I love this guy, one of my all time favorite comedians. This is a small book, wedged down into my Christmas stocking, and I came close to reading it a I love this guy, one of my all time favorite comedians. This is a small book, wedged down into my Christmas stocking, and I came close to reading it about as fast as it will take me to write this review. I guess my only complaint is that it is too small. George was not only hilarious, but he was one of the most intelligent comedians I have ever heard. The first time I heard Carlin was on vinyl at a friends house in the mid 70's. We listened to the famous "7 dirty words" (the seven words you cannot say on television... shit, piss, fuck, cunt, cocksucker, motherfucker, tits.), and I was hooked on his comedy till the day he went into the clearing. I think you would all enjoy it, and as for me, I'm going in search of some more of his work. ...more
I think this one is the most difficult to rate out the series. There were parts that I enjoyed immensely, and there were sections that I abhorred.
Wha I think this one is the most difficult to rate out the series. There were parts that I enjoyed immensely, and there were sections that I abhorred.
What part didn't I like? every section of this unassembled jig-saw puzzle of a book that involves Susannah and Mia. I know this might sound sacrilegious to some hard-core Tower fans, but Susannah has always been my least favorite character and all too often she just annoys the hell out of me. So, not only was I disappointed when I found that an entire book in the series was going to be focused on her plight, but I also felt that the whole, pregnancy-Mia alter ego thing was unnecessary.
What I did like: The shoot out in the beginning with Roland and Eddie was phenomenal, and considering what we all know happened to Mr. King while writing this series, I thought the way he inserted himself into the tale was genius. I understand the plot in this one was a jumbled mess, but I guess because this is my second time around, it didn't bother me as bad.
Thank goodness for the parts mentioned that were entertaining and not just a Susannah-Mia tale or this might have been a 2 star rating. Over-all, I consider it a 3.5. Now, on to the finale....more
Oh, yeah, this is some sick shit... and I mean that in a good way. Wait, is that possible? If you don't have the stomach for the, no punches pulled, s Oh, yeah, this is some sick shit... and I mean that in a good way. Wait, is that possible? If you don't have the stomach for the, no punches pulled, splatter-gore, bizarro type horror, then you definitely need to avoid this one. If you do, then enjoy Ketchum at his finest.
If you've read this you'll understand where I'm coming from when I say this; I just finished this on Halloween, and I got to tell ya, little kids coming to my door dressed as ghoulies takes on a whole new meaning. ...more
Read as part of Edwards Dark Tower discussion group.
This event in Rolands life took place before The Gunslinger, but it needs to be read later for theRead as part of Edwards Dark Tower discussion group.
This event in Rolands life took place before The Gunslinger, but it needs to be read later for the character to make sense. In this case, Roland seemed weak and amateurish. Totally out of character for the young, surviving knight from Gilead.
This story can be found in the Everythings Eventual collection....more
So, I finally got around to my first Edward Lorn novel and it didn't disappoint. I have a ton of books on my 'to read' shelf and I've been wanting to So, I finally got around to my first Edward Lorn novel and it didn't disappoint. I have a ton of books on my 'to read' shelf and I've been wanting to read his work, so I had to bump this one up.
Edward, you are a naughty, naughty, sick and twisted man... so, why aren't we hanging out more? Yes, this is one of those stories, an older woman seduces (molests) an underage boy, but there are other layers to this disturbing tale.
SPOILER ALERT: Not only is this woman a child abuser but she is one heartless, murderous bitch. It's one thing that she is taking advantage of a boy who is at an age where he couldn't avoid a hard-on even if he were laying on an ice-berg, but she has outside help, help in the form of another, even more disturbed character that I'll just call, "the ghost".
I would like to have had some more on the "Bastard", the paranormal influence behind the ghost, but all in all, this was a quick, attention grabbing read, and I thought Edward did a great job in adding the creative layers that makes this tale stand out. Now that I have experienced Edwards work I can say that I will certainly be reading more from this author.
It's been fun knowing you on Goodreads, Edward. Now I know that you are not only a fantastic reviewer but a fantastic writer as we.....more
Werewolves, sex, spies, assassins, nazis... man this book had it all.
This was not so much a scary book as it was an action packed thriller. McCammon Werewolves, sex, spies, assassins, nazis... man this book had it all.
This was not so much a scary book as it was an action packed thriller. McCammon does provide some gruesome scenes along the way, so scary or not, this is still a horror novel fit for a good pre-Halloween read.
Along the way we are given some back-story glimpses of our protagonists life and his transformation into a lycanthrope, but the bulk of the story deals with him in human form as an undercover agent endeavoring to aid the allies in the battle against Hitler and his Nazi regime.
I thought this was an entertaining, exciting read, from the first page to the very end. I wouldn't call it perfect, but deserving of 5 stars....more
It has been a year since Hurricane Irma hit Florida, and when I think back on it I still get chills remembering the dread I felt as the storm headed m It has been a year since Hurricane Irma hit Florida, and when I think back on it I still get chills remembering the dread I felt as the storm headed my way. We were fortunate, extremely fortunate, considering that just 24 hours before the storm hit, the Tampa area where I live was right in the bullseye of the projected path and forecasters predicted it might still be at CAT-4 strength when it hit.
I remember trying to sound calm and reassure out of state family members who were calling, but in all honesty, I was scared. And the reason I was scared is because we were trapped, and that is not a comforting feeling when a monster is heading your way and there is nothing you can do but hunker down and hope for the best. Callers were saying "Get out. Evacuate". But what they didn't understand was that, as Mother Nature so often does, she dealt us a hand that was unexpected and unlike anything forecasters had ever experienced in handling a hurricane. It was one of those "perfect storms" that sound like a cliche unless you are someone who has experienced one.
I won't get into details about Irma, but I wanted to emphasize the point of being trapped because it came to mind while I was reading of the New Englanders experience with the Hurricane of 38.
I'm always having friendly debates with family and friends in California where I grew up about what is worse; earthquakes or hurricanes (being a native Californian, I have experienced my share of earthquakes, so I've been on both sides of the fence). They've asked me how I could live in Florida with all the hurricanes coming our way, and I always counter with saying that earthquakes are worse because you can't see them coming, but you can always see a hurricane coming. Well, I have to give them the nod, this time, because even though we saw Irma coming, because of the way she came, we had nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.
I know there are people who would say you should have just evacuated when you knew it was going to hit you. But it wasn't that simple. Because it was a given that the hurricane was going to make land-fall somewhere between Miami and The Keys, as early as a week or more before the storm, masses of people from south Florida began to evacuate, and they only had one way to go; north. Cars began to stall in the mad rush, vehicles ran out of fuel, and before you knew it, the roads out of town were blocked. So, now here comes Irma, her cross-hairs are right over Tampa, and guess what we are hearing on broadcast TV? Find shelter, go to an emergency shelter if needed, go to high ground, and whatever you do, DO NOT TRY TO GET OUT ON THE ROADS. We were warned that there was a high probability that we would be trapped on the road if we tried to get out and that because of the storm surge that was predicted there was a real danger of drowning. (by the way, to give you a better visual, I live on a peninsula where I have The Gulf of Mexico on one side and Tampa Bay on the other. I am surrounded by water) So, a few family members who lived too close to the beach came to my house and the Wife and I boarded up the windows and pulled everything into the house and garage that could be sent sailing through the air. We sat, watching the storm on TV as long as we could, knowing that the power would be going out (and it did). Was I scared? Hell yeah. There's nothing like sitting in the dark and hearing the wind, muffled because of the boarded windows but still sounding like a freight train at times, and hearing shit bang against your house.
Well, even though I was worried, hoping the big trees around the house wouldn't come down, hoping the roof would stay on, I actually received a little relief before the power went out. As the storm hit The Keys and started northward, it shifted slightly toward the east and it was also dying down faster than predicted. The storm still hit us but because it wasn't a direct hit we were only in the CAT1 range. There was minimal damage to my property; tree limbs, fence, roof shingles, but the biggest thing is that no one was hurt.
Hurricane Irma devastated most of the Florida Keys and much of South Florida. And there was loss of life. I was fortunate, I didn't nearly suffer as much as those Floridians and those in the Hurricane of 38, but I know the feeling of realizing that something is coming at me and not being able to do a damn thing about it but grit my teeth and be prepared to hold on for dear life. I know the feeling of being trapped.
Remembering that feeling was what kept coming back to me when I read this account. Those folks were trapped. It happened in a different way and for different reasons but they were trapped nevertheless. Unfortunately, that was an era when they did not have the warning systems, the tracking systems, that we now have. The folks there were trapped by the unexpected. Reminiscent of the tsunami's in 2004 and 2011, the storm surge from the 1938 hurricane hit New England so fast that without warning, the ocean rose up like a tidal wave, and before onlookers could climb stairs or jump in cars to flee, they were washed away and many drowned. Houses were picked up off their foundations and carried away or completely demolished. Babies were ripped from their mothers arms, and the wind and currents were so fierce that most of the survivors were either nude or partially nude in the aftermath. There was one account where parents came to pick up children where a school bus dropped them off and as they watched, a wave rose up and washed the children away.
There had been warnings in Florida and the Carolinas, but because of primitive technology and lack of experience, all the professional forecasters assumed the storm would turn east and die out as they always did. As with Irma and many other of Mother Natures surprises, the 38 monster continued on course and slammed into New England. Because of no warning, by the time anyone realized what was hitting them, they were trapped. The death toll for the 38 Hurricane was over 600 people and it is considered one of the top ten worst hurricanes in US history.
Obviously, this book had more meaning for someone like myself who has experienced a hurricane, and for an outside reader I will say it still has some heart wrenching moments and gives a thorough description of the forecasting system that was in place at that time. The introduction to some of the people involved and some of the victims was a little slow at times but overall this was an informative and powerful book.
And last but not least... I'll still take the hurricanes over the earthquakes....more
I wish I would have paid more attention to the publication date of this book, then I would have known that this was all prior to the real meat and 3.5
I wish I would have paid more attention to the publication date of this book, then I would have known that this was all prior to the real meat and potatoes of Kervorkians assisted suicide crusade. Nevertheless, I still learned a lot more about the man than expected. This book covered a lot more about his ideas than just assisted euthanasia. As a matter of fact, the bulk of this publication has more to do with his ideas and battles concerning organ donors; most notably, death-row inmates who want to voluntarily donate but have not been allowed due to flaws in the system.
This partial autobiography, by Kervorkian himself, was well written, but he repeated scenarios in which, once his point was made, seemed to be unnecessary. Also, his continual details in areas of medicine, law, and histories concerning execution were overdone which made it hard for an average layman such as myself to follow without drifting off due to boredom. Still, not only did I learn more than expected, I felt Kervorkians passion about his fight to help those who are suffering, and I admired him for having the courage to fight against overwhelming odds that always seem to arise whenever someone who is ahead of their time comes along and rocks the boat, especially when that boat is full of politicians, judges, surgeons, and theologians. ...more
Though I can say I learned a lot from this book, I can only say that what I learned dealt mostly with the politics and monarchy of Britain because tha Though I can say I learned a lot from this book, I can only say that what I learned dealt mostly with the politics and monarchy of Britain because that is primarily what this book covered. I think it may have also been a little more appropriate to call this a history of England because Ireland, Scotland, and Wales were given very little attention here.
Informative yet limited in historical subject matter. ...more
Okay... I live in Florida, right. The place where this story takes place. And so, I've experienced...
:SPOILER ALERT:
I've experienced the feeling of u Okay... I live in Florida, right. The place where this story takes place. And so, I've experienced...
:SPOILER ALERT:
I've experienced the feeling of unexpectedly coming upon a gator and looking into those dead, black eyes. Eyes like a sharks, unfeeling, emotionless, cold. The first time it happened I walked within a few feet of one that was about 8 feet long without even seeing it. It saw me and quickly spun on the bank of a pond and splashed into the water. I, on the other hand, was running for my life, (and I think I peed a little). What surprised me more than the fact that I had walked up on it without noticing it was how, as it went out into the water, it slowly made a u-turn and swam back to the waters edge where it stopped and stared at me with those predatory eyes. I had startled it, but it was not afraid of me. It was now sizing me up, calculating whether it could get to me and drag me back into the water without being in danger.
Being a Floridian, I have become accustomed to hearing once or twice a year, the news of a gator attack. It's always either a pet, a small child that was left unattended, or an elderly person out for a sunset walk. I never hear of attacks on full grown, healthy adults, but I'll tell you what, I've seen them as large as 11 or 12 feet long in waterways within a few miles from my house, and I guarantee you, if you decide to take a dip with one of them, especially if they have a nest nearby, you are going to experience the underwater spin of your life.
This was a great short story that started out as a touching story about a widower and his encounter with a new puppy. But in the end, this ended as a true horror, albeit, a horror that was in a way, very un-King like. No supernatural stuff here. Just pure, real life tragedy. Tragedy in the form of a monster that I think would be worse than a vampire or werewolf. Maybe a weregator would be worse. maybe. ...more
I would really love to rate this book higher. If not for the honor and memory it brings to those who served in Korea then for the details about the 3.5
I would really love to rate this book higher. If not for the honor and memory it brings to those who served in Korea then for the details about the war that I learned. I would love to, but I won't because yes, I learned a lot, but the dry style in which this book was written made it a task to trudge through.
The Korean War has been called "the forgotten war" and it was for that reason I sought out a book on the subject. I was talking with a cousin recently about an uncle of ours who had passed and he reminded me that he had served in the Korean War. As much as I think I know about other American wars, I realized I know next to nothing about the Korean War.
The soldiers who served in that conflict coined the phrase "die for a tie" and that's probably the perception that most have about the outcome of the war. We didn't lose, but we didn't win. As for my opinion, as well as others I've heard and read, I think it depends on your perspective of the outcome. No, we didn't conquer Korea and have their leaders surrender to us, but then again, taking over North Korea was never our objective to begin with. North Korea invaded our ally, South Korea with intent to possess it and we prevented that from happening, so they failed, we succeeded.
I feel for those who served there because now that I have learned more about this war, I believe there was some of the most brutal battles, conditions, and valiant acts by our soldiers than almost any other war. We don't know about them because there was no great victory parades, accolades, and televised media did not take off until the Vietnam War. Most Americans knew nothing about the details of the war and probably didn't want to.
If you don't believe the Korean War, 1950-1953, was a forgotten war, ask yourself this; how many movies about the war can you name. I can help you with that because if you don't count the TV series "Mash" there are zero. I'm sure there's no interest in portraying how absolutely negligent and irresponsible our command leadership was during that war. Especially when it involved a WWII hero, General MacArthur, who turned out to be a self serving egomaniac.
So, anyway, now I know. I really did learn a ton more than I ever knew, I just wish the story had been served with a little more heart. ...more
This is the fictional version of the true story of the kidnapping of 11 year old Sally Horner in 1948. It is said that this is the story from which Na This is the fictional version of the true story of the kidnapping of 11 year old Sally Horner in 1948. It is said that this is the story from which Nabokov got his inspiration for his famous novel, Lolita. Having said that, I'll repeat what is already noted in all the reviews, that even though this novel and Lolita are based on the same story, they are nothing alike in style... or power.
I will say that this version is much more poignant in its own way because it is much closer to the actual facts about what happened to this poor girl. The failure in this attempt is the way it was delivered. This had the feel of a very nasty task that the author decided to tackle but when she got knee deep in the crap didn't really have the nerve to get her hands dirty. The author lets us understand this event was horrible because she gives us the facts and the surrounding circumstances, but because of the way she held back in the telling, I never really felt the horror. The story is sad and informative from a historical stand point, but it didn't move me. I'm sure that what Sally Horner endured was much more horrific than what I felt through the telling of this novel. ...more
I can't believe I am going to say this about a King novel, but it was the supernatural part in the second half that turned me off. For someone who 3.5
I can't believe I am going to say this about a King novel, but it was the supernatural part in the second half that turned me off. For someone who didn't care for the 'Bill Hodges' series, I was actually thrilled with the beginning in what was just a great mystery/crime story, but when the Mexican Boogeyman showed up it ruined the mood. I think it was a transition error. If he had melded the supernatural aspect of the tale into the plot a little earlier it would have been easier to swallow.
One other note: King once again was unable to restrain himself from inserting some kind of political jab. Law enforcement officers are for the most part conservative, and at no time did King ever give the impression that Detective Ralph Anderson was liberal, and yet at one point in the story he made a dig at Donald Trump from Andersons internal dialogue. It was small, not one of Kings infamous political rants, but still it was there and stuck out like a sore thumb to me, because it was out of character and completely unnecessary to the story.
Overall the book was not bad but disappointing considering it was 5 star bound at the 1/3 point. ...more
This is the last of the party time, coffee table, humor books that I bought and I give it five stars because it fulfilled the purpose I intended; it m This is the last of the party time, coffee table, humor books that I bought and I give it five stars because it fulfilled the purpose I intended; it made people laugh.
Oh, but I must be sure to emphasize that I was completely offended, angered, and embarrassed by this book... ah, ahem, no, not really. Sorry, I can't adhere to the response that would be expected by the politically correct who are falling down, throwing a temper tantrum and bawling because I have dared to give this race mocking book a five star rating. No, because first: I haven't forgotten what humor is, second: I'm not a pussy, (and if I were a pussy, whenever I was told to go fuck myself, I would be more than happy to oblige) and third: I actually learned something; this whole time, I thought Ted Danson was white, but thanks to this educational literature, I discovered that he not only black, but that he is almost as ugly as that Jewish guy, Whoopi Goldberg. Who knew? ...more
Honestly, I just got this one along with a few other similar types to set out as coffee table fodder to obtain a few laughs during our get-togethers. Honestly, I just got this one along with a few other similar types to set out as coffee table fodder to obtain a few laughs during our get-togethers. 5 stars because it got the reaction I expected, but no, you can't use it to teach your cat how to play chess....more
I should just plead the 5th here, but I guess I'll incriminate myself with this quick review. (I may need a god lawyer. Is Lyn out there?)
So, this is I should just plead the 5th here, but I guess I'll incriminate myself with this quick review. (I may need a god lawyer. Is Lyn out there?)
So, this is one of several books I bought strictly for coffee table humor during some of our get-togethers. They really are just for that purpose, so I base my ratings on the reaction value of each. This one doesn't get the big yucks as some of the others but it still get's a laugh, so I give it an average 3. ...more
This was like 3 separate short stories but all loosely tied together, and of course, all of them featuring my man, Raylan. Other than Raylan, the real This was like 3 separate short stories but all loosely tied together, and of course, all of them featuring my man, Raylan. Other than Raylan, the real bad-asses in this story were the women. Involved in everything from blackmarket organ transplanting to gun-thug coal mine bossing to bank robbing to fugitive poker playing. All tied up nicely with Elmores famous gift for dialogue. A take no names Marshal and some hot, gun totin' ladies (hell, even the maid is someone I wouldn't want to cross). What else could you ask for? ...more
I think I had my hopes up too high on this one. I've become a Lehane fan and I have heard a lot of great opinions on this novel, so I went in with 3.5
I think I had my hopes up too high on this one. I've become a Lehane fan and I have heard a lot of great opinions on this novel, so I went in with great anticipation. Obviously, I'm not saying the book was bad, I gave it a 3.5 rounded up to 4, but it just didn't wow me as I had expected. I was looking for something entertaining along the lines of Mystic River, and in my opinion there was no comparison.
I thought the opening was strong in this 'Kenzie & Gennaro' segment, and there was plenty of action and hard-edge scenarios to keep me turning pages in this crime/thriller, but there were too many strands in the web that held this plot together. I felt there were too many twists and turns threaded in the story. I couldn't buy it.
For those like me who are way behind the curve in this series, let me just give you this warning if you are thinking about wading in; there are some brutal details in these pages involving children. Some of the descriptions are pretty graphic, so be careful if you are the kind that lacks the stomach for this kind of reading.
And lastly, I won't spoil anything, but I will just say that I thought the ending left what might be an interesting debate on what might have been the right course of action. Who was right, Kenzie, or Gennaro? Some great points from each side, but one thing this novel brought to life is sure; there is a cancer in our society involving, not just abused, but neglected children as well. A person has to get a license to drive, a license to get married, hell, they even need a license to catch a fish, but any lowlife scumbag can bring a child into this world. So, how do you we combat this? Anyway, I'll keep from going off on a tangent on that subject, but it does play a main role in the plot of this story. ...more
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