I’m impressed with the Collected Millar series that is reprinting the works of Margaret Millar. Some of Millar’s works have been out-of-print and unavailable for years. These well-crafted, inexpensive SOHO PRESS trade paperbacks bring Margaret Millar’s work to a new audience. Volume Six includes Millar’s collected short fiction which I hadn’t read before this. Millar’s novels explore social situations disrupted by crime. If you haven’t read any Margaret Millar, you’re in for a treat! GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Banshee (1983) p. 1
The death of the daughter of wealthy Californian landowners disrupts the community.

Spider Webs (1986) p. 101
Twelve jurors–with individual motives and prejudices–judge the case of a Caribbean yacht captain accused of murdering a wealthy white client for her jewelry.

Collected Short Fiction with an Introduction by Tom Nolan (2004) p. 241
Two novellas and three short stories feature two of Millar’s favorite characters: the psychologist Dr. Paul Prye and Detective Inspector Sands.

It’s All in the Family (1948) p. 403
Out of print for decades, Margaret Millar’s bestselling novel centers around a precocious young girl named Priscilla. This semi-autobiographical story of a pre-World War II childhood captures the mood of America in the 1930s.

Okay, there were more than 10 “hits” from the 1980s (and most of these songs are NOT the “Biggest Hits” hyped on the CD cover). But this SONY complication CD from 2002 collects enough good music to merit a post for FORGOTTEN MUSIC Thursday. My favorites are Marvin Gaye’s “Sexual Healing” and Luther Vandross’s “Stop to Love.” I remember the days when Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” was playing on the radio all the time. Do you remember these “hits” from the 1980s? What are your favorites? GRADE: B+
TRACK LIST:
1. “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” – WHAM! 3:50
2. “Sexual Healing” – MARVIN GAYE 4:00
3. “All Cried Out” – LISA LISA & CULT JAM WITH FULL FORCE 4:45
4. “Stop to Love” – LUTHER VANDROSS 5:10
5. “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You” – MICHAEL BOLTON 4:14
6. “Footloose” – KENNY LOGGINS 3:47
7. “Easy Lover” – PHILIP BAILEY (DUET WITH PHIL COLLINS) 5:04
8. “Heaven” – WARRANT 3:56
9. “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” – CYNDI LAUPER 3:55
10. “This Could Be the Night” – LOVERBOY 4:56

Jan Sincero was a struggling free-lance writer. She didn’t learn to manage her money until she was in her 40s. You Are a Badass at Making Money tells how Jan Sincero got her financial act together. Breaking bad money management habits, building a nest egg, and overcoming past mistakes (with some funny examples from her own life) are just some of the steps in Jan Sincero’s wealth generating program. If you’re looking for a breezy money-making guide (with some humor), You Are a Badass at Making Money would be my recommendation. GRADE: B
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction p. 1
Chapter 1 Allowance p. 11
Chapter 2 Why You Ain’t Rollin’ in the Cheddah. Yet. p. 27
Chapter 2A A Tiny but Mighty Chapter About Universal Intelligence p. 51
Chapter 3 Show Me the Money p. 61
Chapter 4 Best Practices for Busting Yourself p. 75
Chapter 5 The Hollering of Your Heart p. 95
Chapter 6 Your Mental Moneymaker p. 117
Chapter 7 Faith and Gratitudinal Gold p. 147
Chapter 8 Decisive Action: The Choice of Champions p. 163
Chapter 9 Movin’ on Up p. 183
Chapter 10 And Now, a Word from my Accountant… p. 203
Chapter 11 Your Inner Wealth p. 227
Chapter 12 Tenacity p. 243
Chapter 13 Change Loves Company p. 261
Acknowledgments p. 269

This 2017 box set of Bob Hope movies includes most of Bob Hope’s movies from 1938 to 1949–his most productive decade. I’ve enjoyed these movies over the years. Bob Hope and Bing Crosby “invented” the Road movie genre. There are plenty of laughs on these 10 DVDs. This set also includes the documentary, American Masters: This is Bob Hope, which includes interviews with Chevy Chase, Tom Selleck, Brooke Shields as well as clips from Bob Hope’s classic films, radio and TV shows, plus access to his personal archives. If you’re a Bob Hope fan, this is a must-buy. If you want to laugh, this set will give you 1821 minutes of humor. GRADE: A
MOVIES:
Thanks for the Memory (1938) (with Shirley Ross) as Steve Merrick
Never Say Die (1939) (with Martha Raye and Andy Devine) as John Kidley
The Cat and the Canary (1939) (with Paulette Goddard) as Wally Campbell
Road to Singapore (1940) (with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour) as Ace Lannigan
The Ghost Breakers (1940) (with Paulette Goddard) as Larry Lawrence
Road to Zanzibar (1941) (with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour) as Fearless
Caught in the Draft (1941) (with Eddie Bracken) as Don Bolton
Nothing But the Truth (1941) (with Paulette Goddard) as Steve Bennett
Louisiana Purchase (1941) (with Vera Zorina and Victor Moore) as Jim Taylor
Star Spangled Rhythm (1942) (with Bing Crosby and Paramount Pictures all-star cast) as Bob Hope – Master of Ceremonies
My Favorite Blonde (1942) (with Madeleine Carroll) as Larry Haines
Road to Morocco (1942) (with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour) as Orville ‘Turkey’ Jackson / Aunt Lucy
Combat America (1943) (short documentary film)
Show Business at War (1943) (short documentary film)
The Story of G.I. Joe (1945) (voice on radio program; uncredited)
Road to Utopia (1946) (with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour) as Chester Hooton
Monsieur Beaucaire (1946) (with Joan Caulfield) as Monsieur Beaucaire
Variety Girl (1947) (with Bing Crosby and Paramount Pictures all-star cast) as Bob Hope
Where There’s Life (1947) (with William Bendix) as Michael Joseph Valentine
The Paleface (1948) (with Jane Russell) as ‘Painless’ Peter Potter
Sorrowful Jones (1949) (with Lucille Ball) as Humphrey ‘Sorrowful’ Jones

Just in time for Mickey Spillane’s 100th Birthday celebration, Titan Books has published the first Mike Hammer novel. No, I, the Jury was actually the second Mike Hammer novel Mickey Spillane wrote. Spillane wrote Killing Town in 1946 or 1947, a year before I, the Jury. Mike Hammer steals a ride on a train to Killington, Rhode Island. He’s framed for the rape and murder of a woman. The cops work Hammer over and are set to send him to prison when the daughter of the town’s most powerful merchant steps in and frees Mike Hammer. You can imagine the vengeance Hammer promises to visit on the corrupt Police Department! All the raw power and violence of I, the Jury are on display in Killing Town. This never before published “first draft” of Mike Hammer takes the reader on high-octane joy ride. My head is still spinning! GRADE: A-

Loren D. Estleman wrote a series of Nero Wolfe pastiches and now they’re collected in a slim book, Nearly Nero. Estleman goes the humorous route in these stories with a wealthy eccentric who calls himself “Claudius Lyon” in homage to Nero Wolfe. But Claudius Lyon is a decidedly “low rent” Wolfe. Instead of raising orchids, Lyon raises tomatoes. Instead of Archie Goodwin, Lyon hires an ex-con named Arnie Woodbine. And Lyon, for several reasons, doesn’t charge for his investigative services. If you’re a fan of Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe series, you’ll get a kick out of these clever pastiches. GRADE: B
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
“A Legacy: And How to Twist It [Almost] Beyond Recognition: A Preface” By Loren D. Estleman 9
“Who’s Afraid of Nero Wolfe?” 17
“The Boy Who Cried Wolfe” 41
“Wolfe at the Door” 61
“Wolfe on the Roof” 81
“Wolfe Trap” 85
“Wolfe in Chic Clothing” 99
“Wolfe in the Manger” 119
“Wolfe and Warp” 141
“Peter and the Wolfe” 153
“Wolfe Whistle” 165
“Snakes and the Fat Man: The Case of Nero Wolfe” 179
RECOMMENDED READING 183
COPYRIGHTS 189

Weather in Western New York has been more February than April. We’ve had over 8 inches of snow with high winds. Temperatures for April have been “Below Average” for 19 of the 20 days so far. During a recent wind storm, one of our trees got blown over. Today, Diane and I met with a landscaping guy who gave us a good estimate on removing the downed tree and filling the hole. We hired him and by next week this eye-sore will be gone. Have you sustained any storm damage lately?

Stark House continues its reprinting of Al Wheeler mysteries by “carter brown” (pseudonym of Alan Geoffrey Yates). This new omnibus edition includes mysteries from 1956 (mysteries 4-6 in the series). I was fascinated by the way “carter brown” developed the unorthodox Homicide detective, Lieutenant Al Wheeler. Wheeler is not only a canny puzzle solver, he also has a eye for women. Yes, this is frothy story-telling, but for the men in the audience “carter brown” was writing for, these slim books were ideal entertainment (over 100 million copies of “carter brown” books were sold!).

No Harp for My Angel takes the reader on a vacation in Florida with Al Wheeler. But, of course, Wheeler finds trouble when he tries to pick up a gangster’s girlfriend. Wheeler finds himself framed and his only option is to go undercover for the local police to investigate the schemes behind the disappearance of several young women. Explosive conclusion!

Booty for a Babe is set at a Science Fiction convention. One of the featured speakers is killed in front of his audience. Al Wheeler races against the clock (the convention is about to end!) to figure out the motive and method behind this bizarre murder. The plotting in Booty for a Babe is superior to all the previous Al Wheeler mysteries. There’s plenty of humor in this book, too!

Eve, It’s Extortion (aka, The Victim) challenges Al Wheeler with a death that might or might not be a murder. A drunk is fatally struck down by a hit-and-run driver. His beautiful widow stands to collect a large insurance settlement. Wheeler suspects there might be more to this case and unravels a conspiracy. But evidence is in short supply so Wheeler decides to manufacture his own.

If you’re looking for fast-paced, clever, and enjoyable mysteries this Stark House omnibus triples your pleasure! GRADE: B+

J. M. Coetzee was the recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize in Literature. He once taught briefly at SUNY at Buffalo so there’s a local connection. Coetzee’s essays show he’s a thoughtful reader. In “What is a classic?” Coetzee addresses the question of why some books last and hold their readership while others disappear. I enjoyed Coetzee’s essays on major writers like DeFoe, Richardson, Kafka, Dostoevsky, Borges, and Byatt. Coetzee’s taste for world literature includes writers I was not familiar with like Emants, Mulisch, Nooteboom, Skvorecky, Phillips, Appelfeld, and Pringle (although I have enjoyed many Pringles!). If you’re in the mood for reading some intelligent literary essays, I highly recommend Stranger Shores. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
What is a classic? : a lecture 1
Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe 17
Samuel Richardson, Clarissa 23
Marcellus Emants, a posthumous confession 34
Harry Mulisch, the discovery of heaven 39
Cees Nooteboom, novelist and traveler 49
William Gass’s Rilke 60
Translating Kafka 74
Robert Musil’s diaries 88
Josef Skvorecky 104
Dostoevsky : the miraculous years 114
The essays of Joseph Brodsky 127
J.L. Borges, collected fictions 139
A.S. Byatt 151
Caryl Phillips 160
Salman Rushdie, the moor’s last sigh 169
Aharon Appelfeld, the iron tracks 179
Amos Oz 184
Naguib Mahfouz, the harafish 191
The poems of Thomas Pringle 203
Daphne Rooke 208
Gordimer and Turgenev 219
The autobiography of Doris Lessing 232
The memoirs of Breyten Breytenbach 249
South African Liberals : Alan Paton, Helen Suzman 261
Noël Mostert and the eastern Cape frontier 272
Notes 282

Felix Cassius Tiberius Carmer III is an orphan who is an apprentice to Antoine the Amazifier, a traveling magician. The Amazifier decides to enter the competition of magicians at the Seminal Symposium of Magickal Arts in the city of Skemantis. In Skemantis, in a beautiful park called the Aboretum, faeries face the threat of human technology. Grit is the young princess of the faeries, but she’s handicapped because she only has one wing. Grit can’t fly, but she can sure get around with the help of her friendly owl. Grit rescues Carmer when he’s attacked by thuggish teenagers and the human and the faerie make a deal to solve the mystery of the vanishing faeries.

Carmer and Grit (2017) is Sarah Jean Horwitz’s first novel. It has a few dull patches that a good editor should have fixed. But, this story of two very different youngsters coming of age and solving a mystery ends up being an entertaining Young Adult novel. I’ll be looking forward to the sequel. GRADE: B-