Book Giveaway

Giveaway Lottery for Patches of Grey

I will be giving away three copies of

Patches of Grey

on May 3rd to the winner of the lottery that is being conducted at GoodReads.com. Those who are not members of the GoodReads community will need to sign up in order to enter the drawing. But if you're a fan of books then you'll be a fan of this site, so I highly recommend it. Good luck and happy reading!

- Roy

SynergEbooks new blog

The publisher of my ebook novella

Feeding the Squirrels

has joined the world of blogging -

SynergEbooks Blog

. It includes a page dedicated to featuring articles and short stories from their roster of talented authors. I encourage everyone to stop by this

Short Story Selection

and check out a few tales, then let the authors know how much you enjoyed them. Eventually one of my own works, "Double Fault", is slated to make an appearance.

- Roy

Today is my birthday

Being that today is my birthday, it feels like I should have something profound to say about the state of the world, or at least about the state of my life. But I don't. Taking stock I can accurately claim to have the love of a good woman, a wonderful daughter, and I'm still in hot pursuit of my dreams. Some might say that true happiness would require that I had already caught them, but I'm not too sure about that. There is much to be said for the thrill of the chase, about appreciating the journey rather than being fixated on the destination at the expense of contentment of soul. Would I be in seventh heaven had I received a six (or better yet, seven) figure deal from a major publishing house for the rights to my first novel? No doubt.  Am I nevertheless greatly enjoying my efforts to create awareness of the existence of Patches of Grey? <in best Sarah Palin voice> You betcha! By being the publisher as well as the author, I am more connected to the process than I probably would have had I simply put the majority of marketing and promotional and sales responsibility into the hands of others while sitting back and waiting to collect royalties. Will this lead to me eventually sitting across from Oprah telling her and the rest of America about what inspired my prose? Not statistically likely, but I'm ruling no possibility out. Fame and fortune are not in my present and may not lie in my future, but with 4+ decades under my belt I can honestly say that things have never been better and I see nothing but blue skies ahead smiling at me.  Perhaps I should take all of this positive energy and write a second book.  Oh wait, that's already in the works.  If Patches of Grey won't do the trick then I'll close my eyes, blow out the candles and make birthday wishes that Matters of Convenience will carry me to literary stardom.  Whether those wishes come true or not, completing book # 2 can mean only one thing...getting started on book # 3.  For writers, 365 days per year, writing is the gift that keeps on giving.  So in a way every day is my birthday.

- Roy

Luck of the Married to an Irish Woman

"Pickering's style is fluid and crisp. There's a certain clarity to the prose that's considered and well judged - just enough to paint the picture and more than enough to drive along the narrative." - Khome (UnheardWords.com)

Above is the first official review of Patches of Grey, arriving promptly on St. Patrick's Day. Several more reviews are pending, hopefully soon to arrive and as generous as the first.

- Roy

Pulitzer Prize Winners

Below you will find a list of books that have won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction since its inception in 1948. I've highlighted the winners read to date, providing links to my reviews on GoodReads. Some of them are also discussed at my booktube channel - Roy's Book Reviews.  Putting this blog post together has given me the goal to significantly improve the percentage of Pulitzer Prize winners that I have read. While I am no speed reader, I do read at a faster pace than these prizes are awarded, giving me opportunity to catch up. Hope remains that something I write ends up on this list one day. Which of these titles have you read, and did you love them as much as the Pulitzer Prize committee did?

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1948  Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener

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1949  Guard of Honor by James Gould Cozzens

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1950  The Way West by A.B. Guthrie

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1951  The Town by Conrad Richter

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1952 The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk

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1953  The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

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1954 (no award)

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1955  A Fable by William Faulkner

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1956  Andersonville by MacKinlay Kantor

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1957 (no award)

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1958  A Death in The Family by James Agee (posthumous publication)

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1959  The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters by Robert Lewis Taylor

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1960  Advice and Consent by Allen Drury

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1961  To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I discuss the "sequel / first draft" at Roy's Book Reviews. Check out my thoughts on Go Set a Watchman

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1962  The Edge of Sadness by Edwin O’Connor

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1963  The Reivers by William Faulkner

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1964 (no award)

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1965  The Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann Grau

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1966  Collected Stories by Katherine Anne Porter

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1967  The Fixer by Bernard Malamud

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1968  The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron

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1969  House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday

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1970  Collected Stores by Jean Stafford

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1971 (no award)

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1972  Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner

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1973  The Optimist’s Daughter by Eudora Welty

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1974 (no award)

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1975  The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

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1976  Humboldt’s Gift by Saul Bellow

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1977 (no award)

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1978  Elbow Room by James Alan McPherson

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1979  The Stories of John Cheever by John Cheever

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1980  The Executioner’s Song by Norman Mailer

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1981  A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (posthumous)

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1982  Rabbit is Rich by John Updike

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1983  The Color Purple by Alice Walker

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1984  Ironweed by William Kennedy

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1985  Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie

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1986  Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

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1987  A Summons to Memphis by Peter Taylor

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1988  Beloved by Toni Morrison

I express my adoration for Toni Morrison in one of the videos recorded for Roy's Book Reviews

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1989  Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler

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1990  The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love by Oscar Hijuelos

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1991  Rabbit at Rest by John Updike

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1992  A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley

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1993  A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain by Robert Olen Butler

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1994  The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx

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1995  The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields

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1996  Independence Day by Richard Ford

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1997  Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamer by Steven Millhauser

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1998  American Pastoral by Philip Roth

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1999  The Hours by Michael Cunningham

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2000  Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

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2001  The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
          Discussed at Roy's Book Reviews

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2002  Empire Falls by Richard Russo

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2003  Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

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2004  The Known World by Edward P. Jones

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2005  Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

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2006  March by Geraldine Brooks

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2007  The Road by Cormac McCarthy

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2008  The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

I also discuss The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao at my booktube channel Roy's Book Reviews

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2009  Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout

I also discuss Olive Kitteridge at my booktube channel Roy's Book Reviews

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2010  Tinkers by Paul Harding

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2011  A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

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2012 (no award)

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2013  The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson

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2014  The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

I also discuss The Goldfinch at my booktube channel Roy's Book Reviews

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2015  All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

I also discuss All the Light We Cannot See at my booktube channel Roy's Book Reviews

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2016  The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

I also discuss The Sympathizer at my booktube channel Roy's Book Reviews

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2017  The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

I also discuss The Underground Railroad at my booktube channel Roy's Book Reviews

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2018  Less by Andrew Sean Greer


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2019  The Overstory by Richard Powers

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2020  The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

I also discuss The Nickel Boys at my booktube channel Roy's Book Reviews

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2021  The Nightwatchman by Louise Erdrich

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2022  The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen

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2023  It's a tie!  Trust by Hernan Diaz / Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

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2024  Night Watch by Jayne Anne Phillips

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2025  James by Percival Everett

Also discussed at Roy's Book Reviews

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NOTE: Pulitzer Prize for Fiction originated as the Pulitzer Prize for the Novel, which was awarded between 1918 and 1947. I’ve read two of those winners to date.

· 1918: His Family by Ernest Poole
· 1919: The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington
· 1920: no award given
· 1921: The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
· 1922: Alice Adams by Booth Tarkington
· 1923: One of Ours by Willa Cather
· 1924: The Able McLaughlins by Margaret Wilson
· 1925: So Big by Edna Ferber
· 1926: Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis (declined prize)
· 1927: Early Autumn by Louis Bromfield
· 1928: The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder
· 1929: Scarlet Sister Mary by Julia Peterkin
· 1930: Laughing Boy by Oliver La Farge
· 1931: Years of Grace by Margaret Ayer Barnes
· 1932: The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
· 1933: The Store by Thomas Sigismund Stribling
· 1934: Lamb in His Bosom by Caroline Miller
· 1935: Now in November by Josephine Winslow Johnson
· 1936: Honey in the Horn by Harold L. Davis
· 1937: Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
· 1938: The Late George Apley by John Phillips Marquand
· 1939: The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
· 1940: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
· 1941: no award given
· 1942: In This Our Life by Ellen Glasgow
· 1943: Dragon's Teeth by Upton Sinclair
· 1944: Journey in the Dark by Martin Flavin
· 1945: A Bell for Adano by John Hersey
· 1946: no award given
· 1947: All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren

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@mudhousebooks #booktok ♬ milky way - Leo Yoshino

Book Reviews

Many in the blogosphere have chosen to use this venue to give birth to their inner critic. Some comment on movies, others on music, techies write about updates in technical wizardry, gamers let us know what they most like to play, and avid readers give the lowdown on books. Since I've used this blog to publicize my own writing, the least I can do to give back to the literary community is share my thoughts about the words of others. Going forward I will post a review of each new book I decide to delve into. I don't provide a great deal of detail about plots in my reviews because you can simply head over to Amazon for a synopsis of any title that piques your curiosity. Instead I comment on what chords a particular piece of prose has struck in me. Sometimes this means I pen a fair amount of text, but for the most part it only takes a few sentences to convey what I wish to say. If you are registered at GoodReads.com you can find reviews I've written and star ratings I've given to hundreds of books I've read throughout the years. In this blog entry I will simply post reviews of novels (and one memoir) that I've read over the past twelve months (give or take, a couple of these I probably read further back than that), minus star ratings. In a future posting I will share mini-reviews of favored children's books read to my daughter. Hope you enjoy and perhaps find these reviews of use if you're considering buying/borrowing any of the following works:


An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England [Brock Clarke] - A breezy read full of observations about the human condition that seem almost wise had they been made by a child, but since the story is told from the viewpont of an adult they come off mostly as whimsical, quirky and border line idiotic, terms that aptly describe just about every character in this novel as well as its cutely odd plot. If you like a heavy dose of absurdity mixed into your mysteries, and plenty of literary references tossed in for good measue, this is the book for you. If I was the type, this would probably qualify as a single sitting read. Mild curiosity and amusement along with a dash of irritation at the narrator's inability to solve relatively simple problems in blatantly simple ways (because he is by definition a bumbler, and the author insists he must live up to this description no matter what) propels the reader forward to an ending that is not intended to take anyone by surprise, but manages to be somewhat poignant if not quite profound.

Black Betty [Walter Mosley] - With Black Betty, Mosley delivers what you'd expect from an Easy Rawlins mystery if you came to it having already read a few others such as I had. The crime to be solved is made to seem convoluted but ultimately turns out to be relatively simple. But as with each book in this series it isn't really about the plot. It's about Easy's singular way of seeing and evaluating and dealing with the people he encounters along the way, his perspective on a period of time that seems both long ago and immediate. His character is further fleshed out with each novel, and going along for the ride with him on the particular case he's working on is always a pleasure. If you enjoy the writing of Raymond Chandler you'll probably enjoy that of Walter Mosley and vice versa, only with Mosley you get an added dose of social commentary, not to mention Easy's psychotically entertaining buddy, Mouse.

The Castle in the Forest [Norman Mailer] - I admire Norman Mailer's mastery of the written word and appreciate the amount of research obviously involved in writing this book, not to mention the fascinating premise of his final novel. Watching Hitler from birth to adolescence through the eyes of one of Satan's minions who is helping to guide his path to pure evil sounded like a brilliant concept. But Mailer's execution fell a good bit short of my expectations. I can excuse the odd fascination this book shows with bowel movements, less than fragrant smells, and other unpleasantries. Mailer chooses to equate bad hygeine with evil as if the best way to convince readers a person is born to be bad is by making him gross. Considering that in this book he is the result of incest, something I'd never heard about Hitler before, I suppose it makes sense that he wouldn't be especially cuddly and huggable well before evil and hunger for power took full control of his actions. So I took the rampant incest and pedophilia in stride. I'm less forgiving however of the ridiculous amount of detail that is given to the raising of bees. Yes, the goings on of a beehive is intriguing. The Secret Life of Bees is a book that pays homage to this fact with just the right amount of attention. The Castle in the Forest goes on about bees well beyond what my interest in the subject was willing to tolerate. Then there is a big chunk of this book that leaves the main plot behind to follow another one about the coronation of Nicholas II. This section is connected to the rest of the novel because the narrator remains unchanged, but it has far less to do with the plot of Hitler's upbringing than the word count warrants. Mailer actually states that the reader can skip the section and resume reading 40 or so pages later if they want to, and after slogging through the section anyway I wished I had taken his advice. At least the book provides a pay-off to the reader after all the attention to bees, but I feel the Nicholas II section should have been edited way down. If I'm being overly harsh it's in part because I had such high hopes based on the rich opportunities the plot seemed to provide, and the talent of the author. The end result is not a bad book, simply an admirable effort that I found more disappointing than memorable.

The Confessions of Max Tivoli [Andrew Sean Greer] - A fascinating read about a man who ages backwards, starting off with the body of an old man and mind of an infant and ending up in the reverse situation. Despite this science fiction type scenario, Confessions basically belongs in the category of absorbing literature anchored by an ill fated love affair. Most of us have far less dramatic reasons for things not working out with the great loves of our lives than Max Tivoli, yet ultimately our reasons are all one and the same. The timing was not quite right. This was a very enjoyable read. I was absorbed right from the start and totally connected with the doomed narrator, hoping against hope that his plight would lead to a happy ending, knowing that even when this is an impossibility it doesn't mean that one's dreams can't be fulfilled (if only temporarily) along the way. After all, life isn't all about the inescapable end, it's about the "along the way".

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time [Mark Haddon]- This is a quirky story told from a unique point of view that leads to innumerable smiles and a good number of chuckles. I had never heard of this book when it was loaned to me, but I'm so glad it found its way into my hands. There are plenty of more ambitious books out there, and plenty of books that are more impressively written. But many of them end up being completely forgotten over the passage of time. This distinctive tale on the other hand is one I suspect I'll fondly recall for a long time.

Disobedience [Jane Hamilton] - Jane Hamilton has a way with words, with etching characters who seem as real as your friends and neighbors, and for moving a minimalist plot along at a pleasing pace courtesy of splendid first person narration. Disobedience was a pleasure to read and I would not hesitate for an instant to pick up another of her books. What more need a novel accomplish than that?

The Emperor of Ocean Park [Stephen L. Carter]- The fact that this book explores university politics featuring east coast black upper-middle class characters made it stand out from the pack, but once you get over this facet (which I did pretty quickly), what you're left with is a well written and fairly intriguing mystery, more memorable than some I've read, less so than others. I suppose a book like this one is an antidote to the urban/hip hop/gangsta/etc. genre of "literature", not so much because it features black characters who are articulate, educated and well to do, but because it was written by someone who fits this description. Ultimately I could care less if the narrator of a novel I'm reading is a college professor or a drug dealing pimp. I only care that the story is absorbing and the characters ring true, and this book did a decent if not quite extraordinary job of accomplishing that feat.

Everything is Illuminated [Jonathan Safran Foer] - A modern masterpiece. These charmingly quirky characters will stick in your mind long after reading this wonderful novel. The hysterical narration has great fun with butchering the English language in inventive ways. This book reads like 2 or 3 (maybe more) great stories all rolled into one deliciously complex novel. When you're going to write about something as terrible as the Holocaust, humor is brilliant way to delicately approach it. This book blew me away. A novel written this beautifully comes along no more frequently than once per decade, if that often.

Hidden in Havana [Jose Latour] - Not well written at all, dialogue competing with the narration to be most stilted. The rule of "show don't tell" (not that I'm a strict rule follower) is completely obliterated, and perhaps the biggest sin for a book billed as a thriller - it was not particularly suspenseful or thrilling. I somewhat reluctantly pushed my way through since it was easy enough to read (the author makes little attempt to utilize poetic prose or vocabulary anyone would need to look up in the dictionary). But if you like your reading material to be of superior quality to something you could have written yourself by 9th grade, I recommend taking a pass on this tepid tale. English is not the author's native tongue, although he has become comfortable enough with it to write a couple novels in English according to his bio. I'm not entirely sure if Hidden in Havana is one of them or if it was translated, but either way it fell short of my expectations for a work of fiction put out by a major publisher (or a minor one, or self pubbed for that matter). I learned a little about Cuba in the process of reading this book, which is cool because I'm a bit of a Cubaphile. Other than that this was a novel soon to be forgotten.

I, Lucifer: Finally, The Other Side of the Story [Glen Duncan] - A clever, enjoyable read about demonic possession from the demon's point of view.

Killing Time [Caleb Carr] – I read this novel because I very much enjoyed Caleb Carr’s The Alienist and its sequel. Besides belonging to a different genre than his earlier work (science fiction rather than historical fiction/mystery) it is also much less of a page turner. The title aptly describes my experience reading this book.

The Kite Runner [Khaled Hosseini] – I read this book to see what the big fuss was about. I'd say it pretty much lived up to the hype. When all is said and done it may not end up in the cannon of classic literature, but I can certainly see why it was such a popular summer read recommendation. The author tells a compelling story that draws you in immediately and doesn't let go until the dramatic end. The characters are richly drawn and true to everyday life, even though the element of this story that brought so much attention to it in the first place is its "exotic" setting, thus proving the point that our similarities are far more striking and significant than our surface differences.

The Last Templar [Raymond Khoury] - I'm a sucker for any knights templar related fiction. This one fit the bill nicely without shattering the earth or taxing my brain too heavily. A pleasant light read for those who gobbled up all of Dan Brown's books and are hungry for more of basically the same meal, give or take a couple appetizers.

A Long Way Down [Nick Hornby] - I was intrigued by the premise of this book which started off strongly enough but faded greatly and ultimately left me disappointed. Hornby is a fine writer with a gift for creating distinctive, likeable characters. He also has a knack for clever plots. With this book he managed to concoct a fine beginning and decent middle but failed to deliver a clever and/or memorable ending.

Me Talk Pretty One Day [David Sedaris] - A highly enjoyable read. The early chapters were particularly hysterical, causing me to laugh out loud numerous times as he described growing up as an effeminate boy with a frustrating lisp. I'm not a big memoir reader, particularly those of people who are most famous for writing a memoir, but word of mouth led me to give this one a shot and I'm glad it did. I didn't find the entire book quite as hysterical as the first few chapters but it did make for a pleasant read and I continue to get a kick out of the catchy title.

The Pleasure of My Company [Steve Martin] - The greatest obtacles are those we impose upon ourselves. As for the deepest wounds, they tend to come from those who love us considerably less than by all rights they should. This wonderful little book eloquently expresses both of these points. It belongs to that popular category of fiction which is narrated in first person from the perspective of a character who is emotionally and/or mentally challenged, thus magnifying commonplace exploits to Mount Everest proportions. I'm looking for a shorter term to name this genre so that perhaps I will be given official credit. The Pleasure of My Company falls into this category, yet also rises above it in spite of its brevity. The book is not a single word longer than it needs to be yet manages to elicit an impressive number of smiles and chuckles, then closes with a flourish that tugs at the heart. Steven Martin is a fine writer indeed.

The Polished Hoe [Austin Clarke] - The pace of the narrative mirrors that of the characters it is about - island time. If you're looking for brain candy or twists and turns every few pages that will keep you on the edge or your seat and cause you to speed through the reading process in a couple hours, this isn't the book for you. But it's pretty good if not quite great and I'd definitely recommend this novel to fans of well written literary fiction.

Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey [Chuck Palahniuk] - What a fascinating read by a ridiculously talented author. Other than being a fan of the film version of his novel "Fight Club", I didn't know a whole lot about him. Now I know that he is a writer to greatly admire and envy. It took me a few pages to adjust to the experimental form this novel is written in, but once its hooks were in me the book never let go of my rapt attention. Slowly but surely it reveals its secrets, not showing you the little man behind the Wizard of Oz in one fell swoop, but rather, exposing the method behind the madness in brilliant little increments. By the end I was left in a joyous daze. My perception of reality will never be quite the same.

The Road [Cormac McCarthy]- I expected another good read from this Cormac McCarthy book and as usual he did not disappoint. If you're looking for optimism or to be uplifted, steer clear of this novel. If you can appreciate a masterly set tone of isolation and despair, a brilliant exploration of survival instincts, and a somber ode to parental love in an apocalytic setting, this is just the book for you.

The Savage Detectives [Roberto Bolano] - The blurbs made it seem like this book would be the greatest thing since sliced bread (from the perspective of those who think sliced bread is spectactular, that is. I personally prefer loaves that need to be sliced, but I digress). The blurbs throw around names of authors I deeply admire such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez, but the only literary work I was reminded of was On the Road. Kerouac was smart enough to keep his tale of random wandering fairly brief, whereas readers have nearly 600 pages to plow through to make it to the end of The Savage Detectives. I stopped after about 150 of them when it became apparent enough that there would be no characters created with sufficient depth for me to care one way or another about, and no particular plotline to speak of. Roberto Bolano was a talented writer who apparently had little interest in writing beginning-middle-end narratives. I could see why certain people would love this novel. There is no doubt that Bolano was a gifted author, simply not my particular cup of tea.

The Stand [Stephen King] - TGIF - Thank God I Finished. That's not meant to say I didn't enjoy this book. The Stand certainly deserves its status as a classic. But man was it long. You'd have to write a pretty teriffic book with a splendidly inventive plot and compelling characters to get me to commit to well over 1000 pages of prose. That's precisely what Stephen King accomplished, particularly with the early part of this mega-novel when the virus is doing its nasty business. Definitely no dragging going on there. But once the survivors have found each other hundreds of pages in, forming a community and establishing rules to live by in their post-Apocalytpic world, the story drags just a bit. Eventually the plot gets us to the final showdown portion which could be considered a tad anticlimatic since there was such a tremendous amount of build up to it. Anything short of the book spontaneously combusting in my hands would probably have seemed a little disappointing. But I'm no doubt being too picky here because I feel like I was reading this book for at least six months. It really is a wonderful novel, probably worth purchasing rather than borrowing from the library like I did so you don't have any pesky due date to worry about. It's been ages since I last read Stephen King. The Stand was a fine reminder of why I became such a big fan of his in the first place.

A Thousand Splendid Suns [Khaled Hosseini ] - This was a wonderful book. I enjoyed it every bit as much as The Kite Runner. While reading it I was reminded of the style of Pat Conroy, another master of the family saga. Also brought to mind was Alice Walker's The Color Purple, another well written novel filled almost exclusively with loathsome male characters and long suffering women. Such books make a guy feel a bit guilty for having a penis, but unfortunately they are inspired by the behavior of real life A--HOLES throughout the course of history and societies that have allowed and even encouraged such abusive inhumane treatment to flourish. Khaled Hosseini does a masterful job of weaving history lessons of his homeland into dramatic tales of people with the odds stocked against them whom the reader comes to strongly feel and hope for.

Trans-Sister Radio [Chris Bohjalian] - This was an interesting, sympathetic, insightful look at a "world" that I (and perhaps most people) knew very little about prior to picking the book up. The significant differences between people of different cultures, nationalities, religions, lifestyles, etc. only serve to shed light on how ultimately similar we homosapiens all are to each other, most especially in matters of the heart. Another lesson from this book is that having a sex change is hard damn work for everyone involved.

The Unknown Terrorist [Richard Flanagan] - Although it is very different in tone and style and subject matter, my experience reading this book reminded me a little of how I felt reading "An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England". The narrator of that book did one stupid thing after another and the reader was supposed to accept these actions as reasonable because the character is described/definned as a bumbler. In real life of course people do not fall quite so neatly into such categories. Someone may bumble most of the time in certain areas but navigate smoothly through other sets of circumstances. As Chris Rock noted in one of his comedy routines when describing his political leanings - "I have some things that I'm conservative about, and some things that I'm liberal about". Nobody is always liberal or always conservative or always a bumbler, though it is true that some people act a certain way far more often than not. The "title" character of The Unknown Terrorist is a fairly complex one with a well fleshed out background, and the storyline is fueled by much bigger ideas than the comical Arsonist book. But I couldn't shake the feeling as I sped through its pages that the actions of pivotal characters were specifically intended to promote strong opinions held by the author and nothing but. He wanted to make certain points about politics and the media and about how easily the sheep like masses can be led to a prefabricated conclusion. If at any point one of the major characters in this reasonably but not overwhelmingly well written book behaved in a way that I personally believe would have been more realistic reactions/responses, the book would completely fall apart because little else was holding it in place. The wrongfully accused woman needs to be so paranoid from the get go (her drug use helped in this regard, I suppose) and distrustful of authority that the only thing she can think to do is run and hide even before she's really being chased. The decision makers in the media need to be so obsessed about breaking a big story that not only does truth become irrelevant, but so does having supporting evidence of any kind. The author is OBVIOUSLY cynical about our post 9/11 world, and anyone who does not have their head shoved deeply in the sand can recognize why this might be so, but I found myself torn between wanting to follow the storyline to where it was blatantly leading and wanting the characters to break free of the author's plot machinations and act in a common sense manner that would likely clear matters up within a few pages of text. Despite such frustration with plausibility, this was definitely a gripping and smooth flowing read.

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To find additional book reviews go HERE

Facebook - 25 Random Things About Me

Over the past couple months I have become a big fan of Facebook. It is an invaluable use of technology to get back in touch with people who have regrettably drifted out of your life and a fun way to interact with people you were already staying in touch with. There are also some cool applications on the site, no doubt far more than I'm aware of, certainly much more than I bother to use. But in spite of getting destroyed by friends who seem to play professionally, I've enjoyed playing Scrabble at a very leisurely pace on Facebook. Another FB application is TextOnPhone which happens to feature several of my short stories. Apparently I'm one of the most widely read authors on TextOnPhone, which I do not have on my outdated cell phone, but I do get to check out reader's opinions of my writing on TOP via Facebook. So far readers have been pretty generous with their praise. Recently a chain mail of sorts was circulating on FB asking people to write 25 random things about themselves and forward the list to 25 of their friends. I typically ignore this kind of thing but my wife got caught up in it and her enthusiasm proved infectious. Next thing I knew, there I was crafting my own chain mail list and highly enjoying every minute of it. I may even write a sequel someday. Since I'm rather pleased by the result of my nudged introspection, I've decided to repost it here on A Line A Day. Certainly it was an interesting way to let people know more about me than they may previously have realized, but perhaps more importantly, it was a great exercise in self exploration that I highly recommend to anyone who has not already done anything like this, whether on FaceBook or your own blog or simply a pen on ink list to keep in a drawer somewhere at home. Those who already know me may find the list of interest. And perhaps those who do not may as well, which is why I chose to post it beyond the radius of my friends. Happy reading, and if you end up being inspired, happy writing of your own.

1. I can touch my tongue to my nose and hold my hand with the grip of a left handed person when writing, even though I write with my right hand. These are my two physical marvels. I wrote the Justice League about them and it turns out that neither qualifies me for superhero status.

2. I decided I wanted to be a writer and that I was a feminist on the same day. It was after I had read my first full length novel, either 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea or Journey to the Center of the Earth, by Jules Verne. The fact that someone had managed to thrill, enthrall, amaze me with nothing more than words on paper convinced me that writing was the noblest of all professions. I assumed Jules was a woman’s name and the book therefore was proof that women really rocked. I came to learn that the author was a man, and eventually learned my mistaken belief was correct after all because women really do rock.

3. Certain phrases amuse and/or fascinate me to no end for no apparent reason. “French Canadian” is one example. Don’t know or care why.

4. I dig quotes and have countless memorized. Actually I probably could count them if I put in the effort, but I have no intention of doing so. “Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese”. – GK Chesterton. “I have naturally curly hair.” – Charles Schultz

5. My list of pet peeves is fairly short and most are related to commuting via public transportation. One non-transit related peeve I have is when someone remembers that they really loved a book but can’t remember the name of its author. The names of those who have provided you with great reads or great orgasms should always be memorized. I am guilty of breaking my own rule.

6. I understand racial/national pride, but I don’t understand using such arbitrary measures to define yourself. I’d still be Roy if I was Samoan, although I might weigh a little more.

7. The less you think and the more you act instinctively, the better off you’ll be. Works great in tennis, and in many aspects of life as well.

8. I loathe the green line Outlook puts under a sentence it doesn’t feel I have properly phrased, despite the lack of any typos. Has Outlook never heard of poetic license? Can’t anyone program that in? If they can, let’s give him or her a medal. Probably will be her. Women, like poetic license, rock.

9. If you’re at all entertained by this list so far, keep in mind that I’m quite narcissistic and therefore keep constant tab of random things about myself. I’m probably kidding though. I’m rather facetious. I had to look the word up when first described that way, upon which I promptly agreed wholeheartedly.

10. Still, 25 is a pretty big number. I’m running out of material already. Fortunately I’ve now remembered that I love to watch fish in an aquarium, though watching them in the ocean would of course be preferable. It’s my form of meditation, observing wingless underwater flight. Also meditative and cool is being able to populate new worlds with new people through my writing, and permanently capturing slivers of time through photography, such as a moment when Ava has the perfect expression on her face.

11. The opera and ballet were impressive concepts. The radio program was pretty cool, particularly because it made you visualize, now a dying art. Then television shows (sitcoms, dramas, variety, reality, whatever) and movies moved to the top of the passive entertainment list. But it wasn’t until the advent of the infomercial that true majesty was achieved. If it has an infomercial, chances are I own it or have seriously considered buying it.

12. There are so many things I haven’t tried and places I haven’t been to yet. That would apply no matter how many things I had tried and places I’d gone to already. Soon as I’m done typing this list I’m going to try something or go someplace. Unless the Knicks are playing or I don’t feel like it. Gotta love freedom of choice.

13. My earliest memory of a memory is running up a hill to my mother’s waiting arms.

14. I can’t grow a proper moustache or beard. This is a shame and humanity’s great loss. But that’s okay because I have naturally curly hair.

15. I have my regrets but will never let them paralyze me. Keep moving. The shark has the right idea. Speaking of which, if you’re ever trying to keep two or more kids headed together in a relatively straight line in spite of their disorganized inclinations to stop and stare and goof off, just tell them to pretend to be sharks. Works every time. Well, it worked the one time I tried it. No doubt it will eventually come in handy again.

16. I believe that we are all in some way, shape or form philosophers, poets and royalty. But not all of us can carry a tune. I consider it fortunate that my curly headed, beardless self can.

17. I firmly believe in bracing myself for the worst case scenario so I’ll either be prepared or else pleasantly surprised. But usually I don’t truly believe the worst case scenario will occur. My glass is neither half empty nor half full. It’s filled to the brim with champagne.

18. For years I vowed to one day have 6-pack abs (hence the majority of my infomercial purchases) and be able to dunk a basketball. I’ve just about given up on dunking, but it’s not a surrender to age, just transfer of aspiration. Now I want to hit a 100+ mph serve. For all I know I’ve already done so, though I seriously doubt it. I’ve served many aces anyway because placement can be even more valuable than velocity. This too is as true in life as in tennis. Never underestimate the value of being in the right place at the right time.

19. I’ve tried a lot of diets, most of them self created. The dumbest was thinking I could lose weight by having a Starbucks Frappuccino for breakfast each morning in spite of the fact that it wasn’t even replacing what I usually ate, because I tend to have no breakfast at all. For the most part though, I’m a pretty smart guy. I just happen to love sugary beverages so I’m adept at coming up with reasons why I need to have one.

20. Throughout the years I’ve been led to believe that my family bloodline descends in part from Jewish, Irish, and Spanish (Spain) heritage. One, some, or all is probably the case. Good thing I have # 6 on my list.

21. I obtained my second tattoo (an angel) because in case I was hit by a truck (the clean underwear rationale) I didn’t want my first (a skull on fire with a dagger going through it) to be the only artwork adorning my body. Seemed too evil a representation, and since I’m a relatively nice guy I decided this was false advertising. What I am is contradictory, so getting the opposite imagery on the opposite arm made perfect sense. Yes, I am Radio Raheem from Do the Right Thing.

22. I once thought I was just about the fastest person in the world until my dad effortlessly beat me when I challenged him to a race, toying with me until pulling away at the end. This was one of those defining little moments that I’ll never forget. Life is basically a series of such moments linked together by the thread that is our journey from cradle to grave. I will definitely have to re-use that last sentence in a novel or short story, or at the very least, a profound text message. I think I was about 10 at the time of the race, which would have put my dad in his early 30’s. No wonder he was able to demolish me and my delusions. I bet I could beat him handily today, but I wouldn’t think that makes me the fastest guy in the world. Apparently another word for that necklace of moments is wisdom, which will come in handy now that I’m dad to the smartest kid in the history of the world.

23. When you have to be the best of the best simply to earn a place on the same playing field, epic greatness is the result that possibly may not otherwise have occurred. Jackie Robinson had it pretty rough. Made excellence look easy though. Same deal with Jack Johnson. Same deal with Obama. I’m not sure that I’ve ever had to be a pioneer at anything other than my own existence. I’m the first guy ever to be me at this particular point in time. Hard damn work, yet to the outside observer it looks like I’m in cruise control.

24. I felt before ever hearing it said that the genius of Miles Davis was not in the notes he played, but in his pauses, the space he left to appreciate what was around it. I’m pretty sure I can make good use of such knowledge, not only in art but also in the art of living, even if I haven’t quite figured out how to do so just yet.

25. I am the son of an amazing woman, the brother of amazing women, the husband of an amazing woman, and the father of an amazing woman to be. Amongst the gender that rocks, they rock best of all.

- Roy Pickering ( Author of

Patches of Grey

)

Husband of the talented woman who created this blog -

The Gluten Free Illustrator

Erin is also the owner of this fantastic online shop -

Erin Go Paint Etsy Store