The Cincinnati Bengals take on the well rested Tennessee Titans. The Bengals are 5-point underdogs. A lot of people think the Bengals can pull off the upset…but I’m not one of them.
The frozen tundra of Lambeau Field welcomes the San Francisco 49ers who humiliated the Dallas Cowboys last week (heads will roll). The well rested Packers should handle the 49ers who are 6-point underdogs.
Who do you think will win these games?
In his excellent Introduction, Richard A. Lupoff discusses the history of pocket-sized paperbound books designed for mass-market consumption. The Art of Pulp Fiction specifically concentrates on the paperback publishing industry from 1940 to 1970. The Art of Pulp Fiction chronicles the rise of the paperback format–at times at the expense of hardcover books–which appealed to a new audience of readers.
The Art of Pulp Fiction explores all the genres–Science Fiction, Fantasy, Westerns, Spy Novels, Mysteries, etc.–and includes wonderful cover artwork from the paperbacks of that era. The Art of Pulp Fiction is a feast for the eyes! Don’t miss this one! GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction: A bright new morning / by Richard A. Lupoff — 8
In the beginning: dime novels, proto-paperbacks, and pocket books — 10
The floodgates open: publishers surge into an exciting new marketplace — 26
Gats, gals, and gumshoes: crime and mystery novels, hard-boiled and otherwise — 44
Saddles, six-guns, and sagebrush: Westerns, and the cactus cavaliers that made them popular — 64
Adventurers, past and present: spies, pirates, warriors, explorers, and soldiers of fortune — 84
Distant planets, future threats: science fiction migrates from the pulps to paperbacks — 104
Terror tales, fantasy worlds: tales of horror, the supernatural, and the imagination — 124
Changing times, new directions: post-World War II social issues influence paperback fiction — 144
The pulp-hero revival: Tarzan, the Shadow, Doc Savage, the Spider, and others — 164
Sex on the sleazy side: softcore sex novels promise more than they deliver —
Toiling at typewriters: paperback authors who enjoyed remarkable success — 184
Brilliant brushwork: paperback artists whose striking covers guaranteed sales — 218
Afterword: Paperbacks since 1970 — 232
Index — 236
Picture Credits/Acknowledgements — 239
Contributors — 240
It’s just been 10 years ago when these songs and artists were celebrated. But, how many of these songs are still played and how many of these artists are still around?
Certainly Adele–who just released a new album last month–is still around. The same for Taylor Swift. Katy Perry seems to have faded. Rihanna left music to make millions in fashion. Lady Antebellum morphed into the politically correct Lady A. Sadly, Amy Winehouse is no longer with us.
I do hear “Rolling In The Deep,” “Grenade,” “Firework,” “Moves Like Jagger,” and “What’s My Name” on local radio stations. The rest of these songs…not so much.
Do you remember these artists and songs from a decade ago? Any favorites? GRADE: B+
| 1 | Adele (3)– | Rolling In The Deep Producer – Paul Epworth | 3:48 |
| 2 | Bruno Mars– | Grenade Producer – The Smeezingtons | 3:41 |
| 3 | Katy Perry– | Firework Producer – Sandy Vee, StarGate (2) | 3:44 |
| 4 | Maroon 5 Feat. Christina Aguilera– | Moves Like Jagger Producer – Benny Blanco (3), Shellback (2) | 3:22 |
| 5 | Nicki Minaj– | Super Bass Producer – Kane* | 3:24 |
| 6 | Rihanna Feat. Drake– | What’s My Name? Producer – StarGate (2) | 3:51 |
| 7 | J. Cole– | Work Out Producer – J. Cole | 3:48 |
| 8 | Lady Gaga– | Yoü And I Producer – Lady Gaga, Robert John “Mutt” Lange* | 4:08 |
| 9 | Foster The People– | Pumped Up Kids Producer – Mark Foster (9 | 3:33 |
| 10 | Skrillex– | Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites (Edit)Producer – Skrillex | 3:19 |
| 11 | Coldplay– | Paradise Producer – Daniel Green*, Markus Dravs, Rik Simpson | 4:39 |
| 12 | Foo Fighters– | Walk Producer – Butch Vig | 4:18 |
| 13 | The Band Perry– | If I Die Young Producer – Paul Worley | 3:36 |
| 14 | Mumford & Sons– | The Cave Producer – Markus Dravs | 3:37 |
| 15 | Bon Iver– | Holocene Producer – Justin Vernon | 4:19 |
| 16 | Lady Antebellum– | Just A Kiss Producer – Lady Antebellum, Paul Worley | 3:38 |
| 17 | Taylor Swift– | Mean Producer – Nathan Chapman, Taylor Swift | 3:58 |
| 18 | Blake Shelton– | Honey Bee Producer – Scott Hendricks | 3:18 |
| 19 | Eric Church– | Drink In My Hand Producer – Jay Joyce | 3:12 |
| 20 | The Black Keys– | Dearest Producer – Matt Sweeney, The Black Keys | 2:06 |
| 21 | Jason Aldean With Kelly Clarkson– | Don’t You Wanna Stay Producer – Michael Knox | 3:17 |
| 22 | Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse– | Body And Soul Producer – Dae Bennett, Phil Ramone | 3:21 |
I picked up this book in a thrift store for pennies. The book is published by Word Cloud Classics and features a number of novels and stories, mostly from the early 20th Century.
The oldest story is Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” a tale many claim as the first detective story.
Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers are represented by two solid mysteries. Sherlock Holmes solves “The Adventure of the Creeping Man,” and John Buchan takes us up those scary 39 steps that Hitchcock made famous.
This entertaining collection is rounded out by Chesterton, Bramah, and Freeman stories. If you’re looking for a big, fat book of mysteries, Classic Tales of Mystery delivers plenty of enjoyment. GRADE: B+
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Murder on the Links (1923) by Agatha Christie — 1
The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1841) by Edgar Allan Poe — 213
Whose Body? (1923) by Dorothy Sayers –255
The Adventure of the Creeping Man (1923) by Arthur Conan Doyle –441
The Blue Cross (1910) by G. K. Chesterton — 467
The Coin of Dionysius (1914) by Ernest Bramah — 491
The Anthropologist at Large (1909) by R. Austin Freeman –511
The Thirty-nine Steps (1915) by John Buchan — 537
If you’re looking for something wacky and different, Peacemaker fits the bill. Peacemaker is an American television series created by James Gunn for the streaming service HBO Max, based on the DC Comics character Peacemaker. It is the first DC Extended Universe (DCEU) television series and a spin-off from the 2021 film The Suicide Squad. It follows Christopher Smith / Peacemaker as he joins the black ops squad “Project Butterfly”.
After recovering from the injuries he suffered during the events of The Suicide Squad (2021), Christopher Smith / Peacemaker is forced to join the mysterious A.R.G.U.S. black ops squad “Project Butterfly”, who are on a mission to identify and eliminate parasitic butterfly-like creatures in human form around the United States and the world.
John Cena stars as the title character, reprising his role from The Suicide Squad. Gunn wrote all eight episodes of the series while completing work on The Suicide Squad. Filming took place in Vancouver, Canada, from January to July 2021, with Gunn directing five of the episodes.
Plenty of action and mayhem result from the missions as Peacemaker and his colleagues take on a menacing, mysterious threat.
Peacemaker premiered on HBO Max on January 13, 2022 with its first three episodes. The rest of the series is being released weekly through February 17. If you enjoyed The Suicide Squad you’ll enjoy the antics and mis-adventures of this band of homicidal misfits. Check out the trailer below. GRADE: B+
Snowstorm Izzy (I love The Weather Channel names for these storms) arrived in Western New York at 9 P.M. last night and snowed all night long. We have 18 inches of snow on the ground and more on its way: the weather guessers predict another 6 inches of snow before this storm moves away.
I’ve been starting Big Orange every day last week in preparation for this snow event so it was no surprise when my trusty snowblower fired right up! I snowblowed the driveway, sidewalks, my neighbor’s sidewalks, and I even snowblowed the widow’s driveway across the street.
Did Snowstorm Izzy affect you? Hundreds of thousands of people in North Carolina and Virginia don’t have power because of the icy conditions and downed trees and power lines.
The Philadelphia Eagles rested their starters last Sunday so we’ll see if that strategy works against Tom Brady and the Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Kick off is at 1 P.M on FOX. Tampa Bay is favorited by 9 1/2 points. I think the Eagles are toast.
The San Francisco 49ers are a mere 3-point underdog to the mighty Dallas Cowboys so something is up in this 4:30 P.M. game on CBS. The Cowboys should win…but I’m going with the Niners.
On paper, the Steelers vs. Chiefs looks like a laugher. The Chiefs are favored by 12 1/2 points! The game kicks off at 8:30 P.M. on NBC. Could this game be over by Half-time? It looks that way to me!
The NFL constantly experiments with the Playoff format to maximize the audience for its games. This year, there’s a Monday Night Football Playoff game on ABC/ESPN at 8:15 P.M. between the Arizona Cardinals and the LA Rams. The Rams are favored by 4-points but the Cardinals can be dangerous with phenom Kyler Murray. I’d be tempted to take the Cards and the points.
Who do you think will win these games?
Super Wild Card Weekend kicks off with a 4:15 P.M. game on NBC between the Raiders and the Bengals. The Bengals are favored by 5 points. The Raiders won’t like the frigid temperatures in Cincinnati! I think the Bengals will win, but not cover the spread.
The game all Buffalo Bills fans have been waiting for kicks off at 8:15 P.M. on CBS. The Bills are favored by 4 points, but the weather will be arctic with temperatures around ZERO degrees. The Bills should win, but anything can happen in this kind of weather!
Who do you think will win these Playoff games?
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)
| DISC ONE: | 1967 – 1969 | ||
| 1-1 | Bob Dylan– | Like A Rolling Stone | 6:09 |
| 1-2 | Buffalo Springfield– | For What It’s Worth | 2:37 |
| 1-3 | Moby Grape– | Omaha | 2:22 |
| 1-4 | Quicksilver Messenger Service– | Dino’s Song | 3:07 |
| 1-5 | Donovan– | Season Of The Witch | 4:56 |
| 1-6 | The Doors– | Crystal Ship | 2:33 |
| 1-7 | The Jimi Hendrix Experience– | Spanish Castle Magic | 3:02 |
| 1-8 | Cream (2)– | Crossroads | 4:12 |
| 1-9 | The Who– | I Can See For Miles | 4:07 |
| 1-10 | The Jimi Hendrix Experience– | All Along The Watchtower | 4:00 |
| 1-11 | Jeff Beck Group– | Beck’s Bolero | 2:53 |
| 1-12 | Big Brother And The Holding Company*– | Piece Of My Heart | 4:14 |
| 1-13 | The Band– | The Weight | 4:36 |
| 1-14 | The Byrds– | Wasn’t Born To Follow | 2:02 |
| 1-15 | Johnny Winter– | Highway 61 Revisited | 5:05 |
| 1-16 | Jefferson Airplane– | 3/5 Of A Mile In 10 Seconds | 4:45 |
| 1-17 | Traffic– | Dear Mr. Fantasy | 5:32 |
| DISC TWO: | 1969 – 1970 | ||
| 2-1 | MC5– | Kick Out The Jams | 2:59 |
| 2-2 | Santana– | Everybody’s Everything | 3:29 |
| 2-3 | The Steve Miller Band*– | My Dark Hour | 3:08 |
| 2-4 | Neil Young– | The Loner | 3:53 |
| 2-5 | Bob Dylan– | Lay Lady Lay | 3:19 |
| 2-6 | Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young– | Ohio | 3:00 |
| 2-7 | Boz Scaggs– | Loan Me A Dime | 12:33 |
| 2-8 | The Jackson 5– | I Want You Back | 2:57 |
| 2-9 | Sly And The Family Stone*– | Thank You (Falettin Me Be Mice Elf Agin) | 4:53 |
| 2-10 | John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band*– | Working Class Hero | 3:51 |
| 2-11 | Creedence Clearwater Revival– | Fortunate Son | 2:21 |
| 2-12 | Eric Clapton– | Blues Power | 3:09 |
| 2-13 | The Grateful Dead– | Casey Jones | 4:27 |
| 2-14 | The Allman Brothers Band– | Dreams | 7:18 |
| 2-15 | Led Zeppelin– | Friends | 3:54 |
| DISC THREE: | 1971 – 1973 | ||
| 3-1 | Rod Stewart– | Maggie May | 5:14 |
| 3-2 | The Who– | Won’t Get Fooled Again | 8:31 |
| 3-3 | Stevie Wonder– | Superstition | 4:26 |
| 3-4 | Marvin Gaye– | What’s Going On | 3:48 |
| 3-5 | Joni Mitchell– | California | 3:49 |
| 3-6 | Paul Simon– | Mother And Child Reunion | 3:06 |
| 3-7 | Randy Newman– | Sail Away | 2:52 |
| 3-8 | The Eagles*– | Take It Easy | 3:31 |
| 3-9 | Bonnie Raitt– | Give It Up (Or Let Me Go) | 4:30 |
| 3-10 | Little Feat– | Dixie Chicken | 3:51 |
| 3-11 | The Allman Brothers Band– | Ramblin’ Man | 4:44 |
| 3-12 | Derek And The Dominos*– | Bell Bottom Blues | 5:02 |
| 3-13 | Mott The Hoople– | All The Young Dudes | 3:31 |
| 3-14 | Lou Reed– | Walk On The Wild Side | 4:12 |
| 3-15 | Bob Dylan– | Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door | 2:30 |
| DISC FOUR: | 1973 – 1977 | ||
| 4-1 | David Bowie– | Rebel Rebel | 4:31 |
| 4-2 | Ry Cooder– | It’s All Over Now | 4:53 |
| 4-3 | Bob Marley And The Wailers*– | No Woman No Cry | 3:42 |
| 4-4 | Elton John– | Daniel | 3:55 |
| 4-5 | James Taylor (2)– | Mexico | 2:59 |
| 4-6 | Bob Dylan– | Simple Twist Of Fate | 4:19 |
| 4-7 | Neil Young– | Tonight’s The Night | 4:44 |
| 4-8 | Led Zeppelin– | Trampled Under Foot | 5:36 |
| 4-9 | Bruce Springsteen– | Born To Run | 4:32 |
| 4-10 | Graham Parker– | Heat Treatment | 3:07 |
| 4-11 | Ramones– | Blitzkrieg Bop | 2:14 |
| 4-12 | Fleetwood Mac– | Go Your Own Way | 3:39 |
| 4-13 | Bonnie Raitt– | Runaway | 3:23 |
| 4-14 | Jackson Browne– | The Pretender | 5:51 |
| 4-15 | The Eagles*– | Hotel California | 6:27 |
| 4-16 | Wings (2)– | Maybe I’m Amazed | 5:18 |
| DISC FIVE: | 1977 – 1982 | ||
| 5-1 | The Sex Pistols*– | God Save The Queen | 3:21 |
| 5-2 | Television– | See No Evil | 3:54 |
| 5-3 | Elvis Costello– | Watching The Detectives | 3:44 |
| 5-4 | The Patti Smith Group*– | We Three | 4:18 |
| 5-5 | Ian Dury And The Blockheads– | Sex & Drugs & Rock ‘n’ Roll | 3:05 |
| 5-6 | Warren Zevon– | Werewolves Of London | 3:27 |
| 5-7 | Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers– | Refugee | 3:22 |
| 5-8 | Ry Cooder– | Little Sister | 3:46 |
| 5-9 | The Kinks– | A Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy | 5:01 |
| 5-10 | Dire Straits– | Sultans Of Swing | 5:47 |
| 5-11 | The Cars– | Just What I Needed | 3:45 |
| 5-12 | The Clash– | Train In Vain (Stand By Me) | 3:09 |
| 5-13 | The Pretenders– | Brass In Pocket | 3:04 |
| 5-14 | U2– | I Will Follow | 3:37 |
| 5-15 | Prince– | When U Were Mine | 3:44 |
| 5-16 | Richard And Linda Thompson*– | Wall Of Death | 3:44 |
| 5-17 | Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five*– | The Message | 7:10 |
| DISC SIX: | 1982 – 1986 | ||
| 6-1 | Eurythmics– | Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) | 4:52 |
| 6-2 | The J. Geils Band– | Freeze Frame | 3:58 |
| 6-3 | Prince– | Little Red Corvette | 5:05 |
| 6-4 | Talking Heads– | Life During Wartime | 5:53 |
| 6-5 | Sting– | If You Love Somebody Set Them Free | 4:15 |
| 6-6 | Don Henley– | The Boys Of Summer | 4:50 |
| 6-7 | Prince– | When Doves Cry | 5:55 |
| 6-8 | Bruce Springsteen– | Born In The U.S.A. | 4:38 |
| 6-9 | U2– | Pride (In The Name Of Love) | 3:48 |
| 6-10 | Madonna– | Borderline | 3:58 |
| 6-11 | Cyndi Lauper– | She Bop | 3:49 |
| 6-12 | Paul Simon– | Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes | 5:49 |
| 6-13 | John Mellencamp*– | Rain On The Scarecrow | 3:45 |
| 6-14 | Jackson Browne– | Lives In The Balance | 4:12 |
| 6-15 | Foreigner– | I Want To Know What Love Is | 4:59 |
| DISC SEVEN: | 1986 – 1992 | ||
| 7-1 | Bangles– | Manic Monday | 3:06 |
| 7-2 | Run-D.M.C.*– | Walk This Way | 5:13 |
| 7-3 | The Robert Cray Band– | Smoking Gun | 4:07 |
| 7-4 | Living Colour– | Cult Of Personality | 4:56 |
| 7-5 | The B-52’s– | Love Shack | 5:24 |
| 7-6 | The Grateful Dead– | Touch Of Grey | 5:48 |
| 7-7 | Don Henley– | The End Of The Innocence | 5:15 |
| 7-8 | Tracy Chapman– | Talkin’ Bout A Revolution | 2:40 |
| 7-9 | Public Enemy– | Fight The Power | 4:46 |
| 7-10 | Vaughan Brothers*– | White Boots | 3:48 |
| 7-11 | Bonnie Raitt– | Thing Called Love | 3:53 |
| 7-12 | The Black Crowes– | Hard To Handle | 3:11 |
| 7-13 | R.E.M.– | Losing My Religion | 4:29 |
| 7-14 | Robbie Robertson– | Shake This Town | 5:21 |
| 7-15 | Spin Doctors– | Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong | 3:53 |