So, this was my first Sherlock Holmes novel and it happens to be the first of Doyles classic series. I enjoyed the story and have to admit I was caugh So, this was my first Sherlock Holmes novel and it happens to be the first of Doyles classic series. I enjoyed the story and have to admit I was caught off guard by the transition from Holmes and Watson in London, to the characters revealed in the Mormon territory of Utah. I thought Doyle had left me hanging and went into another short story. It wasn't until the description of the suspect entering Europe, seeking revenge on the murderers of his true love, that I made the connection. it was well done, entertaining and I know I will have to add some more of the series to my list. ...more
Let me say right out of the gate that this might possibly be the best book I have read all year. It is certainly making it to my 'favorites' shelf.
Ev Let me say right out of the gate that this might possibly be the best book I have read all year. It is certainly making it to my 'favorites' shelf.
Every now and then I stumble upon a hidden gem, and this is one of those books. It wasn't on my to read list, nor had I ever even heard of it. I discovered it, of all places, in the book bin at Costco. Being a book lover, I can't help but stop and browse the books when shopping. Even when just intending to make a quick stop there, that just means I'll go past the book bin a little faster than usual. The book caught my attention, and after checking out the ratings for it on my trusty cell phone I saw that it was rated high and even had a couple of reviews from my friends. So, in my shopping cart it went and then to the bottom of my stack it went. That was several months ago, and now that I have finally gotten around to it, I must repeat what I said at the beginning, this might be the best book I have read all year. I always have a hard time picking favorites, but this book is certainly among the top 5.
Louis Murphy did a brilliant job in presenting a story that is beautiful, magical, and yet, at the same time, dramatically dark and about as disturbing as they come. This reads like a dark fantasy, but that dark fantasy is just a cover for what is really a horrific holocaust story.
This is one of those historical fiction pieces that brings you into the lives and experiences of those involved and brings, like a knife in the heart, the knowledge and idea of what some suffered during the terrible tragedies of war. And yet, like any great novel, it also reminds us of the compassion and love of our fellow human kind.
In one particular scene toward the end of the tale I found myself with tears in my eyes. Not just for the character involved, but because I know that this really happened and I never read it described quite this way. Yeah, it is one of those kind of books.
I don't know how I have never heard of this book but I would recommend it all my Goodread friends. ...more
Though fun to read the inside stories of old players and what takes place behind the scenes, this book was almost depressing. It is written from the p Though fun to read the inside stories of old players and what takes place behind the scenes, this book was almost depressing. It is written from the perspective of a team doctor for the Oakland/ Los Angeles Raiders and deals with a lot of medical subjects, but it also covers a huge amount of info concerning the NFL as a whole.
This was almost worse than reading about politics. But should I be surprised? After all, the teams are owned by a bunch of billionaires, and isn't that who also owns the politicians?
Aside from the revelations about the ugly underbelly of the league this was still a fun book to read. There are some great personal stories concerning different players, coaches, and personnel that made this not only informative, but entertaining as well.
One individual mentioned throughout the book is the now deceased owner of the Raiders, Al Davis. I've been a Raider fan my whole life and my memories of watching the team, go all the way back to the John Maddon and Kenny Stabler days. So as a fan, there were times I idolized Davis and there were times I was frustrated with him. And now this book has also given me dual feelings about the man. While reading, there were moments when I thought the guy was a complete asshole, and there were times when I thought he was actually just a good-hearted person buried under a rough exterior. There were times when I thought he must have been an idiot and times I thought he was a genius. I guess the best conclusion to make is that he was just human, like me. The only difference is, when you have a billion dollars in your back pocket, no one is going to argue with you on those moments when you are being an asshole. ...more
These are some seriously disturbed women. There were times where I became bored with the chatty interactions and was actually leaning toward rating th These are some seriously disturbed women. There were times where I became bored with the chatty interactions and was actually leaning toward rating this 3 stars, but I'll keep it at 4. Mostly because she kept it short. ...more
The night has a thousand eyes, And the day but one; Yet the light of the bright world dies With the dying sun.
The mind has a thousand eyes, And the h The night has a thousand eyes, And the day but one; Yet the light of the bright world dies With the dying sun.
The mind has a thousand eyes, And the heart but one; Yet the light of a whole life dies When love is done. ~Francis William Bourdillon
This old poetry is not necessarily my cup of tea (throw some Bukowski in there with a cup of whiskey and we're talking) but I still rate this a solid 5. This is poetry in which you will find some of the most famous lines in history. This is poetry, but in a sense, it is a piece of history as well. The book is capped off with some famous historical documents....more
"Connie studied me with cold wonder, like I'd betrayed her, and maybe I had. I'd done what we were not supposed to do. Illuminated a slice of private "Connie studied me with cold wonder, like I'd betrayed her, and maybe I had. I'd done what we were not supposed to do. Illuminated a slice of private weakness, exposed the twitchy rabbit heart."
When I first saw a review for this book I thought it was about The Charles Manson Family. It is not, but in essence, it is almost exactly the same story. Only names have been altered and events slightly altered as well. Still, it piqued my interest enough that I wanted to read it because of a story my mom told me just this year. And I will get to that later.
I thought this was a great book. If I could find a weakness it would be that there are a few times that the story lagged. But even those lags gave more anticipation to the build up of the climax. Emma let me know what was coming. She dangled it before me with an expertise tease. And even though I knew what was coming the punch was overwhelming. I can see where some might not agree with me, but the reason the build up and the ending worked so well for me is because of the creative, powerful writing of the author.
Obviously, stating that the story is a parallel to the Manson story, it's not hard to figure out the plot-line. What stood out in this story was one particular girl, Evie Boyd and her journey from the life of an average 14 year old girl into the environs of a charismatic leader whose downward spiral is poisoning the group and leading them on a path of murder and self destruction.
I felt like this book relayed the perspective of a young woman in a way that I have never read before. I raised three daughters and was always open and close to them all, but let's face it, I'm a man. There are some things in which I will never be able to relate. It's like someone who has never had a bad headache telling a migraine sufferer that they understand. No, you don't!
There were some other things about this story that drew me in in a personal way. For one thing, I was born and raised around Bakersfield California ( the city mentioned at the end of the book where Helen makes her confession). It is a desert area that sits at the bottom of I-5, also known as the Grapevine. It was an area the Manson family journeyed through during their nomadic travels.
When the Tate, LaBianca murders took place, it seemed close to home, so I still remember fear running through the locals. Doors and windows were locked and us kids were watched extra close. And then there's the story my mom told me while I was there earlier this year to bury my dad.
My mom and dad had been divorced for a long time. They separated about a year before the murders. When I went through my dads belongings I came across a photograph of my cousin (who is also serving a life sentence for murder) standing next to Charles Manson. the picture intrigued me, so I took it to moms house to show her and that was when she told me about her encounter. Like many of us adults, we forget that there are a lot of things our kids don't know about or remember that are common memories to us.
My mom worked at a little restaurant called The Ranch House which sits at the bottom of The Grapevine. It's one of those places where, if you don't stop, you won't see another for many miles. It was a popular stopping place for people coming to and from L.A. I remember my mom taking me with her a few times and I ran around the place like I was at home. One couple that stopped in about once a week on their way to and from doing business, and my mom and the other employees knew them well because of their frequent stops, were the LaBiancas.
Mom told me that one day a man and some girls came in and they stood out to her because they seemed happy, singing, dancing and because they were obviously hippies. Not that being hippies bothered my mom. After all, my mom and dad were hippies. She said that they seemed friendly and that when they were leaving, the man paused at the door with a couple of the girls talking with them. He left and then the girls approached my mom and asked her to come with them. Of course she declined. She had two small children at home.
Mom said she remembered hearing that they captured the murderers from the Tate-LaBianca case and that as soon as she saw their picture on the news she said "Oh, my god, those were the people who came into the Ranch House and invited me to go with them." She said there was no mistaking Charles Mansons face as the man who had come in with the girls that day.
I've wondered since she told me about the encounter, even more so now that I've read this book, what went through my moms mind when those care-free people asked her to leave her job and come fly with them. Mom was a newly divorced, beautiful young woman... and yes, she was a partying girl in a 60's era. We all have our strengths and our weaknesses. I could imagine the weakness of temptation tugging at the part of my mom that wanted to be set free and live wild. But mom was strong. I can only begin to guess at what all she sacrificed because she had two kids depending on her. She was strong. Because she was a girl.
This is Steinbeck's only satirical work and if I may say so, he pulled it off quite nicely. It's a political piece, a subject in which he is knowledge This is Steinbeck's only satirical work and if I may say so, he pulled it off quite nicely. It's a political piece, a subject in which he is knowledgeable, but instead of the darker, dramatic side of the topic that he has always portrayed, John gives us the scenario in a way that we can laugh at. Which, to me, is the only way we can sometimes survive the bullshit. ...more
The author didn't bother with useless filler in this telling of his experience during the Holocaust. He went straight to the point... and the point is The author didn't bother with useless filler in this telling of his experience during the Holocaust. He went straight to the point... and the point is horrifying. It's stories like this that need to be remembered if humankind ever has a hope to evolve beyond our tendencies to war, murder and hatred. ...more
Is he the protagonist, or the antagonist? Good question about our Mr. Buster Casey, also known as 'Rant' which is also a pretty good description of 3.5
Is he the protagonist, or the antagonist? Good question about our Mr. Buster Casey, also known as 'Rant' which is also a pretty good description of this story. I mean, this thing is all over the place. To figure it out you might have to partake in some time traveling and still you'd be left with filtering facts from rabid infested party crashers with gold coins in their pockets and Christmas trees tied to the roofs of their cars. Still confused? You should be. After all, this is classic Palahniuk and with him, confusion can be a very entertaining experience. ...more
This is a great short story and offered free to read. Another brilliant satire of one of humankinds condition; the condition of be "Ignorance is Bliss"
This is a great short story and offered free to read. Another brilliant satire of one of humankinds condition; the condition of being self conscious. Most notably, the awareness of our mortality. Intelligence comes with a price. Yes, wouldn't it be nice to be able to run down the street, nude, like a blithering idiot, not giving a damn what people think as you yank your wanker. Hah! I just remembered we have an AED hanging on the wall where I work. ...more
Stephen King does a great job combining the aged, nostalgic mind with that of the young, inexperienced, yet open mind of the young. A short fantasy st Stephen King does a great job combining the aged, nostalgic mind with that of the young, inexperienced, yet open mind of the young. A short fantasy story that blankets some sad but real issues such as war and suicide. ...more
The book was easy to read, told entirely from the voice of an unknown interviewer, and was exciting at the start. Unfortunately, that was about all 2.5
The book was easy to read, told entirely from the voice of an unknown interviewer, and was exciting at the start. Unfortunately, that was about all I enjoyed from the story. I was bored and left with a lot of unanswered questions. The book wasn't horrible, but considering how well it began, I was left feeling disappointed. ...more
There's not a soul out there who doesn't know what this book is about, so without the bother of rehashing it I'll just leave my opinion. Also, conside There's not a soul out there who doesn't know what this book is about, so without the bother of rehashing it I'll just leave my opinion. Also, considering 99.9% of you have seen the movie, I will use it as a comparison for my opinion.
Overall I liked the book slightly better than the movie, but it was mostly the beginning I enjoyed. I must admit I did not care for the ending as much as it was portrayed (changed considerably) in the movie.
The book was action packed, full of adventure and fun to read. I can't imagine anyone being disappointed with this one. ...more
Thought provoking piece. I saw this on HBO with Samuel L Jackson and Tommy Lee Jones and thought it was excellent. The book didn't disappoint.Thought provoking piece. I saw this on HBO with Samuel L Jackson and Tommy Lee Jones and thought it was excellent. The book didn't disappoint....more
Part II of The Border Trilogy. This wasn't nearly as good as 'All The Pretty Horses', but it was still a powerful novel... then again, why wouldn't it Part II of The Border Trilogy. This wasn't nearly as good as 'All The Pretty Horses', but it was still a powerful novel... then again, why wouldn't it be? It's Cormack! From his home in New Mexico, young Billy Parham decides to take a wild wolf that has been trapped and set it free in its faraway home in Mexico. Billy succeeds in setting the lobo free, but not like he intended. Because at that juncture there was an unseen obstacle in his path... there was 'A Crossing'. I think the title is fitting for the story. In the gritty style that McCarthy is so famous for, he takes Billy and his brother Boyd on a journey, where just as in real life, there are hurtles, bridges and rivers to cross, forks in the road where a decision to go left or right could be the difference in the outcome of your entire life. Billy makes this particular journey, imprinting a lifetime of memories and unforgettable experiences while he is still in his teens. And in the end... well, there is no end here. There is no dramatic flair, no unexpected twists, no blooming romance. It's just another place in his life... it just is. Another crossing. ...more
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