Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (Matthew Woodring Stover)

[***]

You can see the George Lucas film of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and be totally confused about how and why Anakin gave himself over to the dark side. Or you can read the novelisation by Matthew Stover and get it. I had not previously heard of this author, but I think he's done the best job I've yet seen of translating these iconic characters into real people with real feelings and real conflicts (as much as one can think of anything in the Star Wars universe as 'real'). This is yet further evidence that George Lucas can't write.

On Writing (Stephen King)

[****]

Very fun. This had been recommended by others as required reading for anyone thinking about becoming a writer or curious about how one gets to be a writer. I concur. The first part of the book is a sort of memoir, focusing on what Stephen feels molded him as a writer. The second part is his take on what it means to be a writer and what tools you need in your toolbox to do it.

Dean & Me (Jerry Lewis)

[****]

I heard Jerry discussing this book on public radio and (being a fan) knew I had to get my hands on it. Wonderful stuff. Of course, you have to take into account who's writing (Jerry and his ghostwriter), but Jerry does seem to have gotten over his split with Dean Martin and shows substantial love and admiration for him as a key member of their team. I was surprised to find out how quickly they got together and worked up the act and how short their partnership was (only ten years). Anyone interested in Martin and Lewis, just Jerry or the pre-Rat Pack Dean should read this book.

Big Trouble (Dave Barry)

[***]

I did finished this rather quickly. Some of the scenes in the movie were word-for-word what was in the book. Some weren't. I think I actually liked the movie a bit more. The way the book laid out the story and characters didn't quite ring true, but it was still enjoyable. Pretty good for a first effort. I've read that his second novel wasn't quite as well received.

Blessings In Disguise (Alec Guiness)

[**]

I like Alec Guiness's work. It's nice that he felt he had an interesting life, and he probably did. The problem with this memoir is that he makes it all seem boring. Too many names of obscure (to me) English stage actors, directors and producers. He needed to expand a bit more on who these people were/are and why they are cool.

I Could Write A Book

I managed to finish a couple of books since last time. One was the aforementioned Star Wars: Labyrinth Of Evil by James Luceno. What a mechanical disappointment. I am under no pretense that a "Star Wars" book (or movie) is high art. But it ought to at least be fun (the new movie is that). This book serves only to be the repository for loads of exposition about what has happened to 'our heroes' since the previous film. It also acts as a bit of an intro to the new film. Other than that, it can be skipped. In fact, it's entirely worthy of skipping, unless you are a SW completist.

Another book that I finished is No Plot? No Problem!: A Low-Stress, High-Velocity Guide to Writing a Novel in 30 Days by Chris Baty. After reading the fiasco I describe above and then reading this highly entertaining and inspirational book, I've become convinced that maybe I really could write a book - a novel. And I bet it will be better than Mr. Luceno's. I'm still mulling over ideas. Since Baty's "National Novel Writing Month" (NaNoWriMo) is not until November, I have until then to get prepared. I'm currently leaning toward a more personal book, rather than science fiction. But who knows how I'll feel in four months or so. Wish me luck.

Next on the docket is Shadow of the Giant by Orson Scott Card. It's the latest in the series on 'Ender'. I'm hoping it's more like Ender's Game or Ender's Shadow, than the more disappointing books in the set.

Just about 'done' with Le Carré

The most recent book I finished was Single & Single by John Le Carré. This has been one of my favorite authors. I really loved being taken into what I accepted as a realistic depiction of the true world of spies. For a while I made a point of devouring every new book he published. Part of this was driven by the brilliant mini-series for Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Smiley's People. But even after that, the books of that era struck me as intelligent and tense.

Lately I've become more disillusioned with each new book. Each protagonist seems to be less and less likable and less of a hero. That may be real, but I don't have to like them. The plots of Le Carré's earlier books always came off as intricate and demanding investment. Lately, they've become nearly opaque. I only made it to the end of this last one by gritting my teeth and vowing that I would not waste the time I had already invested. Much of my disappointment probably derives from the fact that this is more of a detective story than a spy novel. That's not what I signed up for.

Yes, I'm a couple of years behind on his books (just like this blog). But I do have the next one, The Constant Gardener, on the shelf and will give it a try. I'll probably wait until I get into or through that to decide if it's worth the effort to complete my quest for a remaindered copy of Absolute Friends. I believe these are supposed to get back to the world of spies. And many folks on Amazon.com are still giving John Le Carré glowing reviews. We'll see.

Next up: The library tells me that Star Wars: Labyrinth Of Evil by James Luceno is in. Time to get back into the the Star Wars universe before the next film debuts in less than three weeks.

That was two weeks?!?

So it's been a couple of weeks since I posted to this thing. Have I been reading (while I haven't been writing)? A little. But I also bought a car and a new computer. So those sucked up a bunch of time.

I skimmed very quickly through Everything You Know About Money Is Wrong by Karen Ramsey. It turns out she's based in Seattle, where I am (nearby) and apparently is not (closely) related to Dave Ramsey, who is also a financial advisor (see previous post). However, her message mostly jibes with Dave's: get rid of debt, save as much as you can. But Karen is not as negative on all borrowing as Dave is. Her rule of thumb is that logic should be the driving force in money matters. But when logic doesn't feel right, go with your heart - just make sure everyone in the family is communicating about it.

Now I'm in the middle of another of Dave's books, Financial Peace Revisited. It is much of the same. I think his Total Money Makeover sends a much stronger message on the subject. I'm going to have to read it again and have my wife look at it, too.

Two new books from the bookstore go on the shelf (hopefully for attention this summer): Final Reckoning: The Fate of Bester by Greg Keyes and The Philip K. Dick Reader from the Philip K. Dick Society. The former is the third book of a series about characters from the TV show Babylon 5, focusing on Psi Corps. I have finished the first of the three (along with many other B5 titles) and look forward to reading the rest of the story. The latter has the short stories that inspired the movies Paycheck, Total Recall and Minority Report. Fun!

1966 Was the Coolest Year

Last night I started reading (I can't just scan most things) the very entertaining volume Hal Lifson's 1966! A Personal View of The Coolest Year in Pop Culture History by (obviously) Hal Lifson. I have to agree with Hal that this was a very key year. While Hal was turned six that year, I turned nine. He was living near Los Angeles and I was in Pheonix. He was watching Hobo Kelly in the afternoon and I was laughing with Wallace and Ladmo. But our shared sense of Pop Culture is still surprisingly strong (though unlike Hal, I got Star Trek). And you have to admire (don't you?) someone that can get Adam West and Nancy Sinatra to write forwards for their own personal ramblings. I may have to add this one to my library.

The Total Money Makeover (Dave Ramsey)

I found this to be very inspiring in many ways. It made me want to get more proactive about getting out of debt and saving. So, we're working on that. But I don't agree with everything he is preaching, such as paying off your mortgage ASAP.

Allow me to (not) introduce myself

This is my first blog post. I really can't take much time to write much. I may introduce myself at a later date. My first review will be The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey.

Other reading waiting for me is several months of several magazines and accumulated dreck. More on that as it pops to the top of the stack.