Thursday, April 30, 2015

Waiter Rant--#24 finished

A good and funny read that was also kind of introspective.  Started as a blog a few years back and when blog got popular enough the blogger got an agent I guess and was able to sell a book.  I will have to do a wikipedia check on him, although he doesn't give his name, to see what has happened with him since then.  Good stuff on restaurants and people that work them and the customers as well.  I have never worked in food--fast food, restaurants or anything in between so this & The Last Night at the Lobster were good reads for me.  They have shown that I need to respect the people that work in food--it is a tough job pretty much in all the areas.

I am not sure if I will post this or not.  Has a couple issues that might make it trouble for posting on PBS and I also like it and might look to pass along if someone I know or kids know becomes a waiter/waitress.

Saturday, April 25, 2015

The Gardner Heist--#23 finished

A famous art theft from 1990 in Boston that I knew nothing about until I read this book.  I was in college then and kind of clueless about stuff especially art.  This is a good read with lots of interesting characters and details about the theft and the still ongoing search for the pieces that have never been recovered.  Kind of amazing to read about how easy it was for this to occur back then and the author says the theft of art is still happening.  Hard to balance tough security measures with also wanting to allow the public the chance to view the art.  I am glad I have read this book and now hope the art is found and returned, kind of want to see the rest of the story as Paul Harvey would say.

I will post it on PBS at some point probably soon.  I think it was more than 15 WL for it and maybe into the 20s, not sure.  It is one of the books I got from the WL Multiple thread and sort of jumped line to get.  Those books I get that way I have pledge to myself to send back out FIFO(First In First Out) so next in line person will get it.

Saturday, April 18, 2015

David Carradine: The Eye of my Tornado--#22 finished

I wasn't a Kung Fu fan, I guess bad timing in that I just don't remember it being on TV when I was paying attention.  Same with the later the Legend Continues or whatever it was.  I knew of the actor but that was about it until the Kill Bill movies.  I also remember his death with the strangulation during sex. Book looked interesting when I found it so picked it up.  Not a great book, not even a good book.  A good reminder though that people are complicated.  Throughout the book I just kept getting the feeling that there are two sides to every story and with David dead and an ex-wife writing a book, he just plain old doesn't get to respond.  That is the breaks I guess.  I don't think she was making stuff up and can tell at times struggled with what she was writing but still just her side.  From the book, he sounds like a dick, especially when he was drinking which was the time before her.  She helped sober him up and get a career back and she got no rewards for this--he dicked her out of commission because she was his agent.  He was almost certainly sleeping around and he became cold and like a bully to her.  It is too bad for her but then I kept asking during the book--you knew he was like this, so what did you get involved.  She shacked up with him while he was in the process of leaving one of his wives--I don't even know how many marriages these 2 went through but it was more than plenty.  She was divorced once or twice and so was he before this--why she didn't see that things would end and probably end badly I have no idea.  Or maybe she did but that just didn't come out in the book?

Some interesting stuff about his life and her life and some inside stuff about movies.  There are probably better books out there to spend your time with than this one, unless big fan of either of them.

I have posted it on PBS and there are 2 copies ahead of it so probably not moving anytime soon.

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Meet the Annas--#21 finished

A musical novel about a girls group in the '60s right before the British invasion.  Kind of fun read about making music back then and an interesting couple of song writers.  The story is set 30 some years later when one of the songs that basically flopped when greatness was expected, becomes a hit in the '90s from commercials and maybe movies, etc.  One of the songwriters is bitter that the producer and his thug pal forced their way into the songwriting credits so the writer Dink is suing over that.  Also this opened many unanswered questions and brought people back in touch that hadn't talked in years--like the songwriters.  Why it took 30 plus years for all of this to get in the open, I have no clue--a real shortcoming in the book that is otherwise pretty good.  Oh well, still an okay read though.

I will be posting it on PBS, there is 1 WL for it so will probably post soon.

Sunday, April 5, 2015

The Lincoln Myth--#20 finished

This was the next in the Cotton Malone series and a good read, no as good as others that I remember but okay.  Had to do with Mormans and succession from the US.  Old documents from the Constitutional Convention time by Madison give rise to a secret document that all signed that would allow states to leave the union.  Document was passed from President to President until Lincoln sends it off in hiding to Brigham Young in Utah to keep Utah out of the Civil War so the West would basically be safe.  Jump to today and the 2nd in command of Mormans learns of this & wants to use it to break Utah and maybe other states out and become their own countries.  Of course bad stuff happens & Malone gets pulled in to fix things.  Just an alright story.  Had a hard time believing the whole secret document thing along with the real evil person--deranged kind of guy helping the 2nd in command guy.  Throw in Casopedia Vitt, Malone's sort of girlfriend also know & sort of having old relationship with deranged guy and it was just a little too much to swallow on this one.  Still okay and moves the series along I guess.

I will post it on PBS at some point, think there was 20 or maybe 40 WL for it.  Not sure if will start another one right away or not.  Have 3 reading & might stay at that for now but will see.