More Books For Sale From Barry

I have mentioned before that Barry is selling off his personal library of books as he is getting closer to moving into a smaller place. The below are more books he has for sale in his humor category.

Hist stock changes as things sell so make sure you check back often.

As has been mentioned here before, his prices are lower these days. Barry has added more books having sold a bunch of stuff in recent weeks.

So go here and check it out as he has got some good ones. 

And fittingly, in honor of our joke of a Congress, he has this......

WELCOME TO HELL ~ by Glenn Walker: The South Jersey Writers at the Collingswood Book ...

 In the South Jersey area? Go check in and tell them a native Texan sent you.....
WELCOME TO HELL ~ by Glenn Walker: The South Jersey Writers at the Collingswood Book ...: Tomorrow, October 5th, is the 11th Annual Collingswood Book Festival , one of the biggest events for writers and readers in the South Je...

The Education of a Pulp Writer: Dundee On Hell Up

The Education of a Pulp Writer: Dundee On Hell Up: I saw this Amazon review from Wayne D. Dundee for HELL UP IN HOUSTON, the second in BEAT to a PULP’s Jack Laramie series, and I had to share...

At the Scene of the Crime: Under Siege

At the Scene of the Crime: Under Siege: “You're a young man, you can still learn. Pay attention to this. You can steal in this country, you can rape and murder, you can bribe ...

Medical Update--- Sandi

They just called and all seems well. Her cumidin level remains too low at 1.4 so the dosage of that is being bumped up a bit. Everything else is basically the same. They see us in one week--like normal.

We Are Home

and have been for almost two hours now. In a change of plans from the normal routine, they took Sandi's blood this morning and then sent her home before the results were ready. Their plan is to call us later today if anything is amiss.

More news later as we learn it.

FFB Review: "Pariah" by Dave Zeltserman

Friday means Friday’s Forgotten Books hosted by Patti Abbott. This week is not a theme week so when the list goes up later today here you should see a lot of variation in the suggestions. One could spend several lifetimes reading nothing, but the books suggested for FFB each week. Below is my suggestion for a book that I first reviewed in 2009. I think it is one that should be at or very near the top of whatever reading list you have……

After eight long years, Kyle Nevin is finally out of prison. One of three men who basically controlled Boston before he wound up in prison the last eight years was hard. But, unlike others faced with long stretches of prison time, he never talked about anyone else. This South Boston Irish mobster kept silent about everyone which included his former boss Red Mahoney who set him up to take the fall. Red deserves special treatment and the plans for that allowed Kyle to stay strong no matter what prison he was in.

The welcome home is far different than he expected. The passing of the last eight years has had repercussions far and wide and nobody is what he or she was when he stepped inside. His brother Danny has fallen far economically and can’t go back to the Southie neighborhood as he made his own plea deal with restrictions for life. Danny has gone legit, much to Kyle’s disgust, and isn’t looking to go back to a life of crime. Ma is dead too and Kyle’s prison time and all the stress most likely caused that. His old girlfriend dumped him pretty quick after he went inside. Nobody messed with Kyle before he went in and got away with it. Now that he is back out, he intends to reassert control, get the money flowing again, and find Red Mahoney. He’s going to need some competent and silent help and that is easier said than done.

Heavily reminiscent of his earlier novel Small Crimes (reviewed here) also released from Serpent Tail, this novel also follows a con and his return to civilization. Unlike the previous book where the con was trying to follow the straight and narrow path, Kyle Nevin is all about getting back in charge and living large. Being legit is never part of Kyle’s thinking. Revenge regarding Red Mahoney is the theme of the book from start to finish with Kyle trying various ways of accomplishing that ultimate task all the way through to the final twist at the end. An end that seems both a surprise and yet obvious when one considers the entire work.

Along the way there is plenty of dark humor, violence, and social commentary about what it means to be a celebrity these days. This is especially true in terms of publishing and media hype in these days of celebrity no talent writers and their ghost writer counterparts. An unseemly side of publishing and yet such tomes prove to be one of the most popular with the book buying public.

A heavily atmospheric noir style novel much like Small Crimes the book takes you deep into the world of Boston and its suburbs. Dave Zeltserman manages the rare feat of making a locale become a living breathing character. A locale often just as dark and twisted in its own way as the characters that populate it. In short, Pariah is another good book from Dave Zeltserman. Another good and depraved tale that is filled with plenty of atmosphere, dark individuals, and scathing social commentary all the way to the twisted and violent end.

 

Pariah
Dave Zeltserman
http://www.hardluckstories.com/
Serpent’s Tale
http://www.serprentstail.com/
October, 2009
ISBN# 978-1846686436
$14.95
ARC


Review copy provided by Meryl Zegarek in exchange for my objective review.


Kevin R. Tipple © 2009, 2013

Reviewed Elsewhere--- "Catch And Release" by Lawrence Block

I don't have my review done yet of this new short story collection from author Lawrence Block. But, my buddy, Randy Johnson does have the book reviewed on his blog "Not The Baseball Pitcher."  You can read Randy's spoiler free review here.

TV Time

While I can't talk about the case, if you ever wondered what I or our son Karl sound like, you can go here and see an interview that was done earlier today for WFAA Channel 8 in Dallas. It is a very surreal experience seeing yourself on TV.

Bill Crider's Pop Culture Magazine: Pimpage: An Occasional Feature in Which I call Att...

Bill Crider's Pop Culture Magazine: Pimpage: An Occasional Feature in Which I call Att...: Only 99 cents!  You can't go wrong! Amazon.com: The Shamus Sampler eBook: Sean Dexter, Reed Farrel Coleman, Keith Dixon, J.L. Abramo,...

Lesa Latest Contest

 As posted elsewhere......

This week, I'm giving away books by two award-winning authors. I have an ARC of Louise Penny's #1 bestselling mystery, How the Light Gets In & a copy of G.M. Malliet's A Fatal Winter. Details available on my blog, http://www.lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com. Entries from the U.S. only, please.

Lesa Holstine 

lesa.holstine@gmail.com  

http://www.lesasbookcritiques.blogspot.com

Little Big Crimes: The Wentworth Letter, by Jeff Soloway

Little Big Crimes: The Wentworth Letter, by Jeff Soloway: "The Wentworth Letter," by Jeff Soloway, in Malfeasance Occasional: Girl Trouble, edited by Clare Toohey. The folks at Crimi...

Bill Crider's Pop Culture Magazine: New Poem at The 5-2

Bill Crider's Pop Culture Magazine: New Poem at The 5-2: The 5-2 | Crime Poetry Weekly, Annual Ebooks - Gerald So, Editor : Nancy Scott AT HOME IN ABBOTTABAD, PAKISTAN

September 2013 Reads and Reviews

In addition to interviews, news, market calls, free book alerts, and lots of other things on the blog, this is the complete list of the “September 2013 Reads and Reviews.” All reviews are mine unless otherwise noted.

Strip For Murder by Richard S. Prather-- (FFB Double Take Review by Barry Ergang and Patrick Ohl

Billboard Man by Jim Fusilli

The Lord Of Misrule by Paul Halter (FFB  Double Take Review by Barry Ergang and Patrick Ohl

Paleo Fitness Primal Training And Nutrition To Get Lean, Strong And Healthy by Darryl Edwards, Brett Stewart, and Jason Warner

Like a Bone in the Throat (A Tale From The Dark Side) by Lawrence Block

Beat To A Pulp: Hardboiled 2 Edited by David Cramner and Scott D. Parker

Keller On The Spot by Lawrence Block

THE CASE OF THE BAKER STREET IRREGULARS by Anthony Boucher (Double Take FFB Review --Barry Ergang and Patrick Ohl)

Hell Up In Houston: A Jack Laramie Beat by Garnett Elliott

Long Fall From Heaven by George Wier and Milton T. Burton

Storm Front: A Virgil Flowers Novel by John Sandford

Strangers On A Train by Patricia Highsmith (FFB Review--Patrick Ohl)

That was September and that should mean cooler weather, the return of the Great State Fair of Texas (which we shall have to miss yet again--- unfortunately) and some rain to put a dent into the drought…..

Working

Worked on a review much of the evening tonight and am reminded what Earl Staggs recently said to me. Paraphrasing greatly it was along the lines of your time is so limited you should be working on your own stuff. Doing a review right takes time and certainly isn't as easy with my physical issues now as it was a few years ago.

Of course, I could really simplify things if I just skipped reading the book and crafted a two sentence review each time instead.

MAKE MINE MYSTERY: BOOK SALES DOWN? WHO DID THIS TO US?

 Radine has a theory. I am not sure she is right, but, her idea probably does play a role in things.....
MAKE MINE MYSTERY: BOOK SALES DOWN? WHO DID THIS TO US?: In the writing field I am most familiar with--mystery and suspense--author after author has been telling us on the Internet, and in conversa...

Want A Funny Read? Barry Has Books To Sell

I have mentioned before that Barry is selling off his personal library of books as he is getting closer to moving into a smaller place. He recently sent me the scans of the covers for a number of books he has for sale in the "humor" category.

 These and more are in addition to several Woody Allen books.

 As has been mentioned here before, his prices are lower these days. Barry has added more books having sold a bunch of stuff in recent weeks. So go here and check it out as he has got some good ones. 

Amazon Shopping?

In addition to the donation widget on the left side, I am an Amazon Associate. What this means is if you click on one of the book links on this blog to buy a particular book or to shop on Amazon and you buy something, I get a few pennies on the sale. It does not affect the price you pay at Amazon or have any impact on you financially at all.

What it does do is generate a small referral fee that is paid into my Amazon Associate account a few pennies at a time. Those pennies add up each quarter. When enough pennies add up to ten dollars, usually once or twice a year, I can cash out with an Amazon giftcard.

So, if you are going to shop at Amazon anyway, please consider going through me to do your shopping. Every little bit helps and I do appreciate it very much.

And, if you are going to buy a book, may I suggest........

Sunday Morning On The Back Porch

Being Blocked

Barry sent this along this morning and I thought it was funny.....