Fat, Drunk and Stupid, The Inside Story Behind the Making of Animal House by Matty Simmons; 2012; $25.99; 228 pages; 978-0-312-55226-8; Checked out from Multnomah County Library, Hillsdale; 5/12/12-5/17/12

Why did I pick this up?  It was filmed in Eugene, Oregon not too long after I moved away.  I still had friends there some of whom were extras.  Plus this is still an extremely funny movie and always will be.

What is the story?  This is the story of Matty Simmons, who was publisher of the National Lampoon and how he came to make a little movie called Animal House.  The story begins with the idea for Lampoon and how the idea for the movie developed, how it cast and shot and many behind the scenes stories and what has happened to the cast and crew and what effect the movie has had.

Did I like it?  Yes, it was an interesting look behind the scenes of a movie that I have always liked.

What is with the title of the review?  There are people that both my wife and I went to school with at South Eugene and Churchill that are in the movie.

The Doomsday Key By James Rollins; 2009; $27.99; 431 pages; William Morrow, New York, NY; 978-0-06-123140-7; checked out from Multnomah County Library, Holgate; 5/14/12-5/16/12

Why did I pick this up?  Because I have been reading through the series and am hooked on the adventures of Monk, Kat, Gray, Painter and Kowalski.  I am now caught up on the series and will begin reading Rollins stand alone stories and see how they compare to the Sigma Force.

What is the story?  A priest is murdered at the Vatican, a congressman’s son is murdered at a research camp in Africa and a Princeton professor is killed and they all have the same mark branded on their forehead.  Sigma Force is pulled in because an ally of Sigma is injured in the attack at the Vatican.  The members of Sigma Force roam all over the globe following clues from the past which lead them to find the Doomsday key.  Population control and genetic engineering of foods and polar bears all figure prominently in the plot.  Monk, Kat, Painter and Kowalski all very effectively mix science, history and military action to make a very compelling story.

Did I like it?  Yes, I really like the way Rollins mixes so many different elements to make a compelling story.  It reminds me a little of national treasure with more science.  Brad Thors’ Scott Horvath makes a cameo appearance and I learned that Brad Thor, Steve Berry and Rollins have all had their characters show up in each others books.

Grade-B

What is with the title of the review?  The McGuffin that drives the plot turns out to be something like powdered milk.

14 Minutes, A Running Legend’s Life and Death and Life by Alberto Salazar and John Brant; 2012; $25.99; 258 pages; Rodale, New York, NY; 978-1-60961-314-3; Checked out from Multnomah County Library, 5/10-5/12

Alberto Salazar was the picture of health, running constantly and winner of the New York, Boston and other marathons.  He had quit running competitively but still ran because he was addicted to it.  He was training Galen Rupp and some others for the Oregon Project, a project to train American elite runners, when he felt light headed and took a knee. The next thing he knew he was in a hospital room coming back from being dead for 14 minutes, he had been without a pulse for all that time.  Fortunately for him there were both a doctor and a paramedic on hand at the Nike Campus when he collapsed.  Nine days after the heart attack that felled him, he was back at the campus coaching again.  However that is just a small part of the story, it caused Alberto to look back over his life and see all the miracles that had occurred throughout his life and how far he and his family had come.  This is a story of an incredibly lucky man and the faith that has influenced his life.  This is an interesting look into the life of a man that has been pretty quiet about things outside running.

Why did I pick this up? Alberto has been a part of the landscape in Oregon for the last 37 years and when I heard that he had written a book I knew I couldn’t pass it up.

Grade-A

What is with the title of the review? Alberto Salazar who is an icon in the running community was felled in mid stride on the Nike campus by a heart attack.

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Blood Rites by Jim Butcher; 2004; $25.95; 372 pages; Roc Books, New York; 978-0-451-463357; checked out from Multnomah County Library, Holgate; 5/7-5/10

Harry Dresden is asked to be a bodyguard to those surrounding a film producer, so he has to be on set to protect.  When he arrives at the set he finds out that it is a “high class” adult film set.  Harry saves some of the actors from a curse and things get more interesting from there.  Harry battles demons, incubuses, succubus  and vampires while dealing with the police, and news from his past that will change his future.  People around him turn out not to be what he thought they were.  Butcher is able to balance the supernatural with the real world so that it doesn’t seem outlandish for Harry to be battling the forces of supernatural evil in Chicago.  We learn more about why Harry and Murphy are the ways they are.  I am looking forward to seeing where things go from here.

I picked this up because I really enjoy this series, for as long as I can remember I have liked stories of the supernatural.

Grade-A

What is with the title of the review?  Harry gets several messages about his past both good and bad that probably will change his life.

The Last Oracle by James Rollins; 2008; $26.95; 434 pages; William Morrow, New York, NY; 978-0-06-123094-3; Checked out from Multnomah County Library, Central; 5/3-5/7

Why did I pick this up? I had picked up Devil’s Colony and liked it and I decided to read through the series.  I will be caught with the next book, The Doomsday Key.

What is the story?  A man is shot on the National Mall just above the Sigma Force headquarters.  His death leads to Cherynobol, Romania, India and MI6.  The story centers around augmented Autustic Savant children who are being used for nefarious purposes by some who want to return Russia to its former glory.  While Gray Pierce and Kowalski are fighting on one front, a former friend presumed dead is fighting on another.  Meanwhile Director Crowe is fighting rogue elements of the American intelligence community.  As before there are multiple enemies fighting on multiple fronts.

Did I like it?  Yes once again Rollins manages to combine history and modern technology into a exciting story.

Grade-A

What is with the title of the review?  There is a physic chimp, a character named Monk and a rogue intelligence agent all figure into the plot of the book.

All Hallows’ Eve  by Charles Williams; 1948; 273 pages; Noonday Press, New York, NY; Checked out from Corban College, Salem, OR through Interlibrary Loan of Multnomah County Library; 4/29-5/3

Why did I pick this up?  While reading The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica I discovered the names of some of the friends of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien who were also writers.  I decided to read some of their writings.  This is Mr. Williams final book.

What is the story?  This is a very strange story, one of the weirder ones that I have ever read. This is one of those books where you need some background before I even get started.   Evelyn and Lester are two young dead women, who haven’t completely left our plane yet.  Jonathan, a painter and Richard, the husband of Lester are friends.  Betty is a girlfriend of Evelyn and Lester, and the romantic interest of Jonathan.  Simon is the father of Betty and the master of a cult and a magician of the evil arts, think Voldemort.  Lady Wallingford is the mother of Betty and the mistress of Simon.  Simon is using Betty to access the spirit world and uses Evelyn also for nefarious deeds, while Lester fights against Simon from the spirit world, Jonathan and Richard fight against him in our world.   He is sort of an anti-Christ type figure, who actuallys believe he is some sort of brother to Jesus.  The forces of good end win in the end.

Did I like it?  Mildly, it starts strangely and by the time I got to the meat of the story I was very confused.  It is definitively a morality story of good vs. evil and takes place on many different planes.

Grade-B

What is with the title of the review?  J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis were members of a loose knit writers group which called themselves The Inklings.  There were several more writers that were members of the group and so I have decided to try and read some of the other authors.  Charles Williams is the first of these other authors that I have read.

The Dragon’s Apprentice, The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica by James A. Owen; 2010; $17.99; 376 pages; Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York, NY; 978-1-4169-5897-0; Checked out from Multnomah County Library, Albina; 4/27-4/29

Why did I pick this up?  This is the latest volume in my favorite series ever.  I am constantly amazed at what James Owen has done with characters from so many diverse sources.

What is the story?  The dragons are all gone, something is threatening to bring the darkness to both the Archipelago and the summer country.  Old foes have become allies and the only way to save the worlds is to find the last apprentice of the dragons and reweave history.  The caretakers journey to the past and the future to fix things, accompanied by some of their friends.  Doctor Who and Batman are both alluded to in this volume.  One of their oldest friends/foes is the only one who can help them.

Did I like it?  Yes, again James Owen brings to life many characters from many disparate books to make an exciting new adventure.  He ties up the adventures from the previous books and sets up further adventures for our characters introducing several new organizations and characters that will act as friend and foe.

Grade-A

What is with the title of the review?  The next book in the series, The Dragons of Winter doesn’t come out until of this year and I will be picking it up as soon as it comes out.

The Shadow Dragons, The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica by James A. Owen; 2009; $17.99; 417 pages; Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York, NY; 978-1-4166-5879-6; Checked out from Multnomah County Library, Rockwood;4/24-4/27

Why did I pick this up? I absolutely love this series and this volume made me like it even more.

What is the story?  The Shadow King has come back and this time he has the shadow’s of all the dragons in the archipelago and the Spear of Destiny and is going to use them and the confusion caused by WWII in the summer country to take over both.  This requires all of the caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica, past and present, to work together.  Everyone from William Shakespeare to Lord Byron to Mary Shelley to Mark Twain are former caretakers.  They with the current caretakers they are able to forestall the danger and banish the shadow king.

Did I like it?  Yes once again James Owen has taken many disparate genres and personalities and woven them into a compelling narrative that is exciting and fun.

Grade-A

What is with the Title of the Review?  All of the actors in the title have played authors that are featured in this story.

The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica, The Indigo King by James A. Owen; 2008; $17.99; 375 pages; Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York, NY; 978-1-4169-5107-0; Checked out from the Multnomah County Library, St. Johns; 4/23-4/24

Why did I pick this up?  Because I love this series, every time I turn around James Owen is finding another way to turn literary convention on it’s head and combine stories, that I had never thought related, into a new exciting story.

What is the story?  John and Jack are joined by Hugo Dyson in this time traveling story.  Hugo goes into a door from the keep of time and disappears into the distant past.  As the door closes behind him the world around John and Jack changes into a post apocalyptic landscape.  As they travel through the centuries of time they encounter people who have been waiting years and occasionally centuries for them to arrive, due to messages they left in other times.  As they travel they are accompanied by Uncas and Fred, a couple of badgers and Chaz, who seems to be an otherworldly version of their friend Charles.  Throughout time they also encounter a set of twins, not knowing until the very end who they turn out to be, although they have encountered both of them in the earlier books, in slightly different identities.  As they travel they are also accompanied by a clockwork owl named Archimedes and encounter a Connecticut Yankee who is working in time travel for Samuel Clemens and Jules Verne.  There are many more recognizable pieces of other stories scattered throughout the book.

Did I like it?  Yes, it is still exciting to read the different spins the James Owen puts on stories that we all know of.   I think that I recommend this series to at least 3 or 4 people a day.

Grade-A

What is with the title of the review?  Everything mentioned in the title is part of the greater story here.  It is fun trying to identify all the different story elements that go into these stories.

The Emperors of Chocolate, Inside the Secret World of Hershey and Mars by Joel Glenn Brenner; 2000; $14.95; 367 pages; 0-7679-0457-5; Purchased from Amazon; 4/17-4/23

Why did I pick this up?  This is the book the book group I am in, The Corner Reading Society, is reading for our May meeting.

What is the story?  This is the story of two obsessive men who founded empires, empires built on chocolate.  Forrest Mars and Milton Hershey were men who got started in the American candy business very early and were competitors and had very different focuses on what they wanted.  Hershey was a philanthropist in the mold of Carnegie, who built a town for his workers with all kinds of free amenities and used part of his fortune to fund a trust that runs the Milton Hershey School    which since 1909 has educated lots of kids.  The school holds a controlling share of the stock of the Hershey Company and also in the Hershey Entertainment and Resorts Company.  I would like to read a history of the school, that expands on the little that I have learned about it.  On the other hand the Mars family has put  most of the money they have made back into their company and lived a simple, non flashy, wealthy life.  Both of the companies have diversified to ensure that the companies fortunes don’t depend solely on the price of cocoa.  The companies have two vastly different management styles, but in common they hold their secrets very close to the vest.  This seems to be common among the candy companies of the world, so no one can steal secrets from another.

Did I like it?  Yes, the author takes what could have been rather dry and writes in such a manner that it is very engaging, interesting and compelling.

Grade-A

What is with the title of the review?  I told one of my co-workers that I was reading this and she told me that her husband was related to the Mars family and her first statement about the family was, “Those people are crazy.”  This is a statement that was reinforced by the book.