Amazon.com: The Man In The Seventh Row eBook: Brian Pendreigh: Kindle Store: Roy is a film fan. He loves the cinema. What happened that turned his world inside out?
Maybe he loves the cinema a little too much. Lately, things have been going wrong. He settles into his favourite seat to watch an old movie, but he's not seeing what he expects to see. No matter the film – The Graduate, Brief Encounter, The Magnificent Seven – he finds himself sucked from his seventh-row seat into the heart of the action on the big screen.
Roy's everywhere. Playing lead roles in dozens of classic movies. A fantasy come true? Or a living nightmare?
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Available for Pre-Order
King City: Lee Goldberg: 9781612183176: Amazon.com: Books
I read an advance copy of this one, and it's terrific. Non-stop action, humor, great characters, and a great concept. Highly recommended.
I read an advance copy of this one, and it's terrific. Non-stop action, humor, great characters, and a great concept. Highly recommended.
Free for Kindle this Weekend!
The Crime Time Cafe: Free E-book Ploy, Part VIII: If you're looking for a free Kindle e-book to fulfill your need for hardboiled, noir type fiction Steven Torres' novel, THE CONCRETE MAZE is free today and tomorrow (March 17-18).
Chaleo Yoovidhya, R. I. P.
World News: The self-made Thai billionaire who created the renowned Red Bull energy drink three decades ago has died, state media in Thailand reported Saturday. He was 89.
Happy Saint Patrick's Day!
Saint Patrick's Day - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Saint Patrick's Day[2] is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated on 17 March. It commemorates Saint Patrick (c. AD 387–461), the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland.[1] It is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion (especially the Church of Ireland),[3] the Eastern Orthodox Church and Lutheran Church. Saint Patrick's Day was made an official feast day in the early seventeenth century, and has gradually become a celebration of Irish culture in general.[4]
Friday, March 16, 2012
Comforting Thought for the Day
Mail Online: When people download a film from Netflix to a flatscreen, or turn on web radio, they could be alerting unwanted watchers to exactly what they are doing and where they are.
Spies will no longer have to plant bugs in your home - the rise of 'connected' gadgets controlled by apps will mean that people 'bug' their own homes, says CIA director David Petraeus.
The CIA claims it will be able to 'read' these devices via the internet - and perhaps even via radio waves from outside the home.
Spies will no longer have to plant bugs in your home - the rise of 'connected' gadgets controlled by apps will mean that people 'bug' their own homes, says CIA director David Petraeus.
The CIA claims it will be able to 'read' these devices via the internet - and perhaps even via radio waves from outside the home.
No Comment Department
guardian.co.uk: Abandon all hope, ye who enter here: Dante's medieval classic the Divine Comedy has been condemned as racist, antisemitic and Islamophobic by a group calling for it to be removed from classrooms.
Why Does It Always Have to be Snakes?
Rattlesnake Round-Up This Weekend: The Lone Star Fair and Expo featuring the 48th Annual Rattlesnake Round-Up will be at the Brownwood Coliseum this weekend, Friday through Sunday. Hours of the show are Friday 3pm-8pm, Saturday 10am-8pm and Sunday noon-5pm. Tickets are $4 for adults and $1 for kids under 12.
Organizers state that Jackie Bibby, “The Texas Snake Man” and star of Animal Planet's "Rattlesnake Republic," will be the featured in “death defying feats of courage with rattlesnakes.” “Cowboys Last Ride” rattlesnakes in the coffin, “Most Rattlesnakes in the Sleeping Bag”, and Longest Snake Contest competitions will be on the schedule of events along with the Ripley’s Believe It or Not. Vendors will also be on hand buying snakes.
Organizers state that Jackie Bibby, “The Texas Snake Man” and star of Animal Planet's "Rattlesnake Republic," will be the featured in “death defying feats of courage with rattlesnakes.” “Cowboys Last Ride” rattlesnakes in the coffin, “Most Rattlesnakes in the Sleeping Bag”, and Longest Snake Contest competitions will be on the schedule of events along with the Ripley’s Believe It or Not. Vendors will also be on hand buying snakes.
Lizzie Borden Update
ABC News: The notorious 19th-century trial of Lizzie Borden, a wealthy New England woman accused of killing her parents with an ax, is back in the spotlight with the discovery of her attorney's handwritten journals, providing fresh insight into the relationship with her father.
Forgotten Books: Adios, Schehrazade -- Donald E. Westlake
Adios, Scheherazade is a book about writing dirty books. The narrator, Ed Tipliss, has been writing them for a little over two years. He's ghosting them for another writer, and he's produced one a month for twenty-eight months. Now he finds himself blocked. He just can't write another one. He keeps trying, but when he starts a chapter, it becomes a stream-of-consciousness account of his personal life, which is pretty much going to hell.
In the course of the novel, we find out a lot of things, including how to write a dirty book. There's a guide to the four basic plots, and there's even a complete outline for a book, except for the last chapter, which is, shall we say, a bit exaggerated.
Some have seen the book as a sort of roman à clef, and if you're familiar with the agency Westlake worked for and some of the people associated with it, you can play that game. I don't know if it's worthwhile, but, after all, the narrator's name is Ed, and Westlake did write as Edwin West. (Edwin was his middle name.) It's funny and sad and even a little bitter. Certainly Westlake didn't wind up like Ed Tipliss, though maybe he imagines that he could have.
Decent copies of the edition pictured here are a little hard to find these days, but you can get a beaten up hardback on abebooks for about five bucks. It's worth it if you just want a reading copy. If you read French, you can pick up a nice copy for only a little more. But if you just want to know about how real it all is and to learn something about Westlake and the other writers who produced the kind of books Topliss wrote, what you really need to do is to read this great essay by Earl Kemp. Kemp quotes liberally from the novel and it's all entirely fascinating. Trust me.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
She sees dead people!
Amazon.com: Wild Wild Death (A Pepper Martin Mystery) (9780425245828): Casey Daniels: Books: Her job has been cut, she's low on cash, and her detective sometime- boyfriend refuses to even talk about her ability to see the dead and solve their murders. So Pepper is most certainly down for a vacation to get her spirits up. But when her cute scientist friend Dan is kidnapped, Pepper soon stumbles upon another deadly mystery that brings her to New Mexico. And she's after a clever murderer-one whose idea of Boot Hill has nothing to do with Jimmy Choo.
Amazon.com: Wild Wild Death (A Pepper Martin Mystery) (9780425245828): Casey Daniels: Books: Her job has been cut, she's low on cash, and her detective sometime- boyfriend refuses to even talk about her ability to see the dead and solve their murders. So Pepper is most certainly down for a vacation to get her spirits up. But when her cute scientist friend Dan is kidnapped, Pepper soon stumbles upon another deadly mystery that brings her to New Mexico. And she's after a clever murderer-one whose idea of Boot Hill has nothing to do with Jimmy Choo.
William Ambler: 9 Pulp Adventures To Take Instead Of "John Carter"
William Ambler: 9 Pulp Adventures To Take Instead Of "John Carter": March 9th witnessed the release of Disney's mega-budget blockbuster hopeful John Carter. It's adapted from Edgar Rice Burroughs 1917 novel "A Princess of Mars" and it represents the first cinematic sally for the Tarzan author's other great creation. For fantasy aficionados, it's a chance to see a work that has been scavenged by countless imitators for nearly a century finally strut its stuff on the big screen.
If the film in question should whet your appetite for all things sword, sorcery, and spaceship, the obvious place to start reading is with Burroughs' eleven novels set in the world of Barsoom aka Mars. If you've already read those (or just hate being obvious), here are nine other pulp adventures to stir the blood and strain the mighty thews.
Hat tip to George Kelley.
If the film in question should whet your appetite for all things sword, sorcery, and spaceship, the obvious place to start reading is with Burroughs' eleven novels set in the world of Barsoom aka Mars. If you've already read those (or just hate being obvious), here are nine other pulp adventures to stir the blood and strain the mighty thews.
Hat tip to George Kelley.
The Decline of Western Civilization Continues Apace
Please Read This Story, Thank You : NPR: Other polite phrases also seem to be falling by the wayside. "You're welcome," for instance. Say "thank you" to someone these days, and instead of hearing "you're welcome," you're more liable to hear: "Sure." "No problem." "You bet." "Enjoy." Or a long list of replies that replace the traditional "you're welcome."
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Metro.co.uk: A letter written by primary school student Flint, from Austin in Texas, has been hailed as the best thank you note of all time after he told a local weatherman who visited his school that he was 'more awesome' than a monkey, in a bacon tuxedo, riding a unicorn, on a space shuttle, heading for Mars.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Hello My Baby, Hello My Honey, . . .
The Raw Story: Amazed biologists have uncovered a new species of frog in the jungle — New York’s concrete jungle.
The mottled green creature was for years mistaken as belonging to a widespread variety of the leopard frog. But now scientists realize this is new.
The mottled green creature was for years mistaken as belonging to a widespread variety of the leopard frog. But now scientists realize this is new.
Archaeology Update
The Associated Press: Researchers scratching in the sediment during the historic expansion of the Panama Canal say they have discovered the fossils of a small camel with a long snout that roamed the tropical rainforests of the isthmus some 20 million years ago.
Archaeology Update
LiveScience: Mysterious fossils of what may be a previously unknown type of human have been uncovered in caves in China, ones that possess a highly unusual mix of bygone and modern human features, scientists reveal.
As Usual, Sheriff Rhodes Was ahead of the Curve
Kill Wild Hogs, Get Money! - Houston News - Hair Balls: They're nasty, mean and do $400 million in economic damage to the state every year. No, they're not the dreaded chupacabra -- they're worse: feral hogs.
Sure, killin' 'em is necessary. But getting money for killin' 'em is necessary and fun, which is why Wulf Outdoor Sports of Center is paying out $28,000 in prizes for hunters who nab the most hogs between April 11 and 21. The contest is also sponsored by Farmers and Shelby Savings banks, Nikon and others.
Sure, killin' 'em is necessary. But getting money for killin' 'em is necessary and fun, which is why Wulf Outdoor Sports of Center is paying out $28,000 in prizes for hunters who nab the most hogs between April 11 and 21. The contest is also sponsored by Farmers and Shelby Savings banks, Nikon and others.
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
Gwinnett Daily Post: Police arrested a Duluth woman Sunday on charges she hacked through a door and attacked her husband with a machete at their home.
Terry Teachout Visits the Dr Pepper Museum
About Last Night:: I recently spent a few days in Waco, Texas, the home of Baylor University, where I gave a lecture on Louis Armstrong, taught a class on Waiting for Godot, and spoke to two groups of exceedingly bright and delightfully polite students about various culture-related subjects. I also made two side trips, one to Baylor's Armstrong Browning Library and one to the Dr Pepper Museum in downtown Waco.
Hat tip to Art Scott.
Hat tip to Art Scott.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
The Times They Have a-Changéd
Encyclopaedia Britannica Stops Printing after 244 Years: After an impressive 244-year run (since 1768!), the oldest continuously published encyclopedia in the English language, Encyclopaedia Britannica, is going out of print. The company will be shifting its focus to their online resources and educational curriculum for schools.
Paging Dan Brown
Lost Leonardo da Vinci Mural Behind False Wall?: By poking high-tech instruments through the wall of one priceless 16th-century mural in Italy, researchers announced Monday that they think they've located the first "encouraging" evidence that a second masterpiece—this one a lost Leonardo da Vinci—is hidden beneath.
Michael Hossack, R. I. P.
The Washington Post: Longtime Doobie Brothers drummer Michael Hossack has died at age 65.
The band’s manager, Bruce Cohn, said in a statement that Hossack died of cancer on Monday in his home in Dubois (DO’-boys), Wyo.
Hossack played with the group from 1971 to 1973 and rejoined in 1987. His drumming can be heard on early hits including “Listen To The Music,” ‘’China Grove” and “Blackwater.” He stopped performing with the band two years ago while struggling with cancer.
Hat tip to Toby O'Brien.
The band’s manager, Bruce Cohn, said in a statement that Hossack died of cancer on Monday in his home in Dubois (DO’-boys), Wyo.
Hossack played with the group from 1971 to 1973 and rejoined in 1987. His drumming can be heard on early hits including “Listen To The Music,” ‘’China Grove” and “Blackwater.” He stopped performing with the band two years ago while struggling with cancer.
Hat tip to Toby O'Brien.
Free for Kindle -- 3 Days Only!
This is a good one. My review is here.
Amazon.com: Here Comes Mr. Trouble (The Trouble Family Chronicles) eBook: Brett Battles: Kindle Store: ARE YOU LOSING THINGS?
ARE PEOPLE YOU KNOW ACTING STRANGE?
IS SOMEONE CLOSE TO YOU MISSING???
DO YOU FEEL LIKE THINGS ARE BEYOND YOUR CONTROL?
ARE YOU IN…TROUBLE?
When Eric Morrison sees the advertisement, he doesn’t know which is more surprising—the ad’s sudden appearance or the fact that his answer to every question is YES!
Not only can’t he find things, but the bullies at school are suddenly picking on him for no reason, and, worse yet, his mother has disappeared but he seems to be the only one who’s noticed. Even his best friend Maggie thinks he’s only run into a little bad luck.
But if Eric thinks his life is upside down now, it’s nothing compared to what’s about to happen when Mr. Trouble and the Trouble family arrive to assist him in solving his problems.
One thing’s for sure—Eric will never see the world in the same way again.
They're Organizing a Sting
Chron.com blog: Police continue their search for suspects who stole a 3-foot-tall active beehive from a Houston restaurant.
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Everything You Need To Know About Stonehenge II: Did you know there's a huge replica of Stonehenge appropriately named Stonehenge II located about 100 miles outside of Austin, Texas?!?! Well, there is — and here's everything we learned about it.
BFI Discovers World's Oldest Surviving Dickensian Film
'The Death Of Poor Joe': BFI Discovers World's Oldest Surviving Dickensian Film - Deadline.com: The Death Of Poor Joe is a 1901 UK production, directed by G.A. Smith, and was uncovered the day after the British Film Institute celebrated the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens’ birth.
Overlooked Movies -- The Hill
Right from the start of his career as James Bond, Sean Connery enjoyed taking on roles that were as far removed from Bond as possible. The Hill is a black-and-while movie set in North Africa in WWII. Connery is a Sergeant Major sent to a prison camp because he disobeyed a direct order and hit an officer. The camp commander believes in breaking men down so they can be built up into proper soldiers.
The sadistic staff sergeant in charge of punishment has men run up a steep sand hill in the heat of the African sun. They run while carrying a full pack, and they go until they can go no longer. Along with Connery, several other prisoners are singled out for this ordeal. One of them dies, and that sets off some real problems for the commander and others. Somebody has to take the blame.
There were a number of movies like this in the '60s. Cool Hand Luke and One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest come to mind. The Hill somehow gets overlooked, but it's well worth a look. Connery gives a great performance, and so does the rest of the cast. As I recall, it got great reviews when it appeared but didn't do too well with the public. Now it seems to be almost forgotten. It's a good one, though.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Edge of Dark Water -- Joe R. Lansdale
It's Texas, sometime during the Depression. One day a girl named Sue Ellen and her friend Terry are poisoning fish with Sue Ellen's father, and they find the body of May Lynn, a young woman who had hoped to go to Hollywood and become a movie star. After May Lynn is buried, Sue Ellen, Terry, and a third friend, Jinx, dig up the body and burn it. Their plan is to take the ashes to Hollywood.
This isn't exactly the most rational plan in the world, but it gets even less so. They live in Texas. To get to Hollywood, they're going to steal a some money, build a raft, and float down the Sabine River. They realize the river doesn't go to Hollywood, but "'We'll get there somehow.'"
Naturally it's not an easy trip. The three friends are joined by Sue Ellen's mother, and they're being chased by Sue Ellen's murderous uncle, a constable who's not a good representative of law and order, and a mysterious, almost supernatural, hired killer named Skunk.
You'll probably read some reviews that will compare this book to something by Mr. Mark Twain. Okay, there's the river and the raft and some other superficial stuff, but don't let that fool you. Joe Lansdale's not Mark Twain. He's his own man. Twain couldn't have written this book. Only Lansdale could do it, and he's not like anybody else. Edge of Dark Water is funny, scary, suspenseful, and just plain entertaining. It's a Lansdale book, so what else would you expect? Check it out.
All Righty, Then
Godin to authors: You have no right to make money any more — Tech News and Analysis: But this explosion of amateur authors and publishers also means a lot more competition for an audience. So how do writers make money? First of all, according to author and marketer Seth Godin, they have to give up the idea that they somehow deserve to be paid for their writing.
Sunday, March 11, 2012
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
I love five and dime stores, and I'm betting this is a dandy new series.
Amazon.com: Little Shop of Homicide: A Devereaux's Dime Store Mystery (Devereaux Dime Store Mystery) (9780451236180): Denise Swanson: Books: Dev Sinclair is the happy new owner of the old-fashioned shop in her small Missouri town. But if she doesn't focus on finding the killer of her ex's fiancée, this five-and-dime owner may find herself serving twenty-five to life...
Amazon.com: Little Shop of Homicide: A Devereaux's Dime Store Mystery (Devereaux Dime Store Mystery) (9780451236180): Denise Swanson: Books: Dev Sinclair is the happy new owner of the old-fashioned shop in her small Missouri town. But if she doesn't focus on finding the killer of her ex's fiancée, this five-and-dime owner may find herself serving twenty-five to life...
Free Today for Kindle!
Amazon.com: Children of Salem eBook: Robert W. Walker: Kindle Store: INTRIGUE, SUSPENSE, AND ROMANCE IN THE TIME OF THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS
A spy working for religious organizations, Jere Wakely is summoned to Salem Village Parish, where it has become obvious to church authorities that there is serious trouble.
He is reluctant to return to his hometown for many reasons, not the least being that his heart is broken and he's worried about running into his former lover, Serena Nurse.
During his investigation, he has no expectation that their love will be rekindled. But their renewed passion parallels a greater fire--one of terror amid the infamous Salem Witch Trials.
A witch hunt in this important election year of 1692 is backdrop to a romance filled with intrigue and mystery; the history is accurate, and the truth is disturbing yet fascinating.
A spy working for religious organizations, Jere Wakely is summoned to Salem Village Parish, where it has become obvious to church authorities that there is serious trouble.
He is reluctant to return to his hometown for many reasons, not the least being that his heart is broken and he's worried about running into his former lover, Serena Nurse.
During his investigation, he has no expectation that their love will be rekindled. But their renewed passion parallels a greater fire--one of terror amid the infamous Salem Witch Trials.
A witch hunt in this important election year of 1692 is backdrop to a romance filled with intrigue and mystery; the history is accurate, and the truth is disturbing yet fascinating.
Free for Kindle for 4 More Days!
Amazon.com: Slumber eBook: Pablo D'Stair: Kindle Store: Ezekiel Rag, a writer of mediocre talent and more than slightly paranoiac, discovers someone has entered his apartment and used his typewriter to produce several pages of manuscript. Jealous of the quality of the writing, he assumes a prank is being played. But when several weeks later he returns home to find not only more writing, but signs someone has spent considerable time in the apartment—food cooked, bourbon consumed, shaving razor used, toilet un-flushed—he becomes increasingly wary.
A novella by Pablo D'Stair (author of "they say the owl was a baker's daughter: four existential noirs")
A novella by Pablo D'Stair (author of "they say the owl was a baker's daughter: four existential noirs")
Clawback -- Mike Cooper
Mike Cooper is the pen name of Shamus winner Mike Wiecek. In his new disguise he's written Clawback, a financial thriller in which someone's killing hedge fund managers. Not just any hedge fund managers, though. The ones being singled out are the very worst ones, meaning the ones who've managed to lose the most money for their clients. The narrator of the story calls himself Silas Cade, a former black ops guy who now collects "clawback" from hedge fund managers.
Clawback is defined as "the mandatory return of compensation paid on a deal that later goes bad." Sometimes people don't want to pay. Cade sees to it that they do. When one of them dies, he's hired to find out who's doing the killing.
It's not an easy job, but it has its compensations, as Cade meets a beautiful blogger who's just as savvy as he is. On the other hand it leads to lots of other deaths, not to mention a series of action scenes that are clearly aimed at the big-screen.
Cade's breezy narration carries everything a long at a brisk pace, and we meet a number of interesting and entertaining minor characters (not all of whom survive) along the way. There's a ton of insider info about the world of high finance and the difficulty of living off the grid, too. Entertaining all the way. Check it out.
The QWERTY Effect
Words You Type With Your Left Hand Suck; Words You Type With Your Right Hand Rock: Cognitive scientists have found that people attach more positive meanings to words made up of letters from the right side of keyboards than to words made up of letters from the left side. They're calling it "the QWERTY effect."
I Can't Wait for the Movie
Telegraph: Three thousand Iranian women being trained as ninja warriors say they will use their martial arts skills to defend the country if necessary.
Daylight Saving Time
Daylight saving time — still mostly a scam - The Washington Post: So there you have it. Daylight saving: It kills people, it seems to be an energy-loser, and it leads to a slight uptick in road accidents in early March.
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