Friends Again?

I got to go out to lunch the other day with an old friend. We used to be quite close, but life and times and work have driven us apart lately. Still, it was nice to see them. 

What I found funny was that they kept saying "they wished we saw one another more." I thought that was funny if only because I'm right here. Not going anywhere. Haven't gone anywhere. It's on them to make it happen. In fact I had been the one to invite them out for lunch or coffee multiple times, they had been the one who canceled on me all those times. 

Most Recent First Line

When I first read Tom Clancy's books, I think I was in college, I skipped Red Storm Rising. Jack Ryan isn't in it. Where's the central character? This is now my second time to read it, and although sure I miss Jack Ryan as a central character, but man, oh man is it ever a great story. 

Regardless, it's my time to read for fun, and I'm in the midst of a "series" jam . . . Hackett's, WEB Griffin, etc etc. So I read Hunt for Red October last month. This month, book 2 by Clancy, Red Storm Rising. 

Second Sackett

Well, as I said earlier, I'm invovled in a lot of "series" books. Clancy, Griffen, etc etc. I'm also involved in Louis L'amour and his series on the Sacketts.

I've read a lot of Louis L'amour books in my life. I started reading them back when I was a tween and every now and then another will pop up. But I've never read the Sackett Series. 

Reading Across the Line

I got a chance to review Crossing the Line by Joy Slaughter as a part of a “book reviewing” and “author’s support” group that I’m in. I liked it from the start. It’s fun and moves at a nice-ish clip and the plot and writing aren’t terrible  . . . In fact that pretty good. 

Adam are a myriad reasons I like it, but perhaps the one reason I like it most is that I could have easily gone this route with my career. 

AITA (Am I the Asshole)

I love the AITA string in Reddit (see HERE). I could read these all day and never get tired. It's amazing to me that there are people like those that are described here. 

I read one today, and it's very similar to aspects of my own family and the problems that we are forced to deal with. This might be a bit worse, but not by much!

Context: For every holiday, My mother would ask the women in the family (my sisters, sister in-law, my wife, my female cousins) to send "samples" of the desserts they plan to bring to the celebration for testing and to see if these desserts could make it to the "food menu". My wife has been complaining about my mother deliberately rejecting every dessert sample she sent. So many times my mother has told her that she's being honest and keeping the guests best interest at heart. Yet my wife still thought that my mother is deliberately excluding her since 2 of her dessert samples were rejected before.

New Series to Add to the Series Goal

Anyone who reads this blog knows that I'm deep in the midst of a "series reading goal." This means I'm looking into a series of books and reading them straight through. In some cases . . . for example Tom Clancy . . . its a series I've read before. In other . . . the Sackett's . . . it's new to me. 

Well, I stumbled on a new series that I can't wait to continue. It's The Stranger Times by CK McDonnell. It's fun, easy to read, and super fresh, meaning it's a new concept that's done quite well. 

Book 3 Line 1

So, now I'm into the third book of this series. After this I'll be moving to the third book of the Clancy series. We're starting to get into the heat and the meat of these series!

This one? Same as the others, right? I mean, you get what you get and you don't throw a fit with WEB. 

Two I Read for the Competition

Several years ago I was asked to take on the chore of helping to judge the novels of many of the members of the Houston Writer's Guild. It's not a tough task and worthwhile. It's also illustrative in terms of that favorite series of mine (see HERE) on the first lines. The contestants only have that first chapter or so to get the judge's interest. I can usually tell within the first few paragraphs how things are going to go. 

I read two military thrillers the other day, and boy they just about killed me. 

Why? 

Lost in a Good Book

I had a chance to read Lost in Shangri-La the other day and it was so fun to read, for many reasons. First, it was written about an era I love to read about. Secondly, it reminded me of the time I was in Panama. And third, it reminded me about how crazy life can be. 

It’s a great book, although I might not trust the author again. The first few pages read like the story will be an epic adventure on the scale of Shackleton, or The Kingdom of Ice. I wrote about The Kingdom of Ice a few months back, and wow, talk about an epic. The arctic explorers get trapped on their boat in the arctic ice for two years then have to make their way to Siberia then walk to civilization! That’s not this book. 

Frustration? Challenges? Frustrations with Challenges?

I broke up with a gal once, I didn't do it well. I was rather harsh. But I was frustrated and I let my frustrations out on her. What's funny is that she always thought I was mad or angry . . . but I wasn't. And she made it worse by thinking that I was mad. She would come back tentatively. 

That was what made me most frustrated. I wasn't upset until she thought I was upset.