I know it’s hard to believe, but when I was a youngster I was not a reader. My Mom worried about this and then for Christmas, she gave me a copy of Tom Swift and the Caves of Nuclear Fire. I read the book the same day and asked for more. The next day she took to a department store that had children’s books and bought me three more Tom Swift books. Those books ignited a passion for reading that burns in me today. After I had read all the Tom Swift books, I moved on to the Hardy Boys. This started a love of mysteries that I still enjoy today. Later, I found out my favorite Hardy Boy mysteries (the original 22) were written by Leslie McFarlane. The later books in the Hardy Boy series didn’t have the impact of those early volumes. I moved on to the Rick Brant series (but that’s another story). Did the Hardy Boys influence your reading? Check out the original book covers above).
Hardy Boy books attributed to Leslie McFarlane:
The Tower Treasure (1927)
The House on the Cliff (1927)
The Secret of the Old Mill (1927)
The Missing Chums (1928)
Hunting for Hidden Gold (1928)
The Shore Road Mystery (1928)
The Secret of the Caves (1929)
The Mystery of Cabin Island (1929)
The Great Airport Mystery (1930)
What Happened at Midnight (1931)
While the Clock Ticked (1932)
Footprints under the Window (1933)
The Mark on the Door (1934)
The Hidden Harbor Mystery (1935)
The Sinister Signpost (1936)
A Figure in Hiding (1937)
The Secret Warning (1938) (unintentional collaboration with John Button)
The Flickering Torch Mystery (1943)
The Melted Coins (1944)
The Short-Wave Mystery (1945)
The Secret Panel (1946)
The Phantom Freighter (1947)
It seems like yesterday when I began contributing to Patti Abbott’s Friday Forgotten Books. But this is my 200th posting and I want to thank you all for reading these missives about great books of the past.

You guessed it: I’m a sucker for a book like The Art of the Epigraph. Rosemary Ahern collects 250 examples of the quotations, song lyrics, invented snippets, and jokes that launch some of our greatest books. Ahern organizes the epigraphs by themes: Life, Tell the Truth, Love, The River of Time, etc. If your favorite writers include Flaubert, Edith Wharton, Virginia Woolf, Patti Smith, George Eliot, Vladimir Nabokov, C. S. Lewis, Lorrie Moore, Samuel Johnson, Karl Marx, Susan Sontag, and Mary Higgins Clark you’ll really enjoy this book. I did. GRADE: A

Here’s a gift suggestion for that hard-to-buy-for gamer on your shopping list: The Greatest Video Game Music. These two volumes present much of the best video game music out there (check out the Track Lists below). The London Philharmonic Orchestra gives the music more gravitas than many video game themes probably deserve, but if you’re a fan of this type of music (much of it has a military sound…lots of drums!) these two CDs should delight you. Check out the sample below, too.
TRACK LISTING:
Volume One:
1. Advent Rising: Muse
2. Legend of Zelda: Suite
3. Call of Duty – Modern Warfare 2: Theme
4. Angry Birds: Main Theme
5. Final Fantasy VIII: Liberi Fatali
6. Super Mario Bros: Themes
7. Uncharted – Drake s Fortune: Nate’s Theme
8. Grand Theft Auto IV: Soviet Connection
9. World of Warcraft: Seasons of War
10. Metal Gear Solid: Sons of Liberty Theme
11. Tetris Theme
12. Battlefield 2: Theme
13. Elder Scrolls: Oblivion
14. Call of Duty 4 – Modern Warfare: Main Menu Theme
15. Mass Effect: Suicide Mission
16. Splinter Cell: Conviction
17. Final Fantasy: Main Theme
18. Bioshock: The Ocean on his Shoulders
19. Halo 3: One Final Effort
20. Fallout 3: Theme
21. Super Mario Galaxy: Gusty Garden Galaxy
VOLUME TWO:
1. Assassin’s Creed – Revelations: Main Theme 4:47
2. Elder Scrolls – Skyrim: Far Horizons 5:15
3. Legend of Zelda – the Windwaker: Dragon Roost Island 3:40
4. Final Fantasy VII: One-Winged Angel 4:11
5. Mass Effect 3: a Future For the Krogan/An End Once and For All 4:56
6. Halo: Never Forget/Peril 3:49
7. Sonic the Hedgehog: a Symphonic Suite 6:22
8. Chrono Trigger: Main Theme 3:11
9. Luigi’s Mansion: Main Theme 3:14
10. Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep: Fate of the Unknown 3:33
11. Super Metroid: a Symphonic Poem 5:49
12. Diablo III: Overture 3:55
13. Batman Arkham City: Main Theme 2:57
14. Deus Ex-Human Revolution: Icarus Main Theme 3:48
15. Fez: Adventure 3:28
16. Portal: Still Alive 3:07
17. Little Big Planet: Orb of Dreamers (The Cosmic Imagisphere)

Maybe it’s the stress and strain of the end-of-semester chaos that drove me to retreat back into my childhood when I’d spend whole afternoons reading Batman and Justice League comic books. I was in BJ’s Warehouse and spied this new Blu-ray edition (so new AMAZON doesn’t even have it yet) for a pittance. I bought it and enjoyed FOUR HOURS of Batman: Gotham Knight and The Justice League: The New Frontier. Both of these have been released a few years ago, but this Double Feature Blu-ray packages these animated features for dirt cheap. If you need to revisit your childhood, this Batman/Justice League double feature will take you there for the price of popcorn at a movie theater. GRADE: B+

I’m a sucker for books like My Ideal Bookshelf. La Force and Mount have gathered the favorite books of many writers and personalities and presented them in a unique fashion. Some of the book choices come from Malcolm Gladwell, Thomas Keller, Michael Chabon, Alice Waters, James Patterson, Maira Kalman, Judd Apatow, Chuck Klosterman, Miranda July, Alex Ross, Nancy Pearl, David Chang, Patti Smith, Jennifer Egan, and Dave Eggers among others. My Ideal Bookshelf is a browser’s delight. And, for that hard-to-buy-for book lover on your Christmas list, My Ideal Bookself would be an ideal present!

The Seattle Seahawks vs. Buffalo Bills game will be played in Toronto, Canada at the Rogers Center (a dome stadium). Rumors abound that there’s so little interest in this game among the Canadians that some of the tickets are being discounted heavily. Bills fans, who watched their team give up a WIN in the last minute of last week’s game against the Rams, have no interest in this game. What’s happening with your favorite NFL team? The Playoffs are just three weeks away!

I liked The Hobbit. Yes, it’s a tad too long at two hours and 49 minutes. And, yes, there’s padding (but it’s so well done I didn’t mind it). We’re back in Peter Jackson’s Middle Earth with the wizard Gandalf the Gray (Ian McKellen) and Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and a dozen dwarves. They’re on a quest to reclaim the home of the dwarves: lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug. The scenery is spectacular. I almost want to travel to New Zealand (where the film was shot) to see the magnificent mountains and valleys. After a slow start, the action picks up and the last 30 minutes will take your breath-away. I can’t wait for the next two episodes! GRADE: A-

If you are a fan of H. P. Lovecraft’s Cthuthu Mythos, you might find these novels of Brian Lumley entertaining. Lumley is best known for his Necroscope series. But early in his career, Lumley wrote these horror novels which TOR Books reprinted in the late 1990s. The books are available online and in most libraries. Titus Crow is a an amalgam of Sherlock Holmes and Indiana Jones. Volume One is an omnibus edition of The Burrowers Beneath (giant malignant worms!) and The Transition of Titus Crow (attack of the Hounds of Tindalos!). Volume Two includes The Clock of Dreams and Spawn of the Winds. Volume Three concludes with In the Moons of Borea and Elysia . Try as he might, Lumley cannot capture the trademark Lovecraft dread in these novels. Yes, scary horrible things attack our hero. But the atmosphere cannot approach Lovecraft’s best work like “The Dunwich Horror” or “Pickman’s Model.” Still, I found these Cthuthu Mythos novels amusing and you might too.

The students in my MARKETING class gave me a Christmas card at the end of our last class. All the students in the class signed it and many wrote messages, too. The message in the middle of the card was “Happy Holidays to the best teacher ALIVE!!!” Some people wonder why I’m still teaching. Here’s one reason why.

While I was shopping at Sam’s Club, I looked at the usually pathetic CD offerings. And, guess what jumped out at me? Carly Simon: Original Album Series with Carly Simon’s first five albums! This cool set includes Carly Simon, Anticipation, No Secrets, Hot Cakes, and Playing Possum (with the album cover that generated tons of erotic dreams when I was a teenager). This nice package was only $19.86. I also checked AMAZON by putting “Original Album Series” in the search box and up popped over 30 other box sets by artists I listen to (Hall & Oates, Aretha Franklin, Madonna, etc.) all assembled by Rhino. Check out the sample listing below to get an idea of what you would be buying.
Tim Buckley, Original Album Series (Elektra/Rhino (U.K.), 2011)

Disc 1: Tim Buckley (originally released as Elektra EKS-74004, 1966)

Disc 2: Goodbye and Hello (originally released as Elektra EKS-74028, 1967)

Disc 3: Happy Sad (originally released as Elektra EKS-74045, 1969)

Disc 4: Blue Afternoon (originally released as Straight STS-1060, 1969)

Disc 5: Lorca (originally released as Elektra EKS-74074, 1970)

CHIC, Original Album Series (Atlantic/Rhino (U.K.), 2011)

Disc 1: CHIC (originally released as Atlantic SD-19153, 1977)

Disc 2: C’est CHIC (originally released as Atlantic SD-19209, 1978)

Disc 3: Risqué (originally released as Atlantic SD-16003, 1979)

Disc 4: Real People (originally released as Atlantic SD-16016, 1980)

Disc 5: Take It Off (originally released as Atlantic SD-19323, 1981)

Bobby Darin, Original Album Series (ATCO/Rhino (U.K.), 2011)

Disc 1: Darin at The Copa (originally released as ATCO SD 33-122, 1960)

Disc 2: For Teenagers Only (originally released as ATCO 1001, 1960)

Disc 3: Bobby Darin and Johnny Mercer, Two of a Kind (originally released as ATCO SD 33-122, 1961)

Disc 4: Love Swings (originally released as ATCO SD 33-134, 1961)

Disc 5: Twist with Bobby Darin (originally released as ATCO SD 33-138, 1961)

The Doobie Brothers, Original Album Series (Warner Bros. Records/Rhino (U.K.), 2011)

Disc 1: Toulouse Street (originally released as Warner Bros. Records BS-2364, 1971)

Disc 2: The Captain and Me (originally released as Warner Bros. Records BS-2694, 1973)

Disc 3: What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits (originally released as Warner Bros. Records W-2750, 1974)

Disc 4: Stampede (originally released as Warner Bros. Records BS-2835, 1975)

Disc 5: Takin’ It to the Streets (originally released as Warner Bros. Records BS-2899, 1976)

Sérgio Mendes, Original Album Series (Atlantic/Rhino (U.K.), 2011)

Disc 1: The Swinger from Rio (originally released as Atlantic SD-1434, 1965)

Disc 2: In Person at El Matador (originally released as Atlantic SD-8112, 1965)

Disc 3: The Great Arrival (originally released as Atlantic SD-1466, 1966)

Disc 4: The Beat of Brazil (originally released as Atlantic SD-1480, 1967)

Disc 5: Sérgio Mendes’ Favorite Things (originally released as Atlantic SD-8177, 1968)

Bette Midler, Original Album Series (Atlantic/Rhino (U.K.), 2011)

Disc 1: The Divine Miss M (originally released as Atlantic SD-7238, 1972)

Disc 2: Bette Midler (originally released as Atlantic SD-7270, 1973)

Disc 3: Songs for the New Depression (originally released as Atlantic SD-18155, 1976)

Disc 4: Broken Blossom (originally released as Atlantic SD-19151, 1977)

Disc 5: The Rose: Original Soundtrack Recording (originally released as Atlantic SD-16010, 1979)

Ministry, Original Album Series (Sire/Rhino (U.K.), 2011)

Disc 1: Twitch (originally released as Sire 25309, 1986)

Disc 2: The Land of Rape and Honey (originally released as Sire 25799, 1988)

Disc 3: The Mind is a Terrible Thing to Taste (originally released as Sire 26004, 1989)

Disc 4: In Case You Didn’t Feel Like Showing Up (Live) (originally released as Sire 26266, 1990)

Disc 5: ΚΕΦΑΛΗΞΘ (Psalm 69) (originally released as Sire 26727, 1992)

Montrose, Original Album Series (Warner Bros./Rhino (U.K.), 2011)

Disc 1: Montrose (originally released as Warner Bros. BSK-3106, 1973)

Disc 2: Paper Money (originally released as Warner Bros. BS-2823, 1974)

Disc 3: Warner Bros. Presents Montrose! (originally released as Warner Bros. BS-2892, 1975)

Disc 4: Jump on It (originally released as Warner Bros. BS-2963, 1976)

Disc 5: Ronnie Montrose, Open Fire (originally released as Warner Bros. BSK-3134, 1978)

Randy Newman, Original Album Series (Warner Bros./Rhino (U.K.), 2011)

Disc 1: Randy Newman (originally released as Reprise RS-6286, 1968)

Disc 2: 12 Songs (originally released as Reprise RS-6373, 1970)

Disc 3: Sail Away (originally released as Reprise MS-2064, 1972)

Disc 4: Good Old Boys (originally released as Reprise MS-2193, 1974)

Disc 5: Little Criminals (originally released as Warner Bros. BSK-3079, 1977)

Pantera, Original Album Classics (ATCO/Rhino (U.K.), 2011)

Disc 1: Cowboys from Hell (originally released as ATCO 91372, 1990)

Disc 2: Vulgar Display of Power (originally released as ATCO 91758, 1991)

Disc 3: Far Beyond Driven (originally released as EastWest 92302, 1994)

Disc 4: The Great Southern Trendkill (originally released as EastWest 61908, 1996)

Disc 5: Reinventing the Steel (originally released as EastWest 62451, 2000)

Carly Simon, Original Album Classics (Elektra/Rhino (U.K.), 2011)

Disc 1: Carly Simon (originally released as Elektra EKS-75016, 1971)

Disc 2: Anticipation (originally released as Elektra EKS-74082, 1971)

Disc 3: No Secrets (originally released as Elektra EKS-75049, 1972)

Disc 4: Hotcakes (originally released as Elektra 7E-1002, 1974)

Playing Possum (originally released as Elektra 7E-1033, 1975)

Sister Sledge, Original Album Classics (Atlantic/Rhino (U.K.), 2011)

Disc 1: Circle of Love (originally released as ATCO SD 36-105, 1975)

Disc 2: Together (originally released as Cotillion SD-9919, 1977)

Disc 3: We Are Family (originally released as Cotillion SD-5209, 1979)

Disc 4: Love Somebody Today (originally released as Cotillion SD-16012, 1980)

Disc 5: All-American Girls (originally released as Cotillion SD-16027, 1981)

The Young Rascals, Original Album Series (Atlantic/Rhino (U.K.), 2011)

Disc 1: The Young Rascals (originally released as Atlantic SD-8123, 1966)

Disc 2: Collections (originally released as Atlantic SD-8134, 1967)

Disc 3: Groovin’ (originally released as Atlantic SD-8148, 1967)

Disc 4: Once Upon a Dream (originally released as Atlantic SD-8169, 1968)

Disc 5: Freedom Suite (originally released as Atlantic SD-2901, 1969)