And very interesting. He did a great job of summing up the books and shows without spoilers (something I struggle with quite a bit when I discuss the books on this blog). He gave us some fun behind the scenes tidbits about Gardner, the TV show, and everything in between. It was well worth the effort, I really enjoyed it.
Turns out Dean Butler is like that in real life, too. Or at least he claims to be, but I believe him. He seemed very sincere.
I had to find an old episode of "The New Gidget" online to see it. I vaguely remembered watching it as a kid. My gosh, it was so 80s it was almost painful. But it was fun. He's done a lot of work behind the camera over the years. It was a nice, quick, nostalgic read.
Jim hears he is going to be sold, so he runs away and hides out on a nearby island. Huck ends up there, too, after faking his own death. They head out on the river for an adventure.
I haven't read Huck Finn in a long time, but I think this book stuck pretty close to that story.
That being said, the parts I could read (black text on white backgrounds) were very interesting. I remembered some things, but not everything, and it brought back a lot of fond memories.
Thomas Ripley is a low-key con artist living in New York and posing as a collection agency in order to deceive people into sending him money. He runs into Herbert Greenleaf at a bar. Herbert is the father of an acquaintance of Ripley's, Dickie Greenleaf. Dickie has gone off to Europe and shows no signs of returning home. Herbert hires Ripley to go find him and convince him to come home.
You cringe for Ripley a lot in this book, because he's super awkward and doesn't do anything right, yet he somehow manages to make it work and come out on top. He wasn't particularly clever, just lucky and quick on his feet. The suspense lies in whether or not he's going to get caught in his lies and deceptions. I won't spoil it, but there are sequels, so you can make of that what you will about the ending.
Thirty years later, Ethan is still plagued by nightmares about that night. He's recently moved back into his childhood home after his parents have relocated to Florida. Ironically, all of the original homeowners (other than Billy's parents) are still in the neighborhood.
Told in alternating chapters between 1994 and 2024, there are plenty of Sager's red herrings and unexpected twists and turns. It had a satisfying conclusion.
It's 1974 and cousins Chuck and Dean are on the run from Texas with stolen marijuana, headed for Idaho where Evel Kneviel is planning to jump his motorcycle over a canyon. Hot on their tails are the drug dealer whose weed they stole, a crazy lawman from Texas who's angry they killed his mistress, and a pissed off biker that Chuck puked on after downing a gigantic steak.
If you're looking for a happy ending, this one's not for you. But if you like nonstop violence and situations where everything that could go wrong does, then you'll enjoy it.
