February 25, 2011 by brendanmstewart

Happy Birthday, George

What better way to celebrate?

Searchin’

On The Charts

Buried Treasure: Thunderclap Newman, Hollywood Dream
Rock is Dead…Again? YUNGBLUD and the Next Resurrection
Ty Segall: Possession
A Year of Reading: 2025 In Books
Grant-Lee Phillips: In the Hour of Dust
The Grip Weeds: Soul Bender
Twenty Thousand Roads: The Ballad of Gram Parsons and His Cosmic American Music, by David N. Meyer
The Death of Summer: Brian Wilson and Sly Stone, RIP
Homeward Bound: The Life of Paul Simon, by Peter Ames Carlin
The Ruen Brothers: Ten Paces
Hollywood: The Oral History, by Jeanine Basinger and Sam Wasson
Vintage Trouble: Heavy Hymnal
Hot Wired Guitar: The Life of Jeff Beck, by Martin Power
Smashing Pumpkins: Aghori Mhori Mei
X: Smoke & Fiction

Juke Box Music

In Heavy Rotation:

Frozen Charlotte—Jack White
Foreign Tongues—The Rolling Stones

Bookends

Currently reading:

Dark Places—Gillian Flynn

Read in 2026:

Hollywood Dream, The Thunderclap Newman Story: Pete Townshend, a Band of Outsiders, and the Birth of British Indie Music—Mark Wilkerson

Interesting but overstuffed biography of the careers of the three members of one of the greatest one-hit wonder bands.

Long Agos and Worlds Apart: The Definitive Small Faces Biography—Sean Egan

One of the best bands from Swinging London finally gets a good biography. Detailed and compelling.

Alternative For The Masses: The '90s Alt-Rock Revolution–An Oral History—Greg Prato

Very good companion piece to the author's earlier history of Seattle music, focusing on the bands other than the Big Four of the alt-rock scene.

The Ink Black Heart—Robert Galbraith

J.K. Rowling's other nom de plume "strikes" here with a 1000 page doorstop of a book featuring the detectives Strike and Ellacott. Twisty, fun mystery that takes place in the world of online gaming.

Audition—Ryu Murakami

Very good Japanese horror novel that satirizes the objectification of women. The basis for the film of the same title that shocked even jaded horror fans.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest—Ken Kesey

The classic novel about the irrepressible desire to live as freely as possible and not conform to the dictates of others.

The Seventies—Bruce J. Schulman

Mediocre history never gives you the feeling of the times and fails to make the case for its importance as a "defining" decade.

The Daughter of Time—Josephine Tey

An intriguing mystery that revolves around a modern detective investigating the life of Richard III and the deaths of the young princes.

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass—Frederick Douglass

Searing and heartbreaking memoir of the great slavery abolitionist's years as a slave.

Stay Close—Harlan Coben

Excellent mystery that once again manages to tell a great story from Coben's standard plot devices.

The Abolition of Man—C.S. Lewis

Brilliant apologia that takes the education system to task for failing to teach because of a reliance on subjective notions of truth and beauty.

Gone Baby Gone—Dennis Lehane

Considered the best of the Patrick Kenzie/Angela Gennaro novels, and it's hard to argue with that assessment.

The Devil By Name—Keith Rosson

The strong sequel to Fever House picks up five years later in a landscape where marauding "fevered" wander and the government looks to assert control over the survivors. Good stuff.

The Reversal—Michael Connelly

The third Lincoln Lawyer novel finds defense attorney Mickey Haller taking a turn as prosecuter, aided by his ex-wife and investigator Harry Bosch. Excellent.

Mere Christianity—C.S. Lewis

The classic apologetic makes a clear, rational, and logical defense of the shared beliefs of all Christians.

The Ninth Configuration—William Peter Blatty

Part Spellbound, part One Few Over the Cuckoo's Nest, the story of a patient in a psychiatric hospital searching for proof of the existence of God.

Senseless—Ronald Malfi

Three distinct plots end up weaving together in a tale or murder and madness. Malfi's one of the most reliably good, readable authors in the thriller/suspense genre. Definitely a cut above as a writer and storytelller.

Gone For Good—Harlan Coben

The past comes back to wreak havoc in the present in yet another twist-filled page turner from Coben.

If She Wakes—Michael Koryta

A witness to a crime suffers from Locked In Syndrome and can't communicate with the investigator looking into the situation, or warn anyone about the assassin keeping close watch. Very good.

It's the End of the World as We Know It: New Tales of Stephen King's The Stand—edited by Christopher Golden and Brian Keene

Strong anthology of tales set in the world of Captain Trips, Stephen King's plague-ravaged world contains a number of gems and a few misses.

Sharp Objects—Gillian Flynn

A troubled journalist returns to her hometown and the seat of her trauma to investigate the murder of two children. Very good thriller.

The Never Game—Jeffrey Deaver

Survivalist Colter Shaw seeks the reward money for finding a kidnapped girl only to be drawn deeper into a murderous conspiracy. Good, but not great.

Hold Tight—Harlan Coben

A missing teenager, despondent since his best friend killed himself, is the focus of another Coben mystery. Not one of his best.

The Genius of the System: Hollywood Filmmaking in the Studio Era—Thomas Schatz

Fascinating history of the early days of Hollywood, with dozens of case studies of the films that came from that era.

The Devils of D-Day—Graham Masterton

Terrible novel about ridiculous people involved in a ludicrous plot with a conclusion that is inane beyond reason.

Nightshade—Michael Connelly

A Jane Doe is found murdered and it's up to Sheriff Stilwell to solve her killing and the political corruption that surrounds the case. The first in a new series from the author of the Bosch and Lincoln Lawyer novels.

Prayers For Rain—Dennis Lehane

The penultimate Kenzie and Gennaro novel finds the estranged partners and lovers pulled back together. As always Lehane writes an excellent book with strong characters and tense situations.

We Are All Guilty Here—Karin Slaughter

Top-notch thriller about two missing girls picks up twelve years later when another girl goes missing. The first in Slaughter's North Falls series.

Revolutionary Characters: What Made the Founders Different—Gordon S. Wood

Well-written and fascinating history of the main players in the founding of America: Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, Hamilton, Adams, Madison, and...Aaron Burr?

Glitz—Elmore Leonard

Leonard's dialogue-driven novels are almost always worth reading. While this isn't his strongest book it does feature the usual Elmore Leonard highlights: a strong protagonist, a stronger antagonist, and a little Mob warfare on the side.

Down Cemetery Road—Mick Herron

Herron's first novel suffers from some early flaws, primarily in characterization and plotting, but does have much of the sharp ear for dialogue that would become his hallmark with the Slough House novels.

Open Carry—Marc Cameron

The first novel featuring U.S. Marshal Arliss Cutter is an okay mystery about a fishing village in Alaska where a triple murder has taken place against the backdrop of a reality television show. Nothing special.

The Whisper Man—Alex North

A disappearance evokes memories of a 20-years-old homicide investigation. A little bit of Silence of the Lambs as a detective and local investigator team up to figure out who is the new perpetrator who seems to know everything the imprisoned murderer knows.

The Monkey's Raincoat—Robert Crais

The debut novel featuring the Disney-loving private eye Elvis Cole and his laconic partner Joe Pike as they investigate a missing husband and son and get pulled into a deeper mystery in Los Angeles's seedy underground.

Six Years—Harlan Coben

Good thriller from Coben hits the usual notes: missing person, lots of twists and turns, and a driven (some might say obsessive) protagonist.

Brothers—Alex Van Halen

Touching memoir about the early days of Van Halen, and especially the relationship between Eddie Van Halen and his brother. Gives a well-rounded view of the famous guitarist and an evenhanded look at the band as a whole (though bassist Michael Anthony is barely mentioned).

Gone Girl—Gillian Flynn

Excellent thriller that served as the basis for the Ben Affleck film. Moves like a Concorde jet and almost impossible to put down.

The British Are Coming!—Rick Atkinson

Very strong and extremely detailed history of the beginnings of the Revolutionary War, from Concord to Trenton. It's a long book, over 800 pages, to cover just two years of the conflict so the reading can be a bit dense at times. Still, it's extremely well-researched and Atkinson has an excellent reputation as a historian. The first volume in a proposed trilogy.

Coffin Moon—Keith Rosson

A man and his niece will go to any lengths to avenge the murder of his wife and her parents, despite knowing that the killer is a violent, bloodthirsty vampire.

Blood Work—Michael Connelly

Excellent mystery as a former FBI agent seeks to solve the seemingly random murder of a woman in a store robbery. There's way more to it than that and this is another strong outing for Connelly.

The Winds of War—Herman Wouk

Excellent novel detailing the lives of the Henry and Jastrow families as they navigate the perils of Europe and Russia in the early days of World War II.

Kill Shot—Vince Flynn

Super agent Mitch Rapp in his sophomore adventure trying to evade assassins from within his own agency. Very good storyline, and Rapp is a great character.

Die Trying—Lee Child

Poor Jack Reacher just wants to travel the Earth and listen to blues music but keeps finding himself on the wrong end of very bad guys, in this case a heavily armed militia. Not the best Reacher effort but not bad.

Moonlight Mile—Dennis Lehane

The sequel to Gone, Baby, Gone picks up 12 years later as the now teenaged Amanda Macready once again has vanished. Not the best way to conclude the Kenzie and Gennaro series, but still quite good.

Savage Run—C.J. Box

Game warden Joe Pickett finds himself caught between land owners, environmentalists, and his own wife in this strong second entry in the Pickett series.

Rules of Prey—John Sandford

Brilliant detective Lucas Davenport is on the trail of a serial killer known for leaving the "rules" of murder on his victims (e.g., "Never use the same weapon twice"). Very good introduction to the Davenport series.

The Fifth Witness—Michael Connelly

The fourth Lincoln Lawyer novel finds Mickey Haller defending a woman against a murder charge and believing that his client may actually be innocent.

The Given Day—Dennis Lehane

An excellent sprawling historical novel that touches on Lehane's beloved Boston police department, circa 1918 with themes of corruption, crime, race relations, unionization, and family dynamics.

Triptych—Karin Slaughter

Emotionally damaged Georgia Bureau of Investigation agent Will Trent tracks a killer in the first of a series that inspired the television show Will Trent.

Nobody's Fool—Harlan Coben

A long presumed dead woman shows up twelve years after she was apparently murdered at the classroom where her supposed killer is now teaching. Lots of twists and a wild ride to a too-brief and perfunctory conclusion.

The Poet—Michael Connelly

A reporter investigating the strange suicide of his brother uncovers links to similar suicides across the country, leading to the conclusion that an Edgar Allan Poe-obsessed serial killer is at work.

The Dorians—Nick Cutter

Very good novel about tampering with nature and playing God. Cutter is one of the bright lights in modern horror.

Conversations at the American Film Institute with the Great Moviemakers: The Next Generation—George Stevens Jr.

A series of interviews with directors, actors, cinematographers, producers, composers and anyone else involved in the process of movie making. Very interesting.

Back of Beyond—C.J. Box

The first Cody Hoyt novel presents a protagonist that is not really easy to like as he attempts to discover who is responsible for a series of murders disguised to look like accidental deaths. A good start to a series.

Incidents Around The House—Josh Malerman

Genuinely creepy and unsettling novel told from the perspective of an eight-year-old girl who befriends an entity she calls "other Mommy", but finds that this spirit may not have her best interests in mind.

World Gone By—Dennis Lehane

The finale of the gangster Joe Coughlin series that began with The Given Day reaches a strong conclusion here. The best book in the series.

The Ridge—Michael Koryta

A big cat animal sanctuary on a haunted mountain is the setting for Koryta's novel about the price some people are willing to pay for survival.

Night Work—Steve Hamilton

A probation officer finds himself accused of multiple murders of women that he knows, and searches to find the killer that's framing him.

The Bourne Identity—Robert Ludlum

The influential novel created the archetype for the modern action thriller, but has poor characterization and a ridiculous love story. Excellent action scenes redeem it somewhat.

Through The Past, Darkly

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