I loved Keith Laumer’s Retief stories when they appeared in Analog, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, and other Science Fiction magazines in the 1960s and 1970s. Retief is a clever diplomat for the Corps Diplomatique Terrestrienne who foils the sinister schemes of the slimy-tentacled Groaci aliens.

Keith Laumer’s years in the U.S. diplomatic corps reflects on the actions of these fun stories. Bureaucratic bungling and Groaci treachery can only be undone by Retief’s cunning actions. Each story in this collection ends up being a puzzle that only ingenuity and boldness can solve. If you’re looking for a fun set of stories that still evoke that Sense of Wonder you had in your youth, give Retief: Emissary to the Stars a try. GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• 1 • The Hoob Melon Crisis • [Retief] • (1975) • novelette by Keith Laumer
• 47 • The Garbage Invasion • [Retief] • (1972) • novelette by Keith Laumer
• 91 • The Troubleshooter • [Retief] • (1975) • novelette by Keith Laumer
• 143 • The Negotiators • [Retief] • (1975) • short story by Keith Laumer
• 175 • Giant Killer • [Retief] • (1965) • short story by Keith Laumer
• 201 • The Forest in the Sky • [Retief] • (1967) • novelette by Keith Laumer (variant of Forest in the Sky)
• 233 • Trick or Treaty • [Retief] • (1965) • novelette by Keith Laumer

It might not come as a surprise to learn that when the ninth (and final) episode of WandaVision became available on DISNEY+, the web site crashed because of the heavy traffic.

WandaVision stars Elizabeth Olsen as a powerful sorceress who decides to deal with her grief over the deaths of her mother, father, brother, and lover by creating a world where they can live again. Of course, officious bureaucrats want to destroy her haven so conflict results.

 This miniseries was created by Jac Schaeffer for Disney+, based on the Marvel Comics characters Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch and Vision. Set in a New Jersey town of Westview, Wanda uses her powers to recreate a reality similar to TV sitcoms from the 1950s and 1960s.

Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany reprise their respective roles as Wanda Maximoff and Vision from the MARVEL Avengers film series. I thought the project was innovative and clever. I want to see more of these characters! GRADE: A

Every Body: An Honest and Open Look at SEX from Every Angle consists of a collection of interviews, stories, essays, and artwork. Julia Rothman and Shaina Feinberg took to the streets and set up a sign that read: LET US INTERVIEW YOU ABOUT SEX (ANOUNOUSMEEY) FOR A BOOK. And hundreds of people were willing to talk to Julia and Shaina and Every Body is the result.

Every Body presents a wide array of topics, including first times, open relationships, body acceptance, accidental pregnancies, sex toys, pleasure, fear and trauma, sexual discovery, elder sex, and more.

I was drawn into the deeply personal interviews where people told their most intimate sexual secrets. Also experts contributed essays that address stigmas and clichés of various sexual behavior. I found this book informative, educational, surprising, and moving. This is an inclusive user’s guide to your body, no matter its shape, size, age, or preferences. GRADE: A

For the past year, a bottle of Purell has been the Holy Grail for Diane and many of her friends. Stores were sold out, phony hand sanitizers from converted meth labs seemed to be everywhere at inflated prices.

But last week, Diane let out a gasp when she saw a display of real Purell in BJ’s Warehouse (limit One). Diane grabbed a bottle and placed it carefully in our shopping cart. The last time I’d witness Diane being so affected was when she found a 5-pack of CLOROX WIPES in BJ’s Warehouse a couple months ago.

How easy is it for you to find Personal Protective Equipment and sanitizing products? Is the Pandemic getting better or worse where you live?

Amy Traverso is the senior food editor at Yankee magazine and co-host of the public television series, Weekends with Yankee. And Amy loves apples! There are over 100 scrumptious recipes in this book. And, I really appreciated the 34-page guide to apples which consists of a photo of the apple and a description with interesting facts about it. I’m now motivated to find a try a Northern Spy apple! Who knew there were so many different varieties of apples?

My only quibble with this book is the dearth of photos. I’d like to see what some of these wonderful recipes look like when done. Despite that, this is the Gold Standard for Apple recipes. Are you a fan of apples? What’s your favorite? GRADE: A-

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Recipe Index — 8

Acknowlegements — 13

Chapter One: Introduction — 16

Chapter Two: Apple Varieties: A Complete Primer — 30

Chapter Three: Cooking Tips and Pantry Notes — 72

Chapter Four: Soups and Starters — 82

Chapter Five: Vegetable Entrees, Sides, and Salads — 100

Chapter Six: Poultry, Meat, and Fish Entrees — 132

Chapter Seven: Pancakes, Donuts, Biscuits, and Breads — 166

Chapter Eight: Pies, Crisps, Cobblers, Buckles, and Betties — 202

Chapter Nine: Dumplings, Bakes, Cakes, and Puddings — 254

Chapter Ten: Condiments and Cocktails — 299

Chapter Eleven: Beyond Baking: Apple Festivals, Products, and Pairings –312

Bibliography — 323

Index — 325

It’s not often that I buy a $35 book for 25 cents. But I did a week ago at a pop-up Book Sale at my local Library. All the books on one of book carts were 25 cents. Most of the books were hardcover best sellers, but stuck on the bottom row was The Astounding Illustrated History of Fantasy & Horror. This coffee-table book features movies, TV & Streaming programming, Art, comics, pulp magazines, and fiction.

Plenty of people worked on this book: Roger Luckhurst, Mike Ashley, Michael Kerrigan, Matt Cardin, Dave Golder, Russ Thorne, and Rosie Fletcher. The Consultant Editor was S. T. Joshi.

The Astounding Illustrated History of Fantasy & Horror is a browser’s delight! Plenty of great cover artwork. Plenty of movie stills. Informative and insightful commentary, too! GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Foreword by Ramsey Campbell — 6

Introduction — 8

1: The Advent of Modern Fantasy: pre-1595-1922 — 18

2: With the Immortals: 1923-1945 — 42

3: Inklings of Other Worlds: 1956-1948 — 68

4: On the Brink of Evolution: 1960-1979 — 90

5: The Battle Between Light & Dark: 1980-1989 — 114

6: A Flourishing of the Genres: 1990-2000 — 132

7: The Many Paths to Tread: 2001-2010 — 150

8: Embracing the Future: 2011-2020 — 170

Key People — 188

Further Reading & Websites — 189

Index — 190

In the liner notes to Judy Collins Sings Leonard Cohen: Democracy Judy Collins relates how Leonard Cohen first performed…with her assistance. Cohen was painfully shy and struggled with singing before a crowd. Collins not only helped Cohen over this hurtle, she started recording some of his songs like “Suzanne.”

Listening to these songs from the Sixties and early Seventies brought back how much I loved this music when I first heard it. Are you a Leonard Cohen fan? Do you like Judy Collins? GRADE: A

TRACK LIST:

1. “Democracy” – 6:55 (new recording)
2. “Suzanne” – 4:23 (from In My Life, 1966)
3. “A Thousand Kisses Deep” – 5:42 (new recording)
4. “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye” – 3:34 (from Wildflowers, 1967)
5. “Dress Rehearsal Rag” – 5:23 (from In My Life, 1966)
6. “Priests” – 4:58 (from Wildflowers, 1967)
7. “Night Comes On” – 4:03 (new recording)
8. “Sisters of Mercy – 2:34 (from Wildflowers, 1967)
9. “Story of Isaac” – 3:33 (from Who Knows Where the Time Goes, 1968)
10. “Bird on a Wire” – 4:40 (from Who Knows Where the Time Goes, 1968)
11. “Famous Blue Raincoat” – 5:37 (from Living, 1971)
12. “Joan of Arc” – 5:57 (from Living, 1971)
13. “Take This Longing” – 5:26 (from Bread and Roses, 1976)
14. “Song of Bernadette” – 4:13 (previously unreleased live recording from 1999)

I’ve had this copy of Ramsey Campbell’s Fine Frights: Stories that Scared Me on my shelves since 1988, the year the book was published. I finally got around to reading it and found some gems.

My favorite story in this anthology is Joseph Payne Brennan’s creepy “The Horror at Chilton Castle.” The narrator of the story tells how he was involved in a bizarre ritual in the bowels of an ancient castle that holds a horror centuries old. Very atmospheric! I also liked “The Clerks of Domesday” by John Brunner. I’ve read a lot of Brunner’s work but somehow missed this story about the prelude to a nuclear war.

Ramsey Campbell provides informative introductions to the stories and reveals why he selected them. If you’re in the mood for some scary stories, Fine Frights will fit the bill. GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Introduction / Ramsey Campbell — ix

Child’s play / Villy Sørensen — 1
More sinned against / Karl Edward Wagner — 15
Lost memory / Peter Phillips — 43
The fifth mask / Shamus Frazer — 67
The horror at Chilton Castle / Joseph Payne Brennan — 91
The clerks of domesday / John Brunner — 119
Thurnley Abbey / Perceval Landon — 157
Cutting down / Bob Shaw — 187
The necromancer / Arthur Gray — 219
The greater festival of masks / Thomas Ligotti — 235
The war is over / David Case — 251
Upon the dull earth / Philip K. Dick — 269

Based on Jessica Bruder’s non-fiction book, Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century, Chloe Zhao’s movie version features bleak look at contemporary America. Frances McDormand plays a 60-something drifter called Fern who lives in her van. Fern’s husband used to work at the U. S. Gypsum plant at Empire, Nevada. When the plant closes, the company town shrivels up. And, Fern’s husband shrivels up and dies.

Fern decides to become a nomad. She works briefly as a temporary worker at an AMAZON Fulfillment Center. Fern joins a group of aging workers and recent retirees with their RVs living their dreams of traveling around and picking up odd jobs when they need cash.

Fern meets Dave, played by David Strathairn, who she is attracted to. And the feeling is mutual. Fern is a moody character with a lot of emotional baggage.

Nomadland is not a documentary, but it occasionally feels like one as some of the nomads share their stories with Fern: tales of PTSD, early deaths, cancer treatments, and suicides. Chloe Zhao uses real nomads in many of the scenes which gives the film some of its gravitas.

Right now, I’d vote Nomadland BEST PICTURE and Frances McDormand BEST ACTRESS. What did you think of Nomadland? GRADE: A-

Jamie Conklin narrates this cautionary tale about growing up with a “talent.” Jamie can see and talk to dead people. The ghosts tend to fade away after a few days but while they’re around, Jamie can speak with them…and the ghosts always tell the truth.

It takes time for Jamie’s mother, Tia, to believe in her son’s power to talk to the dead. But when Tia recognizes her son’s talent, she also realizes it could bring Trouble. And, of course it does.

Stephen King manages to fit in a serial bomber, a drug lord who’s into torture, and a crooked cop into this fast-paced 250-page novel. You’ll find Jamie’s story compelling and suspenseful.

In 2005, Stephen King wrote The Colorado Kid for Hard Case Crime. In 2013, he wrote Joyland. Later (2021) is the third book King has written for this publisher. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait another eight years for the next Stephen King Hard Case Crime novel! Are you a Stephen King fan? GRADE: A