I’ve been enjoying Genevieve Cogman’s “The Invisible Library” series over the past few years. This new adventure features ultra-dimensional Librarian Irene Winters and her assistant Kai investigating the possibility of a corrupt Librarian in a world set in Prohibition New York City. Irene gets to play a woman gangster from England. There’s plenty of gunplay. But the crux of the plot involves the politics of the dragons.

If you’re looking for fun and frivolous reading, “The Invisible Library” series delivers. Who can’t enjoy the antics of a Librarian who acts like Modesty Blaise? You can read my review of The Invisible Library here. You can read my review of The Masked City here. You can read my review of The Burning Page here. GRADE: B

BAEN Books is in the middle of reprinting all of Poul Anderson’s Psychotechnic League stories. This second volume features mostly stories from the 1950s when Anderson was just formulating his projected Future. The third and final volume in THE COMPLETE PSYCHOTECHNIC LEAGUE series will be published in July 2018. If you’re a fan of Poul Anderson, you’ll love these stories. If you’re a fan of classic science fiction, it doesn’t get much better than this. My review of The Complete Psychotechnic League, Volume 1 can be found here. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Forward By Sandra Miesel 3
Quixote and the Windmill 7
Holmgang 19
Cold Victory 53
What Shall It Profit? 73
The Troublemakers 91
The Snows of Ganymede 141
Brake 217
Gypsy 255
Star Ship 273

Patti Abbott’s new book, I Bring Sorrow and Other Stories of Transgression will be published in the next few weeks. If you’re read Patti’s previous books, you’ll want to order this one RIGHT NOW! I asked Patti if she’d like to do a faux-By the Book post for you to enjoy. Patti graciously agreed. Here’s what she sent:

I am in Florida as I write this so the books on my nightstand are ones we have purchased here in the last three weeks. They include: Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan, Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld, American Wife, Curtis Sittenfeld, The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, The Burglar in the Closet, Lawrence Block, Sick Puppy by Carl Hiaasen and Trespass by Valerie Martin. I am sure by the end of our time here, the number will have doubled.

Offhand the books that have made me laugh the most over the years are the Hoke Moseley books by Charles Willeford, some Elmore Leonard, some Tom Perrotta, Lucky Jim, Kinglsey Amis, the work of David Sedaris, Jean Shepherd, David Lodge’s academic novels, some Kurt Vonnegut.

Books that have made me cry? Number one is the New York Times since November 2016. Also Mice and Men, Wuthering Heights, Room by Emma Donoghue, Atonement, Ian McEwan, Disgrace, J.M. Coetzee, Things Fall Apart, China Achebe, King Leopald’s Ghost, Adam Hochschild.

Three people who I’d invite to a dinner party? I have always found this a tough question because the writers you most admire or find interesting often seem inaccessible or intimidating. But if I could sit quietly and listen I would choose: Patricia Highsmith, Fran Leibowitz and Doris Lessing. I think these three women would be fun to watch have at it.

And don’t forget to go to http://pattinase.blogspot.com/ tomorrow for Friday’s Forgotten Books hosted each week by Patti Abbott!

For the past 20 years or so, I’ve used TURBOTAX to prepare my Federal and State taxes. The early versions were sometimes overly complicated and frustrating to use. But, as time went on, Intuit (the company that makes TURBOTAX) improved the product so today’s version is simple and easy to use. I was worried that because I prepared my taxes on my DELL (Windows) computer last year, the TURBOTAX file wouldn’t be read by my new Apple iMac computer. But, no problems. I just inserted my USB drive with my tax files and TURBOTAX transferred all the information. Easy peasy!

Sadly, we have pay the Feds about $500 and New York State about $1,500. I’ll have to adjust our Withholdings for next year. Of course, next year we’ll take the new higher Standard Deduction and forget about itemizing (you probably will, too). In the long run, we’ll all be paying more in taxes. Have you done your taxes yet?

I was seriously misled by the New York Times about Ain’t Them Bodies Saints. The article I read suggested that this film was worth watching. So I watched it. Big Mistake! Rooney Mara shoots a policeman and her boyfriend, Casey Affleck, takes the fall for her. After five unsuccessful prison escape attempts, Affleck finally succeeds in escaping and–predictably–heads to the Texas town where Rooney Mara lives. Meanwhile, Rooney has a baby and spends a lot of time babysitting. A “friendly” cop visits Rooney a lot while Rooney reads the letters Affleck sends her…every day.

Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck are on the screen together for about 5 minutes. What a waste of talent! The meandering plot and vast stretches of tedium sinks this movie. GRADE: F

We’ve been subscribers to TIME on and off for nearly 40 years. This latest issue of TIME explores the opioid crisis in America. It’s everywhere. Yes, the tragic events at the Parkland school in Florida dominated the news outlets for the past couple of weeks, but opioids have killed hundreds of people in that time span–more than guns. As TIME shows vividly in a series of black & white photos, drug addiction is growing out of control. It cuts across class and racial lines. It afflicts young and old.

My takeaway from this grim Special Issue of TIME is we need to do something now. Forget the military parades and hoopla. Concentrate on prevention and rehabilitation. And that increased effort should have started years ago. This country is in Deep Shit.

If there’s something you’ve been thinking of buying–a new 4K HDTV, a new car, a new kitchen set–buy it now!

The reason I’m offering this advice now is INFLATION. Inflation means prices go up. That new car you’ve been thinking of buying will cost thousands of dollars more six months from now. The same will happen with that new computer, new refrigerator, new air conditioner you’ve been considering purchasing. Gas prices will go up. Interest rates will go up. And up and up.

In 2004, Vice-President Dick Cheney famously stated: “Deficits don’t matter.” Well, we’re about to find out. The Republican Tax Reform plan triggered a trillion dollars (unfunded) of spending. Then, the budget deal added a few hundred billion dollars more spending (still unfunded). The Republicans used to believe in Balanced Budgets. That’s now gone and spend, spend, spend rules. As Government prints more money to pay for its bills, the value of those pieces of paper declines. Evenually, Governments who trigger inflation have to accept draconian austerity policies. And much higher interest rates.

The American Government is embarking on a fiscal spending binge which will fuel inflation. Abandoning safe budgeting principles has consequences. Act now!

First off, there is no “bookshop on the corner.” Nina Redmond is a librarian in Birmingham, England whose job has been eliminated when the library system downsizes. Nina decides to follow her dream of starting a bookstore. But, she has very little money so she settles for buying a big van and turning it into a mobile book shop. Nina is unlucky in love, but somewhat lucky in the bookselling business. What Nina has going for her is her love of books.

First published in England as The Little Shop of Happy-Ever-After, Jenny Colgan’s romance novel is competently narrated by Lucy Price-Lewis. Normally, I don’t read (or listen) to novels like this, but I was drawn in by Nina’s love for books. Yes, at times the plot gets a little soapy, but the various characters and the occasionally humorous plot keeps things moving. If you’re in the mood for the adventures of a romantic book-lover, check this novel out. GRADE: B

Ed Lacy (aka, Leonard “Len” S. Zinberg) published 29 novels (many of them involve crime) and over 90 short stories. Ed Lacy is best known for his Edgar Award winning Best Novel, Room to Swing (1957) which featured Touie Moore, “the first credible African-American PI.” The Men From the Boys was first published in hardcover by Harper & Brothers in 1956 (the Pocket Books edition appeared in 1957). Marty Bond is a fifty-something tough ex-cop who now works as a house detective at a “hot sheets” hotel. Marty drinks too much and suffers from digestive problems. But when Marty’s stepson, Laurence, is savagely beaten Marty goes on a rampage to find the culprit. Of course, there are deeper motives behind the beating. Marty Bond’s old detective instincts awaken and the plot unwinds at a furious pace as Marty “questions” suspects by pounding the crap out of them. If you’re in the mood for hard-boiled action, The Men From the Boys will take you into the darker circles of Hell. GRADE: B+

BLACK GAT BOOKS FROM STARK HOUSE:
15. Frenzy of Evil By Henry Kane
A twisted tale of male menopausal murder when a sadistic lawyer decides to get rid of his young wife’s new lover. “Kane has an unnerving hyper-real way of writing dialogue… reminded me of David Mamet’s terse, realistic dialogue in his early plays.”—J. F. Norris, Pretty Sinister Books. May 2018.

14. The Men From the Boys By Ed Lacy
An ex-cop hits the skids when he takes a job as a seedy house dick. “It is a vivid, hard-hitting police story—with no punches pulled.”—Will Ousler. February 2018.

13. Never Say No to a Killer By Clifton Adams
“A homicidal first-person thriller reminiscent of Horace McCoy’s jailbreak classic, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye… relentlessly vicious.” —Cullen Gallagher, “The Desert, The Prairie, and The Gutter.” November 2017.

12. The Last Notch Arnold Hano
A vintage noir western from the maverick editor of Lion Books, written as by “Matthew Gant,” and published here for the first time under the author’s name. Introduction by David Laurence Wilson, who calls Hano both “challenging and subversive.” August 2017.

11. The Affair of Lady Westcott’s Lost Ruby / The Case of the Unseen Assassin By Gary Lovisi
Two new thrilling Sherlock Holmes adventures featuring Inspector Alec MacDonald, affectionately nicknamed by Holmes as Mr. Mac. “Mr. Lovisi is one of the top 5 authors who write new Holmes stories.”—David Chack. May 2017.

10. Angel’s Flight By Lou Cameron
A crazy ruthless story of the music business told from the inside, from swing jazz to bebop to rock & roll. “Sings loud and true with terrific characters, real heart and is a joy to read…a noir masterpiece.” —Gary Lovisi, Paperback Parade. February 2017

9. Woman on the Roof By Helen Nielsen
“Best whodunit of the year.”—Springfield News and Leader. “Among the best mysteries of the year.”—Mystery Writers of America. November 2016.

8. She Got What She Wanted By Orrie Hitt
“This is a fine novel, sleaze paperback or literary, [on] how difficult it was for a woman not to have to resort to using her body and sexuality to get ahead in life.” –Michael Hemmingson, Those Sexy Vintage Sleaze Books. August 2016.

7. The Girl on the Bestseller List By Vin Packer
They all had a reason to hate Gloria Whealdon after she exposed their lives in her bestselling novel—but only one had a reason to kill. “I’ve read a number of Vin Packer’s books, and this one remains a favorite.” —Bill Crider’s Pop Culture Magazine. May 2016.

6. Felony Tank By Malcolm Braly
Seventeen-year-old Doug is in the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up in jail. What happens next could only have been written by the author of It’s Cold Out There. February 2016.

5. Only the Wicked By Cary Phillips
The fourth Ivan Monk mystery, never before published in paperback. A tense Los Angeles thriller with roots in the Deep South. Author Sara Paretsky calls Phillips “my kind of crime writer and Ivan Monk is my kind of detective.” November 2015.

4. The Persian Cat By John Flagg
A post-World War II thriller set in Teheran featuring cynical agent Gil Denby. His mission: bring a beautiful traitor to justice. His odds: slim. August 2015

3. Stranger at Home By Leigh Brackett
Originally published as by the actor George Sanders, this domestic mystery by sf author Leigh Brackett is the story of a rich heel who comes back to get even with those who thought they had left him for dead. May 2015.

2. Eddie’s World By Charlie Stella
Charlie Stella’s first great crime novel, back in print and available in paperback for the first time! Eddie Senta is suffering a mid-life crisis and decides to get involved in a heist. Everything that can go wrong, does. May 2015.

1. Haven for the Damned By Harry Whittington
A group of eight people all converge on a small ghost town on the outskirts of the Mexican border, each with their own demons and dilemmas. They all want something they’ve lost: freedom, a lost wife, their youth. Not all of them will leave alive. May 2015.

Back in 1992, singer Maureen McGovern decided to record an album of the songs she loved when she went to High School dances in the 1960s. I went to similar dances back then so I’m familiar with all of these songs. Maureen McGovern is best known for her hit songs “The Morning After” from the movie The Poseidon Adventure (1972) and “We May Never Love Like This Again” from The Towering Inferno (1974). McGovern also had a Number One hit on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary Chart with “Different Worlds” from the television series Angie. The songs McGovern chose to cover are from 1955 to 1970. I have to admit, Maureen McGovern’s versions are not as good as the original songs. But, this CD brought back a lot of memories and it’s very listenable. Check out the sample below. GRADE: B+
TRACK LIST:
1. “Are You There (With Another Girl)” Burt Bacharach, Hal David 3:36
2. “I Will” John Lennon, Paul McCartney 2:37
3. “Baby I’m Yours” Van McCoy 3:37
4. “It’s All in the Game” Carl Sigman, Charles Dawes 4:41
5. “Angel on My Shoulder” Shelby Flint 2:58
6. “Sincerely” Harvey Fuqua, Alan Freed 3:50
7. “Things We Said Today/For No One” John Lennon, Paul McCartney 5:18
8. “You Belong to Me” Pee Wee King, Redd Stewart, Chilton Price 3:42
9. “Gonna Get Along Without You Now” Milton Kellem 3:40
10. “Put Your Head on My Shoulder” Paul Anka 4:12
11. “Blue on Blue” Burt Bacharach, Hal David 3:49
12. “You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” P. Donaggio, Vicki Wickham, Simon Napier-Bell 3:37
13. “Anyone Who Had a Heart” Burt Bacharach, Hal David 4:09
14. “You Can Close Your Eyes” James Taylor 3:35