My sister Paula, a huge Tim Tebow fan, sent me Through My Eyes last summer. I was supposed to read it while convalescing from my knee replacement surgery. But, as things around here are wont to happen, Tim Tebow’s book fell to the middle of the Real Real Soon stack of books. Now, with the incredible exploits of the Denver Broncos and their QB, Tim Tebow, I felt motivated to read Tebow’s book. Yes, it’s full of religious quotes. But I was impressed with Tebow’s work ethic and his earnestness. He is a born leader. Reading his words, especially after a loss, shows you how determined Tebow is to overcome problems and win. The hapless Buffalo Bills finish their last home game of the season today against Tebow and the Broncos. My money is on Tebow. GRADE: B+

In the spirit of the season I’m offering up this classic Christmas mystery collection: Murder for Christmas with some great Gahan Wilson illustrations. The variety in this collection should appeal to the most jaded mystery reader. It’s a nice mix of the familiar and not-so-familiar. Plenty of copies are available for a pittance on the Internet. Happy Holidays!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Back for Christmas / John Collier
Mr. Big / Woody Allen
The adventure of the blue carbuncle / Arthur Conan Doyle
The adventure of the Christmas pudding / Agatha Christie
Dancing Dan’s Christmas / Damon Runyon
Cambric tea / Marjorie Bowen
Death on Christmas eve / Stanley Ellin
A Christmas tragedy / Baroness Orczy
Silent night / Baynard Kendrick
The stolen Christmas box / Lillian de la Torre
A chaparral Christmas gift / O. Henry
Dealth on the air / Ngaio Marsh
Inspector Ghote and the miracle baby / H.R.F. Keating
Maigret’s Christmas / Georges Simenon
To be taken with a grain of salt / Charles Dickens
The adventure of the Dauphin’s doll / Ellery Queen
Markheim / Robert Louis Stevenson
The necklace of pearls / Dorothy L. Sayers
Blind man’s hood / Carter Dickson
Christmas is for cops / Edward D. Hoch
The thieves who couldn’t help sneezing / Thomas Hardy
The case is altered / Margery Allingham
Christmas party / Rex Stout
The flying stars / G.K. Chesterton
Mother’s milk / James Mines
Ring out, wild bells / D.B. Wyndham Lewis

I decided to read The Invention of Hugo Cabret before I saw the Martin Scorsese movie based on it. This is partly a graphic novel and although the book looks as thick as a brick, you can read it in an hour. Hugo is a 12-year-old who lives in a small room in a train station in Paris in the 1930s with his drunken Uncle. Hugo’s father, a clockmaker, was trying to fix an automaton when he dies unexpectedly. Then Hugo’s Uncle disappears. Hugo starts stealing food to stay alive. When Hugo tries to steal a toy, the man who owns the toy booth takes Hugo’s father’s notebook. The man threatens to burn the notebook unless Hugo works in his booth. Hugo needs the notebook to complete the automaton his father was working on when he died. There are plenty of twists to this story. The book morphs into an appreciation of early French films. The Invention of Hugo Cabret won a Caldecott Medal as Best Children’s Book of 2008. GRADE: A-

Nobel Prize Winner Daniel Kahneman writes about how to make better decisions. Based on thirty years of research, Kahneman says our minds operate in two modes: System 1 and System 2. System 1 is fast, intuitive, and emotional. It developed through evolution to keep us alive when quick, life-and-death decisions needed to be made. But we also have System 2, which slower, deliberative, logical, and rational. Kahneman suggests that many times we don’t allow System 2 to operate. We make snap decisions based on flawed System 1 thinking. System 2 can also be lazy and ignorant. We have to work to develop System 2 skills. That’s where education comes in. I found this book fascinating. Although it’s dense with research findings, Kahneman provides real-life examples and illustrates the main concepts. Thinking, Fast & Slow is wonderfully insightful and worth pondering long after you finish it. GRADE: A

Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame never showed up on any of the Western NY movie screens so I had to buy the Blu-ray when it became available. As far as I can tell, this Detective Dee is loosely based on the Judge Dee of the Van Gulik books. Very loosely. We first meet Detective Dee in prison. He’s there because he spoke out against the Empress Wu. But when a series of deaths occur where people spontaneously burst into flame, the Empress is forced to turn to the greatest detective in China to solve the mysterious murders. Plenty of over-the-top martial arts conflicts punctuate the plot to uncover the conspiracy. The production values are very high especially in the giant Buddha statue. People bursting into flames, relentless action, hidden cities, secret plots, what’s not to like. GRADE: A-

Christopher Hitchens died last week and I figured the best way to honor him was to read his latest collection of essays, Arguably. This 816-page tome contains some of Hitchen’s best writing on politics, literature, and religion. Hitchens led a colorful and controversial life and it all shows up in these essays. My favorite essays in this volume include Hitchen’s insightful essay on Charles Dickens and Hitchen’s analysis of the science fiction of J. G. Ballard. There’s plenty of political commentary, but some of that will become dated. Hitchen’s polemical writing on religion generated plenty of animosity over the years, but Hitchen’s was a natural debater and reveled exposing phoniness wherever he found it. Christopher Buckley once called Christopher Hitchen’s “the greatest living essayist in the English Language.” Hitchens may be dead, but much of his writing will live on. GRADE: A

The screenplay to The Girl in the Cafe was written by Richard Curtis, the guy who wrote Love Actually (one of my favorite romantic comedies) and Four Weddings and a Funeral (another favorite). This love story involves Bill Nighy as a bland bureaucrat who meets the mysterious Gina (Kelly Macdonald). Suddenly, Nighy’s life is turned upside down (love will do that to you). The Girl in the Cafe is a clever and subtle movie with a political message. This movie never showed up in Western NY so I had to track down the DVD. It was well worth the effort. GRADE: A-