Colm Toibin’s novel Brooklyn provides the template for the movie version of Brooklyn. In 1952, a young Irish woman (played by the astonishing Saoirse Ronan) travels to the United States when she cannot find work at home. She leaves her widow mother and her older sister to seek her fortune in America. We get to see her life in a boarding house in Brooklyn, battling homesickness, working in a swanky department store, going to Night School to learn bookkeeping, while adjusting to American food and culture, new friends, and eventually romance with an Italian plumber. The metamorphosis of a mousy Irish girl into a confident woman lights up the screen. This is a quiet movie with few special effects. But, there’s plenty of good old-fashioned drama and great acting. GRADE: B+

Patrick took this photo in Frisco, Colorado. Enjoy ABBA’s “Happy New Year” below. And, have a Happy New Year! Do you have any New Year’s Resolutions? Mine is to try and lose weight and not to buy the same book twice!

Back in 1970, I was delighted listening to Van Morrison’s His Band and the Street Choir. This album included some of my favorite Van Morrison songs: “Domino,” “Blue Money,” and “Street Choir.” This new remastered and expanded CD sounds fabulous! The BONUS TRACKS are fun to listen to. Van Morrison was riding the success of Astral Weeks and Moondance. This album solidified his career. What’s your favorite Van Morrison song?
TRACK LIST:
Domino
Crazy Face
Give Me a Kiss
I’ve Been Working
Call Me Up in Dreamland
I’ll Be Your Lover, Too
Blue Money
Virgo Clowns
Gypsy Queen
Sweet Jannie
If I Ever Needed Someone
Street Choir
BONUS TRACKS:
Call Me Up in Dreamland (Take 10)
Give Me a Kiss (Take 3)
Gypsy Queen (Take 3)
I’ve Been Working
I’ll Be Your Lover, Too

As a long-time fan of the Doc Savage series, I celebrate these new volumes written by Will Murray (and Lester Dent) every time they appear. This new adventure, The Secret of Satan’s Spine, features a hot blonde leading Doc Savage and his team to the Caribbean to solve a mystifying puzzle with global implications. Altus Press does a great job packaging this series. I really like this cover by Joe DeVito. If you’re in the mood for classic pulp fiction with a dash of High Adventure, The Secret of Satan’s Spine is your ticket to fun! GRADE: B+

Diane’s mother, Helen Gage, died in her bedroom with her family around her. Helen lived with us for 16 years. For most of those years, Helen was healthy and mobile. But in 2015 there was a relentless decline. Helen fell. Her deafness increased. She suffered from macular degeneration and osteoporosis. Helen weighed 70 pounds at the end. She had trouble keeping any food down. Breathing was labored. Helen woke up one morning and asked Diane and Katie, “Is the horror over?”

Having a daughter who works for hospice made the whole end-of-life process much easier to bear. Katie knew what was going on and helped us deal with the various hospice nurses and assistants who came to help Helen. Hospice services allowed Helen to die pain-free in her own bed–not in a hospital room–and with her family by her side.

Living to 96 is quite a feat. But much credit goes to Diane who provided world-class care-giving for many of those years. At the end, caring for Helen was 24/7 yet somehow Diane managed it. She deserves all the accolades I can shower on her. And Patrick’s calming presence helped all of us cope with the finality of the event.

Helen is at peace now. We have to deal with the heart-ache of her absence.

The Buffalo Bills missed the Playoffs for the 16th season in a row despite the empty promises of Rex Ryan. There are rumors that “changes will be made” but Bills fans have heard it all before. If I were the owner of the Buffalo Bills, I’d be cleaning house. Everyone in the organization that has been around for 16 losing seasons would be looking for a New Job. But, that’s just me. How will your favorite NFL team fare today?