About a Pen Pal

All I know for now is it’s nice to have someone who looks forward to hearing from me, even if it’s just one person, but it’s not just anyone.

It’s Not You. It’s Me.

Biden won, Trump lost, and I lost four years of my life. I did nothing of value, nothing worthwhile. I wasted time, I drank too much, I cared too much, and I need to move on.

Book Review: Heart-Shaped Box

If you were to read Heart-Shaped Box, you might not be surprised to learn that author Joe Hill is the son of Stephen King. It contains several elements often found in his father’s work. Unfortunately, one of those elements is a convenient, unsatisfying ending.

1-Minute Book Reviews: Robin

Itzkoff carefully documents the assorted rises and falls throughout Robin’s career that ranged from early Shakespearean theater, television, stand-up, film, Broadway, and more, and there is an interesting and disappointing surprise when you add it all up: there were far more falls than rises.

1-Minute Book Reviews: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

The book is crafted to appear as if an outsider moves to the quaint Georgia city of Savannah, meets some locals, learns their stories, gets to know them, and it’s all fun and games until someone gets shot.

1-Minute Book Review: State of Wonder

There’s nothing about State of Wonder that would have spurred me to read it other than my daughter’s answer when I asked for a good book to read. Now, if you ask me, “Read any good books lately?” I have one for you.

1-Minute Book Review: A Higher Loyalty

“It could be argued that the first 80% of the book is a setup to compare his leadership and that of others to Trump. The contrast is clear, undeniable, and necessary to qualify his portrayal of the current President as more of a “mis-leader” than a leader.”

1-Minute Book Reviews: Open – An Autobiography

“Overbearing parents and demanding workouts are common chapters in success stories. What is not common is for someone who suffered to those things to come out on the other side as contrite, introspective, and pleasant…”

1-Minute Book Reviews: The Haunting of Hill House

Stephen King: “…one of the finest horror novels of the late 20th century.”

Wall Street Journal: “…widely regarded as the greatest haunted-house story ever written.”

Me: “Umm, no.”

1-Minute Book Reviews: Hell House

William Reinhardt Deutsch, a millionaire on his deathbed, wants to know if spirits, ghosts, or other paranormal phenomena are real, and he knows the best place to find an answer – Hell House.