John Casey has plenty to say about the “Art of Fiction.” In the essays included in Beyond the First Draft Casey writes about how he became a writer, what he found useful, what he found useless, and who helped him succeed. And, succeed Casey did. In 1989, John Casey won a National Book Award for Spartina, a story about a struggling fisherman in Rhode Island who’s trying to build a boat. I had Spartina on my shelf for 25 years so I finally read it. There’s plenty of nautical information in this book, nearly as much as in a Patrick O’Brian novel. The struggles of the fisherman are compelling. Much of what John Casey talks about in Beyond the First Draft can be found practiced in Spartina. If you’re interested in the writing process, both books are worth a look. GRADE: B+ (for both)
Table of Contents:
Preamble
Dogma and anti-dogma
If I were a flower, what kind of flower would I be?
Justice
What’s funny
Aristotle
Things
Sex and violence
Me me gab
Meanwhile back at the ranch
So alert a language
In other words
Neighborhoods
Childhood reading
Mentors in general, Peter Taylor in particular

This sequel to The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel adds Richard Gere to the mix. A group of British retirees reside in a run-down hotel in India to make their meager retirement savings last longer. There’s crusty Maggie Smith, confused Judi Dench, love-sick Bill Nighy, and Dev Patel who “operates” the hotel. My main quibble with this movie is the multiplicity of plots. There’s a wedding, a series of romantic involvements, and a panoramic tour of glorious India. Yes, it’s a geezer-fest, but I enjoyed it. GRADE: B+

“Tastes like Heaven but burns like Hell” is the advertising slogan for Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey. It’s the most popular brand of “fire” alcoholic beverages. But I’ve found something better. Remember those Atomic Fireball candies you enjoyed as a kid? Well, Jim Beam has turned their world-famous bourbon into a liquid equivalent. Jim Beam Kentucky Fire gives you that Atomic Fireball candy sensation but also goes down smoothly. Jack Daniels has entered the “fire” competition, too. Jack Daniels Tennessee Fire was in limited release in 2014 but sales must have been good because now it’s available in all 50 states. Obviously, a “fire” drink isn’t for everyone. But, if you like hot stuff, you’ll get a kick out of all three of these beverages. My ranking:
1. Jim Beam Kentucky Fire
2. Jack Daniels Tennessee Fire
3. Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey

I watched the new CBS cop show, Battle Creek, and it was good enough for me to recommend it mildly. It’s basically The Odd Couple with cops. Dean Winters (the “Mayhem guy” in those All-State commercials} is a scruffy home-town Battle Creek cop. He’s partnered with a slick FBI agent played by Josh Buhamel who seems to know all the answers. Patti Abbott says Battle Creek is “not half bad.” That’s about the size of it.

Charles Stross’ Equoid won the 2014 HUGO Award for “Best Novella.” Equoid is one of Stross’ Laundrey stories. The Laundry is a British super-secret intelligence agency whose mission is to deal with supernatural and extra-dimensional threats (think H.P. Lovecraft monster-type menaces). In this adventure, agent Bob Howard uses the unpublished letters of H. P. Lovecraft to help deal with a threat of a unique, scary presence (the cover of Equoid gives you a good idea of what’s in store for humanity. I’ve read all the Laundry novels and stories. Equoid is one of the best. GRADE: A

Over My Dead Body is illustrated with eye-popping color cover reproductions on practically every page, Server argues that this period of rapid growth of paperback sales was due to the taste of its target audience: ex-GIs. The blockbuster sales of Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer novels fueled the growth of paperbacks, too. The dying of the pulps and the sudden availability of writers and cover artists gave paperbacks momentum. Server discusses the rise of paperback writers like Peter Rabe, David Goodis, Jim Thompson, John D. MacDonald, Chester Himes, and Philip K. Dick. If you’re a fan of early American paperbacks and want to enjoy some dazzling paperback cover artwork, pick up a copy of Over My Dead Body. Inexpensive copies are available online for a pittance.

I’m very fond of Matthew Hughes faux-Jack Vance stories starring master thief and forger Luff Imbry. Imbry leaves Old Earth to the obscure planet New Gargano. Here, Imbry trades some counterfeit erotic art objects for seven noubles. Noubles are prized more than diamonds, emeralds, or pearls. No one knows where these spectacular gems come from, but noubles are worth vast sums of money. But, after the transaction, Imbry is arrested and sent to a prison planet. Here, mysteries compound. Imbry needs to find a way to escape the prison planet and solve the mystery of the noubles and whimsies. As with all of Matthew Hughes Vancian stories, I was delighted by the cleverness and wit of the storytelling. GRADE: A

David Tennant returns as a damaged homicide detective. Olivia Colman, Tennant’s traumatized partner, will have to deal with the aftermath of a child’s murder that was the basis of the investigation in Broadchurch Season One. BBC America starts this 8-episode series off tonight at 10 P.M (E.S.T). I really liked Broadchurch and the Americanized version, Grace Point. I’m curious to see the further unwinding of this tale.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. return from their two-month break and start the build-up to the new Avengers movie. Last year, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. dovetailed with the Captain America Winter Soldier movie. This year, the agents are preparing us for Avengers 2: The Age of Ultron. I enjoyed Agent Carter and I hope ABC renews it for next season. I harbor the same hopes for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..

I’m a big fan of Dilbert and the ever-generous Beth Fedyn (knowing this) sent me Scott Adams clever How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big. I’ve read Scott Adams’ other books and enjoyed them. How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big tells the story of Scott Adams’ unlikely success. As Adams admits, he doesn’t have a lot of drawing talent. He’s mediocre at many things. But the synergy of all that mediocrity (plus a ton of luck) lead to Scott Adams’ success. I was fascinated by Adams’ physical problems: first, a hand problem that threatened to derail his cartooning career and second, a more serious problem that involved Adams’ speech center. The doctors told Adams his conditions were “incurable.” But Adams’ didn’t accept that and the stories of his struggles to overcome his problems are astonishing. Anyone who reads How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big can’t help but come away inspired. GRADE: B+