These are selected bottom-line reviews of books, movies, plays, and TV shows that I have recently read/seen and really like.

Some of the courses streaming on Great Cours Plus (Wondrium) are okay, some are quite fine, and some are truly excellent. A few months ago I enjoyed Field Guide to Great American Wildlife (which also promotes conservation without being too preachy) and am greatly enjoying Introduction to Medical School for Everyone-Grand Rounds Cases. Both are entertaining and presented on a fairly high level, without being dry. (6/6/24)

The first four seasons of Yellowstone were okay. The 1883 prequel was excellent. In addition to staging the events that led to Yellowstone, it depicted westward travel in a gritty way, which was much more realistic than in typical Western shows. Sam Elliott was superb. I highly recommend it. (I have not see the prequel 1923 yet.). (1/4/23)

I just saw the entire series of The Wire. I had seen only very tiny segments of it and did not want to immerse myself any more in the problems in Baltimore.  It is excellent in all aspects, and it was worthwhile seeing inner-city problems depicted in such a fine, comprehensive, and even-handed manner.  (8/19/22)

Counterpart is a science fiction TV series that first aired from 2017-2019 (with two seasons, and just before the Covid pandemic), about how two-initially identical parallel universes evolved, and the interactions between these worlds and the counterpart people in each world. It is uniformly excellent. The lead actor J. K. Simmons is superb. I am rewatching it now and am as impressed by it as I was the first time, but now I am taking greater note about one of the sub-themes, concerning a pandemic that had occurred in the past in one of the worlds. (12/17/21)

The Passenger was written and then published by Ulrich Alexander Boschwitz right after Kristallnacht in November 1938. It was lost for eight decades before being rediscovered recently, and then translated into English and published. This novel is based on autobiographically-related events of the day; perhaps it was a bit prophetic about the very near term atrocities to come, but it shows that even those who were aware and savvy then could not foresee the towering atrocities that loomed. It has rightly won widespread praise. Those events of the day are described showing the shear terror many faced in even those “early” times in this gripping novel, which I highly recommend.  (7/12/21)

Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Understood Country on Earth, by Noa Tishby, presents the history and culture of Israel, in the context of recent history and current events. It is full of facts and understanding, and is highly recommended. The author is a popular culture figure, and writes in an authoritative, yet casual and easy-to-read manner. Unfortunately,  she sometimes lapses into too-casual language, perhaps  to try to seem “cool.” Though this is not necessary or desirable, as a whole the book is extremely good. (7/7/21)

Upheaval by Jared Diamond describes how nations  have dealt with their problems when they have been in crisis, and parallels it in ways that that people deal with their own issues. It is deep and very informative, and also easy to read. It is superb. (7/7/21)

As noted below, the detective series Morse or Inspector Morse is great, with elaborate plots and a unique lead character, and it has been my favorite for some time. I am re-viewing Foyle’s War, a series with based on WWII and the Cold War times that followed. Stories link to historical events in such a way that they are somehow caused. This series is excellent and it is the equal of Morse. (2/14/21)

Incognito by David Eagleman tells the story of our brains and our conscious and unconscious lives. The author is an expert in this scientific field and writes in a wonderful way that weaves competent technical ideas to make fun reading. It answers questions and raises issues, and is a work in progress during the continuing human discovery of the connections between our brains and our minds. I am impressed! (I should add that the author tries to skirt the controversial issues concerning one’s responsibilities for one’s actions actually and barely manages to so, though his leanings are clear.) (2/7/21)

Rod Serling and Paddy Chayefsky were literary geniuses in the “early” days of television and at the same times masters of writing for movies. They were THE masters of words. Serling’s “Twilight Zone” was television at its best and his “Seven Days in May” and (co-written) “Planet of the Apes” were both innovative and impactful. Chayefsky’s”Network” was a tightly written satire about news broadcasting. Though not expected at the time, it has proved to be so prophetic, that those not who do not know any better would now say that though the writing is excellent the plot is so predictable. No it was not!  (8/30/20)

I saw Porgy and Bess at the Metropolitan Opera House yesterday. Superb production of a superb classic. The Ella Fitzgerald-Louis Armstrong recording of the main songs is great in itself, and a favorite of mine, and a fine introduction to this top American opera, but you appreciate the meaning of the story and music even more by seeing a complete (and rare) production of this wonderful Gershwin/Heyward/Gershwin classic, and especially this one!  (1/19/20)

Lucy Dawidowicz, renowned for her The War Against the Jews, 1933-1945, wrote From That Place and Time: A Memoir, 1938-1947 about her visit to Vilna from 1938-1939. Vilna, usually in Lithuania-though then in Poland, was a long-time center of Jewish scholarship, destroyed by the Nazis and Soviets, and her stay there as a young women was to advance her career in that area. This book is a vivid account of her stay, and includes stories about her childhood, the history of Vilna, her visit there and a description of life in Vilna, her escape in August 1939 before the Nazis were about to attack and then decimate Jewish life in Europe, and her participation in post-war activities. It is insightful and riveting, especially the section that details her fortunate escape from Vilna and Europe (amazingly through Berlin) in the nick of time, which was uncertain even though she had  U.S. passport. This book is extremely well written, scholarly, and personal. Sometime it reads like a novel, an excellent novel-except you know all the events depicted were real. (1/12/20)

If you hear that a physician is going to the surgery instead of the examination room and a surgeon is going to the theater instead of the operating room, and that a detective was going to explore a dark room with a torch when he was really carrying a flashlight you would wonder why—or you would be being watching British TV.  The American Language was written by H.L. Mencken, a satirical, caustic commentator, not known for extended and detailed studies, a century ago. It is a scholarly,  engaging, illuminating, and very readable account about what American English is and how it developed from British English. In addition to seeing how these two “languages” differ, it is intriguing to see how American English has evolved in recent years. (12/18/19, 12/30/19)

Being Mortal by Atul Gawande is a must read for all adults. It explores getting old and the ever-evolving options of care in a sensitive, humanistic, technically competent, and highly readable manner. (7/8/18)

The biography Grant by Ron Chernow is a highly readable and insightful biography of a misunderstood and unjustifiably vilified U.S. President. The introduction is a must be read; it provides all the motivation you need for continuing. I previously enjoyed reading Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton. Not far behind in quality is Gorbachev: His Life and Times by William Taubman, which taught me much about the man and his country. The Generals: Patton, MacArthur and Marshall by Winston Groom consists of interwoven short biographies of three the prominent U. S. generals. All three books provide perspective and insight and are fun to read. (7/8/18)

The Now It Can Be Told: The Story of the Manhattan Project by Leslie R. Groves, first published in 1962, is Groves’ personal account of how he led the Manhattan Project in WWII. It is l, and very thorough, detailed, and engrossing history. How he was able to use government funds to make uranium purchases is astounding. Two points of note. His battles with J. Robert Oppenheimer are essentially ignored and his unhappiness with the military being excluded from the development of nuclear weapons after the war is made very clear.

The 2008 novel The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga is is a social commentary on life in India written in a disarming and  whimsical manner. It is insightful, and a fine story with several twists. Usually, I do not resonate with Man Booker award winners, but I did with this one. (9/17/17).

The alternate history If Kennedy Lived by Jeff Greenfield is a very fine alternate history, which assumes (spoiler alert) that the rain had not stopped in Dallas, JFK’s limo still had a plexiglas shell on top, and he did not not die from gunshots on Nov. 22, 1963. The minor tweak in the weather led to very plausible changes in “history.”  (7/25/17)

The new stage presentation of Pride and Prejudice (currently at the Boscobel (Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival 2017) is excellent. It is a straight play and a farce, though the depiction of Mr. Collins was overboard and that of Anne de Bourgh was silly. I understand  that some characters in the novel had to be cut, but I would have preferred having five and not four sisters, with some nominal appearance of Kitty.  (7/25/17)

I just finished reading The War with the Newts, an apparently little -known 1936 sci-fi satire by Karel Capek, translated from Czech to English years ago. It is purposely written in several different styles, so it seems choppy at times, but it is brilliant and well worth reading. It describes a dystopian world in which salamanders play a prominent role and it is a commentary about humans. (2/15/17)

Two weeks ago I saw the York Theatre production of Milk and Honey, Jerry Herman’s 1961 musical that rivals (or equals or surpasses) his later Hello Dolly and Mame. It has a remarkable score. The “in mufti” production (bare bones staging, actors in street clothes, with reading from scripts) was superb. It was set for a one-week engagement, so it may be difficult to see this musical in the near term. (2/15/17)

Dark Matter is a 2016 suspense novel by Blake Crouch about road-not-taken travel between alternative histories of the main character’s life. It is engaging and a fast read. As with Replay (below), just when you expect it to labor along, it picks up. This is a truly good book. (12/26/16)

Replay is a 1986 time-travel, live-your-life again novel, by Ken Grimwood. It is highly regarded and considered to be the best of its kind by some. It started off well and seemed on a course to being repetitive and boring, but it became even better and better. This is a great book, a classic. (10/30/16)

Saw the Carole King musical Beautiful a month or so ago. Very good, and much better than I expected. The Carole King-Gerry Goffin songs were fun, as was the weaving in of the career and songs of their “competitors”  Cynthia Weill and Barry Mann, whose songs are on the same high plane.  I forgot how good their Walking in the Rain is, particularly the remake by Jay and the Americans. A must see. (10/30/16)

The new series of Detective Morse when he joined the force, Endeavor, is quite good. Both he and his boss are likable and insightful characters. The Americans may be the best show on TV; it is a bit shocking to root for the bad guys. Peaky Blinders is great and at the top too, but it may be a bit violent for some. Awake is a very good, limited series from a few years back. Its linked alternative lives motif is very well done; the series ending is close to what I thought, but my ending was much better. (6/28/16)

Donald E. Westlake wrote many mysteries of all sorts under several names. His Dancing Aztecs from 1976 is one of the few mysteries or suspense novels that is supposed to be funny and actually is. It is also extraordinarily well written. Some think that some specific references to the 70’s antiquates the book; on the contrary, they tell us about the times. It also has a series of introductory and overarching passages that are hard-core, pithy and insightful and about the novel and New York City itself, and are as good and memorable as anything I have read. In the Overlook Duckworth paperback version, it starts on pgs. 5-6 “Everybody in New York city is looking for something. Men are looking for women and women are looking for men.  … Everybody in New York City is looking for something. Every once in a while, somebody finds it.” and continues on pgs. 137, 151, 167, 174 , 192, 226, 235, and 246-247. (2/16)

The November, 2014 New York City Center production based on the 1953 movie The Band Wagon was superb.  Compared to the movie, which is the best movie musical, this version had  more plot development (of the show within the show and of the interactions between characters), was  somewhat bawdier, and was edgier, with more direct conflict between characters. The basic plot was the same, but the details were different, with several songs used in different ways.  The acting was great; it was interesting to see Tracey Ullman in a musical comedy—she was perfect for the role (which was expanded from that in the movie). Several of the added punchlines were for the 1953 period, most of which the audience got.  The only negative was reading the reviews afterward, which were at best lukewarm. It seems they were reviewing this more as a potential tryout for Broadway (which is ironic given the actual plot), than taking it at face value.  They found negatives which did not really exist.  They were unhappy that the dance routines of Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse in the movie were modified, shortened and relocated, and performed by actors with less dancing ability–all true, but so what? The Production gets an A.  The reviews get a C-. (11/14)

The Story of the Human Body: Evolution, Health and Disease by Daniel Lieberman (2014) is one of the best books I have ever read.  It outlines his view of the evolutionary biology of man, and presents many insights into human physiology.  It is deeply intellectual (and heavily footnoted), yet very readable. (8/14)

Resurrection Day by Brendan DuBois (1999) is an exciting and thought-provoking alternative history novel about what could have happened if the 1962 Cuban MIssile Crisis became the 1962 Cuban War (nuclear war), as viewed in 1972.  It is a tremendous story, the plot line continually developing as the historical events of the previous ten years are continually presented.  Some have complained about how some of the events surrounding the nuclear attack are presented (who would have been bombed and the effect of the radiation), but all of that is debatable.  It is just a great story—and a scary one for those who lived through the crisis which almost became a war. (8/14)

Spiral by the world-class physicist Paul McEuen is a terrific thriller with a superb dose of potential, yet rationale and feasible science.

The April, 2014 New York City Center revival of Frank Loesser’s The Most Happy Fella demonstrates the full range of his amazing talent.  The creator of the legendary musical Guys and Dolls transformed into musicals the plays They Knew What They Wanted (to Fella, by writing the book, words and lyrics) and Charley’s Aunt (to Where’s Charley, by writing the words and lyrics), which both have leading women named Amy (as in Once in Love with Amy in the latter).

The three alternative history stories by Jeff Greenfield in Then Everything Changed are insightful, realistic, enjoyable and scholarly, and several cuts above the average What-If fare.

The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz is as good as a post-Arthur-Conan-Doyle Sherlock Holmes novel as I have read (and it is superb).

My favorite children’s book by far (and one that I actually read about two score and ten years ago and first took out of the Castro Valley, CA public library) is Mother, Mother I Want Another by Maria Polushkin and illustrated by Diane Dawson. I don’t want to give away the punch-line, but you (and your children if you read it to them) will value punctuation in written and spoken language (and especially commas) after reading this classic. (Spoiler alert) You will learn the difference between I want another, mother and I want another mother in a way that might be too gut-wrenching for some, but it is well worth the risk.  (Added 10/25/21) I just read this book to a three-year old, and  realized there is another nuance that I forgot to note here (or jsut plain forgot).  I want another mother can mean two things: I want an additional mother, which is the meaning actually understood by mother mouse, and I want a different mother, which is the meaning that I wrongly remembered to be understood by mother mouse. This ambiguity arose because additional and different do not rhyme with mother, whereas another does.