After Hours

by John Berendt, this account will almost certainly intrigue you.

Don Winslow, author of the masterful, thinly fictionalized accounts of Mexican drug wars and their North American economic entanglements, The Cartel Trilogy, recently released Broken, a collection of short, haunting novellas that focus on criminals, the police, government agents, bounty hunters, and ordinary people trying to do the right thing. Winslow writes forcefully and kinetically, creating tautly written tales that draw in a reader by examining the juxtaposition of good and evil, along with the shades of grey in between. He sometimes leavens his dramatic stories with humor, making them more palatable for those needing a break from everyday tensions. For those with short attention spans who are fans of crime and detective stories, this book is an excellent choice. For fans of authors like Michael Connelly, I would also recommend his less-recent book about corruption amongst the police in New York City, The Force.

A few of Winslow’s stories seemed to be influenced by Carl Hiaasen, the noted Floridian humorist and columnist who writes satirical crime novels about the craziness of Floridian criminals and oddball residents. From Hiaasen’s experience as a reporter, he is perhaps the one most apt to write about “Florida Man,” a popular meme that reports on bizarre Floridians who do stupid things and end up in jail.

Hiaasen’s new novel, Squeeze Me, is a joyful, hilarious romp through the snobby, old-money realm of Palm Beach, Florida. Hijinks ensue when a Burmese python, one of an invasive species that has consumed many native animal species in the Everglades, slithers into a society benefit outside one of Palm Beach’s many mansions. Hiaasen’s story showcases an unnamed, boorish President of the United States and his unfaithful First Lady, who arrive from Washington, DC regularly to visit the socalled Winter White House, named here “Casa Bellicosa.” When an animal wrangler has a headless frozen python stolen from her, she meets the chief of the Palm Beach police and a steadfast Secret Service agent. Then she is invited back to take care of an ensuing onslaught of pythons wreaking havoc amongst arrogant Palm Beach society and the President’s sycophants. Hiaasen’s novels often address the destruction of the environment in the Everglades, but they are always hilarious. Squeeze Me proves no exception to the rule. I read it while waiting to find out the results of the recent presidential election, and it was the perfect antidote to election stress.

If you seek a compelling coffee table book suitable for almost anyone, The Color of Time is a great choice. Historian Dan Jones and artist Marina Amaral have collaborated on depicting just over a hundred years of world history, from the beginning of photography as a widespread art form and method of recording history in about 1850 throughout its evolution to 1960. Amaral specializes in precisely coloring blackand-white photographs to make them more accessible to contemporary readers. As Dan Jones presents a historical timeline, he describes the events behind the photographs Marina Amaral colors, thus bringing to life historical happenings both through vivid descriptions and carefully tinted portraits and group photos. Purchase this book for yourself or for the historian in your life who would appreciate brilliant visuals that illustrate momentous events in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

If you can, consider buying your literary presents at independent bookstores online or in person. If they cost a bit more than they do at Amazon, remember that your purchases help keep businesses on their feet and your neighborhood’s economic health strong. Speaking of health, here’s to a lovely holiday season that brings us a reprieve from our worries and a new year offering solutions to the problems we faced in 2020.

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AFTER HOURS

"The Music Is Back" Please check with these fine venues to see who is playing!

Birchmere 703.549.7500 3701 Mt. Vernon Ave. birchmere.com The Blackwall Hitch 571-982-3577 5 Cameron St. theblackwallhitch.com Carlyle Club 411 John Carlyle Dr. 703-549-8957 thecarlyleclub.com Chadwicks 203 S. Strand St. 703.836.4442 Evening Star Cafe 703.549.5051 2000 Mt. Vernon Ave. The Fish Market 703.836.5676 105 King St. fishmarketoldtown.com La Portas 703.683.6313 1600 Duke St. The Light Horse 703.549.0533 715 King St. lighthorserestaurant.com Murphys Irish Pub 703.548.1717 713 King St. murphyspub.com O’Connell’s 703.739.1124 112 King St. Rock It Grill 703.739.2274 1319 King St. Shooter McGees 703.751.9266 5239 Duke St. shootermcgees.com Southside 815 703.836.6222 815 S. Washington St. St. Elmos 703.739.9268 2300 Mt. Vernon Ave. Taverna Cretekou 703.548.8688 818 King St. TJ Stones 703.548.1004 608 Montgomery St. tjstones.com LaTrattoria 703-548-9338 305 S. Washington St. Two Nineteen 703.549.1141 219 King St. Village Brauhaus 710 King St. 703-888-1951

These establishments offer live entertainment. Call to confirm show times, dates and cover charges. Check our advertisers’ websites.