Nothing to Lose

I can't believe Lee Child stole the title of my soon to be released biography. Oh I guess that would be the other way around. "Nothing to Lose" (407 pages) is another zigzag attempt to get caught up with all of Child's Reacher novels. From Goodreads:

"Two lonely towns in Colorado: Hope and Despair. Between them, twelve miles of empty road. Jack Reacher never turns back. It's not in his nature. All he wants is a cup of coffee. What he gets is big trouble. So in Lee Child’s electrifying new novel, Reacher—a man with no fear, no illusions, and nothing to lose—goes to war against a town that not only wants him gone, it wants him dead.

It wasn’t the welcome Reacher expected. He was just passing through, minding his own business. But within minutes of his arrival a deputy is in the hospital and Reacher is back in Hope, setting up a base of operations against Despair, where a huge, seething walled-off industrial site does something nobody is supposed to see . . . where a small plane takes off every night and returns seven hours later . . . where a garrison of well-trained and well-armed military cops—the kind of soldiers Reacher once commanded—waits and watches . . . where above all two young men have disappeared and two frightened young women wait and hope for their return.

Joining forces with a beautiful cop who runs Hope with a cool hand, Reacher goes up against Despair—against the deputies who try to break him and the rich man who tries to scare him—and starts to crack open the secrets, starts to expose the terrifying connection to a distant war that’s killing Americans by the thousand.

Now, between a town and the man who owns it, between Reacher and his conscience, something has to give. And Reacher never gives an inch."

Even some of the most lack luster Lee Child novels usually have enough in them to keep me entertained. "Nothing to Lose" falls somewhere in the middle for me. Not the worst nor one of the best in the series. It is gratifying to read about Reacher kicking ass and not bothering to take names, as usual. Mainly my problems with this particular outing for Child is the strange turns the story takes as it progresses. One moment everything is interesting and believable and the next bordering on the absurd. Not a major factor in my enjoyment but an issue. Recommended for fans of thrillers or mysteries, though the trills are really kept to a minimum this time around, as well as for Lee Child fans.

Angels and Demons

To quote one of my heroes, Bender Bending Rodríguez, I'm back baby! I returned to the world of Dan Brown recently with his first Langdon novel, "Angels and Demons" (579 pages). I was interested to read about an adventure in Rome and Vatican City since I recently converted to Catholicism. Not really. From Goodreads:

"An ancient secret brotherhood.

A devastating new weapon of destruction.

An unthinkable target.

When world-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to a Swiss research facility to analyze a mysterious symbol -- seared into the chest of a murdered physicist -- he discovers evidence of the unimaginable: the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati...the most powerful underground organization ever to walk the earth. The Illuminati has now surfaced to carry out the final phase of its legendary vendetta against its most hated enemy -- the Catholic Church.

Langdon's worst fears are confirmed on the eve of the Vatican's holy conclave, when a messenger of the Illuminati announces they have hidden an unstoppable time bomb at the very heart of Vatican City. With the countdown under way, Langdon jets to Rome to join forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and mysterious Italian scientist, to assist the Vatican in a desperate bid for survival.

Embarking on a frantic hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and even the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra follow a 400-year-old trail of ancient symbols that snakes across Rome toward the long-forgotten Illuminati lair...a clandestine location that contains the only hope for Vatican salvation.

An explosive international thriller, Angels & Demons careens from enlightening epiphanies to dark truths as the battle between science and religion turns to war."

Again I find myself on the fence with another Dan Brown novel. While there are some interesting story lines and unique problems for the hero to solve, I just can't quite get over how full of shit Brown is in this novel, especially with his history of the Illuminati. I'm all for an author taking an artistic license when it comes to historical events as long as the author doesn't preface the book with a blurb about how the science and all locations are real in the novel. Why even say this when you're just going to fudge on the early historical events? Maybe it's just me but it sets up the book for failure from the beginning.

For a really cool historical fiction I would point readers to "The Historian" by Elizabeth Kostova. A much better example of what can be done with a quasi-true historical narrative.

Again, I had no problems with Brown's writing, which seems the case with a lot of reviewers, at least on Goodreads. I appreciate the break-neck speed which hustles the story along and I found myself engaged in some of the more tense moments of the novel. I just wish Brown would jump off the religion versus science fence. I can appreciate and often enjoy an author with whom I don't agree but in the case of a waffler, not so much. Recommended for fans of Brown and the genre.

Bite Me

Forget the Twilight series, everyone should read Christopher Moore's vampire trilogy. I finally finished up with "Bite Me" (309 pages). From Goodreads:

"The city of San Francisco is being stalked by a huge shaved vampyre cat named Chet, and only I, Abby Normal, emergency backup mistress of the Greater Bay Area night, and my manga-haired love monkey, Foo Dog, stand between the ravenous monster and a bloody massacre of the general public.

Whoa. And this is a love story? Yup. 'Cept there's no whining. See, while some lovers were born to run, Jody and Tommy were born to bite. Well, reborn, that is, now that they're vampires. Good thing theirs is an undying love, since their Goth Girl Friday, Abby Normal, imprisoned them in a bronze statue.

Abby wants to be a bloodsucking fiend, too, but right now she's really busy with other stuff, like breaking in a pair of red vinyl thigh-high Skankenstein(R) platform boots and wrangling her Ph.D.-candidate boyfriend, Steve (the love monkey). And then there's that vampire cat Chet, who's getting bigger and smarter--and thirstier--by the minute. Abby thought she and Steve could handle the kitty cat on their own, 'mais non' . . .

Before you can say 'OMG WTF?' Tommy and Jody are sprung from captivity, and join forces with Abby, Steve, the frozen-turkey-bowling Safeway crew, the Emperor of San Francisco and his trusty dogs Lazarus and Bummer, Abby's gay Goth friend Jared, and SF's finest Cavuto and Rivera to hunt big cat and save the city. And that's when the fun really begins."

Another fun novel by Moore, a writer that always makes me chuckle with his insane situations and goofy characters. It's been a while since I read "Bloodsucking Fiends" and "You Suck" but fortunately the first chapter of "Bite Me" provides a quick recap of all the events leading up to what I assume is the last book in his tale of vampires run amok in San Francisco. I couldn't resist the purchase at Barnes and Snowballs when I found the book on the bargain rack.

Recommended for fans of Moore's work as well as for those who like to laugh, a lot, while reading. I always finish one of his novels with a smile on my face, a very good thing.

The Oklahoma Taliban Strikes Again

In this case the Oklahoma Senate (again!) by passing the "Personhood Act."

"Oklahoma lawmakers edged closer toward trying to outlaw abortion on Wednesday by approving 'personhood' legislation that gives individual rights to an embryo from the moment of conception.

The Republican-controlled state Senate voted 34-8 to pass the 'Personhood Act' which defines the word person under state law to include unborn children from the moment of conception.

The measure now goes to the state House where pro-life Republicans outnumber Democrats by more than a 2-1 margin."

Link.

I can understand this kind of law passing the Oklahoma Senate, it is full of a bunch of right-wing zealots after all! What I can't understand is why there isn't a provisions for rape or incest victims. Basically if you're the victim of either of these lovely scenarios you're fucked, literally and figuratively.

What's really going to happen shortly is that the Oklahoma House will also pass the measure, our idiot Governor will sign it into law, and it will get struck down by the courts. This seems to happen a lot with our state laws...

You gotta love a legislative body that is more concerned with abortion, an issue I thought was settled 39 years ago, than current real-world issues. Where are the jobs and economic development? How do we handle the budget shortfall again this year? What are we going to do about a capital building that's literally crumbling at the foundation?

Up next for the law makers of the great state of Oklahoma: raising the tobacco buying age to 21!! I've said it before, we need serious people to fix our serious state and local problems...

Worth Dying For

Once again I go back to another Lee Child novel, my third of the year. I've been trying to find "Front Porch Profit" in Oklahoma City to no avail (sorry Amy). "Worth Dying For" (513 pages) was a decent effort but my heart just wasn't in this one. From Goodreads:

"There’s deadly trouble in the corn country of Nebraska . . . and Jack Reacher walks right into it. First he falls foul of the Duncans, a local clan that has terrified an entire county into submission. But it’s the unsolved case of a missing child, already decades-old, that Reacher can’t let go.

The Duncans want Reacher gone—and it’s not just past secrets they’re trying to hide. They’re awaiting a secret shipment that’s already late—and they have the kind of customers no one can afford to annoy. For as dangerous as the Duncans are, they’re just the bottom of a criminal food chain stretching halfway around the world.

For Reacher, it would have made much more sense to keep on going, to put some distance between himself and the hard-core trouble that’s bearing down on him.

For Reacher, that was also impossible"

I was eager to read "Worth Dying For" after the conclusion of "61 Hours." Unfortunately the events in "61 Hours" are hardly covered in the newer novel. Bummer. Oh well, then I thought I'd just settle down to another great yarn by Lee Child featuring his Jack Reacher character. While the book was well written and had a fairly unique plot twist toward the end, I still struggled with the story. I just wasn't in to it at all. I can't quite pin it down. Maybe the location? Nebraska corn country isn't a very sexy local. Like the location the story was just bland overall.

Recommended for fans of the "Reacher" novels by Child. Having said that, it's definitely one of my least favorite stories written by the author. Oddly enough the collective reviews on Goodreads were some of the highest for a Lee Child novel. Go figure.

Tattoo Within a Tattoo

Awesome! Now why can't I think of something cool like that?

Link.

Life Begins at Ejaculation

"Democratic Oklahoma state Senator Constance Johnson has proposed a bill that would make it illegal for a man to ejaculate anywhere except into a woman’s sexual organs, giving an even more extreme twist to the current so-called 'personhood' laws cropping up across conservative states."

Senator Johnson is now officially my favorite Oklahoma lawmaker!

Link.

It's about time someone took a stand against these bumbling idiots in the Oklahoma legislature.

Where's the economic growth? Does anyone over on Lincoln Blvd. give a fuck? Conservatives (Republicans) control everything in Oklahoma, and I mean everything! Instead of trying to do something about jobs and the economy we're treated with anti-abortion laws, fetal free food laws, eliminating income taxes (in spite of the budget shortfalls every year!), allowing lawmakers to carry guns at the House and Senate, and allowing administrators to have fire arms at schools! I'm not shitty about any of these proposals.

Makes me want to puke.

Under the Dome

I'm not a big reader of Stephen King these day, probably more common with people who grew up on his books and found his later works very lacking. In spite of this sentiment I picked up "Under the Dome" (1074 pages) last weekend, not being able to resist the six dollar price tag. From Goodreads:

"On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester's Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field. Planes crash into it and fall from the sky in flaming wreckage, a gardener's hand is severed as 'the dome' comes down on it, people running errands in the neighboring town are divided from their families, and cars explode on impact. No one can fathom what this barrier is, where it came from, and when -- or if -- it will go away.

Dale Barbara, Iraq vet and now a short-order cook, finds himself teamed with a few intrepid citizens -- town newspaper owner Julia Shumway, a physician's assistant at the hospital, a select-woman, and three brave kids. Against them stands Big Jim Rennie, a politician who will stop at nothing -- even murder -- to hold the reins of power, and his son, who is keeping a horrible secret in a dark pantry. But their main adversary is the Dome itself. Because time isn't just short. It's running out."

I liked "Under the Dome" quite a bit even though I've had a falling out of sorts with King over the last couple of decades. I found the premise of the mysterious dome falling over Chester's Mill to be extremely interesting with a myriad of storytelling possibilities. For the most part King delivers. Not only do the citizens of the small community have to deal with the environmental and ecological impact of the dome, they also have to try to survive the psychological impact as well. As each day passes being cut-off from the rest of the world we catch a glimpse of how otherwise ordinary citizens degrade through the stress of power outages, food shortages, and power grabs. The story runs at a break-neck speed in spite of its volume. I plowed through the over one thousand pages in four days.

The couple of nits I would pick with the novel is most of the characters and the ending. While King usually writes interesting characters in his novels he also usually suffers from stereotyping said characters. I won't go into too much detail but every stereotype from small town America is well represented in this book. As for the ending, usually my biggest gripe with King novels, it seemed a little forced and a little anti-climatic. It certainly didn't distract from the story too much but it just left me feeling: "oh well, that's it?".

Recommended for horror, science fiction, and thriller fans, i.e. Stephen King fans. A massive narrative on an epic scale similar to "The Stand" with literally hundreds of characters and situations.

One final note. I really got a kick out of the mention of Lee Child's famous character Jack Reacher a couple of times in this book. Nifty.

More on Fetus Free Food

Things are heating up with the fetus food debate in Oklahoma. I found a letter to the editor in the Oklahoma Gazette that takes an awesome swipe at Senator Ralph Shortey's proposed bill in the Oklahoma legislature. Sadly this may not be the worst bill he's proposed this year, but more on that later...

Link.

"New legislation for consideration by the Oklahoma legislative body includes a bill by Sen. Ralph Shortey stating roughly that no person or entity shall sell food containing aborted fetuses as an ingredient.

I had no idea! Aborted fetuses are being served to Oklahomans and all you are going to do about it, Mr. Shortey, is write a bill? As a concerned citizen, I call on the offices of Gov. Mary Fallin and Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb to immediately shut down all restaurants and grocery stores hawking food items containing aborted fetuses.

In addition, I expect the state of Oklahoma to launch a full-scale investigation into the matter, as well as a major public-service campaign to alert all Oklahoma citizens as to the specific names of each and every food item and their manufacturer so we know whether we are eating human fetuses in Oklahoma!

It seems to me, now that the Republicans have alerted us to this horror, calmly continuing to allow our people to eat abortions is a grave act of treason against our people.

Or maybe the people of this state should quit voting for and publicly supporting these people who continue to make an embarrassing mockery of us and are being fully allowed, by both parties, to promote a ridiculous caricature of who we are as Oklahomans."

The Gazette is the best paper in the state despite the fact that it's a weekly, free publication.

Best of Facespace January 2012

"Did everyone hear the Stanford place kicker tried to kill himself after the Fiesta Bowl? He failed when he was unable to kick the chair out from underneath himself!"

"Thank goodness I know who Todd Palin's voting for! Now if only Kim Kardashian would weigh-in I might be able to make up my mind!"

"Any of my friends or family who might be considering voting for one of these jack holes: do me, yourself, and Charles Darwin a favor and shoot yourself in the face..."

"Did everyone hear that the LSU football team hasn't made it back to Baton Rouge yet? Someone painted a 50 yard line across the highway!"

"So wait, the Neverending Story was sang by a guy??"

"Perry's out of the race?? Who else is going to send troops back to Iraq and get rid of those three departments in the federal government? You know the ones, um, yeah well those three bad ones..."

"I love all the Republican candidates left: Grumpy, Dopey, Richie, and Churchie."

"If the government would lower the capital gains tax rate to zero percent it would encourage so much economic growth in this country that we'd finally be able to put a colony on the moon!!"

61 Hours

I had to travel all the way to my refrigerator to obtain "61 Hours" (494 pages) by Lee Child. My dad had brought over some left over fried chicken all wrapped up in a bag. Later when I went to raid said chicken I was surprised to find a new (to me anyways) Reacher novel! Thanks mom! The chicken was almost as delicious as the book. From Goodreads:

"Sixty-one hours. Not a minute to spare.

A tour bus crashes in a savage snowstorm and lands Jack Reacher in the middle of a deadly confrontation. In nearby Bolton, South Dakota, one brave woman is standing up for justice in a small town threatened by sinister forces. If she’s going to live long enough to testify, she’ll need help. Because a killer is coming to Bolton, a coldly proficient assassin who never misses.

Reacher’s original plan was to keep on moving. But the next 61 hours will change everything. The secrets are deadlier and his enemies are stronger than he could have guessed—but so is the woman whose life he’ll risk his own to save.

In 61 Hours, Lee Child has written a showdown thriller with an explosive ending that readers will talk about for a long time to come."

It's good to see Lee Child back in good form, at least for me and the random order in which I read his novels, all based on ultra tough guy Jack Reacher. I loved the setting in South Dakota during a nasty winter storm and the slower pace of the novel as well. Think more mystery this time around instead of thriller. Another thing I appreciated about the story was the lack of a goofy love interest too, probably my only major problem with most of the Reacher novels, though I guess 61 hours is a tough time frame in which to meet someone and get to know them well enough to get laid.

Published in 2010, and after 16 novels, I'm still amazed how Child creates such great books based on the same character. The stories are always fresh and very well written with the exception of one sub-par outing in my opinion. Recommended to fans of the genre, specifically thriller and mystery fans. Child is a great writer, always presenting interesting stories and twists, with a great central character.

The Lost Symbol

My first experience reading Dan Brown comes with his latest novel, "The Lost Symbol" (509 pages), courtesy of a loan from my friend Dann. From the inside cover of the book:

"In this stunning follow-up to the global phenomenon The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown demonstrates once again why he is the world's most popular thriller writer. The Lost Symbol is a masterstroke of storytelling--a deadly race through a real-world labyrinth of codes, secrets, and unseen truths... all under the watchful eye of Brown's most terrifying villain to date. Set within the hidden chambers, tunnels, and temples of Washington, D.C., The Lost Symbol accelerates through a startling landscape toward an unthinkable finale.

As the story opens, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned unexpectedly to deliver an evening lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Within minutes of his arrival, however, the night takes a bizarre turn. A disturbing object--artfully encoded with five symbols--is discovered in the Capitol Building. Langdon recognizes the object as an ancient invitation... one meant to usher its recipient into a long-lost world of esoteric wisdom.

When Langdon's beloved mentor, Peter Solomon--a prominent Mason and philanthropist--is brutally kidnapped, Langdon realizes his only hope of saving Peter is to accept this mystical invitation and follow wherever it leads him. Langdon is instantly plunged into a clandestine world of Masonic secrets, hidden history, and never-before-seen locations--all of which seem to be dragging him toward a single, inconceivable truth.

As the world discovered in The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, Dan Brown's novels are brilliant tapestries of veiled histories, arcane symbols, and enigmatic codes. In this new novel, he again challenges readers with an intelligent, lightning-paced story that offers surprises at every turn. The Lost Symbol is exactly what Brown's fans have been waiting for... his most thrilling novel yet."

It took me a while to take up "The Lost Symbol." As always I was lacking anything else to read, or at least anything else that seemed mildly more interesting. I really need to go to the book store! Do I say that in every book recap? Probably. It was with a little bit of trepidation that I began reading this particular novel. Researching a bit on Goodreads told me that the consensus for this novel was either really fantastic or really shitty. Luckily for me (or perhaps unluckily) I found the book to be neither. It seems that Brown takes a lot of criticism for his writing style, as in he's not a very good writer. I think stylistically the book was fine and very readable. Content would be another matter from time to time. He really framed an interesting story that chugged along at a great clip for the first half of the book. In fact the structure of the chapters made it hard for me to step away from the story. Each one being short and ending on a cliffhanger at least until the latter half of the book when the action seemed to get bogged down.

The characters seemed to be pretty cut and dry. Super good protagonists meets super bad villain, only missing a mustache to twirl. There's a lot of fascinating information about the Masons, religions, and symbols which I really appreciated. Some I had read or seen shows about before but it was cool to see it play out in the context of the book. Some of the "science" and easily deciphered clues presented in the book definitely had me rolling my eyes, but what the hell do I know. It never went so far that I wanted to put the book down, a common complaint of other reviewers.

I can't say this is a good book for Dan Brown as I've never read any of his other works. I guess fans of his other novels should probably be satisfied with this outing. My only other experience with Dan Brown was "The Da Vinci Code" movie and I thought it was garbage. But who knows, a good novel does not often a good movie make. In general I would recommend this novel especially for fans of mysteries and/or thrillers. Sure it's a little bit on the fast food side but so are a lot of novels I read. Sometimes you just have a Big Mac attack!

Faded Coat of Blue

"Faded Coat of Blue" (338 pages) by Owen Parry, a pseudonym used by Ralph Peters, is another book I recently swiped from my mother. From Goodreads:

"A recent immigrant to this land — where American has taken up arms against American — Abel Jones finds himself mysteriously chosen as confidential agent to General George McClellan, the 'savior of the Union.' No stranger to the cruel paradoxes of war, Jones is asked to investigate the death of Anthony Fowler, a young volunteer captain shot through the heart outside an encampment of raw recruits. Fowler was one of the North's 'golden youth,' envied and idolized, an impassioned abolitionist and sole son of a powerful merchant dynasty. Instantly, his murder is blamed on the Confederates — but whispers haunt the death of this fallen martyr, leading Abel Jones from the blood of the battlefield through the intrigues of Washington, D.C., and into a web of secrets and sinister relationships where evil and good intertwine...and where heroes fall prey to those who cherished them the most."

"Faded Coat of Blue" is a novel I found myself liking more than I thought I would initially. At its core it's basically just a mystery that takes place at the beginning of the American Civil War. Abel Jones, a somewhat self-righteous and pious man, journeys between Washington D.C. and Philadelphia to unravel the unusual circumstances of Anthony Fowler's death. Jones' hunt for clues was rather interesting and usually kept me guessing all the way toward the end of the story. Even more interesting was just reading about the day to day lives of the people in and around Washington in the early 1960's, be it military officers or just regular people sprinkled throughout the tale.

Recommended for fans of mysteries or perhaps Civil War buffs. The language of the book is a little different as it's written in the style of the period, but it's nothing too detrimental to the overall enjoyment of the book. Apparently "Faded Coat of Blue" is the first in a series of books featuring Abel Jones. I'll definitely check out other installments of his adventures if the opportunity presents itself.

Fetus Free Food

Oklahoma State Senator Ralph Shortey from District 44 has sponsored State Bill 1418 which states:

"Food; prohibiting the sale or manufacture of food or products which contain aborted human fetuses. Effective date."

Now I don't know about you, dear reader, but I usually do prefer that my food doesn't include aborted human fetuses. I know, call me crazy!

Where do we get these legislators and who the hell votes for them? Maybe even more disturbing is that Senator Shortey represents an area in the Oklahoma City metro! Though calling the south side metropolitan may be a stretch. And I thought all the crazies represented places like Pushmataha County.

We have serious problems in this state and we need serious people apparently to address those problems. The serious people are few and far between...

White Oleander

"White Oleander" (446 pages) by Janet Fitch is a novel I've been meaning to read for quite some time, mostly due to the recommendation from a couple of friends. From Goodreads:

"Astrid is the only child of a single mother, Ingrid, a brillant, obsessed poet who wields her luminous beauty to intimidate and manipulate men. Astrid worships her mother and cherishes their private world full of ritual and mystery - but their idyll is shattered when Astrid's mother falls apart over a lover. Deranged by rejection, Ingrid murders the man, and is sentenced to life in prison.

White Oleander is the unforgettable story of Astrid's journey through a series of foster homes and her efforts to find a place for herself an impossible circumstances. Each home is its own universe, with a new set of laws and lessons to be learned. With determination and humor, Astrid confronts the challenges of loneliness and poverty, and strives to learn who a motherless child in a an indifferent world can become.

Tough, irrepressible, funny, and warm, Astrid is one of the most indelible characters in recent fiction. White Oleander is an unforgettable story of mothers and daughters, burgeoning sexuality, the redemptive powers of art, and the unstoppable force of the emergent self. Written with exquisite beauty and grace, this is a compelling debut by an author poised to join the ranks of today's most gifted novelists."

I'm a little on the fence about "White Oleander." I gave the book three stars on Goodreads and that was probably being overly generous. While I liked the story for the most part and the characters (and sometimes hated them) I found Astrid's overall journey a little over the top and quite melodramatic. I think so much tragedy for Astrid became a crutch for the writer and bordered on the unbelievable as the novel neared its conclusion. Maybe "White Oleander" is a lot like "Catcher in the Rye." Something powerful to a younger reader that becomes less likable over time with maturity.

There's some good to be found in the story. The overall theme of redemption and forgiveness is nice even with the horrific events throughout book. I really empathized with Claire's character and her moments in the novel and I was truly heartbroken with her outcome. On the other hand I was also disgusted and turned off quite a bit by the blatant pedophilia presented in the first quarter of the story. I can read almost anything but this was tough to swallow for me as a reader.

Overall an interesting story with some really disturbing events. Most likely I wouldn't recommend this book to a discerning reader.

I'd really be interested in the views of anyone out there who has also read this novel.

SkyDance Bridge

"Construction on Oklahoma City’s iconic new pedestrian bridge, Oklahoma City SkyDance Bridge, inspired by the scissor-tailed flycatcher took shape today as a massive steel 'wing,' was carefully lifted by a crane and pinned to the base structure."

"The bridge spans the new Interstate 40 near Robinson Avenue, connecting pedestrians to the Oklahoma River. The bridge is at the heart of the MAPS 3 downtown park, which is expected to begin construction in 2013."

I'm all for the wonderful renovations that are taking place in and around downtown Oklahoma City, especially the new I-40 corridor replacing the old three mile I-40 bridge downtown that to put mildly is a death trap. Though it would be nice to have more than two exits to the heart of downtown.

What I'm totally not on board with is the SkyDance pedestrian bridge shown in the picture above. Sure it's a unique piece of architecture that will really be cool once completed and lit up at night; however, at what cost? 5.8 million dollars to be exact! Could our city be better served to put that money toward a more important use? I think maybe so.

When I posted the picture on Facebook one of my friends commented that we could spend that kind of money on a pedestrian bridge yet people using our mass transit system (I use that term lightly) are left out in the rain. "It will be extra, super pretty when one is standing in the rain at an uncovered bus stop."

A lot of what we've done as a city is fantastic, a new basketball arena for the millionaires to play in, plans for a new Convention Center even though we just renovated the old one, and tax breaks for an energy company to build a nearly 50 story building downtown. Yes I'm being sarcastic.

Instead of using the 5.8 million on a pedestrian bridge maybe that money could have helped those living under the old I-40 bridge. After all where will they go when it's finally torn down and a new avenue is created in its place? I'm just saying.

I'll end this posting by saying that most of what our city has done with MAPS (Metropolitan Area Projects) is fantastic, lifting our quality of life in the area and creating jobs overall, at a minimal cost, a one cent sales tax that will eventually expire. Yet I still have to scratch my head now and then on some of the boneheaded things our city leaders vote to spend money on...

All the Pretty Horses

"All the Pretty Horses" (302 pages) is the second novel I've read by Cormac McCarthy, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Road." From the back cover of the book:

"The national bestseller and the first volume in Cormac McCarthy's Border Trilogy, All the Pretty Horses is the tale of John Grady Cole, who at sixteen finds himself at the end of a long line of Texas ranchers, cut off from the only life he has ever imagined for himself. With two companions, he sets off for Mexico on a sometimes idyllic, sometimes comic journey to a place where dreams are paid for in blood. Winner of the National Book Award for Fiction."

"All the Pretty Horses" is a beautifully written work of fiction by McCarthy, though not as bleak as some of his other works from what I've read, the story still has some gut-wrenching moments. The story of John Grady Cole takes him from his homeland of Texas a few years after World War II, where his world is transformed from the divorce of his parents and the ailing health of his father, across the border to Mexico. The idyllic adventure set out by friends slowly evolves into a coming of age story littered with love, tragedy, and at times horror. McCarthy's sweeping prose can be mesmerizing and truly haunting.

At times the Spanish in the novel frustrated me but usually the meaning could be discovered through the context of what was explained in English and through the characters actions. McCarthy's style is a little different from most American authors as well, excluding quotations and many other punctuations, which takes a few pages to get accustomed to but nothing detrimental to the over experience of the book. Highly recommended especially to fan of westerns or coming of age stories. I'll definitely check out the other two books in his "Boarder Trilogy" when the opportunity arises.

The Never Ending Meme, Part Two

First meme of the new year for me. Once again from Sunday Stealing.

Cheers to all of us thieves!

21. Did you go to your high school prom?
I did. In fact it was with a certain blogger who won't ever update!

22. Perfect time to wake up?
It's not about the hour of the day but the hours of sleep one gets in my opinion.

23. Perfect time to go to bed?
When tired. Usually for me that's on the couch after 12:30 watching Futurama.

24. Do you use your queen right away in chess?
I can't remember the last time I played chess. I usually keep the queen out of the action until necessary.

25. Ever been in a car accident?
A few, nothing too severe.

26. Closer to mom or dad…or neither?
Or both?

27. What age is this exciting life over for you?
I'm confused. Am I supposed to predict my death year or just give the year I became bitter?

28. What decade during the 20th century would you have chosen to be a teenager?
I think my decade, the '80's, was pretty cool.

29. Favorite shoes you have EVER owned?
Checkered Vans back in the day?

30. Do you have an article of clothing you have had since you were in high school?
Not that I'm aware of, though, it would be nice to still have my letter jacket...

31. Were you in track and field?
No. I played Tennis during spring sports.

32. Were you ever in a school talent show?
No, I wasn't that gay even in school.

33. Have you ever written in a library book?
No but I destroyed a book once that the librarian gave me. The Return of the Native. My only regret is that I didn't have 1,000 copies to destroy.

34. Allergic to?
Peaches.

35. Favorite fruit?
I really like peaches but since they make my throat close up I'll go with grapes or pears.

Mockingjay

I finished out the "Hunger Games" trilogy tonight with "Mockingjay" (390 pages) by Suzanne Collins. From the cover of the book:

"Katniss Everdeen, girl on fire, has survived, even though her home has been destroyed. Gale has escaped. Katniss's family is safe. Peeta has been captured by the Capitol. District 13 really does exist. There are rebels. There are new leaders. A revolution is unfolding.

It is by design that Katniss was rescued from the arena in the cruel and haunting Quarter Quell, and it is by design that she has long been part of the revolution without knowing it. District 13 has come out of the shadows and is plotting to overthrow the Capitol. Everyone, it seems, has had a hand in the carefully laid plans - except Katniss.

The success of the rebellion hinges on Katniss's willingness to be a pawn, to accept responsibility for countless lives, and to change the course of the future of Panem. To do this, she must put aside her feelings of anger and distrust. She must become the rebels' Mockingjay - no matter what the personal cost."

I was really excited to read "Mockingjay" especially after the strong start with "The Hunger Games" and "Catching Fire." The first 200 pages of the novel crawls at an absolute snails pace with virtually nothing going on. Once there seems to be a little action the book abruptly stops with a lame and, to me, forced conclusion. Was Collins required to keep all the books under 400 pages? Our heroine has zero growth throughout the story and is left at the conclusion pretty much how she was at the beginning, with no say in her life. Lame. Not recommended except to just finish the "The Hunger Games" trilogy. Warning: try not to throw the book at something breakable.

2011 Video of the Year

Catching Fire

I started "Catching Fire" (391 pages) by Suzanne Collins last night, the second book in the "Hunger Games" trilogy. Again I went through the novel in pretty much one setting. From the inside cover of the book:

"Against all odds, Katniss has won the Hunger Games. She and fellow District 12 tribute Peeta Mellark are miraculously still alive. Katniss should be relieved, happy even. After all, she has returned to her family and her longtime friend, Gale. Yet nothing is the way Katniss wishes it to be. Gale holds her at an icy distance. Peeta has turned his back on her completely. And there are whispers of a rebellion against the Capitol - a rebellion that Katniss and Peeta may have helped create.

Much to her shock, Katniss has fueled an unrest she's afraid she cannot stop. And what scares her even more is that she's not entirely convinced she should try. As time draws near for Katniss and Peeta to visit the districts on the Capitol's cruel Victory Tour, the stakes are higher than ever. If they can't prove, without a shadow of a doubt, that they are lost in their love for each other, the consequences will be horrifying.

In Catching Fire, the second novel of the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins continues the story of Katniss Everdeen, testing her more than ever before... and surprising readers at every turn."

I liked the second effort by Collins in the Hunger Games trilogy well enough, though there were times I felt I was reading the first book over again. There's definitely a bit of a retread feel. I also grew weary with the love triangle between Katniss, Peeta, and Gale. This kind of long, unresolved story telling between the three puts the young in Young Adult!

Eventually, after a somewhat slow start, the story really starts to take off and I became completely engrossed. Of course that came to a screeching halt with a cliffhanger ending. Fortunately I have the third book at my disposal to continue and finish out the story. Again, another quick, and for the most part, interesting read. Recommended.

The Hunger Games

Time for some Christmas gift reading. My parents bought me "The Hunger Games" trilogy this season, a series of books I've been meaning to read for a while but never got around to buying them. "The Hunger Games" (374 pages) by Suzanne Collins is the first novel in the trilogy. From Goodreads:

"In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister Primrose, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before — and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love."

First, I really enjoy books of this nature, along the lines of "The Long Walk" or "Brave New World." Reading what used to be the world we live in turned completely upside down by some sort of cataclysmic event or war is always fascinating to me. Though I usually don't read Young Adult fiction (think the "Twilight" series) I do have to say that I found Collins' work engaging and very readable. Indeed I blew through the book in one sitting. That's not to say that the story didn't have some flaws. Some of the plot devises and so called twists were a little contrived, especially toward the conclusion, which I won't spoil here.

Recommended for fans of science fiction, alternate history buffs, and thirteen year old girls! Easy to read with sometimes gratuitous violence and strong characters, I look forward to finishing off this trilogy and seeing the movie in March.

The Enemy

It wasn't my intention to read another Lee Child novel for a while but the airport in Las Vegas convinced me otherwise. I randomly grabbed "The Enemy" (464 pages) thinking it was a newly released paperback. I was was wrong, it was originally published in 2004. From the back cover:

"Jack Reacher. Hero. Loner. Soldier. Soldier’s son. An elite military cop, he was one of the army’s brightest stars. But in every cop’s life there is one case that changes everything. For Jack Reacher, this is that case.

New Year’s Day, 1990. In a North Carolina motel, a two-star general is found dead. His briefcase is missing. Nobody knows what was in it. Within minutes Reacher has his orders: Control the situation. Within hours the general’s wife is murdered. Then the dominoes really start to fall.

Somewhere inside the vast worldwide fortress that is the U.S. Army, Reacher is being set up as a fall guy with the worst enemies a man can have. But Reacher won’t quit. He’s fighting a new kind of war–against an enemy he didn’t know he had. And against a conspiracy more chilling, ingenious, and treacherous than anyone could have guessed."

This is definitely my least favorite novel I've read by Child for a variety of reasons. Mostly I think I was turned off by the story taking place in early 1990. Though well written, the story hiccups along at jerks that I found myself not really caring where the story was headed, I just wanted it to conclude. It was somewhat interesting to see Reacher in action when he was in the military but that's about all this novel has to offer in the series. A long investigative story with a Scooby Doo ending. Read anything else by Lee Child before reading "The Enemy."

Books of 2011

I didn't quite make my goal of fifty books again last year but I feel on the whole I did a lot more reading. 18,945 pages to be exact. My favorite reads of the year are marked with an asterisk.

*1. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

*2. American Rose by Karen Abbott

3. The Confession by John Grisham

4. Sleepers by Lorenzo Carcaterra

5. Michael Tolliver Lives by Armistead Maupin

6. Mary Ann in Autumn by Armistead Maupin

7. Armageddon in Retrospect by Kurt Vonnegut

8. The Street Lawyer by John Grisham

9. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

*10. Imperial Bedrooms by Bret Easton Ellis

11. The Camel Club by David Baldacci

12. The Reapers by John Connolly

13. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

14. The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova

15. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

*16. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

17. The Cave by Jose Saramago

18. Cry to Heaven by Anne Rice

19. The Collectors by David Baldacci

20. Stone Cold by David Baldacci

21. Divine Justice by David Baldacci

22. Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

*23. Isaac's Storm by Erik Larson

*24. In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson.

25. The Short History of a Prince by Jane Hamilton

*26. A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin

27. Thunderstruck by Erik Larson

28. Sizzling Sixteen by Janet Evanovich

29. A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin

30. Running Blind by Lee Child

31. Self-Made Man by Norah Vincent

32. A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin

33. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

34. Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire

35. A Lion Among Men by Gregory Maguire

36. A Feast for Crows by George R. R. Martin

37. Bad Luck and Trouble by Lee Child

38. Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child

*39. Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto

*40. Out of Oz by Gregory Maguire

41. One Shot by Lee Child

2011 Picture of the Year

Felicia Navidad!

Or whatever floats your boat this time of year.

I'll be back next week hopefully to do some end of the year postings before heading to Dallas for a long New Years weekend.

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

One Shot

Dave's book club keeps rolling right along frantically trying to reach my goal of 50 books read this year. It's not going to happen unfortunately with Vegas, home for the holidays, and Dallas finishing off the rest of the year. I resumed "One Shot" (466 pages) by Lee Child which I had momentarily set down to read "Out of Oz" last week. From Goodreads:

"Six shots. Five dead. One heartland city thrown into a state of terror. But within hours the cops have it solved: a slam-dunk case. Except for one thing. The accused man says: You got the wrong guy. Then he says: Get Reacher for me. And sure enough, from the world he lives in—no phone, no address, no commitments–ex–military investigator Jack Reacher is coming. In Lee Child’s astonishing new thriller, Reacher’s arrival will change everything—about a case that isn’t what it seems, about lives tangled in baffling ways, about a killer who missed one shot–and by doing so give Jack Reacher one shot at the truth.…

The gunman worked from a parking structure just thirty yards away–point-blank range for a trained military sniper like James Barr. His victims were in the wrong place at the wrong time. But why does Barr want Reacher at his side? There are good reasons why Reacher is the last person Barr would want to see. But when Reacher hears Barr’s own words, he understands. And a slam-dunk case explodes. Soon Reacher is teamed with a young defense lawyer who is working against her D.A. father and dueling with a prosecution team that has an explosive secret of its own. Like most things Reacher has known in life, this case is a complex battlefield. But, as always, in battle, Reacher is at his best.

Moving in the shadows, picking his spots, Reacher gets closer and closer to the unseen enemy who is pulling the strings. And for Reacher, the only way to take him down is to know his ruthlessness and respect his cunning–and then match him shot for shot…"

My fourth Reacher novel this year by Lee Child. I like the author and his awesome main character but I'm probably over it for a while, at least until sometime next year. Too much of a good thing and all that. It dawned on me while reading this current novel why I like this series so much. Each story is completely different from the last, at least in what I've read so far. With a fresh narrative it's actually a welcome to have a reoccurring character. While "One Shot" doesn't quite measure up to the previous two novels I've read by Child, it's still a great thriller and a great read. An author that gets better with his yearly outputs? I wish Janet Evanovich was listening.

Anyhoo, another great story by Child, well written and a worthy mystery/thriller. Recommended for fans of the genre. Pick up any Reacher novel by Child as reading them in order isn't necessary to appreciate the series.

Who's the Coach of the Year?

This guy!

"Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy has been named the winner of the 2011 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award. The award, presented by the Fiesta Bowl, is selected by the members of the 1,200-member strong Football Writers Association of America."

Link.

While we're talking about college football: suck it BCS...

Out of Oz

I ventured into the world of Oz yet again as seen through the eyes of Gregory Maguire in "Out of Oz" (568 pages) in the final volume in the "Wicked Years." From the cover of the book:

"Once peaceful and prosperous, the spectacular Land of Oz is knotted with social unrest: The Emerald City is mounting an invasion of Munchkinland, Glinda is under house arrest, and the Cowardly Lion is on the run from the law. And look who’s knocking at the door. It’s none other than Dorothy. Yes. That Dorothy.

Yet amidst all this chaos, Elphaba’s granddaughter, the tiny green baby born at the close of Son of a Witch, has come of age. Now it is up to Rain to take up her broom—and her legacy—in an Oz wracked by war.

The stirring, long-awaited conclusion to the bestselling series begun with Wicked, Out of Oz is a magical journey rife with revelations and reversals, reprisals and surprises—the hallmarks of the unique imagination of Gregory Maguire."

What can I say? I'm a huge fan of the "Wicked Years" by Maguire. I've been hooked on the series since I pickup up "Wicked" for the first time a couple of years ago. I really think Maguire was back in full form after an uneven, though enjoyable, second and third installment in the series. The events formed and expanded upon starting with the first novel are wrapped up satisfactorily in this final book. Though, in keeping with the previous books, there's still some questions left to ponder by the author. Practically every character, major or minor from the previous novels, has either a role to play here or if not at least a mention. Good stuff.

Highly recommended for fans of the series, second only to "Wicked." I'd also recommend reading the other books in the series before tackling this novel solo as so much has happened over the course of the previous three installments.

-SPOILERS-

Who released Glinda from Southstairs near the novel's conclusion? I took it as Elphaba. One can dream...

The Blue Memory Meme

Yet again from Sunday Stealing and a day early. It's been a while...

Cheers to all of us thieves!

1) If the whole world were listening to you right now, what would you say?
Shut the fuck up!!

2) If you could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be?
I have absolutely no clue. Maybe Al Gore, he's a pretty cool guy. Or maybe Bret Easton Ellis, to see if he's as fucked up as his novels.

3) You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere. You have to depart right now. Where are you gonna go?
It would have to be somewhere close and cheap. Vegas is out since I'm going next week. Hmmm. Chicago, New York, or San Francisco?

4) What do you think about most?
It is, to say the least.

5) You have the opportunity to spend a romantic night with the music celebrity of your choice. Who would it be?
Again I have no clue, I can't think of a musician crush I'm having right now.

6) You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be?
A little incident that landed me in jail in Colorado a couple of years ago.

7) What's your strangest talent?
The ability to remember little factoids that normal people don't give a shit about. An example would be me correcting someone who uses the phase "don't drink the Kool-Aid" when everyone knows they drank Flavor Aid at Jonestown.

8) What would be a question you'd be afraid to tell the truth on?
Nothing comes to mind, at least for the purposes of this blog. I'm a pretty up front person when necessary.

9) Ever had a poem or song written about you?
Now that you mention it I think someone has.

10) When is the last time you played the air guitar?
Today. It's something one has to do daily for a healthy and long life.

11) Do you have any strange phobias?
Not really. I used to be a little nervous flying but as much as I've traveled lately it isn't an issue anymore.

12) What's your religion?
Atheist.

13) What is your current desktop picture?
Blackhawks hockey logo.

14) When you are outside, what are you most likely doing?
Walking to or from my car.

15) What's the last song you listened to?
Fist Up by the Blow.

16) Simple but extremely complex. Favorite band?
Off the top of my head would be Shiny Toy Guns. Given some thought would be Fleetwood Mac.

17) What was the last lie you told?
On this meme. Can you find it?

18) Do you believe in karma?
Absofuckinglutely.

19) What is a saying you say a lot?
"Bye Felicia!"

20) What is your greatest weakness; your greatest strength?
I hate these kinds of questions. My absolute and utter ability to not give a shit about a person or a situation given time. Ditto.

21) Who is your celebrity crush?
Paul Rudd or Chris Pine lately.

22) Give me the first thing that comes to mind when you hear the word: heart.
Ache. It's a heartache, nothing but a heartache. Hits you when it's too late, hits you when you're down. It's a fools game, nothing but a fools game. Standing in the cold rain feeling like a clown.

23) How do you vent your anger?
I either curl up into myself or I go batshit crazy.

24) Do you have a collection of anything?
Too many moldering in boxes in storage. Video games, stamps, coins, trading cards...

25) What is your favorite word?
Turd.

26) Are you happy with the person you've become?
Sometimes.

27) What's a sound you hate; sound you love?
I hate the sound Styrofoam being mashed. I love the sound of a spring storm sans tornado.

28) What's your biggest "what if"?
Too numerous to mention. The road/harder path less traveled kind of thing.

29) Do you believe in ghosts?
It's fun to consider but not really.

30) How about aliens?
Infinite diversity in infinite combinations.

31) What is the single best decision you have made in your life so far?
Buying that black pullover from Express last fall.

32) What's the worst place you have ever been to?
Jail or Kansas.

33) Can insanity bring on more creativity?
I don't think so, either you have the aptitude or not.

34) Most attractive actor of your opposite gender?
Mila Kunis.

35) To you, what is the meaning of life?
Good friends, better food, and top shelf liquor.

36) Define “Art”.
I can't. It is what I think it is and may not apply to someone else.

37) Do you believe in luck?
Not really but I ALWAYS wash my hands after pissing while playing blackjack, you know, for luck.

38) In your opinion, what makes a great relationship?
I don't know, all of mine have failed at one point or another.

39) What's a song that always makes you happy when you hear it?
Come on Eileen.

40) Where were you yesterday?
At home most of the day chillaxing.

41) What's the worst injury you've ever had?
I sprained my ankle severely once when playing basketball. I know it's not a major injury but I couldn't walk without crutches or a boot for a month.

42) Do you have any obsessions right now?
Always. Right now, Futurama, Skyward Sword, and the War on Christmas.

43) What's up?
Same old shit just another day or nada is my usual response.

44) Ever had a rumor spread about you?
I'm sure I have. I love it. I matter!

45) Do you believe in real magic?
Nope and I don't believe in fake magic either.

46) Do you ever hold grudges against people who have done you wrong?
Absolutely. It's one of my defining characteristics. An elephant never forgets... to kill!!

47) What's your favorite (non-pet) animal?
Tasmanian Devils.

48) What is your secret weapon to get people to like you?
My sparkling personality. Unfortunately it's the same thing I use to get them to hate me.

49) Where is your best friend?
Probably sitting across town being a total dousche.

50) What do you think is Satan's last name?
Seery, Martin, or Brown.

Cowtown Christmas Parade

Well the Stockyard City Christmas Parade to be exact but it'll always be Cowtown to me. I guess this is becoming a Christmas tradition, going with the Rents and my great niece Lo.

As usual we were right near the dais that held the parade "commentators." Throughout the parade all I could think was...

"Don't they look lovely June?"
"Fabulous Harry I love the feathers."


My favorite part, the longhorns. Later in the parade there was a couple riding two longhorns which were spotted black and white. Their animals names were Oreo and T-bone. How awesome is that?


Nothing says Oklahoma like an outhouse attached to a truck at a parade! Really?


Lamas! Watch out, they spit!

Lo, as sweet as an outbreak of anthrax...

Actually a pretty fun parade only minimally marred by my mother accosting the former Lt. Governor. The only thing missing, in my opinion, was a couple of High School bands. How can you have a parade without a marching band or two?

Skyward Sword Final Anaylsis

I just finished my first run through of The Legend of Zelda Skyward Sword on the Nintendo Wii and all I can say is that it's a fantastic game worthy to be included in a long line of great Zelda games. The big question? Is this this the best Zelda game to date? Not even close but still a wonderful experience. I'd probably rank the game third after The Ocarina of Time and A Link to the Past.

What Skyward Sword does well it does exceedingly well. Beautiful graphics, an orchestrated soundtrack, true 1:1 ratio using the controller, a ramped up difficulty from the past two installments, and superb dungeons. What drags down the game from being the best in the series is linear gameplay, a repeat battle of an annoying boss, three times, and one too many fetch quests, especially toward to last third of the game. I'm also a little puzzled that Ganondorf isn't Link's nemesis in this game, which is usually the case in most all console versions of The Legend of Zelda.

My criticisms aside this is a remarkable game that should be played by any Zelda, Nintendo, or Wii fan. Rolling through the quest should take the typical gamer anywhere from 40 to 60 hours to complete with an additional "Hero Mode" opened up upon completion for the more serious gamers. I would rank this game as one of the best games the Wii has to offer. I still can't decide if it overtakes Super Mario Galaxy 2. Play this game if you haven't already or buy a Wii just for the experience, it's definitely worth the 99 bucks.

Kitchen

I read a quirky little book last night called "Kitchen" (152 pages) by Banana Yoshimoto translated from the Japanese by Megan Backus. The book consists of two novellas. From the cover:

"When Banana Yoshimoto's Kitchen was first published in Japan in 1988, 'Banana-mania' seized the country. Kitchen won two of Japan's most prestigious literary prizes, climbed its way to the top of the best-seller list, then remained there for over a year and sold millions of copies. With the appearance of the critically acclaimed Tugumi (1989) and NP (1991), the Japanese literary world realized that in Banana Yoshimoto it was confronted not with a passing fluke but with a full-fledged phenomenon: a young writer of great talent and great passion whose work has quickly earned a place among the best of twentieth-century Japanese literature.

Banana Yoshimoto's Kitchen is an enchantingly original and deeply affecting book that juxtaposes two tales about mothers, transsexuality, kitchens, love, tragedy, and the terms they all come to in the minds of a pair of free-spirited young women in contemporary Japan. Told in a whimsical style that recalls the early Marguerite Duras, 'Kitchen' and its companion story, 'Moonlight Shadow,' are elegant tales whose seeming simplicity is the ruse of a masterful storyteller. They are the work of a very special new writer whose voice echoes in the mind and the soul."

Yoshimoto's two stories of loss and love are written perfectly in a very minimalistic way. She has a rare gift of encapsulating many emotions with a simple turn of phrase. I don't think there was much missed through the translations but there were a couple of times I was scratching my head at certain structures here and there; however, I'm not sure if this was really due to the translation or just a product of her quirky style of writing. Highly recommended for a quick and satisfying read with a few sad tones that ultimately end triumphantly. A nice and surprising find.

"One caravan has stopped, another starts up. There are people I have yet to meet, others I'll never see again. People who are gone before you know it, people who are just passing through. Even as we exchange hellos, they seem to grow transparent. I must keep living with the flowing river before my eyes."

Gone Tomorrow

Another Reacher novel in the books so to speak. "Gone Tomorrow" (543 pages) by Lee Child. From Goodreads:

"New York City. Two in the morning. A subway car heading uptown. Jack Reacher, plus five other passengers. Four are okay. The fifth isn’t.

In the next few tense seconds Reacher will make a choice--and trigger an electrifying chain of events in this gritty, gripping masterwork of suspense by #1 New York Times bestseller Lee Child.

Susan Mark was the fifth passenger. She had a lonely heart, an estranged son, and a big secret. Reacher, working with a woman cop and a host of shadowy feds, wants to know just how big a hole Susan Mark was in, how many lives had already been twisted before hers, and what danger is looming around him now.

Because a race has begun through the streets of Manhattan in a maze crowded with violent, skilled soldiers on all sides of a shadow war. Susan Mark’s plain little life was critical to dozens of others in Washington, California, Afghanistan . . . from a former Delta Force operator now running for the U.S. Senate, to a beautiful young woman with a fantastic story to tell–and to a host of others who have just one thing in common: They’re all lying to Reacher. A little. A lot. Or maybe just enough to get him killed.

In a novel that slams through one hairpin surprise after another, Lee Child unleashes a thriller that spans three decades and gnaws at the heart of America . . . and for Jack Reacher, a man who trusts no one and likes it that way, it’s a mystery with only one answer–the kind that comes when you finally get face-to-face and look your worst enemy in the eye."

I really enjoyed this novel again by Child for two reasons primarily: the back story dealing with events with the Russian invasion of Afghanistan in the 1980's and the setting in Manhattan. Having just been to New York City last summer, there's something really cool about reading about current places you've just visited. The story unraveled and took place primary where I was staying and sightseeing during my stay there. Very cool. If only more novels took place in Oklahoma City!

Highly recommended especially for fans of thrillers. There were a few parts were I was on edge and squeamish too, a rarity for me when reading anything.

Must See TV

I have to admit I'm not a huge fan of television. Sure my TV is on more often than not when I'm at home but usually it's just background noise while I'm reading or doing something else. There's rarely a show that I absolutely must catch on first airing, thanks mostly to the Internet. Lately I've found myself glued to a few shows, meaning more than one at a time, amazingly enough. I thought I would compose a list of what I'm watching and what I think television has to offer that's good recently. I also need to preface my list by saying that there isn't anything worth watching on the networks, namely ABC, NBC, CBS, and FOX. Expanded cable and premium cable offer so much better stories that I've found it impossible to watch anything on the big 4. I mean there's no nudity, cursing, and barely watered down adult themes!

The Walking Dead: I've pretty much given up Sunday Funday lately just to watch the offerings on Sunday night on AMC. That's saying a lot! Though the first half of the second season just ended it still makes my list of what everyone should be watching now. Current episodes can be found and watched online as well as On Demand. The latest slate of episodes were a little uneven especially compared to last season, but it's still one of the best and most unique shows on TV right now. It's a worthy watch for no other reason than to contemplate how people would really react if indeed a zombie apocalypse were to happened. The themes of morality versus survival are heavy this season and it really makes one wonder how they would behave in such a dire environment.

American Horror Story: The only show I've watched religiously on FX. Airing on Wednesday night, the show is the story about a couple and their daughter who move to L.A. and move into the locally famous "murder house." Gruesome death scenes preface each episode from different eras of the nearly 100 year old house where those who have died are doomed to remain on the premises. Exceptional actors and bloody special effects makes American Horror Story a must watch. Though a little over the top, the stories abound with nudity, sex, and violence, all good things! Definitely a mind fuck from week to week but that's what keeps me coming back for more, just to see where the hell the story is going to veer off to.

Hell on Wheels: Another gritty new series by AMC on Sunday nights. It's pretty much the story of the transcontinental construction (say that three times) of our railway system. It's a western that tackles themes of the encroachment of civilization to native areas, political palm greasing, and the complications of the end of the Civil War. I'm still withholding judgement on the show but I'm liking what I see so far. Man I really miss Deadwood!

Top Chef: In its 9th season, Top Chef is still a must watch for me on Bravo on Wednesday nights. The series has lost a little bit of it's spice over the years but it's still a well done series with plenty of drama and culinary contests. It's one of the few shows I tune in to season after season and often even blog about, at least I did until I became so lazy here.

Returning shows I'm most exited about:

A Game of Thrones: One of the, if not the best new show on television. The second season is due to return in April on HBO. I came a little late to the party and had to watch the first season online. I did it in one setting. I'm excited to see if the second season follows the second novel as closely as the first season did the first novel. Absolutely not to be missed. Watch the series online or buy it on DVD if you haven't seen it already. I can't imagine anyone not liking this show, especially fans of the series of novels.

Futurama: Good news everyone! Futurama is back on Comedy Central on Thursday night. Though the show is in hiatus right now you can catch a mix of the older episodes as well as the newer ones on Thursday nights. I'm a bit of a Futurama fanatic. I own all of the original episodes on DVD and if I happen to catch the reruns on TV, I usually stop to watch no matter how many times I've seen them. Though the show is not nearly as funny as when it first aired on FOX a decade ago, it's still better than most crap on TV right now. As the writers and actors seem to be getting back in their groove the quality of the show seems to be getting better and better.

So that's pretty much my list of must see TV right now. I'm sure I've missing some terrific shows but I'm somewhat limited by my lack of viewing hours as well as my limited expanded basic cable set up. What's everyone else watching now? What am I missing?

The Obligatory Countdown to Vegas Post

Ah the Glitter Gulch, my favorite titty bar in all of Las Vegas. Just kidding.

So it should be an interesting trip this year since I'm only traveling with the Rents (parents). No other friends or family are going this trip. Essentially that means I'll be in lone wolf mode a lot, especially at night.

10 days to go!

Bad Luck and Trouble

Reports of me abandoning my blog have been exaggerated. In fact I've been without a computer since just before Thanksgiving. My dad has had his in the shop so I loaned my laptop out to him while it was being fixed. I could access the Internet on my phone if necessary but it's not very conducive to blogging. Hopefully I'll be back to some kind of regular schedule now.

In the meantime I read "Bad Luck and Trouble" (473 pages) by Lee Child, another novel in his Jack Reacher series. Yet again, it was a random book in the middle of the series but luckily prior knowledge of the previous novels didn't hinder my enjoyment of the story. From Goodreads:

"From a helicopter high above the empty California desert, a man is sent free-falling into the night…. In Chicago, a woman learns that an elite team of ex–army investigators is being hunted down one by one.... And on the streets of Portland, Jack Reacher—soldier, cop, hero—is pulled out of his wandering life by a code that few other people could understand. From the first shocking scenes in Lee Child’s explosive new novel, Jack Reacher is plunged like a knife into the heart of a conspiracy that is killing old friends…and is on its way to something even worse.

A decade postmilitary, Reacher has an ATM card and the clothes on his back—no phone, no ties, and no address. But now a woman from his old unit has done the impossible. From Chicago, Frances Neagley finds Reacher, using a signal only the eight members of their elite team of army investigators would know. She tells him a terrifying story—about the brutal death of a man they both served with. Soon Reacher is reuniting with the survivors of his old team, scrambling to raise the living, bury the dead, and connect the dots in a mystery that is growing darker by the day. The deeper they dig, the more they don’t know: about two other comrades who have suddenly gone missing—and a trail that leads into the neon of Vegas and the darkness of international terrorism.

For now, Reacher can only react. To every sound. Every suspicion. Every scent and every moment. Then Reacher will trust the people he once trusted with his life—and take this thing all the way to the end. Because in a world of bad luck and trouble, when someone targets Jack Reacher and his team, they’d better be ready for what comes right back at them…"

Another excellent novel by Child, an author I just recently started reading thanks solely to my mother, an avid reader of mysteries. The story flies by with the help of excellent writing and an interesting collection of characters that you wouldn't want to find yourself going against. The Reacher character is such a great protagonist, someone who's so loyal he's willing to do what he thinks is right regardless of the boundaries of the law and maybe what some would consider moral. He also has a unique talent for numbers and information that is fascinating to read and clearly shows he's more than an ex-army brute.

Check out any book by Lee Child, I believe every novel he's ever written is centered around the Jack Reacher character. Highly recommended. I'm already into another installment in the series.