It’s hard to believe I’ve contributed 75 reviews to Patti Abbott’s WEDNESDAY’S SHORT STORIES. It seems like only yesterday….

Since this is the 75th post in this series, I thought I’d feature one of my favorite mystery short story collections: Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini’s A Century of Mystery 1980-1989. Not only does it feature plenty of great writers, the stories tend to be full of surprises!

Let’s start with Frederick Forsyth’s classic “There Are No Snakes in Ireland” with its tricky ending. Lawrence Block is at his best in “As Good as a Rest.” I’ve always enjoyed Tony Hillerman’s “Chee’s Witch.” Ed Gorman’s “The Reason Why” is both clever and profound. And, of course, Marcia Muller’s “Deadly Fantasies” and Bill Pronzini’s “Stacked Deck” fit right into this All-Star line-up.

If you’re looking for a great mystery anthology, A Century of Mystery 1980-1989 fits the bill. GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction: Edward D. Hoch — 1

The Good Samaritan by Isaac Asimov — 7

A Man With a Fortune by Peter Lovesey — 23

There Are No Snakes in Ireland by Frederick Forsyth — 36

A Great Sight by Janwillem van de Wetering — 59

Greektown by Loren D. Estleman — 69

Father’s Day by Ruth Rendell — 85

The Worst Crime Known to Man by Reginal Hill –97

A Case of Chivas Regal by George V. Higgins — 105

Lucky Penny by Linda Barnes — 116

As Good as a Rest by Lawrence Block — 136

Chee’s Witch by Tony Hillerman — 146

Hit-and-Run by Susan Dunlap — 157

King’s X by Brian Garfield — 168

Skin Deep by Sara Paretsky — 183

Stacked Deck by Bill Pronzini — 197

More Final Than Divorce by Robert Barnard — 219

The Dakar Run by Clark Howard — 228

The Reason Why by Edward Gorman — 260

Blood Types by Julie Smith –270

Deadly Fantasies by Marcia Muller — 293

Obi-Wan Kenobi is the latest Star Wars television series–like The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett–to stream on Disney+. It is part of the Star Wars franchise, beginning ten years after the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005), and stars Ewan McGregor as the title character, reprising his role from the Star Wars prequel trilogy.

Ten years after the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith—in which the Jedi were destroyed by Order 66 and Obi-Wan Kenobi‘s apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, became the Sith Lord Darth Vader—Kenobi is in hiding on the planet Tatooine. He’s watching over Anakin’s son Luke, when he is called on a mission to rescue Anakin’s daughter, Leia, after she is kidnapped by the Galactic Empire’s Jedi-hunting Inquisitors in a plot to draw Obi-Wan Kenobi out of hiding and capture him.

I watched the two episodes available–there will be six in all–and after a slow start Ewan McGregor starts to shed the meek manner he cultivated on Tattooine to hide from the Inquisitors who hunt Jedi. After tracking the kidnappers to the corrupt planet Daiyu, Obi-Wan Kenobi discovers that there’s something more trying that the sinister Inquisitors…the stubborn little girl named Princess Leia. So far, so good. GRADE: Incomplete

“SPRINGTIME, ANYTIME: Celebrate the joy of spring with this wonderfully balanced and smooth coffee. A unique blend of coffee from both Africa and Latin America, with notes of rich cocoa and lush dried fruits, this harmonious bloom of flavor is the perfect centerpiece for any springtime gathering.”

That’s the marketing hype displayed on the side of the STARBUCKS SPRING DAY BLEND and I agree with the “harmonious bloom of flavor.” Starbucks brings out these “LIMITED EDITION” coffee blends throughout the year and I always give them a try. Some are hits–like STARBUCKS SPRING DAY BLEND–others like Honey & Madagascar Vanilla Blend miss the mark. What’s your favorite beverage? GRADE: A-

You will soar with the Aerial Acrobatics in Top Gun: Maverick! Tom Cruise returns after 36 years to play Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, Navy pilot, who is ordered to train young pilots for a borderline suicide mission.

In what sounds like Iran (although it looks more like Switzerland), a nuclear facility is about to go online. The Navy has been ordered to blow it up. But, the facility is protected by SAM missiles and dangerous mountains. Oh, and there’s a nearby enemy air base with advance fighter jets to contend with.

Maverick shows up at Top Gun (aka, Fighter Weapons School) at San Diego.

The group gathered for this mission are the hottest hotshots of the Naval Air Force. In addition to Rooster (Miles Teller)—who will maintain, for a while, a hostile relationship with Maverick—they include Reuben “Payback” Fitch (Jay Ellis); Jake “Hangman” Seresin (Glen Powell); Mickey “Fanboy” Garcia (Danny Ramirez); Natasha “Phoenix” Trace (Monica Barbaro); and Robert “Bob” Floyd (Lewis Pullman).  Maverick has to train them and then choose who will be the pilots for mission itself.

The plot is conventional, the romance between Maverick and a lovely bar owner (Jennifer Connelly) has its Hallmark moments, and the antagonism between Maverick and Rooster (Goose’s angry son) is predictable.

But once the jets hit supersonic speed, the movie rockets into adventure and thrills galore. You’ll want to see Top Gun: Maverick on a big screen. It’s worth the IMAX price! See you in the Danger Zone! GRADE: storyline: C; flight scenes: A+

Steve Allen was a well-known comic in the 1950s and 1960s. But, after that, Steve Allen slipped into obscurity. But, before Allen pretty much disappeared, he wrote this book: Curses! A Collection of Verbal Vengeance for Every Occasion (1973). I always considered Steve Allen as one of the brighter and more clever comedians of his time. This book demonstrations many of his strengths: wit, guile, and slyness.

My favorite curse in this book is: “May your wife understand you.” Who is your favorite comedian? GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction — 1

Cursing techniques — 7

The curse: Does it work? — 16

The anger of the ancients — 21

The Jewish verbal weapon: Humor — 27

The wrath of Allah — 48

Cursing in church — 54

Critical prayer: Another name for cursing? — 62

Black words from the Emerald Isle — 66

The curse of the frog — 78

Curses from paradise — 81

The original curse of the Gypsy — 86

The Curse of Garra –94

The Skeptics — 96

The Curse As A Boomerang — 98

A Curse in Rhyme — 100

Curses In Wich Actions Speak Louder Than Words — 103

The Last Word — 106

The decade 2000-2009 wasn’t an especially great time musically so you can’t blame this compilation CD because it isn’t better. The compilers didn’t have much to work with.

But there’s plenty of ear-worm material here. Shaggy’s “Wasn’t Me” can still be heard currently in Cheeto’s TV and Discover Card commercials. When Britney Spears was “freed,” there was an explosion of “Oops!…I Did It Again.” “Just Dance” is my favorite Lady Gaga song.

“Since U Been Gone” made Kelly Clarkson a star, but now she’s selling Wayfair furniture. Katy Perry’s “I Kissed a Girl” riled the Religious Right back in the day before Homosexual Weddings were deemed legal by the Supreme Court (who may just rescind that ruling after squashing Roe v. Wade).

Do you remember these songs? Any favorites here? GRADE: B

Tracklist:

1. Oops!… I Did It Again – Britney Spears
2. I Kissed A Girl – Katy Perry
3. Just Dance – Lady Gaga feat. Colby O’Donnis
4. Bye Bye Bye – *NSYNC
5. I Gotta Feeling – Black Eyes Peas
6. SexyBack – Justin Timberlake
7. Low – Flo Rida feat. T-Pain
8. Survivor – Destiny’s Child
9. Family Affair – Mary J. Blige
10. Thong Song – Sisqo
11. It Wasn’t Me (feat. Ricardo Ducent) – Shaggy
12. U Got It Bad – Usher
13. This Love – Maroon 5
14. Party In The USA – Miley Cyrus
15. Since U Been Gone – Kelly Clarkson
16. Kryptonite – 3 Doors Down
17. The Reason – Hoobastank
18. Hanging By A Moment – Lifehouse
19. How To Save A Life – The Fray

I’m a fan of tall tales and stories with magic in them. The Girl Who Dreamed Only Geese features fabulous paintings and B&W illustrations by Leo and Diane Dillon. The stories blend life in the far North with intelligent animals and sometimes desperate people.

My favorite story in The Girl Who Dreamed Only Geese is “The Man Who Married a Seagull.” As you might suspect, a female seagull turns into a human woman. But magical events threaten to turn her in back into a seagull. Her husband has to find a way to avoid that to save his wife.

I’m also fond of “The Wolverine’s Secret.” No, this is not the Hugh Jackman superhero, but an actual tricky wolverine with magical powers. The wolverine manages to steal the Sun and the Moon.

If you’re in the mood for stories that will take you far, far from your comfort zone, give The Girl Who Dreamed Only Geese a try. GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

INTRODUCTION: Laughter in the Kitchen — xi

The day puffins netted Hid-Well — 1

Noah hunts a wooly mammoth — 17

Why the rude visitor was flung by walrus –31

Uteritsoq and the duckbill dolls — 45

The wolverine’s secret — 59

The girl who watched in the nighttime — 71

The man who married a seagull — 87

Home among the giants — 101

How the narwhal got its tusk — 113

The girl who dreamed only geese — 129

STORY NOTES: 143

Back in 2011, I saw Matthew McConaughey play Mickey Haller, defense attorney with a weakness for riding around in Lincolns. I’m sure McConaughey and his backers were hoping for a hit movie that would become a franchise where McConaughey could make another Lincoln Lawyer movie every other year and extend his career–and make money for all involved.

That didn’t happen. But, now in 2022, the Lincoln lawyer is back, this time as a series on Netflix. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo plays a troubled Los Angeles lawyer who has two beautiful ex-wives and a former drug addiction that still haunts him. When a lawyer is assassinated, Mickey Haller discovers the lawyer left his entire law practice to him. And, the prime asset in the bunch is the case of the Silicon Valley billionaire techie who’s charged with killing his wife and her lover, a yoga instructor.

This Netflix series, 10 episodes, is based on Michael Connelly’s 2008 crime novel, The Brass Verdict. The series, created for television by David E. Kelley and developed by Ted Humphrey, shows Mickey Haller under pressure in several cases to make sense of the mess the murdered lawyer left him.

I like Garcia-Rulfo as Mickey Haller very much. I also like Neve Campbell as Maggie McPherson, Mickey’s first wife and a criminal prosecutor. And, Becki Newton as Lorna Crain, Mickey’s second wife and his legal aide, lights up the screen.

This series features a couple of exceptional minor characters: Jazz Raycole as Izzy Letts, a former addict and client of Mickey, now working as his personal driver and Angus Sampson as Cisco, Mickey’s friend, former biker, and private investigator.

I’m halfway through the series, but I’m hoping to binge the remaining episodes in a few days. Don’t miss this one! GRADE: A

David Mamet, a playwright who won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony nominations for his plays Glengarry Glen Ross (1984) and Speed-the-Plow (1988), has turned into a Grumpy Old Man. Most of the essays in Recessional: The Death of Free Speech and the Cost of a Free Lunch complain about something: equality, wearing face masks, Higher Education, the Left, etc.

However, within these essays are nuggets of interest. Here’s one: “…the only works I have found helpful in writing drama: Aristotle’s Poetics, Campbell’s Hero with a Thousand Faces, Opie’s Lore and Language of Schoolchildren, and, be it what it may, [Bruno Bettelheim’s] The Uses of Enchantment.” (p. 63)

I especially liked Mamet’s analysis of Time Travel stories. Mamet has been an actor, playwright, and director of movies. His analysis of TV shows is also revealing: “The extent of television shows is essential undifferentiated. Not only are all the cop shows interchangeable, they interchangeable with the medical shows. (Swap out the shoot-outs and the ER scenes–the action sequences–and they are all just bad narrative about offscreen characters.)” (p. 158)

My favorite chapter in Recessional is “Humility” where Mamet writes about the authors he loves…and the ones he doesn’t. Here’s a sample: “I am particularly fond of twentieth-century genre writers. They have brought me a great deal of happiness over the decades. I name Frederick Forsyth, Patrick O’Brian, George V. Higgins, and John le Carre. I’ve read all their books many times, because they are infinitely re-readable… I can reread my beloved Trollope’s forty-seven novels again and again…” (p. 174)

If you can put up with Mamet’s crankiness and conservative perspectives, the insights into Broadway, movies, actors, writers, and television are worth the hassle. GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction 1

The Fountain Pen 5

Cause and Effect 11

Reds, Pinks, and Goo-Goos 17

What’s in a Name 23

Pippa Passes 29

King Kong 33

Some (Mainly) Musical Revelations 37

Two Hangings 41

Various Discoveries 45

Farther Along; or, The Accident Chain 51

On the Passivity of Jews 55

Bruno Bettelheim and the Broke-Down Cowboy: Two American Stories 61

Attention Must Be Paid 67

Experts and Oligarchs 71

Slave Lessons 75

Belinda Raguesto Returns from Switzerland 81

Hamlet and Oedipus Meet the Zombies 89

A Message from Schpershevski 95

Chelm; or, No Arrest for the Wicked 101

Some Linguistic Curiosities 105

The Nazis Got Your Mom 113

Demotic, a Confession 119

Grief and Wisdom 127

Time Travel 133

Moby Dick 139

Real Live 143

Rainy Day Fun for Shut-Ins: Xmas 2020 147

Give My Regrets to Broadway 155

Broadway 159

Gags 167

Humility 173

Max the Hamster 177

Disons le Mot 183

Art, Time, and the Madness of the Old 189

Tug-of-Peace 193

The Awl Through the Ear 197

Goodnight, Irene 203

Recessional 209

Acknowledgments 215

Index 217