A quick one as I am getting home late from seeing a play RADICAL EMPATHY. As you can imagine it was not a comedy. Also saw the movie FOLK TALES about a school in Norway that tries to get teens to get off their phones and out of their heads and learn some skills, like dog-sledding.
Reading ABSOLUTION by Alice McDermott. Also THE BODY KEEPS THE SCORE (Van Der Kolk)
Watching THE GILDED AGE (HBO), CODE OF SILENCE (Britbox) and various other things.
A very nice three days here. Hope you are enjoying your weather too.
19 comments:
I have good news, we have a new cat. His name is London, he is two years old, and he weighs ten pounds. We are used to small female cats. We got him on Thursday afternoon, and he seems to have adjusted very well to life in a new home in the last three days. He loves to be petted and will butt your hand to remind you to pet his head. He purrs a lot and loudly. He doesn't meow (at least not since he has been with us), but he chirps and trills a lot. The only bad habit he has (so far) is he wants to eat our food.
We have been watching ELEMENTARY, BURN NOTICE, and DEATH IN PARADISE. All of those are shows we are rewatching. A new show is THE LIBRARIANS: NEXT CHAPTER, which I don't like as well as previous LIBRARIANS shows but they are still fun.
Glen finished the short story book, THE ROOM OPPOSITE AND OTHER TALES by F.M. Mayor. He liked a lot of the stories. He is still reading BORN TO BE POSTHUMOUS by Mark Dery, the Edward Gorey biography, and is about a quarter of the way into it. At this point, he is finding it slow. He will probably find another book to read along with that one, maybe a mystery.
After I finished reading NINEFOX GAMBIT by Yoon Ha Lee (science fiction), I moved on to PERPLEXING PLOTS: POPULAR STORYTELLING AND THE POETICS OF MURDER by David Bordwell. I am enjoying it although the writing is very dense. There are later chapters on Erle Stanley Gardner and Rex Stout, Patricia Highsmith and Ed McBain, and Donald Westlake and his Richard Stark books, which I am looking forward to.
Congratulations on the new cat, Tracy! What's angle/argument of the Bordwell book?
Tolerable temperatures over the last couple of days here have been welcome, but can'i expect that to last. How are you finding THE GILDED AGE? And ABSOLUTION? Am arguing with myself as to whether to drive the 40 miles to Phoenixville to hear/see Lisa Scottoline and her daughter speak of their new books, then back...met LS briefly when she came to the Fairfax County (DC suburbs) Borders I worked at, decades back; very pleasant and I like her work...80 miles round trip for a reading. Toll roads, no less.
Still working through the HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU UK episodes, and have caught up with the US audio podcast pendant series episodes so far.
Of course he wants to eat your food, Tracy. He's a cat. And there is food. And congrats to London for finding a great family!
We've been alternating between blistering heat and driving thunderstorms. Have not been beaching -- too hot, too wet, sharks in the water, and a bad bacteria count, Ptah!
The only thing of importance this week was Kaylee's wedding (she's evidently spelling her name woth "K" now) -- a low-key courthouse wedding on Thursday morning. They wanted to keep it simple, but we crowded out the small chapel and some had to view it from the hallway. Flying in for the festivities were Jessie's best friend from high school as well as two of Jessie's sisters-in-law. Both husband and bride were joyous. He has a difficult history with his family -- his mother evidently abandoned him when he was a teenager and they have not spoken in years. No one from his family showed up, but our family contingent more than made up for it. (As an aside, I find it very sad when famiies do not act like families.) But it was a happy day and we are thrilled beyond imagining for both of them; he's a great guy. Evidently they had decided to get married mainly for legal reason, although making a firm commitment to each other was also a large part of it. If anything happened to him (God forbid), they did not want his mother making all the legal decisions, most likely against his wishes. This makes a lot of sense to me, who got married a lo-o-ong time ago merely because we were in love. I wish them both a long and bright future as they go together to meet all the challenges that might face them.
I have my television back now and will be catching up on a lot of programs over the nexr week. What I don't have back is my bank account. Following my ransonware attack, my bank no longer recognizes my passwords. I'll be spending most of today on hold as I phone the bank to try to straighten everything out.
Not much reading this week, for obvious reasons. I read T. Kingfisher's southern Gothic horror novel A HOUSE WITH GOOD BONES (my FFB this week), a John Farris horror novel, YOU DON'T SCARE ME (a sort of metaphysical ghost story), and Janet Evanovioch and Steve Hamilton's THE BOUNTY, the final book in Evanovich's Fox & O'Hare series of spy-guy caper novels; most of the earlier books were written with Lee Goldberg and had that distinctive Goldberg touch; one book was written with Evanovich's son, Peter, who evidently came up with the plot for this one, steering wildly away from the original vibe of the series and ending up with a slam-bang action novel with echoes of the filn NATIONAL TREASURE. **sigh** I also finished the Frits Leiber collection, HORRIBLE IMAGININGS. I've given up temporarity on Stephen Graham Jones's THE BUFFALO HUNTER HUNTER; i may get back to it later. Or not. I'm about halfway through the more than 2200 listings in Lee Goldberg's UNSOLD TELEVISION PILOTS, and having a great time with it.
Speaking of great times, that what I wish for you during the coming week, Patti. Stay safe.
I really wish I had a dog or cat but like driving I am too old to learn the ways of dogs and cars and too allergic to cats. I thought I might have outgrown the allergy to cats but a recent visit in a cat-owning house disabused me of that notion.
I like a nice simple wedding. My friend's family had buses and babysitters and all sort of meals and overnight accommodations for a wedding this weekend. That would have exhausted me. After my senior center's two month investigation of Japan, I think I am ready to watch SHOGUN. After reading MINA'S MATCHBOXES, I couldn't decide if it was brilliant or a real disappointment. Maybe Tracy will read it and let me know what she thinks. Y book group discusses it today. I am slowly getting into THE GILDED AGE and ABSOLUTION is very good.
Yes, the weather has been better the last three days. It's so much more pleasant when it is "jeans weather" rather than Just. Too. Hot.
We have our annual checkup this week, then seeing The Doobie Brothers with Michael McDonald on Sunday, with The Coral Reefer Band the opening act. We saw them in Florida this winter and they did a nice show with plenty of Jimmy Buffett stories. We'll stay the night at the local Marriott.
Jackie wanted to try LEANNE (Netflix) and it is watchable so far. We like PERNILLE (also Netflix), the Norwegian comedy (sort of). We decided to hold back on CODE OF SILENCE until most of the episodes are available. We don't like having to wait if we feel like watching a show.
THE ART OF CRIME (MHz, I think) is an entertaining French show about an art expert helping a very reluctant cop solve crimes, much like the British ART DETECTIVES, but with more humor at times. The woman is very likeable and I think a relationship might develop there.
Otherwise, we're pretty much continuing with the same shows we've been watching. The latest SILENT WITNESS (series 15 #9/10, originally 2012), features guest stars Jodie Comer - then 18 or 19, though she was playing 15 - and Adrian Dunbar. They were good but it was a real downer episode.
Jackie watched THE WATERFRONT, which she described as OZARK Lite, set in North Carolina, and is watching COUNTDOWN now.
I read INSPECTOR COLBECK'S CASEBOOK and DEATH AT THE WHITE HART (Chris Chibnall) this weekend.
So, looks like I made the right decision to quit that Evanovich series when Lee Goldberg left.
Western NY is shrouded in Canadian Wild Fire smoke. I don't want the smoke to trigger an asthma attack so I'm not leaving the house. More time to read!
Once again, I'm behind on Library Books. I'm caught up on Review Books.
Diane's sister is traveling from Ohio to North Tonawanda to spend a few days with us. Diane and Carol will visit the Lewiston Art Festival this weekend. We're supposed to be in the mid-80s all week with no rain in sight! Stay safe!
We've never watched any of Dick Wolf's Chicago series, but Jackie wanted to try CHICAGO FIRE (the first) on Peacock, and we now have hundreds of episodes to watch, if we continue. It's her kind of show.
Yes, our air is also bad. I guess this is our future because what will change it. I wonder how I would define my kind of show. Pernille is the closest I can think of that's on now. I like detective shows if they are not too much about gangs and drugs, which so many are now. Looking forward to the new Lynley show. I don't usually like hospital shows with THE PITT being the exception.
I've seen most of them at one time or another because she loves medical shows, going back to BEN CASEY. But yes, THE PITT was outstanding, one of the best ever.
We watch a lot of crime shows, many of them European with subtitles. I agree about the gangs and drugs, but so many are about them.
We like PERNILLE too.
Todd, Bordwell discusses the development of crime fiction plots and narratives in the 1900s and notes the same developments in plays and film of that time. He proposes that crime fiction exposed audiences to new forms of storytelling and increased their familiarity and acceptance of more complex plots. (I think.) Mostly I am reading it for the discussion of crime fiction authors, and a lot of it is over my head, but still very interesting. He was a big fan of Rex Stout (as am I).
Also, I meant to say that George posted a very nice review on Perplexing Plots on his blog in 2023. I don't know when I first became aware of the book, but it was after I found a long discussion of the Nero Wolfe series on Bordwell's website.
Patti, it is a shame that you are allergic to cats but any pet is a problem when you travel, and you like to do that. We are homebodies. I agree about simple weddings.
I will seek out MINA'S MATCHBOXES in September. Probably won't be available at the book sale, but I will look elsewhere if not. It sounds good AND the length is good.
Jerry, it was lovely to hear about Kaylee's wedding. Just the right size and your family is very supportive.
Smoke lingers in Southern Wisconsin. I had been thinking it was a mist until my wife reminded me. There have been air advisories but I ended up doing a 8 mile hike yesterday and everything went OK.
Nothing much new on TV for me. I've been rewatching some streaming programs rather than pay attention to new shows, new characters, and new plots.
I've been reading some used paperbacks and finished a 2016 collection of Mike Hammer stories by both Mickey Spillane and Max Allan Collins. I have librarian access to libro.fm for ARC audiobooks. I enjoyed the horror novel BLACK FLAME but a lot of the books I have tried have been garbage. Now listening to A ya NOVEL, THE EXECUTIONERS THREE. Enjoying it so far with a mix of horror and mystery.
Meanwhile, I keep dragging on making reservations for a couple upcoming trips and will likely do so in a few minutes. I cut out of work early to tag along with my wife to her library night shift. I bring my work laptop along but have gotten bupkis done.
Very misty here today. Can't see anyway this will not be our future.
Some sort of loud alarm down the street (at the Catholic church? Sounds more like a firehouse alarm, but we don't have any close enough, or a Very loud car alarm) blares out into the still-dark early morning. Napped too much yesterday to sleep through the night. With any luck at all, some sanity will creep back into national politics here and nearby and we might gather some sensible climate policy before it's Even More Too Late. If we can keep the crashing of the Drumpf Reich down to a dull roar rather than fire and brimstone, we might make it through.
Thanks for the explication, Tracy, and pointer to George's review. Very glad to read of a mostly happy occasion, Jerry...I suspect your family can help make up for a lot of any other's poor show.
Good to hear from you, Gerard...I have enjoyed, as mentioned occasionally, Fox's new series this past season DOC almost as much as THE PITT, not least as a Molly Parker fan, and it's an intelligent medical soap; much as Fox's THE CLEANING LADY was in part. Have finally, fifteen years along, begun to watch LUTHER, as it's popping up in our HBO feed, and find it a bit too soapy, if mostly good.
Sorry for all the bad air, folks...odd to think that the Garden State might have some of the better atmosphere in the contiguous states at the moment. When it hasn't been pushing 100F of late.
Very glad the tsunamis and aftershocks of the major earthquake were relatively minor, at least in US territory...still so many people to worry about, around the Pacific Rim and in the islands. I was still plugging away in utero in Fairbanks, AK when the near-Anchorage epicenter '64 earthquake, still the worst measured by Richter-scale equipment, afflicted the same tectonic plates and subduction zones.
May everything improve...cats and dogs have more than their share of charm, Patti (rabbits, too) but they are definitely a commitment...sadly, in a certain sense, both our current cats are survivors of their previous owners (our elder cat was my parents' last cat, and the sister of a friend/old flame of mine died rather young and we took on their younger cat). Even as veteran cat people, the young one particularly can be a handful for Alice and me at times.
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