Monsters or not, what books are you currently reading? I have two:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/517SWAG79PL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_.jpg) (http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41Pl-o6CrLL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_.jpg)
The first is a bit dry. There are others on this period, so may drop this and give them a try. The Star Wars novel is pretty interesting so far. It occurs during Episode IV, and or right before....in short, it discusses the building of the Death Star and so far has filled in info the movie did not go into. So far, so good.
The Original Dracula a 1920's version HC ;D and The Return of the Wolfman. Both are great.
Nothing at the time. I'm just getting ready for Christmas.
Quote from: hhwolfman on December 23, 2008, 12:34:58 PM
The Original Dracula a 1920's version HC ;D.....
Post a pic later if you could HH....would love to see it. One of my all time favorite reads, even before I started collecting monster stuff. I will never forget him crawling down the wall....I believe head first. Great stuff!
Just finished I am Legend.
Just finished "The Dead" by Mark Rodgers. Zombies coming alive and killing people, but not the mindless type. These accually come up with interresting ways to kill off people. Tormented souls from Hell, wanting the living to die and come back in tormented suffering too. Last night started "The adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain. Not monster related, but still an excellent read.
I am Legend is a good one, read that when I was teenager. I'd also love to see a pic of the '20s Dracula, I loooove vintage books. I working on the Illuminatus Trilogy on and off as well as a fat Harlan Ellison collection. Probably about to order "Coney", a novel set during Coney Island's hay day. Also, always reading something that is film related non-fiction, I think most recently it was Skal's Tod Browning bio.
A Three Stooges bio and Roland Bainton's classic biography of Martin Luther. Yeah, I know..........just be glad you don't live in my head.
Quote from: Scatter on December 23, 2008, 01:52:17 PM
A Three Stooges bio and Roland Bainton's classic biography of Martin Luther. Yeah, I know..........just be glad you don't live in my head.
It would appear that we have some cross over in our subject matter. How is the Bainton's bio?
Quote from: Bogey on December 23, 2008, 02:00:27 PM
It would appear that we have some cross over in our subject matter. How is the Bainton's bio?
Absolutely outstanding. This is my 3rd time through it. I haven't read that particular book on the Reformation you've pictured, but I'm always looking for another good one.
I'm also about to start plowing through Jonathan Edwards again. I just love him, but the man had no concept of the "period". Longest sentences in theology LOL!!
Just finished an Abbot and Costello bio too, as well as Peter Guralnick's excellent "Last Train To Memphis". I like to alternate between heavier subjects and fluff. Keeps the voices in my head from arguing.
Quote from: Bogey on December 23, 2008, 02:00:27 PM
It would appear that we have some cross over in our subject matter. How is the Bainton's bio?
I recall when my brother bought me two book at Half Price Books one time: a book by Soren Kierkegaard and a biography of Bela Lugosi. The clerk held both books and gave him a strange look. He simply replied "My brother has varied interests."
As far as what I'm reading, the Bible. I got a Border's gift card last Christmas, and bought a new Bible and wanted to read it through in one year. I made it through John's gospel, but probably will not finish it before year's end.
Mike
My hat's off to you Mike. My Bible reading has never been so structured.
As for me, I'm in between books at the moment, but the most interesting monster related book I've read recently was "Monsters from the Id: The Rise of Horror in Fiction and Film" by E. Michael Jones.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41D40SWGT3L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_.jpg)
This is non-fiction and pretty heavy reading, but it gave me a fascinating new psychological insight into movies that I've been familiar with for years.
It's written from a Christian world-view and won't be everybody's cup of tea, but I was blown away by the author's insights.
-fibbermac-
Quote from: fibbermac on December 23, 2008, 07:08:07 PM
My hat's off to you Mike. My Bible reading has never been so structured.
Sounds like a goal for me as well Mike. Would like to hear your pacing and breakdown. IM me if you would.
Quote from: fibbermac on December 23, 2008, 07:08:07 PM
My hat's off to you Mike. My Bible reading has never been so structured.
As for me, I'm in between books at the moment, but the most interesting monster related book I've read recently was "Monsters from the Id: The Rise of Horror in Fiction and Film" by E. Michael Jones.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41D40SWGT3L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_.jpg)
This is non-fiction and pretty heavy reading, but it gave me a fascinating new psychological insight into movies that I've been familiar with for years.
It's written from a Christian world-view and won't be everybody's cup of tea, but I was blown away by the author's insights.
-fibbermac-
Wow, never heard of this book, but it sure sounds interesting. None of the local libraries have it so i will have to hunt down a used copy somewhere.
Mike
Quote from: Illoman on December 23, 2008, 04:53:29 PM
As far as what I'm reading, the Bible. I got a Border's gift card last Christmas, and bought a new Bible and wanted to read it through in one year. I made it through John's gospel, but probably will not finish it before year's end.
Mike
This book has everything. You've got Monsters, dead people coming back, talking animals (at least one snake and one donkey), a Sci-Fi type apocalypse, romance, war, adventure, magic (Ok Moses wasn't a magician, but he did do amazing things), it's a history book, a law book, a guide book, and a book of hope and ultimate love. My favorite book. Nice choice Mike.
I'm reading a history of American Vaudeville, Samuel Pepys' diary, and Calvin & Hobbes! The Pepys and C&H are re-reads, but always rewarding.
Just finished up audio readings of Lovecraft. You can enjoy them too here:
http://digitalmeltd0wn.blogspot.com/2008/10/hp-lovecraft-audio-books-radio-plays.html (http://digitalmeltd0wn.blogspot.com/2008/10/hp-lovecraft-audio-books-radio-plays.html)
The five volumes of the Dark Worlds of H. P. Lovecraft are worth loading on your MP3 player.
Looking forward to reading Charles Fort: The Man Who Invented the Supernatural by Jim Steinmeyer next.
I try to read the Bible daily. Usually a chapter or two from the Old Testament as well as one or two from the New Testament, along with various study guides. I just finished reading John Hagee's "Jerusalem Countdown" and am about half way through "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity" by Bill O'Reilly. I don't read a whole lot of fiction (anymore) but have most recently read "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy...and subsequently reminded myself just why, exactly, I don't read a whole lot of fiction! (anymore)
Quote from: CreepysFan on December 23, 2008, 10:21:14 PM
This book has everything. You've got Monsters, dead people coming back, talking animals (at least one snake and one donkey), a Sci-Fi type apocalypse, romance, war, adventure, magic (Ok Moses wasn't a magician, but he did do amazing things), it's a history book, a law book, a guide book, and a book of hope and ultimate love. My favorite book. Nice choice Mike.
Beautifully said, and I concur wholeheartedly.
Quote from: typhooforme on December 23, 2008, 10:53:45 PM
I'm reading a history of American Vaudeville, Samuel Pepys' diary, and Calvin & Hobbes! The Pepys and C&H are re-reads, but always rewarding.
Calvin and Hobbes RULES!! LOL!! I love the subversiveness of some of the humor juxtaposed against the sweetness of other elements.
Quote from: The Spangler on December 24, 2008, 12:36:26 AM
I try to read the Bible daily. Usually a chapter or two from the Old Testament as well as one or two from the New Testament, along with various study guides.
I've done that too, but I find it difficult to really retain the context of the verses when they're isolated from the rest of the immediate Text in these bite-sized portions. Since the Bible is really more of a library of Books than a single volume, it's like having 4 or 5 books you're reading simultaneously, a few sentences or a few paragraphs from each daily.To me, the flow of ideas, and thematic elements, and the escalating tempo of a building argument or narrative are necessarily interrupted, and the impact diluted.
That's the great thing though.......there's a method out there that works for everyone, and you seem to have found yours. It's just a matter of experimentation for every individual.
Quote from: Scatter on December 24, 2008, 01:11:02 AM
Calvin and Hobbes RULES!! LOL!! I love the subversiveness of some of the humor juxtaposed against the sweetness of other elements.
Hear! Hear! My ten year old son roared through them last year. He is an insatiable reader and can string together a 3-4 hour period of uninterrupted reading without a problem. He is mainly into chapter books (Hardy Boys, biographies, anything on NASA, presidential history), but C&H gave him a yet another venue to explore. The funny thing is, out of all the all the books he has read, I have to say that the C&H equipped him with the richest new vocabulary. When reading them, look for the very descriptive words used. Excellent stuff on many levels.
Quote from: Scatter on December 24, 2008, 01:25:56 AM
That's the great thing though.......there's a method out there that works for everyone, and you seem to have found yours. It's just a matter of experimentation for every individual.
(http://tbn2.google.com/images?q=tbn:C8rOiLnu4oqfJM:http://www.physics.eku.edu/Ciocca/bullseye.gif)
I have a stack of Cemetery Dance magazines I'm going thru. I love short stories and this is one of the best mags to find dark horror and suspense. I just finished The Collection which is just that. A collection of short stories by Bentley Little who I feel is one of the top horror writers around. I just started reading his novel The Store. Imagine a super Walmart conceived in hell.
Also started for the 4th or 5th time The Dark Side of Christian History by Helen Ellerbee.
About the Calvin & Hobbes--my good friend Jill, knowing I liked them a lot and that I already had a couple volumes, searched out "the rest" on Ebay during the past few months and gave me 15 C&H books as an early Christmas gift. Very cool. They're just thoroughly entertaining--and touch the heart AND the funny bone. I like the dinosaur art, too!
I'm currently reading The Bruise Brothers, it's a Bio on Joe Kocur & Bob Probert. Retired NHL Players.
BK
Ebay grab-
'Fallen Angel' by Howard Fast
this is the book the 1965 flick 'Mirage' was based on
bit of a review here (http://hosaasblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/mirage-and-fallen-angel.html)
next I'm going to snag-
'The Power' by Frank M . Robinson (1968 movie) &
'The Satan' Bug by Alistair MacLean (another '65 flick)
Too Fat To Fish
So far, great!
Quote from: Cinemacabre on December 26, 2008, 11:19:04 PM
Too Fat To Fish
So far, great!
Now THAT'S fat. I mean, I can understand "Too Fat To Dance", or "Too Fat To Bowl". But "Too Fat To FISH"?!?!? If you're too fat to fish, it may be time to put down the fork.
Just finished the biography of the Beatles, and am reading Stephen King's latest collection of short stories. Just finished reading "I AM LEGEND" about a month ago/ First time I read it, and I have to say that I enjoyed it much more than any of the theatrical attempts. I am suprised at how different all the movie versions were from the source.
Oh, I also received my latest 2 installments in the Complete "PEANUTS' collection for Christmas, and am enjoying them at a leisurely pace...
I just finished reading one of The Man From U.N.C.L.E novels and The Lone Ranger and a Dr.Who
novel.Now I'm reading Sing As We Go ,the autobiography of Gracie Fields.
Quote from: avenger on December 29, 2008, 03:35:35 PM
I just finished reading one of The Man From U.N.C.L.E novels and The Lone Ranger and a Dr.Who
novel.Now I'm reading Sing As We Go ,the autobiography of Gracie Fields.
A creature after my own decaying heart, the Man From U.N.C.L.E. and Dr.Who. Not a lot of people seem to remember The Man From U.N.C.L.E. anymore, which really is a pity. I love these books as well.
Quote from: ChrisW on December 29, 2008, 02:35:58 PM
Just finished the biography of the Beatles, and am reading Stephen King's latest collection of short stories. Just finished reading "I AM LEGEND" about a month ago/ First time I read it, and I have to say that I enjoyed it much more than any of the theatrical attempts. I am surprised at how different all the movie versions were from the source.
Oh, I also received my latest 2 installments in the Complete "PEANUTS' collection for Christmas, and am enjoying them at a leisurely pace...
Literary works usually are superior to their theatrical counterparts, and I have to agree "I Am Legend" fits into this scene as well. An excellent book. And you can never go wrong with the "PEANUTS" gang. Good grief Charlie Brown. Never out grew this, and don't ever intend to.
Just finished Return of the Wolf Man. A very good read.
Creepy, I have to agree.It is indeed a pity that few people remember The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
I loved the show and I treasure the books .
I was lucky enough to get lots of cool books for Christmas. Currently I'm reading a collection of Dick Briefer's classic FRANKENSTEIN horror comics from the 1950s. They are awesome, and I highly recommend them.
Next, I'm going to read Guy Endore's THE WEREWOLF OF PARIS. I've always heard about this novel, especially with its ties to Hammer's Curse of the Werewolf, but I'd never even laid eyes on a copy before. Happily, I found an old 50s paperback edition while digging through the pulp magazine collection at one of the oldest used bookstores in the city.
The back cover text is very atmospheric and pulpy. I'm really looking forward to reading the book!
I love u.n.c.l.e, I still have my number six badge from when the show was on the air back in the sixties. It's strange but I also have most of the novels and annuals brought out during its run and never got rid of them. Along with my Auroras I also have Dark shadows (which I never seen until the 90's and Adam West Batman toys again a show I never watched until the 90's altough I was in love with the movie. Another thing that I love reading is Spiderman comics I have nearly a full set of all his titles from the beginning, I'm short about 150 issues. So lets stock take: Bond,Batman, Spiderman, Dark shadows, Flint, The Avengers, the Prisoner, The Munsters, Thriller, Twilight zone, Dr Who, Outer limits ETC. I have something from the lot of them plus over 100,000 comics and my first love Universal monsters is what I collect? Nope even on that score I have over 5000 horror film magazines and about 700 books on horror films and tv. I just love what I like and what brings me the fondest memories.
Not only have I found a "Monster Family" through the UMA, But a few brothers in the SPY genre as well. Man, I love this site. The UMA has the greatest people anywhere. Got some Marvel Essential editions from my wife for Christmas, so I've been reading them the last few days. Captain America vol.3, Fantastic Four vol.6, Nova, and X-Men vol. 4. Started reading the Captain America.
Did anyone ever read the Doc Savage series when it was released as paperbacks in the 60s and 70s? There were a couple of us in school that read them voraciously! We'd all buy different ones in the series then swap and trade to read them all. About 3 years ago I found about a dozen in a yard sale, and have since bought a few more on ebay... Fun, mindless escapism!
Some Gold Key "Grimm's Ghost Stories" comics...
A book about ghosts, "More Haunted Houses"...
I totally love ghost stories...good ones, cheesy ones, I love 'em all. Especially in cold weather, I think, with a hot cup of coffee or tea nearby.
Quote from: ChrisW on December 30, 2008, 10:34:42 AM
Did anyone ever read the Doc Savage series when it was released as paperbacks in the 60s and 70s? There were a couple of us in school that read them voraciously! We'd all buy different ones in the series then swap and trade to read them all. About 3 years ago I found about a dozen in a yard sale, and have since bought a few more on ebay... Fun, mindless escapism!
Oh yeah! I was fortunate to have an older brother who shared my love of reading. He bought all the Doc Savage books, I bought Conan, and we traded off. One summer we challenged ourselves to read one book a day for the whole summer! I read some Docs, some Shadows, Conan, the Phantom, the Avenger, some Burroughs, etc... All great stuff. The bonus for me was all the great artwork on the covers by Frazetta, Bama, Steranko, etc...
Good memories!
Mike
Half way through reading John Carter from Mars
Quote from: Illoman on December 30, 2008, 11:15:46 AM
Oh yeah! I was fortunate to have an older brother who shared my love of reading. He bought all the Doc Savage books, I bought Conan, and we traded off. One summer we challenged ourselves to read one book a day for the whole summer! I read some Docs, some Shadows, Conan, the Phantom, the Avenger, some Burroughs, etc... All great stuff. The bonus for me was all the great artwork on the covers by Frazetta, Bama, Steranko, etc...
Good memories!
Mike
Coolness Mike!
Quote from: ChrisW on December 30, 2008, 10:34:42 AM
Did anyone ever read the Doc Savage series when it was released as paperbacks in the 60s and 70s?
Heck Chris, I still read them! Those books, probably more than any other, inspired me to become a professional writer. Recently I contributed a story to Moonstone's new anthology for THE AVENGER, so my dream of becoming "Kenneth Robeson" was finally fulfilled.
By the way, if you haven't already, you might want to check out Anthony Tollin's fantastic monthly DOC SAVAGE reprints (along with THE SHADOW).
neonnoodle writ: "A book about ghosts, "More Haunted Houses"... I totally love ghost stories...good ones, cheesy ones, I love 'em all."
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear NEONDOODLE,
... I have many true, direct experience, Ghost Stories. Mayhap, I'll post them sometime... as a new thread...
EXANIMO EVERNOW,
TIMMY & THE BARON & FRIENDS, GOO-O-OODD-D!, B.G.G.,
I still have a couple of the Doc Savage hardcovers and the movie (with Ron Ely) which is not as good as the books but a bit of fun ,nonetheless.
Been reading a lot. Golden Horrors (great great great) and Tom Weaver's I Was a Monster Movie Maker (And why are all of those McFarland titles so damned expensive?! Superb, addictive, wonderful books, but geez...)
Also reading a collection of frontier stories by Louis L'Amour (volume five, I believe). I've always liked western movies but it wasn't until I got into the Gunsmoke radio shows a few years ago that I found myself really digging old western stories. Not long ago I found this odd, obscure and really old book in a used book store that collects actual newspaper accounts of the OK Corral shootout and other gunfights. Very cool.
I always keep a few anthologies on my nightstand (Bradbury's complete short story collection, Chandler's Simple Art of Murder and at least one book of Japanese short stories are always at hand) and have recently finished Stephen King's latest collection (OK but certainly no Night Shift).
I've been thinking of getting my copy of Reel Future out and re-reading it once more. Who Goes There?, Re-Animator and a ton more, all assembled by FJA -- pretty great stuff.
Oops I forgot to add my love for Victorian ghost stories I cant get enough of them, what I like most about them is the way they make you believe that they really happened. They would start a line like "I met Dr-------- on the High street and he told me about the house on ----------street, great stuff.
Quote from: avenger on December 30, 2008, 04:46:43 PM
I still have a couple of the Doc Savage hardcovers and the movie (with Ron Ely) which is not as good as the books but a bit of fun ,nonetheless.
Yeah, that was supposed to be George Pal's swansong as a director I think. He lost all backing and interest from the movie folks who left him hang out to dry. The movie really wasn't very good, and considering the strength of the character one would think a decent film could be made.
i thought that about the Shadow and Conan, but those films were lousy as well.
Maybe it has something to do with pulp characters... :P
Mike
Quote from: neonnoodle on December 30, 2008, 11:06:46 AM
Some Gold Key "Grimm's Ghost Stories" comics...
A book about ghosts, "More Haunted Houses"...
I totally love ghost stories...good ones, cheesy ones, I love 'em all. Especially in cold weather, I think, with a hot cup of coffee or tea nearby.
I hear ya on that one. Especially with only a reading lamp while the winds howl like a lost soul on the moors. Instead of coffee I'll take a high octane craft beer.
Quote from: BARON TIMOTHEUS BGG on December 30, 2008, 03:40:49 PM
neonnoodle writ: "A book about ghosts, "More Haunted Houses"... I totally love ghost stories...good ones, cheesy ones, I love 'em all."
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear NEONDOODLE,
... I have many true, direct experience, Ghost Stories. Mayhap, I'll post them sometime... as a new thread...
EXANIMO EVERNOW,
TIMMY & THE BARON & FRIENDS, GOO-O-OODD-D!, B.G.G.,
Thats a GREAT idea Baron! I'd like to read about your experiences, as well as others, on a "True Ghost" thread. I've experienced a few creepy encounters myself, here in old and haunted New England! The most frightening by far was my personal encounter with the "shadow people". I still shiver just thinking about it...
Quote from: BARON TIMOTHEUS BGG on December 30, 2008, 03:40:49 PM
neon noodle writ: "A book about ghosts, "More Haunted Houses"... I totally love ghost stories...good ones, cheesy ones, I love 'em all."
*~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear NEONDOODLE,
... I have many true, direct experience, Ghost Stories. Mayhap, I'll post them sometime... as a new thread...
EXANIMO EVERNOW,
TIMMY & THE BARON & FRIENDS, GOO-O-OODD-D!, B.G.G.,
I collect books on real ghosts and hauntings, and I agree with The Spangler dear Baron, I would love to read your true ghost story experiences in a thread by you. I can't get enough hearing about TRUE GHOSTS, or the LITERARY ones either.
I'm now on to reading Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters
BK
Quote from: ChrisW on December 29, 2008, 02:35:58 PM
Just finished the biography of the Beatles, and am reading Stephen King's latest collection of short stories. Just finished reading "I AM LEGEND" about a month ago/ First time I read it, and I have to say that I enjoyed it much more than any of the theatrical attempts. I am suprised at how different all the movie versions were from the source.
Oh, I also received my latest 2 installments in the Complete "PEANUTS' collection for Christmas, and am enjoying them at a leisurely pace...
Snoopy RULZ!!!
I still have to watch the Peanuts holiday videos I got for Christmas...hadn't seen them in ages (and there are extra episodes on the discs that I have never seen...). I remember having a couple of cool Peanuts paperbacks in the 70's...
I go through ghost books voraciously, there are so many of them...just found a really good hardcover from the mid-1940s called "Ghosts That Still Walk" edited by Marion Lowndes (the book has no relation to the mid-1970s James Flocker cheeseball movie...which is fun also...but I digress). Anyway, this hardcover has detailed accounts of some famous legends that I read later as abbreviated, pared-down versions...it is one of the neatest things I have come across in my ghost-hunting.
Just finished F. Paul Wilson's "By the Sword".
Another "Repairman Jack" novel.
Visit the website: repairmanjack.com
Bizarro Jeff
(http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:J1vx-hYVmoVbMM:http://www.springfieldbsu.org/MissouriState/images/case%2520for%2520christ.jpg)
About 150 pages in. Still enjoying it at this end Mike. The first two chapters were a bit more difficult to follow than the others so far. However, after a re-read of them, I was good.
Timeline by Michael Crichton
Quote from: Bogey on January 11, 2009, 05:23:46 PM
(http://tbn1.google.com/images?q=tbn:J1vx-hYVmoVbMM:http://www.springfieldbsu.org/MissouriState/images/case%2520for%2520christ.jpg)
About 150 pages in. Still enjoying it at this end Mike. The first two chapters were a bit more difficult to follow than the others so far. However, after a re-read of them, I was good.
I may try it again at some point. I agree with everything I read in it.
I also just finished reading a biography of animator Ub Iwerks, the man who created Mickey Mouse. I also just finished a book on artist Dave Stevens. Currently am still reading the Bible and a book about a man in England with a bus ministry that a friend from the Isle of Wight sent me.
Mike
Dipping back into the COMPLETE WORKS OF SAKI, and am in the middle of DO YOU WANT IT GOOD OR TUESDAY? (FROM HAMMER FILMS TO HOLLYWOOD) by Jimmy Sangster. Also a good ways into CORAL BROWNE's biography by Rose Collis, the full title of which I don't think I should write on a board with a mixed audience! Vinnie certainly married an interesting lady for his last go-round!
Quote from: Illoman on January 11, 2009, 08:09:33 PM
I may try it again at some point. I agree with everything I read in it.
I also just finished reading a biography of animator Ub Iwerks, the man who created Mickey Mouse. I also just finished a book on artist Dave Stevens. Currently am still reading the Bible and a book about a man in England with a bus ministry that a friend from the Isle of Wight sent me.
Mike
My wife and I are both big Disney fans Mike and know of Ub's work. In fact, I have some early clipped Mickey Mouse newspaper strips from '31 that say: by Iwerks. What a talent! Any chance pf getting a link to the book you read?
Quote from: Bogey on January 11, 2009, 09:33:45 PM
My wife and I are both big Disney fans Mike and know of Ub's work. In fact, I have some early clipped Mickey Mouse newspaper strips from '31 that say: by Iwerks. What a talent! Any chance pf getting a link to the book you read?
Sure:
http://www.amazon.com/Hand-Behind-Mouse-Intimate-Biography/dp/0786853204 (http://www.amazon.com/Hand-Behind-Mouse-Intimate-Biography/dp/0786853204)
I found it at Half Price Books relatively cheap. It is authorized by the Disney folks, and really seems to be a fair and balanced account of things. A great read!
Mike
"How Underdog Was Born"
pretty cool little window into the early days of animated television-
http://www.amazon.com/How-Underdog-Born-Buck-Biggers/dp/1593930259 (http://www.amazon.com/How-Underdog-Born-Buck-Biggers/dp/1593930259)
Quote from: Illoman on January 11, 2009, 10:15:49 PM
Sure:
http://www.amazon.com/Hand-Behind-Mouse-Intimate-Biography/dp/0786853204 (http://www.amazon.com/Hand-Behind-Mouse-Intimate-Biography/dp/0786853204)
I found it at Half Price Books relatively cheap. It is authorized by the Disney folks, and really seems to be a fair and balanced account of things. A great read!
Mike
Once I saw the cover I thought, "Dang, we might have that on the shelf." No such luck. Will put it on the wish list. Thankee much, Mike!
I bought the complete "Calvin and Hobbes" collection last year - all the strips collected into 3 volumes, slipcased. Very nice.
Jeff
Quote from: Bizarro Jeff on January 12, 2009, 11:11:52 AM
I bought the complete "Calvin and Hobbes" collection last year - all the strips collected into 3 volumes, slipcased. Very nice.
Jeff
Man, I miss that comic strip. I wish he hadn't quit it when he did.
Mike
Quote from: Illoman on January 12, 2009, 12:17:17 PM
Man, I miss that comic strip. I wish he hadn't quit it when he did.
Mike
Hear! Hear! My brother-in-law has that same set Jeff. Excellent edition to any library. :)
I'm currently reading Vince Flynn's new book and if I may, I highly recommend Barry Eisler and Daniel Silva. Just be sure to read their books in order and believe me, you'll be hooked for life.
Just finishing ..........
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/511DR9462QL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_.jpg)
A great read.
"Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators in The Mystery of the Talking Skull"...lots of old-fashioned fun.
I'm always in the middle of a number of books.
Long After Midnight, Ray Bradbury
Danse Macabre, Stephen King
That's NOT All Folks, Mel Blanc
Mike C.
Quote from: mike c on January 13, 2009, 12:20:53 AM
I'm always in the middle of a number of books.
Long After Midnight, Ray Bradbury
Danse Macabre, Stephen King
That's NOT All Folks, Mel Blanc
Mike C.
Wow, Mike, we have similar tastes.
I've read Danse Macabre, I just bought a paperback of Bradbury short stories, and am lucky enough to own a copy of Mel's book signed by him.
You are obviously a person of refined taste! ;D
Mike
Quote from: Illoman on January 13, 2009, 11:24:32 AM
You are obviously a person of refined taste! ;D
Mmmmbut-of-course... do you have any Grey Poupon?
Mike C.
I've been reading MALDITO, the Barcinski/Finotti biography on José Mojica Marins. It's like a compendium of Coffinology. I love it!
(http://i247.photobucket.com/albums/gg138/coffinjoefan/malditocover.jpg)
Pulp reprints out the WAHZOO! The Spider, G-8, High Adventure, the Shadow, and Doc Savage have been keeping me warm this winter.
Quote from: Jscareshock on January 17, 2009, 05:07:03 PM
Pulp reprints out the WAHZOO! The Spider, G-8, High Adventure, the Shadow, and Doc Savage have been keeping me warm this winter.
Awesome!! I have several paperbacks of the Shadow from the 60's but haven't had time to dig into them yet.
Mike
Budplant.com offers reprints of The Shadow, the Spider, and I think Doc Savage...I think they go for around $15.
Bizarro Jeff
Quote from: Bizarro Jeff on January 19, 2009, 06:10:57 PM
Budplant.com offers reprints of The Shadow, the Spider, and I think Doc Savage...I think they go for around $15.
Bizarro Jeff
Some the early issues in this series are at my half Price Books for around $7. *Love* the artwork!!
Mike
Re-read "My Crowd" a collection of Charles Addams cartoons, and currently re-reading Alfred Hitchcock's "Ghostly Gallery" ( for kids, but the stories are still good even after growing up).
Just re-read "Mother Night" by Kurt V Jr and looking for my old copy of "Player Piano" around here somewhere. I must confess both these books were checked out of the Hennepin County Library in about 1970..(sorry Meek) I am a library desperado many times over.
Quote from: CreepysFan on January 20, 2009, 01:55:24 AM
Re-read "My Crowd" a collection of Charles Addams cartoons, and currently re-reading Alfred Hitchcock's "Ghostly Gallery" ( for kids, but the stories are still good even after growing up).
Indeed they are!
A man after my own heart. I have both books, in fact a few copies of Ghostly Gallery; Fred Banbery's creepy, stylized illustrations in the inside covers fascinated me... these are the books that got me hooked very early!
I became a ghost story/horror story junkie by the time I was 7 or 8, and I haunted the libraries in the San Fernando Valley looking for every book I could get my hands on. Charles Addams 'toons were a favorite, along with all of the Hitchcock/Robert Arthur books (Ghostly Gallery, Haunted Houseful, Monster Museum, etc.), a few collections for teens by Robert Bloch, and of course any horror or ghost related books I could get through Scholastic at school.
I still have all of those books! (Well, the ones I
bought, not too many library books were swiped! For shame, packy! ;)
Mike C.
I'm dipping into my heavy, hernia-making book NEW YORKER CARTOONs book that contains all 16,000+ cartoons! Bought brand-new at Borders for $15!
Of course, plenty of the great Chas. Addams!
i am reading dracula prince of many faces his life and his times and weird scary & unusual stories & facts
I just finished Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters and now on to American Gothic Sixty Years of Horror Cinema.
BK
Quote from: mike c on January 20, 2009, 08:33:44 AM
Indeed they are!
A man after my own heart. I have both books, in fact a few copies of Ghostly Gallery; Fred Banbery's creepy, stylized illustrations in the inside covers fascinated me... these are the books that got me hooked very early!
I became a ghost story/horror story junkie by the time I was 7 or 8, and I haunted the libraries in the San Fernando Valley looking for every book I could get my hands on. Charles Addams 'toons were a favorite, along with all of the Hitchcock/Robert Arthur books (Ghostly Gallery, Haunted Houseful, Monster Museum, etc.), a few collections for teens by Robert Bloch, and of course any horror or ghost related books I could get through Scholastic at school.
I still have all of those books!
Mike C.
Sounds like mirrored childhood's, I still have all of these as well.
Quote from: packy120353 on January 20, 2009, 07:42:32 AM
Just re-read "Mother Night" by Kurt V Jr and looking for my old copy of "Player Piano" around here somewhere. I must confess both these books were checked out of the Hennepin County Library in about 1970..(sorry Meek) I am a library desperado many times over.
Expect a visit from Mr Bookman.........punk!! LOL
(http://www.tvsquad.com/media/2006/06/seinfeld-thelibrary250.jpg)
Although I am not now reading one of his books, I love the work of John Mortimer, who just passed away.
The RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY stories and novels are favorites of mine.
Quote from: Scatter on January 20, 2009, 10:38:00 PM
Expect a visit from Mr Bookman.........punk!! LOL
(http://www.tvsquad.com/media/2006/06/seinfeld-thelibrary250.jpg)
Anyone know how to get Cheerios that came out of my nose off of a computer screen? :D
Not horror-related, but I'm currently reading "Ways of Seeing", by John Berger.
"The Horror Film" by Rick Worland
Quote from: CreepysFan on January 20, 2009, 01:55:24 AM
Re-read "My Crowd" a collection of Charles Addams cartoons, and currently re-reading Alfred Hitchcock's "Ghostly Gallery" ( for kids, but the stories are still good even after growing up).
A dear friend of mine and her husband ran a comic book store for years. After he passed away in 1999 she ran the store two more years. When she shut it down she kept discovering things she bought years ago and put away. She gave me six Charles Addams' paperback books from the 60's!! She said they bought them on their first trip to New York city, and it looks like she never opened them! Minty fresh!!
I *love* Charles Addams!!!
Mike
(http://images.barnesandnoble.com/images/28290000/28298941.JPG)
Just cracked it open a bit ago. This synopsis seems to fit the intent:
Yancey is an astute author who challenges Christians' assumptions without alienating them. In The Bible Jesus Read, Yancey encourages readers to consider how Hebrew Scripture what Christians call the Old Testament is relevant to their own lives. His premise is that although many Christians tacitly consider the New Testament more important than the Old, the New Testament was written after Jesus' earthly ministry, making the Old Testament "the Bible Jesus read." Hebrew Scripture was the greatest influence on the mind and spirit of the founder of Christianity, a fact that, in the author's estimation, obligates Christians to know it well. Yancey acknowledges the difficulty of transcending the cultural gulf between modern civilization and ancient Israel and seeks to bridge the gap by highlighting sections of the Old Testament that he initially found hard to appreciate.
Just got these in the mail-
(http://i44.tinypic.com/t4xp9g.jpg)
UBIK: the Screeplay has been a bit of a
'grail' of mine-
QuoteCommissioned in 1974 by Jean-Pierre Gorin Philip K. Di ck wrote the screenplay adaptation of his finest novel UBIK While the film was never produced, the screenplay was finally published in 1985 as a 1200 copy limited from Corroboree Press-
difficult to obtain secondhand and exorbitantly priced, very happy that it's finally been reprinted-
Quote from: Street Worm on January 27, 2009, 07:56:19 AM
Just got these in the mail-
(http://i44.tinypic.com/t4xp9g.jpg)
UBIK: the Screeplay has been a bit of a 'grail' of mine-
difficult to obtain secondhand and exorbitantly priced, very happy that it's finally been reprinted-
Wow! Love what I have read of PKD. Your thoughts when you get the opportunity would be appreciated.
I just finished Timeline by Michael Crichton .Great read !
I have started Duma Key by Stephen King and am enjoying it .
Quote from: Bogey on January 27, 2009, 10:23:35 PM
Wow! Love what I have read of PKD. Your thoughts when you get the opportunity would be appreciated.
I think it was in the mid '70s that I read my first PKD book & I've been a
Total Dick Head ever since-
I've bought & read all his books along with bios & books related to him
(like) 'Philip K. Dick Is Dead, Alas' by Michael Bishop
Where Phil's a character in a
very Dickian land &
any movie based on his work
(no matter how bad ie 'Next').................
I even have a shelf of DVDs that are not based on his work but seem influenced by him (Cypher, Virtual Nightmare & eXistenZ are a few)
If I were to list my 5 favorite novels-
UBIK, Time Out Of Joint, Flow My Tears (the policeman said), A Scanner Darkly & (one some people don't like) The Cosmic Puppets-
would be on the list most of the time.............
Tor Books has started putting out (in Jan.'07) some of Phil's hard to find
main stream fiction which I'm enjoying.
3 books have been released so far with one more due next month-
hope they keep going with this,
there (I believe) still 3 more they can put out. link (http://us.macmillan.com/themanwhoseteethwereallexactlyalike)
Two things I'm looking forward to are the
'Electric Ant' comic due out of Marvel this (?) year &
(a bit of a wait, but) the 'King Of the Elves' animated feature outta Disney ;D
a great blog here (http://totaldickhead.blogspot.com/) &
there's always www.philipkdick.com for news
and an interesting write up on the mainstream stuff here (http://readingcalifornia.typepad.com/reading_california_fictio/2006/07/philip_k_dick.html)
anything else you want to know-
feel free to ask~
Right now I'm reading Dark Shadows the Return of Barnebus Collins.I loved the old TV series and I cann't wait for Johnny Depp to come out with his version of Dark Shadows,it should be great!
I remember reading the paperbacks back in the 60s......I always wanted his cane....
Bizarro Jeff
Quote from: Street Worm on January 28, 2009, 08:03:44 AM
I think it was in the mid '70s that I read my first PKD book & I've been a Total Dick Head ever since-
I've bought & read all his books along with bios & books related to him
(like) 'Philip K. Dick Is Dead, Alas' by Michael Bishop
Where Phil's a character in a very Dickian land &
any movie based on his work
(no matter how bad ie 'Next').................
I even have a shelf of DVDs that are not based on his work but seem influenced by him (Cypher, Virtual Nightmare & eXistenZ are a few)
If I were to list my 5 favorite novels-
UBIK, Time Out Of Joint, Flow My Tears (the policeman said), A Scanner Darkly & (one some people don't like) The Cosmic Puppets-
would be on the list most of the time.............
Tor Books has started putting out (in Jan.'07) some of Phil's hard to find main stream fiction which I'm enjoying.
3 books have been released so far with one more due next month-
hope they keep going with this,
there (I believe) still 3 more they can put out. link (http://us.macmillan.com/themanwhoseteethwereallexactlyalike)
Two things I'm looking forward to are the
'Electric Ant' comic due out of Marvel this (?) year &
(a bit of a wait, but) the 'King Of the Elves' animated feature outta Disney ;D
a great blog here (http://totaldickhead.blogspot.com/) &
there's always www.philipkdick.com for news
and an interesting write up on the mainstream stuff here (http://readingcalifornia.typepad.com/reading_california_fictio/2006/07/philip_k_dick.html)
anything else you want to know-
feel free to ask~
Thankee much.
Quote from: Illoman on January 21, 2009, 10:45:05 PM
A dear friend of mine and her husband ran a comic book store for years. After he passed away in 1999 she ran the store two more years. When she shut it down she kept discovering things she bought years ago and put away. She gave me six Charles Addams' paperback books from the 60's!! She said they bought them on their first trip to New York city, and it looks like she never opened them! Minty fresh!!
I *love* Charles Addams!!!
Mike
You're KIDDING!! Man I HATE you. Seriously friend, congrats. That's a wonderful find.
Quote from: Scatter on January 29, 2009, 04:40:06 PM
You're KIDDING!! Man I HATE you. Seriously friend, congrats. That's a wonderful find.
Scatter, I forgot one, but here's a shot of what I have in case you're interested.
(http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc311/illoman/Addams.jpg)
I *love* Charles Addams' works!!
Mike
Quote from: Illoman on January 29, 2009, 05:02:47 PM
Scatter, I forgot one, but here's a shot of what I have in case you're interested.
(http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc311/illoman/Addams.jpg)
I *love* Charles Addams' works!!
Mike
NIIIIIIIIIICE!! Those look like they still have that new book smell LOL!! I was hoping you'd post a pic but didn't want to bother you.
Good grief, what are the odds of finding vintage Addams in that kind of pristine condition?? Stories like this keep me going to flea markets and garage sales ;D
Quote from: Illoman on January 29, 2009, 05:02:47 PM
Scatter, I forgot one, but here's a shot of what I have in case you're interested.
(http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc311/illoman/Addams.jpg)
I *love* Charles Addams' works!!
Mike
Mike those are sweet!!! I have the "Nightcrawlers" in hard back and used to check out the "Black Maria" paperback out from the Library years ago as a kid, but i've never seen some of these others. Crap, now I've got more collecting to do. ;D Those are awsome Mike.
Thanks, guys for the comments on the Addams' books. I'm really happy to own them. Check www.abe.com if you haven't: I saw some there relatively cheap.
Mike
That's a magnificent find, Mike!
The Creature from the Black Lagoon, Time's Black Lagoon.
13 Horror Tales by Jack London
Now I'm into Perelandra, book two of CS Lewis' space trilogy. Great stuff!!
Mike
Recently re-read "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen W. Hawking and "A Ghosthunter's Guide" by Arther Myers. Just started "The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu" by Sax Rohmer. Rohmer's Fu Manchu series is like a cross between Sherloch Holmes and James Bond, I love this series.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51YE4NP90SL._SL500_AA240_.jpg)
A web synopsis:
Find answers to key questions about the Bible. How accurate are modern translations such as the New International Version and the New Revised Standard Version? Why does the Roman Catholic Bible have more books than most Protestant Bibles? How can we be sure that the Biblical message has been accurately preserved through the centuries? How We Got the Bible, after more than forty years, has become a classic source of answers for these and other questions on how the Bible has come down to us. Now in this revised edition, you will find five new chapters covering the Septuagint, the Latin Vulgate, the Sinaitic Manuscript, the illuminated manuscripts, and more.
That book on the Bible looks very interesting...
Mike
Peculiar People: The Story of My Life by Augustus Cuthbert Hare (1834-1903) He was a writer and diarist who knew a lot of writers, artists, various notables, and more than a double handful of very eccentric people. Speaking of a stately home he was visiting: "There is another strange being in this house. It is Mr. Wooster, who came to arrange the collection of shells four years ago, and has never gone away. He looks like a church brass incarnated, and turns up his eyes when he speaks to you, till you see nothing but the whites. He also has a long trailing mustache....What he does here nobody seems to know; the Trevelyans say he puts the shells to rights, but the shells cannot take four years to dust." I love reminiscenses.
I just started The Living Dead which is an anthology of zombie stories. Just got it from SFBC (finally fulfilled my four book obligation!). It's ok so far...nothing really that's struck me as being especially great (but it's got that great Stephen King story "Home Delivery" which I've always liked).
Quote from: Illoman on February 16, 2009, 04:28:41 PM
That book on the Bible looks very interesting...
Mike
Couple chapters in, Mike. The first was interesting in that it covered what was used to write on during Biblical times and how each progressed over another.
Just started re-reading DRACULA.
Been honoring this Year of the Abe by thanking him with a performance/salute when I get a chance, and reading in the field.
Working through THE EVERY-DAY LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, a collection of "raw" first-person memories, collected only 20 years after his death.
-Craig
I'm sure most folks here recognize the name Gahan Wilson. He put out a collection of short stories that I highly recommend titled "The Cleft and Other Odd Tales." What's weird is when you read his stories, you can't help but render his descriptions in your mind with his unique, artistic style.
Quote from: Wich2 on February 17, 2009, 08:31:01 AM
Been honoring this Year of the Abe by thanking him with a performance/salute when I get a chance, and reading in the field.
Working through THE EVERY-DAY LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, a collection of "raw" first-person memories, collected only 20 years after his death.
-Craig
Craig, I didn't know such a book existed. I have a similar one only based on the life and times of Soren Kierkegaard. Exactly whats you said: the author collected every published and personal encounter with Kierkegaard. It gives a fascinating insight on how the man was perceived, either right or wrong in his environment at that time in history.
Did you watch that History channel show about Lincoln's grave last night? Very interesting stuff.
Mike
Missed that show, Mike. I assume it covered the attempted robbery of the body, etc?
EVERY-DAY doesn't collect ALL the memories; that would take a shelf, I think! But it's interesting to read less "filtered" stuff.
-Craig
Quote from: Wich2 on February 17, 2009, 09:56:29 AM
Missed that show, Mike. I assume it covered the attempted robbery of the body, etc?
EVERY-DAY doesn't collect ALL the memories; that would take a shelf, I think! But it's interesting to read less "filtered" stuff.
-Craig
Yeah, and how the attempt was doomed from the start because two of the gang were actually secret service informants! They did show an actual photograph of Lincoln's body lying in his casket, which they claimed was the only known photograph to exist. The secretary of state demanded no photographs be taken. Turns out he actually kept one that he confiscated and it wasn't discovered until 1956 or thereabouts.
I really wish Lloyd could've lived to see all this.
Mike
That pic has been published in a few books; it was taken here in City Hall, when he lay in state in NYC:
(http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/EE/images/uploads/lincolndeath.jpg)
There was also a rumored closer shot (taken in Indiana?) where the photo has been lost, but it was said to be the basis for an engraving.
-Craig
Quote from: Wich2 on February 17, 2009, 08:31:01 AM
Been honoring this Year of the Abe by thanking him with a performance/salute when I get a chance, and reading in the field.
Working through THE EVERY-DAY LIFE OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN, a collection of "raw" first-person memories, collected only 20 years after his death.
-Craig
Since you are enjoying your primary source read, do you have these on the shelf, Craig?
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.nps.gov/libo/images/collectedworks.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.nps.gov/libo/&usg=__iO7PalEaXkTWqoAQQqyQnVgW5NQ=&h=152&w=245&sz=16&hl=en&start=3&um=1&tbnid=HRcQGjqI96zBKM:&tbnh=68&tbnw=110&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dthe%2Bcollected%2Bworks%2Bof%2Babraham%2Blincoln%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.nps.gov/libo/images/collectedworks.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.nps.gov/libo/&usg=__iO7PalEaXkTWqoAQQqyQnVgW5NQ=&h=152&w=245&sz=16&hl=en&start=3&um=1&tbnid=HRcQGjqI96zBKM:&tbnh=68&tbnw=110&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dthe%2Bcollected%2Bworks%2Bof%2Babraham%2Blincoln%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG)
I picked up a set a few years back. What are your top three Lincoln books?
Bogey, I don't have the complete COLLECTED WORKS; I do have editor Roy Basler's one-volume selection. As far as "favorites," it would be hard to narrow the list to three; here's four, as of today:
- STORIES ABOUT ABRAHAM LINCOLN TO READ ALOUD - likely my first; a Wonder Book, left to me on my Grandma's death.
- ABRAHAM LINCOLN: THE PRAIRIE YEARS AND THE WAR YEARS (One-Volume Edition), by Carl Sandburg (I know he's been faulted for waxing a bit too "poetic," but I think he does get ahold of the man.)
- LINCOLN: A PICTURE STORY OF HIS LIFE, by Stefan Lorant - just wonderful, and a great help when I've played Abe.
- THE DAY LINCOLN WAS SHOT, by Jim Bishop - an early one, likely read just after seeing the similar TV docudrama by David Wolper. (It, and A. LINCOLN: HIS LAST 24 HOURS, by Reck, were very useful when I wrote my Audio Drama.)
I've read many of the "standard bios": Lord Charnwood; Ben. Thomas; Herndon; and (the One-Volume; I like focus!) Nicolay and Hay. As far as "modern" ones, David Donald's is terrific.
Over to you, Mike!
-Craig Wichman
Quote from: Wich2 on February 17, 2009, 02:11:47 PM
Over to you, Mike!
-Craig Wichman
Thanks, Craig. The only ones I have are these by Lloyd Ostendorf:
Lincoln's Photographs: A Complete Album
Abraham Lincoln- The Boy, The Man (softback and hardcover)
Lincoln's Unknown Private Life
Mr. Lincoln Came to Dayton
and Abraham Lincoln by Benjamin Thomas, which I haven't read yet.
Mike
"Lincoln's Unknown Private Life"
I would stay clear of that one...
Quote from: Wich2 on February 17, 2009, 02:50:11 PM
"Lincoln's Unknown Private Life"
I would stay clear of that one...
Since you brought that up...
The book Craig is talking about has been the subject of much debate in the land of Lincoln. It is reportedly the memoirs of a servant who lived in the White House and served the Lincoln's, told to a woman years later who had her laundry done by the servant. The servant told the woman many stories of her time with the Lincolns. Unfortunately the woman wrote them down in such a haphazard way she got her dates mixed up, stories out of sequence, pretty much made a mess out of what should have been an important chapter in the history of Lincoln's life. Lloyd Ostendorf found out about this, bought the manuscript the woman wrote, and then for years sought out a publisher. Finally in the late 90's one was found. There was quite a bit of buzz about the book, so much so that Whoopi Goldburg tried to secure the rights to make a film of it. As it turns out, once the Lincoln scholars saw the erratic timelines they dismissed it as bunk.
Lloyd always maintained that it may be true or not, but he felt it was his duty to get it out before people and let history judge the authenticity of it.
Thanks,
Mike
With respect to Lloyd, but less towards the author Ada Sutton, it seems likely that it went something like this...
She may or may not have heard some recollections of the laundress Mariah Vance (there was no confirmation of this from other sources); she may or may not have taken notes "in her own invented shorthand," as she said (no notes have been found.)
But sadly, the way the book reads, it looks as if she had a few hazy memories of hearing Vances's hazy memories, and then blended this with lightly changed stories she read in other Lincoln books and articles.
It's really sad, because if she'd hewn to the truth, even a teeny handful of fairly accurate unique tales would've been valuable; but there's no possible way to sift any nuggets out of the tons of chaff.
Best,
-Craig
Quote from: Wich2 on February 17, 2009, 05:55:24 PM
With respect to Lloyd, but less towards the author Ada Sutton, it seems likely that it went something like this...
It's really sad, because if she'd hewn to the truth, even a teeny handful of fairly accurate unique tales would've been valuable; but there's no possible way to sift any nuggets out of the tons of chaff.
Best,
-Craig
Craig, excellent summation, counselor. ;D
Mike
Thank you gentlemen.
As far as reading, my favorite is still the Sandburg account. I too read the one volume edition and knew ahead of time that it may be a bit stretched at points, but like you Craig I find it still the best intro to anyone starting out. I finally got the 4 volume set of The War Years, but need to nail down the Prairie Years 2 volume set before I re-read. I also read Donald's, but did not come away with much after the read. I find the Shelby Foote did a nice job with Lincoln in his three book set (still my favorite read on the CW, along with some that feature Maine connections-I was born very near to where Chamberlain was born). I have both of the assasination books on the shelf that you mentioned Craig. Read the Reck, but have not opened the other. I also enjoyed Lincoln at Gettysburg by Garry Wills. A short, but heavy read that I would recommend to those that have read a few books on Abe. As far as the Lloyd Ostendorf book, I will pass. If I want fact mixed with fiction, might as well do it right with Vidal's book. Two that I still need to give time to are Goodwin's Team of Rivals (read the first few chapters and learned a lot that I did not know about some of his cabinet members, especially their early lives) and if I read another straight bio, it will be the Thomas one that seems to have stood the test of time.
There was also a set(?) of books written by Nicolay and Hay, but they were out of print the last time I checked. Do either of you own them?
Also, was it just me, or did his 200th pass with very little fanfare. Even the NY Times did not have him on the front page, nor did our local paper here in Denver.
~Bill
Quote from: Bogey on February 17, 2009, 06:55:40 PM
Also, was it just me, or did his 200th pass with very little fanfare. Even the NY Times did not have him on the front page, nor did our local paper here in Denver.
~Bill
Bill, couldn't agree more with you. I tired to get our local "newspaper" interested in doing an article on the Ostendorf/Lincoln/Dayton connection, and was met by silence.
Mike
>There was also a set(?) of books written by Nicolay and Hay, but they were out of print the last time I checked. Do either of you own them?<
As mentioned in my list above, I have their One-Volume edition, too. A little bloodless, but valuable as written by contemporary peers.
>Also, was it just me, or did his 200th pass with very little fanfare.<
Not to THIS boy; it's The Year Of Abe, as far as I'm concerned:
http://www.radiodramarevival.com/ (http://www.radiodramarevival.com/)
http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=3061.75 (http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=3061.75)
Best,
-Craig W.
(http://i.biblio.com/z/114/401/9780375401114.jpg)
20 shorts from DH.
I usually have several books going at once. Mostly short story anthologies, but here's what I'm currently plowing through:
The Bible
The Private Lives of the Impressionists - Sue Roe
Lord of Samarcand - Robert E Howard
The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint Exupery
Mike
'In A Silent Way; A Portrait of Joe Zawinul' Brian Glasser &
'All Tomorrow's Parties' William Gibson (final novel of his Bridge trilogy)
I have a few I'm reading now, all fictional, dont care to read about history and all, did that in school.
Abomination-Colleen Coble
Kiss-Ted Dekker
Dragonlance Triology-Weis and Hickman
Biography of E.A. Bowles of Myddelton House (British horticulturalist)
INFLUENZA 1918 (worst epidemic in history)
SALAMANDER (story of the forger Mark Hoffman and the Mormon murders of 1985)
ART OF THE VINEYARD (by Gary Conway, who was the TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN!)
I'm reading a biography of Eleanor Roosevelt.
Anzio: Italy and the Battle of Rome 1944
Lloyd Clark
Quote from: ChattyLMS on August 03, 2009, 06:28:10 PM
I'm reading a biography of Eleanor Roosevelt.
Which one? Is it by chance
No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt by Doris Kearns Goodwin? If not, run, do not walk, to the store to buy this one! :)
I'm currently reading Tales to Astonish which is a Bio on Jack Kirby and also am reading Hawaii 2009.
BK
Here is an excerpt from the Hammett book I posted on the last page from one of his short stories. Absolutely classic!:
The Montgomery Hotel's regular detective had taken his last week's rake-off from the hotel bootlegger in merchandise instead of cash, had drunk it down, had fallen asleep in the lobby, and had been fired. I happened to be the only idle operative in the Continental Detective Agency's San Francisco branch at the time, and thus it came about that I had three days of hotel-coppering while a man was being found to take the job permanently.
The Montgomery is a quiet hotel of the better sort, and so I had a very restful time of it -- until the third and last day. Then things changed.
I came down into the lobby that afternoon to find Stacey, the assistant manager, hunting for me.
"One of the maids just phoned that there's something wrong up in 906," he said.
We went up to that room together. The door was open. In the centre of the floor stood a maid, staring goggle-eyed at the closed door of the clothes-press. From under it, extending perhaps a foot across the floor toward us, was a snake-shaped ribbon of blood.
I stepped past the maid and tried the door. It was unlocked. I opened it. Slowly, rigidly, a man pitched out into my arms -- pitched out backward -- and there was a six-inch slit down the back of his coat, and the coat was wet and sticky.
That wasn't altogether a surprise: the blood on the floor had prepared me for something of the sort. But when another followed him -- facing me, this one, with a dark, distorted face -- I dropped the one I had caught and jumped back.
And as I jumped a third man came tumbling out after the others.
From behind me came a scream and a thud as the maid fainted. I wasn't feeling any too steady myself. I'm no sensitive plant, and I've looked at a lot of unlovely sights in my time, but for weeks afterward I could see those three dead men coming out of that clothespress to pile up at my feet: coming out slowly -- almost deliberately -- in a ghastly game of 'follow your leader.'
Quote from: Illoman on August 03, 2009, 04:46:18 PM
I usually have several books going at once. Mostly short story anthologies, but here's what I'm currently plowing through:
The Bible
Mike
I have been hitting the Book of Romans pretty deeply over the past few weeks, Mike.
I'm finally getting around to reading "Carter Beats the Devil" by Glen David Gold -- half way through and loving it. Next up -- a bio of Charles Addams.
Quote from: Scary Terry on August 03, 2009, 10:13:23 PM
I'm finally getting around to reading "Carter Beats the Devil" by Glen David Gold -- half way through and loving it. Next up -- a bio of Charles Addams.
Terry, what's the name of the Bio on Addams?
BK
Quote from: Bogey on August 03, 2009, 09:13:46 PM
I have been hitting the Book of Romans pretty deeply over the past few weeks, Mike.
You can spend several weeks in that great book! It's deep! Enjoy!
Mike
Working on several things. Showcase Presents Jonah Hex #1. On the last 100 pages.
E.C Reprints of War Against Crime , I'm on issue 7. Tim Lebbon - Berserk. Haven't read him before but he gets high praise from the likes of Ramsey Campbell , Fangoria , Rue Morgue and Cemetery Dance. 200 pages into it with 90 in the last couple. Pretty good stuff. Also reading a Dan Turner Detective Pulp reprint. FUN stuff.
I'm in the middle of 3 books, as I usually am :o
'Hunger' by Knut Hamsun, 'the Sound of Waves' by Yukio Mishima, & X-Men: the Dark Phoenix Saga..
All pretty great so far!
Hamsun and Mishima! Ynnad, you have admirably interesting choices in reading material.
I just finished Jim Butcher's "Turn Coat" Great Book :)
Quote from: michblk on August 04, 2009, 05:17:26 AM
Terry, what's the name of the Bio on Addams?
BK
There's this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Charles-Addams-Cartoonists-Linda-Davis/dp/0679463259/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1249489288&sr=8-8 (http://www.amazon.com/Charles-Addams-Cartoonists-Linda-Davis/dp/0679463259/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1249489288&sr=8-8)
I just found out about it myself and started reading it. It came out in 2006.
Mike
Still working on Eleanor Roosevelt.
Hey, is that pronounced like Rose - a- velt or Roos (as in rooster) - a - velt?
I'm in the middle of A Voyage Long and Strange: On the Trail of Vikings, Conquistadors, Lost Colonists, and Other Adventurers in Early America by Tony Horwitz. This is part history, part travelogue and so far it's an eye-opener. It knocks the legs out from the stories we learned about the early days of America. Very surreal too.
just started Let the Right One In
Quote from: ChattyLMS on August 05, 2009, 12:56:49 PM
Still working on Eleanor Roosevelt.
Hey, is that pronounced like Rose - a- velt or Roos (as in rooster) - a - velt?
I hear it both ways pretty equally. I'm willing to bet, though, that most folks say Rose-a-velt, long 'o' sound, and the 's' is a 'z' sound, not a hard 's'... RO-zuh-velt.
I've heard ROOS-uh-velt (hard 's') many times, though.
I've also heard Eleanor Roosevelt could be a real 'hard s' sometimes!
Mike C.
Mike I pronounce it Rose-a-velt
Anyway, I finished my Eleanor Roosevelt book and I'm waiting for my book about Houdini.
Quote from: ChattyLMS on August 07, 2009, 06:39:41 PM
Mike I pronounce it Rose-a-velt
Anyway, I finished my Eleanor Roosevelt book and I'm waiting for my book about Houdini.
Which one Chatty?? I'm currently reading "The Secret Life Of Houdini"........along with some classic Charles Spurgeon sermons.
Quote from: Scatter on August 07, 2009, 09:50:12 PM
Which one Chatty?? I'm currently reading "The Secret Life Of Houdini"........along with some classic Charles Spurgeon sermons.
Scatter, I figured you would read only books with pictures in them or pop-ups ;D
Quote from: Dr.Teufel Geist on August 07, 2009, 10:05:25 PM
Scatter, I figured you would read only books with pictures in them or pop-ups ;D
The Charles Spurgeon sermons come with comic book illustrations of him kicking the arse of Jacob Arminius.
Well Scatter,
You're going to think I'm weird. It's a biography that is about a 5th grade level. There is a series of bios from a company called DK Books. Eleanor Roosevelt was in the same series. I also read about Helen Keller and Marie Curie from this series. They don't get into the same depth as the adult level reading books, but at least I'm learning about these people. I don't seem to have a long enough attention span for thicker books and these are quicker. Maybe I should read short stories. I do like biographies, though.
Hey Dr G!
This company makes those cool picture books, too!
My secret's out! I'm only in 5th grade!
That's okay, Scatter dun graduated from the 3rd grade, or was that Jethro ;D
Quote from: Dr.Teufel Geist on August 07, 2009, 10:51:52 PM
That's okay, Scatter dun graduated from the 3rd grade, or was that Jethro ;D
Jethro's got one up on Scatter. Cuz Jethro gradiated from that double knot spy school. ;)
QuoteCuz Jethro gradiated from that double knot spy school
Hey Wicked - That is spelled double naught spy. Naught in this case means zero. You must've gradiated from the school as Jethro. Maybe you can be a brain surgeon!
Quote from: ChattyLMS on August 08, 2009, 09:50:15 AM
Hey Wicked - That is spelled double naught spy. Naught in this case means zero. You must've gradiated from the school as Jethro. Maybe you can be a brain surgeon!
The way he says it comes out as knot. Besides I'd rather be a nukular fizzocist.
Quote from: typhooforme on August 04, 2009, 06:51:14 PM
Hamsun and Mishima! Ynnad, you have admirably interesting choices in reading material.
Thanks! I am quite the literature junkie (as I am with music & toys), so I find all kinds of stuff to read. I'm working on an English degree and am an English major at heart so I guess it's only natural! ;)
Quote from: Scatter on August 07, 2009, 10:07:08 PM
The Charles Spurgeon sermons come with comic book illustrations of him kicking the arse of Jacob Arminius.
What's the tile of this book? Got a cover pic?
Mike
Quote from: ChattyLMS on August 07, 2009, 10:41:27 PM
Well Scatter,
You're going to think I'm weird. It's a biography that is about a 5th grade level. There is a series of bios from a company called DK Books. Eleanor Roosevelt was in the same series. I also read about Helen Keller and Marie Curie from this series. They don't get into the same depth as the adult level reading books, but at least I'm learning about these people. I don't seem to have a long enough attention span for thicker books and these are quicker. Maybe I should read short stories. I do like biographies, though.
Hey Dr G!
This company makes those cool picture books, too!
My secret's out! I'm only in 5th grade!
It's no more "weird" than my practice of reading an encyclopedia biography of someone who intrigues me, both so I can at least familiarize myself with the person and so I can determine whether or not I want to delve more deeply into their story.
I'm not keen on spending what comparatively little reading time I'm afforded perusing a 700 page volume on someone I'm going to discover doesn't really interest me 300 pages in.
Getting a thumbnail sketch is an intelligent means of making yourself familiar with a broad range of people, events, and ideas. Good for you.
Quote from: michblk on August 04, 2009, 05:17:26 AM
Terry, what's the name of the Bio on Addams?
BK
Charles Addams: A Cartoonist's Life by Linda H. Davis
QuoteGood for you.
Thank you, Scatter!
Reading is reading whether it's 5th grade level or adult level. We're learning something, or learning about a person, or fueling our imaginations etc. It's good exercise for our brains.
I just picked up The Strain & 13 Bullets. I plan on starting on on of these books soon.
I just finished Gothic (The New Critical Idiom) by Fred Botting - "Like all of the NCI series, this title is an introduction designed not only to define modern terms of lit crit but also to stimulate discussion and encourage a deeper knowledge of the subject. Traces the history of the gothic and cultural significance of the form, from its beginnings in the 18th cent. to modern times." It was a little dry at times but I enjoyed it.
I'm very eager to start in on a nice collection of ghost stories by MR James and that'll be the next one I tackle.
Meanwhile I'm part of the way through: The Vampire Hunter's Guide to New England by Christopher Rhondina, Berta Daniels and Chuck Durang, Shudders, Shivers, Quivers & Quakes; A Reader of Horror and Dark Fantasy (volume 1) edited by Mathias Geretschlaeger & Dani Gelman, How I Paid for College: A Novel of Sex, Theft, Friendship & Musical Theater which I started reading awhile back and never got around to finishing - it is quite fun however. I also read The Bible though I can't directly touch it and usually need a lot of Visine afterwards.
Hexoxo,
Penny Dreadful
I finished reading "The Strain" 3-4 weeks ago - you'll love it...
Bizarro Jeff
Penny, M.R. James' work is generally my top pick for a perfect ghost story. I hope you like them. "Martin's Close", "The Ash Tree", "O Whistle and I'll Come to You", "The Mezzotint"--they have such great creeping, hobbling, lurking, crawling moments!
too hot for roofing, today-
hid out in the AC & reread all my Elephantmen (http://www.hipflask.com/issues/) comics~ ;D
Finished the bio of Charles Addams, and am now onto a collection of short stories by Flannery O'Connor. Great, gothic and grotesque!!
Mike
Just started reading Battle Circle by Piers Anthony for about the tenth time.
Working on a new project and I have been catching up on my Edgar Allan Poe.
Quote from: gracebuster on August 12, 2009, 09:57:30 AM
Working on a new project and I have been catching up on my Edgar Allan Poe.
Don't let him outrun you.
Brandy new in the mail today!
(http://gallery.unrealspawnboard.com/albums/userpics/10006/PKD-23.bmp)
Just finished The Secret Life Of Houdini. An EXCELLENT read.
(http://msnbcmedia4.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/061030/061030_houdini_vmed2p.widec.jpg)
Just now delving into David McCullough's "1776".
(http://buber.net/Blah/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/1776-mccullough.jpg)
Just got the new biography of Flannery O'Connor from the library. I was lucky enough to find a paperback collection of all her short stories at Half Price Books relatively cheap.
Mike
Hey Scatter, I read 1776 last year, you'll enjoy it.
Quote from: BaronLatos35 on August 18, 2009, 12:48:14 PM
Hey Scatter, I read 1776 last year, you'll enjoy it.
Thanks Baron!! I love McCollugh, and I'm a Revolutionary War buff, so I don't see how I can miss on this one!!
Quote from: Scatter on August 18, 2009, 12:57:32 PM
Thanks Baron!! I love McCollugh, and I'm a Revolutionary War buff, so I don't see how I can miss on this one!!
Didnt you fight in that war?
Quote from: Dr.Teufel Geist on August 18, 2009, 01:31:50 PM
Didnt you fight in that war?
I was an early cross dresser. You would know me as Betsy Ross.
Scarry monsters. I like the section by the doctor guy
QuoteI finished reading "The Strain" 3-4 weeks ago - you'll love it...
Heh. Guillermo Del Toro has been here in Melbourne having written (?) a new horror film that Katie Holmes is starring in, filming here. He was in the shop a few weeks back ogling a Rocketeer bust but hasn't been back yet.
Anyway one of our SF book customers joked that THE STRAIN is an autobiographical book about Del Toro going to the loo.
:D
Sorry Guillermo, but see the funny side, man....
Just got through reading the Player's Handbook 2:Primal,Arcane, and Divine Heroes
It was a really good read ;D
Just got into Alive In Necropolis by Doug Dorst.
Takes place in one of my favorite towns: Colma, California. Where most of the residents reside underground.
Currently in the middle of A Long Way Down by Nick Hornby. Also continuing that Mishima book I've been on, and going to start Ask The Dust by John Fante... Along with a graphic novel or two..
The Grizzly Maze - a book about Timothy Treadwell that came out before Herzog's film.
on deck is Pride and Prejudice and Zombies
"Our Vanishing Landscape" by Eric Sloane...wonderful look at the many early building methods, technologies, and ways of life in America. Illustrated with beautiful drawings. Quite a read...brings the past to life!
Eric Sloane is not only a good writer but a fine artist. I love his illustrations and used to use prints of some of his work way back when I was teaching Freshman American History.
Quote from: Scatter on August 18, 2009, 12:13:25 PM
Just now delving into David McCullough's "1776".
(http://buber.net/Blah/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/1776-mccullough.jpg)
Great book. Do not pass over his John Adams either if you have not read it..
Just finished up:
(http://examinetheword.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/screwtape3.jpg?w=183&h=247)
I'm reading about Houdini but I'm not making lots of progress. I'll probably have to read it a 2nd time.
"Saga of old city" by Gary Gygax
Quote from: Bogey on August 24, 2009, 11:50:16 PM
Great book. Do not pass over his John Adams either if you have not read it..
Just finished up:
(http://examinetheword.files.wordpress.com/2009/02/screwtape3.jpg?w=183&h=247)
I've got the John Adams in the queue..........and Screwtape Letters is a terrific read too!!
Quote from: Scatter on August 26, 2009, 07:43:25 PM
.........and Screwtape Letters is a terrific read too!!
Somewhere I've got an audiobook of John Cleese reading the Screwtape Letters, but oddly enough I've never heard it yet.
Mike
Quote from: Scatter on August 26, 2009, 07:43:25 PM
I've got the John Adams in the queue..........and Screwtape Letters is a terrific read too!!
My wife enjoyed reading it while the mini series was going. Dude can flat out write.
The Screwtapes were pretty deep. Amazing how one could play that role (C.S) and make it so real. His devious "subtleness" with Screwtape was nothing short of brilliant.
Quote from: Illoman on August 26, 2009, 08:27:49 PM
Somewhere I've got an audiobook of John Cleese reading the Screwtape Letters, but oddly enough I've never heard it yet.
Mike
I do not think I could listen to them. I found myself re-reading too many, Mike, and even then, some just were to hard for me to get my head around. I had to have absolute silence when I picked up the book and only could absorb a few at a time. On a side note, we delve into Romans 10 tomorrow and as well I am reading the Bible from start to finish in a year. At the back of the one I am currently using, it has a pacing guide to keep one on target.
Quote from: Bogey on August 26, 2009, 09:58:42 PM
On a side note, we delve into Romans 10 tomorrow and as well I am reading the Bible from start to finish in a year. At the back of the one I am currently using, it has a pacing guide to keep one on target.
Awesome!! I've tried that a few times and just am not disciplined enough to keep at it. Plus I work two 14 hour days per week and that makes it tough to stay on target weekly. Enjoy the trip through God's Word!!
Mike
I am about done reading a book called The Living Dead. It is a good book made up of short stories about zombies of course. It is worth checking out, there are some pretty good stories. Zombie Grin
Just finished RETURN OF THE WOLFMAN by jeff rovin. What a fantastic read for all classic Monster fans.
The book is a sequel to A/C meet frankenstein. But has tid bits of info for true Monster kids.
Find a copy and enjoy.It's not great fiction , but is truly fun.
63monsterkidd
I used to think books on disk or tape made little sense, unless you were visually impaired. Then last Summer, I got tired of the nonstop political BS on the radio. So, one day at they library, I noticed a Tony Hillerman mystery on CDs. I checked it out and put the disks in the player in my car. I was hooked.
Too many years ago, in high school, and later in college, I managed to get a lot of reading done on the bus. Now I have doubled my available reading time.
So: Currently, I am reading The March by E.L. Doctorow, and "reading" Virgil's Aeneid on my car's CD.
Quote from: Fester on August 30, 2009, 06:31:16 PM
Then last Summer, I got tired of the nonstop political BS on the radio.
I got tired of the bs on teevee years years ago, and would rather read any time, any where!!
Mike
Gave up on TV maybe 20 tears ago. The few channels we get with the rabbit ears are enough. Those, and the tapes and DVDs are enough.
My wife and I watch about a total of 90 minutes a week of tv, and that is due to our enjoyment of masterpiece (Theater)/Mystery. We will watch dvds on Friday night and sometimes Saturday, but that is about it. Monday through Thursday the tv never gets turned on. The kiddos (11 and 6) also follow this schedule (save Sunday) and they do end up getting through quite a few books.
Finished "1776", and can't recommend it highly enough. Terrific read!!
Just started "Benjamin Franklin; An American Life" by Walter Isaacson. I wasn't familiar with Isaacson before this, but he's a very engaging writer, mixing a bit of humor into the narrative. So far, so good.
Reading ALOT of stuff at the same time. New issue of Cemetery Dance mag. New issue of Filmfax. Just finished Showcase Jonah Hex. A couple hundred pages into a Tim Lebbon Anthology of novellas. Good writer but subject matter is not what I am used to. He has won a few awards and high praise by the best but not THAT impressed. Just finished my E.C reprints of early crime (Crime Patrol) GREAT! I keep starting an anthology called Monstrous but I read it late and keep falling asleep after a couple pages.
Quote from: Scatter on September 02, 2009, 02:27:50 PM
Just started "Benjamin Franklin; An American Life" by Walter Isaacson. I wasn't familiar with Isaacson before this, but he's a very engaging writer, mixing a bit of humor into the narrative. So far, so good.
Another one my wife loved.
Quote from: Bizarro Jeff on August 10, 2009, 01:47:07 PM
I finished reading "The Strain" 3-4 weeks ago - you'll love it...
Bizarro Jeff
Reading this now based on friend's recommendation. So far so good. It sucks you in and I can't put it down. Wish I had a day off to finish it!
Green- Ted Dekker
I've got a couple of things going. At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald, and the Saga of Solomon Kane which is a collection of SK stories from various Marvel mags and comics published by Dark Horse.
Mike
Just finished Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Don't let the Newberry prize for children's books deter you. It will appeal to adults as well as Gaiman does not talk down to his audience.
Basic story w/o spoilers. It is a riff on Jungle Book. Toddler raised by ghosts in an old cemetery grows up and confronts the events that put him there. Hopefully there is a movie in the works.
Quote from: Illoman on September 12, 2009, 06:09:03 AM
I've got a couple of things going. At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald, and the Saga of Solomon Kane which is a collection of SK stories from various Marvel mags and comics published by Dark Horse.
Mike
Solomon Kane rules!!, just hope the movie will rule to 8)
Reading "Ministry Of Greed" about the televangelist scandals of the late 80s (PTL Club, Jim and Tammy Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart, etc ) as well as Alfred Edersheim's "The Life And Times Of Jesus The Messiah"...........800 pages, so I'll be at it a while LOL!!
"Ministry Of Greed" and "The Life And Times Of Jesus The Messiah"
Man, Talk about going in two directions at once! ;)
Right now I'm reading "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell" by Susanna Clarke and "The Way Through Doors" by Jesse Ball. The first is a sort of gothic Tolkien-Austen synthesis about wizards living in the time of the Napoleonic Wars. It's going to take me a while to finish because of its somewhat intimidating size, but I'm really enjoying it.
"The Way Through Doors" is a very surreal mind trip. It's written in verse and basically tells the story of a man who poses as the boyfriend of a girl who's lost her memory and he goes on this journey to piece it back together. It has so many layers to it, but I've found myself mostly appreciating the book for its artfulness. I've never read something so unique and powerful.
Quote from: Dr.Teufel Geist on September 12, 2009, 04:46:01 PM
Solomon Kane rules!!, just hope the movie will rule to 8)
Early indications are that this will go the way of those awful Conan films; directors who have to play fast and loose with the source material, ignoring the character the way the author envisioned him, for their own misguided vision. Visually it looks pretty good, script-wise, not so good if you're a Robert E Howard fan.
Mike
I've just started reading a book about Einstein. It's another in the series of biographies that I've been reading. It's just about a 5th grade level so it's really easy reading. I seem to lose intrest in big think books nowadays. Ill be reading music again starting on Monday. My piano lessons start up for the year, school year that is.
Learning or teaching piano?
Learning. Adults take much longer to learn it. You won't see me at Carnegie Hall anytime soon. The problem is coordinating the hands. I put them on the keyboard and all of a sudden I can't find them. ;D
Tales from the Crypt. Based on the movie and EC comic stories. Tried to post a pic several times but it wasn't happening.. Got this from a friend at work that worked in the book whse back in the day. Warehouse stash find.This is a 4th printing 1972 and I was the first person to read this book 37 years later. :o If anyone else is interested PM me with an offer. It guides at $10-20.
I am reading William Castle's autobiography for the 2nd go-around, and it's just great fun. A wonder-filled story.
My latest ish of SCARY MONSTERS MAGAZINE # 72.
Reading The original Amityville Horror. :o
The Evil in Pemberley House (http://www.philipjosefarmer.tk/) by Philip Jose Farmer & Win Scott Eckert
pretty cool so far~
3 Complete Novels in one,"The Lost years of Merlin"/"The Seven Songs of Merlin"/"The Fires of Merlin" by T.A. Barron
They begin when he is just a young child, and tell how he became known as Merlin.
It's a great book, if you like Wizards/Fantasy type of books.
I'm just about done reading David Wellington's "99 Coffins" This the second book of his I have read and I think he is great.
Checking in............just finished "Silent Films And The Triumph of Movie Culture", and "The History Of Christianity Through The Dawn Of The Reformation".
"99 Coffins" is finished and now I'm on the third book "Vampire Zero" by David Wellington.
Started re-reading 'Salem's Lot. Chilling...and I'm still in the beginning.
I think its knowing what's ahead that is getting me or that this book/movie scared the bejesus outta me when I was a kid.
Also reading The Complete Dracula from Dynamite Entertainment. Highly recommended comic adaptation.
Still working on Einstein. I'm not getting much reading time in. I am getting more piano time in however. Does reading music count? I'm working on Cole Porter's True Love.
<Waltz time> "I give to you and you give to me true love, true love"
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/613zpFO9%2ByL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_.jpg)
The chapter on Bach was worth alone the price of the book.
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir A. Conan Doyle. I've forgotten how good this was.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51NuFLO3XgL._SL500_AA240_.jpg)
Think gunfighter, and Wyatt Earp or Billy the Kid may come to mind, but what of Jim Moon? Joel Fowler? Zack Light? A host of other figures helped forge the gunfighter persona, but their stories have been lost to time. In a sequel to his Deadly Dozen, celebrated western historian Robert K. DeArment now offers more biographical portraits of lesser-known gunfighters--men who perhaps weren't glorified in legend or song, but who were rightfully notorious in their day.
and
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51uh86hfxvL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_.jpg)
Before he brilliantly traversed the gritty landscapes of underworld Detroit and Miami, Elmore Leonard wrote breathtaking adventures set in America's nineteenth-century western frontier—elevating a popular genre with his now-trademark twisting plots, rich characterizations, and scalpel-sharp dialogue.
Finished Hound of the Baskervilles by A. Conan Doyle, started Dracula by Bram Stoker. These are two of several novels I enjoy rereading every few years.
I'm almost done with Vampire Zero. Only problem is I tried reading it while on pain meds. So I need to reread 2 or 3 chapters. ::)
Quote from: Bogey on October 24, 2009, 03:24:45 PM
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51NuFLO3XgL._SL500_AA240_.jpg)
Think gunfighter, and Wyatt Earp or Billy the Kid may come to mind, but what of Jim Moon? Joel Fowler? Zack Light? A host of other figures helped forge the gunfighter persona, but their stories have been lost to time. In a sequel to his Deadly Dozen, celebrated western historian Robert K. DeArment now offers more biographical portraits of lesser-known gunfighters--men who perhaps weren't glorified in legend or song, but who were rightfully notorious in their day.
and
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51uh86hfxvL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_.jpg)
Before he brilliantly traversed the gritty landscapes of underworld Detroit and Miami, Elmore Leonard wrote breathtaking adventures set in America's nineteenth-century western frontier—elevating a popular genre with his now-trademark twisting plots, rich characterizations, and scalpel-sharp dialogue.
I'm a monster fan but am also big on westerns with Doc Holliday being one of my TOP characters of that era. So these sound like eventual must haves.
HOLLYWOOD'S MADDEST DOCTORS, by Gregory W. Mank. A great triple biography of Atwill, Clive and Zucco. WHO FRAMED BORIS KARLOFF, by Dwight Kemper. This is a pleasant homage to the SON OF FRANKENSTEIN, and a fun murder mystery solved by Mssrs. Lugosi, Karloff and Rathbone! Sara Jane Karloff wrote the forward, and obviously enjoyed the result. GODS & MONSTERS by James Curtis...required reading for anyone who loves James Whale...and for a relish, the novelisation of JOURNEY'S END, by R.C. Sherriff.
I love books about PEOPLE, and especially about how authors make their characters live...
Elisabeth
Bram Stoker's Dracula
I haven't read this in decades so it's almost new to me again.
Quote from: Wicked Lester on October 24, 2009, 06:49:59 PM
I'm a monster fan but am also big on westerns with Doc Holliday being one of my TOP characters of that era. So these sound like eventual must haves.
'Evening, Lester. The above is Vol. II. I have not read Vol. I, but for this book he spends his intro discussing how the gunfighters here in his book are rarely found in any other books, including some of the better western overviews that have been written. Pretty cool stuff at this end seeing his first subject, Jim Moon hung out here in the Denver area. C:) Let me know what books you have enjoyed about Doc Holiday.
Lesser known gunfighters, eh? I hope he included Big Bad Irving, the 142nd fastest gun in the west.
http://dmdb.org/lyrics/irving.html (http://dmdb.org/lyrics/irving.html)
I just finished Boneshaker by Cherie Priest. Originally an author of southern Gothic ghost stories, she has now branched off into steampunk. Boneshaker includes zombies, airship pirates, and a mad scientist, all amongst the wreckage of Seattle in 1879. It is kind of like a steam powered Road Warrior meets Dawn of the Dead on the set of The Night Strangler. But the main storyline of a woman coming to grips with her past while rescuing her son is quite compelling too.
Just finished "Buster Keaton:Tempest In A Flat Hat".
Now reading "My 75 Years In The NFL" by the Pittsburgh Steeler's owner Dan Rooney.
Just finished up
"The Evil in Pemberley House" (http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2009/03/06/friday-at-pemberley-house-with-win-eckert/) written by Philip José Farmer & Win Scott Eckert-
Pretty cool, always liked the Wold Newton (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wold_Newton_family) stuff.
Just starting "River Of Eternity" (http://www.xs4all.nl/~rnuninga/NovCol/NCroe.htm) also by Farmer (a recent Ebay snag)
Quote from: Bogey on October 24, 2009, 07:58:16 PM
'Evening, Lester. The above is Vol. II. I have not read Vol. I, but for this book he spends his intro discussing how the gunfighters here in his book are rarely found in any other books, including some of the better western overviews that have been written. Pretty cool stuff at this end seeing his first subject, Jim Moon hung out here in the Denver area. C:) Let me know what books you have enjoyed about Doc Holiday.
I haven't read much western wise in several years. About 8-10 years ago I was on a kick and read almost nothing but cowboys,gunfighters , Indians, mountain men etc. I killed 40-50 books in a year.
One book I still have that I have been meaning to reread is Doc Holliday Gunfighter by Matt Braun.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51TCZAVX5QL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA240_SH20_OU01_.jpg)
A reprint of Michael Egremont's 1936 British novelisation of BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN. I remember an ad for it in the back of FM, and remembering spending $25.00. That was in 1969, so it was about five week's allowance.....FOR A REPRINT! The last price I saw for the British First edition was almost $1,000.00!!!
Yipes!...I'd have to mortgage the family castle....
Elisabeth :)
Just finished Dracula The Un-Dead by Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt. It is quite a rollercoaster of a "sequel" to Dracula. Lots of twists and turns in the plot. Fact and fiction are intertwined almost seamlessly and it is open to a sequel. There are a few quibbles with some details -- still trying to figure out why in the heck everyone these days has to work a katana into a sword fight. Especially in 1912. In England. Everyone is English, Dutch, or Romanian.
I'm reading "Fred Allen's Letters". A collection of correspondence comedian/humorist Fred Allen sent to various people.
Mike
In the middle of two books, the Sherlock Holmes novel, "The Sign of the Four" and "Good Omens" by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.
I'm gonna be reading David Wellingtons vampire series for a while. It's like 1200 pages long.
I'm waiting for a book about Charles Darwin.
Read lotsa Horror Comics for Halloween (esp. Charlton, like MIDNIGHT TALES and HAUNTED LOVE); soon will get in the Christmas spirit with some, esp. the CLASSIC "Dennis the Menace" Holiday Giants.
Right now, a facsimile of an old CAPTAIN BILLY'S WHIZBANG, which some know was a precurser to a FAMOUS comic! (Robert? Mike?)
And a collection of Arthur Machen stories...
-Craig
Quote from: Wich2 on November 10, 2009, 10:44:09 PM
Right now, a facsimile of an old CAPTAIN BILLY'S WHIZBANG, which some know was a precurser to a FAMOUS comic! (Robert? Mike?)
-Craig
Well, I'd have to guess, but I'd guess Captain Marvel?
Mike
Quote from: ChattyLMS on November 10, 2009, 07:23:28 PM
I'm waiting for a book about Charles Darwin.
Is there a particular one about him you're waiting for?
Quote from: Wicked Lester on November 10, 2009, 07:12:13 PM
I'm gonna be reading David Wellingtons vampire series for a while. It's like 1200 pages long.
I'm finishing Wellington's third book in this series. IMO they have been great.
POVERTY ROW HORRORS, by Tom Weaver....a wonderful book about our secret vices. THE STAR MACHINE by Janine Basinger, a book about how the great stars of the golden era of Hollywood were "manufactured". The REGENERATION series by Pat Barker...about WWI
Elisabeth
>>Right now, a facsimile of an old CAPTAIN BILLY'S WHIZBANG, which some know was a precurser to a FAMOUS comic! (Robert? Mike?)<<
>Well, I'd have to guess, but I'd guess Captain Marvel?<
Yep - CAPTAIN Marvel, aka BILLY Batson, from WHIZ comics!
-Craig
reading a bunch of Agatha Christie's mysteries.great read.
THE LIVES AND LOVES OF DAISY AND VIOLET HILTON by Dean Jensen. Title makes it sound trivial, but it's a scholarly biography--reads really well, and nearly 400 pp. Needless to say, not a very cheerful book but certainly a must for those interested in the life story of two of the more famous "Very Special People".
Read Salem's Lot for the first time around Halloween, and I found it to very enjoyable. Now reading Them: Adventures with Extremists by Jon Ronson. Ronson is a British journalist who spent time with a bunch of different extremists with differing philosophies and beliefs to discover what makes them tick. What's fascinating is that at the heart of their beliefs they all seem to think there is some great conspiracy by a small group of very powerful people. Ronson also wrote The Men Who Stare At Goats, which was a much better book than it was a movie.
I am currently reading, The Complete Stories and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe.
Frankenstein
Conan the Adventurer by Robert E. Howard. Fifth in the Conan series.
Quote from: CreepysFan on November 21, 2009, 12:49:08 AM
Conan the Adventurer by Robert E. Howard. Fifth in the Conan series.
Top-shelf!
"50 Great Ghost Stories" edited by John Canning; and every old story in it--based on fact, as far as we know--is most readable.
Quote from: CreepysFan on November 21, 2009, 12:49:08 AM
Conan the Adventurer by Robert E. Howard. Fifth in the Conan series.
I am a HUGE Robert E Howard fan. If you're interested in reading pure, undiluted REH, pick up those Del Rey paperbacks. The Lancers, which I cut my eyeteeth on back in grade school/high school, I've come to find out have some serious issues with the integrity of the text. I still have my set of Lancers, and some emotional attachment to them, but I'd rather read Howard's stuff the way he intended it.
Mike
I just started "My Life in Toons" by Joe Barbara. The Hanna Barbera cartoons were my absolute favorites when I was a kid: The Flintstones, the Jetsons, Top Cat, the Banana Splits, Touche Turtle, etc...
My brother also just found me a first edition copy of the book Tomorrow Midnight, the 1966 paperback with the EC comics adaptations of Ray Bradbury stories! He found it in a used book store for under $5!!! That's next!
Mike
Just finished 'Radix' by AA Attanasio
(way near the top of my top ten favorite sci-fi books)
and am now starting 'In Other Worlds'
the second book in his Radix Tetrad
In the middle of The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes now.
Also for fan's of H. P. Lovecraft, check out this fun H. P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast:
http://www.hppodcraft.com (http://www.hppodcraft.com)
CRIME ON MY HANDS, a murder mystery written by George Sanders...aka "The Falcon" and "The Saint". I've been looking for this for years, because I love all three. Sanders and the two detective series.
Elisabeth ededed
Not sure what happened. I was 200 pages into the first David Wellington Vampire book and was stoked enough to buy the whole series at that point. Life got in the way and I have been watching tons of 70s horror stuff and haven't read anything in a month.
Now I am about 60 pages in to Showcase House of Mystery. Ok but not impressed. IMO, almost NO ONE in the 70's 80s came close to old E.C horror in story content and art.
I'll be back to Wellington tonite since all my NFL teams are crappin out. Winter is coming and that is when I do most my reading.
Quote from: Wicked Lester on November 29, 2009, 05:49:39 PM
Now I am about 60 pages in to Showcase House of Mystery. Ok but not impressed. IMO, almost NO ONE in the 70's 80s came close to old E.C horror in story content and art.
Well, I can't agree with you on that. Berni Wrightson and Nestor Redondo were superb artists who I would put up against any of the EC guys.
Mike
Quote from: Illoman on November 29, 2009, 06:32:13 PM
Well, I can't agree with you on that. Berni Wrightson and Nestor Redondo were superb artists who I would put up against any of the EC guys.
Mike
I did say ALMOST no one. Of course Berni Wrightson goes without saying. Also like the art of Gray Morrow. And not in this volume enjoy the art of Tom Sutton. I may be comparing snow apples to beautiful tangerines here since the Showcase are all B/W and my E.C reprints are color. I have had some of the original issues 2 or 3 times in my life and when it comes to the full package of art and good to great story with a decent ending , IMO,E.C is still the tops. D.C did have some pretty good art but when combined with a soso story with a lame ending it just seems like a waste of talent which leaves one thinking "If only they are gone this direction or ended it like ..."
I just polished off the last book (so far...) in Jim Butcher's 'The Dresden Files' & am now starting the Landover series by Terry Brooks -
And so far, I'm liking it...
;D
Fodors Hawaii! ;D
A YANKEE IN THE TRENCHES, written by a young American who served with the Britsh Army in WWI. Very, VERY GOOD. I remember that my grandfather wanted to go 1n 1915 (his parents were British). All I can say is Thank GOD the Army rejected him..otherwise I probably wouldn't be here.
Elisabeth ededed
I'm reading a book about Charles Darwin.
When Pride Mattered
Just starting "The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre".
Mike
HOLLYWOOD CAULDRON, by Gregory Mank.
Absolutely wonderful.
Elisabeth
ededed thrhrt
I read "A Christmas Carol" last night in approx. 3hrs., my favorite story.
I am currently reading The Life and Times of Chaucer by John Gardner and Canterbury Tales (in middle english).
Just started a text on forensic psychology. Gotta head to the library and see if the new King book is out there....
Bizarro Jeff
Quote from: LundyAfterMidnight on December 13, 2009, 05:43:53 PM
I read "A Christmas Carol" last night in approx. 3hrs., my favorite story.
I've been meaning to read that for close to 30 years and I never get around to it.
THE DOG SAYS HOW by Kevin Kling--short autobiographical stories (you might know him from NPR).
I'm about a quarter of the way through the Diary of Anne Frank... recommended reading for anyone...
Quote from: Wicked Lester on December 14, 2009, 07:14:55 PM
I've been meaning to read that for close to 30 years and I never get around to it.
Take an evening and read it. It is one of the best books you could read this time of the year.
Final Diagnosis
ANOTHER wonderful book by Gregory Mank, entitled DWIGHT FRYE'S LAST LAUGH. Sheer delight! It's a wonderful thing to give these gifted, intelligent performers their due. For the fans like us, who have always loved him, and those who are just discovering Classic Horror...it's great fun to discover the man behind Renfield's cackle!
Did you know that Mr. Frye was an artist as well as a classically trained pianist? I didn't... He also worked on the stage with Josephine Hutchinson in 1925. How I would have enjoyed seeing that...
This one is well worth any price you might have to pay. Frye fans will wear it out!
Elisabeth
ededed
Just started 'South Carolina Reader: a history of South Carolina' by Mary C. Oliphant.
"Murder In Brentwood".
"Mae West:It Ain't No Sin".
THE GREAT IMPERSONATION by Oppenheim. The style is a blend of The Prisoner of Zenda and the playing fields of Eton. Plenty of stiff upper lips, evil spies...and heroines that could only be played by Valerie Hobson.
In fact, Valerie DID play in THE GREAT IMPERSONATION at "Big U" in1935. Unfortunately, it was a true horror...and NOT for the reason we would wish. It's fun, though...even if it does have a Monogram look about it.
Elisabeth
:) :) ededed
The House by Bentley Little. Not what I expected but not bad even tho part of the plot is somewhat disturbing.
Illiad by Homer
Robert Fagles translation
VAUDEVILLE HUMOR, THE COLLECTED JOKES, ROUTINES, AN DSKITS OF ED LOWRY (Southern Illinois Univ. Press, 2002). Hilarious, if not p.c.!
I hadn't been reading much as of late but recently had some time to finish a few books;
Last year (actually it may have been late 2008) my mom told my wife and I about the book she was reading, Under the Influence: The Unauthorized Story of the Anheuser-Busch Dynasty. It sounded like a pretty interesting book so we borrowed it, it sat there for sometime while my wife read the Twilight series. She eventually read it and it laid there again collecting dust for awhile. I finally picked it up around Christmas and read it much to my wife's delight since now she had someone to discuss the book with. Whether you're a drinker or not or whether you care for Anheuser-Busch's beverages the book is quite a good read.
Next up I received 3 books for Christmas:
Midnight Marquee Actors Series Vincent Price: Just a straight forward book about Vincent's work, I prefer books like The Immortal Count or Gentleman's Life, but I still enjoyed it.
Ramones An American Band: A very short but informative read, again I would have liked some more behind the scenes info in this title.
Dracula The Un-Dead: I didn't even know about this title but my wife saw it and took a chance on it. I finished it but would not recommend it to anyone, it was the worst piece of drivel ever concocted in my opinion. Dracula isn't even the main character and is given very little to do. Furthermore Dacre Stoker and Ian Holt contradict (with a little revisionist history) several things that happened in Dracula and to me it felt like a smear upon Bram's classic novel.
I'm currently reading The War of the Worlds; The Deluxe Illustrated Edition which my mom found at the dollar store for....you guessed it a dollar!! The book is comprised of 3 parts:
Part I: Orson Welles and The War of the Worlds
An overview of the events that happened that October night in 1938 and the aftermath. The original radio play script is presented as well as a brief biography of Orson Welles.
Part II: Mars in Popular Culture
Details the rise of outer space in popular culture from pulp mags to movie screens and UFO/martian sightings.
Part III: H.G. Wells and The War of the Worlds
Includes a biography on H.G. Wells and his novel The War of the Worlds is presented as well.
The book also came with a 72 min cd featuring the original radio broadcast, Orson's October 31st press conference, H.G. Wells meeting Orson Welles, An Excerpt from "War of the Worlds" on WKBW Radio and Orson Welles recollections on the original broadcast.
All and all not a bad deal for a buck....
'The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre'
Very long, but great!
Quote from: I am the Female Dracula on January 27, 2010, 03:51:26 PM
'The Lost One: A Life of Peter Lorre'
Very long, but great!
I sorta read that one last year. I found myself skimming through it several times, but enjoyed learning more about Peter Lorre.
Mike
Re-reading ghost stories by M.R. James--they remain my favorite ghost stories. Just the "right flavor" for me, I guess.
Also re-reading Shirley Jackson's RAISING DEMONS. So many funny recollections!
"Company Commander"
Charles B. MacDonald
An excellent WWII memoir on the Western Front. This one is considered a classic in the sense it came out a few years after WWII and is still in print today, much like Alan Clark's "Barbarosa" (another excellent academic work on the Eastern Front). The version I have came with a packet of repro maps MacDonald used trekking across France and Germany, from operational level down to tactical level.
Currently reading a bunch of Dan Turner Hollywood Detective stories by Robert Leslie Bellem.
(http://www.vintagelibrary.com/images/gir195.jpg)
Total cheese spicey pulp detective with crazy slang and lingo. FUN stuff.
Just finished Jack Ketchum's "Red". Not what I thought it was gonna be, but really enjoyed reading it. Look forward to "Girl Next Door" which I think is gonna be more in the vein of what I was seeking.
With Robert P. Parker gone, I'm starting at the first Spenser and working my way down....
Bizarro Jeff
Shirley Jackson's RAISING DEM0NS. Quite a change from her HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE!
Quote from: zombiehorror on January 27, 2010, 12:48:33 PM
I'm currently reading The War of the Worlds; The Deluxe Illustrated Edition which my mom found at the dollar store for....you guessed it a dollar!! The book is comprised of 3 parts:
Part I: Orson Welles and The War of the Worlds
An overview of the events that happened that October night in 1938 and the aftermath. The original radio play script is presented as well as a brief biography of Orson Welles.
Part II: Mars in Popular Culture
Details the rise of outer space in popular culture from pulp mags to movie screens and UFO/martian sightings.
Part III: H.G. Wells and The War of the Worlds
Includes a biography on H.G. Wells and his novel The War of the Worlds is presented as well.
The book also came with a 72 min cd featuring the original radio broadcast, Orson's October 31st press conference, H.G. Wells meeting Orson Welles, An Excerpt from "War of the Worlds" on WKBW Radio and Orson Welles recollections on the original broadcast.
All and all not a bad deal for a buck....
That book sounds AWESOME!! Where did Mom pick it up??
Quote from: Scatter on January 30, 2010, 12:51:26 PM
That book sounds AWESOME!! Where did Mom pick it up??
I have that book and it is awesome!! Got mine online for under a buck plus postage.
Mike
Man!
I feel ripped off-- I found my copy on one of the sale tables at Hastings Books/Video for $2.99!
Sheesh! ::)
Just received a load of mags from Oldies.com. Monster Bash , Monsters From The Vault , Scary Monsters and Scary Monsters Memories. I skimmed thru them all tonight. Took 3 hours for skimming. God only knows how long it will take to actually read em. Cool art and many many vintage monster ads. 8)
I just got "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies" and "Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters" - looking forward to reading them!
Gimme Something Better: The Profound, Progressive, and Occasionally Pointless History of Bay Area Punk from Dead Kennedys to Green Day
Now back to War of the Worlds; never got around to finishing it, Book I The Coming of the Martains is really drawn out and it was hard to get thru but Book II The Earth Under the Martians is going pretty quick. Glad I read it but I would never torture myself again with it.....
After that I have Vampire Stories From the American South....
Death Wish by brian Garfield
NOTES ON A COWARDLY LION, the biography of Bert Lahr by his son John Lahr. 2/3 of the way through--from pre-1910 to 1944 thus far--and sad to say, far more tragedy than comedy. On stage, hilarious! Off stage, he couldn't catch a break.
I just got my hands on a copy of PRACTICALLY TRUE...a 1927 autobiography by Ernest Thesiger. It looks like it will be a great deal of fun.
Elisabeth ededed
Quote from: Elisabeth on February 23, 2010, 11:16:53 AM
I just got my hands on a copy of PRACTICALLY TRUE...a 1927 autobiography by Ernest Thesiger. It looks like it will be a great deal of fun.
Elisabeth ededed
Let us know what you think, Elisabeth! I've looked for this for years, but only find copies costing a barrowful of money! Your review may be the turning point on which a purchase hingest!
"A Crack in the Edge of the World" by Simon Winchester, about the SanFrancisco earthquake of 1906. Wish I could recommend it wholeheartedly, but I cannot. Winchester thusfar seems intent on forcing me to re-learn plate tectonics. While a bit of geology is both necessary and interesting (not to mention a pertinent element of the story) he simply drones on for page after page after interminable page on the subject. If brevity is the soul of wit,it would be a kindness to refer to Winchester as a half-wit.
To be fair, when he digresses long enough to actually address the EARTHQUAKE and its human toll, it's interesting reading. But I dislike having to sift through reams of overly technical and tedious recitations of geologic theory to glean the few gems I've found.
Thank God I only paid a dollar for it.
I just finished "How to Talk Dirty and Influence People" by Lenny Bruce and started a biography of Nickola Tesla by Seifer.
Right now I'm on a crime spree. Meaning I got a CD of over 200 golden age crime comics for $14 delivered. WATTA buy! I spent a good 4 hours yesterday and 4 today reading and then skimming thru issues I may not like. So far I have read about 20 or so full comics this weekend and laughed at some of the corny ads. Remember that these were meant for adults and a few issues have had graphic violence and actually show bullets going thru people and spilled blood. Coool. 8) >:D
Last week I worked Saturday at 1.5x pay. So I treated myself to the following from Amazon. Essential Man-Thing 1 , Marvel Horror 1 ,House of Secrets 1 ,Secrets of Sinister House 1 and a HC of Steve Ditko horror comics. That's about 2000 pages of comic reprints. Haven't read em but I did have near full runs of some of these like 25 years ago till I had to sell em.
A Terrible Mistake: The Murder of Frank Olson and the CIA's Secret Cold War Experiments by H. P. Albarelli Jr. Started this yesterday and it's absolutely chilling. So far... a mysterious suicide, CIA mind control, LSD and other psychoactive drugs, bacterial spraying of San Francisco, secret research facilities, unwitting test subjects, human experimentation, Nazis, WWII Japanese biological warfare atrocities...
Quote from: Inkfink on March 07, 2010, 08:59:36 PM
A Terrible Mistake: The Murder of Frank Olson and the CIA's Secret Cold War Experiments by H. P. Albarelli Jr. Started this yesterday and it's absolutely chilling. So far... a mysterious suicide, CIA mind control, LSD and other psychoactive drugs, bacterial spraying of San Francisco, secret research facilities, unwitting test subjects, human experimentation, Nazis, WWII Japanese biological warfare atrocities...
Hmm,so you finally found a REAL$$ history book? >:D C:)
BUSTER KEATON REMEMBERED--by Eleanor Keaton and Jeffrey Vance. Wonderful tribute to the silent screen's great actor/comedian, with tremendous photos throughout. Mrs. Keaton did well by her husband--as she did throughout their married life.
(http://i44.tinypic.com/2m32st3.jpg)
Thinking about having this signed by James Karen at Wonderfest this year. He has great Buster memories and associations.
The Killer Book of Serial Killers: Incredible Stories, Facts and Trivia from the World of Serial Killers
by Tom Philbin and Michael Philbin
Certainly not a bad book, a few editing errors but all in all very detailed in information of the crimes and good sources and quotes, interesting facts and nice collection of killers.
That's an interesting subject choice, DollFace!!
75% through 'Vincent Price: A Daughter's Biography'. It's great
- Hitler's Panzers: A history of German armored warfare in WWII
Dennis Showalter (author of Patton and Rommel)
Back articles from THE (London) TIMES Archives. From September 1928 thru June of 1937. How I love that Newspaper. Polite, Dignified and ELEGANT. " If you want to find the spirit of a person, read the newspapers of his time..."
The quote is from my grandfather, who worked for the NEW YORK TIMES for 40 years....
"E" ededed
RAREST OF THE RARE (Stories Behind the Treasures at the Harvard Museum of Natural History)--with tremendous photos by Mark Sloan
and
BASIL RATHBONE, IN AND OUT OF CHARACTER--by Rathbone himself. A little disappointing. There is one chapter on movies in which he mentions, but doesn't discuss, films he made for various studios in the '30s/'40s: "For Universal: The Sherlock Holmes pictures and TOWER OF LONDON...." No mention of SON OF FRANKENSTEIN. Horror never gets its deserved respect!
Elder, I'd have to agree - when I finally got a copy of Basil's book, I didn't find it to be a "keeper."
But right now, I'm reading a just published, and very entertaining, autobio by a dear friend: Arthur (Mercury Theater; Let's Pretend; 1776; Lucky Charms Leprechan) Anderson:
http://bearmanormedia.bizland.com/id478.html (http://bearmanormedia.bizland.com/id478.html)
Best,
-Craig W.
Currently, The Monuments Men by Robert Edsel & Bret Witter.
During World War II there was one small group of Allied soldiers responsible for rescuing and returning thousands of priceless works of art that had been stolen by the Nazis. If you have ever been to Europe and wondered how all the great churches and the beautiful art survived the War, the Monuments Men are the ones responsible.
That sounds interesting Fester. I'll add it to my list.
Just finished four books while on vacation:
- Sharp Teeth (interesting werewolf-ish novel)
- Wetlands (Horrific for reasons I'd rather not go into)
- Hollywood (Bukowski . . . say no more)
- Wizard (fantastic N. Tesla biography)
WHO FRAMED BORIS KARLOFF? by Dwight Kemper. Extremely pleasant "homage" mystery written with a great deal of love.
Elisabeth ededed
Quote from: Gillman-Fan on April 02, 2010, 04:53:26 PM
- Wetlands (Horrific for reasons I'd rather not go into)
The book by Charlotte Roche?
EEP!
My friend's autobio. From the publisher's site:
"ARTHUR ANDERSON claims he's been in every branch of show business but grand opera and the circus. He became a professional actor at twelve on radio, including 18 years on the children's fairy tale program 'Let's Pretend.' His first Broadway stage appearance was with Orson Welles in the Mercury Theatre's 'Julius Caesar.' Summer stock, winter stock, musical stock, television and motion pictures including 'Green Card' and 'Zelig' followed, and for 29-years he was the voice of 'Lucky The Leprechaun' for Lucky Charms Cereal"
A breezy read; honestly recommended!
http://bearmanormedia.bizland.com/id478.html (http://bearmanormedia.bizland.com/id478.html)
Happy Easter,
-Craig
Currently:
The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe.
Great book, so far.
I'm not reading it yet--but everytime I go into the book store I pick up Moby Dick.
Last night I came close again. I started thumbing through it and reading random paragraphs but thought "wow--this is long and incredibly...wordy, if I don't make time to finish this, it's gonna sit"
Out of fear that I won't have the time I put it down--again.
Convince me to read Moby Dick.....or.....convince me not to read it.
The Flaxborough Crab (British mystery) by Colin Watson
Poverty Row Horrors!:Monogram, PRC, and Republic horror films of the forties by Tom Weaver
The Levant Trilogy by Olivia Manning
The Michael Egremont novelisation of BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN. Florid, elegant, Victorian and beautifully true to character and story. I always enjoy it.
Elisabeth ededed
TONS of stuff. Recently finished Bestial -Werewolf Apocalypse by WM D. Carl. Plays out like a zombie nation novel except with various werebeasts. Recommended. 8)
3/4s of the way thru 99 Coffins by David Wellington which is the 2nd of a 4 part vampire series with a different take. Also recommended.
Comics-still making my way thru all the B/W 500 page horror reprints I bought a few mos ago.Probably will be for some time.
AAND in the last month I bought from our own Mike Scott something like 80 EC reprint issues reading at least 1 a day and 5-6 on the weekends. Thanks Mike. 8)
One of my greatest enjoyments monsterwise aside from movies is sitting on my patio on a nice day either with morning coffee or after yard work with a big mug of craft brew and reading. Anything from Cemetery Dance magazine to Scary Monsters to horror comics,man it's ALL good.
WL
I picked up a Werewolf compilation by Jones...entitled Wolf Men (I think)....
Bizarro Jeff
Quote from: BlackLagoon on May 06, 2010, 02:16:19 PM
I'm not reading it yet--but everytime I go into the book store I pick up Moby Dick.
Last night I came close again. I started thumbing through it and reading random paragraphs but thought "wow--this is long and incredibly...wordy, if I don't make time to finish this, it's gonna sit"
Out of fear that I won't have the time I put it down--again.
Convince me to read Moby Dick.....or.....convince me not to read it.
You'll get nothing but a hearty recommendation here my friend.........I cheated at first and read the Reader's Digest Condensed version. It was so good I read Melville's original.
I'm in the middle of The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril by Paul Malmont. If you're a fan of pulps, you might enjoy it. The story revolves around the writers William Gibson (The Shadow), Lester Dent (Doc Savage), L. Ron Hubbard and the death of H. P. Lovecraft.
(http://www.bscreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/bc_0743287851.jpg)
Quote from: Inkfink on May 13, 2010, 09:40:54 AM
I'm in the middle of The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril by Paul Malmont. If you're a fan of pulps, you might enjoy it. The story revolves around the writers William Gibson (The Shadow), Lester Dent (Doc Savage), L. Ron Hubbard and the death of H. P. Lovecraft.
(http://www.bscreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/bc_0743287851.jpg)
Looks Intriguing.
I'm in the midst of several, "From Hell" Graphic novel, Dan Browns "Deception Point" "Star Wars Rise of Darth Vader", and a book on Time travel as is possible or not possible according to literature and films.
OG
I bought 4 stepen king books today.
Night Shift, It, Dead Zone, The Regulators.
I have other stephen king books skelton crew, christine, the stand, pet sementary, everythings eventual, thinner, and salem's lot.
I have alreadly read salem's lot and wondering which one to read next. Any suggesions?
I was thinking about reading night shift 1st.
Quote from: slayergriffith on June 03, 2010, 06:25:51 PM
I was thinking about reading Night Shift 1st.
Absolutely! Night Shift has the short story prequel to Salem's Lot call Jerusalem's Lot. Plus it is IMO one of the best anthologies out there along with Skeleton Crew and Nightmares and Dreamscapes.
I'd also suggest picking up the anthology of mostly old stuff Weird Vampire Tales. You may also want to check out some pulp reprints under the heading Weird Menace. Great stuff. Many of those stories are plain twisted.
Quote from: Inkfink on May 13, 2010, 09:40:54 AM
I'm in the middle of The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril by Paul Malmont. If you're a fan of pulps, you might enjoy it. The story revolves around the writers William Gibson (The Shadow), Lester Dent (Doc Savage), L. Ron Hubbard and the death of H. P. Lovecraft.
(http://www.bscreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/bc_0743287851.jpg)
I enjoyed this book a lot!
Quote from: Wicked Lester on June 03, 2010, 07:40:08 PM
Absolutely! Night Shift has the short story prequel to Salem's Lot call Jerusalem's Lot. Plus it is IMO one of the best anthologies out there along with Skeleton Crew and Nightmares and Dreamscapes.
I'd also suggest picking up the anthology of mostly old stuff Weird Vampire Tales. You may also want to check out some pulp reprints under the heading Weird Menace. Great stuff. Many of those stories are plain twisted.
Thanks, i will check out the books you mentioned.
Night Shift is a great collection of stories. Check out "The Jaunt" and "Survivor Type" in that book as well.
Quote from: BaronLatos35 on June 03, 2010, 08:10:36 PM
Night Shift is a great collection of stories. Check out "The Jaunt" and "Survivor Type" in that book as well.
ok will do, i will read the whole book.
I'm finishing up Frankenstein, which I haven't read in a few years. After that I'm re-reading Dracula before reading the Dacre Stoker sequel Dracula: The Undead.
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I just finished Stephen King's Colorado Kid and am now reading A Study In Scarlet.
Just finished a collection of short stories by artist/cartoonist Gahan Wilson and 13 HORRORS OF HALLOWEEN edited by Asimov. Now reading Ray Bradbury's WE'LL ALWAYS HAVE PARIS.
Recently finished up THE HOBBIT and THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING. I'm currently reading THE TWO TOWERS and then will go on to THE RETURN OF THE KING. I seem to recall trying to read a LORD OF THE RINGS book years ago as a teenager, but found it difficult to get momentum with the story. It does have a lot of back story that Tolkien feeds you. Having watched the film saga has helped and I am enjoying the books very much.
Rob
Just started a novella by Stephen King called, Blockade Billy, also includes Morality.
Circus of the Damned by Laurel K. Hamilton. The third book in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series. I'm reading the novel and the graphic version that is currently at your local comic book store.
Quote from: The Creeper on June 04, 2010, 01:18:42 PM
Just started a novella by Stephen King called, Blockade Billy, also includes Morality.
was thinking about getting that book, Any Good?
Quote from: slayergriffith on June 06, 2010, 07:17:05 PM
was thinking about getting that book, Any Good?
So far I like it. I love the was King writes! When finish I will let you know.
Quote from: The Creeper on June 06, 2010, 11:21:11 PM
So far I like it. I love the was King writes! When finish I will let you know.
ok, thanks
The Annotated Alice by Lewis Carroll & Martin Gardner. I had to give this a read after watching the delightfully weird 1933 movie.
Still reading all same books from my last post! In the vein of Lundy's post...I'm late...no time, I'm Late, I'm late, I'm late....actually just no time
OG
SWEENEY TODD by Peter Haining and FAREWELL SUMMER (sequel to DANDELION WINE) by Ray Bradbury, just finished both--enjoyed them a great deal. Now beginning Robert Bloch's NIGHT OF THE RIPPER.
Quote from: slayergriffith on June 06, 2010, 07:17:05 PM
was thinking about getting that book, Any Good?
Finished it last night! Don't get a whole lotta time to read. But I liked it. Both stories are good, and Morality has a good point.
The Battle of Kursk
David Glantz
Just re-read the first edition of Greg Mank's HOLLYWOOD CAULDRON. A lovely read!
"E" ededed
Quote from: Bogey on February 17, 2009, 06:55:40 PM
Thank you gentlemen.
As far as reading, my favorite is still the Sandburg account. I too read the one volume edition and knew ahead of time that it may be a bit stretched at points, but like you Craig I find it still the best intro to anyone starting out. I finally got the 4 volume set of The War Years, but need to nail down the Prairie Years 2 volume set before I re-read. I also read Donald's, but did not come away with much after the read. I find the Shelby Foote did a nice job with Lincoln in his three book set (still my favorite read on the CW, along with some that feature Maine connections-I was born very near to where Chamberlain was born). I have both of the assasination books on the shelf that you mentioned Craig. Read the Reck, but have not opened the other. I also enjoyed Lincoln at Gettysburg by Garry Wills. A short, but heavy read that I would recommend to those that have read a few books on Abe. As far as the Lloyd Ostendorf book, I will pass. If I want fact mixed with fiction, might as well do it right with Vidal's book. Two that I still need to give time to are Goodwin's Team of Rivals (read the first few chapters and learned a lot that I did not know about some of his cabinet members, especially their early lives) and if I read another straight bio, it will be the Thomas one that seems to have stood the test of time.
There was also a set(?) of books written by Nicolay and Hay, but they were out of print the last time I checked. Do either of you own them?
Also, was it just me, or did his 200th pass with very little fanfare. Even the NY Times did not have him on the front page, nor did our local paper here in Denver.
~Bill
Mike and Craig,
Finally picked up steam on the Goodwin Lincoln book. Thought I would get another under my belt as we will be stopping in Springfield to see his museum this summer. Have either of you been? If so, please advise.
The Sign of the Four
Now I'm doing my "summer" reading: The old, classic Man from U.N.C.L.E paperbacks. They were great when I was 11, and they're just as much fun now.
"E" ededed
Islands of the Damned by R.V. Burgin, The Wizard of Menlo Park: How Thomas Edison Invented the Modern World by Randall Stross
Currently slugging through "Cuckoos's Nest" by Kesey.
THE MONSTER OF FLORENCE, a true crime story by Douglas Preston. And just finished a collection of scholarly essays, THE CULTURES OF COLLECTING, edited by Elsner and Cardinal. Why do we collect--is it Freudian, Marxist--gosh, this was a little TOO much analysis!
Considering:
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Synopsis:The sole police officer to be executed in U.S. history, NYPD lieutenant Charles Becker died in the electric chair in 1915 for the murder of a lowlife gambler who pimped his own wife. Set apart from other, mostly Irish, New York policemen by his German ancestry and "markedly intelligent," Becker bribed his way in 1894 onto a force infected by Tammany Hall and worked undercover patrolling the crime-riddled midtown Manhattan district called Satan's Circus, the city's center of entertainment and vice. Acquitted in 1896 of charges of falsely arresting a woman for prostitution, a charge testified to by novelist Stephen Crane, Becker went on to commit graft, perjury and theft, but by 1911 he headed his own vice squad and by 1912 he had built up a vast extortion racket. Gambler Herman Rosenthal, one of Becker's victims, exposed him to the media and the DA, and when Rosenthal was shot to death, Becker became the notorious prime suspect although some doubted his guilt. Peopled by mobsters and crooked cops and politicians, and chronicling the early years of the NYPD as well as Becker's ruin and comeuppance, this engrossing, well-researched history by the author of Batavia's Graveyard immerses readers in the corrupt hurly-burly that was old New York.
and
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The first one sounds cool , the second right up my alley.
I love several genres but once I get on a roll it's hard to get off.
Still reading 70's horror reprints and Frost Bite by David Wellington. A Different type werewolf novel.
You can actually read it here for free. I bought the book.
http://brokentype.com/frostbite/ (http://brokentype.com/frostbite/)
Brother West - Living and Loving Out Loud
Cornel West
A gift from my thoughtful wife...
Quote from: Wicked Lester on June 26, 2010, 08:43:53 PM
The first one sounds cool , the second right up my alley.
I love several genres but once I get on a roll it's hard to get off.
Still reading 70's horror reprints and Frost Bite by David Wellington. A Different type werewolf novel.
You can actually read it here for free. I bought the book.
http://brokentype.com/frostbite/ (http://brokentype.com/frostbite/)
I thought that you might notice the second one, Lester.
Dracula: The Undead The sequel to Dracula.
Band of Brothers and The Ten Cent Plague. The Ten Cent Plague is about comics in the 50's and the Wertham campaign to clean them up.
The Cushing Collection, ed. by David Stuckey--essays by Peter Cushing about his theatre & movie life, his collecting hobby, and aging...
A Deadly Game: The Untold Story of the Scott Peterson Investigation
In this #1 New York Times bestseller, Catherine Crier, a former judge and one of television's most popular legal analysts, offers a riveting and authoritative account of one of the most memorable crime dramas of our time: the murder of Laci Peterson at the hands of her husband, Scott, on Christmas Eve 2002. Drawing on extensive interviews with key witnesses and lead investigators, as well as secret evidence files that never made it to trial, Crier traces Scott's bizarre behavior; shares dozens of transcripts of Scott's chilling and incriminating phone conversations; offers accounts of Scott's womanizing from two former mistresses before Amber Frey; and includes scores of never-before-seen police photos, documents, and other evidence.
The result is thoroughly engrossing yet highly disturbing -- an unforgettable portrait of a charming, yet deeply sociopathic, killer.
Just finished A Terrible Glory: Custer and the Little Bighorn by James Donovan.
Currently working on Caveman Logic: The Persistence of Primitive Thinking in a Modern World by Hank Davis; and The State of Jones: The Small Southern County that Seceded from the Confederacy by Sally Jenkins and John Stauffer.
Picked up the latest issues of Scary Monsters and Cemetery Dance so I'll be checking those out today.
Now reading Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces.
On July 8 I will be starting to read about History from 1877 to present.
Just picked up a Lincoln biography by R. White Jr.
Zacherley's Midnight Snacks.
Clive Barker's 'Books Of Blood'
-Cabal, the Inhuman Condition & In the Flesh
Quote from: ChattyLMS on June 27, 2010, 09:55:10 AM
On July 8 I will be starting to read about History from 1877 to present.
Second semester American Civ, eh? I used to teach that one. ;)
Just finished (gave up on)
The State of Jones Unfortunately, Jenkins and Stauffer committed so many basic factual errors in their book, it is impossible to trust their interpretation of events.
Has anyone read the book Frankenstein: The Shadow of Frankenstein vol. 1 by Stefan Petrucha? Just saw this on Amazon and it looks like it could be entertaining...although it also feels like it could be a stinker. If anyone has any feedback, I'd appreciate it. Here's the Amazon link for those interested: http://www.amazon.com/Frankenstein-Shadow-v-Stefan-Petrucha/dp/159582037X/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1 (http://www.amazon.com/Frankenstein-Shadow-v-Stefan-Petrucha/dp/159582037X/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_1)
Nightmare by Robin Parrish...a Paranormal Mystery..
Got this from Amazon for $20 off cover price. The book quality is excellent. The stories and art are very cool. Most are pretty short compared to the 70's D.C horror titles or E.C classics. Average story length is 5-6 pages. I'm about 40 pages in.
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Re reading The Killer Angels by Michael Sharra. Coincidently, July 1 is the 147th anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of Gettysburg.
Tales from Edgar Allan Poe first vol. enjoying it at all :)
Saw a book called the "Ripper Casebook" in a window display over at Halloweentown, but forgot to look for it inside the store. Does anyone know anything about this book?
OG
I finished "Nightmare" today, and it's a good read...there are some real locations used in the book as well..... Waverly Hills Sanatorium,
Stanley Hotel,Mt.Hope Methodist Episcopal Church,Myrtle's Plantation,etc..
Now I am starting on "Darlington Woods"..
The Burning by Bentley Little
Re-reading Tom Weaver's POVERTY ROW HORRORS, and a 1917 WW1 Army Medical Handbook. (I collect old medical books)
Quote from: Elisabeth on July 01, 2010, 09:49:32 PM
Re-reading Tom Weaver's POVERTY ROW HORRORS, and a 1917 WW1 Army Medical Handbook. (I collect old medical books)
That's cool.. :)
Quote from: Elisabeth on July 01, 2010, 09:49:32 PM
Re-reading Tom Weaver's POVERTY ROW HORRORS, and a 1917 WW1 Army Medical Handbook. (I collect old medical books)
HEY!! I have that old medical handbook!! Don't you just love the chapter on the proper placement of leeches??
Quote from: Scatter on July 02, 2010, 05:51:34 PM
HEY!! I have that old medical handbook!! Don't you just love the chapter on the proper placement of leeches??
I almost affraid to ask....but, where is the proper placement?
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Just finished re-reading Vampires and other Ghosts(1972) and starting The Tomb, collection of H.P. Lovecraft (For the 30th-40th time).
The Book of Lost Things
In the middle of "20th Century Ghosts" - a collection of short stories by Joe Hill, Stephen King's son. This is an impressive collection and Joe might be a better writer than his infamous dad. The apple didn't fall far from the tree... and it's golden. Cloning perhaps?
Don't know why . . .
Something at The Skull & Pumpkin made me pick up this book.
Haven't read it in 20 years.
Its better than I remembered.
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Thanx, Mike. I really needed it.
just finished "Horns", the new book by Joe Hill.....
Bizarro Jeff
Started a biography of WC Fields, but then a book I had on reserve at the library came in, so now I'm reading The Wire to Wire Reds, the story of the 1990 Cincinnati Reds.
Mike
I just received Vol1 and Vol 2 which reprints in a soft cover 180 page comic book reprints which starts at Detective 27 and works thru, Great great stuff and easily affordable for any budget. Don't think you can swing even this?... eat PBJ and MacnCheese a few days and the $ is there. Also picked up Superman Vol.1 which starts with the first appearance in Action Comics. Any fan of vintage comics NEEDS to own this and there are a total of like 25 volumes including other super heroes.. I did the free shipping which said 5-9 days. Grin 4 days later they are now in my library shipped for FREE. Grin $37 for 550+ pages IN COLOR on comic book paper of Classic stuff. Happy Happy Happy.
YOU...MUST...BUY...YOU...MUST...BUY... Wink
1930's reprints in COLOR on comic book paper. It don't get better than this.
My Life in France by Julia Child and The Trolley to Yesterday by John Bellairs
An Introduction to Philosophy
Edward Craig
Quote from: BaronLatos35 on July 28, 2010, 07:47:44 PM
An Introduction to Philosophy
Edward Craig
My favorite philosopher (although he never referred to himself as one) was Soren Kierkegaard. Very hard to read sometimes, so i like anthologies of his works the best.
Mike
The Shootist
....The Passage
Re-reading Roger Zelazny's A Night in the Lonesome October. I probably should've saved it for Halloween time, but I'm enjoying it immensely.
Quote from: Illoman on July 28, 2010, 08:08:18 PM
My favorite philosopher (although he never referred to himself as one) was Soren Kierkegaard. Very hard to read sometimes, so i like anthologies of his works the best.
Mike
This book was a good intro to a few philosphers. Descartes, Nietzche (sp) and some Indian philosophy piqued my interest.
The Art of War
Sun Tzu
Just picked up Night of the Living Trekkies by Kevin David Anderson and Sam Stall.
Zombie apocalypse at a Star Trek convention.
going thru the fu manchu series.i love the atmospheric writing of sax rohmer
Just picked up Scary Monsters 75th issue. Hoping it is better than the last couple issues which IMO were somewhat disappointing and I just skimmed thru them instead of the hours of cover to cover reading. It had Beulah from It Conquered The World on the cover and it was an instant sell..
The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey (a birthday gift from my daughter)
the new Dresden Files book, then onto an intro psych text....
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In 1933, after Denver boss Joe Roma was found "slumped in his favorite overstuffed chair in the front parlor,...riddled with seven bullets, six of them to the head," his up-and-coming bootlegging proteges Clyde and Eugene Smaldone took over his profitable operations. Over the years, the brothers and various other family members were frequently in the news, occasionally in jail, and generally in control of their realm. Theirs was an independent operation, but the Smaldones enjoyed the friendship of crime superstar Al Capone and were frequently in cahoots with New Orleans Mafia boss Carlos Marcello, to whom Clyde was particularly close. The Smaldones contributed to Denver's municipal ambience positively, too, as restauranteurs and generous contributors to charity. Kreck's detailing of the doings of a relative outpost of the racketeering industry is, besides a rich chapter in Colorado history, an excellent addition to the popular literature on organized crime.
Thanks to a kind friend here at the UMA (and he knows who he is), I've been reading the short stories of ghost story grand master M.R. James. (Or, more accurately, I've been hearing in audio book form.)
I recommend the story I heard today: "Mr. Humphries and His Inheritance."
You can read it here:
http://www.litgothic.com/Texts/mr_humphries.html (http://www.litgothic.com/Texts/mr_humphries.html)
It's an quiet, old-fashioned English horror story, and I like it a lot; it gave me a nice chill on a very hot day. I can just see Peter Cushing in a BBC adaptation.
Much of it would be too low-key for current American tastes, I think, but it builds to a climax that Ramsey Campbell would be proud of. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if James' stories influenced Campbell.
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I took a break from R. White Jr.'s mammoth Lincoln biography and read Goat Song by Brad Kessler. Great little book for anyone who wished they could chuck the urban rat race just raise goats for milk/cheese.
About 100 pages in on this. Pretty primitive artwork and Lois was such B towards Clark. Fun book and highly recommended. Like $11 from Amazon.
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Quote from: Gillman-Fan on August 12, 2010, 07:44:11 AM
Great little book for anyone who wished they could chuck the urban rat race just raise goats for milk/cheese.
I'm sure all 3 of them will love it. ;)
The Secret Life of Harry Houdini: America's First Superhero by Kalush and Sloman and
Charles Addams: A Cartoonist's Life by Linda Davis
Both are excellent.
Quote from: RICKH on August 15, 2010, 10:53:08 PM
The Secret Life of Harry Houdini: America's First Superhero by Kalush and Sloman and
Charles Addams: A Cartoonist's Life by Linda Davis
Both are excellent.
I finished the Houdini book a few months ago.........a great read!
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Just started the above. I was going to read Smith's Lensmen series, but could not find the first book in the used shops or the library. Thought I wouldgive this series a try. I guess it was originally serialized starting in 1928 in Amazing Stories.
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Amazbuck.jpg)
More on its history here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skylark_(series) (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skylark_(series))
Reading my old, falling apart copy ,
waiting for the new one to get here-
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Radix, A.A. Attanasio's first novel came out in July, 1981
& blew my mind page after page-
Since then it's always held a spot on my
top ten Sci-Fi Books list-
Finally reprinted by Phoenix Pick & out this month-
Amazon reviews here (http://www.amazon.com/RADIX-Attanasio/product-reviews/1604504595/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1)
Loves me pulps. Cross between weird detective and a bit of weird menace. Pretty cool stuff.
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Under the Dome....
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Here is a partial synopsis:
A review by Victoria Strauss
In the far future universe of Richard K. Morgan's debut novel Altered Carbon, human consciousness has been digitized. Every human being is implanted at birth with a cortical stack, which records every second, every thought, every experience. If you have the money (or purchase the right insurance policy), you can be brought back to life after you die by the simple expedient of implanting your stack into a new body, a process known as sleeving. The penal system no longer stores live criminals, but only their digital selves. Travelers beam their minds across space via needlecast, and wake up in new sleeves. Wars are fought by troops whose minds are downloaded into bodies on-site -- troops like the Envoy Corps, the enforcement arm of the despotic UN Protectorate, which rules Earth and its colony worlds with an iron fist.
Takeshi Kovacs is a former Envoy. Envoys' specialized training and neurochemical enhancements, designed to make them perfect long-distance warriors and flawless investigators, also place them just this side of psychopathic. Many Envoys, when discharged from the Corps, turn to crime, and Kovacs is no exception. Sentenced on his home planet to more than a century of storage for his part in a brutal heist, Kovacs wakes to find himself in Bay City, Earth, housed in an unfamiliar sleeve. He's been retrieved and hired by industrialist Laurens Bancroft, whose fabulous wealth allows him, among other things, to maintain a clone facility that renders him and his family effectively immortal. Kovacs' assignment: to investigate Bancroft's death in a previous body, which the police have ruled a suicide but which Bancroft is certain was attempted murder.
Sounds kind of Blade Runner-ish, so I am in!
Diggin more precode horror.
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Quote from: Bogey on August 21, 2010, 11:22:14 PM
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Just started the above. I was going to read Smith's Lensmen series, but could not find the first book in the used shops or the library. Thought I wouldgive this series a try. I guess it was originally serialized starting in 1928 in Amazing Stories.
Bogey, I'd be curious to know what you thought of the Lensmen series. I tried to read it back when I was a teenager, but was annoyed that women lacked the necessary brainpower to work a lens! I might tolerate it better nowadays. ;D Since it was the basis for the modern Green Lantern comics I'd like to know more about it.
Currently reading A Thing of Unspeakable Horror: The History of Hammer Films, by Sinclair McKay. This was another pick-up from Half-Price Books and it's been a pretty informative and entertaining read. Christopher Lee's refusal to say his lines as Dracula because they were "rubbish" is hilarious.
Quote from: Moonshadow on September 07, 2010, 01:26:58 PM
Bogey, I'd be curious to know what you thought of the Lensmen series. I tried to read it back when I was a teenager, but was annoyed that women lacked the necessary brainpower to work a lens! I might tolerate it better nowadays. ;D Since it was the basis for the modern Green Lantern comics I'd like to know more about it.
Great post. Here the women suffer the same fate and it definitely hurts the read greatly and is unreadable at parts. I passed on the Lensmen for now as I needed a break from the pulp, especially this one. Would be happy to send this book out to you if you cannot track it down.
If you want to preview The Lensmen, go here for the first book:
http://manybooks.net/titles/smithee3270632706-8.html (http://manybooks.net/titles/smithee3270632706-8.html)
Just picked up Zero History (http://www.williamgibsonbooks.com/books/zero_history.asp) -new book by William Gibson~
Quote from: Bogey on September 08, 2010, 12:08:27 AM
Great post. Here the women suffer the same fate and it definitely hurts the read greatly and is unreadable at parts. I passed on the Lensmen for now as I needed a break from the pulp, especially this one. Would be happy to send this book out to you if you cannot track it down.
If you want to preview The Lensmen, go here for the first book:
http://manybooks.net/titles/smithee3270632706-8.html (http://manybooks.net/titles/smithee3270632706-8.html)
Thanks for the response Bogey. I neglected to mention that when I first tried reading Lensmen, I got so annoyed that the book wound up sailing across the room! I don't think that would happen again. It's a cool concept and I really would like to enjoy it but I think it unlikely. Thanks for the link. Who knows...
"The Dark Side Of Camelot" by Seymour Hirsch.
Bestial:Werewolf Apocolypse
Right now-
rereading all my X-Files comics (Topps)
Been getting into Earle Stanly Gardner's Perry Mason novels.
Just finished: Let The Right One In
Just started: Planet of the Apes Revisited
i am always impressed at the amount of reading everybody does here.
over the weekend i finished "like water for chocolate". i was reading it for my literature class. the book was interesting. if you like sex, love, and food, you might like it. i wouldn't read it again.
Been downloading some Golden-Age horror and teen comics, as well as the `60's Turok comics. I find comics from mid seventies and before better written than the stuff coming out now.
I'm currently reading Pizza Tiger - it's the Tom Monaghan Biography.
BK
"The Dark Side Of Camelot"-Seymour Hersh.
Amazon.com Review
If the Kennedys are America's royal family, then John F. Kennedy was the nation's crown prince. Magnetic, handsome, and charismatic, his perfectly coifed image overshadowed the successes and failures of his presidency, and his assassination cemented his near-mythological status in American culture and politics. Struck down in his prime, he represented the best and the brightest of America's future, and when he died, part of the nation's promise and innocence went with him. That, at least, is the public version of the story.
The private version, according to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour M. Hersh, is quite different. His meticulous investigation of Kennedy has revealed a wealth of indiscretions and malfeasance, ranging from frequent liaisons with prostitutes and mistresses to the attempted assassination of Fidel Castro to involvement in organized crime. Though scandals in the White House are nothing new, Hersh maintains that Kennedy's activities went beyond minor abuses of power and personal indulgences: they threatened the security of the nation--particularly in the realm of foreign policy--and the integrity of the office. Hersh believes it was only a matter of time before Kennedy's dealings were exposed, and only his popularity and charm, compounded by his premature death, spared such an investigation for so long. Exposure was further stalled by Bobby Kennedy's involvement in nefarious dealings, enabling him to bury any investigation of his brother and--by extension--himself.
Based on interviews with former Kennedy administration officials, former Secret Service agents, and hundreds of Kennedy's personal friends and associates, The Dark Side of Camelot rewrites the history of John F. Kennedy and his presidency.
Quote from: Scatter on October 14, 2010, 07:30:45 PM
"The Dark Side Of Camelot"-Seymour Hersh.
Amazon.com Review
If the Kennedys are America's royal family, then John F. Kennedy was the nation's crown prince. Magnetic, handsome, and charismatic, his perfectly coifed image overshadowed the successes and failures of his presidency, and his assassination cemented his near-mythological status in American culture and politics. Struck down in his prime, he represented the best and the brightest of America's future, and when he died, part of the nation's promise and innocence went with him. That, at least, is the public version of the story.
The private version, according to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Seymour M. Hersh, is quite different. His meticulous investigation of Kennedy has revealed a wealth of indiscretions and malfeasance, ranging from frequent liaisons with prostitutes and mistresses to the attempted assassination of Fidel Castro to involvement in organized crime. Though scandals in the White House are nothing new, Hersh maintains that Kennedy's activities went beyond minor abuses of power and personal indulgences: they threatened the security of the nation--particularly in the realm of foreign policy--and the integrity of the office. Hersh believes it was only a matter of time before Kennedy's dealings were exposed, and only his popularity and charm, compounded by his premature death, spared such an investigation for so long. Exposure was further stalled by Bobby Kennedy's involvement in nefarious dealings, enabling him to bury any investigation of his brother and--by extension--himself.
Based on interviews with former Kennedy administration officials, former Secret Service agents, and hundreds of Kennedy's personal friends and associates, The Dark Side of Camelot rewrites the history of John F. Kennedy and his presidency.
Interesting as I've long suspected much deeper things than have been revealed
To get in the spirit of the season...Halloween Horrors, an anthology I picked up at Barnes and Noble. One of the things I like about the book is that it has the contributors share their favorite Halloween memory as well as a story. Contributors include Peter Straub, Ray Bradbury, Dean Koontz, etc. I've only read one story so far and it was pretty decent.
Quote from: RICKH on October 15, 2010, 12:25:52 PM
To get in the spirit of the season...Halloween Horrors, an anthology I picked up at Barnes and Noble. One of the things I like about the book is that it has the contributors share their favorite Halloween memory as well as a story. Contributors include Peter Straub, Ray Bradbury, Dean Koontz, etc. I've only read one story so far and it was pretty decent.
Need to put my wife onto that!
Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott
Quote from: Opera Ghost on October 15, 2010, 11:27:04 AM
Interesting as I've long suspected much deeper things than have been revealed
It's a pretty shocking read Rob. I just got past Old Man Joe's story (sociopathic SOB), and now having the story of the stolen senate seat and stolen 1960 Presidential election recounted by Kennedy staffers themselves (among others). JFK's affairs with everyone from Mob boss Sam Giancana's girlfriend to a Russian spy-babe are detailed, both of which compromised National Security.
Rather than conjecture, these facts are attested to by a multitude of the people there at the center of the action, such as JFK's Senate comrades, campaign staffers and leaders, National Security advisors, FBI agents, Secret Service agents, etc.
The crux of it is, had he not gotten blown away in Nov 1963, there were a couple ongoing Senate investigations into these issues which may well have ended his Presidency anyway.........as long as Old Joe didn't manage to bribe all of them too (as was his way of hiding all the Kennedy skeletons).
Pick it up if you have the chance. You won't be disappointed.
The Monster Show by David Skal.
Quote from: Illoman on October 21, 2010, 06:50:59 PM
The Monster Show by David Skal.
Great book, I read it for the first time earlier this year.
Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott
ENGLISH ECCENTRICS by Edith Sitwell, LEFT HAND RIGHT HAND by Sir Osbert Sitwell. It's kind of a Sitwell month for me.
Superman chronicles Vol. #2. Great stuff. Late 30's early 40's S.M in color. THAT"S what I'm talkin bout. You want it you need it go buy it on Am-O-Zon
Just finished The Strange Affair of Spring-Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder -I can't recommend this novel enough! It's sort of an alternate reality adventure novel featuring Sir Richard Burton and werewolves, weird science, and more. I worried that the author might be getting in over his head, with all the different elements he was combining, but he pulled it off.
Today the university bookstore had a special sale for university staff. Of the books I got, two might be of interest here: Apocalypse Movies by Kim Newman, and Frankenstein by Shelley, with additional essays on the work by other authors, bibliographies, and photos from Frankenstein films. I got both of these books for $4 a piece -normally about $16 each!
Re-reading both Ivanhoe and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Strange World by Frank Edwards
Quote from: Unknown Primate on December 01, 2010, 11:12:58 PM
Strange World by Frank Edwards
Oh wow, I had that when I was a kid! What a fun read. Spooky too!
Yeah, it's really cool - my daughter picked it up for a couple of bucks & knew I'd be into it. It was published in '64 or somewhere around then. There are references to UFO's, ghosts, premonitions, bigfoot, etc. long before such topics were so mainstream.
The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers
Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
Quote from: CreepysFan on December 23, 2008, 10:21:14 PM
This book has everything. You've got Monsters, dead people coming back, talking animals (at least one snake and one donkey), a Sci-Fi type apocalypse, romance, war, adventure, magic (Ok Moses wasn't a magician, but he did do amazing things), it's a history book, a law book, a guide book, and a book of hope and ultimate love. My favorite book. Nice choice Mike.
I must agree with CreepyFan. The Bible has it all and as a retired preacher I have to say that not only was Moses not a magician but he condemned those who practiced sorcery. In fact, when the Hebrews first King (Saul) entreated the Witch of Endor to bring the Prophet Samuel back to life it was like the straw that broke the camels back. God then gave the Kingship to David.
But enough Bible exposition. I am of course reading the Bible and also "The Shack" by Wm. Paul Young. The idea of the book is about "where is God in a world of suffering and pain"? Though it might seem a "deep" subject (and it is), "The Shack" is a fairly easy read. Theology set in a story form...hmmm, almost sounds like a parable doesn't it?
Quote from: Uncula on December 02, 2010, 05:46:44 PM
I must agree with CreepyFan. The Bible has it all and as a retired preacher I have to say that not only was Moses not a magician but he condemned those who practiced sorcery. In fact, when the Hebrews first King (Saul) entreated the Witch of Endor to bring the Prophet Samuel back to life it was like the straw that broke the camels back. God then gave the Kingship to David.
But enough Bible exposition. I am of course reading the Bible and also "The Shack" by Wm. Paul Young. The idea of the book is about "where is God in a world of suffering and pain"? Though it might seem a "deep" subject (and it is), "The Shack" is a fairly easy read. Theology set in a story form...hmmm, almost sounds like a parable doesn't it?
It's the quality of the Theology in The Shack that makes it less than readable, not the style. You're a better man than I am for being able to stick it out.
I'm still reading the same book I was reading a month ago. When can I retire again?
I'm halfway thru Four Color Fear. Non EC precode horror comics at their finest. This is a huge book with lots of great cheesy twisted stories in color. A couple dozen full color glossy covers and some history behind the genre/artists etc. If you like horror comics this is a MUST own for your collection.
(http://www.fangirltastic.com/images/articles/2010/Nov/fourcolor_1.jpg)
Also reading DC's Showcase presents Secrets of Sinister House. 500 pages of 70's reprints in very crisp B/W.
Quote from: Scatter on December 02, 2010, 05:52:57 PM
It's the quality of the Theology in The Shack that makes it less than readable, not the style. You're a better man than I am for being able to stick it out.
I'm still reading the same book I was reading a month ago. When can I retire again?
I agree with you Scatter, the Theology is at best, a little shaky. And that is giving it a lot of credit. Kind of like the theology contained in Dan Burnstien's "The Da Vinci Code". I think that is what makes the study of Theology so interesting. Trying to see where the other person is comming from.
I almost forgot, I am also reading "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer".
Quote from: Uncula on December 02, 2010, 07:14:05 PM
I agree with you Scatter, the Theology is at best, a little shaky. And that is giving it a lot of credit. Kind of like the theology contained in Dan Burnstien's "The Da Vinci Code". I think that is what makes the study of Theology so interesting. Trying to see where the other person is comming from.
Agreed. I went all Augustine vs Pelagius (or was it Luther vs Erasmus??) with a few folks on a theology site I used to frequent a few years back concerning this book.
QuoteI almost forgot, I am also reading "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer".
Now THAT one has me intrigued!! ;D
Quote from: Scatter on December 02, 2010, 07:22:49 PM
Now THAT one has me intrigued!! ;D
I like it, especially because it starts when Lincoln as a boy in the Great "Hoosier" State, Indiana!
Quote from: Unknown Primate on December 01, 2010, 11:18:40 PM
Yeah, it's really cool - my daughter picked it up for a couple of bucks & knew I'd be into it. It was published in '64 or somewhere around then. There are references to UFO's, ghosts, premonitions, bigfoot, etc. long before such topics were so mainstream.
I had this copy - the cover alone freaked me out!
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61pVsw0PKJL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Edwards also wrote another good UFO book called "Flying Saucers Serious Business". Read it many times as a youngster. I bet you'd like that one too UP.
Another author you might dig is John Keel. He wrote the Mothman Prophecies (way better than that movie with Richard Gere), and my favorite, UFOs: Operation Trojan Horse. He had some really different ideas about the UFO phenomenon.
I've been wanting to read some Keel (1930-2009) for a few years now. Might have to pick up a book or two. Love this stuff! My Strange World book cover (actually, my daughter's) doesn't have any cool images, just lettering :(.
The Biography of Irving Thalberg, by Mark Viera.
Very nice.
Elisabeth ededed
Quote from: Elisabeth on December 02, 2010, 11:58:55 PM
The Biography of Irving Thalberg, by Mark Viera.
Very nice.
Elisabeth ededed
Elisabeth, I'm going to have to pick that one up. Have you read the Bio of Louis B Mayer "Lion Of Hollywood"?? It gives a better view into the complex relationship between Mayer and Thalberg than anything else I've read thusfar.
The RIchard SHarpe series by Bernard Cornwall.
Aldous Huxley's short stories and THE SCARLET TREE by Sir Osbert Sitwell. I'm vacationing in the early 20th Century for the holidays.
Rereading every Silver Surfer comic
in chronological order~
Ohm, I have that John Edwards book! I was one of those nutty little kids who liked scary and supposedly true stories of ghosts and mysteries. They would creep me out every time but I re-read them anyway. One of my favorites was the one about the sailors who drowned and yet turned up on photographs taken much later at sea.
Max Brand "Sawdust & Sixguns"
I'm trying to get interested in Boneshaker by Cherie Priest but I'm a third of the way in and it just isn't doing much for me. It was well reviewed- and even has zombies - but I'm not feeling it.
I'm also reading Apocalypse Movies by Kim Newman, which I'm enjoying, but it doesn't have a lot of depth to it.
Just finishing up Strange World and plan to continue the "high strangeness" with John Keel's The Eighth Tower later tonight. The wind-chill outside right now is around minus 5 and I can hear it howling like a tortured banshee. Perfect night for some weird reading. Special thanks to Moonshadow herself - that's you, Karen!
A little while ago, I finished The Burning Land By Bernard Cornwell. Part 5 of his Saxon Tales series. Pretty good. Recently read Agincourt by the same author. I liked his Sharpe series, but I'm more of a maile and broadsword kinda guy.
Quote from: Unknown Primate on December 12, 2010, 11:42:11 PM
Just finishing up Strange World and plan to continue the "high strangeness" with John Keel's The Eighth Tower later tonight. The wind-chill outside right now is around minus 5 and I can hear it howling like a tortured banshee. Perfect night for some weird reading. Special thanks to Moonshadow herself - that's you, Karen!
My pleasure, UP. Just watch out - when you start reading this stuff, you may find strange things begin happening... :o
Just picked up this little gem:
(http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/3295/coverartthumbnail.png)
Its pretty good. And yes, it is in Shakespearean English.
"The Knave Abideth."
Quote from: Dr.Teufel Geist on December 10, 2010, 10:51:32 PM
Max Brand "Sawdust & Sixguns"
I just finished Max Brand's Gunman's Gold, a really good western novel! I have a 1960 paperback edition with a cool cover that I got at a lubrary book sale a few years ago. I want to get some more Max Brand westerns if they are as good as this one was!
Quote from: Unknown Primate on December 12, 2010, 11:42:11 PM
Just finishing up Strange World and plan to continue the "high strangeness" with John Keel's The Eighth Tower later tonight. The wind-chill outside right now is around minus 5 and I can hear it howling like a tortured banshee. Perfect night for some weird reading. Special thanks to Moonshadow herself - that's you, Karen!
I just started Zachariah Sitchin's Stairway To Heaven about ancient astronauts visiting Earth in the past and starting the ancient civilizations. It is kind of dry so far and seems to be ramling about the search for the Fountain of Youth-going from the Spanish Conquistadors to Alexander the Great and back again. I like the ancient astronaut idea, it is very intriquing, but I don't know if I will make it through this book. Erich Von Daniken's books , so far anyways, are better reading. Sitchin's is like reading a textbook.
...the latest "Repairman Jack", followed by "It", starting "Shadowlands", followed by "Full Dark, No Stars", then a couple of ghost story anthologies......
Bizarro Jeff
Quote from: RedKing on December 17, 2010, 03:10:53 PMI just started Zachariah Sitchin's Stairway To Heaven about ancient astronauts visiting Earth in the past and starting the ancient civilizations. It is kind of dry so far and seems to be ramling about the search for the Fountain of Youth-going from the Spanish Conquistadors to Alexander the Great and back again. I like the ancient astronaut idea, it is very intriquing, but I don't know if I will make it through this book. Erich Von Daniken's books , so far anyways, are better reading. Sitchin's is like reading a textbook.
I haven't read any of Sitchin's stuff, for the reasons you cite. I have thumbed through some of his books but felt like I would not be able to read them. Von Daniken on the other hand is constantly emoting and carrying on! It's like these authors are at two different ends of the spectrum. I've only read Chariots of the Gods but it was quite an experience...
Besides John Keel, I also really like Jacques Vallee. Messengers of Deception, Dimensions, and revelations were all interesting books.
FORRY by Debbie Painter. Very good first biography of Uncle Ack-Ack!
The Great Monster Magazines: A Critical Study of the Black and White Publications by Robert Michael Cotter.
Quote from: Moonshadow on December 23, 2010, 08:44:01 PM
I haven't read any of Sitchin's stuff, for the reasons you cite. I have thumbed through some of his books but felt like I would not be able to read them. Von Daniken on the other hand is constantly emoting and carrying on! It's like these authors are at two different ends of the spectrum. I've only read Chariots of the Gods but it was quite an experience...
Besides John Keel, I also really like Jacques Vallee. Messengers of Deception, Dimensions, and revelations were all interesting books.
I remember reading "Chariots Of The Gods" when I was a wee lad. What a complete load if rubbish!! Of course, I loved it back then before it got so thoroughly debunked. Ah the 70s!!
The 1935 edition of THE FILM DAILY YEARBOOK...Vintage! It's just over 1000 pages, and is as unwieldy as a Volkswagon....but SUCH fun! Nothing on BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, because each book goes from March to March, and BOF wasn't out yet. It's still yummy, though.
"E" ededed
ELEGY FOR IRIS by John Bayley--Bayley's wife was writer Iris Murdoch, and this is the story of her descent into Alzheimer's. Sad story, wonderfully written.
Quote from: typhooforme on December 24, 2010, 10:50:56 PM
ELEGY FOR IRIS by John Bayley--Bayley's wife was writer Iris Murdoch, and this is the story of her descent into Alzheimer's. Sad story, wonderfully written.
I just couldn't. No matter how wonderfully written. I just couldn't.
Demon Apocolypse by Darren Shan
Finished The Eighth Tower (1975) by John A. Keel, a couple of weeks ago. Just finished Hell House (1971) by Richard Matheson - I had read it about 20 years ago and it's still a helluva read (no pun intended). The movie, The Legend Of Hell House is based on it. In between, I've been reading George Carlin's Napalm & Silly Putty (2001). Next is Horror Mansion (1982) by J. N. Williamson. Read this one 20 years ago, too! Thought I'd give it another go.
Thanks to Karen ( Moonshadow), for the Keel book... Now, I'm even weirder than before!
THE RELUCTANT MONARCH by Sara Bradford.
A biography of King George VI
Elisabeth
Finally caught up with other reading so I can start a newer biography of Soren Kierkegaard, by Joakim Garff. I usually get lost reading SK's works, but find his life extremely fascinating.
Quote from: Illoman on February 05, 2011, 08:41:37 AM
Finally caught up with other reading so I can start a newer biography of Soren Kierkegaard, by Joakim Garff. I usually get lost reading SK's works, but find his life extremely fascinating.
8) I personally find Kierkegaard's idea's, while I believe, flawed :-\ but very interesting! I was able to study some of his philosophy during a college Philosophy course. 8) thrhrt
Painted Ladies, the last of the Spenser novels by Parker.....Forever Odd by Koontz, and for dessert, The Living Dead 2.
Bizarro Jeff
Koontz heh? I just finished his Tick Tick......pretty good, alittle contrived. Do you have any reccommendation that would give me a true feel of his best stuff? At the moment I'm going back over Asimov's Foundation books......and then I'll do his robot series again.......love that stuff........Bud
Bigbud:
I'm partial to some of his "mid-career" stuff....I enjoyed "Lightening", "Watchers", and the "Odd Thomas" series. Haven't read his "Frankenstein" series, so can't help you there....
Bizarro Jeff
The Ghost and the Dead Man's Body by Alice Kimberly
Pulp revisited... A Lobster Johnson adventure!...
(http://www.bookapex.com/images/Lobster-Johnson-The-Satan-Factory-Lonster-Johnson-1595822038-L.jpg)
QuotePosted by: Inkfink
« on: Today at 08:57:50 PM » Insert Quote
Pulp revisited... A Lobster Johnson adventure!...
]
Is this good? I've thought about purchasing it.
I'm reading Who Can Save Us Now? An anthology of modern superhero shortstories.
Moorcock's "Elric" series.
Quote from: Inkfink on February 13, 2011, 08:57:50 PM
Pulp revisited... A Lobster Johnson adventure!...
(http://www.bookapex.com/images/Lobster-Johnson-The-Satan-Factory-Lonster-Johnson-1595822038-L.jpg)
Inkfink, does that book say who did the cover? Very nice, pulp feel to it.
I (snrk!) love the name of the hero:
Lobster Johnson . . .
Isn't there a cream for that? ::)
Just started Dreadnought by Cherie Priest. A Steampunk Civil War adventure.
I just got that "Haunted" book that Doc suggested I read. I'm only a few pages into it, but so far-so good! :)
Quote from: Illoman on February 14, 2011, 04:24:24 PM
Inkfink, does that book say who did the cover? Very nice, pulp feel to it.
Yeah, that is a great cover! That would be Greg Manchess and you could own it... if you can afford it:
http://www.graphiccollectibles.com/detail/index.cfm?nPID=13586 (http://www.graphiccollectibles.com/detail/index.cfm?nPID=13586)
As for the story, it's the Depression era and Lobster Johnson and his team battle gangsters and demon creatures. Great read so far!
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41VimeP%2BqML._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg)
I'm reading "Slaughter House 5 by Kirk Vonnegut - He died Just this past January!! :'( ??? thrhrt
Quote from: Inkfink on February 17, 2011, 05:28:51 PM
Yeah, that is a great cover! That would be Greg Manchess and you could own it... if you can afford it:
http://www.graphiccollectibles.com/detail/index.cfm?nPID=13586 (http://www.graphiccollectibles.com/detail/index.cfm?nPID=13586)
As for the story, it's the Depression era and Lobster Johnson and his team battle gangsters and demon creatures. Great read so far!
Wow, didn't realize it was him! *Love* his stuff. I have a Conan book he did the illos for, and a National Geographic with his work in it.
Quote from: charp13 on February 17, 2011, 12:41:44 PM
I just got that "Haunted" book that Doc suggested I read. I'm only a few pages into it, but so far-so good! :)
I think you'll like it. I've read it 3x over the years.
Just finished Joseph Campbell's The Hero With a Thousand Faces. I was somewhat familiar with the monomyth from my grad studies, but the original book itself it fascinating (if a bit dense at times). Next up is something a little lighter - Ghostmasters: A Look Back at America's Midnight Spook Shows.
~Penny~
Why did you get yr Master's in?
Just finished
The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories
& now I'm starting
The Thing on the Doorstep and Other Weird Stories
my first ventue into reading H.P. Lovecraft-
I'm digging it a lot~
Quote from: Bizarro Jeff on February 25, 2011, 02:29:42 PM
Why did you get yr Master's in?
English! I can almost speak it now. ;)
congrats....I'm trying to finish my PsyD, but ran out of $$$$....education is expensive!
Reading DETECTIVE STORIES FROM "THE STRAND" 1891-1950--besides the expected Doyle stories, a wide range of interesting writers--some I know, like W.W.Jacobs, G.K. Chesterton, Somerset Maugham, etc, and many are unknown to me. Excellent stuff! Thanks to friend Max, the Drunken Severed Head, and his wife Jane, MzLaveau, for this gift!
8) I had to put down "The Greatest Generation" for awhile so my wife could read it. :-[ But I'm back to it! :laugh: 8) thrhrt
Quote from: Street Worm on February 25, 2011, 02:45:43 PM
Just finished
The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories
& now I'm starting
The Thing on the Doorstep and Other Weird Stories
my first ventue into reading H.P. Lovecraft-
I'm digging it a lot~
Hey Streetworm,
You might enjoy the H. P. Lovecraft Literary Podcast:
http://hppodcraft.com/ (http://hppodcraft.com/)
I was browsing in Half Price Books today when I came across this:
(http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a73/walkie20/hollowearth.jpg)
Hollow Earth by David Standish. This was a lucky find, as I've been working on a writing project for some time now, and thinking of a sequel that would use hollow earth ideas as a backdrop. This book looks pretty comprehensive.
So the only way to get to Pellucidar is from the North or South pole?
Is this the way in? http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread495433/pg1 (http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread495433/pg1)
Quote from: Inkfink on March 06, 2011, 12:59:53 AM
So the only way to get to Pellucidar is from the North or South pole?
Is this the way in? http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread495433/pg1 (http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread495433/pg1)
I'll let you know after I read the book! ;D
"The Haunting of Josie" by Kay Hooper
Reading Joe Bob Briggs' Joe Bob Goes to the Drive In, almost done with it and its pretty funny along with good reviews. Next up is probably Mike Nelson's Movie Megacheese.
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4008/4460759923_21cf9a379b.jpg)
D-Day by Stephen Ambrose.
Quote from: slayergriffith on March 08, 2011, 05:42:07 PM
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4008/4460759923_21cf9a379b.jpg)
That's a cool book there buddy.
My favorite of all the old MAD paperbacks, Classic Kelly Freas cover...just doesn't get any better....
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b352/Gasport2000/BEDSIDEMAD.jpg)
Bet those MAD paperbacks have that vintage paperback smell. Makes me want to go browse around in a good used bookstore... if they're were any around anymore.
Inkfink,,.
you read my mind! I almost wrote in the original post that i spend almost as much time holding the book up to my nose as i do reading! Nothing like the smell of rotting paperback pulp!
Finally started on Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff The Expanded Story of a Haunting Collaboration (revised edition)! I was going to read this after finishing A History of Horrors: The Rise and Fall of the House of Hammer (Revised Edition) but got sidetracked reading I Am Ozzy, which I think whether you are a fan or not is quite an interesting story.
Started Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol. Read the previous Robert Langdon stories, Angels & Demons and The Da Vinci Code and, to me, they read like modern pulp adventures blended with historical esoterica.
Just finished this:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51SZb0t9fVL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg)
Now starting this:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51tYchcSuhL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg)
Quote from: zombiehorror on March 10, 2011, 01:16:11 PM
Finally started on Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff The Expanded Story of a Haunting Collaboration (revised edition)! I was going to read this after finishing A History of Horrors: The Rise and Fall of the House of Hammer (Revised Edition) but got sidetracked reading I Am Ozzy, which I think whether you are a fan or not is quite an interesting story.
I loved The Lugosi and Karloff Haunting Collaboration, great info and some great pics.
I got a box of 20 StarTrek paperbacks last week ranging from the mid 70s to the late 90s and including fiction and behind the scenes books. I finished Spock Must Die! and am almost done with Spock,Messiah! which I believe are the first 2 Trek fiction novels.
This excellent noir novel:
(http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1298476006l/236819.jpg)
From a reviewer at Amazon:
March Violets is set in the darkening days of Hitler's Germany; the 1936 Olympics are just coming to town. Kerr's protagonist, Bernard Gunther, is a private detective hired by a very wealthy conservative (i.e. non-Nazi) German industrialist to find out who murdered his daughter and her Nazi husband, burned down their home, and stole a diamond necklace from their safe.
Fortunately, there are more books in this series.
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5024/5576353879_e3b328ba1b.jpg)
A great read so far...as usual there is so much the movie left out or changed.
Quote from: Penny Dreadful on February 25, 2011, 11:30:00 PM
English! I can almost speak it now. ;)
Glad to see someone putting their liberal arts degree to good use. ;)
I'm using my MA in History working in a plasma center. ::)
Just finished this one...not sure what's on deck
(http://www.booknoise.net/openingday/src/opening-day-revised.jpg)
Quote from: lblambert on March 31, 2011, 03:28:33 PM
Just finished this one...not sure what's on deck
(http://www.booknoise.net/openingday/src/opening-day-revised.jpg)
Perfect timing! ;)
Haven't bought it yet, but its the next thing i read.
(http://andregimenez.com/Bruce_Campbell_Fan_Site/images/book1_if-chins-could-kill01.jpg)
not reading, but listening to "A man named Trent" Louis L'amour western.
Whoa, I can't believe this thread has gone silent for almost a month! I know you are all reading stuff! I'll get us going again. This is the book I am about 2/3 of the way through:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZPl%2B4TNRL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
All about summer 1964, in Mississippi, and the struggle for African Americans to be able to vote and be a part of our democracy. I think it ought to be required reading at every high school and/or college in America. The hatred and violence that was institutionalized in Mississippi is simply unbelievable. Thank God for the brave souls who fought for justice.
OK, who's next?
I just finished reading "The Tsar's Last Armada" by Constantine Pleshakov. It's the story of the naval battle between the Russians and the Japanese at Tsushima in 1904-05. A relatively little known battle nowadays, but the situation contained all the Imperial meddling and positioning that was endemic in Europe at the time when practically every royal family was related to each other. Long before the actual Russian Revolution in 1917, this event shook the empire and influenced geo-political history for years to come. It was also a tragic tale of a horribly out-classed Russian fleet and the mixture of brave and incompetant leaders it struggled with. Excellent book, I highly recommend it for history buffs.
I just started "The Shakespeare Riots" by Nigel Cliff. The story of rioting in New York based around two Shakesperian actors who were playing in the city at the same time, and English actor and an American actor. Amazing things like this happened!!
Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar by Edgar Rice Burroughs
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41mW8g2UgeL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg)
Yes, people are posting again -and what nice variety of reading material! Thanks guys -let's see more!
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5269/5664668692_37e354b2ca.jpg)
My grandfather worked for United Fruit Company when they lived in Honduras.
(http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5148/5664101981_b625e32b8b.jpg)
Love this movie. I want to find the sequel "After Hours" which most of the first movie with Pacino and Penn is based on. (The other DVD movie was disappointing)
Needless to say I've started both of these books last night.
Quote from: CreepysFan on April 27, 2011, 09:21:16 PM
Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs... Tarzan and Pellucidar hold a special place in my heart... especially with those paperbacks with the Neal Adams and Frank Frazetta covers.
Still.working.on.the.AUTOBIOGRAPHY.OF.MARK.TWAIN,.vol.1.(700.pp.approx)!--Great.stuff!
But.taking.breaks.to.read:.CONFESSIONS.OF.A.SCREAM.QUEEN.by.Matt.Beckoff
and
Barry.Humphries'.THE.LIFE.AND.DEATH.OF.SANDY.STONE.
Thames the Biography
By Peter Ackroyd
Queenpin by Megan Abbott
The Serial Killer Files: The Who, What, Where, How, and Why of the World's Most Terrifying Murderers
Have Space Suit—Will Travel by Robert A. Heinlein
Been reading a number of horror stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Hey Zombie -
that sounds like a great book.....Ed Gein make the list?
Bizarro Jeff
Quote from: Bizarro Jeff on May 05, 2011, 05:54:04 AM
Hey Zombie -
that sounds like a great book.....Ed Gein make the list?
Bizarro Jeff
I'm sure the Butcher of Plainsfield is in there somewhere but I have not come across his exploits in the book just yet. The book lays out cases based on categories, I would assume once the book gets to the apparent normalcy of most serial killers lives (outside of murder of course) then Gein will be one of the top cases. So far the book is a pretty good read; There are a lot of cases that I've never heard of and some that expound on killers that I knew a little about. The book also destroys most popular believes; serial killers are predominately white, only the U.S. has them, they are all men, etc., etc.
zombiehorror:
the only sole female serial killer I'm aware of was Aileen Woronos (sorry about any misspelling....).
Women are more likely to be serial killers in teams - sometimes within skilled nursing facilities or hospitals. You might look at Paul Bernardo and his wife in Ontario, or the Honeymoon Killers here in NY from the 50s (I think).
Bizarro Jeff
Quote from: Bizarro Jeff on May 05, 2011, 05:36:47 PM
zombiehorror:
the only sole female serial killer I'm aware of was Aileen Woronos (sorry about any misspelling....).
Bizarro Jeff
I think Countess Bathory should ring a bell. Sick bitch that she was.
Wow....this is why I love the UMA! I had NEVER heard of Countess Bathory, and I popped over to Wikipedia for a quick inquiry and I have been schooled! Man, that's some messed up stuff!! I'm really too apprehensive to find out any more info about this "female", but I appreciate the learning experience. And I have to say that Wikipedia probably used a lot of discretion in their descriptions of her crimes. Wow!
charp, check out Hammer's "Countess Dracula".
While by no means the official story of Countess Bathory, it is Hammer's version of the gruesome tale. Starring Ingrid Pitt.
Quote from: BaronLatos35 on May 06, 2011, 07:30:51 AM
charp, check out Hammer's "Countess Dracula".
While by no means the official story of Countess Bathory, it is Hammer's version of the gruesome tale. Starring Ingrid Pitt.
You had me at "Ingrid Pitt".
Quote from: charp13 on May 05, 2011, 08:29:14 PM
Wow....this is why I love the UMA! I had NEVER heard of Countess Bathory,
Then I guess you missed out on this.
(http://www.bathory.nu/bilder/elizabeth_bathory_mcfarlane_5_big.jpg)
Quote from: Wicked Lester on May 06, 2011, 04:46:47 PM
Then I guess you missed out on this.
(http://www.bathory.nu/bilder/elizabeth_bathory_mcfarlane_5_big.jpg)
LOL that is awesome! I don't think the real Countess was that hot though....
Yes- I believe I did miss out on that!! The weird thing is if had seen it before I heard the story, I would have thought it was a really cool product of someone's artistic imagination! Now I just feel horrified! Man, that broad was really touched in the head! And I really believe someone would be messed up enough to think that if they bathed in, well you know, that it would keep them youthful!
Quote from: Bizarro Jeff on May 05, 2011, 05:36:47 PM
zombiehorror:
the only sole female serial killer I'm aware of was Aileen Woronos (sorry about any misspelling....).
Women are more likely to be serial killers in teams - sometimes within skilled nursing facilities or hospitals. You might look at Paul Bernardo and his wife in Ontario, or the Honeymoon Killers here in NY from the 50s (I think).
Bizarro Jeff
I don't recall all their names but here is a small list of female serial killers http://www.ranker.com/list/famous-female-serial-killers/reference (http://www.ranker.com/list/famous-female-serial-killers/reference) Seems like most of them in the book fall into the Arsenic & Old Lace fashion, Angels of Death and Black Widows but there are others like Aileen and Bathory that were just straight up vicious killers.
Countess Dracula is a Play Now movie on Netflix!!! There are also a few newer flicks; The Countess(2009) and Bathory (2008); I haven't seen either yet but both are getting decent reviews but on the downside neither of them feature Ingrid Pitt nor Peter Cushing!
Quote from: charp13 on May 06, 2011, 06:12:24 PM
Yes- I believe I did miss out on that!! The weird thing is if had seen it before I heard the story, I would have thought it was a really cool product of someone's artistic imagination! Now I just feel horrified! Man, that broad was really touched in the head! And I really believe someone would be messed up enough to think that if they bathed in, well you know, that it would keep them youthful!
That's what Joan Rivers says... :o
Quote from: Dr.Teufel Geist on May 06, 2011, 06:39:14 PM
That's what Joan Rivers says... :o
I met her recently........holy plastic Batman
Quote from: Bonomo on May 06, 2011, 06:40:45 PM
I met her recently........holy plastic Batman
lol :D
I am in the process of reading all the Perry Mason books from the first to the last.It's kinda like following early American 1930's history thru the 70's.Alot of politically uncorrect language in the early books.But a lot of fun.
Quote from: Big Swan on May 06, 2011, 06:49:09 PM
I am in the process of reading all the Perry Mason books from the first to the last.It's kinda like following early American 1930's history thru the 70's.Alot of politically uncorrect language in the early books.But a lot of fun.
Have you seen the 1930's P.M movies. Those are a lot of fun as well. Also P.C police unfriendly but a lot of movies were back then.
"Romancing the Vampire: from past to present" by David J. Skal
Quote from: Bizarro Jeff on May 06, 2011, 07:25:00 PM
"Romancing the Vampire: from past to present" by David J. Skal
This is the exact book i am reading, Great Book. Love the great collectibles inside!!!
I devoured this book, "The President's Vampire," over a weekend trip. The main character is a vampire who is essentially a secret agent who reports only to the president, and is bound by a blood oath to serve the country. It's the second book in a series (the first was "Blood Oath") and it's just insane, crazy fun. There are a lot of references to monsters and movies that I think most of you would catch and enjoy. Some real Lovecraftian connections in this story too. If you're looking for an off-beat adventure story, I highly recommend this.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51g95-frhVL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey
an anthology of werewolf stories - Curse of the Full Moon...
Best New Horror, followed by the last of the Parker "Spencer" novels, and hopefully Storm Prey.
Bizarro Jeff
Philip Jose Farmer in chronological order (http://www.xs4all.nl/~rnuninga/PJFfc.htm) ;)
Quote from: Street Worm on May 17, 2011, 04:23:49 AM
Philip Jose Farmer in chronological order (http://www.xs4all.nl/~rnuninga/PJFfc.htm) ;)
Oh my....does that include "A Feast Unknown"? ;) 15 years later I am still trying to recover from that one!
I do like him though, especially the Riverwolrd books.
Read 'The Strange Case Of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' today having never read it before. A wonderfully written tale.
Quote from: Big Swan on May 06, 2011, 06:49:09 PM
I am in the process of reading all the Perry Mason books from the first to the last.It's kinda like following early American 1930's history thru the 70's.Alot of politically uncorrect language in the early books.But a lot of fun.
I've only read 3 or 4, but like them a lot; I have a 6- or 7-story Mason omnibus I'll probably work on over the summer. (I'm also sporadically working through the show via Netflix).
Another great project would be to read all of the 87th Precinct books in order--they go from the 50s into the 80s. I read about 3/4 of them years ago, but in the order I was able to find them at used bookstores.
Quote from: Street Worm on May 17, 2011, 04:23:49 AM
Philip Jose Farmer in chronological order (http://www.xs4all.nl/~rnuninga/PJFfc.htm) ;)
Probably the only "science fiction" writer I'd count among my favorites. (And Moonshadow, there was a period where I read A Feast Unknown every six months or so. And Image of the Beast)
Farmer reminds me of Jack Kirby--boundless imagination, so much so that sometimes the story gets away from him.
EDWARD LEAR, THE LIFE OF A WANDERER by V. Noakes
SIR AUBREY (biography of C. Aubrey Smith) by D.R. Allen
reading four novels by Raymond Chandler....then on to Snowman by Graham Masterton, and Manitou Blood.
trying to lay hands on "The Psychopath Test"
My version of multitasking:
Infernal Devices by K W Jeter
One of the original Steampunk novels by the man who coined the term for the genre.
The Day We Found the Universe By Marcia Bartusiak
The story behind Edwin Hubble's 1925 announcement that the universe was bigger than just the Milky Way Galaxy.
Just now finished a Dean Koontz paperback..."Lightning". Really kinda enjoyed it! Had kids growing up in hard times, time travel, Nazis, several plot twists and a Sarah Conner type heroine that goes from sweet orphan to strapping fully auto Uzi's all over her well fortified house for when the sneaky Nazis show up.......and they do!.
I had been only mildly entertained by Koontz's "Tick Tock", but "Lightning" was a keeper. I will look for more of his books......Buddy
Quote from: bigbud on July 22, 2011, 10:28:47 PM
Just now finished a Dean Koontz paperback..."Lightning". Really kinda enjoyed it! Had kids growing up in hard times, time travel, Nazis, several plot twists and a Sarah Conner type heroine that goes from sweet orphan to strapping fully auto Uzi's all over her well fortified house for when the sneaky Nazis show up.......and they do!.
I had been only mildly entertained by Koontz's "Tick Tock", but "Lightning" was a keeper. I will look for more of his books......Buddy
I'd highly recommend his book 'Strangers' if you like his work. I'm not a huge fan of his but I really liked that one.
Lblambert, that's just the kind of recommendation I was looking for! Strangers it is ........thank you much! Buddy
Hey! Strangers wasn't made into a movie was it? For some reason a slasher movie with Liv Tyler comes to mind........couple scared by intruders all through the movie and then stabbed to death without much reason in the end...
Finally putting some effort behind reading/finishing Grande Dame Guignol Cinema: A History of Hag Horror from Baby Jane to Mother; I'd started reading it last year and then set it down for awhile.
several books on airbrushing, then on to a book on the greatest vampire stories by martin Greenburg.
finished reading the latest King novel as well.
Quote from: Bizarro Jeff on January 06, 2012, 10:49:17 AM
finished reading the latest King novel as well.
Hey Jeff, what did you think of the King book? It sounds interesting but the size is sort of putting me off. I just finished Games of Thrones, which was 800 pages, so I may go for a shorter book first.
Just finished reading "Assassin's Creed: The Secret Crusade," and just started "Assassin's Creed: Revelations." And, no, I don't play the videogames. I don't play any videogames, ever. The only reason I own exactly one videogame is that it was a gift.
Got several books for Christmas, so I'm reading those: Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers Omnibus, Stevie Ray Vaughan: Day by Day, Night after Night (highly recommended!), The Quotable Chetsterton, and a Dostoevsky short novel The Double.
Quote from: Illoman on January 06, 2012, 12:45:47 PM
Got several books for Christmas, so I'm reading those: Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers Omnibus, Stevie Ray Vaughan: Day by Day, Night after Night (highly recommended!), The Quotable Chetsterton, and a Dostoevsky short novel The Double.
Oh Man! The whole adventures of Phineas Freewheelin' Franklin and Fat Freddy? So Jealous--those are great comix! Gilbert Shelton is a genius. Too bad the Freak Brothers movie never got off the ground.
My current reading?
The Long Ships by Frans Gunnar Bengtsson (related to the Richard Widmark movie only by title) and
Norse Mythology According to Uncle Einar by JT Sibley. Thor rides a Harley and Valhalla is a Bar and Grill.
Quote from: zombiehorror on January 06, 2012, 09:59:05 AM
Finally putting some effort behind reading/finishing Grande Dame Guignol Cinema: A History of Hag Horror from Baby Jane to Mother; I'd started reading it last year and then set it down for awhile.
WOW!! One of my all-time favorite genres!! I never even considered there would be a history written of such a short-lived cinema niche. If you don't mind, can you give me a brief review?? Is it worth purchasing?
Quote from: Scatter on January 06, 2012, 05:14:57 PM
WOW!! One of my all-time favorite genres!! I never even considered there would be a history written of such a short-lived cinema niche. If you don't mind, can you give me a brief review?? Is it worth purchasing?
It's been interesting to me but then there are a lot of films in it that I didn't know about and I am definitely not an expert on this particular genre; Each film is given a short plot synopsis before delving a little deeper into the film and the connections to the other films in the genre. You can preview quite a few pages for yourself here http://books.google.com/books/about/Grande_Dame_Guignol_cinema.html?id=gPuyHmIcHbwC (http://books.google.com/books/about/Grande_Dame_Guignol_cinema.html?id=gPuyHmIcHbwC) and see the list of films the book covers. Depending on what you've read or previously know about the films I would say would depend on your level of enjoyment out of the book....Then again I know (as must of us do) all about the Universal Monsters and I still pick up new books on the subject.
Thanks ZH! Just watched the Mother of all hag horrors "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane" complete with a surprisingly and disappointingly ignorant and vapid commentary track. Seriously, bought the Anniversary Edition JUST for the extras, and they sucked. Rife with error and inane nattering, which displaced any insight, history, or interesting anecdotes which might have been offered on the film. 2 "critics" giggling and gabbing over a film soundtrack does NOT a commentary make.
I've been reading Rick Lai's The Secret History of Criminal Masterminds and his The Secret History of Heroes. I really enjoy the Wold-Newton universe created by Philip Jose Farmer.
AT HOME (A Short History of Private Life) by Bill Bryson, one of the most satisfying and enjoyable writers of travel and historic minutiae.
THE LUCKY SOUTHERN STAR by Julie Adams--excellent autobiography of one of our--and certainly the Creature's--favorite ladies!
AN ANTHROPOLGIST ON MARS by Oliver Sacks--more fascinating cases having to do with neurological disorders.
UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN by Jon Krakauer--some recent and distant history of violence in Fundamental Mormonism.
Quote from: RICKH on January 06, 2012, 09:38:47 PM
I've been reading Rick Lai's The Secret History of Criminal Masterminds and his The Secret History of Heroes. I really enjoy the Wold-Newton universe created by Philip Jose Farmer.
I had no idea anyone was playing around in Farmer's universe! I had PJF's "Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life" when I was just a tween, then got "Tarzan Alive" and later on read "A Feast Unknown " (I've never recovered), as well as "Lord of the Trees/ The Mad Goblin". I absolutely love the way PJF took so many existing characters and built a universe around them. I'll have to check out these Rick Lai books. Thanks for posting that Rick!
fiction: Robert Jordan- 4th Wheel of Time
nonfiction: just completed the complete book of Hammer Horror
magazine: Scary Monsters#78
My Days With Errol Flynn by Buster Wiles, who was Flynn's stunt double and good friend for a long time
A couple of Whitman/Gold Key Ripley's Believe It Or Not! comics from the early 70's...
Dracula's Gold by Robert Lory...remember those ads for Dracula novels in the back of Famous Monsters magazine? I got curious and thought I would check one out...
Moonshadow, I don't know if you are aware of this site, but you might enjoy it.
www.pjfarmer.com/woldnewton/Pulp.htm (http://www.pjfarmer.com/woldnewton/Pulp.htm)
Quote from: RICKH on January 08, 2012, 03:37:47 PM
Moonshadow, I don't know if you are aware of this site, but you might enjoy it.
www.pjfarmer.com/woldnewton/Pulp.htm (http://www.pjfarmer.com/woldnewton/Pulp.htm)
Thanks Rick!
Just yesterday I started reading The Television Horrors of Dan Curtis: Dark Shadows, The Night Stalker and Other Productions, 1966-2006, I've had it waiting for awhile and figured it would be a good read while I wait for HorrorHound #34 which will focus on the Dark Shadows remake, Dark Shadows and Dan Curtis!
Reading The Shack, by Wm. Paul Young. A little more than halfway through.
Also, Why?- Making Sense Of God's Will, by Adam Hamilton. Reading it off and on (it's a short book).
I've also re-read a few chapters of some book called, Dracula, by some Stoker joker. Felt it's only proper to finish the other two books first, before I delve all the way into Count Dracula's world!
PARADISE by Patrick Dennis 8) 8) 8)
I don't know why I do this, but I always have been a multiple reader, and it looks like several of you folks are too! I'm reading a collection of Father Brown short stories, and a collection of essays both by GK Chesterton, finishing off a short novel called The Double by Dostoevsky, and the Bible.
Finishing Girl with the Dragon tattoo. and about to start last part of the Strain trilogy..
I've been interested in The Strain myself. Let us know how it is.
I just finished Mark Hodder's Expedition to the Mountains of the Moon. It's the third book in his Richard Burton series. I loved the first book, liked the second, and this one, I was just indifferent. Hard to say why. Might have been the setting. He's a very good writer though.
Just started Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey. So far so good.
Next on the shelf is Operation Mincemeat by Ben MacIntyre, non-fiction involving British WWII spies.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51vDuZcYpvL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg)
I'm currently reading/studying several books. Guerrilla Social Media Marketing by Jay Conrad Levinson, The Savage Tales Of Solomon Kane by Robert E. Howard, and I just started reading Man And His Symbols by C. G. Jung. I'm also re-reading/studying Dynamic Figure Drawing by Burne Hogarth.
PRACTICALLY TRUE, the autobiography of Ernest Thesiger--a birthday present from the coolest cousin ever, my Cuz Sara (UMA member vpdogjoe)! And it's a hoot.
Dark Tower - The Gunslinger
Amazing Figure Modeler
Shadowlands
Bizarro Jeff
I have decided to start reading my issues of 'Famous Monsters', I have read some before but can't remember which ones so I thought I would just start at the beginning. I haven't a full set yet but do have about 90 something issues.Certainly enjoying them very much. The last book I read before I started on FM was 'The 3rd Pan book of Horror stories'
(http://i1048.photobucket.com/albums/s366/missdead1313/cooking.jpg)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ... an interesting read.
Just finished Girl with Dragon Tattoo. Agreed it is very interesting. But I really enjoyed it. I kept screaming "where's Harriet???!!"..lol
I'm pulling out my John Carter of Mars paperbacks. I know the movie won't mirror the books, but the movie has given me the push to read those great books again.....Buddy
Sixties Shockers: A Critical Filmography of Horror Cinema, 1960-1969
Quote from: Marsha on February 12, 2012, 09:25:45 PM
Just finished Girl with Dragon Tattoo. Agreed it is very interesting. But I really enjoyed it. I kept screaming "where's Harriet???!!"..lol
I had a feeling that Harriet wasn't dead for a long time .. I just finished "The Girl Who Played with Fire" and I'm starting "The Girl Woh Kicked the Hornet's Nest" .. One thing that I learned reading these books is that the people of Sweden drinks lots of coffee and that you don't refuse a cup in someone's home ... ;)
Quote from: Flower on February 13, 2012, 02:07:02 PM
I had a feeling that Harriet wasn't dead for a long time .. I just finished "The Girl Who Played with Fire" and I'm starting "The Girl Woh Kicked the Hornet's Nest" .. One thing that I learned reading these books is that the people of Sweden drinks lots of coffee and that you don't refuse a cup in someone's home ... ;)
Hahahaha! I thought the same thing! And it made me want coffee constantly too. Can't wait to start the second book!
Peter Straub's "Shadowland".
(https://www.printersrowbooks.com/images/t/33-7301-PrimaryImage.image.ashx)
A biography on Christopher Columbus. Admiral of the Ocean Sea: A Life of Christopher Columbus. Though there are many bios out there I chose this one from the early 40's because of this:
Admiral of the Ocean Sea is Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison's classic biography of the greatest sailor of them all, Christopher Columbus. It is written with the insight, energy, and authority that only someone who had himself sailed in Columbus' path to the New World could muster. Morison undertook this expedition in a 147-foot schooner and a 47-foot ketch, the dimensions of these craft roughly matching those of Columbus' Santa Maria and Niña. The result is this vivid and definitive biography that accurately details the voyages that, for better or worse, changed the world.
and
This recreation lends credibility to his writing. But more than that, it makes much of the book, particularly those parts at sea, seem as if the reader is experiencing the voyages through the person of Columbus. Not only the particulars of what he saw, but the smells of land breezes, the feel of the trade winds, the motion of the boat.
Our 1942 copy belonged to my father-in-law, so there is also that neat feeling of reading the same exact book as he did.
The Shadow - the History and Mystery of the Radio Program, 1930-1954.
Quote from: Bizarro Jeff on March 08, 2012, 09:44:49 PM
The Shadow - the History and Mystery of the Radio Program, 1930-1954.
How is it?
I'm reading it in little bits...the book itself is over 800 pages...even for me, a long read.
Chapters include:
1 - It begins with a mystery...detailing the rise of the pulps and the precursor to The Shadow.
2. The Boy Wonder....Orson Welles, nuff said.
3. The Bill Johnstone Years.
4. Juvenile Impact and WW2.
5. The Three Shadows.
Very well written - very through.
Evan some appendixes on such stuff I didn't know, such as the "South American Shadow" - which I haven't read yet..
Bizarro Jeff
I finally started reading Dante's Divine Comedy. I found a translation that has a short synopsis of each canto before you read it, and notes at the end of each section that further explain it. So far it's excellent!!
I'm trying to get through Asimov's The Gods Themselves. Over half through and finding it hard to enjoy.......it might still get better. I really liked the Foundation and Robot books.........Buddy
Area 51 Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base by Annie Jacobson
Interesting read about the history of Area 51, the politics betweeen Air Force and CIA concerning use of spy planes, and nuclear testing in the Nevada desert. She makes a few claims as to the story behind aliens or flying saucers at the base, but that is not the primary focus of the book. There have been many criticisms about her science and questionable research, so I have to read it "with a grain of salt", but overall it is an entertaining book.
Hoping to finally finish this one this weekend.
(http://starwars.com/img/shop/books/star_wars_darth_plagueis_main.jpg)
Quote from: Moonshadow on January 06, 2012, 11:11:10 PM
I had no idea anyone was playing around in Farmer's universe! I had PJF's "Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life" when I was just a tween, then got "Tarzan Alive" and later on read "A Feast Unknown " (I've never recovered), as well as "Lord of the Trees/ The Mad Goblin". I absolutely love the way PJF took so many existing characters and built a universe around them. I'll have to check out these Rick Lai books. Thanks for posting that Rick!
Kim Newman's "Anno-Dracula" series is also tied to the Wold-Newton Universe, but would be considered an alternate history of it, as some of the WN mainstays either die prematurely or become vampires.
Horrorhound #34~Dark Shadows write up and big Christopher Lee article make up the bulk, as well as a piece on Dan Curtis and Hammer dvd releases!! If you don't want to buy you may want to check it out a bookstore.....If you can find a bookstore!!
Just finished the Girl Who Played with Fire. Meh.
Will be starting this one this weekend.
(http://dyn4.media.titanbooks.com/products/5200/starwarsdeceived.jpg)
The Shining...still plowing thru The Shadow...next to follow, the Harry Dresden novels.
Bizarro Jeff
Bruce Lee: Fighting Spirit
Quote from: Bizarro Jeff on March 23, 2012, 07:54:41 AM
The Shining...still plowing thru The Shadow...next to follow, the Harry Dresden novels.
Bizarro Jeff
Have a few King's signed at this end. He lives in my hometown of Bangor and is a great guy.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41hOA6aNdlL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Qr%2BiMW18L._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
These are both amazing reads!
The Mother Tongue: English & How It Got That Way by Bill Bryson.
Quote from: Bogey on March 27, 2012, 09:32:10 PM
Have a few King's signed at this end. He lives in my hometown of Bangor and is a great guy.
True story: in my younger days, I used to get mistaken for Stephen King a lot! This was back in the mid-'80s, when King got really fat. Only thing is, I'm 5'9" and King's like 6'4"! But, there were two incidents where (obviously not very knowledgable) King fans insisted I sign their copies of "Danse Macabre" and "The Stand." So, I did-- with my name, not his, of course!
Zombie Movies: The Ultimate Guide
Finally finished The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest..BORING! Well except for a part in the end. I really don't understand why this trilogy is so beloved... Now what to read next??? ;)
finished reading "Zone One", about zombies...don't see the big deal....
Bizarro Jeff
I recently finished re-reading all 15 volumes of The Walking Dead and now i want to get back into Public Enemies and the rest of my books on Dillinger and the other gangsters of the 30's.
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire hunter...just picked it up today
Goners: The Final Hours of the Notable and Notorious
by KERR GORDON
http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Goners-Final-Hours-Notable-Notorious-KERR-GORDON/9780810983649-item.html (http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Goners-Final-Hours-Notable-Notorious-KERR-GORDON/9780810983649-item.html)
i read half yesterday and finished it today...
its really a good book..
i love the post mortem notes on each person.
i learned a few things that id never heard of before... cool stuff.. check it out !!
Quote from: missdead13 on April 25, 2012, 10:44:36 PM
Goners: The Final Hours of the Notable and Notorious
by KERR GORDON
http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Goners-Final-Hours-Notable-Notorious-KERR-GORDON/9780810983649-item.html (http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/books/Goners-Final-Hours-Notable-Notorious-KERR-GORDON/9780810983649-item.html)
i read half yesterday and finished it today...
its really a good book..
i love the post mortem notes on each person.
i learned a few things that id never heard of before... cool stuff.. check it out !!
That sounds very interesting, thanks for posting the link. Have you ever read Lustmord: The Writings and Artifacts of Murderers?
George R.R. Martin's "A Storm of Swords" for pleasure and Joseph Farrell's "Reich of the Black Sun" for writing research.
Making of Friday the 13th: The Legend of Camp Blood
Also started reading the novelization of The Wolfman (2010) pretty good read, delves a little more into the characters than what they could show in the film....picked the paperback up for $3 at Dollar General!
Just got done reading "Beloved" by Toni Morrison. My daughter had to read it for school and was having a tough time with it. I got a copy at the library so I could read it along with her. It's essentially a ghost story, but the uneven writing style made it a tough read.
Now I'm re-reading Dracula. My oldest daughter got me an illustrated edition by Jae Lee for Christmas one year.
Just finished "11/23/63" by Stephen King.
Now re-reading "Blue Highways" by William Least-Heat-Moon
Quote from: Howler on April 26, 2012, 07:16:30 AM
That sounds very interesting, thanks for posting the link. Have you ever read Lustmord: The Writings and Artifacts of Murderers?
Yes. I have that book . It is very good. .
I am now reading ::
(http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/1252/hitchcock.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/515/hitchcock.jpg/)
I happen to be reading a hitchcock presents right now too, I have four different books of his on my shelf and decided it was time to get them read. A postage stamp reminded me I had them. :o
(http://i1054.photobucket.com/albums/s492/jraysjunkyard/2012-05-06_18-51-10_212.jpg?t=1336349590)
And I recently found this one at the goodwill and have it by my chair to pick up every now and then and read about a famous persons death and where they are buried. It sure would be fun to spend a week or two traveling just to see some of these plots and take charcoal rubbings off of thier headstones.
(http://i1054.photobucket.com/albums/s492/jraysjunkyard/2012-04-19_16-22-47_369.jpg)
Quote from: frankenstein73 on May 06, 2012, 07:23:01 PM
And I recently found this one at the goodwill and have it by my chair to pick up every now and then and read about a famous persons death and where they are buried. It sure would be fun to spend a week or two traveling just to see some of these plots and take charcoal rubbings off of thier headstones.
(http://i1054.photobucket.com/albums/s492/jraysjunkyard/2012-04-19_16-22-47_369.jpg)
That looks like a cool read. I just reserved it from the library. Thanks!!
Quote from: frankenstein73 on May 06, 2012, 07:23:01 PM
I happen to be reading a hitchcock presents right now too, I have four different books of his on my shelf and decided it was time to get them read. A postage stamp reminded me I had them. :o
(http://i1054.photobucket.com/albums/s492/jraysjunkyard/2012-05-06_18-51-10_212.jpg?t=1336349590)
And I recently found this one at the goodwill and have it by my chair to pick up every now and then and read about a famous persons death and where they are buried. It sure would be fun to spend a week or two traveling just to see some of these plots and take charcoal rubbings off of thier headstones.
(http://i1054.photobucket.com/albums/s492/jraysjunkyard/2012-04-19_16-22-47_369.jpg)
:) that is so funny.. funnier yet, both books ( yours & mine ), look about in the same condition.. old and worn out, which is perfect in my opinion. :D
the other book you have there, I also have.. its alot like the one I posted before , called Goners. its good. if you havent read Goners, you should get it off amazon.. its worth it.
and as far as graveyard hopping .. sounds like a perfect vaykay :D
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
(http://bookgroupbuzz.booklistonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/public-enemies.jpg)
Fragments of Fear. It's a history of the British horror cinema.
Two on the stack -
King's "The Wind through the Keyhole", and Deighton's "The IPCRESS File".
Also have "Casebook in Abnormal Psychology" before Fall.
Bizarro Jeff
Quote from: Howler on May 06, 2012, 10:38:52 PM
(http://bookgroupbuzz.booklistonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/public-enemies.jpg)
A quick review when you can. Thanks!
Thread duty:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51MRYPWMJ7L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg)
I've been looking at this childhood classic " Dracula is a Pain in the Neck"
http://openlibrary.org/books/OL23277426M/Dracula_is_a_pain_in_the_neck (http://openlibrary.org/books/OL23277426M/Dracula_is_a_pain_in_the_neck)
Quote from: Zombiology on May 07, 2012, 07:12:40 AM
Fragments of Fear. It's a history of the British horror cinema.
I like the sounds of that one, any good so far?
Shiloh: 1862 by Winston Groom (He's the author of Forrest Gump!) It is a great read for any Civil War buff.
Also, The Shadow: The History and Mystery of the Radio Program 1930-1954. Very thorough (800 pgs.) of my favorite OTR shows. I really enjoyed the section on Orson Welles.
Quote from: Bonomo on May 09, 2012, 07:02:32 AM
I like the sounds of that one, any good so far?
Yeah, it is. Just finished a chapter about Tod Slaughter who seems like an interesting character. Came from Vaudeville and was known as the king of Grand Guignol. Mostly ranged from 30's to 40's. Of course, Hammer has its own section and other movies like Clockwork Orange are also included so it has a wide range. Starts out with an interesting take on why British horror was overwhelmed by the material out of the US during the 20s and 30s and their own ratings codes which came out with the H rating in 1937 as reason why British horror didn't get a fast start.
Published by the same company who did The House of Horror which is the Hammer film story.
Don't judge. I am reading the Maureen McCormick (aka Marcia Brady) autobiography. She is one of few who also lives with my burden of hearing Marsha Marsha Marsha at minimum 3 times a day... Lol
Currently: An old favorite:
(http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/6662/103102637.jpg)
This edition is kind of nice. It has Heaney's brilliant translation printed alongside the poem in the original Anglo-Saxon (AKA Old English)
Next up in the queue:
(http://img545.imageshack.us/img545/8607/106379680.jpg)
'South Carolina Reader' published in 1927. A history of South Carolina. The Carolina elementary school system used this in the `70's to teach us the state's history. Mine is a`27 first printing.
(http://i1170.photobucket.com/albums/r529/creepy1972/xz4.jpg)
Just finished a book on the making of the film Yellow Submarine, am in the middle of a biography of cartoon voice actor Daws Butler, when a book I had on reserve at the library came in: Buddy Guy's autobiography!!
Quote from: Bogey on May 08, 2012, 10:11:54 PM
A quick review when you can. Thanks!
Thread duty:
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51MRYPWMJ7L._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg)
Right now I am on page 370. This book is amazing. It takes you through 1933-34 and gives a detailed description of what was going on with the various gangs from Bonnie and Clyde to the Barker/Karpis gang. Up to the many forms of the Dillinger gang. It also talks about the struggles of the early FBI agency. Definitely a great read if depression era gangsters interest you.
Somehow, I thought the Battle of Gettysburg was a little earlier than 1933 ???
Quote from: Fester on June 21, 2012, 10:08:57 PM
Somehow, I thought the Battle of Gettysburg was a little earlier than 1933 ???
I hit quote, but I don't know why it didn't copy the picture of the first book as well.
Whew! I was thinking maybe my MA in History was bogus! :laugh:
It is,
But not for that . . . ::)
Current read--at least in this space-time continuum.
(http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/3808/141484263.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/444/141484263.jpg/)
Pretty goofy. But chock full of helpful information if your car/call box/hot tub/starship-based time machine deposits you somewhere strange. Great tips on interaction with cowboys, nazis, pirates, ninjas, samurai, vikings, dinosaurs, robots, space marines, etc. Also covers what to say or not say to your doppleganger.
Some 'mainstream' PKD
Originally written in 1958, but rejected by prospective publishers,
eventually published posthumously in 1985
(http://gallery.unrealspawnboard.com/albums/userpics/10006/pkdimlt.png)
One of the few mainstreams not set in California-
this one takes place in late '50s Idaho.
Quote from: Fester on June 22, 2012, 12:50:21 PM
Whew! I was thinking maybe my MA in History was bogus! :laugh:
It is,
But not for that . . . ::)
Current read--at least in this space-time continuum.
(http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/3808/141484263.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/444/141484263.jpg/)
Pretty goofy. But chock full of helpful information if your car/call box/hot tub/starship-based time machine deposits you somewhere strange. Great tips on interaction with cowboys, nazis, pirates, ninjas, samurai, vikings, dinosaurs, robots, space marines, etc. Also covers what to say or not say to your doppleganger.
this looks interesting . . def. something i would have picked up , had i saw it anywhere. . fer sure !!! ;D
(http://www.ziesings.com/pictures/48725.jpg)
Pretty interesting so far. It tackles the idea that Victor Frankenstein was a very unreliable narrator. I'm reminded somewhat of the Hammer Frankenstein films, where a cold-hearted Victor Frankenstein is the real monster. Here, the novel is from the creature's perspective, in first person, but there's a twist to the character in that the creature has a name and a past life.
The new "Odd Thomas" from Koontz.
Bizarro Jeff
I just finished Hound of the Baskervilles and am starting Carte Blanche, the new James Bond novel from last year.
Books of Blood Volume I-III
Clive Barker 'In the Flesh' (Books of Blood vol. V)
- Unholy Night Seth Grahame-Smith
An "unholy" and realistic version of this Biblical event through the twisted eyes of SGS.
You've heard about the Three Wise Men? Here they are escaped criminals who escort the Holy Family through the desert.
Interesting and fun read. I'm looking forward to Abe Lincoln, Vampire Hunter.
(http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/4586/24776431.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/23/24776431.jpg/)
The Hatfields and McCoys were amateurs.
Yet more Weird Menace reprints from the 30's. Gone thru several gory horror novels to kill the breaks and lunch at work (thinking of my bosses) u6juu
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51VCxyG1zFL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Freaking awesome book!!
The Best Horror of the Year, vol 4
I'm planning on buying, The Untold History of the United States - It looks like a great read and I can't wait for the TV show next week
Quote from: Scatter on August 24, 2012, 06:30:37 PM
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51VCxyG1zFL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
Freaking awesome book!!
I want this book badly, but the 30 plus dollar price tag has kept it out of my reach for the time being. What exactly does it cover-the movies shown and/or background to the show from WOR9? I saw Fright Night many times back in the 80s when i would stay overnight at friends or at my aunt's who had cable. Always showed a great eclectic assortment of flicks!
(http://gallery.unrealspawnboard.com/albums/userpics/10006/Sailbeyond.jpg)
Robert A. Heinlein's last novel published in 1987-
he died in '88.
Finally managed to snag one of the Starkiller action figures, so I'm re-reading...
(http://www.primaryignition.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/star_wars_the_force_unleashed_2_sean_williams.jpg)
Ten Years Beyond Baker Street by Cay Van Ash. Sherlock Holmes comes out of retirement to match wits with Fu Manchu. So far a delightful book!
Quote from: Street Worm on November 07, 2012, 09:06:11 PM
(http://gallery.unrealspawnboard.com/albums/userpics/10006/Sailbeyond.jpg)
Robert A. Heinlein's last novel published in 1987-
he died in '88.
I bought that one when it first hit the stands!
8)
Quote from: RedKing on November 07, 2012, 08:02:16 PM
I want this book badly, but the 30 plus dollar price tag has kept it out of my reach for the time being. What exactly does it cover-the movies shown and/or background to the show from WOR9? I saw Fright Night many times back in the 80s when i would stay overnight at friends or at my aunt's who had cable. Always showed a great eclectic assortment of flicks!
The book covers both the history of the show (and its creators) as well as covering the ENTIRE film line-up with capsule synopsis,review, and air dates. Freaking LOVE this book!! The price kept me away too, but Nancy saw it in my Amazon queue and bought it for me (yes, the monkey is spoiled!).
I just finished reading these two:
(http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g434/Balticprince/General%20Album%202/JackMc.jpg)
(http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g434/Balticprince/General%20Album%202/JackMcD.jpg)
Great spellbinding interstellar mysteries by an author whose books I always like!
;)
Best Horror 23 and 24.
Quote from: Scatter on November 09, 2012, 04:51:28 PM
The book covers both the history of the show (and its creators) as well as covering the ENTIRE film line-up with capsule synopsis,review, and air dates. Freaking LOVE this book!! The price kept me away too, but Nancy saw it in my Amazon queue and bought it for me (yes, the monkey is spoiled!).
Nice! I added it to my Amazon Christmas list so maybe it'll show up under the tree. I love the old UHF monster movie shows from the 70s and 80s, especially the ones I saw as a kid from the NYC channels-11's Chiller with the hand, Fright Night on ch9,cg5s Drive in movie. I didny have cable growing up so whenever I went to a friends or to my aunt or grandmother's that did Id catch a showing. I tried researching the local upstate Albany area shows Theater Bizarre from ch23 and the various ones on the short lived ch 45 from the 80s, but I haven't been able to find complete TV listings and ch23 has no info about their early days anymore(they became part of tghe Fox conglomerate years ago)
Quote from: RICKH on November 07, 2012, 10:50:51 PMTen Years Beyond Baker Street by Cay Van Ash. Sherlock Holmes comes out of retirement to match wits with Fu Manchu. So far a delightful book!
Ever read "The Shadow Over Baker Street," an anthology of Holmesian Cthulhu Mythos stories? Pretty good stuff!
Just finished Firebird.
When it comes to engrossing mystery/adventure stories set in a Science Fiction universe, McDevitt is the best.
(http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o581/Sly_werewolf/an-ordinary-man-cover.jpg)
I'm reading "Gilbert: The Man Who Was G K Chesterton". I enjoy his Father Brown mystery stories, and liked his novel The Man Who Was Thursday.
I'm about to start this one.
(http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/go-down-together-book-cover.jpg)
THE BEAST OF BOGGY CREEK: The True Story Of The Fouke Monster
by Lyle Blackburn
foreward by Loren Coleman
Ah, the Fouke Monster...I love "The Legend of Boggy Creek," great movie.
Re-visiting Elliot O'Donnell's book "The Midnight Hearse"...love this guy's turn-of-the-century classic ghost hunting stories. Real atmospheric and at times pretty darn creepy!
(http://thefoundingfields.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/AnnoDracula.jpg)
It came in yesterday's mail, along with "Anno Dracula: The Bloody Red Baron" and "Anno Dracula: Dracula Cha Cha Cha." Eagerly awaiting the release of the long-delayed fourth (and possibly final) book in the series, "Anno Dracula: Johnny Alucard."
Quote from: Count_Zirock on November 20, 2012, 07:29:25 AM
--
It came in yesterday's mail, along with "Anno Dracula: The Bloody Red Baron" and "Anno Dracula: Dracula Cha Cha Cha." Eagerly awaiting the release of the long-delayed fourth (and possibly final) book in the series, "Anno Dracula: Johnny Alucard."
Outstanding series. I actually heard Newman wants to do a fifth book which brings it right up to around present day. He mentioned a working title called
The War On Horror, naturally a little reference to the War on Terror.
Some days I wish someone like HBO would do a TV series adaptation. Movies would be cool, but I'd expect them to be a lot less faithful to the books the way Hollywood tends to be these days. It certainly could be done with the right talent. But I think TV is a safer bet.
"Boy's Life" by Robert McCammond is just the book for UMAers:
(http://www.robertmccammon.com/images/bl_20_pb.jpg)
The main character is a young boy growing up in small town Alabama in 1962. His father is a milkman with a house of ill repute on his route and the young boy and his best buddy have Aurora monster model kits, Green Lantern comic books and Topps Civil War news cards. The book deals with the adventures the boys have involving a circus, triceratops, huge old gator, Ku Klux Klansmen and a corpse his father finds in the lake!
8)
Ancients Haunts - the ghost stories of E.G. Swain and Arthur Gray.....
Quote from: Hepcat on November 20, 2012, 10:26:26 AM
"Boy's Life" by Robert McCammond is just the book for UMAers:
(http://www.robertmccammon.com/images/bl_20_pb.jpg)
The main character is a young boy growing up in small town Alabama in 1962. His father is a milkman with a house of ill repute on his route and the young boy and his best buddy have Aurora monster model kits, Green Lantern comic books and Topps Civil War news cards. The book deals with the adventures the boys have involving a circus, triceratops, huge old gator, Ku Klux Klansmen and a corpse his father finds in the lake!
8)
I read that 10-12 years ago and again a few years later. Fun read.
(http://dyn4.media.titanbooks.com/products/5192/AnnoDracBloodyCv.jpg)
Includes the new novella "Anno Dracula 1923: Vampire Romance."
I just learned that "Johnny Alucard" has been pushed back to June 2013. Bummer.
I *finally* got a copy of "Marvel Comics: the Untold Story" from the library. Enjoying reading it very much!!
Quote from: Illoman on November 24, 2012, 11:12:39 PM
I *finally* got a copy of "Marvel Comics: the Untold Story" from the library. Enjoying reading it very much!!
I just finished it a few days ago. I knew a lot of the anecdotes in it already, but I still found it very interesting. There's certainly not a more complete history of Marvel -the real world side, that is. I found all the focus on business and executives in the 90s and on more than a little sad though. Certainly you could see the creative side slipping as early as the 80s, if you were reading the books then. Everything became about making money, and now it seems as if the comics only exist so that they can be licensed out in every conceivable way.
The Star Kings by Edmond Hamilton
I'm currently absorbed by my EC Comics.
Quote from: Moonshadow on November 25, 2012, 12:52:24 AMCertainly you could see the creative side slipping as early as the 80s, if you were reading the books then. Everything became about making money, and now it seems as if the comics only exist so that they can be licensed out in every conceivable way.
Truth, although I think the beginning of the drop in the creative content at Marvel could be precisely dated to the moment in 1973 when Stan Lee stepped back from scripting any more stories. And it's all about nothing but the money to many/most buyers of older comics too. That's why I like to collect lesser known titles from companies other than Marvel. They've not been as badly impacted/infected by the pursuit of the almighty dollar.
:(
Quote from: Mr. Maghoul on November 25, 2012, 10:50:30 AM
I'm currently absorbed by my EC Comics.
As well it should be. tynhrt
Sports Illustrated Special Edition SF Giants World Championship magazine
The Sherlockian by Graham Moore
I think I'm going to start King Kong. The novelization of the movie published in 1932.
Quote from: Zackuth on December 01, 2012, 08:54:03 AMI think I'm going to start King Kong. The novelization of the movie published in 1932.
Some people find it kinda dry and a bit lifeless, but I've always enjoyed it. Try finding a copy of "Kong Reborn" to follow it up with.
I'll see if I can find Kong Reborn, thanks!! I did read this back in '83 or '84. As I remember I enjoyed it.
"Kong Reborn" came out in Nov. 2005, so it shouldn't be too hard to track down. It uses only the '33 Kong for inspiration, and ignores all sequels and remakes.
(http://randjblackford.customer.netspace.net.au/Kong%20Reborn%20cover.jpg)
Jeeves and The Feudal Spirit. Bertie Wooster is one of the most warm-hearted good natured goofs ever to nibble a biscuit. Sublime comic writing from PG Wodehouse. Boris Karloff gets a name check in one of the novels(cant remember which one).
I'm trying to get thru PaperCutz Tales from the Crypt series (2007), the Ghoulunatics segments are actually decent but the stories themselves leave much to be desired! Currently on issue #5.
Started on The Keep by F. Paul Wilson. So far, so good.
The Monster Show by D. Skal
Finished Papercutz run of Tales From the Crypt, 'cept for 9 thru 11; Followed that up with Dell's comic adaptation of Masque of the Red Death!
Quote from: Bonomo on December 09, 2012, 05:56:34 PM
The Monster Show by D. Skal
That's an excellent read! Made me think about horror films in ways I never had, and I learned a lot of film history too. Hope you are enjoying it.
Devil's Advocate
As soon as I finish "Vampire Romance: Anno Dracula 1923," the new novella that's part of Titan's new edition of "The Bloody Red Baron," I'll be starting...
(http://img2.imagesbn.com/images/177500000/177501270.JPG)
Quote from: Count_Zirock on November 24, 2012, 10:57:20 PMI just learned that "Johnny Alucard" has been pushed back to June 2013. Bummer.
But, the cover art has been revealed!(http://dyn4.media.titanbooks.com/products/6654/AD_JA.jpg)
In between reading the Bonnie and Clyde book I have started I am rereading V for Vendetta.
The Collected Stories of Philip K. Dick vol. 1 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Short_Happy_Life_of_the_Brown_Oxford_(collection))
(The Short Happy Life of the Brown Oxford)
Stories in this volume are mostly from 1952 & '53
Starting yesterday, Phil's 84th birthday, & through the Winter months, I'll be reading
all his stuff in chronological order (or a close as I can get - there's still three
'mainstream' novels I need to add to my collection).
& I'll be checking the chronology of it all with Lord Running Clam's huge study of
the novels and short stories of PKD, Pink Beam (http://www.lulu.com/shop/lord-rc/pink-beam-a-philip-k-dick-companion/paperback/product-1254787.html).
The Book of Horrors....
Yet another cool pulp reprint.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/1597981281/ref=dp_image_text_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/1597981281/ref=dp_image_text_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books)
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ADcReXXn4nE/Tgj5VX1W7EI/AAAAAAAAAMI/uUINIQUGiaA/s1600/new-cthulhu-mockup.jpg)
I thought about picking up that same book Count Z, how is it so far ?
I'm reading Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott. That and Frankenstein are my two favorite novels.
Quote from: CreepysFan on January 15, 2013, 10:40:01 PM
I thought about picking up that same book Count Z, how is it so far ?
I just started on the first story, so I'll have to get back to you on it, CF.
A PDF file of the 1933 HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
"E"
I'm picking this one up today after work.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51q2DCWoNJL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA300_SH20_OU02_.jpg)
Vril, The Power of the Coming Race
by Sir Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1871)
http://johnnyalucard.com/2013/02/15/johnny-alucard-announcement/ (http://johnnyalucard.com/2013/02/15/johnny-alucard-announcement/)
June can't get here soon enough!
What Fears Become, an anthology from the horror zine.
Just picked up a Kindle as well.....
Bizarro Jeff
'Karloff - More than a monster' by Stephen Jacobs. I have read other books on Boris Karloff which were great but this one really covers some ground,sure is a heavy book too.
Great hard boiled pulp fiction reprint. Fun read with cartoon style violence and so anti-PC.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51C8RJ0DVNL._SS500_.jpg)
(http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/1482/dickeybook1.jpg)... and... (http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/6350/9780770420581.jpg)
Recently acquired 10 more old WEIRD TALES...they range from 1945 to 1952...and I'm reading a story here, a story there. Great stuff--some Derleth, some Bradbury, some Carl Jacobi, some Robert Bloch.
And also I'm reading a Harold Schechter book, PSYCHO USA, about "a bevy of all-but-forgotten homicidal fiends", 19th and early 20th Century murderers (of the serial killer/mass murder type) who committed horrifc crimes but--today are scarcely remembered. Fascinating stuff. I like Schechter's books--but I don't think much of his titles!
Ty -
He did a great book on that old cut-up, Ed Gein, some years ago.....I'll have to look this one up...I love reading true crime about serial killers.
Bizarro Jeff
Besides the one on Gein, Schechter also did 5 or 6 others, each a dedicated biography of a once-well-known murderer of days gone by--Albert Fish, Jesse Pomeroy, Jane Toppen, H.H. Holmes, et al. All are good reads. Schechter does excellent research and stresses factual details. Gein, especially, has suffered over the decades from having endless "old wives' tales" and various embellishments added to his story--and his story, told accurately, is sufficiently gruesome as it is! Schechter's versions give accurate recounting AND are very readable.
(http://wolfsgamingblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/assassins-creed-forsaken.jpg)
I don't play the games, but I love the books based on them!
I just started reading CHRISTOPHER STRONG, a novel by Gilbert Frankau. I always try to read the book or play that a classic film is made from. The same for screen plays. It's a lot of fun...(VBG)
"E" ededed
"Casebook of Ghosts" by Elliot O'Donnell ... some fine stuff
Reading The Governator's new auto-bio Total Recall. Good read.
Typoo
Yup, read several of them. There also was a book written by the Judge on Gein's case...can't recall the title of it....but it had a chapter of Gein jokes, which were, as I recall, gruesomely amusing...
Bizarro Jeff
the novel one of my favorite '60s films is based on-
(http://gallery.unrealspawnboard.com/albums/userpics/10006/0B-2.bmp)
Quote from: Bizarro Jeff on February 22, 2013, 03:55:24 PM
Typoo
Yup, read several of them. There also was a book written by the Judge on Gein's case...can't recall the title of it....but it had a chapter of Gein jokes, which were, as I recall, gruesomely amusing...
Bizarro Jeff
That would be:
Edward Gein: America's Most Bizarre Murderer by Judge Robert H. Gollmar.
It has been out of print for several years now, and Judge Gollmar died in about 1987. The Ed Gein jokes chapter was great. Mostly a relief after reading about his deeds.
The locals called the jokes "Geiners."
Here are a few:
Q: Why did they have to keep the heat on in Ed Gein's house?
A: So the furniture wouldn't get goosebumps.
Q: Why did Ed Gein's girlfriend stop going out with him?
A: Because he was such a cut-up.
Q: Why won't anyone play cards with Ed Gein?
A: He might come up with a good hand.
Q: What did Ed Gein say to the sheriff who arrested him?
A: "Have a heart!"
Q: Why did they let Ed Gein out of jail for New Year's Eve?
A: So he could dig up a date.
Ed goes into the Cadillac dealership and asks the salesman,
"How much for that Eldorado?"
The salesman says, "It has all the options and extras. It'll cost you an arm and a leg."
Ed Replies: "You've got a deal!"
What is Ed Gein's favorite beer?
Old Milwaukee--it has a lot of body and no head.
"Frame Up", about the Fatty Arbuckle trial.
I just finished The Traveling Vampire Show by Richard Laymon. My first read of his, and I loved it. I'd love to read more of his stuff too. Any suggestions?
Been reading Grimm Fairy Tales from Zenoscope comics, not bad but defenitely not worth searching out! They take fairy tale concepts and put an EC comic spin on them as it relates to a character in the "real" world!
The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells. Great book. There's also an audio version on youtube by Ed French. You should check it out.
Quote from: zombiehorror on February 23, 2013, 02:30:46 PM
Been reading Grimm Fairy Tales from Zenoscope comics, not bad but defenitely not worth searching out! They take fairy tale concepts and put an EC comic spin on them as it relates to a character in the "real" world!
Some of their comics are pretty cool and others are just not worth it.
The big thing with
Zenescope is the artwork.
Blind Panic, by Masterton
(http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y272/dancziraky/9780806533315_p0_v1_s260x420_zps64380cf1.jpg)
Re-reading for a review.
I'm on a Cthulhu kick--and always have more than one book going at the same time--so right now:
LOVECRAFT AT LAST by Willis Conover
CTHULHU 2000 ed. by Jim Turner
SESQUA VALLEY & OTHER HAUNTS by W.H. Pugmire
Right now I'm about half-way through an advance reader's copy of Joe Hills NOS4A2. It's not due out until May, so I'll keep mum about specifics, but I will say I'm enjoying it. ;D
Quote from: typhooforme on March 04, 2013, 04:59:28 PM
I'm on a Cthulhu kick--and always have more than one book going at the same time--so right now:
LOVECRAFT AT LAST by Willis Conover
CTHULHU 2000 ed. by Jim Turner
SESQUA VALLEY & OTHER HAUNTS by W.H. Pugmire
What's Lovecraft At Last? Fiction or non?
LOVECRAFT AT LAST is nonfiction--it's a book about HPL's youngest, final correspondant, Willis Conover, who created a fanzine when he was 15 and wrote many letters to Lovecraft right at the end of HPL's life--the book, via the letters, gives a great view of Lovecraft's opinions on life, history, art and most of all, on writing. Excellent read!
"Cthulhu 2000" was a pretty good collection.
Quote from: typhooforme on March 05, 2013, 10:36:26 PM
LOVECRAFT AT LAST is nonfiction--it's a book about HPL's youngest, final correspondant, Willis Conover, who created a fanzine when he was 15 and wrote many letters to Lovecraft right at the end of HPL's life--the book, via the letters, gives a great view of Lovecraft's opinions on life, history, art and most of all, on writing. Excellent read!
That does sound cool
Quote from: Count_Zirock on March 05, 2013, 10:47:59 PM
"Cthulhu 2000" was a pretty good collection.
I haven't read every story yet, but I've enjoyed most of what I've read. One story, THE ADDER, I thought gave a very creative idea of what a copy of the (handwritten) Necronomicon might look like. The mental pictures it gave were excellent!
I just finished Fear and loathing in las vegas by Hunter S Thompson. But now I'm reading this very good doors book. It goes in detail about the doors story by the actual members by the doors.
(http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/EXID21763/images/doorsXdoors.jpeg)
Patternmaster by Octavia E. Butler
Just finished Nevermore by Harold Schechter. Very entertaining, it is a novel pairing E. A. Poe with Davy Crockett as they seek to solve a series of grisly murders in Baltimore.
I'm starting Humbug the second in this series pairing Poe with P. T. Barnum.
Typhooforme - I'll try to look that up. I'm currently reading 'The Taint', a collection of 'Cthulhu Mythos' novellas by Brian Lumley.
Batman: Night of the Owls (The new 52) Graphic Novel
I'm finally getting around to reading a book in which I'm prominently featured -- Jeff Rovin's "Return of the Wolfman". After reading just the first 30 pages, it's very interesting in that it picks up from where the film "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" leaves off. I can't wait to see if there are some answers to my 65-year-old question -- where the hell are my missing exhibits??!!
Mr. J. K. McDougal
Quote from: McDougals House of Horror on May 03, 2013, 09:34:23 PM
I'm finally getting around to reading a book in which I'm prominently featured -- Jeff Rovin's "Return of the Wolfman". After reading just the first 30 pages, it's very interesting in that it picks up from where the film "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" leaves off. I can't wait to see if there are some answers to my 65-year-old question -- where the hell are my missing exhibits??!!
Mr. J. K. McDougal
That's a very good book. My brother found me a copy a few years back.
I just finished Tony Iommi's autobiography. Lots of funny stories in there.
Recently finished two classics:
- Endore's WEREWOLF OF PARIS (so much more there than in the Hammer film, tying the internal horrors of the characters into the external horrors of France in that era)
- Leiber's CONJURE WIFE (simply terrific book, basis of three films, blending Old cosmos with New)
-Craig
GENRE: KARLOFF AND LUGOSI: THE EXPANDED STORY OF A HAUNTING COLLABORATION
NON-GENRE: A First Edition of KITTY FOYLE and THE SCRIPTS OF DOWNTON ABBEY, SEASON 1
"E" ededed
Quote from: Wich2 on May 04, 2013, 10:03:08 AM
Recently finished two classics:
- Endore's WEREWOLF OF PARIS (so much more there than in the Hammer film, tying the internal horrors of the characters into the external horrors of France in that era)
- Leiber's CONJURE WIFE (simply terrific book, basis of three films, blending Old cosmos with New)
-Craig
I've read Werewolf Of Paris. Pretty heavy material in there.
I am loving this-
(http://gallery.unrealspawnboard.com/albums/userpics/10006/innswichhorror.jpg)
(http://dowdell.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Silken-Prey-by-John-Sandford.jpg)
I like John Sandford's 'Prey' series and really love his 'Virgil Flowers' series and character. The first book by Sandford (John Camp) that I read was 'The Fools Run' in the short (four books to date) 'Kidd' series.
Kidd is my favourite character by John Sandford, followed by Virgil Flowers. I'm about a third of the way into this book and both Kidd and Flowers have turned up .. so far, so good.
:D
Flint And Silver: A Prequel To Treasure Island
By
John Drake
007 Carte Blanche by Jeffery Deaver.
Boy's Life by Robert McCammon, probably the best book, other than Bradbury's Dandelion Wine and Something Wicked This Way Comes, to capture the feeling of being a child in a small town in a bygone era. Highly recommended to all monsterkids. BTW McCammon references FMOF, Aurora monster models and Universal Monsters repeatedly in the novel. A great read!
I read A Boy's Life around seven or eight years ago ... it is a good read and I recommend it too ... ;D
Read some Algernon Blackwood short stories last night. My pick of the bunch; 'The Strange Adventures Of A Private Secretary In New York'. Has anyone read this one? It is a brilliant short story, scary and occasionally funny, with echoes of Dracula.
Starting The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Going to try and read the entire trilogy by next Saturday.
Departures Home Design Magazine, which I never heard of until this morning. Took home 2 issues to enjoy this weekend. 'Gorgeous photography. 8)
Working on these two. I really like these golden age archives. Especially when I get them at around 70-75% of cover price off Amazon.
(http://images.darkhorse.com/covers/600/20/20136.jpg)
(http://images.darkhorse.com/covers/300/20/20456.jpg)
Just delivered about 10 mins ago. Got it at 40% of cover price delivered. Golden age coolness. 8) This will be next.
(http://affimg.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/400/no/nov072203d.jpg)
A 1935 HANDBOOK OF THERAPY, published by the AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION, and written by Dr. Morris Fishbein....its Head. A combination of a child's curiosity, and a Father's wish to become a Doctor. Dad didn't become a Doctor, because he couldn't afford Medical school...but the Fishbein book became a cherished read for his 8 year old daughter.
"E" who still loves bookshelves in general, and Materia Medica in particular 8) ededed 8)
I am reading, No Regrets. Ace Frehleys' book and it is pretty good so far.
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
Quote from: Howler on May 27, 2013, 04:14:29 PM
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
I haven't read that in years. Excellent book, first read it in 5th of 6th grade.
Quote from: Zackuth on May 27, 2013, 04:49:55 PM
I haven't read that in years. Excellent book, first read it in 5th of 6th grade.
I have always loved the movie, so I figured I would give the book a try. I'm loving it as well.
re-reading Skal's "The Monster Show". He's coming to a convention in CNY in September.
Bizarro Jeff
The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.
Gulp! by Mary Roach
I give a big thumb's up to Boy's Life as well. McCammon did well to capture our youth.
THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GUN, by Ian Fleming. I read it when it first came out, and it's even more fun now. I just wish it had been longer.
Last night I started reading London's The Sea Wolf again.
I'm going to go back and start reading some of the classics again.
the final "Sookie Stackhouse" - "Dead Ever After".
I see McCammon has a new book out as well..."I Travel by Night" I think....
Yngwie Malmsteen's autobiography relentless
The Price of Fear-This one is a tough read! While I love getting the personal insight of Vincent on the films he starred in and the actors/actresses he shared the screen with, the book just doesn't flow very well! But it's Vicent so I'm sticking it out!
Just had this delivered. Can't wait to start it.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51LImhS%2BLHL._SX_.jpg)
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Still going thru my classic reprints. Not bad so far tho not much story development but GREAT art.
(http://www.marvelmasterworks.com/marvel/mm/atlas/horror/images/mm_st01_3b.jpg)
I was wondering if anyone has read any of the Wereworld books by Curtis Jobling? I just seen that at the book store and was curious if they are worth reading.
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41gybBfRvyL.jpg)
What's also interesting is that Sholem Aleichem's granddaughter is Bel Kaufman who wrote 'Up the Down Staircase' .. she's still going strong at 102 .. . ;D
She's still alive or writing at 102?? Either way I take my hat off to her.
Been reading a cryptozoology book called Shadows Of Existence during the daylight hours, short horror fiction at night.
Cemetery Jones
Chas Addams - A Cartoonist's Life
The Assassination Bureau, Ltd.
Romancing the Vampire
Haven't started reading this yet, but it's going up top on my pile of books to read.
(http://www.turnerpublishing.com/images/BabyFaceNelson%20Cover.jpg)
(http://israelspy.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Silva-English-Girl-cover.jpg)
Love the Gabriel Allon series~ 8)
Finished "Silken Prey", back to "Fevere Dream", and a collection of Solomon Kane by Howard...
Grave Peril
By
Jim Butcher
Quote from: Bizarro Jeff on July 26, 2013, 03:57:16 PM
Finished "Silken Prey", back to "Fevere Dream", and a collection of Solomon Kane by Howard...
I liked Silken Prey because John Sandford incorporated both Virgil Flowers and Kidd (and Lauren a.k.a. Luellen) into the book. I really love the Kidd series and since they didn't sell as well as the Prey series (according to Sandford's website) and take more research, he's not going forward with them but if he keeps Kidd in the Prey books, I'm fine with that. I already have the new Virgil Flower's book 'Storm Front' on order at the library.
Flower,
tried reading Sanford's other books, just couldn't keep my interest...."Silken" is pretty good though...I won't tell you what happened....
"The Dead Boys" by Royce Buckingham
An enormous killer irradiated tree grabs a 12 year old boy every 10 years and holds them in some hellish limbo, sucking their energy to survive. Pretty creepy little book Jordan picked up for his summer reading project.
Are you reading it with him Scatter? I'm currently going through Roald Dahl's books with Matilda. She loves em. Last night was The Giraffe And The Pelly And Me.
Been reading some of the Hard Case Crime series. This is an ongoing series(been running 10 years now) that publishes new and vintage hard boiled pulp fiction detective and crime novels.I have probably 15 of them but they have published probably close to 50 or more titles so far! I finished Blackmailer by Grorge Axelrod (author of the 7 Year Itch!)and Dead Street last week which is the great Mickey Spillane's last novel, read Losers Live Longer by Russell Atwood this week and just started Fade to Blonde by Max Phillips Friday. Along with the great pulp style stories, these books have fantastic painted covers done in the classic pulp style too! Check out their website: http://www.hardcasecrime.com/ (http://www.hardcasecrime.com/) As a matter of fact our own Terry Beatty did the cover for one of the novels-Deadly Beloved!
Quote from: long live kong on July 28, 2013, 11:27:53 AM
Are you reading it with him Scatter? I'm currently going through Roald Dahl's books with Matilda. She loves em. Last night was The Giraffe And The Pelly And Me.
We both read it separately. We have to do a school project based upon whatever book is chosen for summer reading. We have to create a cereal box that reflects the theme of the book. Now..........anybody have an idea of a cereal-sounding name that has something to do with a killer tree?
Branchies? Bark-Os? Wood Chippers?
Tree-E's
Cinnamon Tree-E's
Hungry Trees
Tree Huggies (sound more like a diaper)
Good luck!
Spooky Oaks!
'The bite's better than the bark!'
I'm reading Frankenstein. My brother had an attractive paperback in his bookshelf that he's letting me read. I actually like it a lot.
I love his Dave Robicheaux series ..
(http://www.ottawacitizen.com/cms/binary/8691627.jpg)
Quote from: long live kong on July 28, 2013, 03:46:12 PM
Spooky Oaks!
'The bite's better than the bark!'
DUDE!! THAT'S IT!!! Ben, I owe you one brother!!
Quote from: Scatter on July 29, 2013, 02:29:57 PM
DUDE!! THAT'S IT!!! Ben, I owe you one brother!!
Glad to help my friend! Be sure to tell Jordan the mad Englishman from Grimsby helped out!
Not to be picky, but isn't "mad Englishman" a tad redundant? ;)
Quote from: Scatter on August 05, 2013, 05:47:15 PM
Not to be picky, but isn't "mad Englishman" a tad redundant? ;)
I believe that is why Noel Coward specified "Mad dogs and Englishmen." ;)
Quote from: Scatter on August 05, 2013, 05:47:15 PM
Not to be picky, but isn't "mad Englishman" a tad redundant? ;)
Well, it's a mad, mad, mad, mad world so I suppose so. Would 'demented' be more appropriate??
(http://www.stephenmorrisauthor.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Golem-the-Jinni.jpg)
I'm a third into the book and it's a nice read but not for everyone ... ;D
Sandman Slim....
David Prowse's auto bio Straight From The Forces Mouth
HOTEL, by Arthur Haley
A LIFE ON FILM, by Mary Astor
SCRUPLES, by Judith Krantz
NO ORDINARY TIME, by Doris Kearns Goodwin
THE GREENE MURDER CASE, by S.S. Van Dine
8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8) 8)
"E"
Finished Frankenstein and almost done with Treasure Island. Been reading classics I never read before!
Not a very good book ...
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51XCH5RDVAL._BO2,204,203,200_PIsitb-sticker-arrow-click,TopRight,35,-76_AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-67,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_.jpg)
E! ... Hotel was based on the Royal Orleans hotel (I've stayed there many times when it was still the Royal Orleans) which is now part of the Omni chain but you might already be aware of it.
Quote from: The Creeper on August 17, 2013, 08:49:41 PM
Finished Frankenstein and almost done with Treasure Island. Been reading classics I never read before!
I read Treasure Island recently while out in the BVI's and was on the island that is said to have been the inspiration/model for the titular Treasure Island, Scrubb Island I think it's called? Anyway, that was definitely the ideal environment to read that book.
Horror Gems 1-4....
Giving Koontz's Frankenstein a read........so far .....pretty interesting!
I just read Gnelfs, an old book I bought on Amazon for four bucks. It combines children's characters gone wrong, demon summoning and a descent into Hell. Kind of a weird read.
Ben Franklin: An American Life by Walter Isaacson
Quote from: Bizarro Jeff on August 06, 2013, 01:07:29 PM
Sandman Slim....
An excellent series. The first two books are great romps. I thought it slowed a bit after that, but I'm still looking forward to reading Kill City Blues.
Recently had vacation. Cleaned my office/collects all my junk room and found a book I didnt know I had:
http://www.amazon.com/Breathers-Zombies-Lament-S-G-Browne/dp/0767930614/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377831580&sr=1-1&keywords=breathers (http://www.amazon.com/Breathers-Zombies-Lament-S-G-Browne/dp/0767930614/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1377831580&sr=1-1&keywords=breathers)
A fun little read!
The Girl, the Gold Watch, and Everything....
Quote from: Bizarro Jeff on August 30, 2013, 05:52:30 AM
The Girl, the Gold Watch, and Everything....
Funny ... I was thinking of John D MacDonald this morning.
Yeah, and just downloaded the movie this morning...haven't seen it since it first aired...
Will be starting CDs this weekend.....
Quote from: bigbud on August 19, 2013, 10:35:33 PM
Giving Koontz's Frankenstein a read........so far .....pretty interesting!
Remember what I tell ya every time you get a new book............try to color INSIDE the lines. Sharpened Crayons are invaluable.
Summer Knight
By
Jim Butcher
Just got done reading " In the Flesh" by Clive Barker......... What a awesome book. If you haven't read it, please do yourself a favor.
I'm reading Vertigo: The Making of a Hitchcock Classic by Dan Auiler with a forward by Martin Scorsese. I'm always interested in how Hitchcock's films came together.
The Complete Illustrated History Of The Skywald Horror-Mood by Alan Hewetson
Quote from: Bonomo on August 18, 2013, 09:02:48 AM
I read Treasure Island recently while out in the BVI's and was on the island that is said to have been the inspiration/model for the titular Treasure Island, Scrubb Island I think it's called? Anyway, that was definitely the ideal environment to read that book.
That would be awesome!
Just finished Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde!
Just finished "The Witches" by Roald Dahl and am still reading "The Witches and the Grinnygog"by Dorothy Edwards.
-mh
I just ordered K9 corps: Cry Wolf off Amazon. The K9 Corps series was my favorite when I was a teenager I'm going to try to reread all of them.
Wild cards I
(http://starvingwritersbooks.com/bookstore/images/STATENISLAND.JPG)
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/42/Terror_simmons.jpg/200px-Terror_simmons.jpg)
(http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o581/Sly_werewolf/BeingWithAnimals_zps1cc63867.jpg) (http://s1149.photobucket.com/user/Sly_werewolf/media/BeingWithAnimals_zps1cc63867.jpg.html)
Waiting for "Johnny Alucard: Anno Dracula 1976-1991" to be shipped on Tuesday.
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk 4
Bad Girls Need Love, too
covers from men's paperbacks of the 50s and 60s....
Got my copy today!
(http://johnnyalucard.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/annodraculafamily.png)
Fallen from grace and driven from the British Empire in previous instalments, Dracula seems long gone. A relic of the past. Yet, when vampire boy Johnny Alucard descends upon America, stalking the streets of New York and Hollywood, haunting the lives of the rich and famous, from Sid and Nancy to Andy Warhol, Orson Welles, and Francis Ford Coppola, sinking his fangs ever deeper into the zeitgeist of 1980s America, it seems the past might not be dead after all.
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House of Fear....
Spookmaster
You know me. LOVES me pre-code horror comics.
(http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Harvey-Horrors-Collected-Works-Witches-Tale-HC-2011-PS-Artbooks-1-1ST-NM-/00/s/OTI4WDYwMA==/z/tK8AAOxy-j9SPtFa/$%28KGrHqZ,!rYFIuJpi+yHBSPtF,TP!g~~60_57.JPG)
The Hellfire Club by Peter Straub
Summer is for 'Old Friends', so right now, I'm reading BAIT, a Christie Opara mystery by Dorothy Uhnak. Detective Opara was a Police Widow with a small son, and came across like a 1968 version of Olivia Benson. She was good at her job, able to keep up with the "boys" and didn't ask for favours.. It was also nice to read about a female character who wasn't either a secretary or a "Bond Girl".
Ms. Uhnak didn't write too many "Christie" stories, but you can probably find them in a library,.... They'll be well worth the effort.
"E"
Quote from: Flower on September 12, 2013, 03:30:55 PM
(http://starvingwritersbooks.com/bookstore/images/STATENISLAND.JPG)
Wonderful Book! Skink meets Chemo! Hilarity ensues!
I'm reading the HUGE map for my GTA5 XBOX360 game. It may win game-of-the-year.
Really spooky, really different, really really good!
(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qSywR_qgbr8/TPrY1rnY_fI/AAAAAAAAAtc/ntC6hUXrILM/s1600/Eutopia_FINAL_%2528Nov-1-2010%2529.jpg)
Death Masks
By
Jim Butcher
Since we don't have a fanfic section here, I'm providing a link to my vampire story "Tim Burton's Red Reign: Anno Dracula 1988-89." Thought it would make for an interesting Halloween treat. While inspired by Kim Newman's "Anno Dracula" series, you don't need to be familiar with it to follow the story. Enjoy!
http://www.banthaskull.com/forums/showthread.php?2279-Tim-Burton-s-Red-Reign-Anno-Dracula-1988-89 (http://www.banthaskull.com/forums/showthread.php?2279-Tim-Burton-s-Red-Reign-Anno-Dracula-1988-89)
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According to the library's website .. this is on it's way to me ..
(http://img2.imagesbn.com/p/9780399159305_p0_v1_s260x420.JPG)
Quote from: Count_Zirock on October 05, 2013, 07:38:57 PM
Since we don't have a fanfic section here, I'm providing a link to my vampire story "Tim Burton's Red Reign: Anno Dracula 1988-89." Thought it would make for an interesting Halloween treat. While inspired by Kim Newman's "Anno Dracula" series, you don't need to be familiar with it to follow the story. Enjoy!
http://www.banthaskull.com/forums/showthread.php?2279-Tim-Burton-s-Red-Reign-Anno-Dracula-1988-89 (http://www.banthaskull.com/forums/showthread.php?2279-Tim-Burton-s-Red-Reign-Anno-Dracula-1988-89)
At the polite request of Mr. Newman, the story has been removed.
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I'm Happily Re-reading DWIGHT FRYE'S LAST LAUGH, by Greg Mank.
"E" ededed
Iron Man, # 3
It's October, time to pick up my copy of Dracula and read it--again. I have done this every October since 1980. I'm on my third copy of the book, and will soon have to buy a fourth.
Ok..so I am into the 4th book of Dean Koontz's Frankenstein series. I find myself reading a lot of his stuff, and then wondering why. Plots that could obviously be expanded on, characters that are under developed.......but hey, he got the rights to tell the Frankenstein story his way, so it must just be me.....
A hilarious compilation of horror-related strips from the clever
writers and cartoonists of Mad Magazine...
(http://media.dcentertainment.com/sites/default/files/files/2011/09/Horrifyingly-Mad.jpg)
(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51nWEXGVfwL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)
I've read and enjoyed all of Sara's V.I. Warshawski novels. This isn't one of her best but was an okay read, if I didn't know the backgrounds of all the characters from her other novels, I would be somewhat lost. Her books should be read in order.
Quote from: McDougals House of Horror on October 16, 2013, 10:49:24 PM
A hilarious compilation of horror-related strips from the clever
writers and cartoonists of Mad Magazine...
(http://media.dcentertainment.com/sites/default/files/files/2011/09/Horrifyingly-Mad.jpg)
Must have!
Quote from: bigbud on October 15, 2013, 10:16:51 PM
.......but hey, he got the rights to tell the Frankenstein story his way, so it must just be me.....
Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus" has been in the public domain for over a hundred years. It's only the Jack Pierce make-up design and the particular adaptation in 1931's "Frankenstein" (and its sequels) that Universal owns. Part of the plot from the '31 film derives from a play by Peggy Webling (to which Universal purchased the film rights), which accounts for some of the deviation from the novel.
Sent from my HTC PH39100 using Tapatalk
Quote from: Count_Zirock on September 20, 2013, 06:55:42 PM
Got my copy today!
(http://johnnyalucard.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/annodraculafamily.png)
Fallen from grace and driven from the British Empire in previous instalments, Dracula seems long gone. A relic of the past. Yet, when vampire boy Johnny Alucard descends upon America, stalking the streets of New York and Hollywood, haunting the lives of the rich and famous, from Sid and Nancy to Andy Warhol, Orson Welles, and Francis Ford Coppola, sinking his fangs ever deeper into the zeitgeist of 1980s America, it seems the past might not be dead after all.
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Still in the midst of reading this. With all the turmoil in my life right now, I don't get the chance to read much these days.
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Something Wicked this Way Comes....and
Hauntings.....
Bizarro Jeff
Gunslingers & Ghost Stories
edited by
David B. Riley
(http://img36.imageshack.us/img36/7573/8f3c.JPG) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/36/8f3c.JPG/)
Just released a week or so ago, the story about the holder of the world record for Hide and Seek: Richard III.
I always have a few going at the same time and read them by turns, depending on my mood. Lately, enjoying these:
(http://i42.tinypic.com/34615dw.jpg)
And dipping into these now and then...
(http://i42.tinypic.com/2d9qnv4.jpg)
And this was a quick read--of interest to Roald Dahl fans and WWII buffs as well!
(http://i41.tinypic.com/14ke791.jpg)
I picked up Chuck McCann's Let's Have Fun! scrapbook when i met him at Chiller a few weeks ago...wonderful memories of watching his show as a kid came rushing back. If you enjoyed Chuck as a kid, i highly recommend this book..comes with a DVD, too!
(http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b352/Gasport2000/chuckmccannbook_zpsa1ae374e.jpg) (http://s23.photobucket.com/user/Gasport2000/media/chuckmccannbook_zpsa1ae374e.jpg.html)
Quote from: jimm on November 07, 2013, 12:14:15 PM
Must have!
$9.95 at your local Barnes and Noble.
In the sale books rack. ;)
The Night Country by O'Nan.
then on to The Best Ghost Stories Ever Told....
(http://www.bookpage.com/the-book-case/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/tatiana-250x375.jpg)
I really enjoy Renko's adventures.
The Best Ghost Stories Ever Told, by Brennan
Just finishing up rereading HG Wells' War of the Worlds again. One of my very favorite books ever. For some reason, to me, I envision the narrator of the story as Peter Cushing and "hear" the story in his voice as I read it.
Quote from: RedKing on November 16, 2013, 08:33:26 PM
Just finishing up rereading HG Wells' War of the Worlds again. One of my very favorite books ever. For some reason, to me, I envision the narrator of the story as Peter Cushing and "hear" the story in his voice as I read it.
Funny . . . I always hear Sir Cedric Hardwicke.
Punk Rock An Oral History
Quote from: Fester on November 18, 2013, 09:58:23 PM
Funny . . . I always hear Sir Cedric Hardwicke.
That works too! I also kind of thought Colin Clive as well, but the narrator isn't neurotic or manic enough.
Just read Kenneth Anger's notorious Hollywood Babylon. Meh.
The Screaming Book of Horror.....
The post office tried to kill it, but it would not die!
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Dr. Sleep by Stephen King
Yeah, I have "Doctor Sleep" on my shelf, but haven't gotten to it yet...
Spookmaster
GOOD OLD DAYS magazine has been around for years, consisting mainly of memories submitted by readers.
Around Halloween and Christmas, I love to score (cheap!) on Ebay, copies from the '60s and '70s - because then you get real-life stories of those holidays from the early 1900s!
Merriest,
-Craig
In Barnes and Nobles today.....pointed out the fifth and final Frankenstein paperback by Koontz. Think I'm getting it for Christmas. I've invested my reading time in the first four Frankenstein books so may as well get it over with. Something just not that satisfying bout this series....must just be me. And who knows, maybe book five takes the series out with a real bang! We'll see......
The Physics of Superheroes....
A Christmas Carol-I've seen so many filmed versions of this tale but never actually read it....now I have.
Finished my punk rock book; a very interesting account of the U.K. punk scene from those who lived it....you just gotta overlook a lot of comments about how they did it first! They do acknowledge; Patti Smith, Lou Reed/Velvet Underground, MC5, Iggy/Stooges and The Ramones but then a lot of them still make it sound like punk was birthed in the U.K.
Gonna start on The Walking Dead compendium one, a collection of the first 48 issues!
Dr. Sleep.....
The Trolley to Yesterday by John Bellairs.
(http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_nKJ_uvquASQ/TAexTSWXoLI/AAAAAAAABJ8/ImfQa6-O_mY/s400/trolley%2Bdj%2Bfull.jpg) -mh
Haunts
edited by Steven Jones, I think...
The Walking Dead Compendium took about 6 hours or so to get thru; very interesting to see the differences between the comic and show!
Gonna crack open, The Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe....someI've already read, most I haven't!
Haunted Highways
Zombies, Zombies, Zombies!
Bizarro Jeff
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I just finished reading the screenplay for the Daniel Radcliffe/James McAvoy Frankenstein film, written by Max Landis.
Spoilers ahead.
As a monster movie fan, there's some great stuff, with nods to Son of Frankenstein, Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, the Universal films, and even Re-Animator. I don't just mean little character names (which do occur, with one monster in a clear Re-Animator-inspired scene named after Stuart Gordon, other characters named after Peter Cushing, Vincent Price, even Kenneth Brannaugh, a creepy assistant named Fritz, and Victor mentioning an older brother named Henry). I mean, they totally reference the opening scene from Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed in which Victor and Igor escape a police raid on their home by sneaking out through a sewer manhole hidden in the floor. They also burn down another windmill. On top of that, at least one monster has potential to be actually scary.
Still, it has its disappointing qualities too. Igor (who, while occasionally hunchbacked, doesn't resemble the dim-witted assistant or the mischievous former blacksmith) is the main character, not Victor Frankenstein. There's really no resemblance to the original novel at all except that Victor Frankenstein is in it and he makes a monster out of dead parts. Victor is literally the only character from the novel to even show up at all. I didn't expect a straight adaptation of the novel, and I don't mind some deviation from it, but it strays a bit too far. On top of all that, there is no one monster to really care much about. There's a prototype monster named Gordon made from animal parts, but it's just a savage beast that dies fairly soon after it appears. Then they spend a lot of time building up to the creation of THE Monster, the one we've all been waiting for. And not only is a ten-foot tall brute, but it too is just a savage beast that goes on a rampage. It's not a character at all, and I could honestly see it being a big dumb CGI creation in the end. The fact that they ignored perhaps the most interesting character, and the most important relationship (between Victor and his Monster), is really unfortunate.
I expect it to be a better movie than I, Frankenstein by a long shot, and it may even turn out to be a decent monster movie in and of itself, but despite all the homages paid to other Frankenstein films, the core of the Frankenstein story, which always goes back to the novel, is still missing.
Oh well. I just hope Guillermo Del Toro can pull it off in 2074, or whenever he gets around to making his version.
I'm reading "Passage to Dawn". It's book #10 in the Legend of Drizzt Book series by R.A. Salvatore. If you are a fan of fantasy, I highly recommend at least trying out one of the books in the series. But to really grasp the concept of the story, starting at book #1 would really help. Although it is not necessary to enjoy and understand any of the books.
Dark Delicacies III
Non-Fiction: UP FROM BLOOMSBURY, The first part of actor GEORGE ARLISS' memoirs
Fiction: THE GOOD EARTH by Pearl S. Buck
Genre: POVERTY ROW HORRORS by Tom Weaver
"E" ededed
Hey Kids Comics: True-Life Tales from the Spinner Rack ed. by Rob Kelly with a fantastic chapter by UMA's own CraigW with a pic of him in a amazing Phantom costume!! Craig, if you should read this, please give a little background on that picture.
Horns by Joe Hill
Just finished Crystal Lake Memories and before that, Making Friday the 13th. Making Friday the 13th is more of a clinical approach on the productions, whereas Crystal Lake Memories is more of a personal view on the productions; both books seemed to focus primarily on Friday 1-3 but all the films are covered in pretty good details.
Haunted Omnibus
Night Marshal: A Tale Of The Undead West
Just finished Clive Barkers, The Hellbound Heart, and now started Stephen King's Geralds Game.
The Night Of The ShaShadow
by
Maxwell Grant
(http://gallery.unrealspawnboard.com/albums/userpics/10006/el-02.png) Trolley No. 1852 (http://scottemerson.wordpress.com/2012/07/14/review-trolley-no-1852-by-edward-lee/)
A vintage WW2 Cookbook by one "PRUDENCE PENNY". It's all about dealing with food shortages and Ration Points, and how to eat Healthily.
I inherited it from my mom, and find it extremely useful in these times of tight budgets.
It's the sort of thing that made the "GREATEST GENERATION" GREAT, so it works for me.... "s"
"E"
When Prophecy Fails...
UNHOLY TRINITY by Robert Bloch, a collection of 3 of his stories: The Scarf, The Deadbeat, and The Couch
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Abominable Science!: Origins of the Yeti, Nessie, and Other Famous Cryptids
...a very good book that discusses the pseudo-science elements of cryptozoology.
...and World War Z. Finally getting to read the book. It's well done and an interesting read, but not a story per se. Really, a group of accounts (interview style) of events that unfolded during the Zombie outbreak. Interesting how the movie was turned into a narrative story taking elements from the book.
Supernatural Noir, edited by Datlow
Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942 by Ian W. Toll
It's not a novel, but an ebook of cartoons called The edge of town volume 1.
Good stuff!
'Vampire Siege At Rio Muerto'
by
John M. Whalen
Damn good book .
Quote from: McDougals House of Horror on October 16, 2013, 10:49:24 PM
A hilarious compilation of horror-related strips from the clever
writers and cartoonists of Mad Magazine...
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Oh, I NEED this!!
Just finished "Peg Entwistle And The Hollywood Sign Suicide". Good read!
THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES
(http://gallery.unrealspawnboard.com/albums/userpics/10006/lee1.png) The Dunwich Romance (http://www.yog-sothoth.com/topic/22485-adultpages-torn-from-a-travel-journal-the-dunwich-romance/) - Edward Lee
'The Dunwich Romance' looks intriguing! Today I bought a copy of 'Weird Shadows over Innsmouth', and will start it tonight!
Rod Serling's Night Gallery: An After Hours Tour.
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finally started reading this a couple weeks ago while serving for jury duty.
Currently re-reading
'Hell House'
by
Richard Matheson
It's been over thirty years since I last read this book. It still holds up as one of the best ghost stories ever. A classic.
BOY SOLDIERS OF THE GREAT WAR by Richard Van Emden. A story of the pluck, and brave innocence of children who wanted to "Do Their Bit".
The Author visited all the boys who survived, and recorded oral histories. He also visited families of those who had passed.
I highly recommend this book, as we approach the Centennial of The Great War, later this summer.
"E"
I'm waiting for the new Virgil Flowers to arrive
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I miss Ruth Rendell, especially her Inspector Wexford series.
I wish that Martha Grimes would write more Richard Jury books.
I wait impatiently every July for the newest Daniel Silva.
Martin Cruz Smith is writing a new Renko novel. YAY.
I used to follow around a dozen or more authors, waiting patiently or impatiently for their latest books. Too many have died such as
P.D. James
Mary Stewart
Robert B. Parker .. the series written by other authors don't have the flair. Now I need some donuts.
Just 'thinking' out loud.
Current reads:
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THE GERMAN GENERAL TALK, b y Liddell Hart. Hart enjoyed a publicly favorable reputation as a British Army officer, 'insider', historian and journalist, although Winston Churchill's view of him was considerably, uh, "less positive" although Churchill offered plentiful reasons for all positive and negatives toward Hart.
In this book, Hart is given access to interview the German generals upon their capture in the West.
This book rotates between several interviewees and catalogs them by date-and-subject - the early years into the later years. Many interviewees were not honest and Hart occasionally points this out, but seldom does he call them on it. This means the book is full of lies and misleading statements, only later annotated by Hart The Editor, not corrected at the time by Hart the Interviwer/Interrogator.
It makes for a less than useful 'historical' document, therefore. And while I've read several less than flattering remarks about Hart and his reputation, this book is a good indicator of what his reputation may have fallen to.
The sad part is that I didn't read this book to discover anything about the author, but about "German generals when they talk". They talk aplenty, but since it's not truthful so often, I give this book a pretty low rating for "ways to spend time reading in search of historical facts".
Next, the far more excellent Keith Lowe's INFERNO (Destruction of Hamburg, 1943).
One generic complaint about histories is the lack of useful maps. INFERNO is a notable exception to this, and especially since the 3 bombing raids are covered in separate chapters with their own Approach map, Actual Bombing vs Targeted map, and the Depart map.
But the outstanding discussion is the Allied air force leadership's mystifying idiocy about how Europe 'traveled'. Bombing road intersections or junction-point cities was fairly worthless. Bombing railroads - not just the marshalling yards - was the Real Deal, and this wasn't done until late in the war. Germany was always able to use rubble to rebuild roadways and allow civilians to huddle under for shelter, but they lacked steel, ore, and skilled steel workers. Destroying a few miles of rails - especially far from a city in remote areas - would cripple German transports for weeks, even months at a time.
Throughout this book, we're privvy to the 1943 leadership's complete lack of understanding which is odd because the Brits clearly understood Europe (and the German war machine) ran on rails. Yet they too never made a massive effort to bomb the railroads - which IF it had been done in a concerted effort, out in the rural areas - would have not attracted immediate German anti-air responses. Nor could it have. The Luftwaffe simply couldn't possibly cover a hundred thousand miles of track, day in, day out. They COULD cover a few marshalling yard cities - which led to bad Allied losses with negligible effect.
I'd consider this a must-read for the study of Failures Of Strategic Thinking, and yet the Hamburg raid was generally successful. Just not in destruction of the shipyards, which had migrated many services and facilities, and those lessened abilities were back in service in a few months.
The major success was the destruction of Hitler's western German support. He adamantly and directly refused to visit Hamburg, to display "compassion" as Goebbels begged. No. He would not be bothered with civilian traumas. He refused to see them. And this filtered back as Wermacht soldiers headed back to hometown Hamburg and couldn't believe Hitler had "done nothing". This was the largest chink in his armor, because the million-plus Hamburg refugees spread this 'fable of Hitler's non-visit' far and wide. He was never THAT popular in Western Germany, and this episode would be cited as the turning point in German Resistence movements (which were, cough cough, functionally nil).
Heart Full of Soul: Keith Relf of the Yardbirds
(https://cdn-thumbs.imagevenue.com/ed/28/17/ME1620EP_t.jpeg) (https://www.imagevenue.com/ME1620EP)
Looks interesting! I'm a big Yardbirds fan.