Charles Baxter has long been one of my favorite short story writers. Gryphon is the perfect place for readers who want to sample Baxter’s work. The title story is narrated by a young boy whose classroom has been transformed by an unusual substitute teacher. Baxter’s characters find themselves in situations that spin out of their control. What impresses me about Charles Baxter’s stories is the variety of subjects he’s able to write about convincingly: oldsters who are shop-lifters, lovers who are in the midst of breaking up, a doctoral student who can’t seem to finish his dissertation, crime and punishment. If you want to read some of the best stories being written today, I recommend Gryphon. GRADE: A
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Would-be Father
Horace and Margaret’s Fifty-second
Harmony of the World
Winter Journey
Surprised by Joy
The Eleventh Floor
Gryphon
Fenstad’s Mother
Westland
Shelter
Snow
The Disappeared
Kiss Away
The Next Building I Plan to Bomb
Flood Show
The Cures for Love
Poor Devil
Ghosts
Royal Blue
The Old Murderer
Mr. Scary
The Cousins
The Winner

Joseph Epstein, one of my favorite essayists, referred to Style by F. L. Lucas in a recent review of another, inferior, style guide. It took some searching, but I was able to find a copy of Style and I read it immediately. Published in 1955, F. L. Lucas’ Style takes plenty for granted. For example, there are at least a hundred quotations in this book in FRENCH. Lucas assumes as an intelligent, educated reader, I should be able to read those French quotations. Sadly, my high school French was not up to the task so I missed out on many wonderful examples of great style. Lucas also includes examples in Latin and Greek, but occasionally takes pity on the language-challenged reader and provides translations. Still, there are hundreds of examples in clear, precise English to enjoy. If you’re a fan of good writing, there’s plenty of it in Style. If you want to improve your writing style, F. L. Lucas may have written the definitive guide. GRADE: A

The versatile Philip Jose Farmer delighted in writing biographies of imaginary characters. One of Farmer’s best is Tarzan Alive: A Definitive Biography of Lord Greystoke. I prefer the Bison Books edition that contains a Forward by Win Scott Eckert and an Introduction by Mike Resnick. Farmer’s detailed examination of Lord Greystoke’s incredible life “corrects” some of errors in Edgar Rice Burroughs’ version. This Bison Books edition also includes Farmer’s “Exclusive Interview with Lord Greystoke” and “Extracts from the Memoirs of Lord Greystoke.” Farmer’s intimate knowledge of the Tarzan Saga coupled with his sense of mythic design makes Tarzan Alive an unforgettable reading experience.

Neil Diamond was a songwriter in the legendary Brill Building in 1966, but he wanted to be more than that: he wanted to be a performer. So Diamond signed with upstart Bang Records and produced a string of hits. This new collection features 23 songs, remastered in pristine mono. These pop songs never sounded so good. As always, Ed Ward’s commentary (below) is full of obscure information about Neil Diamond and his career. Neil Diamond is one of the few people to be a member of both The Songwriter’s Hall of Fame but also The Rock-&-Roll Hall of Fame. GRADE: A
Track List
1. Solitary Man 2:35
2. Cherry, Cherry 2:45
3. Girl, You’ll Be a Woman Soon 3:01
4. Kentucky Woman 2:26
5. Thank the Lord For the Night Time 3:03
6. You Got To Me 2:51
7. I’m a Believer 2:44
8. Red, Red Wine 2:42
9. The Boat That I Row 2:40
10. Do It 1:54
11. New Orleans 2:26
12. Monday, Monday 3:03
13. Red Rubber Ball 2:23
14. I’ll Come Running 3:02
15. La Bamba 2:10
16. The Long Way Home 2:33
17. I’ve Got the Feeling (Oh No No) 2:20
18. You’ll Forget 2:50
19. Love To Love 2:22
20. Someday Baby 2:19
21. Hanky Panky 2:50
22. The Time is Now 3:04
23. Shilo 3:27

I’m alive! My surgery went well. I have a nice new left knee. But I came down with a bad case of illuis (forgive my spelling) which is a condition that shuts down the gastric system. The cause is anesthesia and the pain medications. As soon as I recover, I’ll be back blogging in real time. Until then, I have posts ready for the next week or two. I go to Rehab tomorrow. More details as soon as I’m able. Avoid hospitals!

I’m in the minority on my opinion of Somewhere. Roger Ebert gave it four stars and A.O. Scott of the New York Times put Somewhere on his Year’s Best Movies list. My son, Patrick, also thought Somewhere was one of the best movies of 2010. After watching Somewhere, I told Patrick how they came up with the title of the movie: “When you’re watching it, you wish you were somewhere else.” Sofia Coppola wrote and directed this movie about a Hollywood actor whose life seems meaningless. His 11-year-old daughter gets dumped on him because his ex-wife needs “space.” A series of meaningless scenes follow: a trip to Italy, an award show, a helicopter ride to the daughter’s summer camp. Dull, dull, dull. I suppose we’re supposed to think the actor’s life sucks, but I wasn’t convinced (plenty of women in his life). I’ve seen Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation and Marie Antoinette. Coppola’s movies always distance the audience. I love movies that draw me in and completely involve me. Coppola’s movies keep me at an arm’s length and annoy me. GRADE: C-

PBS Masterpiece Theater presents Christie’s The Clocks tonight. Originally published in 1963, the novel immediately annoyed me with part of the story told in the third person and part of the story told in the first person. A secretary is summoned to an apartment where she finds a blind woman and a dead body. Four clocks are mysteriously present. And they are set an hour ahead of the actual time. The Clocks reminded me more of an Ellery Queen or John Dickson Carr mystery than a Christie. And when Poirot reveals the key to the puzzle, a mystery writer is at the center of the solution. GRADE: B

PBS Masterpiece Mystery broadcast Agatha Christie’s Three Act Tragedy (aka, Murder in Three Acts last weekend. Tomorrow, Masterpiece Mystery will present The Clocks, and Hallowe’en Party will be broadcast on July 3. A Miss Marple, The Pale Horse, will be broadcast on July 10. Three Act Tragedy centers around a relationship of a young woman, Egg, and a retired actor. A pastor dies under mysterious circumstances, then a well-known neurologist dies under similar circumstances. The butler disappears. Poirot untangles all the red herrings and feints to identify the murderer. Published in 1935, Three Act Tragedy shows Christie at the top of her game. GRADE: A

For those of you who are fans of J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, you’ll be interested to know about Kirill Yeskov’s unofficial story of the LOTR from the point of view of the Orcs. Yes, this is the story of The Ring told by the losing side. Yeskov’s book was published in Russia in 1999 and bootleg translations have circulated for years. But last year, Yisroel Markov translated The Last Ringbearer into English with clarity and verve. You can download a free copy here. Laura Miller’s “Middle-Earth According to Mordor” also contains some interesting analysis. If you’re a Lord of the Rings fan, The Last Ringbearer is worth reading. And next week, the expanded versions of Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy will be shown at your local Regal theaters. Order your tickets now!