Q is for Quarry

Q is for Quarry is Sue Grafton's seventeenth book in her alphabet mystery series, which I've been faithfully reading (in order) for many years now.

It's kind of lazy of a reader to get stuck in a series like this. It's easy to pick something familiar from the shelf, and obviously it's easy to market too. It's hard to resist something that comes in such a neat order. And why should I? I like detective stories, and sometimes it's hard to rememeber which ones you've read and which you haven't, but in this case it's so easy: just follow the alphabets.

The problem is that I've become little tired of the books themselves, the plots have never been really the strong point I feel. There is not so much suspense really, more just tireless legwork. You mainly return to meet Kinsey Millhone again.

Bob Hoover writes of her in his review: "Kinsey is nearing 37 as her latest adventure looms -- single, alone, no children, no hobbies, no quirks, no vices, no pet peeves and really, no personal style." I don't think that's quite true, at least she likes junk food and goes jogging every morning. :) I find her rather appealing, I'd like to be as independent, carefree and strong as Kinsey. At the best of times she makes me feel a little more brave and energetic.

I write this mainly, because Q is for Quarry is definitely one of the best ones in this series, so I think it deserves a mention. I don't know if the plot is that exceptional, apart from the fact that the author has been inspired by a real unsolved murder case from years ago, and you can find out more of that from her webpage.

What made this book enjoyable has a lot to do with the characters of two retired detectives who help with the investigation, and also it's quite interesting to know something more about Kinsey's own past. Anyway it's nice to know that there's some life left in this old series still after I was gradually starting to lose my interest.

The Gospel of Judas

Easter is on the way.

That is why it's a perfect time for The National Geographic Society to publish the first translation of The Gospel of Judas, which was discovered in Egypt in the 1970s. You can read it yourself here.

I read it through, but I'm no theologist and I found some of it hard to comprehend (and I didn't try too hard I must say). Jesus seemed to laugh a lot, that I noticed. I guess in many cultures laughing gives the impression that someone is enlightened and above others. When everything is clear to you, others' confusion and ignorance seem amusing. (Although Jesus said that he was not laughing at his disciples.) The betrayal part was quite brief.

You can find out more about the project and restoration process from the National Geographic site.

If you're in the mood to find out more about Judas Iscariot and all the philosophical questions and interpretations surrounding him, I highly recommend the article on Wikipedia. It's very well written and informative.

We all know that "Judas has become the archetype of the betrayer in Western culture", but I've never realized for example "that the similarity between the name 'Judas' and the words for 'Jew' in various European languages has contributed powerfully to anti-Semitism".

Black Jim

Here is a music video you can download.

If you're not Swedish it's quite possible you've never heard of Thåström, but he's certainly one of the most famous rock stars over there, and he's being doing music since the late 70s. Of course one of the reasons he is not so well known elsewhere is that he sings mostly in Swedish, just like in this acoustic song Black Jim . The video is from his official site (so it's legal and safe), but it will be available only for a limited time, so don't wait too long, if you want to see/hear it.

Brokeback Mountain

I think I promised to go and see this film, so I guess I have to report now that I've done it. :) I don't usually like to give out any spoilers, but I'm sure that just about everybody knows that it's a love story between two cowboys. For me it was basically just a beautiful movie. I don't know if I thought about it as a gay love story, maybe more just as a story about life in general.

The focus is closely on the main characters: Ennis and Jack. You get a strong feeling that these two humans are part of the nature. They are also clearly affected by their social environment and by their personal backgrounds. (It's a far cry from the idea that people are free and able to do whatever they want if they just try hard enough.) The acting is great.

Ang Lee as a director seems to be just observing the happenings and not trying to manipulate the viewer. He has an eye for beauty and sensual things. The movie manages to be both realistic and poetic at the same time. So yes, I thought it was very good, and I suspect it's the sort of a film that will haunt you for a long time afterwards.