What I've Read - and what I realized.

We'll start off with "what I realized" - obvious to most, I'm sure - but the bottom line is that life is far to short to be reading stuff [and watching and/or doing stuff] that you're not getting anything out of. Be it entertainment, knowledge, or perspective. But I far too often find myself trying to slog through a book because I'd heard it was supposed to be good, or I liked some of the author's other books, or a person or source I respect recommended it, or the book is just on the edge of getting interesting, or - and this is all too often - I'm determined to finish a book just because I started it. Insane. Life is too short. So I need to just stop.

Cases in point, which brought this stunningly obvious realization to a head recently - I'd gotten to page 400 on Carter Beats the Devil when it struck me I just didn't really like it all that much. Parts of it were interesting, but I kept reading because I dig on period pieces, and I love early 20th century magic. But I found myself bored reading this, waiting for it to get interesting, and thinking it was too long by half. And it took me to page 400 to put it down and quit it. Same with James Ellroy's Destination: Morgue. I loved American Tabloid and The Cold Six Thousand and I liked Black Dahlia, but Destination: Morgue bored the hell out of me. Can't even tell you why, I just didn't dig it. All the harder to put down because it's a series of short stories and I'd keep reading in hopes I'd really dig the next one.

And finally, I'd read the first book in the Science in the Capital series - Forty Signs of Rain - and was about 100 pages into the second when I realized I just didn't like them all that much. It was hard to quit reading because I'd heard great things about the author, the books were loaned to me by Mike, with whom I generally agree with taste-wise, and the books did show occasional flashes of really interesting and cool stuff. Just not enough to keep me reading.

Anyways, on to what I have read of late...

The Keeper of the Flame―A Story of the Atomic Bomb in Hiroshima by Mari Kaigo. A short book about the Hiroshima Flame Monument in Hoshino, Fukuoka, Japan. Like a lot of work in Japan about the war, it treads that really fine line between being very thoughtful and moving and almost, well, fetishizing its "victimhood." Still, a fascinating tale.

Peace Flames & Beacons Around the World:

"2002 - Hiroshima Flame Monument, Hoshino, Fukuoka Prefecture, Kyushu Island (Japan). 'Image shows Takudou Yamamoto displaying a flame that has been burning continuously since the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and was brought to the western Japanese village of Hoshino by his father Tatsuo, who kept it personally for more than two decades.'"

Mastering Your Hidden Self: Guide to the Huna Way by Serge King. I'm of two minds on Huna... On one hand I totally agree with some of the underlying concepts of it's metaphysical approach. On the other hand, it bugs me that a lot of it puts itself out as a native Hawaiian, when it actually probably owes a lot more to the New Thought movement of the 19th century. A lot of good stuff in the book but my favorite work on Huna is still Fundamentals of Hawaiian Mysticism by Charlotte Berney.

Super Power Breathing for Energy by Paul and Patricia Bragg. Some good breathing exercises here. And lots of old school health advice. Some nonsense as well, imho, but the good outweighs the bad.

JLA/Avengers by Kurt Busiek and George Perez. Straight up slam-bang superhero goodness. Good story by Busiek, outstanding work by Perez on art.

"The most powerful characters in two universes collide as DC's premier super-heroes meet Marvel's. Collected in a gorgeous two-volume oversized slipcased hardcover is perhaps the most eagerly anticipated and memorable crossover of all time, as the Justice League of America unites with The Avengers. Superman, Batman, and the other members of the JLA join forces with Captain America, Iron Man, and the many other Avengers to fight a threat so immense it threatens two entire dimensions."

The Boys, Vol 2: Get Some and Vol 3: Good for the Soul by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson. Brilliantly subversively and wickedly funny superhero... well, parody isn't the right word, because like with Preacher before it [also by Ennis], beneath the [hilarious] obscenity and perversion is the soul of very moving story, with characters you really do grow to care about.

"In a world where costumed heroes soar through the sky and masked vigilantes prowl the night, someone's got to make sure the "supes" don't get out of line. And someone will. Billy Butcher, Wee Hughies, Mother's Milk, The Frenchman and the Female are The Boys: a CIA-backed team of very dangerous people, each one dedicated to the struggle against the most dangerous force on Earth-superpower. Some superheroes have to be watched. Some have to be controlled. And some of them-sometimes need to be taken out of the picture. That's when you call in The Boys."

Black Summer by Warren Ellis and Juan Jose Ryp. John Horus, one of the world's only 8 superheroes, holds a press conference, covered in blood, and announces "Ten minutes ago, I executed the President of the United States and the Vice President. And several of their advisors." The awesome increases from there. Great book.

"Warren Ellis' eight-issue opus of masked hero revolution, Black Summer, perfectly complimented by the stunning and explosive art of the genius Juan Jose Ryp, is nothing less than a sequential masterpiece! The world goes black in this epic story of super-powered heroes and villains. The story begins when the political situation in the United States becomes more than Horus can stand, and he moves to take matters into his own hands. Unfortunately, not all of his team-mates are quite so eager to throw the world into chaos, and an epic conflict ensues. With Horus and the rest of the surviving Guns facing off against the military and each other, no one is safe as the bodies start to fall."

The Question Vol 3: Epitaph for a Hero by Dennis O'Neil and Denys Cowan. Continued reprints of the seminal, both in the medium, and for me personally, series from about 20 years ago. Philosophical, fun, thought provoking and engaging.

"The Question, the faceless, morally conflicted avenger based in corrupt Hub City! A martial arts master, The Question delved into Eastern philosophy as he battled crime and the crooked politicians of his hometown... . In this volume, The Question is captured while on the trail of paramilitary fanatics!"