U is for Uh . . . V is for oVaj (er)

Considering that Firefly IS Steampunk, it is entirely

fitting that Nathan Fillion played tribute to the genre in

Castle; the episode "Punked" contains Verne references!

Uhnak, Dorothy is the mystery writer I read for the first list.

Uris, Leon: I read Leon Uris for 9th grade history. Yup, 9th grade! We read ALL of Exodus, which amazes me even now. I remember absolutely nothing about it except that it wasn't boring, was very long, and was about Israel right after WWII when it was still occupied by the British before it became the current state of Israel.

For the same class, we read Nectar in a Sieve, which I still consider a rather pointless book on par with The Pearl.

Van Dine, S.S. is the (other mystery) writer I read for the first list.

Van de Wetering, Janwillem: I am fairly certain that I've read a Van der Wetering (Grijpstra & DeGier Mystery) at some point in my life. As I reach the end of this second A-Z list, one thing is becoming alarmingly clear: I have read far more books than I will ever remember. When Sherlock claims that our brains throw things out when they get too full . . . okay, so he isn't technically correct, but it sure feels like he is. 

Verne, Jules: I am currently reading Around the World in 80 Days. I have seen the 1956 movie at least twice; my memory of it is, That is one long movie! (At 167 minutes, I'm not wrong.) Consequently, I didn't appreciate the dry humor of the actual book until I picked it up (since Phineas Fogg is played by David Niven, I should have anticipated the dry humor). Considering Verne's influence on Steampunk--which I greatly admire--and Doc Brown's admiration for him in The Back to the Future series, I plan on delving into more of his novels. 

Vonnegut, Kurt: I am fairly certain I've read something by Vonnegut but it is possible that I am mixing him up with Ray Bradbury--not exactly cousins under the skin but not exactly not either.