My 2012 in Books

I set a goal for myself each year to read a book a week. They say as a writer you need to keep reading as well, to help develop new ideas and learn how all types of writing are done and I've embraced that philosophy. I read mostly fiction, since that is what I want to write, but while I will tend towards writing novels considered noir/thrillers/suspense, that's not all I read. I read a lot of YA, some romance and the occasional fantasy or sci-fi in addition to plenty of violent thrillers. I think getting all those perspectives from quality writers in different genres will help me when I develop my own characters in new projects.

In 2011 I managed to read 63 books. I didn't get to quite that many in 2012 (54), but I still bested my goal. Below is the entire list, divided into three categories. The Fiction and Nonfiction categories are books I read in their entirety, while the Other section I would consider more the reference variety - predominantly cookbooks. Some of them have stories in them, but that's not the point of their existence.

FICTION

5 Stars

I recommend any of these for any reader. Great characters, great world-building and fantastic plotting. Or, in the case of the murderous cat just plain hilarious.

Dark inside - Roberts, Jeyn
First in a series - love it.
Diaries of a Misspent Youth - Cameron, Bill
Short stories, very entertaining.
Divergent - Roth, Veronica
Another first in a YA series and I can't wait for more.
How to tell if your cat is plotting to kill you - Inman, Matthew
The Oatmeal. Enough said.
Insurgent - Roth, Veronica
Follow up to Divergent.
Kill you twice - Cain, Chelsea
Might be her best yet.
Looking for Alaska - Green, John
Rage within - Roberts, Jeyn
Follow up to Dark Inside.
The fault in our stars - Green, John
Beautiful and heartbreaking.
The Missus - Cameron, Bill
Whispers in Autumn - Leigh, Trisha
First in a series and highly recommended.
Wild thing : a novel - Bazell, Josh
Gone Girl - Flynn, Gillian
You know how they say you must trust your narrators? What if your narrators are liars?

4 Stars

If you like the genre you will love the book. If you aren't sure about the genre these are decent ones to start with.

Believe it or not - Fenske, Tawna
Dare me : a novel - Abbott, Megan E
Deliciously evil.
Die trying - Child, Lee
Endlessly - White, Kiersten
Last in the Paranormalcy series.
Hollowland (1) - Hocking, Amanda
If I Stay - Forman, Gayle
Fantastic voice and great premise.
Lone wolf : a novel - Picoult, Jodi
Loved the wolf setting and characters.
Never tell : a novel of suspense - Burke, Alafair
Portland noir - Multiple
Send - Blount, Patty
Fantastic debut. Even more poignant post-Newtown.
The whole lie - Ulfelder, Steve
Where She Went - Forman, Gayle
Followup to If I Stay.
Winter Omens - Leigh, Trisha


3 Stars

If you like the author or the genre, check it out. Otherwise may not be the best place to start.

212 - Burke, Alafair
77 Shadow Street : a novel - Koontz, Dean
Chosen - Swank, Denise Grover
Florida roadkill - Dorsey, Tim
Guilty wives - Patterson, James
In a fix - Grimes, Linda
Kill Alex Cross - Patterson, James
Mary, Mary - Patterson, James
Shroud for a Painted Beauty - Kamen, A.C.
The confession - Grisham, John
The litigators - Grisham, John
The third gate : a novel - Child, Lincoln
The twelve : a novel - Cronin, Justin
Disappointed with the followup to The Passage.
The wind through the keyhole - King, Stephen
A retro Dark Tower story that didn't need to be done.
Tripwire - Child, Lee
Where we belong : a novel - Giffin, Emily
Zone One - Whitehead, Colson

2 Stars

These were disappointing, to the point I'm not sure I'd read the next book from that author.

Kill decision - Suarez, Daniel
It's been downhill since his debut, Daemon.
Odd apocalypse : an Odd Thomas novel - Koontz, Dean
Having Koontz on this list hurts - he used to be a favorite.

1 Star

Ugh. All I can say about this is I managed to finish it.

Robert Ludlum's The Bourne imperative - Lustbader, Eric
Ludlum would not have allowed this to be published. 

NONFICTION

Normally I read fiction because I like to escape a bit, but real stories can be entertaining too.

4 Stars

Dog Man: An Uncommon Life on a Faraway Mountain - Sherrill, Martha
Story of an Akita breeder in Japan. Great stories, better than the writing.
I suck at girls - Halpern, Justin
Still funny.
Let's pretend this never happened : (a mostly true memoir) - Lawson, Jenny
Freakin' hilarious.
The sweet life in Paris : delicious adventures in the world's most glorious -- and perplexing -- city - Lebovitz, David
Quite entertaining and educational.

3 Stars

These were fine. Nothing new.

The skinny rules : the simple, nonnegotiable principles for getting to thin - Harper, Bob
Underbelly Hoops: Adventures in the CBA - Cunningham, Carson

No Stars

I may get crap for this, but I couldn't get past page 100. Way too much writer, not nearly enough story about Jobs. The author needed to get out of the way of the story, which is disappointing because I had high expectations.

Steve Jobs - Isaacson, Walter

THE OTHERS

Wifey and I use the library a lot to review books before we buy them. Usually flipping through them at a bookstore isn't really enough time, so we check them out and take our time deciding if it's a book we want to own, one we want to just review, or one we have no interest in. Typically we do this with cookbooks - a lot of cookbooks - trail guides, and items of that ilk.

These are the ones we skimmed in 2012 according to the library. The ones we decided to purchase are in bold.

5 Stars

Bouchon - Keller, Thomas
Beautiful pics and maybe someday we'll get it, but not right now.
Chocolate obsession : confections and treats to create and savor - Recchiuti, Michael
If we had interest in making confections this would be a home run. Love his chocolate.
Flour Water Salt Yeast - Forkish, Ken
Jeni's splendid ice creams at home - Bauer, Jeni Britton
Momofuku Milk Bar - Tosi, Christina
Portland, Oregon chef's table : extraordinary recipes from the City of Roses - Wolf, Laurie Goldrich
Sugar Cube: 50 Deliciously Satisfying Treats - Jensen, Kir
The Dahlia Bakery cookbook : sweetness in Seattle - Douglas, Tom
The Paley's Place cookbook : recipes and stories from the Pacific Northwest - Paley, Vitaly
Will buy this eventually.
Vintage Cakes - Richardson, Julie
Ruhlman's Twenty: 20 Techniques 100 Recipes - Ruhlman, Michael
Baking Out Loud - Goldsmith, Hedy

4 Stars

Fire in my belly : real cooking - Gillespie, Kevin
Good to the grain : baking with whole-grain flours - Boyce, Kim
Owner of Portland's Bake Shop. Great treats we buy but won't necessarily make.
Make the bread, buy the butter : what you should and shouldn't cook from scratch -- over 120 recipes for the best homemade foods - Reese, Jennifer
Momofuku - Chang, David
Ready for dessert : my best recipes - Lebovitz, David
The thing with Lebovitz's recipes is just about all of them are available online. So why buy a book?
Ripe for dessert : 100 outstanding desserts with fruit--inside, outside, and alongside - Lebovitz, David
Room for dessert : 110 recipes for cakes, custards, souffles, tarts, pies, cobblers, sorbets, ice creams, cookies, candies, and cordials - Lebovitz, David
Rustic fruit desserts : crumbles, buckles, cobblers, pandowdies, and more - Schreiber, Cory
The craft of Stone Brewing Co. : liquid lore, epic recipes, and unabashed arrogance - Koch, Greg
If I were interested in making my own beer I'd buy this in a heartbeat. Maybe someday.
The great book of chocolate : the chocolate lover's guide, with recipes - Lebovitz, David
The Skillet cookbook : a street food manifesto - Henderson, Josh
Dishing Up Oregon
My Pizza - Lahey, Jim
Baking: From My Home to Yours - Greenspan, Dorie

3 Stars

Hubert Keller's Souvenirs : stories & recipes from my life - Keller, Hubert
Wanted to like this but it's beyond what I want to do. Would love to go to one of his restaurants.
Left Coast Roast : A Guide to the Best Coffee and Roasters from San Francisco to Seattle - Neuschwander, Hanna
Mike Isabella's crazy good Italian : big flavors, small plates - Isabella, Mike
Molly Moon's homemade ice cream : sweet seasonal recipes for ice creams, sorbets, and toppings made with local ingredients - Neitzel, Molly Moon
The book of burger - Ray, Rachael
The book of yogurt - Uvezian, Sonia
The cookie dough lover's cookbook - Landis, Lindsay
The truck food cookbook : 150 recipes and ramblings from America's best restaurants on wheels - Edge, John T
The yogurt bible - Crocker, Pat
The Essential James Beard Cookbook - Rodgers, Rick
Beginnings: My Way to Start a Meal - Cosentino, Chris

Wild in the city : exploring the intertwine, the Portland-Vancouver region's network of parks, trails, and natural areas

Even More Reads and Views

Reads

Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan - This may be one of the best books I've ever read, and should be required reading for everyone. Regardless of what you eat, this book will shed some perspective on a ton of different things related to food (and I talked more about what it meant to me here). Pollan presents a variety of very intricate topics and facts, and makes it accessible to the average reader. It may just change your life.

Cleaved, by Julie Powell - Simply put, the Julie that is presented in this book is quite different than the one presented in the movie or book of Julie and Julia. She is darker, more damaged, but it's an intensely personal - and, one assumes, true - look at her own life, the life outside of the Project. Along the way you learn a lot about the life of a butcher, a path probably not too many would have predicted for her. I would suggest you read Julie and Julia first, just because reading this one first - as we did - will probably color how you approach her more well-known book.

In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan - This follow-up to Omnivore's Dilemma is meant as a simple guideline, a reaction to many people asking Pollan what people should be eating given the findings in the previous book. It's a remarkably easy answer, but Pollan backs up his mantra - "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." - with more very clear, easy to understand facts and logic. If it seems like I'm pushing this, I'm sorry - it just makes entirely too much sense to me to do otherwise.

Pirate Latitudes, by Michael Crichton - This is Crichton's post-humous release. I have mixed feelings about these kinds of things, because often they are missing the final updates by the author who knew the book best - you know, because he's dead and all. Another person simply isn't going to have the story as complete in their own mind and won't have the same frame of reference coming from the research done by the original author. They said this book as found complete, but I would guess that's not entirely true; had it been complete, it would have been turned over to a publisher. It's not a bad book, it's just not as sharp and polished as we expect from a Crichton novel. (I have the same feeling about all of those crappy 2Pac albums that came out after his death - if he wanted the songs released because he thought they were good, they would have been out already.) Crichton fans may be a little disappointed, but it's still entertaining and a fast read.

Committed, by Elizabeth Gilbert - This is the followup book to Eat. Pray. Love. - which yes, even though I'm male I did read and I did enjoy. It explores Gilbert's reluctance to step back into marriage - which makes sense given the divorce that plunged her into what became the previous book - until she was faced with the decision to marry again. It's chock full of personal inteviews from various cultures and detailed history of the institution of marriage itself. This book is also obviously a personal story, meaning the conclusions drawn aren't necessarily applicable to everyone (and Gilbert says as much); however, it's still enlightening. If you liked Eat. Pray. Love., you'll like this.

Julie and Julia, by Julie Powell - If you have seen the movie - which it seems like a lot of America, especially foodies, has - then I highly encourage you to read the book. For one, it tells a slightly different story. It's not that the book has any more or less drama than the movie, it's just different drama. For example, in the book Eric never walks out on her...which seems like a key thing one would want to be accurate on. I'm a big fan of Powell's writing style, but I know from reading various other opinions and reviews it's not for everyone. I've dug up a link to her original blog and intend to read that also at some point, but that's a lot of reading. The book is like the behind the scenes story of the project - and it's fascinating.

Snuff, by Chuck Palahniuk - Palahniuk - you may know him as "that guy who wrote Fight Club" - is absolutely, definitely, not for everyone. Mom, I would suggest not reading Chuck. His books are full of basically the raunchiest and weirdest crap you can come up with, and while it's not necessarily my cup of tea, I can't look away either. This one's premise is basically a porn star who plans on killing herself by setting a record - if you want to know more at this point, you are already going to read the book. If you don't, you aren't his target audience anyway. Palahniuk is hardly the first author to write this style of fiction (just the first I was exposed to, via Fight Club), but he won't be the last where at the end of the book you ask: "What the hell is that guy on?!"

Views

500 Days of Summer - This movie was intriguing - both of us like Zooey Deschanel - but it was horribly depressing. It's probably more accurate than most Hollywood drivel, but that doesn't make it happy. Not a big fan of the male lead, Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

The Hangover - How, exactly, had we not seen this movie yet?! Good question - even better after we saw it and realized why everyone loved it so much. Funny, entertaining - and Mike Tyson! Thumbs up.

Funny People - Contrary to what the title of the movie may lead you to believe, this is not funny. It had it's moments, sure, but in the end it just wasn't a comedy. A drama with funny points? Sure. Not a comedy though.

Terminator Salvation - The first rule of a Terminator movie is never to expect a full-fledged story but to instead be impressed with the special effects and the body count. This one is no exception. It was probably an hour longer than it needed to be.

Post Grad - On the surface this should have been a solid movie. The main characters were that girl from the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Alexis Bledel) and the quarterback from Friday Night Lights (Zach Gilford), two actors we enjoy. Unfortunately, the script was horrible and the story never seemed to be going anywhere. It didn't stand apart in any way and just seemed muddled. I wanted to like it, but can't.

All About Steve - In something that has increasingly become surprising to me, apparently I'm a fan of Sandra Bullock. She might be a bit wacky - or more than a bit - but she's also funny and, dare I say it, cute. Plus, Bradley Cooper is pretty dang entertaining himself. However, those two carried this movie, because the script wasn't the best. Glad it didn't have a typical Hollywood ending.

A Walk in the Clouds - The story here wasn't too bad, even as improbable as it was. Since it was set just after WWII, perhaps people were more trusting then, because bringing home a random guy for the weekend and telling your psycho dad he's your husband because your professor knocked you up just seems a little crazy to me. Oh yeah, and Keanu Reeves is a horrible actor.

Whip It - Add Ellen Page to the list of actresses we both like. Her humor and the delivery of her lines makes her always entertaining, and the supporting actors (Eve, Kristen Wiig, etc.) really made this work. Could have done without Drew Barrymore's character myself, but I suppose when you direct the movie you can put yourself in it too. Thumbs up.

Wedding Crashers - Wifey and I watched this the night before my sister was married (Congrats Sis!) to get in the wedding mood. Not sure it's really all that great for that, but it was entertaining. I don't think I'd say it was good, but you can't really expect that from anything starring Owen Wilson.

Surrogates - I used to be a big Bruce Willis fan, but in this movie he just came across as, well, old. I had low expectations going into this wack robot body replacement movie murder mystery - and they were met exactly. I'm sure it was a great comic book.

Latest Reads and Views

Over the past month I've actually got some reading done...so here are my thoughts on the pages I've turned.

Latest Reads

The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold - This was a very well done book. It's another teen book - like Twilight, which I liked, which may say something about me, I'd prefer not to dwell on it - but Sebold does an excellent job creating a world of the dead for her main character while still keeping her tied to the living. The upcoming movie probably won't hold a candle to the book, but they never do. Another reason I liked the book was for selfish reasons - the scenario of telling a story of a death and its repercussions told from the point of view of the dead person was an idea I have toyed with myself. And yes I came up with it before Desperate Housewives. Wow...I'm not gaining any man points here am I? Anyway, heartily recommend the read.

Dearly Devoted Dexter, by Jeff Lindsay - By now many people know Dexter because of the Showtime series, but it was a book before it was a TV show. And the first two Dexter books were very good. The third one, which came out after the first season of the show, seemed almost like Lindsay was desperately trying to make a break between his Dexter and the one on TV, and it didn't quite work. This book was a little better, and a good story - hey, stories about a serial killer with a conscience can't be all bad - but it still didn't live up to the quality of the first two novels. I hate to say it, but with the success of the previous novels and whatever Lindsay is bringing in from the TV show and complementary Dexter stuff (dolls, mugs, whatever else), the writing may be suffering a tad. I am heartened by the fact four was better than three; perhaps the next novel will be back to the same place as the first two. If you like Dexter it's still worth reading. If you haven't read Dexter before, start with the first novel.

The Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown - Brown crafts a story that is always thought provoking. The minutiae of one of his thrillers may not be altogether believable, but there is little doubting his history and research, plus his ability to put that research into a mass market story - he does it well. And it's entertaining. At times I thought the characters got bogged down in details that didn't fit the speed Brown has set - I mean, the whole book takes place in a matter of hours, right? - but it makes you think. Did you have any idea noetic science is a real science? Did you know theories about collective thoughts creating real impact on reality is something being researched today? The concept of it is fascinating and if proven could really turn the world on its head. I'm also fascinated by the history of the Masons, and may do further reading of their history at a later date. The book itself was decent - I kept the pages moving - but some of the details that stuck out (and proved to be real upon further research) were the most fascinating parts.

Alex Cross's Trial, by James Patterson and Richard DiLallo - When I first picked this up I expected it would be a story where Alex Cross - Patterson's famed hero of many novels - would somehow find himself on trial. Instead, it's apparently Alex Cross writing a book called Trial. Who knew? The story is very intriguing, set in the deep south during the early 1900s where a white lawyer is sent down there to research lynchings. It's a good read, a painful read, and it's also something that prompted discussion in our house (we do Book Club type readings a lot - get a novel from the library and each read it). However, the Alex Cross part of this story just bugged me. Cross "writes" an intro to the story talking about how it's from his family history, but then at the end it never comes back to Alex. You can guess but never find out how the Crosses in the story are related to him. Honestly, you could drop the whole Alex Cross link and the book would stand on its own much better. Still, a good read. And as always with Patterson, a fast one.

Ford County Stories, by John Grisham - I enjoy Grisham. I think the first one I read is A Time to Kill and I've read just about all of his others, usually thoroughly enjoying them. This collection of short stories I didn't need. By Grisham's own admission these are stories that didn't have enough depth to make them novels and have just been sitting around for years. Apparently Grisham is big enough he can now publish whatever he wants. However, just like with all those albums of 2Pac's that came out after his murder, that doesn't mean they SHOULD be published - there is a reason they never got to the publishing stage in the first place. Perhaps this is too harsh on Grisham, because some of the stories are okay, a couple even decent, but as a whole it seemed like kind of a waste of time. I finished most of the stories with a shrug, thinking, why did I bother? Why did he bother? Then I got a little angry for having been lured into reading. I would recommend passing.

I, Alex Cross, by James Patterson - Again, this was Patterson with Cross - this time as the main character once again - and it was entertaining. I read it in little more than a day and enjoyed the story. However, you have to remember what you are getting into with a Patterson novel. At the time of reading the story is great and flows well, and you enjoy it. However, a few hours later - just like with a movie that doesn't give you all the details - you realize you are left with questions about things that just don't seem to fit. Like, what was the point of those characters watching his house? And why leave the reference with a bad guy knowing something about Cross, when it never comes to any fruition and the character simply disappears? And why create an off-main story distraction for Cross when it never affects his work on the case as a police detective? What's the point? As a young writer (and by young I mean new, not necessarily in age) these are the things you are taught to stay away from because it detracts from the reader's enjoyment of the story. However, apparently when you get to be X amount of successful commercially (like a Patterson, or a Grisham, or someone on that level) you can apparently do whatever the hell you want. And yes, I know all of this about Patterson and read his new books anyway, so I really can't complain about it - just pointing it out as a warning to other readers who may expect more. It's entertaining, fast, and enjoyable - like a Bruce Willis movie. Just don't expect more than that.

Under the Dome, by Stephen King - I'm a sucker for a King novel. He was down for a bit (I call it a post-Dark Tower finale letdown), but his most recent effort is very, very good. And crazy long. Most books that are 1100 pages are obviously overblown, but King does a very good job not bogging a story down. He presents many, many different characters and outlooks on a story, but does it in a way so they don't get all boggled up in your mind. When a new character is introduced King spends enough time with the newbie so the reader gets a strong sense of who this character is - then when he comes back to them 60 pages later the readers isn't flummoxed by wondering who the hell this person was and have to flip back. I hate that. Wifey hates that. You probably hate that too. The premise of the story is a classic "what if" scenario: What if a giant dome suddenly appeared around a small town? And what if that town was run by someone who was completely full of himself and a somewhat religious zealot? And what if there was a giant meth lab? Just what would happen to those people caught under the dome? (I love the way this story came about - throw out a crazy idea and discuss how people would deal with it - I may try this.) It's a Lord of the Flies type play out of the scenario (at least, from what I know of that book - I haven't read it; maybe I should) and while some of it is predictable, much of it is not. Yes, 1100 pages is long and the story can be wacky, but it's also completely believable (you know, given the premise of the dome and the people presented) as to how it could play out. And it's a page-turner. People can accuse King of a lot of things, but you can't ever say his stories are dull or they are poorly constructed. Thumbs up.

I may have missed one or two...I wish the library's website told me the books I had borrowed in the past so I could use that as a reference. If I remember them, I'll just insert them and you'll never know the difference. As for my next book, it's Omnivore's Dilemma...yeah, it's on a different level than these previous ones listed here. As expected, so far it's mildly depressing along with being informative. Good stuff.

Latest Views

Taking of Pelham 1-2-3 - This is the new version, with Denzel Washington and John Travolta. I was entertained, but it wasn't anything special.

Angels & Demons - A nice companion piece to reading The Lost Symbol, the movie was interesting but fell far, far, far short of the original novel. Tom Hanks simply does not work for me as Robert Langdon. That was a casting mistake. Of course, it - and The DaVinci Code - made hundreds of millions, so my opinion probably doesn't matter.

The Ugly Truth - This was entertaining, actually. Thought not a new premise - guy and girl fall for each other while one setting up the other with someone else - it was still amusing. The restaurant business meeting scene will no doubt entertain many.

State of Play - This movie I thought was pretty good. Sort of like All the President's Men, but with more violence. Russell Crowe gave a pretty good performance of a gritty news guy who disdains new media (i.e., blogs and the like), but also proved himself to be nimble and adaptive when the story demanded it. The veteran and the new young blogger falling for each other isn't something I think is believable, but it was entertaining.

Spanglish - For some reason I thought this was going to be funnier, probably just because it had Adam Sandler. Still, it had funny spots and Sandler does a fairly respectable job as a chef while also trying to handling his crazy wife and find common ground with his new help that doesn't speak English. Tea Leoni does a pretty good job playing a crazy upper class suburban housewife - crazy probably doesn't do her justice.

Julie and Julia - As a foodie and someone who blogs - sometimes about food! - I had to see this, right? To be truthful I wasn't all that excited about it, but after seeing I understand why so many loved it. Heck, I loved it, but probably for other reasons. The concept of Julie's blog about cooking through Julia Child's book in a year is pretty fantastic, and I plan on reading her book (and maybe her blog too) when I can. It's that kind of focus in a blog that can really lift it to where it becomes a big, mainstream draw. Mine? Probably not so much. Too scattered. Food, football, beer, stuff that pisses me off - how would you market that? Really, how? If you can tell me I will be very thankful. (!) Anyway, the movie was interesting, and the extras on the Blu Ray were cool too. If you have it, make sure you do the Scrambled Eggs for Daphne recipe - they were pretty damn good.

Some Tidbits - Food, Books, Movies

Food Tidbits

Peet's Holiday Blend - We've been excited about Peet's Holiday Blend in the past and this year it sounded good, with plent of beans going into the 25th anniversary special. It promises smoothness and we found that - but it might be too smooth, if that makes any sense. It needs a little more flavor to it in my opinion - makes a good coffee for mixing things into it though, like chocolate and caramel.

Spella Caffe - I gave this cart another chance and I just can't get into it. This time I ordered a latte - which had some serious kick to it - but the flavor didn't really grab me. No idea why. I even ordered beans this time too, a Panama single origin bean. To me it's like the Holiday Blend - way too smooth. I want some more flavor.

Caffe D'Arte - This coffee place is on NE 15th between Broadway and Weidler, right by Lloyd Center. We went to one in Seattle on a food tour and the drinks were pretty good, so we decided to check out Portland's. Plus, we had a coupon for a free drink. We tried the caramel sauce latte and the truffle mocha and weren't excited about either one. Both the caramel and chocolate flavors just seemed to be of lower quality - they detracted from the overall flavor of the drink, which you never want. Add this to the fact we got beans in Seattle we didn't really like, and I'm crossing them off the list.

Ponderosa Meats - Everyone loves a good butcher, right? I confess - I used to think it wasn't a big deal to go to a specialty butcher, never really seeing a need. But we get this circular in the mail every week with an ad from Ponderosa Meats and a coupon for a free pound of ground beef when you spend $10, so once a couple years back we actually went. After one trip we were hooked. They have excellent prices on chicken, beef, and everything else. We no longer go out for steak, because we can get better cuts of meat here for a third of the price - and we can grill it ourselves. Their Hoss burgers are fantastic (three kinds of beef ground together) and they just recently added Kobe beef burgers, which we haven't tried yet. They can cut anything you need and also do this thing they call the Baconator. You have to see it - words can't describe it. It's a heart attack special to be sure, but would be a great item for a BBQ party. We will get it, some day. Anyway, great place, friendly service, good prices.

Other Stuff

George Morlan Plumbing - Monday I came home from work and noticed there was water all over the garage floor. Upon further inspection it was flowing out of the top of the water heater. Joyous. So I turned the water to it off and then had to figure out who I called. Not just a regular plumber, right? Nope, you go to the self-proclaimed Water Heater King. Of course by the time I called it was end of the day on Monday, so their first opening was Wednesday. Fine, whatever - it's nice to have family close by to borrow a shower in these instances, but not having hot water does suck. Really, there aren't any other words to describe it. Anyway, the guy was supposed to be out between 12 and 4, but finally called at 4:30 saying he was late and would be at our place by 6. At least he called - I've had people just not show up before. He made it at 5:30 and within a few minutes knew it wasn't salvageable. So the next day he came back out with a new water heater, did the install and everything in about an hour and a half, and it all works good now. Jim was very friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, and I think I got a decent price. He also repeatedly apologized about being late and about how busy they were (hey, it happens), and thanked me multiple times for being understanding. Apparently some people get angry when it can't be fixed immediately. Sure it was a hassle, but I'm good for 15 years now, I guess.

Books

The Strain - Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan - This book was super creepy. Yep, it's another vampire book, but it's definitely not in the same vein as the Twilight books or Sookie Stackhouse's Southern Vampires (which I'm working on). These vampires are pure evil and they spread like a disease. It's scary (which I usually don't say), graphic, and this first book in the trilogy reads like a movie. Considering del Toro is a director, that probably shouldn't be a surprise. I'm sure it'll be on the big screen...and I can't wait for the second book to come out.

Ochocinco - Chad Ochocinco - I've been a fan of Chad Johnson/Ochocinco since his one season with the Oregon State Beavers in 2000. We have stacks of his rookie cards and he even made us fans of the Cincy Bengals. To me he's always been fun, while a lot of others simply think he's over the top. Sometimes he is, but he sees his job as entertainment, which it is. This book, written from his point of view, gives the reader a fantastic look inside his head, his mindset, and his approach to the game. My favorite part is the mini-essays written by coaches, family, teammates, and other friends (such as Baltimore Ravens stud linebacker Ray Lewis). Given the fact this is Chad's book you might expect them to be all pro-Chad - they aren't. It's all real. People keep looking for more with Chad, but what you see is what you get. It should be enjoyed. Thumbs up on the book - it's a fast, light read, and fun if you like the NFL.

Movies

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen - I love Transformers. Loved them as a kid, still love them now. I had lowered expectations for the second movie because the first disappointed me a tad (though not because it wasn't better, but more because of my own initially high hopes), but this one surprised me. The story was better and the Transformers were, well, awesome. Sideswipe...I want that car. Lots of action, very little real violence, fantastic special effects - just don't expect more from it.

The Proposal - This was a light-hearted and amusing flick with Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock. I admit, I like both of them. Reynolds has cracked me up since Two Guys, A Girl And A Pizza Place was on TV and Bullock ever since after Speed (not including). I'm pretty sure Reynolds doesn't actually act, since every character he plays seems to have the same sense of humor, and it seems to be the same one that comes out in interviews. But you know what? I don't care - his sarcasm cracks me up. Bullock was a little unbelievable as a hardass publishing executive, but still, definitely recommend it.

Then She Found Me - We found this on Netflix that we could watch instantly on our Roku box and thought the casting seemed pretty good. I mean, Helen Hunt, Colin Firth, Matthew Broderick...it couldn't be bad, right? Whoops, we were wrong. There was a reason we'd never heard of it before. I'm pretty sure Broderick didn't think he was going to get paid for this movie - that's the vibe I got from him. I'd avoid this if I were you.

The Library Really Is An Amazing Thing

When I was little I'd go to the library all the time. I'd ride my bike with my mom and sister the five or so miles to the library in Milwaukie on the nicer summer days, picking up books by the ton. I read - a lot. In fact, that was how I measured my summers sometimes, by how many books I read.

Even when high school came around, that didn't change much. Sure, I'd hang out with friends and the later years of high school I had a job, but there was a still a lot of reading I did. The same thing in college - probably even more so. The summer after my sophomore year in college I got a job working the swing shift at the Fred Meyer warehouse. That meant hours way different from any of my friends, so I ended up returning to the library. I read before work, on my lunch hour, and late at night at home as I wound down from 9-10 hours of manual labor (read at work because, well, I didn't have a lot in common with my coworkers). I think that summer I plowed through the life works of Dean Koontz, Tom Clancy, and Stephen King - sometimes entire books in a single day.

After that summer, I kind of forgot about the library for a few years. The next summer I spent studying in Italy, and after graduation I was working - normal hours for the most part this time. After Wifey and I moved in together I started collecting books, thinking for some reason I wanted to have a big library of my own. That's hard to do when you live first in an apartment and then in a modest sized home - not exactly room for a library anywhere.

Plus, I don't read books more than once. Ever. I know some people talk about favorite books and how they re-read them, but I can't really do that. I mean, why? I know what happens...where is the suspense? And if I'm not going to read something again, what's the point of owning the book?

A couple years ago Wifey finally talked me into getting my own library card in our county, something I hadn't done in the eight years we had lived there. I had just been using hers for a short time, but I started reading a ton more. Going to the library isn't like it was when I was younger, either.

Back then I'd go with no real plan, no book in mind, and just browse the shelves looking for something to catch my eye. Now I know what I like and technology has made it so I can manage my library account online, placing holds at will and simply waiting for my name to come up, then going to the library just to grab my holds. No browsing. There's something to be said for browsing, for sure, but when you only have limited time and you know what you want, this is practically unbeatable.

I will admit to placing hold requests on books that are on the shelf at my "home" library also. I mean, how lazy am I, right? I could go in and grab the book off the shelf, but instead I click from my computer and a library volunteer has to do that and move it to the held section for me. Whatever.

The library today has so many more options. Heck, my library does have the standard DVDs and CDs, but they also rent Blu-Ray discs and video games for Wii, PS3, and XBox. Considering Blu Rays are still not widely used we typically have our pick of the litter - and who looks for them at the library?!

These buildings and services truly are remarkable. They put everyone on an even playing field, leaving it up to you to decide how you want to entertain or educate yourself. I will still buy the occasional book - usually something I might use for a while, such as a book of workouts or a wine reference book - but a piece of fiction I'm only going to read once? Why bother?

The juxtaposition of this, as someone who would like to write a novel someday and sell a million copies, is something I have thought about but don't have an answer about how to reconcile. I mean, authors will always need people to buy their books, right? (Whether or not that's an actual book or a new technology, such as delivered solely via a Kindle or something.) So if everyone just gets it at the library...can an author still be successful? Anyone know?

I'm going to work on that for myself, but for now I'd just like to offer a public thank you to the creators of idea of the public library. According to Wikipedia - which we all know is the be all and end all of fact - they have been around since Roman times. Personally, if the library needs tax money for something, it's going to be really hard for me to ever turn them down. I'd love to see them add more books and staff and options, but they are traditionally severely underfunded and run by a high percentage of volunteers.

It's a fantastic concept and more people should take advantage of it. Or maybe they shouldn't - that will just make my hold times longer.

Latest Reads and Views

Books

Shooting Stars - Buzz Bissinger and LeBron James: Actually got this book to review for the other job. I wasn't expecting much, but it was actually pretty intriguing, well-written, kept my interest, and told a good story about a group of friends dealing with stardom. As a sports book it's well done (I'll admit it - my expectations are lower), but it's a decent read overall.

Roadside Crosses - Jeffrey Deaver: I used to love Deaver's writing, absolutely love it. However, I think stardom has changed him somewhat - similar to what I said about Dean Koontz a while back. It's not that this book was bad, it's just not at the quality standard he has previously set for himself. He also is putting too much of himself into the book. Do I really care the main character loves to find obscure music all over the world, listens to it in the car, and do I need to know the name of the group, the type of music, the track number, etc? If it's relevant to the story, fine - but this isn't relevant. Instead, it's just distracting because you keep expecting there to be some relevance where there is none. It's not like I'm a big-time writer or anything, but even I know you can't distract the reader. No matter how good the rest of the narrative is the reader - the only reason you write a book, other than narcissism - will not have a good experience. Unfortunately, that's how I felt here - the narrative was excellent, but there were too many distracting pieces that didn't fit.

Swimsuit - James Patterson and Maxine Paetro: This books was alternately engrossing and disturbing - for the first 90% of the book. The end, though, left a ton to be desired. It has an ending, but it was way, way too neat and for it to match with the rest of the detail and intrigue of the book should have been 10 times longer. In some books that might be too much, but it would have been good here. I don't know exactly how the dual writer role works in a book - I know Patterson has a couple proteges he works with - but it's almost like they mapped out only the first three-quarters, did that well, and then wrote the end in five minutes and never reviewed it. Sad, because this was a great read - typical Patterson fast and violent - most of the way through.

Watchmen - Alan Moore: I'd been on the waiting list at the library for this for almost a year. That's what I get for waiting until the movie was coming out to request it. Now, I saw the movie first, so I knew the story. I was hoping the story would fill in the blanks of things missing in the movie. For the most part it did, but the story was still, really, the same. Maybe it's because it's just so damn depressing, but while it was very well done and kept my attention, I can't say it was anything super significant to the literary world or even was that great. I thought V For Vendetta was a better story, a better epic.

You're Okay - It's Just A Bruise - Dr. Rob Huizenga: If you know who Huizenga is it's probably from NBC's The Biggest Loser, which is how I became aware of him as well. He's the doctor on the show, the one who tells everyone who they are on the brink of death in the beginning and then congratulates them on how far they have come later. I can't recall how I came across this, but apparently he had written a book because he used to be the team doctor for the L.A. Raiders - I had to check that out. Huizenga's writing style makes this book very accessible even though it's told from the doctor's perpsective, which was something I wasn't sure about - didn't want a medical book. He was the team doctor during the mid-eighties to about 1991, spanning the careers of greats like Marcus Allen and Howie Long. He also was intimately involved in the Lyle Alzado steroids and cancer story, talked to legendary owner Al Davis, had a falling out with the team's orthopedist, was horribly underpaid, was president of the NFL doctors, tested out thousands of potential draft picks (and Bo Jackson), and helped form the NFL's more stringent drug policy under former commissioner Paul Tagliabue. All of that, and now he's back in the spotlight on the 8th season of The Biggest Loser, and has his own medical practice in L.A. Yep, I'd say he's doing all right for himself - and he's led an immensely interesting life. The book is definitely worth a read, especially if you like football and/or the Raiders.

Movies

Coraline: Loved this movie. It was odd and weird - in a Nightmare Before Christmas kind of way - but enthralling. Definite recommendation. Thing is, it's supposed to be a kid movie - if I was a little kid this thing would freak the hell out of me.

Fanboys: I'll be honest - I'd never heard of this. Wifey thought it sounded good though, so it showed up via Netflix and I was very pleasantly surprised. It's infinitely geeky, but at the same time it's pretty funny. I could completely see this movie being re-done with sports fans - or, actually, maybe it has been already? It's called Big Fan. Might have to see it.

300: I thoroughly enjoyed this movie about Sparta, and on the Blu-Ray it had a feature talking about how much of it was true and how much was fantasy. I was surprised how much of this was true - wow. Glad I didn't grow up in Sparta. Entertaining, violent, and gory - how can you go wrong?

Fool's Gold: This wasn't the worst movie in the world, but it wasn't that great either. Not really the funny, the action and intrigue was just okay, and Matthew McConaughey has changed a lot as an actor since he was in A Time to Kill. Not in a good way. Kate Hudson is growing on me though.

Beowulf: Odd, crazy, weird - and yet mesmerizing. I still don't know if this movie was good or not, but I couldn't look away. The effects were excellent, the characters were strong, I just don't really know how I feel about it.

Latest Reads and Views

One of the nice things about summer - and the dogs days of summer at my moonlighting job - is you can take some time to relax and catch up on things, like books and movies. Since I love books and movies, I've been doing a lot of that over the past few weeks. Here's some quick hits and misses.

Reads

Slumdog Millionaire - Bet you didn't know this was a book, did you? It was originally published under the name Q&A and was written by Vikas Swarup, an Indian diplomat. The book was the basis for the movie, but in general terms only. The main characters have different names (Ram as opposed to Jamal for the main character), but the story where the poor kid knows the answers to all the quiz show questions based on the experiences of his life is the same. Of course, the specific stories are all different as well. In a way, that makes the book better than I expected after watching the movie because it was all new, and it tells the story in a different way. I can't say the book or the movie is better than the other, but the book is definitely worth a read.

Relentless - This is the latest offering by Dean Koontz and I have to say I'm disappointed. It's not that the story is bad or boring, but I think something has been lost in how Koontz tells a story from his earlier days of such amazing thrillers as Intensity and House of Thunder to what he does today. Since he started the Odd Thomas series his characters have changed a bit, like Koontz is more concerned with creating the idea of his characters rather than continuing to do what made him a star. The stories aren't bad, and when he gets to the action its just as riveting as in the previous best sellers, there is just less of it. In fact, in this book nothing action like really happens for 50 pages. That's fine and doesn't make it bad, it's just not my expectation when I pick up a Koontz book, you know? Of course, I'll keep reading though. Tom Clancy went through something similar until his most recent novel, when suddenly the old Clancy was back. That's what I'm hoping is in the future for Koontz - bring back the thriller!

My next read is Shooting Stars, about LeBron James by Terry Pluto. Two chapters into it and I'm pretty enthralled. After that I have a stack of books I'm on the short list for at the library...good thing I have a vacation coming up!

Views

The Watchmen - This movie was epic, definitely, but I'm not entirely sure it was good. I felt like there were multiple pieces of the story I wasn't getting, so thankfully I'll be getting the graphic novel from the library soon. Of course, that doesn't say good things about the movie. I was a tad disappointed they couldn't pull this off as well as they did V For Vendetta (loved the graphic novel and the movie).

Oceans Series - In a span of a few days we watched Oceans 11 off the Roku box via Netflix (if you have Netflix and don't have a Roku box you are missing out), watched Oceans 12 on Blu-Ray from the library, and then had Oceans 13 delivered on Blu-Ray from Netflix. Oceans 12 was the least good, but all of them were entertaining. I'm a fan of the repartee between the characters of Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Matt Damon (and those other guys), but can I say any of them were actually good? Oceans 11 I would probably call good - the other two were just pretty entertaining.

The Soloist - I found this one pretty entertaining, and I enjoy the true stories. Jamie Foxx - as usual - was an excellent actor and I thoroughly enjoy Robert Downey, Jr. even if he does play the same character in every movie he is in. Thumbs up.

Knowing - I won't say this was especially good, but it was entertaining. I like Nicolas Cage's movie more than a lot of people, but it's not for the acting that's for sure.

I Love You Man - I admit it, I'm a big fan of Paul Rudd. I was hoping this movie would be really good and funny, but in the end it was just pretty amusing - it didn't really break the mold on anything. Still, a fun watch.

Nim's Island - $25 says you have never heard of this movie, and you'd be surprised to hear it stars Gerard Butler, Abigail Breslin, and Jodie Foster. It's a kid's movie about a girl stranded on a tropical island after dad gets stuck in a storm at sea. It's actually pretty entertaining, for something rated G and not a cartoon. Foster, in my mind, was excellent as an agoraphobe, though how she finally got talked out of the house isn't entirely believable. Decent movie to watch with kids, but it's not really date night material.

P.S. I Love You - This movie made be angry. Not because it's bad or anything, but it was billed as a romantic comedy and is really just a depressing sobfest. Butler shows up again and does a solid job, and Lisa Kudrow reprises her Friends role without the blondeness. I'm not a Hillary Swank fan, but she was entertaining, though my favorite actor was Harry Connick, Jr. in his role as the guy with no filter. Big fan of his. The movie is good - just don't go into expecting laughs, because it's assuredly not funny.

License to Wed - I think every member of The Office made an appearance in this move except Steve Carill. John Krasinksi didn't have to step outside of his Jim character at all, so he did great. Not a big fan of Robin Williams, and the extras on the DVD all involve him doing not funny things people think are funny. What people, I don't know. The movie was entertaining, but really all I could think about through the whole thing was I am so glad Wifey wasn't some religion where I had to go through something like that. After the movie she told me the same thing about me. Three cheers for small weddings on the beach in Maui!

Fool's Gold is probably up next, and Netflix has Adventureland on the way...more reviews in a week or two!

This and That - While Loving Air Conditioning

Funny - I just got an email from a friend who lives in the Phoenix area, telling me he feels sorry for me. Why? Because the Northwest is getting hit by heat the likes that has never been recorded. Oh, and he'd like me to note it's supposed to be 114 in his fair town today.

And he feels sorry for Portland?!

Well, there is no other way to put - it sucks in Portland right now.

Monday was 103 - broke the record for that date.

Monday's overnight low was 74 - broke the all-time record for any date.

Tuesday was 106 - broke the record for that date (was "only" 101).

Tuesday night's overnight low was projected to be 75 - yep, another record. (Apparently it only got to 71...oh well.)

Today (Wed) was originally projected to be 108, but has dropped to 107. 107 would break the record for the date, but 108 would be the hottest Portland temperature ever recorded. (The actual temp only reached 106 - how sad! I have to deal with this hell and we don't even get an all-time record for it?! Hell, 107 was the day's record, so we hit 106 and got nothing but misery...)

If current models hold true Portland will be over 90 degrees through Monday or Tuesday, which would be a string of nine or 10 straight days. Only once in recorded history has Portland had a string of eight such days.

And in other news, it was 126 in my attic yesterday. I think that's a record - though I might have to update that this evening based on today's heat.

I think it's safe to say I'm happy the air conditioning was fixed last week. Even though it is functioning perfectly now, it's just too damn hot. I was getting worried when my downstairs was 78 last evening (instead of the set temp of 74), but the cold air was blowing. It's just too damn hot outside for the air conditioner to keep up. Thankfully once the sun went down the temperature inside the house started to decrease as well. At 9pm last night it was 87 upstairs in the office. Fun times.

I'm blowing the max AC in my car on the way to work. At 7am. That's insane.

My mother-in-law is staying with us through this heat wave because her house doesn't have air conditioning. She went home to water some plants last evening and her thermostat registered 88 - on the lower floor of the house.

Yep, it's a scorcher. In the words of the weatherman: "This will be the kind of heat wave you tell your grandkids about."

Well, I won't be telling MY grandkids...I think you need kids for that to happen, if I remember correctly. I could be the old guy telling someone else's random kids at the park...but that probably has no good outcome. Plus, what kids care about weather anyway?!

There is one good thing about being stuck at home because walking outside - even to the car - has me dripping sweat off the end of my nose, and that's getting caught up on my favorite kind of pursuits. That's right, the sedentary kind!

What I'm Reading: Just finished up Bill Bryson's The Mother Tongue. While to most people a history of the English language and how it got that way doesn't seem that exciting, it was actually really interesting to find out how words came to be, and how they morphed over the years. Plus, Bryson can make just about anything interesting, and he can make the normally interesting hilarious. If you have never read him before, check out A Walk in the Woods or The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid. Or any of his other books - you can't go wrong.

Next up is Anthony Bourdain's A Cook's Tour - based around his first television series on The Food Network. Two chapters in and I'm loving, just like all his other books. Interestingly enough, I never saw this show but it apparently has no life at all on DVD, possibly because of how much he disparages the Food Network. No Reservations - one of the best shows on TV - is all over the place, but not A Cook's Tour. If you like Bourdain's show you must read Kitchen Confidential.

Oh, and after that, who knows? I have some newer books I'm on the waitlist for at the library, plus the 50 or so of my own books I haven't read yet.

What I'm Watching: We watched Revolutionary Road on Blu-Ray last week, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslett. It was a pretty well done movie - the acting was good - but I just didn't find the story all that enthralling. Horribly depressing yes, and I can see the pathos in the characters, but that doesn't mean the story is automatically a must-watch. The movie we watched before that was The Reader, a movie that was acted just as well but the story was more compelling. Yes, apparently it was a Kate Winslett phase.

Netflix has since sent us The Watchmen, but we haven't carved out 3+ hours to watch it yet.

On TV we are watching the aformentioned No Reservations and America's Got Talent, plus Mental and Better Off Ted. Superstars - lame but oddly compelling - and the Terrell Owens Show are being grabbed by the DVR as well.

Maybe by the end of the summer we'll get to some of the HBO shows we have on DVD...The Wire? Entourage? The Sopranos? Have Season 1 of all of them (and Season 2 of The Wire), we just haven't gotten to them yet.

Maybe I need to take a vacation to catch up. :)

We also tried a couple of food places last weekend, neither of which merit their own post. We drove west out Baseline Road towards Hillsboro from a place we stop at regularly - more on the Mutt at some later date - and found a coffee place called Insomnia and a pizza place called La Bella Vita.

Insomnia was fine - got a mocha, my staple - but nothing special. They serve Sleepy Monk Coffee, which can be found in Cannon Beach, OR, and they do a decent job of it - it's just not special enough for me to go out of my way for it. Also, we picked up a cookie as well, one of the fresh baked goods they carry (from a local place whose name escapes me now). It was, well, not that great. Wifey can do a better job with her eyes closed.

At La Bella Vita we picked up a personal sized BBQ chicken pizza. It was mid afternoon on a hot day, but it was also completely dead. I mean completely - as in no one else in the place. I think our purchase barely justified paying the two employees working for the time it took our pizza to cook. If you click on the link you can see users on Yelp loved the place, but we weren't that sold. The crust was good - nice taste, good thickness - but it wasn't better than Pizza Schmizza, another local chain. The toppings were solid, but it wasn't as good as Pizzicato. Both of those places are closer to my house, so you can see where I'm going with this. Plus, neither of those places get better than three stars our of five for me, so that must mean La Bella Vita gets a max of two.

And yes, you should get a taste of what comes out of the home oven - we actually made pizza on Monday, and it was roughly a hundred times better with homemade crust, high quality meats and cheeses, and fresh veggies.

So if you happen to be driving by and need pizza or coffee these two places aren't terrible, but there is little reason to make a special trip.