If you’re a fan of Emily Blunt, Bill Nighy, Rupert Grint and Rupert Everett then Wild Target (2010) will delight you. Emily Blunt plays a thief who Bill Nighy, an assassin, is supposed to kill. But Nighy spares Emily and that sets off a chain of hilarious plot twists. Yes, Wild Target is fluff, but it’s fun fluff.

Every year, I look forward to the American Association of University Women’s Book Sale. They house it in a building the size of a Wal-Mart. There are a hundred tables of books. This year, they had a whole table (about 200 books) devoted to Mary Higgins Clark. Another table of just Stephen King. Another table of the works of James Patterson. You get the idea. There are thousands and thousands of books. And, they are semi-organized. There are tables of mysteries, science fiction, romance novels, etc. Even the tables of hardcover fiction is organized by author’s last name. I’ve found treasures at this book sale in previous years. This time, I found a few goodies.

Tonight A&E debuts its Longmire series based on Craig Johnson’s books about a Wyoming sheriff. I’m eager to see if his feisty deputy, Vic, retains her edginess in this TV version. If you haven’t read any of the Longmire series, it’s basically Tony Hillerman’s brand of mysteries transplanted to Wyoming. My main complaint about the first book in the series, The Cold Dish, is that at 354 pages, it’s too long. A good editor could have cut 100 pages and made it a better book.

When I started my Ph.D. studies at SUNY at Buffalo in 1990, one of the first books assigned to newbies was A Madwoman in the Attic: The Woman Writer and the Nineteenth-Century Literary Imagination by Sandra M. Gilbert and Susan Gubar. The book became a favorite of mine. Now fast-forward to 2012. I heard Susan Gubar interviewed about her battle against ovarian cancer. Gubar writes about her horrific treatments that prolonged her life. But the cost! “Debulked” means surgeons removed all the organs in Gubar’s lower abdomen. Then came the rounds of chemotherapy infusions. Then came more surgery…and more surgery. I’m not sure I’d have the resolution to undergo all the medical procedures Gubar does. This is a grim account, but Gubar is still alive which gladdens me immensely. GRADE: B+

Margaret Millar is fiendishly clever in this social mystery. The plot centers around Charlie Gowen, a young man in his 30s with “issues.” Charlie’s mind works differently from most people’s and Millar depicts Charlie’s twisted thought-process brilliantly. Charlie’s 12-year-old mind is obsessed with 12-year-old girls. Two of the couples in The Fiend are dealing with divorce (or the prospect of divorce). When a child goes missing, the police uncover plenty of secrets. If you haven’t read Margaret Millar before, be prepared for insightful social commentary and a surprising plot. No matter what you expect, Millar will surprise you.

Donna Summer’s recent death from cancer at 63 brought to an end a tumultuous life of the Queen of Disco. I always enjoyed Donna Summer’s music. When Summer linked up with producer Giorgio Moroder, her career took off like a rocket. Her later years were plagued with health problems. I remember hearing Donna Summer’s first hit, “Love to Love You Baby,” and thinking “Wow!” Then came a string of hits from “Bad Girls” to “She Works Hard For the Money.” Once the disco craze died, much of Donna Summer’s popularity died with it although at its height, Donna Summer was “hot stuff” indeed. From time to time over the years, I’d play her music and it would make me happy.
TRACK LIST:
DISC ONE:
1. Love To Love You Baby 4:57
2. Could It Be Magic 3:55
3. Try Me, I Know We Can Make It 4:46
4. Spring Affair 4:01
5. Love’s Unkind 4:26
6. I Feel Love 5:52
7. I Love You 4:41
8. Last Dance 4:58
9. MacArthur Park 6:28
10. Heaven Knows 3:38
11. Hot Stuff 6:47
12. Bad Girls 4:56
13. Dim All The Lights 4:35
14. Sunset People 6:27
15. No More Tears (Enough Is Enough) 4:48
16. On The Radio 4:05
DISC TWO:
1. The Wanderer 3:46
2. Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger) 4:19
3. State Of Independence 5:49
4. She Works Hard For The Money 5:19
5. Unconditional Love 4:42
6. There Goes My Baby 4:04
7. Supernatural Love 3:34
8. Dinner With Gershwin 4:38
9. All Systems Go 4:12
10. This Time I Know It’s For Real 3:37
11. I Don’t Wanna Get Hurt 3:26
12. Love’s About To Change My Heart 3:45
13. When Love Cries 4:30
14. Carry On 3:41
15. Melody Of Love (Wanna Be Loved) 4:14
16. I Will Go With You (Con Te Partiro) 4:08
17. Dream-A-Lot’s Theme (I Will Live For Love) 4:51
18. You’re So Beautiful 4:06

Andrew Delbanco’s analysis of American colleges starts with a brief history of their development. Delbanco explores the changes in the university system. The biggest impact was the G.I. Bill after World War II. Thousands of young men who would have never thought of going to college (it was for the elite back then) changed college campuses forever. Later, during the Vietnam War, more young men who normally wouldn’t have considered college took the college-deferment. That swelled college populations. Now, parents and young people are saddled with thousands of dollars of debt from the ever-increasing college tuition. Delbanco is troubled by the sketchy curriculum (“Wine Tasting,” “Survey of the TWILIGHT Novels,” “Queer Theory,” etc.) many colleges and universities offer. Budget cuts, inflating class sizes, bogus online courses, and escalating costs threaten the access to a quality college education in the coming years. If you’re living in this nightmare, as I am, Delbanco’s book offers a refreshing view of possible options to improve the situation. GRADE: B+.