vic fortezza

Among Joanne's vast book donation to me were several by Joanne Fluke, who, like Diane Mott Davidson, specializes in culinary mysteries. Her heroine, Hannah Swenson, runs a cookie shop in a small Minnesota town, and solves murders on the side. It's silly, of course, but it's meant to be fun, not high art. I just finished the twelfth in the series, The Apple Turnover Murder (2010). She has written 15, as well as 30 other books. This one tried my patience. It concentrated much more on domestic issues and recipes than mystery. It was too light for my taste. She must have a solid fan base, given the amount of books she has written. I was unable to find any sales figures, so I assume she doesn't crack the best sellers list frequently. The characters consumed a lot of coffee and sweets. There was also a fondness for cats and dogs. The prose and dialogue were so-so. Of the 290 pages, I'd guess 50 were dedicated to recipes. That fact keeps me from ranking it as low as Stuart Woods' Worst Fears Realized. On a scale of five, I rate The Apple Turnover Murder one-and-half. Tami Hoag's A Thin, Dark Line remains the best mystery I've sampled. Joy Fielding and Daniel Silva are the smoothest writers. I watched about another hour of the 25th Anniversary Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Concert. Metallica served as the house band for an extended set, doing two of their own songs, as well as...

Rest in peace Chief Jay Strongbow, WWF fan favorite from the '60's through the 80's. Of course, being a pro wrestler, his age is a mystery. Obits list it as anywhere from 79-83. By the way, if you don't already know, he wasn't really an Indian. He was a goombah out of Jersey, real name Joe Scarpa. And contrary to popular belief, he's not related to actor Frank DeKova, who frequently played a redskin in films and on TV, most notably as the Chief of the Heckowee on the sitcom F Troop. Of course, you know how the tribe got its name. After traveling hundreds of miles, the Medicine Man looked out over the plain and said: "Where the Heckowee?" Here are those icons, Jay bottom. Shocking news out of college basketball - no, not that a player has actually graduated. Isiah Thomas has been fired after three seasons as head coach at Florida International. This despite a record of 26-65. Knicks fans are stunned. My experiment with the cover of Killing, which features the street sign of 18th Av./Cristoforo Columbo Blvd., had its first test today, and I was disappointed with the result. I set up shop outside Garibaldi Park and was virtually ignored. Fortunately, Loretta, whose family has been in Brooklyn since the 1890's, saved the day, purchasing a copy. She is half Sicilian, half Neapolitan. Her ancestors landed at Ellis Island. My mom and dad emigrated at mid century. By then, the famous landing spot had long closed....

It's been another bad week for the green movement. A123 Systems, makers of batteries, has filed for bankruptcy, taking 279 billion taxpayer dollars with it. I guess it's time to fire up the government printing press once again. Hey, it's only money. And the bad news wasn't restricted to the U.S.. A fourth solar energy manufacturer has gone belly up in Germany. Drilll and frack, frack and drill - they are the only way to energy independence at present. And they would create thousands of jobs. The floating book shop had competition today. I gazed across the street and saw Svetlana/Vivian setting up her wares in front of our apartment complex. She hawks a liquid fat burner, five bucks a can. She claims to have lost 30 pounds using it, although I don't recall her having ever been overweight. The other day she took the stand to the Sheepshead Bay train station, and sold 40. Unfortunately, today she was chased from the grounds by management, which prohibits soliciting. I'm so fortunate that Roberto, the super of the building where I set up, is in my corner. Vivian, the name she adopted for her business persona, moved to the little island between Ave Z and the service road leading to East 13th, a nice sunny spot directly across the street from me. I approached after I'd closed up shop. She asked for advice. I told her to move to the other side of the street, where significantly more people passed. She has...

It was a gorgeous day, not a cloud anywhere, the temperature mild, negating the effects of the breeze. Political Man stopped by the floating bookshop, telling me about his trip to the dentist. It wasn't long before he went into full campaign mode, telling each person passing: "Four more years, tax the rich, keep women's rights." He attracted a Russian gentleman, and they fell into a lengthy discussion which, inevitably, turned to PM's favorite subject, marijuana. PM claims legalization will lead to four billion dollars of tax revenue and solve all government shortfalls. If only. The Russian gentleman, who has never taken an illegal drug, was baffled and asked about the effects. Soon a crabby elderly woman, who has frequently told me of her hatred of Russians, joined the fray. I was getting it from three sides. Help! I wanted to shout. All I wanted to do was sell some books, hopefully one or more of mine, and there I was in the middle of a squall. I had to step away and wait until it had subsided. Oy vay! Herbie visited and bought J S Foer's Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, whose film adaption flopped, despite Oscar nominations. Several critics denounced it as exploitation of 9/11. 9/11 is another theme I avoid, along with slavery and the Holocaust. I walked past Ground Zero every work day for seven years, smelled the smoldering fire while working the trading floor of the Commodity Exchange for many months after the attack. I am...

Last night the NYC PBS station ran back to back documentaries on literary marvels. The first was dedicated to Margaret Mitchell, author of the phenomenon Gone with the Wind (1936). Born in 1900, she was unconventional, the antithesis of the southern belle. She spent one year in college, which was notable only because she protested the presence of a black woman in one of her classes. GWTW would later be criticized for its portrayal of slaves and the KKK. Mitchell evolved later in life, donating money secretly to Morehouse College specifically to train black doctors. She also contributed to Atlanta's first hospital for blacks, also on the QT, wary of backlash. I've never read GWTW. I've suffered at least two viewings of the film, considered by many a classic, winner of many Oscars. It bored me. Since I know the storyline and don't anticipate any of the surprises that make literature fun, I'm reluctant to give the novel a shot. Tragically, Mitchell died at 48, hit by a car while crossing the street with her husband, who was unharmed. The second documentary also focused on a southern woman, Harper Lee, author of the ground-breaking To Kill a Mockingbird, which was published at the height of the civil rights movement, 1960. It is set in a small Alabama town similar to the one in which she was raised. I haven't read this one, either, and I've seen only parts of the film, which won Gregory Peck the Oscar for Best Actor. Horton...