Bookstooge's Reviews On the Road: November 2023

Thursday, November 30, 2023

November '23 Roundup & Rambling

Raw Data:

Novels – 14 ↑

Short Stories – 0 ⭤

Manga/Graphic Novels – 0 ⭤

Comics – 1 ⭤

Average Rating – 3.20 ↓

Pages – 3592 ↑

Words – 1297K ↑

The Bad:

The Chromatic Court – 1star of very disappointing King in Yellow stories.

The Good:

Sense and Sensibility – 5stars of Classic Goodness

Hedges – 4stars of good advice

Movie:

Miscellaneous Posts:

Personal:

What a flipping month!

We got a new Meatbag at work. He’s not an engineering student slumming, so he’s not MY meatbag intern, but he’s a good enough kid and has a positive attitude. Which really goes a long way when you’re working 9hrs in the rain on a job site 90minutes from the office while sundown is at 4:15pm. I shall now refer to him, if I do, as Meatbag II. That being said, are all 18 year olds such wusses now? He was complaining about how the instrument bag was hurting his back from carrying it. Sure, the bag needs to be replaced, but its functional. I can’t remember if I whined about stuff like that when I was 18 or not. Toughen up kid, life is hard.

Speaking of work. I’ve been doing land survey work for 23 years (given, it was spotty from ’08-’14 when I had to work private security because of the Great Recession) and never had an accident with a cutting utensil. Until this month, when I was sharpening a machete, with a blinking safety sharpener. One slip and sliiiiiiiice, got a nice one inch long cut on my right hand. At first I wasn’t even sure I had cut myself, because the blade was so sharp, but then the blood started pouring out and I was like “yep, cut myself”. So bandaged it up for the day. This was also my introduction to liquid bandages. So remember kids, machetes aren’t toys! Well, except when you’re playing the Machete Game. Then they are the ultimate toy.

Thanksgiving was a nice time spent with a family from church that we’re friends with. Lots of good food and fellowship made for a very mellow day.

I ran to the brink of burnout with my caffeine intake and had to stop for a week. Resetting my biology back to normal is always a miserable experience and makes life seem much much worse while it’s happening. Coupled with all the work and all the stuff going on at church for the holidays, it’s why I had my little angel in the rain post. But I saw the warning signs and stopped before stepping off that brink. Next time, I need to do better at not getting close to the edge at all.

Sadly, Mrs B broke her wrist at work near the end of the month, so that put the kabosh on her working for a couple of weeks at the least. It happened at work, so I’m hoping she can get workmans comp without a huge fight from her employer. But I’m not counting on it. It does mean she’s going to go stir crazy at home, so who know what that means around the house for December. Not like she can actually DO very much, hahahahaa. Thankfully, we’re both in good spirits about it and it wasn’t very painful. Didn’t even know it was broken at first. Wasn’t until she went to the doctors that he said it was broken and not sprained. But feel free to start a Go-Fund-Me campaign so we can live high on the hog for a couple of months off the backs of others 😉

Cover Love:

Even though I showcased this at the beginning of the month, nothing else was able to beat it out for the Cover Love category. While Double Z is a lame title, that cover is pure awesomesauce and I eat it up with a spoon.

Plans for Next Month:

I managed to get my read vs review time down to 2 weeks in November, so I suspect I’ll have no problem getting that down to 1 week in December.

Sense and Sensibility Sundays were a lot of fun (for EVERYONE, bunty, or else!) and so I’m going to semi-repeat the process for “A Christmas Carol” in December. I’ll read the short story and then listen and watch various incarnations of it. Just a heads up though, each successive week will be a sillier version than the previous, so don’t expect much after week two 😉

Other than that, it should be same old, same old. I’m going to take Friday’s off from posting and am giving it serious thought to extending that to Wednesday’s as well. Planning my down time seems to work for keeping me from blogging burn out.

Wednesday, November 29, 2023

The Chromatic Court (The King in Yellow Anthology #11) 1Star

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress & Blogspot by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: The Chromatic Court
Series: The King in Yellow Anthology #11
Author: Peter Rawlik (ed)
Rating: 1 of 5 Stars
Genre: Cosmic Horror Anthology
Pages: 284
Words: 107K

This collection of short stories starts off with some modern sexual perversions and insanities masquerading as personal choices, so while that type of thing usually ends in an immediate DNF, I decided to finish the collection.

Sadly, this was as much a Cthulhu collection as it was a King in Yellow collection. I even hesitated to put this into the King in Yellow side of things, but I did and decided to just call this book a complete loss.

What a way to end the month, sigh.

★☆☆☆☆

From the Publisher and Table of Contents:

The Color of Things © Peter Rawlik

When Lavender is in Bloom © Christine Morgan

Love and Treachery © Joseph S. Pulver Sr.

The Grey Queen © Paul StJohn Mackintosh

The Man in Purple Tatters © Rick Lai

The Green Muse © Jon Black

The Songs of Burning Men © John Linwood Grant

Curse of the White Inferno © Glynn Owen Barrass

The Blues of the Endless Sky © Simon Bucher-Jones

Tatterdemalion in Grey © Micah S. Harris

The Frieze of Helmsly Ainsworth © David Bernard

The Matron in the Wood © Logan Noble

The Duke of Rust © Matt Laughlin

Have you ever been haunted by a work of art?

You may not be merely captured by the craft, but by something that lies in the work’s depths. Something admiring you as you admire it.

Do you know the King in Yellow? The Sepia Prince? The Duke of Rust? Have you heard their whispers coming to you from dried up parchment and faded photographs? Maybe another member of the King’s court has lit upon your life, casting shadows and doubts. Do you worship them, fear them, revere them, or simply seek to understand them? These hallowed nobles who hold court around the King.

Each noble holds an artform in their wavelength. For their color to shine, that art must practiced. There are no older or younger members of the court. Each has existed since before time was a concept they entertained. All of culture has evolved to suit their needs.

Art is in the eye of the beholder, and color is only an abstract concept. The Chromatic Court is very real, you reading this has assured that…

Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Heroes Die (Overworld #1) 2.5Stars

Title: Heroes Die
Series: Overworld #1
Author: Matthew Stover
Rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 541
Words: 213K

So much profanity. So much violence. This was not a nice book. It was grim, gritty and 10 years ago I probably would have either dnf’d the book or at least the trilogy. As it is, I’m giving it lower rating and will be thinking about if I want to continue this.

Stover knows how to write well and tell a captivating story, but he has set out deliberately to tarnish the idea of “Hero” and “Adventure” with a soiled rag soaked in the excrement of lepers. A “hero” can’t be good and virtuous, but must be utilitarian and vicious to gain the end goal. An “adventure” isn’t a wonderful thing but something that exploits everyone involved and debases them at every possible turn. Now whether Stover is actually writing that or some “Message” about it, doesn’t matter. Caine is not a hero. He is an anti-hero and his every action reminds of us that.

I enjoyed the book while I was reading it, but once I finished and started thinking about what I had actually read and the implications behind it (whether in earnest or satirized), my ratings kept plummeting. I was originally thinking it was 4stars because I did enjoy it quite a bit. Then I dropped it half a star for all the gratuitous profanity that would make even a sailor blush. Then I started thinking about Caine and his actions and dropped it another half star. Finally, I realized that Stover wasn’t writing to just tell a good story but to prove or make a point and so I dropped it to it’s current.

And I’m going to end my review before I end up talking my rating even more into the ground.

★★✬☆☆

From Wikipedia

(click on “Details” to expand the synopsis)

The novels are set in a future dystopia Earth where a parallel world called Overworld reminiscent of the worlds featured in post-Tolkien secondary world fantasy has been discovered. The corporations that run Earth send actors into Overworld in order to provide the masses of an overcrowded world with virtual-reality entertainment.

Hari Michaelson is a famous Actor and son of a now-mentally ill libertarian professor. On Overworld, he is the assassin Caine, while his estranged wife Shanna is another Actor, playing the mage Pallas Ril. Actors who travel to Overworld through advanced technology and assume an alternate persona which they then use to carry out ‘adventures’. Pallas is captured by Ma’elKoth, the Emperor of Overworld’s human kingdom of Ankhana, on one of her adventures. Ma’elKoth’s plan to rule Ankhana by wiping out a final resistance group is blocked by a spell that causes others to forget the existence of the resistance group’s members. The remainder of the book plays out the conflict between Ma’elKoth, Caine and the resistance. Hari finds himself manipulated by both the powers on Overworld and the Studio on Earth, and must defeat them both in order to save himself and Pallas Ril from death. In the end, Hari brings both MaelKoth and Pallas Ril back to Earth and begins the process of showing the world how they’ve been manipulated.

Monday, November 27, 2023

Cursed Rack - MTG 4E

Sunday, November 26, 2023

Sense and Sensibility (1971 TV Miniseries)

Another BBC tv miniseries. One thing I’ll note right off is that except for the 2008 version, the BBC has kept child actors out of the picture. While that means excising the third sister, Margaret, from the picture, she plays such a small part that it’s not that big a sacrifice. And not having child actors fully accords with my views on them. More harm is done to children than any possible good by either forcing them or even “allowing” them to be in movies and tv. So bravo to the Beeb for keeping them out. Hollywood should have taken note with their 1995 Version. Oh, won’t SOMEONE think of the children?
~wrings hands piteously~

This was a 4part series with each episode running around 45’ish minutes. Once again the entire run is just under the 3hr mark. That seems to be the regular time frame that the BBC considers optimum. Overall, I tend to agree. It works out very well.

After the 1981 Version, I was dreading taking yet another decade long step backwards. If the 1980’s was a stage play acting, what would this be like? I had horrible images of 70’s hairstyles prancing around in tight dance club suits and randomly breaking out into disco dance moves, ala John Travolta. Now I’m going to have nightmares again 🙁 Thankfully, this was nothing like that at all. This reminded me very much of the 2008 Version in terms of acting and how they presented the material. It felt like a movie. I enjoyed watching this. The relief at finding out there was no disco shouldn’t be discounted though, so maybe I didn’t quite enjoy this as much as I thought I did 😉

Another thing that struck me immediately, was the inclusion of Patricia Routledge as Mrs Jennings. Patricia is better known to me as Hyacinth Bucket, from the british sitcom “Keeping Up Appearances“. That show always leaves me rolling. Mrs Jennings was the perfect role, a good hearted, busybody with no malice whatsoever. Routledge totally owned the role and it was a joy to behold her.

While empire waisted dresses dominated the style scene, there was enough curled hair, jewels and variety of dress to keep every period fanatic in raptures. I also would like to re-emphasize, there was not ONE disco suit on display 😉

I do admit to feeling some story fatigue at this point. But as this is the last screen version, it didn’t hinder me, just kind of added a couple of pounds to my shoulders that I had to drag along. I didn’t force myself to watch this and there was no resignation when it was time to watch the next episode. I was thinking of trying to do this same thing for Pride & Prejudice when I do a buddyread with Lashaan next year. I am questioning the wisdom of that decision, as this experience has quite wiped me out. Not a bad experience, but a very tiring one. But that’s months away, so I refuse to make a choice now about something that far in the future.

As this is the last viewing, I’ve given a few thoughts about how I’d rank them in regards to each other.

1995 Movie
2008 TV Miniseries
1971 TV Miniseries
1981 TV Miniseries

And that’s a wrap!

Sense and Sensibility 5Stars

Saturday, November 25, 2023

Farsight (Warhammer 40K: Tau) 3Stars

Title: Farsight
Series: Warhammer 40K: Tau
Author: Phil Kelly
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 124
Words: 39K

I read this novella as a buddy read with Dave and Markus. We did our conversing via Whatsapp and it worked out quite well for me. I installed it on my computer instead of just using my phone, so it became an instant messenger. Which allowed me to tickety tack away whenever a thought crossed my mind. It also allowed the other two to discuss various Warhammer 40K books and storylines well beyond my knowledge. It was quite enjoyable, just watching others who knew a subject well to be able to talk about it.

This was definitely NOT a place to start if you have no knowledge of the Warhammer 40,000 Universe. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that it isn’t a good place to start for anyone, even those who might be familiar with the Empire of Man. The Tau are aliens and Farsight is a very historical figure. But if you don’t know that going in, as was the case with me, you are forced to wonder why we spend all this time with this apparently random character. If you have a grasp of the history, I’m sure this was a very exciting story.

For me, I was confused completely on my first read through. I complained a lot to Dave and Markus and Markus started talking history. That helped build a framework for me when I read through this again. Without that framework, I’m not sure that even a second read would have been enough.

Overall, while I didn’t dislike this story, I was so at sea for most of it, that it put a real damper on my enthusiasm to read further Tau novels. I’ll read them, but my expectations are quite tempered.

★★★☆☆

From the Publishers:

The oxide deserts of Arkunasha are red with spilt blood. The orks of Waaagh! Dok have invaded en masse, and the besieged tau settlers are on the edge of extinction. When the famous general O’Shoh arrives to shatter the greenskins at the head of a high-tech army of battlesuits, the tau expect an easy victory, but the battle-hungry orks outnumber the tau four hundred to one, and the planet’s vicious rust storms have a devilish appetite of their own. Can the rising star of the fire caste solve the riddle of Arkunasha’s haunted past before Dok Toofjaw’s monstrous cyborgs conquer the planet completely?
It’s one of Commander Farsight’s defining battles – and features some audacious action sequences, including a vicious duel in a medical chamber that will make you look at Farsight in a whole different way. The story also has all sorts of hints to the origins of Farsight’s famous companions, “the Eight”…

Friday, November 24, 2023

♪The Last of the Rockstars♪

I have never seen the movie The Last of the Mohicans. But I heard the soundtrack back in the 90’s and immediately bought the cd. Ever since, it has been a staple in my (admittedly sparse) musical repertoire.

It has also led to one of those situations that married couples will find happening to them after being together for years. I don’t know how it started, but whenever we have a favorite food and one of us is about to devour the last of it, I’ll just randomly break out with “The Last of the Delicious Food X!” and start booming away with this theme song. It’s funny because we can always just buy more of whatever we’re eating on our next grocery run 🙂

But sometimes, like today, it’s not funny. Because food items stop being made if they’re not popular enough. And when you come to the last one, it is a very bittersweet moment. You are filled with the goodness of the item being devoured but sad on the inside because you know you’ll never be able to consume it again.

So it is with those very mixed feelings that I present the Last of the Pineapple Coconut Rockstar Recovery! I have eulogized this before, in the form of An Ode to Energy Drinks, but now I must mourn. As this post goes live at 0500 Eastern Standard Time, I will be sitting on my couch, reading all of your posts, slowly, ever so slowly, sipping the last can of this delicious nectar. So rejoice with me as I savor the delicious flavor and mourn with me as I know this is the last I will ever taste this nectar.

♪ ♪ ♪♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪♪ ♪

Pineapple Coconut Rockstar Recovery, I who am about to drink you, salute you!

Thursday, November 23, 2023

Thanksgiving 2023

Today is the day that Americans are supposed to give Thanks to God for the many blessings they have received over the past year, whether they deserved them or not. In this day and age of Hyper-Commercialism, Uncertainty and Fear, it is all the more important.

If you haven’t figured it out yet (or read my About page), I’m a committed Christian. In this context, it means that I’m specifically giving thanks to Jesus Christ and not just some idea of a greater power. So without further ado, here are the things I am thankful for.

First and foremost, among the people and things I am thankful for, Mrs B continues to top the list. As I swing on the pendulum of my emotions, as Life is Greater than Great one moment and Horribly Horrible the next, she is always there to remind me that they are just my feelings and do not reflect the reality of the situation. She sees my blind spots and makes sure I don’t crash as I’m driving through life. I can’t ask for more in a loving wife.

I am very thankful for my pastor and church family. They continue to remind me that my goal in life is to be like Jesus and to be a faithful witness for Him. They encourage me when I’m not doing that so well and rejoice with me when I am. They are kind and show the love of Christ by their actions to both me and Mrs B. The Bible is taught every week and I’m never getting some feel good message, but the Scripture itself.

With all of our health issues, I am very thankful for our doctors and various medical practitioners and their application of knowledge upon ourselves. I do not take this for granted at all.

On a lighter note, I am thankful for magic cards and the fun they represent in my life. Whether it is showing off the cards of my youth here on the blog, or playing a game over whatsapp with “those continental guys”, I have fun with this game. Being thankful for the little things is just as important as being thankful for the big things.

Finally, what would a thankful post from Bookstooge be without a salute to our favoritest drink ever, that delicious nectar from heaven, Eggnog? Yeah, that’s the stuff!

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

Conan the Fearless (Conan the Barbarian) 2.5Stars

Title: Conan the Fearless
Series: Conan the Barbarian
Author: Steve Perry
Rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 176
Words: 62K

Each author that has authored multiple Conan stories seems to bring their own slant to things. Perry is definitely all about the monsters and over the top sorcerers and rather silly naming conventions.

In this, the sorcerer is trying to collect all four children of the elements (gotta catch’em all!) and create (and I will quote here) “The Thing of Power”. How original, how amazing, how powerful. /sarcasm. I knocked off a whole star just for that ultra mega totally stupid name. I mean, latinize or greekenize it for goodness sake, don’t be so flipping lazy!

As for the sorcerer, he is one of the Black Square sorcerers and he is opposed by one of the last remaing White Square sorcerers. If you know your Conan lore, or are even semi-familiar with it, you’ll know that the Sorcerers of the Black Circle are a much feared group in the world. One of the original stories by Howard is entitled “People of the Black Circle”. I reviewed it here in fact:

The People of the Black Circle (The Essential Conan #2) ★★★☆½

It was with actual disgust that I saw Perry’s bastardization. I mean, come on! Write like you care more than a plugged nickels’ worth, you sot.

All of the storylines were weak and I’m afraid this little venture into the 5 or 6 stories by Perry about Conan will be some of the weakest I’ve read so far. Stories like this are why Conan had/has a bad name as a franchise fiction series. You might wonder why such a rugged adventurer as myself would continue with such weaksauce but that is because my literary thews are tougher than iron. I will forge on, unafraid and totally victorious. And I will bash the ever living daylights out of these books by Perry until they collapse in defeat at my muscular calves, clad in boot cut jeans.

★★✬☆☆

From Wikipedia

Conan finds himself in the Corinthian city of Mornstadinos, after he enlists as a bodyguard defending a magician and Eldia, a girl who has control over fire elementals, against an evil mage named Sovartus. Sovartus is collecting such elemental whisperers and already has the other three. He wants Eldia to complete his set. This brings Conan into conflict with a host of other threats as well, including a demon employed by Sovartus and the witch Djuvula, who happens to be the demon’s half-sister, the rich senator Lemparius, who’s actually a were-panther, an avaricious thief named Loganaro, and various monsters. Plots and counter-plots build up to a climax at Sovartus’ stronghold.

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Empire’s Doom (Empire Rising #8) 3.5Stars

Title: Empire’s Doom
Series: Empire Rising #8
Author: David Holmes
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: SF
Pages: 426
Words: 166K

Normally with this series, I write a comedic (for me) review where I mock everyone’s name and make light of all of the circumstances. This won’t be happening for this volume and if the future books are as serious, I’ll simply be reviewing these as any other series.

This was a brutal book. While it was obvious what Holmes was doing, it didn’t mean it didn’t hit me any less hard. James’ wife Susannah dying partway through hit me like an express train. Especially since it was all politically motivated by scumbag politicians. If I had been James, I’d have taken my proto-space navy and nuked Earth myself.

Which brings up the ending where the aliens do just that. In the little chapter headings where the writer of the history (ie, this book, in the year 3000) blabs, it was always evident to any halfway observant reader that this event was going to happen. It wasn’t a surprise and for that I am glad, because I don’t know if I could have handled reading about Earth getting nuked 1800 times with no forewarning. The anguish that James feels as he watches it happen was as real to me as anything could be. I could imagine it, because it would be like September 11, just on a world wide scale. What keeps it from being overwhelming, emotionally, is the knowledge that the Empire arises from this and that humanity isn’t broken.

It also made me grin because the aliens assume that this event will break the Spirit of Humanity and that we won’t be in the fight as the Bad Aliens go to fight the Good Aliens. All I could think was “Oh boy, we are SO going to kick their butts!” The Bad Aliens were just as self-centered and egotistical as you could wish for in an Enemy of Humanity. It will be a joy to see them destroyed. None of this “Fear of the Other” bullshit that I see waved around like a white flag of social surrender as we try to understand the poor dears who just nuked us, because really, they have feelings too and aren’t really bad, just misunderstood. *&^%% that. These aliens want us dead or enslaved and will accept nothing else.

So I am looking forward to more of this series as Humanity gets off the ground and starts swinging in the big space bar room brawl that the bad aliens started. I’m hoping for some serious haymakers…

★★★✬☆

From Bookstooge.blog

The UN ignores James’ warning about the invading aliens. He begins preparing for the inevitable invasion even though this means breaking all existing laws. He is helped by a large group of individuals and groups that believe his message and expect the worst.

On the run and hunted, James must begin a proto-defense force that is strong enough to defend Earth and to help their alien allies.

James’ wife Susanna is killed by the UN in a bungled attempt to arrest her as bait for James. The aliens arrive and despite the best efforts of the UN Navy and James’ adhoc space navy, the Earth is nuked hundreds of times. The book ends with the aliens retreating, sure that the destruction of our homeworld will have broken humanity’s spirit. Oh how little they know.

All of My “Empire Rising” Reviews

Monday, November 20, 2023

Cursed Land - MTG 4E

Sunday, November 19, 2023

Sense and Sensibility (1981 TV Miniseries)

When I popped this into the blurayer player to watch it with Mrs B, we both thought it was going to be another movie version like the 1995 version. So imagine our surprise when up popped a menu with Episodes 1-7. We looked at each other and immediately decided to watch just one episode a night.

We made the right choice.

I can’t say this was a horrible production, but one episode a night was all we could handle. It was from the BBC and they used their usual cast of ugly people. Why the BBC makes these kind of choices is beyond me.

In many respects this felt like a stage play instead of a movie. The actors spoke their lines to each other instead of having conversations naturally. Even how they moved and their body language felt like they were posing. It was uncomfortable to watch and wasn’t something we looked forward to.

We came to Friday night and had 3 episodes left. We were planning on watching our usual one episode and double up on Saturday. I had eaten two eclairs and the sugar coursing through my veins gave me an unparalleled amount of fake courage. With Mrs B’s blessing, we powered through the final 3 episodes. The series ended with neither of the Miss Dashwoods actually being married, nor even engaged. It was all implied that it was going to happen. Which given the whole issue is that Willoughby didn’t give his word to Marianne, seems to go against everything they were trying to show. It was a very anticlimactic ending.

We were both happy it was over and I have zero interest in ever rewatching it. Not a terrible experience but this version is not one I’d ever recommend anyone ever watch. I wish I could have kinder, more positive things to say, but I can’t and I don’t. I don’t even want to go into more details, sigh.

Saturday, November 18, 2023

Shelf Control: Warlock Holmes

Shelf Control is a weekly “feature” (?) hosted now by Mallika from Literary Potpourri.

The gist seems to be to pick a book or series on your TBR shelf and write about it as a way to get you to either read it or toss it in the eternal battle of trying to trim our TBR’s. This month I chose the Warlock Holmes series by Gabriel Denning. Here’s the blurb from the first book, A Study in Brimstone:

Sherlock Holmes is an unparalleled genius. Warlock Holmes is an idiot. A font of arcane power, certainly. But he’s brilliantly dim. Frankly, he couldn’t deduce his way out of a paper bag. The only thing he has really got going for him are the might of a thousand demons and his stalwart companion. Thankfully, Dr. Watson is always there to aid him through the treacherous shoals of Victorian propriety… and save him from a gruesome death every now and again.

I saw this when it came out in 2016 but I had just begun my “Don’t start a series until it is finished policy” and so I was determined to wait until the series ended. As each book came out, I made sure I had access to them and added them to my TBR pile, but never read them. I had high hopes though, as Denning was pumping them out one a year and in 2020 released the 5th book, The Finality Problem. Apparently, it ends in a massive cliffhanger and left fans drooling for more.

And here we are, three years later, with nary a word nor a peep nor even a hint from the author that he has any inclination or monetary carrot to carry on. This series has been on my TBR since 2017 when Mogsy from Bibliosanctum reviewed it.

Since this has been the first book on my Long TBR, and it has been 6 years, I have come to a decision. Either Denning gets his backside back in the game and puts out the next, and it better be the FINAL, book in 2024 or I’ll just wipe this series from my Calibre TBR Library. There are too many books for me to mess around with some author who doesn’t have his head screwed on right any more.

Now that’s Shelf Control! No messing around, no excuses, no mercy. Just Pure Sweet Bookstooge Justice, meted out with an iron fist!

~Pow~ ~Bam~ ~Biff~ ~Sock~ ~Kapow~

Friday, November 17, 2023

Double Z (The Shadow #11) 3.5Star

Title: Double Z
Series: The Shadow #11
Authors: Maxwell Grant
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Crime Fiction
Pages: 188
Words: 60K

Good stuff. As I noted at the beginning of the month:

Currently Reading Cover Love: Double Z

I really liked the cover. We will see what else the month holds, but I suspect this will earn that coveted (oh so coveted!) award of Cover Love of the Month. Doesn’t get much more honorable than that, let me tell you!

The story itself was pretty good too. We get another “Agent” of the Shadow introduced. At this point I’m not even trying to remember who is who, I just read “Character Agent X” and nod my head and continue reading. The Shadow faces off against an old Chinese guy who has a booby trapped house and that was pretty cool. Sadly, Old Chinese Guy isn’t Double Z. He should have been though. He has the booby trapped house. He has poisons. He has a young protege. He has underworld connections. So of course Double Z turns out to be some disgruntled, too rich, businessman. It was kind of anti-climactic to find out it was him. I mentally went “Really, that guy? He’s not even oatmeal, much less Villain of the Month Flavor”. Thankfully, I got all the flavor I needed with Old Chinese Guy. Soy sauce baby!

Another successful entry in the Shadow series. I recommend this series if you like pulp stories.

★★★✬☆

From Bookstooge.blog

Double Z, a mysterious underworld figure, has leaked information to the police about people who are going to get killed. Now he has decided to move into the game himself, thus setting himself on a collision course with The Shadow. Utilizing the services of corrupt old chinese triad leader, Double Z intends on being the one to survive that collision.

In the end, Double Z is unmasked as a bored businessman with too much time on his hands and not brains in his skull. The Shadow and his servants prevail and Right is Victorious.

All of My “The Shadow” Reviews

Thursday, November 16, 2023

The Devil’s Hand (Terminal List #4) 3Stars

Title: The Devil’s Hand
Series: Terminal List #4
Author: Jack Carr
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Action/Adventure
Pages: 466
Words: 138K

James Reece takes on embedded terrorists, a manufactured super plague and a senator who wants him dead. He overcomes all and saves the day. What a surprise! I was totally shocked.

While I had nothing in particular against this book, or even this series, I am just not THAT into fiction written by or about special forces. Too detailed and specs out the wazoo that don’t mean a thing to me as a casual reader. I’ve given this series four books and that’s enough of my time.

I didn’t particularly care about the story and nothing about Reece makes me want to stay along for the ride. He’s no longer terminal, he’s past losing his wife and daughter and he’s moved on. Now he’s just a special forces guy. And I like Mitch Rapp better, even the version written by Kyle Mills. So adios Reece, time for the door to hit you where the Good Lord split you.

★★★☆☆

From OfficialJackCarr.com

follows former Navy SEAL James Reece as he is entrusted with a top-secret CIA mission of retribution twenty years in the making.

It’s been twenty years since 9/11. Two decades since the United States was attacked on home soil and embarked on twenty years of war. The enemy has been patient, learning, and adapting. And the enemy is ready to strike again.

A new president offers hope to a country weary of conflict. He’s a young, popular, self-made visionary…but he’s also a man with a secret.

Halfway across the globe a regional superpower struggles with sanctions imposed by the Great Satan and her European allies, a country whose ancient religion spawned a group of ruthless assassins. Faced with internal dissent and extrajudicial targeted killings by the United States and Israel, the Supreme Leader puts a plan in motion to defeat the most powerful nation on earth.

Meanwhile, in a classified facility five stories underground, a young PhD student has gained access to a level of bioweapons known only to a select number of officials. A second-generation agent, he has been assigned a mission that will bring his adopted homeland to its knees.

All of My “Terminal List” Reviews

Wednesday, November 15, 2023

Hedges 4Stars

Title: Hedges
Series: ———-
Author: Jerry Jenkins
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Genre: Christian Self-help
Pages: 173
Words: 50K

Part One was warning stories and showing how even good Christians can be taken unaware. It was nothing new to me but was a very good reminder of how little things can be turned into big things, so stop them when they are still little.

Jenkins also talks about what the Bible says about protecting your marriage. It came across like he was writing to people who had never read the Bible. Which I guess, sadly, is the case in too many Christian’s lives. I found myself repeating “Well duh, of course the Bible says that.”

Finally, in part one, he talks about how people willfully blind themselves to their actions and the consequences of those actions. He points out how much damage is done by people just doing what they want instead of what they know they should.

Part Two is where he discusses some of the hedges he has planted over the years in his life (he was about 40 when he originally wrote this). He outlines why he did each one and references earlier warning stories to show where the lack of a hedge leads to.

I found almost everything he wrote about were things I was already doing. Whether from my upbringing and training in the KCM church or my own innate inability to be around people long term, I was doing and had been doing, since my early 20’s. Most of it seemed like common sense to be honest, but once again Jenkins seems to be writing to people who have never thought about the subject. I guess I was hoping for something new and startling. That’s the problem with a lot of these Christian books, they are talking to the lowest common denominator and I wanted more. Of course, living the way I have, and do, has saved me from so much trouble and problems. I need to be thankful for that blessing.

It was a good refresher course though, to be reminded to keep on cultivating those hedges and to not let them wither and die away. Jenkins also talked about some of the positive, proactive hedges he has put in place, like remembering the good times and spending enough time together. Some hedges are passive while others require an active participation on our part. I was glad to read those bits.

The Final Part was dealing with with families with kids and some of the things a father can and should do regarding their kids to prepare them for their own marriages.

This was a very personal and personable book. Jenkins unapologetically makes his statements to men. This is a book by a man, about men, for men. It took me back at first, as we’re so used to things being for everyone nowadays, but it was refreshing. Men need to be active in their relationships and they need advice tailored to them. It is why mentoring is so important.

Overall, this was a good book but it did not have as much “new to me” info as I was hoping. A solid 4star book and one I would highly recommend to any man, the younger the better. It also adds a notch to my Non-fiction belt. I’m pretty proud of that fact.
~does the Rocky victory lap~

★★★★☆

From Bookstooge.blog

Table of Contents:

Part I:

1: Tangled Web

2: Changing Climate

3: Don’t Blame God

4: Dynamics of Flirtation

5: Biblical Basis for hedges

6: Power of Self-Deception

Part II:

1: Two’s Company, Three’s Security

2: Touchy, touchy

3: Some Compliments Don’t Pay

4: Memories

5: Quality time vs Quantity time

Part 111:

1: Everybody loves a love story

2: When victory comes

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

Stalking the Vampire (John Justin Mallory #2) 3Stars

Title: Stalking the Vampire
Series: John Justin Mallory #2
Author: Mike Resnick
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 223
Words: 74K

Not bad but not great. Mallory runs around Manhattan on Halloween trying to track down a specific vampire. I was hoping that his partner, the old lady who was a hunter, would be part of the story, but aside from getting bit in the neck and hunting with a pack of trolls, she’s not really involved.

There is a funny side character who writes detective novels and he’s always trying to solve the case like his character would. But he gets to find out, along with us the reader, that detecting work is one big slog. There’s no excitement.

Resnick seems to have been an Idea Guy and I think that much like Asimov, if he had stuck to short stories he could have done very well. But writing a novel is a very different beast and while Resnick didn’t suck at it, he still wasn’t that good. Sometimes his ideas carried things, like Santiago, but here, JJ is barely an idea. And it is a slog.

Nothing is bad, it’s just not really good. That seems to be Resnick’s style and I think I’m accustomed to it.

★★★☆☆

From Bookstooge.blog

Mallory’s partner, the hunter lady, has her nephew come visit. He ends up biting her in the neck and it’s revealed that he has been bitten by a vampire and is in the process of turning into one. He disappears so he won’t snack any more on his dear old aunt and it’s up to Mallory and the Gang to find him and help cure him. They find him, dead. So now they have to find the vampire that turned him and then get rid of it somehow. They do, to both. The End.

All of My “Mike Resnick” Reviews

Monday, November 13, 2023

Crystal Rod - MTG 4E

Sunday, November 12, 2023

Angel in the Rain

I am tired and worn out and the week has barely begun. Whooh boy, it’s going to be a long 8 weeks until New Years.

Sense and Sensibility (1995 Movie)

Wow. Just wow. I am pretty wow’ed at the moment. But let me explain, because it does take a bit of explaining, especially with how I’m going to describe things in the following paragraph.

The Book, a fully fledged beautiful woman in flowing period gown. She swishes, she glides, she sits, she pours your tea with aplomb and brings a glow to every room she enters. The 2008 TV Miniseries is a painting of that woman. Beautiful and wonderful and as it hangs on your wall, it brings back wonderful memories of the woman herself. This 1995 Movie is a skilled impersonator. You know it isn’t the Lady herself, but she looks like her, acts like her and carries off her manner and attitudes so that from across a room you could fool yourself into thinking it is her.

Now I realize that might sound like a slur, but in reality, it is the highest complement I can give. This movie has the very bones of Austen’s novel. It has the heart and soul of it. Most of the changes were excisions and I was fine with all of the changes. Why I was ok with the changes in this movie I do not know, but it worked, and it worked very well.

I am sure that some of my comfort with this movie was the amount of actors that not only did I recognize but recognize as very good actors. Kate Winslet was perfect as Marianne. I’m sure part of that was her actual youth (she was a mere 19 at the time) but she also simply brought a very real energy to the role. And yet she didn’t steal the movie. There were too many other wonderful actors. Emma Thompson as Elinor. Hugh Grant as Edward Ferrars. Oh, Hugh carried off the “awkward and stilted” Edward to a t. It was like he had a pebble in his boot and a thistle in his britches. It was exactly as I imagined Edward to be. Then we come to Alan Rickman, playing Colonel Brandon. What an understated performance. In this version, I’d like to mention one of the side characters. Hugh Laurie plays Mr Palmer, a very minor character even in the book. He was a cold, self-centered man and he starts out that way in the movie. He has a silly wife and is either silent or speaking very cutting remarks. But as Marianne’s sickness progresses, Laurie manages to convey a deep well of sympathy and humanity in just a scene of 30 seconds. I just had to nod my head in admiration.

I have to say, I enjoyed this way more than the miniseries. It felt like a perfect movie and it swept me along. I’m extremely happy to have watched this. Now I have to live with myself knowing I’ve got two more movies to watch and neither of them are this one. Mercy on my soul….

Saturday, November 11, 2023

[Art] Flight in the Night

The problem most Heroes find is that the Villain always wants to kill them. It’s just one of those things, like the sun rising in the East. Sure, you can complain, or whine about it, but that doesn’t change a thing.

Thankfully OUR hero, as an outcast pegleg ninja pirate, not only has friends in low places, but also in high places. In this case, VERY high places. Fleeing the Warriors of the Emperor, our hero retreats to the vast uncharted mountainous regions.

Will he return? Will he face the Emperor? This narrator does not know and begs your indulgence for not being able to see the future. “Difficult to see, and in motion always the future is”, as a wise jedi master once said.

Friday, November 10, 2023

[Repost 2023] About

It has been 2 years since I last reposted my “About” page. While it is in a nice obvious place, I know not everyone immediately goes there to find out all the important things about me. I also know that as I change, my About page will change to reflect that. It is also a good reminder for those who have been around awhile who might have forgotten a thing or two.

Here are some things to know about me that might make your interactions a tiny bit easier. If you still have questions, you can always email me:

Bookstoog eat proto nmail do tcom

1) I am a pretty devout Christian. Weird personal mix of Baptist and 7th Day Adventist. To over-simplify it, that means I believe in the Bible literally and I go to church on Saturday instead of Sunday. It also means that it influences what I read, how I read and how I review.

2) I am a Man. I cannot state this boldly enough or enough times. Be prepared. Mancakes Ahead!

3) I like Science fiction, Fantasy, Classics [1900’s and earlier] and mysteries. I’ll read other stuff, but not regularly. As I’ve gotten older, my tastes have broadened though, so chances are pretty good you’ll see more than what I listed there..

4) I tend to read 100+ books a year.

5) Of the 5 Love Languages, [quality time, words of affirmation, gifts, acts of service, or physical touch] my main one is Words of affirmation. Or just words 🙂 Which means that I tend to post and comment quite a bit. I am NOT a once a week poster.

6) To go along with #1, I graduated from a non-accredited Bible school, so I’ve got a working man’s knowledge of how to be a Pastor, just not the actual degree. Or the temperament.

7) I am NOT a people person. People wear me out, even online. Then I say things that later I sometimes regret. Then I need chicken fingers to recover!

8) I am happily married to Mrs Bookstooge. For some reason she really loves me. Weird, huh?

9) If you disagree with something in my posts or reviews, feel free to say so; IF you want to actually have a conversation with someone who disagrees with you. Most times I will try to move such conversations to email.

10) I am a land surveyor. I work outdoors year round in New England. The picture below is of me. It typifies why I like being a surveyor.

Thursday, November 09, 2023

Groo Meets Pal and Drumm (Groo the Wanderer #23) 3.5Stars

Title: Groo Meets Pal and Drumm
Series: Groo the Wanderer #23
Author: Sergio Aragones
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Comics
Pages: 24
Words: 2K

Hahahahahahahaaa. This was another great entry in the Groo comic. Groo is suckered into putting on fake fights with another warrior and of course, he bungles, every single time.

I thought it showed Aragones’ creativity to be able to think of these “simple” situations and then make comedy gold out of them. It’s not easy to do humor on demand (as shown by almost all of our modern media writers, who are nothing but hacks, at best) but Aragones hasn’t let me down yet.

One thing I don’t think I’ve mentioned about the artwork before is how Aragones manages to draw a scene filled with people and it is busy and full but he shades things in such a way that your eye is drawn to the important part. That takes skill too and I appreciate it. The artist of a comic should be directing the audiences’ eyes and if he’s not, he’s a complete failure of an artist and should be tarred, feathered and run out of town on the rails! (I’m looking at you, modern comic artists who draw 2 page spreads with so much crap going on that the reader gets epilepsy just looking at it!) The following pix is the last page in the comic and I think illustrates this principle perfectly.

★★★✬☆

From Bookstooge.blog

Groo meets another warrior, Drum, who is working with a schemer called Pal. All three work together to put on “fights” which are rigged. The problem is that Groo keeps messing everything up and eventually everyone else catches on and the comic ends with Groo, Drumm and Pal all running for their lives.

All of My “Groo the Wanderer” Reviews