Joe's Notes

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This is my blog and I do whatever I want here. I write my thoughts about things and short stories, I take photos, and have lots of book reviews. Make sure to check out the PRODUCTS page to order your edgy t-shirts or the PRINTS page to get prints of my photography! Use the search bar at the bottom of this page to discover more posts. Use the ARCHIVE page to see all my posts. Categorical searches will also yield good results for those who want more of a specific group of posts such as “Photo Journal” or “Book Review”. Check out the OLD BLOG for over 270 posts that go back to 2010 and get your PRINTS at the Prints Store!

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Book Review: Odd Billy Todd by N.C. Reed

September 14, 2020 by Joe Gray in Book Review

A potential apocalyptic event is a common topic among my friends. What would cause it and what would we do in such a scenario can easily take up hours of conversation. As well as what kind of preparations we might make in reality and what is reasonable to actually do today based on the fact that it is an extremely unlikely thing to happen. This year has been no exception and with the rise of COVID and now, with the recent fires and terrible air quality the idea of survival preparedness is maybe not so far fetched. A few months ago my friend could not stop talking about Odd Billy Todd and so when I had the opportunity to get my hands on a copy, borrowed from my brother, I went into it with heightened anticipation.

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September 14, 2020 /Joe Gray
action, apocalypse, blog, blogger, book review, endoftheworld, fiction, goodreads, guns, morals, N.C.Reed, novel, novels, Odd Billy Todd, plague, post apocalyptic, reviews, survival, violence, writing
Book Review

Book Review: Comanche Moon by Larry McMurtry

June 09, 2020 by Joe Gray in Book Review

Comanche Moon is the second book in the Lonesome Dove series and continues the journey of  Texas Rangers Woodrow Call and Augustus McCrae as they try to tame the west from a dwindling but wildly fierce number of hostile Comanche tribesman. Buffalo Hump continues to lead his people against the encroaching caucasian intruders and we follow his story to the end, and his tale becomes a symbol of the weakening state of the once proud and free native peoples. We also meet Blue Duck, the main antagonist in Lonesome Dove, who is Buffalo Hump's half Comanche half Mexican son. Blue Duck never got along with his father and his disrespect for the old ways leads to him being cast out by his father. 

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June 09, 2020 /Joe Gray
blog, blogger, book review, books, Comanche, Comanche Moon, cowboys, Indians, larry mcmurtry, lonesome dove, lonesome dove series, Native Americans, novel, review, reviews, Texas rangers, western, westerns
Book Review

Book Review: The Road by Cormac McCarthy

April 01, 2020 by Joe Gray in Book Review

The Road is a different kind of novel. No chapters. No names. The bleak reality of its narrative is reflected in the minimalism found on each page. The reader is given scraps of information piece by piece, paragraph by paragraph, just as the characters are given scraps of food, safety, and happiness. The broken world on a broken page.

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April 01, 2020 /Joe Gray
bestsellers, blog, blogger, book, book review, Cormac McCarthy, fiction, literature, reviews, The Road, writing
Book Review

Book Review: The Daybreakers by Louis L'Amour

March 14, 2020 by Joe Gray in Book Review

You know you're into a book when after reading every few chapters you find yourself thinking, "That's so good," or "I really like this book." My internal commentary is always a good guide to whether or not I would recommend a book or would read more from the author and this book delivered the goods. This is the first Louis L'Amour book I have read even though I've known about the author for most of my life.

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March 14, 2020 /Joe Gray
america, American Frontier, American West, blog, blogger, book review, books, classics, fiction, Frontier, literature, Louis L'Amour, morality, novels, reviews, Sackets, The Daybreakers, western, westerns, writing
Book Review

Book Review: The Reckoning by John Grisham

February 26, 2020 by Joe Gray in Book Review

About a month ago I decided to save some money and pick up a few books from the local Good Will. I highly recommend doing this yourself as there are tons of great used books at places like that and they were only a couple dollars each. I had never read a book by John Grisham but I have seen a few movies based on them and they have all been great. The Reckoning is one of his newest offerings and reached the New York Best Seller list. I am not quite sure why.

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February 26, 2020 /Joe Gray
blog, blogger, book, book review, books, courtroom, drama, fiction, John Grisham, literature, reading, review, suspense, The Reckoning, writing
Book Review

Book Review: Touching the Void by Joe Simpson

January 11, 2020 by Joe Gray in Book Review

I was over at my brother's house last week and while waiting for some laundry we both sat reading. He was reading my copy of Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove and I decided to grab a book he had on the shelf and I just happened to pick the book that this review is about. I did not realize what I was getting myself into when I picked it up but two chapters later I was already hooked. I took it home and couldn't stop reading. 

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January 11, 2020 /Joe Gray
blog, blogger, book, book review, climbing, great books, intense, Joe Simpson, literature, mountaineering, mountains, reading, reviews, rock climbing, survival, thrilling, Touching the Void, true story, writing
Book Review
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