While I was there, I tried to stay out of the way and would hang out in the room they let me use. Since I had my laptop I was online a lot and - as a result - ordered a whole bunch of books. To control this impulse, I dipped in and out of several and finally settled on a couple. I've been all over the place with different genres and authors and these 2 books represent the extremes.
Miscellaneous
Actually, I didn't get this one online. When the Main Library here in Woodbridge finally opened, my Ex decided to go and I tagged along. While she spent time in the stacks, I was checking out the Sale Books. She came out with 4 books that she has to return but they didn't cost her anything. I came out with 3 books that I get to keep and they only cost me $1.50 total. who made out better? Depends upon your point of view. Anyway, this was one of my purchases.
The Colorado Kid - Stephen King ($5.99/$.25, copyright 2005, 178 pages, Paperback)
This is Stephen King's contribution to the Hard Case Crimes imprint which includes such masters of the genre like Lawrence Block, Erle Stanley Gardner, and Donald Westlake. It reminds me of King's work under the Richard Bachman name. Stephanie McCann is from Cincinnati, Ohio and is doing a post-graduate internship at The Weekly Insider on an island off the coast of Maine. There, she's watched over by the 2 reporters/editors who run the place - Vince Teague who is 90 and Dave Bowie who is 65. Steph is writing local fluff pieces but wants to do a real story so the 2 guys tell her about the unsolved mysteries that have occurred on and around the island. One of these grabs Steph's attention. Back in 1980 or so, two high school kids found a body on the beach, a hunk of meat lodged in the throat. Further investigation showed that this was no local and James Cogan was eventually identified as the victim. However, no one could tell how or why he ended up on the East Coast, hailing from Colorado. Who was James Cogan and what was this Colorado businessman doing in Maine? Steph digs in, with support from her 2 mentors, to uncover the truth. King has crafted an interesting story although the ending, to me, was disappointing but his characters ring true and his descriptions of the locals and the locale are spot-on. It was OK.
While the King book is short and easily carried around this next one is not. The author is know for writing lengthy novels but this one weight 5 pounds. Seriously. I weighed it myself.
Mason & Dixon - Thomas Pynchon ($17.00/$5.89, copyright 1997, 773 pages, Trade Paperback)
I first read a work of Pynchon's back in my college days because my brother recommended it. I remember enjoying "Gravity's Rainbow" back then but I couldn't tell you what it was about now. That's the kind of work Pynchon creates. Here, he delves into Americana giving us the history of Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon who surveyed the disputed boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland from 1763 to 1767 and resolved the conflict by establishing what has become as the Mason-Dixon Line. The story is told by Reverend Wicks Cherrycoke who's telling the story of his travels with the surveyors to his family in 1786. He covers everything from their time in South Africa, through their accomplishments in America, to their triumphant reception in Europe. But he tends to change things from time to time in order to lengthen his stay so you don't always know what's true. Pynchon has a way with words and has created a massive volume that is both fascinating and funny at the same time. As I said about a previous book of Pynchon's that I read - I enjoyed it but I couldn't tell you what it was about.
I haven't ordered another book in about a week. Since I'm home now I can stay out of this heat and dig into the stack I've recently piled up.
Next up is August. Hopefully it won't be as hot as July has been. Until then .....
Stay safe, stay socially distant, wash your hands, wear a mask, and -
Keep reading.
