What I watched: Keitel and I watched season five of Grantchester on PBS. Premise: late 50’s early 60’s, England, vicar helps solve crimes. And it has Robson Green – a fine actor, I have liked anything he’s been in. I was rather miffed that lead vicar Sidney was written out of the series and refused to watch it for some time. But I finally give in (peer pressure) and it was quite good – I may like the new vicar even better. While his issues are more severe, his whiny level is much lower. I really get tired of angsty characters – I just want to smack them upside the head and say, “suck it up and get on with it”.
What I read: I’ve been reading the Lady Darby Mystery Series by Anna Lee Huber. I’m almost done with the first eight books and am pleased to see that she plans to release a new one each April through 2023. Here is a review “Anna Lee Huber’s spirited debut mixes classic country house mystery with a liberal dash of historical romance. Fans of Tasha Alexander and Agatha Christie rejoice! Lady Darby is an engaging new sleuth to follow and The Anatomist’s Wife is history mystery in fine Victorian style!” (Julia Spencer-Fleming.)
What I listened to: Kamauu, Clover. I have zero clue where I found out about him – could it have been on DUAN? If so, thank you!
And lately I like Hiss Golden Messenger.
Format change!
…I feel like we’ve gone up in the world
…it’s kinda fancy
I am definitely enjoying these fancy new digs. Looks clean and classy when you throw an F-bomb on the first page.
I feel like I have to put on pants that aren’t covered in food stains when I read this (I won’t).
I absolutely will not.
That new layout on the front page where it goes horizontal and then vertical again is a little jarring. I’ve got some ADD-type of thing. I have a hard time with catalogs and store flyers and that.
…any chance it might grow on you?
…of the options myo suggested we had I have to say I kind of liked it better than the others but I guess it doesn’t have to be that way?
Don’t change it on my behalf. I’ll get used to it.
Are you using The New Yorker font in the heads (or “heds”) or a variant? That ups the game considerably.
I like the sticky notes right bar recent posts scroll – so easy to navigate! And look at the orange top ticker – wow!
it is a much easier way to see tags you might want to click on or view the most recent comments without going to the dashboard
…by the by…looks like a but of text got repeated on the reading there…if it’s still doubled up when I double back I’ll clip it but I’m on a phone at the minute so I might clip too much or something dire if I do owt about it the now
…clipped that double quote out
Huh! I was just there – noted it – and removed it; did it work for you? And thank you.
…heh…between noticing it & doing something about it I took my eye off the ball & thought it was just the review bit that was repeated without noticing the paragraph began & ended the same way
…so thanks for not making that mistake look too obvious for too long
Good morning Ellie and deadsplinters! I’ve often wondered if Grantchester was any good. I’ll have to give it a try.
What I’m watching
Run – Merritt Weaver and Domhnall Gleeson have tons of chemistry, and I’d watch Weaver read the phone book.
What I’m reading
Code name Villanelle- the basis for Killing Eve, dark and funny like the series
What I’m listening to
the podcast Hit Man – Motown producer Lawrence Horn hired a man to murder his wife and the role a Paladin Press book played in the case
and my college radio station
Thank you!I am so interested in your recommendations. Sadly, we do not have access to HBO, where Run is aired. But you can bet I will add Villanelle to my read list!
Another good one is “Murdoch Mysteries.” It takes place in Toronto around the turn of the 19th -> 20th-century and Murdoch is especially good at technology, so he kind of invents (often with the help of guest stars) police tools that weren’t available until many years later. I’m not explaining this very well but it’s a very good show. It’s still going on; they have 13 seasons so far.
If you like mysteries and don’t mind the police procedural end of the genre, I’m reading the Inspector Rebus series by Ian Rankin. Rebus is a Detective Inspector in Edinburgh. I found out about the books when I was in the Scottish National Museum last year. The Arthur’s Seat Coffins are there, as well as an exhibit about Scotland in popular culture. As it turns out, the coffins are featured prominently in one of the Rebus books. A cool feature for me is that having been to Edinburgh, I recognize a lot of the landmarks referenced in the books. Rebus is kind of an anti-hero, not in a Vic Mackey way, but maybe more like Harry Bosch. I see of lot of parallels between Rebus and Wallender from Henning Mankel’s books.
Excellent! I read Inspector Rebus (a few anyway) years ago when we had to go to the library and loan physical books. I do like a good police procedural and will add his Rebus to reading as well. Keitel and I liked it on TV. And your landmark recognition thong is cool. Kind of the same, in that reading world and real world merge, I adored the Phryne Fisher books and acquired Guerlain’s Jicky perfume because Phryne wore it.
…me mother was always fond of the likes of VI Warshawski or the Scarpetta books but she liked Beck when the Scandi-noir thing hit
…Rebus is great but I’d also give a shout out to Inspector Frost for the old school & the Rivers of London books by Ben Aaronovich (which are surreal & involve magic) but also have a policeman for a protagonist
I think you and I have communed over the joys of Rivers of London in past posts. I’ve been know stay up all night reading a Rivers book. Quirky, funny stuff – I’ll stop and read aloud some of the funny stuff to Keitel. Tell me, do read the short Rivers graphic novels? I’ve not because it feels like I want to buy the physical version.
…I have a cousin who picked up.a few of the comics…they’re not bad but I think I prefer the prose editions?
…Neil Gaiman stuff I’d take as a comic over prose, though…Neverwhere is definitely better as a comic book (imho) than either the book or TV versions?
Have you read John Connolly’s Charlie Parker series? It’s excellent. Connolly injects elements of the supernatural that are both creepy and poignant. Parker “lives” in the next town over from me so I know everywhere he goes.
…nearly got caught out there…thought you meant the other Parker books by Richard Stark/Donald Westlake
…like the one they turned into a Jason Statham movie
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1904996/
…but then I got the supernatural thing & figured it out
Well I will now, the first of the 18-book series is on sale for $1.99 – scored that book, i did. I love long series where you can get to know the characters.
Sidney was getting a little insufferable, but I love redheads so I was willing to put up with him. I like the new guy too.
i watched rambo last blood the other night…it was uhhh..well a rambo flick.. bit slow and grim dark to start then turns into fun and inovative ways to kill a whole bunch of people in as much gorey detail as they could think of… did what it said on the tin really
im currently not reading anything
and currently listening to every thing (seriously…all the things..tho..thats just a day ending in y for me) kinda enjoying the quarantine videos lately
A friend turned me onto this site, they are doing a Dumpstaphunk show tomorrow that I am looking forward to catching.
https://nugs.tv/
cheers 🙂
I just saw that Ted from Scrubs died of cancer yesterday. More sad news!
I’ve been watching Cougar Town on Amazon lately because it’s funny and dumb and I can have it on in the background while I do other stuff. Anyhow, he was on there as a dude who makes every song sad and he was charming and adorable. It’s the episode where they go to Hawaii too.
I have never seen Cougar Town in spite of a guy from my city being in it. I could go for some funny and dumb though.
For an English costume crime show that is different from the usual, I liked Year of the Rabbit. Setnin the 1890s, foul mouthed Matt Berry and his foul mouthed deputies stumble around London solving murders.
This sounds like something I’d enjoy.
I like the new look – it’s spiffy!
I like Grantchester it’s a pleasant way to spend an hour of murder.
For books if you like historical fiction – I always suggest The Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett. They’re set in the 16th century about a Scottish nobleman turned mercenary trying to clear his name and discover dark family secrets while traipsing around with historical figures of the time. Dorothy Dunnett has spoiled me for other writers – no one can write like her.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymond_Chronicles
Oh good!! Another new author for me (pauses to cackle with glee)!
I put season 6 of Schitt’s Creek on my Plex server for someone else before having ever watched it. Then I said I would watch it so I put season 1 and season 2 on it. I fell asleep near the end of season 2 and woke up to EVERYTHING being a whole lot of different. I asked, “what is going on? What did I miss?” and the response was, “I don’t know. They were at this party and I dozed off and now there is a baby and a wedding being planned.” So I watched a couple episodes whilst half asleep before I realised that it had skipped from season 2 to season 6. I put season 3 on my server and am now a few episodes into that but I keep falling asleep and having to go back. Knowing what is going to happen a few seasons later isn’t helping me with my interest.