Character is the Very Life of Fiction

Character is the very life of fiction. Setting exists so that the character has someplace to stand. Plot exists so the character can discover what he is really like, forcing the character to choice and action. And theme exists only to make the character stand up and be somebody. 

JOHN GARDNER

Review: Bloodlines by James Rollins

"Bloodlines" is #8 in the Sigma series. I found it the best of the series to date. This book has a return of the dog "Kane." Wonderful to see him and his handler as part of the team. Continuous action till the end and it has a great ending.

My Heat Pump.

      Yesterday was check the heat pump day. It's a Kerr. First off, I dug up the manual on the internet. Great to have the internet when you need it. As it turned out, the only thing I could do was clean the filters. That turned out to be quite a job. The dust on there is like grease. Cleaned them and anything else that needed it.
      My wife bought new ceiling lamps for the kitchen and dining room. Do I have to hang them up deciding on the kitchen first - smallest lamp. This is a job I dislike. It gives me a sore neck. First I had to take the fan down. With a heat pump, don't need fans. It has a fan. It's heavy when standing on a ladder, and you can only hold it with one hand. Eventually, the new lamp was up. After all that, I find out it comes without bulbs. Of course, they need a special type. I won't be putting up the one in the dining room until I'm sure I have bulbs. So I have to go to Home Depot, where I bought the lamps, but not today. I have to wait for the plumber, but that's another story.

Review: Lawless Desert by C.M. Curtis

"I didn't see that coming," is a statement you will use a number of times while reading this book. A western story, well written with great characters. Moving fro one disaster to another, the hero finally finds satisfaction in the end.

Dreams

      I had a dream the other night that I clearly remembered. Most times I remember them for about 10 seconds and then nothing else. Funny how that works. In this dream, I was back in the military, and someone told me to put on a clean shirt. This I did, and a little while later they asked me why I had on two shirts. I said that I was ordered to put on another shirt. Then they said they didn't think I was supposed to put on one shirt over the other. So I told them I wasn't ordered to remove the first shirt. And that was it.
      If I were going to my Chinese doctor for traditional medicine, she would tell me what the dream meant. It's one of the things they do to get a grip on things. Before anytime visiting her, I have to keep track of my dreams. She is great for aches and pains, but I wouldn't go for a life threatening situation.
      It could be that I see myself in an alternate universe. In that case, I must be some dumb not to know enough to remove my shirt or, I follow orders to a tee. Wouldn't want to get stuck in the universe.

Ripley's Believe It or Not

Review: The Terror by Giles Kristian

Could not get into the story. I guess it is just not my type. Didn't like it. Quit at 10%.

Review:The Assassin (Casca, #13) by Barry Sadler

This story is the next book in the Casca series. Same as the other books, Just a different time and place. Writing bad as usual.

Review: The Derby Man by Gary McCarthy

This book is a western story of the usual type. To make things different, the unlikely hero is greatly overweight and wears a derby hat. You won't find any young maiden in distress. There are bits of humor, but the book holds no big surprises. Okay for a short read if you can get over the errors. I never did learn the Sherriff's name. It seemed to be interchangeable.

I just got gas for the van, got gas for the lawn mower, and my prescription at the drug store ... AND I DID IT ALL BY MYSELF.

Book - Kindle

Review: Cold Comfort (Inspector Ian Rutledge #16.5) by Charles Todd

This book is a short story from the Ian Ruthledge series. Instead of continuing with Ian's career with Scotland Yard, we are taking back to the First World War when he was Lt. Ruthledge. There are no voices in his head, and he becomes involved in trying to prevent a murder. Good story for a short read.

Review: Cynthia Ann Parker: The Story of Her Capture by James DeShields

The book is advertised as a story about a captured white woman, but there is very little about her. Her life story could have been put into 4 pages. Didn't like the writing - very raciest, mixed up. Acceptable for the time it was written.

Review: Cemetery Dance (Pendergast #9) by Douglas Preston

This story is 9th. in the Pendergast series. In this story he has a smaller part to play with the majority of action going to D'Agosta. The authors have joined the flavor of the moment with zombies and cults. No former members of the series are safe, and one is immediately murdered. By the end of the book, all is back to reality. I liked the descriptions laid out in the book, and the fast pace to keep you on the edge of your seat.

There is no magic in the world. I thought I would wake from my nap and find the dinner dishes magically washed.

Solstice

My son just told me that it's Solstice. You're supposed to be able to take an egg and stand it on its end - or you can walk around the park naked wearing a pair of horns.  He tried the egg bit but it didn't work so I threw a dishcloth on the counter and then it worked. That's what fathers are for. I didn't want him running around the park. In the long run it didn't matter, he doesn't have a set of horns.

Lawn Trimmer

 

On Friday Morning, I was out with the grass trimmer before 9 a.m. I heard it was going to rain by 11 a.m. So I got that done and trimmed some of the bushes as well. I have had a Toro trimmer for the past 32 yrs. It still works, except the spool is starting to fall apart and causing problems. We looked on ebay for a replacement, but the shipping costs were too high. It was just as cheap to buy a new one.
My wife's friend said they had two and I could have one. It seems her kids didn't place much value on it. A piece of junk was what they called it. It's a Black and Decker. So I tried it, and it works great. Certainly better than my old one. I just trim around trees and bricks, not do the whole lawn. That's what my neighbor across the street does. I wonder how old it is? I know it is discontinued.

 

The House Next Door.

 

Well, good-bye to the house next door. Last Monday, they brought in an Excavator - That used to be called a steam shovel. No steam involved now. By the end of the week, it was in a truck and gone. Then they knocked down the basement walls and pushed it into the hole. I guess they are not planning that the next house having a basement. Sad. I remember when I used to see them having barbecues on the patio.

Review: When it was Great: A Dealer Autobiographic Story by Jim Sinay

This book is an autobiography of a Las Vegas dealer. It sounds like a guy sitting on a barstool telling his life story. It's a book easy to read and interesting. There is a lot of name dropping that you have to expect. He stresses that the good, the bad, and the ugly are just people like you and I, except they live in Las Vegas. If you ever wondered what life behind the scenes was like, this is your book.

Review: One Shot (Jack Reacher, #9) by Lee Child

Not only does Reacher help friends in trouble, he also helps those who weren't friends. In this case in is in Indiana, which seems to be over run with Russian thugs. Everyone seems prepared to help, no matter how long they have known each other or the consequences. As usual, the dialogue is short and crisp, no words wasted. Some characters a bit over the top, but its fiction. No really big surprises.