After my recent Alex Cross-athon, I felt I needed a palate cleanser. And what better, than to re-read some old favorites, by the grande dame of mystery herself, Agatha Christie? I first discovered Christie when I was about 10 or 11, prowling through my mother’s bookcases for something to read. I guess I had exhausted whatever I had taken home from the Bookmobile – probably Louisa May Alcott’s Eight Cousins or a collection of folktales. The first Christie I read was The Moving Finger. I still have my mom’s paperback, with its lurid […]
Doctor Sleep and the Lure of the Sequel
While I was reading Doctor Sleep I was bouncing back and forth between my memories of the novel, written by Stephen King in 1977, and the movie adaptation by director Stanley Kubrick, from 1980. I suspect King may have had both in his mind as well. Although it is well-documented that King didn’t love the film version, Jack Nicholson’s portrayal of Jack Torrance was indelible, as were Shelley Duvall as his wife Wendy and the Overlook Hotel itself. The sins of the father will play out in his […]
Hogwarts … You Can’t Go Home Again?
The kid and I recently read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. Hmmm … I don’t know what to say. I guess I can say that my daughter liked it better than I did. Initially it was wonderful to see favorite characters again — Harry, Ron, Hermione especially. There are even appearances by some folks you might not expect. I won’t spoil it. But … I just didn’t buy it. This was not who I imagined Harry, Ron, Hermione to be as adults. There are so […]
Along Came Another Patterson Book …
My cousin is on a James Patterson rampage, and has been dragging me along, mostly willingly. I have had so many things going on my life recently, that a lightning fast mystery read is about all that I can handle. in fact, I think it is proving a bit therapeutic. I can’t blame my multiple Pattersons completely on my cousin, however. His books are not just a quick read, but also mostly fun, whether written on his lonesome or with one of his many collaborators. […]
Books Vs. Computers
This was a lovely book. As my first audio-read experience, I couldn’t have asked for a nicer book to be read to me during one of the worst weeks of traffic ever. A big thank you to crystalclear for lending it to me! “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore” follows unemployed Clay Jannon as he discovers the mysteries and secrets of a strange bookstore when he takes a job as the night clerk. This book is fun and beautifully written with a collision of the musty, nostalgic […]
Tell me what you read, and I’ll tell you who you are
We read to know we’re not alone. We read because we are alone. We read and we are not alone. We are not alone. It was a crappy night, and I just wanted a book that would make me happy. I wanted something pleasant that I could knock out in one sitting, curled up in my bed and drinking tea. I thought The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry would be fine enough. I was wrong. It was exactly what I needed. A.J. Fikry is the […]
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