The Joan Osborne “Sings the Songs of Bob Dylan” concert in the Mary Seaton Room of Kleinhans Music Hall attracted about 300 fans. Osborne alternated between banging on a drum and strumming an acoustic guitar. She was backed by a guitarist and a keyboard player who alternated between a Nord Stage Three synthesizer and a grand piano.

My favorite songs from this performance were Osborne’s version of “Tangled Up in Blue”–also a song on her Joan Osborne Songs of Bob Dylan CD and “Man in the Long Black Coat.” Osborne gravitates towards some of Dylan’s more obscure songs.

Joan Osborne and her backup musicians came out for a three-song Encore. Osborne sang her biggest hit, “One of Us,” from her Relish album (1995). I was hoping Osborne would sing my favorite Joan Osborne song, “What’s Become of the Broken Hearted”–the Jimmy Ruffin Soul Classic from The 2002 movie Standing In The Shadows Of Motown–but no dice.

Are you a fan of Joan Osborne? GRADE: B

CONCERT SET LIST:

1. She Belongs to Me(Bob Dylan cover)Play Video
2. Highway 61 Revisited(Bob Dylan cover)Play Video
3. Man in the Long Black Coat(Bob Dylan cover)Play Video
4. Shooting Star(Bob Dylan cover)Play Video
5. Tryin’ to Get to Heaven(Bob Dylan cover)Play Video
6. Rainy Day Women #12 & 35(Bob Dylan cover)Play Video
7. I’ve Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You(Bob Dylan cover)Play Video
8. Tangled Up in Blue(Bob Dylan cover)Play Video
9. Encore:
10. Saint TeresaPlay Video
11. One of Us(Eric Bazilian cover)Play Video
12. Lifeline

TRACK LIST for JOAN OSBORNE SONGS OF BOB DYLAN:

Tangled Up In Blue	5:43
		Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35	4:05
		Buckets Of Rain	3:55
		Highway 61 Revisited	4:19
		Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)	4:20
		Tryin’ To Get To Heaven	4:26
		Spanish Harlem Incident	2:56
		Dark Eyes	4:02
		High Water (For Charley Patton)	3:53
		You’re Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go	4:12
		Masters Of War	4:23
		You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere	3:15
		Ring Them Bells	3:13

Paula Rabinowitz opens her informative book about Pulp Fiction and paperbacks with the story of how quality paperbacks came to be. One day in 1935, the publisher Allen Lane was standing at the railway station and realized that he had nothing to read for his journey. The newsstand only offered “popular magazines and poor-quality paperbacks”. Lane’s idea to produce high-quality, pocket-sized books at an affordable price led to the creation of Penguin, which in turn led to American equivalents: New American Library (NAL) and Signet Paperbacks. Unlike Penguin’s sober designs, the Signet covers were brassy and unrestrained, with lots of cleavage. Other American publishers like DELL and Pocket Books followed suit.

Rabinowitz takes a semi-chronological approach to the history of paperbacks. She focuses on certain writers–Richard Wright, Isak Dinesen, Borges, etc.–and certain publishing movements those books triggered in the reading public.

My favorite chapters are on Lesbian Pulp and Science Fiction. If you have an interest in paperbacks, American Pulp offers plenty of stories about its development. Rabinowitz includes plenty of facts about the American publishing industry and its eventual decline. How many paperbacks do you own? GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Preface ix

1 Pulp: Biography of an American Object 1

2 Pulp as Interface 40

3 Richard Wright’s Savage Holiday: True Crime and 12 Million Black Voices 82

4 Isak Dinesen Gets Drafted: Pulp, the Armed Services Editions, and GI Reading 109

5 Pulping Ann Petry: The Case of Country Place 131

6 Señor Borges Wins! Ellery Queen’s Garden 159

7 Slips of the Tongue: Uncovering Lesbian Pulp 184

8 Sci-Unfi: Bombs, Ovens, Delinquents, and More 209

9 Demotic Ulysses: Policing Paperbacks in the Courts and Congress 244

CODA The Afterlife of Pulp 281

Acknowledgments 301

Notes 307

Index 377

It’s hard to believe that Toys in the Attic is 50 years old and Madman Across the Water is a little older. I bought both albums when they first came out in the 1970s and played them many times. These 50th Anniversary editions are remastered and include bonus features. “Tiny Dancer” never sounded so good!

“From the start, Aerosmith was hellbent on becoming the American equivalent of the Rolling Stones or Led Zeppelin. Two years after forming, Aerosmith signed with Columbia Records in 1972 and released its first, eponymous LP in 1973. “Toys in the Attic” boosted sales of Aerosmith’s previous two releases, turned the group into a marquee act and helped set new rock standards for arena concerts that included compact songs and clear delivery at a high volume. In the end, the band exceeded its founding wish for fame: According to the Recording Industry Association of America, Aerosmith has sold 86 million records in the U.S., more than the Rolling Stones’ 69 million.” (Wikipedia)

I’ve included Marc Myers’s review of Toys in the Attic from The Wall Street Journal below. Are you a fan of Elton John and Aerosmith? Did you buy these classic albums? GRADE: A (for both)

TRACK LIST:

		Original Remastered Album
A1		Tiny Dancer
A2		Levon
A3		Razor Face
A4		Madman Across The Water
B1		Indian Sunset
B2		Holiday Inn
B3		Rotten Peaches
B4		All The Nasties
B5		Goodbye
		Demos, Live And Alternative Versions
C1		Indian Sunset (Live Radio Broadcast)
C2		Madman Across The Water (Original Version)Featuring – Mick Ronson
C3		Rock Me When He’s Gone
C4		Levon (Mono Single Version)
D1		Razor Face (Extended Version)
D2		Rock Me When He’s Gone (Piano Demo)
D3		Rock Me When He’s Gone (Full Version)
E1		Madman Across The Water (1970 Piano Demo)
E2		Tiny Dancer (Piano Demo)
E3		Levon (Piano Demo)
E4		Razor Face (Piano Demo)
E5		Madman Across The Water (1971 Piano Demo)
F1		Indian Sunset (Piano Demo)
F2		Holiday Inn (Piano Demo)
F3		Rotten Peaches (Piano Demo)
F4		All The Nasties (Piano Demo)
F5		Goodbye (Piano Demo)
		BBC Sounds For Saturday
G1		Tiny Dancer
G2		Rotten Peaches
G3		Razor Face
G4		Holiday Inn
H1		Indian Sunset
H2		Levon
H3		Madman Across The Water
H4		Goodbye

TRACK LIST:

SIDE ONE:
1. SAME OLD SONG AND DANCE
2. LORD OF THE THIGHS
3. SPACED
4. WOMAN OF THE WORLD

SIDE TWO:
1. S.O.S.
2. TRAIN KEPT A ROLLIN
3. SEASONS OF WITHER
4. PANDORA’S BOX

Wall Street Journal Reivew:

By 1975, Aerosmith was polished and more widely known. Shortly after its third studio album—“Toys in the Attic”—was released 50 years ago this month, the LP jumped to No. 11, and by August had sold a half-million copies. The record had a stronger sonic punch and was more cohesive and dimensional than the previous two. It also included two hit singles, “Sweet Emotion” and “Walk This Way.”

Leaning heavily on lascivious band-written songs sung by Steven Tyler and played forcefully by lead guitarist Joe Perry, rhythm guitarist Brad Whitford, bassist Tom Hamilton and drummer Joey Kramer, the LP (produced by Jack Douglas) was thunderous. The band’s cocky, guitar-saturated sound would influence Guns N’ Roses, Mötley Crüe, Metallica and many other hard-rock and heavy-metal groups formed in the late 1970s and ’80s.

Aerosmith’s third album and first headlining tour couldn’t have been better timed. The Rolling Stones were performing in the U.S. without a new record to promote, and the first half of Led Zeppelin’s “Physical Graffiti” tour had been marred by band-member injuries and illness, canceled dates and venue violence.

Also assisting Aerosmith’s widening popularity were its concerts in the American Rust Belt, where audiences had been weaned on loud, scorching rock since the Stooges’ and MC5’s regional tours in 1968. National arena audiences found in Aerosmith a lead singer who looked like Carly Simon, had the stagecraft of Mick Jagger and sounded like Robert Plant. They also heard a lead guitarist who played like Jimmy Page. As the Stones and Led Zeppelin graduated to cushy, logo-clad chartered jets, Aerosmith felt more working-class and relatable.

“Toys in the Attic” opens with a headlong title track, featuring a frenzy of layered electric guitars led by Mr. Perry’s chunky riff and wailing solo. The song celebrates a dark refuge where fantasy springs to life: “In the attic lights / Voices scream / Nothing’s seen / Real’s a dream.”

“Uncle Salty” is a dark, midtempo grinder centered on a creepy orphanage worker reflecting on the abuse of a girl who resided there: “Her mamma was lusted, daddy he was busted / They left her to be trusted till the orphan bleeds / But when she cried at night, no one came / And when she cried at night, went insane.”

One of the album’s many high points is “Adam’s Apple,” featuring a corkscrew guitar riff by Mr. Perry. Mr. Tyler’s lyrics on the biblical morality narrative are particularly masterly: “Even Eve in Eden / Voices tried deceivin’ / With lies to show the lady the way.”

The bouncy “Walk This Way” began as a funky concert soundcheck riff by Mr. Perry in late 1974. Mr. Tyler’s rhythmic, sexually charged lyrics came later in New York, with the title inspired by the film “Young Frankenstein” and actor Marty Feldman’s directive to Gene Wilder to “walk this way.” Mr. Perry overdubbed a fiery guitar track and a solo after Mr. Tyler’s vocal was recorded.

The album’s sole weak spot is “Big Ten Inch Record,” a cover of Bull Moose Jackson’s 1952 R&B single. While plenty suggestive, it lacks the rest of the LP’s inventive hard-rock sass.

“Sweet Emotion” is a sultry shuffle fueled by a pounding bass, hissing guitar lines and taut riffs. The song has a Zeppelin feel, with lyrics that Mr. Tyler has said were in reaction to Mr. Perry’s then-girlfriend: “Well, I got good news, she’s a real good liar / ’Cause the backstage boogie set your pants on fire.”

“No More No More” grooves with the taunting jag of Elvis Presley’s “Jailhouse Rock” paired with a Stones-like vocal. The lyrics bemoan touring’s hardships: “Holiday Inn, lock the door with a chain / You love it and you hate it / But to me they’re all the same.”

The grinding “Round and Round” is the heaviest piece on the record, merging a metallic interpretation of churning heavy machinery and a vocal akin to Mr. Plant’s. Prominent are Mr. Whitford’s shrieking lead guitar, Mr. Hamilton’s pounding bass and Mr. Kramer’s thrashing drums.

“You See Me Crying,” the closer, is a vulnerable power ballad featuring Mr. Tyler on vocal and piano and Mr. Whitford on lead guitar. A symphony orchestra smartly enhances the empathy and drama.

“It is my belief, Watson, founded upon my experience, that the lowest and vilest alleys in London do not present a more dreadful record of sin that does the smiling and beautiful countryside.” (p. 17)

In essence, Arthur Conan Doyle “invented” the Manor Mystery genre with those words.

I’ve been a fan of Martin Edwards’s British Library Crime Classics anthologies for years. Murder at the Manor (2016) presents a number of murders that take place in the traditional English country house where house parties become crime scenes. Martin Edwards chooses mysteries from a 65-year span so there’s something here for almost every reader’s taste.

I reread Doyle’s “The Copper Beeches”–where the above quote can be found–and enjoyed the exposure of crime in a lush British Manor. I also enjoyed Michael Gilbert’s cunning “Weekend at Wapentake” with its brutal ending.

Martin Edwards’s Introductions to each story are informative and precise. If you’re looking for an anthology of classical mystery stories, Murder at the Manor includes 16 good ones. GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction Martin Edwards — 1
The Copper Beeches Arthur Conan Doyle — 5
The Problem of Dead Wood Hall Dick Donovan — 36
Gentlemen and Players E. W. Hornung — 76
The Well W. W. Jacobs — 98
The White Pillars Murder G. K. Chesterton — 114
The Secret of Dunstan’s Tower Ernest Bramah — 131

The Manor House Mystery J. S. Fletcher — 161
The Message on the Sun-Dial J. J. Bell — 187
The Horror at Staveley Grange Sapper — 204
The Mystery of Horne’s Copse Anthony Berkeley — 238
The Perfect Plan James Hilton — 285
The Same to Us Margery Allingham, — 306
The Murder at the Towers E. V. Knox — 314
An Unlocked Window Ethel Lina White — 324
The Long Shot Nicholas Blake — 345
Weekend at Wapentake Michael Gilbert — 362

Tom Hardy plays Harry Da Souza, a “fixer” for the Harrigan crime family in London. The Harrigans are ruled by ruthless Conrad (Pierce Brosnan) and his cunning wife, Maeve (Helen Mirren). Their Irish clan, who dominates the London drugs and guns scene, are prone to excess and violence which requires Harry to constantly fix.

I’m not a big fan of mob movies or series. My chief complaint is the organized crime dramas blend menace and treachery to such a point that there really is nobody to root for. MOBLAND has Harry Da Souza–the glue that’s keeping the criminal enterprise together–but with each episode, more and more dysfunction occurs to the point that Harry can’t fix all the problems.

This 10 episode series has a great cast and an intense plot that will keep me watching until the end. Are you a fan of mob movies? GRADE: Incomplete but trending towards a B+

“The late Harvard political scientist Samuel Huntington explained that what made America great was less its ideals than its institutions, including the separation of powers between executive, legislative, and judicial branches, and between the federal, state, and local authorities.” (p. 17)

We are seeing Trump and his minions grabbing power and reducing the legislative branch to its puppet. The judicial branch is learning it has little leverage to get the executive branch to act…if Trump doesn’t want to.

Robert D. Kaplan explores the threats to the United States and the world in the next decade. Climate change, migration/immigration, political upheaval, and dangerous technologies are just a few of the crises that we will have to confront as conditions worsen. “…a war between China and the United States could embroil the world economy in a society-called doom loop. And for the maxillary aspect of such a war, do not expect the Chineses to be as incompetent in their strategy and war machine as the Russians initially were. The Chinese are great students of war. They studied obsessively the American-led intervention in the Balkans in the 1990s, as well as the two Gulf wars…. If they ever do decide to invade Taiwan, they will be better equipped to so so precisely because of lessons learned from observing Ukraine.” (p. 41-42)

Yes, Waste Land is a gloomy book. But Kaplan’s predictions about the next decade are supported by up-to-date data, true facts, and historical trends. Expect war, upheaval, epidemics, natural disasters, mass shootings, rogue asteroids, and chaos. GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. Weimar goes global — 3
2. The great powers in decline — 69
3. Crowds in chaos — 129

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS — 187

NOTES — 189

INDEX — 197

Anne Byrn (aka, “The Cake Doctor”) wrote this massive cookbook and history of Southern food to celebrate the incredible culinary traditions. Byrn’s meticulous research into the origins of these recipes and her wonderful narratives about the impact of these wonderful desserts make for immersive reading!

This book contains 200 recipes from 14 Southern states, from Maryland to Texas, and nearly as many mouthwatering photos, that will send you scurrying into the kitchen to whip up some tasty confections. Baking in the American South is worth it alone just for the cornbread recipes!. From there you can dive into the biscuits and rolls, cakes, and cookies!

Thomasville Cheese Biscuits and Ouita Michel’s Sweet Potato Streusel Muffins and Blueberry Loaf are delicious! It will take Diane and me over a year to work our way through this incredible cookbook recipe by recipe! Do you love Southern food as much as we do? Do you have a favorite? GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction vi 

How to Bake This Book xiii 

My Southern Baking Pantry xvii 

Sizzling Cornbread 1 

Hot Biscuits 57 

Quick Loaves, Griddle Cakes, Waffles, and Fritters 105 

Rolls, Breads, and Yeast-Raised Cakes 147 

Comforting Puddings 199 

Pies Plain and Fancy 233 

Bake Me a Cake 315 

Cookies and Bars by the Dozen 393 

Frostings and Flourishes 439 

Acknowledgments 460 

Bibliography 464 

Index 473 

Credits 482 

About the Author 485 

I enjoyed Hellboy (2004) and Hellboy: The Golden Army (2008) with Ron Perlman. “The series details the adventures of Hellboy, a Cambion (or half-Demon) B.P.R.D. agent whose true name is Anung Un Rama. The franchise has grossed a total of $325.2 million, on a combined budget of $212.5–$221 million.” (Wikipedia)

The reviews of Hellboy (2019) were so bad, I didn’t see it. David Harbour starred. The movie cost $50 million to make and its Box Office was $55.1 million.

Like a fool, I decided to watch Hellboy: The Crooked Man (2024) when it showed up on HULU. Terrible! Jack Kesy played Hellboy fighting a toxic spider and enduring some clumsy CGI. Don’t waste your time like I did… GRADE: D (for dreadful)

Joe Hill (aka, Stephen King’s son) kicks off this graphic novel series by working his father’s side of the horror street. A family is dealing with the murder of their father and retreats to a strange New England mansion with doors that when opened with the right key leads to fabulous adventures.

Gabriel Rodriguez’s artwork is stunning and the plot promises much more amazement and suspense ahead in the next volumes:

• Welcome to Lovecraft. February–July 2008.
• Head Games. January–June 2009.
• Crown of Shadows. November 2009 – April 2010.
• Keys to the Kingdom. August 2010 – March 2011.
• Clockworks. June 2011 – April 2012.
• Omega. November 2012 – June 2013.
• Alpha. September–December 2013

If you’re interested in a compelling horror series, Locke & Key fits the bill. There was also a TV series based on these books:  “It premiered on Netflix on February 7, 2020. The series stars Darby Stanchfield, Connor Jessup, Emilia Jones, Jackson Robert Scott, Laysla De Oliveira, Petrice Jones, and Griffin Gluck. In December 2020, ahead of the second season premiere on October 22, 2021, the series was renewed for a third season which premiered on August 10, 2022.  In April 2022, it was announced that the third season would be its last, as originally planned by the show’s creators.” (Wikipedia)

Are you a Stephen King or Joe Hill fan? GRADE: B+