My favorite story in Murder Most Confederate (2000) is Brendan DuBois’ chilling “Last Hours in Richmond.” A woman and her disabled husband contend with the end of the Civil War in an unexpected fashion.

I also liked “The Hessian” by Doug Allyn about the tragedies of war. Edward D. Hoch’s “The Price of Coal,” “Ghost” by Bradley H. Sinor, and “The Last Day of the War” by James Reasoner weave mysteries and murder into the Civil War settings.

Like the other Martin H. Greenberg Murder Most… series, this anthology presents a variety of stories with plenty of suspense and historical accuracy. GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction by John Helfers — vii

The Hessian by Doug Allyn — 3

The Price of Coal by Edward D. Hoch — 23

Last Hours in Richmond by Brendan DuBois — 41

Veterans by John Lutz — 63

The Cobblestones of Saratoga Street by Avram Davidson — 77

A House Divided by Marc Bilgrey — 89

Blossoms and Blood by Janet Berliner — 103

Whistling Dixie by Billie Sue Mosiman — 111

Behind Enemy Lines by John Helfers and Carol Rondou — 131

The Unknown Soldier by Kristine Kathryn Rusch — 151

A Woman’s Touch by Max Allan Collins and Matthew V. Clemens — 159

Ghost by Bradley H. Sinor — 177

The Last Day of the War by James Reasoner — 193

Valuables by Kristine Scheid — 213

The Face by Ed Gorman — 233

Matthew in the Morning by Gary A. Braunbeck — 249

Authors’ Biographies — 267

Copyrights and Permissions — 274

Diane and I had never heard of Sandra Cisneros or her Young Adult novel, The House on Mango Street (1984). Diane and her Book Club had read books by the three other Babel authors–Tommy Orange, Cheryl Strayed, and James McBride–so Diane decided we should just get tickets to the whole series.

I picked up a copy of The House on Mango Street from our local public library and we both read it. In addition to writing novels, Sandra Cisneros is a poet, essayist, and excellent oral reader. The poetic side of Cisneros shows up on just about every page of The House on Mango Street.

You will think you’re reading a James Patterson book because Cisneros uses the “short chapter” strategy that Patterson is famous for. The House on Mango Street is the story of Esperanza Cordero, growing up in Chicago. Esperanza narrates the experiences she navigates the difficult transformation of morphing from a child into becoming a teenager with all its problems, excitement, anxiety, fears, challenges, mistakes, and risks.

Esperanza lives in a community made up of mostly newly arrived immigrants from Mexico and first-generation Americans including black and white people from Texas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Europe, and Puerto Rico.

Esperanza, her parents and sisters, live in a small house. Here’s how Esperanza describes It:

It’s small and red with tight steps in front and windows so small you’d think they were holding their breath. Bricks are crumbling in places, and the front door is so swollen you have to push hard to get in. There is no front yard, only four little elms the city planted by the curb. (p. 9)

The House on Mango Street has sold 7 million copies. The presentation Diane and I attended showed Sandra Cisneros at her best. She read from The House on Mango Street, she read some of her poetry. And she read an essay on Peace. As I mentioned before, Cisneros is a great oral reader. The audience of 1200 literary types gave Cisneros plenty of applause after a lively Q&A session. I highly recommend The House on Mango Street. GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• The house on Mango Street — 3
• Hairs — 6
• Boys & girls — 8
• My name — 10
• Cathy queen of cats — 12
• Our good day — 14
• Laughter — 17
• Gil’s furniture bought & sold — 19
• Meme Ortiz — 21
• Louie, his cousin & his other cousin — 23
• Marin — 26
• Those who don’t — 28
• There was an old woman she had so many children she didn’t know what to do — 29
• Alicia who sees mice — 31
• Darius & the clouds — 33
• And some more — 35
• The family of little feet — 39
• A rice sandwich — 43
• Chanclas — 46
• Hips — 49
• The first job — 53
• Papa who wakes up tired in the dark — 56
• Born bad — 58
• Elenita, cards, palm, water — 62
• Geraldo no last name — 65
• Edna’s Ruthie — 67
• The Earl of Tennessee — 70
• Sire. — 72
• Four skinny trees — 74
• No speak English — 76
• Rafaela who drinks coconut & papaya juice on Tuesdays — 79
• Sally — 81
• Minerva writes poems — 84
• Bums in the attic — 86
• Beautiful & cruel — 88
• A smart cookie — 90
• What Sally said — 92
• The monkey garden — 94
• Red clowns — 99
• Linoleum roses — 101
• The three sisters — 103
• Alicia & I talking on Edna’s steps — 106
• A house of my own — 108
• Mango says goodbye sometimes — 109

JUST BUFFALO LITERARY CENTER BABEL SERIES 2024-2025

October 10, 2024: Sandra Cisneros

November 13, 2024: Tommy Orange

March 20, 2025: Cheryl Strayed

April 30, 2025: James McBride

GO BILLS!

The Buffalo Bills travel to New Jersey for tomorrow night’s Monday Night Football game. Despite the firing of Jets Head Coach Robert Saleh, the Bills are a 2 1/2 point favorites. The Bills have lost their last two games–against the Ravens and the Texans–so this Jet game means a lot. How will your favorite NFL team perform today?

I’m always eager to try new coffee flavors. Last week I was running errands which included a stop at our local Sam’s Club. Just inside the door, there was a pallet of Member’s Mark Winter Variety Pack Coffee so I bought it. Now, after drinking all of the flavors–Salted Caramel Bourbon, Maple Pecan, Cinnamon Roasted Almond, and Butter Toffee–I can recommend these K-cups without reservation.

Before I get into the flavors, I want to point out this box of 60 K-cups only cost $14.98. Starbucks boxes of K-cups cost double this price. Of the four flavors in this box of coffee, I preferred the Cinnamon Roasted Almond. I’m a fan of cinnamon, I love almonds, and the medium roast is just right. Also good is the Maple Pecan. Love maple, love pecans! The Salted Caramel Bourbon was just okay. I’m not a fan of the Butter Toffee, but it was drinkable.

If you’re in the mood to try some different flavors of coffee, you might consider the Member’s Mark Winter Variety Pack Coffee. But, don’t delay: this is a Limited Time Offering. GRADE: B

Yes, it’s hard to believe that Dr. Seuss books are being banned in parts of our country. In defense of books everywhere, I decided to do a post featuring The Annotated Cat: Under the Hats of Seuss and His Cats (2007) with Introduction and Annotations by Philip Nel.

In addition to the complete texts and art of both of Dr. Seuss’s famous books, there are two essays by Seuss and one magazine story, plus draft material, photographs, and page-by-page annotations. There’s a treasure trove of information here!

In his Introduction, Philip Nel argues that Seuss books operate on several levels. They do teach reading, but they also offer lessons in poetry, politics, ethics, history, and “the way the world works.” No wonder these books are being banned!

Philip Nel is an associate professor of English at Kansas State University. He also wrote Dr. Seuss: American Icon (2004). If you’re a fan of Dr. Seuss and his wonderful books, The Annotated Cat will give you hours of enjoyment. What is your favorite Dr. Seuss book? GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction -- 6
The Cat in the Hat -- 20
The Cat in the Hat Comes Back -- 94
"The Strange Shirt Spot" -- 164
"How Orlo Got His Book" -- 166
"My Hassle with the First Grade Language" -- 170
Endnotes -- 174
Selected References -- 177
Credits -- 185
Acknowledgements -- 189
About the Author -- 190

Sometimes I like to blend soft rock with hard rock. The Roots of Rock: Soft Rock from 1996 includes favorites like Hall & Oates “One on One,” Rod Stewart’s “Mandolin Wind,” and Joe Cocker & Jennifer Warnes’ “Up Where We Belong.”

Rock The First Sampler from 1992 includes The Fine Young Cannibals hit, “She Drives Me Crazy,” The Clash’s “Rock the Casbah,” and Taylor Dayne’s “Tell It to My Heart.”

Do you remember these songs? Any of your favorites here? GRADE: B (for both)

TRACK LIST:

TRACK LIST:

Joe R. Lansdale’s In the Mad Mountains: Stories Inspired by H. P. Lovecraft collects several stories where weirdness prevails. “The Bleeding Shadow” features a blues recording with vinyl magic which opens the gate between dimensions. Dread Island is a tale of Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, and Jim exploring an island in the Mississippi that appears and disappears with sinister aspects.

I really enjoyed Lansdale’s Edgar Allan Poe tribute in “The Gruesome Affair of the Electric Blue Lightning.” The Necronomicon makes a cameo appearance. “The Tall Grass” reveals an incident where a stopped train exposes a passenger to the horrors around it. “The Case of the Stalking Shadows” tells the story of a young girl’s experience with inter-dimensional terror. “The Crawling Sky” is one of Landsdale’s weird westerns. “Starlight, Eyes Bright” confronts the impact of alien artifacts.

If you put Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness, the Titanic, and Philip Jose Farmer into a blender, the result would be “In the Mad Mountains.” Survivors of the sinking of the Titanic face more peril when their life boat lands in a freezing, bizarre hell-scape. If you’re a fan of Lovecraft pastiches, In the Mad Mountains delivers plenty of eerie entertainment. GRADE: B

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction by Joe R. Lansdale — 1
“The Bleeding Shadow” — 11
Dread Island — 47
“The Gruesome Affair of the Electric Blue Lightning” — 91
“The Tall Grass” — 123
“The Case of the Stalking Shadows” — 135
“The Crawling Sky” — 159
“Starlight, Eyes Bright” — 189
In the Mad Mountains — 201

About Joe. R. Lansdale — 251

Director and screenwriter Jon Watts–who also directed three Tom Holland Spider-Man movies–brings George Clooney and Brad Pitt together in a twisty caper film. Amy Ryan (aka, Steve Martin’s psycho girlfriend in Only Murders in the Building), a District Attorney with an embarrassing problem, calls George Clooney–a fixer–for help. But Brad Pitt–also a fixer–shows up, too. Circumstances force Clooney and Pitt to work together…a lot a fun friction results.

Wolfs definitely has a Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid vibe. Clooney and Pitt have the same rare chemistry that Paul Newman and Robert Redford put on the screen. I liked Wolfs and I was delighted to learn that a sequel has already been Green Lighted. If you’re looking for a solid buddy movie, Wolfs delivers action and laughs. GRADE: B

“We should ALL want the freedom to read what we want and have access to reading materials from a variety of viewpoints. Protecting our libraries is exactly how we do that. The attack on librarians and libraries is shameful and something everyone should fear.” (p. 11)

Amanda Jones, who wrote that belief in That Librarian, tells the story of how her life was upended when she ran afoul of a local group called Citizens for a New Louisiana–part of a far-right, nationwide movement that targets authors, books, librarians and institutions considered too liberal, too permissive, and too inclusive.

Thousands of books have been banned in the United States as schools and libraries are under attack by conservative groups. Amanda Jones found herself the target of a brutal and vicious social media campaign that accused her of grooming perverts and pedophilia, of encouraging children to engage in anal sex, and encouraging gender changes. Amanda Jones was attacked by neighbors she had known for years and had once considered friends. Parents of children Amanda had taught brought accusations that she was threatening their children with dangerous books.

The allegations were false, but that didn’t matter to the hostile groups. Amanda’s long record of dedicated public service, deep community ties, and Christian affiliation provided no protection, either as the attacks against her and the books she defended increased. Jones experienced such anxiety, depression, and fear that she needed a leave of absence from the job she loved. Her family suffered from the angry phone calls. Amanda Jones received death threats. Jones considered retreating from public view, but she chose to defend her reputation and stand for the principles she believed in by confronting the forces trying to drive her into hiding.

Along with filing a defamation lawsuit, Amanda Jones organized other librarians across the country by networking and defending books these malicious groups seek to ban. We all should protect the value of information, free inquiry, and the libraries that provide them. That Librarian is a moving story of a woman standing up for freedom. Very moving! GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Liars and buzzards and trolls, oh my — 1

How we got here — 20

Here, there, everywhere — 39

WWJ: What would Judy do? — 61

(Wo)man in the mirror — 78

Hell hath no fury like a librarian scorned — 91

The battle begins : initial court proceedings — 103

Are you there Michelle? It’s me, Amanda : it’s hard to go high when the haters go so low — 123

The mob song — 135

Some people are ride or die, some people aren’t — 147

The longevity of hate — 167

Think of the children — 184

It’s raining sin, Hallelujah — 202

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times — 215

What you can do in your own community — 234

Don’t let anyone dull your sparkle — 248

My July 19, 2022, speech to the Livingston Parish Library Board of Control — 255

Acknowledgments — 259

Bibliography — 263