Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand by Leonard Peikoff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Want to know or understand Ayn Rand’s creation, ‘Objectivism’? This is IT.

To the music video-video game crowd, this will seem cumbersome in ideas and reading. In the past few decades the education has been a backward one of emotion and not reason. This book well explains why folks can take the emotion and altruistic route. but also explain why that is a route to a cliff to fall off. Young people need to read and read books like this.

I don’t even agree with a bunch of this. Young people just need to really read and accept challenging their thinking.

Peikoff does a very good job presenting Rand’s ideas and theories. He slips at times with flimsy writing and obtuse examples. This is especially the case in his presenting ideas of ‘Capitalism’ being “real” after hundreds of pages explaining the importance of empirical truth. It’s pretty tough to support the man-imagined ideas of financial exchange as a truth that exists beyond faith, a mostly bad term for Rand. Especially when Peikoff labels those who won’t accept Rand’s view of ‘Capitalism’ as “stupid”.

Peikoff also struggles through the chapter about ‘Art’ with the similar problems with ‘capitalism’. Both also happen to be the last chapters.

This is mostly not the case. Peikoff does an excellent job of presenting Rand’s ideas of “Whim Worship”. Some despise her views of this. i think those against the idea would have trouble getting around Peikoff’s cogent explanation.

Another excellent entry is laying out the ideas of “rights” in the ‘Government’ chapter. Separating Rand’s views of “rights” (Which i disagree with) and how “rights” are generally perceived (Which i also disagree with). The chapter is well crafted and worded. Great work!

I’ll write the book starts off clunky and, as pages turned, gets very focused. The last few chapters are a bit sloppy. The last chapter seems to have been constructed separately and is the best part of the books.

Bottom line: i recommend this book. 9 out of 10 points.

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Asterix the Gaul by René Goscinny
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

First, I love the storytelling and illustration throughout. Outstanding work that sails waaaay past the dodgy story told. There really isn’t a story. It’s more about one side picking on the other side and vice-versa with a simple story device to conclude it all. There is little intrigue and the Gauls and Romans are nominally defined to care about any of them…except for the excellent illustration work. That is really the only reason to look at this. It’s also interesting to see the artwork make a bit of an alteration over the course of many pages. Seems Uderzo may have had this as a rush project and figured it out as he went. Still a great portfolio of cartoon work.
Consider this a picture book than a story to read and the reader will be far more satisfied.

Bottom line: I recommend the art and not the story. 5 out of 10 points.

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Bad Kitty School Daze by Nick Bruel
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

As I try to navigate through what is available these days for young people (apparently the intent), I pick up what I come across. This got put before me, so I read it. Never more than after this do I pity the folks slogging through nasty stuff like this and thinking this is child worthy.

This would’ve been better presented as text than with the horrible art attached. The drawings are inconsistent and the person illustrating flips the card of lack of training with the near entire lack of setting. The characters, or whatever that is drawn, are so inconsistent and poorly rendered. The cat is a swipe of ‘Bloom County’s ‘Bill the Cat’. Unfortunately, the illustrator shows little to no ability to present an illustrated story. Knowing the history of children’s literature, how this found a publisher is baffling.

I wrote that this would be better as just text. That would be true, if a coherent story was attached. Instead the plot involves a cat presumed bad and sent to a school. The reasoning for this is barely explained. The school is also left to the imagination except for a name on a page. This goes on involving shoddy writing about interactions among those in the class and situations trod far too many times in various media.

The best written parts are asides that are mostly text that don’t connect well with the over all story.

There’s a short comic book-like few page story that is supposed to look crudely drawn. These pages are the best rendered of the lot. Story is typical bad guys versus good guys stuff involving the characters seen in the story preceding.

Of all the children’s books out there, parents are advised to choose on of the hundreds of thousands available better than this.

Bottom line: i don’t recommend this book. 2 out of ten points.

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A Colorado Christmas by William W. Johnstone

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Certainly one the best books in the Johnstone Clan corral. I say in the top 20, but think after 100 plus of these I’m past that number. So, I’d push this into the top 10.

First is the plot: A handful of threads coming from many directions that coalesce in a satisfying story and ending. Most, especially recent Johnstone books contain a rather easy or lazy plot model. This one does not. This is one of the few most complicated Johnstone novels I’ve read.

What this entry has that is most often missing in a Johnstone novel is a firm setting of atmosphere. Rare one could read a Johnstone novel and feel chilly in warmth, but this ghost writer does it in excellent form.

The characters are typically very strong. The ghost writer does a really terrific job entering the various Johnstone characters from other novels.

There are some inconsistencies with the Johnstone character’s canon, could be better written and hardly on the level of the greatest classics. But it’s a great book.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 10 out of 10 points.



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The Christmas book of legends and stories by Elva Sophronia Smith

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


For those interested in creation myths or Christian history, this book is a wonderful collection of interpretations of the story of the birth of Jesus. The interpretations span the time before and after the birth and stories loosely associated. Many are poems, including, what we now think of as, lyrics to well-known Christmas songs.

The book is laid out in sections of significant instances involving the Biblical story of Christ. This sectioning is an excellent addition and very well thought out.

Some of the stories are excellent. Some are weak. All are a great study of view points to the Christmas story. Well worth time to read if you fall into the two categories I wrote of above.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 7 out of 10 points.



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A Carol for a Corpse by Claudia Bishop

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


In that I had just read one of another series with similar aims of mystery, it was easy for me to recognize this had much the other didn’t. There was a very well set setting, distinct characters and dialogue. Also, the mystery itself was far more interesting. There are some stereotyped characters and the plot is more than over used, but the sum is good. I have a real problem of how the murder took place. The effort to accomplish the task is very to nearly impossible considering the outcome. There is a lot of assumption readers know snow skiing. Having a background involving construction development, there is also a problem with how part of the plot is written involving taking over and redeveloping land.

But really the mystery is secondary to the over all story of two sisters running an inn. I liked that part best.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 6 out of ten stars.



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The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A very tight novel that slices away to the core. Cracker jack writing and good plot. The characters are pretty stark, leaving the imagination to fill in a lot. Same true for the book itself. Even the settings, critical for parts of the book are pretty loose, but the writing

Two pages covers what could have been 100 pages. So much written in few words. Very impressive.

The tale unfolds with speed and with darkness. Written with skill hardly seen these days.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 8 out of 10 points.



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Hilarious Fishing Cartoons by John Troy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This is an excellent collection of gags and cartoons involving fishing. Most all expertly artistically executed. Here, I think i know who most major cartoonists are and stumble across this a few weeks ago. Cartoonist Troy seems to keep to himself and not part of any of the cartoonist organizations I’ve been with or know of.

His skill is great. i spotted a number of conscious or unconscious swipes of technique and style of others. To a professional, he does have his weaknesses and some gags are misses.

A tiny quibble is that Troy’s fishing experience seems to be in the northern US. Here, in Florida, we have all sorts of funny instances involving the challenges here.

Overall, this collection is excellent and, at the time should have been in consideration for our National Cartoonists Society. But i was there when this book came out and it wasn’t present. If I had known about it, I would’ve entered it.

I should write, i can’t stand fishing and Love this collection.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 9 out of 10 points.



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Asterix and the Chieftain’s Shield by René Goscinny

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Note: I’m trying to read various stories of sequential story telling. Trying to read one a week. This is the first in two months. Oops!

This is a very good story by Goscinny and seems very well drawn. It’s hard to tell. The 2004 hard bound print I have is poorly printed and hard to see and read in places.

The pacing of the story seems at points a bit drawn out, but the conclusion wraps it all nicely. The page layouts are excellent. Design aspects are excellent. Just wish i could see it better. i’ll have to seek a better print.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 9 out of ten points.



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The Warrior by Frank G. Slaughter

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This book was given to me by my good friend Whitey Markle. He knew I was a fan of Slaughter’s Florida history books and I didn’t have this one. This one covers the time of the Seminole Indian War along the Ocklawaha River and includes a fictional story with a good deal of what is believed known to have actually to have occurred during the crucial time of the war where Osceola and Seminoles had their major battle with the US military. A few names were changed, but Micanopy, Alligator, Morning Dew, Cooacoochee, Thomas Jesup, etc. are all included. Slaughter well depicts each character as is known about them in real life.

Slaughter takes the history believed to have occurred and, as he has done in so many of his books, strips in a love story and other melodrama to create a compelling book that generally teaches the history and great to read.

At times Slaughter seems to get bogged down and overwrites parts. I’ve found he’s done this in other books. Seems an editor might have stepped in about this. Problem might be that, though over done, the writing is still so superior, it’s hard to request an edit.
Another issue are some glaring inaccuracies. In that this is fiction and Slaughter is trying to create a readable, fictional tale for the general public, that is his trap door to escape out of.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 8 out of 10 points.



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Death of A Perfect Mother by Robert Barnard

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This doesn’t happen often with me: A book I couldn’t put down. I started the first page and, in between hundreds of miles of driving read this as much as I could. It’s not a dazzling story or full of action and deep mystery. It’s just a tale of a family and anticipation.
The title presumes a story that doesn’t happen as might be expected. That keeps the pages turning.

It’s the writing I loved. Barnard is new to me and I’ve been missing his books for too long. A new search has begun!
I found this very readable with terrific characters. The main character is written with many viewpoints. As the story moves along, what is anticipated becomes more and more intriguing as to how the book might end. All of the characters are given great dimension.
Most books today run 30 or 4 hundred pages with less results. This is a mere 222 page and accomplishes much, much more.
Also excellent setting descriptions.

Bottom line: I recommend this book. 9 out of 10 points.




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