Secrets of Rusty Things ~Michael deMeng


(cover image, featuring Donaji sculpture)

Secrets of Rusty Things: Transforming Found Objects into Art ~Michael deMeng

-May 2007
-128 pages, North Light Books
-5/5 stars

Today dear readers, you are doubly blessed in that you get not only a book review of a fantastic art/mythology book, but you get art as well!!! I realized early on that there was no way that I could do justice to a review of Secrets of Rusty Things without including images, so I pulled out the trusty digital camera last night and snapped a few pictures of my copy of the book.

The creator is Michael deMeng and in this gorgeous volume he combines his love of creating found object art with his passion for ancient cultural folklore and mythology to create a book that is part how-to, part biography, part art appreciation, and part storytelling. It is an amazing book. You would do well to quit reading this review and order it immediately.

But in case you aren’t convinced…

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The Happening

A brief (by my standards) NON-SPOILER review.

Well, it happened. I had my first experience with AMC Theatre’s new movie pricing. Ouch! It has been forever since I’ve went to a movie on a Friday or Saturday night so I knew there would be no discounts applied, but ugh! 10 bucks a pop! $20 for my wife and I to see a movie!!! I could literally have waited and purchased the DVD for that price. And possibly had some change for a Pepsi left over. That is painful!

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Kill Now, Pay Later ~Robert Terrall

Kill Now, Pay Later ~Robert Terrall

–1960, reprint 2007
–220 pages, Hard Case Crime
–4/5 stars

It is Friday, normally Friday Favorites time, but a storm that knocked out internet service last night means that instead you get me desperately attempting to catch up on my overdue book reviews. But hey, you also get a couple of great Robert McGinnis illustrations, so it isn’t all bad news!

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Book Pron of a Different Kind

Most of us have seen what has come to be known, by many, as Book Porn. Defined roughly as the guilty pleasure pictures that bloggers post of their latest book treasures, book porn is a lot of fun.

Taking a cue from the gaming industry I’m going to twist this a bit and give you some Book Pron! Today’s post features a baker’s dozen, plus one, of upcoming releases that I simply have to have. In many cases I have already pre-ordered these books.

My hope is to share my excitement about some upcoming titles and maybe, just maybe, grab myself a few more points on Debi’s list.

For each book I provide a link, the planned release date, an italicized blurb about the book borrowed from the link site, and occasionally my own commentary.

This first book is:

Otherworldlies ~Jennifer Anne Kogler

June 17

Fern communicates with her dog, blisters from just moments in the sun, and has correctly predicted the daily weather for more than two years. Even so, she’s always seemed to be a normal twelve-year-old girl . . . until one day when Fern closes her eyes in class and opens them seconds later on a sandy beach miles away from school. When Fern disappears again, this time to a place far more dangerous, she begins to realize exactly how different she is.

I just stumbled across this book, and the author’s site, the other day but the cover image drew me in and the story sounds interesting. I must admit that I feel a bit strange about the cover image in regards to it representing a story about a 12 year old girl. Maybe I’m getting old, but that admittedly cute girl does not look 12 to me. That oddity aside, I plan on checking this out.

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As We Near the End…


(Snow White, Anne-Julie Aubry)

β€œIt is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”
~Ursula K. LeGuin

Way back on March 21st it seemed that a nearly endless journey was before us. The Once Upon a Time II Challenge began. Through the course of the past 3 months nearly 100 people have joined in our challenge and, to date, there are 407 book reviews on the Once Upon a Time II Review Site. That is very impressive and I am sure it will become even more impressive in our final 11 (if you count today) days of the challenge.

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Eclectic Musings of a Renaissance Geek