Currently Reading

Halloween III: Season of the Witch by Jack Martin © 1982
Synopsis: The streets are quiet. Dead quiet as the shadows lengthen and night falls. It'Halloweenen. Blood-chilling screams pierce the air. Grinning skulls and grotesque shapes lurk in the gathering darkness. It's Halloween. The streets are filling small cloaked figures. They're just kids, right? The doorbell rings and your flesh creeps. But it's all in fun, isn't it? No. This Halloween is different. It's the last one.

Comments: Though a lot of horror fans like to poo poo this installment in the Halloween movie series, it's actually one of my favorites. The main complaint people have is that "There's no Michael Myers!" Well, doi! Those worth their weight in broomsticks know that the Halloween series was originally intended to be a series of horror films that took place on or around Halloween, not necessarily the slasher franchise it's become. However, with the runaway success of the original, a sequel was made and the Michael Myersfranchisese was born.

This particular installment revolves around the the mysterious disappearance of one of the Stonehenge stones, a witchcraft conspiracy and a popular series of latex Halloween masks with a sinister purpose...all to be revealed at midnight on Halloween. The genocide will be televised. Even if you don't read the book, I urge you to see the movie. Lots of creepy thrills and chills.

Everything Bad is Good for You: How Today's Pop Culture is Actually Making Us Smarter by Steven Johnson © 2006
Synopsis: Johnson takes on one of the most widely held preconceptions of the postmodern world--the belief that video games, television shows, and other forms of popular entertainment are detrimental to Americans' cognitive and moral development. Everything Good builds a case to the contrary that is engaging, thorough, and ultimately convincing. *Courtesy of Amazon.com

Comments: Been meaning to read this one for some time. Just renewed my Costco membership, so I picked up a copy...and a vat of chocolate pudding.

Anybody Can Write: Ideas for the Aspiring Writer, the Beginner, and the Blocked Writer by Roberta Jean Bryant © 1999
Synopsis: A fun, user-friendly guide to kick-starting your creativity and filling that blank, white page with your inner self. The point, says Jean Bryant, is to relax and have fun, and to discover in the process the richness of your own inner resources.

Comments: I enjoy picking up books on writing, from time to time. This one is a fun read. Though it's not one of the techniques described in the book, I was inspired to write a future post in a "new" (to me) way in the future. Lots of fun ideas. Picked it up at Barnes & Noble for around $5. Worth it. Naturally, it's on Half.com for 75¢. Oy vey.

Ice Cream World of Baskin-Robbins by Thomas P. Jones © 1975
Synopsis: The sweetest, creamiest, fizziest, frostiest, fruitiest, maltiest, fudgiest, and most delicious all-American flavor-spectacular... A seasonal collection of prizewinning recipes and flavor-full facts...

Comments: I found this book at a used book store recently. It's an awful lot of fun. Tons of great, interesting recipes (not all ice cream recipes, like you'd expect), divided up into months by chapter. Groovy little illustrations throughout. Very 70's, Peter Max-ish