I‘m not a non fiction dude but I figure this books is a necessary read for all Americans, kinda like how the Constitution is a necessary read for the president. Couple of chapters in I‘m ready move Silence of the Lambs down to my second favorite book about the FBI, and Andrew McCabe is now my favorite G-Man.

Cape Fear was originally released as The Executioners. It starts out like John Wick. Poor dog. 😢

To label Stephen King as the “King of Horror” is inaccurate. The man writes great American literature, period.

It starts with this great American woman, Dolores Claiborne. She‘s a maid, a suffragette, and a tough mothertrucker. She works her hands to the bones, making an honest living, only to have her man fool her again and again. But Dolores‘ mother didn‘t raise no fool. She raised a hero. If being a bitch is what it takes, so be it. I ❤️ her.

Senator John McCain passed away peacefully today. I remember the 2008 presidential campaign, when his supporter called Obama an Arab and untrustworthy, McCain took her microphone and corrected, “he is a family man who I just happen to have disagreement with on fundamental issues.” He ran that campaign with grace and honor. I respect him immensely. RIP senator.

I‘m afraid some of our male politicians have taken this woman‘s advice. 🤔

Not since the Joy Luck Club we‘ve seen an all Asian cast in Hollywood. This is awesome. 😎

Starting this book tonight. First page, Aretha is with me. 🙏

Whenever I feel like reading The Stand again I watch the miniseries. It‘s an okay adaptation, bit dated. Not sure about Mother Abigail‘s portrayal. She‘s kinda creepy. If I dreamed about her and Flagg I might‘ve joined up with the latter. There‘s a touching scene where the survivors of the plague sing the National Anthem. That always gets me. Uncle Stevie makes a couple of cameos. The man cannot act. And yes, that‘s a candle stand.

Joe Hill believes that an extra from Jaws is the Jane Doe known as the Lady in the Dunes. Color me tantalized!

“When faced with grotesque, inexplicable tragedies,” he said in the WaPo article, “one of the ways that human beings master their own anxiety and concern is by trying to reduce it to a crossword puzzle, and if you have the right inspiration, you can bring order back to chaos.”

#whydidithavetobeme

Small haul! I‘m a quality over quantity type of guy. 😉

What‘s your favorite classics publisher? While Franklin looks the most respectable, I prefer Everyman‘s Library to their font and binding, plus the price is more reasonable. 😁 #AustenInAugust

The mystery section of my local bookstore. Picked up a Donald E. Westlake, who also wrote under the name Samuel Holt, apparently. Nice of the bookstore to group them together on the shelf, I wouldn‘t have known otherwise! 👏 👏 👏

Nihilistic tale, minimalistic prose, Heinrich Lyle would make Kurt Vonnegut proud. Follow a Dick‘s journey into the twilight zone as the moral of the story unfolds, which I guess is what not to do if you were well endowed? Amidst his wisdom what I'm constantly struck by is Lyle‘s prose. It's tighter and hotter than yoga pants. Sexy is the definitive word. Read this book and be aroused. Now I want more. FYI that‘s a massage tool in the pic. Jeez.

I figure the best way to honor an author‘s passing is to read the author‘s work. Philip Roth‘s funeral was yesterday. He was 85.

A writer once wrote, hording your own books is unbecoming. Fine, I just wrote that. 😝 I‘m giving away my books, for FREE, while supplies last. Shipping is on me wherever you‘re at. Love it or hate it, write a review for me, that‘s all I ask. Interested? Leave a comment, or shoot me an email at cheswick_lang@yahoo.com Hurry!

“Tom Wolfe, a great artist, got dressed in a suit and tie to write at his typewriter everyday. He wrote as he dressed, with style and precision in equal measure. He was, to use his own phrase, radical chic. Tom Wolfe was 88 years old.” —Brian Williams

My mom knows I read so she bought me a bunch of books from a garage sale. Either she doesn‘t know what genre I like or she‘s trying to tell me something. 🤔 #bookhaul?? #GettingInTouchWithMyFeminineSide

I even quoted this line in my book, Shanghai Bandit. Happy Mother‘s Day boys and girls!

An article today in WAPO is titled “In China and India, there are 70 million more men than women. Here are the consequences.” The consequences, which I‘ve long observed, was fictionalized in my book, The Only Girl in China. While fiction is also meant to be entertaining, one cannot ignore the severity of the underlying issue. The article concluded with women in India taking a stand. Well, China, your turn.

I used to get hot and bothered when reading a Sandra Brown sex scene, but this one merely made me chuckle. Either she ricocheted off the mark here (see what I did?) or I‘ve finally outgrew puberty. I doubt it‘s the latter. My recommendation is read her earlier works with a box of tissues handy, I mean, um, because you might cry, I dunno. 🤷‍♂️

2AM flight. Yawn. Reading this Sandra Brown thriller. I don‘t read Sandra Brown for thrills. Does anyone? Just get to the sex scene already. Yawn.

Ended my membership with the NRA. Books, not bullets. I support the students of Stoneman Douglas, and everyone marching today. #enough #MarchForOurLives #VoteThemOut #neveragain

Did you know today is National Puppy Day?

Finally binge watched the 4th season. I‘ve been saving it. Oh boy is it amazing! A show that serves as a prequel to Treasure Island, I wish television did this sort of thing more often. Modify just enough of the source material to make it a new thing. Pirates, argh!

Fewer life lessons here compared to Out of Sight, Rum Punch (aka Jackie Brown), but just as many dumbass criminals and smartass remarks. The highlight in this, as with lots of other Elmore Leonard stories, is the strong, sexy and intelligent female. The type who could get you shot without pulling a gun. Be on her good side or be sorry, fellas. I recommend this book, and Elmore Leonard in general. I must‘ve read 20 of his and never once hit a dud.

RIP Professor Hawking. 😢

Mr. Leonard making sure I reach my word count before supper.

“Ejaculate” as a dialogue tag, yay or nay? 🤔

I do not judge a book by its movie. He who judges as such has forgotten the face of his father.

I judge by its pacing.

I do not read with my eyes. He who reads with his eyes has forgotten the face of his father.

I read with my glasses.

I do not #DNF because I give up. He who gives up has...hell, you know the drill.

I gotta DNF this one for some page turners, guys. I‘ll come back to it later...next year. I promise.

My debut is available on #Netgalley till the 15th! Currently 95% on Litsy and ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ 1/2 on Amazon. Add it to your stack, it‘s free!

What's scarier than killer clowns? Delayed flight! 9 hours at the airport is gonna make Eric a constipated boy! 😤

Not a whodunnit, but a how to get away with murder type. A solid mystery nonetheless. One hell of a love story too. The deductive reasonings here remind me of my LSAT exam... Suspects A&B can't be seen with X who is an acquitance of C who happens to be investigating A with an interest in X. Why? 😝

Overall I'm glad I picked this one up in the sea of Chinese books. Bookstores here look like warehouses. Man, I really miss Barnes & Noble!

Reading The Devotion of Suspect ✖️in Chinese. Translation from Japanese to Chinese tends to be more accurate than to English. 😝

#nationalmuttday

Charlie is chihuahua and dachshund. He enjoys long walks in the park and dried chicken breast bits. 😋

I was young and impressionable when I read The Shinning. Now older and desensitized to violence & gore, I was still being kept awake at nights by Doctor Sleep, in this seedy motel room, no less. The themes of death and mortality were definitely highlights. But the real "shining" thing for me was King's writing. One hell of a page turner, this one. Bought the copy overseas for 1.5X the retail, not an ounce of regret. That's saying a lot!

"Hearts are tough, Most times they don't break. Most times they only bend."

Well my little heart is pretty bent out of shape over this collection. No body writes the innocence of childhood like Uncle Stevie. The language in here is beautiful. The stories are magical. The characters, dare I say, are full of hearts. I didn't want this book to end. Good thing there's a movie to tie me over. I have a feeling I'm gonna re-read this at some point. ?

Finished this brick at last! I honestly wanted to bail during the first half. It was so rambly, I had to get through by skimming blocky paragraphs. But I'm glad I stayed on board because the second half was one wild ride! The gang moved to a new setting, met new characters and had some actions. Even the Riddler from Batman made an appearance. 😝 It ended on a cliffhanger. My advice: make sure the next volume is within reach. You'll need it!

This is something like Being John Malchovich meets Lord of the Rings. There's a fellowship, a tower to get to, and doorways into people's minds. It's so outlandish and yet, utterly entertaining. Detta, the vilest of characters, has got to be one of my favorite King's creations. I imagine Uncle Stevie had one hell of a time writing her dialogue. I know I would. Now, on to the next installment! #DarkTowerReadAlong

When your book gets a movie, you get to reference that movie in your other books. 🤣

Short book, but felt long because it reads like an over-stuffed prologue. I reckon the story could've wrapped up in 100 pages or less. The premise is interesting but the writing is uninspired, dialogues made no sense most of the time. Best thing about it is the author's afterword, which encourages me to read the next installment. Will start tonight and I know it'll be good, after all, it can't be worse than this. 😁

I'm a fan of Uncle Stevie's but somehow The Dark Tower series was #DNF for me in its first entry. Now that the movie's coming out I figure it's about time I give it another try. #ReadtheBookBeforetheMovie

I've been a Transformers fanatic since I was 5. I remember my first toy, my second and third. The cartoon was one of the very few American shows that made it to China at the time, and boy was it awesome! Many fanboys have gone on to become toy designers or comic book writers, while others like myself simply oblige with our wallet. On quiet weekends I quietly bust out my toys and comics and have a quiet blast. How's that's for #introverting. 🤣

This just happened. Buyer made the purchase and asked me if I'm Chinese, I said yeah, then she cancelled immediately. I asked her why? This was her response.

For all aspiring writers.

I've pretty much memorized these lines by now. Whenever I feel like I can't write, I recite the words, chuckle, and keep going.

@maich

1. Born in China, living in San Diego.
2. Impossible to pick a favorite book. Favorite authors are George Martin, Elmore Leonard, Lee Child, Uncle Stevie.
3. Series: Jack Reacher, Asoiaf, Harry Potter
4. Movies: Jackie Brown, Fargo, Silence of the Lambs.
5. TV: The Mentalist, Game of Thrones.
6. Bands: Megadeth, Slayer, Iron Maiden to name a few.
7. Colors: Red white and blue. 🇺🇸
8. Genre: Crime fiction
9. Pet: A dog name Charlie.

Have a nice looking bookshelf so when you go on CNN via Skype you can stand in front of it. 🙄#ImportanceOfBookshelf

Housesitting for my parents so this is their library. #aprilbookshowers #shelfie @RealLifeReading

Cue Motley Crue's Home Sweet Home.

Browsing a bookstore in Saigon. Hopefully one day, my works will be translated to Vietnamese. Gonna be stateside in less than 48 hours...I don't wanna leave! 😭

Vung Tau was a popular R&R destination for American soldiers during the war. Peacetime it's R&R for this unproductive writer. (Vung Tau in the back, I'm working a tan.) 🤓