When Everyone Knows But You

Have you ever read a book, finished it, and as you close it say, "that was a good book!" That is what I did with Whatever.: or how junior year became totally f$@ked, by S. J. Goslee. Mike Tate is a confused junior in high school. Confused about life, confused about his friends, and confused about who he is attracted to. He starts out in a relationship with Lisa Viking, but does not end up with her. I am not going to spoil any of the surprises and twists, so I will simply say this was a wonderfully fun book to read. We get inside Mike's head (which is a typical high school junior boy) and learn all sorts of wonderful things about his life, his wonderful and eccentric family (I love Rosie and his Nana), and his quirky friends. I enjoyed the unique names such as Rook, Cam, and Serge, making these characters stand out more. The ending was what I expected and wanted. 

Return to White Plume Mountain

White Plume Mountain by Paul Kidd is based on the Dungeons and Dragons module White Plume Mountain, I got to relive the adventure I played as a youth. The Justicar, with the help of a faerie named Escalla and a teamster named Polk, are commissioned to go to White Plume Mountain and rid the world of a possible reincarnation of the wizard Keraptis, an evil sorcerer who died many years ago. 

The Justicar, whose real name is Evelyn, is a hearty ranger who simply wants justice. Escalla, a thieving faerie, is full of witticisms and humor. Polk, the stereotypical adventurer, is the chronicler of the trio. I laughed when he suggested to bring supplies that many adventurers would buy to prepare for their adventures, but were typically useless and extra weight.

I got to read about Blackrazor, Whelm, and Wave, the magical weapons sought after in the original adventure module. I had always wanted Blackrazor as and adventurer, but realized its power was to great and used for evil.

There were some slow places in the novel, but anyone who has played D&D will enjoy revisiting the story and the adventure itself. At the end Escalla has purchased the village of Hommlet, which was my first dungeon module purchased. It leaves the story for a possible sequel.

Prep School Reality

Honestly Ben, by Bill Konigsberg is a novel about owning up to yourself and being who you are. His characters are lovable and realistic from the quirky Albie to the genderfluid Toby. Ben Carver, the main character, is coming to terms with being in love with his best friend Rafe. He does not consider himself gay, even dating a girl named Hannah for a while, but cannot get over that he loves his best friend, who happens to be a boy.

Set in a rich kids' private school, Ben Carver has to deal with being from a poor farming family. He also has to deal with an staunch, relentless father who only believes in one way - something Ben is not. This raises the issue of privilege and how most students are not aware they are.

Ben is up for an award, the Peter Pappas Award, named for a former student at Natick, and has to give a speech about him, until he realizes the dead Vietnam hero was not who he was. This forces Ben to come to terms with who he is and ultimately forces him to abandon opportunities he could have as a privileged graduate of Natick. The second book of a duology, we get to see another perspective of a character from the first book. Very enjoyable and a highly recommended read.

Norman vs Norma vs Normal

Reading Challenge 2017: book that takes place in a hotel. Psycho, by Robert Bloch, was an interesting read, having seen the movie (which is a different version of the book) and all the cultural references to the shower scene.  Had I read this before seeing the movie, the ending would have been a twist when discovering the mother was not actually alive and Norman is schizophrenic.  Of course, if Mary Crane had not wanted to help Sam Loomis with his financial problems and stole the $40,000, she would still be alive.  For all the focus in movies about the shower scene, Mary hardly exists long enough in the book to be considered a major character.  

Norman Bates was fat and bespectacled in the book instead of the tall, thin Anthony Perkins in the movie.  At one point he is described as "an old geezer" even though he is not that old chronologically.  I wonder why the choice was made to change his physical characteristics in the movie, making him a sexier killer.  

Ed Gein was mentioned toward the end of the novel, insinuating that both were serial killers and similar, even though Norman only killed two people.  The psychology of a peeping tom and schizophrenic seeing his "mother" made for a nice addition to the thriller aspect of the novel, but it did not make him scary.  As was mentioned in the novel, he was a quiet, shy man in the area and was even embarrassed at points, which might be a response to his mother's dominance in his life and not wanting him to leave her, even though she had found a suitor before Norman poisoned them.

The ending is strange as it leaves the reader with the sense of being a cliffhanger, as Norma has fused with Norman and Normal to make one person who does not see himself as being anyone that "could hurt a fly", even though he decapitated Mary and killed Arbogast, the detective.

Reading this does not make me want to watch the movie, but it does help explain where the thriller originated.

Dead Fish

Reading Challenge 2017: book with a subtitle.  Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions, by Daniel Wallace, was a let down. Normally I would say the book is better than the movie. However, in this case, I cannot. The novel is touted as "a novel of mythic proportions" but it seemed more like a collection of "big fish" stories and jokes shared by the father on his death bed.  I waited for that clarity that comes when reaching the end of a novel and the feeling of sadness that comes after reading something wonderful.  Instead, I felt glad I was finished and glad it was so short.

I expected the same magical realism that the movie provided in the novel, yet it seemed to be just chapters full of stories a son was telling about his father. The movie seemed to bring all the stories together in the end when the novel simply allowed the father to turn into a big fish. Ewan McGregor brought the main character to life in ways the author did not seem to do.  

Edward Bloom had a wonderful life, which he was trying to impart to his son. This seemed to be lost in the method of telling stories. One could write similar stories and tales about family, in a grandiose way, and share wisdom learned through that.  I feel none wiser after finishing it.

In retrospect, I am glad I only paid a dollar for it at a library sale and will not read it again.

Oh to Raid Again

Traveler, by Greg Weisman, was a quick read, this novelization of World of Warcraft brought back memories of playing the game. Aramar Thorne, the son of a privateer, finds himself in an adventure that lands him in Feralas, the Thousand Needles, captured by Gordunni ogres, fighting pirates, making friends with a Murloc, Gnoll, Kaldorei, and Wyvern. The story left me hanging at the end, which I am sure will be continued in a future release, as well as wondering if his father, Greydon, is still alive.

Even though it was published by Scholastic and written for young readers, the story brought to life the World of Warcraft, relieving memories of playing the game.  It is important for novelizations to stay true to the game, and this novel did.  

I also enjoyed the sketches done by Aram that laced the book with visuals for the reader.  I await the writing of a sequel, though I have not found it on any website, nor is there a forthcoming review of it.  One of my favorite sketches was of the wyvern One-Eye and her cubs.

The memories relived made me want to take up the game again, even though it took up so much of my time when I played it.  I had made friends, joined quests, and raided with my guild.

One Ring to Rule Them All

Reading Challenge 2017: book with over 900 pages. I read The Lord of the Rings, by J. R. R. Tolkien back in high school, and having seen the movies many times, have a very different perspective. There is so much more that the book has that the movies do not. They are endearing and full of wisdom and quotes that will long be enjoyable. I thoroughly enjoyed rereading this novel as I was tossed back to high school when I first learned of Tolkien's magical world. Everything I had read came back to me, like an old friend visiting in so many years.

I used to write notes to myself in Tengwar, the language of the elves, and practiced writing the elvish letters.  While the dwarvish runes were easier to translate, the elves always had a special place in my heart.

I now noticed that there were very few female characters in the novels.  Eowyn, Arwen, Galadriel, Lobelia Sackville-Baggins, and Rosie Cotton would not stand up to the Bechdel Scale these days.  I cannot imagine many females wanting to read these books though.

After watching the movies numerous times, my perspective has changed greatly.  The characters are solidified in my mind through the actors in the movie, not the descriptions in the books.  The special effects and soundtrack add immensely to the story.

You Shore Do Got a Purdy Mouth

Reading Challenge 2017: Book with one of the four seasons in the title. Winter Bone, by Daniel Woodrell, was not as exciting as I thought it would be.  I grew angry and sad at the conditions of Ree Dolly, although she surprised me and showed she had "sand" in order to stand up to the other Ozarkians who wanted her to keep quiet.  They were hiding a secret that involved her father, and she wanted to know where he was, or else she and her family would lose their house and land.  Most characters seemed rough and tried to hard to be rough.  I knew either her father was dead or run off trying to avoid the law.  I did not expect that the Milton clan had killed him and sunk him in a shallow lake, tied to an engine block.

I imagine it is that way in the Ozarks, giving me flashbacks of Deliverance, and the hillbillies that come together seeking vengeance.  I almost expected Patrick Swayze and the Next of Kin to come out of the woods.  Not people I would want to hang out with.

It reminded me of a bar that reeks of stale cigarette smoke and warm beer, that hasn't seen a cleaning in years.  I felt cold, hungry, and dirty while I read it, which is partly due to the writing style.  I just wanted to shower after finishing it.

I decided to watch the movie, which was a much tamer version.  Gail and Ree did not have any sexual encounters, nor did Little Arthur giving her special mushrooms and raping her appear in the movie.  Jennifer Lawrence's performance was stunning though.

Indians, Thieves, and Bears, Oh My!

Reading Challenge 2017: book that takes place in the wilderness. The Revenant, by Michael Punke, was different enough from the movie to be better. Getting into the mind of Hugh Glass as he struggled to survive a vicious grizzly attack, Arikara Indians, thieves, and the elements, the revenge he wanted was never exacted. 

A wilderness enthusiast will enjoy the survival techniques shared by Glass in his adventures to seek retribution for those who wronged him. An enjoyable read that makes me want to go camping, sans bears.  I will watch the movie again.

Promposals and Celebrity Dancing

Reading Challenge 2017: Book with a title that's a character's name.  Brian Katcher does it again with Deacon Locke Went to Prom!  Deacon Locke is a tall, tall, tall student who has no self-confidence when it comes to people.  His senior prom is approaching and he does not have a date.  When he discovers his grandmother Jean never went to her prom, due to her husband being in Vietnam, he asks her to attend with him.  That is a turning point for his life.  They take dancing lessons at the YMCA, where he meets his soon to be girlfriend, Soraya Shadee.  Deacon and Jean turn out to be the sensation of the prom as students capture his dancing with Jean on video, which becomes a viral Youtube sensation.  At first I did not think taking Jean to prom would work, knowing that nobody over 20 is allowed at prom (at least at the high school where I teach), yet Jean is allowed entrance as she knows one of the chaperones.  His thoughtfulness when concerning his grandmother takes a sad turn when it is discovered she has dementia.  The viral video lands him a spot on a reality TV show, <i>Celebrity Dance Off</i>, forcing him to question whether or not he wants to stay home and take care of Jean, or go to California to be on the show and help make money for college and taking care of Jean.

Deacon's life is changed as Jean is moved into a care facility, their house is sold to a golf course, and he loses the only girlfriend he had.  It was a change from many happy endings as he does not end up with Soraya, but steps into adulthood through all he has learned in his adventures.  I giggled when I noticed Brian had included his name as one of the admirers of Deacon's dance moves.  

A subplot to the story is Soraya having to deal with idiotic Muslim haters, which only makes her a stronger character as even though Deacon wants to come to her rescue, she reminds him that he has always taken care of others and not really himself, which is another turning point in his growing up.

<i>Deacon Locke Went to Prom</i> is more than just a promposal and dance story.  It is about an abandoned young man (his father left him with Jean) who learns to grow up the hard way.  It ended on a happy note and a promise of Deacon and Soraya meeting up in the future.

My First Computer

The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak is labeled as a YA novel, but only someone from the 80's will understand and enjoy it. Having lived during that time, this was a trip back to yesteryear. Will Marvin is a computer geek who has created The Impossible Fortress, a computer game, on his Commodore 64. I remember creating games with my friend on that same computer, having a cassette recorder for storage. The 80's references brought back memories of the clothing styles, the music, and the technology of the time. Will meets Mary Zelinsky, another computer geek, when trying to get a copy of the Playboy featuring Vanna White. With the help of his friends Alf (another 80's reference) and Clark, they begin a quest to get a copy of the magazine, only for Will to fall in love with Mary. The novel is filled with the adventures of these three boys, ending on a positive note for Will and Mary. Rekulak's prose makes the novel an easy read that was an enjoyable romp through past memories. His website includes a copy of the game that can be played and his novel includes computer code from the Commodore 64 in every chapter.

Visiting Japan

Reading Challenge 2017: book by a person of color. Rereading for summer school, I have not read The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima since 2008. It is a simple love story between Shinji, a fisherman, and Hatsue, the daughter of a fishing boat owner. Japanese culture infuses the story with mention of so many festivals and organizations that do not exist in America. The communal bathhouse, or sento, and lunchbox packed by loving mothers, or bento, are just a couple of things that American students are unfamiliar with. Even the discussion of peaches and pickles is something that might be shocking to my students. Reading this novel makes me want to visit Japan.

The Last Novel

Robin Reardon has been a favorite author of mine for a long time.  I pride myself in having read all of her novels.  Giuseppe and Me is an ebook, which I normally do not read, but had to in order to say I have read all of her writing. I love short stories, especially ones that I can read in one sitting and still have time to contemplate what I read. Alex Lupo is a foster child, living with the Dunlops, coming to terms with being gay and wanting someone to experience life with. Having been raped, he is a little leery about having sex with someone else, especially in the midst of getting tested for HIV twice. He meets Ron, an upper crust full of himself individual and thinks that he wants to experience more with him, until he is pushed too far. Ron seems to want to dominate Alex, both sexually and psychologically as he is wealthy and Alex is poor. Alex dreams of his Italian self and receives the best advice from a guy named Giuseppe: "My life is worth more than a few minutes of anyone's pleasure" which is so true. In the setting of Greenwich Village and Stonewall, this message is very important to all.

Found It

Reading Challenge 2017: a book set in two time periods.  Losing It by multiple authors was a quick, enjoyable read.  Honestly, I picked up this book to read the Andrew Smith and Patrick Ness stories, and it was suggested by another author.

I found it delightful, discussing losing one's virginity from different gender's point of view, different culture's point of view, and various age ranges. Dora's frank discussion of sex with her grandchildren had me giggling. Patrick Ness's "Different for Boys" tells Ant and Charlie's story, with words blacked out for humorous effect, made me sad at the same time. Bali Rai's "The White Towel" was the most powerful as it demonstrates how lies can affect someone's life. Andrew Smith's "Green Screen" made me want to know more about the calendar and how Mr. Hertz reacted to it. The varied viewpoints made a colorful blend of discussion about losing virginity, reminding me that is it always different for everyone. 

This book would be great for sharing with students the successes and trauma of losing one's virginity.  It could also be picked apart and the short stories used in support of issues such as gender, race, ethnicity, and culture.

To Be or Not To Be

Reading Challenge 2017: book from a non-human perspective.  Willful Machines by Tim Floreen fits this category as one of the main characters is non-human.  I will not spoil it and reveal what he is, but it makes the story more interesting. I always enjoy a novel with a new story, something that is unique. Lee Fisher attends Inverness Prep, where his grandfather is the headmaster. His father is the President of the United States and in charge of a anti-android organization who wants to keep humans separate.  Sounds like our country right now. Lee is also a closeted-gay. He meets a new boy, with his best friend Bex, at school and is instantly intrigued by him.  This weird combination of YA, science fiction, gay love story has many themes about segregation, hiding who you are, and constant surveillance. Lee soon falls in love with the new boy, Nico Medina, and learns a special secret about him which makes him question his existence, much like Hamlet did.  There are many quotes from Shakespeare's plays throughout the novel that only one who had read these plays would understand, especially when referencing the 2B androids and the weapon to destroy them, Not2B.   Lee's tale left me wanting to reread various Shakespeare plays. I am reminded of the movie A.I. where a boy discovers he is actually an android and has to deal with the fact he is not human.  The boy also has a quirky sidekick, much like Lee's Gremlin.  The novel makes the reader question what is the difference between a chemical construct (humans) and an artificial construct (android) and also do we have true free will.  If we are influenced by our family, friends, and society, do we really have a pure sense of choice? This novel is a love story with action, science fiction, technology, scary Spider robots, and a cute creature construct named Gremlin.  I did get teary when something tragic happened to Gremlin, especially that it was constructed by Lee's dead mother. Without revealing too much, the story gets intense and builds all the way to the end with a lovely twist. But now I want more in a sequel with the characters as there are still some unresolved parts that are left up to the reader to create. Definitely a novel that will be enjoyed by techno geeks, literary fans, and those who enjoy a good love story.

Red = Death

Reading Challenge 2017: book with a red spine. Redshirts by John Scalzi was a hilarious spoof on Star Trek and all the impossible situations that occur in each show, including the death of the infamous red shirts. We discover the crew of the ship Intrepid are based on a 2016 television series The Chronicles of the Intrepid as whatever happens in the show happens to the very real crew in the world of the Intrepid. Death by exploding head, killer robots, strange alien plagues, and general mishaps that would occur on the television show. There are some last minute saves, time travel, and miraculous endings that could only happen in the impossible world of science fiction. I laughed at the references and enjoyed the quick read.

Redshirt has always been a Star Trek fan laugh.  They are usually the first to die in each episode, having very little back story.  Some barely have a name, usually called "security officer", which is ironic considering they should be more prepared to fight than the average crew member.  Interesting, Scotty wears a red shirt and died in one episode of Star Trek: the Original Series, but then was brought back to life.  In subsequent sequel series, the command officers wore red, thereby stopping the curse of the red shirt death.

Who knew that a cultural phenomenon such as Star Trek would affect a color so drastically.  Of course, I have always preferred blue, especially that it signifies medical and sciences.

Always an Education

Micah Jaeger is just like any other teenager in high school. He is trying to discover who he is and be happy in his own skin. This parents are divorced and he lives with his drunken mother, a strange woman who is obsessed with her dead son. Through a medium named Madam Alberta, his mother discovers that Dylan, Micah’s brother who died in Afghanistan, is supposedly “alive.” To complicate matters for Micah, his father wants to him to be like other boys until Micah reveals he is gay. Add Walker Donnell, whom Micah meets while photographing a dead seagull, and Micah’s life becomes more complicated with the discovery that Walker is intersex.

As always with Reardon’s novels, I learn something. Yachting terminology is explained in a way that landlubber would understand. Micah’s galeophobia, due to a shark biting him when he was young, is tested while yachting with Walker’s parents and overcome when he saves Walker’s cousin Cam from a bull shark. I have watched Shark Week numerous times and always have been fascinated by these hunters. 


Photography has always interested me, enough to become a yearbook teacher for three years, but a new appreciation of black and white photography is introduced through a reference to Vivian Maier. Micah’s photography inspired me to take up the camera again and take my own photos.


Another aspect I learned was Reardon’s inclusion of Muslim customs, which enlightened me on a religion I knew very little about. This is integral to the story as Dylan is alive, married to a Muslim woman who is moving to the States, and Walker’s sister, Paige, was adopted from a Muslim family. Raised a Catholic, comparative religions and mythology forces me to question the differences and similarities.


The characters are memorable and unique, descriptively vivid in my mind. The anxiety the comes with each of Reardon’s novels has dissipated with the resolution she provides the reading, nicely wrapping up each character’s story. And lastly, the Star Trek reference to Anton Yelchin is always a plus in my book.

Bugged by the Bug

Reading Challenge 2017: book by an author from a country you've never visited. I chose The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka, to fit this challenge.  I used to teach this to juniors in IB English and read it aloud to them.  The last time I read this was 2008.  It was not the same as having read it and taught it. It was a much faster read, as I had read it so many times before that I had much of it memorized.

Gregor Samsa seems dirtier than before, and not just physically.  Maybe I have a better understanding of cockroaches at this point, or maybe I am more fastidious in my cleaning. I could see the fuzz clinging to his body and smell the rotten food he did not eat.  I could see the slimy tracks on the walls where he moved during his incarceration in his room.

From a psychological standpoint, Gregor has many issues that need be addressed, including the idea he would get better and the sexual tension he created, or rather the author created.  Keeping a glossy picture (obviously from a magazine) of a nearly nude woman on the wall in a frame he had made tells how depraved Gregor is.  The author's use of visual imagery with sexual connotations leaves me wondering if he was in love with his own sister and sexually needy as his character.

It took an hour to read the short novel, which less me wondering why is this book so important. The impact is just not there any more.  I realize it is a good book to annotate, but where is the connection that students need when reading literature to their own lives.  They live in a modern world full of technology.  I find it difficult for them to connect to the underlying theme of dirtiness and duty to family which is found throughout the book.  

One unanswered question always plagues me.  Why would the Samsas have a housekeeper or cook when they could barely afford living expenses.  It seems to be a conundrum that will be unanswered by the now dead author.  

Here is another book where the cover art brings the novel into question.  Is that the sister, Grete, in her undergarments?  Is that his father and mother looking exasperated?  And lastly, is that the housekeeper waiting for non-transformed Gregor to die?

What Was Lost?

Another slow-moving Doc Savage novel by Kenneth Robeson, The Lost Oasis does not deliver. He and his five companions come to the aid of Lady Nelia Sealing, a wealthy British woman who is captured by two slavers Yuttal and Hadi-Mot. The language learned is Egyptian. Lady Nelia seeks help from Doc Savage to free people who have been enslaved by the villains to mine diamonds in a deadly oasis, populated by vampire bats and carnivorous plants. Once again, Savage finds a wealth of treasure which is used in his institutions to rehabilitate criminals and as funds for hospitals. The travel is in an airship, the Aeromunde, which is a large dirigible. Poison, gas, stealth, and special weapons are again used. The length of time the novel took to accomplish this seemed slow and plodding. It will not stop me from reading more novels.

I always enjoy learning bits and pieces of a new language from these novels.  However, the Egyptian seemed more like jargon and curse words that they cannot be interspersed in regular use with English.

The cover depicts Doc Savage battling a horde of vampire bats with a machine gun.  The bats are at first considered to be a mysterious black cloud of death until he figures they are just poisonous versions of their cousins under the control of the villains.  The title is also misleading at the oasis turns out to be inhabited by vultures, poisonous snakes, and giant carnivorous plants (yes, they have vines that kill people).  All for some diamonds.

The interesting part was the travel and use of a dirigible, giving it a hint of steampunk flavor, without all the mechanical gadgets.  I am sure at the time, these great airships were a thing of awe.  Now we look on them as bloating banners or viewers of football games.  I was sure the Aeromunde would explode at one point, but it was required for the freed slaves to escape.  Thank goodness the Hindenburg exploded, or this might have been a regular means of transportation in the world.

A woman also was enamored of Doc Savage, only to figure out that he cannot have females in his line of duty and resigned that she would get nowhere with the bronze man.  I would like to figure out what makes his skin bronze and his eyes swirl.

Hey You Guys!

Reading Challenge 2017: book you got from a used book store.  Brand of the Werewolf, by Kenneth Robeson had a misleading cover. I expected, as the cover depicts, that Doc Savage would be fighting a werewolf during this novel.  However, there was no werewolf, only the symbol of one whenever people were knocked unconscious by a sleeping agent (inconspicuously found in butter at one point).  However, a werewolf was blamed as if all lycanthropes had this power.


Doc and his five friends must rescue his niece Patricia Savege and her Indian servant Tiny after his brother, Alex Savage, was killed in the Canadian wilderness.  We think it is from a heart attack, but we discover it was from poison.  Tiny's husband Boat Face was also killed as well by the individuals after the ivory cube.
The Indians speak like classic Hollywood movie Indians in that they have a "heap problem" speaking white man's words.  It made me giggle, as that is probably how people of that time period thought all Native Americans spoke.  
The adventure starts on a train (why are they not flying to Canad) where we are introduced to Senor Oveja and his daughter Cere Oveja and their companion El Rabanos (which means radish in Spanish) who think Doc Savage is after them through a misunderstanding.  Typical running on top of the fast-moving train, the engine getting unhooked, and visits to the dinner car happen.
We get Spanish words translated for us (the language learned as in every book) and discover there is a treasure on a hidden Spanish Galleon, ancestors of the Ovejas.  There is a carved ivory cube that has a hidden map of the galleon inside that Mr. Radish and his people are trying to locate as they want the gold too.  We discover that Boat Face is not so stupid as portrayed in the story in that he figures out the riddle of the ivory cube, relocates the treasure, all before being killed by Mr. Radish's men.  Patricia Savage looks like Doc, and foreshadows her role in future novels.  






I still am unsure of why a werewolf battling Doc Savage was on the front of the novel, as that never happened.  I expected a local mythology surrounding this, which also never happened.  I was disappointed to say the least.  The story reminded me of an adult version of The Goonies, without all the comedy, even though Ham and Monk continue to jibe each other through out the story.  

But What About the Bear?

Reading Challenge: a book with an eccentric character.  In The Polar Treasure, by Kenneth Robeson, Doc Savage and his five companions are definitely eccentric.  They are self-made millionaires who each specialize in a science such as chemistry, archaeology, electronics, engineering, and law.  Savage tries to aid a blind violist see and ends up saving his wife and daughter who have been stranded in the Arctic for 15 years.  Why aren't they dead?  Maybe because the Eskimos have helped them.  We also discover that the ocean liner the family had been on was carrying treasure, run aground, pirates had stolen the treasure, two pirate captains contested who owned the treasure, a map only revealed through x-rays was tattooed on the musician's back, and that Inuit was the language of learning in this novel.  Roxey Vail, the daughter of the blind violinist Victor Vail, falls in love with Doc Savage.  We are reminded that he cannot love a woman as it would be too distracting from his adventures.  We are also reminded of Savage's two-hour routine for improvement, the institute where all criminals he captures go for rehabilitation, and the special mercy bullet shooting guns he invented.  I thought this novel to be a bit dull and less exciting that the others.  I am sure it was all formulaic when it was originally written.


I have never been to the Arctic Circle, but I cannot imagine that a stranded woman with an infant daughter would survive for 15 years, much less allowing the daughter to grow up into a strong woman.  I realize the Eskimos, who are portrayed as savage and evil, might have helped her, but it seemed they were always on the run from them, so not likely.  What did they eat?  Where did they stay? Why didn't they leave?I was disappointed that a polar bear was dispatched easily by Doc Savage, intended for meat and fur, only to be left behind in the adventure.  Again, Savage miraculously chokes the bear to death, allowing his escape.  Having seen a polar bear at the KC Zoo, I cannot imagine this is possible, as it is enormous.  
Definitely not one of my favorite Doc Savage novels.  At least it was a fast read.



Another astounding miracle is Doc Savage operating on Victor Vail's eyes, which were blind from birth, and allowing him to see.  I am not sure that is even medically possible today, but Doc Savage is a renowned surgeon, so anything is possible.  

The Sky is Falling

Reading Challenge 2017: book by an author who uses a pseudonym. Meteor Menace, by Kenneth Robeson, is is where modern science and somewhat science fiction meet and cross, leaving one behind. A blue meteor is causing troubles for Doc Savage and his men. They race to the aid of Rae Stanley, a young woman who has lost her father to an evil genius named Mo-Gwei. We discover that the meteor is part of a larger piece of radioactive space debris which causes humans to lose all brain function. It is likened to radium, which scientifically does not cause this phenomenon. The twist at the end, very much like Scooby Doo, is the discovery that Mo-Gwei is Professor Stanley, the girl's father, who has been negatively affected by the radioactive substance and gone crazy. Action from beginning to end, as is usual with Savage's stories, including Tibetan language, travel from South America to Asia, and local mythology supporting the story.

This reminds me of the old myth of "duck and cover" to escape an atomic blast.  We did not know much about radioactive substances in the 30's, much less the 60's of my youth, so anything was possible when confronting this material, even having your mind erased.  The savages in the story claim it is from their god, while Savage knows it is just a piece of space debris that is used to confound the unintelligent and uncivilized.  Much like taking a lighter or flashlight into a jungle tribe today who has never seen white man, they would make up a mythology around the science, since Zeus creates lightning and we all go to heaven when we die.  Science unravels that mythology, piece by piece, until the enlightened understand what it really is - something that is logical and explainable.

I kept thinking of Gizmo from Gremlins who was a mogwai from China (close to Tibet) and wondered if that word did not find itself into the silly movies of the 80's.  But then Furbies were a plagiarism of a mogwai, so nothing is every truly original.

A Thousand Body Parts

Reading Challenge 2017: Book by an author who uses a pseudonym. The Thousand-Headed Man by Lester Denton, otherwise known as Kenneth Robeson, kept me going through the entire short novel. Thousand-headed men of the title, turned out to be costume-wearing natives with venom-throwing cobras and the main antagonist of Doc Savage and his five friends. It had hints of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, only to discover that the mysterious hidden city was full of snake-carrying cowards. Treasure found was shared equality with the survivors of the adventure and the rest donated to needy people. That is Doc Savage's maxim after all. It was a fun romp through Indo-China. I am liking the stories more and will continue with the series. 

Doc Savage and his five friends continue to be heroes, even though they get caught and have to be rescued numerous times.  The technology they use, which is pretty theoretical for the 1930's makes the story more action-packed.  A tri-propeller plane, guns that shoot "mercy" bullets that do not kill, sleep inducing thimbles all make for a spy/action novel.  Of course, Savage's wealth pays for all of their adventures, even though these men were in the army at one point, allowing them to play action hero and not work.

The language we learn as reading is Malay and usually has the definition for such things as specific birds, crocodiles (buaya), turtles, and jungle plants.  Even though Robeson wants the reader to learn words from another language, he still talks down the culture and people.

The natives of Indo-China are treated as savages and sub-par humans.  There is definitely a white, elitest viewpoint as Savage wants to help those who cannot help themselves, yet smashes in the heads of the evil savages who are fighting his band of brave men, who also tend to get captured and need to be rescued at least once or twice throughout the novel series.  There is also quite a bit of outdated slang and colloquialisms such as "phiz" for face, "short" for male pig, and "pippin" for cute woman.  Speaking of women, Savage and his men cannot be distracted by women stating that they would make them weak as the lesser sex could be more threatened.  I wonder if there is a tad bit of bromance, even though they never seem very close, with one exception of Monk and Ham who continually badger each other.  This might have been considered a man's man novel in the 1930's, but these guys need some sort of release or romance as it cannot be all fight and adventure.  I mean, consider Doc Savage...beautiful body, bronzed, blond, and definitely a calendar model, who does not like the company of women.

Before There Was a Superman

Reading Challenge 2017: First book in a series you haven't read before.  The Man of Bronze by Kenneth Robeson was definitely a strange novel.  It was a quick read about Clark Savage, Jr. (known as Doc Savage), a man who is almost superman due to two hours a day of intense exercise and mental studies.  He and his five former army buddies go against a Mayan cult in order to save a tribe in Hidalgo, Mexico, get some gold, and generally do good for others.  It reads like an action hero story, complete with gadgets, fast planes, and feats of superhuman strength.  At points it was unbelievable until I realized that it was reading candy for those who like fast-paced stories with intrigue.  Sort of an Indiana Jones meets Captain America.  I had to look up a few words, especially those in British slang, to understand what the characters were speaking of.  Overall, it was enjoyable enough to read the second book of the series of over 90 novels.

First published in 1933, Doc Savage predates Superman by a few years and has interesting parallels.  He is the man of bronze whereas Superman is the man of steel.  He has a fortress of solitude, just like Superman.  However, rather than being an alien, he is a human who has aspired to be better than others in more than just physical ways.  That impresses me more as he was not born that way but has to work at it to be stronger, faster, smarter, and generally impressive.  

The novel is infused with foreign words, both Spanish and Mayan, and includes references to deities such as Quetzlcoatl and Kulkukan, Aztec and Mayan winged serpent gods.  It slanders the Mayans, making them seem as savages, which only makes Savage and his crew seem more noble.  It was a quick read and pretty fast-paced, with lots of action.  It is definitely something that can be read in a couple of hours.

Another reason I chose this novel was due to the Bantam Publisher artwork on the cover.  I loved looking at the slim 75 cent novels and their artwork, which is one of the reasons I read mostly from this publisher.  I look forward to reading more of Savage's adventures.

Boy on a Boat on the River

Reading Challenge 2017: book about travel. One For the Gods, by Gordon Merrick, is the second of a trilogy involving Peter Martin and Charlie Mills. Starting on the island of Saint Tropez, Charlie and Peter travel in a sailboat with the Kingsley's, a couple with issues of their own. I could sense that there would be trouble as Jack Kinglsey and his wife Martha seemed to eager to have the guys sail with them.  I did not trust them. They sail in the Aegean Sea, stopping at various Greek islands, until Charlie has a fit, leaves the boat and buys a house on Hydra Island, which ends their journey. A storm at sea, lusty bandits, a drunk captain, a possibly pregnant wife, friendly islanders, and a self-realization make for an interesting tale. This only makes me want to travel to Greece to visit as well. The second book of the trilogy is a vehicle for the third in that it gives Peter and Charlie a reason to leave America behind and live on the Greek island.

Peter and Charlie are up to their old tricks in that they cheat on each other and make up.  Charlie cheats with Martha as he wants a child.  Then he realizes he is jealous of Peter, which is the reason for him cheating.  Peter is almost raped by a group of thugs on one island, but manages to get away.  He seems so frail, as Charlie is always protecting him, which makes it unbelievable that he could fight off the bandits.  Jack is a drunk and horrible captain of the Cassandra.  He is the catalyst for Charlie stepping up to be the actual captain of the boat.

There are thrilling spots such as the storm and possibility of Charlie wanting to crash the boat and end the journey on some rocks in the ocean, but Peter talks him out of it.  I think Charlie is bipolar, which causes him to buy the dilapidated house on Hydra Island, as well as sleep with Martha and constantly act out sexually with others than Peter. 

I have never been sailing but spent many summers in my youth on the family pontoon in the Mississippi River.  I learned how to drive the boat, dock and moor it, as well as pull it out of the river.  We even weathered a storm one summer while beached on an island in the mighty Mississippi.  I had brought my current boyfriends with me on two occasions.  Both Jeff and Kevin had been on boats, so they enjoyed it.  I am no longer in contact with either of them, who are both married with children. I would go to college, which ended my excursions on the pontoon, never allowing me to have a party barge scenario. My most vivid memory was when my little sister stepped on a fish fish, which punctured her foot, and had to be taken to the emergency room.  I miss the days of getting tan, swimming in the river, playing in the mud from the bottom of the river, and riding the waves produced by the barges that traveled up and down the Mississippi.  Learning to swim in a river is much different than swimming lessons in a public pool.  You had to swim in a current, could not open your eyes under water, and avoid the fish that swarmed in the muddy river.  

I have only swam in the Mediterranean once, and that was the summer of 1982 in Monte Carlo.  I was fascinated by the salty water and the swimmers who would strip down to rinse the salt off right on the beach.  Being a very modest boy, I would never have considered doing that myself, even though it was a cultural norm.  If I only knew then what I know now.

The Lord Won't Mind, But Grandma Does

Reading Challenge 2017: book about an interesting woman. The Lord Won't Mind by Gordon Merrick  is also a reread from yesteryear as I read it when it came out in the early 70's.  I had thought it was published later, but discovered that Avon Publishing distributed the paper back in 1971. I used a picture from the original cover, as that was what drew me into the novel originally.  I could see that it was a novel about two men, which was something of a rarity in that time.  I imagine I would have read it in high school, having purchased it at B. Dalton's (a now defunct bookstore) or possibly at Waldenbooks (another defunct bookstore) based on the cover art by Victor Gadino.  His art would intrigue me to collecting the other novels by Merrick largely due to how he portrayed the main characters.


 My perspective now makes gives me the feeling of reading a Fitzgerald novel with erotic scenes, as if he had written Harlequin romance novels. Charlie Mills meets Peter Marshall through his grandmother C.B. who almost forces them to be together, even though she does not approve of it. It is a boy meets boy, boy leaves boy and gets married to a psychopathic theater girl, boy becomes rent boy, and then they end up together in a twisted turn of fate which involves a bandage around a delicate appendage. There is a surprising twist involving C.B.'s real father (it has to do with a plantation) that makes the lovable woman almost as much as a lunatic as Charlie's wife Hattie. I guess this is a book about two interesting women, from a psychological viewpoint. One thing that bothered me was where did all the money come from that everyone seemed to manifest out of thin air. C.B. was rich. Hattie's parents were rich. Even Walter, an art collector who literally wanted to own Peter simply tossed $50K away like it was nothing. All this pre-World War II. This is book one of a trilogy that I plan to read this year. Three decades after the initial reading, I found it quaint but out of place today.

The title refers to a minor character telling the boys that as long as it is love, the Lord won't mind.  Interestingly, Sapphire, the former servant of C.B. (a foreshadowing of the secret twist) would become a famous singer, something unheard of in the 30's for a black woman.  This would contrast with the judgmental vision of C.B., Hattie, and other white characters who thought themselves above black people.

This novel was pretty daring for its time, as I do not recall many other gay romance novels in the 70's, especially ones sitting in plain view in the fiction section of a mainstream bookstore.  Now you would find reprints (with horrible cover art) in the gay section, almost hidden away so that only people who know where to look would find them.  I was one of those people.

It reminded me of my own romance during college that ended traumatically for me as I could not be with someone I thought I loved as much as Peter loved Charlie.  He also would leave me for a woman (hiding behind her raucous laughter and hyperbolic personality) until he came to his senses and found another man to call his own.  I was ready to leave everything behind and start over (not once but twice) until I came to my senses and realized I could never be with someone as flighty and superficial (or as tall) as he.