Weekend Links 3-27-21

Apologies to my loyal readers (the few that there are - thank you for your support) for the lateness of this post. I had stuff together but couldn't get my act together to get the post up yesterday. Still here are some links of interest for your weekend reading.

First Person: how Jacqueline Winspear became a famous mystery writer by breaking all the rules. 

First Person, part 2: Lee Isaac Chung on the inspiration for Minari. I haven't had a chance to see it yet but I am rooting for the film to win Best Picture at the Oscars this year. 

Major League Baseball made the right call last year by announcing they would recognize the Negro Leagues as a major league. But recognition for the Negro Leagues means more than just recognizing statistics. 

Asking the important questions: why don't great books translate into great movies? To put it another way, why is it that mediocre or only good books are made into great movies?

Here are some bookstores you can rent for a date night or more. Sounds like a great idea to me. 

My youngest daughter weighs in with her latest review at Cine-Pop of Justice League. 

How Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura on Star Trek) changed the face of NASA. I had no idea she had made such valuable contributions.

A history of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, one of the strangest shows to dominate television. 

Weekend Links 3-19-21

 Only two more weeks until Opening Day. Though I enjoy watching Spring Training games I'm ready to get started with the regular season. 2020 was such a weird year for a lot of players and I'm sure that they will be ready to dive back into a full season of baseball. I know I'm ready. In the spirit of the impending start of baseball there's quite a few baseball-related links in this week's post. But first, some a few other things of interest:

The new movie The Courier premieres today and looks like it will be an interesting film. It's based on a true story but oddly enough separating the fact from the fiction was a difficult task for the screenwriter. 

David Cornwell was better known in the literary world as John Le Carre. What is less well known is what a critical role his wife played in him becoming a successful author. 

Speaking of Le Carre, an appreciation for his most realistic fictional spy George Smiley. 

This year, Major League Baseball will begin celebrating Lou Gehrig Day every June 2nd. It's great for him to finally get his day and to raise awareness and funds for ALS research. 

Looking for a good baseball book? Check out this list of the best 50 baseball books of the last 50 years from the Society for American Baseball Research. 

Everywhere you go you'll see folks wearing baseball caps. Here's how the headgear became a fashion necessity. 

Does Kevin Costner deserve to be elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame? You make the call. 

After listing to this episode of the PosCast with Joe Posnanski and Bob Costas I want to start a campaign for Costas to be elected baseball's commissioner. It's a fascinating and wide ranging discussion of mostly baseball. 

Weekend Links 3-12-21

 Welcome to the weekend. The weather here is getting warmer. Baseball season is just three weeks away. I am ready for real games to start. While it's been fun watching spring training games it's no substitute for the real thing. Plus fans will be allowed back in ballparks this season though in most cities in only limited capacity. Personally, I think this is a smart move until we get more folks vaccinated and the number of COVID cases continue to decline. It will be nice having fans back as the energy is not the same when there is no one in the ballpark. In the meantime here are some links of interest for your weekend reading.

Today is Alfred Hitchcock day where his career is celebrated in the UK. So it's fitting to come up with a list of his best films and where to see them. 

Hitchcock is also famous for coining the term MacGuffin. But what exactly is a MacGuffin? Why does it matter? (Warning: this article contains spoilers).

Speaking of movies, why isn't French Kiss available for streaming? I honestly didn't know this was a problem until I read this article. For what it's worth I like the film though I am not as nearly devoted to it as the article's author is. 

Now that the weather is getting warmer it's getting to be time to head to Dairy Queen to get a Blizzard. Here are some fun facts about the frozen concoction. 

Disc golf has exploded in popularity during the pandemic thanks in part to one woman who is the most successful professional disc golf player to date. 

A profile of Harlan Coben who is one of the most prolific and bestselling thriller writers working today. I have not read any of his books but I have seen a couple of the adapations of his books on Netflix (The Stranger and Safe) and they are really good.

A closer look at the women of Bletchley Park who were responsible for breaking German codes during World War II. 

As the song says, "they paved paradise and put up a parking lot." However, you never know what you might uncover while building a parking lot. 

Weekend Links 3-5-21

 A  year ago at this time I was sitting in the airport in New Orleans enjoying coffee and beignets from Cafe Du Monde (a must visit if you are ever in the city). I was on my way home from a business trip and had far too much time on my hands. Time moves slowly in lots of places but never as slowly as in an airport when waiting on a flight. Coronavirus was just starting to make news. Little did we know that a week later we would be in complete lockdown. Hopefully now with the rollout of vaccines life begins to return to normal or at least more like what it was like pre-lockdown. In the meantime here are some links of interest for your weekend reading.

Celebrating the 75th anniversary of one of the best cartoons ever made: Baseball Bugs.

An inside look in the competitive world of growing giant vegetables.

I honestly did not know that Tetris had its origins in the Soviet Union. Here's how the video game conquered the world. 

The reboot of All Creatures Great and Small was a huge success on PBS. But who was James Herriot the man who created the unforgettable stories?

You never know what you will find at a yard sale. A porcelain bowl purchased for $35 is actually worth a fortune. 

Arguably one of the best things about the Netflix series The Umbrella Academy is the soundtrack. Here are some fun facts about how it came together. I was particularly surprised to learn that scenes were written to fit the songs rather than having the songs selected to fit a particular scene. 

Podcast of the week: I thoroughly enjoyed this episode of How I Found My Voice with Anthony Horowitz. In the interview he discusses why he is a fan of Golden Age detective fiction, how he became a writer, the misery of being at prep school, and more. I especially appreciated the shout out for New Blood which is one of my favorite TV shows that unfortunately left the air far too soon. Thankfully you can still stream it on BritBox.