Saw a very good documentary HOW TO COME ALIVE WITH NORMAL MAILER. Great footage, photos and commentary by his wives, children, contemporaries. It may have been a bit too sympathetic, but boy where is this sort of comment on society hiding today. We have a lot of political discourse, but lots of other subjects have been left behind.
Watched THE NARROW MARGIN (thanks, Tracy), and BURY MY ASHES AT BERGDORF GOODMANs.
Reading the short story collection by Curtis Sittenfeld, Jeff mentioned last week and also GOD OF THE WOODS (Liz Moore).
Enjoying PACHINKO and BAD MONKEY.
Beautiful day today.
What about you?
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Still recovering from rather less than Herculean efforts to rearrange, clean and remake the interior of the house, after the new water heater was installed last week and we got the bad news that we will probably need to get our 20ish-year-old A/C system (which among other things uses obsolete freon equivalents) completely replaced within a year or so. But at least there is barely a load's worth of laundry to do, and the former cat-refuge/guest bedroom is that much closer to becoming Alice's formal office (I mostly took over the last one, which is just inside from the small exterior-wall room where the roof collapsed the other year--she's been using part of the kitchen since, less than ideal, but more furniture, books, bric-a-brac to move and be moved by, to finally achieve the new order.)
Hence, for me, not even an attempt at a SSW this past week.
Mailer was certainly full of himself, and THE WHITE NEGRO among the more blatant excesses (literary, that is) as a result...and THE ARMIES OF THE NIGHT...his amateur films such as THE MAF BOYS, as well. But I will look for that documentary. (Much more the Paul Goodman, James Baldwin, Dorothy Parker, Dwight MacDonald, Vivian Gornick, bell hooks fan, among a number of others.)
Sounds like a better week than last!
We had one last - I hope! - 90 degree day on Wednesday, but overall it has been better. One thing I've noticed is that it is no long light out when i get up at 6:00 as it was a month ago. Too bad. That's one of the main things I like about Summer, all the daylight.
No major events this week, but that's fine. My sister is recovering from her kidney surgery and so far (fingers crossed) it is looking OK, despite her having a long recovery ahead of her.
Yes, we finished some shows (KLEO) and have added a few new ones to our viewing list. The first episode of KAOS (Netflix) amused us, a modern take on Greek mythology with Jeff Goldblum perfectly cast as an extremely narcissistic Zeus. Jackie had THE DIPLOMATIC (Netflix) on her list, but I never turned it on because I thought it was the Keri Russell show we'd already watched. But this is about a British consul in Barcelona, whose job is to help out British citizens in trouble. The lead is Sophie Rundle, last seen here in AFTER THE FLOOD. Only watched one episode so far, about a bartender found dead, and his father will not take the answers he's been given. And besides, where is the dead man's watch? Another is BREATHLESS, a Spanish medical show set in Valencia, that so far seems similar to so many other medical shows from here and around the world. This one is also on Netflix, I believe.
I finished the Philip K. Dick collection, still reading the Maugham and Sittenfeld collections, plus reading mysteries by Jordan Harper (EVERYBODY KNOWS) and Jo Callaghan (IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE). The former is a sharp look at the underbelly of Hollywood and L.A. in general, the kind of thing I'd expect Megan Abbott to love. The latter is British, about an AI program (AIDE) supposedly going to help British cops solve crimes.
As usual, a bunch of stuff came from the library at once, and I have a couple of other books waiting, plus two more in transit.
Lost internet last Monday, only for my computer and not the household. Walt managed to get it back for me the following day, but when he did so, evidently knocked it back to factory settings, so I lost access to email, Facebook, my bank accounts, my blog, and just about everything else. Jessie came over and worked her magic getting me back on a number of things but it is a major hassle and sometimes the magic works and sometimes it doesn't...
Mark is in Albuquerque now and has started at the zoo. He is in charge of their penguins; they have three various types and they are very cute -- except, perhaps, the emperor penguin which bit him on his first day. He hasn't had time to explore the area yet; we're hoping he likes it.
Walt decided it was time to buy a truck and went out and bought a fancy-dancy Ford. He's hoping to get the boat, which has been sitting in the garage for several years since he sold his last truck, refurbished and on the water again.
Jessie and Amy flew to the Catskills for the wedding of her nephew on Michael's side. they have not seen some embers of the family for ten years or so, although Jessie does try to keep in touch. Lovely wedding, lovely time, marred only by some blatant family arguments stemming from minor childhood miscommunications some forty years ago or more. (Ah me!) Amy and her cousins are now all adults and got along famously, agreeing that the older "adults" can be poopieheads. The charlotte airport has a Potbelly's -- Christina's favorite sandwich sop -- so Jessie and Amy ate their both ways just to make Christina jealous.
The beach was crowded on Labor Day Sunday but the weather was beautiful. There was a crowd of about thirty Southeast Asians there and it was a blast watching them enjoy the Gulf Coast. Sometimes local don't realize just how amazing it is. Yes, there were dolphins. the only sour note to yesterday was when a wave took out Christina;, twisting her foot badly. I told her she had to heal quickly because Florida law states there can only be one gimp per household and I was the one holding that honor.
All animals -- both here and at Jessie's in Pensacola are doing well. Newcat still does want to leave Erin's room because Jolly the dog frightens him with her enthusiasm. **sigh**
Just an update on my reading:
Read Michael Crichton's second novel, SCRATCH ONE, published under his "John Lange" pseudonym; he appeared heavily influenced by the James bond movies. Theodore Sturgeon's western movie tie-in THE RARE BREED differed from the James Stewart film; less blatant humor and more of a concentration on how the West really was, sacrificing some of the character development. Still, all and all, a decent read. Jack Vance's pseudonymous "Ellery Queen" mystery THE FOUR JOHNS tried desperately to build tension through exploring the characters of the four suspects but fell flat because the protagonists was a complete plod. Lawrence Block's early juvenile nonfiction book WAGONS HO! was a look at America's westward expansion during the 19th century. His very non-juvenile book LOVE AT A TENDER AGE, written as by "John Warren Wells" was one of twenty books exploring sexual behavior published under that name, all purporting to be nonfiction (cough*cough*wink*wink*nudge*nudge). Under the I Really Should have Read This a Long Time Ago category was Ray Bradbury's GREEN SHADOWS, WHITE WHALE, a fix-up of his Irish stories with a framing device of his time in Ireland scripting the John Huston film MOBY DICK. James Lee Burke's CLETE was the latest in his Dave Robineaux series, this time focusing on (and told in the first person by) Robineaux's partner Clete Purcell. GEN13:
NETHERWAR was a comic book tie-in novel by Christopher Golden and Jeff Mariotte, full of teen angst as the five young superheroes battle to save the world. I also read two graphic novels: HOUSE OF SLAUGHTER: ALABASTER by Sam Johns, continuing the rather murky series created by James Tynion IV, and BATMAN: ONE FINE DAY: RA'S AL GHUL by Tom Taylor, which provides a challenge to Batman's moral code, so we know it's not a challenge at all.
Coming up, I see I have thirty (!) unread books by Lawrence Block and twenty unread books by John Creasey on Mount TBR, so I may head in that direction. But I also pulled a dozen books of short stories from the pile, so I may go there. Who knows? Something bright and shiny will attract my attention...
I hope you have a fantastic Labor Day, Patti, as well as a magnificent week. Take care.
Of, BTW, Anonymous is me, Jerry. Evidently when I go Blogger back, it forgot who I was. **sigh**
I liked the Barcelona DIPLOMAT-sure there will be a second season. Megan is a friend of Jordan Harper and he was the guest on CBS Saturday morning this week. He has been doing stuff since he worked on THE MENTALIST. I feel Jerry's family will soon care for animals across the nation. It must be nice to live near the beach except for storms.
I don't need to admire a person to be interested in a documentary about them. I just need to find them interesting. And with six wives, nine children and many books, movies, etc. he was that. And I do admire that he used every interview to try and warn the country of growing fascism at a time when few were noticing it. Although he was full of himself for sure. And once he stabbed wife 2 I do not understand why the rest married him.
I admire Joyce Carol Oates but her doc was like watching paint dry.
After a week of 80 degree days, we woke up to 50 degree temps this morning with a projected high of 67 degrees. That's more my style!
I'm reading Mick Herron's SPOOK STREET in order to prepare to watch SLOW HORSES, SEASON 4 which shows up on Apple TV+ on September 4.
Patrick returned from his GOOGLE trip to Brazil. Katie flew down to NYC from Boston to spend the weekend with Patrick, their friend Amber, and to see some Broadway shows.
Diane is in Deep Cleaning Mode getting our house ready for the Annual Buffalo Bills Party on September 8th. Diane invites 15 of the teachers who she used to work with to watch the game and feast on pizza and chicken wings. I prepare coffee and pour wine.
Stay safe!
DIPLOMAT, not DIPLOMATIC, obviously. I hate autocorrect..
Jerry, never heard of the Bradbury, but I reserved it as the library has one.
Also, Maier lived in Brooklyn Heights for years. I thought THE EXECUTIONER'S SONG was a great book.
Mailer
Glad you watched THE NARROW MARGIN, Patti. We were going to go pick up some new glasses for me today but the Vision and Eye Care place is closed for the holiday, and I am happy for them. I am going to try progressive lens with plain glass at the top so that I am not switching from no glasses to reading glasses so much doing daily things like eating or preparing food.
We are getting close to the end of STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE, and will start STAR TREK: DISCOVERY after that (we had already watched the first episode). We will be watching MURDER SHE WROTE for a while, there are twelve seasons and we are midway through Season 5. They are light and fun and I like the guest stars. Still enjoying NORTHERN EXPOSURE, although in Season 5 it gets weirder and weirder. And THE ORVILLE with Seth MacFarlane; I have heard seasons 2 and 3 are the best. Last night we started watching THE MENTALIST again. Glen likes Robin Tunney and I like Simon Baker. The rest of the cast is good too and stayed through most of the run of the show.
I am reading THE WHITE LIONESS by Henning Mankell and almost done with it; I should finish it tonight. It is very interesting because the plot revolves around Apartheid and some of the story takes place in South Africa. The book was published in 1993 before Apartheid ended in 1994, so it gives me another perspective on what it was like there. I have read (fiction) about that subject, set in South Africa in the 1950s and the 1970s.
I finally finished THE MITFORDS: LETTERS BETWEEN SIX SISTERS. It was 800 pages long and I did enjoy it but some parts were better than others.
Glen is continuing INSIDE THE VICTORIAN HOME by Judith Flanders, which is about domestic life at that time. He is about half way through it. She has written a number of books of that type and he recently purchased RITES OF PASSAGE, about Death and Mourning in Victorian Britain.
I enjoyed all of Henning Mankell's novels and both the UK and the original series.
I need to go into deep cleaning mode. But at least I have a roomba now.
The Executioners Song is the only Mailer book I remember although I have read other earlier ones. Phil read even more of them.
I remember THE ARMIES OF THE NIGHT: HISTORY AS A NOVEL, THE NOVEL AS HISTORY (Mailer was ahead of his time) and MIAMI AND THE SIEGE OF CHICAGO (about the 1968 Conventions) too.
MIAMI AND THE SIEGE OF CHICAGO, which was his first book I read, was, along with the reports of his physical bad behavior towards all sorts of people, where I began being more irritated by Mailer than anything else.
Today is Monday?
A laborious Monday!
Both are kids are at college now. Boy #2 moved to his dorm last week and Boy #1 drove back to MN on Sunday. The adjustment has been fine for me so far but it does feel a bit weird with an emptier house. Also feels a bit nicer with an emptier house.
I've been listening to a 28 hour long history of World War One, A WORLD UNDONE by GJ Meyer. Amazing how much slaughter happened just between July and the end of 1914. Casualties so massive that accurate numbers are not possible.
Have second book in Laure R King's Shlerock Holmes series up next. Also received the latest Anthony Neil Smith novel, SLOWEST BEAR, and Steve Hockensmith seventh HOLMES ON THE RANGE MYSTERY.
I was at a loss on what to start watching after finishing Season 3 of GIRLS5EVA. I decided to watch PEACEMAKER for the third time. A great show.
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