When I was a kid, I read “The Lottery” and immediately wanted more. I hunted down Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House (better than the movie) and read her unique We Have Always Lived in the Castle. From time to time I’d discover some of Shirley Jackson’s short stories in anthologies and always enjoyed them. But in 2010, the Library of America finally published this volume of Shirley Jackson’s work that I knew all along she deserved. There are plenty of gems in this collection. I really liked “One Ordinary Day, With Peanuts.” If you want to see the world through a complete different lens, read Shirley Jackson. If you become a fan like I am, you’ll want this wonderful Library of America volume.
Table of Contents:
THE LOTTERY; OR, THE ADVENTURES OF JAMES HARRIS
I The Intoxicated, 5
The Daemon Lover, 10
Like Mother Used to Make, 26
Trial by Combat, 35
The Villager, 41
My Life with R.H. Macy, 47
II The Witch, 53
The Renegade, 57
After You, My Dear Alphonse, 69
Charles, 73
Afternoon in Linen, 78
Flower Garden, 83
Dorothy and My Grandmother and the Sailors, 108
III Colloquy, 117
Elizabeth, 119
A Fine Old Firm, 153
The Dummy, 157
Seven Types of Ambiguity, 164
Come Dance with Me in Ireland, 171
IV Of Course, 179
Pillar of Salt, 184
Men with Their Big Shoes, 199
The Tooth, 207
Got a Letter from Jimmy, 225
The Lottery, 227
V Epilogue, 239
THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE, 243
WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE, 421
OTHER STORIES AND SKETCHES
I UNCOLLECTED
Janice, 565
A Cauliflower in Her Hair, 567
Behold the Child Among His Newborn Misses, 572
It Isn’t the Money I Mind, 579
The Third Baby’s the Easiest, 583
The Summer People, 594
Island, 608
The Night We All Had Grippe, 621
A Visit; or, The Lovely House, 627
This Is the Life; or, Journey with a Lady, 651
One Ordinary Day, with Peanuts, 662
Louisa, Please Come Home, 673
The Little House, 691
The Bus, 700
The Possibility of Evil, 714
II UNPUBLISHED
Portrait, 727
The Mouse, 729
I Know Who I Love, 733
The Beautiful Stranger, 745
The Rock, 753
The Honeymoon of Mrs. Smith, 772
APPENDIX
Biography of a Story, 787
Chronology, 805
Note on the Texts, 814
Notes, 820

Anyone involved in our conflict in Afghanistan, or anyone trying to understand that trouble country, should read William Dalrymple’s brilliant Return of a King. Although Dalrymple’s book deals with only three years, he takes the time to give his story historical context. Here’s a sample:

Then there were the different tribal, ethnic and linguistic fissures fragmenting Afghan society: the rivalry between the Tajiks, Uzbecks, Sunni and Shia; the endemic factionalism within clans and tribes, and especially the blood feuds within closely related lineages. These blood foods rolled malevolently down from generation to generation, symbols of the impotence of state-run systems of justice. In many places blood feuds became almost a national pastime–the Afghan equivalent of country cricket in the English shires–and the killings they engendered were often on a spectacular scale. Under the guise of reconciliation, one of Shah Shuja’s chiefs invited some sixty of his feuding cousins “to dine with him,” wrote one observer, “having previously laid bags of gunpowder under the apartment. During the meal, having gone out on some pretext, he blew them all up.” A country like this could only be governed only with skill, strategy and a full treasure chest. (p. 5)

I particularly enjoyed Dalrymple’s inclusion of aspects of “The Great Game,” the spies from Russia and Britain dueling in the shadows. Those of you who’ve read Kipling’s Kim know how exciting these stories cam be. Although Return of a King is 515 pages, the pages flew by! This is military history at its best. Highly recommended! GRADE: A

The astonishing Ann Patchett is not only a gifted novelist, she’s also a co-owner of a bookstore in Nashville. This is the Story of a Happy Marriage collects the best of Ann Patchett’s essays. One of my favorites is “The Getaway Car” where Patchett finds a way to leave her job as a waitress at TGIF Friday’s to evolve into a writer. Patchett provides plenty of practical writing tips. I also enjoyed “My Life in Sales” which deals with Patchett on her book tours. I was surprised to learn conservatives in South Carolina attacked Patchett for writing “pornography” when Clemson University assigned one of her books to freshman students. And, of course, Patchett deals with her divorce and remarriage. Now, I’d really like to meet Ann Prachett. After reading this book I feel like I know her. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Non-Fiction, an Introduction
The Getaway Car: A Practical Memoir about Writing and Life
The Sacrament of Divorce
The Paris Match
This Dog’s Life
The Best Seat in the House
My Road to Hell Was Paved
Tennessee
On Responsibility
The Wall
Fact vs. Fiction
My Life in Sales
“The Love Between Two Women Is Not Normal”
The Right to Read
Do Not Disturb
Introduction to The Best American Short Stories 2006
Love Sustained
The Bookstore Strikes Back
This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage
Our Deluge, Drop by Drop
Dog without End
The Mercies

I had a free ticket to Anchorman 2 so I used this weekend. You won’t be surprised that Diane and I were the only ones in the theater (talk about private showing!). Will Ferrell returns as goofy anchorman Ron Burgundy. He’s offered a job on the new GNN cable news network (the film is set in the 1980s). Ron Burgundy has to gather his news team–Steve Carell, Pual Rudd, and David Koechner–and begin a new chapter in broadcast history. I particularly liked Kristen Wiig as Chani (who marries Steve Carell’s character and has 11 kids). I felt the interracial subplot was embarrassing lame. But we laughed a few times and the movie flew by. If you get a free ticket, go see Anchorman 2. Otherwise wait to see Anchorman 2 on cable or Netflix if you’re in the mood for something silly. GRADE: B
Main cast
Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy
Steve Carell as Brick Tamland
Paul Rudd as Brian Fantana
David Koechner as Champ Kind
Christina Applegate as Veronica Corningstone-Burgundy
Meagan Good as Linda Jackson
James Marsden as Jack Lime
Kristen Wiig as Chani
Fred Willard as Edward “Ed” Harken
Chris Parnell as Garth Holliday
Dylan Baker as Freddie Shapp
Greg Kinnear as Gary
Josh Lawson as Kench Allenby
Luke Wilson as Frank Vitchard
Cameos
Harrison Ford as Mack Tannen
Vince Vaughn as Wes Mantooth
Will Smith as an ESPN anchor
Jim Carrey and Marion Cotillard as CBC News anchors
Sacha Baron Cohen as a BBC News reporter
Drake as a Ron Burgundy fan
Kirsten Dunst as a El Trousias Maiden of the Clouds
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler as leaders of the Entertainment Tonight news team.
Liam Neeson as a History Channel reporter
John C. Reilly as Stonewall Jackson’s Ghost
Kanye West as MTV News correspondent

Priscilla Hitchins (nicknamed “Hutch”) is an interstellar pilot who manages to get into all kinds of adventures…and trouble. I’ve read all of the previous Hutch novels–The Engines of God, Deepsix, Chindi, Omega, Odyssey, and Cauldron. Starhawk is a departure from those other SF novels. Starhawk is a prequel and tells the story of how Hutch became an interstellar pilot. As you might suspect, the road to being a pilot is rocky for Hutch. She’s feisty and bucks authority. There are two mysterious First Contact sub-plots. There’s heroism and loss. McDevitt works in the Heinlein and Poul Anderson tradition. If you enjoy that kind of classic storytelling, you’ll like Starhawk. GRADE: B

I’m taking the Seattle Seawhawks and the 2 1/2 points.

Who do you think will win the Super Bowl today?

Financially Fearless: The LearnVest Program for Taking Control of Your Money presents a solid system for money management. I liked the chapters on protecting yourself from credit card fraud and identity theft. Financial planning tends to bore people, but Alexa Von Tobel’s book deals with complex financial topics like improving your credit score and investing in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) clearly and succinctly. I usually recommend Suze Orman’s Women & Money book to people looking for financial guidance. But Financially Fearless is more up-to-date. GRADE: B

The subtitle to Peter Haining’s The Art of Mystery & Detective Stories is “The Best Illustrations From Over a Centry of Crime Fiction.” That pretty much sums up what you’re getting in this nifty volume. The Art of Mystery & Detective Stories was first published in Great Britain in 1977. The edition I own was published in 1986 by Treasure Press. As you might suspect, this collection has a distinctive British flavor. For fans of pulp magazine artwork, this book will be like crack. Peter Haining does his usual professional job with the Introduction and informative mini-essays.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. Introduction
2. The Annals of Newgate
3. The Father of the Detective Story
4. Le Roman Policier
5. The Opening of the Case
7. The Sensational Sleuths
8. The Master of Detectives
9. A Rash of Detectives
10. The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
11. The American Crime Fighters
12. The Arch Villians
13. The Lady Detectives
14. The Golden Era
15. The Hardboiled Dicks

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 37 years since I first played Boston and listened to “More Than a Feeling,” “Peace of Mind,” and “Smokin'” with Tom Scholz’s distinctive guitar riffs. Boston hasn’t brought out a new CD in 11 years, but just before Christmas Life, Love & Hope showed up just in time to be a stocking-stuffer. For hardcore Boston fans, Life, Love & Hope is a must-buy. For casual fans…not so much. There are some remastered songs on this CD like “Didn’t Mean to Fall in Love,” “Someone,” and “You Gave Up on Love” and the rest is little more than background music. I think listening to one of the Best of Boston compilations would be more satisfying for most listeners than to buy this lackluster effort. GRADE: C+

Adrian McKinty’s gritty “The Troubles Trilogy” kicks off with The Cold Cold Ground. We’re introduced to Sean Duffy, a young police detective working the chaotic streets of Belfast in 1981. Two bodies are found miles apart. But each has the other’s arm. Why the killer switched body parts leads Duffy into another investigation: the missing ex-wife of an IRA prisoner on a hunger strike. McKinty captures the desolation and urban violence of those times very well.

In Book Two of “The Troubles Trilogy,” Duffy investigates a case where an American is found dead in a suitcase. The cause of death is poisoning. The plot includes Margaret Thatcher and John DeLorean (the guy who made that great car in the Back to the Future series). As you might expect, there’s plenty of violence in these books. My minor quibble is that Sean Duffy takes a lot of punishment in these books. But, he has incredible luck when he’s in those near-death situations. If you’re in the mood for something different, you might want to give “The Troubles Trilogy” a try. The third book will be published in March 2014. I already have it on order. GRADE: B (for both books)