New Direction for this Blog

So far this blog has simply been a log of my reading schedule this year. This has been fun, but a little directionless. I am now changing the focus of this blog. I will now focus on indie books. I will still review new releases by certain mainstream authors that I enjoy, but I will focus primarily on books published independently or through a small publishing house.

I want to explain my decision. With the rise of digital technology the nature of publishing is changing. It is now possible to create and distribute books without using a publisher. This means that many books by talented people who do not have publishing deals can now be read. On the other hand it also means that there is a lot more stuff that you have to wade through to find the good stuff. So I am looking forward to this new direction.

I will still continue my Elmore Leonard in a Year project, but there is lots of time for other books.

Raylan...again

Since Elmore Leonard's Facebook page linked to one of my reviews I wanted to say thanks and share a painting my wife did to celebrate the start of the new season of Justified.

Some updates

Had a major rush earlier. Elmore Leonard's Facebook page linked to my review of Escape From Five Shadows. Now that is cool. If you are here because of that link welcome. Among my other reading projects I am reading through all of Elmore's books this year and posting some quick reviews.

Escape From Five Shadows by Elmore Leonard

Corey Bowen is 1 year in to a seven year prison sentence for rustling. He maintains his own innocence. He is assigned to a construction project headed by a corrupt government contractor building a road to nowhere. All he wants to do is escape. After his first attempt he learns that it is not easy to evade the Apache scouts hired to track prisoners. Next time, he plans on making it work.

Escape From Five Shadows is another great western novel from Elmore Leonard's early days. It deals with the themes of corruption and deceit as well as hope and redemption. The characters are as tough as the land that they inhabit. When I was thirteen I started reading westerns. It has been years since I stopped reading them. Books like Escape From Five Shadows remind me why I should read more.

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A Coyote's In The House

When Elmore Leonard, the master of crime fiction, the man who wrote such novels as Get Shorty, decides to write a children's book he goes all in. This is a fun story of Antwan, a cool coyote who decides that it might be fun to pose as a dog. With the help of Buddy the movie star German Shepherd and the show dog poodle Miss Betty he tries to assimilate into the lifestyle of a Hollywood pet.

This is a cute story and a lot of fun. I listened to the audiobook version read by Neil Patrick Harris. Harris did an excellent job as a reader. This book is recommended for grades 5-8. You can still enjoy it if you are much older.

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Up In Honey's Room by Elmore Leonard

Honey Deal is a fun loving girl trying to make her way in Detroit during the Second World War. Her ex-husband is a proud Nazi and a lookalike of Heinrich Himmler. That has attracted the attention of the FBI. The famous Hot Kid of the Marshals, Carl Webster, comes to Detroit to find two escaped German POWs. One of the POWs is a childhood friend of Honey’s ex.

What follows is a delightful romp with some wonderful character. Leonard is known for his memorable characters, a he just keeps them coming here. There is Honey Deal, a feisty young woman from Harlan County, Kentucky. Walter, Honey’s ex, is a Nazi sympathizer who believes that he is the twin brother of Heinrich Himmler, separated at birth. Walter’s circle includes a KKK leader from Georgia and a rich Anti-Semitic gynecologist. Add to that group a fake Polish Countess who is really a German spy and her cross-dressing lover. Let’s not forget the two POWs. There is Jurgen, Walter’s childhood friend, who just wants the war to end so he can become a cowboy, and Otto, an SS officer who loves Hemingway and other American fiction.

If it sounds crazy, it is. Up In Honey’s Room is one of those delightful Leonard books that you can read over and over again.
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The Broken Gun by Louis L'Amour

Dan Sheridan buys an old broken gun in a pawn shop and finds part of a ninety year old journal wrapped up and stuck inside the barrel. He is a writer and decides to look into the story of the Toomey brothers. The only trouble is that the people who own the land now have a secret, and it is a secret that they are prepared to kill for. Soon Dan finds himself on the run, hunted through what once once Apache country. Only his pursuers don't realize that he is no city boy. He was born and raised on a ranch and served in Korea and Vietnam. Now as the deadly cat and mouse game plays out there is a large ranch and the life of a beautiful woman at stake.

When I was 13 years old I discovered Louis L'Amour. I read every book I could get my hands on. It has been a long time since I read one of his books. The Broken Gun reminded me why I loved him so much. You have the classic tough guy. The women in L'Amour are no shrinking violets. They are tough as the land that they come from. Of course you couldn't really have a L'Amour book without one good knock-down drag-out fist fight. This is a lot of fun



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