Prolific writer Basil Copper is best known for his Sherlock Holmes pastiches featuring Solar Pons. But, Copper wrote a variety of novels. I had this Mike Faraday mystery for years and finally got around to reading it.

First published in 1967 and set in Los Angeles, Scratch On the Dark features private eye Mike Faraday who specializes in cases that involve Hollywood. When Dr. Nathan Crisp hires Faraday to find his wayward wife, fading movie star Zarah Fayne, Faraday finds himself dealing with a professional killer, a pornography ring, and treachery.

Basil Copper wrote 52 Mike Faraday mysteries. They remind me of Carter Brown’s Rick Holman mysteries that centered around Hollywood starlets. If you’re in the mood for an old-fashioned private-eye tale with humor, action, and surprises I recommend Scratch On the Dark. GRADE: B

I missed this box set when it was released in 1993. Through chance and serendipity, I found this set online and decided to buy it. As you might notice in the lower right-hand corner, the TIME-LIFE logo announces this was a set that was mostly marketed on TV.

The seven music CDs cover 1967 through 1992. As far as I can determine, there hasn’t been an update to this set. Trying to capture the best of rock & roll of 25 years is an impossible task. But, there are plenty of great songs on these discs. Do you see any of your favorites? What songs are missing? GRADE: B+ (for the entire set)

Tracklist:

Sometimes I’m caught up in a wave of Nostalgia and reread a book that takes me back to my youth. I first read Doctor to the Stars when it was first published in 1964 by Pyramid Books–a publisher who no longer exists. No, Doctor to the Stars is NOT a Hollywood tell-all Exposé. It’s a collection of Murray Leinster’s stories about a doctor named Calhoun who practices his medical across interstellar space.

I was about 15 years old when I first read Doctor to the Stars. I’m sure the eye-catching John Schoenherr cover artwork had something to do with it. In the mid-1960s, I vacillated my reading between Science Fiction and Mysteries. This was about the time I binged on a couple dozen Agatha Christie mysteries.

Rereading these stories brought back that Sense of Wonder I loved as a kid. Are you fan of Murray Leinster? What do you reread? GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

“The Grandfather’s War,” Astounding Science Fiction, October 1957 — 7

“Med Ship Man,” Galaxy Science Fiction, October 1963 — 75

“Talian Three (aka, “The Hate Disease”), Analog Science Fact/Science Fiction, August 1963 — 120

Joel Coen’s first solo effort without his brother, Ethan, stars Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand. The Tragedy of Macbeth is in theaters now and will be available on Apple TV on January 14. Frances McDormand wanted the Coen Brothers to make The Tragedy of Macbeth for years and finally wore Joel Coen down.

Patti Abbott rightly points out that Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand are too old for the roles they play in this film. But Joel Coen’s skill in producing this compelling black & white version of The Tragedy of Macbeth despite some of the obvious limitations is a marvel to watch.

I’ve seen more versions of Macbeth than any other Shakespeare play. The first was in an English class in High School where I first read Macbeth and we acted out parts of it. In college, I was required to take a Shakespeare class and once again, Macbeth was on the syllabus along with Hamlet and King Lear. My Professor, Michael McCandless, was a brilliant Shakespearean scholar who would read portions of the plays to us with his wonderful tenor voice.

And then there’s the movie versions I’ve seen over the years:

• Macbeth (US and UK, 1971)
  • Roman Polanski, director
  • Jon Finch as Macbeth
  • Francesca Annis as Lady Macbeth
• Macbeth (TV, UK, 1979) – film of the Royal Shakespeare Company‘s Other Place production.
  • Trevor Nunn, director
  • Ian McKellen as Macbeth
  • Judi Dench as Lady Macbeth
• Macbeth (UK, 1981)
  • Arthur Allan Seidelman, director
  • Jeremy Brett as Macbeth
  • Piper Laurie as Lady Macbeth

• Macbeth (TV, UK, 2010) – television adaptation of Royal Shakespeare Company’s stage production.
  • Rupert Goold, director
  • Patrick Stewart as Macbeth
  • Kate Fleetwood as Lady Macbeth

• Macbeth (UK, 2015)
  • Justin Kurzel, director
  • Michael Fassbender as Macbeth
  • Marion Cotillard as Lady Macbeth

What do you think of The Tragedy of Macbeth? Do you have a favorite performance? I would rank this Coen version very high. Check out the trailer below. GRADE: A-

It’s just like deja vu all over again…only worse! Back in January 2021, there was hope the vaccines would end the Coronavirus Pandemic. Sure, we got our Moderna shots and Booster, but millions of anti-vaxxers and anti-mask doofuses set the stage for the Summer surge of the Delta Variant. And now we’re facing the even more contagious Omicron Variant. The chances of contracting Covid-19 have never been greater!

The velocity of the spread of Omicron staggers our healthcare system. We’re dealing with early a million new positive tests per day, the last 7-day average of Covid-19 deaths in the U.S. was 1,664. On top of that, a shortage of Covid-19 test kits, Ron DeSantis’s casual insouciance in throwing away a million test kits “because they weren’t necessary,” long lines at testing sites, and a huge undercount of infections because people testing positive at home aren’t factored into the statistics adds to the mess.

Our hospitals are overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients. Elective surgeries have been canceled. Most schools and colleges in our area retreated to “remote learning.”

Amid all this chaos, the wit and wisdom of Patti, Jeff, Deb, Rick, Beth, Todd, Art, Willam, Maggie, Bob, Tracy, Carl, Lauren, Steve, Jerry, Wolf, Stan, Dan, Neeru, Michael, Byron, Elgin, Angela, Scott, Jim, John, Kevin, Randy, James, Kent, Fred, and Matthew as well as all of you who make this blog a part of your day brought hope and sanity in these times of despair and outrage and frustration.

Thank you, thank you very much.

The NY Jets vs. Buffalo Bills game has been “flexed” from a 1:00 P.M. kickoff to a 4:30 P.M. kickoff. No matter. It will be rainy and windy whenever they play this game today. If the Bills defeat the Jets–the Bills are 17-point favorites–they become the Champions of the AFC East and get to host a home Playoff game next week. How will your favorite NFL team perform today? Are you happy with this season?

For the first time in decades, I didn’t snowblow in November or December. Yes, I had Big Orange tuned up and ready to go, but all we received in November and December were dustings of snow that melted away the next day.

But yesterday, Buffalo was hit with 18 inches of snow from a Lake Effect event. It snowed constantly all day long. We, in North Tonawanda, just a few miles north of Buffalo, received only 3 inches of the White Stuff. But that was enough snow to qualify for revving up Big Orange and cleaning our driveway and sidewalks. Two lady neighbors were struggling shoveling their driveways so Big Orange and I helped them out, too.

Are you getting any snow? What’s the weather like in your neighborhood?

This volume from 1964 includes two of my favorite SF stories: Jack Vance’s “Green Magic” and Richard McKenna’s “Hunter, Come Home.” I’m also fond of Ron Goulart’s Max Kearny stories of a supernatural events investigator. “McNamara’s Fish” is my favorite story of that series.

Other outstanding stories are Alfred Bester’s “They Don’t Make Life Like They Used To” and one of the better Zenna Henderson stories of The People (with powers), “Deluge.” All in all, another solid anthology. GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

 Introduction by Avram Davidson — i

The Golden Brick (1963) by P. M. Hubbard — 6

Peggy and Peter Go to the Moon (1963) by Don White — 18

Now Wakes the Sea (1963) by J. G. Ballard — 21

Green Magic (1963) by Jack Vance — 34

Captain Honario Harpplayer, R.N. (1963) by Harry Harrison — 49

Treaty in Tartessos (1963) by Karen Anderson — 61

Hunter, Come Home (1963) by Richard McKenna — 67

McNamara’s Fish [Max Kearny] (1963) by Ron Goulart — 112

Niña Sol (1963) by Felix Marti-Ibanez — 131

They Don’t Make Life Like They Used To (1963) by Alfred Bester — 150

What Strange Stars and Skies (1963) by Avram Davidson — 188

Eight O’Clock in the Morning (1963) by Ray Faraday Nelson — 212

Deluge [The People] (1963) by Zenna Henderson –219

I’m not sure these particular “20 Huge Hits” define the 1980s but I’m guessing most of you recognize a majority of these songs. The outlier for me is Herbie Hancock’s “Rockit.”

Who doesn’t like Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance”? My main complaint about these twenty songs is that only three of them are sung by women. Many female groups and solo artists rocked the 80s, but they’re not represented here.

Do these songs bring back the 1980s for you? Any favorites here? GRADE: B+

TRACK LIST:

When I was about 11 years old, I discovered Rudyard Kipling. Actually I discovered The Jungle Book and all the wonderful stories about very strange places and creatures. I immediately grabbed The Second Jungle Book and loved that almost as much as the first book. Later, I read Kipling’s novels, Kim and Captains Courageous.

Somehow I missed Kipling’s Just So Stories (1902). Maybe I saw an edition with the full title: Just So Stories for Little Children and thought I was too grown up for that since I was on the cusp of becoming a teenager.

But now, at 72, I finally read Just So Stories and came under the spell of Kipling’s magic again. So did Jonathan Stroud but he has me beat by decades. Stroud’s father loved Just So Stories and read them to his small son. Stroud remembers his father making him laugh with these stories that blend silliness and cleverness.

Rudyard Kipling was a born story-teller and these Just So Stories appeal to children of all ages. If you’re looking for some delightful stories to read, here they are. Are you fan of Kipling? GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction by Jonathan Stroud — v

1. How the Whale Got His Throat – why the larger whales eat only small prey. — 1
2. How the Camel Got His Hump – how the idle camel was punished and given a hump. — 13
3. How the Rhinoceros Got His Skin – why rhinos have folds in their skin and bad tempers. — 25
4. How the Leopard Got His Spots – why leopards have spots. — 37
5. The Elephant’s Child/How the Elephant Got His Trunk – how the elephant‘s trunk became long. — 53
6. The Sing-Song of Old Man Kangaroo – how the kangaroo assumed long legs and tail. — 71
7. The Beginning of the Armadillos – how a hedgehog and tortoise transformed into the first armadillos. — 83
8. How the First Letter Was Written – introduces the only characters who appear in more than one story: a family of cave-people, called Tegumai Bopsulai (the father), Teshumai Tewindrow (the mother), and Taffimai Metallumai, shortened to Taffy, (the daughter), and explains how Taffy delivered a picture message to her mother. — 99
9. How the Alphabet Was Made – tells how Taffy and her father invent an alphabet. — 119
10. The Crab that Played with the Sea – explains the ebb and flow of the tides, as well as how the crab changed from a huge animal into a small one. — 141
11. The Cat that Walked by Himself – explains how man domesticated all the wild animals, even the cat, which insisted on greater independence. — 161
12. The Butterfly that Stamped – how Solomon saved the pride of a butterfly, and the Queen of Sheba used this to prevent his wives scolding him. — 183
13. The Tabu Tale (missing from most British editions; first appeared in the Scribner edition in the U.S. in 1903). and missing from this volume.

BONUS MATERIAL: Author File, Who’s Who in the Just So Stories, Some Things to Do…, Did You Know…?, and Glossary.