As the lazy hazy crazy days of Summer come to an end, what better way to indulge in a reading binge than enjoying a trilogy of spy novels. After reading several good reviews of Matthew Dunn’s Spycatcher series, I spent this week chasing terrorists and foiling dastardly plots. Matthew Dunn was an MI6 agent so you’ll find some surprising spycraft in these novels. But, you’ll find some excesses, too. For example, in the first book in the series, Spycatcher, Dunn’s master spy Will Cochrane (code name: Spartan) gets shot FIVE TIMES! Fortunately, he recovers to chase a Russian agent bent on starting a war with the United States in Sentinel. Will Cochrane battles a secret cabal who plans to unleash massive devastation of millions of people in Slingshot. There’s plenty of action in these books. The pages turn quickly. I can’t think of a better way to end this Summer! GRADE: B (for all three Spycatcher books)

Seeds of Life is the last of those Galaxy Science Fiction Novels I found in my basement this summer. “John Taine” is the pseudonym of Eric Temple Bell, a mathematician and scientist. Seeds of Life is a variation on the Jekyll and Hyde theme. A technical assistant is zapped by radiation in a laboratory and is transformed into genius. Initially, the genius builds incredible devices that make millions of dollars. But the genius goes to the Dark Side and his evil threatens to unleash new horrors on the United States. Written in 1931, Seeds of Life has some of the stilted prose of that era. But even 80 years ago, John Taine was suggesting that radiation could have devastating mutating effects. Science shows up in Erie Temple Bell’s other “John Taine” science fiction novels. The best known were published in an omnibus edition by Dover Press: The Time Stream; The Greatest Adventure; and The Purple Sapphire. If you’re in the mood for some Old School SF adventures, these John Taine novels fit the bill.

Regina Belle is best remembered for her duet with Peabo Bryson, “A Whole New World,” that became the theme for the Disney movie, Aladdin. But Regina Belle’s talent can be heard on a dozen albums. Baby Come to Me: The Best of Regina Belle collects many of her best songs. My favorites are “Show Me the Way” (a perfect make-out song!) and “So Many Tears.” Regina Belle sounds a little like Brenda Russell and Yolanda Adams. Very soulful, very smooth! If you’re in the mood for some beautiful music, check out Baby Come to Me or any of Regina Belle’s other fine CDs.
TRACK LIST:
1 Didn’t I (Blow Your Mind This Time) (4:23)
2 Baby Come to Me (5:41)
3 Quiet Time (5:06)
4 So Many Tears (7:32)
5 What Goes Around (5:35)
6 How Could You Do It to Me (4:55)
7 Love T.K.O. (5:00)
8 Show Me the Way (5:29)
9 Someday We’ll All Be Free/Save the Children (7:05)
10 All I Want Is Forever (4:27)
11 This Is Love (4:44)
12 If I Could (4:00)
13 Make It Like It Was (5:08)
14 A Whole New World (4:03)

Philip Bobbitt wrote two masterworks of political science: The Shield of Achilles: War, Peace, and the Course of History and Terror and Consent: The Wars for the Twenty-First Century. Both of these books present detailed analysis of major topics. However, The Garments of Court and Palace weighs in at a svelte 270 pages (Bobbitt’s other two tomes have close to a thousand pages each). Machiavelli holds a paradoxical place in political science. Many critics claim Machiavelli marks the beginning of modernity in government. Others, like Leo Strauss in Thoughts on Machiabelli, say Machiavelli presents an amoral approach to governing. Bobbitt’s view of Machiavelli recognizes the amoral aspects of Machiavelli’s philosophy. But Bobbitt acknowledges that sometimes political leaders and governments need to resort to amoral techniques to survive. The current NSA controversy illustrates this dilemma. How much of our privacy are we willing to give up for security? As the debate rages on, Bobbitt’s brilliant book suggests we’ll do what we have to do–just as Machiavelli suggested over 500 years ago. GRADE: A

BEST BUY is offering Shaun of the Dead/Hot Fuzz Blu-ray for $12.98. But it gets better! BEST BUY will also give you $8 of FANDANGO cash if you buy this combo Blu-ray this week. However, you can only use the FANDANGO cash towards a ticket for The World’s End or Kick-Ass 2. Much as I want to see Hit Girl, the terrible reviews for Kick-Ass 2 discourage me from that option. But I can cheerfully recommend The World’s End made by the same team that made Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz. If you haven’t seen Shaun of the Dead or Hot Fuzz this is an attractive package at a bargain price.

Longmire Season Two lacked the intensity of Season One, but I still enjoyed it. The producers and writers took a couple of misguided tangents (the Election for Sheriff and the near-fatal hit-and-run of Longmire’s daughter come to mind). But Robert Taylor embodies the character of Longmire and his supporting cast is strong. The gruesome Indian ritual Longmire undergoes to “save” his daughter’s life creeped me out but it’s consistent with the storyline and culture Longmire developed over two seasons. I hope this series gets renewed. Past episodes should be available at A&E ON DEMAND or the A&E website.

Warren Buffett is the world’s best investor. Depending on the performance of the Stock Market today, he’s the richest person in the United States and one of the richest people in the world with a net worth of $55 billion. Buffett’s wealth was earned investing in the Stock Market. He has a simple investment strategy that he shares with everyone: buy good stocks and hold them forever. Sure, Buffett has made some investing mistakes, but he always learns from his errors. Buffett is donating his billions to charity. In an era where narcissistic clowns like Anthony Weiner garner undeserved attention, Warren Buffett goes about his business with joy and humor. He loves what’s he’s doing. And that makes all the difference. You can check out Warren Buffett’s current six best stocks to own here. GRADE: A

If you’ve seen Shaun of the Dead (zombie apocalypse movie) or Hot Fuzz (cop movie pastiche), you know what you’re in for in The World’s End: wacky British humor. The same group was involved in all three movies: Edgar Wright (director) and Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, and a zany cast of extras. Five friends meet to top their epic pub crawl from 20 years ago. But they discover everything isn’t as it Should Be. If you’re in the mood for an off-beat humorous action movie, give The World’s End a try. Check out the trailer below. GRADE: B+

I found a batch of Galaxy Science Fiction Novels (digest format) this Summer while I was organizing a donation for SUNY at Buffalo. Two of the novels were S. Fowler Wright’s The Amphibians (1924) and its sequel The World Below (1929), both examples of vintage story-telling. S. Fowler Wright’s two works will remind you of H. G. Wells’ The Time Machine. In both of these adventures, a 20th Century man (named George!) is sent 300,000 years into the future. He searches for two other missing time travelers. Wright creates an intriguing future with weird flora and fauna. It quickly becomes apparent that S. Fowler Wright was not a big fan of technology. The future world finds humans divided into amphibians and giant Dwellers who rule the largest landmass. One of the amphibians agrees to help George on his quest. Much of The Amphibians and The World Below consists of long philosophical sociological arguments between George and the amphibian. A third book was planned to complete the trilogy, but Wright never got around to writing it.

Barack Obama will speak to a crowd of 6,000 excited supporters at 11 A.M. today at the State University of New York at Buffalo (about 10 minutes from my house). The lines of people trying to get tickets to the event were a mile long. The President is supposed to speak about funding for college students and the economy. With the Debt Limit debate looming next month and the threat of a government shut-down to defund Obamacare, the Fall looks like a bleak and contentious time. Today’s crowd of enthusiastic supporters should give Obama a lift. Whether the President will visit the George Kelley Paperback and Pulp Fiction Collection during his campus tour is unknown.