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I am currently reading The Librarian of the Haunted Library by Brian Yansky. It is marketed as a “fun, fast, fantastical read.” I expect to be entertained and to add a little grist to my worldbuilding mill. As usual, I’ll share my thoughts when I’m through reading.

Another mystery read—more kindling for the inspiration furnace. Black’s Beach Shuffle: A Rolly Waters Mystery by Corey Lynn Fayman takes a somewhat different approach to the hardboiled detective mystery genre. An urban setting? Check. An in-over-his-head private detective with redemption issues? Also check. A femme fatale? Check. Powerful people with secrets? You bet. However, BBS diverges in that the main character/hardboiled detective Rolly Waters is a full-time songwritin

I am currently reading Black’s Beach Shuffle: A Rolly Waters Mystery by Corey Lynn Fayman. This is a book I intend to relish, good or bad, especially since I’ve just finished a particularly difficult novel. I look forward to a Chandleresque gumshoe, relying solely on his wits, getting in way over his head, just at the right moment, to solve this mystery. I’ll share my thoughts when I’m through.

I feel like I’m back in high school, having to read further texts just to give me some sense of the text I have just read. Reading Vineland by Thomas Pynchon, for me, is like holding your breath for the entire narrative, only to exhale and wonder what the hell just went on. I am not knocking this novel, nor am I knocking this author, but reading Pynchon is definitely an experience, one I’m not too sure I want to replicate any time in the near future. His prose is dense, his

The book, Weightless: A Doctor's Guide to GLP-1 Medications, Sustainable Weight Loss, and the Health You Deserve, by Rocio Salas-Whalen, MD, has been on my mind for weeks now since I finished reading it. Weeks. Mostly, it’s the takeaways from this book that are haunting me. Okay, maybe just the one, and here they are: G.P.S. G stands for the GLP medication you need to take, P stands for the protein you must ingest, and S is for the strength training you have to start and main

I’ve shared my thoughts on The Room (2003), Tommy Wiseau’s first film. Although the film has achieved cult status and continues to generate box office revenue, I absolutely hated it. And wanted my hour and forty minutes back. So why watch a film about a film I absolutely hated? Good question. Surprisingly, it garnered several award nominations and some wins. I was interested in how (and why) this film was made. Actually, my interest was piqued because so many Hollywood movie

Another book I will begin reading is Mutants & Masterminds Deluxe Hero's Handbook by contributors Jon Leitheusser, Steve Kenson, Seth Johnson, Leon Chang, and Christopher McGlothlin. It is the core rulebook for a tabletop role-playing game of the same name. I play RPGs, and I tried GMing a few years ago—I failed quite spectacularly—but I find myself happy and satisfied with creating characters and playing along via a Game Master’s plan. A colleague of mine approached me about

I am currently reading Vineland by Thomas Pynchon. The last time I read a Pynchon novel was back in college, when an adventurous Literature professor assigned Gravity’s Rainbow to the class. GR was nothing as I’ve read before, but unfortunately, I don’t recall much of it, except for the plot element that bombings seem to follow the protagonist all around WWII-era Europe. Like other Pynchon novels, Vineland is a mish-mash of disparate elements, all centering around a main cha

To me, any book or movie that claims to be “action-packed” must live up to the standards that Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom had set over forty years ago. Trust me, it’s a high bar. The film began its rip-roaring ride from the first few frames to the end of its 1 hour and 58-minute runtime. By this metric, the novella, Faerie Protective Services (Faerie Protective Services Inc. Book 1) , by Robert McKinney, is not an “action-packed urban fantasy adventure.” It has its g

I am currently reading the novel "Faerie Protective Services" (Faerie Protective Services Inc. Book 1) by Robert McKinney. It professes to be an “Action Packed Urban Fantasy Thriller,” and I sincerely hope it is. After being published in 2020 and garnering only 737 starred reviews on Amazon, I hope these low numbers are a result of the author’s lack of marketing, not their lack of imagination or skill. As usual, I’ll share my thoughts when I’m done reading the book.

Don’t you hate it when you root for a character, wanting, hoping, wishing that they’d do the right thing, only to be disappointed when they slip back into bad habits? That’s how I felt about Stéphane Breitwieser, the subject of this book, when he fell back into thievery. After a famous, illustrious career of art larceny—executing over 200 heists, stealing over 300 items, estimated at a value of $2 billion—he wanted to repent and reform. He thought of becoming a security consu

Gesundheit! One of the most admirable aspects of The Taking of Pelham 123 (1974) is its realism. The settings, the art direction, the plot, the performances, the dialogue all contribute to a tale that is gritty and believable. Said realism evokes from the audience the emotions it aspires to illustrate. The plot also effectively unfolds in real time, or somewhere damn close to it. Based on the novel by John Godey, TTOP123 narrates the tale of four organized criminals, spearh

I am currently reading The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession, by Michael Finkel. This book was nominated for GoodReads’ Readers’ Favorite Nonfiction in 2023. I enjoy stories about thefts and capers. I am a big fan of both of the Leverage TV series. This book recounts the audacious exploits of Stéphane Breitwieser, a modern art thief, who pilfered valuable artifacts driven by his passion for art rather than financial gain. I will share my thoug

I admit, I expected something else when I read this book; I expected a “How To” Book, complete with concepts, instructions, and perhaps even illustrations—well, maybe not illustrations—but I think you get the idea. In reality, I guess I was expecting a somewhat humorous roast of Washington, D.C., and all the players therein. What I got after I finished reading the book was something else. It read like an extended curriculum vitae, resplendent with self-congratulation and poli

I am currently reading, How to Test Negative for Stupid: And Why Washington Never Will , by United States Senator John Kennedy. It’s not very often that I read a political book, but this one caught my eye, and I am—as I’m sure many others are—looking for some level-headedness in the seat of our government. As usual, I’ll share my thoughts when I’m through reading.

I’m really starting to enjoy this series. Fiona Griffiths is one of the most complex characters I’ve met in detective fiction. At two years of age, she was left in the back of a convertible of the man who would adopt her as his own—Tom Griffiths, a wily crime lord. In her teens, she suffered—and survived—Cotard’s Syndrome, where Fiona truly believed that she was dead. Needless to say, life in her mid-twenties, and as a detective constable in Cardiff, Wales, has its struggles,

Every once in a while, a gem—a true gem—comes along, and this time it’s Hit Man (2023). This movie captivated me from the opening credits until the very end. With filmmaker Richard Linklater ( Slacker ) behind the camera and a hand in writing the script, and Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick) cowriting it as well, the film bristles with wit and personality, with some excellent rapport from its two lead actors. Gary Johnson (Powell, also handling the lead role) is a mild-manner

What’s the difference between a comedy and a thriller? Death? Murder? Torture? Violence? Well, wouldn’t all that make whatever film you’re categorizing a black comedy? Or is it just a thriller? Or just a comedy? I’ll settle on black comedy. Caught Stealing (2025), directed by Darren Aronofsky ( Black Swan ), and written by Charlie Huston ( Gotham ), whose novel it is based upon, is a visceral film; the laughs and graphic violence make it so. It’s one of those films where you

It’s not often that an animated film comes along that celebrates several films before it while entertaining the audience to the highest degree. Chicken Run (2000) is that very film. Peter Lord and Nick Park, animators and founders of Aardman Animation ( Wallace & Gromit ), provide the story and direct this romp. Their tactile, handcrafted stop-motion "claymation" animation highlights Plasticine puppets that display delightfully rounded and expressive character designs. This

I am currently reading Love Story, with Murders: Two lovers, Two Corpses, And An Extraordinary Crime (Fiona Griffiths Book 2) , by Harry Bingham. I thoroughly enjoyed the first novel, especially the narrative voice. (I’d like to pilfer…curate that same narrative voice in a future short story I plan to write). A human leg has been found in a freezer located in a suburban area…And that’s all I’ll say about this mystery. As usual, I’ll share my thoughts when I’m through.