Diane and I drove over to the North Tonawanda Public Library and joined a dozen other Ann Patchett fans to watch a ZOOM interview of Ann Patchett with Shannon DeVito, Sr. Director, Book Strategy and Customer Experience at B&N and Miwa Messer, Executive Producer of B&N’s POURED OVER podcast.

The hour-long interview covered details of Patchett’s new novel, Tom Lake, which Diane had read (Diane’s read just about every book Ann Patchett has published). I enjoyed Patchett’s stories of how the novel came about (it actually started while she was finishing writing The Dutch House). Patchett also spoke about the impact of the Pandemic on the book and its characters. Patchett also choses the artwork for her novels. She and her husband were vacationing in Paris when she saw the painting that would become the cover of Tom Lake.

I wish I could include a link to this interview, but there’s none on the Barnes & Noble Book Club website. Ann Patchett mentioned how she asked Tom Hanks to do the audio book for The Dutch House and also asked Meryl Streep to narrate Tom Lake. “If you don’t ask, it won’t happen,” she advised. Are you an Ann Patchett fan? GRADE: A

Most readers of this blog are familiar with the collaborations of Barry N. Malzberg and Bill Pronzini especially The Running of the Beasts and Night Screams. But Malzberg. also collaborated on short stories with a number of other writers that editor of Collaborative Capers Robert Friedman selected for this new Stark House volume.

My favorite story in Collaborative Capers is “Approaching Sixty” (with Mike Resnick) where a gambler uses a religious text to help him pick winning horses at a race track. I also enjoyed “Beyond Mao” (with Paul Di Filippo) where a spooky resurrection could save or doom a Mars mission.

In the Introduction, Malzberg says collaboration produces a different dynamic in writing mode. This effect shows up in “Tourist Trap: A Companion Piece to Gene Wolfe’s ‘The Marvelous Brass Chessplaying Automaton'” (with Mike Resnick) where both writers meet the challenge.

Barry N. Malzberg displays his dazzling talents with these brilliant stories that blend the JFK assassination, race tracks, cryptic aliens, dormant Artificial Intelligence, war, and troubled peace. Don’t miss this mind-expanding collection! GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

INTRODUCTION by Robert Friedman and Barry N. Malzberg — 9

Pater Familias (with Kris Neville) — 14

Human Error (with Kris Neville) — 18

Getting Back (with Jeffrey W. Carpenter) — 21

Calling Collect (with Arthur L. Samuels) — 26

Bringing It Home (with Jack Dann) — 32

Blues and the Abstract Truth (with Jack Dann) — 37

Getting Up (with Jack Dann) — 43

Art Appreciation (with Jack Dann) — 52

Ghosts (with Mike Resnick) — 60

Thus, to the Stars (with Carter Schotz) — 66

1967: Letter stop the Wall (with Batya Swift Yasgur) — 71

Blessing the Last Family (with Batya Swift Yasgur) — 78

Things Primordial (with Batya Swift Yasgur) — 87

Job’s Partner (with Batya Swift Yasgur) — 96

Beyond Mao (with Paul Di Filippo) — 105

Aortic Insubordination (with Batya Swift Yasgur) — 119

The Starry Night (with Jack Dann) — 128

Faulkner’s Seesaw (with Jack Dann) — 138

Approaching Sixty (with Mike Resnick) — 143

The Art of Memory (with Jack Dann) — 148

The Man Who Murdered Mozart (with Robert Walton) –157

The Rapture (with Jack Dann) — 174

Tourist Trap (with Mike Resnick) — 188

Let the Games Begin (with Robert Friedman) — 192

BIBLIOGRAPHY — 204

A couple months ago Jeff Meyerson mentioned the Lucinda Williams series of cover albums. I immediately ordered them and as they arrived, I’ve been listening to them. The first CD I listened to was Bob’s Back Pages: a Night of Bob Dylan Songs: Lu’s Jukebox–The Studio Concert Series, Volume 3.

If you check out the Track List, you’ll see some familiar and some not so familiar Dylan songs. My favorite song on this album is “Not Dark Yet” (from Dylan’s 1997 Time Out of Mind CD). Lucinda Williams does a nice job singing “It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train to Cry” and “Queen Jane Approximately.” I’m less enthralled by the more obscure Dylan songs like “Meet Me in the Morning” and “Tryin’ to Get to Heaven.”

I’ll be listening and reviewing the rest of Lucinda’s cover CDs in the months ahead. Are you a Dylan fan? Do you know these songs? GRADE: B

TRACKLIST:

I was in the mood for some faux-Sherlock Holmes stories and picked up the first Solar Pons volume published in 1974 by Pinnacle Books. The original volume was published in 1945.

I enjoyed “The Adventure of the lat Mr.Faversham” who disappears in his house and cannot be found. This is a clever variation of a Locked Room mystery.

“The Adventure of the Retired Novelist” concerns a novelist who is lured from his house by a bogus group. When the novelist returns home, he immediately contacts Solar Pons to investigate the purpose of the charade.

Unless you’re a hard-core Sherlock Holmes fan who loathes pastiches, these Solar Pons stories will delight you! GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

In Re: Solar Pons By Vincent Scarrlett — v

A Word From Dr. Lyndon Parker — x

The adventure of the frightened Baronet — 1

The adventure of the late Mr. Faversham — 28

The adventure of the black narcissus — 45

The adventure of the Norcross riddle — 60

The adventure of the retired novelist — 76

The adventure of the three red dwarfs — 90

The adventure of the Sotheby Salesman — 108

The adventure of the Purloined Peraipt — 137

The adventure of the limping man — 148

The adventure of the seven passengers — 174

The adventure of the lost holiday — 193

The adventure of the man with the broken face — 215

“Guys and Dolls is a musical with music and lyrics by Frank Loesser and book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. It is based on “The Idyll of Miss Sarah Brown” (1933) and “Blood Pressure”, which are two short stories by Damon Runyon, and also borrows characters and plot elements from other Runyon stories, such as “Pick the Winner”. The show premiered on Broadway in 1950, where it ran for 1,200 performances and won the Tony Award for Best Musical. The musical has had several Broadway and London revivals, as well as a 1955 film adaptation starring Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons, and Vivian Blaine. “

Diane and I saw a matinee performance of Guys and Dolls at the MusicalFare Theater. The local musical group put on an energetic show for the sold-out audience. The plot is silly: a floating crap game in New York City is threatened by a determined police officer. As the gamblers try to find a site for their game, a pretty missionary for the Salvation Army becomes a key factor in the game between the gamblers and the police.

“Bushel and a Peck” is the song I remember from my youth. And, “Luck Be a Lady.” The local actors belted out the songs and the audience responded with much applause. I would estimate the average age of the audience to be 80 years old.

Are you a fan of Broadway musicals? GRADE: B

The Buffalo Bills are 2 1/2 point favorites over the NY Jets in this game. The addition of Aaron Rodgers in the off-season fired up Jets fans to a frenzy level. Talk of going to the Super Bowl and winning it dominates many Sports Talk radio shows. Aaron Rodgers in 9-0 on Monday Night Football. This could be the toughest game the Bills will face this season. I’m picking the Bills…but I’ll be nervous this whole game!

When the Mighty Detroit Lions shocked the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs a few nights ago, that signaled that this NFL season would feature plenty of surprises.

The NFL season swings into full action today with a complete slate of games. The Bills play the Jets on Monday Night Football so I’ll just be watching the action around the League. How will your favorite NFL team do today?

Unnatural Magic (2019) starts with the struggles of a gifted girl, Onna Gebowa, who lives in the tiny town of Cordridge-on-Sea (known for its production of excellent pencil erasers). Onna aspires to go to the magic school, Weltsit, but because she is a girl, she doesn’t get admitted.

A second plot line concerns a troll named Tsira who rescues a human called Jeckran. All three characters end up in the city of wizards, Hexos. Someone is murdering trolls and Onna, Tsira, and Jeckran are on the trail of the killer.

The events in The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry (2021) take place a couple of decades after the troll murders in Unnatural Magic. The central character is a down-and-out fire witch called Delaria Wells (aka, “Delly”). Delly signs on as part of a security team to protect a wealthy Bride-to-Be. Also on the team is a troll named Winn Cynallum (who Delly falls in love with). Together, they fight magical mechanical killer spiders and other murderous devices to protect the Bride-to-Be. Who is trying to kill the Bride-to-Be…and why?

If you’re in the mood for some frothy fantasy adventures with some clever mysteries surrounded by magic, I recommend Unnatural Magic and The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry. GRADE: B (for both)

Kevin J. Anderson has written over 120 books–he’s best known for the Dune series written with Frank Herbert’s son, Brian–and this is the first Kevin J. Anderson novel I’ve read.

Hidden Empire: The Sage of Seven Suns Book 1 was published in 2002 and sets up the action and characters for the six books which appeared yearly after this initial book.

I’m a fan of Space Opera so I’m ready to tackle this series as a cast of characters numbering in the couple dozen struggle with the menace of a hidden alien empire that emerges in a murderous way. My favorite character so far is Margaret Colicos, a xeno-archaeologist. She travels around the galaxy with her husband Louis, exploring the ruins of the insect like Klikiss race, searching for clues to explain what happened to their vanished civilization. So far, only ghost cities and enigmatic giant beetle-like robots remain.

Hidden Empire opens with a major scientific experiment in deep space. Margaret and Louis discovered a way to turn a gas-giant planet into a sun using Klikiss technology. The experiment is a success…but alien objects emerge from the gas-giant planet. That event triggers series of attacks by the mysterious aliens on the benign Ildirans–an ancient, senescent civilization–and humans.

Humans are fragmented into three main groups: the Earth-based Terran Hanseatic League, the telepathic Green Priests of Theroc, and the fiercely rebellious, starship-dwelling Roamers. These divisions need to be resolved as the powerful enemy threatens everyone! GRADE: Too soon to tell but trending towards a B

The Saga of Seven Suns:

Prequel: Veiled Alliances (Graphic novel) (2004)

1. Hidden Empire (2002)
2. A Forest of Stars (2003)
3. Horizon Storms (2004)
4. Scattered Suns (2005)
5. Of Fire and Night (2006)
6. Metal Swarm (2007)
7. The Ashes of Worlds (2008)

This is the end of my three-week fling with Seventies music. But Retro 70s is a good place to wrap things up. This is one of the few compilation discs that includes “Werewolves of London” by Warren Zevon. I always loved Linda Ronstadt’s “Blue Bayou.” And Hall & Oates’ “She’s Gone” is excellent blue-eyed soul. Of course, I could do without “A Horse With No Name” by America and Jonathan Edwards’ “Sunshine.”

I liked Disc Two better than Disc One. Santana’s “Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen” kicks things off. Boz Scaggs’ “Lowdown” and Dave Mason’s “We Just Disagree” are favorites. And while Eddie Money’s “Baby Hold On” isn’t as good as “Two Tickets to Paradise,” It still rocks.

Do you remember these songs from the Seventies? Any favorites here? GRADE: B

TRACK LIST:

DISC ONE:

1. Summer Breeze — Seals & Crofts
2. Black Water — Doobie Brothers
3. A Horse With No Name — America
4. Werewolves of London — Warren Zevon
5. Cat’s in the Cradle — Harry Chapin
6. Dance with Me — Orleans
7. Blue Bayou — Linda Ronstadt
8. Welcome Back — John Sebastian
9. Sunshine (Go Away Today) –Jonathan Edwards
10. She’s Gone — Hall & Oates
11. How Much I Feel — Ambrosia
12. Dream Weaver — Gary Wright
13. I’d Really Like to See You Tonight — England Dan & John Ford Coley
14. When I Need You — Leo Sayer
15. Make It with You — Bread
16. Never Ending Song of Love — Delaney & Bonnie & Friends

DISC TWO:

1.Black Magic Woman/Gypsy Queen — Santana

2. Your Mama Don’t Dance– Loggins & Messina

3. Cover of the Rolling Stone — Dr. Hook and The Medicine Show

4. Lowdown — Boz Scaggs

5. Hold Your Head Up — Argent

6. Long Cool Woman (In a Black Dress)– The Hollies

7. We Just Disagree — Dave Mason

8. Come and Get Your Love — Redbone

9. Magnet and Steel — Walter Egan

10. Please Come to Boston — Dave Loggins

11. I Want You to Want Me — Cheap Trick

12. I Can See Clearly Now — Johnny Nash

13. Whenever I Call You “Friend” — Kenny Loggins

14. Baby Hold On — Eddie Money

15. Hold the Line — Toto

16. More Than a Feeling — Boston