The following spring, on the day of its unveiling in Boston Common, when it was discovered that someone had scrawled obscene words on the statue...

29.

Damnation Alley by Roger Zelazny – After catching an old episode of Prisoner’s of Gravity, I was intrigued on reading Zelazny’s post-apocalyptic tale of the last Hell’s Angel’s suicide mission of crossing Damnation Alley from LA to Boston with a cargo of needed medicine. It isn’t hard to tell it was one of the quickest written novels in Zelazny’s career, but it is fun.

It began as just another evening of fantasy gaming.

Years ago, in 1983 or 84, I was a bookish round boy who lived too much of his life in games, TV and imagination. One day, on a family trip to Bowring's department store I caught sight of a fantasy novel by Joel Rosenberg. Entitled The Sleeping Dragon, the cover intrigued me and the blurb on the back spoke to me like no other work of 'adult fiction' had to date. I asked my mother or father, not sure which, if I could get it. They said no as it was too close to my birthday.

Come Christmas morning, opening my presents in my stocking, I found the paperback I coveted so much in the bookstore.

I devoured that book. Probably being too young, some of the violence and themes disturbed me, kept me awake. But I loved it. I wanted to be these characters, to live this adventure.

As the years went by, the author wrote more adventures in the series and I read most of them, probably ending in the 90's when his direction differed from mine. But I always kept them in mind, rereading The Sleeping Dragon on more than one occasion and searching out all of them to give my nephew as present.

This week, this book came to me again. I wasn't sure why, but I felt the need to reread it, now being in my late thirties. Had it changed? I know I had.

It held up, being simpler, shorter and more hokey than I remember, but I still enjoyed it.

It made me reminisce. Nostalgia being a powerful force, I looked up the author on the web and read some sad news. He had passed away suddenly, only days within me having the whim to pick up the novel and read it again.

So, Joel, Mr. Rosenberg, where ever you are I want to say thanks. Thanks for teaching the value of humanity to a 10 yr old me.

Hiding, concealment, lying: that was not his temperament.

30.

King of the World by David Remnick – More Ali. Remnick’s biography of Ali, Patterson and Liston during the early professional days of Ali’s career is exceptional. Critical and well researched, it truly paints a picture of Ali as the boy and the man.

It dropped on the floor and sounded exactly like a pound of steel hitting a plywood board covered with linoleum.

31.

Persuader by Lee Child – Vacation book! And No. 7 in the Jack Reacher series. And I thought the last one was good. Persuader grabs you from the get go when Reacher mistakenly kills a cop during a kidnap attempt and the adrenaline just doesn’t let up.

From then on his music developed an increasingly urban rhythmic thrust, while his singing and harmonica playing remained both distinctive and downhome

32.

Deep Blues by Robert Palmer – Vacation book! As I was preparing to go, I really wanted to read a history of Chicago blues. I looked far and wide at used bookstores for a good example. Deep Blues is more of history of the Blues done by biographing some of its most notable names, Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Robert Johnson, and Son House. It was good, but their wasn’t as much about Chicago as I would have liked.

He might inspire awe at his open desire to demolish an opponent, his sullen reluctance to cease beating on a man once the fight was stopped...

33.

The Fight by Norman Mailer – Vacation book! Continuing with my Ali kick, I finally got around to reading this book that Stephen P. recommended to me so many years ago. Mailer’s descriptions are electric, but the book is often weighed down by his arrogance