Monthly Archives: June 2014

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (novel), by John Berendt (1994)

Posted on June 22, 2014 by tom

There’s something unique about the South. My mom and her ancestors grew up in the shadow of Lookout Mountain, where Georgia, Tennessee, and Alabama intersect, where one of the bloodiest campaigns of the Civil War was fought. I remember feeling … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Books Read in 2014, History, Memoir or Biography, Mysteries/Thrillers, Non Fiction and/or Commentary | Leave a comment

Twenty Films You Should See Before You Die

Posted on June 20, 2014 by tom

20 Movies You Ought to Watch These are just 20 movies that I think either have technical genius (Triumph of the Will) or just crack me the hell up (The Godfather). They aren’t my 20 favorites, nor are they my … Continue reading →

Posted in Films, non-Review Crap | Leave a comment

American Tabloid, by James Ellroy

Posted on June 9, 2014 by tom

Kemper Boyd—suave FBI Agent infiltrating car theft rings. His best friend, Ward Littel, also an FBI agent, but a bored one stuck in Chicago. Pete Bondurant: a six-foot-five fixer for various underworld figures, including getting drugs for Howard Hughes. Howard … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Books Read in 2014, General Fiction, Literary or Genre Fiction, Mysteries/Thrillers, series | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Why Are You Atheists So ANGRY? 99 Things That Piss-Off the Godless, by Greta Christina

Posted on June 6, 2014 by tom

Why Are You Atheists So ANGRY? 99 Things That Piss Off the Godless By Greta Christina Again, let me disclaim that I am neither atheist nor agnostic. I’m hardly a zealot either. I’ve found my own belief structure, and that … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Books Read in 2014, Non Fiction and/or Commentary, Religion/Spirituality | Leave a comment

The Ghosts of Nagasaki, by Daniel Clausen (2012)

Posted on June 5, 2014 by tom

So, so, so many books have exactly the same plots, just with different characters. There are brave, heroic men to smite bad guys; there are brainy women, doctors who use their brains to solve crimes. There are usually multiple killings, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Books Read in 2014, Literary or Genre Fiction, Paranormal | Leave a comment

God is NOT Good: How Religion Poisons Everything, by Christopher Hitchens (2009)

Posted on June 2, 2014 by tom

This is the part where I tell you that I’m neither an atheist nor an agnostic. I was raised Protestant, dipped a toe in Catholicism, and came out with my own system of beliefs. They are just that: my own … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Books Read in 2014, Non Fiction and/or Commentary, Religion/Spirituality, Uncategorized | Leave a comment