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The Dog Stars and Movie Briefs
This week I’ve been reading a nonfiction book about the doomed Donner Party — you know, the group of emigrants lead by George Donner and James Reed who set out from Missouri for California in covered wagons in 1846. It’s by the same author — Daniel James Brown — who wrote “The Boys in the Boat” and I’m enjoying it quite a lot. I’ll report back more once I get through its snows of the Sierra Nevadas and it comes to an end.
Meanwhile I finished listening to the audiobook of Peter Heller’s 2012 novel “The Dog Stars.” Of course it’s another apocalyptic novel — where is my mind this year — ready for end of the world?! Like Emily St. John Mandel’s novel “Station Eleven,” “The Dog Stars” is set quite a few years after a flu or virus has wiped out most of humanity. It’s two primary characters are a fortyish pilot and fisherman named Hig and an older, gun nut named Bangley who have settled at a country airstrip in Colorado, trying to fend off occasional attacks from violent survivors. Their families didn’t survive the pandemic, but Hig still relies on his very dear dog companion Jasper, a Blue Healer mix.
A lot of the time, Hig spends flying an old Cessna around, monitoring the area for intruders and visiting a hamlet of sick families a distance away who have the tainted blood. Then one day, he hears a distant response on his plane’s intercom and realizes good things might still be out there. He leaves their place behind, and sets out to investigate. What happens and whether he will return kept me glued to the audio all week while raking leaves, doing chores, and walking my dog.
I liked the characters of Hig and Bangley — a crotchety, but winning combo. And Jasper of course. Hig’s love for his dog in the story earned major points with me, being a dog lover. I was also impressed by the author’s vivid descriptions of life under such dire conditions. His writing was at times poetic and touching. Though I wasn’t sure about parts of a romance in the book, it seemed a bit goofy or just perhaps out of place, but I was willing to let it ride.
To compare, “The Dog Stars” is perhaps a tad scarier and more survival focused perhaps than “Station Eleven,” but not as scary or as dark as Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road.” The novel is a bit hopeful, which is nice when you’re facing extinction. I liked “Station Eleven” best, but also enjoyed “The Dog Stars” as it’s both suspenseful and well written. It has heart. Actor Mark Deakins read the novel for the audio, and is quite excellent.
As for brief impressions of three fall movies I’ve seen:
“The Intern” — I had to suspend my disbelief in a couple places in this Nancy Meyers’ movie, but I still ended up enjoying it. I credit actors Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway for their performances and the cool shots of New York. I also had low expectations going in and so was pleasantly surprised it exceeded that. I found it a nice feel-good story but not over-the-top saccharine.
“The Martian” — Oh yeah I had been looking forward to Matt Damon as Mark Watney, and I was definitely entertained by this 3-D action space film adapted from Andy Weir’s bestselling book. I liked it but I guess I liked the book a tad better. The film had some great imagery, but for whatever reason it did not stay with me for long like substantial films usually do.
“Steve Jobs” — Whoa, does this film have a lot of dialogue in it or what. It’s filled to the brink, courtesy of Aaron Sorkin, and slightly reminiscent of “The West Wing.” It’s innovative and cuts to some of Steve Jobs’s inner character. I liked it but it also wore me out in parts — with the around and around cerebral dialogue. But Michael Fassbender seemed amazing as Jobs, and Kate Winslet and Seth Rogen were quite excellent too.
That’s it for now. How about you — have you read “The Dog Stars” or seen any of these movies, and if so, what did you think? Continue reading
Posted in Books, Movies
26 Comments
Remembering the Monster Dogs
Hi. How is everyone doing? We are having mild weather here this week, and it feels a bit like spring but that could change next week. Still March is just around the corner, yay. Are you ready for spring? It … Continue reading
Posted in Books
46 Comments
Dogs Days of Fall
Hi All. I hope you are well. The snow here has melted away and we are back to fall conditions with a family of deer grazing on our front lawn. This photo of our two Labrador dogs Willow and Stella … Continue reading
Posted in Books
33 Comments
The Painter
A lot of people read and raved about Peter Heller’s post-apocalyptic debut novel “The Dog Stars” from 2012. I gave a copy to my Hub who liked it quite a bit. I still plan to read it, but picked up the author’s second novel “The Painter,” wondering if it could be as good.
It’s about a well-known expressionist painter Jim Stegner, 45, who’s trying to piece his life back together after a stint in jail, two divorces and the death of his teenage daughter to a drug dealer. He’s moved from Santa Fe, N.M., to a rural town in Colorado for a fresh start, and appears to be finding solace in the beauty of the wilderness and in fly-fishing. He’s inspired to paint again and finds a model for his art, who’s a fun, smart woman who seems to understand him and get his work. In time, she becomes his girlfriend.
All goes well, until Stegner encounters a man brutally beating a horse. He’s a well-known bad guy who’s a hunting outfitter in the area. Stegner’s violent altercations with him, and then his brother, shatter the peaceful existence of his new-found life. The police are on to Stegner, and so, too, is one of the hunters seeking revenge. Stegner’s on the run, but he’s still painting thought-provoking works fueled by anguish and love. His daughter’s death still hangs over his life. In the end, you’ll be wondering if he’s going to be able to cope without her, and you’ll also wonder if he’ll be arrested for the hunter’s murder, or if he’ll be killed. But you won’t know for sure till the last few pages.
It’s a pretty suspenseful book and I got drawn in by the protagonist’s plight right from the start. He seems a good-hearted, well-intentioned guy who’s made some mistakes and is trying to start anew. Unfortunately he also has some violent tendencies when he runs into bad situations or people, which get him into trouble.
“The Painter’s” plot is compelling and Peter Heller captures the western landscape and fly-fishing beautifully. Painting also plays a big role in the book as Stegner’s mental states take shape on his canvases. For the most part, the depiction of his art throughout it enhances the novel and adds an interesting element. There’s just one point near the end that I felt the painting parts got in the way and were a bit tiresome. It’s when an intense scene with the sheriff confronting Stegner is followed by dozens of pages about Stegner’s next paintings when all you really want to know at that late point is will he be apprehended. It just gets a bit prolonged there.
Otherwise, I really liked Heller’s writing style. “The Painter” has some beautiful descriptions and poignant thoughts on life and love. On top of that it has some intense action scenes, which heighten its suspense. The ending, too, deciding Stegner’s fate, kept me thinking about it for long after. Now I’m really looking forward to reading “The Dog Stars.” After sampling this one, I know it’ll be good. Heller, for sure, is a writer to be watched.
How about you — have you read this novel or author before? And what did you think? Continue reading
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A Preview of May Releases
Because I’ve been away a bit, I’m late in putting out my release picks this month, so let’s get started. A plethora of interesting-looking new novels (see list at right) made it difficult for me to narrow my choices.
There’s a bit of everything this month, for a love story and beach read I’m considering snatching up Beatriz Williams’s new novel “The Secret Life of Violet Grant,” which is about a recent college grad who begins to investigate the past of an aunt she never knew she had. Booklist calls it a “substantive beach read steeped in history and familial intrigue.” Okay with me, I’ll get out the sunscreen.
Or maybe I should turn to Scandinavian crime fiction, since Jo Nesbo’s latest “The Son” is coming out, which looks to be another wild and chilling ride. It’s about a prison inmate who finds out a secret about his deceased father and sets out to hunt down those responsible for the crimes against him. I’m sure it’ll have a lot of twists and turns, not to mention suspense, but will I be able to stomach the brutality?
I could turn to another WWII novel, which is getting tremendous positive feedback called “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr. It’s set during the war in France and Germany about a 14-year-old French blind girl and a German orphan boy whose paths cross late in the novel. Author J.L. Moehringer says it’s a novel “you savor, and ponder, and happily lose sleep over, then go around urging all your friends to read—now.” While author Abraham Verghese says “Doerr’s writing and imagery are stunning. … The story still lives on in my head.”
Hmm. I’ll likely need to read it, but my very first choice for this month’s releases is Peter Heller’s new novel “The Painter.” Granted, I did not read Heller’s successful 2012 debut “The Dog Stars” (I gave it to my husband who very much enjoyed it), but I vow to amend that by reading this one. According to O magazine “The Painter” is about an artist who “settles into a quiet new life in Colorado after serving time for shooting a man in a bar fight–and reconnects with his old rage.” Much has been praised about Heller’s writing, so sign me up for this one.
Lastly in books I’m a bit curious about Adam Pelzer’s debut novel “Troika” called a modern-day love story between a Cuban-American and a Russian orphan that journeys from Little Havana to Manhattan. Author Ayelet Waldman has been on the bandwagon for this book saying in numerous venues that she [friggin’] loved it.
As well as I’m interested in Amy Rowland’s debut “The Transcriptionist” that takes place at a big New York City newspaper and explores questions about journalism and ethics, technology, the decline of papers and the written word. I plan to scoop it up quickly as I worked at a newspaper for many years so I think it could be topical to me, as well as many others.
In movies this month (see list at left), I don’t see any that I’m particularly interested in seeing at the theater. I’m not a big super-hero watcher, sorry Spidey. Instead I’m currently trying Season One of the political drama “House of Cards” with Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright. It’s about a Congressman, the House majority whip, who, after being passed over for Secretary of State, initiates a plan to get into a position of more power. He and his wife are pretty cold fish. And would he really risk leaking to such a rookie reporter? The show has quite a dark outlook on humanity and the inner workings of D.C., where I once lived. I guess I’ll watch a bit more and see if I hang with it.
Other good news in May is there’s quite a few enticing albums being released (see list at bottom right). I need to check out new ones from Coldplay, the Black Keys, Natalie Merchant (where has she been?), Tori Amos, Ben Harper, and Sarah McLachlan. Wow quite a list! Actually I’ve been listening to Ray LaMontagne’s new one “Supernova” which was supposed to be out May 6 but came out instead at the end of April. It’s pretty groovy, a bit different than his other folk tunes, more sixties-ish perhaps, with a psychedelic edge. Meanwhile look for Coldplay’s new one “Ghost Stories” to be quieter and more introspective than the last few by the band.
What about you — which books, movies, or albums out this month are you most looking forward to? Continue reading
Posted in Top Picks
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The Last Ranger
Hi all. I hope everyone in the States has a very Happy Thanksgiving or wherever you may be. My relatives are gathering in Southern California for the holiday and it should be fun there. Though we are staying put for … Continue reading
Posted in Books, TV
42 Comments
The River and The Lost Man
I have been a bit AWOL from the blog lately as I was playing in a big senior tennis tournament here last week and my doubles partner from Austria was staying with us. She used to live here and decided … Continue reading
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March Preview
Greetings, we are headed into March, which I hope should improve the weather here. It was a very cold February — below 0 degrees Fahrenheit on many days, so I am happy to leave February in the rearview. With a … Continue reading
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The Oscars and March Preview
My husband and I are heading out this Saturday for our “spring break” trip, which will include a week of bicycling and exploring in Southern California, particularly in San Diego and the Palm Desert area. So I’m posting early. We … Continue reading
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My 2015 in Review
Looking back on 2015, I had quite a good reading year. While my stats below don’t seem that impressive, I was happy with the quality of books and the array of literary gems I found. I’ve never been a speedy … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Movies, Music
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