You can blame John O’Neill of BLACK GATE for bringing this wonderful postcard set to our attention. One hundred classic Penguin paperback covers on 100 postcards! Nothing says Holiday Gift like a cool box wet like this! Buy the Penguin Science Fiction Postcards before this astonishing set sells out!

If you’re looking for an entertaining book or ebook for the readers on your gift list, here’s Tales From the Otherverse from Rough Edges Press. Fans of alternate histories will find plenty to like here. The stories are a blend of various historical milieus. I liked Bill Crider’s story best because Elvis plays a major role. Plenty of famous people show up in these stories, but in alternate circumstances. You can order or download Tales From the Otherverse from AMAZON for a pittance. Well worth it!
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
“The Battle of the Bands” by Scott A. Cupp
“Port Radium” by Lou Antonelli
“Mrs. Lincoln’s Dinner Party” by Cheryl Pierson
“The Assassinations of President Broussard” by Keith West
“Books Burning Brightly in the Night” by Robert E. Vardeman
“A Wisp of Memory” by John Hegenberger
“It Doesn’t Matter Anymore” by Bill Crider
“The Great Steamer Riot of 1936” by Scott Dennis Parker
“The Alexandria County Library Book Sale” by Richard Prosch
“The Hero of Deadwood” by James Reasoner

Police detective Jeff Prentiss is having a Very Bad Day at the start of Truth Always Kills. Prentiss’s wife has just left him and takes his daughter with her. Simultaneously, two murder victims are discovered–one a noted burglar and the other a powerful politician–which leads Prentiss to investigate a possible connection. That investigation takes Prentiss to a private porno web site called Little Y. And that leads to… As you can see, Ollerman’s novel is a straight-ahead thrill ride. One dramatic scene powers the next as the plot accelerates. If you’re looking for a fast-paced crime novel, here it is. GRADE: B

Diane loves Christmas movies, the more romantic the better. So here’s a nice collection of holiday films that will delight that romantic viewer on your list. Mistletoe and movies–you can’t beat that combination! This 3-DVD set costs a little more than a buck a movie. A bargain! Here’s the lineup:
A Christmas Kiss
Holiday Engagement
The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
Moonlight & Mistletoe
Three Wise Women
An Old Fashioned Christmas
Single Santa Seeks Mrs. Claus
A Boyfriend for Christmas
Mrs. Santa Claus
A Carol Christmas

Here’s a handy little book for the college student on your holiday gift list. John D. Spooner has written some incisive and funny investment guides (Do You Want to Make Money Or Would You Rather Fool Around). In No One Ever Told Us That Spooner writes a series of mini-essays–a page or two mostly–on topics that most young people will have to deal with. Spooner brings 50 years of business and investment experience to these little gems. I wish I’d had a book like No One Ever Told Us That when I was heading for College. And, the advice Spooner shares could help a lot of adults, too. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Acknowledgements xiii
INTRODUCTION 1
PART I BECOMING A PROFESSIONAL
CHAPTER 1: Take the Pro to Lunch 9
CHAPTER 2: Beware of Experts 11
CHAPTER 3: If Your Company Is Bought by Another 13
CHAPTER 4: Entitlement 15
CHAPTER 5: Don’t Be a Wise Guy 17
CHAPTER 6: A Little Bit of New Jersey or Brooklyn 19
CHAPTER 7: Don’t Be Afraid to Ask Stupid or Provocative Questions 21
CHAPTER 8: Laughter Can Diffuse the Problems 24
CHAPTER 9: You Never Know Anyone until You Deal with Their Money 27
CHAPTER 10: Plan for the Worst Case, Not the Best, in Business and in Life 29
CHAPTER 11: So You Want to Be in the Investment Business 32
CHAPTER 12: Do Your Homework 35
CHAPTER 13: How to Get Good Press and Publicity 37
CHAPTER 14: Acts of Kindness 38
CHAPTER 15: Tipping 40
CHAPTER 16: Resumes Redux 42
CHAPTER 17: Always Have a Fallback Plan 44
CHAPTER 18: Blood and Water 45
CHAPTER 19: Media Translations 47
CHAPTER 20: So You Got Fired 49
CHAPTER 21: Provocative Headings 52
CHAPTER 22: Getting Rich: The Ups and Downs 54
CHAPTER 23: Branding: Pulling the Wagon 57
CHAPTER 24: Tribes 60
CHAPTER 25: Weekends 62
CHAPTER 26: Being an Entrepreneur: What It Takes 63
PART II BECOMING FINANCIALLY SECURE
CHAPTER 27: Interest Rates 73
CHAPTER 28: Insider Trading 75
CHAPTER 29: Do You Want to Make Money, or Would You Rather Fool Around? 77
CHAPTER 30: Doing Stock Research 80
CHAPTER 31: Make Long-Term Money with Simple Themes 83
CHAPTER 32: Can You Do It Yourself? 87
CHAPTER 33: Getting to Peace of Mind 89
CHAPTER 34: Picking Someone to Watch over Your Money 91
CHAPTER 35: When You’re Frightened by the News 93
PART III BECOMING YOUR OWN PERSON
CHAPTER 36: The Actor and the Actress 97
CHAPTER 37: Having Something to Trade 99
CHAPTER 38: The 110 Percent Rule 101
CHAPTER 39: Life Lessons: Don’t Look Back 104
CHAPTER 40: Get Your Elders’ Stories 107
CHAPTER 41: Don’t Be a Trustee or an Executor∗ 111
CHAPTER 42: Buying and Selling Jewelry 114
CHAPTER 43: Social or Country Clubs 118
CHAPTER 44: The Incremental Pain in the Butt Theory 120
CHAPTER 45: Every Family Is a Soap Opera 122
CHAPTER 46: Fathers and Sons 124
CHAPTER 47: When Family or Friends Are Afflicted 127
CHAPTER 48: Go to the Source 129
CHAPTER 49: Philanthropy 131
CHAPTER 50: Keep the Markers out There 134
CHAPTER 51: Raising Children 136
CHAPTER 52: Marriage 138
CHAPTER 53: Divorce 141
CHAPTER 54: Someone to Love You 144
CHAPTER 55: Medical Smarts 148
CHAPTER 56: Taking Care of the People Who Take Care of You 153
CHAPTER 57: Losing a Parent 156
CHAPTER 58: Getting Smart Lawyers on Your Side 159
CHAPTER 59: Last Chapter 163About the Author 167
Other Books by John D. Spooner 169
Index 171

The Buffalo Bills are a surprising 1-point favorite over the Philadelphia Eagles. Which Eagles team will show up today? Will it be the Eagle team that got blown out by the Lions on Thanksgiving? Or will it be the Eagles team that defeated the Patriots last week? LeSean McCoy says he won’t shake Chip Kelly’s hand…he’s still angry at being traded. How will your favorite NFL team do today?

For the Star Wars fan on your gift list, here’s a cool R2D2 mug! With Star Wars: The Force Awakens opening next week, the timing is right for a gift like this! What are you waiting for? The Force is with you!

Mike Madrid’s informative and entertaining survey of women characters in comic books makes history a playful romp. Supergirl, Wonder Woman, The Wasp, Bat-Girl, Bat-Woman, Black Widow, the Invisible Girl, Vampirella, and dozens more superhero characters are profiled in this book. Madrid maps the trends the comic book industry followed during the Golden Age and Silver Age. Other characters like Lois Lane (whose comic lasted 17 years!) and Lana Lang show how the story elements of their time determined the plots–usually romantic–those characters drove. If you’re looking for an insightful and detailed history of women characters in comics, Supergirls fits the bill.
Table of Contents:
Goddesses of tomorrow
1940’s: a secret life
The queen & the princess
1950’s: the girlfriends
Supergirl and the ballad of American youth
1960’s: the modern world
Girls together (outrageously)
1970’s: sirens & suffragettes
Wonder Woman’s extreme makeovers
1980’s: the dark road
Sex and the single superheroine
1990’s: the babe years
Heroine chic
2000 and beyond: mother love?
Acknowledgements
Index

I bought a Large Print edition of Randy Wayne White’s Gone at a library book sale. I’m fond of stories about Southern Florida that remind me of the great Travis McGee series John D. MacDonald wrote decades ago. Randy Wayne White’s heroine is a fishing guide named Hannah Smith. She’s a licensed private investigator in the State of Florida which comes in handy when one of her wealthy clients hires Hannah to find his missing niece. The niece is worth $90 million and was last seen with a sociopath. If you’re as fond of swamps and bogs and alligators as I am, you’ll find Hannah’s search for the missing girl suspenseful and thrilling. GRADE: B
Hannah Smith Novels:
Gone (2012, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, ISBN 978-0-399-15849-0)
Deceived (2013, G.P. Putnam’s Sons, ISBN 978-0-399-16207-7)
Haunted (2014, G. P. Putnam’s Sons, ISBN 978-0-399-16976-2)[6]

Finally, a Christmas album that passes Deb’s test! Yes, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” is indeed here (it’s on the second disc) with plenty of other wonderful traditional Christmas music. No “Jingle Bell Rock” on this album. If you’re looking for plenty of wonderful Christmas music, this 2-CD collection will deliver all the sounds of Christmas you could want! GRADE: B+
TRACK LIST
Disc 1
O Holy Night – Budapest City Orchestra
It Came upon a Midnight Clear – Budapest City Orchestra
The First Noël – Budapest City Orchestra
The Sussex Carol – Budapest City Orchestra
Twelve Days of Christmas – Budapest City Orchestra
Silent Night – Budapest City Orchestra
We Wish You a Merry Christmas – BBC Philharmonic
In the Bleak Midwinter – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
O Little Town of Bethlehem – BBC Philharmonic
Once in Royal David’s City – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
O Come, All Ye Faithful – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
Kyrie – Laurent Slaars
Ding Dong! Merrily on High – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
Good King Wenceslas – Timothy Norris
While Shepherds Watched – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
Away in a Manger – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
In dulci jubilo – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
Panis angelicus – Libera
1st movement – Il Giardino Armonico
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy – Alexander Lazarev
‘Twas the Night Before Christmas – Budapest City Orchestra
Disc 2
Joy to the World – Joel Cohen
God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
Angels from the Realms of Glory – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
Hallelujah – Nikolaus Harnoncourt
The Holly and the Ivy – BBC Philharmonic
Go Tell It on the Mountain – Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
March – Alexander Lazarev
O Tannenbaum – BBC Philharmonic
I Saw Three Ships – BBC Philharmonic
When Christ Was Born of Mary Free – Carleton Wetherington
Adam Lay y-Bounden – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
The First Nowell – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
We Three Kings of Orient Are – Taverner Choir
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
I Sing the Birth – Rodolfus Choir
Noël sur les instruments – William Christie
Nouvelles, nouvelles – Joel Cohen
Chantons Noël, menons joyeuse vie – Joel Cohen
The Three Kings – Choir of King’s College, Cambridge
O Thou that Tellest Good Tidings to Zion – Marjana Lipovsek
3rd movement – I Solisti Veneti