Ahira's Hangar

When I have the energy I have been slowly reading my history of the Thames River. It is actually pretty interesting - tons of important stuff happened near or on the banks of the river. Perhaps the best part is that the river is returning to life after centuries of extreme pollution and bad treatment.

When I do not have the energy and need to read something mindless I have been reading a biography of film star Humphrey Bogart. I always liked him as an actor - sounds like he was quite the no-nonsense guy in real life as well.

No, it was a book I ran into at the bookstore when I had my holiday gift card in hand. I have always had an interest in British history, and it just sort of jumped out at me.

The Dark Tower again.

--A

I really like those graphic novels, too.

LuciMay sent me the first series (in comic form), but those are the only ones, and they didn't expand the story much. Just retold it. Haven't seen them out here yet unfortunately, but if they've come out as graphic novels, I might have a better chance.

Anyway, finished it. Looks like I'm about to reread the Gap series next...can't think of anything else.

--A

Have been trying to read Portrait of a Killer Jack the Ripper Case Closed by Patricia Cornwell, a best selling crime novelist.

It really sucks, though. My children could write something better than this.

The author decided upon one guy (a painter named Walter Sickert) being Jack the Ripper and brings up any tiny bit of circumstantial evidence, no matter how unrelated, to try to prove her case. And she doesn't even glance at any other possible suspects - or most of the real evidence from the crime scenes.

At least my kids would know that in writing a research paper you have to try prove any other suspects not guilty and look at actual evidence before circumstantial evidence.

Big time flunk.

Hey, I think I saw a program on Discovery a while back about Jack the Ripper that mentioned Cornwell's theory.
If I recall correctly, though, all the experts interviewed on the show dismissed the theory, for the reasons you've stated.

I saw one on the Ripper (I think it was on either Discovery or the National Geographic channel) where the guy was trying to prove that the Ripper came over to America when things got too hot for him over in London, and traveled around the country murdering prostitutes. Crazy as that was, it still made more sense and had more evidence than Cornwell.

Hahaha, I've read that. Didn't think it was that bad, (not that it was good) but I was reading it as a story...

--A

As a crime novel it might work, but not as a factual history.