Reading!

[Bel-Cam Jos]

My previous read was a serious attempt to write about philosophy and religion, but Christopher Moor's Lamb (and its subtitle "The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal") takes a flippant and funny perspective. It is definitely adult in its humor, but it is not (too) disrespectful in creating an "alternate" description of Jesus' (called Joshua, or Josh, the correct name) time between his youth of around age four to his days preaching. And yes, it includes demon fighting, kung fu, poison potions, soap operas, and yeti.

[edit: 7/29] I thought I hadn't read a mystery novel yet this summer (turned out I had) nor had read a letter K author yet (turned out I hadn't), so Laurie R. King's Pirate King fit both categories. Apparently, she writes a series about Sherlock Holmes (who is not a fictional character, but is living at that same time) and his wife Mary Russell. To solve a case of crimes associated with a British movie company, Mary goes undercover as an assistant to the director. The silent movie is related to The Pirates of Penzance, and eventually the hired "extras" turn out to be real pirates who take the cast to sea and then to their home region. The first 1/3 of the book was very slow, but once Sherlock himself appears, it got better. It was decent.

[edit: 7/30] More King to read! This was the book I was looking for at the library, when I settled for the Pirate King above. I have enjoyed the non-horror stories of Stephen King, but Later, while labeled as horror, wasn't quite so (despite the narrator saying so repeatedly). It references the Bruce Willis movie, but Jamie can see dead people soon after they die and can get them to answer questions; of course, no one else sees them. Some suspenseful scenes and good action, but with short chapters (another reason I'm not a big King fan is the length of his tomes) in a short novel, it's easy to follow. Not too key to the story as a whole, but the surprise to end the penultimate chapter was "whoa!"-level.

 

[Bel-Cam Jos]

I've often seen Eugene O’Neill's play titled The Iceman Cometh on Jeopardy!, in lists (LISTS... drool) of greatest American plays, in my own mind raised on Marvel and DC Comics wondering if The Plastic Man or The Iron Man also cometh. Well, now I've read it. Set in the 1910s (pre-WWI) in New York City over a couple days, mostly inside a bar, the "regulars" complain and yell and insult (in phonetic spellings of their accents). If there's a human vice (lyin', cheatin', drinkin', cussin', killin', etc.), it's here. I am sure that a stage production of this would bring out the emotional depth of the cast, and that the audience would be drawn into the pathos and humanity of the story. But to just read it; not so much.
Tomorrow doesn't end my summer (that's a week later), but I start attending "school stuff" to get ready for teaching year #20. Meaning, less time to read.

[edit: 8/7] What is likely my final summer book, William W. Johnstone & J.A. Johnstone's Winchester 1887 was a slow-developing western novel, that became quite good about a 100 pages before it ended (the title is the model and year of the weapon). A family living in Texas in the 1890s learns that their uncle lawman is killed, and the elder son wants to become a lawman in his honor, running away into Indian Territory. There are about 4 or 5 groups/people that converge together (that was the slow process to get there): an Indian US Marshall, members of a gang, a whiskey runner who's wanted by the law and the Native Americans he's harmed over the years, the father of the gone-missing son. It sounds convoluted, but again, it works well by the end.

I'll add my eagerly-apathetically-tolerated reading stats for the summer once it officially ends tomorrow.

 

[Bel-Cam Jos]

So, all those work responsibilities turned "tomorrow" into about two weeks later! Ah, adulthood...

Here are my summer statistics for this year and the compiled data:
2021 summer: 47 books = 12,800 pgs.; 272 pgs. per

Authors by letter: one each (D, H, N, V, X, Y, and Z); two each (G, K, L, and W), three each (E, J, and O), four each (M, R, and S), B (5), and C (6).

Author repeat read: Beverley Cleary (2).

Genres: 1 each (play, romance, classics), 2 each (history/science, travel, humor, fantasy/adventure, western), 3 each (sports, mystery/horror, philosophy/poetry, education/learning, movies/TV), 4 each (Star Wars, auto-/biography, YA/children’s), and 7 (general fiction).

Summer Totals (18 years, 607 books = 166,000 pgs., 273 pgs. per, 34 books per summer)

I can also add a recent book I read: Salvation by bell hooks. I have seen her name referenced in several books about the African American (and female) experience in my readings over the years, first drawn to her e e cummings-esque non-capitalized names. She offers love (in various definitions: self-love, appreciation of others, respect for accomplishments, etc.) as a solution to multiple societal ills. Sometimes, there were assumptions I disagreed with, and over-generalizations that diluted the subject, but the variety of sources as evidence usually overcame those concerns; overall, it was fine. I have a couple other books of hers on my to-read compilation, when I get more time, of course.

 

[Bel-Cam Jos]

With my only day off this month, this three-day Labor Day weekend allowed me to read what will likely be my only September book, Luis Alberto Urrea's Into the Beautiful North. He took the concept from The Magnificent Seven, taken from Seven Samurai, and set it in 21st century Mexico. The characters were the best part of the novel, as they try and fail multiple times to bring back the men who left the village years ago for economic gain in the US, along with "warriors" to repel the cartel that tries to move into and bully the village into submission.

 

[The OC47150]

I had my first real vacation in more than 1 1/2 years recently. I've been on an Indiana Jones kick and was able to track down an IJ novel, IJ and the Army of the Dead, by Steve Perry. Set during WWII in the Caribbean. Not a bad vacation read. Nice break from the SW universe. Might have to track down some more IJ novels.

Also picked up an IJ YA novel but haven't gotten to that yet.

 

[Bel-Cam Jos]

OC, you beat me to it! Nice!
I have found that Ryder Windham (a frequent SW writer) and Rob McGregor have penned some IJ books, but haven't found them without buying a copy online. I've read a couple that were at my local libraries (IJ & the Mystery of Mount Sinai is the only one I could quickly locate in my records right now). Last night, there was an IJ marathon on TV and I caught Raiders and Doom.

I might be able to finish reading the book I am currently reading before October ends.
p.s. Good news, everyone! It's not October, and Printer's Error, written by J.P. Romney and Rebecca Romney (of Pawn Stars fame, with her husband getting first billing) has been read. It takes a very flippant, pop-culture-y, and irreverent (as the book's subtitle states) history of books, in various forms. The chapters were usually centered around a person, some famous (Ben Franklin, Shakspear [yes, that is one way his name was spelled over the years], Gutenberg) and less so (Mary Wollstonecraft, Marino Massimo De Caro). I laughed and learned.

 

[Bel-Cam Jos]

Perhaps my only October book will be this one I finally finished today, and that in looking at my library receipt, I checked out on July 28th: Azar Nafisi's Reading Lolita in Tehran. I read the titular Nabokov book this year (and in my alphabetical list [LISTS... : drool : ], these two authors are side-by-side), and knew I should also read this one. It traces the author's time in Iran, dealing with societal and wartime issues, along with teaching English literature at a university. If you ever think you have it tough, read this and see the difficulties that the "characters" (she gives them new names, to protect their true identities, but keeps the stories true) endure in multiple facets of their lives.

 

[Bel-Cam Jos]

In short reading instances this month, I was able to inch through Colson Whitehead's Harlem Shuffle (and yes, each time I opened the cover, the Rolling Stones song entered my brain). It's set in 1950s-60s era NYC, centered around a man who owns a furniture store, but also handles/sells merchandise obtained through "other" means. The characters are strong, some of the dialogue is witty, the "jobs" are interesting to follow (and wonder who will get away and how easily), and the history that parallels this fictional story gives it a good reality basis. It was pretty good overall, but it did take some time for me to get through.

[edit: 11/2] As close to Halloween as I could find time to read, Cassandra Peterson's memoir Yours Cruelly, Elvira was surprisingly good, and I was also surprised to learn just how many "notable people" she interacted with over her time in the limelight, as well as prior to then. Surprising, not because I expected her not to be articulate (she is), but the details she recalls and the stories she tells. Many of the chapters are song titles (she mentions the effects that music and movies had on her life).

 

[Bel-Cam Jos]

Trying to relax after taking a sick day off from work allowed me to finish reading Colin Powell's leadership memoir, It Worked for Me. His funeral was this week. The book contains his famous "13 Rules" of how to live, and multiple memories of his time as a soldier, officer, statesman, and person. Very humble, but also confident; he will be missed.

[edit: 11/14] Four day weekend: reading time. A surprisingly-fast read memoir, The Boys, by Ron & Clint Howard, was told in a dual-narrator style. I did not know much about Clint; I assumed he was just a character actor in his brother's films, and did not recall him being the child actor in Gentle Ben. Not much "conflict" in this biographical chronicle, which was fine, but quite informative.

[edit: 11/15] Another quick read, apparently my 100th biography/autobiography all-time: a short memoir, Sorry Not Sorry by Alyssa Milano. She hosts a podcast of the same name, and it's quite possible she's mentioned these very topics in this collection of essays inspired by recent world (but mostly in the US) events and viewpoints. She uses more profanity than I recall; but then, it's obvious she's frustrated by what's goin' on. Often personal, always political, usually practical; good literary and other allusions throughout. It was okay.

[edit: 11/22] First read of the Thanksgiving break was not a good one. Sloane Crosley's How Did You Get This Number was a book I checked out from the library over the summer, but ran out of time to get to; I wish I hadn't. Author tells us about how dating in NYC isn't fun, being unable to acclimate to foreign cities is bad, complaining about insignificant events in her childhood was not good, expecting adulthood to be better is negative. Dull, boring, not humorous or insightful.

[edit: 11/26] When a colleague has a hard time defining a recommended book but knows you'll like it, that's a good sign. N.K. Jemisin's The City We Became took some time to get going (as 400+ page books often do), and interestingly as its ending was dragged out, that very ending came so quickly. The premise: individual people are like avatars for "their" cities around the world, and since New York has five separate boroughs, there are five people with traits (and names) like those areas. There's an inter-dimensional being who's trying to take control of this newly-born city (set in the 21st century; but cities are "born" when they are ready to, and become powerful). Lots of profanity (hey, it's New Yauk, y'know!) and a nice summary of its sections. I liked it (thanks for the suggestion!); and it's the first in an expected trilogy, so I wonder what the other two cities will be.

 

[Bel-Cam Jos]

I saw that the local library had another Ken Jennings book, Because I Said So!, but it's from 2012. In it, Jennings presents common ideas, possible truths, and potential dangers; then he researches whether they are true, possibly so, or false. Sometimes funny, always well-documented (often medical journals or scientific/historical studies). Some interesting numbers for me: this is my 99th book of 2021, 99th book ever read under the category of History/Science, and since 2013 (so, 9 years) I've now read at least one book per month. Yay me.

[edit: 12/12] More numbers of note with this, my 100th book read this year: John O’Connell's Bowie’s Bookshelf: The Hundred Books that Changed David Bowie's Life, is also my 101st auto-/biography that I have read (and leads to 8 more books to my "To Read" list... LISTS! ), my 1650th all-time book read, and apparently I have saved a SW-significant $113.88 by checking out books from the library (as my receipt shows) in 2021. About the book, the author uses a compilation that Bowie published of his influences in reading form (not all were "books," as some were comics or magazines), and connects them to his songs and his history. O'Connell also recommends other books by that book's writer, or similar ones. Brief (each book gets 2-4 pages) and not too pretentious of tone; it was quite informative.

[edit: 12/24] In a browsing moment in the library about a week ago, I was in the 'E' section of fiction and saw a Loren D. Estleman book, The Eagle and the Viper, with a dust jacket summary that fit in a few ways: historical fiction, set around an event called the Christmas Eve Plot, not too long pages-wise. After an explosion in Paris that was intended for Napoleon Bonaparte, the author speculates that some foreign influencers paid an assassin to finish the job. This story follows The Viper (his names change, without ever really discovering his true name) as he heads to the French capital. Great characterization (both the villain protagonist, and the groups of officers and civilians he encounters), plausible plots, some surprises, fun dialogue; what's not to love? My favorite book of his (I've read about 15 books he's written, mostly fiction and mostly westerns), so far.

 

[Bel-Cam Jos]

With a fellow 1980s child TV star hosting a quiz show this year, I thought that Danica McKellar (of The Wonder Years fame) might also be a good author to look for a book; I chose Kiss My Math: Showing Pre-Algebra Who's Boss. I was pleasantly surprised at how much of that level mathematics I recalled (I did very well on most of the chapter quizzes), but I'm not its target audience. It does a decent job making math concepts relatable (many allegories and comparisons, but too many social references; a tad dated as it's from 2008), and repeats enough and refers to previous or upcoming sections that are about some of those concepts.

[edit: 12/28] Two Spencer Quinn books, in back-to-back days. The first, Tender is the Bite, is one that I realized I hadn’t read, even though I’d had it on my to-read shelf for months. Funnier than some of the recent books in the series, it involved a ferret, golf putters, caves, surveillance equipment, new police officers, equestrians, politicians, even an amateur stand-up comedian.

The second, It’s a Wonderful Woof, is set during the Christmas holidays. I expected this to be a short story-type plot, but in fact it is the next (#12, to be precise) in the overall series. It turns into a MacGuffin [sp?] for a possible hidden painting masterpiece from a famous European artist (a real person: Caravaggio), with multiple people part of the case. A photo that appears as a gift at the end of the book, could be a clue that fans of this series have been waiting for a long time to find out the story of Bernie’s “war wound” to his leg.

 

[Bel-Cam Jos]

With two days to go in this calendar year, Brent Spiner's Fan Fiction might be the last book I read. I thought that the guy who played Data would write a funny book; I also thought this was a non-fiction book. But, its subtitle "A Mem-noir: Inspired by True Events" should've warned me away. He writes as himself, during his time on ST:TNG, where letters from a stalker fan leads to... uninteresting details. If Spiner wanted to sound like a fan-fict writer but do so ironically, he succeeded! If this is a legit "fictionalized" account, this performance was futile.

My reading stats from this past year are below. Enjoy or ignore as you prefer!
2021 (109 total books, 30,100 pgs., 276 pgs. per; summer: 47 books = 12,800 pgs.; 272 pgs. per)

Books by author's last name: 1 each (T, U, V, X, Y), 2 (A, D, F, I, L, N), 3 (P, Q), 4 (H, K, Z), 5 (B, E, G, J, O, R), 8 (W), 9 (C), 11 (M), and 16 (S).

Summer Totals (18 years, 607 books = 166,000 pgs., 273 pgs. per, 34 books per summer)

Yearly Totals (since 2010: 12 years, 890 books = 236,000 pgs., 265 pgs. per, 74 books per year)

 

[Bel-Cam Jos]

Hoping for some humor to begin this year, and wanting to learn more about the person, I read Laughing on the Outside: The Life of John Candy by Martin Knelman. I didn’t realize it was an unauthorized biography, so it was put together by compiling interviews from other sources, and the occasional one from the author. This was a Canadian edition; took me a moment to adjust to the different spellings and phrasing in the book. It was okay: best parts were the times in Canada before Candy made Hollywood films, and the references the irony of this comedic actor feeling down much of the time.

[edit: 1/9] As I've posted here before, personally knowing an author gives a reader a different perspective. Robert Pacilio's Whitewash is set in 2017 in the San Diego area, where a criminal trial is taking place. The defendant is accused of inciting a riot at a political event; many current events within the past few years get mentioned, and it's meant to mirror much of what was going on in the past two years. It gives good insight into jury experiences, as well as human reactions to morality, responsibility, and actions.

[edit: 1/17] A three-day weekend near the start of a semester often leaves me with time to read. I'd started Ta-Nehisi Coates' The Water Dancer about a week ago and was able to finish it. Set during pre-Civil War times and on a plantation in decline, it is a magical realism story of slaves and their complicated genealogy. I watch episodes of Henry Louis Gates' TV documentaries on Finding Your Roots; some of the common reactions of African Americans on the show are surprise and gratitude that their families are now familiar to them, especially their names and their histories. This book is very much like that, with a thematic lesson of "don't forget; always remember." The historical figures mentioned or alluded to make for a realistic story, but the power of "Conduction" (it's like teleporting, using physical items as types of talismans) turns it into a form of fantasy. Still, quite good.

[edit: 1/23] Finding reading time is getting harder, now that school has resumed. I saw that Sidney Poitier had written a novel, Montaro Caine, of which I was completely unaware; to label it a sci-fi/mystery genre story was even more surprising. The titular character is a businessman who's having personal and company problems, but the appearance of a coin with weird properties (and later, a second similar coin) turns this into a Close Encounters, Maltese Falcon, or Contact type of tale. Sometimes convoluted but never dull or confusing, it eventually became a story of humanity's true priorities and how to make for a better, more peaceful planet.

 

[Bel-Cam Jos]

I knew I wouldn't have much time to read this month, but I also wanted something funny: Mel Brooks' memoir All About Me! fit that well. He follows his rise to fame, with a few (not as many as I'd prefer to hear) anecdotes along the way. I don't think it was meant to be funny, but he often re-told specific scenes from his films; not HOW they were made or interesting off-camera times, but the VERY SAME DIALOGUE AND ACTIONS. Yes, Mel, we saw it the first time! Still, a pretty good read, with chapters usually divided by that particular film (or musical).

[edit: 2/19] Youth Poet Laurate Amanda Gorman, famous for her inauguration day poem "The Hill We Climb," wrote a poetry collection Call Us What We Carry (this book concludes with that same poem). Amazing construction, of the individual poems as well as how they are grouped; some "found poems" using letters and diary entries of people from the past to mirror the events and perspectives of situations today (especially the lockdown and pandemic issues, plus social concerns), shapes to fit imagery from specific poems, even context given in foot- and endnotes throughout. Just brilliant.

[edit: 2/22] I spoke too soon; apparently two consecutive 3-day weekends allowed for some reading after all. Last year, IIRC, there was a "prequel" to The Great Gatsby (titled Nick) that had a GREAT cover! This year, another based-on-TGG book, Jillian Cantor's Beautiful Little Fools, had promise. Yet, like the gilded visage of Jay Gatsby, this one ended up floating in a pool. Well, not literally, and it wasn't that bad. But it wasn't really good either. Premise: we readers get the perspective of that novel from four female characters (Daisy, Jordan, and sisters Myrtle and Catherine), but now it's a murder mystery. That changes the characterizations of almost everyone in the novel. And filled with a few anachronisms. If you didn't like the vain, selfish characters in the original, this book will make you wish for those vapid and careless individuals again (but the detective is the best new one in this book). But at least I finished a book on 2/22/22!

 

[Bel-Cam Jos]

Reading while working isn't easy now, but I saw a book on my classroom bookshelf that interested me: Cynthia Cooper's She Got Game. Since March is both college basketball tournaments as well as Women's History Month, the subject of her memoir seemed appropriate. It's a simple telling of her rise from poverty to sports success (that took several years), but one well told. This is my book #10 of 2022 thus far.

 

[Tycho]

I have been collecting SW comics, but have had no time to read them. I am writing the screenplay to the pilot live-action episode of one of my novels! I am either learning how to improve my craft, or researching to write more of my historical fiction. However, Star Wars artists Monte (Mandalorian) Moore and Jan Duursema have painted my book covers! It has been awesome working with them!

 

[Bel-Cam Jos]

My spring break started with some comics-related reading; I noticed Melanie Scott's The Periodic Table of Marvel on the library's new non-fiction shelf. It groups heroes and villains by abilities and origins, rather than time periods or teams, and assigns them an "element" box that looks like the scientific table. I got a lot of review, but more new storylines I hadn't read before. I quick and nice read.

[edit: 3/22] Will Smith (along with co-author Mark Manson) wrote Will, his memoir. Each chapter (aside from the prologue and epilogue, which are two) is one word, like the title, that fits its theme. But the title is more common than proper noun (about personal strength, more than the person himself). He uses much more profanity than I expected, it is more serious than I'd thought (but not that surprising, after reading of his life), and ends with more weird (but honest) details than I figured would be revealed. Still, very good.

[edit: 3/23] I don't recall where I read about The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis (author of children's classic Bud, Not Buddy). But I wanted an easier read than the 1920s-era book I had just started, and this was a fast read, too. Set in the same year as in its title but in Flint, MI, the family handles the somewhat typical issues a suburban family would deal with (a teenage rebel, bullying, new classmates with different looks, chores and jobs, etc.). It was quite funny up until the drive down to Alabama, when the family is in the Birmingham area when the church bombing occurred; the seriousness and childhood reactions to that tragedy were powerful and poignant. Excellent book, for multiple reading audiences.

[edit: 3/26] One more day remaining in this spring break, so I'm not sure if I can finish one more book. I heard of Nella Larsen recently, and her book Passing was being made into a TV film, I think. This was a book of two of her novellas, titled Quicksand and Passing. Both have female protagonists in big cities (New York, Chicago mainly) who deal with the dual issues of their gender and their race (they can "pass" as white, where one title comes from), and both novellas have the sad commentary of why they should even have to struggle with those issues. Passing ends with a shocking last chapter, while Quicksand is a constant movement from place to place where she tries to find somewhere where she feels that she belongs.

[edit: 4/2] Some of my motifs in reading are easy to find examples (this time: an award-winning books), but not always easy to find gems. I saw that Junot Diaz won the Pulitzer for The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, and as I started to read this fictional novel, I thought I'd like it. Plenty of sci-fi/fantasy/comic book/pop culture references, footnotes for some of the "historical" mentions, different points of view and changes in settings and times. Quite a lot of profanity and "adult" situations, and eventually the reader realizes that many of the characters will fall victim to the "curse" of the family's history (the titular character is nerdy, unpopular, and does not fit in easily as he ages). It was okay, but certainly not as good as I thought it would end up being.

[edit: 4/4] After hearing of the recent death of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, I looked for Dave Grohl's The Storyteller. I've read over 100 auto/bios over the years, but I am hesitant to give them higher marks (often overly wordy, sometimes pretentious, and sadly they just tend to be dull). This one was very good, and the word I'd use to describe it is serendipitous. He mentions the coincidences and connections that helped his career and family growth, and the voice is genuine and honest. Not that much about his time in Nirvana; but now that I realize it was less than four years, that makes sense. I would actually seek out the paperback version to read as well, as it will likely include an afterword to speak about Taylor's passing.

 

[DarthQuack]

I recently read a NON-Star Wars book. Blood in the Garden: The Flagrant History of the 1990s New York Knicks.

I really enjoyed this look into my favorite basketball team, at probably the most influential time for me as a 13-year-old when I first remember caring about them and watching them in '93. Great stories I had never heard of about the players, and the head coach Pat Riley.

 

[Bel-Cam Jos]

Also a non-SW book: Louise Erdrich's The Night Watchman, Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction (although in the Afterword, the reader finds out it's based on historical documents and real accounts). During teaching, this took some time to read in short snippets, but worth it by the end. Following Native Americans in North Dakota, it shows how challenging life was (this is set in the 1950s), and in some ways how it still is for them. Not a lot of "surprise" or "action," but those scenes with them are certainly powerful; mostly, it's a "daily life" account of multiple characters (the titular security guard, boxers, factory plant workers, missing people, elders, etc.).