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Road Dogs
Elmore Leonard
Read 8/30/09
In Leonard’s latest book he combines 3 characters from previous stories. Jack Foley from Out of Sight, Cundo Rey from LaBrava, and Dawn Navarro from Riding the Rap The three characters did not know each other, but Cundo married Dawn before being sent to prision where he met Foley. Now the jailbirds are out and hanging out in L.A. where Dawn has been watching over Cundo’s fortune for the 8 years he has been in prison. Dawn wants the money, but how can she get it from him… and will Foley help.
I love Leonard, this wasn’t his best book, but not his worst either. There were a lot of characters, but some of the minor ones became important. Some of the developing story lines really didn’t go anywhere. I guess that is part of the fun of Leonard is trying to figure out what the story is, and who will be important to it.
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Jernigan (22)
Jernigan
David Gates
Read 8/20/09
This book is in the same vein as Bukowski. Jernigan’s life continues to slide downhill. His wife dies, his teenaged son is distant. Within his own mind all seems well, but bit by bit his life starts to fall apart. Yet he accepts each small part of it and to him it all seems to make sense. The book has an interesting twist by starting at the ending… so you sort of know what happens, but you don’t know why or how. He gets involved with a woman who at first he loves, but then comes to loath, as she does him. He loses his job, he starts drinking more and more. Things come apart in such an orderly manner, that he barely seems to care. Which might be the most elegant part of this story. People seldom crash and burn, it is usually a slow process, and piece by piece it comes apart.
David Gates
Read 8/20/09
This book is in the same vein as Bukowski. Jernigan’s life continues to slide downhill. His wife dies, his teenaged son is distant. Within his own mind all seems well, but bit by bit his life starts to fall apart. Yet he accepts each small part of it and to him it all seems to make sense. The book has an interesting twist by starting at the ending… so you sort of know what happens, but you don’t know why or how. He gets involved with a woman who at first he loves, but then comes to loath, as she does him. He loses his job, he starts drinking more and more. Things come apart in such an orderly manner, that he barely seems to care. Which might be the most elegant part of this story. People seldom crash and burn, it is usually a slow process, and piece by piece it comes apart.
Green Lantern Hero’s Quest (21)
Green Lantern Hero’s Quest
Dennis O’Neil
Read 8/16/09
This is another in the Justice League novels. I have read most of them now, some are good and some not. This was one of the better ones. Kyle becomes a Green Lantern by chance, then has to figure out how to use his new powers, and do some soul searching to figure out if he even wants the power, and the responsibility that comes with it.
As with many of these books this one gets way out there with the science fiction and science, yet this is very much like a comic book, and it was enjoyable.
I generally do not read the afterwards… thanking lots of people I don’t know or care about but this one talks about the day Sept 10 1997, the book was bout ¾ written. He was having lunch in NYC and he had a heart attack, he thanks the people who saved his life and made finishing the book possible. Nice story, but even more pointed for me as this happened on my birthday.
Dennis O’Neil
Read 8/16/09
This is another in the Justice League novels. I have read most of them now, some are good and some not. This was one of the better ones. Kyle becomes a Green Lantern by chance, then has to figure out how to use his new powers, and do some soul searching to figure out if he even wants the power, and the responsibility that comes with it.
As with many of these books this one gets way out there with the science fiction and science, yet this is very much like a comic book, and it was enjoyable.
I generally do not read the afterwards… thanking lots of people I don’t know or care about but this one talks about the day Sept 10 1997, the book was bout ¾ written. He was having lunch in NYC and he had a heart attack, he thanks the people who saved his life and made finishing the book possible. Nice story, but even more pointed for me as this happened on my birthday.
People of the Lie (20)
People of the Lie
M. Scott Peck
Read 7/28/09
Written by a doctor of psychiatry this is a look at people who are clinically evil. While this is not an officially recognized diagnosis, he maintains that it should be and provides some examples of different people. The examples are interesting, in some cases horrifying. I had trouble with the whole concept of evil, while the people in the examples definitely did some odd and destructive things, I have trouble calling it evil. This is my hangup, not necessarily the books. The Doctor is also a born again Christian and is very open about his faith and how it colors his out look, so that lost me to an extent also.
While I didn’t buy into everything in the book it was a worthwhile read.
You can visit the authors website at: http://www.mscottpeck.com/index.html
M. Scott Peck
Read 7/28/09
Written by a doctor of psychiatry this is a look at people who are clinically evil. While this is not an officially recognized diagnosis, he maintains that it should be and provides some examples of different people. The examples are interesting, in some cases horrifying. I had trouble with the whole concept of evil, while the people in the examples definitely did some odd and destructive things, I have trouble calling it evil. This is my hangup, not necessarily the books. The Doctor is also a born again Christian and is very open about his faith and how it colors his out look, so that lost me to an extent also.
While I didn’t buy into everything in the book it was a worthwhile read.
You can visit the authors website at: http://www.mscottpeck.com/index.html
When Pine Was King (19)
When Pine Was King
Charles Lewis Reimann
Read 7/27/09
I had actually read this book several years ago and enjoyed it. Reimann wrote several books which I purchased used on Amazon. Unlike the previous book this was just about the lumber industry in Upper Michigan circa 1890’s, the boom years. It is a great look at life in the lumber camp and how the men lived and worked. Some of the stories in this book also appear in Between Iron and Pine. While not nearly as detailed as that book this is an enjoyable read, and I believe to be an accurate look at life in the woods.
Charles Lewis Reimann
Read 7/27/09
I had actually read this book several years ago and enjoyed it. Reimann wrote several books which I purchased used on Amazon. Unlike the previous book this was just about the lumber industry in Upper Michigan circa 1890’s, the boom years. It is a great look at life in the lumber camp and how the men lived and worked. Some of the stories in this book also appear in Between Iron and Pine. While not nearly as detailed as that book this is an enjoyable read, and I believe to be an accurate look at life in the woods.
Between Iron and Pine (18)
Between Iron and Pine
Charles Lewis Reimann
Read 7/19/09
Charles Reimann was born around the turn of the last century in Iron River Michigan back when it was a booming lumber and mining town. Part of a large German family he takes a detailed look at all aspects of his young life, from the lumber and mining industries to life at home, food, chores, winters and other day to day aspects of life. It is a great first hand account of the way life was in a UP town 100+ years ago.
I read a lot of books about Michigan history of this period and I think this is one of the best that I have read. It looks at many different aspects of life and gives you a real feel for what life was like.
Charles Lewis Reimann
Read 7/19/09
Charles Reimann was born around the turn of the last century in Iron River Michigan back when it was a booming lumber and mining town. Part of a large German family he takes a detailed look at all aspects of his young life, from the lumber and mining industries to life at home, food, chores, winters and other day to day aspects of life. It is a great first hand account of the way life was in a UP town 100+ years ago.
I read a lot of books about Michigan history of this period and I think this is one of the best that I have read. It looks at many different aspects of life and gives you a real feel for what life was like.
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