Right now, Western NY is being hit by a late winter storm. Forecasters are calling for 8-12 inches of the White Stuff to fall on us today. I’ll be firing up Big Orange for yet another show blowing mission. Once I clear the snow from my driveway and sidewalks, I plan to listen again to Marina Rebeka’s new CD, Mozart Arias. Marina Rebeka’s voice makes these arias as light as cotton candy. The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra under the direction of Speranza Scappucci provide solid accompaniment. If you’re a fan of Mozart, you’re going to enjoy this thrilling CD. Check out the sample below. Pardon me, I have to go snow blow again. GRADE: B+

I’m a fan of Iron Man so this new animated adventure was a must-buy for me. Tony Stark is launching a super spy satellite when his launch facilities are attacked. Stark, as Iron Man, faces a new enemy whose armor is a hybrid of computer technology and advanced DNA. Although the spy satellite makes it into orbit, SHIELD enters the action by capturing Iron Man. Tony Stark manages to find a temporary partner in The Punisher. But they’re chased by the Black Widow and Hawkeye. As Tony Stark investigates his adversary, he learns the new villain has links to Stark Enterprises’ past. If you’re in the mood for 88 minutes of action, Iron Man: Rise of the Technovore delivers plenty of enjoyment. GRADE: B+

Despite Stephen King’s rave blurb on the back cover of The Black-Eyed Blonde (don’t read it before you read the book because it contains a spoiler), I can’t echo Stephen King’s enthusiasm. When John Banville decided to write a Philip Marlowe novel, his biggest challenge was could he imitate Raymond Chandler’s unique writing style. My vote is: NO. But, that being said, The Black-Eyed Blonde is a solid private eye novel. Banville’s Philip Marlowe is more emotional than Chandler’s Marlowe. A black-eyed blonde shows up at Marlowe’s office and hires him to find her missing lover. Marlowe immediately falls in love with his client which leads him into some very dangerous territory. The bodies mount up and Marlowe discovers links to the past. For purists, this pastiche will be unreadable. But, John Banville is a clever writer who does the best he can with a book like this. GRADE: B

Patrick attended a computer conference in South Korea. He took some photographs and provides some commentary here.  Tomorrow, Patrick begins his 16-hour flight to India to attend a wedding of a friend he met during his student days at Carnegie-Mellon University.  My children are taking my advice to travel while they’re young!.

A locked room mystery. That’s about the last thing I would have expected in Adrain McKinty’s In the Morning I’ll Be Gone. In the Morning I’ll Be Gone is Book Three of “The Troubles Trilogy.” Set in Ireland in the early 1980s, these mysteries feature Sean Duffy, a scruffy, tenacious Catholic cop in the Protestant Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC). Duffy is recruited by MI5, the British intelligence agency, to locate Dermot MCann, an IRA bomber. As Duffy investigates, he’s offered a deal by one of the principals in the case: if Duffy can solve a cold case murder, he’ll be given the location of Dermot McCann. But, as Duffy learns, the possible murder of a young woman happened in a pub whose doors were bolted. The police had to break in to recover the body. Duffy doesn’t give up and comes up with a stunning solution. You can read my reviews of the first two books in “The Troubles Triolgy”–The Cold Cold Ground and I Hear the Sirens in the Street here. If you’re looking for a well-written, intense, and clever locked-room mystery, pick up a copy of In the Morning I’ll Be Gone. GRADE: B+

Stark House has done it again! Here in one attractive package are two noir classics by Wade Miller. “Wade Miller” was the collaborative team of Bob Wade and Bill Miller. Together they wrote some great private eye adventures featuring Max Thursday (sadly, only six books in that series). The team of Wade Miller produced 30 novels, hundreds of short stories, radio scripts, and plays. This new Stark House collection brings two of Wade Miller’s best stand-alone novels together. Some of you may remember the movie version of Kitten With a Whip from 1964 starring John Forsythe and Ann-Margret. Kiss Her Goodbye is a chase novel where the two main characters try to escape their past. If you’re in the mood for some noir fiction, try this Wade Miller collection. It’s terrific!

It’s hard to believe I’ve been listening to Loreena McKennitt’s ethereal music for 30 years. But, as the sticker on the cover of this 2-CD set says: 30th Anniversary Collection. If you’re new to Loreena McKennitt’s music, The Journey So Far is the perfect place to start. Her popular “The Mummer’s Dance” is here as well as “The Mystic’s Dream.” My favorite Loreena McKennitt songs, “The Bonny Swans” and “The Lady of Shalott” are here, too. Disc 2 features music from McKennitt’s 2012 tour. All in all, a very satisfying set of music. Don’t miss it! GRADE: A
TRACK LIST:
Disc 1
1. The Mystic’s Dream (Album Version) 4:32
2. Bonny Portmore (Album Version) 4:21
3. The Bonny Swans (Album Version/Edit) 3:58
4. The Mummers’ Dance (Single Remix) 4:01
5. Down By The Sally Gardens 5:38
6. Stolen Child (Album Version) 5:01
7. The Lady Of Shalott (Album Version/Edit) 4:44
8. Marco Polo (Album Version) 5:13
9. Penelope’s Song 4:20
10. Huron ‘Beltane’ Fire Dance (Album Version) 4:19
11. The Old Ways (Album Version) 5:49
12. Dante’s Prayer (Album Version) 7:13

Disc 2:
1. The Star Of The Country Down (Live In Germany/2012) 3:57
2. Night Ride Across The Caucasus (Live In Germany/2012) 8:08
3. The Dark Night Of The Soul (Live In Germany/2012) 6:56
4. Santiago (Live In Germany/2012) 6:42
5. Beneath A Phrygian Sky (Live In Germany/2012) 7:22
6. As I Roved Out (Live In Germany/2012) 4:34
7. All Souls Night (Live In Germany/2012) 5:00
8. Caravanserai (Live In Germany/2012) 5:49
9. Full Circle (Live in Germany/2012) 4.44

I’ve been reading David lodge’s novels and insightful essays for decades. Lives in Writing is Lodge’s latest book of literary articles with an emphasis on biography. Lodge seems to be taking the measure of the writers who most affected him over a life-time of reading. Lodge is a careful reader. When reviewing Norman Sherry’s 900-page third volume of Graham Greene’s biography, Lodge notes that the first volume was the best, the second volume was acceptable, but third volume was a mess. And then Lodge goes on to tell you why–in detail. If you’re a fan of intelligent, literary essays written for the Common Reader Lodge’s Lives of Writing will provide hours of insight and delight. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
The Late Graham Greene
The Rise and Fall and Rise and Fall of Kingsley Amis
A Tricky Undertaking: The Biography of Muriel Spark
John Boorman’s Quest
Alan Bennent’s Serial Autobiography
The Greene Man Within
Simon Gray’s Diaries
Terry Eagleton’s Goodbye to All That
Frank Remembered–By a Kermodian
Malcolm Bradbury: Writer and Friend
The Death of Diana
Trollope’s Fixed Period
Writing H. G. Wells

I’ve been a fan of Celtic Woman over the years. This latest concert DVD was filmed in 2013 in South Bend, Indiana. If you like bagpipers and Irish step dancers, there’s plenty here to enjoy. My only quibble is that I wish there was a more ambitious selection of songs. I enjoy the songs they sing on this DVD, but it’s a pretty safe list of standards. A little boldness would have made this concert even more enjoying. GRADE: B+

TRACK LIST:
1. Awakening
2. Dulaman
3. Nocturne
4. Teir Abhaile Riu
5. Coast Of Galicia
6. Danny Boy
7. Mo Ghile Mear
8. Amazing Grace
9. She Moved Through The Fair
10. Nil Se’n La
11. Shenandoah-Dancer
12. The Voice
13. You Raise Me Up
14. Parting Glass
15. Celtic Woman Playoff
16. Caledonia (Bonus)
17. Bridge Over Troubled (Bonus)
18. Ave Maria (Bonus)

I’m a sucker for a book like Rick Gekoski’s Outside of a Dog. The title comes from the famous line “Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read” by Groucho Marx. Rick Gekoski grew up on Long Island, attended the University of Pennsylvania, and then went to Oxford University in England for his PhD. Throughout his life, Gekoski loves books. I got a kick out of Gekoski trying to win his girl friend back by sending her a poem by Yeats. Unfortunately, Gekoski’s rival sent a better poem by Yeats and won the girl. Gekoski finds teaching Literature classes not the dream job he thought it would be. After a few years of struggling with undergraduate essays, Gekoski gives up his secure job and decides to do what he really loves: become a rare book seller. Gekoski meets Graham Greene and buys a large part of his personal collection. The stories of book deals make for fascinating reading. If you love books as much as I do, you’ll relate to Rick Gekoski’s stories and his wonderful books. GRADE: B+