Chapter Eighty-six

July is winding down. We've had a mixed bag weather-wise. Some pleasant days, a couple of heat waves, and some rain - especially this morning as I was driving around. I spent time with my Granddaughter and then spent the afernoon in front of my bedroom fan reading the following.

Miscellaneous

Memoirs of Vidocq: Master of Crime - Francois Eugene Vidocq ($9.86/$18.00, copyright 2003, 365 pages, Trade Paperback)
I first came across a reference to this book several months ago and, thanks to the Internet, I was able to get a copy pretty quickly. Vidocq was a reformed criminal who became a police spy, eventually becoming head of the Sûreté , and finally a private investigator. It's filled  with all sorts of adventures and is set during the late 1700's in France. How much is fact, how much fiction? Who knows? What is known is the influence Vidocq had on modern policing and the crime novel. Hugo, Balzac and Dumas pere knew Vidocq. His memoirs provided the inspiration for some of their greatest novels and characters including Hugo’s Javert and Jean Valjean and Balzac’s Vautrin. Moreover, Poe’s Dupin (Murders in the Rue Morgue) was modeled on Vidocq, and Conan Doyle referenced the great French detective in his Sherlock Holmes stories. All that being said, I found the book disappointing. Vidocq  used several different ghost-writers so the narrative is disjointed and the First-person approach becomes  annoying. It was OK.

London - Edward Rutherfurd ($.50/$7.99, copyright 1997, 1124 pages, Paperback)
Back in the mid '70's, I came across Rutherfurd's "Sarum" - his fictional recreation of the history of England. It was over 1,000 pages but it was so interesting that I couldn't put it down. I came across "London" at a Library sale back in May and have put it down a few times since then but I've always gone back. This is the story of the evolution of the city. It begins before the time of the Roman occupation, when the Celts ruled the land, and ends in 1997. London grows from an abandoned outpost, to a medieval marketplace, to the metropolis it is today. Rutherfurd - much like James Michener - uses several families as the center of his novel, and we follow along as their descendants, from generation to generation, evolve with the city itself. They are all clearly defined and he fits the characters perfectly with each era. It's a long book and, in my opinion, there's some sections that could be trimmed. Still, I enjoyed it.

Next up is August. I'm guessing that there won't be much of a change in the weather pattern.There are a few books on the table but there's always new ones that pop up.  Until then ..

Keep reading.

Chapter Eighty-five

June has been sort of a mixed month, weather-wise. We've had some really hot days and some really rainy ones. I'm still Babysitting two mornings a week and I've gone to the MVC to get my car inspected. I've been down to New Brunswick twice - blood work one time and Cardiologist's visit a week later. I thought that I'd have to go back tomorrow for Jury Duty but they don't need me. In between all of this, I did manage to read a few books.

Miscellaneous

A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole ( $15.00/$1.00, copyright 1980, 394 pages, Trade Paperback)
I first read this book years ago, probably in the early '70's. I still have that copy somewhere but picked up another at a book sale about a year ago. It's been sitting in my small, living room bookcase ever since. Last month, my Cousin posted about it on a Facebook page we share and I had to reread it. The main character is Ignatius J. Reilly - a large, gassy, pseudo-intellectual introvert who spends his life in his little room in his Mother's house, writing about how much he hates the world. One day, his Mother has a car accident and he has to go out into the strange world of New Orleans to get a job. This doesn't go well but it is funny. Toole paints a wonderful picture of that city and populates it with some interesting characters who interact with our Hero - including Patrolman Mancuso and his undercover costumes, and Miss Lana Lee from the Night of Joy bar who has something else going on. I enjoyed it.

World's Fair - E. L. Doctorow ($4.95/$.50, copyright 1985, 371 pages, Paperback)
Last month, I mentioned reading "Ragtime", this month I've got another Doctorow book for you. It's a simpler book and told from a single point of view. Young Edgar grew up in a Jewish community in The Bronx  in the '30's and his keen observations about all that goes on around him make up the plot but the focus is the 1939 World's Fair. Edgar hopes to get free tickets by winning an essay contest but things don't quite work out. Doctorow has a straightforward style and his use of historical details bring a context to what is, essentially, a story of a family dealing with their own problems. I enjoyed it.

The Power and the Glory - Graham Greene ($1.65/$1.00, copyright 1940, 301 pages, Paperback)
I read this book for the first time when I was in High School, maybe '67 or '68, and just came across this copy. As most of you know, I went to a Catholic school and was an Alter Server from 3rd or 4th Grade through Senior year. Maybe that's why it's always struck a cord with me. An unnamed priest is on the run in a revolutionary Mexican state that has outlawed the Catholic religion. All the  other priests have fled, been shot, or forced to renounce their faith. As the last practicing priest, he
wanders the state experiencing a stripping away of his past identity. He's pursued by an unnamed soldier who will stop at nothing to stamp out what he considers to be a religion that is doing nothing to help the people he protects. Greene has created some memorable characters and put them in a situation that is, somehow, familiar to what is happening today. I enjoyed it.


Next up is July. I have 5 books stacked up by the side of the bed in various stages of being read. Let's see what happens. Until then ...

Keep reading!

Chapter Eighty-four

I had to deal with a couple of things over the last couple of months but - thankfully - they all worked out about 2 weeks ago. Simply, the car has been starting every day (rain or shine) and my Levels are back to normal. I've been out every day; seen my Granddaughter as often as possible; and read these books.

Miscellaneous

Billy Bathgate - E. L. Doctorow ($.50/ $5.95, copyright 1989, 484 pages, Paperback)
I was a big fan of  Doctorow's "Ragtime" so I was happy to come across this at a Library Sale in Metuchen.This is the story of an aspiring young street tough's initiation into the dangers and excitment of the gangster life in The Bronx back in the '30's. Billy is a 15 year old who progresses from a hustler on street corners to mascot of the Dutch Schultz gang as they begin to fall apart. Doctorow paints a picture that includes both outbursts of murder,coldly planned executions, and a romance that - in my opinion - derails the book. Still, he does create some interesting characters and his vision of the time and place rings true. It was OK.

The Cat's Table - Michael Ondaatje ($.50, $15.00, copyright 2011, 269 pages, Trade Paperback)
This is not the kind of book that I usually read but I came across it while browsing through the tables at a local Library Sale. It's a coming-of-age story. Michael was eleven years old when his family put him on a ship, the Oronsay, that would take him to England and his Mother. He's given a berth, a place to eat at the Cat's Table (the furthest away from the Captain's),  and the freedom to roam the ship. He meets a lot of adults who will have an impact on his life but it's the two other young men - Ramadhin and Cassius - who he really bonds with. During the 21 day journey, the ship becomes a microcosm of the world at large - full of authority figures, thieves, teachers, dreamers, and a shackled, dangerous criminal. Ondaatje has a great way with words and has created some really interesting characters whose interactions make the book hard to put down. I enjoyed it.

Off The Shelf

I was going to post this month's Blog Entry last week but I happened to spot this on one of my shelves so I took the time to read it.

Lord Jim- Joseph Conrad ($1.95/$1.95, copyright 1899, 307 pages, Paperback)
I first read this novel back in the 1960's in the Signet Classic Edition which I've kept all these years (and through several moves). Told by a man named Marlow (a recurring character for Conrad) Jim was a young man who sails off on a Merchant Ship as a crewman. Then something happens and he does something that he becomes ashamed of. He moves from job to job until he winds up on the island of Patusan where things start to work out for him. It doesn't last. Conrad isn't an easy read but, when I reread this, I kept seeing Peter O'Toole as the title character so it went well. It was OK.

It's the Memorial Day Weekend so stay safe. June, of course, is next and I just picked up an "Autobiography" that I'm looking forward to reading. And I just ordered a collection of essays - which will be a first for me.

Keep reading!

Chapter Eighty-three

So far, April has been pretty good to me. Sure, there were a couple of days early on when the car wouldn't start right up but - after I let her sit for an hour or so - she kicked in. We've had some family get-togethers for my Granddaughter's Birthday and Easter and there's definitely a warming trend going on (although that means my allergies kick in). I've also had the time to finish a few books.

Series

In The Shadows of Paris - Claude Izner ($14.99/$.50, copyright 2005, 326 pages, Trade Paperback)
I read the first book in this series several years ago and enjoyed it so, when I came across this, I  had to pick it up. The main character, Victor Legris, is a book shop owner in Paris in the late 1800's.  He involves himself in the death of a book binder who dies in a fire that Legris thinks is suspicious. There's a petty theft that leads to stock manipulation and, of course, a missing manuscript. Izner paints a great picture of Paris at the time but there are way too many characters to keep track of and it got confusing at times. It was OK.

The Devil's Company - David Liss ($15.00/$.50, copyright 2009, 369 pages, Trade Paperback)
I've had this book in "The Pile" for - I'm guessing - over a year now and it just caught my attention again. Turns out, this is the 3rd in the Benjamin Weaver series, set in the early 1700's in London. He's a Private Inquiry Agent who's not above bending the law when it suits him. Here, he's coerced again into going to work for the British East India Company - the "Power Behind The Scenes" at the time. They want him to avenge the honor of one of their members who was set up in a game of chance. Of course, things don't go well. Intrigue follows and Weaver has to do what he has to do. Liss hits the mark on his descriptions of various areas in London and his characters ring true. I enjoyed it.

Miscellaneous

The Poe Shadow - Matthew Pearl ( $15.00/$.50, copyright 2006, 364 pages, Trade Paperback)
I'm a big fan of Edgar Allen Poe so I had to pick this one up. The book is set in 1851 and the main character is a Baltimore attorney, Quentin Clark, who is an admirer of Poe's work. One day he reads in the paper that Poe has died in a Baltimore hospital, supposedly after a drinking binge. Clark refuses to believe that his hero died in such horrible terms, and starts to investigate the matter. In his investigation, he comes upon many puzzling questions over Poe's death. He first goes to Paris to find the real-life basis for Poe's famous detective, August Dupin, and comes back with two possible candidates. From there, the author ramps everything up. Pearl has created some really memorable characters and has done a great job of recreating the City of Baltimore of 1851. I enjoyed it.

As I finish this up, my bedroom window is open and the sun is still shining. I think I'll go across the street to Quick Chek for their Steak and Shredded Potato Bowl for supper. The week ahead looks good, weather-wise.

May is up next.

Keep reading!

Chapter Eighty-two

March has been a rough month for me. I had a stomach virus for several days early in the month. There was a snow storm and, although we only got about 4 inches and I cleaned off/dug out my car after it stopped, I wound up plowed in which iced over during the night. I had to wait a couple of days until my Son-in-law could come over to help me out. Now, because of the damp weather we've been having, my car hasn't started for the last 3 days. Since I've been home-bound, I passed the time with some old friends.

Off the shelf

Before I go into these I have a confession to make. I skimmed through these for a couple of reasons - they're unabridged editions and Dumas was getting paid for every chapter he could produce for the papers so there's a lot of padding. And, of course, I've read them several times before so I know what and where to skip.

The Three Musketeers - Alexander Dumas ($5.95/$5.95, Published 1994, 628 pages, Trade Paperback)
I'm guessing that you all know this story. D'Artagnan, a young Gascon, sets out for Paris to join the Musketeers. He runs into some trouble, actually winds up having to duel with our titular heroes - Athos, Porthos,  and Aremis - and then joins forces with them to fight against the King's Guards. What follows is a little romance, some comedy, a trip to England to help out the Queen, and a lot of action. Still one of my favorites and I enjoyed it.

Twenty Years After - Alexander Dumas($12.95/$12.95, Published 1993, 788 pages, Trade Paperback)
At one point, Dumas found himself in some financial trouble so he went back to his most interesting characters, the Musketeers. He actually set it 20 years after what happened in that first adventure. Now, Athos is retired, D'Artagnan is a Captain, and Aramis is using Porthos in a plot to save King Charles of England from being decapitated. Of course, they all come together for another adventure. The characters are still clearly defined, the history - as far as I know - is accurate, and there's a great mix of drama and humor. I enjoyed it.

The Man In The Iron Mask -Alexander Dumas ($10.95/$10.95, Published 1991, 588 pages, Trade Paperback)
Eventually, Dumas wrote an ending to his Musketeers' saga known as "The Viscount De Bragelonne".He stretched this one out pretty well and it was eventually published here as three volumes - "The Viscount De Bragelonne" (which was interesting and dealt with Athos' son), "Louise De La Valliere" (which was boring), and "The Man in the Iron Mask" (which wraps up our story). Here - 10 years after the King Charles situation - Aramis is now in charge of the Jesuits and finds out that the current king of France, Louis IV, has a twin brother, Phillippe. That brother has been imprisoned for years because Louis was afraid of the kingdom being taken from him. As an extra precaution, Phillippe  was forced to wear the iron  mask. The friends come together again for different reasons and Dumas treats his characters well. He gives us some great dramatic scenes including some unexpected deaths. I enjoyed it.


Side Note:

my older brother, for Christmas one year, gave me a copy of "The Son of Porthos"  supposedly by Alexandre Dumas. It's a Collins Pocket Classics volume with a sticker price of $5. I can't find a copyright or printing date but it's 345 pages and a very small Hardcover. I have tried reading this a few times but it doesn't ring true. I understand that Dumas had a stable of writers who filled in his ideas - kinda like, in my opinion,  James Patterson and Stan Lee - and they tried to carry on after Dumas died. I don't think it worked out.

So, I know it's already Spring but I'm hoping that April feels more like it. I have some ideas for next month. Until then ...

Keep reading.

Chapter Eighty-one

So, it's February and the weather has been anything but seasonal. Not that I'm complaining. Again, I haven't been Babysitting so I have had a lot more free time but I'm still dealing with car problems and I had my yearly cardio tests to go through. I started a few books that I wound up putting down but I did finish a couple and here they are.

Miscellaneous

 The Man In The High Castle - Philip K. Dick ($14.95/$11.50, copyright 1962, 274 pages, Trade Paperback)
I read several of PKD's books many years ago. Specifically, "Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep" and the Riverworld series, all of which I enjoyed. When I saw that Amazon had started a series based on this book, I went looking for it but wound up ordering it online - although I was surprised to find that it wasn't available on many of the sites I use and wound up paying more then I usually do. It's a well-written and very convincing alternate history where Hitler and the Nazis, fascist Italy, and Imperial Japan had been the victors in World War II instead of us. He creates a convincing scenario about life here in the U. S. (Germany controlling the East Coast and Japan the West) but goes a step further, he shows us how the takeover has affected the rest of the world at large and how the Nazi beliefs have developed. He even goes so far as to tell a story within a story as he imagines an author in this world speculating on what life would have been like if the Nazis hadn't won. That being said, this is a slow and highly technical novel. Also, it's not a personal story and none of the large amount of characters were particularly interested me. In my opinion, this is an example of a writer - early in his career - who has a great idea but overindulges it. It was OK.

Series

The Inner Circle - Brad Meltzer ($14.99/$1.00, copyright 2011, 386 pages, Trade Paperback)

Brad Meltzer wrote several of my favorite comic book mini-series' back in the day  so, when I came across his "A Book Of Lies" years ago  (which involves one of the creators of Superman) I had to pick it up. I enjoyed it and have read a few more of his books since then. He's got a great amount of knowledge about American History and he's really into conspiracy theories. I understand that this is the first volume in a series. We start with our "hero" Beecher White who works at the National Archives. He agrees to help an old girlfriend out with some research and then things go wrong. They accidentally uncover a link between the current President and the Culper Ring  which was originally a group of spies working for George Washington. This group actually existed, but Meltzer takes it one step further, building his plot around the continuation of the ring as a conspiracy to take over the world. Meltzer can create some great scenarios and his characters are well defined but I think he got carried away here. It was OK.

That's it for this month. Next up - March. St. Patrick's Day and, maybe, some Irish authors.

Until then ....

Keep Reading.

Chapter Eighty

Well, it's a New Year and we have a new President. We'll see how that goes. I haven't been Babysitting my Granddaughter much but I did get some time in. I thought that I'd have more time to read but between exercising my leg and trouble with my car, I didn't get too far. This month's selections are a little different because one is the basis for a current movie and the other is something that popped up in my Facebook Newsfeed that piqued my interest. Of course, you can't expect to find something your looking for at a Library Sale so I ordered them from a couple of online Discount Book Sites that I have bookmarked.

Miscellaneous

Live By Night - Dennis Lehane ($16.99/$4.30, copyright 2012, 402 pages, Trade Paperback)
 I saw that Ben Affleck made this into a movie and I thought that I'd look it up. Lehane has been one of my favorite authors for years.  Here he takes  Joe Coughlin, who was a minor character in Lehane's previous book "The Given Day" (which was pretty good) and gives him a new life. He is the youngest son of a Boston Police Captain who turns his back on a life of fighting crime to become a criminal himself. The book reads like a collection of events in a gangster's life during the late '20's Jazz Age including bootlegging, violence, and racism. Lehane  has an amazing ability to adapt his tone to fit the era of which he writes and he's tried to create an homage to the Bogart anti-hero stereotype - you know, the good guy gone bad. But , in my opinion, there's no reasoning behind what Coughlin does and that ruined the story for me. It was OK.


The Autobiography of Jack The Ripper - James Carnac (?/$4.76, copyright 2012, 277 pages, Hard Cover)
This is the alleged manuscript of the “real” Jack the Ripper. Written in the 1920's by a man calling himself James Carnac, it was "discovered" recently in a lot of memorabilia purchased by a vintage toy dealer (Alan Hicken) and it's divided into 3 parts. The first deals with his childhood, which was quite brutal; the second concerns the murders in Whitechapel; and the third occurs decades later, with Carnac detailing an odd circumstance he has found himself in with his landlady. I've read a lot about Jack over the years and I found this book fascinating. I don't actually believe that it's real (considering that there's a Paul Begg, freelance writer, who wrote the Introduction) but there is a lot of information in the manuscript that would likely only be known by the killer. I don't think we'll ever know the truth. I enjoyed it.

Well, that's it for this month. Up next, February.

I'm hoping we can get through without too much angst, given the "State of the Union".

Until then ....

Keep reading.