McMurtry Fails to Deliver

My review of Books by Larry McMurtry

(2 stars)

This is a book I CAN put down rather easily. It has no "juice".

Reminds me of an inferior iteration of a W.S. Burroughs cut-up job, randomly incomplete snippets of a bookman's life.  I'm about halfway through Books and I am finding it quite lacking on so many levels.  McMurtry just gets started with something of interest, and poof, he moves on to something else, almost fascinating, only to leave his reader once again in the dust.  It's maddening. Of course I can't stop reading it right in the middle so I will continue through to the end, although I know I will regret losing another hour to finish it.

Learning of his early upbringing with no books in the house, I was hooked.  When he begins to tell of his growing passion for books, and his fear that this would be a narrative of interest only to others with a similar passion, I became excited to read more.  McMurty does not deliver. Rather than holding my attention and awe, I find "books" to have devolved after the first few chapters into something quite dreadful and boring.

An author with the ability to write as McMurtry does has cheated an audience he alone might have held in the palm of his hand.  Rather than caress fellow bookmen like some fine leather tome he might hold in high regard, he has relegated us to the remainder pile, covers removed...no love at all.  It is a shame, as I am certain the depth of his real life in books is far more interesting than the poorly rendered skin of what he has provided here.

I noticed McMurtry split up his memoirs into 3 parts. Reeks of over-commercialism, and I already feel like it won't be worth the time to read the other 2.  After reading the reviews for those, I definitely won't purchase either of them.

How Long Will Modern Last?

Hopefully longer than this:

I've been looking in some of the boxes of magazines I've got stored around here, and ran across a group of House & Garden Magazines from the 1960's. Interestingly, my husband and I had just watched the movie Gangster Number 1 featuring Malcolm McDowell which takes place largely during the 1960's. We were both commenting on the decor, and clothing styles, and I remembered these magazines, so decided to list them. (The movie exhibits shades of brilliance, but it was a lame duck by end).

The question at hand: How Long Will Modern Last? really got me thinking. Modern has so many connotations, although in a literal sense, it's all about today.

We've got Modern architecture that seems to survive the test of time, so long as the materials used in building are not of inferior quality.  All too often, this was not the case.

Then there's Modern art...which resembles Modern Architecture in no way shape or form except on rare occasions, and also stands the test of time especially when inferior materials or perceptions were involved.

As for Modern Fiction, I have no ideas as to what date signifies the beginning of Modern, but I do know that it is being churned out day in and day out and altogether too much of it by inferior minds and methods.  The modern book is not a book, but some electronic file supported by a gizmo which can store a plethora of modernity.

ooh baby, that's what I call mod!

All of these observations from a self-proclaimed solipsist, mind you....at least for today, if the modern today actually exists.

$7.95 True Book Bonus?

Here's another fine example of how I get caught up in the articles of these intriguing "Girly Mags" I've subjected myself to.

First off, this is probably one of my favorite things about old magazines: The funky old advertisements. Judy or Susan for only $19.95.  Your own personal Love Maid. Let us not diminish the value of a free 10-day trial. ...so wrong on so many levels but hey, what a bargain!

The ($7.95) title article in question is found in the June, 1976 magazine known as MALE. Male? Why would anybody name a magazine which presents naked females "MALE". Sounds more like a good title for gay male perusal, which surprisingly holds no interest for me, since I don't much care about looking at a bunch of posturing penises or is that penii? (not that there's anything wrong with that). Not only is this MALE, but THE NEW EXCITING MALE: more girls, more color, more action, same price. ($1.00) Was that expensive by 1976 standards?

One stinking dollar for a magazine that splashes a cover blurb about this $7.95 true book bonus which turns out to be not altogether true. Yes, it gives me a good chuckle to read this, and to see the other articles within. There is just so much fodder for my sallied scrutiny; I am giddy with anticipation of how to denigrate this "mildly pornographic" realm which I am also quite admittedly endeared to.

The Flesh Hijackers written by C.K. Winston is all about "typical" criminal activity, gun-play, heroes and victims. The perps in question purportedly planned purloining the transport "Diana" while in prison. Psychologists agree: plot planning is a popular prisoner pastime.  Did they really almost get away with over
a million in cash from the armored truck sitting like a dead duck while being ferried across from Victoria to Vancouver only to be foiled by some private dick who happened to figure out what was what and thwarted their efforts?  Highly doubtful.

I cannot find anything about the artist who created this highly imaginative image, which relates none whatsoever to the story at hand. The title "Flesh Hijackers" is obviously a ruse, meant to titillate. The editor's note at the end of this true story fantasy mentions the alteration of names, places and situations (to protect the innocent).

Is $7.95 the actual amount they paid the author to create this bit of fluff? I'd say he was severely over-paid! I don't quite understand what $7.95 has to do with any of this, but there it is for you to speculate upon as well. We aim to serve.

Another article entitled "Sex Lives of Stock Car Groupies" by Kevin Burke promises tales of High Speed Spills and Orgasms. I think I'll use the protecting the innocent clause here and decline to read it, effectively protecting myself and you, dear reader, from wanting to choke me for wasting our collective time on such drivel.

Perhaps the article by Ron Layton (or Robert LaGuardia?) about the Meanest General in the U.S. Army (James F. Hollingsworth) is a de-facto contrivance (much like this blog), with bona-fides all propped up pretty in a row; perhaps not. Maybe the Trucker "Mob" Who Took Over Nevada's Brothel Row as told by Ken Lanier to Martin Crawford will be as thrilling as the accompanying art by Bruce Minny. I'll have to leave that up to someone else to determine. For now, I am all tapped out on the "MALE" Magazine Volume 26 Number 5 point of view.

My motto is: If it makes you laugh, it is well worth any amount of time we've spent entertaining thoughts of humour, making light of self and situation, or general silliness on the whole. Yep, that's my motto for today....