Books read and other media of note:
Gunman's Rhapsody by Robert Parker I'd never paid a lot of attention to the life of Wyatt Earp,
except seeing some series based on his life when a child. This
novel by Robert Parker brought it all alive. I just read most of
what's written at the link above, and his story fits the facts mostly,
although he paints Wyatt as more of a hero than his record attests.
If anyone epitomized the Old West, it's got to be Wyatt.
He even ended up in Murray, Idaho and Chewelah, Washington in
later years, chasing mining booms. He lived enough for ten men...
The Bear in the Attic by Patrick McManus He
writes books regularly--collections of his humorous articles from
Outdoor Life Magazine. Each story is a 3 page gem--a very short
short story about growing up camping and fishing and stuff, made more
wonderful for me as they're mostly set in North Idaho.
Two for the Money, and Three to Get Deadly, Four to Score, High Five by Janet Evanovich. Okay, I'm hooked on the series--detective fluff, but well told fluff. I guess I've got about 20 to go.
The Graveyard Book. by
Neil Gaiman. This is his latest fantasy, and it had some good
parts. I was reminded of Peter Beagle's Fine and Private Place,
also set in a grave yard. I think I failed to engage enough with
some of the characters for it all to work for me.
Coraline 3D
film. I'd read the book--generally I like the author, Neil
Gaiman. This was well realized, and the 3D effect adds to the
surreality of the whole premise--a girl ventures into a scary mirror
image reality from a hidden door in a house she's moved into. It
was the first 3D movie I'd seen in many years, and showed the potential
for making it worthwhile to see the movie in a theater--2D small screen
would be a distant relative at best. I wouldn't recommend it for
kids under 10 though--mostly pretty depressing topics.
The Violent Man by
A.E. Van Vogt. This work was a surprise from the usually seat-
of- your- pants fantasy author--a well researched novel set in a cold
war indoctrination prison in China (it was written in the 50's or 60's
as well). Although it was not a topic I'd usually read a novel
on, he made it an interesting psychological study. It reminded
me a bit of the 60's series, The Prisoner, as they both have their
surreal touches.
Video: Appaloosa I'd
read the book by Robert Parker last year. Although my memory has
always been like a sieve, this movie seemed an excellent rendition of
the book. The actors seemed all hard real people, in a hard
existence--not a pretty face in the bunch. In the library, it's
mostly older men that read the westerns--I guess I'm an older man...
But the drama of love, betrayal, and honor cuts across genres.
Twilight
by Stephenie Meyer. I read it because it's hugely popular with
teens. The whole book seethes with repressed sexuality and other
nervous tension. I'm not sure why it's such a hit--there's a lot
better fantasy out there... Sometimes hits just happen. Or
maybe it's the seething repressed sexuality and other nervous tension.
One for the Money
by Janet Evanovich. Our library has a huge section of books by
this author on her Stephanie Plum mysteries. She's currently atop
the best seller list for her latest entry. I'm fond of female
sleuths, from
Miss Marple to V.I. Warshawski to Carlotta Carlisle and Anna Pigeon.
This particular one (Plum) is closest to V.I. Warshawski:
urban, working class, a bit more crass than V.I., but well crafted.
Not for the squeamish.
Sondahl blog index
