Winters’ Tales: Stories and Observations for the Unusual (1987) by Jonathan Winters. This book is more than 45 years old so do not expect to see it i Winters’ Tales: Stories and Observations for the Unusual (1987) by Jonathan Winters. This book is more than 45 years old so do not expect to see it in your local book store. It is a collection of the famed comedian’s writings on a variety of different topics, broken into five different sections. Those sections are: Unusual Stories, Animal Tales, Children’s Voices, Of Men And War and Observations. Each section averages about nine stories loosely based on the section title. A few of the stories are slightly humorous, some deeply ironic, a few interesting to some degree, a couple may be very self-reflective, but there is nothing here that is absolutely stellar. If you come looking for Winters’ trademark broad, weird humor, look other places. These stories feel more like personal notes to oneself than an actual attempt at a cohesive book. Taken as a whole, they sadly do not add up to a very entertaining book. Individually you may find some of them striking, while almost all can be noted for their skewed perspective on life. I wanted to like this book more than I did. If you want to know about the comedian, look to his vast list of performances or the record albums he produced. Don’t judge the performer by the writer. I give it three stars just for the look into the non-performance portion of Jonathan Winters’ brain. ...more
THE INSIDER THREAT by Brad Taylor may be just too much of a good thing. If you are looking for an action-packed, balls-to-the-wall thriller torn from THE INSIDER THREAT by Brad Taylor may be just too much of a good thing. If you are looking for an action-packed, balls-to-the-wall thriller torn from today’s headlines, you would be hard pressed to find something more thrilling than this. The action starts and it simply ramps up to an explosive conclusion. In this eighth outing for Pike Logan and crew, we have the good guys struggling to combat ISIS and a homegrown terror threat. Four all-American young men, fresh out of a stint in a horrible detention center in Florida have fled the country and joined the terrorist threat in the Middle East. They prove loyal to their new masters and are soon selected to head back to the West in order to carry out a ruthless strike against the heart of Christianity. The only thing in their way is Logan and crew, only the good guys have no idea of the target or even if the group, dubbed “The Lost Boys” even exist. If there is a down side to this book it would be that there might just be too much of a good thing. Logan’s crew is constantly on the move, performing many operations of a very similar nature and at times I had trouble remembering exactly what the current mission was. Mr. Taylor has a master’s grasp on the lingo used among front line operators, so if you are looking for a professional sounding read, this is for you. I won this audio book through Goodreads. ...more
THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME by Mark Haddon is a 2003 release that is timeless in style and appeal. This is a murder mystery tha THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME by Mark Haddon is a 2003 release that is timeless in style and appeal. This is a murder mystery that is almost totally not about solving the murder although that does happen. Rather this is the tale of the author of the book within this book. This is the story of a 15-year-old Christopher Boone, author and investigator and sufferer of a mild form of autism, as he tries to uncover the murderer. The victim is Wellington, the large poodle of Mrs. Shears who lives across the street in Swindon, England. But as in all good mysteries there is a conspiracy of silence occurring and secrets that the investigator must probe through to find the ultimate truth. And probe he does despite his father’s repeated admonitions to stop butting into other people’s business. Christopher lives with his father and his pet rat Toby because his mother died a short while before. We follow the investigation though the book Christopher is writing about the investigation, but the book has many asides telling us about his school, his need for daily routine, his dislike for the colors brown and especially yellow, and his ability in math and physics. He is so good in fact that by the end of his story, the hero will have sat through his A Level exam in math, the equivalent to the SAT here in the states. Throughout the read the story unfolds through the eyes of this young man and we follow his struggles as he leads his life despite all the things which cause him fear and we follow his struggle as he attempts to leave his father who has, due to important plots twists, has become a threatening menace in the boy’s mind. We trail along as Christopher struggles to take a train into London and maneuver through the big city to a small apartment where he thinks he will be save despite never having gone any further by himself that the corner store. This marvelous book has been sitting on my to read shelf for years and I regret not having picked it up earlier. Do not let another day pass before you get into this insightful, funny, kind, scary and wonderful tale of a young man who you might not want as part of your family but who would enrich you through the knowing of him. A must read by both the young and the old. ...more
The Orbital Perspective: Lessons in Seeing the Big Picture from a Journey of 71 Million Miles by Ron Garan is a plea put out by the author to every i The Orbital Perspective: Lessons in Seeing the Big Picture from a Journey of 71 Million Miles by Ron Garan is a plea put out by the author to every inhabitant of this planet. The question is a simple one. Do you care enough about this place you live to be able to put aside your petty differences, see beyond mine, and try to unite to make this world a better place. Ron Garan is a guy who does things such as being a college graduate, an Air Force officer, an astronaut and a shepherd of the Earth. He has used his past, his many flights into space, his time while on the International Spaces Station, to wonder about why we can’t put aside our differences and become greater than what we have been. He looked at the cooperation of the space agencies that united to first put man into orbit and later to keep him there for extended periods of time. The thought is simple. If we can put aside or doubts and fears, our selfishness and greed, could we find a way in which too bring the peoples of the Earth together. The execution is not so simple, but he and many others are already working on that better tomorrow. This book is the introduction to the thoughts and actions of these people. This is a beautiful book, long on ideas and hope, but a book that may just herald in a new world. Perhaps you might like to join up. I won this book through Goodreads. ...more
JAMES HERRIOT’S FAVORITE DOG STORIES is a small collection of previously released tales. Either you love the Late Mr. Herriot’s stories about his lif JAMES HERRIOT’S FAVORITE DOG STORIES is a small collection of previously released tales. Either you love the Late Mr. Herriot’s stories about his life and adventures as a veterinarian in and about Yorkshire, England, or you have never read his work at all. Here are ten short stories about dogs that have played a part in his life, but mostly this is about the owners of those animals. The stories range from the itinerant farm laborer whose pram contained both his pebble-ingesting dog and his worldly possessions, to rich Mrs. Pumphrey and her over-indulged Pom Tricki Woo. These stories can fill you with joy yet break your heart. In some cases it seems almost cruel that these loving little animals live only a short time in the span of a person’s life, yet can give so much joy and happiness. These stories all reflect that sentiment. I won this book through Goodreads. ...more
THE CROSSWORD CENTURY is a charming little book about the times and travails of the crossword puzzle. Starting about a hundred years ago with the ini THE CROSSWORD CENTURY is a charming little book about the times and travails of the crossword puzzle. Starting about a hundred years ago with the initial word block and evolving into a smoother version over the years, this book details the rise in popularity, and even some of the hysteria, that came as a result of the simple puzzle we enjoy today. With a decidedly British skew to the entire endeavor (The author writes a puzzle for England's The Guardian newspaper)to is a delightful read that will amuse you while you let you brain work on that real stumper of a clue or two. ...more
HOBBIT LESSONS by Devin Brown was a book I was interested in reading but found to be less than I had expected. This book seems more like a cobbled togHOBBIT LESSONS by Devin Brown was a book I was interested in reading but found to be less than I had expected. This book seems more like a cobbled together attempt to cash in on the movie versions of the Hobbit than it is a true scholarly work. Mr. Brown’s lessons about accepting adventures, supporting your friends and remembering what is important and telling it from what is shiny are all well and good, but really, they could be tied to a thousand other books and be as true or invalid as they are here. I’m not dedicated to the books but I know much about them, the author and the back-story to the series, from WWI through fighting with the publishers, and I find it a bit offensive that someone would so egregiously latch onto a title and try to gain in this manner. Mr. Brown does have the credentials to write a book of this nature but one would have hoped he would not have had to sink so low as to actually do such a thing. The manner in which the author attempts to have the reader infer Tolkien was attempting to have God as a supreme manipulator to the actions within the stories is just really low and manipulative in a fashion I abhor. What had started as high hopes was soon dashed for me. The life lessons outlined here are all well and good if you survive them but not so hot if your need for adventure gets you maimed or worse. I have many friends who grew up playing army, watching John Wayne WWII movies and the like, only to be confronted with the real thing after enlistment. Be careful what adventure you decided to follow, not everyone comes home. All that glitters… is and has been a sage saying, but here the author is not adding anything to the argument. Likewise for the rest of the nuggets mined here. On the other hand I did find the illustrations by Gary Morgan interesting and a new addition to what I had found in the past so there is something positive to be gained here. I won this book through Goodreads. ...more
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