Searching for Bobbie Fischer

Searching for Bobby Fischer
I had noticed the movie when it first came out, but never watched it

La Sheila recently raved about it, and since the things she praises tend to be well done, I went for another look.

All I can think of is a perfect swan dive - there is a pleasure that comes from watching simple (perhaps even formula) material, executed wonderfully well. This is great execution.

I went in expecting to be impressed by Ben Kingsley and Laurence Fishburne. I went in knowing that Sheila RAVED about a moment where Joe Mantegna just BRINGS IT.

What suprised me was that Joan Allen stole the picture as the mom.

Good movie, much enjoyment, and I strongly recommend.

Modesitt - Cadmian's Choice

L.E. Modesitt
Cadmian's Choice

This is book 5 in Modesitt's Cadmian Chronicles.

It felt familiar - we have the talented and smart hero (two of them this time) working wtih life force, order, and power while working against a conspiracy. The heros are variations on his standard hero. The world and magic are variations on his standard world. He is ringing the changes on a theme, which is fine because it is a good theme.

I found myself basically NOT trying to keep track of the conspiracy and actors. I could not remember who was who, who was where, who was allied with whom, and who was betraying whome. There was a serious case of Russian Novel Syndrome going on with the off-stage characters.

Instead I just followed the moment-by-moment decision making of the two heros.

And it was enough.

Spencer - Wolf Who Rules

Wen Spencer
Wolf Who Rules

This is the sequel to Tinker telling what happened next.

I can see why Spencer claims to love writing about Tinker - she is a great character.

Highly entertaining - I lost sleep to finish it.

I was reading it while tired, and much of the book takes place while Tinker is short of sleep and having trouble with people messing with her dreams.

I am not sure if Spencer successfully wrote Tinker into that fatigue-fugue where it is hard to tell dream from reality, or if my own fatigue just took me there.

Good stuff.

I want to re-read it.

Brock - Conscience of a Conservative

David Brock
Conscience of a Conservative

I have fallen behind on my log entries, so I am going to put in a batch of stubs.

I read it, I liked it.

Brock explains how he got sucked into the right-wing anti-Clinton movement of the 1990s. He then apologizes for his actions, and points out some dangers for the future once this gang of self-indulgent moralists and fulminating haters got control of the government.

I liked it.

I was amused to read a gay Republican writing a conversion narrative about his recovery from right-wing politics. Jonathan Edwards' literary form has traveled a strange path to get to this book.

Good stuff.