Tag Archives: books

Book Reviews: Serendipitous Pulp Fiction – Richard Stark vs. Elmore Leonard


I fell into both of these authors of decent pulp fiction completely by accident, thus the serendipity idea in the title. I learned about one of my favorite shows Justified from my NSFCCDP friend m.poulet and I told you about how … Continue reading

Posted in books | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Movie and Comic Review: V for Vendetta (1982 and 2005) – An Enduring, Thought-provoking Cult Classic


There are some classics that it takes time to get around to reading, watching, and appreciating. I recall the hubbub around the movie premier of V for Vendetta but for some reason, I didn’t go see it or even take … Continue reading

Posted in comics, Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: American Pastoral by Philip Roth (1997)


It is getting exceedingly rare to find books that are well-written and yet hard-hitting and surprising at nearly every turn. Usually, you get just one (like the nearly unreadable Infinite Jest that I can still not get through) or the … Continue reading

Posted in books | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Classic Comics: Batman, The Dark Knight Returns (1986)


I kind of dropped of reading comics when I was a kid so it was only thanks to the Christopher Nolan trilogy that I went back and read several of the sources of stories used in the movies. I talked to … Continue reading

Posted in books | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Patience is a virtue…and a book review: The Outfit by Richard Stark


I am not normally a very patient person. Some might go to the extreme of calling me impatient in fact. But I am learning. After almost 3 years of struggle, I have seen several of my initiatives come to fruition … Continue reading

Posted in books, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Reviews: Mario Vargas Llosa’s Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter – funny and quirky enough to make me want to read more Llosa


Also during my Beijing trip, I was able to read and finish 2010 Nobel Prize for Literature winner Mario Vargas Llosa’s Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter. I am familiar with other writers from South America, but this is my first … Continue reading

Posted in books | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book Review: Moby-Dick, or the Whale by Herman Melville – Ahab and the Will to Power


I finished Moby-Dick for the third time last night at midnight-thirty. It was a breathless ending as one would expect, but there was also a feeling of anti-climax. I think that despite the excitement of the chase and the apocalyptic … Continue reading

Posted in books | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Book Reviews: Moby-Dick, Part 1 – Suspense Before the Hunt


I am reading and loving Moby-Dick at the moment following my research trips to the whaling museums of Nantucket and New Bedford. This particular edition I am reading from University of California Press is HIGHLY recommended as the typeface is extremely … Continue reading

Posted in books | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Book and Movie Review: Charlie (and Willy Wonka) and the Chocolate Factory


Over the summer holiday in Italy a few weeks ago, I was in a bookstore looking for a few books for the family and I stumbled upon Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. I had never actually read … Continue reading

Posted in Being Dad, books | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

TV Series: Sherlock S02 (2012) and my Studies of the World’s Only Consulting Detective


I wrote recently about S01 of the BBC One series Sherlock and raved about it. Season 2 was just as good and just as frustratingly short. This time around, we got treated to three of the classic Holmes episodes, A … Continue reading

Posted in books, TV Series | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments