Well, I'm very glad I got that new, extra-large cage set up when I did, because when I made calls to find more parakeets--namely male ones--I found a mom and pop shop that had some. They couldn't guarantee that they were males, but when I went to take a look, the lady showed me how … Continue reading At last, an extended feathered-family…
Tag: description
Dispatches, by Michael Herr
My Copy: 9780679735250 (image from npr.org, link to recently published version) I blame my incessant watching of Apocalypse Now for making me read this book at this moment...though it wasn't a hard sell. I'd wanted to read it for some time, and I'm glad I did. Dispatches is kind of an experience, and a much … Continue reading Dispatches, by Michael Herr
The Peregrine, by J.A. Baker
My Copy: 9781590171332 (image from goodreads.com) Ordinarily, I don't think I'd ever consider a book like this for my shelf. For a non-fiction book, one probably best described as a nature memoir, I am amazed at how it's written. I'd never heard of it until Werner Herzog mentioned it in his Masterclass. Herzog insists that … Continue reading The Peregrine, by J.A. Baker
Gulliver’s Travels, by Jonathan Swift
My Copy: 9781566197847 (image from abebooks.com) Well, don't judge a book by it's cover, even if it's that neat semi-transparent slip-cover I like for some reason. I still didn't care for the story. I only got about halfway through the book and gave up. Not my cup of tea, I guess; I'm used to Swift in … Continue reading Gulliver’s Travels, by Jonathan Swift
The Inferno of Dante: a New Verse Translation by Robert Pinsky (Bilingual Edition)
My Copy: 9780374524524 (image from amazon.com) I bought this version for one good, simple reason: I wanted to learn Italian that summer and figured once I'd learned a bit, I'd be able to read this one and get the gist of the language. Well, that was the plan. But I still had the book, the … Continue reading The Inferno of Dante: a New Verse Translation by Robert Pinsky (Bilingual Edition)
The Maltese Falcon, by Dashiell Hammett
My Copy: 9780679722649 (Image from bookcoverarchive.com) Okay, if you've seen the classic film with Humphrey Bogart, then you've basically got the story down. I love this book. I've read it twice now and will be keeping this one on the shelves in my writer's hall-of-fame. I can't help it. Much like the film itself, the … Continue reading The Maltese Falcon, by Dashiell Hammett
The Complete Sherlock Holmes: His Last Bow (#7 of 8)
Well, looks like our duo's at it again, though the timeline varies between our gents being relatively young or much older and "retired." I have to say, though, for short stories, I couldn't stop until I'd read them all, and ended up doing so in one day.
#010–What’s in a (pen) name? How do you find a good one & keep your privacy…sort of?
I got to thinking again about maybe using a pen name when I start submitting stories again. My main reason for this is simple: my last name gives telemarketers apoplexy. I can't imagine seeing a customer try to find it on a bookstore shelf, or somebody on a book-talk radio show trying to pronounce it. It's tough enough for people I've known a while, let alone complete strangers.