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 . . . “
Ellery Queen
THE TRAGEDY OF Zzzzzzzzzz
One could write an amusing post about authorial pseudonyms and the reasons for them. How many writers donned a literary disguise out of a sense of shame that they were dabbling in an “inferior” genre? Surely a poet of great stature in the United Kingdom like Cecil Day-Lewis could not write thrillers under his own … Continue reading THE TRAGEDY OF Zzzzzzzzzz
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
INSIDER, OUTSIDER, ALL AROUND THE TOWN: A Return to Wrightsville
I admire my fellow bloggers who are able to read and post reviews for one, two, even three books a week (how do you do it, PD and Kate?!?) I’m too slow a reader to get that job done. I’ll also admit that reviewing books, most of which others have been far more insightful about, … Continue reading INSIDER, OUTSIDER, ALL AROUND THE TOWN: A Return to Wrightsville
“HOT TOWN, SUMMER IN THE CITY . . .”: Ellery Queen’s Cat of Many Tails
As I write this, it’s the beginning of my second week of summer vacation. For laymen, (read: non-educators) it’s the gravy in the crazy tureen of my professional life. Residing as I do in the middle of Silicon Valley, it’s not unusual when I meet a person and they ask me what I do for … Continue reading “HOT TOWN, SUMMER IN THE CITY . . .”: Ellery Queen’s Cat of Many Tails
I SECOND THAT EMOTION: Mysteries That Make You Feel
Dale Carnegie said: “When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion.” Try applying this truism to the classic mystery, and you can perhaps see why some people turn away from the tendency of these stories to shortchange the emotional aspects of murder, while others are … Continue reading I SECOND THAT EMOTION: Mysteries That Make You Feel
ARMCHAIR DETECTIVES OF THE AIRWAVES
There are many ways to get your GAD on! Sure, the purest the literary route, whereby you assemble your own TBR pile (that’s “To Be Read” for those of you who . . . well, I have no idea why anyone who doesn’t have a TBR pile would come visit me!) and whittle it down … Continue reading ARMCHAIR DETECTIVES OF THE AIRWAVES
CATS WITH MANY TALES: The Misadventures of Ellery Queen
In their introduction to The Misadventures of Ellery Queen, their new collection of “pastiches, parodies and potpourri” featuring America’s favorite classic sleuth, co-editors Josh Pachter and Dale C. Andrews address three questions: Who is Ellery Queen? What is a pastiche? What is a parody? I’ll let you read their answer to the first question for … Continue reading CATS WITH MANY TALES: The Misadventures of Ellery Queen
THE GAMES AFOOT
Okay, kids, I want you to gather around your Uncle Brad - we’re going to play some games. No, Nero, you don’t need your phone for this. In fact, children, why don’t you all leave your phones in your jackets, and we’ll – yes, Harriet, you do have to put your phone away. I don’t … Continue reading THE GAMES AFOOT
READER’S CHOICE: The Detective or the Egg?
About six weeks ago, I invited the blogosphere to suggest GAD topics for a mammoth group discussion between my blogging buddies Noah, JJ and me. The response was staggering. Okay, three people replied, but they were great suggestions, and I thank you! One of them came from my online friend rkottery: “How about the role … Continue reading READER’S CHOICE: The Detective or the Egg?
Ah Sweet Mystery! 