“The novel’s spirit is the spirit of complexity. Every novel says to the reader: ‘Things are not as simple as you think.’ That is the novel’s eternal truth, but it grows steadily hard to hear amid the din of the easy, quick answers that come faster than the questions and block it off. In the spirit of our time, it’s either Anna or Karenin who is right, and the ancient wisdom of Cervantes, telling us about the difficulty of knowing and the elusiveness of truth, seems cumbersome and useless.” (p. 18) When I read Milan Kundera’s The Art of the Novel translated from the French by Linda Asher, I learned a lot about James Joyce, Kafka, Laurence Stern, Robert Musil, Proust, and Thomas Mann. Kundera’s slim book (165 pages) is a very subjective look at the Novel. Fascinating, but I prefer a book with the same title, The Art of the Novel, written by Henry James. GRADE: B

This latest installment of The Laundry features Mo, a trouble-shooter who welds a ghoulish violin made by Erich Zann. Charles Stross’s The Laundry novels are a mash-up of H. P. Lovecraft and James Bond. The previous novels were narrated by Bob Howard, Mo’s husband. Mo gets center stage as an outbreak of ordinary people suddenly acquire superpowers. Mo is given a vampire and a mermaid and a “good” superhero to deal with the crisis. I like Mo (she’s a redhead and smart) but too much of The Annihilation Score centers on team-building and PowerPoint slides. And, unfortunately, knowledge of the previous books in the series is probably a necessity in order to make sense of what’s going on. I enjoy this sort of stuff, but you many not. GRADE: B

Minions, those yellow caplets who wear goggles and speak in gibberish, get their own movie after playing backup in Despicable Me 1 & 2. There’s a lot of silliness in this movie (as you might expect). A large chunk of the movie is set in the 1960s so there’s plenty of Golden Oldie music in the background (just check out the soundtrack below). Some critics didn’t like Sandra Bullock as Scarlett Overkill (a Super-Villainess) but I thought she was okay. If you’re looking for a funny animated feature film on a hot Summer day, I’d recommend Minions. B+
TRACK LIST:
1. Lighting Up the Tunnel – Owl City
2. This Bastard’s Life – Swingin’ Utters
3. Night Boat to Cairo – Madness
4. Setting Fire to Sleeping Giants – The Dillinger Escape Plan
5. Keep It Comin’ Love – KC & The Sunshine Band
6. Same Old Song and Dance – Aerosmith
7. Cherub Rock – Smashing Pumpkins
8. Break On Through (To the Other Side) – The Doors
9. I’ve Done Everything for You – Rick Springfield
10. Foxy Lady – Jimi Hendrix
11. Universal Fanfare – The Minions
12. Happy Together – The Turtles
13. I’m a Man – The Spencer Davis Group
14. You Really Got Me – The Kinks
15. My Generation – The Who
16. Mellow Yellow – Donovan
17. Revolution – The Minions
Original music composed by Heitor Pereira
Score album tracklist:
1. Minions Through Time
2. Kevin, Stuart and Bob
3. Minions Run Amok
4. Orlando
5. Scarlet Overkill
6. Ruby Fight
7. Make ‘Em Laugh – The Minions
8. Scarlet’s Fortress
9. Traveling Tribe
10. Tower of London
11. Hair – The Minions
12. Fighting the Crown Keeper
13. King Bob
14. Theme from the Monkees – The Minions
15. Dungeon Mayhem
16. Goodbye Fabrice
17. Minion Mission
18. Sneaking In
19. King Kong Kevin
20. Our Hero is Back
21. Minions Victory
22. Greatest Renegade Unveiling (GRU)
Additional film music – songs that are not included in the official soundtrack list,
but are playing in the movie.
1. We Wish You A Merry Christmas – Pierre Coffin
2. We Wish You A Merry Christmas – Houseman
3. Aura Lee (traditional) – Pierre Coffin
4. 19th Nervous Breakdown – The Rolling Stones
5. The Saint (the Saint) – Edwin Astley
6. Bewitched – Howard Greenfield, Jack Keller
7. The Dating Game – Chuck Barris, David Mook
8. Ride Of The Valkyries – Marian Pivka & The Budapest Symphonic Orchestra
9. Purple Haze – Jimi Hendrix
10. Peter And The Wolf, Op. 67, Allegro – St. Petersburg Radio & Tv Symphony Orchestra
11. Rule Britannia – Thomas Augustine Arne, James Thomson
12. The Letter – The Box Tops
13. Pomp And Circumstance – Edward Elgar
14. Love Me Do – John Lennon, Paul Mccartney
15. Auld Lang Syne – Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
16. Rocky Road To Dublin – The Dubliners
17. Taps – Pierre Coffin
18. Eruption – Van Halen
19. Got To Get You Into My Life – The Beatles

Continue reading http://www.songonlyrics.net/soundtracks/minions-soundtrack-list.html#ixzz3fVISQRjT

While reading THE JOHN DICKSON CARR COMPANION by James E. Keirans, I was intrigued by Keirans’s mention that Edward D. Hoch had come up with a list of the best locked-room mystery novels ever. Hoch presented this list in the Introduction to All But Impossible!: An Anthology of Locked Room & Impossible Crime Stories by Members of the Mystery Writers of America publihed by Ticknor & Fields (remember them?) in 1981. So I tracked down a copy of All But Impossible! and read the introduction. Hoch’s list has some interesting aspects. Hoch had a panel of experts choose the best locked-room mysteries.

“The panel of 17 consisted of Robert Adey, Jack Adrian, Jacques Barzun, John L. Breen, Robert E. Briney, Jan Broberg, Fredrick Dannay (Ellery Queen), Douglas G. Greene, Howard Haycraft, Edward d. Hoch, Marvin Lachman, Richard Levinson & William Link, Francis N. Nevins, Otto Penzler, Bill Pronzini, Julian Symons, and Donald A. Yates. In all, they listed exactly 50 novels, though only 21 appeared on more than one list.”

Here’s the list:
1. THE THREE COFFINS-John Dickson Carr (104 points)
2. RIM OF THE PIT-Hake Talbot (59 points)
3. MYSTERY OF THE YELLOW ROOM-Gaston Leroux (57 points)
4. THE CROOKED HINGE-John Dickson Carr (55 points)
5. THE JUDAS WINDOW-Carter Dickson (51 points)
6. THE BIG BOW MYSTERY-Israel Zangwill (47 points)
7. DEATH FROM A TOP HAT-Clayton Rawson (39 points)
8. THE CHINESE ORANGE MYSTERY-Ellery Queen (35 points)
9. NINE TIMES NINE-H. H. Holmes (Anthony Boucher) (30 points)
10. THE PEACOCK FEATHER MURDERS-Carter Dickson (22 points)
11. THE KING IS DEAD-Ellery Queen (20 points)
12. THROUGH A GLASS, DARKLY-Helen McCloy (19 points)
13. HE WOULDN’T KILL PATIENCE-Carter Dickson (18 points)
14. (tie) TOO MANY MAGICIANS-Randall Garrett (13 points)
INVISIBLE GREEN-John Sladek (13 points)

The stories in All But Impossible! are pretty good, too. My favorites were “The Day the Children Vanished” by Hugh Pentecost, “The Arrowmont Prison Riddle” by Bill Pronzini, and Hoch’s own “The Problem of the Covered Bridge.” If you’re a fan of locked room mysteries and impossible crimes, yo’ll find this an entertaining collection.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction
The Shadow of the Goat-John Dickson Carr
The Little House at Croix-Rousse-George Simenon
The Problem of the Emperor’s Mushrooms-James Yaffe
For Another World-Clayton Rawson
Through a Glass, Darkly-Helen McCloy
Snowball in July-Ellery Queen
The Newtonian Egg-Peter Godfrey
The Triple-Lock’d Room-Lillian de la Torre
The Brazen Locked Room-Isaac Asimov
The Martian Crown Jewels-Paul Anderson
The Day the Children Vanished-Hugh Pentecost
As If By Magic-Julian Symons
the Impossible Theft-John F. Suter
Mr. Strang Takes a Field Trip-William Brittain
No One Likes to Be Played for a Sucker-Michael Collins
The Arrowmont Prison Riddle-Bill Pronzini
Box in a Box-Jack Ritchie
the Number 12 Jinx-Jon L. Breen
The Magician’s Wife-J. f. Peirce
The Problem of the Covered Bridge-Edward D. Hoch

“IT WAS REASSURING TO THE INSECURE TO HEAR THEMSELVES CLAMORING FOR THE BLOOD OF THE HERETICS, AS IF ONE MORE ACT OF AIMLESS VIOLENCE WOULD CURE A WORLD WHOSE MALADY WAS AIMLESS VIOLENCE.” (p. 36)
When we were studying the Armada in Sixth Grade, we were taught the Invincible Armada was defeated by the weather. That was the story the Spanish and Catholics spread after the failure of their mission to invade England in 1588. But in Garrett Mattingly’s dazzling The Armada readers will learn what really happened. Part of the problem was that many of the 130 ships in the Armada were poorly constructed. The English ships had more guns, more speed, and more maneuverability. Although the English ships–about 30–were outnumbered, they were led by Sir Francis Drake who the Spanish feared. Mattingly skillfully sets up the battles and keeps the action as exciting as a novel. In addition, Mattingly captures the politics of the English Court, the French Court, and the Spanish Court. Plenty of decisions by Queen Elizabeth, King Henry III, and King Philip II affected the outcome of the Armada even before one ship had sailed. If you love history as much as I do, pick up a copy of The Armada and prepare to be swept away! GRADE: A

Once again, my PSA (Prostate-specific antigen) test results came back with a scintillating 1.0 score. Anything under 5.0 is normal. Scores over 5 point to Trouble. If you’re a guy over 50 you should be getting a PSA test every year. If you’re with a guy over 50, make sure he gets his yearly PSA test. It’s a simple blood test covered by insurance. Early detection of prostate cancer can be a life saver.

Riley is an 11-year-old girl whose family just moved from Minnesota to San Francisco. She’s dealing with a lot of issues. We see Riley’s emotional life play out through Pixar’s “Headquarters” where Joy (Amy Poehler), Anger (Lewis Black), Disgust (Mindy Kaling), Fear (Bill Hader), and Sadness (Phyllis Smith) try to keep Riley on an even keel. But, of course, things go wrong. In fact, plenty goes wrong. Riley’s emotions have to deal with crisis after crisis. I thought Inside Out presented an innovative way to view our emotions. This is NOT a movie for five-year-olds. Concepts like long-term memory and abstract thinking come into play. But for kids 10 and up and adults, Inside Out is one of the best movies of the year. Check out the interview with director Pete Doctor below. GRADE: A

For those of you experiencing  Time Travel Week withdrawal, here’s a 1971 Keith Laumer SF novel about a Time agent marooned in the Jurassic Era. Ravel has just completed a mission in 1936 Buffalo, NY when he’a approached by a Karg–a robot from the Future. Ravel returns to his Time Base in the Jurassic when it is attacked by war machines from the Future and utterly destroyed. Ravel is stuck in the Jurassic. Of course, Keith Laumer’s plots are always twisty and Dinosaur Beach is no exception. If you’re looking for a Time Travel adventure novel with dinosaurs, this delivers. John O’Neill at BLACK GATE has some insightful comments about Dinosaur Beach here. GRADE: B+

I’m wrapping up Time Travel Week with this box set of Star Trek episodes voted on by fans. These are the most popular time travel Star Trek episodes across all the various series. I bought all the Star Trek fan collective box sets except for the one about Q. All your favorite Star Trek episodes are here. “The City on the Edge of Forever” is here. I’ve always like Star Trek: The Next Generation episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise.” And the 2-part “Year of Hell” of Star Trek Voyager reminds me why I enjoyed this series so many years ago. Hope you enjoyed Time Travel Week! GRADE: A

For those of you who want more Time Travel movies, check out this link that Art Scott discovered: http://io9.com/every-time-travel-movie-ever-ranked-1682363164
BOX SET CONTENTS:
“Star Trek” Episode 21, “Tomorrow Is Yesterday” finds the “Enterprise” going back in time, courtesy of the gravitational pull of a black hole, to the 1960s. Kirk rescues an Air Force pilot, Captain John Christopher, he cannot let return with his knowledge of the future. But Christopher has to return to have a son who will be a famous space explorer (Warp 4).

“Star Trek” Episode 28, “The City on the Edge of Forever” is the most famous “Star Trek” episode. McCoy goes back in time through the Guardian of Forever and changes history. Kirk and Spock follow to set things right, ending up in the U.S. during the Great Depression. The focal point is Edith Keeler, a social worker. McCoy saved her life and Edith led a peace movement that delayed U.S. involvement in World War II, allowing Hitler to create atomic weapons first and win the war. Kirk is in love with Edith, but she must die (Warp 5).

“STNG” Episode 63, “Yesterday’s Enterprise” is the “Enterprise-C,” which comes through a temporal rift and changes everything changes. The “Enterprise-D” is now a ship of war, fighting a losing war with the Klingon Empire, so Worf is gone and Tasha Yar is back. Guinan knows something is wrong and has to convince Picard that the correct timeline must be restored no matter what (Warp 5).

“STNG” Episode 118, “Cause and Effect” finds the “Enterprise” trapped in a time loop ending with the starship exploding. This pattern is repeated several times, but each progression changes, offering clues for avoiding the ship’s apparent fate. These changes are most notable in the poker game being played by several members of the bridge crew (Warp 5).

“STNG” Episodes 126 & 127, “Time’s Arrow, Parts 1 & 2” find the “Enterprise” has returned to Earth where Captain Picard is shown an archeological dig in San Francisco that has uncovered Data’s head among a bunch of late 19th-Century artifacts. Investigating a temporal distortion on Devidia Two, Data is caught in a rift and sent back to 19th-Century Earth. There he discovers Guinan in the company of Samuel Clemens. Back in the future, Guinan tells Picard it is very important that he go on this away mission. The funniest parts here are the attempts by Data to fit into the past. There is an explanation for why his head was buried for 500 years, but these episodes are only slightly above average (Warp 4).

“STNG” Episodes 177 & 178, “All Good Things, Parts 1 & 2” finds Captain Picard is shifting through time. One moment he is twenty-five years in the future, a retired ambassador tending his vineyard but suffering from a degenerative neurological disease. Then he finds himself seven years in the past when he first took over the “Enterprise.” In the present the ship is sent to the Neutral Zone to investigate an anomaly that has appeared. Picard finally realizes who is responsible for his time shifting and finds himself once again in the courtroom Q created to try humanity in “Encounter at Farpoint.” The trial never officially ended and the Continuum has finally reached a verdict. The human race should be destroyed, but the Q do not have to do anything for this to happen. The anomaly is going back in time, growing larger as it does, until it will arrive at Earth at the pivotal moment when life is created. Now there never be life on Earth and Picard will be the one who caused it. A very satisfying conclusion to the seven-year run of the series (Warp 5).

“Deep Space Nine” Episode 80, “Little Green Men” begins with Quark transporting Nog to Earth so the young Ferengi can be the first of his kind to enter Starfleet Academy. The next thing we know the shuttle has crashed near Roswell, New Mexico in 1947. The military takes the trio into custody. Quark immediately starts scheming to make a profit, but the government wants to torture Quark to find out about the alien invasion (Warp 4.5)

“Deep Space Nine” Episode 103, “Trials and Tribble-ations” has the Bajoran Orb of Time being used to send the “Defiant” and its crew back over a hundred years to Deep Space Station K-7 where the U.S.S. “Enterprise,” Captain James T. Kirk, commanding, is in orbit. Suddenly we find ourselves in the classic original “Star Trek” episode, “The Trouble With Tribbles” (Warp 5).

“Voyager” Episodes 76 & 77, “Year of Hell, Parts 1 and 2” begins when the starship is attacked by the Krenim with the Chronoton-based torpedoes. Seven of Nine works out shielding against the torpedoes, and the next time they are attacked the space-time continuum is changed. The Krenim commander, Annorax, tries to erase “Voyager” from history, but the badly damaged ship escapes. Keeping the command crew aboard, Janeway orders the rest to abandon ship. Meanwhile, Janeway must repair “Voyager” and put together a coalition to try and stop Annorax, who is changing the present to correct a past mistake (Warp 5).

“Voyager” Episodes 171 & 172, “Endgame, Parts 1 & 2″ is the series finale. Admiral Janeway, ten years after getting her crew back, travels back in time to convince her younger self to take a desperate shortcut through a wormhole controlled by the Borg. Janeway and her crew, still committed to the idea of putting the needs of others before themselves that got them stuck in the Delta quadrant in the first place, refuse. But then the Admiral reveals the high cost that her younger self will have to pay, and suggests a new plan that will allow “Voyager” to accomplish both tasks (Warp 5).
Thanks to Lawrance Bernabo for these summaries.