Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Senior News Newspaper Book Review Column--July 2014

For my monthly newspaper book review column in the Senior News Newspaper, I try to make sure to choose one fiction and one nonfiction book in the hopes of interesting more readers. Since it was Texas based, I went with Cold In July as my mystery offering and an outdoors resource book for my nonfiction offering. Longer reviews of both are available on the blog. Included below are the relevant book covers for my July 2014 column…

Cold In July
Joe R. Lansdale
Tachyon Publications
ISBN# 978-1-61696-161-9
Trade Paperback (e-book available)
288 Pages



Crime just doesn't happen in the small east Texas town of LaBorde. It certainly doesn't happen to respectable people like Richard Dane and his family. Until that July night, Richard's toughest job was dealing with his young toddler son and his penchant for always spilling his milk. Then, that one night, he killed a man and everything changed.

For the police it is an open and shut case of self-defense. For the local residents who learn of the shooting in the coming hours the event is open to discussion and speculation. The shooting of an intruder is the biggest thing to happen in the area in quite some time. While Richard feels incredible guilt and remorse other folks can’t shut up about it. Things are about to get much worse. For Ben Russel, an ex-con and Freddy's absentee father, the death of his son is an injustice that will be avenged.

Originally published in 1989, the book is now published by Tachyon Publishing as a tie in to the movie starring Michael C. Hall, Sam Shepard, and Don Johnson. The read is incredibly good. If the movie closely follows the book, and one gets the idea it will from the forward written by film director Jim Mickle and the afterword from the author, it should be one heck of a movie. Cold In July is one heck of a read and very much worthy of your time.



The Total Outdoorsman Manual: Updated & Expanded (10th Anniversary Edition)
T. Edward Nickens and the Editors of Field & Stream Magazine
Weldon Owen Inc. (division of Bonnier as is Field &Stream Magazine)
ISBN# 978-1-61628-639-2
Hardback
320 Pages



The Total Outdoorsman Manual: Updated & Expanded by T. Edwards Nickens and the Editors of Field & Stream Magazine is designed to be a one stop resource for the outdoorsman whether he be a novice or experienced. Developed from publishing the magazine for decades, the information contained in this hardback book covers just about everything one would need for any outdoor endeavor. The detailed color coded sections of this book cover camping, fishing, hunting, survival skills, and are designed for folks that want to go to the backcountry far from people and assistance.

A four page index along with information on the magazine, credits and acknowledgments bring this book to a close. The clear and concise information and illustrations, as well as the many photographs, make the book worth your time and an important resource for you and others on your next trip to the great outdoors.


Kevin R Tipple ©2014
Author of Mind Slices and contributor to the Carpathian Shadows, Volume II Anthology

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