Daddy Love by Joyce Carol Oates

Here's another gothic thing from Oates, centering on child abduction and absolute exploitation. Have you ever imagined what kind of a man would abduct a little boy to live alone with? What kind of stuff would this man want? How far would he take it, to make the whole crime worthwhile? It's a hero and villain story, only the hero is a helpless little boy who hardly knows any better.

Leaving Las Vegas by John O'Brien

I did write about the movie based on this book, and it was a great movie so of course I had to get fully into the lore. I love lore! Leaving Las Vegas is the story of a writer who drinks far too much and loses everything and decides to move to Las Vegas to avoid the stress of the liquor stores being closed between two and six in the morning. Our hero has accepted his death, breaking one last heart with his refusal to get well.

Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby Jr.

Here is a story of four people whose lives are turned to crud by the legality, illegality, and addictions of hard drugs in 1960s New York. You may have seen the movie. It has to do with heroine, and pharmeceutical uppers and downers. Dreams spin-out and dissolve in the need for drugs. You can make money off drugs, but what happens when you use up all the money to get high? Ever wonder how junkies stay the way they are? Ever worry about what your lonely old mom is up to in her lonely old apartment, desperate to dream? Yeah, this book will suck you in. And it's extremely dark.

An Unfortunate Woman by Richard Brautigan

Apparently this was Brautigan's final novel, a narrative processing of death from two different perspectives. I'd call it an intimate experience with a talented writer who knows how to get you feeling.

Ray's Pizza of Wintersville, OH

For years I've been wanting to try the 'Pittsburgh style' of pizza. It's a moment I've been looking forward to for a long time. Then I got to Pittsburgh and the driving was pretty bad, and one of their finest citizens told me "That pizza with the cold cheese? Yeah. Nobody eats that shit." So to make my life easier, I got out of the city and sampled the 'Pittsburgh style' in Ohio. We should look at the menu at Ray's Pizza.

Now look closer. Does this look like any pizza you've ever had? What is going on with those pepperonis? Also, the pizza on the menu looks nothing like what Ray has on offer. Ray's Pizza had a ratio* of 3cr/3ce/3ch. I probably would have liked it better if I'd gotten extra cheese. I also wish I'd inquired about what toppings were available. I'm sure the loyal locals all know.

Ray's dough gets a 2 out of 5. While there seemed to be an ample amount of oil in the recipe, it was quite dry and tasteless. Not real great, with no drink. Like last time. Their sauce gets a 4 out of 5, I think. It's better than what I got at Patti's Pizza of Eerie, PA. Tastes more like tomatoes.

Ray's gets a 3 out of 5 for style, because 'Pittsburgh style' does stand out, with its cold provolone and mozzarella. The vibes while I waited for my slices was not good. There was a storm going on and the door was open and it was hot and humid in there. A pretty bad Adam Sandler movie was playing on the old tv. The cash register was filthy, touched by the same hands that touch my food. They charged me 50 cents to pay with my card because I didn't want to deal with having more change in my pockets, or the person touching my food to be touching money in addition to the cash register. Okay, maybe the guy at the register didn't touch my food. However, my 3 squares of cheese pizza cost me $5.50. I consider that a deal.

The only beverages available were from a $3 vending machine. For overall quality, I'll give Ray's a 3 out of 5. They could have done better to preserve the texture of their sheet pan pizzas. I think my mom could have done better. With an overall score of 60% I will possibly eat Ray's again, after I've tried every other pizza in Wintersville.

*Let me explain my ratio system, regarding mass of standard Pizza Elements. Cr=Crust. Ce=Sauce. Ch=Cheese.

For CR (CRust), 1 is the equivalent of a transparent pizza in the New York style, or the rolled-out, crackery Saint Louis style. 3 would be a regular Domino's hand-tossed Pizza. 4 would be like a Pizza Hut Pan Pizza, and 5 would be like a Sicilian Pizza or some varieties of Deep Dish.

For Ce (sauCE), 1 would be a watery sauce with a thin spreading, no clumping and no oozing. In this cause, the sauce is an afterthought, more like oregano than a key ingredient. 3 would be what you'd expect from a Pizza Hut Pan Pizza. 5 would require a fork to eat.

Patti's Pizza of Eerie, PA

You might say I'm hard to please and that I've been eating too much pizza and that I'm ungrateful for all the glory before me. But I can eat more pizza than you. Patti's is a no-frills kind of sandwich joint with tables and a tv that isn't on. Its pizza has a ratio* of 4cr/3ce/3ch. Their dough gets a 2 out of 5. Texturally it's all right. It reminds me of Monical's pan pizza, which will make you wish you'd ordered the classic thin crust. Patti's dough has no flavor. It's more like breat. In fact, the whole thing tasted more like a stoufer's french bread pizza than a real pizza.

That being said, Patti's sauce gets a 3 out of 5. It was good, but could have had some sweetness to it. Maybe it needed less garlic salt or whatever's in it, and more time to simmer. For style, I'll give Patti's a 3 out of 5. The place was very chill and the guys working were super nice without annoying me in the least. The price of my small pizza was also very good. Very stylish price if you ask me. Some arcade games or a functioning tv could have made a difference. I order water with my meals now, so the beverage situation didn't really apply. Though when I ordered a water, I didn't get one. I had my meal with no beverage at all. Though I could have taken more responsibility there.

For overall quality, I'll give Patti's a 4 out of 5. I think it all boils down to the recipe, which wasn't for me.Everything else about the place was fine. With a final score of 60% I won't be coming back to Patti's. If you disagree with me, please punish me however you see fit, dear reader. Thank you.

*Let me explain my ratio system, regarding mass of standard Pizza Elements. Cr=Crust. Ce=Sauce. Ch=Cheese.

For CR (CRust), 1 is the equivalent of a transparent pizza in the New York style, or the rolled-out, crackery Saint Louis style. 3 would be a regular Domino's hand-tossed Pizza. 4 would be like a Pizza Hut Pan Pizza, and 5 would be like a Sicilian Pizza or some varieties of Deep Dish.

For Ce (sauCE), 1 would be a watery sauce with a thin spreading, no clumping and no oozing. In this cause, the sauce is an afterthought, more like oregano than a key ingredient. 3 would be what you'd expect from a Pizza Hut Pan Pizza. 5 would require a fork to eat.

The Runaway Robot by Lester Del Rey

I tell you what. I'm a couple years behind on my book reports, but this one left me with some good feelings. It's about a boy and his robot, and the sort of cycle of their relationship. Yes, a Robot can do what it's told, but sometimes the values it has programmed into it can create conflict and wild space age adventures all in the name of purpose and friendship. Who doesn't love that kind of stuff?

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway

I'd be disappointed if this book was made into a movie. It's honestly perfect the way it is, an epic story of an old man who fights the fight of his life, the fight he'd been waiting for into old age. With his luck of youth long gone, the old man finds that his luck has been growing this entire time. But what for? I'd like to make a computer game based off this story, kind of like The Oregon Trail meets Sid Meier's Pirates! I think true ones will get it.