Kim Stanley Robinson’s new SF novel, 2312, starts around page 70. Robinson develops a solar society of space colonies on Mercury, Venus (being terraformed), Mars, the asteroid belt, and the moons of Jupiter and Saturn. On top of all this, Robinson introduces possible murders committed by (or with the assistance of) quantum computers (early artificial intelligence). At 561 pages, 2312 is one of those big Summer Books people take to the beach. There’s plenty here to ponder. GRADE: B

Most readers recognize Nick Hornby as the author of High Fidelity, About a Boy, and Juliet, Naked. Hornby also wrote two good screenplays: Fever Pitch and An Education. But I’m not only a fan of those works, I love Nick Hornby’s “Stuff I’ve Been Reading” column in The Believer magazine. Hornby boldly lists the books he’s bought that month…and the books he’s actually read. And Hornby’s reviews not only concern the books he’s reading, but his life, frustrations, addiction to soccer, etc. It all gets blended into entertaining, humorous riffs about books and life. More Baths Less Talking is the fourth collection of Hornby’s book reviews. I’ve read the three previous collections: The Polysyllabic Spree (2004), Housekeeping vs. the Dirt (2006), and Shakespeare Wrote for Money (2008). I recommend all of them. GRADE: A

It’s been 44 days since my total knee replacement surgery on my right knee. I’ll be in front of a class of students in 27 days. So far, my recovery has been a bit tougher than last summer’s recovery from getting my left knee replaced. My right knee had more arthritis and bone spurs. More issues. I had little pain last summer. This summer, I was popping Lortabs like they were Tic-Tacs. But the Good News is that the metrics are improving on all fronts. I have full extension of my new right knee. I can bend my new knee 104 degrees. I can ride a stationary bike for 10 minutes (but it hurts!). The swelling in my new knee is decreasing. Strength is slowly returning. I’m getting better range-of-motion daily. Pain is lessening incrementally day by day. And today I got the Green Light to return to the pool! Last summer, those daily trips to the pool accelerated my recovery immensely. For those of you with knee problems, total knee replacement surgery is a viable option to retaining your mobility. The recovery takes a few months, but if you work at it you’ll be happy with the results. I am!

Thank you all for the kind wishes, gifts, and advice during my recovery. Your positive karma gave my physical and mental health a boost!

Summer is the perfect time to get caught up on the stacks of DVDs and Blu-rays that have grown over the past years. Predators appeared in 2010 to lack-luster reviews. Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in the first Predator movie back in 1987. My favorite predator movie, Predator 2 (1990), starred Danny Glover. Predators is a mixed bag. Oscar Award winner, Adrien Brody, and a group of violent mis-fits find themselves stranded on a planet-sized game preserve where they’re hunted by alien predators. It should come as no surprise that there’s plenty of action and violence in this movie. But producer Robert Rodriguez and director Nimród Antal add enough twists and surprises to make what could have been a predictable action film fairly entertaining. Grab some microwave popcorn and enjoy! GRADE: B

Here’s another hefty group of P. G. Wodehouse audiobooks that I’ve been listening to. For those of you who haven’t tried Wodehouse’s wonderful confections, you’re missing some entertaining delights. I’m very fond of the CDs narrated by Martin Jarvis (Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves), Jonathan Cecil (Very Good, Jeeves, and even Ian Carmichael (Jeeves in the Offing. Right Ho, Jeeves is a BBC full-cast production with plenty of comic situations to laugh at. No matter who narrates these humorous stories, Wodehouse’s cleverness and wit shine through. Reading these stories is fun, but listening to them is even more fun! Check your local public library for these CD sets and find some time to listen to them. You’ll love it!

Katie needed a GPS for the Altima we’re lending her. With her new hospice job, Katie needed a way to find her clients in the Boston area easily. Bill Crider and other friends recommended the Garmin GPS line. Diane, Katie, and I went to BEST BUY and found the Garmin Nuvi 50LM at a reasonable price. The audio is crisp and clear. The Garmin features accurate maps with an easy to use interface on a nice, big 5″ touch screen. We picked the model with the life-time updates (an extra $30). If you’re looking for a GPS for your car, consider the Garmin line.

My son, Patrick, and his Pittsburgh friends would meet each Tuesday for dinner. Patrick hosted the dinners because his apartment had a huge dining room. Each week, two of the friends would make dinner for the others with the responsibilities rotating among the group. All that came to an end this week as Patrick packed up his stuff and is moving to his new loft in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He begins his teaching job at the University of New Mexico on August 13. So this “last supper” was the final time this group could enjoy the ambiance and camaraderie. Click on the photo for an expanded view.

In other breaking news, my daughter, Katie, begins her new job at a hospice on Monday. Katie called this position her “dream job.” When I was Katie’s age, my dream job was to be a librarian. Good luck, kids!

Lawrence Block published 69 Barrow Street back in 1961 while writing as “Sheldon Lord.” He followed it up with Strange Embrace in 1962. Block, like many writers such as Robert Silverberg and Harry Whittington and Donald E. Westlake, supplemented his regular writing income with quick profits from churning out “sleaze.” But Lawrence Block’s sleaze is of a high order. Both of these novels are suspenseful and worth reading. Hard Case Crime uses the old ACE Double format of two novels bound together with two Robert McGinnis covers. For all these reasons, I found this book a must-buy! And I’m hoping for more!

I’ve been a fan of David Brin’s work for decades, especially his Uplift series. Now, Brin shows up with a 556-page novel with a dozen major characters. An “artifact” is discovered that might be the item that leads to First Contact with advanced aliens. But, Brin plays it close to the vest: is the artifact a hoax? Is it a ploy by evil aliens to conquer Earth? Brin explores a society divided by technology. Some human embrace artificial intelligence, others want to restrain it. There are still terrorists, gangsters, political groups all empowered by trillions of dollars and powerful new computer technology. If you’re a Brin fan, you’ll want to read Existence. If you’re in the mood for a large-canvas SF novel of the near future, Existence bursts with ideas and speculation. GRADE: B+

Joss Stone burst on the music scene a decade ago with The Soul Sessions, a CD of covers of soul songs. Now Joss Stone is back with another CD full of soul goodies. If you love this genre of music like I do, you’ll want to hear these songs interpreted by Joss Stone in her unique style. Check out the song samples below.
TRACK LIST:
1. “I Got The…” – Labi Siffre
2. “(For God’s Sake) Give More Power to the People” – Eugene Record (of the Chi-Lites)
3. “While You’re Out Looking For Sugar” – Ronald Dunbar, Edyth Wayne (AKA Holland-Dozier-Holland), written for and originally performed by Honey Cone
4. “Sideways Shuffle” – Tim Renwick
5. “I Don’t Wanna Be with Nobody But You” – Eddie Floyd
6. “Teardrops” – Cecil Womack, Linda Womack
7. “Stoned Out of My Mind” – Barbara Acklin
8. “The Love We Had (Stays On My Mind)” – Terry Callier, Larry Wade
9. “The High Road” – James Mercer (The Shins), Brian Burton (Danger Mouse) (AKA Broken Bells)
10. “Pillow Talk” – Sylvia Robinson, Michael Burton
11. “Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye” – John D. Loudermilk

Bonus Tracks on the Deluxe Edition

12. “First Taste of Hurt” – W. Turbinton
13. “One Love in My Lifetime” – Terri McFaddin, Leonard Perry, Lawrence Brown (originally performed by Diana Ross)
14. “Nothing Takes the Place of You” – Toussaint McCall
15. “(1-2-3-4-5-6-7) Count the Days” – B. O’Dell, Yvonne Williams