Read This!
Joyride by Susan Orlean. The essayist and journalist has written a memoir that covers the writing life and the people and publications she has written for.
Unabridged: The Thrill of (and Threat To) the Modern Dictionary by Stefan Fatsis. I’m the type of person who loves reading the dictionary, so I know I’ll be the type of person who reads a book about a dictionary.
Uncharted Territory by Chris Dalla Riva. The creator of the fascinating newsletter Can’t Get Much Higher uses data analysis, charts, and numbers to take a deep dive into popular music history. (Dalla Riva is a talented musician himself. “Late Night Kicks” will become one of your favorite songs.)
The Land of Sweet Forever by Harper Lee. A new collection of stories and essays by the writer of To Kill a Mockingbird.
Selected Letters of John Updike by John Updike and James Schiff. Updike was not only a prolific writer of fiction, essays, and reviews, he was a prolific writer of letters too.
1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History – and How It Shattered a Nation by Andrew Ross Sorkin. Could it happen again?
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The Essential Recipes by Ree Drummond. The subtitle of this cookbook is “120 Greatest Hits, New Twists, and Perfected Classics” and that pretty much explains it.
New Cars
The average price of a new car in the U.S. is … $50,080?!? That’s a lot of money to spend to get a new car smell.
I’m so glad I no longer drive.
Do We Need New Versions of Murder, She Wrote Movie and The Jetsons?
Probably not? But we’re getting them anyway.
Jamie Lee Curtis is going to star in a Murder, She Wrote movie, taking over the Jessica Fletcher role. I’m guessing this will be a TV or Netflix movie and the pilot for a new series, neither of which I want to see. They tried bringing back the show with Octavia Spencer several years ago, but the plan never went forward (to the delight of people everywhere, including Angela Lansbury).
A live-action Jetsons movie might work better. Jim Carrey is in talks to star in a big screen version. As long as he takes things down a notch (or twenty).
Headline of the Week
“AI Told Me to End My 8-Year Marriage and Its Five Step Plan Actually Worked”
RIP Ace Frehley, Samantha Eggar, Susan Stamberg, Sam Rivers, Ed Williams, Alison Rose, Christopher Mills, and Bea Waring
Ace Frehley was the lead guitarist for KISS and played on such songs as “Rock and Roll All Night,” “Firehouse,” and “Black Diamond.” He also designed the band’s logo. He died last week at the age of 74.
Samantha Eggar received an Oscar nomination for The Collector and appeared in other films such as Doctor Dolittle, The Molly Maguires, The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, and Walk, Don’t Run, as well as TV shows like Columbo, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and All My Children. She died last week at the age of 86.
Susan Stamberg was a regular voice on NPR for over a half century. She died last week at the age of 87.
Sam Rivers was the bassist for the band Limp Bizkit. He died Saturday at the age of 48.
Ed Williams played police lab guy Ted Olson on the comedy Police Squad! and the big screen version of the show, The Naked Gun. He died earlier this month at the age of 98.
Alison Rose started as a secretary at The New Yorker and then went on to be a writer for the magazine. She was also a model and actress. She died recently at the age of 81.
Christopher Mills was an acclaimed comic book artist. He died last week at the age of 60.
Bea Waring was Miss America in 1948 and the oldest living holder of that title. She made one last appearance at this year’s contest just last month. She died earlier this month at the age of 95.
I talked about Waring a couple of years ago after seeing her in a 1949 ad in the Post. She lived near me and I’m sorry I never got to meet her.
This Week in History
Johnny Carson Born (October 23, 1925)
One more book recommendation for you.
To coincide with Carson’s 100th birthday, Mark Malkoff (with David Ritz) has written a fantastic book titled Love Johnny Carson: One Obsessive Fan’s Journey to Find the Genius Behind the Legend. Malkoff spoke to over 400 celebrities, friends, and behind-the-scenes people to get the real story on Carson and The Tonight Show (Malkoff also hosted the enjoyable Carson Podcast for several years). If you miss what late night television used to be like, this is the book for you.
Game 6 of 1975 World Series (October 21, 1975)
Was this the greatest World Series game ever? Viewers of the recent Dodgers/Brewers game that included three home runs from Shohei Ohtani might disagree, but ten-year-old me will always think so. It’s the game where Red Sox catcher Carlton Fisk hit a 12th-inning home run off the left foul pole to win the game.
This Week in Saturday Evening Post History: “Premium Saltine Crackers” (October 22, 1960)
I picked this ad because I happened to buy Premium Saltines the other night. But also because…
…October Is National Chili Month
This should be in January or February, when the cold really settles into your bones and you need something hot and comforting. But I’ll take it.
Here’s Curtis Stone’s Southwestern Chili, and here’s one for Vegetarian Chili from The Vegetarian Kitchen Table Cookbook. Foolproof Living has a recipe for Chocolate Chili, Allrecipes has one for a Simple Turkey Chili, and Delish has one for a White Chicken Chili.
Next Week’s Holidays and Events
Mother-in-Law Day (October 25)
Oh, you better not forget this day.
Mischief Night (October 30)
It’s also known as Cabbage Night, Devil’s Night, Gate Night, Goosey Night, Moving Night, Mystery Night, Mat Night, and Gladys Knight. Okay, that last one’s not true, but the rest are.
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Comments
I loved the saltines ad, although my fave cracker is still Ritz. The Guinness world record for most saltine crackers eaten in a minute (no drinking allowed) is 6, set in 2023. Interestingly, it has been said that NFL quarterback Peyton Manning, during his time at the University of Tennessee, failed at the saltine challenge by eating them one at a time, but then he succeeded on a second try by stacking them.
I agree with Sarah. When Carson died, so went late night TV comedies.
Ace was such an underrated gutiarist. Also, how could you not include a link to “New York Groove?” When the four members of Kiss each went solo in late 1978, his album was the only one to produce a serious hit. You apparently don’t know your “Kisstory.”
RIP Ace.
Late night TV will NEVER be the same. I miss Johnny Carson!
Some really good books up at the top. I just ordered the hardcover version of ‘1929’. Not only are new cars over $50k, they’re basically high tech junk mobiles that spend more time at the dealership’s garage than the one at home. Check out Zac Rios’s videos on You Tube. Lots of automotive negative equity horror stories, and more.
We’ll have to see how new version of ‘Murder, She Wrote’ and ‘The Jetsons’ work out or don’t, at this point. I’m sorry you didn’t get to meet Bea Waring either, Bob. This way we both would have met former Miss Americas. I asked Lee Meriwether (in 2019) if she liked the song ‘Miss America’, and she definitely did.
I’m getting the Johnny Carson book this coming week at Barnes & Noble. Thanks for both links concerning it. I’ll have to see if Gladys Knight was ever a guest on his show. She’s another incredible favorite, without question.