Bibliofile - April

Well it was another fairly eclectic month on the reading front in April. Several novels from several of my favourite writers. A couple of music industry books. A behind the scenes movie-making book and a dud. That's right, a dud.

I'd read Thomas Pynchon's Inherent Vice in March and although it was a bit of a tough read it had it's moments so I thought I'd give his Gravity's Rainbow a go. Mistake. This was the most complicated and difficult novel I've ever undertaken. I lasted about 150 pages and then threw in the towel...and the book.

The latest Archer and Lehane efforts were excellent but then I buy nearly everything these two put out.

There were two highlights of the month. The first was As You Wish, a behind-the-scenes look at the making of The Princess Bride written by "Wesley" Cary Elwes. If you liked the movie then I find it inconceivable that you won't like this book.

I picked up Bill Buford's autobiography and was pleasantly surprised by the former drummer for Yes, Genesis and King Crimson's erudite and knowledgeable tale. Not only is he an accomplished musician and music historian as it were but the man is extremely well-read. This book was a real pleasure to read. Not your typical, or stereotypical rock and roll tale.

The other music book does it's best to prove the Beatles Revolver album was far more influential and timeless that Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The author makes some excellent points and it was an enjoyable read.

Here's the full list for April, seven books bringing my year's total to 24.

Gravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon **
The Girl on the Train - Paula Hawkins ****
Mightier Than The Sword - The Clifton Chronicles Book 5 - Jeffrey Archer ****
World Gone By - Dennis Lehane ****
As You Wish - Inconceivable Tales from
The Making of The Princess Bride - Cary Elwes ****
Revolver - How The Beatles Reimagined Rock 'n'Roll - Robert Rodriguez ****
Bill Buford: The Autobiography - Bill Buford *****

I caught up with several TV series this month including the Borgias, wonderfully acted by Jeremy Irons, the wonderfully quirky Twin Peaks and the fabulous and thought-provoking Angels in America starring Al Pacino, Emma Thompson and Meryl Streep.

My Back Pages - November

I know, I know, I know I should have reported in before now. But sometimes real life just gets in the way. I attempted 5 books in November. I say attempted because I slapped a big DNF (did not finish) on Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon. I just can't seem to get into this guy. It's the second or third of his I've given up on, Not so the other four, starting with a biography of Stephen Stills called Change Partners. This followed by a hilarious biography of the guy responsible for National Lampoon called A Stupid and Futile Gesture - How Doug Kenney and National Lampoon Changed Comedy Forever. I ended the month reading yet another biography, this one of the man behind Rolling Stone magazine,. It was called Sticky Fingers: The Life and Times of Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone Magazine. A fascinating read. So last month I hit the magic number 50 I'd imagined for myself back in January. If I roll this month into my yearly total I'm at 54 books. And I still hav...

The Polka Dot Door

A long time ago, when I was 22, my first child was born. That kid grew up on a little Canadian kid's show called Polka Dot Door, produced by the TV Ontario network. And Dad, more often than not, sat through those shows with his little one. Nine or so years later when a brother, and a year after that when a sister came along number one son was moving on to Knight Rider and The Dukes of Hazzard. But there was a nice overlap where his siblings picked up where he had left off with Polka Dot Door. And Dad was right there to welcome them. So you're looking at a Polka Dot Door veteran. The show began in 1971 and ran to 1993. I didn't watch the full run but I did get in my fair share. The formula was pretty simple. A young male and female host, which seemed to change every week, sang songs, told stories, made crafts and generally did their best stimulate little brains. The show opened as follows... Imagination Day! Oh boy! ...

30 Days of Photos III #4 Sour

Check out Ziva's Inferno for the rest of today's photos.

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