It's Like This, Cat - Emily Neville

I first read It's Like This, Cat when I was in... hmmm... I'm guessing fourth or fifth grade. I enjoyed it quite a bit back then and the title has always stuck with me. Recently, I decided to read it again and see if, as an adult, I still thought it was a good read. I'm happy to report, it is. Maybe not so much as when I was eleven, but still, very enjoyable. Also a Newbery Medal winner so that probably has something to do with it. Part of what I enjoyed as a kid and still appreciate as an adult it that the story is set in NYC in the early 1960s. No, not the hippie days. Pre-hippie. In fact, there's even reference to a beatnik.

Still, if you have a child that likes to read - It was originally marketed as a book for boys, but I loved it as a kid - then I highly recommend it. Or, if you'd just like a peek at NYC in 1963 through the eyes of a young teen, also good.

Marlon Brando in Burn!

Husband and I ended up watching Burn! by accident last night, but it turned out to be very thought provoking. It's one of Brando's lesser known movies, went way over budget and did dismally at the box office, but turned out to be quite interesting as far as plot. First, you have to get past the very cheesy opening credits and adjust your brain for Brando's over-the-top posh British accent. But once you've cleared those hurdles, the story takes over and you're hooked into watching to the very end.

Brando's character was inspired by extra crazy sociopath southern gentleman William Walker. If you don't know who he is, check out the link. The movie shows very clearly how the inhabitants of a Caribbean island were repeatedly manipulated and decimated with the goal of getting sugar for the English to have in their tea. Brando does a very good job (barring the accent) of portraying a ruthless yet appealing manipulator working on behalf of England's interests. Be sure to watch to the end and pay attention the development of Brando's frenemy. Really a well-crafted story and it's a shame that it's not better known.

p.s. - Check out that Walker link. So insane.

White Cat by Holly Black

I enjoyed White Cat. Holly Black is very good at creating well thought out worlds and likable lead characters. Ms. Black takes a break from the land of fairies and delves into a world where there are people who can curse you by touching your bare skin with their hands. So, everyone wears gloves. This skill - curse working - runs in families and the story follows the life of a teenage boy who comes from a family of curse workers, but he has no skill himself. His deep, dark secret is that he murdered his best friends three years earlier and can't remember much about it. (No, that was not a spoiler, it's on the book jacket.)

Lots of tips on grifting, etc... in this one. Also, many twists and turns. Worth the read.

Tea Time for the Traditionally Built

Tea Time for the Traditionally Built is the tenth book in Alexander McCall Smith's series The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

I normally don't read much past the third book in a series. Usually the characters and premise of a story peters out for me after two or three books. That is not the case with The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. (Okay, I haven't read the series straight through from book 1 - 10 and beyond, but I have read several of them ad hoc, so I feel reasonably comfortable in my statement.) Smith's stories and characters for The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency become increasingly rich and complex as the series moves on. Plus, they make me wistful for Africa and the contentment of enough pumpkin to eat and cup of hot bush tea. (Actually, bush icetea is my go to caffeine free drink - but it's not the same)

I've read some other of Smith's books and while enjoyable, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is really his wheelhouse.

Douglas Adams

Why is Douglas Adams' dialogue so funny in his books and so awkward in film or television? Husband and I just tried watching a BBC production of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It was a very true telling of the story, but awkward as anything. Somehow having Arthur Dent say, "I never could get the hang of Thursdays," is hilarious in print, but just falls flat when an actor says the line.

For a quick memory boost as to how funny the books actually are, check out the wiki.

The Bad Seed

Did you know Nick Cave is an author?

Yes, that Nick Cave

Bizarre!

He's very multi-talented, apparently.

I guess I'm going to have to read something of his.

Cleveland, City of the first traffic light, city of magic

Euclid Avenue and East 105th Street in Cleveland, Ohio...that's where you would have to have been on August 5, 1914 to watch the first traffic light click from red to green to help the flow of traffic. And traffic in those days was chaotic and not quite as simple as it is today; it included horses, cars, and streetcars.