Today’s Post by Joe Farace
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only one.” ― A Dance with Dragons
One of the most common questions I get after, how do you pronounce my name and where do I find models is: What do you do with unwanted books? Any “unwanted” books tend to fall into two categories: Books I don’t like anymore and books I didn’t review because I didn’t like them. Photo book publishers used to send me small boxes of books to review but they don’t anymore. When they did I would choose ones that appealed both to me and my readers and would review those books. Books I’m no longer interested in keeping in my library, for whatever reason, are dealt with in the same way. What way is that?
I donate all unwanted books to my local library. While some Internet bookies claim this is a bad idea because the library doesn’t want your books, my local library does want them. They don’t want them for their stacks but they operate a used bookstore inside the library’s lobby area and sell them to fund the books they want to buy for their shelves. That’s why they are happy to see me bringing in books and always tell me they appreciate my donations. Do I ever have any regrets about getting rid any of my books? Not so far.
Another Category of Books…
One of the biggest advantage of having access to a good local library is the ability to discover new authors. That’s how I originally found Jonathan Kellerman and Archer Mayor, Mary seems adept at finding me new writers, which is why I am now an avid reader of books by William Kent krueger. In 1984 when I liked to read thrillers, she bought me a copy of the Naval Academy Press’s first edition of The Hunt for Red October. This book is the perfect example of a great book that became a good movie. (You can read my thoughts on that subject here.)
Some of these experiments don’t turn out so well. Recently Mary picked up a stack of five books for me at the library and all looked like they were worth a read. One that wasn’t was The Drowned by John Banville. He is a wonderful writer whose style reminds me a little of Douglas Adams but as a story teller he appears to be an acquired taste. I once saw an interview with Stephen King and John Grisham, who, when asked how many pages of a book they read before giving up. Mr. King said 50 pages; Mr, Grisham said 100 pages. I initially gave The Drowned 59 pages then gave it a reprieve up to page 104 before I finally gave up. Goodreads gives this book a 3.72 rating but the quotes about it are similar to my experience. All books and readers are different so if your taste leans toward quirky UK mystery novels, you might want to pick up a copy from the library and give it a try. If you do, please let me know what you thought. But one book that is a keeper is…
The Complete Book of Corvette, fifth Edition
Before we jump into the review let me say a few things: My goal is purchase a C4 (1983-1996) Corvette by the end of this year. And then there’s this: Many years ago, my sister Kate gave me a copy of the first edition of this book which was published in 1988.
The fifth edition of The Complete Book of Corvette was written by Mike Mueller, who also wrote the 2020 edition. The book is significantly larger and, I might add, better produced than my first edition and is a perfect combination of coffee table book and reference source.You’ll find everything you need to know about the eight generations of Corvettes here, down to the last nut and bolt. While, to my mind, the author spends a little too much space on Corvette prototypes and racing models, the completest will revel in this information, especially when combined with the excellent photographs and illustrations that accompany his text. All this is wrapped up in a package that befits the price tag with heavy, high quality paper that’s used used to showcase the high quality reproduction of the superb photographs, many by the author.
The book’s structured includes chapters that are mostly based on each Corvette generation but there are also bonus chapters, such as the one on the remarkable C4 Corvette ZR-1. I was once lucky enough to drive one of these special automobiles and it was hands-down the best driving, best performing Corvette I ever drove. I couldn’t make a deal with the seller on this unique car and think about it to this very day. If you’re wondering about the brand new 1068-hp C8 Corvette ZR-1, it’s here too. All the information about this new C8 model is included in the book in great detail although there is not a separate chapter for it, most likely because the original C4 ZR-1 was available for six years and the new one is, well, new.
Even though I am seriously interested in purchasing a C4 Corvette (1983-1996) I decided to read The Complete Book of Corvette from cover-to-cover, even though I was not looking forward to the section on the C8 Corvette, a generation I’m not fond of, at least not yet. (Sometime a car grows on you.) Another way to read the book is as a reference and you can start by looking at the chapter on the Corvette generation you’re most interested in. Each model year features it’s a sidebar listing complete specifications from bumper-to-bumper, which should especially appeal to owners of specific years and models of Corvettes. Me? I glanced as the sidebar and thought, “yop, it’s all there” and kept on reading. You may have a different approach.
One of the things that makes the main text so memorable is the way the author includes Chevrolet’s code number for every available option for that particular model and year of Corvette. To collect all that information in one place. there’s an Appendix, which contains charts showing the model year of every production version of the car along with details of every option offered, including their official factory code and price! The appendix also lists the number of vehicles built with each option, something that can have an impact on the value of the car, This alone makes the book the ideal information source for the die-hard Corvette aficionado or somebody searching for a specific car.
The Complete Book of Corvette is available starting June 10 and is the go-to source for information about all things Corvette and is a must read—if heavy—volume that belongs in every Corvette owner’s book collection right next to a biography of Zora Arkus-Duntov, the Godfather of the Corvette.
- Publisher: Motorbooks
- Hardcover: 352 pages
- ISBN-10: 0760394474
- ISBN-13: 978-0760394472
- Dimensions: 10.3 x 1.23 x 12.4 inches
- Weight: 4.92 lbs
- Price: $52.47 (Prime members), Kindle is $49.85, as I write this.