One of the very few books I’ve ever read twice. And I think I’ve read this book three times now. When Harper Lee writes about Boo Radley, I tell you, I SEE a young Robert Duval. Of course, when somebody says to me, “Hey boy!! You’re peeing in public again!,” well, I see a young Robert Duvall at those times too. And when I’m getting another “talking to” at work about “poor performance” and “even poorer attitude” and when I sense that the “paper trail” is being “laid down” for my “eventual termination,” well, I see a young Robert Duvall then, too. Damn your eyes, young Robert Duvall. Damn you straight to hell!

P.S. I kid the young Robert Duvall because I likes the young Robert Duvall.

NOT.

Finished it. Not entirely satisfying. But a good read. Kept me interested right up until the end at least.

Previous entry (page 200): So far, so good.

None of the characters are particularly likable, but the story is definitely interesting, as you see all of the chracters’ desperation work itself out in various ways.

It’s unlike an American mystery in one way already: The first killing didn’t happen until well after the first 10 pages.

I had never heard of Xenophon’s march before seeing this book on sale at Half-Price Books. But the story intrigues me.

I’ve never been a big Dean Koontz fan, but this book intrigued me enough to pick it up whilst I was out shopping for Christmas presents for others. The title alone – Odd Thomas – grabbed me. What a crazy nickname! thought I. And having been called ‘Long Ball,’ ‘King Sirloin’ and other similar things in high school and college, I know from crazy nicknames.

I still wouldn’t call myself a Dean Koontz “fan,” but ‘Odd Thomas’ sure is a crazy nickname!

Neal Stephenson’s ‘Cryptonomicon’ is one of my favorite books of the past five years. I’ve given it out as Christmas, birthday presents, etc., more times than I can count. What I loved about that book is that, to me, it really described how math-oriented people THINK, and I have so seldom seen that represented in literature anywhere. That and the pure chaotic frenzy of some of the World War II stuff …

I dug Stephenson’s ‘Snow Crash,’ but it was his 70-odd page story in an old ‘Wired’ magazine about the laying of undersea fiber-optic cables and its historical precedents that first truly impressed me with this guy’s writing (and reporting) prowess. He hasn’t let me down since.

As I’ve heard/read elsewehere, this book slows down for a couple hundred pages after its first 100 or so pages. Still, it’s account of the scientific revolution in progress, plagues, fires, economics and the politics of vagabondry is pretty gripping reading. I’m tearing right through it, though I still have no real idea where this thing is going. I’m about half-way through the first book of a three-book series, though, so I guess it’s true that things are just getting started.

Just started reading this book. But a book by Richard Calder is always a treat. Really looking forward to this one.

Never got through it.

What with all this “Passion of the Christ” this and “You are such a Saducee!” I keep hearing about all the time lately, I thought I might get me a little religiomificious education, so I picked up this book, which I bought a number of years ago, and started reading it. Paul was always one of the most interesting of the Biblical figures to me, since it always struck me that without Paul, the history of Christianity would probably have taken a far different course than it did.

Wilson starts out his book with Nero, the burning of Rome and how that started the whole persecution of Christians by the emporer thing. I’ve only finished the first chapter, but it’s already cause me to wrestle with a couple of my pre-conceptions. And I think that’s a pretty good thing. I’m interested in seeing what future chapters bring.

Holy Jesus! What a find! The prose in this book is just slightly askew of reality, as if Hunter S. Thompson joined the CIA, spent time in Asia and the Middle East and chose to write thrillers about horseradish-addicted pornographers and pederastic priests/spies instead of Las Vegas and the death of the American Dream. Classic and twisted, twisted and classic. And I’m only one page 89!

Nazis and cowards, cowards and Nazis. Oh, and Japanese and Swedish tourists too.

Just like life …