Brief Commentary
Is there really such a thing as "summer fiction"? There is a summertime movie season but do publishers release books as summer blockbusters? This time of year you see multiple comments about beach books and summer reading lists but do reading patterns change that much during the season? Is it all a marketing method to keep people reading and buying books during the summer?
It seems like people would read less during the summer because of the nice weather and long days. The only people I see as "summer readers" are people whose work patterns change in the summer to allow them more time, like teachers and students. Other people, like farmers, have less time.
Don't get me started on "beach reads". Quick and easy fiction is always around and I much prefer to travel with a paperback than a new hardcover.
Fiction
The Nearest Exit by Olen Steinhauer. What's the deal with this guy? His books are supposed to be really well done and he hit the NYT bestseller list. So why have I never heard of him? This novel is an international spy thriller.
The Outside Boy by Jeanine Cummings. Young boy Christopher is an Irish tinker in 1959 Ireland. Tinkers are gypsies and when Christopher's his family settles down for Christopher and his brother to get schooling and first Communion they are still considered outsiders.
Skin by Mo Hayder. Here is another author I've been meaning to get to. Hayder writes some horror style thrillers set in the UK. Police diver Flea and cop Jack investigate rash of suicides connected to a "nearly bottomless network of flooded quarries just outside the city".
Nashville Noir: a Murder, She Wrote mystery by Jessica Fletcher and Donald Bain. I very much doubt this is traditionally "noir-y", I presume it is a cozy. Who owns the rights to the name Jessica Fletcher? The book is printed with an NBC logo but they use Angela Lansbury's image on the cover. Plus they credit the series creators. It sounds like a licensing and royalties nightmare.
Predator by Terri Blackstock.
Mississippi Vivian by Bill Crider and Clyde Wilson. Wilson was a famous private investigator in Houston. The flyleaf says Crider has written more than fifty novels. He must have written those before the Internet took all his time.
Rolling Thunder by Chris Grabenstein. Another John Ceepak mystery set in the New Jersey shore town of Sea Haven. Fun mysteries.
Snow Angels by James Thompson. Mystery set in Lapland above the Arctic Circle. This one sounds really good.
The Big Bang by Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins. This is an interesting title because Collins has a big brain. Seriously, the guy's head is filled with all sorts of interesting information and stories.
The Book of Spies by Gayle Lynds. CIA has rare books expert Eva Blake help identify and find a secret library from Ivan the Terrible.
Black Blade Blues by J.A. Pitts. Another of those modern day vampires, dragons, tattoos, swords, etc. novels that my wife enjoys.
Morning's Refrain by Tracie Peterson. Flutist engages in romance.
Death Echo by Elizabeth Lowell. "A novel of suspense".
Never Let You Go by Erin Healy. Fantasy elements with Lexi. "Lexi is losing it. The husband who deserted her is back in town, wanting to see their daughter Molly. Her sister's shameless murderer is up for parole. An unsavory old friend is demanding payment for debts that Lexi knows nothing about."
The Story Between Them by Molly O'Keefe. Paperback romance.
Little Bee by Chris Cleave.
Losing Charlotte by Heather Clay.
Infamous by Ace Atkins. I read an Atkins book once and it was really good. This is a historical novel of George "Machine Gun" Kelly and his nutso wife who wanted him to be a famous crook.
The Passage by Justin Cronin. 766 page novel of apocalypse.
Large Print
Hannah's List by Debbie Macomber.
The Walk by Richard Paul Evans.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Human Bones!
Human Bones!
Aztalan State Park, just to the East of Lake Mills, has been studied for years. About 100 years ago excavated human bones were thought to be from cannibalism. Cannibalism! The eating of human flesh! Boiled heads!
Anthropologist/Archeologist Katie Rudolph, a recent UW-Milwaukee grad, says the bones are the result of warfare, not cannibalism or zombies. Will this make tours more or less interesting to Cub Scouts? Ms. Rudolph gave a presentation on her findings to the Friends of Aztalan Park on March 13th. She did a good job. Watch her presentation below.
Part One
Part Two
Aztalan State Park, just to the East of Lake Mills, has been studied for years. About 100 years ago excavated human bones were thought to be from cannibalism. Cannibalism! The eating of human flesh! Boiled heads!
Anthropologist/Archeologist Katie Rudolph, a recent UW-Milwaukee grad, says the bones are the result of warfare, not cannibalism or zombies. Will this make tours more or less interesting to Cub Scouts? Ms. Rudolph gave a presentation on her findings to the Friends of Aztalan Park on March 13th. She did a good job. Watch her presentation below.
Part One
Part Two
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Six Novels and One Customer Service Guide
Fiction
Through the Cracks by Barbara Fister. Chicago Private Investigator takes on case of rape victim. The man convicted for the rape 20 years was exonerated and the victim wants the real rapist caught.
Lets look at the author bio...Barbara Fister lives in rural Minnesota, where she works as a librarian at a small liberal arts college. Hmm. That sounds familiar. But,
1) It's not really all that rural (30,000 people).
2) Library? That sounds familiar, too.
3) College? Does the inside of the window still grow a sheet of ice in the winter?
Sleepless by Charlie Huston. Huston's previous novel was nominated for several awards. A plague of insomnia has spread around the world. LAPD undercover cop suffers the disease and is charged with stopping the illegal trade in the one drug that can bring sleep.
Procession of the Dead by Darren Shan. An adult novel by the uber-popular Young Adult novelist.
Junkyard Dogs by Craig McDonald. McDonald is another guy with good reviews and award nominations. He is also another writer I have not yet gotten to. Sheriff Longmire gets involved in a modern Wyoming range war between a junkyard and a would be land developer.
So Cold the River by Michael Koryta. That's a tough name for me to type. Filmmaker Eric Shaw is hired to produce biography of a rich millionaire. Shaw travels to the former resort town of the rich man. Staying at a recently renovated mineral springs resort Shaw starts to experience hallucinations.
Bodily Harm by Robert Dugoni. The cover makes this look like a thriller. It is. Attorney David Sloane is told that the medical malpractice case Sloane just won is an error. The real culprit is a toy company's faulty product. When Sloane visits the toy designer's apartment he finds the place ransacked and the designer missing.
NonFiction
Super Service: seven keys to delivering great customer service by Val and Jeff Gee. Revised and expanded version. With cartoon illustrations.
Through the Cracks by Barbara Fister. Chicago Private Investigator takes on case of rape victim. The man convicted for the rape 20 years was exonerated and the victim wants the real rapist caught.
Lets look at the author bio...Barbara Fister lives in rural Minnesota, where she works as a librarian at a small liberal arts college. Hmm. That sounds familiar. But,
1) It's not really all that rural (30,000 people).
2) Library? That sounds familiar, too.
3) College? Does the inside of the window still grow a sheet of ice in the winter?
Sleepless by Charlie Huston. Huston's previous novel was nominated for several awards. A plague of insomnia has spread around the world. LAPD undercover cop suffers the disease and is charged with stopping the illegal trade in the one drug that can bring sleep.
Procession of the Dead by Darren Shan. An adult novel by the uber-popular Young Adult novelist.
Junkyard Dogs by Craig McDonald. McDonald is another guy with good reviews and award nominations. He is also another writer I have not yet gotten to. Sheriff Longmire gets involved in a modern Wyoming range war between a junkyard and a would be land developer.
So Cold the River by Michael Koryta. That's a tough name for me to type. Filmmaker Eric Shaw is hired to produce biography of a rich millionaire. Shaw travels to the former resort town of the rich man. Staying at a recently renovated mineral springs resort Shaw starts to experience hallucinations.
Bodily Harm by Robert Dugoni. The cover makes this look like a thriller. It is. Attorney David Sloane is told that the medical malpractice case Sloane just won is an error. The real culprit is a toy company's faulty product. When Sloane visits the toy designer's apartment he finds the place ransacked and the designer missing.
NonFiction
Super Service: seven keys to delivering great customer service by Val and Jeff Gee. Revised and expanded version. With cartoon illustrations.
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
John Waters, Wisconsin War Stories, Fiction
NonFiction
Role Models by John Waters. The filmmaker lists people he admires. I randomly was flipping through and he has an eesay about his favorite gay porn producer. One friend of Waters's is Leslie van Houten who participated in the LaBianca murders. Waters has a deep desire to be Johnny Mathis. Waters is a freaking genius. GENIUS!
Wisconsin Vietnam War Stories and Wisconsin Korean War Stories by Sarah A. Larsen and Jennifer M. Miller. Companion books to the Wisconsin Public Television programs. Stories from Wisconsin veterans of both wars.
Fiction
Cross Roads by Fern Michaels. Romance.
The Spy by Clive Cussler. German submarine.
Burning Wire by Jeffery Deaver. Deaver attend Murder and Mayhem in Muskego last fall and it was nice to listen to him.
Bullet by Laurell K. Hamilton. Bi-sexual vampire group sex.
The Rule of Nine by Steve Martini. Lawyers.
Role Models by John Waters. The filmmaker lists people he admires. I randomly was flipping through and he has an eesay about his favorite gay porn producer. One friend of Waters's is Leslie van Houten who participated in the LaBianca murders. Waters has a deep desire to be Johnny Mathis. Waters is a freaking genius. GENIUS!
Wisconsin Vietnam War Stories and Wisconsin Korean War Stories by Sarah A. Larsen and Jennifer M. Miller. Companion books to the Wisconsin Public Television programs. Stories from Wisconsin veterans of both wars.
Watch the full episode. See more Wisconsin War Stories.
Fiction
Cross Roads by Fern Michaels. Romance.
The Spy by Clive Cussler. German submarine.
Burning Wire by Jeffery Deaver. Deaver attend Murder and Mayhem in Muskego last fall and it was nice to listen to him.
Bullet by Laurell K. Hamilton. Bi-sexual vampire group sex.
The Rule of Nine by Steve Martini. Lawyers.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
I'm Not Sure What the Pages Were Doing Last Night
But, They Should Have Been Processing
Because The New Stuff is Sitting Unprocessed. Dang it.
Musical Interlude of Aggravation
With a solo nice bass line
Because The New Stuff is Sitting Unprocessed. Dang it.
Musical Interlude of Aggravation
With a solo nice bass line
Friday, June 04, 2010
Nothing New
Seriously
Musical Interlude Two
Nothing New to list.
Musical Interlude
YouTubing at home by IShouldGo TotheGymInstead
Musical Interlude Two
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
DVD, Old CD, Radio Disney, Old Audiobooks
DVD
The Road with Viggo Mortenson, Charlize Theron. Guy and son travel the wasteland. I never read the book. I assume Lord Humungus does not appear.
Music on CD
Radio Disney Jams 12 with [teenybopper singers].
...For the Whole World to See by Death. We bought this CD a while ago but the case must have needed repair or something because it was on the processing cart. I had no idea that the band was now playing.
American Slang by Gaslight Anthem. We have not received the CD yet but Little Steven has been playing the tune on The Underground Garage. I cannot find any embedding source. Dang it.
You can link over to the title tune, American Slang, at http://www.myspace.com/thegaslightanthem.
Old Audiobooks
We got back three audiobooks that had been checked out for a long, long time and were finally returned. I won't name names on who brought them back so late, but the borrower's first initial starts with "P" and ends with "aul Saylor" and they were checked out on my card.
The Road with Viggo Mortenson, Charlize Theron. Guy and son travel the wasteland. I never read the book. I assume Lord Humungus does not appear.
Music on CD
Radio Disney Jams 12 with [teenybopper singers].
...For the Whole World to See by Death. We bought this CD a while ago but the case must have needed repair or something because it was on the processing cart. I had no idea that the band was now playing.
American Slang by Gaslight Anthem. We have not received the CD yet but Little Steven has been playing the tune on The Underground Garage. I cannot find any embedding source. Dang it.
You can link over to the title tune, American Slang, at http://www.myspace.com/thegaslightanthem.
Old Audiobooks
We got back three audiobooks that had been checked out for a long, long time and were finally returned. I won't name names on who brought them back so late, but the borrower's first initial starts with "P" and ends with "aul Saylor" and they were checked out on my card.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
More Of That Glee Crap
Music on CD
The Music of Glee: The Power of Madonna by CastOfShow.
Possible subtitles include:
Crappy Music to Melt Your Ears
Madonna Is A Skank
This Show Blows; Except For the Slutty Cheerleaders
I Like Scotch, But I'd Need a Gallon to Sit Through an Episode of This Crap
Wash The Taste Out of Mouth
DVD
It's Entertainment by Celtic Thunder. Concert DVD from five guys. Are they really all Irish? This was a donation and after checking circs on other items from these guys I figured the DVD would check out.
Hell, any music item with the word "Celtic" in it will check out. I could record myself getting drunk at a karaoke bar singing Thin Lizzy and U2 songs in a bad accent and release a DVD.
Burn Notice: Season Three starring Bruce Campbell, and some really thin people. But, not Bruce Campbell. That guy is now chubby-chub-chubs.
Glee: Season One, Volume One: The road to sectionals starring [Actors]. Just fast forward to the slutty cheerleader parts and skip past the awful renditions of pop songs.
Five Minutes of Heaven starring Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt. Eleven year old boy witnesses his older teenage brother murdered by the IRA. Thirty years later the killer is released from prison and the two are scheduled to meet on television show. Things happen.
Paperbacks
The Rancher's Promise by Jillian Hart. Some romance with horses. There is a gal, Ann Voss Peterson, who lives in Middleton who writes romances. I figure I'll try out a couple of her books here.
Live to Tell by Wendy Corsi Staub. Thriller or mystery or something.
The Music of Glee: The Power of Madonna by CastOfShow.
Possible subtitles include:
Crappy Music to Melt Your Ears
Madonna Is A Skank
This Show Blows; Except For the Slutty Cheerleaders
I Like Scotch, But I'd Need a Gallon to Sit Through an Episode of This Crap
Wash The Taste Out of Mouth
DVD
It's Entertainment by Celtic Thunder. Concert DVD from five guys. Are they really all Irish? This was a donation and after checking circs on other items from these guys I figured the DVD would check out.
Hell, any music item with the word "Celtic" in it will check out. I could record myself getting drunk at a karaoke bar singing Thin Lizzy and U2 songs in a bad accent and release a DVD.
Burn Notice: Season Three starring Bruce Campbell, and some really thin people. But, not Bruce Campbell. That guy is now chubby-chub-chubs.
Glee: Season One, Volume One: The road to sectionals starring [Actors]. Just fast forward to the slutty cheerleader parts and skip past the awful renditions of pop songs.
Five Minutes of Heaven starring Liam Neeson and James Nesbitt. Eleven year old boy witnesses his older teenage brother murdered by the IRA. Thirty years later the killer is released from prison and the two are scheduled to meet on television show. Things happen.
Paperbacks
The Rancher's Promise by Jillian Hart. Some romance with horses. There is a gal, Ann Voss Peterson, who lives in Middleton who writes romances. I figure I'll try out a couple of her books here.
Live to Tell by Wendy Corsi Staub. Thriller or mystery or something.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
DVDs With South African Accents, Army Lingo, Talking Tools
DVD
The Messenger starring ThatPotHeadFromCheers. Two soldiers assigned to notify family of combat deaths.
Invictus starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. I'll bet you most anything that college rugby players sit around drinking beer and watching this movie on the weekends. I'll assume this picture did well in NZ, except for that last game of course. Australians, outside of Queensland, probably did not give damn. Fijians must have liked it. Who I am missing? The Limeys?
I bought an All Blacks necktie as a gift for my father when I was in Auckland in '92.
Cool Stuff to Sew With Sara by TeenageGirl. Teenager shows you how to sew stuff. "Make it tonight, use it tomorrow."
Handy Manny: Big Race starring ThatGuyFromThat'70sShow. Handy and the tools help Kelly's brother fix up a car to race and Manny enters the race. This was a good one. I've heard the Manny soundtrack so many times, and I like it almost as much as my children do.
The Messenger starring ThatPotHeadFromCheers. Two soldiers assigned to notify family of combat deaths.
Invictus starring Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon. I'll bet you most anything that college rugby players sit around drinking beer and watching this movie on the weekends. I'll assume this picture did well in NZ, except for that last game of course. Australians, outside of Queensland, probably did not give damn. Fijians must have liked it. Who I am missing? The Limeys?
I bought an All Blacks necktie as a gift for my father when I was in Auckland in '92.
Cool Stuff to Sew With Sara by TeenageGirl. Teenager shows you how to sew stuff. "Make it tonight, use it tomorrow."
Handy Manny: Big Race starring ThatGuyFromThat'70sShow. Handy and the tools help Kelly's brother fix up a car to race and Manny enters the race. This was a good one. I've heard the Manny soundtrack so many times, and I like it almost as much as my children do.
Monday, May 24, 2010
NonFiction Action Pack! Socks! Depression! JavaScript!
NonFiction
Save My 401(k)!: what you can do now to rebuild your retirement future by David Rye. Get back what you lost! Ride the market to victory! Retire to the Bahamas with a blond-haired trophy wife!
Depression Answer Book: professional answers to more than 275 critical questions about medication, therapy, support and more by Wes Burgess, MD, PhD. Conquer depression! Eat Zoloft! Buy a book advertised inside the back cover!
Socks by Chrissie Day. Knit your way to warmth! Impress your friends! Embarrass your kids!
McGraw-Hill's ASVAB by Dr. Janet E. Wall. Join the Mariens! Sail to Australia! Get drunk in a Freemantle bar and make out with a local chick!
QuickBooks 2010: the official guide for QuickBooks Pro users by Leslie Capachietti. Pay bills! Record the information! Obsess on the stock market!
Big Buy Cooking: the food lover's guide to buying in bulk and using it all up edited by Fine Cooking. Buy five gallons of mayonnaise! Buy a gallon of scotch! Combine the two in drunken brawl with your ex-wife!
Quicken 2010: the official guide by Maria Langer. Track your expenses! Bank online! Wonder if you should have bought QuickBooks instead!
Remodeling a Basement by Roger German. Tear out your walls! Strip out your wiring! Hire a professional to fix up the mess you made!
JavaScript, 3rd Edition by John Pollock. Sit in a dark room staring at a screen! Drink canned "energy" drinks! Convince yourself you're hip!
More Not So Big Solutions for Your Home by Susan Susanka. Cram everything you own into a small house! Take pretty pictures! Put them in a book! Wish you had more space! Eat some donuts!
Leave Your French Press Coffee Maker at Home by Gerard the Library Director. Say "Damn" when you remember you forgot the press! Make coffee with that crappy drip maker! Fondly recall the coffee you drank yesterday morning!
Write Nonsense Online By Gerard the Staller. Put off doing any real work! Stare at the paperwork on your desk! Wonder if you have anything fun to do today at work!
Save My 401(k)!: what you can do now to rebuild your retirement future by David Rye. Get back what you lost! Ride the market to victory! Retire to the Bahamas with a blond-haired trophy wife!
Depression Answer Book: professional answers to more than 275 critical questions about medication, therapy, support and more by Wes Burgess, MD, PhD. Conquer depression! Eat Zoloft! Buy a book advertised inside the back cover!
Socks by Chrissie Day. Knit your way to warmth! Impress your friends! Embarrass your kids!
McGraw-Hill's ASVAB by Dr. Janet E. Wall. Join the Mariens! Sail to Australia! Get drunk in a Freemantle bar and make out with a local chick!
QuickBooks 2010: the official guide for QuickBooks Pro users by Leslie Capachietti. Pay bills! Record the information! Obsess on the stock market!
Big Buy Cooking: the food lover's guide to buying in bulk and using it all up edited by Fine Cooking. Buy five gallons of mayonnaise! Buy a gallon of scotch! Combine the two in drunken brawl with your ex-wife!
Quicken 2010: the official guide by Maria Langer. Track your expenses! Bank online! Wonder if you should have bought QuickBooks instead!
Remodeling a Basement by Roger German. Tear out your walls! Strip out your wiring! Hire a professional to fix up the mess you made!
JavaScript, 3rd Edition by John Pollock. Sit in a dark room staring at a screen! Drink canned "energy" drinks! Convince yourself you're hip!
More Not So Big Solutions for Your Home by Susan Susanka. Cram everything you own into a small house! Take pretty pictures! Put them in a book! Wish you had more space! Eat some donuts!
Leave Your French Press Coffee Maker at Home by Gerard the Library Director. Say "Damn" when you remember you forgot the press! Make coffee with that crappy drip maker! Fondly recall the coffee you drank yesterday morning!
Write Nonsense Online By Gerard the Staller. Put off doing any real work! Stare at the paperwork on your desk! Wonder if you have anything fun to do today at work!
Friday, May 21, 2010
Gun Book, Glee CD, That Movie With Blue People
DVD
It's Complicated starring Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin, other old people. Old people have sex.
Edge of Darkness starring Mel Gibson. Angry father of dead daughter kills people.
Avatar starring Blue People. I still have not seen this.
Music on CD
Glee: the music, volume 3, showstoppers by [Singing Actors]. Bill Crider is still hoping for an ABBA themed episode. My wife likes this show a lot. I made sure to viciously mock the Madonna themed episode.
NonFiction
The Gun Digest Book of the AK and SKS by Patrick Sweeney. "A complete guide to guns, gear and ammunition." Once again I call bullshit on anything proclaiming to be a complete guide.
However, I do like this book. There is a lengthy piece on the Czech Vz. 58 which is neat rifle. I'd like to get one but CZ-USA's list price on the semi-auto version is $1015. That would still be about $800 out the door. At least I still have a PCR. Which reminds me, I need to look up my score from the shooting event this past Sunday. I started out lousy but improved on each stage.
Knitted Wire Jewelry by Samantha A. Lopez.
Beginners' Upholstery Techniques by David James.
Amulets and Talismans: simple techniques for creating meaningful jewelry by Robert Dancik.
Kaffe Fassett's Quilt Romance: 20 designs for Rowan for patchwork and quilting by [no editor listed].
Warman's U.S. Stamps Field Guide by Maurice D. Wozniak.
Warman's World Coins Field Guide by Arlyn G. Sieber.
Shooting Results
Dang It by Frustrated Library Director. The results are still not posted online.
It's Complicated starring Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin, other old people. Old people have sex.
Edge of Darkness starring Mel Gibson. Angry father of dead daughter kills people.
Avatar starring Blue People. I still have not seen this.
Music on CD
Glee: the music, volume 3, showstoppers by [Singing Actors]. Bill Crider is still hoping for an ABBA themed episode. My wife likes this show a lot. I made sure to viciously mock the Madonna themed episode.
NonFiction
The Gun Digest Book of the AK and SKS by Patrick Sweeney. "A complete guide to guns, gear and ammunition." Once again I call bullshit on anything proclaiming to be a complete guide.
However, I do like this book. There is a lengthy piece on the Czech Vz. 58 which is neat rifle. I'd like to get one but CZ-USA's list price on the semi-auto version is $1015. That would still be about $800 out the door. At least I still have a PCR. Which reminds me, I need to look up my score from the shooting event this past Sunday. I started out lousy but improved on each stage.
Knitted Wire Jewelry by Samantha A. Lopez.
Beginners' Upholstery Techniques by David James.
Amulets and Talismans: simple techniques for creating meaningful jewelry by Robert Dancik.
Kaffe Fassett's Quilt Romance: 20 designs for Rowan for patchwork and quilting by [no editor listed].
Warman's U.S. Stamps Field Guide by Maurice D. Wozniak.
Warman's World Coins Field Guide by Arlyn G. Sieber.
Shooting Results
Dang It by Frustrated Library Director. The results are still not posted online.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
My Four-Year-Old Smells Like Onions
Chive Eating Four-Year-Old
He was outside this morning and pulled some chives from the garden to eat. He even ate the flowers. He really smelled like onions. Later on, I was reading a Magic Tree House novel to him and inserting phrases like, "Eating chives makes you smell like onions." He would say, "No, read it properly!"
NonFiction
How to Take Over The World by NoRealName. "We dedicashuns dis manual to all teh kittehs out dere strugglings udner teh yoke of incompitent servidudes and duddetts." Selections from here.
Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern. Selections from here. Including priceless advice like:
On Bragging "I would simmer down a bit if I were you...Well, for one, the only one who was impressed was the little girl sitting behind you, and for two, they don't exactly hand out Medals of fucking Honor for eating two Denny's breakfast plates in one sitting."
And
On Getting a Job as a Cook at Hooters "You, my man, are not as dumb as I first fucking suspected."
And
On the Democratic System "We're having fish for dinner...Fine, let's take a vote. Who wants fish for dinner?...Yeah, democracy ain't so fun when it fucks you, huh?"
Yoga For You Brain by Tim Sole and Rod Marshall. Mental exercises.
Felting: the Complete Guide by Jane Davis. Once again I call BS on anything that says the "complete guide."
Pops: a life of Louis Armstrong by Terry Teachout. Acclaimed bio of the big time musician.
Toys and Prices, 2010 edited by Justin Moen Who Must Have a Sad Life.
Satchel: the life and times of an American legend by Larry Tye. Wasn't Paige so dang good he pitched until he was in his fifties or something? Yep, the guy was 59-freaking-years-old for his last major league pitch.
Jimmy Corrigan: the smartest kid in the world by Chris Ware. What a depressing book.
Home Cooking with Trisha Tearwood by Trisha Yearwood.
Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat by Bill Watterson. Replacement.
Fiction
A Secret Affair by Mary Balogh. Bleagh.
Supreme Justice by Philip Margolin. Don't care.
Storm Prey by John Sandford. His titles are so unique.
Audiobooks on CD
Think Twice by Lesa Scottoline.
The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz. The paper version seems to check out.
He was outside this morning and pulled some chives from the garden to eat. He even ate the flowers. He really smelled like onions. Later on, I was reading a Magic Tree House novel to him and inserting phrases like, "Eating chives makes you smell like onions." He would say, "No, read it properly!"
NonFiction
How to Take Over The World by NoRealName. "We dedicashuns dis manual to all teh kittehs out dere strugglings udner teh yoke of incompitent servidudes and duddetts." Selections from here.
Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern. Selections from here. Including priceless advice like:
On Bragging "I would simmer down a bit if I were you...Well, for one, the only one who was impressed was the little girl sitting behind you, and for two, they don't exactly hand out Medals of fucking Honor for eating two Denny's breakfast plates in one sitting."
And
On Getting a Job as a Cook at Hooters "You, my man, are not as dumb as I first fucking suspected."
And
On the Democratic System "We're having fish for dinner...Fine, let's take a vote. Who wants fish for dinner?...Yeah, democracy ain't so fun when it fucks you, huh?"
Yoga For You Brain by Tim Sole and Rod Marshall. Mental exercises.
Felting: the Complete Guide by Jane Davis. Once again I call BS on anything that says the "complete guide."
Pops: a life of Louis Armstrong by Terry Teachout. Acclaimed bio of the big time musician.
Toys and Prices, 2010 edited by Justin Moen Who Must Have a Sad Life.
Satchel: the life and times of an American legend by Larry Tye. Wasn't Paige so dang good he pitched until he was in his fifties or something? Yep, the guy was 59-freaking-years-old for his last major league pitch.
Jimmy Corrigan: the smartest kid in the world by Chris Ware. What a depressing book.
Home Cooking with Trisha Tearwood by Trisha Yearwood.
Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat by Bill Watterson. Replacement.
Fiction
A Secret Affair by Mary Balogh. Bleagh.
Supreme Justice by Philip Margolin. Don't care.
Storm Prey by John Sandford. His titles are so unique.
Audiobooks on CD
Think Twice by Lesa Scottoline.
The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz. The paper version seems to check out.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Non-Fiction: KS Prep Football, Stern's Wife, Surgery in Iraq
Fiction
61 Hours by Lee Child. Jack Reacher probably rescues some chick.
NonFiction
Our Boys: a perfect season on the plains with the Smith Center Redmen by Joe Drape. The flyleaf says, "Hours removed from the nearest city." I call bullshit. Smith Center is only 80 miles from Kearney, NE (pop. 27431). 99 miles from Grand Island, NE (pop. 42940). Hays, KS (pop. 20,000) is just 90 miles away. Salina (pop. 46,000) is only 99 miles away.
Incidentally, if you're ever riding your Honda Nighthawk from Lindsborg, KS to Cheyenne, WY and the master link on your chain falls off in Western Kansas, you can get towed over to Colby. While there you can:
1. borrow some tools from the mechanic,
2. walk next door to the tractor supply,
3. find a master link to a chainsaw,
4. spend 30 minutes in the sun wrestling the new master link onto the motorcycle chain,
5. drive to the nearest Honda dealer for the correct master link,
6. watch the bike mechanic take all of five minutes to put the new link on,
7. drive into Colorado,
8. stop for gas in Eastern Colorado,
9. have the bike not start,
10. realize the battery is dead,
11. have a little freak-out,
12. realize the battery water is low,
13. borrow a straw from the diner,
14. use the straw to slowly transfer water from a drinking bottle into the battery's cells,
15. wait for the battery to recover,
16. chat with a truck driver who will substantially calm your nerves,
17. get bike started,
18. ride into rain in Denver,
19. finally pull into Cheyenne and be happy you reserved a hotel room because of all the Sturgis people rolling in looking for a room.
Cheap: the high cost of discount culture by Ellen Ruppel Shell. Madison PL had a review of this.
Remembering Survival: inside a Nazi slave-labor camp by Christopher R. Browning. Testimony from 300 survivors during a 1972 trial, yet the filthy, dirty, rotten, stinking Nazi piece-of-crap was acquitted. The story of the camp and the testimony of those survivors. Stinking Nazis.
Oh My Dog: how to choose, train, groom, nurture, feed, and care for your new best friend by Beth Ostrosky Stern. Yeah, this is a celebrity wife book. But, Stern is supposed have done a good job gathering info.
The Replacements: all over but the shouting: an oral history by Jim Walsh. The best of CD checks out well. Lots and lots and lots of drinking and purposefully pissing people off.
The Big Necessity: the unmentionable world of human waste and why it matters by Rose George. Sewers.
Healing Hearts: a memoir of a female heart surgeon by Kathy E. Magliato, MD. Heart surgery and transplants memoir.
Coppola: a pediatric surgeon in Iraq by Dr. Chris Coppola. This has to be a heartbreaking story what with all the war injuries to children.
The Skinnygirl Dish: easy recipes for your naturally thin life by Bethenny Frankel. Books from this series check out pretty well because broads don't like to be broad.
Romance
Five paperbacks I am too lazy to list.
61 Hours by Lee Child. Jack Reacher probably rescues some chick.
NonFiction
Our Boys: a perfect season on the plains with the Smith Center Redmen by Joe Drape. The flyleaf says, "Hours removed from the nearest city." I call bullshit. Smith Center is only 80 miles from Kearney, NE (pop. 27431). 99 miles from Grand Island, NE (pop. 42940). Hays, KS (pop. 20,000) is just 90 miles away. Salina (pop. 46,000) is only 99 miles away.
Incidentally, if you're ever riding your Honda Nighthawk from Lindsborg, KS to Cheyenne, WY and the master link on your chain falls off in Western Kansas, you can get towed over to Colby. While there you can:
1. borrow some tools from the mechanic,
2. walk next door to the tractor supply,
3. find a master link to a chainsaw,
4. spend 30 minutes in the sun wrestling the new master link onto the motorcycle chain,
5. drive to the nearest Honda dealer for the correct master link,
6. watch the bike mechanic take all of five minutes to put the new link on,
7. drive into Colorado,
8. stop for gas in Eastern Colorado,
9. have the bike not start,
10. realize the battery is dead,
11. have a little freak-out,
12. realize the battery water is low,
13. borrow a straw from the diner,
14. use the straw to slowly transfer water from a drinking bottle into the battery's cells,
15. wait for the battery to recover,
16. chat with a truck driver who will substantially calm your nerves,
17. get bike started,
18. ride into rain in Denver,
19. finally pull into Cheyenne and be happy you reserved a hotel room because of all the Sturgis people rolling in looking for a room.
Cheap: the high cost of discount culture by Ellen Ruppel Shell. Madison PL had a review of this.
Remembering Survival: inside a Nazi slave-labor camp by Christopher R. Browning. Testimony from 300 survivors during a 1972 trial, yet the filthy, dirty, rotten, stinking Nazi piece-of-crap was acquitted. The story of the camp and the testimony of those survivors. Stinking Nazis.
Oh My Dog: how to choose, train, groom, nurture, feed, and care for your new best friend by Beth Ostrosky Stern. Yeah, this is a celebrity wife book. But, Stern is supposed have done a good job gathering info.
The Replacements: all over but the shouting: an oral history by Jim Walsh. The best of CD checks out well. Lots and lots and lots of drinking and purposefully pissing people off.
The Big Necessity: the unmentionable world of human waste and why it matters by Rose George. Sewers.
Healing Hearts: a memoir of a female heart surgeon by Kathy E. Magliato, MD. Heart surgery and transplants memoir.
Coppola: a pediatric surgeon in Iraq by Dr. Chris Coppola. This has to be a heartbreaking story what with all the war injuries to children.
The Skinnygirl Dish: easy recipes for your naturally thin life by Bethenny Frankel. Books from this series check out pretty well because broads don't like to be broad.
Romance
Five paperbacks I am too lazy to list.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Great News! Another Gun Book!
Gun Book
Standard Catalog of Civil War Firearms by John F. Graf. Carbines, muskets, pistols, and all the different variations and contracts and runs purchased or used throughout the war. Many, many color photographs. The librarian up at Waupun, Bret, would like this. I'll send him an email.
We have another Patrick Sweeney book in the processing pile. The Sweeney book is on the AK.
Stuff
101 Ways You Can Help: how to offer comfort and support to those who are grieving by Liz Aleshire.
Teen Stages: the breakthrough year-by-year approach to understanding your ever-changing teen by PeopleWithTheirNamesCoveredByTheBarcode.
Crochet: the complete guide by Jane Davis. The complete guide. I doubt that.
China by Robert Andfe LaFleur. Part of the Asia in Focus series. We do not hav emuch on modern China or Chinese history so I bought this.
Warman's Coins and Paper Money, 4th Edition. Allen G. Berman. Price guide to old stuff.
HTML, XHTML and CSS Quicksteps by Guy Hart-Davis. Stephanie, who works here (see video), was saying how great she is at web design now. I'm going to go through this and give her a pop quiz.
Digital Photography Q&A: great tips and hints from a top pro by Paul Harcourt Davies. Does this teach me how to use a camera that was dropped on concrete and produces photos that are uniformly black?
I'm Pregnant: a week-by-week guide to conception to birth by Lesely Regan, MD. I'm not. This is a Dorling-Kindersley book so there are lots of photos and illustrations of infants and pregnant women, and nude pregnant women.
Layer Cake, Jelly Roll and Charm Quilts by Pam and Nicky Lintott.
Essential Color Guide to Knitting Techniques by Margaret Radcliffe. Thank goodness because I have some some really ugly knitted clothes.
Standard Catalog of Civil War Firearms by John F. Graf. Carbines, muskets, pistols, and all the different variations and contracts and runs purchased or used throughout the war. Many, many color photographs. The librarian up at Waupun, Bret, would like this. I'll send him an email.
We have another Patrick Sweeney book in the processing pile. The Sweeney book is on the AK.
Stuff
101 Ways You Can Help: how to offer comfort and support to those who are grieving by Liz Aleshire.
Teen Stages: the breakthrough year-by-year approach to understanding your ever-changing teen by PeopleWithTheirNamesCoveredByTheBarcode.
Crochet: the complete guide by Jane Davis. The complete guide. I doubt that.
China by Robert Andfe LaFleur. Part of the Asia in Focus series. We do not hav emuch on modern China or Chinese history so I bought this.
Warman's Coins and Paper Money, 4th Edition. Allen G. Berman. Price guide to old stuff.
HTML, XHTML and CSS Quicksteps by Guy Hart-Davis. Stephanie, who works here (see video), was saying how great she is at web design now. I'm going to go through this and give her a pop quiz.
Digital Photography Q&A: great tips and hints from a top pro by Paul Harcourt Davies. Does this teach me how to use a camera that was dropped on concrete and produces photos that are uniformly black?
I'm Pregnant: a week-by-week guide to conception to birth by Lesely Regan, MD. I'm not. This is a Dorling-Kindersley book so there are lots of photos and illustrations of infants and pregnant women, and nude pregnant women.
Layer Cake, Jelly Roll and Charm Quilts by Pam and Nicky Lintott.
Essential Color Guide to Knitting Techniques by Margaret Radcliffe. Thank goodness because I have some some really ugly knitted clothes.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Crowded House Album
Crowded House
Finn and company have a new album coming out. Due to the goofy, staggered release dates for the U.K., the U.S., and the South Seas the album will not be on sale here until July.
I'm probably the only one here interested. Aren't I? Except, maybe, the blog reader in Dunedin. Who I am blatantly calling attention to in an effort to maintain "readership". Oh, look, they're hiring a page.
Apparently the band appeared on Later with Jools Holland recently.
Finn and company have a new album coming out. Due to the goofy, staggered release dates for the U.K., the U.S., and the South Seas the album will not be on sale here until July.
I'm probably the only one here interested. Aren't I? Except, maybe, the blog reader in Dunedin. Who I am blatantly calling attention to in an effort to maintain "readership". Oh, look, they're hiring a page.
Apparently the band appeared on Later with Jools Holland recently.
Bad News, Good News, Large Print
Bad News
I couldn't get the bathroom faucet at home to stop leaking.
Good News
I did find a bowl to catch the drip from the second leak, underneath the bathroom sink, from the leaking water valve. The valve that sprays out water when I turn it closed.
Large Print
Return to Sender by Fern Michaels. Address unknown.
Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts. No.
Breaking Out of Bedlam by Leslie Larson. Bethlehem Royal Hospital.
Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin. Yoda-like, this title is.
BBC6
Listen live link.
I couldn't get the bathroom faucet at home to stop leaking.
Good News
I did find a bowl to catch the drip from the second leak, underneath the bathroom sink, from the leaking water valve. The valve that sprays out water when I turn it closed.
Large Print
Return to Sender by Fern Michaels. Address unknown.
Savor the Moment by Nora Roberts. No.
Breaking Out of Bedlam by Leslie Larson. Bethlehem Royal Hospital.
Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin. Yoda-like, this title is.
BBC6
Listen live link.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Subscription Suggestion or Donation?
Unknown Status
This was found filed with some magazine back issues in our reading room. I don't know why it was there. Better this than Hustler. It's expensive too. List price is $6.99.
This was found filed with some magazine back issues in our reading room. I don't know why it was there. Better this than Hustler. It's expensive too. List price is $6.99.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Six Books I Did Not List Earlier Because I Did Not Want to Bother
Large Print
Nowhere to Run by C.J. Box.
Chasing Perfect by Susan Mallery. "Fool's Gold Trilogy"
Matthew's Story by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.
The Cross Gardener by Jason E. Wright. Is the gardener angry or planting crosses?
Without Mercy by Lisa Jackson.
The Pallbearers by Stephen J. Cannell.
Musical Interlude
Another Attempt to Get Views
What to Read 37: Noir Novels I Like
Nowhere to Run by C.J. Box.
Chasing Perfect by Susan Mallery. "Fool's Gold Trilogy"
Matthew's Story by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins.
The Cross Gardener by Jason E. Wright. Is the gardener angry or planting crosses?
Without Mercy by Lisa Jackson.
The Pallbearers by Stephen J. Cannell.
Musical Interlude
Another Attempt to Get Views
What to Read 37: Noir Novels I Like
Pam Grier, Cole and Hitch, Comic Book Novel
Fiction
Blue-Eyed Devil by Robert B. Parker. Third western with Cole and Hitch. I'll presume that Cole calmy shoots people and Hitch shoots his people with his 8-gauge.
Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard. Another Pickard story set in Kansas so maybe I will read it. The author lives in Merriam, KS. Which is just another way of saying Kansas City.
Innocent by Scott Turow. Bald lawyer writes book.
Shoot to Thrill by P.J. Tracy. "A monkeewrench novel." Written by a mother and daughter team. Do they have sex scenes in their books? How do they collaborate on that topic?
Private Life by Jane Smiley. Isn't Smiley kind of "literary"? I read Moo and thought it was funny.
Hannah's List by Debbie Macomber. What is that tune I'm hearing? Can you hear it? I don't care, I don't care, I don't care.
Stay a Little Longer by Dorothy Garlock. Romance in post-WWI Minnesota with a small girl and a dog talking a walk in the autumn woods with a lady who has a bunch of flowers in her hat.
Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris. ...
State Fair by Earlene Fowler. Never watched the movie either.
Black Hole by Charles Burns. Comic book novel about a sexually transmitted virus that brings odd and sometimes disturbing physical deformations among teens in the Pacific Northwest. I read this a year or two ago. Someone donated this copy.
NonFiction
Foxy: my life in three acts by Pam Grier. Actress tells about her life. Richard Pryor stories included.
1,000 Dollars and an Idea: entrepreneur to billionaire by Sam Wyly. Autio-bio by fella who expanded the Michaels craft stores and other businesses. One way to stay a billionaire is to ship out sex freaking copies of your book to every library you see and then claim a tax credit. Presumably.
Blue-Eyed Devil by Robert B. Parker. Third western with Cole and Hitch. I'll presume that Cole calmy shoots people and Hitch shoots his people with his 8-gauge.
Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard. Another Pickard story set in Kansas so maybe I will read it. The author lives in Merriam, KS. Which is just another way of saying Kansas City.
Innocent by Scott Turow. Bald lawyer writes book.
Shoot to Thrill by P.J. Tracy. "A monkeewrench novel." Written by a mother and daughter team. Do they have sex scenes in their books? How do they collaborate on that topic?
Private Life by Jane Smiley. Isn't Smiley kind of "literary"? I read Moo and thought it was funny.
Hannah's List by Debbie Macomber. What is that tune I'm hearing? Can you hear it? I don't care, I don't care, I don't care.
Stay a Little Longer by Dorothy Garlock. Romance in post-WWI Minnesota with a small girl and a dog talking a walk in the autumn woods with a lady who has a bunch of flowers in her hat.
Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris. ...
State Fair by Earlene Fowler. Never watched the movie either.
Black Hole by Charles Burns. Comic book novel about a sexually transmitted virus that brings odd and sometimes disturbing physical deformations among teens in the Pacific Northwest. I read this a year or two ago. Someone donated this copy.
NonFiction
Foxy: my life in three acts by Pam Grier. Actress tells about her life. Richard Pryor stories included.
1,000 Dollars and an Idea: entrepreneur to billionaire by Sam Wyly. Autio-bio by fella who expanded the Michaels craft stores and other businesses. One way to stay a billionaire is to ship out sex freaking copies of your book to every library you see and then claim a tax credit. Presumably.
Thursday, May 06, 2010
What to Read 37: Noir Novels
What to Read 37: Noir Novels
Books by Daniel Woodrell, James Reasoner, Richard Stark (Donald Westlake).
I was going to recommend Fade to Blonde by Max Phillips. But, since I was the only who ever checked the book out I ended up withdrawing it from the collection just a few weeks ago.
Books by Daniel Woodrell, James Reasoner, Richard Stark (Donald Westlake).
I was going to recommend Fade to Blonde by Max Phillips. But, since I was the only who ever checked the book out I ended up withdrawing it from the collection just a few weeks ago.
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