The Devil in the White City (Book Review)

My boy Eli recommended this book. An entertaining read. The story of the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago is fascinating, particularly given the wherewithal of the times and the scope of the project. How many pounds of this and that, Annie Oakley, the first Ferris Wheel, Walt Disney's father Elias, Frank Lloyd Wright, incandescent bulbs, alternating current and shredded wheat oh my. The story of serial killer H.H. Holmes adds just the right touch of dark to this tale in Chicago. He easily killed at least 27 people around that time, probably way more. What a creepy guy. It amazes me how many folks can be seduced by guys like that. Yikes.

Great read. Recommend: Yes for entertainment and relaxing purposes. Indeed.

Adios Augusto!

Bobby and I started the last day of August with a hike. Them smiles come from the deep....

I'm sitting on a few things here I might need to get out. Better safe than sorry.

First of all, since my last report I have received (and did not forward) 30 junk eMails from so called friends. Again, the rest of you are welcome. I've reset the counter.

I've started a poetry class at Phoenix College. So, expect some silly poems coming to this blog soon.

Everything changed as soon as I learned her business was pleasure.

Concern without action, what's the point?

I've decided to lie about everything.

He just finished his 54th year of wanting just about everything to be different.

As long as more is better, there's never enough.

There's a reason they're called followers.

She was so fine, the second thought I had was "please tell me you're not already spoken for".

I'm not interested in a deal.

I know I'm getting it right, when you're perfect.

Jeanne, mostly what I like, is what you did to me.

If it's not leading to love, never mind.

There's no doubt, it's my turn.

Don't you get it? This is as special as it gets.

It's all a daydream, all of it that's not cherished anyway.

Selfish often masquerades as unhappy. It's a pity to be so petty.

I've broken all the little rules, time for something else.

And now, from some real people:

I just may be the lunatic you're looking for. Billy Joel (Almost a quote).

I'd trade all of my tomorrows for one single yesterday. Janice Joplin.

I'd sooner face the penalties of killing a man than a hawk. Robinson Jeffers. Wow!

We must do what we conceive to be right and not bother our heads or burden our souls with whether we'll be successful. Because if we don't do the right thing, we'll do the wrong thing and we'll be part of the disease and not part of the cure. E.F. Schumacher

Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world. George Bernard Shaw.

That's all I got for this time. my best, your bobJuan.

The Shadow of the Wind (Book Review)

Oh my. I am thinking about changing my name to Carlos again. A page turner. I was joking with Rick (my friend who turned me onto the book) that it should come with one of those rubber finger-page-turning thingys. You can find lots of folks singing the praises of this book and its author, including his greatness Stephen King. You don't need me to tell you how wonderful it is.

I will say every chance I get that a brave author with an imagination and compassion for life once again inspires. Rick says the Angels Game is a great read too, I'll let you know what I think. What a wonderful mind and heart this guy has. Love, mystery, and story telling on 11. The plot/subplot and mixing mystery fired me up. Hated for it to end.

Recommendation: Must Read.

The 158-Pound Marriage, A Book Review

Finished this short one (154 pages) last nite. Saucy, sinful, painful. Ahh, the menage a quatre, couple swapping is hot. Then it's not. Too bad we imagine things could or even should stay hot. And when they cool we get all stupid about it, or wonder what went wrong. There's no such thing as hot without cold. There's no such thing as ON without OFF. Irving whips um up here as usual, you can see um naked. And he got me. The two quotes in the front of the book were more telling after the read.

There were four of us then, not merely two, and in our quaternion the vintage sap flowed and bled and boiled as it may never again. John Hawkes, The Blood Oranges.

It was a most amazing business, and I think that it would have been better in the eyes of God if they had all attempted to gouge out each other's eyes with carving knives. But they were "good people". Ford Madox Ford, The Good Soldier.

Irving is my writing professor. Book recommended. Review done.

Adios Julio

I bet somewhere there's a statistic that says this July was one of, maybe the, hottest on record in Phoenix. It's been a scorcher. Made up for that sweet June we had for sure, back when we thought maybe global warming was a scam again. Anyway it was a great month around here. For one, baby Aaryn came into all of our lives. Just in time.

Here's some of what I'm sitting on.

First, you're welcome. In the month of July I received and did not forward 58 eMails, some of which promised me fantastic sums of wealth depending upon how many people I forwarded them to believe me. I just reset my counter for August.

Looks like we're not going to be happy until we reach the tipping point.

If the entire world turned off their TV right now

I predict World Peace by Christmas.

After I became amused, everything started falling in place.

In the evolution of humans, why did we stop having fur?

As long as there's a them

we're all in trouble.

Sometimes I wish I could control/z my way back a few days.

You have to realize there are others

Before you can appreciate the one without another

name your limitations.

If you're not gonna do "this"

what are you gonna do?

Why do you care where you're going, when you don't even know where you are?

And now, from some real people.

He who knows how to shave the razor,

will know how to erase the eraser. Henri Michaux.

Everything leads us to believe that there exists a certain point of intelligence at which life and death, the real and the imaginary, the past and the future... cease to be perceived as opposites. Andre Breton.

Until next time.. your bobJuan.