Boozy Book Club No. 8

With running on a late winter hiatus, my reading consumption has picked up a bit this last month. Having made peace with the fact that my reading lists will continue to expand at a rate far beyond my ability to keep up, and deciding to let the Civil War list take a breather, my goal of reading at least 12 books a year is off to a good start.

Civil War Reading List
Baseball in Blue and Gray, by George B. Kirsch, proved to be a nice way finish up the first leg of Civil War reading. The books on this list are officially taking a break, as my mind wanders to other interests.

Unlisted Reading List
I've finished both Train Dreams, by Denis Johnson, and Night of the Hunter, by Davis Grubb, and both were really excellent reads. Train Dreams follows the life a loner in the Pacific Northwest during the early 1900s, and Night of the Hunter is a thriller set along the banks of the Ohio River during the Depression Era. Johnson's writing is minimalist and poetic. Grubb's is fast-paced and sort of "Cormac McCarthy light." Both are highly recommended. Night of the Hunter was made into a movie in 1955, directed by Charles Laughton and starring Robert Mitchum. It has been requested from my library.

Since finishing those books, I've picked up A Walk in the Woods, by Bill Bryson, and Sunset Park, by Paul Auster. Both books have been on my reading radar for some time.

Comic Book Pull List
HOLY DEAD ROBIN, BATMAN! That's the big news from last week's reads, as Grant Morrison brought his Bat-Epic closer to conclusion by murdering Damian Wayne, the bastard son of Bruce Wayne and the current ... er ... most recently deceased Boy Wonder.

But is this really the end for the Dynamic Duo's youngest member? The cover of Batman Inc. No. 8 recalls the iconic cover image from Morrison's Batman R.I.P., in which Batman "dies" and becomes lost in time, fighting his way back through human history to return as the Caped Crusader. Morrison wraps up his seven-year story in Issue 12. Stay tuned, Bat-fans. Same Bat-channel, same Bat-time ...