Saturday, October 10, 2015

I Want to Believe!

Relatives have ‘proof’ Alcatraz escapees are still alive

When Roger Ebert Made an X-Rated Movie

When Roger Ebert Made an X-Rated Movie

Song of the Day

Nine Pound Hammer - YouTube:

10 Books That Were Banned For All The Wrong Reasons

10 Books That Were Banned For All The Wrong Reasons

Today's Vintage Ad


This Butcher Shop is Britain's Oldest Family-Owned Business

Neatorama: They're not precisely sure when their business was founded. But RJ Balson and Son has on file a business license granted in 1515. And for that entire 500-year period, this butcher shop in Bridport, Dorset, UK, has been owned and operated by the same family.

PaperBack



Brett Halliday (Davis Dresser), When Dorinda Dances, Dell

A field guide to 19 of today’s best character actors

Scene-stealers and familiar faces: A field guide to 19 of today’s best character actors 

5 Huge Movies That Shamelessly Ripped Off One TV Show

5 Huge Movies That Shamelessly Ripped Off One TV Show

Or Maybe You Did

What you didn’t know about the 'Star Wars' cantina scene 

The Arizona Trash Castle With a Heartbreaking Secret

The Arizona Trash Castle With a Heartbreaking Secret: Today, a metal crocodile that Mary Lou has called "the lizard of Oz" stands guard over the trap door. 

Friday, October 09, 2015

A Review of Interest (To Me, Anyway)

Forgotten Books: Blood Marks by Bill Crider

Say Yes to the Death -- Susan McBride

Andrea (Andy) Kendricks is the Debutante Dropout, and this is the 6th book in the series about her.  The setting is Dallas, Texas, which is fun for me because even though I'm not a Dallas resident, I recognized a lot of the places mentioned in the course of the story, which begins at a high society wedding attended by Andy and her mother, Cissy.

Andy has a clothing malfunction and meets the wedding planner, who happens to be Olivia La Belle, known as La Belle from Hell back in Andy's school days, and she doesn't seem to have changed a bit.    One of the bridesmaids has dropped out at the last minute, and Olivia needs a replacement.  Andy needs a dress.  Olivia bullies her into wearing the bridesmaid's dress and taking part in the wedding.  Not too long afterward, Olivia is murdered.

The primary suspect in the killing is sweet old Millicent Draper, longtime friend of Andy and her mother.  She wouldn't kill anyone, would she?  Andy doesn't think so, and she's soon amateur sleuthing all over the place with a bit of help from her fiance, Brian Malone, who's also Millie's lawyer; her mother; and her best friend, reporter Janet Graham.

Zippy first-person narration, a plot complicated by some sexual revelations, and a lot of humor.  It all adds up to an entertaining cozy and a nice change of pace from some of the bleaker material I read.  Check it out.

I'm Sure You'll All Agree

Best TV Shows Ever: Top 100 Television Programs 

Song of the Day

Etta James - Trust In Me - YouTube:

Today's Vintage Ad


Science Explains Why Some Movies Make Millions

Science Explains Why Some Movies Make Millions (While Others Flop)

13 Facts About L. Frank Baum’s 'Wonderful Wizard of Oz'

13 Facts About L. Frank Baum’s 'Wonderful Wizard of Oz

A Brief History of Practical Effects in Cinema in 10 Movies

A Brief History of Practical Effects in Cinema in 10 Movies

PaperBack



Dorothy Cameron Disney, The Strawstack Murders, Dell, 1944