New Page: The Literary Lizard’s List of Books and Sundries

Written by Teramis on 04 January 2009

Welcome to the modest cybercorner I call

The Literary Lizard’s List of Books and Sundries.

Of course it’s a little more than a list. Might include some commentary, or even groans of dismay. And the sundries are there because even the most learned saur cannot read books ALL the time. Usually.

Tonight I start the list with just one title, because it’s late and my brain has turned to mush. I may revise this musing later, but for now, some thoughts on Sidney Sheldon’s Rage of Angels.

It was a best seller about 1980 or so, and is the type of book I would never pick up: mainstream drama, strong emphasis on man/woman love interests, contrived trauma/drama almost romance-like in nature. Or so I thought.

Lately, however, I read that Sheldon didn’t start writing novels until he was in his 50s, only doing this after a long and successful career of stage and screenplays and television production. This is the man who brought us The Patty Duke Show, Hart to Hart, and I Dream of Jeannie. His first novel won the Edgar Allen Poe Mystery Award, the second was a run away best seller, and after that he dominated the bestseller lists for years.

He’d go into the studio every day at 9 am, and then have his secretary hold all his call and leave him totally undisturbed until noon. He dedicated those 3 hours every day to his novel writing, and was a raving success at it.

Curious about what kind of work a man like this produced, I finally after all these many years picked up a copy of one of his books, and decided to give it a read…