Geoffrey Hill, a poet regularly hailed as the greatest in the English language, died suddenly on 30 June at the age of 84.
Saturday, July 02, 2016
Geoffrey Hill, R. I. P.
The Guardian: Famously difficult author acclaimed by former poet laureate Andrew Motion as a writer ‘of immense gifts and originality and authenticity’
Robin Hardy, R. I. P.
Deadline: Robin Hardy, English author and film director best known for helming the classic 1973 suspense horror film The Wicker Man died on July 1, friends confirmed. He was 86. The BBC first reported the news. A native of Surrey, Hardy’s career as a director was kicked off in Canada and the United States in the 1960s with episodes of the cultural omnibus television show Esso World Theater. From there, he staked out a career making commercials and educational films.
Michael Cimino, R. I. P.
Variety: Michael Cimino, who won Oscars as director and a producer of “The Deer Hunter” before “Heaven’s Gate” destroyed his career and sped up the demise of 60-year-old United Artists, has died. He was believed to be 77.
Elie Wiesel, R. I. P.
Elie Wiesel, Holocaust Survivor And Nobel Laureate, Dead At 87: July 2 - Activist and writer Elie Wiesel, the World War Two death camp survivor who won a Nobel Peace Prize for becoming the life-long voice of millions of Holocaust victims, has died, Israel’s Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem said on Saturday.
New EQMM Podcast
PodOmatic | Best Free Podcasts: Novelist and short-story writer Brendan DuBois has been contributing to EQMM for twenty years. He is a master at evoking the undercurrents to small-town life, and in 2015 he came in second in EQMM's annual Readers Award competition for just such a story. Here he is reading “The Lake Tenant” (EQMM November 2015), his winning story.
Friday, July 01, 2016
Guy Novel -- Michael Ryan
It's 1996. Robert Wilder is a comedian, not a hugely successful one, but one who has some pretty good gigs. It's his wedding day, and when he stops by a bank in a pouring rain, he offers a ride to a beautiful woman, who says her name is Sabine. Before long they're in Baja California and in bed, and the intended bride is left waiting at the altar. The next day Sabine is gone, along with a suitcase containing $200,000.So far, so good, you might think. We're in Gold Medal territory here. I know where this is going. Well, trust me, you don't. Wilder goes home to his dog, his many irate phone messages, his landlady's disturbed daughter. He talks to his best friend and finds out how much trouble he's in. He doesn't care. All he can think about is Sabine. His best friend hooks him up with the best lawyer in L.A. to help him out with his increasingly complex situation.
The less said about the plot after that, the better. I'll tell you that about halfway through the book, Sabine shows up again. Sabine, of course, isn't her real name. Neither is anything that the lawyer has supposedly found out about her, and Wilder is in for the ride of his life.
Naturally I got a kick out of the bit where the Commander of the Turkmenistan Border Guard reveals that he went to "Yootee." "Hook 'em Horns . . . Happy hour half price Lonestar Longnecks killer nachos Waylon and Willie . . . ."
This is essentially a love story, about a guy who doesn't know himself but who learns a lot. You have to swallow at least three huge coincidences, but what the hey. The book is fast and funny and surprising. Check it out.
FFB: Jackstraw -- Ron Faust
I first discovered Ron Faust's work back in the late '70s or early '80s when he wrote a couple of books for Gold Medal. I've read his books off and on ever since. I've reviewed a couple of them (here and here) on the blog. (I thought maybe I'd reviewed them four or five years ago. It was ten years. Yikes.) A few months ago I read a review of Jackstraw, which I hadn't known about, and I thought I'd better get a copy. I'm glad I did.Thomas Jackstraw (everyone calls him "Jack") is a mercenary. He's in one of those small mythical Central American countries when he agrees to fake the attempted assassination of an American VP candidate, a femme fatale if ever there was one. He thinks he's one step ahead of the plan, which would include his own death, but he's only a half-step ahead. What he didn't figure on was the actual assassination of the presidential candidate who's travelling with her. He manages to elude the people intent on killing him and get back to the U.S. But that's only half the story. Now Jack is on the run in the High Country. There's some great wilderness survival stuff, which Faust is really good at, and then the political plot returns and kicks into high gear.
I really enjoyed this book, but then I've enjoyed all Faust's work that I've read. His clear prose propels the plot, and Faust provides plenty of twists, but he also gives you plenty to think about. Reading this book, published in 2013, it's hard not think about the current political campaign. It's scary. The book has a perfect setup for a sequel, but that's not going to happen, as Faust died in 2011. A great loss to the world of thriller fiction.
Thursday, June 30, 2016
On the Road
By the time this appears on the blog, I'll be on my way to the airport to take a vacation. Don't worry about the kittens. My neighbor who's taken care of several generations of Crider felines is on the job, and she'll see to it that they have plenty of food, water, and human companionship while I'm gone. I probably won't be answering many, if any e-mails for a while, and I won't be responding to comments. There will be content on the blog, although maybe not as much as usual. I'll catch up when I return.
Alvin Toffler, R. I. P.
The New York Times: Alvin Toffler, the celebrated author of “Future Shock,” the first in a trilogy of best-selling books that presciently forecast how people and institutions of the late 20th century would contend with the immense strains and soaring opportunities of accelerating change, died on Monday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 87.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Forgotten Music -- Ma Rainey
The Queer Black Woman Who Reinvented The Blues: In the 1910s and 20s, Ma Rainey took the stage with an ostrich feather in one hand and a gun in the other.
Wednesday, June 29, 2016
Dark Shadows Before I Die
Dark Shadows Before I Die: John Scoleri's daily exploration into each episode of the gothic soap opera on its 50th anniversary... John Scoleri has embarked on a journey to watch and comment on every episode of Dark Shadows on the 50th anniversary of its original airdate.
Sir Mack Rice, R. I. P.
Detroit's Sir Mack Rice, 'Mustang Sally' writer, dead at 82: Detroit soul stalwart Sir Mack Rice, who wrote “Mustang Sally,” “Respect Yourself” and other enduring R&B hits, died Monday in metro Detroit of complications from Alzheimer's disease.
“The Story Is the Thing” (by Rand B. Lee)
“The Story Is the Thing” (by Rand B. Lee) | SOMETHING IS GOING TO HAPPEN Rand B. Lee is a freelance writer living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His short stories can be found in many science-fiction anthologies, in periodicals such as The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and in the 2013 collection The Green Man and Other Short Stories (Curiosity Quills Press). He is the youngest surviving child of Manfred B. Lee, coauthor of the Ellery Queen detective novels and short stories. Occasionally, Rand’s stories too venture into the realm of detective fiction. And he has helped us celebrate EQMM’s 75th anniversary by contributing an article about his father to our August 2016 issue (on sale July 19).—Janet Hutchings
Uh-Oh
All our favorite bands are coming to ABC’s ‘Greatest Hits’ show: REO Speedwagon, Rick Springfield, Foreigner, Kenny Loggins and other ‘80s acts will be performing live on the new ABC summer series Greatest Hits.
First It Was the Thin Mint Melee
The Smoking Gun: After her repeated demands to have sex were rebuffed, a Florida woman grabbed a hatchet and began beating on the locked door of the bathroom where her beau had sought refuge, police report.
Scotty Moore, R. I. P.
Musical icon, Elvis’ guitarist Scotty Moore dies: He was the man behind "The Man," the one producing the signature licks amid the screams and hysteria and history making moments. Scotty Moore was one of the foundational figures in rock and roll, a profoundly influential guitarist, and the musician who helped Elvis Presley become The King.
Tuesday, June 28, 2016
Slip Sliding Away
The New York Times: VIENNA, Va. — Paul Simon says he is ready to give up making and playing music, 61 years after he started as a 13-year-old. “You’re coming towards the end,” he said in an interview this week, discussing the mysterious epiphanies that delivered some of his greatest songs, the toxic qualities of fame, and his yearning to explore questions of spirituality and neuroscience.
Once Again Texas Leads the Way
See it to believe it: Bryan Wilson, Texas Law Hawk: Commercial 4 - YouTube
Buddy Ryan, R. I. P.
NY Daily News: James (Buddy) Ryan, the renowned defensive guru and father of twin brothers, Rex and Rob, who continue to carry on his football coaching legacy with the Buffalo Bills, died Tuesday morning. He was 82.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Croc Update (Crocosaurus Cove Edition)
Video of crocodile attempting to eat Australian diver at Crocosaurus Cove
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Great still pics as well as video.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Great still pics as well as video.
Overlooked Movies -- Casino Royale
Summertime is rerun time, USA. Here's a review from 2006.
When I saw Layer Cake, I knew Daniel Craig would be just fine as James Bond. And he is. He doesn't look like the Bond of the books, but that doesn't matter. He pulls off the role, and is utterance of the famous introduction ("My name is Bond, etc.") is a high point of the movie.
Which is far too long. I like the idea of the free-running stunts in the long chase near the beginning, but it all goes on too long, as do several scenes.
The B&W sequence before the main titles is nice, and the titles themselves are great. I don't know who cooked them up, but they really set a tone. The song, on the other hand, pretty much bit the moose.
I liked the harder edge for Bond, and I liked the way the script shows how he's hard but still vulnerable, at least until the final betrayal and its result.
Having read the book more than 45 years ago, I still remember it well. I also recall my favorite line, spoken by Le Chifre in the torture scene: "Kiss it goodbye, Mr. Bond." The line's not in the movie, more's the pity. For that matter, maybe it's not even in the book. After 45 years, I can't be sure. Maybe I just made it up.
When it comes down to it, I'm still a Sean Connery kind of guy, and my favorites Bond movies are still the first three. This one was okay, but not in their league. Check it out, though. It's still worth a look if you're a fan of the series.
Monday, June 27, 2016
Blaze! Bloody Wyoming -- John Hegenberger
Blaze! Bloody Wyoming opens when J. D. Blaze and his wife Kate engaged in a bit of intimacy and are attacked by a band of renegades. Kate is wounded, and J. D. takes her to a doctor in the nearest town before heading out for revenge. In short order he's hanged and nearly drowned in the flash flood that saves him from the hanging.
When he returns to town, his wife doesn't appear to know who he is and has taken a job as a soiled dove in a local saloon. There's a lot to untangle here, but J. D. is up to the job as the bodies pile up.
If you're looking for a fast-moving, all-action western story, this just might the one for you.
How to Take Care of Your Hair, 1950s Edition
How to Take Care of Your Hair, 1950s Edition: "Wash your hair frequently," an instructional video advises, "once every two weeks."
Sunday, June 26, 2016
A brief look at how we read books today
A brief look at how we read books today: E-books were supposed to spell the end of print, but Americans' reading habits have taken a different turn. Here's everything you need to know.
Holmes and Watson 1916-2016
Holmes and Watson 1916-2016 -- Sherlock Holmes and his trusty sidekick Dr. Watson have been with us onscreen for 100 years. Video editor Sanguinity shows us 54 different iterations of the duo on film, from the 1916 silent film Sherlock Holmes to the web series S(her)lock, which launched this year. They include movies, TV shows, animation, and even video games.
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