Brad Enslen

📚 Dresden Files Series Books 1 - 15, by Jim Butcher a Quick Review

📚 I just got done binge reading all 15 books of the Dresden Files series by author Jim Butcher. Dresden Files are action packed urban fantasy novels with a nice dose of humor. They combine the genres of a “Philip Marlowe” type hard boiled detective noir with urban fantasy in the form of Harry Dresden, wizard for hire in Chicago. He’s in the yellow pages under “Wizard.”

The first two books are non-stop action. They are good but not great page turners with some good world and character building. While I enjoyed the first two books, I wasn’t sure if I would continue until @kitt tipped me off that they got really good with Book #3 and on. And Kitt was right, by Book #3 the author has noticeably grown in skill as an author and throughout the series he just keeps getting better and better. The plotting gets better, the characters, including Dresden grow and the world keeps expanding. It’s hard to put these books down.

Each book can pretty much stand on it’s own - but you really should read them in order because there are story arcs like Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series had and characters and situations introduced in an earlier book show up again several books later.

I highly recommend this series to anyone. I was disappointed when I finished Book #15, because I wasn’t ready to quit reading (and it was a lot of reading.) Book #16 is not yet out so I’m waiting, which is probably good because I can get some real life stuff done. The author thinks he’s good for about 24ish books total for the series. Be warned, all the books are page turners. I think grown up Harry Potter fans might like the Dresden Files as well as fans of Glen Cook’s “Garrett P.I.” series.

The books are published by Penguin under the Roc imprint. The ebook editions on Kobo Reader were well done and graphic novels as well as audio books are available too. Amazon has both print copies, Kindle versions, sets, audio books and collections. so you are covered.

There is a role playing game based on the books, which I have bought (yes I liked it that much) since I collect RPG’s, and I’ll comment on it once I have looked it over.

Bulova Should Bring Back the Tuning Fork Accutron Watch

I’m not talking about the name or the logo. I’m talking about the Accutron watch with a real tuning fork in it. These were great watches that paved the way for quartz watches.

Sure, a modern Accutron, tuning fork watch is not going to be as accurate as a quartz watch. I get that. But Bulova still make really handsome mechanical watches, along side quartz watches, and the mechanicals can’t be as accurate as quartz. I’d think a tuning fork watch would be somewhere in between.

But here is what I loved about the Accutron:

the sweep second hand
the hum
the accuracy
An Accutron went to the Moon

I think Millennials, who like old tech, would love a “real” Accutron and I think older people who had one once would like to have one again. I think it’s time to bring it back. It’s Bulova Time.