Strange Things Happen by Stewart Copeland
The least interesting of the three Police memoirs, unfortunately. Andy's is best, then Sting. A lot about the reunion concerts, not that much about the early days of the band. So, him and Sting fought a lot, apparently. Yes, we know.
Mockingbird by Walter Tevis
A sci fi novel by the author behind Queen's Gambit. He also wrote The Man Who Fell to Earth. Describing a future where the few people left are mostly drugged and where showing emotions is not cricket. Pretty good.
The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis
I haven't seen the TV series, but wanted to read the novel. A girl orphan grows up to be a chess champion. Great book, it helps if you like to play chess, I suppose, and it makes me want to read The Hustler and Tevis's other books.
Five Decembers by James Kestrel
Great novel that starts in Honolulu before the attacks on Pearl Harbor. A policeman is investigating two murders. The solution seems to be in Hong Kong. And then... Written in a sort of no fuss Hemingwayesque style that fits the story.
The Affirmation by Christopher Priest
Well written, but with a distance that possibly works against the novel. I enjoyed the book, but was maybe a bit disappointed by the ending. No matter, I've already ordered more books by this writer.
Dylan Goes Electric! by Elijah Wald
The famous night at Newport where Dylan, yes, went electric. Did Pete Seeger try to cut the cords with an axe? Apparently no. But that's two thirds into the book. Dylan's backstory I mostly knew, Seeger's not so much.
Macanudo: Welcome to Elsewhere by Liniers
Brilliant, as usual by Liniers. I used to buy the French editions from Pasteque, but it seems they stopped publishing those for some reason. Good to see him back.
Doctor Strange: The Eternity War by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
The last Strange stories by Steve Ditko, leading up to a final confrontation between Dormammu and Infinity. A bit sudden, maybe. Possibly Ditko no longer wanted to work with Lee? He did the plotting and the drawings, so if he was unhappy with the narration and dialog, that's understandable. But... I'm buying the new Mighty Marvel Masterworks books, and Dr Strange and Spider-Man are the ones I enjoy actually reading.
Currently on my bedside table:
The Hustler by Walter Tevis
The Feral Detective by Jonathan Lethem
A book I received this week: Pocket Full of Rain.
ReplyDeleteI've skipped over some of your earlier books—my collection begins with Why Are You Doing This?—but for some reason I wanted this one. I love this format, it's way thicker than the others, and it's a chance to see you experimenting and developing your voice as a cartoonist, I assume.
Great cover. I love the watercolor paper. Such an odd detail; I've not seen it anywhere else. (For me, it's almost not a Jason book without it!) This one is out of print and not widely circulating. So when I found it at a reasonable price, I had to scoop it up.
Table of Contents at the end. What a nice idea.
Thanks! Yes, I wrote a couple words about each story, and it fit better at the end.
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