Book Review: An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England

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An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England, audiobook, book, book review, book reviews, books, Brook Clarke, Darwin Awards, Darwinism, fiction, review, reviews

An Arsonist’s Guide to Writers’ Homes in New England

by Brock Clarke

genre: fiction

Synopsis from Goodreads
Sam Pulsifer, the hapless hero of this incendiary novel, has come to the end of a very long and unusual journey, and for the second time in his life he has the time to think about all the things that have and have not come to pass.

The truth is, a lot of remarkable things have happened in Sam’s life. He spent ten years in prison for accidentally burning down poet Emily Dickinson’s house-and unwittingly killing two people in the process. He emerged at age twenty-eight and set about creating a new life-almost a new identity-for himself. He went to college, found love, got married, fathered two children, and made a new start-and then watched in almost-silent awe as the vengeful past caught up with him, right at his own front door.
As, one by one, the homes of other famous New England writers are torched, Sam knows that this time he is most certainly not the guilty one. To prove his innocence, he sets out to uncover the identity of this literary-minded arsonist. What he discovers, and how he deals with the reality of his discoveries, is both hilariously funny and heartbreakingly sad. For, as Sam learns, the truth has a way of eluding capture, and then, when you finally get close enough to embrace it, it turns and kicks you in the ass.

1000 Ways to Die and other shows holding you back?

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Darwin Awards, life, reality television, TV

I know some people believe in conquering your fears, and if your fear is debilitating or keeping you from activities you want to do, then I agree.  However, fear in some cases is healthy and at certain levels, reasonable.  It keeps us from doing things like running head-long into oncoming traffic.  It keeps us from winning a Darwin Award.  Where is the line?

My boyfriend asked me if I wanted to go cliff jumping.  Pretty sure he was being sarcastic because he knows I’m terrified of falling.  I can jump off the high dive into a pool, but it takes quite a bit out of me to do it and the platform board is out of the question.  He asked me why I wouldn’t want to go cliff diving and since telling him I’m acrophobic has gotten me nowhere I told him that people can die like that.  He asked where I heard that and I told him about a 1000 Ways to Die episode where… let’s just say the guy landed wrong and water went somewhere it shouldn’t.  As a female, there are two such places.

Boyfriend told me I need to stop watching the show, that I’m letting horror stories hold me back from living, but even without watching the show, I wouldn’t want to cliff jump.  I don’t want to sky dive, and I don’t want to bungee jump.  I’m completely happy riding roller coasters for my adrenaline rush thank you very much.  I don’t feel like it’s holding me back because if I want to do something, I do it.

-Eliabeth Hawthorne

What about you?  Is fear rational or is it holding you back?

Man dies from bar bet. Darwin Award?

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bar, court, Darwin Awards, death, drinking, gambling, girl punches rapper in the face, John 'Fatboy' Powell, Tiffany Startz, trial

No this is not a frat brother dead after drinking too much on his 21st birthday but the level of stupidity is close.  John ‘Fatboy’ Powell dies after accepting $5 from Tiffany Startz to punch him in the face.  The resulting punch led to his death and now there’s a debate over whether or not it was a criminal act.  Clearly the intent was not to kill him and with all respect to John’s mother, I do not think she should be charged.  She did not walk up to him completely out of the blue and assault him.  There was no heated argument; if anything there was a business agreement.  She paid him five dollars to punch him in the face, something he agreed to.

I think that is an important distinction.  He agreed, and accepted money, allowing her to punch him in the face.