Noi Mahoney

Lonesome Dove revisited

Lonesome Dove screenwriter Bill Wittliff has released a book of photos called simply enough, "A Book of Photos from Lonesome Dove." The book is about a 100 photographs from on-set and locations during the filming of the 1980s mini-series Lonesome Dove. Before it was a TV mini-series (and a hugely successful one in terms of ratings), Lonesome Dove was also a famed novel by Larry McMurtry. I liked the book, and loved the mini-series. I still remember the inscription at the beginning of the novel:

All America lies at the end of the wilderness road, and our past is not a dead past, but still lives in us. Our forefathers had civilization inside themselves, the wild outside. We live in the civilization they created, but within us the wilderness still lingers. What they dreamed, we live, and what they lived, we dream- T. K. Whipple, "Study Out the Land"

Wittliff will have a launch party and reception for his book on Oct. 13 at 7 p.m., at the Wittliff Gallery in the Alkek Library, Texas State University in San Marcos.

Hell to Pay

I just finished reading Hell to Pay by George Pelecanos. It's a detective novel set in Washington D.C. featuring Derek Strange. It was good.
"Don't look down on a man unless you ready to help him up" reads the inscription at the beginning of the novel

I would go into the details of the plot. But overall its about the meanness of the streets, the tragedies we have to live through and the loved ones who can help us if we let them. A recurring theme throughout the book is

"protect your brother."

I lived in the DC area for about five years. Pelecanos does a good job of capturing the streets and neighborhoods of DC. Washington is one of the most unique cities in the world.
Pelecanos has written 14 novels, screenplays and TV shows. He's a writer for HBO's critically acclaimed "The Wire." He also has something to say about dog fighting.

Melancholy Whores

On the plane to Thailand (a 22 hour flight), I read Gabriel Garcia Marquez' "Memories of My Melancholy Whores." It was a strange, hipnotic, funny short novel. I love reading Marquez.

While in Thailand on my down time, I also read Dawn Powell's "Turn Magic Wheel." It was the first time I ever read anything by Powell. I liked it. It was a book about the nature of friendship and true love. I think the point of the book is that you can't help who you love. The only thing you can choose to do is how you express your love.

Love in the Time of Cholera

I finally finished reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez' "Love in the Time of Cholera."

I thought there was going to be a sad end, but Florentino Ariza and Fermina Daza get together after all. I think I would like to marry a woman who says this is her favorite book.

In one episode of The Simpsons, Marge Simpson is reading a book called "Love in the Time of Scurvy," and Lisa Simpson reads "Love in the Time of Coloring Books."

John Phillip Santos and the Chili Queens

This week my paper ran a piece about SA author John Phillip Santos. As you may remember, Santos wrote a bestselling memoir about his experiences growing up a Mexican-American in San Antonio. It's called Places Left Unfinished at the Time of Creation. I just finished reading it. I enjoyed it, especially when he talked about the history of SA, and some of the long forgotten notable people and places. Two stuck out for me. One was the restaurant Mexican Manhattan on Soledad Street. That's an old school eatery I must have passed by hundreds of times. I'm embarrassed to say I've never gone in. I'm going to quickly change that. Another thing Santos talked about was SA's famous Chili Queens. I never heard of these lady's who used to sell food downtown in the early 1900s.

Now, I am reading Gabriel Garcia Marquez' "Love in the Time of Cholera." It doesn't have anything to do with SA, but I'm liking it.