tv

Goodbye and Hello: Show Edition

For many of us, it has been a difficult week, as we bid goodbye to Succession, Barry, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel all at once. Now with Ted Lasso ending in a few days, it is almost more than one can bear. *Pause for deep breaths.* Thank goodness we have some new things coming our way that may be intriguing. Because of our focus here on the blog, I’ll keep … Continue reading Goodbye and Hello: Show Edition

Gone to Malice Domestic 2023

  This week marks the 35th Malice Domestic, the convention celebrating the traditional mystery. If you’re attending, please say hello–we’d love to see you! Ellen Byron/Maria DiRico “Cozy Or Traditional – What’s The Difference?” panel (Friday at 2 pm) “Simply the Best: Our Agatha Best Contemporary Novel Nominees” panel (Friday at 4 pm) Book Signing (Saturday at 10 am) Kensington Multi-Author Book Signing Event (Saturday … Continue reading Gone to Malice Domestic 2023

Detecting Duos

‘Tis the time of year when you can’t go ten feet without bumping into a paper heart taped to something, as Lila Maclean once observed. So who makes your heart go pitter pat? Let’s chat about detecting duos–couples solving crimes–friends in forensics. Tagging Sherlock and Dr. Watson first. I am referring here to the characters as played in the BBC series Sherlock specifically, who are full-on delightful … Continue reading Detecting Duos

Endings and Undoings

In the mystery course I recently taught, we found the ending of Agatha Christie’s A Murder is Announced to be both disconcerting and glorious. There are many wonderful aspects to her writing, but we were most engaged by how she gracefully “undoes” the characters we felt we knew because she had built them so convincingly. On the flip side, we were slightly less excited about … Continue reading Endings and Undoings

Spirits on the Screen

  Wishing You A Very Happy Halloween! To get into the right “spirit,” I have a question for you: what are your favorite films with ghosts? Let’s trade recommendations. I can’t wait to hear. Here are my top ten in chronological order. The Shining (1980): Even though the movie is terrifying, I have re-watched it many times. Probably because Jack Nicholson is compelling…and of course … Continue reading Spirits on the Screen

It’s Fall, Finally

🍁 Happy First Week of Fall, my very favorite season. There’s something about the cooler temperature that perks me right up. Not to mention snuggly sweaters, all the pumpkins, and everything Halloween. But perhaps most of all, it’s the Fall Foliage. Yes, it has to be capitalized like that because it is a thing on the east coast. People travel miles–even states–to see it. When I … Continue reading It’s Fall, Finally

Surprise! Everything Just Changed

One night seven years ago, I woke up in the dark completely terrified and–long story short–ended up in the emergency room. (The most memorable part of that experience was when, in response to the 911 call, several gorgeous firemen burst into the bedroom and carried me out to the ambulance. If I were writing a Rom Com, hello meet-cute!) Turned out to be the first in … Continue reading Surprise! Everything Just Changed

Bookshelves I Have Known

It’s true that I already recounted the Ikea Bookshelf Saga, but let’s ponder bookshelves again today. It’s just that…they are so versatile and present. They can change a room, make artistic statements. There’s a reason they are so often featured in home decorating shows. You don’t have to look very hard on the web to find pictures of bookshelves in all sorts of dramatic configurations … Continue reading Bookshelves I Have Known

Happy Monday Morning

There’s nothing quite like a random survey on a Monday to help us procrastinate for a few precious moments before the work week kicks in fully, right?  (For a variety of reasons, I have been asked the following questions at different times in life but don’t remember what I said previously, so it’s a new adventure, yay. Let’s go!) 1. What is your favorite word? serendipity2. What is … Continue reading Happy Monday Morning

Just a Friendly Note (curious edition)

Dear Stores: When did everyone start saying “Welcome in” instead of just “Welcome”? And how did this begin? Was there a memo that I missed? Dear Designers: Can we please talk about the High-Low Hem concept? Sometimes it’s short in the front and long in the back (aka the “mullet of hemlines”) but sometimes it’s short in the back and long in the front. It’s … Continue reading Just a Friendly Note (curious edition)

Pausing

Recently, I heard that many people were having trouble concentrating these days because we’ve been on high alert for so long. That definitely resonated with me. We all have much to handle, with global events and political tensions adding to the existing pressures of our personal duties and challenges. But this week has felt even more overwhelming and distressing than the previously heightened sense of being overwhelmed … Continue reading Pausing