Rec. #392: The Courts of Love

What: In this collection of short stories, author Ellen Gilchrist gives us magic realism in a solar-powered house, small domestic disasters, and people revisiting past affairs.

Representative quote: "From Aurora Harris to anyone who received my parents' incredibly stupid Christmas letter and believe anything it says about me. In the first place I do not look anything like that picture and did not know they were sending it out."
[from "Update"]

Connections to previous Wreckage: Also from Gilchrist are The Cabal and Other Stories (Rec. #216), Light Can Be Both Wave and Particle (Rec. #159), Nora Jane: A Life in Stories (Rec. #25), and Victory Over Japan (Rec. #324).

A Bit of a Hiatus

See you in about a week!

I leave you with:

The Daily Wreck Collection

Easy to browse

The Daily Wreck of the Web

I made a Tumblr

[You can check out more gorgeous Hitchcock screenshots like the one above at "1,000 Frames of Hitchcock"]

Streaming Suggestion of the Week #22: Across the Universe

Stream what: Julie Taymor's movie about Vietnam War-era kids in New York City is set to the Beatles.

Stream why: It's gorgeous, both visually and aurally.

Stream where: Netflix.



Read more: Rec. #334

Friday Flashback: Rec. #222 (abbrev.): The Headhunters

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

What: Murder mystery by Peter Lovesey, hypothetical "I could kill my boss" game gone wrong, double date, dead body on a beach, the Slug and Lettuce, missing colleague, fossils, Hen Mallin, gardening center, flood, CID, bowling, printing company, Mill Pond, woolly mammoth

Opening lines: "'I could cheerfully murder my boss,' said Gemma."

Representative quote: "On another website Jo was startled to see her own name. Little else was accurate. Described as a resident of Selsey (wrong), she was supposed to have stumbled over the body (she didn't stumble over anything) whilst exercising her dogs (what dogs?) on Medmerry Beach (East Beach). A salutary reminder not to believe everything on the internet."

Connection to previous Wreckage: The Headhunters is very good fun, but The Reaper (Rec. #21) --- also by Peter Lovesey --- is a triumph.

[Originally posted 3/1/12.]

List #57: Ten Pleasant Surprises of 2015, Part 2

A lot of things happened in 2015 that were unexpected, but terrible. Not these, though! These things are great.

Happy New Year!

[See Part 1 here.]

6. Galavant

What it is: A musical comedy fairy tale satire. On ABC and Hulu.

Why it's a pleasant surprise: It could have been really, really, really annoying. Like, really. But it stayed charming and clever throughout!

7. High Maintenance (Rec. #374)

What it is: A web series about a pot dealer. On Vimeo.

Why it's a pleasant surprise: I only rarely wanted the punch the smug out of any characters.

8. Master of None

What it is: Aziz Ansari's take on life-of-a-single-dude-in-NY. On Netflix.

Why it's a pleasant surprise: It's wonderfully progressive and makes room for sincere contemplation. Also, Denise! And small roles for both Susan Blackwell and The Strand.

9. Parks and Recreation series finale

What it is: The end of the joy that is Parks and Rec. On NBC, Hulu, and Netflix.

Why it's a pleasant surprise: The series ended on its own terms and on a high note.

10. Scrotal Recall

What it is: A young man has to notify his former partners that he has an STD. Cue a walk down the memory lane of past relationships. On Netflix.

Why it's a pleasant surprise: That name! Is. So. Awful. The show itself is much sweeter and cleverer than one might reasonably expect.

List #57: Ten Pleasant Surprises of 2015, Part 1

A lot of things happened in 2015 that were unexpected, but terrible. Not these, though! These things are great.

Happy New Year!

1. Comics: Giant Days

What it is: A comic series about university life.

Why it's a pleasant surprise: I adore John Allison's web comics. Although he's the author of this series, he didn't do the art this time, and I was worried some of his voice might get lost. I was wrong. Artist Lissa Treiman is perfect.

Buy the comics from Boom! Studios.

2. Children's book (and accessory): The Princess and the Pony

What it is: Web comic artist Kate Beaton wrote a children's book and created a plush pony to go with it.

Why it's a pleasant surprise: Yes, the book has a great message and farts and sweaters, but the big news here is that the pony is really surprisingly high quality and very squeezable.

Buy the book and reserve the pony from TopatoCo.

3. Movie: The Great Museum

What it is: A documentary about the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.

Why it's a pleasant surprise: It is fascinating, but also honest-to-goodness funny. I promise.

4. Movie: Sound of Noise

What it is: A tone-deaf cop works to track down a group of anarchic percussionists.

Why it's a pleasant surprise: It is not at all as goofy as it sounds and instead comes across as thoughtful and very cool.

5. Movie: Twinsters

What it is: A documentary about young women who discover each other via social media and believe they are twins separated at birth.

Why it's a pleasant surprise: The awful title is no indication of how intelligently and skillfully this story was filmed. Incredibly engaging.

Stream it on Netflix.



[See Part 2 here, featuring TV and web series.]

Rec. #391: From Croydon to Cuba

What: Probably at some point over the recent festive season, you heard The Pogues sing "Fairytale of New York." The female vocalist on that track? That's Kirsty MacColl.

The anthology album From Croydon to Cuba traces MacColl's career from nouveau-girl-group beginnings to the surprise critical darling Tropical Brainstorm.

Representative lyrics:

"I loved you then as I love you still
Though I put you on a pedestal, you put me on the pill
I don't feel bad about letting you go
I just feel sad about letting you know"

--- from "A New England"

You might not like it if: The tragedy of MacColl's death is only heightened when you realize how great her music is. This makes you too sad to enjoy said music.

How to get it: Really, this post was a cheat used for me to recommend Kirsty MacColl's music in general. So go forth and find her music on your various streaming/downloading platforms. 

Connection to previous Wreckage: Shortly before she was killed in 2000, MacColl released her final album, Tropical Brainstorm (Rec. #259).

Friday Flashback: Rec. #245 (abbrev.): You Must Be This Happy to Enter

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

What: Elizabeth Crane, collection of short stories, things falling apart, personal zombie issues, what would you take to a deserted island, lemon-scented closet, phobias, reality television, fabric store, time-traveling photographer, transparency

Opening lines: "I! Love! My life! My life is awesome and great!"

Representative quote: "Betty the zombie wants to change. How her husband knows this is he asked her, and she said, 'Eeeeeeeehhhh!' which he finally determined to mean yes."

Connection to previous Wreckage: When the Messenger Is Hot (Rec. #73)

[Originally posted 6/11/12.]

List #56: An Alphabet for December-- W

[An incomplete guide to some of the stuff I wrecked this year.]

"W" Is for ... Wooster, Bertie

(Quote from a Fictional Character #59)

"If a girl thinks you're in love with her and says she will marry you, you can't very well voice a preference for being dead in a ditch."

--- Bertie Wooster,

Much Obliged, Jeeves, P.G. Wodehouse, 1971

(Rec. #153)

(List #43)

[A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V]

List #56: An Alphabet for December -- V

[An incomplete guide to some of the stuff I wrecked this year.]

"V" Is for ... Veronica Mars

(Quote from a Fictional Character #68)

"I hope we're still friends after I taser you."

--- Veronica Mars,

Veronica Mars, 2004

(Rec. #168)

[A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [R] [S] [T] [U] [W]

List #56: An Alphabet for December -- U

[An incomplete guide to some of the things I wrecked this year.]

"U" Is for ... The Unprofessionals

(Rec. #365)

What: The Unprofessionals is a tragicomedy about a reclusive photographer in her late 40s and her best friend, a 21-year-old boy with some shared neuroses but very different coping mechanisms.

Comparable to: This narrator also appears in Julie Hecht's other work, including Do the Windows Open? and Happy Trails to You.

Opening lines: "It was the second month of living without a soul and I was getting used to the feeling."

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

Connections to previous Wreckage: Do the Windows Open? was Rec. #321 and Happy Trails to You was Rec. #6.

[A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [R] [S] [T] [V] [W]

List #56: An Alphabet for December -- T

[An incomplete guide to some of the things I wrecked this year.]

"T" Is for ... Talbot, Fleur

(Quote from a Fictional Character #73)

"I didn't sleep with him for his prose style."

--- Fleur Talbot,

Loitering with Intent, Muriel Spark, 1981

(Rec. #13)

[A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [R] [S] [U] [V] [W]

List #56: An Alphabet for December -- S

[An incomplete guide to some of the things I wrecked this year.]

"S" Is for ... Slings & Arrows

(Streaming Suggestion of the Week #17)

Stream what: Behind-the-scenes drama at a theater festival. It's Canadian.

Stream why: The creators knew ahead of time that the show would run for three seasons, so the overall arc of the series flows and grows and deepens -- basically the things you always hope a series arc will do. Plus excellent acting, writing, etc.

Stream where: The first season streams for free with Amazon Prime.

Read more about season #1: Rec. #127

Read more about season #2: Rec. #191

Read more about season #3: Rec. #287

[A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [R] [T] [U] [V] [W]

List #56: An Alphabet for December -- R

[An incomplete guide to some of the things I wrecked this year.]

"R" Is for ... The Reaper

(First Sign of Murder #18)

"The pen was not required. Unseen by the bishop, Otis Joy had snatched up St. Paul's Cathedral. He swung it with tremendous force at the back of the big, bald head.

"The impact of solid glass against bone was irresistible. Marcus Glastonbury was killed by the first blow. He got two more to be certain."

--- The Reaper, Peter Lovesey, 2000

(Rec. #21)

[A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W]

List #56: An Alphabet for December -- P

[An incomplete guide to some of the things I wrecked this year.]

"P" Is for ... Price Peterson's Photo Recaps

(Rec. #386)

Typical Lifetime movie

An episode of Penny Dreadful

This year's Emmys

What: Honestly, Price Peterson's photo recaps of television shows I will never watch (Penny Dreadful, American Horror Story, etc.) and events I can't sit through (the Emmys, the Oscars, etc.) might be the best way to consume pop culture these days.

Representative quote: "According to government statistics, roughly 27,000 superhero films are released every weekend."

Bonus representative quote: "Chores, we all gotta do 'em. Dishes, laundry, mowing the lawn, bottle-feeding baby raccoons, scrubbing the bidet, paying bills, carrying corpses out to a mystical tree stump where you incinerate them with your naked body."

How to get it: Price Peterson is a staff writer for TV.com, a website that has much more character than its name. You can find his posts here: http://www.tv.com/news/author/priceiswrong/

Connection to previous Wreckage: These recaps were 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.

[A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [O] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W]

List #56: An Alphabet for December -- O

[An incomplete guide to some of the things I wrecked this year.]

"O" Is for ... Orion, You Came and You Took All My Marbles

(Quote from a Fictional Character #75)

(List #51)

"We maintained a brief but meaningful standoff. I can win any such standoff. I can win any contest involving silence or stillness or maintaining a straight face."

--- Finley,

Orion You Came and You Took All My Marbles, Kira Henehan, 2010

(Rec. #195)

(List #51)

[A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [N] [P] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W]

List #56: An Alphabet for December -- N

[An incomplete guide to some of the things I wrecked this year.]

"N" Is for ... Naylor, Nick

(Quote from a Fictional Character #72)

"I just need to pay the mortgage. [The Yuppie Nuremberg defense.]"

--- Nick Naylor,

Thank You for Smoking, 2005

[A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [M] [O] [P] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W]

List #56: An Alphabet for December -- M

[An incomplete guide to some of the things I wrecked this year.]

"M" Is for ... Mars, Nora

(Quote from a Fictional Character #63)

"I'm so in love with you I wish you were dead."

--- Nora Mars,

The Center of Things, Jenny McPhee, 2001

(Rec. #214)

[A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [L] [N] [O] [P] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W]

List #56: An Alphabet for December -- L

[An incomplete guide to some of the things I wrecked this year.]

"L" Is for ... London Irish

(List #49)

Representative IMDb episode synopsis:
"Following a drunken wedding party, Bronagh wakes up in the bride's dress, which she stole, next to toddler Frankie, for whom Niamh is acting as nanny. Hearing that Dermot, a man they all hated, has just died, they head off for the wake anyway."

Representative dialogue:"Now Niamh, don't get your hopes up --- this party might be shite. We don't want a repeat of the U2 concert, do we?"
"I didn't throw that rocket."
"You did throw that rocket, we all know you did. Though why you had a rocket and how you sneaked it into Wembley remains a mystery."




[A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [J] [K] [M] [N] [O] [P] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W]

List #56: An Alphabet for December -- J and K

[An incomplete guide to some of the things I wrecked this year.]

"J" and "K" Are for ... James and Kincaid

(Gemma James and Duncan Kincaid)

(Rec. #376)

What: With The Sound of Broken Glass, Deborah Crombie continues to follow detective inspectors Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James through their lives.

As is usual with Crombie's novels, the crimes, lurid as they may be (in this case, a barrister is found dead in a bed in a downmarket hotel --- tied up, face-down, and strangled), are somewhat beside the point.

The focus is really on

• Expanding the universe of her characters (in both breadth and depth)
• Doing a neighborhood deep-dive (this time it's the Crystal Palace area of South London)

She accomplishes both with a lot of narrative jumping from character to character, with flashbacks and primary source quotes interspersed throughout. Don't get dizzy.

You might not like it if: The title bothers you. It really should be The Sound of Breaking Glass, right?

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

Connections to previous Wreckage: Other Kincaid/James books include Dreaming of the Bones (Rec. #55) and In a Dark House (Rec. #358, FSoM #9).

[A] [B] [C] [D] [E] [F] [G] [H] [I] [L] [M] [N] [O] [P] [R] [S] [T] [U] [V] [W]