Diane started her quest for a deck in March 2021. The first contractors she contacted told her they were booked until October 2021. Another contractor promised to give her an estimate, but then disappeared. Anther contract gave Diane an estimate, then called the next day to say, “We can’t do your deck this year, because we just accepted a $98,000 job.” Our neighbor recommended his contractor, Eric, and he was able to find the materials (not an easy task in these days of shortages) and completed the entire job in two weeks!

Oh, and here’s some deer who arrived to check out Diane’s Deck!

Diane’s Book Club chose Fiona Barton’s The Child for their July book. Diane decided she would listen to The Child since our Library had the audiobook version. At lunch time, Diane would set up the SONY boombox and load a CD from the audiobook. The unabridged edition has 9 discs (11 hours).

I was drawn into the story of a construction crew who discovers the bones of a child at the building site. Reporter Kate Waters investigates and wonders if this is the body of a baby that was taken from a hospital over 20 years ago. When the police run DNA tests, they determine the baby is related to the mother who had her baby taken from the hospital shortly after its birth decades ago.

Kate Waters has more than just this investigation upsetting her Life. Her son has dropped out of University and intends to travel around Thailand. Kate’s paper is cutting staff and she needs a Big Story to keep her job. And, as Kate’s follows the clues back into the events in the 1980s, the unraveling of the puzzles start to point to a surprising solution.

I don’t ordinarily read books like The Child, but this mystery kept me involved and…attentive. I was completely stunned by the ending! I bet you will be, too! GRADE: A

Back in the 1980s, TOR books set about to issue faux-ACE Doubles in a new series. ACE Doubles featured two books in one, with a  tête-bêche format. The TOR Doubles followed this format. The TOR series included 36 books. Divide and Rule/The Sword of Rhiannon is #17 in the series.

L. Sprague de Camp’s Divide and Rule (first published as a serial in the magazine Unknown from April to May, 1939) presents a world 300 years from now when the Earth is controlled by alien invaders called the hoppers. They look like giant kangaroos. The hoppers brought a blue plague to Earth which killed off half the human population. Now, the hoppers rule by banning science and keeping humans operating on a medieval culture level. Sir Howard of  Poughkeepsie gets involved in a scheme to overthrow the alien domination. GRADE: B

Leigh Brackett’s The Sword of Rhiannon was first published in the June 1949 issue of Thrilling Wonder Stories as “Sea-Kings of Mars”. Its first book publication was in the early famous Ace Double D-36 with Conan the Conqueror by Robert E. Howard. Many critics consider The Sword of Rhiannon the best of Brackett’s Mars novels. The action centers around Matthew Carse, a 35-year-old former archaeologist-turned-thief in the Martian city of Jekkara. Carse gets involved in a series of adventures in the best Sword and Sorcery tradition. Outstanding! GRADE: A

TRACKLIST:

Loaded With Hits, released in 2000, was a fund-raising music CD where a portion of the profits went to support the T. J. Martell Foundation for for Leukemia, Cancer, and AIDS Research. I might quibble about how many of these songs are really “hits” but there’s certainly a variety of different musical styles on these two CDs. I’m a big fan of Sarah McLachan’s “Building a Mystery.” “Save Tonight” was a hit for Eagle-Eye Cherry. And we might see Lisa Loeb singing “I Do” in a future GEICO commercial. How many of these “hits” do you recognize? Any favorites? GRADE: B

1-1	Will Smith–	Just The Two Of Us	5:16
1-2	Mariah Carey–	My All	3:51
1-3	Christina Aguilera–	Love For All Seasons	3:50
1-4	Céline Dion–	Immortality	4:10
1-5	Backstreet Boys–	As Long As You Love Me (Soul Solution Remix)Remix – Soul SolutionRemix – Soul Solution	3:58
1-6	Robyn–	Do You Really Want Me (Show Respect)	4:02
1-7	Spice Girls–	Stop	3:24
1-8	*NSYNC–	I Want You Back	3:19
1-9	Five–	When The Lights Go Out	4:06
1-10	B*Witched–	C’est La Vie	2:52
1-11	Billy Crawford–	Urgently In LoveFeaturing – Nona HendryxFeaturing – Nona Hendryx	4:12
1-12	Nicole*–	Make It Hot	4:04
1-13	R. Kelly–	Home Alone	4:17
1-14	Keith Sweat–	Come And Get With Me	4:55
1-15	Brian McKnight–	Anytime	4:33
2-1	Sarah McLachlan–	Building A Mystery	4:07
2-2	Eagle-Eye Cherry–	Save Tonight	3:56
2-3	Kenny Wayne Shepherd–	Blue On Black	5:31
2-4	Lisa Loeb–	I Do	3:36
2-5	Natalie Imbruglia–	Torn	4:04
2-6	The Verve Pipe–	The Freshman	4:29
2-7	Dave Matthews Band–	Don’t Drink The Water	6:37
2-8	Blondie–	Maria	3:52
2-9	KRS-One–	Step Into A World (Rapture’s Delight)Vocals – Keva*Vocals – Keva*	4:50
2-10	Goodie Mob–	Beautiful Skin	5:21
2-11	Big Punisher–	I’m Not A Player	3:41
2-12	Creed (3)–	My Own Prison	4:59
2-13	Eve 6–	Inside Out	3:39
2-14	Tori Amos–	Jackie’s Strength	4:26

The original Rogues’ Gallery was published by Little, Brown in 1945. The Table of Contents below is from that edition. In the early 1960s, DELL Books published Ellery Queen’s Rogues’ Gallery 1 (I’ve never seen Rogues’ Gallery 2). I included the page numbers from the paperback edition below.

I’ve always liked Agatha Christie’s “Accident” with its snarky ending. Ben Hecht’s “The Fifteen Murderers” stunned me with its plot twist. It will also give you a different view of doctors.

It was fun to reread John Dickson Carr’s “Mr. Markham, Antique Dealer” with the patented Carr trickery. My favorite story in this anthology was O. Henry’s “A Personal Magnet” with Henry’s cunning deceptions. I may have to go hunting for the original edition of Rogues’ Gallery. GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Ruffian’s wife / Dashiell Hammett —

Accident / Agatha Christie — 9

Portrait of a murderer / Q. Patrick —

Murder by mail / Howard Spring —

Mr. Bowley’s Sunday evening / H.C. Bailey — 45

The fifteen murderers / Ben Hecht — 59

Mr. Markham, antique dealer / John Dickson Carr — 19

Murder! / Arnold Bennett —

The diamond links / Grant Allen —

A trap to catch a cracksman / E.W. Hornung — 81

Edith Swan-Neck / Maurice Leblanc —

The infallible Godahl / Frederick Irving Anderson —

The seventy-fourth diamond / Edgar Wallace —

The St. Jocasta tapestries / Roy Vickers —

A personal magnet / O. Henry — 100

The Quagg Peerless Sciatacata Co. / George Randolph Chester — 107

The Colonel gives a party / Everett Rhode Castle —

Sam and his Yankee allies / Eric Knight —

The men of the jimmy / Melville Davisson Post —

The people versus Kelleher / Thomas McMorrow — 168

The Salisbury assizes / H.B. Marriott Watson —

The brazen serpent / R. Austin Freeman — 130

The red herring / William Hope Hodgson —

The cablegram / T.S. Stribling — 149

Thubway tham, thvilian / Johnston McCulley — 192

Adventures of Andrew Land / Charles J. Finger —

The blind spot / Leslie Charteris —  207

Ellery Queen, swindler / Ellery Queen —

The showdown / “Pat Hand” —

The willow walk / Sinclair Lewis —

Town wanted / Fredric Brown –221

In 1969, right about the time Woodstock was happening, the Harlem Cultural Festival took place. Star acts from the world of Soul came to Harlem to perform in front of 300,000 residents in Marcus Garvey Park. Stevie Wonder, the Gospel Redeemers, B.B. King, The Fifth Dimension, Sly and the Family Stone, Gladys Knight and the Pips, The Chambers Brothers, Nina Simone, the Staple Singers, Mongo Santamaria, David Ruffin, Herbie Mann, The Isley Brothers, Ray Barretto, Max Roach, Mahalia Jackson, the Edwin Hawkins Singers, and Hugh Masekela filled the park with wonderful music.

Questlove and editor Joshua L. Pearson edited down the 40+ hours of videotape–that languished for 50 years–into the best documentary of 2021. How this extraordinary event could go unrecognized for decades is mind-boggling. Finally, it is available and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Highly recommended! GRADE: A

Michael Pollan thinks the War on Drugs is just about over. And, the Drugs won. Many states have de-crimalized marijuana, others have legalized it for “recreational” use. In This is Your Mind on Plants, Pollan writes about his experiences with opioids, caffeine, and mescaline (and other psychedelic drugs).

I first used opioids after my first total knee replacement surgery. I was prescribed hydrocodone and it did its magic in helping me manage the post-surgery pain and physical therapy during my Rehab. The addictive aspects of the drug were well known so I careful regulated my dosage and slowly tapered off. Some of the other patients in Rehab didn’t and got “hooked.”

Pollan shows how to grow your own supply of opium in your garden. Opium has a long history and it can be helpful in medicine…and it can be dangerous.

Jeff Meyerson, in his comment yesterday, wondered: “I don’t get how people drink that stuff all day every day.” As Pollan points out, caffeine is addictive (but not as addictive as opioids). When coffee drinkers stop drinking coffee, all the withdrawal symptoms kick in: headaches, fatigue, lethargy, nausea, body aches, difficulty concentrating, decreased motivation, and irritability. On the plus side, having a coffee addition improves focus, motivation, and productivity. Other health aspects like protecting against certain cancers, diabetes, and Parkinson’s factor in, too.

One of Deb’s favorite writers, Honore de Balzac, wrote about the effect drinking coffee had on his writing: “From that moment on, everything becomes agitated. Ideas quick-march into motion like battalions of a grand army to its legendary fighting ground, and the battle rages. Memories charge in, bright flags on high; the cavalry of metaphor deploys with a magnificent gallop, the artillery of logic rushes up with clattering wagons and carriages; on imagination’s orders, sharpshooters sight and fire; forms and shapes and characters read up; the paper is read with ink…” (p. 113)

While I use opioids and caffeine, I have never used psychedelic drugs like mescaline (or LSD or psilocybin). Pollan describes his “trip” on mescaline. I’m wary of mind-altering drugs like psychedelics. I like my mind just fine as it is.

If you’re interested in the history and future of opioids, caffeine and mescaline, I encourage to take a look at Pollan’s This Is Your Mind on Plants. There’s a lot to consider here. What do you think of opioids, caffeine, and psychedelics? GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

INTRODUCTION — 1

OPIUM — 13

Prologue — 15

“Opium, Made Easy” — 21

Epilogue — 83

CAFFEINE — 89

MESCALINE — 161

1. The Door in the Wall –163
2. The Orphan Psychedelic — 166
3. In Which We Meet the Cacti — 174
4. The Birth of a New Religion — 187
5. Peeking Inside the Tepee — 199
6. An Interlude: On Mescaline — 214
7. Learning from San Pedro — 223
8. Drunk at the Wheel — 228
9. Plan C — 230

Acknowledgements — 249

Selected Bibliography — 253

Index — 259

I’m a fan of Starbucks’s Blonde Roast coffees. During our visit to Ohio last week, I discovered Starbucks Sunrise Blend, smooth coffee with hints of chocolate. Starbucks features various Blonde Roast coffees throughout the year…and then they disappear. If you like mild, smooth coffee–without the “bite” of some of Starbucks’s stronger coffees–I highly recommend Sunrise Blend. Do you have a favorite coffee? GRADE: A

The Tomorrow War, which cost just under $160 million to make, stars Pratt as a high school teacher with a military background who is among those recruited from soldiers from the future, who need people to come forward in time to fight off alien invaders. No consideration of Time Paradoxes or Temporal Mechanics in this mess of a movie.

But despite the illogical plot and absurd actions of the characters, this sci-fi time travel film starring Chris Pratt already has a sequel in the works, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. The reason why is simple: money.

Director Chris McKay is expected to return, along with screenwriter Zach Dean and much of the original cast, which in addition to Pratt included Yvonne Strahovski, J.K. Simmons, Betty Gilpin and Sam Richardson. Skydance and Amazon Studios are behind the project.

The Tomorrow War debuted on Amazon Prime July 2 and appears to have garnered strong numbers for the service, according to Pratt. While — like many other streamers — Amazon does not provide viewership numbers, Pratt celebrated its release by stating on Instagram this week that the film broke records in its first 48 hours and “was the No 1 film in the world.” One insider said the movie exceeded all expectations. This despite the ridiculous plot and the monotonous battle sequences. Skip this one (and the sequel!). GRADE: C-

I’ve always liked the Ed Valgurskey cover on the hardcover edition of The Best From Fantasy and Science Fiction, Seventh Series. This collection features the classic SF puzzle story, “The Cage,” by Australian writer, A. Bertram Chandler.

Another feature of The Best From Fantasy and Science Fiction series is the inclusion of women SF writers. Margaret St. Clair and Mildred Clingerman are represented by fine stories.

I’ve always been a fan of C. M. Kornbluth’s “MS Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie.” Many of you will remember Fritz Leiber’s “The Big Trek.” I’m also fond of Robert F. Young–who worked as a janitor in Buffalo, NY schools–and his fantasy “Goddess in Granite.” All in all, a solid collection well worth rereading! GRADE: A-

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• 9 • Introduction (Best from F&SF 7) • (1958) • essay by Anthony Boucher
• 11 • The Wines of Earth • (1957) • short story by Margaret St. Clair [as by Idris Seabright]
• 19 • In Memoriam: Fletcher Pratt • (1957) • poem by James Blish
• 20 • Adjustment • (1957) • novelette by Ward Moore
• 46 • The Cage • (1957) • short story by A. Bertram Chandler
• 61 • Mr. Stilwell’s Stage • (1957) • short story by Avram Davidson
• 73 • Venture to the Moon • [Venture to the Moon] • (1956) • short story by Arthur C. Clarke
• 105 • Expedition • (1956) • short story by Fredric Brown
• 107 • Lyric for Atom Splitters • (1957) • poem by Doris Pitkin Buck (variant of Lyric for Atom-Splitters)
• 108 • Rescue • (1957) • short story by G. C. Edmondson
• 119 • The Horror Story Shorter by One Letter Than the Shortest Horror Story Ever Written • (1957) • short story by Ron Smith
• 120 • Between the Thunder and the Sun • (1957) • novelette by Chad Oliver
• 182 • A Loint of Paw • (1957) • short story by Isaac Asimov
• 184 • The Wild Wood • (1957) • short story by Mildred Clingerman
• 195 • Dodger Fan • (1957) • short story by Will Stanton
• 201 • Goddess in Granite • (1957) • novelette by Robert F. Young
• 231 • Yes, but … • (1957) • poem by Anthony Brode
• 232 • MS. Found in a Chinese Fortune Cookie • (1957) • short story by C. M. Kornbluth
• 247 • Journeys End • (1957) • short story by Poul Anderson
• 258 • Full Circle • (1956) • poem by Dorothy Cowles Pinkney [as by Dorothy C. Pinkney]
• 259 • The Big Trek • (1957) • short story by Fritz Leiber