Monthly Archives: December 2009

TALKING ABOUT DETECTIVE FICTION By P. D. James

There’s nothing scholarly about P. D. James’ Talking About Detective Fiction. P. D. James simply talks about detective fiction, mostly the British variety, in this slim volume. James likes G. K. Chesterton, especially the Father Brown series. She hasn’t much positive to say about Agatha Christie. James dismisses Christie as a puzzle maker. In the brief chapter on American crime writers, Hammett and Chandler are mentioned. James really likes Sara Paretsky. And Ross Macdonald. If you’re looking for a working writer’s take on her genre, TALKING ABOUT DETECTIVE FICTION should fill your need. No index. GRADE: B

DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS?

Surprising as this sounds, I actually thought Did You Hear About the Morgans? was mildly entertaining. Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker play an estranged couple who witness a murder. They are whisked off to a Witness Protection Program site in Ray, Wyoming. Their guardians are Sam Elliot and Mary Steenburgen. The rural beauty works its magic. The sparks begin to fly. Yes, this a routine romantic comedy. Nothing special. But Parker plays the hyper New Yorker perfectly. Hugh Grant…plays Hugh Grant perfectly. GRADE: C+

AVATAR IN 3D




WOW! That’s my initial reaction to James Cameron’s AVATAR. I can’t wait to see it again! The eye-popping graphics, the intelligent use of 3D, and the breakthroughs in world-building will make AVATAR one of those touchstone movies like Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Yes, the plot is a little clunky. It’s the greedy Civilization vs. the spiritual Primitives model. But Cameron keeps the amazement level so high, you’ll be lost in the brilliant color, action, and excitement. Once again, James Cameron proves he is “King of the World.” In this case, the world is called Pandora. Rick Robinson suggested I focus on the James Horner soundtrack and I did. The music is evocative and compelling. What are you waiting for? Go see AVATAR! GRADE: A+

FORGOTTEN BOOKS #48: TOM SWIFT AND THE CAVES OF NUCLEAR FIRE By Victor Appleton II

Frequent readers of this blog and/or my fanzine, MAZES, will be amazed to learn I was pretty much a non-reader in Third Grade. Somehow Dick and Jane, Spot and Fluff, did nothing to excite my imagination. My Mom, in desperation, bought me a copy of Tom Swift and the Caves of Nuclear Fire for a Christmas present. When I unwrapped the book, I immediately started reading it. I didn’t put it down until I had finished reading the book. I noticed several other Tom Swift titles listed on the dust jacket and said, “I want these other books, too.” So the very next day, my Mom took me to a bookstore and she bought every Tom Swift book they had, all in all about eight more titles. My Mom’s worries about her non-reading son disappeared forever. After I had read all the Tom Swift books, the Hardy Boys were next, and even some Nancy Drews. And then there was no stopping me. But it all started with Tom Swift and the Caves of Nuclear Fire. I’m eternally grateful that my Mom was concerned enough to take an action that changed my life so profoundly at such a young age.

THE SUPERGIRLS: FASHION, FEMINISM, FANTASY, AND THE HISTORY OF COMIC BOOK HEROINES By Mike Madrid

If you’re a fan of Wonder Woman, Angel, Lightning Lass, Saturn Girl, Storm, Super-Girl, Batwoman, and dozens of other superheroines, this book is for you. Author Mike Madrid goes decade by decade exploring the changing roles of women with special powers. As a cultural history, The Supergirls explores the evolving characters of women within the comic book genre. This encyclopedic volume is the only one I know of that focuses on female superheroes exclusively. My only quibble about The Supergirls centers on the lack of color graphics Madrid could have used to illustrate his data. But, perhaps that would have made the book unreasonably expensive (I paid about $10 for this trade paperback edition). Madrid packs plenty of information and humor in this breezy history. GRADE: A-

THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR: A MILITARY HISTORY By John Keegan

John Keegan writes brilliant military history books: The Face of Battle, The Mask of Command, Soldiers, and a dozen more. The books are clearly written and accessible to the average reader. Keegan’s latest book, The American Civil War brings his British objectivity to bear on our most disturbing and horrific war. Some readers will chafe while Keegan puts the economic, political, and social factors behind the Civil War into perspective for the first hundred pages. But then the analysis of the key battles begin and the surprises mount. Who knew so many Southerners fought without shoes? Who knew the South led the world in submarine technology? Keegan even brings in Karl Marx who predicted the South would lose because of the North’s economic power. In about 360 pages, Keegan manages to capture the essence of the Civil War in ways that made me reexamine familiar history and make it new again. I hope someone like James Reasoner, who has written extensively on the Civil War, comments on this volume. I thought it was magnificent! GRADE: A

BARGAIN OF THE WEEK: A WINTER’S SOLSTICE

Twenty-five years ago, I picked up the first Windham Hill A Winter’s Solstice CD, there are now eight CDs in the series. I get annoyed with most traditional Christmas music. We have two radio stations here who start broadcasting 24-hour Christmas music right after Halloween! A Winter’s Solstice presents “seasonal” music that acts as an antidote to all those tired Christmas carols. And AMAZON has it on sale for $6.99! If you’re looking for instrumental music that doesn’t get repetitious and dull with repeated playing, give A Winter’s Solstice a try.
Here’s the track list:
1. Greensleeves – Steve Erquiaga
2. When Earth’s Last Picture Is Painted – Richard Schönerz
3. Gathering – Tracy Silverman, Thea Suits-Silverman
4. Silver Swans – Paul McCandless
5. Shades of White – Jim Brickman
6. Col Partir la Bella Clori – Steve Erquiaga, Joan Jeanrenaud
7. Moon Lake – W.G. Snuffy Walden
8. Come, All Ye Shepherds – Barbara Higbie
9. Beneath the Trees – Philip Aaberg, Will Ackerman
10. Down in Yon Forest – Brian Dunning, Jeff Johnson & Brian Dunning
11. Maiden Chant – Liz Story
12. When Comes December – Tim Story
13. Queen’s Prayer – Ozzie Kotani

WHEN YOU REACH ME By Rebecca Stead


Rebecca Stead’s tricky When You Reach Me is a homage to Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time. Twelve-year-old Miranda lives with her single mom in New York City. Through a series of events, Miranda learns she’s part of a time-travel scenario. When I heard librarian Nancy Pearl praise this book on National Public Radio’s Morning Edition last week, I knew I had to read it. I love time travel stories and this Young Adult novel captures the paradoxes and tangled logic perfectly for its audience. Don’t miss this one! GRADE: B+

EVERYBODY’S FINE

Everybody is NOT fine in Everybody’s Fine. Robert De Niro plays a retired plastics worker whose wife has just died. He tries to get his four adult children to come home for a weekend together, but all four find reasons not to return home. De Niro decides to surprise them with a visit. So for seemingly endless hours we watch De Niro take trains and buses to visit his children in New York City, Chicago, Denver, and Vegas. There’s a crisis and suddenly a mawkish ending appears. How Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale, and Sam Rockwell ended up wasting their time in this fluff film is perplexing. With a cast like this, a much much better movie should have been the result. Instead, the cast was completely wasted by Kirk Jones’ lame script and lamer direction. What a stinker! Beware! GRADE: F

DANCING IN THE DARK: A CULTURAL HISTORY OF THE GREAT DEPRESSION By Morris Dickstein

Morris Dickstein loves impossible quests. Years ago Dickstein tried to capture the Zeitgeist of the 1960’s in Gates of Eden: American Culture in the Sixties. Dancing in the Dark follows that same model: Dickstein riffs on the music, movies, and books of the decade. Clearly, even 600 pages isn’t enough to capture the cultural history of such an important time in America. But Dickstein does his best analyzing what he considers the key book of the decade, Henry Roth’s Call It Sleep. Raymond Chandler gets a brief mention. Then it’s off to the music of the Depression centering around the Gershwins. I found Dickstein’s treatment of the movies of the Thirties the weakest part of the book. But there are other books like John Howard Reid’s Award-Winning Films of the 1930s to supplement that gap. All in all, Dickstein’s book gives an intelligent overview of the decade and its art. GRADE: B