SOTR1989 Book Blog

  Jaws Peter Benchley   Released: February 1st, 1974 My 18th book for 2024 was Peter Benchley’s “Jaws”. I picked up a side job at Barnes and Noble this past September and found the 50th anniversary hardcover.  I had to pick it up.  I have heard legends about the novel over the years, much of which has been overshadowed by the blockbuster Steven Spielberg film. Most people are unaware that the film was actually based on a novel.  A rare moment where the movie is built from a novel as opposed to having a novelization written around the screenplay.   Martin Brody is a very human character.  He is a very sexual being, he drinks to excess when stressed, he smokes cigarettes, he gets emotional, and you really see something relatable based on the events he faces in the book. In the film, there is never really shown a true reason why the mayor is so hellbent on keeping the beaches open during the summer outside the economics of the local community.  The novel brings it to light about the mayor

  Planet Simpson Chris Turner   Released: October 12, 2004 My 17th book for 2024 was Chris Turner’s “Planet Simpson”. I was browsing around the Gaithersburg Wonderbook  when I stumbled upon this book.  The subject was super interesting. I love "The Simpsons".  It was released the year I was born, so it's been pretty cool to grow up with the series, and still see new episodes released even today.  It truly has made a strong pop cultural impact on both a national and international scale.   I always remember watching The Simpsons at 6:00p & 6:30p weeknights on Fox 5 in southcentral Pennsylvania.  Even more so were the nights when a severe thunderstorm came roaring through the area.  I vividly recall the many adventures of Springfield as a red ticker ran off an alerting buzz and we received the weather report scrolling across the bottom from the National Weather Service in State College, PA.   Since I've always seen the series as a sort of safety blanket (due to all t