Tag / Monk

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Book 3 (of 52) – Mr. Monk Goes To Germany

Lee Goldberg – Mr. Monk Goes to Germany

When Dr. Kroger heads to a conference in Germany, Monk suddenly finds himself unable to function.  He decides the only way forward is to head to Germany himself so he can continue his sessions.  While there, he comes across a man with six fingers, who he immediately suspects of having murdered his wife. But when a real-life murder takes place, Monk and Natalie work with the local police to find the killer in exchange for their help in finding the six-fingered man.

Mr. Monk Goes to Germany is the sixth of 18 novels based on the USA Network dramedy that ran from 2002 to 2009 from series writer Lee Goldberg. This outing once again over exaggerates Monk’s reactions everyday occurrences way beyond what would be seen in the show and adds in a pair of local German detectives who are thinly veined copies of Stottlemeyer and Disher.  I’ve got twelve more of these books waiting for me and, unfortunately, they seem to be trending in the wrong direction.

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Book 45 (of 52) – Mr. Monk In Outer Space

Lee Goldberg – Mr. Monk in Outer Space

When the creator of a legendary cult science fiction show is murdered outside of a hotel convention center, Monk is brought in to solve the case.  Thanks to some unexpected help from his brother Ambrose, Monk is able to tie this murder to another case and identifies the true killer.

Mr. Monk in Outer Space is the fifth of 18 novels based on the USA Network dramedy that ran from 2002 to 2009 from series writer Lee Goldberg. Once again told from the perspective of Natalie, the book over exaggerates Monk’s reactions to some everyday things beyond what would be seen in the show but also hits close to home as an attendee at many comic cons in the past.  I’ve got thirteen more of these books waiting for me, which I’m sure I’ll get to sooner rather than later.

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Prolific Authors – Four Books

It is time once again to take a look at the authors I have read the most, dating back to high school.  This year, I’m once again on pace to set a new record for books read in a year, so I thought it would be nice to take a deeper dive into those books I’ve read through August of this year. Since our last check-in, I’ve read an additional 114 books, so there should be some movement over the past two years.  Without further ado, it’s time to take another look and see if my “favorite” authors have changed much over the years.  We continue today with the fourteen authors I’ve read two times, up four from two years ago.

Scott Adams

The now-cancelled creator of Dilbert, who can’t seem to help himself from spouting racist takes on Twitter, Adams used his famous character to write a number of humorous business books, the most recent of which I read in 2012.

Suzanne Collins

A return to the world of the Hunger Games brought Collins back to my reading list in 2024.

James Ellroy

The author of the L.A. Quartet, which I finished off with The Big Nowhere in 2014.

Gillian Flynn

The former Entertainment Weekly writer turned into one of my favorite authors, though she still hasn’t written a new full-length work since 2012’s Gone Girl.

The Book of Lost and Found – Lucy Foley

Lucy Foley

A recent favorite, Foley, a New York Times best seller, has shown up annually since 2021 until this year, although there are still five months to go.

Diana G. Gallagher

The author, who passed away in 2021, can credit the world of Buffy the Vampire Slayer for all four of her entries, the most recent of which I read in 2011.

Lee Goldberg

A writer for the Monk television series who went on to pen a series of tie-in novels about the show.

Megan Goldin

The former Reuters correspondent first appeared on my radar in 2021 with her debut, The Escape Room.

The Blue Hour – Paula Hawkins

Paula Hawkins

The best-selling author of The Girl on the Train, her latest novel was released last year and read in early 2025.

Greer Hendricks

After spending two decades as an editor at Simon & Schuster, she has teamed up with Sarah Pekkanen for four novels, which I’ve read one annually starting in 2020 until this year.

Grady Hendrix

Winner of a 2018 Bram Stoker Award, the horror novelist debuted on my reading list with The Final Girl Support Group in 2021.

Carrie Soto Is Back – Taylor Jenkins Reid

Taylor Jenkins-Reid

I first came her work thanks to her smash Daisy Jones & The Six.  Her latest is currently on my waitlist at the library, so she will continue to move up this list.

Minka Kent

Two new reads in 2024, The Stillwater Girls and Unmissing, push her up this list.

John Vornholt

Three fourths of his works that I’ve read come from the world of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

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Book 25 (of 52) – Mr. Monk And The Two Assistants

Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants – Lee Goldberg

Monk learns that Sharona has moved back to San Francisco after a chance encounter in an emergency room after Julie breaks her arm in a soccer game.  Fearing for her job, Natalie tries to convince Monk to take the case of Sharona’s husband, who is in jail in Los Angeles having been charged with murder.  A quick trip overwhelms Monk’s senses, so he returns home hoping to make a breakthrough remotely.  Another case, looking like an alligator attack, takes over Monk’s time, at least until another consultant, brought in by Disher, solves both murders, leading to the arrest of both Sharona and Natalie.

Mr. Monk and the Two Assistants is the fourth of 18 novels based on the USA Network dramedy that ran from 2002 to 2009 from series writer Lee Goldberg. Once again told from the perspective of Natalie, the story shares the bones of the plot, with Sharona returning and causing friction with Natalie, with an episode from the final season of Monk, aired two years later.  With the remaining fourteen books waiting for me, hopefully things start to gel more as the series goes forward.

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Book 3 (of 52) – Mr. Monk and The Blue Flu

Mr. Monk and The Blue Flu – Lee Goldberg

When negotiations with the police union go south leading to an unofficial strike, the mayor offers Monk his badge back and promotes him to captain, leading a rag-tag group of detectives who have also been rehired despite some issues that led to them losing their jobs in the first place.  His task: find the  Golden Gate Strangler and deal with other murders that come up along the way.  While Monk and his team crack the Golden Gate Strangler case and track down another murderer, the real police return when one of their own is gunned down.  Working again with Stottlemeyer and Disher, Monk helps to solve that case, but once again loses his job in the process.

Mr. Monk and the Blue Flu is the third of 18 novels based on the USA Network dramedy that ran from 2002 to 2009 from series writer Lee Goldberg. Once again told from the perspective of Natalie, the story shares the bones of the plot with an episode from Monk‘s final season, aired two years later.  With the remaining fifteen books waiting for me, hopefully things start to gel more as the series goes forward.

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Book 49 (of 52) – Mr. Monk Goes To Hawaii

Mr. Monk Goes To Hawaii – Lee Goldberg

When Nataile heads to Hawaii for her best friend’s wedding, Monk, afraid of being left alone, tags along.  After stopping the wedding, Monk gets involved with a local murder, helping the police solve multiple other crimes along the way.  While Natalie tries to enjoy her time away, Monk focuses on the murder and on proving a famous television psychic is a phony.

Mr. Monk Goes to Hawaii, the second of 18 novels based on the USA Network dramedy that ran from 2002 to 2009 from series writer Lee Goldberg.  Once again told from the perspective of Natalie, the book tried to stay close to feel of the show, but still felt just a little off.  With the remaining 16 books waiting for me, hopefully things start to gel more as the series goes forward.

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Book 41 (of 52) – Mr. Monk Goes To The Firehouse

Mr. Monk Goes To The Firehouse – Lee Goldberg

While Monk is staying with Natalie while his house is being fumigated, he is hired by Julie to find out who killed the dog at the local firehouse.  HIs investigation leads him to two other, human murders and determines the same man is behind all three.  The only problem is going to be finding the evidence to prove it.

Monk was a dramedy that ran for eight seasons on the USA Network from 2002 to 2009.  Starting in 2006, series writer Lee Goldberg started a series of original novels based on the show.  Mr. Monk Goes to the Firehouse is the first entry in that series.  Told from the perspective of Natalie, the book stayed close to feel of the show, but still felt just a little off.  There are 18 more books in the series, so hopefully that starts to gel more as it goes forward.

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2023: The Year In Movies Part 2

159 different people starred in the 88 movies I saw last year (starring in being the first two named stars, a tradition dating back to the old Chicago Tribune TV guide which populated the early days of my database), and a whopping twelve of them were in more than one film. Those twelve thespians are:

Films Per Actor Per Year

Actor Name Films
Margot Robbie 3
Sebastian Stan 3
Joanna Arnow 2
Kevin Bacon 2
Neve Campbell 2
Josh Duhamel 2
Gal Gadot 2
Madison Pettis 2
Saoirse Ronan 2
Paul Rudd 2
Lulu Wilson 2
Reese Witherspoon 2

Now let’s take a look at the remaining movies that I saw in 2023, following up on last week’s post.

They/Them (2022)
A killer is attacking people at a gay conversion therapy camp.

The Apparition (2012)
A couple is haunted by a supernatural presence that is unleashed during a college experiment.

You’re Killing Me (2023)
A high school girl finds herself in a fight for her life when she finds out her classmates killed someone and recorded it on their phones.

The Passenger (2023)
A man goes off, killing his co-workers and then takes the one remaining one on a trip down memory lane.

Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023)
A man gets a new job guarding a closed down arcade/restaurant with animatronic entertainment.

The Final Wish (2018)
A man returns home after his father’s death and finds a mysterious artifact.

No Hard Feelings (2023)
Jennifer Lawrence stars as a woman who agrees to take a high school senior’s virginity in exchange for a car, but instead finds herself becoming his friend.

Fingernails (2023)
When a test is developed to determine if two people are truly in love, one of the administrators wonders if she should be with her husband or her co-worker.

Heart of Stone (2023)
A spy tries to stop a hacker from stealing a dangerous weapon.

Last Sentinel (2023)
A group of soldiers on an abandoned base wait for someone to relieve them. Continue reading →

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2021: The Year In Television

Now that I am home full time, I have plenty of time to catch up on the streaming shows I may have missed in years past or that were newly released. Since we cover the network and cable shows that I watch elsewhere, let’s take a look at the 34 seasons of the 24 shows I streamed on 8 different platforms this year.

13 Reasons Why Seasons 1-2 (Netflix)
When a high school girl commits suicide, she sends a series of confessional tapes to the people she deems responsible.

The Blacklist Season 8 (Netflix)
Having missed an episode or two along the way, I had to wait for the season to hit Netflix to combine with what was on my DVR to come up to date as the story of Elizabeth Keen wraps up.

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Part 4 (Netflix)
The final installment of the darker interpretation of Archie Comics character somehow found a way to crossover with the 90s ABC version before ending its run.

Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol (Peacock)
A very unfaithful adaptation of the novel which I probably should not have watched right after reading the book.

Devs (Hulu)
A woman keeps digging into the death of her boyfriend, running afoul of his employer, who is up to some sketchy stuff.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Disney+)
Burdened by the legacy of Captain America, both the Falcon and the Winter Soldier try to find their way in a post-blip world.  When the government’s replacement Cap goes bad, the Falcon finally decides he is ready to take on the legacy Steve Rogers left for him.

The Flash Season 7 (Netflix)
I used a combination of Netflix and my DVR to catch up on the goings on from last season.

Hawkeye (Disney+)
Hawkeye takes on a new apprentice when the re-emergence of his old Ronin costume causes an uprising in New York’s underworld.

The History of Swear Words (Netflix)
Nicholas Cage hosts this look at some of our culture’s favorite words, including their etymology and most popular uses.

Loki Season 1 (Disney+)
Loki teams up with many different versions of himself to find out who is behind the TVA.

Love Life Season 1 (HBO Max)
An anthology series that follows one person’s romantic history per season.  The first season focused on Anna Kendrick’s Darby Carter as she learns to love herself and let herself be loved.

Mad About You Season 8 (Amazon Prime)
The 12-episode revival, released in 2019 on something called Spectrum Originals, finds the Buchmans rediscovering themselves after their daughter leaves for college.

Masters of the Universe: Revelation Season 1 (Netflix)
I wasn’t originally planning on watching Kevin Smith’s revival of the old He-Man cartoons, but when fandom acted all butthurt by them, I needed to see what the fuss was all about. Continue reading →

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Book 4 (of 52) – Just The Funny Parts

Just The Funny Parts: …And A Few Hard Truths About Sneaking Into The Hollywood Boys’ Club – Nell Scovell

Television writer and producer Nell Scovell looks back at her career in this funny and biting memoir.  She tells the story of her career, starting in magazines, moving to television and movies, and teaming with Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg on her book Lean In.  Usually one of the only women in the writing room, Scovell was only the second female writer hired by Late Night with David Letterman and, following Letterman’s 2009 admission of improper “relationships” with female staffers, she wrote an essay in Vanity Fair calling his show a “hostile work environment” for women.  Besides Late Night, Scovell has written for The Simpsons, The Wilton North Report, Coach, Monk, Murphy Brown, Charmed, Newhart, The Critic, NCIS, and Space Ghost Coast to Coast, amongst others.  She also created Sabrina The Teenage Witch, adapting the Archie Comics character for ABC.

Odds are good that you have seen a program written by Scovell at some point over the last 3 decades.  She tales a serious subject, the roadblocks to a writing/directing/producing career in Hollywood for women, and wrapped it in funny anecdotes of her time bringing beloved characters to life.  Hopefully this work opens more opportunities for her, and others like her.