Elmore Leonard

Elmore Leonard - Two Stars ☆☆

I just finished four of Leonard's novels. I think Agnes Lowzier describes all the characters best: "A half-smart guy, that's what I always draw. Never once a man who's smart all the way around the course." All of Leonard's people are half-smart.

George W. Parker

The Boys from Biloxi

 The Boys from Biloxi - John Grisham. - Two Stars ☆☆

It's been years since I read a John Grisham novel. I wish I had kept that streak alive. He gives us cardboard characters and an obvious plot. The only surprise in the entire book is how the DA managed to live as long as he did.

George W. Parker

Game of Thrones

 Game of Thrones - George R.R. Martin - Two Stars ☆☆

I read the book. I do not think I would read it again and I chose not to read the next in the series. I found Arya Stark the only interesting character in the book. That lack of interest reflects on the writer. I was disappointed.

George W. Parker

Tune In: The Beatles

Tune In: The Beatles: All These Years - Mark Lewisone - One Star ☆

This is a five-star book if you are a fan of the Beatles' minutiae. If you want to know what clothes Paul wore when he was 14 or what brand was Geroge's third guitar then this book is for you. I didn't finish it so the one star from me.

George W. Parker

Leon Russel

Leon Russell - Bill Janovitz - One Star ☆

Russell was a very talented musician/songwriter/arranger/producer. Janovitz tells a great story and the book is filled with interesting material. But in the end, Leon Russell was an asshole. As I've stated before I don't have time for that type of person so I did not finish the book. Maybe you can overlook Leon's little character flaw.

George W. Parker

Red Harvest

 Red Harvest - Dashiell Hammett- Five Stars ☆☆☆☆☆

The Continental Op drops into Poisonville "Hard BoiIed" incarnate. He's angry because they try to kill him and he's disgusted by the lying, backstabbing, double-dealing leaders of the city. His solution: everyone sufferers.

This is Hammett's first novel (1929) and his angriest look at the world. It's worth your time. 

George W. Parker

Levon: From Down in the Delta to the Birth of The Band and Beyond

 Levon: From Down in the Delta to the Birth of The Band and Beyond - Sandra Tooze - ☆☆

I have been a fan of Levon Helm and The Band most of my life. There was a lot of material new to me in this book, from Levon's early childhood, his drug usage, and his post-cancer career. Robbie Robertson still doesn't come out very well. I enjoyed the book but I don't think I would re-read it which is why it is only two stars for me.

George W. Parker

A Legacy of Spies

A Legacy of Spies - John le Carré - Four Stars ☆☆☆☆

Four Stars - I will reread it.

This last book from Carré has a fresh feel to it with a different approach (kind of) to its storytelling.  I enjoyed the new perspective on the Alec Leamas story and immediately reread The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, which is a five-star book.

George W. Parker 

Cathedral - Raymond Carver

 Cathedral - Raymond Carver - One Star ☆ 

I did not finish this collection of Carver short stories. The protagonist in the short story Cathedral is an asshole. "Ah, but he changes," everyone will say. I believe the protagonist does not have a "Road to Damascus" moment. He just has a moment. In the morning when he rolls out of bed he will still be an asshole.

In Chef's House Edna leaves a budding relationship to return to a former failed relationship. She seems to have forgotten there was a reason it had failed. What is that saying about repeating something over and over and expecting a different outcome? Edna is a fool. 

If I want to spend time with assholes and fools I can go for a drive on the freeway and sidestep the Raymond Carver.

George W. Parker

Love and Let Die

Love and Let Die - John Higgs -Two Stars ☆☆ 

I have been a fan of The Beatles and Bond movies since 1964. But I was never one to run out into the weeds looking for "facts." (Unless you count playing a record backward a couple of times.) This book is filled with trivia like the bird sounds on "Tomorrow Never Knows" is Paul's laughter speeded up. And then there are Higgs' psychological interpretations. And psychological interpretations are like opinions, everyone has one.

 Not a book I would reread, hence the two stars. 

George W. Parker