Action, action, and more action. That’s the strategy behind Mission Impossible–Fallout written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie. Tom Cruise plays Ethan Hunt, head of the Impossible Missions team. His sidekicks, Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg, provide technical assistance and banter. The Impossible Missions Force faces a nuclear threat by terrorists led by Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), a former MI6 agent gone rogue. The plot races from Paris to London to Kashmir. In each location, there’s an eye-popping or jaw-dropping ballet of violence and serious stunt work. Tom Cruise was injured during the incredible helicopter sequence and his face shows it on the screen. No CGI stuff during these wild chases and perilous acts of cinematic physicality! The Real Deal up on the screen crackles with authenticity. Don’t miss this one! GRADE: A

The classic story in this anthology is Tom Godwin’s “The Cold Equations,” a story of Life and Death. Walter M. Miller’s “The Will” shows how a young boy, dying of cancer, finds a way to deal with his fate. Andre Norton makes her first appearance in this series with a clever little story, “Mousetrap.” Frank Herbert’s first SF story, “Nightmare Blues,” launches his career. My favorite story is Clifford D. Simak’s version of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, “How-2.” More science fiction magazines find representation in this volume. You can see the changes in the mid-1950s taking hold. GRADE: A-
TABLE OF CONTENTS:T
The Science-Fiction Year, by T. E. Dikty
The Cold Equations, by Tom Godwin (ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION, August 1954)
“Of Course”, by Chad Oliver (ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION, May 1954)
“Dominions Beyond”, by Ward Moore (The Saturday Evening Post, August 28, 1954)
“Guilty as Charged”, by Arthur Porges (The New York Post, Sunday November 27th, 1955)
“Careless Love”, by Albert C. Friborg (aka, “Push Button Passion,” THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION, July 1954)
“Memento Homo”, by Walter M. Miller, Jr. (aka, “Death of a Spaceman,” AMAZING STORIES, March 1954)
“Mousetrap”, by Andre Norton (THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION, June 1954)
“Christmas Trombone”, by Raymond E. Banks (THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION, January 1954)
“One Thousand Miles Up”, by Frank M. Robinson (SCIENCE STORIES, April 1954; by “Robert Courtney”)
“How-2”, by Clifford D. Simak (GALAXY SCIENCE FICTION, November 1954)
“Heirs Apparent”, by Robert Abernathy (THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION, June 1954)
“John’s Other Practice”, by Winston K. Marks (IMAGINATION, July 1954)
“The Inner Worlds”, by William Morrison (THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION, April 1954)
“The Will”, by Walter M. Miller, Jr. (FANTASTIC, January-February 1954)
“Felony”, by James Causey (GALAXY SCIENCE FICTION, July 1954)
“The Littlest People”, by Raymond E. Banks (IF, March 1954)
“One Way Street”, by Jerome Bixby (Amazing Stories, December 1953-January 1954)
“Axolotl”, by Robert Abernathy (aka, “Deep Space,” THE MAGAZINE OF FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION, January 1954)
“Exile”, by Everett B. Cole (ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION, January 1954)
“Nightmare Blues”, by Frank Herbert (aka, “Operation Syndrome,” ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION, June 1954)
The Science-Fiction Book Index, by Earl Kemp

Have you heard Dionne Warwick sing “Walk On By” in German? I have. And I’ve heard Dionne Warwick sing “Reach Out For Me” in French and “The Windows of the World” in Italian. Odds & Ends collects some of the rarities from the Scepter Records vault and remasters the 60-year-old sound.

I was a big fan of Dionne Warwick in the 1960s when she was singing all those Burt Bacharach and Hal David hits. I’ve only seen Dionne Warwick in concert once, but she was excellent. After listening to her music for decades, this new CD with odd versions of her songs is a delight! Are you a Dionne Warwick fan? Do you have a favorite Dionne Warwick song? GRADE: A
TRACK LIST:
1. I Say a Little Prayer (Alternate Version)
2. Monday, Monday
3. A House Is Not a Home (Italian Version)
4. He’s Moving On (Stereo Single Non-Soundtrack Version)
5. Amanda (Stereo Single Non-Soundtrack Version)
6. Walk On By (German Version)
7. Don’t Make Me Over (Alternate Version)
8. Reach Out for Me (French Version)
9. The Good Life (Studio Mix)
10. Loneliness Remembers What Happiness Forgets (Alternate Version)
11. Walk Little Dolly (Italian Version)
12. If You Let Me Make Love to You, Then Why Can’t I Touch You
13. La Vie En Rose (English Version)
14. You’ll Never Get to Heaven (German Version)
15. As Long as There’s an Apple Tree (Extended Version)
16. Our Ages or Our Hearts
17. How Many Days of Sadness (French Version)
18. I Love Paris (Studio Mix)
19. Silent Voices (Stereo Mix)
20. The Windows of the World (Italian Version)
21. C’est Si Bon (Studio Mix)
22. Odds & Ends (Alternate Version)
23. A House Is Not a Home (French Version)
24. Walk On By (Italian Version)
25. Do You Know the Way to San Jose (Alternate Version)
26. Dionne Radio Promo Spots & Public Service Announcements

With the recent arrest of Maria Butina as a Russian spy, I thought this might be the Right Time to share “Rod Gray” (aka, Gardner F. Fox) and the spicy LADY FROM L.U.S.T. series with you. This risqué series of James Bond spoof spy novels featuring a female agent started off being published by Tower Books (remember them?) and when Tower folded, the series moved to Belmont Books. For more details on the series, you can check out Lynn Monroe’s essay here.

THE LADY FROM L.U.S.T. Series:
First set (1967-1972) 60c, 75c, 95c
1. THE LADY FROM LUST – Tower 43-804, 1967. Rader cover. 60c
2. LAY ME ODDS – Tower 43-860, Rader cover
3. THE 69 PLEASURES – Tower 43-912, Rader cover
4. 5 BEDS TO MECCA – Tower 43-944, Rader cover
5. THE HOT MAHATMA – Tower 44-989, 1968. Rader cover, 75c
6. TO RUSSIA WITH LUST – Tower 44-126, Rader cover
7. KISS MY ASSASSIN – Tower 44-160, Rader cover
8. SOUTH OF THE BORDELLO – Tower 44-171, 1969. Rader cover
9. THE POISONED PUSSY – Tower 45-212, 95c, Rader cover
(Rader leaves Midwood-Tower, 1969)
10. THE BIG SNATCH – Tower 45-276, artist unknown
11. LADY IN HEAT – Tower 45-299, artist unknown
12. LAID IN THE FUTURE – Tower T-095-1, artist unknown.
13. BLOW MY MIND – Tower T-095-3, 1970. Artist unknown.
14. THE COPULATION EXPLOSION –Belmont B95-2008, photo coverr

(1. LUST, BE A LADY TONIGHT – Belmont B95-2020, photo cover. 2nd of THE LADY FROM LUST, with new title and 95c price.
(2. LAY ME ODDS – Belmont B95-2026 – Belmont B95-2026,
2nd printing, photo covers recreates Rader art.
(3. THE 69 PLEASURES – Belmont B95-2043, 2nd printing, photo cover recreates Rader art.
(4. 5 BEDS TO MECCA – Belmont B95-2052, 2nd printing, photo cover recreates Rader art.
15. EASY RIDE – Belmont B95-2076, photo cover
16. THE LADY TAKES IT ALL OFF – Belmont B95-2114, 1971, photo cover
17. TURNED ON TO LUST – Belmont B95-2170, photo cover
18. SKIN GAME DAME – Belmont-Tower BT 50214, 1972, photo cover

Second set, 1973-74, 95c (2nd printings unless noted)
1. LUST, BE A LADY TONIGHT – Belmont Tower BT 50516, 3rd printing of THE LADY FROM LUST, 1973, artist unknown
2. LAY ME ODDS – BT 50542, 3rd pr, artist unknown
3. THE 69 PLEASURES – BT 50559, 3rd pr, artist unknown
4. 5 BEDS TO MECCA – BT 50566, 3rd pr, artist unknown
5. SOUTH OF THE BORDELLO – BT 50582, artist unknown
(This was #8 in the first set. The first 5 books in the second set are not identified by a set number on the cover. Numbering begins with #6)
6. KISS MY ASSASSIN – BT 50594, artist unknown, #7 in the first set
7. SOCK IT TO ME – BT 50604, reprints #9, THE POISONED PUSSY, with new title. Reworks Rader art.
8. THE HOT MAHATMA – BT 50617, #5 in the first set, reworks Rader art.
9. TO RUSSIA WITH LUST – BT 50628, #6 in the first set, reworks Rader art.
10. THE LADY TAKES IT ALL OFF – BT 50636, 1974, #16 in the first set, artist unknown
11. LADY IN HEAT – BT 50649, photo cover
12. BLOW MY MIND – BT 50660, #13 in the first set, photo cover
13. LAID IN THE FUTURE – BT 50667, #12 in the first set, photo
14. THE COPULATION EXPLOSION – BT 50678, new photo cover
15. TURNED ON TO LUST – BT 50692, #17 in the first set, new photo cover
16. THE BIG SNATCH – BT 50710, #10 in the first set, photo cover
17. EASY RIDE – BT 50727, #15 in the first set, new photo cover
18. SKIN GAME DAME – BT 50742, new photo cover.

THE NEW LADY FROM LUST, 1975, $1.25, photo covers
1. GO FOR BROKE – BT 50777
2. HAVE A SNORT! – BT 50794
3. TARGET FOR TONIGHT – BT 50805
4. THE MARACAIBO AFFAIR – BT 50814
5. VOODOO KILL – BT 50829
6. THE LADY KILLER – BT 50838
7. KILL HER WITH LOVE – BT 50858

1. THE LADY FROM LUST – BT 51102, no date. 4th printing restores original title with new cover painting by unknown artist.

One, Two, Three (1961) stars Jimmy Cagney and Arlene Francis in a movie directed by Billy Wilder. Cagney plays the head of Coca Cola in West Berlin. He dreams of being promoted to the Coke Head of Europe. Cagney’s boss sends his wild, 17-year-old daughter, Scarlett Hazeltine, to West Berlin to get her away from her boyfriends in Atlanta. Cagney thinks he has things under control, but discovers Scarlett has been secretly slipping out at night and visiting East Berlin. And, of course, Scarlett now has a new love interest: Otto the Communist.

Some of the jokes and plot in One, Two, Three reflect the Cold War. The Russians and East Germans are caricatures. Cagney rockets around his office trying to juggle all the various elements of his schemes while Arlene Francis tries to hold his family together. One, Two, Three was Jimmy Cagney’s last movie until his cameo 20 years later in Ragtime. Are you a fan of Cagney and Arlene Francis? GRADE: B-

George Gilder writes, “All wealth is the product of knowledge.” (p. 13) Gilder believes that GOOGLE will suffer the fate of most businesses as new knowledge emerges despite GOOGLE’s hiring of PhD.s and really, really smart people. Life After GOOGLE: The Fall of Big Data and the Rise of the Blockchain Economy provides both a cogent analysis of GOOGLE today and a fair guess about GOOGLE’s future.

In contrast to Gilder’s arguments, Andy Kessler writes “Can Bitcoin Save Us From GOOGLE” (you can find Kessler’s article here). Kessler points out the weaknesses of APPLE, AMAZON, FACEBOOK, and GOOGLE. APPLE lives in fear that one of the other low-cost smart phone producers will eat into its market share. AMAZON dominates retail, but will its forays into selling food (WHOLE FOODS) and drugs drag down profits. FACEBOOK struggles with privacy issues and subversion. Kessler says of these tech giants only GOOGLE dominates its space and has the resources to defend it. What do you think of GOOGLE? GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Prologue: Back to the Future–The Ride xi
Chapter 1: Don’t Steal This Book 1
Chapter 2: Google’s System of the World 11
Chapter 3: Google’s Roots and Religions 25
Chapter 4: End of the Free World 37
Chapter 5: Ten Laws of the Cryptocosm 45
Chapter 6: Google’s Datacenter Coup 51
Chapter 7: Dally’s Parallel Paradigm 63
Chapter 8: Markov and Midas 75
Chapter 9: Life 3.0 93
Chapter 10: 1517 109
Chapter 11: The Heist 119
Chapter 12: Finding Satoshi 129
Chapter 13: Battle of the Blockchains 143
Chapter 14: Blockstack 159
Chapter 15: Taking Back the Net 171
Chapter 16: Brave Return of Brendan Eich 179
Chapter 17: Yuanfen 189
Chapter 18: The Rise of Sky Computing 199
Chapter 19: A Global Insurrection 213
Chapter 20: Neutering the Network 227
Chapter 21: The Empire Strikes Back 241
Chapter 22: The Bitcoin Flaw 247
Chapter 23: The Great Unbundling 257
Epilogue: The New System of the World 269
SOME TERMS OF ART AND INFORMATION FOR LIFE AFTER GOOGLE 277
BIBLIOGRAPHY 285
NOTES 293
INDEX 313

Diane’s sister just spent a week with us. Carol drinks decaf coffee in the mornings brewed in a MR. COFFEE unit while I drink regular Starbucks Blonde coffee from my Cuisinart coffee maker (review here). Carol uses a Keurig coffee maker in her home and Diane decided we should replace the old MR. COFFEE unit with something Carol would be familiar with. We went to KOHL’S and checked out their Keurig coffee makers.

The Keurig K-10 Mini Coffee Maker looked ideal. It was priced at $119, but was on sale for $69. Diane had a 30% off coupon and a KOHL’S Birthday Rewards coupon and a coupon for $10 off $50 in the Home Department which brought the price down to just $39! And, after we bought the Keurig K-10 Mini, the KOHL’S cashier gave Diane $10 of KOHL’S cash–go figure! I tested the Keurig K-10 Mini out with some STARBUCKS Veranda K-cups. Delicious! I have some TIM HORTON’S DECAF K-cups for Carol when she visits in August. We can also use the Keurig when a guest shows up and only wants one cup of coffee or tea. Do you like Keurig coffee makers? GRADE: A (so far)

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is both a sequel and prequel to Mamma Mia! (2008). Part of this movie tells the story of how free-sprit Donna Sheridan (played marvelously by Lily James) both found her way to the idyllic island of Kalokairi in the Aegean Sean and got pregnant with her daughter, Sophie. The sequel part features a grown up Sophie (played by Amanda Segfried) who has restored the hotel Donna built as a tribute to her mother. Of course, there are problems. Sophie’s lover, Sky (Dominic Cooper), considers a job offer in New York City which would separate him from Sophie. Young Donna chases her destiny. Sophie’s “fathers” (Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skaragard) each face “issues” in their lives.

No matter, the energy powering these Mamma Mia! movies is the ABBA music. Christine Baranski steals every scene she’s in. Andy Garcia provides some impressive gravitas. Cher dominates the last 20 minutes of the film. If you’re in the mood for a musical confection, give Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again a try. GRADE: B

Private eye Barney Glines is hired by press agent Archie St. George to pay a ransom for the stolen jewels of his beautiful star, Kyle Shannon. But Barney Glines finds more than a simple exchange of money for the jewels. He finds a dead body and the cops think Barney Glines is the killer. Glines tries to solve the puzzle of who framed him and at the same time get out of jail. You’ll Get Yours mixes drugs, blackmail, and violence into a murderous cocktail.

You’ll Get Yours was first published in 1952 in Lion Books under William Ard’s pseudonym “Thomas Wills.” This wonderful new STARK HOUSE edition includes a bibliography of William Ard’s work. William Ard died in 1960 from cancer. Ard was 37. GRADE: B+