Thought for the day: They say the universe is expanding. That should help with the traffic. [Steven Wright]
Don't worry. It doesn't matter a flip what the traffic is like out there, because we're gonna take a virtual road trip. No need to pack a bag or even put clothes on. Just relax in the comfort of your own home and enjoy a few chuckles over some of the billboards we're gonna see along the way. Fake billboards, that is. As fake as this alleged trip we're gonna take.
It's been a loooooong time since I've shared any of these, so I figured I was about due. As always, sincere thanks to the awesome folks at Dribble Glass for so kindly granting me permission to share them with you.
Ready? Seat belts on? Oh yeah. Never mind... Let's go!
Nah, I haven't seen any billboards quite like that, but there were some eye-catchers on the interstate years ago that always caught my eye. They were very stark, with an all-black background and white lettering. My favorite said, Don't make me come down there. God
Then there were the ol' Burma Shave signs. Remember them? There'd be a bunch along the road, each one providing another line for a verse. Like:
IT'S BEST FOR
ONE WHO HITS
THE BOTTLE
TO LET ANOTHER
USE THE THROTTLE.
and
DON'T LOSE YOUR HEAD
TO GAIN A MINUTE
YOU NEED YOUR HEAD
YOUR BRAIN IS IN IT.
******
Have you seen any eye-catching billboards? Hmmm, maybe eye-catchers along the highway aren't such a hot idea, after all. Might be better if drivers kept their attention on the the road and traffic...
Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.
P.S. If you're interested, both of my novels will be on sale today and tomorrow for the paltry sum of ninety-nine cents. (in US and UK)
Thought for the day: Did y'all hear about the jurisprudence fetishist? He got off on a technicality.
It's the last Friday of the month, (already!) so it's time for another friendly gathering of The Armchair Squid'sfamousworld renown whole lotta fun online book club, where participants post about the best book they've read within the past month. It isn't too late for you to participate, ya know. Just click on that link to his blog, and and sign on up... and then tell us about your Book of the Month.
Like last month, I still realize not all of you give a good diddle about a book recommendation, so I'll offer a little something else for your enjoyment before finishing up with the book review. Oh, and this will be my last post for a while, too. Although I'm not gonna participate in the A-Z Challenge this year, I AM gonna take the month off from blogging and maybe get some work done on some writing projects. Heck, I might even rearrange some of the dust bunnies around the house, or paint a wall or two. Who knows? (After all, I was born to be wild...) To those of you who will be working your way through the alphabet and a bazillion blogs, have fun! Maybe next year for me. Maybe.
Since the bogus funny billboards seemed to be such a hit last month, I think I'll go with some more of them this month. Remember, these things arose from the fertile imaginations of some mighty creative minds; they aren't billboards you'll ever actually see standing alongside the road. Tough. We're still gonna take our virtual road trip to check 'em out. As always, many thanks to the fine folks at dribbleglass, who so graciously granted me permission to use these images.
Well, I hope some of those floated your boat. Now, for the book review. Let's see... which one kicked the butts of all the other books I read this month? Tough call.
But I'm gonna go with... this one:
According to the description on the back cover: The epic tale of Harry Clifton's life begins with the words, "I was told that my father was killed in the war." A dock worker in Bristol, Harry never knew his father and expects to carry on at the shipyard, until a remarkable gift wins him a scholarship to an exclusive boys' school, and his life will never be the same again... As Harry enters into adulthood, he finally learns how his father really died, but the awful truth only leads him to question: Was he even his father? Is he the son of Arthur Clifton, a stevedore, or the firstborn son of a scion of West Country society, whose family owns a shipping line? From the ravages of the Great War and the docks of working-class England to the streets of 1940 New York City and the outbreak of the Second World War, this is a powerful journey that will bring to life one hundred years of history to reveal a family story that neither the reader nor Harry Clifton himself could ever have imagined.
Sounds pretty cool, right? Well, here's what I think about it:
I actually won this book through a Goodreads giveaway. (Yep... Lucky, lucky, lucky!) I've read a number of Archer's books in the past, but it had been a while, so I was thrilled to have one of his books fall into my lap again. If you've never read any of his books before, you might want to check him out. He's a master storyteller.
When someone is telling me a story, I generally prefer to receive it in a linear fashion; I don't need a lot of backtracking, rehashing, or side trips. Just tell me the darned story already. And if possible, don't keep telling me the same thing over and over. I'm pretty intelligent, so there's a good chance I picked up on that particular detail the first ten times you told me. So what did I think of a book that essentially tells me about the same events over and over... and over... again? Actually, I liked it. A lot. See, this book tells the same story, but from different perspectives. Each section of the book is named for a particular character, and begins with a first-person narrative from that character's POV, followed by a 3rd person part of the story, based on what that character knows, thinks, or thinks (s)he knows. There's also a little bit of head-hopping, mixed in with some omniscient narrator POV. Sounds confusing, but it isn't. I must admit, when the first retelling began, I was a tad annoyed at having my preferred "linear" story interruped, but the author's mode of story-telling is like a jigsaw puzzle being put together via group effort. Different characters provide different pieces, and just like people, some characters try to force their pieces into the wrong place. All-in-all, this overlapping mode creates a rich depth in both story and characters. I'm not sure many writers could pull it off nearly as skillfully as Archer does, but I still don't think I'd like a steady diet of this style of story-telling. Archer already has a well-earned reputation for being a skilled storyteller, but I wouldn't recommend any new writers to try his approach. The constantly changing POV and head-hopping probably wouldn't be readily accepted from someone who hasn't already proven his marketing appeal. I only have two major complaints. One, I have a problem with the genetic depiction of grandfather-to-son-to-grandson transmission of color blindness. From my understanding of this affliction, Archer's explanation is long on supporting the story, but short on facts. The other problem is the book ends on an "Oh, no!" moment. No resolution. More of a cliffhanger, so the story isn't "done". Luckily, although I won this book through a Goodreads giveaway as a "first read", it isn't a new book. (Just new to me.) I say luckily, because this is book one of the Clifton Chronicles, and three more books in the series have already been released. (Ah, HA! No waiting!) When I finished reading this book, my first inclination was to speed to the book store to get the next one in the series. Too bad it was 2 AM at the time. Bottom line: Don't count on this book being a stand-alone. It's like the first taste of chocolate. Once you get a taste, you're probably gonna want some more.
*********************
Well, that's all folks! Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other. See y'all in May, but don't be surprised if I pop into your blog for a visit or two before then. Yep, I was born to be... oh, never mind.
Thought for the day: We cannot all do great things in life, but we can all do small things with great love. [Mother Teresa]
Today's the day for the monthly gathering at the Cephalopod Coffeehouse, where bloggers can rant and/or rave about books, under the leadership of ye olde (not really!) host armchair squid. (He sent me the linky list thing-a-ma-bobby, but I couldn't figure out how to integrate it into my post properly, so if you'd like to check out the other spiffy book posts and maybe sign up, grab a cuppa and pop on over to his blog.) I'm strapping on my water wings and jumping into the pool with them for the first time, but out of deference to those of you who don't give a good diddle which book I most enjoyed this past month, I'll touch on something else first, and then follow with the review. Those of you who don't give a good diddle about the something else and only came here to see the darned review, feel free to scroll down.
As for the rest of us? Let's hit the road!
Courtesy of the creative folks at dribbleglass, who granted me permission to share these images with you, we're gonna take a virtual road trip to check out some make-believe billboards. Things we'd kinda like to see on the side of the road... but never will.
Ready? Um, better put your drink down. Some of these might make stuff squirt out your nose...
Okay, so which bogus billboard was your favorite? I kinda like 'em ALL. Come to think of it, that usually applies to the books I read, too. With rare exception, I usually enjoy all the books I read, and I've read about a dozen very good ones this month... as well as a couple stinkers.
But if I can only highlight one book, that's gonna be Black Chalk, by Christopher Yates. I received a pre-release promotional copy from the publisher earlier this month, and the book will be available for you guys to purchase on April first. (No foolin'!)
Here's the review I posted on Goodreads:
In this stunning character study, six college students, encouraged and monitored by the mysterious Game Soc, create and play an ultra-secretive game that tests not only the limits of their friendships, but threatens their sanity and well-being, as well. With each round, the consequences escalate. The lowest-scoring players can either fulfill the prescribed consequences... or quit. Friends know secrets about each other, sometimes deep, dark secrets. They know where weaknesses lie, and where the soft spots hide. The question is: how willing are these students... these friends... to use that private information to inflict public psychological pain and humiliation on each other? How far are they willing to go in an attempt to break the other players? To what lengths will they go to force other players to quit? What are people willing to do in the name of competition? When does it stop being about fun, and become more about survival? In a win-at-any-cost game like this, can anyone truly win? A brilliant book. I highly recommend it. *** I really do recommend it. Think of the Lord of the Flies kids all grown up and attending Oxford University. Brilliant kids. Competitive kids. Friends. Or so they start out... Before I waddle off into the weekend, a quick reminder: The e-version of my book Hot Flashes and Cold Lemonade went on sale today... February 28... at 8 AM PST, and it'll remain on sale until 12 AM PST on March 6. That's on Amazon, and the price is only ninety-nine cents. (You can get to its page in a jiffy by clicking on the book's cover pic in the sidebar.) Please help me spread the word, y'all. I'd really like to treat Smarticus to a fancy dinner out, and he might like to have fries with his burger... Until next time, take care of yourselves. And each other.
Thought for the day: We all carry our own baggage through life, but our trip is much more meaningful if we're following an accurate road map. [anonymous]
Sharing a picture of one of those funny dribbleglass billboards on last Friday's post reminded me that it's been much too long since we took a road trip together. Forget the road map, and forget the baggage; we're just gonna gawk at some silly roadside advertisements. Not REAL ones, mind you. These sprung from the fertile imaginations of those fine folks at dribbleglass who graciously granted me permission to share them with you.
Ready? Okay, climb into the bus, and let's see what we can find.
There. Find anything to make ya smile? If so, my job here is done. If not, guess I'll have to try harder next time.
Until then, take care of yourselves. And each other.
