From Square One: A Meditation, with Digressions, on Crosswords

Being a crossword puzzle solver (most of the time, though not always - the New York Times Saturday crossword puts me in a tizzy) I'm always on the lookout for crossword puzzle books and web sites. I read about this little gem in the New York Times and had to check it out. I'm glad I did. From Square One: A Meditation, with Digressions, on Crosswords by Dean Olsher is a delightful read into the minds of crossword puzzlers in general and into his mind in particular. People who don't work on crosswords think puzzlers are wasting their time on such escapist distractions. But Olsen is not one of them - he's been solving crosswords, particularly cryptic crosswords, for decades. Olsen, who was the host of the now defunk The Next Big Thing on NPR, says people who say that just don't get it. Crosswords aren't distractions to kill time; they are vital to our well-being. They are anti-anxiety agents as well as loyal friends (it shows up in the newspaper everyday no matter what). And if one works crosswords one is obsessed with them. "You won't need an fMRI to know that crosswords are dangerously addictive." No kidding!

Not all of the essays are specific about crosswords, though all the essays have crosswords and puzzles involved. He talks about his divorce and he is still distressed about The Next Big Thing being axed by NPR. He talks to homeless people, crossword addicts, and Will Shortz, the crossword editor for the New York Times. He discusses the differences between American puzzles and British puzzles (which are more along the line of cryptic crosswords), cryptic crosswords versus your basic crossword puzzle, the movie Wordplay, etc. He also observes how a friend creates a crossword, which is fascinating in and of itself (at least to a crossword solver).

The book reads very quickly - I read it in an afternoon. If you are a crossword puzzle fanatic (and you know who you are) or just a person who likes to read essays, I recommend this book.

Blackwork

Blackwork by Monica Ferris is the latest in her needlecraft series. It's Halloween and Betsy Devonshire, the owner of Crewel World needlework store in Excelsior, MN, is up to her amateur detective best. One of her long time customers is a Wiccan, a very gentle soul, who is well known for brewing the best beer in the area and owns a microbrewery pub where she serves her brews. When one of her concoctions, called Don't be Afraid of the Dark Ale, apparently causes the death of one of the more obnoxious residents of Excelsior, the witchhunt is on. The Wiccan is accused of causing all kinds of accidents in the town. Betsy is incensed that one of her best customers is being persecuted and takes a hand in finding out who did kill this man. Turns out the dead man has made quite a few enemies in the town, any number of whom would want him dead for any number of reasons. This is an entertaining cozy mystery as Ferris' novels usually are. This isn't one of her best - she gets too involved in town politics rather than the actual mystery. Plus the needlework part, which is the lynchpin of all her novels, gets short shrift. The title alludes to blackwork, a type of linear embroidery. I'm not quite sure how blackwork embroidery fits in with this murder. But still, I like the novel and the series, and appreciate the connection with needlecrafts (I'm a stitcher myself). Monica Ferris is a member of the American Needlepoint Guild and the Embroiderer's Guild of America so she knows her needlework. It's a good quick read for a Sunday afternoon.

Death without Tenure

Death without Tenure by Joanne Dobson is the latest in her mystery series that takes place in academia. The series focuses on Kate Pelletier, an English professor at the elite Enfield College. She's solved many a murder on campus. The themes of these novels usually involve the works of literary figures such as Poe, Dickinson, Hammett ,etc. This time it's not so much about literature as it is about tenure. Kate is up for tenure and has all the necessary materials to be awarded tenure - articles in major journals, a book, and so on. However, the English department can only award one tenure position this year and she's up against a colleague John Lone Wolf, a Native American. The big push by the department chair is to give tenure to Lone Wolf, even though he hasn't finished his disseration, authored or co-authored any article in any journal, nor presented papers at conferences. This is the climate that Kate faces in her battle for tenure. Then Lone Wolf is murdered. Kate's the primary suspect because of the tenure issue. The novel gives an up front and personal view of the terror of tenure track. It's a brutal exercise and entirely political. As usual in a mystery novel there are a plethora of red herrings and misdirections. Lone Wolf is not as he seems, which may or may not be a factor in his murder. Kate is strung out because of being a suspect, trying to get tenure, dealing with a mother who has dementia, and a boyfriend who is in Iraq fighting the war. But she gets to the bottom of the murder and the near destruction of the English department. The novel is quite enjoyable, especially if you've had experience in academia. Joanne Dobson is a professor herself (Fordham University) and knows how the academic world works. It's still a murder mystery and that is its main draw. It's written well even though Dobson tends to go off on tangents when Kate teaches a class. It's entertaining and I recommend it.

Note: I was reading this when that professor at Alabama killed three of her colleagues and injured three others, the reasons which may involve her not being awarded tenure. This made for some uncomfortable reading in light of what happened. The issues around tenure are volatile and the process can be quite ugly. Dobson sheds some light on this in this novel.

Heat Wave

Television and novels have always gone hand in hand. But Heat Wave by "Richard Castle" takes this a step further. The TV series Castle on ABC on Monday nights is the basis of this novel. Or the novel is part of the series. Or something along those lines. The character of Richard Castle is writing a novel based on Becket, the police detective he follows during his research. They solve several murders, etc., her using her honed police skills and him using his ability to visualize plots and characters. The conceit of this book is that it's supposedly the book he's writing in the TV series, right down to the picture of the actor who plays Castle on the back cover of the novel. The actual novel is not nearly as entertaining as the TV series. The series has two characters who have the chemistry to keep the story line moving along. The novel has two lead characters based on Becket and on Castle himself who don't have that same chemistry. I didn't get the sexual tension that is so evident in the series. Granted the character based on Castle is just as obnoxious as the television Castle. That's not enough to hang a novel on. I didn't like the book much, but then I'm not a fan of muscular thrillers (brutal violence and aggressive sex with smart mouth women). I don't know who ghost wrote this book; I suspect James Patterson, who can churn out novels like rabbits. However, Patterson's novels are much better than this. This book has a hack writer feel. If you need a junk read on a trip, this would be okay. Otherwise, I'd take a pass.