Fun mystery mashes newspapers, hockey and small-town politics

While taking a few days off I've been able to dive into a fun mystery called "Starvation Lake" that mixes small-town Michigan politics, beer-league hockey and newspaper journalism. Trifecta for me!

I'm only a quarter of the way through but can tell it's going to be worth my time. But I'll follow up with a true thumbs up/down when I'm done.

Thanks to @VinceKern of the Detroit Media Partnership for the recommendation. He's a Red Wings nut but stooped to share his good fortune with this Blackhawks' fan.

The Good about transportation and water

I'm a hit-and-miss reader of Good magazine, which has a highfalutin' yet noble approach to business: share the cost and heavy lifting of moving the world forward.

But the Spring and Summer issues are right up my alley: magazines dedicated to the topics of transportation (Spring) and water (Summer). I'm behind on my reading, so have just started the Spring issue. But there's good insight to be drawn from the "visionary ideas for the coming transportation revolution."

I like to call coverage of infrastrature "boring but important," but geeky as it may sound, these two topics are of great interest to me. There's a reason I thought seriously about becoming an urban planner about 15 years ago.

Sadly, most politicians consider water and transportation both boring AND unimportant despite overwhelming evidence water is the new gold and our transportation woes are strangling productivity, innovation and national security.

Sneak peak at Big Star box set

NPR is offering an "exclusive" free stream of Disc 1 of the new 96-track Big Star box set, "Keep and Eye on the Sky." The set will be released Sept. 15

I'm gonna wait for reviews to see whether the remastering, remixes, rarities and other extras are worth the cost (Amazon has it for $54), but it's safe to say this collection is long overdue. 

Disc 1 has 26 tracks, and provides a good look at Big Star's depth, creativity and the sound that influenced many a band over the last three decades.