Now and Then

NOW AND THEN isn’t the worst book Robert B. Parker has ever written (that award would go to the latest Sunny Randall novel), but it may be the laziest.  It’s definitely one of the weakest Spenser novels. Susan’s Harvard education was mentioned six times before I stopped keeping track. At one point, there’s a big shootout at Susan’s house involving Uzis and shotguns and not  a single neighbor calls the cops. Sadly, Susan survives.

I’m a Robert B. Parker fan, but he hasn’t written a good book since APPALOOSA. I hope the upcoming sequel is as good because this is one fan who is loosing his faith.

Random Thoughts

I’ve finally caught up with all the episodes so far of season 2 of DEXTER. It’s not as good as a season one, but it’s still one of my favorite series right now. There must be some budget tightening going on, though. They seem to have redressed Rita’s apartment several times for other interior sets and either they are doing a lot more exterior shooting in Los Angeles instead of Miami this season or they are doing a poorer job of hiding it.   

I tried the Angus Burger at McDonalds on Thursday. It tastes more like real hamburger meat than the other burgers on their menu, but it’s still not convincing. I had some beef flavored potato chips in a London airport once that tasted more like real meat than the Angus Burger. I don’t think McDonald’s Angus Burger is made from Angus beef. I think it’s made in a test-tube by a guy named Angus. They should serve it in a petrie dish instead of on a bun.

I didn’t think BIONIC WOMAN could get worse, but it has. Canceling it now would be a mercy killing.

My car was in the shop last week and I was given a new Ford Mustang to drive. The car drives well  and has some real pep but the interior is all cheap, hard plastic. You feel like you’re driving in a toy car rather than a real one. And they wonder why nobody buys American cars.

The new offer from the AMPTP is an insult to our intelligence and scoffs at our resolve. I think this strike is going to last a long time. It’s a good thing I am getting rich off my blog.

I am reading THE TENDERNESS OF WOLVES and am really enjoying it. I bought it last summer in England and was saving it for a strike.

I took a flight this week on Max Jet…the all-business-class airline. I highly recommend it. Same price as Air India, only without the duct tape, torn carpets, collapsing seats, and Bollywood movies.

Best piece of conversation I’ve overheard this week. Two businessmen are walking in an airline terminal. One of them said to the other: "I am in the naked woman business on the web, but on the classy side."

I’ve started writing my next MONK book. It’s due in five months. After several years of writing a new book every 90 days, having five months on this one is bliss. I can finally remove the catheter and colostomy bag because now I actually have time to use the bathroom again.