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| Tell me about your dreams! |
Over the last couple of nights I've had so many strange dreams. I can't remember them all (thank heavens, you say!), but they still remain quite clear for the most part. Let's see. Two nights ago, my wife hired out our family room (maybe the whole house) for a wedding. All these people were in our family room. Of course they liked it... but still. I had another dream; my dad was in it and it was set in our current neighborhood, but that's all I remember about that particular one. Last night. First dream featured my Meema, my dad's mom. Once again, lots of people in the dream, but I just remember there saying something like, 'Find Zem'.... I don't know. I woke up, fell back asleep, then on to the next dream. Much lengthier. I'm at work in Wing Operations. I'm trying to answer questions about end year procurement. (Yup!) I explain that if the bedroom set that the boss ordered (I think it was a bedroom set) doesn't arrive before end of the fiscal year that it will be charged to the new year. Of course if the contract indicated FOB (Freight - on - board) Factory, then it would be paid for as soon as it was loaded on the truck. OK, then the scene shifts to our house (Jo's and mine) although it look amazingly like the first house my parents owned in North Bay. We're there and so are Barack and Michelle Obama. She gives me a peck on the forehead. Barack is sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall and I'm telling him about my day at work; the whole procurement thing. He's casual, listening, maybe talking as well. Then a bunch of people arrive; I think they are gathering up the Obama's to go to a New Year's party. Of course a rain or hail storm erupts. I have to give some of them a drive home to Evashen Drive (something like that)..... Then I wake up... I think I'll take the dogs out then go for a walk.. Enough dreaming. What do you think? 😔
So after all that, this morning I finished a book and will start another for an April Challenge. I'll also continue with my look at the Sci-Fi novel.
Just Finished
1. The Black Curtain by Cornell Woolrich (1941). Excellent author, one I've just begun to explore, even if he did write in the '40s and '50s mainly.
"The Black Curtain by Cornell Woolrich is my second attempt at his writing. I had previously read a collection of his short stories. This was just as good.
The story starts off quickly and just keeps on going. Frank Townsend is hit on the head by falling plaster. Not seriously injured he returns home but finds that his wife no longer lives at their address. He discovers that she has moved to a new address and goes there (confused of course). He discovers that he has been away for 3 years. He has no recollection of that period between his last departure for work 3 years previously and his return home.
Frank begins to try and get his life back to normal. His company hires him back and he starts working again. However he has no recollection of the last three years. One day someone stops on the street and stares at him. Frank begins to feel discomfort about this and tries to evade the man; who has a gun.
Thus begins Franks 'adventure' as he tries to discover what happened during that three years. He will meet Ruth and put both of them in danger as he further explores his past. It's not a perfect story by any means; a bit too much self-examination at times and at times some of the actions Frank will take struck me as odd. But for all that, it's a fascinating story, with a great concept and lots of action.
I readily admit that I had some difficulty understanding parts of the ending, but that was from a technical stand point. The book was a page-turner, tense, exciting and overall satisfying. I will continue to explore Woolrich's writing. The Bride Wore Black is currently on my book shelf. (4 stars)"
Currently Reading
1. Return to Lesbos by Valerie Taylor (1963). This will satisfy an April challenge in another Book Group.
"This treasure from the golden age of lesbian pulp fiction picks up where Stranger on Lesbos left off. Deserted by her butch lover, Frances struggles to re-integrate into conventional married life. But no amount of resolve can keep her away from a new lover, the boyish Erika who lures her back into the melodrama of lesbian life."
The Science Fiction Novel - Robert Kirkman
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| Robert Kirkman |
Robert Kirkman is an American comic book writer born in Lexington, Kentucky in 1978. He's best known for co-creating The Walking Dead, amongst a variety of other series. He is one of five partners of Image Comics, the only non-original partner of the five. He began The Walking Dead series in 2003 and also began producing the TV series in in 2010. For those who have never seen or heard of the comics (or book adaptations) or the TV series, it is about a dystopic future in which mankind is trying to survive a zombie epidemic. The TV series also spawned Fear the Walking Dead which starts off before the events of The Walking Dead. In 2011, Kirkman began a series of non-graphic Walking Dead books. I've read the first and have the 2nd on my bookshelf. So far, he has written 8 books.
a. The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor (2011).
Synopsis - "In the Walking Dead universe, there is no greater villain than The Governor. The despot who runs the walled-off town of Woodbury, he has his own sick sense of justice: whether it's forcing prisoners to battle zombies in an arena for the townspeople's amusement, or chopping off the appendages of those who cross him. The Governor was voted "Villain of the Year" by Wizard magazine the year he debuted, and his story arc was the most controversial in the history of the Walking Dead comic book series. Now, for the first time, fans of The Walking Dead will discover how The Governor became the man he is, and what drove him to such extremes"
My Review - "This is the story of the Governor and how he came to his position. The story follows Phillip Blake, his brother Brian Blake, two friends and Phillip's daughter Penny as they try to find a safe harbor in the initial stages of the zombie apocalypse. They travel through Georgia, fighting zombies, meeting new people, the family of musicians in the apartment block in Atlanta, where they stay for a short period. Phillip leads the group. He is a strong man, but suffering from the loss of his wife a few year's back. His last hope is to keep Penny alive; she is his light and beacon. Brian is the weaker brother, tagging along, uncomfortable killing zombies, a shadow of his stronger brother. The story is well-written, portrays the world of the zombie apocalypse as well as the TV series and it moves nicely. Interesting to see how it comes out in print, versus on the TV screen. (3 stars)"
2. The Walking Dead: The Road to Woodbury (2012).
"The zombie plague unleashes its horrors on the suburbs of Atlanta without warning, pitting the living against the dead. Caught in the mass exodus, Lilly Caul struggles to survive in a series of ragtag encampments and improvised shelters. But the Walkers are multiplying. Dogged by their feral hunger for flesh and crippled by fear, Lilly relies on the protection of good Samaritans by seeking refuge in a walled-in town once known as Woodbury, Georgia.
At first, Woodbury seems like a perfect sanctuary. Squatters barter services for food, people have roofs over their heads, and the barricade expands, growing stronger every day. Best of all, a mysterious self-proclaimed leader named Philip Blake keeps the citizens in line. But Lilly begins to suspect that all is not as it seems. . . . Blake, who has recently begun to call himself The Governor, has disturbing ideas about law and order.
Ultimately, Lilly and a band of rebels open up a Pandora's box of mayhem and destruction when they challenge The Governor's reign . . . and the road to Woodbury becomes the highway to hell in this riveting follow-up to Robert Kirkman and Jay Bonansinga's New York Times bestselling The Walking Dead: Rise of the Governor.
Ultimately, Lilly and a band of rebels open up a Pandora's box of mayhem and destruction when they challenge The Governor's reign . . . and the road to Woodbury becomes the highway to hell."
andtheroadtoWoodburybecomesthehighwaytohellinthisrivetingfollow-uptoRobertKirkmanandJayBonansinga'sNewYorkTimesbestsellingTheWalkingDead:RiseoftheGovernor.
The complete listing of Robert Kirkman's books can be found at this link.
Have a great week!
