A FAN'S NOTES by FREDERICK EXLEY

 Finished Mo 7/6/26

I received this trade paperback from Amazon on Sa 6/27/26. It was a recommendation from Sam Morrill and it was a great pick.

From AI Mode:

"Frederick Exley's 1968 classic, A Fan's Notes, is widely celebrated as a tragic, brutally honest, and masterpiece of the "literature of failure". Subtitled "A Fictional Memoir", this semi-autobiographical novel traces a self-professed failure's nightmarish descent into alcoholism, mental institutions, and profound personal despair. The central framework of the book balances Exley's devastating personal unravelling with an intense, parasocial obsession with the New York Giants and their star halfback, Frank Gifford."

"Lyrical, High-Minded Prose Style: Despite depicting extreme degradation, bars, and shock treatment rooms, Exley employs a ponderous, esoteric, and fiercely eloquent vocabulary that creates a sharp, dark humor.An Anatomy of the American Dream: Critics frequently note that the book serves as a devastating critique of 1950s and 60s consumerism. It explores the heavy psychological toll placed on ordinary men who fail to achieve societal expectations of grand success."

A charcter is called 'Patty The Duke'- He's an Irishman with an upperclass demeanor. It's a pun on the 'Patty Duke Show' (I think).

Explanation of 'Insulin Shock Therapy'

So many great scenes and the 'hero' is completely unreliable. I loved the book. 

THE MOSQUITO COAST by Paul Theroux

 Finished Su 6/28/26

This was an ancient paperback that I'd read and finished Fr 12/3/93. I bought this at 'Books On Belmont' in Chicago. The first time through I skimmed to the end, and this time I read it cover to cover. A great book and I'd love to see the film. It's not available for streaming and maybe the library had a DVD. 

From AI Mode:

"The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux is widely considered a masterpiece of modern American literature. Maintaining a strong 3.88 out of 5 stars on Goodreads, this 1981 novel tracks the dark, spiral descent of Allie Fox. Fox is a brilliant but fiercely paranoid inventor who uproots his family to build a utopian society in the Honduran jungle."

"A Masterclass in Character Study: Reviewers are uniformly transfixed by Allie Fox. Readers describe him as one of fiction's most memorable, infuriating patriarchs—combining absolute genius with megalomania and domestic tyranny.The Power of the Narrator: The story is told through the eyes of Allie's 14-year-old son, Charlie. Critics note this first-person perspective is essential; watching Charlie's perspective shift from absolute worship of his father to profound horror creates immense emotional weight.Lush, Atmospheric Prose: Theroux’s extensive background in travel writing shines. Readers frequently remark that you can practically feel the oppressive heat, stickiness, and buzzing insects of the Honduran jungle."  

I will definitely read more by Theroux.

ADULTHOOD RITES by Octavia E. Butler

 Finished Fr 6/12/26

I skimmed 'DAWN' by Butler which was the first novel in the series. 

From AI Mode:

"Adulthood Rites by Octavia Butler is the highly acclaimed 1988 science fiction sequel to Dawn, tracking the coming-of-age journey of Akin, the first male human-alien hybrid born on a rehabilitated Earth. Critical consensus on platforms like Goodreads sits at a strong 4.19 out of 5 stars, with readers praising its brilliant exploration of bodily autonomy, colonialism, and what it truly means to be human."

"Deep Philosophical Questions: Reviewers appreciate how Butler expands on the "human contradiction" (intelligence paired with hierarchical aggression). It forces readers to think deeply about consent, compromise, and assimilation. Nuanced Gray Morality: Unlike standard alien invasion tropes, the conflict is not black-and-white. The genetic-trading Oankali aliens are paternalistic but calculated, while the "Resistor" humans are fiercely independent yet prone to self-destruction. Fascinating Perspective: Shifting the narrative away from Lilith (the protagonist of Dawn) to Akin allows readers to witness the world through an entirely different biological lens. Akin has an adult's cognitive capacity trapped in an infant's body, utilizing a sensitive tongue to read DNA at a molecular level."  

I will definitely finish this series and read more by Octavia Butler. 

NOT THIS AUGUST by C.M Kornbluth

Finished Mo 6/1/26

The title of the book comes from a Hemmingway quote from his 'Notes On The Next War'.  

This is one of my ancient paperbacks that I first completed on Tu 2/2/93.  

I liked the book because it shows how an 'average' guy would deal with a revolutionary takeover of the USA. The Chinese invaded the western half of the US and the Russians take the eastern half. The story is set in upstate New York and the Russians initially treat the 'conquered' decently, but then the real agenda is revealed. The Chinese and Russians are planning a genocide to provide 'room to grow' for their people. 

A better writer could have really taken this great idea and made it into something spectacular (at the very least, better than what Kornbluth provides).

From AI Mode- "Reviews for Cyril M. Kornbluth’s Not This August generally highlight it as a bleak, realistic, and highly patriotic Cold War alternate history novel. First published in 1955, the book captures the peak anxieties and paranoia of the McCarthy era."

"Historical Time Capsule: Reviewers frequently emphasize that the book is very much a product of its time. Written shortly after the Korean War, it effectively taps into 1950s atomic-age fears and Communist anxieties. The Premise: The story features a defeated United States surrendered to and occupied by the joint forces of the USSR and China. The perspective follows Billy Justin, a Korea veteran turned dairy farmer, who is drawn into an underground resistance plot to launch a hidden, half-finished weapons satellite."

PARABLE OF THE SOWER' Octavia E. Butler

 Refinished Su 5/24/26

This is one of my ancient trade paperbacks and I finished it the first time in March of 1995, again in June of 2021.

From AI Mode:

"The Core PremiseThe Setting: Set in the 2020s, the US has descended into anarchy with roaming scavengers, addiction, and chronic water shortages. The privileged hide in walled enclaves, desperately trying to cling to the past.The Protagonist: 15-year-old Lauren Olamina, the daughter of a preacher, suffers from "hyperempathy"—a condition where she physically feels the pain of others.The Journey: When her enclave is destroyed, Lauren and a band of refugees journey north, attempting to survive the hostile landscape while building a new foundational belief system called Earthseed (central tenet: God is Change)."  

From 'shelf-promotion':

"Without spoiling the plot, I will stray away from further summarizing as this book is jam packed with so much action that it is difficult to discuss. Instead, I would like to talk more about the world-building and compare that to the 2024 we live in today. It is no denying that climate change has begun to rampage small communities and even countries around the world, something that is ever present in Californian minds’ today. From flooding to firestorms, Butler effortlessly predicts many of the major natural disasters that have been ramping up in recent years, but even more interesting is how much she correctly depicts the politically corrupt environment that we can see in news broadcasts. In the story, we also hear about many failed experiments that cause the spread of disease and drugs, such as “pyro,” a drug that makes the user essentially addicted to fire and arson. 

Because of many of these accuracies, Butler has seen mass praise, but also backlash from the political comparisons. Even at the time of release, Butler faced criticism for calling the book “speculative fiction” rather than “science fiction,” a common complaint that many writers face, but in the case of “Parable of the Sower,” it seems that a nerve has been grasped, not just touched. I personally find this book to be fascinating for these reasons, even down to the smallest details there exists many tethers to the world around us, in my opinion, Butler’s work is absolutely genius, and I can’t wait to read the prequel to indulge even further in our speculative dystopian future. If none of my other book suggestions have sparked your interest, then I hope that this is the exception, because this book is so insanely different from anything of the likes I’ve read before. I have no means in scaring you away from the devastation explored here, but this book is so telling of the reality we live in, and it has honestly become somewhat of a wake-up-call to see how easily Bulter predicted the present day."   ken

 

DEVIL'S WALTZ by Jonathan Kellerman

 Finished Fr 5/29/26

This is a paperback that I borrowed from Janny. I didn't want to waste my time with a book written by Kellerman, but I loved the book. Not a lot of character development, but the plot was fascinating. However, I expected more at the end. When the book ended I actually turned the page and thought that there would be more to the story. 

 The novel is about a couple with a three year old girl. The little girl is suffering from many hard to explain illnesses. Alex Delaware (he's a child psychologist) is called in because they thought it might be a 'mental' problem. Not the girl, but her parents might be involved: 'Munchausen by proxy'.

In the end, it's dad that was administering the drugs to make the child sick. Mom was a liar and had many illicit sexual partners, but she wasn't involved with her daughter's problems. I thought the mother would somehow be connected, but that was not the case. 

From Publishersweekly.com:

" Kellerman's psychologist/sleuth Alex Delaware nimbly executes tricky steps of his own when called in to consult on the mysterious ailments afflicting a baby being seen at his training hospital in Los Angeles. In his seventh appearance (after Private Eyes ), Delaware is in top form, carefully pursuing the possibility that 21-month-old Cassie Jones may be the victim of Munchausen's Disease by Proxy, a complex syndrome in which a parent, usually the mother, secretly causes the symptoms that endanger the child. That Cassie is the only grandchild of the hospital's new CEO, a corporate hotshot who has demoralized the staff with cutbacks and a new administration of ``paramilitary types,'' adds political twists to the case's knotty psychological aspects. After a doctor involved in computer research is murdered in the hospital parking lot, Delaware calls on his friend Milo, a gay LAPD homicide cop currently serving as an input clerk. They link an earlier murder to the hospital and then key into a secret federal investigation, all the while trying to keep Cassie safe. With familiar characters, including Delaware's woodworking girlfriend Robin, and some well-developed new ones, notably the hospital's thuggish security head and an uptight pediatric nurse, Kellerman steadily turns up the suspense, reserving some surprises to spring near the end of this intricate tale, the best of recent Alex Delaware stories."   

THE MURDERER INVISIBLE by Philip Wylie

 This is one of my ancient paperbacks that I bought at the library booksale for a quarter in January of 1996. I first finished the book the first time on Th 10/22/15. This time I completed it on Tu 5/19/26.

I didn't remember a thing about the story, but my original comment still holds; "Doesn't adapt well to 'The War On Terror'. On naked man? They could just wait until winter."

From AI Overview:

"The story centers on William Carpenter, a brilliant but misanthropic and power-mad scientist. After discovering a formula that renders matter invisible, Carpenter decides not to share his discovery for the betterment of humanity. Instead, driven by ego and a deep-seated desire to conquer society and punish his enemies, he becomes an invisible terrorist. He manages to succeed in his plans of destruction and worldwide panic."   ken

The premise is a little silly. One man (who must remain naked because his clothes are not affected by his process) causing such global confusion is a little hard to accept. 

In the end they throw a bottle of ink on the bad guy so that they can see where he is.

So similar to the plot of 'THE INVISIBLE MAN' by HG Wells. 

Philip Wylie is known for his book of essays- 'GENERATION OF VIPERS' ("Momism").