1110. Telegraph Avenue

Right off the bat, I want to apologize to the Author, Michael Chabon and to the publisher of this novel, Harper Collins. You see, I borrowed this book, based on reviews, and the reviews were awesome...(jeez, who uses awesome in a book review?) So off I went to my Public Library, and put my name on the waiting list. And after a long wait, the notification came that the book was ready for me to pick-up and read. So I did.

I sat down, and I loved the prose. The language was beautiful. But before I get into any of that, let me just say, this book, is really my first Michael Chabon book... Yes, I know a huge oversight. But believe it or not, I actually own ALL of his other works, I just have not had an opportunity to read them yet. And why not? Well, all of his works have been at one stage or another recommended to me, so I have scooped them up with the intent to read, but this was more immediate, because it was a Library Book, and I was on a schedule, and I needed to be done with it within a certain time frame.

So maybe, that's the reason I did not like it and no other reason at all... I abandoned the book on page 64... I just could not get into these characters. The build-up of their story and their struggles, and the closing of the record shop on Telegraph Avenue just did not pique my curiosity enough to continue reading in the time allotted. Did I give the book a fair shake? I don't know. Did I give the author a fair shake? I don't know. I do plan to read the other Michael Chabon novels that I own, and I plan to finish those... whenever I get to them. But as for this book, I don't know whether I'll have the time to go back to it, regardless of the build-up the book had as the "Great American Novel".

Since I did not finish it, I am not giving it any rating.


PS.  Harper Collins: You're more than welcome to send me a copy of this book in Paperback and I'll give it another try, this time, I won't be constrained by time.

1106. Gone Girl

Sometimes what we think of as a successful marriage is not, and sometimes when we think people are putting on appearances, they're doing just that. They are putting on a show to hide how they really feel inside. The voice inside might be crying, might be yelling obscenities or bloody murder towards a loved one or the whole world, but sometimes a calm person walks on by you, bathed in the thin veneer of nothingness. Is this person shallow? Or have we just crossed paths with a sociopath or worse, a psychopath? We have many examples in real life of seemingly normal people "snapping" and hurting those next to them, whether coworkers, fellow students or random people. But what makes people sociopaths? Art, and fiction in its many forms have tried over the years to explore this issue. Alfred Hitchcock was really successful in exploring it in some of his films, such as Psycho. Over the years, many writers have written some great and some not so great novels to investigate the issue, and explore it along with us. Into this space, comes Gillian Flynn, a former Entertainment Weekly reporter, writing her third published novel.

Considering that this is Gillian Flynn's third novel, and that both of her previous novels were successful commercially and with critics, there was little possibility this would be a flop, or a bad novel. The reality is that this novel has been on the best seller list for over 18 weeks, a remarkable achievement which suggests that people really like the book. But more importantly, it suggests that the book is successful in navigating the subjects it tries to explore.

The story begins simply enough when housewife Amy Dunne disappears in the middle of a warm summer morning (I believe it's the 4th of July weekend). It's also Nick and Amy Dunne's Anniversary. {ed: Why do so many people get married around the 4th of July?}  Nick returns home to find that Amy has disappeared and finds clues of a struggle. This is when he calls the police. Soon, two detectives arrive on the scene and the circus begins. Because you know or have seen or heard of cases like this on TV. After Amy's parents arrive, and the cops close in, secrets are revealed, and the tension builds as we, along with Nick, and everyone else, are marched forward to a dramatic precipice. The 24/7 climate of today's news and Internet culture takes cases like this and spins it out of control. There are TV pundits out there who would advocate for the missing wife, missing girl or boy, missing teenager, and have their picture on TV all the time, every night with guests who completely agree with her, prosecuting a case before an arrest is even made. This is an important factor in real life and Gillian Flynn incorporates it deftly into her book. Personally, I found it a bit distracting, but it does add to the characters' tension a bit, and in a way it provides a conduit of expression. Both Nick and Amy express themselves through how others perceive, so this is an important aspect of their personality.

I cannot give up any more of the plot and its twists and turns. It is very tense, and engaging. Is this a literary novel? Of course it's not. If you wanted a literary novel, you'd be reading "Crime and Punishment". I also would not recommend this book for anyone under age 21. Although it not a grisly novel, with blood and guts, and only mostly has a lot of language, it is very psychologically intense with a very mature subject. A well explored subject, but one that if someone who has not experienced certain aspects of life or is not familiar with them, would not be able to grasp what the book is saying. You can't ask a 16 year old girl to understand the give and take of marriage. Maybe she knows what goes on in a relationship at her age, but what makes a real, live, marriage work? The good and the bad? No. I am not saying a non-married person, a single person would not get this novel... Of course they would. But it gets some seasoning in life to really get it. A teenager would be completely lost in this book in my opinion.

And what about the sociopath, the psychopath? Who is the greatest among us? Is it the one who chooses to stay in an Epic Failure of a Marriage, an Epic Disaster of a Life, or the one that endures it all? Is this person a Hero instead? Does the book answer that question to your satisfaction? To me, it gives a voice to few things and makes me ponder some others in my own life. In other words, what else do you want from a great piece of fiction?

And easy 4.5 out 5 stars.

1101. A Gentleman's Game: A Queen and Country Novel

I have never previously read any books by Greg Rucka, a rather prolific writer who is well known for his Comics/Graphic Novel writing. He also has a recent novel out that has received some pretty good reviews, and on that alone, I put it on my "Want to Read" List, but have not purchased it. The characters in this novel are based on some Comics he wrote for Oni Press back a few years ago. Once again, I have to say that I have no knowledge of these Comic Books (more appropriately "Illustrated Books", because "comic" is such a childish term, but that's a discussion for another time....)

The book is the story of an espionage agent of the British Secret Intelligent Services (SIS) by the name of Tara Chase. She holds the position of Minder One, sort of a 001 (yes, even better than 007). She's not only a spy, she's also an infiltrator, an assassin, a lover when she needs to be and more. Tara does not play by any rules, but her own -- yes, I know, that's from the cover blurb, but it is apropos. In this book, we're living in a post-9/11 world, and the London subway is attacked... I wonder when Greg Rucka wrote the book and published it in October of 2004, if the London authorities were paying attention to the vulnerabilities of their subway system. Within 10 months, the system was actually hit for real.

At any rate, the SIS is called upon by the HMG (Her Majesty's Government) to respond to the attacks by the radical Islamist faction that is responsible for carrying them out. That's when the real high stakes game begins. There is a lot of political back and forth, because of the players involved, but some back-stabbing takes place as well. Will the British Government do what's necessary in the end? How about the Americans? Where do they stand in this? In an interesting twist, the terrorists are not painted in simple tones and wide brushstrokes, but are actually fleshed-out a bit. There are even a couple of Israeli Operatives with roles to play.

Yes, there are things not to like about this book, but overall, this is a pretty good adventure/thriller/spy novel. Tara Chase is a convincing character, and you believe in her capabilities. In the end, this was a highly enjoyable read and I recommend it without hesitation. 4 stars out of 5.

1098. Under The Dome

There is a very simple term to describe a book like this: A "tour de force". 

What would be the  best way to describe a book, which in some ways is similar to the Author's, The Stand? A long book, a very long cast of characters (the cast includes all the residents of a small town in Maine, 2,000+ plus a couple of "dogs of note"), a decent plot, but most importantly the relationships that are put in strain when all these people are put (or forced to live) for a few days "Under the Dome."  At the outset, it's also important to discuss a couple of really large "elephants in the room", related to this book. The first of these is the length, or size of this book. Now, I personally, have no problem with books exceeding 1,000 pages, but it must be said, a lot of readers are rather not interested in tackling such beasts. Would it interest you to know that I finished the last 250 pages of this book in one afternoon's sitting? That's like reading one novel in one day!

The second unmentioned thing of course it that this is a Stephen King book, so therefore, it must be scary, or gory, attributes that accompany most, if not all of his stories. It's hard for me to answer this one objectively, because of my personal experience with this author, and because of my personal belief that every author (especially a good author) is an evolving creature, that is, he or she is not born a GREAT writer, but even if he is a Great writer, can change over time, can alter his craft, can transform his craft to match the times, the era his writing addresses or to reflect the changes in his own personality. That's not to say that many great writers have not written garbage in their later years, or that many others have not produced brilliance for years on end. But to expect the same from an author every time something of his gets published is a big mistake. I enjoy this variability, and this is why I found some comments when this book came out baffling: "I won't read this book, because like all Stephen King books, it's going to be scary." That makes no sense. And so what if it's gory? Weren't some of Stephen's most gory novels, also the most psychologically taught? And that's assuming that I liked (or you, the reader liked) all of his other books. (For the record, I didn't -- but that's a different subject.)  With all of that said, let's move to the story.

The story begins, innocently enough when Dale Barbara, a short order cook, formerly a lieutenant in the US Army is trying to leave "Chester's Mill", Maine. While this a fictional town, populated by fictional characters, as always, the things that happen to them have some roots in reality. Dale, or "Barbie" as his friends call him, is someone who served in Iraq and was a vital cog in the war effort there. But he has some difficult memories from his time while enlisted, and it is those memories that have made him a drifter. In this book, Barbie becomes the town's scapegoat, but at the same time maybe it's hero and savior? He starts of as a hunted man because of a fight outside the diner where he worked. This because he supposedly "raped" one of the waitresses, the ex-girlfriend of someone fairly important to the town, as we will find out.

Juxtaposed with Dale is the town's main Villain, James "Big Jim" Rennie, or is he the hero and savior of the town. Big Jim, is the town's Second Selectman, and is therefore elected to public office by the people of Chester's Mills. He is also a Used Car Salesman. As the Second selectman, he should not be that powerful, but he really is the power behind everything in Chester's Mills. From the banks, to the pharmacies, to the Funeral Home, to the Hospital, to the Christian Radio Station with the most powerful transmitter in the whole of New England. And it is at this Radio Station that one of this town's big secrets lies. Because you see, "Big Jim" is involved in some shady business dealings, and he uses patsies, that is, he uses others to cover his tracks.

On October 21, the day that is to be forever called "Dome Day", a powerful "force field" of some kind descents around the town practically following the exact outlines of the town limits. It's almost like taking a glass cup and trapping a fly or other bug under it on a flat surface. Only those trapped here are human beings. The top of the Dome extends high into the Atmosphere so that birds, insects and of course airplanes can not get in or out. As you imagine, there are plenty of "casualties" when "the Dome" first blinks into existence, whether human, or animal, and these, the author takes some time describing, including their implications. This exposition is classic Stephen King, but overall, considering what I said at the beginning is not that gory. And it really helps build the tension and draw you into the story.

Immediately following the appearance of "the Dome" comes the realization of its existence and what that implies. This again takes some time to work through, and involves some more mayhem, especially since people don't know how the "Dome" limits them (physically, but also socially). The town's Police Chief dies at this time when it's discovered that electronic devices (such as heart pacemakers) do not fare very well near the "Dome". This leaves Barbie with one less "ally" in town, since he is now trapped in Chester's Mill for the foreseeable future. One of the people who beat him, was Big Jim's son, Junior Rennie, and as the town convulses in the aftershocks of "Dome Day" it becomes apparent that Barbie has become public enemy number one.

What follows, apart from a great cast of characters, a great whodunit, because we're really interested in knowing the origin of "The Dome", and a simple power struggle between two people for the control of a town, is a great commentary on the last 10 to 12 years of American politics and sociology. Both the things that unite us and the things that divide us. There are references to the current President, references to the Iraq War, and references to the "Culture War".  Yet, none of that is as important as what shines through and what becomes the book's ultimate message. Man's struggle to overcome his circumstances, however overpowering those might be at any one time, and survive, despite what the odds might be. In the scheme of things, heroes, and goats, fight for what they believe is theirs, fight for theirs' and their family's stake and survival and achieve their 15 minutes of fame. They do so, because the whole world gathers outside the "Dome" to witness the events evolving in this little town in Maine.

I would like to place this book among some of the "great" books I have read in the past. It's strength does not lie in a great, "over-arching" idea, or a great, world-changing character. The strength of this novel lies in the myriads of day to day interactions of the thousands of residents of Chester's Mills, Maine, leaving us all to wonder how would you handle "The Apocalypse?"

For me, an easy 5-star review: 

1097. End of Days

It's hard to categorize this book by author Robert Gleason, a self-styled expert on all things apocalyptic, or things related to the end of the world, and the myth of "2012 as the end of the world." In simple terms, you can say that it is a Science-Fiction novel and it belongs in that sub-genre called Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic Fiction. I have read a number of Dystopian novels in my time (especially lately), and this one does not crack my top 10, top 100, or top 1,000 (if I had read that many dystopian novels). It's execution leaves a lot to be desired. But let's take things from the top, shall we?

First of all, I was taken-in by the title of the book and the premise of the story. Additionaly, when I flipped to the back of the book jacket, I was hoodwinked (if I can be allowed to use that colloquialism) by such luminaries as Douglas Preston, an author I like, Stephen Coonts, ditto, and Steve Berry. There is more praise by Larry Bond and others. Honestly, having read these praises, I am not sure, if these folks actually read the same book I did, or were paid to say these things, because I seriously wonder about these opinions. But it's not for me to question another man's opinion. What I can do is tell you what I thought of this book.

The book started innocently enough by introducing Kate Magruder, a newsperson (anchorwoman?) of a major cable news outfit. The Cable News Outfit (not CNN, but MTN) is owned by her mother Lydia Lozen Magruder who is the great-granddaughter of a female Apache war-shaman. Lydia owns a multimedia empire (kinda sorta, a latter day Rupert Murdoch), and a bunch of other businesses, so she in effect entangled with the US Government who she supplies weapons to, and of course knows all the power players, all the way to the President. Her daughter Kate happens to be in Saudi Arabia covering the Hadj (the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca). While in Mecca, Kate sees her ex-husband, John Stone another journalist and employee of MTN who works directly for Lydia as he disappears into the crowd around Mecca.

This is important, because before John Stone disappears he informs Lydia via e-mail of some nefarious plans by a Russian general (who's name is Vladimir Malokov), obsessed with nuclear Armageddon. It becomes clear that even the Russian establishment does not know of his whereabouts. There also two Middle Eastern princesses who are the ones that have captured John Stone and have infiltrated the US Government at its highest levels. Meanwhile, there are forces moving unseen by everyone in the background, poised to strike. We are made aware, from the beginning of Russian Subs, maneuvering in the Atlantic full of nuclear weapons, being hunted by their own forces.

Now, all this seems like a fine story and it would be a pretty good story, on the face of it, BUT, (there is always the proverbial BUT, isn't there). Kate is an impudent child, who does not listen to her mother when she repeatedly asks her to come home, because she feels the "End" coming. Lydia of course keeps having those apocalyptic visions , and I would have appreciated that aspect of the book if it wasn't for so much else that went wrong... We're introduced to John Stone's ex-teammates (Baseball). One is in the Air Force, and is heading to an orbiting Space Station where an A.I. is in control. The other one is being transferred to a jail outside of Houston. Both of them end-up playing a prominent role in events. But so do, a rat (yes, a rat), the AI, someone named Cassandra who is some sort of seeress or prophetess, and the various weapons traveling this way and that.

So let's summarize, we have: intelligent humans, Artificial Intelligence (computers), and then, intelligent Rats, a Seeress, Intelligent Weapons, and in the end, a book that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Because I still don't understand the motivations of the people in the jail in Houston. What part do they serve in all of this? What drives Kate Magruder. Other than disobeying her mother, I see no motivation in her, She is a completely useless Human Being, and if the survival of the Human Race depended on her, we're doomed. But even more important that this, what motivates the people who initiate Armageddon? Do they do it for religious reasons, something else? Religion is mentioned, but I guess, only in passing. The people firing those weapons from their submarines end-up being just caricatures of humans. Their weapons, flying "in-glee" over the Earth, are more intelligent than them. All-in-all, a disappointing read, and a waste of my money. I would instead recommend the following:

1. One Second After by William Forstchen
2. Without Warning by John Birmingham

These are just two of the Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic books that I have read, that handle the subject matter much, much better than this book. As for this book, it is with a sad heart that I can only give it a one star out of five:

When the credits roll on a TV show...

It used to be that the length of an hour long TV Drama was around 50 minutes (or even 53 minutes for some episodes of The Original Star Trek Series). Sitcoms could last for as long as 25 to 30 minutes.

In today's modern, advertising friendly world, this is completely unacceptable. As advertising space has increased, actual running time, actual story space (the essence of what happens in the drama) has gone down to as little as 42 minutes for an hour-long show and 18 to 19 minutes for a sitcom that is supposed to be 30 minutes long.

A similar trend has been observed on Documentaries or even Faux-Documentaries as seen on The History Channel. Case in point the show "Ancient Aliens".

The problem, however, is not so much the reduction in content, which conceivably could cause a decrease in quality, but rather what happens when the credits roll in the end...

Too many shows─as of late─have been using the end (closing) credits to actually conclude the show. By that, I mean, they finish telling the story that has been running throughout the episode during the closing credits. I find this astounding and distracting as well as in bad form. The biggest culprit of this is the ABC show: Suburgatory.

 However, other networks do this quite a lot. I mentioned the History Channel previously. They do this on almost all of their shows, including Ancient Aliens.

Why are TV Networks doing this?

The only thing I have figured out is that it's a tool they use against the users of DVR recording like myself. They actually want people to watch their shows LIVE. What a concept! Watch a TV show LIVE? That is so outdated and outmoded! With DVR technology and time-shifting and the power to watch what I want, when I want, YOU, the TV Networks will never have that power over me. If you continue to insist and play these game with the closing credits, one of two things are going to happen:

1. I, and many viewers like me, will give up on your stupid show.
2. Or, we will continue to time shift, ignoring your pathetic attempts to block us.

Please understand, the technology is here, the tool is powerful, and it give us control over our lives. And control is all about making our lives better. So no, we will not give in to you. So, give up this obsession of running your show during the closing credits. IT'S ANNOYING! Thanks.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN Contributor has a best seller

Why doesn't that surprise me? Of course he does! His name is Dr. Sanjay Gupta! Oh look, he wrote a novel! And oh look, we constantly advertise it and promote it on our crawl at the bottom of all our stations, there fore it becomes a best-seller:

Monday Mornings

Of course one has to answer the question: If he was not a CNN contributor / reporter, would his book be promoted as much? Probably not. And if it was not promoted as much, would people buy it to make it a best-seller? Probably not!

Dr. Gupta's New Novel

I am not going to make any qualitative statements about this book, and neither am I going to read it or review it, unless CNN and/or Dr. Sanjay Gupta sends me a FREE copy. why the heck should I read it? What makes it such a great read after all? Because some TV personality wrote it? How about  the two novels I've written? How would they become best-sellers? See how that works?

Precisely...No one, at least in the real world, cares.

The CBS Evening News

The only news I watch IS the CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley. Why? Because I like my news REAL without fluff, without fake opinion, full of  REAL Journalism. And as Journalists go, Scott Pelley is one of the best, an Old School Journalist out of that Old School where every real journalist who wants to use the title "Journalist" should be from.

So, suffice it to say, I was completely excited to find how the "CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley" has grown year to year and is the only evening newscast making ratings gains. CBS deserves this success and Scott does too. This does not mean that I know Scott, but being somebody who watches this newscast nightly, and have watched Scott Pelley for years on "60 Minutes", I can tell you that he is one of the hardest working journalists. And he's someone that I trust to give me the news and the truth -- just like in the old days, when we trusted Walter Cronkite and people like him.

Evening news has evolved a lot in the past 30 years. It has had its low points (Connie Chung and Dan Rather together) and its high points (Peter Jennings post 9/11). Now, 'evening news' has a new champion, and his name is Scott Pelley, on CBS.

The Incredible Slowness of Posting

At this point in time, I find myself approximately two years behind in posting my book reviews online! That's over 75 books that I have read and have not "officially" reviewed.  I have started a blog post about each individual book, but I never completed that post. For various reasons, I have fallen behind.

How could I have let this happen?

Well, it's time for a massive review dump. Let's kick it! Let's do these reviews, and let's make me famous... or maybe not! Either way, I need to have some fun.

1093. The Sanctuary

Raymond Khoury was born in Beirut and studied Architecture. These things alone endear him to my heart, because he not only came from a difficult part of the world, but he also studied one of the sacred sciences with the intent to go back and rebuilt the once great city of Beirut. That may not have worked out as he planned, but at least he did design and built a number of novels, including this one. And for a bonus, he gets to use his knowledge of Beirut as a main character in this story line. This is the first novel of Khoury's that I have read, and whether it is a good starting point or not for this author, I do not know, because I am given to understand that "The Last Templar" was a much better story. But I have not read that book, nor am I reviewing it here. I can only judge Mr. Khoury based on this work.

By telling you some of the plot points of this book, I don't think I would be giving away the store so bear with me.  I, personally, have always enjoyed, stories involving immortality, including "The Eight" and a book from my past, "The Boat of A Million Years". The other thing that hints at this is the symbol on the cover, the Ouroboros, the serpent eating its own tail. The Ouroboros means a lot of different things, and has had many uses in the past, but one of them does bring us back to the quest for immortality. A hint of this is whispered at the beginning of the book when during the inquisition, a priest is entrusted with a secret from a man who falls prey to the inquisitors. This priest goes on a search across the continents and across the centuries for the missing pages of a book. But so do his pursuers who have realized what he has in his possession.

Meanwhile, in the 21st Century, Archaeology Professor Evelyn Bishop is kidnapped shortly after an Iraqi man contacts her about selling her some manuscripts. Her interest in this is simply as an archaeologist. It is right after the invasion and fall of Baghdad, and the Iraqi Museum of Antiquities has been raided. Many pieces are hitting the black marker and Evelyn is trying to ensure that these pieces somehow get returned to their rightful home. Evelyn's daughter is in town (Beirut), visiting to spend some time with a mother who wasn't all that involved in her upbringing. Mia was the result of a dalliance Evelyn had while at an Iraqi dig, back in the 1970s, back before Saddam, back before the Middle East and Beirut turned really dangerous.

Evelyn gets kidnapped, and Mia somehow is in the middle of it. There is a helpful CIA officer stationed in Beirut and there are the folks working for a shadowy doctor who is trying to get whatever that Iraqi man was going to deliver to Evelyn. It all becomes mystical, and mysterious with clues and puzzles to solve, as the past continues to enlighten us as to who the players are. Especially after the appearance of one of the mystery outsiders who is making a play for the manuscript and with whom Mia eventually hooks-up. Could he be working with the Shadowy doctor?

In many ways this is standard Thriller fare, but in many other ways there is an excitement underneath as the cloth is slowly pulled away to reveal more of the canvas. How are all of these characters connected? Is there something in this manuscript of very high importance? In some ways, I wish that the pacing of this story was a little tighter, and I also wish that a clearer focus was maintained on the singular objective of the 21st century characters. Because, especially after a while, the interludes into the past looked like random tangents going no-where. Once you established the main, critical, over-arching conflict of the book, it is not necessary to beat us with it time and time again. Maybe one brief interlude to either show us how the chase continued down into time, and then update us into the present. After a while, the past interludes got REALLY boring. But, you always come back into the present to see how the main characters were fairing.

In the end, a decent book that read like a quick adventure movie. I would recommend it without hesitation, and of course, I now have to read more Raymond Khoury. Three stars.