oh, that's very funny. Ho, ho, ho. The crooner is now becoming the comic

Average rating:  6.8

White Christmas (1954) - "Two talented song and dance men (Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye) team up after the war to become one of the hottest acts in show business. One winter they join forces with a sister act (Rosemary Clooney and VeraEllen) and trek to Vermont for a white Christmas. The result is stuff dreams are made of." 

length: 2h  |  source: Amazon Prime Video  |  directed by Michael Curtiz  |  why I watched: I'd never seen it, and was curious

IMDb: 7.5/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: 76% / 89% Audience  |  my IMDb: 7/10  |  MPAA: Approved

tone & texture: warm, classic Hollywood polish

notable quote: "'My dear partner, when what's left of you gets around to what's left to be gotten, what's left to be gotten won't be worth getting, whatever it is you've got left.'

    'When I figure out what that means I'll come up with a crushing reply.'"

my notes: charming, entertaining, and nostalgic. Crosby had a voice like no other, and I genuinely enjoyed Danny Kaye as well. The romance part of it was hokey as heck, but the song-and-dance side was completely pleasant.

themes: found family, love

overall:  recommended

 

Song of the Thin Man {Thin Man #6} (1947) - "Tommy Drake, a musician aboard a gambling ship, is shot and killed while trying to break into a safe. Later, amateur sleuths Nick (William Powell) and Nora (Myrna Loy) receive a visit from Phil Brant, Drake's former boss and the the main suspect in his murder. After they give Brant up to the authorities, they start digging around for clues. The pair question Brant's wife and one of Drake's musician colleagues until they start to piece together the intricate puzzle." 

length: 1h, 26m  |  source: my DVD  |  directed by Edward Buzzell  |  why I watched: it's the last in the series, which I've been watching lately

IMDb: 6.9/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: 91% / 71% Audience  |  my IMDb: 6/10  |  MPAA: Approved

tone & texture: playful, classic Hollywood polish

notable quote: "'Dig him in one of the jam joints! Where the boys go after closin' and really ride. Just for cats and intellectuals. The rooty-toots and bobbie soxers verboten. Solid.' 

    'Well, I don't wear bobbie soxes; but, would you say I'm a rooty-toot?'

    'Strictly. But, I guess I can ace you in.'"

my notes: it's not the best of the bunch, but it's good enough for a cold evening's watch. I liked the loopy Clinker Krause (Keenan Wynn), and of course Asta the dog. The ending was goofy and couldn't have been sleuthed-out by the viewer, but it was still entertaining.

themes: love, chaos v. order

overall:  mildly recommended

A Christmas Carol (1984) - "A television film adaptation of Charles Dickens' classic novella, featuring Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly old man who is visited by three spirits on Christmas Eve. Through these encounters, Scrooge reflects on his past, present, and future, ultimately learning the importance of compassion and redemption." 

length: 1h, 40m  |  source: Fawsome  |  directed by Clive Donner  |  why I watched: it's a perennial favorite (previously reviewed here and here)

IMDb: 7.8/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: 98% / 75% Audience  |  my IMDb: 9/10  |  MPAA: PG

tone & texture: somber, classic Hollywood polish

notable quote: "I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The spirits of all Three shall strive within me! I will not shut out the lessons that they teach!"

my notes: my favorite (human) adaptation, this one gets me every time. I completely believe in George C. Scott's Scrooge: his origins, his transformation, his weary acquisitiveness, and of course in his deliverance.  

themes: redemption

overall: strongly recommended

 

Meet Me in St Louis (1944) - "A classic MGM romantic musical comedy that focuses on four sisters (one of whom is the nonpareil Judy Garland) on the cusp of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. The film spotlights the sisters' education in the ways of the world, which includes, but isn't limited to, learning about life and love, courtesy of the prototypical boy next door. In the end, love—accompanied by song, dance and period costumes, all in glorious Technicolor—conquers all." 

length: 1h, 53m  |  source: TubiTV  |  directed by Vincente Minnelli  |  why I watched: I've seen it before (reviewed here) but hadn't rated it

IMDb: 7.5/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: 99% / 86% Audience  |  my IMDb: 5/10  |  MPAA: Approved

tone & texture: warm, classic Hollywood polish

notable quote: "Meeting him across the lawn for the first time would be so ordinary. I don't want to be just introduced to him. I want it to be something strange and romantic and something I'll always remember."

my notes: I was charmed by it the first time through, but saw the holes in the cheese this second time. Each of the Smith sisters is a brat, the parents are indulgent and clueless, and a little song & dance goes a looooong way. The country dance in the overstuffed Smith house is the high point; Mr. Smith's final decision about New York is the low. (Come ON, dude.)

themes: identity, love

AFI: 25 Greatest Movie Musicals (2006) #10

Academy Award winner: Outstanding Child Actress—Margaret O'Brien (4x nominee) 

overall:  weakly recommended

 

The Mechanic (2011) - "One of an elite group of assassins, Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) may be the best in the business. Bishop carries out his assignments with precision, detachment and adherence to a strict code, but when Harry (Donald Sutherland), his close friend and mentor, is murdered, Bishop vows revenge. Harry's son (Ben Foster) comes to him with vengeance in his heart and a desire to learn Bishop's trade, signaling the birth of a deadly partnership." 

length: 1h, 33m  |  source: my DVD  |  directed by Simon West  |  why I watched: it's been too long since I last saw it (previously reviewed here)

IMDb: 6.5/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: 54% / 51% Audience  |  my IMDb: 7/10  |  MPAA: R

tone & texture: energetic, fast-cut/kinetic

notable quote: "You're a goddamn machine. You see things. You view people differently than I do, differently than anybody does. But you have a problem. You need companionship."

my notes: it's not for everybody, but what is? Profusely violent (holy shit, that screwdriver) and bleak, it is nonetheless riveting and almost tender. Donald Sutherland is marvelous.

themes: revenge, identity

overall:  recommended

[the title quotation is from White Christmas]

is life a multiple choice test or is it a true or false test?

I’m experimenting with a short, optional reader survey to get a better sense of who’s reading and what’s most useful or interesting here. Comments are always welcome, but I know many people prefer to read quietly. This is a quick, anonymous, and not-required way for me to learn about how this space is used. (I'm not even lying about it being anonymous—there's literally no way for me to track who's touched it.)

  Create your own user feedback survey 

[the title quotation is by Charles M. Schulz, and reads in its entirety as below]
Sometimes I lie awake at night and I ask, "Is life a multiple choice test or is it a true or false test?" ...Then a voice comes to me out of the dark and says,  "We hate to tell you this but life is a thousand word essay."

words weaker than your grief would make Grief more. 'Twere better I should cease

The wind, that beats the mountain, blows 

    More softly round the open wold, 

And gently comes the world to those 

    That are cast in gentle mould. 

And me this knowledge bolder made, 

    Or else I had not dared to flow 

In these words toward you, and invade 

    Even with a verse your holy woe.

    

'Tis strange that those we lean on most, 

    Those in whose laps our limbs are nursed, 

Fall into shadow, soonest lost: 

    Those we love first are taken first. 

God gives us love. Something to love 

    He lends us; but, when love is grown 

To ripeness, that on which it throve 

    Falls off, and love is left alone. 

This is the curse of time. 

    Alas! In grief 1 am not all unlearned: 

Once through mine own doors Death did pass; 

    One went, who never hath returned. 

He will not smile—not speak to me 

    Once more. Two years his chair is seen 

Empty before us. That was he 

    Without whose life I had not been. 

Your loss is rarer; for this star 

    Rose with you through a little arc 

Of heaven, nor having wandered far 

    Shot on the sudden into dark. 

I knew your brother: his mute dust 

    I honour and his living worth: 

A man more pure and bold and just 

    Was never born into the earth. 

I have not looked upon you nigh, 

    Since that dear soul hath fall'n asleep. 

Great Nature is more wise than I: 

    I will not tell you not to weep. 

And though mine own eyes fill with dew, 

    Drawn from the spirit through the brain, 

I will not even preach to you, 

    'Weep, weeping dulls the inward pain.' 

Let Grief be her own mistress still. 

    She loveth her own anguish deep 

More than much pleasure. Let her will 

    Be done—

to weep or not to weep 

I will not say 'God's ordinance 

    Of Death is blown in every wind; 

For that is not a common chance 

    That takes away a noble mind. 

His memory long, will live alone 

    In all our hearts, as mournful light 

That broods above the fallen sun, 

    And dwells in heaven half the night. 

Vain solace! Memory standing near 

    Cast down her eyes, and in her throat 

Her voice seemed distant, and a tear 

    Dropt on the letters as I wrote. 

I wrote I know not what. In truth, 

    How should I soothe you anyway, 

Who miss the brother of your youth? 

    Yet something I did wish to say: 

For he too was a friend to me: 

    Both are my friends, and my true breast 

Bleedeth for both; yet it may be 

    That only silence suiteth best. 

Words weaker than your grief would make 

    Grief more. 'Twere better I should cease; 

Although myself could almost take 

    The place of him that sleeps in peace. 

Sleep sweetly, tender heart, in peace: 

    Sleep, holy spirit, blessèd soul, 

While the stars burn, the moons increase, 

    And the great ages onward roll. 

Sleep till the end, true soul and sweet. 

    Nothing comes to thee new or strange. 

Sleep full of rest from head to feet; 

    Lie still, dry dust, secure of change. 

 [Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson FRS {1809-1892} 'To J.S.' , from Tennyson, in Everyman’s Library Pocket Poets]

miniature griffins could be the next big trend in exotic pets

More accurate than a Buzzfeed quiz; less accurate than your therapist’s raised eyebrow.🤨

 

🦥 Which Exotic Pet Matches Your Spirit? 🐌

 

Not for owning—

just for personality matching. 

Let’s meet your inner creature.

---

Q1. How do you move through the world?

    A. Quietly

    B. With curiosity

    C. With precision    

    D. With flair

 

Q2. What’s your social style?

    A. One-on-one

    B. Friendly explorer

    C. Selective    

    D. Chaotic good

 

Q3. Favorite type of environment:

    A. Calm

    B. Warm + lively

    C. Structured    

    D. Vibrant

 

Q4. Your energy level?

    A. Low but steady

    B. Moderately adventurous

    C. Focused    

    D. Up and down

 

Q5. Your charm type:

    A. Subtle

    B. Friendly

    C. Mysterious    

    D. Unexpected

 

Results in the comments!

 

[quiz generated by chatGPT; the title quotation is by Seanan McGuire, from Pocket Apocalypse]

go and do your thing. Make us proud!

Book Review 

 

Rating * * * * 

 

Title: While it was Snowing 

 

Author: Julia London

 

Published: this novel was published in 2025 (!); I listened to the unabridged audiobook (Dreamscape Media; read by Amy McFadden; 10 hours) 

 

What is the story? 

A charming holiday romance that follows single mom Amy Casey as she escapes to a lakeside cottage to focus on her art. Her plans take an unexpected turn when she discovers that professional golfer Harrison Neely, who is recovering from an injury, has also rented the same house. As a snowstorm traps them together, their initial friction evolves into a deeper connection, allowing both to confront their pasts and rediscover the joy of love during the enchanting holiday season. --from various sources 

What type of language does it use—technical, complex, standard, or colloquial? standard

 

Does the level of language make it easy or difficult for the reader to follow? this is an engaging read, easy to follow

 

Did you like this book? yep, quite a bit

 

If you could change something, what would it be? there is a degree of external tension caused by a related group of people that seems to go on for too long. The mild acceptance of that chaos dimmed my admiration of the main characters, and made the eventual resolution of the conflict less powerful. 

 

What were your favourite parts? much like in the great Jennifer Crusie's books, there's just something about a sweet, slightly doofy dog to pull a romance along

 

Who stands out, among the characters? Harrison, the golfer, was most compelling for me. He's many-layered, not (just) living a life of pampering and ease. I also thought his openness and acceptance were genuinely revealed.

 

What is your recommendation? nice, mild, almost unobjectionable book, easy to read and causing no angst

 

5 adjectives you would use to describe this text: funny, engaging, thoughtful, inspiring, different 

 

[book review template 5 adapted from here; the title quotation is from the book]

dissolves or doubles

Words especially 

are subject to 

the chemistry 

of death: it is 

an acid bath 

which dissolves 

or doubles 

their strength. 

Sentiments 

which pleased 

drift down 

as sediment; 

iron trees 

grow from filament. 

 [Kay Ryan {1945- } 'Chemistry' from The Best of It]

it's not stupid to want to put on a pretty dress and feel beautiful for a night

1. If you had to eliminate one emotion from your life, which would it be? 

    fear

2. If you could have done one thing with one of your teachers, what would it be, and with whom?

    this question made me laugh, hard. I had an English prof that haunted my dreams, in a good way. He appears in my answers here.

    To be full serious and above-board, though, I will say that I would have liked to have tried to write an article with my grad school mentor. He is a prolific writer, a brilliant teacher, and very well known in the field. It would have been an incredible boon to my career. (He retired as senior historian at a major Second World War museum.)

    For that matter, do have done the same with my softer/kinder grad school hero might've been even better. He's a more basically decent person, and the experience would have been rewarding and fun. (He remains a full professor at the school where I knew him.)

3. If you had to name the most difficult goodbye you've ever said, what would it be? 

    if I can make it broad, I would choose The Flatland, in general. Leaving my life there broke me, in certain ways that can never heal.

    If it has to be a person, it's Chris. He was proud of me, and glad for me, and as sad as I was. The hug, in the parking lot of Cabana Charley's, lasted so long. We didn't want to let go. 

    If it's any goodbye...then it's the boy kitties I've loved and lost. 

4. If you could remove one marking from your skin, which one would it be?     

    besides the tattoos (sigh), it's a cherry angioma just below my left collarbone. It's almost but not quite out of my visual range, so I can just barely see it, and it looks like a bug, and I've tried to scratch it off ten billion times. They aren't inherently dangerous, but the scratching can cause (relatively) profuse bleeding. I want that thing gone. 

5. If you could have won a single thing you tried for in your lifetime but didn't win, what would it be? 

    the local library job would have been nice. It's a not-funny joke that to get a job in that field anymore, you have to know people or bump someone off. Alas.

    

6. If you could live in a past era just so you could wear the clothes in fashion at the time, when would it be? 

    1950s

7. If you could suddenly be irresistibly charming for one day only, what would you do? 

    negotiate a car loan, a raise, and a date with the 2 O'Clock Man

 [from If2: 500 New Questions for the game of life; the title quotation is by Stephanie Perkins, from Lola and the Boy Next Door]

you peep pretty loud for a chick that can't even find its own worms

Average rating: 6.4

A Very Vintage Christmas (2019) - "Dodie (Tia Mowry-Hardrict) is a hopeless

romantic, just like the pieces in her vintage antique shop. When Dodie finds a hidden box full of romantic trinkets, she makes it her mission to deliver it to its rightful owner. Following the address, she manages to persuade the handsome but reluctant new tenant, Edward (Jesse Hutch), to help her with her search." 

length: 1h, 27m  |  source: streamed on TubiTV  |  directed by Paul A. Kaufman  |  why I watched: typical Christmas season curiosity and hope for a rare Hallmark-adjacent movie win

IMDb: 6.1/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: N/A% / 29% Audience  |  my IMDb: 3/10  |  MPAA: TV-G

tone & texture: warm, crisp & modern

my notes: insultingly facile, this is a community theater-level show. Mowry-Hardrict phones it in, and Hutch is clearly just the eye-candy. When the most interesting character is the waitress at the diner....

themes: love, hope

overall: not recommended

Christmas in Connecticut (1945) - "A romantic comedy about Elizabeth

Lane, a New York magazine writer who pretends to be a perfect farm wife for her popular column. When her publisher insists she host a Christmas dinner for a war hero who admires her recipes, she must navigate the chaos of her deception while falling in love with him." 

length: 1h, 41m  |  source: streamed on Amazon Prime (purchased)  |  directed by Peter Godfrey  |  why I watched: I've seen it, though I've not reviewed before

IMDb: 7.3/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: 89% / 76% Audience  |  my IMDb: 7/10  |  MPAA: Approved

tone & texture: warm, classic Hollywood polish

notable quote: "I'm not in the flipping mood this morning, Mr. Yardley."

my notes: Barbara Stanwyck's Elizabeth is what they used to call 'plucky'. She's smart, working from a disadvantage, and creative. She has good friends, especially Felix Bassenak (S.Z. Sakall), who will go out of their way for her. It is fun to watch her wriggle her way out of some self-made messes - and, of course, to have her unexpected Christmas romance. 

themes: love, found family

overall:  recommended

 

Tokyo Godfathers {Tôkyô goddofâzâzu} (2003) - "An animated film about

three homeless individuals—an alcoholic named Gin, a transgender woman named Hana, and a teenage runaway named Miyuki—who discover an abandoned baby on Christmas Eve. They embark on a journey through Tokyo to find the baby's parents, confronting their own pasts and forming a makeshift family along the way." 

length: 1h, 32m  |  source: streamed on TubiTV  |  directed by Shôgo Furuya, Satoshi Kan  |  why I watched: it was recommended due to my interests in Asian cinema and Christmas-season movies

IMDb: 7.8/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: 92% / 91% Audience  |  my IMDb: 8/10  |  MPAA: PG-13

tone & texture: cynical, absurd/surreal

notable quote: "My kind of man is slender, middle-aged, tan, with a divine square-back haircut and a lower town accent, who says 'Ah what the hell' when I don't quite have the cab fare."

my notes: this is one weird f'ing film. I'm not into anime, which obviously skews my perceptions. 

    The story is very holiday-ish, even if it's not "about" Christmas. The way the characters go about it is, uhm, untraditional (as are the characters themselves). It is quite violent and generally upsetting, though the payoff is big and feels earned. This one is definitely not for everyone, and I hope to never see it again. It was well-made, though, and crafted at such a high level, that I have to rate it pretty high. 

themes: redemption, found family

overall: strongly recommended

 

Angel on my Shoulder (1946) - "Gangster Eddie Kagle finally gets out of

prison but is promptly killed by his partner and ends up in Hell. The surprisingly suave Devil offers him a chance to return to Earth, but in the body of an honest judge. The Devil intends to ruin the judge's reputation. However, Kagle's experiences lead him to question his past and seek redemption instead."

length: 1h, 40m  |  source: streamed on Amazon Prime  |  directed by Archie Mayo  |  why I watched: Christmas with my parents = find a mutually-agreeable movie

IMDb: 6.8/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: N/A% / 64% Audience  |  my IMDb: 6/10  |  MPAA: Approved

tone & texture: gritty, noir shadows

notable quote: "'Some folks are rather reluctant to cast their votes for lunatics.' 

    'I hadn't noticed.'"

my notes: ranks in the top five strangest movies I've seen, despite the straightforward plot. Paul Muni plays Eddie as a coarse and unappealing thug (see also: every Muni role, ever). Anne Baxter plays the judge's fiancée, Barbara. She brings real warmth and humanity to this otherwise unapproachable, bizarre story. This is heavy-message noir.

themes: redemption

overall:  recommended for the curious

Naughty & Nice (2014) - "A cynical radio host is banished from Los

Angeles to rural Colorado, where he is assigned to co-host with a hopeless romantic. Their initial on-air conflict leads to a budding relationship that captures the interest of the entire town." 

length: 1h, 28m  |  source: streamed on PlutoTV  |  directed by Sam Irvin  |  why I watched: after the last one, I wanted a sure win (previously reviewed here)

IMDb: 5.9/10  |  Rotten Tomatoes: N/A% / 46% Audience  |  my IMDb: 8/10  |  MPAA: TV-PG

tone & texture: warm, soft & naturalistic

my notes: I've got a soft spot for this one, which hits at the intersection of sweet and snarky. The goofy, slightly creepy sidekick is the best part.

themes: love, transformation, identity

overall:  recommended

[the title quotation is from Tokyo Godfathers]

the days go by I can feel them flyin' Like a hand out the window As the cars go by

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone, 

Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone, 

Silence the pianos and with muffled drum 

Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come. 

 Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead 

Scribbling on the sky the message ‘He is Dead’. 

Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves, 

Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves. 

 He was my North, my South, my East and West, 

My working week and my Sunday rest, 

My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song; 

I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong. 

 The stars are not wanted now; put out every one, 

Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun, 

Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood; 

For nothing now can ever come to any good. 

 [W.H. Auden {1907-1973} 'Funeral Blues', from The Art of Losing {Kevin Young, ed.}]

---

Reading. Always a book nearby. 

 

Sitting on the floor at her knee, weeping. Her gentle presence neither encouraging nor judging the tears, but just being there with me.

 

Driving to the next state over, to help the son move house.

 

Book recommendations, including Martin Sloane (which made her literally chuck it at the wall after the last page, exactly like I had done when I read it). 

 

Redecorating, all in green.

 

A visit to the far-west suburbs to buy a couple of gifts - I particularly remember picking out earrings - before my trip to Dallas to Meet a Man.

 

Medical appointments. Surgeries. Recovery. Pain. Perseverance. Faith. Strength. Selflessness. Fortitude.

 

Review journals, paperclips, and endless notes of books to buy.

 

Practically pinning her to the chair to watch The Princess Bride for the first time. She was so reluctant to watch a movie she thought would be dumb, but ended up loving.

 

Driving around in the evening (turning to late night), talking ourselves hoarse, laughing a lot and crying a little. Nearly running out of gas until I finally limped into a lit (but unmanned) station, thank goodness for pay-at-the-pump.

 

The trip of a lifetime, to the left coast, for a wedding.

 

Not "long-suffering." Not "always positive." Not "uncomplaining." A real, whole, full, flawed, feeling person.

 

Pizza delivery. Stuffed green peppers. Chicken-on-a-Plate. 

 

Phone calls.

 

Texts. 

 

Late-night talks.

 

The kitties.

 

Hair-twirling snarkiness that would shock almost anyone else (who could believe such a thing of the saintly Fluffy?)

 

Homemade sloppy joes, every time I moved house (and there were so many moves!), because she "couldn't really help."

 

Cards and letters in the most beautiful (and distinctive) handwriting.

 

Scones, tea. Quiet Sunday mornings.

 

Sympathy. Empathy. Grace. Friendship. Love.

 [the title quotation is by Keith Urban, from "Days Go By"]

for a moment no one there succeeded

Her dealer, who handled successful artists, 

    was a successful dealer, 

and his Christmas party, too, was a success: 

we all knew it, for weren't we all there? 

    And the successful artist 

being handled in her eighth decade knew it 

too, although she was so old and had been so 

    unsuccessful for so long 

that she seemed to pay no mind to anyone. 

She sat quite still, her rosy scalp glistening 

    through her rather thin white hair, 

and gave no sign of hearing, or ignoring, 

any of our successful conversations. 

    Above the chair she sat in 

(like a furnished bone) loomed the decorative 

focus of the long room which had been handled 

    by a successful designer 

of skeletal interiors: a Roman male, 

oversize and barely under overweight, 

    every muscle equally 

successful—classically nude but not 

in the least naked as any man would be. 

    And as the talk continued 

Alice Neel leaned back and looked up into 

the forking limbs above her head, a pure 

    pelvic arch indeed denuded 

of the usual embellishment, so that 

all that met her eye was a shadowed empty 

    socket, the mere embouchure 

where once unstinting paraphernalia 

must have lodged. "Very fragile things, penises," 

    she mused, and for a moment 

no one there succeeded in saying a word.

 [Richard Howard {1929-2022} 'Success', from The Best American Poetry, 2003] 

that bowl of soup—it was dearer than freedom, dearer than life itself, past, present, and future

More accurate than a Buzzfeed quiz; less accurate than your therapist’s raised eyebrow.🤨

 

🍜 What Soup Are You? 🍲  

Every soup has a personality. 

Simmer it down and discover your essence.

---

Q1. How do you handle stress?

    A. Quiet endurance

    B. Warm reassurance

    C. Sharp focus    

    D. Comic relief

 

Q2. Choose a vessel:

    A. Simple ceramic bowl

    B. Vintage mug

    C. Stainless steel thermos    

    D. Anything mismatched

 

Q3. A friend calls you because they’re sad. You…

    A. Listen deeply

    B. Offer comfort

    C. Problem-solve    

    D. Distract with humor

 

Q4. Pick a spice mood.

    A. Mild

    B. Savory

    C. Bold    

    D. A little chaotic

 

Q5. Late-night craving?

    A. Broth

    B. Grilled cheese

    C. Leftovers    

    D. Ice cream

 

Results in the comments! 

[quiz generated by chatGPT; the title quotation is by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, from One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich]

a living dead man. That is what I have been for some time now

Book Review 

 

Rating  * * * * 

 

Title: Journal of the Gun Years

 

Author: Richard Matheson

 

Published: this novel was published in 2010; I listened to the unabridged audiobook (Blackstone Audio, Inc.; read by Stefan Rudnicki; 7 hours) 

 

What is the story? 

    Journal of the Gun Years by Richard Matheson is a gritty Western novel told through the discovered journals of marshal Clay Halser, a Civil War veteran whose legend as the “Hero of the Plains” grew across the post-war frontier.
    After a violent card-game incident forces him to flee his hometown, Clay drifts into the chaotic world of cow towns, stagecoach robberies, range wars, and saloon shoot-outs. Over time he earns a fearsome reputation as both outlaw and lawman, his steady nerve and quick draw propelling him from one violent episode to the next.
    Matheson uses Halser’s own journal entries to deconstruct the myth of the gunslinger, showing how fame and legend can warp a man’s sense of identity and doom him to a lonely, troubled end. It’s as much an emotional descent as a chronicle of frontier life—vivid, raw, and reflective on the cost of living by the gun. —compiled from various sources 

What type of language does it use—technical, complex, standard, or colloquial? colloquial, transitioning gradually into standard (as Clay Halser's facility with language grows)

 

Does the level of language make it easy or difficult for the reader to follow? there are moments in the first section that are just a bit hard to follow, but it smoothes out pretty quickly, and the audio version is always easier to follow.

 

Did you like this book? I did! It's way outside my typical subjects and genres, but that's not such a bad thing. It kept me entertained, and thinking about the real life of a gunfighter, as I decorated for Christmas.

 

What were your favourite parts? the most decisive battle in the story comes on calmly and quietly, but packs such a punch that I gasped aloud. It was brilliantly written and staged for maximum impact. I'm still impressed by the complications.

 

What is your recommendation? if you have even the slightest inkling toward Westerns, this is a very good one

 

5 adjectives you would use to describe this text: refreshing, violent, tender, surprising, powerful

 

[book review template 5 adapted from here; the title quotation is from the book]

and suddenly a line rings out

I don't need martial hosts arrayed in odes 

And the charm of ornamental elegies. 

For me, everything in poetry should be out of place, 

Not what people think it is. 

If only you knew from what rubbish 

Poetry grows, knowing no shame, 

Like a yellow dandelion by the fence, 

Like burdock and goosefoot. 

An angry cry, fresh smell of tar, 

Mysterious mold on the wall... 

And suddenly a line rings out, lively, tender, 

To my delight and yours. 

 [Anna Akhmatova {1889-1966} "2" from ‘Secrets of the Craft’, in The Complete Poems of Anna Akhmatova]