Why Do We Keep Talking about 1930's Germany?

Because it seems so relavent. And also because whatever comes out of the president's mouth is the opposite of the truth--almost without fail. And sometimes it seems all too true, like this campaign video mentioning The Reich. The disappearing of people with brown skin, taken by people out of uniform and into unmarked cars to places we don't know--that sounds like people who the Nazi's found undesirable were sent away and murdered. So here goes: What is happening in America Actions against the judiciary: Concerns have been raised about actions and rhetoric that show a disregard for court decisions, including a instance where the Trump administration was held in criminal contempt for ignoring a court order. Attacks on the press: The press has been labeled as the "enemy of the people," a comparison that has drawn criticism. Civil Service and "Purge": There are concerns about plans to purge the civil service and replace bureaucrats with political loyalists, a move some have compared to Hitler's actions. Rhetoric and Legal Actions: Rhetoric concerning immigration has led to comparisons between immigration enforcement tactics and the Gestapo. Additionally, Trump has proposed using executive actions that some critics fear could be abusive, such as potentially suspending habeas corpus or using the Insurrection Act. Criminal Charges: Trump faced federal criminal charges for allegedly conspiring to defraud the government and obstruct the January 6 Capitol attack. "Dictator" Rhetoric: Trump has stated he would be a "dictator on day one" as a mode of governance, a statement that has been seen as concerning due to its potential for abuse. Where are we headed? Nazi Germany was responsible for systematic persecution, genocide during World War II, and crimes like massacres and forced labor. Comparisons to Donald Trump's America are often based on specific actions and rhetoric, such as attacks on the press and the judiciary, plans to remove federal employees, and rhetoric concerning immigration and potentially suspending legal protections like habeas corpus. azis used their state power, including the Gestapo (secret police), to persecute opponents and detain individuals without charge in concentration camps.

Mark Twain by Ron Chernow

This is comprehensive, meaning that it is long and could have used to be edited down quite a bit, pulling some material out and footnoted, so that it would be reduced to 1/2 the size, or equal parts book and notes. There is too much, and a lot of repetition. That said, you will not find more facts about Twain anywhere, I hazard to guess. Samuel Langhorne Clemens arrived with Halley’s Comet on November 30, 1835 in Hannibal, Missouri. He was the 6th child in a family that dreamed big. His best remembered books are set in the neighborhood of his childhood, but he traveled first the country and then the world, starting at an early age. In his lifetime, Mark Twain was the greatest literary celebrity in the world. In the US, he hobnobbed with presidents; on his many travels, he would dine privately with the German kaiser, the Austrian emperor, or the Prince of Wales. When he was in debt and unable to afford his sprawling mansion in Hartford, CT he inexplicably could live in hotels across Europe as an "economizing effort". He was famous and lived large. He was the bracing, irreverently humorous voice of America. He edited and published Grant's hugely autobiography, but was generally a failed businessman. He had a successful marriage, but a disturbing obsession with young girls. He spoke openly of equality for blacks and was anti-slavery even before the Civil War yet fought briefly for the Confederacy and has some cringe-worthy writing with racist stereotypes. He was complicated that way and Chernow doesn't do a lot to untangle that, despite this heroic effort.

The Rebound (2009)

This is something approaching a romantic comedy but it veers left and ends up on the drama highway. Sandy is 40, newly divorced, and living with her two kids in Manhattan. Her hustband is discovered to be a long time cheat, and while he doesn't contest her decision to divorce, he is less happy about her living in the city and basically thinks she will flail and come back to him, so he doesn't get ugly tight off the bat. Sandy'a apartment is over a coffee shop where mid-twenties Aram in also newly divorced--his wife married him for a green card, and once she got it, she went back to her boyfriend who was masquerading as her brother. Sandy gets a high powered job and is launching a career whereas he is aimlessly making coffee. They embark on a romance that is all too real to both of them, but she gets skittish when she sees herself through his parents eyes and realizes it can never work. They go their seperate ways, he to gain purpose and life expereince, she to advance in what she does and neither of them find love elsewhere. It is a bid for people to follow their hearts where these two do not.

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

I am going to Japan soon and am trying to steep myself a bit in the literature and culture ahead of time. It is an ancient civilization that is rich in art and food, two things that I love, and I want to make an effort to appreciate it (to the best of my ability at least). This seems to me like a commentary on the class structure in Japan, which seems to be the thing that is a struggle for twenty somethings. So here goes. Keiko has been a worry to her family all her life, bullied and friendless, until at 18 years old she gets a job at a a job at the local Smile Mart convenience store and, paying conscientious attention to the training video, realizes that she has been doing normal all wrong. She puts her mind to it and excels at the daily monotone of restocks and product promotions and difficult customers, and she finds contentment and self-respect among the brightly lit aisles and hot food cabinets. She finds though that everyone expects more of her, and she is not capable or interested in accomplishing more--though she gives it a couple of tries. It is sad, almost mournful, with nothing of the muted joy found in the film Perfect Days.

Osteria La Torre, Cherasco, Piedmont, Italy

This was a feast of Piedmont dishes that included rabbit as well as the wonderful pasta with so much egg yolks called Tajarin al Ragu. These were both excellent, but the two things that we had never had that prompted us to buy a cookbook (in Englsih) from the region were these: Firstly, Il Piccolo Carpione, which is served cold. Either fish or chicken, fairly thin, is seasoned and dredged through flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs and fried. The vegetables are put into a poaching liquid that is half vinegar/half white wine, gently poached, and then cooled, and the two are served cold with a bit of the poaching liquid. It was very simple and quite delicious.

The other remarkable dish was CIPOLLA RIPIENA DI CIPOLLE E AMARETTI, CREMA DI CAROTE, which is Onions that have been boiled slightly, and then all but the outermost layer are removed, and then choppe up--to be stuffed back into the shell and mixed with ground almonds or amaretto biscuits, seasoned with clove, then baked and served here with a carrot sauce. THe whole meal was amazing, and more importantly so different from food I had had that I could have gone back the next day, had the very same meal all over again and been quite pleased.

Abundance by Ezra Klein & Derek Thompson

I put this on my library hold list (which is essentially my reading list) when it showed up on Obama's 2025 Summer Reading List--I had read 3 of the 10, had 2 more on my shelf to read, so decided to try all 10. I am glad I got this one--added bonus is that it is a largish font, so I took it to an eye appointment and was able to read it while I waited. I didn't know this but read it in a review. Late in 2021, Ezra Klein wrote a New York Times op-ed titled “The Economic Mistake the Left Is Finally Confronting”, in which he called for a new “supply-side progressivism”. Four months later, Derek Thompson wrote an article in The Atlantic titled “A Simple Plan to Solve All of America’s Problems”, in which he called for an “abundance agenda”. Many people quickly recognized that these were essentially the same idea. Klein and Thompson recognized it too, and teamed up to co-author a book that would serve as a manifesto for this new big idea. It is about combating the GOP policy of scarcity, which underneath all the prevarication is that we are running out of things and need to secure what we have, guard it, kick out anyone that doesn't look like you with a policy of abundance, that we have more than enough and we need to stop letting billionaires run the show and start leaning in to our strengths.

A Tourist's Guide To Love (2023)

This movie, a made for Netflix production, ticks all my boxes for a movie to watch when my spouse is on call. Since there is so little to feel good about these days, it is a way to escape for a couple of hours. I have a hand sewing project that I can make progress on as well. In the next couple months I will start watching Oscar contenders in earnest, but in the mean time this sort of movie is what I am looking for. Amanda Riley is an uptight, high powered Los Angeles-based travel agent living a safe and predictable existence with her boring accountant boyfriend, John. Amanda’s world gets turned a little upside down when John tells her--with a lot of excitement--that he is taking a job in Ohio, so they should hit the pause button on their relationship. Amanda's boss Mona, who is also a friend, sends her on an undercover scouting trip to check out a Vietnamese tour company that is coming up for sale. The company is a bit seat of the pants, operated by two charming cousins who go off script to show Amanda the real Vietnam--their tour is the opposite of the one my spouse and I took, going from Saigon to Hanoi (yes, it is Ho Chi Min City but no, nobody in Vietnam calls it that it seems) with stops in Hoi An, My Son, and Hue in between. The scenery alone is well worth watching this, but it is a charming rom com that totally down plays just how hard it is to cross a street and the humidity, but is a taste of Vietnam as well.

When Javi Dumped Mari by Mia Sosa

I have been doing the Goodreads challenges for about a year, and have mostly been happy with the things that I have read to complete them--none have been clunkers, some have been very good and are also books I might otherwise have missed out on. So when I say that is why I read this one, it is a neutral thing. September is Hispanic Heritage Month, and this fits the bill for that--written by an author who identifies as half Puerto Rican and half Brazilian about Javier, who is of Puerto Rican heritage and Marisol, who is of Brazilian heritage. It is a pretty classic sort of romance novel. Javi and Mari have been friends and attracted to each other since college. They managed to salvage the friendship by icing the romance and so many things happen over the ensuing 12 years that keep them more or less apart. Mari's father does not think Javi is good enough for Mari, a fact he doesn't bother even a little bit to hide and that doesn't quite resister with Mari. Mari leaves college for law school and knows where she is going from the get go whereas Javi meanders around a bit and doesn't want to be a ball and chain. It all comes to a head when Mari impulsively decides to marry the man her father is mentoring in their law firm and asks Javi to be her man of honor. This does not go off script for a romantic comedy, and as is so often the case with this genre, that is what the reader is hoping will happen.

Enoteca Regionale del Barolo, Italy

I loved this place--I particularly love the ability to try a number of different barolos before buying, and while only manned by one person, Adriano, he was knowledgable and helpful, so we got our feet on the ground about barolos. Housed in the Castle of Barolo, the “Enoteca Regionale del Barolo” was established in 1982 by a specific regional law. It is the prestigious showcase of wine production in the eleven municipalities that make up the area of origin of the “king of wines”: Barolo, Castiglione Falletto Cherasco, Diano d’Alba, Grinzane Cavour, La Morra, Monforte d’Alba, Novello, Roddi, Serralunga d’Alba, Verduno. It currently represents 195 producers, whose wines are allowed only after an examination of a special wine tasting committee, operating strictly on anonymous samples to make an objective judgment. We were able to buy from several different wine makes, and ship from here. All in all a fun stop that I would recommend. The town of Barolo is quite charming as well (but I am glad that we stayed in Alba).

When The Harvest Comes by Denne Michele Norris

I put this book on my library hold list as part of a Goodreads challenge fulfillment for a debut book--I ended up reading something else, but had this on my shelf and I am glad I read it. There are not that many books that get on my radar where a character struggles with gender identity. The book opens on the eve of a wedding: Davis, a Black violist, is about to marry his boyfriend, Everett, the son of a close-knit white family whose exuberance and easy camaraderie permeate the air they breathe. Davis has been estranged from his father, a reverend, since he fled his Ohio hometown for New York and has since mostly fallen out with his sister as well. He’s focused on his career in classical music and his relationship with Everett. He has no plans to revisit his traumatic past or his fraught family relationships, until his father’s death forces him to confront everything he’s left behind. Complicated relationships lead to complicated grief, a truism born out in this story as well. Davis is struggling with his unresolved relationship with his father, but he is also struggling with his feelings of being female, and the two are enmeshed. He is also very avoidant of all of this--something that feels very real, but is also kind of annoying in fiction--but does eventually put all the pieces together and moves forward.

White Supremacy

This is bad. The text messages released from the NY chapter of the Young Repbulicans group chat are vulgar and leave nothing to the imagination. Then again, they reveal nothing that hasn't been said publicly in so many words by other members of the GOP. They wonder why they are called Nazis, but they say they love Hitler and they think gassing of Jews is the way to go. They wonder why they are called white supremacists when they are pro-slavery. Why not admit their commonality with the Ku Klux Klan and the tenets of the Confederacy. They are misogynists. They talk about women who should be raped. Their disdain for women is consistent with the GOP being determined to make all women second class citizens. Some have openly bemoaned the fact that women can vote. All of this is consistent with the current administration. The president wonders why domestic violence assaults are considered part of crime statistics. JD Vance, 41, considers these 18-40 year old men to be "young boys". Two things. First is that he is does what rape culture does, he excuses them. Too bad it went on their permanent record. Second, these are men, some of them his age, some of whom hold positions of importance in politics. Finally, we know that these beliefs reflect the moral values othe person at this age--they are not about to change any time soon if ever. The fact that he says he thought and said offensive things when he was "younger" is more damning of him than an excuse of their behavior. So why disavow them? That is what is unclear to me, other than that in these texts there is no mistaking the message. It is the actual text, not the subtext. Their core tenets are unequivocally stated.

Reagan by Max Boot

Yes, there are a lot of books about Reagan out there. I haven't read any of them but there are quite a few to choose from. Why did I choose this one? It was one of the 5 best Non-Fiction books names by the New York Times in 2024, and while I have had little interest in reading more about Reagan--he was governor when I was growing up in California and even as a child growing up in a Republican household, I could tell I didn't agree with his politics and didn't trust him. Then there is the timing. We are seeing the unwinding of American ideals that maybe didn't start with Reagan, but were at least propelled forward in a big way by him as president. The author was a Republican up to around about the Trump era where he broke away, but he was a fan of Reagan--which doesn't mean this lacks criticism, it has plenty of it, but it is an even handed biography, well researched and well written and exploring the facets of who Reagan was--he was so incapable of introspection, so emotionally withdrawn that he remained unknowable to everyone but possibly his second wife Nancy. His political priorities were shaped by things that happened to him in a way that lacked ideology, and he left the running of the government to those loyal to him. A pair of Trump’s eventual fixers lurked on the fringes of Reagan’s first presidential campaign: Roy Cohn and Roger Stone arranged for an endorsement that enabled Reagan to win the usually left-leaning state of New York. But the candidate himself always denied knowledge of such deals, and when Boot catches Reagan twisting the facts – for instance by reminiscing about his military valor during a war that he actually spent in Hollywood – he treats him as a self-deceived fabulist, not a liar. Well, to me they are both liars but one is a better story teller.

Massimo Camia Ristorante, Novello, Italy

Chef Massimo, together with his daughter Elisabetta, started anew in a refined location among vineyards and hills, where a renovated rustic building becomes inn and restaurant cooking in the Langhe tradition. He came out to greet us in the very elegant dining room, which we also shared with three women who are suppliers to the restaurant--a perk perhaps for them.

This was an excellent meal--with one course that was a bit of a clunker for us, but overall well prepared and flavored, and elegantly served. We very much enjoyed the inclusion of local specialties and seasonal vegetables, and would recommend this to travelers nearby.

The Right To Peacefully Protest

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We are exercising our first amendment right to free speech. I am a Daughter of the American Revolution, both sides of my family were in America before the war. We are a people who do not want to be ruled by dictators or kings. We are against the fascist government in power. They are male white supremacists, which is not illegal, but it is undesirable.

What does Fascism look like? The punch line is that we have a leader who has said and done every one of these things Forge alliances with elites. Fascist parties ally with powerful conservative groups, such as the wealthy and business owners, who fear a leftist or socialist revolution. These elites often believe they can control the new movement. In Italy in 1922, the king appointed Mussolini as prime minister after conservatives feared a civil war could break out. Subvert institutions. Once in power, the fascist leader works to dominate the government and dismantle democratic institutions. This can involve banning opposition parties and passing laws that consolidate power and eliminate oversight. Impose radical changes. With consolidated authority, the regime introduces radical changes. This may involve controlling the media, suppressing labor movements, and persecuting perceived enemies. The nation shifts towards extreme nationalism and totalitarian control. Propaganda and control of information: The government takes control of mass media to promote its ideology and create a culture of fear. Suppression of dissent: Opponents are silenced through imprisonment, violence, and intimidation. Militarism: The military is glorified, and violence is used to enforce control and settle political disputes.

Bob Trevino Likes It (2024)

Fortunately for Lily there are not one but two Bob Trevinos. Unfortunately for her, the one that is her father is a narcissistic man who holds love at a conditional arm’s length and provides his daughter with an itemized list of every expense it took to raise her. Lily, depsite all that, is a bubbly, wandering soul. Her high-spirited personality masks a muddied, traumatic childhood that she proudly and a little obliviously but sweetly owns. Her mother, a drug addict, left at an early age, and her father, a neglectful manipulator, raised her solo. Working as a live-in caretaker for the charmingly caustic Daphne (Lauren Spencer), Lily faces the world with light despite lacking a community of wires to help ignite her. Desperate for an unlikely, inopportune change of heart for her father during his latest silent treatment, she searches his name in Facebook and stumbles across a blank profile for a Bob Trevino. The man that she finds, no relation, is a timid construction manager, spending his days wishing for a raise and supporting the scrapbooking habit of his melancholy wife. He’s gentle. When he accepts Lily’s friend request, what begins as a simple inquiry into whether they’re related evolves into a n overly convenient but nonethe less tale of chosen family. It is hard to feel good about things sometimes, and if you are looking for a melancholy feel good movie, this fits the bill.

Wild Thing: A Life of Paul Gauguin by Sue Prideaux

I read a review of his book before putting it on my library requests, and was intrigued that the author was contending that Gauguin was a more complicated man than he is remembered for. She opens with the discovery of 4 of his teeth in the cistern where he lived in Tahiti, and that they do not reveal treatment for syphilis that were typical at the time he lived and died. He has been remembered as both a pedophile and a spreader of disease in the typical colonial fashion, but that on closer investigation it is true that he was bonded to two different girls, both of whom were 13 at the time their relationship began, which was the age of consent in Tahiti at the time and the relationships were blessed by the girls families--again, in compliance with the standards of the time. Then she later delineates his role in protecting the rights of Tahitians against the predatory practices of colonial Frenchmen, which is well documented in the book, as well as why that would have been the case based on his upbringing and his other stances on record. This is an all inclusive rendition of Gauguin's life, which is fascinating and definitely changed my ill informed view of him that I had before reading the book. He did not start off as an artist, but once he went that way, he crossed paths with Vincent and Theo Van Gogh, who liked him personally and found his work as an artist to be quite impressive. He he had modest success while he was alive, and his collaborative relationship with the Van Goghs helped both artists develop. I would definitely recommend this--it is well written, well researched, and peppered with lots of reproductions of Gauguin's work--that are both high quality and placed where she is talking about the painting rather than in a separate section disconnected from the discussion, which I really liked.

Alba, Piedmont, Italy

What a beautiful town! When planning a trip to the Piedmont region, we wanted to stay in a small town as a home base, and go out each day to explore the region, but have a place that we looked forward to returning to. We stayed in an older part of the city, just a couple of blcoks from the Duomo as well as the University, a restricted traffic zone at night, so it was easy to walk at night, but the streets were not exceptionally narrow either. We settled on Alba and it was a good choice.

In Piedmont, you have roughly three important wine regions. The most famous of these is the Langhe, where Alba is located and is the capital of. The famous Barolo, Barbaresco, and Dolcetto wines are produced in the Langhe. This region is considered to be the best wine region in Italy in terms of quality, the wines that come from here are among the absolute top. If you go a little north from Alba, you will come to the Roero region. Monferrato, which is located a little east of Alba, is the largest wine region. Famous wines such as Asti (named after the city of the same name) and Barbera del Monferrato come from here. Asti was another candidate for staying, but after visiting both, we are very glad that we chose Alba.

Rosita by Anita Desai

I found this via Obama's Summer of 2025 Reading List--he always has a couple of things on it that I would have missed otherwise and this short novella is one of them. I am not 100% sure that I totally understand it, but for me the crux was that Bonita, a young Indian woman, is visiting San Miguel, Mexico and meets a trickster, an elderly woman who claims (without any evidence or credibility in my mind) that she knew Bonita's mother. She tells Bonita that her mother attended what became a life-changing lecture discussing parallels between art about the partition of India and the Mexican revolution and then and there decided to study Mexican art in Mexico. Why believe her? Bonita is more unsettled by her than falling for her story hook line and sinker, but there is something about the tale that rings true for Bonita and she pursues it, whether it is true of not. There are clues to her mother's past that Bonita has to pursue because she doubts that she knows the whole truth, and now that her mother is gone, she cannot ask her. There is a surprising amount to think about here.

Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning (2025)

I read a review that called this "repetative and pretentious to the point of parody", which I think sums it up perfectly. It is a long running series of movies with a very solid line up of actors, and much like what I felt happened in the Marvel series', at some point there is just no hype there and it all seems both unbelievable and derivative. So yes, the danger is real, and in this case it was realized. To be fair, if anyone has earned valorization in the action franchise sphere, it’s Hunt. Ethan Hunt isn’t a superhero; he’s the guy who gets the job done, the one who chooses to accept the assignment, and the mythologizing about all that does seem overblown but on the other hand, that is where the series has been headed over time. So all that said, am I sorry to have watched this installment? No. Would I watch another should it be made? Probably. You know what you are getting in to from the get go, and it goes there. The fate of the world is left in Hunt's hands and he delivers.

Mother Emanuel by Kevin Sack

This is an extended history of Mother Emanuel, one of the best know historically black churches in America. It is located in Charleston, South Carolina, which is known for it's plethora of beautiful churches, and it is also the location of a mass murder by a white supremacist in June, 2015 that occurred during a Bible study. The author covered the trial of the mass murderer and that was his inspiration for learning more about the history of the church itself. The book, published a decade after this shooting brought the church into the national news, tells the story of how Mother Emanuel has been at the forefront of the struggle for racial justice since it was founded by enslaved and free African-Americans in 1817. The book details many things about Chalreston that I did not know, including a large population of free mixed race people--the impetus for the creation of the church was when it became illegal to educate blacks. Most interestingly he recounts the history of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, placing it within the tragic saga of the South and memorably illuminating the efforts by African American Methodists to maintain their religious commitments in the teeth of cruel adversity. He traces the sobering evolution of Methodism from an abolitionist denomination to one that accommodated and even championed slavery, and he chronicles the brutal repression of Black worship by authorities who feared that religious observance might camouflage insurrectionist conspiracies. He depicts the figures who were exiled from the state by dint of laws that prohibited the teaching of literacy or freedom of assembly absent white supervision. On balance, things do not look good. Racism and white supremacy are openly celebrated right now, and this book chronicles the pushing back on that within a Christian framework. It is not an easy read, but it does make you think. If banning books is about shielding America's racist past, then this will be on the chopping black for sure.

Ape Vino E Cucina, Alba, Italy

This restaurant, a couple of blocks from our apartment and in full view of the Duomo, was a wonderful second day meal. We foolowed our usual habit of having one meal a day, a late lunch, and then having fruit and cheese if more is needed to finish the day--but the longer the meal, the less likely to need something more. The downside is that it is what the day is planned around, but the upside is that we eat less and are able to sleep better at the end of the day.

We indulged in a couple of black truffle dishes and had the local Piedmont pasta called tajarin--an egg yolk heavy pasta that I really loved, and another round of agnolotti, but the sommelier was the best part of the meal. They have a lot of wines by the glass, and we tried a few that were quite good rather than having a bottle. He also talked a lot about the region, and when asked about a winery he would recommend near our meal the following day, he recommended Vajra, which was a highlight of the trip when we got there. I would definitely recommend this if you are looking for a good meal at a good value. It is located near a 3-Michelin star restaurant, so you might choose that, but we chose this and were happy with that decision.

Love Forms by Claudia Adam

This was longlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize but it did not make the short list. I read it before I know what the short list would consist of, but in reality that wouldn't have changed my mind--I often prefer some things on the long list that don't make that cut to those that do. This is a novel steeped in regret. Dawn is the youngest child of a well-known Trinidadian fruit juice dynasty. They are rich and mixed race, but Dawn can pass for white. At 16, after a brief encounter with a tourist at carnival in Trinidad, she finds herself pregnant. Petrified of the stigma, her otherwise caring parents make an agreement (of sorts--Dawn really doesn't have much of a say in it even though she is almost an adult) never to speak of it again, dispatching her, under cover of darkness, on a terrifying and chillingly evoked boat trip to Venezuela. There she spends four months with nuns who deliver her baby – a girl she never sees again – then is returned to Trinidad to resume her schooling as if nothing has happened. Something did happen, though, and The bulk of the novel is Dawn being preoccupied with finding the girl she gave up forty plus years before and all the heart ache of false hopes and dreams that never quite come to fruition. It is a good reflection on the ripple effect of these traumas, and why we really shouldn't encourage teenagers to have their babies and give them up for a mythical better life.

The Accountant 2 (2025)

This is a buddy hit man movie, and I have to say I enjoyed it, more than the last buddy hit man movie I watched on a plane (Wolfs) by a long shot. Ben Affleck almost literally plays the accountant to Jon Bernthal’s straight ahead hit man vibe, and the pair of likable performers have fantastic chemistry, conveying that love-hate thing that is exclusively a sibling dynamic and the movie hums off their energy just enough to sustain it. According to reviews, the movie is actually linked to The Accountant 1, which i haven't seen (there is a trend on over water flights to have the whole ouevre of a series available, but the original of this series was not on the menu). Raymond King left FinCEN for P.I. work and has followed the clues around the disappearance of a family of three to some very dark and dangerous places. He’s meeting with a mysterious woman named Anaïs, but she’s not the problem: the armed men in the building and outside it are. Are they there for King? Anaïs? Both? After a well-staged bathroom fight, King ends up the victim of a sniper shot in the street, but not before he has time to scrawl something on his arm: “Find the accountant.” Which is exactly what Marybeth Medina, a Treasury agent who is hunting King's killer does, and the three of them go about figuring out what happened and why.

The Rest Of Our Lives by Ben Markovits

This book is longlisted for the 2025 booker Prize, which is the one longlist that I work to read in its entirety--that goal is occasionally hard to accomplish because some of the books are not available in the US (this has improved some since the possible nominees now include all works of fiction published in English rather than limited to author's from countries that were part of the British colonial empire). It is worth finding them all because pretty routinely there are books on the longlist that don't make it to the short list that I like better than some of those that move on. The story here is narrated by 55-year-old law professor Tom Layward, who is taking his youngest child to university. It’s a moment of change and re-evaluation for any couple. But within Tom and Amy’s marriage an unexploded bomb is ticking. Tom tells us that, 12 years earlier, Amy had an affair. He managed his heartbreak by making a deal with himself that he would leave when his youngest went to college. After dropping his daughter Miri in Pittsburgh, Tom doesn’t head back to New York and he doesn't quite know why. He cannot decide what it is that he wants to do. He drives west, stopping to see old friends and family members, weighing his next move and reflecting on his past. He tells us about his background and upbringing, his marriage and career, and he comes gradually into focus: an intriguing blend of frankness and reserve, bemusement, disappointment, fatherliness and compassion. He has loss in his past, and he is not what you would call a great communicator. We all see a way forward before he does, and like any good therapist, we have to wait until he sees it too.

The Doorways in Turin, Italy

On our first day in Turin I was quite struck of two things. The massively tall doorways were so impressive, and then the interior behind the door often sported beautiful marble as well as the occasional painted detailing. It felt quite elegant and designed to impress. Why so tall? Doorways in historic Italian buildings, including those in Turin, are often tall due to Renaissance architectural principles that emphasized proportion and balance, pre-automotive needs for horse-drawn carriages, and a desire for greater internal airflow before modern cooling systems were available. These grand entrances also served an aesthetic function, balancing the scale of the building and contributing to its overall elegance. So to recap, the doorways are massively tall because: Renaissance Proportions: The Renaissance heavily influenced architecture in Italy with a focus on geometry and proportion. Doorway heights were designed to be in harmony with the taller internal spaces, adhering to humanist ideals of perfect, proportional relationships like the golden rectangle. Accommodating Horse-Drawn Carriages: Before the widespread use of cars, horse-drawn carriages were the primary mode of transportation. Tall doors allowed for the easy passage of these carriages, as well as goods and large groups of people, into and out of buildings. Aesthetic and Symbolic Value: Large doors were not just practical but also a symbol of wealth and grandeur. The impressive height created a sense of awe and contributed to the building's overall visual balance and elegance. Ventilation: Taller doorways, often with arched tops, could improve the flow of air within a building. This was particularly important in an era before electricity and modern air conditioning, helping with ventilation and airflow in larger spaces.

Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This is one of a handful of authors that I read that are on the lighter side. Usually that slot in my reading is occupied by murder mysteries, and has been for over 50 years--but I am in my 60's now and have found that a light book that doesn't involve a dead body is also welcome in the repertoire. I found this one through Reese Weatherspoon's book club, and it turns out one of my kids is also a fan of hers, so now I am reading them as they come out rather than working through her back log. This one is linked to a real thing that happened, which is NASA figuring out (or under pressure) adding women and people of color to their astronaut candidate pool in the 1980's. I read The Six, a book chronicling the NASA careers of the first six woman last year, and there are a lot of overlaps in real life to this book. Here goes. Joan Goodwin has already looked to the stars. She never considered space a real possibility for her until she came across an advertisement seeking the first women scientists to join NASA’s space shuttle program. Suddenly, Joan burns to be one of the few people to go to space. Selected from a pool of thousands of applicants in the summer of 1980, Joan begins training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilot Hank Redmond and scientist John Griffin, who are kind and easygoing even when the stakes are highest; mission specialist Lydia Danes, who has worked too hard to play nice; warmhearted Donna Fitzgerald, who is navigating her own secrets; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer, who can fix any engine and fly any plane. The events that follow in the book are not exactly as they occurred in real life, but most of the elements have a hint of truth in them. This was a good light read, and in a lot of ways, more pleasant than the non-fiction version of the story!

Black Bag (2025)

This is a smart espionage thriller that feels like an update to Cold War-era stories like “Bridge of Spies”,that adds in the modern complexities of drone strikes, satellite surveillance, and AI-powered eavesdropping as well as a hint of Mr. and Mrs. Smith with more allure and less tension. Here is the set up. Within a week, George will have to find the source of the security leak in his intelligence organization or tens of thousands of people will die. The short list of suspects includes his equally talented wife, Kathryn (Cate Blanchett), a hotheaded subordinate he passed over for promotion named Freddie Smalls, Freddie's younger date who also works in surveillance, Clarissa Dubose , the hotshot go-getter who did nab the promotion, Colonel James Stokes , and his current date, one of the organization’s therapists, Dr. Zoe Vaughan. George invites them over for dinner for something of a truth-telling session, but little is revealed other than cracks in the other couples’ relationships--there is a stabbing at the dinner table, which is more drama than is usual, and George is kind of an arrogant spy who is sure he can tell what is what by what is said and what is left unsaid. The game is afoot, and he has just a few more days left before the shadowy operation known as Severus wreaks real-world havoc. Worse yet, his wife is being set up, he is sure of it. This is well worth watching. The tensions are well played, and the dialogue volley's back and forth, more like a comedy than a thriller. Every conversation is a test of wills and smarts, a tennis match between players who think they’re each at the top of their game. But as we’ve seen many times, only one player goes home the winner.

Little Heathens by Mary Armstrong Kalish

This memoir was published in 2007, but the author was in her 80's when she wrote it, and it harkens back to the Iowa of old. It takes place during the Great Depression, but on a farm, which is where my dad also rode out that era (he in New England), so things like starvation were not on the table--you grew and raised your food, and you foraged and preserved and were thrifty but you were not in danger of going hungry. I heard about this on the Parnassus Friday vlog of If You Haven't Read It. It Is New To You--which is a great source for books you would be unlikely to find otherwise, and it was available on ebook and I was traveling, so perfect timing. The book opens with the author's father being banished from their home by her grandparents for an undisclosed transgression, so she grew up fatherless and poor, but she managed to consider herself one of the lucky ones, which is a gift unto itself. The life she describes is very much like my visits to my great grandmother's house in the 1960's, where much of the day revolved around chores and the food was homemade, nothing fancy, but delicious. The butter stayed on the counter after it was churned, the jam was foraged wild strawberries, and the bread was made that morning. The stories I liked most were related to her grandmother and her talent with sewing--there is a movement afoot now within modern quilting to upcycle material, either from thrift stores or your own closet. The author's grandmother took collars off shirts and turned them over so the fraying was hidden and the shirt had a longer life. She also saved bits of thread to use when sewing--nothing wasted--which is a good lesson to learn. There is something lost of this era in the state right now, but maybe it can be recaptured, if and when women become full citizens again and have the right to make decisions about their bodies.

Scannabue Ristorante & Gastronomia, Turin, Italy

We ate here our very first day in the Piedmont region of Italy, and it was a great introduction to the food of the region. We had picked it because: 1) we had never been and 2) the wines are some of our favorites. The traditional foods from here--beyond the truffles, which will start to be in season now--are equally appealing it turns out. This is veal tonnato, or thinly sliced veal with a sauce made with canned tuna on top. This is a favorite of my spouses, and he was very happy with this version. The veal is cooked perfectly and then slice very thinly. While he was having this course I had skewers of squid that were breaded and grilled, and oh so tender. This is not a region with a coast, but it is only a couple hours from Genoa and the seafood we had while in Piedmont was quite good.

One of the region's pastas is agnolotti, which is one of my favorites, and this dish is also quite well known here, and was on almost every a la carte menu of restaurants we ate at, but this dish, the first time I had it, was the best. The filling is a combinationof veal, beef and pork, and was absolutely delicious in the same savory way that bolognese sauce is--which used the same three meats traditionally. I would recommend this restaurant not just for the food but also for the people watching. We were the only non-Italians at lunch, you definitely needed a reservation or risk being turned away, and we had a chance to immerse ourselves in the food and the people right away.

Italian Wine by Shelley Lindgren & Katie Leahy

Italy has a dizzying variety of wines and wine growing regions--it is divided into 20 regions, each with its own grape varieties, winegrowing and winemaking traditions, and food specialties, all of which evolved over 2,500+ years (and continue to evolve today). That is the story of Italy’s 20 current political regions, from Piemonte to Puglia. I got it out of the library in preparation for our trip to the Piedmonte region, and took a couple of pictures of pages within--there was just too much information to absorb, and I would do the exact same thing the next time I go. Anyone who loves Italian wine and food need some guidance in parsing this abundance, and this book is here to help. This is the first wine book in English to cover all of Italy since Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy, which, while excellent, was written two decades ago. The book begins with short and engaging chapters on Italy’s wine and political history; geography, soils, and grapes; and Italian wine at the table. There’s also a useful guide to Italian wine law and labeling, including a decoding of the alphabet soup of appellation types (DOC/DOP/PDO, IGT/IGP/PGI, Vino da Tavola, etc.) Then the heart of the book: 20 chapters covering each of Italy’s regions in turn, from Abruzzo to Veneto. Each chapter starts with a scene-setting vignette, along with a sketch of the kinds of wines the region is known for now. Next come a short vinous history, an introduction to the geography and wines grown in each subregion, and a description of the most significant grape varieties. Each chapter closes with a page listing regional foods and some of the authors’ recommended wine producers. It is not a novel, it is a resource, and might be best gotten as an e-book so that you could have it in your back pocket as you travel the confusing wine regions of Italy.

Going Varsity in Mariachi (2025)

I watched this Feel Good documentary while on a transatlantic flight ans highly recommend it. In Texas, where football usually tends to dominate any discussion about spirited rivalries between high schools, over 100 public schools also field competitive mariachi teams in the hopes of winning the state championship. Most of the premier teams hail from the Rio Grande Valley — specifically, a closely connected group of towns along the US-Mexican border, and it is really great to see the school support such a culture bound tradition. There are differences in funding from school system to school system, and as is so often the case across sports and academia, not all teams are created equal. Mariachi Nuevo Santander from Roma High School in Roma, Texas traditionally bestrides the match-ups like a colossus, sporting flashy attire and impressive musicianship. But the directors have chosen to focus on the underdogs of Mariachi Oro from Edinburgh North High School, an under-financed institution in a low-income district that is in the process of rebuilding their mariachi band. It is more a film about what belonging and competing can do for young adults than it is abou the music, but the music is great. It ranges from such mariachi standards as “Mexico Lindo y Querido” and “Volver, Volver” to newer songs composed for the competitions, is so appealing that you can’t help wishing there were a lot more of it.