SLATTERY’S HURRICANE (1956)
Novel by Herman Wouk
The 1949 movie of the same title was based upon a Herman Wouk short story, but the studio didn’t like the downer ending (Slattery dies attempting to land his hurricane-battered plane), so it was changed (Slattery lives, and regains his Navy commission). Later, when Wouk decides to expand his short story into a novel, he gives us yet a third ending (Slattery turns state's evidence against his drug-smuggling boss, receives a suspended sentence, and re-enlists as a common seaman). (February, 24, 2010)
SOME SLIPS DON’T SHOW (1957)
Novel by A A Fair (Erle Stanley Gardner)
I found this in a thrift store earlier today, and blew through it in one sitting. It’s a typical Bertha Cool & Donald Lamb story—fun to read, but weightless and utterly forgettable. In fact, right now, I can’t tell you one single thing about the plot. (Feb. 19, 2010)
THE GUTTER AND THE GRAVE (1958)
Novel by Ed McBain
Top-notch example of the hardboiled private eye genre, with a twist: Matt Cordell used to be a New York City shamus; now he’s a bum living on the streets. After he reluctantly agrees to look into a petty matter, Cordell finds himself smack in the middle of a murder case. And despite the fact that he doesn't own a change of clothes or bathe often, he still has a way with the ladies. In the end, he solves the case and earns the respect of the police before returning to his Bowery park bench. (Feb. 13, 2010)
THE WORD DETECTIVE (2000)
Non-fiction by Evan Morris
Alphabetical compilation of Morris’ newspaper/internet column on word origins, presented in an agreeably snarky style. (Feb. 12, 2010)
WHAT IT IS (2008)
Non-fiction by Lynda Barry
Barry’s bizarre cartoon/collage/memoir/rumination on imagination, ostensibly presented as a creative writing course on acid. (Feb. 3, 2010)
BRYAN PETERSON’S UNDERSTANDING PHOTOGRAPHY FIELD GUIDE (2009)
Non-fiction by (duh!) Bryan Peterson
For the most part, if you’ve read one photography how-to book, you’ve read them all—but this one is packed with good (and fresh!) information. Highly recommended! (Jan. 20, 2010)
I AM LEGEND (1954)
Novel by Richard Matheson
The grand-daddy of all “last man on earth” stories. Robert Neville is the only survivor of a plague that has transformed all of humanity into vampires. By day, he hunts down and dispatches the undead; by night he sips cocktails and listens to classical music on his hi-fi. And he ponders his situation—boy, does he ever! In short: pretentious as hell. Considering this book’s “legendary” status, I was expecting it to be, well, better. (Jan 1, 2010)
GIVE ‘EM THE AXE (1944)
Novel by Erle Stanley Gardner, writing as A A Fair
Another in the series featuring mismatched detectives Bertha Cool and Donald Lam. In this entry, Lam has just returned from WWII duty in the South Pacific, and begins investigating a mysterious woman. Meanwhile, Bertha has to give a deposition about a traffic mishap. Obviously someone dies, and all the loose ends get tied up at the end. The plot doesn’t matter. The only reason to read this series is the cocky smoothness of Lam, as contrasted with the bombastic sputter of uncool Cool. (December 20, 2009)
GOOD MORNING, MR ZIP ZIP ZIP:
MOVIES, MEMORY, AND WORLD WAR II (2003)
Non-fiction by Richard Schickel
According to Schickel (who grew up during WWII), the people who won the war were not the “greatest generation,” but a lot of ordinary people doing the best they could. They did what they were told and didn’t ask questions. Hollywood did its part by cranking out movies that depicted American GIs as selfless heroes fighting for mom and apple pie—inspirational, if not very true to human nature. (November 20, 2009)
WHY KEROUAC MATTERS: THE LESSONS OF ON THE ROAD (THEY'RE NOT WHAT YOU THINK) (2007)
Non-fiction by John Leland
For more than half a century, Kerouac's On The Road has been both hailed and condemned as the ultimate guide on how to become a slacker, drop-out and screw-up. Leland contends that this interpretation is completely wrong, and all you have to do is actually read the thing to realize this. Sal Paradise (the character representing Kerouac himself) actually had fairly traditional values for the most part, and wanted nothing more than to find a nice girl and settle down—which is exactly what he did by the end of the novel. Dean Moriarity, on the other hand, was left a broken man by his constant search for "kicks." (November 4, 2009)
PHILIP MARLOWE'S GUIDE TO LIFE (2005)
Quotations from Raymond Chandler, edited by Martin Asher
A slim volume containing some of the choicest lines from Chandler's hard-boiled detective novels, including my longtime favorite: "I needed a drink, I needed a lot of life insurance. I needed a vacation. I needed a home in the country. What I had was a coat, a hat and a gun." (October 27, 2009)
THE GAME-PLAYERS OF TITAN (1963)
Novel by Philip K Dick
My experience with Philip K Dick's novels has been a real mixed bag (as detailed in various entries below). This particular one was pretty good, and involves a futuristic American society where matters of property ownership are decided by a board game resembling Monopoly. (Roll a three, and you’re suddenly married!) There’s also jello-like aliens, paranoia, talking cars, telekinesis, altered realities and other things you’d expect from PKD. While natural-sounding dialogue has never been Dick’s strong suit, here it was at least tolerable. (October 21, 2009)
WATER FOR ELEPHANTS (2006)
Novel by Sara Gruen
My wife Carla recommended this one, saying it would be unlike anything I’ve ever read. She was right. Not only was it a unique story (about a veterinary student who stumbles into a job with a traveling circus), but it’s written in the present tense, which works surprisingly well. Equally surprising is how convincing Gruen is writing (in first person) as a young man and as an old one, too. (October 20, 2009)
JACK’S BOOK: AN ORAL BIOGRAPHY OF JACK KEROUAC (1978)
Non-fiction by Barry Gifford and Lawrence Lee
Two decades after the publication of On The Road, the surviving friends and associates of Kerouac recall the complex, conflicted, mother-fixated writer. Not as seamless as some “oral biographies” I’ve read. (October 17, 2009)
WILLEFORD (1997)
Non-fiction by Don Herron
This should almost be called Willeford & Me. The hardboiled crime author of Miami Blues showed up one day for Herron’s Dashiell Hammett Tour, and so began a beautiful friendship. Herron was eventually invited to assemble Willeford’s official bibliography, which involved digging through dozens of cardboard boxes in the garage of Willeford’s Miami home. (October 7, 2009)
ON THE ROAD – THE ORIGINAL SCROLL (2007)
Non-fiction by Jack Kerouac
Wow! I’m a longtime fan of Kerouac’s On The Road. But this rejected first draft—typed as one long paragraph on a 120-foot-long scroll of paper—is just amazing. Instead of the partly-fictionalized version that was published in 1957, we have the real names and the real events, which unspool at lightning speed. I’ll say it again: Wow! (September 21, 2009)
ON WRITING: A MEMOIR OF THE CRAFT (2000)
Non-fiction by Stephen King
I forget if this is the second or third time I’ve read this. It remains a favorite. (September 4, 2007)
GENTLEMAN JUNKIE (1998)
Non-fiction by Graham Caveney
The text of this biography/chronology of William S Burroughs is a fine read, but the graphic design of the entire book operates on another level entirely—apparently meant to make the reader feel as if he is reading the book after taking in an armful. Truly mind-blowing. (August 24, 2009)
EVERYTHING AND A KITE (1998)
Non-fiction by Ray Romano
Romano delivers his usual shtick on marriage, kids and so on, and it’s laugh-out-loud funny. The title refers to what his kid wanted for his birthday: everything—but just in case he doesn’t get everything, definitely a kite. (August 19, 2009)
FAREWELL, MY LOVELY (1940)
Novel by Raymond Chandler
Gumshoe Philip Marlowe has never before seen a man as big as Moose Malloy, and not many as dumb. Fresh out of prison, Moose is looking for his lost love Velma, and you’d better not stand in his way while he’s looking. Marlowe also gets involved in a murder or two, and gets konked on the head, and so on. The plot is incomprehensible (of course), but the language is so seductive, it doesn’t matter. (August 14, 2009)
TIME TUNNEL (1964)
Novel by Murray Leinster
This time travel story involves the discovery (through extensive library research) that a mysterious figure named de Bassompierre was tossing around advanced scientific ideas (genetic theory, alternating current and so on) back in the early 1800s—generations before these discoveries were made. Apparently, de Bassompierre is a time traveler whose meddling is disrupting the present by changing the past. Professor Carroll uses his “time tunnel” to travel to 1804 to stop the damage—only to discover that he himself is de Bassompierre! (August 11, 2009)
BECOMING HOLYFIELD: A FIGHTER'S JOURNEY (2008)
Non-fiction by Evander Holyfield, with Lee Gruenfeld
Why does Evander Holyfield want to reclaim the world heavyweight boxing title for an unprecedented fifth time? Does he have something to prove? Does he need the money? Is he just plain nuts? Nah, he just really likes boxing--and he's tired of people trying to persuade him to retire "for his own good." (July 18, 2009)
SOMEBODY'S WALKING OVER MY GRAVE (1956)
Novel by Robert Arthur
Hard-boiled private eye Max London is hired to look into some old gambling debts run up by the client's late wife. Before he knows what hit him (as in over the head), Max is neatly framed for his client's murder. Pulp fiction at its best, with all the clichés you want, and none of the ones you don't. I loved it! (July 9, 2009)
THIS IS THE BEAT GENERATION: NEW YORK, SAN FRANCISCO, PARIS (1999)
Non-fiction by James Campbell
Comptehensive and even-handed history of Kerouac, Cassady, Ginsberg, Burroughs and others—all fascinating characters, and all deeply flawed human beings. (July 2, 2009)
THE SECRET CITY OF CRIME (1940)
Novel by Grant Stockbridge
This is vintage pulp fiction featuring The Spider, the long-forgotten star of his own adventure magazine. His current anonymity is well deserved: The Spider seems like an amalgom of every other hero of the era: Like Batman, his alter ego is a dashing socialite, who's friends with the police commisioner. The Spider wears a black mask and a fedora, in the style of The Spirit. He has a punjabi assistant, as does Mandrake the Magician. And, much like The Shadow, he has a terrifying laugh, as well as the ability to hypnotize weak minds. Unfortunately, all these ingrediants don't add up to much. The plot, such as it is, involves a huge underground school for criminals, which promises to teach up-and-coming crooks how to commit The Perfect Crime. Aside from one "daring escape from certain death" after another (and an aburdly high body count) not much happens. (June 28, 2009)
MR PARADISE (2004)
Novel by Elmore Leonard (unabridged audio version)
Anthony Paradiso is a rich old codger who enjoys watching tapes of old Michigan State football games with real live "cheerleaders" flanking the TV. When "Mr Paradise" and one of the girls get whacked by a couple of bargain basement hit men, a typical Elmore Leonard character study is set in motion. The ending, by the way, was cribbed from Hammett's "The Whosis Kid". (June 23, 2009)
THE SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE (1971)
Non-fiction by Gordon Thomas and Max Morgan Witts
The events of April 18, 1906 presented almost in the style of a novel. Especially critical of Brigadier General Funston, commanding officer of the Presidio, who declared martial law, under no authority whatsoever. (June 20, 2009)
WHY WE SUCK (2008)
Humor by Dr Denis Leary
Denis Leary has a doctorate--who knew? In his signiture rabid-dog style, Leary does his warped version of a self-help book, which could be boiled down to SHUT THE HELL UP, GET OVER YOURSELF AND STOP WHINING! Scathingly funny stuff. (June 15, 2009)
ZODIAC UNMASKED (2002)
Non-fiction by Robert Graysmith
Graysmith gives us 400-plus pages of seemingly irrefutable proof that the Zodiac Killer's true identity was Vallejo resident Arthur Leigh Allen. Many close to the case, however, say that the former Chronicle cartoonist is a self-promoter who has distorted the facts. (June 14, 2009)
DEVIL'S GARDEN (2009)
Novel by Ace Atkins
In 1921 San Francisco, Pinkerton detective Samuel Dashiell Hammett investigates on behalf of film comedian Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, who has been accused of rape and manslaughter. It's pretty clear that Arbuckle is being framed. The question is by who—and why? Atkins takes a few minor liberties with the facts, and creates a real page turner. (May 21, 2009)
PUBLIC ENEMIES (2004)
Non-fiction by Bryan Burrough
All these decades later, most people think the bank robbers of the 1930s happened one after another, like the villains in the Dick Tracy comic strip. Burrough makes the point that all of them—Dillinger, Pretty Boy Floyd, Baby Face Nelson, Bonnie & Clyde and the Barker Gang—operated simultaneously in 1933 and 1934. As a result, the FBI was created. Most of the earliest agents were lawyers with zero law enforcement experience—and for the first year or so, they were as ineffective as you'd expect. (May 12, 2009)
ELMORE LEONARD'S TEN RULES OF WRITING (2007)
Non-fiction by Elmore Leonard
The most incredibly padded book I've ever seen. While there's some good information here, the entire text could fit on the back of a business card, and took less than ten minutes to read cover to cover. It's even printed on cardstock to make the finished book appear thicker! (May 11, 2009)
LOCKED DOORS (2005)
Novel by Laurie R King
Eighth in the successful series about Mary Russell, the much-younger-but-equally-brainy bride of Sherlock Holmes. Russell and Holmes travel to 1924 San Francisco, where they encounter a tubercular Pinkerton detective named Dashiell Hammett. I don’t usually go for “Victorian Cozies”, but this was a lot of fun. This is also the first book I’ve completed since my accident on April 3. (May 2, 2009)
FLOW MY TEARS, THE POLICEMAN SAID (1974)
Novel by Philip K Dick
“A hundred years from now,” proclaims Norman Spinrad on the cover, “Dick may be recognized as the greatest American novelist of the second half of the twentieth century.” Uh, don’t hold your breath, Normy. I’ve read several PKD novels by now, and while his premises are quirky and mildly clever (think old Twilight Zone episodes), his writing style is unremarkable, his characters wooden and his dialogue is often terrible. In this outing, TV superstar Jason Taverner wakes up to find that no one remembers him, not even his friends or family. Indeed, there’s no proof that he ever existed at all. (Gee—that plot’s never been done before, has it?) (March 28, 2009)
10 GLARING MISTAKES AMATUER WRITERS MAKE AND HOW TO AVOID THEM (2006)
Non-fiction by Nora Profit
From page 15: “Redundancy is saying the same thing twice. You will fail to get to the point if you repeat yourself. Block any tendency to explain things twice. Trust the reader to get the point. Saying something twice will not guarantee comprehension; concise writing will.” There is no indication that the preceding paragraph was meant to be either funny or ironic. And the rest of the book is a lot like this. (March 8, 2009)
THE WAY YOU WEAR YOUR HAT: FRANK SINATRA AND THE LOST ART OF LIVIN’ (1997)
Non-fiction by Bill Zehme
Whether wowing some doll or pasting some creep in the mush, Francis Albert Sinatra had a style all his own. Through pictures, quotes and interviews with Sinatra’s close friends, Zehme attempts to capture the man on paper, with some success. (February 27, 2009)
SPADE & ARCHER: THE PREQUEL TO DASHIELL HAMMETT'S "THE MALTESE FALCON" (2009)
Novel by Joe Gores
Seventy-nine years (to the day!) after The Maltese Falcon came out, Joe Gores (a former PI, just like Hammett), brings us the story of how Sam Spade became Sam Spade, Fans of the original will catch dozens of subtle references, but even the uninitiated will enjoy the ride. (February 13, 2009)
HOWARD, THE AMAZING MR. HUGHES (1972)
Non-fiction by Noah Deitrich and Bob Clarke
Biography wriiten by Howard Hughes’ right-hand man for over thirty years. It was Deitrich’s responsibility to carry out Hughes’ instructions, no matter how bizarre, costly or unethical. When Hughes needed to make it snap decision, he would stall for weeks, months or even years, often with costly results. After decades of “Noah can do it,” Deitrich freed himself of Hughes—just as Hughes was entering his most bizarre period. (January 25, 2009)
LIVE AND LET DIE (1954)
Novel by Ian Fleming
Remember the movie? Roger Moore’s first outing as 007, as filtered through a 1970s Blaxploitation movie? I was surprised to see that a fair amount of the movie came from the novel, which involves a Harlem gangster (and Russian agent!) named Mr. Big, who keeps his minions in like through the use of voodoo. CIA agent Felix Leiter loses two limbs—he “disagreed with something that ate him.” (January 21, 2009)
BACK TO THE BATCAVE (1994)
Non-fiction by Adam West, with Jeff Rovin
Along with some great anecdotes about the 1960s TV show, the aging West tells us at why he should have been cast (instead of Michael Keaton) in the 1989 Batman movie, and even claims he was cast to play James Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secrect Service, but he backed out! A funny, fast-moving autobiography, but also a little sad and creepy. (December 24, 2008)
WIRED: THE SHORT LIFE & FAST TIMES OF JOHN BELUSHI (1984)
Non-fiction by Bob Woodward
John Belushi had so much comedic talent that he could get huge laughs simply by walking onstage. Unfortunately, he had equal talent for sabotaging himself with drugs, arrogance, drugs, self-deception and lots and lots of drugs. Toward the end he almost never slept, due to the constant intake of cocaine. When he added heroin to the mix, the fast times ended suddenly at age thirty-three. (November 16, 2008)
RICKLES’ BOOK (2007)
Non-fiction by Don Rickles, with David Ritz
As showbiz memoirs go, this is pretty lightweight stuff—very short chapters containing snippets and glimpses. But one or two of the anecdotes are priceless. (October 28, 2008)
NOTHING MORE THAN MURDER (1959)
Novel by Jim Thompson
Movie theater manager Joe Wilmot is in over his head. Against his better judgment, he agrees to help his shrewish wife Elizabeth fake her own death for the insurance money. As planned, Elizabeth’s charred body (or someone’s body, anyway) is discovered after a fire, but then things begin to go awry: Joe is unsure how trustworthy (or sane) his cockeyed, pigeon-toed accomplice Carol is. Two different would-be blackmailers present their theories as to what really happened—both wrong, but close enough to keep the insurance company from paying off. And on top of everything else, it seems a major theater chain wants to move into town, which will put Joe out of business. Don’t expect a happy ending—this is a Jim Thompson story. (September 27, 2008)
DASHIELL HAMMETT: A LIFE
Non-fiction by Diane Johnson
Lillian Hellman didn’t meet writer Dashiell Hammett until his life was half over. Despite this, Hellman appointed herself the custodian of Hammett’s life story—no biography would be written without her express approval, and God help anyone who tried. She actively obstructed Hammett researchers, and kept several projects from reaching print. This is the “official” bio, as sanctioned by Hellman. Even so, Johnson adds an afterword telling how Hellman made even this authorized edition almost impossible to produce. (September 24, 2008)
DUMA KEY (2008)
Novel by Stephen King
After a devastating accident that crushed his skull and ripped off his right arm, Edgar Freemantle decides to recuperate on a small, almost-deserted island in the Florida Keys. He takes up painting, and discovers he has a knack for it—in fact, he turns out canvas after canvas, like a man possessed. His recurring subject is a girl in a rowboat, her back to the viewer, looking toward a decrepit three-master. Edgar begins to suspect that some malevolent force is causing him to paint and re-paint this image. Perhaps this same force even drew him to Florida, and may have been behind his “accident” in the first place. (September 10, 2008)
THE AMOROUS BUSBOY OF DECATUR AVENUE (2005)
Non-fiction by Robert Klein
In this memoir, comedian Klein initially focuses on his Bronx childhood, but gradually transitions to the loves, lusts and conquests of his early adulthood. Explicitly sexy and very funny. (August 2, 2008)
THE PAWNBROKER (1961)
Novel by Edward Lewis Wallant
Jewish pawnbroker Sol Nazerman has effectively been dead for over fifteen years, his heart and soul extinguished by the Nazi concentration camps. These days, he operates a shabby pawnshop in Harlem, where he joylessly goes through the motions of business. He suspects that his assistant, Jesus Ortiz may be setting him up for robbery, but he doesn’t really give a damn either way. When the robbery comes down, Jesus takes a bullet for his boss, and Sol begins to rediscover his humanity. (July 2, 2008)
RACE AGAINST TIME (1973)
Novel by Piers Anthony
It goes without saying that most juvenile science fiction sucks (and this did), but the basic premise intrigued me just enough to bother reading it: A teenage boy, living in Nebraska circa 1960 begins to suspect that his small, isolated town isn’t really a town at all, but some sort of exhibit in an extraterrestrial zoo—and that he’s the only real human of the bunch. He eventually encounters five other teens, each escaped from their respective “zoos.” They join forces in order to escape to the “real” earth, and so on and so forth, until the “surprise ending” you’d have to be an idiot not to see coming (even if you hadn’t seen Planet of the Apes). (June 20, 2008)
THE REAL BOOK ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHY (1957)
Non-fiction by William P Gottlieb
I first read this book waaay back in fourth grade, and thought it was great. All these years later, it’s still one of the best books on photography, even though (a) it’s a kid’s book, and (b) it’s over fifty years out of date. Even so, it’s filled with more practical advice and useful information than most guides available today. (June 18, 2008)
UP TILL NOW (2008)
Non-fiction by William Shatner, with David Fisher
Shatner’s autobiography reads like he’s speaking out loud—run on sentences, frequent digressions, and liberal doses of self-promotion and self-effacement. It works—a very fun read. (June 5, 2008)
DEAN KOONTZ’S FRANKENSTEIN, BOOK ONE: PRODIGAL SON (2005)
Novel by Dean Koontz and Kevin J Anderson
Two hundred years after being created by Victor Frankenstein, the monster (who now calls himself Deucalion) discovers Dr F is alive and well and living in New Orleans. With two centuries of practice to perfect his craft, Victor is now mass-creating the New Race, through whom he will conquer the world. (You know, it didn’t seem as stupid as I just made it sound when I was reading it!) Since it’s “Book One”, nothing gets resolved. (June 1, 2008)
HOLLYWOOD ANIMAL (2004)
Non-fiction by Joe Eszterhas
Massive memoir by the widely-reviled screenwriter of Basic Instinct and Showgirls, among others. Tells of his early childhood in the post-WWII refugee camps, coming to America (not speaking a word of English), his days as a tough street kid in Cleveland, and eventually becoming the highest-paid screenwriter of his day (even though few of his scripts were ever made into movies). Along the way, he dumps his wife, marries a younger one, moves back to Cleveland and gets throat cancer. Oh, and two years after writing Music Box (which was about finding out that your sweet ol’ Hungarian dad was a Nazi war criminal), Eszterhas found out his sweet ol’ Hungarian dad was a Nazi war criminal. If you put a coincidence like that in a movie, they’d throw popcorn at the screen. (May 28, 2008)
JACK KEROUAC’S AMERICAN JOURNEY (2007)
Non-fiction by Paul Maher Jr
Readable and informative, although when it’s all said and done, it’s nothing more than a retelling of On The Road, fleshed out with background details imported from other books. A few hilarious errors creep in, such as a reference to 007 creator “Alan” Fleming. (April 30, 2007)
THE WORLD OF MIKE ROYKO (1999)
Non-fiction by Doug Moe
Loving, respectful tribute to the legendary Chicago columnist. Like Herb Caen in San Francisco, Royko deeply loved his city, but often hated what went on in it. As one editor put it: “He gets hacked off at stupidity. He has a temper and seems to care about the little guy who gets screwed.” (March 15, 2008)
PERFECTLY CLEAR: NIXON FROM WHITTIER TO WATERGATE (1973)
Non-fiction by Frank Mankiewicz
Overall, a pretty standard accounting of the “White House Horrors.” Where Mankiewicz shines is in the chapter where he shows us what it would have sounded like if Nixon had come clean about Watergate, instead of covering up. (March 6, 2008)
THE FEATHERED OCTOPUS (1937)
Novel by Kenneth Robeson
By far the weakest Doc Savage adventure I’ve ever read. The plot, such as it is, involves a bad guy called High Lar, who kidnaps Doc Savage as part of a nonsensical plan to gain a monopoly over the world’s airlines. After Doc escapes, his cousin Pat is kidnapped next, prompting Doc and his five assistants to fly to a South Seas island to rescue her. In the course of the story, each of Doc’s men are captured, some of them more than once. In the end, the bad guy is conveniently drowned by his own giant (featherless) octopus. I assume Pat is finally rescued, although this little detail is never actually mentioned! I’m a long-time fan of the Doc Savage series, but this mess was almost unreadable. (March 4, 2008)
ED’S FRUITS & VEGETABLES (1995)
Novel by Tom Bodett (unabridged audio edition)
Volume five of Tom Bodett’s American Odyssey, interweaving several down-homey stories: A man searches for his long-lost father, a homeless amnesiac Viet Nam vet; A tow truck driver tries to work up the nerve to ask out the cute girl who works at the drugstore; and a young woman endures a surprise visit from her parents (and their Winnebago), who show no signs of leaving. (October 7, 2007)
SEARCHING FOR THE SOUND (2005)
Non-fiction by Phil Lesh
The inside story of the Grateful Dead, as told by their bass player. Very evocative of the time and place, from the LSD-fueled acid tests of the 1960s to the death of Jerry Garcia in the 1990s. Along the way, the Dead had somehow become a corporate juggernaut (employing hundreds of people) who had to play stadium-sized venues just to keep in the black. Unfortunately, the “one mind” connection with the audience was lost along the way. (October 6, 2007)
TIME OUT OF JOINT (1959)
Novel by Philip K Dick
It all started with a light fixture pullcord that wasn’t there. Rangle Gumm lives a quiet middle class life in 1950s middle America, but can’t shake the feeling that something has “gone wrong,”—that somehow, in a way he can’t explain, he’s a prisoner. It turns out that it’s not 1959, but 1997, and earth has been under alien attack for the past three years. Those puzzles that he does in the evening paper are in reality a way to get him to predict where the aliens might attack next—and to that end, the entire town and everyone in it has been provided in order to give him a peaceful environment in which to do his work. (September 30, 2007)
HALLOWEEN by Jerry Seinfeld (2002) and
IF ROAST BEEF COULD FLY (2004) by Jay Leno
Okay, I don’t usually include kid’s books here (let alone two of them at once), but I was intrigued by the similarities between the two. Although put out by two different publishers and illustrated by two different artists, both are by comedians who have (or have had) hit shows on NBC. Both books feature a child-version of the author as the main character. Both are hardback books with dust jackets, 32 pages long (those pages being ten inches square in both instances. Both volumes include an audio CD version of the book attached to the inside cover. One final coincidence: I bought both of them the same day—at the 99 cent store. (September 29, 2007)
700 SUNDAYS (2005)
Non-fiction by Billy Crystal
Book version of Crystal’s one man show about his family. The title refers to the time spent with his late father, who worked all week, and only spent time with the family on Sundays. Young Billy had only 700 Sundays to spend with his dad. Touching, but very funny. (September 28, 2007)
THE EXECUTUONER: CALIFORNIA HIT (1972)
Novel by Don Pendleton
Volume 11 in the violent series that now has 400-or-so entries. Mack Bolan travels, for no obvious reason, to San Francisco to continue his vendetta against the mob. Definitely not Shakespeare, but entertaining enough. (September 27, 2007)
THE SECRET SOCIETIES HANDBOOK (2004)
Non-fiction by Michael Bradley
A conspiracy theorist’s wet dream. From the Knights Templar to the Council on Foreign Relations, Bradley promises earth-shattering revelations, and mostly fails to deliver. He claims that many have died trying to bring this information to light, but, paradoxically, he is in no danger himself, since no one will believe him. I guess that makes as much sense as anything else in this book. (September 26, 2007)
I AM ALIVE AND YOU ARE DEAD: A JOURNEY INTO THE MIND OF PHILIP K DICK (2005)
Non-fiction by Emmanuel Carrere
Dick’s idiosyncratic scince fiction novels weren’t half as strange as his real life. Paranoid and socially inept, he was convinced that what the rest of us call “reality” is but a curtain in front of a more substantial truth. At one point he believed that the Roman Empire never ended, and that “all this” was an illusion perpetrated by the present-day Romans. As an infant, Dick almost starved to death because his mother insisted on breast feeding him, despite the fact that her breasts produced no milk. His twin sister did not survive. (September 25, 2007)
ONE LONELY NIGHT (1951)
Novel by Mickey Spillane
Mike Hammer comes to the rescue of a woman being attacked on a bridge, but she leaps to her death anyway. It turns out both the woman and her attacker were communist infiltrators (note the publication date!), so Hammer decides to do some infiltrating of his own. He exposes an insidious plot involving a straight-arrow political candidate, his evil twin, and a debutante who fell in with the wrong crowd. (September 9, 2007)
THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME (2003)
Novel by Mark Haddon
Told in the first person, Christopher is an autistic teen who decides to investigate the killing of a neighborhood dog. In the course of discovering that his own father did the deed, he also learns that his mother is not dead (as his father had always told him), but living in nearby London. Convinced that his father is not trustworthy, Christopher sneaks away and takes a train to London—an almost insurmountable task for a boy with phobias, behavior problems and a very limited understanding of the outside world. (September 7, 2007)
I SHOULDN'T EVEN BE DOING THIS! (2006)
Non-fiction by Bob Newhart
Some people don't find Bob Newhart laugh-out-loud funny. Too bad for them. I laughed out loud from the beginning to the end of this collection of anecdotes and comedy routines (September 6, 2007)
DAMN YANKEES (THE YEAR THE YANKEES LOST THE PENNANT) (1954)
Novel by Douglass Wallop
Middle-aged baseball fan Joe Boyd has only two desires: for his hapless Washington Senators to win the pennant, and—just once—for the unstoppable New York Yankees to lose. Conveniently, the devil (calling himself "Applegate") transforms him into home run machine Joe Hardy (no relation to the teenage sleuth). Needless to say, this arrangement with the devil turns out to be trickier than Joe anticipated. (September 3, 2007)
THE SINFUL ONES (1950)
Novel by Fritz Leiber
What if you found out that all the world is a clockwork mechanism running a preset program—that the person with whom you're having a conversation would be reacting the same way whether you were there or not? Leiber takes the limitless possibilities of this scenario—and does very little with them. Employment office interviewer Carr Mackay tries to help the waifish Jane evade the trio that is (for no particular reason) trying to do her harm. Despite truckloads of unsubtle clues, it takes over half the book for Mackay to even get an inkling that something unusual is happening. The lurid title, by the way is apropos of nothing; it was added by the original publisher in order to boost sales. (September 2, 2007)
FEAR ITSELF (2003)
Novel by Jonathan Nasaw
Simon Childs takes very good care of his mentally disabled sister Missy. On the downside, he's a sadistic serial killer who targets phobics—using their terrors against them. Hunting Simon is an unlikely trio: Sartorially-challenged Special Agent E L Pender (two-weeks-from-retirement), Investigative Specialist Linda Abruzzi (still on the job despite the debilitating effects of MS), and Carmel artist Dorie Bell (the only of Simon's victims to survive). (August 29, 2007)
VISITS FROM THE DROWNED GIRL (2004)
Novel by Steven Sherrill (unabridged audio version)
While working atop a high tower, Benny Poteat inadvertently witnesses a suicide: a young woman wades into the river and disappears. Benny climbs down and rushes to the scene, where he discovers a still-running video camera has recorded the event; he also finds the woman's backpack, with several homemade videotapes inside. He decides to keep the tapes, and never mention to anyone what he saw. He gradually becomes obsessed with the "drowned girl" (and later, her diminutive sister Becky), and enters a downward spiral of guilt and sadism that can only end in tragedy. (August 19, 2007)
THE DEVIL GENGHIS (1938)
Novel by Kenneth Robeson
The first victim was a dog, then a Eskimo. Then a gentlemen on the French Riviera, and finally Major John "Renny" Renwick. All of them now ignore the real world, and engage in unending battle against an unseen enemy directly overhead. It turns out that this is all part of the evil plan of Doc Savage's old nemesis John Sunlight, who has set himself up as "Genghis" of a mountainous country somewhere "beyond Afghanistan," where he is building an army to conquer the world. More pulp fiction thrills with Doc and company. (August 13, 2007)
PEOPLE DIE IN THE TENDERLOIN (2006)
Novel by Darrin Atkins
There's a serial killer loose in San Francisco, who not only decapitates his victims, but leaves a shoe print on the face (Yeeg!). The police are baffled, and turn to the only man who can crack the case: Part-time crime reporter Joshua Sloat. Sloat soon learns he has been framed for the crimes, and is forced underground. A fun homage to tough guy heroes of the past, such as Mike Hammer and Race Williams. (August 6, 2008)
STRANGERS AT THE GATE (1995)
Novel by Leonard Gross
Immigrants from Hong Kong (legal and otherwise) are flooding into San Francisco. A young television reporter decides to do a story on the influx, and gets her face slashed for her trouble. SFPD Captain Zach Tobias has to crack the case quickly before a full-scale race war breaks out. Tobias has other problems as well: his socialite mother is nagging him to stop this silly police hobby of his, and assume leadership of the family business (Z Tobias and Company) before his conniving sister puts the corporation a billion dollars in debt. Above average. (August 5, 2007)
ADVENTURES OF A CONTINETAL DRIFTER (2005)
Non-fiction by Elliott Hester
Funny and well-told episodes from Hester's year-long trek around the globe, which included stops in Argentina, French Polynesia, Australia, Southeast Asia, India, Northeast Africa, and Europe. Despite the language problems and diarrhea, he had one hell of a memorable trip. (August 1, 2007)
PLAYBACK (1958)
Novel by Raymond Chandler
The final Philip Marlowe novel is the runt of the litter. Also, the title has nothing to do with the story, in which Marlowe is hired to tail a woman, but decides to help the woman instead. Apparently he has nothing better to do than rescue people who don't want rescuing, and then refusing to accept payment. "I didn't ask you to protect me," she tells him. "I'm not your client. Why don't you go home—if you have a home—and stop annoying people?" Excellent question. (July 19, 2007)
TOP OF THE HEAP (1952)
Novel by A A Fair (Erle Stanley Gardner)
One of ESG's Bertha Cool & Donald Lam mysteries. The owner of an illegal San Francisco casino launders his earnings through several profitless mining operations in Siskiyou county. When one of the mines actually strikes gold, the entire scam is threatened, and he soon turns up dead. Donald Lam investigates (telling the story in the first person), while bellicose Bertha Cool stays back at the office, spewing idiotic lines line "Fry me for an oyster!" Lam is cool. Cool is annoying. (July 13, 2007)
STICKIN' (2000)
Non-fiction by James Carville
Loyalty, says Bill Clinton's onetime right-hand man, became a corny concept somewhere along the line (especially in Washington DC). Carville tells why it's important to stick with your friends and stick it to your enemies. (July 10, 2007)
FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE (1938)
Novel by Kenneth Robeson
John Sunlight, a mysterious evil genius, stumbles upon Doc Savage's arctic Fortress of Solitude (and before you Superman fans start hurling accusations, Doc had his first!) and makes off with the Man of Bronze's arsenal of high-tech weaponry (including a beam which stops atomic motion, causing the victim to turn into dust). Sunshine proceeds to sell the machines for ten million dollars a pop, and, oddly enough, gets away at the end. (July 8, 2007)
HOW TO READ LITERATURE LIKE A PROFESSOR (2003)
Non-fiction by Thomas C Foster
An informal introduction to symbolism in literature. Interesting, but much of it is so wishy-washy (This always means that, except when it doesn't) as to be useless. (July 6, 2007)
THE PAINTED WORD (1975)
Non-fiction by Tom Wolfe
Wolfe's scathing attack on the modern art movement (specifically painting) since World War I. The decisions of what is and isn't good art is made by a handful of people who care less about the painting itself than the artistic theory behind it. (July 4, 2007)
THE CASE OF THE RUNAWAY CORPSE (1954)
Novel by Erle Stanley Gardner
Perry Mason and Della Street travel to Paradise, California (my home town) to retrieve a sealed envelope. This envelope supposedly contains a letter from the husband of Mason's client, charging that his wife is planning to poison him. Shortly after, the husband is pronounced dead, and poison is the stated cause of death. But wait! The body is missing—and a witness claims it climed out of the window and drove away. A typically entertaining Perry Mason adventure, with all the usual twists and turns. (July 3, 2007)
THE REST OF THE ROBOTS (1964)
Short story collection by Isaac Asimov
The alternate title could have been Stories Not Good Enough to Include in "I, Robot." But even when an Asimov robot story isn't that great, it's still pretty good. I've been reading more science fiction than usual these past few months ("usual" being none at all), and some of it, at least, I've been enjoying. Still haven't warmed up to Westerns, though (July 1, 2007)
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