Wednesday, July 16, 2025

Short Story Wednesday, "Preminum Harmony" Stephen King


 from THE NEW YORKER.

 A couple, who fight over meaningless things, (his smoking, her weight) stop at a roadside store to pick up a ball for her niece. The husband and their dog wait in the car. It's a very hot day and after too long of a wait for her small errand, a woman comes out to tell him his wife has collapsed. He goes inside and waits until EMS arrives and confirms her death. She is only 35. He returns to the car where the dog has also died from the heat. I am not sure I would identify this as a King story if not for the references to Castle Rock. It was written in 2009. 

Monday, July 14, 2025

Monday, Monday

 

BLUE, SUN PALACE, showing at the Detroit Film Theater was very slow but interesting. A first film, set in Queens, Baltimore and somewhere in Asia.

I seem to be surrounded by Asian fare lately. Also rewatched IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, which is such a gorgeous film. And reading MINA'S MATCHBOXES by Yoko Ogawa who also wrote THE MEMORY POLICE and THE HOUSEKEEPER AND THE PROFESSOR. 

Enjoying BALLARD (Prime), MURDERBOT (Apple). Not sure about the Lena Dunham show (Netflix), which has a hard-to-remember title Also liked PERNILLE (Netflix)


My hearing problem turned out to be wax, which Urgent Care removed,somewhat painfully. I can certainly hear much better. 

Weather been hot. I hate when I am tired of summer by mid-July because winter is so dreadful.

How about you?  

Friday, July 11, 2025

FFB: THE GREAT SANTINI, Pat Conroy

 

 

 

 You've probably seen the movie with Robert Duvall, but the book is terrific too. Conroy is a great writer and I've read most of his books THE PRINCE OF TIDES may be my favorite but this has the most memorable character in his work. This is a semi-autobiographical story of an ex-marine who runs his family like it's boot camp.Especially affected is Ben who fears, hates, and is anxious to feel his father's love and respect. "THE GREAT SANTINI HAS SPOKEN" is Bull's catch phrase and I can still picture Robert Duvall shouting that.  

Wednesday, July 09, 2025

Short Story Wednesday: "Something is Out There" Richard Bausch

 



Originally in MURDERLAND, this ended up the title story in his collection. 

A family returns home from the hospital where the father is spending some time after falling off the roof after being shot. They are having a rare snowstorm, and the boys begin to shovel the driveway and walk. The women try to piece together what has happened. The man who shot the father has been captured and was a former business partner. They are also waiting for the return of another family member away at college. They are worried about him out on the icy roads.

The dread in this story is palpable: the storm, the fate of the college student, knocks on the door, is the father involved in some crime? And then the power goes out. 

Bausch takes his time to make you feel what they are feeling. In fact, when a knock came at my own door (something very rare nowadays) I almost fell out of the chair. (It was the mailman). 

Bausch understands that the threat of violence can be more frightening than actual violence. He gives you enough information to understand, sort of, what might be going on. The story ends with the woman, standing at an upstairs window, with a loaded gun. The kids wait downstairs baseball bats and knives at the ready. The other woman waits too.

 Superb. There are probably pdf's online if you care to read it

George Kelley 

Jerry House 

TracyK 

Steve Lewis 

Kevin Tipple 

Todd Mason 

Monday, July 07, 2025

Monday, Monday

Going out tonight (Sunday) to celebrate Kevin's passing the IB (International Baccalaureate)  exams. These are the equivalent in his school of AP exams.  Yay, Kevin!

Enjoyed FILM GEEK (Max) which so encapsulates the years when my kids were growing up in terms of movies.  Finished THE BEAR, which never quite recaptured the magic of the first two years but still is better than most anything else right now.  POKER FACE is fine but they are too wedded to their concept. Much like COLUMBO, I guess. 

Very much enjoying THE INVISIBLE LIFE OF ADDIE LARUE-which is a fantasy-romance novel. Or maybe add historical fiction too. Beautiful writing. 

Went down to Michigan Central (Detroit's one-time train station) again-this time on a tour. Ford has made a gorgeous building out of what was a complete wreck a few years ago. Now they charge $20 a head for the tour so they will probably come out ahead over time because they have many tours every day.  Unlike Grand Central, Union Station and Penn Station no trains will ever come through it again. There are trains that head to Chicago but not via this route. 

Heard a rumor that both Detroit newpapers are soon going to online only. Yikes! 

How about you? 

Friday, July 04, 2025

FFB: BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY, Ron Kovics

 

BORN details Kovic's experiences as a soldier in two tours of duty in Vietnam, his involvement in war atrocities, his injuries, his paralysis, his treatment at various VA facilities and his road to activism. A very hard book to read and it was a terrific movie with Tom Cruise. 

Will this be the last fourth where the country we have forged is considered a democracy?