Seasons Greetings

Merry Christmas everyone!

Tame Impala

I heard this when watching The Kids Are All Right last weekend with the wife. It only appeared in the film for a minute or so, but I loved the sound, found out who it was, and it immediately went into high rotation around the household. This is a great live version.

Books I Read November 2010-Late

Horace McCoy-They Shoot Horses Don't They?

McCoy's murder tale of a young couple and the dance marathon they entered doesn't really justify even the short length of the novel. This story could easily have been told in far fewer pages. The dance marathon routines become tedious, and I found it hard to believe the male protagonist found it necessary to "put her down."

Robert Kirkman-Invincible Vol. 3 & 4

The tone of this superhero series continues to become grimmer and grimmer after a somewhat light-hearted beginning. I like it.

Philip K. Dick-Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
I tried to read this when I was 13 after sneaking in to see Blade Runner, but couldn't do it. It only took me 29 years to finally get back around to it. Dick's novel is quite different from the film, as to be expected, but no less successful. The thing I appreciated most about this book is that it helped me understand the movie better. This is actually one of Dick's better novels, but it is pretty straight-forward and doesn't contain the mind-fuckery he likes to play with in his greatest works.

Wilkie Collins-The Woman in White
The Woman in White was a far better read than The Moonstone, which I read last month. The characters were more interesting and far less annoying and the suspense was sustained to a far greater degree. I have more of Collins novels and will be checking them out sooner or later.

Ted McKeever Library Book 3-Metropol
Image comics has collected some of McKeever early creator-owned series and republished them in handsome hardcovers. I read all of these series in the 90's, but it's cool to have them all bound in a single volume and the stories are well worth a second read. This apocalyptic tale of battling angels and demons is pure McKeever; distinctive art, good storyline, and engaging characters. Indie comics don't get better.

Stephen King-Full Dark, No Stars
It has been awhile since King has really hooked me, but these four stories all succeed. These stories are lean and mean and show that King, when working within a limited palate, can still bring it.

Brian K. Vaughn-Y The Last Man Deluxe Hardcover 4

Volume 4 of 5 starts to bring many of the storylines together. Still engaging, fun stuff.

Rocking My World

Wolf People are an amazing band. Check out my previous post of their video for 'Tiny Circle'. They have just released their first studio album entitled Steeple and it absolutely rocks. Check out this delicious live version of Dorney Reach from the album