Tag / Angel

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Prolific Authors – 17 Books

Way back in December of 2011 (and again every other December since), we’ve taken a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, since I’ve far surpassed my reading output of any year on record, I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through October. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 118 books, so there could be some movement over the past two years, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time span.  We continue things today with the sole author I’ve read 17 times.

Nancy Holder

My most prolific author first came to my attention in 1998, when I read Halloween Rain, her first entry, along with Christopher Golden, in the series of books based on the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  Twelve of her 17 entries, all of which are tie-ins to either Buffy and/or Angel, were read between 1998 and 2002.  After a nine-year layoff, she returned to my attention in 2011 with Carnival of Souls.

Heat – Nancy Holder

Another five years went by, before she returned again with two books in 2016, one in 2018, and then, finally, one in 2021.  Seeing as I have depleted my backlog of Buffy novels, she’s likely to stay put for the foreseeable future, unless someone re-releases these cheaply on the Kindle.

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Prolific Authors – 5 Books

Way back in December of 2011 (and again every other December since), we’ve taken a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school. Since I’ve far surpassed my “normal” reading output the last three years, I thought it would be nice to once again take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through the start of October. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 118 books, so there could be some movement over the past two years, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time span.  We continue today with the seven authors I’ve read four times, down one since 2021.

Amber Benson

The former Buffy the Vampire Slayer star checks in with the five entries in her Calliope Reaper-Jones fantasy series.

Angels & Demons – Dan Brown

Dan Brown

Brown, who became a publishing superstar with the release of The DaVinci Code in 2003, moves up the list thanks to 2009’s The Lost Symbol.

Diane Carey

First read in 1991, she was a stalwart of the Star Trek: The Next Generation novel line, which accounted for four of her five entries.

Jeff Mariotte

The former WildStorm VP and DC editor stands pat with his entries from the Buffy and Angel series of novels.

The Willow Files Vol. 2 – Yvonne Navarro

Yvonne Navarro

All five of the Chicago native’s works that I’ve read revisit the Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe.

Tom Perrotta

A nice two-book jump for the American novelist and screenwriter, whose works have a tendency to wind up on screen.

William Shatner

The actor best known for his role as Captain Kirk in Star Trek checks in with his efforts, whatever they may have been, both with his TekWar series and on two Star Trek novels.

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Prolific Authors – 2 Books

Way back in December of 2011 (and again every other December since), we’ve taken a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, since I’ve far surpassed my reading output of any year on record, I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through October. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 118 books, so there could be some movement over the past two years, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time span.  Today, we start things off with the now 41 authors I’ve read twice, an increase of six over two years ago.

Max Barry

An Australian author, I’ve enjoyed the two novels of his I’ve read, Jennifer Government and Company.

Laura Caldwell

I have no idea how I came across the work of this local author, but I must have enjoyed it enough to go back for seconds.  Unfortunately, she passed away in 2020.

Michael Chabon

Winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, the most recent of the two works of his I’ve read.  I have another, Wonder Boys, waiting in the to read pile, so he rise up some day.

Fate Of The Union – Max Allan Collins with Matthew V. Clemens

Matthew V. Clemens

The co-author, with Max Allan Collins, of the final two chapters of the Reeder and Rogers trilogy.

Ernest Cline

The man responsible for both Ready Player One and Ready Player Two.

Bill Clinton

The former president has co-written two novels with James Patterson.

Felicia Day

The first author here that I’ve happened to meet in person.

Cameron Dokey

She makes the list based on two entries in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series.

Diane Duane

Living in Ireland, she is responsible for a Star Trek: The Next Generation book and a Spider-Man novel, of all things.

Warren Ellis

The comic writer, currently in exile after being called out for abusing women, makes the list thanks to two prose novels.

David Fisher Continue reading →

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Travelling The 50 States – Ohio

Over my 48 years, I’ve done my fair share of travelling across these United States.  I thought it would be an interesting experiment go look back at those trips to each of the 31 states I have visited (62% isn’t bad, is it?) and see if, and when, I may be returning.  Working in alphabetical order, we continue today with the 17th state to be added to the Union: Ohio.

State: Ohio
Joined the Union: 1803
Visits: 1112 (I think)

Over the years, I’ve made at least eleven trips to the Buckeye State, first in 1996 and most recently in 2019.

My first trip would have been in early May of 1996.  At the end of finals week, a group of us headed out from West Lafayette for a day trip to King’s Island amusement park.  Things I remember from this trip: stopping at or near the campus of Miami of Ohio for food, I’m assuming on the way there and a group of Ferengi characters chasing after the ladies in our group and asking them to stroke their ears.  I don’t remember any particular rides, though I’m sure we partook.

I would return to Ohio on Friday, April 7, 2000 to see the Cubs battle the Reds and their newest acquisition, Ken Griffey Jr.  An eclectic group started the morning way too early with Krispy Kreme donuts at the house before heading towards Cincinnati.  Along the way, there was a brief stop in West Lafayette, because why not, and further along in Indiana for the trifecta of a KFC/Taco Bell/Pizza Hut for lunch.  We arrived in Cincinnati well before the stadium opened, so some time was spent walking around the bustling metropolis that was, and continues to be, Cincinnati.  Our tickets were in the upper deck and, to be honest, I have little to no recollection of the game itself, which the Cubs won 10-6.  My one and only memory of the game is losing my balance and tumbling down 5-10 rows, landing on a group of fans below.  Certainly not my proudest moment.

I returned to Ohio, and the Cincinnati area, in at the end of April in 2003.  My friend Scott had moved to Ohio at some point, and I went for a weekend visit.  Aside from a trip to the local comic shops, the highlight was visiting the brand new Great American Ball Park.  The Padres were in town to battle Reds and we got to check out what the new stadium had to offer.

The next season, the Cubs opened their season in Cincinnati against the Reds, so another trip was in order.  My friend Pete and I headed out early in the morning, meeting up with Scott and walking across the bridge from Kentucky back to Ohio to get to the ballpark.  Vice President Dick Cheney was on hand to throw out the first pitch, and the Cubs pulled out the victory.

I returned to the Cincinnati area in August of 2005, where I attended the Reds game against the Diamondbacks, kicking off a string of three stadiums in three states in nine days.

In 2006, the Cubs once again opened their season on the road against the Reds and again it constituted a road trip down to see, where this time President George W Bush threw out the first pitch.

I made a return trip that summer for interleague play to see the White Sox battle the Reds.

In 2007, when the Cubs were looking to clinch the division, I made the trip down, but missed it by one day.

The next year, I made my final, to date, trip down to Cincinnati and saw the Rockies defeat the Reds. Continue reading →

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Prolific Authors – 17 Books

Way back in December of 2011 (and again every other December since), we’ve taken a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, since I’ve far surpassed my reading output of any year on record, I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through August. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 60 books from 54 different authors. There shouldn’t be much movement over the past 2 years, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time span.  Today, we finish things off with the author I’ve read the most, with 17 entries.

Nancy Holder

My most prolific author first came to my attention in 1998, when I read Halloween Rain, her first entry, along with Christopher Golden, into the Buffy The Vampire Slayer series of books based on the television show.  12 of her 17 entries, all of which are tie-ins to either Buffy or Angel, were read between 1998 and 2002.  After a 9 year lay off, she returned to me attention in 2011 with Carnival of Souls.

Carnival of Souls – Nancy Holder

Another 5 years went by, before she returned again with 2 books in 2016, once in 2018, and then one earlier this year.  Seeing as I have depleted my backlog of Buffy novels, she’s likely to stay put for the foreseeable future, unless someone re-releases these cheaply on the Kindle.

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Prolific Authors – 5 Books

Way back in December of 2011 (and again every other December since), we’ve taken a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, since I’ve far surpassed my reading output of any year on record, I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through August. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 60 books from 54 different authors. There shouldn’t be much movement over the past 2 years, but it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much in that time span.  Today, we continue with the 8 authors I’ve read 5 times.

Death’s Daughter – Amber Benson

Amber Benson

The actress checks in with the five entries in her Calliope Reaper-Jones series.

Diane Carey

A stalwart of the Star Trek: The Next Generation novel line, she added a new one, Red Sector, last year after a 23 year absence.

Jeff Mariotte

His two most recent entries come from the long-ignored (by me) Angel series of novels.

Promise Not To Tell – Jennifer McMahon

Jennifer McMahon

After feeling unimpressed after finishing my first of her works, Dismantled, in 2010, I eventually gave her another try and have found them much more engaging.

Yvonne Navarro

All five of her works that I’ve read revisit the Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe.

Final Girls – Riley Sager

Riley Sager

One of my new favorites, I’ve read all of his novels, including the recently released Survive The Night.

William Shatner

The actor best known for his role as Captain Kirk in Star Trek checks in with his efforts, whatever they may have been, both with his TekWar series and on two Star Trek novels.

Scott Turow

The Chicago-based lawyer should be moving up shortly, as his latest is sitting on my shelf waiting to be read.

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iTunes Top 200: #112 – 125

itunes_image4 years ago, we last counted down the Top 200 songs in my iTunes library. Since my iTunes stats are still intact, across multiple PCs, iPods, iPads, and iPhones, I figured it was time to take another look at my most listened to songs, based on number of plays as of January 1, 2020.

We march forward today with the next batch of songs tied with 32 plays and the first batch with 33, dating back to late 2007 according to my iTunes stats.

#125: Darling Violetta – Angel Main Theme
iTunes stats: 32 plays, most recently on 6/13/2019
Previous ranking: #56

The band performed 2 songs in a third season episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer before being tasked to perform the theme to the spin-off.

#125: Crew Cuts – Sh Boom
iTunes stats: 32 plays, most recently on 10/27/2019
Previous ranking: Unranked

A nice debut for the version of the song that was #1 on the Billboard charts for nine weeks during August and September 1954 and most closely resembles the one used in Clue: The Movie.

#125: The Cranberries – Zombie
iTunes stats: 32 plays, most recently on 10/30/2019
Previous ranking: Unranked

Written about the IRA bombing in Warrington in 1993, the first single from the Cranberries sophomore effort  also appears on Volume 15 of my mix tapes.

#125: The Cast Of Buffy The Vampire Slayer – Coda
iTunes stats: 32 plays, most recently on 11/9/2019
Previous ranking: #36

The final bit of cast singing from the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

#125: The Cast Of Buffy The Vampire Slayer – Under Your Spell
iTunes stats: 32 plays, most recently on 11/9/2019
Previous ranking: #79

Amber Benson performs the song which writer Joss Whedon called “pornography” and “probably the dirtiest lyric I’ve ever written, but also very, very beautiful”.

#125: Blur – Girls & Boys
Continue reading →

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Post Mortem – Bones

When Bones debuted on FOX on September 13, 2005, the White Sox were still a month and a half from breaking their 88 year World Series drought and the Cubs drought had not even hit 100 years.  12 years later, the wacky procedural had aired in at least one timeslot on every weeknight, giving FOX a steady, if unspectacular, performer.

Fresh from Angel, David Boreanaz signed on as Agent Seeley Booth, followed quickly by Emily Deschanel as Temperance Brennan.  Their chemistry helped to elevate the show above a typical procedural, useful for a 12 season, 246 episode run.

While it was certainly time for the show to move on, I can’t say that I won’t miss having it on the schedule.  Even at the end, when the cracks were starting to show, it was an enjoyable way to spend an hour with a group of old friends who had been together for so long.

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iTunes Top 200 Artists: #179-185

3 years ago, we first counted down the then Top 100 artists in my iTunes library.  Since that time, I’ve successfully managed to migrate my music collection to a new PC with the stats intact.  So, I figured it was time to take another look, expanding out the field to the top 200 artists, based on number of plays from late 2007 through January 1, 2017.

Today, we look at the remaining 6 bands tied for 185th with 25 plays apiece before starting with the first 4 bands tied for 179th, with 26.  Again, these are all new entries to the list from the original 2013 edition.

#179: PJ Harvey
iTunes stats: 26 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The 90s indie darling has a completely even split between 2 songs to make up this total.

#179: Soundgarden
iTunes stats: 26 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

5 different tracks from the bastions of Seattle’s alternative scene place them pretty low on the list.

#179: The B-52’s
iTunes stats: 26 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The Georgia-based band has 3 songs that make up this total.

#179: The Wonders
iTunes stats: 26 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The imaginary band from the hit 1996 film That Thing You Do! uses their one hit to make their way on to the chart.

#185: Cardigans
iTunes stats: 25 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The Swedish band, who I saw live in 2004, make the list thanks to 3 tunes.

#185: Darling Violetta
iTunes stats: 25 plays
Previous ranking: N/A

The outfit responsible for the theme song to Angel rides that track to this spot on the chart.

#185: Firehouse
Continue reading →

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Book 13 (of 52) – Heat

Heat - Nancy Holder

Heat – Nancy Holder

My second attempt to acquire and read this book was much more successful, though maybe fate was trying to keep me from something.  In this tale from author Nancy Holder, ancient demons from China plot to thaw out magical dragons and take over the world, attacking both in Sunnydale and Los Angeles.  Buffy and Angel are forced to reunite in order to stop the threat and save the world.

Unlike her other works in this franchise, Holder’s output this time was a bit of a slog to get through.  Perhaps if less time was spent on the demons and where they came from and why they are attacking and more time was spent with out heroes, it would have been a bit more enjoyable.  But, it is what it is and my latest foray into the Buffyverse comes to an end.