It's almost Christmas and it's been very cold lately. We've had a few snow alerts but, thankfully, nothing serious where I live. I did all my shopping on-line this year and I had it all delivered, wrapped, bagged, and tagged by the end of November. We'll be getting together at my Daughter's and I dropped off some of my presents this morning. I went with books this year.
I've ordered some more books recently and I'm waiting for them to come in so I decided to go for a couple of classics first.
Off The Shelf
Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens ($1.95/$1.95, published in 1867, 481 pages, Paperback)
I'm guessing that you all know this story. Oliver is an orphan who runs away from a workhouse and the cruel Mr. Bumble and winds up on the streets of London where he meets up with the Artful Dodger who introduces him to Fagin and his gang of youthful pickpockets. Besides these characters, Dickens populates the book with others that have become stereotypes including Nancy, the prostitute with a heart of gold and Bill Sikes the vicious burglar. It was originally published as a series in Bentley's Miscellany and Dickens does a great job of describing the criminal underground of London at the time. I can only imagine how the readers waited impatiently for the next chapter. I enjoyed it.
The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas ($1.50/$1.50, copyright 1956 (this edition), 441 pages, Paperback)
Again, here's another story that you should be familiar with. In 1815 Edmond Dantès a young and successful merchant sailor who has just recently been told that he will be taking over from Captain Leclère as he retires. With this happy news he returns to Marseille to marry his Catalan fiancée Mercédès. What he isn't aware of is that there are others who have a different idea and he gets arrested and thrown in prison for a crime he has not committed. He gets sent to the prison fortress of the Chateau D'If. There he learns of a great hoard of treasure hidden on the Isle of Monte Cristo and he becomes determined not only to escape, but also to unearth the treasure and use it to plot the destruction of the three men responsible for his incarceration. Dumas does a great job with the characters and the different set-ups throughout the book but I felt he could've spent more time on how Edmond got his revenge. Still, I enjoyed it.
Series
Black Money - Ross McDonald ($11,00/$.50, copyright 1965, 238 pages, Trade Paperback)
I spoke about the first Lew Archer book several months ago and I think I said I liked it. I'm not sure where this one falls into the series but it's one of the books I picked up at the Library Sale months ago. He's hired by a rich guy named Peter Jamieson to find out why his supposed fiancé - Ginny Fablon - ran away with a Frenchman. Archer tracks things back and winds up investigating a sports club and looking into a death that was previously classified as a suicide. McDonald has a good eye for background but I found myself struggling with this. Maybe because he never gives us a description or any background for Archer. It was OK.
I've already started a couple of other books and, coincidentally, they're by the same author but not the same genre.
Curious?
Stay tuned. Stay warm. Have a great Christmas, and a Happy New Year, and …..
Keep reading!
Saturday, December 21, 2019
Tuesday, November 19, 2019
Chapter One Hundred and Eleven
The weather has been changeable lately and I found myself bogged down in a couple of books that I just haven't been able to make any progress with. I decided to revisit this set that has been on my living room shelves for the 20+ years that I lived in this apartment.
Non-fiction
Bloodletters And Bad Men - Jay Robert Nash
I'm going to approach these a little differently. It's a 3-volume set and they each deal with the same type of people - the murderers, robbers, assassins, kidnappers, etc. that have grabbed our attention since the country was established. Each volume deals with a different time period and the series is progressive. Nash has done thumb-nail portraits of his subjects and, in most cases, has been able to add a photo or illustration. Some are interesting, some are not, and some became repetitive after a while. These books have been described as an encyclopedia of crime and there are a lot of entries but I'm only going to mention the people that you might know. My only problem is that Nash lists his subjects alphabetically while I would've preferred chronologically.
Book 1, Captain Lightfoot to Jesse James ($4.95/$4.95/ copyright 1973, 415 pages, Paperback)
While Nash does bring up some early criminals, it doesn't get interesting until the entries from the "Wild West" era and the Civil War. He gives us Sam Bass, William "Billy the Kid" Bonny, and Jesse James as well as William Quantrill and his Raiders (including a separate entry for his Lieutenant William "Bloody Bill" Anderson). We get the Gunfight at the OK Corral and we get the story of Herman Webster Mudgett AKA H. H. Holmes who created the "Murder Castle" in Chicago during the Chicago Worlds Fair of1893.
Book 2, Butch Cassidy to Al Capone ($4.95/$4.95, copyright 1973, 431 pages, Paperback)
Here Nash brings us up into the 20's and 30's and introduces us to other criminal activity. Now we get Bootleggers, Bank robbers, Gangsters and Swindlers. He gives us Legs Diamond, John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, Machine Gun Kelly, and Baby Face Nelson. We get Bonnie and Clyde and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. We get Al Capone, the Black Hand, and the Mafia. And he gives us Leopold and Loeb and Charles Ponzi.
Book 3, Lucky Luciano to Charles Manson ($4.95/$4.95, copyright 1973, 423 pages, Paperback)
Nash moves us up into the 40's to 60's by adding Racketeers, Mafia Chiefs, and assassins. The mobsters include Joe Bonanno, Carmine Galante, Joe Gallo, Vito Genovese, Sam Giancana, and Lucky Luciano. We get Bruno Hauptmann. He gives us the assassins Lee Harvey Oswald, James Earl Ray, and Sirhan Sirhan. We get the mass killers Richard Speck and Charles Whitman. As a bonus, he gives us Willy Sutton.
There are a lot of other fascinating people here and I understand that Nash has updated his work as 1 volume with new material. I read them straight through although, I have to admit, by the 3rd volume I was getting bored. This is probably something you might just want to pick and choose what you want. Still, I enjoyed it.
Thanksgiving is next week and Then we get Christmas. I did all my shopping online and the last present should be in next week. Now I have to figure out the best way to wrap this stuff. Maybe just gift bags this year.
Enjoy the Holidays, keep warm, and ….
.
Keep Reading.
Non-fiction
Bloodletters And Bad Men - Jay Robert Nash
I'm going to approach these a little differently. It's a 3-volume set and they each deal with the same type of people - the murderers, robbers, assassins, kidnappers, etc. that have grabbed our attention since the country was established. Each volume deals with a different time period and the series is progressive. Nash has done thumb-nail portraits of his subjects and, in most cases, has been able to add a photo or illustration. Some are interesting, some are not, and some became repetitive after a while. These books have been described as an encyclopedia of crime and there are a lot of entries but I'm only going to mention the people that you might know. My only problem is that Nash lists his subjects alphabetically while I would've preferred chronologically.
Book 1, Captain Lightfoot to Jesse James ($4.95/$4.95/ copyright 1973, 415 pages, Paperback)
While Nash does bring up some early criminals, it doesn't get interesting until the entries from the "Wild West" era and the Civil War. He gives us Sam Bass, William "Billy the Kid" Bonny, and Jesse James as well as William Quantrill and his Raiders (including a separate entry for his Lieutenant William "Bloody Bill" Anderson). We get the Gunfight at the OK Corral and we get the story of Herman Webster Mudgett AKA H. H. Holmes who created the "Murder Castle" in Chicago during the Chicago Worlds Fair of1893.
Book 2, Butch Cassidy to Al Capone ($4.95/$4.95, copyright 1973, 431 pages, Paperback)
Here Nash brings us up into the 20's and 30's and introduces us to other criminal activity. Now we get Bootleggers, Bank robbers, Gangsters and Swindlers. He gives us Legs Diamond, John Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, Machine Gun Kelly, and Baby Face Nelson. We get Bonnie and Clyde and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. We get Al Capone, the Black Hand, and the Mafia. And he gives us Leopold and Loeb and Charles Ponzi.
Book 3, Lucky Luciano to Charles Manson ($4.95/$4.95, copyright 1973, 423 pages, Paperback)
Nash moves us up into the 40's to 60's by adding Racketeers, Mafia Chiefs, and assassins. The mobsters include Joe Bonanno, Carmine Galante, Joe Gallo, Vito Genovese, Sam Giancana, and Lucky Luciano. We get Bruno Hauptmann. He gives us the assassins Lee Harvey Oswald, James Earl Ray, and Sirhan Sirhan. We get the mass killers Richard Speck and Charles Whitman. As a bonus, he gives us Willy Sutton.
There are a lot of other fascinating people here and I understand that Nash has updated his work as 1 volume with new material. I read them straight through although, I have to admit, by the 3rd volume I was getting bored. This is probably something you might just want to pick and choose what you want. Still, I enjoyed it.
Thanksgiving is next week and Then we get Christmas. I did all my shopping online and the last present should be in next week. Now I have to figure out the best way to wrap this stuff. Maybe just gift bags this year.
Enjoy the Holidays, keep warm, and ….
.
Keep Reading.
Saturday, October 19, 2019
Chapter One Hundred and Ten
Fall is here and the days are getting shorter and cooler. I've had more spare time lately which means more time to read so I've tried a few different things this time.
Miscellaneous
Different Seasons - Stephen King ($7.99/$3.99, copyright 1982, 99 pages, Paperback)
I've mentioned before that I'm not a big fan of short stories or Stephen King and yet I did pick up a copy of this book. In my defense, they are actually novellas and I really wanted to read one of them.
Interestingly, 3 out of the 4 have been made into films and I've only seen 1. I'll leave it up to you to guess which one. the 1st is Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, the story of Andy Defresne who's been imprisoned for the murder of his wife and her lover. King does a good job of depicting the struggle Andy goes through which, at times, was very brutal. Apt Pupil is the story of a teen aged boy who discovers that a Nazi war criminal has been quietly living in his home town. King actually keeps the suspense climbing in this one. The Body was the basis for the movie "Stand By Me". 4 young Oregon boys set out to find the body of a boy who - they learned - was killed by a train. Various mishaps occur that will make you laugh and cry. The Breathing Method was the least interesting to me but was closest to the work King usually wrote. It revolves around an unmarried woman who finds herself pregnant and is desperate to give birth. I won't say any more about this except that it's pretty powerful. It took me a while to get through this but I enjoyed it.
Spade and Archer - Joe Gores ($15,00/$4.19, copyright 2009, 337 pages, Trade Paperback)
I'm a big fan of Hard-boiled fiction and one of the greats was Dashiell Hammett. Several of his books were made into movies and my favorite is "The Maltese Falcon". Gores, with the permission of the Hammett estate, has written this prequel because of his fictionalized biography of the author. Spade quits the agency and goes private and we get to meet Effiie, his secretary, and Archer, who he brings on as a partner. This is actually 3 different cases that are tied together eventually. The 1st being the theft of gold off an Australian ship. The 2nd revolves around the murder of a San Francisco Banker. The 3rd involves missing money that was meant for Sun Yat Sen. It ends with Effie introducing someone familiar. Gores does a great job with Hammett's characters although I did think it dragged at times. Still, I enjoyed it.
Nonfiction
Atlas Obscura - Joshua Foer and Dylan Thuras - ($17.95/$4.82, copyright 2017, Trade Paperback)
I ordered this book because it popped up on my Facebook Newsfeed. A friend liked it so I checked it out. I thought that it was going to share the off-the-beaten-track sites that would be interesting to see in foreign cities even though I'll probably never see them. Well, turns out the first 2/3rd's of the book consists of blank paper which, I guess, you're supposed to make notes in while you're traveling. The last 1/3rd however is kind of fun. They do tell you about some of the interesting places to see in cities like Berlin (Subterranean Berlin), Buenos Aires ( Castillo de Naveira), and New York (the Edgar Allen Poe Cottage and Museum, which I've seen). It was interesting.
I just got something in the mail that I've been looking forward to reading. Maybe I'll be able to tell you about it next time.
Happy Halloween all! And …
Keep reading.
Miscellaneous
Different Seasons - Stephen King ($7.99/$3.99, copyright 1982, 99 pages, Paperback)
I've mentioned before that I'm not a big fan of short stories or Stephen King and yet I did pick up a copy of this book. In my defense, they are actually novellas and I really wanted to read one of them.
Interestingly, 3 out of the 4 have been made into films and I've only seen 1. I'll leave it up to you to guess which one. the 1st is Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, the story of Andy Defresne who's been imprisoned for the murder of his wife and her lover. King does a good job of depicting the struggle Andy goes through which, at times, was very brutal. Apt Pupil is the story of a teen aged boy who discovers that a Nazi war criminal has been quietly living in his home town. King actually keeps the suspense climbing in this one. The Body was the basis for the movie "Stand By Me". 4 young Oregon boys set out to find the body of a boy who - they learned - was killed by a train. Various mishaps occur that will make you laugh and cry. The Breathing Method was the least interesting to me but was closest to the work King usually wrote. It revolves around an unmarried woman who finds herself pregnant and is desperate to give birth. I won't say any more about this except that it's pretty powerful. It took me a while to get through this but I enjoyed it.
Spade and Archer - Joe Gores ($15,00/$4.19, copyright 2009, 337 pages, Trade Paperback)
I'm a big fan of Hard-boiled fiction and one of the greats was Dashiell Hammett. Several of his books were made into movies and my favorite is "The Maltese Falcon". Gores, with the permission of the Hammett estate, has written this prequel because of his fictionalized biography of the author. Spade quits the agency and goes private and we get to meet Effiie, his secretary, and Archer, who he brings on as a partner. This is actually 3 different cases that are tied together eventually. The 1st being the theft of gold off an Australian ship. The 2nd revolves around the murder of a San Francisco Banker. The 3rd involves missing money that was meant for Sun Yat Sen. It ends with Effie introducing someone familiar. Gores does a great job with Hammett's characters although I did think it dragged at times. Still, I enjoyed it.
Nonfiction
Atlas Obscura - Joshua Foer and Dylan Thuras - ($17.95/$4.82, copyright 2017, Trade Paperback)
I ordered this book because it popped up on my Facebook Newsfeed. A friend liked it so I checked it out. I thought that it was going to share the off-the-beaten-track sites that would be interesting to see in foreign cities even though I'll probably never see them. Well, turns out the first 2/3rd's of the book consists of blank paper which, I guess, you're supposed to make notes in while you're traveling. The last 1/3rd however is kind of fun. They do tell you about some of the interesting places to see in cities like Berlin (Subterranean Berlin), Buenos Aires ( Castillo de Naveira), and New York (the Edgar Allen Poe Cottage and Museum, which I've seen). It was interesting.
I just got something in the mail that I've been looking forward to reading. Maybe I'll be able to tell you about it next time.
Happy Halloween all! And …
Keep reading.
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Chapter One Hundred and Nine
It's just past the middle of September and the weather is starting to moderate, which I like. I'm dog-sitting again for a few days (not the same dog as last month) and I wound up packing a couple of books that I wasn't already reading. I'm not sure that I'll finish any more before the end of the month so I'll let you know what I did.
Miscellaneous
the curious incident of the dog in the night-time - Mark Haddon ($12.00/$4.48, copyright 2003, 221 pages, Trade Paperback)
Christopher John Francis Boone is a fifteen year old boy who lives with his father, loves animals, and doesn't understand human emotions-including his own. He's Autistic but seems to be High-Functioning although that's not specifically mentioned. He comes across the body of his neighbor Mrs. Shears' dog, Wellington, with a pitchfork sticking out of it. Christopher loves animals so he tries to help but gets accused of the crime. Once this is straightened out, he decides to investigate just like Sherlock Holmes. He's good with facts and math but not so good with human interaction. He follows a trail that takes him on a trip away from his familiar routine, including dealing with buying a train ticket. His comfortable life begins to unravel as the clues he uncovers and records in his book lead him back to his own home. Haddon does a good job with all the characters but his depiction of Christopher is great. I have a young relative who's High-Functioning and this rings true. I enjoyed it. (FYI, I didn't make a mistake with the title, it actually is all in lower case.)
The Night Of The Hunter - Davis Grubb ($1.95/$5.98*, copyright 1953, 220 pages, Paperback)
This is the basis for one of my favorite movies and the only one that the great actor Charles Laughton ever directed. The reviews at the time were so bad that he never directed again. Too bad really because it's now considered a Classic and is, in my opinion, the best role Robert Mitchum ever played. In a small town in Ohio, Willa Harper is raising her two children Pearl and John, alone because her husband Ben has been executed for killing 2 people while stealing $10,000 from a bank. The thing is, no one knows what happened to the money. Ben's cell mate Henry "Preacher" Powell tried to get it out of him but couldn't. When he's released, Preacher heads to Ohio to woo Willa in the hopes of finding the money. They get married but the kids get wise to his game, figure things out, and run away. Of course, Preacher follows and the chase is on. Grubb has created some very interesting characters but I have to admit that I visualized them as they were in the movie.(In case you didn't figure it out, Robert Mitchum was Preacher.) I enjoyed it and recommend it.
That's it for now.
I'll still be here tomorrow dog-sitting but I do need to do a few other things. I have to swing by my apartment to feed the cat and pick up my mail. I need to fill up my gas tank and check the air in my front passenger-side tire. I need to spend some time with my Granddaughter. And I need to get back to the book I'll be starting in just a few minutes. I'll let you know how that goes next time. Until then ….
Keep Reading.
Miscellaneous
the curious incident of the dog in the night-time - Mark Haddon ($12.00/$4.48, copyright 2003, 221 pages, Trade Paperback)
Christopher John Francis Boone is a fifteen year old boy who lives with his father, loves animals, and doesn't understand human emotions-including his own. He's Autistic but seems to be High-Functioning although that's not specifically mentioned. He comes across the body of his neighbor Mrs. Shears' dog, Wellington, with a pitchfork sticking out of it. Christopher loves animals so he tries to help but gets accused of the crime. Once this is straightened out, he decides to investigate just like Sherlock Holmes. He's good with facts and math but not so good with human interaction. He follows a trail that takes him on a trip away from his familiar routine, including dealing with buying a train ticket. His comfortable life begins to unravel as the clues he uncovers and records in his book lead him back to his own home. Haddon does a good job with all the characters but his depiction of Christopher is great. I have a young relative who's High-Functioning and this rings true. I enjoyed it. (FYI, I didn't make a mistake with the title, it actually is all in lower case.)
The Night Of The Hunter - Davis Grubb ($1.95/$5.98*, copyright 1953, 220 pages, Paperback)
This is the basis for one of my favorite movies and the only one that the great actor Charles Laughton ever directed. The reviews at the time were so bad that he never directed again. Too bad really because it's now considered a Classic and is, in my opinion, the best role Robert Mitchum ever played. In a small town in Ohio, Willa Harper is raising her two children Pearl and John, alone because her husband Ben has been executed for killing 2 people while stealing $10,000 from a bank. The thing is, no one knows what happened to the money. Ben's cell mate Henry "Preacher" Powell tried to get it out of him but couldn't. When he's released, Preacher heads to Ohio to woo Willa in the hopes of finding the money. They get married but the kids get wise to his game, figure things out, and run away. Of course, Preacher follows and the chase is on. Grubb has created some very interesting characters but I have to admit that I visualized them as they were in the movie.(In case you didn't figure it out, Robert Mitchum was Preacher.) I enjoyed it and recommend it.
That's it for now.
I'll still be here tomorrow dog-sitting but I do need to do a few other things. I have to swing by my apartment to feed the cat and pick up my mail. I need to fill up my gas tank and check the air in my front passenger-side tire. I need to spend some time with my Granddaughter. And I need to get back to the book I'll be starting in just a few minutes. I'll let you know how that goes next time. Until then ….
Keep Reading.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
Chapter One Hundred and Eight
It's just past the middle of August and I'm at my Daughter's house dog sitting for a couple of days. She doesn't have air conditioning either so I'm no more uncomfortable then usual. I have, however, cut back on my Library runs because they're all on Summer Hours which means they open later. In this heat, I try to get my errands done early. Thankfully, I have a lot of books in my TBR pile to get me by.
Series
The Drowning Pool - Ross MacDonald ($11.00/$.50, copyright 1950, 244 pages, Trade Paperback)
This is one of the books I picked up at the Library sale I mentioned several months ago and it turned out to be the second in MacDonald's Lew Archer series. He's a Private Investigator in the Chandler/Hammett hard-boiled mold working in LA in the late '40's mostly collecting evidence in divorce cases. This opens with a well-dressed woman named Maud Slocum hiring him to find out who sent her husband a blackmail letter - a letter she intercepted before the husband got it. She won't give Archer any details so he decides to start by checking out the Slocum family. The husband turns out to be a narcissistic amateur actor, the daughter is smart but aloof and there's something going on between her and the young Driver. Then a body shows up in the pool and Archer has to deal with corrupt cops, more deaths, and an attempt on his own life in a "drowning pool". McDonald does well describing the supporting characters and the suddenly oil-rich communities but he doesn't give us a description of Archer himself. I like to visualize the main characters so I went with Paul Newman who, I'm pretty sure, played him in the movie. It was OK.
After reading the McDonald book, I decided to check through The Stacks to find any of the earlier hard-boiled author's books. I found one of my favorite Dashiell Hammett books and then remembered that Joe Gores wrote an authorized prequel to it. Also, he wrote this ….
Miscellaneous
Hammett - Joe Gores ($1.95/$1.95, copyright 1975, 253 pages, Paperback)
I'm always up for a hard-boiled detective story and Gores has done the genre one better. He's written a fictional version of Hammett's life based on when Hammett was a one-time detective and Pinkerton agent who'd been writing for a while. He gets pulled back into the business when a former partner is killed. Gores paints a great picture of a vibrant and very corrupt California in the 1920's, and his characters are all well-defined. He even has Hammett taking the streetcar instead of driving as he goes on dates or meets a contact in his investigation. You can feel again the San Francisco that Hammett wrote about where the town is run by the cops, the crooks, and the big rich, and everything is for sale. I enjoyed it.
Boy's Life - Robert R. McCammon ($5.99/$1.99, copyright 1991, 578 pages, Paperback)
I'm pretty sure I've mentioned Robert R. McCammon a couple of times over the years. I've always thought of him as a writer in the fantasy/horror genre but this book is different. It's the story of Cory Mackenson, an 11-year-old boy living in Zephyr, Alabama and starts when he's helping his father with the early morning milk deliveries and they come across a dead man - an obviously murdered man. This death haunts Cory, and it creeps in from time to time, but it's not the main focus here. This is really about a young boy's coming-of-age, and McCammon fills it in with the joys and tragedies that life holds. He gives us Cory and his friends in Small Town America as they go to movies, ride their bikes, play baseball, and camp out. And he shows us how Cory and his family and friends deal with racism, bullying, and death. It's a big book but McCammon's writing makes it easy to read and even the bad things that happen seem almost magical. If you haven't read this book, go out right now and get yourself a copy. I loved it.
That's what I've finished this month.
I mentioned earlier that I've cut back on my Library Visits but I have ordered several books from the Discount Sites that I like. I'm hoping to tell you about some of them next time. Till then ….
Keep Reading.
Series
The Drowning Pool - Ross MacDonald ($11.00/$.50, copyright 1950, 244 pages, Trade Paperback)
This is one of the books I picked up at the Library sale I mentioned several months ago and it turned out to be the second in MacDonald's Lew Archer series. He's a Private Investigator in the Chandler/Hammett hard-boiled mold working in LA in the late '40's mostly collecting evidence in divorce cases. This opens with a well-dressed woman named Maud Slocum hiring him to find out who sent her husband a blackmail letter - a letter she intercepted before the husband got it. She won't give Archer any details so he decides to start by checking out the Slocum family. The husband turns out to be a narcissistic amateur actor, the daughter is smart but aloof and there's something going on between her and the young Driver. Then a body shows up in the pool and Archer has to deal with corrupt cops, more deaths, and an attempt on his own life in a "drowning pool". McDonald does well describing the supporting characters and the suddenly oil-rich communities but he doesn't give us a description of Archer himself. I like to visualize the main characters so I went with Paul Newman who, I'm pretty sure, played him in the movie. It was OK.
After reading the McDonald book, I decided to check through The Stacks to find any of the earlier hard-boiled author's books. I found one of my favorite Dashiell Hammett books and then remembered that Joe Gores wrote an authorized prequel to it. Also, he wrote this ….
Miscellaneous
Hammett - Joe Gores ($1.95/$1.95, copyright 1975, 253 pages, Paperback)
I'm always up for a hard-boiled detective story and Gores has done the genre one better. He's written a fictional version of Hammett's life based on when Hammett was a one-time detective and Pinkerton agent who'd been writing for a while. He gets pulled back into the business when a former partner is killed. Gores paints a great picture of a vibrant and very corrupt California in the 1920's, and his characters are all well-defined. He even has Hammett taking the streetcar instead of driving as he goes on dates or meets a contact in his investigation. You can feel again the San Francisco that Hammett wrote about where the town is run by the cops, the crooks, and the big rich, and everything is for sale. I enjoyed it.
Boy's Life - Robert R. McCammon ($5.99/$1.99, copyright 1991, 578 pages, Paperback)
I'm pretty sure I've mentioned Robert R. McCammon a couple of times over the years. I've always thought of him as a writer in the fantasy/horror genre but this book is different. It's the story of Cory Mackenson, an 11-year-old boy living in Zephyr, Alabama and starts when he's helping his father with the early morning milk deliveries and they come across a dead man - an obviously murdered man. This death haunts Cory, and it creeps in from time to time, but it's not the main focus here. This is really about a young boy's coming-of-age, and McCammon fills it in with the joys and tragedies that life holds. He gives us Cory and his friends in Small Town America as they go to movies, ride their bikes, play baseball, and camp out. And he shows us how Cory and his family and friends deal with racism, bullying, and death. It's a big book but McCammon's writing makes it easy to read and even the bad things that happen seem almost magical. If you haven't read this book, go out right now and get yourself a copy. I loved it.
That's what I've finished this month.
I mentioned earlier that I've cut back on my Library Visits but I have ordered several books from the Discount Sites that I like. I'm hoping to tell you about some of them next time. Till then ….
Keep Reading.
Sunday, July 28, 2019
Chapter One Hundred and Seven
I grew up without air conditioning and I still don't have one. A fan has usually been good enough for me - placed strategically in front of the open bedroom window and blowing across me as I stretch out on the bed reading. This month has been tougher then usual and it wouldn't surprise me if it goes down as the hottest July ever. I may have to think about an ac for next year. Anyway, I did manage to finish a couple of books.
Series
Darkness, Take My Hand - Dennis Lehane ($7.99/$7.99, copyright 1996, 355 pages, Paperback)
This is the second in Lehane's Patrick Kenzie/Angie Gennaro series and - like it's title indicates - it's a lot darker then it's predecessor. They're hired through an acquaintance by a Professor who's received a threat towards her son. It looks to have come from the local mob so they get their friend Bubba to arrange a meeting. All that comes out of it is that Kenzie pisses off one of the bodyguards - a squirrelly, violent guy named Kevin who grew up in them in Dorchester. They keep at the case, following the Professor's son around without any results. In the meantime, Angie is enjoying the single life while her ex tries to prove he's gotten better and Patrick is enjoying a relationship with a single mother nurse. Then things go bad. Another old acquaintance is found murdered in a way that points to a series of killings from 25 years ago. The Boston police and the FBI get involved and Kenzie finds himself at the mercy of a couple of serial killers. Like I said it gets dark. Lehane writes well and his characters are nicely defined, quirks and all. I do think it was too long, maybe a bit too gory for some, and I have to take issue with the beginning. Lehane starts the book with Kenzie reflecting on what took place as he recovers from his injuries. That caused me to anticipate something happening at every turn and slowed down the natural flow of the story. It was OK.
This next book first came to my attention on the 3rd when it popped up on Facebook as a suggestion from Amazon. On a whim, I checked out a Discount Sites and it was already there. I ordered it and it arrived in less then a week. Needless to say, I put down what I was reading to check it out.
Hope Never Dies - Andrew Shaffer ($14.99/$4.48, copyright 2018, 301 pages, Trade Paperback)
Now that their 8 years in charge of the country were over, what were Obama and Biden going to do? Obama traveled around hobnobbing with celebrities, giving speeches, and generally enjoying himself. Biden returned to Wilmington where he did very little except resent Obama for not including him. At least that's the impression I got from Shaffer's book. That all changes when Obama shows up late at Biden's home to let him know that a friend of his has died. Finn Donnelly was a conductor on the Amtrak Acela that Biden used to take to Washington on his daily commute when he was in the Senate. Now Finn was dead, crushed under the wheels of that same train. In his possession were a map to Biden's house and some drugs. Biden, of course, can't believe that his friend was into drugs and sets out to prove it, dragging along Obama and his Secret Service Agent Steve with him. Along the way, they run into the police, DEA agents, a Motorcycle Gang, and - almost - a cow. All of this culminates with a fight on a train. Shaffer has created an interesting story with several plot twists and the supporting characters are well written but stereotypical. I think that this is the first book I've ever read where the central characters were real which made this a fun read. There's already a sequel out and maybe I'll check into it. I enjoyed it.
So much for this month. Back to what I was in the middle of and then .... who knows?
I pulled out a few "first in a series" books from the shelves and came across a couple of older Adventure Novels that I might revisit. Plus, there are all of those books that I bought cheaply over the last couple of months.
Tune in next time to find out what happens. Until then, stay cool and ....
Keep Reading.
Series
Darkness, Take My Hand - Dennis Lehane ($7.99/$7.99, copyright 1996, 355 pages, Paperback)
This is the second in Lehane's Patrick Kenzie/Angie Gennaro series and - like it's title indicates - it's a lot darker then it's predecessor. They're hired through an acquaintance by a Professor who's received a threat towards her son. It looks to have come from the local mob so they get their friend Bubba to arrange a meeting. All that comes out of it is that Kenzie pisses off one of the bodyguards - a squirrelly, violent guy named Kevin who grew up in them in Dorchester. They keep at the case, following the Professor's son around without any results. In the meantime, Angie is enjoying the single life while her ex tries to prove he's gotten better and Patrick is enjoying a relationship with a single mother nurse. Then things go bad. Another old acquaintance is found murdered in a way that points to a series of killings from 25 years ago. The Boston police and the FBI get involved and Kenzie finds himself at the mercy of a couple of serial killers. Like I said it gets dark. Lehane writes well and his characters are nicely defined, quirks and all. I do think it was too long, maybe a bit too gory for some, and I have to take issue with the beginning. Lehane starts the book with Kenzie reflecting on what took place as he recovers from his injuries. That caused me to anticipate something happening at every turn and slowed down the natural flow of the story. It was OK.
This next book first came to my attention on the 3rd when it popped up on Facebook as a suggestion from Amazon. On a whim, I checked out a Discount Sites and it was already there. I ordered it and it arrived in less then a week. Needless to say, I put down what I was reading to check it out.
Hope Never Dies - Andrew Shaffer ($14.99/$4.48, copyright 2018, 301 pages, Trade Paperback)
Now that their 8 years in charge of the country were over, what were Obama and Biden going to do? Obama traveled around hobnobbing with celebrities, giving speeches, and generally enjoying himself. Biden returned to Wilmington where he did very little except resent Obama for not including him. At least that's the impression I got from Shaffer's book. That all changes when Obama shows up late at Biden's home to let him know that a friend of his has died. Finn Donnelly was a conductor on the Amtrak Acela that Biden used to take to Washington on his daily commute when he was in the Senate. Now Finn was dead, crushed under the wheels of that same train. In his possession were a map to Biden's house and some drugs. Biden, of course, can't believe that his friend was into drugs and sets out to prove it, dragging along Obama and his Secret Service Agent Steve with him. Along the way, they run into the police, DEA agents, a Motorcycle Gang, and - almost - a cow. All of this culminates with a fight on a train. Shaffer has created an interesting story with several plot twists and the supporting characters are well written but stereotypical. I think that this is the first book I've ever read where the central characters were real which made this a fun read. There's already a sequel out and maybe I'll check into it. I enjoyed it.
So much for this month. Back to what I was in the middle of and then .... who knows?
I pulled out a few "first in a series" books from the shelves and came across a couple of older Adventure Novels that I might revisit. Plus, there are all of those books that I bought cheaply over the last couple of months.
Tune in next time to find out what happens. Until then, stay cool and ....
Keep Reading.
Friday, June 28, 2019
Chapter One Hundred And Six
I've been writing this blog for almost 10 years now and I intend to continue doing this for a long time because, frankly, it's a lot of fun. I've told you about all the books I've read - some were great and some not-so-great. I'm not a professional reviewer, just a regular guy sharing his opinion on social media and, if I had to guess, I usually have 2 or 3 books to tell you about each Post. This month I only have 1.
A brief explanation: I love to read and I have no shortage of material to choose from. In fact, I added 6 more books to my TBR pile 2 weeks ago. But reading takes concentration and mine has been focused in a different direction lately. I'm going to presume that anyone reading this is aware that I write another blog as well. It's fiction but based on my personal life. I have to admit that it was getting into a rut so I spent some time trying to come up with a way to get back on track. I found a new direction to go in and added the latest post to this blog just last week. From the reactions I received, I'm back on track.
Now I was able to devote more of my concentration to reading and I went back to the books I had already started. One of these was a political thriller that I mentioned previously. I won't go into specifics but it was published in 1965 and, at that time, the basic plot must have been intriguing to readers. Now almost 55 years later given what we've seen of politics and politicians nothing is surprising anymore. Without that surprise factor driving the book, I lost interest in getting back into it, at least for now. I've put it into "The Pile" for future consideration.
Here's what I did finish.
Series
Several months ago, I wrote about a book that I'd found on my shelves. I enjoyed it but it was the 3rd in a series and I like to know how these things start. I checked my usual discount sites for the first volume but they didn't have it so I wound up ordering it from Amazon.
Bullet For A Star - Stuart M. Kaminsky ($10.65/Gift Card, copyright1977, 141 pages, Trade Paperback)
This is that first book in Kaminsky's Toby Peters Series. It's set in Los Angeles in the summer of 1940. Toby is an ex-cop, ex-security guard for Warner Brothers who's scratching out a living as Private Investigator. Here he's contacted by a producer at Warner's who remembered him and has a job that he needs taken care of. Seems that a major star is being blackmailed and he wants Toby to handle the payoff (a similar concept to the book I've mentioned before). Turns out that the star is Errol Flynn and the blackmail involves a picture of Flynn with a very young female. The studio wants it swept under the rug. Of course, nothing goes right and Toby winds up being suspected of murdering the blackmailer. From there, things snowball. Kaminsky does a good job of setting up 1940's LA but his strong suit is the characters. Toby is well defined, as are the "extras" specifically his brother Phil Pevsner a police detective with anger issues and Shelly Minck, a slovenly dentist he rents office space from. To me, what sets this series apart from others is that Kaminsky mixes in a fair number of movie stars which I get a kick out of. In this book, Toby not only deals with Flynn but has conversations with Edward G. Robinson, Peter Lorre, and Humphrey Bogart. I thought I had it figured out midway through but was totally wrong, though close. I would recommend this series to anyone. I really enjoyed it.
That's all I have for now. If I pushed things I might finish one of the other books I'm reading but I don't think I would enjoy it. I'm just gonna let things flow naturally and we'll see what we come up with next month.
It's officially summer and it's definitely hot. Stay inside with the AC cranked up and ….
Keep Reading.
A brief explanation: I love to read and I have no shortage of material to choose from. In fact, I added 6 more books to my TBR pile 2 weeks ago. But reading takes concentration and mine has been focused in a different direction lately. I'm going to presume that anyone reading this is aware that I write another blog as well. It's fiction but based on my personal life. I have to admit that it was getting into a rut so I spent some time trying to come up with a way to get back on track. I found a new direction to go in and added the latest post to this blog just last week. From the reactions I received, I'm back on track.
Now I was able to devote more of my concentration to reading and I went back to the books I had already started. One of these was a political thriller that I mentioned previously. I won't go into specifics but it was published in 1965 and, at that time, the basic plot must have been intriguing to readers. Now almost 55 years later given what we've seen of politics and politicians nothing is surprising anymore. Without that surprise factor driving the book, I lost interest in getting back into it, at least for now. I've put it into "The Pile" for future consideration.
Here's what I did finish.
Series
Several months ago, I wrote about a book that I'd found on my shelves. I enjoyed it but it was the 3rd in a series and I like to know how these things start. I checked my usual discount sites for the first volume but they didn't have it so I wound up ordering it from Amazon.
Bullet For A Star - Stuart M. Kaminsky ($10.65/Gift Card, copyright1977, 141 pages, Trade Paperback)
This is that first book in Kaminsky's Toby Peters Series. It's set in Los Angeles in the summer of 1940. Toby is an ex-cop, ex-security guard for Warner Brothers who's scratching out a living as Private Investigator. Here he's contacted by a producer at Warner's who remembered him and has a job that he needs taken care of. Seems that a major star is being blackmailed and he wants Toby to handle the payoff (a similar concept to the book I've mentioned before). Turns out that the star is Errol Flynn and the blackmail involves a picture of Flynn with a very young female. The studio wants it swept under the rug. Of course, nothing goes right and Toby winds up being suspected of murdering the blackmailer. From there, things snowball. Kaminsky does a good job of setting up 1940's LA but his strong suit is the characters. Toby is well defined, as are the "extras" specifically his brother Phil Pevsner a police detective with anger issues and Shelly Minck, a slovenly dentist he rents office space from. To me, what sets this series apart from others is that Kaminsky mixes in a fair number of movie stars which I get a kick out of. In this book, Toby not only deals with Flynn but has conversations with Edward G. Robinson, Peter Lorre, and Humphrey Bogart. I thought I had it figured out midway through but was totally wrong, though close. I would recommend this series to anyone. I really enjoyed it.
That's all I have for now. If I pushed things I might finish one of the other books I'm reading but I don't think I would enjoy it. I'm just gonna let things flow naturally and we'll see what we come up with next month.
It's officially summer and it's definitely hot. Stay inside with the AC cranked up and ….
Keep Reading.
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