“If you wear a short enough skirt, the party will come to you.” — Dorothy Parker

“If any two people could ever really get inside each other’s head, it would scare the pee out of both of them.” — John D. MacDonald, Dress Her in Indigo

“The best things in life are free. The second best are very, very expensive.” — Coco Chanel

I’m a sucker for books like Garner’s Quotations. As Dwight Garner points out in his Preface, people used to keep “commonplace” books where they would record bits of conversation, clever sayings from books, and snatches of dialogue from plays, TV, and movies. I found Garner’s Quotations a browser’s delight.

Garner’s Quotations includes a handy Index where you’ll find that there are six quotes from Henry James in this book…and 18 quotes of Clive James. If you’re looking for diversion and entertainment, Garner’s Quotations delivers both! GRADE: A

Mercedes Lackey has written dozens of fantasy novels. But, with A Study in Sable (2016) Lackey starts a sequence in her Elemental Masters series that border on Sherlock Holmes pastiches. I say “border” because Sherlock appears at key points in the novel, but so does Watson (who has Water Elemental powers) and his wife, Mary (with Air Elemental powers).

Continuing characters Nana Killian (a Psychic) and Sarah Lyon-White (a Medium) along with their clever birds–raven Neville and parrot Grey–investigate a series of strange events that lead them to a deadly entity. If you’re in the mood for a Sherlock Holmes pastiche with magical elements, A Study in Sable will entertain you. GRADE: B

Other Sherlock Holmes Pastiches in the Elemental Masters Series:

1. A Study in Sable (June 2016, ISBN 978-0756408725) featuring Sherlock Holmes and based on The Twa Sisters
2. A Scandal in Battersea (October 2017, ISBN 978-0756408732) featuring Sherlock Holmes and based on the Pied Piper of Hamelin
3. The Bartered Brides (October 2018, ISBN 978-0756408749) featuring Sherlock Holmes
4. The Case of the Spellbound Child (December 2019 ISBN 978-0756412111) featuring Sherlock Holmes

Kiss cash good-by! Eswar Prasad claims that we will become a cashless society in a couple of decades. More and more people use credit cards and their phones to pay for their purchases. Some stores are refusing to accept physical cash (partly because of Covid-19 concerns).

The trend is toward cryptocurrencies like:

• Ethereum (ETH)
• Litecoin (LTC)
• Cardano (ADA)
• Polkadot (DOT)
• Bitcoin Cash (BCH)
• Stellar (XLM)
• Dogecoin (DOGE)

If you want a peak at what the future of money will look like (and sooner than you think!), I recommend Prasad’s The Future of Money. We still use cash and checks so we’re in for a shock! How do you pay your bills? GRADE: A

Table of Contents:

I Laying the Bedrock

1 Racing to the Future 3

2 Money and Finance; The Basics 23

II Innovations

3 Will Fintech Make the World a Better Place? 61

4 Bitcoin Sets Off a Revolution, Then Falters 106

5 Crypto Mania 150

III Central Bank Money

6 The Case for Central Bank Digital Currencies 193

7 Getting Central Bank Digital Currencies Off the Ground 239

IV Ramifications

8 Consequences for the International Monetary System 277

9 Central Banks Run the Gauntlet 313

10 A Glorious Future Beckons, Perhaps 354

Notes 363

References 453

Acknowledgments 467

Credits 469

Index 473

Adam Zyglis, who grew up in Western New York, is a talented political cartoonist (checkout his political cartoon below). However, the grind of drawing political cartoons led Zyglis to writing a book celebrating Buffalo, its people, and the quirky lifestyle of this unique area.

Many of Zyglis’s cartoons in You Know You’re From Buffalo If… concern the Buffalo sports teams: the Bills and the Sabres. But, Zyglis isn’t shy about celebrating the legendary snowfalls that Buffalo is known for.

Adam Zyglis is a Pulitzer Prize winner and his cartoons are syndicated internationally. I appreciate that Zyglis took the time and effort to produce this love letter to Western NY. GRADE: A

The Cincinnati Bengals take on the well rested Tennessee Titans. The Bengals are 5-point underdogs. A lot of people think the Bengals can pull off the upset…but I’m not one of them.

The frozen tundra of Lambeau Field welcomes the San Francisco 49ers who humiliated the Dallas Cowboys last week (heads will roll). The well rested Packers should handle the 49ers who are 6-point underdogs.

Who do you think will win these games?

In his excellent Introduction, Richard A. Lupoff discusses the history of pocket-sized paperbound books designed for mass-market consumption. The Art of Pulp Fiction specifically concentrates on the paperback publishing industry from 1940 to 1970. The Art of Pulp Fiction chronicles the rise of the paperback format–at times at the expense of hardcover books–which appealed to a new audience of readers.

The Art of Pulp Fiction explores all the genres–Science Fiction, Fantasy, Westerns, Spy Novels, Mysteries, etc.–and includes wonderful cover artwork from the paperbacks of that era. The Art of Pulp Fiction is a feast for the eyes! Don’t miss this one! GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction: A bright new morning / by Richard A. Lupoff — 8
In the beginning: dime novels, proto-paperbacks, and pocket books — 10
The floodgates open: publishers surge into an exciting new marketplace — 26
Gats, gals, and gumshoes: crime and mystery novels, hard-boiled and otherwise — 44
Saddles, six-guns, and sagebrush: Westerns, and the cactus cavaliers that made them popular — 64
Adventurers, past and present: spies, pirates, warriors, explorers, and soldiers of fortune — 84
Distant planets, future threats: science fiction migrates from the pulps to paperbacks — 104
Terror tales, fantasy worlds: tales of horror, the supernatural, and the imagination — 124
Changing times, new directions: post-World War II social issues influence paperback fiction — 144
The pulp-hero revival: Tarzan, the Shadow, Doc Savage, the Spider, and others — 164
Sex on the sleazy side: softcore sex novels promise more than they deliver —
Toiling at typewriters: paperback authors who enjoyed remarkable success — 184
Brilliant brushwork: paperback artists whose striking covers guaranteed sales — 218
Afterword: Paperbacks since 1970 — 232

Index — 236

Picture Credits/Acknowledgements — 239

Contributors — 240

It’s just been 10 years ago when these songs and artists were celebrated. But, how many of these songs are still played and how many of these artists are still around?

Certainly Adele–who just released a new album last month–is still around. The same for Taylor Swift. Katy Perry seems to have faded. Rihanna left music to make millions in fashion. Lady Antebellum morphed into the politically correct Lady A. Sadly, Amy Winehouse is no longer with us.

I do hear “Rolling In The Deep,” “Grenade,” “Firework,” “Moves Like Jagger,” and “What’s My Name” on local radio stations. The rest of these songs…not so much.

Do you remember these artists and songs from a decade ago? Any favorites? GRADE: B+

Tracklist:

1	Adele (3)–	Rolling In The Deep Producer – Paul Epworth	3:48
2	Bruno Mars–	Grenade Producer – The Smeezingtons	3:41
3	Katy Perry–	Firework Producer – Sandy Vee, StarGate (2)	3:44
4	Maroon 5 Feat. Christina Aguilera–	Moves Like Jagger Producer – Benny Blanco (3), Shellback (2)	3:22
5	Nicki Minaj–	Super Bass Producer – Kane*	3:24
6	Rihanna Feat. Drake–	What’s My Name? Producer – StarGate (2)	3:51
7	J. Cole–	Work Out Producer – J. Cole	3:48
8	Lady Gaga–	Yoü And I Producer – Lady Gaga, Robert John “Mutt” Lange*	4:08
9	Foster The People–	Pumped Up Kids Producer – Mark Foster (9	3:33
10	Skrillex–	Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites (Edit)Producer – Skrillex	3:19
11	Coldplay–	Paradise Producer – Daniel Green*, Markus Dravs, Rik Simpson	4:39
12	Foo Fighters–	Walk Producer – Butch Vig	4:18
13	The Band Perry–	If I Die Young Producer – Paul Worley	3:36
14	Mumford & Sons–	The Cave Producer – Markus Dravs	3:37
15	Bon Iver–	Holocene Producer – Justin Vernon	4:19
16	Lady Antebellum–	Just A Kiss Producer – Lady Antebellum, Paul Worley	3:38
17	Taylor Swift–	Mean Producer – Nathan Chapman, Taylor Swift	3:58
18	Blake Shelton–	Honey Bee Producer – Scott Hendricks	3:18
19	Eric Church–	Drink In My Hand Producer – Jay Joyce	3:12
20	The Black Keys–	Dearest Producer – Matt Sweeney, The Black Keys	2:06
21	Jason Aldean With Kelly Clarkson–	Don’t You Wanna Stay Producer – Michael Knox	3:17
22	Tony Bennett & Amy Winehouse–	Body And Soul Producer – Dae Bennett, Phil Ramone	3:21

I picked up this book in a thrift store for pennies. The book is published by Word Cloud Classics and features a number of novels and stories, mostly from the early 20th Century.

The oldest story is Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” a tale many claim as the first detective story.

Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers are represented by two solid mysteries. Sherlock Holmes solves “The Adventure of the Creeping Man,” and John Buchan takes us up those scary 39 steps that Hitchcock made famous.

This entertaining collection is rounded out by Chesterton, Bramah, and Freeman stories. If you’re looking for a big, fat book of mysteries, Classic Tales of Mystery delivers plenty of enjoyment. GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Murder on the Links (1923) by Agatha Christie — 1

The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1841) by Edgar Allan Poe — 213

Whose Body? (1923) by Dorothy Sayers –255

The Adventure of the Creeping Man (1923) by Arthur Conan Doyle –441

The Blue Cross (1910) by G. K. Chesterton — 467

The Coin of Dionysius (1914) by Ernest Bramah — 491

The Anthropologist at Large (1909) by R. Austin Freeman –511

The Thirty-nine Steps (1915) by John Buchan — 537

If you’re looking for something wacky and different, Peacemaker fits the bill. Peacemaker is an American television series created by James Gunn for the streaming service HBO Max, based on the DC Comics character Peacemaker. It is the first DC Extended Universe (DCEU) television series and a spin-off from the 2021 film The Suicide Squad. It follows Christopher Smith / Peacemaker as he joins the black ops squad “Project Butterfly”. 

After recovering from the injuries he suffered during the events of The Suicide Squad (2021), Christopher Smith / Peacemaker is forced to join the mysterious A.R.G.U.S. black ops squad “Project Butterfly”, who are on a mission to identify and eliminate parasitic butterfly-like creatures in human form around the United States and the world.

John Cena stars as the title character, reprising his role from The Suicide Squad. Gunn wrote all eight episodes of the series while completing work on The Suicide Squad.  Filming took place in Vancouver, Canada, from January to July 2021, with Gunn directing five of the episodes.

Plenty of action and mayhem result from the missions as Peacemaker and his colleagues take on a menacing, mysterious threat.

Peacemaker premiered on HBO Max on January 13, 2022 with its first three episodes. The rest of the series is being released weekly through February 17. If you enjoyed The Suicide Squad you’ll enjoy the antics and mis-adventures of this band of homicidal misfits. Check out the trailer below. GRADE: B+

Snowstorm Izzy (I love The Weather Channel names for these storms) arrived in Western New York at 9 P.M. last night and snowed all night long. We have 18 inches of snow on the ground and more on its way: the weather guessers predict another 6 inches of snow before this storm moves away.

I’ve been starting Big Orange every day last week in preparation for this snow event so it was no surprise when my trusty snowblower fired right up! I snowblowed the driveway, sidewalks, my neighbor’s sidewalks, and I even snowblowed the widow’s driveway across the street.

Did Snowstorm Izzy affect you? Hundreds of thousands of people in North Carolina and Virginia don’t have power because of the icy conditions and downed trees and power lines.