Books I Like
I’ve been thinking about books the last couple of days, and I thought I’d mention a few that I like. I wouldn’t necessarily say these are my favorites or the greatest of all time…though a couple of them would fit into both categories…they’re just books I’ve read that I liked, and I thought I’d throw them out there.
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Amazon Link: http://tinyurl.com/bxcgx
I’ve never been a huge fan of Westerns, when it comes to books. I like the movie genre, and I like the television genre. For some reason, though, I never could quite connect with the literary genre that inspires both movies and television. That is, until I picked up this Pulitzer Prize novel by McMurtry (currently hot due to his screenplay for Brokeback Mountain). Not only is this the best Western I have ever read, it is one of the best books I’ve ever read — period. Not quite a saga, not quite an adventure yarn, the characters in this book spring to life, grab you by the scruff of the neck and don’t let you go until the ride is over. McMurtry creates characters that are hard to forget, and I have not forgotten Gus or Call or Newt or Blue Duck or Laurie in the nearly 20 years since I read this book. Neither will you.
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Amazon Link: http://tinyurl.com/bakwu
I’d be hard-pressed to identify a book that better represents that tenuous passage from boyhood to manhood. Those odd questions that come up…the strange situations that must be reconciled even if they’re not fully understood, the realization that things will never be the same — that it’s impossible to return to childhood once the threshold to the adult world is crossed…Holden Caulfield observes the world with a cynicism ignored by adults before J.D. Salinger forced the world to look at some of the open sores in American society and culture. This book is important for so many reasons. Well-written and engrossing, this book influenced books, movies (think Rebel Without A Cause, and culture in general. An astute observer might have predicted the roiling decade of the 60s after closing the covers on Catcher in the Rye.
The Secrets of Harry Bright by Joseph Wambaugh
Amazon Link: http://tinyurl.com/a5mgz
The Secrets of Harry Bright transcends the cop book genre in which Joseph Wambaugh found so much success of the years. The book centers around a cop whose son is killed in the PSA aircrash that occurred in San Diego back in the 1970s, who is called to the California desert to investigate the murder of another man’s son, forcing him to deal with all those demons seething just beneath the veneer he presents to others. Solid read.
The Word for World is Forest by Ursula K. LeGuin
Amazon Link: http://tinyurl.com/7g7pg
It may be necessary to visit the library to find a copy of this book, but the trip is well worth one’s time. This is LeGuin’s transcendent novel — where she writes a masterpiece that cannot be bounded by the genre in which it is categorized. The greatest thing about the novel is the simplicity with which she communicates the themes of human arrogance, ignorance, and realization. Winner of both the Hugo and Nebula awards, one could do a whole lot worse that to pick up this short book and read it through some Saturday afternoon.
Neuromancer by William Gibson
Amazon Link: http://tinyurl.com/897b4
Simply the most important Science Fiction novel of the last 40 years. There would be no Matrix if not for this book. Gibson completely revolutionized Science Fiction and introduced the masses to the sub-genre of Cyberpunk. That, in itself, would be enough to make this an important book, but the ripple of influence Neuromancer and Gibson have brought to literature, movies, and television make this a book that should be read by anyone interested in pop culture at all. This is the book from which all the current cliches in Science Fiction came.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Amazon Link: http://tinyurl.com/avtje
If someone is only going to write one book in their lifetime, this is the one to have written. Not because it won the Pulitzer Prize, not because it was made into an Academy Award wining film, not because it’s still in print after 40 years — but, because this book is what fiction is all about: Humanity. I closed this book and cried.
If you haven’t read these books, yet, any one of them is worth the effort. If you do read them, I hope you enjoy them as much as I did (and still do).
Move Over Survivor…
Rollergirls (http://www.aetv.com/rollergirls/) are in town!!
I surprised myself by becoming a fan of Survivor. That I became a fan of Dancing With The Stars is pretty much a miracle of nature. Except for those two shows, I am not exactly a fan of reality shows. Well, that was until I watched A&E’s Rollergirls, which may very well be the best reality show to ever be on television. In fact, I’ll bet that Mark Burnett and Jeff Probst are very happy Rollergirls is not on network television.
The premise is simple. Put a camera on the players who comprise the TXRD Roller Derby League located in the Austin, Texas area. Watch these women in their everyday life, while they practice, and while they play this game that’s been around since the 50s. The women have names like Venis Envy, Cha Cha, Miss Conduct, and the teams retain monikers such as The Putas, The Holy Rollers, and The Rhinestone Cowgirls. The language is rough. The action is edgy. The games and the stories are real.
These are tough women who play hard in a game they obviously love…while battling real life…ovarian cancer, job schedules, kids, husbands, parents…each other. This is probably the most real reality show I’ve ever viewed, and I cannot recommend it highly enough.
OH NO!
Just a word of explanation…
There are entries that are/may be missing. During a recent upgrade of the site that hosts this blog, there was a data disaster that resulted in the loss of some blog info — not just for my blog — but for several others. A lot of restoration has occurred, and it is likely to continue.
So, please be patient in this regard.
Battlestar Galactica – The Best Show On Television
The best show on television right now is Battlestar Galactica, the re-imagined version of the 1970s campy scifi show of the same name. Unfortunately, BG suffers from being relegated to what one friend has termed “the SciFi Ghetto.”
In literature, there is a divide among readers who perceive some writings to be serious, literary writings and others to be superfluous fluff. Science Fiction writing falls in the latter category. I know – I used to be one of those literary snobs who looked down on anything that be considered fantastic in nature as being second-class in the world of writing. Fortunately, I decided to prove myself correct, and I discovered the wonderful world of science fiction and fantasy. Now, I am equally comfortable reading For Whom The Bell Tolls or The Lovely Bones as I am reading Dhalgren or The Left Hand of Darkness. Good literature is good literature regardless its nature. (I will be writing a fuller article on this subject in the future.)
The same is true in television and film, though a much greater argument exists with regard to science fiction, fantasy, or horror. There has been some real crap out there. The number of really good genre shows is finite. A few of my favorites include Buffy, Angel, and Farscape. But, being one of my favorite shows is a far cry from being the best show on television. Buffy was wonderfully written and acted, and I loved the story arcs, but neither it nor Angel were the best shows on television during their runs. Farscape is by far the best science fiction show to ever grace the television screen. Unfortunately, the show was truly inaccessible to anyone who did not love science fiction – and even a few of those who did could not maintain solid footing while watching this classic show. This is not the case with Battlestar Galactica.
I am not a fan of the original series. My opinion of it has not changed over the years. The show mixed poor writing with campy plots that served the viewer little more than doughy white bread with cheap margarine. I never could figure out why Lorne Greene took the job. On the other hand, one can fathom Edward James Olmos’ decision to assume the mantle of Adama, the highest ranking military commander to survive the murderous attack of the Cylons…man-made robots sent by God to eradicate the imperfection extant in humans. The same is true of Mary McDonnell’s role of Laura Roslin, a third-string cabinet member who managed to be on the right ship at the right time and discovered herself to be the only surviving cabinet member for whom anyone could account. Olmos, an Oscar nominated, Emmy winning actor, along with McDonnell, a twice nominated Oscar contender and Emmy nominated guest actress, sink their teeth into two of the most complex and imperfect characters to ever appear on screen. The warts show. But, so does the bravery, the integrity, and the determination of a man and a woman for whom guardianship of the human race is more than a cliched tagline.
The second season of Battlestar Galactica provides no letdown in quality or complexity of character and plot. Nasty things happen — nasty things one expects to see when a civilization shatters and must reconstruct itself — all the while defending itself daily against a seemingly unstoppable enemy. Probably the strongest hallmark of the show is that it does not take the easy way out when it comes to story resolution. Sure there are characters less likely to die than others; however, if the story required it, there is little doubt that the writers would off a favorite character. The second hallmark that stands out is that the characters are a mix — sometimes really wonderful people, sometimes complete asses who deserve what they get. Apollo and Starbuck…on the original show, they would never have contemplated cold-blooded murder, yet they both wrestle with the need to commit political assasination in the current version of the story. Boomer comes to us as a pregnant Cylon loved by two human men, one of whom is the father of the child she carries. Baltar was an out-and-out bad guy on the 70s show; on this version, he bear a slightly sad, ego-centric, mix of hubris and shame.
The best thing about the current show is its accessibility. Events occur that viewers can understand. Characters offer up traits with which viewers identify. Drama and humor intermix, drawing fans back show after show. Someone new to the story could sit down, watch an episode and come away with a strong sense of who is who and what is going on. Yes, they miss some details, but that only causes the viewer to seek out the repeats so they can catch up with the story arc.
Friday nights on the SciFi Channel were already worth people’s time. With Battlestar Galactica that is even more the case. Watch! Enjoy!
