| For this year’s Halloween theme I was going to convert my entire garage into a disco inferno (picture Bee Gees with Satan masks), but decided it was best during a pandemic not to make little kids walk through an enclosed area (next year!). So I went back to my usual: covering my entire front porch in vented tarps and then staging creepiness within. What was my theme? Hell, I don’t really know. Kind of a Pumpkin King mixed with industrial skeletons thing? It really made no sense, but that didn’t matter. Still got some good screams once Sawyer dressed up as one of the props. See for yourself. |
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| Making It Up Newly added episodes of my interview series Making It Up are out! This month I chatted with cultural phenom Lemony Snicket (Poison for Breakfast), Wall Street Journal bestselling thriller writer Matthew Fitzsimmons (Constance), New York Times bestselling YA novelist Maureen Johnson (The Box in the Woods), and suspense writer S.F. Kosa (The Quiet Girl). In addition to the personal, in-depth conversations, each episode features an impromptu short-story each guest and I craft together. All episodes are available on my YouTube channel and wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Check them out now here! |
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| What I’m Reading The Night the Lights Went Out: A Memoir of Life After Brain Damage by Drew Magary (Penguin Random House, 2021) I’ve been following Drew Magary’s writing for years (sports/life columnist for GQ, Deadspin, Defector). Back in 2018 at a company holiday party, Drew suddenly collapsed and smashed his head on the ground, resulting in a coma and a long recovery. This book is a memoir about that experience, and, while full of Drew’s trademark humor, it’s also deeply personal, moving, and, in many ways, revelatory about the human brain. A highly recommended read. I recently talked to Drew on my Making It Up show, so be on the lookout for that in the next month or so. |
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| What I’m Watching Only Murders in the Building (2021, Hulu). Only Murders in the Building follows three strangers (Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez) who share an obsession with true crime and suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one. When a grisly death occurs inside their exclusive Upper West Side apartment building, the trio suspects murder and employs their precise knowledge of true crime to investigate the truth. As they record a podcast of their own to document the case, the three unravel the complex secrets of the building which stretch back years. I expected this to be fairly light and perhaps campy, but the writing is sharp, dark, and edgy. And of course, funny as hell. Selena Gomez and Steve Martin shine, but the real show-stealer here is Martin Short. Is there anyone funnier than Short? I think not. |
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| Photo of the Month The brand new Rally Hotel in Denver is offering a Book Lovers Night In package, which comes complete with a staff-pick selection book and a cocktail inspired by that book. They chose The Dead Husband as one of their selections and the cocktail they created is named Petals of Doom. “Inspired by the novel’s main character Rose Yates, this floral-infused vodka tonic with candied rose petals is fizzy and exhilarating, just like this thrilling tale of deception.” So of course Jessica and I had to go sample the drink for ourselves (and also have dinner and stay the night). What a great hotel! |
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| Update from My Kids When Ili was applying to colleges, she knew she wanted to go a big school with packed football games. Well, she got her wish, and there was no more exciting game than the MSU-Michigan game a few weeks back. Go Green! |
| Update from My Cat Even Guff thought Dave Chappelle’s latest Netflix special was a bit much… |
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| Internet Find of the Month, Sent to Me by a Friend |
| Book-Love Instagram Post of the Month |
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That’s it for now! See you next month.  |
