9/30/09

I finished reading the delightful Oz movie history book "The Wizard of Oz: An Illustrated Companion to the Timeless Movie Classic" by John Fricke & Jonathan Shirshekan. Just one fascinating read with photos and stills about the 1939 movie that has gone on to become a classic beloved by many. I am so glad that I found this book and was able to read it.

I also finished reading "Martini Man: The Life of Dean Martin" by William Schoel which portrays a very tragic man despite all the work he did and the talent he had. It was a good read.

I am now reading "The Man Behind the Microchip: Robert Noyce and the Invention of Silicon Valley" by Leslie Berlin. This should be a fascinating read about a man who changed the lives of all through his invention.

9//29/09

Today I went up to Topeka, Kansas to the The Great Overland Station which was originally the Union Pacific Station and now is a museum celebrating the railroading history of Topeka which is considerable. I was up there to view their Wizard of Oz exhibit which was a very nice exhibit indeed. While at the museum I was able to put out fifty bookmarks and did.

I then went over to the Barnes & Noble bookstore where I found the book "The Wizard of Oz: An Illustrated Companion to the Timeless Movie Classic" by John Fricke & Jonathan Shirshekan who are to be attend the Oz Convention in Wamego, Kansas this weekend. So I got the book. With that book, and the two other Oz books I have and the two new L. Frank Baum biographies that have just come out I could put together an issue titled "About Oz." Which I just might do.

9/28/09

I finished reading "Bing: The Authorized Biography" by Charles Thompson today and it was a very revealing biography. Which really surprised me. It was a good read.

I am now reading "Martini Man: The Life of Dean Martin" by William Schoel which will be reviewed in an "Entertainers" issue along with the biography of Bing Crosby.

9/26/09

I decided just to attend one day of the Buster Keaton Film Festival this year and so went down to Iola, Kansas today for the 17th Annual Buster Keaton Celebration. While at the festival I put out fifty bookmarks. I then went over to the Allen County Museum where I put out fifty bookmarks and then I went over to the Iola Public Library where I put out fifty bookmarks.

While at the Iola Public Library I got two books: "Entrepreneurs: The Men and Women Behind Famous Brand Names and How They Made Them" by Joseph J. & Suzy Fucini and in short paragraphs they go from Burpee to Wurlitzer describing how the products were created and the people behind them. A delightful read. The other book I got is "Bing: The Authorized Biography" by Charles Thompson which will be reviewed in one of the "Entertainers" issues.

And today I finally finished reading "Citizen Hearst" by W. A. Swanberg which was a good read. I now have three biographies of media moguls read which means I can put together an issue about media moguls. And it should be an interesting issue.

It was a good day!

9/25/09

The book I read today, started and finished, was one that I have had on my shelves for some time now. I don't know why it took me so long to get to it, but I am so glad that I finally read it. Once I started it I just couldn't put it down. The book is "Edith Head: The Life and Times of Hollywood's Celebrated Costume Designer" by David Chierichetti. I had saw Edith Head's credits in films but had never thought much about her or other costume designers except in fantastic films. But it turns out that there is much to learn about the costuming of people in movies and now I understand that better. It was a very fascinating read.

I am now reading "Citizen Hearst" by W. A. Swanberg, a biography of the media mogul William Randolph Hearst who was a fascinating person. Not only for his ownership of newspapers that he controlled with an iron fist, but also for his spending habits, and the long term relationship with Marion Davies. Just an interesting man. This is the second biography of Hearst that I have read.

9/24/09

I went over to the Hall Center at KU to hear a talk given by historian professor Donald Worster and while there I got him to sign his latest book a biography of John Muir titled "A Passion for Nature." I didn't put out any bookmarks at the Hall Center as I didn't find a place for them.

I finished reading "Ambrose Bierce: A Biography" by Richard O'Conner today. An excellent biography of a legendary journalist and writer of dark fiction who had an amazing life and then at age 71 disappeared in Mexico which cemented his legend. O'Conner did another great job at chronicling Bierce's life and legend. I am so glad that I had the chance to read this one. I am planning to put together an issue of O'Conner written biographies of writers and titling it "Noted Writers." Should be good.

9/23/09

I finished reading two biographies of classic comedians today which, with a biography of Charlie Chaplin, will be part of the same issue. "One Fine Stooge: Larry Fine's Frizzy Life In Pictures" by Steve Cox & Jim Terry which is the biography of the stooge in the middle who had a very full and sometimes tragic life. A very good read which I am hoping to get signed. The other biography I read is "Edgar Kennedy: Master of the Slow Burn" by Bill Cassara and is the biography of Edgar Kennedy who started off as a Keystone Kop and worked with Chaplin at is beginning, was a foil for Laurel and Hardy and the Marx Brothers, had his own shorts series for RKO, and did dramatic roles with the likes of John Wayne and Doris Day. He is now forgotten but maybe this good biography will bring him the attention he deserves for his role in movie history.

I am now reading "Ambrose Bierce: A Biography" by Richard O'Conner of whom I have read some of his fiction but know so very little about his life. O'Conner is an excellent biographer and I am looking forward to reading this one.

I also cut out bookmarks for the events I am planning to attend this week. The bookmarks just seem to always have to be cut!

I went up to the Oread Books to hear a talk given by SF writer China Menville but didn't put out any bookmarks. Although I did find a perfect spot for bookmarks which I will put out at when I return to the bookstore.

9/20/09

I am now up at the Glenwood Fine Arts Theatre for the showing of the Russian silent film "Man With A Camera" which is being shown as part of the Kansas International Film Festival. I already have bookmarks put out and so I just put out thirty more bookmarks.

I have finished reading the book "Chaplin: A Life" by Stephen Weissman, M.D., a small but good biography of the comedian and how his childhood shaped his future. I'm glad that I read it.

I am now reading "Hitchcock & Selznick: The Rich and Strange Collaboration of Alfred Hitchcock and David O. Selznick in Hollywood" by Leonard J. Leff and is the fascinating story of the working relationship between Hitchcock the director and Selznick the movie mogul. Thus far quite an interesting read. I have a newer biography of Alfred Hitchcock and access to two other books about Hitchcock and have decided to do an "Hitchcock issue." Which should be interesting.

9/19/09

I went out to Kearney, Missouri today so that I could hear a talk by author and historian Donald L. Gilmore at the Jesse James Farm and Museum. I not only heard the talk by Donald Gilmore but I also got a coy of his book about the Civil War in Kansas-Misouri "Civil War on the Missouri-Kansas Border." The talk was good and I am glad that I got the book.

While at the Jesse James Farm and Museum I put out fifty bookmarks. I then went over to the Mid-Continent Library Kearney Branch and I put out fifty bookmarks. A good day indeed.

I finished reading "Dangerous Dossiers: Exposing the Secret War Against America's Greatest Authors" by Herbert Mitgang today. Just an amazing read about the abuses the U. S. government engaged in for so many decades. Just amazing.

9/18/09

I mailed off 700 bookmarks today. I sent bookmarks to five conventions today. Four of the conventions are next month and one convention is in November. I am very excited about sending out these bookmarks!

Richard O'Conner is an excellent biographer and I have enjoyed reading his various biographies and today I have been reading, and finished, another biographer by Richard O'Conner and it was enthralling. The biography I read and finished reading is "The Lost Revolutionary: A Biography of John Reed" by Richard O'Conner & Dale L. Walker and is the biography of the short and dramatic life of journalist and revolutionary John Reed. It was a good read.

I am now reading "Dangerous Dossiers: Exposing the Secret War Against America's Greatest Authors" by Herbert Mitgang. Mitgang used the Freedom of Information Act to expose the monitoring of authors and artists the the U. S. government engaged in throughout the decades. Quite a scary read.

9/16/09

I finished reading two books today: "Horatio Alger, Jr.: A Biography and Bibliography" by Frank Gruber and interesting small biography of an author who, in his time, was one of the best-selling authors and has gone on to become legendary. The other book I finished reading is "John Lloyd Stephens: Explorer of Lost Civilizations" by Richard O'Conner. John Lloyd Stephens was an adventurer who explored the ruins in the Middle East but made his greatest impact in showing that the Mayans were very capable of creating a civilization that is equal to anything in the Old World. Stephens also lead the way to the investigations of the civilizations of Central America that is still going on to this day.

9/15/09

I finished reading a biography of Lucy Ball yesterday and I found it to be a very good read. "Lucy: The Real Life of Lucille Ball" by Charles Higham which chronicles her life from Jamestown, NY to her struggles on the stage and screen and how television made her famous and an immortal star. A really good read.

I also finished a delightful book about food history which will be reviewed in an issue titled "Food History," "Everybody Love Pizza: The Deep Dish on America's Favorite Food" by Penny Pollack & Jeff Ruby which chronicles the prehistory of pizza and its origins to it taking over of the United States starting in New York City and marching to the West Coast. From the individuals in New York City and New Haven who introduced pizza to the masses to the chains to frozen pizza in stores. Just a fun read indeed.

I've been very busy today cutting out bookmarks. My goal is to cut out 700 hundred bookmarks which will be sent out to conventions that are going on next month and one in November. I'm very excited to sending out these bookmarks which will being attention to my web page, I hope. The bookmarks are going out to: Astronomicon (in Rochester, NY, 100 bookmarks); World Fantasy Con 2009 (in California, 200 bookmarks); Valleycon 35 (in Fargo, ND, 100 bookmarks); Archon 33 (in St. Louis, 100 bookmarks); and Long Beach Comic Con (in Long Beach, CA., 200 bookmarks). I am so glad that I can send out bookmarks as I am unable to travel to the conventions.

9/13/09

It's been a rough weekend and I didn't get anything done that I had planned. What a wasted weekend.

But I get a book read today and it was a delightful read, "The Wizardry of Oz: The Artistry and Magic of the 1939 M-G-M Classic (revised and expanded)" by Jay Scarfone & William Stillman. I am so glad that I got this book and read it and now to review it.

I did get nine more sets of bookmarks sent off which makes a total of sixty bookmarks sent off this month. I am hoping to send off ten more sets of bookmarks this month and that will be all. With a total of seventy sets of bookmarks sent off to seventy libraries (2,100 bookmarks) throughout the United States that should bring attention to my web page. That total should be more than enough for this month!

And I did finish reading a book today. This book is "Beyond the Hills: The Journey of Waite Phillips" by Michael Wallis the story of oil man Waite Phillips who went from a farm in Nebraska to traveling to Oklahoma where his finding of oil brought him riches and he was able to contribute millions to good causes. It will be part of an issue titled "Oil Barons" that will include the reviews of three books about oil men in the U. S.

9/11/09

I finished an excellent biography today and I am so very glad that I was able to read it. "Willa: The Life of Willa Cather" by Phyllis C. Robinson is the biography of Willa Cather who was born in Virginia but grew up in Nebraska which would have a dramatic influence on her life. After graduation from college she taught school in Pennsylvania, then move to NYC to become an editor of a crusading magazine, and then settled into the life of a writer that would make her immortal. Just a good read.

Happy Birthday to me! And now I am reading a book that I got for my birthday. It is a large book and I know will be a delightful read. The book is "Hometown Beer: A History of Kansas City's Breweries" by H. James Maxwell & Bob Sullivan, Jr. and chronicles the history of beer in K.C. from the founding of the City of Kansas to today's Boulevard Brewery. This book will be part of an issue titled "Beer History" and will be a delight too do!

9/10/09

I mailed off twenty-one sets of bookmarks to twenty-one libraries in Missouri, Maine, and Massachusetts. I am now all up to date with my bookmarks sent out to libraries. I may send out some more bookmarks. Maybe.

I went up to KCMO today and have a great time. I took a tour of Boulevard Brewery and put out one hundred bookmarks. Fifty in the main lobby and fifty in the lobby of the brewery meeting room.

Then at Chapolite in Waldo I put out twenty bookmarks. And then at the Waldo Branch of the KCMO Library I put out eighty bookmarks. Fifty bookmarks in one location and thirty bookmarks in another location.

Did good today.

9/8/09

I went to Wamego, Kansas today to get information about the Oz Feast which will be held next month in the town.

While in Wamego I toured the Oz Museum where I put out fifty bookmarks and got the book "The Wizardry of Oz: The Artistry and Magic of the 1939 M-G-M Classic (revised and expanded)" by Jay Scarfone & William Stillman which is an incredible look at the most popular and beloved motion picture of all time. This book describes the entire production from the makeup, costumes, special effects, actors and technicians, and deleted scenes. Just one great read to be had here! Since this book is updated and revised I will review it in a new issue (as I reviewed the original in issue 100) which will include reviews of books about movies about "Gone With the Wind" and "Citizen Kane" and the issue will be titled "Film History." I then went over to the Columbian Theatre and Museum and put out fifty bookmarks. And then at the Wamego Public Library I put out fifty bookmarks.

Then in Topeka, Kansas I went over to the Topeka Public Library where I put out fifty bookmarks and got the book "Shut Up He Explained: The Memoir of a Blacklisted Kid" by Kate Lardner..

A good day for travel.

9/7/09

I finished reading a delightful book today, "I Remember: Eight Years of Black Entertainment, Big Bands, and the Blues" by Clyde E.B. Bernhardt & Sheldon Harris and is Bernhardt's memoir growing up black in the south and how in the 1920s he became a jazz trombonist and then a blues singer and the amazing life he lead. A very good read.

I mailed off five more sets of bookmarks to five libraries today. Which means that I have sent off thirty sets of bookmarks to thirty libraries in the United States. Which makes me happy. I have also prepared thirty-two addresses to libraries in Colorado, Maine, and Massachusetts. Now all I need to do is put bookmarks in the envelopes and stamp them and then send them out. Then I will be all caught up and can go back to writing reviews.

9/6/09

I went up to the Glenwood Fine Arts Theatre to see a documentary and while there I put out fifty bookmarks, dividing them in half and putting them in two separate places.

After that I went to Half Price Books where I got two biographies. "Willa: The Life of Willa Cather" by Phyllis C. Robinson which is the second biography of Willa Cather I have and am looking forward to reading it. The other book I got is "Stephen Crane: A Biography" by R. W. Stallman and it is also the second biography of Stephen Crane that I have and should prove to be an interesting read.

I finished reading "To the Heart of the Nile: Lady Florence Baker and the Exploration of Central Africa" by Pat Shipman today. What an amazing life both Florence and Sam Baker had adventuring in Africa and Egypt and despite illnesses and betrayals were still able to live long and amazing lives. A very enthralling read indeed.

9/5/09

I finished reading the third book in the "Hollywood History" issue. This issue will be quite fascinating. "

9/4/09

I just finished reading two very delightful books. Both light reads, but fun reads never the less! I finished reading "The Famous Amos Story: The Face That Launched A Thousand Chips" by Wally Amos & Leroy Robinson which is his memoir as an agent and entenprenur and is just amazing. I also finished reading "Never Put Ketchup on a Hot Dog" by Bob Schwartz and I never realized how the hot dog and Chicago are so connected. Just a fascinating read.

9/3/09

I sent off a total of twenty-five sets of bookmarks to twenty-five libraries. Now all I need to do is prepare five more sets and I have met my quota for the month. It's a lot of work to prepare the bookmarks, but it is worth it.

I got two interesting books today and am very delighted by my find. "The Famous Amos Story: The Face That Launched A Thousand Chips" by Wally Amos & Leroy Robinson and is Wally Amos's memoir of his life and how he became the cookie king. I've been looking for this memoir and am happy to have gotten it. "Never Put Ketchup on a Hot Dog" by Bob Schwartz and is a delightful history of the hot dog stands in Chicago and the metro area and how these hot stands impacted the neighborhoods. Looks to be a fun read.

9/2/09

I finished reading my second book in the "History of Hollywood" issue today. What I finished reading is "The Genius of the System: Hollywood Filmmaking in the Studio Era" by Thomas Schartz and tells the fascinating story of the studio filmmaking in the 1930s to the 1960s and why it was so successful. Perfect book for the "Hollywood History" issue.

9/1/09

I finished reading "Beijing: The Biography of a City" by Jonathan Clements today. Although a small book it was still a very informative read. This biography chronicles the history of Beijing from the cave man up to the present day and the dynamic changes in the history of the city. A very good read.

I purchased thirty stamps today for envelopes which will contain bookmarks that will be sent to thirty libraries. I also photocopied two hundred introduction letters which will go with the bookmarks to explain why I am sending the bookmarks.

I am now cutting out bookmarks and when I get done I will have cut out nine hundred bookmarks. I like to send out thirty sets of bookmarks each month to thirty libraries. In this way I let people know about my web site. I have addressed the envelopes and the bookmarks will to to libraries to Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Connecticut. Should be good.

(c) copyright 2009 by William Tienken