Book Reviews and More: July 2024

Wednesday 3 July 2024

Beyond Columbo: The Life and Times of Peter Falk - Richard A. Lertzman and William J. Birnes

Beyond Columbo: The Life and Times of Peter Falk

Richard A. Lertzman

William J. Birnes

Shadow Lawn Press

ISBN 9781521881491

eISBN 1230001769661

ASIN B07423LCMZ

Beyond Columbo: The Life and Times of Peter Falk - Richard A. Lertzman and William J. Birnes

Over the last year I have been alternating seasons of M*A*S*H* and Columbo. It has been hard after ever season of Columbo not to just start the next. I am just about to finish season 8. I because fascinated with Peter Falk while watching these made for TV movies. I want to read Falk’s autobiography Just One More Thing, but there is no eBook edition so I know it will take me a while to get around to reading it. Once I started reading this I could hardly put it down. It was as compelling as an episode of the show itself. We know the ending but reading this book we encounter the start, the beginning and the middle, before we get to Falk’s decline with dementia.

The pacing of this biography is as well-crafted as the best of the Columbo episodes. We get clear insight into the man, his love of his craft and his life. The book does not sugar coat anything. It is clear about the cause of his divorce, his late night partying with friends, and how often he was his own worst enemy. It also shows the caring and compassionate side. The man who wanted to do what he did well. It follows his bohemian youth travelling the world, and often getting into one bind or another. And it clearly shows he would do almost anything for a friend.

I knew he did other acting but was unaware of just how much. And this volume seems to give inside information on almost everything he was in. The book is well researched, the authors did over 100 interviews, and drew heavily from Peter’s own biography and the book Columbo Phile - A Casebook by Mark Dawidziak. For fans of Columbo or fans of Falk in general this will be a fascinating read. Some of the stories of his capers are laugh out loud funny. And some are much more sombre.

Books about Peter Falk or Columbo:

Beyond Columbo: The Life and Times of Peter Falk - Richard A. Lertzman and William J. Birnes

Columbo Phile - A Casebook - Mark Dawidziak

Cooking With Columbo Suppers With The Shambling Sleuth - Jenny Hammerton

Just One More Thing - Peter Falk

Shooting Columbo The Lives and - David Koenig

The Columbo Companion, 1968-78: Investigating Every Detail of All 45 'Classic Era' Columbo Adventures - The Columbophile

…

Columbo Novels by William Harrington:

Grassy Knoll

The Helter Skelter Murders

The Hoffa Connection

The Game Show Killer

The Glitter Murders

The Hover Files

…

Related Posts:

Columbo Series Overview

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Tuesday 2 July 2024

Radio Fifth Grade - Gordon Korman

Radio Fifth Grade

Gordon Korman

Scholastic

ISBN 9780590419277

Originally published in 1989 this was seventh standalone novel written by Korman, and it was the fourteenth novel he published. It is a laugh out loud tail, um I mean tale. A few years ago mid-summer, Korman published his 100th book. Yes, you read that correctly, his hundredth book. My introduction to Korman’s works was the 39 Clues 39 Clues back in 2009. Since then, I have read over 40 of his books. With each one I read I am entertained and often challenged. My son often reads these books to me or with me. I picked up this to read because I am alternating between his oldest and newest as I work through his complete works.

A description of this volume states:

“Mayhem breaks out in the fifth grade when the Venice Menace bullies his classmates into letting him become a regular guest on "Kidsview," the school's radio program. Benjy Driver dreams of becoming a big-time radio announcer. He gets an opportunity to develop his skills on a radio show produced by kids and aired every Saturday afternoon from the local station. Classic Korman hilarity ensues as a talking parrot says all the wrong things, a hair dryer jams radios and traffic lights, and a school bully writes stories about two kittens named Fuzzy and Puffy...but not the kind of stories that should be read on air!”

This is a really fun story. I am greatly enjoying some of these earlier Korman works. This is a hilarious story of a school radio show that is trying to just stay on the air. They have do jump through hoops and just a bit of sabotage to try and keep the ratings up, the station happy, and the sponsor paying the bills. But with a parrot who keeps picking the incorrect phrases to repeat and say on air. A school bully writing story after story to be read on air. A classmate focused on doom and gloom of all that can go wrong. And a new teacher they are trying to keep from catching the program It proves a lot for three youngsters to juggle.

This is a great story about friends, friendships, and finding your place in the world. Korman is one of the all-time masters of the School Story and this is another excellent offering. I just wish Scholastic would release eBooks of these older titles by Korman. A great read I can easily recommend.

Books by Gordon Korman:

MacDonald Hall Series:

This Can't Be Happening at Macdonald Hall (1978)

Go Jump in the Pool (1979)

Beware the Fish! (1980)

The Wizzle War (1982)

(formerly The War With Mr. Wizzle)

The Zucchini Warriors (1988)

Light’s Camera, Disaster (1991)

(aka Macdonald Hall Goes Hollywood)

The Jokes on Us (1995)

(formerly Something Fishy at Macdonald Hall)

…

Bugs Potter Series:

Who is Bugs Potter? (1980)

Bugs Potter LIVE at Nickaninny (1983)

…

Jeremy Bloom Series:

The D−Poems of Jeremy Bloom (1992)

The Last-Place Sports Poems of Jeremy Bloom (1996)

…

Monday Night Football Series:

The Quarterback Exchange (1997)

Running Back Conversion (1997)

Super Bowl Switch (1997)

Heavy Artillery (1997)

Ultimate Scoring Machine (1998)

NFL Rules! Bloopers, Pranks, Upsets, and Touchdowns (1998)

…

Masterminds Series:

Masterminds (2015)

Masterminds: Criminal Destiny (2016)

Masterminds: Payback (2017)

…

Slapshots Series:

The Stars From Mars (1999)

All-Mars All-Stars/The Dream Team (1999)

The Face-off Phony (2000)

Cup Crazy (2000)

Ouch I got slapped (2023)

…

4-in-1 Slapshots: The Complete Collection (2008)

…

Nose Pickers Series:

Nose Pickers from Outer Space! (1999)

Planet of the Nose Pickers (2000)

Your Mummy Is a Nose Picker (2000)

Invasion of the Nose Pickers (2001)

…

4-in-1 The Ultimate Nose-Picker Collection (2006)

…

Island Series:

Shipwreck (2001)

Survival (2001)

Escape (2001)

…

3-in-1 Island Trilogy Collection (2006)

…

Son of the Mob Series:

Son of the Mob (2002)

Son of the Mob 2: Hollywood Hustle (2004)

…

Everest Series:

The Contest (2002)

The Climb (2002)

The Summit (2002)

…

Everest Trilogy Box Set (2002)

Dive Series:

The Discovery (2003)

The Deep (2003)

The Danger (2003)

…

On the Run Series:

Chasing the Falconers (2005)

The Fugitive Factor (2005)

Now You See Them, Now You Don't (2005)

The Stowaway Solution (2005)

Public Enemies (2005)

Hunting the Hunter (2006)

…

Kidnapped Series:

The Abduction (2006)

The Search (2006)

The Rescue (2006)

…

Swindle Series:

Swindle (2008)

Zoobreak (2009)

Framed (2010)

Showoff (2012)

Hideout (2013)

Jackpot (2014)

Unleashed (2015)

Jingle (2016)

…

Titanic Series:

Unsinkable (2011)

Collision Course (2011)

S.O.S (2011)

…

The 39 Clues Series:

One False Note (2008)

The Emperor's Code (2010)

Vespers Rising (2011)

The Medusa Plot (2011)

Flashpoint (2014)

…

Hypnotists Series:

The Hypnotists (2013)

Memory Maze (2014)

The Dragonfly Effect (2015)

…

Ungifted Series:

Ungifted (2012)

Supergifted (2018)

…

Slacker Series:

Slacker (2016)
Level 13 (2019)

...

Non Series Books:

I Want to Go Home! (1981)

Our Man Weston (1982)

No Coins, Please (1984)

Don't Care High (1985)

Son of Interflux (1986)

A Semester in the Life of a Garbage Bag (1987)

Radio 5th Grade (1989)

Losing Joe's Place (1990)

The Twinkie Squad (1992)

The Toilet Paper Tigers (1993)

Why Did the Underwear Cross the Road (1994)

The Chicken Doesn't Skate (1996)

Liar, Liar Pants on Fire (1997)

The Sixth Grade Nickname Game (1998)

No More Dead Dogs (2000)

Maxx Comedy: The Funniest Kid in America (2003)

Jake, Reinvented (2003)

Born To Rock (2006)

Schooled (2007)

The Juvie Three (2008)

Pop (2009)

Restart (2017)

What's His Face? (2018)

The Unteachables (2019)

Notorious (2019)

War Stories (2020)

Game On (contains The Chicken Doesn’t Skate and The Toilet Paper Tigers (2021)

Unplugged (2021)

Linked (2021)

Operation Do-Over (2022)

The Fort (2022)

The Super Teacher Project (2023)

Mixed Up (2023)

Slugfest (2024)

Faker (2024)

…

Gordon Korman - Sheelagh Matthews - Remarkable Writers

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Monday 1 July 2024

Escaping Infinity - Richard Paolinelli - Infinity Book 1

Escaping Infinity

Infinity Book 1

Richard Paolinelli

Tuscany Bay Books

ISBN 9781541392588

ASIN B01MU7VO42

Escaping Infinity - Richard Paolinelli - Infinity Book 1

Well, this took me completely by surprise. I had not read the description but had some assumptions about the volume based on the cover. I can freely state the book is an excellent Science Fiction novel, wrapped up in a mystery. Sort of a Hotel California with a very specific purpose.

It is an absolutely excellent read! This is the 30th volume from the pen of Paolinelli That I have read in the last year. I have also read a couple of his contributions to anthologies. I had not read the description of this story before picking it up. I am hooked on Paolinelli’s writings and am slowing working my way through his entire back catalogue. This is a masterfully written novel. The description of this volume states:

“Thousands have checked into the Infinity Hotel over the years. None of them have ever checked out.

Peter Childress and Charlie Womack are successful engineers on their way to Phoenix for an important presentation. But one of Charlie’s infamous “shortcuts” has gotten them good and lost once again. As night falls, the pair stumble across the Infinity Hotel and the promise of a meal, fuel and a good night’s sleep before starting off fresh in the morning is too good to pass up.

But while Charlie immediately takes to the hotel’s amazing amenities, Peter begins to uncover some of the hotel’s dark secrets – a seemingly unlimited number of floors, guests that appear out of time and place and a next morning that never seems to come. Worse still, the entrance to the Infinity has disappeared and no other apparent exit back to the outside world is in sight.

Now, under the watchful eyes of the hotel’s manager and front desk clerk, Peter searches for a way back out and uncovers the horrible truth behind the mystery of the Infinity Hotel.”

This read instantly grabbed my attention. The jump from the prologue to chapter one was jarring. But once I pieced it together I was in awe of Paolinelli’s skill as a storyteller. I could hardly put it down. As we follow Peter’s discoveries and his attempts to make an escape we slowly piece together what is happening. As we do the tale becomes even more intriguing and fascinating. A real page turner!

There is a companion volume to this called Exploring Infinity that is a collection of stories edited by Richard. There was an announced third volume, Expanding Infinity, but it was announced for 2 years ago. Based on how good this one is I do so hope it will be released.

This story was originally published in 2016, released again in 2017 an an eBook and reprints in 2021 and 2022. Richard is not only an author but the driving force behind Tuscany Bay Books, I have read many volumes from the Bay by a number of authors and all have been well worth the read.

This is an excellent story, great for those who love science fiction or sci-fi with a bit of mystery. In some ways it reminds me of the book by Alfred Bester and the none Dune books of Frank Herbert, like The Green Brain or The Eye’s of Heisenberg. The characters are very well written. The plot is exceedingly well crafted and very unique. I cannot wait to read the next instalment, and hopefully the third. A great read I can easily recommend.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2024 Catholic Reading Plan!

For reviews of all books from Tuscany Bay click here.

Books by Richard Paolinelli:

Maelstrom

When the Gods Fell

The Calling

The Last Lonely Trail

A Zombie Christmas Carol

The Woman Returns

…

Infinity Series:

Escaping Infinity