Buckeye (2025) is bestselling historical fiction by Patrick Ryan.
No car crashes. No murders. Everyday suburban life, for the most part.
Listening to this book is relaxing.
It’s long. But so fast paced that I never found it to drag.
NPR: “A superb novel… captures both the sweep of history and the mundane”
… an intergenerational family saga set in the fictional small town of Bonhomie, Ohio.
Spanning roughly 60 years—from just before World War II to the early 1980s—it traces the interwoven lives of two families bound by a long-held secret.
The Plot: The story begins on the day of the Allied victory in Europe. An impulsive, life-altering moment between Cal Jenkins and Margaret Salt creates a secret that echoes through their lives and the next generation.
Key Characters:
Cal Jenkins: A man unable to serve in WWII due to a physical disability (one leg shorter than the other), which leaves him with a sense of failure.
Becky Jenkins: Cal’s wife, a “seer” with a spiritual gift for communicating with the dead.
Margaret Salt: A woman attempting to outrun a mysterious past.
Felix Salt: Margaret’s husband, serving in the Navy, who carries his own secret regarding his identity.
Major Themes: The narrative explores forgiveness, the long-term consequences of secrets, the ripple effects of war (from WWI to Vietnam), and the complexities of small-town life.
The 3rd and final season of Hanna finds Hanna secretly working from within the sinister Utrax organization to destroy it and secure her freedom.
She forms an alliance with her former nemesis, ex-CIA agent Marissa Wiegler, to bring down the program. Their mission involves:
Personal Stakes: Hanna’s attempts to lead a normal life are complicated by a romantic subplot with an activist named Abbas, whose safety becomes a primary concern as the operation reaches its climax.
Internal Sabotage: Coercing high-ranking agent John Carmichael to aid their cause.
New Threats: Facing Gordon Evans (played by Ray Liotta), a powerful former military man who oversees the Utrax “Pioneer” agenda.
80% critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes sounds about right to me. Worth watching if you like (silly) thrillers.
First book in a comedic mystery series by Lisa Lutz that follows the chaotic lives of a family of private investigators in San Francisco.
The story is narrated by Isabel “Izzy” Spellman, a 28-year-old PI with a checkered past who works for her parents’ firm, Spellman Investigations. In a family where snooping, tailing, and wiretapping one another is the norm.
If you are looking for an easy read with a lot of laughs, check it out.
How do 2 old comedians keep it fresh? Steve is 80. Martin 76.
Why does (billionaire) Selena Gomez keep hanging out with them?
Surprisingly, season 5 is one of the best.
The season focuses on the “accidental” death of the Arconia’s long-time doorman, Lester (Teddy Coluca). Charles, Oliver, and Mabel investigate a complex web involving:
Billionaire Suspects: A group of secret billionaires—Bash Steed, Camila White, and Jay Pflug—who plan to replace the Arconia with a casino.
Organized Crime: The trio’s investigation leads them to encounter old-school mobsters, specifically the Caccimelio family.
Robotic Replacements: A new automated doorman, “Robot LESTR,” is introduced to the building, which Howard Morris is tasked with training.
Originally published in 2009, it is the fourth and final book in his Oxford Investigations (or Zoë Boehm) series.
The story follows Sarah Tucker as she travels to Newcastle to identify a body pulled from the River Tyne—a woman who appears to be her friend, private investigator Zoë Boehm.
As usual with Mick Herron books, the writing is excellent.
The story telling far too slow and confusing for this reader.
Quite good. I got through this psychological thriller easily despite the fact that there is nobody to cheer for.
First released as an Audible Original in March 2020 before its print publication in December 2020. The novel was shortlisted for both the Ned Kelly Award and the Ngaio Marsh Award for best crime novel.
The story follows Margot Scott, a successful psychologist living a seemingly perfect life in the Melbourne suburbs with her husband and two children.
The book opens with a shocking scene where Margot pushes a man in front of an oncoming train.
The story reveals how and why Margot made such a desperate decision.
I was only briefly a big fan of Michael Jackson. Like almost everyone, I bought Thriller in 1982 — listening to the CD in my car hundred of times.
He and are about the same age, so I could relate to the radio sensation becoming a superstar.
The movie is worth seeing — but you could wait until it gets on streaming. No rush. It’s not nearly as good as Bohemian Rhapsody, by comparison.
Michael is a biographical drama about the life of Michael Jackson that was released in theatres and IMAX on April 24, 2026. The film has become a massive commercial success, setting the record for the biggest worldwide opening weekend ever for a biopic.
… the film spans Jackson’s life from his early days with the Jackson 5 in the 1960s to the peak of his solo career during the Bad tour in 1988. …
While the film has been a “megahit” with audiences, it has faced mixed to negative reviews from critics.
“Sanitized” Narrative: Critics have widely panned the film for being overly “safe” and avoiding the more controversial aspects of Jackson’s life.
Many of the family were involved in the movie. But Janet declined to be included. Michael’s daughter, Paris Jackson, has publicly criticized the film for its inaccuracies.
Jackson is portrayed by his nephew Jaafar Jackson and as a child by JulianoKrueValdi, both in their film debuts. Both fantastic.
I checked to be sure father Joe Jackson was no longer alive to see his portrayal in this film. Joe died in 2018.
Google to see all the historical inaccuracies. For example, the movie suggests Michael’s first solo project was Off the Wall (1979), completely ignoring the four solo albums he had already released with Motown in the early 1970s.
Rick McCharles 