Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to one and all. We return to work today refreshed and reinvigorated (we hope). Last week was a dark week for the magazine–a welcome respite from the always enjoyable but occasionally (let’s be honest) wearing and stress-inducing task of putting out the print magazine. One great thing about having a week off (sort of–the website never rests!) is that it does allow one to focus on the important things– such as Dave Barry’s annual “Year in Review,” which appears, logically enough, at the end of each year. We see it in the Washington Post Sunday magazine; you can read it–if you haven’t already had the pleasure–here.
Here, for example, is one of the items from July:
The nation reacts with horror to the news that a Minnesota dentist has killed CECIL THE WORLD’S SUDDENLY MOST BELOVED LION. The dentist immediately becomes a less-popular version of Hitler and goes into hiding to escape animal-rights activists threatening to give him a root-canal with a chain saw.
Read the whole thing, and you’ll find there are many occasions in Barry’s romp through the year that you can’t help, as the kids say, LOL. Which is in accord with the spirit of the season.
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Who’ll be the college football champ?
Also in accord with the spirit of the season are the college football bowl games, and now, the newfangled playoff. At the beginning of December I asked you for predictions of the final four and the winner. A good number of you got the four playoff teams right (and those of you who chose Iowa instead of Michigan State were only wrong by 27 seconds–but close doesn’t count in TWS competitions). The semi-final games are Thursday afternoon (Oklahoma vs. Clemson) and evening (MSU vs. Alabama)–providing an excellent excuse for some of us not to go out on New Year’s Eve. In any case, if you want guidance for your holiday wagers from your fellow readers’ picks, about half of you chose Alabama to win it all, a quarter MSU, a fifth Oklahoma, and one person took Clemson. Which, given the kind of year this has been, means Clemson will probably prevail.
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Reading Recommendations
In the spirit of Christmas, I read the new, or fairly new, Lee Child thriller, Make Me, over the break. It was a good addition to the series, I thought, with the usual Reacher-esque action and dialogue. Perhaps the best Reacher line: “Deep down I’m very shallow.” And I still have Michael Connelly’s new mystery to look forward to this week. So all is well.
Meanwhile, you all were very generous in sending in suggestions for other writers whom one would enjoy if one liked Child and Connelly. Here are the authors who got several mentions, in rough order of the number of people suggesting them; and then a few others who sounded interesting (or whom I’ve read and liked), though less often recommended:
Vince Flynn
Daniel Silva
Robert Crais
Stephen Hunter
John Sandford
Harlan Coben
C.J. Box
Brad Thor
Nelson DeMille
Charles McCarry
Peter Robinson
Ian Rankin
Stephen Hunter
James Lee Burke
Michael Koryta
Keigo Higashino
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And here’s one of your emails, this one from Chuck Wilson of Louisville, KY:
Hey Bill (not that you’ll actually read this – ha), [EDITOR’S NOTE: ha yourself]
I was looking through my JUNK folder for something I accidentally placed there, and saw you had emailed me … so I quickly rectified that situation, and brought you out of the trash, and into my inbox.
You asked for author recommendations, based on Lee Child or Michael Connelly … I like both, and really love the Jack Reacher character in Lee Child’s books. Not a bad character for a liberal to write, huh?? Anyway .. not knowing what you have or haven’t been reading, here are a couple …
VINCE FLYNN – THE SURVIVOR … the latest Mitch Rapp effort with Kyle Mills finishing up what Vince started is really good. You can’t tell where the new guy picked up, or where Vince left off … Obviously, if you haven’t read any of these, start from the beginning. And unlike my guy Lee Child, there’s no question where Vince’s politics lie. It’s refreshing to read something from someone like-minded.
DAVID BALDACCI – any of his books are solid. He has several mini-series that are worth checking out.
DANIEL SILVA – the Gabriel Allon series is outstanding – again start from the beginning, but this character gives a great point-of-view from our allies in Israel.
I haven’t read BRAD THOR yet, but just picked up his first 3. I have heard his books are excellent. And I have seen him all over Fox News lately, and I think I’ll like his political point of view. Like you (and me), he seems pretty vocal about his position on the Donald, with a standing challenge to debate him anytime, anywhere. Pretty awesome.
And I took what your guy Steve Hayes started on Special Report literally – with the candidate casino deal and $100 in chips. I placed two $50 bets with a European bookmaker in late October … $50 on Marco and $50 on Cruz. If Marco wins the presidency, I’m up a cool $200. If Ted pulls iT off, it’s a cool $1,000. I do like my chances, and the payoffs there too. The Donald implosion will happen .. just have faith.
Thanks for the email … sorry you were in the trash .. you aren’t anymore …
Happy Holidays to you and yours!
Also, a few of you pointed out Lee Chlld’s debt to John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee series (a debt Child apparently acknowledges) and recommended going back to them–an idea I may well take up….in our next dark week!
Until next week–onward. My slogan for the new year, incidentally (as you would know if you happened to be on Twitter): “Ni Trump Ni Clinton!” (“Neither Trump Nor Clinton!”–these things always sound better in French.) Let’s hope. And again, Happy New Year!
Bill Kristol
