In addition to our new Bosch dishwasher, Diane and I also bought a new Frigidaire Above the Range microwave and a new Frigidaire range. Our General Electric stove is 26 years old. One burner on the glass top doesn’t work. Diane worries about the oven because the temperature can suddenly jump from 350 degrees to 500 degrees!

Our Sharp Above the Range microwave is 20 years old. It still works, but there’s a crack in the front near the viewing window that I don’t like the looks of. The appliance store offered a deal if we bought both a range and a microwave of the same brand. Since most of the stoves and microwaves they carried ranked closely in Consumer Reports, it was a no-brainer to buy the combo and save a few hundred dollars. Do you like your stove and microwave? Are you thinking of buying new ones?

With the Recession just around the corner, we decided to purchase a Bosch 800 Series Top Control Tall Tub Pocket Handle Dishwasher in White with Stainless Steel Tub and Easy Glide Rack. Our old Whirlpool dishwasher was 20 years old. It was still working, but Diane noticed the glasses were not as clean as she would like.

I did my research with Consumer Reports. Consumer Reports ranked various Bosch dishwashers for their top five picks. We went to our local appliance store and checked out the Bosch dishwashers. Diane liked the 800 series best so that’s what we bought. Our new Bosch dishwasher arrives on Monday. What brand of dishwasher do you have? Are you thinking about a new dishwasher?

I picked up this thick-as-a-brick anthology at a Library Book Sale for pennies. My favorite stories are “The Dragon Masters” and “The Last Castle” by Jack Vance, but there are plenty of first-rate stories between these covers. Harlan Ellison is well-represented. So is Poul Anderson. I remember reading Clifford Simak’s “The Big Front Yard” in ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION way back in 1958 and loving it. Probably the most famous story included in The Hugo Winners is Daniel Keyes’s “Flowers for Algernon” which was later expanded into a novel and became a movie.

As an impressionable kid, I loved another story from 1958 (when I was a precocious 9-year-old): Robert Bloch’s “That Hell-Bound Train.” That triggered a search for other “Deal With the Devil” stories. I found dozens in various anthologies, but none were quite as good as Robert Bloch’s classic. I read most of the stories in VOLUME TWO in Real Time as I subscribed to GALAXY, IF, WORLDS OF TOMORROW, AMAZING, and FANTASTIC and would buy the occasional issue of Analog and The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction if one of my favorite SF writers was included in an issue on the newsstands.

These stories in The Hugo Winners brought back a lot of fond memories. Do they bring back memories for you? How many of these Hugo Winners have you read? GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
The Hugo Winners, Volume 1 • [The Hugo Winners • 1] • (1962) • anthology by Isaac Asimov
x • Introduction (The Hugo Winners, Volume I) • (1962) • essay by Isaac Asimov
5 • The Darfsteller • (1955) • novella by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
64 • Allamagoosa • (1955) • short story by Eric Frank Russell
80 • Exploration Team • [Colonial Survey] • (1956) • novelette by Murray Leinster
123 • The Star • (1955) • short story by Arthur C. Clarke
132 • Or All the Seas with Oysters • (1958) • short story by Avram Davidson
145 • The Big Front Yard • (1958) • novella by Clifford D. Simak
193 • The Hell-Bound Train • (1958) • short story by Robert Bloch (variant of That Hell-Bound Train)
208 • Flowers for Algernon • (1959) • novelette by Daniel Keyes
236 • The Longest Voyage • (1960) • novelette by Poul Anderson
264 • Postscript (The Hugo Winners) • (1962) • essay by Isaac Asimov
266 • Appendix: The Hugo Awards (The Hugo Winners, Volume I) • (1962) • essay by uncredited
269 • The Hugo Winners, Volume Two • [The Hugo Winners • 2] • (1971) • anthology by Isaac Asimov
273 • Here I Am Again • (1971) • essay by Isaac Asimov
280 • The Dragon Masters • (1962) • novella by Jack Vance
363 • No Truce with Kings • (1963) • novella by Poul Anderson
421 • Soldier, Ask Not • [Childe Cycle] • (1964) • novella by Gordon R. Dickson
477 • “Repent, Harlequin!” Said the Ticktockman • (1965) • short story by Harlan Ellison
492 • The Last Castle • (1966) • novella by Jack Vance
546 • Neutron Star • [Known Space] • (1966) • novelette by Larry Niven
567 • Weyr Search • [Dragonriders of Pern short fiction] • (1967) • novella by Anne McCaffrey
618 • Riders of the Purple Wage • (1967) • novella by Philip José Farmer
681 • Gonna Roll the Bones • (1967) • novelette by Fritz Leiber
702 • I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream • (1967) • short story by Harlan Ellison
721 • Nightwings • [Nightwings] • (1968) • novella by Robert Silverberg
769 • The Sharing of Flesh • [Technic History] • (1968) • novelette by Poul Anderson
800 • The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World • (1968) • novelette by Harlan Ellison (variant of The Beast That Shouted Love)
813 • Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones • (1968) • novelette by Samuel R. Delany
847 • Appendix: Hugo Awards 1962-1970 (The Hugo Winners, Volume II) • (1972) • essay by uncredited

Back in 2001, Rhino Records issued a series of Rolling Stone Presents CDs. This Rolling Stone Presents Female Singer-Songwriters has two obvious gaps: no Joni Mitchell and no Carole King. However, the choices made for this CD include variety at the very least.

Joan Baez singing “Diamonds and Rust” brought back a lot of memories and a few regrets. I always thought Joan Baez–with her great talent–could have been a bigger star. The same goes for “Poetry Man” by Phoebe Snow, a singer who sacrificed her career to take care of her brain-damaged daughter. Buffy Sainte Marie’s “Until It’s Time For You to Go” displays her strengths. Janis Ian’s “At Seventeen” captures teenage angst. “Wuthering Heights” by Kate Bush may be my favorite track on this CD. Melanie, who is nearly forgotten now, reminds us why she dominated the Top 10 back in 1970. Bonnie Rait, Carly Simon, and the McGarrigle sisters sing heart-felt songs. The big factor in listening to this music is nostalgia. Do you remember these songs and artists? Do you have a favorite female singer-songwriter? GRADE: B+
TRACK LIST:
1. Wedding Bell Blues — Laura Nyro 2:54
2. Poetry Man — Phoebe Snow 4:36
3. Diamonds & Rust — Joan Baez 4:42
4. At Seventeen — Janis Ian 4:43
5. Nothing Seems to Matter — Bonnie Raitt 4:05
6. Heart Like a Wheel — Kate & Anna McGarrigle 3:04
7. Boys in the Trees — Carly Simon 3:14
8. Until It’s Time for You to Go — Buffy Sainte-Marie 2:28
9. Wuthering Heights — Kate Bush 4:29
10. What Have They Done to My Song Ma — Melanie Safka 4:03

Mandatory Credit: Photo by David Buchan/Variety/REX/Shutterstock (10081959k)
Paul Simms, Jemaine Clement, Taika Waititi, Mark Proksch, Kayvan Novak, Natasia Demetriou, Harvey Guillen and Beanie Feldstein
FX ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ TV Show Panel, TCA Winter Press Tour, Los Angeles, USA – 04 Feb 2019

The FX Network stands above the other cable channels in innovation and risk-taking. I’m impressed with Fosse/Verdon for drama and now What We Do In the Shadows for comedy. What We Do In the Shadows is based on the 2014 movie of the same name conceived by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi. This new incarnation presents a mock-documentary that follows a group of vampires who live together in Staten Island, NY.

The leader of the vampire group is “Nandor The Relentless” (played by Kayvan Novak). Nandor was a great warrior and conqueror from the Ottoman Empire. He leads this group despite the fact that his Old World thinking results in comic situations. British vampire “Laszlo” (played by Matt Berry) is a pretentious rogue. Laszlo loves chaos and generates much of the comedy in What We Do In the Shadows. “Nadja” (played by Natasia Demetriou) is my favorite character. Nadja is a seductive vampire who is smarter than Nandor and Laszlo combined.

Also living in the vampire household is “Guillermo” (played by Harvey Guillén), Nandor’s familiar (a servant/protector of a vampire during the daylight hours). Guillermo yearns to be made a real vampire just like his master. But, Nandor is reluctant to grant that wish. The odd “Colin Robinson” (played by Mark Proksch) is an energy vampire. He can survive in daylight and feasts on human energy–not on their blood like the other vampires. “Jenna” (played by Beanie Feldstein) is a student at a nearby community college. Nadja turns Jenna into a vampire and watching the transformation is both horrifying and humorous!

Yes, there’s plenty of silly stuff in What We Do In the Dark, but I found this 10-episode series refreshingly funny. It’s been renewed for a Second Season. GRADE: A-.

Michele Williams and Sam Rockwell both deserve Emmys for their brilliant work in Fosse/Verdon. Rockwell plays the talented, self-centered, narcissistic, and self-destructive Bob Fosse. Michele Williams plays Gwen Verdon, his loving and long-suffering wife. Their decades-long relationship goes through ups and downs. Fosse sleeps with his dancers who work in productions. When Fosse struggles with filming Caberet in Europe, he begs Gwen Verdon to fly over and help him. When Gwen gets there, she finds Fosse sleeping with his translator.

We discover why Bob Fosse behaves the ways he does in a series of flashbacks to his youth. Gwen Verdon becomes obsessed with bringing Chicago to Broadway. She needs a damaged Bob Fosse to do it. The struggle of both of these characters on the TV screen is both tragic and fascinating. There’s some great dancing, great acting, and a compelling story in this limited series. But some of it is hard to watch…just like Real Life. GRADE: A

It’s astonishing that a play about mental health and teen suicide could use those elements to produce a successful musical. Dear Evan Hansen won six Tony Awards in 2017: Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical (Steven Levenson), Best Original Score (Benj Pasek and Justin Paul), Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical (Ben Platt), Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical (Rachel Bay Jones), and Best Orchestrations (Alex Lacamoire).

Evan Hansen is a socially awkward high school student. His mother has sent Evan to a counselor and Evan’s taking anti-anxiety medication. As part of his therapy, Evan is supposed to write to himself emails every day extolling how great his day will be (hence the title: “Dear Evan Hansen”).

Evan has a crush on a girl in the Jazz Band, Zoe, but through a series of unlikely events, one of Evan’s emails gets printed out and falls into the hands of Zoe’s psycho brother, Connor. Connor commits suicide and Evan’s email is found on his body. Zoe’s parents then think Connor and Evan were friends.

Evan decides to makes up a story that he and Connor were Good Friends. This seems to bring some relief to Zoe’s parents so Evan continues to elaborate his fictitious story. You can pretty much guess what’s going to happen in ACT II. Diane liked Dear Evan Hansen more than I did. GRADE: B
SONG LIST:
Act 1
“Anybody Have a Map?” – Heidi, Cynthia
“Waving Through a Window” – Evan
“Waving Through a Window” (Reprise #1)* – Evan
“Waving Through a Window” (Reprise #2)* – Alana
“For Forever” – Evan
“Sincerely, Me” – Connor, Evan, Jared
“Requiem” – Zoe, Cynthia, Larry
“If I Could Tell Her” – Evan, Zoe
“Disappear” – Connor, Evan, Alana, Jared, Larry, Cynthia, Zoe
“You Will Be Found” – Evan, Alana, Jared, Zoe, Company, VC (virtual community)
Act 2
“Sincerely, Me” (Reprise)* – Connor, Jared
“To Break in a Glove” – Larry, Evan
“Only Us” – Zoe, Evan
“Good for You” – Heidi, Alana, Jared, Evan
“For Forever” (Reprise)* – Connor
“You Will Be Found” (Reprise)* – Alana, Jared, VC
“Words Fail” – Evan
“So Big/So Small” – Heidi
“Finale” – Evan, Company

Maybe it’s the COKE commercials for their new Orange Vanilla Coca Cola…or maybe it was the really low price for this new product at TARGET that lured me into buying and tasting it. Not bad, not great. Just okay. Do you have a favorite carbonated drink?

Fredric Brown’s crafty carney tale, Madball, was first published in 1953 as a DELL paperback. Later, in 1961, Madball was reprinted by Gold Medal Books. A “condensed” version of Madball titled “The Pickled Punks” ran in The Saint Detective Magazine in June-July 1953.

Madball, set in a traveling carnival show, starts with a murder of a returning member of the troupe and escalates in suspense and action as the murderer needs to eliminate threats to discovery. In the process, the aspects of carney life and the behind-the-scenes reality of this strange way of life comes into focus through Fredric Brown’s deft descriptions and plotting. Madball captures the excitement and danger of the lives of knife-throwers, exotic dancers, and fortune-tellers where someone in their midst is a murderer.

Stark House has done a brilliant job reprinting classic crime novels, especially in their BLACK GAT series. Madball may be the best of the bunch! GRADE: A
STARK HOUSE BLACK GAT BOOKS:
21. Stool Pigeon by Louis Malley
978-1-944520-81-6
A dark tale of New York gangsters in Little Italy and the revengeful cop who plans to bring down an old nemesis. “Every page of Stool Pigeon feels real and true.”—Elgin Bleecker, The Dark Time. August 2019.

20. Madball by Fredric Brown
978-1-944520-74-8
“A terrific pulp novel that is filled with energy and excitement from cover to cover [filled] with all manner of thieves, murderers, strippers, carnival barkers, knife throwers, drifters, fortune tellers, and others…all linked by greed.”–GoodReads. June 2019.

19. The Hoods Take Over Ovid Demaris
978-1-944520-73-1
“A powerful novel of big-time rackets, of gang wars and their victims, of ice-picks and bombs.” ‐Pensacola News Journal. “Whoever said crime doesn&apost pay has never spoken to Ovid Demaris.”‐New York Times. April 2019. 

18. Frantic Noel Calef
978-1-944520-66-3
A French crime thriller from 1956 filmed by Louis Malle as Elevator to the Gallows. “A truly noir crime book, perverse and scathing.”—Agnieszka. February 2019. 

17. End of the Line by Delores & Bert Hitchens
978-1-944520-57-1
“Hitchens had a good ear and a dead-on eye for the various charades played by the human animals. She also wrote a series of railroad mysteries with her husband Bert.”—Ed Gorman, Deadly Women. November 2018. 

16. You’ll Get Yours by William Ard
978-1-944520-54-0
“Brooklyn-born Ard was one of the unjustly forgotten hard-boiled writers of the fifties. His career burned bright but fast … but in that time he managed to create several intriguing New York private eyes.”—Thrilling Detective. August 2018.

15. Frenzy of Evil By Henry Kane
A twisted tale of male menopausal murder when a sadistic lawyer decides to get rid of his young wife’s new lover. “Kane has an unnerving hyper-real way of writing dialogue… reminded me of David Mamet’s terse, realistic dialogue in his early plays.”—J. F. Norris, Pretty Sinister Books. May 2018.

14. The Men From the Boys By Ed Lacy
An ex-cop hits the skids when he takes a job as a seedy house dick. “It is a vivid, hard-hitting police story—with no punches pulled.”—Will Ousler. February 2018.

13. Never Say No to a Killer By Clifton Adams
“A homicidal first-person thriller reminiscent of Horace McCoy’s jailbreak classic, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye… relentlessly vicious.” —Cullen Gallagher, “The Desert, The Prairie, and The Gutter.” November 2017.

12. The Last Notch Arnold Hano
A vintage noir western from the maverick editor of Lion Books, written as by “Matthew Gant,” and published here for the first time under the author’s name. Introduction by David Laurence Wilson, who calls Hano both “challenging and subversive.” August 2017.

11. The Affair of Lady Westcott’s Lost Ruby / The Case of the Unseen Assassin By Gary Lovisi
Two new thrilling Sherlock Holmes adventures featuring Inspector Alec MacDonald, affectionately nicknamed by Holmes as Mr. Mac. “Mr. Lovisi is one of the top 5 authors who write new Holmes stories.”—David Chack. May 2017.

10. Angel’s Flight By Lou Cameron
A crazy ruthless story of the music business told from the inside, from swing jazz to bebop to rock & roll. “Sings loud and true with terrific characters, real heart and is a joy to read…a noir masterpiece.” —Gary Lovisi, Paperback Parade. February 2017

9. Woman on the Roof By Helen Nielsen
“Best whodunit of the year.”—Springfield News and Leader. “Among the best mysteries of the year.”—Mystery Writers of America. November 2016.

8. She Got What She Wanted By Orrie Hitt
“This is a fine novel, sleaze paperback or literary, [on] how difficult it was for a woman not to have to resort to using her body and sexuality to get ahead in life.” –Michael Hemmingson, Those Sexy Vintage Sleaze Books. August 2016.

7. The Girl on the Bestseller List By Vin Packer
They all had a reason to hate Gloria Whealdon after she exposed their lives in her bestselling novel—but only one had a reason to kill. “I’ve read a number of Vin Packer’s books, and this one remains a favorite.” —Bill Crider’s Pop Culture Magazine. May 2016.

6. Felony Tank By Malcolm Braly
Seventeen-year-old Doug is in the wrong place at the wrong time and ends up in jail. What happens next could only have been written by the author of It’s Cold Out There. February 2016.

5. Only the Wicked By Cary Phillips
The fourth Ivan Monk mystery, never before published in paperback. A tense Los Angeles thriller with roots in the Deep South. Author Sara Paretsky calls Phillips “my kind of crime writer and Ivan Monk is my kind of detective.” November 2015.

4. The Persian Cat By John Flagg
A post-World War II thriller set in Teheran featuring cynical agent Gil Denby. His mission: bring a beautiful traitor to justice. His odds: slim. August 2015

3. Stranger at Home By Leigh Brackett
Originally published as by the actor George Sanders, this domestic mystery by sf author Leigh Brackett is the story of a rich heel who comes back to get even with those who thought they had left him for dead. May 2015.

2. Eddie’s World By Charlie Stella
Charlie Stella’s first great crime novel, back in print and available in paperback for the first time! Eddie Senta is suffering a mid-life crisis and decides to get involved in a heist. Everything that can go wrong, does. May 2015.

1. Haven for the Damned By Harry Whittington
A group of eight people all converge on a small ghost town on the outskirts of the Mexican border, each with their own demons and dilemmas. They all want something they’ve lost: freedom, a lost wife, their youth. Not all of them will leave alive. May 2015.