THE GAME MAKERS: THE STORY OF PARKER BROTHERS -- Philip E. Orbanes

THE GAME MAKERS: The Story of Parker Brothers from Tiddley Winks to Trivial Pursuit
Harvard Business School Press -- hc
Boston, MA -- ©2004 -- 245pp
ISBN: 1-59139-269-1

A biography of one of THE most influential game-making families/business ever.

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I have to admit that I find the history of toys and games quite fascinating, so a book would have to be terribly dry and dull to not catch my interest. Fortunately this was not (dull).

I'd read Orbanes' history of the game Monopoly (which is fascinatingly complex) and knew that his writing style would be very approachable. Somewhat surprisingly, the older history seems most thorough and complete, but the more modern history, when Orbanes served as a VP at Parker Brothers, seems slightly more thin in detail. Is this because he was too close to the subject? Or because many of the people are still alive ... people who might hold sway over potential jobs? In any case, the oldest history of the origins of Parker Brothers is most fascinating.

What surprised me the most is how, what seemed like such a big name in game-making was really a pretty small-time, family-oriented company ... even up through the mid 1960's when I would have first discovered them. It was truly interesting to see how George Parker capitalized on ideas and times and managed to make things work; how his basic principles really were so effective; how such a small operation managed to achieved fantastic success.

I'd really like to read about the origins of Milton Bradley and Hasbro now!

THE 39 CLUES (BOOK ONE): THE MAZE OF BONES -- Rick Riordan

Scholastic -- hc
New York -- ©2008 -- 220pp
ISBN: 0545060397

Grace is the last matriarch of the Cahills, the world's most powerful family. Everyone from Napoleon to Houdini is related to the Cahills, yet the source of the family power is lost. 39 clues hidden around the world will reveal the family's secret, but no one has been able to assemble them. Now the clues race is on, and young Amy and Dan must decide what's important: hunting clues or uncovering what REALLY happened to their parents.

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In typical YA fashion, this book tends to teach as much as it entertains, and it does a fair amount of both. Nothing wrong with that.

I did, though, find that the book bogged down a bit here and there. Trying to do too much perhaps? Too many people to keep track of and include in this 'race' for the clues?

The good-hearted, down-trodden brother and sister team (each with unique skills needed to find and solve the clues) quickly become the team to beat. They are chased, attacked, and assisted by other members of their extended family -- each trying to get to the clues as well.

But take note -- the clues (plural) I am referring to are mini SUB clues to the main clue. And this book only covers one clue. That's right, we can already see the game plan on Scholastic's part here! A guaranteed 39-40 book series! (Okay...I've since learned that it's a planned 10 book series. Not quite so bad, but still attempting to sell books that aren't even on the market yet!) This particular hard-cover book comes complete with a set of playing-card-type clues and a computer log-in code so that the reader can try to discover clues on-line and win prizes. Typical gimmicking from Scholastic and it may work ... or readers may get bored waiting for each new book.

We'll see how it develops.

I was entertained enough by the reading to try the next book in the series, but I do rebel against a planned series like this ... trying to sell a series of books in advance.

ETERNALS -- Neil Gaiman

Marvel Publishing, Inc -- hc
New York -- ©2007 -- 256pp
ISBN: 0-7851-2541-8

Graphic Novel
Illustrated by John Romita, Jr.

The super-powerful (but not super-hero) beings, known as Eternals, have been living 'normal' lives, forgetful of their powers and history. Their nemesis is returning and their duty to protect is needed, but first they have to remember who they are.

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Most people I know, who are comic/graphic novel readers, respond with a sort of reverence when you mention the name Neil Gaiman. I'm not as familiar with his work as many are, but when I saw this book in a nearby library, I picked it up, based soley on his name.

I'm not sorry I did. It wasn't a bad book at all, but it certainly didn't have me feeling as though I were in the hands of the Grand Master.

This hardcover book is actually seven comic books together in one binding. The first three of those books were interesting. Intriguing. but then it got messy. Confusing. A little boring, actually.

I'm glad I didn't spend any money on it, but just as glad that I gave it a read.

THE UNVISIBLES -- Ian Whybrow

Holiday House -- hc
New York -- 2003 -- 184pp
ISBN: 0-8234-1972-x

Oliver Gasper finds an ancient magazine with a 'disappearing' formula in it. Desperate to dodge a French test, he tries it out . . . and it works! The problem is, somebody's stolen the magazine and Oliver can't remember the words he needs to get back again. Fed-up with being trampled underfoot and trapped in bus doors, Oliver turns to Nicky Chew for help. Nicky's the most invisible visible boy in school, staying out of trouble so the teachers never notice him. Together they set out to find the missing formula. But will Oliver ever be seen again? [from Goodreads.com]

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I'm conflicted with how to rate this book.

I was so looking forward to reading this -- my boys nad I really enjoy the couple of picture books of Whybrow's and based on those, along with the fantasy nature of this, I was looking forward to a really great time.

At times this book didn't disappoint, but just as often, it was ever so dull. I'm quite certain that my 11 and 9 year olds wouldn't make it through this. They'd be too bored at the dull moments.

Surprisingly, this has not been American-ized. This, too, causes difficulty in reading. While I'm more than passingly familiar with many British slang, it definitely slows down the reading process to have to 'translate' some of it.

School Library Journal writes:

There is considerable body humor and some crude language. Some of Oliver's
pranks verge on criminal. He commits physical assaults, pulls a fire alarm, and
impersonates a male teacher making inappropriate personal comments to a female
staff member (the man loses his job as a result). For fantasy with a
self-discovery theme, steer readers to Bruce Coville's Magic Shop books
(Harcourt).

and I would entirely agree. This isn't as funny as the author is trying to make it, nor is the mystery quite as exciting as it's hoping to be. Sadly, this is simply fair.

WILL IN THE WORLD: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare -- Stephen Greenblatt

W.W. Norton & Company -- tpb
New York -- ©2004 -- 407pp
ISBN: 0-393-32737-x

Bringing together little-known historical facts and little-noticed elements of Shakespeare's plays, Greenblatt makes inspired connections between the life and the works and delivers "a dazzling and subtle biography" (Richard Lacayo, Time). Readers will experience Shakespeare's vital plays again as if for the first time, but with greater understanding and appreciation of their extraordinary depth and humanity.

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A very read-able book.

Most people familiar with literature are aware that despite being an incredibly popular writer, Shakespeare left very little information about himself. Here, Greenblatt accumulates all the previously written information about Shakespeare and combines it with a well researched history of the era. He draws likely scenarios (for instance: it is likely that as a young boy, Shakespeare attended a performance of a morality play by a traveling company -- Will's father was bailiff (mayor) of Stratford and ordered payment to be made to two traveling theatrical companies. The first performance, known as the Mayor's Play, was one in which the bailiff was expected to attend. Records show that in other similar situations, the children of the bailiff were often in attendance. Hence, likely that Will had been exposed to theatre at this time).

Greenblatt makes a good argument in all cases and even debunks a few previously alluded-to scenarios, offered by other writers.

We still can't know for certain how Will Shakespeare lived and loved, but we can continue to draw likely situations based on the history of the era that we do know. This book does it as well as any that I've read.

TOPDOG/UNDERDOG -- Suzan-Lori Parks

Theatre Communication Group -- tpb
New York -- 1999 -- 109pp
ISBN: 1-55936-201-4

The play tells the story of Lincoln and Booth, two brothers whose names were given to them as a joke, foretelling a lifetime of sibling rivalry and resentment. Haunted by the past, the brothers are forced to confront the shattering reality of their future. [from Amazon.com]


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Generally I've been surprisingly impressed with the Pulitzer Prize winning dramas. Often I find major award winning writing to be over-hype crap. The Pulizter's for drama that I have read have been pleasant gems. Until now.

This 2002 award winner, is the story of two African-American brothers (Lincoln and Booth), sorting out their lives. They hustle, steal, con, and try to work legitimate-but-low-paying jobs. Their past is nearly as amorphous as their future.

One of the ways in which I rate plays is by thinking on how much I would like to see it staged. As a play, it is meant to be seen, rather than read. This play, I have absolutely no desire to see. I can't imagine it being done somwhere and my thinking, "Oh, I'd like to see that." There is nothing about these characters or their situation that I can relate to, find appealing or even interesting, or desire to learn more about.

As a printed work, it's difficult to completely review this as something 'to be staged' and I can't help but review this as a written work. And here I have an even greater problem. As with so many big prize winning writers, this author has decided that she doesn't need to follow convention. "The" is "thuh" and "your" is "yr" and a contraction apostrophe...!?...forget it. And of course, why bother to write "(Pause.)" or "(Beat.)" as every other playwright is taught to do? Instead she lists the character's name, followed by no dialogue ... to suggest that they aren't saying anything.

I have decided that breaking convention/being unconventional is a sure way to get noticed by awards committees. Still, it would only bother me slightly if there was a story worth reading/seeing.

I am not familiar with either of the other two plays that were nominated for the Pulitzer in 2002, but I am much more curious now to compare them to the winner.

REPLAY -- Sharon Creech

Scholastic -- hc
New York -- 2005 --180pp
ISBN: 0-439-85861-5


A young boy feels invisible in his large, expressive family and hopes that his life on stage will bring him fame and fortune (or at least attention).

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I enjoy reading children's books. I have a lot of respect for most Newbery Award-Winning authors. I love the theatre. This should all combine to high marks for Sharon Creech's Replay, but it doesn't.

Creech does an admirable job combining the elements, but she forgot to focus on what the book is about.

Leo feels invisible in his family. Leo fantasizes about himself as hero in nearly every situation imaginable. Leo learns about his father as a boy. Leo learns about a lost family member. Leo learns that there is more to a person than just what he sees on the surface.

This last is probably the over-riding element in the book, but it gets lost amid too much other 'stuff.'

The switching in and out of the fantasy-Leo certainly adds something to the character ... what youngster doesn't imagine him/herself as the hero of any moment? ... but it really isn't important to the story. The main element is carried through as Leo discovers and reads his father's biography, written at the age of 13. It is underscored by his (Leo's) creating a back-story for his stage character, and it is punctuated by the discovery of a missing family member.

Unfortunately, none of these elements are built upon properly and instead of wonderful discoveries, the book peters out to a whimper.

Not a great showing by Sharon Creech

GYPSY WORLD (STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE #7) -- Ted Pedersen

A Minstrel Book -- tpb
New York -- ©1996 -- 114pp
ISBN: 0-671-51115-7
illustrations by Todd Cameron Hamilton

The Fjori star trader Orak is strictly off-limits as it docks at the repair bay on Deep Space Nine, but Jake and Nog can't resist the challenge of stealing a look at the Fjori star maps and trying to find the secret Fjori home planet, Eden. They find themselves trapped in the starship, hurtling though uncharted space. If they set foot on the forbidden planet, they'll be forced to stay for life. Their only hope is Vija, a Fjorian girl who asks the Council of Elders to let Jake and Nog attempt the perilous Rite of Passage in order to win their freedom.

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I totally understand trying to capitalize on a popular franchise, such as Star Trek (and all it's incarnations), but the problem with a book like this is that it necessarily features two incredibly dull characters from the series.

A knowledge of these characters is necessary as there is no character building/description in the book. This prevents the random reader from picking up and enjoying this kind of book.

The other problem with a book such as this is that it requires a moral ... a lesson learned for that young reader. In the better books I've read that lesson is well woven into the story. Here it is worn on the shirt-sleeve. The reader is practically hit over the head with the good-deeds-win-out lesson, and the sudden switch from jerk to friend by the guest villian du jour.

Not a recommended book by any means.

DOGG'S HAMLET, CAHOOT'S MACBETH -- Tom Stoppard

Samuel French, Inc -- playscript
New York -- ©1979 -- 83pp
ISBN: 0-573-60046-5
Full-length play; two one-act plays

This clever romp is two short plays. In the first, a troupe of English schoolboys (played by adults) speak in a mock language called "Dogg." This hilarious language babbles along until the schoolboys, who are studying Shakespeare's "foreign" language, present an incredibly funny 15 minute version of Hamlet and then encore with a two minute version! The second play, dedicated to dissident Czech dramatist Pavel Kohout, is about a performance of Macbeth he and his friends once staged in a living room since the government banned public performances. The action shifts between the bare stage and the police inquiry. The murder and intrigue of Shakespeare's play are juxtaposed with the Czech political harassment.

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I thought I knew this (these?) play(s), but having now read them, I realize that I've only seen a popular cutting from the Dogg's Hamlet section.

This play (actually two one acts, but they really do rely on one another to create a full play) is really rather unique and complicated. It is both hysterically funny and frighteningly intense. It is witty and clever, it incorporates two great Shakespeare plays quite well.

Of course I laughed through the beginning section of Dogg's Hamlet, but I didn't quite 'get' the transition to the Hamlet rehearsal/performance.

The "Cahoot" section was intriquingly intense, which let's up with the return of a "Dogg's" character.

I give this only three stars because, as literature to read, it is difficult and perhaps confusing. As theatre, this could be a really fun production in the hands of a director who has really explored it. I'd love to see this staged, fully....

SMILES TO GO -- Jerry Spinelli

Joanna Cotler Books -- hc
New York -- ©2008 -- 248pp
ISBN: 978-0-06-028133-5

A high school freshman and science geek struggles with all the normal trials for his age (mainly, girls [one in particular] and friends who are more popular) but everything is more complicated when he learns that nothing ... NOTHING ... lasts forever.

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Jerry Spinelli has an uncanny knack for capturing me in his books.

Okay, perhaps that's a bit extreme, and certainly quite self-indulgent, but the truth is, I recognized traits in the main character that I most certainly displayed when I was that age. Chances are that boys that age today recognize themselves too.

I was able to read this book in one sitting. Not because it was an easy read (it wasn't too difficult, though), but because it held my interest ... I wanted to keep reading. I wanted to see what happened next. It's definitely well written and it would be easy for a reader to get caught up in it.

But even with that ringing endorsement, I can't quite give it five stars.

I don't mind leaving a book with questions unanswered. But I don't like getting to the end of a book to discover that the direction the author was going in is suddenly changed. Deviating from the path is okay, but changing the rules of a game is not. The ending comes quite suddenly, with a curveball at the reader so severe that we couldn't possibly see it coming -- and it changes what the book is about.

This boys' exploration of love, death, friendship, eternity, and the discovery that what he thought he knew to be true, wasn't, suddenly becomes a book about family. It turns the outside, inside, and really, what we spent 150 pages reading, doesn't matter anymore. But it should. Even a new discovery about something personal, something famil-iar, should still have it's connections with what's gone before.

Yes, there are hints at this throughout. I realize that. But the hints aren't strong enough to be taken seriously, and at least one part of the discovery, which is rather important, is TOLD to us, by another character (I'm trying very hard not to create spoilers) -- there is no way that our character, or we, could have discovered it without being directly informed. It's kind of a cheap way out (and the drama of the near-ending is a bit over-done), and for that, I take away one star. ...a four-star book.

THE BLACK THRONE -- Roger Zelazny and Fred Saberhagen

Baen Books -- hc (book club edition)
New York -- ©1990 -- 278pp
no ISBN - book club edition

An alternate history story, featuring Edgar Allen Poe ... possibly explaining why he was so tormented (he was living in the wrong dimension, having been switched with Edgar Allen Perry). Perry takes up the story, trying to right the dimensional discrepencies with the help of Annie, the powerful woman who created the rift though was duped into doing so by men seeking the secrets of alchemy.

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I admit that I struggled some with this book at the beginning, but I believe that this is because Zelazny tends to start a story right in the middle, forcing the reader to catch up to him.

I am not at all familiar with Fred Saberhagen, so I'm not sure what his influences are with this book.

Once I was caught up with the story, this was the type of read that is difficult to put down. I always wanted to read 'just one more chapter.'

Although the book managed to hold my interest through to the end, the last quarter or so seemed to get bogged down. I actually wondered if perhaps the authors traded off chapters and each wanted to add his own mark to the tale, although they both lacked necessity in telling the tale.

Some chapters spanned a few minutes ... the action being 'real time' and some chapters took place over several months. The inconsistency was always jarring.

I liked it well enough... reading Zelazny is like luscious, literary fruit ...but it failed to tell the story cohesively for me.

WHISPERS -- Stuart David Schiff, editor

Doubleday & Company -- hc
New York -- ©1977 -- 226pp
ISBN: 0-385-12568-2
illustrations by: Stephen Fabian, Lee Brown Coye, Mike Garcia, Tim Kirk, Frank Utpatel, George Barr

A collection of short stories, most of which appeared in the magazine, Whispers.

"Sticks" - Karl Edward Wagner
"The Barrow Troll" - David Drake
"The Glove" - Fritz Leiber
"The Closer of the Way" - Robert Bloch
"Dark Winner" - William F. Nolan
"Ladies in Waiting" - Hugh B. Cave
"White Moon Rising" - Dennis Etchison
"Graduation" - Richard Christian Matheson
"Mirror, Mirror" - Ray Russell
"The House of Cthulhu" - Brian Lumley
"Antiquities" - John Crowley
"A Weather Report From the Top of the Stairs" - James Sallis and David Lunde
"The Scallion Stone" - Basil A. Smith
"The Inglorious Rise of the Catsmeat Man" - Robin Smyth
"The Pawnshop" - Charles E. Fritch
"Le Miroir" - Robert Aickman
"The Willow Platform" - Joseph Payne Brennan
"The Dakwa" - Manly Wade Wellman
"Goat" - David Campton
"The Chimney" - Ramsey Campbell

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It's been a while since I read a collection of horror tales, and this was a nice sampling. Standouts, for me, were David Campton's "Goat," and Fritch's "The Pawnshop" and Wagner's "Sticks." Each of them seemed the most compelling, realistic, and horrific in their own way. Robin Smyth's "...Catsmeat Man" was also quite intriquing. Seemed like it could have been the impetus for "Sweeny Todd" but I suppose the idea of a butcher cutting up people has been around for a long time.

None of the stories were horrible, which shows that Schiff has done a good job of putting together this collection.

"Weather Report from the Top of The Stairs" was my least favorite in this collection. The story, written, based on a cartoon by Gahan Wilson, included two endings...the original by the authors and a rewrite (change of maybe two words?) at the request of the editor and cartoonist. Even with the variation, it lacked the meat that Wilson's fabulous cartoons manage to have.

A fun trip into the speculative/horror world.

GRAVITY BUSTER: JOURNAL#2 OF A CARDBOARD GENIUS -- Frank Asch

Kids Can Press -- hc
Tonawanda, NY -- ©2007 -- 143pp
ISBN: 1-55453-068-7

A young boy plans to pilot his cardboard spaceship to the stars, with his favorite female friend as a co-pilot, but first he must over-come his younger brother's nuisances.

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This looked like a book that my son might like, so I checked it out from the library and gave it a quick read.

I liked the idea, but not the execution.

A young boy-inventor, creating great magical (scientific) devices from ordinary household items, including cardboard boxes, is genius. What boy hasn't done this?! But there was too much focus on the sibling relationship and the hope of getting the girl ... a friend, not a girl-friend! ... to join him.

For such a short, quick book (144 pages, but large type and plenty of illustrations) it tried to do too much.

My son said it was "okay" and I agree.

ABSURDISTAN - Gary Shteyngart

Random House -- tpb
New York -- ©2006 -- 333pp
ISBN: 978-0-8129-7

An obese Russian Jew looks for love and happiness in a world mostly set against him.

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According to the New York Times, this is one of the ten best books of the year. What a sad year for literature was 2007!

I wanted very much to like this, and there were moments when I smiled at a phrase or passage or even a bit of biting satire, but over-all this was nothing more than literary masturbation ... an author trying to show off how clever he is rather than actually engaging a reader in a story. And, quite frankly, the story doesn't even begin until nearly a third of the way into the book.

I'm no prude when it comes to literature, but I definitely didn't need so much of the obese man's sex life told to me so often and in such detail. Is it funny, once, that such a fat man describes his trials at love-making? Maybe. Is it funny that we have to revisit that over and over? No.

I loved the idea of a country, Absurdisvani, with no more oil and over-looked by the U.S., throwing the wool over Hallibutron's eyes and lying about their oil reserves. This is the story. This is what could have been a great satirical novel. Even focusing on a single individual such as the obese Misha Vainberg, the son of a Russian Jew, could have worked, but it wasn't the story of Absurdistan, it was the story of an obese, spoiled, rich, Russian Jew looking for some meaning in his life. I guess I should have known (remembered) that when the first sentence of the prologue reads, "This is a book about love."

I never cared about Misha, and thus I never cared about his life.

TRAVESTIES - Tom Stoppard

Grove Press - tpb
New York - 1975 - 71pp
ISBN: 0-8021-5089-6
two act play

The fantastical meeting of James Joyce, Dadist founder Tristan Tzara, and Lenin as only someone like Tom Stoppard can tell it.

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This is a moderately difficult book to read, but as is the case with a play, it is meant to be seen, not necessarily just read.

I had to work very hard at visualizing this, putting myself in the roles of both audience member and director. When I was able to do that (I wasn't always consistent with this) I found that I greatly enjoyed the interaction between the characters.

I'm not at all familiar with the works of James Joyce (or Lenin or Tristan Tzara for that matter), but I liked the character as presented and would assume this to be an enjoyable role for a performer and a delight to watch.

I don't recommend this as a book to read, but a good production would likely be a real treat.

STAR TREK 2 - James Blish

Bantam Books -- pb
New York -- ©1968/11th printing 1972 -- 122p
(so old no ISBN number)


A collection of short stories based on original episodes of the classic television show, Star Trek. Episodes (and their original authors):

Arena (Gene L. Coon)
A Taste of Armageddon (Robert Hamner and Gene L. Coon)
Tomorrow Is Yesterday (D.C. Fontana)
Errand of Mercy (Gene L. Coon)
Court Martial (Don M. Mankiewicz and Steven W. Carabatsos)
Operation--Annihilate! (Steven W. Carabatsos)
City on the Edge of Forever (Harlan Ellison)
Space Seed (Carey Wilber and Gene L. Coon)

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Nostalgia.

Opening this book brings me back to the very first time I read this -- back in the very early 1970's. (This particular copy is the 11th printing and still it has no ISBN number.) Back to a time when I had to rely on the local television station to broadcast old Star Trek episodes in order to watch them. There were no DVDs or even VCR tapes. You couldn't record them (only by audio cassette). So these printed stories were little nuggets of gold to fanatical young Trekkers such as myself.

Reading these now I still get somewhat the same kick. Occassionally Blish embellished his stories with a little more insight into what motivated some of the characters. This is appreciated and enjoyable.

Though perhaps just as often, the stories raced through the plot, leaving out some of the finer details. The retelling of "Space Seed" fits this latter. There seems to be no threat from Khan, but suddenly he has his entire crew aboard the Enterprise and is holding the entire crew hostage and then just as suddenly, Kirk has regained control. The battle between men, between leaders, between centuries, never takes place as it does in the episode.

And while this was enjoyable and I'll probably reread all the books in this series, I'm still more likely to throw a DVD in the machine and watch an episode.

RABBIT HOLE -- David Lindsay-Abaire

Theatre Communications Group -- tpb
New York -- ©2006 -- 157pp
ISBN: 978-1-55936-290-0
Two Act Play
2007 Pulitzer Prize for Drama

A drama of a family grieving and trying to come to terms with life after the accidental death of their four year old son.

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So much anticipation when I started out to read this. So many glowing reviews, a Pulitzer Prize, a very good playwright... and I finished it with a sighed, "Eh."

The writing was crisp, clear. The characters seemed to be real people working through grief in their idividual ways. And that, is what the play is about...how we work through grief, to keep living when a loved one isn't.

Of course the loved one had to be a child. The grief for a child is so much more different than the grief for a parent.

But as I read this, I couldn't help but wonder why I was reading it. Why would I want to see this? I don't think that it explored anything new, or even touched on anything old in a new way.

It was, as many have labeled it, a slice of realism. But why is that important? I can stop in at the local church during a funeral to see realism. I can walk through my home town the day after the flood and experience the realism of grief.

This play didn't do anything for me. Sorry

PLAUTUS: THREE COMEDIES -- Titus Maccius Plautus

Translated (and with an introduction and notes) by Erich Segal
Bantam Books -- pb
New York -- 1969 --298pp
ISBN: 0-553-21169-2

Three rollicking funny plays from about 200 B.C.

The Braggart Soldier
The Brothers Menaechmus
The Haunted House

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I am so incredibly impressed with the Roman comedies. Whether Plautus or Menander, these authors knew what was funny. And in looking back on it, we learn that what is truy funny, stands the test of time. Good humor is based on the human condition, and that hasn't changed much over the centuries.

Translator, Erich Segal, does a fantastic job of keeping the meaning and style and rhythm of the lines, as well as the alliteration.

It can be a difficult trap, reading verse, but when one makes the effort to ignore the rhyme and focus on content, the results are well worth the read. I consider myself to be pretty adept at reading verse plays, but I noticed more than once that I had fallen into the trap of reading the rhyme and lost the sense of what I was reading and had to backtrack.

Of the plays themselves, The Braggart Soldier and The Brothers Menaechmus had me the most interested.

I mentioned the human condition and how it hasn't changed much. Take for example, this humorous section from The Braggart Soldier in which the slave Palaestrio talks to the old man Periplectomenus about marriage. The old man is dead set against it:

Per: Mine's the house of freedom --I am free-- I live my life for me./Thank
the gods, I'm rich enough. I could've married very well,/ Could've led a
wealthy wife of high position to the altar,/ But I wouldn't want to lead a
barking dog into my house!

Pal: Yet remember -- children can be pleasant -- and it's fun to breed
'em.

Per: You can breed 'em, give me freedom! That, by Hercules, is fun!

...

I'd be glad to marry someonewho would turn to me and ask me,/ "Dearest
husband, buy some wool, so I can make some clothes for you,/ First a tunic, soft
and warm, and then a cloak for winter weather,/ So you won't be
cold. " You'd never hear a wife say things like that!/ Why, before
the cock would crow, she'd shake me from my sleep and say,/ "Husband! Give
me money for a New Year's gift to give my mother!..."

And in The Brother Menaechmus, Menaechmus leaves his house and shrewish wife to hopefully visit his lover and he says:

However often I try to go out you detain me, delay me, demand such details
as/ Where I'm going, what I'm doing, what's my business all about,/ Deals I'm
making, undertaking, what I did when I was out./ I don't have a wife, I have a
customs office bureaucrat,/ For I must declare the things I've done, I'm doing,
and all that!

And even The Haunted House has a chacater make an aside: "Haven't you got smelly wives whose only perfume is their dowry?"

It would seem, from these great plays, that sex, fidelity, infidelity, and the desire to have the best of both worlds (a stable home life and the ability to sleep with anyone/anytime) is as timeless as written history.

Briefly, The Braggart Soldier is about just that... a soldier who considers himself beyond compare. He is given his one-upance by his slave who manages to trick the soldier out of the beautiful woman by convincing him that she has a twin and he drops her for her false sister.

The Brothers Menaechmus is about, as expected, a set of twins, both named Menaechmus (they were separated at birth and the caretakers for each thought that they had the chjild named Menaechmus). One is married and living in town and dallying with his girlfriend at every chance. The other just arrives in town and is confused for the local, which of course only creates more confusions.

The Haunted House is so named because the son and slave try to trick the father/master out of coming back into his house, telling him it is haunted, when in reality he is using it as a massive party house.

All fantastic and well worth reading. If only more schools and theatres would perform these hilarious classics!

RIVERS WEST -- Louis L'Amour

Bantam Book -- pb
New York -- ©1975 -- 179pp
ISBN: 0-553-25436-7

When a young ship-builder stumbles upon a dying man, he also stumbles upon a plot to take over the western frontier. A beautiful woman leads the charge against the nefarious plot.

#####

Although I don't generally admit it in casual conversation, I believe that I own nearly every Louis L'Amour book out there.

Louis L'Amour was not a great writer, but he was a good storyteller. He knew how to craft a story that keeps your interest as you read. Usually.

This particular book was work for me. It took three or four chapters before I felt interested enough in the main character, and then I struggled to keep caring. Also, whether it's unique to this particular book or common in L'Amour books, I'm not sure, but there was an awful lot of lucky coincidence that kept our main hero moving forward in his goal. In this particular book, he was left for dead in the river, but by coincidence he was picked up by a friendly gentleman in a small craft at the last possible moment. And by lucky coincidence, that gentlemen had some information that would prove to be useful in the hero's quest. And so it goes.

I've also decided that I'm a little tired of L'Amour's need to have a boxing scene in his novels. His wiry, smaller heros always seemed to have great skill with the fists and are able to take down the local, undefeated Goliaths.

It wasn't a terrible read, but it didn't capture me like other L'Amour novels have

MINNESOTA IMPRESSIONISTS -- Rena Neumann Coen

Afton Historical Society Press -- hc
Afton, Minnesota -- ©1996 -- 95pp
ISBN: 0-9639338-6-8

A look at Minnesota artists with a reputation in the impressionists methods.

"Foreward" -- William H. GerdtsAcknowledgements
Introduction
Arthur R. Allie (1872-1953)
Gertrude Barnes (1865-1926?)
Nicholas Richard Brewer (1857-1949)
Samuel Chatwood Burton (1881-1947)
Elisabeth Augusta Chant (186-1947)
Edwin M. Dawes (1872-1945)
Axel David Erickson (1869-1946)
Alexis Jean Fournier (1865-1948)
Anton Gag (1859-1908)
Herbjorn Gausta (1854-1924)
Alexander Grinager (1865-1949)
Sven August (Knute) Helder (1877-1952)
Alice Hugy (1876-1971)
Louise Kelly (?-1948)
Robert Koehler (1850-1917)
Alice Sumner Le Duc (1868-1962)
Philipp Little (1857-1942)
Clara Mairs (1878-1963)
Homer Dodge Martin (1836-1897)
Magnus Norstad (1884-?)
Nathaniel Fousette-Dart (1886-1965)
Carl Wendell Rawson (1884-1970)
Clarence Clark Rosenkranz (1871-1959)
Ada Augusta Wolfe (1878-1945)

#####

I was surprsied at just how much I enjoyed reading and looking through this book. I tend to think of impressionists as being the Monet, pastel ponds and lily-pads types of paintings, but some of these works were very moving.

Outstanding to me were Brewer, Burton, Ericson, Fournier, Koehler, and Norstad. Their works were stong, moving, vibrant and full of the passion of the artist(s).

That each of these artists had ties to Minnesota (my home state) made it all the more interesting. I know many of the areas that they painted.

A rich book, well worth reading.

DEATH BY PAD THAI: AND OTHER UNFORGETTABLE MEALS -- Douglas Bauer, ed

Three Rivers Press -- tpb
New York -- 2006 -- 239pp
ISBN: 0-307-33784-7

"20 Great Writers on Romance, Disappointment, Family, Celebration, and the Meals That Inspired Them."

Introduction (Ramos Gin Fizz) -- Douglas Bauer
"Foodums" (Pears Poached in Seasoned Wine for Two) -- Sue Miller
"La Divina Commedia" -- Amy Bloom
"Fried Peppers" -- Michael Gorra
"Full" -- Elizabeth McCracken
"Home" -- Andre Dubus III
"Food Envy" (Dori's Mom's Tuna Fish) -- Aimee Bender
"Stir Gently and Serve" -- Jane Stern
"Surf and Turf" (Surf; Turf) -- Richard Russo
"Beach Food" (Clams with Garlic and Wine; Seafood Soup; Lazy Blueberry Cobbler) -- Michelle Wildgen
"By the River Cousin" -- Claire Messud
"My Dinner with Andy Warhol's Friends" -- Michael Stern
"How I Learned to Eat" -- Peter Mayle
"My Life in Food" -- Ann Packer
"Dinner With Seamus" -- Henri Cole
"The Longest Hour" (My Stepmother's Fish Cakes, with Some Variations) -- Margot Livesey
"A Feast of Preparations" (Nougat Glace with Raspberry Sauce) -- David Lehman
"The Handsome Tutor at Lunch" (Robaire's Chicken Liver Omelet) -- Michelle Huneven
"Yes" -- Lan Samantha Chang
"The Place We Came From" (The Best and Simplest Yogurt in the World) -- Diana Abu-Jaber
"Death by Lobster Pad Thai: A Counter-Phobic Paena to Friendship,Crustaceans, and Oral Transcendence" -- Steve Almond
About the Contributors

#####

For the most part, nothing here was particularly memorable, with the exception of Steve Almond's bit of comic relief, and Michael Stern's tale of perhaps one of the worst dining evening ever.

None of the essays were bad. While reading them I was usually moderately engaged, but except for the two mentioned, they didn't stay with me.

DEAD MEN TAPPING -- Kate Yeomans

Dead Men Tapping: The End of the Heather Lynne II
International Marine/McGraw Hill -- hc
Camden, ME -- 2004 -- 403pp
ISBN: 0-007-138034-5

A thoroughly researched account of the wreck and attempted search and rescue of an ocean fishing vessel.

#####

I was mightly impressed with the research and writing of this book. Though a hefty 400 pages, it read smoothly.

Occassionally, early on, I was disappointed with the side-tracks ... the reporting on other vessel wrecks or seaches or the history of some of the people, but as I got further into it I realized how it helped create a complete picture of the incident in question.

A good read of a disappointing loss of life.

THE ENTERTAINER AND THE DYBBUK -- Sid Fleischman

Greenwillow Books -- hc
New York -- 2008 -- 180pp
ISBN: 978-0-06-134446-6

A second rate ventriloquist is inhabited by the spirit of a Jewish boy, murdered by a Nazi, who is seeking vengeance on the man who killed him.

#####

** spoiler alert **

I understand the need to tell the stories of the holocaust.

It is a personal need, it is a community need, it is a historical need. It is something that shouldn't be forgotten -- just how horrible a people can be. But does this need translate to quality work? Not always.

I was uncomfortable with this book as a book for children. Having said that, I know that I am supposed to be uncomfortable ... it's an uncomfortable situation, and the murdering of children by such nefarious means should never get comfortable. And yet...I'm torn.

In the balance to always try to protect my children and yet make them aware of history (including atrocious history) I have to draw some lines. To me, this book crosses some of those lines. It is forthright in descriptions. It is a book full of vengeance and revenge. And I'm not sure I approve of the ending. Not because of what the dybbuk does, but because I don't think he could tolerate it.

***WARNING SPOILER ALERT FOLLOWS***

Yes, I can understand that by having the dybbuk inhabit the Nazi responsible for killing him would be a terrible burden for the Nazi to live with the rest of his life, after hearing the dybbuk complain on how uncomfortable it was to inhabit the ventriloquists body, I can't imagine what it would be like for a Jewish soul to live in a Nazi's body. Wouldn't the torture be two-sided?

Just not a recommended book from me.

MISSION TO HORATIUS -- Mack Reynolds

MISSION TO HORATIUS (A Star Trek Novel)
Pocket Books -- hc
New York -- 1968, 1999 -- 210pp
ISBN: 0-671-02812-X
Illustrated by Sparky Moore

A reprint of a Whitman book. Had been out of print for 30 years.

The starship Enterprise receives a distress call from a system that has been virtually ignored since it's initial founding. The crew race to track down the distress signal while battling cafard -- a space sickness from being away too long without leave.

#####

Wow, does this bring back some memories!

I believe that I may have read this after picking it up in a used book store some 25 years or so ago.

I fully admit to being the Star Trek nerd and enjoying Star Trek novels. There's something very comfortable in reading books with characters who are so incredibly familiar to me.

The plot is paper thin and the characters less well developed than the average television episode. Some characters seemed to be named just for the sake of making sure to include them, but had no real role to play, and even their little moments were moderately out of character.

It was like reading exactly what it was ... a television-show-based book, by someone with only passing knowledge of the characters, using a stock plot.

It won't get a very high rating from me, but as a Star Trek nerd, I'm glad I read it.

RAIDERS FROM THE SEA -- Lois Walfrid Johnson

Raiders from the Sea: Viking Quest book one
Moody Publishers -- tpb
Chicago -- ©2003 -- 199pp
ISBN: 080243112-7

Viking raid a village in Ireland, taking a young Christian girl captive.

#####

I quite enjoyed Lois Walfrid Johnson's first series "Adventures in the North Woods" and moderately enjoyed her second series, "The Riverboat Adventures." This series departs from the earlier two in that this book was not a mystery, and had no true conclusion to the story, as the first two series' did.

The history was still apparently well researched, though I felt that the young girl was a tad too modern to truly be living in this time and place.

I never felt completely caught up in the story, and have a real negative reaction to any story that doesn't have a natural conclusion at the end of a book but rather requires one tow buy and read the next book installment.

I'll read more, but I won't race to get the next books.

RUBBER HOUSES -- Ellen Yeomans

Little, Brown and Company -- hc
New York -- 2007 -- 152pp
ISBN: 0-316-10647-X

Told entirely in verse, a high-school aged girl tells the story of her little brother's bout with cancer and his death.

#####

Yeoman's tackles the delicate subject again, of the death of a youngster. I know Ellen, and I know that it is a demon she is battling constantly.

I'm not sold on the idea of telling this story through a series of poems -- in large part, of course, because I so dislike reading poetry myself. That said, hoever, I thought this story was told a little easier, and more convincingly because of its unique format. It seems totally plausible that a teenage girl would write a great deal of poetry and tell this story in that way.

However, I did feel that some opportunities were missed. A girl writing poetry might not write so directly, all the time, about what has happened, but a sense of when she's feeling ought to come about in some more mundane writings. None of the poems were simple, everyday, kinds of writing that I thought should occur. For instance, suppose she wrote a couple of poems early in the book about liking cats, but at some point after her brother's death she writes a poem about a cat that got in her way and how she hates cats. That's the sort of opportunity missed here.

Even so, I enjoyed the writing more than I expected, and thought this did a good job of getting to the heart of a teenager.

WENCESLAS SQUARE -- Larry Shue

The Fireside Theatre -- hc
New York -- 1988 -- 106pp
two act play

A theatre director and teacher from Cementville, returns to Czechoslovakia (where he once witnessed some of the most invigorating theatre he'd ever seen) to write the finishing chapter of his new book.

#####

This is a real departure from the outrageous comedies of Larry Shue ... The Nerd and The Foreigner.

While still peppered with humor (some language confusion reminded me of early Ionesco), this play has a dark and depressing over-tone.

The minimal cast mirrors the Czech theatre scene that Vince is longing to see again, yet is feels very dated as I read through it now. I don't see it going over well in the community theatre scene, as the two comedies certainly do.

An interesting play, and I'm glad I just (re)read it, but I am not surprised that it hasn't had much life.

FLASHMAN -- George MacDonald Fraser

Plume -- tpb
New York -- ©1969 -- 256pp
ISBN: 0452259614
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This novel is wickedly humorous in the tradition of books like the M*A*S*H series or the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series.

Flashman is a complete cad and coward ... but fully admits it. That's his charm. He also admits to being completely lucky and being in the right place at the right times.

I laughed aloud at some of the escapades, and shook my head (with a grin) at others.

Even so, with all the wild humor and some pretty thorough history, I found the book dragging at times. Sometimes it actually reads like a history lesson.

I enjoyed the book, and will happily read more in the series, but it didn't grab me enough that I can't wait.

THE ROGUES -- Jane Yolen & Robert J. Harris

Philomel Books -- hc
New York -- 2007 -- 277pp
ISBN: 978-0-399-23898-7

A Scottish laird forces the tenants of his property out of his domain to make way for sheep. A young boy returns home to retrieve a precious family heirloom and hooks up with a notorious rogue.

#####

This book is incredibly slow to begin, picks up some speed and interest, but carries the reader along hesitantly before bringing it to conclusion.

I struggled to find interest in this book. It came, but after much effort. And for a decent portion I was interested and wanting to read more. However, as the boy and the rogue worked and journeyed together, I found their arguing and stubborness irritating and all too repetitive. it was a one-note theme that clung to far too many chapters.

Unless you have strong interest in Scottish history, I wouldn't recommend this book.

THE SENSUOUS SENATOR -- Michael Parker

Samuel French, Inc. -- acting edition
New York -- 1988 -- 104pp
ISBN: 0-573-62641-3

4 M, 5 F


A Congressman announces his candidacy for President of the United States, but the moment his wife leaves for a charity trip, the Congressman is visited by his girl-friend, an escort, a fellow Congressman and Senator, a policeman, and a reporter.

#####

This was an enjoyable comedy, and it hits home as much today as it likely did in 1988 -- which says, sadly, that things haven't changed much in 20 years.

This is a fun farce, with people in closets and under beds, and mistaken identities ... the full range of farce situations. If there is a 'down' side to this play, though, it would be that it doesn't take it far enough into the farce -- I think that without adding a whole lot of running time, there could easily be maybe two more situations added to give a few more belly-laughs.

However, I think this would be a delightful comedy, particulalry during an election year.

ZEITGEIST -- Bruce Sterling

Bantam Books -- hc
New York -- ©2000 -- 293pp
ISBN: 0-53-53-10493-4
signed copy

The key to profitting on pop culture is knowing when to get out. Leggy Starlitz is the master of pop but he's thrown a curve when the daughter he didn't know he had becomes his responsibility. How do you stay on top of the culture wars when culture is about to change, big time, because of Y2K, and how does a new family fit into the mix?

#####

Bruce Sterling is easily one of the most original writers out there today. So many works in the sci-fi/fantasy field are simply remixes of Lord of the Rings, or Conan, or a Heinlein/Asimov/Clarke/Niven novel. But when you open a Bruce Sterling novel you know you will be getting something that isn't like anything you've ever read before.

And for this alone, bonus points.

But I'll be honest...I'm not sure what I read. I liked the style, I got caught up in the characters, but I'm just not sure I'm clear on how the sub-plots and story lines all tied together. What's with the father? Was he really living his life Merlin-like? Arms dealers? Drug smuggling? What did Leggy know? How much did he approve of? Why the importance on getting the girls out alive?

Perhaps I didn't read it carefully enough, or perhaps much of these didn't matter. Chances are I'll read this again, because I am intriqued. The ending, with the observations that Leggy's daughter declared, and her goals, struck a chord. I think she did indeed "get it."

If you've never read a Bruce Sterling novel, then don't start with this one. Pick up Involution Ocean or Heavy Weather. If you have enjoyed Sterling before, then definitely give this a read. If you just want something that is so incredibly original, then this is the book for you.

ALL I DID WAS ASK -- Terry Gross

ALL I DID WAS ASK: Conversations with Writers, Actors, Musicians, and Artists
Hyperion -- hc
New York -- ©2004 -- 353pp
ISBN: 1-4013-0010-3


Public Radio's host of Fresh Air, Terry Gross, interviews a variety of guests. Included here are some of her more memorable interviews with artists.

"Don't Do It" -- Nicolas Cage
"Like a Skinny Boxer" -- Chris Rock
"Being Square" -- John Updike
"A Man's Voice" -- Johnny Cash
"Lift Everyting Up" -- Charlie Haden
"Erotic Cheese and Crackers" -- Mary Karr
"A New Gift" -- Andre Dubus and Andre Dubus III
"The Craft Itself" -- Uta Hagen
"Use the Disadvantage" -- Michael Caine
"Right in the Gut" -- Mickey Spillane
"You Will Not Find the Word 'Lesbian'" -- Ann Bannon
"We All Die" -- Walter Mosley
"A Family Courtesy" -- Mario Puzo
"Make Sense of It Later" -- George Clinton
"Bootzilla Twenty-seven Hours a Day" -- Bootsy Collins
"Dissonance" -- Nick Hornby
"In the Junkyards" -- Grandmaster Flash
"Alive in a Coffin" -- Paul Schrader
"A Difficult Place to Grow Up" -- Jodi Foster
"I Never Told Jokes" -- Albert Brooks
"Beauty Gone Berserk" -- Divine
"Kissing and Licking Boots" -- Mary Woronov
"To Iron a Shirt" -- Joyce Johnson
"So What?" -- Larry Rivers
"Not to Think" -- Sonny Rollins
"Send the Salami" -- Hal David
"Like Raw Meat" -- Isabella Rossellini
"A Little Out of Whack" -- Dennis Hopper
"The Way People Look" -- Chuck Close
"It Gets Harder" -- Frank Stella
"Mom, Dad, I Want to Be a Tap Dancer" -- Conan O'Brien
"Nothing Else Would Matter" -- Eric Clapton
"A Large Feminine Side" -- Steven Tyler and Joe Perry
"Too Much for You to Take" -- Gene Simmons
"Dramatic Beats" -- Samuel L. Jackson
"Stop Acting" -- Dustin Hoffman
"In That Hurricane" -- James Baldwin
"A Place of Protection" -- Carol Shields
"A Fraudulent Angel" -- Maurice Sendak
acknowledgements

#####

What a fantastic collection.

I listen to Public Radio. I'm not addicted to it, I contribute financially only occassionally, but I do listen if I'm in the car. When I happen to be listening and Terry Gross' 'Fresh Aire' comes on, I am usually interested. Now that I have had the chance to read through these interviews, I can understand why. Terry Gross asks intelligent questions.

Not a lot of inteviewers ask intelligent questions. Usually it's only leading questions about a new movie or a new book of or a new political campaign. Gross asks questions that we all want to ask.

Perhaps it's because this collection is with people who are artists (musicians, actors, writers, etc) -- people with whom I am familiar, interested, and can relate -- but I truly enjoyed the insight offered in these brief interviews.

Some of those that I enjoyed surprised me. I never would have expected to enjoy the Steven Tyler interview -- especially considering how blunt he was regarding his drug use -- but I did enjoy it.

Nicolas Cage is not one of my more favored actors, but I enjoyed his interview as well. In fact, hardly a bad one in the bunch.

Highly recommended.

CONAN OF VENARIUM -- Harry Turtledove

TOR Books -- hc
New York -- ©2003 -- 269pp
ISBN: 076530466X
cover art: Julie Bell

Conan, the barbarian, as a youth, before he ever took part in his first combat.

#####

I can't remember when I last read a book or story with the famous 'Conan' as hero. It's been many years, for sure, but there was a time that I greatly enjoyed those books. And so, when I saw this title on a shelf, I was eager to give it a read. Sadly, I found it sorely lacking.

Turtledove's actual writing style was just fine, though it did lack the excitement that Robert E Howard or even Lin Carter or L. Sprague de Camp manage to put into the stories. But the plotting was dreadful. I'd say that nearly half the book was repeating a couple of sequences (how much Conan liked a certain girl, how much the nasty Aquilonian liked the same girl, how much Conan hated the Aquilonian and wanted him dead, and how it all would lead to trouble). Saying all of this only once would have reduced this to a fifty page book, I think.

And then there were the non-barbarian aspects of the ... well... barbarians. Maybe it was important for us to see the twelve year old Conan behaving like a twelve year. Maybe not, though. Maybe it would be okay to see him as being exceptionally different. But in any case, seeing him playing what is essentially a game of soccer with other boys was totally pointless and to my mind, totally out of character.

I wanted to like this book, but sadly, the best part about it was the chronology of Conan books at the end.

CRISS CROSS -- Lynne Rae Perkins

Greenwillow Books -- hc
New York -- ©2005 -- 337pp
ISBN: 0-06-009272-6
Newbery Medal winner

A character study of early teens with wry senses of humor and observant insight.

#####

I like the makeup of this book. The wide variety of communication forms is compelling. There's narrative fiction, songs (lyrics and music), poetry, artwork, photography, playscript, and dialog, all rolled into this book in very effective ways. A chapter in which the author is describing what two different people happen to be doing at the same moment is written in two column form. All wonderfully creative for the readers this book is targetting.

But if you ask me what the book is about, I'll have trouble telling you. The plot is thin. Wispy. It's all about character ... which is okay sometimes, but I like form and substance, too.

I don't know that I've ever felt to contradicted while reading before. I liked what I was reading, but I was growing bored with it at the same time.

Difficult to recommend, but I wouldn't advise ignoring it, either.

FANTASTIC FOUR: REDEPTION OF THE SILVER SURFER -- Michael Jan Friedman

A Boulevard/Putnam Book -- hc
New York -- ©1997 --343pp
ISBN: 0-399-14269-x
Illustration by George Perez
cover art: Steve Fastner and Dave DeVries

The fabulous Fantastic Four join forces with the Silver Surfer and do battle against a massive planet destroyer in the 'negative zone.'

#####

Occassionally I like to read something quick and easy -- something in which I don't have to spend a lot of time learning about the characters -- perhaps this is why I enjoy reading books set in the StarTrek universe and/or the comic book universe -- the characters have already been defined.

However, I have to admit to a bias -- I've never enjoyed the stories of the Fantastic Four (comic book heroes) which take place in outer-space (or other worlds). I can't quite define it. And I know it seems strange, considering my propensity toward sci-fi stories, but the stories in outer-space never appealed to me. They always seem contrived, and this novel was no exception.

The extra-dimensional foe here, seemed a novelty for no reason. The foe was in no danger of attacking Earth, so the FF involvement was totally unnecessary. The Silver Surfer's appearance seemed fine, but his "falling in love" with the new protagonist seemed out of character, and yet a major plot point.

I just didn't but into this story. Not recommended.

GOD'S FAVORITE -- Neil Simon

Samuel French, Inc. -- playscript
New York --©1969 -- 96pp
ISBN: 0-573-60972-1
Two act play.

The biblical story of Job, as told by Neil Simon.

#####

I was not familiar with this Neil Simon play, and I thought I knew most of them. As I began, I wondered even more as to why it has stayed so unfamilair. The set-up was well established, the lines humorous, in typical Simon fashion, and the characters quite real (despite some quirkiness).

But then the plot developed. And let's face it ... the story of Job is not funny. No matter what lines Simon put into his character's mouths, watching a man suffer from a multitude of physical ailments just isn't funny, or pleasant, and I actually felt some revulsion toward the action in the play. I can't imagine seeing this, and perhaps that's why this had stayed in relative obscurity.

PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM -- Woody Allen

Random House -- hc
New York -- ©1968 -- 95pp

A neurotic, nebbish man tries to get over his wife's leaving him by dating again. His close friends, a married couple, assist him, lining up dates. His imagination assists and hinders him, in the identities of Humphrey Bogart and his ex-wife.

#####

I can't believe I'd never read this, and I'm not sure I've ever seen the movie. However, I really liked the play.

Although much of this is dated fairly specifically to the 1960's/70's, the basic story and comedy still works.

It would be difficult to set this in modern day -- why would the attorney be constantly calling in to let his office know where to reach him -- just open up the cell phone. And yet, if he isn't constantly calling his office, the set-up that he ignores his wife is lost.

And of course, there's the discotheque. ... A 'discotheque'?!?!

The biggest challenge to staging this as a play, however, is finding a non-Woody Allen type to play a very Woody Allen character. Although this is such a typical vehicle for Allen, and it's hard to read without picture him in the role, the character really is any man with low self-esteem. Finding THAT, I think, is better than trying to play it as Woody Allen.

A rich comedy, steeped in the late 1960's, but worth reading/staging.

BEDROOM FARCE -- Alan Ayckbourn

Samuel French, Inc -- playscript
New York -- ©1978 -- 92pp
ISBN: 0573110476

Three bedrooms, four couples, one night, and a series of dyfunctional relationships and misunderstandings lends itself to this two act comedy.

#####

While this play seems to have all the ingredients needed for a farce (including the word 'farce' in the title), it strikes me as possibly a very difficult play to stage in farce style.

I think the idea of skewing time and location through the use of three bedrooms on the stage, is a wonderful vehicle. Making the important plot points occur solely in the bedrooms is difficult and maybe even a little forced at times. However, it is certainly easier to be told that there are hundreds of party guests 'downstairs' rather than seeing them.

The relationships are appropriately convoluted for a theatrical vehicle, although none of them stand out as being people we really care about.

It would be very interesting to see this done. Judging by the reviews of staged productions that I've perused on-line, it hasn't been done particularly well -- lacking in pacing and getting caught up in the relationships' quagmire.

Still, I'd recommend this as an insightful read for comic theatre, and would consider staging it.

THE DINNER PARTY -- Neil Simon

Samuel French, Inc. -- acting edition
New York -- ©2002 -- 64pp
ISBN: 0-573-62831-9

As the first of six guests arrive for a dinner at a swank restaurant, they begin to wonder what they might have in common, soon wishing that they hadn't accepted the dinner invitation.

#####

I saw this on Broadway and enjoyed it immensely. Now, as I read through it, considering it for production with a local community theatre group, I realize that I like this more than most of Simon's latest works.

I have felt recently that Neil Simon has either tried too hard to make us laugh (Laughter on the 23rd Floor) or been trying to be too poignant (the biographical 'Brighton Beach' series) for me to really enjoy his recent works. Where is the writer who penned The Odd Couple or The Sunshine Boys or even Barefoot in the Park? The answer is ... he is here.

Before I began to read this, I wondered if perhaps what I had enjoyed about the Broadway performance was seeing John Ritter and Len Cariou and Henry Winkler sharing the stage. But no, what makes this play work is the writing.

The witiness, which covers a characters pain ... classic Simon ... is here. And yet the pain isn't too deeply imbedded, otherwise we'd have trouble really laughing (which has been my problem with the Brighton Beach plays).

If you've liked the earlier Neil Simon works, you will probably like this one, too. Worth reading. Worth seeing. Worth producing.

THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER & CLAY -- Michael Chabon

Picador USA -- tpb
New York -- ©2000 -- 639pp
ISBN: 0-312-28299-0
Pulitzer Prize Winner

A "biography" of Thomas Kavalier and Sammy Clay, two men who changed the world of comics.

#####

Finally. Finally I have read a major prize winning novel that is unique, and exciting, and adventurous, and easily worth the time I spent reading it.

I admit that I was somewhat hesitant to even start this novel as so many of the big prize-winning novels that I've read recently have been dull, boring works of self-loathing and pity and moroseness. To read a 600+ page novel of the type was not something I looked forward too. Fortunately, Kavalier & Clay was anything but.

Perhaps it's my own interest in the comic-book medium that helped make this novel so enjoyable, but I'd like to think that I would have been engrossed in this even if I'd never read a comic in my life. The research seemed impeccable, and the biographical style was brilliant. There was just the proper amount of 'biographer-removed' and 'biographer-respect' in the telling of the story.

Part of what marked this as incredibly well done is that I wanted, so badly, to see and read the comics that Kavalier and Clay created, and at the same time, it seemed that I had seen them. Absolutely remarkable.

Ther relationship between Joe and Sam and Rosa was extremely well plotted. It's hard to imagine any other possible way for the relationships to co-exist.

The war years for Joe seemed odd, at times, but it helped to explain much of what he had done.

Really a brilliant novel, and well worth the read.

GUYS WRITE FOR GUYS READ -- Jon Scieszka, editor

Viking -- hc
New York -- ©2005 -- 272pp
ISBN: 0-670-06007-0

Brief autobiographies about being a guy.

Forward -- Jon Scieszka
"The Truth About the World" -- lloyd Alexander
"My Maturity, in Flames" --M.T. Anderson
Daniel Adel
"Stone = Throw" -- Marc Aronson
"Superpatriot" -- Avi
"The Crossing" -- T.A. Barron
"Reading Can Be Dangerous" -- Tedd Arnold
"My Entire Football Career" -- David Bauer
"Only a Game" -- Edward Bloor
"Gondwanaland" -- Tony DiTerlizzi
"E, A Minor, B7" -- Bruce Brooks
"My Brilliant Invention" -- William G. Brozo
"A Real Guy" -- Michael Cart
"My Life of Crime" -- Peter Cherches
"Triplets" -- Timothy Basil Ering
"The Legend of Tripod" -- Eoin Colfer
"'O' Foods" -- Chris Crutcher
"What I'm Telling You Is the Truth" -- Terry Davis
"The Rules" -- Esquire
"Any Questions, Class?" -- Matt Groening
"Guide for Guys" -- Douglas Florian
"Why Books Are Dangerous" -- Neil Gaiman
Brett Helquist
"The Follower" -- Jack Gantos
"The Red Fire Engine" -- David Macaulay
"There Must Be a Mistake" -- Morris Gleitzman
"Thwacked" -- David Granger
"My Superpowers" -- Dan Greenburg
"My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad" -- Andy Griffiths
Adam McCauley
"Let's Go to the Videotape" -- Dan Gutman
"Boys, Beer, Barf, and Bonding" -- Bruce Hale
"Shooting the Breeze" -- Dave and Liam McKean
"Principals and Principles" -- Daniel Handler
"A Great, Big, Beautiful World" -- Will Hobbs
"My French Teacher Tried to Kill Me" -- Anthony Horowitz
"Learning How to Be a Boy" -- James Howe
"Lightning Man" -- Jarrett J. Krosoczka
"A Casualty of War" -- Brian Jacques
"Wrestling with Reading" -- Patrick Jones
Dav Pilkey
from On Writing -- Stephen King
"Pop" -- David Klass
"Guy Things" -- Gordon Korman
"Role-Playing and Discovery" -- Jerry Pinkney
"Busted" -- Erik P. Kraft
"Copies" -- David Lubar
"When All Bicycles Were Black" -- Vladimir Radunsky
"The Pellet in the Paint Can" -- Chris Lynch
"Unfinished Business" -- Joh Marsden
Sergio Ruzzier
"Daydreams" -- Walter Dean Myers
"Lucky Dave" -- Garth Nix
"Anything Can Happen" -- Kenneth Oppel
"No, David!" -- David Shannon
"Dead Body" -- Jerry Pallotta
"It All Began with Books" -- Christopher Paolini
from How Angel Peterson Got His Name -- Gary Paulsen
"The 1928 Packard" -- Richard Peck
"Lone * Ranger" -- Daniel Pinkwater
David Sheldon
"A Day at the Zoo" -- Jack Prelutsky
"Boys Are Big Experts" -- Jack Prelutsky
"Funny You Should Ask" from The Life of Reilly -- Rick Reilly
Peter Sis
"The Death of a Writer" -- David Rice
"Sweet Dreams" -- Steve Rushin
"Maybe Yeah, Maybe Nah" -- Rene Saldana, Jr.
"Bufos" -- Graham Salisbury
Lane Smith
"Brothers" -- Jon Scieszka
"ManGUYifesto -- Who We Are!" -- Darren Shan
"The Day I Threw the Trivia Bowl" -- Robert Siegel
"Bringing Up 'Saur Subjects" -- Rick Spears
"Roy G. Biv" -- Seymour Simon
"The Hammer and the Bullet" -- Arthur Slade
"The Masque of the Red Death" -- William Sleator
"Reading and Relating" -- Michael W. Smith
"The Dragon in the Big Glommy Castle" -- Mark Teague
"Bombs, Girls" -- Jerry Spinelli
"Conduct" -- Rick Telander
"The Fire Escape" -- Ned Vizzini
"My First Step to the White House" -- Chris Van Allsburg
"Give a Guy a Newspaper" -- Bill Vlasic
"Eat Dirt" -- Rich Wallace
"Training the Bear" -- Will Weaver
"Pals Forever: Me, Bobby Fisher, and the Hardy Boys" -- Jeffrey D. Wilhelm
"Aw, Nuts!" -- Mo Williams
"Puzzle Pieces" from The Lost Garden -- Laurence yep
"Heartbeat" -- David Yoo
"I Was Young in the Old Days" -- Paul O. Zelinsky



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This was a fun collection. There definitely is something in here for any/every boy. Some pieces seemed way too advanced for the average young boy (particularly Will Weaver's piece), and some were darned funny (in particular, Bruce Hale's).



There were a fair number of authors with which I was not familiar, and at least one glaring omission (in my mind) -- Bruce Coville.



Too many to address here individually, but over-all a book worth reading through, especially for every boy wondering what guys go through as they grow up.



Recommended.

THE A.I. GANG: OPERATION SHERLOCK -- Bruce Coville

A Minstrel Book -- tpb
New York -- ©1986,1995 --210pp
ISBN: 0-671-89249-5
autographed by the author

A group of brilliant youngsters are thrown together on a remote island while their parents work on a super, secret computer. The kids become aware of threats to the security of the program and take matters into their own hands when the adults don't believe them.

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I really enjoy Bruce Coville novels. This man knows how to write for youngsters. He doesn't write down to them, he challenges them, but manages to keep it within their own reading ability.

I just finished reading this aloud to my boys at bedtime. As one might expect, they love the action and adventure, giggle still at the humor, and totally wish they were part of the gang of kids. Everything you want in a book for young boys.

The book reminds me of the classic Tom Swift, or Tom Corbett, or Hardy Boys types of books, with modern theme and plot and characters.

My one complaint would be that there isn't a true conclusion to the book. There is an obvious need for at least a second book (it's billed as a trilogy) since only one of the criminals involved was apprehended. I suppose, like those other classics series' that I just mentioned, in which the villian often got away to be the heroes' foil another time, this book is simply following suit. However, I do dislike what is to me a ploy to sell more books.

Even so, like nearly any Bruce Coville book I read, this is highly recommended.

THEIR FATHERS' GOD -- O.E. Rölvaag

University of Nebraska Press -- tpb
Lincoln and London -- ©1931, 1955, 1983 -- 338pp
ISBN: 0-8032-8911-1
translated by Trygve M. Ager

A Nowegian Lutheran man marries an Irish Catholic girl in 1890's South Dakota. Their marriage is tested by drought, depression, and family.

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This is a remarkable book.

Certainly this appeals to me on many levels. As a person of Scandinavian descent, I'm enjoying reading books which appeal to my heritage. As a Scandinavian Lutheran who has married an Irish Catholic, I was able to view the relationship, particularly the religious discussions, with understanding and empathy. Certainly the times are different now, and more such 'mixed' marriages have taken place, but it was not particularly common among the immigrants of the 19th century.

What struck me most was the incredible passion that Susie and Peder had for each other. They did, indeed love one another deeply, but it was their respective faiths that kept interfering in their lives.

I got indignant when the priest interfered and created one of the larger rifts in the marriage. I was angry with Peder's stubbornness and his audacity to teach all things religion. Their problem was obvious to the casual, modern reader ... their lack of talking. Rather than discuss religion, they avoided the subject or Peder took a know-it-all tone. The instances when they were able to talk about religion congenially, and when Peder told Susie that she should take the carriage in to go to her church, showed glimpses of promise between them.

Though Susie seemed to slide into a depression that become a mental illness, at the heart of their problems was religion. The change in farming, the political ring, the illness and death in family ... it was all solveable. The religion brought back deeper, long-term harm that would not be overcome.

A fascinating read. Highly recommended. Reminds me of Cather's O Pioneers (for the immigrant problems) and Flaubert's Madame Bovary (for the lack of communication in a marriage) with dogma.

AMERICAN VENUS -- Diane Rozas and Anita Bourne Gottehrer

AMERICAN VENUS: The Extraordinary Life of Audrey Munson Model and Muse
Balcony Press -- hc
Los Angeles -- ©1999 -- 144pp
ISBN: 1-890449-04-0



A brief biography of one of the most celebrated models of her time, Audrey Munson.


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As someone with some interest in art, I have, on occassion, looked at a sculpture and wondered who would have posed for such piece. This book brings brings into focus the life of one such model. And not any model, but one who, by all accounts, was the most in-demand, most-requested, and most sculpted model of her time. Sculptures of this woman, Audrey Munson, still stand atop buildings in cities all over the world.

In some senses, this book is disappointing. There is really so very little of Audrey and her life in here. We know that she posed nude at age 16, was possibly the first person to take her clothes off on film, was highly sought by some of the top artists in the world, seemed to have a mental breakdown and was instituionalized in her mid-thirties, and lived to be 105. But we don't know if she every had any love-affairs. Did any of the artists take advantage of her (or at least try) -- considered to be one of the most beautiful women of her day, posing nude ... seems like a recipe for artistic affairs.

What we do learn, though is quite fascinating. That she was indeed considered to be not only beautiful, but an incredibly talented model ... someone who could find the right pose and bring to it, not only the physical features, but the attitude as well. Her four, silent movies were essentially about her ... a model for artists. A model who disrobes.

Certainly I can't help but look at sculpture differently now. I'll wonder who might have posed and what might they have been thinking. And if it's a scultpure of Munson's era, could it have been she?

A very interesting book and a recommended read. At only 144 pages, and packed full of photos, it only takes a long afternoon to get through this book.

IRON MAN: ARMOR WARS -- David Michelinie and Bob Layton

Marvel Publishing, Inc. -- tpb
New York -- ©2007 -- 208pp
ISBN: 0-7851-2506-X
Graphic Novel reprinting Iron Man comic issues #225-232 from 1987 and 1988
art by: Mark D. Bright, Bob Layton, Barry Winsor-Smith

Tony Stark discovers that his secret technology has been stolen and sold to various sources. Upset that the technology he created could be used to injure or kill innocent people he goes on a quest as his alter ego, Iron Man, to destroy anything using that technology.

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I have very much enjoyed the Iron Man comics as I was growing up, but I can't remember the last time I actually read a book or two, so this was a nice return to the old days for me. And 'old days' is appropriate as the comics in this graphic novel were first published in 1987/88. Compared to the comics of today, everything about these seemed ... simple.

I actually really liked the simplicity of the artwork. Today's comic artwork seems to be so heavy and full of shading and darkness. Each panel looks like a miniature, complex work of art, which is nice, in some ways, but it can make looking through the book quite onerous. I appreciated being able to look at a page/panel and being able to take in what was going on at a glance.

The story for this particular graphic novel was strained. That Tony Stark took it so personally that his technology was being used in such a way that innocents lives might be harmed, seemed far-fetched. I understand the premise and that there is evidence that people have suffered this kind of reaction when something they've made is used for violent purposes, but this didn't work for me. Stark was reacting to technology ... an idea ... not an actual, physical item.

I also didn't care for the fact that each "issue" of the graphic novel had him commenting on this crusade of his. Again, I understand that each issue needs to recreate some of a character's mission, but when combined in book form, this just got much too repetitive.

Over-all, though, this was a fun, enjoyable few hours away from the real world.