Saturday, July 29, 2017

Chemo #1 Completed

Just got back from M.D. Anderson, and chemo treatment #1 of the new regimen is in the books.  I'll find out in a few days what the side-effects will be, if any.  My doctor said I wouldn't lose my hair again, but the nurse today said I would.  People over there can't get their stories straight.  Anyway, I'm feeling okay now, and I'm glad the first treatment is out of the way.  Five more to go.

Hardboiled, Noir and Gold Medal -- Rick Ollerman

Stark House has done wonderful work by reprinting many of the great paperback writers of the '50s and '60s, not to mention original fiction, but this nonfiction work by Rick Ollerman is one of the most important books the imprint has done.  It contains all the fine introductions that Ollerman has written for various Stark House volumes and some new essays as well.  The one on Charles Williams is the best I've read on that author and his work (even though I don't agree 100% with everything in it; just most of it).   If you didn't get the book for any other reason, that essay is worth the price.  Highly recommended.

It's Good to Have a Goal

This Couple Has Spent the Past 30 Years Visiting Every Cracker Barrel in the U.S.

Song of the Day

(14) Stray Cats - Stray Cat Strut - YouTube:

The Story Of The Serial Killer That Frightened New Orleans Remains Unsolved

The Story Of The Serial Killer That Frightened New Orleans Remains Unsolved

Today's Vintage Ad


How Cellophane Changed the Way We Shop

How Cellophane Changed the Way We Shop

PaperBack



Andre Norton (Alice Mary Norton), Shadow Hawk, Ace, 1963

10 Unsolved Pirate Mysteries That Will Shiver Your Timbers

10 Unsolved Pirate Mysteries That Will Shiver Your Timbers

Jane Green: By the Book

Jane Green: By the Book - The New York Times: The author of “The Sunshine Sisters” is drawn to books by their covers: “There is still nothing like browsing in a bookstore with all the time in the world, allowing myself to be drawn to whatever catches my eye.”

Another Guessing Game

Two more paperback writers, one well known and the other not so much.  Taken in Florida around 1950.  Photo courtesy of Bill Pronzini.

First It Was the Thin Mints Melee

Police: Argument over Magic the Gathering card game leads to stabbing: ST. CLOUD, Minn. (KMSP) - A 31-year-old St. Cloud man is facing assault charges after allegedly stabbing a 20-year-old man seven times over an argument during a Magic the Gathering card game early Friday morning, according to St. Cloud police.

Friday, July 28, 2017

Tabloids’ stock-in-trade is celebrity body shaming

Tabloids’ stock-in-trade is celebrity body shaming

Song of the Day

(13) Buddy Holly - Rave on! - YouTube:

13 most controversial movies of all time

13 most controversial movies of all time

Today's Vintage Ad


12 Things Called ‘French’ In English and Whether They're Actually French

12 Things Called ‘French’ In English and Whether They're Actually French

PaperBack



William Ard, The Perfect Frame, Popular Library, 1952

I Miss the Old Days

The Rise and Fall of the Great American Motel: Mom and pop motels once dominated American highways. Now, they’re an endangered species

Do You Recognize these Two Florida Paperback Writers?

Photo courtesy of Rick Ollerman.