I found Deborah Harkness’ A Discovery of Witches a big disappointment. The book begins with an American historian, Diana Bishop, finding a bewitched book in Oxford’s Bodleian Library. The book, the object of centuries of searching by witches, demons, and vampires, reacts to Diane’s touch. So far, so good. But the story goes off the rails for me when Diana falls in love with a vampire named Matthew. The story then becomes more about their banned union rather than the magic. At 579 pages, A Discovery of Witches is way too long: 200 pages could have been cut easily. I did not have to go to Diana’s yoga classes or go through a wine-tasting every other chapter (Deborah Harkness has a wine blog). There must be a market for this kind of “witch-vampire romance” because A Discovery of Witches is moving up the Best Sellers list. But it’s not my cup of tea. GRADE: C

Fans of k. d. lang rejoice! We have another marvelous CD of her music to listen to! The songs on Sing It Loud have a Sixties feel to them. I’m including a video (below) of k. d. lang performing on The View. This should give you a flavor of what to expect on this album. It’s been nearly four years since k. d. lang released a CD of new material. I’m glad the wait is over! This CD has been getting played plenty around here! GRADE: A
TRACK LIST
1 I Confess
2 A Sleep With No Dreaming
3 The Water’s Edge
4 Perfect Word
5 Sugar Buzz
6 Sing It Loud
7 Inglewood
8 Habit of Mind
9 Heaven
10 Sorrow Nevermore

The Summer Movie season is in full swing. Actually, it started last week with Fast Five which I haven’t seen yet. But this week’s big opening is Thor, based on the Marvel Comics character. Whatever possessed Stan Lee to turn the legends of Norse gods into comic book action heroes, but it worked. Director Kenneth Branagh (of Wallander fame) opted for a visual feast with Frost Giants, treacherous Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston), and court intrigue in Asgard. Down on Earth, Natalie Portman plays an obsessed physicist who discovers the banished Thor (played by Chris Hemsworth). Odin (played by Anthony Hopkins) banishes his spoiled, immature son to Earth. And, stripped of his powers, Thor is just another hunky guy. Loki’s plotting brings disaster for everyone. There are plenty of dramatic moments in this movie. I also found Patrick Doyle’s soundtrack to be very powerful. It’s going to be a long, hot summer of movies. But this early entry may end up being the best of them all. GRADE: A

The Universe Wreckers is the third volume of the collected stories of Edmond Hamilton published by the outstanding Haffner Press. These stories were written at the dawn of the Great Depression when science fiction was finding its way. Edmond Hamilton was there at the beginning of the genre’s formation. As I’ve mentioned before when I reviewed the earlier volumes in this series, I admire Edmond Hamiton’s story-telling talent. Hamilton wrote exciting fiction for over 50 years! Thanks to Stephen Haffner, we can read these marvelous tales in an attractive format. If you’re a fan of classic SF, The Universe Wreckers is a must-buy!
Table of Contents
Introduction by Eric Leif Davin
“Cities in the Air” (Air Wonder Stories Nov, Dec ’29)
“The Life-Masters” (Weird Tales, Jan ’30)
“The Space Visitors” (Air Wonder Stories, Mar ’30)
“Evans of the Earth Guard” (Air Wonder Stories, Apr ’30)
“The Plant Revolt” (Weird Tales, Apr ’30)
“The Universe Wreckers” (Amazing Stories May, Jun, Jul ’30)
“The Death Lord” (Weird Tales, Jul ’30)
“Pigmy Island” (Weird Tales, Aug ’30)
“Second Satellite” (Astounding Stories, Aug ’30)
“World Atavism” (Amazing Stories, Aug ’30)
“The Man Who Saw the Future” (Amazing Stories, Aug ’30)

Appendix
• Original Pulp Illustrations
• Readers’ Letters from Original Magazines
• Correspondence between Hamilton and the SF Luminaries of the Day

Nikita remains on the bubble about being renewed for next season. I’m a big fan of Maggie Q (even though the writing in this series could have been a lot better). The CW hasn’t decided whether there will be a Season Two. The plot about a rogue government agency opposed by a talented former agent resonates with me. The cast is solid. I hope this two-part Season Finale generates enough of an audience to tip the CW suits into renewing Nikita.

More details are leaking out about the operation that resulted in bin Laden’s death. The elite Navy SEALS Team Six practiced in a mock-up facility modeled on bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The operation took eight months of planning and preparation. Only when the 20-25 members of Navy SEALS Team Six were in the air headed for Abbottabad were they told their target was Osama bin Laden. Something always goes wrong on these operations. One of the helicopters lost altitude and clipped its rear rotor on one of bin Laden’s 20 foot concrete walls. The chopper was forced to land and the second helicopter (with the SEALS who were supposed to rappel down) landed, too. A fire-fight broke out and the SEALS had to fight their way up to the third floor where bin Laden was waiting. One of the SEALS shot bin Laden’s youngest wife in the leg and then shot bin Laden twice in the head. The SEALS collected intel and computers and then the helicopters took them with bin Laden’s body to USS Carl Vinson in the North Arabian Sea. More photos and details will be released. Books will be written. We’ll see some movies of this operation next year. But for now, we should all thank the brave men who succeeded in closing a chapter of our war on terror.

Replacing my old DVDs with Blu-ray versions continues with my latest acquisition: The Maltese Falcon. This classic film starring Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor, directed by John Huston, has a plethora of added features: commentary by Bogart biographer Eric Lax, featurette The Maltese Falcon: One Magnificent Bird, breakdowns of 1941: studio blooper reel, makeup tests, Becoming Attractions: The Trailers of Humphrey Bogart, Warner Night at the Movies 1941 short subjects gallery: Newsreel, musical short The Gay Parisian, 2 classic cartoons: Hiawatha’s Rabbit Hunt and Meet John Doughboy, Trailers of this Movie, 1941’s Sergeant York and 1936’s previous Falcon movie adaptation Satan Met a Lady. Audio-only bonus: 3 radio show adaptations–two featuring the movie’s original stars, plus another starring Edward G. Robinson. GRADE: A

Katherine Jenkins has long been a favorite of mine. I have all her CDs. But this Ultimate Collection CD is perfect for listeners who want to sample the music of this astounding singer. Classically trained, Katherine Jenkins is equally adept at arias and pop ballads. There’s something for everyone on this disk. Check out the samples on your favorite music site and listen to the sample below. GRADE: A
TRACK LIST
1. Time To Say Goodbye 3:46
2. Hallelujah 4:47
3. L’Amore Sei Tu (I Will Always Love You) 4:21
4. I Vow To Thee, My Country 3:08
5. Quello Che Farò (Sarà Per Te) 4:15
6. Nella Fantasia 5:09
7. Hymn To The Fallen 4:31
8. The Flower Duet 3:50
9. Pie Jesu 3:38
10. Calon Lan 2:27
11. Caruso 3:51
12. Vide Cor Meum 4:01
13. O Mio Babbino Caro 2:37
14. Music Of The Night 5:46
15. I Could Have Danced All Night 2:33
16. I’ve Dreamed Of You (Questo E Per Te) 3:36
17. Don’t Cry For Me Argentina 6:17

Margorie Garber’s The Use and Abuse of Literature jumps from topic to topic at warp drive. One chapter deals with writers who “abuse” literature by lying: James Frey and Ben Mezrich are invoked. And, Kitty Kelley. Then, Garber delivers some stiff doses of Freud and Marx. Suddenly, Garber plunges into a diatribe about the Literary Canon. Then Garber does an analysis of Love in Shakespeare. As you might have guessed by now, The Use and Abuse of Literature leaps from topic to topic without resolution. None of this jells together. I can’t recommend this book. GRADE: C

The Buffalo Bills shored up their inept defense by picking Marcell Dareus, the massive 320 lb. defensive lineman from Alabama, in the First Round. The Bills then improved their secondary by choosing Aaron Williams, the corner back from Texas, with their Second Round pick. In the Third Round, the Bills picked Kelvin Sheppard, linebacker from LSU. The Bills have many needs: quarterback, offensive lineman, tight end, linebackers, etc. But with this Draft, the Bills need to start to take steps toward respectability. It’s been 11 long years since the Bills have been in the NFL playoffs. Most of the damage has been self-inflicted: terrible draft picks, staggeringly bad trades, incompetent coaches, and a culture of mediocrity. Coach Chan Gailey and GM Buddy Nix have a plan to make the Buffalo Bills competitive again. But it starts (and ends) with acquiring good players and coaching them to excellence.