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.
