Saturday grins

A few fun bumper stickers we've recently spotted...

Born Free. .. Taxed to Death.

Conserve toilet paper: use both sides.

99% of lawyers give the rest a bad name.

A man without a woman is like a neck without a pain.

All men are idiots, and I married their king.

Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies.

Hard work pays off someday. Laziness pays off NOW.

I love cats. They taste just like chicken.

Offbeat King effort

I enjoyed the unusual Lisey's Story by Stephen King a while back, and thought I'd take a moment to tell you about it.

You know how Stephen King will sometimes give us a big, epic, plot-driven story (The Stand, for instance), but then conclude such a story with a fifteen or twenty page epilogue that's mostly about introspection, melancholy, poetic musings, and revealing flashbacks (as if the author feels the need to give us a more subtle landing after several hundred pages of bombast)? Well, Lisey's Story is like one of those epilogues stretched to an entire book length. It's actually not bad, and there's even a little "plot" in the form of a psycho stalking the title character, but- make no mistake- you're mainly getting the author in that introspective "epilogue" mode, and for the entire ride.

I actually listened to this book on unabridged audio, read beautifully by the actress Mare Winningham, so maybe that's why I'm being kind. But, honestly, as long as you know you're not getting a visceral, plot-driven story like Cell, the Dark Tower books, or even the author's current Under the Dome, you'll likely enjoy this tale of a writer and his demons, and the wife who is subjected to it all.

Lisey's Story is available on Kindle for $7.99.

Superhero bedlam

Based on the DC Comics graphic novel of the same name, the animated direct-to-DVD adventure Superman/Batman: Public Enemies posits a world where Lex Luthor takes advantage of this and that national crisis to get elected president, and then at the first opportunity (of course) manipulates events to make Superman Public Enemy Number One. Being Superman's pal, Batman is soon in the crosshairs, as well.

This is an intense, entertaining hour-plus story with lots of cameos by DC's heroes and rogues gallery, all trying to capture Superman either because of misguided loyalty to President Luthor or because they want to collect Luthor's billion dollar bounty on Superman's head. A sequence with longtime Superman foe Metallo trying to take down the Man of Steel is very effective and obviously owes a lot to "The Terminator".

I bought the two-disc edition of this animated film, because I generally enjoy the extra features put together for the deluxe editions of these films. This particular two-disc set was no exception, as it included a decent twenty-something minute history of the various Superman/Batman team-ups in the comics (complete with psychological profiles of both heroes); and a fun conversation over dinner between Producer Bruce Timm, voice actor Kevin Conroy (who voices Batman in this film and countless other animated productions) and casting director Andrea Romano.

Though Superman/Batman: Public Enemies is a tad heavy on fights and action for my taste, I realize that this fact will actually be a plus for many viewers. But whether you have quibbles or not, I think most viewers will consider such things exactly that: quibbles. Because, in the end, this package delivers a more-than-decent story and more-than-decent craftsmanship, along with many engaging extra features. I continue to be an enthusiastic fan of these periodic "DC Universe" animated films.

Useful, fun blog

A blog that reviews blogs... isn't that a cool idea? I think it is, and not only because Kindle Taproom is favorably discussed in one of its posts. Anyway, do yourself a favor and give it a look. The blog's called The Kindle Blog Report and you can find it at http://thekindlereport.blogspot.com. It's also available on your Kindle for a mere 99 cents a month, the same price as Kindle Taproom on the Kindle. Beware, though... The Kindle Report may get you hooked on more blogs than might be practical. But who cares, right? Writing checks and preparing meals are chores that could always be put off until later, wouldn't you say?

Epic stuff

Right now I'm knee deep in a bunch of effective genre offerings, all of the epic variety: On Kindle I'm enjoying Lee Goldberg's The Walk, about a huge earthquake in California; on audio I'm well into Stephen King's Under the Dome, about a whole town being cut off by a science-fictiony (or possibly supernatural) force field; and on the graphic novel front, I just finished volume 9 of Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead series, about zombies overrunning the planet. All great stuff.

But soon, I think I'll take on a genre tale or two of a more subtle stripe. For one thing, I'm thinking Robert B. Parker's cop thriller Split Image, which just came out. Everything can't be about the end of the world, after all.

More solid Sandford

Mind Prey, the seventh novel in John Sandford's Lucas Davenport series, is an entertaining, fast-reading thriller with a little meat on its bones. I like the way Davenport is- no holds barred- a conservative, tough-as-nails crime fighter ("What about the rights of the victim?" would be a perfectly believable Davenport quotation), yet counts as his very favorite people his sensitive nun friend Elle and his liberal girlfriend Weather. Makes for some good character interaction.

The book combines the cat-and-mouse plot of a thriller where we know who the psychopath is from the outset, thus letting us get right to the pursuit, with the puzzle of a whodunit, due to an unknown figure influencing and manipulating the psycho from the shadows. And amid all the chasing and figuring out, Lucas has to decide whether or not to actually give Weather the engagement ring he's been carrying around in his pocket. In other words, there's lots of fun stuff going on.

You really should start at the beginning of this series (with Rules of Prey), but there wouldn't be any huge harm done if you sampled the series with this lightning-fast entry and then jump in at the beginning if you like it. Myself, I can't imagine someone being a crime thriller fan and not reading John Sandford's Prey series.

Mind Prey in available on Kindle for $7.59.

And the winner is...

I don't usually print mass-distributed press releases here, but seeing as it's Oscar week (seven days and counting!), I thought readers might enjoy the following factoids about movies and the Oscars, provided courtesy of the lovely people at Kodak...

Kodak Presents: Oscar Fun Facts

Why Oscar? It’s uncertain how the coveted statuette gained its popular name. One theory holds that an Academy librarian liked to say it reminded her of an uncle of the same name.

Over the 82-year history of the Academy Awards, the majority of Oscar-winning movies have been created using Kodak motion picture film.

Every week, more than 90 million people watch movies printed on Kodak film.

Each year, Kodak sells enough color print film to circle the globe more than 90 times.

Kodak recycles more than 25 million pounds of used movie prints every year.

In 1889, Kodak founder George Eastman adapted the roll film used in his Kodak camera for Thomas Edison’s movie machine.

Kodak has earned eight technical Oscars from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Kodak continues to produce motion picture film in the same Rochester, New York factories where George Eastman founded his business more than 120 years ago.

Since opening in 2001, the Kodak Theatre has been the official home of the annual Academy Awards ceremony.

George Eastman, founder of Kodak, was one of only two honorary members ever inducted into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The other? Thomas Edison.

Two movies are tied for most Academy Award nominations, each with 14: All About Eve and Titanic. In 1951, All About Eve earned six statuettes; in 1997, Titanic landed a stunning 11 awards.

Who’s the most nominated actor of all time? Meryl Streep with 16 nominations.