So true

A cute bumper sticker I spotted the other day:

Money talks...but all mine ever says is "good-bye".

A super team-up

While not as ambitious and sure-footed as his novel about Superman's home planet, The Last Days of Krypton, Kevin Anderson's Enemies & Allies is a fun little read about Superman and Batman taking on Lex Luthor in the 1950's. And "fun" is the key word here: encompassing the arms race, the flying saucer craze, a giant Kryptonite meteor, evil Soviet generals, mutant monsters, a megalomanical plan for world domination, and a host of other real-world and fantastical elements, the book's aim is to emulate classic comic-book story telling at its best. And it largely succeeds.

While Enemies & Allies might have been a bit more fun if Superman and Batman had established their famous alliance much earlier in the book, I recognize that this is basically Kevin Anderson's take on the origin of that fabled team. So he needed to show all the steps: how these very different personalities initially distrusted one another; then reluctantly worked together on an occasion or two; and, finally, established mutual trust and cameraderie. So, even though I was five steps ahead of these characters and knew that they'd eventually become friends and allies, it was still fun to see the individual steps occur.

Pop culture fans will also enjoy Mr. Anderson's little nods to previous Batman and Superman stories in other media. For instance, Superman's crystal-shard Fortress of Solitude is right out of the 1978 Richard Donner movie, and Batman actually uses the famous preparing-the-Batmobile spiel from the character's 1960's TV series: "Turbines to power! Atomic batteries to speed!" It's also kind of neat that Bruce Wayne enjoys Ian Fleming's James Bond novels, and uses many of Fleming's ideas in the gadgets he constructs.

While maybe not the be-all-and-end-all Superman/Batman team-up novel, I can't imagine fans of these two characters' various TV, film, and comic book incarnations not having at least a pretty good time with this story. The relentlessly upbeat Superman and the eternally cynical Batman always make a fascinating team, and that's no exception here.

Enemies & Allies is available on Kindle for $7.99.

Silver bells

Here's a special Christmas night wish for all readers of Kindle Taproom: I hope you had a wonderful Christmas day and are having a relaxing Christmas night. And a very special welcome to any new Kindle Taproom readers who have discovered this blog via the new Kindle waiting for you under the Christmas tree this morning! I don't think that's too farfetched a notion... with undoubtedly tens of thousands of new Kindles being unwrapped this morning and tried out over the course of the day, maybe one or two of you new Kindlers have found your way here to this eccentric little Kindle blog. If so... once again, welcome!

To the rest of you, enjoy the rest of the holiday weekend. And thanks for being part of the Kindle Taproom family!

A thoughtful look back

Were the 1960's really the years when everything flew in the face of the past? 1959: The Year Everything Changed is a smart, engaging book that posits that it was the late 1950's, and especially the pivotal year 1959, that ushered in new ways of thinking and behaving that ultimately shook the nation to its core. As demonstrated by writer Fred Kaplan, things may have exploded in the 60's, but the seeds were planted in '59.

I enjoyed the mix of heavier and lighter topics covered in the book's essay-like chapters: the arms race; innovations in jazz; the civil rights movement; the development of artificial birth control; the rise of Motown; the last gasp of censorship; the embracing of youthful politicians over comfortably old and seasoned ones, etc. So don't worry, if reading about the US/Russia arms race isn't your cup of tea, you'll soon be immersed in the jazz clubs of Harlem.

While some of Mr. Kaplan's assertions are stronger than others, in general he argues his case well, and I think most readers will walk away from this book with a new appreciation of an era that most of us have regarded as perhaps not the most vibrant time in our modern history. I'm grateful for Mr. Kaplan for providing the opportunity to give this period a second look.

I listened to an audio version of 1959: The Year Everything Changed, nicely read by Joe Barrett, that I downloaded from Audible.com. The book is also available on Kindle for $9.77.

Cute

From California writer Mark Evanier:

The three most dangerous jobs in America are 1) defusing bombs, 2) disposing of hazardous waste, and 3) playing Spider-Man.

Poor Bob

Bob works hard at the office but does arrange for some downtime, telling his wife that all he needs to relax is a little bowling two nights a week, and a round of golf every Saturday.

Bob's wife is fine with this, but still thinks he's pushing himself too hard. So, for Bob's birthday, she decides to take him to the local strip club, figuring he'd be tickled and surprised by the somewhat naughty birthday gift.

Upon arriving, however, the doorman at the club greets the couple and says, "Hey, Bob! How ya doing?"

His wife is puzzled and asks if he's been to this club before.

"Oh no," says Bob. "He's in my bowling league."

When they are seated, a waitress comes over to Bob with a bottle of Budweiser, and says with a smile, "Figured you'd like your usual."

Bob's wife is becoming increasingly uncomfortable and says, "How did she know that you drink Budweiser?"

"Uh, she recognized me," Bob stammers. "She's the waitress at the golf club. You know I always like to down a cold one after 18 holes!"

A buxom stripper then comes over to their table, throws her arms around Bob, and starts to rub herself all over him. "Hi, Bobby!" she says. "Want your usual table dance, big boy?"

Bob's wife, now furious, grabs her purse and storms out of the club. Bob follows and spots her getting into a cab. Before she can slam the door, he jumps in beside her.

Bob tries desperately to explain how the stripper must have mistaken him for someone else, but his wife is having none of it. She is screaming at him at the top of her lungs, calling him every four-letter word in the book.

Finally, the cabby turns around and says, "Geez, Bob, you picked up a real bitch this time."

Bob expects to be out of traction sometime next week.

Truth-isms

Recent bumper stickers that we can't argue with:

Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

Politicians and diapers have one thing in common. They should both be changed regularly, and for the same reason.

Evening news is where they begin with "Good evening", and then proceed to tell you why it isn't.