Category: Books

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Mama Día

April Summer. Soggy May. Supposed to be a sunny Mother’s Day. Once a year we celebrate Moms. Like Valentine’s Day. Don’t get why there’s one day a year that obligates spouses and children to recognize us for stuff we love doing anyway.

Author Jay McInerney has a new book out about wine, A Hedonist in the Cellar. He was reminiscing about ordering his first bottle as a young man. A lovely 70’s staple, Mateus Rosé impressed his date at The Log Cabin restaurant ‘in Lenox’. Everything West of Boston seems to conflate. It was/is in Holyoke, Jay. An hour away. Jay once dated Lisa Druck aka Rielle Hunter. Wonder if she was that date?

Make Mama ‘Succulent Salmon’. RecipeDetours. So easy.

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SpringField

Springfield, Massachusetts is not ‘the’ Simpson’s city. It’s the one in Oregon. Geez. My aunt Marge Simpson was from ‘our’ Springfield, so thought it was us for sure. No Uncle Homer, doh. Springfield, Mass., does have Dr. Suess’ house on Mulberry Street, he grew up here. So is the Basketball Hall of Fame, where Naismith invented the peach-basket game. Joseph’s Clothiers  was founded in 1918 on Ferry & Main.

We have the Connecticut River with its fertile farms and tobacco barns. Four famous colleges are just up the road. Amherst, Smith, Mount Holyoke, and Hampshire. So there, Bart! Herrell’s ice cream is better.

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Paris v. NYC

Nifty gift from mAdBen. He met graphic artist Vahram Muratyan and got me a signed copy of his new book, “Paris Versus New York: A Tally of Two Cities”. It is a clever delightful artistic comparison of la vie quotidienne, daily life in each city. Laugh-out-loud brilliant fun. Motivation to get back to gay Paree.

It was highlighted this weekend in the NYTimes along with a book about women on Madison Avenue during MadMen days. Jane Maas recounts her time at Ogilvy & Mather in the 60’s, in “MadWomen”.  A real-life portrait of Peggy Olson.

Before we leap tomorrow, let’s wish a very happy 87th to Betsey! If her mother Birdie could have only waited one more day, she’d still be in her twenties.

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Back Roads Thoughts

First book review of 2012. The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje. I don’t like cats and I didn’t like his novel, The English Patient, but… check out the Books page.

So far, my clicker’s not stuck on CBS in the morning. Charlie Rose, Newt Gingrich, Bob Schieffer, Bill Plante, lots of tired-looking old white guys at 7. Gayle King with Melissa Etheridge, Juliana Margulies pimping her CBS show at 8. Geez, what’s new or cool about this? Back to Mika and Morning Joe.

Downton Abbey returns under a somber hue during World War I, brutal yet true. The war’s impact on Britain’s daily life is poignantly portrayed at Downton. Compression of the classes begins at the expense of a lost generation of men.

MadMen again March 25. Too long.

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2011

GOOD

mAdBen’s Crazy Great Year. NYU accolades. New view. Career

Mama & 3 bears in the yard


The Night Circus
Ocean House, Watch Hill- 60

BAD

People on TV.  Cover your skin. Sleeves. Pleez.
Amy Winehouse. Sad

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Kristmas Klear

Ignore those flakes. Not dreaming of a white Christmas this year. October blast enough. See broken oak tree. Stay away snow! Midnights clear.

When Kranky Kristmas thoughts intrude, read the new winter edition of MSKCCBridges newsletter. Inspiring stories that make the season bright. GemQueen’s wonderful patient support and leadership has extended to an Art Expressions Program this past year to be celebrated Thursday night.

K9Queen has been reading a lot out in sunny Monterey, CA. She likes murder mysteries and particularly loves the Harry Bosch detective series by Michael Connelly. She gives his latest The Drop 5 stars: Connelly…”again hits the high mark with a complex, twisting plot and a detective full of flaws… In this apparent suicide probe, Bosch deals with ‘high jingo’, the derisive phrase he uses to describe the machinations of corrupt local politicians in LA…”

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Witch Twitch

27,000 plus twitches on The Side Trek. There’s a new book about the Witch of Northampton, and it’s not me. “My Enemy’s Tears” is the story of Mary Bliss Parsons who was tried for witchcraft in 1675. Jagged cranky women are in again.

With the exception of witchy bitches on Fox. Is that all they got? False eyelashes, pancake makeup, Barbie dollbots. Bracing for more October snow. Siri didn’t tell Dr.H to get his winter tires soon enough. Boo!

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Clock Works

The Night Circus is a tightly wound time piece. Nocturnal wonderment. Transcendent love. Boundless imagination. Morgenstern’s first novel is a tour de force.  5 stars. When you read it, and you must, pay close attention to chapter headings and dates. When I finally got the “Bailey” joke, I laughed out loud. This was one of the best books I’ve read in a very long time. Couldn’t put it down. Hated to have it end. Loved it.

Amanda Knox’ four year purgatory finally over. Her Italian amante’s as well. Seems right. Conrad Murray, not so much. If you are a cardiologist, it’s good to know CPR at the very least. ElevatorEcon continues. Tick tock Andy Rooney.

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Love’s Labour

Rained out of CW boat visit in Greenport, Amagansett redux. Not beach weather. Cajoled Ben to venture north. Wonderful photos, stories from Romania. Look forward to his take on Patrick McGuinness’ Last Hundred Days. This Man Booker long-lister tells the story of the fall of Communism in Romania 1989. It depicts the end of Ceausescu’s reign of brutality along side his evil wife Elena.

DeMint Tea steeped at Forum in South Carolina, a chilling brew of GOP candidates’ policies. K9Queen spent Labor Day weekend embracing cherished St. Helena haunts. Terra bar, Market, Meadowood. Napa pre-crush. Gorgeous. Jealous. Djok and Serena, no love surprises. Did Rory see Caroline’s win?

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Trek Pourri

‘Franco’ is back. September. Yup. James Franco on GH the soap. Katie Couric better not get in the way of my favorite menacing serial killer. Found a 2009 Richard Russo novel, That Old Cape Magic. It’s not Empire Falls nor Bridge of Sighs, but I liked it. Thought provoking. Marriage in the sandwich years. BoSox’ Ellsbury on fire, NYY A-Rod in the hot seat. BaggerWoods’ return to the links. Have to watch Quijote even without his Panza. Addictions are hard to break.

Jon Huntsman’s campaign story is soap opera fodder. But, New York Magazine’s article on the Romney v. Huntsman saga is epic. You heard it here first! Hope Congressional caped crusaders are having a great vacation leaving USA in the lurch. PrezO turns 50 today, already grey. Not easy.

CandyPants asks: What’s with the doily doo dads on Mika’s dresses? Not pretty.