NOW THIS IS A BOOK PARTY! Tons of fun Sunday night at former L.A. Mayor Dick Riordan's home. The Mayor is a GREAT reader. How great? His sprawling, Spanish-style Brentwood hacienda has a 40,000 volume library. (The food and libations were first rate, too). Riordan is an old friend of our pal Dave Barry, so he played host to Dave and fellow naked scribbler Ridley Pearson. The boys are on the road with their latest Peter Pan prequel: "Peter and the Sword of Mercy."
You can catch Dave tonight on Craig Ferguson's "Late, Late, Show" along with Valerie Bertinelli, whose major talent seems to be remaining cheerful and bubbly while losing weight.
"Peter..." is going gangbusters. Here's my review, and you can quote me:
"Peter and the Sword of Mercy" is the BEST BOOK EVER to open in the Palatine Chapel in Aachen, Germany in the year 811, and then jump to England's Isle of Wight in 1901.
MIAMI, HERE I COME: I'll be hanging out at Miami Book Fair International next week. Doing a panel Saturday the 14th with Richard Belzer ("I Am Not a Psychic!") and Jeff Lindsay ("Darkly Dreaming Dexter").
PARENTING 101: Kate Gosselin says her 2/3 of a dozen brood is suffering because of the marital split. I'm guessing it doesn't help a lot to go on the TODAY show as much as possible to whine about it.
DEAR SARAH PALIN: Her editor scribbles notes on the former Gov's memoir: "'Mexican' is not a language." Har! Okay, so it's Carl Hiaasen, not her editor. His column can be found in what's left of The Miami Herald.
Paul Levine
These books left me cold because they contradict J.M. Barrie's original tales. Besides the fact that Pan already had a backstory, there are numerous mistakes (both factually and thematically.) I don't see how they can disrespect another author's work like that. And if it's just supposed to be prequels to the Disney movie, they contradict that, too.
ReplyDeleteThere is a faithful Pan adventure. Click my name to see.
BELIEVE!
Sorry I'll miss you in Miami.
ReplyDeleteJim
I have absolutely no idea what The Never Fairy is talking about but bless his (her?) heart for believing.
ReplyDeleteAnd tell us the truth, Paulie. Are you running for office?
Dear Never Fairy,
ReplyDeleteSeems to me your criticism could be valid if the original tale was non-fiction. But by definition, novelists get to tinker with the facts...especially made-up ones.
I disagree. (Imagine! ;] )
ReplyDeleteFor within the world of Barrie's novel, these are not made-up facts. They are facts. Such as which hand Hook's hook is on... that Peter Pan did NOT come from an orphange... that shadows are not connected to one's soul... Check this out for further mistakes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_and_the_Starcatchers#Differences_from_the_works_of_Barrie
If they made the original stories up themsevles, they could also "create" the "facts." But altering what Barrie wrote as fact for his stories...that's sheer negligence and, as I said, disrespect.