Todd Mason reviewed this book a little over a month ago here. As Todd mentioned, all the stories in this collection are worth reading. My favorites are “AT Yuma Crossing” by Brian Garfield, “Take a Left at Bertram” by Chad Oliver, “A Bad Cow Market,” by Elmer Kelton, and “The Bandit,” by Loren D. Estleman. I was able to obtain The Best of the West through library loan, but it’s also available for affordable prices on the Internet. GRADE: B+
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
At Yuma Crossing · Brian Garfield · ss *
Take a Left at Bertram · Chad Oliver · ss *
The Second Kit Carson · Gary Paulsen · ss *
Night of the Cougar · Ardath Mayhar · ss *
Jasper Lemon’s Ba Cab Ya Larry · Lee Schultz · pm *
Stoned on Yellow · LoLo Westrich · ss *
Making Money in Western Banking · Jeff Banks · ss *
Cutliffe Starkvogel and the Bears Who Liked TV · John Keefauver · ss *
A Bad Cow Market · Elmer Kelton · ss *
Peaches · Lenore Carroll · ss *
Judas and Jesus · Thomas Sullivan · ss *
Sallie C. · Neal Barrett, Jr. · ss *
The Nighthawk Rides · William F. Nolan · teleplay *
The Bandit · Loren D. Estleman · ss *
THE BEST OF THE WEST Edited by Joe R. Lansdale
12 Replies
Carl Richards writes about money for the New York Times. The Behavior Gap distills much of his financial wisdom in a slim, easy-to-read volume. It took me less than an hour to read The Behavior Gap. Richards recommends some common sense investment strategies (buy low, sell high even though most investors do the opposite). He shows how excessive planning and budgeting can be counter-productive. What I liked most about Richards’ approach to money management is his focus on “happiness.” Richards cites the too little known research that shows that after people make about $75,000, more money doesn’t mean more happiness. Happiness then comes from doing what you like to do and spending time with family and friends. Those activities don’t need to cost you a lot of money. If you’re looking for a common sense approach to money management, I’d recommend The Behavior Gap. GRADE: B+
Sade: Bring Me Home, Live 2011 is a bit of a mixed bag. If you’re hoping to hear “Smooth Operator” or “The Sweetest Taboo” you’re out of luck. Sade sings mostly songs from her latest CD, Soldier of Love. The music is good, but not great. If you’re a casual Sade fan you might prefer one of the GREATEST HITS compilations. A DVD and Blu-ray of this concert is also available, but I didn’t buy it. GRADE: B
Nonstop Press has to be complemented for publishing this sequel to David Pringle’s classic Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels, 1949-1984. Although I’ve only read 22 of the 101 best novels, I have plenty of the unread books in various stacks around the house. Lists generally generate controversy so let me dive in with my quibbles. Broderick and Di Filippo include mainstream novels that really don’t belong on a Best SF Novels list: Philip Roth’s The Plot Against America and Cormac McCarthy’s The Road. Yes, both books have SF elements, but better choices could have been made. My other quibble is that the Table of Contents merely lists the books by title and publication date. What happened to the authors? Lastly, the authors have a disturbing habit of including spoilers in their mini-summaries of the novels. So, if you don’t want your reading experience ruined, you’ll need to read their essays AFTER you read the book. Other than those flaws, I highly recommend Science Fiction: The 101 Best Novels, 1985-2010! GRADE: A
Larry Rosen opens his interesting book with two situations. The first is at a movie theater. While Rosen tries to watch the movie, people around him are texting and talking on their smartphones. And, as soon as the movie is over, Rosen notes that just about everyone in the theater immediately checks their cell phones. The second story involves dinner in a restaurant. Rosen sees that at EVERY table, people have their smartphones next to their plates. They’re constantly checking their phones and ignoring the people they’re with. Larry Rosen thinks hand-held devices like smartphones and iPads and iPods are creating a society of narcissistic, AD/HD addled loners. I can add fuel to this fire. Walk into any of my classrooms and you’ll see the majority of students constantly texting and checking their phones. How much of my brilliant lectures are these students absorbing? Sadly, very little. Their distracted listening, their fragmented attention isn’t conducive to learning. Rosen offers a number of solutions, chiefly limits on use of these devices. I doubt if that will work with smartphone-addicts. GRADE: B
I found this First Edition of Lightning at a library book sale. I’d read most of the 87th Precinct series, but not Lightning. Lightning was published in 1984. It’s the 37th volume in the 87th Precinct series. The body of a girl attending a local college is found hanging from a lamp post. In a parallel plotline, women are being preyed upon by a serial rapist. The rapist is raping the same women over and over. Although this novel is 27 years old, it holds up well. Yes, the computer is just being used in police investigations so it has a novelty factor in this book. But the characters, Carella, Meyer, Kling, Burke, and Fat Ollie Weeks carry the action to a satisfactory conclusion.