I’ve been a fan of Fritz Leiber’s works since 1963 when I bought a copy of Fantastic and read Leiber’s marvelous “Bazaar of the Bizarre.” I was hooked!

My next step was to search for Fritz Leiber paperbacks. I found a few: The Big Time, The Silver Eggheads, and Night’s Black Agents. Leiber leapt to the top of my Favorite Writers list. Over the years, I bought and read every Fritz Leiber book that came my way. One of my favorite Fritz Leiber books is The Book of Fritz Leiber. You won’t see an Editor credit on this book because Fritz Leiber chose all the stories and essays included in this great DAW volume from 1974.

In his “Forward” Leiber writes about influences on his work. The first is Shakespeare (his father was a Shakespearean actor) and his writing on “King Lear” in this volume is masterful. The second influence is H. P. Lovecraft who can be the spirit behind “To Arkham and the Stars.” “Beauty and the Beasts,”  a Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser story, captures the wonder of sword and sorcery.

The stories and essays in The Book of Fritz Leiber reveal the talent and genius of this exceptional writer who is too little known. GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• [2] •  The Book of Fritz Leiber (frontispiece) • (1974) • interior artwork by Jack Gaughan
• 7 • Foreword (The Book of Fritz Leiber) • (1974) • essay by Fritz Leiber
• 11 • The Spider • (1963) • short story by Fritz Leiber
• 24 • Monsters and Monster Lovers • (1965) • essay by Fritz Leiber
• 37 • A Hitch in Space • (1963) • short story by Fritz Leiber
• 48 • Hottest and Coldest Molecules • (1952) • essay by Fritz Leiber
• 52 • Kindergarten • (1963) • short story by Fritz Leiber
• 55 • Those Wild Alien Words: I • (1974) • essay by Fritz Leiber
• 64 • Crazy Annaoj • (1968) • short story by Fritz Leiber
• 70 • Debunking the I Machine • (1949) • essay by Fritz Leiber
• 72 • When the Last Gods Die • (1951) • short story by Fritz Leiber
• 79 • King Lear • (1934) • essay by Fritz Leiber
• 85 • Yesterday House • (1952) • novelette by Fritz Leiber
• 115 • After Such Knowledge • (1974) • essay by Fritz Leiber
• 118 • Knight to Move • [Change War] • (1965) • short story by Fritz Leiber
• 128 • Weird World of the Knight • (1960) • essay by Fritz Leiber
• 131 • To Arkham and the Stars • (1966) • short story by Fritz Leiber
• 143 • “The Whisperer” Re-examined • (1964) • essay by Fritz Leiber
• 148 • Beauty and the Beasts • [Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser] • (1974) • short story by Fritz Leiber
• 151 • Masters of Mace and Magic • (1974) • essay by Fritz Leiber
• 157 • Cat’s Cradle • (1974) • short story by Fritz Leiber

Our Japanese Red Maple tree graced our house for 36 years. But after the Blizzard of 2022 and a Spring with a number frosts, our Japanese Red Maple tree stopped looking like the top photo and degenerated into the middle photo. Diane finally contacted an arborist who came out and looked at our sick Japanese Red Maple tree. He started pulling bark off the tree and looking at the wood underneath. “This is all dead, ” he said. And, then the arborist shocked us by saying, “I think this tree has been struck by lightning.”

There were two sections of the tree that were barely alive. The arborist gave Diane two options: we could remove the dead parts of the tree and treat the remainder next Spring with hormones and see if it would live. But Diane decided to take option 2 which was remove everything. And that happened Monday.

Al’s Tree Service showed up and a team of four workers brought down the tree and removed it. They also had a machine that ground up the stump. They were done in 20 minutes! The lead worker said, “Wow, now everyone can see the front of your house!” Diane will be talking to our landscaper next Spring to figure out what should take the Japanese Red Maple tree’s place.

Reading Lyrics (2000) presents the lyrics to over 1000 songs that celebrate the 20th Century’s greatest songwriters. A glance at the list of songwriters in this 706 page volume gives you an idea of the range of songs and lyrics that grace the pages of this book.

Many of my favorite songs and songwriters show up on these pages: Noel Coward and “Let’s Do It,” Cole Porter and “Anything Goes,” Ira Gershwin and “A Foggy Day (In London Town)”, Alec Wilder and “I’ll Be Around,” and Stephen Sondheim and “Send In the Clowns.”

Which songwriters do you like? GRADE: A

CONTENTS:

Lyricists included: Anne Caldwell — Otto Harbach — George M. Cohan — Henry Creamer — P.G. Wodehouse — Cecil Mack — Bert Kalmar — Harry Ruby — Joseph McCarthy — Sam M. Lewis — Joe Young — Edgar Leslie — Shelton Brooks — Gus Kahn — Clifford Grey — Haven Gillespie — Irving Berlin — Maxwell Anderson — Noble Sissle — Grant Clarke — Cole Porter — Al Dubin — Clarence Gaskill — Morton Dixon — Jack Yellen — Roy Turk — Walter Donaldson — Herman Hupfeld — Ted Koehler — Arthur Freed — B.G. (Buddy) DeSylva — Lew Brown — Ray Henderson — Leo Robin — Lorenz Hart — Irving Caesar — Oscar Hanmerstein II — Andy Razaf — E.Y. Harburg — Paul James — Howard Dietz — Harry Woods — Ira Gershwin — Mann Holiner — Noel Gay — Hoagy Carmichael — Noel Coward — Mitchell Parish — Kim Gannon — Edward Eliscu — Eric Mashcwitz — Ned Washington — Meredith Willson — Ogden Nash — Sam Coslow — Irving Kahal — Ray Noble — Eddie DeLange — Mack Gordon — Allan Roberts — Doris Fisher — Dorothy Fields — Herb Magidson — Harold Adamson — Alec Wilder — Edward Heyman — Ralph Freed — Paul Francis Webster — Harold Rome — Johnny Burke — Don Raye — Don George — George Marion, Jr. — Johnny Mercer — Frank Loesser — Bobby Troup — Mack David — Jack Lawrence — Tom Adair — Sammy Cahn — William Engvick — Hugh Martin — Ralph Blane — Robert Wright — George Forrest — Irving Gordon — Jay Livingston — Ray Evans — Bob Russell — Bart Howard — Billy Strayhorn — Betty Comden — Adolph Green — John LaTouche — Bob Hilliard — Alan Jay Lerner — Jack Segal — Ervin Drake — Bob Merrill — Peggy Lee — George David Weiss — Richard Adler — Jerry Ross — Joseph McCarthy, Jr. — Marshall Barer — Sandy Wilson — Lee Adams — Sheldon Harnick — Alan Bergman — Marilyn Bergman — Carolyn Leigh — Fran Landesman — Gene Lees — Stephen Sondheim — Lionel Bart — Leslie Bricusse — Jerry Herman — Fred Ebb — Dave Frishberg — Richard Malty, Jr.

The Buffalo Bills have been favored to win their last 27 games in a row. But, not tonight! The Cincinnati Bengals are favored over the Bills by 3 points. For the last few games, the Bills have won a game then lost a game. If that pattern holds true, the Bills will lose tonight because they beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week. The weather for this game in Cincinnati is supposed to be perfect: temps in the 50s with little to no wind. How will your favorite NFL team perform today?

MOULIN ROUGE!: THE MUSICAL features plenty of pop hits originally sung by Elton John, Lady Gaga, The Police, LaBelle, DeBarge, Madonna, Beyonce, Pink, Walk the Moon, Whitney Houston, Katy Perry, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Sony & Cher, Tina Turner, and a dozen other groups and performers. That’s 70 songs (or parts of songs) and 151 artists get paid royalties on those songs. The movie version Moulin Rouge! (2001) had a soundtrack that went Platinum. For this musical version, the producers went with a new set of songs and negotiated with the leverage of the success of the movie soundtrack. The Rolling Stones refused to allow any of their songs in the move version, but when they saw how much they lost in royalties, they agreed to allow their songs to be included in this new musical version.

I’m a fan of Juke Box Musicals like this one. The plot is sketchy: the Moulin Rouge club is in dire financial problems and nearing bankruptcy. However, a very wealthy noble man decides to buy the Moulin Rouge in order to “own” its star, the beautiful and talented Satine. But Satine is in love with a young American song writer named Christian. This triangle generates most of the action in the musical.

I enjoyed all the dancing, costumes, and special effects in this production. Usually, musicals only come to Buffalo for a week of performances, but MOULIN ROUGE!: THE MUSICAL has a two-week run. Our performance at Shea’s Performing Arts Center was sold out. If you enjoy the songs listed below, you’ll enjoy this touring company version. GRADE: B+

Act I Track Song(s) included Performer(s)”Welcome to the Moulin Rouge!””Lady Marmalade“†”So Fresh, So Clean“”Rhythm of the Night“”Because We Can” Zidler, Nini, Monroth, La Chocolat, Arabia, Babydoll and Company”Bohemian Idea Part 1*”The Sound of Music†””I Don’t Want to Wait“”Every Breath You Take“”Never Gonna Give You Up“Christian” Bohemian Idea Part 2*”Royals“”Children of the Revolution†””We Are Young“Christian, Toulouse-Lautrec, Santiago and Company”Satine’s Entrance*”Diamonds Are Forever“”Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend“†”Material Girl“†”Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)“Satine, Nini, La Chocolat, Arabia and Babydoll”Dancing with the ‘Duke'”*”Shut Up and Dance“”Raise Your Glass“”I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)“Satine, Christian, Toulouse-Lautrec, Santiago, Zidler and Company”Backstage at the Moulin Rouge* “Firework“Satine”In the Elephant* “Your Song“†Christian and Satine “The Pitch”*†”Milord (song)“, “La vie en Rose“, “Habanera (aria)“,”Can-can” (Ouverture) from “Orpheus in the Underworld” by Jacques Offenbach Zidler, Toulouse-Lautrec, Christian, Santiago, Satine and Monroth “Asking for Everything*”Sympathy for the Devil” “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” “Gimme Shelter “Monroth and Satine “Toulouse’s Story* “Nature Boy“†Toulouse-Lautrec and Christian “In the Elephant: Elephant Love Medley”*† “All You Need is Love“†”Just One Night“†”Pride (In the Name of Love)“†”Can’t Help Falling in Love“”Don’t Speak“”I Love You Always Forever“”It Ain’t Me Babe“”Love Hurts“”Love is a Battlefield“”Play the Game“”Such Great Heights“”Torn“”Take On Me“”Fidelity“”What’s Love Got to Do With It“”Everlasting Love“”Up Where We Belong“†“Heroes”†”Come What May (2001 song)“†”I Will Always Love You“Christian, Satine and Company

Act II TrackSong(s) included Performer(s)”Rehearsal”*”Bad Romance“”Tainted Love“”Seven Nation Army“”Toxic“”Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) “Santiago, Nini and Company”Toulouse’s Studio”* “Come What May” Christian and Satine”Monroth’s Proposal”*”Only Girl (In the World)“”Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend“† “Material Girl” †Monroth, Satine and Company”Backstage at the Moulin Rouge”* “Shake It Out” Zidler, Satine, La Chocolat, Arabia, Babydoll and Company “The Green Fairy”* “Chandelier” Christian, Santiago, Toulouse-Lautrec and Company “Streets of Paris”* “Roxanne” Christian, Zidler and Company “Streets of Paris Part 2″* “Crazy” “Rolling in the Deep” Christian and Satine “The Show” “Your Song” (Reprise) Satine, Christian and Company “Finale”* “Come What May” (Reprise)Christian and Company”Bows”* “Lady Marmalade“† “Hey Ya!” “Minnie the Moocher” “Bad Romance” “What’s Love Got to Do with It” “Don’t You Want Me” “Crazy” “Galop Infernal“† “Shut Up and Dance” Company

I started reading and collecting Science Fiction and Fantasy digest magazines–Amazing, Fantastic, Galaxy, If, etc.–around 1960. Once in a while, I’d run across a copy of Weird Tales but the condition was usually ragged and beat-up. I did read Weird Tales anthologies where I discovered H. P. Lovecraft, Robert Bloch, Robert E. Howard, C. L. Moore, Ray Bradbury, Richard Matheson, and many more terrific writers.

Weird Tales: 100 Years of Weird celebrates this ironic magazine by blending classic Weird Tales stories with some new stories written in the Weird Tales style. If you’re a fan of Weird Tales, this is a must-buy. If you’re a casual fan of Weird Tales, ask your Library to buy a copy and check it out. Are you a fan of Weird Tales? GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

The Third Guy – By Scott Sigler

A Century of Weird – By Lisa Morton

The Game – By Marge Simon

Disappear Donna – By R. L. Stine

Up From Slavery – By Victor LaValle

The Call of Cthulhu – By H.P. Lovecraft

The Circle: Shared Worlds – By Lisa Diane Kastner

Worms of The Earth – By Robert E. Howard

Swords and Sorcery: Weird Tales and Beyond – By Charles R. Rutledge

Cosmic Horror – By James A. Moore

Arched Bridges: Blackout Poetry – By Jessica McHugh

Black Gods Kiss – By C.L. Moore

Legal Rites – By Issac Asimov and Frederick Pohl

The Scythe – By Ray Bradbury

Who You Gonna Call? The Evolution of Occult Detective Fiction – By Henry Herz

Blood Moon – By Owl Goingback

The Vengeance of Nitocris – By Tennessee Williams

Dead Jack and The Case of the Bloody Fairy – By James Aquilone

Slaughter House – By Richard Matheson

The World Breaker – By Blake Northcott

Scratch-off Universe – By Hailey Piper

Church at the Bottom of the Sea – By Michael A. Arnzen

Prezzo – By Keith R. A. DeCandito

How To Make the Animal Perfect? – by Linda D. Addison

Jagganath – By Karin Tidbeck (Curated by former Weird Tales editor Ann VanderMeer)

Bait – By Dana Fredsti

The Damp Man – By Allison V. Harding

NecronomiCommedia: Dante, Doré, nad the Root of Lovecraftian Horror – By Jacopo della Quercia and Christopher Neumann

Lady Cataract Comes to the Mosque – By Usman T. Malik

Cupid is a Knavish Lad – By Laurell K. Hamilton

Vampire Chaser – by Anne Walsh Miller

Judy Collins sings eleven Bob Dylan songs from the early 1960s to the 1990s. Collins sings some songs like “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue” and “Dark Eyes” better than songs like “Bob Dylan’s Dream” or “Like a Rolling Stone.”

I like Collins’s clear voice on songs like “Love Minus Zero / No Limit” and “A Simple Twist of Fate.” Not so much on songs like “With God On Our Side.” The choices of songs on this 1993 CD seem to attempt to provide a survey of Dylan’s music over three decades. Sometimes Judy Collins’s vocals work with some of these Dylan songs…sometimes they don’t. Are you a Judy Collins fan? GRADE: B

TRACK LIST:

1		Like A Rolling Stone (Highway 61 Revisited)
2		It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue (Bringing It All Back Home)
3		Simple Twist Of Fate (Blood on the Tracks)
4		Sweetheart Like You (Infidels)
5		Gotta Serve Somebody (Slow Train Running)
6		Dark Eyes (Empire Burlesque)
7		Love Minus Zero / No Limit (Bringing It All Back Home)
8		Just Like A Woman (Blood on the Tracks)
9		I Believe In You (Slow Train Running)
10		With God On Our Side (Times They Are A-Changing)
11		Bob Dylan’s Dream (Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan)

In his informative Introduction, Francis M. Nevins traces the genesis of Captain Leopold, Homicide, from a solver of crimes to a detective who can see through deceptions and lies to discern the true puzzle hidden by the criminal. In “Circus,” the first Captain Leopold story, a 10-year-old boy is found dead, strangled by a rope. There’s pressure to solve the case quickly, but Leopold uses his unique method to discover the truth.

Nevins makes the point that Edward D. Hoch based Leopold on Simenon’s Maigret, a detective of insights. In fact, in a later story, readers find out that Captain Leopold’s first name is Jules–just like Maigret! This aspect comes into play in “A Place for Bleeding,” where a 15-year-old girl is kidnapped and her chauffeur is murdered. Only Captain Leopold figures out why there are TWO ransom notes.

I also enjoyed “Death in the Harbor” which is a homage to Agatha Christie. I’ve been reading a lot of Edward D. Hoch lately. His skill as a short story writer is on display in Leopold’s Way. Wonderful stories, such a delight to read! GRADE: A

Table of Contents:

Introduction — Francis M. Nevins
Circus,
Death in the Harbor,
A Place for Bleeding,
Reunion,
The House by the Ferris,
The Oblong Room,
The Vanishing of Velma,
The Rainy-Day Bandit,
The Athanasia League,
End of the Day,
Christmas Is for Cops,
The Jersey Devil,
The Leopold Locked Room,
A Melee of Diamonds,
Captain Leopold Plays a Hunch,
Captain Leopold and the Ghost-Killer,
Captain Leopold Goes Home,
No Crime for Captain Leopold,
The Most Dangerous Man Alive,
A Captain Leopold Checklist Francis M. Nevins, Jr.,

Black Magic Woman is the first book in the Quincy Morris Supernatural Investigation series. The book opens with a violent confrontation with a group of vampires. Then, Quincy Morris is hired by a family whose house is under Black Magic attack in Madison, Wisconsin.

Morris and his partner, White Witch Libby Chastain, manage to ward the house against the attacks. But to stop the evil happenings, Morris and Chastain need to track down the person who unleashed the deadly curse on the family.

The investigation leads Morris and Chastain to Boston, San Francisco, New Orleans, and New York. A bigger plot with sinister implications changes the whole focus of the mission. I’m also fond of the cover artwork on these books by Chris McGrath. If you’re a fan of Urban Fantasy, Black Magic Woman will entertain you. GRADE: B-

QUINCY MORRIS & LIBBY CHASTAIN INVESTIGATIONS:

   1. Black Magic Woman (2008)
   2. Evil Ways (2008)
   3. Sympathy for the Devil (2009)
   4. Play With Fire (2012)
   5. Midnight At The Oasis (2013)
   6. Strange Magic (2015)
   Play with Fire / Midnight at the Oasis (2013)