Head-dibs

Thinking back over all the books I've read (and I'm confident I've forgotten most of them), this one book stands out as perhaps my all-time favorite because it contains just about everything that makes an epic. "Undaunted Courage," by Stephen Ambrose. It was the title that grabbed me. "Undaunted" -- not intimidated or discouraged by difficulty, danger, or disappointment. "Courage" -- ability to "do" in the face of danger; strength in the face of pain or grief. Ambrose is my favorite historian, for he writes like a novelist (I've already shared one of his books in a previous blog ). My understanding is that when he was still teaching, Ambrose took one of his college classes along portions of the Lewis and Clarke trail, so he knows what he is talking about. Perhaps you've not read Ambrose, but most are familiar with his work as he served as consultant for the movie, "Saving Private Ryan." Another factor tha...

"Rendevous With Rama" by Arthur C. Clarke And would you please give Frank Herbert's "Dune" a re-boot? Thank you very much. Have a Nice Day. 

Much to learn about our country in this book, many unexpected lessons about the relationship between Native American peoples, the U.S. Government, it's officers, American ideals and the American Dream. The title of this work points to the uncanny relationship shared between these historical figures--their similitude and differences. I highly recommend "Crazy Horse and Custer: Parallel Lives Of Two American Warriors" (1975) by Steven Ambrose. Be sure to pick up other works by Ambrose as well, namely, " Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West " (1996)

"Through Missouri On A Mule. Worse Than Arkansas" by Thomas W. Jackson (1904) What's the strangest title you've seen? Leave mention in the "comments" (below)

 . . . in a place one would not expect to find it. 

"An unconventional history of the United States traces crime in America from the Puritans through Watergate and considers the special-interest groups who have at one time or another defined what is legal and what is not."

And the soundtrack is amazing.

While I don't have a favorite romance novel per se  there are two romantic stories penned by the same author that do come to mind that I am not ashamed to admit. While both tales are written by J.R.R. Tolkien, the stories occur at two different time periods in the history of the world and, interestingly, contain the same elements--the love of a mortal man for an Elvin princess. Beren is a war hero of sorts, and Luthien is the daughter of King Thingol. Beren fell in love the moment he saw Luthien dancing in a glade. Enraptured with her grace and beauty, he called out to his "Nightingale" and she in turn, fell in love with him. King Thingol disapproved of the matter and sent Beren on an errand to prove his worth--retrieve three Simirils, jewels once stolen from the elves. Beren does not complete the errands but his dedication causes King Thingol to change his mind and permits Luthien's marriage to Beren. Not long after, Beren is killed and Luthien mourns her lo...

Anything written by James Patterson.   Did I say that already?

"Into The Wild" by John Krakauer

" The Lady Of Shalott " is my favorite female literary character. Published in 1832 by Alfred Lord Tennyson, "The Lady of Shalott" is based on a figure that pre-dates the thirteenth century and is found in Arthurian legends. Dreamboat Annie (of Green Gables fame) gives us a wonderfully heartfelt and pleasantly comedic re-enactment of the Lady's story. "The fairy Lady of Shalott" lives under an unknown curse in one of four towers overlooking a river flowing along the roadside leading to Camelot. She is locked away and out of touch with the outside world for reasons unknown. As she weaves at her loom, her gaze of what lies outside is limited to what she can see over her shoulder by way of a mirror reflection through her window. One day she sees the colorful and decorated knight Lancelot ride by with bells on, singing. As he "flashe'd into the crystal mirror," she is smitten. Taking the unknown curse on herself the Lady abandons h...

Samwise Gamgee is my favorite literary male character. He is the true Ring Bearer and hero of Tolkien's story. He may not have carried the ring personally, but he did carry the ring in a manner of speaking--for without Sam, Frodo would never have survived the journey. His humility and purity of heart enabled him to be the hero nobody expected, which is why Sauron never saw him coming. And it was that same purity that allowed him to survive that brief encounter with the ring, when he saw all the world at his feet. In the end, his reward was almost heavenly for once returning home he inherits all the treasures acquired by Bilbo, becomes mayor of the Shire and enjoys years peaceful prosperity.

Vogons may have the worst poetry in the universe, but somehow we Earthlings managed to make the worst book-to-movies in the universe. Did you notice the plural "movies"? Yeah. We didn't make just one. There are too many bad book-to-movie movies. A simple Google search will provide one with a good (or bad) list of titles. I've tried to select one or three to discuss here, but why bother? They were bad. I'm sure you've been disappointed as well--why not leave titles of your favorite picks here in the comments?

(in no particular order) John Steinbeck Edgar Allen Poe Samuel Beckett Ray Bradbury J.R.R. Tolkien Piers Anthony Isaac Asimov Arthur C. Clarke Louis L'Amour William Shakespeare John Krakauer Alfred Lord Tennyson Richard Wright Howard Pyle (his illustrations are amazing) Steven Ambrose Sir Arthur Conan Doyle I just know I'm forgetting someone . . .

"1984" by George Orwell is the book I love to hate. Orwell gave us a masterpiece, pure genius as a kind of interpretation and commentary of where we were headed as a society--and we did arrive . . . not exactly a prophetic work, but we've been holding our breath since it's publication because many images are startling. No matter how many times I've read it, I always root for Winston. I have to. For all that he symbolizes for "any man," I ache for him to win. But he never wins, and I hate that. I'll probably read it again some day. And perhaps I'll be hoping things change for Winston. But they won't. And I know that. And I hate that.

Nathaniel Hawthorne's "House Of The Seven Gables" is not one of my favorites. It's a Gothic classic, but not one of those books that "dropped my anchor" personally (so to speak). Suggested by a very real house in Salem, Massachusetts  the first chapter of Hawthorne's fiction published in 1851 lays the foundation of the dark story, delivering through a kind of twisted excitement the mystery and the curse on the family that resided therein, who in the end find their freedom by abandoning the house. This work is perhaps simultaneously both unknown and most well known influences of idea of "the haunted house." Edgar Allen Poe and H.P. Lovecraft are among those inspired by Hawthorne's novel. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow called the book, "weird" and "wild." Another critic called the book "an affliction . . . [that] affects one like a passage through the wards of an insane asylum." Though a friend of Hawthorne, Herm...

At first, I was not sure what to think. Many books in the box were written by the same author, which got me wondering if that was a good sign or a bad sign for this book sale. I realized the person selling the books was a former professor, well past retirement age, and I reasoned that this man does not read garbage and was "cleaning house." So I bought up every book he being sold authored by Richard Wright. And I devoured every book by Richard Wright. "Uncle Tom's Children" stands out as the work that was most educational. I did not what to expect or think from the outset. This collection of fictional short stories are as brutally honest as his non-fiction. I read this after reading Wright's biographical work, "Black Boy" and was stunned by what Wright delivered. I have been educated. My appreciation for a time, people and culture has been significantly and positively impacted by Wright's descriptive writing. He takes the reader by the ha...

Anything supposedly written by James Patterson. Carry on. Nothing more to see here.