You all know I went to London and met a lot of people and saw a lot of presentations and had a lot of fun and bought two books that sort of stank . . . a lot. But the absolute highpoint of my trip was a Monday night at the end of June, in … Continue reading THE MAN WHO MET THE MEN WHO EXPLAINED MIRACLES: Part I
Life
THE TROUBLE WITH GRIBBLES
“Seconds ticked by, and Slade’s glance did not leave the door. He was not thinking of the young man before him; he knew he would not tell the truth. He was wondering whether his hare-brained scheme – as it now seemed – would work, whether he would hoist the murderer with his own petard, and … Continue reading THE TROUBLE WITH GRIBBLES
AND WAS IT ALL WORTH IT IN THE END?
Post Number Three Hundred brings out the big existential question. The one you ask on your deathbed . . . the one you ask after you’ve shelled out fifty bucks on eBay for an obscure 1940’s mystery that some wanker said on his blog was a “must have” and “worth the search and expense” and … Continue reading AND WAS IT ALL WORTH IT IN THE END?
“ALL BIOGRAPHY IS STORY-TELLING” – Agatha Christie, A Mysterious Life
“And so the story endures, infinitely fascinating; and those who would lay it to rest, who would destroy its beauty by ‘solving’ it, are defeated at every turn.” This key statement comes at the center of Agatha Christie, A Mysterious Life, Laura Thompson’s remarkable biography of the author, which was published last year and which … Continue reading “ALL BIOGRAPHY IS STORY-TELLING” – Agatha Christie, A Mysterious Life
THE IRONIC FRAGILITY OF THE JAW-DROPPER ENDING
They are the solutions that you can’t forget, no matter how much you try. You desperately want to re-read and experience that delicious jolt you got the first time, but you can’t. There’s something so original or special or boundary-breaking about these books that often they end up at the top of many “best of” … Continue reading THE IRONIC FRAGILITY OF THE JAW-DROPPER ENDING
HONING YOUNG MINDS . . . TO MURDER!!!!!! – The 2019 Mystery Project
I have spoken before in this space about how every spring I twist my drama students’ arms offer my drama students a wonderful opportunity to create their own GAD-styled mystery plays! or else! This year is no exception. After whetting their script-writing whistles on the Peter Ustinov version of Evil Under the Sun (nobody in either class … Continue reading HONING YOUNG MINDS . . . TO MURDER!!!!!! – The 2019 Mystery Project
BRAD BESTS BREXIT: or, My Summer Plans
Purely by happenstance, over the last three-four years, I have embarked on two life-changing projects: I became a blogger, and I began to learn how to play bridge. So, bridge . . . well, did you know that the average age of an American bridge player is 72? A great many of the people I … Continue reading BRAD BESTS BREXIT: or, My Summer Plans
OF BRADLEY, BOOKSTORES, BEV, AND AN ANNOUNCEMENT
Amazon.com has drastically altered my life. For better andfor worse. From early childhood, I adored bookstores. Like most of you, I’ll bet, I could while away many an hour curled up in a chair (if they had any) or simply mosey back and forth along the aisles, picking up this and that, reading back covers … Continue reading OF BRADLEY, BOOKSTORES, BEV, AND AN ANNOUNCEMENT
“THESE PRECIOUS ILLUSIONS IN MY HEAD DID NOT LET ME DOWN . . . “
Author and blogger Margot Kinberg, who comes up with something thought-provoking every . . . single . . . day . . . recently offered up a tantalizing article about illusion. Her focus was on characters in mysteries whose lives, built to varying degrees around an illusory view of the world around them, form the … Continue reading “THESE PRECIOUS ILLUSIONS IN MY HEAD DID NOT LET ME DOWN . . . “
REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST: The Stirring of Memory in the Novels of Agatha Christie
I know, I know, friends! I was waxing reflective on Agatha Christie only the other day, and here I go again. Forgive me, but January is always a rough month to get some reading in. It’s the final stretch of rehearsals for the big school show, and this year’s entry, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, is … Continue reading REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST: The Stirring of Memory in the Novels of Agatha Christie
Ah Sweet Mystery! 