It’s hard to believe I’ve been listening to Loreena McKennitt’s ethereal music for 30 years. But, as the sticker on the cover of this 2-CD set says: 30th Anniversary Collection. If you’re new to Loreena McKennitt’s music, The Journey So Far is the perfect place to start. Her popular “The Mummer’s Dance” is here as well as “The Mystic’s Dream.” My favorite Loreena McKennitt songs, “The Bonny Swans” and “The Lady of Shalott” are here, too. Disc 2 features music from McKennitt’s 2012 tour. All in all, a very satisfying set of music. Don’t miss it! GRADE: A
TRACK LIST:
Disc 1
1. The Mystic’s Dream (Album Version) 4:32
2. Bonny Portmore (Album Version) 4:21
3. The Bonny Swans (Album Version/Edit) 3:58
4. The Mummers’ Dance (Single Remix) 4:01
5. Down By The Sally Gardens 5:38
6. Stolen Child (Album Version) 5:01
7. The Lady Of Shalott (Album Version/Edit) 4:44
8. Marco Polo (Album Version) 5:13
9. Penelope’s Song 4:20
10. Huron ‘Beltane’ Fire Dance (Album Version) 4:19
11. The Old Ways (Album Version) 5:49
12. Dante’s Prayer (Album Version) 7:13

Disc 2:
1. The Star Of The Country Down (Live In Germany/2012) 3:57
2. Night Ride Across The Caucasus (Live In Germany/2012) 8:08
3. The Dark Night Of The Soul (Live In Germany/2012) 6:56
4. Santiago (Live In Germany/2012) 6:42
5. Beneath A Phrygian Sky (Live In Germany/2012) 7:22
6. As I Roved Out (Live In Germany/2012) 4:34
7. All Souls Night (Live In Germany/2012) 5:00
8. Caravanserai (Live In Germany/2012) 5:49
9. Full Circle (Live in Germany/2012) 4.44

I’ve been reading David lodge’s novels and insightful essays for decades. Lives in Writing is Lodge’s latest book of literary articles with an emphasis on biography. Lodge seems to be taking the measure of the writers who most affected him over a life-time of reading. Lodge is a careful reader. When reviewing Norman Sherry’s 900-page third volume of Graham Greene’s biography, Lodge notes that the first volume was the best, the second volume was acceptable, but third volume was a mess. And then Lodge goes on to tell you why–in detail. If you’re a fan of intelligent, literary essays written for the Common Reader Lodge’s Lives of Writing will provide hours of insight and delight. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
The Late Graham Greene
The Rise and Fall and Rise and Fall of Kingsley Amis
A Tricky Undertaking: The Biography of Muriel Spark
John Boorman’s Quest
Alan Bennent’s Serial Autobiography
The Greene Man Within
Simon Gray’s Diaries
Terry Eagleton’s Goodbye to All That
Frank Remembered–By a Kermodian
Malcolm Bradbury: Writer and Friend
The Death of Diana
Trollope’s Fixed Period
Writing H. G. Wells

I’ve been a fan of Celtic Woman over the years. This latest concert DVD was filmed in 2013 in South Bend, Indiana. If you like bagpipers and Irish step dancers, there’s plenty here to enjoy. My only quibble is that I wish there was a more ambitious selection of songs. I enjoy the songs they sing on this DVD, but it’s a pretty safe list of standards. A little boldness would have made this concert even more enjoying. GRADE: B+

TRACK LIST:
1. Awakening
2. Dulaman
3. Nocturne
4. Teir Abhaile Riu
5. Coast Of Galicia
6. Danny Boy
7. Mo Ghile Mear
8. Amazing Grace
9. She Moved Through The Fair
10. Nil Se’n La
11. Shenandoah-Dancer
12. The Voice
13. You Raise Me Up
14. Parting Glass
15. Celtic Woman Playoff
16. Caledonia (Bonus)
17. Bridge Over Troubled (Bonus)
18. Ave Maria (Bonus)

I’m a sucker for a book like Rick Gekoski’s Outside of a Dog. The title comes from the famous line “Outside of a dog, a book is man’s best friend. Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read” by Groucho Marx. Rick Gekoski grew up on Long Island, attended the University of Pennsylvania, and then went to Oxford University in England for his PhD. Throughout his life, Gekoski loves books. I got a kick out of Gekoski trying to win his girl friend back by sending her a poem by Yeats. Unfortunately, Gekoski’s rival sent a better poem by Yeats and won the girl. Gekoski finds teaching Literature classes not the dream job he thought it would be. After a few years of struggling with undergraduate essays, Gekoski gives up his secure job and decides to do what he really loves: become a rare book seller. Gekoski meets Graham Greene and buys a large part of his personal collection. The stories of book deals make for fascinating reading. If you love books as much as I do, you’ll relate to Rick Gekoski’s stories and his wonderful books. GRADE: B+

I have no inside information on who will win the Oscars, but here are my picks for the winners:

BEST ACTOR: Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club
BEST ACTRESS: Cate Blanchett for Blue Jasmine
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Jared Leto for Dallas Buyers Club
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Lupita Nyong’o for 12 Years a Slave
BEST DIRECTOR: Alfonso Cuaron for Gravity
BEST MOVIE: 12 Years a Slave

If The Academy doesn’t want to deal with Woody Allen’s latest controversy, Cate Blanchett could lose and Amy Admas could win for American Hustle. Who do you think will win?

Justice League: War tells the origin story of the Justice League as part of DC Comic’s The New 52. Batman, Green Lantern, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Shazam, and Cyborg come together to defend Earth from an alien invasion. If you’re a fan of these super-heroes, you’ll love Justice League: War. My package cost a pittance at Wal-Mart and is one of those increasingly popular Blu-ray-DVD-Digital Ultraviolet packages. In addition to the movie, the Special Features include: Creating Heroes: The Life and Art of Jim Lee and Justice League: War–From Animatic to Pencil Test. On top of that the Blu-ray disc has 4 Vintage cartoons from the DC Comic Vault. Both the DVD and Blu-ray include Deconstructing WAR with Jay Oliva and Jim Lee. There’s plenty here to enjoy. GRADE: B+

I’ve been a fan of talented writer Michael Gruber for years. Then I learned that Michael Gruber ghosted 15 legal thrillers for Robert K. Tanenbaum from 1987 to 2003. It took some time to track down those books, but now I have them all. I decide to read No Lesser Plea, the book that kicked off the series. Roger “Butch” Karp is an attorney in the New York City District Attorney’s Office. Karp becomes obsessed with a case where a liquor store robbery leads to two murders. Karp is a complicated guy. His marriage has problems, he has troubles with the broken criminal justice system, and Karp’s actions makes enemies. No Lesser Plea is a blend of police procedural and legal thriller. I enjoyed the surprising plot and the compelling characters. If you’ll looking for an entertaining legal thriller, I’d recommend No Lesser Plea. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the books in series.
1987 No Lesser Plea
1989 Depraved Indifference
1991 Immoral Certainty
1992 Reversible Error
1993 Material Witness
1994 Corruption of Blood
1994 Justice Denied
1996 Falsely Accused
1997 Irresistible Impulse
1998 Reckless Endangerment
1999 Act of Revenge
2000 True Justice
2001 Enemy Within
2002 Absolute Rage
2003 Resolved

These new 4-CD sets from Rhino Records collects the best of Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding. The sound is great! Hours of great listening can be found on these sets! I’ve been listening to Otis and Aretha since these sets arrived and they take me back to a time when the music was soulful and real. It doesn’t get much better than this.
QUEEN OF SOUL TRACK LIST:
Disc: 1
1. I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)
2. Do Right Woman – Do Right Man
3. Respect
4. Drown In My Own Tears
5. Soul Serenade
6. Don t Let Me Lose This Dream
7. Baby, Baby, Baby
8. Dr. Feelgood (Love Is A Serious Business)
9. Good Times
10. Save Me
11. Baby, I Love You
12. Satisfaction
13. You Are My Sunshine
14. Never Let Me Go
15. Prove It
16. I Wonder
17. Ain t Nobody (Gonna Turn Me Around)
18. It Was You (Aretha Arrives Outtake)
19. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
20. Chain Of Fools
21. People Get Ready
22. Come Back Baby
23. Good To Me As I Am To You
24. Since You ve Been Gone (Sweet Sweet Baby)
25. Ain t No Way
Disc: 2
1. Think
2. You Send Me
3. I Say A Little Prayer
4. The House That Jack Built
5. You re A Sweet Sweet Man
6. I Take What I Want
7. A Change
8. See Saw
9. My Song
10. I Can t See Myself Leaving You
11. Night Life (Live)
12. Ramblin
13. Today I Sing The Blues
14. River s Invitation
15. Pitiful
16. Talk To Me, Talk To Me (Soul 69 Outtake)
17. Tracks Of My Tears
18. The Weight
19. Share Your Love With Me
20. Pledging My Love/The Clock
21. It Ain t Fair
22. Sit Down And Cry
23. Let It Be
24. Eleanor Rigby
25. Call Me
Disc: 3
1. Son Of A Preacher Man
2. Try Matty s
3. The Thrill Is Gone (From Yesterday s Kisses)
4. Dark End Of The Street
5. You And Me
6. You re Taking Up Another Man s Place (Spirit In The Dark Outtake)
7. Don t Play That Song
8. Why I Sing The Blues
9. Spirit In The Dark
10. My Way (Spirit In The Dark Outtake)
11. One Way Ticket
12. Pullin
13. Border Song (Holy Moses)
14. A Brand New Me
15. You re All I Need To Get By
16. Bridge Over Troubled Water
17. Spanish Harlem
18. Lean On Me
19. Spirit In The Dark (Reprise with Ray Charles)
Disc: 4
1. Rock Steady
2. Young, Gifted And Black
3. All The King s Horses
4. Oh Me Oh My (I m A Fool For You Baby)
5. Day Dreaming
6. Mary, Don t You Weep (Live)
7. Climbing Higher Mountains (Live)
8. Precious Memories (Live)
9. Master Of Eyes
10. Angel
11. Somewhere
12. So Swell When You re Well
13. I m In Love
14. Ain t Nothing Like The Real Thing
15. Until You Come Back To Me (That s What I m Gonna Do)
16. Look Into Your Heart
17. Sparkle
18. Something He Can Feel

KING OF SOUL TRACK LIST:
Disc 1
1 These Arms Of Mine (2:32)
2 Hey Hey Baby (2:45)
3 That’s What My Heart Needs (2:40)
4 Mary’s Little Lamb (2:39)
5 Pain In My Heart (2:24)
6 Something Is Worrying Me (2:26)
7 Come To Me (2:46)
8 Don’t Leave Me This Way (2:57)
9 Security (2:34)
10 Chained And Bound (2:38)
11 Your One And Only Man (3:11)
12 That’s How Strong My Love Is (2:24)
13 Mr. Pitiful (2:43)
14 A Woman, A Lover, A Friend (3:20)
15 Nothing Can Change This Love (3:03)
16 It’s Too Late (3:02)
17 For Your Precious Love (2:54)
18 Home In Your Heart (2:05)
19 I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now) (3:00)
20 I’m Depending On You (2:31)
21 Respect (2:09)
22 Ole Man Trouble (2:37)
23 Change Gonna Come (4:13)
Disc 2
1 Shake (2:39)
2 Satisfaction (2:54)
3 Down In The Valley (2:59)
4 My Girl (2:54)
5 Rock Me Baby (3:37)
6 You Don’t Miss Your Water (3:05)
7 I Can’t Turn You Loose (2:43)
8 Just One More Day (3:30)
9 Any Ole Way (2:33)
10 It’s Growing (2:49)
11 Cigarettes and Coffee (4:00)
12 Chain Gang (3:02)
13 Nobody Knows You (When You’re Down And Out) (3:09)
14 Good To Me (3:50)
15 Everybody Makes A Mistake (3:22)
16 Just One More Day (5:26)
17 Mr. Pitiful (2:06)
18 (I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction (4:36)
19 These Arms Of Mine (4:01)
20 Papa’s Got A Brand New Bag (4:47)
21 Don’t Mess With Cupid (2:29)
22 My Lover’s Prayer (3:09)
Disc 3
1 Try A Little Tenderness (3:22)
2 Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song) (2:43)
3 I’m Sick Y’All (2:57)
4 Tennessee Waltz (2:57)
5 Sweet Lorene (2:28)
6 Day Tripper (2:33)
7 You’re Still My Baby (3:51)
8 Hawg For You (3:30)
9 I Love You More Than Words Can Say (2:56)
10 Let Me Come On Home (2:56)
11 Open The Door (2:26)
12 Tramp – Otis & Carla (3:03)
13 Knock On Wood – Otis & Carla (2:51)
14 Let Me Be Good to You – Otis & Carla (2:55)
15 Lovey Dovey – Otis & Carla (2:36)
16 New Year’s Resolution – Otis & Carla (3:18)
17 Ooh Carla, Ooh Otis – Otis & Carla (2:36)
18 White Christmas (3:06)
19 Merry Christmas, Baby (2:28)
20 Glory Of Love (2:53)
21 The Huckle-Buck (3:04)
22 Tell The Truth (3:07)
Disc 4
1 Respect (3:43)
2 Can’t Turn You Loose (3:28)
3 I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now) [Version (4:07)
4 My Girl (2:42)
5 Shake (2:32)
6 Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song) (4:04)
7 Try A Little Tenderness (5:08)
8 I’ve Got Dreams To Remember (3:15)
9 Nobody’s Fault But Mine (2:25)
10 Hard To Handle (2:20)
11 Thousand Miles Away (2:11)
12 The Happy Song (Dum-Dum-De-De-De-Dum-Dum) (2:43)
13 A Waste Of Time (3:20)
14 Champagne And Wine (2:59)
15 A Fool For You (2:57)
16 I’m A Changed Man (2:17)
17 Direct Me (2:18)
18 Love Man (2:19)
19 Look At That Girl (2:38)
20 Free Me (3:08)
21 The Match Game (2:55)
22 A Little Time (2:30)
23 Johnny’s Heartbreak (2:33)
24 Amen (3:03)
25 (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay (2:45)

David Shambaugh’s enlightening book shows the positive aspects of China’s global power–and its flaws. Shambaugh presents examples of China’s internal power struggles, its obsession with public order and control. Controlling billions of people occupies plenty of the ruling elites’ time and energy and resources. Shambaugh notes that China has no close allies. Its neighbors like Japan are antagonistic. There are the problems of Taiwan and Tibet. China’s growth rate is slowing. Social turmoil always threatens the status quo. If you’re interested in China and its place in the 21st Century world, Shambaugh’s book provides much to ponder. GRADE: B+

I found this set at BJ’s Warehouse for $5.99. All 22 episodes in this series are here. This version of Flash Gordon is set in the 21st Century. Eric Johnson plays Flash (you might remember him from Smallville), Gina Holden plays Dale Arden (you might remember her from Fantastic Four), and Jody Racicot plays Dr. Hans Zarkov (you might remember him from The Newsroom). John Ralston plays Ming the Merciless (you might remember him from Life With Derek). Sure, it’s schlocky, it’s silly, but it’s fun. What’s better on a cold winter night than watch Flash Gordon defend the Universe! GRADE: C+