Jacksprat Gets Lost in Fiction

Review of The Drawing of Three By: Stephen King             If “The Gunslinger” is the prologue, then “The Drawing of Three” is when the real story begins.  Roland wakes up on a beach right after his encounter with The Man in Black.  He must find the 3 doors and the 3 beings, The Prisoner, The Lady of Shadows, the Pusher/Death.  First, he comes to New York City in the 80s (I think) and meets junkie Eddie Dean.  The second door leads to the 50s (again, I think) where he meets Susannah a wheel chair bound black woman who has a dual personality.  The trio travels together on this beach in search of the third door with one of Susannah’s personalities fighting them the whole way.             If you know anything about Stephen King then you can guess that Eddie Dean probably has a bit in common with the author.  He is a character I got frustrated with and I confess I couldn’t relate to his problems.  Though, I understood his love and loyalty to his older brother Henry, even if he didn’t dese

Review of Mr. Timothy A Novel written by Louis Bayard             Most are familiar with the classic Christmas tale written by Charles Dickens; whether you’ve actually read it or you have seen one of the many adaptations you probably know the story.  There is even a movie that tells a fictionalized version of how “A Christmas Carol” came about.  Tiny Tim is a secondary character at the heart of the story.  He is the crippled son of Bob Cratchit, Scrooge’s underpaid clerk, and the boy is a saintly as an angel.  He says things like, and I’m paraphrasing, “I hope people will see me so they’ll be reminded of how God heals the sick”.  Of course, we have the famous ending line “God Bless us, everyone”, but this novel debunks that.  Dickens was known for writing angelic children if they were a main character, and I imagine back then it was not as big of a deal, but by today’s standards for literature it is annoying.               In “Mr. Timothy” Tiny Tim and is not so tiny and trying despera

·        Middlemarch by George Eliot ·        Skyward by Brandon Sanderson ·        The Odyssey by Homer ·        Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor ·        Howard’s End by EM Forester   Favorite(s) Middlemarch by George Eliot The Odyssey by Homer Strange the Dream by Laini Taylor I'm continuing with my classics with Middlemarch, The Odyssey, and Howard's End.  Finishing MM and The Odyssey was a relief since it has taken a while with both.  Strange the Dreamer is another one that I started reading a while ago but didn't finish either.  It was a good reading month. August Current Reads The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton Moby Dick, or the Whale by Herman Melville I'm also going to read Firestarter by Stephen King, H is for Hawk by Helen MacDonald, and Accursed by Joyce Carol Oates.

 What this is about? This is a collection of three short stories about spiritualism and good moral values. "Three Simple Men" is about 3 simple men living on an island and they are seen by a passing ship with three priests.  They priest decide to teach these men to pray the right way to God. "A Godson Learns to Fight Evil" is about a young man seeing all the evil through a door he is told not to open.  His Godfather tells him he most learn how to fight evil. "One Neglected Spark May Burn Down a House" two families who are friends having a misunderstanding resulting in a feud.  One of the family patriarch tries to warn his own family, but it is not easy. My Thoughts This is an endearing collection of three stories originally retold by Leo Tolstoy and this is translated by Jon M. Sweeney. I had known about War & Peace and Anna Karenina, but this one was a nice surprise. This is a set of folktales that are wholesome and expresses simple moral messages.  I

✅  Middlemarch by George Eliot  Skyward by Brandon Sanderson✅ Strange the Dreamer Laini Taylor✅ Howard's End Em Forester✅✅ The Odyssey by Homer✅ Lisey's Story by Stephen King The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan Poetry of Elizabeth  Barrett Browning    I'm hoping to finish Middlemarch before I start reading another classic and then I want to read The Odyssey to go along with my summer theme of the sea.  The other classic I want to read Howard's End now, because it was a gift from last Christmas. I want read another Stephen King, so I can have a better update on my King project.  Skyward is my YA SciFi and I need to catchup with my fantasy starting with Strange the Dreamer and The Great Hunt.  No historical fiction this month.

 I realized my love RDJ's work in 2008 when I watched Tropic Thunder.  Here is my favorite movies by him.     Tropic Thunder Chaplin Sherlock Holmes franchise Avengers franchise Heart and Souls Gothika Only You Charlie Bartlett The Singing Detective Kiss Kiss Bang Bang Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus