December 2016 was a hellish month. My mother’s life was ending. My 40-year teaching career was ending. And the usual crush of correcting FINAL EXAMS and handing in FINAL GRADES amid completing piles of Retirement paperwork was a nightmare.

As you might suspect, I had little time to process any of the books that showed up at my door (AMAZON delivers something nearly every day). Friends like Jeff Meyerson sent me books. And, cleaning out my College office with its decades of accumulated books brought dozens of boxes into my basement.

Some people tell me I have too many books. That’s like saying I have too much happiness.

So, my Retirement focus turns to organizing the chaos of books in my basement. I’ll report on my progress every few months. Do you have a book problem, too?

Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson, and Janelle Monae star in this account of African-American women working for NASA during the beginning of the Space Race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. It’s hard to believe that back in the early 1960s there were still segregated bathrooms even in an “advanced” Government agency like NASA. Hidden Figures is based on the book with the same title by Margot Lee Shetterly which tells the story of the impact African-American women had on the Space Program. I also liked Glen Powell’s portrayal of astronaut John Glenn who comes off as open-minded for that era. If you’re in the mood for an uplifting, inspiring film with humor and wit then I recommend Hidden Figures. GRADE: A

Throughout the chaos of 2016, your comments provided an island of sanity and reason in a sea of turmoil. Anyone who’s gone through the End-of-Life process knows what I’m talking about. The months leading up to my Retirement were No Fun, either. Wrangling with Retirement health insurance companies and changes in coverage, Social Security, and 403(b) sharks added to the disruption. The intelligence and wit of Patti, Jeff, Deb, Rick, Beth, Todd, Art, Bill, Maggie, Bob, Prashant, Sergio, Carl, Lauren, Steve, Jerry, Wolf, Stan, Dan, Trishankupune, Scott, Jim, John, Randy, James, Kent, and Mathew as well as all of you who make this blog a part of your day raised my flagging spirits during some very Dismal Times. So I want to say thank you.

Thank you very much.

The Pittsburgh Steelers look to be peaking at just the right time. The Miami Dolphins, on the other hand, seem to be running out of gas. The Steelers are favored by 10 points which is a lot of points for a Playoff game. In the later game, the Green Bay Packers face the most dangerous team in the NFC Playoffs: the NY Giants. I’ve seen the Giants go to Green Bay and beat the Packers in past years (2007 and 2011). Aaron Rodgers needs to bring his “A” game if the Packers hope to move on in the Playoffs. But, don’t be surprised if the NY Giants pull off the upset on the Frozen Tundra. The Packers are only favored by 4 points. Who do you think will win today?

Wild Card Weekend begins today with two intriguing games. In the first game, both Oakland and Houston have quarterback problems. I suspect this will be a low-scoring game. Houston is favored by 3 1/2 points but I could see Oakland winning this game on a fluke play.

The second game would seem to be an easy win for the Seahawks. The Seahawks are favored by 8 points over Detroit. The Detroit Lions found a way into the Playoffs. They may find a way of stealing this game. Rick and Cap’n Bob may be on the edge of their seats for this one! Who do you think will win these games?

I discovered Secrets of the World’s Best-Selling Writer: The Storytelling Techniques of Erle Stanley Gardner by complete chance. But, it was a Lucky Day for me! Francis L. and Roberta B. Fugate wrote a marvelous literary biography of Erle Stanley Gardner with this book. It was published in 1980. The Fugates share a lot of information about the life of Erle Stanley Gardner. That would be plenty for a book of this type. But the Fugates go beyond that and reveal Gardner’s writing techniques, his writing methods, and his writing advice to people wanting to write a mystery. I found Secrets of the World’s Best-Selling Writer an entertaining and enlightening read. If you’re a fan of Erle Stanley Gardner’s work, you need to check this book out! If you’re a fan of Pulp Fiction, you’ll find a lot of information on that era. If you’re a fan of Perry Mason, you’ll learn a lot about the creation and evolution of that best-selling series. There’s a lot of valuable information between these covers!
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Foreword
1. Inside a Writer’s Mind
2. “Slowly Learn, Then You Will Know”
3. The Old Woodpulp Schoolhouse
4. Lessons from the Pulps
5. Learning the Basics
6. The Reader’s Servant
7. Luring Readers
8. The Fiction Factory
9. Searching for the Plot Machine
10. Heroes for Sale
11. From Idea to Printed Page
12. The Birth of Perry Mason
13. Gardner vs. Hobson
14. “Start with a Mystery”
15. His Last Bow
Appendices: “Formulae for Writing a Mystery”
I. “The Fluid or Unstatic Theory of Plots”
II. “Page of Actors and Victims”
III. “Character Components”
IV. “The Foundation of Character Background”
V. “Chart of Romantic Conflict”
VI. “Conflicts of Mother Love”
VII. “Departures from Normal Theory of Story Situation”
VIII. “The Plot Tide or Thrust”
IX. “The Mystery Aftermath Method”
X. Perry Mason Title Analysis
XI. “The Last Plotting Notebook”
Bibliography
Index

Geoff Manaugh changes the way you look at your neighborhood. He shows how a burglar would look at a building and its architecture. Manaugh takes you through the walls, down the elevator shafts, up the stairs, into the Panic Rooms, and across the roofs of an unsuspecting locality. If you’ve ever wanted to pick a lock, overcome an electronic surveillance system, or climb up walls to high-rise apartments, A Burglar’s Guide to the City is the book for you. Manaugh interviewed reformed bank robbers, FBI agents, private security consultants, and architects to provide the latest up-to-date information. If you want to protect yourself from a home invasion or just discourage burglars from choosing your home to hit, A Burglar’s Guide to the City will come in handy. GRADE: B+
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. Space Invaders
2. Crime is Just Another Way to Use the City
3. Your Building is the Target
4. Tools of the Trade
5. Inside Job
6. A Crime is Nothing If You Can’t Get Away
7. Burglary Requires Architecture
References and Citations
Acknowledgements

About a year ago, my ancient HP DeskJet 5740 died. My dilemma was to buy a new printer or buy a used HP DeskJet 5740 so I could use up the pile of new ink cartridges I accumulated. I found an inexpensive used HP Deskjec 5740 online and bought it. It worked fine for a year and is still working, but was almost out of ink cartridges. Since Patrick (aka, My IT Specialist) was home for Christmas, I asked his advice. After doing some research, Patrick advised me to buy the HP OfficeJet Pro 6978. It was heavily discounted to less than a $100

Features: Prints up to 20 ISO ppm* in black, up to 11 ISO ppm* in color. To generate documents quickly. 4-in-1 functionality. Wireless and mobile printing capability. Color resolution up to 600 x 1200 dpi. 4 individual print cartridges are economical. 225-sheet input tray. 2.65″ touch screen.

Printing, scanning, copying. That’s all I really need. I’ve had good luck with HP printers over the years. I hope my new HP OfficeJet Pro 6978 provides reliable service like the previous HP printers I’ve used.

If you’re looking for a new printer, you might want to consider the HP Officejet Pro 6978. You might even be able to find it cheaper than I did with all the Post-Christmas sales.

Batman is a vampire. Superman isn’t wearing an S on his chest. Wonder Woman is one of the New Gods. This is not your usual DC Universe. Gods and Monsters is set in an alternative universe to explore different aspects of these iconic characters. A group of scientists is being killed, a conspiracy is afoot, and the Justice League is being framed. I enjoyed the new story line and hope DC decides to do more of these alternate universe stories. Special Features include A Sneak Peek at DC Universe’s Next Animated Movie (Batman: Bad Blood), Alternate Realities Infinite Possibilities featurette, Calculated Risks: The Making of Gods and Monsters featurette, The New Gods vintage featurette (a must-watch for fans of Jack Kirby), and From the DC Comics Vault – 2 Bonus Cartoons. This is an entertaining movie that offers plenty of extras. GRADE: B+

Imagine that the Nazis were ousted by the Communists in the 1930s. Then imagine Hitler flees to England where he becomes a private detective. This is the kind of High Concept fiction Philip K. Dick used to write. In this alternate reality, Hitler (now going by the name “Wolf”) is hired by a Jewess to find her missing sister. Plenty of sex and violence result. A Man Lies Dreaming was published in England in 2014. It was published in the U.S. a few months ago by Melville House. If you’re in the mood for something similar to Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle (where Germany and Japan win World War II), then A Man Lies Dreaming might just be your ticket. GRADE: C+