Friday Flashback: Rec. #136: Jill the Reckless

I decided to start doing Friday Flashbacks in case you missed some early posts the first time around. You're busy; I understand.

What: P.G. Wodehouse is, of course, best known for his Jeeves and Wooster stories. There are also the Blandings Castle stories, and the Psmith stories, and the Monty Bodkin stories, and the Earl of Ickenham stories, and several stand-alone stories about various young men who bumble along being good sports and eventually win the day. 

Here, finally, we have a young woman who gets to bumble along being a good sport and eventually win the day. It starts when she's arrested for getting into a fight over a parrot, and it only gets better from there.

Comparable to: It's P.G. Wodehouse. That is basically its own genre.

Representative quote: "Jill reached the scene of the battle, and, stopping, eyed Henry with a baleful glare. We, who have seen Henry in his calmer moments and know him for the good fellow he was, are aware that he was more sinned against than sinning. If there is any spirit of justice in us, we are pro-Henry."

You might not like it if: You are inexplicably not pro-Henry. Or maybe you find it impossible to read a Wodehouse book that does not feature Reginald Jeeves.

How to get it: Overlook Press does it again with a great edition (see above).

Connection to previous Wreckage: See a wide spectrum of Wodehouse with List #43: Happy Birthday, P.G. Wodehouse.

[Originally posted 5/29/11.]

Quote from a Fictional Character #83

"Most people nowadays are run by fear. Fear of what they eat, fear of what they drink, fear of their jobs, their future, fear of their health. They're scared to save money, and they're scared to spend it. You know what his pet aversion is? The people who commercialize on fear, you know they scare you to death so they can sell you something you don't need."

--- Alice Sycamore,

You Can't Take It With You, 1938

(Rec. #327)

(List #42)

Friday Flashback: Rec. #271: Tamara Drewe

I decided to start doing Friday Flashbacks in case you missed some early posts the first time around. You're busy; I understand.

What: Tamara Drewe is Posy Simmonds's modernized, satirical take on Thomas Hardy's Far from the Madding Crowd --- she gets her characters into a rural setting via a writer's retreat. Her story started as a weekly comic serial in The Guardian before becoming an award-winning graphic novel.

Opening lines:
"Assholes!"
"Oh come on, Glen, they're just bored ... holidays've gone on too long ... just mindless."
"But that's what I object to! I mean if they threw stuff with a purpose ... like they see us and think: hey, writers! Let's egg the self-regarding sacks of shit."
"Maybe they did."

You might not like it if: Satire! Struggling writers! The British countryside! Adultery! Rock star ex-fiances! Mid-life ennui! Stalkers! Plotting! Sheep! What's not to like?

How to get it: Buy it or borrow it. The paperback edition is a super good deal right now on Amazon.

Connections to previous Wreckage: The graphic novel was made into a movie in 2010. I haven't seen it, but Tamsin Greig is in it, so how bad could it be? We love Tamsin Greig! See Black Books (Rec. #68), Green Wing (Rec. #110), and The Half (Rec. #178) for evidence of why she's great.

[Originally posted 1/22/13.]

Rec. #390: Now You See Me

What: The thing, though, is that magicians doing a heist is such a dumb-good idea. Like, why wasn't it already a cliche before Now You See Me came out? Why wasn't the reaction, "Oh god, not another robbing-a-bank-with-magic movie"?

Plus, we've got the not-inconsiderable charms of Isla Fisher, Jesse Eisenberg, Melanie Laurent, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and Common.

Representative quote: "First rule of magic: always be the smartest person in the room."

You might not like it if: Yes, the characters are pretty 2D. That is a price I am willing to pay for something that zips along like this without aliens, superheroes, or casual murder.

Connections to previous Wreckage: Mentioned as part of List #50.

Also, List #28 is all about Cons, Capers, and Heists on Screen.

Quote from a Fictional Character #82

"She'd made a fool of herself -- she knew it even if he didn't -- and it was better to put it out of her thoughts lest she conclude again that reality was a world she dared not inhabit."

--- Melissa Aubrey,

Uncertain Voyage, Dorothy Gilman, 1967

(Rec. #167)

Friday Flashback: Rec. #209 (abbrev.): Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring

I decided to start doing Friday Flashbacks in case you missed some early posts the first time around. You're busy; I understand.

What: French historical (melo)drama, two films, rural Provence, post-WWI, water, mountains, hunchback, property, water, inheritance, neighbors, water, carnations, poacher, water, altercations, rabbit breeding, water, schemes, elusive springs, eyewitness, dynamite, water, trickery, revenge

Representative quote (Jean de Florette): "What kind of man is he?" "He's a typical city-hunchback type."

Representative quote (Manon of the Spring): "Destiny doesn't exist. Only good-for-nothings talk about destiny."

[Originally posted 11/10/11.]

Rec. #389: Practical Magic

What: Alice Hoffman's novel Practical Magic is a beautifully written, languidly realistic series of character mappings ... that also happens to deploy magical realism.

Opening lines: "For more than two hundred years, the Owens women have been blamed for everything that has gone wrong in town."

Representative quote: "Always keep mint on your windowsill in August, to ensure that buzzing flies will stay outside, where they belong. Don't think the summer is over, even when roses droop and turn brown and the stars shift position in the sky. Never presume August is a safe or reliable time of the year."

You might not like if it: Don't get me started on the misguided movie adaptation.

Connection to previous Wreckage: Hoffman's Local Girls was Rec. #256.

Streaming Suggestion of the Week #21: Laura

Stream what: A police detective falls in love with a murder victim.

Stream why: Laura is arguably the best film of the noir era. It's certainly my favorite.

Stream where: Netflix, Amazon Prime


Read more: Rec. #193, Quote from a Fictional Character #49

Friday Flashback: Rec. #294: Further Tales of the City

I decided to start doing Friday Flashbacks in case you missed some early posts the first time around. You're busy; I understand.

What: As the title implies, this third novel takes us even further into the lives of the residents of 28 Barbary Lane, San Francisco. This time, though, author Armistead Maupin wanders farther afield, with the characters making forays out of Guyana with gay Cuban refugees, into Golden Gate Park to find Truth, on the run to Alaska, and over to the National Gay Rodeo just for kicks.

There are also charismatic psychopaths, society columnists, and a briefly imprisoned newscaster called Bambi. Not to mention a big, big Jonestown "what if."

Opening lines: "There were outlanders, of course, who continued to insist that San Francisco was a city without seasons, but Mrs. Madrigal paid no heed to them."

How to get it: Buyable, borrowable, Kindle-able.

Connections to previous Wreckage: Start with Tales of the City (Rec. #67) and More Tales of the City (Rec. #211). And enjoy the Laura-Linney-starring miniseries adaptation along the way (Personal Wreck #2).

[Originally posted 5/30/13.]

Rec. #388: Flickchart

What: The website Flickchart prompts you to rank movies against each other, giving you the chance to finally build out your own personal "Best Movies of All Time" list.

The ranking itself is addictively enjoyable, and once you've got a good list going, you can also slice and dice the data with all kinds of charts.

Nothing like myopically obsessing over your own tastes to keep you occupied for hours. Ahem.

How to get it: Start at http://www.flickchart.com/.

Quote from a Fictional Character #81

"Maybe I'll just sit here and bleed at you."

--- Brendan Frye,

Brick, 2005

(Rec. #62)

Friday Flashback: Rec. #54: The Gun Seller

I decided to start doing Friday Flashbacks in case you missed some early posts the first time around. You're busy; I understand.

What: Did you know that British actor Hugh Laurie, generally beloved for Blackadder and Jeeves & Wooster and House, wrote a spy spoof? He did! 

In The Gun Seller, ex-soldier Thomas Lang refuses an assassination job offer and quickly becomes embroiled in an elaborate plot with terrorists, arms dealers, diplomats, and CIA agents. 

It's pretty much exactly what you'd expect of a spy spoof written by Hugh Laurie, in the best way possible.

Comparable to: In the interview-with-the-author section that's available in some editions, Laurie cites P.G. Wodehouse and Kyril Bonfiglioli as major influences. You can tell.

Representative quote: "Rayner, I estimated, was ten years older than me. Which is fine. Nothing wrong with that. I have good, warm, non-arm-breaking relationships with plenty of people who are ten years older than me. People who are ten years older than me are, by and large, admirable. But Rayner was also three inches taller than me, four stones heavier, and at least eight however-you-measure-violence units more violent."

You might not like it if: Everyone is fond of Hugh Laurie, right? Except my mom, I guess. She doesn't care for his version of an American accent.

How to get it: Buyable, borrowable, Kindle-able.

Connections to previous Wreckage: You might recognize the name Kyril Bonfiglioli from Rec. #31: Don't Point That Thing at Me. Also, let's not forget that The Gun Seller was written by this guy (the one on the right):

(I love this picture and previously used it for Rec. #24: Cocktail Time.)

[Originally posted 2/22/11.]

List #55: For Those Moving to Boston Soon

Boston in movies, books, and television --- beyond Ben Affleck, Henry James, and David E. Kelley

1. Calamity and Other Stories [book] (Rec. #227)

Many of these excellent stories take place in Brookline, which is close enough.

Boston quote: "Any weekday in Brookline, drivers caught in Beacon Street traffic might see Sergei hurrying along a certain stretch of wet sidewalk."


2. Cheers [tv show, streaming most places]

This is your one cliche opportunity. Embrace it.

3. Interpreter of Maladies [book]

A reminder that most people begin as outsiders.

Boston quote: "That year, and every year, it seemed, we began by studying the Revolutionary War. We were taken in school buses on field trips to visit Plymouth Rock, and to walk the Freedom Trail, and to climb to the top of the Bunker Hill Monument."


4. MB(ecket)TA [website]*

A moment in time captured --- this past February, a Tumblr user combined photos of Boston's extreme winter conditions with bleak quotes from playwright Samuel Beckett.

*suggested by my friend Potato, an actual Bostonian

6. Next Stop, Wonderland [movie] (Rec. #253)

Includes perhaps the most realistic depiction ever of what it's like to ride the T.

Boston quote: "Brazil ... that's way past Medford."


7. Now, Voyager [movie]

Revisit a classic with a newfound appreciation for the Boston Brahmins.

Streaming Suggestion of the Week #20: Party Down

Stream what: Struggling actors bide their time as Hollywood cater waiters, working weddings, seminars, afterparties, retreats, and reunions.

Stream why: Good concept, great actors, excellent scripts.

Plus guest stars. So many smartly featured guest stars.

Stream where: Hulu


Read more: Rec. #182

Friday Flashback: List #19: Jay Smooth --- An Appreciation

I decided to start doing Friday Flashbacks in case you missed some early posts the first time around. You're busy; I understand.


Don't you just love Jay Smooth and his video blog Ill Doctrine? Me too!

Here are some representative Ill Doctrine videos (click on the titles to watch):

1. "Don't Freak Out About the White Babies"

Representative quote: "I promise we are not going to turn into gremlins after midnight once we're in the majority, or when we're able to marry whoever we want to marry."

2. "All These Sexist Gamer Dudes Are Some Shook Ones"

Representative quote: "This kind of abuse and harassment matters, and when it happens in our corner of the internet, we need to treat it like it matters."

3. "On Ferguson, Riots, and Human Limits"

Representative quote: "We are weighing the destruction of property against the loss of a life. And if you value some people's property more than the life of a black child, we're not on the same team."

4. "The List of Rules for Women"

Representative quote: "Does anyone have a complete, up-to-date list of everything that women are supposed to do and not do so that they qualify for having their humanity respected?"


And don't forget the classic, the one that's been reblogged a bajillion times:

"How to Tell People They Sound Racist"

Representative quote: "When you say, 'I think he's a racist,' that's not a bad move because you might be wrong. That's a bad move because you might be right."




Connections to previous Wreckage: I previously mentioned Jay Smooth as one of my "4 Internet Crushes" (List #10).

He was also part of List #21 (If I Had the Sort of Job Where I Could Spend Time Doing Things on the Internet, Here Are Some of the Things I Would Spend Time Doing) and List #39 (Some of the Best Internet I Internetted in 2013).

[Originally posted 7/11/12.]

Rec. #387: My Brother Michael

What: In my opinion, just about the best thing that could come from Guillermo del Toro's period horror movie Crimson Peak would be a neo-Gothic revival in novels.

Author Mary Stewart led just such a revival throughout the third quarter of the twentieth century, and My Brother Michael is a fine example of this particular sub-genre --- an ordinary person is put in extraordinary, dangerous, and mysterious circumstances.

Also, there is an immersively described location (Athens, in this case).

Opening lines: "'Nothing ever happens to me.' I wrote the words slowly, looked at them for a moment with a little sigh, then put my ballpoint pen down on the cafe table and rummaged in my handbag for a cigarette."

How to get it: Stewart's books are not currently Kindle-able, but various paperback editions are available all over the place. I suggest the vintage ones.

Connections to previous Wreckage: My Brother Michael provided Quote from a Fictional Character #39.

And Stewart's best novel, The Ivy Tree, was (part of) Rec. #201.

Friday Flashback: Rec. #141: Party Girl

I decided to start doing Friday Flashbacks in case you missed some early posts the first time around. You're busy; I understand.

What: The "girl" of the title is Mary, a '90s club kid whose fun times are cut short when she's arrested for hosting an illegal party. Her godmother, a librarian, bails her out. To repay the debt, Mary takes a job as a library clerk. Sounds silly, right? 

Well, it is. It's also lots of fun, full of quotable lines, and a surprisingly realistic look at library work. And Parker Posey's taut mannerisms are uniquely suited to this role.

Comparable to: Party Girl is recognizably part of the flurry of indie comedies that came out in the mid-'90s. (Most of which also feature Parker Posey.)

Representative quote: "I would like a nice, powerful, mind-altering substance. Preferably one that will make my unborn children grow gills."

You might not like it if: Realizing that you're nostalgic for the '90s makes you feel old.

Connection to previous Wreckage: Parker Posey was sooo good in her guest role on season 3 of Parks and Recreation (Rec. #119).

See also List #18.

[Originally posted on 6/9/11.]

First Sign of Murder #19: The Cater Street Hangman

"Edward, you must destroy the newspapers," Caroline was saying. "Say that you lost them."

--- The Cater Street Hangman, Anne Perry, 1979

Quote from a Fictional Character #80

"I'm beating at happiness. I've beaten it into submission and bottled it for convenience."

---Alfredo Aldarisio, 

Pushing Daisies, 2008

(Rec. #233)

(List #53)

Friday Flashback: Rec. #285: I Know I Am, But What Are You?

I decided to start doing Friday Flashbacks in case you missed some early posts the first time around. You're busy; I understand.

What: This collection of essays by Daily Show correspondent [note: and soon-to-be new late night talk show host!] Samantha Bee covers a lot of ground: 

Camping, inadvertently tagging along on a honeymoon, various failed parenting strategies of two sets of parents (plus grandparents), a teenage crush on Jesus followed by a car-jacking spree, working at a penis clinic, and starring in a children's stage production of Sailor Moon.

Comparable to: This is what I wanted Bossypants and Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? to be like. (I liked both of those books well enough, but I really liked this one.) Maybe it's because neither Tina Fey nor Mindy Kaling are Canadian.

Opening lines: "Every once in a while I think about what my life would be like if my parents had stayed together and not separated when I was still a baby. Obviously, it would involve a regular commute to the maximum-security penitentiary to visit whichever of them had committed the murder that signaled the official end to their marriage."

Representative quote: "Our sexual chemistry was similar to a sea cucumber that sits motionless on the cold, dark ocean floor and dreams of dry-humping a nearby scallop."

You might not like it if: You're squeamish.

How to get it: I listened to the audiobook, read by Bee, and I think the book probably works best that way.

[Originally posted 4/11/13.]