March '26: The Thriller In You
“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” - Charles Dickens, Great Expectations
NOTES:
The best political thrillers have at their core a moral center. The heroes ride forth to seek justice. And so, here we all are.
Tell your loved ones you love them and hold their hands when you get a chance. Don't turn your back on the threat. That turning will never work out for you. Fight smart, strategize with your community, use your fear to give you courage, and be safe. Hard safe. We are 300 pages into a 600-page story and this is where all is lost. Until it isn't.
MARCH '26 CHARITY:
Give what you can. This is how democracy wins.
BOOKS: The "Martini Club" Series by Tess Gerritsen
Tess Gerritsen cares about her readers. She wants you to understand the details of any mystery she presents and why it is impossible to solve–dares you to solve it. She knows the roots of the genre and it shows. She never cheats. And more importantly, there is a gentle rolling pace that accelerates like a muscle car when she decides you are buckled in and ready for the rush.
From a review in the Washington Post about the second book in the "Martini Club" series: “Expertly blends family drama with spy-thriller suspense, sending readers racing through the pages to find out what happens next.”
As of early 2026, Tess Gerritsen has published 41 books, with her 42nd novel scheduled for release later this year. Her work spans several decades and genres, including her famous medical thrillers and romantic suspense. Prolific, professional, and experienced. Read her and find out.
Most books stores carry her books and you can order them online at bookshop.org.
SCREEN: "Project Hail Mary" directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller adapted from the novel by Andy Weir
For God's sake, just get out of the house and go see it. I know the toxic Amazon Studio made it, but it's a movie in theaters at least and not an infomercial for guns and violence. And it has the feels. Yeah. It's baby food. It's vanilla wafers and banana pudding. You need a break.
And it gives me an excuse to quote Jeff Bezos so you are even more determined to find other places to buy your stuff: In his 1999 shareholder letter and throughout his tenure, he stated: "I constantly remind our employees to be afraid, to wake up every morning terrified" to maintain an obsessive, customer-focused, and high-performing culture.
Not looking all that terrified.
Jeff Bezos owns two primary, interconnected boats: the $500 million, 127-meter (417 ft) sailing yacht "Koru," and its 75-meter (246 ft) support vessel, "Abeona." "Koru" is the world's largest sailing yacht, while "Abeona" serves as a "shadow vessel" for tenders, jet skis, and helicopters. This costs over 25 million a year to maintain, which covers fuel, maintenance, and a crew of 40 people.
They all know they went too far. They know.
MUSIC: New Releases by Widespread Panic
I am not sure how this band got past me. Here they are live with "The Dirty Dozen Brass Band." Drop everything and listen to the following eleven minutes of joy:
There are thousands of hours of this band recorded by audience members and passed around like contraband. It is all about the live experience, but the musicianship on the studio albums is also phenomenal.
Here is fifteen minutes of the band owning the stage on February 15, 2026.
They released their 14th studio album, "Hailbound Queen," on November 8, 2024. This follows their June 14, 2024, release of "Snake Oil King"–-their first full-length studio album since 2015.
They are touring right now.
Go to https://widespreadpanic.com/shows/
to catch them when they are in your area.
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