I’ve read a number of ghost stories by M.R. James over the years in various anthologies. This collection brings many of his unique stories together in an excellent volume. David Morell provides a detailed and informative Introduction to James and his writings. This volume in The Haunted Library of Horror Classics includes a suggested reading list of more ghost stories, more information on M.R. James, and some info about the editors of the series.

My favorite story in Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1905) is the famous horror story “The Ash-Tree.” A woman is accused of witchcraft and burned to death. The accuser, Sir Matthew Fell of Castringham Hall, is later found dead in a peculiar manner. The bedroom where he died is closed for decades until Sir Richard Fell, his grandson, decided to spend a night in the forbidding bedroom. The next morning Sir Richard’s body was found in bed, black and dead. The cause of death will surprise you!

M. R. James set a high standard for writing and this volume presents eight grand stories in the British traction of supernatural horror. Highly recommended! GRADE: A

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

INTRODUCTION By David Morrell — xi

About David Morrell — xxiii

Preface — 1

Canon Alberic’s Scrap-Book — 3
Lost Hearts — 18
The Mezzotint — 30
The Ash-Tree — 44
Number 13 — 60
Count Magnus — 78
‘Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Come to You, My Lad’ — 93
The Treasure of Abbot Thomas — 117

About the Author, M. R. James — 138

Suggested Discussion Question for Classroom Use — 140

Suggest Further Reading of Fiction — 144

About the Series Editors — 148

Director Wes Anderson loves Roald Dahl’s fiction. Anderson produced a feature film with Fantastic Mr. Fox in 2009. Now, Wes Anderson has four short films based on Roald Dahl short stories on Netflix. The first one, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, stars Benedict Cumberbatch as a gambler who learns to read cards and win millions of dollars in casinos (I thought I saw Cap’n Bob in the background).

The other three films are shorter: The Swan, The Rat Catcher, and Poison. If you’re a Wes Anderson fan, you’ll enjoy these. If you hate Wes Anderson’s work, you’ll skip these. GRADE: B (for all four)

“Symbolically, Putin’s most notorious crony, Evgeny Prigozhin, began his career as Putin’s personal chef. Prigozhin organized supples to the Russian military, a troll factory that churned out propaganda for Trump, and mercenary camps in Syria, Central, Africa, and Ukraine. Moving from the kitchens at home to military camps abroad was quick and easy for people like Prigozhin. Failing to pay taxes, flouting regulations and possessing unlimited resources, these princes of darkness preached and practiced a turbo-charged Machiavellian politics with the sole purpose of spreading their corrupt influence. They had no fear of the state because they were the state. Inept managers, they were efficient corrupters.” (p. 48)

Of course, none of us was surprised when a bomb aboard the plane Progozhin was on killed him (and 12 other passengers). Alexander Etkind’s slim little volume explores the essence of contemporary Russia. As Senator McCain once said, “Russia is a gas station pretending to be a country.”

Etkind shows how Russia’s dependence on oil rules most of Putin’s decision making.

“Ecologically, Russia was the fourth greatest polluter in the world; China topped the list but Russian emissions per capita were much higher. Russia’s ecological problems–smog in the capital and garbage in the countryside–stuck in the mind of anyone who had visited the country. Siberia had been extensively logged and ravaged by fires. Flaring gas torches and methane leaks create massive emissions.” (p. 20)

Russia is a dying country. Birthrates keep falling, the infrastructure deteriorates, the wealth goes to a small group of oligarchs who buy $100 million Yachts and party. A lot.

“The war forced hundreds of thousands of Russians, most of them young and educated urbanites, to leave the country. Expecting military mobilization and violence at home, they flew to Georgia, Armenia, Turkey or Kazakhstan–the countries that did not require visas. Most of them found themselves in a desperate situation, with no job, no money and no welfare support. Only the Kremlin applauded this displacement of the country’s young and productive subjects: the very same people who might take part in the acts of protests and resistance were removing themselves from the domestic scene. At this point, education, high culture and public life became mere nuisances for the Russian rulers.” (p. 62)

But as Etkind points out, this death spiral of Russian corruption makes Putin more dangerous. Putin’s “special military operation” in Ukraine both shows the ineffectiveness of the Russian military but also increases the chances Putin might resort to nuclear weapons. Russia Against Modernity presents an accurate picture of dangers we face. What do you think of Russia? GRADE: A

Table of Contents:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS — vi

Introduction — 1

Chapter 1. Modernity in the Age of Anthropocene — 3

Chapter 2. Petrostate — 24

Chapter 3. Parasitic governance — 40

Chapter 4. The So-Called Elite — 55

Chapter 5. The Public Sphere — 66

Chapter 6. Gender and Degeneration — 85

Chapter 7. Putin’s War — 102

Chapter 8. Defederating Russia — 121

Endnotes — 141

Index — 160

The 3-0 Mighty Miami Dolphins hung 70 points on the Denver Broncos last week. This week Miami faces the 2-1 Buffalo Bills in a game that may come down to who scores last. The Bills are 2 1/2 point favorites. How will your favorite NFL team do today?

Flora and Son is a 2023 musical comedy-drama film written and directed by John Carney, featuring original songs by Carney and Gary Clark. The film stars Eve Hewson, Jack Reynor, Orén Kinlan, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. John Carney is best known for his films Once, Begin Again, and Sing Street. 

Flora, a struggling single mother living in Dublin, is having trouble with her estranged son Max, a rebellious teenage petty thief. Flora finds Max a hobby when she rescues an old guitar and, with the help of a Los Angeles-based online guitar teacher, ignites a love of music-making in both her son and herself.

Eve Hewson plays Flora as a feisty, kick-ass woman who struggles with her role of mother. Flora has always been a rebel and that attitude has rubbed off on her teenage son, Max. But, together, mother and son find common ground to build a productive and loving relationship through working together by song writing.

My only quibble is that for a movie based on music, the actual songs in this movie seemed weak to me. Nothing memorable, nothing stirring. While the actors and story line are first-rate, the music is not. Worth watching for the scenes in Dublin, too! GRADE: B+

If you love vintage paperbacks and digest magazines as much as I do, you’ll really enjoy the latest issues of Justin Marriott’s Paperback Fanatic and Richard Krauss’s The Digest Enthusiast!

Paperback Fanatic arrives in a new larger format. If you love paperback cover artwork, Paperback Fanatic features over a 100 covers that accompany the articles delving into the history of paperbacks and paperback writers. There’s also a broad range of information for just about every paperback collector’s interest. Here’s just an abbreviated list of the articles in this new issue:

• Black Samurai
• Conan
• Mickey Spillane
• Shudder Pulps
• Prices on eBay
• Running a Used Bookstore
• Spaghetti Western Tie-Ins
• Satan Sleuth
• Cult Publisher Horwitz
• Paperback Cover Artists
• Masters of Horror
• Gothic Romances
• New Wave SF

Paperback news, reviews, columns, interviews, and articles on vintage paperbacks makes Paperback Fanatic an invaluable resource. I particularly enjoyed Justin Marriott’s “The Unforgotten: British Writer Andrew Garve.” I’ve read several of Garve’s crime and thriller novels, but after reading Justin’s informative article, I want to read more!

The Digest Enthusiast emulates the digest magazine format it celebrates. Here’s a sample of what you’ll find inside this latest issue:

Steve Carper uncovers the history of the highly collectable Handi-Books and their indie publisher James Louis Quinn.

Anthony Perconti tackles DC’s Blue Ribbon Digests—1981’s Best Comics Stories and Jonah Hex.

Howard Browne’s baby, Fantastic, graduates from quarterly to bi-monthly status in our close examination of a foundational year: 1953 part one.

Tom Brinkmann peels off a visual survey of pin-up sensation Jeanne Carmen’s digest and magazine résumé in a Bad Mags Extra!

Peter Enfantino cracks open 1956 (part one) with an inside look at Manhunt, the gold-standard of detective fiction digests.

Robert A.W. Lowndes proves himself a giant of the digests in a behind-the-scenes overview of his decade with Health Knowledge, along with our exclusive, contextual publication grid.

Reviews of RAWL’s gateway digest into Health Knowledge, Exploring the Unknown No. 1 and Startling Mystery Stories No. 3.

A jam-packed edition featuring over a 100 magazine covers; new fiction by John M. Kuharik and Robert Snashall, illustrated by Brad W. Foster and Michael Neno; cartoons by Bob Vojtko; and more.

164 pages, published in color and b&w print editions, and Kindle, by Larque Press LLC.

Both of these wonderful publications deserve our support! I bought both The Paperback Fanatic and The Digest Enthusiast on AMAZON. GRADE: A (for both)

I own several CD collections that collect a band’s singles so I decided to listen to a couple of them last week. The Pretenders: The Singles (1987) includes the singles released before the mid-1980s. “Brass in Pocket,” “Talk of the Town,” and “Back On the Chain Gang” still sound great. Surprisingly, I had not heard the version of “I Got You Babe” with Chrissie Hynde and UB40. Chrissie Hynde sparkles in the Official Music Video on Youtube!

The Police: Every Breath You Take: The Singles (1986) includes the hit singles that made The Police an international rock band. “Roxanne,” “Message in a Bottle,” “Don’t Stand So Close to Me,” “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” “Every Breath You Take,” and “Wrapped Around Your Finger” dominated the early part of the 1980s.

The Police’s final studio album, Synchronicity (1983), was No. 1 in the UK, Canada, Australia, Italy and the US, selling over 8 million copies in the US. Its lead single, “Every Breath You Take”, became their fifth UK Number One hit, and their only US Number One. Of course, Sting had a dozen Top 40 hits as a solo artist. Sting, with the assistance of Bryan Adams and Rod Stewart, hit Number One with 1994’s “All for Love” from the movie The Three Musketeers. Do you remember these singles? Any favorites? GRADE: A (for both)

TRACK LIST:

TRACK LIST:

Kevin Wilson’s short story collection features a wide array of characters and situations. My favorite story in Baby, You’re Gonna Be Mine (2018) is “Wildfire Johnny” where the main character has an item that allows him to go back in time 24 hours. How he uses that power will surprise you.

The title story, “Baby, You’re Gonna Be Mine,” opens with a phone call to Gina from her son, Adam, her only son. “All of our equipment got stolen, Mom.” Adam is in a struggling band and now he’s coming home to live with his mother. Very awkward.

Kevin Wilson can also creep the reader out with a story like “A Signal to the Faithful” where a young boy, Edwin, passes out during his role as altar boy during a Mass. Edwin is approached by Father Naylon to assist at the funeral mass for his beloved Aunt at a rural town in Kentucky. The priest convinces Edwin’s mother to allow Edwin to travel with him. Despite his fainting problem, Edwin accompanies Father Naylon on the overnight journey with some dire consequences.

Kevin Wilson writes quirky stories that explore the strange aspects of Life and Love. If you’re in the mood for some bizarre stories full of dark humor and surprises, give Baby, You’re Gonna Be Mine a try. GRADE: B

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Scroll through the weapons — 1

Housewarming — 21

Wildfire Johnny — 39

A visit — 83

A signal to the faithful — 109

Sanders for a night — 147

No joke, this is going to be painful — 165

Baby, you’re gonna be mine — 183

The horror we made — 217

The lost baby — 235

Acknowledgements — 271

Mrs. Doubtfire: The Musical takes the concept of a male actor pretending to be a woman and blends it with a dysfunctional family. Forget the movie version of Mrs. Doubtfire if you go to see this musical.

“Mrs. Doubtfire is a musical based on the 1993 film of the same name, which in turn is based on the 1987 novel Alias Madame Doubtfire by Anne Fine, with music and lyrics by Karey and Wayne Kirkpatrick and a book by Karey Kirkpatrick and John O’Farrell. The musical is set in the city of San Francisco, California.”

Rob McClure reprises his Tony-nominated Broadway performance on tour alongside co-star (and real wife!) Maggie Lakis in this musical. MRS. DOUBTFIRE tells the story of an out-of-work actor whose antics lead to his wife divorcing him. He transforms himself into a female nanny persona so he can be with his kids every day. Plenty of silliness and slapstick humor results. Set the bar low and you’ll enjoy this energetic musical. GRADE: B+

MUSICAL NUMBERS:

I’ve enjoyed Julie Schumacher’s clever and snarky novels about the English Department at Payne University (where students wear T-shirts with PAYNE U: WHERE EDUCATION HURTS). Schumacher captures the chaos and wackiness of the current academic scene. Dear Committee Members (you can read my review here), where the English Department is in turmoil, and The Shakespeare Requirement (you can read my review here), where the English Department is under siege by the Machiavellian head of the wealthy Economics Department, Roland Gladwell. Gladwell plans to gut the English Department and take over their offices and conference rooms. Typical academic turf war!

I once took a trip to New York City with two other faculty members and a dozen students to visit Wall Street and other sites with business connections. It was a nightmare. One student stayed out all night and showed up in the morning dazed and confused from the alcohol and drugs he enjoyed during his binge. We had to sober him up and I had to put him on a train back to Buffalo.

Beleaguered head of the English Department, Professor Jason Fitger, gets pressured by the Dean (or face budget cuts) to accompany a group of students for a three-week tour of England. The students all have issues: one young woman has never been away from her cat before. There’s a student with a juvenile detention record. A pair of artistic twins. A couple who have broken up and remain unreconciled with the predictable awkwardness of the situation. And, of course, the student who thought he was going to the Caribbean and only packed T-shirts, shorts, and sun screen.

It doesn’t help that Fitger hates England. Fitger’s ex-wife (and her possible lover, Thor) cause Fitger to reevaluate his decisions about his life. For a rollicking adventure in England with plenty of laughs, give The English Experience a try. GRADE: B+