Haunting Julia is a one-act play that’s being offered online at the price of about $15. Alan Ayckbourn, the playwright, takes on the trio of roles in this 1994 work about a musical prodigy who died of an overdose. In this Stephen Joseph Theatre’s radio-play version, you have the option of Closed Captions or not. (You can read The Wall Street Journal review here.). If you want buy a ticket, go to Stephen Joseph Theatre, Scarborough, England
Listenable online only through Jan. 31, 2021, £12
To purchase “tickets,” go to sjt.uk.com

Alan Ayckbourn voices all three characters in Haunting Julia. Julia’s father is obsessed with his daughter’s death, finding it inextricable. Julia’s former boyfriend finally reveals some key information about the incident. And the psychic who may or may not have a link to Julia’s ghost, does provide context to Julia’s last day.

I’m a fan of ghost stories so Haunting Julia delighted me. Your mileage may vary. GRADE: B+

Talia Lavin does something I would never do: she created multiple online identities and joined extremist organizations. Lavin’s exploration of dangerous right-wing groups predicts the Assault on the Capitol.

I was fascinated to learn how white supremacy groups operate online to recruit and fund-raise. Lavin exposes the strategies of Neo-Nazis, Christian extremists, and other hate groups.

It’s clear that we’re in for a protracted period of civil unrest. If you want to understand what we’re up against, read Culture Warlords. GRADE: A

Table of Contents:

Introduction — 1

• On hating — 9
• The Jews — 23
• Boots on for the boogaloo — 46
• Operation Ashlynn — 74
• Adventures with incels — 99
• That good old-time religion — 124
• Tween racists, bad beanies, and the great casino chase — 155
• Getting to the boom: on accelerationism and violence — 183
• Antifa civil war — 203
• We keep us safe — 217

Afterword — 237

Acknowledgements — 241

Endnotes — 243

Index — 255

Cleveland Browns might be the Cinderella team of the 2020 season. Their victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers last week was their first Playoff victory since January 1, 1995 when the Browns last won a playoff game, 20-13, over the New England Patriots. The Browns face last year’s Super Bowl Champions, the well rested Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are favored by 10 points. Go Browns!

Can the New Orleans Saints and Drew Brees beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the third straight time? Vegas thinks so because they’ve made the Saints 3-point favorites. The two oldest QBs in the Playoffs face each other. Can Tom Brady work his magic again in the Playoffs? Go Saints!

Who do you think will win these games?

The Baltimore Ravens flew into town today ready to take on the Buffalo Bills in a Divisional game. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, a gifted athlete, presents NFL defenses with migraine headaches with his running ability. Jackson can take over a game–and has several times this season. Just ask the Cleveland Browns and the Tennessee Titans.

The Bills will have to bring their “A” game if they have any hope of staying with the Ravens’ potent running attack. Vegas says the Bills are 2 1/2 point favorites, but the game might be closer than that.

In the early game, Los Angeles Rams vs. Green Bay Packers, the Packers are 7-point favorites. I think Green Bay will win by more than that because the Rams have two injured quarterbacks. Who do you think will win today?

Matthew Hughes, who writes faux-Jack Vance novels and short stories has completed a “sequel” to Vance’s famous Demon Princes series. Hughes’ sequel should be published later in 2021, so I decided to reread the Demon Princes series starting with the first volume, Star King (aka, The Star King) first published in 1963. Five criminals organize a raid on the city of Mount Pleasant. Many of the citizens are killed, the rest are sold into slavery. Kirth Gersen and his grandfather are among the few survivors. They migrate to Earth where Gersen’s grandfather trains Kirth to become a skilled assassin whose mission is to avenge the deaths of his family and friends.

Tales of vengeance are a dime a dozen, but Jack Vance’s series features the solving of mysteries which make his series unique. Kirth Gersen has to find each of the five villains before he can extract his revenge. So questions of identity and strategy play large roles in Gersen’s searches of hidden meanings and sinister patterns.

If you’re looking for a series of tales with clever twists and unexpected actions, Demon Princes displays some of Jack Vance’s best writing. GRADE: B+ (for Star King)

Hits of the 70s comes in a nice hinged tin box with a booklet that provides some information on the songs and the artists. I did not know that Anita Ward’s “Ring My Bell” hit Number One in 1979. And, I did not know that Mark Lindsey, lead singer and sax player for Paul Revere and the Raiders, also hit Number One in 1970 with “Arizona.” Paul Revere and the Raiders also hit Number One in 1971 with “Indian Reservation.”

Rare Earth did not hit Number One with their rendition of “Get Ready” in 1970–their hit only reached Number Four despite heavy airplay on FM rock radio stations. Once again, there seems to be no rime or reason for the selections of these songs from the Seventies (unless you can discern some pattern). I like Edwin Starr’s “War” and Smokey Robinson & The Miracles’ “Tears of a Clown.” I’m not so keen on Ozark Mountain Daredevils’ “Jackie Blue.” Another mixed-bag of songs. Do you see any favorites here? GRADE: B

Tracklist 

A1	–Edwin Starr	War
A2	–Stories	Brother Louie
A3	–Badfinger	Come And Get It
A4	–The Chi-Lites	Oh Girl
A5	–Gallery (2)	Nice To Be With You
A6	–Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds	Fallin’ In Love (Again)
A7	–The Miracles	Tears Of A Clown
A8	–Rare Earth	Get Ready
A9	–Paul Revere & The Raiders	Indian Reservation
A10	–Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes	If You Don’t Know Me By Now
B1	–The Sweet	Ballroom Blitz
B2	–Badfinger	Day After Day
B3	–Brewer And Shipley	One Toke Over The Line
B4	–The Grass Roots	Temptation Eyes
B5	–Hamilton, Joe Frank & Reynolds	Don’t Pull Your Love
B6	–Mark Lindsay	Arizona
B7	–The Ozark Mountain Daredevils	Jackie Blue
B8	–Freda Payne	Band Of Gold
B9	–Pilot	Magic
B10	–B.J. Thomas	Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head
C1	–Anita Ward	Ring My Bell
C2	–Harold Melvin And The Blue Notes	The Love I Lost
C3	–Todd Rundgren	Hello It’s Me
C4	–Mickey Finn’s T. Rex	Bang A Gong (Get It On)
C5	–Heatwave	Boogie Nights
C6	–Atlanta Rhythm Section	So Into You
C7	–The Chi-Lites	Have You Seen Her
C8	–Maxine Nightingale	Right Back Where We Started From
C9	–Walter Egan	Magnet And Steel
C10	–The Sweet	Fox On The Run

I’ve been buying and reading Mike Ashley’s British Library anthologies the past few years. Ashley has always been a capable editor of Science Fiction anthologies for decades, but these British Library anthologies include more British SF writers than the usual collections. Born of the Sun includes a strong group of stories. Some are classics like Clifford Simak’s “Desertion” and Robert Silverberg’s “Sunrise on Mercury.”

I remember reading Larry Niven’s “Wait It Out” back in 1968 and marveling at Niven’s ingenious solution to a seemingly insolvable problem. Over the decades, I’ve read dozens of Poul Anderson’s stories but “Garden in the Void” was a new one for me. As usual, Anderson creates a unique world with clever plot twists. If you’re looking for a solid SF anthology, I recommend Born of the Sun. GRADE: B

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

INTRODUCTION: Solar Tour by Mike Ashley — 7

MERCURY: “Sunrise on Mercury” by Robert Silverberg (Science Fiction Stories, May 1957) — 19

VULCAN: “The Hell Planet” by Leslie F. Stone (Wonder Stories, June 1932) — 41

VENUS: “Foundling on Venus” by John and Dorothy De Courcy (Fantastic Universe, March 1954) — 97

MARS: “The Lonely Path” by John Ashcroft (Science Fiction Adventures, January 1961) — 117

ASTEROID BELT: “Garden in the Void” by Poul Anderson (Galaxy, May 1952) — 173

JUPITER: “Desertion” by Clifford D. Simak ( Astounding, November, 1944) — 221

SATURN: “How Beautiful With Banners” by James Blish (Orbit #1, 1966) — 245

URANUS: “Where No Man Walks” by E. R. James (New Worlds, November 1952) — 261

NEPTUNE: “A Baby on Neptune” by Clare Winger Harris & Miles J. Breuer (Amazing Stories, December 1929) — 287

PLUTO: “Wait It Out” by Larry Niven (The Future Unbounded, 1968) — 324

Story Sources — 335

Last time around, the Government sent us an Economic Stimulus Debt Cart (you can read about it here). This time, we received a paper check like the one above. With the Stimulus Debt Card, we ended up buying a new Speed Queen washing machine to replace our 40-year-old Maytag washer (you can read about it here).

This time around, we plan on using the Stimulus Payment to pay for a walk-in shower in our first-floor bathroom. As we grow older, amenities like walk-in showers grow more appealing. We’ve enjoyed walk-in showers in many of the hotel rooms we stayed in back in 2019. How are you going to spend your Economic Stimulus Payment?

Love in the Blitz: The Long Lost letters of a Brilliant Young Woman to Her Beloved on the Front came about from a lucky buy at an auction. These fascinating letters from Eileen Alexander to the man she loves, Gershon Ellenbogen (sadly, Gershon’s letters to Eileen are lost) give an intimate view of life in London during World War II. I found Eileen’s insights into the response of Londoners to the Luftwaffe bombing of their city very moving.

When the war starts, Gershon is sent to Cairo to work for the British Military Intelligence in the Royal Air Force. Eileen leaves her studies at Girton College, Cambridge to work for the Air Ministry to assist in the war effort.

Young love might be the purest. Eileen’s passionate letters show her love and her loneliness for the man she will eventually spend most of her life with. If you’re interested in World War II from the ground level, Love in the Blitz reveals plenty of surprising details. If you’re looking for a real romance between two youngsters dealing with a world war that keeps them apart, Love in the Blitz will move you, too. GRADE: A

Table of Contents

Foreword Oswyn Murray vii

Historical Introduction David Crane xv

1 Drumnadrochit, summer 1939 3

September 1939-April 1940 17

2 ‘No time to sit on brood’ 19

May-September 1940 55

3 My Young Fellow 59

September-December 1940 97

4 Blitz 101

January-March 1941 143

5 Intentions 145

March-September 1941 165

6 A Rill Civil Servant 167

September-December 1941 199

7 Your Intended 201

January-May 1942 229

8 Separation 231

May-December 1942 243

9 Limbo 245

January 1943-March 1944 315

10 The Long Wait 317

April 1944-March 1946 447

11 Twin Compasses 449

Postscript 465

Dramatis Personae 467

Illustration Credits 473

Ravens (11-5) at Titans (11-5), 1:05 p.m. ET at Nissan Stadium, Nashville; ESPN and ABC could be the most physical game of the Playoffs. Plenty of running and hard-nose football in this one. The Ravens are favored by 3 1/2 points and I hope they win.

Bears (8-8) at Saints (12-4), 4:40 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans; CBS, Nickelodeon, Amazon Prime Video should be a breeze (or Brees) for the Saints who are favored by 10 points. Go Saints!

Browns (11-5) at Steelers (12-4), 8:15 p.m. ET at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh; NBC, looks like a laugher as the Browns struggle to field a team that’s Covid-19-free. The Steelers are favored by 6 points, but they should win by more. Who do you think will win these games?