Today, the intimate coterie of online Golden Age Detection fans, the women and men who argue, discuss, bolster each other and in all ways thrive together – today, we lost a dear friend. Noah Stewart traded in bookselling for many years. He knew a lot. He had a delightful sense of humor. His blog site … Continue reading NOAH
Life
KOYAANISQATSI: A Life Out of Balance
October 28. That’s the last time I posted on this site. But don’t think I haven’t been busy since then. Why, I’ve read the first chapter or two of nearly a dozen books, including the following: The Shop Window Murders, by Vernon Loder So Pretty a Problem, by Francis Duncan Charlie Chan Carries On, by … Continue reading KOYAANISQATSI: A Life Out of Balance
SCRATCHING A NICHE: On Whodunits and Hitchcockian Hooey
Considering Sunday is a day of rest, this lazy cuss managed to get a lot done! I had a nice walk along the shore under a bright Indian Summer sky. I replaced all my decrepit plastic storage containers with spiffy new Pyrex bowls. I met the new lady Doctor. I like her, but her debut … Continue reading SCRATCHING A NICHE: On Whodunits and Hitchcockian Hooey
G.A.DIVERTISSEMENT
Let’s face it: life can’t be all about reading classic mystery after classic mystery, matching wits with Peter Wimsey and Hercule Poirot and Inspector French to solve some puzzles. Sometimes you just have to step back and . . . solve some puzzles! Fortunately, the folks at the British Library are aware of this! They … Continue reading G.A.DIVERTISSEMENT
FELICITATIONS, DAME AGATHA!
You may not be reading this until tomorrow (Monday) because I’m sure that, like everyone else, you’re outside celebrating Agatha Christie’s one-hundred-twenty-eighth-and-one-day birthday! Some fools posted yesterday during the pre-celebratory festivities, but the real fans are out there right now, spreading the cheer about the world’s most famous mystery writer. Okay, look, I had a really busy … Continue reading FELICITATIONS, DAME AGATHA!
GOING OCD ON MY GAD
Recently, I had the pleasure of listening to three blogger pals discuss John Dickson Carr on the podcast that two of them host on a bimonthly basis. Dan, of The Reader Is Warned, is an artist, and JJ, of The Invisible Event, is a mathematician, so between them they brought a lively blend of stats … Continue reading GOING OCD ON MY GAD
A MESSAGE TO MICHAEL (ON A TWO-TOON DAY)
You can tell summer vacation is going well when it races by. I’ve been busy! I’ve been playing a LOT of bridge. I wish I was getting better faster . . . but I do have to mention that I came in second a week ago in the 99er’s division at a local tournament. (Gimme a … Continue reading A MESSAGE TO MICHAEL (ON A TWO-TOON DAY)
THEATRICAL OCTET, PART FOUR: Strangers in a Strange Land
I went to New York this summer under the apprehension that the theatre world was in a bit of trouble. Tourism has been down in the Big Apple for several years now, and the high box office numbers point not to full houses and a play in every house but to exhorbitant ticket prices at … Continue reading THEATRICAL OCTET, PART FOUR: Strangers in a Strange Land
THEATRICAL OCTET, PART THREE: Social Upheaval on Broad
We view art through a lens that includes social context. It’s the reason you can see a movie or a painting or a play multiple times and have different reactions. As I explained yesterday, two classics became problem plays in light of the raucous atmosphere that has been generated over the past year and a … Continue reading THEATRICAL OCTET, PART THREE: Social Upheaval on Broad
THEATRICAL OCTET, PART TWO: Reconstructing the Classics
I consider myself lucky to be in New York when Bartlett Sher has directed a musical. His determination to tackle the great classics of musical theatre with the same loving care he puts into opera has proven a boon to audiences. I only saw South Pacific on tour, but I caught the original cast on … Continue reading THEATRICAL OCTET, PART TWO: Reconstructing the Classics
Ah Sweet Mystery! 