Friday, November 25, 2011
PW's Film Critics List Their Top 50 Films
PW's Film Critics List Their Top 50 Films | Screen Cover Story | Screen | Philadelphia Weekly: While “Best of” lists can be useful, fun keepsakes, “Best of Film” lists are usually boring and repetitive. There are hundreds of places where you can read about the brilliance of Citizen Kane. And while we agree that the movie is indeed brilliant and one of cinema’s finest, we won’t be regurgitating the same ol’ list of critics’ picks here. Compiled below is a highly subjective list of films that we, the film critics at PW, feel are best. These films are personal favorites that we think are important, great motion pictures.
She Should Dump the Guy
Teen misses ‘Twilight’ movie, gets DUI charge instead - Aurora Beacon News: Olivia Ornelas, 18, 200 block of Williams Street, Aurora, was charged with drunken driving and unlawful consumption of alcohol by a minor after the car she was driving was found in a ditch at 12:04 a.m. Saturday near Route 71 and East High Point, the Kendall County Sheriff’s Office said. According to police, Ornelas was driving with no front right tire. She told deputies she was extremely upset with her boyfriend because she did not get to see the new “Twilight” movie as they were supposed to do, according to a police report.
Forgotten Books: D'Shai -- Joel Rosenberg
Canadian writers? Well, I'll just cheat a little. Joel Rosenberg was, after all, born in Canada (Winnipeg, to be precise), so he should count, even if he grew up in the U. S., right?I read a lot of Rosenberg's books, and I enjoyed them all. D'Shai is the first of two fantasy/mystery novels set in the world of D'Shai, a remarkably detailed place with a lot of Asian flavor, filled with magic. Some people there can raise kazuh, a power which enables them perform spectacularly well in one of the 52 vocations. Kami Khuzud, born into a family of acrobats, can't raise kazuh, which makes him a typical fantasy hero, the one who doesn't quite live up to expectations but who feels destined for better things. Add to that the fact that he's in love with a woman above his station, and you have a pretty familiar setup.
But Rosenberg's book is anything but typical. There's an emotionally involving murder, and Kami sets out to solve it. In doing so, he raises kazuh and discovers that he has a vocation heretofore unknown. He's a Truth Seeker, or to put it another way, a Great Detective.
I really liked this book and its sequel, The Hour of the Octopus. If you want to read a mystery that's really different, you can do a lot worse than these two.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Buy My Book!
Amazon.com: A Werewolf Named Wayne eBook: Bill Crider: Kindle Store: Al's new next-door neighbors have just arrived in a smoke-belching DeSoto convertible. They may travel in style, but there's more to them than meets their strangely eerie eyes. Things are going to get hairy as Al gets to know these new additions to the neighborhood. He's ready to face any challenges they bring--secret construction projects and cravings for canned dog food included. But first Al may have to answer a tough question: is it harder being friends with a werewolf, or a girl?Hermie, Al, and Carl from Bill Crider's first young adult novel A VAMPIRE NAMED FRED, are back in action for another adventure in A WEREWOLF NAMED WAYNE - published for the first time ever.
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee
Landlord arrest bulldozer eviction arrest: Angry landlord crushed mobile home while tenants fled for their lives - OrlandoSentinel.com: Landlord John Miller will miss Thanksgiving at home this year after what may be Central Florida's first case of eviction rage ending in attempted-murder charges.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Stark House Does it Again
Here's something to be thankful for: another great triple-decker, another great intro by David Laurence Wilson. Get your orders in early. I have all three of the books included here, but Winter Girl restores Whittington's original version of the one I have, a Curt Colman novel from Corinth titled The Taste of Desire (which is the title on the original cover for the book still showing up on the Stark House site as I write this).
This Will Not Surprise Readers of This Blog
Darby drug bust yields heroin, pit bull ... and an alligator: Darby Borough police were expecting to find narcotics this morning when they busted a suspected heroin operation inside a Main Street house. What they didn't expect was the alligator. But that's what they found, because this is Delaware County – where routine crime stories go to get weird.
Hat tip to Jeff Segal.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Thanksgiving or Thanksgiving Day, celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, has officially been an annual tradition in the United States since 1863, when during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday, November 26.[1] As a federal and popular holiday in the U.S., Thanksgiving is one of the "big six" major holidays of the year (along with Christmas, New Year's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day). Together with Christmas and the New Year, Thanksgiving is a part of the broader holiday season.
Forgotten Music
Well, sometimes we forget to be thankful for the music.
Here's one of them.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
George H. Coxe - Back in Print from Mysterious Press
George H. Coxe - Mysterious Press: George Harmon Coxe (1901-1984) was an early star of hard boiled crime fiction, best known for characters he created in the seminal pulp magazine Black Mask. Born in upstate New York, he attended Purdue and Cornell Universities before moving to the West Coast to work in newspapers. In 1922 he began publishing short stories in pulp magazines across various genres, including romance and sports. He would find his greatest success, however, writing crime fiction.
Buy My Book!
Amazon.com: A Vampire Named Fred eBook: Bill Crider: Kindle Store: When someone finally moves into the old, dark, musty house next door, two boys make an unusual friend."I always thought that vampires had to have names like Dracula or Vlad or Lestat, but that was before Fred moved into the house next door. In fact, I had a lot of wrong ideas about vampires, but Fred set me straight about most of them."
In a funny, lively story the boys set out to help Fred lead a "normal" life.
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
Some really good stuff here. I read most of these in their original appearances and enjoyed them all. "Tut," first in the book, is a kick even knowing now what's coming. Check it out.Amazon.com: 13 Shots of Noir eBook: Paul D. Brazill: Kindle Store: English writer Paul D Brazill's 13 Shots Of Noir is a collection of short stories in the vein of Roald Dahl, The Twilight Zone and Alfred Hitchcock Presents.The first story, "The Tut", was nominated for a 2010 Spinetingler Award, while the story "Anger Management" was chosen as one of the Predators and Editors top twenty crime stories.
Crime, horror and dark fiction are contained within the pages of 13 Shots Of Noir.
Chicago Lightning only 99 Cents!
Or if you're an Amazon Prime member, it's FREE!
On the Road Again
Judy and I are off to Austin, where we'll be spending a couple of days. We'll have Thanksgiving dinner at our son's house, and we'll be joined by our daughter and her husband. There should be regular posting of scheduled items to the blog, and maybe I'll even update now and then. I probably won't be answering e-mail or making comments on the blog until I get back home, however. I also won't be going to any Black Friday sales. I like to leave that to other people.
Shelagh Delaney, R. I. P.
Playbill.com: Playwright Shelagh Delaney, who had an international hit with A Taste of Honey, a play she wrote when she was still a teenager, died Nov 20. The cause was cancer. She was 71.
Great Covers
AbeBooks: Amazing Stories Magazine: Amazing Stories Magazine (also sometimes known as Amazing Science Fiction Magazine) was an American science fiction pulp magazine which ran monthly - if occasionally intermittently - from its inception for almost 80 years. Brought to life in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback, an American (originally from Luxembourg) inventor and writer, Amazing Stories was the first magazine dedicated exclusively to science fiction. Gernsback’s contributions to the genre were so extensive that he was honored by having a literary prize named for him – the Hugo Awards, still selected every year.
Nowadays Amazing Stories is well-known for its colorful, often kitschy covers featuring everything from little green men and alien spacecraft to berserk robots and gargantuan oversized lizards and beyond. And naturally, a healthy dose of voluptuous vixens ranging from villainous to vulnerable.
Nowadays Amazing Stories is well-known for its colorful, often kitschy covers featuring everything from little green men and alien spacecraft to berserk robots and gargantuan oversized lizards and beyond. And naturally, a healthy dose of voluptuous vixens ranging from villainous to vulnerable.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Philip Jose Farmer Update
Win Scott Eckert.com: U.K publisher Titan Books has entered into an agreement with the Estate of Philip Jose Farmer to bring a large selection of Mr. Farmer's backlist titles back into print.
Third in Titan's lineup is Mr. Farmer's Lord Tyger, considered by many to be Mr. Farmer's finest standalone novel. First published in 1970, the novel tells the tale of Ras Tyger, who is kidnapped by an insane millionare bent on recreating the famous Lord of the Jungle. Tyger is raised in a remote African valley by people he believes to be apes; heroic, and beautiful, he is master of his world. And he rules his kingdom with sex, savagery, and sublime innocence. But the laws of nature and those of man are set to collide....
Third in Titan's lineup is Mr. Farmer's Lord Tyger, considered by many to be Mr. Farmer's finest standalone novel. First published in 1970, the novel tells the tale of Ras Tyger, who is kidnapped by an insane millionare bent on recreating the famous Lord of the Jungle. Tyger is raised in a remote African valley by people he believes to be apes; heroic, and beautiful, he is master of his world. And he rules his kingdom with sex, savagery, and sublime innocence. But the laws of nature and those of man are set to collide....
Anne McCaffrey, R. I. P.
Anne McCaffrey Has Died - GalleyCat: Fantasy novelist Anne McCaffrey has passed away. She was 85 years old. GalleyCat confirmed the sad news with Random House this afternoon.
McCaffrey’s career began with Restoree in 1967. She went on to earn a dedicated following for her beloved series, Dragonriders of Pern. At her website, McCaffrey answered letters from dedicated fans through November.
McCaffrey’s career began with Restoree in 1967. She went on to earn a dedicated following for her beloved series, Dragonriders of Pern. At her website, McCaffrey answered letters from dedicated fans through November.
John Neville, R. I. P.
NY Daily News: Celebrated British-born actor and director John Neville died in Toronto Saturday after suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. He was 86.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
When Lillian met Dashiell
When Lillian met Dashiell (1930) | | Bill PeschelBill Peschel: She was 25, just a script reader at MGM but moving up in Hollywood’s social circles. She had befriended Lee Gershwin, Ira’s wife, and on this night, they were in Darryl Zanuck’s party. They had attended a premiere, and afterwards were ushered into a limo for the ride to the Roosevelt Hotel to watch Crosby sing. The hotel was across the street from the theater. Lee objected, but Zanuck was firm: “Walking isn’t done here. We drive.”
Dead Man #6 only 99 Cents!
If you're an Amazon Prime member, it's FREE!Amazon.com: Kill Them All (Dead Man #6) eBook: Harry Shannon, Lee Goldberg, William Rabkin: Kindle Store: Matt Cahill was an ordinary man leading a simple life until a shocking accident changed everything. Now he can see a nightmarish netherworld that exists within our own. Now he's on a dangerous quest for the answers to who he is and what he has become...and engaged in an epic battle to save us, and his soul, from the clutches of pure evil.
When Matt wanders into a struggling Nevada tourist trap recreation of an "old west" town, he's unaware that he’s being trailed by a Special Ops team of professional mercenaries hired by a University desperate to unlock the secret behind his resurrection...and that he's put everyone around him in dire jeopardy. The mercenaries have no intention of letting Matt escape...or letting any witnesses survive. Matt finds himself in a deadly bind. Somehow he must rally the peaceful citizens into defending themselves against the sadistic, well-armed mercenaries… or sacrifice himself to save them from certain death.
When Matt wanders into a struggling Nevada tourist trap recreation of an "old west" town, he's unaware that he’s being trailed by a Special Ops team of professional mercenaries hired by a University desperate to unlock the secret behind his resurrection...and that he's put everyone around him in dire jeopardy. The mercenaries have no intention of letting Matt escape...or letting any witnesses survive. Matt finds himself in a deadly bind. Somehow he must rally the peaceful citizens into defending themselves against the sadistic, well-armed mercenaries… or sacrifice himself to save them from certain death.
This Week's Experiment
Thanks to everyone who clicked the "Like" button by the title of A Vampire Named Fred last week. I don't know yet if it helped the sales, but it sure can't hurt. So let's try again. If you have a few seconds, take a look at Jack MacLane's Goodnight MooM and click that "Like" button just under the title. I thank you, my wife thanks you, and Jack thanks you.
Uh-Oh
ShortList Magazine: Turning movies into musicals is certainly nothing new.
There's been Billy Elliot, Dirty Dancing, The Wedding Singer, Sister Act and plenty of others we can't even be bothered to mention. Most of them have usually been based on more female-focused films but Sylvester Stallone is hoping to change that.
Sadly, he's not commandeering a Cliffhanger musical but is behind a stage version of Rocky instead. He's teaming up with Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko to create a sing-along take on the Oscar-winning drama. Stallone claims this was always his intention.
There's been Billy Elliot, Dirty Dancing, The Wedding Singer, Sister Act and plenty of others we can't even be bothered to mention. Most of them have usually been based on more female-focused films but Sylvester Stallone is hoping to change that.
Sadly, he's not commandeering a Cliffhanger musical but is behind a stage version of Rocky instead. He's teaming up with Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko to create a sing-along take on the Oscar-winning drama. Stallone claims this was always his intention.
Yet Another List I'm Not On
Stephen King nominated for Bad Sex awards - Telegraph: King is nominated for his new novel 11.22.63, about a teacher who travels back in time and tries to prevent the assassination of John F Kennedy. In the book, he likens sex to "a horizontal version of the Madison" dance.
Others on the shortlist include Haruki Murakami, for his 1Q84 trilogy and James Frey, for the The Final Testament of the Holy Bible, as well as Sebastian Barry and Lee Child.
Others on the shortlist include Haruki Murakami, for his 1Q84 trilogy and James Frey, for the The Final Testament of the Holy Bible, as well as Sebastian Barry and Lee Child.
I Remember When
Those Were the Days - Today in History
Tuesday, November 22, 2011JFK REMEMBERED DAY
 Generations recall watching CBS Television on this day in 1963. The popular soap opera As the World Turnswas interrupted by a flash bulletin from Dallas. No one was available to man the CBS News studio at that instant, but a voice informed the nation that President John F. Kennedy had been gravely wounded during a motorcade through downtown Dallas. |
Overlooked Movies -- A Perfect World
I'd intended to talk about this movie last week, but I overlooked it. So we can say for sure that it's an overlooked movie.A Perfect World was directed by Clint Eastwood, who plays a supporting role. The star is Kevin Costner, and if you don't think he can act, watch this movie. The setting is Texas in the 1960s, and Costner plays Butch Haynes, a killer who escapes from prison. He kidnaps a young boy who goes along with him. Eastwood is the Texas Ranger who's in their trail, along with a criminologist played by Laura Dern.
The main focus of the movie is the relationship that develops between Costner and the boy. Haynes may be a killer, but Costner shows that he's a complex one. His own background gives him a special feeling for kids, and he's quite engaging as he and the boy elude their pursuers.
You know how this one's going to end, maybe, but the road trip is well worth your time.
And so is the soundtrack. I can think of maybe four movies I've seen, after which I went immediately to a store about bought the soundtrack CD. This is one of them.
Monday, November 21, 2011
PimPage: An Occasional Feature in Which I Call Interesting Books to Your Attention
I've already read this one. Highly recommended!Amazon.com: Dark Horse (Rancho Diablo) eBook: Colby Jackson: Kindle Store: When beautiful Lizzie Payton showed up in Shooter's Cross with the magnificent black stallion Satan, Sam Blaylock's friend Duane Beatty fell for her - hard. What Duane didn't know was that Lizzie had trouble dogging her trail, trouble that would put Duane and all his friends on Rancho Diablo in danger and wind up in a blistering shootout in the streets of Shooter's Cross!
DARK HORSE is the rapid-fire fifth installment in the saga of Sam Blaylock and his friends and family as they try to make a home for themselves and carve an empire out of the wilds of frontier Texas.
RANCHO DIABLO is created and written by best-selling, award-winning novelists Mel Odom, Bill Crider, and James Reasoner.
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
OrlandoSentinel.com: Late Saturday night, Cooper went to Martin's home in the 200 block of Northwest 32nd Street and asked him for $2. When he refused, she asked him for $5. When he didn't hand over the money the second time, Cooper became outraged and attacked Martin with a steak knife, the affidavit said.
An Origin Story! Genius! Why Has No One Ever Thought of This Before?
- G4tv.com: The plan, as King lays it out, is to create an "origin story for Lara Croft that solidifies her place alongside Ellen Ripley and Sarah Connor in the pantheon of great female action heroes."
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
CBS Washington: A Portsmouth woman faces up to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to beheading her boyfriend’s piglet.
First It Was the Thin Mints Melee . . .
Bus driver in banana attack nightmare - The Local: A woman ran onto the bus, and threw a half-eaten banana into bus driver Zekerija Velagic's eye. The 46-year-old woman from Skane has now been fined for the incident, reported newspaper Aftonbladet.
I'm Sure This Is True of all the Men Reading This Blog
Telegraph: On average men spend 81 minutes a day on personal grooming, including cleansing, toning and moisturising, shaving, styling hair and choosing clothes, the study found.
MWA Awards Update
Mystery Writers of America Announces Martha Grimes as 2012 Grand Master
Plus Ellery Queen and Raven Awards
November 21, 2011 – New York, NY– Martha Grimes has been chosen as this year’s Grand Master by Mystery Writers of America (MWA). MWA's Grand Master Award represents the pinnacle of achievement in mystery writing and was established to acknowledge important contributions to this genre, as well as a body of work that is both significant and of consistent high quality. Ms. Grimes will be presented with her award at The Edgar Awards Banquet, which will be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City on Thursday, April 26, 2012. When told of being named Grand Master, Grimes said, “I was, for once, speechless. Thank you very much for making me a Grand Master.”
Martha Grimes is the best-selling author, known for her three outstanding mystery series: the Richard Jury, Andi Olivier, and Emma Graham series. She is also the author of several acclaimed fiction books outside the mystery genre including Foul Matter, Cold Flat Junction,Hotel Paradise, The End of The Pier and The Train Now Departing. She has in fact, published a book (sometimes two) every year for the past 25 years!
Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Martha Grimes began as a poet, but then turned to mystery novels. Martha sent her first novel “over the transom” to several publishers. In 1979 an editor at Little, Brown, Inc. found the book in the “slush pile” and offered to publish The Man with a Load of Mischief with a first printing of 3,000 copies. It was published in 1981, and since then Grimes’s legions of fans have devoured 22 books in this series. The most recent, The Black Cat, was published in 2010. Biting the Moon, the first book in the Andi Olivier series was published in 1999. The plot focused on the prevention of animal abuse and featured two teenage heroines. Grimes donated two-thirds of her royalties to animal abuse organizations across the country.
Martha Grimes currently splits her time between Washington, DC and Santa Fe.
Previous Grand Masters include Sara Paretsky, Dorothy Gilman, James Lee Burke, Sue Grafton, Bill Pronzini, Stephen King, Marcia Muller, Dick Francis, Mary Higgins Clark, Lawrence Block, P.D. James, Ellery Queen, Daphne du Maurier, Alfred Hitchcock, Graham Greene, and Agatha Christie.
One mystery bookstore and one outstanding individual supporting the mystery book genre will be honored with the 2012 Raven Award. Established in 1953, the award recognizes outstanding achievement in the mystery field outside the realm of creative writing. M is for Mystery in San Mateo, CA and Molly Weston of Meritorious Mysteries will be honored with the 2012 Raven Awards.
M is for Mystery opened its doors in 1996, and is one of the strongest and most visible mystery bookstores in North America. Owner and founder Ed Kaufman, along with his wife Jeannie, are devoted champions of the mystery genre. With the closing of the San Francisco Mystery Bookstore, M is for Mystery remains the only mystery bookstore between Los Angeles and Portland.
The bookstore hosts authors and mystery writers from all over the USA and across the globe, with an average of 150-200 book signings a year. Kaufman and his staff are an integral part of the community, and host book events at libraries, at the Noir City film festival and at conferences. They connect readers and authors through personal recommendations, their newsletter (over 4000 subscribers in 30+ states and 15 foreign countries) and special programs (Signed and Selected and Mystorical, which highlight recommended texts in contemporary and historical mystery). They offer hard cover and paperback mysteries published in the UK, books which are not sold at any other bookstore in Northern California.
The Kaufmans said, “We are thrilled to be honored with the MWA Raven Award. It is a distinction that puts us in the company of many wonderful mystery bookstores nationwide that have previously received this award. We wish to acknowledge the support of all our loyal customers over these fifteen years, and the many great authors who have come to the store to speak, sign, and lend their creative spark.“
Molly Weston of Apex, North Carolina, is the blogger behind Meritorious Mysteries. She is a media escort and editor of the Sisters in Crime newsletter. Weston reads 200 mysteries a year and has been reviewing and lecturing about mysteries for over twenty years. She hosts mystery authors (in particular women authors) and books them into stores, libraries, and other venues in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area. In the last six months, she’s hosted the Older Hotter Deadlier tour, the Lethal Ladies Tour, Ladies on the Lam Tour, and the Dangerous Dames tour!
“Helping mystery readers find new authors, and great authors find new readers, has given me incredible pleasure for many years. To be honored as the recipient of this year's MWA Raven Award is indeed a highlight of my life” says Weston.
The 2012 Ellery Queen Award will be given to Joe Meyers of the Connecticut Post/HearstMedia News Group. The Ellery Queen award is given to editors or publishers who have distinguished themselves by their generous and wide-ranging support of the genre,
Joe Meyers writes about mystery/thriller books, reviews them, and blogs about them for theConnecticut Post. He consistently reviews not only bestselling mystery authors, but lesser know authors as well. His reviews are thoughtful and perceptive, and his criticism is constructive. He is a scholar of mystery and crime fiction, attending conferences and moderating panels. Joe was one of the first reviewers on Twitter to write about mystery/thriller books and authors.
When told of the award he said, "To say I was bowled over by the news of this award is an understatement. I feel so lucky to work for a news organization that supports me in reviewing crime fiction and doing profiles of so many of the figures in the mystery field. I know I am part of an endangered species, so I try to relish every day I spend on the job. I am deeply honored that an organization I respect so much would single me out for giving mystery writers and their work the attention they deserve."
Previous Raven winners include Centuries & Sleuths Bookstore in Chicago, Once Upon a Crime Bookstore in Minneapolis, Mystery Lovers Bookstore in Oakmont, PA, Kate’s Mystery Books in Cambridge, MA, and The Poe House in Baltimore, MD.
Previous Ellery Queen winners include Kate Stine and Brian Skupin, co-publishers of Mystery Scene Magazine, Carolyn Marino, Vice President/Executive Editor, Harper Collins, and Ed Gorman.
The Edgar Awards, or "Edgars," as they are commonly known, are named after MWA's patron saint Edgar Allan Poe and are presented to authors of distinguished work in various categories. MWA is the premier organization for mystery writers, professionals allied to the crime-writing field, aspiring crime writers, and those who are devoted to the genre. The organization encompasses more than 3,000 members including authors of fiction and non-fiction books, screen and television writers, as well as publishers, editors, and literary agents. For more information on Mystery Writers of America, please visit the website: www.mysterywriters.org
# # #
The EDGAR (and logo) are Registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office by the Mystery Writers of America, Inc.
FTL Update
Study rejects ‘faster than light’ particle finding | The Raw Story: An international team of scientists in Italy studying the same neutrino particles colleagues say appear to have travelled faster than light rejected the startling finding this weekend, saying their tests had shown it must be wrong.
The September announcement of the finding, backed up last week after new studies, caused a furor in the scientific world as it seemed to suggest Albert Einstein’s ideas on relativity, and much of modern physics, were based on a mistaken premise.
The September announcement of the finding, backed up last week after new studies, caused a furor in the scientific world as it seemed to suggest Albert Einstein’s ideas on relativity, and much of modern physics, were based on a mistaken premise.
Once Again, Texas Leads the Way
Wild boars from Texas invading Mexican farmland | The Raw Story: Mexican officials have unveiled plans to slaughter some 50,000 wild boars that have crossed the border from the United States and now threaten agriculture in Mexico.The Ministry of Environment in Chihauha state said some 1,500 hectares (3,700 acres) of farmland in the border town of Ojinaga have been affected by the large number of feral pigs that have come from Presidio County, Texas.
Stay Classy, Aussies!
Crocodile 'given bikini wax and pedicure' in bad PR stunt by spa
Tasteful photo at the link.
Hat tip to Jeff Meyerson.
Archaeology Update
Whales in the desert: Fossil bonanza poses mystery: Experts say other groups of prehistoric whales have been found together in Peru and Egypt, but the Chilean fossils stand out for their staggering number and beautifully preserved bones. More than 75 whales have been discovered so far - including more than 20 perfectly intact skeletons.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
The Platinum Loop -- Austin Williams
Austin Williams is the author of Crimson Orgy, which I reviewed a few years ago. The Platinum Loop is his second novel, and it's quite a bit different from his earlier one.It's 1973. Gene Hoffman is a producer of sleazy films. He's broke and needs cash badly. Floyd Manning is a guy who hustles celebrity memorabilia. The two meet cute (or brutal), and Floyd tells Gene about the choicest item in his collection, a porn loop, once the property of J. Edgar Hoover, starring none other than a famous blonde whose initials are MM. Sell the loop, get rich. Simple, right? Well, not exactly. Gene's not telling Floyd the whole truth about himself, and Floyd isn't exactly being square with Gene. Complications, as we like to say, ensue. Lots of them.
The plot moves quickly, the sleazy characters live up to their sleaziness, and there are even some laughs along the way. Besides all that, there are some interesting settings, off-the-Strip Las Vegas in the '70s, with Hollywood and Tijuana thrown into the mix. Off-beat, off-kilter adventure. Check it out.
Incredibly Intricate Historic Libraries
Incredibly Intricate Historic Libraries: This day an age of technology we can’t forget the analog internet cafes with dark wood, detailed workmanship, leaded glass windows and tier after towering tier of books – classic historic libraries are a bibliophile’s dream.
And Keep Off His Lawn!
Mail Online: An elderly grandfather has been hailed a hero after fighting off a knife wielding robber at the petrol station where he worked armed only with a bottle of wine.
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