Slightly Off KIlter

Normal is overrated

Books, Movies, Music

  • I Want a Mural

    Seen yesterday, half a mile or so from the Seattle Fauntleroy Ferry terminal.   (I wonder how the HOA would feel about me putting a mural on the side wall of the house.         Continue reading

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  • Between

    Between, by Kerry Schafer. © 2013. Published by Ace books. ISBN-13: 978-0425261149 It's a recognized fact among lovers of books that good characters come alive. They become friends; you miss them when you close the book. Many a reader has experienced the feeling of falling in love with a character. But, how often can you… Continue reading

  • Summerland

    I’ve been reading “Summerland” by Michael Chabon. It’s a good book, in one of my favorite genres, “juvenile fantasy”. Continue reading

  • Made To Stick

    Why do some ideas thrive while others die? And how do we improve the chances of worthy ideas? In Made to Stick, accomplished educators and idea collectors Chip and Dan Heath tackle head-on these vexing questions. Continue reading

  • The Legend of Beka Cooper

    I’ve just finished reading Terrier: The Legend of Beka Cooper by Tamora Pierce. This is the first Beka book; the second is coming soon in hardcover. Beka Cooper is a “puppy”, a first-year rookie with the law-enforcing Provost’s Guard, more commonly known as the Provost’s Dogs. Beka lives in Tortall, scene of many of Tamora… Continue reading

  • The Cosmic Clues

    Most of the mass-market paperback mystery fiction on the shelves in my bookstore is written by American authors. Their characters live in the United States because the authors do. After all, there are a lot of authors in the US. So The Cosmic Clues comes as a surprise and a treat — both the author,… Continue reading

  • Jelled Teams

    The excerpt below is from Peopleware, by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister. Peopleware is one of my favorite, must-read, oft-recommended books. (I'm not alone in this recommendation; see Joel Spolsy's Book Reviews.) I've had the pleasure and satisfaction of working in a Jelled Team. They're special. They're rare. They're endangered… We tend to use the… Continue reading

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  • Purple House Press

    I discovered Purple House Press in late 2000 while doing a search for a copy of The Space Child’s Mother Goose by Frederick Winsor. First published by Simon and Schuster 1958, this book had been out of print for decades. Continue reading

  • Harry Dresden

    We’ve been fans of Harry Dresden for a long time. Harry, the only practicing wizard in Chicago, is the protagonist of Jim Butcher’s fantasy series, The Dresden Files. There are currently nine books in the series. Continue reading

  • Amanda Quick

    Amanda Quick is a pseudonym of Jayne Anne Krentz, under which name she writes historical romance novels. Most of the stories are set in Regency-period England, although at least one is set in Medieval times. I’m actually quite fond of romance novels, both contemporary and historical; however, I’m very picky about the authors I read.… Continue reading