Masterpiece #20

Benedito Calixto, Portuguese

Open Mike at Our Lady Santa Maria de Sao Paolo, 1883

Oil on canvas

Source: That Is Priceless

What I Just Finished Reading

Right as Rain by George P. Pelecanos


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book is probably my favorite by Pelecanos to date.

If you have read any Pelecanos novel, you are familiar with the area he writes about and the type of world his characters inhabit. His plots are intricate without being overwhelming, the dialogue is sharp and realistic, his characters are human and relatable and the resolutions are realistic, satisfying in some respects and frustrating in others.

I also appreciate how the books can tie together very subtly. I read a lot of "series" by authors I like. I find myself frustrated by picking up a novel that is a DIRECT sequel to another book (that I might not have read) or where the author fills in so much background information (practically cutting and pasting for the benefit of a new reader)you can zone out for a page or two. Pelecanos does such a nice job of being able to hook new readers while tossing long time fans a bone or two. (For this book, there are so many subtle tie-ins, but the one in the last chapter brought tears to my eyes.)

If you have read Pelecanos but haven't read how Quinn and Strange ended up as partners, then this book is for you. If you haven't read anything by Pelecanos yet (WHAT!?!?), then this book is an excellent one to start with.

View all my reviews >>

In honor of the new movie...

Sherlock Holmes: The Fire Island Years, 1881

Ernst Josephson, Swedish

Oil on canvas

from That Is Priceless

Merry Christmas

One more day!

Christmas is almost here!!

Peter Paul Rubens, Flemish
Worst Secret Santa Gift Ever, 1632
Oil on canvas

"Sacrelicious!"

2000s: Top 10 MLB Games

Sports Illustrated has a few new Top Ten lists on their site right now. All of them have to do with Top "Something" of the Decade. I'm not one who really cares about when these "decade" lists come out ("There was no year ZERO!" "A decade literally means ANY ten year period!"), I do like when the Red Sox are on the list.

#4

Red Sox 5, Yankees 4 (14 innings)

Game 5, 2004 ALCS

The Yankees got within three outs of a sweep in Game 4, but the Sox rallied against Mariano Rivera. This time, the Yanks got within six outs, leading 4-2, when the host Sox rallied again. Five scoreless innings followed with several missed opportunities, most notably a ninth-inning ground-rule double by Tony Clark that would have given the Yankees the lead had it not skipped over Fenway Park's short right-field wall, and Jason Varitek's nearly kicking away the game with three passed balls on Tim Wakefield's knuckler in the 13th. David Ortiz won it in the 14th with an RBI single. The Sox would become the first team to come back from a 3-0 deficit in a best-of-seven series, and then break their 86-year title drought with a World Series sweep of St. Louis.