tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7360685034740878498.comments2024-01-31T12:25:14.447-07:00BigAl's Books and PalsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4506125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7360685034740878498.post-39135715374862222832024-01-31T12:25:14.447-07:002024-01-31T12:25:14.447-07:00Takes some talent to make a bad day funny. Sadly, ...Takes some talent to make a bad day funny. Sadly, I have a few too many examples of bad days lately. Washing machine wouldn't fill, then wouldn't agitate, generator started for no good reason, my wildflower seeds were delivered ALL WET and had to get them resent...Mariahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11234907275906877802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7360685034740878498.post-65101238122444098652023-10-02T18:35:59.916-06:002023-10-02T18:35:59.916-06:00Thank you, BigAl! <3 <3 <3Thank you, BigAl! <3 <3 <3DVBerkomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14532240108342745282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7360685034740878498.post-71752082904723327442023-09-24T02:18:47.556-06:002023-09-24T02:18:47.556-06:00Thank you. I'm so glad you enjoyed Ragtown.Thank you. I'm so glad you enjoyed Ragtown. Kelly Stone Gamblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05580080443113053144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7360685034740878498.post-44163877506182613242023-08-21T05:38:10.795-06:002023-08-21T05:38:10.795-06:00Many thanks, BigAl. Much appreciated.Many thanks, BigAl. Much appreciated.Rob Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14774832141541740104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7360685034740878498.post-44126406290641396702023-08-16T12:15:06.940-06:002023-08-16T12:15:06.940-06:00This sounds really good!This sounds really good!Mariahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11234907275906877802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7360685034740878498.post-73213467805689710012023-06-04T19:05:51.178-06:002023-06-04T19:05:51.178-06:00Moon Witch Personality? Earth Magic
What does Lu...Moon Witch Personality? Earth Magic<br />What does Lunar Magic do? Strengthens magic, calls it.<br />What does the dark moon mean spiritually? Warning of danger<br />What is the spiritual use of the full moon? To ListenMariahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11234907275906877802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7360685034740878498.post-2499071729206463222023-04-12T11:57:59.372-06:002023-04-12T11:57:59.372-06:00I am so glad that you enjoyed Reinventing Rita. An...I am so glad that you enjoyed Reinventing Rita. And you're not the only man who connected with the topic, too! Thank you for the lovely review. Rita and I both appreciate it!Nancy Christiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16632495020303260196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7360685034740878498.post-87579125316261043302023-03-31T05:40:10.054-06:002023-03-31T05:40:10.054-06:00year-old boy, and both Kinley and Ransom hear the ...year-old boy, and both Kinley and Ransom hear the whispered voice that says, “Find him,” they know they have to do all they can to track him down. Since Ransom grew up in the area where other children have also been disappearing without a trace, he is familiar <br /><a href="https://love-language-test.odoo.com/" rel="nofollow">love language test</a> with the area and the people who live in the remote fishing village by Lake Iliamna. Plus, there have been several Bigfoot sightings in the area lately. However, they are usually shy, docile creatures. Kinley and Ransom are both aware that if a totem token is in the area it will cause the creatures to act out oflovelanguagetesthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16461906277081297931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7360685034740878498.post-8047987378572211452022-10-30T07:27:22.066-06:002022-10-30T07:27:22.066-06:00I'm so glad you enjoyed the stories! :-DI'm so glad you enjoyed the stories! :-D<br />Barbara Venkataramanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14918887500842989393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7360685034740878498.post-90023101939177017612022-10-15T19:53:00.310-06:002022-10-15T19:53:00.310-06:00I'm glad you sent a message. I reread the epil...I'm glad you sent a message. I reread the epilog, and I still would not have gotten the ironic intent without your guidance. "I know no one in this time, but still life is better than death, well yes," was my take. Perhaps if the novel had had a somewhat ominous or at least tenuously happy ending, the irony would have been easier to grasp. <br /><br />I am a retired journalist, last job was stocks editor at Bloomberg's Tokyo Bureau. I've had one novel and two short stories published by Virgin Books. Three novels put up and taken down by ebook houses for lack of sales. I recently tried self-publishing with <i>The Maryjane Gambit</i>, and I will not do so again. I will put the review on Amazon without the epilog reference.Sam Waitehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00465909254053045651noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7360685034740878498.post-4516773354345485452022-10-14T20:18:26.607-06:002022-10-14T20:18:26.607-06:00I liked your thoughtful review. However, whatever ...I liked your thoughtful review. However, whatever I intended with the novel, the last sentence is intended to be ironic. The horror of awakening to a world in which everyone loved is gone, is not better than death. Alex AustinAlex Austinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08112586805641870204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7360685034740878498.post-68010992408480884222022-10-06T13:41:53.223-06:002022-10-06T13:41:53.223-06:00Thank you!Thank you!Melissa Bowersockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09003269136098700063noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7360685034740878498.post-20759272625077766682022-08-22T15:02:02.711-06:002022-08-22T15:02:02.711-06:00Love the cover!
I think there has always been d...Love the cover! <br /><br />I think there has always been dispute over whether RobinHood was a good character or bad...<br />:)<br /><br />Perhaps it depends on which side of the blade you are standing on!Mariahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11234907275906877802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7360685034740878498.post-12429165270106907342022-08-12T14:18:45.021-06:002022-08-12T14:18:45.021-06:00I read both male and female mains. But I admit I ...I read both male and female mains. But I admit I avoid books labeled "women's fiction." I'm pretty firmly in the "genre" camp when it comes to reading and writing. Most women's fiction I have read do focus on relationships. That's not a bad thing, but it's not something I read often.Mariahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11234907275906877802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7360685034740878498.post-17047464624670022842022-07-19T15:02:02.164-06:002022-07-19T15:02:02.164-06:00They keep adding letters! And new terms. No way ...They keep adding letters! And new terms. No way can I keep track.Mariahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11234907275906877802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7360685034740878498.post-26405801158080409142022-07-06T06:29:47.723-06:002022-07-06T06:29:47.723-06:00How does this work on a Kindle, Al? Presumably it ...How does this work on a Kindle, Al? Presumably it is one of those books that will definitely repay enjoying in a paper format?Judi Moorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02863756115411755449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7360685034740878498.post-7299563518533956132022-07-03T01:27:26.650-06:002022-07-03T01:27:26.650-06:00If you enjoyed this excellent and informative revi...If you enjoyed this excellent and informative review of Howard Kaplan's Damascus Cover you are going to love this non-promotional anecdote about real spies and authors from the espionage genre whether you’re a le Carré connoisseur, a Deighton disciple, a Fleming fanatic, a Herron hireling or a Macintyre marauder and If you don't love all such things you might learn something so read on! <br /><br />There is one category of secret agent that is often overlooked … namely those who don’t know they have been recruited. For more on that topic we suggest you read Beyond Enkription (explained below) and this very current article on that topic by the ex-spook Bill Fairclough. The article can be found at TheBurlingtonFiles.org website in the News Section. The article (dated July 21, 2021) is about “Russian Interference”; it’s been read over 20,000 times. Anyway, since you seem to be interested in all things espionage we guess you’re interested in Oleg Gordievsky, so this anecdote should make for compulsory reading. <br /><br />John le Carré described Ben Macintyre’s fact based novel, The Spy and The Traitor, as “the best true spy story I have ever read”. It was about Kim Philby’s Russian counterpart, a KGB Colonel named Oleg Gordievsky, codename Sunbeam. In 1974 Gordievsky became a double agent working for MI6 in Copenhagen which was when Bill Fairclough aka Edward Burlington unwittingly launched his career as a secret agent for MI6. Fairclough and le Carré knew of each other: le Carré had even rejected Fairclough’s suggestion in 2014 that they collaborate on a book. As le Carré said at the time, “Why should I? I’ve got by so far without collaboration so why bother now?” A realistic response from a famous expert in fiction in his eighties!<br /><br />Gordievsky never met Fairclough, but he did know Fairclough’s handler, Colonel Alan McKenzie aka Colonel Alan Pemberton. It is little wonder therefore that in Beyond Enkription, the first fact based novel in The Burlington Files espionage series, genuine double agents, disinformation and deception weave wondrously within the relentless twists and turns of evolving events. Beyond Enkription is set in 1974 in London, Nassau and Port au Prince. Edward Burlington, a far from boring accountant, unwittingly started working for Alan McKenzie in MI6 and later worked eyes wide open for the CIA. <br /><br />What happens is so exhilarating and bone chilling it makes one wonder why bother reading espionage fiction when facts are so much more breathtaking. The fact based novel begs the question, were his covert activities in Haiti a prelude to the abortion of a CIA sponsored Haitian equivalent to the Cuban Bay of Pigs? Why was his father Dr Richard Fairclough, ex MI1, involved? Richard was of course a confidant of British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan, who became chief adviser to JFK during the Cuban missile crisis.<br /><br />Len Deighton and Mick Herron could be forgiven for thinking they co-wrote the raw noir anti-Bond narrative, Beyond Enkription. Atmospherically it’s reminiscent of Ted Lewis’ Get Carter of Michael Caine fame. If anyone ever makes a film based on Beyond Enkription they’ll only have themselves to blame if it doesn’t go down in history as a classic espionage thriller.<br /><br />By the way, the maverick Bill Fairclough had quite a lot in common with Greville Wynne (famous for his part in helping to reveal Russian missile deployment in Cuba in 1962) and has also even been called “a posh Harry Palmer”. As already noted, Bill Fairclough and John le Carré (aka David Cornwell) knew of each other but only long after Cornwell’s MI6 career ended thanks to Kim Philby. Coincidentally, the novelist Graham Greene used to work in MI6 reporting to Philby and Bill Fairclough actually stayed in Hôtel Oloffson during a covert op in Haiti (explained in Beyond Enkription) which was at the heart of Graham Greene’s spy novel The Comedians. Funny it’s such a small world!<br />MI6https://www.blogger.com/profile/08416815195914841290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7360685034740878498.post-4800211569588184662022-06-27T22:49:33.397-06:002022-06-27T22:49:33.397-06:00Wowowowow! Thanks for the stellar review, Al!Wowowowow! Thanks for the stellar review, Al!DVBerkomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14532240108342745282noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7360685034740878498.post-85876489850004081432022-06-23T14:26:11.174-06:002022-06-23T14:26:11.174-06:00I read about half of it. It's like a bunch of...I read about half of it. It's like a bunch of short story episodes turned into a novel. There's a lot of tough guy talk and a sort of gentleman's creed to some of the stories, but it's not consistent. Overall not smooth enough for me to finish, but part of that was because of the ridiculous sex scene and then the way women were portrayed. Even teenage girls know to put their pants on before appearing at breakfast. None of the women were admirable, at least in the first half. Mariahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11234907275906877802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7360685034740878498.post-86647915243154692842022-06-09T13:37:39.947-06:002022-06-09T13:37:39.947-06:00Thank you so much for the review, BigAl! We are so...Thank you so much for the review, BigAl! We are so glad you liked it.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02593471619293098090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7360685034740878498.post-25502220995397514222022-06-05T10:32:04.133-06:002022-06-05T10:32:04.133-06:00Having a bit of a bad month myself. This sounds l...Having a bit of a bad month myself. This sounds like good escapism fiction!!!Mariahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11234907275906877802noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7360685034740878498.post-36517497579622156852022-05-20T20:02:55.160-06:002022-05-20T20:02:55.160-06:00Big Al, thank you for your review. I appreciate it...Big Al, thank you for your review. I appreciate it very much! callingcrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11040749754676759012noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7360685034740878498.post-87205300842392151072022-05-11T15:46:14.063-06:002022-05-11T15:46:14.063-06:00A little extra info from your reviewer - I'm i...A little extra info from your reviewer - I'm in Britain. Over here there is only the one book available and only on Kindle. However, most readers of Books & Pals are in the USA, I think - where you can get it on Kindle or in hardback or paperback. <br /><br />There are more books promised in the series.Judi Moorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02863756115411755449noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7360685034740878498.post-59207134314165802352022-04-12T10:06:07.972-06:002022-04-12T10:06:07.972-06:00Thank you!Thank you!Melissa Bowersockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09003269136098700063noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7360685034740878498.post-60005169672164498952022-04-12T08:22:35.088-06:002022-04-12T08:22:35.088-06:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Dora Williamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01653292787359953722noreply@blogger.com