Ryan Adams: Losering, a Story of Whiskeytown

I was excited when I saw that there was going to be a new book about Ryan Adams. I have been a fan of Adams' music for about a decade. So, I immediately ordered David Menconi's Ryan Adams: Losering, a Story of Whiskeytown. I was excited to read a book about one of my favorite artists during a period of his life when he was playing with one of my favorite bands.

The book proved to be interesting, but not great. Menconi, a music critic for the Raleigh News and Observer, has been witness to Ryan and his music since the early 90's when Ryan first started playing in the area. However, Menconi never quite manages to remove himself from the narrative of the book. Obviously, since this is an unauthorized "biography," the author needed to rely on second-hand sources and  his interviews with Ryan during the time period of Whiskeytown. That is understandable. However, Menconi continues to find ways to insert himself into the story, as though he was an important part of Whiskeytown or Ryan's story. The downside is that his narrative doesn't truly provide deep insight into Ryan, the band, or the music. Instead, the book feels like an attempt for Menconi to make money off his limited interaction with Adams and Whiskeytown. He gets some facts wrong, crediting Ryan with songs he either co-wrote or didn't write at all. At times, the writing/research seems sloppy. He even goes so far as to provide critiques of albums and an example of his iTunes playlist. It's as though the book is unable to have a consistent voice throughout the narrative.

While not the strongest narrative, or most well-researched book, it will nonetheless be interesting for any fan of Ryan Adams or Whiskeytown.

Ryan Adams: Losering, a Story of Whiskeytown

The Poe Shadow

I picked up The Poe Shadow by Matthew Pearl in a discount bin sometime over the past year. It had an interesting looking cover and appeared to be a mystery, so I thought I'd grab it. It seemed like a decent investment for $3. I didn't realize that it was written by the same author as The Dante Club, another novel that I enjoyed quite a bit. That novel used historical figures to solve a fictional mystery, while this novel uses fictional characters to solve a historical mystery - the death of Edgar Allan Poe.

The protagonist of the novel is Quentin Clark and the novel is written in first person. It chronicles Clark as he tries to discover the truth of the mysterious death of author Edgar Allan Poe. They were only loose acquaintances, but Clark was a fan of Poe's work, so he feels compelled to look into what others fail to deem important. The pursuit of the truth leads to Clark's downfall as an attorney in Baltimore and he also loses his fiance in the process. To gain assistance, Clark travels to Paris to enlist the help of Duponte, the alleged inspiration for Poe's detective, Dupin.

The novel was a bit slow at times, but was ultimately a fun read. Pearl seemed to capture the speech of Poe's era. I enjoyed the overall plot and ultimately found myself disappointed when the novel ended. It's worth a read for anyone who is a fan of mysteries, Poe, or a combination of the two.

The Poe Shadow

I decided to read  The Covert Conspiracy by Adam Joslin simply because I know the author. Seriously. Adam is one of my RAs here at Virginia Tech. Now, I'll give you a moment to let that sink in. He's an RA at Virginia Tech. That means he's an undergraduate. A sophomore. Adam is a published author as a sophomore. Impressive.

This is not Adam's first published work. He has a book of poems that he self published a few years ago. But, this is his first novel and the first to be published by an outside company.

The novel is about a teen, Nick Tavers, who witnesses his neighbor's murder and ends up in the witness protection program. The Tavers family, along with their US Marshall escort, Hal, end up the wrong plane and land on a little-known island called Iosuni. While on the island, Nick makes new friends and uncovers a sinister plot. With help from his new friends, he attempts to stop this plot.

The book is definitely teen fiction, but the story was fun. There is a bit of drama, action, mystery, and romance in this story. It is the first of what will hopefully be a series of books, which will further explore some of the subplots in the novel.

Check it out!

The Covert Conspiracy

Complete Stories and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe

I started off the month of October with the goal of reading nothing but Halloween related books and stories. As Halloween is one of my favorite holidays, it seemed fitting. I intended to read works by Stoker, Irving, Shelley, and Poe.

I was having a Poe-themed Halloween party this year, so it seemed only natural to read the Complete Stories and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe. I gave it a valiant effort. I have long known some of Poe's works, as my dad used to tell them to me when I was younger. So, I would say I am a fan. The complete works, however, is a daunting collection of works. Poe is known for his macabre stories, and this collection contains those, but there are also some that a just downright weird. I read 50% of the works (according to my Kindle) and decided to give it a break. I was just finding myself bored.

I enjoyed "The Cask of Amontillado," "The Gold Bug," "The Fall of the House of Usher," and "Hop Frog," as well as a few others. Some of them I was familiar with and some I was not. I do still intend to read these works at some point. I just seemed to have last my stamina for this collection at this point in time.

Complete Stories and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe

A History of God: The 4,000-year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam

I have wanted to read A History of God: The 4,000 Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam by Karen Armstrong for several years now. I have several friends who entered the seminary (in different denominations) and they had it as part of their reading list. With my interest in religion, it seemed like something I would enjoy. In fact, I have owned it for a bit of time and have never gotten around to reading it. A few weeks ago, I noticed it on my pile of books that make up my queue and decided it was time to read it.

For the most part, I enjoyed the book. Karen Armstrong is a nun of the Roman Catholic tradition and has written a number of book on various religious traditions. I have read some of her works on Islam and have found her to be a fairly accessible author on religious topics. She may not be someone whom religious scholars would turn to, but I believe she presents these topics in a way that is understandable to lay people. This book is no exception. As the title indicates, this book is a look at the history of God through the lens of the three monotheistic prophetic traditions. It does not focus so much on the argument of whether or not God exists, but rather explores mankind's relationship with "Him" through the ages.

The book starts approximately 4,000 years ago, providing a glimpse of the social context of polytheism and pagan beliefs before the revelation of God to the early Jews. The next chapter gives a look at the way in which God was revealed to the early Jewish prophets and it's impact on planting the seeds for Judaism. Following this is a look at the role of Jesus of Nazareth and the advent of Christianity. A discussion of the Prophet Muhammed and Islam follows. After looking with some depth at the three prophetic traditions, Armstrong next provides a survey of God as understood by philosophers, mystics, and reformers. She then looks at the understanding of God during the Enlightenment and beyond.

I found the early chapters to be very interesting. I have long been interested in the relationship between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and these chapters provided some interesting context, history, and at times, clarity. I also found the latter chapters to be intriguing, especially as Armstrong focused on history closer to the modern era. It seemed more accessible because I knew many of the figures about whom she spoke.

All in all, it was a very interesting book. There are a number of pages on which I bent down the corner because I found a particular passage to be interesting and thought provoking. While this is no light read, I would certainly recommend it for anyone who may be interested in the topic of religion or philosophical discussions about God.

A History of God: The 4,000-year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and Islam

Murder in Three Acts

I chose to read Murder in Three Acts by Agatha Christie on the suggestion of another author of crime fiction. However, much to my dismay, I am unable to recall the author that suggested this book. I do recall reading, however, that the author said Murder in Three Acts was one of his (or her) favorites and that it defines the genre. I could hardly pass up such a recommendation. As someone who enjoys detective stories, it seemed like the perfect novel to add to my reading queue.

I rather enjoyed Murder in Three Acts, having only read one Christie novel before this. That, of course, was Murder on the Orient Express. This book also features her famous detective Hercule Poirot, who is pulled into the investigation rather late into the story. In fact, he almost plays a supporting role in the book, until the very end. The story is well written, with rather intriguing characters, and a plot that will keep the reader engaged in the story. It centers around two murders that feature the same witness, and consequently suspects. I had my suspicions about who the murderer would turn out to be, but must say it was only that. A hunch.

I would definitely recommend this book for anyone who enjoys crime novels, especially those set in the past.

Murder in Three Acts

My Life on the Run: The Wit, Wisdom, and Insights of a Road Racing Icon

I picked up My Life on the Run: The Wit, Wisdom, and Insights of a Road Racing Icon, by Bart Yasso on a bit of a whim. I had just finished Again to Carthage and was finding books on running to be rather inspirational. So, while perusing Amazon, I saw this book and decided to purchase a copy. As an avid reader of Runner's World, I am familiar with Bart Yasso and decided to give it a shot. Soon after receiving it, however, I pulled a muscle in my right leg rather badly and had to take some time off running. I found the idea of reading books about running while being unable to run rather depressing, so this book sat on the shelf for a while.

I picked it up maybe four days ago and have managed to read it fairly quickly, despite being in professional staff training for approximately 12 hours a day. However, I have recently started running ago (no more than 3 miles, and at dreadfully slow paces), so I thought the book might prove to be somewhat inspirational as I make my return to running. I really enjoyed Bart's conversational writing style and the stories he chose to tell. He talks about being unathletic and wanting his father's approval (something to which I can loosely relate), his addition with drugs and alcohol (and how running saved him), as well as memorable trips around the globe to run races. The back of the book also has recommended training plans from Bart and a list of suggested races to run, both domestically and abroad.

All in all, it was a good book to ease me back into running and provide some inspiration. It even fueled my wanderlust and desire to find interesting races to run in unique parts of the world.

My Life on the Run: The Wit, Wisdom, and Insight of a Road Racing Icon