Michael Gruber’s trilogy featuring Jimmy Paz, Miami police detective, confounded me. I’d never read a review of the books and no one in my circle of mystery reading friends had ever mentioned it. I came to read this series because one of my favorite reviewers, Robert Birnbaum, recommended it. You can find out more about Robert Birnbaum and his excellent reviews at http://www.themorningnews.org/archives/people/robert_birnbaum.php. This series is about as far as you can get from a police procedural although Gruber uses that template. There’s a series of grisly murders: pregnant women killed, their fetuses cut from them, and portions of the fetuses removed. Paz finally figures out the perpetrator is using African sorcery to help him commit his crimes. So, at this point, we leave the realm of mystery/crime fiction and enter the science fiction/fantasy realm by way of H. P. Lovecraft and Robert Bloch. It’s disconcerting, but if you stay with it you’ll find some incredible writing and story-telling. Tropic of Night still lingers in my mind weeks after I’ve read it. GRADE: B+

Terrific science fiction artwork fills this wonderful volume. The great artists are all represented here: Wayne Barlowe, Hannes Bok, Chesley Bonstell, Vincent Di Fate, Leo & Diane Dillon, Ed Emshwiller, Virgil Finley, Chris Foss, Frank Frazetta, Kelly Freas, Jack Gaughan, and dozens of others. My only quibble is that the author tries to do too much. There’s a section on Star Trek artwork. There’s a section on Star Wars artwork. There’s a section on science fiction comic artwork. I would have rather seen more artwork by Wally Wood and Roy Krenkel instead. But that minor complaint aside, what’s here represents a cross-section of the best science fiction artwork ever published. That’s worth buying. GRADE: A-

Daedalus Books once again is offering an irresistible deal: The Completely Mad Don Martin 2-volume set for a rock-bottom price of $29.98. This set lists for $150. AMAZON wants $109 for it. It doesn’t get much better than this! I read MAD MAGAZINE as a kid and loved Don Martin’s distinctive work. Martin was inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2008, a well-deserved honor. Just go to salebooks.com and start saving! GRADE: A

There was nothing like it on TV back in 1964. The macabre situations, the strange characters, the alluring Morticia (played by Carolyn Jones), her manic husband Gomez (John Astin), the strange children Wednesday and Pugsley. And the bizarre disembodied hand (Thing) and the hairy Cousin Itt and Kitty Cat, the family lion. And, of course, the giant butler, Lurch (Ted Cassidy). Who can forget the harpsichord music and the snapping fingers (still played at NHL games)?

They’re creepy and they’re kooky,
Mysterious and spooky,
They’re all together ooky,
The Addams Family.

Sandra Bullock plays a wealthy suburbanite in Memphis who incredibly takes in (and eventually becomes the legal guardian of) a homeless African-American youth who goes on to become a First Round draft pick in the NFL. This is the best role Sandra Bullock has had in a decade. She actually disappears into this role. Unfortunately, in too many recent Bullock movies, I sat there thinking: “There’s Sandra Bullock playing an ingenue. She’s too old for that role.” Not this time. Singer Tim McGraw effectively plays Bullock’s husband. Quinton Aaron plays the hulking Michael Oher convincingly. Child actor Jae Head steals almost every scene he’s in. This movie is based on Michael Lewis’s non-fiction book with the same title. Of course, artistic license in a few scenes in the movie has to be granted to keep the drama up. The movie is a bit too long, but it delivers an emotional punch. GRADE: B

Here’s another holiday gift idea: Michael Nyman’s Soundtracks box set. This set includes the soundtracks from the films The Piano, The Libertine, and
Greenaway Revisited. If you like haunting, melodic music then you might want to give Michael Nyman’s CDs a try. The box set runs between $30-35 depending on where you buy it. But it’s well worth it. GRADE: A

Edward D. Hoch wrote hundreds of short stories. I’ve always harbored a fondness for Hoch’s “Nick Velvet” adventures. Nick Velvet is a master thief. But he’s a thief with a strange quirk: he only steals items that have no value. In The Velvet Touch Nick Velvet steals a bald man’s comb, an overdue library book, a menu, and several other seemingly valueless objects. These clever stories entertain and delight. Crippen & Landru should be praised for keeping these wonderful adventures in print. Don’t miss them.

Art Scott lavished praise on Helene Grimaud’s performance of Brahms Op. 116-119. Unfortunately, that CD is unavailable. The only way to obtain it is to buy the Helene Grimaud box set. So I did. After listening to Grimaud play Brahms I’m willing to admit Art might be right in his assessment of Grimaud’s scintillating performance. Art also sent me some pages from Grimaud’s memoir, Helene Grimaud: A Life of Music and Wolves where she discusses her approach to Brahms on the piano. “As soon as I heard a work by Brahms…I had a sense of recognition. It was very bizarre–the feeling that something had been written for you, and this something corresponded exactly to the fluctuations of your emotions…. I think I play Chopin fairly well, but I never reached the same degree of intimacy with him that I did with Brahms.” So I read her book. Grimaud’s insights are as passionate as her playing. Her obsession with wolves and her antipathy toward men made her memoir gripping. If you’re interested in the life of one of the finest pianists in the world read her book; if you want to listen to some great classical music, buy her box set. GRADE: A (for both the book and the music)