I read several books by John Bellairs to my kids before they became teenagers. Bellairs books featured youngsters not afraid to take some risks to solve mysteries that contained Supernatural elements. Of the several series Bellairs wrote, my favorite was the Lewis Barnavelt series. Lewis is a smart but chubby boy who gets picked on at school. His parents are dead and Lewis has been taken in by his uncle, Jonathan Barnavelt, a wizard. Needless to say, Lewis and his uncle stumble over all kinds of supernatural happenings.

The first three titles in the Lewis Barnavelt series were written by John Bellairs. Following Bellairs’ death in 1991, his estate commissioned Brad Strickland to write three more Lewis Barnavelt novels based on notes and manuscripts left by Bellairs. Strickland then went on to write six more original novels in the series.

The Vengeance of the Witch-Finder is the 5th book in the Lewis Barnavelt series. Lewis and his uncle travel to England to visit their cousin at the ancestral Barnavelt Manor. The Manor is in disrepair because Cousin Pelly is struggling financially. Lewis meets the housekeeper’s son, Bertie, who is blind. The boys explore the large garden maze and accidentally summon the ghost of Malachiah Pruitt, a 300 year old Witch-Finder, who tried to have one of Lewis’s ancestors executed for witchcraft. Pruitt uses his powers to stun Cousin Pelly and Uncle Jonathan so it’s up to Lewis and Bertie to wrestle with this powerful spirit and his spooky familiar.

While the Lewis Barnavelt books are classified as Young Adult novels, the stories are compelling and with each book the reader sees Lewis grow more confident in his battles with demonic forces. Fun reading! I recommend the entire series! GRADE: B+

Lewis Barnavelt novels:

1 The House with a Clock in Its Walls (1973)
2 The Figure in the Shadows (1975)
3 The Letter, the Witch, and the Ring (1977)
4 The Ghost in the Mirror (1993)
5 The Vengeance of the Witch-Finder (1993) (with Brad Strickland)
6 The Doom of the Haunted Opera (1995) (with Brad Strickland)

SERIES CONTINUED BY BRAD STRICKLAND:

7. The Specter from the Magician’s Museum (1998)
8. The Beast Under the Wizard’s Bridge (2000)
9. The Tower At the End of the World (2001)
10. The Whistle, the Grave, and the Ghost (2003)
11. The House Where Nobody Lived (2006)
 12. The Sign of the Sinister Sorcerer (2008)

Cat Power (aka, Charlyn Marie “Chan” Marshall) produced two very different albums of cover songs. Back in 2000, she released The Covers Record with 12 songs performed with minimalist precision. Trust me: you’ve never heard “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” performed this way! My favorite song on The Covers Record is the “Sea of Love.”

In 2022, Cat Power brought out another album of covers. This time she’s backed by a band. My favorite song on Covers is an early Jackson Browne song–I first heard it on Nico’s Chelsea Girl album in 1967. There’s plenty of variety on Covers with songs by The Pogues, Bob Seger, Iggy Pop, The Replacements, and even Bille Holiday.

Are you a fan of cover albums? GRADE: THE COVERS RECORD: B-; COVERS: B

TRACK LIST:

TRACK LIST:

A few weeks ago I posted about Agatha Christie’s short story collections (you can read those reviews here and here). Jerry House mentioned that his favorite Christie short story collection was The Hound of Death. I searched my Agatha Christie shelves and came up empty. It took me a week to hunt down a copy of The Hound of Death but I got hold of a copy and quickly read it.

The Hound of Death was published in 1933. What was unusual about The Hound of Death was the collection was not published by Christie’s regular publishers, William Collins & Sons, but by Odhams Press, and was not available to purchase in shops. Many of the stories in The Hound of Death are available in other Christie short story collections, but the 12 stories in this collection center on psychological and supernatural aspects instead of detection and “little grey cells.”

Also notable is that “The Witness for the Prosecution” first appears in book form in The Hound of Death. No Miss Marple stories, no Hercule Poirot stories show up in The Hound of Death. But the spooky aspects of “The Hound of Death” and the eeriness of “SOS” show a different side of Agatha Christie. Thanks, Jerry, for motivating me to find and read this unusual collection! GRADE: B+

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• “The Hound of Death” — 7
• “The Red Signal” — 37
• “The Fourth Man” — 71
• “The Gypsy” — 101
• “The Lamp” — 119
• “Wireless” — 135
• “The Witness for the Prosecution” — 161
• “The Mystery of the Blue Jar” — 197
• “The Strange Case of Sir Arthur Carmichael” — 231
• “The Call of Wings” — 263
• “The Last Séance” — 289
• “SOS” — 315

Dead Boy Detectives is an 8-episode series on Netflix.  Introduced in the pages of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman, a ghost boy from the 1910s becomes best friends with a ghost boy from the 1990s and together they decided to solve mysteries.

Dead Boy Detectives are the late Edwin (George Rexstrew) and Charles (Jayden Revri)–both murdered at an English boys school–who run a supernatural detective agency where they solve the mysteries of ghosts, demons, and other spooky creatures.

The ghost boys team up with the amnesiatic psychic Crystal (Kassius Nelson) after exorcizing a demon from her. They work together to track down a missing child. Then the trio find themselves trapped in a small Pacific Northwest town bursting with supernatural mysteries.

From there, Edwin, Charles, and Crystal encounter a menagerie of strange beings. There’s a Cat King, an immortal witch, the nasty Dandelion Sprites, and an eerie goth lady running a creepy butcher shop. While solving mysteries, Edwin and Charles must also evade the Night Nurse (Ruth Connell), the immortal tasked with rounding up the lost souls of dead children and making sure they’re all in their designated afterlives. And, of course, there’s Death to deal with too. I’m only four episodes in, but I can confidently pronounce this ghostly series a real winner! GRADE: Incomplete, but trending towards a B+

“A grandmother visits with her grandson.

‘He’s seven, she says to me. “We’ve been reading a lot of books and I’ve been reading aloud to him, and I’m hoping for some recommendations for some new books.’

I smile. ‘We can definitely do that.’ I look to the boy a say, ‘Well, my friend, tell me what you like. Do you like fantasy books or do you like books that are more realistic, stories that could happen in real life?’

Without missing a beat, the seven-year-old looks at me and says, ‘ I like realistic fiction with an emotional twist.'” (p. 239)

The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians: True Stories of the Magic of Reading celebrates people who sell books and help readers find books. James Patterson and Matt Eversmann love reading and use these dozens of short descriptions of what librarians and booksellers actually do in the United States and Canada to reveal the joys of books.

Of the many stories of librarians in this book, the one that stood out to me was the one about Diego Sandoval Hernadez, the Supervising Librarian for Jail and Prison Services at the Brooklyn Publican Library in Brooklyn, New York. Hernadez brings library books to Rikers Island for the prisoners.

And, of all the dozens of stories of bookstore workers included in The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians, my favorite was Mike Bursaw’s exploits as owner of Mystery Mike’s in Carmel, Indiana. Mystery Mike specializes in First Editions, signed books, and buying massive collections. I love the story of Mike getting a phone call from a woman in Madison, Wisconsin:

“‘When my mother died,’ says the woman on the other end of the line, ‘my father devoted himself to collecting books. He took excellent care of them right up until the day he passed away.’

‘How many books are you looking to sell?’

‘Roughly fifty thousand.'” (p. 119)

Mike Bursaw recruits George Easter and Mike Dillman to join him in journey to Madison, Wisconsin to check out this massive book collection. Fascinating!

If you love books, booksellers, and librarians, The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians shows how wonderful they truly are! GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

AUTHOR’S NOTE — vii

Part one. To be a bookseller, you have to play detective — 1

Part two. I could talk about books forever — 71

Part three. I can’t imagine what people do without books in their lives — 141

Part four. It doesn’t matter what you like to read, as long as you like to read — 213

Part five. Just one more chapter, please, just one more chapter — 279

The off-season for the Buffalo Bills, after losing in the NFL Playoffs for the third year in a row, features upheaval and change. Wide receiver Stefon Diggs was traded to the Houston Texans. DE Leonard Floyd–who had 10 sacks for the Bills last season–opted to sign with the 49ers. And WR Gabe Davis is headed to Jacksonville as a free agent.  Other notable cuts: CB Tre’Davious White (injury), C Mitch Morse (salary cap), and WR Deonte Harty, S Jordan Poyer (too old). DB Siran Neal headed for Miami.

Bills General Manager Brandon Beane surprised Bills fans by moving out of #28 in the First Round to #32. Then, Beane moved back again to #33–the first pick in the Second Round. That’s when he drafted Keon Coleman.

The Bills made the following draft picks in the 2024 NFL Draft:

• Round 2: WR Keon Coleman, Florida State, No. 33 overall (from Panthers)
• Round 2: S Cole Bishop, Utah, No. 60
• Round 3: DT DeWayne Carter, Duke, No. 95 (from Chiefs)
• Round 4: RB Ray Davis, Kentucky, No. 128
• Round 5: C/G Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, Georgia, No. 141 (from Panthers)
• Round 5: LB Edefuan Ulofoshio, Washington, No. 160 (from Packers)
• Round 5: DE Javon Solomon, Troy, No. 168
• Round 6: T Tylan Grable, UCF, No. 204
• Round 6: CB Daequan Hardy, Penn State, No. 219
• Round 7: G Travis Clayton, International Player Pathway, No. 221 (from Chiefs)

Hopefully, these draft picks will help rebuild the Bills. How did your favorite NFL team do in the Draft?

AMAZON PRIME Video’s new 8-episode series, Fallout, is based on the award-winning 1997 video game of the same name. China and the U.S. have a nuclear exchange that pretty much destroys civilization. Now, 219 years later, events come to a critical point.

The first two episodes of Fallout introduce the characters and the plot. The post-nuclear holocaust world of Los Angles consists of “Vault dwellers,” communities who live underground in planned communities and “Surface dwellers” who live in the Wasteland. After a raid by the Surface dwellers on Vault 33, Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell) leaves her safe bunker to search for her father who was kidnapped by the raiders. Lucy has never been on the surface before and the experience shocks her with its savagery and bleakness. After a slow start, the series picks up steam in Episode 3.

Another key character is a member of the Brotherhood of Steel, a religious warrior organization. Maximus (Aaron Moten), a squire who serves a brutal Knight who lives in a massive metal exoskeleton, finds the quest they are on more complicated than he first thought. The quest is to track down Michael Emerson as Dr. Siggi Wilzig, an enigmatic scientist who aids Lucy, and his  his experimental dog, CX404. 

The wild card in this mix is Cooper Howard (Walton Goggins), an actor who survived the nuclear attack but mutated into something called The Ghoul who has lived over 200 years. The Ghoul, a bounty hunter now, is also hunting Dr. Wilzig down to collect the bottle cap reward (bottle caps are money in the Future).

I really liked Production Designer Howard Cummings’ distinctive sets for the Vaults and the Wasteland. Creators Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner create a compelling mood in these episodes. Executive Producers Lisa Joy and Johnathan Nolan of Westworld bring an antic vibe to the series. High production values! A second season has already been approved. If looking for something very different than the current streaming TV series,  Fallout might be what you’re looking for. GRADE: B+

Harland Ellison, an eight-time Hugo Award winner, five-time Bram Stoker Award winner, and four-time Nebula Award winner, was a very unique writer. He wrote for Men’s magazines, he wrote scripts for TV shows: Burke’s Law (4 episodes), Route 66, The Outer Limits, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Star Trek, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2 episodes), Cimarron Strip and The Flying Nun.

Ellison wrote over 1700 short stories so Editor J. Michael Straczynsk had plenty to choose from for this collection. Straczynski decided to concentrate mostly on the Harlan Ellison stories that won awards.

Harlan Ellison was a controversial figure. He challenged the Science Fiction establishment with his string of award-winning stories and his criticism of publishing practices. “‘Repent, Harlequin,’ Said the Ticktockman” won the Hugo and Nebula Awards back in 1966 and put Ellison on the SF map Big Time. Ellison went on writing his terrific stories and making waves with his outspoken, combative personality. Ellison died in 2018. He was 84 years old.

Do you remember these Harlan Ellison stories? Any favorites here? GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1. Preface by J. Michael Straczynski — xiii
2. Foreword by Neil Gaiman — xix
3. Introduction by Cassandra Khaw — xxv
4. Angry Gods
5. “Repent, Harlequin,” Said the Ticktockman (1966) Hugo Award, Nebula Award, 2015 Prometheus Hall of Fame Award –5
6. I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream (1967) Hugo Award — 19
7. The Deathbird (1974) Hugo Award, Locus Award — 38
8. Chatting with Anubis (1995) Bram Stoker Award, Deathrealm Award — 75
9. The Whimper of Whipped Dogs (1973) Edgar Allan Poe Award — 83
10. Lost Souls
11. Jeffty Is Five (1977) British Fantasy Award, Hugo Award, Nebula Award, 1999 Locus Poll Winner for Best Short Story of All Time — 107
12. Pretty Maggie Moneyeyes (1967) Hugo Award Nomination, Nebula Award Nomination — 132
13. Shatterday (1980) Nebula Award Nomination, Twilight Zone episode — 157
14. Mefisto in Onyx (1993) Bram Stoker Award, Locus Award, Hugo Award Nomination, Nebula Award Nomination, World Fantasy Award Nomination — 174
15. On the Downhill Side (1972) Locus Award Nomination, Nebula Award Nomination — 233
16. The Passage of Time
17. Paladin of the Lost Hour (1986) Hugo Award, Locus Award, Nebula Award Nomination, Twilight Zone episode — 253
18. The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World (1969) Hugo Award — 281
19. I’m Looking for Kadak (1974) — 293
20. How Interesting: A Tiny Man (2010) Nebula Award — 319
21. The Lighter Side
22. Djinn, No Chaser (1983)Locus Award — 329
23. How’s the Night Life on Cissalda? (1977) –353
24. From A to Z, in the Chocolate Alphabet (1976) –368
25. Eidolons (1989) Locus Award –384
26. The Last Word
27. All the Lies That Are My Life (1981) Hugo Award Nomination –403

I was listening to 1960s music last week and these two compilation CDs stood out. Ladies of the 60s starts off with Marcie Blane’s “Bobby’s Girl,” a song I haven’t heard in 50 years. While Ladies of the 60s includes familiar songs like Petula Clark’s “Downtown” and Betty Everett’s “The Scoop Scoop Song (It’s In His Kiss),” there are several obscure songs that I haven’t heard in decades. When’s the last time you’ve heard “Popsicles & Icicles” by the Murmaids? Or Linda Scott’s “I’ve Told Every Little Star”?

Originals: Still the Greatest, Volume 11 1960-1962 is a K-Tel product (remember them?). This compilation presents mostly hits from the early Sixties like Gene Chandler’s “Duke of Earl.” I was more familiar with Perry Como’s version of “Moon River” but Jerry Butler’s version was a nice surprise. This volume concludes with an early hit by The Beach Boys, “Surfing’ Safari,” which only suggests the great songs they would sing in the years ahead.

Do you remember these songs? Any favorites?

GRADES: B (for both)

TRACK LIST:

TRACK LIST:

Back in 2017 I reviewed James Blish’s The Star Trek Reader (you can read my review here). I just happened to run across Blish’s The Star Trek Reader II at a recent Library Book Sale and picked it up for a buck. While I prefer the previous The Star Trek Reader, this volume collects the stories from Star Trek 1, Star Trek 4, and Star Trek 9 (there were 12 paperback volumes of stories based on Star Trek scripts and four hardcover The Star Trek Readers). These omnibus editions are handy, but I rarely see them any more.

Are you a Star Trek fan? Do you have a favorite episode? GRADE: B

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Book 1: Star trek 1.

Charlie’s law.

Dagger of the mind.

The unreal McCoy.

Balance of terror.

The naked time.

Miri.

The conscience of the king

Book 2: Star trek 4.

All our yesterdays.

The devil in the dark.

Journey to Babel.

The menagerie.

The Enterprise incident.

A piece of the action

Book 3: Star trek 9.

Return to tomorrow.

The ultimate computer.

That which survives.

Obsession.

The return of the Archons.

The immunity syndrome