Weekend Links 10-29-21

 Happy Halloween weekend! Hope your weekend is filled with treats. Here is an abundance of fun stories for your weekend reading. Personally, my weekend will likely be taken up with episodes of This is a Robbery: The World's Biggest Art Heist on Netflix. I am watching the first episode as I am writing this post and it is a gripping documentary.

While we are on the subject of art, this is a fascinating story: while a  painting was sent out for routine maintenance another complete painting by the same artist was found underneath.

Want to get away? Check out these stunning airport landings. It's quite an amazing photo gallery. 

I'm not really sure that this was something I needed to know existed and so far I haven't watched it but I am mildly curious: a parody of Bohemian Rhapsody done by cats. 

The World Series started earlier this week. While I am not watching since I don't have a rooting interest in either team I have in past years listened to the Series on the radio. It's been a hundred years since the first radio broadcast of baseball and it still remains the best sport to listen to on the radio. 

The lasting legacy of Shirley Jackson's fiction. Related: where to start with Shirley Jackson's books. 

The influence of The War of the Worlds and its infamous radio broadcast.

I can think of easier and healthier ways to save money: man goes to Six Flags every day just for the food. He really does save money, too. 

Series 2 of Alex Rider premieres on IMDBtv on December 3rd and it looks like it will be spectacular. 

A company that makes immersive crime fiction role playing games has a new game honoring Agatha Christie.

I'm always interested to know what authors like to read. Here are Jeffrey Archer's five favorite mystery novels.

The Detection Club was founded by a group of British Mystery writers in the early 1930s. In the early days they embraced the concept of "fair play" meaning that all the information should be available to the reader to be able to solve the crime. But the Detection Club faced a crisis in the mid 20th century when debates grew among members whether "fair play" was no longer needed. 

Otto Penzler shares how he made money out of mysteries. Also from Otto Penzler: how mysteries were born in the Victorian Era. 

Weekend Links 10-15-21

It is Friday which means it is time for another roundup of interesting links. Not a whole lot to offer this week but perhaps at least a few of these will be of interest.

When it comes to themed hotels, no one does it quite like Disney. Their latest addition to the Walt Disney World resort is sure to satisfy any Star Wars fan (assuming you can afford it). Plus, while you are there, you can train to be a Jedi!

Season 2 of All Creatures Great and Small is not scheduled to air in the US until January 2022 but season 3 has already been announced. Faster, please.

Korean influence on culture is everywhere from music to television shows to the Oxford English Dictionary. 

How a painting once owned by Frank Sinatra inspired a classic television show. 

Joni Mitchell has a new retrospective album releasing soon and it contains a live recording with James Taylor in London in 1970 which is absolutely beautiful. 

Olivia Rutigliano offers praise for the classic Disney mystery The Great Mouse Detective.

Book excerpt: How British and American intelligence agencies almost merged at the outset of the Cold War and the Soviet mole who was in the middle of it all. 

Weekend Links 10-8-21

 Happy weekend everyone! Here is an assortment of interesting reading for your enjoyment.

Here are a few fascinating facts about We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. I have it in my rather voluminous TBR pile. 

The true history of the iconic Ray-Ban aviator sunglasses. 

Book excerpt: In an excerpt from his new book Taste: My Life Through Food,  Stanley Tucci shares how Julia Child changed his life. 

Daniel Craig makes his last appearance as James Bond in No Time To Die which opened in theaters in the U. S. this week. Here he shares some secrets from his time as the most famous secret agent in the world. 

Wait, what? Alfred Hitchcock almost directed a James Bond film.  Though it did not happen he did have an impact on the series. 

While we are on the subject, have you ever thought of James Bond as a cowboy? Here are a few Bond actors who also made appearances in Westerns. 

Sometimes you have no idea what treasures you will run across at a garage sale. Including moon rocks. 

Before you tackle that next classic novel, perhaps you should check out this article on how to read hard books. 

A couple of things you need to know before clicking through on this last story. First, Joe Posnanski is one of the best sportswriters (no, writers) working today. Second, Buck O'Neil, who passed away 15 years ago this week, deserves to be in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Third, Joe Posnanski and Buck O'Neil were very close friends. Posnanski's book The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America is a terrific read. Finally, this obituary that Posnanski wrote about O'Neil is one of the most beautiful tributes you will ever read. The fact that he wrote it under such a tight deadline (which he explains in the article) makes it all the more impressive. 

Weekend Links 10-1-21

 We are back after an unexpected week off. I had every intention of posting last week but stories were a little scarce. It honestly would not have been much of a post. So I saved everything and then waited to include it in a more robust post this week. I hope you enjoy!

If you are of a certain age like me you recall fondly The Muppet Show. For those not familiar with the show, it was a weekly variety show that would feature a wide range of guest stars alongside Muppet performers. If you have Disney Plus you can check it out there. Here are nine iconic guest appearances from the show (video clips included). 

In 1915, two of P. G. Wodehouse's most beloved characters, Jeeves and Wooster, made their first appearance in print. You can read their debut story here and more about that first tale here.  Here's the opening to the story which in and of itself proves that Wodehouse was a master wordsmith:

She sprang it on me before breakfast. There in seven words you have a complete character sketch of my Aunt Agatha. I could go on indefinitely about brutality and lack of consideration. I merely say that she routed me out of bed to listen to her painful story somewhere in the small hours. It can't have been half past eleven when Jeeves, my man, woke me out of the dreamless and broke the news:

'Mrs Gregson to see you, sir.'

I thought she must be walking in her sleep, but I crawled out of bed and got into a dressing-gown. I knew Aunt Agatha well enough to know that, if she had come to see me, she was going to see me. That's the sort of woman she is.

This is welcome news: The Mysterious Benedict Society will return for season two. 

I am a frequent reader of CrimeReads and among their many writers one of my favorites is Olivia Rutigliano. Here are two terrific essays of hers for your reading pleasure. First, an appreciation of the all too short lived mystery series Pushing Daisies. Second, in honor of the premiere of the latest James Bond film No Time to Die, she ranks all of the previous Bond movies. 

One of the things the Bond films are known for are their exotic locations and No Time to Die is no different. Here's a look at some of the amazing places they have filmed over the years. 

When it comes to standup comedy, few people are funnier than Jim Gaffigan. In this interview he discusses faith, family, and his career. 

It has been 100 years since Alfred Hitchcock first entered the film industry but his impact on popular culture is still felt to this day. 

Calvin and Hobbes is one of the greatest (and funniest) comic strips of all times. It is also chock full of literary references. 

The best Agatha Christie books according to Goodreads ratings. 

Ever dream of living like a king or queen? Here are ten actual palaces that you can stay in.