Need a little escapism? Appropos of nothing, I want to mention to this dusty jewel I found at a Cape Cod used bookstore this summer.

 While I was laid up with the fractured foot, I finally got a chance to read it.

What a lousy piece of schlock, and it doesn’t even mention FoHi much!

It’s the tale of a loud-mouthed, egotistical, bratty American tennis star named “James McLaren” (gee, who could that be?) who quit in his prime and has become a drunk living in the south of France. He gets embroiled in drugs, murder and international espionage when the daughter of a suddenly-deceased tennis legend plucks McLaren out of near oblivion to be the spokesmodel for her father’s failing tennis clothing empire.

There are some mediocre passages about Flushing Meadows and NYC in the “bad old days,” but nothing really great about our neighborhood. But it does have great cover art!

I’ve got a sudden flood of Things You Should Know About, so why not share them all right here? And heck, why not drag out the ol’ bulleted list?

• The always-underutilized West Side Tennis Club is playing host to not one but two events. This weekend the American Cancer Society will hold a “Relay for Life,” where people will be perpetually moving around a track and candles will be lit to honor cancer victims and survivors. They also promise “entertainment all night,” and try finding that somewhere else in Forest Hills. Registration is at 5 p.m. this Saturday.
• But first! Today (Tuesday, that is) my one-time tennis fave, Jim Courier, will be at the Club to host a clinic for kids. That’s at 3:45. There’ll be “skills, drills and Q&A,” plus free strawberries and cream to honor Jimmy’s Wimbledon success. I was informed in somewhat unclear language that this event might not be open to the public, so I’m not sure whether you, the common folk, may go. But I don’t know, call and find out! What, they’re going to turn away your tennis-loving kid? He or she could be a member one day!
• I thought Tierra Sana, the West FoHi health-food destination, was already open and had been for some time. But no, it seems they’re holding a Grand Opening event this Thursday! Dinner is at 7:30. It looks like there’ve been a few changes since I last visited, so it might be worth checking out.