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You can click on the cover and back cover links above to see bigger versions of Murder at Christmas to see what this paperback from the 1990s looked like. I reviewed The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries a couple days ago, but I thought this collection would capture some of the spirit of the season. If you check the Table of Contents below you’ll see what I mean. These stories were first published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. Between The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries and Murder at Christmas there are plenty of Yuletide mysteries to keep us all entertained at this time of year. Happy Holidays!
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
“The Theft of the Christmas Stocking” by Edward D. Hoch
“‘Twixt the Cup and the Lip” by Julian Symons
“Death in the Christmas Hour” by James Powell
“Auggie Wren’s Christmas Story by Paul Auster
“Christmas Gift” by Robert Turner
“Rumpole and the Chambers Party” by John Mortimer
“Murder at Christmas” by C. M. Chan
“Father Crumlish Celebrates Christmas” by Alice Scanlan Reach
“A Matter of Life and Death” by Georges Simenon
“Miss Crindle and Father Christmas” by Malcolm Gray

To get into the spirit of next week’s second movie installment of The Hobbit, I read this collection that is subtitled: “Classic stories That Inspired the Author of The Lord of the Rings.” This is blatant marketing. As Douglas Anderson writes several times in the commentary to these stories, Tolkien “might” have read them. Of course, some of these stories Tolkien did read (we know that because he wrote about them) like “The Song of Sigurd” by Andrew Lang. I have a few quibbles. Anderson could have chosen some stronger stories by Lord Dunsany and Arthur Machen. But, overall, Tales Before Tolkien is an enjoyable anthology if a tad uneven. My favorite stories were by Andrew Lang, H. Rider Haggard, and L. Frank Baum. Inexpensive copies are available at the usual Internet sites. GRADE: B
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Elves /Ludwig Tieck
Golden key /George MacDonald
Puss-cat mew /E.H. Knatchbull-Hugessen
Griffin and the minor canon /Frank R. Stockton
Demon pope /Richard Garnett
Story of Sigurd /retold by Andrew Lang
Folk of the mountain door /William Morris
Black heart and white heart: a Zulu idyll /H. Rider Haggard
Dragon tamers /E. Nesbit
Far Islands /John Buchan
Drawn arrow /Clemence Housman
Enchanted buffalo /L. Frank Baum
Chu-bu and Sheemish /Lord Dunsany
Baumoff explosive /William Hope Hodgson
Regent of the north /Kenneth Morris
Coming of the terror /Arthur Machen
Elf trap /Francis Stevens
Thin queen of Elfhame /James Branch Cabell
Woman of the wood /A. Merritt
Golithos the ogre /E.A. Wyki-Smith
Christmas play /David Lindsay.

There is something for everyone in this yuletide collection. Every style, every mystery taste is represented in The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries. This is the perfect gift for the mystery lover on your list. Check out the Table of Contents below. There might be some stories you’ll want to read! GRADE: A
Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION Otto Penzler

A Traditional Little Christmas
THE ADVENTURE OF THE CHRISTMAS PUDDING Agatha Christie
GOLD, FRANKINCENSE AND MURDER Catherine Aird
BOXING UNCLEVER Robert Barnard
THE PROOF OF THE PUDDING Peter Lovesey
THE ADVENTURE OF THE DAUPHIN’S DOLL Ellery Queen
MORSE’S GREATEST MYSTERY Colin Dexter
MORE THAN FLESH AND BLOOD Susan Moody
THE BUTLER’S CHRISTMAS EVE Mary Roberts Rinehart
THE TRINITY CAT Ellis Peters 91

A Funny Little Christmas
THE BURGLAR AND THE WHATSIT Donald E. Westlake
DANCING DAN’S CHRISTMAS Damon Runyon
A VISIT FROM ST. NICHOLAS Ron Goulart
THE THIEVES WHO COULDN’T HELP SNEEZING Thomas Hardy
RUMPOLE AND THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS John Mortimer
A REVERSIBLE SANTA CLAUS Meredith Nicholson

A Sherlockian Little Christmas
A SCANDAL IN WINTER Gillian Linscott
THE CHRISTMAS CLIENT Edward D. Hoch
THE SECRET IN THE PUDDING BAG & HERLOCK SHOLMES’S
CHRISTMAS CASE Peter Todd
CHRISTMAS EVE S. C. Roberts
THE ADVENTURE OF THE BLUE CARBUNCLE Arthur Conan Doyle

A Pulpy Little Christmas
DEAD ON CHRISTMAS STREET John D. MacDonald
CRIME’S CHRISTMAS CAROL Norvell Page
SERENADE TO A KILLER Joseph Commings

An Uncanny Little Christmas
THE HAUNTED CRESCENT Peter Lovesey
A CHRISTMAS IN CAMP Edmund Cox
THE CHRISTMAS BOGEY Pat Frank
THE KILLER CHRISTIAN Andrew Klavan
THE GHOST’S TOUCH Fergus Hume
A WREATH FOR MARLEY Max Allan Collins

A Scary Little Christmas
THE CAROL SINGERS Josephine Bell
WAXWORKS Ethel Lina White
CAMBRIC TEA Marjorie Bowen
THE 74TH TALE Jonathan Santlofer
THE UNINNOCENT Bradford Morrow
BLUE CHRISTMAS Peter Robinson

A Surprising Little Christmas
NOEL, NOEL Barry Perowne
DEATH ON CHRISTMAS EVE Stanley Ellin
THE CHINESE APPLE Joseph Shearing

A Modern Little Christmas
AND ALL THROUGH THE HOUSE Ed McBain
AN EARLY CHRISTMAS Doug Allyn
THE LIVE TREE John Lutz
THREE-DOT PO Sara Paretsky
MAD DOG Dick Lochte

A Puzzling Little Christmas
SISTER BESSIE Cyril Hare
THAT’S THE TICKET Mary Higgins Clark
DEATH ON THE AIR Ngaio Marsh
THE THIRTEENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS Isaac Asimov
THE CHRISTMAS KITTEN Ed Gorman
THE SANTA CLAUS CLUB Julian Symons

A Classic Little Christmas
THE FLYING STARS G. K. Chesterton
CHRISTMAS PARTY Rex Stout
THE RAFFLES RELICS E. W. Hornung
THE PRICE OF LIGHT Ellis Peters
A PRESENT FOR SANTA SAHIB H. R. F. Keating
THE CHRISTMAS TRAIN Will Scott
MARKHEIM Robert Louis Stevenson
A CHAPARRAL CHRISTMAS GIFT O. Henry
THE CHOPHAM AFFAIR Edgar Wallace
A CHRISTMAS TRAGEDY Agatha Christie

For that Tom Clancy fan on your holiday gift list, this new Blu-ray edition of The Jack Ryan Collection shows up at the perfect time. The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, and The Sum of All Fears look great in high-definition. I enjoyed all of these movies. My favorite is The Hunt for Red October. I thought Alec Baldwin made a perfect Jack Ryan. But Baldwin got into a fight with the head of Disney (who made the film), calling Michael Ovitz “the Eighth Dwarf: Stupid.” If you buy this box set now, you get a free ticket to the soon to open Jack Ryan movie, Shadow Recruit. GRADE: A

Foreverly gets my nomination as the most surprising album of the year. Billie Joe Armstrong (of Green Day) and Norah Jones team up to replicate the classic Everly Brothers album, Songs Our Daddy Taught Us from 1958. This bizarre project turns out incredibly well. The instrumentation is sparse, basically guitars with a piano and a muted rhythm section. The focus is on the vocals. Billie Joe and Norah harmonize beautifully. No one sings like this anymore. If you’re in the mood for some mellow songs from the past, you’ll find them here. GRADE: A
TRACK LIST:
1. Roving Gambler 4:08
2. Long Time Gone 3:28
3. Lightning Express 5:00
4. Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine 3:38
5. Down In The Willow Garden 4:32
6. Who’s Gonna Shoe Your Pretty Little Feet? 2:56
7. Oh So Many Years 3:03
8. Barbara Allen 4:48
9. Rockin’ Alone (In An Old Rockin’ Chair) 3:00
10. I’m Here To Get My Baby Out Of Jail 4:19
11. Kentucky 3:26
12. Put My Little Shoes Away 3:21

After last Sunday’s debacle in Toronto where the Bills snatched defeat from the jaws of Victory by committing not one but two fumbles late in the game. The Bills fans who were smoking funny substances and thinking the Bills had a shot at the Playoffs by winning five games in a row (although they haven’t won two games in a row this season) have had their dim hopes dashed. So this Bills vs. Bucs game is a glorified pre-season game as both teams look toward next season. How will your favorite NFL team do today?

“You master form you master time.” That’s Glyn Maxwell’s mantra throughout this clever little book. Books like On Poetry basically give the author a chance to display his favorite poems and to celebrate his favorite poets. Glyn Maxwell likes Robert Frost, Yeats, Emily Dickinson, and Shakespeare. I always enjoy books where the writer is passionate about his material. You’ll find Glyn Maxwell an amiable guide to poetry and its forms. GRADE: B+

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus was published in 1902. In typical L. Frank Baum fashion, the story of Santa is filled with marvelous creatures: nymphs and fairies, and Knooks, and Ryls. In Baum’s version of Santa’s life, Santa is an abandoned child. The creatures of the Forest of Burzee adopt him and rise Santa to manhood. But then Santa discovers his goal in Life: to make children happy. Santa starts with carved toys and then branches out. The story of how the reindeer become part of Christmas is charming, too. Those of you who’ve read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz series know what to expect: delight!

I just returned from my semi-annual appointment with my urologist. Last week I had blood work that included a PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) test. Today my urologist gave me the results. I scored a 1.1. Any score under 4.0 is good. Guys, if you haven’t gotten your PSA test this year now’s the time to do it. Do not put it off! Ladies, remind the over-40 men in your life to take a PSA test at least once a year. Early detection makes all the difference! And keep eating pizza to protect the prostate! (It’s the lycopene in the tomato sauce.)

Art Scott generously sent me this quirky tome. This is not a “Best of” volume. This is Tom Moom talking about his 1,000 favorite recordings that he thinks everyone should listen to. You can probably guess how this turns out. Minnie Riperton is here, but no Mary Wells, Billy Joel, or Mariah Carey. The Classic music choices are equally quirky. Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart are here, but no Telemann. Browsing through the 1,000 pages of 1,000 Recording to Hear Before You Die took me some time, but it generated a list of CDs I’ll give to “Santa.” There’s something here for everyone. Here’s a sample of the offerings in “A”: (The complete list can be found here)

Gold
ABBA

Moorish Music from Mauritania
Dimi Mint Abba and Khalifa Ould Eide

Blu Blu Blu
The Muhal Richard Abrams Orchestra

Shakin’ the Rafters
The Abyssinian Baptist Choir

Back in Black
AC/DC

Harmonium
John Adams
San Francisco Symphony Orchestra (Edo De Waart, cond.)

The Death of Klinghoffer
John Adams
Christopher Maltman, Sanford Sylvan, Yvonne Howard, London Symphony Orchestra (John Adams, cond.)

The Real Me: Johnny Adams Sings Doc Pomus
Johnny Adams

Heartbreaker
Ryan Adams

At the Lighthouse
The Cannonball Adderley Quintet

The Best of the Classic Years
King Sunny Ade

Toys in the Attic
Aerosmith

Éthiopiques, Vol 7: Erè Mèla Mèla
Mahmoud Ahmed

Air Lore
Air

The Ultimate Arthur Alexander
Arthur Alexander

Dirt
Alice in Chains

Allison Wonderland
Mose Allison

At Fillmore East
The Allman Brothers Band

The Complete General Recordings
The Almanac Singers

Whipped Cream and Other Delights
Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass

Arepa 3000: A Venezuelan Journey into Space
Los Amigos Invisibles

The First Day
Albert Ammons and Meade “Lux” Lewis

Spirituals
Marian Anderson

“The House of the Rising Sun”
The Animals

Selected Ambient Works 85–92
Aphex Twin

When the Pawn. . .
Fiona Apple

Neon Bible
The Arcade Fire

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3
Martha Argerich
Berlin Philharmonic (Claudio Abbado, cond.)

The Complete Hot Fives and Hot Sevens
Louis Armstrong

3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life of. . .
Arrested Development

Urban Bushmen
Art Ensemble of Chicago

Steppin’ Out: Astaire Sings
Fred Astaire

Chester and Lester
Chet Atkins and Les Paul

Spiritual Unity
Albert Ayler