Books read in 2013: No. 59 -- An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

by Amrose Bierce

Started: Dec. 31
Finished: Dec. 31

Notes: I've read this classic short story a couple of times before, once in grade school and again in high school, but that's been decades ago, so I thought I'd familiarize myself with it once more. If you're not familiar with the story or have forgotten its subject matter, I'll at least tell you it starts with a condemned man on a bridge getting ready to be hung by Union officers during the Civil War. To tell more would give too much away, but this has been a fairly famous story over the decades since it was written, and there have even been a few short films made concerning it.

Mini review: A strong story, but I'm thinking the writing would be too blunt and obtuse all at the same time for modern readers, the style it is written in being the blunt part, the ending being the obtuse part (since it leaves a fair amount to the imagination, something fewer and fewer readers seem to appreciate nowadays). Still, a commendable story that has had a lot of influence over the years. Was worth checking out again.

Books read in 2013: No. 58 -- Candyland

by Evan Hunter and Ed McBain

Started: Dec. 23
Finished: Dec. 31

Notes: For those who don't know, though there are two authors listed for this novel, they are actually one and the same person. "Ed McBain" was a pen name for author Evan Hunter, who was actually born under the name Salvatore Albert Lambino but legally changed his name in 1952. I've long been a fan of this author's work as McBain, though I've not stepped into his Evan Hunter works. Here I get that chance in a single book written by both men ... er, both characters ... uh, hell, well, they're written by the same guy but in different styles. Make sense? Maybe you have to be a writer to understand. Anyway, the first part of the novel is by Hunter and focuses upon a successful architect who lands himself in some hot water while traveling and searching for female companionship; the McBain portion of the novel apparently is about three detectives covering the case of a murdered prostitute, a woman who had some kind of link with the architect.

Mini review: As a reader, I was not awed by this one. The first half of the book, the Hunter half, was a bit slow for my taste. The second half, McBain's section, heated things up quite a bit, but as is always the case, I feel a little let down when reading McBain but not reading his 87th Precinct novels. As a writer, I was quite intrigued by the dichotomy between the two styles of writing, the first half being much more personal (which stings a bit as the protagonist is somewhat sleazy) and the second half which is fast-paced police detective work. The ending was a complete surprise to me, I can happily say.

Books read in 2013: No. 57 -- Mad #1

edited by Harvey Kurtzman

Started: Dec.23
Finished: Dec. 23

Notes: When I was a kid, not only did I read comic books, but I read the funnier versions of such material in Mad magazine and Cracked magazine. Over the years I had gotten away from them, but recently I found the very first issue of Mad from 1952. It was free from Amazon for the Kindle. Since I've been wanting to enjoy some lighter reading, I thought this would do the trick.

Mini review: A nice piece of nostalgia. The humor was juvenile, but mostly not slapstick or constant yuckity-yuck material. There were a number of short comic tales here, a funny horror piece and a western and a sci-fi tale, as well as some humorous prose pieces. For today's audiences, the laughter would probably be quite mild, but I found it interesting and worth a few chuckles.

Books read in 2013: No. 56 -- Astro City #1

by Kurt Busiek

art by Brent Anderson and Alex Ross

Started: Dec. 23
Finished: Dec. 23

Notes: Recently I discovered a bunch of free comic books for the Kindle online at Amazon, and I went through a little spree of downloading some of my favorites. This is one of them, the first issue of a comic book that started back in 1995, though the series has gone through a couple of different versions since.

Mini review: I don't read comic books or graphic novels nowadays nearly as much as I used to, but it was nice to take a look back at one of my favorites. Why was Astro City a favorite? Because it approached super heroes and villains from a relatively realistic point of view, often dealing with the problems of their everyday lives and not just the big fight scenes and the like, though there was some of that as well. This particular issue introduced the character known as Samaritan, basically a stand-in figure for Super Man, and focuses upon the daily trials and tribulations of the character's life. Interestingly enough, his biggest problems aren't fighting bad guys and monsters, though there is plenty of brief action. No, his main troubles center around his never having time to have any kind of life because he is always so busy saving the world. Solid artwork, too, that strives for a more realistic touch but which also keeps a comic book edge.

Books read in 2013: No. 55 -- Haunted Savannah

by James Caskey

Started: Dec. 18
Finished: Dec. 23

Notes: As the title suggests, this is another book I picked up a while back during a trip to Savannah. The author is a local who runs his own tour of Savannah, and the copy of the book I picked up was signed. The preface to this book, subtitled "America's Most Spectral City," points out that the author wrote it in order to correct any misconceptions or out-and-out untruths about the history of Savannah, at least as related to ghostly matters, and that the book is to benefit tourist guides throughout the city. I've had my own unusual experience in Savannah, though that doesn't mean I believe in ghosts. Still, I'm always drawn to such literature, and it's probably one of the reasons I enjoy writing horror fiction from time to time.

Mini review: Quite the interesting look at the darker side of history in Savannah, as well as the supernatural, mostly ghost tales but a few with links to voodoo. The author does a fine job through his research of debunking common mistakes concerning the history ofSavannah, but most of the spectral aspects he leaves up to the reader to decide for themselves, though he does point out that he's a believer in ghosts and he relates a few incidents which he personally witnessed or experienced. Written well, too, with a down-to-earth vibe that doesn't get overly scholarly, making for a fairly breezy read.

Books read in 2013: No. 54 -- The House on Gaston

by Tony Cope

Started: Dec. 8
Finished: Dec. 18

Notes: During my trip to Savannah, Georgia, a while back, I had the opportunity to pop into a local bookstore, E. Shaver, Bookseller. I always enjoy checking out regional book shops and regional authors, and that day I was pleased to find the author of this particular book there doing a signing. I didn't have much of an opportunity to speak with him because he was talking with other customers when I came in, but I shook his hand, said "hello," and picked up a copy of his most current book, The House on Gaston, subtitled "A Savannah Childhood." So, not only do I have the pleasure of checking out a regional author, I also have the pleasure of learning a little of the history of Savannah. The book looks back at the author's youth growing up in the city with somewhat of a focus around the World War II era. I'm looking forward to it.

Mini review: This was a delightful memoir of the past, of an era and a particular city's place within an era, all of which I'll never experience, except through an interesting book such as this one. The author's exuberance for his childhood comes through quite clearly, reminding me of my own father's stories, and though the author and my dad are about the same age, my dad grew up in a far different world, a small town in the mountains of Kentucky. Here, in this book about Savannah, there is a lot of charm about the city itself, but also about the many local characters from that time period, and some of the events. The author doesn't appear to hide much about his personal life, going over some early sexual exploits, for example, and writing a little about family tragedies and the like. Those with an interest in Southern Gothic could do worse than reading this memoir, and those with a love of Savannah in particular but also World War II history from a civilian's point of view, should find much here to enjoy.

Books read in 2013: No. 53 -- Worth Dying For

by Lee Child

Started: Dec. 4
Finished: Dec. 7

Notes: So much of my reading of late has seemed serious, quite a bit of it non-fiction, and I'm thinking it's time I jumped into something breezy with lots of action for a change of pace. I'm hoping this will be it. For some time I've been meaning to check out this thriller author and his popular Jack Reacher character.

Mini review: This pretty much fit the bill, but it felt fairly generic. It was like reading a screenplay for a modern action movie, not that that's all bad. There is no background material hardly at all, and the characters are all pretty much blank slates other than very basic qualifiers ... such-and-such is "the doctor" or such-and-such is "the Italian" and the like. Even the main character, Jack Reacher, gives up next to nothing. I can tell you everything I know about Reacher in one sentence: He's big, about 250 pounds, probably in his mid-30s, has brown hair, was a military cop at some point during 13 years of some kind of military service, he needs to get to Virginia. That's it. The story keeps rolling, but it's not constant action, with plenty of stops for dialogue scenes. A good airport novel to kill time, I suppose, but ... it just felt so generic. Give me a reason to care for the good guy, other than the fact he seems a little smarter and better trained than everyone else around him. Not a bad novel, and not bad writing, but I didn't see much to draw me back.

Books read in 2013: No. 52 -- Freedom

by Johnathan Franzen

Started: Nov. 17
Finished: Dec. 4

Notes: When one thinks of a modern elitist, snobby, literary writer sitting around coffee shops in New York City, for many Jonathan Franzen's is the name and the face that comes to mind. To boot, he has somewhat a reputation for being an ass, even to those who are supposedly in his corner. But he's supposed to be a heck of a writer, and I've been meaning to check him out for some time now. Freedom apparently is about modern family life in the suburbs, what I tend to think of as "first-world problems." So, here goes to find out if Franzen will come up with something original or if he will fall back on stereotypes and literary tropes.

Mini review: Original? Hmm, maybe, maybe not, but every novel is original to some extent or other. The story here follows a family of four, specifically the mom and dad but also their son and daughter, as well as a close family friend. The tale covers about 30 to 40 years, with particular focus upon a few years during that period. You see the mom and dad in college, their relationships with their parents, their relationships with their children, the problems they have, the problems their children have, the problems they cause themselves, the pain, the troubles, and eventually the fragmentation and a dipping toward depression. I won't tell you if this story becomes a tragedy or has a happy ending, so you'll have to read it to find out. But I will say this: Franzen can indeed write. I hated the first 30 pages of the book because it was almost totally telling without showing, but once it got past that, I enjoyed his writing style and his characters. Kind of funny, but his writing style reminded me quite a bit of Stephen King, though without all the horror elements, as if King suddenly decided to take up writing about a family living in the suburbs and their troubles, which I could actually see King doing, though he'd probably have to throw in a ghost or two. So, yes, Franzen can write, and he's a decent storyteller, though I think King generally has him beat in that regard. I did have a couple of minor problems with the story, one being that there were a couple of scenes in which there seemed to be some political preaching being thrust in the reader's face, and then there was one minor scene that felt fabricated to me, that didn't quite fit in with the rest of the tale because up to that point the story had been quite natural, but then this one thing happened and it seemed to happen simply because the writer wanted it to because it made easy a few eventual outcomes. There is a lot here said about modern U.S. society, specifically about white suburban life and families and to a slightly lesser extent about modern politics. There were also a handful of fine insights, the one I found most interesting being a look into today's youth culture, both the negatives and positives. Could I suggest this book to others? Sure, but don't expect any action scenes, though the story flows well and is a relatively quick and easy read. Will I read Franzen again? Probably, though I can't claim him as a favorite. Still, this novel gave me a lot to think about concerning writing, so I'll have to let my thoughts gel on this one for a while.

Books read in 2013: No. 51 -- Sell Your Book: 75 Ebook Promotion Sites

by Greg Strandberg

Started: Nov. 16
Finished: Nov. 17

Notes: My guess would be I'll be familiar with most of the sites listed here, but it never hurts to take a look.

Mini review: As expected, I knew most of these sites. However, I didn't know all of them, so I picked up a few places that might help me promote my e-books. A short read, also easy to read, so worth my time and the price.

Books read in 2013: No. 50 -- Forensics for Dummies

by D.P. Lyle, MD

Started: October 22
Finished: November 16

Notes: I've been wanting to read this one for a while. I thought it might prove helpful for my horror writing, possibly also for any thrillers or action-oriented and detective fiction I might write. The author has a similar book specifically for fiction writers, but I opted for this one because I was thinking it might be a little more comprehensive. Maybe, maybe not, but this should still help me with the basics.

Mini review: The writing here is clear, but the subject matter bored me, bored me, bored me. I felt like I was back in college again studying for a class which I didn't particularly like. Most of it was the science here. However, while I knew the broad basics, I did learn a lot. Anyone writing thrillers or horror should check out this book or one similar. For that matter, anyone writing any kind of fiction which might include crime or dead bodies would be doing themselves a service by looking into such a book. If writers don't get the details right, someone eventually will call them on it. Also, I want to point out that the particular version of this book I had was about a decade old, thus a little out of date; a more recent version would probably be more up to date.

Books read in 2013: No. 49 -- The Art of Fiction

by John Gardner

Started: Oct. 2
Finished: Oct. 21

Notes: Though I find it somewhat limiting, for a while now I've had quite the interest in Gardner's philosophical approach to fiction as outlined in his book On Moral Fiction. Being a fan of that book, even though I don't agree with all of it, I thought it time I read some of Gardner's work on the mechanics of writing. Thus, I'm reading this book, The Art of Fiction.

Mini review: This book comes off a bit snobbish early on, but to be fair, Gardner warns that this material is meant for those who are serious about being a literary writer. Also, the sub-head on this one suggest it is for young people, but my feeling was much of this material would go over the heads of all but the most well-read and experienced writers. There is a fair amount of material here, but I'm not sure it's absolutely necessary for most writers. The first half of the book mostly looks into literary theory, which can be a bit dry, but might be of interest to some, dealing with such things as themes, morality in fiction, etc. The second half of the book is a little more down to earth, focusing upon structure, plotting, etc. The last chapter of the book is filled with exercises, and I thought many of them were quite interesting. Should this book be mandatory? No. But it could be interesting reading for those with a literary bent, and especially for those who are Gardner fans.

Books read in 2013: No. 48 -- What is Art?

by Leo Tolstoy

translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhansky

Started: Sept. 17
Finished: Oct. 1

Notes: This book is a collection Tolstoy put together of his essays and thoughts on art, and what constitutes true art or what we might consider high art. From my other readings about this author, it seems Tolstoy thought of true art's goal as one of being influential upon humanity in a positive aspect, specifically a Christian aspect, though Tolstoy's notions of Christianity weren't exactly orthodox (leaning toward a non-mystical anarchism). This translation, I expect, will allow Tolstoy to present his arguments on such matters. I much look forward to it as it was apparently a big influence on John Gardner's On Moral Fiction, one of my favorite books about writing.

Mini review: Good lord, I feel like I've just finished reading a 200-page blog rant by an old guy screaming about how music today is just awful and isn't anything like the good stuff we had back in the day. This isn't far from the truth. Tolstoy here spends a lot of time shitting all over art of his day, including the works of Wagner and Beethoven and Kipling, and then for good measure goes back in time to shit all over Shakespeare. At least he likes a few of the artists from his own period, such as Dickens. Personal taste aside, Tolstoy's definition of "true art" is so narrow as to almost be nonsensical. For him, true art  must contain the following: 1.) The artist must have had true feelings while creating his or her art, and must have either intentionally or unintentionally been trying to convey those feelings through the art, 2.) the art is only allowed to have two subject matters, showing reverence for God, or, showing the union or potential union of mankind in a brotherhood of all, and 3.) the artist must not have been a professional, ie. must not have been trained in art in a school or by a teacher, and the artist must not have been creating his or her art for money or any other kind of personal benefit (other than maybe a sense of happiness at sharing with others). That's it. Anything else is false art, bad art, or counterfeit art. I can't agree with him, which he predicts most people would not. While I could follow some of his reasoning, much of it had to do with the upper classes of his time seeming to have a monopoly on what is considered art, something which I think is not so relevant today. In the final chapter, Tolstoy even goes on to shit all over science, complaining about how much of it is useless other than what today we would call the social sciences, which he found important for the improvement of mankind. My problem with this book wasn't so much that I disagreed with its opinions as the almost vicious way Tolstoy expresses his thoughts on the subject matter. Page after page of old-man rant. It wore thin quickly. At least I'm finished with it. And I'd like to add that while I'm somewhat fascinated with Tolstoy as a writer and a philosopher, that doesn't mean I enjoy everything he wrote, nor that I approve of all his various opinions. There seem to be some who feel Tolstoy was a bit mad in his last years, and that's quite possible, though I tend to think it wasn't so much insanity taking hold of him as it was general grumpiness ... he was old, not in great health, and the world was passing him by ... plus there were all the religious notions he had which seemed to fill him with some despair and even anger. I'll read Tolstoy again, but it might be a while as I need a break.

Books read in 2013: No. 47 -- Walden and Civil Disobedience

by Henry David Thoreau

Started: Sept. 1
Finished: Sept. 17

Notes: As the title suggests, this is actually a collection of two of Thoreau's books, Walden and Civil Disobedience. I've had this book for some time, but kept putting it off because I wanted to be in the right frame of mind to study it and hopefully to enjoy it. The famous Walden is about the author's two years living alone in the woods near a pond, and Civil Disobedience was originally a speech given by Thoreau concerning the duties of American citizens. Individualism, to some extent libertarianism, transcendentalism, simplicity of living, and other factors are discussed in this literature.

Mini review: I went back and forth on this book. Some of it I found quite interesting, other parts not so much. Roughly the first half of Walden tends to focus upon philosophy, which to a modern eye is a sort of naturalist libertarianism. While I personally agreed with some of this and didn't agree with other parts of it, I still found it interesting, especially as it's a work of philosophy somewhat grounded in what I think of as "reality," and is not a philosophical work that goes off on tangents of logic so complicated as to almost be high mathematics (writers of empiricism especially come to mind ... John Locke, David Hume, etc., but also some of the rationalists like Leibniz and Descartes). The second half of Walden mostly focused upon Thoreau's various observations of nature around his cabin and at Walden Pond. This section of the book did not thrill me. Having lived a sizable portion of my life in or around rural districts, I'm well aware of what a pond looks like, the animals and plants found in such regions, the effects of the seasons upon such regions, etc. While there might have been some subjects of Thoreau's study specific to the Walden Pond region in the mid-19th Century, most of it was readily familiar. However, in this portion of Walden there were also some historical writings about particular individuals, a number of them slaves or former slaves, who lived in the area, and this I found of interest. The last chapter of Walden returns to the more philosophical writings, and this I enjoyed. As for Civil Disobedience, it is only about 20 pages, being a speech the author gave publicly on a few occasions. The reason for the speech is that Thoreau was once arrested and jailed for not paying a poll tax, which he did out of protest against slavery and the U.S. war with Mexico. Civil Disobedience itself does not focus on that event but it does allude to it, and it goes on into a philosophy that borders on anarchy while also retaining much concerning the U.S. Founding Fathers. Civil Disobedience I found interesting from historical, philosophical, and even political points of view. Thoreau calls for recognition of the importance of the individual within broader society. Not that an individual is necessarily more just than a collection of men, but that the collection isn't itself more just simply because of numbers. And Thoreau consider it the individual's duty to not take part in government of which he or she does not morally approve, even to the point of imprisonment and confiscation of goods. On the other hand, Thoreau suggests the best way to never be in any one government's power is to live simply, to never own enough of anything so that it hurts one when those belongings are taken away.

Books read in 2013: No. 46 -- World War Z

by Max Brooks

Started: August 28
Finished: Sept. 1

Notes: After my latest zombie read left me wanting more, I decided I'd go back to what I consider not only the best zombie book ever written, but one of my personal favorite books. And no, I've not seen the movie. I'll probably get around to it eventually, but apparently it has very little to do with the book other than the title and the fact it's about zombies. I first read World War Z about eight years ago soon after it was first published, and I loved it so much that I've been somewhat afraid of re-reading it since then because I fear I might not enjoy it so much on second read. But that is a chance I'll now take.

Mini review: Still a damn fine book, and still a personal favorite. On a second reading, it's just a touch monotonous, not just because I'd read it before, but because the way the book is structured is much more obvious to me. Maybe I noticed that apparent structure because I'd read the book before, or maybe it's because I'm a more experienced writer now. Either way, this is still a book worth reading by anyone. You don't have to be a zombie or horror fan to appreciate this book, because it is so much more than that, it transcends genre in a lot of ways. Basically, this book is a collection of stories from the survivors of the great "Zombie War." And these aren't gore-filled horror tales. These are personal tellings, fictional accounts not that dissimilar to those of World War II veterans and the like. In the end, this is a book about hope, though the price paid is quite high, and literally everyone on the planet pays that price.

Books read in 2013: No. 45 -- De Bello Lemures, Or The Roman War Against the Zombies of Armorica

by Thomas Brookside

Started: August 27
Finished: August 28

Notes: I've been putting off reading this e-book for a good long while now. Why? Delaying gratification, I suppose. See, this novel contains two of my favorite things, ancient Romans and zombies, so what could go wrong? Also, apparently the author meant this book to be an homage of sorts of modern (as in the last century or so) translations and publications of ancient, classical writings by historical Romans. As someone who has read more than his share of such works, I should find it interesting how a modern author goes about this. Even the cover to this e-book is designed to look something like Penguin Classics I've perused over the last few decades, especially during my college days.

Mini review: This was actually a pretty good story. I liked the way it unfolded, and the prose. I also appreciated all the footnotes, some of which did not actually need explaining to me but some that did. My biggest complaint was that the story didn't really end. I'm reading along just fine, really into the tail, and then it's all over in a matter of a page or two. There could have been so much more, and I would have definitely been interested in reading more. But it is what it is. What's there is fine, bordering on excellent, but I wish there'd been more of it.

Books read in 2013: No. 44 -- A Land of Ash

edited by David Dalglish

Started: August 26
Finished: August 27

Notes: Imagine Yellowstone exploded, spreading lava and ash across nearly all of North America. It would be an apocalypse of sorts. A few years ago a group of fairly well known indie writers got together and came up with this anthology which considers such a terrible event. Here are 11 stories. I've read a number of these authors, so it'll be nice to kind of meet up with the familiar, but it will also be fun to read others for a first time.

Mini review: These were quite the fine tales. Nothing supernatural or speculative here, just 11 tales of people surviving (or not) an apocalyptic situation. The variety of characters and locales was quite interesting, never boring. And all the authors had solid writing voices and solid prose.

Books read in 2013: No. 43 -- Make Money Online: Become a Virtual Assistant

by Andrea Walters

Started: August 24
Finished: August 26

Notes: Mark this one down as research. I have an idea for a horror short story that might involve a virtual assistant, so I thought I'd learn a little about that world. Also, I used to own a personal concierge business, which isn't the same thing but has some overlap with the virtual assistant business.

Mini review: Mostly basic but solid advice to anyone starting an online business. It wouldn't hurt for many indie writers and editors to studying such. As for helping me with my short story, maybe, maybe not, but definitely helped me get back into the business mindset, one I've not been much in for a long while.

Books read in 2013: No. 42 -- Altered States

by Paul J. Newell

Started: August 20
Finished: August 24

Notes: Sometimes you pick up a book or e-book but don't get to it until much later, and then you can't even remember why you purchased it in the first place. That is my situation here. However, the blurb sounds interesting, about a man apparently with a talent to tell when others are lying, and some skills at manipulating people. He fakes his own death when troubles build, but then has to come back to his old life.

Mini review: Though I felt this one started a bit rough, it turned into a damned good book. It did a couple of things I personally don't enjoy, using some flashback storytelling and switching between first and third person a handful of times, but it more than made up for it. This one even kept me up reading all night to finish it, and a novel hasn't done that to me in a long, long time. The base plot isn't overly complicated, but the main character has a somewhat complicated past, and it all comes together in the end. The author also did something a little tricky with his ending, though I won't give away the details here. Let's just say it was an interesting technical twist on the e-book format.

Books read in 2013: No. 41 -- The Somali Doctrine

by James Grenton

Started: August 14
Finished: August 20

Notes: Early last year I appeared as a guest blogger over at this author's site, and ever since then I've been interested in trying out some of his writing. This particular novel is a thriller that's supposed to include a quest, a massacre, adventure, guns blazing ... stuff I can get behind ... uh, but only from a reading or writing point of view. I'm looking forward to it.

Mini review: Not bad. I have some quibbles about characterization, but this book was plotted well and held plenty of surprises, especially in the last fourth of the story. Also, while a novel, this book takes a serious look at the potential corruption of non-governmental organizations, specifically relief groups, and privatized military forces, specifically so-called security firms that operate on a wide scale on the international scene.

Books read in 2013: No. 40 -- Romance

by Ed McBain

Started: August 11
Finished: August 14

Notes: It seems I've been doing a lot of heavy reading this year, so I wanted to give my mind a break by jumping into something that's just fun. For me, McBain's 87th Precinct novels are just fun. In this one, the detectives of the 87th are investigating the stabbing of an actress outside a theater.

Mini review: As always, it's nice to go back and meet with old friends. This one was a little more complex than most 87th Precinct novels I've read, but not so much as to be annoying. The title has multiple meanings, for one there being a budding romance between a cop and a doctor/cop within the novel, but also a play in the novel being titled "Romance." As a side note, McBain's 87th Precinct novels have given me an idea for something similar but set in a fantasy world, sort of police procedural novels but instead of modern law enforcement there would be a city watch or something similar. Hmm. Have to think on this one. There are several cities in my fantasy world of Ursia in which this could work.