J.B. Sommerset

When I was a kid I used to read every fantasy book I could get my hands on. Short stories, novels, comics, graphic novels, it didn't matter. Among those were some of the classics. I have posted a number of them over the years here on my site. But there is one author I can't seem to recall ever posting, and I really don't know why. If this is somehow a repost, I apologize. I don't think it is. This week we are going back to the The land of Narnia . I say back to, because most of you out there are very familiar with " The Chronicles of Narnia " by C.S. Lewis . If you haven't read the books, you most likely have seen one of the many film adaptations of them. My biggest disappointment was that only four of the books were ever made into movies, which is a shame because my two favorites were never even considered- " The Horse and his Boy " and " The Magician's Nephew ". I like " The Last Battle ", but it isn't my favorite. S

While straggling through the wilderness of Netflix shows the other day I came across " The Three Body Problem ". I know of story, mostly of the Chinese novel   by the same name. It's on my reading list, I just haven't gotten to it yet. My list is pretty big, so I prioritize which ones I will read first. This one was high on my list, and that hasn't changed. I suspect there is more in the book than there was in the show. Normally I don't like to watch the show before I read the book, but in this case, I didn't see any good options- There's not much on Netflix I haven't seen, at least from a critical stand point. So when I see something new, I typically like to give it a spin. A lot of my friends recommended the book, so I knew something about it. It went on the old reading list when it was first translated. I decided to watch the show which made it to my plate first.  " The Three Body Problem " is an award winning Science Fiction book by

This week's book is a well known story for any science fiction fan. In fact there was a movie made from the book- although it doesn't deserve the association. Not because it's a bad movie, it just doesn't represent the book or the author. I would say it shares the name and not much else because as creative as the movie is, the book is better and has more to it. For those of you who don't know, I am a big Robert A. Heinlein fan, and find the mans work, often, ahead of it's time. I have posted his work from time to time, but for some reason I have never posted the full length audio book of " Starship Troopers ". Not sure why, maybe it's because it's not his best work- it's good, but he has done better. Anyway, here it is- I give you Starship Troopers. Cheers!

Okay, now that the holidays are over, it's back to our regularly scheduled program. An audio book every other week for those of us who don't have the time to read. This week we lean on the classics- Jules Verne . I think I have posted this one before, a long, long time ago. As with most good books they deserve a second time around, maybe a third, maybe we just keep reading them again and again our whole lives and enjoy them more and more- they age like fine wine. The older the better. Anyway, this week I am going to be "digging" down deep and journeying to the center of our world with "A journey to the Interior of the Earth" (Also known as "Journey to the Center of the Earth"). I hope you all enjoy this one, as a kid it was one of my favorites.  Cheers!

I moved back to the woods recently. I come from the woods, somewhere way out there, in Idaho. As a kid I spent most of my time among the trees and the wildlife. Then as I grew up I decided there was more to life than that. For some stupid reason, I moved to the village, then to the town, and then to the city. There was nothing in any of those places for me.  Now that I have aged, and I am a lot older, and a little bit wiser, I realize that it’s not about the state you are in, the place you reside. It’s about the state of mind you are in. I was never in a healthy state of mind in the city. All around me was unhealthy noise. It got old as I got old.  That being said, living in the woods comes with it's own set of challenges. It can be lonely, it can be too quiet at times, there is isolation here, and isolation is not always easy to bare. One must have the tools to deal with it. Loneliness is also a very trying experience, but it helps you to recognize the value of a visit, the import

This next one is one I have posted before. I indulge in this story once or twice a year because it has special meaning to me. I think, for anyone who has suffered with someone who has Alzheimer's or Dementia, this one might hold a special place in the world of literature. That's right, this weeks audio book is Don Quixote   by  Miguel de Cervantes . There is something about this story that just takes me back to when I had to deal with a person who fought "giants".  Cheers!

Since Thanksgiving is coming this month, I decided to post this one a week earlier. Let's face it, the only thing anyone wants to do the day after Thanksgiving is have a comma. For all of you outside of the US, it's just going to be a bonus book, granted, I haven't been 100% consistent these last few weeks, but I can't argue with an extra read, and neither should you.  This week, it's all about science fiction. Who better to tell a story in that genre than the king of science fiction himself, that's right, Isaac Asimov . Most of us know the name, and most of us know about some of his works, such as, " The Foundation Trilogy ". But there is so much more to him than that fantastic series. He's kind of like Frank Herbert in that way. Anyway, here it is, I bring you this week's story- " The Naked Sun " Enjoy!

I recently finished a Netflix original I thought deserved more credit than it got, even though it got a lot of credit. Usually, most of the shows on streaming services are okay, some are even "meh". Some deserve only the mention of ridicule: Good examples of those include, but are not limited to, " The Wheel of Time " and " The Rings of Power " (based loosely on some stollen material from the works of J.R.R. Tolkien ). Both are decidedly horrid when compared to the books. The latter is more than horrid, I can't express how bad it is, in fact, I just threw up in my mouth a little trying to forget I mentioned it. If you avoid one show in your life, avoid "The Rings of Power", utter fucking trash.  Enough of that negativity! Onward! The show I speak of, the reason I wrote this post, is " The Fall of the House of Usher " based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe . In fact, it's based on one of his short stories, but there is so much mor

I missed a turn with this last audiobook, however this week I bring more stories, audiobooks... kind of. They are not so much audiobooks as spoken word stories. I did this before, last Halloween! That's right stragglers, it's time for CreepyPastas . For those of you who don't know what a CreepyPasta is, it's basically a creepy spoken-word story to be found on the interwebs. For the most part, they are stories that have become legends on the interwebs and shared around as fiction(?). That question mark was intentional because some have transcended fiction- like the " Slender Man " which inspired real-life murders. Now, I know what you are thinking, but some are actually pretty good. I am not so sure about these, I have never listened to this one- that's the thing about creepypastas; you never know what you are going to get. Cheers!

I am not sure if I have ever posted this one, feels like I should have. If I have, please forgive my incredulity. Jack London was a great author, and this book was one of the first books I read in primary school, right along with " My Side of the Mountain " by    Jean Craighead George , and  "The Red Banner" by James Ramsey Ullman . With that being said, I give you " Call of the Wild ". Down the road, I will most likely post more of his literature if I can find it. He has a number of works out there waiting to be discovered by a younger, more voracious crowd.  Cheers!

It's been entirely too long since I posted an audio book, go busy, and also got evacuated from the new place due to the fact that the world is burning this summer, and I was surrounded by massive forest fires. Sad day, but I am back now, being burned to a crisp doesn't sound like a good time. So, after a forced two week staycation at a friends house I can now resume where I left off.   This time I dug back into the classics for a refreshing jaunt into "Ol' Skool" lit.  I have always liked H.G. Wells. For some reason I don't think I have ever posted this one. I've posted " War of the Worlds ", and " The Time Machine ", but I don't think I have ever posted " The Invisible Man ". So, here it is, I hope you enjoy it.  Cheers, and keep on reading!

When I first saw " Primal " listed on HBO MAX, I didn't realize that it was a  Genndy Tartakovsky  production. If I had, I most likely would have watched it sooner. It's just so damn good. Do yourself a favor, watch it now, here's why... Usually, cartoons don't interest me, so I just pass them by. With the exception: PIXAR . I pay attention to  Pixar  releases because I have a history with them. However, they seem to have gone a little stale over the past few years. What I mean by that is they have found a formula and are sticking to it- make the audience cry. Nonetheless, they still know their craft, but I feel that they have reached a peak. I doubt they will ever come up with another " Wall-E ", or even more poignant, another " Up ". Those risks have been taken, and those stories have been told. The other major animation studios are no different, sometimes they break free of what works and come up with something truly wonderful, but rarel

There are certain authors I keep coming back to, mostly for the quality of their craft. I have talked about these authors. Much to the chagrin of the people reading this, I keep bringing up creative minds such as  Stephen King ,  Kurt Vonnegut , and Douglas Adams , to name a few. I mention these not because they are classics, plenty of authors are classics, even the bad ones.  I mention them because they resonate with the world. The words they wrote helped shape the world we live in. And even if no one knew who they were they would still stand out as great story tellers. They captured something and made it real, or at the very least inspired someone out there to bring something new into the world and make that thing a part of this place.  So naturally, I study these people, and as always, I keep an eye out for short clips and interviews with these kinds writers. Every once in a while I stumble across one or two I haven't seen before. This week I found a new one written by one of my

In another life, I learned and taught martial arts. My Sensei had a number of books he wanted us to read, some made more sense than others. The one that always seemed to make no sense to me, at least until I was in the moment during a match, was " The Art of War " by Sun Tzu . It's one of those layer books that have more meaning the more they are read, also they get new meanings as time goes by. Unlike the other books I read, The Art of War was something I never fully got, and don't think I ever will.  Every few years I go back and read it, and I am also pleasantly surprised to glean more lessons from it- I no longer wonder why it can sometimes be found in the business section at Barns & Noble . So today, the biweekly audiobook is The Art of War. I know some of you won't be into this, and I know some of you will- it's an acquired taste. Cheers!

One of my favorite shows back in my twenties was a show some of you might have heard about. In fact, a number of you might have envied the hosts for the jobs they had. That show was " MythBusters " , one of my all-time favorites. I went into a post-explosion withdrawal when the show ended. For a while, I left it as dead. All the hosts were dead. All the experiments and curiosities were over. And no one was testing urban legends anymore. Times were dark. I didn't think about it much and just moved on with life. Then a few years ago I discovered that Adam Savage (one of the hosts) had a Youtube channel. I started following him and enjoying the content- he created a lot of strange and really awesome things. Jamie Hyneman  (the other host) was also doing his own thing too, although I have really kept up with him. At the same time, I became aware of an author named Mary Roach who has her own esoteric interests. Her work is great, but it's a different kind of literature.

Every once in a while I get all nostalgic, nostalgic like a drunk historian under hypnosis. I start reminiscing about my life and how things have gone, thinking about the things that would be different had I made some different choices. Inevitably this leads me down the rabbit hole of old stories and movies.  I was in one such mood last night, a driftless melancholy, a stillness if you will. Usually, when I am in such moods I tell stories that start off with "back in my day", but last night there was no one to spin a yarn for. It was just me and my lonesome, so I did the next best thing- turned on the TV and found a movie that meant something to me. In this case, that movie was a classic from "back in the day", that day was a day in 1985.  You guessed it...  Back to the future .  I watched it, I loved it, then I went to bed missing the old days. But it got me thinking, why was Back to the Future such a good movie? What made it stand out in the eighties, and why does

I am not sure if I have posted this one before, but I am going to post it nonetheless. When I was a child this was one of my favorites, by one of my favorite authors, Jules Verne.    I used to read his books on the reg, everything from " Journey to the Center of the Earth "  to " Around the World in 80 days . " When it boils down to it, he is all about adventure, and let's face it, we could all use a little of that. So without further delay, here's "20000 leagues under the sea!" Cheers!

( Photo by Pietro Jeng) I usually don't do movie reviews, but I felt this one is appropriate considering that  movies  are a storytelling medium- plus, this movie's made almost 2 billion dollars so far. In other words, it's doing something right. Study up my burgeoning writers, directors, and film majors!  Before I get started, I have to post a short disclaimer here: I am going to avoid major spoilers, however, I might give away some smaller ones. As much as I would like to go in-depth on this one I will abstain and perhaps bring it up in the future.  For convenience I will break this down into five parts; the story, the characters and their development, the use of elements and themes, world-building, and lastly, the visual aesthetics. Hopefully, this will answer the question-  Does it tell a good story and should I go see it ?  Starting off with the story and plot. There's no easy way to say this, the story and plot are the weakest part of the movie. That being said,

I thought I'd start the year off with something new. So, I fired up the "googs" and typed in my magical keywords then started looking through the authors with the eyes of a hawk. I looked and looked for authors I haven't read or listened to before. So this week, I present " Lord Dunsany ". I wasn't sure I wanted to listen to this guy. I visited his wiki and it was there I found out his full name was  Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany . Now I have to post him. Here is the first audiobook of the year, "A Dreamer's Tales", I hope we all enjoy this, because with a name like that- he better know how to write! Cheers!

I have said this before, and I will most likely repeat it; the older I get, the more I appreciate the works of Stephen King . Not so much his early works but his post-cocaine, post-alcoholic bender works. Even more so, his post-road-waffle works. There is something about his sober and mortal works that make them even better than his early stuff. Don't get me cliched; his early stuff is great. As I age, put down my own vices, and look both ways before I cross the street, I think there is a deeper understanding of the mechanics in his books. I was watching the green mile the other day, and I suddenly remembered how good the books were. Originally they were released as a series of books, a parcel if you will. I looked forward to each and every one of them. In the end, I collected and read them all, then packed them away when I moved- to my dismay, I still haven't found them. But I can remember how good they were, but now that I am older, I think back to the plots of each one, and