Back in 1972, T. E. D. Klein wrote an Lovecraftean story, “The Events at Poroth Farm.” It made The Year’s Best Horror Stories. Then, in 1984, T.E.D. Klein expanded his brilliant horror story into a 505-page novel. Klein cranked up the horror and the dread in this story of an ancient alien about to destroy our world.

What makes Klein’s story so effective is contrast of the mundane story of life on a small farm in New Jersey with the growing menace of the evil entity. If you’re looking for an classic horror novel, The Ceremonies is one of the best.  GRADE: A

This is another TIME/LIFE compilation of songs from the early 1970s. And like similar TIME/LIFE compilations, this 2-CD set is a mish-mash of styles. You have The Grateful Death next to Richie Havens. You have James Taylor next to Bryan Hyland. And, you have multiple songs by Cat Stevens and Marvin Gaye. Do you recognize these songs? Any favorites? GRADE: B

Tracklist

Imagine my surprise when I found this set of DVDs in our local Salvation Army store. Here was the entire ACORN/BBC set of all Hercule Poirot’s cases. I watched them all on our local PBS station over the years and loved them. I even bought a couple of smaller sets of Poirot episodes. But now I have them all in one lovely box set. And the cost…$3.99. AMAZON is selling this set for $299! Do you have a favorite Poirot episode? GRADE: A+

Generous Beth Fedyn sent me this wonderful book with its humor and love of reading. Grant Snider’s clever drawings capture all the aspects of reading and collecting books: the angst, the joy, the disappoints, and thrills. As a book lover, you’ll enjoy this fun book with its wit and celebration of books! Highly recommended! What’s on your bookshelf? GRADE: A

Table of Contents:

• I’m in love with books
• I read in social situations
• I will use anything as a bookmark
• I confuse fiction with reality
• I am wanted for unpaid library fines
• I steal books from my children
• I like my realism with a little bit of magic
• I like to sniff old books
• I am searching for a miracle cure for writer’s block
• I care about punctuation-a lot
• I will read the classics (someday)
• I am writing the great American novel
• I carry a notebook with me at all times
• I write because I must.

I hope you don’t mind me asking…can I borrow a few books?

The high-flying Seattle Seahawks (6-1) arrive in balmy Buffalo (game temperature in the 70s!) to take on the struggling Buffalo Bills (6-2). Last week, against the decimated New England Patriots, it took a fumble recovery (with 37 seconds left in the game!) by the hapless Bills Defense to prevent the Patriots from either tying or winning the game.

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson gets my vote for NFL MVP. He’s clearly the best quarterback in the league. Wilson is a touchdown machine and with the brilliant wide receiver, DK Metcalf, the Seahawks lead the NFL in scoring. With the unusually warm November weather, conditions are perfect for a high-scoring game! The Seahawks are 3 point favorites, but I think they’ll beat the Bills by more than that. How will your favorite NFL team fare today?

Carlos Lozada of the Washington Post, read 150 books about Donald J. Trump. Lozada chronicles the shock and disbelief of America’s intellectual class when Trump defeated Hillary Clinton despite the polls that said Clinton was ahead of Trump (and of course the same thing happened in 2020).

Then we had the four years of Trump’s savaging of environmental regulations, his dismantling of the Pandemic Response unit, Trump’s corruption of the Justice Department, his withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accords, and Trump’s ineffectual trade wars.

Early in 2020 it looked like Trump was headed for a Second Term as President. And then the coronavirus hit. Trump’s massive mis-management of the Covid-19 response is surely one of the reasons he lost the Presidential Election. Lozada adds analysis from dozens of books that explain how Trump was able to fool so many people so much of the time. What Were We Thinking is one of the Best Books of 2020! GRADE: A

How do you feel about the 2020 Presidential Election now? My response is below:

Table of Contents:

Introduction 1

1 Heartlandia 9

2 Resistible 34

3 The Conservative Pivot 54

4 Beyond the Wall 79

5 True Enough 99

6 See Some I.D. 124

7 Him, Too 146

8 The Chaos Chronicles 170

9 Russian Lit 199

10 In Plain View 217

Epilogue 243

Acknowledgments 249

Index 253

“Wade Miller” like “Ellery Queen” is a combination of two writers. Bob Wade and Bill Miller’s Badge of Evil (written under their “Whit Masterson” pseudonym) became the classic noir movie, Touch of Evil, directed by Orson Wells. Wade Miller is also known for the Max Thursday Private Eye novel series.

Stark House collects two standalone crime novels, Devil May Care (1950) and Sinner Take All (1960)–both books originally published in paperback by Gold Medal. Devil May Care features a soldier-of-fortune in decline. Biggo Venn arrives in Mexico looking to make a score that will set him up for the rest of his life. Instead, Biggo gets involved with a troubled bargirl, Jinny Wagner, and events get complicated fast.

Sinner Take All ups the stakes as ex-military figure James Cox, now working as a horse trainer, is recruited as an assassin. Mexican General Gayoso, wants former senator and now powerful newspaper-owner, Bruno Lazar, killed. James Cox agrees to eliminate Lazar at a friend’s funeral in Tijuana. As in most Wade Miller novels, the hero gets involved in a love triangle and is forced to make Life and Death decisions.

This Stark House omnibus presents two suspenseful noir novels from the golden days of Gold Medal paperbacks. If you’re looking for suspense, excitement, and action Devil May Care/Sinner Takes All will take you on a thrill ride. GRADE: B+

TRACK LIST:

Diane and I saw Luther Vandross in concert twice. Both performances were sold-out with enthusiastic fans. I like Vandross’s smooth voice and his musical style. And, of course, I own plenty of Luther Vandross CDs.

One of my favorite Luther Vandross CDs is Songs, a collection of cover versions of popular hits. Some are classic songs like “What the World Needs Now.” Others are Motown hits like “Reflections” which the Supremes made popular and “Hello,” a Lionel Richie song that hit Number One on the Billboard chart.

Do you recognize any of these songs? Are you a Luther Vandross fan? GRADE: A