We interrupt this program...

I have a few reviews in progress that I look forward to posting shortly, but until then, please enjoy these little bits of book-themed silliness...

Why did the Romanian stop reading for the night?

To give his Bucharest.

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Never judge a book by its movie.

J.W. Eagan

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Hear the one about the guy who was immersed in a book about anti-gravity?  It was so good he couldn't put it down.

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Why don't they let accountants into the library?

They're bookkeepers.

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Why was the book so good at using Tinder?

It had a great opening line.

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Okay, I think we've reached our silliness limit.  Check back in a little while for some actual meaty content.

Crossing the streams

Streaming is the new thing. I mean, it's not even new anymore, right? But I don't think it's going anywhere soon. Blockbuster disappeared, DVDs are only kinda/sorta still around (though Blu-Ray DVDs still seem to have a stubborn foothold), but I think streaming isn't going anywhere for the next decade or so. What could possibly replace it anytime soon: TV shows and movies being directly wired into your brain?

Anyway, here are a few things I've enjoyed via streaming in recent weeks:

Ozark (Seasons one and two available on Netflix)

A pretty typical American family is forced to move to a lake resort in the Midwest and launder money for the (very violent in this case) mob. The show is sort of a metaphor for the American Dream, only here mom and dad have to do more than get that office promotion so the family can move ahead.  You'll plow through the two current seasons and count the days to the third.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Seasons one and two available on Amazon Prime)

Informed by the trials and tribulations of female comedians trying to break into the business in the late 50's and early 60's, this cool, funny comedic drama (set in the early 60's) follows the smart and fetching Midge Maisel as she attempts to start a career in stand-up comedy. Of course, her good looks are an initial hindrance (the thinking being that you can be cute or funny but not both), as are her quirky, skeptical parents and husband. But she nevertheless starts moving ahead.  Great period production values are an added plus.

The Punisher (Seasons one and two available on Netflix)

Frank Castle is ex-military, yet still finds himself caught up in capers and plots featuring the CIA and other shadowy government agencies on the fringes.  The character premiered in the second season of Daredevil (also on Netflix) but very much has come into his own during the two current seasons of his own show.  Think Jason Bourne only with a tougher, more violent feel.

More suggestions on what you might like watching coming shortly.

Ringing out the old...

It's cold and rainy here in the northeast United States, but we're still going to try to go out a bit this evening to ring in the new year.  But first I wanted to wish everyone who glances at this blog now and then a healthy and prosperous 2019.

And please continue to stop by.  Despite the lack of reader comments this blog usually experiences, the "intelligence" provided to me by Google's Blogger program indicates that more than a small handful of people check out Kindle Taproom now and again.  If you're one of them, thanks!  This thing wouldn't be any fun without actual readers.

During January, I hope to step up the number of book, audiobook, and film opinions that I share with you, and maybe I'll do another post or two about wine, too.  We'll see how that New Year's resolution works out, as a predisposition to procrastination is a hard thing to overcome.

But for now, Happy New Year, everyone!

Time for some wine

It's been a while since I've paid much attention to the Taproom part of Kindle Taproom, meaning it's been a while since I've written about beer, wine, and spirits.  As we approach the end of another year, let me try to correct that oversight a bit.

Pictured are two terrific white wines I recently discovered.  On the left is a bottle of Kepe Chardonnay, from Spain. Fruity, but with a definite tart and bite, this crisp Chard actually walks right up to doing a skilled impression of a decent Pinot Grigio, but after a few sips it's clear that this Spanish export is indeed a Chardonnay, and a good one. Not all good Chards need to be buttery or oaky.

On the right is Bertoli's broadly-labeled Bianco Italia, a white blend from, yes, Italy.  I usually don't expect much from a wine with the general designation Bianco, certainly not much complexity.  Just give me something clean and refreshing and I'm happy with these usually simple white table wines.  But this particular Bianco had a little surprise: a nice smokiness that makes the mouth water in anticipation of each sip.  Yet it's still clean and refreshing.

I discovered these wines upon purchasing a case of twelve random white wines from a bar acquaintance who recently bought more than he needed from an online wine site, and wanted to move along a case or two to others.  I paid $90.00 for a case of twelve, which averages out to $7.50 a bottle.  So I'm guessing it's safe to say that, even without a full-case discount, these two wines can be found individually for less than $10.00 per bottle.  Both wines are definitely worth paying eight to ten bucks for, and even a little more.

Stay tuned. As I work my way through my case of wine, I'll try to report back on any other pleasant discoveries.

 

Decent second round

Creed II, currently in theaters, basically has the plot of Rocky III, while functioning as a sequel to Rocky IV, with it all being held together with the same quality acting and subtle, skillful direction that we saw in the initial film in this series, Creed.

It's a little longer than it needed to be, and a little more predictable and by-the-numbers, but if you enjoyed the first film, and more or less were into all the Rocky movies before that, there's no reason not to see this.

It was a little strange to see the Ivan Drago character, who was basically a cartoon villain in Rocky IV, return here as a character with newfound subtlety, nuance, and depth (Ivan's son is the one who fights Adonis Creed this time), but that's certainly not something to complain about.

So, all in all, this was a good time.  Creed II has the big drama of a blockbuster film but with enough overall quality and grace notes to make it sometimes feel like one of those holiday season-prestige films that chase after Oscar gold.

An author on the run

Lee Goldberg's True Fiction is a fun little thriller, fast-paced, entertaining, and exciting. It has an engaging premise: as a way to anticipate future terrorist attacks, thriller writer Ian Ludlow, and a few other popular fiction writers, are hired by the US government to imagine possible terrorist plots against the US, so government agencies can better keep an eye out for actual future threats.  The problem is, one of those fictional imaginings- the one in fact proposed by Ian- happens for real.

Shortly after the horrific terrorist event, Ian's fellow authors on the government committee start turning up dead, and attempts are made on Ian's life.  Things move quickly from there.  Who wants to act out terrorist scenarios that were never meant to happen?  Why are the authors who dreamed them up (again, as a way to help the government anticipate actual threats) being eliminated?  It's all imaginative, interesting, and thought-provoking. And, believe it or not, fun.

That's because even though True fiction is a pretty straight-up thriller, there's frequent humor to lighten the mix.  In particular, there are several instances of dumb luck that keep Ian alive as highly-trained killers try to take him out while he's on the run trying to piece things together. There's also a lot of cleverness in the area of technology and gadgets. One can tell Mr. Goldberg is the self-professed James Bond fan he admits to on social media.

True Fiction is a fast, entertaining read, so I don't want to tell you too much more now that I've recommended it.  I'll let you discover the action scenes, supporting characters, and revelations (all three of those things are good) for yourself.  It's basically a fun thriller that was constructed with some seriousness, but doesn't take itself too seriously.  I had a lot of, well, fun with it.

True Fiction is available in print and on Kindle.

A second of fun

Nothing heavy at the moment, just three silly book-related jokes.  Enjoy (I hope).

Bookworm #1: Can I borrow a bookmark?

Bookworm #2: Bookmark? You mean a quitter strip?

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Book #1: You look so much thinner!

Book #2: Thanks! I had my appendix removed.

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Overheard from Sean Connery: A book fell on my head.  I can only blame my shelf.

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Okay, sorry for all of the above.  More serious stuff on the way shortly.