The Haunted Hillbilly

I came upon The Haunted Hillbilly by accident. I came across an album called Songs from the Haunted Hillbilly, which was an alt-country soundtrack to a musical. The songs were witty and rather interesting, so I wanted to read the book which inspired the songs and musical. The book, written by Derek McCormack, is quick read. The story is basically told through short vignettes or scenes that carry the plot along. The story is a retelling of the life of Hank Williams, as he is manipulated by a vampire tailor named Nudie. Obviously, the characters in the book are based on historical characters in country music world. McCormack, however, takes artistic liberty in this macabre comic book narrative.

Overall, the book was a fun read, even if it was a bit unsettling at times.

The Haunted Hillbilly

Inferno

The choice to buy and read Dan Brown's Inferno was an easy one to make. Having read and enjoyed The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons. Based on previous browsing and purchases, Amazon alerted me to the release of Brown's latest release.

Inferno is the fourth installment of Brown's Robert Langdon series. This novel once again follows the fictitious symbologist as he follows a series of clues and riddles hidden in ancient art. This time, he is in Florence, following a mystery related to Dante's Inferno and racing the clock to stop a severe threat.

While this was an enjoyable book, I did not find it as intriguing as the previous Robert Langdon stories. There did not seem to be as much depth in the clues and riddle in the art and architecture of the story. However, this might have had a more twisted plot line than some of the previous novels and did manage to stray from the formula that Brown had started to create for the series.

Overall, it was fun and certainly worth a read.

Inferno

On Stranger Tides

I bought  On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers because of it's shared title with the fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise. And, while it does share some components, Blackbeard and the search for the Fountain of Youth, the books is largely different from the movie of the same title.

This book is, however, still a great work of pirate fiction. There is plenty of magic, reminiscent of  Pirates of the Caribbean. The books focuses on a young man named John Chandagnac, who is captured by pirates and takes the name Jack Shandy. The story follows Shandy as he becomes one of the pirate crew and becomes acclimated to his new surroundings in the Caribbean. Throughout his adventures, Shandy tangles with Blackbeard, British authorities, other pirates, and magicians.

Overall, it is a rather entertaining book and well worth the read, if you are a fan of pirate novels.

My Word is My Bond: A Memoir

I picked up My Word is My Bond: A Memoir by Sir Roger Moore from the online bargain book bin at Barnes & Noble. I've always been a fan of the James Bond franchise and it looked like it might be interesting. Admittedly, I've never been a huge fan of Roger Moore films, as I have found them to be rather campy. I tend to prefer the Sean Connery films and the newer Daniel Craig movies. However, I thought that this may be an interesting book.

I'm glad I picked the book up. It turned out to be a rather fun and interesting read. Moore is a conversational story-teller. He is good at spinning a great story and making it somehow relatable. The book provides some incredibly interest stories about Moore's childhood and rise through stage acting. He then recounts his early film and television career, which was actually rather robust. I, for instance, had no idea that he starred in the televisions series The Saint and Maverick. Moore proceeds to tell about his experiences as the world's most famous secret agent. Finally, he tells about his involvement with UNICEF, which started because Audrey Hepburn asked him to join. Throughout all of these stories, Moore share tales about his fellow stories, some of which can be a bit risque. He shares stories about practical jokes he played while on set and misadventures that happened while on location. It was a fun read.

I would imagine that anyone who is a fan of the Bond franchise would enjoy this book. It would also be enjoyable to anyone interested in the golden age of film.

My Word is My Bond: A Memoir

Flowers in the Dustbin: The Rise of Rock and Roll, 1947-1977

This marks the third time I have read Flowers in the Dustbin: The Rise of Rock and Roll, 1947-1977 by James Miller. As with the last time I read it, it was for class. This is the final textbook for my class "Black, White, and Blue: Race Relations in the U.S. through the Blues." And yes, while this book does cover rock and roll, it also does a fine job of discussing race and the development of rock and roll out of the blues.

Miller takes an interesting approach to this book by breaking it into various sections that offer vignettes on various songs, artists, or milestones in the creation and rise of rock and roll. Some favorites on which Miller focuses are Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones. One of the things I like about this book is that Miller takes time to also describe what is happening socially in addition to what is happening in the world of music. Sometimes these descriptions are rather brief, but they are important in providing context around the music and musicians.

This is a great book for anyone interested in reading about rock and roll and the progression of the music industry. Miller does a great job of bringing some important figures in the world of rock to life and can also make the reader wish to revisit some of these old songs.

Flowers in the Dustbin: The Rise of Rock and Roll, 1947-1977