Frankenstein - Not What I Expected

Silly me.  I figured that since the Frankenstein story is so familiar, I would be able to whip through this book in an afternoon.  Not so.  This is a monster of a book, excuse the pun.  If I used that same term to describe "Vanity Fair" a few weeks back, I respectfully retract that.  Frankenstein deserves that title. 

This book has surprised me at every turn, and will surly continue to do so.  To begin with, the edition I have includes a fascinating introduction about the author and her crazy world which included the likes of her husband, Percy Shelley, and a host of romantic poets. They enjoyed a colorful life - with much of the color coming form various forms of self medicating!  In fact, the plot for Frankenstein supposedly came to Mary Shelley in a dream!

After the intro, comes the framework of the novel which is set up a lot like Coleridge's "The Rime of the ancient Mariner."  Captain Robert Walton is leading a crew to the North Pole when a massive storm paralyzes his ship.  In the distance, a frozen figure limps toward the ship,  It is Dr. Viktor Frankenstein, who then begins the story of his unorthodox experiments in the creation of human life.

Frankenstein's story is related through letters that Walton send to his sister.  Very formal.  Very wordy.  Very frightening.  At least the implications of the experiments are scary in light of what medicine and technology are capable of today.  I will let you be the judge of that.  but, if you are so compelled to read Frankenstein, a good follow up would be The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

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To my friends - and everyone - in the path of Hurricane Sandy:   Be safe.   Heed the warnings. Do what you're told to do, and keep us posted as much as possible. 

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My Buddy Chet is Back and So am I...It's Dog Blog Time

I finally got my little paws on the computer.  What a frustrating Sunday.  I just know that You-Know-Who is letting me write this blog as an apology for the indignity she put me through.  I was happy as could be rolling around in a lovely lawn gift left by a deer, when I was thoughtlessly scooped up and thrown into a bath.  Hate that!  Gotta type fast before anything else nasty is done to me.

Readers familiar with the private investigating team of Chet and Bernie will recognize the silhouette on the cover of Spencer Quinn's A Fistful of Collars as the collar-sporting Chet himself, the lovable, wily, brave, albeit unreliable, canine narrator of Quinn's previous four mysteries.

Since 2009, when Quinn (aka thriller writer Peter Abrahams) introduced detective Bernie Little and his partner in Dog On It, the duo has cracked every case--but not, as Chet reminds us, without their share of bad breaks and close calls. Chet isn't a talking dog, but a thinking narrator, so the reader sees the big picture even if Bernie doesn't. Chet is a devoted partner, and his instincts are sharp: he knows when to chomp on a perp, sniffs trouble from a mile away and has a knack for telling the good guys from the bad.

This time, the trouble-prone movie star they're assigned to keep straight while he's filming in town leads them down shady alleys, into the desert and to more than one unsolved murder. Chet's ingenuous black-and-white view of Bernie's goodness and criminals' evil ("He'll be smashing rocks in an orange jumpsuit at Northern State!") and his good humor will win reader loyalty long before he tracks down his first clue in Quinn's delightful buddy tale.

Jeese Lousie.  Looks like someone wants a little keyboraad time.   May your day be filled with lots of licks, drools, and as many MilkBones as your tummy can handle.  (If you overdo the MilkBones, just poop on the floor.  Works for me.)    GB the Blogging Dog

 The Chet books have been favorites around here.  At first, I viewed them as palette cleansers, but now I just look forward to each one for it's own merits - well crafted plots, defined characters, and a couple pooches that that maintain a consistent level of "dogness" as my college Metaphysics prof would have said.  Dog-ness?  It's that undeniable, yet often indescribable set of qualities that define someone or something. 

Please try a Chet book, or go to his blog www.chetthedog.com

And, while your surfing, stop at www.heartarama.blogspot.com I will be posting another silly video today with more information about out 2013 theme.

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The trip I love to dread turned out to be a great time.  Any type of travel is a white knuckle experience for me, but once there, all is well.  This year, I took an extra day and half just to wander and explore, and that small change made a world of difference. 

My trade show was in Minneapolis, but I made it a point to drive all the way to St. Paul which it the equivalent of driving from Manitowoc to Two Rivers, an excursion  I have proudly conquered.  For years, I have wanted to stop at Garrison Keillor's book store, Common Goods, but something always got in the way.  Silly me, I actually thought he would be there - even though I knew he was the keynote speaker at our conference and was most likely lurking on the exhibit floor or attending a presentation. 

Last year, he announced that he was cutting back on touring and spending more time on the sales floor, but, alas. he was in absentia.  When that is the case, the display you see above is set in homage. Common Goods is a nice little store - OK, it's a nice medium sized store, about twice our size;  What surprised me was the library like atmosphere.  Totally quiet.  No music.  No talking.  I think the staff must all be mute or professional mimes since I saw them scurrying about, but but one uttered a word - not even a greeting to me when I entered.   But the store itself is bright, tidy, and loaded.  Made me a little jealous but then I have to be realistic about what that market can support compared to ours. 

I caught up with Tom Maltman, and Mike Perry at the show, along with several other writers who are beginning to recognize me.  Tom's new book, Little Wolves, will be out in January.  More on that later, except to say that if you liked The Night Birds, this one will WOW you.  My humble opinion is that, for a brief time, our community was fortunate to have a future, big time literary award winner living among us.  Maltman amazes me.  We are working to schedule a visit some time in January.  Imagine that - travelling from Minnesota to Wisconsin in January.

The show is moving to Chicago next year - half the travel time.  I am already deoint the dance of joy.  Not a pretty sight, but still noteworthy/

What am I reading?  Frankenstein, and it's Nick Hornby week...High Fidelity!

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Puppyhood: Life-size Portraits of Puppies at 6 Weeks Old by J. Nichole S...

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There's No Place Like Home

My car limped back into Manitowoc late Saturday night after a jam packed and totally awesome trade show in Minneapolis.  I have lots to tell you, but first I need to tackle a pile of mail..snail and E, get all the fun new books I brought home into the computer and on the shelves, along with all the usual adds and ends that accompany being away from home.

Had a great time...but Dorothy got it right - there's no place like home.

Oh, about that limping car - I felt a little insecure after hitting a huge pothole in St. Paul resulting in clunking each time I turned a corner or hit a small bump.  I held my breath and crosses my fingers that nothing would dislodge, fall off, or blow up until I got home.  So far, so good, but I fear a visit to a mechanic will wind up making this a very expensive trade show.

No real post today...maybe later in the week...

Steve, I know you're reading this.  I read an ARC of Tom Maltman's new book Little Wolves,  this weekend.  It's coming out in January.  If you send me your new address, I'll ask his publicist to send you a copy.  Parts of it reminded me of the novel you are working on.

Thanks for stopping by.

Francine Prose

Francine Prose stands as one of the most versatile authors writing today, but, for the most part, she is an acquired taste.  Her best known works, such as Blue Angel, are dark, and disturbing, but between the lines lies a twisted wit that pops up in the most inappropriate and unexpected passages.  I first discovered her work after reading The Passion of Artemesia by Susan Vreeland.  That book got me interested in the controvercial Renaissance artist named Caravaggio, ultimately leading me to Prose biography of him.

Her latest book The Turning, is a re-telling of Henry James ghost story, The Turn of the Screw, a book which scares the be-jeepers out of me.  Prose has given me the story pared down nicely into a young adult novel, and so I can handle the suspense and the horror - so far anyway. 

Jack is spending the summer babysitting on an isolated island with no contact with either the outside world, or the father of the children he is tending.  In no time he senses oddness in and about the house, seeing figures peering in windows and staring from across the shore.  But, as you can guess, no one else sees them.  In addition to the sightings, the kids he is caring for are far from normal. 

Too much violence, too much blood, too much suspense are generally too much for me, but I will do my best to get to the end.  Concerning too much violence - have you checked out the new TV show called "Revolution"?  Of course, the writers and designers are trying to appeal to devotees of "The Hunger Games" book series, but so far I have been disappointed.  For too many sword fights in which the main character fends off dozens of attackers, and somehow manages to walk off with little more than a scratch.  I get the impression the writers may not have mapped out a very long storyline and are making things up as they go, responding to critics and viewer opinion. 

I also had high hopes for the new PBS series, "Call the Midwives" but there is way too much screaming, pain and blood.  What did I expect with a title like that?   As I watched the first episode last night I kept saying "This is it, I won't watch any more of this series."  The truth is, it's well done, and I have become interested and invested in several of the characters, leaving me no choice but  to DVR the darn show and do my best to power through all the pain. 

Busy week.  I broke a tooth about 15 minutes ago, so that means a visit with Dr. Hansen tomorrow.  I am sure he will be thrilled to see me.  Later in the week I head to Minneapolis for my booksellers' trade show.  I'll let you know how that goes.

Thanks for stopping by.