Left to my own devices

Posted without comment. By publication date.

Nearly three decades ago, I read a novel by P.D. James. She was (and still is, rest her soul) my favorite author, and her then-latest book was a departure from the series of crime novels starring her poet-detective Adam Dalgliesh. The Children of Men came out in 1992, and was set in a dystopian future-England of 2021. The last human was born some two decades previous, the reason for a lack of any further births unknown, and society has cratered as a result. I was riveted by the book, reading it late at night, at school, even waiting for a dental appointment. The novel was adapted into a much ballyhooed film in 2006. It dropped the " the " from the title, and made a few more changes, but the core idea was there. It's a captivating movie, with assured director Alfonso Cuaron at the helm, though it takes on a darker, gritty, and more violent nature than its source material. Or perhaps all of that was on the page, but my mind interpreted it differently than it was ...

The St. Louis Blues are playing the Boston Bruins in the Stanley Cup Final. In the world of hockey, it's a pretty big deal. It's their World Series, so whoever wins the best-of-7 games is pretty much the NHL champion for the 2018-19 season. At least, that's as much as yours truly can glean from things, given that I'm not all that into sports. I root for the Illini teams by virtue of where I was born. The St. Louis Cardinals are a family tradition on my mom's side. And the Blues (and hockey) were introduced by way of someone who means a lot to me, so that explains why I like those teams. Why all this talk about sports in general, and the St. Louis Blues in particular? It's because much has been made of how this could potentially be the Blues' first Stanley Cup win in their fifty-two year history. And they last played for the Cup some forty-nine years ago, so what's happening this week is bit of a rare occurrence ( kind of like when the Cubs actual...

"Those who could tell me what it is to die, Death, the great arbiter, Sometime tomorrow midnight, I may know" --  Gabriel Dauntsey, via P.D. James & Michael Chaplin The commonality among all living things is life. This is an obvious, simple thought, an observation so unremarkable that it barely registers. Nevertheless, it fascinates me from time to time. Just as much as we look for things that unite us, we also look for things that differentiate us from one another. Death is one such ultimate divide. I strive to find common ground with others, even (and sometimes especially) if we don't see eye-to-eye on many things. While serving in elected office a few years ago, there were some colleagues with whom I rarely agreed, politically. With one of them, we ended up forging a bond through our love of film. With another, his history of having worked in construction with my father and uncles was something we could share. These things were necessary for ...

I love to read. Mostly fiction. Sometimes an autobiography, or biography, but that's rare. Even rarer is non-fiction. Now, this isn't to say that I'm constantly reading. It comes in spurts. I'll go for a stretch without a book in-hand each night (or weekend), but then there will be long stretches where I'll devour a tome, then quickly begin another one. Ashley is much the same way, but is much more well-read than I. Our bookshelves, nooks and crannies are littered with books, both read and unread. And it was while perusing these collections that I realized something. I don't remember half the books I've read.

 Some can gaze and not be sick, But I could never learn the trick, There's this to say for blood and breath, They give a man a taste for death. -- A.E. Housman  Today is the 91st birthday of Phyllis Dorothy White (better known to her legion of readers as P.D. James). She is my absolute favorite author, as well as a human being I admire. To read one of her books is to read modern literature at its finest, and her deftly-written and plotted mysteries have given me immense pleasure ever since I picked-up her stellar novel  Devices & Desires two decades ago. To help celebrate her special day, I've concocted a list of the Top Five P.D. James books. I really hope you'll pick one up and read one if you have the chance.