Two Brian Hall Novels

While taking a break from reading Russian literature, I decided to purchase two of Brian Hall’s novels.

I Should Be Extremely Happy in Your Company - A Novel of Lewis and Clark

I have read where Brian Hall’s version of the the Lewis and Clark expedition is a little controversial to readers used to the hundreds of books already written. I thought it would be interesting to read this first, then read some of the more popular older versions later, as well as one of the popular books about Sacajawea, the Shoshone Indian guide and interpreter - I would have been interested in knowing her.

I have read bits and pieces of the Lewis and Clark expedition, traced out their routes, and browsed some of the popular web sites for information. It seems the Official name is called Lewis and Clark National Trail these days.

I have been told, that the branches of my family tree point to Meriwether Lewis on my grandmother’s side of the family. Her family moved to South Dakota during the late 1800s when the government opened frontier territory to settlers. They broke wild horses and sent them back to New York City and sold them as carriage horses. When my grandmother was old enough, she broke her share of the horses - in later years seeing her out in our garden, she was a bow-legged as an old trail guide.

I plan to read this Lewis and Clark novel after I read:

The Saskiad - A Novel

I started reading this book first. I have enjoyed what I have read so far.

I hate to spoil a book for someone that hasn’t read it yet - so just mentioning the name of the book may inspire you to look it up on the web!

Brian Hall’s style is great - I’m glad I saw his name on one of Kathleen A. Dahl’s blog:

Saturday, November 18, 2006
The Corps of Discovery in Fiction and Poetry

Dan Brown novels

within the past couple of years, i have read four of dan brown’s novels. i started off with, The Da Vinci Code, then read, Angels & Demons. Recently, I read, Deception Point, and Digital Fortress. althought all four novels were excellent, i enjoyed Angels & Demons, Digital Fortress, and Deception Point the most.

The Da Vinci Code was certainly full of interesting information, i seemed to have enjoyed the characters in his other novels more. the popularity of this book seems to be above all the rest.

i have read comments where people where critical of technical errors. i prefer to focus on the fictional contents of a novel. novels are entertainment to me and i am critical enough in the working world trying to achieve a goal of high quality with a defect level of zero in technology. being human, you know how complicated this goal can be.

i highly recommend Dan Brown novels. discover which of his books you enjoy the most!

John Updike’s book Terrorist

I read John Updike’s book, Terrorist’ last month during a rainy weekend. The story held my interests from the beginning to end. The writing style is quite different the writing style John used in his earlier books.

I don’t want to spoil the story - it is nice to read a book to get you own opinion.

Send me a comment if you read it and liked or disliked it.

The Friendship

Spent the day reading The Friendship Wordsworth & Coleridge by: Adam Sisman.

I have read several biographies of Wordsworth and Coleridge, but Sisman focuses on the positive side of their friendship as opposed to the negative. Other biographies choose sides.

I have learned many things about historical facts playing in the background during the lives of these two Romantic Poets. The French Revolution has played an important part in a new hope. Wordsworth and Coleridge planned a poem that would succeed where the French Revolution failed - a poem that would literally change the world.

If you are interested in the hopes and dreams, as well as failure; take a strole through the West Country and the Lakes District of England and meet many of the players that influenced a modern lifestyle you may be familiar with today. You may even fall in love with nature and be inspired by its beauty and discover a simpler and happier lifestyle.

Who knows, maybe you will write the poem that will literally change the world, or at least yourself.

Enjoy the book and prehaps a simpler and happier lifestyle.

Hemingway

On december 31st I started reading For Whom The Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway. I have been slowing reading, as well as looking up all historical information on the Spanish Civil War.

So what seems to be a long time reading a great novel, includes an interesting history lesson.

The novel is excellent so far, as well as the characters.

Reading

Recently, I enjoyed reading The Sirens Of Titan by: Kurt Vonnegut. I won’t write a book report or summerize my opinion, other than to say, “if you enjoy Sci Fi, you may be surprised what was written in this novel in 1959!”

Life Expectancy by: Dean Koontz is a very suspenseful story, full of twists and turns, and the ending was a complete surprise.

Velocity by: Dean Koontz is a very fast moving thriller. There are a few twists and turns and your imagination will race along with the clock in this fast page turning story.

I’ve just started to read For Whom The Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway. I remember reading Hemingway in school and am looking forward to getting to know him all over again with this title, as well as several other selections he wrote.

Early in 2007, I plan to read Bleak House by: Charles Dickens, then pull the bookmark from where ever I am in War And Peace by: Leo Tolstoy, and begin reading it from the beginning. I started it in October 2003, so you can see how time flies.

Speaking of time flying; each time I visit a bookstore, I could fill a wheelbarrow with books and wish I purchased all of the books that caught my attention. As I get older, I realize there is only so many hours available each day to read. If you don’t manage your free time wisely, there are fewer hours than you think, especially if you like to browse the internet, watch TV, learn new computer software, spend time with hobbies.

How wisely do you manage your free time?

Characters - life long friends

Those of you that read have many characters you call life long friends. When reading quotes from those special friends, a smile appears upon your face.

“Mrs. Joe was a very clean housekeeper, but had an exquisite art of making her cleanliness more uncomfortable and unacceptable than dirt itself.”

Pip - Great Expectations, Charles Dickens