Category: books

Rebus – Standing in Another Man’s Grave

On By Rick McIn books1 Comment

Exit Music was the 17th and last crime novel in the bestselling Inspector Rebus series, written by Ian Rankin. It was published on 6 September 2007.

I was sad to see him retire. 😦

Happily, Rebus returned 2012 in Standing in Another Man’s Grave:

Having been retired from the police for five years, Rebus continues to investigate as part of the cold cases unit. The mother of a missing girl enlists his help in finding out what happened to her daughter, leading Rebus to uncover the truth about a series of seemingly unconnected disappearances stretching back to the millennium …

Standing
Amazon

I’m next on to #19 – Saints of the Shadow Bible 2014.

I mostly READ audio books these days. My average cost, taking advantage of specials as they come along, is about $11 / book from Audible.com.

I’ve yet to get Kindled.

Calgary’s new $245m library

On By Rick McIn books, product complaints, product endorsementsLeave a comment

Calgary must have the crappiest library in Canada for a city this size.

By crappy, I mean there are hardly any functioning toilets left in the old building. 😦

But the new library, hopefully opening 2018, does look sweet. It will include a public train line for access.

centrallibrary

related – Free library cards a ‘key tactic’ of Calgary Public Library rebranding set for 2015

Eliminating card fees will have a relatively minor impact on the library’s roughly $54-million annual operating budget. Membership brought in $1.4 million — slightly less than Calgary branches raised in fines.

Think Like a Freak

On By Rick McIn audiocasts, books, economics, product endorsementsLeave a comment

I’m a fan of Freakonomics Radio, the audiocast.

… hosted by journalist Stephen Dubner, with economist Steve Levitt as a regular guest. Freakonomics Radio occasionally hits No. 1 on iTunes, with 4 million downloads a month …

Dubner and Levitt have 3 Freakonomics books, the most recent of which I just read.

Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain

It’s short. But good.

Freakonomics attempts to shed light on topics misunderstood by the general public.

cover

Amazon

The Martian – book and film

On By Rick McIn books, movies, product endorsementsLeave a comment

Rockin’ Ronnie recommended me a good one.

The Martian is the first published novel by American novelist Andy Weir.

It was originally self-published in 2012 before Crown purchased the rights and re-published it in 2014. A science fiction novel, it follows the fictional American astronaut Mark Watney as he becomes stranded alone on Mars and must improvise in order to survive.

It has been described as an Apollo 13 meets Cast Away. A film version directed by Ridley Scott and starring Matt Damon is scheduled for release in November 2015. …

A wise cracking goofball avoids the cliche of going mentally ill in solitary confinement.
the-martian-by-andy-weir-2

Apple Macintosh 1984

On By Rick McIn Apple, booksLeave a comment

“1984” is an American television commercial which introduced the Apple Macintosh personal computer. It was conceived by Steve Hayden, Brent Thomas and Lee Clow at Chiat\Day, produced by New York production company Fairbanks Films, and directed by Ridley Scott.

… only national airing, was on January 22, 1984, during a break in the third quarter of the telecast of Super Bowl XVIII …

… Advertising Age placed it on the top of its list of 50 greatest commercials.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I’m readying Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson.

Steve’s love/hate relationship with John Sculley is fascinating.

Bryce Courtenay’s Australian trilogy

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I’ve now finished all three:


The Potato Factory (1995)
Tommo & Hawk (1997)
Solomon’s Song (1999)

Quite good.

“This is the story of two families – branches of the Solomons – transported to an alien land, both of whom eventually grow rich and powerful but who, through three generations, never for one moment relinquish their hatred for each other.

It is also the story of our country from the beginning until we came of age as a nation. …

Solomon’s Song

Aussie Trilogy

Born in South Africa, the trilogy is Courtenay’s “love letter to his adopted homeland”.

The author died in 2012.

Author_and_ex-creative_director,_Bryce_Courtenay_took_a_seat_in_Yahoo!'s_Big_Idea_Chair

Game of Thrones – season 4

On By Rick McIn books, TVLeave a comment

Game of Thrones season 4 … is adapted primarily from the second half of A Storm of Swords, along with elements of A Feast for Crows and A Dance with Dragons, all novels from the A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin. …

The review aggregator website Metacritic gave season 4 a score of 94 out of 100 based on 29 reviews, signifying “universal acclaim”. According to the other aggregator website, Rotten Tomatoes, all episodes aired thus far obtained 91% or more positive reviews. …

I’d agree.

Season 4 was easily the best season so far. And the TV series is better than the books.

Arya Stark, Sandor “The Hound” Clegane, Diana Rigg as Olenna Tyrell, Peter Dinklage as “the Imp”, Tyrion Lannister …

Actually everyone in the cast is good.

IFWT_Game-of-Thrones-Season-4-Episode-2-Joffrey-Dead

I’m looking forward to seasons 5 and 6.

The Potato Factory – Bryce Courtenay

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If your Grandad was a convict, clap your hands …

The Potato Factory is a 1995 fictionalised historical novel by Bryce Courtenay which was made into a television miniseries in Australia in 2000. The book is the first in a three-part series, followed by

Tommo & Hawk and

Solomon’s Song.

The Potato Factory has been the subject of some controversy regarding its historical accuracy and its portrayal of Jewish characters.

The book is based on Ikey Solomon, the so-called “Prince of Fences”, and the basis of the Fagin character in the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist. …

The story starts in London in the early 19th century. Mary and Ikey start working together as business partners. It follows them as they are separately sent to Tasmania, a penal colony at the time. …

Potato Factory

Many have heard of Bryce Courtenay’s more famous book and movie – The Power of One. He wrote that at age-55, his first book.

Potato Factory is even better.

It has a 4 / 5 rating on Goodreads.

I’ve downloaded part 2 in the trilogy, Tommo & Hawk.

Born in South Africa, the trilogy is Courtenay’s “love letter to his adopted homeland”.