Summer is here again, and I'm back to my stride with the number of books read this past month. And, I've got a little something extra to talk about at the end of this posting, so let's jump right in.......
Miscellaneous
Mr. Shivers - Robert Jackson Bennett ($7.99/$.50, 324 pages, copyright 2010, paperback)
What drew me to this book was that it takes place during the Great Depression so I naturally expected something like "The Grapes of Wrath" - one of my favorite reads. The main character is riding the rails, but not in search of work. He's out to find the person who killed his daughter. What I thought would be a straight-forward revenge story veered into the supernatural. I figured out the ending about 3/4 of the way through. It was interesting.
The Night Gardener - George Pelecanos ($7.50/$.50, 431 pages, copyright 2006, paperback)
I've been wanting to read something by Pelecanos for some time now. I've read a lot of praise for his work - both as a novelist and as a writer and producer of "The Wire". This one deals with a series of murders in Washington, DC in 1985 and how - 20 years later - they have effected 3 police officers who were at the scene of the last one. Their lives have gone in different directions, and they now find themselves facing what could be the return of the killer. I found the ending very satisfying. I enjoyed it.
Time Machines - Bill Adler, ED. ($13.00/$.50, 382 pages, copyright 1998, Trade Paperback)
This is an anthology of "The Best Time Travel Stories Ever Written"..their words, not mine. I gotta be honest, I don't usually pick up anthologies. Now I remember why. I managed to get through about 7 of the 21 stories in the collection before giving up. They just got too technical, and I found myself struggling to keep at it. I didn't like it.
Series
The Big Bamboo - Tim Dorsey ($7.99/$.50, 367 pages, copyright 2006, paperback)
The first Tim Dorsey book I read - a couple of months back - blew me away. It was hysterically funny. Now here was another one starring his homicidal hero, Serge Storm. This one runs from Florida to Hollywood, involves movie-making, kidnapping, the Yakuza, and an oil-land con game. Unfortunately, it did get as confusing as it sounds, it could've been funnier, and Serge came across as really crazy instead of neurotically eccentric. It was OK.
These next 2 books - parts of different series' - share a similarity. I'm gonna call it the Spencer effect. When Private Eye novels started, they came out of the Pulp magazines of the 50's. The P. I. was a loner with a sense of humor and a code of honor, but he could also be judge, jury, and executioner. Think Marlowe, Spade, Hammer. Now we still have the honorable, quick-with-a-snappy-retort hero who agonizes over his moral code, but the dirty work - the real violence, the killing, the "wet works" - are done by the side-kick. Think Spencer and Hawk. These next two books are perfect examples of this change.
Deal Breaker - Harlan Coben ($7.99/$.50, 343 pages, copyright 1995, paperback)
This is the first in the Myron Bolitar series. He's a sport's agent who just happens to have an unexplained, mysterious background with the Federal Government (FBI, CIA?). And, his side-kick is a rich, preppy, closet homicidal maniac named Win (who also was Myron's partner during government service). Here they deal with a missing girl, a new client, and some ties to his past that Myron tries to make right. I enjoyed it.
Stalking the Angel - Robert Crais ($7.99/$.50, 260 pages, copyright 1989, paperback)
This, I believe, is the second in the Elvis Cole series. Cole is a Vietnam Veteran turned P. I.. This case involves a stolen work of Japanese philosophy, a kidnapping, and the Yakuza. The "wet works" involves Cole, but is primarily handled by Cole's partner, Joe Pike. I enjoyed it.
(ASIDE: What are the odds of two books in the same month involving kidnappings and the Yakuza?)
DVD
Here's that something special I mentioned.
The Adventures of Robin Hood
Errol Flynn? No. Kevin Costner? No. Russell Crowe? No. Richard Greene? YES!
That's right. Richard Greene, in the 1955-starting TV series that ran for about 3 or 4 years. I was part of the first generation to grow up with TV and this was one of the first non-juvenile shows I remember. This DVD - found at a library sale for $4 - has 4 episodes from that series, including the very first one. Interestingly, it was made in England with an English cast which added to it's authenticity. It's in glorious black-and-white, though the sound quality is poor, and the first episode is grainy in parts - possible due to being filmed out-of-doors. The sword fighting is laughable, but Robin and his band of outlaws - including Little John, Friar Tuck, and Maid Marian - constantly make fools out of the Sheriff of Nottingham and his minions. They even outwit Prince John in one episode. I couldn't wait to read the stories the series was based on. Excellent.
Enjoy the summer and....
Keep reading.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Chapter Nineteen
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.
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.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Chapter 18
I haven't read a lot this past month, and there's a reason for that. In fact, I was tempted for a while to do another Special Insert because of what's been occupying my time. Thankfully, I waited long enough, and I'll explain that at the end of this entry. So, let's start with a quote from Rene Descartes.
"The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries."
Non-fiction
The Crusades - Michael Paine ($13.00/$1.00, 144 pages, copyright 2005, pocket-sized Hard Cover)
This is how I like my history - the entirety of the crusades, in less then 150 pages. No elaboration on socio-economic situations, no family trees, and no segues into the personalities of individuals. As Joe Friday used to say, "Just the facts, ma'am." I enjoyed it.
Series
The Goliath Bone - Mickey Spillane with Max Allan Collins ($23.00/$.50, 274 pages, copyright 2008, Trade Paperback)
This is an uncorrected proof copy of the last Mike Hammer novel. In fact, Spillane died in 2006 but left notes with Collins in order to have this one completed. It deals with an archaeological find - the thigh bone of the biblical Goliath - and how various factions will stop at nothing to claim it for their own. The dialog and the established Spillane characters ring true, but this takes place in Manhattan in "real time" (post September '11) and I had a hard time picturing Mike Hammer still kicking ass in his 90's. It was OK.
Sherlock Holmes
The War of the Worlds - Manly W. Wellman and Wade Wellman ($9.95/ Gift Card, 226 pages, copyright 2009, Trade Paperback)
This is part of a series called The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, where different authors attempt to add to Conan Doyle's legacy. This one takes the H. G. Wells classic and posits how Holmes would have been involved. It includes several of the usual Holmes associates - obviously including Watson. What makes this fun is that it includes that other Conan Doyle-created character - Professor George Challenger (main character in The Lost World, among other stories). The ending is obvious, but the fun is in following how the characters react/interact to situations/each other. I enjoyed it.
EXPLANATION
April is Donate Life Month. Without going into too much detail here, I contacted the Governor of New Jersey's office on Thursday, March 31st, to see if they would issue some sort of statement. I got no answer by Tuesday, April 5th, so I resent my request. When you make a request like this, you have to pick a "topic" from their list. Having thought about it overnight, I resent my request on Wednesday, April 6th, using a different topic. Due to this change, I got an email on Thursday the 7th which included the official New Jersey Donate Life Month proclamation. I thanked the Governor's office the same day, but reiterated my request that someone issue a statement - something that would go out to the public. No response. I emailed the Governor's office again on Tuesday the 12th. By Thursday the 14th, I still had no response. At that point, I emailed everybody I can effect with my vote - 2 U. S. Senators, 1 U. S. Representative, 1 State Senator, and 2 State Assemblymen. By Monday the 18th, I'd received 3 system-generated "thanks, and we'll be in touch" responses.
That was when I decided to just drop it. My blood pressure was running high, and I didn't see anything else I could do.
Today, I got an email from my State Senator's Office with a copy of the Press Release they issued in support of Donate Life Month. No one else has responded.
Will the Press release get published? I don't know. Is my Senator up for re-election? Does he mean it? I don't know. Is there a moral to this? I don't know. All I know is that I reached someone, and he said something. That's all I wanted.
I repaid a little of what I owe.
Postscript
April 26th. Late today I got a phone call from the Governor's office - in fact, from the person I had been emailing. He apologized for the delay, and for the fact that his office had no plans to issue any statement at this time. He said that I was welcome to contact the office at any time to see if they could arrange a future statement or appearance. I told him that I appreciated his response, and we left it at that.
To be honest, anyone or any organization can do the same thing - contact the Governor's Office about a statement or appearance. But I got a response, and that was all I was really looking for.
Apologia
Also, I asked above whether my State Senator really meant the Press Release his office issued. The answer is "Yes". He is the co-sponsor of the New Jersey Hero's Act, which mandated the teaching of the need for organ donations to grades 9 through 12, and required the Motor Vehicles Corp. to make more of an effort to get people to sign up.
Keep reading, and think about signing up as an organ donor.
"The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries."
Non-fiction
The Crusades - Michael Paine ($13.00/$1.00, 144 pages, copyright 2005, pocket-sized Hard Cover)
This is how I like my history - the entirety of the crusades, in less then 150 pages. No elaboration on socio-economic situations, no family trees, and no segues into the personalities of individuals. As Joe Friday used to say, "Just the facts, ma'am." I enjoyed it.
Series
The Goliath Bone - Mickey Spillane with Max Allan Collins ($23.00/$.50, 274 pages, copyright 2008, Trade Paperback)
This is an uncorrected proof copy of the last Mike Hammer novel. In fact, Spillane died in 2006 but left notes with Collins in order to have this one completed. It deals with an archaeological find - the thigh bone of the biblical Goliath - and how various factions will stop at nothing to claim it for their own. The dialog and the established Spillane characters ring true, but this takes place in Manhattan in "real time" (post September '11) and I had a hard time picturing Mike Hammer still kicking ass in his 90's. It was OK.
Sherlock Holmes
The War of the Worlds - Manly W. Wellman and Wade Wellman ($9.95/ Gift Card, 226 pages, copyright 2009, Trade Paperback)
This is part of a series called The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, where different authors attempt to add to Conan Doyle's legacy. This one takes the H. G. Wells classic and posits how Holmes would have been involved. It includes several of the usual Holmes associates - obviously including Watson. What makes this fun is that it includes that other Conan Doyle-created character - Professor George Challenger (main character in The Lost World, among other stories). The ending is obvious, but the fun is in following how the characters react/interact to situations/each other. I enjoyed it.
EXPLANATION
April is Donate Life Month. Without going into too much detail here, I contacted the Governor of New Jersey's office on Thursday, March 31st, to see if they would issue some sort of statement. I got no answer by Tuesday, April 5th, so I resent my request. When you make a request like this, you have to pick a "topic" from their list. Having thought about it overnight, I resent my request on Wednesday, April 6th, using a different topic. Due to this change, I got an email on Thursday the 7th which included the official New Jersey Donate Life Month proclamation. I thanked the Governor's office the same day, but reiterated my request that someone issue a statement - something that would go out to the public. No response. I emailed the Governor's office again on Tuesday the 12th. By Thursday the 14th, I still had no response. At that point, I emailed everybody I can effect with my vote - 2 U. S. Senators, 1 U. S. Representative, 1 State Senator, and 2 State Assemblymen. By Monday the 18th, I'd received 3 system-generated "thanks, and we'll be in touch" responses.
That was when I decided to just drop it. My blood pressure was running high, and I didn't see anything else I could do.
Today, I got an email from my State Senator's Office with a copy of the Press Release they issued in support of Donate Life Month. No one else has responded.
Will the Press release get published? I don't know. Is my Senator up for re-election? Does he mean it? I don't know. Is there a moral to this? I don't know. All I know is that I reached someone, and he said something. That's all I wanted.
I repaid a little of what I owe.
Postscript
April 26th. Late today I got a phone call from the Governor's office - in fact, from the person I had been emailing. He apologized for the delay, and for the fact that his office had no plans to issue any statement at this time. He said that I was welcome to contact the office at any time to see if they could arrange a future statement or appearance. I told him that I appreciated his response, and we left it at that.
To be honest, anyone or any organization can do the same thing - contact the Governor's Office about a statement or appearance. But I got a response, and that was all I was really looking for.
Apologia
Also, I asked above whether my State Senator really meant the Press Release his office issued. The answer is "Yes". He is the co-sponsor of the New Jersey Hero's Act, which mandated the teaching of the need for organ donations to grades 9 through 12, and required the Motor Vehicles Corp. to make more of an effort to get people to sign up.
Keep reading, and think about signing up as an organ donor.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Special Insert #5
I'm pretty sure that everyone who actually reads this blog knows that my daughter got married this past Saturday. What you don't know is that I have spent most of this past month concentrating on my Father-of-the-Bride duties and have had very little time to read anything for pleasure. What that means is that this entry will have nothing to do with my usual topics but, since it's my blog, deal with it.
I'm not going to post any pictures here, but I do want to list some of the things - the brief moments, the episodes - that stand out, for me, from the rest of the Big Day's activities. So, in no particular order, here goes:
Seeing my daughter walk into her mother's living room in her Wedding dress for the first time - with her hair and make-up done. That's when I realized she wasn't my "little girl" anymore.
Walking down the aisle with my daughter and her mother. Don't know if that's acceptable, but it was right.
Handing her to her Husband-to-be. Telling him to keep her safe. Asking her if she was happy.
Seeing my brothers and sisters together, for the first time in years, at a happy occasion. Having most of their kids there, too. Being able to talk about inconsequential stuff with them was great.
Being introduced at the reception.
Watching Cousin J. escort in both of the Bridesmaids. He did it for the ceremony, but the entrance at the reception - strut and all - was priceless. We all said he was the only one who could pull it off.
Giving the Father-of-the-Bride speech. This was the main reason that I got no reading done for the last month. I had the idea running through my mind all that time, but I wrote nothing down.I put it together as I was speaking and I think it came out pretty well. People said they liked it.
My nephew, C., coming to me after my speech and saying that he knew it wasn't my original but that I had the "heart of a writer". Very much appreciated.
The Father-Daughter dance. She told me that she hadn't cried all day, until then. I told her the same. The song was by Heartland, "I Loved Her First". My daughter had it engraved on the top of a photo cube for me. I tried to keep talking so that I wouldn't have to hear the words and cry some more.
The cake-slicing ceremony.
My nephew, K., dancing with my daughter's grandmother.
The longest-married couple dance. 56 years. God Bless 'em.
The people who helped all day. 1) Debbie, at the reception hall. She kept everything running smoothly. 2) Johnny, the DJ. Did an excellent job. 3) Martin, the photographer. He was with the bride from 11:30 AM till the reception ended at 11 PM. He was so personable, and he really knew what he was doing. 4) Dom, the limo driver. I was only with him from when he showed up at the house to pick up the bridal party, till they left the church, but he exuded confidence. He told us what to do, and calmed my daughter down early on. 5) Father Desmond, who performed the ceremony. He was warm and funny and managed to make everyone feel good. (Coincidently, he is a friend of the groom's father and the chaplain at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital, where I'd met him.)
My new son-in-law saying, when everything was closing down just before 11 PM, that he understood why you often read about a celebrity punching out a paparazzi.
Just some random observations that stick in my mind out of everything that happened on the happiest day of my daughter's life.
I'm not going to post any pictures here, but I do want to list some of the things - the brief moments, the episodes - that stand out, for me, from the rest of the Big Day's activities. So, in no particular order, here goes:
Seeing my daughter walk into her mother's living room in her Wedding dress for the first time - with her hair and make-up done. That's when I realized she wasn't my "little girl" anymore.
Walking down the aisle with my daughter and her mother. Don't know if that's acceptable, but it was right.
Handing her to her Husband-to-be. Telling him to keep her safe. Asking her if she was happy.
Seeing my brothers and sisters together, for the first time in years, at a happy occasion. Having most of their kids there, too. Being able to talk about inconsequential stuff with them was great.
Being introduced at the reception.
Watching Cousin J. escort in both of the Bridesmaids. He did it for the ceremony, but the entrance at the reception - strut and all - was priceless. We all said he was the only one who could pull it off.
Giving the Father-of-the-Bride speech. This was the main reason that I got no reading done for the last month. I had the idea running through my mind all that time, but I wrote nothing down.I put it together as I was speaking and I think it came out pretty well. People said they liked it.
My nephew, C., coming to me after my speech and saying that he knew it wasn't my original but that I had the "heart of a writer". Very much appreciated.
The Father-Daughter dance. She told me that she hadn't cried all day, until then. I told her the same. The song was by Heartland, "I Loved Her First". My daughter had it engraved on the top of a photo cube for me. I tried to keep talking so that I wouldn't have to hear the words and cry some more.
The cake-slicing ceremony.
My nephew, K., dancing with my daughter's grandmother.
The longest-married couple dance. 56 years. God Bless 'em.
The people who helped all day. 1) Debbie, at the reception hall. She kept everything running smoothly. 2) Johnny, the DJ. Did an excellent job. 3) Martin, the photographer. He was with the bride from 11:30 AM till the reception ended at 11 PM. He was so personable, and he really knew what he was doing. 4) Dom, the limo driver. I was only with him from when he showed up at the house to pick up the bridal party, till they left the church, but he exuded confidence. He told us what to do, and calmed my daughter down early on. 5) Father Desmond, who performed the ceremony. He was warm and funny and managed to make everyone feel good. (Coincidently, he is a friend of the groom's father and the chaplain at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital, where I'd met him.)
My new son-in-law saying, when everything was closing down just before 11 PM, that he understood why you often read about a celebrity punching out a paparazzi.
Just some random observations that stick in my mind out of everything that happened on the happiest day of my daughter's life.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Chapter Seventeen
I was going to wait another week or two before I made another entry here, but I think I've got enough to talk about and besides I found this really cool picture to add to the site. Interestingly, all the books fall into the same category.
Series
Cadillac Beach - Tim Dorsey ( $7.50/$.50, 376 pages, copyright 2004, paperback)
Apparently, Dorsey has written several books revolving around the exploits of Serge Storm and his good buddy, Lenny - a maniac and a doper. This one revolves around Miami history and brings in Murph the Surf, the Beatles, Cubans, the FBI and CIA, and a whole bunch of other stuff while Serge tries to solve his grandfather's murder. This may sound confusing, but it is laugh-out-loud funny. I enjoyed it.
The Dangerous Days of Daniel X - James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge ($7.99/$.50, 247 pages, copyright 2009, paperback)
I'm a big fan of Patterson's Alex Cross series so every once in a while I pick up another book of his. This is a sci-fi series about a teenage alien bounty hunter that is strictly aimed at the tweens crowd. To be honest, I'm not too sure they'd like it. I didn't.
The Watchman - Robert Crais ($7.99/$.50, 384 pages, copyright 2007, paperback)
Usually, Crais' books center on Elvis Cole, with Joe Pike - his silent partner - coming in towards the end as sort of a "deus-ex-machina". This book revolves around Pike, with Cole in a supporting role. Simply put, Pike agrees to protect a young lady until she can testify at a trial, but it's more then that. And you learn a lot more about what makes Pike tick. I enjoyed it.
Stone Cold - Robert B. Parker ($7.99/$.50, 300 pages, copyright 2003, paperback)
Parker is the creator of the Spenser books, which I really enjoy. This is one of his Jesse Stone books. Jesse is the polar opposite of Spenser - he's a loner, he drinks too much, and he has an unhealthy obsession for his ex-wife. That said, he's good at what he does - police work - and he has a real sense of right and wrong. He also has a great supporting cast, and here they try to solve a serial killer case. Unfortunately, I don't think his books end well. The payoff seems to take place off-screen, and Jesse gets to react but it doesn't feel satisfying. It was OK.
Comic Books
I've ranted in the past about my experiences with the comic book industry, so this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.
First Wave - Brian Azzarello, writer; Rags Morales, artist ($3.99 per issue, 6 issues)
I mentioned this particular mini-series before. In fact, I first mentioned it in my May 12, 2010 Special Insert #2 after I'd read the first 2 issues of the 6 issue run. It is now March 3, 2011, and issue number 6 just came out yesterday. That means that it took 9 months to produce 4 issues. Very disappointing. I probably won't be buying into any mini-series runs any time soon. That aside, Azzarello has told a very interesting, post-WW2 story. Batman is a young, gung-ho, gun-toting hero; Doc Savage is his usual pulp-fictiony adventurer; but The Spirit disappoints. I think he's only interesting when someone uses the Eisner approach to drawing. I did enjoy it.
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne - Grant Morrison, writer: various artists ($3.99 per issue, 6 issues)
I'm not going to go into why there was a need for Bruce Wayne to return - frankly, it's too complicated. Suffice it to say that Grant Morrison wrote this, so we have issues ranging from the prehistoric, through the Wild West and the Future, and ending back here. I mention this because it appears to have come out on a monthly basis. Maybe this has to do with multiple artists. The down-side to that is the visual changes can be jarring. But the main reason I bring this one up is that I saw it at Barnes & Noble's as a Trade Edition for $30. I'm sure they include extras like scripts and storyboards, but I don't look at those. $30, to me, is a lot of money for 6 issues at one time. (I actually paid $12 for all 6 issues at a comic store in Oakhurst.) I'm guessing that I won't be buying too many Trades anymore. Other then that, I enjoyed it.
Keep reading.
Series
Cadillac Beach - Tim Dorsey ( $7.50/$.50, 376 pages, copyright 2004, paperback)
Apparently, Dorsey has written several books revolving around the exploits of Serge Storm and his good buddy, Lenny - a maniac and a doper. This one revolves around Miami history and brings in Murph the Surf, the Beatles, Cubans, the FBI and CIA, and a whole bunch of other stuff while Serge tries to solve his grandfather's murder. This may sound confusing, but it is laugh-out-loud funny. I enjoyed it.
The Dangerous Days of Daniel X - James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge ($7.99/$.50, 247 pages, copyright 2009, paperback)
I'm a big fan of Patterson's Alex Cross series so every once in a while I pick up another book of his. This is a sci-fi series about a teenage alien bounty hunter that is strictly aimed at the tweens crowd. To be honest, I'm not too sure they'd like it. I didn't.
The Watchman - Robert Crais ($7.99/$.50, 384 pages, copyright 2007, paperback)
Usually, Crais' books center on Elvis Cole, with Joe Pike - his silent partner - coming in towards the end as sort of a "deus-ex-machina". This book revolves around Pike, with Cole in a supporting role. Simply put, Pike agrees to protect a young lady until she can testify at a trial, but it's more then that. And you learn a lot more about what makes Pike tick. I enjoyed it.
Stone Cold - Robert B. Parker ($7.99/$.50, 300 pages, copyright 2003, paperback)
Parker is the creator of the Spenser books, which I really enjoy. This is one of his Jesse Stone books. Jesse is the polar opposite of Spenser - he's a loner, he drinks too much, and he has an unhealthy obsession for his ex-wife. That said, he's good at what he does - police work - and he has a real sense of right and wrong. He also has a great supporting cast, and here they try to solve a serial killer case. Unfortunately, I don't think his books end well. The payoff seems to take place off-screen, and Jesse gets to react but it doesn't feel satisfying. It was OK.
Comic Books
I've ranted in the past about my experiences with the comic book industry, so this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.
First Wave - Brian Azzarello, writer; Rags Morales, artist ($3.99 per issue, 6 issues)
I mentioned this particular mini-series before. In fact, I first mentioned it in my May 12, 2010 Special Insert #2 after I'd read the first 2 issues of the 6 issue run. It is now March 3, 2011, and issue number 6 just came out yesterday. That means that it took 9 months to produce 4 issues. Very disappointing. I probably won't be buying into any mini-series runs any time soon. That aside, Azzarello has told a very interesting, post-WW2 story. Batman is a young, gung-ho, gun-toting hero; Doc Savage is his usual pulp-fictiony adventurer; but The Spirit disappoints. I think he's only interesting when someone uses the Eisner approach to drawing. I did enjoy it.
Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne - Grant Morrison, writer: various artists ($3.99 per issue, 6 issues)
I'm not going to go into why there was a need for Bruce Wayne to return - frankly, it's too complicated. Suffice it to say that Grant Morrison wrote this, so we have issues ranging from the prehistoric, through the Wild West and the Future, and ending back here. I mention this because it appears to have come out on a monthly basis. Maybe this has to do with multiple artists. The down-side to that is the visual changes can be jarring. But the main reason I bring this one up is that I saw it at Barnes & Noble's as a Trade Edition for $30. I'm sure they include extras like scripts and storyboards, but I don't look at those. $30, to me, is a lot of money for 6 issues at one time. (I actually paid $12 for all 6 issues at a comic store in Oakhurst.) I'm guessing that I won't be buying too many Trades anymore. Other then that, I enjoyed it.
Keep reading.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Chapter Sixteen
Not very many books to discuss this time around. There's a reason for that, and I'll bring it up later. Also, there's something that's been bothering me, so I'm going to get it off my chest as well.
Miscellaneous
The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck ($13.00, 619 pages, copyright 1939, Trade Paperback)
For those who read this blog, you may remember this volume as being something I bought as a Christmas present for a family member. I wound up getting her a newly published filmography of Frank Sinatra and I kept this edition for myself. As I said before, to me, the story of the Joad family's struggle to cross the country and reach the "Promised Land" is the story of America. And since the movie took a lot of its dialog directly from the book, I can almost hear Henry Fonda and Jane Darwell giving some of the speeches. I enjoyed it.
The Road - Cormac McCarthy ($14.95/$.50, 287 pages, copyright 2006, Trade Paperback)
Let me preface this by saying that I've read several remarks by my nephew that McCarthy is the greatest writer in the world. This may not be the book to start trying to find that out. I admit that he writes very well, but the subject matter was very, very bleak, and reading it during the winter - in between 9 snow storms - is probably not the best time to approach it. I had hopes for this post-apocalyptic story of a man protecting his son, but to me, it fell flat and the ending was too pat. It was OK.
Series
Dead Irish - John Lescroart ($7.99/$.50, 420 pages, copyright 1989, paperback)
This is the first novel in the Dismas Hardy series. I've read several others over the last few years and, like them, this one never fails to entertain. Lescroart jumps right in, introducing Dismas and the supporting cast as he goes along - and filling in their backgrounds and connections in a very natural way. Here Dismas uses his past skills and contacts to try to prove that a suicide is really a murder. I enjoyed it.
PC Games
That's right, folks, having read about the gaming exploits of the younger generation - and remembering the hours of fun I had playing my daughter's Super NES - I've passed a lot of this dismal winter playing video games on my PC. Of course, I'm just a novice and I refuse to spend a lot of money, but I have enjoyed what I've been playing.
Fate - ($9.99, WildTangent/Encore, Rated E)
This is a role-playing game where you try to help out some villagers by taking on quests that involve entering the Dungeon. Along the way, you pick up gold, weapons, and skills. There are, I think, 46 levels to the Dungeon, and I've made it through 7. Should take me a while to go all the way through. This is the closest game I've found to the "Legend of Zelda". Still playing, and I'm enjoying it.
Hidden Mysteries: The White House and Lost Secrets: Ancient Mysteries - ($9.99, Game Mill/Spark Plug, Rated E)
This is a 2-pack, and each game is what's called a Hidden Object game. You enter different sites/rooms and try to find hidden objects that are listed for you.Each of these games has an underlying story that keeps moving forward as you progress.Finished it, and I enjoyed this.
CSI:NY - ($5.00, UbiSoft, Rated Teen)
There are 4 different "episodes" to this game, and they play just like the show. All the major characters are there (and they did the voices). As either Mac or Stella you start with a death. You pick through the crime scene (and other locations) for clues; pursue leads at the morgue and the crime lab; and grill and accuse suspects using clues you've found. (I have to admit that I got completely stumped at a couple of spots, and had to Google a Walkthrough to proceed). Finished it, and I enjoyed it.
Something That's Been Bothering Me
I read about a month ago that a Professor of English at Auburn University in Alabama - Alan Gribber - was going to publish a new edition of Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" replacing the word "nigger" with "slave", and the word "Injun" with "Indian". He said that with this new edition his fellow teacher's wouldn't have a problem teaching this book, and we wouldn't offend anyone. Now, I know that "Huckleberry Finn" was banned for a time because of its language, but that was years ago. Those words are part of the original manuscript, and Twain was simply trying to reproduce a way of speaking that he felt Huck would use. In my lifetime, I don't recall ever reading that a teacher was having a problem with the book. Have we become so scared of offending someone that we will tamper with a classic. Does this lead to putting pants on the statue of David (which has had its share of offended people)? What has happened to America? Aren't we the Land of the I Don't Want to use the Metric System? Don't we put the month before the day? Isn't this the Home of the If I Offended You at Least I Know You're Paying Attention? Twain - an American - wrote an American novel. Leave it alone!
Keep reading!
Miscellaneous
The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck ($13.00, 619 pages, copyright 1939, Trade Paperback)
For those who read this blog, you may remember this volume as being something I bought as a Christmas present for a family member. I wound up getting her a newly published filmography of Frank Sinatra and I kept this edition for myself. As I said before, to me, the story of the Joad family's struggle to cross the country and reach the "Promised Land" is the story of America. And since the movie took a lot of its dialog directly from the book, I can almost hear Henry Fonda and Jane Darwell giving some of the speeches. I enjoyed it.
The Road - Cormac McCarthy ($14.95/$.50, 287 pages, copyright 2006, Trade Paperback)
Let me preface this by saying that I've read several remarks by my nephew that McCarthy is the greatest writer in the world. This may not be the book to start trying to find that out. I admit that he writes very well, but the subject matter was very, very bleak, and reading it during the winter - in between 9 snow storms - is probably not the best time to approach it. I had hopes for this post-apocalyptic story of a man protecting his son, but to me, it fell flat and the ending was too pat. It was OK.
Series
Dead Irish - John Lescroart ($7.99/$.50, 420 pages, copyright 1989, paperback)
This is the first novel in the Dismas Hardy series. I've read several others over the last few years and, like them, this one never fails to entertain. Lescroart jumps right in, introducing Dismas and the supporting cast as he goes along - and filling in their backgrounds and connections in a very natural way. Here Dismas uses his past skills and contacts to try to prove that a suicide is really a murder. I enjoyed it.
PC Games
That's right, folks, having read about the gaming exploits of the younger generation - and remembering the hours of fun I had playing my daughter's Super NES - I've passed a lot of this dismal winter playing video games on my PC. Of course, I'm just a novice and I refuse to spend a lot of money, but I have enjoyed what I've been playing.
Fate - ($9.99, WildTangent/Encore, Rated E)
This is a role-playing game where you try to help out some villagers by taking on quests that involve entering the Dungeon. Along the way, you pick up gold, weapons, and skills. There are, I think, 46 levels to the Dungeon, and I've made it through 7. Should take me a while to go all the way through. This is the closest game I've found to the "Legend of Zelda". Still playing, and I'm enjoying it.
Hidden Mysteries: The White House and Lost Secrets: Ancient Mysteries - ($9.99, Game Mill/Spark Plug, Rated E)
This is a 2-pack, and each game is what's called a Hidden Object game. You enter different sites/rooms and try to find hidden objects that are listed for you.Each of these games has an underlying story that keeps moving forward as you progress.Finished it, and I enjoyed this.
CSI:NY - ($5.00, UbiSoft, Rated Teen)
There are 4 different "episodes" to this game, and they play just like the show. All the major characters are there (and they did the voices). As either Mac or Stella you start with a death. You pick through the crime scene (and other locations) for clues; pursue leads at the morgue and the crime lab; and grill and accuse suspects using clues you've found. (I have to admit that I got completely stumped at a couple of spots, and had to Google a Walkthrough to proceed). Finished it, and I enjoyed it.
Something That's Been Bothering Me
I read about a month ago that a Professor of English at Auburn University in Alabama - Alan Gribber - was going to publish a new edition of Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" replacing the word "nigger" with "slave", and the word "Injun" with "Indian". He said that with this new edition his fellow teacher's wouldn't have a problem teaching this book, and we wouldn't offend anyone. Now, I know that "Huckleberry Finn" was banned for a time because of its language, but that was years ago. Those words are part of the original manuscript, and Twain was simply trying to reproduce a way of speaking that he felt Huck would use. In my lifetime, I don't recall ever reading that a teacher was having a problem with the book. Have we become so scared of offending someone that we will tamper with a classic. Does this lead to putting pants on the statue of David (which has had its share of offended people)? What has happened to America? Aren't we the Land of the I Don't Want to use the Metric System? Don't we put the month before the day? Isn't this the Home of the If I Offended You at Least I Know You're Paying Attention? Twain - an American - wrote an American novel. Leave it alone!
Keep reading!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Chapter Fifteen
A New Year, and a new post. I remember struggling a bit to get through some of the books at the end of last year, so I started this year with a couple of old friends. Sort of a "sorbet" to cleanse the palate. There are also a couple of oddities this month, and what I think is a real find.
Series
Walking Shadow - Robert B. Parker ($7.50/$.50, 281 pages, copyright 1994, Paperback)
Spenser and Hawke. Two old friends that I can always rely on to provide a few hours of entertainment. Add Susan into the mix and you almost don't need a plot. The conversations alone could probably carry a book. Anyway, this one starts with a stalker, leads to a murder, and mixes in a Chinese Tong. Classic Parker. I enjoyed it.
Miscellaneous
Her Forbidden Knight - Rex Stout ($4.95/$.50, 248 pages, copyright 1997, Paperback)
Don't let the copyright date fool you, that applies only to this volume. The nearest I can figure this was originally published back in the 40's. That is an appropriate time period, because I can see this as the basis for one of those movies from back then, maybe with Lew Ayres as the lead and a cast of the usual back up players. It nominally involves a group of guys who hang around a New York hotel lobby, a telegraph girl, and a handsome stranger passing bogus $10 bills. The oddity here is that it is written by a pre-Nero Wolfe Rex Stout. I enjoyed it.
Welcome to Xanadu - Nathaniel Benchley ($5.95/$.50, 304 pages, copyright 1968, Hard Cover)
The oddity here is that it is a Hard Cover book, published in 1968, with a cover price of $5.95. You can't even get a paperback for that price now (unless you do what I do). This is an story about a farmer's daughter in New Mexico who gets kidnapped by an escaped patient from a mental institution, and how they both learn something from each other. I found it to be very interesting.
Let the Great World Spin - Colum McCann ($15.00/$.50, 349 pages, copyright 2009, Trade Paperback)
The central point for this book is that in August of 1974 a man walked across a tightrope stretched between the Twin Towers. Maybe that's what attracted me to the book. Maybe I thought it would be based on what happens down there in lower Manhattan - a place I worked in for 20 years. I was wrong. It is so much more. The tightrope walker is peripheral, and the other characters are tied to each other in an almost "six degrees of separation" way. I think the author is trying to show that each off us walks a tightrope every day - life. AND McCann's writing style had me locked in from the very first section. I found it hard to put down. I really enjoyed it.
Serendipitous Side Note
As anyone who's read any of these posts knows, I enjoy comic books (please note, I said "comic books" and not "graphic novels"). To that end I'd like to mention that NBC is now airing a show called The Cape on Monday nights at 9:00 PM. I saw the 2 hour pilot last night, and enjoyed it a lot. There are elements from established comics that run through it - Batman, Luthor, Oracle, The Circus of Crime from Spiderman to name a few - and they have been blended together in a very enjoyable way. I don't know if it will last long but I intend to go down with the ship.
The serendipity part comes in now - when I sat down to write this, I put the TV on as sort of background noise. I found that the SyFy channel was broadcasting the old Green Hornet show. Unfortunately, these are not as good today as I remember but what the hell - Van Williams and Bruce Lee for a few hours? I'm down for that.
Keep Reading!
Series
Walking Shadow - Robert B. Parker ($7.50/$.50, 281 pages, copyright 1994, Paperback)
Spenser and Hawke. Two old friends that I can always rely on to provide a few hours of entertainment. Add Susan into the mix and you almost don't need a plot. The conversations alone could probably carry a book. Anyway, this one starts with a stalker, leads to a murder, and mixes in a Chinese Tong. Classic Parker. I enjoyed it.
Miscellaneous
Her Forbidden Knight - Rex Stout ($4.95/$.50, 248 pages, copyright 1997, Paperback)
Don't let the copyright date fool you, that applies only to this volume. The nearest I can figure this was originally published back in the 40's. That is an appropriate time period, because I can see this as the basis for one of those movies from back then, maybe with Lew Ayres as the lead and a cast of the usual back up players. It nominally involves a group of guys who hang around a New York hotel lobby, a telegraph girl, and a handsome stranger passing bogus $10 bills. The oddity here is that it is written by a pre-Nero Wolfe Rex Stout. I enjoyed it.
Welcome to Xanadu - Nathaniel Benchley ($5.95/$.50, 304 pages, copyright 1968, Hard Cover)
The oddity here is that it is a Hard Cover book, published in 1968, with a cover price of $5.95. You can't even get a paperback for that price now (unless you do what I do). This is an story about a farmer's daughter in New Mexico who gets kidnapped by an escaped patient from a mental institution, and how they both learn something from each other. I found it to be very interesting.
Let the Great World Spin - Colum McCann ($15.00/$.50, 349 pages, copyright 2009, Trade Paperback)
The central point for this book is that in August of 1974 a man walked across a tightrope stretched between the Twin Towers. Maybe that's what attracted me to the book. Maybe I thought it would be based on what happens down there in lower Manhattan - a place I worked in for 20 years. I was wrong. It is so much more. The tightrope walker is peripheral, and the other characters are tied to each other in an almost "six degrees of separation" way. I think the author is trying to show that each off us walks a tightrope every day - life. AND McCann's writing style had me locked in from the very first section. I found it hard to put down. I really enjoyed it.
Serendipitous Side Note
As anyone who's read any of these posts knows, I enjoy comic books (please note, I said "comic books" and not "graphic novels"). To that end I'd like to mention that NBC is now airing a show called The Cape on Monday nights at 9:00 PM. I saw the 2 hour pilot last night, and enjoyed it a lot. There are elements from established comics that run through it - Batman, Luthor, Oracle, The Circus of Crime from Spiderman to name a few - and they have been blended together in a very enjoyable way. I don't know if it will last long but I intend to go down with the ship.
The serendipity part comes in now - when I sat down to write this, I put the TV on as sort of background noise. I found that the SyFy channel was broadcasting the old Green Hornet show. Unfortunately, these are not as good today as I remember but what the hell - Van Williams and Bruce Lee for a few hours? I'm down for that.
Keep Reading!
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