The Hungry Detective

I am working/reading my way through a pretty warm Autumn in greater Los Angeles plus there was a small brush fire in Griffith Park near my home last night. But the sun is out now so better things ahead.  Both books are 2019 releases, these are the last of the 2019's on my shelf. [Editor's Note: Watch this blog for a Best of 2019 post coming never!] Other than the occasional sidetrack for pleasure, most everything moving forward should be a release in the current calendar year. And that is exciting... THIS STORM - James Ellroy. I have done my fair share of complaining about Mr. Ellroy's writing style in this blog. The thing is when it works his writing style helps to super-charge his stories in thrilling ways (i.e. AMERICAN TABLOID). It draws you closer to his stories, the immediacy of his kind of writing is propulsive. Except when it only serves to prolong his narrative. Anyway, I quite like THIS STORM, and in liking the book I identified another issue with Mr. Ellroy'...

30 years ago I wandered into a Walden Books. It was in the Janesville Mall, in (not surprisingly) Janesville Wisconsin. I bought two books or rather my Dad bought me two books. It is a strange occurrence because my parents didn't buy books. My Dad was and still, is an occasional reader. Historical novels about Colonial America and Native Americans... "I read a couple pages and I fall asleep..." My mom read a lot in fact, but she got them from the library until e-readers came around.  As a child, I liked books as long as they were about baseball and World Records. My sister and I would get what amounted to YA fiction from the library. Encyclopedia Brown was huge even if I thought he was an insufferable dick. Memorably my sister and I read THE ADVENTURES OF THE BLACK HAND GANG. We liked the book because at the end of each chapter there was a picture where you had to spot the 'anomaly'. It was fun. Later in life, as I met and married my wife I discovered that I ...

I read books because of this guy. My first was DRAGON thirty years ago. Safe journey across the River Styx Mr. Cussler... It is with a heavy heart that I share the sad news that my husband Clive passed away Mon. It has been a privilege to share in his life. I want to thank you his fans & friends for all the support. He was the kindest most gentle man I ever met.I know, his adventures will continue. pic.twitter.com/2fQZcQsuMd — Clive Cussler (@cusslerOFFICIAL) February 26, 2020