I'm not sure if I'm a Michael Crichton fan or not. I've read a lot of his work, enjoying most of it, and I'm certainly conscious of the impact his imagination has had on our culture over the last few decades (Jurassic Park, ER). I've just never been bitten by the smitten bug -- excuse the unintended rhyme - when it comes to Crichton.
Which has nothing whatsoever to do with the task at hand.
Pirate Latitudes is a Crichton book allegedly discovered on his computer after his death a few years ago. It is what it sounds like; a more or less true pirate tale set in the Caribbean. I thought it started out rip roaring but the energy petered out as it went along, even as the events on the page grew more volitale. It was odd, like watching a car tire spin all the faster even after it lost its air.
Still, a good effort for a dead guy.
Speaking of dead guys,
The Gathering Storm is Book 12 of the late Robert Jordan's
Wheel of Time Series.
The series is now continued by author Brandon Sanderson, and while some fans got all icky-ick over the idea of someone else taking the helm, I think he's done a heck of a job. It's rather seamless, with the only stylistic change I noticed being the introduction of contractions (I'm, you're, etc). Otherwise its all good, and I like the way he's picked up the pace and actually moved events along.
I liked it a lot.
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor is a young adult novel set in the world of Alice in Wonderland. Now if you know me, you know I wish that Alice in Wonderland would be retired for the duration of my lifetime. And the next, if possible, as I think it's so repetively re-used it might as well change its name to A Christmas Carol.
Beddor's novel doesn't change my mind, but it came close. It showcases a darker world where Alice's world is at war and the popular version of her tale nothing more than the twisted interpretation of Alice's memories.
Now, please bear in mind Beddor is to writing style what I am to succesful weight loss. It's a great reimagining somewhat weighed down by his clunky prose. But the magic of that reimagining - Hatter Madigan in particular - make it worth overlooking.
Recommended.
[BTW, I don't know why that segment of 2009 lent itself to young adult novels, but I also read "The Giver" around that time]
I really enjoyed Erik Larson's
Devil in the White City. It's most often described as being about a serial killer that prowled Chicago at the time of the Worlds Fair, but that does it a disservice. Yes, that plays a part in the text, but I personally found the book to be first and foremost of a study of the Worlds Fair itself; its creators, its construction, its soul.
How great a compliment to Larson's skill that he can take a simple tale of archeticural history and craft into a compelling and riveting narrative.
Very, very good.
14:13 mps [Milwaukee Public Schools] has announced they will close tomorrow. Let the Super Blow blizzard commence.
21:45 
Feb 2nd 00:24 When u can no longer distinguish the sidewalk from the street and lawn, & the wind sounds like a Hollywood sound effects team has set up shop outside ur window . . . Well, then it looks like this blizzard will live up to the hype after all
09:37 6 ft drifts down the length of my alley, 6-8 foot deep hills the length of the side street to my south, and quite literally the largest snow drift I've ever seen on the side of my house. I doubt we'll get the van out on the road until Friday at the earliest.
I know I'm near the lake, but it still boggles my mind how deep the snow drifts get on this block. It's nuts. Six inches = up to my car windows if the wind is right.
15:58 Taking a break from my 2nd round of shoveling in the alley. Noting the wonderful grammar of local anchors who in the course of a few minutes said "props to the city" and "don't go nowhere".
16:12 if anyone digs out and is on the road this evening, I would welcome a quick lift to either Walgreens or the grocery store. Thanks!
Over the next few hours I attacked the alley, and inspired the rest of the neighborhood to do the same. Early on many ventured out to tell me I should quit, that it was 'too much' - but once I kept slugging away the shame got to them, and one by one people came out to shovel their section. Even our neighbor, who we've had many issues with, helped out and at one point helped me push our van.
23:01 We finally got out of the alley at a little after nine, after spending hours clawing a path to freedom. That . . . was a lot of snow to shovel. The worst part? My phone, which was in my coat pocket for one of the many soaking-wet rounds of shoveling, was damaged. It still works as a phone, but all the perks that made my life happier - FB, txt, aps, email - are a no-go.[it was a lost cause]
Feb 3rd, the day the music died:
13:01 Hey city plow drivers - thanks for burying the entrance to the alley under three feet of snow for the *8th* time. The only reason I'd ever own a dog would be so I could have it take a dump on your lawn.
16:47 Just dug out the alley entrance again. The side street to our north is damn impassable, but this yahoo insists on making pass after pass on the driveable street to our south.
17:30 While we were out in the alley LuLu konked me on the side of the head with a steel snow shovel. Full force, on a ridiculously comic backswing. Ouch.
