December

So this project pretty much started in December. I was (as I often do) feeling guilty about not reading enough and turning off my brain too often to stare at the blank window of the world. I had been trying to finish my biography of Elvis Costello; Complicated Shadows (written by Graeme Thompson and highly recommended) for just a little too long and I decided to try and read four books that month. I was able to pull it off. I read two Kerouac beauties: Big Sur and The Dharma Bums-both of which I enjoyed though I admittedly found The Dharma Bums to be ten times more entertaining and enjoyable for seemingly obvious reasons. The documentary on Kerouac's Big Sur had prompted me to revisit this favorite author of mine whose On The Road and Lonesome Traveler have always been close to my heart....Things were working out. I then was able to read the new Michael Connely novel, 9 Dragons, a new Harry Bosch detective book in a series that I love and have read probably six and listened to two more in the car on the ride home to northern California. That put me at four for the month. It felt good and I decided to make a new year's resolution to read five or more books a month for the new year and write short reviews in this here ol' blog about it........here we go