I’ll bet everyone misses the blissful idylls of summer vacation after school lets out . . . except for the parents, who can’t wait for the hallowed halls of academia to take their kids back in September. As scholars go, so go we teachers, riding the waves of a much-needed break from school routine. Summer … Continue reading WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SEASON OF BUFFY?
TV
EYEBALL THIS, PAL! The Case of the Counterfeit Eye
“ You do the darndest things! You’re half saint and half devil! There isn’t any middle ground – you go to both extremes!” That’s Della Street, confronting her boss, Perry Mason, at the end of his sixth adventure, 1935’s The Case of the Counterfeit Eye, for playing as much the morally ambiguous action hero as … Continue reading EYEBALL THIS, PAL! The Case of the Counterfeit Eye
ANATOMY OF AN ADAPTATION: Hercule Poirot’s Christmas aux Francaise
All month, the Tuesday Night Bloggers are dedicating April as “Anything Goes” month, and all our entries begin with the letter “A.” I seem to have found my niche by focusing on the greatest “A” of all: Dame “A”gatha Christie, of course! I’ve honed the focus even further from the author’s depiction of actors in … Continue reading ANATOMY OF AN ADAPTATION: Hercule Poirot’s Christmas aux Francaise
ACRIMONY! Agatha and Adaptations
This April theme to which All the Tuesday Night Bloggers Aspire is An Admirable Act. I Attribute it to the Allure of Alliteration. Anyway, As Bev’s Adorable Artwork Alludes, in April, Anything Goes . . . just as long as it begins with the letter A. You can imagine, knowing me as you do, my … Continue reading ACRIMONY! Agatha and Adaptations
MY FIRST DETECTIVE
January turned out to be a month of reminiscence and personal "shtuff" for The Tuesday Night Bloggers, all because of our month’s topic of “firsts.” Oh sure, sometimes we focused on the first appearance of a certain detective or a certain trope of sub-genre of mystery fiction. But as often as not, my fellow bloggers … Continue reading MY FIRST DETECTIVE
L’EXCROISSANCE: Deuxième Partie
The holidays beckon, but this stalwart member of the Tuesday Night Bloggers keeps on a’bloggin’! All through December, we are tackling the topic of “Foreign Crimes” in however fashion that subject floats our ocean liner! Last week, I discussed Agatha Christie’s foreign-set mysteries, and the week before that I focused on the English village as … Continue reading L’EXCROISSANCE: Deuxième Partie
MAGPIE MURDERS: The Silver Age and the Modern Era Collide
“It’s one thing reading about detectives, quite another trying to be one.” This brand new novel by Anthony Horowitz is making the rounds amongst the mystery blogging community. Already my buddies Kate at Cross Examining Crime and JJ at The Invisible Event have written about it. It hasn’t even hit America yet, so thank you, … Continue reading MAGPIE MURDERS: The Silver Age and the Modern Era Collide
A BIENTOT, POIROT: Agatha Christie’s Curtain
Every month, Rich Westwood at Past Offenses gathers mystery fans from all over the stratosphere to celebrate the mystery literature and films of a specific year, and for November he has chosen . . . 1975?!?!? After October’s foray into 1907, I thought Rich might take pity on us and choose a nice juicy year from … Continue reading A BIENTOT, POIROT: Agatha Christie’s Curtain
CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER: The Best Short Adventure of Ellery Queen
“There was a table set out under a tree in front of the house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it: a Dormouse was sitting between them, fast asleep, and the other two were using it as a cushion, resting their elbows on it, and then talking over its head. … Continue reading CURIOUSER AND CURIOUSER: The Best Short Adventure of Ellery Queen
L’EXCROISSANCE or, Giving the (Moving) Finger to Christie
My buddy Kate over at Cross Examining Crime just wrote an interesting article on Agatha Christie’s The Moving Finger. While she’s not as fond of the novel as I am, she had a fascinating take on the character of Megan Hunter here. By an amazing coincidence, I happened to watch the TV adaptation of The … Continue reading L’EXCROISSANCE or, Giving the (Moving) Finger to Christie