Three Strikes

Wrigley Field
 where some of the action in
Calico Joe takes place

Maybe I am spoiled by reading Beverley Nichols, but really, there isn't an interesting sentence to be found in John Grisham's Calico Joe. It's just a story and one that we have heard before. There are four characters: Warren Tracey, pitcher for the New York Mets; his 11-year-old son Paul; Joe Castle, rookie for the Chicago Cubs; and, baseball.

Paul, as an adult, narrates the story which switches back and forth between the summer of 1973 and the present day. Warren is a bully and not all that great a father or a pitcher.  Paul loves baseball; hates his father. Joe loves baseball and is quite a sensation but has to deal with the resentment and jealousy of his opponents. Baseball is baseball. 

All these characters meet on the diamond of life (ouch) in these 200 pages. No surprises. 

Book Events

There are some bookish events coming up soon that might be worth checking out.

On Saturday there is a Writers Block Festival with workshops and discussion panels. The workshops don't interest me, but one of the panels is going to be on blogging. I might check that out.

This is the second year for this event which is held in an up-and-coming retail/restaurant/gallery neighborhood.

In November, the Kentucky Book Festival will be held in Frankfort. I have attended this a few times and have always enjoyed the trip. It is held indoors and is not too overwhelming. It is nice to see all the Kentucky writers.

On a different note, I started John Grisham's Calico Joe. By page 20 I could see where it was going...maybe. There is some fun baseball history and the names of famous and familiar players are scattered throughout. I hope it doesn't disintegrate into a sad story. Alas, I fear it will. 

My reading list for October

I am finally moving on from the delightful gardens of Beverley Nichols. This month, I am going to head out to the baseball diamond and then I will explore a castle.

In October, I am determined to read Calico Joe by John Grisham. As this is an exciting baseball month - the playoffs culminating in the World Series - I feel it is only fitting to read a book about the Great American Pastime.

Calico Joe is a book I purchased from Square Books in Oxford, Mississippi on my Grand Southern Literary Tour in May. It is autographed by Mr. Grisham. I have not read anything by this very popular author but I couldn't resist buying this one as I do love baseball. Calico Joe is a rookie AA player who becomes the idol of every kid with a ball and a bat. That's all I know about it for now.

As far as the next book on my list for this month, it will be I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. I have owned this very famous book for some time. I have even read 50 pages or so. Then I put it down and, to my chagrin, never picked it up again. I will start again at the beginning.

I am committed to reading I Capture the Castle. One reason is that I remember being enchanted by the story (so far) and the other is that the movie stars Bill Nighy (I have a crush on him) as the father and I want to see him in it. I will read the book first, though, I promise.