The Word is Pretentious...or Lame if you are less fancy.

Anthony injects himself into his own novel. I initially thought, well that's rather pretentious of you...and I was right. This book is not even on the same plane as The Magpie Murders. Read that one instead.

Watch the Original Movies...

This graphic novel plays a third fiddle to the actual novels and original films. Therefore, you should just stick with the films. I found the books to be good, but overlong at times. 

I love Mike Resnick

I don't read a ton of science fiction, but when I do it's often Mike Resnick. This has a gifted interstellar hunter chasing a mythical beast. Standard fare? Maybe. But it is pretty damn good nonetheless.

GREAT...Read in one sitting if you can.

This book is 210 pages long. It is one sentence. 
Don't let that scare you off. 
It is brilliant. 
That's all I will say.
Please read it.

Old School Mystery...a la my Women's Detective Fiction Class

OK, so I finally decided to clean out my upstairs overflow library. While there I stumbled across this and all the annotations I made in it when I took a night class for fun a few years ago. Anyway, my annotations are honestly the best part. It's good as murder mysteries go, but the constant name dropping of books and authors and multiple quotes from other books may turn the everyday reader off. It does a good job of revealing what a female professor's life was likely like during the 1970s and 1980s though as the author (Amanda Cross is a pseudonym) was a famous professor of literature. However, you will establish who the killer is long before 1/2 way through the novel. 

A Classic...I wonder if the movie is better?

Perhaps I was expecting more, but this classic seems a little underwhelming. I think I will watch the new movie anyway. Also, I don't want to say much about the plot as it's a murder mystery and all. It can be read in one sitting though.

Exellent so far...

This is the book I just started. It's excellent so far. Her book, Accordion Crimes, is truly  exceptional.

Abandoned....just bland as hell.

Boring, bland, abandoned. Next...

A novel within a novel....

I blame Pirlot for all the murder mysteries I have been reading, her, or The New Yorker. Anyway, this was one of those books that I could actually read for hours at a time. I will not give away any details here, but the novel within a novel is great, rather than too precious. At times the book may be too clever for its own good, but I think that is actually the point. 

A little post-WWII Crime for You

This is the other great novella I recently read. And yes I will be watching the movie as soon as I can. Plus I will have to return to Vienna and do a The Third Man tour of the city. The book's post-war setting in a zone run Vienna is interesting, as is the language and style of writing.

I love you Holly...just like everyone else. Is there a movie? Smashing!

I loved Holly so much that when I finished her story I ordered a copy for a friend. The language is so unique, especially for 21st century ears. It reminded me a little of The Great Gatsby or Lolita in that the language was very much of the time. Anyway, it's a short novella that you should go read as soon as you can.

Trite, poorly written garbage....No really.

So this was a complete impulse buy at Wal-Mart. I was reading A Handmaid's Tale, but decided that I needed something lighter. As it turns out, one should never judge a book by its cover (the lettering is all raised and fun to touch). Also, it seems, don't trust the New York Times best seller nonsense. Furthermore, Reese Witherspoon cannot be trusted either. Ok, writing all that makes me realize I am an idiot to be played by such fine marketing. Ah well, pass this on by. 

More Magazines....

Ignore the cover....though it's clever enough. Articles of note here are "Death of a Dystopian" about the radical film maker David Crowley and his untimely, and mysterious death. The other great article is "We Have No Choice" about Nigerian girls who end up in prostitution rings in an attempt to get to Europe.

Magazines Are Books Too...

By far the best article I read in here is about Michael Heizer's monumental earthworks art work in the Nevada desert. I head about this guy years ago. He has been working on his art project since the early 1970s. It will be opened in 2020. Count me in. 

Canada's Bleak History

Hockey = Canada. Sadly, it also means Residential Schools and abuse. Oh Canada, I love you, but you have a dark past. The best moments of this book occur when Indian Horse is on the ice. The description of what happens in the mind of a highly-skilled hockey player is interesting (especially for someone who has never played). The abuse story-line is subtle, but in the end as tragic as you would expect. A good, not great, book.

It seems I like nothing....

Ok, this is a better book than I think it is and you should actually read it. I don't particularly see what all the fuss is about, but I understand that its story is interesting at times. My complaint...its all just small chapter-sized anecdotes with no real point in the end. Also, all the characters, except Lori, bug me.

Sharp Objects....more like lame objects

I guess I should have known this was going to be weak. I was not a fan of Gone Girl either. Ah well, it was sitting in the library at school and since I only have a million books at home to read I decided this was a good option. My main criticism is the unbelieability of its characters and its lame, been there done that, echoes of Flowers in the Attic.

War and Peace...Volume 2 Finished

Hello: Long time no see, expect some updates. Anyway, so I finished Volume II. It was a long haul right up to the war part with Napoleon and his entering Russia. Of particular interest was the coverage of the Battle of Borodino. Specifically the thesis that wars are not won by great men or great plans or great ideas, but rather by the mood of the men on that particular day. In short, no amount of planning is as effective as a little luck and a lot of morale. As such, the author/narrator debunks the idea that Napoleon was a military genius.