After reading David Lehman’s The Most Mysterious Romance of Murder (you can read my review here), I decided to go back and reread Lehman’s The Perfect Murder from 1989 (updated version 1999). I remembered I enjoyed The Perfect Murder over 30 years ago. I also remember this:

DAVID LEHMAN’S PERSONAL FAVORITES:

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902) — Arthur Conan Doyle

Innocence of Father Brown (1911) — G. K. Chesterton

The Maltese Falcon (1930) — Dashiell Hammett

The Three Coffins (1936) — John Dickson Carr

The ABC Murders (1936) — Agatha Christie

Thou Shell of Death (1936) — Nicholas Blake

The Big Sleep (1939) — Raymond Chandler

A Coffin for Dimitrios (1939) — Eric Ambler

The Big Clock (1946) — Kenneth Fearing

Too Many Women (1947) — Rex Stout

The Eighth Circle (1958) — Stanley Ellin

The Chill (1964) — Ross Macdonald

Long Time No See (1978) — Ed McBain

The Name of the Rose (1983) — Umberto Eco

The Singing Detective (1986) — Dennis Potter

As well has providing a survey of detective fiction, Lehman gives his personal list of great mysteries. How many of these classics have you read? Any favorites? GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Preface to the New Edition		ix
Acknowledgments		xi
Introduction		xiii
The Corpse on Page One		1	(12)
The Birth of a New Hero		13	(10)
Mysteries and Myths		23	(14)
Murder Considered as a Fine Art		37	(8)
De Quincey’s Irony		45	(10)
No Police Like Holmes		55	(16)
The Legacy of Edgar Allan Poe		71	(12)
No Mask Like Open Truth		83	(10)
The Double		93	(8)
Funerals in Eden		101	(16)
From Paradise to Poisonville		117	(18)
The Hard-boiled Romance		135	(20)
Hammett and Chandler		155	(14)
Ross MacDonald and After		169	(12)
A Portrait of the Reader as Escapist		181	(16)
At the Heart of the Maze		197	(14)
Afterword: Shades among Shadows		211	(16)
Appendix 1. Further Reading		227	(10)
Appendix 2. Personal Favorites		237	(4)
Notes		241	(10)
Index of Concepts		251	(4)
Index of Names and Titles		255

Colonialism, imperialism, secrets, and mysticism collide in this magic-imbued meditation on the power of words, who wields it, and how translation can be as powerful a weapon as it is a tool. Winner of this year’s Nebula Award for Best Novel, R. F. Kuang’s arcane history of using language and translation as a dominating tool of the British Empire turns traditional history on its head.

Huang explores the evils of imperialism, student revolutions, the history of violence, and terrifying powers as Babel blends magic, lore, and cruelty into a compelling story.

Babel is both smart and witty while the aspects of Huang’s plot center around silver working—the art of manifesting the meaning lost in translation using enchanted silver bars—which has made the British unparalleled in power throughout the world as its knowledge serves the Empire’s quest for colonization.

If you’re in the mood for an Alternate History of the British Empire circa 1828, Babel presents a world ruled by the magic powers of translation…and treachery! GRADE: B

“For my mother… [it was] sidelong looks, people moving away from her in the post office or the grocery store; in the man who slapped her across the face while she was walking down the street in Denver her freshman year of college, screaming, ‘You dirty yellow thing, taking jobs away from good American people!'” (p. 101).

Natalie Hodges, whose mother immigrated to the United States from Seoul, Korea in 1966, struggles for assimilation in a hostile country. Natalie’s mother marries and has four children. All the children were encouraged to play musical instruments. Natalie gravitated to the violin at an early age and decided she wanted to be a solo violinist.

The odds of becoming a soloist in the current state of Classical Music is about the chances of making it to the National Football League as a starter. Natalie realizes her dreams would never come true, quits playing the violin, and tries to move on with her Life. But, Natalie returns to the violin and learns to enjoy music again.

My favorite chapter in Uncommon Measure is “Chaconne,” the Bach work that is considered the ultimate piece of music for the violin. Of course, it is incredibly difficult to play. This is Art Scott’s favorite piece of Classical Music. Natalie’s analysis of “Chaconne,” its background, and her trials trying to play the work dazzled me!

Uncommon Measure explores music, disappointment, loss, racism, and perseverance. Very inspiring! GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Prelude 13

Un trainmen 17

A Sixth Sense: Notes on Improvisation 46

Symmetry Breaking 79

Chaconne 111

The Still Point of the Turning World 141

Coda: Memory Is a Hologram 173

Acknowledgments 181

Credits 185

Notes 186

Bibliography 195

Just by chance I picked up this Young Adult trilogy at a Library Book Sale. They had a Harry Potter-type vibe. The series title, The Books of Beginning, intrigued me because I love fantasy novels about books (my favorites involve The Necronomicon).

Abandoned by their parents, three children–Kate (the eldest), Michael (the smartest), and Emma (the fighter)–find themselves at the Edgar Allan Poe Home for Hopeless and Incorrigible Orphans operated by the mysterious Stanislaus Pym.

In Book One, The Emerald Atlas (2012), Kate, Michael, and Emma find they’ve been transported 15 years into the Past where the evil Countess seeks one of The Books of Beginning: The Emerald Atlas. The Books of Beginning can enhance the Countess’s already impressive magic powers. Only Kate can stop her acquisition of the book and its unique power to manipulate Time. GRADE: B

In Book Two: The Fire Chronicle (2012), is my favorite book in The Books of Beginning trilogy. Michael is tested in his quest to find The Fire Chronicle, the magic book that controls health and Life. Where Harry Potter had He-Who-Must–Not-Be-Named (aka, Lord Voldemort), Kate, Michael, and Emma have the evil Dire Magnus to contend with. The The Books of Beginning have the power to change the world…or destroy it. I love the section where Michael has to deal with a dragon! GRADE: B+

In Book Three, The Dark Reckoning, Emma finds out she’s the only one who can become the Keeper of Reckoning (aka, The Book of the Dead). Emma has to travel to the Land of the Dead to find the book, learn how to use it, and together with Kate and Michael and their magic books, save the world. All in all, The Books of Beginning are a satisfactory fantasy trilogy. If you enjoyed the Harry Potter series, you’ll enjoy The Books of Beginning. GRADE: B

I first hear Beth Orton’s Trailer Park (1996) near the end of the 20th Century. I heard Orton’s cover of The Ronettes‘ “I Wish I Never Saw the Sunshine” and that blew me away. I immediately bought a copy of Trailer Park and played it several times in a row. I loved the songs and the lush musical accompaniments. I’ve listened to all of Beth Orton’s CDs and the later ones are more acoustic and austere. I prefer the fuller sound of Trailer Park .

Sticking with fuller sounds, I just picked up a copy of Eldorado: A Symphony (1974) with the Wizard of Oz cover recently. Eldorado is the first complete ELO concept album; bandleader Jeff Lynne conceived the storyline before he wrote any music. The plot follows a Walter Mitty-like character who journeys into fantasy worlds via dreams, to escape the disillusionment of his mundane reality. Lynne began to write the album in response to criticisms from his father, a classical music lover, who said that Electric Light Orchestra’s repertoire “had no tune”. The influence of The Beatles is prevalent, especially in the melody of the verse of “Mister Kingdom” which to some degree resembles the Beatles’ “Across the Universe.”

Eldorado marks the first album on which Jeff Lynne hired an orchestra; on previous albums, he would overdub the strings.^[2] Louis Clark co-arranged, with Lynne (and keyboardist Richard Tandy), and conducted the strings. The group’s three resident string players continued to perform on recordings, however, and can be heard most prominently on the songs “Boy Blue” and “Laredo Tornado”. Mike de Albuquerque departed early on in the recording process, as touring made him feel separated from his family. Lynne plays most of, if not all, the bass tracks and backing vocals for the album, but de Albuquerque still featured on the final release as well as getting credited. Kelly Groucutt replaced him for the subsequent tour, when cellist Melvyn Gale also joined (replacing the departing Mike Edwards). “Eldorado Finale” is heavily orchestrated, much like “Eldorado Overture”. Jeff Lynne said of the song, “I like the heavy chords and the slightly daft ending, where you hear the double bass players packing up their basses, because they wouldn’t play another millisecond past the allotted moment.”

Are you a fan of Electric Light Orchestra or Beth Orton? GRADE: A (for both)

TRACKLIST:

All tracks written by Ted Barnes, Ali Friend, and Beth Orton except where noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	“She Cries Your Name“	William OrbitOrton	4:47
2.	“Tangent”		7:29
3.	“Don’t Need a Reason”	BarnesOrton	5:04
4.	“Live as You Dream”		2:59
5.	“Sugar Boy”		4:21
6.	“Touch Me with Your Love“		7:27
7.	“Whenever”		3:53
8.	“How Far”		4:27
9.	“Someone’s Daughter“		4:16
10.	“I Wish I Never Saw the Sunshine”	Jeff BarryEllie GreenwichPhil Spector	4:43
11.	“Galaxy of Emptiness”		10:07

TRACK LIST:

All tracks are written by Jeff Lynne.

No.	Title	Length
1.	“Eldorado Overture” (instrumental)	2:12
2.	“Can’t Get It Out of My Head“	4:21
3.	“Boy Blue“	5:18
4.	“Laredo Tornado”	5:29
5.	“Poor Boy (The Greenwood)“	2:57

No.	Title	Length
6.	“Mister Kingdom“	5:50
7.	“Nobody’s Child”	3:40
8.	“Illusions in G Major“	2:36
9.	“Eldorado“	5:20
10.	“Eldorado Finale”	1:20
Total length:	39:03

No.	Title	Length
11.	“Eldorado Instrumental Medley”	7:56
12.	“Dark City”	0:46

I’ve been a fan of Theodora Goss’s writing for years. I loved Goss’s The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter (you can read my review here). Now there’s The Collected Enchantments with dozens of long and short stories about magic and fantasy and fairy tales.

Some of the stories in The Collected Enchantments retell and recast familiar fairy tales in a new light like “Goldilocks and the Bear,” and “Rapunzel”. And then there’s more classic stories told in a different style: “Rumpelstiltskin,” “Thumbelina,” and “Medusa Gets a Haircut.”

I found The Collected Enchantments…enchanting and so will you! Theodora Goss is a gifted storyteller and this book is filled with delights! GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• Introduction: Why I Write Fantasy — 11
• Why You Might Be a Witch –16
• The Rose in Twelve Petals — 18
• The Ogress Queen — 32
• Rose Child — 34
• The Rapid Advance of Sorrow — 37
• Lady Winter — 42
• Shoes of Bark — 44
• Miss Emily Gray — 46
• The Witch — 56
• Binnorie — 59
• The Wings of Meister Wilhelm — 60
• The Egg in Twelve Scenes — 80
• Vivian to Merlin — 84
• In Autumn — 86
• Seven Shoes — 89
• The Clever Serving-Maid — 92
• Princess Lucinda and the Hound of the Moon — 94
• The Cinder Girl Burns Brightly — 107
• The Stepsister’s Tale — 110
• Lily, With Clouds — 112
• The Gold-Spinner — 118
• Rumpelstiltskin — 120
• Singing of Mount Abora — 122
• The Dragons — 135
• Thumbelina — 139
• In the Forest of Forgetting — 140
• Autumn’s Song — 146
• Green Man — 147
• Sleeping With Bears — 148
• Goldilocks and the Bear — 154
• The Bear’s Wife — 158
• Professor Berkowitz Stands on the Threshold — 160
• Persephone in Hades — 172
• The Princess and the Peas — 174
• Blanchefleur — 178
• Rapunzel — 210
• The Sorceress in the Tower — 211
• Fair Ladies — 213
• Swan Girls — 228
• The Gentleman — 231
• Christopher Raven — 233
• Ravens — 247
• The Fox Wife — 249
• Reynalda — 252
• Mr. Fox — 254
• The Mysterious Miss Tickle — 256
• Lessons with Miss Gray — 259
• The Witch-Girls — 281
• The Witch’s Cat — 283
• Pip and the Fairies — 285
• Tam Lin Remembers the Fairy Queen — 292
• The Fairies’ Gifts — 294
• Snow, Blood, Fur — 295
• When You Have Lost Yourself — 298
• The Mermaid’s Lament — 300
• Conversations with the Sea Witch — 301
• Diamonds and Toads — 307
• Medusa Gets a Haircut — 310
• The Other Thea — 312
• Mother Night — 334
• The Red Shoes — 337
• Red as Blood and White as Bone — 339
• Girl, Wolf, Woods — 356
• In the Snow Queen’s Castle — 358
• A Country Called Winter — 360
• How to Make It Snow — 376
• Snow White Learns Witchcraft — 380
• How to Become a Witch-Queen — 383
• Mirror, Mirror — 388
• The River’s Daughter — 399
• Saint Orsola and the Poet — 401
• The Nightingale and the Rose — 419
• Your House — 426

White House Plumbers is an American satirical political drama television miniseries created and written by Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck and directed by David Mandel, based on the 2007 book Integrity by Egil Krogh and Matthew Krogh. The 5-episode series stars Woody Harrelson, Justin Theroux, Domhnall Gleeson, Kiernan Shipka, and Lena Headey and it premiered on HBO on May 1, 2023. A new episode is released every Monday.

G. Gordon Liddy and his associate, Howard Hunt, who led the disastrous espionage operations later known as the Watergate scandal, considered their actions as patriotic. This miniseries from co-creators Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck presents the two wacky “Dirty Tricks” specialists motivated by their extreme loyalty to the country and President Nixon. But this leads to Liddy and Hunt’s shady and clumsy work with Daniel Ellsberg (The Pentagon Papers) leak and then the Watergate break-in. And their superiors, like Attorney General John Mitchell and White House Counsel John Dean, supported and funded them. In White House Plumbers John Dean is both a co-conspirator and accessory to the political shenanigans that later brought down Nixon.

Justin Theroux  in his role of G. Gordon Liddy goes over the top with the tar-black, openly fake-looking mustache of Liddy. Theroux revels in the dangerous craziness of his character displaying the agent’s troubling love of Hitler’s speeches, guns, and propensity to keep his hand over a flame as a gesture of his trustworthiness and toughness.

Woody Herrelson delivers a blend of comedy and tragedy with his role as Howard Hunt attempting to rein in Liddy’s nutty actions. At the same time, Hunt’s family is in crisis and his financial problems increase. Herrelson’s controlled performance balances the wild escapades of Liddy.

I was surprised to learn the actual Watergate break-in was the FOURTH attempt by the Plumbers to access files in the Democratic National Committee (DNC) office. If you’re interested in the bizarre and twisted story of the Watergate break-in, White House Plumbers reveals the actual true events in all their humorous yet disturbing detail. GRADE: A–

I have been accused of using too many exclamation points (aka, exclamation marks in the UK)–mostly by Cap’n Bob. But Florence Hazrat’s slim book, An Admirable Point: A Brief History of the Exclamation Mark!, encourages its use and defends its usage.

!Ay caramba! became Bart Simpson’s catchphrase (but was his first exclamation when he saw his parents having sex). (p. 55) That deserved double exclamation points.

But, like Cap’n Bob, others have found “overuse” of exclamation points objectionable. Hazrat notes that H. W. Fowler, author of The King’s English, set modern exclamatory rules limiting the use of exclamation marks (p. 44). Fowler frowned on use of multiple exclamation marks!!!

I was surprised to learn early typewriters like the Remington did not have an exclamation point key. Hazrat speculates this was a result of the first typewriters were marketed to businesses who apparently had no use for an exclamation mark in their business correspondence. But later, as more people outside of commercial enterprises purchased typewriters, the exclamation point was awarded a key (that typically it shared with the Number 1).

Hazrat explores how various writers like Shakespeare, Jane Austin, James Joyce, Elmore Leonard, and Cormac McCarthy used the exclamation point. She points out Elmore Leonard broke his own rules regarding use of the exclamation point. I had forgotten Anton Chekhov wrote a story called “The Exclamation Point” (1885) where a clerk becomes obsessed with exclamation points. (p. 73)

I’m always interested in grammar and punctuation. I’ve reviewed SEMICOLON: THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF A MISUNDERSTOOD MARK By Cecelia Watson (you can read my review here) and BETWEEN YOU AND ME: CONFESSIONS OF A COMMA QUEEN and IT’S GREEK TO ME: ADVENTURES OF THE COMMA QUEEN By Mary Norris (you can read my review here). Florence Hazrat’s excellent An Admirable Point: A Brief History of the Exclamation Mark! joins these wonderful books on the use of punctuation! GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction: The spiked delights of ! — 9

A very pathetical point : ! through ages — 23

The period that blew its top : thinking and feeling ! — 51

‘so !f!’ : literature and the flaming pink scarf — 73

Oi!!! : perking up with punctuation — 108

Radiating punctuation : exclamatory politics and the nuclear bomb — 122

At your fingertips : digital ! — 136

Epilogue: Quo vadis! — 153

Index!! — 168

“The second volume of Star Wars Visions expanded the show’s reach to various studios across the globe. This new series features shorts from animation studios El Guiri (Spain), Cartoon Saloon (Ireland), Punkrobot (Chile), Aardman (United Kingdom), Studio Mir (South Korea), Studio La Cachette (France), 88 Pictures (India), D’art Shtajio (Japan), and Triggerfish (South Africa). The creators at each studio are given free rein to re-envision the ideas of Star Wars as they see fit, while receiving guidance from Lucasfilm’s executive team; further, D’art Shtajio’s short was co-produced by Lucasfilm.”

If you’re in the mood for some Star Wars international animation, you might want to give the new Star Wars Visions series a try. The nine episodes feature stories from various parts of the Lucasfilm Universe. I enjoyed all nine episodes in this second season of Star Wars Visions and my favorite was “Journey to the Dark Head” that tells the story of a committed pilot and a troubled Jedi–quite an odd couple. You’ll find the gorgeous animation in this series a real treat! GRADE: A

Here are summaries of each of the nine new episodes:

S2 E1 · Sith

May 4, 2023

A former Sith living a peaceful life is confronted with her past when her former master finds her.

S2 E2 · Screecher’s Reach

May 4, 2023

A young girl seeking relief from her days in a rural workshop discovers a legendary haunted cave with her friends. The cave’s dark call will change the trajectory of her life forever.

S2 E3 · In the Stars

May 4, 2023

Two sisters, who are the last of their kind, fight for survival when Imperial forces discover them.

S2 E4 · I Am Your Mother

May 4, 2023

Young pilot Anni is forced to participate with her caring but nagging mother, of whom she is ashamed, in a reckless flight academy family competition where their relationship is tested by their old ship.

S2 E5 · Journey to the Dark Head

May 4, 2023

An optimistic mechanic/pilot and a disillusioned young Jedi join forces on an unlikely and risky mission to turn the tide of galactic warfare, but dark forces follow them on their quest.

S2 E6 · The Spy Dancer

May 4, 2023

The prima ballerina of a well-known cabaret frequented by imperials uses her unique skills to do espionage on behalf of the Rebellion, but the presence of a mysterious officer threatens to compromise her mission.

S2 E7 · The Bandits of Golak

May 4, 2023

A young boy and his Force-sensitive younger sister flee their village by train. They are pursued by ruthless Imperial forces, so they seek refuge in a bustling and dangerous marketplace.

S2 E8 · The Pit

May 4, 2023

A brave young prisoner, forced by the Empire to dig the earth to extract kyber crystals, plans a risky escape for himself and his people when the Imperials abandon the workers in the mine.

S2 E9 · Aau’s Song

May 4, 2023

An alien child, eager to sing, is brought up by a loving but strict father, who forces her to keep silent because of the disastrous effect her voice has on the crystals in some mines.