Lizzie Borden and H. P. Lovecraft! Cherie Priest takes this mash-up and produces a thrilling adventure in Maplecroft. Lizbeth Borden and her handicapped sister, Emma, live in a mansion on the outskirts of Fall River, Massachusetts. But they are under attack by vicious creatures that smell of the sea. Dr. Owen Seabury, Fall River’s physician, finds himself drawn into the weird circumstances that surround the Borden sisters. Residents of Fall River are being stricken by a strange illness that sends them into a murderous spree. If you enjoy the fear and dread of Lovecraft’s tales, you’ll enjoy this compelling story of dark forces and two women who fight against them. GRADE: B+

Michael Caine plays a retired composer/conductor. Harvey Keitel plays an 80-year-old movie director who is trying to make one last film that will be his “testament.” Both men are friends and are spending time at an exclusive spa in Switzerland. Caine is concerned about his daughter (played by Rachel Weisz). This is a film about aging and legacy. Geezers will find a lot to think about in this movie. GRADE: B

Bob Dylan, All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track weighs five pounds. It’s 704 pages long. And, it does what it purports to do: tell the story of every song Bob Dylan has ever recorded. I, of course, went directly to the pages on “Like a Rolling Stone.” The list of the musicians, the details of the recording studio, the technical team, the genesis and Lyrics, and a discussion of the 20 “takes” provided in a lot of details. That’s the template for most of the hundreds of songs included in this volume. There’s a photo (or two!) on practically every page. For Dylan fans, this is a must-buy. You could re-title this book The Encyclopedia of Bob Dylan and not be far off the mark. What’s your favorite Dylan song? GRADE: A

Diane and I have tickets for Pippin at the Sheas Performing Arts Theater today. This is the “revival” version of Pippin that won a Tony a few years ago. Our local theater reviewer was lukewarm about this touring version. He thought the acrobatic aspects were overdone. Today, you can’t let the audience get comfortable, it seems. Have you seen the original Pippin? Or this touring version? What did you think of Pippin?

ADDENDUM Pippin was a lot like watching Cirque du Soleil. Eye-popping acrobatics and impressive sexual trapeze work! John Rubinstein, the original Pippin back in the Seventies, was playing the role of Charles in this version. The audience was enthusiastic and cheered the cast. GRADE: B

These short essays were published by The New York Times over the past few years. It took me week to read my way through this 674-page book. I liked “Hegel on Wall Street” by J. M. Bernstein and “Is Philosophy LIterature?” by Jim Holt best. Just about every philosophical subject is covered here. If you have any interest in philosophy, this is the mother lode! GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction
SECTION ONE: PHILOSOPHY
Prefatory Note
Philosophy. New impressions of an old profession
What is a Philosopher? Simon Critchley
The flight of curiosity Justin E. H. Smith
Philosophy as an Art of Dying Costica Bradatan
Philosophy–What’s the Use? Gary Gutting
In the Cave: Philosophy and Addiction Peg O’Connor
Women in Philosophy? Do the Math Sally Haslanger
What’s Wrong with Philosophy? Linda Martin Alcoff
The Disappearing Women Rae Langton
The Difficulty of Philosophy Alexander George
The philosophical Dinner Party Frieda Klotz
When Socrates Met Phaedrus: Eros in Philosophy Simon Critchley
The geography of philosophy
The Enlightenment’s “Race” Problem, and Ours Justin E. H. Smith
Kung Fu for Philosophers Peimin Ni
Bridging the Analytic-Continental Divide Gary Gutting
Of Cannibals, Kings and Culture: The Problem of Ethnocentricity Adam Etinson
Found in Translation Hamid Dabashi
Born Again in a Second Language Costica Bradatan
Philosophy’s Western Bias Justin E. H. Smith
Rethinking thinkers
Spinoza’s Vision of Freedom, and Ours Steven Nadler
Of Hume and Bondage Simon Blackburn
A Feminist Kant Carol Hay
Sartre and Camus in New York Andy Martin
Kiekegaard’s Antigone Ulrika Carlsson
Freud’s Radical Talking Benjamin Y. Fong
Was Wittgenstein Right? Paul Horwich
Old problems, new spins
Experiments in Philosophy Joshua Knobe
Your Move: The Maze of Free Will Galen Strawson
The Limits of the Coded World William Egginston
On Modern Time Espen Hammer
Logic and Neutrality Timothy Williamson
Paradoxical Truth Graham Priest
The Drama of Existentialism Gary Gutting
Reasons for Reason Michael P. Lynch
Reclaiming the Imagination Timothy Williamson
Art There Natural Human Rights? Michael Boylan
Philosophy, literature and life
Is Philosophy Literature? Jim Holt
Does Great Literature Make Us Better? Gregory Currie
Stormy Weather: Blues in Winter Avital Ronell
Poetry, Medium and Message Ernie Lepore
Boxing Lessons Gordon Marino
The Practical and the Theoretical Jason Stanley
The Meaningfulness of Lives Todd May
The Spoils of Happiness David Sosa
SECTION TWO: SCIENCE
Prefatory Note
Science. Can science explain everything?
What is Naturalism? Timothy Williamson
Why I Am a Naturalist Alex Rosenberg
On Ducking Challenges to Naturalism Timothy Williamson
The Core of Mind and Cosmos Thomas Nagel
Things Fall Apart Philip Kitcher
The evolution of right and wrong
Moral Camouflage or Moral Monkeys? Peter Railton
Evolution and Our Inner Conflict Edward O. Wilson
If Peas Can Talk, Should We Eat Them? Michael Marder
The Future of Moral Machines Colin Allen
Cambridge, Cabs and Copenhagen: My Route to Existential Risk Huw Price
Where is my mind?
Mary and the Zombies: Can Science Explain Consciousness? Gary Gutting
A Real Science of Mind Tyler Burge
Out of Our Brains Andy Clark
Do Thrifty Brains Make Better Minds? Andy Clark
Blinded by neuroscience?
Bursting the Neuro-utopian Bubble Benjamin Y. Fong
Bodies in Motion: An Exchange Alex Rosenberg & William Egginton
Is Neuroscience the Death of Free Will? Eddy Nahmias
Is the “Dumb Jock” Really a Nerd? Jason Stanley & John W Krakauer
The social impact of science
Learning How to Die in the Anthropocene Roy Scranton
Can Neuroscience Challenge Roe v. Wade?
Depression and the Limits of Psychiatry Gary Gutting
Why are States so Red and Blue? Steven Pinker
The Enigma of Chinese Medicine Stephen T. Asma
The Dangers of Pseudoscience Massimo Pigliucci & Maarten Baudry
Can we live with uncertainty?
Nothing to See Here: Demoting the Uncertainty Principle Craig Callender
The Dangers of Certainty: A Lesson from Auschwitz Simon Critchley
The Riddle of the Human Species Edward O. Wilson
SECTION THREE: RELIGION & MORALS
Prefatory Note
What is faith?
Philosophy and Faith Gary Gutting
Mystery and Evidence Time Crane
The Rigor of Love Simon Critchley
Does It Matter Whether God Exists? Gary Gutting
The Importance of the Afterlife. Seriously Samuel Scheffler
The varieties of religious disagreement
In Praise of the Clash of Cultures Carlos Fraenkel
What’s Wrong with Blasphemy? Andrew F. March
Why I love Mormonism Simon Critchley
An Imperfect God Yoram Hazony
The Politics of the Binding of Isaac Omri Boehm
On Questioning the Jewish State Joseph Levine
The Freedom of Faith: A Christmas Sermon Simon Critchley
Morality’s God problem
Good Minus God Louise M. Antony
Morals Without God? Frans de Wall
The Sacred and the Humane Anat Biletzki
Confessions of an Ex-Moralist Joel Marks
Are We Ready for a “Morality Pill”? Peter Singer & Agata Sagan
The Light at the End of Suffering Peg O’Connor
Some hard moral cases
The Maze of Moral Relativism Paul Boghossian
Is Pure Altruism Possible? Judith Lichtenberg
The Living Death of Solitary Confinement Lisa Guenther
Should This Be the Last Generation? Peter Singer
The Meat Eaters Jeff McMahan
Think Before You Breed Christine Overall
On Forgiveness Charles L. Grisworld
Questions for Free-Market Moralists Amia Srinivasan
The Myth of Universal Love Stephen T. Asma
SECTION FOUR: Society
Prefatory Note
Economics and politics
Hegel on Wall Street J. M. Bernstein
What is Economics Good For? Alex Rosenberg & Tyler Curtain
The Taint of “Social Darwinism” Philip Kitcher
The Veil of Opulence Benjamin Hale
Dependents of the Sate Amia Srinivanson
The Failure of Rational Choice Philosophy John McCumber
Mandela’s Socialist Failure Slavoj Zizek
When Hope Tramples Truth Roger Scruton
The modern family
Is Forced Fatherhood Fair? Laurie Shrage
“Mommy Wars” Redux: A False Conflict Amy Allen
When Culture, Power and Sex Collide Linda Martin Alcoff
Lady Power Nancy Bauer
The End of “Marriage” Laurie Shrage
Black, white or other
Fugitive Slave Mentality Robert Gooding-Williams
Walking While Black in the “White Gaze” George Yaney
Getting Past the Outrage on Race Gary Gutting
A Lesson From Cuba on Race Alejandro de la Fuente
Is the United States a “Racial Democracy”? Jason Stanley & Vesla Weaver
What if Occupied Language H. Samy Alim
Does Immigration Mean “France is Over”? Just E. H. Smith
Freedom from the barrel of a gun
Who Needs a Gun? Gary Gutting
The Weapons Continuum Michael Boylan
The Freedom of an Armed Society Firmin DeBrabander
Is American Nonviolence Possible? Todd May
The Moral Hazard of Drones John Kaag & sarah Kreps
A Crack in the Stoic’s Armor Nancy Sherman
Rethinking the “Just War” Jeff McMahan
This American life
The Gospel According to “Me” Simon Critchley & Jamieson Wester
Deluded Individualism Firmin DeBrabander
The Very Angry Tea Party J. M. Berstein
Is Our Patriotism Moral? Gary Gutting
The Cycle of Revenge Simon Critchley
What is a “Hacktivist”? Peter Ludlow
The Myth of “Just Do It” Barbara Gail Montero
How to Live Without Irony Christy Wampole
Navigating Past Nihilism Sean D. Kelly
Acknowledgements
Contributors

I finally saw Creed which is basically a retelling of the Rocky story. Michael B. Jordan plays a young boxer from Los Angeles who travels to Philly to ask Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) to train him. Rocky recognizes that this kid is really the son of his opponent Apollo Creed. Initially, Rocky resists but then gives in through guilt and starts training the young fighter. You know how the story goes. The kid trains hard ends up getting an offer to fight the World Champion in Liverpool, England. The Heavy-weight Champion, Pretty Rick Conlan, is bigger, faster, meaner. The fight scenes are intense and gripping. I’m not a boxing fan, but this film really moved me. GRADE: B+

Back in the Sixties, I read Sax Rohmer novels as fast as Pyramid Books would publish them. I was fascinated by the Fu Manchu series, but I also enjoyed Rohmer’s Gaston Max mysteries, The Yellow Claw and The Golden Scorpion. Plenty of action and suspense power these adventures. William Patrick Maynard’s informative Introduction puts Rohmer and these two novels in perspective. Stark House should be applauded for bringing these two spooky novels back into print in such a nice package!

With the death of Glenn Frey last week, I dug out this 2-CD set of the Eagles greatest hits that came out in 2003. The Eagles dominated the 1970s. They started as Linda Ronstadt’s back-up band. But, they graduated to Greater Things. The Eagles broke up in 1980 but reunited for the profitable Hell Freezes Over album and tour. Glenn Frey had a solo career but his best work was with the Eagles. What’s your favorite song of the Eagles?
TRACK LIST:
Disc 1
Take It Easy
Witchy Woman
Peaceful Easy Feeling
Desperado
Tequila Sunrise
Doolin-Dalton
Already Gone
The Best of My Love
James Dean
Ol’ ’55
Midnight Flyer
On the Border
Lyin’ Eyes
One of These Nights
Take It to the Limit
After the Thrill Is Gone
Hotel California
Disc 2
Life in the Fast Lane
Wasted Time
Victim of Love
The Last Resort
New Kid in Town
Please Come Home for Christmas
Heartache Tonight
The Sad Café
I Can’t Tell You Why
The Long Run
In the City
Those Shoes
Seven Bridges Road
Love Will Keep Us Alive
Get Over It
Hole in the World

The murky cover on The Mulberry Bush mirrors the murky plot of this spy novel. The narrator is a spy for an American intelligence agency. He is bitter because his father, a famous spy, was kicked out and ruined. The story is complicated. Of course, everyone lies. All the characters have secret agendas. If you’re in the mood for a dark spy novel, The Mulberry Bush is like a shadow at midnight. GRADE: B

TARGET sells Ferris Bueller’s Day Off for a mere $5 for the Blu-ray version. That’s a bargain in my book! Back in 1986, this John Hughes movie had a tremendous impact on a whole generation. Matthew Broderick found stardom in this film. Special features include: Getting the Class Together, The Cast of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off; The Making of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off; Who Is Ferris Bueller?; The World According to Ben Stein; Vintage Ferris Bueller; The Lost Tapes; and Class Album. If you haven’t seen Ferris Bueller’s Day Off you’re in for a treat when you do. GRADE: A