Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-three

 

It's now March. The days are longer but the amount of time we spend inside hasn't changed much. I usually pass the time watching TV, solving crossword puzzles, and - of course - reading. This time around, I have a couple of books from different genres that I'd like to share with you. Interestingly, they do have something in common. 

Miscellaneous

Nothing Lasts Forever - Roderick Thorp ($9.32/$4.00, copyright 1979, 245 pages, Trade Paperback)

Thorp lays out a very simple premise. Joe Leland is a middle-aged former WW2 Ace and ex-cop who now works as a security consultant specializing in anti-terrorism. He flies out to LA to spend the Christmas Holidays with his daughter and grandchildren. He meets up with her on Christmas Eve at an office party in the high-rise Klaxxon Oil Building where she works and is just freshening himself up in the Men's Room when 12 Terrorists attack, taking Leland's Daughter and co-workers hostage. Leland must now mount a single-handed rescue mission and defeat the bad guys. Sound familiar? That's because it's the basis for the 1988 box office hit "Die Hard" starring Bruce Willis. There were changes made of course. The most obvious is that the hero's name was changed to John McClane now a NYC cop who meets up with his estranged wife in the Nakatomi Plaza Building when terrorists attack. Also, the book being older, the technology is somewhat dated and the terrorists' reasoning in the book is more about stopping the oil company's operations in Chile then money. But a lot of the action stuff is taken directly from Thorp - running barefoot through broken glass, using a fire hose as a bungee cord to jump off a roof, and a dangerous climb through an airshaft to mention just a few. Thorp keeps the action moving while building the suspense. His characters are mostly stereotypes but he does right by Leland giving us a lot of  background and motivations through what he's thinking as he goes through with his plans. I have to admit, though, that having seen the movie first I prefer McClane to Leland. I liked it. SIDE NOTE: This book is actually a sequel to Thorp's "The Detective" written in 1966 and made into a movie in 1968 starring Frank Sinatra as NYC Detective Joe Leland. There was talk of Sinatra reprising his role but he turned it down so it was rewritten to fit the brassier persona that Willis displayed.

The Searchers Alan Le May ($5.99/$8.19, copyright 1954, 333 pages, Paperback)

The book's title obviously gives away the commonality with the previous book. It's the basis for the 1956 movie starring John Wayne and Jeffrey Hunter and directed by John Ford. The story is well known by this point: after the family of Henry Edwards is killed by a raiding party of Commanches, two men, Amos Edwards and Martin Pauley, begin an epic quest to find the family’s missing two daughters, Lucy and Debbie, who have been kidnapped by the Indians. Amos (Wayne, renamed Ethan for the movie)  is the brother of Henry, and Martin (Hunter) is the adopted son of the Edwards, his family itself killed years before in an Indian raid. It covers the span of 6 years and we see them deal with fading tracks, dead leads, brutal encounters with both whites and Indians, fierce weather, and dimming hope. The movie only has a limited time to convey a lot of what's going on so it's usually up to the actors to express the basics. In the book however, Le May has the time to create a background including humanizing the Comanches by letting us see how much Amos knows about their culture and customs. He hates them, but he also understands them. Also, Le May's descriptions of the frontier and weather our heroes travel through/experience are well done. Thankfully, Ford's direction and the cinematography really play a part in the movie and give us a real feel for things. The main characters are well defined and personified well - especially Wayne's Ethan. I'm leaving a lot out because I don't want to spoil anything. If you haven't seen the movie then go find it. If you have, then watch it again. Then go out and get a copy of this book. I enjoyed it and I hope you will, too.

There you have it - I found out that 2 of my favorite movies were based on books and I was able to track down copies of each. There's an old saying that the book is always better then the movie. I guess there's always going to be exceptions. I just noticed an interesting difference between these two. "Die Hard" takes place in a very insular almost claustrophobic space while "The Searchers" is as vast as the great outdoors. This doesn't mean anything, just something I realized while writing this.

April is next and I find myself with a backlog of books and no particular one I want to start up with. I'll just have to dip in and out until something grabs me. Until next time -

Wash Your Hands,

Wear Your Mask,

Stay Socially Distant, 

Get Your Shot, and

Keep Reading.

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-two

 February is the shortest month yet, because of the current pandemic and all the snow we've been getting, it's feeling like it will never end. In fact, I just looked and we still have over a week to go. With that in mind, I thought that I'd stick to short material to go through this month. If I can't make the month go faster at least I can speed up my reading.

Miscellaneous

Poirot Investigates - Agatha Christie ($4.89/$.60, copyright 1923/24/25, 167 pages, Paperback)

In my last Post, I told you about a collection of Dashiel Hammett's Continental Op short stories. This month, I've picked up a collection of Christie's centering on her Private Detective Hercule Poirot. It has 11 different stories that draw Poirot and his companion Captain Hastings into situations that include the usual assortment of crimes you might expect in a collection like this - jewelry thefts, missing persons, robberies and murder. Poirot shows off his "little gray cells" in solving them while depending on Inspector Japp and Scotland Yard to do his research for him. Hastings pretty much does nothing but act as narrator and foil. I have to admit that I found myself comparing these to Conan Doyle's Holmes stories as the set-ups are very similar and the authors were contemporaries. I did find a couple of cases interesting. "The Kidnapped Prime Minister" takes Poirot to Paris and there is some action involving espionage, and a very narrow time limit to solve it. "The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb" also takes place away from London  and is reminiscent of the stories surrounding Carter's finding King Tut's Tomb. It was OK. (Side Note: I know that PBS ran a Poirot Series a while back that starred David Suchet but I didn't watch it. My only previous exposure to the character was the 1974 version of "Murder on the Orient Express" with Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Sean Connery and a train-load of other stars.)

Plays

Here's a new Category for a new year and one that I haven't really looked into for a long time. The script for a play is short because very little information is given with respect to the setting or the environment. In fact, the "action" generally takes place in a specific place - most often, a room. The thing is that I can't tell you much about them - just the basics. To appreciate a play, in my opinion, you have to see it in person. You have to experience it. I'll let you know what my personal experience is with each of the following.

Inherit The Wind - Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee ($9.95/$3.98, copyright 1951, 129 pages, Paperback)

This is a fictionalized version of what has come to be known as The Scopes Monkey Trial. In 1925, a young teacher in Tennessee - John Scopes - was arrested for teaching Evolution in violation of a state law. From what I've read, the trial that actually took place was deliberate to draw attention to the town and William Jennings Bryan prosecuted with Clarence Darrow defending. Lawrence and Lee give us a courtroom battle between these 2 great, nationally known Orators as they argued in the sweltering confines about Fundamentalist Beliefs versus a more Modern Religious viewpoint. My personal exposure to this was the 1960 Movie version starring Spencer Tracy as Henry Drummond (Darrow) and Frederick March as Matthew Brady (Bryan). (There was also a 1999 TV version with Jack Lemmon and George C. Scott.) I enjoyed it.

Twelve Angry Men - Reginald Rose ($6.60/$4.29, copyright 1955, 73 pages, Hard Cover)

This is another courtroom drama but it's not based on a specific case nor is it unusual in any way. What it is is a thought-provoking presentation on prejudice and bigotry in the 1950's that still feels relevant today. The twelve angry men in this play are members of a jury deliberating during a homicide trial. The young man on trial is a minority from a poor background who has a record of minor crimes. The jurors must come to an unanimous decision to prevent a hung jury. Their decision has serious consequences since a guilty charge will result in a death sentence. Eleven jurors are ready to make a snap decision of guilty and head home, but one dissenting juror has a reasonable doubt. He prompts the other jurors to examine the evidence more closely. The first version I saw was the 1957 Movie starring Henry Fonda and Lee J. Cobb. (There was also a TV version in 1998 starring Jack Lemmon and George C. Scott.) I also have a memory of seeing it performed at my High School in the late '60's in a Theater-in-the-round production and, in the late '70's I actually served on a jury in a Criminal Case in The Bronx.  I enjoyed it.

Waiting For Godot - Samuel Beckett ($6.99/$3,98, copyright 1954, 61 pages, Hard Cover)

This is not a courtroom drama. It's more of an Absurdist Comedy that is hard to explain and almost as hard to read. I found myself stopping a lot to go back and reread a particular passage/section because I thought I'd lost something along the way. Minimally, it is the story of 2 friends - Vladimir and Estragon - who are waiting for a man named Godot who's supposed to give them jobs. What we get is their attempts to entertain themselves while waiting. There are 2 other characters that pop up in the middle - Pozzo and Lucky - who bring a bit of contrast to the original partners. I understand that Beckett was a fan of American Film Comedians and I think he may have drawn on Laurel and Hardy when he created Didi (Vladimir) and Gogo (Estragon).  It's a mix of puns, poetry, and some physical comedy that still holds up. The only time I saw this was as a stage production at the College I was attending in the early '70's and I went because a friend of my brother's was in it. (To the best of my knowledge there was no TV version ever made starring Jack Lemmon and George C. Scott.) I enjoyed it.

March is next and, hopefully, will bring Spring with it. It will bring my first Covid shot (March 3rd) which my Daughter was able to set up for me. I've gotten a couple of new books this week that I've started and there are a couple of others on their way. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to tell you about them next time. Till then -

Stay Warm

Stay Home

Wash Your Hands

Wear Your Mask

Practice Social Distancing and

Keep Reading.

One Hundred and Twenty-one

It's a New Year but we're still gonna have to deal with the residue that's been left over. Still, there is hope and it comes in a couple of different ways. First, there are vaccines that are being distributed to deal with the pandemic. It's a slow process but it looks like it will work. Second, we have a New President which, I hope, should bring some light into the darkness that we've been dealing with. These are things we'll all have to deal with going forward. Ona personal note, I intend to continue reading whatever interests me and letting you know about them in this blog. 

Miscellaneous

The Continental Op - Dashiell Hammett ($13.95/$4.96, copyright 1974, 319 pages, Trade Paperback)

I've said before that I'm not a big fan of Short Story collections. I'm going to amend that statement. I do like collections that are centered on an individual person. For me, it's usually a Detective and I'll cite Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes works as a prime example. This collection illustrates why Hammett is considered to be the true inventor of modern detective fiction and the creator of the private eye. The Continental Op was his great contribution to the genre and these stories first appeared in the magazine Black Mask in the 1920's. They are first-person narratives given by an unnamed,  self-described fat man who works for the Continental Detective Agency. He enjoys his work and he's good at it. In most of these, he's hired (or sent) to find someone or solve something like a missing girlfriend in "The Girl With The Silver Eyes" or a murdered rich man in "The Tenth Clew". In one, which I particularly enjoyed - "The House In Turk Street" - he stumbles into a touch situation while out going door-to-door looking for answers to something totally different. Hammett has created a great character and has used his personal experiences as a Detective with the Pinkerton Agency to flush out the plots. I enjoyed it.

Off The Shelf

The Devil In The White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America - Eric Larson ($16.00/$0, copyright 2003, 447 pages, Trade Paperback)

There is a new book by Larson that is getting a lot of positive reviews on several sites that I frequent and I'm interested but I'm cheap so I'm waiting until I can get a copy from one of the Discount sites I frequent. In the meantime, I dug this one out to reread. I actually got this for free years ago. I picked it out of a box of Free Books outside of a house on Green Street while walking back from the Dunkin' Donuts on Amboy. Larson intertwines 2 stories about what was happening in Chicago in 1893. The First is centered on Daniel H. Burnham, the architect responsible for the The Chicago World's Fair and the White City around which it was built. There were a lot of obstacles to overcome and Larson leads us through these until we reach it's successful conclusion and has also added appearances from some of the notables of the time - Buffalo Bill Cody, Susan B. Anthony, and Thomas A. Edison to name a few. The Second revolves around Henry H. Holmes, a Pharmacist and one of America's First Serial Killers. Larson details how Holmes created his World's Fair Hotel and goes about luring in over 25 attractive, young women who came to Chicago looking for work. This Hotel was fronted by several shops on the ground floor but the upper 2 held various rooms used for Holmes' purposes and the basement held a crematorium and a gas chamber. Larson tells these stories in alternate chapters which I found interesting and has included several pages of photographs which brings them to life. I enjoyed it.

That's it for now.

February is next and there'll probably be some very cold weather and some snow but I'm already reading a couple of books to tell you about then. Spring isn't too far behind. Till then -

Wash your hands

Wear your mask

Stay socially distant and

Keep Reading.

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty

 

Just after Thanksgiving, I ordered a few new books online. Well, not "new" since I used a Discount Site but you know what I meant. While I waited, I dipped in and out of several others that were either in my "To Be Read Pile" or "Off The Shelf" but nothing held my interest. Thankfully, the ordered books arrived early in the month and I dove right in. They are from different authors but all fall within the same genre. (Side Note: I ordered several other books after these arrived and, according to the P O. Tracker, they appear to have been sucked into the Black Hole of Kearney, NJ. Hopefully they'll show up soon.)

Series

Cop Hater - Ed McBain ($3.50/$3.98, copyright 1956, 150 pages, Paperback)

This is the first book in Ed McBain's 87th Precinct Series. I read several of them back in the early '70's in Hardcovers that I got from The Book Of The Month Club. Since I was placing an order for the other 2 books listed here, I thought I'd check back in. What I remember about the series is that these are Police Procedurals set in the early '50's so it's mostly hands-on, basic, cops doing all the work stuff without the help from any Lab or Technician. Another interesting aspect is that it's set in a Precinct which means that there is more then 1 detective in the Squad and McBain has spread the wealth among all of them. This one is centered on Detective Steve Carella, one of the more frequently used characters. One of his fellow officers and frequent partner is murdered and he sets out to find the culprit. While he and the squad are working the case, 2 more cops are murdered and it becomes a race to see if they can catch the murderer before he strikes again. McBain has created some interesting characters, although some of them are stereotypes, and he's built the city of Isola around them. It's McBain's version of NYC and the various neighborhoods that comprise it. It's so well defined that it's almost another character in the story. It wasn't too hard to figure out who was responsible but it was fun watching Carella reach the same conclusion. It's a short book and, as I've inferred, somewhat dated. It was OK.

Murder On The Yellow Brick Road - Stuart Kaminsky ($1.95/$5.01, copyright 1977, 197 pages, Paperback)

I've written about Kaminsky's Toby Peters series before. He's the Everyman of down-on-his-luck Private Eyes who's scratching out a living in 1940's L. A. He is quickly building a reputation among the movie studios and their stars as the man to call when there's a problem. In this one, Toby is called to M. G. M. by Judy Garland. Even though "The Wizard Of Oz" was finished over a year ago one of the Munchkins has been found dead on what remains of the Yellow Brick Road. Even stranger, the midget is dressed in his Munchkin costume. Another midget is pegged as the killer but Toby has his doubts so he keeps digging. To me, the element that makes this series a stand-out is that Kaminsky likes to add real people into the mix and he comes through again. In addition to Judy Garland we also get Victor Fleming, Clark Gable, and William Randolph Hearts (at Hearst Castle). At one point, he even gets some help from a young writer named Raymond Chandler. Add in the regular supporting cast that includes Shelly the Dentist who shares his office with Toby and Toby's brother Phil, an LAPD Lieutenant who has a grudge against him. The killer was easy to figure out but the real fun is in what Kaminsky puts Toby through. I enjoyed it. (NOTE: The inside front cover was stamped "San Francisco Mystery Bookstore. We Buy/Sell/Trade Used Books. 24th @ Diamond, S. F. 282-7444" with an autograph on the facing page, basically a scrawl that I couldn't make out. It doesn't look like the author's though.)

Miscellaneous

The Thin Man - Dashiell Hammett ( $2.95/$3.98, copyright 1933, 180 pages, Paperback)

I'm a big fan of Hammett's and have read a number of his Hard-Boiled Detective novels. I've even read Joe Gorres' fictional biography and his prequel to "The Maltese Falcon". This is nothing like those. Hammett gives us the married couple Nick and Nora Charles (and their dog, Asta). She's a young heiress and he's an older retired detective who now spends his time managing her assets. They are spending Christmas in New York and get involved in a murder. The secretary of one of Nick's past clients has been found dead by the ex-wife of the client, who's gone missing. Everyone wants to find him and everyone wants Nick to do it. Nick doesn't want to get involved because he thinks the client and his family are all nuts and he just wants to be left alone. Nora, of course, changes his mind. I remember seeing this movie back when I was a kid, probably on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon on a Black-and-White TV so when I think of the main characters I see William Powell and Myrna Loy.  It's been suggested that  they are based on Hammett's real-life relationship with the playwright Lillian Hellman. The mystery here takes second place to the dialog and Hammett has pulled out all the stops, throwing wise cracks and straight lines all over. Plus, there's a lot of drinking involved. Like I said, not your typical Hammett but I liked it. (NOTE: Inside, I found a bookmark from Coliseum Books, 1771 Broadway at 57th St., NYC TE 757-8381 and a receipt dated 1/28/86 for the purchase that included 2 other books [which I had to order] for a total of  $11.40 paid with a $20 Traveler's Check. Probably by a Tourist.)

That's it for December. 

We had a nice Christmas out here though different from previous years. Next up is January and a New Year. Just in time, if you ask me. This one got old fast.

Stay warm.

Wash your hands.

Wear your mask.

Keep socially distant.

And ...

Keep Reading.

Eleventh Anniversary Edition!

 Remember last time when I said that I had an idea for something different to work a new Chapter around? Well, I hadn't quite finished working on it when I realized that the spirit was willing but the flesh was weak. I intended to read several works by one of my favorite authors. These covered his entire career from his first novel to his last, posthumously published, work. These stretched over several different genres and unfortunately, I didn't count on the fact that I'd find some of them boring. I put this idea on the back burner for now and went looking for something to fill the void. I didn't find the specific book I was looking for although I'm sure it's around here somewhere but I did came across a close second.

Miscellaneous

Noble House - James Clavell ($7.99/$7.99, copyright 1981, 1370 pages, Paperback)

Clavell is best known for his Asian Saga consisting of 6 books:

Shōgun - Japan 1600, published 1975

Tai-Pan - Hong Kong 1841, published 1966

Gai-Jin - Japan 1862-3, published 1993

King Rat - WWII Japanese prison camp holding Allied POWs, 1945, published 1962

Noble House - Hong Kong 1963, published 1986

Whirlwind - Iran 1979, published 1986

Over the years, I've read all of them and really enjoyed them, especially "Tai-Pan" which is one of my favorite books. I'm pretty sure I've even mentioned it in a Chapter or two. Although not specifically a sequel to "Tai-Pan" this book has the feel of one. "Tai-Pan" took place in 1841 at the founding of Hong Kong and focused on Dirk Straun the master of the Noble House trading company and his adventures in the opium trade. It dealt with his feuds with the other trading companies and his acceptance of many of the oriental customs. "Noble House" jumps ahead to 1963 and centers on Ian Dunross, current heir to the Dirk Straun legacy. It takes place in a single week and what Dunross has to deal with in order to keep his business viable. It's a big book because Clavell crams in a lot of action in such a short period of time. We get the in-fighting between the still existing Trading Houses; the political activity of spies from China, America, England, and Russia; and a wide-open stock market and banking system that can be easily manipulated. But Clavell also shows us the other side of Hong Kong - the masses of local people living in poverty and deftly describes their drives, priorities, and interests. Most of the book's characters are clearly defined although many of the minor, oriental cast members are stereotypes but Clavell knows his territory and describes it beautifully. I enjoyed it and recommend it. (as I recommend the whole series.)

Now It's back to that "special project" but I'm not promising that I'll finish it by next month. I will, God willing, have a book or two that I can tell you about.

So far, it looks like the NJ clan and I will be able to spend Thanksgiving together since there are fewer then 10 of us. It's not our "traditional" get-together but it works for me. The weather has been trending colder lately as a harbinger of things to come. Hopefully December won't bring us any bad snow storms although we are all used to staying inside by now. Remember, Christmas is coming so - 

Deck the Halls

Jingle the Bells

Wash your Hands

Maintain Social Distancing

Wear a Mask

If you feel sick, Stay Home

Maybe get a Covid Test and

Keep Reading.

Chapter One Hundred and Nineteen

  I had an idea for this chapter but the number of books involved began to grow. I then had to find something to use to do this time around. I remembered that over the last few Chapters I've mentioned a couple of books released under the Hard Case Crime imprint - One by Pete Hamill and the other by Stephen King. While scouring my "stacks" for any other book I might have that was released the same I found this - another work by King  but under his Nom de Plume Richard Bachman. He chose to release them this way as a means of getting around his publisher's limitation of 1 book a year. I've said before that I'm not a big fan of King's but these are reminiscent of his early works which, in myopinion, were his best.

Off the Shelf

The Bachman Books - Stephen King ($5.97/$5.95, copyright *1977+1979+1981+1982+1985, **923 pages, Paperback)

I bought this - and first read it - in 1986. In fact, I found the sales slip inside the front cover - Waldenbooks, October 29, 1986. to be honest, I hadn't heard of Bachman before and only picked it up because these 4 novels were released in one volume with King's name in large print on the front cover. I don't think I would've bought them individually under just the Bachman name. Since there's more then 1 book here, I'm going to address them individually.

Rage (*1977, ** 170 pages)

One of King’s earliest works and is definitely raw in many aspects. It is the story of Charlie Decker, the quintessential troubled teen. One day he walks into class, shoots the teacher, and holds the class hostage.  While the police work from the outside to rectify the situation,  King gives us what takes place inside. Charlie and the class start to bond over shared experiences as they discuss various issues and problems. The characters may be stereotypes but that works to King's advantage as he moves the narrative towards what made Charlie do what he did. However, it builds to an ending that I didn't like, much like many of King's later, longer novels.

The Long Walk (*1979, ** 264 pages)

In this one, King takes us into the future when America has become a Totalitarian Society. As a form of entertainment they have an annual contest - a walk involving 100 boys that starts on Presque Isle, Maine and goes until there's only one left.   Ray Garraty is 16 and gets swept up along with the others. The winner gets whatever he wants for the rest of his life. The rules are simple - Keep walking at a steady pace of 4 miles an hour, stay on the road, and don't interfere with the others. You get 3 warnings, then the soldiers following along shoot you. No reason is given in the text. There's very little suspense here and it tends to drag in spots but King fleshes out Ray and the interpersonal relationships he forms with his fellow walkers. You can almost feel the dread and anxiety as fatigue starts to seep in. Not a typical King work but it did hold my interest.

Road Work (*1981, ** 274 pages)

 Barton Dawes' life has been a comfortable, Middle Class one until things take a turn for the worst. Everything he's worked for his entire life - his job, his family, his home - have been taken away from him. He's reduced to living above the Laundry Plant that he works in. Then comes the final straw. A new Highway Extension is going to be built right over the plant and his apartment. Bart is now a man on the edge and finally decides to fight back. I can identify with Bart more then I can with the protagonists of the previous stories but, to me, this is the weakest one. It takes forever to get anywhere with it even though King does another great job at character development. Also, as Bart descends into madness I couldn't help but be reminded of Jack Torrance in "The Shining", one of King's best works.

The Running Man (1982, **217 pages)

King takes us back to the future with this final entry. Well, 2025 to be precise. Ben Richards applies to be a contestant on the top-rated Reality Show "The Running Man". He needs the Billion Dollar prize money in order to get the medicine that his sick daughter needs. It's a pretty simple premise - he just has to stay alive for a month by evading the Hunters who are out to kill him. Complicating this is the fact that he can't trust anyone because almost everyone is watching the show and would turn him in for the reward. This book moves along briskly and King does a great job again with the characters and the set-ups. I have to admit to having seen the movie adaption starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Richard Dawson a long time ago so I did superimpose them onto the characters. (Side Note: When I see the name Ben Richards, I think of Ben Grimm and Reed Richards - 2 of the Fantastic Four. I like to think King did too.) 

Taken together, this is a mixed bag. Pretty much like a short story collection. There's a strong one and a weak one and the others fall somewhere in the middle. It was OK.

I'm still working on the idea I mentioned at the beginning. In fact, I'm reading 2 of the books now and there are 3 more that fall into the concept. They're all pretty short so I'm pretty sure I'll finish them.

That's it for now. The weather's been sort of changeable, today being warm but overcast. Tomorrow is supposedto be warm again and sunny. Then we get cold. That's October for you. The end of the month brings us Halloween

which I hope we can all find some way to enjoy. Next month is November so don't forget to VOTE! Also, Thanksgiving is on it's way and I hope we can find a way to celebrate. Till then,

Wash your hands.

Wear a mask.

Stay socially distant. And ---

Keep Reading.

Chapter One Hundred and Eighteen

 It's September and the weather has started to cool down. Now we have another reason to stay inside and read. This month I put down what I was reading to take up a couple of books that tie into some things that happened last month. I've had them for a while and one of them I've even reviewed here many years ago.

Off The Shelf

The Guns of Heaven - Pete Hamill ($.50/$6.99, copyright 1983, 254 pages, Paperback)

Pete Hamill died last month at the age of 85. He was a well-known newspaper columnist in New York who went on to become a pretty popular novelist. I've had several of his books on my shelves for yeas and even started one once but put it aside for some reason I don't recall. I chose this one because it's issued under the Hard Case Crime imprint of pulp noir novels which ties in to a Steven King book I spoke of a couple of months ago. Hamill's main character is Sam Briscoe, an American reporter who visits his aging uncle in Northern Ireland in hopes of getting an interview with a mysterious IRA leader known as Commander Steel. He gets it but in return must deliver an envelope when he gets home to an Irish bar owner in Queens. Up to here, the book has been pretty cut-and-dry but the heat gets turned up quickly. There is a bombing, a kidnapping, and a terrorist threat and Briscoe is the only one who can solve it. Briscoe is pretty well defined but most of the others are cookie-cutter characters playing identifiable parts but Hamill knows his New York and his locations ring true. It was OK.(Side Note: I prefered Jimmy Breslin. He was funnier.)

Something Wicked This Way Comes - Ray Bradbury ($1.25/$1.25, copyright 1962, 215 pages, Paperback)

This is the book that I wrote about years ago. I used to read it around Halloween every year but fell out of the habit. I pulled it out because last month we celebrated Bradbury's 100th Birthday. I could've gone with one of his short story collections but I felt that a full-length novel, even a short one, would be the best way to demonstrate Bradbury's ability to tell a story. Here we have two 13-year old boys growing up as best friends and neighbors in a small town in Illinois. Will Halloway is intelligent, thoughtful, and was born 1 minute before midnight on October 30th. Jim Nightshade is impulsive, impatient, and was born one minute after midnight which makes it October 31st, Halloween. Their quiet, idyllic life is suddenly disrupted by the arrival of a traveling carnival - Cougar and Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show. What follows is a series of unexplained occurrences that draw the boys in. It becomes the classic tale of Good versus Evil with Will's father Charles on one side and the carnival's ringmaster Mr. Dark on the other. I am a big fan of the creepy circus/carnival genre and have read quite a few. This one stands out because of Bradbury's writing - his ability to create a scene that captures the reader by his use of words. True, his characters are stereotypes but he has recreated and refreshed them and his descriptions of the various situations involving the townsfolks and the carnies are striking and memorable. I really enjoyed it.

Angela's Ashes - Frank McCourt ($7.99/$7.99, copyright 1996, 460 pages, paperback)

I picked this book up because it was lying under Bradbury's on a shelf and I started to leaf through it. I first read it back in the early '90's and I found myself drawn to it again. This is McCourt's memoir of his youth growing up in Limerick, Ireland. It's given from his perspective first as a child and then grows as he does. It was not an easy life. His father, Malachi, spent whatever money he earned on drink and his mother, Angela, tried her best to hold the family together as they scrounged for food and coal wherever and however they could. But Frank has a soft spot for his father, particularly the stories he tells, and this is the beginning of his own penchant for stories. I won't go into the hardships that he experienced because you need to read the book to understand and appreciate it as it's told. McCourt doesn't sugar-coat anything but his humor shines through in even the worst of times. You can almost hear his brogue and see his smile as he recounts every high and low time. It reminded me of some of the old timers at Goggin's bar in the Northeast Bronx, exaggerating every yarn over a mug or two in order to outdo each other. I enjoyed it. (McCourt wrote a sequel "Tis" about his early years in America as he pursued a teaching career. I have it in the back room. And I understand there's a third volume "Teacher Man" which I may have to get my hands on.)

That's it for this month. I'm going back to the Dickens book I was reading and looking forward to another Bradbury novel I just got which is described as his Homage to the Detective Fiction of writers like Hammett and Chandler. I am also leaning towards that McCourt book in the other room but we'll see about that.

Anyway, today is the first day of Autumn and October is fast approaching. The leaves should start turning and Halloween is just around the corner. Continue to stay safe and ...

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