I do not watch a lot of television in the summer. During the
fall/winter/spring, I generally watch a lot of hockey, the Walking Dead,
various news programs, etc. When summer comes, I like to read for my recreation.
During the school year, I still read for recreation, but after reading and
grading assignments, course preparation, etc, recreational reading is not a
priority although I do get a few read, especially over Christmas and March
break. This summer, I am a little disappointed in myself for not
reading as many book as I would have liked. I took a course that ended July 29th
so I had a lot of readings and papers to do for that which took up a lot of
time.
The first book I read this summer was "Mick Fleetwood’s Now,
Then, and Fleetwood Mac: Play On, The Autobiography" by Mick Fleetwood and
Anthony Bozza. I recommend this book if you are not just a Fleetwood Mac fan,
but a fan of classic rock music. The book is written as though it was
a historical overview of the rock scene in the late 1960s, 70s, and 80s. As told by the Fleetwood, the long-time
drummer discusses the rock scene in his early years in the English pub scene to
becoming international superstars and performing in stadiums in front of
thousands. In this candid book, he discusses the internal troubles within the
band, the excesses, and how the band has come full circle to their reformation.
I really enjoyed this book. Fleetwood Mac has always been one of my favorite bands
so I enjoyed reading this tell all book from a band member’s perspective.
The second book I read was an older book I found at a used
bookstore called Folklore of Nova Scotia by Mary L Fraser. There is no date of
publication on the actual book, but from searching online, the book was
published in 1975. Mary Fraser was a pioneer in researching and recording the
folklore of Cape Breton and eastern Nova Scotia. I enjoy reading about folklore
in Atlantic Canada as you can certainly learn a lot, but discover some unbelievable
tales. This book discusses Algonquin and
Micmac folklore, popular superstitions, forerunners, ghosts, witches, fairy
lore, customs of rural Nova Scotia, and even buried treasure. I enjoy reading
these types of stories (not sure I believe them all) but they fun to read.
You can access this book online as well:
The third book I just finished is one I have wanted to read
for quite a while. I finally ordered the book online and just finished it the
other day. One of the most interesting “mockumentaries” I have watched is a
1976 film directed by Charles B. Pierce called “The Town that Dreaded Sundown”.
This film is loosely based on the murders and attacks that rocked the Town of
Texarkana in 1946. The book I just finished was written by James Presley is
called, “The Phantom Killer: Unlocking the Mystery of the Texarkana Serial
Murders: The Story of a Town in Terror”.
In the mockumentary, we are left unclear who the killer is
or left without knowing who is even a suspect. After reading the book, which I
should have known, the film is clearly exaggerated in many cases which I will
not deconstruct here.
Chapters 1 through 17 describe the case in great detail
where an unknown assailant attacks and murders unsuspecting young couples in ‘lover’s lanes’.
This case baffled local law enforcement including the fabled Texas Rangers who
were soon on the case. It is interesting to read about trying to solve crimes
back in the 1940s where much of the modern technology crime fighting tools were
not available. Chapters 17- 26, Presley
researches and presents evidence that point to the main suspect. No spoilers
here, but for those who enjoy history and of course reading about true crime, I
recommend this book.
I hope to get a couple more books read this month before
school starts.
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