Stephen Markley's Fascinating Debut Novel, Ohio

I just love the smell of literary fiction early in the morning.

After reading random pages on Amazon, I knew right away this was my kind of story and I ordered it so I can gladly add it to my library. (I'll post a funny meme of me sliding this book into my top shelf with a broad grin on my face.)

Getting to finish this book any time soon is another matter but I look forward to starting it and I'll faithfully dedicate my Sunday's to several chapters at a time until I finish the nearly 500 pages. For me, that's around the year 2057, give or take a year or two, or before I die, whichever comes first.

Forgive my Digression

Let's keep in mind this is a debut novel and appearing epic in scope does count. Disregard Stephen King's new offering, Sleeping Beauties; a 720 page tome spliced together by a collaboration of two good authors with one good idea. Really? A pastiche of The Stand and Under The Dome, I've heard.

Only Stephen King can get away with something like this, along with 15-second book teasers. What a pitch! And it works. I'll collect the hardcover and try to get into this one but I am getting older by the minute, gentlemen. Okay, enough of that.

Back To Ohio

Let's face it, I'm not a big fan of long novels because I really live for the endings, not because I want the story to end, but because endings are the best part. (No worries, Mr. Markley, I will read every word of Ohio.)

How do we get through so much stuff on a daily basis? I am only semi-retired, and with so much of my own work, plus hundreds of channels to choose from, imagine that. Oh, I almost forgot; most of those channels are unwatchable. Right.

I don't know about you, but I learned to speedread for good reason. Last time I checked, there are still only 24 hours in a day. And here we go, I just caught a glimpse of American Horror Story: Apocalypse. How can I miss that? (Focus, focus.) I'll record it and watch it on Sunday, right after that annoying Sunday Morning program with Jane Pauley. (Is she really that wholesome?)

Look for my review of American Horror Story soon. Hey, I have a board game with the same theme to promote. What can I say? (Sign up for e-mail alerts.)

Back To Ohio (For real. Hey this is not the NY Times)

Not so in this case because literary(ish) fiction is actually fun to read; as far as I can tell with Markley's book. Thankfully, Mr. Markley seems to have a good bit of writing chops. Good for him. No slouches allowed in the Iowa Writers' Workshop, you know.

They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but this cover spells literary fiction all over it. It's all about the words first and then the plot. And none of it disappoints. It's all good.

Think of it this way. Every book; every good book, deserves a spot in literary history; a moment in time to fit in and work its magic. Ohio, the novel, could be one of them.

You never know, I could be reading the next, great American novel. It sure feels that way so far. I'll let you know for sure in 2057. Right. Don't hold your breath.

Congratulations, Stephen Markley. This is quite an achievement and I will savor every word.

Scout's honor.

Sleeping Beauties by Stephen King and Owen King

Stephen King certainly needs no promotion from me, but I thought I'd spread the love. Check out his and Owen King's new book, Sleeping Beauties, in this very short, but very interesting book teaser.

Is this book really 720 pages long? Oh, I get it, two authors, one launch. How does that work? Who got more words in? Hopefully Owen did. It was his idea, anyway. (Like father, like son.)

I'll have to take an early retirement to get through this one. But sounds like a good read. I look forward to getting it.

Anthony Bourdain's Last Boner

Photo, Melanie Dunea: Anthony Bourdain's Last Supper

Like most fanatics of Parts Unknown, on CNN,  or Travel Channel's, No Reservations, when the news of Anthony Bourdain's death by suicide trickled in, I found it hard to believe.

Why would Anthony Bourdain do such a thing? I thought. He's a man's man; a Dean Martin type, living the life that every man would love to live. He had a beautiful wife, a lovely daughter and a kick-ass job. What more can a man want out of life?

Right. What more can a man ask for?

Apparently, there was something else Bourdain could not have. The perfect life. From the outside looking in, Bourdain seemed to have it all. Both, while on travel shooting episodes, and in his personal life, Bourdain seemed to be on top of the world. Successful. Invincible. Happy.

What more can a man ask for?

So now what?

Fuck if I know. We could get into Sigmund Freud's theory of life and death instincts, Eros and Thanatos. That would be reasonable conjecture, considering Bourdain's outlook on life, which to me seemed a bit on the dark side. But heck, who am I to judge? We all tend to have a dark side and frankly, that dark side was the allure for many of us.

Bourdain, by all accounts was a no-nonsense, no bullshit, take-no-prisoners kind of writer. I can't remember him sugar-coating anything, ever. And I loved that about him. Whether that was his television persona, or part of his true personality, Anthony Bourdain was engaging in a way that most TV personalities were not.

The Church of Anthony Bourdain . . .

Like any true fan, I faithfully tuned-in, recorded, and binge-watched every episode. The show was, The Church of Anthony Bourdain, after all. Most episodes included raw footage of every location's underbelly, sexual, musical and literary references, all with a smattering of profanity along the way. What's not to like? It was Bourdain's secret recipe for irresistible content. Producer's take note. This was how to engage an audience; Anthony Bourdain style.

Like most viewers, I had a boner for this show. I think Anthony Bourdain had the biggest boner of all (don't let that photo fool you.) but regrettably not forever. Sometimes, too much of a good thing is well, not a good thing. And so it seems that Anthony Bourdain wanted to go out on top of his game. You know, king of the hill, sort of thing.

Maybe his biggest fear 
was how to top himself professionally . . .

Maybe his biggest fear was how to top himself professionally or that he might fail in some way as a father or a husband. Maybe he wanted to retire to enjoy more time with his family but didn't want to disappoint his colleagues with a pink slip. Quite a conundrum, indeed. Yet, nothing worthy of this final outcome.

Initially, I was saddened by the news of Bourdain's death by suicide. In a way, I still don't believe he took his own life and that something was amiss because his death does not add up. Maybe it's just wishful thinking because most of us want to believe that Anthony Bourdain would rather keep his most fabulous life and that someone else, out of revenge or jealousy, snuffed it out for him.

Pure speculation, of course. Although (this blog-post notwithstanding) conspiracy theorists are out there spinning their tales of doom and gloom.

Fast-forward weeks since this tragic event and my sadness has turned into outrage, anger towards Bourdain, and ultimately, indifference. Who cares? He was just an ordinary man. It was just a show. There are plenty more to choose from; I think.

God only knows the shit-show 

you were really living behind the scenes.

Am I being selfish because one of my favorite shows is over and one of my favorite television personalities is gone and now I can no longer enjoy Bourdain's witty anecdotes, exotic locations, and raw humor? Is the American Dream so horrible that we must now reject it by suicide? Can we no longer aspire to greatness?

Heck, now I have to rearrange all my favorite channels and TV shows too. What a headache that's going to be. Shit, I've even burned my collectible copy of Kitchen Confidential.

Thanks for nothing Mr. Bourdain. You've certainly managed to dim our hope for happiness in one fell swoop.

God only knows the shit-show you were really living behind the scenes. And so you did what anyone else in your shoes would do. You quit on yourself, and you quit on us. Really?

Nice going. And all because you got tired of living such a fabulous life.

How dare you, Anthony Bourdain!

How dare you.

R.I.P.

PBS Great American Read - Lonesome Dove

Carlos Santana, Billy Crystal, Jeanisa Hamrick Moore - Three Revealing Memoirs

Here are three unrelated memoirs that I'm currently reading and enjoying. I'll be posting another memoir about a paraplegic woman who continues to inspire me and I want to share this life-changing tale that you really don't want to miss.

Right now I'm into The Universal Tone, a memoir by Carlos Santana, which is quite fascinating. And another very different memoir by none other than Billy Crystal, Still Foolin' 'Em. If you're looking for a good laugh, and who isn't, this is a hilarious look at Crystal's life at 65.

Also, I've had the pleasure to work with a very inspiring author, Jeanisa Hamrick Moore who inspires me with her never-ending faith as she overcomes so many challenges in her life after a horrible fall that left her in a wheelchair. What a story!

So there you have it. Check out these eye-opening, hilarious, and inspiring memoirs from three different people from very different walks of life who open up about everything and in the process, enrich our lives with their courageous, engaging, and inspirational stories.

       

   

Love Beyond Boundaries will be available soon on Amazon, but you can still connect with this amazing author, Jeanisa on Facebook.

I'll be posting both her book and the book trailer to Love Beyond Boundaries in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, you can get the other memoirs on Amazon.com or you can save a buck or two on my eBay offer below.

Discount Books:

Make Offer / Free Shipping / Carlos Santana Memoir

Make Offer / Free Shipping / Billy Crystal Memoir