Steven M. Moore's Blog, page 147
August 11, 2015
Irish Stew #43…
[Note from Steve: Lots of news to comment on, mostly of the political sort, both national and international. Cherry pick what you like. You won’t see comments like this anywhere else—I don’t have anyone telling me what I can or can’t write. Caveat emptor. Supportive or angry comments are always welcome if PG-13, though—no foul language, please.]
Item. Iran deal. Remember when JFK ran for president and was attacked because people thought his religion would make him the slave of the Vatican? Se...
August 7, 2015
Movie Reviews #17…
Mr. Holmes. Bill Condon, dir. In this adagio with significant meaning, Ian McKellan is great. It is the story of the great detective trying to remember his last case; it’s also the story about his friendshiup with a little boy that bridges an immense generation gap. It occurs after World War Two. That last case caused Mr. Holmes to retire, seeking refuge in a country he owns. The boy is the son of a widow, the housekeeper of the manor. During his last days at the manor, we revisit that last c...
August 6, 2015
Guilty until proven innocent?
The internet has become the modern form of a lynch mob—not as deadly, but it can destroy lives. Internet vigilantism is now part of the new lexicon. From the bullying girls in Holyoke, MA, to all those fans jealous of the Patriots’ success, the internet has taken over mob decision making, where e-vigilantes determine right or wrong based on emotional responses over reason and logic. The court of public opinion is now Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media that provide ready soap...
August 5, 2015
Review of Bun Yom’s Tomorrow I’m Dead…
(Bun Yom, Tomorrow I’m Dead, iUniverse, 2015, ISBNs 978-1-4917-5850-2 sc, 978-1-4917-5851-9 e)
Even with its simplicity of language and expression of personal innocence, this is still a powerful story that is more than a memoir. It is a historical treasure because the author was a survivor of Cambodia’s Killing Fields.
The history of the twentieth century was filled with the good, bad, and ugly. Good can be found in the advances in science and technology that have made life better in general...
August 4, 2015
Conservative blinders…
Blinders are often used on horses to keep them focused on the path ahead. Conservative blinders are self-administered and make conservative look like the horses’ rear ends instead. When Jeb! attacked Medicare, he applied his conservative blinders. Both progressives and conservatives do this, claiming ideological purity. It’s not quite as bad as the priests of the Spanish Inquisition, but the effect is the same—good solutions are thrown out, guilty by ideological association.
Ideologies are th...
July 31, 2015
News and Notices from the Writing Trenches #98…
Item. A humble thanks. While I do so at the end of my ebooks, I’ll do it here too: If you’ve read one of my ebooks, I thank you. Today there are so many reading choices, I have to feel humbled by the fact you chose one of my ebooks to read. I write to entertain as well as present socially relevant themes, so your choice validates my writing and is the best form of compliment.
Not all readers are created equal. Some read for pure entertainment, often escapist or adventurous thrill rides, but p...
July 30, 2015
Is a new book review paradigm needed?
If you read Joe Konrath (I still lurk there, even though I’m against his exclusive by-invitation-only policy for his book borrowing effort), or you’ve just experienced it en carne propia (Spanish for “in your own flesh,” meaning personally), you’ll have heard that Amazon’s bots search for links between reviewer and author and erase the review if they find them. What? Authors can’t be reviewers? I read a lot, and I review a lot of books. My reviews tend to be longer than most Amazon reviews—ev...
July 29, 2015
Mini-Reviews of Books #10…
[The first two and last ebooks reviewed here shows that it’s worth searching for older novels in a writer’s catalog, something Smashwords doesn’t seem to recognize with their searching options—Amazon is many things to many people, but it does that well. The last two try to outdo Dan Brown. Note to readers: These reviews express my opinions—your results may differ. These reviews will not appear on Amazon, and I refuse to use their star system. Note to authors and publicists of the ebooks revie...
July 28, 2015
The third party jinx…
I guess the Donald believes the adage “Any PR is good PR” (“the Donald” is the New Yorkers’ nickname for real estate mogul Donald Trump, who has his eye set on owning the White House—and turning it into a casino?) As of today (7/21), he’s leading the other GOP presidential hopefuls in a poll taken after the anti-Mexican immigrant spiel but before the attack on John McCain. Maybe that will change. But the GOP has to be careful. If Trump the Chump leaves the GOP to form a third party, they’re s...
July 24, 2015
News and Notices from the Writing Trenches #97…
Item. Big deal? Go Set a Watchman is creating a media and reader frenzy. What’s the big deal? Will Lee get her second Pulitzer for it? I hope not, especially if it’s as badly written as To Kill a Mockingbird. N. Scott Momaday’s House Made of Dawn, also a Pulitzer winner, is a novel providing better insight into an unusual culture (Lee’s is the South, Momaday’s is North American Indian). Momaday has few competitors. Lee has many—Faulkner is just one example. I’m about as excited about this boo...
