Saturday, January 18, 2014
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Friday, January 17, 2014
Pimpage: An Occasional Feature in Which I call Attention to Books of Interest
Codename: iSEAL
After years of painstaking research, the device is finally ready for human trials.
Desperate to be reinstated as a Special Forces candidate, Nathan Brennan reluctantly volunteers for the study. Four weeks as a lab rat and his military career will be back on course.
Unfortunately, by the end of day one, he finds himself on the run from the police, the CIA, and a mysterious criminal mastermind named Oberwand.
With no memory of his past, and with little hope for a meaningful future, Brennan must utilize every weapon in his binary arsenal just to stay alive.
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee. . .
. . .and now it's the Condiment Attacks!
Justice served with a side of mayo as police arrest man for series of condiment attacks
Justice served with a side of mayo as police arrest man for series of condiment attacks
Thse People Miss the Old Days Even More than I Do. . .
. . . and they aren't even old enough to remember them. They're The Rockabillies
Warming: Slideshow, but a great one.
Warming: Slideshow, but a great one.
FFB #2: Pink Vodka Blues -- Neal Barrett, Jr.
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Neal Barrett wrote some of the funniest, wildest, and most idiosyncratic crime novels of the '90s, of which Pink Vodka Blues was the first. It's a hilarious take on a classic situation. Russell Murray is the editor of a literary magazine in Chicago. He drinks way too much. And he's in big trouble when he wakes up in a hotel room with a beautiful woman just before two men come into the room and kill her. They try to kill Murray, too, but he gets away. Things never slow down after that.
Wanted for murder, Murray winds up in a detox center in Wisconsin. He escapes along with a beautiful redhead named Sherry Lou Wynn. One of his many problems is that he has no memory of where he's been or what he's done. He and Sherry Lou try to stay alive while being pursued around the country by homicidal goons, including the murderous Wacker twins and a blue-haired, tennis-shoe wearing granny with an Uzi. Bones Pinelli wants his briefcase back, by golly, and he doesn't care who dies as long as he gets it.
You've probably guessed that there's a surprise in the briefcase, but I'm not telling. If you've never read this book, you're in for a real treat. And while you're at it, you should check out Dead Dog Blues, Skinny Annie Blues, and Bad Eye Blues. They're all standalones, not series books, and they're guaranteed to be unlike anything else you've read. What are you waiting for?
FFB: The Hereafter Gang -- Neal Barrett, Jr.
Nobody who's read The Hereafter Gang has forgotten it. I think I can guarantee that. John Clute called it "one of the great American novels." Who am I to argue? It's a magical tale of life, death, and life after death. It's about the present and the past and adulthood and childhood. It's a road trip and a homecoming. It's hilarious and it's heartbreaking. It has a lot of sex in it, too. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy.
An aside: Neal Barrett, Jr., has been a publishing writer for 50 years now. Have you read his Aldair series from DAW Books? LOTR with pigs. Really. Wonderful stuff. Stress Pattern, also from DAW, another classic. Through Darkest America. What can I tell you? A classic post-apocalyptic tale, scary and funny. And then there are the crime novels, starting with Pink Vodka Blues. You've never read anything quite like them.
Any one of these books will make your day. Check 'em out.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Ruth Robinson Duccini, R. I. P.
latimes.com: Ruth Robinson Duccini, one of the last members of the troupe of diminutive actors who played Munchkins in the 1939 film classic "The Wizard of Oz," died Thursday after a brief illness at a hospice in Las Vegas, said her son, Fred Duccini. She was 95.
Dave Madden, R. I. P.
Dave Madden Dead: 'The Partridge Family' Actor Dies At 82: Dave Madden, who played band manager Reuben Kincaid on "The Partridge Family," died early today (Jan. 16) at age 82, TMZ reports.
Pimpage: An Occasional Feature in Which I call Attention to Books of Interest
This Explains a Lot
Movie academy: Oscar voters overwhelmingly white, male: A Los Angeles Times study found that academy voters are markedly less diverse than the moviegoing public, and even more monolithic than many in the film industry may suspect. Oscar voters are nearly 94% Caucasian and 77% male, The Times found. Blacks are about 2% of the academy, and Latinos are less than 2%.
Oscar voters have a median age of 62, the study showed. People younger than 50 constitute just 14% of the membership.
Oscar voters have a median age of 62, the study showed. People younger than 50 constitute just 14% of the membership.
Russell Johnson, R. I. P.
'Gilligan's Island' star Russell Johnson dies: We all knew him as simply the Professor.
Russell Johnson, the actor known as the quirky, smart Gilligan's Island character, Professor Roy Hinkley, has died at age 89.
Russell Johnson, the actor known as the quirky, smart Gilligan's Island character, Professor Roy Hinkley, has died at age 89.
Write Your Own Oscar Winning Screenplay
Oscar For Best Picture:: TIME analyzed 233 best-picture nominees to create an algorithm that generates story lines for Oscar-caliber movies.
Here's the Plot for Your Next Weapons Grade Uranium Thriller
Nun Faces up to 30 Years for Breaking Into Weapons Complex, Embarrassing the Feds: Nestled behind a forested ridgeline on the outskirts of Knoxville, Tennessee, is the sprawling Y-12 National Security Complex, America's "Fort Knox" of weapons-grade uranium. The complex's security cameras and machine gun nests are designed to repel an attack by the world's most feared terrorist organizations, but they were no match for Sister Megan Rice, an 83-year-old Catholic nun armed with nothing more than a hammer and bolt cutters.
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
L. A. Paperback Show
What we have here is three pages of photos from last year's L. A. Paperback Collectors Show and Sale taken by Art Scott. The text is in French, but the photo captions are in English (mainly names of participants). Some great stuff here.
Hat tip to Art Scott. I'm promoting Art's comment below up here to the post because not every one reads the comments: If this looks like your sort of event, and your French is no better than mine, be advised that the 2014 show will be on March 16th at the Glendale Civic Auditorium. Info at:
http://www.la-vintage-
Hat tip to Art Scott. I'm promoting Art's comment below up here to the post because not every one reads the comments: If this looks like your sort of event, and your French is no better than mine, be advised that the 2014 show will be on March 16th at the Glendale Civic Auditorium. Info at:
http://www.la-vintage-
Mae Young, R. I. P.
Mae Young dies at age 90; the WWE Hall of Fame wrestler had a career spanning eight decades | FOX Sports on MSN: Hall of Fame professional wrestler Mae Young has died, WWE confirmed Tuesday. She was 90.
Young was reportedly hospitalized on Dec. 31, then moved to hospice care. Her death had been erroneously reported in the days after, and WWE did not give a cause of death.
Born Johnnie Mae Young in Oklahoma in 1923, Young began her professional wrestling career in the 1940s and remained active into late last year, making her the only wrestler to believed to have competed in eight different decades. In a statement, WWE called Young the "oldest living squared circle personality."
Hat tip to Mel Odom.
Born Johnnie Mae Young in Oklahoma in 1923, Young began her professional wrestling career in the 1940s and remained active into late last year, making her the only wrestler to believed to have competed in eight different decades. In a statement, WWE called Young the "oldest living squared circle personality."
Hat tip to Mel Odom.
Roman Headhunters Update
Roman head hunters in England: Improved forensic techniques have shed new light on 39 skulls excavated near Museum of London in 1988
Scores of skulls excavated in the heart of London have provided the first gruesome evidence of Roman head hunters operating in Britain, gathering up the heads of executed enemies or fallen gladiators from the nearby amphitheatre, and exposing them for years in open pits.
Scores of skulls excavated in the heart of London have provided the first gruesome evidence of Roman head hunters operating in Britain, gathering up the heads of executed enemies or fallen gladiators from the nearby amphitheatre, and exposing them for years in open pits.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Pimpage: An Occasional Feature in Which I call Attention to Books of Interest
Amazon.com: Hell Up in Houston (The Drifter Detective Series) eBook: Garnett Elliott: Kindle Store Houston has been called "a sprawling city of astronauts and cowboys, in the middle of a swamp." And now Jack Laramie, rural-wandering PI, is headed up that way after his faithless Desoto blows its radiator. Jack's got a bit of a past with the city, in the form of a Cajun PI named Lameaux--a guy who mixes his "investigations" with organized vice. So Jack decides to lay low, holing up in a swanky downtown hotel called the Fulton. It's a splurge after sleeping in an old horse trailer night after night, but Jack figures he deserves a break. Until the Fulton's grizzled house detective shows up with a proposition ... Jack's way out of his league this time around, and when he discovers a blackmailing scheme involving a famous industrialist, he finds himself bumping gun-barrels with the Federal Government. Survival's going to require throwing the PI code out the window. And some quick thinking.
Join Cash Laramie's hardluck grandson in this second installment of The Drifter Detective series, "Hell Up in Houston." At around 15K words, it won't take too long--just remember to bring your Colt.
Icemen
Melting glaciers in northern Italy reveal corpses of WW1 soldiers: The glaciers of the Italian Alps are slowly melting to reveal horrors from the Great War, preserved for nearly a century
Hat tip to Fred Zackel.
Hat tip to Fred Zackel.
Overlooked Movies: Walk, Don't Run
Grant plays a Brit in Tokyo a couple of days before the 1964 Olympic games. There's no place to stay, but he wangles a spot in Samantha Eggar's tiny apartment. Then Jim Hutton arrives on the scene. Hutton is a competitor in the games, but there's no Olympic Village, and Hutton also needs a place to stay. Grant sublets his share of the apartment to Hutton. Hutton and Eggar are complete opposites and don't get along. And besides, she's already in a relationship. Guess what happens.
Yes, like Father Goose, this movie is utterly predicable, and I wouldn't want it any other way. Apparently some people find this a kind of letdown and not the best way for Grant to end his career. They're wrong of course. It's a very funny movie. Grant is as dashing and charming as ever, even though he's growing older, and it's fun to see him pass the leading man role to someone else. Hutton and Eggar are almost as good.
Here's something typical, I suppose. Hutton goes to great lengths in the movie to conceal the event he's competing in. So I won't tell you. I'll give you a hint, though: Think Lawrence Block. Or you could just look at the poster.
Monday, January 13, 2014
Neal Barrett, Jr., R. I. P.
Locus Online News: Neal Barrett, Jr., 84, author of acclaimed fantasy The Hereafter Gang (1991) and a number of celebrated short stories, among other works, died January 12, 2014.
Barrett began publishing SF with “To Tell the Truth” in Galaxy (1960). His notable short fiction includes “Perpetuity Blues” (1987), Hugo and Nebula Award finalist “Ginny Sweethips’ Flying Circus” (1989), Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award finalist “Stairs” (1989), “Cush” (1994), and “Radio Station St. Jack” (2008). His short work has been collected in Slightly Off Center: Eleven Extraordinarily Exhilarating Tales (1992), World Fantasy Award finalist Perpetuity Blues and Other Stories (2000), A Different Vintage (2001), Way Out There (2004), and retrospective Other Seasons: The Best of Neal Barrett, Jr. (2013).
Personal note: No question about it in my mind: Neal was one of the greats. The Hereafter Gang has been one of my favorite books since its first appearance, and Through Darkest America is amazing. As are many of his other novels. I count myself extremely lucky to have known Neal and to have sat with him and Joe Lansdale and Scott Cupp and others on uncomfortable couches in the A&M Memorial Student Center into the small hours of many AggieCon mornings, laughing and gabbing and listening. Ave atque vale, Neal.
Barrett began publishing SF with “To Tell the Truth” in Galaxy (1960). His notable short fiction includes “Perpetuity Blues” (1987), Hugo and Nebula Award finalist “Ginny Sweethips’ Flying Circus” (1989), Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award finalist “Stairs” (1989), “Cush” (1994), and “Radio Station St. Jack” (2008). His short work has been collected in Slightly Off Center: Eleven Extraordinarily Exhilarating Tales (1992), World Fantasy Award finalist Perpetuity Blues and Other Stories (2000), A Different Vintage (2001), Way Out There (2004), and retrospective Other Seasons: The Best of Neal Barrett, Jr. (2013).
Personal note: No question about it in my mind: Neal was one of the greats. The Hereafter Gang has been one of my favorite books since its first appearance, and Through Darkest America is amazing. As are many of his other novels. I count myself extremely lucky to have known Neal and to have sat with him and Joe Lansdale and Scott Cupp and others on uncomfortable couches in the A&M Memorial Student Center into the small hours of many AggieCon mornings, laughing and gabbing and listening. Ave atque vale, Neal.
Pimpage: An Occasional Feature in Which I call Attention to Books of Interest
Amazon.com: Rosie the Ripper (Fight Card MMA) eBook: Jack Tunney, Sam Hawken, Paul Bishop: Kindle Store Baltimore, 2014. Rosie Bratton is a recovering alcoholic. Divorced, working a dead end job, and with a young daughter she only sees on alternate weekends, her life is going nowhere. Her hopes hang on the outcome of a custody battle to regain primary custody of her daughter, and the vague possibility things might get better together. When circumstances turn bleak, Rosie nearly retreats into the bottle, but her sponsor has a solution. Felix was once a mixed martial arts contender. Now, he’s turned his talent toward teaching his skills to others. If Rosie becomes his student, he hopes she can learn how to be a stronger, focused, better person.
Some people are born to fight – in the cage and out – and Rosie is one of them. When she’s given the moniker Rosie the Ripper, she becomes something more than she was before – and it may be enough to give her a fighting chance….
10 Gorilla Guys
10 Gorilla Guys | Mental Floss: Hollywood loves gorillas. They are mysterious and scary, yet close enough to human for an actor to play one. Many actors and special effects pros have portrayed gorillas at one time or another in movies such as Gorillas in the Mist or the Planet of the Apes series, but some became particularly known for being "the guy in the gorilla suit." At first, the only requirement for a star gorilla was that one own a gorilla suit. As the competition heated up, these guys had to bring something special to their roles.
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee
Yahoo News UK: Detectives investigating the death of a man believe he was killed in a frenzied knife attack over a late night game of chess.
New Poem at The 5-2
The 5-2 | Crime Poetry Weekly, Annual Ebooks - Gerald So, Editor: Robert Cooperman
THE DEMON HOODIE
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Life in Alvin, Texas
A few days ago we woke up to temperatures in the 20s. Today one of the neighbors is out mowing the lawn. Texas weather is weird.
Ads on the Blog
Some people are seeing ads when they visit the blog. I'm not, and I have no idea what's going on. I haven't given permission for ads to appear here, and I'm sure not getting any revenue from them. Is this a problem for a lot of people or just a few. Does anyone have any ideas about how to get rid of them? I sure don't.
Update: So now I've learned that some people are getting ads and some aren't. I'm thinking space aliens are involved.
Update: So now I've learned that some people are getting ads and some aren't. I'm thinking space aliens are involved.
Once Again Texas Leads the Way
A Permit To Hunt Endangered Black Rhinos Has Just Been Sold At A U.S. Auction: The Dallas Safari Club sponsored the closed-door event on Saturday night.
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