Miscellany (and Hot) Monday

Now that we're officially into Fall, and before we hit The Slide, I thought I'd mention a few things.

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Every year, seemingly since I began reading in earnest, I've taken on historical and non-fiction works on a regular basis right along with my thriller, sci-fi, and crime/mystery novels. And annually I encounter at least one or two books which are so sobering that it makes you sit up straight while it weighs on your mind for some time after. Two years ago it was Jane Mayer's The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned Into a War on American Ideals. Last year, it was Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman and Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan. This year it is 13 Bankers: The Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown by Simon Johnson and James Kwak. While it may have a bias (and you'll have defenders and opponents of Wall Street taking sides here), the book's strength is its straightforward history of banking and its influence over the years on government and federal policy that brought about a ruinous recession (likely the deepest downturn since The Great Depression) and gave cover to those who caused this calamity. The same group who are likely teeing up another of these since they're fighting tooth and nail (with taxpayers money) to defeat the needed changes to the current freewheeling structure now in place. Whether you agree with it or not, it is well worth reading.

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Author John Kenneth Muir has in his examination sights the most universally cherished Trekker film in the canon - Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Whether you're a fan of this series (or not), or someone who is familiar with such literary classics like A Tale of Two Cities, Paradise Lost, or Moby Dick (and want to discover what the parallels are here), don't miss this one.

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Keeping to that science-fiction tendency of mine, this is DS9 Week over at Secure Immaturity. Of course, I'm referring to Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. A show that was criminally ignored by much of the Trekker and sci-fi faithful during its initial run. It is finally getting its due, as many in the blogosphere can now attest. Site owner, blogger and writer, Will, said it best in his opening essay:

"Now let’s not get all down in the dumps here. While DS9 did deal with many dark concepts, it’s realism on the war/politics front also translated well in it’s descriptions of family, friendship, love, and, oddly, business (see Ferengi, but that’s another post). To start, unlike the much more beloved TNG, family wasn’t simply an idea that was seen in the background with extras or in brief visits to Earth: family was a central piece to the development and goings on in the universe. Sisko and his son Jake: love between a father and son. Quark and his brother Rom: love between siblings. Odo and his people, the Founders: love in absentia, Keiko and O’Brien: married love, Worf and Dax, Bashir and Ezri, Sisko and Kasidy, the list could go on. Picard, Riker, etc. . . sure, they’d have a random romantic encounter, but what happened on DS9 stayed on DS9: relationships couldn’t be forgotten once someone left the port of call."

I'm so looking forward to this week specifically because of this blogathon (and it has nothing to do with the fact that I contributed something to it... really). And then there's my friend J.D.'s John Carpenter  Week at RADIATOR HEAVEN next week! These are going to be great.

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Last year, mainly due to blogging friends Corey, Pop Culture Nerd, and Jen convincing me (after awhile), I discovered the entry of one new and exciting writer. Sophie Littlefield and her A Bad Day for Sorry debut were something special to be introduced to. This year, that role is to be assumed by one Hilary Davidson. Her debut novel (which comes out tomorrow), The Damage Done, is already gathering high praise. Today, Pop Culture Nerd had another of her fine interviews (and giveaways) with the author. Jen, of Jen's Book Thoughts, also offered a praise-worthy review of the novel, recently. Since Hilary won the initial Watery Grave Invitational short story contest, at least I won't be late to this party.

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If you don't know it, it is Banned Books Week, too! Flickr is presenting a gallery of display pictures from various bookstores. Yesterday's OIF Blog had a great one from Fulton High School in Knoxville, TN:

All rights reserved by ala_oif

All rights reserved by ala_oif

"Banned Books Week (BBW) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment. Held during the last week of September, Banned Books Week highlights the benefits of free and open access to information while drawing attention to the harms of censorship by spotlighting actual or attempted bannings of books across the United States."

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"... Los Angeles is a desert community."

"In the middle of a drought and the water commissioner drowns! Only in L.A."

We're only 24 degrees above our average normal temperature for this date. That's all.

Blogger's Note: strike that last part. L.A.'s normal average for September 27th is 82º F. With today's record high of 113º F in the basin, we were officially 31º above that.