Reacher said nothing

My views on Tom Cruise reprising the role of Jack Reacher have been previously documented.  A couple of days ago, the first teaser trailer for the movie based on the book "One Shot" was released.  This isn't the Reacher I know and remember but since it is Reacher I am gearing myself up to embrace it.

Why couldn't Tom Cruise have been a foot or maybe even an few inches taller?  *sigh*

Apocalypse now

Tom Cruise is almost certain to portray Jack Reacher in the movie "One Shot".

Cruise as Jack no-middle-name Reacher?!! You have got to be kidding me. (And on top of it, it seems to have Lee Child's approval, too). For the love of everything that is holy to the west of the International Date Line, can someone smash some sense into the movie-makers?

Here are Reacher's physical attributes:

Name: Jack Reacher (no middle name)
Born: October 29th, 1961
Measurements: 6'5", 220-250 lbs., 50" chest
Hair: Dirty-blond
Eyes: Ice blue
Clothing: 3XLT coat, 95 cm. pants' inseam

Reacher left home at 18, graduated from West Point. Performed 13 years of Army service, demoted from Major to Captain in 1990, mustered out with the rank of Major in 1997.

Now, close your eyes and picture Tom Cruise as Reacher.

See what I mean?

Confucius said nothing

I opened a fortune cookie today and found nothing inside it. No slip of paper, no confusing words of wisdom. Nothing.

For many it would be an ominous sign. But I, on the other hand, smiled. After all, it is something that Jack Reacher would approve of.

An evening to remember

On the same day that Roger Federer lost before the semi-finals of a Grand Slam for the first time in 6 years, I took a 3 hour road trip to Sioux Falls, SD. The object of the visit was to meet Lee Child, the writer of the Jack Reacher series. (Previous posts on Reacher and Child are here).

(C.S. Manish 2010)

There were about 80 people who showed up at a Barnes and Noble bookstore. Child was scheduled to read a chapter of his book and then sign autographs. We were given strict instructions that he would sign only one book and no videotaping was allowed. We were allowed to take photos.

At about 6pm, Child made his way through the crowd. A tall man, Child is slimmer in person than his photos suggest. I was expecting a fellow more on the lines of Reacher (who is listed at 6'5" and 250 pounds) but the voice was the same that I had imagined Reacher would have.

(C.S. Manish 2010)

Child's play

Here's a sneak preview of my next post. Details coming very shortly!

Announcement - brief hiatus and birthday wishes

I have been off-bog for a few days as I have an important self-reflective essay due to the Promotion and Tenure Committee at the college that I teach at. It is due on Monday, the 2nd of November. Once that date is passed, I shall be back in full flow.

In the mean time, to all you Jack Reacher fans out there - Happy Birthday!  Reacher turns 49 today. You KNEW he had to be a Scorpio, right?!!

In 61 Hours we shall find out more about him (pun intended). And the good news is that, Lee Child is breaking tradition and will release two Reacher novels in 2010.

Meanwhile, here's an NY Times column so you can read some new Lee Child material. If you have never heard of either Reacher or Child, this is a great way to get a peek into that mesmerizing world. By the way, this story ends at the point at which Child's latest book - Gone Tomorrow - begins.

Reacher said nothing

Every summer, like clockwork, a new Lee Child book comes out. Featuring the hard-nosed, no-nonsense ex-military cop Jack Reacher, the 13th book in the series (and the most global and ambitious of them all) has come, been devoured by me, and left a familiar longing for #14.

Thankfully, Lee Child does not subscribe to the JD Salinger school of book-writing and has already (so he claims) finished writing the next one (called 61 hours). The New York Times has some more bits of knowledge to share about Child, including a bit too much information about the latest book. Oh well, at least they left out the most revealing bits of information.

Next summer cannot come fast enough...

(An earlier entry on Reacher is here.)

Thanksgiving Trip - Day 5: Moment of epiphany

Leaving Colorado Springs was not an easy task, a prospect that became evident as soon as hotel room door was opened in the morning.

Driving in a heavy snowfall is still one of my favorite times to drive, but I could have done without the snail's pace at which progress was made by the traffic around me.

Since the storm front was heading east, it turned into a race. One that took a good four hours for me to win.



Even though the bad weather was left behind, the winds ahead of the storm front buffeted and shook the van all the way home. Along the highway wayward tumbleweed raced across the road, reminiscent of scenes from a prison break, usually missing getting crushed, but not always!

And with that the road trip came to an end. I did get a lot of time to soak in the Rockies. No natural sight stirs me as much as snow-capped mountains. I hope I get a chance to finish my last days surrounded by mountains just like these, many decades from now.

Standing at the base of the Rockies I had a sudden insight into what Reacher exactly meant when he realized why the two fictional towns were named Hope and Despair in Nothing to Lose.

Where he walks...

The authors that engage me with their books change with time and taste. In the past couple of years I have been a big fan of Lee Child. Not too many people would have read his books as they are categorized as contemporary thrillers (actions, violence, guns, fights, etc). But the reason I read them is that I identify a lot with the main protagonist - Jack Reacher.

When I first discovered the books, I fell in love with them so much that I immediately bought all the books in the series. Recently, the 12th book in the series titled Nothing to lose was released. For a few hours it was fun to be back in Reacher's world. To promote the book, Child has been giving various interviews and is on a book singing tour. The New York Times had a nice piece on the author and his books. Also, here's NYT's review of Nothing to lose.

I have an awful lot to say about Reacher but, for now, I choose to say nothing (sorry, that's an inside joke that Reacher fans will get). Send me an email if you want to know more about him.

The Drifter

When you read books of all shapes, sizes and genre's, as I do, you come across a multitude of characters, most of whom inhabit the pages and then pass from your memory. Once in a while, a rare character comes along - one who may not be what you are or what you want to be, or even what you stand for - but when you read about this character you want to know more and understand what drives him/her.

A few weeks ago, while sifting through the thriller section at a bookstore, I saw a book that featured a character named Jack Reacher. The book (Persuader) was the 7th in the series. I confess that I am a big fan of mindless action thrillers, but I was stumped as I had never heard of either the character or the author - Lee Child. The only reason I picked it up was because it was the 7th in the Jack Reacher series, and I am a sucker for recurring characters.

Just one sentence into the novel, I was hooked. So much so that I then bought 8 other Jack Reacher novels the next day (there are a total of 10 in the series so far). The latest book - The Hard Way - has not yet been released in paperback and I could not get myself to pony up the big bucks for the hardcover version.

With each story, Reacher gets some more layers, his compulsions get more clearly defined and, oddly, he gets more intriguing. I think, somewhere deep down, I have a latent wish to be like Reacher (without the guns, the guts, the girls, and the gory mayhem he usually find himself in). Reacher is as independent a character as you'll probably get and, in many ways, reminds me of Howard Roark, another drummer who marched to his own beat.

In the end, maybe it is all about wanting to be independent, isn't it?