I was honestly surprised when this graphic novel didn’t end with;

“…and I’d have gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for those meddling kids!”

It felt rushed and came across like a bad episode of the ‘Scooby-Doo Mysteries’.

This is the second Odd Thomas graphic novel. The story wasn’t bad but it also wasn’t great. These stories appear to take place in, around and before the first Koontz novel ‘Odd Thomas’ but give little insight into the character’s growth and development. Nothing new or hidden is revealed that adds to the multiple novel story arc.

The writing is fairly lackluster often trying to sound clever and falling flat. Reading between the lines in the story development notes at the back of the book Dean Koontz had rather little to do with the writing of this book and it shows.

The art ranges all over the place. In some spots it’s quite good and in others it’s mediocre at best. Queenie Chan might want to check source material such as ATVs and guns before drawing them. She also doesn’t appear to know what soaping windows at Halloween is all about.

If you’re an Odd Thomas fan you’ll probably like this. Again it wasn’t bad it just wasn’t great. If you’re a graphic novel collector and new to the Odd Thomas story line you may be disappointed.

If we could give half stars I’d give this three and a half but we can’t so three stars it is.

The Doorbell rang and by the time I got there the UPS man was already turning the corner. The box on the doorstep looked SMALL “That can’t be my Kindle!” But it was. Even though Amazon has multiple pictures of the device on their site showing people using it, comparing it to the width of a standard pencil, etc. the first time you see it in real life it seems tiny!

If you’re interested the Kindle is slightly larger all around than a standard paperback book, say a bit more than 1/4 of an inch taller and wider. Four quarters stacked are just fall just shy of the thickness of the Kindle and yet it doesn’t feel like a toy. There’s a solid feeling to the Kindle and some heft. Mine, the 3G/WiFi model weighs 8.7 ounces. For comparison that’s about the same as my 382 page paperback copy of ‘Speaker for the Dead’.

The screen itself which measures 6 inches diagonally is just slightly smaller than the print area of the average paperback (give or take). The keyboard is tiny as is the 5-way controller. My fumble fingers have problems hitting the wrong buttons but it’s a learning process and I’m getting better with practice.

I opened the box, extracted the Kindle and the charging/USB cable. The only other thing in the box was a printed Quick Start Guide. I plugged it into the wall to charge as per the directions. Within moments it had made a 3G connection and had begun downloading the sixty or so books I’d pre-bought. After downloading all my books, which only took a few moments, it then rebooted itself and installed the latest software revision which Amazon had just recently released.

I allowed the Kindle to charge for five or so hours, unplugged it and began reading. The Kindle allows you the choice of three fonts, Standard (a Times New Romanish font), Condensed and Sans Serif as well as eight font sizes ranging from tiny to huge. You can also adjust the line spacing and words per line settings. If you’re (again) interested I’m using the fourth smallest font size in Sans Serif with medium line spacing and the default words per line setting.

The Kindle screen is a light, soft grey which is incredibly easy on the eyes and the text is insanely crisp, sharp and clear. Page turning takes a bit of getting used to. There is a ‘flash’ as the e-ink resets itself for the next page. Most people, myself included, don’t even see this after a short time of using the device.

I purchased two Nick Pollotta novels, ‘That Darn Squid God’ and ‘Damned Nation’ for $4.79 each (a savings of close to $30 over the printed price) as my first Kindle reads. I love this thing and I do apologize to everyone for gushing about it lately but I’m a reader and the Kindle is… rocking my socks off. I’ve also downloaded, from Amazon and others approximately a hundred free (and nearly free) novels ranging from ancient classics to near recent Science Fiction and Fantasy from Baen Books.

Reading is effortless, I prop the Kindle up on the TV remote. The gel buttons keep it from sliding around and set an almost perfect angle for reading in bed. I’ve got bad, arthritic (and carpel tunnel) ridden hands AND I hate breaking the backs of books so reading was always a struggle holding the book open, keeping it from flopping closed and losing my place, etc. I can read for hours without pain or discomfort now instead of minutes.

Getting books couldn’t be easier. Turn on the wireless connection (having it off when not needed saves battery power) and books really do arrive from Amazon, as advertized, in 60 seconds. Books from other sources around the web (and there’s plenty of free books out there!) are copied over using the USB cable and your computer. You can also charge the Kindle via the USB connection.

I need to get a cover or case to protect my Kindle, currently I’m storing it in the box it shipped in which is a bit awkward but other than that I am completely satisfied with my purchase. To steal a line from McDonalds “I’m lovin’ it!”

I think a lot of it might have to do with the age and mind set of the staff and directors of the county library system. I don’t believe they’re in touch with ALL of their patrons. Maybe I should run for a position on the board. There needs to be some life given to the Sci-Fi/Fantasy section, it’s anemic and dying.

This review is for the Updated Edition of ‘AWOL on the Appalachian Trail’. Having never read the original version I can’t comment on any changes between the editions.

I’ve read quite a few books about people’s hikes (as opposed as books on hiking) the majority have been tales of the AT. Some were great, books I come back to every couple years to reacquaint myself with, others, well, let’s just say some would serve better as kindling than as literature.

Miller’s AWOL fits snugly near the first category rather than the latter. He pulls no punches in his tale; expounding not only on the joys and enlightenments but also exposing the pains, loneliness and hardships that one encounters while attempting to walk two thousand plus miles up (and down) the Appalachian Trail.

I very much liked Miller’s linear story telling of his hike on the AT. The book begins where he begins at Springer Mountain and each chapter covers the sections of trail he encounters on his journey north to Maine. Some stories I’ve read seem to jump around, shoe horning in bits of story that took place weeks or even months before or after what you’ve just read about. Here you follow Miller from start to finish in a logical manner and I very much appreciated that.

Miller does a good job describing the not only the trail and conditions he encounters along the way but also the people he meets along his way. I really got a feel for what he experienced on his trip.

This is a long book but never becomes tedious or boring. If I had one complaint (and it’s really not a complaint) it would be unfinished anecdotes throughout it’s pages. As examples; at one point a child asks why the author, in the middle of summer, has ski poles, in another he’s ‘menaced’ by a squirrel who is upset at being rousted from his perch and then the story moves on never really satisfying the moments with a resolution.

If you’re a hiker or interested in hiking or know someone planning a long distance hike I happily recommend this book.

Four Stars

Best Shave EVER

For decades I was a dedicated blade shaver and over the last few years most of the time I just ran a set of clippers over my cheeks and went with the scruffy look. I have fairly sensitive skin and I wear a long goatee. The last time I tried an electric razor of any kind (an expensive German model) it grabbed a hold of my facial hair and STUCK to my face. I was quite worried about a repeat of that disaster with this new razor from Philips Norelco.

I was pleasantly surprised to find I could get right up against my goatee without any hair grabbing problems. The razor went through heavy stubble with ease though it did require a bit more pressure than I initially expected. The first time I used this I had to go back and reshave but that was just the learning curve and not the fault of the razor.

In the instructions it does warn about skin irritation while switching shaving methods and I must admit I had some irritation. It was more pronounced on the softer skin of my neck and under my chin and less on my cheeks. The irritation wasn’t severe and went away in a reasonable amount of time.

You can use the SensoTouch 3d Electric Shaver dry or with shaving gel/cream. I’ve tried it both ways and I must say I LOVE using this razor with my shaving gel the head glides smoothly and it seems to result in an even closer shave.

My only complaint about the shaver would be the position and maybe the size, of the trimmer. It’s a bit small and awkwardly located behind the shaver heads so it’s a bit hard to see what you’re doing clearly.

Cleaning the unit is a breeze even when using shaving gel. Rinsed under warm running water then opening the heads to rinse out the clippings and residual foam. Alternately you can also use the Jet Clean System which is as simple as it gets. Place the razor in the unit and push the button on the front of the Jet Clean System. The razor moved in and out of the included cleaning solution, then dries and charges itself.

This package also includes a separate charging stand (which shares the cord with the Jet Clean System), handy travel case and a small cleaning brush along with the bottle of cleaning fluid for the Jet Clean System.

Five Stars