In which our heroes finally get to Los Altos and we see Doan in action.

Another exciting chapter of The Mouse in the Mountain is ready for your listening pleasure at Forgotten Classics.

An Absolutely Spiffing Review of Stranger in a Strange Land

I've gotten into a wonderful conversation over at the Catholic Writers' Guild blog. It goes on in the comments box of whatever book review I've posted lately, but carries on the same conversation.

Don has begun dipping into Robert Heinlein's writing and his comment is a really wonderful review of Stranger in a Strange Land. It is insightful and ties together with my review of Save, Send, Delete in a way that is really right but never would have occurred to me.

Now he's found a cordial nook of the library thanks to a librarian who is delighted to have a fellow science fiction fan. When that happens can Terry Pratchett books be far behind? Of course not!

This is why we do it, people. The blogging and reviewing and such. Because the friends we make are so much fun.

Go read it.

Cats of the Day

Via Jeremy Schwab at Catholic Addicts on Facebook

Middlemarch by George Eliot

Middlemarch: A Study of Provincial Life by George Eliot

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This was highly recommended by everybody, including Rose, so it went on my 2013 Goals Reading List.

What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult to each other?

This is a gentle tale of many courtships and marriages, of the relationships in community (as we can tell from the subtitle "A Study of Provincial Life"), and above all of how our actions affect others.

People glorify all sorts of bravery except the bravery they might show on behalf of their nearest neighbors.

At about page 600 the story threads suddenly intertwined at a highly accelerated pace and I was fraught with anxiety for Mr. Bulstrode, then for Dr. Lydgate, and at last realized how much Dorothea's suffering had matured her. It made for a highly satisfying ending which was capped by Eliot's final summing up of everyone's lives.

People are almost always better than their neighbors think they are.

Throughout Eliot, as omniscient narrator, drops gentle observation appropriate to the story which are also appropriate to our lives in general.

Blameless people are always the most exasperating.

I cannot possibly share enough of them, or the plot in general, to do this book justice. I see that I also have forgotten until now to mention the humor running throughout the book. Perhaps that is what captured me first of all. George Eliot has a fine sense of irony and an even finer way of bringing it to our attention. You must simply try it for yourself.

Well Said: What we live for

From my quote journal.

What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult to each other?

George Eliot, Middlemarch

Weekend Joke: Cowboys

Three cowboys are sitting around a campfire, out on a lonesome Texas prarie, each with the bravado for which cowboys are famous. A night of tall tales begins.

The first one says, "I must be the meanest, toughest cowboy there is. Why, just the other day a bull got loose in the corral and gored six men before I wrestled it to the ground by the horns with my bare hands."

The second cowboy can't stand to be bested. "Why that's nothing. I was walking down the trail yesterday and a fifteen-foot rattlesnake slid out from under a rock and made a move for me. I grabbed that snake with my bare hands, bit its head off and sucked the poison down in one gulp. And I'm still here today."

The third cowboy remained silent, silently stirring the coals with his hands.

"The whole country is watching you, they just don't know it."

Lester Siegel: Okay, you got 6 people hiding out in a town of what, 4 million people, all of whom chant "death to America" all the livelong day. You want to set up a movie in a week. You want to lie to Hollywood, a town where everybody lies for a living. Then you're gonna sneak 007 over here into a country that wants CIA blood on their breakfast cereal, and you're gonna walk the Brady Bunch out of the most watched city in the world.

Tony Mendez: Past about a hundred militia at the airport. That's right.

Lester Siegel: Right. Look, I gotta tell you. We did suicide missions in the army that had better odds than this.

Fascinating story, excellent acting and directing, and above all a sense of history which seemed spot on. Although I knew the outcome, I was still in suspense up to the last moments of the escape.

As someone who was in college when the Iranians took the American embassy workers hostage, I was suddenly mentally right back in that time as the shots of the mob and protests were shown. It was like watching the news every night all over again.

I was impressed not only by the quality of the acting but by the script which didn't have much time to tell everybody's story but which gave us enough to make us understand and care. Perhaps one of my favorite characters was the Iranian cultural official who was giving a tour of the bazaar. He was obviously just a normal person, excited to be connected with a movie, who had his own idea of what would make a good flick. The way that normal characters like that were interspersed with the fanatical revolutionaries was a nice touch to remind us that amongst the chaos there were regular people trying to live under trying circumstances.

This movie deserved every award it received.

The Big Book of Ghost Stories by Otto Penzler

The Big Book of Ghost Stories by Otto Penzler

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a treat for myself after getting a free lance writing job. I read the entire book over a long period of time by opening it at random to one of these short stories. There are classics (The Monkey's Paw; Oh, Whistle and I'll Come to You My Lad) and stories from much more modern authors like Donald Westlake, Isaac Asimov, Chet Williamson, and Andrew Klavan. There are so many stories in this "big book" that it took me some time to finish, especially at the meandering, leisurely pace I favor for short story collections. I really enjoyed it because I rarely came across a story I didn't like. I also really enjoyed Otto Penzler's introduction to each of the authors. He gave a good idea of what their overall work was like without giving away the story itself.

My only quarrel is with the categories in the table of contents that tend to give away the surprise for too many of the stories simply by playing on the twist. That actually was the reason for just opening the book and reading the story I found there so that I kept the element of surprise as long as the author's skill allowed.

Kudos to the publisher, Black Lizard, for their production values ... the cover is not only atmospheric because of the vintage image, it is also sturdy. The paper for the pages is lower quality, as one would expect, but the binding is such that you can tell it will hold together no matter how many times that book flops open. The binding also allows the book to lie flat on a surface which is a definite advantage considering the size. And the print is a pleasing size, not the gigantic type which too many modern publishers use to either pad out pages or pander to older eyes.

Everybody Loves ... Kostya

Review: Exporting Raymond (documentary)

Phil Rosenthal created hit television show Everybody Loves Raymond. When the Russians called, wanting his input in creating a Russian version (Everybody Loves Kostya), he gets on a plane and finds ... a whole new sort of comedy. Are families and comedy the same everywhere? How does one navigate the Russian entertainment business? Can he keep the heart and soul of the American show while translating it to a different culture?

While Phil Rosenthal answers these questions, we see where a lot of the humor of the television show came from. He's quick with comic insights to everyday life that sound remarkably similar to those we see in clips of the show. As we follow his efforts, we get a new look at Russia, one that makes us feel remarkably at home in some cases.

Above all this made me want to rewatch Everybody Loves Raymond.

Well Said: Thanks be to Thee, my Lord Jesus Christ

Recorded at his deathbed. This, to me, seems to be the perfect daily prayer. You may know it as the simplified song from Godspell.

Thanks be to Thee, my Lord Jesus Christ
For all the benefits Thou hast given me,
For all the pains and insults Thou hast borne for me.
O most merciful Redeemer, friend and brother,
May I know Thee more clearly,
Love Thee more dearly,
Follow Thee more nearly.

St. Richard of Chichester

Free Book! One Day Only!

Free book! One day only

Posted by Lars Walker @ 7:52 pm EDT
Filed under: Bookselling

In our infinite benevolence and generosity, Ori and I are making my new e-book, Hailstone Mountain, available for free download on Tuesday, April 16.

One day only! Act now! Unless it's not Tuesday yet. Or it's Wednesday.

Free on Tuesday. That's the deal. Tell your friends.

Lars from Brandywine Books speaks and I listen. (And get my free book.) I've always meant to read one of his books and now the price is right. 

Ok, you saw it here ... I told my friends. Go get it!

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I've never been that interested in this book or anything by Wilkie Collins for that matter. Collins had that stigma (for me) of having written "classics" and "the first detective novel." Which just killed any interest I'd ever have had because classics and "first ever" books are musty, boring, and stale, right?

I know that isn't true, but I still have a hard time shaking that idea.

However, when B.J. Harrison, narrator extraordinaire of The Classic Tales Podcast offered the first five hours of this book as a free sample I couldn't resist. I soon gave in and ordered the entire books. I was hooked in just a few chapters.

I really didn't expect Gabriel Betteredge, the first narrator, to be so funny. He spends his spare time reading and rereading Robinson Crusoe which is his ultimate guide to any tricky decision he must make.

The second narrator is equally hilarious, a maiden aunt whose dedication to the Christian cause is such that she spends a considerable amount of time hiding religious tracts in people's homes to trick them into reading them. I actually laughed out loud at some of the tract names. Now that I think of it, I knew that Collins and Charles Dickens were good friends and I suppose I should have expected a good sense of the ridiculous.

Not every narrator is humorous but the characterization is strong for everyone. Rachel Verinder's outburst to Franklin Blake toward the end of the book made me applaud her strong common sense while I sympathized with her situation. I was moved to pity by Ezra Jennings' plight and delighted in Sergeant Cuff's penchant for roses.

Harrison's reading emphasized humor without being over the top and pointed out the pathos without being maudlin. His reading was the key to my thorough enjoyment of this Victorian tale complete with a family feud, a cursed diamond, three untrustworthy Indian jugglers, and a small boy nicknamed Gooseberry.

The ending was of its time and incredible by today's standards, but I was on tenterhooks as each revelation was made. In fact, I put off listening to a brand new book in a series I love so that I could get to the end of this mystery.

Harrison is offering the entire book for $5 which is an amazing bargain. I'm sure how long that offer will stand so if you're interested check out the link above.

Jeff Miller's review of Save Send Delete

Here it is ... he liked it just as much as I did.

The often long emails that take so many divergent paths are a wonder to read. They are so funny, pointed, and filled with the realities of life. Political correctness has not only taken a vacation, but I think had run away in alarm.

And, I'll just say it here, I'm a book stalker of Jeff's. So it evens out.

In which there are shady doings in Los Altos while the bus passengers are still on the road.

Chapters 2 and 3 of The Mouse in the Mountain by Norbert Davis at Forgotten Classics.

The Brits and the Yanks ... We Just Don't Get Each Other

Here are 10 American Habits Brits Will Never Understand.
(I'm just sayin', y'all never got corn stuck in your teeth? Floss matters, people!)

And, the corresponding 10 British Habits Americans Will Never Understand
(After watching Doctor Who, I see that grabbing a cuppa tea in an emergency is more practical than you might think.)

Via Brandywine Books.

Well Said: True Interpreters of Scripture

From my quote journal.

The saints are the true interpreters of Holy Scripture. The meanings of a given passage of the Bible becomes most intelligible in those human beings who have been totally transfixed by it and have lived it out. Interpretation of Scripture can never be a purely academic affair, and it cannot be relegated to the purely historical. Scripture is full of potential for the future, a potential that can be opened up when someone "lives through" and "suffers through" the sacred text.

Joseph Ratzinger, Jesus of Nazareth: 

From the Baptism in the Jordan

to the Transfiguration

Well Said: Solemnity and Bacon

From my quote journal, originally from Jennifer Fitz who gives a recipe to go with it.

Nothing says “solemnity” like bacon on a Friday.

Jennifer Fitz

Of course, you've got to be of the "no meat on Fridays crowd for this to really hit home ... or to even be comprehendible.

The Bones of the Old Ones by Howard Andrew Jones

The Bones of the Old Ones by Howard Andrew Jones

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is the highly enjoyable sequel to the excellent Desert of Souls (my review here). I really enjoyed it and if Goodreads allowed half-stars the rating would 4.5.

Asim and Dabir are pulled into adventure when a young woman (Najya) begs them for help escaping kidnappers. The kidnappers have some very strange powers and the young woman seems to have been put under a spell. Investigating how the spell and how to shake the kidnappers propel our heroes into realms resplendent with sorcery, old gods, giant battles, and much more. And there's a flying carpet. That made me very happy.

If someone crossed The Arabian Nights with Robert E. Howard, you'd have Bones of the Old. Asim is a captain of the guard. Dabir is a knowledgable scholar. The classic mixture of brawn and brains are well paired again as the two friends encounter old enemies and solve puzzles from mythical times while traveling through the ancient Arabian desert, albeit one covered with snow.

It is a well-told adventure that I read in 24-hours. It was more of a straight-forward rescue tale than Desert of Souls and, for that reason, I docked it a half star. But that half star is a small one.

I wish these were available as audio books because they are right down SFFaudio's alley and I'd love to have a read along about them. (hint, hint)

However, for those of us who don't mind actual reading, my advice is to get both books and waste no time in jumping feet-first into adventure.

A Super Fantastic Review of Happy Catholic (the book)

"I am suddenly nostalgic for the good old days," Davis remarks, "when you could smoke a cigarette, have a burger, or sip a cocktail without fear of getting a dirty look." What's that got to do with Catholicism, you ask? Davis doesn't hammer her point home in this essay, or in any of the others. She sketches out the main points, and leaves it to the reader to fill in the blanks, to connect the dots. In this essay, she is commenting on British jockey and crime writer Dick Francis' observation that in America, people think that one can fend off death indefinitely by jogging or adopting other healthy habits.

Davis could have produced a thousand-word essay supporting her points with exacting details; she doesn't. Her comments are trenchant and brief, as if you were seated next to a very witty and provocative dinner companion. Americans worship health and equate death with guilt, she remarks. It's almost like we've turned healthy living into a secular religion. And then you realize, oh, that's right. I'm reading a book by a Catholic about being Catholic. You put two plus two together, and before you realize it, you are asking big questions and thinking profound thoughts. You didn't need the thousand-word essay. You just needed a few inspirational bon mots from this erudite, sophisticated, literate Catholic woman.

Danusha Goska, author of Save Send Delete, has a review of Happy Catholic that knocked my socks off! Didja see that? Bon mots. Erudite. She said it, folks, not me. Though it did make me very, very (very) happy.

Danusha's review is generous and kind and ... I'm going to go read it again another time or two (or three). If you are interested I urge you to do the same because what is given above is a mere taste.

Thank you Danusha!

This Just In: Selfless: The Story of Sr. Theophane's Missionary Life in the Jungles of Papua New Guinea

Selfless: The Story of Sr. Theophane's Missionary Life in the Jungles of Papua New Guinea by Reida Immolata

This was a surprise review book that showed up on my doorstep via UPS last night. The cover and photos inside remind me of Story of a Soul (St. Therese of Lisieux's autobiography). This is not an autobiography but is written so far in the same sweet, gentle style of the early-middle 1900s.

I'm still on Sr. Theophane's (Inez's) youth but that little tomboy's earnestness and devotion is getting to me. It probably helps that this is reminding me somewhat of Cheaper by the Dozen in the New York state setting and time period.

I look at this woman's life spent giving to others for love of Christ (the overview makes that clear although I am not far into her actual life). Then I look at the people spending so much time and energy blabbing about changing things to their own tastes (ordaining women priests and suchlike) ... things which they do not have the power to change, for one thing, so they are doing nothing but raising acrimonious feelings on both sides.

It makes me think that if we stopped talking and began doing, giving, serving the less fortunate all around us, how much better the world would be. And our own souls. And, hopefully, the souls of those around us.

It may be that the life of this little anonymous missionary is a true message for our times much along the lines of that of the more famous Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

Just a train of thought that this book began in me as I was washing dishes, musing over the book ...