It was news to me that Antonin Dvorak had written a piano concerto. I’m familiar with Dvorak’s other music, with the New World Symphony, the Slavonic Dances, the “American” String Quartet, and the Cello Concerto in B minor being my favorites. When I read a very positive review in the American Record Guide of Vassily Primakov’s new CD with his performance of Dvorak’s piano concerto, I immediately ordered it. While not as compelling as his other work, Dvorak wrote a very entertaining piece of music when he penned his piano concerto. Vassily Primakov’s performance is sparkling and full of energy. Along with the piano concerto, Dvorak’s Poetic Tone-Pictures, Op. 85 fills out the disk. This is pleasant music superbly played. GRADE: A-

Rick Robinson and Drongo urged me to review A. Merritt’s classic The Ship of Ishtar so here it goes. I read this book back in the 1960s. Now with Planet Stories’ new edition being published, it was great to reread this mind-bending fantasy. The first fact you need to know is that The Ship of Ishtar was first published in 1924. Literary fashions change over 86 years. In The Ship of Ishtar the reader needs to adjust to florid descriptions like “His eyes dwelt upon her sweetly amorous, scarlet mouth, the tiny chalice for kisses at her throat.” (p. 62) The glamorous redhead on the book’s cover is Sharane, the avatar of Ishtar (Mother of the Gods and Men). Opposing her on the Ship of Ishtar is the evil Klaneth, avatar of Nergal (God of Death). Into this fantastic brew lands John Kenton, an archeologist recovering from injuries sustained during World War I. Kenton’s adventures aboard the Ship and his frequent journeys back to his mansion in 1924 make for a choppy narrative. But stay with the story for the dramatic rescue in the Temple of the Seven Zones. If you enjoy High Adventure in the mode of Edgar Rice Burroughs, Otis Adelbert Kline, Clark Ashton Smith, and Robert E. Howard then you’ll enjoy The Ship of Ishtar. Eric Mona and the staff at Planet Stories have put together a great package: the most complete edition of this novel in 60 years including Virgil Finlay’s legendary erotic artwork. This book should be in your personal library.

There aren’t too many books that will cause me to drop everything and read them, but Matthew Hughes’ Hespira is one of them. Matthew Hughes is the writer who writes Jack Vance pastiches. If you love Jack Vance’s work as much as I do, Matthew Hughes’ books will delight you with their Vancean wit and cleverness. Hespira features Henghis Hapthorn (patterned on Vance’s puzzle solver, Magnus Ridolph) Old Earth’s foremost discriminator (private detective). Hapthorn helps a woman whose memories have been stolen from her. The search takes them off-planet and into a cunning conspiracy. I’ve enjoyed the two previous Henghis Hapthorn novels, Majestrum and The Spiral Labyrinth. Don’t miss this wonderful books! GRADE: A

Liz Williams’ Snake Agent works the same side of the street as Jim Butcher’s “The Dresden Files” and Simon R. Green’s “Nightside Supernatural Detective” series. Detective Inspector Chen is assigned spooky cases (anything supernatural or mystical) in the Singapore Three Police Department. He is allied with a goddess who protects Chen (sometimes) and is the source of his powers (sometimes). Chen starts Snake Agent by investigating the murder of an industrialist’s daughter and uncovers a vast conspiracy that leads to Hell itself. Along the way, Chen finds himself working with Seneschal Zhu Irzh, a demon from Hell’s Vice Division. Together, they follow the clues to uncover a dangerous plot. For more information, you can check out Rick Robinson’s take on Snake Agent here. Liz Williams’ Snake Agent provides solid escapist entertainment. GRADE: B

PIZZA JUNCTION, my favorite pizza and sub restaurant, was featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-ins & Dives last night on THE FOOD NETWORK. That episode will be rebroadcast again Friday night at 9 P.M. EDT and Sunday at 3 P.M. EDT. Check your local listings for times in your area. When Art Scott visited us last summer, I took Art to lunch at PIZZA JUNCTION. You’ll never get a more satisfying pizza or sub anywhere else. Yum! If you’re in Western New York, don’t miss stopping in and having a memorable meal. And, if you invite me along, I’ll pay!

It was a sad day when I read John Mortimer’s Rumpole Misbehaves knowing it is likely the last Rumpole work that will be published. I’ve read all the Rumpole books over the years. I’ve watched the brilliant Leo McKern portray Old Bailey barrister Horace Rumpole in the PBS series. Mortimer’s character is witty, curmudgeonly, and absolutely devoted to the practice of law and justice. Rumpole’s wife, Hilda (aka, She Who Must Be Obeyed), plays a much larger role in the last half dozen books as Mortimer allows her a voice–and a chance to dump old Rumpole for an admiring Judge. For readers wanting to discover the delights of Rumpole’s courtroom antics, I recommend The Best of Rumpole. And, if you’re as entertained as I am by John Mortimer’s creation, you’ll end up reading all of the Rumpole Canon, too. GRADE: B+

Predictable? Yes. Leap Year is a formulaic romantic comedy. But it does have predictably good Amy Adams playing an uptight, control-freak who travels to Ireland to propose to her boyfriend on February 29. Irish tradition allows women to propose to men on that day and Amy Adams thinks this will be the key romantic moment for her relationship. Of course, everything about the trip goes wrong. Amy ends up hiring a scruffy Irishman named Declan (played by Matthew Goode) to take her to Dublin and predictably sparks start to fly. The soundtrack provides plenty of Irish music. The director, Anand Tucker, clearly loves the Irish countryside because this film could be used as a commercial for a vacation in Ireland with all the local scenery in every frame. Amy Adams epitomizes many women’s fantasy by having two men proposing marriage at the same time. She carries this routine movie with her smart cuteness and makes it worth watching. GRADE: B

Patti Abbott recommended Precious so I finally got around to viewing it. Talk about a journey to the lowest circles of Hell! Precious is a 355 lb. 16-year-old who has been abused by both her mother (played with Satanic fury by the comedian, Mo’Nique) and her father. Her father has repeatedly raped Precious and as the movie opens, she’s pregnant for the second time (the first child has Down Syndrome). The innovative casting results in some nice surprises: Mariah Carey shows up makeup-less as a no-nonsense social worker and Lenny Kravitz is convincing as a male nurse. Based on a character in Sapphire’s memoir Push, Precious endures a horrific life. Although there’s happy music in the background as the movie comes to a close, I wasn’t convinced that Precious’ life will be anything but hellish. GRADE: B

Robert Leslie Bellem was a million-word writer of the Age of Pulp. Although Bellem wrote mystery stories and adventure stories and the occasional western, Bellem is best known for his “Dan Turner, Hollywood Detective” series that ran in the pulp magazines from 1934 to 1950. I’m recommending The Case Files of Dan Turner Hollywood Detective, Volume 1: The Spicy Years because I’ve found these earlier stories more fun and less formulaic than the dozens of Dan Turner stories that follow. Bellem writes with pride that he had a Dan Turner story published in every issue of Spicy Stories for seven straight years. If you enjoy screwball action and thrill-a-minute writing, Robert Leslie Bellem’s Dan Turner will provide it. I also recommend Bellem’s classic Blue Murder.

Every home should have a copy of Garner’s Modern American Usage: The Authority on Grammar, Usage, and Style. This book is inspired by W. H. Fowler’s classic A Dictionary of Modern English Usage, Garner’s book provides current examples and usage for writers. This is a must-have book for those who want to improve their writing. Each of the approximately 7,000 entries provides a definition, discusses the usage of the word, provides illustrative quotations, and gives citations to the references and quotations. If you’re confused about “lay/lie” or the proper use of apostrophes or commas, Garner explains their proper use in detail. This is an entertaining, frequently witty, and unpretentious resource. I know of no other grammar guide that comes close to Garner’s brilliant reference book. GRADE: A+