David Herbert Donald’s single volume biography of Lincoln is considered the best of hundreds available. Donald’s lucid prose and meticulous research makes the story of Lincoln’s life as gripping as a suspense novel. The details never bog down the momentum of events. You’ll come away from Donald’s biography wanting to read more about Lincoln. You have some wonderful choices: the Library of America’s two volumes of Lincoln’s speeches and writings. Or you can go all the way and read the 2-volume, 2000-page, million-word Abraham Lincoln: A Life by Michael Burlingame. Published by Johns Hopkins University Press it’s only $125!
HAPPY 200TH BIRTHDAY ABRAHAM LINCOLN
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Historical writer Bernard Cornwell’s latest epic, Agincourt, just entered the New York Times Best Sellers List at Number Four. For most readers, Agincourt is just a battle in Shakespeare’s Henry V. But in the history of warfare, Agincourt holds a special place. Agincourt is one of those rare battles where a smaller force defeated a much greater force. In 1415, the English army of 6000 achieved victory over the French army of 30,000! Although they were outnumbered 5 to 1, one of the deciding factors was the English use of new military technology: the long bow. Cornwell tells his story of Agincourt through the eyes of an English archer named Nicholas Hook. If you’ve read any of Cornwell’s previous works, you know Cornwell does not glamorize warfare. Quite the opposite. Cornwell dwells on the brutality, butchery, sickness, and terror that are the byproducts of battle. Battle tactics, weapons, and strategy are convincingly presented within the storyline. Cornwell doesn’t pick sides, the English commit as many atrocities as the French. Yet it’s nearly impossible for a reader not to hope Nicholas Hook and his archer friends survive the horrors of this terrible battle. Cornwell’s Agincourt captures a classic moment of warfare in a most suspenseful fashion. Historical fiction doesn’t get much better than this. GRADE: A-. 
The wonderful Beth Fedyn sent this set of DVDs to me and I’ve had about eight hours of laughs as a result. Black Books is a bookstore in London. Bernard Black, the dour owner of the shop, regards customers with hostility. He’d rather be left alone to drink and smoke and read. Bernard, though a series of comic events, finds himself a bizarre assistant. Manny, with wild hair and bulging eyes, does all the heavy lifting, cleaning, and selling in the shop. Fran, once Bernard’s girl friend, is the straw that stirs this sit-com’s drink. You think Fran is the “sane” one until she isn’t. The episode where Fran goes away with her school chums for a “hens” weekend will leave you in stitches. If you’re a fan of British humor and zany comedy, give The Complete Black Books a try.
I played FEAR and its expansions enjoying the game play and the action. FEAR is a First-Person-Shooter game and sometimes you just want blow some stuff up (in cyberspace, of course). There are plenty of different weapons that produce different effects on the clever enemies, some human and some not so much. The early reviews of FEAR 2 have been very positive. The game goes on sale tomorrow so you know what I’ll be doing far into the night.
The original vinyl record album jacket had the notation: “Recorded loud to play loud.” Back in 1976 when I first bought this album, I did play it loud (my neighbors in the next apartment can attest to that). The J. Geils Band never really made the Big Time. They had a hit album with Freeze Frame which included their only Number One hit, “Centerfold.” They toured a lot, but never gained the audience that would assure them elite rock group status. Eventually, the group disbanded and is largely forgotten today. But Blow Your Face Out is still around at a bargain price to remind you of what this talented group could have been if they’d caught a few breaks.
Although Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone is more famous, I’m a big fan of Serling’s later effort, Night Gallery. This recently released 5-DVD set includes 22 episodes, a feature on Tom Wright’s haunting paintings used by Serling to introduce the 61 stories, a commentary by Night Gallery historians Scott Skelton and Jim Benson, and some insightful comments by director Guillermo Del Toro. There are almost 19 hours of wonderful watching here.
It’s hard to believe that a three-time Edgar Award winner could be forgotten. But Time can be cruel. Stanley Ellin, once regarded as one of the greatest practitioners of writing mystery short stories like the classic “The Specialty of the House,” is nowhere on today’s readers’ radar screens. His work is out-of-print. Yet, while rereading Ellin’s 1958 Edgar Award winning novel, The Eighth Circle, I was struck with Ellin’s craftsmanship. The plot involves police corruption. Ellin takes this mundane activity and spins gold. You’ll meet some unforgettable characters and encounter some questions that will gnaw at you long after you’ve finished reading The Eighth Circle. “So in the eighth circle are the liars, flatterers, and sellers of office, the fortune tellers, hypocrites, and thieves, the pimps and grafters, and all such scum,” wrote Dante. Ellin’s visit to his own version of Dante’s Inferno sparkles and burns. 
I’m a fan of “Smooth Jazz.” Boney James has produced a consistent, professional set of CDs filled with mellow, soulful music. This is perfect background music. I own all of Boney James’ CDs and he never disappoints. His just released “Send One Your Love” would make a dandy Valentine’s gift. 
Willie Brown, former Mayor of San Francisco and long-time leader of the California legislature, is a colorful figure. His memoir, Basic Brown: My Life and Our Times isn’t going to supersede Machiavelli but is a breezy account of a career in politics like no one else’s. Brown comes from a poor Texas town. “I didn’t live in a log cabin, I lived under a log cabin.” Relatives help Brown move to San Francisco and encourage him to get an education. Brown thrives in an academic environment and ends up going to law school. Almost through chance, he gets involved in politics and the rest is history. There are plenty of political lessons to be learned from Brown: don’t lie, reward your friends (but not too much), punish your enemies (but not too much), build coalitions, don’t get greedy, stay true to your beliefs, and have fun. I had fun reading about Brown’s life. You will, too. GRADE: B+.