Interestingly enough, the majority of the male members of my immediate family have been born in August. My late father, myself, my younger brother, two of my nephews and a nephew-by-association. By my count that leaves a brother, two nephews, a brother-in-law and a son-in-law. More then half of the males in my immediate family are August babies. How about that?
Of course, this really has nothing to do with this month's posting. It's just something that I found interesting. Much like at least a couple of the books listed below.
Series
Flood - Andrew H. Vachss ($4.50/$.25, copyright 1985, 344 pages, Paperback)
I wrote about several of Vachss’ books a couple of months ago. This is the first in that series about Burke, an ex-con and unlicensed PI who travels in the NY underworld and deals primarily with cases involving child molestation and abuse. I enjoyed the first Burke book I read (which happened to be the 2nd in the series) . The second one I read, and now this one, were somewhat unsatisfying. This one has the cast of characters dealing with a murderous child molester and a brutal pimp, but there’s nothing new here. I like the supporting cast of characters, but here they are only introduced, not really defined. Later volumes give them life. It was OK.
Non-fiction
The Lost Continent - Bill Bryson ($13.00/$1.00, copyright 1989, 299 pages, Trade Paperback)
I picked this book up because of it’s title, as anyone who knows me would understand. Then I saw the sub-title - “Travels in Small Town America”. Still, I read a few random passages, flipping pages, and I was hooked. This is one person's account of his travels through middle America, starting and ending in Des Moines, Iowa. At first, I found that his vision of small town America is described with such humor and warmth that you want to go there. Then you find that it becomes a bit repetitive. Maybe this would’ve worked best as a series of newspaper/magazine articles or a sort of Charles Kurault “On the Road” type of TV thing. I have to admit that I skimmed through the last third of it. It was OK.
Miscellaneous
Bad Men - John Connolly ($7.99/$.50, copyright 2004, 451 pages, Paperback)
Connolly is the author of the Charlie Parker series, one or two of which I’ve mentioned here before. This is a stand-alone and combines elements of two distinct suspense novel formats. On one hand, we have the abused wife escaping her criminal husband with a lot of his money. Of course, he’s escaped from prison, gathered a gang of killers, and is hunting her down. On the other hand, we have the small island community - cut off from the mainland - that has a horrible tragedy buried in it’s past. Only a few people, including the island’s 7-foot deputy, can feel what’s happening. The two hands slam together in a great story that keeps the surprises going until the end. I enjoyed it.
Grendel - John Gardner ($10.95/$1.00, copyright 1971, 174 pages, Trade Paperback)
Put simply, this is just a retelling of the Beowulf story from the monster’s - Grendel’s - perspective. But this book can’t be read simply. Of course, if you know the Beowulf story, you know how it ends and Gardner stays true to the story, but he has a great time getting there. Grendel screams, yells, cries, and waxes rhapsodic for the length of the book, passing his judgement on Hrothgar and his Danes as representatives of all men. Good vs. evil, intelligence vs. ignorance, there's a lot under the surface here. At times funny, at times tragic, it is always entertaining. I enjoyed it.
Well. August is just about over, and September is only 10 days away. In about a month, Summer will end and Autumn will start. I don't know about you, but this year I'm looking forward to it. Till next time.....
Keep Reading.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
Special Insert # Eight - Something I Don't Understand
They say that the older you get, the more you tend to think about your own mortality. Well, I'll be 61 tomorrow and, having come pretty damn close to it almost 4 years ago, I don't pay much attention to Death. And yet I find myself addressing this topic because it just hit pretty damn close to home and I realize that I have some questions.
In literature, Death has been seen differently by different people.
Emily Dickinson wrote of it:
" Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;"
Giving the impression that you can try to ignore Death but you have to accept him .
Dylan Thomas had a different take:
"Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
Giving the impression that although you can't ignore Death you sure as hell can fight him.
These seem to be opposing views of the same subject. What does that mean? To me it means that, perhaps Death is different for each of us, that rules can't be applied to him.
Now, let me point out a few people who I've posted about on FaceBook since the beginning of June. See if you can guess what they have in common.
June 2 - Richard Dawson, 79, TV actor/host
June 5 - Ray Bradbury, 91, writer
June 8 - Frank Cady, 96, TV actor
July 3 - Andy Griffith, 86, actor
July 8 - Ernest Borgnine, 95, actor
July 23 - Sally Ride, 61, astronaut
July 24 - Sherman Hemsley, 74, TV actor
August 1 - Gore Vidal, 86, writer
August 12 - Joe Kubert, 85, artist
That's right. Every one of these represents a piece of my life, a chip out of the bedrock of my past. These actors, writers, and the one astronaut entertained and enthralled me as I grew up. And, of course, they all died recently.
Also, every one of them has died at a fairly advanced age. They had the chance to live the lives they wanted. They had the chance to take risks, make mistakes, love and be loved.
They had the chance.
This brings me to my point. Over the weekend a member of the family died. There was no horrible accident; there had been no lengthy illness; in fact, there had been no sign of illness at all. He, simply, died.
He was 25. He didn't get to have the chance. And I don't understand.
Look at that list of names again. These were famous people. During those same 10 weeks there were hundred of others who died, regular people who were not as famous, but they had the chance. Why should this one young man on the threshold of life be the one to die, to lose the chance? Why?
I don't know.
If it had been due to an accident or an illness we would still grieve but there would be an answer. Here, we don't have one. Just a hole where a young man used to be. A son, a brother, a nephew, a cousin, a friend. Why?
I don't know.
As Christians - as Catholics - we're told that God works in mysterious ways. There are hymns and prayers, there will be a homily, all meant to provide comfort, to give solace. We accept the words, because we've been raised that way. Do they help? When I think of the grieving parents, I have my doubts. After all, what can you do? Kneel before the altar begging and weeping, or stand there yelling and cursing? I don't think it would make a difference. And it wouldn't change anything. I was raised in the New Testament of Faith, Hope, Charity, and Love. This seems so Old Testament to me. A test of Faith? Why?
I don't know.
I'm a parent, too. I can pretend to know what they are going through but I know, deep down, that I really can't. And, frankly, I don't want to. I don't want to lose my child. Ever. I don't know what it would do to me. But I can see what it's doing to them and it breaks my heart.
The way I see it, it comes down to this. The natural order should be that you live your life, raise your family, grow old, and when you die your children bury you. A parent should never have to bury a child. It isn't natural.
But there are no rules in Death. And those questions I have...well, there really is only one. Why? And the answer is...
I don't know.
And this will remain something I don't understand.
Rest in peace, Daniel.
In literature, Death has been seen differently by different people.
Emily Dickinson wrote of it:
" Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;"
Giving the impression that you can try to ignore Death but you have to accept him .
Dylan Thomas had a different take:
"Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
Giving the impression that although you can't ignore Death you sure as hell can fight him.
These seem to be opposing views of the same subject. What does that mean? To me it means that, perhaps Death is different for each of us, that rules can't be applied to him.
Now, let me point out a few people who I've posted about on FaceBook since the beginning of June. See if you can guess what they have in common.
June 2 - Richard Dawson, 79, TV actor/host
June 5 - Ray Bradbury, 91, writer
June 8 - Frank Cady, 96, TV actor
July 3 - Andy Griffith, 86, actor
July 8 - Ernest Borgnine, 95, actor
July 23 - Sally Ride, 61, astronaut
July 24 - Sherman Hemsley, 74, TV actor
August 1 - Gore Vidal, 86, writer
August 12 - Joe Kubert, 85, artist
That's right. Every one of these represents a piece of my life, a chip out of the bedrock of my past. These actors, writers, and the one astronaut entertained and enthralled me as I grew up. And, of course, they all died recently.
Also, every one of them has died at a fairly advanced age. They had the chance to live the lives they wanted. They had the chance to take risks, make mistakes, love and be loved.
They had the chance.
This brings me to my point. Over the weekend a member of the family died. There was no horrible accident; there had been no lengthy illness; in fact, there had been no sign of illness at all. He, simply, died.
He was 25. He didn't get to have the chance. And I don't understand.
Look at that list of names again. These were famous people. During those same 10 weeks there were hundred of others who died, regular people who were not as famous, but they had the chance. Why should this one young man on the threshold of life be the one to die, to lose the chance? Why?
I don't know.
If it had been due to an accident or an illness we would still grieve but there would be an answer. Here, we don't have one. Just a hole where a young man used to be. A son, a brother, a nephew, a cousin, a friend. Why?
I don't know.
As Christians - as Catholics - we're told that God works in mysterious ways. There are hymns and prayers, there will be a homily, all meant to provide comfort, to give solace. We accept the words, because we've been raised that way. Do they help? When I think of the grieving parents, I have my doubts. After all, what can you do? Kneel before the altar begging and weeping, or stand there yelling and cursing? I don't think it would make a difference. And it wouldn't change anything. I was raised in the New Testament of Faith, Hope, Charity, and Love. This seems so Old Testament to me. A test of Faith? Why?
I don't know.
I'm a parent, too. I can pretend to know what they are going through but I know, deep down, that I really can't. And, frankly, I don't want to. I don't want to lose my child. Ever. I don't know what it would do to me. But I can see what it's doing to them and it breaks my heart.
The way I see it, it comes down to this. The natural order should be that you live your life, raise your family, grow old, and when you die your children bury you. A parent should never have to bury a child. It isn't natural.
But there are no rules in Death. And those questions I have...well, there really is only one. Why? And the answer is...
I don't know.
And this will remain something I don't understand.
Rest in peace, Daniel.
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Chapter Thirty-two
My usual routine is to read whatever number of books I can, and post an entry here, typically by the 24th of the month. Looking back, I realized that I tend to soften my opinion of a book as the month wears on. Basically, I may not like/hate it as much when I post as I did when I finished it. To change that, I've taken to keeping notes in Word so you get my honest opinion.
Miscellaneous
Gentlemen of the Road - Michael Chabon ($14.00/$.50, copyright 2007, 206 pages, Trade Paperback)
I’ve read several of Chabon’s works in the past. They have all been different - different characters, even different genres. Here we have two disparate adventurers - Zelikman and Amram - plying their “trade” wherever the road takes them in a past time somewhere around 950 AD. True to type for these kinds of stories, they wind up involved in rescuing a member of a royal family and saving a kingdom all while trying to make a few dinars. I wanted to like this, but Chabon has a tendency towards really long run-on sentences and he comes on pretty heavy with the fact that a lot of his characters are Jewish. (Also, he dedicates the book to Michael Moorcock when he obviously owes more to Fritz Leiber. AND this was originally serialized in the New York Times so, in my mind, the cover price isn‘t justified.). It was OK.
White Sky, Black Ice - Stan Jones ($15.00/$.50, copyright 1999, 264 pages, Trade Paperback)
An interesting premise. The main character, Nathan Active, is an Alaskan State Trooper looking into a string of suicides by Eskimos. He's also a native-born Eskimo who was given up for adoption to a white couple but now finds himself serving in the town of his birth. I was hoping for some fish-out-of-water stuff, maybe some Northern Exposure stuff. Definitely some Alaskan nature/harsh weather stuff. Jones glosses over all of it. There's some interesting stuff here but I figured it out early. It was OK.
Alex Cross's Trial - James Patterson & Richard Dilallo ($9.99, $.50, copyright 2009, 392 pages, Paperback)
And the Patterson Machine keeps on rolling them out. I'm listing this one under Miscellaneous because I don't believe it should be classified as part of Patterson's Alex Cross series. In part, because he has a co-writer, in part because it is supposed to be a book written by Alex Cross about something that happened to his ancestor. It revolves President Theodore Roosevelt sending a friend, Ben Corbett, down to Mississippi to investigate reports about lynching, and what happens when he gets there. I have to admit that having read all of the Alex Cross books, I found it a bit difficult remembering that the main character wasn't black. But there are scenes involving local color, violence, and court rooms that ring true. I was reminded at times of the movies To Kill A Mockinbird and Inherit the Wind. I enjoyed it.
Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter - Seth Grahame-Smith ($13.99/$5.99/Gift Card*, copyright 2010, 336 pages, Trade Paperback)
OK. I don't see how I can talk too much about this since the title pretty much tells it all. What I will say is that it is well written, mixes first and third person narratives (sometimes confusingly) to keep the story moving forward, and actually makes sense as you read through it. Unfortunately, I couldn't agree with the ending, but I did enjoy it. (*The cover price was $13.99 but it was reduced to $5.99 and I used what was left on a gift card.)
Something Special
Aaron Burr - Samuel H. Wandell and Meade Minnigerode
I'm guessing that you've noticed that there are no particulars about this work. That's because I haven't read it yet. I mention it because, once in a great while, you can find something interesting. As I've said, I usually confine myself to libraries, but once in a while I do check out used book stores. Particularly when I'm looking for something specific. I was looking for a copy of Edward Hale's "The Man Without a Country" and didn't have any luck. But I did buy this. A 2 volume, hard cover, biography of a very interesting character in early American history, copyright 1925. I paid $10.00 for the 2 of them. When I got home, I checked out Amazon. Collector's editions were selling for $75.00, used for $30.00. Not a bad investment. I hope it reads well.
Anyway, it's mid-July, it's very warm, and you should stay cool and..........
Keep reading.
Miscellaneous
Gentlemen of the Road - Michael Chabon ($14.00/$.50, copyright 2007, 206 pages, Trade Paperback)
I’ve read several of Chabon’s works in the past. They have all been different - different characters, even different genres. Here we have two disparate adventurers - Zelikman and Amram - plying their “trade” wherever the road takes them in a past time somewhere around 950 AD. True to type for these kinds of stories, they wind up involved in rescuing a member of a royal family and saving a kingdom all while trying to make a few dinars. I wanted to like this, but Chabon has a tendency towards really long run-on sentences and he comes on pretty heavy with the fact that a lot of his characters are Jewish. (Also, he dedicates the book to Michael Moorcock when he obviously owes more to Fritz Leiber. AND this was originally serialized in the New York Times so, in my mind, the cover price isn‘t justified.). It was OK.
White Sky, Black Ice - Stan Jones ($15.00/$.50, copyright 1999, 264 pages, Trade Paperback)
An interesting premise. The main character, Nathan Active, is an Alaskan State Trooper looking into a string of suicides by Eskimos. He's also a native-born Eskimo who was given up for adoption to a white couple but now finds himself serving in the town of his birth. I was hoping for some fish-out-of-water stuff, maybe some Northern Exposure stuff. Definitely some Alaskan nature/harsh weather stuff. Jones glosses over all of it. There's some interesting stuff here but I figured it out early. It was OK.
Alex Cross's Trial - James Patterson & Richard Dilallo ($9.99, $.50, copyright 2009, 392 pages, Paperback)
And the Patterson Machine keeps on rolling them out. I'm listing this one under Miscellaneous because I don't believe it should be classified as part of Patterson's Alex Cross series. In part, because he has a co-writer, in part because it is supposed to be a book written by Alex Cross about something that happened to his ancestor. It revolves President Theodore Roosevelt sending a friend, Ben Corbett, down to Mississippi to investigate reports about lynching, and what happens when he gets there. I have to admit that having read all of the Alex Cross books, I found it a bit difficult remembering that the main character wasn't black. But there are scenes involving local color, violence, and court rooms that ring true. I was reminded at times of the movies To Kill A Mockinbird and Inherit the Wind. I enjoyed it.
Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter - Seth Grahame-Smith ($13.99/$5.99/Gift Card*, copyright 2010, 336 pages, Trade Paperback)
OK. I don't see how I can talk too much about this since the title pretty much tells it all. What I will say is that it is well written, mixes first and third person narratives (sometimes confusingly) to keep the story moving forward, and actually makes sense as you read through it. Unfortunately, I couldn't agree with the ending, but I did enjoy it. (*The cover price was $13.99 but it was reduced to $5.99 and I used what was left on a gift card.)
Something Special
Aaron Burr - Samuel H. Wandell and Meade Minnigerode
I'm guessing that you've noticed that there are no particulars about this work. That's because I haven't read it yet. I mention it because, once in a great while, you can find something interesting. As I've said, I usually confine myself to libraries, but once in a while I do check out used book stores. Particularly when I'm looking for something specific. I was looking for a copy of Edward Hale's "The Man Without a Country" and didn't have any luck. But I did buy this. A 2 volume, hard cover, biography of a very interesting character in early American history, copyright 1925. I paid $10.00 for the 2 of them. When I got home, I checked out Amazon. Collector's editions were selling for $75.00, used for $30.00. Not a bad investment. I hope it reads well.
Anyway, it's mid-July, it's very warm, and you should stay cool and..........
Keep reading.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Chapter Thirty-one
A couple of weeks ago, one of my nephews posted on FaceBook that he was interested in writing, and asked for suggestions on how he should proceed. I replied with the old adage.."Write what you know". Now, that may not always be true - particularly in Fantasy/SciFi works - but, interestingly, I have recently read a few books that justify that saying. That being said, I'm going to change the format I usually post in so that I can explain this.
Series
Andrew Vachss
Vachss has been a Federal investigator, a social caseworker, and a director of a maximum security prison for youthful offenders. His life has been focused on the exploitation of children. I had the opportunity to pick up several of his books at the same time, and read two of them back-to-back.
Strega - ($11.00/$.50, copyright 1987, 293 pages, Trade Paperback)
Vachss' main character is Burke. He's a product of the "system" - no known parents, foster-raised and street-trained,with time spent honing himself in prison. He has created a family of his own among the street people and criminals that people the city. In this one, he's hired to locate a photograph of a young boy who's being abused. He does what he has to do, meeting with damaged people and dealing with the seamy underside of New York. I enjoyed it.
Choice of Evil - ($13.00/$.50, copyright 1999, 305 pages, Trade Paperback)
Burke is faced with a part of his past that he's not entirely comfortable with. His girlfriend has been killed in a drive-by that appears to be anti-gay which, in turn, leads to some serious reprisals by an anonymous killer. The consensus is that this killer is an old associate of Burke's who is supposed to be dead. I found this one to be less interesting. Burke seemed more needy, and his supporting cast less effective. It was OK.
Eddie Muller
This Eddie Muller's father was the Eddie Muller who wrote the "Shadow Boxing" column in the old San Francisco Examiner starting back in the 1930's. Boxing continued to be very big into the 1950's, actually becoming one of the major draws at the birth of TV. Eddie Junior (the author) has made his reputation on books about Film Noir - and the ways people deal with different crimes under mundane circumstances.
The Distance - ($14.90/$.50, copyright 2004, 413 pages, Trade Paperback)
This is set in a time and place I was totally unfamiliar with - the boxing scene in 1948 San Francisco as seen through the eyes of a newspaper columnist - Mr. Boxing, Billy Nichols. It starts with him stumbling into a crime scene and trying to help out a friend, and then spirals outward. Boxers, fixers, cops, dames...they're all here, and they look good in the black-and-white that they're painted in. This would've been a great movie. I enjoyed it.
I have several books - directions - to go from here. Not sure which way I'll turn. But the bottom line is - write what you feel, what pours out of you. If it makes you happy, nothing else matters.
Oh, and...
Keep reading.
Series
Andrew Vachss
Vachss has been a Federal investigator, a social caseworker, and a director of a maximum security prison for youthful offenders. His life has been focused on the exploitation of children. I had the opportunity to pick up several of his books at the same time, and read two of them back-to-back.
Strega - ($11.00/$.50, copyright 1987, 293 pages, Trade Paperback)
Vachss' main character is Burke. He's a product of the "system" - no known parents, foster-raised and street-trained,with time spent honing himself in prison. He has created a family of his own among the street people and criminals that people the city. In this one, he's hired to locate a photograph of a young boy who's being abused. He does what he has to do, meeting with damaged people and dealing with the seamy underside of New York. I enjoyed it.
Choice of Evil - ($13.00/$.50, copyright 1999, 305 pages, Trade Paperback)
Burke is faced with a part of his past that he's not entirely comfortable with. His girlfriend has been killed in a drive-by that appears to be anti-gay which, in turn, leads to some serious reprisals by an anonymous killer. The consensus is that this killer is an old associate of Burke's who is supposed to be dead. I found this one to be less interesting. Burke seemed more needy, and his supporting cast less effective. It was OK.
Eddie Muller
This Eddie Muller's father was the Eddie Muller who wrote the "Shadow Boxing" column in the old San Francisco Examiner starting back in the 1930's. Boxing continued to be very big into the 1950's, actually becoming one of the major draws at the birth of TV. Eddie Junior (the author) has made his reputation on books about Film Noir - and the ways people deal with different crimes under mundane circumstances.
The Distance - ($14.90/$.50, copyright 2004, 413 pages, Trade Paperback)
This is set in a time and place I was totally unfamiliar with - the boxing scene in 1948 San Francisco as seen through the eyes of a newspaper columnist - Mr. Boxing, Billy Nichols. It starts with him stumbling into a crime scene and trying to help out a friend, and then spirals outward. Boxers, fixers, cops, dames...they're all here, and they look good in the black-and-white that they're painted in. This would've been a great movie. I enjoyed it.
I have several books - directions - to go from here. Not sure which way I'll turn. But the bottom line is - write what you feel, what pours out of you. If it makes you happy, nothing else matters.
Oh, and...
Keep reading.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Chapter Thirty
Wow! Thirty chapters. Plus a couple of Special Inserts along the way. I guess I've been making entries to this blog for over 2 1/2 years now. And I've got enough books piled up in the other room to do another 2 1/2 without buying another volume. The old time flies/enjoying yourself thing, I guess. Anyway, let's get to it.
Miscellaneous
The White Tiger - Aravind Adiga ($14.00/$.50, copyright 2008, 276 pages, Trade Paperback)
There are a lot of superlatives thrown around on the cover for this book, from sources ranging from USA Today to the New York Times. It is the "life" story of a young man in India and his path out of The Darkness to becoming a success. I was marginally aware of the poverty, crowding, and living conditions of much of India, but this book really brings it home - and with just the right touch of black humor to make it interesting. I enjoyed it.
The Threepenny Opera - Bertolt Brecht ($6.95/Gift Card, copyright 1949, 110 pages, Paperback)
Everyone remember Mack the Knife? You know, Louis Armstrong, Bobby Darin? Well, Mack was the main character in this play written by Brecht with music contributed by Kurt Weill. It's sort of a slice of life depiction of how the lower (read criminal) class lived in London and takes place just before a coronation. This volume includes instructions on how to stage a production which would be interesting to see. I enjoyed it.
Sherlock Holmes
Rasputin's Revenge - John Lescroart ($14.00/$.25, copyright 1987, 269 pages, Trade Paperback)
I wrote about Lescroart's previous Holmes-related volume - Son of Holmes - several months ago. I enjoyed that one, but this one's even better. As you can tell from the title we're dealing with pre-revolutionary Russia and the early years of World War I. Jules Giraud - the narrator of both volumes - is sent to Russia on a mission for the French war effort and encounters Auguste Lupo (the Son of Holmes), murders, court intrigue, and - of course - Rasputin. And there's a surprise appearance by a couple of interested parties towards the end. Very satisfactory. (Get the reference?)
Graphic Novels
OK. I know that I wrote previously that I would be staying away from these since the prices had gotten prohibitive, but I got these (and another volume or two) for free as "payment" for helping with a Book Fair at an Elementary School in Elizabeth. Remember, these are aimed at school children.
Sidekicks - Dan Santat ($10.99/$.0, copyright 2011, 217 pages, Trade Paperback)
The premise here is that the greatest superhero in the world is getting old, and he decides to hold auditions for a sidekick. His pets decide to try out. (I told you these were aimed at school children). We also get a super-villain to fight, and lessons on family, friendship, and how using your brain can win out over brawn. I enjoyed it.
Poe - J. Barton Mitchell (writer) and Dean Kotz (art) ($10.99/$.0, 2011, pages unnumbered, Trade Paperback)
I'm guessing that you figured out who this slim volume is about. The premise is that Poe, while dealing badly with his wife's death, helps his police-officer brother solve a series of brutal crimes. The writer brings in references to many of Poe's famous stories, but I found it at times a bit disjointed and the art work is way too dark. It was OK.
Here's wishing you all a Happy Memorial Day Weekend, and...
Keep reading.
Miscellaneous
The White Tiger - Aravind Adiga ($14.00/$.50, copyright 2008, 276 pages, Trade Paperback)
There are a lot of superlatives thrown around on the cover for this book, from sources ranging from USA Today to the New York Times. It is the "life" story of a young man in India and his path out of The Darkness to becoming a success. I was marginally aware of the poverty, crowding, and living conditions of much of India, but this book really brings it home - and with just the right touch of black humor to make it interesting. I enjoyed it.
The Threepenny Opera - Bertolt Brecht ($6.95/Gift Card, copyright 1949, 110 pages, Paperback)
Everyone remember Mack the Knife? You know, Louis Armstrong, Bobby Darin? Well, Mack was the main character in this play written by Brecht with music contributed by Kurt Weill. It's sort of a slice of life depiction of how the lower (read criminal) class lived in London and takes place just before a coronation. This volume includes instructions on how to stage a production which would be interesting to see. I enjoyed it.
Sherlock Holmes
Rasputin's Revenge - John Lescroart ($14.00/$.25, copyright 1987, 269 pages, Trade Paperback)
I wrote about Lescroart's previous Holmes-related volume - Son of Holmes - several months ago. I enjoyed that one, but this one's even better. As you can tell from the title we're dealing with pre-revolutionary Russia and the early years of World War I. Jules Giraud - the narrator of both volumes - is sent to Russia on a mission for the French war effort and encounters Auguste Lupo (the Son of Holmes), murders, court intrigue, and - of course - Rasputin. And there's a surprise appearance by a couple of interested parties towards the end. Very satisfactory. (Get the reference?)
Graphic Novels
OK. I know that I wrote previously that I would be staying away from these since the prices had gotten prohibitive, but I got these (and another volume or two) for free as "payment" for helping with a Book Fair at an Elementary School in Elizabeth. Remember, these are aimed at school children.
Sidekicks - Dan Santat ($10.99/$.0, copyright 2011, 217 pages, Trade Paperback)
The premise here is that the greatest superhero in the world is getting old, and he decides to hold auditions for a sidekick. His pets decide to try out. (I told you these were aimed at school children). We also get a super-villain to fight, and lessons on family, friendship, and how using your brain can win out over brawn. I enjoyed it.
Poe - J. Barton Mitchell (writer) and Dean Kotz (art) ($10.99/$.0, 2011, pages unnumbered, Trade Paperback)
I'm guessing that you figured out who this slim volume is about. The premise is that Poe, while dealing badly with his wife's death, helps his police-officer brother solve a series of brutal crimes. The writer brings in references to many of Poe's famous stories, but I found it at times a bit disjointed and the art work is way too dark. It was OK.
Here's wishing you all a Happy Memorial Day Weekend, and...
Keep reading.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Chapter Twenty-nine
April has been a pretty busy month for me personally, so I didn't have much time to read. I'm in the middle of something interesting right now, but I don't know if I'll have it finished within the next day or so. Since I like to post these on or before the 24th of the month, I'm gonna have to go with the 3 books that I have finished since my last post. Coincidentally, they all fall within the same category.
Series
Night Prey - John Sandford ($9.99/$.50, copyright 1994, 435 pages, Paperback)
Sandford has been writing this series about Lucas Davenport for a long time. Davenport leads a special police unit in and around the Minneapolis and St. Paul area, and in this book they deal with a serial killer. It's an interesting read, and Sandford alternates sections of each chapter between Davenport and his people, the killer, and a potential victim. Unfortunately, Sandford seems to presume that you're familiar with his characters and their relationships so he just jumps in and brings in whoever he needs when he needs them. It was OK.
The Chicago Way - Michael Harvey ($13.95/$.50, copyright 2007, 303 pages, Trade Paperback)
This is the first volume of a projected series. The main character is a former cop turned private investigator named Michael Kelly. Here, he's hired to look into an eight-year-old rape case by a cop and former friend. As cold cases go, this one stirs up a lot of heat and Kelly relies on an array of friends and colleagues who happen to be involved in professions that provide him with information - a coroner, a reporter, someone in the DA's office, etc. Nothing really new here. The author, Harvey, is the co-creator of "Cold Case Files" so he's familiar with how the procedures work, but sometimes this reads like he tried to expand on a television script and still left some details out. It was OK.
The Case of the Missing Books - Ian Sansom ($13.00/$1.00, copyright 2005, 326 pages, Trade Paperback)
Another first in a possible series. This is a sort of fish-out-of-water story. Israel Armstrong - a young, unremarkable English man - takes a job as a librarian in a small little town in the far north of Northern Ireland. Only the library has been closed, but he's to drive around the mobile library. Only all the books are missing, and the local government insists that it's his responsibility to find them - after all, he's the librarian. The village characters - and they are all characters - ring true, the dialog is great, and some of the scenarios are very inventive. I enjoyed it.
This Month
As I mentioned earlier, I was busy this month. April is Donate Life Month, and there were a few things I was involved in that took up a lot of time. There was also the Woodbridge Domestic Violence Response Team Annual Walk/Run which was held last Saturday and was a lot of fun. Additionally, my daughter and her husband moved into their first house on Sunday and, although I can't lift anything heavy, I was there to do what I could. Looking ahead to May, I don't seem to have as many demands on my time so maybe there will be more then 3 books next month.
Sign up as an organ donor and...
Keep Reading.
Series
Night Prey - John Sandford ($9.99/$.50, copyright 1994, 435 pages, Paperback)
Sandford has been writing this series about Lucas Davenport for a long time. Davenport leads a special police unit in and around the Minneapolis and St. Paul area, and in this book they deal with a serial killer. It's an interesting read, and Sandford alternates sections of each chapter between Davenport and his people, the killer, and a potential victim. Unfortunately, Sandford seems to presume that you're familiar with his characters and their relationships so he just jumps in and brings in whoever he needs when he needs them. It was OK.
The Chicago Way - Michael Harvey ($13.95/$.50, copyright 2007, 303 pages, Trade Paperback)
This is the first volume of a projected series. The main character is a former cop turned private investigator named Michael Kelly. Here, he's hired to look into an eight-year-old rape case by a cop and former friend. As cold cases go, this one stirs up a lot of heat and Kelly relies on an array of friends and colleagues who happen to be involved in professions that provide him with information - a coroner, a reporter, someone in the DA's office, etc. Nothing really new here. The author, Harvey, is the co-creator of "Cold Case Files" so he's familiar with how the procedures work, but sometimes this reads like he tried to expand on a television script and still left some details out. It was OK.
The Case of the Missing Books - Ian Sansom ($13.00/$1.00, copyright 2005, 326 pages, Trade Paperback)
Another first in a possible series. This is a sort of fish-out-of-water story. Israel Armstrong - a young, unremarkable English man - takes a job as a librarian in a small little town in the far north of Northern Ireland. Only the library has been closed, but he's to drive around the mobile library. Only all the books are missing, and the local government insists that it's his responsibility to find them - after all, he's the librarian. The village characters - and they are all characters - ring true, the dialog is great, and some of the scenarios are very inventive. I enjoyed it.
This Month
As I mentioned earlier, I was busy this month. April is Donate Life Month, and there were a few things I was involved in that took up a lot of time. There was also the Woodbridge Domestic Violence Response Team Annual Walk/Run which was held last Saturday and was a lot of fun. Additionally, my daughter and her husband moved into their first house on Sunday and, although I can't lift anything heavy, I was there to do what I could. Looking ahead to May, I don't seem to have as many demands on my time so maybe there will be more then 3 books next month.
Sign up as an organ donor and...
Keep Reading.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Chapter Twenty-eight
Well, the Winter's finally over - although I gotta admit it was a pretty mild one. Today is the first day of Spring, we've passed St. Patrick's Day, and we've got a couple of week's of Lent left. I hope you all get to enjoy the upcoming seasons (and sorry to all you allergy sufferers out there). I only have three books to tell you about this time, but it's an example of quality over quantity.
Series
Bronx Tales - Joseph Teller ($7.99/$.50, copyright 2009, 366 pages, Paperback)
This is one of the early works in the Jaywalker series. He's a defense lawyer whose name is actually Harrison J. Walker, but everyone calls him Jaywalker ( which, I have to admit, annoyed me after a while). It is a flashback dealing with one of his earliest cases - a multiple rape case. There are some interesting angles here, but too much time spent on legal details and procedures. To be honest, I picked it up because it had "Bronx" in the title, and there are some references to local areas I recognized. The ending was interesting, but too pat and too quick. It was OK.
Sherlock Holmes
Dust and Shadow - Lyndsay Faye ($14.00/$1.00, copyright 2009, 322 pages, Trade Paperback)
My fascination with the Holmes mythos should be known to anyone who actually reads this blog. Here, we add in that greatest of all English mysteries - the Jack the Ripper case! Yes, I know, there are any number of Holmes/Ripper novels already in print, but here we have something unusual - a new slant on who the Ripper was. And it is the first novel written by a young woman who has given new life to Holmes, Watson, Lestrade and the other characters and their interactions. I enjoyed it.
Old Favorites
Tai-Pan - James Clavell ($3.25/$2.20. copyright 1966, 734 pages, Paperback)
I mentioned the last time that I'd come across a couple of books that I'd read years and years ago, and was going to reread. This is one of them, and I have to admit that I've read this at least twice before. Clavell may be more famous for his epic novel Shogun, which was made into an excellent mini-series on television.( And there was a movie made of this book that I've never seen that didn't do so well.) For my money, this is Clavell's best work. He deals here with the British taking over Hong Kong, the China Traders and their dealings with the Chinese, opium smuggling, and their rivalries. This book has everything - action, adventure, intrigue, humor, history, and romance. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone who likes a good story.
Like I said, quality over quantity (if you discount the first book). Hopefully, I'll have some more great stuff to tell you about in the upcoming months.
Keep reading.
Series
Bronx Tales - Joseph Teller ($7.99/$.50, copyright 2009, 366 pages, Paperback)
This is one of the early works in the Jaywalker series. He's a defense lawyer whose name is actually Harrison J. Walker, but everyone calls him Jaywalker ( which, I have to admit, annoyed me after a while). It is a flashback dealing with one of his earliest cases - a multiple rape case. There are some interesting angles here, but too much time spent on legal details and procedures. To be honest, I picked it up because it had "Bronx" in the title, and there are some references to local areas I recognized. The ending was interesting, but too pat and too quick. It was OK.
Sherlock Holmes
Dust and Shadow - Lyndsay Faye ($14.00/$1.00, copyright 2009, 322 pages, Trade Paperback)
My fascination with the Holmes mythos should be known to anyone who actually reads this blog. Here, we add in that greatest of all English mysteries - the Jack the Ripper case! Yes, I know, there are any number of Holmes/Ripper novels already in print, but here we have something unusual - a new slant on who the Ripper was. And it is the first novel written by a young woman who has given new life to Holmes, Watson, Lestrade and the other characters and their interactions. I enjoyed it.
Old Favorites
Tai-Pan - James Clavell ($3.25/$2.20. copyright 1966, 734 pages, Paperback)
I mentioned the last time that I'd come across a couple of books that I'd read years and years ago, and was going to reread. This is one of them, and I have to admit that I've read this at least twice before. Clavell may be more famous for his epic novel Shogun, which was made into an excellent mini-series on television.( And there was a movie made of this book that I've never seen that didn't do so well.) For my money, this is Clavell's best work. He deals here with the British taking over Hong Kong, the China Traders and their dealings with the Chinese, opium smuggling, and their rivalries. This book has everything - action, adventure, intrigue, humor, history, and romance. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it to anyone who likes a good story.
Like I said, quality over quantity (if you discount the first book). Hopefully, I'll have some more great stuff to tell you about in the upcoming months.
Keep reading.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)