I have made a change this month. Not to what I read but to how I go about acquiring the books that I post about. Piqued your curiosity? I hope so, but you'll have to wait just a bit while I run through the following:
Series
On the Wrong Track - Steve Hockensmith ($12.95/$.50, copyright 2007, 290 pages, Trade Paperback)This is the second book in the Amlingmeyer Brothers series. They’re 2 one-time cattle drovers in the Old West of the late 1800’s who’ve taken a shine to the Sherlock Holmes stories (believing him to be as real as the Western heroes and villains pumped up in the dime novels popular at the time) and decide to do some “detectifying” of their own. Here they take jobs as railroad detectives and get mixed up with murders, train robbers, and other western stereotypes. There are gun fights and out-of-control trains to keep the plot moving at a quick pace. It’s told with an eye for detail, and an ear for a good laugh. I enjoyed it.
Kill Alex Cross - James Patterson ($14.99/$1.00, copyright 2011, 364 pages, Trade Paperback)I’ve written about Patterson's Alex Cross series before. In this one, Cross has to deal with the kidnapping of the President’s children while Washington, D. C. is being panicked by terrorist attacks. Patterson’s style holds true here - short, snappy chapters bouncing between the good guys and the bad, with a dash of domestic drama/life for Detective Cross. (And he's brought back a strong supporting character who's been missing for several volumes.) It’s a formula that has served Patterson well. I enjoyed it.
Graphic Novels
Cardboard - Doug Tenniel ($12.99/$0, copyright 2012, 283 pages, Trade Paperback)I read this graphic novel in a couple of hours, while “helping out” at a Book Fair so I didn't actually purchase it but I'm including it anyway. It revolves around an out-of-work, recently widowed construction worker (Mike) trying to keep things together while raising his young son (Cam). It’s the boy’s birthday and all the dad can afford is a cardboard box. But it’s magic cardboard. Soon they have created a cardboard man named Bill who, not surprisingly, comes to life. What follows involves a jealous, rich kid (Marcus) who steals the cardboard, monsters threatening to take over, and heroics by humans young and old (and cardboard). Of course, this is really aimed at a young audience, so good triumphs and lessons are learned, and there’s a nice twist at the end. The art work is appealing, and the dialog rings true. I enjoyed it.
SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT
In one of the early chapters I mentioned that I knew I could buy books online but that the thrill was in finding them on my own. Well, thirty-some-odd chapters later I found myself with three books that I knew I was never going to find on my own. But still I persisted until last month, when I got a couple of gift cards for my birthday - one to Barnes & Noble and one was a TD Bank card. Long story short...I've decided to join the 21st Century and ordered all three books online and I got good prices for them. So, here are two of them. I 'm still reading the third, and hope to have it for next month's post.
Miscellaneous
The Man Without a Country & Other Stories - - Edward Everett Hale ($4.99/Gft Card, published 1995, 175 pages, Paperback) This is actually out of print and although published by Wordsworth American Classics is no longer listed in their catalog. I am guessing at the cover price based on similar works that they carry. I’ve been looking for this one since Sept. of 2011 when I learned that Cliff Robertson died. I remembered seeing him in a televised version back in the 60's that has stayed with me all these years. It is the story of Philip Nolan who, through a mistaken allegiance and a bad temper, is sentenced to never see or hear of the United States again. I have to admit that I was surprised to find out that it was such a short story and yet I found it a powerful one. “The Man…” was written in 1863, and this volume includes other stories written between 1842 and 1866. Like any collection, some of the stories are really good and some not so much. These cover an interesting range of topics, some humorously. It’s a mixed bag. As a whole, it was OK. To me, it was worth it and I really did enjoy “The Man…”.
Comic Books
Showcase Presents: Challengers of The Unknown, Vol. 1 - Jack Kirby and others ($16.99/GC, published 2006, 544 pages, Trade Paperback) This volume starts with the first appearance of the Challengers in the January/February 1957 issue of Showcase (#6) and ends with the December 1960/January 1961 issue of Challengers of The Unknown (#17) - their own titled magazine. In all, 21 issues comprising the introduction of the Challengers to the DC Universe. I’ve been chasing this down since the end of 2009 when I came across a copy of Volume 2 in a comic book store in Oakhurst. The Challengers' philosophy of “We’re living on borrowed time.” resonated with me. (Since, at times, I’ve felt the same way.) To my knowledge, Jack Kirby - one of the true greats in comic book history - was the creative force behind the Challengers, drawing every issue up to and including Challengers #8, and writing most of the stories in their own magazine. The writing in the Showcase issues is attributed to Dave Wood, and the pencil work for Challengers #9 onward is by Bob Brown. Back then these were bimonthly publications. In every issue Ace, Rocky, Prof and Red (and sometimes June) would be faced with some scientific/alien/magical menace that would take all of their combined skills to defeat. I would recommend that these should be read over a period of time (say 1 a week/month) as they tend to get repetitive. Still, I found it very enjoyable.
That's it for now. Stayed tuned for next month when I'll tell you about the second book I ordered through Barnes & Noble's Dealer Network. Until then..........
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