Skin Game is a caper novel disguised as an Urban Fantasy adventure. Harry Dresden, Wizard and Winter Knight, finds himself part of a team whose goal is to loot the seventh Vault of Hades (yes, that Hades). Led by the Dresden’s evil enemy Nicodemus Archleone and his demon-possessed daughter, the group includes a shapeshifter, a Sasquatch, a pyromancer, and a safe-cracker.
My only quibble concerns Jim Butcher’s dithering around before finally launching the heist. In this 454-page book, two hundred pages could have been easily edited out.
But, when the caper finally begins, the action ratchets up to warp speed. I liked the challenge of solving the riddles of The Gate of Fire, The Gate of Ice, and The Gate of Blood. The battle in the Vault features plenty of violence and combat.
Jim Butcher saves a couple of surprises for the titanic conclusion. You can see why Butcher took six years off after writing this book! GRADE: A-
Since the coronavirus pandemic hit, Diane has been watching Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel. Diane claims the predictable plots, the romance, and the guaranteed Happy Endings soothe her. Then last week, Diane told me about a cute Hallmark Christmas movie: A Very Merry Mix-Up. “You would like it, there’s a pretty redhead who stars in it,” Diane explained.
So when I visited the North Tonawanda Public Library a few days ago, I picked up A Very Merry Mix-Up. Diane was delighted when I brought it home and we watched it together. Alicia Witt (remember she played Cybill Shepherd’s daughter in the TV show Cybill) stars as Alice, who owns a struggling antique store in Brooklyn (down the street from the Meyersons).
Alice has a wealthy boy friend, Will (Scott Gibson), who is a real estate wheeler-dealer. Will proposes to Alice and then surprises her further by inviting her to meet his parents for Christmas. Alice agrees. She flies to a nearby city while Will stays in New York City to close a Big Deal. Then, things start to go terribly wrong for Alice. Her luggage is lost. Her phone is broken. She has coffee poured on her.
But, Alice meets Matt (Mark Wiebe) who is a furniture maker. Matt makes Alice laugh. More confusion and misdirection result. And, eventually, Alice has to make a Big Decision as Christmas morning approaches. A Very Merry Mix-Up is not Shakespeare, but it will make you laugh and maybe, just maybe, make your eyes a little misty. Do you watch Hallmark movies? GRADE: A
Zena Hitz tells the story of her struggle to engage in an intellectual life. Hitz leaves her teaching job to join a primitive religious community in Canada in order to search for meaning in her life. Along the way, Hitz meditates on the philosophies of Aristotle, St. Augustine, Einstein, Dorothy Day, and many others.
My career path parallels Zena Hitz’s except for the episode in the Canadian religious commune. I too studied philosophy (among other things) and gravitated toward teaching. Where Hitz found teaching not enriching enough, I loved my job and looked forward to a classroom full of students. However, I’m very very happy I am not facing going back to teaching this September with the coronavirus pandemic. I would opt out–take a leave or an early retirement–rather than try to contend with students in a college classroom with covid-19 lurking. Do you pursue an Intellectual Life? GRADE: B+
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Prologue: How Washing Dishes Restored My Intellectual Life 1
The news that Chadwick Boseman lost his fight with colon cancer rocked the Internet and social media. I hadn’t known Boseman was sick. I had no idea he was receiving chemotherapy during the shooting of his most successful movie, Black Panther.
In tribute to Chadwick Boseman, I decided to watch 42: The Jackie Robinson Story. I’ve had this movie on my shelf for over a year, but this seemed to be the perfect time to watch it. In 1946, Branch Rickey (played by Harrison Ford), decided to challenge Major League Baseball’s infamous “color line” by signing Jackie Robinson (played by Chadwick Boseman) to his team, the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Of course, this bold action brought down anger, resentment, and hatred on both men. The public was up in arms, the press attacked both Rickey and Robinson, and baseball players displayed their racism.
In this caldron of negativity and hostility, Jackie Robinson displayed control and cool publicly while raging inwardly. Robinson let his superb talents on the baseball field win over his teammates and fans. Robinson’s grace under extreme pressure silenced his critics and changed the world of baseball forever. If you’ll in the mood for an inspiring movie with the wonderful Chadwick Boseman in challenging role, watch 42: The Jackie Robinson Story. GRADE: A
I’ve been a big fan of Hank Davis’s Science Fiction anthologies over the years. Just in time for the Holiday Season, BAEN Books released Space Pioneers, an anthology with just about something for every readers’ taste. In typical Hank Davis fashion, the mix of stories blends Oldies with some newer stories like David Drake’s “Superweapon” (2018). I especially enjoyed Ross Rocklynne’s “Quietus” and Manly Wade Wellman’s “Men Against the Stars.” If you’re in the mood for an entertaining theme anthology, I recommend Space Pioneers. GRADE: A
You might also enjoy Hank Davis’s seasonal anthologies, A Cosmic Christmas Volumes 1 & 2. You can read my review of these two fine volumes here.
Back in the 1960s, I was a voracious reader of paperback novels. Carter Brown, Mike Shayne, and Gold Medal books appealed to my teenage tastes. One of my favorite series was Stephen Marlowe’s Chester Drum private eye novels. Marlowe was a world traveller and he poured a lot of his international experiences into the Chester Drum books.
In 2006, Stark House published Violence Is My Business/Turn Left For Murder. Violence Is My Business (1958) is the 7th book in the Chester Drum series. Drum reluctantly accepts a case concerning a married college professor who is seeing a call girl. But the case involves political dimensions that bring Drum a savage beating, a near-death experience, and the prospect of losing his Private Eye license.
Max Allan Collins wrote: “The opening chapter of Violence Is My Business…should be force-fed to anybody who is even thinking of writing suspense fiction. It’s a masterpiece of atmosphere, plot, and genuine anxiety.” It would be a rare reader who doesn’t experience genuine anxiety as Chester Drum confronts killers in the harrowing wilds of Canada–outnumbered and out-gunned. Violence Is My Business sparkles with crisp writing, intense action, clever plot-twists, and plenty of menace. GRADE: A-
Stephen Marlowe wrote Turn Left For Murder in 1955 and it was published as half of an ACE Double. Norm Fisher, a young man who mades some Bad Decisions, is a recent army veteran who returns to his familiar New York suburbs. Norm’s wife is pregnant and Norm’s involvement with The Mob creates the kind of trouble that could get Norm, his wife, and his new baby killed. Marlowe ratchets up the tension on the reader as he shows how an average guy can enter a noirish world and struggle to get free. If you’re looking for suspense and action, here are two novels that will take you to worlds where noir rules. GRADE: B
Chester Drum novels (as Stephen Marlowe):
The Second Longest Night (1955)
Mecca for Murder (1956)
Killers Are My Meat (1957)
Murder Is My Dish (1957)
Trouble Is My Name (1957)
Terror Is My Trade (1958)
Violence Is My Business (1958)
Double in Trouble (with Richard S. Prather) (1959)
Just a couple weeks ago, I reviewed HEAVEN MUST HAVE SENT YOU: THE HOLLAND/DOZIER/HOLLAND STORY (you can read my review here). Jeff Meyerson commented that he used to own The Supremes Sing Hollard-Dozier-Holland. And, that of course, trigged my memories of owning and listening to a vinyl album of The Supremes Sing Hollard-Dozier-Holland, too. In the early 1980s, I sold our vinyl record collection and converted to music CDs. But I never replaced The Supremes Sing Hollard-Dozier-Holland...until now!
When Jeff jogged my memory, I did a quick Internet search and found a music CD that included The Supremes Sing Hollard-Dozier-Holland as well as More Hits By the Supremes. The price was right and within days I was listening to this great music! How many of these songs are your favorites? GRADE: A
Cold Days is the 14th book in the Harry Dresden series. Dresden is a Wizard and a Private Investigator, but in this novel he makes a deal with Mab, the Queen of Air and Darkness, Monarch of the Winter Court of the Sidhe, mistress and mentor of every wicked being in Faerie (think alternate magic dimension). In return for Mab’s help, Dresden agrees to become the Winter Knight, essentially Mab’s enforcer. As Winter Knight, Dresden acquires advance powers over ice and snow (which come in handy as his enemies are relentless).
The story arc of the past few books comes to a climax in Cold Days as much of the plot involves evil forces that Dresden only learns about in this novel. Despite overwhelming odds against him, Dresden manages to recruit friends and allies in his fight to save Chicago from destruction. If you’re in the mood for an apocalyptic story of Magic and Deceit, you’ll enjoy Cold Days.
Based on a true story, Just Mercy tells the story of a young lawyer, Bryan Stevenson, (played by Michael B. Jordan) who has just graduated from Harvard Law School. But, instead of taking a lucrative job at a prestigious law firm, Stevenson decides to go to Alabama and work for a non-profit organization trying to defend men convicted of murder and waiting for execution on Death Row.
As you can imagine, the racism and corruption of the Sheriff’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office is horrific. Stevenson believes he can make a case that can free Walter “Johnny D.” McMillian (played by Jamie Foxx), a man convicted of murdering a white girl. The case moves back and forth in time. We see part of the action that shows Johnny D. could not have committed the crime. But, the White Establishment believe they have convicted the Right Man so Stevenson has to try some audacious tactics to change the legal game.
Stephen A. Schwarzmann, co-founder and former CEO of Blackstone–the investment firm that manages over $500 billion in assets–captured my attention in What It Takes when he figured out how to get Little Anthony and the Imperials to perform at his High School. This was 1963 and Schwarzman had no money. But, he devised a way to lure the group who sang “Tears On My Pillow” from Brooklyn to Philadelphia for an unforgettable event. This incident caused Schwarzman to conclude: “It’s as easy to do something big as it is to do something small, so reach for a fantasy worthy of your pursuit, with rewards commensurate to your effort.” (p. 351)
What makes What It Takes different from most books by billionaires, is that Schwarzman’s stories are mostly about his failures. He wants to get into Harvard, but they don’t accept him (perhaps because he was Jewish). Schwarzman ends up at Yale and immediately makes waves. Later, Schwarzman begins his career in the investment field and stumbles badly…and almost gets fired! This leads Schwarzman to conclude: “Failure is the best teacher in an organization. Talk about failures openly and objectively. Analyze what went wrong. You will learn new rules for decision making…and [be] more successful in the future.” (p. 354)
I’m impressed by Schwarzman’s philanthropy. He gave millions to MIT for a new Artificial Intelligence school. He gave $150 million to Oxford University. He set up Schwarzman’s Scholars (an updated version of Rhodes Scholarships) at Tsinghua University in China. Clearly, Schwarzman is a guy who wants to give back. I’m willing to bet you’ll find What It Takes as inspiring as I did! GRADE: A TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Made, Not Born 1 Remove the Obstacles
Go Big 11
Everything Is Interconnected 31
Hold the Table: Advice on Interviews 53
The Best Way to Learn Is by Doing 57
All Deals Are Crises 67
Money Is a Poor Cure for a Bad Situation 75 Pursue Worthy Fantasies
The Harder the Problem, the More Limited the Competition 91
Call, Then Keep Calling 105
Go Where Others Aren’t 115
Don’t Miss the Can’t Miss Opportunities 125
Cycles: Investing Through Ups and Downs 143
There Are No Brave, Old People in Finance 147
Don’t Lose Money!!! Developing an Investment Process 157
Spinning the Wheel Faster 161 Seeing Around Corners
Expand 171
Ask for Help When You Need It 189
Entrepreneurship: No One Tells You About the Pain 199
Listen for Discordant Notes 203
Time Wounds All Deals 213
Load the Boat 221 Sprinting Downfield
Be a Friend to the Situation 239
Turn Crisis into Opportunity 263
Engage 283
Answer When Your Country Calls 305
Spin the Virtuous Cycle 325
A Mission to Be the Best 337
Epilogue 345
25 Rules for Work and Lite 351
Acknowledgments 355
Index 369
