Welcome to BOOK READERS HEAVEN! Books, Reviews, Short Stories, Authors, Publicity, a little poetry, music to complement...and other stuff including politics, about life... "Books, Cats: Life is Sweet..."
Avi and I are celebrating National Cat Day as well as having another book added to his personal home library! Actually this is a "re-gift" from an author with whom I once worked, editing and proofreading his trilogy related to the Orphan Trains which ran in the 1800s. Robert Noonan was the author and, when I refused payment for my work, he would send me gifts. Metropolitan Cats is one of those gifts. Note that many of the pictures in the book are shown in the following video...(seems to be the content is running twice, so it's not as long as stated.)
This book is what some would call a coffee-table book. It is simply beautiful from cover to cover. If you have a cat lover in your friends/family, this just might be the perfect gift for that individual.
It is a publication by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with text by John P. O'Neill and Design by Alvin Grossman. The picture below is the overcover and while the hardback cover is relatively plain, there is a reason. Because the cover itself along with the first thicker page has what appears to be a hand painted signed portrait of two older kittens playing in grass and vines. If I had the ability, I would have this picture on my "gallery" wall.
On the next front page is a closeup picture of the eyes, nose and mouth of a cat. The eyes grab you and plead you to proceed...In fact, what would be normal front pages for any book, also includes a singular painting done by a signed artist. First, just the back of a cat and then a painter at work for a 1897 calendar while a calico cat sits beside the working tools, watching, perhaps, what drawing will come next...
John P. O'Neil who creates the text, also writes the Introduction, a short excerpt is provided below:
Cats, cats and more cats appear in the works of art that form the collections of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. They figure in oil paintings by both the great masters and naive artists, and in prints, sculptures, drawings, ceramics, and textiles. A selection of these representations of felines has been gathered together in Metropolitan Cats. Cats familiar and fantastic, drawn from many periods and cultures throng these pages. Mischievous kittens from Chinese hand scrolls and from American lithographs jostle ancient and sacred Egyptian cats sculptured in bronze or painted on the walls of tombs. Cats from medieval manuscripts. Renaissance paintings, Japanese prints, and modern canvases join cats that figure in fairy tales and fables and cats that shard artists' lives. Cats have inspired love, reverence, fear, and hatred out of all proportions to their interest--or lack of interest--in the human race...
~~~
Now Just For The Fun of It!
And, again, on National Cat Day, I want to remember my dearest cat friend, Stevie. I miss you...and wish you'd been given a tenth life, just so you'd cuddle next to my side once again...
Many authors who use cats as a main character usually treat them as if they talked to each other. I believe it takes a certain cat together with a certain human to have that happen. Stevie lived with me more than five years and, yes, we talked to each other. Stevie, you were at a minimum one of my most faithful and trustworthy friends... I miss that camaraderie... Look for me someday in our heavenly homeplace...
Thank you for sharing your beautiful, thoughtful words here! After thinking about the clouds, the sky...and you...I had to add one of my own personal favorites to close and show just how much pondering and remembering can mean...
Anyone who listened to the litany of evidence presented in Donald’s latest indictment has to question Donald’s presumed innocence. He has over fifty FELONY counts being adjudicated in the courts! Yet he retains high poll numbers. How can this shameless conman still be a political force in our country? I blame Republicans.
Early on, Republicans knew and accepted that Donald was vulgar and immoral. They had to pinch shut their collective noses to disregard the stench when they voted for him. Unacceptable! Anyone that flawed should have been relegated to basement. Which was exactly what Democrats did when he ran for president in their party. I blame Republicans.
Republicans knew that Donald was a prolific liar. He lied about everything from crowd size to weather reports, from calling Democrats ‘baby killers’ to bad-mouthing Republicans who stood against him. His lying is the baggage Republicans have to carry when supporting him. Sorry, but 30,000 lies in office is simply too much lying. Nevertheless, he retains his position in the polls. I blame Republicans.
Donald suffered over four bankruptcies and he has a reputation of not paying up his debts. His style of leading is to demand abject loyalty. Talent and expertise were distant seconds to loyalty. Diverse opinions were only accepted if they comported with his peculiar view of the world. That is not a way to run a country or a business. Yet he was allowed to run our country that way. I blame Republicans.
Losing candidates for the office of president have sometimes questioned voting methods in a critical state, but after a recount or adjudication in the courts, they accepted the will of the people. No presidential candidate has ever questioned the results of an election for any more than a few weeks. Except for Donald. Every day since he lost the election, he complained that the election was “rigged” and invalid. Everyday! He did this despite the fact that all the local and state officials certified the results. He did this after every court case (over 60) found no election fraud. He did this even though he had zero evidence of any election fraud. Such chicanery undermines the faith Americans have had in cornerstone of democracy: the ability to elect our own leaders. Even some independents believe this conman. I blame Republicans.
Our country will too soon be voting again for President. It is likely that this heavily flawed charlatan will be a viable candidate. I blame Republicans for that affront to our democracy.
Let's further consider my earlier statement, “Anyone who listened to the litany of evidence presented in Donald’s latest indictments has to question Donald’s presumed innocence.” Of course, I was wrong. Donald’s obsequious lieutenants and the mindless MAGA mob still bow down to their leader. How? One of Donald’s lawyers stated “Our defense is going to be focusing on the fact that what we have now is an administration that has criminalized the free speech”. And, sure enough, there was an obviously orchestrated bellowing from Donald’s MAGA allies on Capitol Hill about the violation of the First Amendment.
As usual, the truth is totally the opposite of what Donald and MAGA Republicans state. Donald is not being denied his right to lie and lie again. Indeed, in the indictment itself, DOJ prosecutors made clear that Donald “had a right, like every American, to speak publicly about the election and even to claim, falsely, that there had been outcome-determinative fraud during the election and that he had won”. So, no… he’s not being indicted for his many, many lies. He is being indicted for fraud.
Fraud is any activity that relies on deception (Donald’s many lies, for example) in order to achieve a gain. Fraud becomes a crime when it is a “knowing misrepresentation of the truth or concealment of a material fact to INDUCE OTHERS TO ACT TO THEIR DETRIMENT”. An example will help. Between July 2017 and February 2019, Christine Hayes, a travel agent, used aliases (lie) to tell people she had these “great” vacation deals (lie). Making false claims are allowed and protected by the constitution. However, when she used those lies to sell fake travel packages, she became a criminal. Why? Because those lies persuaded her victims to give up their hard-earned funds only to discover "they had tickets to nowhere, their money stolen by this fake travel agent". When trying to recoup their loss money, Hayes lied that she had breast cancer! She is now accused of stealing money from at least 82 people by tricking them into buying $400,000 worth of vacation deals. So, she can make all the outrageous claims she wants. However, she can’t use those claims to steal something of value from someone else.
Donald is a conman and just as criminal as Hayes. He perpetrated lies that the 2020 election was rigged. He did this in an attempt to illegally change the results of the 2020 presidential election and hence deprive most Americans of their most sacred right, the right to choose their own leaders. When he uses his lies that way, it is fraud and a crime.
Now, lawyers and lawmakers can lie all they want about Donald’s indictment being an “attack on free speech”. That is their right to do so. That doesn’t change the fact that the indictment is about fraud.
~~~
Robert Sells is an ongoing political contributor at Book Readers Heaven. Insofar as possible, I also include a different news source to document what is being presented here. I agree and support all that is included in this article... Based upon my own understanding of various news sources.
I'm so Excited Folks to hear from one of my favorite writers! James Houston Turner, with, perhaps, my most very favorite character, Talanov! Given the war now ongoing overseas, I'm wishing Talanov was involved in making sure that Ukraine wins his "stupid" (my word) war!
And I'm also excited because, like me, James has had to deal with some physical issues which has taken him away... And successfully moved through those days...
And I'm, also so excited because during the time I was unable to review, another Talanov book was published in 2020! Fan Alert! Watch for my review asap... but I already added it to my TBR! And check out the big time photo op with Ll Cool J!
Search My Blog for "James Houston Turner" or "Talanov" to learn about past books!
Fri, Jul 28 at 1:41 PM
GREAT NEWS!!! Three of my screenplays – Square Pegs, Finding Star, and Hell Creek – have been nominated for “Best Screenplay” in the Content 2023 Film Festival & Media Summit, which is one of the premier Christian film festivals.
I wrote my first screenplay in 1982, so acknowledgment like this after so many years means a lot to me. But as the late pastor Chuck Smith once told a group of us in a Calvary Chapel seminar, “Blessed are the persistent, for they will inherit everything.”
I love Pastor Chuck’s borrowing of language from the Beatitudes, and his sense of humor with it, because it drives home the truth of how certain biblical principles serve to make us better people. I won’t lie: the journey has been challenging, which only accentuates the sweetness of this moment. Thanks to all of you who have stood by me. Regarding Square Pegs, which was my “first rodeo” in terms of me helping produce a film (and what a learning curve that was), the film itself is scheduled for release later this year (or early next). I’ll let you know once I know more.
The support I’ve received with my award nominations highlights what I call the “power of one,” which is a testament to those individuals who chose to share my news on their social media pages. Thank you for standing with Square Pegs (and me) in this regard. To further highlight the importance of such sharing, one need only look at the recent surprise blockbuster film, "Sound of Freedom."
Movie is available on UTube
As I write this, it has earned a whopping $134m at the boxoffice. No one expected that, and it’s a living testimony to the power of one. Like many of you, I was one of those who shared news about this film on my FB page, and what I shared was in turn shared by 55 others. The power of one … magnified and multiplied.
Like Sound of Freedom, Square Pegs has a message that will uplift, bless, and inspire. I can’t wait for you to see it. In fact, I can’t wait to see it myself!
~~~
On the Talanov front, my latest novel,
Into The Eye,
which opens in Africa, is in the final stages of being written. It will be the third installment of what we hope will be a franchise of Talanov films, depending on the success of Greco’s Game, which is still moving forward with the good folks at Wonderfilm. I will definitely keep you abreast of pre-production news, which will accelerate later this year.
As we speak, Talanov and his team have just landed on the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier as it pushes northward off the coast of Kenya. There's a lot of great action in this thriller, which will be released as a novel in 2024. Like Greco’s Game, it continues Talanov’s fight against the global plague of human trafficking. In the images above, we see his helicopter landing on the carrier.
~~~
Finally, I am excited to say, my script, Finding Star (completed with the assistance of Tara Lynn Marcelle), will be produced by Wonderfilm, and we are currently brainstorming a wishlist of actors for the main roles.
Summary: Running from her "country-girl past" by living in the fast lanes of Los Angeles, where she is on the verge of landing her dream job in television, sassy food blogger Star Saldana has her world rocked when she learns her "other mother," Aunt Pim, is dying of cancer back home in Austin, Texas. After flying home to spend time with Pim, Star's dream job is given to someone else, forcing her to confront the "country-girl skin" she's been trying so hard to shed, especially when she must enter a local barbecue competition in order to win enough money to save Pim's beloved restaurant from being repossessed. Trouble is, Star doesn't know the first thing about cooking barbecue.
Set against the colorful backdrops of barbecue and country music, Finding Star will not just entertain you, but also speak to the unavoidable challenges of life many of us face at one time or another. More news on this front is coming soon. As always, if you no longer wish to receive these updates, let me know and I will remove you from the list.
In the meantime, a final hug of thanks to all of you for your enduring friendship and support. Until next time …
I've ben reading Jack Savage's books and admiring his artwork (check out the cover artistry) for over 20 years, so I thought to pick out an author photo to maybe reflect the time period of this particular book, The Blazer of St. Clair...
I've had a few false starts on reading this book, but then decided I wanted to have, and keep, a paperback. But when I received the following teaser, book description, I decided to begin reading as soon as possible. Watch for my review in near future...
My two cataract removal surgeries are over and I have a final visit later this month to determine what level of reading glasses I will need now. During the surgery, my prescription for eyesight was permanently placed in both eyes at the same time the cataracts were removed. However, there is nothing to do to improve the actual level of sight I now have. So I'll probably be betting glasses with another trifocal so that I can see small print, the computer, and distance... Mostly, I find that without glasses, my eyes get tired quickly...
Anyway, back to Jack's book! I love the colors and the design of this painting, by the author...
Ron Tansy’s loyalty to his two oldest friends would be tested when a bear crashed their graduation party in northern Minnesota. It was the time of Vietnam and their lives would follow different paths. Ron would guard nuclear missile silos for the Air Force in Wyoming while Terry saw action in the war and Brett disappeared into the bowls of army intelligence.
When they met again it was over something they all loved from their usher days at the St. Clair; a great movie. "The Day of the Jackal."
After the film and their reactions to it, all three seemed to have mysteriously found their sea legs. Ron was largely invested in real estate and vague about the seed money that made it possible, Brett, now Robert, seemed to be a low-level diplomat overseas, which neither of them believed, while Terry used a few years in the French Foreign Legion to find another line of work that hid from the light of day. After Terry became satisfied with Ron’s ability to work with money, he asked to deposit a large sum with Ron who only asked for Terry’s story, in return. It was close to too fantastic to believe and yet somehow dripping with irresistible intrigue. A deal was struck and as the years passed, it seemed to Ron as though the pair might never meet again. He was wrong.
~~~
An excerpt from The Blazer of St. Clair
In 1973 the film, The Day of the Jackal came to St. Paul, Minnesota. In those days the Grandview Fine Arts Theater played host to nearly all the foreign and independent films worthy of a showing, but not famous or well known enough to appear at the downtown theaters. Three friends and alumni of Holy Spirit grade school attended a showing of this film at the suggestion of Terry, who had run into Ron and who still had some contact with Brett, aka Robert, who happened to be in town visiting. These three were members of a rather exclusive fraternity of sorts during high school: The Fellowship of The Blazer of St. Clair, and the film they saw would take on a cryptic significance in all their lives that would play out over the years on an international stage that would finally bring them all together again.
They were never great friends through grade school but were classmates and had played on the playground together. Of the three, Brett Scarlett was the most popular. Even as a child, Brett left you with the impression he found it all amusing. His was an easy smile. Not insincere in any way and certainly not painted on, but well suited to his good looking face and he wore it well and often. He reminded you, Ron had said once, of a young Jimmy Stewart trying to play Louis Jordan and he only got better at it the older he got. He confessed to being a fan of Jack Paar and stayed up late watching Jack during grade school; this, even when Steve Allen tried to come back on CBS. On the playground (at least among those Sacred Heart students who enjoyed staying up late for any reason) Steve Allen with his more vaudevillian antics and odd regulars like Gypsy Boots seemed more popular. But Jack Paar was more sophisticated, and if sophisticated ever had a more avid student than Brett Scarlett, he or she would be difficult to find. He had a certain swagger to his gait but a Fred Astaire bounce in his step evened that out. He was completely at ease with his hands, either at his side or in his pockets or any variation thereof, it all looked perfectly natural. He was a confident, “hail fellow well met” sort of a youngster who was very well spoken and nice looking. Brett played all the sports but took none seriously.
Terry Lorch was the most accomplished athlete. He played in the St. Paul Catholic League, and Sacred Heart was a perennial champion. Terry began in the sixth grade and by eighth grade he was a standout in football, basketball and baseball. Terry seemed angry about something nearly all the time. He also seemed never to be without a job. Indeed no one could remember when he hadn’t delivered papers in the morning and while Terry was nice looking as well, he wore that perpetual chip on his shoulder. It wasn’t your fault of course, but he wore it like a jacket most days. If you wondered what the source of Terry’s anger was, one could only conclude that he seemed not insensitive to sensitivity but largely uncomfortable with it. To him, life was challenging and you meet the challenge head-on. He was quick to say that he had little time for sentimental bullshit. Economically, Terry parents were quite well off. Brett was always quick to point out that Terry didn’t need a paper route. No one was quite sure why Terry tolerated that. But Brett could get away with saying things to Terry no one else could.
Ronald Tansey was another matter. Perhaps the most average looking of the three he flew largely under the radar throughout grade school. He had good grades and he was very fleet afoot. Indeed, he was one of the fastest boys in the school. In spite of that however, he never went out for any of the school’s teams. He did play little league playground football and baseball and later on, one year of American Legion baseball as well. In the consciousness of his classmates Ronald might have been remembered for several things along the way but what seemed to stick in everyone’s memory was his ability to answer the unanswerable questions the nuns would ask with some regularity. For example, there was Sister Mary Francis in second grade who stood up before the class and asked, more or less rhetorically: “Who can tell me another name for tadpoles?” As she did and certain no one could, she turned almost before saying the word tadpoles to begin printing out the new name on the blackboard.
“Poliwogs,” said Ronald.
Sister Mary Francis turned around and said, “Who said that?”
Ronald held up his hand and so it went throughout grade school.
A few years later, Sister Geraldine asked, “Can anyone tell me who the first Catholic candidate for President was?”
“Al Smith,” said Ronald without hesitation.
“In the Revolutionary War, who can tell me who the man they called the Swamp Fox was?”
“Francis Marion,” came the reply and by this time, everyone knew who said it.
It happened a lot. Ronald just seemed to know things no one else did, sometimes even the nuns themselves.
“Joseph of Arimathea asked for and received our Lord’s body after His crucifixion, said Sister Francis Borgia in the seventh grade. “Joseph was a rich man and he prepared our Lord’s body for burial.”
“Sister?” asked one student. “Who was Joseph? Did he follow Jesus like the apostles?”
Seeing Ronald looking down and shaking his head she said, “Ronald? Can you tell us who Joseph of Arimathea was?”
Ronald looked up and said, “It depends on who you believe, Sister. If you go strictly according to the bible there is not much there to tell us who he was. But he is a popular figure in the beginnings of Christianity in England and France. One story has it that Joseph was a tin merchant and did business in the British Isles. That story says that Jesus was Joseph’s nephew and that he brought Jesus to England as a boy. It’s called the Glastonbury Legend.”
“How on earth do you know that Ronald?” she asked.
“My mother’s cousin lives in England and they sing a hymn there called Jerusalem. It’s based on a poem by William Blake. The words ask the question did Jesus walk upon England’s mountains’ green. No one knows if it’s true.”
I don't know about you, but I love finding bits of researched history done by authors in presenting their stories! You?!
Again, seventh grade.
But grade school and prison share a lot in common. For the most part both are strictly controlled environments with the societal pecking order usually determined during free time: in the yard in prison and at recess in school. But whether in grade school or prison, “know-it-alls” were not always popular. And so while Ronald got away with it for years until one day, one of his classmates started in on the playground.
“Hey smart-ass,” said Tim Wells. “When Floyd Patterson knocked out Johansson, was it with a left or a right?”
Brett Scarlett didn’t hear Ronald answer. It wasn’t about that anyway. Talk like that always meant the fight came next. He was never quite sure why he did it. Part of it had to do with Brett’s knowing that straight up, he could take Tim and it was just like Wells to pick on someone for being smarter than everybody else. Wells and his whole family were as dumb as wood. And while Ronald waited for the punch to land and the fight to begin, Brett walked over to Wells and as he did, he saw Terry Lorch get down on his hands and knees right behind the bully. Wells saw Brett coming and started to back up. When he did, he fell backwards over Lorch.
“Did he fall like that, Tim? Huh? Did he fall like that?” asked Brett.
Terry Lorch got up laughing.
Tim Wells knew what Brett Scarlett knew about who would win a fight between them and with Terry Lorch getting involved, this was a no-win deal for sure. But Tim had brothers and to not fight back meant they’d kick his ass and so by the time he got to his feet he knew he had to swing at somebody. But he never quite got to his feet because before he could straighten up, Ronald came at him and got him in a headlock. After that it broke up pretty quick with no real blows ever thrown or landed. In general (and that event in particular), a friendship was begun for the three of them that would last through high school and beyond.
In the end, both Terry and Brett had come to value intelligence. Not necessarily those who got good grades per se, but anyone who knew something and wasn’t afraid to share it out loud. Not long after the episode on the playground with Tim Wells, Brett invited Ron over to his house after school. The Scarlett’s home had an unattached large two-car garage with a room upstairs. It would never be confused with a carriage house in any sense, but it had a stairway and a door and two windows and while it got way too hot to play in in the summer, the rest of the time it gave Brett a place to get away to now and then, and of course the privacy to invite friends to come over and smoke cigarettes. Brett’s parents didn’t mind that he smoked and even allowed Brett to smoke in the house. But he was somewhat embarrassed about that and besides he just assumed that their permission did not extend to any of his friends and so, the room over the garage served that purpose. Brett’s collection of Playboy magazines were kept there as well and he had furnished it with a couple of overstuffed chairs and even added a small, portable TV...
Happy Birthday Avery! How have you reached the age of 2 without me getting any older?! It seems like just yesterday when I first met you and we looked into each other's eyes and connected...How that happened, only God can tell us. Because for whatever reason, in addition to our being related, you have become so very important to me! In fact, I decided that I would be building a home library for you. I know--I know! You may be a little boy that will be interested in running and playing outside, rather than reading... And that's very OK...Because, it really doesn't take very long to read a book and learn a little about what the story is about... And then go outside to play, too!
And, in this case, it's about you! And just how much you are worth to those of us who love you! And that, of course, means my very good friend! His name is Jesus!
Your Mom said you are beginning to share with other little children at parks, so, I thought this song should be about somebody you might also meet some day...
Aside from the fact that Jesus is the one who sent you to mommy and daddy, this new book tells you just how very much a little boy is worth! To Us, To Jesus, and the whole wide world! Wanna hear more?
On the very first page is a little boy and his dog by the ocean. Joining the two-page spread are just the arms of two people--probably your mommy and daddy, just like the picture above...They are there to always protect you from all that may hurt you. The pictures seem almost to be realistic, a snapshot rather than painted, yet it clearly has scenes that could be made to hang on your bedroom wall! Here's the first thing written:
How much, How much are you worth precious boy?
How much is a little boy worth?
Just like the pictures above when you were outside watching fireworks, so, too, is, on the next page, the little boy sitting outside with his parents on a starry, night and even a tent is available to sleep in if you wish and a fire, to roast a hotdog or even a marshmallow! You know, what? Your Mommy roasted hotdogs for me recently and also made me toasted marshmallows... I was very happy to enjoy that treat! So, here's what is being said on this page, just for you!
More than the stars and the moon in the sky.
More than the sun up above.
More than all the incredible things in the world.
It is you that I treasure and love.
Fearfully and wonderfully made to be loved.
Valuable just 'cause you're you.
Uniquely designed you are one of a kind.
Little boy do you know this is true?
Now the page from which the above last lines were read, was a picture where the little boy in the book is dressed as a frog! I remember pictures of you dressed in a pirate suit! Isn't it fun to play dressup?! Or just jump and play in the rain!
Or to just wear a superman costume to bed! Like the little boy does in your new book! Do you think you'd like the little boy who is pictured in your book?
Your body and mind your heart and your soul.
Were all made in His image, made to be whole.
Along with all the wonderful, colorful images of children and the messages parents are giving them, I felt one word captured the essence of the message: Assurance. We want to have all little children know that they are especially loved by God, our creator and by all those who are in the lives of little boys like you, Avi... Your Mom and Dad, your grandparents...and just about everybody who ever meets the world's children! You are Loved! And your worth is beyond any word except Love. Because you are Love, itself. I love you Avi!
So, Avi, I hope you are having a happy birthday with your cake, cookies and people there, and here, to tell you that we love you! And we are so happy God gave you to us just as He gave us Jesus our Friend! You'll be hearing more about Jesus in other books I'll be sharing with you, but for now. I hope you like this latest book for your away-from-home library and that I'll see you soon to tell you where your books will be here at the cabin, just for you whenever you want to pull one out!
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