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Category Archives: Books
Favorite fiction v. Philosophy
How about some examples? In the fiction department I would go with Alan Dean Foster, Octavia Butler, Michael Moorcock, Douglas Coupland and James Ellroy (he would be a bumpy journey). In the latter? There is fiction: Frank Herbert (Dune has … Continue reading
RIP Elizabeth Wurtzel
Elizabeth’s career was riddled with problems which made her a questionable source of truth as a reporter. It may have plagued the validity of her most famous book Prozac Nation. Initially, I dismissed her as a whiney Gen X’er from a … Continue reading
Fear by Bob Woodward
The only other book I’ve ever read by Bob Woodward was Veil way back in the early Nineties (or was it the late Eighties?) I know I was still attending Marquette when I checked it out from the library. Even so, I … Continue reading
Star Wars: Ahsoka by E. K. Johnston
When Ahsoka Tano made her debut in Clone Wars (both the movie and series) I will readily admit that I found the character precious and annoying. Star Wars was once again drowning the franchise in saccharine-covered dialog with a kid-friendly padawan. Maybe the … Continue reading
The Platinum Age of Television by David Bianculli
If you’re a fan of Fresh Air, then you are probably familiar with the author since he’s the TV Critic and sometimes guest host. I usually tune out the last 5-10 minutes of the show anyway because I tend not to … Continue reading
John Adams: A Life by John Ferling
Before reading this biography, I was like most Americans when it came to their knowledge of John Adams: Second president. First one-termer. First vice president. Pretty short guy, even for the era. His presidency was a bit of a mess … Continue reading
Posted in Books, History, Reviews
Tagged 18th Century, American Presidents, American Revolution
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RIP William Goldman
William’s name may only come up easily for film buffs but to the rest of us, he’s the author behind the novel and screenplay The Princess Bride. The movie tanked when it was released 31 years ago but thanks to the … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Movies
Tagged Celebrity Obituary, Comedy, Eighties, Seventies, Westerns
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Better Off Without ’em by Chuck Thompson
Better Off is a long, multi-page, darkly humorous argument on how the American South (aka, the Deep South) should be allowed to secede because the region is an albatross around America’s neck. Being a Yankee from Lincoln’s home town, I … Continue reading
Frankenstein turns 200
I’ve always found the story behind the book to be more interesting. Trust me, after the 1992 release of Coppola’s take on Dracula, I tried to read Mary Shelley’s opus. Holy crap! It is boring! Frankenstein probably took off because there was … Continue reading
Germany’s Defeat in the First World War by Mark D. Karau
Let me kick off with a couple quick disclosures regarding this review. Over 30 years ago, I attended Marquette with Mark, the author. I was a year older and we were on different degree tracks but we became friends through … Continue reading
Krysten Ritter
Currently Krysten is best known as Jessica Jones on Netflix (a show I need to restart) but for me she was Jesse’s ill-fated girlfriend Jane on Breaking Bad plus I remember her in Big Eyes. Krysten was stopping through Austin to promote … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Brushes with Greatness, Diversions, Movies, TV
Tagged Breaking Bad, Marvel Comics, Superheroes
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RIP: Jerry Pournelle
Science Fiction writer Jerry Pournelle passed away Friday from a long series of health incidents. For those who read a lot of the genre may recognize his name, Jerry often collaborated with Larry Niven on several books, especially The Mote in … Continue reading
Posted in Books, D & D, Physics, Science & Technology
Tagged Eighties, Obit, Politics, Science Fiction, Seventies
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Forever War reprinted
Joe Haldeman’s masterpiece has returned as a six-part comic book series. I vaguely remember seeing the graphic novel version in the early Nineties. Titan Comics found a good way to separate the story into logical chapters. I also know that … Continue reading
John Oates
The conclusion to my Brush with Greatness, Eighties Edition, wrapped up with John Oates of the legendary duo. John was in Austin to promote his new book Change of Season, which is also the title his band’s 1990 release. Tired jokes … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Brushes with Greatness, Music
Tagged Blue-Eyed Soul, Eighties, Seventies
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Andrew McCarthy
Part two of my Eighties Flashback encounters. Ugh! That sounds like a lame-ass VH-1 promotion. Let’s just say I had a coincidence of three major memories from the Eighties who gave the opportunity to see/meet them. Above is Andrew McCarthy … Continue reading