Diary of an Abbey Theatre Tour: Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching out on Tour
by 

Clive Geraghty

I just ordered the play, and saw this was listed on Amazon. It was reissued in 2016 for the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. The diary is . . . not much, unless you are interested in acrid descriptions of various British theatres, a fair amount of whinging about the lack of publicity for the traveling production of Observe the Sons of Ulster Marching to the Somme, freezing dressing rooms and Geraghty's reclamation of his garden. What he does not discuss: the play itself. Unless you are already familiar with the broad plot outline, you have no idea what it is about from anything he describes. His fellow actors are shadow figures, as is the playwright and the director. He does talk about how he keeps his performance fresh, although not in any depth. Throughout the read I kept wondering who Geraghty reminded me of, and it finally came to me. He is Simon Brett's character Charles Paris in the eponymous murder mystery series. Which I like. In fact, I found myself longing for one of the other actors or even the tour handlers to be done in by bayonet just to see if Geraghty could spring into action.

I'm glad I read it because (1) I am an actor and I have toured, so yeah, I got it and (2) I am thinking of directing the play. But what a general reader would make of this diary escapes me.

Here we are at the end of a year, hell, the end of a decade. My darling wife is downstairs in a NyQuil coma after finally coming down with the cold Christopher and Catherine had over Christmas. Please, I can't afford one of those now.

No resolutions, just a determination to lead a better life, to be a better man than I have been this past year.

Happy New Year to anyone reading this blog. Is anyone?

Alexander the Great
by 

Philip Freeman 

Highly readable without talking down to non-historians or those unfamiliar with the broad outlines of Alexander's life. Freeman condenses a great deal of information into this account, which deals largely with the military history. Hephaistion is barely mentioned. Freeman seems to take for granted the idea that the friendship was intimate, but unlike Mary Renault he doesn't then create an Alexander who is a romantic hero. While Alexander was capable of chivalrous gestures such as his generous treatment of Darius' family, Freeman is quick to point out the political or military advantages that accrued to the king as the result. If he was defied, Alexander was as ruthless as any other warlord during the period. If Freeman can be believed, Persian mothers scared their children with the mere mention of his name. Alexander as bogeyman!

Freeman hits his stride in the last few pages when he lays out the continuing impact of Alexander upon history. He argues that Alexander made even the spread of Christianity possible. Freeman offers a persuasive argument that the Macedonian conqueror may have been the most influential figure of the ancient world, with lasting effect to this day on the West.

The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs
by 

Katherine Howe 

It reads like a more sophisticated Barbara Michaels, which isn't necessarily the highest compliment. Michaels lacked the academic respectability of Howe when it came to the underpinnings for the supernatural elements in her novels, but at the same time she was better at creating an aura of danger and interesting plot twists. There are no real twists in The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs, and several promising adjacent story lines never really go anywhere --- unless Howe is saving Verity and Chastity's for another book. I read it in one sitting, which means it did entertain. All in all, a good if not great read.

Dreaming Spies (Mary Russell, #13)
by 

Laurie R. King

This promising series has been a little hit-and-miss lately, but Dreaming Spies is an excellent addition to the Russell/Holmes saga. The best part of the book isn't the mystery itself (no spoilers, but the villain stands out like a sore thumb), but the descriptions of (1) shipboard life on a liner bound from Bombay to Japan in 1924 and (2) Japan itself when Holmes and Russell disembark. At every turn the reader is introduced to a wonderful setting. King writes first-rate descriptions of Japanese inns, baths, food, clothing and above all, cultural attitudes. Russell and Holmes are peripheral in this story, despite being the central characters. As good with Japan as her previous Palestinian novels have been.

Highly recommend.

Susan Collins, Mitt Romney . . . the Republic has fallen into the hands of banana muffins masquerading as Senators.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3088641517