Author: Jay Ruud

Under the Net Iris Murdoch (1954) I’m definitely late to the party as an admirer of Iris Murdoch. I’d heard the name but her novels were always a bit off the radar for me and for what I was reading and studying at the time. But in my late-life mania to read important things that… Continue reading Under the Net

Klara and the Sun Kazuo Ishiguro (2021) One of my wife’s signature maxims is the uncomfortable truth that “You can never know if somebody loves you. You can only know if you feel loved.” This encapsulates succinctly the exasperating gulf between the unique and independent consciousness trapped within one physical body and that other “ghost… Continue reading Klara and the Sun

Stargazer Anne Hillerman (2021) This latest novel in the venerable Leaphorn-Chee-Manuelito mystery series came out on April 13, 2021, and if you’re a fan of the series, you need to get hold of this one—and if you’re not, why not? Tony Hillerman was an award-winning author of the first 18 novels in this series that… Continue reading Stargazer

He Said/She Said Top Ten Films of 2020 In the wake of the 93rd Academy Award ceremony, my awesome wife Stacey Margaret Jones and I put together our own list of what we considered the best films of 2020. After coming up with two separate lists, we combined them to come up with a consensus on… Continue reading Top Ten Films of 2020

Judas and the Black Messiah Shaka King (2020) Facts for You: Where to Watch: Rentable on Prime Video ($20), Vudu, Fandango Now Length: 2 hour 6 minutes  Rating: R (Violence/Language) Names You Might Know: Daniel Kaluuya, Lakeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Martin Sheen Language: English  He Said: The promoters and distributers of this film have done some strange things lately, not the least… Continue reading Judas and the Black Messiah