Tag Archives: Reading

Hidden Cities – A Memoir of Urban Exploration by Moses Gates

Hidden Cities: A Memoir of Urban Exploration is a chronicle by Moses Gates of his and his friends explorations into places where he is not supposed to go like the catacombs of Paris, the subway systems of New York City and London as well as climbing various bridges and buildings and sewer systems the world over. No trespassing signs just seem to attract him. It turns out that there is a huge subculture of urban explortionist’s that love to to do these things. For example I think that I am the only guy in Tulsa that hasn’t sneaked into the Tulsa Club for a look see. I went very shallow into Tulsa huge storm sewer system to find a geocache once but I haven’t ventured into the Elm Creek Tunnel to find it’s geocache. Supposedly it would require five miles of walking through the storm drain. I’m not doing that!!

Speaking of Elm Creek Tunnel, which drains into the Arkansas River. It seems to be hot on the list for Tulsa area urban explorers and You Tube has lots of videos of parties that have gone on. They look absolutely miserable to me. But I would go!! I wouldn’t stay long though. I did go into it a few feet to take a pic though.

I’m too much of a rule follower plus kind of a chicken. In my geocaching I get to talk to enough security guards without having to explain why I am in a building where I don’t belong. I do feel free though when a door is left open and there is no signage to go check things out if I feel interested.

Back to the book, it is a good read although a bit scattered. It kind of convinced me that I would not be a good urban explorer but I am fascinated by people who have to venture over the ropes and beyond the no trespassing sign.

Back to Blood by Tom Wolfe

Back to Blood by Tom Wolfe is set in present day Miami, Florida and it is a highly politicized, racially charged, and ultra class conscious Miami. It’s main characters include a young Cuban American policeman whose heroic efforts made him a hero to the Anglo community and a pariah to his fellow Cuban American people, a class climbing celebrity porn doctor and his young pretty nurse whom he uses and abuses, a thuggish , possibly violent, Russian oligarch with a taste for fine art.

I loved this book and its various characters who are either rejecting their own class to advance up or are rejected by their class or are wanting to morph into new identities.

I feel that I’m kind of on my own in liking this book. Apparently it was a commercial failure. Good thing I don’t read reviews before I read books or I would have missed this one.

I give this book five stars!! So take that professional book reviewers!!

Mr Mercedes by Stephen King

This is a little bit of a change for Stephen King. This is a detective novel and a darned good one at that.

A man drives a stolen Mercedes Benz into a crowd somewhere in mid America a few years ago and kills several of them. He leaves behind a mask and hardly anything else and is known only by his media given nickname Mr Mercedes. The lead detective on the case Bill Hodges works on it for a time and then retires without solving it.

His retirement is not going very well and gets so bad he considers suicide from time to time. Mr Mercedes decides to try and nudge him over the deep end and sends Hodges a letter taunting him. That gets Hodges back involved in the case on an unofficial basis.

The story, like in a good detective novel, has lots of twists and turns and unexpected events. Hodges finds an unlikely pair to team up with as they try and solve the case. Mr Mercedes himself is quite the interesting guy and it is entertaining to see point/counterpoint as the story develops.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and give it five stars out of five!

This book is the first of a planned trilogy. I can’t wait for the next installment.