**** = Really good.
*** = Worth reading.
** = A waste of time, but one or two good moments.
* = Not worth your time.
-0 = Less Than Zero.
2. The First Part of King Henry the Sixth by William Shake-speare Ah, NOW art thou Shakespeare. Not a great play, but it's definitely got a little something something going on. So yeah, *****.
3. The Second Part of King Henry the Sixth by William Shake-speare Yeah, I'd have to say ***** on this. Although it's clearly not a "stand alone" work. In starts up right after the end of The First Part, and at the end of it there's no resolution whatsoever...Luke has a new robot hand, true, but we don't really know if he's going to come out on top of Darth. And did I mention that Yoda DIED? Fuck. Onward to The Third Part, then. And oh, yeah...34-ish to go.
4. Lost on Venus by Edgar Rice Burroughs (11/11/18 to 1/17/19) *** I continue to have great enthusiasm for Carson Napier, but this one was just a little strained at times...starting to show signs of falling into the sameoldsameold. Hopefully ERB can pull it up a bit in the next one,
5. How Music Works by David Byrne ****, and add another * if you're a musician. For the most part, this was a fascinating look inside not just David Byrne's music, but the music industry in general. Occasionally Bryne blows some smoke out of his ass, but I think even that would have been closer to palatable if he had read the book himself. (The narrator put a little bit of snoot onto it at times.)
6. Edgar Rice Burroughs: The Man Who Created Tarzan Volume I by Irwin Porges *** A mammoth book, even if you're not counting the fact that it goes on in a second volume--655 pages, to be exact. I found it to be pretty fascinating, though, and it was not an effort to read, even though I never made it a priority. One big plus, Porges didn't--as did the previous two Burroughs biographers I've encountered--spend a lot of time sniping at ERB. It was by no means a sanitized story--ERB's warts were there to be seen--but I never got the feeling, as I did with Lupoff and Taliaferro--that their envy of Burroughs's success was causing them to get snippy. I was also astounded at how ERB had to struggle with his editors and publishers, even after he had achieved great success. So many of his books were either put down by the editors or just plain rejected...and, having read most of the Burroughs oeuvre at this point, I can attest to the fact that these were good books (like Apache Devil, which I thought was superb). On to volume 2!
7. The Third Part of King Henry the Sixth by William Shake-speare ***** My favorite of the three parts...cuz it had an Oxford in it. (John de Vere, 12th Earl of Oxford, who lived from 1408 to 1462.) He didn't really play much of a part in the play, but I still want to take a look at the history to see if he really warranted placement in this play...as I've heard that he didn't. Very exciting! (Because if he didn't deserve to be here...then why WAS he here? Mmm-hmmm.)
8. A History of Philosophy, Volume 10: Russian Philosophy by Frederick Copleston ***** This was by far my favorite book in this series (so far...and there's not much farther to go). Part of the reason was that Copleston spent some time with two of my favorite writers: Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy. Part of it was that the threads of Russian Philosophy were just particularly meaningful to me. In fact, I've already checked out several books Copleston referred to in this volume:
Gabriel Marcel's Perspectives on The Broken World, Empire of Knowledge by Alexander Vucinich, The Philosophy of Existence by Gabriel Marcel, and Dostoyevsky and the Legend of the Grand Inquisitor by Vasily Rozanov. Two of them (The Philosophy of Existence and Dostoyevsky and the Legend of the Grand Inquisitor) were available through the Louisville Free Public Library, but the University of Louisville came through for the other two. The Perks of Being an Alumni Flower. Don't know how much of that I'll actually get to read, but (1) I would really like to read all of them cover to cover and (2) the libraries just saved me about a hundred bucks, so thanks, thanks. And now...on to the final volume of Copleston's History!
9. The Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shake-speare ***** Or, as it probably should be known, Radio Free Romeo and Juliet. (See https://songsofinnocenceampexperience.blogspot.com/2018/12/the-shake-speare-project.html for details.)
10. Titus Andronicus by William Shake-speare * Yeah, sorry, but this is definitely one you should take a pass on. Short version: the central act of the play is a woman being raped and mutiliated...her hands cut off and her tongue cut out. Just awful. Oh, and then there's the cannibalism at the end....
11. A History of Philosophy Volume 11: Logical Positivism and Existentialism by Fr. Frederick Copleston ***** This is the end, beautiful friend. https://songsofinnocenceampexperience.blogspot.com/2019/02/a-history-of-philosophy-end.html
12. The Land That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs **** My first solo ERB in a couple of months. Tried NOT to read it, as I was saving it to read with Joe, but I was missing him too much. And? Read it in 24 hours. Ready for the second book in the Caspak Trilogy. Mmm-hmm.
13. Richard III by William Shake-speare ****
14. The People That Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs **** Another good read. Had to resort to my omnibus edition, but I have a paperback for the last book of the trilogy, which makes me happy. Alas, this puts me very close to the end of my ERB journey.
15. Out of Time's Abyss by Edgar Rice Burroughs ** Not the worst ERB book I've ever read...but far from the best, and not nearly as good as the first two Caspak novels. Even so, there were some interesting bits. For one thing, the structure. This story goes back to the first novel, fills in what was missing during the second novel, and the finishes both stories. Unfortunately, ERB brings in a lot of his tried and not-so-true motifs, and the book kind of gets buried underneath them at times. The whole Wieroo thing seemed tired to me, and while the "everybody evolves" schtick was kind of novel, it seemed pretty stupid all in all. So...only 2 1/2 ERBs to go now. And I just found out that the last of these...The Wizard of Venus...is only 49 pages Carson of Venus, and 100 pages Pirate Blood...which is the first draft of a story that was found in ERB's papers after his death. So I'm guessing that that one isn't going to be primo Burroughs. And, for that matter, Wizard wasn't published during ERB's lifetime, either, so there's reason to have some reservations on that note as well. And I'd really like to go out on a high note with ERB. So here's my plan. I'm going to go ahead and read Pirate's Blood. If it's as bad (or, at least, as not good) as I think it's going to be, I'll go ahead and read Wizard on my own, too. That was my last new ERB read will be Escape on Venus, which at least has the distinction of having been published during ERB's lifetime. And when Joe and I finish reading that, I'll just reread Wizard and Pirate's with Joe, so he won't feel left out...but also so that The Bad Book(s) will be re-reads, and not my Last Read(s). It's a plan. You just have to be coy, Roy.
16. The Comedy of Errors by William Shake-speare *** Well, you know. Another play evidencing a not quite there WS. Lots of invective against women again...and lots of mistreatment of servants. A few notable lines, but way too much time spent in stupid wordplay...like the long bit about That Girl Is So Big That She's Like A Globe, which then devolves into a series of Which Country Would Be Where jokes which weren't even vaguely funny. Think harder, Homer.
17. The Wizard of Venus / Pirate Blood by Edgar Rice Burroughs **** This is the 5th and final book of the Venus (Amtor) series. I am currently reading the 3rd book (Carson of Venus) with Joe, and still have 70 pages to go on that...and then there are 269 pages of the 4th book, Lost on Venus. But I skipped ahead because (1) most of this book was Pirate Blood, with less than 50 pages of The Wizard of Venus, and (2) none of this material had been published during ERB's lifetime, so I was thinking that it would be el stinko. So I figured that if I went ahead and read it now, then my last "first" ERB read would be Lost on Venus, and since I have really liked the Carson of Venus stories, that would mean I'd end on a high note. I'd still read The Wizard / Pirate with Joe, but it wouldn't be a FIRst read, see? It makes sense to me, anyway. But I was wrong, because both of the stories here were quite good. In fact, The Wizard of Venus (which I read after Pirate Blood, even though it appears first in the book) was SO good that I am actually looking forward to reading it again in the near future. At my current rate with Joe, that should be about 17 weeks from now. Woo hoo!
18. Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling, Adapted by Malvina Vogel (Great Illustrated Classics) 12/8/18 to 2/28/19. Joe read this one to me. And it was pretty good, actually. I'm not a big fan of Kipling for the most part--except the poem "If," which is near and dear to my heart. But this story was pooty good.
19. Love's Labour's Lost by William Shake-speare **** Weird play...a play with almost no plot at all. Guys swear to have nothing to do with girls. Girls arrive. Guys attempt to seduce girls. Girls say come back in a year. The end. Some nice De Vere stuff, though.
20. A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shake-speare ***** I think this is the first great play (assuming there's anything to the chronological ordering offered by Wikipedia). And I think that Bottom is Shake-speare's first great character. Just sayin', sir.
21. Romeo and Juliet by William Shake-speare **** Well...the dirty jokes were most excellent, of course. And there were some good lines. And Mercutio was a great character. But the whole love at first sight thing is really hard to put up with. Even though I've read it about two dozen times. Maybe more. Probably have seen it thirty or forty times, too. Sheesh.
22. Doom Patrol, Book 1: Crawling From the Wreckage by Grant Morrison and Richard Case ****...and if you like comics at all, add *. I'd forgotten how great these comics were. The inventiveness that Morrison displays here...the sheer magnitude of his clearly not put on weirdness...is just lovely. Richard Case's art is a bit primitive in these early issues...though he does draw a mean set of stairs (not kidding)...but it works. Must read more....
23. Perfect Example by John Porcellino ***** My second time around on this one. It is a really good piece of work. I wish I could get my hands on all of Porcellino's work, but there's only this one at LFPL, a King-Cat collection at U of L, and one other book that I bought and read...but now can't find. Not only do I enjoy his stories immensely, he also makes me feel like doing my own strip. That's the kind of good voodoo I need right now.
24. Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov **** and another * if you're a science fiction-y kind of person. It's been 45 years since I read the (first) Foundation Trilogy...but reading this book pretty much insured that I'll be reading it again in the near future. A splendid little romp with lots of action, but lots of thought-provoking moments as well. This book really reminded me of why I loved The Good Doctor so much way back when.
26. Richard II by You-Know-Who-speare ***** Good, good play. Lots of quotable quotes this time around...and you just get the feeling that The Man is Coming Around.
27. 4001 A.D. by Matt Kindt and Clayton Crain ** I was pretty hot for Valiant Comics after reading The Life and Death of Toyo Harada #1, so when I saw this on the stands at the LFPL, I nabbed it. But it was a big disappointment. Maybe because it was a "crossover" and I don't know enough about the Valiant Universe. But I don't think so. It just felt like the same old shit, really. Glad I didn't step in it.
28. Meet Me in Atlantis by Mark Adams *** This one has been a looooooong time coming. Started listening to it months ago, stopped, went back, stopped, went back. It was actually pretty good, and had some nice little bits about Plato here and there, but it wasn't what I'd call super-compelling. And just in case you're wondering, Mark doesn't find Atlantis. So there's that.
29. Carson of Venus by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1/18/19 to 3/28/19) **** I don't care what those other fuckers say, I like Carson of Venus. A lot. In fact, I am pretty sure that he is my favorite ERB character...though I am going to reserve final judgment until I have another read of at least the first John Carter novel. The bad news is that there is only one more Carson novel after this one...and the even worse news is that that will be my last ERB First Read book unless somebody gets busy (talking to YOU, ERB, Inc.) and releases some more stuff. There's a whole lot of unreleased stuff, but I'm guessing that if it were ever going to see the light of day, that would have happened by now. So...fuck. With a lot of legwork and probably a fair amount of money SOME of it could be recovered, since there were newspaper and magazine publications for some minor pieces. But the major chunks of writing were never published at all. Which is frustrating for a completist OCD anal retentive nerd like me...especially after I've invested ten years in reading 84 of his books. That's a pretty spicy meat-a-ball-uh, y'know? Oh, well.
30. King John by William Shake-speare ** Nope, can't do it. This play was not good at all, and even as one of The Works I can't recommend it. Sorry, Will.
31. The Merchant of Venice by WS ** It was not moft excellent.But it was anti-Semitic, racist, misogynistic, and cruel, so if you're into that, this is the play for you. I knew it was going to be unpleasant reading for me going in, since I've read this play before...a couple of times, I think...but that foreknowledge didn't lessen the blow. This is just an awful piece of work. I will never read it again.
32. King Henry IV, Part I by William Shake-speare **** It's all about the Falstaff, really. Great character, for sure. Tip of the hat to Mr. Harold Bloom.
33. History of Civilization in England Volume II by Henry Thomas Buckle ***** One of the Best. Books. Ever. See HERE for details.
34. King Henry IV, Part II by William Shake-speare ***** Wow, this play really blew me away. It had everything: humor, dirty jokes, war, love, betrayal.... And that last scene with Henry and Falstaff...oh, man, that was just killer. Mos def one of the best plays EVer.
35. The Compleat Angler by Izaak Walton ***** Been meaning to get around to this one for a long time. Finally did. It was awesome.
36. Much Ado About Nothing by WS **** It was no H4, 2, but it was pootie good. Dogberry was a pretty great character.
37. Meridian: Flying Solo (Volume 1) by Barbara Kesel, Steve McNiven, Joshua Middleton ****
and
38. Meridian: Going to Ground (Volume 2) by Barbara Kesel and Steve McNiven **** Most excellent comic books...and a generous 16 of them (7 Meridian issues in each and then more stuff from one of the crossover CrossGen titles, one a full-length story and the other a series of short pieces). And this wasn't enough, so I found myself ordering volumes 3 and 4. Unfortunately, they will only take me through issue #26, and there are no other collections...but the comic book went to issue #44. Unless this thing goes bad in Volumes 3 and 4, I'm going to be needing those other 18 issues.
39. My Reading Life by Pat Conroy ***** I have never read a Pat Conroy book before. To be honest, I never had the desire to do so. But this was available on audiobook and I needed something in a hurry, so I decided to give it a try. Glad that I did. This was a wonderful book, and it did something that I didn't think was possible: it made me want to start writing again. Other than that...it also ignited or reignited my interest in several writers, especially Margaret Mitchell, Thomas Wolfe, and James Dickey. Better get down to it, I guess.
45 - 49. Descender Volumes 1-5 *** I picked up Ascender #1 just because (1) I like Jeff Lemire and (2) Dustin Nguyen's artwork looked very nice...kind of water-colory. And I liked it enough to wonder what had happened before this story...because the Descender series had preceded it. I almost bought a trade of the first six issues, then decided to check to see if the public library had it, and lo and behold, they had all six volumes. So that was that. Got 'em, started reading. And? Well...there are moments when I am very entranced by the story. (I'm always entranced by the art.) But there are other moments when it is just SO clunky, so silly, that I find myself pulling to a stop and not really wanting to continue reading. Case in point: there's a mining robot who is named Driller, and he is very fond of saying, "Driller is a killer." I'd estimate that he has uttered that line thirty times in the course of the first 26 issues...which is about 28 times too many for my taste. I will probably go ahead and finish it up since I'm so close to the end...and because I'm reading it for free...but I don't know if I need any more Ascender after this. I think I'm ready to move on. But a big tank you to the LFPL for saving me $57.63 (Amazon discounted price).
50. Don't Think of an Elephant by George Lakoff ***** A superb book, a must listen to book. A much better book that The Righteous Mind, which I bailed on after the stupid comments on autism. Oddly enough, Lakoff talks about autism, too, but he actually knows what the fuck he's talking about. Yep, this is a must read book, for sure.
51. As You Like It by William Shake-speare
53. Descender Volumes 6 *** by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen Well...that completes the series. And you know what? My Descender stomach is full. So full that I won't be needing any more issues of the sequel, Ascender. Thanks for saving me the big bucks, Louisville Free Public Library. I would have felt really ripped off if I'd paid for that series.
54. Hamlet by William Shake-speare ***** Probably the 20th time I've read this play...actually, that's probably low-balling it...but I thoroughly enjoyed it. This time did it via an audiobook version which included lots of narrative interruptions to comment, enlighten, etc., which was slightly annoying at first but grew to be mostly fun. (A little less Stratfordian would have been better, though...and a little less needless conjecturing as well.)
55. Meridian Volume 4: Coming Home by Barbara Kesel and Steve McNiven **** The good news...most excellent story. The bad news? There are no other collections available for the rest (18 issues) of the published story. The good news? All of those issues are available from an online comics shop. The bad news? En toto they cost about $45. The good news? I found an online site which has e-versions of all those issues for free. The bad news? It's not a legal site. The good news? I decided to go for it anyway and downloaded all of the issues. The bad news? My Kindle couldn't open the file. The good news? I just found $45....
56. Foundation's Fear by Gregory Benford ** Seems like it took me forfuckingever to read this...and with good reason. It's not a good book. In fact, it thoroughly killed the momentum I had picked up from reading Asimov's Prelude to Foundation and the first section of Forward the Foundation. For one thing, trying to turn Hari Seldon into an action hero, as Benford did here, is just silly. He's a mathematician, for fuck's sake. For another thing, the what seemed like an endless series of death traps had zero tension, because we all know that Hari is going to be around for a few novels after this one. I am still determined to read the rest of this "Second Foundation Trilogy" (by Bear and Brin) when the time comes for them--according to my sources, I get to finish Forward the Foundation and then the first part of Foundation before I go back to "The Second Foundation Trilogy"...so how's THAT for convoluted?--but I sure hope those other B boys are better writers than Mr. Benford has proven himself to be. If not, I don't think I can hang in there for the rest of the Non-Asimov Foundation. Well, maybe Foundation's Friends, but that's far in the future. Pun intended.
57. Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen ***** A most excellent book. Helen Keller was a commie? Abraham Lincoln was a racist? Hitler got the idea for concentration camps from how the Whites treated Native Americans? Holy Shit!
Too many problems with these pictures...just going to straight up list it henceforth.
59. The Merry Wives of Windsor by William Shake-speare * Wow...this was a really bad play. There is no way in hell that this was written after Hamlet, as conventional Stratfordians would have us believe.
60. Understudy For Death by Charles Willeford * I think I'm going to write more about this one, but for now, I just have to say this: if you are interested in Charles Willeford or if you love Charles Willeford, then you should avoid this book. It is a terrible book, and if it's your introduction to him, I doubt that you'll go any farther, and if you've already read him, this will make you think less of him. Horrible stuff. Poorly written, extremely misogynistic (the "hero" rapes his wife, for fuck's sake), racist. Can't tell you how glad I am that I didn't buy this piece of shit. (The public library had a copy.)
61. Twelfth Night by William Shake-speare **** First time with this one. It was good...but not Hamlet good. My guess is that this one was written a few years before Hamlet...and fuck the experts on that.
62. The Red Pony by John Steinbeck ***** Wow. Just wow. If it's been awhile since you read this, read it again. If you've never read it, drop what you're doing and do yourself a favor.
63. New Catholic Picture Bible by Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik (10/9/17 11/24/18 to 6/8/19)
64. Commander in Cheat: How Golf Explains Trump by Rick Reilly ***** Pretty sure that this was my first golf book ever. Of course, golf + politics, but still.... And it was an amazing book. I thought Trump was a scum bag before I read this...but I had NO IDEA. Shocking stuff.
65. Shakespeare: The World as Stage by Bill Bryson ** I'd been talking to a friend and he mentioned that he had given up on the authorship controversy after reading Stephen Grennblatt's Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare. And I'm game for whatever whatever, so I went to Amazon, downloaded the sample pages, and got down to it. It started to curdle almost immediately. Could have, perhaps, surely, must have, undoubtedly.... It was the same old shit, for sure. I didn't even make it to the end of the sample before I bailed out. But I wanted something else...so I looked to see what I could see. And the library had an audiobook version of this Bill Bryson book, so I thought I'd give it a try. It started off well. Emphasis on how scanty the records were, how much we didn't know, all of that. But it didn't take long before it started going into the supposition territory, and then it pretty much stayed there. He even came back at the end to talk about authorship contenders...only to unjustly characterize every one of the "threats" and trivialize them. So fuck Bill Bryson, man.
66. Troilus and Cressida by William Shake-speare *** Never read this one before. It wasn't top notch WS, but it was pooty good.
67. Shakespeare: The Seven Major Tragedies (The Modern Scholar) by Harold Bloom **** I'm not a big Bloom fan, but this book was pretty excellent...and contained only a little of that SURELY shit. Lots of good information, some of which was new to me. For instance, who knew that "hell" was slang for female genitalia?
68. The Neddiad: How Neddie Took the Train, Went to Hollywood, and Saved Civilization by Daniel Pinkwater (1/1/19 to 6/21/19) **** Really enjoyed this book immensely. So much so that Jacqueline and I are going on the read the sequel, The Yggyssey: How Iggy Wondered What Happened to All the Ghosts, Found Out Where They Went, and Went There.
66. Troilus and Cressida by William Shake-speare *** Never read this one before. It wasn't top notch WS, but it was pooty good.
67. Shakespeare: The Seven Major Tragedies (The Modern Scholar) by Harold Bloom **** I'm not a big Bloom fan, but this book was pretty excellent...and contained only a little of that SURELY shit. Lots of good information, some of which was new to me. For instance, who knew that "hell" was slang for female genitalia?
68. The Neddiad: How Neddie Took the Train, Went to Hollywood, and Saved Civilization by Daniel Pinkwater (1/1/19 to 6/21/19) **** Really enjoyed this book immensely. So much so that Jacqueline and I are going on the read the sequel, The Yggyssey: How Iggy Wondered What Happened to All the Ghosts, Found Out Where They Went, and Went There.
69. Legion of Super-Heroes Archives Volume 11 mostly by Cary Bates and Mike Grell **** There's something about those 1970s super-hero comic books that is just so much better than anything being put out today. Of course, there's something about them that is so much worse, too. They're clunky and dorky and thoroughly unbelievable. Especially the Legion of Super-Heroes. This volume, which I got for a pittance at Ollie's, features some early Mike Grell artwork. There are moments when it is stunningly good. There are also moments when it is just bad. He's often terrible with perspective, and it is not at all uncommon for his bodies to be drawn out of proportion: an arm that's too small, legs that are way too long, etc. But I enjoyed this book quite a bit, and I actually wish that I had the other ten volumes. That won't be happening, of course...they retail at $50 a pop. Assuming that you can even find them for that. A lot of times these Archive Editions go up in price as they age. But I DO have five volumes of DC Showcase Presents which I never did get around to reading....
70. Othello by WS ***** Superb play. And starring a Black guy, too. That WS was just so ahead of his time that it's stunning.
71. Confessions of a Serial Novelist by Alexander McCall Smith **** I've never any of this fellow's books, but after listening to this (which is actually a talk recorded live), I might could have to. He was funny and charming and had a very high-pitched, silly, infectious laugh. Also wrote one hell of a lot of books. I like that in a man.
72. Archie 1941 by Mark Waid, Brian Augustyn and Peter Krause **** Excellent comic book.
73. The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession by Allison Hoover Bartlett *** The most interesting aspect of this book was how much the titular thief reminded me of Donald Trump: unjustifiably aggrieved, arrogant, and absolutely selfish.
74. Measure for Measure by WS *** Not the best play...and really over-burdened with misogyny...but better than I thought it would be, and definitely worth doing.
75. All's Well That Ends Well by EdV
76. Timon of Athens
77. King Lear by WS ***** Great stuff, of course, but not as good as Macbeth for me. For one thing, there are so many things that are just flat out unrealistic. For example, Cordelia's "honesty" in response to her father's question, "How much do you love me?" It was an asinine response which no human being would offer up to her father. Hell, if my kid said this to me, I'd cut them out of my will, too. After first responding that she can say "Nothing," she then responds, "Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave / My heart into my mouth: I love your majesty / According to my bond; nor more nor less." Seriously...that's just bullshit. And as great as the play is, it certainly continues to pile on more turds as it proceeds. Edgar pretending to be someone else when he encounters his newly blinded father...come on, man. FFS, this is just completely detached from reality.
78. Escape on Venus by Edgar Rice Burroughs (3/29/19 to 7/1/19) Check this out: "I knew that Duare loved me; I knew that I could trust her to the ends of the world—but! That is a funny thing about love—that but. The thought that that pussy, amoebic neuter was in love with her, or as nearly so as the thing could understand love, and that it was going to be with her for an indefinite time, while I hung on a wall, dead from the neck down, got my goat." Yowza.
79. The Well-Tuned Brain: The Remedy for a Manic Society by Peter C. Whybrow **** An always interesting, sometimes fascinating book about how The Brain works. Also had a nice little section on the Finnish school system.
80. Miscellaneous and Posthumous Works of Henry Thomas Buckle Volume I **** Well, of course, it being Mr. Buckle, I'd like to give it 5*s, but this is really more of a workbook than a book book, so it's really only for the true Buckle enthusiast. Which is me, for sure. But not for everybody.
81. Brother Men: The Correspondence of Edgar Rice Burroughs and Herbert T. Weston edited by Matt Cohen *** This book had its moments, for sure...but not many of them, alas. For the hard core ERB enthusiast only, I'd say...though the description of playing tennis while watching the bombing of Pearl Harbor was pretty much worth the price of admission in and of itself.
82. The End of Dieting: How to Live for Life by Joel Fuhrman ***** I'm not sure if I want to take this book completely to heart, as it is certainly a bit on the Food Nazi end of things, but it had a lot of information which affected me profoundly. I have already started trying to change some of the things I eat--blueberries and other fruit in the morning, some mushroom in my salad, just a few nuts--and am thinking about some more extreme measures, like cutting out eggs and meat. If nothing else, I think this is well worth hearing / reading.
83. Macbeth by WS ***** A truly superb play.
84. Black Boy by Richard Wright ***** An amazing, astounding, horrifying book. I think this is more important now than ever before as we slip and slide down the hill of racism...especially if we don't want to get stuck up to our knees in the muck. This book also made me want to read a lot more Richard Wright. (Thus far I've only read Native Son and a short story about Bigger Thomas.)
85. Siege: Trump Under Fire by Michael Wolff ***** I don't know if Michael Wolff is completely reliable as a journalist, but he shoah do tell some good stories about that sonovabitch Trump. My favorite line in the book was,
"If you put Trump in the Republican Senate Caucus and turned out the lights and counted to ten, he'd be dead," said one Trump ally.
I'd like to think that that was so. I'd also like to see Trump in the Republican Senate Caucus for the lights out for a ten count.
86. Captain America: Vol. 1: Winter in America by Ta-Nehisi Coates and Leinil Francis Yu ** I don't know if Ta-Nehisi Coates is a good writer or not, since I've not yet read any of his books, but I know that he is not a good comic book writer. In fact, this six-issue (plus a little something something) story arc was not only downright pedestrian and bombastic, it was pretty freakin' boring, too. And for the worst reason of all: if felt like a re-run of Steve Englehart's 70s books. A re-run which had been heavily edited. As in the best stuff chopped out. And a new, inferior soundtrack added. And a lot more ads. Yep. The only good thing about reading this book is that I have now lost all desire to read any more of Mr. Coates's comic books. I'm still going to give Between the World and Me a try, though.
87. Dizzy by Jonah Winter *** I didn't realize that this was a book for little kids (preschool to 3rd grade)...but I still enjoyed it quite a bit. And I learned some things about Dizzy Gillespie. So win win.
88. Between the World and Me: Notes on the First 150 Years in America by Ta-Nehisi Coates *** I have to wonder if I'd feel differently about this book if (1) I hadn't just read Richard Wright's Black Boy and (2) if my first Ta-Nehisi Coates experience had been better than the first six issues of his Captain America run. Because it's an important book...in fact, if I were still teaching, I would try to find a way to teach it...but it kept falling short of really hitting me. Part of it was that I don't think Coates is a particularly good writer. His prose seems oddly restrained and shallow...especially compared to Richard Wright. And the same thing applies to his narrative, I suppose. Yes, he does have to put up with some shit that I don't think that anyone should have to put up with...but nothing is all that extreme, either. In fact, most of what he relates is stuff that has happened to me, and I'm not even a little bit black. Which kind of leaves me wondering what this book is for. Yes, it does have important things to say about how the Black man is treated in our society. But Richard Wright--among many others--already did that. So I guess for me the primary value in this book is to say, "And that shit is still going on today." Which is pretty fucking sad, for sure. I just wish he had said it better.
89. Coriolanus by Willian Shake-speare ***** An amazing piece of work, actually.
90. Pericles by William Shake-speare ** On the other hand, this was not good at all. Horrible jokes about rape, horrible writing in general. This had to have been a very early work...or not WS's work at all.
91. Cymbeline by William Shake-speare *** It had some moments, and then a little bit more.
92. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Great Illustrated Classics) by Robert Louis Stevenson, adapted by Mitsu Yamamoto (June 3rd to August 25th ) This is the 16th book Joe read to me.
93. Knife by Jo Nesbo ** Sorry to say it out loud, but I hope that this (#12) is the last Harry Hole novel. There were still a few moments when my love for this series kicked in and I was carried along with the story, but for the most part this was just an all the bare wires are showing kind of book: contrived, obvious, and shallow. I am also very tired of the old "Look, Harry's dead!" routine. Enough, Jo.
94. Forward the Foundation by Isaac Asimov *** It took me awhile to make it through this one, and there were definitely times when I lost interest in it, but by the end I felt that it was clicking along for me, and I was very anxious to go straight on into the next book: Foundation. Which I last read about forty-five years ago. Mmm-hmmm.
95. The Winter's Tale by Wm Shaksper ***...and almost a ****.
96. My Wife is Wagatsuma-san Vol. 1 by byKuraishi Yuuni and Seo Kouiji *** Picked this up from ComiXology because it was 193 pages for a buck...and had some cute girl art. And...well, it was kind of dorky, but I enjoyed it enough to wish that I could read a bit more, but the second volume is $5.99...and that's a sale price...so I probably won't be going there.
97. The Tempest by Edward de Vere **** But there's no way in hell that this was a late Shake-speare play.
96. My Wife is Wagatsuma-san Vol. 1 by byKuraishi Yuuni and Seo Kouiji *** Picked this up from ComiXology because it was 193 pages for a buck...and had some cute girl art. And...well, it was kind of dorky, but I enjoyed it enough to wish that I could read a bit more, but the second volume is $5.99...and that's a sale price...so I probably won't be going there.
97. The Tempest by Edward de Vere **** But there's no way in hell that this was a late Shake-speare play.
99. You Get So Alone At Times That It Just Makes Sense by Charles Bukowski **** My second time around for this one, and it was a three sitting read for the most part. I can't do that with any other poet. Part of it is the narrative nature of Bukowski's poetry: it is like reading (short) chapters in a novel...or like reading inter-related short stories in a collection. Part of it is that Bukowski is virtually bullshit free.
🎆100.🎆 Trout Mask Replica by Kevin Courrier *** Well, that was anticlimactic for my 100th book this year. Picked this up because I was having a minor obsession over Captain Beefheart. And there was some interesting stuff in this book, but two things caused me to lose my enthusiasm for it pretty much from the start: the typographical errors (always a pet peeve for me as I see it as indicative of a lack of care taken with the work--is there another way to see it?) and Kevin Courrier's incessant snottiness. He goes out of his way to cast aspersions whenever he sees an opportunity. I got tired of it very quickly. Also, even though this was a small book (literally 4.8 x 0.4 x 6.6 inches, as well as length-wise @ 150 pages), Mr. Courrier just could not stick to the topic, and often diverged into exploring his wonderful self. So...some good information...though not nearly as much as I was hoping for...so that made it worthwhile for me, but the negatives made it far less enjoyable than it could have been.
101. Henry VIII by William Shake-speare and John Fletcher *** Not the greatest, for sure. Pretty clearly an early work, when WS was still learning the ropes...and maybe needed somebody to lean on.
102. My Wife is Wagatsuma-san Vol. 2 by byKuraishi Yuuni and Seo Kouiji ***
103. My Wife is Wagatsuma-san Vol. 3 by byKuraishi Yuuni and Nishikida Keishi *** What can I say? It's not all that great, for sure, and I think it primarily exists so that the artist can do cheese-cakey shots, but I keep reading it, so obviously it serves some purpose for me.
104. The Two Noble Kinsmen by William Shake-speare and John Fletcher ***
105. The Beatles: The Authorised Biography by Hunter Davies **** Lots of good stuff to be found in this book. I especially liked the bits about John and Paul writing specific songs, how they bounced off of each other, all of that. My enjoyment was spoiled by the occasionally shitty attitude of Hunter Davies, however. Such a snide little fuck at times. I don't understand that at all. He would throw in stupid comments for no discernible reason at all, and it would just stop the narrative flow for me as I thought, "Well, that was unnecessary."
106. Miscellaneous and Posthumous Works of Henry Thomas Buckle Volume III It's Henry Thomas Buckle, so of course it's ***...but, alas, no more than that, as it is really Buckle's notes, not an actual finished piece of writing. A bit of a slog sometimes. And there were quite a few pages in other languages, especially French, which made for some puzzling "reading." One more volume and I'll have read all of the Henry Thomas Buckle that there is to read in the world. Sigh. I start on it tomorrow. And at ten pages per day, I should be finished just about in time for Thanksgiving. 🦃
107. King Edward III by William Shake-speare *** Not the greatest play, but some interesting stuff that pretty much convinced me that this really was written by Shake-speare...and which also has nudged me in the direction of some other Apocryphal plays. We'll see what happens there.
108. House of Secrets by Steven T. Seagle and Teddy H. Kristiansen **** I've been wanting to read this for a long time. And then one day it was there for free (with membership) on ComiXology. And a little while later...like maybe a week or two...I've put away 752 pages of story and art and wish that there were more. But not really, since this is a complete story, not an open-ended narrative of endlessly recycled ideas cobbled together with punches and kicks. In some ways this is a simple story about a teenage runaway. But that's really just the framework, as it explores various metaphysical issues. So, yeah. Not for everybody, for sure, but if you like comic books, it's a must read.
109. The Yggyssey: How Iggy Wondered What Happened to All the Ghosts, Found Out Where They Went, and Went There by Daniel Pinkwater (6/23/19 to 10/18/19) Not as good as The Neddiad, but still a fun read. Fun enough that we'll be reading the next book in the series--Adventures of a Cat-Whiskered Girl--in the near future.
110. Double Falsehood, or, The Distrest Lovers bu William Shake-speare. Or so say The Arden Shakespeare folks. Me? I don't know. At first I was thinking, "Not...at ALL." Then toward the end I started seeing some glimmers. So maybe. Sure was a vile play, though. The central dramatic act is a rape, and that is resolved when the woman marries her rapist. And I said no, no, no.
111. The Wild Storm (2017-) Vol. 1 by Warren Ellis and Jon Davis-Hunt *** I was kind of interested in this when I saw it on the stands, but didn't go for it. Now, thanks to Comixology Unlimited, I read the first six issues and ahmo read the next six for free. And if I really, really, REALLY like it, I might even put some money down for Volume 3...which is not included on Unlimited. As for Volume 1...it was interesting. Not captivating, but interesting. I am looking forward to reading some more, though, so that's a good sign, right?
112. The Wild Storm Vol. 2 by Warren Ellis and Jon Davis-Hunt *** This was good...and I'd be interested in reading Volume 3...but not $12 interested, so I'll be waiting to see if it, too, comes to Comixology Unlimited (unlikely) or to the LFPL (possible). Oh, wait a minute...LFPL DOES have it. On order even as we speak. Thank you, Louisville Free Public Library.
113. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng *** Read this on #1🌞's recommendation, and it was pooty good. I particularly liked the characterizations of Mia and Izzy, and was quite captivated by the descriptions of Mia's photography. Alas, the rest of the book seemed pretty unremarkable to me...and the main male characters were so thin that if they turned sideways they'd be invisible. Still, worth doing on audiobook if you've got a long walk ahead of you. (It's 11 1/2 hours long...and divided into 98 "chapters" (don't know why--there aren't that many chapters in the book).
114. Batman: Damned by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo ** I have to admit that I wasn't expecting much from this series. In fact, I didn't even read it until the LFPL had it up for free. But even my low expectations were too high for this bullshit. Just awful shit, really. Ugly, too. Save your money.
115. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs *** Not as good as Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, I'm sorry to say, but still pretty good. I was really put off by the abrupt, cliffhanger ending, though. In fact, it wasn't really even a cliffhanger so much as it was a Hey, Somebody Cut The Power Cord With An Ax -er. But I'm still going to be down for the third novel.
I finally finished reading The Grass Kings by Matt Kindt and Tyler Jenkins. "Finally" because I bought the last issue over a year ago and then never got past the first couple of issues until now. Part of the reason, I now realize, is because even though (1) I like Matt Kindt quite a bit and (2) I think Tyler Jenkins's art is superb, the basic premise of the story...that there is a space which exists independent of the rest of the surrounding world...to be just silly. It's the 21st century, man. That's not how the world works, you know? And that problem just got worse as the series progressed. So...if you like pretty pictures, buy this series and look at the pictures. But you'll probably enjoy it a lot more if you don't read the words. Sorry, Matt Kindt. ANYway, since Boom! Studios published this in three volumes, I want full credit for three books here. (It will help me to forget that I spent over $75 on this thing.)
So...
116. Grass Kings Vol. 1 by Matt Kindt andTyler Jenkins **
117. Grass Kings Vol. 2 by Matt Kindt andTyler Jenkins **
118. Grass Kings Vol. 3 by Matt Kindt andTyler Jenkins **
119. Songs For The Dead by Andrea Fort, Michael Christopher Heron and Sam Beck **** This is the first "chapter" of the story that continues in The Necromancer's Map, which is currently (1) one of my favorite comic books and (2) one of the very few comic books I still buy in physical print form. I have lots to say about it, but I'm thinking I might could do a blog post about it...do my part to spread the word, y'know?...so for now I'll just say that I really like this book a lot, think that you would, too. If you like a little realism in your fantasy stories, this is mos def one for you, kids.
120. Miscellaneous and Posthumous Works of Henry Thomas Buckle Volume III **** Ah. It wasn't Buckle's best, of course--hell, this stuff wasn't even intended for publication--but it was still Buckle, and Buckle is the best. The only regret I have is that for the rest of my life there is no more Buckle to look forward to reading for the first time. Though I might read History of Civilization in England again at some point...God willing and the crick don't rise.
121. The Moon Maid by Edgar Rice Burroughs (9/8/19 to 11/24/19) This will be the 50th ERB book that I have read out loud to Joe. It will be my second time through the book, but it's quite good enough to read twice or thrice. Joe enjoyed it, too. Enough to want to go on to The Moon Men tomorrow, at any rate!
122. The Institute by Stephen King *** A good, fast read. Actually made me want more king, so I picked up Gwendy's Button Box when I returned this one.
123. Gwendy's Button Box by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar ** And it was a quick (started it last night, finished it this morning) read, and there was a moment or two...but I wouldn't recommend bothering with this one. There just wasn't enough to it...and what was there was often improbable. Oh, well.
124. Trashed by John "Derf" Backderf **** I really enjoyed the memoir part the most, but have to admit that there was some absolutely startling factual stuff in here, too. Come to think of it, let's make that a ***** must read. Available on ComiXology Unlimited if you swing that way.
124. My Friend Dahmer by John "Derf" Backderf ***** Really disturbing stuff...but necessary, I'd say. Every teacher should read this. And probably teach it, too.
125. Mr. Wolf's Class by Aron Nels Steinke *** I'd read rave reviews of this, and it was "pretty good," but too thin for me. Of course, it's really aimed at younger kids, but I don't think that really covers it all. Not sorry I read it, but I've no interest in reading it again kind of thing.
126. Foundation and Chaos by Greg Bear ** This one almost made it to Worth Reading for me. Almost. Greg Bear's writing appealed to me much more than Gregory Benford's (writer of the first book in the second Foundation trilogy). The fact that he undid a major thing (you'll get no spoilers from me here) that Asimov did in Forward the Foundation was a big part of why it didn't make it to Worth Reading, though. And the fact that the plot was limited in two ways--it had to fit in with the rest of this trilogy, in which each book was written by a different author, suggests that it was created out of compromise and negotiation; and the fact that the whole shebang had to fit in with Asimov's prequels and the original trilogy and its aftermath novels--knocks it back a bit as well. Well...let's see what David Brin brings to the third novel.
127. The Last of the Mohicans (Great Illustrated Classics) by James Fenimore Cooper, adapted by Malvina Vogel. (August 26th to December 7, 2019.) This is the 17th book Joe read to me.
128. From a Buick 8 by Stephen King ** Well...this might be the end of my current Stephen King obsession (122, 123, 128). It wasn't bad...in fact, it was pretty interesting in some ways...but it wasn't compelling. And I've got some other 🐟 to fry...like the brand new copy of Baron Wenckheim's Homecoming that my #1son and #1daughterinlaw just gave me for Christmas. (Though I do still have The Bachman Books, The Tommyknockers, and Rose Madder sitting on my bedside table....)
129. Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs ** Meh. I might be through with this series, I'm sorry to say.
101. Henry VIII by William Shake-speare and John Fletcher *** Not the greatest, for sure. Pretty clearly an early work, when WS was still learning the ropes...and maybe needed somebody to lean on.
102. My Wife is Wagatsuma-san Vol. 2 by byKuraishi Yuuni and Seo Kouiji ***
103. My Wife is Wagatsuma-san Vol. 3 by byKuraishi Yuuni and Nishikida Keishi *** What can I say? It's not all that great, for sure, and I think it primarily exists so that the artist can do cheese-cakey shots, but I keep reading it, so obviously it serves some purpose for me.
104. The Two Noble Kinsmen by William Shake-speare and John Fletcher ***
105. The Beatles: The Authorised Biography by Hunter Davies **** Lots of good stuff to be found in this book. I especially liked the bits about John and Paul writing specific songs, how they bounced off of each other, all of that. My enjoyment was spoiled by the occasionally shitty attitude of Hunter Davies, however. Such a snide little fuck at times. I don't understand that at all. He would throw in stupid comments for no discernible reason at all, and it would just stop the narrative flow for me as I thought, "Well, that was unnecessary."
106. Miscellaneous and Posthumous Works of Henry Thomas Buckle Volume III It's Henry Thomas Buckle, so of course it's ***...but, alas, no more than that, as it is really Buckle's notes, not an actual finished piece of writing. A bit of a slog sometimes. And there were quite a few pages in other languages, especially French, which made for some puzzling "reading." One more volume and I'll have read all of the Henry Thomas Buckle that there is to read in the world. Sigh. I start on it tomorrow. And at ten pages per day, I should be finished just about in time for Thanksgiving. 🦃
107. King Edward III by William Shake-speare *** Not the greatest play, but some interesting stuff that pretty much convinced me that this really was written by Shake-speare...and which also has nudged me in the direction of some other Apocryphal plays. We'll see what happens there.
108. House of Secrets by Steven T. Seagle and Teddy H. Kristiansen **** I've been wanting to read this for a long time. And then one day it was there for free (with membership) on ComiXology. And a little while later...like maybe a week or two...I've put away 752 pages of story and art and wish that there were more. But not really, since this is a complete story, not an open-ended narrative of endlessly recycled ideas cobbled together with punches and kicks. In some ways this is a simple story about a teenage runaway. But that's really just the framework, as it explores various metaphysical issues. So, yeah. Not for everybody, for sure, but if you like comic books, it's a must read.
109. The Yggyssey: How Iggy Wondered What Happened to All the Ghosts, Found Out Where They Went, and Went There by Daniel Pinkwater (6/23/19 to 10/18/19) Not as good as The Neddiad, but still a fun read. Fun enough that we'll be reading the next book in the series--Adventures of a Cat-Whiskered Girl--in the near future.
110. Double Falsehood, or, The Distrest Lovers bu William Shake-speare. Or so say The Arden Shakespeare folks. Me? I don't know. At first I was thinking, "Not...at ALL." Then toward the end I started seeing some glimmers. So maybe. Sure was a vile play, though. The central dramatic act is a rape, and that is resolved when the woman marries her rapist. And I said no, no, no.
111. The Wild Storm (2017-) Vol. 1 by Warren Ellis and Jon Davis-Hunt *** I was kind of interested in this when I saw it on the stands, but didn't go for it. Now, thanks to Comixology Unlimited, I read the first six issues and ahmo read the next six for free. And if I really, really, REALLY like it, I might even put some money down for Volume 3...which is not included on Unlimited. As for Volume 1...it was interesting. Not captivating, but interesting. I am looking forward to reading some more, though, so that's a good sign, right?
112. The Wild Storm Vol. 2 by Warren Ellis and Jon Davis-Hunt *** This was good...and I'd be interested in reading Volume 3...but not $12 interested, so I'll be waiting to see if it, too, comes to Comixology Unlimited (unlikely) or to the LFPL (possible). Oh, wait a minute...LFPL DOES have it. On order even as we speak. Thank you, Louisville Free Public Library.
113. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng *** Read this on #1🌞's recommendation, and it was pooty good. I particularly liked the characterizations of Mia and Izzy, and was quite captivated by the descriptions of Mia's photography. Alas, the rest of the book seemed pretty unremarkable to me...and the main male characters were so thin that if they turned sideways they'd be invisible. Still, worth doing on audiobook if you've got a long walk ahead of you. (It's 11 1/2 hours long...and divided into 98 "chapters" (don't know why--there aren't that many chapters in the book).
114. Batman: Damned by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo ** I have to admit that I wasn't expecting much from this series. In fact, I didn't even read it until the LFPL had it up for free. But even my low expectations were too high for this bullshit. Just awful shit, really. Ugly, too. Save your money.
115. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs *** Not as good as Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, I'm sorry to say, but still pretty good. I was really put off by the abrupt, cliffhanger ending, though. In fact, it wasn't really even a cliffhanger so much as it was a Hey, Somebody Cut The Power Cord With An Ax -er. But I'm still going to be down for the third novel.
I finally finished reading The Grass Kings by Matt Kindt and Tyler Jenkins. "Finally" because I bought the last issue over a year ago and then never got past the first couple of issues until now. Part of the reason, I now realize, is because even though (1) I like Matt Kindt quite a bit and (2) I think Tyler Jenkins's art is superb, the basic premise of the story...that there is a space which exists independent of the rest of the surrounding world...to be just silly. It's the 21st century, man. That's not how the world works, you know? And that problem just got worse as the series progressed. So...if you like pretty pictures, buy this series and look at the pictures. But you'll probably enjoy it a lot more if you don't read the words. Sorry, Matt Kindt. ANYway, since Boom! Studios published this in three volumes, I want full credit for three books here. (It will help me to forget that I spent over $75 on this thing.)
So...
116. Grass Kings Vol. 1 by Matt Kindt andTyler Jenkins **
117. Grass Kings Vol. 2 by Matt Kindt andTyler Jenkins **
118. Grass Kings Vol. 3 by Matt Kindt andTyler Jenkins **
119. Songs For The Dead by Andrea Fort, Michael Christopher Heron and Sam Beck **** This is the first "chapter" of the story that continues in The Necromancer's Map, which is currently (1) one of my favorite comic books and (2) one of the very few comic books I still buy in physical print form. I have lots to say about it, but I'm thinking I might could do a blog post about it...do my part to spread the word, y'know?...so for now I'll just say that I really like this book a lot, think that you would, too. If you like a little realism in your fantasy stories, this is mos def one for you, kids.
120. Miscellaneous and Posthumous Works of Henry Thomas Buckle Volume III **** Ah. It wasn't Buckle's best, of course--hell, this stuff wasn't even intended for publication--but it was still Buckle, and Buckle is the best. The only regret I have is that for the rest of my life there is no more Buckle to look forward to reading for the first time. Though I might read History of Civilization in England again at some point...God willing and the crick don't rise.
121. The Moon Maid by Edgar Rice Burroughs (9/8/19 to 11/24/19) This will be the 50th ERB book that I have read out loud to Joe. It will be my second time through the book, but it's quite good enough to read twice or thrice. Joe enjoyed it, too. Enough to want to go on to The Moon Men tomorrow, at any rate!
122. The Institute by Stephen King *** A good, fast read. Actually made me want more king, so I picked up Gwendy's Button Box when I returned this one.
123. Gwendy's Button Box by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar ** And it was a quick (started it last night, finished it this morning) read, and there was a moment or two...but I wouldn't recommend bothering with this one. There just wasn't enough to it...and what was there was often improbable. Oh, well.
124. Trashed by John "Derf" Backderf **** I really enjoyed the memoir part the most, but have to admit that there was some absolutely startling factual stuff in here, too. Come to think of it, let's make that a ***** must read. Available on ComiXology Unlimited if you swing that way.
124. My Friend Dahmer by John "Derf" Backderf ***** Really disturbing stuff...but necessary, I'd say. Every teacher should read this. And probably teach it, too.
125. Mr. Wolf's Class by Aron Nels Steinke *** I'd read rave reviews of this, and it was "pretty good," but too thin for me. Of course, it's really aimed at younger kids, but I don't think that really covers it all. Not sorry I read it, but I've no interest in reading it again kind of thing.
126. Foundation and Chaos by Greg Bear ** This one almost made it to Worth Reading for me. Almost. Greg Bear's writing appealed to me much more than Gregory Benford's (writer of the first book in the second Foundation trilogy). The fact that he undid a major thing (you'll get no spoilers from me here) that Asimov did in Forward the Foundation was a big part of why it didn't make it to Worth Reading, though. And the fact that the plot was limited in two ways--it had to fit in with the rest of this trilogy, in which each book was written by a different author, suggests that it was created out of compromise and negotiation; and the fact that the whole shebang had to fit in with Asimov's prequels and the original trilogy and its aftermath novels--knocks it back a bit as well. Well...let's see what David Brin brings to the third novel.
127. The Last of the Mohicans (Great Illustrated Classics) by James Fenimore Cooper, adapted by Malvina Vogel. (August 26th to December 7, 2019.) This is the 17th book Joe read to me.
128. From a Buick 8 by Stephen King ** Well...this might be the end of my current Stephen King obsession (122, 123, 128). It wasn't bad...in fact, it was pretty interesting in some ways...but it wasn't compelling. And I've got some other 🐟 to fry...like the brand new copy of Baron Wenckheim's Homecoming that my #1son and #1daughterinlaw just gave me for Christmas. (Though I do still have The Bachman Books, The Tommyknockers, and Rose Madder sitting on my bedside table....)
129. Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs ** Meh. I might be through with this series, I'm sorry to say.
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