I’ve been a fan of Allison Moorer’s wonderful singing for decades. When I learned Moorer had written I Dream He Talks to Me: A Memoir of Learning How to Listen about her autistic son, John Henry, I had to read it.

Moorer starts off her story with her joy at the birth of her son. But soon afterward, Moorer started to notice some disturbing developmental changes in John Henry. He stopped saying words. When Moorer took John Henry to specialists, they assured her that John Henry was not autistic. Moorer did her own research–“I read every book written on autism”–and concluded John Henry was autistic.

Moorer sought out doctors specializing in autism and learned more about the changes John Henry was undergoing. Moorer doesn’t pull any punches. She describes John Henry’s tantrums. She talks about her lack of sleep (John Henry wakes up in the middle of the night and starts roaming around in her house). The account of Moorer trying to take a shower while John Henry attempts to escape the bathroom is gut-wrenching. John Henry cannot be left alone or chaos results.

What comes through I Dream He Talks to Me is Allison Moorer’s unconditional love for her son. No matter how difficult the situation–and Moorer contends with dozens of difficult situations in this book–Moorer finds the strength and determination to deal with it and to help her son.

If you’re in the mood for an inspiring and powerful chronicle of a mother facing problem after problem, but never giving up on her son, I highly recommend I Dream He Talks to Me. GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Dear John Henry — 1
Below the belt — 3
The feeling foot — 9
A guide to getting through — 15
When you stare — 25
Fine — 31
Dream #1 — 42
Sick — 43
The wormhole — 49
Grace note — 55
Snow day — 61
Dream #2 — 68
Awe — 69
Ho ho hum — 71
The breath — 88
Functional behavior assessment — 105
Promises — 117
Ten minutes — 129
The line — 133
Shift change — 145
The day we went to the moon — 161
Dream #3 — 180
This part is the worst part — 181
The tender thread — 187
Mornings — 197
Water pressure — 199
St. Jude lives in the garden now — 205
Dream #4 — 208
Terms of surrender — 211

Acknowledgements — 225

I read Jules Verne’s 1873  novel, Around the World in 80 Days, after I saw the 1956 American epic adventure–comedy film of the same name starring David Niven and Cantinflas. Now we have the PBS 8-episode version of Around the World in 80 Days. David Tennant (Good Omens, Doctor Who) stars as literature’s greatest explorer, Phileas Fogg. He is joined on his incredible journey by French actor Ibrahim Koma (OSS 117, Wùlu) as Jean Passepartout, Fogg’s mysterious valet, and German actress Leonie Benesch (The Crown, Babylon Berlin) as Abigail “Fix” Fortescue, a determined and driven British journalist.

As you might suspect, this PBS version varies from Verne’s classic novel just as the movie version did. The PBS version has real historical characters such as Jane Digby and Bass Reeves  interacting with the fictional characters.

I’ve been a fan of David Tennant since his Doctor Who days. Ibrahim Koma impresses me with his versatility. Leonie Besnesch navigates the social strictures on women in 1872 and the two difficult men she has to travel with.

Phileas Fogg makes a 20,000 pound bet with another member of the Reform Club in London that he can circumnavigate the globe in 80 days. The Press instantly starts tracking Fogg’s progress. Ms. Fix files stories for her newspaper that create sensations in the Public. If you’re looking for an entertaining series with plenty of action and adventure and humor, check out Around the World in 80 Days. GRADE: B+ (so far…we’re four episodes in!)

Whoever did the casting for AMAZON Prime Video’s Reacher–based on Lee Child’s first Jack Reacher novel from 1997, The Killing Floor–should get a raise. Fans and critics mocked Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher. Reacher–in the novels–is 6’5″ and 250+ pounds. Cruise doesn’t come close to those attributes.

I’ve only watched two of the eight episodes in Season One, but from what I’ve seen, this series is going to stick closely to Lee Child’s debut novel. Alan Ritchson plays Jack Reacher. He’s smart, big, and powerful. Every few minutes someone is dumb enough to challenge Reacher…who pounds them them into submission. I like Malcolm Goodwin as Oscar Finley, Margrave Police Department Chief Detective–with a police career in Boston and a Harvard degree–who starts out antagonistic to Reacher, but realizes that he’s a ally. It’s early in the series, but I’m fond of Willa Fitzgerald as police woman Roscoe Conklin. She’s also very smart.

Reacher arrives is Margrave, Georgia and is immediately arrested. The police suspect this “drifter” killed two men outside of town. Reacher proves he had a alibi for the time of the killings, but gets drawn into the investigation.

If you’re a Jack Reacher fan, you’re going to love this. GRADE: A (so far)

Here’s a blurb from the new STARK HOUSE edition of The Girl With No Place to Hide: “The action is swift, the writing is solid, the plotting is a step above the usual…The Girl With No Place to Hide is the strongest of the Jake Burrow books.” –George Kelley, Murder Off the Rack

I wrote an essay on prolific paperback writer, Marvin Albert for Murder Off the Rack: Critical Studies of Ten Paperback Masters (1989) edited by Jon L. Green and Martin Harry Greenberg. Greg Shepard of STARK HOUSE was kind enough to use my summary of Marvin Albert’s Jack Burrow series as a blurb.

Albert wrote the Jack Burrow series for Gold Medal Books under his “Nick Quarry” pseudonym. Jake Burrow–no relation to Deb’s future son-in-law Joe Burrow–is a private investigator in New York City. His cases usually involve beautiful, seductive women. As in most of his novels, Marvin Albert provides a tricky plot to propel the action.

In The Girl With No Place to Hide Jake Burrow finds himself helping a girl who was being strangled in an alley. Burrow fights off her attacker and takes the girl home. The girl, Angela Hart, reluctantly tells Jake she needs help. But, before Burrow can help her, he’s lured out of his apartment and when he returns, the girl is gone.

Burrow discovers Angela Hart is linked with a series of murders. As Burrow investigates, he finds himself drawn down a rabbit-hole of crime and violence. The scene with Burrow getting worked over by a crooked cop borders on horrific.

Jake Burrow takes a lot of punishment, but finally untangles all the red herrings and misinformation to solve the case. If you’re looking for a classic private eye thriller with chills and deadly dames, The Girl With No Place to Hide checks all the boxes! GRADE: A

The Jake Burrow Series (as by “Nick Quarry”):

The Hoods Came Calling, Gold Medal, 1958

Trail of a Tramp. Gold Medal, 1958

The Girl With No Place to Hide. Gold Medal, 1959

No Chance in Hell. Gold Medal, Gold Medal, 1960

Till It Hurts. Gold Medal, 1960

Some Die Hard. Gold Medal, 1961

Here are two more compilation albums in the Rolling Stone Presents series. Rhino Records released these two CDs in 2001. After listening to Rolling Stone Presents Classic Rock and Rolling Stone Presents The 70s California Sound, I slightly preferred Classic Rock.

However, I totally disagree that the songs on Classic Rock are “monumental classic rock hits from ’68 to ’83”. Sure, there are some classic songs–“The Weight” and “Smoke On the Water”–but most of the “hits” on this CD are middle-of-the-road Rock songs.

I’m even less enthused by The 70s California Sound CD. When I think of the 70s California Sound, I’m thinking about Linda Ronstadt, The Eagles, The Beach Boys, and Jackson Browne. None of them are represented on this disc.

Do you remember these songs? Any favorites? GRADE: C (for both CDs)

ROLLING STONE PRESENTS CLASSIC ROCK TRACK LIST:

1. DEEP PURPLE — “Smoke On the Water”

2. BAD COMPANY — “Can’t Get Enough”

3. THE BAND — “The Weight”

4. ZZ TOP — “Legs”

5. PETER FRAMPTON — “Do You Feel Like We Do (Live)

6. JEFFERSON STARSHIP — “Ride the Tiger”

7. FOREIGNER — “Hot Blooded”

8. PAT BENATAR — “Heartbreaker”

9. GENESIS — “Turn It On Again”

10. JOE WALSH — “Life’s Been Good”

ROLLING STONE PRESENTS THE 70s CALIFORNIA SOUND Tracklist:

1	Fleetwood Mac–	You Make Loving Fun
2	America (2)–	Ventura Highway
3	Ambrosia (2)–	How Much I Feel
4	The Grateful Dead–	Truckin’
5	Orleans–	Still The One
6	Firefall–	You Are The Woman
7	Pure Prairie League–	Amie
8	Seals & Crofts–	Summer Breeze
9	England Dan & John Ford Coley–	I’d Really Love To See You Tonight
10	Jo Jo Gunne–	Run Run Run

Orson Scott Card is a controversial figure in Science Fiction. Card has publicly declared his support of laws against homosexual activity and same-sex marriage. However, Orson Scott Card is the only SF writer to win both a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award in consecutive years, winning both awards for both his novel Ender’s Game (1985) and its sequel Speaker for the Dead (1986) back-to-back. 

Meetings in the Enderverse includes the original story that Card expanded into the novel that won the Hugo and Nebula Awards, Ender’s Game. The other three novellas in this collection have connections to the Enderverse.

“Ender’s Game” presents a problem: if humanity is about to be destroyed by an alien threat, is it ethical to train and use a gifted young child to fight the aliens? Ethical dilemmas show up in Card’s work although the perspectives might jolt some readers. GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• The Polish Boy” (2002) – Tells the story of how Jan Paweł Wieczorek (Ender’s father) as a small child gets tested by the International Fleet and convinces them to get his family out of Poland. — 9
• “Teacher’s Pest” (2003) (Not present in 2002 version of book) – Tells the story of how John Paul Wiggin (Ender’s father) meets and falls in love with his future wife. — 59
• “Ender’s Game” (1977) – First appeared in the August 1977 issue of Analog magazine and was later expanded into the novel Ender’s Game. Although the foundation of the Ender’s Game series, the short story is not properly part of the Ender’s Game universe, as there are many discrepancies in continuity. — 103
• “Investment Counselor” (1999) – Tells the story of how Ender Wiggin first met the artificial intelligence Jane and became a speaker for the dead. It first appeared in the anthology Far Horizons edited by Robert Silverberg. — 165

Needle in a Timestack is based on a Robert Silverberg Science Fiction short story. The movie is about Nick Mikkelsen (Leslie Odom Jr.) and the situation of romantic love in his life as an adult. In a world beset by “time quakes” everything can change and memories can be lost.

Nick falls in love with and marries Janine (Cynthia Erivo) after Janine was married to and divorced from their mutual good friend Tommy (Orlando Bloom). Tommy time travels from the present where Nick and Janine are married to the fix the past mistake of allowing his marriage to Janine to fall apart. The time jaunt is successful, although it was a time crime, and now in the revised present, Tommy is married to Janine, and Nick is married to Alex (Freida Pinto).

Nick figures out that his timeline has been tampered with and decides to time jaunt in an effort to make things right. When Nick returns to the present, he struggles with loneliness and is neither married to Janine nor Alex after going back to the past and persuading Alex that Tommy is the right person for her.

Nick’s tampering with Time leaves the possibility of his future relationship with Janine. But all this manipulation of Time can be confusing. The ending is open-ended. GRADE: B

While taking care of his elderly parents, Steven Petrow started making lists of “things I won’t do when I get old.” Clearly Petrow had problems with dealing with his aging parents and disagreed with them on many issues. For example, his parents resisted hearing aids.

Petrow’s parents also insisted on continuing to drive despite indications that they shouldn’t. As Petrow discovered, older people can be stubborn. When Petrow suggested helpful aids like a walker or adult incontinence pads, he triggered a lot of “push back.”

Glancing at Petrow’s list below you’ll see what he learned from caring for his elderly parents and how he’s planning for his own “later years.” Petrow provides a window into caregiving and steps we can all take to meet the problems of aging.

Do you have a plan for your “Golden Years”? GRADE: B+

Table of Contents:

Introduction: I Won’t Become Like My Parents When I Get Old 1

Part I Stupid Things I Won’t do Today 9

I Won’t Color My Hair (Even If It Worked for Diane Sawyer) 11

I Won’t Double-Space After Periods 18

I Won’t Be Afraid to Fall (Yes, You Read That Right) 26

I Won’t Stop Rocking Those “Too Young for You” Outfits 31

I Won’t Limit Myself to Friends My Own Age 36

I Won’t Lie About My Age (Even on Dating Apps) 42

I Won’t Join the “Organ Recital” 48

I Won’t Deny That I’m Slow to Rise (and I’m Okay with That) 53

I Won’t Avoid Looking at Myself Naked in the Mirror 59

I Won’t Become a Miserable Malcontent, a Cranky Curmudgeon, or a Surly Sourpuss 64

I Won’t Pass Up a Chance to Pee (Even When I Don’t Have To) 69

I Won’t Lie to My Doctor Anymore (Because These Lies Can Kill) 73

I Won’t Refuse to Change My Ways 79

I Won’t Tell My Life Story When Someone Asks, “How Are You?” 85

I Won’t Get My Knickers in a Twist at “Okay, Boomer” 89

I Won’t Be Honest to a Fault When Lying Is Kinder 92

I Won’t Worry About What I Can’t Control 96

I Won’t Stop Believing in Magic 101

Part II Stupid Things I Won’t do Tomorrow 107

I Won’t Blame the Dog for My Leaky Pipes 109

I Won’t Keep Driving When I Become a Threat to Others 114

I Won’t Stop Enjoying Myself (and Yes, I’ll Have the Occasional Candy Bar) 122

I Won’t Hoard the Butter Pats 125

I Won’t Wait Until I’m Deaf to Get a Hearing Aid (or, “What? What Did You Say?”) 130

I Won’t Fall Prey to Scams, Schemes, or Sleazeballs 136

I Won’t Burden My Family with Taking Care of Me 142

I Won’t Let a Walker Ruin My Style (but I’ll Still Use It) 150

I Won’t Smell like a Decrepit Old Man 155

I Won’t Whine About How Much Things Cost 160

I Won’t Play the Age Card 164

I Won’t Forget My Manners 167

I Won’t Be Ordering the Early Bird Special 172

I Won’t Turn My House into a Sweat Lodge 177

I Won’t Repeat Stories More Than One Hundred Times 180

I Won’t Be Unkind to Those with Dementia 184

I Won’t Let Anyone Treat Me with Disrespect 189

I Won’t Lose My Balance 194

Part III Stupid Things I Won’t do at “The End” 199

I Won’t Depart This Life Without Someone Holding My Hand 201

I Won’t Let Anything Stop Me from Saying I Love You … and Goodbye 207

I Won’t Postpone for Tomorrow What Matters to Me Today 216

I Won’t Let Anyone Else Write My Obituary 221

I Wont Forget to Plan My Own Funeral 224

I Won’t Die Without Writing Letters to My Loved Ones 229

I Won’t Be Disappointed by My Life 237

Afterword 245

Acknowledgments 251

About the Authors 257

We’re down to the NFL’s Final Four teams. Buffalo Bills fans, still in Recovery mode after the Bills lost 42-36 last week, find the generous Kansas City Chief fans have donated over $400,000 to Bills QB Josh Allen’s fund at Oishei Children’s Hospital, just a few blocks away from where I worked. Very nice…and very needed.

Joe Burrow’s impressive performance defeating the Number One ranked team, the Tennessee Titans, makes one wonder: Can Burrow beat Mahomes? Actually, Burrow did beat Mahomes in Week 17, 34-31. The Chiefs are favored by 7 points. I would take the Bengals and the points.

The Niners and the Ram meet for the third time. The Rams are favored by 3 1/2 points. Art Scott, life-long 49ers fan, will be on edge of his seat for this one. Go Niners!

Who do you think will win these games and go to the Super Bowl?

Plenty of people experienced “downward mobility” during the Pandemic. Annabelle Gurwitch encounters a divorce after 22 years of marriage, the loss of her health insurance, the death of her parents, and dealing with her trans college child who’s in rehab for a drug problem.

Anyone coping with financial insecurity, renting to dubious tenants, and trying to get back into the dating scene will relate to Gurwitch’s situation.

My favorite chapter in You’re Leaving When? is “Lubepocalypse Now!” Gurwitch is pressured by her friends and her sister to get back into the dating game. But first, she has to overcome a number of issues.

The first issue is Gurwitch’s sleep “requirements”: “I must have a firm wedge between my knees, a smoosh cushion to lean into, a sturdy bolster supporting my spine, and a sloped Temper-Pedic travel pillow angled under my neck. Also, I prefer to be cocooned in a heavy down comforter or two. I am partial to sleeping in socks, a knitted hat, a scarf (if the room is drafty), and a night guard to prevent TMJ clenching.” (p. 132). I hesitate to speak for men in general, but I’m guessing most guys would not find this sexy. And, most guys would probably categorize Gurwitch as “high maintenance.”

Despite all the problems confronting her, I admire Annabelle Gurwitch’s resilience and tenacity. Her dreams of “coasting” into retirement blow up and her life is turned upside down. Yet, time after time, Gurwitch finds ways to overcome disasters with grit and adaptability. Her story is inspiring. GRADE: B+

Table of Contents:

Introduction: I Thought There’d Be Coasting 3

Homeward Bound 13

Stuffed 21

Silver Nesting 33

Red Flags 41

The _____ That Changes Everything 57

If You Lived with Me You’d Be Home by Now 73

Spirited Away 95

They Got the Alias That We’ve Been Living Under 111

Lubepocalypse Now! 129

Dear Girlfriends 149

You’re Doing All the Right Things, Everything Is Going to Work Out 157

Free to Be … They and Them 173

You’re Leaving When? 183

In a Muted Zoom No One Can Hear You Scream 199

Acknowledgments 211