Long Time Expat In Japan
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
Pastime (1993)by Robert B. Parker I'm reading the Spenser novels in order. I skipped reviews on a bunch, but might as well start from here. Paul Giacomin, who you might remember from Early Autumn, needs to find his mother. She’s missing without even a goodbye. If you don’t remember the Early Autumn, that’s okay. It’s … Continue reading Book Review – Pastime
Living in Japan, since 2006, is not nearly as tough as the time I lived here in the 90s. Back then it was hard to keep in touch, both with friends and with culture. I was happy when Amazon came along and made it easier to buy books. I used to have to go to … Continue reading Archive
Slippage By Harlan Ellison Book review What’s making me happy today; I found a Harlan Ellison book I hadn’t read before. Back in the 80's and 90s, I was a Harlan Ellison fan. The kicker for me… well there were two of them, actually. One was The City on the Edge of Forever. A Star … Continue reading Slippage
I once wrote a story that was published in an anthology. And in that anthology is a story by Seanan McGuire. And I am very proud of that. So I’m kind of dropping names. And that the name is Seanan McGuire, and that her fame is well deserved, so I have huge respect for her … Continue reading Review – Middlegame by Seanan McGuire
I've discovered Steve Hockensmith. It's kind of like Columbus discovering North America; been there a while with a whole population of folks, just took me a while to find it. The good thing is that I don't have any plague blankets. The even better thing is that they probably wouldn't work on Steve Hockensmith, considering … Continue reading Cadaver in Chief – a Review
I picked up the first of the Dresden Files novels. I’ve never read them, despite their popularity and longevity. I’m enjoying it so far, but that’s not why I’m writing this. I’m writing this because of the villain. I can’t help but imagine him as Donald Trump. Below is the description. His salt-and-pepper hair was … Continue reading Villains
Thoughts on Mortal StakesRobert B Parker I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned Robert B. Parker before. I’m on another reading kick, this time Mortal Stakes, his third in the Spenser series, published in 1975. So I was 9 when it came out. Parker spends lots of time on morality in his Spenser novels, often using other … Continue reading Mortal Stakes
Book ReviewThe Last Emperoxby John Scalzi I’ve been a Scalzi fan since 2006. I buy most of his novels in hardback. This time I bought it e-book but that’s just because I had to wait too long for the physical copy. I suspect it was import problems related to the pandemic. The Interdependency is my … Continue reading The Last Emperox
“Would you care to have a drink with me after work?" I said. "That would be lovely," she said. "Where and when?" "Ritz bar, this evening when you get through." "Five thirty," she said. "I'll meet you there," I said. Excerpt FromValedictionRobert B Parker Big Robert B. fan from decades past, I’m re-reading Valediction, published … Continue reading Fine, I’ll Meet You There
B.S. Donovan 