'A Bunch of LIES About My Personal Life And a Bunch of TRUE STORIES About My 30-Year Career in STAND-UP COMEDY'
Finished Sa 5/14/16 (The day I activated my first smartphone, GALAXY PRIME CORE (Tracfone))
I first heard of this comic on the GETTING DOUG WITH HIGH video podcast. When he gets stoned, he 'gets a bit chatty', but always hilarious. In reading about his life I found that he came out on Marc Maron's, WTF. He was 47 years old. I listened to the entire podcast on Youtube and knew I had to read his book. After finishing the book, I glad that I read it.
He's very insightful about everything in his life and his overall outlook is very level headed.
Suffers from OCD, ADD, and dyslexia. He was not able to finish high school, but started in the comedy business at sixteen (Philadelphia).
He opened from many music performers early in his career, and never acted as if this was a bad gig. Patti LaBelle gave him one of his first big breaks. I thought that most comics HATE opening for bands because the audience it there to hear the music, not to listen to comedy.
Monday, May 16, 2016
GENTKILL by Paul Lindsay
Finished We 5/11/16
One of my oversized paperback books that I finished the first time on Sa 1/3/98. According to the note, I saw ARMISTAD that day.
The novel was written by a man who spent twenty years in the FBI, and it sure feels realistic, although I doubt if such an irreverent character would be allowed in the agency. I would definitely read another novel starring the character, Mike Devlin.
Grabbed from Amazon books-
Former FBI agent Lindsay (Witness to the Truth) has a vision of his protagonists?in this case the agents of the Detroit office?that makes them a blend of hard-bitten professionals and fraternity cutups. It may be authentic, but it gives his thriller an odd tone, as if neither the thrills nor the bitter, prankish humor are to be taken quite seriously. Agent Mike Devlin, his hero, is always balking at unfair authority. Here, he's out to do two things: first, collar two criminals?a serial killer who specializes in knocking off agents and an extortionist who is planting bombs at a medical center; second, nail his pompous, sleazy boss. The plotting, though swift, is a little too elaborate, with the two story lines never quite meshing as the author seems to intend. But there are plenty of thrills along the way, and a dizzy ransom denouement that is certainly a first in fiction. The book is basically the fictional equivalent of a tough Bruce Willis movie, with the pleasures and limitations of such an approach.
Another 'beach read'; fast-paced police procedural.
One of my oversized paperback books that I finished the first time on Sa 1/3/98. According to the note, I saw ARMISTAD that day.
The novel was written by a man who spent twenty years in the FBI, and it sure feels realistic, although I doubt if such an irreverent character would be allowed in the agency. I would definitely read another novel starring the character, Mike Devlin.
Grabbed from Amazon books-
Former FBI agent Lindsay (Witness to the Truth) has a vision of his protagonists?in this case the agents of the Detroit office?that makes them a blend of hard-bitten professionals and fraternity cutups. It may be authentic, but it gives his thriller an odd tone, as if neither the thrills nor the bitter, prankish humor are to be taken quite seriously. Agent Mike Devlin, his hero, is always balking at unfair authority. Here, he's out to do two things: first, collar two criminals?a serial killer who specializes in knocking off agents and an extortionist who is planting bombs at a medical center; second, nail his pompous, sleazy boss. The plotting, though swift, is a little too elaborate, with the two story lines never quite meshing as the author seems to intend. But there are plenty of thrills along the way, and a dizzy ransom denouement that is certainly a first in fiction. The book is basically the fictional equivalent of a tough Bruce Willis movie, with the pleasures and limitations of such an approach.
Another 'beach read'; fast-paced police procedural.
Sunday, May 15, 2016
CHOICE OF EVIL by Andrew Vachss
Finished Fr 5/6/16 After Dr. Ellison's referral for the second hernia operation
One of my trade paperback books
The author's last name rhymes with 'tax' or 'ax'.
He has written many books on the rights of children and also had a career in law enforcement.
Author's page in wikipedia-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Vachss
Blurb from Amazon about the book-
When his girlfriend, Crystal Beth, is gunned down at a gay rights rally in Central Park, Burke, the underground man-for-hire and expert hunter of predators, vows vengeance. But someone beats him to the task: a shadowy killer who calls himself Homo Erectus and who seems determined to wipe gay bashers from the face of the earth. As the killer's body count rises, most citizens are horrified, but a few see him as a hero, and they hire Burke to track him down...and help him escape.
In Choice of Evil, Burke is forced to confront his most harrowing mystery: the mind of an obsessive serial killer. And soon the emotionally void method behind the killer's madness becomes terrifyingly familiar, reminding Burke of his childhood partner, Wesley, the ice-man assassin who never missed, even when the target was himself. Has Wesley come back from the dead? The whisper-stream says so. And the truth may just challenge Burke's very sense of reality. Expertly plotted, addictive, enthralling, Choice of Evil is Andrew Vachss' most haunting tale to date. This novel is from 1999 and part of a series of the character, Burke.
THE BURKE SERIES by Andrew Vachss
Flood (1985)
Strega (1987)
Blue Belle (1988)
Hard Candy (1989)
Blossom (1990)
Sacrifice (1991)
Down in the Zero (1994)
Footsteps of the Hawk (1995)
False Allegations (1996)
Safe House (1998)
Choice of Evil (1999)
Dead and Gone (2000)
Pain Management (2001)
Only Child (2002)
Down Here (2004)
Mask Market (2006)
Terminal (2007)
Another Life (2008)
An easy and compelling read. I have read many of his novels and they are all worth a look.
One of my trade paperback books
The author's last name rhymes with 'tax' or 'ax'.
He has written many books on the rights of children and also had a career in law enforcement.
Author's page in wikipedia-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Vachss
Blurb from Amazon about the book-
When his girlfriend, Crystal Beth, is gunned down at a gay rights rally in Central Park, Burke, the underground man-for-hire and expert hunter of predators, vows vengeance. But someone beats him to the task: a shadowy killer who calls himself Homo Erectus and who seems determined to wipe gay bashers from the face of the earth. As the killer's body count rises, most citizens are horrified, but a few see him as a hero, and they hire Burke to track him down...and help him escape.
In Choice of Evil, Burke is forced to confront his most harrowing mystery: the mind of an obsessive serial killer. And soon the emotionally void method behind the killer's madness becomes terrifyingly familiar, reminding Burke of his childhood partner, Wesley, the ice-man assassin who never missed, even when the target was himself. Has Wesley come back from the dead? The whisper-stream says so. And the truth may just challenge Burke's very sense of reality. Expertly plotted, addictive, enthralling, Choice of Evil is Andrew Vachss' most haunting tale to date. This novel is from 1999 and part of a series of the character, Burke.
THE BURKE SERIES by Andrew Vachss
Flood (1985)
Strega (1987)
Blue Belle (1988)
Hard Candy (1989)
Blossom (1990)
Sacrifice (1991)
Down in the Zero (1994)
Footsteps of the Hawk (1995)
False Allegations (1996)
Safe House (1998)
Choice of Evil (1999)
Dead and Gone (2000)
Pain Management (2001)
Only Child (2002)
Down Here (2004)
Mask Market (2006)
Terminal (2007)
Another Life (2008)
An easy and compelling read. I have read many of his novels and they are all worth a look.
THE KLANSMAN by William Bradford Huie
Finished Mo 5/2/16
One of my hardback books that I got many years ago at the library book sale
Terrific expose of the Race Issue- written in 1967.
I was struck by the 'sexual frenzy' of the State's Rights position. Black men sleeping with White Women seemed to be the underlying fear of those in power.
Atoka County, Alabama. The area had been used for cotton growing, but for the last couple of generations it was a tree farming area (pine). The man that owns the largest tree farming operation is the 'power behind the throne'.
Sheriff Bascomb- Highly decorated war hero. Trying to do his job, but quite clearly run by the local power structure. His son Allen is not warped by the extreme prejudice of the area.
Breck Stancill- Also a highly decorated war hero (lost a leg in the war). A rich white progressive who takes issue with the racist philosophy. His family plantation stood for a kind of racial equality for generations.
Black Agitators are believed to be descending from the North and stirring up trouble. "Our blacks are happy and content".
Loretta Sykes is a black woman who was tutored by Breck Stancill. She was able to migrate to Chicago and has gotten a job at Montgomery Wards. She's on track for a middle class life and she has returned to Alabama to tend to her dying mother.
The Town Fathers, with the help of Sheriff Bascomb's police department kidnap Loretta and rape her in the local jail. They have a local black mentally challenged man to preform the rape, and then they blame this crime on Negro organizers.
Bascomb's son and Breck Stancill are killed in the final showdown.
I loved the book
Author's page at wikipedia-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bradford_Huie
One of my hardback books that I got many years ago at the library book sale
Terrific expose of the Race Issue- written in 1967.
I was struck by the 'sexual frenzy' of the State's Rights position. Black men sleeping with White Women seemed to be the underlying fear of those in power.
Atoka County, Alabama. The area had been used for cotton growing, but for the last couple of generations it was a tree farming area (pine). The man that owns the largest tree farming operation is the 'power behind the throne'.
Sheriff Bascomb- Highly decorated war hero. Trying to do his job, but quite clearly run by the local power structure. His son Allen is not warped by the extreme prejudice of the area.
Breck Stancill- Also a highly decorated war hero (lost a leg in the war). A rich white progressive who takes issue with the racist philosophy. His family plantation stood for a kind of racial equality for generations.
Black Agitators are believed to be descending from the North and stirring up trouble. "Our blacks are happy and content".
Loretta Sykes is a black woman who was tutored by Breck Stancill. She was able to migrate to Chicago and has gotten a job at Montgomery Wards. She's on track for a middle class life and she has returned to Alabama to tend to her dying mother.
The Town Fathers, with the help of Sheriff Bascomb's police department kidnap Loretta and rape her in the local jail. They have a local black mentally challenged man to preform the rape, and then they blame this crime on Negro organizers.
Bascomb's son and Breck Stancill are killed in the final showdown.
I loved the book
Author's page at wikipedia-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bradford_Huie
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
RUN RIGHT NOW- What A Half-Century On The Run Has Taught by Joe Henderson
This was the 'bathroom book' for early Spring 2016 and finished Su 5/1/16
Chock full of the usual tips and hints, but for this guy, a seven minute mile is SLOW.
Enough said.....
Joe Henderson's page at wikipedia-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Henderson_(runner)
Chock full of the usual tips and hints, but for this guy, a seven minute mile is SLOW.
Enough said.....
Joe Henderson's page at wikipedia-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Henderson_(runner)
Monday, May 2, 2016
CANDYLAND by Evan Hunter and Ed McBain
Finished Tu 4/26/16
This was one of my books that has sat on the shelves for many years, and never read. I bought it at the library book sale on Sa 6/10/06.
This is one of the best books that I've read in a very long time. I really loved it! However, I really didn't understand that 'trick' until I consulted Wikipedia. I knew that Evan Hunter was a penname, but I didn't know who he was. I was mildly shocked when I 're-learned' that Evan Hunter was the less successful name for Salvatore Albert Lombino. He was more widely known as Ed McBain, author of the wildly popular 87th Precinct novels.
Evan writes the first half of the book, and Ed, the second.
The first half is the psychological study of a man who frequents prostitutes. Ben Thorpe is the architect from the west coast who is on business in NYC, and looking for action.
The second half of the book is a police procedural about the murder of a prostitute.
The second part begins with the murder of a prostitute who worked at the house that Ben visited, but although he had sex with this woman, he didn't kill her.
The killer is actually one of the vice detectives assigned to the case, James (Jimmy) Morgan. Emma Boyles the Special Victims detective who solves the case and the story is mostly told through her point of view.
Better than any Evan Hunter or any Ed McBain!!!
Link to amazon books-
http://www.amazon.com/Candyland-Novel-Parts-Ed-McBain/dp/B001G7R7L6
This was one of my books that has sat on the shelves for many years, and never read. I bought it at the library book sale on Sa 6/10/06.
This is one of the best books that I've read in a very long time. I really loved it! However, I really didn't understand that 'trick' until I consulted Wikipedia. I knew that Evan Hunter was a penname, but I didn't know who he was. I was mildly shocked when I 're-learned' that Evan Hunter was the less successful name for Salvatore Albert Lombino. He was more widely known as Ed McBain, author of the wildly popular 87th Precinct novels.
Evan writes the first half of the book, and Ed, the second.
The first half is the psychological study of a man who frequents prostitutes. Ben Thorpe is the architect from the west coast who is on business in NYC, and looking for action.
The second half of the book is a police procedural about the murder of a prostitute.
The second part begins with the murder of a prostitute who worked at the house that Ben visited, but although he had sex with this woman, he didn't kill her.
The killer is actually one of the vice detectives assigned to the case, James (Jimmy) Morgan. Emma Boyles the Special Victims detective who solves the case and the story is mostly told through her point of view.
Better than any Evan Hunter or any Ed McBain!!!
Link to amazon books-
http://www.amazon.com/Candyland-Novel-Parts-Ed-McBain/dp/B001G7R7L6
THE MCCLOUD HOME FOR WAYWARD GIRLS by Wendy Delsol
Finished Su 4/24/16
This was the March 2016 selection for the Contemporary Book Club
I thought that this was a rather weak effort, and the members seemed to agree. I felt that the story of 'the wayward girls' of the 50's and 60's would have made for a much more engaging tale.
Basically, it's the story of a 'family deception' that occurs in a bed and breakfast in Iowa that used to be a home for pregnant young women.
Jill runs the place with her mother, Ruby, and her daughter, Fee (Felicity).
Jocelyn is Jill's older sister who has been working in LA as a stylist. She has returned to the home for the funeral of Hester. This woman was the town matriarch and an enemy of the McClouds.
Hester was dating Daniel who was the owner/operator of McCloud's during the sixties. Jill was working at McCloud's (she was at the facility, and her child died at birth), and dating William, Hester's brother, but fell for Daniel, and Daniel went with Ruby.
The family 'Big Bad Secret' is that Fee is actually the child of William. Ruby's husband was dying of prostate cancer and took comfort from William. Also, Hester was a closeted lesbian and secretly involved with the town librarian, Cordelia (Delia).
Most of us in the group said that it reminded us of the novel that we read by the local writer. None of us enjoyed that book because it was far to corny(and not that well written).
link to amazon books-
http://www.amazon.com/McCloud-Home-Wayward-Girls/dp/0425241319
This was the March 2016 selection for the Contemporary Book Club
I thought that this was a rather weak effort, and the members seemed to agree. I felt that the story of 'the wayward girls' of the 50's and 60's would have made for a much more engaging tale.
Basically, it's the story of a 'family deception' that occurs in a bed and breakfast in Iowa that used to be a home for pregnant young women.
Jill runs the place with her mother, Ruby, and her daughter, Fee (Felicity).
Jocelyn is Jill's older sister who has been working in LA as a stylist. She has returned to the home for the funeral of Hester. This woman was the town matriarch and an enemy of the McClouds.
Hester was dating Daniel who was the owner/operator of McCloud's during the sixties. Jill was working at McCloud's (she was at the facility, and her child died at birth), and dating William, Hester's brother, but fell for Daniel, and Daniel went with Ruby.
The family 'Big Bad Secret' is that Fee is actually the child of William. Ruby's husband was dying of prostate cancer and took comfort from William. Also, Hester was a closeted lesbian and secretly involved with the town librarian, Cordelia (Delia).
Most of us in the group said that it reminded us of the novel that we read by the local writer. None of us enjoyed that book because it was far to corny(and not that well written).
link to amazon books-
http://www.amazon.com/McCloud-Home-Wayward-Girls/dp/0425241319
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