Tag / Rob Thomas

by admin

Book 3 (of 52) – Mr. Kiss And Tell

Mr. Kiss And Tell - Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham

Mr. Kiss And Tell – Rob Thomas & Jennifer Graham

Veronica Mars returns in this second novel following the events of last year’s Kickstarter-funded movie.  This time out, Veronica investigates the brutal rape and attack of the sister of an old friend while Keith works on a lawsuit against Dan Lamb and the sheriff’s department on behalf of Weevil.

With another movie likely off the table, Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham have been continuing the story of Veronica Mars in book form, and this second novel picks up some threads from the first while bringing a new A-story.  I am certainly enjoying the trip, which brings the characters from a favorite show in to the current day, allowing them to age and be adults.  Hopefully there will be more on the way.

by jim

2014: The Year In Books

2014books

With another year coming to an end, it is time to take a look back at the 23 books I read over the past year, an increase of 5 from last year. Of those 23, 7 were non-fiction and, of the 16 novels, 8 were TV show tie-ins. Only 5 of the books came from the “to-read” drawer, and 8 were e-books.  I read a grand total of 9000 pages, the most in 1 year since 1992.

A majority of the books I read this year were by authors I’ve never read before. The 14 authors that I read for the first this year were:
Amy Poehler
James VanOsdol
John Passarella
Mary Karr
Thomas E. Sniegoski
William Lashner
Teresa Strasser
Adam Carolla
Bryan Bishop
John Green
Rob Thomas
Jennifer Graham
Brian Jay Jones
Gord Rollo

The ghost writer(s) for Richard Castle and David Mack were the only authors I read multiple times in 2014.

The six books that I read this year that were released this year were Richard Castle’s Wild Storm, Amy Poehler’s Yes Please, Greg Rucka’s Bravo, William Lashner’s The Barkeep, Adam Carolla’s President Me, and The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham.

Finally, the breakdown by month.  Vacations in April and December certainly helped pad their totals a tad bit.
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The CW Upfronts

arrow-keyart-closeupWith only 10 hours of programming per week, and most of that aimed directly at pre-teen girls, the CW doesn’t have much to talk about as they unveil their fall schedule.  DC gets another show on the schedule with Flash, spun off from Arrow, which will air Tuesday nights and lead in to the 47th season of Supernatural.  Speaking of Arrow, it stays where it is on Wednesday.  And that’s about it.

Waiting for mid-season is yet another DC adaptation, iZombie, brought to us by Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas.

And thus endeth our look at the 2014 upfronts.

 

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Book 6 (of 52) – Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line

Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line - Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham

Veronica Mars: The Thousand Dollar Tan Line – Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham

When Rob Thomas first started hashing out the Veronica Mars movie, he had a story that he wanted to tell. Before he got too far along in the writing process, though, he decided he needed to tell a different story first, one which reintroduced the characters and set them in place going forward. That is what we got last month as the Veronica Mars movie. That original story, though, now comes to us in novel form, thanks to Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham.

Before we go any further, a spoiler warning. There is no way to discuss the book without revealing where the film left the characters. If you haven’t seen the film, and assuming anybody happens to be reading this, you have been forewarned. Turn back now while you still can.

The book picks up a few months after the end of the film. Veronica is back in Neptune and running her father’s business while he recupperates from the accident that killed Deputy Sachs. Business is slow until she is hired by the town’s chamber of commerce to help the inept sheriff solve the case of a missing coed, which threatens the town’s spring break business. While the sheriff butts heads with the Nancy Grace stand-in, Veronica investigates the original missing girl, a second one is reported, one which brings back some unresolved issues from Veronica’s past.

As a backer of the Kickstarter campaign that enabled the film, I guess it is safe to say that I am a Veronica Mars fan and this novel should be right up my alley. Well, it certainly was. Graham, working from Thomas’ story, managed to capture the essence of these characters that, for some reason, have managed to endure for all these years. The future of Veronica Mars as a live action franchise still remains to be seen at this point. If it were to live on in novel form only, this first installment gives one hope for that future.

by jim

We Used To Be Friends

vmars

Ever since the show was cancelled back in 2007, Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas and star Kristen Bell have talked about reviving the characters for a movie.  It always seemed like a pipe dream, until yesterday morning, when the pair launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the film.  The goal: raise $2,000,000 in 30 days.  Judging by the response so far, Mars Investigations will be back in business next year.

The project has broken a Kickstarter record by passing the $1 million mark in under 5 hours.  The official goal of $2 million was surpassed at 7:55 PM.  Of course, the more money they raise, the more that can be spent on the movie.

I ended up contributing $100, which entitles me to email updates about the project, a PDF of the shooting script, a limited edition t-shirt, a digital version of the movie at the time of the theatrical release, the official movie poster, and the Blu-Ray/DVD combo pack.  I had considered splurging a bit and contributing $1000, which included all of the swag I’m already getting, plus a signed poster and tickets to the premiere and the after party.  Luckily, those sold out before I pulled the trigger, but I have certainly spent more on less.