Thursday, November 6, 2025
David Levine on writers: Anne Carson
David Levine (1926-2009) was one of America’s most prominent illustrators during a career that spanned decades. No less an authority than Jules Feiffer described him as "the greatest caricaturist of the last half of the 20th century,” although Levine continued to work in the early years of this century as well. Levine’s subjects included himself (above) and people from many walks of life. Authors, scribes and scribblers were a big part of the mix, as these caricatures make clear.
First Lines: Terry Pratchett
The sun rose slowly, as if it wasn't sure it was worth the effort.
The Light Fantastic
Terry Pratchett
"They say it's your birthday" - writers born on November 6
Catherine Asaro (1955)
Kate Clanchy (1965)
Michael Cunningham (1952)
James Jones (1921)
Thomas Kyd (baptized 1558)
Louis Racine (1692)
Colson Whitehead (1969)
Wednesday, November 5, 2025
Review: "The Killing Stones," Ann Cleeves
By Liz Soares
It is good to see Jimmy Perez back, even if he is in the Orkney Islands rather than Shetland.
Cleeves had said Wild Fire would be the last book in the popular series. But after a visit to the Orkneys—which lie off the coast of Scotland—where she’d sent Jimmy and his partner, Willow, to live, Cleeves thought she’d like to check in with the characters again.
Jimmy and Willow are thriving. They now have a four-year-old, James, and Willow is expecting. They’re enjoying their new lives on the Orkneys main island and looking forward to celebrating Christmas together.
But tragedy strikes when Jimmy’s good friend, Archie Stout, goes missing. Jimmy heads out to Westray Island, where Archie and his family lived, to look for him. He finds Archie dead—murdered; and the weapon is a Neolithic “story stone,“ stolen from the island’s heritage center.
Archie was a bigger than life character. Maybe he could be abrasive at times, but who would want to kill him? Jimmy quizzes Annie and Bill, landlords of the Pierowall Hotel. There had only been a few outsiders on Westray recently, including Godfrey Landsdown, a quiet naturalist, and the Johnsons, a married couple. He’s a professor and a minor celebrity, due to his television presentations on the history of the island.
Then there’s George Riley, a flamboyant but dedicated history teacher at the grammar school on the mainland (as the main island is known), which all the older Orkney children attended. He was on Westray as well when Archie went missing.
Another person of interest is the jewelry maker, Rosalie Greeman. Archie was besotted with this island newcomer. And it wasn’t his first romantic entanglement outside of his marriage.
Willow is Jimmy’s boss, and she shares the investigation. I wasn’t happy when Jimmy got involved with her, but she has grown on me and the two work well together. As they dig deeper into the lives of the Stouts, other islanders and the visitors, an undercurrent is thrumming. On Christmas Day, a mass football game called The Ba’ is a major, all-consuming event on the mainland. Even a murder can’t detract from the momentum that is building.
Crowds descend on Kirkwall, Orkney’s main town, to watch the “uppies” (from the upper end of the mainland) face off against the “doonies” (from the lower end and other islands). The competition explodes into the streets—merchants and residents board up their windows to prevent damage. Confusion reigns.
Amid this fever-pitch excitement, Jimmy and Willow let the game play out—and then arrest Archie’s murderer.
Ann Cleeves writes well-plotted cozy mysteries with intelligence and emotion. Her settings are always fascinating and dramatic, populated by interesting characters. They are as warm as a Fair Isle sweater. I did feel that the resolution of The Killing Stones came as too much of a surprise. Other than that, this was a first-rate outing to a place that, as I now know, is as wild, historic and appealing as Shetland.
The Biblio File: images of N.E. libraries, for bibliophiles
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| Conant Public Library, Sterling, Massachusetts |
David Levine on writers: Paul Celan
David Levine (1926-2009) was one of America’s most prominent illustrators during a career that spanned decades. No less an authority than Jules Feiffer described him as "the greatest caricaturist of the last half of the 20th century,” although Levine continued to work in the early years of this century as well. Levine’s subjects included himself (above) and people from many walks of life. Authors, scribes and scribblers were a big part of the mix, as these caricatures make clear.
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