk into her mother's living room in her Wedding dress for the first time - with her hair and make-up done. That's when I realized she wasn't my "little girl" anymore.
Walking down the aisle with my daughter and her mother. Don't know if that's acceptable, but it was right.
Handing her to her Husband-to-be. Telling him to keep her safe. Asking her if she was happy.
Seeing my brothers and sisters together, for the first time in years, at a happy occasion. Having most of their kids there, too. Being able to talk about inconsequential stuff with them was great.
Being introduced at the reception.
Watching Cousin J. escort in both of the Bridesmaids. He did it for the ceremony, but the entrance at the reception - strut and all - was priceless. We all said he was the only one who could pull it off.
Giving the Father-of-the-Bride speech. This was the main reason that I got no reading done for the last month. I had the idea running through my mind all that time, but I wrote nothing down.I put it together as I was speaking and I think it came out pretty well. People said they liked it.
My nephew, C., coming to me after my speech and saying that he knew it wasn't my original but that I had the "heart of a writer". Very much appreciated.
The Father-Daughter dance. She told me that she hadn't cried all day, until then. I told her the same. The song was by Heartland, "I Loved Her First". My daughter had it engraved on the top of a photo cube for me. I tried to keep talking so that I wouldn't have to hear the words and cry some more.
The cake-slicing ceremony.
My nephew, K., dancing with my daughter's grandmother.
The longest-married couple dance. 56 years. God Bless 'em.
The people who helped all day. 1) Debbie, at the reception hall. She kept everything running smoothly. 2) Johnny, the DJ. Did an excellent job. 3) Martin, the photographer. He was with the bride from 11:30 AM till the reception ended at 11 PM. He was so personable, and he really knew what he was doing. 4) Dom, the limo driver. I was only with him from when he showed up at the house to pick up the bridal party, till they left the church, but he exuded confidence. He told us what to do, and calmed my daughter down early on. 5) Father Desmond, who performed the ceremony. He was warm and funny and managed to make everyone feel good. (Coincidently, he is a friend of the groom's father and the chaplain at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital, where I'd met him.)
My new son-in-law saying, when everything was closing down just before 11 PM, that he understood why you often read about a celebrity punching out a paparazzi.
Just some random observations that stick in my mind out of everything that happened on the happiest day of my daughter's life.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Chapter Seventeen
I was going to wait another week or two before I made another entry here, but I think I've got enough to talk about and besides I found this really cool picture to add to the site. Interestingly, all the books fall into the same category.
Series
Cadillac Beach - Tim Dorsey ( $7.50/$.50, 376 pages, copyright 2004, paperback)
Apparently, Dorsey has written several books revolving around the exploits of Serge Storm and his good buddy, Lenny - a maniac and a doper. This one revolves around Miami history and brings in Murph the Surf, the Beatles, Cubans, the FBI and CIA, and a whole bunch of other stuff while Serge tries to solve his grandfather's murder. This may sound confusing, but it is laugh-out-loud funny. I enjoyed it.
The Dangerous Days of Daniel X - James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge ($7.99/$.50, 247 pages, copyright 2009, paperback)
I'm a big fan of Patterson's Alex Cross series so every once in a while I pick up another book of his. This is a sci-fi series about a teenage alien bounty hunter that is strictly aimed at the tweens crowd. To be honest, I'm not too sure they'd like it. I didn't.
The Watchman - Robert Crais ($7.99/$.50, 384 pages, copyright 2007, paperback)
Usually, Crais' books center on Elvis Cole, with Joe Pike - his silent partner - coming in towards the end as sort of a "deus-ex-machina". This book revolves around Pike, with Cole in a supporting role. Simply put, Pike agrees to protect a young lady until she can testify at a trial, but it's more then that. And you learn a lot more about what makes Pike tick. I enjoyed it.
Stone Cold - Robert B. Parker ($7.99/$.50, 300 pages, copyright 2003, paperback)
Parker is the creator of the Spenser books, which I really enjoy. This is one of his Jesse Stone books. Jesse is the polar opposite of Spenser - he's a loner, he drinks too much, and he has an unhealthy obsession for his ex-wife. That said, he's good at what he does - police work - and he has a real sense of right and wrong. He also has a great supporting cast, and here they try to solve a serial killer case. Unfortunately, I don't think his books end well. The payoff seems to take place off-screen, and Jesse gets to react but it doesn't feel satisfying. It was OK.
Comic Books
I've ranted in the past about my experiences with the comic book industry, so this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.
First Wave - Brian Azzarello, writer; Rags Morales, artist ($3.99 per issue, 6 issues)
I mentioned this particular mini-series before. In fact, I first mentioned it in my May 12, 2010 Special Insert #2 after I'd read the first 2 issues of the 6 issue run. It is now March 3, 2011, and issue number 6 just came out yesterday. That means that it took 9 months to produce 4 issues. Very disappointing. I probably won't be buying into any mini-series runs any time soon. That aside, Azzarello has told a very interesting, post-WW2 story. Batman is a young, gung-ho, gun-toting hero; Doc Savage is his usual pulp-fictiony adventurer; but The Spirit disappoints. I think he's only interesting when someone uses the Eisner approach to drawing. I did enjoy it.
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne - Grant Morrison, writer: various artists ($3.99 per issue, 6 issues)
I'm not going to go into why there was a need for Bruce Wayne to return - frankly, it's too complicated. Suffice it to say that Grant Morrison wrote this, so we have issues ranging from the prehistoric, through the Wild West and the Future, and ending back here. I mention this because it appears to have come out on a monthly basis. Maybe this has to do with multiple artists. The down-side to that is the visual changes can be jarring. But the main reason I bring this one up is that I saw it at Barnes & Noble's as a Trade Edition for $30. I'm sure they include extras like scripts and storyboards, but I don't look at those. $30, to me, is a lot of money for 6 issues at one time. (I actually paid $12 for all 6 issues at a comic store in Oakhurst.) I'm guessing that I won't be buying too many Trades anymore. Other then that, I enjoyed it.
Keep reading.
Series
Cadillac Beach - Tim Dorsey ( $7.50/$.50, 376 pages, copyright 2004, paperback)
Apparently, Dorsey has written several books revolving around the exploits of Serge Storm and his good buddy, Lenny - a maniac and a doper. This one revolves around Miami history and brings in Murph the Surf, the Beatles, Cubans, the FBI and CIA, and a whole bunch of other stuff while Serge tries to solve his grandfather's murder. This may sound confusing, but it is laugh-out-loud funny. I enjoyed it.
The Dangerous Days of Daniel X - James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge ($7.99/$.50, 247 pages, copyright 2009, paperback)
I'm a big fan of Patterson's Alex Cross series so every once in a while I pick up another book of his. This is a sci-fi series about a teenage alien bounty hunter that is strictly aimed at the tweens crowd. To be honest, I'm not too sure they'd like it. I didn't.
The Watchman - Robert Crais ($7.99/$.50, 384 pages, copyright 2007, paperback)
Usually, Crais' books center on Elvis Cole, with Joe Pike - his silent partner - coming in towards the end as sort of a "deus-ex-machina". This book revolves around Pike, with Cole in a supporting role. Simply put, Pike agrees to protect a young lady until she can testify at a trial, but it's more then that. And you learn a lot more about what makes Pike tick. I enjoyed it.
Stone Cold - Robert B. Parker ($7.99/$.50, 300 pages, copyright 2003, paperback)
Parker is the creator of the Spenser books, which I really enjoy. This is one of his Jesse Stone books. Jesse is the polar opposite of Spenser - he's a loner, he drinks too much, and he has an unhealthy obsession for his ex-wife. That said, he's good at what he does - police work - and he has a real sense of right and wrong. He also has a great supporting cast, and here they try to solve a serial killer case. Unfortunately, I don't think his books end well. The payoff seems to take place off-screen, and Jesse gets to react but it doesn't feel satisfying. It was OK.
Comic Books
I've ranted in the past about my experiences with the comic book industry, so this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.
First Wave - Brian Azzarello, writer; Rags Morales, artist ($3.99 per issue, 6 issues)
I mentioned this particular mini-series before. In fact, I first mentioned it in my May 12, 2010 Special Insert #2 after I'd read the first 2 issues of the 6 issue run. It is now March 3, 2011, and issue number 6 just came out yesterday. That means that it took 9 months to produce 4 issues. Very disappointing. I probably won't be buying into any mini-series runs any time soon. That aside, Azzarello has told a very interesting, post-WW2 story. Batman is a young, gung-ho, gun-toting hero; Doc Savage is his usual pulp-fictiony adventurer; but The Spirit disappoints. I think he's only interesting when someone uses the Eisner approach to drawing. I did enjoy it.
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne - Grant Morrison, writer: various artists ($3.99 per issue, 6 issues)
I'm not going to go into why there was a need for Bruce Wayne to return - frankly, it's too complicated. Suffice it to say that Grant Morrison wrote this, so we have issues ranging from the prehistoric, through the Wild West and the Future, and ending back here. I mention this because it appears to have come out on a monthly basis. Maybe this has to do with multiple artists. The down-side to that is the visual changes can be jarring. But the main reason I bring this one up is that I saw it at Barnes & Noble's as a Trade Edition for $30. I'm sure they include extras like scripts and storyboards, but I don't look at those. $30, to me, is a lot of money for 6 issues at one time. (I actually paid $12 for all 6 issues at a comic store in Oakhurst.) I'm guessing that I won't be buying too many Trades anymore. Other then that, I enjoyed it.
Keep reading.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Chapter Sixteen
Not very many books to discuss this time around. There's a reason for that, and I'll bring it up later. Also, there's something that's been bothering me, so I'm going to get it off my chest as well.
Miscellaneous
The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck ($13.00, 619 pages, copyright 1939, Trade Paperback)
For those who read this blog, you may remember this volume as being something I bought as a Christmas present for a family member. I wound up getting her a newly published filmography of Frank Sinatra and I kept this edition for myself. As I said before, to me, the story of the Joad family's struggle to cross the country and reach the "Promised Land" is the story of America. And since the movie took a lot of its dialog directly from the book, I can almost hear Henry Fonda and Jane Darwell giving some of the speeches. I enjoyed it.
The Road - Cormac McCarthy ($14.95/$.50, 287 pages, copyright 2006, Trade Paperback)
Let me preface this by saying that I've read several remarks by my nephew that McCarthy is the greatest writer in the world. This may not be the book to start trying to find that out. I admit that he writes very well, but the subject matter was very, very bleak, and reading it during the winter - in between 9 snow storms - is probably not the best time to approach it. I had hopes for this post-apocalyptic story of a man protecting his son, but to me, it fell flat and the ending was too pat. It was OK.
Series
Dead Irish - John Lescroart ($7.99/$.50, 420 pages, copyright 1989, paperback)
This is the first novel in the Dismas Hardy series. I've read several others over the last few years and, like them, this one never fails to entertain. Lescroart jumps right in, introducing Dismas and the supporting cast as he goes along - and filling in their backgrounds and connections in a very natural way. Here Dismas uses his past skills and contacts to try to prove that a suicide is really a murder. I enjoyed it.
PC Games
That's right, folks, having read about the gaming exploits of the younger generation - and remembering the hours of fun I had playing my daughter's Super NES - I've passed a lot of this dismal winter playing video games on my PC. Of course, I'm just a novice and I refuse to spend a lot of money, but I have enjoyed what I've been playing.
Fate - ($9.99, WildTangent/Encore, Rated E)
This is a role-playing game where you try to help out some villagers by taking on quests that involve entering the Dungeon. Along the way, you pick up gold, weapons, and skills. There are, I think, 46 levels to the Dungeon, and I've made it through 7. Should take me a while to go all the way through. This is the closest game I've found to the "Legend of Zelda". Still playing, and I'm enjoying it.
Hidden Mysteries: The White House and Lost Secrets: Ancient Mysteries - ($9.99, Game Mill/Spark Plug, Rated E)
This is a 2-pack, and each game is what's called a Hidden Object game. You enter different sites/rooms and try to find hidden objects that are listed for you.Each of these games has an underlying story that keeps moving forward as you progress.Finished it, and I enjoyed this.
CSI:NY - ($5.00, UbiSoft, Rated Teen)
There are 4 different "episodes" to this game, and they play just like the show. All the major characters are there (and they did the voices). As either Mac or Stella you start with a death. You pick through the crime scene (and other locations) for clues; pursue leads at the morgue and the crime lab; and grill and accuse suspects using clues you've found. (I have to admit that I got completely stumped at a couple of spots, and had to Google a Walkthrough to proceed). Finished it, and I enjoyed it.
Something That's Been Bothering Me
I read about a month ago that a Professor of English at Auburn University in Alabama - Alan Gribber - was going to publish a new edition of Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" replacing the word "nigger" with "slave", and the word "Injun" with "Indian". He said that with this new edition his fellow teacher's wouldn't have a problem teaching this book, and we wouldn't offend anyone. Now, I know that "Huckleberry Finn" was banned for a time because of its language, but that was years ago. Those words are part of the original manuscript, and Twain was simply trying to reproduce a way of speaking that he felt Huck would use. In my lifetime, I don't recall ever reading that a teacher was having a problem with the book. Have we become so scared of offending someone that we will tamper with a classic. Does this lead to putting pants on the statue of David (which has had its share of offended people)? What has happened to America? Aren't we the Land of the I Don't Want to use the Metric System? Don't we put the month before the day? Isn't this the Home of the If I Offended You at Least I Know You're Paying Attention? Twain - an American - wrote an American novel. Leave it alone!
Keep reading!
Miscellaneous
The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck ($13.00, 619 pages, copyright 1939, Trade Paperback)
For those who read this blog, you may remember this volume as being something I bought as a Christmas present for a family member. I wound up getting her a newly published filmography of Frank Sinatra and I kept this edition for myself. As I said before, to me, the story of the Joad family's struggle to cross the country and reach the "Promised Land" is the story of America. And since the movie took a lot of its dialog directly from the book, I can almost hear Henry Fonda and Jane Darwell giving some of the speeches. I enjoyed it.
The Road - Cormac McCarthy ($14.95/$.50, 287 pages, copyright 2006, Trade Paperback)
Let me preface this by saying that I've read several remarks by my nephew that McCarthy is the greatest writer in the world. This may not be the book to start trying to find that out. I admit that he writes very well, but the subject matter was very, very bleak, and reading it during the winter - in between 9 snow storms - is probably not the best time to approach it. I had hopes for this post-apocalyptic story of a man protecting his son, but to me, it fell flat and the ending was too pat. It was OK.
Series
Dead Irish - John Lescroart ($7.99/$.50, 420 pages, copyright 1989, paperback)
This is the first novel in the Dismas Hardy series. I've read several others over the last few years and, like them, this one never fails to entertain. Lescroart jumps right in, introducing Dismas and the supporting cast as he goes along - and filling in their backgrounds and connections in a very natural way. Here Dismas uses his past skills and contacts to try to prove that a suicide is really a murder. I enjoyed it.
PC Games
That's right, folks, having read about the gaming exploits of the younger generation - and remembering the hours of fun I had playing my daughter's Super NES - I've passed a lot of this dismal winter playing video games on my PC. Of course, I'm just a novice and I refuse to spend a lot of money, but I have enjoyed what I've been playing.
Fate - ($9.99, WildTangent/Encore, Rated E)
This is a role-playing game where you try to help out some villagers by taking on quests that involve entering the Dungeon. Along the way, you pick up gold, weapons, and skills. There are, I think, 46 levels to the Dungeon, and I've made it through 7. Should take me a while to go all the way through. This is the closest game I've found to the "Legend of Zelda". Still playing, and I'm enjoying it.
Hidden Mysteries: The White House and Lost Secrets: Ancient Mysteries - ($9.99, Game Mill/Spark Plug, Rated E)
This is a 2-pack, and each game is what's called a Hidden Object game. You enter different sites/rooms and try to find hidden objects that are listed for you.Each of these games has an underlying story that keeps moving forward as you progress.Finished it, and I enjoyed this.
CSI:NY - ($5.00, UbiSoft, Rated Teen)
There are 4 different "episodes" to this game, and they play just like the show. All the major characters are there (and they did the voices). As either Mac or Stella you start with a death. You pick through the crime scene (and other locations) for clues; pursue leads at the morgue and the crime lab; and grill and accuse suspects using clues you've found. (I have to admit that I got completely stumped at a couple of spots, and had to Google a Walkthrough to proceed). Finished it, and I enjoyed it.
Something That's Been Bothering Me
I read about a month ago that a Professor of English at Auburn University in Alabama - Alan Gribber - was going to publish a new edition of Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" replacing the word "nigger" with "slave", and the word "Injun" with "Indian". He said that with this new edition his fellow teacher's wouldn't have a problem teaching this book, and we wouldn't offend anyone. Now, I know that "Huckleberry Finn" was banned for a time because of its language, but that was years ago. Those words are part of the original manuscript, and Twain was simply trying to reproduce a way of speaking that he felt Huck would use. In my lifetime, I don't recall ever reading that a teacher was having a problem with the book. Have we become so scared of offending someone that we will tamper with a classic. Does this lead to putting pants on the statue of David (which has had its share of offended people)? What has happened to America? Aren't we the Land of the I Don't Want to use the Metric System? Don't we put the month before the day? Isn't this the Home of the If I Offended You at Least I Know You're Paying Attention? Twain - an American - wrote an American novel. Leave it alone!
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Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Chapter Fifteen
A New Year, and a new post. I remember struggling a bit to get through some of the books at the end of last year, so I started this year with a couple of old friends. Sort of a "sorbet" to cleanse the palate. There are also a couple of oddities this month, and what I think is a real find.
Series
Walking Shadow - Robert B. Parker ($7.50/$.50, 281 pages, copyright 1994, Paperback)
Spenser and Hawke. Two old friends that I can always rely on to provide a few hours of entertainment. Add Susan into the mix and you almost don't need a plot. The conversations alone could probably carry a book. Anyway, this one starts with a stalker, leads to a murder, and mixes in a Chinese Tong. Classic Parker. I enjoyed it.
Miscellaneous
Her Forbidden Knight - Rex Stout ($4.95/$.50, 248 pages, copyright 1997, Paperback)
Don't let the copyright date fool you, that applies only to this volume. The nearest I can figure this was originally published back in the 40's. That is an appropriate time period, because I can see this as the basis for one of those movies from back then, maybe with Lew Ayres as the lead and a cast of the usual back up players. It nominally involves a group of guys who hang around a New York hotel lobby, a telegraph girl, and a handsome stranger passing bogus $10 bills. The oddity here is that it is written by a pre-Nero Wolfe Rex Stout. I enjoyed it.
Welcome to Xanadu - Nathaniel Benchley ($5.95/$.50, 304 pages, copyright 1968, Hard Cover)
The oddity here is that it is a Hard Cover book, published in 1968, with a cover price of $5.95. You can't even get a paperback for that price now (unless you do what I do). This is an story about a farmer's daughter in New Mexico who gets kidnapped by an escaped patient from a mental institution, and how they both learn something from each other. I found it to be very interesting.
Let the Great World Spin - Colum McCann ($15.00/$.50, 349 pages, copyright 2009, Trade Paperback)
The central point for this book is that in August of 1974 a man walked across a tightrope stretched between the Twin Towers. Maybe that's what attracted me to the book. Maybe I thought it would be based on what happens down there in lower Manhattan - a place I worked in for 20 years. I was wrong. It is so much more. The tightrope walker is peripheral, and the other characters are tied to each other in an almost "six degrees of separation" way. I think the author is trying to show that each off us walks a tightrope every day - life. AND McCann's writing style had me locked in from the very first section. I found it hard to put down. I really enjoyed it.
Serendipitous Side Note
As anyone who's read any of these posts knows, I enjoy comic books (please note, I said "comic books" and not "graphic novels"). To that end I'd like to mention that NBC is now airing a show called The Cape on Monday nights at 9:00 PM. I saw the 2 hour pilot last night, and enjoyed it a lot. There are elements from established comics that run through it - Batman, Luthor, Oracle, The Circus of Crime from Spiderman to name a few - and they have been blended together in a very enjoyable way. I don't know if it will last long but I intend to go down with the ship.
The serendipity part comes in now - when I sat down to write this, I put the TV on as sort of background noise. I found that the SyFy channel was broadcasting the old Green Hornet show. Unfortunately, these are not as good today as I remember but what the hell - Van Williams and Bruce Lee for a few hours? I'm down for that.
Keep Reading!
Series
Walking Shadow - Robert B. Parker ($7.50/$.50, 281 pages, copyright 1994, Paperback)
Spenser and Hawke. Two old friends that I can always rely on to provide a few hours of entertainment. Add Susan into the mix and you almost don't need a plot. The conversations alone could probably carry a book. Anyway, this one starts with a stalker, leads to a murder, and mixes in a Chinese Tong. Classic Parker. I enjoyed it.
Miscellaneous
Her Forbidden Knight - Rex Stout ($4.95/$.50, 248 pages, copyright 1997, Paperback)
Don't let the copyright date fool you, that applies only to this volume. The nearest I can figure this was originally published back in the 40's. That is an appropriate time period, because I can see this as the basis for one of those movies from back then, maybe with Lew Ayres as the lead and a cast of the usual back up players. It nominally involves a group of guys who hang around a New York hotel lobby, a telegraph girl, and a handsome stranger passing bogus $10 bills. The oddity here is that it is written by a pre-Nero Wolfe Rex Stout. I enjoyed it.
Welcome to Xanadu - Nathaniel Benchley ($5.95/$.50, 304 pages, copyright 1968, Hard Cover)
The oddity here is that it is a Hard Cover book, published in 1968, with a cover price of $5.95. You can't even get a paperback for that price now (unless you do what I do). This is an story about a farmer's daughter in New Mexico who gets kidnapped by an escaped patient from a mental institution, and how they both learn something from each other. I found it to be very interesting.
Let the Great World Spin - Colum McCann ($15.00/$.50, 349 pages, copyright 2009, Trade Paperback)
The central point for this book is that in August of 1974 a man walked across a tightrope stretched between the Twin Towers. Maybe that's what attracted me to the book. Maybe I thought it would be based on what happens down there in lower Manhattan - a place I worked in for 20 years. I was wrong. It is so much more. The tightrope walker is peripheral, and the other characters are tied to each other in an almost "six degrees of separation" way. I think the author is trying to show that each off us walks a tightrope every day - life. AND McCann's writing style had me locked in from the very first section. I found it hard to put down. I really enjoyed it.
Serendipitous Side Note
As anyone who's read any of these posts knows, I enjoy comic books (please note, I said "comic books" and not "graphic novels"). To that end I'd like to mention that NBC is now airing a show called The Cape on Monday nights at 9:00 PM. I saw the 2 hour pilot last night, and enjoyed it a lot. There are elements from established comics that run through it - Batman, Luthor, Oracle, The Circus of Crime from Spiderman to name a few - and they have been blended together in a very enjoyable way. I don't know if it will last long but I intend to go down with the ship.
The serendipity part comes in now - when I sat down to write this, I put the TV on as sort of background noise. I found that the SyFy channel was broadcasting the old Green Hornet show. Unfortunately, these are not as good today as I remember but what the hell - Van Williams and Bruce Lee for a few hours? I'm down for that.
Keep Reading!
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