Just Reviewed “Arcanum 101” at SBR
Folks, if you’re looking for a short, but really good, urban fantasy novel — better yet, one written by such masters of the craft as Mercedes Lackey and Rosemary Edghill — look no further than Arcanum 101: Welcome New Students. (My review over at SBR is available here.) This is a fun, fast read that does many good things — it introduces two good characters, Tomas Torres, a fifteen-year-old pyrokinetic (read: fire-starter) from the barrio, and teenaged techno-shaman Valeria Victrix Langenfeld (always called “VeeVee”), who’s been raised with magic, accepts it as her due, and has more talents than she knows what to do with. Both end up at St. Rhiannon’s School for Gifted and Exceptional Students — St. Rhia’s, for short — and both are attracted to each other within moments of their first meeting.
As this is a young adult story, their romance is PG-rated. I appreciated this, because it seems most unlikely that a young romance needs to become explicit right away — especially while in a school setting.
Overall, I enjoyed Arcanum 101 thoroughly, and think if you enjoy urban fantasy, anything written by Mercedes Lackey and/or Rosemary Edghill, or better yet, all of the above, you will enjoy it as much as I did.
So what are you waiting for? Go read my review — then go grab the e-book!
Quick Friday Update
Folks, I’m writing, editing, and keeping myself so busy that I’ve barely had time to come up for air.
Now, what’s causing me to become this obsessed? Parts 46 and 47 of AN ELFY ABROAD, the direct sequel to ELFY, that’s what. I was stalled out for a long time in this manuscript — months and months, easily — and while I worked on other projects, writing-wise, I didn’t feel satisfied. But because I think I’ve figured out a way to get through these chapters that makes sense and, more to the point, amuses me (in a humorous fantasy, if it doesn’t amuse the writer, it definitely won’t amuse the reader), I’m feeling a whole lot better, writing-wise.
Editing-wise, I have two very interesting projects right now, one a “big, fat fantasy” and the other a coming-of-age story. So when I’m not writing or reading, I’m editing . . . and I hope to squeeze in a review or two over at Shiny Book Review, as well.
So that’s about it for my update; while I have plenty to say about politics, sports, current events, and more, while I’m working so hard on the writing and editing, it all tends to go by the boards unless it rivets my attention. And even though I’m annoyed mightily by much of what I’m hearing on television from the Republican candidates here in Wisconsin (and across the nation; can’t stand that Todd Akin, and I’m not a big fan of either Paul Ryan or Mitt Romney, either), nothing “new” has happened that really bothers me to the point that I must blog about it, or else.
And if it doesn’t rivet me during a time where I feel intense creativity on my own projects, I’d much rather focus my energy on what I can do, personally, rather than my anger over how various pundits are saying this or that, or the candidates themselves have said this or that.
Because really, when you’re only a few weeks from a major election, it’s all over but the posturing. And I’m tired of all the talk. So let’s get to the voting, and then decide.
* * * * * *
One further note: I will have a “guest blog” post by writer Stephanie Osborn coming up on Sunday. She’s going to discuss her “Displaced Detective” series, which I have enjoyed very much so far (book four is forthcoming from Twilight Times Books), and the research that’s gone into that series. So please remember to come back on Sunday.
Support Your Local Musicians
Tonight, the Racine Concert Band played a concert at Horlick High School. We played four pieces alone, and with the section leaders from Horlick’s Symphonic Band, we played Dmitry Shostakovich’s “Folk Dances.”
Now, we’re fortunate in Racine that people do come to the Racine Concert Band’s concerts — whether they’re the free ones in the summer over at the Racine Zoo, or in combination with local high schools. We tend to have good, solid audiences who appreciate what we do; they enjoy live music, and want to hear more of it.
And that’s what I wanted to talk about — live music. And hearing more of it.
The easiest way to support live music is simply this — go to a concert, and support your local musicians.
I can hear some of you now. “But I live out in the middle of nowhere! We don’t have any musicians here — we can’t have any here! So what am I to do?”
In that case, I’d urge you to look around, because there probably are more musicians around than you might think. But whatever area you live in, you need to get out there and listen to some live music.
And for those of you fortunate enough to live in a big metropolitan area, do me a favor. Don’t limit yourself to the symphony orchestra, though that often is a great place to go for good music; go out and watch whatever music you can, as there’s probably much more going on in your area than you might be aware of.
Consider, please, that in Racine, we have several high school music programs, all of which have their own strengths — these are at The Prairie School, at Racine Lutheran, at Case, at Park, and of course at Horlick. These programs have orchestras, bands, jazz ensembles, choirs, and much more — so get out there and listen to their music.
Also, keep an eye out for community bands and orchestras; for example, the University of Wisconsin-Parkside has both a Community Band and a Community Orchestra. Good music is being made by these groups, and going out to listen to them is often less expensive than seeing a first-run movie.
And, of course, my own Racine Concert Band is in its 89th consecutive season. Winner of the Sudler Silver Scroll for excellence in musicianship and in elevating the cultural and musical environment of Racine back in 1995, the RCB continues to make good music and help get the word out that Racine has more live music than the music being made by the Racine Symphony Orchestra, the Belle City Brass, the Racine Dairy Statesmen (for men only) and Opus 2000 (for women only).
Racine, you see, is blessed with many great musical groups, from choruses (the Dairy Statesmen, Opus 2000) to a brass band (Belle City Brass), to the RCB and the RSO.
But your area — whatever area you’re in — probably has a lot more going on, musically speaking, than seems to be the case. That’s why you should do whatever you can to support music in the schools and in the community — whether it’s rock, jazz, country, swing, symphonic music or anything in between, go out and support your local musicians.
And if you think supporting your local musicians at such a difficult economic time is a frivolous act, I have news . . . you’re helping keep various musicians, music teachers, and associated others employed. Which is a positive thing, possibly even a life-affirming thing — and should be commended.
So, once more — get out there and see a concert or two. And support your local musicians. (Please?)
Milwaukee Brewers 2012 End-of-the-season Wrap-up
As promised, here’s my end-of-the-season assessment of the Milwaukee Brewers.
While most writers have concentrated on the Brewers’ pitchers major league-leading 29 blown saves (ouch!), or the many injuries to key players (first baseman Mat Gamel, pitcher Chris Narveson, and shortstop Alex Gonzalez suffered season-ending injuries early, while catcher Jonathan Lucroy and pitcher Shaun Marcum spent significant time on the disabled list), or the weak first-half performances by Brewers second baseman Rickie Weeks and third baseman Aramis Ramirez as reasons why the Brewers finished third in the National League Central and missed the second Wild Card slot by four games, I’d rather focus on something else.
Put simply, the Brewers had an extremely inconsistent season. Some months, the Brewers looked terrible. Other months, the Brewers looked like world-beaters — with one of their best months being the month of September (which is why they were in Wild Card contention at all).
This is the main reason the Brewers could lead the league in positive categories like runs scored, home runs, and strikeouts (by pitchers), and also lead in such a horrible category as blown saves at the same time.
In other words, the 2012 season for the Brewers was one of some very high highs, some very low lows, and one of remarkably puzzling statistics.
That said, some players stood out more than others.
On the bad side:
Closer John Axford had the most inconsistent year of his young career. While his stat line doesn’t look that bad — 35 saves in 44 chances, a 4.67 ERA, a 1.44 WHIP, a 5-8 record and 93 strikeouts in 69 1/3 innings — the fact remained that Axford’s ERA was much higher in 2012 than it was in 2011, when Axford posted a 1.95 mark along with 46 saves in 48 opportunities. And of course Axford blew far too many saves, actually losing his job as a closer for a while before regaining it after a series of sparkling performances as a set-up man in July (Axford posted three holds during that time).
But at least Axford was able to regain his form, as he looked much better toward the end of the year. This bodes well for his future with the Brewers.
Backup closer/set-up man Francisco “K-Rod” Rodriguez had an even more inconsistent year than Axford; while K-Rod had 32 holds, by far the most on the club, K-Rod also had only three saves in 10 opportunities (seven blown saves, in short), a 2-7 record, and a 4.38 ERA in 72 innings of work.
As K-Rod had an $8M contract last season and vastly underperformed considering his talent and overall reputation, it’s obvious that unless K-Rod takes a serious pay cut, he’s likely headed to another team.
The rest of the Brewers bullpen (save only Jim Henderson): for whatever reason, most of the bullpen looked like deer caught in the headlights for the vast majority of the 2012 season. There were reasons for this — for example, the death of Jeff Adcock the long-time assistant groundskeeper, who knew all of the relievers extremely well, certainly played a part in the Brewers’ overall inconsistency.
Even so, the performance of Kameron Loe (6-5 record with a 4.61 ERA in 61 1/3 innings with only seven holds and two saves out of seven opportunities, compared to his 2011 statistics of 4-7 record with a 3.50 ERA in 72 innings of work with 16 holds and one save out of eight opportunities) was perplexing; the performance of Manny Parra (2-3 record with a 5.06 ERA in 58 2/3 innings of work with nine holds and zero saves out of two chances, compared with his 2010 stats of 3-10 record with a 5.02 ERA in 122 innings of work, half as a starter and half as a reliever, with no holds and no saves) was merely irritating, and while Jose Veras’ stats look good (5-4 record with a 3.63 ERA in 67 innings of work with 10 holds and one save in two opportunities), more was expected of him than this.
Now to the disappointing starter, Shaun Marcum. Marcum spent two whole months on the disabled list, and ended up with a 7-4 record with a 3.63 ERA in 124 innings of work, which looks OK. But Marcum’s 2011 record of 13-7 with a 3.54 ERA in 200 and 2/3 innings of work showed that he’s capable of much more.
Marcum’s year was disappointing because of his injuries, not because of his talent. But because he couldn’t pitch every fifth day for two months, the Brewers’ record suffered. That is an undeniable fact.
And because of Marcum’s lengthy stint on the DL, the Brewers actually waived him late in the year, hoping someone else would pick him up. When no one else did, it was obvious that the Brewers were less than pleased that Marcum was still on the roster. That’s why it seems most unlikely that Marcum will remain a Brewer in 2013, especially as he’s now a free agent.
Then we get to perhaps the most disappointing player on the entire team — Rickie Weeks. Weeks had a horrendously bad first half, as his .162 batting average on June 12, 2012, shows. And while Weeks eventually did pull his hitting form together, as his ending line of a .230 BA with 21 home runs and 63 runs batted in shows, his fielding was atrocious: a .974 fielding percentage with 16 errors and perhaps the least range of any second baseman in major league baseball.
Weeks is thirty years of age. This is significant because very few players improve their defense at this stage of the game (my favorite player, Vinny Rottino, is one of the few who demonstrably has, at least at the catcher position). But Weeks shouldn’t have had this sort of precipitous decline in his range; the only possible excuse for it is the nasty injury he suffered in 2011 where his foot, at full extension, hit the first base bag at an odd angle, which put Weeks on the disabled list for a substantial length of time.
If that’s the case, Weeks’ range should improve again now that he’s fully healed. But I’d still like to see the Brewers find Weeks a fielding mentor, as when Willie Randolph was the bench coach for the Brewers a few years ago, Weeks’ fielding improved markedly.
Now let’s get to the positives, some of which were quite surprising:
Reliever Jim Henderson came up from AAA, where he’d been the closer, and showed he has the talent and the moxie to pitch extremely well at the major league level. Henderson posted a 1-3 record with a 3.52 ERA in 30 and 2/3 innings pitched, with 14 holds and three saves in seven opportunities. Henderson was one of the few bright spots during the late July/early August part of the season, and he’s someone I’m rooting for in 2013 to cement his job as the primary set-up man for Axford.
Starter Yovani Gallardo improved from a 7-6 record at the All-Star break to finish at 16-9; his ERA was 3.66 in 204 innings. Gallardo also had 204 Ks.
The main reason Gallardo’s late season dominance was important was due to the trade of pitcher Zack Greinke in late July. Greinke had a 9-3 record with the Brewers in 123 innings of work; he also had 122 Ks, and was the undisputed ace of the staff. That’s why Gallardo had to step up in the second half of the season — and step up he did.
Right fielder/first baseman Corey Hart was a revelation at first base; after being shifted mid-season, and after not playing first base since 2006 (that at the AAA level, and only part-time), Hart posted a .995 fielding percentage with only four errors. And Hart’s hitting continued apace; Hart had a .270 average with 30 HRs and 83 RBI, which possibly would’ve been even better had he not been hobbled with a nasty injury to his plantar fascia late in the season. (Hart hit only .254 in September due to that injury.)
Compare Hart’s fielding and excellent range with that of former Brewers first baseman Prince Fielder in 2011 — the 5’10” Fielder had a .990 fielding percentage with 15 errors and a much smaller range than the 6’6″ Hart — and it’s clear that Hart has an excellent future ahead at first base. Because if Hart could do this well after changing positions mid-season, how well is he going to do after he’s fully recovered from his injury to his foot and has a full Spring Training under his belt in 2013?
Third baseman Aramis Ramirez ended the season with a .300 BA, 27 HR, 105 RBI and 9 SBs in 11 attempts, which seemed nearly inconceivable on April 24. 2012, as Ramirez was in his characteristic season-starting slump and was hitting only .164 with only one HR and six RBI. Ramirez’s fielding in 2012 was much better than it had been in 2011; he cut his errors in half (from 14 in ’11 to seven in ’12) and improved his fielding percentage (from .953 in ’11 to .977 in ’12) while increasing his range.
And when you consider that in 2011, the Brewers had Casey McGehee — whose .942 fielding percentage and 20 errors, along with a very small range, didn’t exactly inspire confidence — it’s obvious that Ramirez was an extremely bright spot for more than just his bat.
Right fielder Norichika Aoki hit well and improved his fielding as the season progressed; Aoki should be a serious contender for the Rookie of the Year award with his .288 BA, 30 stolen bases in 38 attempts, 10 HR and 50 RBI.
The Brewers’ young pitchers Michael Fiers, Wily Peralta and Mark Rogers all did extremely well as rookies. Fiers’ record of 9-10 is deceptive as Fiers ran out of gas in the final three weeks of the season; still, his ERA of 3.74 in 127 and 2/3 innings of work was quite promising, and his 135 Ks (a better than one strikeout per inning ratio, which is excellent for a starter) shows his talent in full measure. Rogers, who came up in August, posted a 3-1 record with a 3.92 ERA in 39 innings of work, and his 41 Ks (again, a better than one strikeout per inning ratio) bode well for Rogers’ future. And Peralta, who was called up in September, looked so good with his 2-1 record and 2.48 ERA in 29 innings of work that both Ryan Braun and Aramis Ramirez said Peralta has all the makings of long-term starter in the major leagues.
But I’ve saved the best for last.
Put simply, Ryan Braun is in a class by himself. Braun had perhaps his best overall season in 2012 (.319 BA, 41 HR, 112 RBI, and 30 SB in 37 attempts), easily equaling or improving upon his 2011 National League MVP effort (.332 BA, 33 HR, 111 RBI, and 33 SB in 39 attempts) despite losing teammate Prince Fielder to free agency and having to deal with clean-up man Ramirez starting off in a horrendous slump. While Ramirez eventually got it together (by the All-Star break, Ramirez was hitting .272), the fact remained that Braun didn’t have much support in the first month or so of the season, which meant Braun could be pitched around.
And, of course, due to the whole performance-enhancing drug scandal (did he or didn’t he? I believe he didn’t.), Braun was booed mercilessly in every ballpark save one: Miller Park in Milwaukee. But this didn’t stop him, nor did the rancor of various sportswriters, nor did the ruination of his reputation — absolutely nothing stopped Braun from putting up MVP-like numbers and carrying the Brewers to their 83-79 record and missing out on the second Wild Card by only a few, short games.
Ultimately, though, the Brewers 2012 season will be remembered for its inconsistency — for its excellent late-August to mid-September run to the playoffs and an above-.500 record, yes, but also for the bullpen meltdowns of mid-June to mid-July. For their excellent cadre of young starters, yes — but also for the two months of Shaun Marcum’s stint on the DL. For John Axford regaining his form, yes — but also for his losing his form, and losing it badly, mid-season.
The next question is, whither 2013? Well, a lot depends on things that can’t be known right now. For example, how many of the 2012 relieving corps will come back next year? How many injuries will the ’13 Brewers have to deal with? Will Chris Narveson be able to regain his form as a starter, or will his post-surgical recovery limit him to shorter stints out of the bullpen?
But things do look promising despite the ’12 Brewers’ puzzling inconsistency, which is far better than I thought back in early August. And that, most of all, is why I believe that the 2013 Brewers might surprise everyone and finally make it back to the World Series for the first time since 1982.
Vice Presidential Debate: My Assessment
After listening to tonight’s Vice Presidential, one thing is clear: both current Vice President Joe Biden (D) and United States Representative Paul Ryan (R), who is the Republican Vice Presidential nominee, are thoughtful and articulate individuals.
However, everything else depends on context, to wit:
1) Did you expect Biden to lay an egg? If so, Biden is your clear winner because he didn’t do this.
2) Did you expect Ryan to lay an egg? If so, Ryan is your clear winner, because he also didn’t do this.
Or to put it another way — if you were expecting a game-changer, you didn’t get it. Instead, you got two impassioned individuals who are well-versed in both domestic and foreign policy (Ryan was surprisingly well-versed; I know Ryan well as he’s my U.S. Rep.) and managed to make most of their points.
Since I wasn’t really expecting much from either candidate, I was pleasantly surprised with both.
Pluses for Biden: he was much more articulate and much more forceful in this debate than he was in 2008 against Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska.
Minus for Biden: he interrupted Ryan. (A lot.)
Bottom line for Biden: he made the points he wanted to make. And of course Biden sounded like he could do the job of President, should it ever fall to him, as Biden sounded much better in this debate than President Obama did last week.
Pluses for Ryan: he sounded like he knew what he was talking about, and sounded like he’d make a good Vice President. That he also sounded like he’d be a loyal lieutenant for Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney was a bonus, especially due to past media coverage that had depicted a strain between Romney and Ryan. Best of all for Ryan, he seemed like he’d be capable and confident if he ever had to step in to the job of President.
Minuses for Ryan: he didn’t have the specifics he needed regarding the new health care plan (“Obamacare”) and he also didn’t have the specifics regarding Romney’s proposed tax plan, which purports to cut most loopholes yet raise more money. This seems like a logical impossibility on its face, and Ryan certainly wasn’t able to make it sound any better. And he, too, interrupted Biden — a lot.
Bottom line for Ryan: he did well, and made the points he wanted to make. But for a policy wonk like Ryan to not be able to make numerical points is a bit troubling, as that’s something Ryan should know in his sleep as he’s on the House Ways and Means Committee (and has been for over ten years).
My view: Biden stayed more on point despite having less time to make his points (as Ryan tended to give lengthy answers). And as I had half-expected Biden to lay a huge egg — as Biden can be scattershot in his approach, which doesn’t always lend itself to either interviews or debates — I have to admit that I found Biden’s poise and confidence to be quite refreshing.
My debate grades:
Joe Biden: A-minus.
Paul Ryan: B.
Which means the advantage goes to Joe Biden . . . who’d have thunk it? (Probably not me, even though on balance I like Biden despite his scattershot approach — or maybe because of it.)
Just Reviewed Sharon Lee’s “Carousel Tides” at SBR
Folks, if you’re looking for a really good urban fantasy novel to read, look no further than Sharon Lee’s CAROUSEL TIDES. This is an excellent read that does a number of things, all extremely well — it’s a coming of age story for its heroine, Kate. It’s a story of female empowerment, again for Kate. It’s a great quest story (where has Kate’s grandmother gone, and what’s happened to her?). And it has a very nice, yet understated romance between Kate and the enigmatic, sea-going Borgan.
Oh, yes — there’s a really nasty evil guy to root against, too, a guy named Ramendysis. This is a guy who’s into destroying as many other people with magical ability as he can, partly because he believes might makes right and partly because he’s just a terrible person. So the “big bad” is hiss-worthy, too — as if you needed any more reason to read this novel.
I said much more about CAROUSEL TIDES in my review over at Shiny Book Review (SBR). So please, read my review, then go grab the book! (You’ll be very happy you did, especially if you love urban fantasy.)
October ’12 Quick Hits, Pt. 1
Folks, I’m trying out a new browser — Mozilla Firefox — and so far, it’s working rather well. My previous browser, a version of IE, wouldn’t let me properly access the WordPress blogging site, which is one reason I haven’t done much with my blog in the past two weeks (I suspect a recent “upgrade” — by the way, why is it that upgrades seem to cause so much distress for all concerned no matter who’s doing the upgrading? — by WordPress was what caused me not to be able to use the site properly).
At any rate, there are a number of things to get to, so let’s get started.
First, Atlanta Braves P Ben Sheets — a long-time starting pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers — indeed retired after pitching one inning of the 162nd and final game of the regular major league baseball season.
Second, I will write an “end of the season wrap-up” blog later this week which will point out the highs and lows of the 2012 Milwaukee Brewers season; for now, all I’ll say is that it’s obvious LF Ryan Braun (with his 41 HR and 30 SB) is the Brewers 2012 MVP and that if baseball writers were objective, Braun would be likely to have his second National League MVP in as many years.
Third, I’m rather frustrated with most politics and most politicians at the moment — aside from Racine’s state Senator John Lehman, that is, and my incoming state Assemblyman, Cory Mason (Mason represented a different area of Racine prior to this year; due to redistricting, he’s now running unopposed to represent the 61st Assembly district and the seat presently held by Robert Turner (D), as Turner has retired). This is why I haven’t said much about politics in quite some time.
My basic beliefs, however, are unchanged; I believe that we’re not well served by our two major party system. I think most of the candidates we get via this system are indebted to big money interests, or worse, must be insanely wealthy themselves in order to afford to run in the first place (a la Mitt Romney of the Rs). And while I like Gary Johnson the best (he’s the Libertarian candidate for President, and is the former Republican Governor of New Mexico), I’m still undecided as to how I’ll vote this fall in the Presidential election.
Fourth, I’m still fighting a lingering sinus issue, which is one of the main reasons I haven’t been blogging overmuch in the past several weeks (well, that and the browser situation, which I’ve now remedied quite nicely). But I hope to write several blogs this week — maybe even one regarding the state of publishing, who knows? — and have a guest blog by novelist Stephanie Osborn in the pipeline that should be posted within the next two weeks also.
(Oh, yes — the reason this is “part one” of the Quick Hits for October is that I’m sure there’ll be more. Because there always are.)
Stay safe, everyone.
Former Brewers P Ben Sheets to Make One Final Start, Then Retire
Ben Sheets’ inspiring comeback has come to an end. After not pitching since August 24, 2012, the Atlanta Braves will start Sheets one, final time tomorrow — and after that, Sheets will retire.
Sheets returned from a surgery which had been called by Matthew Pouliot at Hardball Talk as “the most massive in the history of pitching” (link is here: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/08/11/ben-sheets-just-had-the-most-massive-surgery-in-the-history-of-pitching/), and as JP Starkey said at SB Nation:
Many believed Sheets would be ineffective even if he were able to return, but Sheets defied the odds and pitched well for the Braves in 2012.
Unfortunately for Sheets, he was placed on the disabled list on Aug. 25, with inflammation in his right shoulder. Sheets pitched well for the Braves, and carries a 4-4 record, 3.54 ERA and 1.34 WHIP into his final start in 2012.
Starkey goes on to give Sheets’s career numbers:
Wednesday’s start will be the 250th and final start of Sheets’ career. Sheets needs to throw just four and a third innings to log 1,600 career innings. A master of control, Sheets has struck out 1,323 in his career against just 369 walks. Sheets’ career record stands at 94-96, with a 3.78 ERA and 1.22 WHIP.
I had been hoping for a better outcome for Ben Sheets, as I’ve said all along; Sheets was a fantastic pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers, being a four-time All-Star (and one-time All-Star starter). But as Sheets said today as reported by the Sporting News (link is here: http://aol.sportingnews.com/mlb/story/2012-10-02/ben-sheets-retirement-atlanta-braves-2012-milwaukee-brewers):
“I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt I’m not playing again,” Sheets told MLB.com. “No matter what, there is not enough help or money to pull me out of this one.”
The Sporting News goes on to note that:
His Wednesday start against the Pirates will be the 250th of this career and his first appearance in a game in over a month. The plan is for Sheets to throw two innings in the start.
Even though Sheets’s comeback will end after his final start, rather than continue on for a few more good years in similar fashion to Chris Capuano after his comeback from a second “Tommy John” procedure, Sheets still did very well. He helped Atlanta. He proved he can still pitch. And he’s going out the way he seems to want — by pitching one, last time, and saying goodbye to the fans after taking part in one, final pennant race.
I hope for Sheets’s sake that his final outing will be a good, strong one, and that he’ll enjoy his well-earned retirement.
But I will miss seeing him pitch. And I’m sorry that his arm wouldn’t let him have just one good, solid year before he had to contemplate the final, drastic step of retirement. Much less carry it out.
Just Reviewed Two Books at SBR
It’s Romance Saturday at Shiny Book Review (SBR), which is why I reviewed two of Sherry Thomas’s Victorian romances — her two newest, in fact. These books are BEGUILING THE BEAUTY and RAVISHING THE HEIRESS . . . and are available here:
Now, my brief take on these books? They’re not up to the standard of Thomas’s earlier romances such as her debut, PRIVATE ARRANGEMENTS, nor her third romance, NOT QUITE A HUSBAND. They’re also not up to the standard of her second and fourth books, DELICIOUS and HIS AT NIGHT, respectively.
The upshot is that Sherry Thomas can write, and write well; in fact, her writing far outshines these plots, and makes getting through these books a pleasure while you’re reading them.
However, once you’ve finished the books, you realize, “What was that all about, anyway?” And then wonder why a writer as good as Sherry Thomas would write books that, put simply, are fluff — well-written fluff, to be sure, with some emotional depth and resonance balancing out the extremely convoluted, yet stereotypical plotlines.
I’m sorry. I love Sherry Thomas’s writing, but I did not love these plots. And because of that, the better-rated romance of the two was a B (for RAVISHING THE HEIRESS; even though I actually enjoyed BEGUILING THE BEAUTY more, the unbelievable contortions of the plotline made it impossible for me to grade it out any better than a B-).
Now, for those of you who’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’re well aware that HIS AT NIGHT rated a B grade, which seemingly matches the B grade I gave RAVISHING THE HEIRESS tonight at SBR. But there are B’s and B’s — to coin a bad phrase — which is why I point out that had I reviewed HIS AT NIGHT along with these two novels, I probably would’ve given HIS AT NIGHT a B-plus or better.
At any rate, the two latest novels from Sherry Thomas will divert you, engage you, and once read, make you shake your head. There’s some genuine emotion here, which is a plus; it’s the unbelievability of it all that vexed me to the point that I wanted to throw the books across the room.
So read these books, because Sherry Thomas is a great writer; then go back and read her truly excellent PRIVATE ARRANGEMENTS and NOT QUITE A HUSBAND to study how great writing and great plotting enhance books, while great writing and really strange plotting are, at best, extremely confusing.
NFL: Enter The Real Refs
It’s Week Four in the NFL, folks. And up until now, we’ve dealt with replacement referees who didn’t seem to know what they were doing at best — and definitely didn’t know what they were doing at worst.
But now, a deal has been reached by the NFL and the NFL Referees’ Association; that means the real, professional referees will be back on the field soon. Perhaps even as soon as Thursday night’s contest between the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns.
Here’s a bit of the NFL and the NFLRA’s joint statement, courtesy of Yahoo Sports (short links aren’t working, so here’s the long link — http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/several-reports-indicate-deal-between-nfl-officials-imminent-023915580–nfl.html):
The NFL and NFLRA are pleased to announce that they have reached an agreement tonight on an eight-year collective bargaining agreement, subject to ratification by the NFLRA.
“Our officials will be back on the field starting tomorrow night,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said. “We appreciate the commitment of the NFLRA in working through the issues to reach this important agreement.”
“Our Board of Directors has unanimously approved taking this proposed CBA to the membership for a ratification vote,” said Scott Green, president of the NFLRA. “We are glad to be getting back on the field for this week’s games.”
Hallelujah! (And amen!)
Barb Caffrey's Blog 