Robert Strupp > Recent Status Updates

So far the protagonist, a WWII soldier in the UK and his platoon, has come across the Brideshead mansion, which 20 years ago he had quite a fling with. The 85 years old writing is a tad difficult and the odd names the English use for stuff causes many look-ups. But it's an easy enjoyable read, unlike the insane (literally) writing of Virginia Woolf.

Greatest Generation N. Jack Kleiss was one tough cookie. Much like my own father, born 1908 on a Wisconsin farm with 9 or so siblings. When Jack passed away in 2016 at age 100, he was the last person, I believe, to have participated in The Battle of Midway So far we're just learning of Jack's early history, education, marriage and such.

A good book only for bibliophiles. I enjoyed it.

A huge problem with Virginia Woolf's writing, in Mrs. Dalloway anyway, is that it is virtually impossible to immediately discern which of her character's is thinking the written words. From the top of page 180, it wasn't until the bottom of page 181 when I discovered whose thoughts I was reading. Finally, as I relaxed and learned to savor her singular writing style, her last 22 pages were fairly delightful,

It's reading as good as any big publisher science fiction book. Not seeing any misspelling or other errors. The book is as good as any I've read. We'll see how it ends. It's heading for at least 4 stars.

Still trudging along struggling with the half-page sentences of the world's greatest ever, ever, writer Virginia Woolf ~ "...the grey tide of service which washed around Lady Bruton day in, day out, collecting, intercepting, enveloping her in a fine tissue which broke concussions, mitigated interruptions, and spread round the house in Brook Street in a fine net where things lodged and were picked out accurately..."

I don't imagine someone who wasn't a regular book reader or a 40-years B&N member & customer who was chased out during Covid so the homeless might enter, would enjoy it. Basically it's a cozy history of 'books' and their environment. Plus it's also Lewis Buzbee's, who's concerned about "too many guns," memoire. Just heard of a murder-stabbing by an Illegal. I wonder if he's concerned about "too many knives?"

A memoir about the author's love for books and his jobs at bookstores. Only a 'bookie' could enjoy this story.

A fun book. Easy to read and comprehend. Our protagonist, Edgar, is a hero in that, with a fellow worker, he stopped a massive runaway machine that could've brought down several floors of Vertical City, killing thousands. He also discovered a secret so dangerous to know the person who told him was assassinated.

Becoming a tiny bit more comprehensible as I slow my reading down to 'Dick and Jane' levels not used in the past seven decades. Right now, it is not fun to read this book. Hopefully, by the time I reach page 194, I'll have gained some benefit from reading this book.

An interesting concept. After an atomic war all of the Earth's survivors live, packed, literally like sardines in towers that extend far both into the air and into the earth. All the inhabitants are assigned lifetime jobs.

I noticed this 1981 Harvest Book edition displayed an odd font, which bothers me almost as much as Woolf's jerky writing. I finally read the back cover and hence have learned that this novel covers one day in the life of Mrs. Dalloway. Great.

(Another "must read Classic") On page 12, after a 14 page 'Forward' mandating to the reader the facts of how awesome the writing of Virginia Woolf was a century ago. Attempting to be worthy to grasp in my unworthy paws, this goddess's book, I've slowed to 1/2 of my usual reading speed of 238wpm. I find the writing jerky and the constant parenthesized statements seeming like I'm reading a rushed diary's entry.

As I feared, a sad, sad story of lawless Mexican wilderness 100 years ago.

The pilot Ross, sans his Greenland aerial photographer, greatly overworked, had been taking a sleeping pills. Soon enough, 1 pill didn't work, a pair didn't did nothing, when 3 finally hit the spot, putting him into a 3-day sleep of the dead. When he awoke he told of his dream where he 'became' a teen slave of the Vikings in Greenland 100s of years ago. His dream telling goes on for many pages. Sigh.

Hating this b*stard even more. Seems very likely 'Clark Rockefeller' (no relation!) murdered John and likely offed his wife too. The reason he's not being arrested and charged in the 1990s is that John was adopted from unknown parents, hence no DNA. Clark 'befriended' his drunken landlord lady, got himself put in her will, and collected his seed money for his East Coast ventures $40,000 ($122K today) after she died.

'The Pearl' the 1945 John Steinbeck classic. Yet another title I snatched for nada from the "Free Books" cart outside Berryville's 'It's A Mystery' bookstore. You just know it's gonna have a sad ending, especially after reading the cover blurb: "...Instead he found that peace and happiness are not to be purchased." It's about a subsistence-level Mexican pearl diver who discovers a huge . . . you got it, pearl.

Simply an enjoyable read. Not as entertaining as For Whom the Bell Tolls, but whose diary is? Well, other than the two I filled in the late 1960s. It was really interesting hearing about "Hem" hanging out with all the folks who are very famous today.

A little slow reading since so many of the pages from 65 to 151 involved maintenance on the 1940's pontoon plane that could only manage 100mph! Finally, the professor, his daughter and Ross, arrived in Iceland and then Greenland, a country pretty much still in the 19th Century. As I foretold, "The Pilot," Donald Ross, is becoming attracted to the professor's daughter, who is apparently built like a brick sh*thouse.

Very readable. Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter of Bergen, Germany, in 1992 became Clark Rockefeller. Before this, he impersonated many folks in California and then on the East Coast. No one actually bothered to check the references he gave! At this point, the Mark Seal isn't telling, but it seems he may have 'disappeared' a married couple in California. The more I read and learn, the more I hate this genuine S.O.B.

An easy read, more like a diary than an actual book. One must remember this was 'Paris' almost 100 years ago. I may be repeating myself, but the remembrances were written down in 1960 about his habitation in the City of Light, well, a century ago. Odd hearing stories of famous folks Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound (neither of whom I've read), and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Around page 180 there are ten pages of photos.

The rescue itself is only in the final 30 or so pages. The rest of the book is background on Israel, the passengers, the terrorists, Uganda and such. It's all necessary information, but isn't exciting reading. I was an adult when the hijacking and rescue happened. It was in the news.

This is a book by Hemingway, written in the late 1950's about the author's adventures in Paris from 1921 to 1926. It's about his life and the very famous folks he ran into and sometimes palled around with in Paris. Adventures from his 20's recalled 30 years later. He holds nothing back. Even though it's about everyday life. It's so very readable.

Should I not pen a review of Huxley's 1931, 'Brave New World,' (which is a line from a Shakespeare), I'll mention this now. The edition I read the 'First Perennial Classics' edition published in 1998. This edition had an unsigned 'Forward' and 'Afterward.' The 'Forward' was penned in 1946 by Aldous Huxley, the 'Afterward' is anonymous. To my way of thinking it would be best to read both AFTER completing the novel.

John, 'The Savage' son of Linda, who was born in civilization, but left behind, for 20 years had 2 books to read and memorize: the Bible and the complete works of Shakespeare. In a long conversation with the 'head man,' he finds that the governing body has determined the main 'thing' is that citizens be happy, so they've removed all choices which might cause sadness and provide the 'soma' happy pill to cure sadness.

The most mundane happenings, yet author Shute makes them so readable the book can't be easily set aside. The story had begun with a professor and pilot Ross flying to a remote part of Greenland to explore ruins. His multimillionaire brother would be footing the bill of approximately (in 2025 dollars) of $1.25M. Now the haughty professor's daughter has insisted on coming along. I see a possible romance brewing.

Finally we're at the 'hijacking part.' I did not know that long ago Israel had been economically assisting Uganda. They also moved Idi Amin up through the ranks of the Uganda army. Turns out, prior to Premiere Idi kicking Israel out of the country, he was examined for a week in an Israeli hospital. He was diagnosed with syphilis, and since he wouldn't take the medicine, he was incurable case.

Page 82, they're still stepping thru the history of terrorism, Vis-à-vis Israel. Even though I was an adult during much of this period, I did not recall some attacks against unarmed civilians by these monsters: "The Lod Airport massacre was an attack that was carried out by the Japanese Red Army on the Lod Airport near Tel Aviv on 30 May 1972. It resulted in the killing of 26 people and the wounding of 80 others."

Typical Nevil Shute novel. Nothing much happening but one can't put it down.

They visit the land of the Savages inhabiting areas of America they haven't been able to 'civilize.' They go to what you'd call today an "Indian Reservation," where they observe the indigenous people living quite primitively. Long ago a Brave New World woman got lost visiting after she'd been inseminated by her partner, who left without her. She and her son had been living as outcasts for 20 years.