When Brad Meltzer told his son he had been chosen to deliver the Graduation Speech at the University of Michigan In 2024, his son–who was graduating from Michigan that year–told his father: “YOU? Not Tom Brady? There’s so many people they can pick. It’s like a thirteenth seed winning March Madness!”

Even with those soul-crushing words, Brad Meltzer was determined to deliver a top-notch, inspiring Graduation Speech. And, after reading Make Magic, a short book containing Meltzer’s speech, you’ll appreciate his opening: “First, thank you to the people who believe in the thirteenth seed. I’m counting you as one of them, dear reader. You’re the reason this book exists.”

While Brad Meltzer isn’t Tom Brady, he’s not chopped liver either. Meltzer’s written a dozen best selling thrillers including The Lightning Rod. He’s also written non-fiction books like The JFK Conspiracy. On top of that, Meltzer’s written the Ordinary People Change the World children’s book series. Beyond those accomplishments, Meltzer struggled as his family faced dire financial problems. He was able to overcome many difficulties and that taught him valuable Life Lessons that show up in Make Magic.

Oh, and one more thing: Meltzer delivered his Graduation Speech to an audience 70,000 students and their families. It received cheers and applause. After the commencement address even Meltzer’s kids told him they liked it. Meltzer also graduated from the University of Michigan. GRADE: A

I was in our local Sam’s Club a few days ago with a list of “necessities” that Diane sent me to buy. At one of the endcaps I was shocked to see a mountain of Starbucks Sunsera Blend–a new coffee flavor! I immediately filled my cart with the new offering.

Starbucks Sunsera Blend is one of Starbucks’ “blonde” coffees. It’s a light roast, so it has a much smoother, more delicate flavor profile compared to the typical bitter Starbucks coffees. I like the soft citrusy notes with a hint of floral and a subtle nuttiness that tickle my tongue. Like all the blonde Starbucks coffees, Sunsera is bright but not acidic.

If you’re looking for a new coffee experience, I recommend Starbucks Sunsera Blend! GRADE: A

I first read Martha Wells’  All Systems Red (review here) back in 2017. The short novel told the story of Murderbot, a rogue SecUnit, who hacked its governor module and freed itsself from corporate control. Murderbot struggles with its new freedom while trying to protect a scientific expedition to a planet with secrets.

The SecUnit robot played by Alexander Skarsgård is indifferent to humans, but knows that if the scientists learn it’s gone rogue, its existence will be threatened. Apple TV is marketing Murderbot as a Science Fiction Comedy. Yes, there is humor in the two episodes that dropped this week (8 more episodes to go) but expect way more action. GRADE: Incomplete, but trending towards a B+

I first read Simon Brett in 1975. I picked up copy of Cast, In Order of Disappearance–the first Charles Paris mystery–and loved the snarky actor and his habit of finding corpses.

About 25 years later, I started reading Simon Brett’s “Fethering” series that featured a retired Home Office woman named Carole and her New Age neighbor, Jude. Together, they share of love of investigating…and they are very good at it!

Bones Under the Beach Hut (2011) is the 12th book in the series (I’m a little behind) and starts innocently enough. Carole rents a beach hut to spend time with her granddaughter. But, as usually happens in the “Fethering” series, a body is found buried beneath Carole’s beach hut. Carole and Jude discover several of occupants of the other beach huts have strange backstories.

Where the Charles Paris mysteries feature Paris’s acid comments about the acting profession and criticism of the entertainment business, the “Fethering” series focuses more on more traditional investigation and sorting out the clues from the red herrings. If you’re in the mood for some beach reading this summer, I’d recommend the “Fethering” series. GRADE: B

Fethering Series:

Fethering is a fictitious village on England’s south coast (adjacent to Tarring). It is the place of residence of amateur sleuths Carole Seddon, a retired civil servant, and her neighbour, Jude Nichol, whose origins are obscure. Twenty-one Fethering mysteries have been published so far:

The Body on the Beach (2000)

Death on the Downs (2001)

The Torso in the Town (2002)

Murder in the Museum (2003)

The Hanging in the Hotel (2004)

The Witness at the Wedding (2005)

The Stabbing in the Stables (2006)

Death Under the Dryer (2007)

Blood at the Bookies (2008)

The Poisoning at the Pub (2009)

The Shooting in the Shop (2010)

Bones Under the Beach Hut (2011)

Guns in the Gallery (2011)

Corpse on the Court (2012)

The Strangling on the Stage (2013)

The Tomb in Turkey (2014)

The Killing in the Cafe (2015)

The Liar in the Library (2017)

The Killer in the Choir (2019)

Guilt at the Garage (2020)

Death and the Decorator (2022)

Death in the Dressing Room (2025)

I’ve been listening to these two off-beat music compilations. 90s NOW includes some familiar songs like Extreme’s “More Than Words” and Jimmy Cliff’s “I Can See Clearly Now.” But, then there are some songs I hadn’t heard before like Bingoboys’ “How to Dance.”

I have at least a dozen music CDs with Wilson Phillips’ “Release Me” on them. For some reason, that song must be bargain priced. GRADE: B

If you’re a fan of guitar music, Guitar Fire! includes some scintillating playing from guitar greats like B. B. King, Larry Carlton, and the group Acoustic Alchemy. I’m a fan of The Rippingtons so “Affair in San Miguel” was a joy to listen to. And you can’t go wrong with hanging out “Early A.M. Attitude” with Dave Gruisin and Lee Rittenour. GRADE: B+

Sometimes it’s fun to stray from the beaten path of music and listen to something a little different. Do you recognize these songs?

TRACK LIST:

1	Extreme (2)–	More Than Words
2	Us3–	Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia)
3	Jimmy Cliff–	I Can See Clearly Now
4	Michel’Le–	No More Lies
5	The Outhere Brothers–	Boom Boom Boom (Radio Version)
6	Reality–	Yolanda
7	Bingoboys featuring Princessa (2)–	How To Dance
8	Gerardo–	We Want The Funk
9	After 7–	Heat Of The Moment
10	Wilson Phillips–	Release Me
11	Surface–	The First Time
12	Aaron Hall–	I Miss You

TRACK LIST:

Larry Carlton–	Smiles And Smiles To Go	5:47
	Acoustic Alchemy–	Take Five	4:38
	Dave Grusin / Lee Ritenour–	Early A.M. Attitude	4:58
	Rippingtons* Featuring Russ Freeman (2)–	Affair In San Miguel	5:09
	Special EFX Featuring Chieli Minucci And George Jinda–	Jamaica, Jamaica	4:04
	Gary Burton–	The Chief	4:16
	Rene Toledo–	South Beat	5:23
	Kevin Eubanks–	Essence	5:37
	Larry Carlton / B.B. King–	Blues For TJ	5:18

V. S. Pritchett is one of my favorite writers, partly because he’s so good at so many things! Want to read a great short story? Try “The Camberwell Beauty” where Pritchett shows how the antique business can become an obsession. Want to know how you’ll feel when you turn 80? Pritchett tells you in “As Old As the Century.” Pritchett was born on December 16, 1900 and died March 20, 1997. During those years, Pritchett wrote biographies, novels, short stories, travel writing, and literary criticism.

If you think you understand Mark Twain, read Pritchett’s short essay on Twain’s writings. You’ll come away knowing more about what Twain’s writings were all about. The same with his essays on George Eliot and Dickens. The Pritchett perspective is deeply insightful

The Pritchett Century: A Selection of the best of V. S. Pritchett is a gold mine of wonderful writing! Highly recommend! GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Foreword by Oliver Pritchett — ix

In Memoriam: V. S. Pritchett by John Bayley — xiii

Autobiography

As Old as the Century : V.S. Pritchett at Eighty — 3

From A Cab at the Door — 13

From Midnight Oil — 62

Travel Writing

The Appalachian Mountains — 93

From Marching Spain — 120

From The Spanish Temper — 130

From Foreign Faces — 161

From New York Proclaimed — 182

From Dublin : A Portrait — 193

London — 198

Amazonia — 221

Novels

From Dead Man Leading — 229

From Mr. Beluncle — 249

Short Stories

Sense of Humour — 267

The Evils of Spain — 284

The Oedipus Complex — 291

Things As They Are — 297

When My Girl Comes Home — 308

The Liars — 361

The Camberwell Beauty — 373

Did You Invite Me? — 406

The Marvellous Girl — 421

The Vice-Consul — 433

The Fig Tree — 442

Cocky Olly — 472

The Image Trade — 501

Biography

From The Gentle Barbarian : the Life and Work of Turgenev — 513

From Chekhov : A Spirit Set Free — 533

Literary criticism

Mark Twain — 545

Samuel Richardson — 552

Sir Walter Scott — 560

Charles Dickens — 573

George Eliot — 579

Honoré de Balzac — 590

Ivan Turgenev — 603

Henry James — 609

James Boswell — 616

Tobias Smollett — 622

Saki — 628

George Meredith — 633

Miguel de Cervantes — 543

Leo Tolstoy — 649

Gabriel García Márquez — 655

S.J. Perelman — 664

Saul Bellow — 669

Gerald Brenan — 678

Molly Keane — 685

John Osborne — 691

Salman Rushdie — 698

“BOOP!” is a musical tribute to the cartoon character Betty Boop. The musical starts in the cartoon world where Betty Boop is tried of being chased by men and performing challenging feats. Betty (Jasmine Amy Rogers) yearns for “something else.”  Grampy (Stephen DeRosa), sends Betty to the vibrantly colored world of 2025 Manhattan via his TransDimensional Teleporter where Betty lands in the midst of a Comic Con convention. From there, Betty’s adventures in the Real World feature plenty of energetic songs and dances.

I enjoyed “Boop!” as a silly afternoon performance of an Old Fashioned musical of the Depression variety. Jasmine Amy Rogers is amazing and despite the shallow plot, there’s plenty of fun in this production. GRADE: B (for boop, boop, de doop!)

Musical numbers:

Act I

• “A Little Versatility” – Betty Boop, Ensemble
• “Ordinary Day” – Betty Boop
• “In Color” – Betty Boop, Ensemble
• “Get Her Back” – Grampy, Ensemble
• “I Speak Jazz” – Dwayne, Ensemble
• “Portrait of Betty” – Trisha
• “Sunlight” – Dwayne, Oscar Delacorte, Clarence
• “My New York” – Dwayne, Betty Boop, Trisha, Ensemble
• “A Cure for Love” – Valentina, Mascots
• “Where I Wanna Be” – Betty Boop, Ensemble

Act II

“The Color of Love” – Company

“Where Is Betty?” – Grampy, Valentina, Ensemble

“Where Is Betty? (Reprise)” – Raymond Demarest

“She Knocks Me Out” – Dwayne, Ensemble

“My Hero” – Trisha, Betty Boop

“Whatever It Takes” – Valentina, Grampy

“Take It to the Next Level” – Raymond Demarest

“The Campaign” – Company

“Why Look Around the Corner” – Dwayne, Betty Boop

“Something to Shout About” – Betty Boop

Set in 1898, Rob Osler’s mystery involves a 21-year-old woman named Harriet Morrow with a younger brother to support, tired of her boring secretarial job, who applies for a junior detective position at the prestigious Prescott Agency. Despite the long odds against a woman being hired at the all male Agency, Harriet Morrow gets a provisional job. Her assignment is to find a missing maid in one week. If she fails, she loses her job.

Rob Osler does a fine job capturing the chaos of Chicago at eve of the 20th Century. Harriet Morrow rides her bike around the city to interview key figures involved in the maid’s life before her disappearance. Osler also adds another factor into the mix: Harriet is attracted to women.

Harriet’s search for the missing maid leads her from the elegant mansions of Prairie Avenue into the rough neighborhoods of Chicago’s Polish community and the dark, sexual underground where secrets lurk.

If you’re in the mood for an unconventional mystery full of surprises, you might want to give The Case of the Missing Maid a try. I’m eagerly waiting for the next Harriet Morrow adventure! GRADE: B+

Diane and her sister Carol outside Sarabeth’s after their 2023 Mother’s Day Brunch in New York City.

The second and final season of Andor continues the story of the resistance to the rise of the Empire. Cassian Andor is part of a rebel alliance that is attempted to slow the attempts of the Emperor to dominate the Galaxy.

I watched four of the 12 episodes (a new episode drops every Tuesday) and love the action scenes and put up with the gaudy party scenes that I could do without. The Imperial plot to take over a key planet for its energy reserves draws Andor to danger again. And, once again, Producer Tony Gilroy doesn’t shy away from killing off key characters. There’s a ruthlessness about the Andor series that stresses that fighting a dictatorship has steep costs.

My chief quibble is the scenes that take place in the shadows. I’m squinting at my screen to figure out what the heck is going on!

Despite this annoyance, Andor moves the Star Wars franchise through the events that lead to Rogue One (2016). If you’re a Star Wars fan, you’ll watching this. GRADE: Incomplete but treading towards a B