Matthew Craig has devoted most of his blog in April to celebrating the 40th anniversary of the publication of Carrie. He invited me to write one of the entries, along with others like Sarah Langan, John Connolly, Simon Clark and Mark West. My entry, Carrie White at 57, went up today. Though there is a little inconsistency regarding Carrie’s age in the novel, by my estimate she would by now be a card-carrying member of the AARP and contemplating what she’d do when she retires, if she’d managed to survive prom night.
Here’s an interview with Raymond Benson and Jeffery Deaver, editors of Ice Cold, which was selected by Reader’s Digest as one of seven books that “make it clear that short is good.”
I’m all caught up on The Blacklist and can’t wait for the final four episodes of the first season. I’m really glad I decided to give this show a chance. Reddington is one of the most complex characters on TV. He’s delightful and ruthless. His mind works in so many different directions at the same time, and you never know what’s going to pop out of his mouth. In the midst of an escape through a restaurant kitchen, he coerces someone into transferring millions of dollars into his bank account using a tablet computer. After the transaction is confirmed, he says, “Do you find all the little fingerprints on the screen distracting or does that sort of thing not bother you?” It seems like an unscripted moment but it is so totally in character. The story is really heating up now that Lizzie believes him about [spoiler] and they’re starting to take action on that suspicion. One of my favorite Reddington-isms so far is a warning to an FBI agent hell-bent on revenge: “Once you cross over, there are things in the darkness that can keep your heart from ever feeling the light again.”
This week’s Survivor wasn’t quite as gonzo as the promos indicated. Okay, sure, everyone was searching for the idol at the same time, but it wasn’t the idol. The one with super-magical mystery powers. It was just a normal, regular, get-out-of-jail-free idol. The other one remains to be found. I also think they sort of wimped out by voting Morgan off the island. She was the easy target, someone who was no threat to anyone. I expected a big move, but they all played it safe. Their digs for Ponderosa are rather upscale this season. Looks like they’re staying at a luxury hotel instead of a campground.
