Vellitt Boe is a professor at a woman’s College. The wrinkle is this College is located in H. Pl Lovecraft’s Dream Lands. When one of Vellitt Boe’s students runs away with a Dreamer from our world, Vellitt Boe volunteers to bring her back. The other wrinkle is that the runaway girl’s “grandfather” is one of Lovecraft’s mad, sleeping gods. If he awakens and finds his granddaughter missing, he may just destroy the College and the neighboring lands…literally. Kij Johnson’s descriptions of the Dream Lands Vellitt Boe must travel are colorful and deadly. Boe must find a “key” to the Gate that will bring her to our world where her search will continue for the runaway girl. I enjoyed the oddness and surprises in The Dream-Quest of Fellitt Boe. I’m hoping Kij Johnson writes more adventures of Vellitt Boe. I’ll be first in line to buy them! GRADE: A-

For the informative podcast Steve recommended, you can listen to it here.  Thanks Steve!

After the fiasco at this year’s Academy Award ceremonies, we finally found out that Moonlight, not LA LA Land, won the Oscar for BEST PICTURE. Now, the Blu-ray version of Moonlight is available. If you haven’t seen Moonlight in the theaters, here’s your chance. I’m sure Moonlight will be on NETFLIX and other media outlets. This story of a young boy growing up in Miami with a crackhead mother shows the underside of Life. Mahershala Ali won a BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Oscar for his role as Juan, a drug dealer who tries to help the struggling young boy, Chiron. Extras include director Barry Jenkins’ commentary and featurettes on the film’s music, ensemble and locations. GRADE: A

Beth Kobliner’s informative and useful book’s full title is: Make Your Kid a Money Genius (even if you’re not): A Parent’s Guide for Kids 3 to 23. Kobliner’s topics highlight the imporance of talking to your kids (or grandkids) about money at an early age. She uses plenty of practical examples to illustrate her points. Here is one of my favorite examples:

“THE LESS MONEY YOU SPEND ON THE WEDDING, THE LONGER YOUR MARRIAGE IS LIKELY TO LAST: Contrary to what marketing by the wedding industry suggests, couples across all income levels who spend big on their weddings are likelier to split than frugal couples are…. According to the Emory University study, couples who spent more than $20,000 on their nuputials were 3.5 times more prone to break up than ones who budgeted modestly ($5,000-10,000) The researchers speculated that, like an expensive engagement ring, a big wedding can result in debt that strains a new marriage.” (p. 119-120)

I recommend Make Your Kid a Money Genius because it is well-written and practical. Many financial advice books are not. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction 1
1. 14 Rules for Talking to Your Kids About Money 5
2. Save More 17
3. Hard Work Pays 41
4. Drop Debt 67
5. Better, Smarter Spending 97
6. Get Insured 121
7. The Plain Truth About Investing 137
8. Give Back
9. Your Kid’s Most Important Financial Decision: College 179
10 Financial Advice for You, the Parent 206
Special Acknowledgements 217
Acknowledgements 219
Books for Further Reading 223
Notes 227
Index 243

I quaff a glass a glass of sweet red wine each day (doctor’s orders!) so I’m not familiar with exotic drinks and their components. A friend of my recommended DeKuyper® Peachtree® Schnapps Liqueur saying, “It tastes great!” I’ve tasted Pepermint Schapps (which I liked) so I decided to give Peach Schnapps a try. Fortunately, our local liquor supermarket sent a $5 off coupon so I used it to buy a bottle of DeKuyper® Peachtree® Schnapps Liqueur. You can find plenty of drink recipes here. I like peaches and peach-flavored products (like yogurt) so I found some of these concoctions yummy. Have you ever tried DeKuyper® Peachtree® Schnapps Liqueur? What’s your favorite drink?

Logan opens in 2029 with the former X-Man Wolverine (aka, James Howlett and “Logan”) played by Hugh Jackman reduced to driving a limo and bartering for anti-convulsive drugs for 90-year-old Professor X (Patrick Stewart). Albino Caliban (Stephen Merchant) plays a critical role in the plot. An 11-year-old mutant called Laura (Dafne Keen) displays disturbingly similar powers to Wolverine. Of course, there are plenty of Bad Guys chasing the Good Guys. Director James Mangold (Walk the Line, 3:20 to Yuma, and Girl, Interrupted) keeps events moving in this 137-minute movie which I found too long. Hugh Jackman has been playing Wolverine for 17 years. MARVEL will have a tough time replacing him. GRADE: B+

Stark House has reprinted two of Sax Rohmer’s best spooky novels in a wonderful omnibus package. Brood of the Witch Queen (1914) and The Quest of the Sacred Slippr (1913) feature Black Magic, suspense, and thrilling chases. I first read these books back in the 1960s when Pyramid Books reprinted much of Sax Rohmer’s work especially the now politically incorrect Fu Manchu books. Back then, I thought it was ironic that Pyramid Books was publishing Brood of the Witch Queen which features a thrilling confrontation in Egypt in a creepy pyramid! The Quest of the Sacred Slipper is a non-stop thrill-ride as a British archaeologist is pursued by sinister forces. William Patrick Maynard’s “Introduction” puts Sax Rohmer’s “Egypt” books in perspective. If you’re looking for old-fashioned chills and excitement, these two adventures will more than satisfy your need for action! GRADE: B+ (for both)

The Burning Page is the third book in The Invisible Library series. Genevieve Cogman creates a Universe where worlds can be accessed by “doors” controlled by the Library. But the worlds tend to be influenced by the Fae (Chaos and Magic) or the Dragons (Order and Reason). The Library is supposed to be neutral but shifting alliances are always possible. The main character in The Invisible Library series is Irene Winter. Irene is a young, feisty Librarian who frequently gets into trouble on her missions to retrieve rare books from various worlds. Irene is mentoring a Dragon named Kai which causes all kinds of complications. In this instance, the Library is under attack by a renegade Librarian named Alberich who has gathered Fae supporters to assist in his attack. Only a mis-timed romantic scene between Irene and Vale (a Sherlock Holmes character) mars the action. If you’re looking for a light diversion, read The Burning Page. My reviews of The Invisible Library and The Masked City can be found here and here. GRADE: B

Are you in the mood for a noir Private Eye story that travels into Lovecarft Country? That’s what Cassandra Khaww’s Hammer on Bone presents in 107 pages. John Persons is a private detective with a Dark Side. He’s hired by a boy who claims his “step-father” is beating his mother. The boy also seeks to protect his younger brother from the wrath of this abusive man. But John Persons suspects this is more than a clear-cut case of spousal abuse. He scents the whiff of contagion and decay and sea-salt. If you’re a fan of H. P. Lovecraft, you’ll enjoy this unorthodox romp into ancient and magical monstrosities. I hope Cassandra Khaw writes more of these Private Eye/Loveraft mashups! She’s off to a great start! GRADE: B

This qualifies as a BARGAIN OF THE THE WEEK. You can have all six season of 3rd Rock From the Sun on 17 DVDs for only $18.99 on AMAZON! That’s about a dollar a DVD! I’m a big fan of the cast: High Commander, Dick Solomon (John Lithgow), Doctor Albright (Jane Curtin) decorated military officer, Sally (Kristen Johnston), seasoned intelligence specialist, Tommy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Harry (French Stewart). With this set you get all 139 episodes and these Extras: Candid Interviews, Best Of Moments, Blooper Reels, Season Highlights, Audio Commentaries, Episode Previews, The Alternate FINAL EPISODE Ending. What’s your favorite 3rd Rock episode?

It’s that time of year again: Tax Season. I’ve been using TURBOTAX for about 20 years. Some years the software is better than others. This Deluxe version for Tax Year 2016 installed quickly, looked for updates, and transferred my tax information from 2015. Inputing data was tedious (especially the Charitable Contributions which took me about 20 minutes). Since 2016 was the last year I’ll be dealing with a W-2 I had some nostalgic moments. I found we did not have enough Federal and State withholding done on our Social Security payments. We’ll have to get that adjusted for 2017. Other than having to write checks to the Feds and New York State, the process was relatively painless and took about an hour. Have you done your taxes yet?