Hmmm...

John Roberts, the Supreme Court nominee, and Greg Kinnear, the actor: separated at birth?

Top Three Fast Food Burritos in Austin,TX

In descending order of goodness:

1. Freebird's

2. Changos

3. Chipotle

If I were in Houston, I'd insert Mission Burrito in there as number 2 and Chipotle would drop from the list.

Seven Soldiers

I am keenly interested in a series of comics published by DC, seven sets of four-issue series with a stand-alone issue at the beginning and at the end, collectively entitled Seven Soldiers. Written by Grant Morrison, this project involves seven obscure DC characters (each one the subject of a four issue series) who find themselves in the middle of a mystical battle for the fate of the world. Each limited series can stand on its own and (so far) there is no meaningful interaction between the seven characters, although common threads are emerging as rewards for the attentive reader.

I direct your attention to this excellent analysis of the books released so far, as well as this site for background detail.

This is serialized story telling at its best. For my money, a comic provides a reading experience that cannot be replicated in other forms: a textual as well as a graphic context which imparts different layers of meaning; ongoing storylines that reward attentive reading; and escapist fantasy that allows the reader to put his brain in neutral and rev the engine for a while. Seven Soldiers provides all of these things and more, in spades.

And for those of you who enjoyed the recent War of the Worlds movie, I heartily recommend the second volume of Alan Moore's The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, where heroes of nineteenth century literature take on the Martian tripods in an entertaining twist of the H.G. Wells story. Fair warning: this is a very adult comic, with scenes not suitable for kids.

London Bombing

Check this blog for details on the recent bombing.

And here is a nice letter from London to the terrorists.

Two Historical Fiction Novels

Captain Alatriste, by Arturo Perez-Reverte. I have been a fan of this author since Club Dumas (the book upon which the movie The Ninth Gate was based - a great book, a rotten movie). Like me, Mr. Perez-Reverte likes Alexander Dumas. The titular character in his new book is cut from the same cloth as The Three Musketeers: a competent, principled and world-weary swordsman caught up in political intrigue. In this case, our hero is in Spain during the height of its power and the machinations are devised and instigated by persons in the highest noble and clerical circles. The book is a quick read and utterly enjoyable. I look forward to reading the next installment in the series.

The Coffee Trader, by David Liss. Mr. Liss is a new find for me. He is known for writing historical novels that emphasize economic history, suspense novels set in the proto-corporate world of Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. The Coffee Trader concerns a Portuguese Jew living in Amsterdam in the 17th century who attempts to establish a monopoly in the nascent coffee trade. The book is thick with plots and counter-plots and spiced with glimpses of life in the Netherlands and details of Jewish life among the relatively free-wheeling Protestants of that time and place. Although there is no flashy swordplay, no one is a good guy in this story and the twists are unpredictable and satisfying.

Here's a person who didn't like Batman Begins very much. I think he makes some good points but I still think the movie was head-and-shoulders above what came before it.