dual personalities

Tag: books

September 3, 2026

How’s it going?

by chuckofish

It has been steamy hot all this week so I have been working on inside projects and getting ready to head up to the prairie on Friday for the long weekend.

I have, as usual, been reading several different books, including Agatha Christie’s autobiography. She really was quite an unusual person who seemed to think nothing of traveling to exotic places like Bagdad alone. She was always very lucky and found people to stay with and hang out with for lengthy periods of time. It was a different world–at least for people of her social class etc. If they had made a movie about her, she would have been played by Margaret Rutherford, if you can imagine Margaret Rutherford surfing. (I can.) She was married twice and had one child, who was shipped off to boarding school at age eight–don’t worry–she wanted to go. Agatha, of course, never had any formal education, but was, of course, much better “educated” than most modern students. It is a fascinating read, but I’m not sure how much of it I actually believe.

Indeed. what can beat a train?

This is a really interesting short film I saw on TCM about the making of The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)–back when making movies was a true collaboration of real artists. It was an entirely different endeavor from today when everything is done on computers. They were crafting illusions and bringing them to life through brilliant camera work, art direction, costumes, music, makeup, acting. Wow. Fascinating!

Down to the buzzing of the arrows, they don’t don’t make ’em like this anymore!

Well, have a great Thursday! Keep cool.

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August 19, 2026

Sauntering toward the Holy Land

by chuckofish

Yesterday I spent a good part of a pleasant afternoon reading randomly from this book:

1973 edition

What a wonderful resource! I love this from Henry David Thoreau, don’t you?

I enjoyed reading James Melville’s (1556-1614) description of the Spanish Armada being blown off course and thereby shipwrecked in Fife. The Spaniards come begging for mercy and Melville explains that the Scots are “men, and sa moved by human compassion and Christians of better religion nor they, quhilk should kythe, in the fruits and effects, plain contrary to ours…

I also read about Scott’s last expedition, retold by Charles Turley, and I have to admit, I wept a little.

While I read I listened to sad classical music and some movie soundtracks as well–this may have contributed to the weeping. I commend this practice to you. You can search on Youtube and most things are there. My favorite movie composers are: Jerome Moross, Alfred Newman, Miklos Rozsa, and Elmer Bernstein. Even a pretty bad movie can have good music, i.e. The Valley of Gwangi (1969).

Anyway, give it a whirl sometime when you have a few free hours. I’m sure you have something on your shelves that you can crack open for some delightful entertainment!

And it’s so much better than scrolling Instagram! Although I did think this was funny:

The twins are coming over this morning to hang out while their parents are working in these last days before school starts. I hope my engine is fully operational.

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August 18, 2026

Thrills and laughter, Concert after

by chuckofish

Today we remember this day in 1852 when Captain Jack’s Floating Palace arrived in St. Louis. Built in Cincinnati to carry the famous Spalding and Rogers Circus, its amphitheater for equestrain performances was capable of seating 1,000 people. Its museum contained about 100,000 “curiosities”, including Indian weapons, old-world relics, oil paintings, and zoological exhibitions of wild and rare animals.

The boat was 200 feet long – approximately two-thirds the length of a football field, and 60 feet wide. There were 1,100 cane-bottom arm chairs sold on a reserved basis. There was the “family circle,” consisting of cushioned settees to accommodate another 500 people. Finally, there were 900 gallery seats.

So many people crowded to the wharf in St. Louis for admission that special tickets were sold to those willing to watch the show through the windows.

Performers included: William Lawrence Slout; Miss Rosaline Stickney; H.P. Madigan, who served as a ringmaster, equestrian, gymnast, vaulter and pantominist; E.S. Perry; Charles Crosby, a gymnast who worked for Spalding and Rogers from 1852-56; D.W. Stone; Dr. Reed; the Le Pantomime Troupe; Masters Eustache & Jean and Monsieur Benoit. In addition, John Gossin was a clown, rider, tumbler and still vaulter. Born in Pittsburgh, Pa., surnamed the Grimaldi of America, he was an immense favorite of audiences in the United States.

Each performance was two to three hours in length. Once a show concluded and passengers debarked, a steamboat pulled the elegant barge to the nearest small town.

The palace kept a busy schedule until the outbreak of the Civil War, when it was seized by Confederate forces and and fitted out to serve as a military hospital.

I was never a big fan of the musical Show Boat or of the movie Show Boat (1951)–based on the novel by Edna Ferber–although it would seem an appropriate historical diversion.

But it does kind of make me want to watch Circus World (1964).

4 Comments
July 29, 2026

What’s playing at the Roxy?

by chuckofish

What have you been watching lately? Anything good? Me neither.

I did watch the movie RV (2006) directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and starring Robin Williams, Cheryle Hines (Mrs. RFK, Jr.), Jeff Daniels, and Kristin Chenoweth. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Sometimes you are just in the mood for such rated PG silliness. And there was a good moral to the story.

I also watched the classic John Huston version of Moby Dick (1956) with Gregory Peck, Richard Basehart and Leo Genn. It really is quite a good adaption of the huge and marvelous book, well worth watching.

Better yet, of course, to read the book, but do what you can.

Speak, thou vast and venerable head,” muttered Ahab, “which, though ungarnished with a beard, yet here and there lookest hoary with mosses; speak, mighty head, and tell us the secret thing that is in thee. Of all divers, thou hast dived the deepest. That head upon which the upper sun now gleams, has moved amid this world’s foundations. Where unrecorded names and navies rust, and untold hopes and anchors rot; where in her murderous hold this frigate earth is ballasted with bones of millions of the drowned; there, in that awful water-land, there was thy most familiar home. Thou hast been where bell or diver never went; hast slept by many a sailor’s side, where sleepless mothers would give their lives to lay them down. Thou saw’st the locked lovers when leaping from their flaming ship; heart to heart they sank beneath the exulting wave; true to each other, when heaven seemed false to them. Thou saw’st the murdered mate when tossed by pirates from the midnight deck; for hours he fell into the deeper midnight of the insatiate maw; and his murderers still sailed on unharmed — while swift lightnings shivered the neighboring ship that would have borne a righteous husband to outstretched, longing arms. O head! thou hast seen enough to split the planets and make an infidel of Abraham, and not one syllable is thine!

Also, yesterday was the 14th wedding anniversary of the boy and daughter #3. They have been a couple since 2009, and as you know, they were engaged at aged three while in preschool together.

They have been through a lot together and, God willing, they will have many more happy years together! L’chaim!

So watch an old movie, read an old book, celebrate a milestone. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

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June 23, 2026

A few suggestions

by chuckofish

It was rainy on Sunday, but we had no tornados like they did in central Illinois!

And yesterday was dark and gloomy, but that’s just permission to stay home and read. Indeed, I always have a stack of books waiting for me.

But if you are like me, you are always looking for something good to watch. Usually this means re-watching something old, sometimes really old. Here are a few movies I’ve re-watched recently.

Captain Newman, M.D. (1963), a “comedy-drama” starring Gregory Peck, Tony Curtis, Angie Dickinson, Robert Duvall, Eddie Albert and Bobby Darin. Darin was nominated for the supporting actor Oscar. He really went all-out in his big scene and I’m still sad that he didn’t win. Peck plays psychiatrist Captain Josiah Newman who is head of the neuro-psychiatric Ward 7 at the Colfax Army Air Field military hospital during WWII where he uses “unconventional” methods to treat his patients. I enjoyed it a lot and all the actors are very good.

I also watched Ride With the Devil (1999) directed by Ang Lee and starring Tobey Maguire, Skeet Ulrich, Jeffrey Wright, Jewel, Simon Baker, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, James Caviezel. It is based on the novel Woe to Live On, by Daniel Woodrell, which is a good book worth reading. Set during the American Civil War, it follows a group of men who join the First Missouri Irregulars, also known as Bushwhackers—guerrilla units loyal to pro-Confederacy units of the state—and their war against Northern Jayhawkers allied with the Union army. It is an excellent and authentic depiction of this terrible time in Missouri history, when, frequently motivated by vengeance, both sides thought that they were right and wholly justified.

Another good movie I viewed recently is Appaloosa (2008), starring Ed Harris (who also directed), Viggo Mortensen, Renée Zellweger, and Jeremy Irons. Based on a novel by crime writer Robert B. Parker, the story takes place in the town of Appaloosa where the leading citizens hire lawman Virgil Cole and his deputy Everett Hitch to restore order, authorizing Cole to lay down the law as the new marshal. It is not a great movie but it is entertaining and mostly worth watching because of Viggo Mortensen and his character’s development. Watch him. He is really good.

I also finished reading Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz. It is a well written book (rare these days) with a surprisingly chaste and sweet hero, no bad language and relatively little really grotesque violence. Still, it was not my cup of tea. It was far too creepy for me. I do not need to lose sleep over the fictional Powers of Darkness that proliferate in his books. No sir. So I think that will be enough Koontz for me.

On the other hand, here’s a Case Against Christian Doomerism. The world is nowhere near as uniquely bad as you think it is.

And when Joni Eareckson Tada speaks, it’s a good idea to pay attention: Five Points in My Pain.

Enjoy your day! Read something good, watch something old, watch the sky.

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June 19, 2026

What are you reading?

by chuckofish

Do you know who Larry Arn is? He is the president of Hillsdale College and I got an email from him recommending the books of Dean Koontz, who is a bestselling author of suspense fiction. He has sold like 500 million books. Not my usual go-to choice, but I take a recommendation from Larry Arn seriously, so I got Odd Thomas from the library and have started reading it.

Here is an interview Larry Arn had with Dean Koontz about the novel and the nature of evil. Pretty interesting.

So far, I am enjoying the book. It is well written and the main character is engaging. We shall see. One must keep an open mind.

2 Comments
June 3, 2026

Something understood

by chuckofish

Last night I stayed up late finishing Craig Johnson’s latest mystery, The Brothers McKay. Not a masterpiece, but another solid entry in the Longmire Oeuvre. This one riffs on The Brothers Karamasov and that’s an interesting twist. Johnson’s formula is a winning one–Sherriff Walter Longmire spends a long time interviewing suspects while a forest fire rages in the background and then there are 30-40 pages nearing a denouement where Walt fights with natural forces to save his life and the life of one suspect. His sense of duty to the badge never lets him give in when a lesser man would etc. A few familiar characters reappear, as well, and, of course, there’s Dog. I have to admit that one of my favorite characters this time around was a big Mule named Borax.

I had lunch with one of my 90-year old friends at her assisted living residence. We had not seen each other for some time so it was quite a gabfest. I hope I am that sharp twenty years from now.

I also gabbed with my DP on the phone and caught up with her. We discussed how now that Ida got a haircut (“They’re called bangs!”) she looks even more like her great aunt…

And so it goes.

Life is good. Keep the faith. Call an old friend.

3 Comments
May 29, 2026

It’s Friday again. Can you believe it?

by chuckofish

The week is almost over and so is the month of May. Time, like an ever-rolling stream, and all that.

I don’t have many plans for the weekend, which is kind of nice. I have the new Walt Longmire mystery, which was released on Tuesday, so I am already back in Absaroka County.

I am 70 pages in and Henry has not appeared, so I am a bit dubious, but we shall see.

I liked this post about “the beauty of the unnamed and the unnoticed…the glory of mundane faithfulness.”

And let’s not forget to toast Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957), one of the most influential composers in Hollywood history, on his birthday. Winner of two Academy Awards–for Anthony Adverse (1936) and The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)–his scores were brilliant and influential (think Star Wars, entirely derivative).

Have a terrific weekend!

3 Comments
May 20, 2026

“Write what should not be forgotten”*

by chuckofish

A blog I read recently asked the question Have you ever met an author in person? That got me thinking. The answer is not many, but, yes, a few come to mind. And by “met”, I mean “shaken their hand”.

I met Frederick Buechner when he preached at Christ Church Cathedral here in town. He came at the invitation of his old friend Hays Rockwell, the Bishop. I shook his hand after the service and he shook my children’s hands as well.

I heard John Updike speak at my flyover university one afternoon in the “chapel”. And I sat behind Marilyn Robinson when she spoke at my university. I could have reached out and touched her mass of frizzy hair, but I restrained myself. I had a good view of her when she spoke to the relatively small audience (at least compared to Updike).

I met Nancy Willard when she was a speaker at my old high school and I was the alumna representative of the writing contest back in the ’90s. I drove her to and from the event and ate dinner with her. She was very nice.

Madeleine L’Engle spoke at my church 35+ years ago and I exchanged a few words with her afterwards. I went to the Ethical Society to hear Nathaniel Philbrick and he signed my copy of Blind Ambition. Amor Towles came to town, but I had to see him on Zoom.

All of these sightings meant something at the time, but I don’t remember much about them now. Words of great wisdom were not imparted that I recall. The best was Buechner and half the people there were shocked when he asked the people (and children) in the back of the church to be quiet. But his message was always pay attention!, wasn’t it?

The lesson I think is that authors are much less interesting than their books are. Most of them just want to be left alone to work–traveling and speaking is something they do to please their publishers and sell books. If you have the good luck to actually know a writer, more power to you, but meeting them randomly at an event isn’t much.

So read a book!

“What really knocks me out is a book that, when you’re all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn’t happen much, though.”

–J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye

*Isabel Allende

6 Comments
May 1, 2026

“People always clap for the wrong things.”*

by chuckofish

The other day when I was perusing the shelves at the local public library I found this book published back in 2013, which I had missed at the time.

I like reading about old J.D. so I checked it out. His experiences in WWII are really terrifying–not that they are different or worse than a lot of men’s–but to be reminded of what they went through at Utah Beach and then in the Battle of the Bulge–especially in the Hürtgen Forest campaign in the September-December of ’44 is terrifying. He won five battle stars. To have survived all that and then to move on to liberating concentration camps where the emaciated dead bodies were piled like cord wood…how did any of those men expect to lead “normal” lives when they returned to their homes in the U.S.? I think J.D. did pretty well considering. No wonder he wanted to disappear in Cornish, NH and be the anonymous man at the Congregational Church roast beef dinners.

I am also re-reading Jan de Hartog’s novel The Little Ark, published in 1953 about two Dutch children who survive the catastrophic North Sea flooding of the dykes in the Netherlands during 1953. (It was the worst natural disaster of the 20th century in the United Kingdom and the worst in the Netherlands since the Middle Ages.) Powerful stuff, to say the least.

I’m glad I have some good reading material, since daughter #1 is driving up to visit her prairie sister et al today. Mr. Smith is going to the kennel/spa to hang out with the boyz and get a makeover. He kinda needs it. (#rude)

I’ll pick him up on Sunday for some therapy time.

Have a good weekend! Read a book, pet a nice dog, go to church!

*Holden Caulfield

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