Reading The 1000 Books to Read Before I Die

“You know the character, of course, You’ve Seen him throughout your life—in cartoons, on cereal boxes, in countless movies and TV shows, and later teaming up with other creature-feature stars like Frankenstein and the Wolf Man, squaring off against the good guys from Sherlock Holmes to Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” James Mustich Hi 1000 Bookies!!! Our next visit in the 1000 Books to Read Before You Die  begins at the turn of the last century in the woods of Transylvania, and then the estates of Victorian England.  For this Halloween season, I chose to read the classic novel, Dracula by Bram Stoker.  Because of this great story, a little known minor historical figure gained immortality…at least culturally.  Count Dracula has attained the highest level of recognition in  the literary hall of fame with the likes of Sherlock Holmes, Ebenezer Scrooge, and Tom Sawyer. However,  according to literary critic, Brooke Allen, “Upon its publication in 18...

“And a last thought from Tom: O Mr. Moundshroud, will we EVER stop being afraid of nights and death? And the thought returned: When you reach the stars, boy, yes, and live there forever, all the fears will go, and Death himself will die.” The Halloween Tree is is a great story about Halloween and one of those books that should be on the list of Books to Read before you Die.  Written by Ray Bradbury of Fahernheit 451 fame and published in1972, The Halloween Tree is an example of a "Buddy" story.  Geared to teenage boys and those of us who remember our younger selves--the book tells the story of preteen boys enjoying a Halloween evening.  I cannot recommend this story enough to all the preteens, teens and those of us that are young at heart who nostalgically reflect on their own Halloween nights.  In a time with slasher movies and monsters like Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees and Freddie Kreuger, the Halloween Tree is spooky without becoming terrorfying or gory....

The Game of Kings By Dorothy Dunnett Hello 1000 Bookies!!!   The next stop on the tour of the 1000 Books to Read Before You Die takes us to 1550s Scotland in a historical fiction novel.   The Game of Kings , written by Dorothy Dunnett, is the first novel in an eventual 6 novel series, the Lymond Chronicles.   This was Ms. Dunnett’s first novel and she decided to write it with the encouragement of her husband when she said she ran out of literature she liked.   The novel came out in 1961 and a reader can tell that.   Today the popularity of the Outlander book Series and television show owes much to The Game of Kings.   Before there was Jamie Fraser, there was Francis Crawford, the Master of Cutler.   The novel takes place in Stuart Scotland in the 1550s.   When King Henry VIII died, England and Scotland were not one nation as they are today. Henry was succeeded by his son, Edward VI. Henry wanted a son and broke the Catholic Church to ...

Salem’s Lot By Stephen King The book Salem’s Lot is one of my favorite novels ever written.   I read the novel every October.   The characters are old friends to me.   The spookiness fits the season.   Halloween is a major holiday at my house, so I wanted to share some spooky books on my blog this October.   I personally believe that Stephen King, the author of Salem’s Lot , is one of the best authors the United States has ever produced. One day, Stephen King will be mentioned in the same breath as Twain, Hawthorne, Dickenson and Fitzgerald.   It was not always this way. I labored under the mistaken impression that Stephen King was a “horror” writer.   I would see the stack of Stephen King hard back novels on a bookshelf at my grandmother’s home.   She always purchased the latest King book.   I would wrinkle my nose, and silently or not so silently pass judgement on my grandmother’s lousy taste in reading.   I would even avo...

"This was the land where no man had to bow" Michael Shaara, The Killer Angels Hello 1000 Bookies!!!!  We have a great blog post on The Killer Angels .  The Killer Angels is on the list of 1 000 Books to Read Before You Die.   When we were young kids, our guest blogger, Mr. Jonathan Hanson and I went on a trip to Gettysburg with his wonderful parents.  We had been watching the miniseries,  North and South Book 2 and it was a real treat.  We saw the cyclorama and the battlefield. Jon was a Civil War reenactor who fought at Gettysburg. Who better to review this masterpiece--I am so proud to have Jon's blog post on The Killer Angels .  Without further ado... A Review of the Killer Angels By Jonathan Hanson  The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara makes my Top 10 List of Books I’d Want on a Deserted Island. Every time I read it, I find something new within: a connection between characters or a historic reference that I’d missed before. As a hist...

“Number one: you are not the first and you will certainly not be the last. Number two: remember, it’s not about the money—it’s about The Chain.”   Adrian McKinty The Chain: The Sum of All Parents Fears By Jim Romano The Chain is a novel by Northern Irish author, Adrian McKinty.   The novel scared the hell out of me.   Pure and simple.   The events written in The Chain is the sum of all my fears as a parent.   Everyday I worry about the safety of my daughters.   Adding onto my worries about a crazed person with a gun shooting up their school, I also worry about them being kidnapped. I worry about them being sexually abused. I worry about evil being visited upon them.   The Chain brings out how our social media society could be perverted to hunt our children. This story begins with a kind of botched kidnapping.   A 12-year-old girl is kidnapped at her bus stop.   The kidnapping is a notch in the chain.   The girl’s mother...

“Ever since Alistair Cooke left Masterpiece Theater, Mr. Sheffield doesn’t sleep as soundly”, Fran Fine, The Nanny Memories of The Great and The Good By Alistair Cooke The late Alistair Cooke was an old reassuring friend.   Alistair Cooke was a British journalist, television commentator and host as well as author who spent his career explaining Americans to his home country.   He also explained Americans to their fellow countrymen. Of course, I have never met Mr. Cooke personally before he passed away in 2004 at the age of 95.   When I was young boy and I would visit my grandparents’ home on a weekly basis.   When I finished my ice cream, my chicken soup, drink my V-8 and polish off a cookie or two, I would leave my dad to talk with his parents and go down the hall.   I would go through the dining room and the living room to the back bedroom and take out my grandfather’s copy of Alistair Cooke’s America .   The grandfatherly looking man on th...

“How many readers, fascinated by the allure of Marco Polo’s travels on the Silk Road, have daydreamed   of following in the fabled Venetian’s footsteps?”   James Mustich, 1000 Books to Read Before You Die Our next stop in the 1000 Books to Read before You Die, we land in the 1980s and embark on an expedition through Asia along what is left of the famed Silk Road.   This read has been one of my favorites so far in this journey to reading there 1000 books.   In Xanadu is a travel journal of sorts. The story is of this student that traces Marco Polo’s journey from Jerusalem to Xanadu in Mongolia in the year 1985.   The story is part educational, part unrequited love story, part political intrigue and an all-around excellent read.   The story is NOT tough to get through.   In 2000, 6 weeks after marrying the most beautiful girl in the world, like Odysseus, I set off on an adventure that I never believed I would ever take.    I found m...

Good Morning 1000 Bookies!  Our next selection from 1000 Books to Read Before You Die takes place in the city of the Boston.  Personally, I love Boston and have ever since I first ventured there as an 8 th grader during a field trip for the all-boys prep school I attended.  It was love at first sight and that love has endured.  My wife and I had several wonderful trips to the city over the years including the one where I purchased her engagement ring.   Bostin is the land of the Puritans, of John Winthrop, Cotton Mather, Young Benjamin Franklin, James Otis, Samuel Adams, John Adams, John Hancock.  Boston is the Shining City on a Hill that President Reagan invoked.  In modern times, Boston was home to the Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys, Progressive ideals, Gay Marriage and the Red Sox.  Whenever I am lucky enough to travel to Boston, I love to walk the Freedom Trail, to see and experience several important sites from an importan...

Hey 1000 Bookies, I have a real treat for you.  My good friend, Sharon Vines and her family visited the Arches National Park in Utah this summer.  The book I reviewed this week from 1000 Books to Read Before You Die , was Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey.  The book details his experiences during the two years as a park ranger at the Arches.  I thought it would be great to present a first hand experience of the Arches National Park from this summer.  Sharon was a great sport.  I have included her photos for everyones enjoyment.  Thank you so much Sharon!!!!  Memories of Arches National Park By Sharon Vines Day 31 of our 43 day road trip brought us to Arches National Park.  After talking with rangers about which trail would best suit us - the boys, 9 and 11, prefer trails that are more than just a path, they enjoy rock scrambles or an opportunity to go a little off trail.  We were directed to the Landscape trail which leads t...