Category: Book Reviews
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D-Day + 78 Years: Remember. Always Remember
Hi, there, Dear Reader. It’s late morning here in Lithia, Florida, on Monday, June 6, 2022. It is a hot early summer day in the Tampa Bay area. Currently, the temperature is 80°F (27°C) under mostly sunny skies. With humidity at 92% and the wind barely blowing from the east-southeast at 1 MPH (4 KM/H)…
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Old Gamers Never Die, or: Operation Market-Garden, ‘Crusade in Europe,’ and Unexpected Victories
“Many historians, with an ‘if only’ approach to the British defeat, have focused so much on different aspects of Operation Market Garden which went wrong that they have tended to overlook the central element. It was quite simply a very bad plan right from the start and right from the top. Every other problem stemmed…
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On the Joys and Pitfalls of Online Shopping: The Saga of the ‘West Side Story’ Steelbook – All’s Well That Ends Well
It’s only just out of reach Down the block, on a beach Under a tree. – Stephen Sondheim, “Something’s Coming,” West Side Story Well, Dear Reader, after all the angst, all the aggravation, and all the chats with Best Buy customer service reps online, the West Side Story Limited Edition Steelbook incident had a happy…
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Book Review: ‘West Side Story: The Making of the Steven Spielberg Film’
West Side Story: The Making of the Steven Spielberg Film Author: Laurent Bouzerau Illustrations: 20th Century Studios Pages: 256 Publisher: Harry N. Abrams Publication Date: November 16, 2021 TONY KUSHNER (screenwriter executive producer): Steven is an artist, first and foremost. Everything he makes comes from a deeply personal place; there’s great heart in his work,…
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On Movies: He’s America’s Storyteller, or: Why I Am a Spielberg Fan
I don’t dream at night, I dream at day, I dream all day; I’m dreaming for a living.― Steven Spielberg On December 18, 2021 – less than two months ago – Steven Spielberg celebrated his 75th birthday. Eight days earlier, 20th Century Studios (the former 20th Century Fox Film Corporation and now a wholly owned subsidiary…
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On Movies: ‘West Side Story’ – March 15 Can’t Get Here Soon Enough For Me
Hi there, Dear Reader. It’s early afternoon here in Lithia, Florida, on Thursday, February 10, 2022. It’s a cool Florida-style winter day in the Tampa Bay area. Currently, the temperature is 66˚F (19˚C) under sunny skies. With humidity at 42% and the wind blowing from the north-northeast at 11 MPH (17 KM/H), it feels like…
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Musings & Thoughts for Wednesday, February 9, 2022, or: Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’ Gets Seven Oscar Nominations, But We Still Can’t Pre-Order the Blu-ray
Hello, there, Dear Reader. It’s early afternoon in Lithia, Florida, on Wednesday, February 9, 2022. It is a cool, sunny day in the Tampa Bay area. Presently, the temperature is 62˚F (16˚C) under sunny skies. With humidity at 58% and the wind blowing from the north-northeast at 9 MPH (14 KM/H), the feels-like temperature is…
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On Books & Reading: Something’s Coming (via Amazon Prime) – ‘West Side Story: The Making of the Steven Spielberg Film’
Hi there, Dear Reader. It is late morning here in lovely Lithia, Florida on Friday, February 4, 2022. It is a warm winter day in the Tampa Bay area. The warming trend that began yesterday continues. Currently, the temperature is 73˚F (23˚C). With the wind blowing from the south-southeast at 10 MPH (16 KM/H) and…
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On Books & Reading: My TBR List for February 2022
Hi there, Dear Reader. It’s mid-afternoon in Lithia, Florida on Thursday, February 3, 2022. Not surprisingly, it is a warm Florida winter’s day. Currently, the temperature is 83˚F (28˚C) under sunny skies. With humidity at 49% and the wind blowing from the south-southeast at 12 MPH (19 KM/H), the feels-like temperature is 83˚F (28˚C). Today’s…
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Book Review: ‘Apollo Explorations of the Moon: The NASA History – 50th Anniversary Edition’
There is no strife, no prejudice, no national conflict in outer space as yet. Its hazards are hostile to us all. Its conquest deserves the best of all mankind, and its opportunity for peaceful cooperation may never come again. But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well…