So, I finished M.M. Kaye's Death in Kashmir and am allowed to roll again, and what shall I say -- whenever it's an "oh, I'll just quickly do this before going to bed" situation, it's raining doubles and extras like there's no tomorrow.

My first roll ends up being doubles, which land me on the Scottie Dog card -- which I pocket (for the moment) and get to roll again twice; once for the doubles and once for the novelty card.

So my next roll (thankfully not doubles again) takes me to to square 35: The European Vacation -- read a book set in Europe, by a European author, or that involves travel by boat or has a ship on the cover.

Then I pass go and finally land on square 9: The Stay-Cation -- read a book including a visit to a museum, concert, library or park, or whose author's name begins with a letter in R - E - L - A - X.

Both of these are squares I've visited before, and since I'm also holding one Scottie Dog card already (picked up on July 2), it kind of seems a bit overindulgent to keep both of them.

So for square 35 and in honor of Andrea Camilleri, who just died the other day -- R.I.P. -- I'll be reading the first Inspector Montalbano novel, A Shape of Water.

But for square 9, I'll be using one of my two Scottie Dog cards -- separate post to follow.

And until the votes on square 9 / Scottie Dog are in, my two little helpers get another snack time break!

"Sai, appena ho cominciato a leggere e anche a capire quello che stavo leggendo, ero affascinato – oltre che dal significato, dal senso – dal suono delle parole."

Recensione completa su The History Temple! Clicca qui!

Why is Catarella allowed to have any part in the operation of the station? He'd be an encumbrance even if moved to toilet-cleaning duties. Why does Montalbano never seem to have any means of communicating with the rest of the force on him? It's not that he can't get a signal since he's never shown to try! Why does he appear to operate outside the rest of the force in his own time and to his inclinations? He's more like a private eye than a policeman. Catarella is almost certainly a “raccomandato”, i.e., someone who got his job thanks to connections rather than going through a rigorous interview and testing process (in Portuguese would be harder to translate; I don’t there’s a noun for that; for the action, yes; it’s called “meter uma cunha”, meaning literally “to pull strings for somebody”). It happens an awful lot. But Catarella does crack computer codes, week in week out, so he's good at something!

If you're into Mediterranean Crime Fiction, read on.

As with cinema, when I’m reading something like a Camilleri novel, it’s always possible to discuss its heightened reality. You concentrate life, as one does in theater. The proscenium arch for film is its syntax. Some thoughts arise, like when discussing reality. Imagine you ask someone who is talking about another person, "What are you doing?" They answer, "Well, I'm trying to tell you this and that, etc.” But you look at them and say, "No...What are you doing?" They get somewhat thrown, or agitated, or confused. Eventually lines are drawn. It's such a simple question. But it is really asking for you to really meditate or think about what this whole process of communication is really up to. What rules are being followed...what political system of exchange is really going on? What part of this is really a card shuffling act? What shifts of power are taking place in this exchange? What are you keeping me from noticing? What is being depended on? The question is simple, but the reality of the exchange is buried. There may not be words to describe the real chemistry of the exchange, and there may be issues about the decimation of personality inherent in the query.

If you're into Italian Literature, read on.

Sembrano inventati, e invece sono veri.

Ex banditi di origine italiana, appartenenti a organizzazioni mafiose, espulsi dagli USA e obbligati a vivere nei loro comuni d’origine. Molti partirono in cerca di fortuna e si trovarono invece servitori della malavita.

Ne arrivarono circa seicento, classificati come “indesiderabili”. Erano gli ultimi della scala gerarchica, erano di quelli che servono ma non contano. Numeri, pedine. Se svaniscono, sono facilmente sostituibili. Nessuno ci fa caso. Così “ultimi” che i loro piedi non lasciano impronte, le loro vite non lasciano traccia.

Così scrive Camilleri nella nota al libro: “La sorridente pietà di Fusco, non saprei come altrimenti definirla, lo porta a scegliere tra le tigri con meno denti e più spelacchiate”.

E infatti, in quest’opera frutto di un’inchiesta sugli “indesiderabili” rimpatriati, Fusco sceglie i più malmessi; l’ultimo fra questi combatté una certa mafia e ne fu sconfitto. Si tratta di Ezio Taddei, autore del romanzo “Il pino e la rufola”.  

Ritratti di vinti, di nullità rispedite al mittente.

Perché, in fondo, sono un fastidio. Per le organizzazioni criminali, per la “giustizia”, per il potere.

Dal Prologo:

“Abbiamo lasciato l’Italia quasi in fasce, infatti conosco una cinquantina che hanno partito esattamente in fasce! Però mai che ricordo, abbiano scritto qualche articolo sulle nostre misere condizioni, senza un lavoro, senza nessuno aiuto, e alla nostra età, dove la maggioranza di noi ha passato i cinquant’anni! Dunque chi ci darebbe un lavoro, un aiuto. Personalmente, per molti anni ho dovuto fare la guida, e si guadagnava disgretamente. poi avevo trovato un lavoro piacevole, ma durante la lavorazione del film Il re di Poggioreale ho subbido una brutta caduta e ho ricevuto la frattura del femore sinistro dove la gamba e rimasta corta più di otto centimetri. e adesso ho rimasto zoppo per il resto della vita. Però, si tira avanti con coraggio e anche con il Sole di Napoli!”