Long Time Expat In Japan
Small Vices (1997) by Robert B. Parker Number 24 in the series, Small Vices is one of the better Spenser novels of these middle years. Spenser is hired by a law firm to look into the arrest and conviction of a black man, Ellis Alves. Rita Fiori, a recurring character in the Spenser series, has … Continue reading Book Review – Small Vices
Chance (1996)by Robert B. Parker I continue to read through the Spenser novels in order. Chance is the 23rd in the series. Since the book is almost 30 years old I will spoil with little guilt. I reread the opening prologue just now as I write this. I was somewhat unaware of it as I … Continue reading Book Review – Chance
Maybe you’ve heard of strange things you can buy in vending machines in Japan. I’m here to tell you that maybe most of the stories are true. I personally have seen horse meat, alcohol, underwear, umbrellas, and socks. Today, I was in Osaka (more on why in in a later post) and I saw the … Continue reading Japan is Awesome – Vending Machines
Japan is awesome. I've written a couple of posts about my adopted home. While there are more than a few examples of great innovations, I've also written about how Japan has mangled the English language. Maybe I shouldn't say "mangle.” In the end, words are imported. And when they are imported, they transform and take … Continue reading Japan Is Awesome – Usually
Thin Air By Robert B. Parker (1995) In case you haven't figured it out by now, I'm a bit of a Parker fan. I haven't reviewed all his Spenser novels, but I'm working on it. Thin Air is number 22 in the series, if I'm not mistaken. I've enjoyed most, though not all of them. … Continue reading Book Review – Thin Air
Walking Shadowby Robert B. Parker Walking Shadow is the 21st Spenser novel. It is one of the better ones in this middle era for the series. (Note: spoilers) Spenser is in Port City, a fictitious city that's near Boston, but the reader is unclear exactly where. The beginning is a bit atypical for a detective … Continue reading Book Review – Walking Shadow
Living in Japan, things move differently. It was only last week that Japan lifted mask restrictions. I know, I know. The rest of the world was maskless for more than a year. But this is how things work over here. The pace is different, and people are more cautious. The official date was March 13, … Continue reading Maskless
Paper Dollby Robert B. Parker Paper Doll is the 20th of the Spenser novels. I'm reading them mostly in order. A little while back I wrote about Pastime, which is #22, so I reviewed them slightly out of order. (spoiler alert for a novel written in 1991) The story revolves around Spenser's investigation of the … Continue reading Book Review – Paper Doll
Trillion Dollar Coachby Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, and Alan Eagle I don't much write about work-related stuff. But I'd been thinking about happiness and work, and I had a book on my (virtual) shelf I had bought about four years ago. I read it. And it was okay. The coach in the title is Bill … Continue reading …in Which I Write About Business Stuff
Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life (hereafter S2S)by Arthur C. Brooks The title is a mouthful. It was something of a turnoff, to be honest. It reminded me of the self help books that I want no part of. Books that aim to help you squeeze … Continue reading Second Half of Life
B.S. Donovan 