A mystery novel in a model railroading setting? Who could resist? Not I! Murder to Scale, by Debra B. Schiff “with” Mike Blumensaadt, is a good enough story in which the setting plays a major role, not just a background part. When… Read More ›
Books
Lethal White
As everyone knows — everyone, that is, except certain cats — Robert Galbraith is the pseudonym that J.K. Rowling adopted for her Cormoran Strike series of detective novels for adults. Lethal White is the fourth in this series. This is a long… Read More ›
In Prior’s Wood
Wasn’t it Alan Kay who had said the best way to predict the future was to create it? Yes, it was. Having worked briefly for computer scientist Alan Kay at Atari 35 years ago, I was rather startled to see… Read More ›
Bury the Lead… or is it the lede?
It’s been nine years since I’ve reviewed an Archer Mayor novel! And my November 2009 review was none too enthusiastic. So I am pleased to report that I am definitely enthusiastic about Bury the Lead, even though the correct phrase should be… Read More ›
The Reckoning
“But this isn’t a courtroom thriller!” That’s what I heard you say, and then you threw it aside because you are a certain type of reader. Maybe you’re that type of reader, maybe you’re not. But you’re right that The Reckoning is… Read More ›
How geeky can you get?
‘There’s no excuse for being early,’ said Breslin. ‘No, I suppose not.’ ‘None whatsoever.’ ‘No.’ ‘It is forbidden.’ ‘Yes.’ He looked at his watch, studying it intently for several long moments before returning his gaze to me. ‘So now we’ve… Read More ›
Lexicographers: Fact or Fiction?
Do lexicographers really exist? Or are they like unicorns? Or perhaps they’re like mailmen. Lexicographers are unlikely protagonists of a novel — though of course they might not exist and could still be protagonists of a novel, as hobbits are. You… Read More ›
The Breakers
The Breakers is a rather low-key episode in Marcia Muller’s long-running Sharon McCone series. In general there are two types of long-running series: those where the characters remain static and familiar, and those where the characters change and develop. Sharon… Read More ›
The Last Place You Look
Kristen Lepionka grew up mostly in a public library and could often be found in the adult mystery section well before she was out of middle school… She lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her partner and two cats. That’s what the… Read More ›
It’s academic.
Passport to Murder; Death by Committee; The Black Hour. My imagined Final Jeopardy clue says “This is is what all three titles have in common.” … … OK, enough suspense: the answer is “What are three titles of recent academic… Read More ›
An Enemy of the People
Your president just called CNN “the enemy of the people.” This, of course, is far from the first time that he has referred to the press by this phrase. (Marvin Kalb just published an entire book on the subject, straightforwardly… Read More ›
Magicians
Finally I’ve finished reading the third book of the Magicians trilogy: The Magician’s Land. (Earlier I reviewed the first two books, The Magicians and The Magician King, so it’s time to complete the picture.) The question — whether overt or… Read More ›
Elderly?
How old is she? From Edmund Crispin, The Moving Toyshop (1946):
The Magician King
The Magician King is the sequel to The Magicians, which I reviewed on September 1. As the second book in Lev Grossman’s trilogy, it follows closely after book #1 and appropriately leaves the reader hanging, waiting for #3. Darker and more mature than The… Read More ›
She Was the Quiet One
Is Odell Academy supposed to be Phillips Exeter Academy? All signs point to that, but there’s no direct evidence. Odell is the site of Michele Campbell’s new novel, She Was the Quiet One, a title that develops new meanings as you continue… Read More ›
Something Wonderful
You need the subtitle. The full name of the book is Something Wonderful: Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Broadway Revolution, which gives you a pretty good picture of the subject of the book. As I grew up in the ’60s, I was… Read More ›
All or Nothing
Culture. Literature. Memoirs…. Are they all based on Folklore and Mythology? A classmate of mine majored in that field — or should I say it was his “field of concentration” rather than “majored”? I always thought it was surprisingly specific as a… Read More ›
A Penny for Your Thoughts
“A penny for your thoughts.” Does anyone say that anymore? Probably not. Part of being retired is that I get to do more sitting and thinking than usual. (“Sometimes I sits and thinks, and sometimes I just sits,” to quote… Read More ›
The Magicians
No, not the television show, which I’ve never seen. Just the eponymous novel it’s based on. And no, I haven’t yet read the two subsequent novels in Lev Grossman’s trilogy, so there’s nothing about either of them here either. You’ll… Read More ›
Educated
I’m not quite sure how I feel about Tara Westover’s memoir, Educated. Comparisons with Hillbilly Elegy, which I did not like, are inevitable. The stories are actually quite different, as are the attitudes of the narrators. I had referred to J.D. Vance (author of… Read More ›
Learning Strategies 