I’m not sleeping well. My heart is heavy. I blame the President. I know, I promised not to get political here. I’ll get to the books shortly. But the past year has been rough. I didn’t sign up to be a citizen under these conditions. If the current administration is making America greater, it’s also … Continue reading #ME TOO MISS MARPLE: An Aged Feminist for Our Age
GETTING CLOSER TO THE DREAM!
Almost exactly a year ago, I reported to you that I had enrolled in an evening course on Scandinavian crime fiction at Stanford University. If you follow my exploits with any regularity, you all know how that turned out! (above) The mood evoked when reading a Scandinavian crime novel. My professor was an extremely affable … Continue reading GETTING CLOSER TO THE DREAM!
A TIP OF THE HAT TO A REVERED BLOGGER
The picture at the top of this post is of Bernadette Bean, a noted blogger and booster of all things Australian, who has passed away. For many years, she ran her blog, Reactions to Reading, and if you go there, you realize instantly how deeply she loved the literary world and how much she knew. … Continue reading A TIP OF THE HAT TO A REVERED BLOGGER
FINDING MY XANAX AT 148 BONNY MEADOW ROAD
I’ve always been an anxious sort of person, but it really kicked in when I got to 5th grade. We had just moved back to California, and I enrolled in a school where all the other kids hated me. Oh, you can file this under paranoia, but fifteen years ago I met my wonderful 5th … Continue reading FINDING MY XANAX AT 148 BONNY MEADOW ROAD
AN APOLOGY – AND A REQUEST FOR CINEMATIC ASSISTANCE!
First of all, my friends, I want to apologize for being largely silent during the month of February. There are many reasons for that, and I won't go into any of them here. Suffice it to say, I'm here, get used to it! And I hope I will be publishing much more in the coming … Continue reading AN APOLOGY – AND A REQUEST FOR CINEMATIC ASSISTANCE!
FIGHTING THE FIFTH COLUMN, GAD STYLE – PART ONE: Christie’s N or M
Last year, moviegoers and Netflix subscribers (I count myself as both) were inundated with mid-20th century British history. Beginning with Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, followed by The Darkest Hour, which covered the same events from Churchill’s point of view (and assured its star, Gary Oldman, of an Oscar), continuing on to Season 2 of The Crown, … Continue reading FIGHTING THE FIFTH COLUMN, GAD STYLE – PART ONE: Christie’s N or M
ON MY THIRD READ OF CHRISTIE, THE BOOK I BOUGHT FOR ME: Three Blind Mice
When I began my Adventures with Agatha at the tender age of eleven and a half, I was pretty much flying blind. I had been led to And Then There Were None by the machinations of a brilliant babysitter, but after that I was on my own. There was no internet to look Christie up … Continue reading ON MY THIRD READ OF CHRISTIE, THE BOOK I BOUGHT FOR ME: Three Blind Mice
GOOSEBUMPS: THE CHRISTIE EDITION
Mr. JJ of The Invisible Event (you do know that JJ is his last name, not his initials, right? His first name is Al) recently posted on my favorite topic, Agatha Christie, detailing some of the highs and lows he had experienced after nearly twenty years of reading the Queen of Crime. It was a … Continue reading GOOSEBUMPS: THE CHRISTIE EDITION
“COME AWAY, COME AWAY, DEATH . . . “ Christie’s New Direction
"When you read what happens after that you will not believe it, but you will keep on reading, and as one incredible event is followed by another even more incredible you will still keep on reading. The whole thing is utterly impossible and utterly fascinating. It is the most baffling mystery that Agatha Christie has … Continue reading “COME AWAY, COME AWAY, DEATH . . . “ Christie’s New Direction
A JUNIOR MYSTERY TO END MY HOLS
Without a doubt, my favorite children’s author growing up was a man named Edward Eager. He was primarily a dramatist, but between 1954 and 1962 he also wrote seven novels for kids. Perhaps the size of his output explains why he isn’t more well-known, but he should be! Eager wrote in the same vein as … Continue reading A JUNIOR MYSTERY TO END MY HOLS
Ah Sweet Mystery! 