Back in 1996, John Lanchester’s The Debt to Pleasure burst on the mystery scene. It’s a wicked novel. Lanchester went on to write three more novels and a handful of non-fiction books. John Lanchester’s latest non-fiction book, How to Speak Money: What the Money People Say–And What It Really Means explains complicated financial concepts like credit default swaps in clear, simple terms. I’m considering using How to Speak Money in my INVESTMENTS class next semester. We all need to know more about how money works. This book does a terrific job in making the complex understandable. GRADE: A

Heavy Planet includes Hal Clement’s famous science fiction novel, Mission of Gravity and its lesser known sequel, Star Light. The premise of Mission of Gravity is a mission to recover a scientific probe on the super-jovan planet of Mesklin where the surface gravity varies from 3 Earth gravities at the the equator to 700 Earth gravities at the poles. On this high-gravity planet, a “day” is 18 minutes! And yet, Mesklin has life in the form of intelligent, centipede-like creatures. Mission of Gravity was published in 1953 and Star Light was published in 1973. If you haven’t read these wonderful science fiction novels, you’re in for plenty of delight! Highly recommended!

I reviewed the first two books of Jeff Vandermeer’s Southern Reach trilogy here. Basically, a region of the United States has an alien infestation. The military call it “Area X.” They maintain a blockade around the area. Teams of scientists are sent into Area X, but they either die, disappear, or return deranged. I liked the first book in the series, Annihilation, best. I think Jeff Vandermeer needed to read some J. G. Ballard who also wrote about alien infestion, but much more effectively. Vandermeer’s constant flashbacks and second-person narration annoyed me. I can’t really recommend this trilogy. GRADE: C-

Book Six of the IRON DRUID series, Hunted (2013), features a flight across Europe with vampires and some new monsters in pursuit. The Druid’s activities in Asgard still haunt him as Diana and Artemis use their powers to track him across the continent. Loki, and his evil daughter Hel, join forces to bring Ragnarok (the Final Battle to end the Universe). Hunted also includes a bonus novelette, “Two Ravens and One Crow,” which tells the story of how the Druid returns Odin’s spear to the ruler of Asgard.

Book Seven, Shattered (2014), is the first hardcover in the IRON DRUID series. The Druid gets an unlikely ally and manages to forge an alliance with Odin which will come into effect when Ragnarok begins (and it seems like it’s going to happen in the next few books of this series). Kevin Hearne introduces us to the pantheons of gods in India and Japan. The story expands and the identity of the secret adversary of the Druid is revealed. I’m all caught up on this series now. But, when the next volume is published in 2015, I’ll read it. GRADE: B (for both)

When I was a kid, my favorite DC comic superhero was The Flash. The Flash was a chemist named Barry Allen who is given super-speed when a bolt of lightning hits the chemical shelf in his office and douses him with chemicals. The Flash comics were more cerebral than most of the DC comics. The storylines involved science and cleverness. Back in the early 1990s, there was TV series based on The Flash but it didn’t last long. Now, the CW network is trying to bring The Flash back because of the success of their other DC hit, Arrow. The Flash is the highest priced series on the CW network. Each episode costs $1.6 million. The special effects are good. I liked last week’s premiere episode so I’ll stay with The Flash for a few more weeks before I decide to continue or quit watching. Have you seen this new incarnation of The Flash? Were you a fan of the comic back in the 1960s?

After last week’s incredible win in Detroit, the Bills now face their AFC East Division nemesis: Tom Brady and the Patriots. The Patriots have owned the Bills over the past decade. But things might be changing. New owners of the Buffalo Bills, Terry and Kim Pegula, will be introduced before the game. The coaching staff knows they’re playing for their jobs. And the Patriots have had some weak outings this season. First place in the AFC East is up for grabs in this game. How will your favorite NFL team perform today?

In the past year, I’ve fallen asleep with no problem. But about four hours later, I’ll take a bathroom break and then the trouble starts. Even though I’m tired, it sometimes takes me an hour to fall back to sleep. Very annoying! So I decided to try taking a melatonin tablet to help me get back to sleep more quickly. Melatonin is a natural hormone that is part of the sleep process. I’ve been taking melatonin all summer long and I find I’m falling back to sleep more quickly. You mileage may differ. But if you’re experiencing this problem too, you might want to give melatonin a try. It’s inexpensive and I’ve experienced no side-effects.

I’ve been a fan of Edward D. Hoch’s work for decades. Some of his best work can be found in this Crippen & Landru collection, Diagnosis: Impossible (The Problems of Dr. Sam Hawthorne). Hoch specialized in locked room mysteries and other “impossible” crimes. With the Sam Hawthorne stories, Hoch features a lead character who is a physician which comes in handy when solving some of these conundrums. The settings are in New England in the 1920s. The bonus in this volume is Marv Lachman’s useful chronology. If you enjoy great story-telling and puzzle mystery stories, Diagnosis Murder is the book for you.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
The problem of the covered bridge
The problem of the old gristmill
The problem of the lobster shack
The problem of the haunted bandstand
The problem of the locked caboose
The problem of the little red schoolhouse
The problem of the Christmas steeple
The problem of cell 16
The problem of the country inn
The problem of the voting booth
The problem of the county fair
The problem of the old oak tree
A Dr. Sam Hawthorne chronology / Marvin Lachman.

I considered saving Hank Davis’ collection, The Baen Big Book of Monsters, for a future FFB but I just can’t resist sharing this wonderful book with you. The Baen Big Book of Monsters takes me back to the Sixties when publishers would assemble stories around some theme and serve it up to an enthusiastic reading audience. This book reminds me of Forrest J. Ackerman’s monster anthologies. In fact, Ackerman edited and wrote a great introduction to Monsters, an anthology of A. E. Van Vogt’s classic SF monsters. As you can see from the Table of Contents, this anthology is a mix of old and new. I enjoyed rereading some of these great stories as well as encountering some new writers. If you’re looking for a theme anthology with plenty of variety, you’ll like The Baen Big Book of Monsters. GRADE: B+
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction: “Size Matters” by Hank Davis
“The Shining Ones” by Arthur C. Clarke (Playboy, August 1964)
“All About Strange Monsters of the Recent Past” by Howard Waldrop (Shayol #4, Winter 1980)
“The Monster-God of Mamurth” by Edmond Hamilton (Weird Tales, August 1926)
“Talent” by Robert Bloch first (If: Worlds of Science Fiction, July 1961)
“The End of the Hunt” by David Drake (New Destinies VIII, Baen Books, 1989)
“Ooze” by Anthony N. Rud (Weird Tales, March 1923)
“The Valley of the Worm” by Robert E. Howard (Weird Tales. February 1934)
“Whoever Fights Monsters” by Wen Spencer – New
“Deviation from a Theme” by Steven Utley (Galaxy, May 1976)
“The Eggs from Lake Tanganyika” by Curt Siodmak (Amazing Stories, July 1926)
“The Dunwich Horror” by H.P. Lovecraft (Weird Tales, April 1929)
“From Out the Fire” by Sarah A. Hoyt — New
“Beauty and the Beast” by Henry Kuttner (Thrilling Wonder Stories, April 1940)
“The Island of the Ud” by William Hope Hodgson (The Red Magazine, May 15, 1912)
“A Single Samurai” by Steven Diamond — New
“Planet of Dread” by Murray Leinster (Fantastic, May 1962)
“An Epistle to the Thessalonians” by Philip Wylie (Finnley Wren, 1934)
“The Monster of Lake Lametrie” by Wardon Allan Curtis (Pearson’s Magazine, September 1899)
“The Giant Cat of Sumatra” by Hank Davis — New
“Greenface” by James H. Schmitz (Unknown Worlds, August 1943)
“Tokyo Raider” by Larry Correia – New