• About

Not The Baseball Pitcher

~ Just another WordPress.com weblog

Not The Baseball Pitcher

Monthly Archives: February 2014

February Book Round-Up

28 Friday Feb 2014

Posted by Randy Johnson in Books

≈ Leave a comment

21: WE: A Big Sky Christmas – William W. Johnstone with J. A. Johnstone

22: TH: Suicide Mission – William W. Johnstone with J. A. Johnstone

23: WE: Savage Texas: The Stampeders – William W. Johnstone

24: TH: White Fire – Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

25: HR: Doctor Sleep – Stephen King

26: SF: Rough Beasts – Harlan Ellison

27: CR: The Second Longest Night – Stephen Marlowe

28: CR: Killers Are My Meat – Stephen Marlowe

29: CR: Death Is My Comrade – Stephen Marlowe

30: CR: Jeopardy Is My Job – Stephen Marlowe

31: CR: Violence Is My Business – Stephen Marlowe

32: CR: The Ranger – Ace Atkins

33: MY: Murder Of A Beauty Shop Queen – Bill Crider

34: PA: Captain Midnight Chronicles – edited by Christopher Mills

35: AD: Doc Savage: Phantom Lagoon – Kenneth Robeson

36: MY: Sherlock Holmes and The Giant Rat of Sumatra Paul D. Gilbert

37: PU: The Avenger Chronicles – edited by Joe Gentile & Howard Hopkins

38: SF: Interlopers – Alan Dean Foster

39: SF Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen – Alan Dean Foster

40: PU: Doc Savage: The Desert Demons – Kenneth Robeson

41: SF: Terminator Salvation: Trail By Fire – Timothy Zahn

It Won’t Be Long Now

27 Thursday Feb 2014

Posted by Randy Johnson in Personal

≈ 5 Comments

I visited the Doctor yesterday, after missing him two weeks ago in the big storm. He said the graft had healed but wanted to give it a couple of more weeks to allow the skin to toughen up. It wouldn’t do to walk on it too soon and pop it open.

So I’m shooting for getting home in the week after next.

Sherlock Holmes and The Giant Rat of Sumatra – Paul D. Gilbert

22 Saturday Feb 2014

Posted by Randy Johnson in Books

≈ 3 Comments

“Matilda Briggs was not the name of a young woman, Watson,” said Holmes in a reminiscent voice. “It was the name of a ship which is associated with the giant rat of Sumatra, a story for which the world is not yet prepared.”

The Adventure of The Sussex Vampire
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

9685362Of the many slight mentions of unrecorded tales in the Holmes stories, the clip above has inspired the most pastiches. I have three novels with this title(The Richard Boyer book does omit Sherlock Holmes and… from the title) as well as several short stories in various pastiche collections).

This one begins when Holmes is hired by an insurance company to investigate the Matilda Briggs incident. The clipper ship had drifted in forty miles and two days late from it’s original date. The cargo, tea, is intact and the crew missing except for a cabin boy who with dying breath utters the words “Death himself has come for us all!” The captain’s log is also missing.

Author Gilbert captures the voice nicely and delivers an original tale.

No New Update

13 Thursday Feb 2014

Posted by Randy Johnson in Uncategorized

≈ 5 Comments

I was supposed to see my doctor yesterday to look at the graft. But the snow storm put the kibosh on that for the time being. We may have been able to get it in, it was a morning appointment, but the woman that drives for the facility was afraid we’d run into the storm and said no drive. The storm was coming up from the south and Winston-Salem, south of us, was where we had to go. Best not take any chances.

Doctor Sleep – Stephen King

12 Wednesday Feb 2014

Posted by Randy Johnson in Books

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

Stephen King

16130549In his sequel to THE SHINING, author Stephen King has given us another fine novel. In his afterword, King says he gets asked “Whatever happened to that kid in The Shining?” often and that he had in fact wondered the same thing.

We now have that story. It’s a battle between good and evil.

Dan Torrance had wandered a good deal of his adult life, never staying anywhere long, and had become an alcoholic like his father. But he’d finally settled in the small town of Frazier in New Hampshire. He’d gone to AA and worked a number of years in a hospice where he’d earned the nickname Doctor Sleep. The facility had a cat named Azee that always knew when a patient was about to pass(he’s never missed yet). Dan was there to hold their hand, ease their fears(with a touch of his Shining), and help them get to life’s next stage.

Abra Stone is a thirteen year old with a strong dose of Shining in her. It had first manifested one morning when she was just a few years old in crying that wouldn’t stop. That was early on the morning of 9/11. She’d gotten stronger over the years.

The True Knot is a tribe that passes themselves off as retired folks and others traveling in a fleet of Winnebagos and RVs. Polyester pants, tee shirts, they are constantly on the move to disguise that they change frequently. You see, they are a sort of vampire, but they don’t live off human blood. They hunt children with that psychic shining(they call it steam), kidnap them, and torture them(which hightens the steam) before murdering the children. They can also die by most anything(gunshot, drowning, falls, car wrecks), like regular folks.

They want Abra Stone.

Dan and Abra and some normal are all that oppose them

And the final battleground takes Dan Torrance back to the site of his greatest horror, the Overlook Hotel, that burned down when Danny was just five, thus saving his life.

Most excellent.

Pyramid Lake – Paul Draker

02 Sunday Feb 2014

Posted by Randy Johnson in Paul Draker, Thriller

≈ 4 Comments

Author Paul Draker’s second thriller is almost completely the opposite of his first. They do have a few things in common though: well-written, a terrific plot, and relentless action from beginning to end, with twists tossed in for good measure along the way.

It’s the story of a young programmer Trevoe Lennox working on a secret project for the gobernment at Pyramid Lake. But hr makes enemies easily and he’s afraid he’s being replaced before he can finish the real project: saving his seven year old daughter. Every bit as brilliant as he was at that age, she has a mental problem that he hopes Frankenstein, his massive computer that’s a bit more than everyone knows.

And now someone is murdering people on the base, Trevor’s boss, a Homeland Security official, and trying to place the blame on Trevor.

An engrossing thriller.


Latest Update.

01 Saturday Feb 2014

Posted by Randy Johnson in Personal

≈ 5 Comments

Visited the doctor Thursday and things look good so far. Go back in two weeks. Another irritant cropped up though. Gout hit my left wrist and caused the joints on the forefinger to swell up. That’s doing good now that the family doctor prescibed something.

And now, I want to thank you friends for all the good thoughts and wishes, not mention the phone call from Charles. Totally unexpected and I was asleep when the phone rang, making me a bit befuddled at first. But it helped my spirits.

February 2014
S M T W T F S
 1
2345678
9101112131415
16171819202122
232425262728  
« Jan   Mar »

Recent Posts

  • July 2015 Movie Round-Up
  • July 2015 Book Round-Up
  • It’s Been Fun
  • For Your Amusement
  • Drummer of Vengeance (Il giorno del giudizio)1971

Blogroll

  • Alan Dean Foster
  • Anthony Neil Smith
  • Astronomy Picture of The Day
  • Barry Eisler
  • Beat To A Pulp
  • Bill Crider
  • Bookgasm
  • Broken Trails
  • Cap'n's Blog
  • Carl V. Anderson
  • CBS Radio Mystery Theater
  • Charles Gramlich
  • Chris La Tray
  • Cullen Gallagher
  • David Cranmer
  • Dayton Ward
  • Ed Gorman
  • Evan Lewis
  • Fear On Demand
  • Frederik Pohl
  • Gary Dobbs
  • George Kelley
  • Harlan Ellison
  • Hollywood Memorabilia
  • Hour 25
  • J F Norris
  • J. D. Rhoades
  • James Reasoner
  • Jeff Mariotte
  • Jerry House
  • Jim Winter
  • Joachim Boaz
  • Joe Lansdale
  • John Scalzi
  • Kevin Tipple
  • Larry D. Sweazy
  • Laurie Powers
  • Lee Goldberg
  • Martin Edwards
  • Meridian Bridge
  • Nik Morton
  • Old Time Radio
  • Old Time Radio Show Catalog
  • Open Range
  • Patti Abbott
  • Paul Bishop
  • Paul D. Brazill
  • Radio Tales of The Strange & Fantastic
  • REH: Two Gun Raconteur
  • Richard Robinson
  • Scott Cupp
  • Scott D. Parker
  • Secret Dead Blog
  • Spur & Lock
  • The Rap Sheet
  • Tipping My Fedora
  • Todd Mason
  • Victor Gischler
  • Western Fiction Review
  • WordPress.com

Archives

  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010
  • December 2009
  • November 2009
  • October 2009
  • September 2009
  • August 2009
  • July 2009
  • June 2009
  • May 2009
  • April 2009
  • March 2009
  • February 2009
  • January 2009
  • December 2008
  • November 2008
  • October 2008
  • September 2008
  • August 2008
  • July 2008
  • June 2008
  • May 2008

Categories

  • Alan Steel
  • Andrew Bergman
  • Animation
  • Ann Sothern
  • Art
  • authors
  • Blues
  • Books
  • Busby Berkeley
  • Chap O'Keefe
  • Christmas
  • Comics
  • Crime
  • Drama.Overlooked Movies
  • ebboks
  • ebook
  • Ebooks
  • Edward G. Robinson
  • family
  • fiction
  • Forgotten Books
  • Franchot Tone
  • Gary Dennis
  • Geraldine Fitzgerald
  • Graphic Novels
  • grumpy cat
  • Historical
  • History
  • Humor
  • Humphrey Bogart
  • idiots
  • Joan Crawford
  • John Blumenthal
  • Johnston McCulley
  • Kasey Riley
  • Lee Van Cleef
  • Max Allan Collins
  • Melvyn Douglas
  • Michele Giradon
  • Mike Bond
  • Mike Marshal
  • Motorhead
  • movies
  • music
  • Mystery
  • Overlooked Movies
  • Paul Draker
  • Personal
  • Peter Lorre
  • Poetry
  • politics
  • Quarry
  • Radio
  • religion
  • Rex Kusler
  • Robert Barnard
  • Robert L. Fish
  • Robert Mitchum
  • Robert Ray
  • Robert Ryan
  • Robert Woods
  • Robert Young
  • Romantic Suspense
  • Science Fiction
  • Science?
  • spaghetti westen
  • spaghetti western
  • Sports
  • Sydney Greenstreet
  • Television
  • The Lawson Family
  • The Wild Wild West
  • Thriller
  • Timothy Ashby
  • Tony Anthony
  • True crime
  • Uncategorized
  • Western
  • William Berger
  • Youtube

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • Not The Baseball Pitcher
    • Join 460 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Not The Baseball Pitcher
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...